Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...

"We'll ask again, where is Kingpin?" Daredevil asked.

"H-He's under Brooklyn, not in it! He cleared out a section of the abandoned subway tunnels and turned it into a lab for him and the Tinkerer!"

"H-He's not building a weapon, he's building a super collider, w-want's to rip a hole into another universe or some shit, I don't know!"

"If the collider goes out of control, you can say goodbye to NYC. That's why he needed Mason, he needed someone who would know how to control it."

"Mason, activate the collider," Kingpin ordered. The Tinkerer pressed something on the tablet and the machine began to whir to life.

Spider-Man swung in and landed on a wall adjacent to the collider. "Guys, we have a problem. The collider's already activated. We need to stop it before it builds up too much energy."

Punisher was knocked flat onto the floor of the catwalk, landing right next to his discarded assault rifle. He then saw the launcher under the barrel was undamaged. He quickly grabbed the rifle and aimed up at Moon Knight, who kicked the rifle just as he fired it, firing the grenade over the railing of the catwalk, and right into the collider, where it hit and exploded dead center.

"NO!" Fisk exclaimed. The energy burst from the collider as it tore itself apart, and exploded, the energy forming a giant wormhole, that soon began to suck everything in.

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," he joked to himself . He then looked up in the night sky to see a moon, but not his moon, because almost a third of this one was shattered. "Or even in my world anymore. Where have you taken us, Kingpin?"

Then his Spider-sense jolted again, and he moved out of the way just in time as the girl came down from behind him, slashing a black sword with ribbon wrapped around it. He leaned back as she slashed at him again, then leapt away from her to avoid a third strike. "Woah woah! Easy! What's with the sword?"

"Why were you sneaking up on me? How did you even get up here?" The girl asked.

"I didn't mean to scare you or anything! I swear! I just need to find out where I am." He tried to talk her down.

"Look lady, I just got here. And I need to find my friends. You wouldn't have happened to find someone running around with horns on his head, would you?" Spidey asked. That seemed to make something snap in her.

"Adam sent you. You're with the White Fang."

"With the what now?" Before Spidey could say anything else, the girl's blade rotated back to reveal a gun barrel in the crossguard, and she began to fire at him.

"Get down!" He yelled and both of them hit the deck as a few bullets were fired at them. Spidey looked up to see Taskmaster across the street firing one of his handguns.

The girl readied herself to attack, gripping her weapon tightly, then webbing shot onto Taskmaster's foot. "Ah, shit." Spider-Man was on the building across the street, and he pulled hard to send Taskmaster flying over and past him. After passing more buildings, he hit the edge of a roof back-first, then landed onto a car out cold.

"Thanks for the help." Spidey thanked her.

"You're welcome, I guess. Same to you," The girl replied.

"I never caught your name by the way."

The girl seemed to hesitate and think for a moment, as if considering if she should trust him or not. "It's Blake."

"When was the last time you hired someone?" Jessica asked between drinks.

"Less than an hour ago. Guy named Torchwick came in and hired a handful of guys, saying it was for security."

Suddenly, the window to the shop shattered as two different figures burst through, one of which leapt off the other as the first was laid out flat on the sidewalk. The first, which was now unconscious, was a man in a black suit and fedora, red glasses and red tie. The second was a young girl.

"Okay…" The bowler hat man said. He then looked to the other henchman. "Get her."

"Now?" Marc asked.

"Now." Daredevil nodded. Then both he and Moon Knight jumped down to the street.

"Ruby Rose," he said as he entered, gesturing towards the girl.

"So," The man continued, "Where did you learn to do this?" He gestured to a tablet Goodwitch now held that showed a recording of Ruby fighting the thugs.

"S-Signal Academy," Ruby nervously replied.

"And what about you three? I saw how the three of you handled yourselves."

"We have a job to do. Had to learn, or it would cost people their lives," Daredevil answered.

"That job is for the huntsman and huntresses of the kingdom's academy as well as the local police. Not vigilantes who use their semblances for attention," Goodwitch snapped.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked Ruby.

"You're Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon."

"You want to come to my school?"

"More than anything." Ruby answered with confidence.

Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at each other for a moment. Then Goodwitch rolled her eyes with a small "hmph" of disagreement. Then Ozpin turned back to the young girl.

"Well, okay."

"Perhaps it is best if we work together, even if indirectly. Though if I am to have… superheroes in my kingdom, I must of course know what lies beyond the masks. You must all have secret identities, ones that can be used freely in my world at your own discretion. That way you won't have to hide in the shadows to do your work."

"Now, let me make my proposition for you all more clear. I will provide you all with positions in my kingdom where you could fit right in: my school, Beacon Academy, where you all will be fully supported by the best in the Kingdom, all while having a reliable cover for your outings."

"Well then, gentleman…" Ozpin stood up and put his hand out to Peter, who took it and shook it. "Welcome to Remnant."

The Defenders of Remnant

Chapter 4: The Shining Beacon

It had been two days since the night Peter, Matt and Marc had met Ozpin and Ruby. Matt was immediately given a place to stay at Beacon academy, and his own classroom as the newly designated teacher of Remnant Laws and Ethics. Marc was given a place unknown to Peter, as he had asked for something discreet. Peter, however, was given a temporary place to live (AKA a hotel) before he would be given a dorm at Beacon with the rest of the students.

And now, he was aboard an airship, which Ozpin referenced as a bullhead, that was heading for Beacon Academy. Instead of his spider-suit, Peter now wore a brown jacket with a gray hood over a white t-shirt, dark jeans and red tennis shoes. He stood by the edge of one of the windows, leaning his left side against the wall as he looked out the window at the sky, and also at the kingdom of Vale down below. Then he felt his Spider-Sense jolt again, and looked around. There can't be bad guys here, right? His eyes then fell on Ruby Rose, just across the way. He thought about approaching her, and actually started making his way to her when another girl hugged her. He paused his steps to see the new girl.

She was a blonde girl with fair skin and lilac eyes. She wore a jacket that exposed her midriff with short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs and two buttons. Under that, she wore a short cut yellow crop top with an emblem in black he didn't recognize, almost like a flame. She wore a brown belt that also bore her emblem over an asymmetrical piece of white material that reached her right knee, which itself was over a pair of black shorts. She wore a pair of brown knee-high boots with orange knee-length socks, the right sock being pushed below the knee. To top it off, she wore an orange infinity scarf, black fingerless gloves and a gray scarf tied around her left knee.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" The blonde girl cheered to Ruby while hugging her tightly.

That's her sister? Peter thought to himself. They look nothing alike.

"Please stop…" Ruby choked past her sister's iron grip. The sister then let go.

"But I'm so proud of you!"

"Really, sis, it's nothing…" Ruby insisted.

"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!" The sister remarked.

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees!" Ruby replied. "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees. "

"Well, 'normal knees' normally don't make crooks taste pavement." Peter remarked, making his entrance into the conversation. The sisters turned to look at him. "I heard about what you did for that shopkeeper. You're a real hero, you know."

"W-Wow. Th-Thanks, but it was nothing." Ruby slightly blushed from the sudden attention from someone that wasn't her sister. "It was the right thing to do."

"And that was the right thing to say." Peter gave a small smile before putting his hand out to Ruby. "Peter. Peter Parker."

The young huntress took his hand and shook it. "Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you."

Peter then turned to Ruby's sister and also put his hand forward, which she shook. "I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister."

"It's good to meet you both. Too many strangers, not enough nice faces to recognize." Peter replied.

"Not so bad yourself." Yang gave a quick wink, which made Peter smirk a little. "Besides, you seem to be a fan of Ruby's, so you can't be that bad a guy. Speaking of which," Yang then returned her gaze to her sister. "Why aren't you more excited? You're going to Beacon."

"Of course I'm excited, I just…" Ruby paused for a moment. "I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

Yang moved to stand next to Ruby and put her arm around her little sister's shoulders. "But you are special." Their attention was then drawn to a news broadcast being played on a holographic screen near them.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities," the reporter stated. On the screen was a mugshot of the bowler hat man from the other day. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

Roman Torchwick, huh? Might wanna fill in Matt when I see him, Peter noted.

The screen then switched to a woman with white hair and yellow eyes. "Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White fang disrupted the ceremony." They showed a symbol of a red painted canine animal baring its teeth against three scratches in the background.

Faunus… White Fang… Blake talked about that the other night. Guess I still have some questions to ask.

"The once peaceful organization has now disrupted-" The news broadcast was cut off and the screen disappeared, being replaced by a hologram of Glynda Goodwitch.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon." Goodwitch greeted.

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world." The hologram then faded away, and students started going to the windows.

"Oh, wow!" Ruby whispered as she also went to a window, with Yang standing at her side. "Look! You can see Signal from up here! I guess home isn't too far after all." Yang put her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Beacon's our home now." Yang said. The trio then heard the sounds of someone groaning, and a blonde boy in a black hoodie, jeans and black sneakers with white armor on his torso, shoulders and forearms covered his mouth and stumbled by, obviously nauseous.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone," Peter commented.

"It was a nice moment while it lasted," Ruby said. "I wonder who we're going to meet."

"I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy," Yang retorted.

As soon as the airship landed, the students began to file out, the blonde boy rushed to a trash can and emptied his stomach. Peter broke away from Ruby and her sister to check on him. "Hey man, you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," the boy responded. "Just motion sickness. Maybe a little vertigo."

"Take a breather. Then make your way over to initiation." Peter said. The boy gave a weak thumbs-up, before hurling again in the trash can, making Peter cringe. Peter then backed away and turned around to look for Ruby and Yang again. He saw Yang run off with a group of other people, whilst Ruby was spinning around in confusion. She then fell over, knocking over the stacks of suitcases placed on a cart in the middle of the walkway. Peter ran to her and helped her up. "You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks Peter." Ruby responded.

"What are you doing?!" A shrill female voice cried behind them. They turned around to see a girl with stark white hair and icy blue eyes, a small scar running down the side of her left eye. She had an off-center ponytail and wore a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint gradient of white to pale blue at the hem, with a small piece of black lace at her neckline and the hem stitched to resemble snowflakes and layers of white tull under the skirt. Over this dress she wore a bolero with the same color gradation on the outside and red on the inside, with a ruffled collar. Seeing this girl made Peter's sense kick again, confusing him. Was she supposed to be an enemy? Or was it just as unexplained when it hit him for Ruby and Blake?

"Uh, s-sorry!" Ruby apologized.

"'Sorry?'" The girl in white repeated. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

"They're just suitcases, lady. Not exactly a world-ending threat," Peter defended while Ruby tried to pick up a suitcase. Weiss saw this and took the suitcase from Ruby's hands.

"Give me that!" She then opened it to show Peter and Ruby what was inside. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry."

"Uh," Ruby mumbled.

"What are you, brain dead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!" The girl in white said sternly, all the while shaking the red vial she was holding, which sent clouds of red dust pollen into Ruby's face. "Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Look, she fell and it was an accident. You can't be so harsh on her for a mistake she didn't mean to make." Peter retorted.

"Mistake or not, she could have damaged the Dust, made it go off, and hurt herself or others in the process." Ruby then sneezed, which sent a blaze of flame into the air between the three of them. Peter quickly backed off from the sudden burst. Weiss lost a hold of the vial in her hand, making it roll to the ground to someone else's feet.

"Unbelievable!" The girl in white exclaimed. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about."

"I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby apologized profusely.

"Ugh, you complete dolt!" The girl in white scolded. "What are you even doing here? Aren't you a bit young to be attending Beacon?"

"I could ask the same of you. How did your crappy attitude and non-existent patience get you this far? Cause I already wanna send you flying." Peter replied with a scowl on his face.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. Back off of her and chill out, Ice Queen." Peter remarked, making Ruby smile a little at his defense.

"It's heiress, actually." A familiar voice said. Peter turned to see Blake approaching with the Dust vial in one hand and a book in the other. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the highest producers of energy propellant in the world."

The girl in white, now known to Peter and Ruby as Weiss, looked at Blake with a smug grin on her face. "Finally, some recognition!" She said in a triumphant tone.

But Blake continued on. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

The steam was taken from Weiss's superiority, and she began to become flustered with anger. "W-What..! Th-The nerve of..! How dare-!" She couldn't get any words beyond her teeth, bringing entertained looks to both Peter and Ruby's faces. "UGH!" Weiss snatched the vial of Dust from Blake's hand and stormed off as two men in suits picked up the suitcases and loaded them back onto the cart.

Ruby slightly stepped toward Weiss as she walked away. "I promise I'll make this up to you!" She called after the heiress.

"Thanks," Peter said to Blake. "I'm pretty sure if you hadn't stepped in, she would never have shut up."

"The privileged are always selfish and full of themselves. It seems she's no different." Blake remarked.

"Well, I appreciate the help." Peter then put his hand out to her. "Name's Peter. Nice to meet you." Blake seemed to take a pause for a moment. Does she recognize my voice…? He knew he took a risk speaking up, but he had hoped she wouldn't recognize his voice as easily as he recognized hers.

Blake gripped his hand and gently shook it. "Blake. Same to you." She then gave him a subtle look, which he couldn't decipher the meaning of immediately.

"So, what's your name?" Ruby asked, turning back to them from her gaze on Weiss.

"Blake." The other girl simply responded.

"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose! Nice to meet you. Want to walk to the assembly together?"

"Sorry, but I have to talk with Peter for a minute." Blake replied.

She knows… Peter thought to himself, a wave of nervousness flooding over him.

"O-Oh…" Ruby said, sounding disappointed and defeated.

"It's alright, Ruby. I'll try to meet up with you and Yang after the opening ceremony." Peter assured her. Blake gestured for him to follow and started walking. Peter did as she requested. Ruby then looked down at the ground, and dropped to her knees before laying on the stone brick path, sighing glumly and closing her eyes.

"Welcome to Beacon…" Then a shadow stood over her, and she opened her eyes to see Vomit Boy putting his hand out to her.

"Hey… I'm Jaune."

Ruby's smile returned and she took his hand. "Ruby." Jaune pulled her up to her feet only for her to snort. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Peter asked innocently, playing it off as being oblivious.

"So, I guess I finally got an answer to my question, Peter." Blake remarked.

"What question would that be?" Peter asked.

"About who was behind the mask." Blake replied.

"What mask are you talking about?" Peter questioned. Blake stopped walking and turned to him, giving him an annoyed look. "Alright fine, I'll stop playing dumb."

"You don't even try to hide your voice." Blake pointed out.

"Well, no one else has ever figured that part out. I've been Spider-Man for four years, and no one has figured me out that quickly based on my voice." Peter defended. "And we didn't talk for that long!"

"Well, when someone shows up out of the blue with no knowledge of the world followed by a psycho in a skull-mask, they tend to make an impression, don't you think?" Blake remarked, crossing her arms.

"What, you don't have muder-happy psycho's here?" Peter asked snarkily.

"You have no idea…" Blake said grimly, as if speaking from experience. She slightly looked away while saying those words. Peter recognized the pain in her eyes. But before he could say anything, Blake regained her composure and looked back up. "So what are you doing at Beacon? You're no Huntsman."

"Headmaster let me in, special case." Peter answered.

"I assume he knows the whole truth about you, including why you're here and where you're from?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… kinda. Yeah." Peter rubbed his neck.

Blake seemed to think for a moment, then looked back up at him. "Then I think it's about time I got some straight answers. If I promise to keep your identity a secret from the rest of Beacon, you have to answer all my questions."

Peter felt a large weight being put on his shoulders. This one girl could throw a wrench in the Defender's plans if she wanted to, and they hadn't even gotten started yet. But something about her, and a feeling deep inside him, told him to trust her. He couldn't explain it, and wanted to disagree with it. But whatever his Spider-Sense was telling him, it meant something. So he took one deep breath and sigh of defeat. "Fine. But not here, not now. We have an assembly to be at, and an initiation tomorrow. But I promise you will have your answers."

"Fine by me, so long as I get them." Blake said.

"So, want to head back?"

Blake hesitated for a moment. "Sure."

The duo made their way to the main auditorium, where a massive crowd of students were still waiting for the assembly to begin. Peter spotted Ruby and Yang, and then the immediate eyesore that was Weiss Schnee chewing the rose-colored huntress out. "Hey, I gotta go solve this before it becomes a problem. See you later?" He asked her.

"Sure." Blake simply answered. Peter then pushed his way to the other three huntresses, as he began to hear the conversation.

"Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot." Yang said. "Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Yeah, great idea sis!" Ruby exclaimed. She then cleared her throat and put her hand out to Weiss. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

Weiss, however, immediately responded in a sarcastic, mocking tone. "Yeah! And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and… scraggly over there!" She jabbed her thumb at Jaune, who's head peeked up at the mention of his name.

"Really?" Ruby asked hopefully, the sarcasm going right over her head.

Weiss's expression returned to her normal grumpiness. "No."

"Wow, it's been like ten minutes, and you are still just as much of a brat." Peter remarked as he approached them.

"You!" Weiss exclaimed, immediately becoming infuriated at the sight of Peter.

"Me." Peter replied snarkily with a smug grin on his face. Ruby smiled wide when she saw him.

"Hey Peter!" She greeted him. Peter gave a small wave back.

Then Ozpin and Goodwitch appeared on the main stage, with Ozpin behind the microphone. He clears his throat to get everyone's attention, making the whole auditorium quiet down. "I'll keep this brief," he said while straightening his spectacles. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." This earned dirty looks from both Yang and Weiss, while Peter and Ruby looked on in interest. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ozpin then stepped away from the microphone, letting Goodwitch take over. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Then both Goodwitch and Ozpin started on their way out of the auditorium. On his way out, Peter saw Ozpin look directly at him with a smile on his face.

"He seemed kinda… off." Yang remarked.

"It was almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby added.

Jaune then sidestepped to them, and leaned towards Weiss. "I'm a natural blonde, y'know." This made Weiss facepalm.

When the night had come, all of the first year students were gathered inside the ballroom on pallets and sleeping bags. Peter, however, was now standing in Ozpin's office. Ozpin sat behind a large curved desk with a glass top. Next to the desk stood Matt Murdock, who wore a black suit with a red tie and tinted red glasses, and he held a walking stick. At least it was now obvious he was blind.

"Mr. Parker. Short as it was, what are your thoughts about your first day at Beacon?" Ozpin asked.

"Interesting to say the least. Met some… curious individuals. It makes me wonder what else I'll see while we're here on Remnant." Peter answered.

Ozpin chuckled. "Indeed. As for tomorrow, the initiation will involve students forming the teams they will be a part of for the next four years. As to not raise suspicion, you will participate in this initiation. However, for the sake you will not be here for these four years, nor are you an actual Huntsman, you will not be placed on any team. Instead, your goal tomorrow will be to ensure the students do not stray too far, or lose their lives in the Emerald Forest."

"So I'm playing babysitter?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow at the headmaster.

"Not quite. I'm sure you will find each and every student attending my academy can handle themselves quite well on their own. The creatures of Grimm will be simple obstacles for them to overcome. Your job will be to ensure they don't get too carried away. The last thing we need is a team to be short a member due to their overconfidence costing one their life." Ozpin clarified.

"So I'm chaperoning. I guess I can handle that."

"Professor, you've spoken of these 'Grimm' before. Peter and I haven't had a chance to fully research your world. If you wouldn't mind telling us at least the basics so we don't look like fools in our classes. I am a teacher now after all." Matt requested.

"Of course," Ozpin responded. "To put things simply, Remnant is in a state of eternal chaos and darkness. The majority of our world is filled with the creatures of Grimm, monsters of pure negative energy and darkness. They are vicious creatures that have been the cause of death for tens of thousands. Due to this, our world only has four kingdoms: Vale, where you stand now, is the center of the world. The militarized Atlas is the northern kingdom, the desert kingdom of Vacuo is the western city, and the faunus capital of Mistral to the East. These kingdoms are beacons of light and hope for the world with their natural barriers providing shelter from the Grimm."

"So no one lives in the world out there?" Peter asked.

"Oh, they do. However, they do not have the guaranteed safety the kingdoms provide. Many settlements have fallen to either the Grimm or the many cells of bandits and marauders that roam the land between kingdoms. The closest to here is the small town of Forever Fall."

"Okay then. Umm… you mentioned Faunus. I've heard that a few times now. What's a Faunus?" Peter asked.

Ozpin answered, "The Faunus are the second race that populates our world besides humans. Faunus are humanoid people, each with an animal trait. One could have gills that allow them to breathe underwater, another could have the horns of a bull, or another could have the brute strength of a bear. Faunus traits are limitless. But of course, the world is cruel. Faunus are looked down upon for their differences. And since the last war in this world was between humans and Faunus, the hatred is made worse by a very fresh wound."

"And that's where this 'White Fang' comes into play." Matt said. Ozpin nodded.

"The White Fang started as a Faunus civil rights movement. Non-violent protests for equal rights between humans and Faunus in all kingdoms. And still Faunus are considered as lesser. I've no doubt the lack of progress mixed with the continuous hatred is what led to the White Fang changing their ways. There started to be less protests and more attacks, more robberies, more uprisings." Ozpin sipped the contents of his mug. "More death."

"They were forced into violence because humans refused to accept them, to forgive." Matt remarked.

"Oh, this outrageous racism existed long before the Human-Faunus war, but as I said, it didn't help things at all." Ozpin said.

"Well, where do you stand, Professor?" Peter asked.

"I believe life is life, no matter the form it takes, Mr. Parker. However, mankind has forgotten that ideal. And there's nothing even I can do to change that. Though this kind of aggression is something I don't tolerate on my grounds. Now, moving along, are there any more questions before we turn in for the night?"

"Just one, Professor. The other night, Goodwitch talked about Semblances. What's Semblance?" Peter asked.

"Ah yes, an important question indeed, Mr. Parker. You see, everyone on Remnant has the ability to use their soul in unique ways. All huntsmen and huntresses have an Aura, a manifestation of their soul, that gives them extra protection from attacks and can even help heal wounds. This Aura that everyone has powers one's Semblance, an ability unique to the huntsman or huntress. You all witnessed Ms. Rose's Semblance that night at the shop, where she runs off at super speed, leaving only a trail of rose petals behind her. All of my students have unique powers."

"So they're superpowers essentially, just powered by the soul." Peter simplified it.

"Precisely. And while they are not semblances, you both possess powers as well. Which, if you would now answer my question, what are they?" Ozpin asked.

Peter answered first. "I have increased strength, speed and reflexes and I can stick to walls. I also have, like, this sixth sense, that tells me when danger is supposed to be coming."

"And where did these powers come from?" Ozpin asked.

"I was bitten by a radioactive spider. Whatever it had been dosed with, it gave me these powers." Ozpin nodded, then looked at Matt.

Matt seemed to hesitate for a moment, but went on to answer. "When I was little, I was blinded by an unknown chemical carried in a truck when an accident happened as my dad and I were walking home. I never saw anything again. But as I started to get older, I noticed more and more the effects the chemicals had on me. I lost my sight, but my other senses were greatly enhanced. For example, I can hear the accelerated heartbeat of someone who's lying, or I know when someone is near me by feeling the disturbances in the air, or I can track someone's scent better than a bloodhound. So on and so on."

"Interesting. Despite losing a sense, you are more aware of your surroundings than those with all five." Ozpin remarked. He then stood up from his desk. "Well, gentleman, I appreciate the back and forth of information, but I do believe we all have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, so I think it best if we all turn in for the night."

"Of course, Professor. Have a good night." Matt remarked, then both he and Peter went to the elevator while Ozpin sipped his mug and started to clean up.

Roman Torchwick placed his cane down on the table and looked up at the Map of Vale. "Another botched job…" He muttered to himself. He had spent good money on Junior's henchman, and they failed miserably at not only the little huntress's hands, but of the three masked men behind her. Cinder will kill me if I muck this up again, he thought.

"Roman…" A female voice chimed. Torchwick then sighed.

"Speak of the devil…" He then turned to see a woman with ashen black hair, fair skin, and bright amber eyes. She had violet eyeshadow under her eyes. She wore a shoulderless v-neck knee-length red dress with yellow designs, the sleeves ending in a triangle shape tied around her middle fingers and an opening in the back at her shoulder blades. She also had black shorts under the dress, and a black choker. She had dark glass heels with a jeweled anklet on her right leg. "Cinder."

"Roman. Do you have a next target?" Cinder asked.

"Working on it. We don't have a lot of places in Vale left to hit. That being said, what happens when we have it all? Care to fill me in?"

"You will know in time, Roman. For now, play your part." Cinder replied.

"And what part would that be?" A third voice said. Torchwick immediately grabbed his cane and looked around. Cinder also raised her guard. Taskmaster landed on a crate above them, crouching down. The other two look up at him.

"Who are you?" Torchwick asked.

"The welcoming party. There's someone who wants to meet you." Taskmaster answered.

"And who is brave enough to consider himself worthy of our time?" Cinder asked.

"Me." Out of the shadows stepped Wilson Fisk, followed by Prowler and Bullseye. Electro leans over a catwalk above them. "My name is Wilson Fisk. And you both have caught my eye."

"You speak as if we sit below you, Mr. Fisk." Cinder remarked.

"No, I don't believe you do. You see, my colleagues and I are new to this city of yours. We're looking to settle ourselves in. But it seems you two have already laid claim, and I am not one to rob a successful businessman of his own home. So I came instead to ask for a partnership." Fisk replied.

"We don't know who you are, big guy, and have no reason to bargain." Torchwick said.

"No, I suppose you don't, not yet at least. But let me explain. Where I come from, I am the Kingpin of Crime. I controlled my city. I had power. And then it was taken from me by those who are lesser. And as Prowler here had reported to me, you have met them."

"Those masked men that appeared with the Huntress. They're your enemies?" Cinder asked.

"Indeed they are. It seems we have a common enemy. So hear my proposition: whatever it is you're doing, let us in on it. Give us part of the power. And most importantly, find a way home for us. In return, I will lend the services of those under my employ." Fisk offered.

"You want to get home, find a map and start walking." Torchwick snarled.

"Not that simple, smart ass." Taskmaster spat back.

"And why, pray tell, is that?" Cinder asked.

"Inter-dimensional travel, my dear." The Tinkerer answered as he stepped from behind Prowler. "We were constructing a supercollider when damage to the machine brought us from our world to yours."

"Bullshit. You just want money and power. Well get in line, chump." Torchwick replied.

"It's not always about the money, Mr. Torchwick. My might combined with yours will mean death to the heroes."

"If you're really as good as you say, Kingpin, then why aren't they dead already?" Torchwick asked.

"As I recall, you didn't kill them either." Fisk simply replied. Torchwick frowned and tightened his grip on his cane.

"Let's hear him out, Roman." Cinder said.

"You can't be serious." Torchwick replied in disbelief.

"I appreciate your consideration, Miss Cinder." Fisk said.

"I said I would hear you out. So, tell me exactly, if your men are on loan to us, what exactly can they do?" Cinder asked, a smirk creeping up on her face.

Perhaps he can be useful, she thought to herself. For a time. I'm sure Lady Salem will be interested to hear of this other world.