Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...

"Torchwick, the mystery woman from the night we were here, the White Fang, maybe even Taskmaster; She's using them to break down your kingdoms."

Ozpin sighed and folded his hands in front of himself. "Most likely."

"Just like you wanted to use us," Marc suggested.

"You built these schools to have an active fighting force protecting the relics at all times. They're your barricades," Jessica added.

"Nothing we have said will leave this room, so long as we come to this understanding:

We will continue to protect your people, and I will continue to teach your students. But the days of you directly commanding us otherwise are over, as is keeping us in the dark. We will operate as we see fit, and you will hide nothing else from us, or else what we do know goes public. Do we have an understanding, Professor?"

If looks could kill, Ozpin's eyes would have razed all of them by now. "Crystal, Professor."

The assets were of sphere's labeled Earth-1313 (Home) and Target World, and an image of Peter in his spider suit labeled A-15: Spider-Man was placed above Target World. "Almost four months…"

"What?" Reed asked Tony.

"Four months. That's how long we've been at this, hitting it from both science and… party tricks," Tony said.

"This isn't something you can butt your head against until you come up with the next revolutionary idea, Stark," Strange remarked, eyeing down the founding Avenger. "The Multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little. Trying to blow a wider hole just to bring them all back will create unimaginable chaos that could destroy both worlds.

"And here I thought I was pretentious," Tony simply replied

Prowler coughed hoarsely and hacked up blood before slowly pulling his shattered mask off, revealing a bruised and bloodstained face. "Next time you look at yourself in the mirror, I want you to think about all the kids that will die when you do what you're going to do, then look at yourself… and see if you can keep a straight face in the middle of that massacre."

Danny and Matt looked through the viewing window into the hospital room, where Jessica lay unconscious, hooked up to an IV and Luke sat in a chair at her bedside. Stitches ran up and down her arms from the gashes Taskmaster left on her during their battle. "I can't believe this…" Danny said in an exasperated way.

"I can," Matt said. "Over the years, Taskmaster has been broken down bit by bit. Whatever has made him loyal to the enemy on this world has solidified him as one of the most dangerous people on the planet.

Taskmaster groaned as he pulled himself up to his feet. Tarantula leapt a massive distance over to him and stood tall in front of him. "You lied to me! You told me he was a simple target and nothing more!" He exclaimed.

"That's no lie, boy. He is the man you're supposed to kill, and that's all that matters."

"'That's all that matters?'" Tarantula repeated

"That is enough!" Cinder exclaimed. "What is going on?"

"You both lied to me…"

"You never wanted me to know. You wanted me to go on knowing I'd killed someone with my face."

"Exactly. Because then you would hesitate, and you would fail: Just as you did last night," Taskmaster sneered.

W-What are we looking at?" Yang asked.

"Genetic replication," Peter sighed. "They let me go because they gathered enough material to create and train a clone of me in a matter of a few weeks, if that."

"He created a clone of you because you're his strongest enemy, and now you're his most powerful tool," Blake said.

"And now there's a version of me out there scared, angry and alone in a world he was basically born into yesterday."

"Not to sound callous, but… is he really even a person?" Weiss suggested. "I mean, he was born to be a weapon, a criminal. Shouldn't he be lopped in with the others to be arrested?"

"I'd agree with you, but… when he saw my face, his face… it looked like he was as confused as I was. They're not treating him as a partner, as another assassin. He's being used just as a tool. He doesn't even know what it's like being a human being."

"That sounds so horrible…" Ruby shuddered

"I can't exactly go around pumping crooks full of lead while wearing the Atlas badge," Frank replied. "Without provocation at least."

"Does that mean the Punisher is no more?"

"Fuck no," Frank replied.

"Isn't he though?" Marc said. "The Punisher is the vengeance of Frank Castle, the crusade to kill until he can kill no more. But you're watching over that girl now. You did that on your own. So what does that say?"

"I didn't come to have drinks and therapy with a backseat driver," Frank gruffly replied.

"I never said you were done killing, Frank. But maybe the reason you will has. You've fallen back in line among the military, have a young girl to look over, and serve under someone almost like-minded. The question isn't if you're done, I believe it's if you will use that moniker to prevent history from repeating itself."

The Defenders of Remnant

Chapter 29: Visions

Ozpin sat at his desk, hands folded in front of him as both Ironwood and Goodwitch stood before him. "This is exactly what I was talking about, Ozpin!" The General exclaimed. "This is domestic terrorism in your kingdom!"

"While I don't agree with James' energy, professor, I agree with his sentiment," Glynda agreed. "This was a coordinated strike in the heart of the city almost immediately following a Grimm attack, an attack made by the very adversaries we are cautious of."

"It is hardly the heart of the city, Glynda. This was an attack in a less-than-honest establishment with no innocents caught in the crossfire. The only casualties were common criminals," Ozpin deflected.

"In terms of deaths, perhaps," Ironwood agreed, "But need I remind you that one of your vigilantes is hospitalized, bordering on the threat of her own death in a hospital bed?"

"An unfortunate circumstance. But as you would say, James, she was doing her job," Ozpin replied.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Oz! These enemies, our enemies are on the move, and we need to know why!"

"We know why," A voice interrupted them. The trio of teachers turned to see Matt step out of the elevator and approach them, his walking stick in hand but not using it. He had no reason to pretend to be helpless right now. "The thing is, I'm conflicted whether we should tell you."

"And who are you, exactly?" Ironwood asked.

"A man with information," Matt answered.

"And what is this information, Professor Murdock?" Ozpin asked.

"As I stated, I don't feel that revealing that to you at this time is entirely beneficial to the process of ending this threat."

"You would withhold information that could put people in danger?" Goodwitch questioned in an annoyed tone, raising an eyebrow to emphasize her tone.

"No. I am withholding information that would give you options and control. With all due respect, Professors, the last thing that needs to be done is send Huntsman teams in a scramble or have armed soldiers start kicking down creates panic, and we all know what panic brings."

"And with all due respect to you… Murdock, was it? The information you are withholding could be vital to stopping this threat, so I ask politely once, and only once; Share with us this information," Ironwood requested.

Matt gave the general a full, friendly smile. "No. My team and I are done being in the dark, sick of being lied to. So just to make sure you know, this is what it feels like, being told to simply have faith that things will be handled."

"So did you simply come up here to be proud that you have something we don't, Professor Murdock?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm here to tell you to have faith. Until then, stay safe up here in your high tower or your airships, and when the issue is resolved, you will know." Matt could hear the elevated heartbeats of the three huntsmen, though he didn't need that ability to tell they were furious with him. Their faces said it all. Even Ozpin's expression was a little less calm.

"I don't know who you think you are, acting as if you are the authority in this kingdom, but you are not," Ironwood grimaced.

"And as I recall, General, this isn't Atlas," Matt countered. "So neither are you. Any authority you have here comes from your troops, and even then, the city is not under martial law, so even that does not exist. Unless you decide to take the reins for yourself, of course, breaking any number of laws to do so, not so unlike your newest specialist Frank Castle is known to do, take matters into his own hands. Of course, doing so would cause even more of a beacon for Grimm, giving this school its namesake by turning it into a mass grave. The way I see it, you three have no choice but to trust me and my team if you want this done correctly and quietly, unless you want to invite the Grimm and the more dangerous powers beyond them into these grounds."

Ironwood scoffed and didn't back down. "You're one of them. One of Oz's vigilantes. And yet you still want to cut us out. Not smart if you ask me."

"Luckily I'm not asking, General; I'm telling," Matt replied. Ironwood started to reach the gun at his hip when Ozpin's voice shook the very floor beneath them as he stood up and slammed the tip of his cane on the ground.

"Enough!" The headmaster exclaimed. The other three were shocked by his outburst, but Ironwood quickly backed away from Matt and took Ozpin's side once again, albeit begrudgingly. When Ozpin was done glaring at Ironwood, he turned his attention back to Matt. "I have made more mistakes than every man, woman and child on this planet. Do not let entrusting you with this responsibility be one of them, Matthew Murdock. For I warn you, the result of your failure would more than outweigh the patience I have had for you and the Defenders thus far."

"Are you saying you'll arrest us?" Matt questioned.

"I'm saying you know all too well I will do whatever it takes to protect my kingdom and my world."

"So you admit the real purpose of your students and academy? That they're not heroes keeping peace, that they're-they're weapons you point at your enemy?" Matt followed up.

"I believe your clock is ticking, Mister Murdock," Ozpin simply said as he sat back down and sipped the contents of his mug. "Good luck. And give my best wishes to Miss Jones."

Matt smiled an insincere smile, the tension in the room thicker than oil. "Of course, Professor."

Strange sat criss-crossed with his eyes closed, floating a solid ten feet above the ground. Anova Tony, who sat with his legs propped up on the main terminal, patiently watching Strange float there. "So what is this supposed to accomplish? Make my liquor problems disappear?" Tony mocked.

"If I can actually focus, I should be able to use a combination of magic and my Eye of Agamotto to find the exact universe your friends are stranded in," Strange replied. "So if you would please shut up, that would be appreciated."

"Alright, shutting up," Tony replied, putting up his hands in mock defense. Strange sighed and tried to turn his focus back to what he was trying to do, closing his eyes and reaching out into the fabrics of time and space. The Eye of Agamotto began to glow with a purple aura. The same aura began to form around Strange himself. The magic started to drown out the rest of the light in the room, casting it into pitch black darkness. Before long, he no longer felt like he was in the control room of Avengers Mansion, he no longer felt like he was in a physical realm at all.

While his eyes remained shut, he could still see. The artifact dangling from his neck, however, gave him a sense of awareness as he reached out beyond his universe, attempting to find their stranded comrades. For a moment, there was nothing. Strange simply changed his attention from one universe to the next, scanning through until he discovered the world they were looking for.

And then he started hearing them. Voices, echoes, snippets of other universes as he flew by them.

There was an idea, to bring together a group of remarkable people…

Life will not be contained, life breaks free, it expands to new territories, it crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but…

You have all been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection and misfortune. A labyrinth with no exit. A maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you're trapped.

This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded…

This one is but flesh and faith, his mind more deluded…

I'm saying that life, uh… finds a way…

Difficult to see; Always in motion, is the future…

Strange started to feel the pressure, the weight that looking into the Multiverse has on a single living being. It felt like his skull could be crushed under the weight of an infinite amount of information flowing through him at once.

Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to…

Make us whole again…

Everything has its time. And everything ends.

The Creator lied to us…

Everything has got to end sometime, otherwise nothing would ever get started.

Never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye, you aren't really gone. You just… aren't here right now.

It felt as if Strange's head would split open, as if his skull could burst at any moment. The pain started to spread through the rest of his body, as if he was just set on fire and it was burning through his skin as he searched and searched.

"Strange!" Tony exclaimed. In reality, Strange was convulsing and spazzing, making no audible noise as pain shot through every nerve in his body.

When Strange opened his eyes, he wasn't in Avengers Mansion; he was in an abandoned, burned, razed landscape, with torrents of flame still burning everywhere from here to the horizon. Countless buildings and structures were in ruins, and half-buried in sand, soil and ash were bones and skulls, charred black by flame.

The Healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that's a luxury, not a curse. To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom.

Strange didn't know what he was supposed to be seeing. It was destruction, death, endless marks of incineration. He started to fly upwards to view the landscape.

Do you think even the worst person can change? That everyone can be a good person, if they just try…?

If the world chooses to become my enemy, then I will fight like I always have.

In this world, it's kill or be killed. You can't change that.

They call certain methods of fighting good and others evil, acting as if there were some nobility to the battlefield. Such illusions, perpetrated by heroes throughout history, have led countless young men to their bloody deaths, all for the sake of this valor and glory.

Strange looked around frantically until he looked back downwards to where he was standing on the ground before, and carved into the massive landscape in black charred soil was a single symbol, one he knew as the symbol for Omega.

It is at the moment of death that humanity has any value.

Before long, the symbol burned itself into Strange's retinas; he couldn't look away from it. Soon his vision was filled with blackness, besides the burning symbol in his vision. Then in a flash of white light, even that disappeared.

I have made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet…

Strange's eyes finally opened, and he crashed onto the ground, hitting the metal floors with a loud slam.

"Strange!" Tony exclaimed before rushing to the Sorcerer Supreme's side, helping him back up to his feet. "What the hell happened?!"

Strange breathed heavily, sweat drenching his face as he tried to catch his lungs and heart up with the rest of his body. "I… I know where they are…"

Tarantula splashed water from the running sink in his face before looking at himself in the mirror, at least as much as he could call it himself. After all, he knew this wasn't his face anymore, it was his. Spider-Man's. Which begs the question, who was he?

He knew he was artificially created, and not even a month old in terms of actual time. A combination of genetic replication, growth acceleration, and imprinting created him. He had no family, no friends, and he bet if Cinder and Taskmaster had a say, no future. He realized it all now, he wasn't an ally, or even a real underling like Emerald or Mercury; He was just a tool, a puppet, simple as that. He was less than human. Or was he? He didn't know anymore. He didn't know what to believe, who to trust.

He took a deep breath and wiped his face dry with a hand towel before turning away and looking at his Black Tarantula outfit draped over a chair in the corner of the room. Was that supposed to be the face he wore? A pair of threatening white eyes sewn onto a mask? Is that his entire identity? Or was it something forced upon him by his creators?

Whatever the answer was, he probably wouldn't like it. He'd been created to kill Spider-Man and to serve Cinder. But it wasn't Spider-Man's blood he saw staining his uniform flung over the chair, it was Prowler's. It wasn't much, but the stain was obvious on the armored glove. He hadn't cleaned it off yet. He hadn't even put on the suit since the night before. Something about Prowler's death stuck with him in a way he didn't expect. Maybe it was the fact he didn't even kill the man directly, dying after Tarantula had to flee the scene. Or maybe it was the last words the thief said to him: Next time you look at yourself in the mirror, I want you to think about all the kids that will die when you do what you're going to do, then look at yourself… and see if you can keep a straight face in the middle of that massacre. What was he talking about? Spider-Man was older, almost twenty, he was told. What kids was he talking about? What were Taskmaster and Cinder planning?

It was another weight put on his mind. The storm of confusion only grew in his mind. Then he thought about what happened when he confronted Taskmaster and Cinder about Spider-Man's identity. Taskmaster was outright blunt and cruel, and Cinder was clearly playing her manipulative games again. Confronting them again wasn't an option. At this point, maybe being here wasn't an option. He was surrounded by murderers, terrorists, and criminals. Is this really the right place to be? If he left, he didn't have anywhere else to go. This is all he's known for his short life. What would he do?

Whatever Taskmaster and Cinder were planning, it was clearly going to be massive enough to wipe Vale off the map. That much he could assume. Then Prowler's words came back to him, and he did: he looked back over to the mirror above the sink, looking himself in the eyes as he imagined the screams of young, innocent children being consumed by flames, and it sent a chill up his spine. It disgusted him, terrified him. "What have I done…?" He said aloud to himself before stutter-stepping backwards and sitting on his bed. "What have I started…?" He looked at his own hands, realizing now that they were shaking. He immediately felt dizzy, lightheaded. His vision blurred and he swore he felt himself falling, but on that bed he sat, seeing blood on his hands that wasn't there. Not yet. And there didn't have to be.

He looked over at a one-strap backpack tossed in the corner, before taking one long breath, hoping he wouldn't regret this, and quickly grabbed it.

Penny happily skipped along with a smile on her face and her hands behind her back, while Frank kept a straight face, no sign of positive emotion as he followed Penny from behind, letting her skip ahead of him as she pleased. He wasn't worried about common crooks trying something with her, he'd seen what she could do in combat. She could even put some of the supervillains here to shame. Still, her purpose as a weapon against enemies of the kingdom left a sour taste in his mouth. Who does that to a child? Or better yet, who makes that a child?

"Specialist Castle?" Penny said, getting his attention.

"Hm? What'd you say, kid?"

"I asked if you got enough to eat. You barely touched your food before. Is something wrong?" Penny asked.

"Nah, kid, just… just not very hungry," Frank answered unconvincingly.

"That wasn't what you said before we went to go eat," Penny replied.

"Look, kid, I'm just tired. Once I get you back to your dorm, I'm gonna be calling it a night too. Don't dwell on it, alright?"

"Has the search for the White Fang been unsuccessful?" Penny asked, turning around to face Frank while walking backwards.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Frank asked.

"Why don't you give any answers?" Penny replied, to which Frank had nothing.

"No, we haven't found the White Fang," He sighed. "They've just up and disappeared since the train attack, and Torchwick won't spill."

"Well, I'm sure things will get figured out by the end of the Vytal Festival," Penny said optimistically with a smile.

"At this point, Penny, I highly doubt it," Frank glumly replied.

"Perhaps you should be more positive, Specialist Cast-" Penny was cut off when she accidentally collided with someone who came sprinting out of an alley. Both of them were sent to the ground.

"Penny!" Frank exclaimed before rushing over to them. He quickly helped Penny back up to her feet. "You alright?"

"I am in perfect condition!" Penny replied with a chipper smile. Frank nodded then turned to the man she hit the ground with. He was wearing a gator mask and a baseball cap to hide his face, and also wore a leather jacket over a white t-shirt. Frank hauled him up forcefully, gripping him by the collar of his jacket.

"You need to watch where you're going, punk! I oughta-!"

"Specialist Castle!" Penny exclaimed sternly. Her chipper smile changed to disappointment at Frank manhandling the man for such a simple accident. "It was just an accident. Let him go."

Frank growled before letting go of the man. "Consider yourself lucky."

"I-I'm sorry!" The man replied.

"It is okay. Are you hurt?" Penny asked, gently approaching him.

"N-No. I'm sorry, I-I have to go!" The man replied before starting to run off again.

"Wait! Why are you running?!" Penny called after him, but he was already out of hearing range by the time she was done speaking. "He seemed very afraid…"

"It's not our problem," Frank said.

"But he could be in danger! Why else would he be running?" Penny questioned.

"Maybe because he stuck his neck too deep in something. Either way, my job is to get you back to your dorm safely, and that's what we're gonna do."

"Tarantula!" A voice exclaimed. In an instant, Electro sparked into existence high above the buildings, large currents of electricity shooting off from his body. "You can't hide forever!" He then sparked away again, the currents of electricity shooting off in the direction the man from before had run off.

"And what about the supervillain that just flew over our heads in the man's direction?" Penny questioned.

"You're a machine and he controls electricity. You are going to stay out of it, and go to your dorm."

"I am more resilient than you think, Specialist Castle," Penny replied before starting to step away to chase after Electro. Frank grabs her arm firmly and yanks her back.

"My job is to keep you out of the crossfire, not let you jump headfirst into it!"

"Yes, that is your job," Penny said. Then two of her blades shot out of her backpack, firing through the alley and attaching to one of the buildings the next block over. "But I will not ignore someone in need, and I am combat ready!" The strings connected to the blades than yanked Penny free of Frank's grasp and shot her towards the danger.

"Penny! Rrrg, dammit!" Frank cursed before pulling his rifle off of his back and chasing after her.

When Penny caught up to Electro, observing him from a rooftop, she thought she was too late at first. The young man from before was flattened out on the street, solid streams of smoke wafting off of him.

"Taskmaster didn't like you up and running like that. They must've found your room empty not even five minutes after you left. They might've thought you'd gone after Spider-man, if you'd taken your uniform with you," Electro chuckled. "They want you alive, but they didn't say they wanted you unscathed!" Electro shot a storm of electricity at the man before he could recover, foreign screams of pain from his lungs. He began convulsing and squirming helplessly as endless currents of electricity shot through his body.

Penny narrowed her eyes and pulled more swords out of her pack before rotating them quickly in a circle in front of her, soon forming a ball of energy in the center, just as she had done at the battle at the docks. As soon as the energy reached its peak, she fired the massive beam of energy directly at Electro. The superpowered criminal was too preoccupied with torturing his victim to notice the attack until it was too late. Electro was sent flying away with the blast, freeing the man from his unwanted shock therapy. Penny released her attack and her swords returned to her pack. She hopped down to street level and rushed to the man's side.

"Sir! Are you alright?" Penny turned the man over, feeling the extreme heat of his body after the electrocution. When she flipped him over, his hat was gone and his mask had been burned off, and she saw a face she recognized. "Peter?" Tarantula, meanwhile, groaned and barely moved. He wasn't conscious, and could be in a dangerous state. "Hold on, let me call Ruby." Penny quickly went for her scroll and dialed Ruby. She put the device up to her ear and kept her eyes on the young man in front of her. It took two rings before Ruby picked up.

"Penny? What's going on?" Ruby asked from the other end.

"Ruby, thank goodness! I need your help, Peter's been attacked!" Penny exclaimed.

"Um… no he hasn't. We've been with him since last night. He's only been in his room and his lab since the attack at the club the other day. He's working in the lab right now," Ruby replied in a confused tone.

"Then… who is unconscious in front of me?" Penny questioned. Ruby paused for a long moment, then responded.

"Penny, whoever is in front of you is not Peter, and he's not a friend. If you can, tie him up and bring him up to Peter's lab. We'll meet you there," Ruby said.

"But… he's hurt. And he was running from something. He's not a criminal, is he?" Penny asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Please, just bring him to Peter's and we'll figure something out together from there, okay?"

"A-Alright then. I'm on my way," Penny said before hanging up and carefully picking up Tarantula. "I'm sorry you got hurt, but we'll get you help real soon!" She assured the unconscious clone.

"Penny!" Frank called. Penny turned around to see Frank finally catch up to her panting heavily. "What the hell happened?"

"Specialist Castle, I believe I am finally ready to return to campus!"

Blake finished tying Tarantula's hands behind the metal bars of the chair before rejoining her team, Peter, Penny and Frank in front of the unconscious and injured clone. "It really is a mirror image for the most part," Weiss commented regarding Tarantula's appearance.

"In more ways than one," Peter added. "It looks like Electro fried him real good. If he was left to him any longer, he'd have burns all over his body. From what I can tell, Electro was purposely keeping a low voltage."

"You mean he was holding back? But why?" Penny asked.

"Well, if what you told us is true, this guy left after the attack at Junior's, and Taskmaster didn't like that. They probably wanted him back alive so they could handle the cleanup themselves."

"I feel bad for him. They made him, but torture and threaten him as soon as he wants to be an actual person," Blake shuddered.

"'Cause he's not a person, he's a lab experiment made from a petri dish," Frank said callously.

"That's a harsh way of thinking about it," Yang replied.

"Clone or not, he's still a person. Confused, lied to, scared, yes, but still a person. He doesn't know any better," Ruby said.

"He just wants an excuse to kill him," Peter remarked.

"You got somethin' to say?" Frank questioned.

"Yeah. What the hell are you doing in my lab?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"My job is to watch over Penny, and she brought that thing here."

"Funny that they would let a murderer watch over a child," Peter remarked.

Frank chuckled. "You wanna do this in front of all your little girlfriends? Right now?"

"I have time," Peter replied while furrowing his brow.

"Then we can have the same talk Red has tried to have so many times: the people I kill are pieces of shit that deserve to be wiped off the face of the planet. And I can praise genetic leftovers over there for taking that Prowler guy off the streets for good!"

Instantly, Peter's fist connected with Frank's face, sending him stumbling backwards, breaking his nose and drawing blood as it began to flow down his face. "So that's how it's gonna be…" Frank goes to draw his sidearm when Weiss and Yang come between the two, with Weiss pointing Myrtenaster at Frank defensively while Yang pushed Peter back.

"Hey, that's enough, Pete!" Yange exclaimed.

"Y'know, all it takes is a word and I can have a squad of Atlesian soldiers to wipe that mistake back there off the map," Frank said. "Or arrest you for assaulting a specialist."

"And I have the authority and witness account to prove you instigated the assault and you would be removed from your position, Specialist," Weiss countered. "My family's word is a good tool in Atlas ranks, after all." Frank started to growl again when Penny added in as well.

"Specialist Castle, I believe you have overstepped your bounds. You should return to the flagship immediately. Team RWBY will escort me to my dorm when we're done here," She said.

"We will?" Yang questioned.

"Of course we will!" Ruby replied.

"Unless of course, you want to try your luck with all of us, Specialist?" Weiss added with a confident smirk. Frank stared intently at the five of them before glancing to Penny, who didn't seem to back down from her standing.

Frank wiped the blood off his face and, without another word, left the lab, slamming the door behind him. Even after he left, it took Peter a few moments to calm down. Yang still had her hands on his shoulders, but it changed from holding him back to a reassuring grip. "Hey, you alright?" Yang asked.

"Aaron may have been a criminal, but he wasn't a bad person, not really… When he was…" Peter paused for a moment, trying to keep an even tone. "When he was dying, he wasn't thinking about his life as Prowler, as a thief. He wasn't thinking about how he was in another universe, he wasn't even thinking about Taskmaster trying to kill him. He was thinking about his family. He was thinking about his brother and his nephew…" He lets out a heavy sign and sits down, his body suddenly feeling heavy. "But that guy just sees criminals of any kind and shoots without a second thought."

"You have history with Specialist Castle?" Penny asked.

"Uh… it's a long story, but… whoever assigned him to you has no idea what they've done."

"Actually, it was General ironwood himself who assigned him as my guard, after my father gave the all-clear," Penny answered.

"You can't be serious…" Yang remarked.

"Why would Ironwood assign someone like that to watch you?" Weiss questioned.

"His brutality to anyone he sees as a threat?" Blake suggested.

"That'd be my first guess," Peter agreed. "But Castle was also a soldier who lost his wife and daughter. I guess he's vicariously trying to get a second chance at both by serving as an Atlesian Specialist and by protecting you. You are one of Atlas's biggest representing fighters in the tournament, right? He might have seen you entering on your own."

"Yes, that perhaps is one way he could have known who I was," Penny said, choosing her words carefully so as not to give away her lying tell. She also traded a quick glance with Ruby, as she was the only person present who was aware of what she really was.

"Well… let's get this over with at least," Peter said before standing back up and pulling one of the pieces of equipment over to Tarantula. "I need to get a bioscan of this guy, see if he has any tracking devices or inhibitors. I'd rather the bad guys not know he's holed up here. Weiss, help me get this set up. Blake, stand by that screen and watch as the scan reads."

"What about us?" Ruby asked, gesturing to herself and her sister. Peter left Weiss with the bioscanner and went over to the sisters.

"You two need to go finish packing. If I remember right, you have a flight to catch tomorrow to go see your dad."

"Just because we're not gonna be here for a week doesn't mean we can't help while we're still here," Yang said.

"And right now, we have it handled. And considering someone will need to be here with this guy at all times, chances are I'm not gonna catch you in the morning to say bye," Peter said.

"Do we need to have the 'you need to rest' argument again?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss, Blake and I will take turns, but I'm pretty sure you're dad won't like you wasting your first day back in Patch just sleeping. You guys go on, we have it handled for tonight. I'm sure there will be plenty to do when you guys get back, and that's not counting the tournament," Peter insisted.

"I'm guessing that means we'll see you guys in the morning?" Yang asked their other teammates.

"Will do," Blake nodded with a smile.

"Peter, I have the scanner set up," Weiss said.

Peter gave the sisters a small smile. "Duty calls."

"Just be careful," Ruby said before giving Peter a firm hug, one he returned gratefully.

"No promises," Peter replied as he let go of Ruby only for Yang to pull him into an even tighter hug. "I'll miss you guys too."

While Yang was practically strangling Peter, Penny approached Ruby. "You are leaving Vale?" She asked.

"Yeah," Ruby replied. "We're spending a week with our dad before the tournament."

"Well, I wish you a good time!" Penny said before tightly hugging Ruby and shaking her back and forth a little.

"Such a gentle flower…" Ruby groaned before Penny finally released her. Peter was also free of Yang's grip.

"In fact, if your teammates wish to leave with you and enjoy this last night together before you leave, I could assist Peter with these duties tonight," Penny offered.

"That's kind of you, Penny, but I think we're good," Blake said.

"I insist! Teammates are like family! At least, I imagine so. So shouldn't you spend the time you have together wisely?"

"She has a point. I can't afford to leave right now, and she can run everything in this lab better than I can," Peter agreed.

"You sure you can handle all this?" Weiss asked.

"I'm analysis ready!" Penny chippily replied.

The four members of team RWBY traded indecisive glances. "Guys, seriously, Penny and I have this for tonight. Weiss and Blake can swap out with us in the morning after you leave."

"If you think so," Weiss relented. Blake silently pulled herself away from the screen and joined her teammates at the door.

"First thing," Blake said.

"I promise," Peter said. "Enjoy your guys' night."

"Good night, Pete. Good night, Penny!" Ruby waved.

"Have an excellent evening, and a wonderful rip tomorrow!" Penny smiled. The four huntresses left, leaving only Peter and Penny with the unconscious Tarantula.

"Right, well… let's get started."