A/N: Hey there, everybody, how's it going? Well, been a while since the last Two-Parter and appropriately, this chapter is quite the doozy. Pretty sure it's just as long, if not even LONGER than most of the Norse chapters, and honestly, that's kind of appropriate given what's about to happen here. Our heroes are about to experience something pretty shady, but firstly… how about we check in on how our villains are doing after their recent win, hm? Get ready everybody, because this is…

Chapter 67: Join Us, Part 1

…..

"WOOOOO! Go us, am I right?!"

Inside their humble and secret abode, the team of Rojo, Cinder, Mercury, Emerald and Neo were all gathered in the living room, the five strewn about on the couches and chairs with the TV on in the background. It had been four days since their successful mission to terrorize the town of Bellwood—Loki and his plans for Ragnarök notwithstanding—and they were still extremely jazzed about their victory. Especially considering that breaking out Bashmouth's crew had also earned them a solid get in terms of suppliers of alien weaponry and materials, which would no doubt come in handy in the future. Yes, they were indeed riding the absolute high of it all… well, Rojo was at least.

"Rojo, it has been four days." Cinder deadpanned as she lightly shoved the redhead. "Also, you're drunk."

"D'aw, c'mon Cindy, I'm not THAT plastered…" Rojo smirked, only to suddenly narrow her eyes at the Fall Maiden. Even as she stared back, Cinder could see the haze behind Rojo's out-of-focus gaze, which only proved her point. But that didn't stop the bounty hunter from uttering; "…Were you always this cute?"

Cinder shrieked and picked up a nearby book, slapping it directly into Rojo's face and knocking her over. "E-EXACTLY MY POINT!" Screamed the Maiden, hoping to whatever god would listen that everyone would just chalk that up to Rojo's drunken slurring. "You need to rest, NOW!"

Emerald had to hold back a laugh, biting down on her lip as Neo silently giggled behind her hand. "Hm, those two are hopeless." said the green-haired thief.

Mercury, however, just rolled his eyes and kicked up his feet. "Well, Rojo's bad attempt at flirting aside, I think we DO deserve to pat ourselves on the back a bit more." A smirk came to his lips as he eyed the ladies. "Especially since Salem seemed pretty pleased with the outcome, even if Thor did ruffle her feathers a bit."

"Hm, yes." Cinder dropped the book on the snoring Rojo's lap. "The gods of this world do present a significant problem. Though I suppose it's good to know that not ALL of them are good."

"Yeah… but if what Rojo said is true, then that Monkey King guy could be a HUGE problem for us." Emerald noted, with Neo giving an unfortunate nod. Standing up, Emerald strode over and picked up the book that Cinder knocked Rojo out with, reading the title aloud; "The Journey to the West. This book holds all of Sun Wu Kong's exploits within it's pages, and from the seven chapters I've read so far… yeah, if that's how he was like at the EARLIEST point of his life, we've got a big problem."

Cinder's eyes widened, as did Mercury and Neo's. "Wait… you've read THAT far into it?!"

"I couldn't make it past the first few pages." Mercury admitted. "There was so much boring prose and fancy language that I fell asleep."

With a proud grin, Emerald shook the book at him. "And that goes to show that you need more patience when reading, because if you HAD made it past the first pages, you'd have seen how incredible the Monkey King is in both power and character." She pointed to Wu Kong's picture on the front cover. "This guy? He was born from a rock, fired LASERS into the heavens after he was born, achieved at least FOUR different kinds of immortality while rampaging across heaven and the underworld, and in the end it took this enlightened guy named Buddha—who's one with the ENTIRE universe—to finally stop him. Hehe, and the way he does it is hilarious."

"And you're saying that's how powerful this Monkey King is at the BEGINNING of the story?" At Cinder's question, Emerald gave a single, silent and foreboding nod. "…Well then, I suppose we had better find some way to—" *CCHHHHHZZZZZZZTTTT* "H-Huh?" Without warning, the television began flickering and became… oddly staticky, much to everyone's confusion.

When the static started, Rojo snorted on a snore and jolted awake with a gasp. "Ah—AH! I'm up, I'm up, what'd I miss?!"

"Somethin's happening with the TV." Mercury muttered, the five of them concentrating on the screen as… something began to happen.

There, prominently backed by a very poorly green-screened background of a desert… a man appeared on the TV. He was decked out in a three-piece grey and black suit and he appeared to be relatively friendly, smiling into the camera. …But even then, the quintet could tell that his smile belied an ulterior motive. "Are you tired of being overlooked?" he asked. "Maybe you've been unappreciated?" As he spoke, images of downcast people came onto the screen. "Do you feel like you're always alone?" Then, much to the surprise of everyone, it then cut to footage of… them. They—the Ministry—fighting against the Omni-Hunters from their most recent battle last Thursday. "Or perhaps you're feeling apprehensive about the constant, petty quarrels between so-called "heroes" and "villains"?"

Rojo was quick to dismiss it. "BAH, some crappy infomercial tryin' to bad mouth us. Change the channel."

"Gotcha." Mercury grabbed the remote and flipped the switch… only to be met with the same ad continued.

The man appeared back on screen. "Well, together, we can change ALL of that." Footage of doves flying overhead faded in across him as he went on. "Experience freedom like you've never felt before…"

Cinder glared at the silver-haired assassin. "Mercury, she said change the channel."

"I-I did, but—" Mercury kept flipping the switch… but every channel it landed on, the ad just kept playing. "I… I-I think it's on EVERY channel!"

"Oh… that ain't good." Rojo remarked.

As more shots of random people faded in across the TV, all of them smiling and full of hope, the man kept speaking. "Before you can find yourself, you must lose yourself. By joining us—zrrkt" The audio suddenly cut out for a split second as the screen glitched… and the villains were taken aback when the people's heads were replaced by the same image of a dark, familiar mask with teeth on it. "zrrkt—you'll become part of something bigger."

Emerald tightened her lips, glancing to Neo with wide eyes. "Well, that isn't ominous."

"You'll gain strength, self-confidence. We'll be your friends, your biggest supporters." The ad showed images of people having fun at a birthday party, only to then cut back to the man… who had now multiplied by five as his voice echoed; "Because we believe that there is strength in numbers." With a snap of his fingers, the man's copies all pulled back into his main body. "Think of us as that exclusive club you've always wanted to be a part of. Open your mind, and you can take back your life. We will help you become just like one of us." Shots of people striding with confidence passed by across the screen at his words. "That is our promise. So stop living in chaos and fear, and bring a new order into your life. And join us…" The camera did an abrupt zoom-in on the man as the audio distorted again. "Join the Collective."

The Ministry were all taken aback when they heard that name. The Collective… they hadn't thought about them since the incident at the docks. It had been well over a week since then… and now they were running self-help ads for their cult? The group watched as a fancy-fonted "Collective" logo appeared on screen, bordered by a gold edge around it. And directly below, there was a phone number.

"For more information, contact us today on the number on your screen, or on social media; #JointheCollective." The commercial man reappeared with his cheery yet unnerving smile, pointing to the screen. "And we… will find you." Once he said that, the screen glitched again… and the unmistakable visage of Bishop appeared briefly before the feed cut entirely, returning to normal programming.

…Which just so happened to be Harangue Nation. "W-What the hell?! Are we back?!" Will Harangue was whipping his head around, both stunned and panicked at what just happened. "What in the name of god was that?! Is this some sorta prank by Ben Tennyson?! I want answers, pronto!"

Mercury quickly turned the TV off, but no one could stop staring at it after what they just witnessed. The group sat in silence as they took it all in, before Rojo drunkenly uttered; "…What in the Max Headroom HELL did we just witness?"

"I don't know…" Cinder grimaced with a sneer. "…But I don't like it."

…..

Meanwhile, as that was happening, the Omni-Hunters had just finished up their midday Monday training and were about to head out. Ahead of them, Raven, Qrow, Winter, Six and Vernal were discussing the results of the day's training, while the teens themselves were stretching their tired limbs as they neared the elevator, already discussing their plans for the afternoon. The only ones who weren't present were Kevin and Gwen, for… obvious reasons. The Osmosian and Anodite had taken a temporary sabbatical from the team to sort things out between them… that and Kevin wanted to be as FAR away from Manny as possible.

Ben set his sights onto Team JNPR curiously. "So, what're you guys gonna be up to today?" he asked.

"Not too sure." Jaune admitted with a shrug, only to eye his beloved redheaded warrior with a smile. "Although, I DID have an idea in mind for a potential date spot…"

"Ooh, do tell." Pyrrha cooed as she hugged Jaune's arm eagerly.

Yang couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight. "Hehe, well, we know what they're gonna be preoccupied with today." The Blonde Brawler tilted her head toward Nora. "What about you, Nora? Feel like comin' over to play some games later?"

The hyper redhead brightened up at that. "Oh yeah! I wouldn't mind! Renny, you should totally tag along, we—"

"U-Um, sorry, Nora…" Ren lowered his head regrettably. "But I'm going to be staying here for some extra training from Six. Maybe tomorrow?"

It was evident that Nora wasn't too jazzed with the idea just from her downcast expression. But, at the same time, she wasn't about to deny her favorite person in the whole wide-world his training. Especially since, apparently, it was going rather well. "O-Oh, yeah. Of course, Ren, you do what you gotta do…"

"I've been meaning to ask how that's been goin' for ya, dude." Rex added as he clasped a hand on the green ninja's shoulder. "I know that Six can be a bit rough around the edges when it comes to his teaching, but it gets easier the more time you spend with him."

"Actually, it's been going rather well." Ren revealed, making the EVO's eyebrows raise up. "Yeah, Six's methods ARE a bit rough, but I think that's what I need right now." He unholstered Stormflower from his hips, gazing into their shiny, sharpened blades to see his reflection. "I want to become one of the best… because to be honest, compared to everyone else, it feels like I've been lagging behind." He furrowed his brow to himself. "And I'd rather better myself for the sake of the team than fade into the background."

"Woah… respect, dude." Neptune gave him a light jab to the shoulder.

Sun agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah, man, that's some determination. Good on ya."

As the group made it to the elevator, Blake wanted to show her support as well. "If you ever need someone to test your training against, don't be afraid to ask." She nodded toward Ilia, who reciprocated the gesture.

"Right, we'll do our best to keep you on your toes." the chameleon girl grinned.

Ren smiled back to all of them with a bow of the head. "Thank you, I appreciate your offers and I'll take them under consideration." However, in the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice Nora pouting his way, and his gaze became more empathetic. "I know, I know… it sounds like I'm ditching you, but I promise I'm not."

"I know… doesn't mean I'm not a little upset by it." Nora mumbled, but nonetheless, she gave her closest friend a supportive smile of her own. "But… I'm not about to stop ya, Renny." She reached up and rubbed his shoulder. "Go and get nice and strong for us, 'kay?"

"H-Hah, I'll do my best." The ninja assured, turning his head slightly to hide his slight blush.

After the elevator ride up, however, the team were immediately met by Max and Patelliday, the veteran Plumbers wearing equally stern looks. "Kids, perfect timing." Max said before ushering them over to the central control hub, where Plumber agents were typing away frantically on the main console. "We've got a serious situation on our hands."

Ben was rather taken aback by his grandfather's tone. "Grandpa Max, what's up? Did something happen?"

"Oh, did it ever!" Patelliday confirmed, straightening his glasses as he directed everyone's attention to the screen. "You kids ain't gonna BELIEVE what the halibut just happened!" Yang couldn't help but snort at the fishy wordplay, which the Piscis Volan wasn't too fond of. "Cool it with the cackles, missy. This is serious… PLAY IT!"

At his word, the Plumbers brought up something which could only be described as a self-help ad of sorts. It seemed rather normal at first, if a bit shoddily edited. That is… until it arrived to the part about them and the Ministry's recent battle. "Or perhaps you're feeling apprehensive about the constant, petty quarrels between so-called "heroes" and "villains"?" the man on screen asked.

Qrow immediately grimaced at the ad. "Alright, what the hell is this?"

"Some sort of smear campaign by Harangue, perhaps?" Raven guessed.

"Wouldn't be the first time he's tried to discredit me." Ben grumbled.

But Max shook his head. "No, it's nothing related to Harangue. This ad suddenly appeared on ALL television stations at the same exact time. It even interrupted Harangue's own show. Someone—or rather a GROUP of people—managed to hijack every signal across every station in the United States." This made the team's eyes widen in astonishment, and Max pointed back to the screen. "Keep watching, you'll get your answers soon."

So, they did… and what they saw took them aback. They could've sworn that they saw the footage glitch, and the image of a familiar mask had appeared over a group of people's heads for a brief second. But the very next second, the ad went back to normal, and eventually, the man concluded his speech with; "That is our promise. So stop living in chaos and fear, and bring a new order into your life. And join us…" But then, the Omni-Hunters gasped as the camera did a sudden zoom-in on him and his expression changed to a blank stare, his voice distorting as he said; "Join the Collective."

And that was when everything had settled in. The Collective… they were back. "WHAT?!" Rex exclaimed, shooting up past everyone so that he was at the front. He was just in time to see the Collective's logo appear on screen, along with a phone number below. "You've gotta be kidding me! These guys AGAIN?!"

"Rex, calm down." Weiss pressed, firmly grasping his shoulder to reel him back.

"How can I be calm when I know that these nobodies have Breach captured?!"

Weiss, however, wasn't about to take that. She grabbed his collar and pulled him so that she and he locked eyes. "Listen, I told you that we would find a way to free her and we will! But we can't let our emotions get the better of us in this situation, understand?" She saw him purse his lips in frustration, wherein she reached up to cup his cheek soothingly. "I know that you're worried about your friend, but we can't afford to mess up if we want to save her. Right?"

Giving a heavy sigh, Rex's shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Yeah… you're right." He furrowed his brow up to the screen again. "But how the hell were they able to get this bullshit ad on TV anyway?"

"Not to sure 'bout that yet." Patelliday informed. "We're tryin' to trace the source of the hijacking, but so far, nothin's come up."

Max crossed his arms over his chest. "It was like they never did it to begin with. Hah, reminds me of the Max Headroom incident back in the 1980's."

"Max who?" Ruby tilted her head.

"I'll tell you when we get back home." Ben said before giving her a warning look. "Telling you right now, though; it's cursed beyond belief."

Ruby didn't seem too worried, though. "Eh, with the amount of horror movies I've sat through, I'm not worried about that." She turned her attention back to the ad, noticing the phone number and the hashtag. "Wait a sec… these guys have a phone line and social media? Have you guys tried tracing those?"

Patelliday deadpanned at that. "Tried, failed. Whenever we tried to call, they wouldn't stay on the line with us for long enough so we could trace 'em."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "…Did you mention you were Plumbers?"

"…Y-Yes."

"And there's your first mistake."

"Yeah, probably not the best choice right off the bat." Patelliday conceded. "But what's worse is that they don't got a set location on their Flitter accounts. The hashtag's active, an' they're respondin' to it, but it ain't like we can track 'em down from that alone."

Nora tilted her head at that. "Wow… you guys need better info gatherers."

Ben sighed and raised his hands to try and get control of the situation. "Alright, alright, let's not panic right off the bat, huh? Don't get me wrong, this IS a rough situation." Behind him, however, Blake was taking out her scroll, pressing on a certain app to search something up. "Trust me, I wasn't expecting this kinda move from them, but we really shouldn't worry too much. There's no way people will actually fall for some creepy shit like this—"

"#JointheCollective is trending number one on Flitter." Blake deadpanned.

"WHAT?!"

The hero and everyone else spun around toward the catgirl as she lifted her scroll up, showing them the Flitter app. "Yep, it's right here, on full display. Everyone's been talking about it." Blake brought the scroll back around so she could read; "People are saying stuff like; "What in the world is this?", "Can they possibly help me?", "Are we in danger?", and "OMG, this is EXACTLY what I need". It's almost like everyone in the world is already talking about it."

Max, for his part, was stunned. "It's only been half an hour since it aired! How's that possible?"

Pyrrha was visibly frustrated as she came to her own conclusion. "Unfortunately, I think it's just the nature of humanity." The group had her undivided attention as she continued; "When something disrupts the statis quo like this, it's usually met with either fear, confusion or intrigue, and from the sounds of it, this has garnered all three responses."

"That and word travels fast across the internet nowadays." Six deduced as well. "No doubt that the ad's probably been recorded and passed along on YouView all around the world by now." The agent furrowed his brow with a grim countenance. "It seems that the Collective are starting to flex their new muscles, spreading their message far and wide."

"Is there any way to stop this?" Ruby asked.

"Not easily." Everyone turned their heads to see Doctor Holiday come walking up to them, carrying a data pad that had Flitter opened up on it. "I've been scouring Flitter for responses to this hashtag and it seems there's so much support by it that the site runners are having a tough time keeping it under control." She concentrated onto Max and Six. "Even if we can convince them to block the hashtag and delete the Collective's account, I doubt people will just forget about it."

"Probably not immediately, no." Max agreed. "If anything, it would eventually peeter out and only be remembered as a weird incident… key word being "would"." He craned his head around toward the Omni-Hunters. "But knowing how the Collective have been operating, I doubt that they'd just go down quietly."

Ben nodded solemnly. "Yeah… and when they DO make their next move, no doubt people will keep talking about them." With a deep breath, he addressed his team directly. "Guys, I want you all to be prepared. The Collective not only want to spread their "self-help" message, but they're specifically targeting us. It's probably gonna get a bit hard, but I expect that there WILL be others who'll ride on the Collective's message."

Yang and many others were concerned by that. "So how do we deal with it, Green Boy?"

"By putting a stop to it, and soon." Ben affirmed. "No doubt this won't be the only move the Collective will make. I suspect that they're probably gonna go full-on public at some point, and when that happens, we'll be ready." He shifted his gaze over to a certain redheaded android. "Penny, can you keep your eye on Flitter to let us know if anything pops up?"

Penny gave him a dutiful salute. "Of course, Ben! I am keyboard combat-ready!" From her eyes, Penny projected a holographic screen with a Flitter app opened up… revealing that she actually had an account set up."

"…RoboRedhead47?" Ruby muttered.

The half-Mechamorph girl gave a proud nod. "Kevin helped me set it up himself! After the attack last Thursday, I thought it would be convenient to have one should any breaking news about any surprise villain attacks come up."

"Huh… well, at least Kevin has SOME good ideas." Ilia said with an eyeroll. "Unless it involves lying about being engaged for three years."

Ben couldn't help but frown at the comment. "Alright, I understand that what Kevin did was pretty bad, but let's try not to bash him on a daily basis, eh? After Manny's beat down, I'm sure he's learned his lesson, right?" Almost all at once, every girl on the team frowned and raised an eyebrow at him… all except for Ruby and Penny, who seemed supportive of the idea. "…Yeah, that's what I thought."

"You sure you want to keep their account and the hashtag active, Ben?" Max asked, placing a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "It could lead to a lot more of what Harangue's already set up for you."

"Trust me, Grandpa, I know." Ben assured. "But if we're gonna catch them, we need this to play out… whether we like it or not. So for now… we wait."

…..

And wait they did… for a very long twenty-four hours. And in that time, the Collective's hashtag had blown up over all of social media. Everything from Flitter to YouView, to even MyFace had the hashtag plastered all across it. People around the entire world were absolutely fascinated about the mysterious ad, and some were even speaking about their experiences in calling the phone number. One of those people were currently on the news, which Ben and Team RWBY were watching from home.

The person question was a young woman in her twenties, and she was very emotional as she spoke about the experience. Though astonishingly to the heroes… she seemed very happy. "I-I'll admit, I was hesitant at first about this Collective business as everybody else." she said as she wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue. "But after opening up to them about how I really felt about today's world and how oppressive it feels to be in it. The stresses of day-to-day life, finding a well-paying but unfulfilling job in this economy, how expensive it is to even LIVE… and they listened. They told me that they would be able to help me if I joined their cause."

"I see…" the news woman sitting across from her scratched her chin with interest. "And did you?"

"I-I definitely wanted to… but I told them I didn't know HOW to join." the younger lady explained. "B-But they said that I should watch for any new developments, because they're about to announce something that'll help more people join."

This got Team RWBY's attention immediately, and Ben raised an eyebrow at that. "An announcement?"

The news lady leaned in. "What kind of announcement?"

But the young woman shook her head. "They didn't say. Something about it being a surprise. I assume they're probably gonna announce it on social media."

"Hmm… hope Penny's keeping an eye on Flitter, then." Blake said as she opened up her own Flitter app, seeing nothing on the Collective's account. "Because I've got nothing going on here."

Yang threw her head back and let out a groan. "UUGH, this sucks! Can't these guys just make their move already? They MUST know that we're gonna come after them either way, right?"

"Maybe that's why they haven't made the announcement yet?" Ruby guessed. "Because they know we want to come after them?"

Weiss stood up, stretching her limbs to get herself prepped. "Gah, or maybe that's what they're hoping we'll do. It could very well be a trap to lure us into their grasp." She strolled over to the front door with a wave to her teammates. "Either way, I'm heading out with Rex. His mind's been bogged down by this whole thing with Breach, so I'm hoping a date will help clear his head a bit."

"Good thinking." Ruby agreed. "If anyone needs to relax about this, it's Rex. Good luck!" With a smile and a wave goodbye, Weiss departed the house, leaving the others to think on the whole thing in silence. "Hah… I wonder what the Saturdays are up to right now. No doubt Zak's probably seen the hashtag."

"Yeah, probably." Blake shrugged, all while seeing Yang smirk knowingly to herself. "But even then, they said that they'd be a while before they could come to Bellwood. It's probably best not to bother them if they're doing something important."

That point made Ben raise his eyebrows. "Yeah… you've got a point." He abruptly stood up and started making his way to the kitchen. "Give me a sec, I'll be right back." Once he was in the kitchen, Ben took out his phone and brought out his contacts, seeing the Saturdays' names come up when he scrolled down to the "S" section. "I know they said that they had some stuff to take care of when we last saw them, but… maybe it wouldn't hurt to chance it." He was about to press down on Zak's name… but then pulled his thumb away. "…No, that'd be selfish. I don't want to drag them in on our business."

At that moment, a follicle of blonde hair entered his field of vision, though it wasn't who he was expecting. "Debating with yourself again, dear?"

Ben snapped his eyes up to see his mom peering over his shoulder, making him double back. "Ah! Mom, seriously? I thought we had the whole personal space talk."

"I know, I know, I apologize." Sandra raised an assuring hand. "But I couldn't help but notice you and the girls seem to have a bit of a problem on your hands."

The hero pursed his lips and folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah… these Collective jerks are finally making a big move… just not one we expected. They're trying to persuade people over to their side by promoting themselves as a self-help group."

Sandra hummed and nodded. "Hm, yes, I saw on the news. But they're actually those cultists that you fought almost a month ago, right?"

"Exactly… ugh, this is why I don't like social media. People will believe anything!"

"Most NORMAL people will." Sandra corrected. "Though I would use the term "normal" in heavy quotes since some of them are very much the contrary, even though they think they are. I've heard a LOT of Harangue supporters start getting behind the idea of the Collective when they mentioned you, after all." If anything, that only upset the Omnitrix bearer even more, which Sandra responded by setting a hand to his shoulder. "Honey, you might be able to do incredible things, but controlling the thoughts of the masses isn't one of them…" She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, showing him the Flitter app. "But I think you're only hearing half the story."

"Huh?" Ben peered at the phone curiously… and what he saw was quite astonishing. Through the noise that the Collective had stirred up on the app, he saw messages where people were still supportive of him and the Omni-Hunters;

"What a load of BS, these Collective idiots have no clue what they're talking about."

"They're trying to slam our heroes!"

"How are we going to survive if we don't have people like Ben Tennyson, Ruby Rose and everyone else?"

"The Ministry won't go anywhere, so we NEED the Omni-Hunters!"

Sandra smiled and winked to her son. "You see? The louder voice might be dominant now, but the key to countering them is to believe that YOUR supporters can counter them just as hard."

"Hah… wow, I… hadn't considered that." Ben let the thought ruminate in his head for a moment, finding the idea to be pretty appealing. "…But if we're going to have any chance of countering the Collective, we need a strong, supportive voice to help us. With the Collective on social media and Harangue on the main news, we've got a tough challenge."

Pointing down to Ben's phone, Sandra advised; "Then I suggest you start bringing in more allies to strengthen your side." She stepped up and brought her son into a hug. "I know you'll make the right decision, Ben. You have a brilliant mind, after all."

"Aw… thanks, Mom." Ben hugged her back while bringing his phone up, looking at the Saturdays' contact info over her shoulder. 'Wouldn't hurt to at least try, right?'

…..

~Two Hours Later, Downtown Bellwood~

Rex gave a short sigh as he and Weiss walked hand-in-hand down the street, the couple feeling quite content at the moment. They had just gotten through eating lunch at the local Texas Roadhouse and they were both rather stuffed. And as he ate, Rex could definitely feel a lot of his stress start to alleviate, even if it was only slightly. He was still worried about Breach, that was for certain, but at the same time… 'Whenever I'm with Weiss, it's like she has this affect of calming me down and stuff.' Rex smiled to his girlfriend, the former heiress returning the gesture. 'God, she's a miracle worker.'

"Hah, I must admit, I hadn't had a steak like that in a LONG time." Weiss remarked, placing a hand over her stomach. "Even then, my father's cooks could never make it THAT well."

"And that is the magic of barbeque, my fair lady." Rex winked. "Or, as your dad would call it; "commoner's food"."

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes, but laughed all the same. "Haha, yeah, he probably would. His nose would probably wrinkle the moment he'd step into that restaurant." With a short breath, Weiss all of a sudden became a bit crestfallen at the mention of her bastard of a father, her fist tightening along with her grip on Rex's hand. "…I know I probably shouldn't think about him at a time like this, but… there's still a lot that I need to settle with him."

The EVO's gaze became concerned as he slipped closer to her, shifting his hand up to drape his arm across her shoulders. "Yeah, I know. Your brother and your mom are still under his thumb, aren't they?

"Yeah… admittedly, my relationship with both of them is strained beyond belief, but… they're still my family. And they've been abused by him just as much as Winter and I have." Weiss' eyes filled with determination as she raised her fists up. "And I swear, I'll get them both out of there. Even if our family isn't perfect… or if our relationships aren't fixed, I'll help them just like how my friends helped me."

Staring at her in awe, Rex couldn't help but admire the passion his girlfriend was exuding in that moment. "Man, you're so sure of yourself, Ice Princess…" However, he too was struck with a sudden feeling of sullenness, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "I wish I was that confident when it comes to saving Breach from… whoever those freaks are."

At that, Weiss sent him a questioning look. "Uh, excuse me? Rex, you're a butt-kicking EVO superhero. Now that you know that it IS Breach who's being used by those Collective idiots, I know you're not gonna let them get away with it."

"Oh, trust me, I'm not… but there's still a lot that needs to be worked on with Breach." Rex shook his head. "She's… broken, Weiss. More broken than you can possibly imagine. I've seen sides of her that're… scary, even somewhat unhinged. She needs help, both physical and mental… but I'm not sure where to even begin."

'…Dammit.' Weiss grumbled to herself, realizing that she had inadvertently brought the topic right back to Breach again. 'I screwed myself.' Still… she couldn't help but pay attention to the way that Rex spoke about Breach… with such a caring and concerned tone. She couldn't help feeling a pang in her heart as a scary thought crossed her mind. Weiss stopped in front of an alleyway, pulling her boyfriend into it. "…Rex?"

"Huh? Yeah, what's up?"

"The way you're talking about her…" Weiss muttered, staring deep into Rex's eyes with fear and anxiousness. "Do you… maybe…"

It didn't take long for Rex to pick up on what she was getting at, and he hastily denied the thought. "W-What?! No, no, no, Weiss, it isn't like that between me and Breach, honest to god! She's just a good friend, I swear." The young man swerved in front of her, grabbing her hands and making sure she didn't break eye contact with him. "Listen, Breach and I… are kind of cut from the same cloth, so to speak. I feel a kinship with her, but I don't have romantic feelings for her at all." He reached up and cupped her cheek reassuringly. "I only have eyes for you, batata. I swear."

A crimson blush spread across Weiss' cheeks when she heard that word. "D-Did… did you just call me a "sweet potato"?"

Rex bit his lip and he blushed as well, wearing a goofy, bashful grin that made Weiss' heart melt. "U-Um… maybe?"

"…You're a cheesy, Latino dork." Weiss reached up as high as she could and brought her arm around Rex's neck, bringing him down so she could cuddle her cheek against his. "But you're MY cheesy, Latino dork."

Rex laughed and brought his arms around her, hoisting her up and making her shriek in surprise. "Heh, wouldn't have it any other way."

*FWOOOOOSH*

The couple's happy moment was put to a swift halt, however, when they heard something off in the distance. "W-What in the…" Weiss whipped her head around as Rex set her down, the two searching for whatever made the noise. "Where did that—"

"Over there!" Rex thrust a finger upward toward the other end of the alley, and their eyes widened as they saw the source of the sound. A large pillar of flame was shooting up repeatedly into the sky from a few blocks away, which immediately set off alarm bells in their heads. "I can't imagine that's any normal fire, can you?"

Weiss soured at what her boyfriend was implying… but even she knew who that had to be. "We need to get going." She pulled out her scroll and brought up the team group-chat, vocalizing a message while she and Rex started sprinting toward the flaming pillar. "Everyone, this is Weiss. Rex and I think we spotted Cinder downtown. Anyone near our location should come IMMEDIATELY. And Ben… get here QUICK."

It wasn't long before they managed to find the block where the pillar was shooting up from, and the moment they dipped into the alleyways… there she was. Cinder Fall, sitting atop a catwalk with her legs dangling over the edge with her trademark nefarious smirk. She was clicking the fire plume on and off with a snap of her fingers, and when she saw their arrival, she snickered in amusement. "Hmhmhm… excellent. I was hoping that at least ONE of you would see my little signal."

"W-Wait, a signal?" Rex asked.

Taking out Myrtenaster, Weiss pointed it directly at the Fall Maiden with a suspicious eye. "You mean you WANTED us to find you here?"

"That's right." Cinder pushed herself off her perch and landed gracefully, raising her hands as the duo prepared to throw down. "But… I am not here for a fight."

"Oh, hah, yeah sure." Rex rolled and popped his neck, flexing his arms to activate his Smack Hands. "Like we're gonna believe THAT after the stunt you and your gang pulled last week. You wanna know how LONG it took to clean all of your crap up?!"

Cinder bobbed her head to the side. "Alright, admittedly, I did pick a rather inconvenient time to do this, but blame the Collective for playing their hand sooner than I thought they would." It was then that she saw a bit of intrigue come to the couple's faces, which was when Cinder knew she had them right where she wanted them. "Yes, them. For once, we share a common enemy, and I'd rather see THEM go down at the moment."

Rex sneered at her. "Oh yeah? And why should we believe anything you have to say, bruja?"

"Because while I don't necessarily like any of you, I hate the Collective even more." Cinder explained as she huffed and placed her hands to her hips. "Self-righteous cultists think they can horn in on OUR villainy turf? I don't THINK so." She cleared her throat to compose herself, all while keeping her smirk about her as she crossed her arms and twirled a finger at the two. "But, more to the point, I have some important information. Something that none of you heroes know about the Collective."

Weiss scoffed and jerked her head away. "Tch, yeah, sure. And what makes you think that we're going to believe you on that?"

The Fall Maiden gave a shrug. "Very true, you have no reason to believe me. But if I'm being honest with you for once… a part of me IS glad that it's the two of you who found me." She extended a hand to them with an amused grin. "After all, neither of you have anything personal against me, unlike Tennyson, Gwendolyn, Raven or Pyrrha." Reading their expressions, Cinder could see that they were still wary of her, but still interested at the same time. This would probably be her one and only chance. "Listen, I won't cause any trouble today or for the rest of the week… if you listen to what I have to say. I swear."

"And if we refuse to hear you out?" Rex challenged.

"Well then…" Cinder snapped again, igniting the pillar once again. "You'll have another problem on your hands sooner than you'd want. All I ask in exchange is a small favor at a later date. Nothing more, nothing less."

Glancing to one another, Weiss and Rex silently weighed their options. On the one hand, trusting their mortal enemy was usually a no-go, especially since Ben was on his way. But on the other… if Cinder had some dirt on the Collective, then maybe they could work that to their advantage. Rex nudged his head toward Cinder, keeping eye contact with Weiss. At this, the heiress sighed and gave in. "…Alright, we'll listen. But make it quick, Ben's probably already halfway here."

Cinder deadpanned at that. "Couldn't wait to make the call, hm? Hah, very well." She clapped her hands together and set the scene. "Alright, so, I'm sure that you remember the Hydra incident from the week before last, right?"

"Heh, really impossible to forget." Rex mused. "I'm guessing your encounter with the Collective there must've been when you found this out?"

The maiden gave a nod. "Exactly. During our scuffle, Rojo and I found out that "Bishop" fellow is no man. …He is a monster."

There was a brief pause as Weiss and Rex waited for her to continue… but after a few seconds, no clarification came. "…So are we talking like a metaphorical monster, or…" Weiss prompted, waving her hand. "You've gotta give us more to go off of here."

"UGH! I was being dramatic!" Cinder threw her hands into the air. "Seriously, you heroes have no sense for theatrics." Shaking her head disappointedly, she continued. "Anyways, I'm speaking VERY literal here. Rojo and I hit Bishop fairly hard… and we knocked a DNA Mask off of him." Seeing their eyes widen, Cinder knew she had their attention now. "Mmhm, yes, now do you see how important this is? That was when we saw him for what he TRULY was."

"Alright, so then what WAS he?" Rex furthered.

"It was dark, so we couldn't entirely see what his true appearance was, but I could at least make out some key features." Cinder lowered her head and raised her shoulders. "He had a hunched stance and was quite large, with long, wispy hair flowing from his back. He had a long snout and pointed ears, and his forelimbs were very long compared to his legs. I also think I saw a tail as well, but what put both me and Rojo off were just how long his claws were." For emphasis, Cinder flexed her hand and made several obsidian claws over her fingers, long, pointed and jagged. "Like these."

When he saw the claws come out, Rex did a double take. He definitely recognized those claws from somewhere… and when his mind connected the dots, he felt a chill going through his spine. 'Oh god… OH GOD!' His face contorted into a deadly scowl and he stormed up to Cinder, the Fall Maiden unflinching as he activated a Smack Hand and SLAMMED it into the wall next to her. Getting up close to her until they were nose-to-nose, Rex glared into her eyes as he spoke; "I want you to be ABSOLUTELY sure that your description is right. Because if you're pulling my leg here, we're gonna have a REALLY big problem here."

Weiss was left dumbstruck by Rex's sudden move. "R-Rex, what're you—"

"One second, batata, I just gotta get some confirmation." Rex growled, not taking his eyes off of Cinder. "Now… is there anything else about this perro that you forgot to tell? Think hard, and think smart about what you're gonna say."

"Ooh, now THIS is a side of you that I can definitely get behind." Cinder bit her lip as she glanced toward Weiss. "You picked quite the boytoy. I'm almost jealous."

In an instant, Weiss' mood went from stunned to sour as she set her own glare upon the maiden. "Shut up and spill, bitch. Is there anything that you might have conveniently left out?"

Cinder pressed a finger to her chin and closed her eyes, giving a sardonic; "Hmm… well, there is one other thing that I recall… but before I tell you, I reiterate that this information doesn't come without a fair exchange." Her lips curled, flashing her teeth with a wicked smirk. "So if you want the information, it will result in quite the hefty favor for you in the future."

Rex sneered in disgust. "You are one sick, twisted individual. …But something tells me you're proud of that." Cinder gave a cheery nod, which only made Rex groan more. "Ugh, okay, FINE, whatever it is, we'll do it. But I NEED this info."

"Very well… this beast wasn't a purely organic creature." Cinder revealed, which prompted Rex to lower his Smack Hand. "He was covered in technological armor that seemed grafted to his hide. He almost resembled a mechanical Beowolf of sorts."

That clinched it. "GRRRAAAAAAH!" Without warning, Rex swung his Smack Hand around and batted a dumpster away, his face contorted in so much rage that even Cinder was taken by surprise. Weiss was forced to duck as her boyfriend went on his sudden rampage, flattening garbage cans and trash bags to vent his frustrations. "GOD DAMN IT! I should've KNOWN it was them from the very START! I'm such a freaking IDIOT!"

"R-Rex, please, calm down—"

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Weiss' pleas were drowned out by Rex's wails of anger, leaving her with a sinking feeling in her chest.

Cinder, however, was amused by the scene. "Hm, he sounds like Tennyson when he gets pissed."

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!"

"Speak of the devil." The three whipped their heads up to see a rather wrathful Chromastone, his teeth grit together as his single eye glowered directly toward Cinder. And, not too far away, a certain green car had pulled into the alley as well, with Gwen and Kevin practically running out after her. The Fall Maiden manipulated her obsidian claws into a black sphere, which she raised high above her head. "And with that, I must bid you all farewell."

Chromastone shot down into the alley as fast as he could. "CINDER! Don't you—"

*CRASH*

But it was too late. Cinder spiked the glass ball down to the pavement and an explosion of smoke erupted out, engulfing the whole area. Ben hastily changed into Terraspin to blow the smoke away… but by then, Cinder was no where to be seen. "Sorry, kiddies, not telling the story again!" the maiden's voice echoed, but from where, no one could tell. "Ask your friends to fill you in, I'm leaving this scene!"

"Grr, no you don't—"

But before Terraspin could go after her, Weiss reached out and grabbed his flipper. "Ben, wait! There's something you should—"

"Wait?" Terraspin repeated, pointing his other flipper upward. "That woman's the reason why half of Bellwood's still cleaning up charr and soot!"

Weiss gave the turtle alien a serious look. "I know, believe me. I get it. But Cinder just willingly provided us with some key info on the Collective." The hero's eyes widened as she explained. "I know you're probably not keen on trusting her, but she and the Ministry hate the Collective, so she said she would be willing to share some information with us if it meant taking them down."

Just as Ben transformed back into his human form to respond, Gwen cut him off before he could go on any sort of rant. "While I understand that point of reasoning, Weiss, it's still a VERY unwise idea to trust anything that Cinder says."

The former heiress gave a conceding shrug. "True… but at the same time…" She moved to the side, revealing that Rex was still on his anger induced tirade. "What she shared was enough to make Rex do this. He knows something if what she said set him off this much. On that note…" Weiss spun around and whipped out Myrtenaster, waving it in Rex's direction and summoning a pair of Ice Glyphs, which trapped his arm and froze his Smack Hand over.

The moment he hit another trashcan, Rex's build was smashed into pieces. "W-Wha—Weiss, what the—augh!"

"Snap out of it, Robo-dolt!" Weiss shouted as she slammed him against the wall, keeping a secure grasp on his collar. "Going on a rampage won't solve anything." She flattened her hands out, pressing them firmly on his chest. "Now, please, try and take some deep breaths."

"A-Alright…" Rex followed Weiss' instructions, knowing that if he didn't, he'd get in big trouble. Thankfully, he managed to calm down in a few short moments, wherein he slipped his hands over hers and gave her a reassuring nod. "O-Okay, I… I think I'm good now." But it was only then that he saw Ben, Gwen and Kevin standing in the alley with him, making him do a double take. "W-Woah, hey guys. How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see what you did to the alley." Kevin gestured to the nearly demolished backstreet, making Rex cringe. "So, what set ya off like that, man?"

Rex sighed and his shoulders sagged. "Hah, it's a long story. …Er, wait, what're you two doing here, anyway? I thought you were on break."

Gwen flashed her Plumber's badge and explained. "We were in the area when we got Weiss' message. Though unfortunately, it seems we were too little, too late."

Ben smacked the back of his fist against a wall. "We'll get her, don't you worry. But right now, I wanna know exactly what she told you guys." He raised an eyebrow toward his EVO friend. "And why it apparently sent you into a frenzy."

"E-Er, yeah… sorry 'bout that." Rex apologized before his countenance grew serious. "But Cinder just confirmed something that I was incredibly and blatantly BLIND to since we first fought the Collective. Their sudden appearance, their ability to create monsters, their leaders having superpowers AND keeping Breach hostage… and she just settled it all. She told us that Bishop isn't who he says he is." Rex pointed up to his face. "He's been wearing a DNA mask this whole time. These guys are NOT human… and they aren't alien."

The Alien Trio were surprised by that, but Ben was still a hard sell on it. "Rex, it's Cinder. She was probably lying to you or somethi—"

"There's NO other way Cinder could be that detailed about what he really looked like, dude!" Rex snapped, making Ben go silent. "Not if he is who I THINK he is!"

Admittedly, this caught Ben's curiosity. "Alright then, who is it?" Rex opened his mouth to answer, but then… *Beep-beep-beep* The Omnitrix sounded off and began flashing, causing Ben to bring the watch up. "Uh, hold that thought. It's Penny." He pressed his fingers down, answering the android. "This is Ben, what've you got for me, Pen?"

"Salutations, Ben!" Penny cheerily replied. "I bring a very important update from Flitter about the Collective's activities. They have made a special announcement outside of their usual self-help threads, and it quite significant."

"Alright, shoot."

"Sending it now…" It didn't take long for the message to pop up on a hologram out of the Omnitrix, displaying it for all to see;

"Hello, everyone! We are all absolutely humbled and excited about the response we've seen in the past 24 hours. It is exactly what we were hoping we would see once our ad made its way all across the world! So, in celebration of such momentous support, we will be making our first public appearance TONIGHT. 8 PM at Rouleau Park in the town of Bellwood. We hope to see many of you there for this exciting seminar, and for those who cannot make it, we'll be livestreaming the entire thing! All guests are welcome… including those more critical of our message. We would love to hear EVERYONE'S thoughts, so please… Join Us."

Just reading the message left a bad taste in Ben's mouth. Of COURSE they would choose Bellwood of all places to start their campaign. It's like they were EXPECTING them to come and make a scene. "Ugh… this sucks."

"Dude, what're you talkin' about?" Kevin asked, smacking his fist into his palm. "They're right in the middle of the lion's den! I say we crash the whole thing and show 'em that ya don't start shit in Bellwood."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the Osmosian. "While normally I would agree that a strong course of action would be prudent right now… I'm with Ben on this one. And NOT just because of your recent actions, Kevin Ethan Levin."

Kevin threw his hands up in the air. "Aw, c'mon, are you girls seriously gonna hold that against me? Even after Gwen's basically forgiven me?!"

"Yes, because we OURSELVES have yet to deem you as a decent person again." Weiss deadpanned, sending an apologetic glance Gwen's way. "No offense, Gwen. We just feel very passionately about these sorts of things."

Gwen gave a short sigh and sent her a wave. "None taken. So long as it doesn't affect the team, feel free to judge Kevin of your own accord." She saw her boyfriend's jaw go slack at her in disbelief, but she wagged her finger at him. "Ah-ah, you got yourself into this mess, Kevin. You'll need to earn the trust of those girls back yourself." Hanging his head low, Kevin resigned to his fate, while Gwen kept going; "In any case, something like this definitely can't be a "go in guns blazing" situation. If everyone immediately attacks the Collective while they're presenting themselves like this, most of the media will surely be against us, interpreting it as an attack on seemingly innocent people."

"Exactly." Ben agreed without question. "Which means we'll have to go for a more subtle approach, at least at first." He shifted his eyes between Rex and Weiss in particular. "The first sign of them making a suspicious move, though, we go in and try to expose them."

Raising his head back up, Kevin gave Ben a questioning expression. "Wait… you didn't look at us when you said that."

"Nope, because you guys are on sabbatical, remember?"

"Gah, come on! I wanna kick some Collective cans!"

Wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's, Gwen slowly led Kevin back to the car. "Yes, yes, I know you want to, baby, but there's still LOTS of things we need to do ourselves." But, before she got in the car, she peered back over her shoulder toward her cousin. "But… if you guys DO get in over your heads, we'll be there to give you backup."

Giving her a smile, Ben waved her goodbye. "Ah, don't worry about it, cous. We'll be good. Besides… I've got an idea brewing in my head."

"…Usually that concerns me, but I'll roll with it for now." After bidding the others farewell, Gwen and Kevin drove off, leaving the other three to themselves.

"Alright, we've got…" Ben brought up the Omnitrix's holographic clock. "…At least five hours before the Collective make their big appearance. So, let's work on the plan in that time." The hero's focus went right back to Rex, however, remembering he had something to say. "Oh, and Rex, you were about to tell me what Cinder told you, yeah?"

"Uh, actually, why don't we save that for when we get back to your place?" Rex suggested. "I kinda want the rest of the team to hear this, too."

With a single nod, Ben accepted the idea. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. Besides…" Bringing out his phone, Ben scrolled through his contacts again… until he was back at "S". "I've gotta make some calls."

Unbeknownst to the heroes, however, a certain someone had stuck around… and she overheard everything. "Hm… 8 PM, is it?" Cinder mused to herself with an insidious smile. "Perhaps I'll swing by to… light the show up a little."

…..

Several hours of careful planning later, the Omni-Hunters moved out to Rouleau Park at 7:30 PM. They had forgone using any vehicles to make their approach in favor of pure stealth, so as to not attract attention to themselves on the way there. They didn't want anyone expecting them to show up to the event, especially not the Collective themselves. It had taken about twenty minutes to get to the park itself, as well as getting themselves all into position after finding out where in the park the event was happening. As it happened, it was right near the western edge of the park, right on the opposite end of where their battle with Bashmouth's crew had happened.

This proved to be very ideal for them as it meant that Teams RWBY and JNPR were able to settle themselves into position up on high buildings just across the street, giving them an ample view over the festivities. Meanwhile, Ilia, Team SN and Penny were situated further down the street, ready to provide backup should things get hairy. Ben and Rex, meanwhile, were going in directly to the event incognito, the duo wearing matching black hoodies and sunglasses.

"Dude, you sure about these disguises?" Rex asked, wiggling his sunglasses around. "I feel like we'll only be drawing MORE attention to ourselves."

"Well, it still won't be as much attention we'd get if we just stroll up in our usual clothes." Ben reasoned, pulling his hood up over his head. "We wanna take these guys by surprise, remember? And besides, it's what we had on short notice."

Rex groaned and put his sunglasses on, pulling his own hood over his head. "If you say so. But wearing these in summer is seriously gonna leave us chafed."

Ben gave a conceding shrug. "Maybe, but if these guys are who you say they are, then it'll be worth it, right?"

"…Right." Rex furrowed his brow, and in that moment, Ben could swear the EVO looked exactly like Six. "Let's do this."

With a smile, Ben gave him a thumbs up. "You got it…" He reached down to the Omnitrix, activating his commlink. "This is Omni-EVO squad checking in. Teams RWBY and JNPR, are you in position?"

"That's a ten-four from us, Ben!" Ruby replied.

"Same here." Jaune piped up as well. "We're ready when you are, Ben."

"Excellent. Ilia, you and the others ready to go, too?"

The chameleon girl wasted no time in her response. "We are, Ben. We're prepared to engage whenever you give the word."

Ben nodded in approval. "Great. If these guys try to run, they won't be ready for what we've got in store for them…" He switched his Omnitrix to a locator function, the watch projecting a holographic radar that showed everyone's position relative to his own. However, there was still no sign of one other signal that he was hoping to see. "…And with any luck, they'll be in for another surprise if our guests are on time."

"I've been meaning to ask, Green Boy…" Yang piped up. "But who're these "guests" you're talking about?"

"Don't worry, Goldie Locks, you'll find out soon enough." Ben chuckled knowingly. "Think of it as a little surprise."

Nora suddenly spoke up with an excited; "Ooooh, I LOVE surprises! And if it helps screw over these spooky idiots, then I'm all for it!"

"Glad to hear it." Ben smirked over to Rex, who returned it in kind before the two dropped down from the tree that they were hiding in. "Alright, team… let's expose these cultists for who they truly are." The duo proceeded toward the small stage that had been set up at the edge of the park, which had already garnered a LOT of people around it. The structure was actually decently constructed, and came with a large, red curtain and everything. There was a set of three microphones in the very center, no doubt for the leaders of the cult themselves. Ben and Rex made sure to stay toward the back of the crowd for the time being, so they were at the least risk of being spotted from anyone on stage.

After a few minutes of waiting, the people were greeted by a surge of lively and bombastic music, immediately exciting the crowd as their murmurs switched to full-on chatter. From there, the curtain opened and they were greeted by several people donned in white, hooded robes. However, unlike previous encounters, Ben and Rex were surprised to see that all of their hoods were down, leaving their faces exposed for all to see. In fact, the two even saw a couple of familiar ones among them…

"Those two on the left end." Rex whispered. "They're… Mitchel and Katie, I think?"

Ben nodded, seeing the young woman in question. "Yeah, they're some of the more outspoken members of the Collective if I remember." The hero's eyebrows rose when the Collective followers suddenly parted in the middle, clearing a path for another pair of recognizable people. "Here they come…"

Sure enough, there they were; Bishop and Scales. As they walked up on stage, the crowd couldn't help but express their awe at the duo and their unique appearances, not expecting the bushy-haired man or the masked and suited individual. Bishop was the first to go for his microphone, raising a hand to get everyone's attention. "Hah, thank you, thank you. Thank you ALL for coming!"he spoke, wearing a very wolfish grin. "I must say, I'm truly humbled by the sheer SIZE of this attendance! We were expecting only a small crowd, but it's an honor to have every single one of you here."He placed a hand over his chest. "My name is Bishop Wolfe, and I am one of the co-founders of the Collective."

"And I'm Mandrake Scalar."the masked man piped up, his deep voice almost taking everyone off guard. He then widened his stance with a powerful stomp, placing his hands upon his knees. "But back in my wrestlin' days, I went by Scales. Feel free to call me that."

In the audience, Rex grit his teeth. 'Dammit, it MUST be them. I feel like such an idiot for not realizing it sooner.'

Bishop continued. "We've come here tonight, along with some of our most illustrious followers, in order to answer some questions to you live and in person." Just then, his expression became somewhat saddened. "Unfortunately, while our exalted leader—the true progenitor of this movement of ours, wanted to come as well, he is unfortunately had some business to attend."

"Pfft, yeah, I'll bet." Rex scoffed to himself. "Your leader's probably off polishing his hand somewhere."

"Hold back, Rex." Ben advised with a firm hand to his friend's shoulder. "Not yet."

"Still, we'll be happy to take any and all questions you've got fer us." Scales insisted. "Life advise, criticisms, hell, we'll even tell ya how you can join our cause if ya wanna. We're takin' any an' all questions, no ifs, ands or buts. So, any takers? Who wants to go first?"He scanned his eyes across the crowd as multiple hands shot up, though he saw one hand who seemed more eager than the others. "Oh, you there, ma'am? Please, step on up!"

"O-Oh, really?" the woman asked.

With a welcoming smile, Bishop beckoned her up while reaching for the third microphone. "Of course! We want everyone's voices to be heard. Please, come up."The lady made her way up the steps and, much to Ben's surprise, it was the same young woman from the news that morning. Bishop handed her the mic and nodded, prompting her to speak her mind.

"W-Well, thank you very much." the woman smiled. "A-Actually, I called you on your hotline late last night after your commercial aired and… for one, I wanted to say thank you."

Bishop's eyebrows shot up in shock, only to then recognize her voice. "Wait a moment… Jocelyn? Hah, I was the one who spoke with you on the phone!" He bowed his head to her respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

Jocelyn's mouth fell open and she covered it immediately to try and compose herself. "O-Oh, my god! I thought your voice sounded familiar!" She reached out and grasped Bishop's hand, bowing back to him. "I want to personally thank you then, because you really helped me realize just how much of a wreck my life has been. I thought being an adult fresh out of college would be a piece of cake, but… there've been no opportunities for me." Jocelyn took a deep breath, rummaging up he confidence. "S-So, if it's alright, I want to know a way I can join your group, so that I can better myself and try and repair my life!"

"I was hoping you'd say that, Jocelyn." Bishop nodded over to Scales. "Bring one over." At his word, Scales went back toward the curtain and produced a long, black cloak with a hood, one that resembled the other members' cloaks. "Beginning members are assigned the black cloak, to symbolize the darkness that hangs over you. But in time, once you experience our teachings, you will be granted a white one like these fellows here, which will represent your achieving enlightenment."

As the duo watched Jocelyn don the black cloak with a look of pure joy, Ben and Rex couldn't help but grimace at the display. "Enlightenment, huh?" Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, if you enjoy being turned into a giant Creeper monster."

"There ya have it, folks, easy as that!" Scales announced with a hand up high. "If ya wanna join, all ya gotta do is find us. We're always accepting new members wherever we go!" Beneath his mask, Scales gave a wink. "And I do mean WHEREVER. Because we're gonna be takin' these public events on the road!" He pointed right to the camera that was streaming all of this. "So, if ya see us in your town, don't be afraid to attend!"

"Good god, they wanna take this on tour?!" Rex went to make his way to the front. "That's it, I'm gonna—"

"Excuse me!" All of a sudden, an unexpected voice rang through the crowd… one that Ben was NOT hoping to hear. Stepping out from the crowd was none other than Will Harangue, the news anchor practically pushing his way onto the stage. "Will Harangue of the Harangue Nation. I've got some questions for you all."

Ben facepalmed and muffled into his hoodie; "Oh god, why, why, WHY is he here?!"

Bishop put on a stoic look as Harangue forced his way up. "Ah, yes, Mr. Harangue. I've seen you on television. What brings you here to our seminar today?"

"Well, for one, you interrupted by broadcast with your ad yesterday, so it only felt right to come here." Harangue answered with an equally challenging expression. "But, more to the point, after watching that ad several times, and I saw that you were quick to point out all of the hullabaloo going on between the Ministry and those Omni-Hunters recently. So, I only have one thing to ask you people…" There was a dramatic pause as the crowd leaned in… only for Harangue to put on a knowing smile. "Your opinion; Ben Tennyson, threat or menace?"

Ben fell flat on his face. "Goddamn it, this again?!"

On stage, however, Bishop also seemed unamused by Harangue's forward question. He cleared his throat and replied; "I'm sorry, Mr. Harangue, but if you're anticipating a big exposé on our thoughts about Ben Tennyson, I'm afraid you won't find any personal animosity toward him among our group." He brought his sights toward the audience, focusing on them again. "Rather, our issue lies in the conflict between heroes and villains in general. After all, these battles not only cause damage to whatever area they're in, but also leaves the public constantly worried about their safety!" Bishop raised a hand toward the people. "Take this into consideration, everyone; if this team of people that Mr. Tennyson has recruited DO come from another world, as do the villains who followed them here… why not just take their conflict BACK to that world? Why bring it here when there's already so much to worry about?"

His words got the audience talking again, and a lot of it wasn't too popular with Ben or Rex. "You know, he kinda has a point." one man shrugged.

"As much as I hate to admit it, yeah, that's fair I guess." another guy scratched his head. "I like Tennyson and all, but it feels like bringing that fight from another world here only complicated things for Earth more."

"But would the villains REALLY go back to that other world if the Omni-Hunters did, too?" asked a concerned woman. "Or would they just stay here and take over from there?"

"…Most definitely the latter." Ben grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Bishop. "It really isn't as simple as he thinks." He nodded toward Rex. "I think it's time we make our move." Rex was more than happy to follow the Omnitrix bearer toward the stage, circling around the large audience as discreetly as they could.

Even if it wasn't the answer he was hoping for, though, Harangue seemed satisfied. "Eh, good enough for me! Anyone against Tennyson's brand of "heroism" is a friend of mine!"

Beneath his mask, Scales scowled at the man. "Should we feel honored by that or somethin'? Bah, this is why news media gets such a bad rap these days." With a shake of his head, he called back to the crowd once again. "Now, do we have any OTHER questions? Preferably ones that have more to do with our mission?"

"Yeah, I got one." The crowd gasped as a pair of hooded figures walked up on stage… only to remove their black hoodies and toss them to the side, revealing Ben and Rex. The people chattered incessantly as Tennyson stepped forward, taking Harangue and the Collective leaders aback. "How about you guys explain where all of the missing people are?"

Harangue doubled back, shielding himself behind the two brutish men. "T-Tennyson?! What in the world are you doing here?!"

"I heard there'd be an open forum in town to ask questions about this new fad that's sweeping the nation." Ben answered, not even sparing the news anchor a glance. "So I came to see what the new hotness was. And let me just say, for criminals, you certainly have a way of getting people to listen to you."

"Criminals?!" Bishop balked, raising his nose at Ben while running his hand across his neck in a swiping motion, signaling for their camera person to cut the live feed. "We're no criminals!"

"Really? Well, if TV hijackings aren't a crime in this day and age, then what is, eh?"

Scales stopped in front of his partner, sizing Ben up. "Hey, listen here, Tennyson, I'll have you know that we have some very special connections in the TV industry. Thanks to them, we got our ad to air… it's just that it was only supposed to air on a FEW channels and it accidentally got aired on EVERY one."

Bishop folded his arms over his chest. "Why do you think it hasn't aired in the last 24 hours since, hm? We had to pull it to avoid legal punishment. We're lucky it was only an accident."

Raising a skeptical brow, Ben still wasn't too sure about all this. "Hm… is that so? Well, either way, you've yet to answer my question…" He stepped up to Bishop, narrowing his eyes as the older man did in kind. "Where are all the missing people? …Oh wait, I don't need you to answer that." He thrust an arm out to the white-robed people. "Because at least a FEW of them are standing right here!" Once again, a gasp rang through the crowd, prompting Ben to continue. "That's right, people. All of those missing persons' cases? That was these guys recruiting for their little "self-help" organization… or should I say, their CULT."

This made the crowd fly into a fluster, with Jocelyn staring down at her cloak in disbelief. As much as she didn't want to admit it… the black robe DID seem very cultish. "A… A-A cult?"

"A cult? Seriously?" Harangue questioned. "Like those weirdos who worshipped that big squid thing?"

Ben deadpanned at his constant harasser. "Yes, exactly. Though this time, it's not AS extreme as that." He raised a brow over to Bishop. "Though that doesn't make what they're doing any less creepy."

Bishop sneered and raised his head in challenge. "Tch, alright, you want me to give a straight answer? Fine, we ARE somewhat responsible for all of those missing persons' cases, but we didn't KIDNAP anyone." He thrust his hand over to the white-robed followers. "Everyone here and back at our sanctuary joined us WILLINGLY once we explained our mission to them. As in; of their own accord. We didn't take anybody by FORCE, we didn't persuade anyone with bribery, we even respected the wishes of those who didn't WANT to join." He turned to the crowd, raising his hands imploringly. "People of Bellwood, I beseech you, do not mistake us for the occult. I'm not certain where Mr. Tennyson got this information, but it is FAR from the truth."

Ben pursed his lips, pointing to the man. "Oh yeah? Well tell that to the monsters that you've created and sent after us SEVERAL times. The museum the week before, the docks, even Niagara Falls, you've been hounding us to make sure that WE stay out of your plans."

"M-Monsters?" Jocelyn whispered.

Rex stormed forward, narrowing his eyes at Bishop and Scales. "Yeah, monsters. Ones that these idiots make. They're just a bunch of maniacs who want people to follow them so that they can get power. And their leader—this "Exalted One"? I know HIM personally…" He got up close and personal with Bishop, the man's eyes widening in astonishment. "And I can say with certainty that he is NOT a nice man."

"You…" Bishop growled out.

"Surprised?" Rex tilted his head. "I should've had you figured out from the beginning, but I was too blind to see it. But now, I—" *SMACK* "AGH!"

Much to everyone's shock, it wasn't Bishop who punched Rex away… but rather Mitchell, the blonde man's face twisted in anger. "You HEATHENS! You dare to question the leadership of not only Bishop, but the Exalted One as well?!"

"You two aren't worthy to even be NEAR this group!" Katie hollered as well, swiping her hand toward Ben to get him to back off. "These people have done nothing but help us achieve what we couldn't in our everyday lives! THEY are the reason why we've gained confidence and strive for success!" She reached out and grasped Jocelyn's hands assuredly. "Don't worry, once you come with us and meet the Exalted One yourself, you'll see exactly what we're talking about. We are FAR from a cult, I can assure you."

Jocelyn glanced from Katie over to Mitchel and back again, growing increasingly concerned. "A-Are you sure? Because the way you're speaking sounds very… fanatical."

"Trust your ears, miss." Ben asserted as he pushed his way between her and Katie, eyeing both her and Mitchel with scrutiny. "And don't be fooled. These people have been conditioned by the "Exalted One", for sure." Indeed, Ben could see it in their wild, obsessive eyes. He knew a fanatic when he saw one.

However, Harangue balked at the claims. "Hah! Tennyson, you've thrown some crazy accusations around in the past, but this has to be some of the worst I've heard from you yet." He gestured toward the young man. "But, if you're so sure about these fine gentlemen leading a "cult"… then how about some physical evidence, hm? Got any proof on ya?"

It was there that Ben and Rex realized… they had no proof. No photographs of the Creepers made by the Collective, nothing linking the monsters back to them, nothing. 'Goddamn it, how the hell could I have forgotten something THAT important?!' Ben screamed at himself in his head. He could see Harangue's smug grin, and Bishop, Scales and the other Collective members wore the same expression. They knew he had no evidence of the sort. 'For god's sake, how're we going to—wait…' His train of thought was cut short when a certain scent wafted through his nose… and it was one that he was very familiar with; wood smoke.

And it was clear that Rex and many others could smell it as well. "Um… is something burning?"

"GYAAAAAAAAHH!" All of a sudden, one of the Collective members screamed and leapt away from the right side of the stage… which was beginning to go up in flames. The crowd and everyone on stage was whipped into a panicked frenzy as people began running every which way to get away from the ever-growing fire, leading to Ben grabbing the remaining microphone.

"EVERYONE, GET TO SAFETY! RUN!" he shouted.

As Harangue stumbled offstage, Bishop's smirk increased at the opportunity. "I think it's time we cut this event short." But before he or the others left, he offered a hand to the young, blonde woman. "Jocelyn, please, come with us and at least give us a chance. I will show you that there is no need to fear us."

Jocelyn stared at him with an uncertain gaze, her hazel eyes darting between everything going on around her. "I-I… I don't—"

"Please, trust me." Bishop pleaded, his own eyes softening. Eventually, if hesitantly, Jocelyn took his hand, to which he nodded in approval. "Good, now follow me, and don't fall behind. Scales!"

"On it!" From his pocket, Scales produced a large, black sphere, which he raised above his head as the fire burned around them. "Happy trails, heroes!" He threw the ball down and it exploded into a burst of smoke, which only helped the fire spread quicker as the Collective used it for their escape.

"HAK-HAK! Oh come on, again?!" Rex growled. "Hak! Ben, we gotta put this out!"

But the hero shook his head. "No, I have to put this out. You take Team RWBY and JNPR, follow the Collective, and find their hideout." He activated the Omnitrix and searched through its index. "Ilia, myself and the others will meet up with you soon, now GO!" As reluctant as Rex was, he knew that Ben was right. Now was NOT the time to afford mistakes. Activating his Boogie Pack, Rex took to the skies, radioing the others to follow him and track down the Collective. All the while, Ben scrolled through his aliens, arriving at the one he wanted. "Alright, Omnitrix… no screw ups this time." Pressing down the core as lightly as he could, Ben disappeared in a flash of green light, and in his place a second later was…

"OVERFLOW!" The Cascan pumped his fists in victory. "YES! Finally!" He laced his hands together and cracked his knuckles, ready to go to work. "Sorry, Collective, but I'm gonna have to put a DAMPER on this event!" Thrusting his hands up, Overflow let lose a deluge of water, shooting the twin jet streams at the curtains and dowsing them in seconds. He continued to let his water flow over the stage floor and support beams, though one of them still ended up collapsing before it could be entirely put out. In the end, though, he still managed to put the fire out entirely. "Hah, alright, now to get to—huh?"

Before he could leave, though, Overflow's thermal vision caught something strange. Running away from the scene, he saw a person whose body temperature was MUCH higher than normal, so much so that it almost worried him. Were THEY on fire? The second he switched back to his normal vision, however, he saw that wasn't the case… but then his suspicions were raised when he saw that they were in a dark grey hoodie with matching sweatpants. 'Clothes like that DO raise your temperature… but not by THAT much.' But then, he took notice of the person's hands… and saw that they had manicured, red nails that were slightly smoking. Overflow's eyes narrowed and he activated his jet streams again, blasting off toward the figure. "Oh no, you don't!"

It only took mere seconds for Overflow to catch up, and when he did, he created water whips that quickly ensnared his target. He lifted her aloft and, sure enough, Cinder's hood fell, allowing her black hair to cascade out of it. "Hah, you certainly know how to—gah—get a girl's attention." Cinder remarked as she struggled against her captor.

"I should've KNOWN it was you!" Overflow snapped, bringing Cinder in closer. "What in the HELL were you thinking?!"

"Um, pardon me, but I successfully ended this charade of a "self-help seminar", thank you."

"THANK YOU?!"

Cinder smiled cheekily. "You're welcome!" Overflow growled and tightened his fist, resulting in the tendrils binding Cinder even harder. "HRK! D-Don't you have BIGGER problems than myself right now?"

The Cascan's scowl deepened. "Give me one good reason I should let you go."

The Fall Maiden grit her teeth… into a wily grin. "Hm, who said you would just let me go?" From Cinder's hands, an extreme amount of heat blasted out and reduced Overflow's water to simple steam, the Hero taken aback as she quickly shot up into the air thanks to her wind powers. "I would suggest you go follow your friend, Tennyson. I think it's safe to say that neither of us have a clue of what these Collective idiots are truly capable of." Cinder gave him a wink before she flew off. "I'll see you in a week." In a burst of flame, she disappeared, leaving Overflow to stew in his frustrations.

"Grr… as much as I hate to admit it… she's got a point." Overflow pressed the Omnitrix dial and contacted the remaining members of his team. "Ilia, this is Ben. Group up with me and let's converge on Rex and the others. They're gonna need us."

"Roger that, Ben." Ilia confirmed. "We're on our way." At that, Overflow used his jet streams and hydrokinesis to create a trail of water up into the air, using it as a slide to transport him to his next destination, wherever that may be.

…..

Meanwhile, Rex was getting even more irritated as he tried to follow the Collective from the air, watching as the group ducked through several alleys that just got darker and darker until he could barely see them anymore. Thankfully, Teams RWBY and JNPR were keeping track from the rooftops, tailing the cult high above and keeping a close eye on them as well. Finally, the team came upon a particular alley that lead to an abandoned garage not too far from the park, and that's where the Collective were headed.

"There! That must be their hideout!" Ruby exclaimed.

Jaune nodded over to her. "Alright, let's get in there!" The two Beacon teams dropped down into the alley, with Rex following right after. There, they were met with a massive garage door, which prompted the blonde knight to ask; "Bust it open?"

Rex, Yang and Nora all quickly agreed, bringing out their weapons. "Bust it open." they echoed.

"Just like I thought." Jaune load three vials of Lightning Dust into Crocea Mors and hefted it over his shoulder, the blade beginning to light up with bolts of electricity. "Let's do this! Thunderstorm… AFTERSHOCK!" The young huntsman brought his sword down and a massive lightning bolt blasted toward the garage door, blowing a hole clean through it. Yang, Nora and Rex proceeded to leap in and bash the door in further, allowing them inside…

…Where a whole mass of robed people were standing. By their count, the team could only deduce that the WHOLE Collective must've been in that one building, which was astonishing to a few of them. "Woah… guess no one wanted to skip out." Blake commented.

"Hm, good." Weiss raised Myrtenaster at Bishop and Scales. "Then they won't mind if they watch as we expose these two for who they really are."

"FOOLS!" Bishop barked at them, him and Scales taking defensive stances. "Mark my words, the Exalted One IS near, and when he arrives, you will sincerely wish you hadn't—" *shink* *shink* "AUGH!"

"GRAH! Why you—"

Scales and Bishop were both taken aback as Ren flew in and swiftly slashed Stormflower's blades across their faces… and successfully sliced through their DNA masks. "Why don't you show everyone your true appearance?"

As the masks fell, Rex stepped forward, watching as Bishop and Scales flickered out of existence… and left two monstrous figures behind. "I should've known from the start… but I really didn't think you'd pull THIS kinda move…" One figure was a tall, hunched wolf-like beast with white fur, long claws, and bio-mechanical parts across his head, torso and legs, making him resemble a cyborg of sorts. "But I should've guessed by your name alone. You're a Collective… a group… a team…" The other figure was much more heavyset… and very asymmetrical. He had green skin, four, stubby legs, one gangly arm, and one MUCH larger arm with teal green crystals growing out of the "hand". He also had a lizard head was facing upward and twisted sideways, resulting in his mouth constantly dribbling drool out of its corners. Rex narrowed his eyes at the familiar duo, his hands clenched in ire. "…A Pack."

Now fully exposed to the Collective members, Biowulf and Skalamander continued to stand defiantly against the Omni-Hunters… and none of the cultists batted an eye. "Well… damn." Skalamander gave the group a sideways smile. "Guess ya caught us."

Jocelyn, however, naturally screamed in terror. "AAAAAAAHH! W-What ARE you?!" she pulled her arm away from Biowolf in fear. "M-MONSTERS!"

"Jocelyn, please." Biowulf reached out to her. "You're overreacting—"

"STAY AWAY!" Jocelyn ran away, and while almost blocked off by Katie and Mitchel, Pyrrha quickly shielded her and blocked their advancement.

"Stay behind me, ma'am!" the Invincible Girl advised.

Weiss was completely baffled that no one was reacting with disgust at the duo, eyeing everybody in the room with intense skepticism. "Uh… hello?! Is anyone NOT seeing the complete FREAKS of nature here, or is it just me?"

"It's JUST YOU!" One Collective member shouted. "How DARE you speak of Brothers Biowulf and Skalamander in such a way?!"

For his part, Rex was completely stunned by this. "H-Hold on… you KNEW already?"

"Of course!" Mitchel confirmed. "Brothers Biowulf and Skalamander always reveal their true forms to those who've proved themselves worthy!"

"But how did YOU know?" Katie sneered. "Does this mean you know the Exalted One's identity as well?"

Rex put on a knowing smile at that. "Actually, yeah, I do. It's—"

*CHOOM*

Without any warning, all of the lights in the place went out completely, with only a single, solitary hanging lamp remaining on in a hallway directly across the garage. The Collective went completely silent as the heroes' attention was brought front and center… where they saw a tall, shadowy figure appear in the hall. Most of the Omni-Hunters gasped and doubled back, but Rex stood resolute as the person began to speak in a deep, distorted voice.

"I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself." the figure said as they approached, revealing themselves to be wearing a dark red and black cloak with gold accents on it. "I… am the Exalted One of the Collective. In a very short time, the lot of you will be up to speed on just who I am. Now, I would first like to state that the new rule of the Collective goes like this;" The man raised a single finger… on a hand that was entirely mechanical and golden. "We do what we like WHEN we like. And if I would like something, I take it. And perhaps I should word it differently as well because maybe the ignorant ones out there don't understand." He pointed the golden finger directly toward the Omni-Hunters. "If we come and knock on your door… you open that door and let the Collective in. And if you don't, I personally will kick that door down and lead the Collective through it."

The figure reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing that he wore a white mask. He took the mask off, his voice becoming less distorted as he remained in shadow. "And this one goes out to a certain individual who seems particularly ignorant. Allow me to make this a little more… personal. A little more tangible for you to feel." The man smirked toward Rex, his dark eyes focusing in on him. "You thought you were safe in this world, didn't you? But now, the word is out! And you… are very unsafe. So, let me take this time to formally introduce myself…"

The man clapped his hands and the lights came back up, revealing his appearance in full. He was indeed tall and well-built, yet also very pale, with black eyes that had dark circles under them, making them appear sunken in. His cheek bones were prominent and he had a chiseled jaw, though his scraggly, black and white beard didn't show that. Most of his tousled hair was tied back into a man-bun, but even if his appearance was different than when he last saw him… the young EVO recognized his nemesis all too well. "Hello… Rex."

Rex grit his teeth, none too happy to see the man that nearly screwed over his life several times. "…Van Kleiss."

…..

A/N: And thus, THE BIG REVEAL finally happens! …A reveal that I'm pretty sure everybody saw coming from the very start. Yes, even at the start of this story's lifetime (Happy Two-Year Anniversary, btw, forgot to mention that last month), I have a feeling that people could see the writing on the wall with the Collective. Bishop and Scales were pretty obvious giveaways when we first saw them, but honestly, I kinda knew that this would be pretty obvious from the beginning. I mean, a cult in Ben's world seemingly coming from out of nowhere right at the same time the big Inter-Dimensional Event happened? Yeah, it HAD to be the Pack cooking up a new plan.

But indeed, Van Kleiss IS in fact, the Exalted One, and his mind is so screwed up that he probably WOULD do something like this to regain some momentum and power. Even so far as to recruit human beings into his new cult to make them his willing followers. Because for as crazy as Kleiss is, he's still got a silver tongue, one that works to persuade people to his side very effectively.

And of course, it helps that Biowulf and Skalamander make for great enforcers. And with those DNA masks, they can hide their true forms quite easily. Of course, there's also Breach, who's still the unwilling one in this whole deal. But that leads to the question… how IS Kliess able to create the Creeper EVOS in the first place if there's no more active Nanites on Rex's Earth?

Well, we'll discover that next time, but before that, let's discuss the heroes themselves a little. Namely, this two-parter is very Ben and Rex-focused, which makes sense. These two are pretty much at the center of each end of the Collective conflict, with Ben worrying what they'll do if they convince enough people to join their cause and turn against his team while Rex, of course, has that personal history with the Pack. So when Cinder told him about Bishop's true appearance, he'd definitely browbeat himself for not realizing it sooner. Thankfully, both of them have great support systems to help them keep their heads straight.

Also, Cinder! Another unexpected aspect of this little two-parter is her actually HELPING the heroes for once… more or less. She's still a villain, make no mistake, but she definitely doesn't want any other villain groups to horn in on Bellwood and steal the Ministry's thunder. So, in exchange for a favor for later (on the promise that she doesn't cause trouble for a while), she lets the group in on what she knows. Though considering her grand arson in the presence of Harangue, he's probably gonna find a way to blame THAT on Ben, too.

So, with the tease of a certain surprise that Ben's got cooking up (which you can probably guess what that is, too), we look forward to NEXT TIME! Van Kleiss takes the time to explain to Rex exactly how he and the Pack ended up converting into a cult to begin with, and eventually, it devolves into a full-on brawl, with Rex demanding to know where Breach is. The Creepers are let loose in force, but thankfully, the cavalry arrives… with a few added bonuses. Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!