"That can't be right." Blake said after a minute, "I know she felt betrayed by the system, but why go after the headmasters?"
"Indeed it was Vale's council that accused and tried her," Weiss added, "you tried to help her through the whole thing."
"Ruby would never do something like that." Yang said.
"I'm glad you all are so confident in your leader." Ozpin said from behind his desk, he had flown the team back express so that he could talk to them before his new 'shadows' arrived. "But that won't matter to the council, or to Atlas." he could see from their reactions that they knew he was right, "If they catch wind of this they'll brand her a vengefully crazed rouge huntress, which is exactly why they will catch no wind of this." the entire team perked up when he spoke the last line.
"What do you mean Prof?" Yang asked.
"I mean your mission to find Ruby Rose will continue with my full support." Ozpin said, "After all Ruby Rose has no connection to this Scarlette Summers right?"
"But we just told you…" Yang began before she was silenced by Weiss.
"I understand, we'll follow the leads we find on our own." She said.
"And remove any evidence we find connecting Ruby to Scarlette Summers right?" Blake finished.
"Correct." Ozpin said, "While you are at it see if you can find who it is trying to frame her. She may not be safe if someone out there knows her identity."
"Got it prof." Yang said.
"By the end of the day I will have Atlesian 'bodyguards following me around everywhere." Ozpin said, letting his frustration show for once, "so when you report to me or ask for assistance, don't give me any details that could implicate Ruby as being Summers."
"Understood." Blake said, "Where should we start looking for clues?"
"The last place she was confirmed to be was in Mistral." Ozpin said, "Judging by how she is managing to move around so quickly, even with Atlas hunting her, she must have a personal airship or is getting rides on less than credible airships. Your first task will be to find out which, if she has a personal airship, find it and you find her, if it's the latter then you have witnesses to question."
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Annette stared at the glass in her hand, Summers had kicked her out of the room so she could get on her disguise, saying it was a 'surprise.' So here Annette was sitting at the bar they lived on top of. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a pair of arms drape over her shoulders.
"Heya! Sis!" a cheery voice called from behind her. Annette quickly twisted and turned to look at whoever it was behind her. She was greeted with a familiar pairing of white hair and green eyes, or in this case eye.
"Summers?" Annette asked.
"Tonight we're both Summers." Summers said, "call me Jade tonight." Annette paused.
"Not Scarlette?" Annette asked.
"People know that alias, why would I use that when the enemy may potentially know it?" Summers, or rather Jade answered.
"Fair enough," Annette said, "you know that just changing your hair and eye color to look like me won't work right?"
"I have a tail too." Jade said as she grabbed a white cat's tail from behind her.
"Sum-Jade," Annette corrected herself as she started to speak, "Just strapping on a tail isn't going to fool any…" Annette trailed off as she noticed the fake tail start moving around high in a confident manner as Jade wore the biggest smirk on her face. "H-how?"
"Well my dear sister," Jade said as she grabbed her own drink from the counter, though when she had ordered it Annette didn't know. "You are absolutely right, I am not so foolish as to think that I can trick any Faunus with a fake unmoving limb, so I fed a few of Penny's lines through the tail and tied her into my vitals so that she can move it in a realistic manner." Annette looked over the younger girl and noticed that the way she was dressed hid her intelligent weapon underneath a long grey skirt. The rest of her outfit was fairly fitting of a huntress in training with a white dress shirt and green woolen vest over it, even the fairly simple sword sheathed at her hip.
"So we're really doing this?" Annette asked after a moment.
"Yup." Jade answered, "when things start getting heated you're priority is just to get safely out, let me deal with the terrorists."
"When?" Annette asked as Jade started walking away with a smirk.
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Reg sighed as he heard the InOps specialist shuffle uncomfortably besides him.
"Cobe, calm down your going to wear out the treads on your boots at this rate." Reg told the blue haired Soldier next to him.
"My apologies Sir." Lieutenant Cobe answered, "Just having a hard time believing I was selected for this."
"Why? you're a good soldier who fights well enough and can remain fairly inconspicuous." Reg tried to reassure the younger officer.
"I fight alright, but we're talking about me guarding Ozpin here." Lt. Cobe answered, "the guy was considered a huntsman prodigy for a reason."
"Well your main job is just to look out for anyone suspicious." Reg answered, "I don't expect or require you to sacrifice your life to protect the man, just keep an eye out for an assassin he wouldn't see coming."
"You really think we'd be able to spot Summers before she strikes?" Cobe asked.
"Maybe, maybe not but we have a better chance than anybody else out there." Reg answered, before the elevator doors opened and the two strode into the room. It was large for an office, gears and clockwork adorned the ceiling. It was all rather impressive, in a strange sort of way.
"Can I help you?" a grey haired, though young for his station, man called out to them from behind a desk.
"I'm Major Ranger," Reg answered, "Remember our conversation professor?"
Ozpin sighed, "yes of course Mr. Ranger, I've been expecting you."
"Well, I'd like to introduce you to your new lookout," Reg pointed to the you Lt next to him, "This is Lieutenant Cobe."
"A Pleasure to meet you sir!" Cobe spoke up and offered the headmaster a hand.
"Likewise I'm sure." Ozpin answered, "Do not take this as an affront to your skill but I do believe your presence here will be unnecessary."
"None taken sir, I understand how it could seem like that," Cobe began to answer.
"Furthermore as I run a school involving some of my kingdoms brightest young minds there will be many things that I handle that are…" Ozpin paused, "Confidential, even to someone of your caliber."
With all due respect, Sir." Reg interjected, "The Lt, is a member of InOps and is trustworthy enough for some of our biggest secrets."
"Perhaps you have forgotten, Captain," Ozpin said as he turned to Reg, "as the council seems to have, that you are both part of the Atlas military, we find ourselves in Vale."
"Sir I-" Reg began to answer.
"Vale, a nation which has been able to, for decades now, operate without a standing military of our own." Ozpin interrupted, "do you know how we have managed to do such a thing?"
"Outsourcing Sir?" Reg answered. Ozpin smirked a little at that.
"As much as it seems like that recently, no." Ozpin answered, "We've been able to maintain our security and stability without a military by allowing our huntsmen to step into the vacuum made by such a decision." Ozpin took a sip from a mug he had sitting on his desk. "However, even with the lack of a formal military, some structure must be maintained, we have huntsmen who act as scouts, vanguards, pilots, and medics, I myself fulfill the role of the king piece or General if you will." His gaze turned harsh once again, "There will be things that are confidential for anyone who is not one of my VALEAN huntsmen, that is non-negotiable are we clear."
After a minute Reg sighed, "Very well, Professor, but the Lieutenant must remain close by to ensure that our rogue agent has not slipped in amongst, 'your huntsmen'"
"Ah yes this 'rogue agent' of yours, you have repeatedly said how dangerous she is but have provided no such evidence to corroborate this, in fact I have heard nary a description of her. Had I not met her already I would have no idea what to look for."
"With all due respect Sir." Reg looked surprised at the young Lt, who had decided to speak up, "you're description of her is likely inaccurate, we haven't sent a description of her because we don't have one, every time we saw her at InOps it was like she was a different person."
"I see then how are you sure that she is the culprit?" Ozpin asked, causing Reg to frown, what did he mean 'how are we sure' there was evidence.
"We have evidence linking her to both of the headmasters murder scenes." Reg answered, "She is the culprit."
"So sure are you? If she was hellbent on killing headmasters, then why am I still alive?" Ozpin answered, "You would do well to remember nothing is ever quite as it seems."
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"Uggh" Ruby mumbled as she shoved past yet another drunk hitting on her and Annette, "that's like the third guy, are Faunus girls really this popular?" Annette hummed for a moment.
"Kinda, Some guys are attracted to the exotic, what's more exotic than a girl from another race?" Annette answered, before discreetly pointing at another group of drunkards who were sneering at them, "other guys, not so much."
"Well, whatever it is it's annoying." Ruby huffed. They continued walking down the mainstreet in companionable silence for a while.
"It's this way," Annette said, pointing towards one of the alley's off to the side. Ruby nodded, and followed Annette. She actually knew the way, having mapped out the entire area beforehand, but for appearances sake she would let Annette lead her there. Once they got out of the alley Ruby could see a warehouse, big surprise there, what was a surprise however was the several security guards milling about outside. Upon seeing them, Annette immediately grabbed out the paper she had been given and was looking at it frantically.
"Did I get us turned around?" She mumbled to herself. Meanwhile Ruby looked at the guards, they wore a blue uniform shirt and black pants, pretty standard for civilian guards, however the rifles and submachine guns they carried were not. Upon further inspection none of the guards had any kind of company logo on their uniforms, just some generic 'Security' written on it, but the real kicker was that each and everyone of them was a Faunus.
"I think this is the right place Annette," Ruby said, "lets just go and see." Ruby then led Annette forward. When one of the guards noticed them he nodded and pointed to one of the doors on the warehouse.
"They're...?" Annette mumbled quietly.
"Clever." Ruby said, "The police and huntsmen are out checking as many abandoned warehouses as they can, why check one that already has its own security." as soon as they were inside the building they were greeted by the familiar look of black and white uniforms paired with Grimm masks. One of the grunts directed them towards the upper balcony. Ruby went up first with Annette trailing behind. A White Fang member with a more ornate, horned mask spotted them.
"Adam." she called out, and Ruby's attention was drawn to the man who was turning around to meet them. She had to school her features, she recognized this man. She had never gotten his name, but she could never have forgotten the White Fang member that stopped her and started her down this path.
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A/N Guess who's back! No seriously this has taken me so long to write I wouldn't be surprised if a few of you have forgotten. Life has been incredibly busy, as now not only am I working part time for the military, I'm also in the process of starting my own company in the private sector, so yeah. Anyways I was planning originally to have the showdown between Adam and Ruby take place in this chapter but by the time the set up was done I felt like it would either make the chapter to long, or I wouldn't be able to do it justice. So next chapter. Welp, hope you all enjoy and I'll see you soon (Hopefully).