Pickaxes swung through the air and bit deep into chunks of rubble as they descended. Shovels were thrust downward and pierced through the course dirt with ease. Adam Taurus watched his subordinates work to clear a path through the once-active tunnel. He would've joined in to assist his brothers-in-arms but he only stopped by quickly to see how things were progressing.

The train still needed repairs and some of the tracks were bent and rusted and needed to be replaced. Time had not been kind to Mountian Glenn. At least the tunnel had been protected from the elements and Grimm that threatened the once-thriving community. The town had not been so fortunate. Walls were smashed through, buildings collapsed, homes destroyed, and any bodies that had once been here had long since either been devoured by Grimm or decayed enough to be unrecognizable.

Adam Taurus was not a good man by any definition, but even he felt bad for the once-thriving community. Mount Glenn was home to thousands of humans and faunus alike and it was praised for its beautiful landscape and friendly occupants a long time ago.

But now was no time to mourn the loss of life, Adam was a very busy man.

Adam walked up to one of the project managers. "How are our plans progressing?" He asked with a gruff voice.

"Everything is going as planned. We should be done clearing out the tunnels in a little over a month, but replacing the tracks will take up our time too. I think that two months is a reasonable estimate." He spun around a map on the table to face Adam. "This is where we are and this over here is our goal. All things considered, we're actually making good progress."

Adam huffed in acceptance. "Good work." He made to leave. "I need to check in with the engineers. I'll call for a crew swap in an hour." He didn't check to see if the man had heard him, he simply walked away without another word.

Adam hopped in a small minecart and made his way back to the tunnel's entrance. Walking back would take way too long so they had some minecarts built that could easily transport workers back and forth. They had much larger minecarts that were used for transporting rubble out of the tunnel to be disposed of when it was full. It was mind-numbing work but it needed to be done.

Ten minutes later, Adam arrived at the massive underground city where the rest of the white fang was busy moving crates of dust on a large train. They were short on their dust quota thanks to the interference of a certain web-slinging vigilante but sometimes compromises needed to be made.

Adam approached the chief engineer. "How much longer until the train is fully operational?"

The engineer finished scribbling some details on his clipboard before addressing Adam. "Not long, but we do need some more parts." He handed Adam the clipboard that he was writing on moments ago. "I took the liberty of writing everything down for you."

Adam's gaze swept across the parts list as he took in every detail. There wasn't much that was still needed, mainly replacement coupling for the train cars and some more electrical equipment required to operate the train. "It'll take a week to get this shipped here. Will that be a problem?"

The engineer took a long drink of water before responding. "Not at all, we've got plenty to keep us busy in the meantime. I'd say it'll take a little under a month to finish."

"Good, remember, I'll be gone in two months and Torchwick will be here to take over for me." He could hear the engineer groan in displeasure and Adam didn't blame him for a second. Working with a human like Roman Torchwick was not something that anyone in the White Fang wanted to do. But their goals aligned for now so he would put up with his racism for now. He was used to racism anyway. He placed his hand over his mask directly where his scarred eye was. He could still feel the phantom pains that his injury left behind.

It wasn't all bad, he did torture and kill the one responsible and he greatly enjoyed it too. He wasn't the only Faunus that he had branded, there were so many others and some of them weren't fortunate enough to survive. Adam was proud of avenging his brothers in arms.

"You'll only have to deal with him until the attack, remember, Torchwick intends to get arrested directly afterward."

That seemed to calm down the engineer. "I know, I'll let you know if he steps out of line. I'm sure you'll be happy to dole out whatever punishment you see fit."

Adam was confident that he could take on Torchwick any day, it would be a tough fight for sure, but one that was a guaranteed victory for Adam, his Semblance was just too strong for Torchwick to handle. Adam grinned viciously at the thought of carving Torchwick in half.

"I'll kill him in a second if he threatens our plans. Keep up the good work."

Adam made to leave before he remembered something. "Oh yeah. What about the bombs, are those finished?"

The man scratched his head, thinking about how he should answer Adam's question. "The bombs are finished, but we don't have enough dust to blow holes in Vale. As it stands, we need about twice as much dust in each bomb for it to penetrate the barriers. We'll need to steal more unless you want to use fewer bombs and sacrifice numbers for power."

Using fewer bombs was a viable solution, but it wasn't one that the terrorist leader would even consider. They needed to open as many holes in Vale as possible to allow the most amount of Grimm through. That would spread out the hunters more and cause more civilian casualties.

"I have another shipment of stolen dust coming in a few hours, that'll be enough for the bombs but we'll need even more for the train." Adam rubbed his head, trying to ward off the oncoming headache. "I'll call Torchwick and tell him we need more."

It would've been much easier if Spider-Woman wasn't interfering with their operation but the Bull Faunus didn't bother voicing that opinion.

"I'll get this equipment to you in a week." Adam turned and strode away. "No slacking off."

"Yes sir!" He saluted before returning to his task.

Adam had work to do.


Ozpin had designed his office many millennia ago and had never changed a single thing about it during that time.

Sure, sometimes a new paint job was needed and a single desk wouldn't last thousands of years. But the design of his office was eternal. Just like him.

He designed the office in such a way that the sun would shine through the windows during the beautiful sunset.

Ozpin typed away at his keyboard. Scrolling through important documents for the upcoming Vytal Festival. Many details still needed to be confirmed and approved before the event could take place, but he had plenty of time to figure out the important details.

Ozpin sipped at his coffee mug, allowing the warm soothing liquid to pool around his taste buds before smoothly sliding down his throat. Coffee was one of those things that Ozpin would never get tired of, even across the thousands of years of his life.

*Ring Ring*

Ozpin's computer chimed the familiar sound of an incoming call. Ozpin placed down his coffee mug and answered the call.

"James."

"Ozpin. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

He was interrupting Ozpin's work but he had been working for a few hours now so the distraction wasn't unwelcome. Doing the same paperwork for a few thousand years was tiresome. "Not at all, old friend. How can I help you?"

General Ironwood's voice was like thunder. "How are preparations for the Vytal Festival progressing? We have the dust secured on our end and we have our military ready and waiting."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "There are some roadblocks, particularly with the budget, considering that dust has gotten much more expensive with all the thefts by Roman Torchwick, but I guarantee that everything will be ready on time. Do you have any requests for food stalls? Any guilty pleasures that you want to indulge in on the day of the festival?"

"Nonsense, don't worry about me," Ironwood said before pausing. "...well...maybe something with cinnamon."

Ozpin chuckled. "I'll see to it personally."

The two fell into silence for a few seconds before the general spoke up. "Before I forget, I wanted to ask you about a certain vigilante that has been making waves recently in Vale. This...Spider-Woman, is it?"

Ozpin set his mug down. He knew this conversation was coming. "Yes? What about her?"

The general cut straight to the point. "I wanted to say that the Atlas Military will do everything in our power. To apprehend this Spider-Woman. She cannot run from the law."

That was the exact thing that Ozpin did not want to happen. He obviously didn't trust Spider-Woman just yet but that didn't mean he was willing to let this opportunity go to waste. "I appreciate the concern James but I assure you that will not be necessary. I have already sent Qrow to investigate the Spider-Woman situation. You need not fear."

James's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You sent your best man to investigate Spider-Woman? Ozpin you can't seriously be thinking about trying to recruit her to your side. This has 'terrible idea' written all over it."

Ozpin knew that this would happen, James was always about upholding the law before anything else. "I would never recruit someone to our side unless I can be absolutely sure that they can be trusted. If she can be trusted then we have a powerful ally. If not, then I'll allow you to do as you see fit."

James wasn't convinced. "You want to give a vigilante who shows no respect for the law a chance? She hides behind that mask like a coward and endangers everyone around her. I will say this again Oz, she cannot be trusted."

Ozpin let a sigh of displeasure escape his lips. "You have to be a little more open-minded General." His fingers traced the rim of his steaming hot mug. "I'm not letting an opportunity like this pass by because you're too afraid to take a risk."

Ozpin could hear James grinding his teeth together. "I don't like this Oz, but I'll stay out of it for now." James's face got deadly serious. His eyes sharpened and his voice dropped a few octaves. "But, if I have the slightest suspicion that Spider-Woman would do anything to betray Remnant, then I'll unleash the full might of the Atlas military onto her."

Ozpin knew that he wasn't going to get a better deal than that, despite how badly he wanted to. "Very well," he said. "I'll keep you posted on the Spider-Woman situation." Ozpin finished off his mug of coffee. "Men who are trapped in the chains of "maybe" will never achieve their dreams. So you'll just have to trust me for now."

James took a sip of whatever alcoholic beverage was in his flask before responding. "I don't get you Oz, but I'll trust you against my better judgment. In any case, I hope this year's festival is a success."

An audible sigh escaped Ozpin's parted lips. James was way too paranoid about the festival. "No need to fret James. I will personally guarantee that this year's festival will be one that Vale will never forget."

The general's head fell into his hands. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of Oz."

Ozpin poured himself another steaming hot mug of coffee. "Enough about the festival James. Tell me," Ozpin's face turned deadly serious. His features hardened and his eyes sharpened behind the reflection in his crystal-clear glasses. "How is the aura transfer machine coming along? I'm afraid that Amber doesn't have much longer before she passes."

The cyborg general adopted a similar expression to the immortal wizard. "It is nearly complete. It has shown that it is more than capable of transferring the aura of one creature to another, although we have only tested it with mice and rabbits. But," James's face grew solemn. "The test subjects have shown that the process of transferring aura is extremely painful."

Ripping someone's soul out of their body sounds painful, Ozpin was expecting that but that didn't mean he wanted to hear it. "But the machine works, that's the most important thing. We just need a suitable candidate to give the maiden's powers too and then we never have to use that cursed machine again."

James appeared to age 30 years in a matter of seconds. "Are there any students that you have your eye on?" James asked.

Ozpin mulled over his options in his head. There was Pyrrha Nikos, a championship fighter who was capable of taking out an entire student team by herself. She was famous though, which could draw unneeded attention to her. That puts the risk of someone finding out much higher. But Ozpin was confident that she could keep a secret.

Yang Xiao Long was a powerhouse who would be a great candidate to inherit the power. She might not be as skilled as Ms. Nikos, but her technique in close quarters was nothing to scoff at. She had a temper though, a temper like that combined with the deadly power of the Fall Maiden probably wasn't the greatest idea.

Ozpin knew that Weiss Schnee would accept the power without a second thought. All she really wanted was to make her sister proud of her. If she could take a shortcut to gain power like that then she would take it. The magic of the maiden would also be a deadly combination with the Schnee Glyphs. Adding magical properties to the glyphs would make for limitless possibilities in combat.

Ozpin still needed to see some of the first years in action before he could make a decision. He didn't have much time, but he also didn't have much of a choice either.

"I have a few," Ozpin admitted. "I still need to see what they're capable of before making my final decision."

A confident smirk found its way across the general's features. "I have no doubt that you'll make the correct decision Oz. I have a few ideas myself, but nothing is certain yet."

Ozpin's eyebrow rose slightly. "Oh? Care to share with the rest of the class?" Ozpin chuckled behind his coffee mug at his joke.

"Winter Schnee is the prime candidate right now."

Oh, that was a name that Ozpin was familiar with. She's the first daughter of Jaques Schnee and the elder sister of Weiss Schnee. She's exceptionally skilled from what Ozpin has been told, skilled enough to be appointed a specialist at just 18 years old. Ozpin knew that she would make an excellent maiden.

"Good choice James," Ozpin approved. "When do you hope to pass on the power?"

"Not for some time I'm afraid. Fria is still alive and well, so there's no need to end her life by transferring the magic."

That might be for the best, Winter would still need some training before she would be ready to inherit the power anyway. There's no need to rush into anything.

"I trust your judgment James, but do remember to keep me informed on your decisions." Ozpin let the bitter aroma of his black coffee find its way into his nose. The heavenly aroma prompted another sip from the wizard.

"I will Ozpin, I'll talk to you soon." James didn't wait for a reply, he ended the call without another word.

Ozpin was left to his thoughts as darkness enveloped his office at the setting of the sun.

Ozpin peered deep into the pitch-black liquid swirling around in his ceramic mug. Ambient light seemed to be absorbed in the black pool of bitterness.

"There is only one thing that remains constant in this crazy world…The bitter darkness that lies at the bottom of this mug."

Prompted by his own words, Ozpin took another sip.


Spider-Woman was getting the hang of this whole "hero" thing. She caused a lot of property damage when she first started. Mainly that building that exploded in her face when Torchwick ignited that case of dust right in front of her. B-But that wasn't her fault!

Every single time Spider-Woman put on the mask, she got a little faster, a little stronger, a little more proficient with her powers, and a little more confident in her ability. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. On one hand, she was getting better with her powers and this allowed her to save more people, but on the other hand, she was only getting better because innocents were always in danger. Spider-Woman would sacrifice her powers in a second if it kept everyone safe.

There would always be bad people in Vale and it was her job to make sure that those people couldn't get away with their crimes. A true hero is not measured by the strength of their muscles, but by the strength of their will. Because with great power, comes great responsibility.

Spider-Woman glided through the air on her web wings after another successful day of crime fighting. The day was pretty uneventful all things considered. A few muggings and a car-jacking but nothing too crazy.

Thwip!

Spider-Woman discharged a web line at the corner of a building, which slowed her descent until she reached the lowest point of her swing, and then the momentum from the swing shot her back upwards.

Spider-Woman was really glad that her webbing didn't last forever. The city would be absolutely covered in webbing if it stuck around forever. Her webbing dissolved after a week, which was more than enough time to transport criminals to jail or hold up structures long enough until a more permanent solution was found.

"I better get home, It's late and I have school tomorrow."

A few minutes of swinging later brought her back to where she had left her backpack with her civilian clothes. She used to just swing home in her spider gear but it would only be a matter of time until someone spotted Spider-Woman climbing through Ruby Rose's window.

Spider-Woman ripped the webbing off of the back of a billboard and pulled her backpack out from behind it. She made the mistake of leaving her backpack uncovered once, it then proceeded to rain and soak her clothing. Luckily, her webbing was waterproof, so enough of it would keep anything dry.

Spider-Woman reached for the seam that separated her mask from her costume and started to pull her mask off.

She would've pulled her mask off all the way if it weren't for the blaring of her Spider-Sense in the back of her skull.

She jerked the mask back into place and began to frantically scan her surroundings. It wasn't uncommon for her to almost get changed in front of a camera or something, so her Spider-Sense would warn her if a camera was nearby or if someone was watching.

Spider-Woman didn't see a camera this time. Rather than waste time looking for the offending device, she just leapt off the edge of the structure and headed away to find a secure spot to change.

30 seconds of swinging later brought her to a dark alleyway that was devoid of all life, save for a few insects that decided to make their home there.

Spider-Woman once again reached up to remove her mask but was halted by the intense tingling at the back of her skull.

"Dammit, what's going on?" She asked herself. She still couldn't find anyone nearby or a hidden camera peaking at her from a secret location.

Spider-Woman jumped up and ascended the building behind her and made her way to the top. Once she was there, she made absolutely sure that no one was watching her. Once she was confident that she was alone, she grabbed the hem of her mask and started to pull it upward.

Her Spider-Sense was much more painful this time. It was almost as if it was mad at her for trying the same thing three times in a row. She clutched the crown of her head and hissed in pain through gritted teeth. "Common, I just want to go to sleep already," she angrily snarled to herself.

Instead of focusing on her anger, Spider-Woman instead closed her eyes and focused intently on her Spider-Sense. She extended the range of her ability as well as increased its sensitivity. Her skull felt like it was vibrating as she examined her surroundings through the eyes of her sixth sense.

There was nothing around her, no people or cameras. There was only Spider-Woman and the brilliant white glow of the shattered moon shining its light onto her petite frame. Well, that and a single Crow watching her with beady red eyes.

...

Actually, that Crow was staring at her a little too intently. Like it was waiting for something.

"Hmm..."

Thwip!

Acting on a hunch, Spider-Woman discharged a single web line at the jet-black bird and yanked it straight toward her. As expected, the bird began to thrash wildly and caw loudly at Spider-Woman. Upon closer inspection revealed that this Crow's eyes appeared to be glowing. It was hard to spot, but her night vision made the scene clear to her.

The bird felt particularly muscular too, almost like it wasn't a bird at all.

"Is there a camera in here or something?" Spider-Woman increased her grip on the thrashing avian to keep it from getting away. "I mean, I know I did pretty good in science class, so I'm pretty sure that bird's eyes don't glow."

She gently held the bird by the neck to keep its head from moving. Yep, its eyes were definitely glowing, and yep, that definitely wasn't normal.

Oh god...what if those conspiracy theorists were right about all birds being created by the government to spy on us? I can't deal with that level of stupid right now.

"Am I really going to rip this bird in half to look for a hidden camera?" Spider-Woman wasn't sure how it was possible for a bird to convey human emotion, but this thing was doing it pretty well with how scared it looked.

Spider-Woman reached to the bird's head to feel for a metallic skull that would indicate a mechanical bird.

Then her hands were wrenched open as the bird exploded into a cloud of feathers and grew many times its normal size.

Spider-Woman backpedaled, startled at the bird's sudden change in size. She got into a battle stance and prepared to fight the massive avian.

"Damn kid, you don't fool around do you."

W-Wait a minute...I know that voice!

The pungent smell of alcohol reached her nose as the scruffy figure pulled out a flask from its hip.

"You're smart, guess I underestimated you," Qrow Branwen spoke before taking a few large sips from his hip flask.

Uncle Qrow! What the hell is he doing here?! Does he know? No...There's no way, he's never met Spider-Woman before and there's no way he'd recognize my voice with the muffler in my mask.

"Who are you?" Spider-Woman feigned ignorance.

Qrow took a deep breath as he finished sipping from his flask. "Damn, that's good shit. Anyway, the name's Qrow Branwen, it's spelled with a Q for some reason, don't ask me why, the pleasure is all yours I'm sure."

Spider-Woman could spot Harbinger resting on Qrow's back, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice. Spider-Woman was confident that her physical ability was superior to her Uncle's but she knew damn well that she could never hope to match his skill in battle. Her Spider-Sense was her saving grace here but she couldn't rely on it completely when she was facing a vastly superior opponent. Her only option was to talk to him and hopefully get him to go away.

"What do you want?" Spider-Woman asked, never once leaving her battle stance.

Qrow took a seat on the roof's edge. "Straight to business, I like that. Get to skip all that other nonsense and get right to the point. Anyway, I'm just observing you."

Her Spider-Sense tingled just enough for her to feel it. "Observing?"

Qrow sighed. "Yep. Vigilantes don't exactly have the best track record. As a Huntsman, it would be my job to take you down so you can't hurt anyone. The thing is, I don't exactly have a problem with vigilantes. Only the ones that cause more harm than good. I'm just trying to figure out which one you are."

Her Spider-Sense wasn't buzzing so she knew he was telling the truth. She had a feeling there was much more that he wasn't telling her though. Uncle Qrow didn't seem the type to care about a vigilante enough to actively spy on them.

"Oh? Shouldn't you be doing something useful like trying to take down Torchwick? I would think the greatest criminal in Vale would take priority over a vigilante."

Qrow scratched his stubble. "Good point kid. Counterpoint. I have no idea where the fucker is, and the vigilante likes to swing through the city in red and black spandex and is standing right in front of me. Chasing you is less work."

Qrow removed the flask from his hip and unscrewed the cap. "Can't say I expected you to find me though. You have good instincts pipsqueak." Qrow took a sip of whatever poisonous concoction he managed to brew in that flask.

"Sooo...Have you observed me enough to tell that I won't hurt anyone? Or do you need more conclusive proof?" Spider-Woman allowed herself to relax when she was sure that her Uncle wouldn't attack her. "No offense, but I'm not exactly keen on having some weirdo following me around."

"Nope," Qrow said simply. "Don't worry kid, I'm not into personal details, just curious about you."

"Says the man that was trying to watch me strip."

Qrow almost choked on his drink. "Why are you stripping outside anyway?"

"Touché."

Qrow stood up. "Anyway, sorry for spying. Here take this." Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. "I know you're trying to deal with Torchwick. As it just so happens, I hate that bastard too."

Spider-Woman saw a scroll number on the paper as he handed it to her. "This is my number. If you ever need someone to help bash some heads together then you can call me. Consider it an apology."

Spider-Woman's eyes narrowed, not that he could see it. "And why should I trust you?"

Qrow shrugged. "Hey, if you don't trust me then don't call the number. Doesn't hurt to have it on you."

Spider-Woman didn't recognize the number. It was likely from a burner scroll her uncle used.

Great, now I have to get a burner scroll.

"You better get home pipsqueak. It's bedtime," Qrow teased.

"Who are you calling pipsqueak old man?" Spider-Woman giggled to herself.

"Erk! I-I'm not even 40 yet!" Qrow groaned. "You sure got a mouth on ya, I guess the news reports don't lie."

"What can I say? I love the sound of my own voice." Spider-Woman approached the edge of the building before turning back to look at her uncle. "Next time, don't spy on girls trying to get changed you creep."

Spider-Woman giggled with mild amusement when her uncle inhaled his alcohol down the wrong pipe and frantically beat his chest to clear his lungs.

Spider-Woman swung off into the distance before a thought occurred to her.

W-Wait a minute...did a bird just transform into my uncle?


Ruby finally managed to find a quiet spot to get changed without fear of anyone watching her slip out of her costume. Her web shooters folded away into small bracelets on her wrist and she shoved her costume into her backpack.

Running into her uncle had been a shock, but discovering that he could transform into a bird was an even bigger shock. Was that his Semblance? How come he never mentioned it before? He was obviously keeping things hidden from her. She would need to be careful.

There were too many questions to process in one night and Ruby was already exhausted. She made it home before she knew it and scaled the wall up to her bedroom window. The Ruby-shaped dummy in her bed was still lying exactly as she had left it. She knew that it wouldn't fool anyone if they decided to come into her room, but it would suffice if someone just glanced inside

She didn't even bother to change out of her Spider-Suit. She just threw her backpack in the closet and hopped into bed.


The familiar flapping of a bird's wings gently pulled Ozpin away from his work. He glanced over to his window to see a red-eyed crow sitting on the windowsill. Ozpin still wasn't sure how Qrow could fly so well despite being completely wasted.

"I take it you have some information for me?" Ozpin asked while returning to his computer.

The bird morphed and grew many times larger as limbs sprouted back into place and a human head grew from seemingly nowhere as Qrow transformed back into a drunk huntsman.

"Yeah...I ran into Spider-Woman," Qrow said, getting right to the point.

"Oh?" Ozpin said, not even trying to hide his interest. "Care to tell me how that went?"

Qrow collapsed in the seat across from Ozpin. "It was pure luck that I managed to run into her. She just happened to be swinging by the bar I was at, so I followed her and tried to stay hidden."

Qrow pulled his flask from his hip before surprisingly deciding that he had enough to drink for one night and promptly clicked the flask back into place.

"I followed her around for a while and even saw her stop a mugging before she decided to call it quits for the night. I followed her to this rooftop where she was gonna change out of her costume."

Now Qrow had Ozpin's full attention. Ozpin's hands clasped together as he regarded the drunken huntsman. "So you figured out her identity then?"

Qrow scratched his stubble as he tried to figure out how to explain his situation to Ozpin. "Here's the thing. I saw her almost pull her mask off before yanking it back down and looking around like crazy." Qrow leaned forward and his face got deadly serious. "She knew I was there Oz."

Qrow allowed Ozpin a minute to process his words before continuing. "The same thing happened two more times. But on the third time, she actually managed to spot me. Webbed me up real good and was about to twist my head off like a children's toy before I transformed."

"Are you sure you were well hidden?" Ozpin asked. "Is it possible that you just slipped up?"

Qrow leaned back in his chair and relaxed his muscles. "Who looks at a single Crow sitting on a rooftop and thinks it looks suspicious? I wasn't trying to stay out of sight if that's what you're asking, but she somehow singled out one random bird and knew that something wasn't right."

Hmm...Either her instincts are incredibly sharp or there's something that we don't know.

Qrow resumed his story. "So I did like you asked. I told her the truth but kept the important bits hidden. I'm trying to get on her good side."

Qrow's head fell into his hands and he rubbed the sleepiness out of his face. "I really think she's just trying to do the right thing. Well, Spider-Woman has a bit of a mouth on her, but that's beside the point."

Ozpin took a long sip from his mug, savoring the flavor and the aroma as the liquid darkness slid down his throat. "What are your plans going forward? Are you going to continue to pursue her or are you going to let her come to you?"

Qrow stood up and stretched his arms above his head as his aching muscles groaned in protest. "I don't want her to think I'm some weird stalker, she's already weary of me as it is." Qrow sighed. "For now, I'll just wait for her to call."

Qrow approached the window and prepared to jump into the distance. "Oh," he paused. "Before I forget, how is Yang doing? Haven't had much time to check up on her lately," Qrow said as he leaned on the windowsill.

"She's doing well as far as I can tell, although one of her teammates is quite unhappy with the choice I made regarding team leader."

Qrow wasn't sure why anyone would want to be a team leader. Sure, your name would be put before the others but having to lead three other hunters sounded like way too much pressure. He wasn't sure how Summer managed to do it so well. They were the best team in Beacon by far, and it wasn't because of their strength. It was because of Summer's amazing leadership. She could rally multiple teams together in tough times and give everybody hope like he had never seen before.

He really missed Summer, she was his best friend.

Qrow had to drag his sleeve over his eyes to wipe away any tears from his misty eyes before they could form. If Ozpin did notice then he chose to be polite and not comment on it.

"Ms. Rose was here today too. I think Ms. Xiao Long wanted her to meet her team." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "She appeared to get along well with team PWBY and JNPR."

"Oh? I bet she's excited to come here in two years. I'm not around often enough, I want to spend some more time with her."

Ozpin shut off his computer. "Get some rest Qrow. Tired minds don't plan well." Ozpin stood and walked to the elevator. "I have spent hundreds of years sleeping and I still think I don't get enough of it."

A burst of feathers sounded from behind Ozpin, signifying Qrow's transformation.

"Goodnight Qrow."

A lone crow flew into the night sky.


Ruby liked to think that the people of Vale were starting to like her more and more every day. There was the occasional asshole that would shout profanity at her when she was just trying to help. Even more often she would get called a whole bunch of racial slurs due to everyone thinking she was a spider Faunus. People would call her an animal and a few of them even threw bags of dead flies at her and suggested she eat them.

She didn't want to admit it. But it hurt.

She never had to deal with discrimination before because she was a human. She still was a human, or maybe a faunus-human hybrid? It didn't really matter, the point is that Spider-Woman faced lots of racial discrimination.

But the various news outlets loved her. Not because of all the good she did, but because there was sure to be an interesting story wherever she went. Lisa Lavender had gotten particularly lucky with reporting her vigilante activities and Ruby was sure that she was making a lot of money because of it.

Now that wasn't a bad thing, not at all. If people were spreading the word about all the good she had been doing then she would happily support them. If a reporter purposely lied for a story then they would be crucified for their actions. Not literally but you get the idea.

Point is, when stories about Spider-Woman were published, they would usually highlight something that she had done, with the occasional article trying to figure out who she is.

This was why it was so confusing to be reading a newspaper with a very familiar picture on the front page along with a concerning headline.

Spider-Woman!
Hero or Menace!

A newspaper written by the Daily Bugle displayed a picture that she had taken was painting Spider-Woman in a very bad light.

True to his word, Mr. Jamason had replaced her real name with an alias of her choosing. Right under every photo that she had taken was her alias 'Peridot.' That didn't make her feel much better when the Bugle was very clearly against Spider-Woman and her actions. The newspaper was strongly urging the Vale council to get involved and request foreign aid in apprehending her.

Ruby knew damn well that she couldn't take on the full might of Atlas.

Spider-Woman had to deal with racists every day so anyone being against her wasn't the problem. It was because they were using the pictures she had taken to do so.

Ruby pouted adorably, tossed the newspaper on the marble countertop, and dropped her head in her hands.

Can't things go my way just once?

"Something wrong, Ruby?" Her father asked with concern.

Ruby shrugged off his worries with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine, peachy even. I just don't like the mean things they're saying about Spider-Woman."

Her father ruffled Ruby's hair, much to her annoyance. "I should've known that you were a Spider-Woman fan. You always loved those superhero comic books."

Ruby swatted his hand away and pouted with red cheeks. "I'm just glad that someone is deciding to do something about all the crime in the city, the Hunters mainly deal with Grimm and there's only so much the police can do."

"Well, I'm sure the Hunters and police are doing everything they can. But I'm glad Spider-Woman is there to help, even if she is a vigilante."

Ruby was glad that her father liked her alter-ego, if he ever found out the truth, at least he'd be supportive. Of course, she had no intention of telling anyone the truth about Spider-Woman.

Man, what'll I do if Dad and Yang learn my secret? I'm not ready for that!

"Hey," Ruby addressed her father. "Lessons at Beacon start today right?"

Taiyang scratched his chin in quiet thought. "I think so, Yang should be eating breakfast right now. Either that or she's trying and failing to fix her hair." He chuckled at the thought of Yang yelling at herself in the mirror about the unfairness of having such luscious golden locks.

Ruby thought Yang's hair was beautiful, but the effort that it took to maintain it just didn't look like it was worth it.

Taiyang slid a plate full of delicious breakfast foods toward Ruby, who promptly started to drool. "Thanks, Dad."

Ruby scarfed down her meal and headed to school with Crescent Rose strapped to her back.


The school day was pretty uneventful all things considered. A couple of sparring matches, a few assignments as well as a quiz. Nothing too exciting, but that's just the way she liked it. The rest of her life was so hectic that it was a nice change of pace to have a normal day at school.

She was still the best in her class, even before she got her spider powers. Though back then it was pretty close. She had the worst CQC grade in the school and Yang refused to let her live it down. Her CQC skill was still complete garbage, she only had incredible reflexes and strength to compensate for it now, she had all of the power but none of the skill.

She needed to get some extra training from her dad if she wanted to become a great hero. She was sure that he would have some spare time to help her improve.

A punch soared past her cheek and slammed into the wall behind her, breaking knuckles upon impact.

The man screamed in pain and cradled his injured hand. Spider-Woman swept his legs out from under him and webbed him to the ground to prevent escape.

She brought her hand up just in time to catch a knife that was thrown at her, she crushed the plastic handle in her grip and blurred toward the woman who had thrown it. There was a brief look of terror that dawned on her face before she was knocked out with a single punch.

Her Spider-Sense buzzed, and she tilted her head slightly to the right, causing a bullet to miss her by a fraction of an inch.

She shot a single web line at the firearm and yanked it out of the man's hand before spinning it rapidly and slamming it into the man's temple, knocking him out.

Spider-Woman admired her handiwork and clapped her hands to rid them of dust. "Thanks for the warmup guys but maybe next time you shouldn't try to mug innocent people."

The victim had long since left the crime scene and had hopefully called the police. The loud approaching sirens in the distance had confirmed her hopes.

Not wanting to stick around any longer, Spider-Woman shot a single web line at the corner of a tall building and pulled herself into the air at high speeds.

She was still working on trying to figure out what the White Fang was really after and why they wanted all that dust, but in the meantime, she was dealing with petty thefts and crimes throughout the city.

Working in the slums kept her very busy but rarely gave her information regarding the White Fang. Apparently, the White Fang didn't like to hang around druggies and homeless people too much, so they just chose to ignore the slums.

I can't keep this up, I need to find Roman before he uses all that dust. I have no idea what he could be using it for and I get the feeling I don't really want to find out.

Roman wasn't a master criminal for nothing. He had gotten a lot more careful since their fight, careful enough to never attend a heist himself, instead, he relied on his men and the White Fang to do the dirty work for him. This was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Spider-Woman couldn't catch Roman if he never showed his face to her, but on the other hand, the goons that he did send were much sloppier than him. So stopping dust robberies was much easier.

Spider-Woman was pulled from her thoughts by the buzzing of her Spider-Sense. Spider-Woman obeyed her instincts and landed on a building and quietly peered over the edge into a dark alley. The ally was home to a few rats, a dumpster, and two men discussing something in a corner. One of the men was wearing a White Fang mask.

Jackpot

The two men were discussing something that her enhanced hearing allowed her to listen to.

"Show me the cash first, then we'll talk business."

Obeying his order, the man revealed a briefcase and opened it, revealing lots and lots of cold hard lien. There had to be at least a million in there. Spider-Woman didn't know what it was for, but she was about to find out.

"Good," he turned around, walked over to the dumpster, and flung open the lid for the man.

Inside the dumpster were no trash bags as she had been expecting. Instead, there were lots of fully automatic weapons and rockets, along with some flash bangs and grenades. Not to mention all the ammunition inside various crates.

Holy cats! This is enough firepower to arm a small army! Where the hell do these guys even get this stuff? One thing is certain, I can't let them get away with this.

"This doesn't look like enough," the buyer leered at the seller. "You better not be trying to short-change us."

"Man, I don't even sell these things, I'm just the middle-man. If this isn't what you ordered then you better take it up with the big guy."

The buyer scoffed. "I'm just a middle-man too, the boss doesn't want to get his fucking hands dirty so he asked me to take care of it."

The seller practically tore the briefcase full of lien away from the man and began to walk away. "Don't ask questions and mind your own business, that's what I always say. I'd rather not piss off my boss and get my skull caved in."

"Yeah yeah yeah..."

It was clear that the two men were done talking. That's my cue!

Spider-Woman dropped from the rooftop and landed right in front of the seller who jumped back in fear.

"S-SpiderWoman!?"

"It's Spider-Woman actually, next time don't forget the hyphen." Spider-Woman delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the man's temple, knocking him to the ground unconscious. She could've just settled for a standard punch but she wanted to look really cool.

Her Spider-Sense flared when the other man reached into the dumpster and pulled out a twin 12 gauge shotgun. Spider-Woman couldn't see what kind of round was loaded into the weapon, but she could assume that the bullets were loaded with dust.

Her enhanced vision allowed her to get a really good look at the weapon and that's when she came to a terrifying conclusion.

That was Atlas tech.

Atlas was the most technologically advanced nation by a long shot, it wasn't even close. In high enough numbers, weapons like that could cause a lot of damage. Spider-Woman had no idea how this guy got his hands on these weapons, but it was clear that she needed to do some digging.

In any other situation, she would've just jumped out of the way and taken him out. But the seller was still unconscious below her, he could get caught in the blast if she didn't do something.

With no time to move him out of the way and no time for her web to reach the weapon, Spider-Woman did the only thing she could.

She stood firm.

BANG!

The weapon barked as the bullets were discharged from its twin barrels. Spider-Woman had her aura up in time to take all the damage. The funny thing about shotguns was that the bullets actually split apart and spread out when the gun was fired. So instead of two bullets striking her, it was more like 12 tiny pellets blasting into her at very high speeds.

And it hurt.

A lot.

Tears pricked Spider-Woman's eyes as the pellets hit her small frame, her aura did its job in preventing damage, but it once again proved ineffective at dulling any pain. She was correct in assuming that the bullets had a type of dust in them as a wave of red-hot fire washed over her. Her suit was singed and ash covered the chrome lenses on her mask.

Her vision was dulled but not gone completely. Spider-Woman saw the man stumble backward as the recoil of the weapon was much more than what he was expecting. She took advantage of the opening that was provided and shot a single web line from her right hand at the shotgun and yanked it out of the man's hand.

Using her left hand, Spider-Woman shot another web line at the man's foot and ripped his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a loud thud before he was encased in a prison of sticky spider silk. His struggles were futile as the webbing proved too strong for him to tear.

Spider-Woman wiped the ash off of her lenses and approached the struggling criminal. She saw the fear in his eyes when she came into his view and knelt down beside him.

"So, let's get to know each other a little bit, shall we? You can start by telling me why you were buying so many weapons."

The man tried to spit in her eye but her Spider-Sense warned her and she tilted her head at the last second. "F-Fuck you bitch! I ain't saying shit! If I talk then I'm dead."

The masked spider placed her palm on the ground right next to his head and gripped the concrete hard enough to cause it to crack under her fingers. "Right now, you should be much more afraid of me than your boss," she spoke menacingly. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But I'm going to get my answer regardless of what you choose so you best make this quick."

Her Spider-Sense was tingling, the police were on their way, likely because of that loud shotgun blast, she had to make this quick.

"You can either tell me what I want to know or I can force it out of you, the choice is yours."

The man was sweating and his eyes were darting around rapidly. "Y-You wouldn't dare!"

He was right, she wouldn't stoop so low as to hurt someone to get information, but he didn't know that, and she had no intention of telling him either.

She leaned down so her bug-eyed lenses were dangerously close to the criminal.

"Try me."

Heh, I bet that sounded super cool!

"The W-White Fang! The w-weapons are for the White Fang," he confessed after too much pressure.

Spider-Woman's eyes widened, not that he could see them through the mask. "The White Fang? Why do they need so many high-powered weapons now of all times?"

"No idea, all I know is that the boss is planning something, something big." His head hit the concrete. "We already have lots of weapons stocked up, and I've heard we have a hidden toy from Atlas."

Dammit, there's no telling how many weapons they have or what they plan to use them for. "Who's your boss? I want a name."

"A-Adam Taurus. He's the leader of the Vale sect of the White Fang. But these weapons were going to us that are working with Torchwick for now."

Adam Taurus? I know I've heard that name from somewhere. But Roman has always been causing me problems, not surprising to learn that he has a part in this. "Where's Torchwick? I think I'll pay him a little visit."

"Ha!" The man howled. "Good luck with that bug! I have no clue where he is, I've never seen the man in person, he always sends one of his guys to meet with me, but never in the same spot."

Dammit! This guy is less than useless!

The sirens were getting louder and Spider-Woman knew that it was her cue to leave.

"You better have a damn good lawyer."

Spider-Woman swung away from the scene and perched on a rooftop overlooking the city.

Two steps forward, seven steps back. I know more about what the White Fang is doing now but now I have even more things to worry about with all these powerful weapons that they have. That was Atlas tech, General Ironwood will be furious when he finds out that his tech is being used like this. I bet he'll come here himself to get to the bottom of it. Which means that I'll likely run into him on a bad day.

That guy also said that they have "a hidden toy' from Atlas. I have no idea what that could mean but I'm guessing it's a weapon of some kind. I really hope it's not a tank or a massive Atlas Paladin.

Nah, there's no way they managed to steal an Atlas Paladin.

Right?


Not very happy with this chapter but I'm not a professional so who cares?

I actually have chapter 19 completed at the time of posting this. Going back and reading my old writing, I can confidently say that my writing has improved astronomically. The difference in quality is painfully clear. I'm excited to post those chapters so everyone can see how much I improved.

Leave a review to tell me how shit my writing is or whatever. I won't cry...well, maybe a little.