Authors Note: Important note at the bottom in regards to next weeks upload.

Beta: GeneralMayhem, kpmh2001

Sneaking out of Beacon had become an oddly common occurrence for Pyrrha, although the last time hadn't been in quite so comfortable a manner.

"We'll be at the landing zone in about five minutes!" The pilot called from the front of the aircraft, her voice barely audible over the sound of the engines. "Closest I'm legally allowed to get you within the city's air space. They don't take too kindly to rouge aircraft flying over people's homes!"

"Huh, I wonder why?" Coco said with a roll of her eyes, her signature sunglasses having been left behind due to the fact the sun had set nearly three hours ago. Fashion had its place, but even Coco had her limits.

"That being said, if you run into anything too dangerous, Qrow asked me to uh…" The pilot's voice phased out for a moment. "Let's just say bend a few rules."

Pyrrha considered it. If the Paladins were there, the extra firepower would be more than helpful. While Beacons Bullheads might not be on the same level as Atlas', each one was outfitted to support Huntsmen on the ground. "We'll keep in touch!" At the very least it would be a good idea to let their pilot know when they planned to return.

"Wouldn't that be a little… risky?" Velvet asked. "And illegal?"

"Yeah, but if it's to fight terrorists I'm sure the council could find it in their hearts to forgive me!" The pilot explained. "Besides, I owe Branwen for pulling me out from the burning wreck that was my last Bullhead!"

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly, turning to look at team CFVY who each shared a similar look of concern. "Qrow didn't mention that… how he knew you, I mean."

The pilot simply chuckled. "Training one of the new guys, had a malfunction and there was a spark in the fuel tank! We were on fire before we even hit the ground!" Despite how terrifying it sounded, she sounded amused. "That's actually how I got my call-sign! Fireball!"

Team CFVY's face's continued to grow paler, but Pyrrha remained calm. Despite the rather… worrisome story, Beacon only employed the best. She was pretty sure she even recognized the pilot from her last life, meaning that she was unlikely to get in an accident simply by flying from the school to the city. Right?

Pyrrha shook her head, forcing her attention back to the present. It wouldn't be long before they landed, and she needed to be alert for the long walk ahead. They would need to reach the building on foot, not just to avoid breaking any laws, but to ensure they didn't alert the White Fang before they arrived.

Qrow had said he was certain the building was actually a White Fang base and she was inclined to believe him. The Headmaster had placed his faith in Qrow for a reason. Pyrrha had no reason to doubt either of them. Not when it came to this, at least.

The Bullhead lurched slightly as they started their descent, Pyrrha smiling as the sudden movement reminded her of how her partner would react to flying. Despite his hatred of it, there was rarely another option. More than once she had been forced to pat his back as he heaved his lunch into whatever bag he could get a hold of. She had always been worried at the time, but looking back she couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, this is where I'm dropping you, good luck kids!" Fireball called back towards them, the engines finally quieting down somewhat as they started to stand. "If you need me, just call!"

Pyrrha nodded her head and stepped off the Bullhead, waiting for team CFVY to do the same. Coco took the lead, setting off in the direction they would need to go.

"How far to the totally secret base?" Fox asked, Coco smirking as she looked back over her shoulder at her team. She didn't stop as she explained however. It wasn't the first time they had gone over the details, but doing so again would be a good idea.

Coco pulled up her scroll before gesturing down the street. "About two miles that way until we'll have to leave the main street. From there it's just a couple blocks through back alleys and side streets."

Fox gasped. "But what if there's a mugger?" They all chuckled warmly at the joke. The humour being very much appreciated as it helped to defuse some of the tension each of them were no doubt feeling.

"I think we'll manage. I'm more worried about our friends." Coco turned towards Fox for a moment. "Go ahead and tell her, we'll need to use it during the mission anyways."

Pyrrha turned to look towards Fox, only to suddenly hear his voice from behind her.

"Team CFVY's secret weapon." Pyrrha jumped in surprise, turning to look behind her despite the fact she had been looking at the person who was talking to her not a moment before. "Or one of them at least."

"What-"

"My semblance, it allows me to send messages to people's minds. A side effect of that is that I can sense where people are around me. " His voice sounded like it was coming from the back of her mind, again Pyrrha felt the urge to turn around and look and had to force herself to stay looking at the man.

"It's proven pretty useful." It took Pyrrha a moment to recognize that it was Coco speaking this time. Her words somehow still sounded normal despite the fact they weren't coming from her mouth at all.

"It's one of the reasons our team has such great synergy." Velvet added. "While everyone else has to talk, we can do it instantly wherever we are."

"There is a range." Yatsuhashi explained. "But it's quite large. We likely won't have to worry about that tonight. The larger worry would be interference from buildings, if this place truly is underground."

"I can see how that would be useful." Pyrrha said, before adding in a hushed tone. "That also explains the awkward silences."

"Heh, Fox prefers using his semblance over speaking. So, now that you know, that'll be the norm." Coco said. "It will be a bit before you get used to it though, having someone else's words in your head can be a bit jarring."

"Before you ask, no I can't read your mind." Fox sent. "But you do need to be a bit careful while you learn how to work it. Otherwise you might send something unintentionally." Fox looked over to Coco, who had her eyes locked ahead of them.

"Turn off here." Coco suddenly stepped off the main road, the rest of them following closely behind as they made their way down a side street.

It wasn't as dark or run down as she was expecting, the street being mostly taken care of and clean. They were still a few blocks from the more abandoned parts of the city, the area that city planning hadn't seemed willing or ready to fix yet. For all the Kingdom's need for every inch of space, it seemed bureaucracy still had its place.

"Amber, give us an idea of what to expect." Coco sent.

The White Fang are dangerous, but not so much individually. Their strength comes from numbers for the most part, but they do have a few good fighters as well as the Atlesian Paladins. I don't know if we'll run into any of them here or not though.

Pyrrha waited for a response but was met by silence. Coco turned to look at her for a moment. "Use your words, it takes a little while to get used to sending messages via the Fox express." She blushed in embarrassment, looking away from the grinning Coco as she recounted everything that she had tried to send.

"Adam Taurus, I'm familiar with that name." Yatsuhashi noted. "He's one of Mistral's most wanted, if I recall."

"That's why I'm not too worried about him. He should still be in Mistral." Pyrrha obviously left out how that would change in time. She didn't know exactly when he would show up in the kingdom, but she had heard more than one person say he was at the Battle of Beacon leading the White Fang. "If he is however, just run."

"Is he that strong?" Velvet asked.

In truth, Pyrrha didn't know. She only had rumours and stories for the most part, though knowing that he had managed to elude capture for so long spoke strongly in his ability. Blake had never spoken about him, outside of the story of how she left her former life behind. All of that being said, she wasn't willing to risk it. "Yes, he is."

"Sounds like a swell guy." Fox sent.

"We're here." Coco sent and the conversation died, silence falling over the group as they each shifted in place. The building they were looking at was unremarkable, likely having once been an office building of some kind but now stood abandoned. Windows boarded up and clearly in need of repairs.

"Did Qrow give any reason he thinks the White Fang are here?" Pyrrha asked. Qrow hadn't given her the details, each of them rushing off to complete their part in the plan, but he had given them to Coco.

"They apparently aren't in the actual building itself, rather the parking garage beneath it." Coco recounted, pointing over towards an entrance on the side of the building large enough to fit a shipping truck through. The entrance was covered by a metal rolling door however, with no clear way inside. "Most of the buildings in the city don't have much space above ground for large parking lots, so they build down."

"It has the added benefit of acting as shelter from Grimm should the need arise." Yatsuhashi added.

"And Qrow thinks that's where they-" Pyrrha was cut off as the metal gate they had been looking at opened up, a vehicle slowly creeping out. As if the activity alone wasn't suspicious, the car kept its lights off until it reached the street, only then turning them on and disappearing onto the roads of Vale. Blending back into normal life.

"Does that help at all?" Coco smirked, looking back at Pyrrha over her shoulder.

"That is pretty suspicious." Velvet added.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes slightly but smiled nonetheless. It certainly appeared that Qrow was right. "We should still scout it out first."

"Amber's right," Yatsuhashi agreed. "It wouldn't be good if we went in loud only to be wrong."

"Yes, because there are so many less nefarious things this could be." Fox bemused. "Big guy makes a good point though."

Coco nodded. "That was the plan anyways. Qrow said there was a side way in on the back side of the building, a fire escape in case the main entrance got blocked. We can check that out first."

The group slowly made their way around the building, ducking back into alleyways to avoid any potential lookouts or sentrys. That only worked for so long however, and once they had made their way to behind the building, they were forced to move across a large open area.

"Anybody nearby, Fox?" Coco watched the building as she asked, likely checking herself.

"I don't sense anyone, but that doesn't mean there aren't cameras."

"We'll just have to risk it." Coco didn't hesitate, moving out from behind their cover and into the open. Each of them following closely behind. Despite what typically happened in movies, there were no alarms or gunshots and their cover wasn't instantly blown, but that didn't necessarily mean they were clear.

As they approached the stairwell, a new problem made itself clear. The building truly was abandoned, which meant no one cared if it was up to code or not. As a result, the emergency exit had never been repaired from when it had collapsed in on itself. That also explained why there were no guards or cameras watching the immediate area.

"Well crap." Coco sighed. "Looks like we'll have to find another way in."

Team CFVY began to debate various ideas, each one having some kind of flaw that the others would point out. All the while Pyrrha examined the rubble that had once been the emergency exit to the sub-levels.

"I think I can fit." Her words cut the group off, each of them looking to her for an explanation. "There's a wide enough gap that I should be able to fit through." Pyrrha pointed to a spot where the various parts of the concrete had smashed together, and the small gap that had been left behind.

"There's no way to know if it goes all the way." Yatsuhashi had a point. "Even if it did, there's no way we would all fit."

"I could fit." Velvet added. "Amber and I could go down and check, while you guys search the building for a way down."

"Coco could fit as well." Pyrrha pointed out.

"T-that's probably not the best idea." Coco blushed and looked away with a look Pyrrha couldn't recognize. A mix of fear and something that she could only describe as shame.

"There are likely more stairwells inside that lead down to the lower levels, maybe even an elevator shaft." Fox added.

"I don't like the idea of splitting up." Coco shook her head before sighing. "Fine, just be careful down there; don't start anything until you hear from us."

Pyrrha and Velvet both nodded their heads, before turning back to the emergency exit and lowering themselves into the small entrance they had managed to find. It was tight, and Pyrrha had to drag her weapon and bag behind her or risk getting stuck, but they managed to slip through. The rubble and debris slowly widening until they stepped onto a mostly intact stairwell.

"It's mostly in one piece, but I don't know how much weight it could hold." Velvet sent back up to their friends, sparing a glance towards Pyrrha. "We'll go ahead."

"Be careful you two." Coco sent back. Pyrrha could hear them step away from the topside, their footsteps fading away after a few seconds.

Pyrrha pulled out her scroll, using the screen to see through the darkness. Looking to Velvet when she didn't do the same.

"I'm a Faunus, remember?"

Pyrrha blushed, hoping that the darkness would help to hide her embarrassment. "Right, you should probably lead the way then."

Velvet nodded and stepped forward, slowly putting her weight onto the first step down. It creaked ominously but showed no other signs of breaking. She chuckled nervously. "Only a few dozen to go."

Pyrrha laughed dryly, following closely behind.

The stairwell was covered in dust, every step they took leaving a footprint or marked place in the dirt, a clear sign that no one had been there in a long time. Velvet had to constantly fight back the urge to sneeze, her nose twitching almost constantly. Once they reached the lower levels however, that started to change. Occasional trails could be seen, and even though they were fairly covered signifying the rarity of people traveling there, they were becoming more frequent the lower they went.

"I don't know if we should go much further." Velvet sent, looking back towards Amber who nodded, not willing to risk speaking in case somebody heard them.

"I can still sense you, but barley. Coco and Yatsu are clearing the building of any civilians while looking for a way down." Fox sent back, both Velvet and Amber receiving his message. "I stayed on the lower levels to pass messages along just in case."

"Good plan, Yatsu's idea?" Velvet snarked.

"What, I couldn't have thought of it myself?" There was a moment of silence. "Ok fine, it was his idea."

Velvet rolled her eyes, grinning slightly at the banter. "Can you sense anyone else down here?"

"A few, but I can't tell where they are in relation to you guys." Fox replied. "They could be on one of the floors above you, or below you. There's no way of telling."

Velvet spared a glance for Amber, waiting to see if she had anything to add before remembering she hadn't learned how to use Fox's semblance like the rest of them. "Can you see if you can find the layout of the building online?" It was a long shot, she knew that, and she didn't expect much in response. Which was why she was pleasantly surprised.

"Coco says Qrow sent her the layout, she forwarded it to your scrolls." Velvet pulled hers out, seeing the message from her friend. "She sent it just before you guys well out of range." Velvet pulled up the map, struggling to make sense of it. She spared a glance towards Amber, noticing the same look of confusion on her face. "You guys should be on sub-level three or four by now."

"Fox could you-" Fox cut Velvet off before she could actually ask.

"Walk you through the layout?" Fox's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Y-yes. Please." Velvet replied, balling her fist as she could imagine the look of amusement on his face. "I don't know how to read blueprints ok!"

"Kind of hard to do considering…" Velvet's hands smacked into her face. Fox was blind, he wasn't going to be able to walk them through it due to the fact that he wouldn't be able to see the blueprints. "Coco says find a door and tell me what level you guys are on."

Thankfully they had stopped on one of the levels with a door. They had checked to make sure the door was secured before stopping of course, the lock or maybe even just the handle itself, had long since been rusted in place. Next to the door sat a large discolored number, once white and now yellowed with age.

"We're on level 4."

Fox didn't answer right away, waiting for Coco to respond with further instructions. In the meantime, the two sat there patiently, attempting to keep their breathing quiet despite how loud it sounded to her ears.

"That's perfect!" Fox exclaimed. "That door should open up into a small maintenance area attached to the parking garage."

"Is there anyone on the other side of the door?" Velvet asked.

"I don't think so, the closest person I can sense is pretty far away from you guys but I don't know what level they're on." Fox paused. "But there are a lot of them."

Velvet looked towards the door, more specifically at the handle which still refused to budge. "The door won't open."

Amber stepped up, gently moving Velvet aside before positioning herself in front of the door. Her friend closed her eyes, opening them a moment later as a small flame appeared to burn from each of them.

Velvet watched in awe as Amber summoned a small flame in her hand before holding it to the lock. The process was slow but eventually the metal began to warp and the thinner metal of the door began to melt away all together. That didn't do anything for the hinges however, each one having been in a similar state to the door handle but before long the door was removed from the frame, allowing them access.

"That was amazing!" Velvet gushed at her friend. "I had no idea you had such a cool Semblance!"

Amber smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away. Unable to meet Velvet's eyes. She choked it up to her not being sure how to handle the praise, one of the few things she had become sure of being that Amber wasn't happy being the center of attention, and so she decided to drop it for now.

The maintenance area they had gained entrance to was more akin to a large supply closet, with there being another door on the far side of the room. What once might have been used to store tools or the materials needed to maintain the lower levels of the building was now used to store something entirely different.

"Dust…" Velvet walked over to one of the containers with the familiar Schnee Dust Company snowflake emblazoned the side. One of many. "There's enough dust in here to supply Beacon for a month!" While that didn't sound like much, considering the steady increase in price of dust over the last couple years, and the sheer amount of Dust Beacon needed to operate a combat school, it was likely the equivalent of a small fortune. "But why would they need so much?"

"Because," Amber whispered as quietly as possible. Velvet turned to see her friend staring out of the small window of the other door. "Those take a lot of Dust to run." Amber stepped back from the door before pulling her backpack off and opening the flap to withdraw one of the small satchels she had grabbed from the Arms Room.

Velvet looked out the small window, her breath catching in her throat. Laid out on the beds of several trucks were large objects covered in white tarps. One was partially uncovered however, with several masked individuals huddled around it.

"Is that…"

"An Atlesian Paladin." Amber confirmed her fears. "The very best Atlas has to offer." She set the satchel up behind one of the crates before grabbing another one from her bag. "Tell Fox to call Fireball. We might need the help."

Velvet nodded her head, sparing one last glance out the window before ducking to the side and passing Amber's message along to Fox.

"Huh, Coco wasn't kidding. What a way to kick off the summer break."

Author's Note: Next weekend might not get an upload due to the fact my father is coming to town and I'm gonna spend a couple days hanging out with him, thus I won't have time for an upload. Can't say for certain, but be ready.

Completely unrelated to that, while writing this I had pretty much everything solid, most of it coming easily enough, and then I realized something part way through… something I already knew... Fox is blind. He can't look at blueprints on his scroll. So I had to redo that section. I thought that was funny. It's the equivalent of having Neo say something, or Ozpin spill all his secrets, or Raven being a good mother. It just don't make no sense.

I should probably specify that I'm joking.

Hopefully y'all enjoyed and as always, don't forget to review to let me know if you didn't.

Sincerely, SE