RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

91. Making An Arrest

This chapter is dedicated to Relentless Crusader's father, who died some time ago, but I only recently learned about it and due to all the help Relentless Crusader has given me, I thought it was only fair I give him this dedication. May he rest in peace.

Chapter 90: Making an Arrest

Team RWBY and Penny met in the younger Schnee sibling's room after dinner, unsettled by what they had learned earlier. Winter had returned to the Schnee mansion several hours ago and gone over the collected evidence with Team Beacon and a few Remnant Knights in the library. It was a goldmine of incriminating information, from documents detailing large payments to mercenaries and rogue Huntsmen who were hired to guard the secret mines and keep the Faunus slaves in line, shipping manifests, reports of slaves being killed in occasional botched rebellions such as the one which had claimed the life of Adam's father Tarvos, to horrifying kill orders that demanded the complete 'liquidation' of all expendable assets, especially those that could be considered dangerous for the S.D.C.'s public image.

Upon hearing the grim details, most of Team Beacon were visibly disgusted and enraged by the truth. Although the recent knowledge of such horrific action was enough to make anyone's blood boil, some like Ruby, Velvet and Amethyst had cried after simply reading a few lines on the pages of the documents. Heliosia, on the other hand, had a fierce look that made her look as though she was about to go and personally hunt down the perpetrators to dispense justice while Sharp Strike remained silent but it was clear from his body language that he was incensed as well, especially after the Schnee Specialist played a clip from an audio recording unlocked with Anni Guzen's password from one of the thumb drives; a transcript of a meeting held between members of the S.D.C.'s board of directors from many years ago coming to the decision to send the kill orders. Most of these individuals had either retired or had been killed by Faunus extremists over the years; but Crawford and two others, a man named Kenzo and another named Nordstrom, were currently still with the company and in charge of its other branches.

"So, what do you think will happen to this Crawford guy once we take him down?" Yang asked Weiss as she laid on Weiss' comfortable bed, stretching out her toned body.

"That depends on how harsh the courts will be, but given the evidence Winter found, I think it will be either a life sentence in prison or execution for all of them." Weiss answered as she sat on the chair before her desk.

Blake, who was taking a look through Weiss' book collection, looked over at her and remarked, "Whatever the outcome, this news will have every Faunus community in Remnant in an uproar. When Razor and the White Fang find out, they'll be baying for blood."

"Can't blame 'em." Ruby commented as she sat on the floor next to Penny.

"Indeed, there's a high possibility that some might even try to assassinate him." The android noted.

Weiss nodded in agreement, "That's indeed possible, but not only from Faunus. You see, Crawford used his considerable business skills to win the S.D.C. a lot of good deals and created beneficial relationships with many other businesses. With so many connections there's bound to be a few made with less savory types who will likely see him as a loose end to be tied up."

"You think he may be working for Salem?" Ruby asked, thinking back to Emerald saying that the Grimm Mistress has spies everywhere.

The younger Schnee sibling thought about it, then shook her head, "No, I don't think so. Mr. Crawford is a rather ruthless man when it comes to business, but I think he probably looks out for himself most of all. With that kind of personality, he'd likely see no advantage to helping bring the world to an end since in that case money would lose its value. Salem would probably know he's far too unreliable, but I don't doubt that he would probably have some dealings with her associates like Odinson or Ante."

"Weiss, did you think that this guy was capable of something like this?" Yang inquired, looking directly at her petite teammate, "I remember when we first met Sun, and then he and these three troublemakers went toe to toe with Torchwick and Adam's White Fang, you mentioned that several members of the board were close friends of your family and some of them got killed by Faunus extremists. Do you know Crawford that well?"

Weiss sighed but nodded her head, "I thought I did, after a fashion. I've been thinking about the board members all day, the ones who were killed, the ones I thought of as aunts and uncles…and I have to wonder; just how many of them were simply accessories to this?" She leaned forward a little, and continued speaking, "Mr. Crawford was like an uncle to me, he always gave me gifts whenever he visited, and always enjoyed hearing me sing and encouraged me to become a professional singer. I guess he probably wanted a good relationship with me because he didn't plan on having any family of his own."

"Why not?" Penny asked.

"I asked him once; he said he wanted to dedicate his life to business, and so he didn't bother with finding a girlfriend or having kids because he saw them as a distraction, plus he said he just liked being a 'cool uncle' to me and Winter. It wasn't uncommon to see him with some pretty ladies at a business gathering or public events, but those are just for appearances' sake and he never wanted a serious relationship. However I do remember that he was one who was opposed to me becoming a Huntress the most besides my father, and said that the S.D.C. couldn't afford to lose a future leader." Weiss told them.

"Sounds like he kinda liked you." Ruby commented.

Weiss's face had an unreadable expression as she replied, "Maybe he knew I would become the head of the S.D.C. one day, and become his superior, so he started getting on my good side early. But knowing what I know now, every interaction I had with Mr. Crawford feels…tainted. Come to think of it, I do recall an incident years ago when I was nine, he was attacked by a Faunus extremist at one of the S.D.C.'s other branches. There was an investigation conducted later, but apparently they were unaffiliated with the White Fang."

"I remember hearing about it," Blake spoke up as she looked at Weiss, "An Elephant Faunus named Jairaj, he used to be one of us, but he was expelled by my grandfather and Sienna Kahn because of his extreme views. Adam restored his membership posthumously. I can' help but wonder if he was another one of Crawford's victims."

"Safe to assume he was," Weiss remarked, "We'll never know for certain now since he's gone. Mr. Crawford took a shot to the leg, one that instantly shattered his aura and nearly ruined the bone. Ever since suffering that injury, he has been quite paranoid and soon became very vindictive towards Faunus. I thought it would pass with time, but I didn't know his hatred went that deep…or if that was just his true colors showing."

"But the attack on him was after the massacre at the mines." Ruby reminded her partner with a raised finger.

"True, perhaps before it was just deep-rooted racism mixed with apathy and a misguided desire to protect the S.D.C.'s investments. But now that I see his actions as simply trying to profit his earnings off the suffering of others, I won't let him get away with what he has done." Weiss told her friends firmly, "He's definitely going to answer for his crimes."

"Just how bad do you want him?" Yang asked as she sat up.

"Let's just say I'm pretty tempted to let the White Fang tear him apart limb from limb." Weiss answered.

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Yang replied with a grin.

"We're going to have to keep him alive so he can face justice," Penny mentioned, "Though if you want to break some bones, I won't stop you."

Ruby laughed and patted her friend on the shoulder, "Weiss and any Faunus have first dibs, but I think we'll all get a shot at him."

"And what about this Kenzo guy?" Yang brought up, "I mean, he seemed pretty okay with the kill orders."

"Mr. Kenzo is a rather distant man, I never knew him well at all, but he's very good at finances and risk assessment. His hands are just as dirty as Crawford's, so he'll go down with him." Weiss said, "Let's just hope tomorrow won't be messy."

"Oh, there's going to be a fight," Blake commented, "But if we work fast enough, we can get everything under control before the confrontation spirals out of control."

The others nodded, before Penny asked "What will we do afterwards?"

Team RWBY considered the question for a mew moments. "Well," Began Yang, "We could just come back here and give ourselves a lot of pats on the back for a job well done, but I think it'd be a good idea to stop by the hospitals and pay Colonel Chamberlain a visit. Maybe I can see how he's coping with the loss of his foot."

Ruby quickly agreed, "I'm all for it. If it wasn't for him, Weiss wouldn't have been able to save Penny from becoming a walking bomb. Plus, it would be nice to see how other people are recovering from the Grimm attacks."

"Then it's settled," Weiss said, "We'll stop by the hospital later after these parasites are dealt with."

---

Weiss slept surprisingly easy that night, much to her surprise. Usually one would be too on edge or concerned to get any shut-eye, but she had no such problem though she did notice some of the other such as Sun, Velvet and Amethyst, seemed a little drowsy during their journey to the S.D.C. headquarters aboard Willow Schnee's private airship.

Winter ended her call to General Ironwood and looked over to address the others, "General Ironwood confirms that the Resolute is flying over the capital as part of the main security fleet. While he has agreed to let us handle the arrest, Task Force Omega is aboard his ship and will come to take Crawford into custody after we have apprehended him."

"We all understand the plan, right?" Weiss spoke up, which earned her nods from everyone.

"Erm…Mr. Schnee, just in case, sorry in advance if we damage your company headquarters." Ruby said to the mustached man.

"It's quite all right, Ruby, there's more than enough money to pay for it, especially since I'll be taking it from Crawford's salary." He remarked as the elegant ship flew towards the Atlesian capital.

Atlas City was possibly the largest city within the Kingdom of Atlas, and built into a part of the mountain range and almost seemed to be a city of mountains itself, made up of thousands of closely-packed buildings. There were over a three hundred lofty skyscrapers reaching for the skies along its horizon, each of which could easily hold the population of Patch Island a hundred times over. Many towered above some of the lower clouds, especially the ones situated higher up the mountain.

The architectural styles that made up the metropolis were countless, some buildings done in an elegant and beautiful style, while others were resembled hard and bleak citadels from wars long past. From afar, the Atlesian capital had the overall impression of just one massive collection of steel and glass, shimmering with light both day and night. Further down the mountain at the outskirts the buildings got smaller and older, well preserved from the early days of the capital city's founding.

The city's manufacturing capabilities could be seen through the many factories of various sizes that were littered throughout the massive city, with smoke constantly pouring from their chimneys and also being patrolled by android security troopers round the clock. The metropolis also had several large park areas which created sprawling vistas of green grass and small forests, cut through by smoothly-curled blue canals that resembled natural rivers.

At the top of the city, capping at the highest point of the mountain, was the Atlas Council's citadel. It was a huge, dark tower highlighted mainly by a series of harsh blue lights. The enormous tower emerged from a large domed structure which reached high above the rest of the metropolis, like a ruler watching over their domain.

Numerous battle cruisers, including the Resolute, flew above the capital, mainly to give the populace some comfort and a sense of security after the horrible attacks that had befallen most of the northern Kingdom. There were also many other Manta airships and Atlesian fighter-transports on patrol, with a few flying by for a short while to verify the identity of the Schnee's airship and its security codes. Once satisfied with their security checks, authorization was given for the airship and its escorts to enter the city's airspace while the Manta airships resumed their patrol.

Those among Team Beacon who had never been to Atlas before knew how huge the capital city was supposed to be, but seeing it in person was a very different experience from seeing it in pictures.

"So…I guess in Atlesians like to build everything big?" Velvet mentioned to Weiss, who couldn't help but smile.

"Woah, if someone wanted to get lost, this would be a good city to do it in." Scarlet commented.

"Indeed, even our Knights had some trouble overcoming it." Sharp Strike remarked, earning him some looks.

"Not anymore," Winter informed the ex-pirate, "A few years ago the Council approved a new security measure for a city-wide surveillance system so as to allow law-enforcement officers fight crime more effectively. Once that measure went into effect crime rates went down dramatically, which is why the crime levels here in Atlas city are lower than the other Kingdoms."

"Indeed, even the Winter Templars had trouble conducting their missions there at times." Sharp Strike remarked, which earned him some curious looks from his teammates.

"Seems a little paranoid, but it does sound like that surveillance system would come in handy if you need to find someone quickly, isn't it?" Blake said quietly, "Also, I hope it hasn't been abused."

Willow Schnee glanced at the Cat Faunus from his seat, unsure how to take that comment.

"Look on the bright side Blake, if Salem does have any spies here, they'll probably be spotted soon enough." Yang told her partner.

"If she does have other agents here, which is highly probable, they would be probably among her most skilled ones and would have already integrated themselves into Atlas's society or are being blackmailed to serve her, like what happened to poor Colonel Cy," Heliosia added, "All the more reason for us to be cautious."

The airship soon reached the end of its journey, approaching what was possibly the largest building in the city; a wide and towering structure made of firm steel, colored dark grey with bright white paint, along with dark blue glass of curving windows which allowed glimpses into various cafeterias, offices of workers and executives, and many other balconies that allowed employees on breaks to admire the surrounding metropolis. In the center of the building was a large holographic version of the Schnee family Emblem with silver letters spelling out 'S.D.C.' with smaller letters reading 'Schnee Dust Company' just below the larger letters, highlighted by blue lights. A sizable landing platform was situated beneath the huge logo itself, one of several platforms which jutted out of the building.

The airship gently landed and its ramp lowered, allowing its passengers to disembark while its escort airships descended onto the adjacent platforms. The platform was occupied by twin lines of security guards and the same number again of Atlesian Knights-300s, all standing at attention as the president of the Schnee Dust Company led his guests past them. Most of the group, despite being clad in thick protective clothing themselves, shivered slightly as the bitter gale blew across the platform with flakes of snow swirling about.

Up ahead, standing before the entrance and wearing a thick coat with the S.D.C.'s emblem on its back, was Mrs. Halvorsen. She hurriedly looked over her tablet even as she waited for her employer and his guests, a pleasent smile already present on her face.

"Good morning, Sir," She greeted Willow before looking over at his daughters, "A real pleasure to see you both again, Miss Winter, Miss Weiss."

Winter's lips quirked up a small fraction while Weiss smiled. They both returned Mrs. Halvorsen's pleasantries as Willow wasted no time asking, "Are they here?"

"Mr. Kenzo and Mr. Nordstrom are currently in their offices and Mr. Crawford will be arriving in ten minutes." She reported, glancing over at the peculiar assemblage of people behind the Schnee patriarch; a ragtag group of Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training, a female android, a rather dusty-looking Huntsman with alcohol in his breath, a pair of unusually good-looking girls that could only be the Maidens of legend, and an armored knight from a sacred order that wasn't supposed to exist. She wasn't the only one taking it all in, as a substantial number of the security guards were subtly shifting uneasily and glancing at one another. A sharp glare from Winter caused them all to snap their helmet-covered faces forward instantly.

"Very good. Once he arrives, I want you to summon them all to the board's conference room for an emergency meeting." He instructed her.

"Yes sir," She replied with a nod. Mrs. Halvorsen then stood aside and allowed the whole group to enter the building proper, where the interior climate was considerably more pleasant. Qrow slowed his steps and hung back a moment, looking up and spotting a raven with red eyes. He blinked just as the raven quickly took off and flew into the cloudy city, vanishing in a matter of seconds.

Qrow narrowed his eyes, saying nothing before he went inside with the others.

"Brrrr!" Amethyst exclaimed as she got inside, turning to look at Weiss in astonishment, "How the heck do you stand it here?"

"You get used to it eventually, but I guess you might not be able to, being the Spring Maiden and all that." Weiss remarked.

"Relax, our stay here is only for a couple of weeks," Heliosia told her sister Maiden, with some small gestures she used her Maiden powers to help the others slowly warm up.

"Thanks, 'sia," Amethyst replied, "Wonder why it would take them that long to translate those maps."

"From what I understand, the maps and the directions on it were not only written in an ancient language, but one disguised by ciphers, probably to ensure that the paths to the Relics wouldn't be easy for anyone who planned to use it for…malicious ends." Penny explained.

"Good foresight on the map creator's part," Jaune said as he shared looks the rest of Team JNPR, "With any luck, our side can figure out quicker than whoever that's working for Salem."

"Let's hope so, because if they get to those Relics first then we'll need a lot more than dumb luck to stand a chance against them." Coco mused as they walked further into the well-furbished building towards the elevators, past many hallways with pristine white walls and smooth marble floors.

"Relax, trust me when I say it's best not to dwell on it," Qrow spoke up, "Worrying about things you can't control won't do any of us any favours. You kids just do your best to get yourselves ready when the time comes. I don't know why, but something tells me we'll have equal footing when it comes to this race for the Relics."

"So why don't we just focus what's ahead of us for now for the moment?" Winter added, "Because I doubt Crawford and his associates will surrender themselves without a fight."

"I have the same feeling," Sharp Strike murmured softly, which caused the pair of Maidens to look at him, "Be on your guard, everyone."

---

A sleek silver limo drove its way up the freshly salted driveway of the S.D.C. headquarters, coming to a careful stop right in front of the main entrance. The rear door opened and a smartly-dressed man with dark olive skin and a greying beard emerged from the long vehicle as snow gently fell around him.

Alan Crawford liked to be seen entering the S.D.C. headquarters, like a royal returning to his castle. "Go ahead to the garage parking area Zimmerman, I'll see you this afternoon."

"Yes sir," His private driver replied before pressing a button to automatically close the limo's rear door. Crawford turned to enter the S.D.C. building, the security guards present nodding to him respectfully and various employees looking at him with a variety of expressions, some envious of his high status in the renowned company while others seemed to fear him.

As they should, was Crawford's way of seeing it.

Crawford walked through the doors, snow falling off of his fur-lined coat as he strode in with a slight limp, supported by his cane topped with a silver stallion head. His limp was a result of an attack on him and several other board members years ago by a group of Faunus who had been expelled from the White Fang by Claudandus and Sienna Khan back when they were still in control. Crawford had been lucky to get away with a leg that would never fully heal thanks to several bullets that had ripped through his knee and thigh, while one board member had lost her life to those halfbreeds.

"Mr. Crawford, sir!" One of the receptionists from the front desk hurried over, her voice echoing slightly through the cavernous main lobby. He paused on his journey towards the elevators and turned his head to regard her.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Schnee instructed me to notify you that he wishes to see you in the Board of Directors' conference room." She informed him.

"Hmm…did he say why?" Crawford asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No, sir. He just said he wishes to speak with you and several other board members." She replied.

Crawford nodded, "Vey well, tell him that I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, sir." She said before turning back to the desk and picked up her phone. Crawford walked away, heading towards the primary elevator lobby, stepping inside of the central one which was reserved for members of the board and other high-ranking executives.

As he ascended the massive skyscraper, Crawford momentarily wondered what his superior wanted. It could be anything given all that had happened lately and the S.D.C.'s responsibility to help the Kingdom, as well as Vacuo, recover and perhaps make a tidy profit from it. The Dust mines were now being worked in twenty-four hours as day, with new employees being hired to fill out the many shifts to raise productivity and the amount of Dust extracted.

Already Schnee had insisted on selling Dust, ammunition and other materials his company produced at a fourth of the price, which was something Crawford had mixed feelings on but it did eventually make sense to him, as it would allow more people to buy more of the S.D.C.'s products thanks to the reduced price, and the more they bought would gradually add up to quite the impressive amount of Lien.

Perhaps the company president was having trouble with Ironwood over that embargo on. The Atlas Council was quite strict with it, permitting only certain amounts of Dust to go through, perhaps that was the problem? Was the company not shipping enough Dust through, which resulted in Willow being unable to charge the appropriate amount enough to make a profit? It was anyone's guess with Willow Schnee lately, the man had changed so much ever since his daughter's defiance of him the previous year.

It wasn't long before he emerged from the elevator, stepping out with a prideful strut as familiar sights greeted him once more, with various company personnel walking this way and that about their tasks. He briefly paused at the sight of a Dog Faunus with a collection of envelopes tucked under his arm, stopping at various desks to hand them off one by one to their recipients. Crawford felt himself grimacing slightly, but didn't let anyone see it and walked on, banishing that recent image from his mind.

He walked into the waiting room that was situated before the conference room, which was placed to the left of Schnee's office with Halvorsen's desk sitting in between. The secretary looked up from her holographic screen with a bright smile when she heard his footsteps approaching.

"Good morning, Mr. Crawford. I hope you had a pleasant evening?" She asked politely.

"A typical night, Mrs. Halvorsen," He replied with a friendly smile, "Though I've had more work to do at home ever since this crisis began. Any idea why Mr. Schnee has summoned me?"

"He didn't tell me, but he's also summoned Mr. Kenzo and Mr. Nordstrom as well. They arrived a few minutes ago and are awaiting you." She informed him. Crawford couldn't help but notice that the normally optimistic secretary looked a bit uneasy when she looked at him.

He cocked a quizzical eyebrow. It was far from unusual for Willow to speak with a member of the Board of Directors alone, but quite curious to summon a select few and not all members of the board. Well, whatever the reason it probably wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

Mrs. Halvorsen knocked and then opened the doors to the conference room, which was a long room with a silver and indigo color scheme, a long mahogany table sat in the middle of the room, with twenty chairs carved from some kind of glass material on each side. There were five alcoves on either side, covered by shoji doors which were used for assistants of both the members of the board and those of representatives from the company's many business partners to take notes and record details of the meetings they attended. The carpet was a rich blue and gold, and hiding a secret security measure Crawford had installed without Willow's knowledge, just in case.

Willow sat at the head of the long table, his hands clasped together. Surprisingly, Weiss and Winter were there, sitting on either side of him while the bespeckled, distant Kenzo who was in charge of accounting and the dark-skinned Nordstrom who was in charge of one of the districts which held several mining sites.

"Good morning, Willow. Weiss! Winter! What a lovely surprise!" He said, while putting on a wide grin effortlessly. It had been quite some time since he had seen them in person, and he couldn't deny it was a pleasure to see how much they had grown, "I must say, I heard about your heroic actions at Vacuo City, and you're a credit to us all."

"Weiss! Winter, what a surprise!" He said, putting on a wide grin. It had been quite some time since he had seen them in person, and he couldn't deny it was a treat to see how much they had grown. "I must say, I heard about your heroic actions in Vacuo, you're a credit to us all. And Winter, congratulations on bringing down Odinson."

He then turned to regard Winter, saying, "And Winter, my congratulations on bringing down Odinson. General Ironwood must have given you a medal for your efforts, yes?"

The Schnee siblings merely nodded in response to Crawford's greetings, with Weiss putting on an obviously fake smile. Winter's face, on the hand, was a mask that poker players would have envied. Their expressions made Crawford pause, as he could easily recognize forced smiles when he saw them. He considered himself a master of them, after all. "President, I understand you have need of me? Is it something to do with the trade embargo the Council put in place?"

"No, I'm afraid it isn't. Please, take a seat." Willow instructed, his voice calm and measured.

Crawford took the fourth seat away from Weiss, giving her a disarming smile before glancing at both Kenzo and Nordstrom, who seemed rather uneasy and just as in the dark as he was.

"Yes," Crawford said as he nodded gravely, "We've launched the investigation but nothing came up."

"Gentlemen, I apologize for calling you all here today. I shall cut to the chase then; do you remember when I made inquires about the illegal mining operation at Mt. Ausz?" Willow asked them.

"Yes," Crawford replied as he nodded gravely, "We launched the investigation but nothing came up, all leads we pursued turned cold."

"Well, it seems quite fortunate that some surprising evidence has made its way into my hands." Willow said, his voice becoming stern and steely.

A chill went up Crawford's back but he kept his face calm, although he could tell Kenzo and Nordstrom were getting slightly nervous due to their tightened fingers and uneasy faces.

"Is that so?" Kenzo asked, adjusting his spectacles, "May I ask what exactly is this evidence?"

Willow turned his head to look at Winter, who asked, "Do any of you remember a woman named Anni Guzen?"

Crawford rubbed his chin in thought, probing his memory, "Ah yes, Anni was my first secretary when I became a member of the S.D.C.'s board of directors back before you became the president of the company, and if memory serves me correct she retired a few years later. Why?"

"She passed away recently, but she has left me a rather disturbing message." Willow told Crawford as he glared coldly at him, "One specifically implicating you in the Ausz massacre."

Crawford allowed a terribly shocked expression to form on his face, and said, "I-I don't know why Miss Guzen would spread su-such horrible lies about me!" He looked around, and saw that his compatriots were even more nervous than he was, not daring to say a word. Crawford looked to Wiess, who was now glaring at him intensely with her blue eyes that had once looked up at him with admiration.

"Willow, we have been friends and business partners for over twenty years now, surely you wouldn't believe that I'm some cold-blooded killer just because of the ramblings of a senile old woman, probably angry about me reprimanding her for misplacing some documents, right? Weiss, Winter…I've been like an uncle to you-" He turned to them in desperation.

Winter slapped a heavy envelope on the table and reached inside, removing several documents. "There's no way you can crawl out of this, Crawford. Guzen didn't just give us her word, she left us physical evidence, she managed to save before you could cover your trail."

Winter stood up and slapped a heavy envelope on the table, reaching inside to remove several documents, "There's no way you can crawl out of this, Crawford. Guzen didn't just give us her word, she left us all of physical evidence she managed to save before you could cover your trail."

To push home her point the Schnee Specialist spread the documents across the mahogany table's surface, and pointed at the signatures displayed on those papers, which were unmistakably those of Alan Crawford himself.

"It's all there, Mr. Crawford. Cargo manifests, records of food and water shipments, illicit payments to mercenaries and rogue Hunters, mining death reports, notices of newly arrived slaves. All signed and approved by the Board of Directors at that time, and Crawford and Kenzo are the only members remaining from that time and Nordstrom was the suprervisor of the mines." Weiss spoke fiercely, as she didn't attempt to hide Myrtenaster by having one hand already on the rapier's hand-guard.

"You do realize there's such a thing as forgery, right?" Kenzo pointed out, trying to seem calm and collected "Perhaps Guzen was part of a plot against us, to weaken the S.D.C. internally for our competitors."

"She only revealed it when she was dying in the wake of the Grimm attacks," Winter revealed sternly, "I highly doubt she was some kind of mastermind, and why would she lie when she already had nothing else to lose?"

Willow sat back in his chair, "Mr. Kenzo, you raise a valid point. There's a chance, however small, that the documents could be fraudulent."

"Oh thank the Brothers and Sisters," Nordstrom muttered, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, "Does this mean we don't have to bring the authorities into-"

'However," Willow continued, "We also have evidence that would be rather hard to fake. We all know that these meetings are recorded, it's a necessary part of the business. However, after this came to my attention and did some digging, I noticed one meeting, from right before I assumed control of my family's company was subtly edited. As though a portion was missing. Miss Guzen provided the missing key. Winter?"

"However," Willow continued, "We also have evidence that would be quite difficult to fake. We all know that these meetings are recorded, since it's a necessary part of the business However, after this came to my attention and I also did some digging myself, I discovered that one meeting from right before I became the president of the S.D.C. with the entire board's approval was subtly edited. As though a certain portion was missing. Miss Guzen, thankfully, managed to provide the absent key. Winter?"

Winter took out her own scroll and pressed a button on its screen, beginning an audio recording.

"I've been saying all year that we need to shut down the black sites," Came Kenzo's voice, "Not only are they dangerous liabilities, but who knows how Willow Schnee will react once he discovers them?"

"The next item on our agenda," The voice of a senior board member who had long since passed away came on, "Is our mining operation at Mt. Ausz. The Dust supply in that mountain is nearly depleted so there will be no more use for the 'workers'."

"I've been saying all year long that we need to shut down the black sites," Came Kenzo's voice, "Not only are they dangerous liabilities, but who knows how Willow Schnee will react once he discovers these illegal operations?"

"He won't find out," Crawford's voice was unambiguous, "You gave me the grunt work in making sure those mines were performing well, and every one of them has increased our overall Dust supply considerably. As long as the Dust shipments kept on coming, no one asked any questions about where all that surplus Dust came from. Nonetheless, we can't risk Willow finding out, especially with that bleeding heart wife of his."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Asked Kenzo's voice, "We have moved all the slaves from the other black sites to Mt. Ausz now that those have all dried up, we have far too may slaves there. It won't be long before their mining activities would be noticed. Mr. Nordstrom has recently notified me that they had a few close calls already."

"What do you mean?" Asked another elder board member, this one female.

"A few hikers or Huntsmen moving through the mountain range accidentally stumbled across the mines. They were all dealt with before they could become a problem, but still the risk of exposure is increasing." Kenzo's voice stated.

"Let's not waste time on any niceties," Crawford's voice stated coldly, "We're going to have to sanitize the whole area and kill them all."

"A-all of them?" Another female board member could be heard swallowing, "Couldn't we just keep them as employees, divert them to other operations elsewhere and perhaps pay them to keep quiet?"

"Are you insane? After what they've been through, they would never agree to help us over it up." The elder woman pointed out.

"Indeed. They all need to be eliminated." Kenzo agreed.

"What about the children?" Asked the elder board member.

"What about them?" Crawford asked callously, "All of those animals need to die. If even one of them manages to escape, they will tell people and they might be believed. It could cause a public outcry that inspires the council to investigate us. If that happens the best thing we'd have to look forward to is an extremely lengthy prison sentence."

"What about them?" Crawford remarked callously, "All of those animals need to die, to ensure our secret remains safe. If even one of them manages to escape, they will tell people and they might be believed. If that happens, ladies and gentlemen, it could cause a public outcry so devastating which might force the Atlas Council to launch an extremely thorough investigation against us. And if that happens the best thing we all have to look forward to is an extremely lengthy prison sentence, providing that the imprisoned Faunus don't murder us first."

"Perhaps we could seek out the slave trade, they're always on the look out for more products." Another female voice suggested softly.

"No, Nordstrom reports that they've been worked to the bone, many of them are too weak to do anymore work and the many of them are too emaciated to make for attractive pleasure slaves." Kenzo replied.

"Look," Crawford began, "I can see that many of you are being hesitant about this, but you had little qualms about enslaving them in the first place. Where were your morals then? We needed to mine those mountains but the rich Dust veins were too unstable for the mining unions' liking. Slave-operating an illegal Dust mine was the only way we could get all that Dust and maintain our quotas. It's far too late to grow a conscience, and I'm sure the authorities will no doubt feel the same way if our activities come to light."

"I believe you have made your point, Mr. Crawford…and it's a very valid one." The voice belonging to the head of the board spoke, "Are there any objections to the immediate liquidation of the final black site mine?"

There was a brief silence.

"Then it's settled. Mr. Crawford, I want you and Mr. Nordstrom to give our mercenaries stationed at Mt. Ausz the kill orders first thing tomorrow. No survivors." The board's head spoke again.

"Understood sir. I think we should have all of this unpleasant business stricken from the record and the audio recording of this meeting removed before it's placed in the archives." Crawford suggested, then adding, "And also destroy the backup copy as well."

"That goes without saying. Meeting adjourned." The head of the board remarked, at which the damning recording ended.

The Schnee family glared intensely at the three men before them.

The Schnee's patriarch's face was a mask of anger as he glared furiously at the three before him, while Winter's blue eyes were narrowed in disgust even as she picked up her scroll from the table.

"I have heard all I needed to hear. It goes without saying that you're all fired and will face criminal charges for your actions. What do you have to say for yourselves?" Willow barked, his voice evidently colder than ice before he suddenly shouted, "WELL?"

Crawford shook his head and muttered in an icy, annoyed tone, "This is what I get for being merciful. I should have had that worthless bitch killed years ago."

"The only one who should have died years ago is you." Weiss spat as she stood up, grabbing Myrtenaster.

"The only one who should have died years ago is you, you cold-hearted murderer!" Weiss spat as she stood up from her seat, her hand already on Myrtenaster's hand guard.

"Oh really, Weiss?" Crawford retorted as he stood up, "I had only been on the board for two years at that time, mind you. It was your grandfather who came up with the idea of the black site mines in the first place. We were just following orders, doing as he said."

"You were the one who suggested killing those slaves. You all had a hand in that senseless slaughter that twisted Adam Taurus from an innocent boy into a murderous psychopath." Winter pointed out as she drew her dueling saber, "And all of you are going to face justice for your crimes."

"If my father knew about this," Willow rose from his seat also, "Why didn't he tell me?"

"Because he knew you weren't completely willing to do what it takes to keep this company on top," Kenzo answered, his face giving away how distressed he was, "He feared your wife and your first daughter were making you soft."

"And we knew that if you had found out, Gwyneth would find out and she would go to the Council. She would give those inane, self-righteous activists more ammunition against the S.D.C. and would have led this entire company to ruin." Crawford ranted, his voice raising even as his fists clenched, "Your father was a smarter man than any of us, Willow, he knew something like this would happen. I don't know why you even care! After all, those filthy beasts are the only reason Gwyneth is dead! They killed her in cold blood!"

The next thing he knew he was slammed onto the carpet, his chin smarting from a punch and his gun being grounded on my Weiss' heel. He looked up to see her sapphire eyes blazing with fury, "You don't even deserve to say my mother's name, you evil, black-hearted monster." She hissed.

The next thing Crawford knew he was slammed onto the carpet, his chin smarting from a punch and his gut being grounded on by Weiss's heel. He looked up to see her sapphire eyes blazing with fury, "You don't even deserve to say my mother's name, you evil black-hearted monster." She hissed.

Crawford sighed, "Oh Weiss…it's a shame, I really did care about you, you know. You were the closest thing I ever had to a niece, and your singing was one of the few things in life that genuinely gave me joy. And you Willow, I really did consider you to be a good friend."

Willow walked over to glare down at him, Winter keeping both Kenzo and Nordstrom pinned in place with a frosty glare just in case they had any thoughts to intervene or flee, "So did I, Alan. But I could never let something like this go unpunished. I'm not the monster my father apparently was, and I refuse to let the darker parts of my family's legacy control me anymore."

"Oh really?" Crawford sneered, "Your family legacy is all you have, Willow! You're not like me, I came from a middle-class home and I had to actually work my back off to get where I am! I had to shut out every friend I ever had to study and work hard enough to make my way through the civilian academies. You don't even know what it's like to lose friends, to work so hard that you can barely feel your fingers! I did whatever it took to get the power I have now, I earned my place in the S.D.C. Willow! It was just handed down to you! Can you name even one bloody thing you've ever earned?!"

"I can name two things, Crawford," Willow answered, his voice losing its hard edge for a brief moment, "First; Gwyneth and I weren't in any sort of arranged marriage between our respective families, I earned her love. And second, more recently I had to earn the love and respect of both my daughters because I allowed myself to become like you."

Crawford's eyes widened a little, as he didn't know how to exactly reply to that. Winter looked back at Kenzo and Nordstrom, "And what about you two, anything to say? I advise you to think very carefully about your answers."

"I believe we would both like to speak to our attorneys." Kenzo eventually spoke up after several seconds, "But I think it's obvious that we're not going anywhere now that the truth is out. We will tell you whatever you wish to know about the black site mines."

"Right, right." Nordstrom stammered, clearly on the verge of panicking.

Weiss glared at the three men, "All those innocent Faunus; men, women and children…all massacred to save your pathetic hides. You're less human than they are."

"Officers from both the law enforcement and the United Anti-Slavery Organization would like to have words with you three," Willow stated sternly, "I would suggest you give them your full cooperation."

Crawford growled something under his beath they didn't understand and suddenly shot his hands out, palms open as though pushing against an invisible boulder. The Schnee family were unexpectedly caught off guard as the two sisters were all slammed into the walls of the conference room while Willow crashed into the nearest glass windows, the thick glass spider-webbing a little behind him.

Crawford pushed himself up a little shakily, his hands glowing with grey aura and a crazed look in his eyes.

"Did you Schnees seriously think you're the only family with a power in its bloodline?" He growled.

"It's a Semblance like Professor…Professor Goodwitch's…" Weiss grunted in effort as she struggled against the heavy force pinning her against the wall.

Crawford smirked, "You were always a bright one, Weiss. I…I really did like you," he assured her before adding "Many in my family claimed we're descended from sorcerers, don't really care if its true, but we all have a similar Semblance and my grandfather taught me certain spells, this has been a secret I've kept close to my chest so I'd always have a surprise card to play.."

Crawford smirked, "You were always a bright one, Weiss. I…I really did like you," He assured her before adding, "Many in my family claimed we're descended from sorcerers, I don't really care if it's true, but we all have a similar Semblance and my grandfather did see fit to teach me certain spells. This little bit of my family history has been a secret I've kept close to my chest so I would always have a surprise card to play, should any unfavourable situations arise."

He then turned to look at Winter who was similarly held in place, "I suppose you've already notified Ironwood and his minions?"

"And they're already on their way." Winter responded while trying to free herself, "There's no escaping from this."

"That's what you think," Crawford snapped at her before adding, "Security System override: Execute Zeta Protocol, Passcode: 10974."

The carpet suddenly erupted with ten Atlesian Knights shooting out of compartments hidden beneath the floor, their helmeted faces glowing red and quickly activating their arsenal of built-in weapon systems. Confusion must have shown on Willow's face, because Crawford simply laughed and said, "Thought I didn't plan ahead eh, Willow? A little personal security measure I had installed during a routine system maintenance when you were away on one of your little vacations!" He glanced over Kenzo, who was shaking in his seat, and barked, "Contact Captain Kahale of my security escort and order her to prepare the getaway route through one of the secondary-" He stopped abruptly when he noticed Willow chuckling, "What's so damn amusing?!"

"Well, last night Winter and I got in touch with every guard on your payroll, especially those getting paid more than the usual salary or with a little extra in their bank accounts. In fact, I wasn't really surprised that they all agreed to abandon their loyalties to you in exchange for keeping their jobs and avoiding arrest. In fact, none of them actually hesitated." Willow revealed to his trio of traitorous employees, "I can plan ahead as well."

"Knights, kill them!" Crawford snarled at his commandeered robots.

"Now!" Weiss shouted.

The doors to the assistants' alcoves burst open, revealing the rest of Team Beacon. The Atlesian Knight nearest to Ruby instantly found itself sliced in half length-ways thanks to Crescent Rose even as Yang and Blake worked together to take out another, with the Blonde Brawler smashing its torso and face plate while Blake severed its arms and legs with Gambol Shroud's blade. Ruby then planted her weapon firmly on the conference room's floor and leapt up, spinning her body around to smash her boots into a stunned Crawford's chest, sending him crashing onto the ground with a pained cry and disrupting his Semblance, freeing the Schnee family who all fell to the floor.

Controlled chaos soon took over the conference room; Nora, her eyes glowing with electricity, smashed Magnhild into another Atlesian Knight's head, decapitating it and leaving its headless body stumbling around. Ren cut the headless foot soldier down with Storm Flowers before he leapt over towards Kenzo and pinned him down to the table with an expertly-executed arm lock.

Another Knight had its feet kicked out from under it by Sun just as Neptune slammed into it with TriHard's trident form and pinned it to the ground, whereas Sun, Scarlet and Sage finished it off gunshots from their individual weapons.

Yatsuhashi charged the ]machine closest to him, deflecting a few rounds from its arm cannons and then impaling it to the wall with his mighty sword, aided by Amethyst as she finished it off with several Dust arrows to the head.

Another Atlesian Knight aimed its guns at Willow, and Winter dived into the weapon's path just as it opened fire. She cried out in pain as a few blasts hit her and causing her aura to flare, but suddenly the incoming shots stopped, bouncing off of them as Jaune used his Semblance to create a shield over both Winter and Willow just like the time when Ashe had used the same method to shield the school children being held hostage by Saul Jude.

Pyrrha leapt towards the robot, her heels and shield slamming into its back and sending it smashing out of the weakened window, shattering the glass. She then quickly used her Semblance to prevent the Atlesian Knight from falling, then ripped it into several pieces before tossing them towards a lower roof on the left several stories below, just to be sure fragments of the robotic soldier wouldn't hurt anyone.

With six of their number taken out in a matter of seconds, the remaining Atlesian Knights switched targets and began emptying their weapons wildly throughout the conference room. The expelled bullets either thudded into the smooth walls and chairs, or ricocheted off any surfaces which resulted in them nearly hitting several of Team Beacon's members. Nordstrom screamed in pain as he was hit in the arm and fell spasming to the ground, whereas Velvet used her camera Anesidora to create a hardlight recreation of Jaune's shield to cover her friends. Penny rushed directly at one of the offending androids and slammed her fist straight through its torso, tearing her skin in the process due to hardened alloys of the Atlesian Knight's body, and then transforming her arm into its cannon mode before firing a blast that caused the drone's head to explode in a shower of ruined parts.

Coco blasted another Knight into sparking scrap metal with a burst of heavy bullets from Gianduja, while Fox and Sharp Strike made quick work of another, slicing it into pieces with their blades wile effortlessly dodging the bullets sent flying their way. With clean precision the Huntsman and Remnant Knight had created a clattering pile of four limbs, a torso and a head in less than ten seconds, upon which Fox gave Sharp Strike an impressed look which the armored knight returned with a nod.

Heliosia ducked under shots from the final Atlesian Knight, and she stabbed the tip of Flameguard into its torso and then activated the kusarigama function of her weapon. With smooth movements from her muscled arms she easily wrapped the android soldier up in chains, and pulled it towards her. Grabbing the Atlesian Knight's head with her fingerless-gloved hands, the Summer Maiden's eyes briefly shone a fiery red, her Maiden powers setting the drone on fire. It let out a rather awful electronic screech as it fell on its knees. The Summer Maiden then quickly activated the Ice Dust within the staff, creating an icy structure that covered the flaming robot which extinguished the blaze speedily and finally causing the machine trooper to crumble into a useless pile.

Crawford tried to crawl under the table, only to be flung against the wall by Weiss as she used her glyphs to prevent any attempt at escape. "And where do you think you're going?" She asked darkly.

"W-weiss…th-this is all a big misunderstanding!" Crawford stammered, sweating as his mind desperately scrambled for a way out, "You…you know me, I'm your uncle Crawford! You're r-really picking these filthy Faunus over me?"

Weiss suddenly dismissed the glyph holding him to the wall, allowing Crawford to fall onto his knees. Grunting in pain he looked up at the younger Schnee sibling, trying to smile nervously only to get a painful kick to the face. Crawford cried out in pain as he rolled over onto his back, droplets of blood running from his broken nose.

When he finally opened his eyes once more, Crawford saw Weiss and Blake pointing their swords right at his face, Ruby having Crescent Rose's blade right under his chin and Yang crouching down, the Ember Celica on her robotic arm pressed firmly against his cheek. Willow and Winter stood above him from behind, the older Schnee being supported by the female Specialist, all six glared down wrathfully at him.

"Come on, give us an excuse." Yang dared, her lavender eyes blazing with rage. Ruby and the others didn't need to say anything, their angry faces and death glares were enough to convey what they thought of Crawford. Crawford's eyes glanced over and saw his cane lying a few inches from his outstretched hand. There was a blade hidden at the bottom and the silver stallion head concealed a Dust weapon, in which a small Fire Dust crystal had already been loaded into the chamber. Maybe…?

It flew towards his hand, only for Sun's robotic tail to swoop down swiftly and catch it. "I don't think so, asshole." The Monkey Faunus snapped as he took the staff with his hands. He then held it out to Pyrrha, who took the other end and together they held it up so Jaune could cut it in half with Crocea Mors.

Crawford's eyes widened momentarily before finally sighing in defeat as Team RWBY pressed their weapons harder against his sweating face, "There…are no words to describe how humiliating this is."

"It's going to get a whole lot worse for you from here on out," Winter said before she glanced over at Amethyst and Velvet, the latter kneeling over the seemingly injured Nordstrom, "How bad is his injury?"

"Nothing major, a few bruises and some minor cuts from being hit by splinters caused by ricocheting bullets. Luckily his aura absorbed most of it. He'll be fine, I'm sorry to say." Amethyst replied as she and the Rabbit Faunus forced Nordstrom to stand and then threw him into a nearby chair.

The doors to the conference room opened up as Qrow strode inside, he had remained outside of the conference room just in case Crawford, Kenzo, or Nordstrom managed to escape the place or if one of Crawford's security guards changed their minds about selling out their superior. "Looks like everything went according to plan," He noted as he surveyed the carnage of bullet-ridden walls, overturned chairs and broken windows. Behind him, Mrs. Halvorsen looked in with an expression of abject shock before ducking out of sight again.

"Not exactly. Crawford did manage to surprise us, but thankfully it all worked out in the end," Winter informed him before turning to address Penny, "Has N1CK3L received your transmitted message?"

"Yes, Specialist Schnee!" Penny confirmed with a smile, "He and the rest of Task Force Omega have heard everything and their airship will be landing momentarily so they can take these three into custody."

The trio of men looked surprised despite their predicament. "Task Force Omega? I suppose Ace Ops was too busy?" Crawford mused.

"Crawford, just shut up! We're in enough trouble as it is," Kenzo snapped with a scowl before asking, "And shouldn't we be taken into custody by the police instead of the military?"

"Not at all, Kenzo," Winter glared at him, "Since my father is the president of the S.D.C. and a member of the Council, I'm a Specialist of the Kingdom's military forces, and do you see those two young ladies over there?" She gestured over to Amethyst and Heliosia, "They are the Spring and Summer Maidens. So, in addition to the various crimes you have already committed, you will be charged with the attempted murder of a renowned company's president who is also a council member, a Specialist of the Atlas army and the Maidens. Such crimes are above the police force's jurisdiction, and so the three of you will be taken into military custody. And since the Kingdom of Atlas is currently in the middle of a crisis, I'm afraid you won't be able to speak to your lawyers until the crisis has passed, and so will likely be held for an indefinite amount of time. I hope you enjoy solitary confinement, gentlemen."

"What?!" Crawford roared in half-anger, half-panic.

"You heard her," Weiss growled, "There's no way for you to weasel your way out of this, no legal palaver for you to exploit. You're finished."

"You little bitc-ah!" Crawford cried out as Ruby pressed Crescent Rose's blade hard against his neck, Crawford's aura flaring up a little.

"She's my partner, my friend! You insult her, you'll have me to answer to, so keep your mouth shut!" The silver-eyed Huntress hissed, her eyes subtly glowing. Crawford saw just how furious and other members of Team Beacon were looking, and thus decided that it would be wise to shut up.

"Actually Ruby, I think I would like to ask him something before Commander Central arrives to take him away," Willow said, "Get him up."

With a little reluctance, Team RWBY pulled away their weapons as Yang grabbed Crawford roughly and forced him onto his feet. He struggled a little and tried to run for it, but Blake chopped her fist into his chest, causing him to stumble before Yang shoved him upright against the wall. Team RWBY resumed keeping their weapons trained on him as Willow approached, while the rest of Team Beacon watched silently.

"What exactly do you want to know, old friend?" Crawford spat bitterly, "Why did I do it? For the good of the company, you brainless fool."

"If you cared about the good of the company you wouldn't have allowed it to happen at all!" Weiss shouted angrily.

Crawfod slowly met Weiss's glare and responded, "You look and sound exactly like your mother. I suppose she would be proud of you and Winter."

"And that's who I want to know about," Willow said, "Now that I know the depths you're willing to sink to, I need to know this; did you have anything to do with Taka? Did you assist him in kidnapping me and Gwyneth? Did you have anything to do with the death of my wife?"

Crawford didn't flinch away, instead giving an honest and resigned answer, "No, I didn't."

"Don't lie to us!" Weiss snapped fiercely as she poked Myrtenaster's tip into his cheek, making Crawford's aura flare.

"I didn't! I didn't have anything to do with it, I swear! But I know someone on the Board of Directors who did have connections with them," He confessed, "It was Ramos, do you remember her?"

This gave the Schnees, and even Blake, pause. Edice Ramos was the board member who had been assassinated by renegade White Fang agents.

This gave the members of the Schnee family, and even Blake herself, pause even as their eyes widened slightly at the name. Edice Ramos was the board member who had been assassinated by renegade White Fang group led by Jairaj, and in such a messy fashion that there were barely even any remains to be recovered.

"Explain yourself now." Willow demanded.

"There were some concerns from the other radical board members about your wife's generous nature, since she made donations to that charity organized by that church seeking to end all segregation in Atlas. We feared that if she ever put enough pressure on you, you would lose your edge and become soft, lessening our profits while increasing the wages of the Faunus and third-class scum who work for us at the bottom. Shortly after you took control of the company, Ramos went ahead and anonymously leaked information about your meeting with your father to the Rabid Ones, knowing they couldn't resist the chance to eliminate you. She figured if Gwyneth was killed it would make you realize what the Faunus really are, and if you died too it would allow us to take over the S.D.C. until Winter came of age." Crawford elaborated, trying not to flinch away from their glares.

"And you knew, didn't you?" Willow stated, his voice low with quiet fury.

"Not at first, but I figured it out after making some discreet enquires." Crawford admitted, "Even I thought she went too far."

"I remember Ramos, and you." Blake said as she looked at him, amber eyes glaring straight at their defeated captive, "Ramos was killed by ex-White Fang members not long afterwards, in a brazen yet violent rogue operation. I can distinctly remember it, since it was all our organization could talk about for a while. It did a lot of damage to our reputation, even though they weren't affiliated with us any more. You worked with them to have her killed, didn't you?"

Crawford looked down and muttered "Yes."

"Why?" Weiss inquired, her voice quiet.

"Because even I had my standards. I didn't care for Gwyneth, but even I didn't want her dead. Besides, it was also a good way to protect myself and the other board members from suspicion." Crawford told them.

"But the day Ramos was assassinated was also the day your leg was so badly injured," Weiss pointed out, then her eyes widened slightly at the epiphany.

"Yes, I told Jairaj that I would pay his group extra to injure me so no one would suspect a thing. I walked with Ramos out of the office building and they ambushed us according to plan. Little did the filthy half breeds know that our security guards were packing new assault rifles, and so they didn't stand a chanc-" Crawford didn't get to finish before Velvet came over and kicked him in the head, bouncing his head off the wall.

Everyone looked at the Rabbit Faunus, and saw that she was seething in anger, her face red with rage. "You hypocritical coward!" She hissed, "You hate Faunus so much, but you still used them to do your dirty work. Why do you hate us so much?"

Despite being threatened by many dangerous weapons from several Huntresses, Crawford glared at the Rabbit Faunus and said, "Because, as the old saying goes, 'There are two kinds of people in this world; the ones who stay put in their proper place and the ones with their foot in the other one's face.' You Faunus are the former. You deserve nothing but slavery and death. You're inferior to me because you are abominations composed of both human and animal while I'm a pure human."

"One Velvet is worth more than any number of you. You're nothing." Weiss spat as Willow glared at Crawford.

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth about Ramos? Why choose to injure yourself?" He asked, "It makes no sense."

Crawford met his gaze and answered, "Because if you knew the truth behind Gwyneth's death, you wouldn't have lost all sympathy for Faunus-kind. By having some ex-White Fang thugs kill Ramos and injure me, I removed all doubt from your mind that anyone but the Faunus could have been behind it and by surviving the accident and still staying in the company, I became a shining example against Faunus rebellion and my power and standing within the S.D.C.'s grew. Everything was perfect right until Weiss went to Beacon academy and made her some pet friends who corrupted her."

"Gotta say, I'm running out of reasons not to kill you." Yang growled, her aggressive tone making Crawford flinch again.

"W-we didn't know any of this," Kenzo stammered, who seemed genuinely stunned, "This is news to both of us."

"We will determine if there's any truth to your words later." Sharp Strike said, glaring at Kenzo as Sun paced back and forth with his fists clenched tight.

"I say we skip imprisonment and take this son of a bitch to the new White Fang and let Razor and the others turn him into a living punching bag." The Monkey Faunus suggested.

"It might sound unprofessional but I can't help but agree, Atlesian reactions be damned." Winter remarked.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer for that, Specialist Schnee," The sound of Commander Central's voice came from the hallway outside, followed by marching footsteps. Everyone turned as the armored forms of Task Force Omega's Commander, Jammer, Javelin, Shocker, Invictus, Fieros and N1CK3L entered the conference room, "Though I can't say I disapprove of the idea."

N1CK3L nodded a greeting to the other members of Team Beacon and upon seeing Penny wave enthusiastically at him he returned the gesture, albeit in a much more professional manner, though he did seem rather concerned by the slight tilt of his helmet-covered head at the torn skin on Penny's hand.

Jammer and Shocker placed both Kenzo and Nordstrom in handcuffs respectively, the two men not putting up a fight at all. If anything, they looked more resigned than distressed to their fates.

Yang hoisted Crawford up and held him still as Central approached.

"Commander, before you arrest him, I have something to say." Blake spoke up. Central paused, and then gave a nod.

The Black Cat Faunus turned to face Crawford, "I doubt you care about what I'm going to say to you, Mr. Crawford, but I want you to hear this. Adam Taurus was the only survivor of the Ausz Massacre. He and his family were taken from their home by your thugs and enslaved to work in that illegal mine. His father was killed trying to overthrow your mercenaries, and so he and the remaining members of his family were mutilated as punishment, and when you ordered their deaths his mother gave her life so Adam and his sister Lily could escape. Lily soon died of starvation afterwards, her remains tossed into the sea by an uncaring ship crew. The abuse you and your underlings inflicted on Adam turned him into the monster that hurt many others, Faunus or not, including Yang," She gestured to Yang's robotic arm, "Sun," she then pointed to his robotic appendage, "And the many S.D.C. employees he armed in various raids and the countless people who died when Beacon Academy fell. You don't just have the blood of the blood of the Ausz massacre victims on your hands, but the blood of all of Adam Taurus's victims too."

The Cat Faunus then grabbed him by his front collar and roughly pulled him down so their eyes lined up, "I'm here to speak for everyone you've hurt, Faunus and Human, directly or indirectly, and tell you that you're finished. No more running from the justice you so richly deserve. You are going to face the full consequences of your actions…and I hope you rot in the worst prison the military authorities can find for the rest of your miserable life."

Blake held Crawford's gaze for a second more, before releasing him and then walking off to the side to be comforted by Yang, Ruby, Weiss and Sun.

"Alan Crawford, in the name of the Kingdom of Atlas and its military, you're under arrest for conspiracy, slave-trafficking, mass murder, kidnapping, assaulting the company president of the S.D.C., assaulting a Specialist of the Atlas military forces, assault on a Huntress-in-training, attempted murder on all three, illegal Dust mining operations, blackmail, assault on the two remaining Seasonal Maidens, and I suspect we will have about a hundred more charges against you once we do some more investigating. However, due to the crisis our Kingdom is currently undergoing, we cannot risk you taking advantage of the situation, so until the crisis has passed you will be denied trial and be kept imprisoned aboard the Resolute until we can transfer you to a prison facility at a later time. Once the danger has passed you may speak to an attorney and properly prepare your defense. Please fully cooperate with Atlesian military personnel and no harm will come to you." Central told him in a serious tone, before glancing at Javelin and adding, "Get him out of here."

Javelin took out a pair of high-tech handcuffs from her waist pouches, but stopped and looked at Blake, "Would you like to do the honors, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake was surprised by the offer. She looked at the others, who all gave her encouraging looks in return, especially Yang, Sun, Ruby and Weiss. Blake then accepted the handcuffs and locked them around Crawford's wrists with Central helping to hold his arms back.

The humiliation was too much for Crawford, who let out a furious roar of anger as he began to rant, spittle flying from his lips, "I'll have your careers ruined for touching me, you tin-plated thugs!" He snapped as he struggled to look back at Willow, "You're going to regret this! People like me are what's keeping this entire company from collapsing into a dark hole! Soon you'll be begging to have me back, you'll bribe General Ironwood to release me and then I'll have my own power and privileges back, because you need me, Willow! You need me!" He shouted dementedly as Invictus and Javelin shoved and corralled the disgraced employee out of the conference room and into the hallway.

Invictus growled and hoisted the handcuffed man up the collar and growled, "You killed hundreds of people like me. You're lucky to still be wasting air, but I'm very tempted to cut you off. So shut your mouth. Now."

Crawford's eyes widened upon realizing that the armored soldier in front of him was a Faunus. How could the elite Task Force Omega of the Atlas military forces could allow such lowly creatures to join them? It just didn't make sense.

"Cool it big guy, he's got the rest of his life to suffer. Let's just get him out of here." Javelin said as Invictus begrudgingly put Crawford down. They glanced over down the hallway, where a few dozen employees of the company had crowded up down the corridor to listen-in and check out on what's happening, "Military business, citizens, please don't mind us, go back to your jobs."

They continued on, leading the snarling Crawford away with Kenzo and Nordstrom, all three of them never to set foot in the S.D.C.'s headquarters again.

"So long! I hope you forget not to drop the soap!" Amethyst shouted as the group vanished through the opaque doors at the far end of the hallway. Heliosia rolled her maroon-red eyes and gave her sister Maiden a disapproving look, but the Spring Maiden simply shrugged, "He has it coming."

"He really does." Coco agreed, crossing her arms.

"So what do you think will happen to them?" Scarlet wondered aloud.

"I suspect Kenzo and Nordstrom will give up everything they know and sell out Crawford for lesser sentences," Winter surmised, "And Crawford will try to find a way out of it, but he'll find none. The crimes he committed, and what he tried to do today, nothing he can do will cover this up or make it go away. In fact, many of his so-called allies would dearly love to see him in prison, so he's finished."

"General Ironwood says the Atlas Council will decide when and if we reveal this incident to the public," Central informed them, "What do you think, Councilman Schnee?"

Willow sighed as he sat back in his chair, nudging a spent bullet casing at the edge of the table which clattered onto the carpeted ground beneath, "I suppose we'll have to deliberate on this, but I think it would be for the best if we came clean about the truth behind the Ausz Massacre once all the information has been collected and verified. The S.D.C.'s PR and stocks will take a big hit; and our business relations, especially the ones Crawford had forged for us, will inevitably be strained once the news get out. Thankfully I'm not without business contacts and influence myself, but if I'm careful and vow to do everything I can to make up to the massacre's victims and the Faunus people for what this company has done to them, then the S.D.C. can survive."

"I don't doubt any of that," Winter answered, "This company has had scandals before, and this one will inarguably be the worst. I used to think that you only cared about the company, profit and the family image."

"There was a time that was all too true." Willow pointed out, "Until my two daughters decided to help me open my eyes to the truth."

"Still," Winter continued, "You have indeed changed for the better, and so will the Schnee Dust Company. I'm very proud of you, father."

Willow allowed himself a small smile as he faced his daughters, who looked back at their father with pride. "Thank you," He managed to say, his aged face showing genuine affection.

"I have faith that the rest of the Council will do everything in their power to help you, sir." Central said, saluting the patriarch of the Schnee family before he looked at Winter, "Bringing these men to justice is a fine piece of work, Specialist Schnee. You're a credit to the Atlas Military."

Winter nodded in appreciation and exchanged salutes with him.

Central then looked to Weiss, "We overheard everything, Miss Schnee, you did a first-rate job. It's too bad that you have already dedicated yourself to the life of a Huntress, we could use another Schnee in the military. Thanks to all of you, Crawford will spend the rest of his life paying for his crimes and the Atlesian authorities will also hunt down all of the mercenaries involved with the massacre, you have my word."

"Thank you, Commander." Blake said.

Ruby looked over and saw N1CK3L inspecting the torn skin on Penny's hand, inquiring, "Are you sure you are unharmed?"

"It's a minor tear, and besides I've had much worse." She assured him before gesturing towards the Atlesian Knight that she had destroyed, "Obviously, my opponent got the worst of it."

The leader of Task Force Omega then faced a select few members of Team Beacon, "Team JNPR, will the four of you please follow me and my team? There's an airship outside waiting to bring you all to the Resolute."

"It's Odinson, isn't it?" Ren said quietly.

Central gave a nod, "General Ironwood feels the time has come for Miss Valkyrie to do what she can to help us get any valuable information out of him, who we have currently in custody." He looked at the rest of Team Beacon and added, "I'm afraid this invitation extends only to Team JNPR."

"It's okay, we understand." Ruby said.

The brief pause had caught the attention of some of those in the room, Winter and Qrow exchanged glances over it.

"I'm honestly a little surprised he's even letting Jaune and me to come along." Pyrrha voiced.

"Well…" Central began, pausing slightly before carefully continuing, "He knows this meeting won't be easy for Miss Valkyrie, so it would be best for her whole team to be there for support."

The brief pause had caught the attention of some of those within the conference room, with Winter and Qrow exchanging glances with each other.

"We'll thank him when we get there." Jaune said, "We'll meet you guys back at the Schnee Manor, okay?"

"Sure thing," Ruby agreed, "Good luck up there, we're all rooting for you Nora! You too, Ren!"

"Thanks a lot! Have a good time at the hospital too!" Nora wished them while Ren smiled and nodded at their friends.

"Sorry we couldn't join you, it would be wonderful to help cheer those poor people up." Pyrrha mentioned, as she regularly visited hospitals to spend time with sick children ever since she became famous.

"Don't worry, we'll tell them that you said hello." Amethyst promised.

"I'm still not sure that my superiors will approve of this…detour." Sharp Strike voiced after sighing.

"Well, then why don't you just report in and ask permission? I mean, you're still here with us and everyone can be our acting bodyguards." Heliosia suggested, "Plus, I think it's obvious that your superiors would have knights acting undercover almost everywhere now, so they could just have the shadow us easily."

"Let's see what they have to say before we make any concrete plans." Sharp Strike said.

Team JNPR left the conference room with Jammer leading the way, walking out into the waiting room where Mrs. Halvorsen and some security guards under the S.D.C.'s employ instructing the employees who had witnessed the aftermath of the incident to disperse and carry on with their jobs until their employer had consulted with the Atlas Council and made a final decision. The crowd of employees dispersed pretty quickly, not wanting to lose their jobs.

Commander Central and N1CK3L went to follow them, when Task Force Omega's commander stopped and looked back at the Enhanced Tactical Android, "Would you like to join them, N1CK3L?"

The android paused, "Come again, sir?"

"You haven't really been able to spend that much time with your sister, and the last time it happened you both were interrupted by a crisis. How about you go out in public, and spend some time with Team Beacon? Since we'll be working with the to obtain the Relics, it would be advantageous for you to continue forging a good relationship between teams." Central told the android.

"If you are certain you will not be needing my assistance to escort the prisoners, Commander, then I can see no harm in spending the rest of the day with Penny and the others." N1CK3L stated in his typical dry tone.

"Good, the rest of Task Force Omega can handle it from here. You can signal us for pickup when you're ready," Central said before he turned to look at the remaining members of Team Beacon, "Once again, thank you for all of your service."

As he walked off, Penny came over to her brother and hugged him from behind, "I'm so happy we get to spend the day together!" She cheered with vibrant happiness.

"As am I." N1CK3L replied, still in an emotionless tone.

"We really gotta work on his emotions." Coco quipped, smiling.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my office," Willow said as he stood up, "I must contact the rest of the council and tell them what has happened. You all have my sincere gratitude for helping us, as this wouldn't have been possible without you. If I had relied on my security guards, that brief scrap with the rogue Atlesian Knights could have been much worse."

"Think nothing of it sir, it's what we do best." Ruby told him with a smile.

Willow nodded at her, then looked around to the Faunus members of the assembled group, "And to you, Faunus, I hope this will begin to make up for the atrocities people like Crawford, Kenzo and Nordstrom have inflicted on your kind."

"Hey relax, what's past is past." Sun assured him.

"You realized your mistakes and had made honest efforts to change, and those actions more than makes up for whatever you might have done in the past." Velvet added understandingly.

Blake smiled at him and answered, "They're right. You wanted to show us that you've changed, and I think you have achieved it. Thank you."

Willow nodded at the Black Cat Faunus before he hugged both of his daughters, and then bid them all farewell.

Team Beacon stepped out of the conference room just as the janitorial staff arrived to begin the clean-up. Their shocked faces upon seeing the mess inside made Amethyst, Team SSSN, and Yang laugh out loud.

"Uh, sorry about that…at least we kept it contained to that room." Ruby offered nervously.

As they traveled back towards the landing platform, Sharp Strike removed his scroll from a compartment on his right arm and contacted Argentius.

"Ah, good to hear from you again, Sharp Strike," came Argentius's voice over the scroll as an image of him and Soul Seer appeared on the thin screen, the background was the Schee Manor's library, "I trust you and Team Beacon have apprehended the targets?"

"Indeed, all three perpetrators responsible for the Mt. Ausz massacre have been arrested and are in the custody of the Atlesian Military." Sharp Strike reported succinctly.

"Mr. Crawford did try to put up a fight though, but it was short-lived." Heliosia added as she walked next to the Knight Errant.

"Wonderful to hear," Soul Seer commented, "But I suspect you have something else to tell us?"

"Indeed we do," Heliosia admitted, "Some of Team Beacon wish to visit the main hospital here in the Atlesian capital to pay a visit to an ally who lost an entire leg during the attacks on Atlas. We are hoping to join them, with your permission of course."

The Knight Champion and Chief Prognosticator glanced at one another, "I personally don't think that would be a wise move. Salem could have agents hidden anywhere." Argentius eventually stated.

"If anything were to happen, we would have most of Team Beacon to act as our security," Heliosia pointed out, "Besides, we're the Maidens and we should help out whenever and wherever we can. Amethyst and I have had enough of hiding, and the people of Remnant desperately need assurance in these dark times. We're both in agreement that it would be for the best if we are seen in public, or at least to visit the ones injured in the Grimm attacks on Atlas. To give them some hope after what they have been through."

Soul Seer thought about it, before turning to consult someone off-screen. After several seconds had passed, she eventually nodded and said, "The Summer Maiden raises a valid point. The hospitals in the cities are crowded with those injured from the towns and villages that were attacked by the Grimm swarms. Perhaps the Maidens making a public appearance would quell the anxiety those poor souls are feeling at this moment, since the people of Remnant already knew of her existence."

Argentius considered it, "I don't disagree, and it would do us some good too to be seen in public and since Sharp Strike is already there I'm sure he can perform his role perfectly. Still, it carries many risks. We shall contact Grand Knight Master Seraph and the rest of the Guardians of Remnant to discuss this matter with them, then ask for their ruling. Until the answer's given, stay on the airships. Understood?"

"Understood Master, Team Beacon will keep the Maidens out of sight until you have given the word. Thank you for your time. Protect the innocent, survive the trials, serve Remnant." Sharp Strike acknowledged before he ended his scroll's video call.

He then looked at Heliosia and said, "I hope that you aren't putting yourself in any unnecessary danger, my lady."

"I have you and the rest of Team Beacon to protect me and Amethyst right?" She gave him a warm smile, "I'm sure we will be fine…for now, anyway."

---

Task Force Omega's Strike Corvette, Retribution, flew away from the S.D.C.'s skyscraper and over the city, lights from the towering buildings and communication towers sparkled underneath the clouds as the airship flew towards the Resolute.

"Come in, Resolute," Said Fixer as he flew the ship, "This is the Retribution en route to you. People of Interest have been apprehended with no casualties and little damage. Requesting permission to dock. Over."

"Copy that, Retribution, you are cleared to dock. Over." Said the Resolute's Flight Controller over the radio frequency.

Jaune glanced back at the three detained men, Crawford was still scowling and whispering to himself and his cohorts.

"Don't worry, Ironwood can't keep us locked up in his ship. I'll have him removed from the council and-"

"Don't count on it, Crawford," Kenzo interrupted, "We're in deep enough as it is. Quiet before you make the situation worse."

"Worse? How could it be worse?" Nordstrom asked.

"Relax you morons. Trust me, we'll be freemen in three days time, at the most." Crawford replied.

"I wouldn't count on it," Central said, "My intuition tells me your sordid histories will be public knowledge by tonight and will be all over the news. Trust me, you're not getting out of the Resolute's brig for a long time, and considering the severity of your crimes…let's just say it's safer for you up here than down there."

"He's right," Said Jammer, "A lot of Faunus are going to want to take a crack at you. So even if you somehow manage to get out of here, I get the feeling you'd be hunted down by a lynch mob within the hour."

Crawford grimaced, but went silent.

"So I'm guessing he'll get a life sentence?" Pyrrha wondered.

"That or the death sentence, anything less and the public will go nuts." Jaune remarked.

"Either one would suit me just fine." Invictus said to them.

Pyrrha nodded and looked over to Nora, who seemed to be deep in thought. She reached out and gently placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Remember, we're here for you."

Nora gave her a smile, "Thanks Pyrrha."

"You must be nervous, huh?" Jaune said.

"Like you wouldn't believe. I've barely thought about Mr. Odinson for over a decade. Now I'm going to see him in like ten minutes and finally find out why my parents were running." Nora answered.

"And why the Nuckelavee chased them to Kuroyuri." Ren finished gravely.

"You're Kuroyuri survivors?" Asked Javelin, sounding surprised, "Man, I remember hearing about that. So sorry."

"It's all right. We've come to terms with what happened. Who we lost that day." Ren told him.

"And we're about to learn why." Nora said firmly. Ren looked over at her, their eyes met and their gazes slowly calmed one another. While many would assume Nora had only made it this far in life because of Ren, they both knew it was only because they had each other. They both would have perished at Kuroyuri if it hadn't been for one another.

The Retribution came in for a landing on past the long deck of the Resolute, landing lights shining brightly as the ship carefully came to a safe stop within the hangar. General Ironwood and a formation of soldiers stood on the deck to greet them.

"Get moving, scumbags." Invictus snarled as he shoved Crawford forward. The ramp lowered and Central took the lead while the three handcuffed men were led out by Task Force Omega. Team JNPR followed them out of the ship and onto the hangar of the highly advanced airborne battleship.

The ship's high altitude made the air even more frigid, so the four young Hunters leaned together to keep warm as Task Force Omega and the others seemed used to it, though the trio of former S.D.C. board members were obviously underdressed.

"General Ironwood," Began Central, "Thanks to Councilman Schnee, Specialist Schnee and Team Beacon, three men who we are charging with slavery, Faunus trafficking, illegal mining operations and mass murder, among many other crimes, are in custody."

He stepped aside and gestured to the three captives.

Ironwood glared and then said "Commander, get these inhuman pieces of filth processed and thrown into the brig. I want them out of my sight before the temptation to execute them gets the better of me. You will stay here as our prisoners until we have the time to put you on trial."

"You'll never convict me." Crawford sneered.

"Don't bet on it." Ironwood replied before looking at Central and adding "And after you're finished with that, bring Odinson to the interrogation sector."

Without another word, Task Force Omega began escorting the three men to the Resolute's brig.

"They better get used to life inside of a cell, it's all they'll know 'til the day they die." Jaune remarked.

"Indeed, Mr. Arc. Miss Valkyrie, Mr. Ren, I trust you're ready?" Ironwood asked the couple.

Ren and Nora shared a glance as they squeezed their clasped hands together.

"We're ready, General. I want to see him." Nora said.

---

Garret Odinson, dressed in a simple gray prison uniform relaxed on his cot, which was surprisingly more comfortable than he had anticipated. It was nothing compared to the bed he was used to, but it wasn't the worst thing he had slept in. The worst part of his incarceration aboard the Resolute was just how boring it was, with no entertainment aside from getting lost in his own memories and recalling the good old days.

Lunch would be arriving soon. Perhaps he could request a book to read or something.

The cells were small, but not cramped and, like all prisons and jail in Remnant, it had the extra security field of aura-suppressing energy field within the walls, thus preventing anyone who had a powerful enough Semblance to be capable of breaking out.

The noise of armored footsteps caught his attention. He lifted up his head to see out the barred cell door and watched as a few familiar figures marched by. He sneered at the sight of Task Force Omega, but was surprised when he was a rather familiar face.

He sat up and called out "Crawford?"

Crawford, now dressed in a simple uniform, walked with his cohorts down the prison block. Crawford glanced over and did a double-take upon seeing who had called him.

"Odinson? So this is where they're keeping you." Crawford remarked.

"I guess it shouldn't be surprising you two know each other." Said Jammer as she shoved him towards his cell.

"Let me guess, you made deals with Odinson, but only through the dummy corporations he owned." Central voiced as he stopped in front of Odinson's cell, looking from one prisoner to the other.

"You'd be correct, Commander Central. I was a secret business partner shareholder of the S.D.C. for years, Mr. Crawford was the only one who really knew after Schnee himself turned down all my offers. And let me say how horrible to see you again, Commander. So, have you Atlesian bastards decided to just skip the trial and kill me or what?" Odinson asked as he glared at the armored commander.

"Afraid not. So far you've proved difficult to interrogate and won't give out any details about your dealings with the enemy, so we've decided to try something new." Central told him as he unlocked the cell door and took out a pair of handcuffs.

Odinson didn't resist and held out his hands. "What are you gonna do? Waterboard me? Electrocute me? Cut off bits of my fingers and toes one by one? That's what I would have done if I were in your place."

"Not what we had in mind, we've brought you a surprise." Central said as he cuffed the fallen crime lord.

"Oh wonderful, an early birthday present, how sweet of you, Commander." Odinson deadpanned.

"Cut the quips and move." Central ordered firmly as he allowed Shocker to escort the prisoner to the interrogation sector, Central following them.

As they approached their destination, Odinson shook his head "You just don't get it. I'm a dead man as it is for being captured at all."

"Then as far as I'm concerned you have nothing to lose." Central replied, which earned a snort from Odinson.

"Your head must be thicker than that armor! If I just wait for them to kill me it may be a quick death, but if I give you any information…I'll suffer in ways you can't imagine before I die." Odinson said, his voice shuddering as he imagined the countless horrible things Salem could do to him.

"You'll be safe here, and we've increased our security drastically since the Fall of Beacon. So relax and consider your options." Central told him as they approached an interrogation room, a double-sided chamber that could be separated into two should the prisoner be violent, but for now the wall of thick glass was contained in the ceiling above and the two tables were pressed together.

Jammer cuffed him to the table and the two walked out of the room.

Odinson smirked and shook his head, muttering about what a waste of time and tax money this all was. He heard the door at the other end of the room open but he didn't bother looking up to see who it was, but the pair of footsteps let him know how many he'd be dealing with.

"Save your breath! I've withstood all the interrogators the Mistral Capital's police could throw at me, took the stands and convinced so many judges and juries that I was an upstanding citizen that the thrill of lying has become mundane. You'll never get me to-" He looked up and the words died on his lips when he saw who was standing before him.

"Nora?" He asked, quietly, his voice shaky as he took in the strong woman who was no longer the little girl he had once adored.

Nora sighed as she took her seat, Ren simply gazed at the man as calmly as he could, though it was obvious he wasn't about to be friendly to him.

"Hey, Papa Ody. It's been a long time." Nora began.

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader with an additional story idea by Peter Ray King.

You may have noticed this chapter and the last are shorter than usual, that's because I've made the resolution to tighten the pace and keep the chapters short so the length doesn't get out of control like it did in the last story arc.

Hope everyone enjoyed The Batman and Spider-Man: No Way Home as much as I did.

Also I must make an announcement about the other project I've been working on and it's why there's been a long gap between updates; it will be called Legacy of the Skywalkers, a rewrite of Disney's mostly disastrous Star Wars sequel trilogy. Many of the characters and ideas from that trilogy will be kept, but heavily altered to make it less…bad. The Force Awakens will be changed the least, but the other two entries are so different they've changed titles.

If you liked this story, I hope you'll fave, follow and review. Leave a kudos, comment or bookmark.