Blake has experienced much pain and guilt throughout her life; leaving and abandoning her parents for the White Fang; being one of the few to have changed the once peaceful White Fang into one of violence and hate for humanity; and slowly watching her then-boyfriend become sadistic and cruel to civilians. With all that in mind, this surely made it up there.

Laying down in the hospital bed before her was a comatose Tukson. Different areas around his body were heavily bandaged while some of his limbs were placed in casts. Even when covered, numerous cuts and stitches were still visible across his skin. Many tubes were attached to him to simply keep him alive and breathing, but frankly, he barely looked like it.

Blake and Ruby had arrived at one of Vale's Medical Centers early that morning. Thanks to the latter's police friend, Sergeant Frank, they were able to get information on where Tukson was hospitalized. It was a free period until that afternoon so they had enough time to pay him a visit. When they got there, it broke their hearts to look at him in such a state. The doctors had informed them that he was lucky to even be alive, any later and they would be having a much different conversation. Even then, they weren't sure if he was going to awake anytime soon.

For the past hour, both girls stayed inside Tukson's room. Even though they weren't family or knew him deeply, it felt wrong to simply leave him there alone. While Blake sat by her old friend's bedside, Ruby stood at the corner of the room, staring blankly out of the window.

"Tell me you know who did this." Blake said. It wasn't a statement, it was a demand.

Ruby was hesitant to answer, but knew that her teammate wouldn't give up on the matter. "...I know what's going through your head Blake. Believe me when I say that you don't want to."

"Do you know who did this." She repeated once more.

"...Yes."

"And?"

"You don't want to get involved with this."

Saying that certainly got a reaction from her. "Ruby, he's hunting down former and current White Fang members, and others won't be as lucky as Tukson! And if what you said last night was true, then it's only a matter of time before we do!"

Ruby finally turned to her friend and matched her furious eyes. "If half of what I know about this guy is even true, then he is far more dangerous than he lets on. And no, what you and the rest of the team are doing is figuring out Torchwick and the White Fang's plans. This other player is my responsibility, and mine alone."

"And who decided that? Since when has it become a private matter?

"The moment I found out that the guy knew my training, gear, and even who trained me."

"Then it proves that you-"

"Blake, he personally knows who trained me."

It took a few before Blake's angry confusion turned to fearful shock. "Wait, does that mean…are you-?"

The Girl Wonder shook her head and slumped back in the chair, "No, if he knew, he would've made it more obvious or attacked me outside the mask. However, what he already knows is damning enough. The 'who' and 'how' are still a work in progress, but it's a leak that I have to find. Nonetheless, I can't risk getting anyone else involved."

As much as she wanted to help, Blake knew that she didn't have much of a say in the matter. Ruby was right, it was becoming a private matter and it was best that she didn't force herself into that. She made her choice and it was something that she had to respect. Although, that did leave open a question:

"So, what are you planning on doing?" asked Blake, "No offense, but I doubt that you'd be joining our search for information on Torchwick and the White Fang later."

"On the contrary," Ruby leaned in and rested her chin onto her hands, "I will be joining you guys, only I'll be doing my own kind of research. Something tells Weiss and I will be checking out the same place anyway."

A soft sigh escaped from Blake's smile. While it wasn't going to be a full cooperation, they were at least going to investigate as a team. It was better than nothing.

Nothing too eventful would happen for the duration of their visit. They stayed with Tukson's unconscious form, left him some flowers, and even discussed some stories Blake had with the faunus himself. But, as they made their leave, a pair of guests caught Ruby's attention in the hallway.

Although in somewhat formal disguises, she had no trouble identifying both Lil' Miss Malachite and her daughter Melanie. What the hell were they doing here? If she was going to find out, she had to be discreet. Without Blake even noticing, Ruby fell behind and snuck into a nearby supply closet. A couple seconds later and out she came dressed in nurse scrubs, a face mask, and a surgery cap before tailing the pair of criminals.

While Ruby made the effort to not be spotted, she realized it may not have been necessary as the Malachites looked distressed and distracted in their brisk walk. It wasn't until they swiftly entered the room at the end of the hall, not even bothering with the open door, did she finally understand the reason.

Lying fast asleep on the hospital bed was Miltia Malachite. Layers of compressed bandages were wrapped around her head and body. There was some bruising around her eye while her lip looked to be busted. Other than that, there seemed to be not much damage done to her.

Ruby knew who the Malachite twins were and their reputation with Junior Xiong. Anybody who can keep up with Yang was certainly formidable in combat. But last she checked, they often fight together as one team. Which is why it's suspicious when only one of them is hospitalized while the other is completely unharmed.

"I never should've left Miltia," Melanie gripped the sides of the bed, "If only I was there with her, then maybe-"

"Then I'd be the one regretting by the foot of your beds. You're not the one to blame here Melanie," Miss Malachite interjected softly as she held onto the hand of her daughter.

"Then why aren't we going after the one who is?" asked Melanie, her voice laced with venom, "We have connections, mother. There's surely someone out there who can-"

Lil' Miss had had enough and shut her daughter down, "Enough! Melanie Malachite, I forbid you from pushing this problem any further! You saw what that madman has done to our people. I will not pursue a cause that will force me to bury both of my daughters!"

Melanie trembled while her eyes watered. She looked close to cracking, but her mother caught on and held her close. With her daughter tight in her embrace, Lil' Miss spoke, "It was no accident your sister came out as fine as she is. Neither of you are worth sacrificing to see how far that web goes."

Ruby knew what incident Lil' Miss was referring to. When the police investigated the meet-up location, she heard some of the officers puked at the sight of the head-filled bag left on the table. They IDed the heads as the no. 2's of each crime syndicate in Vale. Given how violent the Red Hood was willing to go, Lil' Miss was right on her part: Miltia came out better than any of Hood's victims.

But why? Former White Fang members like Tukson had ended up for worse ware than Miltia, especially those who are in her current position within a Crime Syndicate. Race or Sex wasn't a factor because Hood made no discrimination with the level of violence on his victims.

An idea then struck her as she continued to watch the Malachite family grieve over their fallen family. Family. Red Hood may have had sympathy for those with deep familial connections. Perhaps it's rooted by personal experiences if it made a change in M.O. But that still brought up another question:

How does someone with such sympathies be as cold blooded and ruthless?

While the day continued on, everything felt to be dragging too long for team RWBY. Every other hour, at least one member looked to the nearby clock to count how many more seconds they had left. Their impatience only got worse during their last class of the day, Grimm Studies with Professor Port.

Weiss felt her eye twitch as Professor Port continued to drone on about a previous encounter he had with a Boarbatusk. Her fingers tapped repeatedly onto her desk as she eyed the time on her scroll. It was minutes away from the bell ringing. But as if time couldn't get any slower, Jaune Arc suddenly scooted over to her side.

"So, uh, Weiss," the blond whispered, "I was thinking, after this, would you want to grab a bite to eat? A-And, uh, I got 2 tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie if you're willing to take the trip to Vale. I heard it's awesome….Annnndd maybe if we have time, we can study together? I mean, I know Pyrrha's smart, not that I'm saying you aren't-!"

*RIIIIINGG*

Saved by the bell. "No. No. And Pyrrha is sufficient enough." Without another word, Weiss stood up and collected her things before leaving behind the dejected blond. As he sulked in his chair, he felt the comfort taps of the other members of team RWBY as they walked by.

Yang was at least optimistic for him, "One day, vomit boy."

Others weren't as much. "You're barking up the wrong tree there, Jaune" said Ruby.

Having wallowed enough in his own shame, Jaune stood from his seat and was about to drag himself out the lecture hall. Something, however, caught his attention on his way out: an open-faced notebook atop one of the nearby desks.

Someone must've left it. He thought before picking up the notebook and checking for any recognizable handwriting. Only, nothing was written on the pages. They only had crude illustrations of Grimm, covered with different colors of marks and symbols that he couldn't initially properly decipher. But it only took him a couple seconds to realize that it was an illustrated breakdown of Professor Port's lecture; notable points of strength of the Grimm; areas of weakness used by the Professor; and even levels of armor thickness around the body.

Suffice to say, Jaune was incredibly impressed by the person's 'note taking' ability. But nonetheless, it still didn't answer the issue of who owned the notebook itself. Turning to the cover, he barely made out the scribbly name of 'CSNDR'.

"Hey!"

Turning around, Jaune came face-to-face with one of the transfer students, Emerald, and she didn't look too happy to see him holding the notebook.

"Mind giving that back? My partner owns it."

Now knowing who owned it, the blond was quick to give her the item, "R-Right! Sorry. I just saw it open on the desk and was trying to find out who owned it."

Emerald eyed the boy with suspicion and cautiously accepted the notebook. She quickly scoured through the pages for anything malicious.

"I have to say," Jaune added, "I've never seen someone take down notes like that."

The flipping of pages stopped as Emerald stilled, much to the boy's confusion. Had he said something wrong? Shutting the notebook, Emerald spun around and hastily went for the door. "Thanks for your help."

Jaune barely got another word out before she made it out the doors, leaving him dumbfounded on the spot.

That was…odd.

Inside the dorm room of team RWBY, the different members were preparing themselves for their trip to Vale; each member had changed into new garments and had their weapons at the ready by their side.

"I thought that class would never end." said Blake while she tightened the ribbons on her arms.

Ruby rolled her eyes before asking the group, "Everyone remember their jobs?"

Each member nodded before reciting their own roles to better recap:

Weiss started, "Ruby and I would head to the CCT and check the Schnee Records to check for any other robberies and inconsistencies."

"I also have a contact that may help find out if other companies are facing the same issue." Ruby added.

Now it was Blake's turn, "The White Fang has regular faction meets to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, then I may be able to find out what they're planning."

And lastly, Yang's turn, "I have an old friend in the shady side of town who typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting some info out of him shouldn't be too hard."

Seeing everyone having understood their roles, Ruby continued, "Alright, we'll all reconvene near Yang and go over what we've found. Everyone ready?"

"Hm,"

"Uhuh,"

"Yup"

"Yeah!"

Everyone readied their weapons and aimed at the open window to find the familiar Sun Wukong hanging upside from a tree branch.

"Sun?!"

"How'd you get up there?"

"How long have you been there?"

"Oh, it was easy. I climb trees all the time," Sun just waved them off before climbing through the window, "And I only got here when you guys were explaining your plan."

Oh, Ruby could practically feel Bruce rolling in his grave.

"So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?" asked Sun.

"WE are going to investigate the situation, as a TEAM." Blake emphasized her points as she gestured to her team.

Ruby further explained, "Sorry Sun, we're trying not to get any more people involved."

"Oh come on, it's just me! My team is still ship bound for another week. Besides, I'm already pretty involved after the incident at the Docks."

"Sorry, but-"

"Actually, maybe he could come along with Blake as back-up," Yang interjected, "Blake is practically walking into a Lion's den. And since none of us are faunus, she could use all the help she could get if on the off chance someone recognizes her."

Blake seemed hesitant to accept the proposal and eyed her team leader, "Um, I don't think that would be-"

Ruby nodded with Yang's idea, "She's got a point. If someone recognizes, you'll be completely outnumbered and outgunned. Best that you have someone with you to help escape."

"Alright then!" Sun was too eager to accept the proposal, "Let's start investigating!"

A heavily sighed dripped from the heiress as she reluctantly agreed, "Fine. But if you're going with Blake, then we want discretion!"

"And make sure you both have each other's back."

While Weiss and Yang conversed with Sun, Blake and Ruby had their own private discussion. "Are you sure bringing Sun with me is a good idea?" Blake whispered.

"Robin can only do so much when shadowing you," Ruby whispered back, "Can't hurt to have an extra person with you while I search the building."

Blake couldn't argue with that, but she had a nagging feeling that something could go wrong. "What are the chances of Torchwick or the Red Hood being there?"

"Torchwick, we can handle him. Red Hood?" The Girl Wonder kept quiet as she thought her words carefully.

"...He's mine."

"If you don't mind me asking, who's your contact?"

Ruby raised an eye at her partner while they waited inside the elevator of the CCT Transmit Tower. This wasn't just curiosity or banter to pass the time; Weiss wanted to shift her focus somewhere else instead of her own complicated feelings. The different expressions she made in the elevator when it called her 'Ms. Schnee' made that certainly obvious. It must've been sunk in that she was dipping her toe back into a world that she did her best to escape from.

"An old family friend of ours that can get me the information I need. I've known him almost all my life."

"And he won't be too suspicious?" asked Weiss.

"Oh, he will be. But don't worry," Ruby then assured her with a wide grin, "I trust him more than anything."

At that moment, they heard a ding from the elevator and the doors opened. They've arrived.

Although they could've easily just used the school's communication terminal in the library, Ruby insisted they head to the CCT Transmit Tower as she had never seen it up close before. Of course, in truth, she wanted there because she'd have a more secure line to her contact.

Through the doors, they headed straight for the front counter and were greeted by a holographic AI, "Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?"

"I need to make a call to the Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss said.

"Certainly!" A couple beeps were made before responding back, "Head to Terminal 3 and we may patch you through."

"Thank you," Weiss said. Before continuing, she closed her eyes and took a long and deep breath then proceeded to Terminal 3.

Now it was Ruby's turn to approach, and like Weiss, the hologram greeted her, "Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?"

She first looked around to make sure that nobody was looking at her, and then whispered, "Override Code, 91939. User, RBN-81940."

The hologram flickered for a bit before changing color to Red, "Welcome, how may I help you?"

"Secure line to Penny-One. And get me records for reported Dust Robberies within the last 6 months and surges in White Fang criminal activity all over Remnant. Send them all to Terminal 13 then log off."

"Right away."

The miracles of using WayneTech. If she ever sees Barbara again, she's going to have to thank her for the backdoors.

Heading over to the isolated Terminal 13, Ruby sat herself and plugged in her scroll. Just as she asked, both records sat waiting in a folder until she transferred them to her own scroll. Now there was only one thing left to do. Opening the communication line, she sat back and waited while the call rang its receiver.

When was the last time she's seen him, let alone call him? Actually, no, she knows exactly when. How selfish could she be? She wasn't the only person to have lost something that night. While she lost an Uncle, the man had lost the only thing that came close to being his son. And yet, he's kept up with her life, but she hadn't made the effort to even check on him. On second thought, maybe this wasn't a good idea-

*CLICK* "Wayne Residence, how may I- Miss Ruby?,"

Too late.

On the terminal screen, a video call showed the very familiar aging face of one Alfred Pennyworth. He looked different, but the same as the last time she's seen him; there were a couple more wrinkles on him; he had more gray hairs and even less hair on top; and lastly, she could've sworn there was a little bit more light in his eyes the moment he saw her.

"Hi Alfred," Ruby gave the old butler a soft smile.

"My word, it's been far too long since I've last seen you. How is Beacon Academy treating you and your sister?"

Ruby chuckled, "We're alright Alfred. In fact, not only have Yang and I made it on the same team, but I'm actually team leader."

The light in Alfred's eyes only got brighter and a prideful smile grew on his face, "And I couldn't be more proud. If Miss Summer and Master Bruce were here too, I'm sure they would be as well."

Her smile faltered a bit at the mention of their names, and she knew Alfred had noticed as well, so she was quick to change the subject, "Enough about me, how have you been doing?"

The Wayne butler raised a brow at her, not so willing to easily let the topic drop, "I've been spending much time with Ms. Thompkins as of late. But enough of beating around the bush, we both know this isn't a call for pleasantry or small talk."

Nothing gets past the butler huh. "I'm afraid not Alfred."

"It's alright my dear. It's about time these bones needed something to do. I've been watching the news recently, so I assume it's about the new player in Vale. How may I be of service?"

Ruby was actually hesitant to ask, and even wondered if the butler even knew anything about it. However, if she were to get to the bottom of the mystery, she needed to get all the facts. "...Alfred….has….has Bruce ever adopted someone else?"

The question stunned the butler for a moment before shifting to concern. "Certainly not a question I was expecting. May I ask what brought this on, Miss Ruby?"

The Girl Wonder deflated in her seat before explaining, "It's the new player in town. He…He's good. Better than I anticipated. He was able to keep up and outpace me and skilled enough to cut my lines before coming taut. And he was far too familiar with what I could do. He knew my training, the counters to my gear, and practically anticipated almost everything I was going to do. He knew details very few would even know about like mom's old uniform."

"Alfred…He knows Bruce."

"Hmn," Alfred tightened his lips and furrowed his brows, "Now that is a line of concern. Are you certain that he knows? Are you compromised as well?"

"I'm positive he knows Bruce. Not only did he name-drop him, but the way he acted made it seem like he knew him personally. And no, I think I'm still in the clear. However, he practically knows Robin like the back of his hand. So much so that…"

"He may have been trained to be one," Alfred finished, rubbing his chin in deep thought, "I must say, I'm as befuddled as you are Miss Ruby. Master Bruce has never taken in anyone else, with you and your sister being the exception of course. And if you recall, he'd been quite reluctant to train even you during your younger years, let alone some stranger. The only reasonable explanation would be that he'd been trained by a skilled fighter who knows Batman's identity. But even so, it still doesn't fully explain their intimate knowledge of Robin or Master Bruce."

Skilled fighter who knows Batman's identity. Something clicked into Ruby's head that got her thoughts going. "Alfred, you don't think the League has something to do with him, do you?"

"It would explain some details, but why in Remnant would Ra's Al Ghul train someone like the Red Hood? And for what purpose? After years of dealing with him, he's evermore inclined to have Master Bruce be his successor."

"Actually Alfred, I'm thinking a little lower."

"You mean Miss Talia? Well, it would certainly make better sense- Ah, it would seem our time has been cut short."

Huh? Cut short? "What makes you say that-?"

"Alright," The approaching voice and tapping of heels from Weiss Schnee answered her question, "The SDC records are in our possession. We'll go over these while we wait-" She stopped short the moment she laid eyes on Alfred Pennyworth on her Terminal screen. Her brain short-circuited as her eyes widened while her mouth dropped agape.

The Wayne Butler chuckled at the heiress' shock before turning back to Ruby. "I mustn't keep you waiting, Miss Ruby. May we continue this another time." Not another word was spoken as the line disconnected and the screen returned default.

Weiss stood frozen in place, even after the call had ended. "Uh, Weiss? Are you in there?" She didn't even react to her partner waving a hand in front of her face. Ruby was starting to get concerned.

It took another minute before her mind completely rebooted. She then faced her partner with the shock and awe still in her eyes. "H-How How do you know the Wayne Family Butler?"

Oh. Ooooohhhh. Her eyes widened too in realization before giving a sheepish grin. Now that's a hard story to explain.

"Your uncle is Bruce Wayne!?"

"Shhhh! Not so loud!"

Ruby decided that their conversation would be better made with more seclusion. It's how RW members ended up seated in a quiet Café in Vale where the former better explained her relationship with the Wayne Butler, but more specifically, the Wayne Family. Suffice to say, she wasn't exactly taking well.

"I'm sorry, but I've just been informed that my team leader is an heiress as well to the biggest rival company to the SDC. How can you tell me to NOT freak out?!" Weiss angrily whispered the last part, "We've been staying in the same dorm room for almost 3 months. We've literally convinced Blake that there was no need to keep any more life-changing secrets. And now I am learning that this whole time that you've been sitting on the fact that you and Yang are related to Bruce Wayne!?"

"Technically, I'm the one who's related."

"Not! Helping! Your case!"

Ruby winced at her partner's venom, "Alright! Geez. I'm sorry, it's just…not exactly something that we try to make public knowledge. Bruce and our mom made sure that neither of us made it to the limelight. She even preferred that not many people know that she was even a Wayne."

As mad as she was, Weiss couldn't fault her partner for not telling them in the first place. Numerous times in her life she wished to have a more private life instead of being flaunted around by her father. And with the amount of effort made to make sure Ruby and Yang's lives were behind closed curtains, it certainly took restraint and thought on who to share the secret with to make sure it all doesn't go crumbling down.

Still, with all that they all experienced and shared with one another, she thought the team had all their cards on the table. It didn't hurt any less to know that there were still some secrets kept.

Weiss grumbled her frustrations while she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Please tell me now, is there any other groundbreaking secret you'd like to share? Because I don't know what I'll do if there's something bigger than this."

Maybe the fact that I'm your secret childhood vigilante friend that's been lying to you since the first day in Beacon? "Nope."

Some relief washed over the heiress as she melted back into her chair. But while she somewhat believed her, there was this nagging feeling at the back of her head, as if there were still some pieces left that were unsolved. Her mind always kept going back to the night she reconnected with Robin at Beacon's roof. The way Ruby and Robin gave their word…irked her. It can't have been a coincidence, can it?

While Weiss was busy collecting her thoughts, Ruby was caught by surprise by seeing the familiar orange hair of someone from across the street. It was Penny. She hadn't seen her since the night at the Docks when she just up and vanished after the cops arrived. Right now, she looked nervous, incredibly so with how stiff her posture and her brisk speed of walking. Something was wrong. Ruby had to go talk to her.

"Sorry Weiss, let's try to reconvene on this later."

"Huh?" Weiss snapped out of her stupor and immediately tried calling out to her partner, "Ruby! Wait!"

But by then, Ruby had already took off for Penny, leaving Weiss back at the Café

It took some effort to catch up with her, given her speed. The Girl Wonder tried calling out to her friend, but she must've been so deep in thought that she hadn't registered her voice. Eventually, she finally got her attention after going ahead of her and stopping Penny…by colliding into her and falling down.

"Ruby?" Penny looked down, finally registered her fallen friend.

"Ouch. Hey Penny, how have you been?" Ruby picked herself back up while brushing off any dirt and soothing her yet to be healed bruises. Felt like I just ran into a wall. "Haven't seen you since the docks."

"Right, I apologize for that. Father told me to keep a low profile during my visit to Vale and the incident with the Docks did not help that."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I got you in any trouble," Ruby apologized before continuing, "Is that why I haven't heard from you since?"

"Actually, there was no trouble at all," Penny corrected, "Father and the General aren't aware that I had any involvement with you. I've only informed them that I just happened to be there during the robbery. The reason I've made no contact with you is because I have been busy with a new assignment that's of utmost importance."

Something more importance than finding Vic? Ruby was starting to get concerned and just had to ask, "Penny, you wouldn't mind telling me what your assignment would be? Would you?"

Of all reactions she expected, excitement was not something she expected Penny to give. "Excellent! Your interest means that you have willingness to cooperate. Am I correct?"

For a second, Penny had her worried for a second. Chuckling at her friend's antics, Ruby nodded in response, "Yes. I'm willing to help."

"Sensational!" Penny cheered, "Now, details: Just after the incident at the Docks, it was discovered that someone had taken a prototype weapon from the Atlas Military's R department. They're unsure how someone found out about it or how they were able to smuggle it out from Atlas' supervision, only that it was delivered directly here to Vale. It's unknown where in particular it is in Vale, but they're positive it has not left the city."

"And it's your job to track it down and reclaim it," Ruby concluded, earning a nod from Penny, "Alright, a prototype weapon should be easy to spot. Do you have any idea what it looks like?"

Penny seemed hesitant at first, for some reason, but eventually relented, "Perhaps it's best that I show you."

Ruby was confused at first when Penny took her hand and dragged her somewhere. A few minutes later did the Girl Wonder realize that she led her to the Atlas Presentation in the city's plaza. Confused, Ruby was about to ask her friend their purpose there, but was gestured by her to watch.

In the center of the plaza, a holographic image of General Ironwood took center stage with two large metal containers behind his left and right being guarded by Atlesian Knights.

"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. But, the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'? Well, that's just not good enough."

As if on cue, the doors to the containers rolled up and revealed new state of the art versions of their own automatons. Compared to their original, design, the new ones had more bulky armor that covered more of the exposed areas. Their new sleek white color made the armor look more new and clean, along with being less intimidating. And most noticeably, their head had been completely changed to be an open-view visor with its head outline in metal.

"Introducing our rebranded Atlesian White Knights. Or the AK-200 for the sticklers out there. They're sleeker, more durable, and fitted with a new adaptive combat AI that can handle enemies of all kinds."

Its new design honestly irked Ruby to the point of nearing hatred, especially with side outlines of the head resembling that of bat ears. She knew that it was an intentional design, but only showed her frustrations by gripping her hands until the knuckles were white. Really trying to rebrand themselves as protectors from Atlas, huh?

"So, someone stole new models of Atlesian Knights? Pretty sure they're next to useless without Atlas' Operating System." Ruby said.

Penny shook her and gestured to her to continue watching.

"These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone! While the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require a more…human touch. So, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, allow me to introduce to you, the Atlesian Paladin."

The hologram of General Ironwood disappears and is quickly replaced with a holoview of a behemoth of a mech-suit. Similar to the Atlesian White Knights, it had a similar black and white theme and resembled to be more human-like. Twin rocket launchers were mounted on both shoulders and the gauntlets of the suit had more armor for close quarters. But while the AK's were more subtle with their allusions to the Bat, the mech-suit was blatant, and almost flagrant, with their resemblance. In line with the open-view visor, strips of metal were attached to the sides of the helmet to resemble pointy bat ears. The plates and cells around the waist were made to resemble a utility belt. But the most prominent feature would be the black logo of the kingdom of Atlas etched into the chest piece.

"The pinnacle of Atlesian Combative technology, our new line of superheavy combat battlesuits will be patrolling our streets and defending our borders."

Ruby held herself back from shouting or making a big scene. That didn't stop her anger from bubbling over as she felt blood lightly seep from her palms. Those disrespectful sons of-

"Now, we couldn't have them here for you today, but rest assured that they will be ready to protect us before the year's end!"

But her anger had to be subsided for now because the look Penny gave her confirmed that this was the Prototype that had been stolen. Alright, given the size, weight, and importance of the cargo, it would need to be placed somewhere big, secluded, and well-protected. Somewhere that's hidden in plain sight. A place that people wouldn't bat an eye while it's being transported-

The Girl Wonder's eyes widened as she suddenly recollected Roman Sionis' turmoil from the previous night. A truck with important cargo had been stolen from him last night; a cargo that was difficult to obtain and smuggled out of Atlas. And right now, one of the most dangerous Atlesian prototype weapons was loose somewhere in Vale.

But she wouldn't be the only one who had come to this conclusion.

In an undisclosed location, Red Hood sat in worry before a scroll Livestream of Atlas' Presentation.

Thanks to the help of some listening devices, Hood had overheard the issue with Black Mask's missing Cargo Truck. So, after the encounter with Robin, they spent the night searching and eventually found said truck abandoned at an old White Fang operation site. The cargo it held had been a shipping container labeled with 'Property of The SDC and The Atlas Military'. It was left open and empty.

With the same conclusion, both vigilantes came to the same thought as well.

Damn it.

Holy Crap, I was supposed to upload this back in Christmas. Unfortunately, each time I thought I was nearing the end, I realized late that a scene needed more words. So, sorry about the delay!

The changes I made for the new Atlesian 'White' Knights are supposed to make them look more akin to what Failsafe looked like during his introduction. For the Atlesian Paladin, they are now replaced by the Superheavy Batsuit of 'Rookie' featured in New 52's Batman run Issue 41 - 50.

Now, thank you for reading! Please leave a comment or a review if you liked it!

Late Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

I do not own any of the characters. All characters and names used are owned by Viz Media and Detective Comics (DC).