I had this crazy ass dream about this lost Ben 10 episode where Ben found out Animo had been injecting alien DNA into insects around Bellwood to make them common place and ruined the ecosystem

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

Ben assembled the group into his and Ruby's spacious Atlesian dorm room. He looked out at the crowd noting that everyone minus Elm, Camie and Marrow were present. Honestly, that was fine. Elm, Camie and Marrow were still dealing with the Grimm assaults in Mantle. They said they could handle it, so Rex was just lucky to have some 'off' time.

Given everything, those assembled had a pretty good idea what this was about. Well, for most of them it was either one of two big issues. For Ceres, she knew exactly what it was.

"Ok...we need to have a talk about Ironwood," Ben finally said, getting right to it. There wasn't exactly a delicate way to broach the topic, so better to just get it out in the open, right?

"Yeah, I'm not sure I'm one hundred percent comfortable with how he's not really focusing on Mantle. And of course, not a sliver of that focus is going to change Atlas." Kylie said.

"For the first time, I guess you can say that both cities are being neglected. First time they're equal in something. But even then, Mantle still has that little extra to tip it to be worse, that curfew," Rex added.

"Oh, it's more than the curfew," Ceres said, "You all heard about the whole murder spree?"

"Of course. Part of my morning assignment was helping Vine look through the case files," Weiss answered, "See if there was any similarity in the old murders that we could use. Maybe a way to find Tyrian."

"Didn't Harriet get pulled for that too?" Kevin asked.

"She did, but it's not...exactly her area of expertise."

"Well, that wasn't the only arrest the general wants carried out. We just learned about the other and it's…not good, to say the least. It's Robyn," Ceres said, crossing her arms.

"Seriously?" Min huffed. "Christ, that's not even the worst thing Ironwood's done as of late."

"Huh?" Ben looked at Min.

Min blinked, realizing what she just said,"Uh, what I meant to say was, um," she looked around a bit nervously before sighing, "Okay, so. I know this is gonna sound bad, but...a few of us looked into Ironwood's files."

"...go on." Ceres said.

"I wanted to talk to you guys about something. For a long, long while." Blake spoke up, standing up to face her friends, " Since we're being more blunt about things, I don't one hundred percent trust Ironwood."

"Why not?" Weiss stared at Blake.

"Before you react, just know that I had my reasons," Blake raised her hands in defense, "Given the last few track records of the headmasters, and…some weird secrecy within the Atlesian military, I started getting this weird feeling in the back of my mind. And it very quickly began to grow."

Yang shot a quick glance over to Blake, wondering if she'd mention that she told her this first. Or maybe it'd just be assumed.

"No military is 100% honest about anything," the feline Faunus explained, "Even if I work for it, why should I believe everything?"

"I know we all have our reservations about him…but this goes beyond that, doesn't it?" Ben frowned.

"It does. Like Min said, a few of us broke into his files. I was the one that came up with the plan. The others agreed."

"Care to explain then?" Weiss asked, "For us seemingly not in the know."

"Certainly," Rook answered, standing up. Ben looked a bit surprised to see him joining Blake.

"This was during the 'Nemesis' situation. While Ben and Weiss searched for evidence against him and most everyone else was attending the exhibition, myself, Blake, Min, had broken into a secure system and discovered a variety of different folders." Rook explained, "Among them were quite a few questionable things, but the most heinous details were organized under a folder named 'Fafnir'."

"We found…contingency plans for us." Blake added. "Total deconstructions on how to deal with us if we ever turned."

"Blake told me about them, too," Yang spoke up, "during the No Face situation."

"And Min told me shortly after it happened," Kevin came clean.

"The contingency plans weren't the worst part of it, though. We found the details and trials for Project Fafnir," Min said.

"Which is?" Kylie asked.

"An Aura Transfer Device."

"A what?" Ruby asked, eyes wide and horrified.

"Exactly what it sounds like. The good news is that the machine never really worked the way they wanted. The bad news is that the project was reassigned to someone else," Blake added.

"And the worst part is how badly the trials failed," Rook frowned.

"That...that's ridiculous. Aura's a part of us, a part of our very souls! You can't just make a machine to move it from one conduit to another like it's any other form of energy!" Weiss interjected, "What you found was...was probably just some crackpot theory made by a now disgraced madman!"

"Yeah...and your stepfather financed it." Blake said. "Weiss, I'm sorry, I really am. And I know these accusations wouldn't hold without proof. And we have a lot of it."

"Like what?" Rex wondered.

"For starters, do you remember the gun Ironwood used against Vilgax?" Min asked. "That was meant for Ben."

"Ok...now it's my turn to ask: 'what?'" Ceres asked, "I mean, yeah it was a big gun, but Ben's got plenty of different forms that can absorb energy."

"I don't know all the tech behind it, I just know he worked a DNA scanner into it. That was the only thing under Omnitrix. But he had something for everyone, and I mean everyone."

"I-! N-no," Weiss interrupted again, "Prove it. You said 'for starters' so you must have more! Let's see it!"

Blake was honestly hurting seeing Weiss hear the news and reacting like this. This was her father, someone she could look up to and be proud of, unlike Jacques. And now, here she was, being told that Ironwood may have been secretly worse. After all, Jacques didn't try to play with the very souls of Hunters, not literally anyway.

"We stored the data on this, just in case." Rook said, pulling out the Proto Tool and setting it down, "Ben, may I borrow your laptop?"

"...yeah, sure. Hold on." Ben zipped over to his computer and hastily deleted his internet search history, "Alright, here you go."

Rook nodded and pressed a button on the side of the Proto Tool. A small USB port with an extension cord emerged from the side, which he then plugged into the computer. He brought up the files, input the password (which Yang realized Blake must have suggested) and soon enough, all the proof they needed was displayed on screen.

Ben's eyes shrank in fear as he saw all the evidence just pile up on top of each other. Detailed files, the aforementioned contingency plans, even stuff on his own two daughters-

"...no." Weiss gaped, looking absolutely shattered by this revelation. "No…"

"There's...there's no way." Rex stammered, also looking quite distressed."This...this can't be..."

"Rex," Blake started, "There were also a few files tagged with 'Salazar.' I didn't read through them out of respect but..."

"So...so what? You're saying...you're saying my parents helped Ironwood with some of this...this...I don't even know what to call this shit! That they helped make something that could turn a soul into just another form of electricity?!"

"N-no! Not at all! I don't know why so many files were under the name, maybe not all of it was as bad as the transfer device! I just thought that if anyone should read them first, it'd be you."

Rex's face twisted a bit, and he clamped his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, and rubbed his eyes for a moment or two.

"Can you guys...leave me alone for a few minutes? I...I need to read those documents." Rex said.

"Of course. I think we need to talk with Weiss, too," Rook said, looking over to the heiress. Her whole view of her father was collapsing in mere seconds and she was...taking that about as well as one would expect. Kylie's hand was firmly gripping Weiss' own, hoping that would at least ground her enough to hear what everyone else had to say. The other members of the group filed out of the room, leaving Rex alone with the files.

He started to open and read through them. At first, they were all benevolent. Most of them were medical experiments, testing processes for new medicine and even the occasional prosthetic replacement project, though they mentioned that robotics were more of Dr. Polendina's field of expertise.

At some point, during one of the medical papers, they mentioned being brought on by the general of Atlas, not Ironwood, but rather his predecessor. Ironwood was mentioned as a "well put-together, fresh out of the academy Hunter." All in all, these reports corroborated the reports he found at Arrowfell and the ones Ironwood himself gave him access to. He kept reading through document after document, trying to find where things went wrong.

And then he did. The first mentions of the ATD. It wasn't even meant for widespread use but instead for one, specific case. His. His Aura, when he was born, was unnaturally low and no doctor affiliated with Hunters could figure out why. How could one diagnose a problem with something connected to the soul after all? There wasn't even going to be anyone else involved, just them, just loving parents giving their son a chance by donating pieces of their own Aura. But such a massive undertaking would need funding.

Enter: James Ironwood, now general of the Atlesian military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy. He was fully willing to fund the project, give them all the materials they would ever need for this, including equipment, Dust and extra staff hands, but he wanted one thing in exchange. They were going to make more than one set of pods which were to be handed over to the Atlesian military.

The light of the monitor reflecting in Rex's eyes needed to be a lot brighter if it was going to hide the shock. The man he trusted, General Ironwood...this seemed benevolent, but given how the military was from time to time, he just didn't trust it. Rex powered through. He was so close to getting some proper answers. Even if everything told him otherwise, a part still held out hope that something benevolent would come out of this. If nothing came from the ATD, then he could find out something else.

He could learn something, anything, about his family. His brother. His mom. His dad. Wherever they were in this crazy world.

At first, the condition of handing them over to Ironwood didn't seem that bad. After all, he would probably just redistribute them to hospitals or have them be available as a worst case scenario treatment. Right?

No.

Whatever he wanted them for, human testing was the first issue he broached to the Salazars after everything had been going underway. They insisted that only volunteers be used for this and even then that they limit the actual tests. Ironwood's solution was simple: death row inmates. The Salazars argued against it but Ironwood's argument managed to sway a lot of the staff. This way, even if they wasted their lives in cruelty and depravity, they could contribute to a brighter future. A very Atlesian opinion.

"No fucking way..." Rex muttered, as he stood up. He paced around the room for a moment. There's no way Ironwood would trade any life, no matter how awful they were, just for the promise of progress, right? That wasn't him. Ironwood was calm, cool, collected. This had to be Ironwood in his early days, someone who was still new to the whole 'general' business. Everyone could be a little reckless or over the top when first put into power.

But that wasn't what was really boiling Rex's blood right now. It was the fact that, even after the Arrowfell incident and all the records from White Knight's tenure that he found, Ironwood fucking lied. He told Rex multiple times that he really knew nothing about the whereabouts or fates of his parents or brother. But that was a lie, every time he said it was a lie, a lie that had spanned years.

Wait, his brother. He hadn't seen his brother mentioned in many of these, at least not in a new significant way. There was the same info he learned from Arrowfell, but he needed more than that. He kept reading through the documents, eventually forcing himself to try and just skim over the grisly details of the trial runs. Fortunately, none of these reports had images attached so he was spared the gory details. Eventually, he found a report written, not by his parents, but by Ironwood himself.

Rex's brother had burst into the general's office one day and made it abundantly clear how many issues he had with the way the project was going. Ironwood surmised that these were the parents' concerns as well, but only the eldest son was brave enough to bring them up to the general himself. Ironwood made note of the issues though and he started to have doubts. Small doubts for now, but, as clear from the present, those doubts grew.

Rex was almost scared to read on. One might think that those doubts were altruistic, maybe he was regretting the human trials. But there was just something about those words that felt like they were hiding something. Ironwood wasn't acting like the altruistic man he usually was; this wasn't the guy dressed up as Optimus Prime for Halloween or the guy who coolly shot down a rogue Boartusk at a fancy party before giving one hell of a good speech to Jacques.

No, this was a man on a power trip.

However, when Rex got to the last report, it wasn't some personal report about how Ironwood was taking the project away from the Salazars. The author of this document was someone else, someone who's name was oddly redacted from the document. Whoever they were, it seems that they had been given full control over one of the only two working ATD pods that the Salazars had managed to produce.

"No...no, no, no, that can't be it. What happened to them? Why'd someone else take over?!" Rex yelled, almost ready to punch the computer in pure frustration.

Rex looked ready to quit. There were so many answers in front of him, yet there were just more questions. Rex grit his teeth and slammed his fist on the table in anger.

The mystery deepened.

And Ironwood was at the center of it all.

If Rex felt unbridled anger and defeat at all of these revelations, Weiss was just defeated. This was her father, the man she considered her real father. This was all just a dream, not a nightmare. That was it! She was just having a bad dream and any minute now she'd wake up and her father would be the same...oh who was she kidding?

Not even she bought the dream excuse.

The group had retreated to Blake's room down the hall to give Rex space and to just process what they learned. Ruby handed Weiss a bottle of water and sighed.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Weiss. I really am." Blake said. "I know it shows exactly what Ironwood was worried about with my lack of faith but-"

"...it's worse that you were right," Weiss said quietly. She didn't even acknowledge the water Ruby tried to hand her. She was just broken...

"How could he do this? All the good will…just gone," the heiress muttered again, tears threatening to start streaming down her cheeks.

Blake knew this news would shatter Weiss, and this was the fallout she was VERY worried about, destroying a friendship she'd been building up for so goddamn long. Blake was starting to regret even looking into it. After all, ignorance is bliss, right? She had no reason to worry before...

And yet...

Goddamn it.

"I...I think...I just...need some time alone..." Weiss finally said, "Just...to process all this."

"Yeah." Ceres agreed, taking a deep breath. "We all do. We really, really do. Just...Christ. We've been working with this guy since Beacon, and he hasn't trusted us once. It's Servantis all over again."

"Except this is worse than Servantis. He only had a few really loyal people on his side. The Plumbers never really believed him about us going rogue. But Ironwood? Ironwood's been the leader for years," Ben added.

"And because of that, people are more willing to either turn a blind eye or just outright agree with him. If we call him out on this, he could have the entire military throw us in a cell and let us rot." Ruby said.

"Not if we fucking riot." Kevin offered.

"If we did, we would only divide Atlas further. We would be doing Salem's job for her," Rook reasoned.

"We can't just do nothing with this!" Min countered.

"I am not suggesting that, merely that we need to hold off on a true confrontation while a much bigger threat is looming."

"...I'm not the only one who got Ozpin vibes from that am I?" Yang asked.

"You are not," Rook admitted and sighed, "But the point does not ring any less true."

Ruby looked to Oscar since the entire time he'd been with the group, he hadn't been saying anything. He looked wrecked by the truth and seeing his own folder included in the contingencies did a number on him. There wasn't any sign that Ozpin had come back, but Ruby could tell that, even if he had, the old Beacon headmaster would be just as wounded.

"I mean Rook's right. We save Mantle then we talk to the general about this," Ceres admitted. Everyone caught her choice of words there, though. She didn't mention Atlas there.

"That works for me." Ben nodded. "That place needs more saving and with Vilgax in the wind and Tyrian stalking around down there, who knows when that powder keg's gonna get lit."

As the group discussed their next steps, Oscar's scroll suddenly beeped with an incoming message. He looked down at the device and saw that it was a message from Ironwood requesting a meeting with him. That timing could not have been worse.

Oscar hesitated for a moment. After everything he had just learned about Ironwood, he didn't trust the man anymore. But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what the general wanted to discuss with him.

"I got an alert to meet with him," Oscar announced, holding up his scroll. "I'm not sure if I should go or not."

"You might need to." Blake said. "Just act natural. Pretend nothing is wrong, and deny, deny, deny. Okay?"

Oscar took a deep breath.

"I'll try."

Oscar arrived at the designated meeting spot, a secluded room in Atlas Academy. Ironwood was already there, looking at a holographic map of Atlas.

"Oscar, thank you for coming," Ironwood said, turning to face him.

"What did you want, General?" Oscar asked, his tone cautious.

"I wanted to show you something," Ironwood then led Oscar to a nearby elevator, one that clearly wasn't meant for ordinary use, the keypad and handprint scanner made that clear enough. After meeting the security requirements, stepping in, and letting the doors close behind them, the duo descended several floors down, the time seeming to stretch on for hours, until they arrived at their destination. One final large security wall stood between them and whatever the general wanted to show the newest incarnation of Ozpin. The wall itself was of the highest caliber. It looked like you'd need a tank cannon to even scratch it, and even then Oscar didn't think that was a certainty. While the farm boy took in the sight of the shield, the general input his personal access code into another keypad to grant them both entry. The metal shuddered and slowly began to open, separating into four large triangular sections. As the sections slid away and revealed what was within, Oscar couldn't believe it.

"This is..." the boy began.

"The Vault of the Winter Maiden." Ironwood completed. The duo stood in front of the gate that housed the relic.

"The Staff of Creation," Oscar's eyes widened, "Just beyond that door."

"It was Oz's idea to use the Staff to lift Atlas off the ground." Ironwood said.

"Huh? I thought that Gravity Dust kept Atlas afloat." Oscar said.

"Eh, that's the public story." Ironwood corrected as he walked forward, "But with the Staff, we have a constant, seemingly limitless energy source. Oz once speculated it could take us as high as we wanted. To tell you the truth, that served as the inspiration for the Amity Project. Get a communication tower up in the sky, higher than the Grimm can survive so we never lose contact with each other again."

Given what he'd just learned, he couldn't tell if this was an act or genuine. He hoped it was the latter. Yet, there was a part of him that was still curious.

"But you're not using the Staff to raise Amity," the farm boy pointed out.

"The Staff can only be used for one purpose at a time," Ironwood explained, "We're going to have to do Amity the old fashioned way, Dust and all."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"I thought it might help you remember something. One of your past incarnations decided to use the Staff to raise Atlas. Maybe seeing it will provoke some memories. Could really use some of Oz's sage advice right about now…"

"I'm sorry, General," Oscar shook his head, "I don't remember anything like that."

Ironwood sighed. "I had a feeling that might be the case. You're still young, Oscar. You have a lot to learn about the world, about yourself. One day, you won't be able to tell yourself from Ozpin. And when that day comes, what will you think about my actions? Will you understand why I did what I had to do?"

Oscar frowned, feeling uneasy at those words. After learning the truth about the man in front of him, that statement almost felt targeted. Maybe he was just acting on Ceres' words from earlier.

"I don't know, General," Oscar replied honestly. "I understand that you have to make tough decisions for the good of Atlas and its people. But I also think that there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. I don't believe in an autocratic government, and I don't believe in sacrificing innocent lives for the sake of the greater good."

Ironwood's expression turned cold. "And what makes you think that I would ever do something like that?"

Oscar flinched. "I...I just don't want unnecessary conflict."

"I understand your concern, Oscar," the general's expression softened slightly, "But sometimes conflict is necessary to achieve what is right. As leaders, we have to make tough decisions that not everyone will agree with. It's not an easy path, but it's one we must take to protect our people."

"But at what cost? What about the people who get hurt in the process? What about their families?"

Ironwood sighed. "I don't like the idea of hurting innocent people either, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. It's a difficult concept to grasp, but it's one that every leader must come to terms with. Otherwise, we risk being weak...like Lionheart."

Oscar had no response for that.

"We have to stop Salem. Nothing matters more." Ironwood said, turning around.

"Something does." Oscar retorted. "Keeping our humanity. It's what makes us different from her."

Ironwood paused.

"Sometimes…Sometimes I worry that's her greatest advantage. Without humanity, does she still feel fear? Does she ever hesitate? When Salem hit Beacon, even with all my ships, all of my soldiers," Ironwood finally spoke, his words melancholic, his gaze almost distant, like he could practically see that black queen chess piece symbol still flashing on the monitor of his gunship before it went down, "I was no match for her. I've never felt so helpless."

Ironwood's eyes went dark. "So I'll never feel helpless again. No matter the cost."

Oscar was suddenly very scared for his safety as they both went for the elevator.

Up on the main level of Atlas Academy, Winter paced back and forth in front of the secret elevator, holding something in her hands. The elevator beeped, prompting Winter to stop and stand at attention. Once the doors opened, Ironwood stepped out, sighing and still trying to compose himself so no one would worry. Oscar followed behind him, still a bit on edge.

Ironwood paused when he saw his second in command.

"Winter. What is it?" the general asked.

After a curt salute, Winter handed Ironwood the envelope, showing a wax seal bearing a familiar emblem on it, along with the letter J written on the front. Ironwood eyed it curiously before taking and opening it. His eyes scanned the contents and, after a few moments, slightly widened in surprise. He looked to Winter as if to confirm and her response was a simple nod.

"...you're kidding," the general groaned.

"What is it?" Oscar asked.

"My 'father's' first act in office. We've all been invited to dinner where the General will be defending his seat on the Council," Winter grimaced.

"His timing couldn't be worse," Ironwood muttered, rubbing his forehead wearily, "We have enough to deal with as it is. Appeasing politicians-"

"I know, but he's not going to take no for an answer," Winter interjected with a nod, "And he won't hesitate to use any leverage he has against us."

"Very well," Ironwood sighed, "We'll attend. As if we have a choice."

"Maybe this can be a good thing." Oscar spoke up, "I need to go back to the Outcasts, let them know."

"Hm, alright. They won't be needing any fancy for this," Ironwood nodded, letting Oscar run off, but the general's eyes were locked on the farm boy as he left.

"What's wrong?" Winter asked, noticing the look on Ironwood's face.

"I'm not sure," the general shook his head, "Oscar...he seemed different somehow. More resistant, I guess. I can't shake the feeling that something's off."

"What do you mean?" Winter frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe it was what said down there, maybe it's nothing. But either way, part of me thinks we might need to keep a closer eye on him. Especially with Salem's forces moving closer to Atlas every day."

"Yes sir," Winter nodded, understanding the gravity of the days to come. Though part of her couldn't help but wonder why. Surely if Oscar was being influenced or if this was some kind of infiltrator, they would have noticed something by now.

"Good," Ironwood said, looking back to the letter, "Now let's prepare for this…party.. It's going to be a long night."

The Gelé Manor was abuzz with two kinds of people that night, the media and the guests. Reporters and paparazzi had formed an entire sea around the entrance to the estate, only physically held back by velvet ropes and guards. The security team were all dressed in dark blue suits, white ties, blue sunglasses that protected their eyes from the myriad camera flashes and a silver pin of Jacques' overly-designed personal emblem. It was like one of those gilded painting frames resembling branches curling together and around a central snowflake like design.

The camera flashes were more aimed at the arriving guests, of course. The elites of Atlas were always a goldmine for news-worthy drama and controversy. Two of the attendees were, of course, the other current members of the Atlesian council. Sleet and Camilla had each arrived in their own limos and smiled and waved for the cameras, keeping a confident face as they made their way into the manor. Other supporters of Jacques arrived with equal fanfare, most of them sharing similar views to Jacques himself, either in terms of personal beliefs or business.

And then came the Ironwood entourage. Four white cars, each emblazoned with the symbol of the very kingdom, rolled up to the entrance of the manor.

"Of course it's a media circus," Ironwood sighed before opening the passenger side door and stepping out. Winter followed suit, not even bothering to hide her displeasure at being here. She tried her best to just block out the torrent of questions she was getting from the reporters.

"Not even going to try to look 'politely happy?''" Ironwood asked, taking note of her expression.

"As my father and commanding officer, I say this without the slightest hint of disrespect to you," Winter said, low enough for only herself and her father to hear, "I would rather die than give him even the illusion that he's won me over."

"Valid," Ironwood said as he and his second in command made their way to the front door. Following behind them, exiting the other three cars before they drove off, were the other members of the Ace-Ops and the Outcasts. Marrow, despite all his military training and nerves of steel when it came to Grimm, was sweating bullets here. Here he was, the Faunus Ace-Op, walking right into the proverbial lion's den.

"Hey…you good?" Blake asked.

"Oh, yeah, no absolutely. Just about to walk into the home of the biggest anti-Faunus bigot in the city! What's there to worry about?" Marrow chuckled.

"Marrow, trust me. Just as uneasy as you are. I'm half expecting the guards to stop us at the door for being 'suspicious.'"

"Doing a hell of a job hiding it."

"Doing a better job than Weiss will be," Yang chimed in.

"Where is she anyway?" Marrow asked.

"She decided to-" Blake began, before the rest of her sentence was practically drowned out by a new uproar from the paparazzi. Cameras flashed in quick succession as a new car, a fancy white Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, rolled up to the entrance. Instead of normal wheels, the car had been outfitted with gravity Dust emitters, turning what would usually be considered an antique into an upgraded technological hybrid.

"My lady, you're sure about this?" Klein asked, adjusting his hat behind the wheel.

"As sure as ever," sighed, "I'm more concerned about-"

"Mom…I'm fine," Weiss said, "We're fine." The youngest Schnee daughter grabbed the hand of her girlfriend and squeezed tightly. Kylie took notice of that, because clearly Weiss was hiding her own very strong emotions.

Even if they did have a plan. See, Weiss, much like many in the Outcasts, was in complete shock and disbelief when they heard the news of Jacques' victory in the polls. She couldn't believe it; in fact, she flat out refused. Literally everything that happened these past few months had pointed to Jacques' campaign falling to pieces before his eyes and she couldn't have been happier. Expose him for the bastard the heiress knew he was. But then election night came. Some of the election sites in Mantle continued on through the night despite Vilgax's attack, but up in Atlas, the polls went on unimpeded. So, Weiss had taken Kylie aside the very minute she heard that her mother had been invited to the celebrations and they came up with a plan. Jacques' shady history was, effectively, an open secret. Everyone knew there was something going on, but no one could ever prove it. That ended tonight. Somehow, someway, the two of them would sneak into this monument to Jacques' ego, find the proof that he had rigged the election, and laugh as they watched his aspirations burn down around him again.

The car doors opened and the passengers disembarked, being greeted by a chorus of questions and calls of attention from the various reporters and other members of the paparazzi. As the Schnee women made their way into the manor, they couldn't help but feel the eyes of the guards and the guests on them. The tension was palpable, and they knew that they had to be careful not to raise any suspicion.

Kylie and Weiss made their way to the ballroom, where the celebration was in full swing. Jacques was holding court, surrounded by his loyal supporters and sycophants, all eager to bask in his glory. Weiss could feel her blood boil at the sight of him, but she kept her composure and focused on the task at hand.

"I at least want someone to be held accountable tonight." She muttered to herself. "And if it's anyone, it deserves to be him."

As the group walked in, Weiss stopped as she noticed a certain someone approach the general and the rest of his retinue.

"Good evening, everyone. General," Whitley greeted, before his eyes shifted over to his older sister, "...Commander."

"Whitley," Winter greeted, though the way the words hung in the air, it sounded like they were practically laced with venom.

"I thought you would have rejected the invite," Whitley cleared his throat before Winter could retort, turning back to Ironwood, "General, how large do you think our dining room table is?"

"I happen to know it's enormous. But most of my guests will be on standby in case the council needs additional eye witnesses. Until then, I'm sure they'll be happily celebrating your father's victory," Ironwood replied. A lie, of course, and everyone knew it, even Whitley.

Weiss watched as Whitley's expression soured to one of disappointment and frustration. She couldn't help but wonder what he had hoped to achieve with his question.

Jacques, noticing the exchange, turned his attention to the Schnee sisters.

"Ah, my dear daughters. So glad you could join us tonight!" the owner of the Gelé manor announced, a smug grin on his face.

Weiss could feel her anger rising, but she suppressed it and put on a fake smile. "Father. Congratulations on your victory," the heiress managed to say as politely as possible, even if sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Yes. Great job." Kylie replied, also sounding equally icy.

"Yes, yes, I did my best. Whitley did a great job helping," Jacques bragged, "Now, what did you do while I won over the minds of the people?"

"Fought a giant squid while you were up here. Doing nothing." Weiss said, correcting the last part of his sentence. She wasn't going to hold anything back.

"My dear, you and I both know the coastal defenses of this Kingdom wouldn't let a Kraken anywhere near the city."

"Are...you serious right now?" Kylie asked. Not even a minute had passed in this chat and already she wanted to throw him out a window. New record, really.

"Hm? Oh! Oh, you meant whatever that little 'live fire exercise' was down in Mantle!" Jacques realized.

"Live fire- did you not watch the news?" Weiss asked.

"My mind was a bit preoccupied if you'd recall."

Weiss took a deep breath. Her father's ignorance was annoying, but probably a ploy to try to get a rise out of her. He loved belittling those who wronged him, especially when he had some position of power. She had to be snarky in some way that could shut him up.

Oh, idea.

"Well, then allow me to enlighten you, Father," Weiss began, her tone calm but with a hint of mischief, "I helped in fighting against a creature that threatened the people of Mantle, and in doing so, proved my loyalty to the Kingdom and its citizens. What have you done lately besides bask in your own self-importance?"

Even Jacques had to admit, the verbal counter was masterfully done. Of course, he had counters in mind for quite a few points of conflict.

"Well, provide for Atlas' people, of course," Jacques smirked, "New job opportunities for one. Yes, there are still Dust mines under my name but it seems you forget that mining isn't the only business venture I own."

"Yes, because we all know how much you care about the people of Atlas," Weiss rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "You're only interested in lining your own pockets."

Jacques laughed. "Oh, my dear Weiss. You really don't understand the way the world works, do you? It's not about what's right or wrong, it's about power. And I have the power to make Atlas great again."

Weiss couldn't believe her father's audacity. "You make me sick," she hissed.

"Yes, yes...get used to that feeling." Jacques smirked.

At this point, Kylie felt like she had to step in.

"Weiss...come on, we're making a scene," Kylie interjected. Of course, they decided on that phrase before arriving as part of their plan. "We're making a scene" was just code for "Too suspicious."

Weiss took a deep breath and nodded. She knew that her emotions were getting the better of her, and she couldn't afford to blow their cover.

"You're right. Let's go," Weiss agreed, putting on a fake smile as she turned to leave.

As they walked away, Jacques called out to them. "Don't forget, Weiss. You may not like me, but you'll always be a Schnee and that means something!"

Weiss grit her teeth but didn't turn around. Someone else needed to give Jacque a piece of his mind.

Enter Willow.

Now, Willow hadn't actually been told about the plan. At least, not officially. She may have pieced together her daughter's intent just from a few choice words and expressions; her ability to read people had greatly improved during her time with James. From the look of things, Weiss and Kylie needed as many eyes away from them as possible. What better person to attract attention than the man of the hour?

"Jacques," Willow said coldly, approaching her ex-husband and grabbing a glass of wine off the nearest waitstaff tray.

Jacques turned to face Willow, a look of mild surprise on his face. "Willow. I didn't expect to see you here," he adjusted his tie a little, trying to keep his tone civil.

"I came to congratulate you on your victory, of course," the rightful owner of the SDC took a sip of her wine, "Although, I must say, I'm a bit disappointed in your victory speech. You made no mention of the hardworking people of Atlas who made this all possible."

Jacques raised an eyebrow. "And why should I? They're just cogs in the machine, doing their jobs. It's the leaders who make the real difference."

"Leaders, hm? I happen to recall you were a cog once, weren't you?" Willow asked, getting the attention of some of the closest guests.

"...Willow, please."

"Did you lose your way? Did money corrupt your soul? Was avarice a virtue rather than a vice? I can still recall that boy, covered in soot from working in a mine, swearing he'd make it big one day. And he did! And he forgot everything he once held dear."

"Huh?" Kylie asked.

"He used to live in Mantle or something." Weiss shrugged. "He fabricated a backstory once he got a sizable bunch of riches."

"He used to-? Oh, that just makes him ten times worse."

"Willow, dear, now is hardly time for such," Jacques looked around, making sure that no one too important overhead this, "memories. Besides, I did achieve my goal. Not only am I one of the wealthiest of Atlas' elite, second to, well, yourself I suppose, now, I can truly secure Atlas' future. Maybe steer it away from whatever...idea James has. It's like nobody questions him!"

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Willow pointed out, "Practically everyone here is a sycophant or business partner, with the only exceptions being myself, James and his guests, Weiss, and her girlfriend."

"Don't remind me of that last pa-"

"Oh I will remind you, Jacques Gelé, every chance I get that, despite all these successes you hold in such high regard, there's still two failures you will never be able to just sweep under the rug," Willow continued. As she verbally destroyed Jacques, she saw Weiss and Kylie watch on from behind and gave a subtle nod to them. By now, many eyes in the foyer had turned to watch the drama unfold. Reporters would definitely catch word of this and make Jacques' first few days a living media hellstorm.

"Okay. Here's our chance..." Weiss muttered, as she looked down at her purse. She and Kylie snuck upstairs, and into the main house area. Weiss opened her bag.

"Okay. You can come out now."

Grey Matter hopped out of her purse, and landed on the ground. "Not the weirdest way I've crashed a party..." Ben muttered.

"Much easier than sneaking through here with Ghostfreak," Weiss shivered.

"Hey, it still worked!" Ben pointed out.

"Now all we need to do is find his office," Kylie said, "Should be easy enough, right? Just look for the room with the biggest portrait of his smug face."

Ben reverted back to human and looked around the place. "Well, back to this place. Last time I was here, I had to be...your brat of a brother. Remember that?"

Weiss nodded, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Yeah, unfortunately."

"I didn't have time to take in this place..." Ben took in the opulence and grandeur of the Gelé estate. "It's...impressive, I guess, but also kind of intimidating."

Kylie rolled her eyes. "Focus, guys. We're on a mission here."

"Yeah." Weiss said, leading the way. "Follow me."

The trio made their way through the winding corridors of the cold manor, passing by priceless paintings and other art pieces. Once or twice they had to hide from the guards on patrol around the rest of the manor. Considering all the reporters outside, Jacques must've been paranoid about the exact situation that Weiss, Kylie, and Ben were trying to pull off.