Kept you waiting, huh?

As usual, thanks for all the favourites, reviews, and follows! Really brightened my days, y'know?

Sorry for the long wait, 'cause COVID was a thing. Had to make sure I was healthy enough to start writing again.

Review Responses have been moved to the edge of the chapter.

Now, on to it!

Jaune gasped tiredly as he lay on the ground. In front of him, his partner, Pyrrha, smiled at him as she lowered her weapons.

"You've gotten a lot better, Jaune." She turned around and grabbed Crocea, planted on the ground a few meters away after she disarmed him in their earlier spar. She plucked it neatly and handed it to him hilt first. "You lasted a lot longer than you did before."

Jaune grasped the hilt and felt himself being pulled up. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Pyr." He dusted himself off as soon as he could stand on his own two feet. "But I'm still not good enough."

Pyrrha smiled reassuringly at him. "Patience, Jaune. You'll get there in time." She chuckled. "I didn't become champion in a day, you know."

"And yet you still were one since you were fourteen." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

Pyrrha's face flushed red. "W-well, when you put it like that…"

Jaune chuckled. "I know, I know. I'm just messing with you."

Pyrrha smiled. "Jerk."

"And yet you're still around me~" Jaune said in a sing-song voice. Then, he turned a bit more serious. "But really though, Pyr, anything I can improve on?"

Pyrrha hummed. "I think it's just general battle sense from now on, Jaune. Things you pick up as you fight more ,since you've got the basics down."

"Gotcha." Jaune nodded. He noticed that his partner seemed deep in thought. "What's wrong, Pyrrha?"

It took a while for Pyrrha to answer. "Why did you decide to become a Hunter, Jaune?" She finally asked.

"Oh, it's been my dream since I was a kid." He answered easily. "I thought we've been over this before."

"We have, but…" She chose her words carefully. "You'd always use your skills for good, right?"

"Of course!"

"Then…" She chewed her lip. "Why'd you do it, Jaune?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Do what, Pyr?"

"Why did you kill all those people, then?" Pyrrha asked. "All of them…"

"W-what?" Jaune asked, flabbergasted. He tried to dig his memories, but nothing came to mind. He never killed anyone! "Who do you mean?"

"Everyone! The cartel, the Yakuza, World Marshal's soldiers, so many people!" Pyrrha was upon him now, sweat slowly going down Jaune's brow. He doesn't understand! "I thought you'd be better than this!"

"B-but..no…" Memories began dawning upon the blond. "How could you…" Jaune shook his head. "No. You weren't there. You don't know what it's like!"

"Maybe not, but I'd find a way!" She screamed. "I'd never resort to what you did!"

"Don't look down on me!" Jaune yelled. "You're naïve! What are we training here for then, huh?! Face it, Pyrrha! We're training to kill!"

"We're training to fight for good!" His partner retorted. "Face it, Jaune you're a failure!"

Jaune backed away slowly. "I'm not! Don't you see what good I've done?!"

A voice piped up from behind him. "The ends do not justify the means, Jaune." It had a calm tone, but it was firm in its beliefs. "It doesn't matter what good you've done if it's from bad ways."

Jaune turned to look at the speaker. "Ren…"

"He's right, Leader." Nora stood beside her partner. "You're a failure."

"Nora? You agree…"

"Face it, son." Jaune turned back to Pyrrha and saw his father standing beside her. "You're no good. A failure."

"Dad…"

More and more voices spoke around him, the speakers visible bright as day. From team RWBY, his sisters, and in the end, everyone he once knew in Remnant.

"Face it, Jaune. You're a killer." They said in sync. "You can't fight for what's right. You're just. Not. Good. Enough!"

Jaune awoke with a gasp. He struggled for air, his left hand clawing at his throat. He fell from his bed and onto the carpet floor. With short breaths, he clawed his way with his single remaining hand to the bathroom.

As he came to the door, Jaune slowly lifted himself to his feet and leaned against the door. Grasping the knob, he pushed the door open and tried to hold back his nausea. He stumbled to the sink and leaned against it heavily. He felt bile rise up his throat. He couldn't resist throwing up last night's dinner onto the sink.

Jaune's left hand slowly inched to the water knob. Once it was there, he turned the knob on and watched as the water washed away his bile. With his left hand, he gathered some water and brought it to his mouth. Jaune gargled some water and spit it out once his mouth felt clean. He slowly tilted his head to look at the mirror.

He was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot and tired, his skin was pale, and his hair spiked in many directions. And was it his eyes, or was a faint light glowing around his body?

With a groan, Jaune let his head rest on the edge of the sink.

What a mess.

Raiden drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. His car's electric hum provided some good white noise, enough to slightly lull his mind as he thought about his next moves.

He was approaching Denver. It'd only be a matter of time before the local enforcement catches wind of his arrival, and then they'd be all over both him and Bladewolf. After that, how could he proceed forward…

Raiden opened up his onboard CODEC and dialed in a number he held close to his heart. 'I mean, he might not pick up at all…' he thought as the CODEC continued to ring for a few seconds. 'And it's not like I can blame him anyways.'

Eventually, though, the other end came through. His CODEC screen popped up and showed the receiver, an old man in what looks to be his 80s, thought Raiden knew that wasn't his actual age. He predictably had white hair, also sporting a thick white moustache. Unexpectedly, however, he wasn't wearing his signature bandana.

"Hey, Snake." Raiden greeted with a smile, though the ninja's eyes never left the road. "Age hasn't slowed you down one bit, huh?"

Solid Snake chuckled. "Smartass." His signature raspy voice echoed in the car, however it didn't have an ounce of venom in it. Rather, it carried a sense of fondness. "It's been a long time and you give me something like that?"

"Hey, lay off of me." Raiden rebuked, tone playful. "I heard that's what people usually greet you with."

"That was one time. One."

"Heh, and I guess it stuck, didn't it?"

"Guess it did." Snake fished something out of his chest pocket and opened it. Then, he shamelessly popped it in his mouth. Raiden squinted at the small screen. It wasn't all that clear from here, but…

"Are those…" Raiden asked incredulously. "…coffee candies?"

"Yeah, I quit smoking a while back." He rolled the candy around his mouth, not that Raiden could notice. "Better for the health that way."

Raiden hummed.

"Anyway." Snake continued. "I doubt you were only here for a social call, Raiden. What is it?"

Raiden looked at the highway in front of him but his eyes seemed lost in memory. It took a while for him to find his words again. "You remember when our first mission, Snake?" Raiden asked. "What you said back then…"

"Right, the Big Shell Incident." Snake said. "But what bit are we talking about here? It was a hectic mission, after all. I think you're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"It's about what you told me Gray Fox said." Raiden cleared up. "About what we're fighting for..."

"Right. About fighting…" Snake looked lost in thought too, and it took a long time for him to answer. "Raiden." He finally said. "You know my origins, right?"

"Huh?" Raiden was confused for a second, though he quickly gathered himself. "Right, um, you're from the stolen sperms of Big Boss. Your genes were modified from an early age for combat. Did I miss anything? Or did something new pop up?"

"Nah, you've got everything down." Snake nodded. "It's the reason I'm already old despite barely being past 40." Snake popped another candy in his mouth, the old one running out as he gathered his thoughts. "And, well, what Gray Fox said back then still rings true now. Fighting's one of the few things I…We, Raiden, are ever good at. Are ever going to be at. My body's modified for warfare. Yours… well, being a cyborg opens up lots of possibilities, but closes so much more. We can hardly return to normal lives. But what's important, Raiden, is that we fight for what we believe in."

"What I believe in…" Raiden trailed off. "Snake, we've fought so many people. Killed so much more. How could you justify this back then? Are we really fighting for what's right?"

'Is my sword really a tool of justice?' The sentence went unspoken, but it was clear as day anyways.

"It was never justified." Snake responded. The legendary soldier took a deep sigh and averted his gaze. "Raiden, we're not heroes. We're not in this to make a name for ourselves. And killing is never a small thing to do..." Snake shook his head. "It's not like when soldiers train in VR, in fact, that's why I don't like it. Trivialising lives to ones and zeroes. Making what lifeless targets move around to emulate real soldiers…" Snake's tone gained a solid edge. "Killing isn't a game. Remember that."

"Yeah…" Raiden responded. Then, the white-haired ninja noticed his exit coming up in a few minutes. "Thanks, Snake. It was nice to get it off my chest and hear the same thing from an old friend."

"Anytime, kid." Snake reassured. "Stay safe."

"Will do."

The CODEC shut down, leaving Raiden alone with his thoughts.

'You're holding yourself back!'

'That's all I needed to hear…'

'Now!'

"Yeah…" Raiden muttered, those voices fading away as his focus returned. He gripped his steering wheel firmly. "Remember that."

It was then that Bladewolf decided to speak from the back seat. "Raiden. Law enforcement. 100 meters behind us and closing in fast."

"So they're finally here…." Raiden growled. He gripped his steering wheel tight and punched the gas. He could feel his body being sent back, Bladewolf's own body no doubt feeling the same from the g-force.

It was then that his CODEC decided to blare to life once again. "Raiden!" Boris screamed from the other end, a stack of papers on his hand. "What is this hernya?! You cannot resign!" He slammed the papers on his table.

"Sorry Boris." Raiden said, though his tone remained unapologetic. "It's already done. Can't have a Maverick employee involved in a corporate raiding, now can we?"

"You could at least come talk to me, tovarich. We could plan this out!"

"No." Raiden denied. "It was time to break away from the old team, Boris." A bullet flew through his rear windshield and nearly hit his head. Raiden growled, swerving his car to avoid more bullets. "Past time."

"See?!" Boris said, suspicions confirmed. "You cannot take down World Marshall all by yourself!"

Raiden huffed. "I won't sit by while they butcher little kids and ship their parts around like meat." He dodged a particularly slow driver. "It's sick!"

"It's not all so simple, Raiden. They import those brains legally." Boris attempted to reason. "For medical purposes-."

Raiden growled. "I know what I'm doing is nothing like grassroots activism. But being legal doesn't make it right!"

"Raiden, I-"

"Hold that thought, Boris." Raiden stopped his old boss. He turned to comrade as they entered downtown Denver. "Wolf, how dense-"

"The entire police force of Denver is already on standby." The black-haired cyborg didn't miss a beat as Raiden swerved his car around a corner. "I suggest that we continue on foo-."

Bladewolf was interrupted when a blockade entered their vision. Multiple police officers stand ready to face them, though their biggest concern was the one aiming a rocket launcher at them.

Raiden deployed his visor as Bladewolf shook his head. They braced for impact.

"Fire!"

The rocket hit their car dead on, sending them vaulting over the blockade and landing their car roof-first onto the pavement. The glass shattered and metal shards scattered across the street as their car's hum died down.

As the police force slowly approached the vehicle, a foot kicked out the driver's door. The police members didn't flinch one bit as the driver stepped out, as did the passenger from the other side.

Raiden rolled his neck. "You were saying?"

Bladewolf didn't respond to the joke. "I will scout ahead."

"Don't miss out on any details this time, yeah?" Raiden asked.

"Of course." And with that, Bladewolf jumped away. The police tried to chase him down, but Raiden interrupted them before they could continue.

"Hey!" The ninja spread his arms wide. "I'm right here."

"Heh." The head officer pointed his pistol at him. "Military cyborg: you are not licensed to operate in this area! You are in violation of both state and federal law."

"Guess you better arrest me then." Raiden smirked. He raised an eyebrow in mockery. "Come on, easy as pie, right?"

The police officers chuckled. Instead of fear, as Raiden expected, they instead showed eagerness. They smirked in taunting. "18-3-104.7, Threatening a Police Officer. Deadly force..." They drew HF Batons. "…is authorised."

Raiden rolled his shoulders, his hands slowly inching towards his back. In a flash, he gripped his sword and unsheathed it, holding it ready to strike the officers. Its blade glinted in the sunlight as his visor dropped down, enhancing his vision. He grit his teeth and bent his knees. Time to fight.

They're staring.

Jaune sighed as he averted his gaze from them, instead focusing on other things around his room. He didn't need this right now, especially with what he thinks is going down downtown.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard his CODEC ring. Jaune lifted his left hand to his ear. "This is Jaune. What is it?"

He could hear the other end of the CODEC speak in a rushed tone. "What's that? He's already in Denver?" Jaune asked once again. 'That fast, huh?'

"Hmm, so he's already taking the officers out, huh…" Jaune rubbed his small stubble. He got off his chair and gazed out World Marshall's living quarter windows. "Shift the police out for special forces, will you? They'd hardly be enough alone, cyborgs or not." The other end voiced their agreement and soon hung up the call.

Jaune let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

They're staring.

They're staring, and yet they don't matter.

Jaune flexed his mechanical right arm, donning his battle suit soon after. He opened his right palm and HF Murasama came flying to him. He gave the sheathed blade a small flourish before attaching it to his left side. He didn't waste any time and did the same things to HF Crocea, this time on his right side. He rolled his shoulders and held back a sigh. With curious eyes, he scanned the city below. He could see people rushing away from a specific point around two kilometres from where he was, police rushing to the scene.

He could see his room's dim reflection in the see-through glass, his face along with it. His body was also visible, glowing slightly from something he knew.

It felt familiar.

It hurt.

He shifted his eyes to focus on the reflections of his room. It didn't take long for reflections of other people to become visible, their mouths moving as if whispering. Their eyes looked straight at his own as if through the reflection.

He ignored them. It was hardeasy to do so.

With calm steps, Jaune turned away from the window and went to leave his room. He ignored the stares of his family and everyone he once knew as he left to face his rival.

They're not here. They don't know the difference.

They don't know how useless it is.

Raiden wiped an imaginary sweat off of his brow as he walked in to the lobby of an average city building, one that would hopefully bridge him to the rooftop. As the windows closed in with steel protectors and the doors lock, the building entering lockdown mode in an attempt to block him, he heard his CODEC ring from a familiar frequency. Raiden wasted no time and answered the caller.

"Raiden." Boris spoke, relieved that his friend seemed responsive. "Are you all right? What is your status?"

"I'm all right." Raiden reaffirmed. "But they trashed my car." He looked around the lobby, empty save for him. "Looks like it's gonna be like Wolf said, I'll have to continue on foot. Aside from that, those damn cops were easy to deal with alone, but their numbers made them a real pain in this ass."

"Then I'm glad you could get out of there easily. These buildings should provide a more linear path to your destination, however that would be a double-edged sword." Boris decided to shift topics. "Raiden, about Bladewolf, has he been-."

"There's no need to think about him, Boris." Raiden reassured. "I've talked it over with him. I'm confident that he'll be helpful this time."

"Even after Mexico?"

"As much as I think I'd be mad to him, I can't, Boris." Raiden's eyes glazed slightly in memory. "It's not like I've never questioned my own loyalty mid-mission before…"

"Da. The voice pretending to be the Colonel a long time ago…" Boris nodded in understanding. "But my friend, this journey you're on, this entire situation. Are you sure this is the path to take?"

"Damn it, Boris…" Raiden cursed and looked away. "I'm fed up, with all of it. Companies like ours – yours, bend the laws when it suits business." His voice gathered some conviction as he spoke. "Why not bend it when we can save innocent lives?"

"Raiden…"

"Boris, listen to me." Raiden stressed. He's breaking through to the Russian, he just knew it! "That VR training… They'll be warped into killing machines. They'll be set on POWs, civilians, it's just going to be one atrocity after the other."

Boris hummed. "Like what you went through."

"Almost to the T, Boris. Did you know they're calling it the Sears Program? We can't have any more Jack the Rippers." Raiden gripped his sword tight, his voice slipping to a low growl. "As much of a fucking bastard Solidus was, I can't deny he got what he set out with me."Raiden finally gained full confidence. "What if I wasn't there to stop them in Mexico? Do you know anyone else that's willing to handle Jack the Rippers, Boris?"

His former boss didn't answer. "I'm doing this." Raiden said with a tone of finality. "I can't stop those kids from becoming cyborgs, but I can stop them from becoming weapons."

"Say you succeed," Boris argued. "We manage to get the brains back. Then what?"

Raiden smirked as he heard the we part. "Just so happens I know un great cybernetic surgeon."

"Doktor." Boris nodded along. "But still, he cannot-"

"You're not changing me on this one, Boris. Not anymore. Now, are you with me, or not?"

Boris groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "At least tell me you've thought of your wife and son."

"They're in Zealand Islands. Safe from all of this."

Boris groaned again and shut off the CODEC. Raiden smiled. He knew the Maverick head was probably working on a highly-encrypted CODEC frequency to use for future communications.

Raiden chuckled in the empty building lobby. "Spasiba, tovarich. Spasiba."

With that, Raiden started to walk away from the lobby and deeper into the building. He noticed a few stairs that lead upward and decided to follow it. He gripped his sword tight, ready for any surprises.

He reached the end of the stairs and entered a long hallway. 'Convenient.' Raiden thought in his head. His eyes scanned the room, 'Question is, where are they…'

It didn't take long for that question to be answered. Raiden heard a war cry from the other end of the hallway and saw several SWAT members rush at him. As expected, they were all heavily modified with cyborg enhancements. While some carried HF longswords in their rush, others stood by and used their Assault Rifles. One even brought in an RPG.

Raiden let his visor flick forwards and cover his vision. Sure enough, the enhanced AR display cemented that they were SWAT members. Which means his AR systems were linked to a system that had access to a mission centre. More specifically, Maverick's systems.

Raiden chuckled to himself. 'Thanks for pulling through, Boris.'

Raiden clenched his jaw and dodged a sword thrust from the first SWAT. He turned his sword and tried to plunge it to the SWAT's stomach. The attack was parried, forcing Raiden to step back. His grip on his HF Sword didn't falter as the SWAT's HF Longsword came down on him. Raiden parried it at the last moment, managing to turn his sword into a clean riposte and strike the SWAT across the chest. With his opponent's guard broken, Raiden quickly slashed several times on the SWAT's body with unmatched speed and ended his attack rush with a kick. The SWAT was sent him flying away to his ranged comrades, arms and legs severed and body neutralised.

"RPG firing!"

Raiden spun, avoiding a rocket shot straight at where he was. He danced on his feet and quickly rushed to another SWAT member. The white-haired ninja swung quickly, staggering his opponent's block. He left no room for counter-attacks. Raiden feinted a swing from his left. Seeing the opponent buying his move, Raiden quickly shifted and instead kicked from below. With the SWAT member open, Raiden moved and cut his opponent's arm in one clean slash. He wasted no time and cut the remaining parts in two.

Raiden jumped towards a wall to his side, avoiding another rocket shot. Holding his blade in front of him, Raiden bounced towards a group of Assault Rifle-wielding cyborgs. His HF Sword cut through their bullets with ease, closing the distance in no time. The SWAT members were unable to react as he sliced their weapons in two in one clean spinning slash. Raiden threw his sword in the air, grabbing it with his foot. The white-haired ninja stood on his hands and spun, his foot-gripped sword cutting through the cyborgs like butter.

Raiden kept the momentum going and threw his sword at the lone RPG wieldier. The officer, in a panic, fired the rocket at the sword. It knocked Raiden's HF Sword off course, planting it on the ceiling from the blast. However, in his panic, he didn't notice Raiden sneaking up behind him. With no hesitation, the white-haired ninja punched through the officer's spine and ripped his electrolytes away. As the body fell, systems shutting down, Raiden squeezed the electrolytes and absorbed their energy.

Raiden went and lifted his sword from the ceiling. Flourishing it, he wiped it off of blood and sheathed it. He felt his visor retract as his vision cleared back to normal. He looked ahead, spotting an elevator to the side a good distance from where he was. He stepped over the dead bodies and approached it. As soon as he got there, he pressed the button and boarded the elevator.

Raiden reviewed his mental checklist. Right, he still hadn't contacted the doc yet. He quickly opened his CODEC, already automatically attuned to a highly-encrypted frequency thanks to Boris' actions, and contacted Doktor. "Dok, it's Raiden. What's your status?"

"I am reviewing the pre-flight checklist as we speak." Raiden could hear a slight ruffling from his CODEC, Doktor visibly moving around. As time went on, his movements became more rushed. People called out his name, and the Doktor was forced to talk to them before he turned back to Raiden. "Sorry about that. Those were contractors I have hired contractors to handle the brain units' shipping. We should be airborne in…" Doktor checked his watch. "3 minutes sharp, Raiden."

"You sure you can pilot that chopper all by yourself, Dok?" Raiden asked.

The good doctor chuckled "Raiden, of course! Need I remind you that we live in the golden age of unmanned flight? Even manned helicopters possess a robust semi-automatic mode. It is quite simple, really. So simple that I can continue to monitor your status and World Marshall security from the pilot's seat!"

"Right, right." Raiden realised. "No more need for VR training anymore, huh?"

"Yes, that was quite the stepping stone for commercialising private air travel, and this might just be the final step! I must say, though for the world's largest PMC," Doktor pushed his glasses up, a light smirk adorning his face. "Their security procedures are quite poor. Quite poor indeed." The doctor nodded to himself. "Sadly, as poor as they are, I am unable to obtain the necessary permissions to override their plans. Not without better equipment, at least."

"And getting those would mean more time, time that we don't have." Raiden finished. "Just focus on preparing stuff on your end, Dok. I'll make do."

"Hmm, very well. However, I did manage to acquire some data regarding those plans, even though I couldn't change them." Doktor reassured the white-haired ninja. "They should prove most useful, Raiden. You'll find…" Doktor lightly tapped his keyboard, his eyes glinting with focus. A moment later, a notification popped up on Raiden's HUD, informing him of starting a download. "That I am transferring that data to you right now. They shall pop up in your AR display along with the usual information."

Raiden smiled. "Appreciate it, Dok. And one other thing." Raiden added the last part, "About that tablet I gave you, the one I got from Mexico. Have you managed to get any data from it?"

"Ah yes, you mean Jetstream Jaune's tablet."

"So that was something important to him." Raiden said aloud, interest piqued. "So, what else have you managed to find, Dok?"

"Sadly, not that much." Doktor said. "It is not a matter of my capabilities, my dear friend, but rather the timeframe we are on." Doktor moved, probably to enter his designated chopper. "The only thing that I managed to gather other than the fact that it is linked to him, is that the tablet seems to control his nanomachines."

"His nanomachines?" Raiden was perplexed. "What, they couldn't keep him on a leash? I thought most cyborgs' nanomachines work independently now."

"Well, that is the case with most PMCS today. We wouldn't want a repeat of SOP now, would we? In fact, several governments have mandated it as law." Doktor smiled. "That is certainly a good thing, however," he frowned. "In America, the process seems to be in a state of limbo, between approved and unapproved."

"But what about Maverick? We're based in the Neo-U.S too." Raiden asked. "As far as I know, Boris doesn't try to link us up to anything that controls us. Only the bare minimum for mission info. If he had full control," Raiden chuckled. "Then I wouldn't be here now, would I?"

"I believe he is acting ahead of the law, Raiden." Doktor reassured. "He is a good man. He was your comrade before SOP's Fall, remember? I doubt he would want to recreate the organisation he despises so much."

"And yet the loophole's still there for World Marshall to take…" Raiden trailed off.

"That is what I am interested to find out as well." Doktor responded. "For further purposes of the tablet, well, I could not tell you just yet."

"Keep me updated on it, Dok."

Doktor chuckled. "Of course! This particular exercise has been quite exhilarating, Raiden. It's not every day one has the chance to collect so many brains… think of all the data! Oh, erm…" He coughed into his hand. "Of course, your personal safety was a concern as well, my friend."

Raiden laughed as the elevator dinged and opened up, revealing the infamous city skyline visible on rooftops. "I'm sure it was." With that, he let the CODEC shut off on both ends.

Raiden stepped out onto the rooftop, immediately noting a few bodies of officers scattered about. They were long since neutralised. The marks of battle were also clearly visible around their bodies. 'And these must be Bladewolf's doing.'

Just as he thought of that, a civilian ran past him. He seemed to be in a rush, quickly going past Raiden and entering the elevator he had just taken. Raiden watched on as the man boarded the elevator, the door closing as quick as it can.

Raiden looked back to his front and wasn't surprised when he saw Bladewolf standing on the edge of the rooftop. The wolf faunus had his back towards the white-haired ninja. Raiden approached his ally with ease in his step.

"I'm guessing you took care of these guys?" Raiden asked. Bladewolf didn't turn around, but he did answer his question.

"Yes." Bladewolf monotonously replied. The wolf faunus gazed at the city skyline visible from their heights. "These rooftops should minimise enemy encounters. Even more so with my patrols."

"Hmmm," Raiden said. "And I take it we should travel by rooftop 'till we reach World Marshall?"

"No." Bladewolf denied. "There will be an abandoned freight railroad underground up ahead. You shall use an upcoming elevator that will take you there. The route should prove useful; you can more easily avoid SWAT contact."

Raiden turned his head to Bladewolf. "You coming down there too?"

"I will scout ahead as I did before." Bladewolf confirmed. "The underground's lighting system has been disabled for a long time. It will be pitch black in there. My enhanced vision modes should make it easier for me to clear the area. I will do my best to neutralise as many enemies as I can, but stealth will still be my main priority. Therefore, there will still be some of guards you need to handle yourself."

"Right." Raiden nodded. They stood there for a few seconds, the wind's breeze blowing their hairs back. Raiden thought to himself as silence reigned. Then, he gathered the words to speak.

"Wolf, will-"

"Desperado's remaining lieutenants will be waiting for you." Bladewolf interrupted. His face didn't leak any emotion. "Their names are Monsoon and Sundowner. Monsoon strikes fast; his body is specifically tailored to fight swordsmen cyborgs like you. Sundowner, beneath his heavy appearance, can be incredibly agile once his shields are taken down. Be ready for his scissor blades."

"And…" Raiden said the next words carefully, "What about Jaune?"

"He is an impeccable swordsman." Bladewolf began, "However Jaune's stamina is limited. He is faster than you, even with your current body. But make no mistake. He can't keep it up for long. He always tends to end his fights in fast finishing moves, leaving no room for a counter. If you can catch him, then…" Bladewolf took a deep breath. "He is yours to strike."

"Wolf..." Raiden spoke, "Thank you."

"The mission is still in progress." Bladewolf responded. "Therefore, do not thank me just yet."

With that, the wolf faunus jumped away, scouting along his ally's path, leaving Raiden alone.

Raiden sighed. On one hand, the intel that Bladewolf just gave him was massively useful. Strategy was the first half of the battle, after all. And while he was sure that Bladewolf wouldn't turn his back on him, he had no doubt that what was happening right now was taking a toll on Bladewolf's psyche.

He recalled the words he said to Bladewolf before they left Maverick as one. 'It's up to you whether to follow me or not, Wolf.' His own words echoed in his head. 'If you don't want to, then I won't stop you.'

'….No.´ Bladewolf denied back then. His tone in this, at least, was resolute. Even Raiden was surprised. 'I will accompany you there….for I must find this out myself.'

Raiden turned around. Wolf had already disappeared from view, no doubt doing his task. Looks like he was focused on the mission at hand and nothing else.

It wasn't healthy, but then again, what part of war was?

And that's a wrap! Lemme know what you thought in the reviews as usual!

See you next time!

And now, time to respond to the reviews!

To SkeletalRepublic, thanks for the compliments! I try my best :)

To Salamandra134, about the Armstrong fight, All I can say is to stay tuned. I've got some ideas, but it wouldn't do to spoil them now would it?

To The Storm Master 567, you're right about them not lasting that long against Armstrong, though Remnant will have their own tricks up their sleeves by the time Jaune's returned. About Indigo's views, what I meant was that she dismissed him easily, not giving him a chance. She still loved him dearly, she just didn't give him a chance to chase his dreams. I'm sorry if this wasn't clear!

To Kabuto S. Inferno, thanks for the compliment! Regarding the Armstrong fight, well, it's like I said before. And about Jack the Ripper, just gotta wait and see!

To TheNineNerdGhouls, yeah, there was no way he'd let it slip by.

To 4dv1ct0r14m2017, did you mean Raiden was near Jaune location-wise? Other than that, thanks for the compliments!

To The Jade Heir, glad you're interested!

To TakoEatemployee, while there are two continents, as a whole they're not bigger than what we've got now. Remember, some portions of land sunk, so while it's big, it's not that big. Get me? Sorry if I didn't make it clear!