Coco held Gianduja locked at her hip as she surveyed the battlefield below her, the entire space cratered and covered with wreckage. Everything from the mangled metal husks of vehicles to the blasted-out holes of the artillery strikes. Smoke rose through the air from all of it. White Fang lay scattered and strewn throughout the space. Dead or merely unconscious, Coco couldn't tell, and she knew better than to make that her concern. Her team had been there to prevent them from accomplishing something worse. What happened to them was, understandably, low on her list. She wasn't sure how long they had been in a pitched firefight for either. Time had a funny way of bending when you were running off adrenaline and gunshots instead of minutes and seconds.

  It was only after she'd seen the Bullheads appearing over Vale that things began to change. The gunfire slowed and the combat began to crawl to an end. Not all of the Bullheads she saw moved towards them, however. A number of them, most of the air fleet, broke off and moved elsewhere, away from the city limits and into the dark air of the wilderness that surrounded the prison. Even as they did, though, that didn't change the obvious shift in the fight.

  "They're pulling back!" one of the guards shouted, gripping at his Scroll. "The White Fang are retreating, Get people down there now!"

  The guard then turned to another of the guards, a faunus woman with dog ears. She'd been laying against the wall, trying to give orders, her midsection wrapped heavily with bandages from a wound she'd received prior to their arrival. He helped her up, and the woman looked at Coco.

  "We're going to rally everyone, check our wounded," The woman, Tseren, Coco believed her name to be, said. "You should get your team together and be ready to help whoever arrives."

  Coco didn't answer her, merely nodding. Silently thinking, noting how cute the guard was as she was helped away by the man. Not quite her type, but she could still appreciate a pretty face. And was a sucker for a good sense of style. Coco didn't know how Tseren made a guard uniform work for her, but damn if she didn't.

  Pivoting at the hip, Coco turned to look further down the wall, back in the direction she and her teammates had first come from. Velvet stood, braced against the wall, with that ridiculous looking weapon the Courier had given her, the same one that had decimated the White Fang for most of the fight. Velvet straightened out and quickly surveyed the ground beneath them, before turning to look at Coco. Who, in turn, pulled her Scroll up to speak more clearly into it.

  "That's a wrap," she said brightly, almost bemused. "You boys can come back up top now. Good hustle out there."

  Coco pulled the release lever on Gianduja and allowed the weapon to fold inward on itself, resuming its original place on her side as a handbag. A very heavy handbag, but one she had gotten good about holding. Even easier now that she had proper back support.

  Her pride demanded that she take that particular secret to her grave, however.

  Casually, Coco returned to Velvet as the latter examined the weapon in her hands. A small, very amused smile on her face.

  "You have fun?" Coco asked.

  "Yyyyyyup," Velvet said, smiling. "Glad I could finally stay back for once and use something different." She pulled the charging handle of the weapon back and examined one of the few remaining grenades it held. Then let her gaze fall to all the empty casings on the ground. "... Probably over did it."

  "He said not to worry about it," Coco shrugged. "Just take it as an opportunity to have something to talk with him about."

  Velvet huffed, smirking. "Because clearly wasting all the ammo he gave me is what I'd want to talk with him about?"

  "What else would you?" Coco asked, smirking back. "It's not like you talk about anything besides fighting and comicbooks."

  "Do you know how hard it is to find anyone who's actually read Navy Hale?" Velvet asked. "People quote and joke about it all the time but no one's actually read it."

  "They're like sixty years old, who would?" Coco asked. "Doesn't it end with him and his girlfriend dying to a bunch of Grimm anyway?"

  "That's one way of looking at it." Velvet said, rolling her eyes.

  Silence fell briefly between them as the rain continued to fall. Their Auras protected them from the worst of it, but the chill of the damp air was slowly beginning to creep in as they waited for their male counter-parts to rejoin them.

  "… Did you-"

  "Yes, I took a picture of it, Coco," Velvet huffed. "I actually really like this one too."

  "So do we," Yatsuhashi said, joining them. "Was a little close to the explosions, but it was nice having that kind of power for once."

  As he spoke, Fox appeared beside him, walking along the top of the wall, very careful in his approach towards his partner.

  Fox knew Coco's tastes and preferences weren't aligned with men like Fox and Yatsu. However, he also knew she had a very particular way of showing appreciation and affection. A very handsy way.

  "What's the play?" Yatsu asked, looking out towards the Kingdom, watching as the Bullheads approached "Do we go meet up with the rest, or wait for the cavalry? I know I'm not the only one who heard all of those explosions before, right?"

  Coco opened her mouth to answer, but was cut to the quick. Her Scroll chimed, just the same as the rest of her team's. She looked down at it and felt a small chill run through her she knew didn't come from the rain. Wordlessly, she looked out towards the Kingdom. Through the dark and the rain, she could see one of the Bullheads on the approach to the prison.

  As it did, she could practically hear the voice of the person who'd sent the message.

  It was clear to her, to all of them, that they were about to be in very deep trouble.

  "Please remain where you are, Ms. Adel. We will be with you all shortly."

  …

  It was safe to say that things hadn't gone to plan. Or, maybe, they had gone to plan, but we hadn't known what the end goal was. In either case, It didn't change where Ruby and I found ourselves.

  In a heap. On the muddy ground. In the pouring rain.

  With our enemies having escaped. Objective accomplished.

  Mission failed on our end.

  I hadn't 'failed' a lot of the jobs I'd taken on back in the Mojave. Simple thing to do when failing most jobs was the same as dying. Sure, there were sometimes tricks and twists to jobs. Situations that required me to do a little outside-the-box thinking if I wanted to see everything done right. But even then, failing wasn't a common thing, and really only applied if I could view what I'd done as a failure. In effect, because my efforts had been overall worthless. Like when I'd finally tracked down all those damned bottle caps.

  I'd made it a point to publicize what the Treasure of the Star was after that, but still.

  What happened there that night, at the prison, is hard to say if it was anything short of a failure. Our intended goal went unaccomplished. The only thing we'd succeeded at doing was wasting a ton of ammo and effort.

  And getting hurt as well. Couldn't forget that one.

  Being left in the ruins of everything we'd tried to prevent, it was hard to not feel like we'd failed. It was pretty obvious we had.

  Despite that, however, Ruby didn't waste a moment of it moping. Not one that I could see, anyway. She sprang up from the ground beside me and extended a hand down.

  "We need to hurry," she said, concern as clear on her face as the sadness in her voice. "Sun's hurt worse than we thought. I think you can help him though."

  I looked at all the death and destruction around us. Memorized it, captured it clearly in my head. Then I shelved it. There were more important things to worry about at that moment.

  "… How bad?" I asked, clapping a hand into Ruby's. She nearly fell back onto me as she struggled to lift me, but it was the thought that mattered.

  "Like 'it's a miracle he's still alive' bad," Ruby said, brow set and gaze focused back in the direction she'd come from. "Blake's with him right now, Penny's probably scanning him. But there's not much any of us know how to do that can actually help him."

  I nodded, turning back the way she was looking and beginning to move. "Show me. I can't help him unless I know the extent of things."

  Ruby nodded and took charge leading me back through the ruins of what had once been the arsenal. I took the chance to fully reload my weapons as we went. I was all but certain the fighting was over by that point. All the same, I'd hate to be caught lacking if someone decided they wanted to test their luck. Though as we carried on, I knew that it was less and less likely there was any actual chance of that happening. The only White Fang that were left weren't in any condition to be fighting. Or breathing, for that matter. Anyone who hadn't jumped ship with Taurus would've known it was time to retreat, running whichever direction that meant. More than a few of the ones who couldn't do that were the result of my own efforts.

  Ruby got to see them as we passed. I knew she saw them as well despite her best efforts not to. I could tell she was trying to keep her gaze trained forward. Focus on what she needed to do, not what had been done.

  But I could tell. Just from the brief moments when she did look. The small shake that went through her. She knew how horrible it was. Wish it could've been avoided.

  We both did.

  But there was no point in arguing the morality of it. Not after everything that had happened. Not with everything that was still happening. If there was to be any talk about it, it would need to be shelved. Unpacked at a time when we didn't have to worry about keeping our friends alive and safe. Which could be anywhere between a few hours and a few days from then. All depending on how bad things were looking when we finally managed to regroup.

  Safe bet was it'd be a few days before the proper unboxing of things.

  For now: triage.

  Ruby led me back through the arsenal, towards what I assumed had once been the gate. It'd been blasted open, by the girls or the White Fang, I neither knew nor cared. However, from the surrounding wreckage, I could see Yang, Weiss, Penny, and Blake huddled together. They moved slowly, cautiously, and with a clearly great amount of effort. Not because it took the four of them to move what they were holding, but because it took that amount of care not to make things worse.

  Even from a few yards away, I could see Sun wasn't doing good to begin with.

  "Oh shit," I muttered, immediately picking up the pace as I saw the state of him. Ruby and I sprinted the remaining distance as the others set him down again. The rain was still pouring over everything, leaving no dry space to actually lay him. Not that it would've mattered, he was already drenched. With his Aura broken, there was nothing to protect him from the elements. He was already sopping wet from the downpour. I wished that was the only thing wrong with him.

  As we drew close, I got a better look of the damage. Someone had put Sun through the wringer. The least of his issues were the minor bruises and cuts no doubt caused by the explosion from earlier. They looked worse than I knew they'd actually be. Superficial damage that served more to highlight the damage done to him. The kind that would be gone in hours if his Aura was active, minutes even. But with what else his body had to contend, it'd be lucky if it was handled last. The next most grievous of his wounds was slashed diagonally across his chest. I wasn't sure that was the right word for what it was though. The wound wasn't clean and neat like a blade. It was something more like a burn that hadn't cauterized the wound, something in the third degree. Like they'd taken a grinder to his chest and scratched an inch of skin off. Normally, it'd be a wound like that I'd count as being high priority. Infection will kill you just as good as anything else, and a wound that size was fertile ground for a lot of nastiness. It would take something even worse to distract from it.

  Naturally, Sun had something worse, and was one bad move from it being even worse.

  His right arm lay limply at his side, Blake's ribbon pulled taut around the bicep just over his elbow, tight enough to keep the blood from flowing out of the wrecked bone and torn flesh beneath it, where his elbow should've been. Replaced by flaps of tendon, skin, and meat. Bone fragments laid in the mix, looking to grind against each other. None big or whole enough to have been the original joint itself. The gaping exit wound said the original pieces were currently misplaced.

  It was a miracle the arm was even still attached.

  "Holy shit, what the fuck happened to him!?" I asked, taking in the damage as a whole, trying to ignore the mud that was seeping into his open wounds because, holy fuck, that was going to be a nightmare.

  "That guy with the red hair did it!" Ruby explained. "He caught Sun with that thing he tried to hit you and me with, and tried to kill him when his Aura was down."

  He seemed to have gotten pretty close.

  I moved next to Sun and knelt down, minding his arm. My fingers fell to his neck checking his pulse. His skin felt cold, but I couldn't tell if that was from blood loss or the rain. I then moved them under his nose checking for breathing.

  There. Barely.

  He was clinging to life. Which meant we weren't too late. But we'd need to work quickly. My mind began formulating a plan, figuring out what we'd need, where to go. There was a lot I could do for him, but it needed to happen fast. Even outside of infection, the longer his arm stayed in the condition it was, the harder it would be to salvage it. Not even accounting for healing time and recovery.

  "It's all my fault," Blake said.

  "Hm?"

  "I-I should've known he'd be here after last night."

  I looked away from Sun and focused on Blake. Her Aura must have been down as well. She had rain streaking down her face. It was washing grit and dust into her eyes, irritating them to a red shade.

  "I should've known," Blake said, almost choking on the words. "After everything we saw last night, I should've known Adam would have been involved in this."

  "Adam?" Weiss asked

  "Taurus," I supplied, pinning the name to the face. "The guy who wanted to have 'words' with Blake last night. Part of the reason we'd had to abandon Sun." I looked at Blake more evenly. "Does he have red hair and dress like he's Ruby with even less fashion sense?"

  "HEY!"

  "Adam Taurus is on the list of people known to be actively associated with the White Fang," Penny supplied. "His whereabouts are currently unknown, but the kingdom of Atlas is currently pursuing him in connection to multiple thefts, murders, and additional crimes against-"

  "Stop," Blake said, interrupting Penny. "Please, stop. You don't know him. Not like I do. He's dangerous, more dangerous than we can handle."

  "…Why didn't you tell us sooner?" I asked.

  "… I couldn't," Blake answered, her voice small, quiet as she shrank in on herself. "Not after everything… I did."

  A quiet moment filled only by the rain passed over us. Reality was sinking in. We'd lost. As far as I was concerned, it had nothing to do with the presence of some red-headed dick. One who would be dead had it not been for it being more important to tend to Sun than dig his grave. There was a sting of hypocrisy, that she hadn't told us about him after everything I'd been forced to share. But that's how it had been when I'd been with my companions as well. Unless you had something that brought the past up, you just let it lie.

  This time it came back to bite her.

  "… We'll deal with him later," I said, I craned my head around to the other girls. "Yang, Ruby, Weiss, help Blake carry Sun back to the prison. Penny, I want you to lead them back to the infirmary. It's going to be a wreck after everything that's happened, but if we're going to help Sun, it's going to have to happen there. I don't have my doctor's bag on me."

  "You can help him?" Yang asked, disbelieving.

  "You're not pulling a bullet out of his arm, Six!" Weiss said, at her own wits' end. "He needs an actual doctor-"

  "Who will tell you that his arm needs to be amputated due to prolonged exposure and damage to the underlying bones making recovery a pipedream," I told her. "That due to the conditions he was left to sit in he'll likely be facing both gangrene and additional infections, and need multiple skin grafts to cover the damage done to him. If he survives fighting off everything that could've infected him and if he doesn't turn septic." I was trying my best to be calm, but I was furious. Not at Blake. Not at Weiss. Not at any of them.

  I was furious at the red-headed little shit that had done this. Despite my misgivings with Sun, he'd proven himself. He had a good heart, and wasn't afraid to help his friends. Not even when it put him straight in the line of fire. He knew the risks and took the gamble anyway.

  Because it was what he thought the right thing to do.

  I'd be damned before I let some quack maim him just because they couldn't do what I could.

  "You all need to trust me," I said, looking at everyone. "Believe for five minutes that I actually know what I'm doing, long enough to do it… Blake."

  Blake's head swiveled up to look at me, the rain still soaking her face.

  I gently pressed my hands against either side of her head and made sure she couldn't suddenly look away. The motion caught her completely off guard.

  "Look at me," I told her. "Listen very closely to me. You've done nothing wrong here. None of this is on you. It's on Taurus, the White Fang, Torchwick. It's on everyone who set tonight in motion. But it's not on you. You didn't know this was going to happen, and guilt tripping yourself isn't going to change anything. The only thing you can do, is what you choose to do. Right now, Taurus isn't here. He ran away because he knew he was going to lose if he didn't. Because of that, everyone here, right now, is going to live. But you need to be stronger than whatever he thinks you are. Because you are."

  "I'm not," Blake said weakly.

  "Sun believes you are," I told her. "Yang does, Ruby does, Weiss does, Penny does, and I do. That's Six to one, you want to tell us we're all wrong and he's right? Don't lie to me."

  Blake blinked hard, her head trembled in my hands. She was scared. Whatever Taurus had done to her, he'd long sunk his claws into her. That wasn't something you could shrug off. I'd spent long enough between The Madre, The Big Empty, The Divide, and Utah to know some things stick around. But you can move past them if you try hard enough.

  Blake hadn't.

  But that didn't mean she couldn't move.

  Both of her hands came up and gently clasped around mine. She gently pulled them away from her head, and I let her pull back. She took a deep breath, focused.

  She couldn't leave Taurus behind.

  But she was willing to move. That's all we needed right now.

  "… Ok," Blake said, breathing deeply, looking at Sun. "… There's got to be something we can use as a stretcher to carry him down. We need to hurry."

  "I think I've got that covered," Weiss said, spinning the cylinder on her sword. A moment later, a glyph flashed onto the ground and the rain began to cool and condense as mist filled the air. Ice began to rise from the glyph, forming slowly, controlled.

  When she was done, a thick block of ice sat on the ground. About as long as Sun and wide enough to hold him.

  "We can push him on this," Weiss said. "It's not perfect but it'll work better than trying to carry him by hand."

  "That's using the old noodle," I said, smirking. "-ice idea, snowflake."

  The stink eye Weiss fixed me with was almost enough to make me laugh.

  Wordlessly, the six of us lifted Sun onto our improvised carrier and did our best to make sure he stayed there. There were going to be other issues if he stayed on it for too long, but they were small potatoes compared to, say, not bleeding-out or losing an arm. Once he was situated, I broke off from them.

  "You go on ahead, Penny knows the way, I'll catch up in a minute," I told them, moving back into the deeper parts of the arsenal.

  "Where're you going?" Yang asked.

  "There's something we're going to need, the Arsenal has it, and I'll need it to save Sun's arm," I explained, trying not to let on what I was about to do. They might've objected to it if they'd have known.

  Instead, they prioritized what I'd told them to and began to push off, following Penny beyond the gate of the arsenal, shoving the giant block of ice ahead of them. I watched them go, for a moment. Trusted they could get him there in one piece.

  Then I turned and headed back into the Arsenal.

  My Pip-Boy chimed briefly and I checked it as I began moving

  - Complete: Reunite with your teammates at the arsenal.

  - Objective: Practice Medicine.

  It wasn't a lie. I knew what I needed to fix Sun's arm. The infirmary wouldn't have it, most hospitals wouldn't either. The damage done would require either a bone graft of prosthetics to replace. Either one would need to be sourced.

  I just happened to know where a couple of donors were laying around. Think they call that recycling.

  …

  Sourcing the necessary replacement wasn't a quick thing, and I knew it wasn't going to be. I needed someone at least the right shape and size for Sun. I could shorten some pieces, but it needed to be close all the same. After managing to find one close enough I then had to liberate it from its donor without causing any unnecessary damage. Would hardly do any good for Sun if I broke it before it even got to him. Not counting some of the things I'd need to do just so I could attach it to him.

  I worked as fast as I could all the same, and then broke into a dead sprint to catch up to everyone. The hillside back down to the prison passed me in a blur of rain, fog, and dark trees. I broke out the other side of the tree line and practically slid the rest of the way down the hill. Carried by the mud and slick grass beneath my boots, I sprinted the remaining distance to the prison and dodged around the remains of the previous massacre, the blood and viscera now mixing with the muddy waters. Idly noted it might be another place I could find a replacement for Sun's elbow if I needed. Though it'd feel wrong desecrating their bodies over the White Fang's. The guards hadn't deserved what'd been done to them in the first place.

  Though it did give me a brief pause to worry about whether or not I'd have to consider blood types while attaching the new bone. Hopefully Aura made everyone a universal donor.

  I reached the doors back into the prison and ran inside. With power restored it was easy for me to find my way back to the infirmary. By the time I'd reached it, I'd managed to catch up with the girls as they were working to shift Sun into one of the beds. I'd have preferred an operating table, but it would have to do. His arm was the only I would need the extra space for anyway.

  They saw me as I hurried in and shucked out of the tattered remains of my coat, letting it fall to the ground. Without missing a step, I began hurrying about the room, collecting whatever I thought I was going to need. Painkillers and sedatives to keep Sun from waking up mid-surgery, blood bags to keep him sanguine. Scalpels, forceps, retractors and a brace. On top of them, tweezers, disinfectant, and sutures.

  The whole nine yards of what I would need to make sure I did it right. If I was going to save his arm, I would need that.

  During my time at Camp Forlorn Hope, at what felt like an eternity ago, I'd had to help a lot of wounded men, one of whom would've lost his leg in the worst case if I screwed up. I'd learned a lot more about medicine between then and now. Aside from which, private Prichard walked with a limp for a while afterwards, but he kept the damn leg.

  I arranged my tools on a table near Sun, collecting a few powered implements I knew I was going to need. That settled, I laid his arm out and began cleaning it in preparation for surgery, wiping it down to remove any muck still on him and doing the best I could to disinfect everything. As it was, I had the tools resting in a sanitizing bath.

  "What do we do now?" Ruby asked.

  "Rally the troops and be ready to leave," I told her, giving Sun's arm another swab. "In the best case, after I'm done here we're going to need to leave. Fast."

  "How long do you think it will take?" Weiss asked.

  "If I'm smart, half an hour," I answered, stepping away from Sun and beginning to cross the room. There was a sink with soap. Considering what I was about to do, any attempts at sanitation were going to be better than none. "If I had time to do everything the right way, it could take me an hour or two, maybe more. We don't have that kind of time, so I'm going to have to play things fast and loose."

  "This isn't like fixing a broken machine, Six," Yang pressed. "This is Sun."

  "I know," I answered, beginning the careful process of 'scrubbing in'. "I'm not going to treat him like one either. Have a little faith, I've seen people worse off than him and managed to help. I know a thing or two."

  "Is there anything else we can do to help?" Ruby asked, silencing any further attempts at dissent.

  "…No," I said, drying my hands and working sterile gloves onto them. "I appreciate it, and in different circumstances, I'd appreciate someone to pass me tools. But I remember how you all acted the last time I did something like this. I can handle it from here. We'll save lessons in medicine for another time."

  "Then what can we do?" Blake asked, almost desperate.

  "I told you. Rally the troops and have faith," I said, walking back towards Sun. I stepped up to the bedside he laid on and grabbed the tracked curtain that ringed it. "I suggest leaving the operating theater too. Penny, show them the door?"

  Without waiting for an answer, I pulled the curtain closed between all of us. There was silence for a moment, before footsteps began to echo through the room, a clear sign of my teammates walking back out through the ruined doorway. I wasn't trying to be curt with them. With everything that had happened so far, I was getting too close to my own limit. If I was going to help Sun, I needed to be focused. As it was, this was going to be an uphill battle.

  But I had things that would make the difference. Knowledge. Experience. Tools.

  Stimpacks.

  Mostly stimpacks.

  But stimpacks couldn't regrow lost bone. The body has a blueprint for how it's supposed to be and is good about making sure pieces more or less shift back into place. Couldn't do that if the pieces were completely gone. Same applied for healing with stimpacks. Can't heal what isn't there. One of the bonuses to having an Adamantium Skeleton was bone destruction being a non-issue. Just from a cursory glance, I could see Sun was missing a large chunk of his lateral epicondyle. Likely blown out the back hole, along with the associated capitulum. Which also meant it took a large piece of the radius' head and neck, plus the ulna's trochlear notch and olecranon. If I was going to save the arm, I'd need to start with the bone. Cut down to something stable enough to graft onto.

  I set the replacement on the table, doing my best to keep it sterile as well.

  With surgery as prepped as I could manage, the only thing left to do was to begin. I started by filling a syringe with an appropriate amount of ketalar and sticking Sun with it. Don't ask how I knew it was an appropriate amount, I just did.

  He began to relax as the drugs slipped into him.

  "Listen up, monkeyboy," I said, carefully picking out what debris was still in the wound, using just enough stim-fluid to close the parts that were only going to bleed everywhere as I worked. "You got hurt bad out there, it's pretty fucking ugly."

  Sun, naturally, didn't answer. If he did I would've given him a second dose of ketalar. He wasn't going to want to be awake for what was coming next.

  "Sometimes I wonder how it is guys like you seem to get all the luck. Then shit like this happens, and I guess it evens out," I muttered, making sure the back of his arm was healing nicely, and gave the wound on his chest a small dose. "But my friends, your friends, you've got them worried pretty badly. You're in good hands, but you've made them worry. I don't like that."

  The flesh that was knitting itself back together in his arm began to slow. I couldn't give him anymore, not until I'd finished the graft.

  The real procedure was about to begin.

  "The doctor's in, and he's going to do everything he can to help you," I told him. "You owe me money. That means you don't get to quit on me, got it?"

  I grabbed the oscillating bone saw and turned it on. Somehow it was even more menacing to hold than the normal, muscle-powered one.

  My hand passed over the tourniquet on his arm, letting blood creep back into the slowly healing limb. Watched to see that it was going to be able to recover from everything that had happened.

  Then I started cutting.

  …

  As the Courier set to his work, his teammates did their best to ignore the sounds of the equipment. It was another of their friends it was being used on. Even though the Courier had told them to have faith in him, the images conjured to mind were less than pleasant to linger on. To help keep from lingering on them, the group of them moved a short distance down the corridor. At the far end of it they found the wall cratered and caved in upon itself.

  "What happened here?" Ruby asked. "First the infirmary was a wreck, now there's a hole in the wall."

  "That was me and friend Six," Penny answered brightly. "After securing the maximum security wing, one of the more dangerous inmates escaped. Having to fight him was why we both took so long to reach you."

  "This place has caused us nothing but trouble," Weiss huffed. "At least we managed to keep anyone from escaping."

  "Except the White Fang," Blake said, sullenly. "The one thing we were actually trying to do tonight."

  "I mean… that's not so bad, right?" Ruby asked. "I mean, we stopped everyone in here being let loose into Vale, that has to count for something."

  "Ruby, you heard Six back at the apartment," Yang huffed. "Everything that they did here tonight was to undo everything that we'd done to stop them. It's like nothing we did actually mattered now."

  "But it did!" Ruby protested. "Can you imagine how much worse things would be if everyone in here was let loose into the Kingdom?"

  "That's just why they chose to do it," Blake said, arms hugging around herself. "Because they knew what we'd deem more important. We still lost, Ruby." Blake deflated as reality weighed on her. "Now Sun's paying for it."

  Ruby tried to think of what to say at that moment. Asking if Blake thought he'd be okay would be stupid. Saying he would be okay wouldn't magically make it so. Six had asked for them to believe in him, and Ruby did. But even she knew it was a lot to ask, especially with how fast it needed to happen. Things were going to be okay, somehow. She believed at least that much. Even if she didn't know how they were going to fix Sun's arm, stop the White Fang, escape the prison, not get caught by the police, make it back to school without getting caught now that her and Six's faces were plastered all over the news…

  The more she thought about it, the less optimistic Ruby was of the odds stacked before them.

  But she wasn't going to give up either.

  "Friend Six will be able to help Sun," Penny said, smiling. "The preparations he made, while rushed, were still close to appropriate medical procedure. He said to believe he can help Sun. Aren't friends supposed to believe in each other?"

  "…We're supposed to," Yang answered.

  Silence fell back over the group. The dull whine of the surgical implements echoed down the corridor behind them, eventually dying away as the procedure carried on. The air between them didn't improve the longer it carried. There was nothing any of them could think to do to change where they were now. The only thing they could do was wait. It did nothing to set them at ease.

  "…We should let the others know where we are," Weiss said after a moment. "They need to know what's happening. So we can leave before things get even more out of hand."

  "Who's bright idea were the anti-vigilante laws anyway?" Yang asked. "It seems like they don't really do anything besides keep people in trouble anyway."

  "They didn't get me in trouble," Ruby said. "I stopped Torchwick and some of his jerks the night I first met Six. I didn't get expelled or anything."

  "Didn't dad have to pick you up from the police station?" Yang asked, eyeing her sister curiously. "After being dragged there by professors Ozpin and Goodwitch?"

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Well… I mean, yeah," Ruby shrugged. "But it's not like they'd have had the pull to keep me out of trouble though. None of us were even enrolled in Beacon to start with."

  "… Didn't you get to skip a year because Ozpin admitted you early?" Weiss asked.

  "Yeah, why?... OH."

  "Maybe it won't be so bad then," Weiss mused. "Losing something we never even had in the first place."

  Ruby dug into her pocket and drew out her Scroll. She opened it and began typing.

  (You): ["Hey guys, r u all ok?"]

  A moment passed before she received a reply.

  (Jaune): ["We're good. Managed to help re-contain everything. We were about to head out to meet up with you guys.]

  (Coco): ["Same. We need to talk. Now."]

  Ruby took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  (Ruby): ["W r back in kohl's gate now. Things went rong at the arsenal. Sun's hurt bad. We r at the infirmary now. Meet us here, we r going to need to hurry."]

  A moment passed as Ruby pressed the send button on her Scroll. It would take a moment for her message to register. When it did, she was greeted with two simple responses.

  (Jaune): ["We're coming, we'll be there as fast as we can."]

  (Coco): ["Same. Sorry in advance."]

  Ruby looked at the line Coco had sent and wondered for a moment what that was supposed to mean. However, ill or good, she knew she'd know soon enough. She put her Scroll away and looked at her teammates. Saw how tired and beaten they all looked. Each of them soaked and covered head to toe in dust and mud. Perhaps a miracle they'd all made it through in one piece… Well, not all of them. Ruby wondered if having everyone there at the arsenal would've made a difference. Could they have tried a different plan and had it work? Were they doomed from the start? She didn't know.

  She wanted to believe they could've done it.

  She just didn't know how they could've, then and there.

  Her hand fell to Crescent Rose and she idly drummed her fingers over its receiver. Stroking a hand over it as she thought over what she could've done. What she would need to do, once they got back to Beacon. The repairs and maintenance-

  Ruby's eyes widened. "O-oh- shoot!"

  "What is it?" Penny asked.

  "We left Sun's weapon back in the Arsenal!" Ruby said, spinning on her heel. "Hold on, I'll be right back!"

  In a blink, Ruby vanished, dashing off through the air in a whirl of rose petals, leaving her teammates to wait for her return, and the reunion of their friends.

  "… Didn't the police already catch us all at the docks?" Weiss asked, furrowing her brow. "Wouldn't that qualify as grounds for expulsion because of the laws?"

  "It would've been if the police had been more actively involved," Penny explained. "Mr. Ironwood said that due to the nature in which we were found, the police weren't able to tell if we were breaking the law or not. Professor Goodwitch's interference kept them from holding everyone long enough to find out as well."

  "Fat chance of that happening again," Yang said. "Not after everyone who's seen us tonight."

  "We knew the chance we were taking when we took it," Weiss said. "We should've thought about what would happen if we failed… I guess this means we're going to be expelled now, doesn't it?"

  "Probably," Yang said. "Maybe land in jail too."

  "… A place like this?" Weiss asked, motioning to the prison around them.

  "…Probably," Yang answered, shrugging, then giving a sad chuckle. "That'll be the headline tomorrow: Heiress Expelled and Jailed."

  "Don't joke about that," Weiss dismissed with a huff. "It's not funny."

  "It's not," Yang agreed. "None of this is."

  The sound of footsteps echoed from down the corridor as they stood there. One by one they cast their gaze down the corridor towards it, found its source among familiar faces. Friends.

  Team JNPR raced down the corridor at a dead sprint. Compared to them, JNPR looked dry and clean. The worst done to them came from the sweat they worked out while fighting. They appeared otherwise unharmed and collected. They did not slow in their run until they had reached the girls of team RWBY, and their plus one-cum-two. Eventually, they came skidding to a stop, eyes quickly scanning around them.

  "We came as fast as we could," Jaune said, eyes scanning. "What happened? Where's Sun?"

  "Who did it?" Nora asked, lacking much of her usual cheer. "Mama's gonna break some legs!"

  "Sun's in the infirmary with Six," Blake answered. "He's… doing everything he can to help."

  "Friend Ruby went to find Sun's weapon. It got left behind at the Arsenal," Penny added brightly.

  "What happened?" Ren asked. "It seemed like everything was under control when Six last called."

  "It was," Yang said. "Until it wasn't."

  "The White Fang had two of their higher ranking members with them," Weiss said, looking sideways at Yang. "They put up more of a fight than we thought they would."

  "I didn't know they would be there," Blake said weakly.

  "None of us did," Weiss affirmed. "… We did everything we could. It just wasn't enough."

  "You don't mean…" Pyrrha said, her face falling.

  "They stole what they wanted from the arsenal and escaped," Weiss answered, nodding. "They won."

  Silence settled back over the group as JNPR heard the news, shock rippling through them as they looked at each other. The realization of how futile their efforts had been was settling in.

  "… You've gotta be kidding me!" Nora belted. "We couldn't have done all this for nothing!"

  "Nora," Ren said, gently trying to calm her.

  "But we didn't, Ren!" she protested. "We did all this to try and help people!... We've risked everything being here."

  Her words came out softer and weaker than any had heard Nora speak, save for Ren himself. Even as soft as they were, her words echoed the feeling they all shared. The acknowledgement that their failure was real and what they stood to lose because of it was far greater than they realized. Their careers at Beacon were likely to end. Any hope any of them had of legally pursuing careers as Huntsmen likely vanished with it. All the things they'd hoped to accomplish, redemption, adventure, the hope of a brighter tomorrow, gone. Now only as certain as the haze that hung in the air just beyond the prison walls. The very walls who may confine them as well, if the law was against them.

  "… Maybe we can still fix this," Jaune said, trying to rally himself and his team. "We just need to get everyone and go. If we hurry we might be able to… I don't know, change something!"

  "I'm afraid you're a little too late to be doing that, Mister Arc."

  "…" Jaune felt his spine freeze solid as the voice travelled through the air. He didn't bother to turn and face the new voice. His frozen spine would've prevented him from doing so as well. The looks on the faces of his friends' faces said enough.

  What the rest saw, was the final nail in the coffin of their terrible evening.

  Glynda Goodwitch walked purposefully down the corridor with Professor Ozpin, team CFVY following in tow. There was another person with them that most did not recognize, a young woman with deeply tanned skin and black hair. She wore a blue beret, matched by an equally blue skirt, and her chest covered by a white and gold button-down short sleeved shirt. Her hands and arms were covered by long, black, fingerless gloves, her legs by boot-chaps that covered her black shoes and were long enough to reach mid-thigh. She looked about primly, properly, and in a completely measured fashion.

  The two teachers she traveled with, by comparison, were far less composed. Both appeared half dressed, but nonetheless professional. As though they had both only just begun preparing to lay down for the evening. They approached the two teams of underclassmen purposefully, pointedly.

  And as everyone but Jaune could see, quite sternly. The only thing he could hear was the echoing of their shoes against the tiled floors of the prison.

  "Children," Glynda spoke, approaching the group with the others. "It would seem you are out well past curfew. Would you care to explain why? More importantly, why are you here?"

  None of them answered, their tongues seemed to glue themselves to the roofs of their mouths. As if the situation could not get any worse for them, they were caught before they could escape. Not even a prayer at it before being caught. What they could see of team CFVY showed it was not a feeling they were alone in either.

  Only one of them had the temerity to speak.

  "… Hello Ms. Soleil!" Penny chirped, waving to the woman in the blue beret.

  "Good evening Ms. Polendina," Ciel Soleil answered, a small nod of her head.

  "Why are you here?" Penny asked innocently.

  "You know why I'm here."

  "… No I don't."

  "…"

  "… *hiccup*"

  "... Hm," Ciel hummed, checking the watch on her wrist, the display glowing. "We have, perhaps twenty minutes before we must leave." She turned towards the professors. "I would rather we don't waste all that time staring silently at each other."

  "Indeed," Glynda answered, looking imperiously at her students. "It seems clear to me as well that they've underestimated the severity of what they have done here as well." Her gaze then shifted to the side, looking back towards their upperclassmen. "I thought I could've expected better from you and your team, Ms. Adel."

  "W-we can explain," Nora said

  "Hm. I would certainly hope you could," Glynda answered, turning back to face Nora and her team. The gleam in her green eyes was like that of daggers. "Because you don't seem to grasp the gravity of your current circumstances."

  "You are all in a great deal of trouble," Ozpin spoke, stepping forward, cane tapping the ground. His voice was even, un-accusing. "While the entirety of why you are here tonight remains to be seen, allow me to enlighten you about what Professor Goodwitch and I see." His eyes began to trail over them. "I see three teams from my academy. One of the best current second year teams, and two from the first year who have untold potential and promise. All of whom have very bright futures." He exhaled through his nose, calmly. "All of which is now in jeopardy, due to the choices you have made this evening…"

  Ozpin reached a hand to his face and adjusted his glasses. When he spoke next, his words remained calm, unaccusing, and even. But the severity of the matter was clear in his tone.

  "If there is anything you would like to say about this situation, I encourage you to say it now. Before the authorities arrive. When they do, we will be forced to cooperate with them. Regardless of what's happened here tonight."

  "B-but we didn't do anything wrong," Jaune said.

  "That will not matter to them," Ozpin spoke. "The law is clear on what has happened tonight. Unless you would rather have to face that than myself and professor Goodwitch, I encourage your honesty."

  Another moment of silence passed over the students present. Team CFVY was slowly ushered to join them, as they all came to terms with what was about to happen.

  "… Where're Tiny, Sun, and the cowboy?" Coco asked.

  "… Ruby will be back in a moment," Weiss answered. "She had to run back to the Arsenal."

  "The Arsenal?" Professor Ozpin asked, his brow creeping up slightly.

  Weiss was torn between answering the Headmaster and her fellow student. Knowing the former would be getting the full-story shortly, she chose to answer the latter.

  "Sun's with Six in the infirmary," she continued. "Sun's… been hurt really bad."

  Another moment passed as Coco's face fell. Worry crept into her teammate's faces as well. Perhaps they had assumed the evening had been successful on all fronts, save for being caught.

  As they would soon discover, that was far from the truth.

  There was a rush of wind and a whirl of rose petals.

  "Hey, I found-" Ruby started to speak as she reappeared, holding Sun's wrecked weapon under her arm. The words trailed off as she realized who else had joined them. "… We're about to get yelled at, aren't we?"

  …

  Despite my best efforts, I could tell Sun was beginning to stir as I finished stitching his arm back together. In a way I guess that meant I'd used the right dosage, or at least enough to keep him out for the duration of what I'd needed to do.

  I'd managed to remove the right amount of bone on both ends to properly fit the graft. It was also fresh enough that the stim-fluid could knit the pieces together. Not a perfect joining, but close enough. Sun would have to figure the rest out over the course of recovery. As it was, it would take time for the graft to properly strengthen itself even with stimpacks. The rest of it was easy compared to that. The stitches would fade with time, same with the scars. But they'd linger, both the ones on his arm and his chest. There was no taking that away.

  As I pulled the suture through and tightened the seams together, I stuck him with a final shot of fluid. He started coming back as it ran its course. Stimpacks were great at healing you, but the process wasn't always comfortable. Or clean, going by all the blood left behind on the operating table.

  "Hnn?" Sun groaned.

  I removed the bracing from his arm and collected the tools. With a swing of my arm I opened the curtains back out to the infirmary.

  "Operation complete," I muttered. "Remain where you are until the doctor can assess you."

  "Hn," Sun groaned, again. Couldn't tell if he was clear enough to understand me at that point. He'd lost a lot of blood.

  I walked back to the sink and dumped the tools, disposing of the medical waste. As I did, my Pip-Boy chimed again.

  - Complete: Practice Medicine.

  - Objective: Retreat.

  I washed my hands off and made sure I was as clean and sterile as I could be before returning to Sun.

  "What happened?" Sun asked.

  "You got hit," I told him. "What do you remember?"

  "…" Sun's eyes shot wide open as he came racing back to the world. He bolted upright in the bed. "Blake!"

  Immediately, he lost his balance and went tumbling out the side of it, landing on his face. "…ow."

  "Careful, you lost a lot of blood," I told him. "It's a miracle you're even awake right now."

  "Where's Blake?" Sun asked. "That guy-"

  "He's gone. The White Fang are too," I told him, helping him sit up, against the bed. "They got what they came for."

  "They escaped?" Sun asked, breathing heavily. "… Dude…" He looked down at his chest, then his arm. "…Guess I didn't imagine getting hit. Surprised I still have my arm."

  "It was touch and go," I told him. "Count yourself lucky. How's it feel?"

  "… Off," Sun said, moving his arm, flexing at the elbow. "Doesn't feel quite righ- ah!"

  Sun immediately stopped flexing his arm and began clutching it instead. I had an idea what it was, but figured I'd confirm it.

  "Arm pain?" I asked.

  "Feels like I hit my funny bone," Sun answered, wincing.

  "That's a good sign. Means the nerves are still intact."

  Actually a sign they'd properly regenerated. Stimpacks could restore the physical thing, but they couldn't reconnect the original pathways. That required relearning the motions. Considering the damage that was done he'd have to start from scratch, but the majority of the other pathways being intact meant he'd probably rebuild things faster than the first go around.

  "This is gonna suck," Sun grumbled. "Any chance it'll stop?"

  "Probably not until it's fully healed. Off and on for the most part otherwise," I told him. "Go easy on it for the next few days, the bones need time to heal."

  Sun looked up at me. "You do this?"

  "I've had practice," I told him, offering a hand up. "Come on, we can't wait. The police will be here soon."

  "… Dude," Sun breathed, shaking his head and chuckling. He grabbed my hand with his good arm and I hauled him to his feet. He stumbled, but I steadied him. Gave him something to lean on as we began walking for the door. I grabbed the tattered remains of my duster as we went and tucked them under my arm. Wasn't much I could do for it, but I'd hold onto it until either I got a verdict from Byz or had the chance to make scraps from it. I was going to need to see if he could make it from a sturdier material. Or at least sell me the supplies needed to properly repair it after nights like this.

  Sun and I limped back towards the hole that'd been blown where the door once was, being mindful of the rubble. Last thing Sun needed was to fall wrong and fuck-up his still-healing injuries. In hindsight, I was going to have to see about making some super-stimpacks. They wouldn't do much good in the field, but would be good for any future post-fight recovery. One more thing for the list.

  Carefully, we left the med-bay and began making our way back down the hall. I could see that the girls had chosen to move a short ways off to give me some space to work. Surgery wasn't exactly quality entertainment for most people, so I didn't blame them for not wanting to watch. Especially when it was one of our friends who'd been in dire need of it. I could see that they'd moved down the hall towards where Penny and I had left Waylon, who was also gone by the time we came back. No telling what'd become of him. Either he'd escaped, or he'd been taken to a holding cell. Either way, he was gone for now. Could only hope he stayed that way. Knowing my luck, he wouldn't.

  In the interim of surgery beginning and ending, they'd sent messages out over our Scrolls. I'd paid them only a small amount of attention, which itself was probably more than I should've been. But I'd known they'd reached out to JNPR and CFVY. Told them it was time to regroup so we could get out of there. As I half-carried Sun down the hall, I could see them there.

  But I saw something there that also tickled the slow-simmering anger that was still sitting in my chest.

  Ozpin.

  Goodwitch.

  … Some new girl, dressed way too preppy and perfect for my liking.

  They were standing in front of my friends, dressed like they'd rolled out of bed and were ready for a fight despite it. Unlike my friends, however, I could tell they hadn't actually been in one. They looked too damn clean.

  My Pip-Boy chimed, again, and I checked it as I went.

  - Failed: Retreat.

  - Objective: Face the music.

  I could see Ruby standing in front of our group, talking with them. Quite emphatically at that.

  As Sun and I got closer, Goodwitch raised her hand, silencing Ruby.

  "-Allow me to summarize." Goodwitch spoke. "Despite having learned about Vale's stance on vigilante justice, you chose to come here anyway. You chose to drag two additional teams of your fellow students here, into the kingdom, to help you subvert the laws in place, knowing full well the consequences that could wait for you, and have been caught, on camera no less, breaking the law. Despite that, you still chose to intervene in a situation such as this. Knowing you had an even greater likelihood of being caught, and putting yourself and your fellow students in harm's way. Which, as you say, ultimately has come to pass, as you now currently have one of them in critical condition…"

  Goodwitch exhaled sharply through her nose. "… Tell me, is there any part of this we're missing?"

  "The part where he's stable and walking around," I called out. "Or, y'know, you can keep ragging on us for actually getting here in time to help."

  Everyone turned to look down the hall towards me and Sun as we limped our way towards them.

  "Y'know, just a thought," I said. "Considering you're the ones who were late to the party."

  "Sun!" Blake exclaimed. Immediately she broke away from the group to meet us, and was similarly followed by Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Blake ran up and all but took Sun's weight off of me, though it seems she wasn't up to carrying him either, with how they sank to the floor "You're ok!" She looked dumbfoundedly at the mark on his chest and the stitches in his arm, then at me. "How-"

  "I told you. I'm a doctor," I said. "You should learn to give me some credit after everything." I nodded to Ruby, Yang, and Weiss before moving past them, keeping my attention on Goodwitch, Ozpin, and Preppy-girl. "So. You want to keep having this conversation? Let's start with: what took either of you so long to get here?"

  Ozpin and Goodwitch shared a look, not judging or reprimanding, and answered. "We were responding to the incidents happening elsewhere in the Kingdom," Goodwitch explained. "The amount of chaos and fear created by the various attacks throughout the city were stirring the Grimm into motion. As it is, most of Beacon's staff and upperclassmen have been dispatched to observe and quell any gatherings. Unless you'd rather add a Grimm incursion to this evening's list of incidents?

  "Not as such," I told her. "But I don't think you grasp the reality of everything that's happened here tonight."

  "The White Fang attacked this place to incite chaos and steal what they deemed valuable equipment," Ozpin said. "We are aware of what's happened here tonight, Mister Six. If there is anyone lacking in their understanding of what's happened here tonight, it will be the authorities themselves. Which will be a massive issue for you, and the three teams who took it upon themselves to be here tonight, all of whom have actively coordinated with the prison staff this evening. With clear evidence they were not here on official business in the first place."

  "And that's a problem?" I asked. "Fucks' sake, do you have even an iota of an idea of what we managed to stop here tonight?"

  "As far as the authorities will be concerned, you'll have stopped nothing, and they'll have captured the vigilantes that have been running around for the past several weeks," Ozpin answered evenly. "Which is why we will be handling matters before they arrive. With any luck you'll be safely returned to the academy. Before they can realize it was any different from Professor Goodwitch and myself leading a group of you to aid in securing this place."

  "None of you understand the severity of the laws you've broken today," Goodwitch continued. "Whether you agree with them or not, these laws are in place to prevent unqualified huntsmen from endangering people's lives."

  "People's lives were in danger anyway!" Ruby protested, only to immediately shrink back when Goodwitch shot her a sharp look.

  "…Including Mr. Wukong's?" Goodwitch asked. "Including Ms. Polendina's? Who, I might add, should not be here."

  "Kidnapping is a crime on a different scale," The preppy-girl said.

  "… I'm sorry, who the fuck is this?" I asked, motioning to the girl "And why should I care about you?"

  "Ciel Soleil," the girl answered, neutrally, like I was some annoying task she'd been assigned to. "I was tasked by the General with coming to collect Ms. Polendina after last night's incident at the Gala." She raised her hand. "Before you ask, no, he's not going to press charges on you. It was Ms. Polendina's choice to remain with you these past twenty-three hours and fifteen minutes. However, unless she returns with me, the matter will be handled more seriously. Something you seem to be getting informed of quite a bit at this moment."

  "Aw, but I wanted to stay a little longer," Penny answered, almost missing the entire tone of the conversation.

  Ciel, however, hadn't and gave Penny an annoyed look. Were I not keeping my temper squarely on the real issue, I'd have been half tempted to pop her on the nose.

  "We understand why you've all done as you have this evening," Ozpin answered. "It's in the spirit of being Huntsmen and Huntresses to want to help however you are able… but you are not there yet. If you're caught here, tonight, you never will be." He looked over all of our teams again. "The best of your year," he said, eyeing CFVY before turning to JNPR and my team. "And some with the greatest promise I have seen in a long time… Do not squander your futures like this," He turned and began to step slowly down the hall. "There are two Bullheads waiting at the gate. I bid you, follow me."

  I could see the looks on everyone's faces. The ones filled with conflict. Sorrow. Sadness. There was no denying that we'd failed at what we'd wanted to do there that night. We'd given everything, Sun nearly bought the farm. But the White Fang still got what they wanted. They didn't give a shit about the law and operated outside it, consequences be damned. After all, the police had to catch them first. Sometimes, it was even what they wanted.

  But we still had to abide by it. Let it choke us despite being some of the ones most readily able to do something about it. We had done everything right and still lost.

  I could remember the last time I'd been in a situation like that. One where it didn't seem to matter what I was going to do, I was going to lose anyway. All because laws, red tape, and bureaucratic nonsense kept me from doing things the 'right' way. So that I'd lose, no matter all the good I'd done.

  Now it was sitting squarely on everyone else as well.

  Was this what they trained for?

  Was this what they fought for?

  Was this what they were willing to give everything up for?

  A bunch of laws that were clearly and heavily skewed against those who tried to do the right thing.

  I looked at their faces.

  I saw the same defeat I'd known so long ago.

  The very same as what led me to Zion.

  Just as I did, that day, under a rain filled sky, something happened. Something changed again.

  My mind cleared. I saw things as they were, understood everything I needed to. Knew who I needed to be again. Because there wasn't anyone, then, with the strength to be it.

  The anger I felt boiled over. But it didn't come out in a roar, or a bang. It came out in a small, steady, strong tone that I should've listened to sooner.

  'Oh, so now you can hear me?'

  "Enough."

  "Mister Six, whatever protest you have for how this is to be handled, I advise you to consider your options carefully," Ozpin answered, turned and ready to walk away.

  "I already have," I replied in turn, eyeing both him and Goodwitch. "And I have to wonder if this is what being a Huntsman is. Being as worthless as a dog without its teeth or a bird without its wings."

  "…" Ozpin turned back towards me. He, Goodwitch, Ciel, and all of my friends were looking at me.

  "When the wolves are at the door, you're expected to let them in and act like it's normal? As they destroy everything you hold dear, you're supposed to grin and bear it?" I asked. "When you've got the power to change things, help those in need, you're expected to sit on it and stick your head in the sand. Is that what you expect?"

  "It's the law, Mister Six," Ozpin answered, tiredly. "Licensed Huntsmen-"

  "Want nothing to do with this mess," I cut him off. "I've been doing this for almost a month. Not once have I seen anyone who fits the bill you claim. Not until tonight. I know, now, why I haven't either." I felt my fist begin to clench. "That despite all the purported authority they supposedly wield, Huntsmen are expected to kowtow to this? To let the world burn while they sit on their hands. Because some useless law forbids them from openly acting against the things throwing fuel on it? That sit with their teeth at people's throats, while they're expected to sit and watch."

  "Being a Huntsman is not being a superhero," Goodwitch answered, something different in her tone. Something hurt, angry, just like Ozpin. Tired. "It's a job and a duty, Mister Six. One whose bounds cannot be overstepped. We can't fix the world by ignoring every rule just because we don't like them."

  "It's not ignoring every rule, nor satisfying any whim that comes to your mind," I told her. "Nor is it abiding by every broken and twisted command… I can't claim to know everything that's right. To avoid everything that's wrong…" I looked over everyone else. My friends, allies. The ones who'd come to bat that night and did so because they understood something important. Even if it wasn't what they dreamed it would be. "It's to know when something is wrong. To plant your feet in the sand and hold back against it. Because, whether it's the Grimm, the White Fang, or whatever gang's looking to control your world, it comes down to one simple thing. What they're doing is wrong. Allowing them to do what they wish, at the cost taken from those who can't resist? That's wrong."

  "You're talking about a problem every Huntsman has faced since the beginning," Goodwitch answered. "We cannot be everywhere. Even if we could, the world isn't black and white."

  "You don't get to speak of a world of gray when you cling to the law as an absolute." I hissed back at her. "You miss the point. Being a Huntsman isn't being a weapon against the Grimm. It's not being a soldier, a superhero, or some low-paid jobber… It's the same as any time a weapon is raised to protect the things you care about. You are one thing. Do you know what that is?..." I looked at my friends, who were listening closely to what I had to say. Even if the words weren't sinking in, they were hearing me ramble. "Do any of you?"

  My friends looked at me, then each other. Even as tired and worn down as I could see they were, I could see it. They were trying to understand. Either what I was telling them, or where I was going with this. They didn't understand, but I couldn't expect them to either. How could they? They were learning. I couldn't hold that against them. I wouldn't either.

  But I knew they would understand.

  "It's being a messenger," I told them. "Everyone is one, one way or another. Every job, every person. We all have a message to deliver to every person we meet. But the one being a Huntsman delivers? It's supposed to go something like this:-" I looked Ozpin in the eye. "We're here. Because we're here, you can lay your head down. Rest, knowing you won't be taken in your sleep. We're here. You can build now. Make something that's never been seen before, knowing it will be safe from the enemy at the gates. We're here. You may put down your roots. Grow, flourish, and be plenty in the knowledge that you don't need to be afraid…"

  I looked at all of them.

  They looked back.

  Whatever I was saying, I could see it had struck a chord in each of them. Maybe not the same one, maybe not the same way. But they could all hear it. All feel it.

  "… I am here," I finished. "As long as I am here, you need not be afraid. Of the things that lurk in darkness, beneath the pale light of the moon, or the glory of the blazing sun. We will meet them wherever they are. They go no further this day, or the next. We are Hunters. You need not be afraid."

  I looked Ozpin in the eyes again. When I spoke, I made damn sure he was listening.

  "Tell me, headmaster. Am I wrong?" I asked. "Is that not what a Huntsman is supposed to be? Or has its meaning and purpose been lost? Stripped away by a world that's forgotten. That you can fight back. Tell me. What is a Huntsman supposed to be, and is this really what we're supposed to be fighting for?"

  I already knew my answer.

  This wasn't for me.

  But I needed to know what they would do. If this was the limit that he could muster. That to him this wasn't more than a job. How could they, Ozpin, Goodwitch, ever expect anything good from their students if this was their standard? Keeping to the letter of something that was actively getting people hurt?

  I'd seen no Huntsmen in Vale.

  Not until I'd seen Ruby risk everything for people she didn't even know.

  I knew why now.

  If this was how they could draw the line, then I knew what I would do next.

  A long, poignant silence stretched out between us. One begging for an answer. One that would only begin to wildly and violently shift after it received one. I was ready for it, no matter what he said.

  "…May we step to the side for a moment, Mister Six?" Ozpin asked, voice tired and worn down.

  I gave no response, save a small nod of the head, and a jerk of the thumb back towards the infirmary. Silently, he began to stride towards me, Goodwitch at his side.

  "Headmaster, the authorities-" Ciel began to pester.

  "Will do nothing to you," I cut her off. "If it comes to that matter, the only reason any of you were here tonight, was to help apprehend a wanted vigilante. You had no part in it beyond that."

  As Ozpin and Goodwitch joined me, and we began to walk down the hall, I saw the understanding settle over everyone else. If it came down to that choice, I would make it. They didn't get to lose their futures due to my own incompetence.

  But that would be only if it came to that.

  We walked a good distance away from everyone, until we were almost parallel with the med-bay's doors.

  "You've spoken quite passionately and strongly," Ozpin said, looking at me. "More so than I have heard you before. You believe what you say?"

  "More than you do," I told him.

  Ozpin smiled.

  It was like watching a porcelain mask crack in half. Getting to see what was hiding underneath. There again I saw something, tired, worn, old. Just as quick, it was gone again, the mask healing itself.

  "No. You grasp the nature of it," Ozpin said. "But the reality is a harsh one."

  "We didn't come here tonight just to make it seem as though your efforts are meaningless," Goodwitch answered, something sounding akin to empathy in her voice. "We came because we understand. We were only too slow to be here."

  "And you know why?" I asked them.

  "We do," she answered. "But that is the reality. We can't be everywhere at once and fighting every fire that's sparked. We have to focus on the ones that we can see."

  "Fight them as we're so allowed," Ozpin added. "Or face the uncertainties and consequences that come with them. You've seen them tonight."

  I didn't argue that point. Sun's injuries and near death. The destruction caused by the fight in the arsenal. The people lost defending the prison. All because, in many ways, we'd failed. Not counting the legal consequences that could land us locked in the prison ourselves.

  "But if the law is the cause, then it needs to be changed. Or abolished," I told them. "I won't pretend you both hadn't cottoned on to what's happened these past few weeks. But you cannot tell me this wasn't avoidable as well. That Beacon couldn't have students actively out with the police. Or patrolling with their teachers. Making sure the kingdom is safe, beyond chasing Grimm on expeditions and missions."

  "It would need to be shown that such a thing is possible," Ozpin answered. "These laws exist for the exact reason you give. Because students in the past have tried what you suggest, only to have it fail spectacularly. Since then, the only time students are allowed to do anything in Vale is when they're doing course work. Directly under the supervision of the authorities."

  "Thus, supervision. Just not the kind needed," I responded firmly. "There's no convincing me that what we've done here tonight was wrong. That it deserves punishment. The only ones who should be punished are the ones committing the crime."

  "And what do you propose?" Goodwitch asked. "That we simply let you go? Let you continue to risk all of their futures simply because you believe it to be the right thing to do?"

  "I'm not risking their futures," I told her. "I'm asking them, the same as I'm asking both of you: between doing what's right, and doing what's demanded of you, which do you choose? I'm offering a choice. No matter which they take, there's consequences for both. Succeed or Fail."

  Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at each other. Considering my words. They turned back to me and Ozpin asked.

  "How do you intend to leave this place without facing the consequence of failing? You've been seen. If you do not leave with us, there will be no protection for you against what's coming."

  I looked at Ozpin. He had a point. Getting out and acting as though we weren't there wasn't a simple thing. The police would be there before long. Ruby and I were already ID'd by the news broadcast earlier that day. The net was closing in, and we didn't have a lot of room left to run.

  But we weren't trapped yet.

  I looked at Ozpin, smirking even if he couldn't see it. "I'm going to ask nicely."

  …

  I knocked on the door to the camera room and waited a moment. A few seconds later, Mark came to the door and opened it. He looked tired enough that he could sleep for a month. After the night we'd all had, I could understand it.

  He looked at me in surprise all the same.

  "I need you to put a message out over the loudspeaker for me."

  …

  The message was for all available personnel to gather in the main atrium of the prison. The same place all the prisoners had been gathered when we first arrived. Now most of them had been either escorted back to their cells or escaped. Likely the former, from everything I understood. The prison wasn't completely back under control, but it was on its way to it. It was likely only minutes until the police arrived. I was going to have to be quick.

  My teammates, JNPR, CFVY, Penny, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ciel were all nearby. Waiting and watching what I was doing.

  The space was filled with everyone who could be spared, including some of the people we'd interacted with directly. I spied the dog-eared girl from the checkpoint, the riot-officer from the yard. Everybody who could be spared was there.

  I'd have to hope it was enough.

  I climbed up onto a vantage point, some place high enough to be seen, letting my voice carry over the room. Even before I'd spoken, I was already getting their attention.

  Which was annoying. I hated public speaking. Didn't know many people who didn't, even Kimball hated it, professional ass-kisser he was.

  "Good evening everyone," I said. "I'm going to start by saying I'm sorry for the trouble you've faced tonight. Were the situation better handled in time, none of this would have happened. I've got no doubt you all have some idea who I am, though I've only had the pleasure to be acquainted with a few of you."

  None of the guards said anything, but I knew they were listening by the way they all were looking up at me.

  "Me and my associates came here tonight because we caught wind of what was going to happen. Tried our damnedest to stop it once we had. Despite that, we couldn't stop everything. I apologize for that. I know some of you have likely lost friends and co-workers tonight, and that won't be easy to recover from."

  A small murmur came from the crowd. They knew that already.

  "The reason I've asked you all to be gathered here, now, is to ask you a question about this evening. You see, me and my associates weren't really here," I explained to them. "As a matter of fact, the ones here this evening were the teachers and staff from Beacon Academy. They rode in on Bullheads and helped you to settle things as fast and as cleanly as they could. Just as quickly, they were gone, going to face the Grimm gathering near the kingdom's borders because of what's happened tonight."

  As I explained this, I saw the guards looking about, spying Ozpin and Goodwitch not too far away. I could tell they were watching me curiously right now. Wondering just where the hell I was going.

  "It happened so fast that, by the time the police arrived, they were already gone. Any questions about what happened would need to be directed to them during the Academy's normal hours," I continued. "After all, vigilantism carries a heavy penalty, one that brooks no arguments for the good it may provide. The law would require that anyone caught performing it be considered no different than the very people who attacked you tonight. Thus, it must have been the Huntsmen of Beacon who saved you. No one else."

  The crowd began to fall silent again as they grasped what I was telling them. It wouldn't work forever, eventually we were going to get caught. Have to face the consequences of a broken system.

  But it didn't need to work forever either.

  Just long enough.

  "So the question I'm going to ask you is this:" I said, pausing a moment, for effect. "... How many of you can see and hear me right now?"

  A moment passed, as the entire atrium seemed to collectively hold its breath. I waited, watched. Hoped that my words meant something to them. That out of all of them, I could get some understanding.

  "… OH SHIT, I THINK I LEFT THE OVEN ON!" one of the staff said, promptly bolting out of the crowd and away from the atrium, disappearing from sight.

  It was the same as the first of a fall's leaves. One went, and the others quickly began to follow.

  In almost a blink the entirety of the atrium was empty.

  It worked.

  Which meant we needed to leave. Immediately.

  …

  We followed Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ciel quickly back to the gates, where two Bullheads sat waiting, turbines spooling. The kingdom of Vale stretched out behind them. I could hear the wail of police sirens and see lights flashing.

  They were coming.

  Ozpin and Goodwitch stood in front of us.

  "Tonight has not gone as anyone expected," Ozpin explained. "This situation is a tense one, and I wish you all had not placed yourselves into it. Before we leave there are some things to be made clear."

  "Firstly, Ms. Polendina will be returning with Ms. Soliel," Goodwitch ordered. "The incident surrounding her is already a difficult one. Further exacerbating it will not be tolerated. She'll be returned to her people without further delay. You'll all be satisfied that any consequence that comes from it will be minor in comparison to what could be waiting for you."

  Out of all my teammates, Ruby was the only one who looked as though she was going to protest. The others were still too worn down from everything. Didn't have the fight left in them for it, not then. I would've protested it as well. But I knew it was the right call. Even if Penny had proven invaluable over the course of everything, her situation was a tangled mess we didn't have time to get caught in. Not then. So when Ruby went to protest, Penny merely put her hand on Ruby's shoulder and shook her head.

  "It's ok," Penny said, smiling. "I'm so glad I got to spend the day with you and Six. But I need to go home. I think Papa's a bit worried about me."

  "We'll do it again soon," I said, giving her a nod and letting my voice relax. "That's a promise."

  Penny gave me a toothy smile, as Ciel went and hooked onto her.

  "Our time is up," Ciel spoke curtly. "Come along, Ms. Polendina."

  Easily, Penny turned and began to walk with her.

  "… Oh, one more thing," I said.

  Penny and Ciel turned back towards me. The latter glowered at me, but the former was curious.

  I stepped calmly up to them, reaching my hand out, then a finger.

  It gently booped Penny on the nose.

  "Tag, you're it," I said, smiling, then easily glided back into the spot I'd been.

  Penny's smile grew vibrant against the rain around us, and she giggled. Ciel, thoroughly annoyed, grabbed Penny and all but hauled her back to the Bullhead. An impressive feat, Penny was heavy. They both clambered onto the Bullhead, and the vehicle slowly listed upward. Within moments they were high into the gloomy air and gone. The sound of the turbines disappearing beyond the wind.

  My Pip-Boy chimed. Again.

  - Penny has returned to the Atlas Custody

  - Penny has returned to Flagship Shawcross

  - You have lost Penny's Machine Learning Perk.

  The second of those messages confused me, because there was no way Penny had moved that quick.

  "Now that one issue is put to rest, we've others to deal with," Goodwitch spoke, eyes drifting over us. "The first of which will be you, Mister Wukong."

  "Bwah?" Sun asked blearily

  "With your injuries, I think it's required that the medical staff at Beacon further examine your wounds. Ensure that you'll be healing properly," Goodwitch explained. "As such, you will be returning with us immediately."

  "But-" Sun tried to protest.

  "Aside from which, I'm sure your team would very much like to know what's become of you," Goodwitch continued. "Seeing as you've been missing for nearly two days, and will be returning quite injured."

  Any further protest Sun would've made seemed to die on his lips, devolving into a chuckle as he gripped at his recovering arm. Couldn't imagine the rain was making it feel any better. Bad weather makes old wounds ache, and that was going to be a bad one.

  "You'll be escorted by Team CFVY," Ozpin explained. "Who, per Mister Six's tale, would have been present for the defense of Vale. Being that second-year teams are granted leniency in such matters, they were already out in the field fighting when they were recalled."

  "Nice," Coco nodded.

  "After returning him, Ms. Adel will be informed that her team is to return to the kingdom's limits and continue defensive measures," Goodwitch continued. "Her team's dedication to the kingdom's defense will be noted, and their responsibilities regarding missions reprioritized for higher levels of urgency."

  "…Less nice."

  Translation: You did a good enough job to earn yourself more work. Congrats.

  "I would encourage you all to help Mr. Wukong onto the Bullhead. Quickly," Ozpin said, gesturing to the craft.

  Slowly, CFVY did as they were bid and began moving towards the Bullhead. There wasn't much that could be said between us then. they came to help, and had. We didn't want to see them go in this fashion, but it wasn't like they'd been exiled.

  We'd see them at the Academy. We could talk then about everything if they felt up to it.

  They settled into the cabin of the Bullhead as Ozpin and Goodwitch set their attention squarely on us. I could hear the sirens getting closer. We needed to leave soon.

  "As for the rest of you, do not assume there won't be consequences for what's happened tonight. For both the White Fang, and for you," Ozpin spoke, evenly. "You are all walking a thin line, losing your balance carries penalties I promise none of you deserve or should receive. But that won't be my decision to make. Had we the space, I'd see you return with us all now to the Academy. As we do not, I instead encourage you all to return there immediately. Likewise, I expect to see all of you in my office, bright and early, on Monday morning. Am I clear?"

  … Oh. Oh, so that's how it is.

  "Oh, believe me, we will."

  Interesting.

  I still hadn't forgotten the conversation I'd had that morning. Hadn't forgotten why I'd done all of this. Once this issue was settled, me and Ozpin were going to have words.

  We all nodded and murmured acknowledgement. A dull sound, that didn't carry the optimism it had earlier that evening.

  They hadn't heard what I did.

  With his acknowledgement obtained, Ozpin and Goodwitch quickly strode to the Bullhead and climbed inside. The turbines spooled, the craft began to rise. Everyone onboard looked back at us. Worried, calculating, wishing they could stay with us.

  But not Ozpin. I could see him, looking back at me, as they pulled away.

  A smirk on his face.

  '… clever fucking bastard.'

  The Bullhead left, and we were left there, standing in the rain. The police was closing in, and we only had minutes to make our escape. As they approached, my Pip-Boy chimed one final time.

  - Complete: Face the music.

  - Optional Objective Complete: Stand your ground.

  - Quest Completed: One Piece at a Time

  'Huh. Hadn't realized that was an optional one.'

  "…Welp, better get to it then," I said, striding forward. "Come on, the night's young and we've still got stash-houses to canvas." I turned back and looked at all of them as I schlepped back into my tattered coat. "Better off not staying here."

  I wasn't greeted by a cheer to get back to the grind. I was met by eight, tired teenagers who'd just watched everything implode around them.

  "Six… we lost," Jaune said. "They got away. None of what we did here matters."

  "Doesn't it?" I asked, motioning back to the prison. "The walls still stand, the criminals are back in their cells. I'd say that counts for something."

  "But the White Fang got away, Sun almost died," Blake said

  "But he didn't," I told her. "And maybe they did, but so what? We slowed them down. Maybe they got what they wanted, but it didn't come cheap. There's no way they could start their escape tonight, not with the kingdom buzzing like a kicked cazador-nest… No, we've got time."

  "But Ozpin-" Nora started to say.

  "... Told us to meet him in his office on Monday…" Ruby said, gaze slowly rising, expression lightening. She looked at Nora. "… Today's Saturday."

  The realization rolled through them all like lightning.

  "He can't support us, or protect us," I told them. "But he doesn't have to stop us either. So he's not. He just expects us to talk with him afterwards."

  "Which means..." Ruby said, something hopeful in her voice

  I smiled. Bloodied. Beaten.

  Unbowed.

  "Buckle up kids," I said, preparing to dash off into the rain. "We got twenty-four hours to put this bitch to bed."