Stepping back into school life wasn't much of a challenge. Going to classes and studying came up now and again, but that never stopped me from going out of course.

Since leaving Beacon during my time of training, finding or locking down Torchwick's gang was becoming a problem. Even the White Fang had remained silent as of late, leading me to go by different means of information. Never liked gossip, you only know so much and most of it is unreliable.

Professor Port's class on Grimm wasn't as exciting as usual, allowing me to take a slow nap. Even still, now and again I catch a word or two amongst the students.

Jaune: "So Weiss, you know uh... I was thinking that after this, maybe we could grab a bite to eat?"

She didn't respond, catching my train of thought.

Jaune: "And uh, you know well... I've got two tickets to that New Spruce Willis movie if you want to make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome. And... Then maybe after that, we could study together?"

Still, she didn't respond, I opened both my eyes and found her staring at her scroll. Watching the time run out more or less, making me now sit up and stretch out.

Jaune: "I mean... Your smart and I'm well..."

Just as Jaune said that the alarm for the school bell went off, catching Professor Port off guard. With most of his students packing up their bags and ready to head out.

Professor Port: "And then I-Oh, uh, timed that one wrong I guess. Well, the stunning conclusion to the story will have to wait. Until next time."

With that the students left the room, Sun tapped my shoulder already out of seat bursting with energy.

Sun: "Man that lecture was... Boring... Come let's head out and grab something to eat."

Neptune: "Count me in."

The two chuckled for a moment, while I watch team RWBY leave for a moment. All of them walking with a step determination, something most students don't have after class.

Neptune: "Hello... Y/N?"

Neptune waved at me, trying to break my concentration. I stood up and looked at each of them.

Y/N: "Does, team RWBY seem a bit off today to you guys too?"

Neptune and Sun looked at me with confused eyes.

Neptune: "Why, are you worried about them?"

Sun: "Now that you mention it... Blake didn't even want to talk to me earlier, said she needed to be 'focused' or something."

He said quoting her answer with a quick twitch of his fingers, making me chuckle.

Y/N: "What do you guys say to reconnaissance?"

Sun: "A what now?"

Neptune slapped his forehead for a moment, turning to his blond friend.

Neptune: "Gathering of information. Come on."

With that we left that class behind us and headed for the roof, Neptune and Sun looked at me off as I stopped dead on the far right-hand corner of the roof.

Y/N: "This should be where the girl's room are."

Neptune: "How do we do this?"

Sun: "Like so."

Sun dropped down on to the ledge, while I leaped to a nearby tree near the girl's window. With Neptune sweating a bit as he drops down to one of the wind sills as well. I chuckled as I listened to the girls talking inside.

Ruby: "Alright guys, today's the day. The investigation begins!"

Weiss: "I'm glad to see that we are taking this so seriously."

Yang: "Hey! We've got a plan. That's... Moderately serious."

I scoffed at that catching Neptune off guard.

Neptune: "What? What did they say?"

Y/N: "Nothing just... A give me a moment."

I quickly drowned him out only hearing half of what was said.

Blake: "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

Yang: "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

Ruby: "Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found. Let's do this!"

Sun: "Yeah!"

I finally opened my eyes to see Sun hanging upside down near their window, making a sweat drop appear on my head as I groan knowing this is now how we gain information.

Blake: "SUN!"

Yang: "How did you get up there?"

Sun: "Ah, it's easy. I do it all the time."

Weiss: "You do what?"

Sun: "Climb trees all the time! So... Are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

Blake: "We, are going to investigate the situation. As a team."

Ruby: "Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."

Sun: "Pfft, that's dumb. You should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune and Y/N."

Sun stepped in and I jumped through the window myself groaning in annoyance.

Y/N: "Smooth Sun... Real Smooth."

Yang: "Wait where's Neptune?"

The girls peer outside and find him on the ledge. After quickly letting him, Blake turns to me.

Blake: "You were listening in on us?"

She stepped closer to me, making me bring my hands up in the fearful matter. I'd seen what happens when you get a person enraged.

Y/N: "All of you were acting odd after class, we just wanted to figure out if something was wrong."

I turn to the girls for a moment.

Y/N: "But going after Torchwick... Really?"

Blake: "Really!"

I sighed and knew when Blake had set her mind to something there was no way of stopping her. But I could relent or answer.

Blake: "You saw what he did and you want us to sit back."

Y/N: "No... It's just, I thought we opened up a bit is all. We're friends is all. You'd come to me if you wanted to go after him."

Blake turned away and I sighed.

Y/N: "So... What's the plan?"

Ruby: "Alright. I'll go with Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake. Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. And Y/N you could-"

I brought my hand, telling Ruby that wasn't necessary.

Y/N: "No, it's alright... I know a guy I can ask if we're looking for information. I'll head to him first, if we're lucky I'll meet up with Ruby and Weiss."

Ruby: "Alright team break."

Quickly leaving the group I grabbed my weapons and clothing, then headed out. It didn't take long for me to reach my destination, he was right there drinking away his problems, and not to scare him I tapped on the pane of glass.

Antonio: "What who?"

He turned to see my face and I chuckled as La Volpe's supposed informant had a black eye, he was probably looking for trouble given how terrible at cards he was.

Antonio: "Oh, it's you..."

He stepped back opening the window allowing me to step into the dingy apartment, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol littered the room, I turned to the man. I'd only seen him a handful of times since entering the Beacon. But, he was the most reliable source of information for the past two weeks.

Antonio: "So, what do you want now?"

Y/N: "I'm looking for information about Roman and the White Fang."

He didn't even move from his seat and rubbed his eyes, clearly exhausted from last night's events.

Antonio: "Like I told you... The trails have gone cold. There's nothing..."

I rolled my eyes and went for the wallet in my back pocket, pulling out some cash to open his stupid mouth. When the cash hit his hands, he looked back at the window and then to me.

Antonio: "OK... I swear I don't have much. But, there was a crew he was running with before he went all. White Fang."

Y/N: "Where?"

Man: "I don't know; this is pretty light."

I chuckled and before he could see it I've thrown one of my throwing knives into the neck of his couch catching him off guard. I've never attacked him once, always paying him. But every time he's asked for more money and I knew this little play of cat and mouse, no longer was efficient.

He slumped out of his seat and grabbed his chest, as I walked over to him.

Y/N: "Where!"

He gulped. Not even daring to look up.

Antonio: "It's a club... Not far from here, you've seen it probably. Junior's Club. Just don't tell him I sent you."

I stepped out of the room and kept my eyes focused on the nearest building.

Y/N: "Well, see."

With that I left him behind and went for my scroll, already putting Ruby on speed dial.

Y/N: "Ruby, you there?"

Ruby: "Sorry Y/N this isn't the best time..."

As she said that someone spoke up.

???: "Ruby, who are talking to?"

Ruby: "Sorry Penny, just give me a moment. What were you going to say?"

Y/N: "I'm heading to a possible place, supposedly this guy has information about where Torchwick is, I'll meet up later."

Ruby: "Ok... See you then. Bye."

Penny: "Bye strange person."

With that, the call ended, but that made me stop for a moment, remembering a conversation with Ironwood and his supposed project's name being Penny.

Y/N: "No... There's no way."

After a quick step and shot with my gauntlet I swung through and danced my way over the rooftops, finally leading me to Junior's Club. But as I leaped down I found the door kicked in, along with Yang's bike waiting outside.

Y/N: "What are the odds."

Hastening my pace, I passed a few unconscious guards on my left and right. Finding the club full of men waiting outside in the hallway, stepping past them. I found Yang at the bar along with Neptune.

Junior: "For that last time... I don't know!"

Yang crossed her arms and stared at the man for a moment, as I silently glided towards them.

Yang: "How can you not know?"

Junior: "I haven't talked to him. I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid upfront, I lent him my men and none of them ever came back."

Neptune stepped closer to the bar.

Neptune: "So where did they go?"

The man looked to Neptune rolling his eyes.

Junior: "What kind of stupid question is that? They never came back! Who is this guy?"

He finally noticed me and slammed his drink down.

Junior: "And who is he?"

They turned as I quickly gave Yang and Neptune a wave. Finally, now reaching the bar, my hood still up.

Yang: "Y/N! What are you doing here?"

Y/N: "I was going to ask the same question... So, I guess you must be Junior, I'm looking for Roman."

Junior: "Listen here, like I told your friends I haven't seen him!"

I rolled my eyes and pulled out some more cash slamming it down on the table, he looked at me then to Neptune and Yang. The cash I'd just placed on the table was more than four months' work for any normal person.

Y/N: "Try to jog that memory of yours will you."

He smiles and pockets that cash, making Yang turn to me for a moment.

Junior: "Sure, you look like a whiskey or gin type of guy."

He goes for a few bottles behind the bar and fixes me a drink. When he finally finished he placed the drink right on the countertop, it was a mixture of some fizzy drink and a second with a whiskey on the rocks.

Junior: "I mean; I don't know where he is... But-"

Yang: "But?"

Junior: "But, one came back. Beaten by a girl in a red hood. Never got his pay, so I did some digging, turns out Torchwick is working with the white fang."

I glanced over to Yang, who also looked at me unamused. He sipped on his drink and spoke up.

Y/N: "Riveting... Now, where is he?"

Junior massaged his temples for a moment and thought about it, while Yang picks up the fizzy drink, giving me a quick wink and sips.

Yang: "So?"

Junior: "Listen it was a long time ago and..."

Yang's eyes turned red and he gulped.

Junior: "I don't know where he is... But if he's with the white fang then that means he's probably at one of their rallies or something. I don't know anything else I swear."

Yang: "And you couldn't tell me this?"

Junior smiles amused.

Junior: "Blondie, you're not a paying customer."

Yang: "Why I-"

Y/N: "Grazie... But if your wrong, I'm coming back for my money."

Junior gulps again this time downing the drink.

Junior: "Sure... No problem."

I gulped down my drink with Yang quickly doing the same, the guards parted as we stepped out of the club.

Yang: "Hey not bad in there."

Y/N: "Just like home... Most thieves don't want to talk unless there's something in it for them. But I guess all got was more or less gossip on our end."

Neptune: "Let's hope the others are doing better than us."

Yang: "Yeah..."

As we reached Yang's bike all our phones blared to life, all coming from Blake.

Blake: "Everyone! If you can hear me we need back-"

Sun screamed at the top of his lungs on the other end for help.

Sun: "They got a robot, and it's big, really big! The Torchwick guy's in it! But not like, it didn't eat him- He's like, controlling it or something!"

Yang: "Where are you guys?"

I turned my head to the side hearing a large banging sound of metal and caught sight of both Blake and Sun running past with a robot right on their tail.

Neptune: "I think that was them?"

Yang: "Oh you think!?"

They jumped on Yang's bike expecting me to jump on as well. I fired a hook into a nearby building and took to the roofs.

Y/N: "Go after them!"

They sped off down the road, while I spoke up to Blake.

Y/N: "Where are you guys!"

Blake: "The highway-"

The call died as I fired another hook into a nearby roof spotting the highway in the distance with a small amount of carnage being left behind by the robot.

Y/N: "The highway... Of all places!"

I pushed myself further down the metal line, already calling Weiss.

Weiss: "I'm almost there."

Y/N: "We need to get that thing off the highway. Cars and people are being thrown around like garbage."

Weiss: "I've got an idea."

She hung up the phone just as I reached the edge of the rooftops and bounced onto the highway landing on one of the highway cars.

Y/N: "Does everyone hang-up in this country!!!

Man: "Hey what are you doing!?"

I looked down to see an older man driving the car, along with a wife of his no older than forty looking up at me with confused faces. Just as they swerve past cars that were now on their hoods or sides.

Within a fraction of a second, I leaped off the man's roof and fired my hook into a nearby road, and flicked the switch. Launching me forwards just in time to see Sun and Neptune being thrown off the highway.

Y/N: "Oh come on!"

I focused on Torchwick in his large mechanized suit and fired, it connected, and luckily or by some miracle I landed on a broken hood. Now I was being towed behind Torchwick like some water skier behind a boat.

Then I watched Weiss strike the floor creating an icy floor and the robot started to twist and turn, making me cut the line as he drops off the highway with team RWBY following closely behind. But with the speed, I was going and the end of the highway imminent I leaped over the highway, doing a quick flip in mid-air landing on my feet as I let out a sigh of relief.

Y/N: 'Thank god for aura, seriously this would've killed anyone else.'

I turned back just in time to see Team RWBY taking on the robot the girls darting in and out of the range, as the robot tries to strike at them. Always missing at the last second, I drop to one knee shoulder my rifle, and take aim at Torchwick, the robot's movement made it difficult, but not impossible.

Within a second or he finally stopped.

Y/N: "Got you!'

I fired three heavy bullets towards the cockpit, but as they struck the glass. Cracking it to reveal a frightened Torchwick, heavy metal of plate was now covering his open cockpit.

Torchwick: "Well hello, Mr. Dark and Terrifying. Let me show you what this can do!"

He set a massive amount of missiles and explosions my way. I fired my hook into a nearby wall-saving at the last minute and now clung to the wall, as I fired a small barrage of bullets from my wrist doing nothing.

He locked on me again and I bounced off the wall, doing a black flip in the process when I landed on my feet I went for the grenades in my pouch, quickly placing them in the rifle and fire since I'm this close to the machine.

It goes off sending him, skidding back against the concrete. Just as Ruby screamed out, to Yang. Her hair was glowing and I knew this would be the end-all for Torchwick. The girls sprang into action as they worked in perfect harmony with one another.

Ruby calling out the maneuvers and with them executing it with little to no effort. Before I could even help out, Yang's fist connected with the metal of the robot at a spectacular speed destroying the machine on impact.

I stepped back and took a deep breath, knowing now that she was going easy on me when we sparred on that first day.

Y/N: "Oh... I'm never pissing her off again."

Torchwick: "Oh come... I just got this dry cleaned."

The girls and I surrounded him, Yang fired a shot at the man. But as he covered himself a small girl with a pink and brown eye. She smirked as she destroyed the blast, she turned to Torchwick who was now smiling ear to ear pleased.

Torchwick: "Ladies, Mr.Dark, Ice Queen."

Weiss: "Hey!"

Torchwick tipped his hat amused.

Torchwick: "Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would be so kind."

Without even thinking I fired my gauntlet at the two, expecting to hit Torchwick in the shoulder, so he wouldn't escape. I wasn't having any more of this runaway shit. The gauntlet hit instead of hitting flesh it struck the glass or something or another.

I looked to the girls only to see a carrier with both of them inside.

Y/N: "Senu!"

Senu leaped out of my chest and took form chasing after them, but it was a hopeless effort. They'd taken off faster than he could follow. I slammed my foot on the floor as rage built up inside of god.

Y/N: "Dammit... He got away."

Yang: "What do we do now?"

We turned back to see the destroyed highway with people looking down at all of us. I could already hear the sirens coming after us.

Y/N: "I suggest leaving before the authorities arrive."

Blake: "Good idea."

[Time Skip]

[Torchwick's Pov]

Torchwick: "I swear Neo, I am done with this... I didn't sign up for mass murdering teenagers or this old man bossing me around. I swear-"

???: "You swear what..."

Torchwick looks to the cockpit, finding two screen monitors of both Cinder and an old man from before, he'd come in only a few months back. He's been running this operation. With that infamous knight get up.

Cinder: "I'd like to hear that answer to Torchwick."

I look to the floor cautiously letting out a chuckle as I turn back to them.

Torchwick: "What I meant to say was. I was thrilled to be working with you on these little jobs. But they're getting a bit anti-climactic. We've stolen most of the dust out of Vale and have got the village people eating out our hands. So, why is it that you're not letting me in on the plan?"

The Templar groaned, shaking his head amused.

???: "You know as much as needed. For a man of your talents."

Torchwick: "Oh... Oh! Cause your sitting in a comfortable seat while I'm running around in the sewers causing mayhem, however, your supposed enemy is trying to take my head. Where's the back-up you promised!"

Cinder: "Neo is more than enough."

Cinder does a quick bow, but Torchwick groans again.

Torchwick: "Oh, I'm sorry. But if this old man is going to do nothing else than give me orders and no back up then up-"

???: "He will be arriving shortly."

Torchwick in mid-rant stops and turns Templar for a moment.

Torchwick: "Comeawhatnow?"

???: "He will be arriving shortly, to deal with that assassin and that little roaming band of teenagers causing a problem. What did you call them, Lady Cinder?"

Cinder: "Team RWBY, we've been watching them in Beacon. But, they're not that strong or problematic as Roman states, we'll handle them when the time comes."

???: "Very well, they are in your capable hands."

Cinder does a slight bow.

Cinder: "Thank you."

Her monitor turned off and Torchwick focused on the old man, he was sipping on a glass of wine in his fancy suit in some unknown hotel.

???: "As for you Roman, I suggest locking down that tongue. Speaking to your new guard as you've done with me, will not save you from letting him cut out your very own."

Torchwick gulped and nodded but still focused on the man.

Torchwick: "Fine... But he better be good."

???: "Oh, don't worry."

He said in between sips.

???: "After all, he taught your previous guard. This assassin business will be over before you know it."