It's the weekend, and Team RWBY and Team JNPR are chilling around in the Beacon gardens. Team JNPR is just asking what happened in the fiasco of Mountain Glenn. The three teams are chilling in the middle of the large group, with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Nora on one side and CFVY on the other.
"So what did you find out?" Nora asked, "You wouldn't believe what the White Fang had going on in Mountain Glenn," Ruby continued, "They planted their trains with bombs and planned to drive them toward the old subway system connecting Vale and mountain Glenn."
"How did you find that out?" Jaune asked. "We were going there because we discovered small White Fang activity in the area, but who could've known that that was their base of operations?" Ruby finished.
"We are in a Faunus tolerant area, are we not?" Velvet asked. The teams turned to look at her, "She's right," Yatsuhasi said, "The White Fang have no reason to focus on Vale. More Faunus here is against the White Fang than with them."
"Yeah, what's the point of attacking a place that's more Faunus-friendly?" Ruby asked.
"What if it wasn't about the number of Faunus?" Velvet said,"Yeah, how could they even bring so much manpower to the table?" Weiss said.
"That's a good question," Blake replied, "I think we need to continue investigating the White Fang, find out who's behind all of this and what their motives are."
"What about the mission?" Ruby asked, "What are we going to do about Mountain Glenn?"
"We can't do anything about it now," Blake said.
"Wait, Blake..." Weiss huffed, to which Blake sighed.
I guess it's my turn to explain something else about myself."
"Honestly, I'm not surprised," Nora shrugged. "You always had this sense of mystery surrounding you."
"Don't worry, I will tell them," Cardin appeared behind Blake, which almost startled her.
"She's a spy, who she serves, I'm not at liberty to say. But she has been spying on Beacon for a while now. Specifically, on Ruby."
"That's totally not creepy," Coco said sarcastically.
"I'm serious," Cardin replied, "She's a spy. They send her back and forth to do their dirty work, to gather intel, to make sure nothing interferes with their plans."
"And you're heading this?" Pyrrha asked.
"Ask anything more about Blake, Ruby will never see her mother again," Cardin said sternly, generating gasps from everyone, especially Ruby.
"What!?" Ruby shouted in disbelief.
"It's not just her own safety on the line, but also others," Cardin continued, "If this information leaks, we will have to sever all ties." He then pulled out a smartphone from his pocket and handed it to Ruby.
"Keep this safe," he instructed, "This phone is connected to a secure network that allows you to communicate with your mother. But remember, if this gets out, your phone will be rendered useless."
"Got it," Ruby said, taking the device.
"Now," Cardin said, "Back to the matter at hand."
"Mt. Glenn," Yang said.
"I have reason to believe that my cell's cover has been blown. So this is the last bit of intel I will give you. The White Fang was planning to use those dust to open holes in the Mt. Glenn subway network and punch through the sealed station in Vale."
"But why!?" Weiss questioned.
"We still don't know, but it's highly likely that someone else is pulling the strings," Cardin turned to Blake, "Your mission to Mt. Glenn interfered with your investigation of Tukson. Send me the details before I go."
"I did investigate Tukson," Blake said, "All I found was a note and it said something about Site Hotel Bravo."
"Good. I was worried that he got captured," Cardin then left the rest to their thoughts.
"So, What's it like being a secret agent?" Nora exclaimed."It's...not great," Blake sighed, "There is a lot of hiding, a lot of paranoia, and I have to pretend to be someone I'm not all the time."
"Awww, you're no fun..." Nora pouted. "But honestly, we can guarantee that we never heard any of this," she added reassuringly.
"Thank you," Blake said gratefully.
"I have a question, Ruby," Pyrrha asked.
"Shoot," Ruby replied.
"What was your mother like? I've heard legends about her. She's the best of the best," Pyrrha said with admiration.
"Pyrrha," Ruby looked down, "She was the best mother you could ask for, and I still believe that. But..." Ruby paused for a moment, "I'm afraid she isn't the same mother that left us years ago. She seems... different..." Ruby replied sorrowfully.Pyrrha looked at Ruby with tears in her eyes. For all of Summer's failings and devotion to her duty, her mother was still a loving person. She would do anything for Ruby, and Ruby still loved her.
"Only time will tell, Ruby," Yang said nonchalantly, "Only time will tell..."
Ozpin's office, Beacon Academy...
"I see you two have rested," Ozpin said to team RWBY, "Now, let's talk about the catastrophe at mountain Glenn."
"We're sorry that we failed to stop the White Fang in time." Ruby apologized, "No need, the explosion in Mt. Glenn has decreased Grimm's presence to such a level that huntsmen wouldn't have any missions for an entire week."
"So we have a breather?" Yang asked, "Can we go back to kicking ass?"
"I must first interogate you so I can find out what truly happened," Ozpin replied, being more direct, "What did you find in Mt. Glenn, Ruby?"
Ruby surprisingly remained calm and answered, "We found the White Fang planting explosives on trains so they could ram the train toward Vale,"
"Is that it?" Ozpin pushed, "Yes, sir," Ozpin sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get anything from them for now... He will have the other professors watching them, and he was sure that Qrow wouldn't be happy. He had to make sure they didn't get into any more trouble.
"Very well. We'll discuss this later. Right now, you're dismissed."They walked out of the room, and Ozpin let out a sigh as he turned to Glynda. "Glynda, how is the decryption of the information we obtained from the break-in going?" he inquired.
"While we have acquired some minor details, we have yet to uncover any substantial information regarding the 'Queen,'" Glynda responded. "However, based on the intel we have gathered so far, it appears that she deliberately omitted certain facts to eliminate her competitors."
As they spoke, the gravity of the situation began to sink in. The fate of their plans, and possibly even Beacon, rested on uncovering the truth behind the mysterious 'Queen' and the wild card. Glynda continued, "At any rate, we are going to use the information we have to help us find a way to beat her."
CIA Remnant (HQ), Bermuda Island...
Summer Rose is speed-walking through the hallways headed for the communications center. She has received intel that the Vale cell has been compromised by that bitch Cinder.
"Goddammit!" Summer shouts, but suddenly her phone rings, "Hey! Honey, how are you doin'?"
"The usual mountains of paperwork and trying to get Congress to work together."
"C'mon... It can't be that bad," Summer could feel the exhaustion in her husband.
"Oh, I want to see you get your 4-year term involuntarily extended. Should've retired once my term was up."
"But you didn't," Summer says sarcastically, "I couldn't leave the country in it's darkest hour. How would the history books portray me?" Summer smiled, "And that's why I love you," Summer smirked, "Tell you what once I get back home from duty I will make sure you will forget all of that," Summer could already see the smile on his face, "Oh I'll be waiting," Summer hangs up as she continues on her way.
...
(I apologize for the brevity of this chapter. I wanted to take a moment to update you and assure you that my book is still in progress, despite the recent challenges of moving into a new house. It's been a hectic time, but I finally found a moment to finish this chapter. Thank you for your continued interest and support in my work!)