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Sand sat at one of the terminals at the CCT center, off at a slightly more isolated corner among the rows and rows of communication stations. When the screen fizzled to life, a secretary greeted her, thanking her for being there in such short notice. 

“Sand Vespa, is that right?” she said, reading out her name from a screen just out of view.

“Yes,” she answered simply.

“Give me a moment to forward you.”

Sand nodded, and the CCT standby screen appeared. 

Hiding a small grimace, she looked down at herself. After the repeated workouts from that day, she had taken the chance to return to the team’s room for a shower. She had replaced her usual clothes with a more casual attire consisting of blue jeans still fastened by her thick belt, a short-sleeved yellow blouse, and sneakers. Short in time as she had been, she had foregone drying her hair and had simply pulled it up into a messy tail.

[i]Maybe too casual.[/i]

Her fingers tapped restlessly against her leg, trying to work some of the nerves out of her system.

“There you are, Vespa.”

She straightened her posture.
 
The moment the face appeared on her screen, the words came out from the speakers. The man behind the screen must have been in his mid-forties, sporting a trimmed beard and short, dark hair that framed his sharp features. A pair of squarish spectacles sat on the bridge of his nose, reflecting the light of the monitor in such a way that it was difficult to make out his eyes.
 
It did not particularly matter, in any case. She had seen enough of Doctor Richard Gamboge while she had been doing work as his research assistant in Atlas to know that the scientist was not pleased.
 
“Is there anything I can help you with, Professor?” Sand asked, affecting cordiality even if she herself was not particularly thrilled to be holding this meeting. “I already sent all the data from my last outing to you. I assumed a debriefing wouldn’t be necessary.”
 
“I did receive your data,” he scoffed. “What little there is of it. I expected a lot more from you, Vespa. Do you not understand that we had a chance to examine technology that could affect Grimm movements throughout Remnant? The findings could have completely changed the way we interact with these creatures. Now that it’s in the hands of Vale, the results of the research conducted in Fort Jaeger may well be buried forever.”
 
Sand recalled the Grimm that still prowled the grounds of the fort, long after the experiments performed there had called horde upon horde of monsters until the whole structure had been overrun, the vast majority of its inhabitants and defenders slaughtered. “That might be for the best,” she commented.
 
The man shook his head grimly. “I truly hope that is not what the people in charge of studying what remained in the fort come to think. Such is the kind of short-sighted thinking that prevents us from learning from our past mistakes.”
 
Sand leaned back, sighing. Even if she had her doubts that the doctor’s intentions were as pure as he purported, he was not wrong. From what she had gleaned from his explanations and from what she had seen at the fort, the main goal of the research had been to draw Grimm away from settled areas. Had it worked as intended, the world might have been a very different place.
 
Nonetheless, she could not give him the last word. “I thought I would just let this lie, but seeing as we’re having this conversation, I might as well. Professor, there were a lot more Grimm in that fort than your briefing suggested.”
 
“That is not a question. If you simply want to give me excuses, I believe there are enough of those in your report.”
 
Sand ignored him. “It’s rather suspicious when you consider I also happened to run into a team of Huntsmen while I was there. You told me you were sending me to the fort because the Grimm population had dwindled to a manageable level, but that was a half-truth at best, wasn’t it? The real reason you sent me there with the place still swarming was because you caught wind that plans to retake Fort Jaeger were being put in place and you realized you wouldn’t get a better shot at the tech inside.”
 
The man grunted. “Watch your tone, Vespa. I have better things to do than gambling with a student’s life. I certainly was not the one who insisted you go alone.”
 
Sand bit her tongue. Turning it into a solo mission had indeed been her idea, something she had justified to the Professor after the fact by claiming she could move undetected more easily that way. Now, she was not certain she would have been able to do much within the fortress had she not ran into Robert and his team.
 
“In any case, that is not why I am contacting you,” the man continued.
 
Sand blinked, surprised and a little wary. [i]What else is there to talk about?[/i]
 
“There is another Atlas transfer that should have arrived at Beacon the same day you did. He goes by the name of Jericho Dylan Piper.”
 
[i]Ah, right. That was that oddball’s name.[/i]
 
Sand nodded along, already well-aware of this. She had thought his appearance at Beacon a funny coincidence, but having the Professor bring it up quickly roused her suspicion.
 
“What does that have to do with me?” she asked. “Heart-warming as it would be, I don’t imagine you’re pointing it out because you’re worried I’d feel lonely without familiar faces around.”
 
The man’s brows knitted over his spectacles. “Where do you even get these ideas? No, of course not. The student in question is in possession of experimental Atlas assets—”
 
“—and you want me to keep tabs on him?” Sand finished his sentence.
 
“Precisely.”
 
She leaned forward, massaging her forehead with a hand. This all sounded extremely shady. [i]More than that, things like these are precisely the reason why I transferred out of Atlas.[/i] That made another thought occur to her, one she did not much want to consider. Nonetheless, she had to ask.
 
“Professor… is this the reason why my transfer was approved?”
 
The man waved a hand. “Nonsense. That paranoia of yours is really quite something, Vespa, but as much as I would like to claim otherwise, I assure you the timing of your transfer was nothing but a fortunate coincidence.”
 
Sand allowed herself a breath of relief. [i]Of course, just a coincidence. When you look too deep into anything you start seeing conspiracies everywhere[/i]. “And the fact that I was suddenly named team leader had nothing to do with this, then.”
 
“Ozpin took that suggestion? Interesting.”
 
Sand felt like an ice cube had been dropped down her neckline. “What?”
 
“Either way, your transfer was well underway by the time I put your name forth for this role.”
 
“Wait.” Sand held a hand up, trying to keep the man from moving away from the subject entirely. “How much does Beacon’s Headmaster know about this?”
 
“Yes, well.” He cleared his throat, clearly irritated by the interruption.  “As far as I have been given to understand, Ozpin is fully cognizant of this Piper’s… peculiarities. As for the true purpose of your transfer, there should not be anything linking you directly to the other student, but I imagine he has come to his own conclusions after seeing you.”
 
Sand had to keep herself from gaping at the screen, so amazed was she by what she had just heard. She felt her teeth begin to grind despite herself. “’The true purpose of my transfer?’ I had no hidden motives for coming here, and I’d prefer you didn’t imply as much. What did you just get me into? That last mission was supposed to be my last task as your assistant. There’s no reason for me to go along with this.”
 
“That much is true,” the man nodded with some reluctance. “This is not coming from me, but from people higher in the chain of command. You should therefore believe me when I say you would be insane to pass this up. You would be remunerated for your service, not to mention it would be the perfect chance to get your name out to some influential people here at Atlas. If you refuse, someone else will simply be sent in your place.”
 
“I don’t even remember seeing Jericho in your lab. If you are not involved, why are you trying so hard to force me into this?”
 
“You were my recommendation, so naturally, if you accept—”
 
“How much money is involved?”
 
“I could get my research subsidized for years.”
 
Sand sighed, falling silent. The man was frustratingly predictable, sometimes. She rested her elbows over the desk and brought her hands together, covering her mouth in an obvious thinking gesture.
 
This was suspicious. Extremely suspicious, in fact, thanks in no small part to how absurdly shady her former boss was. However, she could not deny that the proposal was interesting. In a way, it would be no more than a part time job she took while she studied, with the potential to net her some important connections later down the line. That was before one considered how curious the whole situation made her. What was so special about Jericho that they needed someone to oversee him?
 
Her voice was slightly muffled when she spoke again.
 
“I beg your pardon?”
 
She lowered her hands. “What would be expected of me if I agreed?”
 
A smile pulled at the researcher’s lips. “It could not be a simpler job. Largely, your duties would involve keeping watch over the subject. The people in charge seem to want another student’s observations on the Piper’s progress, so yours should prove to be an adequate point of view. Naturally, you are not expected to shadow him every moment of your waking life, as it would likely impair both his, your, and dare I say your new team’s training. It would have been simpler if you could have been assigned to the same team, but that would have been too much of a coincidence, would it not?”
 
Sand nodded. It was already suspicious enough that the both of them had arrived and began their instruction the same day. “Do my duties end at watching him?”
 
“No. The subject’s safety is paramount. Atlas has invested a lot on Piper, and it would be one of your duties to defend that investment’s wellbeing.”
 
“Jericho is a Huntsman-in-training,” Sand drawled. “It’s his job to be in danger.”
 
The doctor shrugged. “How you perform that duty is up to you. With luck, he will take care of himself on his own and you will never need to step in.”
 
Sand sighed. “Is there anything else?”
 
“Yes. Make sure he does not overuse his glove and keeps it in good condition.”
 
[i]Glove? Are those the assets he mentioned?[/i] “Does he know someone will be watching him?”
 
“I would not be surprised. That said, I would not tell him it is you were I in your shoes, unless you want to trade a relationship between classmates with the relationship of a felon and their parole officer.”
 
“[i]Is it[/i] that kind of relationship?”
 
The man grew silent at that, clearly understanding what she was truly asking. Just as Sand opened her mouth to repeat the question, the doctor spoke. “A lot of his files are confidential. I can get you what the people in charge deem you need to know if you accept their proposal, but not through these channels.”
 
[i]Just who the hell is this guy?[/i] Sand wondered. “Fine. Tell them I’ll do it.”
 
“Perfect. I’ll be sure to share the good news.”
 
“But I have some conditions.”
 
“Conditions?” he repeated, suddenly wary.
 
“Right. First, I want a paper trail. A proper contract I can sign. Also, I want to speak with someone [i]actually[/i] in charge for this. If I find out this is another legally gray plan to try and steal someone else’s research I swear I will fly back to Atlas to personally punt you off the highest cliff I can find.”
 
“Another!?” he sputtered. “How dare you suggest I have ever been involved in such schemes?”
 
“Also, quit stalling and deposit the payment for my last month as your assistant. I know you’re hoping I’ll forget.”
 
The man’s face was so red for a moment it occurred to her he might pop a blood vessel. “I am not—“
 
“You hired me to get out of an argument about out-of-place budget expenditures in your laboratory, Professor. People in Atlas still think I was the highest-paid teacher assistant in the school. I’ll continue checking my balance in the meantime. Good night.”
 
With that, the image of the red-faced scientist froze and fizzled away, replaced by the CCT’s standby display.
 
Sand let out a long breath. She closed her eyes, resting her head in her hands.
 
[i]Perhaps… I spoke too loosely there.[/i] She may have been irritated, but the professor would not forget the way she had acted. Maybe if she called again, she could smooth it over.
 
[i]No… no. He won’t forgive me, and I’ll simply look like an idiot.[/i]
 
She detested speaking with Dr. Gamboge. To that day she had trouble deciding whether meeting him had been a stroke of luck, or the worst thing that had happened to her since beginning her training as a Huntress. On the one hand, her ties to the man had allowed her to meet some of the key players in the Atlas research labs and had given her experience in the field to put in her resume, but on the other, this was not the first time one of the Professor’s ‘assignments’ had clashed against her sensibilities. It didn’t help that she utterly detested the man’s character.
  
She still had to decide what she would do about Jericho. If this job required her to keep an eye on him, the first logical thing to do would be to figure out his schedule. Things would be simpler if she befriended him. She could ask directly about things she should know about if that was the case. If she so wished, she could even approach him directly with her given task and deal with it openly. She had been cautioned not to reveal what she was doing to him, but ultimately that decision rested with her.
 
Sand grimaced. She hated how manipulative the whole thing felt. For her, picking someone with the intent of befriending them was not something that happened often, or easily for that matter. She preferred when those bonds formed naturally, with little extra effort on her part. Thinking of the alternative often filled her with either trepidation, or a pervasive feeling of lethargy, but never before had the prospect of socializing made her feel disgusted with herself.
 
It seemed circumstance insisted on pushing her out of her comfort zone.
 
[i]Perhaps I should just put a bug in his room or clothes. Because that is not highly illegal.[/i] Not that she knew where she would get that kind of equipment in Beacon in the first place.

In any case, she would need to make some room in her schedule for this. With a grimace, she recalled what she had told Robert before the two had parted ways. [i]Sparring everyday after practice may not be the greatest idea after all.[/i]

She produced her Scroll, thumbing through her newest contacts. She had managed to get ahold of her teammates’ numbers the day before, and soon enough she had brought up Robert’s to the front. She paused, thinking over what she needed to say, before she started typing.

[i]”Hi Robert. Was thinking of a proper schedule for our sparring session. I said everyday after practice, but that is excessive. Fridays are for missions and weekends are for resting. I may not be available other Mondays like today, so we’ll play it by ear. Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays I expect to see you at the Gym after class.”[/i]

She eyed what she had written for a few seconds, hesitated, then continued typing.

[i]”You got an assignment this week. You have to find someone and ask them to help you better some aspect of yourself. You need to find yourself some mentors. Next week I’ll ask you if you did it, and if you have no stories for me, we’re training without our auras.”[/i]

[i]Send.[/i]

Sand closed her eyes and leaned back on her chair. Part of her wondered what had possessed her to make that last demand. She certainly would have found it extremely irritating if someone else randomly decided to dump homework on her. 

Case in point, in fact. 

Then again, this and that were hardly the same. 

Maybe the idea of being in a leadership role was getting to her, but now that she had been named team leader, wanting to do it right was a given. Pushing Robert to better himself was for his and the team’s benefit, she was confident in that. Her eyes opened a sliver. [i]I just hope the others don’t think I’m playing favorites.[/i]

The thought struck a sour chord within her, and she looked down at the Scroll still in her hand. She pulled up the addresses of all her teammates and wrote an additional message. 

[i]“Heading out to Vale for dinner a bit later. Maybe the team can go together. Join me?”[/i] 

Satisfied, she sent the text and finally stood to leave.

[@Guess Who][@Awesomoman64][@Plank Sinatra]