Clark set Ruby and Jaune down in the south side of the city. It was late at night, and from this height they could look down on many of the buildings on the lower levels. This was the area the two of them would watch.

"Whoa. Still not used to that," Jaune's face was hidden by his mask, but he turned his head to look around. "This is the place?"

"Yep." Clark had his mask on hand, but he didn't wear it.

Actually, compared to Ruby and Jaune, Clark seemed almost exposed. They both had their cloaks on and their faces covered by masks, while he just wore the dark clothing he usually used for nighttime. Dark pants and a shirt covered by a black jacket that wasn't hidden by baggy cloak.

"Okay, I'm going to review what you'll be doing," Clark said. He pointed to the right where some rock jutted out. "Ruby, you'll set yourself up over there with your sniper. It has a good line of sight for this area, which is close to the border between two gangs nearby. Tensions have been rising between them, which might result in some violence. I want you to break up any examples with warning shots."

"Can do," Ruby answered, holding up Crescent Rose in its compact form. "How come they're upset with each other?"

"They each think the other gang is to blame for some of the things I've done. Burning their stashes, mostly," Clark explained. "Remember, there are innocent people living nearby. If anything happens, I'm trusting you to keep them safe."

She nodded. Her heart pounded and nervousness mounted.

"Good. Jaune, you'll be down in the streets." Clark said. "I'll put you in a secluded street corner. Don't be afraid to move around, but be careful, you don't want people to see you. You'll be Ruby's backup, and if there's a situation that needs a close-range fighter, then you'll be the first to deal with it. Ruby will come down after you only if she has to."

Jaune swallowed. "Got it."

"And remember, while I prefer you guys stay in the shadows, if something comes up and you have to show yourselves to handle it, then go ahead. Especially if people's lives are in danger."

"But I need to use my pistols instead of Crescent Rose, right?" Ruby asked.

"Only if you think you can handle it with pistols. I don't want you rushing in with a unique identifiable weapon, but don't keep it to the side if the situation absolutely calls for it. The same goes for your shield." Clark commented to Jaune.

"Yeah, roger that."

"You guys know what to do if you need to get my attention for an emergency, right?"

Their hands went straight to the whistles hanging from their necks. Ruby recited the rule he'd set for them. "Blow into the whistle for five seconds, then if one of us can, send a message by scroll."

"That's right." Strangely enough, even though a scroll could send a message faster than a whistle, the whistle was much better at getting his attention. The ding of an incoming message was unrecognizable during super-speed, and even with his sense of touch, super-speed might also make him miss the vibrations it made. Since the time between each shake could last minutes to him.

Plus, they could use the whistles while fighting. After all, blowing intermittent puffs of air through it was easier than typing on a scroll.

"You guys will be here for four hours. That okay?"

"Definitely," Ruby said. "I used to have all-nighters playing video games. This will be a breeze."

"I'll be fine too," Jaune nodded quickly.

"Good, and hey, relax." He placed a hand on each one's shoulder and smiled. "Trust me, there's a good chance that nothing much will happen tonight. Your biggest problem might be boredom rather than people's lives in danger, and I trust you guys to do fine in either situation. Okay?"

He waited for the tension to ease out of their bodies before removing his hands. Their breathing relaxed and their heartbeats slowed to a rate closer to normal. They were still nervous, but not as much as before.

"And remember, I'll still come by from time to time to check up on you guys. Although you might not see me. Ready to go to your spots?"

They agreed, and Clark first placed Ruby up above. Then, he raced Jaune to a dark corner where he could easily hide.

Next up was Pyrrha, who was still waiting in Haven. She had on the cloak, but her mask hung off her neck by its straps. It wouldn't be necessary tonight, so it was fine.

Clark brought her to the first stash of guns she'd destroy tonight.

"Ah!" She made a small noise and held out her arms. It looked like she was trying to regain balance but was more likely just an automatic reaction to a sudden change in surroundings.

"Sorry, should I have warned you?"

She shook her head and recovered quickly. "No no, I knew it would happen. It's just surprising."

"Alright, our target's over there." Clark pointed to the right, and Pyrrha finally turned her gaze to their surroundings. They were at the same height as the house he indicated, standing on the many outcrops of rock in the city.

Once she finished glancing around, Clark focused his vision a bit to see the house better in the dark. It was orange and much of it was actually built into the rockface in one the middle levels of the city. "This should be a lot easier than what we practiced, we're a lot closer to the guns than what we tried with the pipes before."

This location was perfect for Pyrrha's Semblance. The owner of the weapons had brought them here in an attempt to protect them from Clark. Which, if he had kept to working alone, would have been somewhat successful. The house was sealed up tight, and he would have had to force his way in to get access to the weapons.

There were a few ways to do it discreetly. Sneaking in would work if he flashed in while someone else entered through a door, but he'd have to wait and hide inside for the right doors to be opened. The second option was to maintain super-speed and move too quickly for them to see, but while he had plenty of stamina, even a second of running inside could last for ages to him.

"The guns are only about a couple hundred feet from us," Clark said, and switched his view back and forth between the inside of the house and Pyrrha's arm. He guided her until she pointed right where he said. "Ther-wait a second."

She looked to him. "Is something wrong?"

"They've left some cameras to keep a watch on their guns. I'd prefer to keep how we're doing this a secret, even if all they'd see is the guns floating and getting crushed by an invisible force."

"Should we go on to another location, then?"

"Depends, think you can affect the cameras alone from here?"

She answered immediately. "No, I can't concentrate on a single camera from this distance. Not without being able to see it."

"How close would you need to be to do it?"

"Forty feet perhaps? If they're about the same weight as a scroll and you describe their locations clearly, then I should be able to affect them only."

No, that wouldn't work. He could get her that close for a short time, but there were guards around the house. He could make a distraction, of course, but he doubted he could keep their attention away long enough without being more direct.

"Can you make a general wave instead?" Clark suggested. "One that would push over a camera but too weak to move the guns?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, that could work. I shouldn't even need you to guide me through it, do you want me to do it now?"

"Not yet, let's move somewhere you can push them all away from you, since you said that's easiest." He looked back into the house, there were five cameras inside the room with the guns. Three were hidden inside furniture and behind objects like paintings, and the other two were placed out in the open.

Clark scanned the area for the best spot and soon found it. A support near the southwest corner of the house. He gave Pyrrha a heads up before flashing her there, and she didn't disappoint. The guns shook a little, but being so much heavier, they didn't even move a full inch. Meanwhile, the cameras swerved or slid across the surfaces of their hiding spots. Turned over or to the side, recording only the ceiling, ground, or a nearby wall. Other small metal objects were affected as well, such as a few pens, but it wasn't a big deal.

After Clark confirmed that they were useless, he brought Pyrrha back to their previous vantage point. The guns weren't in safes, the house and room apparently considered secure enough to store the weapons, so it was easier for her. It still took some time. Clark used his vison powers to describe how much she was affecting the weapons and how much she needed to alter her strength while she went through and crushed them all.

"And we're done. Nice work," he said.

She smiled and accepted his compliment graciously. "Thank you, but I only managed it thanks to you talking me through it."

Clark chuckled, Pyrrha could easily give him a run for his money in politeness. "Well thanks for patiently following my convoluted methods. You ready to move on to the next one?"

"Could you give me a moment?" She consulted her scroll. "Alright, my aura's still above eighty percent, so I'm good for three or four more locations."

"Great, then let's go." In an instant, the two seemed to vanish as Clark flashed them away.

\\\\\

"Wait, what?" Phil gave Andrea an incredulous look.

"You heard me. I have a way to get in contact with the Interference," she said. Andrea used the name that had sprung up recently for the group that worked to reveal corrupt police and harassed the powerful crime groups in the city. "It's not a hundred percent. Hell, I don't even know if it's one percent, but I think it has the best chance we have."

It was a slow day and they were on patrol. Phil hadn't expected an argument about him joining the Interference to put too much strain on their friendship, but her offering a way for him to contact them was the complete opposite of what he'd prepared for.

He blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're saying you have a way to communicate with them? And you want to share it with me?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah? That's all you're going to say? What happened to all that stuff about me getting myself killed?"

"That's still true, but I'm not going to let that happen. So we're both going to ask if we can both join them."

"Both join-? Hold on a second! You want to join too, and to keep me safe?" That was the last thing he could have expected her to say. "I don't buy that for a second. Whatever the real reason is, you can't do this."

"Oh, so it's safe for you but not me?"

He opened his mouth to reply, then quickly shut it. He'd nearly said yes, but she'd rip that answer apart with cold, fierce logic. He didn't have a rational argument why; it was a gut response.

"Then tell me why you're really doing this," he chose to say instead. "You're right, this is dangerous, and we don't have any real proof that the Interference is reliable. I want to join them because I believe in them, do you?"

Andrea gave him a blank look. "Maybe deep down I'm a daydreaming idealist like you who thinks we could make a utopia free from injustice, Grimm, and negativity if everyone just talked to each other."

"So you're not going to say why?"

She nodded. "I have my reasons, and while I would get annoyed if you stumbled into an early grave, it's far from the only one. Besides, I'm the one with the method, so if you want it you'll have to accept that I'm joining too."

"What if I refuse to hear it?" he asked, curious of how she'd react.

"Then I'll do it on my own. Don't worry though, I'll put in a recommendation for you."

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Phil sighed, she really would do that. He should have known he couldn't outsmart Andrea without any preparation. He watched her face for a while, then admitted defeat. "Alright, we'll join them together."

"Good, now pay attention." For the next ten minutes, Andrea explained the general outline of her plan.

After he heard it, he realized that she really hadn't been exaggerating about how iffy it was. It would take a few days to carry out and he probably couldn't have managed it by himself. That made it better than anything he might come up with, but he wasn't keen on trying it.

She must have read his expression, because she sighed and said "Yeah, I know how it sounds, but it's the best I've got. Want to try it or not?"

"You know what? Maybe we could pretend to be corrupt cops and get the Interference's attention that way instead. How about it?" He suggested, only half-joking.

She snorted and a small grin appeared. "You know what the sad thing is? That might work just as well. Hell, if it gets us a meeting in person, I almost want to try it just to see how you'd blubber and try to explain how you're really on their side."

"Like you'd be any better at talking your way out of it."

"I wouldn't need to be, I'd just have to keep my mouth shut and watch," she laughed and when her mirth died down, she gave him a questioning look. "So, we doing this?"

"Yeah, we are."

After their shift ended, they met up at Andrea's apartment. He'd been there a few times before, and she hadn't changed it much since the last time he'd visited. The coffee table was still in the center of her living room, and the white couch was in a corner next to a bookshelf. She said she kept a TV in her bedroom rather than in her living room, but Phil had never been in there, so he took her word for it.

Andrea wasn't one to invite people over often. This time, however, this discussion was too sensitive to have where other police could overhear. Her apartment was also closer to the station than his, and he could tell that she was also eager to begin. Although she showed it in her own way.

She got some files out and went into more detail about her plan. Somehow, through what Andrea claimed to be a reliable source, she had found out about a dirty cop in another precinct. His name was Zheng Loh, and he had ties to the Blood Orchids, one of the gangs with origins in the east. He'd managed to lay low so far, escaping the Interference's notice.

"Shouldn't we arrest him then?" he asked.

"No, we need to wait for the Interference to take notice of him first."

"What?" Phil couldn't accept that. Zheng might be a way, maybe their only way, to get in contact with the Interference, but they couldn't just ignore him. They were police, and while that might not mean much in the city, they didn't have to be like the others. After all, if they weren't going to do the right thing, why even try to join the Interference?

Andrea read his expression and shook her head. "I knew you'd make this difficult. I just didn't think it would be this early."

"Don't give me that, are you saying we're just going to leave him be? Even if we know what he is?"

"Didn't you hear me? We're not going to 'leave him be', we'll wait for the Interference make their move and then arrest him."

"Hey, earlier you admitted that you don't know if the Interference will even catch him, that it's one of the reasons why this plan might not work. So if we can't expect them to stop him, then it's our responsibility."

Her exasperated expression grew. "Yeah, big problem with that, we don't have any evidence. We can't just arrest him for no reason, and if we try, guess what group of low-lifes is gonna keep an eye on us?"

The Blood Orchids. Phil had heard rumors about them, and while he wouldn't hesitate to give his life to the right cause, he wasn't going to blindly offer himself up to them. "What about your source? Can't he or she come forward and share what they know?"

"No, they won't talk to the police or testify in court."

"Then how'd you get them to tell you about Zheng?" he asked.

"None of your business," she groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, you know what? How about this, we're going to follow him anyway, so we can also try to gather our own evidence of him having connections to the Blood Orchids. If we have enough evidence, we arrest him, but wait for the Interference to make a move first."

"And how long are we going to wait?"

"I don't know, we'll discuss it depending on how strong the evidence is."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Come on, you know I'm not gonna screw you over. If you think we collect enough evidence and that we can't afford to wait for the Interference, then we'll make our move. I mean it."

Phil watched her eyes and nodded. In the years he'd known her, whenever she'd worn that serious look, she'd meant what she'd said.

"Okay, let's go through the info." She spread out the files on the table. Most of it was public information, although it seemed like some had been taken from friends or at least acquaintances of Zheng. Besides his address and general information about his career as a policeman, there were also details of the restaurants and bars he liked to go to and aspects of his daily routine.

Phil raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, where do you get this stuff?"

"That's for me to know, and you to stop asking. I'll tell you this though, it wasn't cheap."

Over the next week, they kept their eyes on Zheng from one level up. Each had binoculars and sat on a folding chair while wearing casual clothing. It actually wasn't a strange sight. There were plenty of people who liked to watch birds or look into the city from up high, especially tourists. Phil and Andrea could only watch him after work, but since Zheng tended to have similar shifts as Phil and Andrea, it wasn't a problem.

They became familiar with his routine after a while. Zheng lived in the third floor of an apartment complex on the west side of the city. Sometimes, before he went back home after work, he liked to eat at a noodle stall. One that was also close to the market stalls where he bought groceries.

He also had a girlfriend that they'd seen a few times, a pretty, pale, green-haired woman. Phil and Andrea had actually spotted her spending a night at his apartment once. Flashes of their bedroom activities visible through the windows. Andrea had teased Phil for getting flustered at that. He'd been tempted to look, more than once he'd noticed that her clothing emphasized her chest and wondered how it would look without them. However, he'd firmly turned away.

That had been an embarrassing episode, but they'd been quick to get serious again. On the weekend, Zheng had gone to a bar called the Blue Bay. That had been a good sign, and Andrea had gone in to investigate whether there might be any Orchid connections there. However, based on what she'd seen, it was just a bar. Zheng had met up with a few friends and played darts while getting drunk.

The overall effect of their watch was to make Andrea crankier in the mornings, and even he missed sleep. It was getting boring too. There was nothing to indicate Zheng was actually affiliated with the Blood Orchids. Even if it made sense that he'd lay low, Phil had started having doubts.

At least until there was a break in Zheng's habits. He didn't visit the noodle stall after work, but went home immediately. Ten minutes after entering his apartment, he came out again. changed from his uniform to a plain black shirt and gray pants.

They'd both become lax the past few days, but now Andrea's back straightened, and she leaned forward with her binoculars. After a few more moments, she stood up from her chair. "Phil, I think this is it. I'm going down."

He nodded and tapped the scroll balanced on his leg to show that he was ready to call her. His hands kept a steady grip on the binoculars. "Go. I have him in sight."

Andrea went down to the scooter they'd rented to follow Zheng and rode off. She'd fit in better at the places Zheng would frequent. According to her, Phil would stand out too much, he'd react without thinking at what he would see.

Which was unfair. He hadn't learned nothing after living in the city for years. However, at the very least, he had to admit that his attitude would show. Andrea was also better at trailing someone than he was, so that was why he got the job of guiding her. Which would be necessary because she had to keep her distance from Zheng and could lose sight of him at times.

Zheng had a motorcycle, but because of the condition of some of the streets, he didn't go much faster than Andrea. Phil watched, and used his bicycle to stay as close as he could while being a level above them.

Eventually, Zheng stopped at an old warehouse in the north. There weren't any other buildings nearby, but Andrea could get close by staying behind some moss-covered rocks. It had gotten dark, the sun hadn't set yet, but the sides of the city held its interior in shadow as dark as night. Phil couldn't see much in those conditions, since Zheng just waited inside and there didn't seem to be any working lights.

Zheng wasn't a faunus, but the dark didn't seem to bother him. He made a call from his scroll, which looked to go well. Then, he stood there, waiting.

After a few minutes, Andrea called Phil down and he rushed there to find his own hiding place. He couldn't let her arrest them alone if something happened. Orchids wouldn't hesitate to shoot at a lone cop in a secluded area.

"Take out your note," Andrea said through his scroll. He couldn't tell from here, but it seemed like she'd already put on her own.

He took out a sheet of paper and placed it on his back. "It's done," he said.

"Man I feel stupid," Andrea admitted.

Phil only nodded. This was her idea, but actually doing it emphasized how crude it was. The two of them had stuck notes on their backs with a message which said:

Our names are Andrea Mache and Phil Helios. We tell you this as a show of trust.

If you can see this, you must be a member of the Interference. We are police officers who support everything you've done to hinder the crime cartels that in the city and reveal the corrupt members in our ranks. We want to assist you, to join you, and it should be apparent why secretly having police in your organization would be advantageous.

We have been watching Zheng and are planning to arrest him if he shows any signs of connections to the Blood Orchids. However, we understand that you may be more effective at gathering evidence and neutralizing any chance of violence, so we plan to make our move after you.

Please contact us. We will be useful and loyal members of the Interference.

The only reason they expected this to work was because of another piece of information Andrea had caught about the Interference. A few crime families had set up traps to catch Interference operatives with people lying in wait to capture and question at least one of them. However, each time it had resulted in failure. The ones waiting to attack were knocked out and had their weapons taken, without even knowing who'd attacked them or even how. Even when several people were ordered to find their own hiding spots without telling the others, the results were the same.

That ruled out infiltration into these families, which would have already been hard to believe. The next obvious implication was that the Interference had a way to detect the people who tried to conceal themselves. Phil and Andrea were counting on that. The Interference would think that this was another trap, but instead find a pleasant surprise of prospective new members.

At least, Phil and Andrea hoped so. If the Interference showed up, then there was a chance that they might just knock the two of them out without even checking the signs. Or they might see the signs but not believe them, still deciding to render them unconscious.

"Please look at my back," Phil muttered the phrase over and over again. He said it more to reassure himself than any slight chance of it preventing the Interference from attacking them.

A couple minutes after Phil had come down, two more people arrived. They came from the east, so Phil and Andrea hadn't needed to move from their hiding spots. They entered the warehouse to meet Zheng.

It was hard to pick out any detail in the dark, but at least one of them seemed to be a faunus, since he had something on top of his head. Ears maybe. The arriving pair seemed friendly with Zheng and talked for a bit before he handed them something. It had corners, but it was too small to be a weapon.

Phil sighed. That was it? Yes, it was suspicious to meet with people in an abandoned building at the edge of the city, but it wasn't illegal. Maybe if they got closer it would turn out to be something, but if it was harmless, it would set Zheng on edge and make it even harder to catch him slipping.

Phil's disappointment vanished when a white light shone on Zheng and the other two. Shock filled their faces, including Phil and Andrea, and the light disappeared the next moment. A camera flash. Whatever this was, the Interference had decided that it was worth recording.

There was some yelling. Then Zheng ran, but the other two stayed and pulled out guns. However, just as soon as they brought them up, their weapons were knocked aside. The disarming accompanied by nearly simultaneous tings.

Phil ripped off his note and rushed out. If these criminals saw it and were questioned in the station, they'd tell the entire force about the two of them trying to join the Interference. "Zheng Loh, stop! You're under arrest!" He yelled out and intercepted him before he could reach his vehicle.

"What the-?" Zheng's eyes widened once he saw the gun and raised his arms. "Hey! Hey! Wait! Who are you?"

Phil didn't answer him. "On your knees and hands behind your head."

Zheng didn't comply. "You're police? Hold on, so am I! You're making a mistake, I don't know what you thought you saw, but I'm undercover! Call my precinct, west from Green Avenue to 20th Street."

Phil paused a moment, then focused on his resolve. "If that's true, then we'll find out at the station. Get on your knees!"

"Aggh!" A brief shout cut into the arrest. It had come from the direction of the others and had been a male voice. Not Andrea's, but Phil's eyes still flicked over to the sound.

"Gah!" Zheng suddenly screamed and fell to his knees. He cradled his right hand and cursed.

"H-hey! Hands up! Hands up!"

With a pained expression, Zheng obeyed. Phil walked over and placed handcuffs on his wrists, recited his rights, and saw why he'd screamed. There was a circular red mark about half an inch wide on his right hand. Phil winced when he saw it.

He made Zheng go over to the warehouse, where Andrea was waiting with the two who'd met with the corrupt cop. They looked like they were in their early twenties, and now Phil could see a pair of dog ears on one head. The second lacked any animal traits, so Phil assumed he was human.

"You got both of them?" Phil hadn't even heard any gunshots.

"I didn't think I would, but . . ." Andrea nudged one of the kneeling figures with her foot. The human one. "Hey, repeat what you said before. I'm still not sure what happened."

He had a frightened face and stammered out an answer. "I-I don't know, something just-just pushed me to the ground."

"Yeah, really had me confused. The same happened with this one." Andrea pointed to the faunus. "I thought they tripped, but it was more like something hit them toward me. I gotta say though, it was funny watching them scream and fall down. Made my arrest easy too."

"I got some help with my arrest too," Phil said and turned to Zheng. "You were reaching for your gun, weren't you? Something must have hit your hand and stopped you."

"I want a lawyer," Zheng replied.

"Of course you do. Hey you two," Andrea focused on the gang members. "You're Blood Orchids aren't you?"

"We're not nothing," the faunus said.

His friend shook his head. "Fuck that secrecy shit man, I'm not messing with whoever just knocked us around without even trying." He met their eyes. "Yeah, we're Blood Orchids."

"What the hell you dumbass?! It wasn't these cops who did it, it's those bastards who are messing with everyone."

"And where do you think those guys are now? They're still watching. You think about what they gonna do to us if we don't talk?"

"Alright alright, enough!" Andrea yelled to get them to stop arguing. "You know what situation you're in, so tell us why Zheng came out here to meet with you."

"We-

The faunus interrupted him. "Dude, shut up!"

"No interruptions!" Andrea held up her gun. Phil doubted she'd use it just because one of them was speaking out of turn, but she certainly looked like she could.

The faunus paled and Zheng grimaced. Once Andrea nodded for the human to continue, he talked again. "There's a paper back there with the name and address of a guy we want to get rid of. Loh got it for us and we were going to pay good money for it."

Andrea went off to get it, leaving Phil to watch the three felons. Once she came back, she held up a wad of shredded bills and the paper was in her other hand. "Guess whoever did this must not need the cash."

Phil nodded. That was a common element of how the Interference interfered with these deals and part of what made him so sure of them. They wouldn't take the criminal's money, even when plenty of others might justify taking it.

Andrea whistled when looking at the file next. "Wow, this guy's in witness protection. I want to know how you got them, but I'll let the station handle that."

She was obviously more curious than she sounded, but they had to report the arrest and make it look as normal as they could. The questioning they'd already given them was already risky enough.

The two of them called the nearest station and told them their badge numbers and why they'd arrested Zheng Loh and two of his associates. Not that long ago, if Zheng had the right connections, he could have gotten out of this. Now, with how the Interference shone a spotlight on the police, he might as well have tried to rip off those handcuffs and run.

While Phil and Andrea waited for proper police vehicles to arrive and pick them up, they exchanged proud smiles. They hadn't just made a good arrest, the Interference had noticed them, had helped them. That wasn't a guarantee that they'd be contacted, but it was more than they'd dared to hope.