The elevator dinged, indicating that Clark had reached Headmaster Ozpin's office. The headmaster had called him in this morning, although he didn't know why.

He saw that only Mr. Branwen and the headmaster were there. That was good, at least he wouldn't have to sit quietly while the general watched him like a hawk.

"Good morning, Mr. Kent. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep." He sat down in front of the headmaster, Mr. Branwen standing beside him. "Did you need me for something, sir?"

"Yes." Headmaster Ozpin turned a monitor so it Clark. "Tell me, what do you think of these?"

Gang Members Found Lying In the Streets Unconscious, No Signs of Drugs Or Violence. Mugger Knocked Out By a Mysterious Force During Mugging Attempt. Child Suddenly Pushed Out Of The Way of Swerving Car.

News articles. All of them describing what he'd done in the past week, the journalists obviously had no idea that there was a single person behind all of it. Although there were a couple that mentioned an "invisible hand".

This wasn't surprising, Chloe had probably found out about him the same way. The people here had caught on a lot quicker than he'd thought they would though. "I . . . may have been a little active in the city." Clark said.

"A little active?" Mr. Branwen shook his head. "Kid, there have been dozens of events like this since you first went into Vale. We appreciate it, but it's not really your responsibility."

"If I can help those people, I will," answered Clark.

"We get that, but do you really have to go out and do this? You could get into a lot of trouble with the authorities."

"I understand that, but I'm still going to continue."

Mr. Branwen and the headmaster exchanged a look, but didn't argue.

"Very well," the headmaster said. "But did you not wish to keep your abilities secret? Already, certain journalists have started to realize that there is some sort of entity behind these events."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they'll realize it's me. As long as I go by at super-speed, no one will know."

"You may make a mistake," Ozpin pointed out. "Are you certain no one will see you? That no camera will catch a glimpse of you? Keep in mind what may happen if you inadvertently reveal yourself. Pressure from the Council and the public may render me unable to shelter you here."

He knew that. At best they'd probably try to make him kill Grimm for them, and at worst, he could end up as a lab specimen. There wasn't any kryptonite around, but magic existed here.

Qrow Branwen's name was very fitting. While turning into a bird wasn't really threatening, who knew what else they could do with magic?

"I assure you sir, I'll be careful." Clark said.

The headmaster sighed. "Very well, I suppose that is the most I can ask. I would be reluctant to ask you to stop, since you've certainly been a boon to the city. On behalf of Vale, Qrow and I extend our gratitude."

He smiled. "Thank you, but that's not necessary."

"Just accept it." Mr. Branwen. said. "You deserve it, and a bit of an ego boost isn't a bad thing."

"I guess so." Clark stood up. He wasn't lying when he'd said he didn't need the thanks, but it did feel good that someone appreciated what he was doing.

"Wait," the headmaster said before he started walking away. "Before you leave, I must ask. Do you really roam the streets randomly looking for people to help? It seems dreadfully inefficient to go through all of Vale to find people in need, and many of your saves happen at nearly the same time."

"Well, I am pretty fast," answered Clark. "And it might be inefficient, but it's more than worth the effort. Is that all?"

"It is from me. Do you have anything to add Qrow?" Ozpin looked to the man.

He shook his head. "Nope, see you later kid."

Clark nodded and left the office.

\\\\\

"He certainly is altruistic." Ozpin said after Clark had left.

"Yeah, it's kind of hard to believe he's an alien." Qrow said. "He acts so normal most of the time."

"Quite. Although it is troubling that he lied."

"Lied?" Qrow turned to him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Ozpin drank from his coffee. He always did that at moments like this, and Qrow was sure he knew how he dragged out the suspense when he did.

"Perhaps lied isn't the best way to put it, he simply avoided the question." Ozpin turned the monitor to face him and Qrow. "Allow me to explain."

He brought up a map of Vale with the familiar red dots that marked Clark's location. "These are Mr. Kent's movements from yesterday. Notice how he goes straight from one crime scene to the next without delay. Some of these are blocks apart, yet he heads directly for them without checking other streets. I've looked through all the other days, and they're the same. There are a few times he goes into dead ends and backtracks, but otherwise there are no detours. He even avoids scenes where police are already present.

Ozpin tapped the screen to leave the map displayed. "It's clear that he has some sort of ability to tell where he's needed. Yet when I asked whether he roamed the streets randomly, instead of correcting me, he pointed out his speed. Why would he choose to hide this ability from us?"

"Well . . . maybe it's some sort of alien thing that he doesn't know how to explain to us?" said Qrow.

"That may be a possibility, but clearly Mr. Kent doesn't trust us to even say that much." Ozpin added. "That is worrisome. James also has access to this data, and will certainly be able to come to the same conclusions about Mr. Kent's ability to find those in need of aid. I'm sure you have an idea of what will happen once he learns that Mr. Kent is hiding exactly what this ability is."

Qrow sighed. "Yep. But I think Clark deserves some benefit of the doubt. He doesn't have to do help those people, but he does it anyway. Even though it would be a lot safer for him to lay low. And come on Oz, the scroll we gave him tracks his every move, you can't really blame the kid for not trusting us."

\\\\\

Today had been a really slow day. Which was actually a good thing. Clark had only stopped a couple of vandals, a shooting, and saved some teenagers on a joyride racing through the streets. They wouldn't be happy about the dents to their car, but they'd be alive to get upset over it.

However, nighttime was approaching, and that was when crime was most active. Even so, the past couple of days, there had been less and less people causing trouble.

Last year, Clark wouldn't have done something like this. Sure, he would have helped people in trouble, but not actively search for people to help.

His attitude had changed after seeing the havoc caused by Zod, and the help he'd been able to offer after Dark Thursday. A surprising amount of people had taken advantage of the chaos after the failure of a lot of Earth technology. There'd been dozens of looters and violent individuals Clark had stopped when flashing by at super-speed.

It would make his presence more obvious, but it was worth it. He'd prefer to keep himself a secret, but people would notice what he was doing. There was at least one good thing about that, it probably made people think twice about hurting others or doing something that they'd regret.

He wasn't naïve or arrogant enough to think that meant he could eliminate all crime though. Just what was obvious, what he could pick out with super-hearing. And even if all crime did disappear, that didn't mean fires or accidents would stop too.

For the moment, things were calm. Maybe he could relax and go back to Beacon.

\\\\\

Roman could hear the chatter of the crowd. Dozens of people were present, which was good. The White Fang were pretty much only useful as fodder, and he'd been running low recently. A few of their bases had been caught by the police, and the animals were getting nervous.

He didn't like it either.

Oh, he couldn't care less if the morons were caught, but this was part of a bigger problem. All of the White Fang in the bases had been knocked out, so the police had strolled right on in with their handcuffs and prison sentences. It had been happening a lot in Vale recently. Gangs, low-level crooks, even a few of Roman's own men were being caught.

At least they didn't know anything important. Even if they'd had anything to give to the police, they knew to keep quiet if they didn't want Neo to come for a visit.

Still, this subtle attack on crime was starting to become a pain. There'd been no sign of what had knocked out random thugs, but there had been an interesting clue on the White Fang case. Roman's informant in the police had said they'd received anonymous calls informing them about the terrorist bases. Which meant that someone, or probably a lot of someones,were behind it.

Whoever they were, they didn't seem to come for anyone outside of the city. So most of the White Fang's operations had been moved out of Vale, except for more discreet recruitment drives. Roman had been out of the city too, busy getting the Paladins, although it had been necessary to bring them to this warehouse to rile up the newcomers.

Just in case, Neo was on standby if they somehow managed to knock him out. If that happened, the Paladins would be lost, and Cinder definitely wouldn't be happy about that. Still, there was no way she'd roast him on the spot if all the White Fang here were knocked out with him. He'd even gotten cameras set up to catch these people in the act, and the information would bring her attention to the real problem.

One of the White Fang got up onto the stage. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours."

That was Roman's cue. Time for a little showmanship. He stepped out into the open, and surprise surprise, the crowd of faunus booed.

"Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause." Oh, that certainly got a reaction out of them. A few of them even growled, and he just gave them a smirk.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"What's a human doing here?!" A woman asked angrily and was followed by sounds of affirmation from the rest of the crowd.

"I'm glad you asked dearie. Now I'll be the first to admit that humans are the worst." He said with a swing of Melodic Cudgel.

Blah, blah, blah. A little speech about how corrupt and evil the government was, and how they were on the same side and voila, now he had them cheering. For a human. God it was way too easy, and this was just the lead-up.

"They're pests. Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around." He snapped his fingers, and with a flair presented one of the Paladins. That got him cheers.

"As some of you might have heard, this is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world. Thanks to my employer, we managed to snag a few before they hit the shelves."

His grin widened, that had certainly been a fun job. "Most of you have probably heard about your brave, unfortunate brothers who were caught and are now at mercy of the rotten government. It may not be the best idea to stay in the city. Luckily, many of your comrades are already working on preparations in the southeast. If you really want to fight, this is what I can provide you. Any questions?"

Apparently not, unless enthusiastic cheers counted.

"Now, would all new recruits please come up?" The goon to his left said.

Time for them to get uniforms to make them feel special. Now they'd really be rank and file maniacs.

Hm, it looked like there were a couple who hadn't made up their minds yet. A cat faunus and a blond kid with a monkey tail.

Really? How obvious could they be? The blond idiot was even wearing the same outfit he had at the docks. Oh, Roman was going to enjoy threw his cigar away.

Time to deal with a couple troublemakers.

Or, it would have been, if the little kitty hadn't shot the lights. Damn it, pretty much everyone else here had night vision, but then again, pretty much everyone here was useless. No way would they'd catch these kids.

Hm, he had wanted to try out the robot. This was as good a time as any.

\\\\\

Smashed concrete, people crying out, the thuds of heavy footsteps.

Clark had been about to return to Beacon when his super-hearing had picked out those sounds. What was going on? Had Grimm broken through the walls?

He ran to the southeast, the origin of the sound. Annoyingly, he hit a few dead ends on the way and had to double back. He hadn't visited this part of the city before, why would he when there were only abandoned factories and warehouses here?

He groaned at another alley. Honestly it was tempting to just leap over the buildings, but even if it might not feel like it, running in the direction would get him there faster. Even checking for clear paths with X-ray vision would take too long.

He rushed over to where he'd first heard the sound, and was greeted by the sight of a warehouse with a large hole in its side. A big one, a sixteen-wheeler could have driven through it easily. There were people inside too, and fortunately, none of them seemed to be injured.

Huh, White Fang?

The masks were the same as the ones the terrorists had worn at the bases he'd found. There were at least a hundred of them here, but he didn't have the time to knock them all out. There were still thumping footsteps in the distance, close enough to hear with normal hearing. With his more acute ears, Clark discovered there was a strange metallic clunking to the steps. A machine?

He had to go find it. He'd call the police on the White Fang later.

He flashed away and caught up to the source of the thuds. A gray, giant two-legged robot running on a highway, chasing some figures who were jumping from car to car.

That was one of the Paladins from General Ironwood's army. What was it doing here?

His eyes widened as it smacked a car out of the way.

"No!" He ran up and caught it immediately, setting it down gently. Only for it to be followed by more. Dozens more as the robot kicked and punched them aside in pursuit of the two people who were still jumping from car to car.

He had to rush, push his speed to the limit as he grabbed each airborne car with a jolt. He had to prioritize them first, hope that the passengers in the cars which had only been pushed to the side were okay.

Clark didn't have time to be gentle, and he could hear the sickening cracks of bones breaking. They were followed by screams, and time almost came to a stop for Clark when he feared that a few had died despite his efforts. Super-hearing confirmed their hearts were still beating though, and in his relief, he went on to the next one.

Again and again, in a matter of seconds he'd caught a dozen cars and set them down.

Enough! This couldn't continue. He looked ahead with X-ray vision, he had to make sure that no one was in the way when he blasted the robot with heat vision. The ones who'd led it here might be reckless idiots, but he didn't want the blast to penetrate the robot and hit one of them.

There was a person inside the robot piloting it! What kind of lunatic would do this?!

Whoever he was, he was at the center of the Paladin. Clark couldn't just fire blindly into it and catch it as it fell.

He blasted his heat vision at its left leg, his head tilted slightly upwards. The searing beams hit their mark and passed through the metal, firing harmlessly into the night sky.

With its leg severed, the Paladin tilted and tumbled through the barrier on the side. Falling down to the ground below tens of feet below. The figures it had been chasing reacted quickly, jumping down after it.

Clark turned back to the cars. There were dozens who'd been knocked aside, and incoming drivers slowed down and stopped as they realized what they were driving into.

A few of the cars were on their side, the ones he hadn't caught because they'd been pushed aside instead of thrown up. Once he was sure it was safe to do so, he tipped them back upright.

He scanned the people in the cars for serious injuries as quickly as he could, but X-ray vision required a lot of focus. It wouldn't be at the same rate as his speed-reading, but it was the best he could do.

He sighed in relief. Miraculously, no one had died, or even suffered fatal injuries. There were broken bones, bruises, torn muscles and ligaments, and cuts from glass. Nothing that would require him to race someone to the nearest hospital.

He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't been here.

Clark dialed the police on his scroll, interrupting the dispatcher before she got a word out. "I need ambulances. Lots of them, there's been a large pile-up." He could hear sirens, there were police cars and ambulances on their way already.

"I hear you sir, where are you?" The woman said.

He looked around for signs. "I'm on route . . . seven just past exit twelve." He said, then he hung up.

He could even hear a Bullhead approaching. The police? Or maybe the news had already caught wind of this.

He jumped over the barrier, he had to hand over the pilot of the Paladin to the police.

Clark's eyes narrowed, why was there so much ice down here? The ground near the Paladin was covered in it, with six people standing in the center staring upwards.

He followed their gaze and his eyes widened. The Bullhead he'd heard was an escape vehicle for the pilot, not police or news. It was making a quick escape over the water, he had to stop it!

Damn it, he'd flown before when Jor-El had brainwashed him, but he couldn't rely on that. A jump? He might be able to aim correctly, but what if he didn't? He had no way of stopping mid-air, and if he missed, he might hit a building or someone in the street. Even if he managed to hit the Bullhead, he might cause too much damage crashing into it. He wanted to catch them, not kill them. Or the people they might land on.

Super-breath and heat vision were too risky as well. Even if his breath was strong enough, it might make the Bullhead crash. It was the same for if he wanted to use heat vision, he'd have to render it unable to fly, yet able to make a safe landing. He couldn't risk that.

It was only getting further away. Even if his thoughts went a thousand miles per hour it wouldn't help if he couldn't think of a way to stop it. The most he could do was look inside with X-ray vision at their faces.

He recognized Roman Torchwick. But he was an infamous thief, how could he have gotten a weapon like the Paladin? Why would he even do this?

Clark ground his teeth at the man's smug smile, didn't he realize that he'd nearly killed those people? Or did he just not care?

The short woman beside him wore a similar expression. She was rather distinctive, mismatched pink and brown eyes with pink, brown, and white hair couldn't be common even here. It would be easy to identify her.

After the Bullhead retreated, Clark left before any of the six saw him. Although he was shocked when he saw that one of them was a kid, she had to be fourteen or so. The rest weren't much older, high school students?

No, he could see the telltale shimmer of aura around them. Their weapons also made it obvious. They were Beacon students. He walked back into the shadow of a pillar, it was a good thing he'd gotten darker clothing. Red and blue would stand out even in this low light.

He memorized their faces. Four girls and two guys. They'd be in for a rude awakening from their headmaster and Ms. Goodwitch.

First, he'd have to alert the police about the White Fang back at the warehouse.

\\\\

"Do you have any idea of the damage you caused?!" Glynda's words had a piercing bite to them.

The six students sat in shamed silence. Obviously, they hadn't put much thought into their actions tonight.

"Broken bones, concussions, internal bleeding. Wow, that's a long list," said Qrow somberly.

"Yes, and those are just some of the injuries that innocent civilians suffered in your outing. It's a miracle that no one was killed. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" She swung her crop, producing a resounding crack!.

"We couldn't just let the White Fang do what they wanted," Miss Belladonna said. "Ma'am, they had a Paladin. Someone had to do something about it."

"And I suppose you believe that someone had to be you?"

"It . . . didn't seem like anyone else was doing anything about it." The student answered weakly.

"That does not excuse your reckless behavior. Do you think the police would accept that? Or those injured in Torchwick's rampage through the streets?" Glynda glowered at each of them as she spoke. It was at times like these when her reputation of fear was most useful, cowing students was necessary when they misbehaved like this.

"You four," She pointed her crop at team RWBY. "Will be in detentions for the next two weeks. Overseen by myself, is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am." They replied in unison.

She walked over to the two young men. "As for you two. Your names are Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias, correct?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Mr. Vasilias practically shouted.

The second just nodded frantically.

"You are not Beacon students, but during your stay here, you are under our jurisdiction. As such, we have the right to administer punishments. You will be joining team RWBY in detention."

She faced away from the students. "That is all from me. Headmaster?"

Ozpin nodded. "Thank you Ms. Goodwitch. All of you, do not forget what happened tonight. You are students, you should be studying and focusing on improving yourselves, not rushing out headfirst into danger. Team RWBY, if another incident like this occurs, you will be receiving much harsher punishment. Perhaps even suspension."

The girls all paled at that. It was harsh, harsher than what Ozpin would normally do, but then again, these weren't normal circumstances.

"You may leave." Ozpin said.

"Ruby, Yang, don't think the discussion is over yet." Qrow said. "You and I are going to have some words about this."

Once the students left, Mr. Kent revealed himself from the gear he'd hidden behind. He'd arrived not long ago with the news of the Paladin event and those involved. He'd also asked to be allowed to listen in, claiming he wanted to get an impression of the students.

"Do you know those girls Mr. Branwen?" He asked.

"Two of them are my nieces. The blond one and the one with the red hood."

"They're so young. How old was that one girl? Fourteen?"

Qrow's amusement was evident. "Heh, fifteen actually. The little squirt's quick to remind you."

"Is it really safe for them to fight Grimm?" The young man asked, his concern evident. "They're just teenagers."

"I assure you that they can handle themselves against Grimm." The headmaster informed him. "Team RWBY did so during their initiation into this school, and I believe the exchange students performed similarly at their own institution."

"Besides kid, aren't you just a couple years older than them?" asked Qrow.

Mr. Kent blinked a couple times at that. "Yeah, I'm only nineteen. Still, it's weird to see people their age fight. Or jump from car to car on a highway while being chased by a giant robot."

He cleared his throat facing them with a guilty expression. "I really am sorry about earlier by the way. I got a little emotional and lashed out."

Yes, he had. Apparently, he'd flashed into the headmaster's office with a furious expression. He'd informed Ozpin on what had happened, giving descriptions of the students involved and the criminals responsible. He'd also demanded that they properly teach their students to not involve innocents in their battles. Ozpin had been quick to inform Qrow and Glynda once he'd calmed the young . . . alien down.

"It is understandable," she stated. "I agree that they should not have put the citizens of Vale at risk. I will make sure to instill the lesson in them."

He nodded. "Thank you. It's just . . . they didn't see the blood. Or hear the bones breaking or the screaming. I wish I could have done more."

"Mr. Kent," The headmaster began. "Without you, I am certain that more than a few of these people would have died. You saved them, you should be proud."

The words did little to change his expression.

"Yeah, don't feel down Clark. You did good."

"Yes, this is no failure of yours." Glynda offered her own reassurance. "It's obvious you did your best, and all of those injured will recover."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied solemnly. "Sorry again for the outburst, I think I'll go back to my room now. Good night."

"Jeez, the kid has puts way too much on his shoulders." Qrow said once he left. "It's not like he can do everything."

\\\\\

This dust was wonderful, he'd never tasted anything like it before.

Baern held the powder in his hands, and felt the energy flow into him. This substance was rich, and far less of a risk to this vessel than the radioactive isotopes he normally feasted on. And there was so much here for the taking.

"H-hands up! You, hands up or I shoot!"

Baern looked to the side. A human. He must have missed one in his eagerness to get at the power here.

Foolish creature, didn't he see how easily the rest of his kind had been dispatched? Did he truly think his petty weapon could help him?

"Stop! I warned you!" He fired his gun.

After Baern's recharge, he could watch the bullet fly through the air as if it were moving no faster than a buzzing insect. And just like a bug, he could easily swat it away.

Baern ran up, so fast that he might have appeared to teleport from the human's perspective. In a millisecond, Baern held its neck and squeezed until he heard a sharp pop. Worthless. He threw it aside and again immersed his hands into the dust. Feeding on it.

Soon, soon he'd have enough. Enough to obliterate the Kryptonian scum and his crystal trickery.