The pale light of the moon cut through the night's shadow as the cool air effortlessly blew through my hair. I peered from the shadows concealing me from the world. The vibrations of footsteps to me left alerting me to another's presence. Lifting my rifle I placed my finger on the trigger ready to fire.

"Ruby, be ready to move. I'll be there in a moment!" I lowered my rifle and stepped out from the shadows as the familiar sight of blonde hair rounded the corner. Yang jumped ready to throw a fist at me but stopped her punch just a few inches from my head. "Holy shit Ruby, don't do that. I mean Blake does it all the time but you, damn the kitty cat has really rubbed off on you!" I folded Crescent Rose back into its compact form and slid it into its holster.

"Ya well we have been teammates for four years, so eventually something would. At least it wasn't your ability to go drink for drink with Qrow till you both passed out!"

Yang smiled remembering the night of her 21st birthday two months ago. Tai, their father was shocked when she had downed enough alcohol to make her Uncle Qrow look like a lightweight. The next morning had been hell for her but she said it was worth it. "Hey, that was a fun night and if I remember correctly you had quite the hangover."

I shrugged as I crouched down leaning over the roof looking down into the alley. "Ya, when you say you're a 4th-year team from Beacon most people believe that you're 21, not 19." Yang chuckled to herself again somehow not alerting the guard standing in the alley below.

"Ya well, the youngest leader in Beacon history does know how to party! I mean even Blake can be a party animal."

I gave Yang a light shove at the terrible pun as I slid a small Tanto from a holster on my thigh. I had adopted Thorn during my third year after realizing I needed a more close up and stealthier option than Crescent Rose. Yang followed my actions and slid Ember Celica over her own hands. After losing one of the gauntlets during the fall a few years ago along with her arm Yang had decided to rebuild the beloved shotgun gauntlets and give them an upgrade.

Ember Celica began extending over Yang's hands and sliding up her arm. The small bracelets soon covered her entire lower arm in plate armor. Unlike her old gauntlets, the upgrade covered her fingers in plated metal that ended in a pair of sharp claws. A small barrel poked out above the wrist ready to unleash explosive shotgun rounds into her foes. "Ruby, Blake, and Weiss said they are ready to move on our signal. You Ready?"

I nodded and jumped over the edge of the roof Falling quickly activating my aura landing without a sound behind the guard. With a single motion I shoved Thorn's blade into the man's arm making him drop his gun and wrapped my hand around the man's mouth stopping his cries before it could be heard. As he struggled in my arms I pulled tight cutting off his air supply and held tight waiting for him to pass out. After a minute he fell silent and no longer moved. Moving quickly I dragged the unconscious guard through the alley deposited him into the shadows.

Two sets of almost perfectly silent footsteps fell behind me. Even without turning around I knew there was a third among the two. "Yang Weiss I want you ready to incapacitate anybody who comes up from behind. Blake do what you're good at, stick to the shadows and scout out ahead. If you can take guards out on the way do so, but don't take unneeded risks." I walked up to the large metal door to the building and knocked on the door. A pair of green eyes peered through the slit. "What you want?" I gave the man a smile before slamming the hilt of Thorn into the man's nose knocking him unconscious. "Blake pick this lock!" Blake stepped past Yang and pulled a device from clicked a button. A small rectangle piece of metal coming out the end. Blake placed the piece of metal in the door and clicked a button on the side of the device, with a quick whirring of gear the door popped open. "Ok, we're good to go!

All four of us stepped inside Weiss guarding the rear in case someone came up behind. The guard I'd knocked out laid unconscious on the floor with blood pouring from his broken nose. "Yang hide him in the corner, I don't want to trip over him if we need to make a quick getaway!" Yang nodded as she moved the man I moved my gaze over to Blake's and gave her a small nod. Blake understood and crept past me moving through the shadows like an assassin.

I touched the comm on my ear and began speaking. "Blake head toward the east side of the building and clear us a path. We will hang back for a minute before following. Oobleck said the stolen device should be in the east vault. If it comes down to it the three of us will cause a distraction and you'll retrieve the item." Three different beeps echoed from my comm giving me the signal all three understood the plan.

I waved my hand behind me and motioned to move forward following the same route Blake took. Every few feet was a door on the pristine white hallway. As we turned the corner I spotted a guard sitting in the chair. I held up Crescent Rose in its rifle form with a suppressor attached to the barrel. I aimed at the guard but then lowered my rifle. Blake had knocked the man unconscious and put him in the chair so it looked like he was sleeping.

We continued forward finding spot's where guards had been and somewhere they were lying unconscious. Blake's was clearly at her peak skill point as no one stood in her way. Eventually, I spotted Blake hiding in the shadow of a corner the only give away was her amber eyes. "I'm gonna need a distraction to lure the guards away from the vault. There are too many to deal with!"

"Weiss and Yang head back to the entrance, Plant a timed explosive glyph set to go off in five minutes. Yang beat down anybody in your path. Head towards the subway entrance we'll meet up there and escape using the side tunnels!" Yang and Weiss didn't say anything but turned around ready to execute the plan. "Blake we'll stay hidden and wait for as many of the guards to leave than deal with the remaining. We need the vault open as quickly as possible. Can you do it?"

Blake grabbed the handle of Gambol shroud and pulled the serrated katana blade out of the bladed sheath and pulled back the slide on the pistol. Blake actions clearing gave her answers as I checked to make sure both my weapons were ready. I stood up from my position next to Blake and used my semblance to move to a shadowed corner. From any other point of view, it would have looked like I'd teleported to the corner but the truth was I moved so quickly that there wasn't even an after image.

After five minutes of waiting, I looked at the watch attached to my wrist waiting for the decoy. A few seconds after the five minutes were up an explosion rocked the entire building, alarms began to go off and red lights flashed in the hallway. A few guards ran out of the room Blake and I waited to enter yelling about a breach at the main entrance. Once they had passed, Blake peered around the corner before leaning back.

Blake held up three fingers indicating three guards remained. A few hand motions told me two were standing next to the vault while the other was in the middle of the room facing the others. I indicated I would take the far right while she took the other two. Black nodded in agreement and held up three fingers.

"3"

"2"

"1"

With a flash of movement, Blake jumped into the room and threw Gambol Shroud in kusarigama form. The blunt of the weapon slammed into the guard's head with an audible crack. The other two guards were quickly dealt with before they raised their weapons. One took Blake's heel to the skull while the other was hit by an electric dust round from Crescent Rose. "Blake open the Vault I got the door!" Blake moved past and over to the large rectangle metal door. Inside was the deice the White Fang had stolen and it was the one objective required to pass our test and become full-fledged huntresses.

Blake stepped towards the door and dropped a small bag she had hooked to her waist and began to pull different tools out. "Blake, how long is this going to take?" I peered down the hallway and spotted a guard rushing down the hallway. I transformed Crescent Rose into its high impact rifle form and shot the man in the knee. The round hit the man hard enough to shatter his aura and kick him from his feet. He fell forwards and slammed into the ground knocking him out. In a few hours he would wake up with a concussion and a shattered knee, but at least he would live.

"Blake more will be coming, how much longer?" Blake didn't move from her spot as she continued to try and get the door open. "Give me thirty more seconds!" I peered back around the corner and dispatched another guard then his companion who leaned around the corner at the end of the hallway and tried to take a shot at me. "BLAKE!"

"I'm in!" Blake stepped back as the large door swung open revealing a small room lined with shelves and containers. Inside these boxes was enough lien to buy a small army and enough pure dust to arm them for years. A few weapons were displayed on the shelves but the one that stuck out was a gray-colored blade, with a luminous green power symbol at the center of the bronze-colored hilt.

Anger welled up inside me as I grabbed the blade and clicked a button allowing it to fold into a smaller form. "Ruby was that what I think it was." I held the blade out before placing it into one of my pockets. "Yes it was, did you find the device?" Blake held up a small box with a symbol on the side similar to a Celtic knot. "Good, let's go?"

Blake and I stepped out of the vault and were immediately came face to face with a very unfriendly face. The face of the very person responsible for stealing my sister's arm and causing her so much pain. "Hello my darling, I would ask that you give that back but it seems you won't do so without a fight, will you?" Adam Taurus was one of the highest ranking fighters in the White Fang and Blake's mentor. Adam's hand came to rest on the hilt of sword wilt ready to be pulled from his shotgun sheath Blush.

Adam smirked as Blake took a step back with a smirk on her own face. "Oh Adam dear, I'm not the one you should worry about!" Adam looked confused but quickly twirled around and received a shotgun gauntlet to the face that launched him through the open vault door. "That was for the arm you stupid fuck." Adam stood up and stepped out of the vault a crack forming along his mask. "Hello Goldilocks didn't expect you to show up." Yang smiled and took a step forward match Adam's speed.

Adam gripped Wilt's handle and brought it out with a horizontal attack aimed at Yang's gut slashing with enough speed to leave an afterimage of the crimson blade. Metal sparked as crimson steel met yellow titanium. Adam tried to pull his blade back and prepare for another strike but Yang had other ideas and curled her armored fingers around Wilt's blade holding it in place with her herculean strength. "Oh I'm sorry, is this yours?"

Adam grabbed Blush with his free hand and unloaded a round point blank into her chest. The pure of the shot ripped the two away from each other. Yang let go of Wilt and held up Ember Celica and deflected two more shot from Adam. Adam growled and placed Wilt back into his sheath and took a stance crouched low ready to pull the blade out in a crimson flash. The Iaido form of fighting was impressive but only if one had the speed and accuracy to do so.

Yang cocked a grin as she took a boxer's stance bouncing around on her feet. "Oh is the big bad bull seeing red?" Adam lunged forward aiming for Yang's unprotected legs but his blade bounced of metal once again. Adam jumped back with a confused look knowing he had hit the unprotected flesh of Yang's shin.

Yang flashed a smile as Adam looked down to where Wilt should have cut flesh Adam's eyes met the yellow color of metal grieves on her legs. "Didn't expect that did you, Adam?" Yang laughed as she gave a quick kick towards Adam launching an explosive shotgun round from the greave. "It's funny because I got this idea from your boss's little boy toy. So Adam if you would say hello to Ember Stella." Adam stepped back as the three of us watched Yang jump into a kickboxing stance. This was a fight Yang had been waiting a long time for. If any of us stepped in it would not end well.

Adam scoffed at Yang looking towards the greaves. "How about we end this here and now. I still need to deal with the Heiress, My little love, and your little sister!" If anybody knew Yang there were certain things you didn't do, one was not to touch her hair, the other was to never ever threaten her family. "What did you say!" Adam smiled wickedly not knowing how much danger he was in. "I said I'm going to kill you, The Schnee, My Love, and Your Little Sister. Then I will go to Beacon and…."

Adam didn't get to finish his sentence as Yang slammed an armored fist into his skull and then a shotgun propelled kick into his side. Adam's ribs broke under the pressure of the impact and had his aura shattered by the flames that radiated from Yang's body. To everyone else, she looked like somebody had doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire. This was Yang's most powerful form. Nothing could stop her unless either her aura ran out or she was knocked unconscious.

Adam stood up gripping his chest as he coughed blood up coating his lower lip in the same color as his blade. "You will pay for that you stupid BITCH!" Adam had succumbed to his rage as he lashed out at Yang with Wilt and fired Blush. Yang held up her hands absorbing the impact of each weapons attack taking a step back keeping her from stumbling from the force of the attack. Eventually, Blush ran out of ammo leaving Adam with just Wilt.

This time it was Adam's turn to go on the defensive as Yang fired a flurry of shotgun propelled kicks at him. Wilt began to glow red as each attack that couldn't be dodged was blocked and absorbed by Wilt. Adam's semblance took effect preparing to change Yang's flurry of attacks into one unstoppable attack, the same attack that had cost Yang her arm. Adam held the blade at his waist as he swung it towards Yang shouting as he put all he could into the swing. "I took your arm once, NOW I TAKE YOUR HEAD."

Adam's blow sliced the air as it lashed out with a red flash destroying the wall where Yang had been. Adam turned away from Yang and flicked his wrist to remove the blood from the sword. The sounds of blood drops hitting the floor never came as he turned to face the newly created corpse. Yang stood before Adam in the same condition as she had been before. "Torro, Torro!"

Adam was taken back that his attack missed. HE NEVER MISSED! "Oh come on Adam your trick worked on me once and like you said it cost me my arm. but did you really think I'd fall for it again." Adam was too enraged to speak, the only thing he could do was fight. Adam lunged forward Wilt ready to pierce Yang's heart.

Once again Yang simply moved out of the way but this time her metal hand clasped around Adam's arm with a sickening crunch. The bones inside of Adam's arm were no match for the strength of Yang's prosthetic and turned to powder as she squeezed on it. Adam screamed in pain as he dropped Wilt and cradled is unusable arm to his chest. Yang ended the man's screams with a kick to the head knocking him out. "Just remember if I see you again I'll do the same to your other arm and both your legs. You don't deserve to die."

None of us spoke as Yang stepped past Adam's body and picked up Wilt and Blush. With a quick blast from her gauntlet, both weapons were left unrepairable. Yang dropped the weapons and let out a sigh as a single tear rolled down her cheek. With a quick wipe, Yang removed all signs of the tear. "Ruby, did we get what we came for?" I gave Yang a nod knowing she'd just gotten the revenge she's wanted for the past two and a half years. "Good, so how about we get out of this hell hole."

None of us said anything but followed as I stepped out into the hallway heading towards the train tunnels. What worried me as we ran was that the entire way we didn't see a single guard. Sure Yang and Weiss took out a good number but this was no small building. I stepped down a flight of stairs at the end of a long hall. Once I was down I waved the others down and crept up to where two hallways met. If we took a right then we would head straight into the train tunnel.

I picked up the noise of movement around the corner. I motioned for the other to wait as I leaned around the corner to see what we were up against. The second my head snapped around the corner I pulled back as a fire dust infused round passed through where my head had been. "Looks like we found the rest of the White Fang." Blake, Yang and I check our clips and Weiss spun Myrtenasters cylinder landing it on ice dust."Weiss can you give us some cover so that Yang and I can flank them.

"I don't like the idea of sticking my head out so that the White Fang can shoot at me, but I guess there's no way around it. Weiss activated her semblance and summoned a handful of defense glyphs in front of her and stepped out around the corner. The White Fang immediately opened fire on Weiss who was only saved by her defense glyphs. Weiss paid no attention as the bullets bounced off her shield and deflected back at the attackers. Raising Myrtenaster Weiss pulled the trigger on its handle activating the ice dust in the weapon.

Ice shot across the floor and up the walls coating the hallway with ice. Pillars shot from the sheets of ice slamming into the White Fang soldiers either sending sprawling onto the crowd or knocking them unconscious. Many of the White Fang retreated down the hallway trying to get as far away from Weiss as possible.

"Blake are you ready?" Blake clipped her magazine into place and gave me a wink as she pulled back the slide. Geez, Yang has really rubbed off on you. "Ok let's get to it." Yang cracked her knuckles and followed behind me as I opened fire on the retreating White Fang. "Yang give me some smoke." Yang reacted instantly and unleashed a bombardment of fiery shotgun shells down the hallway. Each shot from Ember Celica landed on one of Weiss's ice pillars evaporating it instantly. The water vapor filled the hallway creating a smoke screen. "Blake you're up!"

It was Blake's turn to use her Faunus heritage to her advantage. The White Fang were too confused to do anything but fire into the smoke as Blake crept forward, Even if she couldn't see them she could definitely hear and smell them. the cry of grown men echoed through the hallways as our natural saboteur wreaked havoc. After a minute the gunfire died down and My comms beeped the all clear signal. "Blake's done shopping let's go."

Even though I'd grown in the past few years my voice still carried the childish ring it always had. "Dam Ruby that sounded creepy!" I smiled at Yang giving her the widest grin I could manage and stepped into the mist adding to the effect. As I stepped through the mist I tried not to stumble over the unconscious soldiers but it became harder as they soon covered almost the entire floor. Finally, when I reached the end of the hall I spotted Blake's silhouette. With a few more steps I cleared the fog enough to make out a cut running from the top up Blake's cheek down to just above her jaw. "Blake, you ok?"

"Ya just one of those bastards was playing possum and tried to stab." Blake leaned down and ripped a piece of fabric from one of the White Fang's coat and used it to wipe away some of the blood. "Blake you make it sound like you've gotten dull." Blake looked away from me as I gave her a wide mocking grin. "No Ruby I'm not getting dull, he was actually playing possum." Blake pointed her Gambol Shroud at one of the bodies. Poking out of the man's pants was possum tail. "Oh, you were serious!"

"Hey, where are the others." I gave Blake a confused glance before realizing she meant "Weiss and Yang. "Ohh There….Hey, you talking about us?" I quickly twirled around and came face to face with Yang as Weiss stood a step behind her. "No, we were just wondering what took you so long? Yang took a step back and spread her hands out towards all the unconscious body. "No offense but kind of a maze to make our way through this?" I gave a shrug and stepped forward offering no response to Yang's statement.

"Let's go, the hallway opens up ahead and joins together with the subway." We continued down the hallway till we rented a large room with a track running through the middle. Brick pillars held up the aged and decaying ceiling as we looked around. "Hey, Ruby wasn't there supposed to be a train here?" I looked around and realized there was no sign of anyone other than a few crates sitting in a corner. Yang jumped down onto the tracks and held her a hand above one. "The tracks are still warm. They must have left while we were clearing the upper floors."

"So the ones we fought were the ones who got left behind? That's kinda low even for the White Fang." It suddenly became clear why the White Fang had been so desperate to stop us. They had two options try and hide or fight In the end they chose the latter of the two options. A hand on my shoulder shook from my thoughts as I spun to look at who'd touched me.

My vision filled with stars as something made of metal crashed into my skull. The blow had knocked me to the ground and had cut through my aura like it was butter. I looked up towards my assailant and found it to be none other than the man Yang had beat the shit out of just a few minutes earlier. Adam dropped a glowing red pipe to the ground and held up a deadman trigger displaying it to all four of us. Yang moved to take a step towards Adam but stopped noticing the trigger.

"Ya, I don't think you want to do that. Personally, I never thought I'd have to blow up one of my own building while I was still in it, but if it takes out you pest then so be it!" Without a thought Adam clamped his hand down on the trigger arm the device, all he had to do was let go and every explosive connected would go off. "Oh and my love I suggest you not try and sneak up on the person who taught you everything you know, it's just too shameful." Adam looked disgusted as Blake stepped free from a pillar to Adams left, her shadow clone next to Yang disappearing.

"Adam don't do this, this is not what we worked for. We wanted equal rights, not this!" Tears streamed down Blake's face as she held Gambol Shroud and pointed the barrel directly at Adam. "Oh, my love look around. I've done more in the past four years than I ever did with you. We've made strides your father couldn't have hoped to reach." Adam held up the deadman trigger like a gun and pointed it at Blake mimicking her own stance.

"No Adam, what you've done is made the Humans fear us, and I won't let you do that anymore!" Without hesitation, Blake squeezed the trigger firing a round straight into Adam's heart. Blood flowed from the hole in his chest with every dying pump of his broken heart. With one final breathe Adam activated the deadman trigger.

Debris rained down from the ceiling as explosions rocked the building above us. Large sections of the ceiling crashed to the ground and sent pieces of concrete out like shrapnel. I shakily got to my feet and grabbed Crescent Rose from where it had fallen on the ground. I reached out and grabbed Blake's hand. "EVERYBODY RUN!"

The feeling of me tugging on Blake's arm was enough to break her from her trance as I dragged her down the still-collapsing subway tunnel. Yang and Weiss were about twenty feet ahead of us, Yang was destroying falling debris with a single blast from her weapons while Weiss was using gravity dust to slow the collapse of the tunnel.

Terror struck my heart as I looked at the ceiling a few feet in front of us. A large section had broken free between the four of us, if we didn't make it before it hit the ground we would be left to be crushed. Sadness gripped me very soul as I unfolded Crescent Rose and threw it in the way of the falling ceiling. Crescent Rose acted as a support beam holding up the ceiling. Pulling on Blake's arm I threw her forward under the debris as Crescent Rose's shaft began to bend and crack.

I activated my semblance and ran as fast as I could towards the small gap still open. Fear flooded my veins as Crescent Rose let out a groan right before shattering into dozens of pieces. Pain struck my leg as a piece of Crescent Rose's blade pierced my lower leg, slicing up from my calf all the way to the back of my knee. I fell the ground as the ceiling collapsed behind me. Tears streamed from my eyes as I watched my only escape path crumble before me.

Summoning all my strength I crawled across the ground and leaned up against the pile of debris next to a small opening barely large enough to fit a hand through. I looked through the hole and watched as my heart dropped. Blake was kneeling before the debris pile alone without Yang or Weiss in sight. "Blake you need to go!"

Blake's uncovered ears perked up from her head as she frantically looked around. I putt my hand through the hole hoping she might see it. I pulled my hand back as Blake jumped up and began digging through the debris trying to free me. "Blake stop, there is no time you need to go."

"No, I won't leave you! We are going to go back as a team Me, You Yang and Weiss, all of us." Blake dropped threw a piece of concrete behind her and began pulling on a larger piece of the pile causing it to shift. "Blake stop, it's too late just go." I looked down at my mangled leg and wished I could go with her but in my position, it wouldn't happen. "Blake I'm stuck, just take this and go!" I reached into my pouch and grabbed the object from the vault and pushed my hand through the hole. "No Ruby just let me get you out of there! I can..."

"No, Blake I'm bleeding to death and there is nothing you can do...I can't see you get hurt trying to save me….Please just go!" I looked through the hole and saw Blake amber eyes looking back at me. My heart lurched knowing this was going to be the last time I might see those eyes. "Please!" Blake stepped back on shaky legs as she looked through the slowly closing hole. "I'm coming back for you, just try...just try and hold on!"

Blake turned and quickly took off running as fast as she could, around me the rubble began to shift and drop fresh pieces of concrete around me. The area around me slowly began to grow smaller and smaller as I buried alive. I reached down to my belt and pulled off my too familiar rose emblem. Holding it in my hand I slowly closed my eyes as the last rays of light from the hole closed sealing my tomb.