Prologue
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The Emerald Forest, 2:00 pm
It was a nice, warm day that team RWBY was assigned a small mission to investigate certain electrical anomalies in the Emerald Forest, located just outside the ever-so prestigious Beacon Huntsmen Academy. The team was currently sitting in a Bullhead hover-craft, en route to their designated landing zone, currently one and a half kilometers away from the last sighted anomaly. Team RWBY consisted of four adolescent girls, starting with the titular leader Ruby Rose, followed by Weiss Schnee, then Blake Belladonna, and lastly, Yang Xiao Long.
Ruby was a short girl, with black and red iridescent hair. She was obsessed with weapons, and it clearly showed with the weapon she had crafted for herself. In her lap lay her signature weapon, Crescent Rose, which was an ungodly large scythe that doubled as a high-impact, high caliber anti-material rifle. It is a deadly weapon that tears Grimm apart, and its large bullets can put down some of the tougher Grimm with a few well-placed shots.
Directly across from Ruby say her half-sister Yang Xiao Long, a buxom blonde brawler who always had time to crack (lame) jokes, no matter the situation. Yang was taller than Ruby, which was obvious, and speaking of the young leader, Yang was very overprotective of Ruby. Mounted on the blonde's wrists was her weapon, Ember Celica. They were, simply put, arm mounted shotguns.
Next to Yang was Weiss, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, owned by her father. Her father's company was a topic of controversy in the past, and it still is. Weiss' attitude towards her teammates had improved over time, but she still found a couple of her teammates rather annoying. The snow white girl was currently looking over her weapon, Myrtenaster, a rapier with a revolving Dust chamber near the hilt.
And lastly, there is Blake, a quiet Cat Faunus girl seated next to Ruby, and she was currently engrossed in a novel involving a man, a city, and a lighthouse. Atop her head sat a large bow that covered her cat ears, and she wore her weapon, Gambol Shroud, on her back. Now and again, she would glance about the Bullhead passenger hold, looking at her teammates, most notably Ruby. Blake had a thing with Ruby, unbeknownst to Weiss and Yang, and though the young couple discussed it many times, they still haven't gotten around to telling them.
The Bullhead ride was taking a bit longer than it normally should, but to the team, it didn't matter.
The girls (excluding Blake) were discussing what could be causing the electrical anomalies that are currently concerning the Headmaster of Beacon, and most of their theories (coming mainly from Yang and Ruby) were completely abstract or nonsensical.
"…Weiss, come on, it has to be an inter-dimensional alien looking for resources to exploit in our plane of existence!" Yang argued. Weiss scoffed loudly while Blake snorted.
"That is preposterous! There is no such thing as inter-dimensional aliens. Both you and Ruby's theories are completely unreal and illogical!" Weiss countered, turning her head away from Yang.
"But," Ruby interjected. "what if it was an inter-dimensional being, but they aren't here to steal resources, but to seek aid in defending their universe from being enslaved by a conglomerate of aliens!" Ruby said with undying vigor. Weiss sighed while Blake smiled at the heiress' misfortune.
The trio then turned their heads towards Blake.
"Blake, you haven't said anything but look around the Bullhead and stare at Ruby creepily, do you have any ideas?" Blake ignored the slight jab from Yang, but the Faunus shook her head.
"I don't know, to be honest. It could be malfunctioning equipment; Ozpin has to have some way to monitor Grimm activity in the forest." Blake's answer made some sense, and before they could discuss it further, a voice rang over the intercom.
"We're here at the el-zee. Time to go ladies." Said the pilot of the Bullhead, the doors on both sides opening to let the team out.
Team RWBY hopped out of the aerial vehicle, and Ruby pulled out her Scroll and pulled up the map.
"Okay, we are here," the young leader pointed to a clearing on the map with five color coded dots, the red, black, white, and yellow signifying the huntress-in-training team, while the green dot signified the Bullhead pilot. "and our destination is around here." She then pointed to an area with a large blue transparent circle around a section of the forest.
"We have to search that general area for the source of the anomaly; when we get close, we'll split up and look around. Sound good?" Ruby smiled when her teammates all nodded their heads in affirmation. "Alright team RWBY! Onward!" Ruby shouted enthusiastically while Weiss smiled and rolled her eyes and Yang and Blake grinned at their leader's undying optimism.
They had begun their walk to the northeastern part of the forest, where the last recorded electrical anomaly was reported. Small conversations popped up in the meantime of their lengthy trek, mainly to pass time they spent walking to their destination. The talks usually were centered around what the team was going to do after the mission or what assignments needed to be done, but other than that it was just small talk and Yang's lame jokes.
After an hour of walking, Ruby checked her Scroll to see how close they were to the area of operation. Judging from the map, the girls were a solid twenty minutes away, and Ruby decided it was time to decide who was going to pair up.
"Okay, just a little further to the mission area. Now, who is going to pair up with whom?" Ruby asked her aloud, wondering if they should go with their partners or not.
"How about we shake it up a little?" Yang suggested.
"Hmm… okay, then. Blake, you're with me." Ruby proclaimed. "Weiss, you go with Yang." The Faunus walked toward Ruby, while the snow-haired girl walked up to Yang. Seeing that there were no objections, Ruby nodded. "Okay; stay in touch via Scrolls and keep an eye on your maps; I'll mark any areas of interest for us to investigate." Yang, Blake and Weiss nodded, and the girls went with their designated partner and chose a direction.
Yang and Weiss decided to check the perimeter while Blake and Ruby chose to go into the heart of the operating area. The girls did a quick radio check and they set off. Blake followed close behind Ruby, who silently eyed the surrounding area for any suspicious activity. The sound of birds and small animals resounded throughout the forest, but while they had to look for the anomaly, they also needed to look out for Grimm.
The couple walked silently until Ruby broke the silence with a question.
"Blake, can we talk?"
"What is it, Ruby?" Blake asked, looking over to Ruby, who stood to her left.
"I was wondering, and well, I know we said this several times, but after this, we should really tell Weiss and Yang about, well, us." Blake nodded. She was thinking the same thing earlier.
"Yeah, I had though of that too." Blake flashed the younger girl a smile. "This time, guaranteed, we will tell them and maybe JNPR as well."
"Yeah, I hope so." Blake noticed the uncertainty in the younger girl's eyes.
"Come on, don't worry about it. What's the worst that can possibly happen?"
"W-well, I haven't exactly 'gotten out of the closet'," Ruby began, the uncertainty leaking into her voice. "What if Weiss and Yang won't like me anymore? What about, Nora, and Ren, and Pyrrah, an-"
Ruby was cut off by Blake, who put a finger on Ruby's lips.
"They won't hate you; and if they don't approve, well, they have to accept the fact that you're gay." Blake said reassuringly. Ruby still had a doubtful look in her eyes, but otherwise she seemed to cheer up a bit.
"Thanks, I… needed to hear that." Blake smiled and pulled Ruby into a hug.
Ruby gladly accepted, savoring the precious moments the hug lasted. Blake then pulled Ruby into a quick kiss, which left both girls with red faces. That had been their second kiss. Blake remembered when they had first kissed; it was while Weiss and Yang had been out of their dorm room, and Blake and Ruby had been alone. At that point, they had been dating for nearly a month. Their relationship started when Ruby asked to hang out with Blake for a while at the library.
Blake accepted, and it was from that day the two had regularly gone to the library to read together, or to enjoy the silence and curl up next to each other. Blake was snapped out her thoughts by Ruby waving a hand in front of the Faunus' face.
"Hellooo, Remnant to Blake, you there?" Ruby said in a cheerful tone. "I know I'm pretty, but we still have a mission to complete." Oh, yeah, right. Blake nodded her head, and let Ruby take the lead.
Blake then noted on how Ruby added the last bit of her sentence in her sister's signature joking tone. She really is Yang's sister, Blake joked inwardly.
The two girls moved forward on their chosen path, the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, and the scurrying of small forest creatures. Grimm usually inhabited the further reaches of the Emerald Forest, but it wasn't uncommon to see a Beowolf or an Ursa this far out. Blake noticed that Ruby went a bit further, but not out of sight.
Blake stopped abruptly, a loud, humming noise stopping her in her tracks. She was about to call out for Ruby, but she could not see the hooded girl.
"Ruby?" Blake called out. Where is she? "Ruby! Where are you?"" Blake called a little louder.
The Faunus looked around, and she was shocked to see that the forest seemed to grow dimmer, and the trees seemed to grow larger. Blake worryingly turned around, looking for some sort of familiar… anything.
When she stopped, she was then stunned to hear an unknown female voice coming from behind her.
"Ah, Miss Belladonna I presume?" Blake whipped around to see a human woman stand five feet away from her.
"It seems now that we have a moment of privacy." Blake turned around again to see a human man standing five feet away from her, just like the woman.
The man and woman looked strikingly alike; pale skin, light brown hair, the same color clothes. Blake was sure that they were twins.
"I told you we should have been more subtle," The male told his female twin.
"But the other girl would be present as well." The woman countered.
"I see your point."
"Who are you two?" Blake asked, taking a step back, her hand lightly brushing against the pistol grip of Gambol Shroud.
"You can call me Robert," The man pointed to himself.
"And I am Rosalind." The woman finished his sentence by pointing at herself.
"Alright, Robert and Rosalind, where am I?" Blake asked coldly.
"Well, technically, you are still in the Emerald Forest," The man started.
"But at the same time, you aren't." The woman finished, Blake narrowing her eyes at Rosalind.
"What do you mean? This is still the Emerald Forest."
"Look again, Miss Belladonna." Robert said.
Blake looked around, only to have her face turn from anger to an expression of shock.
Blake and the creepy twins were now standing what seemed to be above a body of water. She could smell the sea air and the distant rumbles of waves. She could only stare in awe at their newfound location.
"Are you finished sightseeing? We haven't much time." Rosalind hastily said, bringing Blake back into reality.
"Why? Why am I here? What is all this?" Blake had so many questions. So many.
"In layman's terms, you are standing near the veil of another plane of existence." Robert stated matter-of-factly.
"In another… what?"
"As you can tell, we are not from Remnant, not even this dimension. You see, we act as the, well, guardians of time and space."
"In laymen's terms, that is what we are, but it is certainly much more complicated than that." Rosalind added.
"You see, as to why we chose you, well, you bear some rather… heavy burdens. Moments of your life you strive to forget."
"Much like an old associate of ours." Robert interjected.
Rosalind continued.
"We chose you because you would be an excellent candidate for our little situation. You are versatile and resourceful, and you at least have some form of moral code."
"In about four minutes, a plane will crash right below us. The man responsible, who is also supposed to live and carry out his mission, will surely die before he even makes it to the doorstep of his destined stop." Robert said.
"Since he will die in the crash, this world we are standing above will certainly perish at the hands of madmen." Rosalind added.
"Yes, and we do not want that. It is imperative that this world lives to see another day."
Blake tried, oh how she tried, to soak up the information she was given by the strange pair of siblings. Her mind was in turmoil, trying to find the logic in all this. Right now, she was being told that a very important man will die, and his mission will not be carried out, and the world she will be entering will be most certainly doomed.
And she has been chosen to take his place, and now she and she alone must shoulder the burden she has been given.
"Okay. I'll… I'll do it." Blake was internally praying to whatever God that was out there, hoping that she had not made a deal with the people who hired the Devil.
"Good." Robert said approvingly.
"It's not like you have much choice in the matter." Rosalind nodded as well. "Oh, and a piece of advice; mind the drop." Blake looked at the woman confusedly, before she and her brother disappeared and Blake was suddenly falling towards the ocean.
Just as she was falling, she could make out a lighthouse in the distance, and she saw the aforementioned plane diving toward the chillingly cold waters below. The plane impacted the water first, exploding and partially sinking into the deep sea. Fire then circled the wreck, and Blake found herself impacting the water at high speeds, the freezing sea already chilling her to the core.
She sunk into the water quite a ways, before she madly pushed and kicked towards to where she thought the surface was. Her lungs burned for oxygen she felt herself get lighter. When she surfaced, Blake began to greedily gulp in air, trying to regulate her breathing. She regained her breath, but then she remembered the cold waters in which she lied in.
Blake swam as fast as she could toward the lighthouse, seeing that there were lights and some steps that lead to the entrance of the tall structure. Blake inched closer and closer, and as she swam, her body began to lose a little bit of feeling. She felt her feet hit something solid, and she stepped on it. Practically sprinting up the steps, she now stood atop the stone steps, exhausted.
"Th-that… su-sucked." She gasped out between shivers. She held herself, trying to keep warm as she walked around until she found the entrance to the lighthouse.
Blake noticed a note taped to the door. It read:
Blake,
We should also mention that your Aura will not work effectively here. The weapons, while looking primitive in your eyes, pack so much more punch than Dust weapons. Also, it will be weaker due to the lack of Dust as well.
We can only encourage you to exercise caution, and to be on you toes.
With regards,
Rosalind and Robert Lutece
Blake felt a chill run up her spine as she read. Weak Aura? Weapons without Dust? What did I get myself into? Blake eyed the surname of the twins. Lutece, huh?
Blake noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open. It was dark inside. Pitch black, even. But thanks to her Faunus heritage, she had night vision. But as soon as she entered, the door had shut by itself, and blinding lights turned on one by one. Above her was a large sculpted statue of a man, and above hung a banner that said 'No God or Kings, Only Man'.
Below, on a stone railing, was a plaque. It read:
"In what country is there a place for people like me?"
-Andrew Ryan.
Blake then eyed the statue, immediately figuring out that this was Andrew Ryan.
He certainly has an interesting philosophy.
Blake walked around where the statue hung, and she spotted a stairway leading downwards. She approached the steps, her footsteps echoing inside of the empty, desolate lighthouse. She took one step at a time, her body now regulating its temperature from her icy dip in the ocean. A light then turned on, illuminating a piece of art made of bronze. It depicted fish on top of large ocean waves, and in the middle sat the sun, its rays being sent our in every direction.
Blake continued downwards, and she noticed another short flight of stairs, leading further down.
A bronze railing was only visible, but with her night vision, she could make out something else in the room below. She approached, and once again, lights sprang to life, and illuminated the room. Blake could see where she entered, the circular opening in the ceiling revealing the first room. Blake looked over the railing to see some sort of… craft, a type of submersible perhaps.
Blake approached it, noting the music that seemed to originate from within the spherical aquatic vehicle.
She walked down the steps once more, and she approached the entrance to the sphere. Inside the craft looked rather comfortable, and Blake also made note of the lever in the back of the craft. Cautiously, she entered the bathysphere, and now Blake stood in front of the lever. It was an ornate golden color, much like brass was. Blake also noted the metal ceiling of the sphere.
Shakily, she reached a hand out towards the lever, and she gave it a great tug. The door closed behind her, and the sub then sank into the water rather fast. The window gave Blake a view of the dark ocean waters. The bathysphere's lights then came on, illuminating the wall in front of it. A sign that said '10 fathoms' then passed the sub, and not long after that, '18 fathoms'.
Blake jumped back when a projector screen suddenly appeared before her, letting out a startled yelp.
It came to life when images of a tower of sorts standing in front of what looked like a setting sun. Upbeat music began to play, and the image change to that of an advertisement showcasing something called a Plasmid, this one specifically called Incinerate.
The image of the man the statue depicted, Andrew Ryan, popped up, along with the words 'From the desk of Andrew Ryan. Dialogue came soon afterward.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'it belongs to the poor'. 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'it belongs to God'. 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'it belongs to everyone'.
I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible: I chose…
Rapture!" Blake's jaw dropped as the projector screen fell back into the floor. Outside the window of the bathysphere, laid the aforementioned city, Rapture. Rapture, was a city underwater; tall, skyscraper-like buildings reached up high, bright colorful lights showcased and advertised what the city had to offer. It was a mesmerizing sight, and, in Blake's eyes, was something truly beautiful.
The recording of Ryan's voice continued.
"A city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the great will not be constrained by the small, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality.
An with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well." The recording ended, and after that little speech, Blake found herself realizing that this city may not have been what is believed to be.
From the way Ryan spoke of Rapture, it was a city reserved for the social elite; the upper echelon of society. It also seemed to be a place of freedom, for artists and scientists, seeing that the 'artist would not fear the censor' and the scientist 'would not be bound by petty morality'. Blake still had to admit, it truly was beautiful.
The bathysphere passed a large statue, and continued onwards. Blake saw a bridge connecting two buildings to, and inside stood a hulking man in some sort of diving suit repairing the bridge. She looked down, and Blake was awestruck to see a whale swimming into view. It appeared around the corner as if it were some sort of public transit vehicle. The gargantuan sea mammal called out into the ocean, the mere sight of it enchanting the Faunus girl with its beauty.
The whale swam part the bathysphere, leaving Blake to look at the various billboards and signs.
Her focus on the buildings was interrupted by the sound of a radio screeching alive.
"…but the lighthouse is all lit up like hellfire… looks like some kind of plane crash…" Said an accented male voice over the radio.
"But we're in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, how could it-"
"I dunno, but you best get over there, and be quick about it… The splicers are coming" Another male voice came on before being cut off by the first one.
Blake located the source of the radio transmissions. There was a short-wave radio mounted onto the wall, and Blake picked it up and pressed the talk button.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" She asked quickly.
"Hey… there is someone alive!" The accented voice answered first. "Hello! Can you hear me?"
"Yes! Yes I can!"
"Okay, good, good. My friend is going to the station; you should be arriving soon. When you get out, stick close to him, and he'll get ya to safety. Don't worry, lass."
Blake internally sighed in relief… but wait…
"I heard you mention 'splicers': what are those?" Blake asked carefully.
"Hopefully, a lot you won't have to meet first." Was what the man said.
Blake did not like this at all. The bathysphere passed its way through a guiding rail of sorts that lead it to the port. It passed through the rings, and the sphere stopped abruptly, causing Blake to stagger a little. The sphere then began to rise.
Blake then wondered a second time about on what she has just agreed to do.
I hope this appeases some people; it was something I had been sitting on for a while now.
Welcome to Beyond the Sea, a RWBY/BioShock crossover (as you may have guessed.)
I think its time to set down some thing before we move onwards with the story; First off, this is somewhat incorporating Infinite elements, as you have seen. The reason the Lutece twins are present is because they are literally stuck in the space-time continuum. They have the ability to go to other dimensions, and they have the power to take other people to different dimensions.
Well, I really think that people won't like what I did with the Twins, but it was the only logical way (from what I thought, anyways) to bring Blake to Rapture.
And a lot of you may wonder 'Why Blake?' Well, a. she's my favorite character and b. in my story plans, I'm making her past somewhat akin to that of Booker DeWitt, with the past sins and all that.
And, as the description told you, she will uncover a hidden past about herself.
And a little sidenote, the Blake/Ruby thing was not planned. I just thought that it would add more value about finishing what Blake has to do in order to go back to Remnant.
And to answer one curiosity, Blake will use Plasmids.
And so, I encourage all who read this to leave a review on how good of an introduction this is, whether or not there are grammar/spelling mistakes or tips on how to improve some things.
Also, fave and follow if this really catches your curiousity.
Until next time.