Disclaimer: Still don't own it
A large thanks to the people who reviewed and like this story so far; here is chapter 2 and like I said, if you want more then let me know what you think.
Weiss glared at the document in front of her.
Sitting at the make-shift desk in the room provided by her sister, the young woman held the paper up to read it at a different angle.
Instead of using another space to do her personal business, Weiss had decided to just convert a part of her temporary living quarters since there was more than enough space. The room itself was your typical military style décor with grey walls, blue carpeting, and a simple double bed with sheets matching the color scheme. Next to the bed was a wooden nightstand with a digital alarm clock as well as a charger for her scroll; which was also military issue. That worked for Weiss since she did indeed used a military scroll for all of her work, something left over from the war, and it provided her with a much better security than her old one did back when she had been a Huntress-in-training. The window in the room was of moderate size and provided a limited view of outside, just the courtyard below and another building across the way, and was bullet as well as blast proof. She kept the drapes shut though and just used the lights in the room for illumination. There was a small bathroom attached to the room with a shower, toilet, and sink; all three as generic as one could get.
It had been a week since the incident with her office and Weiss had been holed up inside the main military headquarters of Atlas while the authorities investigated. While it was nice that the investigators daily briefed her on their findings, it was disappointing that they still had no clear idea on who was trying to kill her. One bit of news was that they had started with the most obvious suspects, Jacques and Whitley, and found absolutely nothing to tie them to the assassination attempts. It was more or less what Weiss had already believed but Winter was obviously disappointed since it meant that she couldn't officially go after them. Ever since she took command of the Atlas military and given a seat on the Council, the older sister had been etching for a fight with the leadership of the SDC; whom she had absolute distaste for. Even without her feud with her blood family, the company had given Atlas a lot of headaches during the war that often risked a victory for Salem and her allies; thus Winter would never forgive them for. While she couldn't order their arrest and imprisonment without starting a crisis in the vulnerable kingdom, not to mention risking her stripping of rank, there were those in the military as well as the council who kept close eyes on the SDC for the slightest mistake.
There was a knock at the door and a person slipped into the room; a person who was quite familiar to Weiss. It was her Faunus assistant and she was carrying a cup holder containing some drinks that she went out for; the two getting tired of the stuff from the mess hall. The woman was about Weiss's age and had on a grey business pant suit; in contrast to the blue combat skirt that her boss currently was wearing. The Faunus had short bear ears along with long red hair and green eyes; her skin slightly tan. Walking over to Weiss, the assistant handed the young woman her drink; which the Huntress took with a grateful smile. The Faunus then sat down in the chair opposite from Weiss while the two sipped their drinks in silence; happy to be drinking something better than what the base had to offer. Even though the assistant had to go outside the base to find a coffee house to get the drinks, it was well worth it in Weiss's opinion.
"Any problems getting back in this time?" Weiss asked her assistant as they sat there; taking a break from her work. The young woman had been up since seven going over various documents while only taking breaks to eat as well as use the restroom.
"No; I think they are starting to get use to me and I think that talk with your sister help," Sarah answered as she leaned back in her chair and grabbed one of the completed documents on the desk. There was a small stack of them that she was required to double check in case her boss missed something.
"Like I said, it's not because you are a Faunus but the other factor," stated the Huntress in an effort to reassure her aide.
When Weiss first put out that she needed an assistant; it was very surprising that she got very few calls. No matter what agency she went to, no one seemed to be able to help her until she found out that the SDC was trying to force her to take an assistant from the company; probably so they could spy on her. Turning down help from Winter and wanting someone more professional at business, Weiss expanded her search to outside Atlas itself; even offering to pay for residence for any potential hire; which she could now afford even after paying off all of her debts to the banks. By luck, she got a response from the woman now in front of her, named Sarah Masden, who hailed from Vacuo and had a degree in business. After flying her out, Weiss got to know her and had even learned that they had met during the war; when the Faunus had been with the other side until a particular event. After getting to know her and assured of her loyalty, Sara became Weiss's only as well as most trusted aide.
"I know and I need to get used to it; it's going to be a while before the horrors of the war are long past. Anyways, what are the plans for today?" asked the Faunus as she put down the document and grabbed another.
"I have to go to the SDC today to grab some things before tomorrow's grand meeting and I need to head to the STC Tower to pick up some important data for me. We'll meet back here later and plan out tomorrow over dinner," Weiss told her assistant and she nodded; getting up to leave.
"Oh, by the way; there was a message for you from someone who said they knew you from Beacon. She wanted to know if you were okay," Sarah informed the other woman and for a moment, Weiss froze. She looked up at her aide and tried to keep her emotions in check; hoping that the message wasn't from whom she thought it would be.
"Who?" Weiss asked, keeping her voice steady. While Sarah knew a lot about Weiss, most through reputation alone, some things were still kept secret.
"A Nora Valkyrie; I've heard of her but I thought she had retired?" inquired the assistant since she didn't know for sure.
"She did and go ahead and send her a reply saying I am alright," ordered the Huntress; inwardly sighing in relief. The last thing she needed was to hear from her old comrades given on how things ended the last time they saw eachother.
Sarah nodded and then left the room.
After she finished her drink, tea that she drank more commonly now, Weiss went over to the bathroom to freshen up. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, the young woman believed that she looked fine enough to make an appearance at the main SDC building to collect the things she needed for the big meeting tomorrow. Looking at herself in the mirror, it was more than apparent that Weiss had not changed physically in the last six years; though she did look older and still had the scar on her face. Wearing a light blue combat skirt with a low neckline, she also had on black heels; her hair in the usual ponytail style. Though she was now more of a business woman than an actual Huntress, having not actually gone on a mission in some time, Weiss still considered herself one of them. She still trained when she could, mostly doing so when she needed to de-stress after a hard day, using the practice area at the Atlas Academy where she was an honorary member. When she felt she was ready, the young woman went to the door and opened it up to address the two guards standing on either side of the entrance.
"I need to go the SDC Headquarters now so I need a vehicle," the young woman told one of the specialists; not bothering to learn his name since Winter switched them out every two days. It wasn't out of rudeness that she didn't bother but the fact it was hard to tell them apart with all that armor on.
Both nodded and Weiss headed to the elevator with the two men closely behind. Taking the lift down a couple of floors, the three entered on of the main lobbies of the building, which housed officers and other VIPs on occasions, moving past other military personnel as they went about their business. More than a few were quite young and appeared to be Hunters in training; all donning the academy uniform. As Weiss passed them, she got a few looks as well as whispers but none of them were malicious in any way; more out of awe and admiration. Though they had stayed out of the limelight for the most part, Weiss and the rest of Team RWBY were considered legends by those who hunted Grimm professionally; or were even in the know on what happened during the Grimm War. Even after all these years, the Schnee didn't really feel a sense of pride even if she was a hero of sorts; mostly due to the terrible things that occurred during the conflict such as lost friends and other events. While she gave an encouraging remark to Hunter or Huntress who braved a word to her, Weiss never talked about it and focused more on her future than anything else.
The car ride to the SDC was uneventful; the two specialists in the front of the car while Weiss sat in the backseat. There was little traffic on the road and one could still see some of the damage to the roadways leftover from the war; though there were repair crews working on the broken guardrails as well as cracked cement. The vehicle itself was armored though not a military one per say; more for simple transport than for combat. Staring out the window, Weiss watched as the morning sun began to melt the ice that had developed the night before. With the winter season approaching, mornings like this were going to be commonplace which was why Weiss needed to make sure to send a message to the caretaker of her estate to get the place ready. With her money, the young woman had purchased a home just outside Atlas; about a forty-five minute drive. It wasn't a big place and could be considered more of a summer or winter home though it could still be considered high class by some. Though she stayed in the city most of the time, she retreated to the house during her offtime while still working. While there were times she was isolated from anyone, she still had neighbors whom she encountered every now and then.
While she would have preferred her escort stay in the car, Weiss had no doubt that Winter would blow a gasket if she did that so she reluctantly allowed the men to come with her. Walking into the main SCD office building, just part of a huge complex with many different sections, the young woman was greeted to stares and whispers coming from the company's many office staff; all dressed in business attire and scurrying as they were mice in preparation for the big meeting tomorrow. Even though Weiss owned a big part of the company and had authority over just about everyone present, she just ignored them as she went to the front desk to collect some information. The receptionist was friendly enough, though she had the typical bubbly personality of a blonde and with her long hair, Weiss was almost was reminded of Yang; whom she had not seen in two years. While the receptionist was getting the information she needed, the Huntress did her best to ignore the constant whispers going on in regards to her current situation. She even wondered if one of the people, all working for different members of the upper echelons of the company, was in on the attempts; if Jacques and Whitley were truly not involved.
Once she got what was needed, Weiss and her escort left to head back to the base.
Checking her scroll for any messages, one from Sarah letting her know that she got the package for her and was her way back, Weiss began to go over the information she collected. Most of it was data on the present finances of the company as well as current business deals that the SDC was in the middle of with organizations outside Atlas. A few of those deals was being orchestrated by Weiss so she already knew what was going on with them; she was curious on what was being said officially to the other Board members though. While she knew that some of the leadership of the SCD was appreciative of her efforts to expand the company's interest, others were resentful and wanted her gone; those being toadies loyal to Jacques. I t was rather easy to identify them so she knew what to expect when dealing with them during the past meetings; usually with wit and a condescending tone. While Weiss had long gotten rid of her snobby attitude, it was people like those that she knew she was superior to.
"Aren't those supposed to be in lockdown?" asked one of the specialists to his companion with confusion; which caused Weiss to look up from the data.
There was a transport hauler with two old Paladin 290s coming alongside them from the left and was matching their speed. The cab was well in front of them so the driver could not be seen but the mechs themselves were very close to the car. Looking at the machines, Weiss remembered facing them not only back at the Fall of Beacon but a few times after that; a few more batches stolen by the other side during the War. When Salem launched her attack on Atlas, the Paladins had been used to battle Hunters as well as the military; which caused a lot of casualties. She recalled how both she and Ruby had taken down seven of them against all odds; managing to be victorious by the skin of their teeth. Ever since then, Atlas had scrapped every mech they came across and even gotten rid of their attack bots due to there just being too much of a risk in using them; Cinder showing how easy it was to take control of them.
Before the other specialist had a chance to respond, the machines came to life and pointed their weapons at the car. Out of instinct, Weiss threw up a large glyph just as one of the machines opened fire; the shot smashing into her barrier which caused the car to skid into the guard rail violently. The driver did his best to try and stop the vehicle while attempting not to hit any other the other cars; finally able to stop the car after slamming on the brakes. As the three made their way out of the car, the hauler approached with the two paladins pointing their weapons and opening fire. While the shots weren't direct hits, a blast caused one of the specialists to be thrown against the concrete wall of the road which knocked him unconscious. The other soldier was then hit full on though it seemed his armor and aura took the brunt of the strike; putting him out as well. It amazed Weiss that it could happen so fast without the three of them putting up much of a defense; slightly shaming her. With her Myrtenaster in hand, Weiss faced the machines as they stalked towards her.
Before she could make a move however, something blonde slammed into one of the paladins.
Weiss was astounded as she watched Yang Xiao Long come out of nowhere and smash her right fist into the side of the enemy mech; it falling hard to its side. The other machine seemed unconcerned by this however and still leveled its weapons at the Schnee; letting loose a barrage that flew straight at her. Before they could slam into her though, Blake Belladonna came from nowhere and used her semblance to project image of Weiss in order to fool the paladin; which managed to work. During the War, Blake had managed to learn that little trick though it took a lot out of her and they were never perfect; thus it resembled Weiss just a little. Both jumped to a point of safety just as Yang turned her attention to the other mech; hitting it from behind and knocking to face forward. She then began punching the back of the machine with pieces of scrap coming off of it for every strike; the blonde taunting it every which way. While she was doing so, the first paladin she took a swing at was getting back on its feet.
That was when another familiar face made her appearance; a person that Weiss Schnee never thought she would see again. Ruby Rose came down upon the machine with such frenzy that she looked like death itself; scythe in hand. Before it could even react to defend itself, she sliced the arm off without even pressing the trigger for the extra kick as she had done in the past; having learned new ways to yield her Crescent Rose because of her abilities. Using her semblance, Ruby moved so fast, leaving a flurry of rose petals in her wake, and circled around the machine while slicing like a food processor. She looked like a red tornado in Weiss's opinion and it still amazed her on she had really changed physically in all these years; still wearing the same red cloak and attire though the corset make her look way more adult. Her hair was also longer and flowed from her head like a goddess from works of art that the Schnee had seen before; not to mention how the upper chest area was more filled. By the time Ruby was done, the machine was in pieces all over the road and she stood over it victorious; though Weiss knew the younger girl well enough that she could see that she was fatigued.
"What are you doing here?" Weiss practically demanded to Blake as sirens could be heard and Yang checking on the two unconscious solders; after making sure the other machine was dealt with. It might have been a little more rudely than she intended, especially since they did just save her life, but they should not even been near Atlas.
"You were in trouble so we came to help; which you obviously need," Blake answered, ignoring her friend's attitude. The Faunus knew Weiss well enough to not be offended by her tone and knew she was just surprised to see them.
Before Weiss could respond, Winter arrived with elements of the Atlas military.
"You were supposed to inform me when you left the base; that was our agreement," Winter said to her sister as she looked around the scene in anger. While her troops scoured the area to look for evidence, the rest of Team RWBY stood a little distance away watching the two sisters.
"You were busy in meetings and I had to get to the SDC to get some things; I'd thought it would be a quick trip and back," the young sister said defensively as she stood her ground. She was doing her best to ignore her former teammates and hoped to be done here soon.
"Clearly that wasn't the case; I am glad that the rest of your team showed up when they did," retorted the General and the younger sister got slightly embarrassed at the thought of being saved.
"They aren't my Team anymore; that was pretty evident when I left," stated Weiss as she turned to glare at Ruby; who looked away slightly ashamed. After their fight two years ago, it was assumed that the two were no longer partners.
"Well regardless of your relationship now, they will be protecting you until this culprit is found; no discussion," Winter declared with nods coming from Blake and Yang while Ruby's gaze was away.
Weiss's eyes widened and she stuttered to find the words.
