Weiss rushed through the entrance of Vale Hospital and quickly whipped out her badge to the receptionist without batting an eye. She was in a hurry, and finding out Copycat slipped up managed to brighten up the last hours of her day.
She rode up the elevator and quickly strode to the room Coco had text her. When she rounded a sharp corner of the hallway, she noticed Coco standing outside the door with a few police officers.
"Update me," Weiss impatiently snapped.
"The police received a call an hour ago from a woman who believed she was being followed," Coco started to debrief. "Considering the station is on high alert after today's incident, they quickly tracked the woman down. By the time they got there – well, let's just say she got it a lot better than most of Copycat's victims."
"How do you know it's from Copycat instead from another random person?" Weiss skeptically raised an eyebrow.
It didn't make any sense for Copycat to strike the same night. Then again, their killings had been increasing during this month. There was a possibility that something could've triggered the person to make another mark.
"We don't exactly know," Coco shrugged. "If you take a look at the woman's body, there's signs of strangling. A few bad bruises here and there, and some cuts. But there were no signs of Copycat's signature, which I presume, they didn't have time to make. Police probably arrived before the killer could claim her life."
"So why are we quick to assume that it's Copycat's doing?" Weiss pointed out.
"Better to assume for the worse," she shrugged again. "So it's best to keep this between us before we disclose anything."
Weiss placed her index finger and her thumb underneath her chin and glanced down in contemplation. It was reckless to assume immediately that it was Copycat's doing. But the worst that could happen is wasting a portion of their time. They can easily gather enough data to check if they had the wrong person or not.
However if it was Copycat's doing, then they hit the jackpot.
"Very well then," the alabaster haired agent nodded. "And the woman?"
"In the room unconscious as we speak. We're leaving a few patrols around there area to keep an eye on her considering she can potentially lead us to her attacker. And if I were to take a guess, the assailant would come after her in the future to finish the job."
"I see," Weiss mumbled. "Sweep the location where the woman was attacked. If the attacker failed to kill their victim, then perhaps they failed to cover their tracks."
Coco gave her a whimsical two finger salute. "Also, Cardin Winchester."
"Who?" Weiss frowned.
"That's the name of the victim's name from earlier this evening."
Weiss nodded understandingly. She made a mental note to do a profile check on the victim whenever she got the chance to. Coco turned around and proceeded to the elevator, but she paused for a brief second to add a comment.
"I do believe the patient in the room might fit your taste."
Weiss frown faltered into awestruck disbelief, meanwhile, Coco strode into the elevator audibly laughing. Before the elevator closed fully, Coco had the decency to also add, "and don't think I wouldn't know Weiss. I know you."
Finally, the elevator doors slid to a close with a chiming beep.
"I know you," she mocked Coco underneath her breath. "We'll see about that."
She turned to face the thick wooden door that was separating her and the injured victim. Her hand reached for the knob, and she slowly turned, keeping in mind the woman was unconscious.
Even though Weiss was an epitome of a proper woman, refined to the finest, her eyes easily forgotten their basic manners when they traced over the woman unabashedly. And as much as she didn't want to admit, Coco was right. The woman was quite a looker, but she wouldn't know if she perfectly matched her preference from first glance.
Slate silver eyes peered back into her blue, and the bare tip of the woman's asymmetrical red hair leaned towards her own shoulder as she bewilderingly tilted her head. Small speckles of now dried blood dyed the gauzes and bandages wrapped around her forehead, but the bandage around her neck still maintained its pristine white color.
It slowly registered to Weiss that the victim was definitely not unconscious, and was very wide awake.
"Oh I'm sorry," Weiss quickly apologized. "Pardon my manners. I should've knocked before I came in."
The woman was more responsive as she silently blinked a little more. However, her eyebrows quirked together in confusion, then her metallic orbs broaden.
"I — Um — No, it's okay," the woman stammered.
There was a tinge of blush on her cheeks that Weiss could distinguish but shortly disregarded when the woman hacked a spasm of coughs after she spoke. Her hands found purchase to her neck to soothe the pain in her throat, but what she felt was constricting white bandages.
A panic look rose on the woman's face at slight touch of the foreign material.
"Rest assured ma'am." Weiss took a seat next to the victim. "You're safe now."
"W-What happened?" She stammered, fear slowly rising in her eyes.
"I was hoping you would tell me that. I am FBI agent, Weiss Schnee." She flashed her badge as proof before putting it away. "You made a call earlier about someone following you on the streets. Do you remember anything?"
"I-I was followed?" An aghast surprise erased the panic expression.
"Yes," the FBI agent affirmed. "The police station received a call from a woman, which led them to you."
"I…" The woman closed her eyes, trying hard to rack her memories together. "Right… A phone call. I made a phone call," she repeated quietly.
A knock resounded from the door and a tall woman with long red hair came in. A stethoscope hung around her neck and Weiss could make out the name tag pinned on her white coat.
Dr. Nikos, it read.
"Oh Miss Rose," the doctor said surprisingly after looking up from her clipboard. "Glad to see you're awake." Her green eyes glanced at the FBI agent and the doctor didn't look too pleased. "Though I can't say the same for your company. It seems some people need to learn how to respect the patient's privacy."
"Dr. Nikos," Weiss matched the same displeased frown as her. "This is an important matter."
"And the patient's physical and mental health is important too," Dr. Nikos retorted.
"While I do care for Miss Rose's health." Weiss forgot to asked the woman for her name, instead, she picked it up from a few seconds ago. "This matter cannot be pushed to the side. Other people's lives are at stake also."
"W-Wait," Miss Rose stuttered in confusion. "What's going on?"
Weiss sighed.
It wasn't easy to tell a person that they were attacked by a possible maniac. It was difficult to even sugarcoat it.
"You were attacked in the middle of the night. We currently have an idea of who attacked you, but we do not have hard evidence to support this claim."
Miss Rose unconsciously gripped to the side of her own arms, and her shiver did not go unnoticed by the agent.
"Please do not be alarmed," Weiss tried to reassure. She mustered up the best comforting smiles her resting bitch face could possible present. "I assure you that you'll be safe. If you would please Miss Rose, I would like to know what you can remember."
"I — um.. Believe a woman attacked me," Miss Rose began.
"A woman?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, and the victim nodded.
"I remember some pain, and I think I blacked out." She glanced down and fiddled her two thumbs. "I'm sorry. I don't think I could remember anything passed that."
"Miss Rose, you've experience a bit of head trauma. You've entered the hospital with blood seeping out from your forehead," Dr. Nikos explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember, especially how traumatic the incident was."
For once, Weiss nodded in agreement with the doctor. "Indeed." She already saw the state Miss Rose was in, and she knew it would take some time before she could ever recover what she remembered. "You've provided us tremendous information. The gender is a good start in our investigations. Thank you Miss Rose."
"I also contacted your sister when you first arrived in the hospital," the doctor added. "She should be arriving any —"
"RUBY," a blond woman shouted once she barged into the room. She quickly rushed to her sister's side and her face sunk. "Are you okay?" The blonde gently brushed the free red hair that wasn't restrained in bandages. Her lilac eyes distressingly slanted, evidently worried. "Please tell me you're okay."
"Yang," Ruby pulled back a little. "I'm okay. Just a little..." She took a deep breath. "Shocked."
"Thank goodness you're alright." Yang gently wrapped her arms around Ruby's head and pulled her into a soft embrace.
"I'm okay Yang. Really, I am."
She still reciprocated the hug back to the best of her abilities. Weiss and Dr. Nikos quietly stayed in their positions as they watched the two sisters interact.
"Ruby, what were you thinking walking alone late at night?"
"I-I don't know… I just needed a walk because I had a lot on my mind."
"That doesn't make it a good reason to walk at night! You know what's been happening out there."
"I'm sorry Yang, it won't happen again. I promise."
"Overall, Miss Rose seems to be fine, though she will be staying in the hospital for a little while," Dr. Nikos interrupted. "We need to run a few x-rays to make sure there are no skull fractures. Her head got banged up pretty well."
"Thank you doctor," Yang released a breath of relief.
"If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact one of the nurses to get a hold of me. In the mean time, I apologize, but I have a few other patients to tend." Dr. Nikos said with a polite bob of her head before shutting the door behind her.
Yang briefly glanced at the platinum haired woman who was still present in the room by the side of the bed. "And you are...?" She trailed off.
"FBI agent Weiss Schnee," the agent answered, flashing her badge once again.
"FBI?" Yang gulped. It wasn't every day a person could meet an FBI. Something must have warrant her to pay a special visit. "D-Does it have to do with the attacker?" Lilac eyes frantically did double takes between her sister and the FBI agent.
"Indeed it does," Weiss sighed and gave an apologetic look. "My team is looking into it as we speak."
The agent felt sorry for Ruby. If she indeed came face to face with the city's infamous serial killer, it will surely take a lot of time to digest it all. Weiss glanced at Ruby, and the woman fiddled the edge of her blankets, rubbing it between her index finger and her thumb for some kind of comfort.
It was hard to read the woman's expression. Scared. Nervous. Anxious. Worried. There was a multitude of emotions simultaneously bombarding together.
"And that's why I am here," Weiss continued. Yang and Ruby perked their heads at the FBI agent. "If Miss Rose would like, I can assign a few officers to watch over her just in case her attacker strikes again."
"Umm… Will I be safe?" Ruby asked hesitantly. She noted the quizzical look that Weiss was making and clarified. "What if… What if my attacker poses as an officer?"
"Ruby, you watch way too many CSI shows," Yang articulated, crossing her arms and leaning towards one leg. "She's assigning professionals as your protection for free."
"I know… But it's possible isn't it?"
"It is not impossible," Weiss concurred as she got an idea of Ruby's worries. She had dealt with criminals impersonating an officer before. "Then what do you suggest? After all, this is your safety that we're concerned about."
"I.. I'm not sure." Ruby started at first. Her eyes glinted, heavily blinking, before she looked up to meet the FBI's blue eyes. "Do you think you can protect me?"
Yang whistled with an approving nod, while Weiss sat there with an incredulous look at her request.
"You want me to personally protect you?" Weiss repeated her question carefully, making sure she heard it right.
She was quite a busy person, especially with Copycat's shenanigans running loose. But then again, if Ruby were to perhaps to remember the incident, it could be a step closer to find Copycat or whoever attacked her. So it would be beneficial to keep her alive at all cost. Not to mention, the woman's good looks did provide a bonus in her book.
Ruby firmly nodded. "Will that be okay with you?"
"While it could be a great idea," Weiss stated with a soft hum. "I can't watch you 24/7. At best, I can only make a few random check ins once in awhile."
"As expected," Ruby nodded again.
"We can discuss more of the matter later. It's best if I take my leave. For now, there will be officers patrolling outside your room and around the hospital for suspicious activities," Weiss informed. "I'll notify a member of my team to make a few random rounds just in case your attacker does impersonate an officer."
Yang nodded before glancing at her sister. "You okay there Rubes?"
Ruby blinked again and bobbed her head. "Just digesting the information that's all. I zoned out a little bit there."
Weiss stood from her seat but not before bidding a polite farewell to the patient. "Have a good night Miss Rose." She then directed her attention to Yang and properly addressed her in the same fashion. "You as well, Miss Rose."
"It's actually Miss Xiao-long," Yang corrected. "We're half sisters. But please, call me Yang."
"You can call me Ruby as well," Ruby happily chimed in.
"My apologies Yang." Weiss kindly smiled. "Since we're going on informal basis, you are more than welcome to address me as Weiss."
Yang shot a thumb up, and Ruby lopsidedly grinned. Weiss turned around for the door, and closed it completely. The blonde waited for a few seconds to make sure the agent wasn't within range before she opened her mouth.
"I didn't know you were such a hyena!"
"What?! Yaaaang!"
Hyena is a term for younger people going after a person older than them. In this AU, Weiss is older than Ruby. You will find out about their age in the next chapter.