A/N: This chapter will be posted on or after Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, and will most likely show up around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon depending on how long I feel like sleeping in. Hooray for you guys, it's another filler chapter to just take up space so I can end up writing more than my first story, The Point Where It Breaks. Still, even if you don't like filler, read this. It'll show who's on what team when they actually do head into Maplecrest and figure out where their base of operations is. In this chapter, there'll be somewhat of a mission briefing and then some background stuff and the thing the entire description of the story was written for. Also, to clear up any confusion, Filia's been with them this whole time...She's just doing other things while sending the information via meetups throughout the day. Just a little bit of info I thought people might have wanted since she hasn't shown up since the River King Casino.

Summer's Temporary Residence. Morning. Kitchen.

Chatter at the table, and lots of it. Everywhere.

"Summer, you've outdone yourself again."

"Summer's always been a great cook."

"I usually take my steaks rarer than this, but I'll make an exception."

"I had no idea your mother could cook!"

Other things like that were thrown around the table, mouths stuffed with food. I was watching my plate intently, as if my eggs would make like a frog and leap off the table.

"What's up, Neo?" asked Yang, sounding somewhat suspicious.

"Wha- Oh, nothing! Why?" I tossed back, almost ready to jump out of my skin.

"You just seem a little off today, that's all."

"Off? What about me is off? I'm perfectly normal, just like yesterday! Hehe..." I stammered, trying my best to hide my fear.

"You kinda seem a little bit nervous...Kind of...Jumpy."

"Jumpy? Jumpy how?"

"Like you are now," she deadpanned.

Shit. If she finds out I'm off my rocker because of the possibility of fighting to kill someone, I'll never live it down. I won't be able to attend Beacon. I won't get away from...Them. I thought.

"I'm just a little uncomfortable...I don't like crowds, is all."

"That's a lame excuse. Why were you calm when we escorted Beowulf to the ring?"

"Can we save this for later? Please? I really don't want to talk about this right now and we've got a mission coming from Stan since he's finished his tracking mission. We'll be briefed by Summer personally and I don't want to miss what team I'm assigned to for the attack."

"Riiiiiiight...Well, see ya 'round, Ice Cream."

Summer's home. Midnight. Situation Room.

The Situation Room has been used a lot judging by the worn down countertops of mahogany and the glass countertop island in the middle of the room had an old, wrinkled and torn map under the glass...A map of New Meridian.

Summer walked out of the shadows, the incandescent light from the floor lamps casting evil shadows across the faces of all of us.

"Tomorrow evening, team one enters the building through the bell tower, which leads directly into the basement. Any resistance you meet will try to kill you. Don't hesitate to kill back. You will head to the basement and confront the Skullgirl, buying team two some time for their head on approach to attack. Team two will clean out all remaining guards and then head down to the basement to provide reinforcements. Since Lab eight has helped immensely with this mission, they'll all be given a rest. That leaves Me, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Neo to do all the work. That being said, I've seen that Neo is much more than capable of handling herself in a fight, so we'll leave the Breaking and Entering part and the stealth run to the basement to her and whoever jumps on the opportunity to go with her."

At both mentions of my name, all of Team RWBY's heads go to me except for Ruby. She's too focused on the actual mission to put the thought of me into her mind. She'll decide to remember everyone else is here when the mission is actually on, though.

Just as Ruby and Yang raised their hands, Blake stepped in and said hurriedly, "I'll go. My semblance isn't too different from hers, making us great partners for a stealth opportunity. My combat abilities are standard, what with me being able to hold my own against a pack of boarbatusks and about two deathstalkers, making it an easy pick for someone who wants to optimize the other team's time."

Ruby, Weiss and Yang shot Blake a look that screamed you thieving bitch. I gave her a look that said thank you!

"It's decided then. Ruby, Weiss, Yang and I will bust through the front door, guns a-blazing, and Neo and Blake will take the more stealthy approach, getting the big bad's attention, buying us time to eliminate reinforcements. Any questions?"

I slowly raised my hand.

"Neo?"

"Yes, what do we do when we actually do get to the Skullgirl?"

"Uhhh, duh, I thought that was obvious? We wing it!"

"That was the only part of the plan that didn't sound sane."

"Well, if you're a master strategist with five medals in tactical espionage, tell me how to do my job."

"Sorry."

"My case in point. I got us covered."

Summer's home. Rooftop. Above Team RWBY's room. 13 AM.

I was sitting at the ledge of the roof, looking out at the lake, listening to the team's conversation. It was about me.

"This morning at breakfast, she was super jumpy, she said she had a fear of crowds and I saw right through it. She wasn't scared when we first met our mother, she wasn't scared when she met us, so why was she afraid?" I heard Yang say.

"What if she's still hiding something? What if she's just waiting for the right moment to stab us in the back and twist the blade? Where even is she?" Weiss asked.

Blake broke her argument completely. "She's on the roof. She's been having trouble sleeping the past few nights. I see her sometimes, lying next to Ruby, eyes wide and purple-ringed some time around five."

There's Blake to my rescue again, I thought.

"Look, all I'm saying is, she works with Cinder and Roman. How can we trust her?" Weiss questioned again.

"I don't know about you, but she trusts me. She trusted me enough to give us Cinder's plan. That, I have to say, takes some serious hate toward Cinder and some serious bravery just to think about that. I don't think Cinder could have made her do this. I've seen how bad she has it with Cinder. The first place she went to after getting off a boat here was the hospital. Every time she screwed up, Cinder'd burn her back...bad. I was listening to her recordings; she said it was hard just to roll her shoulders! IF YOU CAN'T TRUST HER, I CAN'T TRUST YOU!" Ruby yelled, her voice escalating in a spiral of anger.

She ran out.

She ran up.

She ran to me.

The door behind me opened and closed, clicking to lock itself...I heard about nine or ten more clicks before a small sigh.

"Ruby?"

"That's my name..." She said, faking a chuckle.

"Thanks."

She ran over, tackling me into a hug on the cold roof.

The window was shut after I heard "She'll see what I mean in the morning."

I was suddenly boiling with anger.

"Ruby?" I said with a dark tone layered upon my own.

"What's wrong now? Is it Weiss? Yang?"

"Trouble number one is Weiss. I heard everything she said. I promise never to betray you, so long as I breathe. Trouble number two is Yang. I heard everything she didn't say to help or defend you. Some damn sister."

"Blake was the only one we've managed to prove your innocence to."

"She's right. I've spent many a sleepless night so you could sleep. Whenever I'm off, I have night terrors about Cinder and Roman. The Grimm killing everyone I knew. Cinder burning. Roman's cane shots. The Grimm killing you. The very visions of what I never want to happen. Not to anyone. I haven't slept in a week just so I could let you sleep. I wake up sweating, panting, borderline screaming. I feel everything I see in my dreams. The worst part about them is...I can't speak. The thing you helped me do is taken away the moment I enter my terror."

Silence persisted. I hate silence.

As much as I hated it, Ruby was the one to break the silence.

"I recorded this whole thing on the tape recorder you have. If we send this down with a note, maybe it'll change their minds. For now, let's just send it and enjoy each other's company."

"On both accounts, I agree."

TO: Team members WBY

N

You've all earned what's coming to you during tomorrow's attack. Except you, Blake. You're the only one who believes what we say. And one of us is your own damn team leader. Some goddamn team you are. Weiss, your incessant nagging and insistence that I'm not a traitor to a traitor will eventually get in the way of our future teamwork, ultimately killing someone else, or yourself if you're not careful.

R

Yang, all the things you could have said to help or defend me were silenced. I wonder why. You're taking a teammate's side over the side of your own sister by saying nothing. You're a really wonderful sister. I wonder what mom would say if I told her tomorrow. This silence could lead to us separating in later life. We all know that's not what you want. You don't want to be alienated from me and I don't want to be alienated from my choices in my life. If you don't step out of my business, I won't let you live this down. A wise man once said "Silence is the most powerful scream." What I'll do will make a silence so deafening, you'll need a hearing aid for the rest of your life.

The attached tape recorder should clear up any suspicions

R + N