Subversion

by CelticPhoenixProductions

Remnant is shaken by a catastrophic explosion, one causing panic around the globe. The Third Year Team RWBY, along with the other students of Beacon, find themselves dragged into a conspiracy bred by deceit and betrayal, spanning the world over. The threat looming, they must rise to restore peace, or die trying. INDEFINITE HIATUS [Cover by gin-1994 on DeviantArt]

11. Chapter 10 - Derailed!

For Suggested Listenings, I highly recommend you Google "Infinite Looper" which will save you the trouble of looping any video URL you throw in there from YouTube!

Enjoy the chapter!

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In Memory of Justin Carmical (aka JewWario).

Rest in peace, you wonderfully cheery man.

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R.W.B.Y.S.

Chapter 10
Derailed! Destruction of Faith and the Deception of the Hanged!

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Rear Caboose-
-Three and a Half Weeks Post Desol Event, Joint Team Train Mission, Late Morning-
-Suggested Listening: "I Can't Do It", Code Geass OST"

"There's not much time! The train's going to explode!"

"There's only a quadraplex before the orphans get to the safety zone of the blast radius!"

"LUX! QUICK! USE THE PLATAPUS!"

Lux startled awake as the terrifying combination of a beak and a beaver tail smashed him between the eyes… his dream eyes. He'd nodded off. Not such a good thing when it was his watch.

"Uh… are you okay?"

Lux twisted to look at the upside down face of a boy roughly two years his senior. The teen had a shaggy head of flaxen hair that draped over his cherubic face, complimented by deep navy eyes that were tweaked with concern and confusion. A small frown accompanied this, though from where the green haired climber was situated, it was hard to tell.

"Oh, I'm fine," Lux replied, smiling calmly at his peer.

The notion seemed to do little to ease the other boy's discomfort.

"Well… if you say so… it just… isn't normal for people to take watch while hanging upside down…" the blonde explained, eyes trailing to the cords attached to Lux's waist.

And indeed, Lux was hanging upside down. The boy was suspended from the ceiling of the train compartment by his two weapons, the Glacial Flights, having used their grappling hook formation to notch himself into the rafters, leaving him floating with his feet toward the roof and his head bobbing in the middle of the room at eye level with the windows of the room.

"'ee does tha'. Yo' get use' ta it," revealed a third voice.

Lux looked to his left and found Sven leaning against one of the boxes that populated the spacious caboose, his gaze never wavering from the white soaked world outside the car. The Islander removed his eyes from the billowing snows and turned to the flaxen boy, raised strawberry brow in motion.

"Shift up?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, yeah… it's mine and… Pyrrha's now…" the boy muttered out. "Anything interesting out there?" he asked, walking towards the windowsill and leaning against it. The metal plates that covered his body brushed against the ledge, echoing soft clinks around the compartment.

"Nope, just snow and mountains… feels like home…" Lux smiled.

He flipped a switch and his hooks retracted. A quick somersault and he was back on his feet, green hair plopping itself down properly around his face.

"The boy's right; no'h much ta see. Best ke'p wary or'y'll nod off like minty-fresh 'ere," Sven noted to the other teen.

"Heh… I'll keep that in mind Sven…" the boy turned and flashed a quick smile. "You and Lux should probably hit the mess hall. Ruby wants to make sure everyone is well fed."

"Good idea Jauney, think w'll take yo' up on that…" Sven responded, grabbing Lux's arm before dragging him towards the back of the compartment.

"Oh! So you're name's Jaune! I was wondering who you were…" Lux pondered openly, taping a finger to his chin.

"I… what? We met like six hours ago…" Jaune stumbled. "We talked for half an hour on the on the way out to the train…"

Lux scrunched his brow before whipping out one of his notebooks. He quickly feathered through a number of the pages before finding one that had a few little anecdotes about the blonde leader.

"Oh! I see!" Lux exclaimed happily, closing the book. "Sorry about that Joan! Won't make the mistake again!" the mintette cheered through grinning teeth as Sven dragged him towards the door.

He barely caught the boy saying 'It… it's Jaune…' before the door opened. He and Sven stepped through just as another redhead was entering the compartment, her bushy crimson ponytail draped across her muscled back in droves.

The atmosphere immediately became thick and cold, one being attributed to the shrill air of the rushing outdoors, the other having to do with something far less immediate. Lux's eyes shifted between the redhead and the blonde, immediately connecting the pair to the silent war being waged in the distilled air of the car. The duo shared glances, eyes frothing with indiscernible emotions before quickly averting their gazes.

The girl, escaping from the contemplative frown on her face, noticed the two teammates slinking out the exit. She flashed them a sad smile before closing the door behind her.

Lux looked back to Sven and pointed his thumb towards the entranceway.

"Who were those people?"

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-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Galley-
-Late Morning-
-Suggested Listening: "Last Adolescence", Code Geass OST-

A small sniffle escaped her mouth, the sealed lips unable to stifle the entrapped whine. Warm trickling draped her cheek, allowing a salty tear to dot the table below. Her silver gaze was locked on the checkered cloth that covered the surface, the reds and white material blurring under the water in her vision.

"Blake…" she muttered, her throat shuddering as she tried to speak fluently. "Why…" she wiped the watery trail on her face with the cuff of her sleeve, "why couldn't they…" A hic ebbed from her windpipe, an audible bubble to her speech.

Her eyes locked with the simmering gold of her faunus teammate, lips quivering the entire time.

"Why couldn't they have cookies on this train?!" she moaned. With a graceless descent her head hit the table and causing the numerous plates that littered it to bounce.

Blake returned her eyes to her book, flipping through the pages in an attempt to ignore Ruby's suffering. However, her mind immediately recognized this as a foolhardy tactic and devised a rebuttal in an attempt to cut the discussion off at the head.

"Because this is a transport designed for rocks; not people," Blake responded dryly, her eyes not wavering from her novel. With her free hand she lifted the sandwich she had made with the materials provided by the train's galley. It wasn't as good as something she made at home, but it delivered its own unique taste for her to consider. A groan tore her back to her distressed leader.

"I bet the rocks would like some cookies too…" she mumbled into the tablecloth, "maybe then they'd have enough energy to do something…"

The comment actually earned a small chuckle from Blake.

"You do realize that the rocks on this train can explode into any number of things… need I remind you of what happened in Desol?" the faunus prodded, closing her book with defeat.

Ruby's head rocked back and forth as another frustrated growl escaped her mouth.

"That's just the leading theory Blake; if anything my money's on a dragon doing it," the raven haired girl replied.

"Ruby, dragons don't exist…" Blake rolled her eyes. The crimson reaper actually sat up at that comment, a sharp glare bouncing from her silver orbs.

"They do so too!" Ruby crossed her arms. "It just so happens that the last egg was buried under that plant and then it hatched, making a huge explosion since it was so important, and now it's flown off to live somewhere in the north where it can horde its gold and no one will bother it…" the girl raved breathlessly.

It was one of those rare moments where Blake had to wonder if Ruby was merely playing around or if she was being dead serious. Instead, the fair-skinned beauty decided to redirect the conversation onto more relevant terms.

"But that actually brings up something that's been troubling me…" the ninja noted, folding her hands on the table, "where are the other guards? Why is it just us for what's supposed to be an important shipment of dust? Where's the rest of the crew?"

"There are twenty-four cars and it's running a skeleton crew; doesn't take too much to guess why we haven't run into them," the speedster rationalized, taking a bite from her own sandwich.

"Then let me reiterate the value that the Schnee instructions clearly stated this haul was worth…" Blake shot back. "One of the storage compartments alone is worth more than an eighth of the train Adam and I sabotaged two years ago; that makes this whole train of seventeen storage cars worth much more than something that was fully staffed at the time…"

Ruby paused as she thought the matter over, eyes narrowing.

"When you put it like that…" Ruby mumbled, a small piece of lettuce falling from her lips. "What do you think it means?"

Blake shook her head.

"I don't know, but I don't feel… safe…" the faunus replied. "I'm getting chills…"

"Well, if it's any good news, at least we're surrounded by friends!" Ruby cheered briefly, a blatant attempt to raise morale. She nodded to the other two occupants of the room who were already entrenched in their own little conversation just down the table.

"Right… 'friends'…" Blake rolled her eyes dryly.

She looked at the other matched pair, the two other girls locked in some form of heated conversation, cat ears twitching under her bow to dig into the details.

"…and I'm tellin' ya that life isn't worth it unless you let things get a little messy from time to time," the first of the duo snapped, her lavender hair drooping past her twinkling electric blue eyes.

"I'm fine with messy but confusing is a whole 'nother level Nikko," the other girl responded, readjusting the fedora atop her head with one hand.

"But they're practically the same thing Aveline!" Nikko returned with a rolled set of irises. "Messy things are just loosely complicated things. Like a ball of yarn; instead of being tight and condensed, messes are just kinda loosely connecting the strings together…" she explained as her fingers ticked away at the small black box she held in her hands.

Small holograms decorated its surface, a complex series of cubes within cubes within cubes surrounding the matte faces. With a trained eye the purple haired girl was using her finger to slide rows of the dice into different shapes and formats. For what looked to be ostensibly a children's game seemed incredibly detailed and complex in design.

"But you can see where things go with a messy strand more easily!" Aveline argued back, pointing her fork at the girl.

"But also like yarn, the more a complicated situation is… 'tightened', the easier it is to feed the ties back and follow the trail. It's actually harder to deal with a full blown mess," Nikko rebuked, twisting the boxes into matching colors and shapes. The pixel images flashed by as she worked the device, calloused fingers grazing over the non-existent panels with an unwavering focus. "It's especially easy to follow a tight strand if you know… just… where… to… start…" she said with emphasis, plucking at the holographic projections emanating from the box. The object gave a very warm and friendly hum, one to be met with a warm smile from the mechanic. "Thank, you Diana…" the girl hummed in staccato.

The complex series of cubes, now aligned in a perfect single cube with six differently colored faces, buzzed before shrinking down to the width of a fingernail, staying projected just a hair's distance off the black box proper.

Nikko's grin immediately faded, the hand holding the object twitching just so that the fingers dropped it. Her lips quivered as she stared at the box, the one that now had a single image displayed over each of its faces. Two sets of eyes stared back at her, mocking her in silence with their matching smiles. She averted her gaze, a sick tightening attacking her chest as she recalled the day the photo was taken.

"N-Nikko…?"

The mechanic chanced a glance over at her temporary partner, finding Aveline's glittery green eyes staring her back.

"Are you alright?" Blake voiced up, feline ears perked beneath her bow. Ruby was at her side, face drawn downward with confusion and distraught.

"Heh… you know…" Nikko chuckled out, fingers clutching at the cloth around her chest, "I don't think I am…" she grinned wryly.

"'ey, what's goin' on in 'er-? Nikko?"

All eyes fell to the door. Sven and his amnesiac of a temporary partner had just stepped through the entrance, boots not even finished scraping the dusty metal flooring.

His eyes drifted from her, to the box, to the other three girls in the room. He stepped forward and grabbled the device, almost immediately catching sight of the image of Nikko and her brother in a tight embrace on the panels. Without a second thought he wrapped his fingers around it, burying the picture, and shoved it into his coat pocket.

His tired green eyes met her trembling blue, her twitching gaze spiking a chill into his spine.

"Nikko…" he hummed, drifting a hand over her own trembling pair.

"I… I just didn't… I thought he'd… That… IDIOT!" she snapped, words, escaping in tatters from her lips.

She leaned forward into his hand, resting her forehead against his knuckles. Her goggles bit into his skin, but he kept his mouth shut, instead pulling her closer to himself. He sent a quick glance to Aveline, motioning her to join in, which the overly affectionate girl did with practiced ease. She fitted herself into the crook of Nikko's side, arms wrapped tightly around the shivering mechanic. Sven wrapped his other hand over their already intertwined fingers.

"Hey… we'r' all a tad dense sometimes…" he cooed, rocking her through the balls of his feet. "Wan'ed somethin' ta remember 'im by, right?" Sven asked, looking down at her bowed head.

"Sven…" a small sniff escaped her throat.

"Aye Nikko, what'd'ya need?" he quickly replied.

"…I can't… I'm not looking at that thing right now…" she huffed into his wrists. The hot breath tickled across his skin.

"I go'h that… what'd'ya wan' me ta do?"

"Read it, the stuff… for me right now… okay?"

"Tha'h I can do…" he rocked her arms with his own, pressing into her forehead.

"Thanks Sven… I… tell me what you find… I just don't want to see that damned thing right now…"

"Perfectly understandable…"

Aveline shot the two of them a glance, brows furrowing.

"Nikko… is this about…?" the redhead asked.

"Yes… yeah, it is," Nikko groaned, leaning back and releasing Sven's hands. "I'll… talk with me… on a walk, okay?" the lavender girl asked of her partner.

"Sounds like a right good idea…" Aveline replied with weary smile to rival Sven's.

With a delicate ease the female Islander pulled Nikko from the bench, lifting the girl away from the table in a distraught heap. Before they could go out the door, Ruby, who had politely remained outside of the conversation until that point, reached out and lightly tugged on Aveline's sleeve as she walked past.

"Aveline, don't forget you switch with Dante and… Errieen in about an hour," the raven girl noted with thin lips. Aveline nodded with a locked brow.

"Got it Rubes… I mean Ruby… sheesh, hard to take you seriously as a leader…" Aveline chuckled softly as she strolled by. "And her name is Eireen; keep it straight, she's my… she's my friend," the redhead noted, pausing just as she and Nikko reached the door. With only one more moment of tension, the two exited the car heading up towards the engine of the train.

Ruby watch the duo disappear behind the door, the gentle curve to her lips descending as it shut completely.

"It's always hard to hear about something like that…" the leader muttered, sitting back down at her place.

"Tell me 'bout it…" Sven chimed, sliding into the seat next to her. His head collided with the table a second later. "We'v' been 'avin' ta watch ova' 'er… poor las' sleeps less than I do nowdays…"

"I thought you said you'd get over that…" Ruby questioned, looking down at her haggard friend.

"I say lots o' things; if I 'ad a lien for e'ery time I did somethin' I said I would, I'd still be as poor as I yam now…" he coughed with a grin.

Ruby gave a throaty sigh and rolled her eyes, biting into the last of her sandwich.

"At least her and Aveline seem to get along. They remind me a lot of the little bickering matches you had with Yang our first year at Beacon…" Ruby noted, turning her eyes to address Blake.

The brunette perked up at the mention of her name.

"Acutally, about that…" Blake nipped, her lips wavering ever so slightly, "am I the only one that's noticed that Yang's been acting a little weird lately?"

"Now that you mention it…" Ruby snapped to, glancing at Blake uncomfortably, "she has been… off… any idea why?"

The faunus shook her head.

"No clue… I've tried to ask her about it, but Yang's too stubborn to confide in her friends…" she responded with a dejected frown.

"Well, sounds like someone else we know," Ruby immediately joked back. The comment earned a wry grin from the shadowy team member.

"Who's Yang?" asked an energetic minty boy, sitting down besides Blake to be across from his partner.

The compartment's riders had momentarily forgotten the presence of one Lux Castella. Luckily, he was rather quick to rectify that.

Said partner lifted his head with a muffled moan and pointed to the raven-girl seated next to him. "Her sister; smokin' hot…" Sven mumbled, his voice entirely deadpan.

"Sven!" Ruby immediately shot back, giving the boy a horrified look. For a moment he'd forgotten how protective Ruby was of her sister. Usually it seemed to be a one-sided guardianship, but the cloaked girl had a tendency to snap to her sister's defense when it came to backroom conversations.

"Wha-?! Yo-! I-! C'mon Rubes," Sven stuttered defensively, attempting to sway away from the withering glare she was piercing into him, "I meant it lit'rally! She ca'ches on fire an' all that! You know I'll only 'ave eyes for you!"

There was a pause.

Then a collective of jaws hit the floor.

Sven's mind swiftly began to wonder why the three other occupants of the room were staring at him so oddly, bafflement, fear, and to some degrees amusement present in their eyes. And then his brain decided to get on the thought train and actually listen to what he'd just said.

The boy immediately blanched.

"Well… crap… I mean… uh…" Sven's jaw moved aimlessly, failing miserably to find words. His neck heated up like the sun and he was relatively sure that his face was beginning to char. "I-uh-mean… well… uh… uh… yeah… ah…." A steady stream of filler escaped his mouth, none of it possible to interpret, even by the maddest of men. "I'm just goin' ta…"

And with that, he was gone, vanished down the corridor he had just come from.

"What… just… happened…?" Ruby asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"I think Sven just confessed… to you…" Blake replied, golden orbs also mirroring the size of a shaped eating surface.

Immediately Ruby snapped to look at Lux, who was sitting at his spot, notebook and pencil in hand.

"D-did you know about this?" she demanded, her voice faltering thanks to her flustered state.

Lux glanced up and met Ruby in the eye. The two locked in a silent war of wills as their gazes, lavender and silver respectively, did battle for dominance of the stare. After a short period, without breaking contact, Lux responded without a single disingenuous tone.

"Sorry, who are you again?"

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, General Storage Car 3-
-Lunch-
-Suggested Listening: "Pessimistic Time", Code Geass OST-

"Damnit Sven… Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit… damnit…"

The redhead staggered his way down the corridor, his trip taking him down the left side of the massive train. Legs pumping he made his way down the abandoned channel, his eyes wild in search of another form of escape. A series of doors made for permanent fixtures of the hall on the right hand side, the left side of the path being pocked with thick, insulated windows that kept the car at a level temperature.

Sven sorted through all of the doors before finding a single closet with a control panel displaying a welcoming green light. Without hesitation he dove into the only unlocked door in the compartment, immediately turning to lock it behind him as the plate automatically closed the entrance.

"Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit…" he continued to mutter.

He had run rather far by his best guess, probably at least four compartments towards the back of the train. There were twenty-five compartments total including the caboose, the engine, and the galley, which was placed at the center of the configuration for convenience. His sprint had carried him this far, now all he could do was hope that Ruby wouldn't find him locked away in his little hellhole, though he knew that there was an awkward conversation coming just around the corner regardless what move he made now.

Why did I say tha'h? he asked himself, leaning against the far wall and sliding down to a sitting position.

Because yo're in love wi'h 'er?

He growled. He was in no mood for a battle of wits with himself, but on the off chance that it might actually help solve some problems, he ran with the argument.

Oh, real'y, 'adn't noticed! Not like I've not kept a lid on it for a whil' now! What changed?

Any number o' things… She was sittin' rather close ta ya, yo'd just go'h done comfortin' Nikko and were in an emotional state of sort, you'r' absolutely famished, her friend's eyes are really creepy, ther-

Wait, tha'h middle one…

The one with Nikko?

Yeah… Cripes… I… well…

He froze, back stricken straight.

Sonova bitch… I wasn't flirtin' with 'er fer real…

So…

It… maybe… jus' a little bit… I may 'ave a thin' fer Nikko…

Oh… Ah… And that means?

So… that means… I was feelin' pressured 'tween two girls I liked… Sven deducted, and… I… snapped…

Ah, I see now.

No, no you don't… Sven sighed. Growling he threw his head back against the metal wall.

Yes, yes I do. I'm yo', dumbass.

Right, right, fergot that… the Islander groaned quietly. Unknown seconds ticked by as he sat there, unmoving and gathering dust.

So… wha'h now?

'onestly? No friggen clue. I really don' wanna bother wit' all this right now, so I'm just gonna shut you down for a little while, if tha's alright?

No'h a problem, I'm spinnin' in circles 'bout all this meself.

Glad t' know I've such an understandin' brain.

Glad t' know yer not an arse over all o' this. What're'ya gonna do while I'm away?

Sven slipped the small cube out of his coat and flipped it over in his fingers.

I've got some readin' ta do…

And with that, the second voice in his head was silent.

Alright so… what's yer secret littl' guy.

His fingers tapped the box on the only surface that still had anything to display. A single white sphere no thicker than a grain of sand bobbed atop the panel. With the flick, the dot grew and split, flittering colors spreading out around the box before reforming in the familiar image of Nikko and her brother in a tight hug, the six frames orienting themselves properly to the ground as he twisted it around in his hand. A short pang sprung through Sven's rapid heart, the picture drawing a guttural sense of envy to bubble at his conscious.

Attempting to push that feeling aside, he clicked the closest image. His reward was a closing of the family memento and the opening a much broader projection. This one only emanated from the oriented 'top' of the box, as Sven quickly figured out when he gave the box a quick toss and flip. A wide holographic screen sat before him, perhaps no longer than a foot and a half across. It was detailed rather simply, with a small, sectioned off area on the left that held a myriad of files and folders that were clearly labeled and named. To the right was a large, blank space through which he could make out the distorted visage of the world behind the projection.

"Well then…" he muttered, "where to start… yyyyeeeeehhhppp… this one!"

With a swift finger he clicked one of the listed names, briefly catching glimpse of a scroll bar that faded into existence next to the list. The blank space on the right immediately filled with images and words, all laid out as though in a police report of some type.

Lotta files… Mr. Nikko's Bothe'h, you'v' been a busy man…

The first one seemed rather mundane; a straight up assassination on a member of Sai Triad in Yuandi, someone by the name Side Ren. Nothing stuck out about it other than its normalcy. The man had been stabbed multiple times with the same knife, though none was found at the crime scene.

'Early Victim? Number 7' a note at the bottom described. Jeez, 'hooever this bastard is, 'e's done some serious work…

Glancing over the page Sven hit the next in line, pulling up victim 'Number 8'.

It was a middle aged woman from Yuandi, no identification, just a Jane Doe stiff that was left horribly marred to the point of being unrecognizable. The corroborating images told a horrific story of a woman who had seemingly been through a cheese grater.

'First know occurrence of the shredding method of murder. Rough angles and wide exit form signal rookie execution. Later examples seem finer in process, medical almost.'

Sven scrolled down several different names, finding another random file to access.

The person in question was from Menagerie, a White Fang member that had been stabbed multiple times by a half-foot blade. Once more, the weapon was not found at the crime scene and the body had been made indistinguishable.

'Number 22; near-perfection of technique apparently. Alterations between stabbing and slashing indicate a need to either remain versatile or simply a consistent change for variety.'

The Islander continued scrolling through the list of deceased, an attempt to get to the bottom of the trail as quickly as possible to outline the victims that fell before Nikko's brother. However, one name along the way gave Sven pause.

"Hol' up… Rinna Hafr? Shite, don' tell me 'e's dead…"

He quickly opened up the file, earning only a sneer as the page displayed yet another bloodied corpse.

"Ehhh… shite!"

'Number 44, part of a multi-member bust of a Clockers meeting in Islet. Very recent, two months ago at most. Technique is sloppy in this particular case, victim died slowly due to lazy slash across jugular artery. Police report indicates this was a small sect of the Clockers meeting to exchange low-grade narcotics among members only.'

Sven tapped the top right section of the screen, causing the projection to slink back into its obelisk container.

"Rinna… told ya tha'h 'abit o' your was gonna kill ya…" he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Who's Rinna?"

The voice, feminine and juvenile, caused the Islander to stiffen.

Welp… 'ere's that bridge… suppose I need ta cross it…

"Ruby…" he sighed, looking up. The girl was standing in the doorway, her form silhouetted against the dulled gray daylight that streamed in through the train's windows.

Damn door opens too quietly…

"H-hey… Sven…" she stuttered, a small smile sitting on her face.

Her pose was timid, legs and arms crooked at odd angles to show vulnerability. It was a particular strength of Ruby's youthful appearance, something he'd watched her do countless times in order to get out of a punishment, something that ranked up there with her signature pout when it came to disarming an opponent. None of this eliminated the knowledge that she could probably split him in two with time the grace of a ballerina, but it certainly dulled any air of threat that she may have accidentally dragged with her.

"Eh… how'd you get in 'ere?" he asked tiredly, banging his head against the wall.

She took a few hesitant steps forward, closing her hands behind her as the door slid shut. She popped forward on her heels as she spoke.

"Advanced team-leader clearance; I can get in and out of anywhere on this train theoretically…" Ruby explained, flashing a green ID badge. The whole team had gotten blue ones, but clearly team leadership had its perks.

The cloaked girl waltzed towards him in a casual swagger, turning on her toes and sliding down the wall next to him. She cupped her hands over her knees and gave him a warm smile.

"So… Who's Rinna?" she prodded, poking his forearm. He gave her a passive glance.

"Ol' friend from tha' 'ome town…" he responded, glancing at the screen. There was barely anything remaining of the man's face.

"Basil, or somethin' right?"

"'Bastion', Ruby, I'm from Bastion, Islet…" Sven rolled his eyes and pocketed the device. "Shesh, you've known me 'ow long…?" he chuckled.

There was a pause.

"Apparently not long enough…" her smile fell.

Sven breathed out, returning his head to resting against the steel wall.

"Aye… just me luck, eh?" he groaned. Out of the corner of his eye he caught her staring at him.

"You like me?" she asked, eyes glinting in the dull light of the compartment.

"'ead o'er 'eels fer ya," he clipped back dryly.

"…How long?"

"Four years, give 'r take…"

"We were thirteen Sven," she noted with a hitch. Her tone left no doubt that she didn't believe him.

"Aye, an' I think 'bout, what, the three years leadin' up ta that kinda 'elped it along," the boy quipped, scratching his head.

Ruby bobbed her head forward and tried to get a lock with Sven's eyes. She met resistance as he turned his face away.

"Why didn't you tell me back then?" she pleaded, her hands jumping at her sides.

"Thought yo' 'ad a thing fer Jake. And befer ya ask; I didn't tell ya sooner 'cause I didn' think you returned the feeling," he muttered, finally looking the girl in the eye.

His jaw clenched beneath his lips, green orbs tracking left and right over her silver irises. There was a quiet moment as the two examined each other, sleet and emerald working over one another until a single blink from the Islander brought the situation back into focus. Sven's lips faltered, his eyes falling to his hands.

"…Yo' don't do ya?"

Another heartrending beat of silence followed.

"…I don't know…" Ruby muttered noncommittally, wringing her hands.

"We've been friends since we w're ten, 'ow can ye no'h know?" he stuttered, giving her a worried stare.

"Well… It's just I've never like-liked anyone before…" Ruby replied, curling up into her legs.

"Yes ya 'ave," Sven cut back exasperatedly. "I've caught ya daydreamin' every once in a tad 'ere at Beacon…"

That comment seemed to throw the raven-haired girl for a loop. She matched his already furrowed brow and gave a rather deep stare.

"But I don't… I don't know… No one's coming to mind…"

Sven paused, brows scrunched tighter.

"Real'y?" he asked, eyes darting back and forth. "I've nev'r seen you stare off into space wit' dream eyes like yo've done till we go'h to Beacon. Yer really no'h sure?"

Ruby put a finger to her lips, pursing the two edges as she did so.

"Nope, not a clue," she returned with a sheepish grin.

Sven looked towards the bulkhead and blinked, widening and screwing his eyes in bafflement.

"Aye… I've been readin' too much sa'py romance lately…" he grumbled, rubbing his chin. He let out another sharp exhale. "So… righ' now…?"

"Right now? I… I don't think so right now Sven…" Ruby muttered, curling back into her ball. "I'm sorry, I wish I could say it… better… Weiss is better with that kind of thing," she explained, sharing his mile-long gaze at the door.

"All's good… If I 'aven't won yer 'eart by now, I won't in a longer while…" he groaned, standing up and stretching his back.

"Don't talk like that, maybe it's just because I've never thought of anyone that way, mayb-" she glanced up at him with surprise.

"Ruby, yer too damn nice fer yer own good… Yer outta my league an' I've gotta come ta terms with that…" he sighed, cracking his neck. He began an aimless jot around the compartment, bouncing on his heels as the tightening in his chest worsened.

"Sven, please, you're a great guy an-"

The twisting in his sternum became a vice.

"RUBY!"

The sharp snap surprised them both. He openly glared at the girl, green eyes like embers digging into her innocent silver orbs.

"I'm an ass an' a sinner! I run my gob a mile a minute and grate e'erybody's nerves!" Sven spat, droplets flying as he began his angry ramble. His lips quivered, their uneven bounds a shadow of what he was trying to suppress. He trembled, crossing his arms as though the cold had bitten through his thick layering of clothing. Leaning against the bulkhead he took a deep breath, shuttering as he willed the tears in his eyes not to fall. "Don'h lie ta me…" he mumbled, his furious stare melting. "Jus' say w'at needs ta be said an' I can get on ta copin' with this…"

Ruby stood, her eyes never wavering from his. She mimicked the breath he'd taken, pursing her lips in concentration.

That was when a shrill tone echoed off the walls.

With a flash, Ruby fished out her scroll, the pad flipping open as soon as it was in hand.

A large red exclamation mark blotted out the screen along with a portrait of Blake Belladonna and a very particular series of letters.

Sven's face hardened, the angered sneer brought on by the interruption buried underneath a layer of military preparedness.

Ruby looked back at the Islander and he stared back at her. A silent communication that this conversation would have to wait till later bounded around the compartment.

She shelved her scroll and unhooked Crescent Rose from her back. He drew the Faux Claws.

"Orders?"

Ruby brushed past him and into the hall, just in time to catch a glimpse of white and black shuffling at the corner of the hall.

The red brick in her hand unfolded, gears and pulleys grinding almost silently against each other, producing the series of quiet 'shnk's that had become Crescent Rose's signature call.

"Attack."

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Main Engine-
-Lunch-
-Suggested Listening: "Super Natural", Code Geass OST -

Dante, get a hold of yourself.

They were dead.

Shitshitshi-Get a hold of yourself!

The engineer and the conductor were dead.

What the f-GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS!

His eyes snapped too. Meeting his stare was a set of corpses, both wearing the freshly bloodied remains of Schnee Dust Company work uniforms.

"EIREEN!" he shouted, backing away from the controls of the main engine cabin. "EIREEN, GET RUBY ON THE HORN, SOMEONE'S TRYING T-!"

He was almost cut off, quite literally, by a blade swinging down from one of the drop-in ceiling panels of the car.

Just as the glint of steel appeared a subconscious niggling arose in the back of his head.

"Moving towards or around an opponent when they attack can be very useful. No one expects you to get close, and you're weapons are perfect for it."

"So if someone lunges…?"

"Get behind them."

Dante immediately tucked forward and rolled under the razor edge, avoiding the attack by a wider margin than his assailant had accounted for. With his maneuver he wound up at the descending opponent's backside; well within striking distance.

Without hesitation, he took his opportunity by drawing his Peacemakers and gouging them into the man's now reachable ribs.

"Aren't you afraid that telling me your secrets mean's I'll use them against you?"

"Nah… believe me Dante, IF you manage to get close, I'll still have a few tricks up my sleeve to get you… but that's still a pretty big 'IF'…"

Gotta thank you for this one, Doil… Dante muttered to himself.

As expected, his counter landed home on the assassin. Some of his force he felt become skewed, the prongs of the trench knives failing to dig into flesh. Dante scowled; the man had an active aura. With some last minute quick thinking he shoved all of his weight into the counter, turning it from a penetrating blow into a forceful push.

The assailant tumbled forward from the attack, his motion activating the automatic door to the compartment. The man barreled out into the cold mountain air, though not entirely defenseless. As the roll came to an end, the assassin slid his blade's sheath from his belt, flipping the container with its opened end pointing towards the Huntsman in training.

Fire broke forth from the barrel as the disguised rifle discharged.

"Bullets are tricky. Obviously, I can't fire things at you here; too risky, both for your health and for emergency calls. Don't want the cops getting the wrong impression."

"So how do I deal with them?"

"If you can do it, dodge'em or block 'em, but in most cases, you won't be able to. So instead, keep your aura up and roll with them. Matching their momentum will weaken their impact and they'll slide off your aura the majority of the time."

Dante felt the lead graze his chest, his reflexes kicking in as he threw his shoulder backwards to his left. The projectile grinding against the thin energy barrier over his chest, making landfall instead in the electronic device attached to the inside of his jacket.

Shit, there goes my scroll…

Dante's left leg followed his shoulder, bringing his left arm around in a horizontal pounding motion. The cold-dust met steel as his blade clashed with the assailant's katana, the two weapons halting each other.

"Now here is the most important lesson I've got to teach you; know your enemy. It's exactly like it sounds, only a lot of people get it wrong."

"I'm rather good at it actually, so I think this is a retread."

"How do you go about it then?"

"Psychological profiling, get in their heads, think like them, act like them; know them inside out. That sort of thing."

"Wrong."

"Wha-?"

His eyes snapped to the man, the lock between blows affording him a slight moment to analyze his opponent thoroughly.

"It's more than that and less at the same time."

"You're babbling."

"I do that; now listen. Knowing the psychology generally only works if you're trying to chase down your opponent. In reality, even fighting style doesn't necessarily matter. So what does matter?"

"…"

"Appearance. Shallow as it may be, the physical limitations of your opponent will tell you everything you need to know. What weapon are they using, how can that weapon be utilized, what's their race, their ethnicity, what abilities do they have on hand? Knowing a person's form may be well and good, but that only prepares you so far. You have to be able to react in an instant, as soon as a variable changes. So do it. Watch your opponent and know the versatility of their actions, not the specifics of their attacks.

Rusty hair, horns; faunus. Black clothing, stealthy demeanor, deadly intent; White Fang? Katana with rifle sheath; moderate to close-mid range. I have advantage in close-close combat. White Mask: Wait a minute…

Dante recognized the man.

"Adam Taurus, strange to see someone like you out in the field after a promotion," the slasher spat.

The faunus ninja moved to raise the rifle again, but Dante brought his second blade down to block the motion.

"…They really keep you kids up to date, don't they?" Adam snarled back. He pushed against Dante's knives, but neither of them made headway.

"…I do my digging…" Dante grumbled back, his arms beginning to feel weak under the strain.

"Locking blades, what about then?"

"Simple; feint, then strike close."

Dante leaned back ever so slightly, bringing his knives a few inches away from his opponent's weapons. Suddenly no longer met with resistance the ninja became staggered, though only for a millisecond.

That millisecond was all Dante needed.

He launched forward and pincered into Adam's chest with the Peacemakers, the refined blades digging through the man's black coat and making solid contact against his aura. Not even sparing a second Dante shifted into a full sprint, bull rushing the older man into the wall of cargo containers just outside the engine. Wind rushed by his ears as they exited the protection of the main compartment onto the open air bed behind it.

A brief cough escaped Adam's mouth as his spine was compacted against the crates.

"Oh… ohohoho… y'got spunk kid," the man chuckled, the throaty voice that of rolling gravel. The faunus reared up and twisted his katana downward, aiming to pierce Dante through the back. "But I've got experience."

The blade made a sharp downward stab.

Dante, realizing his mistake too late, squeezed his eyes shut, preparing his spine for the impact… an impact that never came.

"Wha-?! WILT!"

The katana was snatched out of the air.

Adam reached out for his weapon as it clattered to the floor of the flatcar.

A glint flittered through the air as a yo-yo returned to the hands of one Eireen Kaliannah. The girl's left hand caught the errant toy while her right hand was already engaged with an opponent, another faunus draped in black clothing attempting to impale her upon a trident. Her black jacket with uneven sleeves had been improperly evened out, the longer right sleeve having been shredded along with a rather jagged part of her shoulder. Her abdomen was also injured if the smear of red across her belly was any indication.

The other faunus and his six companions were all similarly kitted out in what had become known as the White Fang's standard uniform, something that was ingrained into the mind of the public since the attack on Vale a year and a half prior. The only distorting factor about the one locked with Eireen was what seemed to be a rather thick navy cape that adorned the man's back.

"Remember, when you have the opening, strike!"

In all regards, Dante should have taken Doil's advice on this occasion, as both he and Adam were left in a state of shock over seeing the already heated struggle. However, Adam was the first to overcome his surprise, leading him to bashing Dante in the head with the hilt of his sheath/gun while kneeing Dante in the chin. The duo of well timed strikes left Dante dazed enough for the man to flip him to the side and send him sliding toward the edge of the train… and into the rocky cliff face to the left of the train.

Acting on impulse, Dante lodged one of his Peacemakers into the metal riveting of the platform, halting his slide towards the shredder-like wall. The bottoms of his sneakers grazed against the jagged outcroppings.

"Don't stay still, NEVER stay still!"

Dante grimaced and yanked down on his right arm, the strain rolling him to a less dangerous position on the flatcar. He withdrew his knife and quickly took stock of the situation, moving to a defensive kneel in the process.

Eireen's locked. Eight total opponents, one definitely higher ranking and another seems more prominent too. Numbers don't suggest the entire force, probably a forward party meant to take out the conductors and secure the train for scavenging. Need to warn the team, Scroll's shot (literally)… Eireen's faster than I am, her scroll might still work. Even if it does, she's injured and needs to get out of here.

Making his hasty decision, Dante pushed off from his crouch and tackled the more regal of the henchmen to the ground, freeing Eireen from their deadlock.

The girl immediately lashed around towards two of the other six men, clipping one on the shoulder while forcing the other to roll past where Adam was recovering and off the train.

The bull faunus grimaced as the doomed lackey skidded off the platform to his death, jagged teeth peeking through the tightly wrought lips.

"Eireen!" Dante yelled, attempting to fend off one of the remaining terrorists. His call fell upon deaf ears as the girl continued her blitz, once more locking blades with the snarling caped faunus. "Eireen! You need to warn them! You need to get to Ruby!" he shouted. Again, no response but Eireen's ravenous growls.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Adam running across the metal grating, making a beeline for his discarded katana. Still caught up with the other goons, Dante rolled out of the reach of another strike. At the end of the curl he brought up one of his Peacemakers and funneled his aura back into the blade, swinging it towards the errant sword. Before Adam could grip his signature weapon, it was flung by a swath of red-gold energy that knocked it even farther down the platform and cutting a significant gash in the mesh near the man's reaching hand.

Adam growled, falling onto his shoulder into a tight flip to recover from his suddenly halted momentum. Mid-motion he redrew his rifle, spinning it in his finger before the barrel locked on to Dante once more.

A bullet flew true from the cylinder, barely leaving Dante time to react. This time he rolled back his right shoulder, the projectile grazing against the aura on his chest and streaking straight out of his jacket's right side. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as the small attack failed to pierce his skin.

Without hesitating Dante returned the attack, sending another blade of energy out towards the horned faunus. The lash did what it needed and forced Adam farther down the platform, though also closer to the bouncing sword of his. The man immediately sprinted over to his sword to retrieve it.

The person behind him wasn't so lucky.

"Gah! Boss! The hell?!"

Dante turned to see the caped man clutching his shoulder, blood starting to seep out from between his fingers.

This distraction gave the goon's opponent, Eireen, ample opportunity to kick him in the gut and panhandle him with the flat of her broad sword.

He's staggered, the other goons are shaken, Adam's running for his katana… Please be enough…

He yelled.

"EIREEN! GO! WARN THEM! NOW!"

Eireen's eyes blinked, their crimson hue disoriented in the struggle. She craned her neck towards Dante, their eyes meeting for only a brief second. That moment was all that she needed to clear her head and focus.

Dante watched as she took a sharp breath and let out an equally as quick. A moment more and she swung her left arm, flailing out the yo-yo and locking it into a rocky outcropping on the side of the cliff. She tugged once, rolled back on her heels, and then dashed forward. The taut string held as she sprung from the ledge of the flatcar and into a swing up the wall of the cliff.

"Kitsch! Get the girl!"

Dante turned to find Adam rushing him, mouth closing from the shouted orders. The speed at which the faunus moved caught Dante off guard, the sheer velocity alone being enough to cause him to trip where he stood. That ended up saving his life as the terrorist's katana flew right where his neck had been previously sitting.

"Being grounded will get you killed, but knowing what to do on the ground can be useful. No one expects a well prepared attack from under them."

Dante pulled his legs back, bringing his knees to his chin before finally shoving forward into Adam's chest. The faunus lurched backwards, feet dragging against the strained mesh weave of the platform. The force of his attack allowed him to roll back onto his feet into a defensive stance.

A gust of air alerted him to something moving behind him, or more accurately unfurling. Dante twisted to find the more regal henchmen actually wasn't wearing a cape; he was wearing his wings as a cape. The man was a bird faunus. With actual, working wings.

Of all the things I've never seen before…

"Come back here ya little coward!" the man screeched. One violent swing of the feathered appendages pushed him off the ground. Thanks to the momentum of the train the hawk managed to travel the entirety of the flatcar in one leap.

Dante's nostrils flared. Eireen needed to warn them before it was too late.

"Oh no you don't!"

The slasher managed to twist and throw his fist towards the airborne terrorist, a glistening slice of gold and red extending itself from his knife. The blow met feathers, folding the faunus' right wing inward and causing him to fall into the wall of the next train compartment with a rather satisfying thud.

Dante took in a haggard breath and raised his Peacemakers, locking eyes with Adam and the remaining five White Fang.

"You wanna tussle, you tussle with me!"

The six began to converge around him, just as 'Kitsch' was beginning to stand from where he had landed.

Adam grinned, now that the odds seemed to be in his favor. He cracked his knuckles.

"Only kids tussle… We kill."

"So… what if I'm surrounded? You've been teaching me one-on-one stuff so far…"

"Well… to be honest, I just kinda do the same thing with each individual target. There's no trick, it's just about getting faster with what works."

"In other words…"

"It's gonna take you a few years to get it down, then a few more to master."

Dante shook the disparaging thought from his head.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a kid," he shot back dryly.

Adam leapt. The White Fang leapt. Dante stood, tired but strong.

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Exterior-
-Suggested Listening: "Special Delivery", Halo 3: ODST OST-

"You can stop hugging me; I'm feeling better."

She honestly was…

"Nope, not until I'm one-hundred percent sure."

…though that wasn't stopping her from becoming… irritated.

"Aveline…"

The hold tightened around her sternum.

"Shh… let it happen Nikko… Embrace the hug…"

Nikko rolled her eyes.

"Technically, I'm already embracing you…"

Even tighter. Nikko winced as her breath became somewhat choked.

"But you've not embraced the hug. That's a huge difference."

The mechanic did her best to maintain her composure; the Island girl meant well.

"Aveline?" she asked politely.

"Yes Nikko?"

An equally formal response.

"Please stop hugging me. It's kinda hard to walk like this."

Her breath was hitching ever so slightly.

"Okie."

The arms constricting Nikko finally relaxed. The lavender-haired girl took an elated breath, her lungs having just started burning before the grip was released. She rolled her arms, loosening up her sides and ribs in the process. Her right side pulled a little more than her left, ending with a satisfying pop that signaled that everything was in its proper place.

"So where've we wound up?" Nikko asked, giving a glance to their surroundings.

In her momentary emotional stupor she had unwittingly dragged herself and Aveline farther up the length of the train, a compartment or two at least. They were actually outside on a section of train between compartments, the howling winds finally reaching Nikko's ears now that she wasn't distracted by thought or friend. With it came the bitter chill of the mountain pass, flakes of white snow cascading past them as the vehicle sped along.

She wasn't allowed to ponder for too long as a heavy mass slammed into her side. With what ice and snow that collected on the catwalk, Nikko was shoved off of her feet and pinned into the bulkhead of the compartment behind them.

"Nikko!"

Immediately Aveline was by her side, clawing at the mass that had just run roughshod into her teammate. However, to the mutual surprise of the Islander and the Mechanic, the mass was not an enemy object, or some piece of debris; it was a person. A person with black locks tied with two red ribbons and covered in blood.

"Eireen?!"

Nikko rolled the crimson-covered girl off of her, laying the girl out carefully on the frozen grating upon Aveline's recognition.

"Are you crazy?" Nikko asked, rubbing her back. "You almost broke my spine!"

The dazed beserker didn't respond to Nikko's protest, instead reaching out with a dazed hand to grab Aveline by the collar.

"White Fang," she wheezed, teeth gritting as a new trickle of blood escaped from the wound of her stomach. "On the train… got the engine. Dante's alone…"

The girl spasmed, cringing inward on her injuries.

"Eireen…" Aveline muttered, patting her pockets for anything that could help.

After seconds of fruitless searching she found a hand already busy tending to her friend. Nikko removed her jacket and tied it tightly around the stomach wound to stem the bleeding, dragging a small white bottle from one of the pockets. She poured a small dabble of white grainy cream into her palm before slathering into the larger of the two wounds.

Eireen let out a sharp whimper as the substance hit her skin. Aveline's eyes immediately widened.

"You're hurting her!" she hissed, hands scrambling into the blood with Nikko's.

"I know, but if I don't seal up this wound she won't last long," Nikko explained back, pinching the divided flesh together and sliding the salve along it. The cream blended in with the girl's already chalk-white skin, the tissue knitting itself back together along with Nikko's smooth hand motions. "It sutures the skin, but it's only temporary," the mechanic explained, repeating the process with the wound on the girl's arm. "Lati gave me a full run through the other day on these things, thought this is still probably not the best way to treat the wound. Only option we've got at the moment though…"

"Will she be okay?" Aveline asked, watching as Nikko finished her temporary surgery.

"If we can get her somewhere safe and get a hand on a first aid pack, probably, but I'd be happier if we had Lati or Okdes…" the mechanic grumbled.

Without a word Aveline plucked Eireen from the ground and cradled the twitching girl in her arms.

"Nikko, go help Dante. I'll take her, get her patched up and get help," Aveline ordered, slamming open the door by kicking the automatic switch.

"If there's enough to take down Eireen how do you expect me to help?!" Nikko asked, standing and drawing her lance.

"You can bench press a bus, do the math!" Aveline yelled, disappearing behind the bulkhead. "I'll send everyone else you're way!"

Those last muffled word left Nikko irritated. It didn't help that without her jacket, regardless it's relatively small size, she was now quite cold.

"Avey…" Nikko hissed, shivering in the chill.

Without another word she hefted Hornet Dragon with her right arm. Her feet rang out against the cold metal as she sprinted her way up the cars. Car by car passed, somewhere, a blur as she scurried her way up the path.

Turning the corner of probably the sixth carriage she was running through she encountered her first signs of resistance. Four men, all clothed in white and black, were huddled around one of the compartment doors, one of the men furiously typing at the keypad to get in while the other three stood guard. The guards took notice of her rash entrance and raised their weapons to bare, gun sights set on her.

Nikko immediately withdrew around the corner as the hall was peppered with gunfire. She pulled down her goggles, the green glow of the screen tinting the world as precision data ticked out over the screen.

They're using Wyvern-based short-arms. Nikko began running through the weapon schematic in her mind, hazarding her guess based on what she'd glimpsed of what was in their hands and the scattered nature the corner wall had sustained. Double barreled shotgun with a deployable short sword built between the barrels... Boy, THIS is certainly ideal… she thought dryly.

Tight spaces against purely close-range weaponry while she herself held only long ranged advantages.

Though I do have ONE advantage I suppose…

Hornet Dragon was a very special weapon, one that she had poured much of her creative energy into creating. Her brother had helped her with dozens of projects, the goggles being one of them, but HD had been Nikko's first and only real independent accomplishment. Everything from the schematics to the molding to the tight internal mechanics were done by her hand alone. She'd even crunched all of the numbers by herself, something that she was never keen on doing. And one very key thing that she had designed into her baby was the energy bow.

Somewhat new technology, energy weapons were just beginning to reach the mainstream. Initially only private defense firms and government bodies had access to the devices, using them for high-security areas in the form of drones. However, a year or so back individuals could receive kits to build energy based weapon platforms, usually in the form of defensive house turrets. However, once Nikko and Notia had gotten their hands on the tech (one of the few perks of being enlisted in the Torchwick Syndicate), it became pertinent that the weapons be more… mobile.

They'd gotten work on it right away by implementing it into individual projects. Notia's, a fist gauntlet of some sort, failed to deliver as the power source had been too condensed to use properly. Nikko, however, struck the balance with her Hornet Dragon, making the firing method require direct user input along with a small amount of aura to kick off the necessary chain reactions. In the end, it left her with a tri-pronged bow that could fire laser bolts. Laser bolts that could ricochet off of metal.

With a grin she switched Hornet Dragon into its bow form, cocking back the micro-fiber string with her right arm. She slid away from her cover, moving closer to the door she entered through, and aimed for the wall of the main hallway, the one containing the now alerted Fang minions. She stuck out her tongue as she lined up a perpendicular shot with the corner of her previous cover before letting the string fly.

The bolt of blue energy that had been building in the center of the bow's body flew true, bounding into the wall with a series of sparks. Wavering, the cobalt flare reflected on the surface, tilting into another perpendicular angle and disappearing behind the corner.

Moments later, a series of pained cries rang out from the hall.

"And that's my queue," Nikko cackled, turning the bend.

Her shot had done the trick. The leading man was on the floor, edges of his white armor scorched to a brittle navy. Beside him, leaning against the nearest door for support, was the second man, who was clutching his side. Crimson ran through his fingers. Behind him, almost mirroring his pose, was the third man, though he had found himself braced against the outer wall of the compartment. The fourth man was either dead or unconscious, his mask almost completely burned away.

One shot, four incapacitated. Nikko's grin only got larger.

But it was no time to celebrate. Dante needed help.

She vaulted forward, flipping Hornet Dragon back to its natural javelin form. Flying past the two standing men she spun, giving each of them a solid 'thwack' on the back of the head. They dropped like sacks of bricks.

"Sc'uz me gents!"

Her long legs carried her over the last man before scuffing against his discarded weapon.

She paused mid-stride and looked down at the cudgel, the silvery double barrels and broad blade mocking her with their effective close-ranged nature. Without thinking she swiped the piece and slung it over her shoulder. She shrugged before continuing her sprint.

Always good to have spare parts.

She reached the end of the compartment and quickly made her way to the next, braving the biting cold without her jacket once more.

It'll be a miracle if I don't catch a cold at this point…

She made it through the next handful of compartments with little complaint, though there was the odd Fang member every few doors. She didn't busy herself with them, simply bull rushing past them. Dante was in trouble, a friend needed help, that's all that mattered.

I'm not losing someone else to bullshit crime, 'specially not the first warm face from Beacon.

Minutes later she emerged onto the flatcar connected to the engine.

What she found didn't sit well in her stomach.

Dante was pinned by a Fang member, one with long royal wings protruding from his back. The man's trident was wedged around Dante's throat, the prongs digging into one of the many supply crates that littered the platform. Next to them was a more imposing figure in black, decorated white mask blocking out his eyes and nose. He gripped Dante's face and squeezed, pushing his katana into the boy's thigh. The blade began making progress through the flesh.

Dante coughed out a choked snarl.

"One more time: tell me how many more of you there are and I won't slice your leg off. Am I clear?" the man hissed. The speed of the train allowed the rather blunt threat carry on the wind.

Father back Nikko could make out the shaken forms of several more White Fang members, all of which seemed to be recovering from some type of injury. Cataloguing that into the amount of threats present, she refocused her efforts on getting Dante out of his mess.

She flicked HD back to its shape and took swift aim, focusing the bolt on the men around her friend. With a pull and a release her bolt of energy flew true.

The one with the ornamental mask and the katana seemed to notice her just in time to doge to the side, sliding to a stop about halfway to the edge of the car. Dante shrieked as the man hastily withdrew the blade in his leg. The other man wasn't so lucky. He fell over clutching at his wing, pawing at it with desperate hands.

"ALWAYS THE RIGHT, WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE RIGHT?!" the man screeched.

Like many of the others present, Dante's eyes shot open. Seeing his chance, he lifted his one good leg and kicked the kneeling birdman in the face, sending him tumbling behind his taller and broodier compatriot. Giving one firm shove, Dante loosed himself of his trident prison, tossing the bronze weapon aside. He limped behind the crate to his back, vanishing out of Nikko's sight.

Nikko stood tall, locking back another volley to fire at the apparent leader of the enemy troops.

"You're lucky you didn't get to follow through on that threat! Might have just saved your life," she shouted, attempting to be heard over the blasting winds.

The man didn't respond verbally. He shot forward towards her, weapon drawn.

She shot back to return the favor.

Lances of lightning launched past the dashing man, each blue arc being side-stepped with a practiced grace.

Within moments he was beside her, slashing up at her neck with his blade. Nikko had just enough time to step back from the blow and roll the fanned Hornet Dragon down over the man's katana, trapping it for just a millisecond under her lancebow. At the sideways angle she pulled back another shot and fired point blank into the man.

Even at close range he was able to dodge the brunt of the attack, though the right arm of his jacket burned away as it was grazed with the budding energy. His severed sleeve folded over his wrist while the bolt of blue slammed into one of the recovering Fang members at the front of the train.

Not letting up, Nikko lashed out with her bear fist, her right knuckles catching the masked man in the jaw and sending him hurtling half a dozen feet back. He rolled into the fall, sliding to a kneel next to the bird man.

"You know normally I need a few drinks in me before I can bust a guy's balls, but for you I think I can make an exception…" Nikko taunted, leaning forward on her Y-shaped weapon.

The leader looked up at her, trying to scan from behind the mask.

"Who the hell are you kids?!" he spat. Both he and his compatriot began to rise, katana and trident readied respectively.

"You're looking at Nikko Lancea, the Iron Fist Mechanist!"

She picked up her weapon in one arm and spun it around, collapsing it back down into the more maneuverable lance form. The tip stabbed into the metal grating of the train like butter as she posed triumphantly.

I could get used to this kind of adrenaline rush.

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed this proclamation.

"This is why I hate hunters. KITSCH, GET HER!" the masked man yelled… just as he was blindsided by a slash of red energy.

"ROUND TWO TAURUS!"

The shout came from the crates where Dante had been pinned. The team leader limped out from behind his cover, both of his weapons retrieved and readied.

Wait, Taurus? As in Adam Taurus? OH SHIT! Nikko's thoughts immediately flew to an article she'd read on the White Fang a while back, something just to pass the time while one of her projects cooled. It talked about a series of terrorist acts that had happened around Vale, all led by the man known as Adam Taurus.

"I've got her boss!"

"You sonovabitch!"

The two simultaneous yells overlapped on another, making it hard to distinguish which one had come from who.

Adam leapt to his left, charging after Dante while Kitsch launched towards Nikko, trident raised.

She sidestepped, spinning Hornet Dragon down on top of the pronged pike and brining the bottom of the lance's polearm up into Kitsch's face. He retaliated in kind, bringing up the end of his weapon to slam into Nikko. The bronze cudgel slammed into her shoulder, earning only a small flinch from the mechanic.

The two locked eyes through his mask just before Nikko feinted to her left. Falling for that trick she swiveled right, twisting in a small pirouette and slamming the broad of her lance into the back of Kitsch's head.

The faunus went tumbling forward into the bulkhead of the train. Just as he was about to make impact he lifted his leg, planting the sole of his boot firmly against the frame. His wings unfolded in a flash of blue, swinging with one great thrust that, combined with a kick of his planted foot, propelled him backwards. The reverse bulrush caught Nikko recovering from her attack and knocked her to the ground, limbs sprawled.

Prone, she clenched her left palm and shoved from her right arm, rolling to the side. Mid turn she slammed Hornet Dragon into the grating and combined it with her momentum to slide to a stand. There was just enough time to spin the weapon out in front of herself before Kitsch managed to halt his movement and jab at her with the trident.

The two weapons met in the middle and sparked in their clash.

Nikko shoved forward against Kitsch's guard, thumbing the switch release on the shaft. Her lance blossomed at the tip, the upmost of the three petals slamming up under Kitsch's chin. Nikko's finger deftly spun the tri-pronged bow around, gripping the firing string with her right index finger. In succession she let three bolts of energy fly pointblank into Kitsch's chest.

The man was pelted back, all three strikes landing cleanly. He sputtered as his aura flared, harsh green energy fading into the air.

Kitsch stumbled back, fingers grasping at his chest, their feeble scratches attempting to quell the Hornet's sting.

With one last flick of the switch, Nikko retracted her weapon into its proper lance form, spun it once and brought it up under Kitsch's chin. The vertical slash dug a large gash across the man's exposed jaw and sent him reeling into the collection smaller crates on the other side of the flatcar.

"Pushover…" Nikko huffed, leaning on her lance. Her legs buckled ever so slightly as the adrenaline began to seep away.

More exhausted than I thought… wasted too much energy rushing here…

Her thoughts were interrupted as a shadow shot past her. She followed the dark streak and found it heading right for the still raging fight between Dante and Adam.

Before anyone could really react, the blur slammed into Adam's side. He was thrown to the grating, his chest being pushed in by a broad, elevated black heel.

There was silence as the movement blur shirked away.

A flat, matte black blade was pressed up to Adam's throat, the hand holding it pale and delicate, though firm in grip and dedicated in purpose.

Piercing yellow orbs glared into the intricate red and white mask.

"Blake?!" the man gasped, jaw contorting into a confused scowl.

"Adam…" Blake replied, cold expression unwavering.

Nikko felt a crack to the back of her skull. She tumbled forward and face planted into the grating, smashing her nose into the interlocked metal rivets. Her vision was smeared in red and the world spinning around her wasn't helping. And then a third voice spoke.

"Dyr."

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Storage Car 11-
-Suggested Listening: "Fire Aura" by Kid2Will-

"Start going up the train! I'll take care of the ones behind us!"

White Fang… so the reports were right…

Ruby immediately fired on the dark figures to her right, the flash from Crescent Rose's barrel layering the corridor with stark light. She kept tally as each shot landed.

One down, she noted as the lead faunus crumpled. Sven brushed past her, his feet muddled against the metal flooring.

Two down. Another cartridge fell from the chamber.

Three more, she counted, following the trio of forms that rounded the corner. No time, gotta secure the engine.

Ruby tore Crescent Rose from its resting point in front of her, swinging it back to hook into the wall with the barrel gazing deep into the reflective coat of the ceiling. With a pull of the trigger she was jettisoned forward, a flare of her aura quickly doubling her velocity. Her boots hit the steel pathway just a few inches short of the closest of the three, the soles sliding against the smooth panels as they failed to gain initial traction. The inside of the scythe closed around the three assailants, biting into them and dragging them along with her.

Ruby's stomach flopped but she did not falter as her front heel met the wall.

Killing was something she rarely felt was warranted, something to be used in crisis situations, meaning that every time she took a life that she was desperate for a solution to a very bad problem. Grimm were soulless animals, monsters by their very nature; there was no problem eliminating them by the dozens. People, on the other hand, had to earn that designation, and not having time or comfort to sort out the difference drove her up the walls when she had time to think about it.

Her other foot joined the first against the wall, rising higher as the built up momentum began to push down on her body.

It was only recently that this problem started occurring. She used to be rather naïve about things. When she'd stopped Roman Torchwick at that single Dust shop all those years ago, she didn't give a second thought to those goons she'd probably killed. But things often changed, and with their closure of their first year at Beacon, with the fight between RWBY and Cinder, she had to question all of the lives that she had taken and would take in the future. The world was no longer black and white, the goons weren't just evil pawns anymore; they were people doing their job, like reverse police officers.

Her first foot climbed above her second, the downward force latching her to the wall for just a short period of time.

Weiss had been a help then. She spent the months after that double guessing every move she made, however quiet those guesses were. Everything had been internalized, everything hush-hush as to not worry her friends. Which failed. It was during one of their late-night conversations, casual check-ins during the summer that Ruby had 'ordered' to 'improve partner and team communication'. Really she'd just wanted to spend more time with her best friend. She and Weiss had been swapping stories about the events of the week, some childhood tales about flukes and mishaps. It had been fun, despite the self-inflicted mental conflict. And then Weiss called her out for being distant.

A fourth step. She twisted the barrel of Crescent Rose towards the wall.

"Ruby, you're not fine! I swear, you haven't talked about sweets in a month! When was the last time you had a cookie?"

"I… Well, I've been eating healthier, so that should make you hap-"

"When was the last time you had a sweet?"

"Weiss, why does that matter?"

"Ruby! Tell me!"

"It's probably been a month… a month and a half at most…"

"…Why?"

"Weiss, it doesn't matter, okay? I'm trying to eat better, you've inspired me to be a better person and all, and a leader has to lead by example so I can't just sit there munching on fatty foods and makin' the rest of the tea-!"

"Ruby! Stop it! Please!"

"…Why does it matter?"

"Because you're not being you, dolt! You're quieter and duller! I know I always complain about you being loud and obnoxious but at least I know then that nothing's wrong! So as your partner, as your friend, I am ordering you to get up right this second and go binge eat a whole box of cookies...! My God, I never thought I'd say those words…"

"…Weiss?"

"This is a once in a life time deal Ruby. I, Weiss Schnee, am ordering you to eat cookies. Take it or leave it, then get back to me, ASAP, am I clear?!"

"YES MA'AM!"

Ruby had followed the orders to the dot and had brushed off a box that had been sitting untouched in the cabinet for a month. After that it only took a little more plying from Weiss for Ruby to break down and admit to her internal struggle.

Old memories, not now. Time to focus. Ruby snapped her mind back to the present.

She pulled the trigger and immediately went flying across the corridor, blade cutting into and through the last two men at the other side of the hall. She landed on the opposite wall, having cleared the entire stretch in only a matter of seconds. A smooth flip and she landed with her heels against the floor.

I'm sorry grunty dudes…

"Cripes Rubes, yo've gott'n fa'ster!" Sven coughed, looking at the felled men. "I bar'ly jus' got'h 'ere…" he motioned to the four other terrorist, all either dead or unconscious.

Ruby's concentrated stare faded into a warm but still wary smile.

"Beacon'll do that to you. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to out speed me when we graduate?" she explained, flipping Crescent Rose onto her back.

"Nah, I c'n already outpace ya, just the matter of maneuverin' that ya got me beat in. You wit' all those crazy zigzags," he smirked, jumping ahead of her to open the bulkhead leading up the train. "No need to be fancy wit' me, I just need keep movin' forward, nev'r stop fer nothin'." His smile faltered as he thumbed the door switch.

In seconds he was thrown to the ground as a weight came crashing into him.

"Lux?" the question was somewhat strained, his chest being compacted by another person's weight.

"Sven?!"

The excited mintette that collapsed on the redhead wasted no time in enveloping his friend in a hug.

Ruby allowed herself a bemused grin as the boy constricted her childhood friend.

"Where have you been Sven? There are bad guys all over the train!" Without a glance Lux raised his crossbow, firing a round over Sven's shoulder. Ruby had just enough time to whip around and find a White Fang member with a bolt sticking out of his head slumping to the ground. "And these ladies need help, but they're not being very nice to me, and I don't know what's going on, Sven, what's going on?"

The Islander merely stared at his friend, mouth confused as to how to respond to the babbled chain of words. Luckily, a friendly hand jumped in to save him.

"Ruby, Sven," Aveline said, clawing at Lux's shoulder to push him back. Cradled in her arms was the twitching form of Eireen, both smattered with deep crimson stains. "She took some pretty bad hits so Lux is helping me get her somewhere safe."

"Who are you again?" Lux asked, turning his head to the silver-hatted girl.

"Not the time Lux," Sven hissed, rolling the amnesiac off him.

"Dante and Eireen got hit first, she ran to tell us. Nikko's on her way up, so is Blake," Aveline continued.

Ruby immediately fished into her pocket and drew out her SDC ID badge, holding the thin card out to Lux. He and Sven scrambled to their feet.

"What's this?" the green haired boy asked, taking it and flipping it between his fingers.

"It's my ID card, it'll let you into any compartment on this train," she explained, sidling up to the door. "There are a few high security clearance compartments farther down the train that are extra fortified, you'll be safe to catch your breath there."

Lux glanced at the card, and then up to Ruby, then back to the card. For once the teen's face went solemn.

"And you're giving it to the giving it to the guy with memory problems because…?" His eyes wavered on the key, nostrils flaring ever so slightly.

Ruby stuck her leg out the door, Sven following suit just behind her.

"Because Aveline's carrying Eireen and trading would probably upset wounds that bad. Lux, I need to trust you on this, okay?" she answered, her voice falling to a hush. "I'm getting everyone out alive, and her best chances are if you can get them there safely. So please, just trust yourself and get them to those compartments!"

Lux looked down at the card, then back up to Ruby, then back down to the card. With lightning speed he whipped out his notebook and slammed the ID down on a blank page. His fingers flew to his hair where they dragged out the pencil behind his ear, quickly scribbling down note after note around the badge. Without further ado shut the book, sandwiching the card inside.

"You'll have them safe and sound, ma'am!" Lux shouted, giving an exaggerated salute. He grabbed Aveline by the hand, careful not to jostle the shaking Eireen, and began to drag the duo to the other end of the car. "AND WE'RE OFF!"

Ruby allowed the small smile to return as she stepped into the arctic chill of the mountains.

Hope this is the best choice, but I've got no way to take care of them… I wish you were here Weiss, you'd know what to do with this…

"Oi! We goin' or what?" Sven asked, clambering out after her.

She paused, thinking over the schematics of the train. Her eyes landed on the lip of the next compartment's roof.

"Let's get up top. We can make better headway from there, probably less resistance too," she ordered. She swung the inside of Crescent Rose so that it hooked onto the brim of the roof. With a single heft she catapulted herself onto the top of the train, spinning her prized scythe into the metal grating so as to not be dragged off by the wind shear. Sven followed behind, swirling white and black covering his boots.

To say they were surprised would be an understatement. Above the train, running its length, was a series of three Bullhead hover transports idling in sync with the rushing locomotive, each one tethered to an individual compartment. They barely fit within the width of the mountain pass, only about an inch separating the wings from the rocky outcroppings. Men zipped back and forth between the airships and the train, mostly as a means of deploying fresh troops to scavenge the transport. Roughly twenty of the foot soldiers were mingling on the roof, securing ties and the winches needed to lift heavy containers off the train.

"Two baker's dozens and three airships versus two Beacon recruits… I like those odds," Ruby smirked.

"Kick't old school? Go Scissor Scythe?" Sven asked, glancing over at her while drawing his Faux Claws. The two crouched, weapons readied.

"Scissor Scythe," she answered.

Both pairs of legs pushed off against the metal plating, multiple shots ringing out as Ruby propelled herself forward into the burgeoning fray. Once more she hooked the front man, dragging him into several of his compatriots before making a wild swing and throwing the clumped terrorists off the train entirely.

Five down.

With her swing she fired another shot, propelling her to the left side of the train and into another of the lackeys. She planted her foot on the man's chest before using her momentum to swing upwards into him. He went sailing into the air just as she brought around the blunt pole of her scythe to slam him into three more of his compatriots, all of whom went tumbling off the edge.

Nine down.

She fired again, forcing herself down onto the roof of the compartment so that she would slide across the slick surface. She began a chaotic spin down the train compartments, jumping the gaps through pure momentum and flashing by Fang members as she did. Her scythe bounded around in her hands, whipping out like a lash that propelled people to their doom. The blunt of her weapon was enough to kick the faunus rebels off the train, why the sharp incurve dashed the few that escaped into pieces. The guilt in her chest continued to tighten, but she drove past it, knowing that it was necessary if keeping her friends safe was a priority.

"That's the job of a huntress Ruby, that's what you signed, up for, what we signed up for… We sometimes have to do little things, little awful things in order to keep people safe. Keep those people at the front of your mind and I know you can get past this…"

Sixteen…

Ruby slowed to a stop, the tip of Crescent Rose dragging circles into the thick roof paneling before digging in to lock her in place. Heavy breaths left her throat, not of exhaustion but of mental wear.

She turned to find Sven one compartment behind finishing off the last of the terrorists with a slash to the chest and a kick off the train. Without halting he whisked around the boxcar, slashing at the tethers locking the Bullhead in place. The ship merely wavered as the first three were cut. The final one, however, Sven didn't even bother to snap. Instead, he holstered his weapons, latched onto it with his hands and dove over the edge of the train, Sliders going full strength to stick him to the side of the transport.

His weight, however slight it was, managed to tug the rope just enough to cause the airship to drag into the canyon wall. From there, it was a domino effect, the grating force pulling the Bullhead into a turn towards the cliff before finally ramming face first into it. There was a shower of flames as the metal hull crumpled against rock. Chunks of molten steel and carbon began to shower down harmlessly against the speeding train as the airship spun out and fell far behind the caboose in a fireball.

Sven exhaled before hopping over to where Ruby stood, his Sliders still going to keep him upright against the wind. His mouth was a drawn, serious line.

Why isn't he smiling?

"Ruby… what the hell 'ave they been teachin' you at this schoo'h…" Sven asked, brows knit with utter confusion. "Tha's the fastest I've ev'r seen anyone-no-anythin' move… That was… just wha'h the 'ell…"

His breath was haggard, his eyes wavering with amazement.

Ruby felt a small pang of pride, but at the same time something grated on her about the way Sven stared at her. He was almost… scared.

"Well, no point in stopping then, we've got a whole train to save and not a lot of time to do it," she replied. Gritting her teeth she began realize how many issues she was putting off to the side in the sake of the mission.

Ruby shook her head and twisted so Crescent Rose was once more pointing downwind. She pulled the trigger and sped her way forward. There was just enough time to catch Sven shake his head and follow after her, zooming forward on his boots in an attempt to stay at Ruby's side.

The two travelled like that for some time, blowing past the other two airships in the name of getting to their friends faster. Between the middle of the train and the flatcar just before the engine there was not a single word said.

Just as they approached a series of explosions wracked the convoy, forcing the duo to a screeching halt at the end of the last enclosed compartment. What they found just beyond them was unsettling at best.

Nikko, the lavender-haired mechanic that she was, was in the middle of a scrimmage with three Fang soldiers, one of which having flaring blue wings. She was doing her best to fend them off, but each time she made a sharp movement it was also accompanied by a flinch of her brow.

Ruby was surprised to see Adam locking swords with Blake, especially since the last time the ex-partners had met there had been some… 'definitive' ends to their relationship.

However, it was obvious that Dante was the worst off, having been engaged by a rather tall, well-built wolf-faunus wearing a suit made of rubberized armor. Golden glinting bobbles and threaded sharply-angled wiring keyed Ruby in to the latest model of Achilles Arms' reactive armor sets, meaning that the assailant in question had some serious money to throw around. That, and Dante was hopelessly outclassed, especially with how worn the boy appeared to be.

"Sven, go help Nikko," Ruby shouted, deftly reloading her weapon.

Sven did a double-take over the surroundings before making a gliding leap towards Nikko's predicament.

Ruby on the other hand fired one shot behind her, angling herself in an intercept for the well-equipped faunus fighting Dante.

'Fighting'? More like toying with. Dante's not even making a scratch on the guy.

She craned her blade to the side, hoping to make a clean slice into the man's armor. It may not go through all the way, but it would leave a significant gash and maybe even stagger him.

That was proven all for naught, though, as the man snapped around, piercing hazel eyes meeting her widening silver. Not a single frame of motion lost, the man wheeled around with his bulky battle axe and swung it into Ruby's side. Her aura flared as the broad blade grazed into her abdomen, her lowest rib cracking under the sheer force of the swing.

Ruby's lunge carried through, though now that she'd been tripped that wasn't such a good thing. She bashed into the opposing wall, rolling to her side as the blunt wound burned at her belly. As she recovered she managed to catch Dante make a valiant attack of opportunity off the 'distracted' foe. Almost as soon as he himself jumped to attack he was swatted aside, his arms sprawled onto the metal grating. The wolf stepped onto the teen's back, smiling with rather distinct canines.

"So… Adam… looks like Beacon's loadin' up on more and more rascals, wouldn't you?" the man laughed, each expense coming out as harsh coughs. Dante squirmed under the man's boot before her received more pressure as his reward for struggling. "Feisty little one, kind of like your girly pal there… You must just love having to keep replacing your partners, don't you?"

The jeer didn't fall on deaf ears.

Adam and Blake pushed off their opposite's attack, landing a few feet from each other. They each turned to look at the fresh entrant to the fight.

"I've always been sick of it, and if you didn't keep killing so indiscrimina-!" Adam immediately retorted.

"'Indiscriminately'?" the wolf chuckled. "Really now… last I heard was that you lost your last partner because you were killing 'innocents'… Isn't that right, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake, still facing Adam, immediately stiffened.

"Oh, that's right, I've been keeping a tight watch on you and the Fang, Adam…" the man purred. He kicked Dante to the side into a pile of crates, earning a battered groan from the young man. He began to waltz around the other two faunus. "A fox can be clever, but nothing escapes the ears of a wolf…"

"Adam, who is this guy?" Blake asked, slowly stepping to evade the man. Her voice was calm and steady, no longer necessarily adversarial with her old friend. Adam was forced to fall in line, the three of them beginning to circle each other endlessly.

"Remember what I said about my partner before you?" Adam, growled. He sounded almost civil towards Blake now that they were posed with a new threat.

"This is him?!" she sputtered back.

"In the flesh, toots…" the man hissed. "Name's Dyr. Pleasure I take it?"

"Charmed…" Blake sneered.

"Hear that Tarus? I'm a killer with the ladies, aren't I?" Dyr laughed, twirling his axe between his fingers.

"You're a killer alright, you monster…" Adam snarled, fingers tightening around Wilt.

Ruby shook herself out of her stupor and ran forward, stopping just a few steps behind Blake.

"Uh! Guys! I'm lost, what's going on?!" she yelled, bouncing on her heels.

"Ruby, stay back, this guy's crazy," Blake snapped.

"What? How crazy?!" the cloaked girl scratched her temple.

"Crazy enough for Adam to call him crazy."

"Oh… oh… That's pretty crazy…"

Adam finally decided to jump back in.

"Dyr Retter, one of the few members we've ever had to kick out of the White Fang; too much of a radical," the bull faunus explained, he and the others still locked in their circular stare-down. "Didn't think I'd see you again… what are you doing here?!" Adam growled towards the invasive element.

"Nothing much really, just havin' a little fun," Dyr responded, flashing a jagged grin. "I'm still really sore with that whole being kicked-out thing, so in my off hours I like to mess with some of your little operations… didn't know you were on this one Adam… If I did I would have brought two weapons…"

Adam's jaw moved to lash out a retort.

"GAN' WAY!"

All four sets of eyes latched onto the flying body of a boy dressed in silver.

Sven went flying into the stack of crates on the right side of the flatcar, blowing right down the middle of the showdown. Luckily enough, the boxes broke his velocity, meaning that he wasn't thrown off the carriage, although he was buried under the packing containers.

Seconds later his head popped out, along with another boy of the same age who'd been tossed aside into the pile earlier.

"Dante?"

"Sven?"

"Good! Yer alive! Come 'elp me 'elp Nikko!" Sven smiled, grabbing his dark-haired friend by the bicep and dragging him out of the mess. Almost completely disoriented, Dante followed, stumbling after the Islander.

"Don' worry folks, keep on wit' yer 'hole little get-tagether, we'll jus' be o'er 'ere, dukin' it out. 'Ave a nice day!" Sven smiled, words sliding off his tongue like water.

And with that he dragged Dante through the four and back to the fray between Nikko and the four other standing White Fang.

Ruby, Blake and Dyr just watched the duo leave, jaws parted.

"Who… was tha-?" Dyr began to speak.

Adam's eyes had never left the wolf faunus, and his grip had never left his weapon. While Dyr was distracted the bull made his move, firing Wilt out of Blush and directly into the wolf man's face.

Dyr had just enough time to face Adam as the hilt of the sword smashed into his face. Adam lashed forward and grabbed his blade, bringing it around to vertically slash Dyr, but the other faunus managed to recover in time to block the blow.

"Heh… same old jump first, ask later Taru-"

Dyr's taunt was shaved as Blake slammed into his side, Gambol Shroud slashing into his abdomen. He flipped backwards and landed standing horizontally on the wall. His teeth bared and eyes daggered, he snarled.

"No more nice wolf," he barked.

Not allowing the other two to recover, he vaulted forward, smashing his axe down onto Blake's head before whipping around and delivering a blow to Adam's shoulder. The ex-partners were batted to the side, Blake being forced to her knees while Adam was once more sent rolling across the flooring.

Ruby, seeing an opening, launched forward, firing two shots in quick succession for maximum boost. It wasn't enough.

As she flew, Dyr whipped out his arm, the fist perfectly in line with Ruby's stomach. Using her own velocity against her, he slammed into her stomach, completely knocking the wind out of the young huntress.

Her vision began to fade as her body sagged over his hand, mind barely able to register it as she was tossed to the side.

I can't… not here… I can stop him… I just… just need to…

She struggled to regain her breath.

Get up! Weiss'll kill you if you lose this train! Do this like a leader you dolt!

Her eyes shot open. Just before her body hit the ground she forced herself into a roll, landing just beside where Blake had been pegged. Ruby winced at the continued bruising to her stomach, the pull of the snapped rib and the numerous purple splotches she just knew were there forcing her nostrils to twitch.

I can do this… I CAN DO THIS!

"BLAKE! SHADOW THORN!" she shouted.

Blake, gripping her head from the disorienting strike, managed a glance at the weary Ruby before nodding in recognition.

Ruby fired forward, once more heading on a direct path for the smirking Dyr… or at least that's what she made it look like. As she approached there was a hairline change in her trajectory, one that carried her just past the wolf man. He swung at her with his axe, his movement almost as incredibly fast as her own, but he still missed with her precision evasion. He craned his head to follow her movements.

Blake, in accordance with the plan, jumped at him, pulling a shadow out from her being to strike with twice the ferocity as she had before. The inky clone opened up with a flurry of weaker blows, while Blake herself swooped in below with two strong attacks with the combined weight of her weapon.

Dyr hissed in pain, turning to confront the cat girl, he left his back open for Ruby.

The Crimson Reaper swung the tip of her scythe into the metal grating and twisted around on it as a focal point for a full 180 degree turn. Mid spin she gauged the appropriate point to launch before firing again and sliding smoothly next to Dyr. Giving him no time to react she whirled around and hooked him around the waste with her blade. Another spin and a fired shot and she'd launched the hapless faunus into the air.

Dyr went sailing into the sky, allowing Ruby and Blake to condense their weapons to their ranged modes. Loud cracks of thunder laced the snowy air as the temporary partners unloaded on their aerial target. Adam stepped up behind them and joined in, firing Blush up at the falling figure.

Stranded in freefall, Dry could do nothing but take the hits, the ammunition dragging into his armor and his aura in an almost constant barrage. In an attempt to get an edge up, he swung around his axe and transformed it the launcher formation. A single pull of the trigger and a hail of three explosive orbs landed at the feet of his oppressors.

The explosions went off, knocking the trio off their feet.

His fall finally found him landing in the center of the flatcar, just feet away from the jagged holes caused by the explosions. He stood to his full six-foot height and rolled his shoulders, working out the kinks that the bullets had revealed.

To Ruby's horror, he was almost completely untouched.

"Now…" Dyr dragged, performing his words with pinpoint elegance. "I'm going to huff, and puff, and kill every last one of you…" He whipped around his axe and gave them each a bloodcurdling stare. "I'm a very bad wolf and I'm incredibly hungry…"

Standing on wobbling legs, Ruby looked the man straight in the eye. Her face was scuffed, clothes torn, hair completely disheveled, yet she still managed a smile.

Let's see if I can make Yang proud…

"Your bark's worse than your bite," she laughed, silver eye dancing at the man.

Dyr gave out a harsh snarl and launched forward.

Probably gonna die 'cause of that… Worth it.

---

-Ruby, Blake, Sven, Dante, Nikko vs. Adam, Kitsch, White Fang vs. Dyr-

Nikko dropped to her knee. The fight with Kitsch was going awful.

Sure, she thought that maybe having Sven and Dante in the brawl would make it easier. Contrary to that thought, the bird faunus had only gotten all the more vicious, laying down attack after attack regardless of the blows that were thrown his way.

That wasn't to say that the trio of freshmen had been unsuccessful in injuring the terrorist. Kitsch and his fellow White Fang were equally as scuffed as the Beacon crew. She managed a smile remembering how the Island boy and the young team leader had managed to pin both of the assailant's wings back leaving him open for Nikko to attack, or when Sven had caught the man's wild trident swing with his body before it hit her so that Dante could step in and get in a few lucky strikes.

It was only minutes ago, but it felt like years.

I really picked a good group of guys…

Now each respective force stoop parallel on the left side of the flatcar, stares undeterred by the ruckus of the battle going on just on the other edge of the platform.

Dante was in the worst shape, flat out stating that he couldn't stay in the fight any longer before dropping to all fours. That left herself and Sven. There was still a little fight left in her, but by the way that Sven was panting, she was concerned that he was running as low a wick as Dante.

"Sven you alright?"

"Eh? Me'h? I… us'd too much gettin' 'ere…" he huffed.

"Speak… for yourself…" Nikko chuckled, her own words coming out in scattered clumps. "Don't worry, I got your back…" she smiled.

"Aye, an' I go'h yers…" he grimaced back. She took it for what it was supposed to be; a confident smile. "Now… 'ow 'bout one last go?"

He raised his weapons, pointing them forward as he thumbed the safeties of the guns.

"Why Sven… are you… asking me to dance?" she quipped, trying to match his smile. Best she could do was match the grimace.

The boy faltered ever so slightly, a shade of pink tingeing his tired cheeks. Nikko thanked the heavens that their opposition were too exhausted to mount a strike of opportunity.

"…Aye… 'haps I'yam…" he murmured, a genuine grin reaching his lips. "FOREWARD UNTO'H THA' BREACH!"

He pulled the triggers, unleashing a rain of hellfire onto the weary terrorists. The two weakest members of the Fang platoon quickly dropped, their armor pockmarked with holes the width of a tenth-lien coin. Kitsch and the last regular member remained standing, the latter returning fire with his Wyvern Wingspan, the double-barreled shotgun blasting directly at Sven.

Nikko swiftly stood in front of him and deployed Hornet Dragon's bow form, using it as an impromptu shield for both herself and Sven. The Island boy ceased fire, the calming clicks of reloading echoing out behind Nikko. She took this time to cock back the fire string of her bow, charging a lancebolt. Kitsch jump from where he was and let his wings give a powerful flap, propelling himself into the air. He spun around his trident and pointed it downwards. His wings folded and the man flew like a missile towards the stationary duo.

Not sparing a second, Nikko lifted her temporary shelter and let loose the energy bolt directly at the descending foe. Kitsch, probably expecting Nikko to focus on the barrage by his buddy, was caught by the bolt and was blasted off course by the impact. He landed beside the doubled-over Dante, wings twitching.

The last White Fang member, having just reloaded his weapon, tried to lift the revolver shotgun to bear at his undefended quarry. What he found instead was a silver flicker eeking out from behind the girl. And then he found a series of deep gashes crossed out over his entire body.

Without a word, the man dropped to the ground, catatonic.

He turned to her and smiled, his breathing still uncomfortably heavy. He threw in a quick thumbs up to the girl before letting his weary arm drop. And then his smile dropped.

"NIKKO, MOVE!" he screamed.

The alarm was just enough to remind her that she was in a battle and that there was hell all around her. Without thinking, she leapt backwards, narrowly dodging the tri-pointed tip of Kitsch's weapon. Not wanting his revenge to go unanswered, Kitsch swung to the right, dragging the blunt edge across Nikko's cheek and slamming her back against the rear carriage wall.

"I… really… REALLY don't like you right now…" Kitsch huffed, his words coming out as a cloud in the icy wind.

He spun the trident around and aimed it at Nikko's chest. He was going to run her through.

"DAMNIT! NO'H NOW!" Sven yelled.

Nikko cast a glance behind Kitsch to find Sven on his knees, fingers scrambling at his coat. His gaze was deadlocked on her, but even then she found it somewhat distant.

Is he passing out? Sven, damnit, I NEED YOU!

She tried to scream those exact words but found her jaw to be numb. The cold-clock to the face had really done a number on her this time.

With not enough time to move, Nikko was force to look at the only possibility of the scenario. Sven wasn't moving, Dante was almost out cold, Ruby and Blake were preoccupied with Dyr and Adam.

She was going to die.

The trident flew forward… and was abruptly caught by an adamant sword.

"Sorry we're late… got kinda held up a few cars back…"

Nikko glanced to her right to find two tall, almost god-like figures standing at her side. A mop of blonde hair and an inferno of red locks.

Hey… that couple from JNPR… 'bout damn time…

And with that, Nikko promptly collapsed.

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Cargo Compartment F-
-Suggested Listening: "Suit Fall", Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary OST-

"That girl in the cloak said that we'd be safe in here…"

The door opened allowing Lux to enter. The car, along with its brothers at the back of the train, was one of the largest in the configuration. There was no internal walkway, the entire internal section being used for maximum storage space, leaving two exposed catwalks to fork around the gargantuan box for those that simply wanted to pass by.

The mintette raised his crossbow, attentively scanning the dark compartment.

"Looks clear, but I can't find the light switch," he called back, allowing the two girls behind him to walk in.

"That's alright, just get the door shut behind us. And it's Ruby, that girl's name was Ruby, get that through that bone-head of yours," Aveline mumbled, gently carrying the slumped form of Eireen into the compartment. Despite the Islander's attempts to keep the ride comfortable for her injured friend, the beserker still hadn't been able to drift off to sleep.

Lux's ears twitched as a distant scuffling bounced through the room.

"Yeah, the wind must be playin' with my hearing…" he mumbled, shutting the door. The three were left in darkness. "I'll try and find the light switch…" Lux shuddered.

He didn't like the dark. It always felt so cramped, reminding him of the feeling of being cornered. If he couldn't see, couldn't fight, and with his poor memory having one more ability taken away from him was downright frightening.

"Aveline…"

Lux's ears perked again. The girls were speaking. He had half a heart to tune them out to give them privacy, but considering what that girl might say could be useful, he wasn't about to shut them out completely.

"I'm here Eireen, how're you feelin'?"

The shuffling in the room increased. Lux furrowed his brow into the darkness.

What's in here? Where's that switch? HOW many licks does it take to get to the center of a-

"Bad… really bad…" the line was met with a sharp groan and the dragging of skin across the floor. The girl must have been twitching.

"You've got some pretty bad cuts, we just got to wait her till Ruby gives the all clear, then we can get you some better first aid…" Aveline cooed back. "Hey Lux! See if you can find a first aid kit while you're at it!"

The shuffling in the room became more energetic, a few small growls accompanying the scratching. Outside he could vaguely hear a pair of footsteps rush past the door.

"No… that hurts… but… I feel bad about here… get me out of here… please…"

Lux turned his head toward the two. His own anxiety about their status in the room compounding with the raven haired girls.

His hand brushed by a vertical metal pole. Fingers trailing over it he found several more of the smooth bars lined up along a horizontal grid. Warm, humid air washed over his hands, joined with a harsh snort.

Immediately he drew his hand back as a loud squeal emanated from the space.

We… should be leaving…

He scrambled backwards towards the girls, vaguely able to tell that they were both looking over where the squeal had come from.

Aveline gasped as her eyes swayed past Lux. He, along with the prone Eireen, followed her gaze.

Behind them the room was filled with eyes, glowing orange eyes. Some sets were close together, as though a creature with four, some had only one, but consistently the same shape and the same glare. The darkness was pocked by burning gazes.

Lux stumbled back, feeling his chest tighten up.

Now he was in darkness and cornered.

His back hit the wall, unknowingly hitting a switch placed at waist height on the other side of the door. The lights flickered on, rows of luminescent bulbs igniting in sequence down the chamber, dull white bouncing off the glinting chrome of cage doors.

The bars formed a minimalistic barrier between them and the threat that lurked behind.

Black fur and white plates shifted in the small containers, inky skin melding into the shadows. But the eyes, the eyes remained their piercing orange. Unwavering. Uncaring. Hungry.

"Grimm… they're… they're transporting Grimm…" Aveline mumbled. "Their eyes are orange, why are their eyes orange?!"

There were all types and varieties, beowulves, ursi, boarbatusks, even a few small cages with wendigos. A few unique ones stood out, like a small, fox-like one and a couple crabs with rather thick looking plating. There was even a full-grown Deathstalker in a reinforced cage at the back.

Eireen's eyes shot open, seeing the mass of crawling shapes, most of which had begun to screech and roar with the fresh lighting.

"NO! NO! NO!" the girl began to flail in Aveline's gentle hold, pupils almost completely contracted. "NOT THIS! NOT THEM! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! PLEASE NOT AGAIN!"

Aveline did her best to keep the shorter girl still, but it became more difficult the harder she tried. Tear began to fall from the crimson eyes, the orbs flashing left and right trying to avoid seeing the monsters.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE! I WANT TO LEAVE, I WANT TO LEAV-!" Eireen's screaming fell into undistinguishable noise as she buried her head in Aveline's shoulder.

Lux's mouth twitched.

"Well! Time to leave!" he said hastily, scrambling for the door. He swiped the security card and the blast door opened… only to be met with the White Fang torch team that was trying to burn their way through the bulkhead.

They looked up from their squatting positions, Lux looked down. They met gazes, mutual confusion.

"Oh…"

That was all Lux managed to say before the lead member jumped forward and punched him.

---

-Front of Schnee Dust Transport 7-3-
-Suggested Listening: "I Am The Doctor Restructure", by Retconaddict-
-Ruby, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Sven, Dante, Nikko vs. Adam, Kitsch, White Fang vs. Dyr-

"Phalanx Fold!"

Jaune and Pyrrha shifted next to each other at Ruby's call, Pyrrha switching her shield to her right arm and her spear to her left. The two interlocked their shields and began to push forward as Ruby and Blake fell behind them.

It was a practiced technique between JNPR and RWBY, one that was only really used when the situation was getting bad. Normally it would be Jaune, Pyrrha and Weiss out front using their shields and her glyphs as a barrier for the rest of the group to fall behind and mount a ranged offense. With only two shields and two trained offensive members it acted more as a small box defense instead. Ruby and Blake peaked out the side and fired their weapons squarely at the airborne Kitsch, the bird nimbly dodging the attacks before landing atop the engine.

This is bad. Three of us are down, Adam and Kitsch aren't going down easy and that Dyr guy is just messing with everyone…

Indeed, it was rather dire straits for team RBJPSLANDE. Nikko had been left unconscious next to the door to the rear compartment, fending off the remaining opponents taking precedence over moving her to a safer location. Likewise, Sven and Dante were near-crippled with their movements, the latter barely managing to crawl over to the doubled-over Islander.

The four still standing were locked in heated combat with Dyr and the two remaining Fang flunkies.

The train emerged from the mountain pass to skit along the edge of a rather steep cliff overlooking the northern ocean. A mountainous wall still created a barrier on the other right side of the train.

Pyrrha's shield deflected another one of Adam's shots just as Dyr moved in and took a swing at Adam's head. Kitsch jumped from his perch and made a stab for Dyr but was easily swatted aside by the man's axe.

Adam rolled out of the way of Dyr's attack, bringing up Wilt to stab at the wolf faunus. Dyr kicked off the wall and rolled past the blade. He switched his axe back to the launcher and fired off another triple-burst at Adam and Kitsch's feet, sending them both back into the metal wall. He slid to a stop next to the Beacon team phalanx, unfolding his weapon to make a vertical slash down on the shields.

Pyrrha and Jaune shoved back, both lunging with their swords as the faunus was forced to recoil. He managed to evade the blades, but he wasn't fast enough for when the high-caliber sniper round sunk through his armor and into his leg.

He tumbled backwards with the momentum, halting in a kneel while gripping the wound.

"BASH AND SLASH!" Ruby cried.

The phalanx moved forward, intent on finishing Dyr off, only to be met with the barrel of the faunus' launcher. Another pull of the trigger and three red orbs were stuck between Pyrrha and Jaune's shields. Given no time to react, the explosives went off. The first orb forced the two to tumble back, the second one knocked them off their feet. The third and final orb detonated just as the pair had rolled backwards, exposing Ruby and Blake to the heated projectile.

A flash, a bang, and Ruby was hurled across the flatcar, Blake's body landing just beside her. Her ears began to rang as the shock washed over her.

Ruby's bones ached, but that didn't stop her from standing. Aura had absorbed most of the blow, though she had to admit that she was feeling rather weak with the combined strain of her semblance and shielding herself.

"Blake, you okay?"

The black-haired beauty stood, holding Gambol Shroud out before her defensively. Her stance was wavy and her eyes were unfocused.

"For now, but I can't say we're really in any shape to fight…" the girl commented.

Adam and Kitsch were rising from their own encounter with Dyr's explosives, faces drawn into furious lines.

"I'd say we're at a stalemate…" Dyr hacked, looking between the bunched groups and the bullet in his leg.

Not a single person there was breathing easy, all scarred and bruised.

"Why not call… it… quits…?"

The interloper trailed off as they passed a rather bulky section of the bordering cliff to the train's right flank. There, along the stone wall, was a line of blocked packets, each one about the size of a man's head, facing out over the train tracks and towards the ocean.

"What the hell…?" Dyr mumbled, looking in surprise at the boxes.

Just then a White Fang crony came running out from the compartment bordering the rear of the flatcar.

"Mr. Taurus! Sir! We can't find any dust on the train! We've been had!"

Adam looked over at his subordinate, lips parted.

"Are you sure?!" he yelled back.

"We scoured as much as we can! There's nothing here!" the man replied.

"Good, then you can get off the damn train!"

The strained yell came from Nikko who had been left next to that particular bulkhead. Once more conscious she grabbed the man by his pants and deftly hurled him off the cliff to the train's left.

The remainder of people sitting on the flatcar could only share confused glances at this new information before the packets on the other cliff decided to detonate at the far end of the train.

Thunder rippled through the ground and the connected cars, a world-shattering shake that threw each combatant to the floor.

"THAT'S IT! I JUST CAME HERE TO MESS WITH EVERYONE! I AIN'T DYIN' OVER THIS CRAP!" Dyr screamed, stumbling to his legs. He limped over to the engine and hopped to its top. His footing faltered ever so slightly thanks to the wounded leg, but he managed to recover enough to leap into one of the many crags of the cliff face and out of site.

Adam and Kitsch managed to stand just in time to witness the cars that were hit directly by the blast begin to slide off the tracks and over the cliffs into the sea.

"I really hate today…" the bull faunus muttered, pulling a transceiver from his coat. "To all remaining units, we are abandoning the mission. I repeat, we are cancelled people, let's get out of here!"

He and his one remaining compatriot staggered past the assembled Beacon students, Kitsch grabbing the terrorist leader by the arm. The two jumped to the top of the carriage behind the flat car before leaping once more. Kitsch's powerful wings kept them afloat just long enough to reach the front most of the remaining Bullheads.

Ruby pushed herself to her knees and assessed the situation.

The train was quickly collapsing into the ocean by the rear cars. The front cars were starting to bend under the dragging weight, and just about everyone was out of commission.

I need a plan… c'mon Ruby, think! THINK!

A glance behind her and a glance to Blake gave a powerful spark, the one that she desperately needed.

"Dante!" she screamed back to the other team leader.

I'm bankin' on a miracle here…

"Yeah?" he shouted back, helping Sven stand along with him.

"Cut the connector to the engine! Everyone else, get to the engine now!" Ruby yelled, clawing to her feet.

The first to make it to the engine were Pyrrha and Jaune, the two helping Dante and Sven along to the coupling. Jaune, ever valiant as he was, made an attempt of smashing the rail with Crocea Mors, only for his sword to bounce off harmlessly.

"It won't work! They replaced all of their couplings with high-grade titanium," Ruby explained, landing on the engine platform alongside Blake. She ran up to the gathered quartet, stumbling with wear as she did so. "We need a constant barrage of pressure to snap this thing… Dante?"

"Yes?" he responded, matching the girl's gaze.

"Before I left Signal you were practicing with aura-based quick slashes. Did you ever get it down?" Ruby asked, eyes drawn to panicked lines. The crumbling superstructure was getting closer to dragging them off the cliff. Already she could see the mess car twist off the track and towards the water.

"Yeah, I got it down about a yea-"

"DO IT, NOW!" she screeched.

Dante looked between her and the coupling. He fell to his knees, drew his Peacekeepers and began to pump his aura. This would take some doing.

---

"Wait a damn secon'! What about Lux an' Avey an' tha' o'er girl?" Sven yelled.

Ruby turned to him, her face hard.

"We can't do anything for them now, we're just going to have to trust them…" she replied, eyelids twitching. She was as happy about it as he was. Then he looked up and remembered something rather important.

"SHIT! NIKKO!"

Without hesitating, even with seeing all of the other train carriages folding one by one off the sheer drop, he jumped over Dante and back onto the flatcar, racing forward towards where Nikko was still struggling to stand.

Don' 'ave much juice left… Make i'h count!

He sprinted to the other end of the flatcar, reaching the bulkhead of the next carriage where Nikko was twitching. She managed to look up at him and let out a weak smile.

"Hey there pretty boy… Come to save my sorry ass?" Nikko teased, a lock of dirty lavender hair falling into the corner of her lips.

"Aye, prob'bly… gonna… get meself killed…" he jeered back, kneeling beside her. He hooked his arms under her shoulders and around her knees before lifting her off the floor entirely. He felt the compartment begin to sway, the tilt almost going completely diagonal. "Good news fer ya, eh? Won' 'ave to listen to me ramblin' anymore, eh?"

He turned and leapt back onto the flatcar, activating his sliders to full strength. He went gliding along the grated edge just as it began to follow the car behind it.

"Rather… have your damn voice… than this ringing in my head…" she muttered, holding her temples. The platform was almost tit-for-tat diagonal at this point, forcing Sven to try and stay level with the bottom lip of the engine. "Hey… is that Dante…?"

Sven looked up to find his childhood friend desperately attacking the junction, trenchknives slicing at the material at lightning quick speeds, blades of aura bursting from the red weapons. Dante dashed and sliced and cut and slashed and diced and cut and dashed and sliced and cut.

It was hypnotizing. It was terrifying.

Sven twitched, chest constricting, throat closing, shadows etching the edges of his vision.

Almost there…

At about a three foot distance he curled back and threw Nikko's beaten form onto the pad, her and her weapon being caught by the awaiting hands of Ruby and Pyrrha.

Sven smiled just as the tightening in his chest became unbearable and the shadows almost completely overtook his vision. His sliders gave out and Dante finished cutting through the coupling. The world shifted sideways, smashing in with a sudden lack of momentum. He felt himself falling.

And then rising.

And then nothing.

---

-Schnee Dust Transport 7-3, Cargo Compartment F-
-Lux, Aveline, Eireen vs. White Fang vs. Grimm-

Why does my nose hurt?

Lux's bleary eyes opened to find a room full of angry, caged Grimm and an army of White Fang.

I ran into a wall didn't I? I need to stop doing that… oh yeah, bad guys…

"What the fu-?" one of the White Fang began to say, starring horrified at the caged animals. He was cut off, of course, as a rifle bayonet pierced his abdomen.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER ASSHOLES!"

The cry came from Aveline, the fedora wearing Islander digging her foot and a half blade up to the hilt into the man's stomach. Before the man could politely explain that he was not, in fact, going after any 'her', she shoved him out the door and into his bumbling cronies.

"Wait! Don't throw them all out!" Lux yelled, looking around the cages, a crazy little idea coming to mind. "You run, but shove them in!" he explained, pulling apart his crossbow into the dual ice picks.

I hope this works…

"What are you doing?!" Aveline yelled back, scooping up Eireen.

He switched the weapons to their grappling hook formation.

"Something stupid and crazy! So you two get out of here!" he shouted back.

At least if it doesn't work I won't live long enough to know… Heck, I probably won't even remember if it does work…

Aveline just stared at him for a second. And then she watched as he fired his hooks at the locks of two of the largest cages in the car. Her eyes widened.

"Luxy-boy, you're a mad genius!" the Islander hollered. She sprinted past the recuperating White Fang, using a running leap to barrel over them. Wielding her weapon with one hand, she aimed the lever-action shotgun at the bunched group of terrorists. With one pull of the trigger the smattering of pellets blew all six of them just inside the barrier of the door. "All yours you crazy bastard!"

Lux smiled before yanking down on his cables. The razor climbing claws tore through the metal breaks with enough force to throw the caged bars wide open. Lux used the momentum to leap backwards onto the fourth story of the cages. He began to run along the metal bars, switching back to his regular ice picks to tear apart the locks and hinges. A few seconds later he had run the diameter of the room, having shredded the only things keeping an entire row of the beast at bay.

Deftly he landed just behind the staggered fang members, shelving his weapons and pulling out the ID card for the door.

For a moment the Fang could only stare at him.

"Keys can open…" Lux explained, holding up the small slip of electronic carding. He stepped outside the door frame and reached over to the card scanner. "And they can lock. Toodles!"

With that he sealed the door. Muffled cries bounced from inside the cage full of cages, joined by angry and hungry howls and hisses.

He turned to Aveline and Eireen, smile plastered to his face.

"Welp, two problems, one stone, know what I mean?" he said whimsically.

It was then that a section of cliff carrying several thick boxes of explosives decided to pass by.

"Oh look… more problems…" Lux noted, smile still plastered to his face. "No, wait, that's a bad thing," his smile disappeared.

Then the bombs went off.

The entire car, along with the rear section of the train, jumped the track and began to skid down the cliff, taking the rest of the train with it in a chained reaction. Wind rushed past Lux's ears as the world tilted upside down and he was left in freefall.

Actually, this is kind of fun… he mused, watching as the cliffs sped upwards. One Bullhead that had been left attached to the train came whizzing down after them, engine unable to keep it righted as it passed them by.

"Eireen!"

Lux looked to his left and found the two girls had been knocked apart by the blow, the black haired girl tumbling out of Aveline's grasp and down the sheer drop.

Aveline didn't even hesitate before leaping over the rail she'd been clinging to after her plummeting friend. Weapon drawn, she managed to catch the falling berserker, stabbing her bayonet into the rocks to slow their fall. There was an audible growl as her blade dinged off the side of the wall, leaving the two trapped in their tumble.

…I think I should probably do something… hmmm…

Lux quickly drew his Glacial Flights, grappling hooks unleashed. He waited until his own fall was just past the two rapidly falling girls before firing the first hook into the cliff edge above. The line grew taut, confirming a firm snag.

He swung forward, popping open his other arm to catch the duo. It may have hurt like hell, but he managed a firm hold on them, the tendons in his shoulder fusing with his aura so they didn't snap entirely.

A few seconds passed as the train continued to ripple and fall into the sea bellow. All that was heard was heavy breathing.

"So… can someone explain to me what just happened?" Lux asked, looking at the two exhausted women in his arms.

"What? The explosions? I don't know a thing about those…" Aveline answered, glancing up at the cliff before returning her attention to Eireen.

"No, I mean before that. How did we get here again?"

Aveline just stared at him.

---

-Suggested Listening: "Treasured Memories", Kingdom Hearts OST-

It was comparatively simple for the crew to collect themselves, at least when put up against the hell they had all just suffered.

As Sven had fainted, Pyrrha had used her semblance to get a grip of the metal buckle of his belt, holding him aloft long enough for Blake to fire out Gambol Shroud and reel him in.

After that, Ruby had made the call to stop the train. It took a little doing, but when they managed to wake up Nikko she had been more than happy to help (though her head was still incredibly fuzzy).

They waited a solid ten minutes before deciding that the earth shattering explosions had finally waned and the coast was clear from indirect aftershocks.

They backed up, searching the sea for survivors of the incident, both White Fang and Beacon alike. To their pleasant surprise, they managed to find the dangling trio from the rear of the train. Lux was quick to cast his second hook into the engine itself and reel himself and his new friends onto the grated deck.

Sighs of relief filled the car before it dissipated in concern for their unconscious comrades. Dante had joined the sleeping ranks, having passed out due to the strain on his body of his last attack on the coupling.

With no other survivors in sight and their missing members collected, Ruby gave the call to move forward and 'complete' the mission.

At least they got the engine out in one piece, right?

---

-Beacon Academy-
-Suggested Listening: "Suit Fall", Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary OST-

"The explosions?"

"Apparently set by the White Fang to cause an avalanche to stop the train. They 'went off late' is the running theory the SDC is putting forward."

"I see, and can they account for the fact that the White Fang have never used such tactics before when committing theft?"

"No sir, they say they're pretty confident in their explanation and will simply seek retribution from what few public White Fang leaders that are left."

"Still no word on a salvage expedition?"

"None. The cargo's been written off as a total loss."

"Interesting… And our teams?"

"Recovered successfully… Sir they were pretty beaten. Eireen Kaliannah needed emergency treatment and will be bedridden for days. Same goes for Blake Belladonna, Sven Heior, Dante Scales, along with general medical attention for just about everyone else. It's really a miracle we don't have a funeral on our hands…"

"And who would you thank for that?"

"Honestly, the only thing I can think of is luck. This situation, from the way the children have told it, sounded rather horrific. But, I do suppose some credit should go to the leader. Ruby Rose did a rather… successful job at organizing her troops, especially given the circumstances presented in their reports."

"I agree. I'm passing all ten of them for the sake of this exercise. Are you in agreement?"

"I… they failed to save the train sir…"

"But given what we know, I have a feeling that regardless what the team did, that train was doomed to fail. I'm passing them. You're agreement is merely a formality, my dear."

"I understand. They pass, though no marks for 'flying colors'."

"Justifiable rating. Anything else to report?"

"No sir… just some concern over what two of the conscious team members said about the cargo… there were Grimm sir, and while I'd trust the memory of that Castella boy only as far as I can throw him, the fact that Ms. Zaira corroborated his story puts me on edge…"

"Same here Ms. Goodwitch. I'll be looking into that shortly. Now if you excuse me, I have work I must attend to, as I imagine you yourself have some papers or some such to grade."

"Of course Headmaster. I'll see you at dinner."

The transmission cut out.

Ozpin leaned forward and rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up his nose and onto his forehead.

What are you up to, Schnee. You don't play games, so what do you have to hide?

The Headmaster blinked and repositioned his glasses.

Someone had gone through a significant amount of trouble to derail that train, and in the process, they'd injured his students.

He would make sure that he would return every injury in kind. Personally.

---

-RWBY Dorm Room-
-One Week Later-
-Suggested Listening: "Awakening Of The Child", Code Geass OST-

A week. It had only been a week.

May as well have been ten minutes ago for all Weiss cares…

Yes, Ruby was once more locked in a fight with Weiss, one that not even the passing grade could bury. The heiress was furious that her family's train had, for all intents and purposes, been lost to the salty depths of the ocean. She hadn't talked to Ruby for days, though the crimson huntress got the feeling that this was more about Weiss ending up looking bad before her father instead of genuine concern for the cargo. This was supplemented by the fact that a few days after the event Weiss had gotten off a conference call with the man, after which her demeanor had calmed considerably.

Oh, she was still furious at Ruby, for sure. Swats and shrill remarks were made almost like clockwork every few hours, but the princess had settled down rather radically from the earlier induced rage. So much so that Ruby didn't hesitate to invite Weiss out to the picnic she and Yang had planned to celebrate the mission.

"And what, celebrate a defeat? Ruby, the mission was a failure, why would you want to 'celebrate' it?!" the fencer snapped, sitting down on her bed with crossed arms.

"Ach! Weiss, it isn't about being all happy about losing!" Ruby groaned, sitting down next to her friend. The ice queen shifted away a fraction of an inch. "I mean, yeah, when Yang and I planned it that was the original idea, but we're not going to let all that work setting things up go to waste!"

"So why are you still calling it a celebration, hmm?" Weiss snapped back, sending a disbelieving glare at her partner.

Ruby calmly poked her fingers together, bowing her head.

"Kinda… to celebrate that we all made it out okay…" she responded meekly, looking to her right to avoid the girl's gaze. "This is the first day that everyone's out of the infirmary, and we've already had to postpone it so much… Yang though it might be a good time to get everyone's spirits back up…"

Weiss continued to stare at Ruby, the soft curve of the younger girl's face distracting her from her sharp demeanor. She grit her teeth.

"Yeesh… Fine… I'll go to your stupid picnic…" the girl relented, snapping her head to look out the window to their room.

Ruby's eyes lit up.

"Really?!" she asked ecstatically, gripping Weiss's fingers in her palms and trying to look her in the eye.

Weiss had no choice but to look at her friend's sparkling face.

"Y-yes… You went through a lot, so I suppose you earned something. Might as well make it something simple as a picnic…" she replied. She had to rebalance herself as Ruby dragged her to her feet.

"Ah! Don't worry Weiss! I promise you'll have fun too!" Ruby exclaimed, pulling her friend towards the door by the hand.

"But after this, right back to studying, got that you dolt?" Weiss huffed, trying to wiggle out of Ruby's hold. "And there better be a blanket to sit on out there. If you think I'm staining my skirt, you're wrong…! Hey! Ruby! Wait! I need to put my shoes on!"

---

-Vale Cliffs, A Mile Outside Beacon-

The wind was nice.

Sven leaned back and let the sun wash over his face.

This was a good idea. Ruby always had good ideas.

Okay, ma'be not the best ideas, but they're certainly well intentioned fer the most part… he mused, watching a cloud float by.

His smile fell.

"Sven?" Nikko asked, sliding down on the blanket next to him and Lux. She handed him a drink, one that he immediately sat up to take a sip from.

"Aye… 'bout tha'h time…" he sighed, resting his arms on his knees.

The cliffs overlooking the city were gorgeous to rest on, a perfect little place for a picnic. All five teams had been invited, Ruby and her fireball of a sister rounding them all up for drinks and food on a wonderful Wednesday afternoon under the shining blue sky.

A casual glance found Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha and Ren locked in deep conversation with Lati, Okdes, Luthais, Francis and Corr, all comfortably seated on a series of blankets that had been bunched together on the rich green grassland. Ruby, Jaune, Yang and Nora were busy over by the impromptu grill, the flaming brawler using some of her own heat to 'special treat' the burgers and hotdogs. On a separate blanket were Jake, Aveline and Eireen. All three were taking a gentle snooze, the raven haired girl curling up under Aveline's arms.

"Are you sure… I mean, about all of this…?" Nikko asked, spreading herself on the blanket. She was close enough for him to feel her body heat through his shoulder.

"Damned if I'm no'h, damned if I'yam…" he muttered, taking another quick swig. "I figur' I'm on the money wit' this one. Really wish I wasn'…"

His stare was directed at the only person still unaccounted for. Dante stood at the edge of the cliffs, absently staring off over the city, his body framed by the distant sea.

"What're you two talking about?" Lux asked, leaning forward on his knees like the others.

"Non'a yer business, Lux…" Sven replied, using the phrase as a statement and not a scathing retort.

"Oh… hey! Why didn't anyone get me a drink?" the mintette asked, brows furrowed.

"I asked, like, five minutes ago, you said you weren't thirsty…" Nikko explained.

"Oh… well I'm thirsty now…" the boy noted plainly, giving a small grin.

"Cooler's up that way, brainiac," she threw her thumb over her shoulder.

Lux looked between the two of them and the cooler, then back to them, then to the cooler. He stood and walked off towards the cooler.

Sven let out a little chuckle.

"Real character, ain' 'ee?" he asked, shaking his head.

"You've got some interesting friends… guess I do too, now…" Nikko replied, looking at her feet. Her smile waned. "I'm not sure about this Sven…"

"Neither'm I," he said as he stood. "But we need ta nip this in the bud."

She stood with him, grabbing his shoulder with a free hand.

"Okay… I'll be right behind you all the way, if you're sure…"

"We'll know soon enough…"

Something warm pressed against his cheek. He slowly craned his head to the side to find the retreating form of Nikko's lips. She'd kissed him.

"That's for saving my sorry ass back on the train… and maybe to instill a little confidence…" she blushed, looking off to the side.

Sven's mouth went dry.

"I-I… well… yeah… that… that'll'do…" he stuttered. He felt his own cheeks light up.

Nikko's face went serious; his followed in kind, though remnants of the blush still remained on them both.

He steeled a breath before turning away from her and walking his way towards Dante.

It seemed like an eternity until he reached the ledge, but soon enough he was standing besides the team leader, overlooking the peaceful town.

"Gorgeous day… Ruby kno's 'ow to pick'em fer a picnic…" Sven sighed, leaning back on his haunches.

Dante nodded in return.

"Just about perfect I'd say. Could be a little warmer, but what can you do…" he responded, shrugging.

Sven sucked in another breath.

Moment o' truth…

"Beautiful view too… remind yo' o' the Cliffs o' Bastion, eh?" Sven asked, dropping the town name with as much nonchalance as he could muster. With the familiar roll the words produced and the gorgeous view ahead of him, that kind of casual tone was easy to convey.

The line was calculated, one that he'd spent a week figuring out for this exact moment.

"Yeah… just like 'em…" Dante muttered absently, too busy admiring the view to think properly.

No…

Sven just scoffed.

"Since when've yo' visited Islet?" he prodded with a smile, glancing at his friend through cold eyes.

Don' say it… please don' say it…

"Oh, just a few months before I came back to Vale…" Dante responded with a shrug.

The air grew thick.

Dante's eyes narrowed, realizing his slip almost too late. His fingers flashed into his coat just as the Islander shifted. The two met each other mid way, weapons drawn and ready to kill. Dante's left Peacemaker was at Sven's throat while the redhead's left Faux Claw barrel was pointed straight up into Dante's chin.

The dates ma'ch up.

"You bastard…" Sven snarled, green eyes flashing with tears. The orbs were locked with Dante's, a firm betrayal befalling the duo as they stared.

Tha MO is too sim'lar ta be a coincidence.

"Sven…!" Dante hissed, shock and anger evident.

An' 'ee always said 'ee wanted to stop crime.

However, there was no denial, no questioning what had just happened. That was all Sven needed to hear, and Dante figured that out far too late.

He had found the man who'd killed Nikko's brother, who had killed Rinna Hafr, who had killed all those people in the police reports.

Why…?

He had found the monster.

DAM'IT, WHY?!

He had found Dante.

-Suggested Listening: "Brain Game", Code Geass OST-

---

Arc 2: Adaption

-Complete-

Arc 3: Inferno

-Begin-

---

Author's Note:

Lovely shout out to my Beta for slogging through this! She did a great job with what I gave her! :D

Yes, that first bit was a bash at myself for the dream sequence in Chapter 8. Also, because it was Lux. I adore Lux. (for the record, he was having a dream with Phineas and Ferb) :3

You have no idea how confusing this sequence was to write. I literally had a section where I had to write down who was where to keep in mind what all the parts were doing in the segment. For example, I had this pretty thing with highlighted colors to keep things straight: (Ruby/Sven/Nikko/Blake/Dante v Adam/Kitsch/White Fang v Dyr) XD

The box that Nikko had is locked with a five-dimensional Rubix-cube. Look it up, it's a thing, and it's CRAZY.

But Holy f**king Christ… this chapter… Whew… longest one yet, most difficult to write (what with the split teams and segments and such), and that payoff at the end. I REALLY hope you guys enjoyed it. And, besides his submitter obviously, who saw that twist coming? Anyone? I hope not. :3

Well, that's it for me until Summer break comes back around. I binge-typed this over my Spring break, wasted most of my life doing so. I'm just glad to have this over so I can finally focus on my school work. DAMOCLES! YOUR SWORD NO LONGER DANGLES OVER MY THROAT!

I hope you all enjoyed it! I'll see you all at the beginning of Summer with the conclusion to this massive cliff hanger in Arc 3: Inferno!

Until then, stay fantastic and Allons-y! (Yes, I've been watching Doctor Who. So sue me XP)

PS – The fic name is going from RWBYS, to R.W.B.Y.S. to avoid conflict with the two other "RWBYS" that are out there.

Chapter Stats:

Pages: 67

Words: 23,389