The jostling back and fourth of the vehicle I'm in is getting annoying. After the earlier event at the hospital...I'm surprised and grateful the government is still going strong with trying to help us. To prevent an ambush by that Grimm again, they've prepared a setup in a warehouse, where Weiss, Blake and I with the help of JNPR will be standing guard. I'm appreciative our friends are still holding on with us...offering to watch over Yang with us. We can't have that happen again. Pyrrha herself seems extremely disturbed her "Doppleganger"was the one who attacked...she even seems to take it personally. The plan is quite simple...JNPR, Weiss, Blake and I lie in wait nearby, our eyes peeled towards the covered area where Yang once again attempts cesarean section. About an hour goes by smoothly...nothing happens. It's all just prep, though...getting Yang medicated...getting her unconscious again...it's dragging. Norra's just about going sturr-crazy, but she's still meaning well. We're hiding behind and among a few crates nearby. I'm stationed with Crescent Rose in rifle form, my eyes locked on the operating area...my gaze hasn't budged an inch...Pyrrha's to my right, Ren my left...the others are also nearby. "...you sure you're comfortable laying like that, Ruby?" Weiss asks.

"...a Sniper has to be trained to lie in wait in even the most uncomfortable of situations to make sure he's there on time for the shot." I say low, and focused on the task at hand. "I'm fine...even though I can feel my right arm going asleep."

"You should really shift positions, then." Blake says. She's also had her weapon in gun form drawn. "Just in case things do get nasty, you'll want to be able to use that arm."

"...true." I say, shifting positions. I get into a much more comfortable posture, but I feel my right knee bump another knee. "Oh, sorry Pyrrha." I say.

"Ah, It's nothing, really...but i'm a bit crowded."

That's not Pyrrha's voice.

That's the Doppleganger's voice.

Immediately I see her face to my right, and I try to react, as do the others, but the doppleganger Pyrrha puts her arm over my shoulders, and a finger to her lips. "Shhhhhh..." she says low. "They'll hear you, you know."

"Let go of her!" Blake says low, pointing her gun at the Grimm. Everbody else is doing likewise...but Doppelganger-Pyrrha just grins. "Ahhh...sadly no. Also to your dismay, I'm not here to do as I did back at the hospital...I'm also on guard duty."

"How would we believe you?!" I say to her face.

"...Cesarean sections can go wrong." real Pyrrha says. "So...technically she's in the same boat as we are."

"Exactly, my present-representation." the doppelganger replies. "If Celeste dies early, then Cradylik dies with her as well. Master's actually fine with the thought of Cesarean section...and you're right, Cesarean section will avert Yang's penalty of death."

"...We'll deal with you when this is all over." I spit. "Don't think I forgive what you did."

"Oh I know you don't, Ruby. But, to be frank...I'm still here just to watch...because you should be more fearful of them, then me."

"Them"?

She smiles, and closes her eyes. Her right hand shows all five fingers, and begins to count down in seconds.

5...

4...

3...

I can slowly then hear a strange sound...

2...

1...

Just then there's a sound as a door is forced open, and then there's White Fang soldiers storming into the compound, and surrounding the operating area. There's one curtain drawn aside, opening the area up. We're in shock, but our Doppelganger friend isn't. She sighs. "As Ramone predicted. Right on cue... Ms. Fall."

Ms. Fall?...

Cinder?...

Sure enough, we see Cinder walking up to the doctors...and she's not alone. There's Mercury and Emerald there...and Roman Torchwick, with his assistant?! Cinder seems to give a malevolent grin. "I do hope we aren't late. The birth of a child is such a miracle of nature..."

"What're they here for?!" I demand. D-Pyrrha sighs. "Ramone figured that there was a possible leak about Celeste, Yang, and Cradylik...and sure enough we could trace that leak back towards Cinder's faction. I won't bore you with extensive details...but Cinder wishes to either take Cradylik and Celeste's powers for herself...or raise Celeste to be her own child."

"So we really are on the same side in this case." Pyrrha says. I glare at the doppelganger Grimm "...fine. This one time."

"One and only, Ms. Rose. I'm not keen on allying together this time either...but we do what we must to protect our goals."

We finally spring from hiding. There's a lot of soldiers, but we can deal with them...especially with the backup our Doppelganger has brought. A simple snap of her fingers, and materializing out of the fog, a Death Stalker, King Taijitu, Elder Ursai, and five Griffons. Must be her own entourage, or something. Cinder, however, doesn't seem surprised.

"I figured as such..." she says, then looks towards the others "I know some of you hate to dirty your hands, but...deal with them, could you?"

No sooner does she say that I hear bulletfire from the soldiers of the White Fang. I expect to be riddled with bullets, but the Death Stalker jumps in front of us and protects us from the gunfire as the Taijitu attacks, sweeping away a large portion of the soldiers, and giving us an opening to strike. Cinder simply smirks, and I see her turning as she orders one of the doctors to hand her a medical mask and required outfit; as she forces them to draw the curtain and begin the operation. With all this commotion, I can only expect that we'll be getting even more backup soon...but there's so many soldiers, not to mention, the four that accompanied Cinder who now keep us busy. I'm not surprised there's such a fight for that power...but I didnt expect something of this scale. Then again...the power inside Celeste can destroy dimensions throughout existence. But why does Cinder want it? When I talked to her, she seemed so nice, even sympathetic to the fact Yang was gone...wait. W...was it me?...It was me! I was the one who leaked the information about Yang to Cinder! I remember showing her a bit of the information I gathered, about Ramone's strange powers and his nevermore...was that enough to hook her on?! Why does she want this power?!...It doesn't matter, but all I know is I'll kill anybody who threatens to take Yang from me now! I'm fighting the most ferociously I ever have, simply to save my sister. I don't care what it takes. Nobody takes Yang away from me anymore.

I slowly awake...and I can see the lights above me of...the operating setup?...and...I see one of the doctors, with a surgical mask still on, holding Celeste in a blanket within his arms. I...it actually worked! It actually worked! I'm filled with hope as I smile, and and reach out for my daughter...but the doctor gives a familiar, but malevolent chuckle. Wait...those eyes...I know those...! Cinder, she pulls her surgical mask down. "I thank you for following your stupid youthful ways...teens, even adults these days cant really seem to understand what love is...maybe that's because it doesn't really even exist."

"W...what have you done?!" I say, trying to stand, but exhausted from the operation. I can't move much at all. All around me...dead bodies of the surgeons. Cinder chuckles again, holding my daughter in her arms. "To be frank, I'm not too pleased we have a third party in our agendas...and that the third party had the capability of creating power so great. Oh well. If I can't take your gorgeous child's powers...I'll raise her to be my own daughter. After all, you're far too young to be having children...most kids your age seem to be doing it anyway to get a television show, hmm?"

"You...put...her...down!" I try to lunge forwards, but I can feel stitches...the pain stops me dead in my tracks. "take it easy, Yang Xiao Long." Cinder says. "But I must say...there is quite...one interesting baby shower going on outside." It's then I notice...the sound of a very large fight going on outside. I can hear my sister's voice. "R...Ruby?!-" just then, a black, transparent blade comes around my neck...and I can feel Cinder's arm around my back. "Come now...we musn't keep everybody waiting."

I'm forced to move, slowly, onto my feet, then out from the covers with her. All I see are Grimm, White Fang Soldiers...and...my team, and JNPR! I see Ruby herself tearing through everybody in front of her... and she's fighting alongside Grimm?...even Ramone knows the danger of this situation...I look at sleeping Celeste in Cinder's arm a moment, before locking eyes on Ruby again...and she sees me. "YANG!" She screams at the top of her lungs, before blasting my way, only to be intercepted by Roman's assistant. I can see Torchwick, Neo, Emerald and Mercury...the four of them gather around the two of us.

"My my, Blondie." Torchwick taunts. "You really shouldn't live up to your stereotype. That's not the cleanest way to live, you know. But I have to say, your kid there's almost cute."

"Guess you do more than look like a bimbo." Emerald says spitefully. Cinder smirks "Is that how you treat a new mother? Honestly, Emerald. I'm almost ashamed."

"You leave her alone!" Ruby roars. The entire fight has stopped now. Cinder just keeps her smirk

"Well...I don't exactly have a use for her much, anymore..." she says, pressing the blade onto my neck. "She's given me what I wanted...although raising a child without the birth mother there present...can be frustrating...it can be managed."

"DONT. TOUCH HER!"

This time, there's a chuckle from our doppelganger counterpart. She and her fellow Grimm seem to be backing up. "Actually, Cinder. Even if rule-breaking is your thing...you broke a few cardinal rules."

"Oh?"

"One. There's no third party in a game of two, unless invited. Two. You don't go and try to cheat the course of nature".

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well to be frank..." she points not at Cinder, but Celeste. Celeste stirs in Cinder's arms, then slowly opens her eyes.

They're completely black.

Just as this is noted, the child hisses at Cinder and what I can only describe as a leech of an appendange shoots out a short distance at Cinder's face. She immediately drops the child onto the ground, and it begins to spasm under the blanket. Next I know, there's a sudden blast, and a splatter of blood...Roman's shot the child. MY Child. I just sit their horrified by what i've just seen. I can't even move, I can't even react...but then, I feel an aching pain in my stomach, and I drop to the ground...this pain is immense, whatever it is...and before my own eyes, and everybody else's, my stomach begins to expand back to it's usual state. The doppelganger laughs out loud. "We expected as much from such players of this game. So what's a good plan without a backup? Feel free to try again, Ms. Rose. This was simply a penalty for a third party...if you attempt again without the presence of interruption, you'll find that you will succeed. However..." she chuckles malevolently. "I'm sorry to deliver this order...in part. False Hope...destroy them."

Just then, there's a loud snap of what I can only describe as bones breaking. The blanket begins to writhe...everybody begins backing away as the Doppelganger and her fellow Grimm dissapate into fog. There are more puetred snapping and cracking sounds as suddenly the creature begins to rapidly grow and transforms before our own eyes. It's head begins to morph into it's tail...while the other end begins turning into a strange shape of...a head and mouth. It's completely grotesque, but we're frozen by the sight, as this creature morphs into a hideous 50 ft atrocity. It's front "arms" were once it's legs, and it's hands have bent backwards and turned into almost vestigial limbs. It's "feet" are star-shaped, with five splayed toes forming that star-shape...it's eyes I can best describe as a cross between a squid and a reptile...the head itself vaguely reminds me of a squid...it's mouth opens vertically rather than horizontally...and inside is a mouth of interlocking, razor-sharp teeth. This is the kind of monster Ramone is used to making. It's skin looks exactly human...but on a creature like this it looks...completely disgusting. It paws the ground as it stands now sixty feet away from us. The eyes are tracking all of us...but locking onto Cinder. It growls, then shoots out a whiplike tongue right at her that's quickly cut down by her. It retracts the severed tongue quickly, which begins to regrow in it's mouth. It continues to growl, roar, stamp, and snap at us...but nobody's bothered moving because we're all frozen with fear in what we see. Just then...I notice it hasn't stamped it's right leg at all. That's when there's the sound of...moving earth. A second tongue suddenly shoots up from the ground behind her and wraps itself around Cinder's waist. Suddenly the entire ground splits open, revealing a second tongue coming from...it's right foot. The underside of it's foot is a hideous mouth, with the underside of each toe lined with teeth...but in the center, where the tongue comes from...what I can only describe as a meatgrinder of teeth. Of all people Ruby's the one who tries to rescue her, but it's too late. The retraction is too fast, and the creature stomps down atop her...her upper half sticks out from under the creature's foot, and instantly, she's screaming in pain. There's copious amounts of blood coming from under it's foot, and blood comes from Cinder's mouth as she screams, before suddenly she's pulled under. There's another loud sickening crunch, followed by many more as the pool of blood under it's foot grows. The creature shoots it's main tongue at Ruby, and one from it's left foot springs up behind Weiss. It grabs the both of them, but Ruby quickly cuts herself free, dashing to Weiss and freeing her as well. "GET YANG OUT OF HERE!" I hear Ruby scream as the creature roars. I feel Pyrrha and Norra grab me by my shoulders and start dragging me out. I hear what sounds to be like a objections from Torchwick and the survivors, but just then that abomination roars at the top of it's lungs and charges right at us. I end up passing out from shock just as I see Ruby roar back and slash it's left leg.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ozpin asks me.

"Quit diverting the subject!" I snap at him angrily. "It just grazed me!" There's a bandage around the top of my head from the fight against that...thing. "I'm fine! What about Yang?!"

"...she's fine...but there's nothing else that can be done."

"LIAR!" I roar at him. "I saw her being readied for transport! You're going to take her away to somewhere where she can get operated on safe, right?! The Grimm itself said-"

"A Grimm said that. Even if that Grimm works or serves Ramone, Ruby...you cannot take the word of a Grimm for granted."

"SO WHAT?! WE LET HER DIE?!"

"...Ruby we cannot risk operating again. Yang Xiao Long is being readied for transport to a secure location for isolation."

"Isolation?! Isolation!?" I demand "What's all that about?!"

"Yang will be put into a permanent comatose using the most sophisticated technology. As long as she's in this comatose state, her major bodily functions will still be fine...but she will not be able to give birth. This permanent stasis in isolation, under secure lock and key, as well as vigilant surveillance; will keep us from ever having to worry about Cradylik, or Yang and Celeste's safety."

I'm frozen stiff. "W...what do you...did you tell her that you were doing this to her?!"

"Yes, we did."

"And did she-"

"We laid the options for her. She said she didn't want to risk another operation, and she expressed clearly her opposition to having Celeste naturally. She prefers the option of being put into permanent stasis. Saying herself that at least you'll be able to see her again."

"B...but..." I can't help but cry. "I...I worked so hard!"

"We all did, Ruby. You more than anybody else...but nobody is a god, Ruby. Sometimes we can only do as much as we physically can, and hope for the best."

"But this isn't the best!" I wail. "It isn't! We can still win!"

"This is victory, Ruby. There's nothing else that can be done. Ruby...Yang said she wanted you, as well as Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Schnee to accompany her to her final destination...it's time to say goodbye, Ruby."

"But I don't want to say goodbye!" I say, wailing out on "Goodbye". "You can't do anything?! I can't change her mind or-"

"No, Ruby. You can't. She's made it final, and the transports are being readied now. Your uncle and your father will be staying behind...but Yang wants you to ride with her in her transport. Ruby, they're leaving now."

"Now?!"

"Ruby, either you come, or you don't."

"I...I...G...GRAAAA!" I throw my arms to my side. My sadness has now mixed with anger. "F-fine. I'll come. Oh booooy will I tag along."

Ozpin raises an eyebrow. "...alright then. Allow me to escort you?"

"Sure...wise old owl. Lead the way."

He takes me to a launch pad...there are multiple craft there, ready to depart into the skies as escorts...and he takes me to the one Yang's in. I look through the open doors to see Yang on a bit of a stretcher or table...Weiss and Blake are already in here, sitting on either side of her...Yang smiles upon seeing me. "...hey, sis." she says weakly. "So...you're gonna come along for the ride?..."

I don't answer immediately...but I do answer after a short pause. "Yeah. I'm tagging along."

"That's great-"

"But i'm not riding with you."

"...why's that?" Yang asks me.

"Why's that? WHY'S THAT?!" I say. "Because, Yang, I've got sooooo many bones to pick with you right now, you hear me?! You were one of the people, alongside dad and uncle Qrow who constantly kept telling me to never give up hope, always keep trying, always persevere and keep going strong. Yet you're just ready to throw in the towel because you...you..." I struggle to speak.

"...You're a coward, Yang." I finally speak. "You hear me? You're a coward. A pansy, even. Where's all that courage and determination you constantly taught me to have?! All that wisdom you shared with me, Weiss, and Blake? Swallowed up because apparently you're suddenly a freaking coward! Yang, I do admit, I probably shouldn't have told you immediately to consider the possibility of death. Heck, I think we should have given the operation another go. But noooo, you just want to lock yourself up and away in a place where you'll basically be dead forever. It's practically the same damn thing as visiting my mother's gravestone, you know that?! You're still kept away from me forever! I can't smile with you anymore, can't laugh with you anymore...i don't have a sister anymore with this! This is the most cowardly decision you could possibly make, so i'm going to let you know, while I still love you, I hate the crap out of you right now for being such a damn coward! No, i'm not going to ride with you. I'll be in another transport. Why? Because I want me standing right here, in front of your face, calling you a coward and berating you to be the last thing you ever see of me, you hear that?! You're a COWARD, YANG! A COWARD FOR NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO TRY ANYMORE! YOU'VE GIVEN UP ON ME, OUR FAMILY, CELESTE, ALL OF US! THIS IS THE MOST SELFISH THING I'VE EVER SEEN YOU DO, SIS! THIS, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR! I HOPE THIS IMAGE RIGHT HERE STAYS WITH YOU AND HAUNTS YOU IN YOUR NIGHTMARES THROUGHOUT YOUR PERMANENT SLEEP, YOU HEAR ME, COWARD?!"

I'm fuming angry and crying at the same time. My face is red from both hyperventilating, and from how much i'm crying and yelling. Yang's face...it's state of shock is like that when I first asked her to consider having Celeste normally...but so much greater. Yang, Blake...everybody's looking at me with such a face. I curl my fingers a moment, which turns into clenching my fists so hard I can see the whites of my knuckles they're so red. I close my eyes, then open them, tears in them. "G...G...Go to hell, sis. I thought I knew you."

I quickly turn on my heels and walk off abruptly. There's a short pause, before I hear Yang calling out my name, telling me to come back. I completely ignore them as I help myself into another transport, and shut the door. It's engine immediately drowns out the sounds of my sister's pleading. I slouch down at my seat as we take off. I can't even think anything kind of my sister right now, I'm so furious. Something in my gut's making me hope to death Yang's bawling her eyes out. Maybe even saying she'll listen...but Yang's stubborn. She won't change her mind like that. I cross my arms and look out the window at Yang's transport. I keep growing angrier and angrier...My sister wants to kill herself, basically, than either try to be with me or keep Ramone from winning. I simply stare out the window at Yang's transport for the whole ride. I hope she's bawling. I hope she's bawling uncontrollably. I really do. I hope she's wailing. It must be about an hour or so later...and I can see below us, an abandoned city...this one isn't Mountain Glenn...i think it's called the "Dead City", from what I recall in my classes...nobody knows how it got there...it just...was there. As I stare out the window of the airship, I just can't help...but continue to be angry at Yang.

Yet...then something catches my eye. In the sky near another airship...I swear I could see movement...and just then, suddenly, one of the air ships is sliced in half. Then another, and another. Then, I see Yang's ship. Something grabs it and destroys it's engines, and it looks like the ship begins...to be dragged by an invisible thing to the ground, slowly. This makes all of my antagonism towards my sister flee. Then I hear somebody shout over the radio something that makes my blood run cold.

"FIRE!"

Next I know, there's a volley of shots from another airship that fly towards the airship Yang is in. Most fly by, except the last one. It makes a direct impact in the ship's side, but it's intercepted by an...invisible thing I see that takes the blast instead of the ship. It's outline, or something like it, I barely see during the explosion...and it lets go of Yang's ship. Yang, Weiss, Blake...all now plummeting out of the sky uncontrollably within that metal prison. Then...i remember something important, which it seems I forgot.

Yang's my sister. I can't hate her so much I want nothing to do with her! To make my hatred towards her the last thing she'll ever see?! That makes me...I quickly unsheathe Crescent Rose and leap out of my transport, making a dive straight towards the rapidly descending airship. It tumbles midair as I dive after it. I refuse to let my sister die thinking I hate her. I refuse to let Weiss and Blake think the same! I once again scream at the top of my lungs, words I hope will echo again and again forever in eternity...something my sister will hopefully always remember as a beacon of my love for her.

"I'M COMING, YANG!"