RWBY: Biohazard

by Cosmic Sky

War gives birth to weapons. Some of them marvelous and others horrifying. Some say soldiers are the best. Others would disagree. Sadly the students of Beacon are about to learn sometimes the best weapons aren't the ones you can fire or swing. Sometimes they're the ones you can't touch or even expect. Like a friend... or a virus.

36. Chapter 36: Huntsmen in the Hospital

I do not own anything except the OCs save for one.

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Chapter 36-Huntsmen in the Hospital

Jaune wondered if now would have been a bad time to mention how scared he was of needles. The thought of looking like w wuss in front of his idol suddenly seemed less scary when confronted with an extremely creepy corporate doctor. While he knew, or rather hoped, Adelhard wouldn't let this man do anything unsightly to him he had a feeling what was coming was something even he couldn't prevent. He could have screamed, but that probably would have done more harm than good. His eyes darted from Adelhard to the newly introduced Dr. Styner with increasing unease. I'm pretty sure if did this guy did try anything I could stop him, if he doesn't paralysis me with some stative or something. Prior training had at least taught him enough to read and observe anyone who made him feel uneasy. There weren't any visible weapons on his person; he couldn't see inside of his lab coat so he couldn't say for certain this Dr. Styner was totally unarmed. Having read more comics than he could count he knew better than to believe the bespectacled man wasn't hiding some kind of drug or such from either of them.

Adelhard seemed to come to that same conclusion as he'd taken a defensive position in front of Jaune. Everything about his posture told Dr. Styner if he made one wrong move towards the young blond wasn't going to live to regret it. "Unless there's a reason I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm in the middle of discussing an important matter with this boy, one that is for his ears only."

"Oh that's perfectly fine. Whatever it is you were discussing you can get back to," The blue-eyed doctor waved him off with a slight chuckle. "As soon as you've both been given your inoculations."

Jaune flinched, Adelhard didn't.

Reaching into his coat he pulled out a Scroll which he handed to Adelhard with a straight frown on his face. Jaune couldn't see what was on the device but based on how Adelhard's eyebrows forwarded he was guessing it wasn't good. While the Dragon-Blooded Knight was busy looking over the message Dr. Styner walked back over to his briefcase and cracked it up; from where he was sitting Jaune could see several vials and syringes arranged neatly in three rows. Taking one out he began preparing a dosage of some bright green liquid while Jaune began nervously twitching.

"Relax Jaune," Came the blue-haired knight's voice instantly calming Jaune's nerves. His eyes more than conveyed his disdain for the doctor even though his face was directed at the blond. "There have been sixteen cases of unexplainable disease surfacing in patients coming in from Aemon Strip with a steady climb. CuraGen's analyzed and identified it to be a modified strain of the old Conflit plague that swiped through the Vale-Vacuo boarder."

"I think I've heard that name before."

"You should Mister Arc," The doctor cut in taking his first steps towards them. "It was one of the highest causes of death during the Crimson Age, a plague with a morality rate in the upper seventies. It's believed to have originated somewhere around the Vale-Vacuo boarder, mostly likely in some little off shoot village before spreading out to the rest of Remnant. It had the populace of Remnant quite terrified until a cure for it was discovered at the crisp of the Delta War, quite an odd stroke of luck if you ask me." Temporarily removing his glass to wipe away whatever impurities they'd collected Dr. Styner shot Jaune a sharp condescending glare. Huntsman or not, student of Beacon or not, it was clear his opinion of Jaune was quite clear. "It still crops up from time to time though this is the first someone's actually weaponized it." In a flash his pale-blue eyes went from the nervous Jaune to the stone-faced Adelhard. A coy smile came to his face as he pushed his glasses upward causing an unusual shine to mask his eyes. "I'm afraid you'll have to save the praises for us Mr. Von Blu, we at CuraGen were the ones to analysis the victims and come to the conclusion a hundred year old-year plague had been dug up and weaponized. As well as the ones who had a vaccine for it on hand."

Once Adelhard stepped aside giving Dr. Styner a clear path to Jaune his whole body flinched. "Um, wait! Don't you, uh, need like parental conceit for this?"

At the very least the mysterious doctor stopped in his tracks, granted it came with a completely blank stare. "I have confirmed conceit from the Vale government."

As if to prove this Adelhard gave Jaune a view of the doctor's Scroll. Jaune didn't need to be able to read every inch of the letter, he just needed to see the kingdom's seal of approval to know there was no getting out of this.

Putting on the bravest face he could Jaune held out his arm which Dr. Styner took a hold of a little too quickly. His hands were cold as ice, even with gloves on. It felt like he was having a block of ice continuously pressed against his skin, and that was before he saw the needle moving in to penetrate his skin. What seemed like an eternity to the teenager was only a second to the two grown men in the room; neither of which reacted when Jaune winced in sudden shock at the needle's entrance into his skin. The Dragon-Blooded Knight's steel-blue eyes carefully watched the green liquid within the syringe drain out into the Arc's body. His near telescopic eyes noted the intense shiver that ran through Jaune, but nothing else came after that. The needle was removed and the tension in the young blonde's body drained out like air out of a balloon.

Putting away the syringe the doctor turned to Adelhard. "Now it's your turn Mr. Von Blu. I know how strong your family's Dragon Blood is but you know the old saying, better safe than sorry."

He didn't return the doctor's smile, holding out his right arm he waited passively for the injection to come.

"That will be all for today gentlemen." Dr. Styner concluded picking up his briefcase. "I wish you all a safe and pleasant recovery."

Once he was gone Jaune realized he'd been silently holding his breath the entire time Dr. Styner had been in the room. Flopping against his pillow with a groan he rubbed the spot where the needle had pierced his skin. "Is that even possible? Getting authorization from the government to inoculate an entire hospital in less than a day?"

"It is when you're the top pharmaceutical company in all of Remnant." Replied the older knight.

"Even after your company's been accused of providing black market medical operations for criminals?" Jaune inquired with a raised eye. Without warning the Knight of Brightroar broke out into contained laughter. "Hey! I do read the new from time to time!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry Jaune." He waved it off. "Getting back on point while yes, were it any other company the answer would be yes. Unfortunately the government's unspoken partnership with CuraGen Pharmaceutical is enough protection to keep them from getting something more than a slap on the wrist."

Seeing that road was now closed to him Jaune decided to move on to the next topic of conversation. "Have there been any…leads on the attack yet? I mean I know there had to been White Fang survivors to be…" He couldn't say the word torture even though he knew perfectly well that's what was probably happening at this moment. While he and his friends were lying in a safe hospital bed licking their wounds some half-dead Faunus was probably being water-boarded in some windowless room or being electrocuted to death.

Catching the unease in his admirer's eyes Adelhard responded with a heavy sigh. "Jaune, as highly valued as I am even I'm not privy to that sort of information. Baring Ozpin, and even that's a stretch, no one you ask will know the answer to that question." Without warning he placed a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't think about those questions Jaune, just focus on the fact you and all your friends are alive. Each of you acted bravely-"

THUNK!

"You finally proved me right little brother!"

Jaune's mouth couldn't have dropped any lower at the sound of the feminine voice he recognized so well. He blinked absent mindedly until his mind recovered enough from the shock, turning to the door he felt his heart do a mini-back flip inside his chest. Standing in the doorway was not only the first sibling who'd discovered he'd snuck off to Beacon but also the only one who'd been supportive of his decision to go there, even if he'd lied his way in.

Jacqueline Arc was not the picture one thought of when they conjured up an image of a brim and proper lady nor was she the pop media image of a badass female warrior in a skippy outfit. It was because of that and her open personality that she was able to make friends with some of the most unexpected people. Her blond hair never grew past the middle of her back, and seventy-percent of the time it was tied in a somewhat spikey ponytail that belayed her somewhat noble heritage. Jaune remembered how often people including his parents would wish she'd tie it into a proper braid, claiming it would make her look much prettier like her sisters. He was one of the few who knew it was for that same reason she refused to do so. She really didn't need the braids anyway, she already had golden curls framing her youthful face. They really did more to highlight her sparkling azure colored eyes. It was often debated which one of the three oldest Arc siblings were the prettiest: Jeannette, Joséphine, or Jacqueline. To Jaune it had never really mattered because at the end of the day they were his sisters and they were all equally beautiful in his eyes.

Something else that made Jacqueline stand out amongst her siblings was her choice of clothing, she almost never wore any sort of jewelry or fancy outfits. Yes she owned her fair share of designer brand clothing but that was it. Nine times out of ten it was a plain pair of jeans, either running sneakers or military boots, and a designer brand jacket she'd…modified in some way as evident by a cross or two on some part of the clothing. Speaking of crosses the only constant piece of jewelry she did have was a cross-shaped silver necklace Jaune knew she valued more than her own life.

Coming to a stop right before his bed he felt his breath halt at the sight of her right arm in a sling. Before he could even open his mouth to speak his third oldest sister had enveloped him in a warm and overbearing hug he quickly surrendered to. He didn't know what kind of fighting she'd been involved in but it hadn't wiped away that almost familiar smell he'd grown accustomed to growing up. "I heard my little brother killed a Class Seven Grimm," she started pulling away with a cheeky grin on her face. "Oh and before you say anything I've got proof." Digging into her pocket she retrieved her Scroll. In seconds Jaune was watching a video of him holding onto the Lockjaw on the academy website.

The current viewer count was in the hundred thousands, and still rising.

Okay, first all who the hell was recording me playing rodeo with a Grimm, and secondly how the hell did it get so many views? Were Jaune's primary thoughts as he watched the video play back. "Well, um, you see Jacqueline I sort of…I'll be honest here, I had no idea what I was thinking there."

"No need to make crap up little brother." The older blond chuckled falling back in her seat. "You're an Arc, as you may know we tend not to think when crap like this happens." He didn't like the Cheshire grin that came to his sister's face; so much so Jaune actually scooted back a little closer to the wall. In return she leaned forward, her wounded right arm causing her no apparent discomfort. "So what's her name?"

"What? Who? What are you talking about?" Jaune rattled off a little too quickly.

Reading her brother's increased breathing and frantic eyes Jacqueline pressed onward. "The girl you Grimm-wrestled an Alpha Lockjaw for. Before popping in I had a chat with some of the younger students, they all told me it was only after it went after a certain girl you decided to play rodeo." Her grin made every hair on Jaune's body stand on edge, almost to the point he felt like a porcupine. "So come Jaune, tell your big sis, did all of dad's stupid tips actually work?"

"Ja-Jacqui, wait please! You have to understand it wasn't anything like that! Honest! I was just, everything just sort of, I-I-I had to-I just had to protect my friends!"

"Including a certain female friend?"

"No! I-I mean it's not like that!"

"A brunette?"

"No!"

"A blonde?"

"Nope"

"A platinum-blonde?"

"Really?"

"Just don't tell me it's a Schnee."

"…Why does that…" An unexpected tremor shook Jaune's heart at the mental image of Weiss. A cartoonish raincloud appeared above his sunken head then ruthlessly released its contents onto him. "That…ship…never left….the harbor."

With an understanding nod the older Arc placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. "Don't fret little brother for there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Maybe an older more experienced one perhaps?"

Okay that one crossed a line in Jaune's mind. "Jacqui! Seriously!? Is that what you think I'm interested in?"

"I'm just saying Jaune, when it comes to romance you never know until you explore. What one person likes another may be turned off by. If you ever hope to have any luck in that department you have to get out there and socialize." Popping one azure-colored eye open she made sure to stress the next words carefully. "When I say socialize, I mean talk to people, not flirt with them."

Honestly Jaune found it rather hard to argue with that one, matter of fact, as far as he could remember his sisters always hated that piece of advice their father gave him. Looking back Jaune knew he owed each of them an apology because they turned out to be right, his wannabe flirting had done nothing for his love life. Well, what miserable excuse of a love life he had.

"A redhead?"

He slipped up and she caught it. Once again a Cheshire grin consumed her face.

"So now I know who to look for next time I see, tell me, what's she like? Sweet? Bossy? Clingy? Charming? A flirt?"

"If I say something can you stop?" The younger sibling asked downcast.

"Of course." She replied with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Alright she's…she's nice, one of the nicest people I've ever met." There was a pause as he let the softness of the pillow take full hold freeing him of all his doubts and worries. "She was the first person to actually have some faith in me at Beacon." When a prolonged silence followed his answer he breathed a quiet sigh of relief that his interrogation was over. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh this, just a little price I had to pay to keep Fionn Hall standing." Jacqueline answered shaking her apparently broken arm. In doing so she'd answered the next question which was where she'd been assigned to. It didn't come as a surprise she ended up protecting the seat of the building the kingdom's council met in. "You're lucky you weren't there Jaune," she started with a distant look in her eyes that told him how brutal the fighting had been. "At last half of died and that was before we'd even seen Conley's Torch activate, of course yours truly wasn't among them." She winked at him. "Most of the west wing was destroyed before the White Fang decided to pull out. I guess it doesn't really matter what state Fionn Hall was in, everywhere you looked all you could see were bodies."

It felt like a load of sand had been dumped into Jaune's mouth. "Believe me Jacqui, I know how you feel. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what happened out there."

"…I've already heard about what you did at Conley's Torch, the way you saved everyone." The swordswoman suddenly spoke catching Jaune's eye. "Don't deny it, don't you dare deny it Jaune because on my way here I had people telling me to congratulate you."

Jaune was perplexed at the strange mixture forming within him. Praise, the one thing he'd so desperately longed for was being heaped upon him…except at the current moment he couldn't care less about it. Once his sister had brought up Conley's Torch all Jaune could think about was the miles upon miles of blood and carnage he'd fought through. Bile churned within his stomach at the grotesque images that had been burned into his mind and would stay there until death claimed his soul. "What happened there was just…I don't even know where to start Jacqueline. Have they at least collected the dead?"

"You should know that's going to be a lot of collecting little brother. Everyone's still trying to get over the shock of what happened." Jacqueline quietly answered looking away. "We're just happy you weren't among the dead."

Strange as it was Jaune only just then noticed Adelhard had quietly vacated the room leaving the Arc siblings alone. The man did seem to be pretty experienced when it came to reading the atmosphere. "I take it…mom and dad know about what happened."

Following a solemn nod Jacqueline raised her hand than suddenly brought it down on top of Jaune's head. A stone mask went up as her brother groaned in slight pain at the sudden blow though he recovered rather quickly. "That's so you'll be ready when mom, dad, Joséphine, and the others go off on you asking what the hell were you thinking."

"I know, trust me I can already hear them screaming in my ear the minute they find out I'm here." Jaune stated.

"You can bet your ass they'll be pissed off when they hear about it." Like the first the second hug came without warning. "Of course once everyone's finished yelling they'll get around to this part. You know how our family is."

"Yeah, now a days I'm starting to appreciate that a little more." Jaune spoke letting the warmth of his sister wash over him. Darkness was tittering at the edge of his vision and he didn't have the willingness to fight it off. All his questions from the battle to the continuing aftermath could be answered another time.

---

It was telling how Yang was basically able to waltz right into Blake's room without anyone saying much. Granted everyone was running from one spot to another barely paying the seventeen year-old blond much mind anyway. Finding her partner's room was easy, finding Sun sitting by her side wasn't unexpected either. What did surprise Yang were the extent of the monkey-Faunus's injuries. His left leg was both bandaged and propped up on another chair while almost his entire abdomen was covered from head to toe in stained bandages. His right arm was in a shady looking cast while his other was gently pushing strands of hair from Blake's sleeping face.

Upon opening the door the tan-skinned male immediately turned to see the blond brawler sliding inside. "How is she?" Were the first words out of her mouth before she even thought of seating down.

"She's…they said she was going to live." Came the usually upbeat teenager's somewhat morbid response. It didn't take a degree in medicine for Yang to tell Sun's skin was paler than usual and his breathing was unusually labored. "B-Besides the toxin in her system they're still working on the concussion, i-it took some time but they got her out of death's reach."

While that brought elation to the boxer's heart it left her with a new concern. "What about You Sun? I'm looking at you now and it looks like you're a second from passing out on the floor."

"Oh me? Come-on Yang. You know how tough I-OW!" His hands shot towards his abdomen were an increasingly splash of red was spreading causing Yang to jump out of her seat in surprise.

In a heartbeat the boxer was at the team leader's side. Taking one look at the blood sipping through the wounds Yang immediately knew Sun's injuries hadn't been treated properly, now that she had a closer look at him she found even his propped leg was showing signs of swelling and reddening. "Sun? Sun!" Her eyes went from her friend to the various cabinets within the room to the door. "Don't die on me or Blake!" She was out the door calling into the endless stream of bodies buzzing about. "Hey! Hey! I need some help in here now!"

"Yang!"

Twisting to the left she saw a seemingly pissed of Verde marching towards her. Before he could even a word out she'd grabbed him and dragged him inside. "Verde, please tell me you can handle this!"

All pretexts for his anger dropped at the sight of Sun clenching his abdomen in apparent pain. At first his face was full of shock then it twisted into a vengeful snarl. "Oh for Oum's sake! Now? Today?" Rushing over he briefly examined Sun's condition before gently lying him against the floor. "Yang, grab everything you can from the cabinets then go outside, find a trolley!"

Though her body still tinged with pain she did as commanded. Grabbing everything that fit Verde's description, even if it meant yanking it out of someone's hands, without a word of apology. Dropping all the items within his reach then plopped down on the nearest seat available. "What the hell happened?"

Verde never turned to face her as he removed the sullied bandages around Sun's body. "He wasn't cared for properly."

"You guys…are…blowing this out of…ow." Came Sun's pain-staked voice. "Really you're making this…sound worse than it is. I've had worse, ow! Damn Verde, can you be a little gentler?"

"Can you pipe down while I properly stitch this wound shut so you don't bleed to death?"

"Got any tape? Or a banana? When I'm with him that's the only way to keep him quiet." A third voice half-heartedly joked.

Six eyes turned to find the team RWBY's feline ninja sitting up in her bed with a deadpan expression aimed directly at Sun. The team SSSN leader smiled while the Y of the previously mentioned threw her bandaged arms around her partner. "Blake! I knew you'd make it through!"

"Yang, air." Came the Faunus girl's short and cold reply. "Yang. Yang please!" Neither Verde nor Sun did much to stop the blond from crushing the fledging life out of Blake leaving her to attempt to pry her off herself. "Yes, yes I'm alive Yang, no thanks to you trying to remedy that. Now…what about him?" Seriousness laced her amber-colored eyes that fell on the males.

Beyond Sun's constant yeps of pain and frustration Verde remained mostly silenced and focus. The once white-hot aura of angry that had surrounded him when he entered the room had melted away into an almost icy exterior that showed on his face. "First off his wounds weren't properly stitched shut nor were they cleaned as they should have been. All they did was just slap a few bandages on him and send him out, speaking of which they should have given you a room or wheelchair to prop up your leg."

"Oh trust me they had rooms available, problem was they had too many people who needed it. This one for example." Was the blonde's toneless answer.

"…This was supposed to be your room wasn't it Sun?" Blake questioned feeling a cold fist tighten around her heart.

"You needed it more than I did."

"Damn it Sun, you shouldn't have done that!"

"It's not like I could just stand by and watch you die and I could have done something about it!"

"HEY!" Boomed the B of team RWBY. Her head was still a little sore and the escalating spat between her teammate and not-so-secret admirer wasn't helping things. "Does this have something to do with the fact every time I look out the door I see Faunus lying against the wall, half of them bleeding more than usual?"

A thick silence fell over the hospital room. Verde said nothing as he continued to put the finishing touches on Sun's abdomen before moving to inspect his leg. Blake looked away from her partner for a few minutes before responding.

"Yang, given the gravity of what just happened…do you think the doctors in this place are willing to treat Faunus?"

"Does it matter that they're dying right in front of them? That they didn't do anything or were involved in any of this?"

"It doesn't matter," Sun spoke. "They see furry ears, wings, gills, or a tail and they tell you to get the hell out. There's a reason a good number of Faunus know first aid or how to treat a wound."

"They had to because most doctors don't take their oath seriously." Verde snorted.

"The common claim is they're not veterinarians." An impossible clogged and rude voice sounded from the direction of the doorway. The three of the four young adults were stunned to see a pot-bellied doctor standing in the doorway with a sneer on his face. He was a Faunus, a pig based on his large physique, snot-like noise, and ears. "Stupid cat, don't move around too much or your organs will burst or your brain will. Have you any idea how much of a mess that would make? Do you realize how much of a fuss Kruger would make to save your already short life?" He barked in Blake's direction.

As one would expect Yang rose to meet the dark messy-haired doctor's harsh words.

"Oh save what little energy you have girl." The Faunus doctor snorted proceeding over to Verde and Sun. "If you think I'm going to be frightened by a hot-headed Huntress-in-training who can barely stand then I might as well drop dead here and now. Something all three of you will be doing if you aren't careful, especially you feline." He directed his words again at Blake with a noticeable tone of disgust.

Despite the disdain being aimed at her Blake did the noble thing and bowed her head in appreciation of the pig-man doctor. "Thank you Dr. Boyle."

"Thank me when Beacon stops forcing us to work overtime."

"Hey, student of Haven lying over here!" Sun playfully yelled.

"Verde, get going, I'll handle this three death-seekers." The pig-noised doctor proclaimed.

"But Sus-"

"I can handle a cat, a monkey, and a human flame thrower. You are needed elsewhere, now get moving." Dr. Boyle boomed pushing the young doctor out the doctor.

"Wait!" Placing both hands against the door frame the green-haired man yelled to the three students, "Please one of you tell me you've seen Izaak!"

"Eh? You mean he's not in his room?" The boxer questioned raising her eyebrow.

While Dr. Boyle propped up his leg Sun released something of an amused chuckle. "Oh that figures, no offense Verde but you might as well give up on finding."

"Not in his condition!"

The grave tone of his voice was what got Yang up and moving. She couldn't remember how badly Izaak had been wounded but given that he'd volunteered to stay behind to hold off the Ethm Wyvern he probably wasn't in walking condition. Fear or not if he was in any state like Blake he needed a soft bed to rest in. "I'll go with you to find him."

"Don't drop dead in the middle of the hallway." Dr. Boyle stated.

"Geez doc, I'm walking and talking even with some broken bones and ruptured organs. Don't you think that's enough reason not to get so stitched up?"

"Yang!"

"What? I haven't been able to make a joke in like forever!" She groaned moving after Verde. Her right foot was out the doorway when she craned her head back with her characteristic grin. Instantly Blake felt her blood run a little but colder. "You two make sure to play nice once Dr. Pig-Face is done."

"Yang!"

"Blondes"

"Hey!"

---

"What you did out there was stupid dangerous and reckless. I've already talked to some of the teachers who were there."

"…"

"Be that as it may I might say I'm impressed, you showed you have our father's grit. Cursing out your teacher, your superior, that takes balls. Certainly proves you have the willpower needed to succeed father."

"…"

"Ah yes, that's right, willpower isn't enough. I suppose if you can't defeat one lousy feathered no-name terrorist how can you hope to defeat your dear old dad, the head of the Winchester Family. They say scars make a person stronger when reflected upon, I do hope that holds true for you Cardin."

Though he heard the words Cardin knew better than to react to them. His second eldest brother may not have been the most hated member of his family but he still wasn't anywhere near his favorite relative to be around. Aside from that he knew whenever Bishop Winchester offered someone praise there was usually an insult or two hidden away, or an ulterior motive. Not that his brother had offered him much praise. Cardin kept his gaze situated on the scenery outside the window, a parking lot filled to the breed with vehicles of all sizes and types. More than a few medical tents had been set up in what spare space was available. From his spot on the building's fourth floor they all looked like ants.

Sitting at his bedside perfectly content was a cherry red-haired man in his mid to late twenties with a growing beard on his face. Combed back hair, well-trimmed and cut like Cardin's own. His eyes were shamrock green in comparison to Cardin's indigo irises. There was a butterfly bandage on the left side of his forehead and a few more around his neck and cheeks, otherwise his face was seemingly untouched by the physical damage of the battle. Even his clothing spoke something about how little scars he'd endured. Mostly clean dress pants, slacks, and a red and white undershirt. His entire left hand was bandaged for reasons Cardin didn't know and didn't care for. As always the air of calm and composed air of an aristocrat heavily cloaked him warding off anyone who might have had something to say. Most people were warded off by it; Cardin having grown up around such people was used to it. That's why he was able to so blatantly ignore his brother's cold gaze whereas most would have folded.

"You could have gotten yourself killed Cardin." Bishop quietly stated.

"You make it sound like that would have mattered." Came the first year's reply. "Put a little more effort into it and you could have made it sound like someone would have cared."

"You can imagine the fuss that would have been made if the youngest Winchester male was killed in action against a piece of White Fang scum. Heh, father would have fought off death himself to bring you back so he could kill you himself." Chuckled the older Winchester. Cardin imagined his brother took some amusement in that imagery, though Kindle might have enjoyed it a little more. "Lucky for all of us that didn't come to pass."

"Yeah, so now that you've made the family visit can you get the hell out of my room?" The mace-wielder half snarled.

"Hm, I don't think I will, you may not know it but there's not much to do out there." Bishop laughed with a shake of his head. "Besides you know how much I enjoy talking to you little brother."

"…"

"Cardin," Bishop called with a noticeable change in his tone. At last he turned his head to face his second oldest sibling. Brief and small as it was Cardin was able to detect the faint hint of worry in his brother's eyes. "You know how serious this is, everyone, including father were worried about you."

"Could have fooled me."

"That's not too hard to do."

"I thought you were here because you were worried about me."

"I'm just checking to see if your sense of humor survived the beating you took."

There came the body wide flinch Cardin feared his brother would induce. The color momentarily drained from Cardin's face and the strength drained from his knuckles. As quickly as it had left anger flooded his system manifesting into his usual snarl. "Get the hell out of here Bishop. If you don't have anything useful to say then just get the hell out so I can get some sleep!"

His brother didn't move nor did his expression change. His hands remained folded patiently in his lap while his left foot quietly swung back and forth. "…You can't let anything those animals say get you riled up."

For a long time Cardin remained silent simply staring at the bedsheets he gripped as tightly as he could. The pure white of the bedsheets was all he could stand to look at; he was too scared to look into the green eyes of his older brother. "You're…you know that's the last thing anyone should say to me Bishop."

Green eyes examined every inch of the younger boy, the frown on the Beacon instructor's face made it clear he didn't like what he found. "I see," he sighed. "In that case I'll drop it." Some of the tension left Cardin's body as evident by his eased grip on the bedsheets and slight heat buildup around his body. "Father and the rest of the family are uninjured just in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't."

"Not even for Mar-"

"Bishop!"

"She's fine Cardin, she's been dying to come visit you but you know how everyone is. They aren't letting her out until they can be sure no one will come after her."

Cardin snorted. "Yeah, in case you haven't noticed Bishop we're going to be waiting a while for that."

"Aren't you curious about how the White Fang managed to get this close to things and do this much damage?"

"I am but it's not like I can do anything about; I can't expect you to tell me anything either even though you're a DIA agent." The younger Winchester spoke turning his head back to the window. "If there's something you want to tell me you'll come out and say it or give me a hint. Since you haven't done either I'm guessing the heads of the agency are still trying to understand how a pack of rapid animals managed to launch a wide scale attack on a national landmark, and humiliate the entire nation on live TV."

Bishop Winchester's laughter was an ominous thing that most people would have been better off not hearing. It either meant something horrible was about to happen to someone or had already happened. It was rare for his laughter to actually be cheerful. Cardin wasn't hearing his brother's cheerful laugh; it was close to but not the real thing. "I knew Beacon would smarten you up."

"No thanks to you asshole."

"Heheheh, I'll leave you now so you can get your beauty sleep. If anything comes up you know I'll be the first to let you know." Bishop affirmed rising from his seat.

Cardin refused to look at his brother's departing form even as he spoke to him. "Don't do anything stupid or embarrass the family."

"When did you turn into Kindle?" Were the last words Bishop said to his brother before softly closing the door. That could have gone better. The part-time Beacon teacher thought beginning his walk down the semi-crowded hallway. His noise wrinkled in slight discomfort at the heavy metallic taste of blood that permeated the entire building. He could imagine the time it would take for the heavy fog to dissipate, and that was on the assumption they didn't suffer another major attack as they had barely twenty-four hours before. While he'd been trained to never underestimate his enemies he had a hard time believing the White Fang were capable of pulling off another major operation such as this, especially given the staggering number of causalities they'd no doubt suffered. This PMC, PESTILENCE, on the other hand is a different matter. What would cause a band of top notch mercenaries to all but declare open war on the entire nation? No amount of money or financial gain in Remnant would be enough payment to do such an idiotic thing. Of course that's banking on the possibility money is involved, no, something of this magnitude couldn't possibly be fueled by sheer avarice. So many theories and possibilities were running amok in Bishop's head he almost lost track of his surroundings. It wasn't until he was within arm's length of the elevator did he spot the characteristic mop of white haired tied in a bun along with the neatly pressed white suit that went with it. Ah, speak of the Devil, or his mistress, and look what happens. "I trust you managed to avoid any serious injuries Winter?"

Shock was barely able to stay the minute it arrived before the eldest Schnee child put her mask of profession back on. You could say for all the differences they shared that was one thing Bishop admired about Winter Schnee. "Ah, Bishop," she began nodding her head in recognition. "I heard one of your siblings had been injured in battle, I trust they're doing alright?"

"A little grouchy but yes, my younger brother will live to fight another day." He responded taking his place beside her while the elevator took its sweet time to arrive. "I heard your sister and her team encounter some serious trouble during the battle. Something about a White Fang swordsman being able to cancel out her Glyphs. It sounds like the old Glyph Breaker Semblance has finally resurfaced, and in the hands of the enemy no less." Her involuntary stiffing and twitching didn't go unnoticed though the second oldest Winchester heir chose not to say anything. "Bad timing, almost everything about this year."

"I…agree. Of course my sister's inexperience with our family's Semblance is partly to blame. In the future I'm hoping I'll be able to help her remedy that problem." Was her calculated and modest reply to his inquiry.

"Interesting, the way you make it sound you sound as if you'll be coming to Vale more often. I know the life of an Atlas Specialist isn't easy but I don't imagine you having that much free time."

"When it comes to my sister's safety I can manage."

"Ah, I knew you Schnees had a heart beneath that prim and proper shell you put up."

Winter knew what Bishop was doing. Though she had an open respect for the second eldest Winchester male she wasn't always willing to play his little games. Now that both their countries had suffered something of a stinging blow she needed him to have his head in the game. "Has the DIA found any leads to who assisted the White Fang and how they managed to get so close?"

"Sadly no, we've brought in a good number of prisoners from the battlefield, at least after we managed to keep death from claiming them, but so far no one's told me if they talked or not. Personally Winter, I don't believe we'll find anything by interrogating some low-level grunts."

Her eyes went cross at that. "Big game Bishop," she clarified heatedly. "Did you catch any or not?"

"…No, they all killed themselves or had someone else do the deed before we could get to them. Before you ask…forget about the mercenaries that were there fighting with the White Fang."

Winter bristled, something that spoke volumes about the sudden shift the conversation had taken. In all honesty Bishop didn't blame her for the reaction; he'd felt something of a stomach ache when he watched the soldiers' bodies…break down right before his eyes. "So…it's…true then."

Ding!

"You have my word Winter it's true, I saw it happen with my own eyes." The redheaded male affirmed being the first one in. "Our people in the labs are examining the remains but it's going to take some time."

"We don't have time Bishop." Winter bit back. "What we need are results, leads, names."

"We have one, PESTILENCE."

"You really expect me to believe some pathetic mercenary company managed to get the best of the combined power of two of Remnant's strongest nations?"

"…It seems while they were treating you they neglected to examine your eyes or hearing."

That got him a nasty sneer that stayed on her face for the entire ride down. The fact Bishop's smile never left his face only made it deepen. That infuriating smile was the one thing anyone who knew Bishop could say they completely hated about him, and that's exactly why he never stopped doing it. Personally he considered it a victory every time he managed to make Ironwood's favorite underling lose her temper, perhaps he'd gone drinking with Qrow too often. Either way he was quite pleased with himself. Once the elevator door opened she was the first one out, barely pausing to look back at him.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again and I wish you good hunting."

"And I you Wi-"

Boom!

Both adults simultaneously went wide eyed at the sudden sound of destruction and chorus of shrieks that came with it. Wordless they hurried down the hallway pushing past dozens of shocked doctors, nurses, and patients to get to the sight of the explosion.

Once they came to the edge of the crowd they both stopped dead in their tracks to stare at the sight before them. The exact same words came through their lips, "What the hell?!"

---

"Call us just in case you see him Neil." Verde finished closing the door after Yang leaving the gray-haired young man alone in his hospital room.

"Sure thing Doc Verde." He complied with a simple wave of his hand. Once the door safely fell shut he turned his bandaged head to the ceiling. "You're clear Zaak."

With the release of his long held breath the axe-wielding Viking dropped from the ceiling into a crouch. "I can't remember the last time I had to hold my breath that long." Casting a cautionary glance at the door he waited for the turning of the knob just in case Verde and Yang came back. When it didn't he took a seat beside his brother. "How're you holding up?"

"I feel like shit, but that's better than being dead." He dryly answered with a shrug of his shoulders. There was little he could do to deny the lingering pain that persisted in making moving ill-advisable. People had always called him lazy and low-energy; however, the first may have been true most days but the second was always far from reality. He hated it when he wasn't able to move his body as he liked. Groaning he remembered the warnings his doctors had given him, move too much and he ran the risk of having his organs burst inside of him. "How about you?"

His earlier nightmare ran across his body resulting in his whole body tensing up. "I'm staying as long as you guys are here. I've already checked in with Olivia and Chicahua, they're fine."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yeah I did, I said I'm staying until you guys can check out."

"Izaak." The older boy spoke sternly.

Sighing Izaak dropped his head into his hands. He hands ran over his messy bronze-colored hair as he always did when frustration ate away at him. "I freaked out okay. There I said it, happy?"

"Just tell me you didn't crush anyone by accident."

"Well, you see…"

"Did you kill anyone?" The young knight questioned.

His answer was as toneless as the expression on his face. "I may have traumatized someone."

At first Neil said nothing, then at last he rolled his shoulders and shrugged. "Eh, good enough."

"Sorry about that though."

"You're alive, that's all I'm asking for." The scar-faced teenager spoke leaning back into his pillow. Not for the first time Izaak could understand why so many women, and some men, of all ages seemed attracted to his older brother. In battle his expression was always fierce, his eyes practically miniature thunder clouds in their darkness and intensity. Outside of battle that was a different story, especially in times like this. His face was softer, almost as alluring as a freshly bloomed rose. Even with the sizable scar beneath his right eye many still considered him cute and handsome in his own right. Izaak had little doubt as they got older and his brother's face matured his popularity with the opposite sex would only grow. "I know you're thinking about what that woman said." He started without opening an eye, even when Izaak's mouth sprung open to speak. "Save it for another day deartháir, we're in no condition to go clue-hunting or confront whatever the hell we find."

The Viking's silence gave Neil hope he'd ended the argument before it'd begun. Knowing how he was Neil knew once he gave him an inch he'd take the whole mile before he could stop him. There was no denying something about PESTILENCE had been unnerving. Devotion was one thing but the way some of the mercenaries so silently sacrificed themselves…to him it seemed almost robotic. This hadn't escaped Izaak either. "Got any theories?"

"I do…but can they wait until I can actually move my arms?" The knight of team IONC cracked with a smile. It did the trick in getting his brother to join him. This was the kind of healing Neil had needed, the only downside was Olivia and Chicahua weren't able to join him. Odds were they'd be up and active before him; it stung a little he would be the last one out but that was acceptable.

CRICK!

"Hello? Um…I this is sudden but…" As if a winter chill had come over him detective Danial Alton stood completely frozen in the crosshairs of the I and N of team IONC.

Neil's eyes couldn't have been any bigger while Izaak felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. In a heartbeat he'd taken a defensive stance in front of the bedridden knight. The kind light that had sparkled in his hazel-colored eyes was killed and replaced by an almost feral gleam that would have frozen any lesser man.

"I…um…I thought…" Obviously Alton had no idea where to even begin or how to proceed. In truth neither did Izaak or Neil. He took one look at Izaak and knew if he so much as shuffled one foot towards Neil without the boy's approval he was going to be needing a body cast. "I…I'm sorry for intruding. I just wanted to-"

"It's fine." Neil spoke up surprising both the Viking and detective. Their duel attention went to him; it said something about his character when he didn't so much as flinch. "Izaak, it's okay." The brothers met each other's eyes in a silent but heated exchange. At first it seemed like neither would give until hazel eyes withdrew to fall upon the bewildered detective.

"I'll be back in ten minutes." He stated excusing himself from the room leaving the older man and young man alone in the hospital room.

He scooted the chair a few feet further away from Neil when he took Izaak's place. He couldn't blame him for wanting to put some physical distance between them, anyone who'd associated with him learned that lesson the hard way via his parents. When they were alive Cian and Asiling Liath had no issue killing anyone who got too close to their only son, especially if that person wore a badge. Or in this case that person nearly killed him when he was barely six year-old.

"I…wanted to make sure you were alright." Alton started putting his hands on his knees. "You…didn't look well when I dropped you off."

"Inhaling a couple tons of toxic air will do that to ya. What about you? How's the left leg?" He finally found a place to start. "That Oniyanma was pretty intent on making sure it left with souvenirs."

Running a hand over his bandaged leg he felt a slight pain linger in the wounded limb. "I've faced worse than an overgrown mutant fly. Your parents for one." He'd hoped that little joke would bring a smile to the teenager's face.

It did.

"You know I can almost imagine mom and dad going off on me about that." He laughed while shaking his head. "I can almost imagine my mom scolding me, asking me what the hell I was thinking getting caught up in such a shit-show. Same thing with my dad though he'd probably be telling me to get my name out there so the White Fang would put a bounty on my head."

"Heh, that definitely sounds like the Gray Phantoms. Have you gotten your inoculation yet?"

"Just got mine about twenty minutes ago. Granted I would have liked it if it came from an actual doctor instead of a corporate one. Thank you for saving Sun and Neptune."

"It wasn't a problem, those boys actually have a future ahead of them if they ever decide to pursue law enforcement."

"Hah! Sun and law enforcement, that's a combination I never thought I'd see. Then again today I did see some crazy shit, a giant laser cannon hidden in plain sight, giant fighting robots, a city-leveling Grimm, and lastly I saw a scrawny greenhorn slay a twenty-foot killer croc. Guess they weren't kidding when they said you see some strange shit on this job." The youth concluded.

A grunt came before the detective continued. "I heard about your…transfer from Haven to Beacon after the…incident in the Avenio Underground." suffocating silence rolled over the detective and in-training Huntsman. Within his own thoughts Alton quietly mulled over the fact he was sitting across from a boy who he not only nearly killed, but was also responsible for busting one of the biggest Faunus trafficking rings in Mistral. God, he could still remember the utter disgust he felt at reading the story of how several of Mistral's most prominent politicians and socialites were involved in…in…he couldn't even begin to describe it. "Your team did the right thing." Alton finally said releasing a labored breath.

"I know we did." Was all he said in return. "I don't care who they are or what they say, I know we did the right thing bringing that entire building down." The cotton sheets in his hands were nearly torn to shreds by his ever increasing grip. "I just wish those bastards, those monsters got what they really deserved."

"Of the four heads of the trafficking ring five of them were given the death penalty sentences." Alton offered hoping to cheer up the boy's spirits. "The other five may not have but you they're never going to see the light of day or hurt anyone ever again. On top of that Neil, your team, what you guys did was shut down a gladiatorial ring as well as an illegal human trafficking and gambling operation." At first he hesitated but eventual he was able to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You guys saved two hundred lives that night, and probably countless more. You have nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of." Alton concluded never breaking contact.

For so long Neil had wondered how he would react if the man who doggedly pursued his parents all over Vale ever touched him or praised him. Disgust, horror, and honor were just a few of the three things he always thought he would feel. As it turned out honor was the winner, though it may have been because of the subject matter they were discussing. What would either of you have thought of me? While they may have been ruthless criminals Neil knew his parents still worked by a code of ethics, he'd seen with his own eyes, and that code in no way involved human trafficking. He had the nightmare inducing memories of his third kidnapping as proof. I don't know if I made either of you proud today…but I'm hoping you're both happy I at least held my own. You two always taught me that.

Boom!

"Stay here!" In seconds Alton had knocked the chair over, kicked the door open, and bolted out the door.

Neil looked wide-eyed at the opened door before attempting to force his body upward. As if to spite him pain tackled his body back down into the sheets resulting in a pained groan. "Hey! What the hell's going on out there?"

Alton turned the corner through the crowd of people preparing for the worse.

What he got was a runner up for the weirdest shit he'd ever seen.

Standing calmly in front of the gaping hole in the wall was a conservatively dressed young girl with puffy orange hair. Directly across from her, smacked against the wall were two CuraGen doctors practically shitting themselves under the girl's near emotionless gaze.

Alton stared numbly at the scene along with the countless others, doctors and patients alike. Like them he dumbly watched the girl advance closer towards the frightened doctors while behind her, garbed in nothing but a hospital gown a redheaded girl desperately cried for her to stop.

What happened next would stick in not just Alton's mind but the mind of every man and woman present.

A white haired teenager stepped onto the scene with her face almost as pale as her hair. "Ruby!"

The young reaper snapped to her left to find her partner standing amongst the crowd. "Weiss!"

Beside her Ruby's sister and doctor caught sight of a certain hazel-eyed young man looking between the reaper and closest android. "Izaak!"

"Shit."

"Yang!"

"Buruan?"

"Busted."

"Olivia?"

"Sun?"

"Penny!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"YOU SPINELESS BASTARDS!"

"COCO!"

Back in his room Neil jumped at the sudden sound of compound screaming. "Sun? Neptune?" Thanks to the pain in his body he could do no more than hunch himself upward and listen to the horrific beating that was taking place barely a few feet from his hospital room. Though by this point everyone had started screaming Sun and Neptune were the loudest, their voices drowning out all the others save for the enraged yelling of one Coco Adel. "Can someone please tell me what's happening out there?" He desperately called into the hallway.

"Coco's angry and beating the hell out of Sun and Neptune!" he heard Izaak call back.

"Ruby's scared of needles!" Buruan echoed.

"I AM NOT!"

"AARRRRRGGGHHHH!"

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP US!"

CRA-ACK! CRA-ACK!

"I think Coco just broke Sun's left arm again!" The Viking added.

"And cracked Neptune's skull!" The canine swordsman continued.

---

Don't hold back guys, I know horrible that last bit was. Most of the best RWBY stories I've read have had totally awesome comedic portions so I thought I'd see if I've learned a thing or two. Personally I really don't think I did, writing comedy isn't something that comes easy to me. Let me know what you guys think in the comments and reviews. I'll save the story notes for next chapter when a few things discussed this chapter can be explained more thoroughly. Until then stay safe readers!