Chapter 28
"Alright girls, everybody ready?" Qrow asked, standing outside of team Rwby's dorm room, with a large travel bag around his shoulders.
"Yes sir," Weiss answered, holding a suitcase in her hands. The rest of team Rwby gave Qrow an affirmative nod. "Good, the bullhead should be waiting for us," Qrow said, as he turned around and started walking towards Beacon's transport station. "Hey, you okay Blake?" Yang asked, looking at her partner, as they picked up their things and followed Qrow. "I'm fine, just didn't get much sleep last night," Blake explained.
"Don't worry kid, you'll be able to get plenty of sleep on the ship," Qrow said. "If you kids get hungry, Summer said that she would have some food for you," Qrow said, as the group exited the dorm building. The fractured moon still hung high in the sky, it being about two in the morning. "How long will it take us to get to Atlas?" Yang asked. "A couple of days," Weiss answered, "travel between Vale and Atlas is usually a pleasant experience, so we shouldn't have much to worry about." The group soon reached their assigned bullhead, finding Summer waiting for them onboard. "Good morning mom, you ready?" Yang asked, coming to stand next to her adoptive mother. "Of course, I'm going to get my daughter back, no matter what," Summer answered, "I'm glad that you girls could join us, especially you Weiss, I am truly grateful."
"The pleasure is all mine, Ruby is not only my partner but my friend as well, and if what you say is true, then it is my duty as a Schnee to right this wrong," Weiss said. "I'll tell the captain that we're ready to depart," Qrow said, entering the bullhead's cockpit door and closing it behind him. "You girls get some rest, this is going to be a long flight," Summer said, exiting through the same door her husband did. "So you girls want to talk or go to sleep? Weiss asked, looking between her two teammates. "Sleep," Blake answered, placing one of her books on the seat and using it as a pillow. "What about you, Yang?" Weiss asked, not receiving an answer from the blonde brawler, who was sitting down staring out of the window. "Yang?" Weiss repeated, gaining the brawler's attention.
"What's up, Weiss?" Yang asked. "I was just wondering if you wanted to talk or did you want to sleep?" Weiss asked, "are you alright?"
"No, not really, I'm just, I got a lot of my mind," Yang answered, turning away from the window and towards Weiss. "Do you want to talk about it?" Weiss asked, sitting down next to Yang. "I just don't understand, why would my mother take my baby sister away from me, and why would Ruby lie about it?" Yang asked, knowing Weiss wouldn't have the answers. "I'm sorry, but I don't have the answers, you'll just have to ask her when we find her," Weiss said. "Yeah," Yang muttered, turning back to stare out of the window. It wasn't long until the bullhead started to take off. Summer and Qrow entered the room, the pair sitting across from the girls. It didn't take long for the two to fall asleep both leaning against each other, for support.
"I'll just go to bed then," Weiss said to herself, laying across a row of seats, leaving Yang to stare out of the window.
"How exciting!" The mad scientist exclaimed, staring into the lens of a microscope. "Do you want to know something fascinating?" The doctor asked, receiving silence in return. "Nothing to say?" The doctor mocked, turning away from his microscope to look at his test subject.
Ruby laid on the metal table, motionless, her eyes open but unfocused, a bloody bandage wrapped around her right eye.
"Ohhh, right you can't answer me but I know you can hear me, the drugs in your system only paralyze you, I made sure that you could feel everything that I do to you," the scientist laughed. Taking a flashlight from a nearby table, the man proceeded to flash the light into Ruby's left eye, writing some notes onto a notepad. After he finished writing his notes down, the man tore Ruby's bandage off, shining a light into the girl's injured right eye. "Interesting," the man muttered, tapping his chin in thought. Tapping a few buttons on his scroll, a snowflake emblem spun around for a moment, revealing his employer.
"What is it?" Jacques asked, an annoyed edge in his voice.
"I've found something interesting sir" the scientist answered, "from what I have observed the girl's silver eyes are, biologically, just like anyone else's eyes. That would mean the power of the silver eyes is not only a physical trait but an intangible one too," the scientist explained. "I don't understand and I don't care, just tell me if this power can be harnessed," Jacques commanded, taking a sip of his ice-cold whiskey. "I believe so sir, from the samples we've gathered, we found a silver residue on the petrified grimm. Upon further examination the silver residue has the ability to freeze the grimm in stone," the scientist explained. "Good," Jacques muttered, thinking of all of the lien that he was about to make.
"If the power of the silver eyes is based on emotions as I believe, then causing the girl great emotional stress should cause her to use her silver eyes," the scientist said.
"I don't care what you do to the girl, as long as she's alive and can produce this silver residue, I don't care what happens to the girl," Jacques said. "Thank you, sir, I'll start my tests right away," the scientists said, before ending the scroll call and walking over to Ruby's side.
"Did you hear that my dear? Of course, you did, it seems that you and I are going to become the best of friends," the scientist cheered. Ruby did her best to shout, to scream for help on the off chance that someone would hear her, but she could not, the drugs in her system kept her completely immobilized.
"Hahahhahahaha," the mad scientist laughed. "Now what emotion should I pick, let's see theirs, anger, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, contempt, and...fear," the scientist said, smiling as a new idea came to him. "Fear has to be my favorite emotion, I love seeing the fear in my patient's eyes when I operate on them. I wonder, what are you afraid of, I can't wait to find out," the scientist laughed, as he exited the room.
After a few hours of rest, Raven was finally able to transform into her raven form. Raven was annoyed that she had to fly all this way, but if her plan worked, it would be well worth it. It took Raven a couple of days to reach her destination, having to take a couple of breaks along the way. Once Raven reached her target, she flew to the old tower, entering through the old entrance made specifically for Qrow and herself. Once inside, Raven looked down, finding Beacon's headmaster sitting at his desk, typing something on his scroll. The headmaster seemed to sense Raven's presence, looking up to meet the avian's gaze.
"Raven," Ozpin greeted in a neutral tone.
Raven flew down, landing in one of Ozpin's chairs and transforming into her human form. "Oz," Raven said, crossing her arms. "What do you want?" Ozpin asked, skipping the polite demeanor that he usually uses. "To make a trade," Raven answered cryptically, "I'll give you all the information that I have on Salem and in return, I want my daughter back." "Miss Xiao Long?" Ozpin questioned, already knowing that she wasn't referring to Yang.
"No, not her, you know who I'm talking about," Raven snarled.
"I do but as I'm sure you know that I do not have her," Ozpin said. "I know you don't have her, but I bet you know who does, all you have to do is help me save her and I'll share all kinds of secrets with you," Raven said, a small amount of desperation in it. "Like what?" Ozpin asked, sitting back in his chair. 'I know who and where the fall maiden is," Raven answered, expecting a reaction out of her old headmaster. However Raven started to worry when a smile appeared on Ozpin's face. "Are you referring to Cinder Fall?" Ozpin asked, shocking Raven. "What h-how?" Raven asked, making Ozpin chuckle. "Is that all you have to offer Raven? If so it would seem that you have nothing to offer me," Ozpin said. "Wait!" Raven shouted, "I have more, I'm...I'm the spring maiden," Raven said.
"I suspected as much, besides it doesn't matter I will not allow you to harm the girl any further, from what Summer and Qrow have told me, Ruby wants nothing to do with you," Ozpin said, making Raven growl in rage. "She's just confused, she'll come around eventually," Raven said confidently. "I just need to find her first, come on Oz help me save my little girl," Raven pleaded, hating having to ask this man for anything.
"I cannot help you, I'm sorry but you chose your path long ago, now you must face the consequences," Ozpin said, standing up and preparing to call Beacon's staff to apprehend Raven. "Hold up!" Raven called, "I'll come quietly, just let me save my baby first, I need to make sure she's ok," Raven pleaded. Ozpin sighed, "How do I know if I can trust you?" Ozpin asked.
"I...I don't know..please you got to believe me, I only want what's best for my daughter." Raven said.
Ozpin seemed to think Raven's words over, "I do believe that I've come to a solution, capturing the fall maiden and her associates will be difficult, but with the power of the spring maiden, it would be much easier. So I'll make you a deal, assist me in capturing the fall maiden and I will allow you to accompany Summer and Qrow on their rescue mission, after that we may be able to talk about visitation for you and Ruby if she wishes to see you of course." the headmaster offered. "What stops me from teleporting straight to them?" Raven questioned "Besides from you already giving me your word, the only thing that would stop you is Summer and Qrow themselves but I believe that if I speak with them, I might be able to warm them up to the idea," Ozpin explained.
"I'll do it," Raven promised. "Very well, we plan to attack tonight, you will be joining Glynda and a few other members of Beacon's staff in the attack. We hope to apprehend Cinder and her compatriots without panicking any students, so I expect you to be on your best behavior," the headmaster said, speaking to Raven as though if she was a student again. "Fine, I'll be on my best behavior," Raven promised. "I'm glad, you are free to stay in the staff's lounge until it is time," Ozpin said.
"Alright," Raven said, transforming into her raven form and flying out of the professor's office.
Instead of laying around in Beacon's teacher lounge, Raven flew around Beacon, heading to an old stash she made in her senior year. She didn't have much time, Cinder was too valuable of an alley to allow her to be captured. Using one of her emergency scrolls, Raven downloaded a special app, allowing her to make anonymous calls to whoever she wished.
"Who is this?" a voice on the other side of the call asked.
"Listen carefully, they know who you are, you have to get out of there, you have to save her," Raven said in a distorted voice, ending the call before Cinder could get another word out. Raven quickly placed her scroll back, rushing to the teacher's lounge. If Cinder took caution of her warning, then Beacon's staff would be too late.
"Crap," Cinder muttered, looking around the room nervously.
"Is everything okay, Cinder?" Emerald asked, noticing the worried look on her mentor's face."Everything is fine, what have you found?" Cinder asked. "They're wearing the Schnee family logo," Emerald answered, looking through the laptop that sat in her lap. "The Schnees? What would they want with her?" Cinder asked. "No clue but it can't be good, what should we do?" Emerald asked.
"Hmmm, if the Schnees really do have her, then she'll probably be in Atlas. I'll head to Atlas while the rest of you stay here and continue the plan." Cinder answered now speaking to Mercury and Neo as well.
"Yes ma'am," Emerald said.
"Excellent, Emerald you are in charge," Cinder ordered, heading over to the closet and taking out her already prepared travel bag. "I should be back in a few days," Cinder said as she looked over her subordinates one last time, "I wish you luck," Cinder said as she exited the room. As soon as Cinder was out of the room, she looked around the hallway carefully, she would be lying if she said that the scroll call she just had didn't creep her out, it was one of the reasons that she left so suddenly, the other reason being what she had told her subordinates.
Taking one last look around, Cinder