Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The sound of mechanical clock gears turning at the top of Beacon tower filled Professor Ozpin's office.

His workspace was said to remind students of the concept of time, something the professor himself was always anxious of. He was always afraid of running out of it, of his own time coming to an end.

In a way, his never-ending life resembled a clock. The various hands from each life would move for years, decades even. With each life-cycle, a new beginning. Not unlike pointers revolving for each new hour. However, therein lied a fundamental difference: time had no remorse. If you missed something, time moved on, whether you liked it or not. It had claimed countless victims, himself included.

But now, it seemed time's lack of remorse had reached its tendrils out to another, leaving Ozpin to deal with the very human feeling of failure and regret.

The news of Weiss Schnee's disappearance had been... distressing, to say the least. For more reasons than one.

From an outside viewer's perspective, a student from Beacon had gone missing and supposedly been abducted by the very organisation she had attempted to take down several months prior. Though, it was indeed strange how only Miss Schnee had been kidnapped on those grounds, leaving Miss Rose behind as witness. But the issues at hand did not end there.

Next came the White Fang's ruthlessness, especially considering Miss Schnee's heritage... Well, it upped the stakes. Ozpin had yet to receive any ransom requests or threats. There was always a chance that they would never be delivered to him personally, but rather sent directly to her family. He advised Ironwood to increase security around the cities as a precaution, and not to inform Weiss' sister, Winter Schnee, about the situation as of yet.

Winter Schnee was much unlike her father. She still held some form of loyalty towards her sibling. She had sent a letter of recommendation to Beacon secretly before Weiss had joined, warning Ozpin of her attitude and need to be perfect. It had been partly the reason why Ozpin had not made Weiss leader of team RWBY. He'd witnessed her personality on display during the initiation, but he'd also witnessed how she'd reacted to being around young Ruby Rose.

They'd clicked immediately, once their initial differences were hashed out. Ozpin didn't regret his choice of placing team RWBY together. It had proved to be one of his better choices yet. RWBY had become as prestigious as their top team, CVFY, had been in their younger years. They were already a tight knit family after only two years, which was exactly why Weiss' capture was affecting them so badly. To have family ripped away so suddenly was a painful experience.

Glynda had been helping in the investigation where possible, however, there was not much either of them could do without legality issues forming. The vice Headmaster stood behind him, checking through scroll logs of the students and attempting to find Weiss' student number. If they were lucky, they would be able to find her scroll and any similar scrolls that may have pinged off the CCT at the same exact time, in the same area. They could use that to help pin down exactly who the assailants were. So that they could, at the very least, find some suspects.

He peered over as the elevator bell leading to his office rang with a 'ding'. He'd been updating the remains of team RWBY the best he could. He knew their leader had been hospitalised after the attack too. She was yet to wake up which added more to the headmaster's burden. She was a key witness in all of this, and without her view on the situation, it would be unwise to plan. The doors to the elevator opened.

"I hope you are well, children" Ozpin began, hands tied together just under his chin while he watched the two remaining members of RWBY walk from the elevator towards his desk. Yang led the charge while Blake trailed close behind, both girls looking just as tired and exhausted as each other. They had murky, dark bags under their eyes, trudging about sluggishly. Ozpin narrowed his own exhausted eyes, noting how Yang's hair had a light, fiery glow.

"It's been three days, Ozpin," Yang grumbled loudly as they finally reached the glass desk. Yang hadn't slept much during those three days and when she managed, her sleep was wrecked by nightmares of finding her sister dead in the forest. To say she was irritable was a dangerous understatement. "Do you have any leads at all, or are we going to have to wait until we find Weiss' body strung up on a tree somewhere!?"

Blake pressed a hand onto Yang's shoulder, feeling how hot the girl's aura was. Yang's muscles relaxed slightly at the feeling of Blake's soft touch, but her gaze remained hard on Ozpin who wore a judging one. Glynda frowned in annoyance at the girl's tone but did not comment, too preoccupied with searching for Weiss' credentials to raise her voice.

"Patience is important, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin hummed, ignoring Yang's threatening tone. The blonde huffed in frustration, her hair brightening up another notch. She muttered something harsh under her breath, low enough for Ozpin not to hear. He decided to ignore that too. "How is Miss Rose? Is her recovery going well?"

"She's still asleep, unfortunately." Blake answered quickly, letting her hand fall from Yang's shoulder as she spoke while stepping forward. "The nurses underestimated the dosage of Midazolam that she was exposed to. She's fully healed from her wounds, but she's due to wake up anytime now."

"I am sorry to hear that." Ozpin lifted his mug to his mouth to take a sip of coffee, before letting it fall to the table again, "I assure you she is in the hands of some of the best healers I know, but I'm afraid they can do little for someone who is asleep."

"Thank you, professor. We appreciate everything you've done so far." Blake bowed her head respectfully.

Yang's arms fell to her sides with a sigh, looking between Blake and Glynda as her temper began to build. She'd been dragged away from her sister for this, and so far it had been a colossal waste of her time. Ruby could be waking up right now, lost, confused and in pain. Yang was supposed to be there for her when she woke up, but Ozpin was dragging whatever this was supposed to be, out.

"Can we not beat around the bush? Do you have updates for us or not?" She growled. This time Blake didn't raise her hand to calm her, perhaps starting to grow impatient herself. If she was, she was masking it well. Glynda's eyes narrowed for a second time, looking back at Ozpin as he stood from his chair and turned his back to the girls.

"I do."

Yang bristled in anticipation, "You do? Then tell us, old man!"

"Yang," Blake warned, her voice low. Yang growled, foldinging her arms. Ozpin was really starting to get on her already fraying nerves.

"Luckily for us, team CFVY was in Vale before the storm hit," Ozpin looked beyond the school, to the angry black clouds and lightning across the ocean that held them hostage on the school grounds, "Naturally, once they heard of your predicament, they offered to help." The man looked back to his own reflection, before Blake noticed him watching them through the glass.

"We sent them to follow the tracks you found in the forest. They lead to an abandoned Dust refinery a few hours outside the city," Ozpin continued, turning back to face team RWBY before him, "Which strangely had brand new Dust delivery trucks parked outside."

"So?" Yang asked, looking at Glynda, who had finally moved from her spot by a supportive pillar nearby. Blake, unlike her partner, had picked up on the headmaster's hints. She looked between the two teachers.

"Why would there be new deliveries at an abandoned Dust refinery?" She said out loud. Ozpin smiled as he witnessed Yang catch on to her partner's train of thought. The Dust refineries in Vale hadn't been used since the war. Buildings were scattered everywhere as relics of the past, decaying and rotting, a remnant of the great war. Many had been demolished, but some still survived. This was one such building.

"We believe it's a White Fang hideout." Glynda responded, pressing her scroll to the desk. A photo appeared in the form of a hologram, taken from what looked like a tree. It depicted an abandoned building that looked dangerously old, that reached to be several stories tall. The roof looked as if it had caved in years ago, multiple windows were smashed, but new SDC trucks were parked outside in a neat line. The vehicles blocked the main entrance or where the entrance should've been.

"This Dust refinery in particular is quite large on the inside. The perfect place to hide anything the White Fang would ever need to; Dust, guns, prototype robots..." Glynda finished, before peering over her glasses to Yang and Blake with a sharp look. "...or for holding hostages."

"Have CVFY gone in yet?" Yang asked, her previous temper having been replaced with desperate curiosity. Headmaster Ozpin shook his head. "Why not?!"

"We already have one injured and one missing from the second most prestigious team in Beacon, Miss Xiao Long. Should Team CFVY be compromised, or turned into even more hostages, their safety, the school's and I, would be in serious trouble," He explained, his own eyes fixated on the photograph. "We are also unsure if Miss Schnee is even in there. She could have been moved to other premises. The rain may have washed away fresh tracks before we could find them. But most importantly, we don't want the White Fang to know we're onto them."

"That's not all-" Glynda started, only for a woosh of sweetly scented air to fill the room.

"She's not here..."

Blake and Yang whipped around at the sound of a soft, high pitched voice, finding the tired form of Ruby Rose to be standing in the door of the elevator. Several rose petals had settled around her feet, a sign she had used her semblance to reach the elevator, likely to escape the infirmary. Her hair was ruffled and sticking out everywhere, but her eyes were bright and angry.

She wore a loose fitting tank top and some fluffy trousers belonging to her pajamas. She looked like she had just woken up and immediately raced to the office, which in hindsight, was probably what happened. Blake could easily imagine the exasperated nurses being left behind buried in rose petals as a red tornado rushed out of the building.

"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed in surprise, rushing to stand by her sister. She skid to a halt in front of the small brunette, crouching down to help her younger sibling stand. Ruby's aura was practically non-existent. She must've used what little she'd regenerated to fuel her semblance to get here, Yang noticed with a disapproving frown. "What are you doing here? You should be resting!"

"Where's Weiss?" Ruby growled, shoving past her sister and towards Ozpin's desk. Blake blinked as their leader stopped in front of her, surprised to see the girl walking around so suddenly. An hour ago she had still been asleep and attached to drips and monitors. Blake's eyes moved to Ruby's elbow, where smeared blood covered her skin. She was massaging the joint with her thumb. She must've ripped the needle free in her panic.

"Miss Rose, it is good to see you awake," Ozpin hummed, surprised to be facing the leader of team RWBY already. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to join us." He crossed glances with Glynda. "Do you remember who attacked you?"

"The White Fang. They followed us from the docks," Ruby answered immediately, purposely leaving out the fact that they'd visited a black market. She took a deep breath, clearing her head of the heavy feeling that had set in since she'd woken up. "They jumped us while we were in the forest. Roman Torchwick led them."

Yang jogged back from the elevator to stand beside her sister, grabbing the smaller girl's shoulder tightly and spinning her to meet Yang's horrified features, "Torchwick? As in, Dust robber, giant-robot, tried-to-kill-you-three-times Torchwick? You fought him alone?!"

"We didn't really get a chance to fight," Ruby explained, rubbing the back of her neck where she'd been darted, "We were knocked out before we even knew what was happening."

"So, now Roman Torchwick is also involved in this predicament," Ozpin hummed, his gaze hardening as he thought, "This situation is getting worse and worse by the minute-"

Suddenly, Glynda let out a low gasp, her eyes widening behind glasses as she watched something on her scroll. The headmaster looked across to her as she grew pale, "Glynda? Is something the matter?"

"Professor, I-I think you need to see this," Glynda mumbled, connecting her scroll wirelessly to the glass desk's computer.

"A video? Where did you get this?" Professor Ozpin asked.

Ruby turned back to meet the gaze of their headmasters as Ozpin pressed a key on his keyboard, the photo of the half-ruined building quickly replaced by a blurry shot of colours. A play icon sat in the middle of the screen.

"I found this while attempting to log into Miss Schnee's scroll," the Huntress explained, her voice laced with discomfort. "It's a video dated to last night."

"You guys can check our gallery?" Yang asked, a mortified look in her eyes. Ozpin nodded silently, furiously typing on his keyboard as he typed out the access code to play the encrypted footage before them.

"It's a safety measure, for cases such as this one" Ozpin briefly explained, looking through the timeframe data of the video. Just as Glynda had said, the video had been recorded on Weiss' scroll late the previous night and sent to an encrypted number that not even Ozpin could decipher.

"Brace yourselves," Glynda warned, "This isn't going to be pleasant."

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Just watch."

Ruby took a breath through her teeth as the video began to play, voices and sounds slowly coming to life. If this was found on Weiss' scroll, maybe it could show them where she was.

"LET ME GO!"

Ruby's blood ran cold.

Situated in the middle of the screen was none other than Weiss, the dress she'd been wearing to their date dirtied and fallen to the floor. Her arms reached above her head, chained tightly together while she hung from the ceiling. Dark, ugly bruises rose from her pale wrists and up her arms, as well as around her neck.

Weiss looked terrified.

"I don't know how much of this stuff is enough to kill, buuuut I'm sure we'll find out at some point."

Ruby's eyes fixated on the white coated figure that moved back towards Weiss, recognising the orange hair of Roman sticking out from under his bowler cap. She hissed, seething anger forming in her heart. She balled up her fists as he ran his fingers along Weiss' bruised neck, before muttering something too quiet for Ruby to make out into the girl's ear. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but whatever words were supposed to come out was quickly replaced with a shrill whimper.

Ruby shut her eyes with a gasp as Weiss began to scream. The video kept going, but Ruby forced herself not to pay attention. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, falling from her chin with thick drops and soaking into her chest. This was her fault, this was all her fault. She should've known better than to trust a faunus in a Black Market-

"..Ru...by…"

Ruby's head shot up with a panicked breath, her chest too tight to breathe. Torchwick was gone now, instead replaced by a stronger, meaner White Fang grunt holding brass knuckles between his fingers. Tall ears reached up out of his hood, while one of those Grimm masks covered his eyes and hid his identity. Crimson stained his jacket in splotches.

Behind him, Weiss was bloody and bruised, and so pale. She had strange white spots dotting her shoulders that she couldn't make out, they were so faint that Ruby didn't even know if they were really there to begin with. Ruby could've sworn Weiss was staring through the screen at her, her exhausted icy eyes staring straight to the pits of Ruby's soul, pained and hurting and desperate for help. Ruby felt fresh tears fall from her eyes, her trembling hands reaching up to cover her mortified face as she watched on. She felt so helpless. Ruby was supposed to be a huntress. She was supposed to help people! What good was she if she couldn't even save her best friend...

The faunus sneered and turned back to the hanging young woman, whose eyes shifted from the camera to face him again. She opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something, but fell silent as brass knuckles met her bruised ribs. Ruby held back a cry to stop, a sharp metallic taste filling her mouth as she bit her tongue. Weiss didn't even make a noise as she was struck again, another wheezy cough being interrupted as thick blood flew from her lips and onto the White Fang's mask.

"We want Faunus freedom and equality by the end of the week, Schnee, or your daughter is dead!"

And then, the video ended.

The room was silent as everyone recovered from what they had seen. Glynda turned the video off just as another roar of thunder erupted over the school.

Ruby's shoulders tensed as she struggled to catch her breath, turning away from the desk to try and get a hold of herself. All it took was Yang's touch to prompt Ruby to cling to her elder sister's chest desperately and sob into it as her emotional walls shattered beneath the force of what she'd just witnessed. Her legs slipped from beneath her, Yang's arms holding onto her tightly as she settled on the floor beside her. Her chest muffled the cries that were coming from her baby sister as she wept. She'd seen her like this once before, and once was certainly enough for her.

"I-" Even Ozpin himself appeared horrified from what he'd just witnessed, quickly swiping off the video and holding Glynda's scroll out for her to take, "This is now a matter outside of our hands."

"What?!" Yang cried, her eyes lighting up a violent red, "You're not suggesting we just leave Weiss to die, are you?!" So help her if he was…

"Of course not, Miss Xiao Long, but you must understand, it would be irresponsible of me to send children on such a delicate rescue mission." Ozpin said back harshly, "I understand she is your teammate, but this is outside of your abilities." He sighed heavily, wringing his hands together as he stood from his desk. "Glynda, please track where that footage came from."

"The data is almost identical to the Dust refinery we were suspicious of earlier," She responded quickly, "Shall I send an email to Mr. Schnee?"

"Wait wait wait!" Yang yelled, leaving Ruby to Blake as she stood back to her feet "If the White Fang knows the army is coming they'll kill Weiss on the spot! This is ridiculous! You have to send us in! We've dealt with these guys before!"

"Absolutely not," retorted Glynda. Yang's hair sparked, a sign that she was about to combust any moment. Blake watched silently as Yang got hotter, gently stroking the back of Ruby's head and quietly purring in attempts to calm her down. She was trembling like a leaf.

"But-!" Yang went to argue, yet Glynda had already pulled out her crop in warning.

"This is a non-negotiable matter, Miss Xiao Long," Glynda warned, her eyes flickering to Ruby's crumbled form on the floor, "Your teammates are distraught, and your leader has only woken up from a coma in hospital. Do you truly believe you could take on an entire terrorist organisation in such a state?"

Yang's resolve faltered, "N-no, but-"

"Then it's settled," she concluded, putting her crop away as Yang's flames died out again. "Neither you, nor any other student, will be joining in on this endeavor."

Ozpin sighed, looking back out to the storm that raged outside, "Just to be sure, all student travel from Beacon will be banned until Miss Schnee is recovered."

"Professor, that's unfair!" Blake finally spoke up, her voice threaded in betrayal, "What about the Vytal Festival? Students are still arriving from the other continents."

"If the White Fang are kidnapping students of skill, then it would be foolish to allow so many to gather in one area." Ozpin hummed, "They shall wait until this situation has been defused."

Blake's eyes grew dull in worry, looking back at her own partner, who was still on edge due to the current state of things. Ruby curled up closer into Blake's chest, seeking some kind of warmth. Blake pressed closer to the girl, sharing some of her aura to reassure her. Yang bit her lip. "When will you two be leaving?"

"As soon as we can. Now, please return to your dormitories."

Yang's shoulders sagged with a tired sigh.

"Yes Professor." She hummed, crouching down beside her sister and asking Ruby something about moving. The quiet girl nodded after a long moment, being lifted into Yang's arms with the help of Blake, still curled up against her chest. Blake looked back at Ozpin and Glynda with narrowed eyes as the elevator opened. Soon, all three girls had disappeared behind metal doors, heading back towards the dormitories to rest and recollect themselves.

Glynda let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose where her glasses usually sat, "What a disaster."

"Agreed," He responded calmly, reaching for his mug again "The involvement of Roman Torchwick is deeply concerning."

"What would a petty thief like Roman want with a Schnee? If it was ransom, surely a notification would've gone out by now," Glynda continued, her own gaze watching the rolling clouds.

"It wasn't a ransom kidnapping." Ozpin hummed from inside his cup of coffee, "A shipment of highly secretive Dust was hijacked last week and the White Fang have been quiet for some time. I don't believe those are coincidences, nor do I think Roman is in charge."

Glynda raised a brow, "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not sure yet," Ozpin responded, his eyes thin and calculating, "But if Miss Schnee is found alive, I have my doubts that she will ever be the same person again." He glanced down to the courtyard, where Yang and Blake were jogging through the muddy rain like a torch in the night.

"Do you think they'll listen to your orders?" Glynda asked, watching them as well.

"I don't expect them too," Ozpin huffed, taking another sip of his, now cold, coffee, "In fact, I expect them to leave as soon as they can."

"Are you testing their abilities?"

"I'm testing their bond." he corrected, "Tell Ironwood to send Winter to the Dust refinery tomorrow, along with a first-aid unit."

"Sir?" Glynda asked quizzically as the headmaster turned back to his desk. "No soldiers?"

"We have two of the most prestigious huntsmen groups in Beacon on the scene already," Ozpin said with a smile, "Why would we need soldiers?"

The RWBY dorm was silent.

The air in the room was heavy and thick with emotions. Ruby had fallen to Weiss' bed and not moved or spoken to either of her remaining team members. Blake had given her Weiss' hair piece that she'd found in the forest, careful with the fragile glass ornament. She'd kept it safe ever since recovering it, but Blake felt it belonged more to Ruby than to her. She had no right to hold onto it, and it felt wrong for an ex-White Fang member to keep it. Ruby had taken it in shock, tears immediately springing to her eyes at the sight of it.

Ruby was hunched over on Weiss' bed, holding the heiress' shattered glass hairpiece between her fingers. She carefully ran the pad of her thumb across the cracked ridges, her throat tightening as her emotions slowly threatened to crush her alive. Weiss always wore it in her hair, and Ruby had once thought it was made of ice. It felt sick to hold it in her hands.

"Can you believe Ozpin?!" Yang growled, her fists tightening on her lap, "I mean, he has some nerve telling us not to go after Weiss after what we just saw!"

"He's just trying to protect us, Yang." Blake said, but she didn't believe her own words. She was just as annoyed as Yang was with the situation, but getting verbally angry would only put a wedge between them and their headmasters.

"Protect us my ass!" The brute continued, "We're not going to listen to him are we?!"

"No," Blake said, "But he was right about one thing, right now we're not in the right place to go find Weiss ourselves. It'd be suicide."

"What about team CFVY?" Yang suggested, "They're over in Vale, why don't we just message them?"

Blake pondered the idea for a moment, before nodding, "It's worth a shot, at least."

"This is my fault," Ruby murmured, her voice breaking while she interrupted the other two in the room, "this is all my fault-"

Yang's eyes widened, quickly jumping from Blake's bed to sit beside her distressed younger sister. She wrapped an arm around Ruby's trembling shoulders, tightly squeezing her against her own body. She looked down, trying to catch Ruby's eye, "No- No Rubes, none of this is your fault."

"But it is!" Ruby cried, pulling away from her sister to stand between the beds. Her hands were wrapped around the glass hair piece so tight that her fingers were going white, warm blood trickling out of her palm as the sharp edges cut into her grip. Yang's arm hovered in the air for a moment longer, before letting it drop to her side again.

"It's all my fault!-" Ruby choked on the lump in her throat, tears filling her eyes. She looked back down and loosened her grip on the glass slightly to look at the blood in her hands. She sobbed, falling to her knees as her breath got caught in her throat. "It's my fault she's gone..."

Blake rose from her bed, carefully moving and kneeling in front of her best friend. Yang didn't move, knowing Blake was the softer of the two. The Faunus carefully grabbed Ruby's chin, lifting her teary eyes to meet Blake's own. Ruby watched them for a second, before breaking and falling against Blake's shoulder and letting out a pitched cry.

"We'll get her back, Ruby," Blake purred, gently stroking the back of Ruby's head as she had done earlier. She could feel a growing, damp patch on her shoulder as Ruby's shoulders shook. Blake rested her hand gently on the crown of Ruby's head, her cat ears flattening against her head. "But we need to know how this happened before we do. Others could be in danger."

Ruby sniffed, lying against Blake's shoulder a little while longer. Part of Blake wondered if the rose had even heard her at all, but the girl pulled her head away slowly. She wiped her eyes with her wrist, folding her legs as she sat back. Yang joined them on the ground.

"We.. We went to the black market-"

"What?!-" Yang blurted, before Blake's hand was quickly planted over her mouth. Blake glared at her, before nodding for Ruby to continue.

Ruby looked down to the ground in shame, "I- I've been going for a little while. I thought it would be safe. We were only there for ten minutes." She sighed, watching as her aura knit the cuts on her hands closed. "Weiss didn't want to go in, and I should've listened to her. She knows more about these things than I do." She sighed again.

"You went in?" Blake prompted quietly. Ruby nodded.

"We went to a baker I'd been visiting. Her name's Amber-" Ruby's features turned into an angry scowl "She's the one who sold us out."

"Was she a Faunus?" the feline girl asked. Ruby nodded.

"She was a fox. I think. Everyone there was a Faunus of some sort."

"Then it was probably a White Fang trading center." Blake muttered, finally dropping her hand from Yang's mouth. The blonde immediately piped up again.

"What were you thinking going to a black market full of Faunus?!" She yelled, "Of course something bad was going to happen! We literally stopped their master plan a few months ago! And once before that, too!"

Ruby flinched, "I know…"

"I could've lost you Ruby! You need to be more careful!"

"I know" Ruby repeated with a wobbly sigh, hugging her knees to her chest. She knew she had messed up, and she had realised that the second Roman had told them about Amber. She didn't need her sister to remind her about that. Both Weiss missing without a trace left in behind other than for the gruesome video, and Ruby's aching body were enough of a nasty reminder. She took a heavy breath, her throat tightening as fresh tears gathered in her eyes.

"What happened after that? Did you two notice anything suspicious in the market?" Blake asked, maybe a little too eagerly. Ruby shifted uncomfortably.

"Weiss acted off at one point, bu- but we left quickly after that."

"You didn't see a red bull Faunus anywhere?" Blake pushed again. Ruby frowned.

"I didn't, maybe Weiss did? There was no b-bull Faunus when we were attacked either."

"Good," Blake sighed, her ears drooping. Yang gave her a suspicious look, studying her partner. Blake's anxiety had risen once she'd mentioned that bull Faunus. A part of Yang wondered if it was something from Blake's time in the cult. She'd mentioned having a partner once or twice, maybe that was it? Yang wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to press for information right now.

She let it go, turning her attention back to Ruby again, whose eyes were back on the glass hair piece that belonged to her partner.

"What if we never get her back?" Ruby mumbled, her eyes growing cloudy again, "What if she's murdered because she's a S-Schnee?"

"We'll get her back, Rubes" Yang said.

Ruby's vision didn't lift, instead she focused on trying to realign the glass pieces together. The shattered edges fit together loosely, some of the tiny fragments having gotten lost when it shattered. Ruby hated holding it. It felt so wrong to hold something so precious to the Ice Queen, but it was the only thing that brought some relief to her strained mind.

"Yang's right," Blake said, reaching out and pressing a warm hand to Ruby's shoulder. "Weiss won't go down without a fight."

"Yeah! This is Weiss we're talking about!" Yang joined, shuffling closer so that she could wrap an arm around Ruby's neck, "Remember the time she froze me to the ground for using her hairbrush? You all left me there while you went for breakfast!"

Ruby giggled slightly, "She called you a yeti."

"A yeti, huh?" Yang made a growling noise, before pulling Ruby into a headlock and rubbing her knuckles against Ruby's scalp. The smaller girl let out a cry in surprise, trying to wedge her head out from the death grip. "In my defense, she shouldn't have left it unattended."

"You stole it off her bed," Blake hummed, a warm smile on her face. Yang waved her off, a grin settling across her lips.

"Psh, it was in my line of sight." She defended, smiling as Ruby's quiet whines of protest rippled between the bee duo. Yang finally let go of their leader, watching as Ruby sprung back with a gasp and rolled onto her back. She held the top of her head uncomfortably.

"Bully!" Ruby cried in anguish.

Yang stuck out her tongue.

"I'll get you for that!" Ruby giggled, slowly settling down again. She sighed as the rush left her, a forced smile resting on her. Maybe if she let Yang and Blake believe she was okay, they'd leave her be. Her mind was still clouded and her throat still tight. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

Although Yang's attempts had managed to lift her spirits a little, the tightness that lingered in Ruby's chest was almost suffocating, like someone had left a sack full of sand on her chest. Her lower lip still quivered despite her best attempts at stopping it, but luckily for her it seemed Yang had overlooked it or ignored it.

"You're totally welcome! I can't have a depressed younger sister. That'd ruin my vibe." Yang teased with a wink, "Point is, Weiss is a feisty fighter. Maybe she's already escaped and she's on her way home!" Yang suggested. Ruby hummed unsurely. She didn't know if she believed that, but she appreciated the optimism.

"You're right," Ruby patted either side of her cheeks, swallowing the bulge in her throat with a hard gulp. "We have to have... hope."

"There's our leader," Blake said with a smile. Ruby laughed half-heartedly, before a loud rumble echoed throughout the room. It got quiet for a minute as the three girls registered where the noise had come from. Ruby's hand landed on her stomach. Yang's eyes widened as Ruby's face turned as red as her cape.

"Was that your stomach?!" She laughed, "It was almost as loud as the thunder outside!"

Ruby closed her eyes in embarrassment, "I- uh, haven't eaten since I woke up."

"Let's go get some food then," Blake suggested over Yang's chuckles, "We'll need to have our strength up for when we're called on for the mission. We can't fight Torchwick on an empty stomach."

Yang rolled onto her back, placing her hands behind her head and hopping to her feet. She placed a hand on her own stomach, "Sounds great! I'm starving!"

"You're always hungry," Ruby remarked, shuffling to her own feet, the glass ornament still clutched in her hand. Yang grabbed Ruby around the neck again, making the smaller girl squeal in surrender.

"You're one to talk!"

Ruby used her semblance to escape Yang's hold, moving to stand by Weiss' bed again. Myrtenaster was laid across the center, alongside a replacement scroll that had yet to be registered. Carefully, Ruby laid the two pieces of the hairpin alongside the other belongings of her partner, making sure either half was lined up as best they could be. A pang of pain struck her heart at the sight, her silver orbs growing glassy again.

"I'll find you, Weiss," Ruby muttered softly, looking at the photo of the four of them in first year, which rested between the beds. Ruby took a breath, looking to the storm outside as tears welled in her eyes again. "Even if it kills me."

"How's our guest doing, Perry?"

The deer scientist looked up in surprise as Roman Torchwick leaned over him, a cigar in his mouth as he examined the screen in front of him. Perry, who's real name was Jackson Winchester, looked down to his papers quickly, scanning through the results. He pulled up an MRI scan on the screen.

"She- uhm- Her body has adapted well to the implants," He began nervously, a tremble in his voice as he pointed to the chest on the screen, where it showed chunks of unnatural multicoloured substance sitting below the skin, "The implants have attached themselves to main components of the body, except the lungs. Her heart rate has slowed as well-"

"So she's going to live?" Roman asked impatiently, picking up a page that recorded vitals from the past few days. The numbers fluctuated a bit at the start, but it had remained consistent the last day and a half. She had been confirmed stable that morning, which was when most of the testing had begun. Roman had to admit, he was impressed. For such a scrawny kid, she sure was determined not to die.

"Y-yes sir, but you can't do anymore testing for another few days while we wait and see how the Dust reacts to her heart. Her heart rate slowed by only a small bit of Dust entering it" The scientist continued. Roman hummed, leaning on his cane.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we're not sure if she's just waiting to die, or if her body has really accepted the Dust. The dip in her heart rate made her body temperature drop, which is deeply concerning," He pointed to the paper in Roman's hands, "It's unnatural."

"Well, so is pure Dust," Roman remarked back, pointing to the screen again, which was now showing surveillance of the room where Weiss still hung. Her wrists had turned a sick purple, which were visible even on camera. A result of her struggling.

"Keep testing. I want any and all information that I can sell," Roman ordered, moving away from Perry as he left the lab, "And start immediately.". Metal doors hissed open in front of him, leading to a hall and a single door built into the wall. He approached the door, lighting a cigar as he waited for it to scan him and approve of his presence.

He didn't approve of all this technology, or all this high tech testing. He much preferred to just tape someone to a chair and beat them with a crowbar, but that was 'unprofessional' in the White Fang, and that a Schnee had to be treated carefully while they waited for the right time to reveal their abomination.

The end goal was to brainwash this Schnee enough to turn her to the White Fang. A Schnee who sided with a criminal organisation would be valuable, undoubtedly so, but a monster with the Schnee name? That would be perfect. If her implants went off without a hitch, she'd become the perfect monster to release on human kind. A killing machine… They just needed a semblance strong enough to control her mind, which they were in the process of receiving. Someone in Vacuo, but Roman hadn't been told much.

Of course, that was all wishful thinking. The faunus always aimed too high, Roman had noticed. They were always aiming for the stars, while they waited too long and missed the smaller fish. Just because they had a Schnee didn't mean they were out of hot waters just yet. That Schnee had a team of very annoying huntresses, an older sister in the army, and a very powerful, very angry father. Roman hadn't agreed to join this suicidal agenda at first, but hey, money was money, and there was a lot of money.

Finally, the heavy metal door opened with a hiss. He grinned, biting onto the butt of his cigar as he waltzed into the room, "Good morning, Princess! I saw you're alive and kicking, how surprising! You're full of little surprises like that, aren't you?"

Weiss barely lifted her head, a scared eye watching Roman through pale eyelashes. She didn't talk, not like she could. Roman was pretty sure she'd screamed her voice out during their first few sessions.

Roman grimaced at the blood that stained the floor, before lifting Weiss' head to examine the points where he'd pressed the needles under skin. The skin had closed, but disgusting black bruises surrounded her neck. Maybe that was why she couldn't speak.

"Fear not, Schnee. You'll be working for us soon, then you won't remember anything," Roman whispered. Weiss knit her brows together, taking a pained, deep breath.

"I'll...never work… for you," she wheezed out, needing to take a breath for each word. Roman laughed as more scientists joined him. He turned his back on her, lifting a hand to wave at the Schnee as he left.

"We'll see about that! Goodnight, Schnee!"

Weiss watched in distress as Roman left, before her head fell again. She felt more needles slip beneath her skin as they scientists continued their forsaken tests, her eyes closing as she let the faunus do as they liked. Her pool of hope was drying up, but she hadn't given up just yet. She just had to keep holding onto the strands of what she had left.