A/N: *bursts from grave of school work*

HI-

So sorry for such the delay in this chapter! A lot- and trust me when I say a LOT- has happened both physically and emotionally the last few weeks that stopped me and my editors from looking over the next few chapters.

I will say that once CHAPTER 10 is out, there will be an extended break where I will go over the first two Arcs of the story to try and fix some inconsistencies in them. Nothing overly major will be changed per say, just a few changes on the next few arcs of the story. Always improving, right?

ANYHOW, please enjoy this (painfully, horrifically late) chapter of Dust Queen 3 Reviews are very appreciated!~

Yang massaged her jaw where Yatsuhashi had punched her, the bruise throbbing while Blake and Velvet crouched in the bushes just in front of her. She'd been instructed to not let her aura heal it because she had to make Blake and Velvet look believable, but gods did it hurt…

"Your teammate can pack one hell of a mean punch," Yang grumbled quietly, the impact on her chin slowly slowly darkening. Yatsu had been very hesitant to hit Yang without her aura active despite her insisting several times, telling him that she'd been hit by a giant hydraulic robot before and lived. If anything, that seemed to make him even more nervous. In the end, it had been Velvet who'd convinced him to hit her, and man had it been a hit. Yang was jealous.

"There, look." Blake whispered to Velvet, motioning towards another White Fang duo that were approaching the main entrance. They waved to the two guards by the door, before stepping inside the abandoned building. Velvet's rabbit ears pointed in that direction.

"I didn't hear a password or anything," Velvet said, looking back to Yang and then to Blake, "Think we should go?"

"Yeah." Blake responded, fastening the Grimm mask over her eyes with a click. She crouched before Yang, holding out some braided rope in front of her. "Your hands."

Yang did as she was ordered, turning around and putting her hands together behind her back. As she felt Blake wrap the thick, tan rope around her wrists loosely, she grinned, "Jee Kitkat, if you were into bondage you shoulda just told me."

She was met with a solid hit to the side of the head, "Shut up, Yang."

"Yes, ma'am," Yang teased, hearing Blake sigh hard behind her. Velvet was chuckling nearby, a faint blush beneath the mask on her face at Yang's antics. Yang winked at her. "Let's get this show on the road, ladies."

"Coco?" Velvet whispered, pressing a well hidden com in her rabbit ear, "We're going in, you ready?"

"Ready as we can be. Good look, Velv'," Came the reply.

"Remember, Yang, make it look realistic," Blake whispered from behind Yang, faintly holding the ends of the rope loose so Yang could escape when she needed to. Yang nodded.

The trio finally emerged from the bushes, with Velvet leading Yang towards the main door. Almost immediately, the two guards at the door noticed them and pointed their rifles towards them, startled by the sudden appearance of the three figures. Yang began to wriggle in Blake's grasp, grunting and growling as she faked her attempt to break free.

"Let me go, you disgusting animals!" She roared, grinding her teeth together as she jerked her body around. "I'll kill you all! Release me and see how strong I really am!" Blake smirked at the acting in front of her, before clearing her throat and growing serious.

"Silence yourself, human! Or I'll make sure to personally mount you on my wall as a rug!" Blake roared back over the blonde brute in her hands. Velvet straightened herself as they finally reached the door, both grunts looking at Yang like she was some form of wild animal. Blake kicked the back of Yang's knee, prompting her to fall to the floor with a growl.

"Animals! Every one of you!" She spat, wincing as Blake knotted her fingers in her hair and tugged her chin up to face the white fang guards in front of her, earning a pained hiss from Yang at the motion. Blake lightened her grip upon feeling the hint of pain that wavered through Yang's aura.

"Jeez, a wild one you got there," one of the grunts commented, lifting his rifle to aim at Yang's neck lazily. Yang spat at him, to which he chuckled, "Damn, she's got some balls."

"You're telling us," Velvet commented, cradling her ribs and fake-wincing as she gripped too hard, "She got some good hits in before we got her down."

"Do you need to see the healer?" The second guard asked, keeping his distance from Yang as she growled at them. Blake shook her head, forcing Yang back down again.

"I said be silent!" Blake threatened with another light tug, "We're fine. Did anything change while we were gone?"

The one pointing a rifle at Yang laughed, moving his weapon to settle on his shoulder, "Not really. That Schnee girl is still kicking, though. The guys should be back from Vacuo soon with that mind control semblance too. The Schnee's downfall is near."

Blake and Velvet crossed glances. A mind control semblance?

"What mind control semblance?" Velvet asked, before smiling awkwardly, "Ah, sorry. I only got here in the last few days. I'm actually supposed to be a technician."

The guard waved her off, "Don't worry, we hardly know anything either. Apparently they're going to try and control the Schnee we got, turn her against her own family or something weird like that." He stopped to think for a second, looking to the second guard behind him. "Think they were doing some power enhancing experiments or something? I dunno, but the bitch didn't shut up for hours. I thought I'd never sleep."

Yang froze in her struggles, also processing what she had been hearing. The air around the faunus grew hot as the brawler's semblance began to flicker to life, "Schnee…? You're the sick bastards who kidnapped her?!"

"The one and only sweetheart," He crouched down onto one knee, meeting Yang's furious, red gaze, "Maybe Roman will let you see her before you turn into one of those creatures."

Blake bristled, the fur on her ears standing on end as she listened to the man laugh in front of her. Yang's fists balled behind her and she tugged, a sign she wanted to be let go as her hair began to catch fire. Blake happily let go of the rope around Yang's wrists, giving Yang free reign to take out the soldiers when she was ready. The blonde flexed her hands, fully activating her semblance in a bright flash and putting all her strength from Yatsu's punch into her fists.

"You ASSHOLES!" Yang screamed, tearing forward and driving her fist into the closest guards face. She felt a satisfying crunch under her knuckles as she broke his nose, before swinging again to ensure the man was out cold for a long time. He didn't move after the second hit, the white mask on his face smashed into pieces and on the ground around his head.

The second grunt let out a yell of surprise, lifting his gun to shoot at Yang in defense. Blake appeared before him, swiftly batting the gun out of the way with her arm and kicking him in the ribs with a powerful kick. The man flew back, the attack launching him into the side of one of the nearby trucks. He grunted and crumbles to the floor as he succumbed to the pain shocking his body. Blake kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Yang stood back up, kicking the grunt by her feet in fury, "That's for what you did to Weiss, you sick freaks."

"You're clear," Blake said into the comm in her ear, pulling the White Fang off her face and tossing it to the ground in disgust. She ground her heel into it, shattering the cheap plastic with a harsh snap.

"Why do you think they want a mind control semblance for Weiss?" Yang asked the two faunus as the others jumped from their hiding positions. Velvet took her own mask off, carefully pulling her ears from the slots in the cape's hood. "To mess with her father?"

"Maybe," Velvet said, finally freeing her long brown rabbit ears and massaging the base of them where the coat had been clinging uncomfortably to them, "If the White Fang gets their hands on a semblance like that, they'll have a lot of power. They could get anyone on their side."

Blake helped Yang as she pushed the unconscious bodies of the guards beneath one of the dust trucks, hiding them from plain sight, "We can let Glynda know once we get back."

"If we're allowed back," Yang pitched in, wiping off the blood on her knuckles onto the side of the truck. "Oz seemed pretty serious about the expelling thing."

Neither of the faunus got a chance to respond as the second half of the team appeared. Coco led them, followed by Ruby, Fox and Yatsuhashi. The giant had to squat awkwardly behind one of the trucks to keep from prying eyes.

"Good work, girls," Coco commented, looking at the doorless entry that led into the main building. The main lobby seemed empty, so they had a moment to collect themselves. "What did you learn?"

"We know Weiss is alive," Velvet said, not missing how relief seemed to light up in Ruby's eyes, "At least, they said she was."

"Is that everything?"

"No," Blake said, "They're trying to find a mind controlling semblance to use on her. They also mentioned experimenting." Sad amber eyes flickered to Ruby as she stiffened, her mind flashing back to the video Ozpin had shown them the night before. Tears formed in Ruby's eyes as the disturbing images came to the front of her mind again.

Ruby's grip tightened on Crescent Rose, and she swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. Weiss was alive. She was alive. It was almost like a weight had been lifted from Ruby's shoulders, only to be replaced with doubts as other ideas crawled from the depths of her mind. Could they trust these White Fang to be telling the truth? They were only guards after all. Who knew if their information was accurate?

"We need to hurry then. Fox, can you pick up on Weiss' aura at all?" Coco asked, looking at her blind partner. The man nodded at Myrtenaster that sat lonely on Ruby's hip.

"I can, thanks to her weapon," He took a deep breath, 'looking' around as he followed invisible aura trails only his semblance could see. His head fell to the ground, a deep frown settling on his face. "She's here, but she's a few levels below us. It's so faint, I can barely see it."

Ruby suddenly pushed past Coco, bumping her shoulder as she moved into the refinery. Coco's eyes widened behind her sunglasses, but she quickly followed, looking back to the shocked others, "Come on. We're following her lead."

The leader of team RWBY armed Crescent Rose, a clip full of paralysing dust loading into the chamber as she pressed further into the domain of the White Fang. She could hear the others following her, Coco close behind as she tried to discover a way down to where they were holding Weiss.

"It's spooky in here," Yang whispered.

Ruby hummed in agreement, looking to her faunus teammate as Blake's ears swiveled around. Her eyes were wide as she listened, her vision much clearer than any of the others. Ruby's own hearing wasn't amazing, but even still, she could hear a faint murmuring of voices echoing down the halls.

The slow, taunting drip of water nearby put Ruby on edge, the sound almost filling her mind. In a way, it was tranquil and relaxing, but it also revealed just how silent this area was. Any loud moves and the White Fang would be on them like wolves on rabbits-

A dull clatter almost made Ruby leap out of her skin, her eyes finally readjusted to the darker interior. A mouse jumped in front of her, sending a plastic petrol can rolling across the floor. She heard Velvet sigh loudly behind her, feeling the panic rolling off her aura as she calmed back down.

"Definitely spooky," the rabbit faunus mumbled.

Ruby frowned, looking around in the dimly lit room. It was empty save for an old reception desk with a decorative, half broken marble wall behind it. There were heavy wooden dust crates stacked near the reception desk, all stamped with the SDC logo. There had to be a map of the layout somewhere.

"What's the plan?" Coco asked quietly, crouched beside Ruby as the group snuck in, "We need to find a way down."

Ruby quickly hopped over the desk when she reached it, frowning at the mess of papers scattered over the floor, "There has to be a fire escape map, or a technician map- something, somewhere here." She started carefully pulling open filing drawers, many of the documents gone, likely taken when the refinery shut down. "Maybe it'll have a route to the lower levels."

Coco pointed to Velvet, "Velv, come here."

The rabbit appeared without a second thought, eyes glancing over the documents Ruby was rummaging through in interest, "What can I do?"

"You're a technician," Coco started, "Do you know where they would keep a technician map?"

The girl hummed in thought, "Not specifically. I do know where blueprints could be, though."

"Where?" Ruby asked, perhaps a little too eagerly judging from Velvet's taken aback expression. The faunus sat back on her haunches, pulling her scroll off her back.

"Usually they're kept in a filing cabinet, but because this was a Schnee Dust Company building," she was typing something into her scroll while she spoke, a triumphant smile on her face as she pulled up a webpage and held it up for the two leaders to look at, "I should be able to find the original blueprints on their servers somewhere."

Ruby's eyes widened in slight surprise at the sight. She didn't know Velvet was a hacker-

"Oh shit!" Ruby heard a voice hiss.

"Hey!"

Ruby perked her head over the receptionist desk in surprise, only for Yang to push it down as she vaulted over the desk, "Get down!"

A barrage of bullets flew above them, splintering the wood as it skimmed off the desks surface. Ruby squealed in surprise, pressing her back against the wood in surprise as she readjusted herself for a fight. Fox had also jumped over the reception desk, while Yatsu and Blake hid behind pillars that supported the second floor.

"Where did they come from?!" Coco called over the gunfire.

"They just appeared out of nowhere!" Yang called back, loading non-lethal dust into Ember Celica. Ruby's eyes fell to Yang's leg where her aura was actively knitting together a bullet graze, guilt pooling in her chest.

Maybe this really was just a suicide mission.

"There!" Velvet called, just as the first wave of gunfire ended. Both Yang and Coco popped up, unloading their weapons into the enemies they were being attacked by. Ruby looked up as the rabbit faunus scooted closer, holding out her scroll for Ruby to take.

Ruby took the device in her hand, finding a picture of a blueprint on the screen. There were two more levels beneath them, a storage level and a laboratory level. Ruby's eyes narrowed, zooming in on the entrances down. Coco dropped back into cover with a gasp, her gatling gun smoking as a shot ricocheted off the wood where she'd been standing a second earlier.

"Yikes, that was close."

Ruby ignored her, zooming into the image of the main lobby where they were. There was a staircase behind the wall that led down to the storage floor. Ruby looked around her. There wouldn't be cover if they were to leave the reception desk to go around, they'd be shredded by bullets.

"Ruby- we need to move!" Yang cried, changing to Ember Celica's shotgun mode.

"Working on it!" called Ruby, lifting her head back over the desk to get a better overview of what was going on. The White Fang had pooled in from either side of them, closing them in in a semi-circle. She didn't notice the strange formation in her blind panic, ducking back down under the desk as a shotgun blast flew above her. She gulped.

Ruby turned to Coco, handing Velvet's scroll back as she got ready to cover her friend. They might not be able to go around the wall, but nobody said they couldn't go through it.

"Coco, destroy the wall behind us! I'll cover you." Ruby ordered, whipping Crescent Rose over the quickly deteriorating reception desk and taking aim. Yang, Fox and Blake had done a good job taking out some of the White Fang, but more and more seemed to pool from the hallways either side of them and close the little space they had left. Ruby narrowed her eyes, aiming at the first target she could find. There was a crack as she unloaded, electricity surrounding the faunus she'd shot as he fell to the ground, twitching. Almost immediately, two more took his place.

"I like your style," Coco commented, pressing her back to Ruby's and unloading Gianduja into the wall as instructed. Thanks to her dust empowering semblance, the wall chipped away quickly, sending pebbles and brick chunks everywhere. Ruby grunted as a bullet hit her in the shoulder, her aura deflecting it. She ducked back down temporarily, holding the sore spot as her aura healed it.

"Ruby, are you okay?!" Velvet asked, having scurried closer to their makeshift cover when Coco started shooting at the wall. Ruby grunted in response, massaging the sore spot with her palm. Whatever damage had been done had already started to heal.

"I'll be okay," she said, looking up as Coco finished destroying the wall. Just as the map had said, there was a staircase leading up to the next level that looked long destroyed, as well as one leading down to storage. Ruby's eyes lit up, and she pulled her cape over the charred mark on her shoulder.

Coco folded her weapon back into it's handbag form, dusting the white powder off her clothes before falling back into a crouch, "Wall's down!"

"Let's go!" Ruby cried, taking a step back from the desk as she unloaded one last round before turning and making a beeline towards the stairs. She could feel Velvet's aura brushing off her own as she ran, the rabbit faunus holding out on using her own weapon.

The seven huntsmen dove beneath the stairs for cover, Yatsuhashi and Yang covering them as they raced down the splintering stairs. Blake and Velvet led, their eyes more tuned to the quickly fading light. If the lobby was dark, then this place was pitch black. Ruby could hardly see, her only light being the hot glow coming from the tip of Coco's gun and Yang's blonde hair.

However, even in that light, she knew she'd messed up.

The darkness suddenly disappeared as a white flash filled Ruby's eyes, the sudden change making her eyes water. She blinked the water out, squinting as she faced their next opponents. A few White Fang Lieutenants were dotted around, sitting on old machines and conveyor belts with weapons the size of Yatsuhashi. In the middle, almost welcoming them, stood a single pink and brown haired girl.

And in the back…

Ruby's mouth dried up as she met eyes with Weiss, her partner dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants. Her hair was down, which covered some of the bandages that covered every part of her skin except for her face. Her eyes held an unspoken fury as she stared silently.

"Weiss..?" Ruby muttered, Yang and Yatsu finally catching up to the main group. Coco and Velvet shifted nervously, eyeing the lieutenants as they packed closer together. Yang pushed her way up until she was beside Ruby, where she immediately tensed up.

"You." She growled at the small girl. Neo simply waved, looking back as Weiss pushed herself from the wall and walked up beside her. Yang looked across to her teammate, disturbed.

"What the.. Weiss? What are you doing?" Yang asked, voicing everyones thoughts. Weiss didn't answer, simply looking to Neo as if sharing a silent conversation with her. The mute girl shrugged and gestured ahead.

"I am doing what I've always wanted to," Weiss spoke, her voice hoarse but level and hard. "I'm taking over the Schnee Dust Company with the help of some powerful allies."

"You hate the White Fang," Ruby muttered. Blake shuffled closer, leaning into Ruby's ear.

"She's probably under control of a mind control semblance," Blake explained briefly, "That's not Weiss."

"I got that much," Ruby whispered back.

"I don't like the White Fang, no, but," Weiss summoned a glyph over her palm, the once faintly glowing blue now a vibrant light, "You can't argue with results. We both simply want the same outcome. What's a few weeks with some enemies?"

"Weiss, listen to me," Ruby took a tentative step forward, folding up Crescent Rose and hooking it onto her back, ignoring the smirk that grew on Neo's face as she did, "You're under mind control. This isn't you."

Weiss frowned as Ruby got closer, "You're mistaken, Ruby. This is all of my own will."

"Weiss, no, this isn't you," Ruby said back, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she paced even closer. "You've been brainwashed. We can help you. Just trust us."

"Ruby…" Yang moved to take a step forward, only for Blake to grab her by the wrist and hold her back, earning a glare back at her raven haired partner, "Blake, what are you-?"

"Something's not right," Blake whispered quietly, almost too quiet for Yang to even hear.

"What? What'dya mean?"

"I don't think that's our Weiss."

Yang huffed, "She's right there. How is that not Weiss?"

The faunus frowned, ochre eyes watching their emotionless white haired teammate as Ruby crept closer, "I know, but you saw the video, right? That was yesterday, there's no way Weiss would be this healed that quickly."

Yang's eyes widened, looking up to Yatsu and Fox, who seemed like they also understood what Blake was talking about. Fox nodded, using his semblance to speak telepathically to Yang.

"Weiss' aura hasn't moved since we got here. She's still a level below us."

"Then…" Velvet whispered.

"Weiss, please listen to me. I'm trying to help," Ruby whimpered, stopping a few steps before Weiss, who was watching her with an air of disinterest. She hadn't heard Fox's voice in her moment of stress and anxiety. "I know you're still in there. Just come with us, we can get you help."

"No," Weiss spoke harshly, taking a step closer to Ruby and grasping her shoulder. Ruby frowned, the touch unfamiliar. It was… more masculine then Ruby knew. "I'm not Weiss anymore."

"RUBY! IT'S A TRAP!" Coco screamed, her voice reaching Ruby like a lightning strike. The illusion shattered like glass, the flying splinters revealing 'Weiss' to be a wolf faunus with long, silver hair and a controller gripped tightly in his hand. A rhythmic beeping sounded just above Ruby's head, catching the youngest's attention.

A bomb was strapped to the ceiling.

"Long live the White Fang!"

Ruby dove to the ground as the bomb exploded, sending her body rolling as fire and shrapnel stuck into her back with a scream. Her head hit off a wall from the force of the explosion, sending her into pitch black darkness.

.

A dull boom shook the chains above Weiss' head, drawing the heiress out from unconsciousness as her body swayed softly. Her eyesight was blurry and dim, but she could see dust falling from the roof a few inches ahead of her. Confused, Weiss lifted her neck, the motion sending fresh tidal waves of agony coursing through her shoulders. She flinched, abandoning any thought of moving as she let her head fall.

Darkness threatened her vision again, swallowing her sight up whole as she became weightless once more.

.

"Ruby! Ruby, come on, wake up!"

Ruby groaned as a voice called through the blistering darkness, lifting her arms above her head to cover her eyes as she came to. A headache attacked her mind, as well as a faint burning sensation across her back. She could smell burning… something, and whatever that something was smelt foul.

"Ruby!" The voice called again, sounding as if it was on the verge of tears. Ruby groaned in response, lightly tapping the trembling hands shaking her as a sign to stop.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," she grumbled, dropping her hands from her face and sitting up. Her back felt tight and hot, and she could feel her aura already healing whatever damage had been done. She coughed when she tasted smoke, wiping water from her eyes as she recollected her thoughts. Velvet was watching her, her rabbit ears pinned back in anxiety as Ruby recovered.

"Hey Rose Petal, you with us?" Coco asked from behind, prompting Ruby to glance over her shoulder. Coco's glasses were cracked, but she still wore them. Her clothes were torn in a few places, but Ruby couldn't see any cuts. She took a breath, holding the side of her head as her headache died away.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Ruby confirmed, stumbling clumsily to her feet. She would've fallen if Velvet hadn't caught her, a firm grasp holding her upright as her surroundings stopped spinning. "I'm okay, Velvet."

"We were worried," Velvet murmured.

"You were out for a little while," Coco explained, standing up from the ground and dusting herself off, "We're lucky to even be alive."

"What are you talking…" Ruby spun to face Coco, noticing a giant slab of the upper floor had fallen down on top of them. Yang, Blake and Fox were nowhere to be seen, while Yatsuhashi was attempting, and failing, to chip away at the heavy concrete and steel. "Shoot."

"The bomb destroyed one of the pillars, and the other couldn't hold the floor," Velvet explained further, "But Yang, Blake and Fox are alright. They're trying to reach out for help at Beacon."

"Then we need to go and get Weiss," Ruby groaned, wincing as she twisted a tender spot on her back, "We should have enough time before help gets here."

Coco and Velvet crossed glances, before picking up their weapons that they had laid on the floor. Ruby kicked Crescent Rose up into her grip with a swift foot, frowning at the new scuff and dent marks along its frame. She transformed it back into its compact sniper mode, unloading the clip to see how many bullets she had left.

Velvet walked over towards Yatsu, who was busy trying to find weak points in the concrete. The giant of a man turned around as his smaller partner approached, a warm smile on his face. He crouched down to talk to Velvet, their conversation too quiet for Ruby to pick up. The red reaper watched silently in the background, biting her lip sharply as her throat got tight.

"I'm not Weiss anymore."

What if they didn't get Weiss back? What if whatever illusion had played out before them minutes ago was what awaited them further downstairs? A strained breath of air escaped Ruby at the thought. Weiss would be fighting against them, her own family. The way she'd acted in the illusion had been painful, but accurate to Ruby's worst fears. Ruby gulped, the air hurting her throat as she swallowed.

"You alright, kid?"

She looked up as Coco appeared beside her, holding her suitcase tightly between her fingers. Through her cracked sunglasses, Ruby could see Coco's concerned gaze. It was demanding, but gently so.

"I will be," Ruby responded quickly, before moving the heavy steel doors that had been blown off in the explosion out of the way of their descent. She heard Coco sigh, mutter something about being a headstrong idiot before following behind her to help.

Beyond the bent doors looked to be an underground labyrinth of some kind, a metal path that had several different branching exits. Dull white lights shone from either side of the steel, lighting the curved roof up lightly. Thick, heavy cables lined the walls, held tight against them with steel clips and pins, the humming of electricity echoing down the long and empty passage.

"Well, that's certainly not what I was expecting," Coco commented, stepping down onto the first metal step that led onto their path.

"I don't think this is from the war," Ruby said, her eyes darting around looking for anything that might jump them. Coco nodded ahead of her.

"It might've been a bunker once, but nothing like this," She stopped and turned back to the door she'd passed through, where Velvet was now standing. "You coming?"

"Yatsu and I are going to stay here," the rabbit faunus replied, her hand resting on the camera box on her hip, "We'll make sure no more White Fang follow you, and besides, I don't have any weapons small enough to go with you… and I'm pretty sure Yatsu won't fit on that rail."

Coco chuckled, worming a frail smile from Ruby's lips, "You're probably right. Be safe, alright? I don't want to be carrying you out on my back, ya hear?"

Velvet laughed back, "We will, Coco, and you too."

Without another moment wasted, Velvet disappeared back out of sight, likely going back to her own partner. Coco let out a sigh, before shuffling her gatling gun purse in her hands and moving into a pace. Her boots clicked off the metal with every step.

Ruby jogged to catch up with her, shivers crawling down her spine, "What now?"

"Now," started the brunette, "We go and find somebody who knows where your partner is. This is a lab, so there's got to be scientists somewhere."

"Ah," Ruby muttered, glancing down one of the paths as she passed one. There was a glass cage or something at the end, but the front was shattered, like something had broken out of it. She stopped, looking at the sight further. There were strange claw marks gouged into the metal walls and floor, much smaller than any creature Ruby had seen before.

"Coco?"

The leader of team CFVY stopped and turned around at Ruby's whisper, her brows furrowing as she noticed Ruby's locked on stare, "What did you find?"

"I don't know, but look," Ruby stepped down the hall, carefully stepping over large chunks of glass as she got closer. Coco appeared around the corner as Ruby reached the first of the claw marks. Whatever had attacked must've had claws sharper than an Ursa, judging by how the metal bent and tore around the mark. It was clean, and precise. Ruby didn't even want to guess what the dark stain beside it was.

"Those look like the claw marks we found before," Coco commented, walking past Ruby and pressing her hand to one of the larger marks, "The ones we told you about. They had traces of aura on them."

"Do you think they were attacked by those Grimm?" Ruby questioned, earning her an honest shrug from the older woman behind her.

"I can't say. Those 'Grimm' could've come from here for all we know."

Ruby frowned in surprise, looking over her shoulder to Coco, "Like, Grimm experiments?"

"Maybe. Those guards did say they were doing experiments earlier."

Ruby's blood turned to ice. If they were experimenting on Grimm here, what were they doing to Weiss? Panic seized control over Ruby, her heart rate speeding up as thoughts berated her mind. Coco must've connected the dots at the same time, the warm colour melting from her cheeks.

"You don't think..?" Ruby whispered, her voice cracking. Coco shook her head, fixing the glasses on her face to hide her eyes from view.

"We need to stay hopeful. We don't know…" Coco's words trailed off as she became silent. Ruby fell quiet in response, straining her hearing. There were footsteps approaching on the metal, and a faint rustling of papers. The two team leaders met eyes, quiet understanding shared between them.

Whoever was coming was their ticket to Weiss.

Ruby carefully scampered over beside Coco, their presence hidden by a wall. Every footstep grew closer and closer, the sound of heavy feet hitting the metal grit bouncing off the walls. Ruby could hear a voice now, and it was a man by the sound of it.

"This is ridiculous. We're under attack and I still have to test these gods forsaken experiments," came a mutter, "You'd think after they kill almost 40 men they'd just leave them be but no, it's all for 'the name of science!' They're all criminally insane."

Ruby frowned, disinterested in the man's mumblings. Coco held back a frustrated groan, leaning her head back as a shadow appeared before them. Ruby heard the sound of glass being kicked, and opted to pull her hood over her head, flicking off Crescent Rose's safety with a quick flick of her thumb.

The man finally appeared, donned in a white coat and thick rubber gloves. He was a faunus of some kind, Ruby noted, judging by the markings along his neck and the side of his face. Ruby nodded to Coco, who nodded back.

"Hands up, White Fang!" Coco demanded, transforming Gianduja back into its main form and pressing the barrel to the scientist's back. The man froze instantly, dropping his clipboard and what looked to be a cattle prod on the floor in a heartbeat.

"P-please, if you're going to kill me just kill me," he whimpered, his hands trembling on either side of his head, "I'm as good as dead anyway."

Ruby felt a pain of pity strike at her heart, but still leveled Crescent Rose to the faunus' body. She discreetly clicked on safety mode again, "We're not going to kill you. We just want you to show us where Weiss Schnee is."

The faunus paused for a second, "Wait, you're not-"

"Answer her question," Coco threatened, nudging the man again with her gun.

"Sh-She's being held not too far away! But I need to warn you, the other White Fang were coming back with some kind of semblance today. She might not be there anymore," he explained, his hands falling from the air slightly. Ruby gulped, her nails digging into Crescent Rose.

"Then you better hurry up and lead us to her," Coco pushed the man forward, causing him to stagger, "Or else we'll feed you to whatever made those gashes in the floor there."

That seemed to scare him, the faunus' features turning sheet white at the idea, "O-of course. Just follow m-me."