Chapter 1

January 23rd, 80 AGW (After Great War), Evernight Castle

Pain. Modification. Experimentation. Repeat.

Eleven years of the same repeating cycle. Eleven years of being held in Salem's castle. The memories of what she did to her seemed to blur. However, she did know several things, as well as moments that stood out amongst the rest. Especially the beginning.

Summer never knew that her silver eyes could petrify Grimm outside her immediate view. That certainly would have help earlier, but it seemed it didn't matter. Salem wasn't killed, for some reason. No doubt Ozpin knew something, but kept quiet, like he always did. Speaking of Ozpin, Salem wanted information from her about said man's operations.

Summer knew she never talked. No matter what torture Salem implimented, she knew she never cracked. She was surprised that Salem didn't take her eyes. Everytime Salem entered, Summer would always be facing away from her. However, the most effective way she used to beat her silver eyes was with a simple goddamn trick: a blindfold. The most powerful silver eyed warrior in the world, taken down by a blindfold. Somehow, she could hear Raven laughing at the absurdity of it all. Eventually, Salem gave up on the torture, and left her to rot.

Then the screaming. She recognized them as Velox's. She could only guess that Salem was subjecting him to the same torture that she went through. After several days, only silence. A mercy compared to herself. Salem tortured her for weeks before giving up.

However, what came next made her want the torture. After two months of being in the cell, Salem returned, taking off the blindfold. Before Summer could adjust to the light and begin using her eyes, she pulled out a new kind of Grimm. It resembled a Sulfur Fish, but the tails were only black, no yellow tips, and it had three glowing eyes instead of one. She had Summer's arms held by chains on opposite ends of the room, preventing any movement. Not that she could, her body was too weak to move. The new Sulfur Fish crawled onto Summer, going to her back.

Then it stabbed it's tails into her back. She could feel it nestling itself into her back, like a bird makes itself comfortable when it lands in a nest. She wanted to scream, but didn't give Salem the satisfaction.

Then the pumping. The Sulfur Fish was pumping the black liquid of the Grimm into her. Within seconds, she coughed up blood. After a minute, she coughed again, but the pumping didn't stop. After three, her veins felt like they were on fire, the Grimm liquid burning her from the inside out. After five minutes, she coughed up black blood. It felt like her insides were in a blender, trying to figure out where to go.

If Summer could gasp at the time, she would have. The Sulfur Fish wasn't trying to kill her. It was trying to corrupt her. Salem was trying to turn her into a Grimm.

And it was working.

Summer could feel everything. Like surgery for your entire body, minus the anesthesia. Summer tried to resist screaming, but, as veins that started appearing around her reached her head, there was nothing to stop her. Her only saving grace was that she thinks she blacked out at that point.

Then darkness. Summer couldn't see anything. She knew she was awake, but she couldn't see anything. At first, she thought she was blind, but this didn't feel like blindness. Then again, she never experienced blindness, but she still could tell this couldn't be it. She could hear Salem speaking to her. Summer realized she wasn't chained. She moved to attack Salem.

Only her body didn't respond. Salem ordered her to rise, and she did. Summer realized what had happened. She had been turned into a Grimm, and her mind and soul were 'put in the back seat', so to speak. Then came the real torture. Ten years of modification. Ten years of experimentation on her new body, one she couldn't even see. And each time was a hellish experience, with the pain making her want the early torture sessions. She could feel her bones extending over the years to accommodate the new body, causing non stop pain.

Summer understood what Salem was attempting to do. The Sulfur Fish is a hive creature. Alone, it can't do or think much. The movements of her new body were always simple, something even a Sulfur Fish could do. However, it wouldn't be that much of a threat. But, if Salem could break Summer's will, she could have Summer control the Grimm. This would give it much more knowledge on combat, and, possibly, make it the most dangerous Grimm on Remnant.

But Summer wasn't going to go down that easily. For ten years her will remained unbroken. Several times, in the first couple of years, she attempted to wrestle control of her new body, but the Sulfur Fish was in too deep. It was like the power of Salem was behind it. So, when mental brute force failed, she turned to the very thing she disapproved of: Patience. Her lack of patience got her into this mess. Now she needed patience in order to win this fight. For eight years she kept silent, enduring the pain from more modifications and experimentations. Waiting for when her mental strength could be strong enough to defeat the Sulfur. Whenever she felt like she was slipping into madness, she always remembered why she needed to remain strong.

If she didn't, then every hero that goes against Salem will end up facing Summer. Would she kill her old friends? Her teammates? Her children?!

Today, she had one such slip, and gave those same thoughts to reassure herself.

'Ah, Yang.' Summer thought, her mind floating in emptiness, 'You would be...18 this year? If it's after July, certain. Wait, no, the Beacon school year hasn't started yet.'

That was one of the benefits of being alone with your own thoughts. She was able to figure out just how long she had been there, thanks to several subtle hints Salem accidently slipped in recent years. She had no reason to believe that her children would become Huntresses, however, given how their lives must have been like before she left, how they looked up to their mother like she was the queen of the heroes. It would only be natural that they'd follow in her footsteps.

'Ah, Beacon. I wonder what fighting style she'd take after? Would she go for Tai's martial style? Raven's? Or my bow/blade fighting style? If I'm right, then that means Ruby's only two years away from going to Beaco~'

The mental cogs stopped in Summer's head.

'Ruby will be going to Beacon. The smaller Academies like Signal don't participate in nation-level tournaments like the Vytal Festival, but Beacon DOES! She'll probably enter, if she's half as good as me, and Salem's agents will discover I had a daughter! They'll...They'll...They…'

If Summer could hyperventilate, she would. The horror she never considered was now rearing its head in full force.

'They'll make another me.'

Summer was silent. Not only did the idea of another person like herself being turned into a Grimm, but the idea that it would be her own daughter!

'FUCK THAT!'

Summer couldn't wait any longer. One way or another, she had to get out before the Beacon school year began. Once again, she needed patience, though, this time she had a timetable.

It wouldn't be until what she perceived as February 23rd that she got her chance. Now that she was actively waiting for an opportunity, she was much more aware of her surroundings. Kinda. She could tell when Salem was around or not, and when she'd come down. This was one of those moments. Salem had come down, doing more experimentations to test her body's limits, before leaving. Based on her actions the past month, she'd have a full seven hours before she came back down.

Her mind flared stronger than ever before, catching the Sulfur's mind off guard. Before, it could easily beat back Summer. However, not only was Summer using positive emotions, but negative emotions. Not only did she fight back hoping to prevent her daughter from becoming another her, but also incredibly pissed at the idea of Ruby turning into whatever the hell she's become. The Sulfur's mind had the try to balance between the two emotions, but was slowly overwhelmed. From the outside, Summer's new body began convulsing and screaming. Had Salem been down there, she would've noticed, and stopped whatever Summer was doing. As Summer's spirit got larger, the power of the Sulfur got smaller. Eventually, the size comparison was reversed, with Summer now engulfing the Sulfur. After ten years, Summer had regained control of her body.

The first thing she noticed upon 'waking' was that everything was black and white. She appeared to be in a stone box of some kind, with no visible way out. She began to stand, but found movement difficult. Looking down, she noticed her leg bones were positioned differently, more like how a dog would walk rather than how a human would walk. She looked at her new arms, seeing them as more bulky than her old arms. The black Grimm skin also seemed to shift as she moved. She knocked on each of the walls, testing their sounds. She noticed that her ears worked far better than her old ones.

Knocking on one of the walls, a more hollow sound than the other three occurred. Summer wanted to smirk, but whatever her new mouth was, she couldn't do it. She reared back, and punched the wall as hard as her new body could punch. Turns out, it punches really hard. The room opened up to a hallway, filled with cells, these ones blocked with steel bars. Her vision seemed to be clearing up more, as objects were more defined. However, everything was still black and white.

The easy part was finished. Now came the hard part: actually leaving Evernight. If the landscape hadn't changed, then there was a blind spot at the northeast corner that leads into a tunnel. When her assault team considered an approach, that spot was the prime candidate. However, due to their low numbers at that point, there was no way they'd be able to clear the Grimm fast enough. If she was a Grimm, though, theoretically, she could just walk right past them.

Theoretically.

She walked through the dungeons, reaching some stairs that led to a double door. Slowly opening the door, she made sure to slowly approach each corner. If Salem were to find her now, she had no idea if she could restrain Summer with her Grimm powers. She had many questions concerning Salem, but they could wait until after she got out. Summer cautiously made her way through the hallways, looking for the exit closest to northwest. Unfortunately, the one thing she did forget is what direction the architecture was.

As she neared a door, it suddenly opened, revealing a man. He had white skin, black hair and mustache, and a black and white suit exited the room, only to gasp in fear at her. The only thing that wasn't black and white were his eyes, a shade of green.

"I must say," the man said nervously, "This must be one of her Grace's newest creations. Though, I didn't expect it to be roaming about the castle."

'Calm yourself. Don't give him any reason to talk to Salem.'

With no response, the man's fear abated, but his nervousness stayed as he walked around Summer.

"I must say, quite an interesting form. The liquid-like material of your skin, the bipedal/quadrupedal nature of your limbs. I assume that you might be able to alter your body to accommodate your surroundings. Bipedal for combat, quadrupedal for speed."

The man was mainly talking to himself, but he unintentionally gave Summer critical knowledge.

'Of course! That's why my new legs and arms feel weird. I'm able to modify my entire body.'

"And nine feet tall, wait, hmm, more like eight-seven. Though, the lack of eyes makes situational awareness difficult."

'What? How am I seeing him, then?'

"Perhaps your other senses are far more enhanced with the lack of eyes? Questions for later."

'Is this guy just going to answer all my questions for me? Can't tell if he's ignorant or stupid...or too excited to realize his current blunders.'

"I wonder what tricks Salem has put in you?"

'Okay, too curious now!'

Summer, without realizing it, growled at the man, who backed up in concern.

"Wait, can you understand me?"

Summer simply growled and took a step towards him.

"Okay, I know when I've overstepped my bounds. If her Grace does not wish for me to know what you are, then I am not wise enough to see the reasons why."

'That worked?! I was ready to rip him apart. Whoa, where did that come from?'

The man then walked away, though Summer could hear him mumbling, "Should hurry. Salem wouldn't want me to be late."

Curiosity got the better of her, and Summer entered the man's room. It contained dozens of technological gadgets and machinery. Once again, all in black and white.

'This is getting really old!'

She began turning around when she saw something on a desk. It was a Scroll! Summer quickly went to the Scroll, intending to pick it up. Though, when she saw her hand, she almost whimpered. The claws on her hands would prevent her from using it. Then, she remembered what the man said. How she might be able to modify her body.

'Well, all or nothing.' Summer began to focus on her left hand, attempting to retract the claws. Her entire arm screamed at her in pain as she collapsed to the ground. A low whimper could be heard as she contained herself from screaming in pain. Eventually, the pain stopped, and she looked at her hand. The claws had retracted into the skin, and now only 'fingers' remained. Concentrating more, she hardened the milky skin, making as close to fingers as she could. She focused on her right hand next. While it still hurt, the pain was duller than the left hand. Soon, both hands looked as normal as they could be when attached to a Grimm.

Picking up the Scroll, she turned it on, and went to try to call someone, but stopped.

'Would I be able to speak? Not only that, but someone might hear if I talk.'

Switching to text, she needed to know who to text. Her teammates? Ozpin? She could, but they'd want proof, and she couldn't stay for long. Not with the potential of Salem discovering Summer was free.

'Wait, what were their Scroll numbers? DAMNIT, of all the things to forget, WHY THAT?!'

However, Summer corrected herself. She did remember one Scroll number.

2219-8101-2015

Her Scroll number. Hopefully Tai, Qrow, somebody friendly with her, has her Scroll number. She began typing the number. The number was not disconnected, meaning someone had her number. Now, all she needed to do was send a message.

Who is this?

A simple message. She needed to make sure that whoever was on the other end was someone she knew. After a moment, a reply came.

Ruby. Ruby Rose.

Summer could feel her heart stiffen. Of course they'd give her old number to her daughter. She wanted to cry, but clearly didn't have the eyes to do that. Ruby texted again.

Who is this? It's the middle of the night?

She had to play this smart. She couldn't tell Ruby what happened to her. However, if it was Ruby, then Tai had to be nearby.

Won epacse gnitpmetta. Mmirg a otni em denrut Melas.

Several seconds passed before Ruby replied.

What?!

Miss Rose, take a screenshot of this conversation, then take it to your Taiyang Xiao Long. He will know the meaning of it.

Why? How do you know my dad? You're a stranger. My dad said to never talk to strange people, and you're acting strange. I'm only talking to you now because I was too tired to not answer your text.

Miss Rose, PLEASE. My life is in danger. A villain owns this Scroll, and I don't know how long it will be until they come for it. This is my only chance to get a message out.

Silence. Summer desperately hoped that Ruby would do as she said.

Okay. I'll take it to my dad.

Thank you, Miss Rose. Do not reply to this text from now on. A villain owns it, and we don't want them to know.

Okay? But, who are you?

Summer couldn't bear to tell Ruby. What if she was caught. Ruby would be waiting for her to come home once again, only to fall into despair once more. Instead, she simply deleted the contact, and erased the contact from the history bank, before placing the Scroll back down.

"What are you doing here?"

Summer turned, seeing the mustache man once again.

'QUICK, think of an excuse!'

Summer turned to one of the machines, and did the first thing that came to mind: She began sniffing it. As ridiculous as it looked, the man only raised an eyebrow, but looked content.

"I see you are a curious one. Just…" The man looked nervous again, "Don't break anything. Her Grace wouldn't want resources wasted for nothing."

Summer simply growled at the man, and walked to the door. The man stepped to the side, allowing her to pass. When Summer was out, the man quickly ran inside, grabbing his Scroll, before running back out, leaving in the same direction he came before. Summer wanted to grin. The man forgot his Scroll, and now she might have help. Then again, she had no idea what kind of help would be coming. So, she had to save herself.

With the knowledge that Salem was farther up the castle, Summer picked up the pace, reaching the main entrance. Before she opened them, however, she realized that, if she opened them, Salem may know about it. She needed an exit that wasn't well used. Using her new nose, she sniffed out if any rooms that had an 'empty house' smell. She sensed one, and started tracking it. When she reached said room, she opened it, the creaking door nearly giving her a heart attack. The room was covered with cobwebs and moss, and one of the windows was blown out.

'Perfect.' Summer jumped out said window, falling over a hundred feet, and slamming to the ground. She took in the sky, everything still black and white, but she could guess that it had a reddish hew, just like during her failed mission. She didn't know why the Grimmlands always had this reddish hew, but it didn't matter right now. Looking around, she could see that dusk was just starting to set in. Based on the timezones that she remembers, as well as Ruby's text, that means that she is still on Patch.

'One step at a time, Summer.' She thought. As she began running towards the tunnel, she remembered what her back legs resembled. That of a canine's legs. She then recalled what the mustache man said. She needed to alter her body again if she was going to get away as soon as possible. Crouching down, she willed her body to try to be more...animal, she didn't know what she was doing, rather going on instinct.

Ironically, that was what was working. Ten years of experimentation made it so that the Grimm body knew what form to take. However, that didn't stop the pain. She could feel her arms bending and contracting, as well as her back and shoulders shifting. Once more, she whimpered, trying to keep herself from roaring in pain. The pain did subside, and she stood on all fours.

'Okay. Here's hoping that I don't like that baby fawn from that old movie.'

Slowly, Summer started taking a step. Then another, and another. Another benefit is the ten years of muscle memory working with her. This meant that, even though she doesn't remember exactly how to use the body, her muscles do. Faster and faster she started running, until she was in a full on sprint.

Approaching the tunnel, the nearby Grimm did nothing to stop her. If anything, they backed up in fear of her. If Summer could smile, she would. Sprinting into the tunnel, it would be pitch black were it not for the enhanced senses her new body had. After ten long years, Summer had escaped the castle.

Now she just needed to get off the continent.

In Patch, Taiyang Xiao Long slept soundly, without a worry in the world. However, his body soon shook, as something was jostling him awake.

"Dad," a voice called out, "Dad, wake up."

"Huh?" Tai awoke, rubbing his eyes. It was still night time, so why would his daughters be awake. If Yang snuck out to hang out at a bar, so help her~He looked and saw it was Ruby, still in her pajamas, and holding her Scroll.

"Ruby," Tai reprimanded, though his tiredness betrayed the sternness, "What did I say about staying up too late?"

"I know, dad, but, I got a text from a stranger."

'Dad Protection Mode, activate.' "Ruby," Tai said, the tiredness gone, but the sternness remaining, "What have I said~"

"I know you said not to talk to strange people, but this person might be in danger. They didn't say where they were, only gibberish, and told me to give it to you."

Tai raised an eyebrow, but kept his stern look. Holding out his hand, Ruby gave him her Scroll. Looking at the texts, Tai was about to reply to the text when Ruby called out.

"It's only a screenshot. I deleted the contact."

"Why?"

"Because that's what they asked for. A villain owns the Scroll they used, and they didn't want a reply to end up tipping them off."

'Well, that makes communications a bit difficult. Though, they were being smart.'

"Dad," Ruby said meekly, "Are you...going to save them."

'Heh, so much like her mother.' "Of course, Little Petal. Now, go back to bed. It seems Dad has work to do."

Ruby smiled with joy, "Okay, dad!" And she ran out of the room, not bothering to ask for her Scroll back. Tai frowned when she was out of sight, though.

'Who are you?'

Looking at the text, he could see that the code phrase was indeed gibberish. His years as a Huntmen taught him several codes, but this one seemed unfamiliar.

Sighing, Tai thought, 'Another reason Summer should be here. She was the best code breaker in our group. Though, she had the stupidest code phrases for herself. Seriously, it was only backward speaking and writing.'

He looked at one of the words, Mmirg. When he looked back on Summer's Code, though, he saw the word differently.

MMIRG

GRIMM

The sentence was backwards. He hadn't used Summer's way of code talk in years, so he needed a mirror. Getting out of bed and into the adjacent bathroom, he turned on the light and got in front of the bathroom mirror. Once there, he showed the text to the mirror

His eyes twisted in shock as he saw the message.

.saleM turned me into a grimM .attempting escape noW

Salem?! That demon who was the queen of the Grimm! This person was attempting to escape from her. Worse, this person was turned into a Grimm. But, why would they call Ruby? Wait, the first text was Who is this?, meaning they called the number, but didn't know who would answer. Who had this numb~ Tai dropped the Scroll as horror set in.

'This number belonged to Summer. Summer's Code was a backward speech. Summer sent that message.'

His eyes narrow in hatred.

'And Salem turned her into a GRIMM!'

Pulling out his own Scroll, he called the first person he could think of.

"Hey, Tai. What are you calling for? Isn't it still night where you are?"

"Qrow," Tai said, almost venomously, "How soon can you get to Beacon?"

"What? Well, dawn just came. If I take the first ship to Beacon, it could be there in a couple days."

"What about express?"

"Woah," Qrow replied smugly, "Something big must be going on if you want me that badly. If I do that, I could be there midday in your time zone."

"Do it. I don't care how much it cost, get here now!"

"Tai," Qrow responded, genuinely concerned, "What's going on?!"

"...Summer's alive."

Author's Notes: Summer has escaped, and Tai knows she's alive. However, will they find her before Salem can recapture her?

I figured that Watts isn't the most combat acquainted of all of Salem's agents. If Hazel, Tyrian, or Cinder were encountered, they'd suspect something was up when Summer encountered them. Summer got dangerously lucky, but that luck might not last long enough.

As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.