Chapter 40: Demons of the Past

AN: Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to write a meaningful author's note three weeks before the chapter is scheduled to go up? By the way, for those of you that were interested, I managed to get this far over the course of Thanksgiving break. Seven chapters in nine days, not too shabby if I do say so myself.

So, Finals are this week. Good luck to all of you college students out there. Study hard, I hope you get good grades, and I'll see you on Friday when I have (hopefully) survived the semester.

Anyways, let's dive further into Kassidy's mind. Matthew's decided to show up, but what does he want after having been dead for five years?

(Perspective: Kassidy)

There were a multitude of thoughts at seeing her twin brother stand before her yet again. There were only two that mattered, however. First off, how in the everliving fuck does Ozpin even know about Matthew, never mind that he's my brother, and that he's dead, and that he died by a shot through his chest? That can wait, however. For the more important issue…

"How many times do I have to tell you to cram the 'baby sis' deal? You're the oldest by like ninety seconds."

"And don't you forget it." The simulated image of her brother shot her a grin, before settling into a more hardened expression. "Although, as much as I'd love to hash out the good old times, I'm afraid we have business to take care of."

"Indeed." Kassidy schooled on her own serious business face and stared down her not-brother. "How about we start with how the hell Ozpin found out so much about you and your relationship with me. Have you been programmed with that information, at least?"

Unexpectedly, Matthew bust up laughing. After a good few seconds, he wiped digital tears from his eyes and sighed. "Oh, dear lord, you think that kooky old headmaster of yours was ever in charge of this simulation. That's a laugh if I've ever heard one."

Suddenly, everything that could have possibly been jovial about this false reunion went out the window. "Then I feel the need to ask if you're aware of who programmed you, and for what purpose?"

"Of course I am. The who is an ally, and for what purpose is to see you reach your potential." Walking around her, Matthew started lazily giving an account. "Everyone had such high hopes for you. And I'm not just talking the royal scumbags at DARPA that turned us into genetic freaks. Dad couldn't get enough of you, and I'm sure Mom would've been the same way if she survived giving birth to us. Our teachers in school couldn't quit gushing over you… well, at least when you weren't wreaking havoc as we enforced our reign of terror." The two shared a brief laugh over the memory, before he continued. "And I most certainly didn't spend all that time looking out for you just because it was my job as the big brother."

"Yeah, so? We were kinda the smartest kids around by a lot, of course people took to liking us."

Matthew chided, "I'm not finished yet. As I was saying, then people killed me and tried to kill you, some scientists forgot how calculus worked, and you came here. And you've baffled me ever since. Instead of walking away from a storefront robbery you had no business in, you decided to try and chase down a renowned criminal. That confrontation led to you accepting an enrollment to a combat academy offered by a man who is literally the embodiment of what we shouldn't be trusting. You got yourself tangled up with people you had no business tangling yourself up with, and you found yourself teamed up with a horribly naïve child, a whiny brat with enough ego for ten people, and the walking definition of mommy issues."

"I never asked you to accept my friends back home, and I'm not about to ask for your acceptance of them now."

"Good, because you're not getting it. Almost daily you seem content for risking your neck in situations you don't belong in for people who'd just as soon see you burn as pat you on the back and give you a treat."

"My relationships are built on mutual benefit. They teach me new skills, keep me fed, and put a roof over my head, and in return I go kill some monsters every now and then."

"And what happens when they're no longer happy with the benefit you provide them? This isn't the first time we've been in this situation, sis. You don't need me to tell you how this is going to end: the moment your usefulness comes to an end, they'll stab you in the back and spit you out to make room for the next unsuspecting, easily influenced victim of theirs. Why bother showing them even the slightest modicum of trust when they don't return the favor?"

"If you think so little of them, then why are you helping me? After all, you said your purpose here was to help me reach my potential."

"Because at this point I'm the only person you can trust, K. I'm your family, and family looks out for each other, no matter what. And yet, despite being your family, I've been feeling a little neglected recently."

"Well, you being dead might have something to do with that. I mean, kind of hard to give you proper attention when I'm running for my life and unable to hire a medium or some shit."

Matthew scowled at her. "Don't think I haven't noticed how cozy you've been getting with your new friends. How you've practically taken Ruby under your wing as your own little sister. How you verbally and physically spar with Weiss as your closest peer. How you… how you're using Yang to practically replace me. And how about we talk about Bob: a cobbled together monstrosity of a computer that is your literal attempt to replace me. An AI designed so you wouldn't feel alone, because you couldn't handle how YOU FUCKING LET ME DIE!"

Kassidy felt regret worming its way into her gut. "You think I was so excited about you getting killed? I didn't let you die, I did everything I could!"

"And look where it got me," he snarled. After a quick breath, Matthew sighed. "Look, as much as it's a bone of contention of mine, I'm not mad at you. Just disappointed. You could be so much more, but you surround yourself with friends in a pitiable attempt to find some measure of safety. Forgetting that it's hardship that forges us into true warriors."

"I've never been a warrior, Matt."

"Oh? Then what is it you're in college for now? Your lessons have been pathetic. It's time you got a real one." Matthew stood stock still, before looking up.

A computerized voice, distinctly inhuman, suddenly said, "Warning, safeties overridden. Simulator power increased. Simulations now capable of causing lethal damage. Recommend simulation abort immediately."

Kassidy looked at not-her-brother in shock, and he looked down evilly. "You surround yourself in friends, you surround yourself in allies, you surround yourself with an electronic warden, and you fail to truly strengthen yourself."

"What're you doing?"

"Sometimes evolution requires a push. Or a sacrifice." Matthew looked into the distance. "You have forgotten what it means to face death alone. I will remind you." The simulator suddenly whirred into action, constructing a forest filled with rocky terrain. A cliff stood out prominently in the distance. "That Ozpin fool did have one thing right: you must conquer your demons if you're to be of any use at all. So, go forth and conquer yours."

Kassidy was about to answer back when bullets started tearing through the underbrush and she had to dive to the side to avoid getting turned into Swiss cheese. When she looked back at where not-her-brother was, he was gone. Turns the power up enough to kill me, then leaves me high and dry. Some ally you are. As she began fighting through the forest, displaying in full her prowess for marksmanship, her thoughts kept trailing back to his words even as she put a bullet in one soldier's brain. What the hell does this person think they're doing, talking shit about people they don't even know? The fuck did they mean by calling Yang the walking definition of mommy issues, anyway?

The fighting through the forest was time consuming, but not necessarily challenging. It was simply a matter of waiting for someone to make a mistake and punishing it. Just because the combat itself was not challenging, however, doesn't mean the journey was. As Kassidy pushed onwards and came upon the corpses of those she'd slain, she noticed that they all wore familiar faces. Some of them were the more memorable faces she had killed over the years, the kills she had regretted the most. Some of them were the students and staff at Beacon. One of the faces belonged to Russel Thrush. Upon recognizing this, she hesitated for but a second before firing an additional three bullets into the body. Just to make sure, of course.

Eventually, she made her way to a clearing in the forest, the cliff jutting straight up ahead of her. The soldiers trying to kill her had thinned out along the way, and now she was alone. Looking around to try and find any indication of a threat, she saw a kid dangling from the top of a cliff. A kid that looked like Matthew, with another kid resembling a younger her trying to hold him up. She no sooner recognized the situation when a sniper shot the boy, and he fell to his death. The younger her screamed Matthew's name, and she tore across the field towards the body, not caring about consequences. Collapsing over the body, her eyes threatened to tear up.

"I was wondering what it would take to draw you out. I've been looking forward to this meeting, Kassidy. It's been too long in the making." The simulator was keen on her seeing one more face tonight, and this face made her lose all rationality as her face contorted in unheard of rage.

Benjamin Alcot. Secretary of Defense for three different presidential administrations. Unofficial owner of several multibillion dollar corporations. Director of Project Colossus. The man who ordered her family's deaths.

"You. What are you doing here?"

Benjamin chuckled lightly. "My dear, I've come to collect the returns on my investment. And what returns they are indeed. I'll admit, I had my doubts about Project Colossus, but you blew all expectations out of the water."

"Take your genetic engineering nonsense and shove it. This is about you, not me."

"You don't understand, dear. It's always been about you." Completely fearless, he walked up before stretching an arm out as though showing her some wondrous sight before them. "Four hundred fifty three confirmed kills. Survived certain death on thirteen separate occasions. And if given the proper education, you'll be the smartest person who has ever lived."

"Quit talking like I wanted any of that. Your puppets were trying to kill me, I was forced to defend myself. You killed my family, and for what? Were you hoping I'd just fall in line and be a good little girl?"

"While that was a possibility, I didn't get my hopes up. No, in order to turn you into what I needed, I had to take everything from you. So I did."

Kassidy was at the end of her civility, and her patience. Drawing her sword, she yelled a battle cry as she swung to separate his head from his shoulders. A broadsword materialized out of thin air, which he used to block the attack. The two engaged in a duel to the death, Kassidy swinging and snarling like a feral animal while Benjamin kept a calm composure. She spun and danced and twirled her saber, trying to twist around the guard that he put up. But even with a month and a half of Weiss' tutelage under her belt, her command over a sword was mediocre at best, and he exerted little effort to beat back her attacks.

A flip of the broadsword led to the saber tumbling out of Kassidy's grip, and suddenly she was the one on the defensive, having to dodge and weave around the bone crushing attacks. A couple close calls both heralded the eventual presence of more scars, and reminded her that this simulation could kill her if she wasn't careful. Dancing back to her blade, she focused entirely on parrying and dodging Benjamin's attacks as she took to watching his fighting style, looking for a weakness.

A weakness she found as he reared back for an overhead swing. Shoulder injury that never fully healed. Bone catches on bone, taking an extra quarter of a second to go through the motions. A narrow window, but I've had to work with quarter second windows and smaller the whole semester. Kassidy dodged more attacks and tried to bait out another overhead swing, and was all too ruthless in exploiting the window of opportunity. Sprinting forward, she drove her sword through Benjamin's shoulder as he tried to swing down. She instantly followed up by dragging the saber through the rest of his shoulder, leaving a large wound in the joint and dancing out of the way just in time for the sword to come crashing back down.

Benjamin tried to keep going, but by this point the fight was already over. Ducking under a swing intent on taking her head off, Kassidy dug her blade into the side of his abdomen. She quickly twirled around a backhanded chop and hamstrung him. He collapsed to his knees, and she truly finished the fight by removing his hands from the ends of his arms. This might not be the real Benjamin, but Kassidy never had the pleasure of killing the real Benjamin herself and she would savor every little feeling the simulator would give her. Sheathing her sword, she used his face as a punching bag for a solid minute, raging at him the whole time.

"Why did you do it? Why were you so determined to turn me and Matthew into monsters?! You had everything a man could ever want, but that wasn't enough, so you took some embryos and played Frankenstein with them! And now look! Our home, gone! Everyone, dead! Even after Colossus was shut down, you didn't have to have my family killed, but you did! Why!?" Kassidy stopped for as long as it took to regain her breath, before resuming her rant while emphasizing every word with a punch into the nose. "You turned me into a killer! WHY?!"

His soft chuckling caught her off guard, and she ceased her assault long enough for Benjamin to explain himself. "Why? Isn't it obvious dear?" He looked her into the eye and sneered at her. "I needed a monster. So I had one made."

This man has lived too long. "Well, congratulations are in order, then. You succeeded." Rearing back for one final punch, Kassidy aimed lower, catching him in the chest. Ribs shattered under the blow, skin and muscle gave way, and suddenly her fist found itself inside his chest. Something brushed against hand, then again. The barely conscious Benjamin stared at her with wide, panicked eyes as she grinned at him. Finding the object she was looking for, she grabbed it in a death grip and pulled.

Outside the simulator, gasps filled the room as everyone stared at the scene. More than one person vomited. From what they saw, nobody could blame those that threw up.

For Kassidy had just ripped a man's heart out of his chest.

As suddenly as Kassidy had her victory, the scene faded away. The simulator whirred before shutting down, and a door opened behind her. Quickly schooling herself into a stoic expression, she went to wipe the blood off her hands before realizing those were merely constructs of the simulator. No need for anyone to know what happened in here. If they did find out… it'd make the Salem Witch Trials look like daycare. She walked out to a sea of blank faces staring at her, which put her off. Regardless, she turned to Headmaster Ozpin. "Well, that was quite the simulation you put together there."

Ozpin, however, did nothing to acknowledge her flippant attitude. His face was somber, and after a brief turn to Glynda and nodding, he talked to her in an even, carefully measured voice. "Ms. Smith, I want you to know that simulation was not of our creation. I feel we need to talk about what you saw in there."

"What do you mean 'what I saw in there'? It was just a…" Kassidy trailed off when she truly took in everyone's faces. There were few that weren't wearing an expression of sheer terror. Her face drained of color, and her knees knocked together as she quickly put the pieces together. "You saw, didn't you?"

Glynda nodded, before taking a tentative step forward. "Kassidy, just let us talk for a bit before you do anything…" Kassidy didn't listen to any of the rest of what Professor Goodwitch said. A far more pained voice sounded out to her right.

"Kass…?" Ruby's voice was full of fear and concern, and she barely edged forward. "Are you…?"

They know. Holy fuck they know. It's over. It's all over. Need to get out. Can't let them kill me.

The window. Shoot it out, can make it off campus in five minutes flat.

Putting action to thought, Kassidy drew her pistol and triple-tapped the glass. Everybody was too stunned to made any effort to stop her as she bolted through the newly created opening.

(Perspective: Weiss)

Ozpin cleared his throat to quell the discussions in his office. "Alright, let's establish what we know so far."

Ruby spoke up first. "I searched the entirety of campus. She's not on Beacon's grounds anymore."

Weiss was next. "After going over some information I'm privy to, I can comfortably say that Kassidy never got on an airship."

"I checked with a few friends of mine in downtown, they haven't seen her." Yang shifted her weight to her other foot for what had to have been the hundredth time that afternoon.

"None of the Huntsmen I've been able to get in contact with have encountered her either." Glynda sighed as she closed a window on her Scroll.

All eyes turned to the backpack that was left behind, and its robotic cargo. Ozpin was the first to speak. "Very well. Bob, do you have any ideas as to Kassidy's whereabouts?"

"Before I answer that, I'm required to ask what your intentions are when you find her."

Weiss interjected with a frown, "And why would you need to know that?"

"My prime directive places Kassidy's safety and well-being as the single highest priority in my system. If you mean her harm, then giving you that information is a direct violation of my prime directive."

Yang replied, "We're not going to hurt her, Bob."

"What if we have to?" Ruby and Yang gawked at Weiss' answer, who was only made incredulous by their reactions. "Am I the only person who remembers what happened in that simulator earlier this afternoon? She's dangerous!"

"To borrow a quip from her earlier in the semester, she couldn't have gotten into this school if she wasn't dangerous. None of you could."

In a rare display of insubordination, Weiss was having none of Ozpin's attempts to disarm the situation. "That's not what I meant and you know it! She's killed nearly five hundred people, Yang. Nearly five hundred people!"

"Maybe because she had to!"

"Under what circumstances does someone HAVE to kill five hundred people?!" Pinching her nose with thumb and forefinger, Weiss sighed as she tried to contemplate how to get the blonde oaf to see reason. Exercise in futility, usually. But in a situation as serious as this, I have to try. We can't just take someone like Kassidy lightly!

Ruby butted into the argument. "Weiss, we all have questions. What's important right now is that our friend is out there, with no supplies and all alone. She needs our help. We have to find her."

"Is she our friend?"

Ruby was sputtering in shock from the question. "Of course she is!"

A cane slammed on the ground, bringing the bickering to an instant close. "Miss Schnee, Miss Rose, the last thing we need is for emotion to be injected needlessly into the situation when reason and clarity is what is required," Ozpin chided.

Glynda spoke up at this point. "Bob, I can assure you that Kassidy will not come to harm as long as she does not outright attack us. Even in the worst case scenario, the worst that will happen is that we find arrangements for a permanent incarceration."

"I'd like to go on record as absolutely not liking that answer, but that does satisfy the conditions to keep my prime directive protocols from tripping. Very well, you can count on my assistance in retrieving Kassidy."

"Thank you, Bob." Sighing and motioning for yet another cup of coffee, Ozpin pulled up some files on his desk. "Do you have any idea where Miss Smith might be at this time?"

"She'll have hoofed it to Vale proper. Most likely locations are downtown or the shadier sections of the city."

"Why would she be in the shadier parts of the city?" Ugh, Ruby, isn't it obvious? She's crawling back to all her other criminal friends!

"Now that she's been separated from her resources, the second step after blending in is getting her hands on new resources. And the best sources for such are people who have a knack for getting their hands on those resources themselves, willing to part with it for a reasonable price, and don't ask too many questions. Judging from her past experiences, she'll spend tonight and until about mid-afternoon tomorrow doing that."

Glynda furrowed her brow. "Where will she get the money for such a reasonable price? Even if she hoarded the payments she received for the missions she completed, it won't last her long in such a place."

"Oh, I can guarantee that money will never be touched. She'll draw from miscellaneous electronic sources."

"She'll be robbing people's bank accounts?" Weiss was beside herself. "How?!"

"Who do you think taught me everything I know about foiling cybersecurity measures? I didn't come into being knowing how to defeat billion-dollar machines. Someone had to program it in."

"She doesn't have you though, so how will she break in?"

"With a Scroll."

Yang spoke back up. "Yeah, but she doesn't have one. We found it dumped in a bush near one of the gyms."

"She'll probably appropriate one from someone who was leaving it hanging a bit too far out of their pocket."

"Okay." Ruby furrowed her brow in thought, gears turning in a rare display of the dolt's intelligence. "So we can't track her via Scroll. She'll be looking to make friends with seedy characters. They like public places for their meetups, don't they? So it'll only be a matter of time before she pops up on a security camera, right?"

"Not that simple." Bob sighed, a wholly unneeded mannerism the machine nevertheless picked up from the girls over the past three months. "You need to keep in mind where she came from. This isn't the first time she's been on the run, and previously it was in a quasi-police state with enough surveillance capacity to make Vale look like a ghost town. If she can sneak around there for five years more or less unseen, I can guarantee that your surveillance capabilities will never pick her up. To badly plagiarize an action movie… you are now six hours behind the most difficult target of your careers."

"Which means we'll need a more hands-on approach to find her before something terrible happens, either to her or because of her." Ozpin stood up wearily. "I would like to thank you three for the help you've given us so far, but we'll take it from here. There will be much coming up, and you must be ready for it. Go down, get some dinner, and get some rest."

Reluctantly, the three Huntresses stepped into the elevator and left Ozpin's office. Immediately, and unanimously, they agreed to search on their own as well. Weiss dug out her Scroll and texted Kassidy's number – which she knew would be picked up by Bob.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT KASSIDY WHENEVER YOU'RE FREE?

YES.

(Perspective: Kassidy)

Of course it decided to rain my first night out on the streets. Kassidy hunched further into the hot pink hoodie she was wearing. Her clothing was far too easily recognizable; it was necessary to replace it with her usual method of acquiring new clothing: dumpster diving. Patchy and dirty blue jeans completed the ensemble, and her shoulder length hair, free of its bun, tumbled forth from the hood. She gripped the pistol in the hoodie's front pouch tightly as she rounded a corner.

In the mad dash to reestablish herself in the world, dinner had to wait. Acquiring a new Scroll so she had access to the RemNet, hijacking bank accounts so that she was able to access a wealth of funds, meeting people who may or may not want to shoot her depending on how she carried herself. The benefits were immediate: she now had four separate contacts, one of whom either knew something or knew someone who knew something, two of whom specialized in business transactions, and another who had a backdoor to a local Dust supplier.

Her cache was just in the alley across the street, her rifle and sword and clothes from Beacon. Crossing the road, she almost missed the trio of people falling into step behind her, but the fourth man in front of her gave them away. Black hoodie, white vest, white mask that was vaguely in the shape of a Grimm, and the White Fang's insignia plastered on the back. Oh for fuck's sake, am I seriously about to eat my words to Weiss about the White Fang being predominantly peaceful?

"Well, you seem to be in the wrong neighborhood sweetheart." The man in front of her took a few steps forward and brandished a machete. "You sure you're not lost?"

"Last I checked, the White Fang was a peaceful organization working to advance Faunus rights. Am I wrong?"

"Nah, you're not wrong." A female voice rose behind her. "We've just taken to more direct means of dealing with you human scum."

Huntress Kassidy might have asked for clarification, waited for them to make the first move before getting into a fight. This wasn't Huntress Kassidy, however. Survivor Kassidy knew the importance of initiative. Quick as a flash, four shots rang out, and four bodies crumpled to the ground around her. Dragging them into the alleyway with her cache, she quickly began the task of looting the bodies. Her stores would grow quickly. Hell, with an automatic rifle among the stuff that the dead don't need, it might be wise to set up a second one.

AN 2: And so Kassidy is out on the streets again, paranoia trumping all. Will Team RWKY be able to come back together? Will Kassidy follow Blake's canon path and run into Torchwick? And where the hell has Sun been this whole time?

Coming up next: Kassidy on the streets

James: I unfortunately cannot provide a remedy for an enjoyment of my story, beyond a new release of said story. Hopefully this should tide you over until Friday. Glad to hear you enjoy it so much.

Akshka: Yeah… if you think things were bad at the end of last chapter, then you must've just got here. On a more serious note, though, this entire arc is a one-way ticket to Seriousville. Plenty more where that came from.

mcd3424: Indeed it was and indeed you do. Hopefully as we keep going things will continue to get clearer.

Tykene: Well, if I can get those kinds of reactions from people I'd like to think I'm doing a good job with the whole creative writing deal. Glad to hear you enjoy it so much, here's to hoping I can keep providing that kind of quality.

AndJrew76: I hear elephant guns are on sale on Amazon this time of year. Not that it'll keep me from advancing the plot. Thanks for the praise, and for the well wishes on my finals week. Oum knows I'll be needing it.

AgentDraakis: Order completed, hugs are on their way. Just… don't ask how I already know your address. Thanks for the compliments, and glad to hear you're enjoying it so much you're bringing other valued readers along for the ride. However, if I may suggest letting them see RWBY anyway, after my family insisted on reading this I can tell you from experience that I don't do a very good job explaining the show to someone who's never seen it before. Might want to go through the earlier chapters at some point to fix that. As for how much better this can get? Well, if I have my way, quite a bit better.

helenGet: Awesome to hear you're enjoying it so much! And don't you worry, I upload twice a week so you won't have to be waiting for long!

Kassidy: I will most definitely keep to my update schedule if I have anything to say about it. As for her Aura? Eh… still up in the air how I want to play that.

Guest: Fortunately, you won't have to wait long. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!