A/N: To the first reviewer uh... yeah, basically. Starting premise is essentially the same but this story will play notably differently. I should note that I do enjoy that story despite it's flaws though. Basically wanted an excuse to put tactical stuff into RWBY... also, I genuinely applaud you, herbiecide, for being the fastest reviewer in the West. I genuinely wasn't expecting a review for at least two or three hours, minimum.

She had left Crescent Rose behind, and took a more discrete pathway out from the shuttle pads into the old city. If she wore her old outfit, these wouldn't be ideal circumstances in terms of scenery and weather, rather a bright crimson cloak would've stood out quite a lot in the current downpour. Indeed, dark storm clouds had rolled in, with it a downpour and poor visibility. It was dark, and the roaring downpour was near deafening... and yet, it was perfect for her now. The dark coloration of all her gear meant she was effectively invisible as she darted through alleyways, her nods lowered over the goggles on her eyes. Night vision was such a nice convenience, allowed her to see through the darkness with perfect clarity.

She was allowing the roaring rain to mask the sound of her footfalls, moving fast and without much concern for how heavy her footfalls were. It didn't take her long to come up on a group of armed thugs huddling under an overhang around a flaming barrel to keep warm despite the air chilled by rain. She activated the broadband amplifier on her helmet, allowing her to pick up on their conversation despite their whispers, distance and the environmental white noise. Thankfully, her headset did a good job cancelling out everything but their conversation...

"Geez... When's this rain gonna let up? I'm fuckin soaked and the flames ain't helpin to dry..." one grumbled as he wrapped his arms around his torso.

"I don't fuckin know- hell, why are we even back here? The boss knows the back door can be locked, right?" Another asked, receiving an indignant scoff from the third.

"Idiots... we're here to guard the fuse box, not the back door. If someone were to tamper with this thing, then it'd be havoc inside." The last answered the question, and Ruby nodded as she understood their angle. Now she just had to do some more recon, find out what they were-

She was cut off by her scroll's vibration, and she ducked back behind a dumpster so that the light of the device wouldn't be seen through the dark. The caller was none other than the headmaster himself, which surprised her, to be sure. Just what could Ozpin want?

"Miss Rose, I understand that you're near a certain criminal hideout. I have eyes on you right now, so let's cut to the chase." He said, not even giving her time to respond. "The facility you're approaching is a drug lab under the guise of a club. I want to test your skills in assault and discretion, see if you're a good fit for something special... kill everyone associated with the boss, 'Daude,' destroy the stash of contraband, and exfiltrate the facility without raising any alarms."

"W-wait, you want me to KILL these people?!. I'm sorry, but that's a REALLY difficult order to follow, Headmaster!" Ruby whispered back, drawing a low chuckle out of the man.

"Their deaths have already been assigned, their crimes judged and their punishment execution. If you won't execute, I already have a team on standby that will... consider it a test of sorts. If you follow the order, and accomplish the mission to the letter, then a host of new opportunities will open up to you... just consider it... although, do know that alerting anyone, and I do mean ANYONE, about your involvement in this activity, or this mission in general, it will be regarded as treason, and dealt with appropriately." And with that, he hung up, leaving Ruby with a few questions answered but even more now established. Sure, these guys might've been scum, but they were still people... did they really all deserve to die? That seemed a little extreme, and she didn't understand why they couldn't just be thrown in jail, after all, prisons were designed specifically so that people like this could be detained, and not executed...

So now she weighed her options, knowing she had to make a decision here and now. She could easily just leave here and now, forget everything and carry on about her life as a regular Huntress-in-Training... carry on going nowhere leading a team that didn't care about her, graduate to be just another hunter on the field with the same four years of experiences as everyone else... it didn't sound appealing to her, and it wouldn't change these peoples' fates. Ozpin clearly stated that if she didn't do it, someone else would, so what did it really matter, anyways?

Whether she killed them herself or someone else was tasked to do so, it wouldn't change anything. A cold shiver ran down her spine as the realization dawned upon her that nothing she did now could prevent these people, scum they may be, from dying tonight. She hated the feeling of being unable to do anything about it, a feeling of helplessness always found it's way into her whenever presented with a tricky situation like this, but she squashed it down. No, she could do something about it, and take it into her own hands. She could guarantee they all had a quick and hopefully painless death.

If she followed through with this, doors previously closed to her, doors she never knew about, would open up to her. Experiences that could only serve to enrich her skills as a Huntress, as a leader. Pissed as she may be at her team, she was still their leader, and still planned on being the best leader she could be, at least in combat. She still planned on making it through their four years as a team, and didn't plan on leaving anyone behind. If these opportunities presented to her from this could do anything for her to ensure that happens, it was a no-brainer to her.

Releasing a slow, quiet breath, Ruby shut her eyes and relaxed her shoulders, holding her rifle at the low-ready. She steadied her breathing, leveled out her inner turmoil and allowed a sort of cold clarity to wash over her after all emotions and senses of morality... all distractions, were swept aside...

"They are nothing more than targets, and this is nothing more than another live fire exercise. Work quickly, quietly, thoroughly. Mind my angles in room clearing, keep my weapons close, scan with my eyes. Mind my fire, approach, and six o'clock... no witnesses." Ruby internally listed off, before reopening her eyes and allowing a completely blank expression to wash over her face. With all internal distractions out of the way, she snapped up from behind the dumpster and acquired her first target. A successful ambush or surprise attack had a certain effect on the victims, with the untrained taking about five to six seconds to raise their aura in response, trained three to four, and hunters one to two.

With steady hands and a lack of hesitation, she put a bullet downrange, before snapping to another, firing, and onto the last, all before the first fell. She was confident enough not to question her competence, and didn't bother giving the falling bodies a second look as she began to approach the door. All three fell within half a second of each other, the hole drilled through their heads leaking their lifeblood and cerebral fluid, but she merely stepped over them and around the pools of gathering liquids. Didn't bother policing her brass neither, the polymer casings meant that the bullet was sent forth, but the casing was disintegrated upon firing, avoiding any mess or means of tracking her involvement.

She didn't bother with the fuse box. If she tampered with it or killed the lights, those inside would grow suspicious, and be at the ready to meet her in kind. No, for the sake of maintaining stealth, she left it be, and holstered her rifle in favor of her more compact PDW. Now, approaching the door, Ruby used her broadband signal amplifier to listen in on anything going on on the other side of the door while switching her nods' viewing mode to thermals...

"Two contacts, narrow and 180 degrees respectively." Ruby thought, before facing her hips towards the wall, holding her weapon at the low ready and using her palm to slap down the door handle at an angle that would press the door open. Snapping the weapon up, she put a tungsten penetrator round through the first target's head knowing that a single standard 9mm handgun round could at times be insufficient for fully penetrating a human skull, without moving into the doorway and keeping herself concealed from everything inside save the narrow slit along the left side of the room that could see her from her current angle. Before her target could even make a noise or start to slump, she led her left foot partway through the doorway while keeping her weapon close, being careful not to expose any part of the weapon to the angles of the room she couldn't see yet. Ruby cleared with her eyes in a split second, allowing the gun in her hands to follow her eyes, before leading again with her left foot into the room and planting it perpendicular to the doorway, bringing her right leg through and snapping her weapon up to the still-shocked thug and putting a bullet through her dome, dropping her without a sound.

Clearing the room only took about a second and a half, and with the roaring storm and pumping music from the dance floor of the club deeper within the building, any noise created by the clearing was easily drowned out. She ignored the limp bodies, focusing on her surroundings. She took her nods off, as Night Vision and Thermal were both somewhat redundant for visibility in the dim yet still clearly lit room and connecting hallway. Stepping up to the corner of the entrance to the hall, she noted that she was in a corner-fed room, and that another with an open doorway stood just a few meters down the hall.

Slowly and quietly, she crept down the hall while staying close to the wall and keeping her eyes trained down the hall, her weapon held close and following her eyes, laser off. It only took a few seconds for her to clear the distance, but as she reached the door she made note of the rubber sealing around the doorway, and the sound of at least twelve in the room. Too many for her to quietly kill in any quick fashion, and it would grant more than enough time for them to yell or sound an alarm. Ruby cast a glance back to ensure her six was still secure, then observed her surroundings, making note of the foldable chair one of the bodies in the previous room had slumped over in, and making note of the canister of vapor VX she'd taken for this mission, a colorless, odorless chemical agent that could be fatal in mere moments, shutting them up and making them spasm uncontrollably before dying. It was all she needed, and as she'd already sanded off the serial number and any identifying marks of purchase or manufacture, it would do.

Taking the chair up and folding it, and breaking the seal off the canister, she tossed it in without a second thought, closing the door (that opened up into the hallway) and propping the chair up under the handle at an angle that would prevent them from being able to open the door, and moving on. She didn't need to check to know they'd all die, since this was a form of weapon that aura could not protect against. The next room wasn't far down, but the door was closed.

She allowed her signal amplifier to pick up any noise in the room, noting what sounded like five voices. The doorway wasn't sealed, so she'd have to try something other than gas, ultimately settling on a pulse grenade. It similarly had all marks of identification and production scratched off, making it viable. She couldn't kill all five before one of them could make a sound, though she could before they could raise their auras...

"Three to six second window. Pulse grenades aren't silent, but they aren't loud either. They're quiet enough that with the ambient noise, it won't be heard outside this room." Ruby thought methodically, before priming the grenade, propping the door open, and tossing it in. The Electronic boom of the device was difficult to hear even despite the open door, and the electrical pulse had all within the room spasming as currents of electricity raced across their bodies, voices unable to emerge through the waves. The pulse did exactly as she needed it to, and strode inside, dropping a round into each target's head with ease. Five more dead, she moved on without a second glance after ensuring the room was clear.

The enemy was still unaware of her presence, meaning they still for the most part had their guards lowered. She continued to methodically, quickly and quietly clear every room she came across while keeping alert about more dangerous and more difficult sections to cross undetected. At times she had to dedicate to a larger room, leaving a smaller one uncleared for a moment while she cleared the larger. Not every room was occupied, of course, but those that were weren't filled with living ones for very long as she made her way through. Despite her ongoing covert massacre, the noise from partying didn't show any sign of halting, or even slowing in the slightest. Rather, it sounded like the party was only getting wilder.

Didn't matter to her, she just used it to help mask any sounds made. Stairwell cleared and secured without a sound, five more dead over three flights, Ruby crept down another hall, being careful now not to enter the wrong room as some of these were private rooms filled with non-combatants who were none the wiser. Approaching a hallway that was marked off as staff only, she quickly cut down the two guards from shadows and dragged them off behind a corner further down said hall, doming the elevator guard as she peeked around the corner. There was a stairwell at the end of the hall, but the door was magnetically locked, meaning that she couldn't open it normally or breach it.

"Only way up is the elevator... Swap mags, switch to primary for faster cycling rate. Reach the top, cut them down quickly, kill the boss in his own office. No problem." Ruby listed off almost computer-like in her head, before switching out the magazine in her PDW, collapsing the stock, and locking it into it's holster. Taking out her rifle, Ruby collapsed the stock as much as it would go, held it at the low ready, and used the muzzle to poke the button to go up to prevent getting her finger prints on anything, something she was careful to do up to this point.

The Elevator gave a small *ding!* before opening up, and she immediately activated her semblance. It was a development on her usage, allowing her to enter a sort of accelerated perception of time where it looked like the world moved in slow motion while her own movements only sped up. It was normally exhausting for her to do, and effectively rendered any aura protection on herself non-existent while she was in this sort of bullet time, but that's why she had body armor now. She snapped from target to target quickly, cutting each down with a single shot to the head, sweeping from right to left as she'd pressed herself up against the left side wall of the elevator, killing enemies as she stepped out.

She halted her semblance usage at three seconds, noting that it reduced her aura by 87% in that time. Suited her just fine, she was still undetected, despite the party below. The glass railing ensured that the bodies just slumped down within the suspended walkways, and that nobody below would be alerted to the bloodshed by a falling body. The walkway forked off at the center, leading to three separate doors each at a different side of the room. Knowing that her window of time to be here was starting to draw to a close, as there'd certainly be at least someone suspicious at this point by the lack of guards at the hall, she dropped her nods over her eyes and used thermal. She identified a room straight ahead that held a large number of people sitting together around something, and four other individuals standing with their backs turned to the group.

"Guards, Lieutenants and the Boss. Thanks for making this easy for me." Ruby thought, before swapping out magazines for one with a tungsten penetrator, locking the bolt back and catching the standard round, locking it back into it's magazine. After releasing the bolt, she quietly and slowly pushed the door open, lined up the shot, and killed three thugs in one bullet, before snapping to the last one and putting a second round through their head as well. All four slumped to the ground almost in unison, allowing her to approach one of the two closed doors that led into the room. The music was at an absolute height now, and she could barely even hear herself think now, and she knew that it would provide sufficient noise cancellation for her to employ some toys she's wanted to use for a really long time now.

Holstering her rifle on her back, she pulled out a handful of three micro-grenades, pulled all the pins, and held them all in a closed fist. Small, but packed almost as large an explosion as regular frags. With but a nod to herself, she cooked the grenades for a moment, twisted the handle, pushed the door open, tossed all three bombs inside in such a way that they'd scatter rightly, and slammed the door shut. Despite the noise from the music, Ruby could still hear the explosions, though they were muted by the room being closed off.

She didn't let the thought distract her, as she opened up the door and observed the room, dropping one bullet into each body's head to confirm kills with certainty, took a manila folder off the head honcho's body, stowing it in her assault pack, and took her leave. A brisk sweep allowed her to find the boss's laptop and his office, which she raided for information, copying all the contents of the laptop onto an external hard drive, before leaving the area. A single look over the rails was all that was needed to find that the party was going uninterrupted, meaning that the partygoers were either completely unaware of the explosions above them, or they thought it was part of the bass drop. Either or, it didn't matter to her, and after taking a minute to retrace her steps, she found herself right where she started.

She regarded the facility with a simple nod as she walked right back down the alleyway she'd approached it from in the first place. Sure enough, her field test for her new equipment was a massive success, and she couldn't wait to try it out in the ring... but for now, she had other objectives that took precedence...

Chief among them, bringing all this juicy info to the man who gave her this mission...

"I was monitoring your progress... outstanding!" Ozpin praised from behind his desk, a big grin plastered over his face as he sat behind his desk and accepted possession of the folder and hard drive. "Tell me, Miss Rose, how did you manage so easily with taking lives? Surely, there must've been some internal conflict?"

It was around 2100 now, the night sky dark and the office only lit by the lights within. It was a warm light, but it shifted and fragmented often by the gears that continued to move above and below them, and did little to take Ruby's mind off the events of the night. She sat directly in front of Ozpin in a rather comfortable chair on the other side of the desk, and quietly made mental notes of everything. Mannerisms, voice inflections, facial expression, all of it. Glynda quietly stood behind him, just off to his right with both hands folded behind her back though with eyes narrowed upon Ruby, as if trying to read her. It wouldn't be difficult to read her facial expressions, as she'd stowed her nods upright and her goggles below them, and had pulled her balaclava down to show her face.

"I didn't feel anything at the time... I guess I just put myself into a sort of focused trance, Headmaster... truth be told, the fine details of each encounter are really blurry right now." Ruby admit honestly, receiving an amused chuckle in response.

"I'm not surprised by this... but as I was saying, this little excursion tonight had the possibility of opening up doors for you dependent on your results. The results you produced have with definite certainty opened up these doors for you." He replied with an honest smile, before pressing a few buttons on his scroll and pulling up a hologram in front of the girl. "Tell me, Miss Rose, have you ever heard of of the Black Operations Hunter group known simply as 'Spec Ops'?"

"Spec Ops? Yeah, I think just about everyone's heard of them, but everyone knows they aren't real." Ruby said with a perplexed look... if Ozpin was bringing it up, then that must mean...

"And that's the organization's biggest strength. Everyone believes them to be nothing more than myth and legend... Truth is, they're very real, Miss Rose." He informed, before pointing to the hologram. It was a flat image of a bronze spartan helmet, silver crossed blades behind it over a black heater shield shape, a parchment colored banner beneath with some words of a foreign language spelled out over it, 'CELERI PERCUTE, NON RELIQUIA,' all encompassed in a circle of green, lined in gold. "This is their insignia, although nobody knows it. Only someone who's a member of Spec Ops knows who this belongs to."

Spec Ops was something of legend within the Hunter World. An elite team of hunters with no face, no name, and hyper-lethal skill. They took on the most suicidal and impossible missions as if it were some kind of joke to them, and according to the legends, could merge and strike from the very shadows themselves. Nowhere was safe from their reach, no foe their equal, no challenge too tall. They were Angels of Death, Icons of War... and a fairy tale. As much to inspire hunters as it was to scare little kids into behaving. Spec Ops did not see in black and white, and anything they perceived as a threat or possible threat, or liability to humanity in the future was dealt with without mercy.

"Miss Rose, You know well enough inside that I speak the truth here. I may harbor many secrets from the public, but not from Spec Ops... and I want you to join." He extended his hand, a coin holding the alleged insignia of Spec Ops within, for her to shake...

"Why do you want me to join?"

"You show all the skills we NEED in the organization. It's a very selective recruitment process, even more selective than those I let into my inner circle, Miss Rose. Everything about one's character is called into question before I accept one in, their mental fortitude, skill in battle and their potential to grow... You showed enough promise to merit consideration, your results earlier solidified the decision."

"And what exactly about me did that? My skill?"

"Your skill is considerable, but no." He replied, chuckling lightly. "Rather, your current standing would be at the bottom of the pecking order... but your ability to put yourself in a state where taking lives means nothing to you, and your mental fortitude to spring back from it without the slightest issue? That's the biggest thing I'm looking for in Spec Ops Operatives."

Ruby considered the offer a moment, before looking back up at the man. "And what kind of missions would I be taking part in? I'm down for the cause if it means making this world a better place and bettering myself, but I'd like some specifics."

"It's quite simple, really. You're aware of how antibiotics work, yes? Spec Ops is that, for the globe. Sometimes you'll be killing those that are blatantly enemies, sometimes you'll be assassinating an ally, such as a popular politician, to set off a change reaction. Sometimes the good ending of your dark deeds will not be seen immediately, sometimes not even within your lifetime... but they are things that must happen, you see." Ozpin explained, drawing an inquisitive look from Ruby, who cast her gaze back down in contemplation. "You should know, this is a one-time offer, and if you leave this office, you'll never be able to change your mind. I'll ensure you do not remember this conversation, nor what happened earlier today, after all, the technology to do all that isn't too complicated, and I've used it before on students without them knowing."

"Well... I already said I was down for the cause, didn't I? Don't worry, I already understand that this isn't something I can ever tell anyone else about in my lifetime... And I won't disappoint you!" Ruby declared with sudden conviction, shaking his hand and accepting the coin. A soft smile crossed his lips, as he gestured for her to turn a bit, and put a patch of Spec Ops' insignia in black and shades of gray upon her shoulder's velcro. Turning back to face him, Ruby gave a quick nod, but raised one last question...

"Oh, just out of curiosity, what exactly do the words on the banner mean?"

"CELERI PERCUTE, NON RELIQUIA... Swift Strike, No Survivors. It's our motto... and Miss Rose?" He stated, leaving the ending open, before standing up and snapping his fingers to a seemingly empty room. Her eyes widened in awe as with naught but an electronic burst, sounding as if dozens at once, a large number of figures materialized, lining the room around her with similar looking equipment and their faces exposed...

"Welcome to Spec Ops."