Ruby was awoken by the sound of her doorbell ringing. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning, she glanced at her bedside clock to see that it was the next morning, approaching noon. The doorbell rang again, so the runner stumbled from her bed tiredly and made her way to the door.

Opening it, she was immediately assaulted by an over-excited, bone-crushing embrace. "Ruby!" the girl screamed.

"Hey Nora…" the silver-eyed girl choked, feeling all the air in her lungs be squeezed out by the ginger girl's superhuman strength.

"Nora," the other guest said, "You're killing her."

"Ren, I'm just giving her a hug!"

"Exactly, you're killing her."

"Ren!"

Ignoring her, the magenta-eyed man bowed steeply, "Hello Ruby. How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm awake now, to say the least…" Ruby joked, rubbing her arms in an attempt to soothe the pain coursing through her. "How are you so superhumanly strong?"

Nora hummed in confusion, "I go to the gym, like anyone else would." It was rather clear that she was either lying or she had been benching oxen since she was a child.

"Right…" Ruby invited them inside and made tea. "Sorry for being so disorganised today. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, I saw you on TV, girl! You gave those pigs the slip, lemme tell ya!"

"Nora," Ren said, "Not so loud.

"Still, are you okay? Whatever you did last night left the police in an uproar."

Ruby waved her hand dismissively, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a few scars, nothing I haven't dealt with before."

Ren frowned concernedly, "Do you have to keep going on those more dangerous runs? I'm sure you'd be able to pay off your debt with just the normal ones. It may take longer, but it certainly isn't impossible."

"The government is demanding I repay my loan as soon as possible."

"Loan Sharks…" Nora grumbled.

"It was their money to begin with," Ruby said.

"Yeah. They give you debt then make you a slave."

"It's not as simple as that." Ruby sighed, unable to fully disagree with Nora. Her debt had been weighing on her mind for the last few months, concerns over the extent of her freedom and her pride dampening her soul. Yet, she was also aware of the reality of her particular situation. Student loan was essentially an investment made by the government into prospective high-earners, educated citizens who would benefit society as a whole with their expertise. Ruby, however, had dropped out, proving herself a bad investment. Even if it was wrong to treat another person like that, it was also reasonable, she concluded.

"Anyway," the runner continued, "What's going on with you guys? I heard there was another protest."

Ren nodded, "Yes. It's been getting harder to maintain the peace. Everyone is starting to lose faith in the government actually listening to us. I'd rather avoid such pessimistic thinking, but it does seem that only those with money can be heard in this city."

Ruby frowned, "Is morale bad?"

"Very. I'm worried that, soon, the resentment that's been building up will explode violently and uncontrollably."

The silver-eyed criminal sighed morosely, "What are you two going to do?"

They were silent, Nora turning to Ren. The elder man sighed, "Keep the peace as best I can, though I'm not sure how to do that. The best I can hope for is that they keep to their reason rather than their hearts."

"Okay…" Ruby replied quietly, sipping her tea, "Just, don't get hurt, okay?"

"Don't worry, Rubes!" Nora cried, smiling energetically, "I'll keep Ren safe. Any cop who comes within ten metres will get walloped!"

Ruby laughed, "At this rate, I'll be more concerned for the police than the students."

"Maybe that's what we should do next," Ren chuckled, "I'll have Nora spend a day with the education minister. I'm curious as to how he'll fare at the end of the day." They all shared a laugh at the thought.

"Anyway, any news about your dad, Ren?"

"No news, which I suppose is the best news as of now. From what I've been told, they're still trying to identify the contaminant that causes ChromS. They've concluded it wasn't the chrome in the prosthetics itself, but rather some unknown impurity used in the production of the chrome."

"I see. I hope he gets better soon."

Ren sighed sombrely, "As do I, Ruby. As do I."

There was a tone from Ruby's scroll, a message from Blake asking for a meeting. "Sorry guys, but I'm afraid I gotta go. I've got a… big job this evening."

Nora harrumphed indignantly, slouching in her chair, "Kicking your precious friends out. What are we to you?"

Ren gave her a gentle slap on the head and a stern look. "I understand, Ruby. Just be careful. Last night was already pretty big from what I've seen, and I shudder as to what might happen to you for anything worse."

They said their goodbyes, Ruby gathered her things and made her way to Blake's hideout. The hacker was, as usual, plugged into her cyberdesk. "Hey," Ruby called.

"Hello," Blake turned to face her, though did not disconnect herself from the desk. She spun a screen towards Ruby, displaying a 3D plan of the building's layout, "I've found a way for you to get into Polendina."

"A way? Not a few?"

"Were you expecting any different? There's a ventilation shaft on the north side of the building that is connected to the rest of the building. The Fang's been gracious enough to give you a pair of magnetic gloves to climb up the shaft. There are, however, sensors lining the shaft, so you'll have to move into a maintenance shaft filled with pipes. Be careful as there's not a lot of places to stand properly.

"After that, you'll need to get a keycard; whatever Project Ghost is, the only way to get to it is through an elevator that goes deep underground. There's a security office here, in the west wing, that's likely to have what you need. Just a word of warning, there's bound to be someone in there, so you must be absolutely careful."

Ruby groaned, "As if I shouldn't be for the rest of it…"

Blake ignored her and continued, "After that, it's just a matter of getting to the elevator. I'll deactivate any cameras in your way and redirect the guards as best as I can, but, and this should go without saying, don't get too complacent.

"So, your thoughts?"

"My stumps are already aching from just hearing it." The runner sighed heavily, her body becoming loose and limp, "I'm starting to regret taking this job… Where do I wait before going into the ventilation?" Ruby did not like the nervous smile plastered on the faunus' face.

Several hours later, Ruby stood in the sewer, just under a manhole covering, with a look of utter disappointment. "This stinks, literally."

"Oh grow up," Blake said, speaking to Ruby through a private communications channel over their neural links, "Besides, would you rather be shot at?"

"I'd rather be waiting behind another building than down here."

"There isn't another building to wait behind, or anything else, really. The Schnee's really want this place to be as impregnable as possible."

"Then why is there only one camera at this ventilation shaft?"

"Complacency, most likely. My guess is that the head of security believes his little fortress is unassailable.

"Anyway, get ready, I'm about to deactivate the camera, you'll only have a few seconds."

Ruby released another tired sigh, and climbed the ladder leading to the manhole, readying her arms to lift the cover off.

"Go!"

The runner lifted up and moved the metal disk away. She climbed out onto the street and replaced the cover as fast as she could. Once that was done, Ruby glanced over at the building, spotting the camera staring directly at her. She quickly activated her semblance and dashed to the ventilation shaft in the blink of an eye. "Did it spot me?"

"You got there not a second too late, you should be good to go."

Ruby nodded and removed the grating before climbing into the metal maw. It was tough climbing up the shaft, her fight against gravity without any proper grips straining her arms, but the magnetic gloves certainly made it possible.

By the time she was horizontal, laying on her belly, Ruby was drenched in sweat, "Why does it have to be so damn hot in here?"

"It's a ventilation system," Blake dryly remarked. The silver-eyed woman huffed in annoyance and continued on her way.

As she clambered through the vein-like system, Ruby decided to interrogate Blake a bit, "So, once I've got what you need, how do I get out?"

"Same way you came in."

"You mean… through the vents again? Isn't there another path?"

"I did say this was the only way in, so, therefore, it's the only way out. Well, you could always just run through the front door as fast as you can."

"Yeah, not doing that." Ruby sighed, "What if things go wrong?"

"If things go wrong, then the front door or a window is probably the best option."

"I don't really like the idea of my escape being accompanied by gunfire. I'm rather attached to my body, and would not like to see it riddled with holes."

Blake sighed, "Fine, I'll look for any other options. I wouldn't hold your breath, though.

"Anyway, you're coming up to the sensor. Open the panel beneath you and you'll come into the maintenance shaft."

Ruby nodded to no one, pulled out a butterfly knife and pierced the flimsy metal sheet, cutting it open. She dropped out of the vent into the cramped maintenance shaft. Much like the vent, it was unbearably hot and cramped, with pipes on all sides and steam hanging heavy in the air, making it difficult to breathe.

The runner carried on her way through the cramped passageway. A gush of steam burst from a pipe into Ruby's face, making her stop and raise her arms up. Ruby huffed, "I can barely breathe already, pipe, you don't need to make it harder…"

"I think it was over here!" a voice said from down the passageway. Ruby quickly climbed up the pipes and squeezed herself between them, hoping to evade whoever was coming.

Two maintenance workers approached where Ruby was, inspecting the pipe that had burst steam into her face. "Yep, there it is. Thing's been bursting constantly lately, no matter how many times we bolt it down," the first said.

"Most likely a problem with the pressure, then. Give me a minute." The second rooted through his toolbox until he pulled a small machine attached to a thin spike by a rubber tube. He stuck the spike through the breach in the pipe and focused his attention onto the machine, watching as the needle began to bob back and forth.

Soon, he retracted the needle and placed the machine back into the box, "Aye, there's something going on with the pressure, I'll get a few boys together and we'll sort it out. For now, just bolt it back down."

The first man began to fix the breach. "Hey, did you think we saw someone down here a moment ago, through all the steam?" Despite the boiling temperature, Ruby's blood ran colder than a blizzard.

"Don't think so. If it was definitely a person, then you'd definitely have pointed it out sooner. You probably just saw the steam make a strange shape."

"I suppose."

Ruby had to hold back a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, now that you're done with that, take me to the next problem."

"This way." The two workers continued on their way.

Ruby wormed her way out from the pipes, breathing heavily from the tight confines and humid air. After catching her breath, she pressed on.

Sneaking through a heavily guarded facility owned by one of the wealthiest families on the planet would have been nigh impossible. Fortunately, Blake was, if nothing else, good at what she did. Cameras were disabled, orders were rescinded, rearranged and rescheduled, and Ruby was warned beforehand of any patrols she might have run afoul of, giving her plenty of time to make a detour or hide.

Still, the danger never left Ruby. Neither she nor Blake were infallible, and one mistake could shake the hornets' nest the runner was delving ever further in.

Eventually, she came to the security office where she could get an appropriate key card. "I can see one guy in there," Blake reported, "Not sure how long he'll be, though. You could wait it out."

"No. Absolutely not. I'm not waiting around for someone to just walk up on me standing here."

"Right. What I suggest then is that you get back into the vents and attack him from above. There should be an entrance down the hall."

Ruby looked and saw the one she was referring to. Much to the runner's displeasure, it was hanging high above the floor, and with her small stature it would be rather difficult to get the grating off.

She jumped and failed. She jumped again and missed again. She jumped a third time and, whilst not removing the grate, managed to graze her hand against it. That small bit of progress encouraged her to keep trying until she finally managed to remove it.

"I think the sound was from over here."

Ruby glanced down the hallway, hearing two pairs of footsteps approaching. She dropped the cover and launched herself into the vent with her semblance, quickly scrambling away.

"Oh, the grate fell off. Wonder how that happened?"

"I thought it sounded like someone jumping up and down. Shall I get a ladder?"

"..."

"..."

"Nah."

Ruby sighed in relief, thanking her lucky stars for humanity's penchant for laziness. She crawled further in until she could see the security office through a grate beneath her. She could see a guard sitting at a computer. He was on the phone, "Yeah, the security feed just kept flickering every now and then… No, no, it was too quick for anybody to get past so we're fine. However, it was still annoying. Do you think you could send someone to have a look at it? …Yeah, Thursday's fine. Thanks."

Ruby, as quietly as she could, removed the vent cover and slid it away. She repositioned herself to jump him.

Sadly, she was not quiet enough, and the guard heard her. He glanced up, his eyes widening in shock. "Hey!"

Ruby knew it was now or never, and so pushed herself down and kicked him in the face, knocking him unconscious. "That was far too close."

"At least cameras are an afterthought, now. Only have to worry about wiping you from the records rather than disable them as you go.

"Still, I'd hurry. Who knows when he'll wake." Ruby nodded and snatched the key card from the guard's belt. She followed Blake's directions and reached the elevator undetected. She swiped the lock with the card and made the descent.

It was a long way down, taking a few minutes until the doors finally opened. Ruby immediately pulled her cloak closer, shivering, "Why's it so cold down here?!"

However, she stopped moving when she got a look at where she was. It was a large room, dimly lit with cool blue lights (making her feel slightly colder). At the centre of the room was a metal table, and upon that table was a girl, dressed in a green, and her ginger hair curled around her face. She was asleep. Around her, various screwdrivers, drills, wrenches and other tools Ruby would expect to see at a garage or prosthetic engineer's workshop lay in metal trays, wires and cables curling around like snakes.

"Blake?" Ruby called, approaching the girl.

"What is it? There aren't any cameras down there so I can't see whatever it is you've found."

"I've found a girl…"

"A girl?"

"She's on this table, surrounded by stuff I use for my legs. She's completely asleep."

"...I'm sorry?"

"I don't know, either. But… it looks like they were experimenting on her, or something…"

"That's just awful. Where did they get this girl? Is she a faunus? How bad are her injuries?"

Ruby was just as confused, "I don't know where she came from, but she's not faunus. And I can't see any injuries, not even a bruise. In fact, she looks… serene."

Blake was silent for a moment, "...Wait, so, are they experimenting on her?"

"I… don't know? She's surrounded by all these tools and wires, but she just looks like a sleeping girl." Ruby placed her hand on the girl's wrist. "She's got no warmth, and her pulse isn't there."

Blake sighed, "I don't have any idea what's going on. Is there a terminal nearby?"

Ruby glanced around. "Yeah, I see one."

"See if you can get into it. That entire room seems to be a closed system and I can't get in on my end."

Ruby grumbled, more interested in engineering than computer science. Unfortunately for her, the terminal seemed to be password protected and also required a retinal scan.

"Open it up and tell me what you see. I'll guide you into disabling it," Blake said. Ruby did as instructed, crossing wires, fiddling with tiny little screws and other annoying things that affirmed her preference of engineering over 'this bollocks', as she called it.

Yet, all that she was met with was a beeping sound. The terminal was still locked. "Blake, that didn't work."

"Should have. You must have made a mistake."

"Salutations!"

Ruby spun around on her heel, met with the sight of the girl standing before her. Ruby could not put her finger on it, but there was something strangely unnerving about the girl's sickly green eyes. "He-Hello…"

"My name is Penny. What's yours?"

"R-Ruby…"

Penny smiled brightly, placing her hands on her hips, "Well, Ruby, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

Suddenly, a siren blared out, causing Ruby to cover her ears in pain.

"Ruby!" Blake yelled, but was barely indistinguishable over the noise, "Looks like the guard woke up whilst we were distracted. To make matters worse, the elevator's completely locked down."

"What?!" Ruby demanded, "Blake, there are no doors in here, that elevator is the only way out!"

"I know, I know! I'm looking for another option.

"...It looks like that room you're in is adjacent to the sewers. If you can get through the wall at the back right of the room, you should have an escape."

"Blake, that wall is made of solid concrete!"

"What's wrong, Ruby?" Penny said, seemingly unaffected by the deafening siren.

"Uh… A bunch of bad guys are on their way here, and we need to get out! But the only way out is apparently through this wall." She gestured at the slab of concrete hindering their escape.

Penny gasped, "Is that so?! Well, don't worry, Ruby, I'll handle this!" Ruby was confused by her words, watching as the ginger girl approached the wall. She reared her fist behind her head and swung, effortlessly knocking the wall down. Sure enough, behind it was the sewer. Ruby stared at the sight in amazement.

Penny faced her, "Well, Ruby, I have cleared the way."

"In…Incredible…"

"Ruby!" Blake yelled again, "The elevator's operational again and guards are making their way down!"

"Ri-Right!" The runner grabbed Penny's hand and dragged her into the sewer. They ran through the muck and filth as fast as they could, the sound of orders and barks echoing far behind them.

Ruby pulled her scroll out and dialled her sister's number. "Come on, Yang…" she grumbled through gritted teeth, listening to the ringtone.

"Hello!" Yang's cheery voice eventually appeared, "How's it going little sis?"

"Yang!" the silver-eyed woman shouted, "I need help! A job went south and I need you on your bike to get us out of here!"

"Alrighty! Hold on, us?"

"Yes! Make sure to bring Jaune as well!"

"Right. Where are you going to be?"

"Uh, hold on.

"Blake, where does this sewer lead?"

"The Northern Industrial Sector, quadrant bravo."

"Meet us at the old highway by that pub, RNJRs!"

"Okay! Try not to get shot now, you hear?"

Penny spoke up, "Where's RNJRs, Ruby?"

Ruby glanced back at her, never slowing down, "Just follow me, and don't slow down!" They continued on their way, eventually seeing the orange light of the city appear at the end of the tunnel.

They jumped out and landed in the river below. They pulled themselves out, and while Ruby shivered as the cold, Atlesian winds blew through her sodden clothes, Penny barely seemed affected.

They soon arrived at RNJRs, yet Yang and Jaune were nowhere to be seen. Penny happily bounced on her feet with her arms behind her back, whilst Ruby tapped her foot impatiently, her arms crossed, "Where the hell are you, Yang?"

A rumbling was heard as two lights could be seen coming down the highway. Two yellow bikes were fast approaching. They stopped beside the two women. "Welcome to the Xiao-Long Express!" Yang said, tossing a helmet at Ruby, "Please present your ticket."

"Now's not the time, Yang!"

"Phooey, little sis! I know your job stinks sometimes, but never this badly!"

"Yang!"

"Who are these people, Ruby?" Penny asked.

"This is Yang, my sister, and that's Jaune. Guys, this is Penny."

Yang gave a peace sign, "Hello!"

Jaune handed Penny a helmet of her own, "Hi. Please, put this on."

The sound of aircraft caught their attention, as several Schnee Vultures appeared in the skyline, search lights on.

"That's our cue," Yang said, Ruby hopping on Bumblebee behind her. Penny did the same on Jaune's bike, Crocea Mors. "The Xiao-Long Express is departing!" she revved her engine and then sped off, Jaune trailing behind her. "So, where're we going now?"

"We'll meet Blake at that place in Old Atlas. You got that, Blake?"

"Understood."

"Aw yeah!" Yang grinned, "I get to meet the kitty cat again!"

"Ruby, please punch her."

"If I did that right now, we'd most likely die. I'll leave that honour for you."

Yang giggled, "Worth it."

Penny hummed thoughtfully, "Those aircraft aren't that far behind us."

"What?" Jaune muttered fearfully. He turned his head to glance at her for a moment, but what he saw made his body freeze up. Penny's head had turned a full 180 degrees, as if she had been born with it backwards. And, then, it turned around again, in a manner that no human or faunus could, and she stared at Jaune confused.

"AHHHHH!" the biker screamed and accidentally turned too quickly, losing control of his bike. The front wheel lost its grip on the road and began to tumble, Ruby and Yang watching in horror.

Then, before the bike crashed into the road, Penny grabbed Jaune with one hand and extended the other, ensuring that hand met the road first. A screeching sound was heard as her hand slid across the asphalt, and the ginger girl pushed with all her might and finesse, sending the bike flying higher into the air and spinning it around so that, when it landed, it was on its wheels again.

Ruby, Yang and Jaune were amazed, the boy having control of his vehicle again. Penny smiled sunnily, "Be careful, Jaune!"

"Ruby…" Yang eventually said, "What the hell kind of customer have you brought tonight?"