A few hours had passed after that brief moment of innocence that both Rubies shared. It was a small and awkward moment full of stares and sad revelations regarding a certain Ruby lacking the ability to enjoy the mouth-watering pleasures of chocolate covered strawberries, but it was still a reward after the horrors they had endured to get here. Having returned to the base in a new ship and the same pilot from earlier, they were flying to Atlas…again.

"Hope you both had your fun while you could because we've still got hours left," the pilot said.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "So…it's really okay to take one of their ships? How'd you convince the military?"

"Oh, that? Dealing with Argus is a bunch of red tape. A few dozen forms here, a flattering patriotic comment there," the pilot spoke with a seen-it-all attitude. "It's ridiculous sometimes."

Ruby found the response strange, given how volatile his attitude was earlier today, but she didn't question it. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed this was a different man altogether. He seemed much friendlier now. Even Grimm Ruby noticed the change; that same festering negativity it saw earlier wasn't there anymore.

"Yep. I was glad to get transferred out of that place…although staying there might be a blessing in disguise now, given Atlas' fall."

"Atlas…about that," Ruby said. "Why did you fly all the way to that village?"

"What do you mean 'why?' I told you I was looking for you."

"Yeah, but why?" Ruby asked with clear suspicion. "And how did you know where to find me? I couldn't contact anybody from way out there, and we just happened to wander toward a village under attack by the Grimm…without a map."

"You don't trust me now?"

"Well," Ruby paused, shaking her head. "It just seems…convenient. Like 'saved in the nick of time' convenient. We were lost, and you knew where to find us anyway and…even fairy tales don't end with a deus ex machina."

"Who said I knew where to find you?" the pilot asked. "I came to find you and bring you back to what was left of Atlas because I owed an old lady a favor. She's the one that told me that the most likely place to look would be Mistral's northern peninsula. She said it would make us even and she had a way of making people do what she wanted, so I spent the past couple days flying all over Mistral looking for a 'red Huntress.' She said you'd be alone; nothing about a twin sister. And then there you were, jumping on the roof of that dilapidated inn. And now here I am, one of the last pilots of what used to be the greatest military in the world, now reduced to a flying taxi service because an old lady once saved my life over thirty years ago."

Both Rubies were intrigued, partially because listening to this man's story was the only thing to do without a video game to pass the time and partially because he even has a story at all.

"I was a kid, lived in a little village like the one wasted by the Grimm," he said, pulling an old monochrome photograph of a farm from his uniform pocket and passing it to Ruby, who looked at it. It portrayed a young boy standing with a woman, a man, and two girls, all of which were taller than the boy. "There's me, along with my parents, and my sisters, Raye and Mell. Our happy little family. Of course, it wouldn't last. Three guesses what took them away and the first two don't count."

"The Grimm," Ruby said somberly.

"Bingo. Whole farm was wiped. My pop didn't believe in living near the Academies with their rigid militaries and their school-taught Huntsmen. He thought he knew better because his dad was a veteran in the war. Against bandits, maybe, but Grimm don't fight like people do. They're willing to sacrifice their own to get to our blood."

Grimm Ruby clutched its claws in silent anger. It was one thing to have the memories of a Huntress dedicated to slaying Grimm, but another to actually be part of that species. The sad thing about it was that this man was absolutely right. That vile urge to murder everything around it was still there, buried deep beneath its subconscious. It knew more intimately than any human or Faunus how depraved the Grimm are. With a vengeful gaze, it nodded. Exterminating them all would be doing the world a favor.

"Sure, my pop fought to protect his family. Killed a whopping zero of them when the Grimm snapped his shotgun in half. This—" the pilot paused, his voice quivering for a second. "Was followed by thirty-two seconds of blood and screams. Then my ma was next, then Mell. Raye tried to flee for her life, but those bastards were faster than a twelve year old. I was hiding under a trench next to the creek, pissing myself in fear. I was so sure they were gonna find me until…she came."

"The old lady," Ruby muttered, entranced by the story. She heard enough of them to know a hero story when it started. This was the "doomed hometown" introduction.

"She wasn't old thirty years ago. Only thing that stood out was that mask she wore…and those scythes. She cleaved through Grimm like butter. I never saw anything like it. She saved my life that night; called herself…the Grimm Reaper."

Both Rubies reacted with simultaneous shock. They knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Maria," Ruby whispered, smiling.

"After that, she took me with her to civilization and I went on to live with my Uncle Titus. Unlike my pop, he did believe in the military. Got me my first plane, got transferred to Atlas, applied my skills to the military, and the rest is history," he said with a sigh. "She was one of the best Huntresses in the world, but you probably wouldn't get it. Kids today usually don't. They just think of the Grimm Reaper as a legend before their time. They wouldn't understand just how much fear the last generation felt when she vanished."

Ruby's smile faded. She knew the entire truth behind why Maria went into hiding and how it plagued her with guilt when she told Ruby and her friends about how her eyes were slit. That fear never left her even after all those years. Grimm Ruby saw a spark of fear in the pilot's heart just when he finished his story. It had the lingering sense of trauma. This man never got over his past, but his demeanor suggests he goes out of his way to hide it.

"I never thought I'd really get a chance to really thank her…until one day she shows up as an old lady, holding one of those scythes as a cane. I knew who it was right away."

"You were finally able to thank her," Ruby said.

"Yeah. I didn't really know how to repay her, though. That is, until she told me exactly how. She laid it on me just like that. Fly out of Atlas and search around northern Mistral for the one Huntress that could really make a difference," the pilot explained with a cynical tone. Ruby's eyes widened from the last five words, however. She was surprised just how highly the elderly legend spoke of her. "Even now, I don't know what the old lady was getting at or how she could have known where to find you, but she seemed so sure. It's like she knew."

This explanation didn't provide as many answers as Ruby had thought. It only lead to more questions, but they'd have to come for another time.

"Did you see anyone else with her?" Ruby asked anxiously.

"A few Huntsmen around your age. Never met them before, so I didn't pay much attention to them. Why?"

"I think they might be my team," Ruby said, relieved. It gave her a sense of hope that her friends might still be alive, given how tragically the pilot spoke of Atlas.

"Oh, I see. Well, don't get too excited," the pilot said, turning some knobs next to him. "We're still hours away from Atlas; what's left of it anyway. What are you gonna do when you get there?"

The answer was obvious. Reunite with her team, continue the war against Salem, protect Remnant; typical Ruby Rose things. However, given how unexpectedly convenient and helpful this man is, Ruby still had her suspicions. Even when his was totaled, he was able to just get another one from Argus. She didn't even have the misfortune of dealing with Cordovin again. He even seemed to know Maria, which should have put her at ease, but another more foreboding theory popped in her head. Salem had been hunting the Silver-Eyed Warriors for centuries, if not longer, and she had followers to carry out her will. Maria was once a Silver-Eyed Warrior herself, and she fought one of Salem's followers to the death before she went into hiding. She hated to even consider this a possibility, but it might be possible that this man was another follower. Everything was too convenient ever since he showed up; too…perfect.

But there was no real proof, and this man was nothing but helpful, sudden temperamental changes notwithstanding. It wouldn't be right to just accuse this man of such a thing, plus if these suspicions were wrong, this man wouldn't even know who Salem was. Also, the fact that the Grimm attacked his ship wouldn't make sense if he was one of Salem's. For now, Ruby would keep her cards close to her chest. It seemed like the safest move for now. Grimm Ruby noted her fear as well, but said nothing.

"You know," Ruby answered, rolling her eyes. "Go back to fighting Grimm, righting wrongs, and all that stuff."

"I should've guessed," the pilot said. "I found you in the aftermath of a Grimm attack. Even when you're in a desperate situation, you can't seem to stay away from trouble when you see it."

"Just part of the job," Ruby said. The life of a Huntress was anything but boring, after all. Grimm Ruby had a different take on his compliment. They couldn't stay away from trouble. The Grimm were drawn to its presence, after all. It, too, was left feeling fear for those around it. Out of that fear, it turned toward the back of the ship, trying to sense any Grimm that might be in pursuit.

"Hey, you okay?" Ruby asked, noticing her Grimm self's worry. Sensing no Grimm behind them, it turned toward her and nodded. Of course, it wasn't being entirely honest. The ability to sense a person's negativity…no, being forced to sense it was scary in of itself. To peer deep into the very things people want to keep to themselves was like violating their trust. The last thing it wanted to do was explain that and possibly force those feelings out in the open. A similar event took place in Ruby's memories of Ozpin and the secrets that were forced out by Jinn. Among other things, that resulted with Ozpin's temporary "disappearance" and Oscar being manhandled…twice.

Everyone on the ship had their own inner fears, but nobody would admit it. There was an invisible segregation that took root on this simple flight, and Salem's goal had always been to divide and weaken humanity. Ozpin kept his secrets and was blamed by everybody for it, and now everybody had their own little secret. The irony of it all is that Grimm Ruby, Salem's creation, understood that completely, and yet it still couldn't confide what sensing the negativity of others was really like. Perhaps if it was alone with Ruby or even their friends, it might have been more open about the implications aside from its usefulness. The pilot, whose name was never spoken even once, was part of the fold for now. Being a copy, Grimm Ruby didn't feel it had the right to tell the original Ruby what to do or what to say to this man. It wasn't really living her life. It only remembered it.

The hours that passed felt like days, and Grimm Ruby noticed a growing change in the pilot's emotional state. Even though no more words have been spoken during the long ride, it sensed a great bitterness in him that permeated his inner trauma. This negativity was a much more familiar one, which didn't bode well. Once the ship was finally in the skies that bordered Atlas, both Rubies peered over the cockpit to get a closer look at the great city…or what was left of it. Their eyes widened in horror, and their mouths went agape. The last time Ruby was here, it was a giant floating landmass; a shining beacon of what mankind could achieve. Now, that once floating city was on the ground, cracked in two giant pieces, like one would crack an egg. Even worse was that one of the "halves" of the city ended up crushing part of Mantle. The pilot wasn't exaggerating; Atlas fell…literally.

"Oh my god," Ruby muttered, holding back tears in her eyes.

"It can't be! This is Atlas?" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. "It's nothing like what I remember!"

"Would you two shut up?" the pilot said with venomous spite. Both Rubies were quick to glance at him after his sudden hostility.

"I'm sorry?" Ruby asked, confused.

"I told you both again and again…that Atlas had already fallen!" the pilot snapped. "Or are you so fucking dull that you can't comprehend that!"

"Whoa! Hey! Where's the sudden…yelling…coming from?" Ruby asked, growing nervous.

"You think I can fucking fly this thing with your constant bitching?" the pilot snapped, removing his helmet and turning his vicious gaze at the Rubies. His angry red face was covered in sweat while mucus and sweat leaked down their respective orifices. His teeth chattered uncontrollably as the rest of his body twitched. Both Rubies quietly stared at him with open mouths for a brief moment until Ruby cautiously approached him.

"Uh…yeah, okay, but you seem a little…not okay," Ruby said, wanting to turn away but unable to take her eyes off his twisted face.

"Ruby, get away from him," Grimm Ruby whispered.

"I heard that!" the pilot yelled, getting up from his seat.

"What are you doing? Get back on the wheel!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Something's wrong with him," Grimm Ruby said, holding her back with its claw. "It's just like at the—"

The pilot shambled toward Ruby, his face contorted by twisted rage, and pulled a large revolver from his holster. It looked like one of the guns that Ironwood used back in Atlas. He quickly pointed it at Ruby with his finger on the trigger.

"Wait, don't—" Ruby yelled before the inevitable pull of the trigger. Out of reflex, she burst into petals with her Semblance, causing the bullet to ricochet across the ship until it pierced one of the windows. Alarmed by his sudden hostility and unarmed due to a lack of a scythe, she took cover behind one of the other seats. It wouldn't really stop a bullet from a revolver, but being out of his line of sight would give her a couple of seconds to think. In that time, she was already considering ways to subdue him.

Before Ruby had a chance to try anything, she heard his gun fire again, followed by a loud crash. She didn't get a chance to see where the bullet struck, but the situation quieted almost immediately afterward. Seeing a few parachutes hanging from the back of the pilot's seat, she formulated a plan that involved tying him up with the net folded inside. She was about to dash to the ship's side door, then the parachutes, then the enraged pilot himself in one single use of her Semblance…except that Grimm Ruby was already standing mere inches from the man itself. Judging from the earlier crash and how the front end of the ship has visible claw marks, Ruby suspected that her Grimm self left that mark to make an impression on him.

"Gruby, I—" Ruby exclaimed.

"No," Grimm Ruby interrupted, glaring at the demented pilot. "I have my own plan."

Before he had a chance to shoot again, Grimm Ruby grabbed his arm with its left claw and his throat with its right. It was careful not to dig its claws in his flesh or break his bones, but still held him firmly enough to restrain him. Seeing this, Ruby quickly grabbed one of the parachutes and snapped it open, pulling out some of the net.

"Okay, just bring him over here, so I can tie him up. Maybe we can see what his deal is," Ruby said frantically, but noticed that her Grimm self made no attempt to bring him to the net. She quickly grabbed her Grimm self by the shoulder. "Come on!"

"Stay out of this!" Grimm Ruby snapped, glaring at its original self with fanged teeth and glowing red eyes. Its voice was so vile and pervasive that Ruby flinched like she was hit by something. Grimm Ruby turned its attention back to the pilot, speaking in its usual distorted Ruby voice. "I've seen something like this back at the village."

It slowly twisted the pilot's arm inward, so that the barrel of his revolver touched its own forehead. Without another word, Grimm Ruby silently dared the pilot to shoot. His hand twitched, but he ultimately squeezed the trigger.

"Wh…what are you—" Ruby said, still shaken by her Grimm self's painful voice. A loud bang pierced her ears when the pilot shot Grimm Ruby at point-blank range. She gasped, fearing for her Grimm self's safety, only to find that it stood completely unfazed by the bullet. A single indent and some residue marked Grimm Ruby's forehead, but it didn't even so much as acknowledge the bullet that dropped to the floor. It kept its cruel gaze focused entirely on him.

The frenzied pilot seethed with an angry desperation, wiggling his right arm and swiping at Grimm Ruby's face with his free left one. He resorted to scratching it across the face like a wild animal, but winced in pain when his flesh struck its rigid face. Grimm Ruby loosened its grip over his right arm, sliding its claw across his elbow, and allowed him to move his arm again. It narrowed its eyes, silently daring him to try anything else.

The poor man resorted to lifting his arm up and striking Grimm Ruby with the grip of his revolver…only for the gun to shatter on contact with its skin. At that moment, it felt the fear in the pilot's heart and took it all in. What little damage on its forehead mended right in front of him, striking helplessness in his heart. The horror intensified when Grimm Ruby slowly lifted him by the throat, glaring at him with an inhuman growl and glowing red eyes. Spurts of saliva were forced from his mouth as he choked, and Grimm Ruby's angry visage came inches from his face before it delivered its ultimatum.

"Fly. The. Ship," Grimm Ruby said in a whisper that was no less hostile than any rage-fueled scream, then released his throat and let his body slip to the floor. Ruby watched this entire scene with both awe and fear. Her mind flashed back to the moment she saw her Grimm self fought the Revenants before she joined that fight with her eyes. It was one thing to watch other Grimm have their limbs brutally ripped apart, but this moment was a testament to how easily it could do so to a living person. It left him hurt and humiliated so easily. If it wasn't for the fact that the pilot just snapped and tried to kill her, Grimm Ruby's actions would easily have been considered excessive. Seeing his broken tears, however, made Ruby question if it was worth it.

"Gruby? You—" Ruby said, clearly mortified.

"I know," Grimm Ruby interrupted with a frown, unable to look her in the eye. "A Huntress isn't supposed to make the people around them afraid…but nothing else was gonna get through to him. I felt this kind of anger in the village. I couldn't stop the people there from killing each other."

Ruby's trepidation slowly gave way to sorrow.

"I tried reasoning with them," Grimm Ruby said, lifting its head up. "I tried to get them to understand what they were doing before it was too late, but…I couldn't get through to them. Their love…couldn't overcome the hate they fell under. They murdered their neighbors; family and friends. I had to try something else."

It glanced at the shivering pilot, looking him square in the eye. Without a word toward him, he quickly dragged himself back on the cockpit.

"Fear," Grimm Ruby said quietly. "I took a guess, but now I know…fear works against this twisted hatred."

"Did you find out what's causing it?" Ruby asked after a pause. "We have to stop it before anyone else dies."

At first, Grimm Ruby was confused as to why she'd ask something like that. It realized, though, that Ruby hadn't actually seen people fall under this type of hatred. She'd only heard about it from Grimm Ruby and accepted it as truth when she saw the aftermath.

"I…" Grimm Ruby tried to respond, but stopped. It did have a suspicion over what caused it…but that possibility was too painful to even think about. "Not yet."

Deep down, Grimm Ruby wondered if its presence caused the village massacre, but it couldn't bring itself to say such a thing. It was too afraid to accept such a thing; to be the unwitting culprit of so many deaths. And so, it remained on the ship. It wanted to follow Ruby's example of hope: that perhaps her friends, the ones it also remembers, wouldn't be made to do what the pilot just did. It clung to the smallest chance that there was another explanation. That was the one thing keeping it from jumping out of the ship altogether.

Fear was a primal emotion for the Grimm. It was one of the few things Grimm Ruby had an acute awareness of that wasn't related to Ruby in any way. Deep beneath its subconscious, where the desire to destroy remained buried, was a single instinct that gave it the idea to oppose this hate with fear.

"Do you feel it? Don't fight it, girl. It can sense your trepidation. You must make it dread you."