New Divide

A man does what he must in spite of personal consequences in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures and that is the basis of all human morality

-Winston Churchill

The words went right through all that were present like a thousand needles of ice. Ruby's voice hung in the air like an avalanche that tore through the fabric of the air around them, "A terror attack on Beacon." She had said. They were in disbelief as they tried to process this in their minds, but all they felt was a numbing sensation is if any all feeling was being stripped from their bodies.

"What exactly do you mean?" Weiss was the first to recover to ask their leader; her tone quiet and voice near breathless, her mind still not able to process what exactly was just said.

Ruby looks at her partner and says in an emotionless tone, "Just what I said. Beacon will be under siege by the White Fang, Atlas robots, and Grimm. All were planned by Cinder Fall. I told you about her when we first met up that night."

The memory was dim at best, seemingly near another lifetime as they traveled together; however they remembered, but that did not stop the onslaught of feelings (or lack of due to shock). Not that they ever believed Ruby had be exaggerating the extent of what their mission would entail, but now that it was right in front of them knocking on their homes' doorstep it brought a sense of all too realness to their worlds, "So what are we going to do about it?" Yang asked slowly.

Ruby looked at her sister. She didn't know or want to know how Yang and Raven's talk went, but based on the question that she had asked, Yang clearly still wanted to follow her. This should have been a source of comfort to her, but really it wasn't. Especially since she diverted her gaze and looked at the ground, "Nothing."

"Excuse me?!" Blake demanded outraged, "Nothing?! Is that what you just said?!"

"It's not our mission. We have to get to Haven." Ruby said with regret.

"Bull shit it isn't our mission!" Jaune said angrily as he stood up and everyone else followed suit; to restrain him or gang up on her, Ruby hadn't the slightest idea. Jaune stares at her and throws his hands up in the air, "Damn it Ruby this is our home! Our friends! Our family! What the hell does that mean that this 'isn't our mission'?!"

Ruby shook her head, "You do not get it. This is-"

Yang stalked forward, "Do not tell us that this is nothing. Do not dare say it." Her eyes were blood red as she stared at her sister, "We have to tell my mother to take us to Beacon. We have to help them."

"No. Don't you see? This is what I've been trying to tell you." Now Ruby looked up and met her sister's stare, everyone's stare, "There is something larger going on here. As I told Ozpin, we have to cut off the head of the snake. Salem. She is our ultimate goal."

They stared at her in disbelief now, "Ruby the White Fang-" Blake started to say.

"Is nothing but pawns." Ruby cut in over her, "I'm sorry Blake, but there is no hope for Beacon right now."

"So that's it?" Ren asked dangerously quiet, "Sacrifice the few to save the many?"

"You think this is easy for me to decide?" Ruby cut in harshly as pieces of her timeline came to the forefront of her mind.

"It shouldn't have to be a decision!" Nora jumped in now nearly throwing her scroll to the floor as an advertisement started to play for Pumpkin Pete cereal, "In all honesty we shouldn't have to be debating this right now!"

"Agreed." Came Weiss's imput, tone now a bit stronger and firmer, "Quite honestly I am surprised Ruby Rose."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh yea? Why's that?"

"You are not the leader I remember you being." Weiss said slowly as she gently pushed Yang back to eye her leader's stern gaze, "The leader I knew wouldn't be standing here weighing the lives of her friends and family against the world. She'd have us go right now and help them. Not this one in front of us who is a coward and wants to run to another school."

The first part of Weiss's declaration resonated inside Ruby as her rapid memories of Beacon's fall now fade and the fight with Weiss from her own timeline come forward. Her hand itches to grab Crescent Rose, but she manages enough control to stop herself, but cannot stop the words that come next, "You are right, I'm not." Then she mentally shakes herself free of those memories and responds to the second part, "You have no idea of anything. You've been sheltered and isolated from the realities of the world. Again you think this is easy for me to do? Well it isn't. I am not a coward. I am trying to prevent something a whole lot worse."

"Then fill us in! You told us what this Salem was already capable of, just tell us what would be so bad if we went to go help the others! Surely Haven can wait." Pyrrha counters.

"Even if we do go to Haven, everything we would accomplish there would be for nothing." Jaune said in a lower tone.

Blake had her arms crossed, "He's right, especially if Adam is leading the White Fang." She then eyes Ruby more critically, seeing the reaper flinch slightly, "Yet you seem to know that already."

"Look, none of this is great, I know that, but I'm not the bad guy here." Ruby stated in a lower tone regaining her composure.

Nora looked at the reaper and asked in a more hostile tone, "Are we sure about that? Because I would think the good guy would want to help their loved ones no matter the cost."

"ENOUGH!" Ruby yelled, "This was the deal. You did as I say no questions asked! Now I am truly sorry, but we are going to Haven. Beacon is on its own."

There was silence and they all glared at her. Yang scoffed and looked at her sister, "Weiss is right. I don't know what the hell happened to my sister, but you sure as hell aren't her." She goes towards the entrance of the tent and pauses before looking back at Ruby, "I don't care what the agreement was, but if I don't get my sister back then I may as well stay with my mother."

"Yang-" Ruby tries to call out, but Yang leaves the tent. The rest of them just stare at Ruby and shake their heads before leaving the tent to follow Yang.

Ruby rubbed her face with her hands and realizes that Nora never told her what was happening with the tournament. Pulling out her own, she finds the feed that had it broadcasting and looks down at the screen, "Thank you for your patience folks! Now for our next match up!" Dr. Oobleck's voice came through. She watches eagerly as the roulette spins and after a few moments her heart sinks as Oobleck comes back, "It is Cardin Winchester versing Penny Polendina!"

"Shit." Ruby groaned out and sat down. Staring up at the ceiling she ponders what to do or who she could really talk to.

"Dolt." An echo in her mind and Ruby scoffs, "I told you that you are never alone."

"Even as a phantom." Ruby mused softly out loud. Then she breathes out and responds to her phantom partner, "I don't know..." She says out loud, "I don't know anything…they told me that there will be events that I will not be able to stop. What am I supposed to tell younger you…them? This is my burden to bare, but…damn it I wish I knew what to do or better yet I wishit was you that was here with me right now." She stands up and goes over to the map in the tent, "There are too many events that played out so which ones am I meant to stop?" Feeling foolish, she stops her monologue and hopes for some response, but received none, "Yea thanks for the help."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Ruby jumped and spun to see Raven standing in the door way, arms crossed, "Did you know that?"

Ruby recovered a bit, "I may have heard that before. Anyway what did you want?"

"Just wanted to see what made my daughter so mad that her eyes are a blood red." Raven smirked, "I saw her come from the tent and found you. So I can clearly see that it was you're doing."

"Come to gloat then?"

"On the contrary, I came to see how I can help your little dilemma. You know I heard a bit of what you said. Beacon is really under attacked?"

Ruby nods, "It will be after this match." She shows Raven the scroll and watches as the stage is being prepared, "Cinder Fall, the White Fang, and Grimm will attack tonight."

"So what is stopping you from taking them back to Beacon and defending it? You know my semblance, I can have you right where Qrow or Tai is."

"And your willingness to suddenly help is from the goodness of your soul?" Ruby asked suspiciously, "You just want our deal to be done."

Raven narrowed her eyes, "Well if that is how you view it, then forget I offered."

"Wait." Ruby stated and the older woman stopped her retreat and looked back at her former leader's daughter, "What would you do if you already knew the outcome?" Raven cocked an eyebrow but still managed to look bored yet stern, "You know that I know things, I may not have told you everything, but-"

"You told me enough." Raven stated smoothly.

"I did, yet it is only a small fragment. What would you do?"

"Are you really asking me for my advice?" Raven asked slightly amused.

Ruby glared, "You know forget it. You are right, it's stupid." She stormed passed the woman with intent on leaving.

Raven didn't let her leave. Instead she grabbed her arm, "Hold on." She pulled Ruby back, "It was stupid to ask me, not going to lie. My motto is 'the weak die, the strong live'. So I would let whatever happens, happen." Ruby looked away, "However, if you are more or less asking what your mother would do;" Ruby looked at her this time, "Summer would go help; she would do whatever was necessary to ensure the best outcome for all."

Ruby let out a heavy sigh, "And what about them? I know what happens or what will happen if they come with me."

"Well nothing is stopping you from going." Raven says slowly, "However are you really going?"

"Would you count this as your 'one time' favor?" Ruby asks just as slowly relenting to what she may be about to do.

Raven looks at the young girl, "Time will tell now won't it? Show me what I am really supposed to be fighting for, then we may have this discussion again."

Ruby looks at her and then slowly walks passed her and sees her team sitting by the fire with looks of anger and disappointment on their faces, "I don't want them to hate me. I wish they would only understand that I am trying to protect them and not purposely trying to let everyone down..." Raven didn't respond, she just stood there and waited as Ruby continued to watch her friends, "Can you detain them without harming them?" Ruby eventually asked resigned knowing what she should try and do.

"Certainly, but are you sure this is what you want?"

"No, but it is not about me is it?" Ruby countered back. Raven just nodded and listened as to what Ruby wanted as a 'one-time' favor.

-SNOOPYKID-

Nearly twenty minutes passed and no one was feeling their anger die down anytime soon, "I say we just leave." Nora stated, "We have your mom take us to your dad or uncle and we go from there."

Yang didn't say anything, "I tend to agree." Jaune spoke up now and everyone looked at him, minus Yang, "Ruby said she would rather have us stay at Beacon anyway. She doesn't need us."

Yang once more remained quiet, her eyes were still a blood red which was unusual. Normally she would be punching or kicking something into oblivion and then her eyes would go back to lavender; but this anger was different or how she was channeling it is different. This was some kind of betrayal and while she would normally beat something to aforementioned oblivion, this was her sister…or someone who looks like her sister. Either way, it was taking all her self-control (already limited that is) from marching back to the tent and beating Ruby within an inch of her life to make her see sense and talk to them, not at them.

"We have to stop the White Fang." Blake said and then sighed as they looked at her, "We asked to be equal, to be treated just like everyone else! Instead, we were given an island and told to make do. So we did the best we could. We came together and we made a home where any Faunus could feel welcome. But that island, that town, will always be a reminder that we're still not equal. That we're still second-class citizens."

Pyrrha looked at the cat faunus sadly, "I'm sorry that happened to you. That's horrible."

"Blake-" Weiss started to say and Yang ever so slightly looked at her partner.

Blake raised her hand and in turned looked at them, "I didn't tell you that to get pity. What I am saying is the reason that the White Fang was originally created. We wanted to fight peacefully for equality; however now with Sun Wukong's fight, it just added more fuel to the raging inferno and gave due cause that the White Fang are nothing more than terrorists. It fueled more hate." She paused for a moment and then said, "Whatever else happens at Beacon is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Beacon really does fall, it's only going to make things worse for the faunus. Everywhere. So I am not saying that it isn't just Beacon that is on the line, everything is going to come tumbling down. We have to make Ruby see that."

"I think she knows that." Ren offered up.

"And if she doesn't I can beat it out of her." Nora stated showing Magnhild a bit too enthusiastically.

Yang looks away now and sat in deep thought, "I think she does know that." Yang finally says repeating Ren's words, her voice is low and deliberate, still hanging on the internal rage that is further building inside of her, "She sees that, but like I said too, she isn't my sister nor the leader we need." Suddenly Yang stands up and they all look at her, "I am going to make her see sense."

"We'll go with you." Jaune stated, "I still want to give her a piece of my mind about this. Anyway if we see her and she still doesn't agree to go;" Yang stops and looks at him, "Do we agree to go back to Beacon without her?"

Now they all looked at one another. If they agree to Jaune's plan, then they will have effectively committed mutiny; but how could they just sit back and let something terrible just happen, "I hate this." Weiss stated, "However I agree."

Nora, Blake, Yang, and Ren exchange looks, "Agreed."

"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked looking at the warrior.

She looks at them and then looks down, "If that is what we have to do, then yes. I agree."

"My my, mutiny on the horizon." They spun back around to see Vernal and the other bandits slowly surrounding them, "Good thing we were given these orders just in time. Take them." She orders and they are instantly attacked.

Before any weapons could be drawn, the bandits were on them instantly. Weapons being confiscated and them being restrained and shoved in the cage, "Let us out this instant!" Yang yelled pounding on the metal.

"We have our orders and were merely following through with them." Vernal stated not caring.

"Screw your orders!" Yang yelled this time. She activated her semblance and got ready to punch the bars.

"I wouldn't do that." Raven came out of the tent this time and with her was Ruby, who she had at sword point and Crescent Rose in her other hand. Ruby's face was stoic, "Now then, are you going to behave or am I going to have to threaten you with the life of your sister and leader here? Better yet try anything and every one of you goes up like a candle. Vernal?" They look and see the woman wave to another group of bandits. They bring out two large boxes and inside of them from what they could see is red dust.

Weiss's eyes go wide and a flash of a courtyard comes to her mind, "Are you nuts? That amount and kind of dust is very volatile." Immediately they slowly back away from the bars, "You activate that, then we all go up."

Yang let out a growl ready to call her mother's bluff, "Yang. Please. We cannot risk it." Blake states, "Remember the crater from the courtyard when Ruby ran into Weiss the very first day? Imagine what that would do if we made one wrong move."

Yang looks between her teammates and her mother's group of bandits. Raven smirks, "Do you really want to take that chance?" Yang looks at Ruby and sees a small plea in her sister's silver depths and that was all it took. Taking a deep breath and her red eyes vanished, "Very good." Raven complimented.

"Why are you doing this?" Pyrrha asked, "Why are you taking us prisoner for?"

"Well I got to thinking, I have a celebrity and an heiress in my campsite. Who knows how much I can ask in ransom just to get the heiress and celebrity returned safely. The rest of you will just be an added bonus. It'll most certainly be worth it."

"Hey we trusted you!" Nora yelled.

Yang just stared at her mother while the rest protested as Raven brought Ruby a bit closer. They couldn't risk doing anything while Ruby was being held and surrounded by bandits with two boxes of the red dust. However something wasn't right. Why didn't Ruby use her semblance to escape or better yet warn them? In fact looking at her sister, she could see something in those silver eyes.

The protesting continued as Raven brought Ruby slightly closer, and it clicked for Yang. It was a look that she had seen multiple times when Ruby had done something wrong or about to do something she knew that was wrong, "Ruby." Yang spoke up silencing the protests, "What is going on?"

They all looked between the sisters. Ruby just sighs, she turns and says, "Thank you Raven. Consider yourself released of the favor. The portal if you please."

"Wait what?" Nora asked out loud.

"Ruby?" Weiss breathed out.

"You asked her to do this?" Blake asked angrily.

Ruby looked at her teammates as Raven released her and handed her scythe back, "Well I cannot have you following me. You all still have a job to do while I take care of a few things at home."

"Where do you want to go?" Raven asked before another round of questions could be asked.

Ruby looked at Yang apologetically, "Open your portal that'll lead me to Taiyang Xiao-Long." Yang's eyes widened and Raven nodded and sliced the air with her sword. They were all shocked as a swirling orange portal appeared before them, "I am sorry, but I cannot have you all following me. I will try my best to defend Beacon, but I will not risk your lives unnecessarily. When you get to Haven do not do anything, just wait for me. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can, roughly in a few weeks."

Ruby approached the portal and that was when Yang snapped out of her stupor, "Ruby wait!"

"You don't have to do this!" Weiss yelled, "Let us help you damn it!"

"You don't know what you are doing!" Blake called out, "Adam will show no mercy!"

"Beacon is our home too! We have a right to defend it!" Pyrrha stated. The rest of team JNPR nodded along to this.

Ruby shook her head, "I am sorry guys. Truly I am, but I will not needlessly risk your lives." Then in a softer tone she adds, "I cannot lose you all again." Then taking a deep breath, she adds in a louder tone, "I'll try and stay in contact if we should lose communication." Looking at them fully with her back to the portal she bows dramatically, "Thus I kindly scatter!" And she steps through.

"NO!" Yang yells as Raven closes the portal. Red eyes now flaring as the bandits move the boxes away from the cell, she punches the bars. The cell falls apart and Yang storms over to her mother, "Get her back now!"

"I cannot do that. She called in the favor." Raven said unfazed.

"That is utter bull-shit! Take. Us. To. Her. Now." Yang enunciated semblance now fully activated.

Raven looks at her daughter, "I am sorry, but I cannot do that. Ruby asked for this, besides she gave you a mission and that was to go to Haven."

"We are not going. We need to help her! Please open your portal." Weiss said risking a step closer to Yang.

"Even if you wanted to get to Beacon. It's too late now." A random bandit said slowly and hesitantly approaching them.

Eyes were now on him, "What are you talking about?" Raven asked stepping away from her daughter still unfazed as Yang followed her dangerously.

With shaking hands he presses a button on his scroll. Before them the transmission rises from the device and their mouths dropped at the scene, "No!" They hear Professor Port exclaim.

Cardin is standing in the middle of the arena, his face white and eyes wide. His mace slack in his grip. Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Nora's hands go to their mouths as the camera pans to the remains of Penny's missing arm spark with electricity from the exposed wiring inside. It zooms towards her face, big green irises, now looking like camera shutters, slowly expand so her dark, lifeless pupils take up most of her eyes with the sound of a machine shutting down. Jaune, and Ren swallow at the sight and the rest of the bandits are in unrest and muttering amongst themselves. No one able to took away at the sight. Those that had managed to watch the full fight just shake their head in disgust.

Dr. Oobleck's voice is now heard, "Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!" The feed does not die.

A voice from the broadcast operation's area is not heard, "Something's wrong! We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even stop the broadcast!"

Oobleck's frantic voice comes back on, "What!? How is that possible!?"

The scroll suddenly flashed and before them the video feed changed. Instead of seeing the stadium, they gasped at tinted ominous bright red background with a black queen chess piece hovering over the foreground and a new voice comes to them as they see the dreadful scene once more, "This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men."

"Just what the hell is happening?" Jaune growls out dangerously. Granted Cardin was a jackass to him and a total bully to the faunus in the school, but he never believed that the guy would take someone's life.

"Cinder." Raven said, "That is Cinder Fall."

The teens looked at her before focusing on the words that came next, "Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

"So this is what Ruby was talking about." Ren said slowly watching Cardin's mace slip from his hands and fall to his knees.

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference." Words that they overheard from Ruby's conversation with Ozpin started to fall together. The urgent need to get to Haven was starting to make more sense; at the same time though they knew that Ruby and all of Beacon was going to be in deep trouble and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The camera aims another shot at Cardin, staring almost catatonically at the remains of Penny, "Just what are these famous academies teaching these students? Just what kind of students are allowed into these 'prestigious' schools? First a dismemberment from a dangerous race of beings known as the faunus, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget the real threats outside his borders or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

"This is wrong." Weiss said, "I know Atlas. I know Ironwood. We would never-"

Her words are cut off, the camera finally pans away from the arena and now Atlesian Airships are shown hovering all over the area near the Colosseum. The muttering the bandits were doing since the end of the fight, are stopped. No one else speaks as they continue to absorb the revolutionary words, "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark."

The words are dark and full of malice that matches the smile in the speaker's tone, "So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

The feed is suddenly cut now, all images disappearing. The last thing that is heard is a sound of a wailing alarm and the words that follow make their blood freeze in their veins, "Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."