The sun towered high in the cloudless sky, looming over even the tallest skyscrapers. Ruby sat on a low ledge in a park, conversing into her phone and marveling at the rare moment of beauty in the city, "Hello, is this still the phone number of Weiss Schnee?"

"Who's asking?" the defensive woman on the other line demanded.

"Who's asking "who's asking"?"

"You're awful cagey, even for a dead woman...Ruby."

"Long time no see, how's it been?"

"Well, you haven't seen me in nine years, so you can't really ask that question yet."

"Good to see you're the young, adorably enthusiastic girl at heart."

"Hm, tactful and charming, even in death. Drop by and visit me, old friend. I'm living in Vale, just like you, in Murrieta Heights...here, I'll link a GPS onto your phone to where I live, delete it as soon as you leave my house."

"Whoa, whoa, wait...how do you...hello? Fuck!" Ruby muttered, jogging across the lawn to her car.

Ruby looked kept her eyes pacing from the road to her phone, trying not to get lost but also not crash in the thin, curving road of a second slum. The line on her phone finally came to an end, leaving her parked at the opposite side of the street to her objective on her left. The green house, covered in a brown roof with bars over the windows, sagged inward with age and mistreatment. How far her little heiress had fallen. She made her way up the cracked cement steps and rung the front doorbell, a security camera swinging around to focus on her. Ruby flipped the birds at the camera, saying, "Fuck you, Weiss, let me in."

"In a minute." she called over the intercom.

The door unlocked immediately afterward, Ruby entering and making a short walk down the hallway, the home dirty and cluttered, except for the computer room, Weiss' main room of habitation. "I was wondering when you'd show up." Weiss said, turning around in her chair.

Despite all the surroundings, Weiss looked great as always, she hadn't aged a day since the Atlas situation. "I was dead."

"Praise be! I guess you weren't very dead."

Ruby seated herself in a couch across from the heiress, the two staring silently at each other for some time. "So, all this shit around you and the dress doesn't even have a speck on it?"

"You of all people should know it's not a dress, it's a combat skirt. Anyway, you...need my help."

"How'd you know?"

"You came here, why else would you?"

"I haven't been a good friend for you all these years, Weiss. I'm sorry for that."

"Well, if you want to make it up, you're going to do whatever I ask." Weiss requested, standing up from her swivel chair.

Ruby got up from the couch in return, Weiss quickly clarifying, "Or, I mean, you need information, I need work done, so, why not help each other out?"

"I gotta make a lot of money very quickly."

"So you're back in the game."

Ruby paused for a moment, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess. Look, Weiss, about before..."

"I know you didn't betray me. My names not anywhere, not on any lists, believe me, I've checked, and I know you didn't betray me. As for you, know that I never told anyone anything, especially my father."

"That's exactly why I'm here, I tore his deck down..."

"What, from the house in the Canyon? What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"Look, I'll explain later, but right now..."

"No, not in a minute! You tore that down! He could have eyes on you at any time, he could track you back to me! If he figures out I've been helping you rob his dust stores this whole time..."

"That's not gonna happen, I promise."

Their argument was cut short by a bright, flashing red icon appeared on Weiss' computer monitor, the heiress leaping back into her seat and sliding back to her desktop, "Shut up for a minute. I'm getting an Eyefind alert."

Weiss clicked on a few things and hit some buttons before uttering, "That little pretty girl, sack of shit, fake tit, phony fuck!"

A purple-haired woman's picture lit up across the screen, Ruby inquiring, "Who, Lisa Lavender?"

"Yes. That fuck is a lying bitch, I've read her emails, she's a fucking cheat!"

"I heard she saved the kindgoms."

"How? B-by outsourcing all the jobs? By selling us all bits of plastic, restricted-access shit? Well, now it's payback time, you lying turd."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"You are going to get that white collar gig you always dreamed of, Ruby. Here, take this backpack, be like every girl their and by the tiniest shit you can. Miniskirts, skin-tight shirts...okay, not that, but just dress like a computer girl, you know? Wide-framed glasses, shitty ponytail, socially awkward, knee-high socks, you get the idea."

"This things too small for me to wear."

"Throw it over your shoulder, fuck! Just get to a thrift shop or whatever and change into what I told you to, get down to the LifeInvader building and I'll direct you through the rest with this." Weiss instructed, holding out an earbud to her.

Ruby placed the speaker into her ear, Weiss speaking into a microphone on her desk. "Loud and clear."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of here! We're going to but the Darwinism back in social Darwinism, and it's gonna be fun."

"Are you for real? I'm a bank robber, not a web designer!"

"Just listen to me and then we'll talk about the score, alright?"

"Fuck it, fine."

"Good, there's a Suburban down the road, perfect tech shit for those drooling imbeciles at LifeInvader. Just press on the bud to speak into it, talk to me when you're done."

Ruby shook her head as she exited the home, bolting for her car and heading to the shop.

10 Minutes Later

Ruby walked out of the tacky store, the front entrance and sign above her plastered in leopard print, floral patterns, and all things reminiscent of summer. Ruby now donned everything Weiss had requested, black stockings, a knee-length plaid skirt, wide-frame glasses, and a simple black shirt. She hastily filtered her hair through a her an elastic band, pressing on the speaker in her ear and saying, "Alright, I've changed..."

"Yeah, I can see that, I've hacked into the city's street security cameras. I'm assuming this is a look you and your husband will be using in the bedroom."

"Very funny, coming from a spinster."

"Ouch, Ruby, ouch. Let me get you the route to the LifeInvader HQ, just get inside and go to a storage area for hard drives and extra batteries, the prototype should be in there."

"What prototype? What am I even doing?"

"Just go in there and pop off the back of the phone. I put a special chip in your bag, place it right over top of another similar one, close the phone, and walk out. Just hang around the front door, flirt with some desperate douche bag in his late thirties, and act entitled. If you play the part, you'll be under their radar while they figure out a way to get on top of you."

Ruby had only a short drive down a straight stretch of road, finding the building marked with L's and a massive flashing sign that lit up with the company's name marked the building out as clear as day. Ruby parked her car across the street and casually crossed over to it, ascending a few stairs and turning towards the door, stopping before it and sitting at a bench. She didn't have to wait long, a red-headed man with a scraggly in a green shirt and jean shorts walked out of the building, cupping his hand over the end of a cigarette and trying to get his lighter to light. "Here, let me get that for ya." Ruby insisted, pulling out her own lighter and blazing the end of his cigarette.

The man took a long, satisfied breath, quickly exhaling the smoke and saying, "Thanks. You know, PM's trying to push us towards more functionality." he broke off, chuckling. "We're maxed as is. If anything, we need to start cutting features, especially if they want to release a fully priced update a year later."

"Yeah, well, you gotta do what you gotta do." Ruby added, trying to act as if she understood a word of what he said.

"You know what I mean, we're talking beta in Q4, maybe even Q3. Look, milestones are one thing, but when design changes its mind seemingly overnight, there's not much you can do about it."

Ruby pushed herself up from the bench, groaning and stretching, "Well, my Union-allocated coffee break's about over, see you inside."

"Wait, do I know you?" the man said, rising from his seat and stepping towards Ruby, snapping his fingers to reacquire the memory.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You're the...IT temp, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do...do you think you could do something for me?"

"If it relates to porn or anything of that sort..." Ruby quipped, the man's face not breaking.

"Whoa, pal, you're at work, have a little decency. I'm actually about done today, I just need to do inventory on hard drives and spare batteries."

"What, it's only 3 pm, why so early?"

"Look, they told me Lavender wanted that room checked when every temp was about to clock out, something special in it, I suppose."

"Yeah, the prototype. Dumbasses are just letting it sit out in the open, for God's sake, a lock box would do at this point! You have the future of your company just out in the open for anyone to fuck with, seriously!?"

"Well, something tells me they're gonna fuck it up."

"Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting, I'll let you go..."

"Wait." Ruby said, grabbing his shoulder. "I need some help...finding the room. This is the first time I've done inventory."

A smile cracked his face and his eyebrow cocked as he said, "Sure...just follow me."

The man led Ruby through the maze of the building, ascending a flight of stairs to a room covered in graffiti-like art, arcade games and beanbag chairs lining the walls. Through a small hallway to the left of that was the cubicles, the man pointing to a closet on the left, "It's right in here, last one on the left."

"Alright, thanks."

Ruby entered the room, cluttered with wires, UPS's, and a single table, the phone lying on it. Ruby advanced farther into the room, the door's closing being delayed for a few moments before gently, almost silently, shutting. She looked over her shoulder to find the man approaching her, smoothing out his curly hair and saying, "So, just a temp, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I can get you a full-time job here, just sit on your ass for 9 months out of the years, play games, surf the web, and only have to work 1 month to appease the masses of the mindless."

"Really, how could you do that for me?"

The man ran his hand up and down Ruby's arm, whispering, "You know..."

Ruby shoved the man away, whispering in a harsh voice, "Hey, I don't play like that! Just back off, I'm not interested, I'm here to work not play."

Ruby turned away to deal with the prototype once more, only for a flat, hard slap to land on her butt, followed by a hard squeeze. "Oh, come on, you're the hottest chick who's worked here in years, just give me a chance."

Ruby wouldn't have any more of it. She spun around before the man could react, grabbing him by the shoulders and kneeing him in the balls, sending him to the ground, his throat rasping like an old man. "What a woman!"

Ruby rolled her eyes as the man clutched his crotch and got into the fetal position, placing her backpack on the table and producing the chip. She checked over her shoulder once more, the man still lying harmlessly on the ground, before placing the device in the phone. She popped the back of the phone back on, turning back to the door and saying, "Great meeting you, I'll see you in HR, asshole!"

She casually exited the building, heading for her car and talking to Weiss. "Alright, it's done."

"Good, now go home and turn on the news, get some popcorn, and watch the fireworks. Oh, I also took the liberty of wiping your phone clean of everything but contacts and texts that seemed important."

"How can you do all of this?"

"Oh, please, if some halfwit in the government can get on your web cam while you jerk off to strangers, it's nothing for someone like me to get into anything I want. Archives, databases, you name it, I've broken into it."

"Fuck, I don't suppose you could wire money into my account?"

"Oh, what would be the fun in that, Ruby?"

"Yeah, fuck you, too, Weiss."

"Calm down, you know just as well as I do that you want to get back in the game more than just getting the money for no reason."

"Whatever. I'll call you when that news conference is over."

"No, don't leave yet. I put another contact on your phone that only works with one call, after that it deletes itself. Call Lavender during that conference when she pulls the phone out and that whole event will be ruined. Then...then we can really talk."

"What, what's on that chip?"

"In due time, Ruby. For now, I'm already getting plenty of butter on my popcorn."

"Keep that up and you'll lose that girlish figure."

"Do you think I plan on digesting this?"

"The fuck?"

"No, Ruby, I'm a lot like you back in your wild days. I do it for the taste."

"Goodbye, Weiss."

Ruby strolled into her living room, Nora laughing at the projector screen and saying, "Oh, God, you guys are so lame!"

"What you watchin', sweety?"

"World's Most Horrifying Sports' Injuries. Oh, you're just in time, we can see "Rock Frozen" Stephen Houston get dropped on his head from that biffed piledriver."

"Not now, I need the TV for about ten minutes."

"Alright, here." Nora said, extending the remote out to her mother.

"Now listen here you little...wait, what?"

"Here, I can just watch this online, see ya in a while, mamma!" Nora chimed, waving as she headed upstairs.

"The fuck is going on with everyone today?"

Ruby flipped through the channels until she came upon the epilepsy-educing Weasel News, news sliding across the top and bottom of the screen far faster than she could read. In the center of it wall, amid screaming fans and incessant flash photography, a purple-haired woman in a skimpy business outfit, addressing the crowd, "Hey. We've come a long way guys! We started off just a rip-off of BedIntruder, but now we're a more successful rip-off of BedIntruder. I came from nothing, I built this company from the ground up with by own two hands, countless grants, and my parents' resources. Today, I'm proud to present to you full-on, red-alert, weapons-grade world domination.

She paused every so often, letting the audience roar out in fanatical cheers before continuing, "I've single-handedly put a billion people's private information onto public domains, and we have milked every cent in the process. No expenses spared, I can guarantee you that."

"We have one of the youngest work forces in the world, with an average age of only 14.4 years, most of whom are enslaved faunus overseas. That's not just impressive...it's revolutionary!"

"Today, we make the next step into the future...with this!" Lavender declared, raising the phone high overhead.

"This is the new LifeInvader app..."

The phone suddenly began to ring, the crowd whispering amongst themselves in confusion. "Well, look at that folks, we already have a caller." she said, whispering to herself over the mic, "Albeit too fucking early!"

She tapped the screen and put it to her head, "Hello..."

The phone in her hand instantly erupted in a bright, small explosion. The blast mulched the left side of Lavender's skull from the force and plastic shrapnel, a fine red mist settling down over her corpse. "OH, SHIT! Jesus!" Ruby cried, scrolling down the contacts list on her phone as the feed was killed.

Her ears were instantly greeted with the satisfied, maniacal laughter of her comrade. "Weiss, what the fuck was that?! Are you watching the news?"

"I don't have to, I'm watching the markets. I'll be trading pure alpha til close."

"That's it, you killed her over the stock market?!"

"Well, uh, yes and no. You know I'm desperate to earn every penny my father promised to me before that shitheaded sister of mine Winter cuddled up to him and made nice. On the no side, I really hated her. This served two purposes and then some, it's too complicated to go into detail."

"Alright, I won't ask anymore questions about it. Now, let's talk about the score..."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, meet me down at the garment factory off the Vale Freeway, get out of that shit but dress nicer than you usually do, this is no time for a combat skirt."

"First time for everything..."

"See you in an hour, smartass."