Chapter 2

A Quién le Importa, Ni Siquiera Puedes Leer Esto.

Oscar watched in confusion as more men in black suits with matching red shades exited the shop and began to surround Ruby. The last of them was different, however, wearing a white coat and a black bowler hat over his ginger bangs. He strutted with his cane, pulling a fat cigar out of his mouth and puffing smoke into the night air.

"Este es el final para ti pequeña roja!" the man cackled. "Mátala, mientras escapo." The thugs seemed to understand the instructions, descending upon Ruby.

I have to help her! Oscar started towards the group.

(Wait, Oscar,) Ozpin stopped him. (This is the robbery Miss Rose was caught up in before her admission into Beacon. My associate Glynda should be on her way, but I don't recall her mentioning them speaking a strange language.)

Oscar hadn't heard Ruby speak this way before either, but perhaps it was a language people in Vale sometimes used?

"Romano, bastardo," Ruby called after the man as he ran, "¡esto es un juego de niños!"

Penny Polendina had received some upgrades since Neo had last seen her, shortly before being dismembered live for the world to see at the Vytal Festival. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle, and Cinder was waiting. The boy wasn't a threat, so she would take care of the robot and retrieve the Lamp; two birds and all that.

How she had come to be in Vale was another issue.

A bright green laser from Penny shot straight towards her, but Neo opened Hush to deflect the beam into a nearby building. Just beyond the blast, she could make out a conflict happening in the streets.

Much to her disbelief, Ruby Rose was there as well, and it looked as though she was fighting some of Junior Xiong's men. Did Cinder have them under her employ too? Regardless, how were they all in Vale?

And then she heard that voice. "Ceniza, tenemos un problema, ¿dónde estás?" It was him, standing on the roof of the building across the street. Neo had no idea what he was saying, probably misheard from the distance. But that didn't matter, he was here again.

He had come back to her.

The mystery woman took off, bounding across the buildings. Penny wanted to give chase, but she needed to find Oscar. Somehow they had ended up in Vale, and her chronal alignment was off. They hadn't just teleported, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what really happened.

Down in the streets below Penny saw Oscar, slowing backing into an alleyway away from the commotion. Several men in black were attacking a girl that looked strangely similar to Ruby Rose, but this girl was not the same girl Penny knew. She was a centimeter or two shorter, and the way she swung Crescent Rose was more flashy, less practical.

"¡No sabes cuándo rendirte!"

She was also speaking gibberish.

Penny activated her boot thrusters and flew down to Oscar, careful to avoid the skirmish. As she landed, she could see the Relic of Knowledge still in his possession.

"You still have the Relic!" Penny said, making Oscar jump.

"Penny!" he said in a hushed whisper. "What is going on? Where are we?"

"We are in Vale," Penny confirmed.

Oscar's eyes widened. "How did we get to Vale? And why is everyone talking so strange?"

The boy's eyes flashed briefly. "I believe I have an idea." Ozpin's calm tone came from Oscar's mouth.

I wish you would warn me when you're going to do that!

"We are indeed in Vale, Miss Polendina, that much is true. But it is not the same Vale." Oscar pulled the remote from his pocket, the blue light pulsing once more. "Oscar pressed this glowing button, and suddenly we are transported miles from our destination, and with our guest in tow as well."

"Then this device is a teleporter?" Penny asked, confused.

"Of sorts," Ozpin continued, "It did indeed transport us to Vale, but I believe we may have entered a different reality. One where events have changed."

"A reality where everyone speaks a different language?" Penny theorized.

"Precisely. But we mustn't stay long, lest we risk damaging this world."

Penny was intrigued; the man seemed to know a good deal about this phenomena. "So then let us go back. If we press the same button, it should work the same, right?"

"It should, however there are rules we must follow. Unfortunately, we need Neopolitan to travel with us."

"Neopolitan? Is that the woman who attacked yo...I mean, Oscar?"

"The very same. She was partnered with the late criminal Roman Torchwick, a part of Cinder Fall's plan that resulted in the fall of Beacon. What she was doing in Atlas, I do not know, but we cannot leave her here."

Penny knew what she had to do. "Then I will bring her back so we can all go home."

Neo made her way across the rooftops towards Roman. Her heart soared; she was practically skipping with delight.

He had come back to her.

His back was turned when she reached him, the perfect opportunity for a surprise reunion. She tapped a playful finger on his shoulder and beamed as he turned around.

"N-Neopolitana?" his eyes were stunned. Neo felt her eyes welling up as Roman looked her over, as if unsure she was real.

She nodded back to him with a short bow, just like old times.

"¿Qué coño haces aquí, Neo?" Roman shouted, throwing Neo off balance. "Pensé que estabas robando la carga de Atlas. ¿Por qué estás aquí?"

Even up close, she had no idea what he was saying. Neo wondered if she had suffered a concussion during her tussle in Atlas. Impossible, they hadn't even scratched her! So why could she not understand him?

"Te atrapé ahora, Roman," a whining voice came from behind them "¡Y a tu amigo de los helados!" It was Ruby Rose, the insufferable brat who took… she killed…

Neo drew Hush with a flash; she wasn't playing games any more. She wasn't going to let her take Roman away again. It didn't matter if she couldn't understand him; that hadn't stopped her back then and it wouldn't deter her now.

She rushed Ruby, preparing her semblance for a clever fake out, when an enormous blast knocked her away. As she regained her footing, Neo saw another woman join Ruby; she wore a white blouse with a long pencil skirt and her blonde bob cut blew frantically in the wind from her own attack.

"Una cazadora!" Ruby shouted with glee. She clearly knew this woman, and it didn't bode well for Neo.

"Miss Neapolitan!" Penny's voice rang out too, she had followed her as well. The robotic girl hovered along the edge of the building.

"Ella es un demonio!" Ruby shouted in fear at the sight of Penny.

"Ha pasado un tiempo desde que tuve tres niñas a la vez." Roman chuckled, firing shots from Melodic Cudgel.

Was he insane? Even with her help, fighting off all three of them would be difficult. They could just run, run and hide together.

"We need to go now!" Penny called to Neo. "We have to go back to our own world now, and we can't leave without you."

Neo didn't know what the robot was talking about, and she didn't care. She had found Roman again, and nothing was separating them again.

Penny had made her demands, but Neopolitan did not respond. Instead, the man, identified as Roman Torchwick, began to attack Ruby. Glynda Goodwitch, the current headmistress of Beacon, had also shown up to the fray, just as Ozpin had said she would.

A large Bullhead appeared near Roman's side of the rooftop, driven by a woman Penny could not identify. The hatch doors on both sides opened up; Roman seemed intent on escaping in this airship, and Neopolitan was likely to try and go with him. If they lost her here, they would never get her back.

"Ruby!" Penny shouted, "Keep the airship from taking off!"

"¡No me hables niña demonio!" Ruby shouted back.

Penny assumed her message was understood, and took to the streets. Out of sight from the conflict, she made her way around the back of the building and boosted up to the top, just underneath the airship.

"Entra Neo, nos vamos." she heard Roman say.

Neo must be his nickname for her, Penny mused. I will register it into my database.

Penny could feel vibrations on the floor of the airship as Roman and, presumably, Neo, hopped on board. Glynda was casting enormous spells to keep them from getting away while Ruby sniped at the cockpit with Crescent Rose.

Penny boosted upwards to see into the airship's hatch; Neo had climbed on board and was beginning to fasten herself in.

Leaping upwards, Penny grabbed Neo by the ankle and yanked her out of the Bullhead. She flew rapidly with her catch towards the alleyway where Oscar remained hidden.

As she landed, Neo tried to struggle away. "Miss Neo, you must come with us," Penny explained. "We're going home now."

"Here goes nothing!" Oscar cried as he pressed the large central button on the remote, engulfing them in that familiar white light.

When the blinding light faded, Oscar found himself on cold concrete still, but the horizon seemed much higher up. Are we back in Atlas?

(It would seem so,) Ozpin noted.

Neapolitan was on the ground, pinned down by Penny, and despite her attempts at struggling Penny was not budging.

"Looks like we're back," Oscar said. It felt good to say aloud. For a brief moment, he had thought he would be stuck in that strange world forever. A storm was rolling in from the southern sea, but it was better than being stuck in an alternate reality.

Neo got a hand free and began punching Penny repeatedly in the face. "Miss Neo, are you mad because I tricked you?"

"Mad seems like an understatement," Oscar chuckled timidly. A biting glance from Neo hid his laughter.

(We should turn her over to the Atlas authorities,) Ozpin said.

"Good idea," Oscar spoke aloud. "Penny, can you radio for—"

A loud thunderclap deafened Oscar. The storm had arrived much quicker than expected, the gloomy darkness racing towards Atlas with a vengeance. But as it came closer Oscar realized it wasn't simply a natural phenomena; the clouds were filled with hundreds of flying creatures. Grimm.

(Oh gods no...she's here.)

Who's here? Who...what is that?

There, in the midst of the storm atop a massive Grimm the size of an airship, stood the pale white visage Oscar had seen only once in his life. Its cold black eyes were something he had never wanted to experience again.

"Salem…" the name escaped Oscar's lips.

Another loud thud! This time it was only a few feet away. Oscar turned to see a figure dressed from head to toe in gleaming mechanical armor, sleek and sculpted, as if it were a layer of metallic skin. The 'face' of the armor flipped upwards, revealing a pair of silver eyes.

"Ruby?" Penny was stunned. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, this?" Ruby did a little spin, "It's nanotech. What do you think?"

"I think we're gonna need more help," another voice, a young man's, said. Oscar recognized the styled blonde hair of Jaune Arc, but the outfit he wore was quite different. It looked sturdy; scaly armor covered his body with a large crest on his breast. The same design was etched onto the shield he carried. Jaune no longer seemed timid or even average; he had the confidence of a warrior.

"You make the call, Cap," Ruby said, her helmet flipping down and the eye slits illuminating.

Jaune took one last look at the army of Grimm approaching, before uttering a cry that shook Atlas.

"VINDICATORS, MOBILIZE!"