"CINDER!"

Emerald pushed her way to the front of the group, reaching out at the stage where her partner was turning a sickening shade of white. She didn't care about the metal monster above her, or those pulling her back to try and keep her safe.

The last thing she wanted to lose was her Cinder.

Of course, Virulet didn't mind her coming closer. Laughing, he raised his hand to stab at her, but was not expecting to taste a mouthful of gunpowder. He stumbled back just as Sustrai took hold of Cinder, doing her best to stop the bleeding at the base of the stage. "No-no-no… Stay with me…!"

Shaking off the shot, Virulet spun around in search of his attacker, seeing his targets begin to disperse. It was none of them, though; he knew exactly who had shot him. The criminal mastermind stood dead and center, ready to defend his friends.

"Bad move, buddy," Roman Torchwick shook his head, twirling Melodic Cudgel in his hand, "You'll regret that."

"Yes, yes!" Virulet cackled, extending his blades, "This is perfect! Show me all you've got, so that I may take it all from you!"

"Everyone move!" Roman ordered his comrades as the metallic A.I lunged off the stage at him. He held his weapon from both ends to block Virulet's falling slash, barely having the time to swerve away from his spiked tail. The two began exchanging a flurry of blows, Roman quickly forced onto the defensive against Virulet's assault. It was time for some backup. "Buttercup! Some help, please!"

Neo heard his call to arms, grinning as she took hold of a metal folding chair. Virulet swung at her with his tail, but he played right into her trap. His blades sliced through the chair like butter, but it gave Neo a dagger-like piece of shrapnel to use against him. Virulet turned his attention from Roman to her with a backhand slash. Neo leapt over his hand and onto his side, crawling onto his back. Using his wired 'hair' to stay in place, she drove the piece of chair into one of his optics.

"Gragh!"

Neo smiled at his reaction from the blow, but her expression changed instantly when she heard him start to laugh. She felt something curl tightly around her hand, and gasped as his pulsating wires started wrapping around her like snakes. There was a bright flash, before he let out a burst of energy from his head, zapping Neo with nearly 50 volts of electricity.

"Neo!" Roman cried out as Virulet grabbed her by the leg and flung her into the wall across the room. Rage boiling, Roman let loose a firestorm of shots from Melodic Cudgel, all of them striking Virulet in the chest. It was nowhere near enough to injure the A.I, however. His tail lashed out from the smoke, slamming Roman in the ribs with its broad side and knocking him over near Neo.

"We need to help them!" Ruby cried out from on the steps. It took all of her teammates to hold her back. "Let me go!"

"Ruby, we have to go!" Yang yelled, grasping her sister around her waist, "Without our Semblances or weapons we don't stand a chance!"

Virulet heard Ruby's voice loud and clear. The last thing he wanted to do was let his most important target escape, but there were two important targets left to deal with. He hovered over Emerald and a dying Cinder, chuckling as he sharpened his claws on one another. "I guess I can let you two die together. It is the least I can do for-"

"Hey! Over here!"

"Let me give my evil monologue you flesh-

*SPLAT!*

Ruby's birthday cake dripped from Virulet's face, his eyes burning a hole through Sun Wukong. The monkey realized his mistake of throwing the baked good at him, but then noticed the metal monster start to tweak out and panic upon seeing a burning candle stuck in his mandibles. In his frightened state, Emerald managed to slip away with Cinder out of harm's way. "What the heck is up with him?!"

"He is afraid of fire…" Ren murmured to himself. That little tidbit was just enough for him to deduce a plan. It was a risky one, but they had no time to waste. "Everyone, upstairs! Go!"

With everyone swarming out of the basement, Virulet finally managed to put out the miniscule flame. Upon seeing Ruby go out of sight, his anger level flew sky high. "GET BACK HERE, RUBY ROSE!"

He unfastened one of his claws and took it by its base wire, spinning it like a lasso to try and skewer one of them from a distance. Out of the corner of his optic, he saw Velvet lagging behind, trying to carry both Neo and Roman on her shoulders. "Heh-heh-heh… Time to skin me a rabbit!"

"NO!" Velvet cried upon seeing the blade flying right towards her face. She closed her eyes, expecting not to open them ever again.

When she did, she saw her night in grey armor standing in her defense.

"Mercury…!"

"Get 'em outta here," Mercury said, not turning back to look at her. There was a large cut in his right thigh, having slightly missed his mark when kicking away Virulet's sword. "Don't wait for me."

"…Be safe."

"You don't need to tell that to a Golden God, Velvet. Now go."

"How admirable of you," Virulet chortled, alone in the basement with the assassin, "I never took you for one to put their own life on the line for another's."

"I'm not," Mercury snorted, cracking his knuckles as the A.I. charged at him, "It's just that I promised that girl a dance. And I'm sure as hell gonna give her one!"

Hearing the sound of metal on metal beneath them, the rest of the housemates were funneling out the front door. Those who were wounded were being carried out by Emerald, Velvet and Sun to the highway, where they believed was out of range from the Semblance barrier. Blake had opted to go along with Weiss, since the heiress was still not at her healthiest.

"Call for help!" Yang yelled to Blake outside, still holding her sister close, "Come on, Ruby. Mercury will do what he can to buy us time."

"But where's Jaune and Pyrrha? Where's Penny?!"

"We'll find them, don't worry! They're okay! Just follow me!"

"You two can't leave," Ren stopped the two sisters from leaving, putting his arm in the doorway. Those still inside, being Yang, Ruby, Nora, Adam, and the Lieutenant, were shocked by his words.

"What're you talking about Ren?" Nora asked, walking up to him and grabbing his shirt, "We have to run for it! Skedaddle! Go poof and vanish!"

"Not as long as Ruby is with us."

"What do you mean?" the girl in question asked, "Is he after me?"

"I believe so. He was shrieking your name as we went up the steps. As long as you are around everyone, he will most likely go after them."

"So the plan is to split up?" the Lieutenant scratched his head, "It makes sense, but one group will be in deep trouble with Ruby around. No offense, Rubes."

"All good, buddy."

Ren nodded in confirmation. "That is why our group is going to take him out."

"And how exactly shall that be done?" Adam asked, "We are weaponless, defenseless."

"I have a plan so please listen. And we don't have a second to spare."

Outside, the rest of the housemates were already halfway up the driveway. Blake had hoisted both Zwei and Mr. Tibbs under her arms, her fear of the little Corgi outweighed by the desire to protect the animal from harm. "Keep going, everyone! Up to the end of the driveway!"

"Does – cough! - Mr. Tibbs look bigger than before?" Weiss asked, noticing the Goliath seemed about double the size he was earlier.

"He feels much heavier," Blake grunted, trying her best to hold onto the trumpeting elephant. It was to no avail, as she lost grip of it just moments after Weiss had said that. Mr. Tibbs rolled back down the driveway like a ball, Zwei barking for his friend. "I'm sorry, Zwei! We don't have time to go back!"

Unbeknownst to Blake, Mr. Tibbs had wriggled from her grasp on purpose. The tiny Grimm knew where his source of energy came from, and he was going to do whatever it took to get bigger and make a difference in this fight.

"Look!" Sun yelled out, pointing ahead to a figure, "Its Jaune! He's got Pyrrha and Penny!"

"Guys!" Arc waved frantically at them, "Guys, come on! I called Oobleck! He should be here soon!"

The groups finally reached one another, organizing the injured into a small circle. Roman and Penny were the healthiest, but Cinder's condition was getting even worse as seconds went by. Still holding Pyrrha's hand, Jaune's eyes widened upon looking at Fall. "This can't be happening… Wait! Where's Nora and Ren?! Are they okay?!"

"I don't know," Velvet said, worry on her face, "They stayed behind with Ruby, Yang, Adam and the Lieutenant. Mercury was fighting that monster off down in the basement, but I don't know exactly what they are doing still inside."

"How could this happen?" Emerald's voice cracked, bringing Cinder's shaking hands to her lips and kissing them. Suddenly a finger pressed against them, and Sustrai beamed when she saw Cinder's eyes open. She immediately took hold of her, trying her best not to hug her too tightly. "Thank God you're okay!"

"Not… yet," Cinder rasped, mustering every ounce of her strength to mutter each word, "I… I saw… It was afraid of…"

"The monster?" Sun clarified, "Afraid of what?"

"Come here," Cinder leaned into Emerald ear, her lips cold and dry from loss of blood. If those in the house couldn't defeat that metal beast, then Cinder knew of only one way they could bring it down. "You… won't like this."'

She whispered some words into Sustrai's ear. Only Emerald could hear what she had said, and there was no way she was going to accept it.

"…Don't talk like that. Don't. I won't let you."

"Emerald. Look at me… We have no other choice."

Emerald could barely bring herself to gaze at her partner's potentially fatal wound, the deathly white tone to her skin. Cinder looked like the walking dead, and the rate of someone surviving an injury like this… The intent in her eyes went against all of her pain. Cinder was determined to see such a plan out, even if it would be the end of her.

"There has to be another way! I know there has to be!"

"Emmy… please."

"Cinder…" She felt her eyes burning up, tears seeping through her tightly shut lids as she kissed Cinder for what she felt might be the last time. Cinder caressed her face, wiping away a tear with her thumb as she felt water trickle down her own face.

"Don't cry… No time for that. We may have one last mission to complete."