((Just as a warning: This one-shot is different than the others I have done in this series. This one features violence, trauma, and death, so if that's not something you need to see right now, just skip this one-shot.
Summary: Cinder and Neo have arrived in Atlas, and their quest to kill Ruby Rose has reached its end.
With that being said, I hope you enjoy!))
After months and months of waiting, traveling, suffering, the time had finally come.
Ever since the moment the moonlit Kingdom of Atlas emerged into view, Cinder had turned her focus completely within her own thoughts. This is real. This is finally happening. The revenge she had clamored after for so long was finally at hand. Somewhere, whether it in Mantle or, more likely, Atlas, Cinder and Neo would find Ruby Rose, and they would rid the world of one more pair of Silver Eyes.
Finding a place to land was simple. Using her illusion abilities, Neo had turned their Mistrali airship invisible, and as they flew closer to the city, no alarms were raised, and no calls on their radio came through. They simply flew right through Atlas airspace and landed in the forest near the outskirts of Mantle.
They stepped off the airship, standing side-by-side as they stared toward the industrial city of Mantle. Cinder smiled. "We finally made it." She looked over to Neo for her signed response, but instead, she found the girl shivering. "Right. Forgot it's cold in Atlas?"
Neo looked at her, a puff of her breath visible as she exhaled with annoyance. She signed, "And you aren't cold, how?" and then returned to covering her shoulders with her hands.
"I have a magical ability to make things spontaneously combust, as well as keep my body temperature normal," she reminded her, as if Neo need reminding that yes, Cinder was the Fall Maiden.
"Share with me?" Neo signed.
Cinder sighed and nodded. She took off her cloak and placed it on Neo's shoulders. "There."
Neo, surprised by just how warm the cloak was, pulled it tightly around herself. It was like the cloak itself was producing heat. It must have been Dust-infused. She quickly signed "thank you" before burying her nose in the fabric.
Cinder shook her head. "We're on a mission to kill someone and you insist on acting like a child?"
"I'm cold," Neo told her.
Cinder waved for her to follow as she began to move forward. "Let's just find out where we need to go. I have a contact here who can help us find the girl."
They entered Mantle and were both struck by how...desolate it seemed. Certain neighborhoods looked lively enough, with diners and shops here and there, but for the most part, it looked dilapidated. A majority of the buildings in Mantle were likely abandoned.
"Certainly no lack of places to hide here," Cinder commented to Neo.
Neo did not respond. Instead, they kept on their advance, ignoring passersby as they stared at them. They both were overdressed when compared to many of the people in Mantle, but they did not have to blend in. Right now, their goal was to meet with Cinder's "contact," whoever that might have been.
The contact, to Neo's surprise, was a White Fang member.
On a seemingly random street corner in Mantle, a person in a Grimm mask stood with their back against a wall. Their hood was up, their hands were gloved, every inch of their body was concealed. Even if Neo tried to look closely, she could not determine anything about this person, their gender, their hair or skin tone, nothing. They certainly weren't one for having fun with disguises. But it was effective.
Cinder walked right up to them, and even as she told the person her name and that she was the one who requested info on all incoming airships to Atlas, the person made no sound or movement, except extend a hand.
Neo stared at the outstretched hand, for no other reason except it was the first movement this person had actually made. Cinder reached into her pocket and produced a small envelope, no doubt filled with Lien. She placed it upon the hand, and in a split-second movement, the person pocketed the envelop, produced a folded piece of paper with the other hand, dropped it in front of Cinder, and then ran, jumping a nearby fence, gone.
Neo stared at the fence for a moment as Cinder leaned down to pick up the note. She stood back up and chuckled, though she sounded more annoyed than anything. "The White Fang and their notorious hospitality."
Neo wanted to ask something, but she wasn't sure what. All she knew was she was confused by...whoever that was.
Cinder unfolded the note, and laughed. "Perfect."
Neo looked at the note to see a simple message:
"North Atlas - Winter Schnee"
Cinder folded and put the note away. She then turned toward Neo and nodded. "Now we know where to find her."
It isn't easy to gain entry to Atlas from Mantle. Luckily for Cinder and Neo, Cinder could just fly up to the floating city.
Not far from the port of entry where airships took certified passengers two and from Atlas, Neo and Cinder stood just beyond the metal fence which surrounded the tethers keeping the floating city moored to the ground. The underside of Atlas was covered in layers of Gravity Dust miles thick, glittering in the moonlight. Travel between Atlas and Mantle was prohibited this late at night, so there was not as much personnel on the premises, which would only make Cinder and Neo's journey up that much easier.
Cinder took a knee and instructed Neo to hang onto her back. Neo did so, and Cinder stood back up, once again reminded of just how light Neo was. Cinder felt how cold Neo's arms were as she wrapped them around her neck, despite lending her the cloak. Before Cinder took off, she used her Maiden Powers to raise her own external temperature, hoping to warm Neo a bit more. "Are you ready?" Cinder asked.
Neo noticed that Cinder was warming her, and she smiled. Even though they were, in Cinder's words, on a mission to kill someone, Cinder was still allowing a tiny bit of her softer side through. In hindsight, when she compared what they had done during their journey to Atlas, Neo felt almost blindsided by the reminder that, yeah, the entire reason this journey was happening was because they were after Ruby Rose, whom Neo still was pissed at for killing Roman. But the sheer contrast between this mission, and the moments they had shared together on the abandoned island just a few days ago, was stark. Neo still had not yet fully absorbed exactly what was about to happen.
But she knew, right now, that this was what she wanted.
Cinder took a few seconds to focus, and soon, they were airborne.
Flames shot from Cinder's hands as they ascended toward Atlas, and as they grew closer, it began to feel more real for Neo.
She was beginning to have second thoughts.
What would Neo gain from killing Ruby? She did kill Roman. If Ruby were dead, it would feel good for a while, but then what? Roman was gone, and Neo wasn't going to bring him back by avenging him.
Cinder, however, had an even more obvious reason to want Ruby dead. The girl had scarred her, half-blinded her, and made her have to have an arm replaced with that of a Grimm. And judging by how much Cinder talked about this very moment, Neo knew that if they managed to kill Ruby Rose, Cinder would achieve some measure of peace.
There. That was Neo's reason to move forward with this. Cinder needed closure, and Neo would do what she could to ensure that for her. Maybe then, they could move forward to better things, together.
They soon emerged past the edge of the floating city of Atlas, and the contrast to what was below in Mantle was instantly recognizable. The city was more brightly lit, much cleaner, and in every way Mantle's opposite. There were also far more people out and about, enjoying the city's sophisticated nightlife or relaxing after a day of work. This could pose either challenges or advantages for Neo and Cinder. Or both. For one, they were certainly dressed for a night out in Atlas, so they would have no difficulty blending in, but then again, if they planned to find and kill Ruby Rose, they did not want to attract any attention.
They made their way into the streets, glad to know just appearing at the edge of the city hadn't attracted anyone's attention. Neo followed Cinder's lead, assuming she knew where she was going. Neo was familiar with Winter Schnee enough to know she was a military type who was also the daughter of Jacques Schnee himself, but she had no idea where she lived. Cinder, on the other, didn't just seem to know, she was completely certain.
They were heading to the northern part of the city, as the White Fang militant's note instructed, which was roughly where Atlas Academy and the Schnee Manor was located—likely the most heavily monitored region of the city. Neo knew Cinder was a stealth expert, and Neo herself was no slouch either, but even she was a bit apprehensive. In this situation they were getting themselves into, a lot could go wrong, and there was only one way for it to go right.
Neo realized they needed to develop a plan.
She ran up to Cinder's side and got her attention. She signed to her, asking what their plan was.
Cinder repeated back the sign for "plan." "Plan?" Cinder asked.
Neo nodded, glad to see Cinder was still making an effort to pick up some signs.
Cinder nodded in return and looked ahead once again. "Well, now that we know that she's at Winter Schnee's residence, our first goal will be to lure her outside. Breaking in would be far too risky."
Neo nodded in agreement. The last thing they needed was to set off some alarm before they had even gotten a glimpse of the Silver-Eyed girl.
"And once she's outside, hopefully alone, we will try to take her quickly." Her eye light up. "That's it. I know exactly what to do to lure her outside."
Neo stared at her, awaiting her idea.
Cinder looked down at her and smiled. "It involves your illusions. A disguise, specifically."
Neo nodded, liking where this was going. Even if she was nervous about this mission, relying on a disguise made her feel a bit more confident.
"Remember the robot girl from the Vytal Tournament?"
Neo instantly knew where Cinder was going with this, and she knew it would work. Neo was nodding before she even knew she wanted to agree.
"From what I know," Cinder continued, "Ruby was very close to her. I think if she saw you standing outside her window, she wouldn't believe her eyes, but would come outside, alone, just to check," Cinder chuckled to herself. "Oh, I can already picture her reaction when she realizes the truth."
Neo knew this was a great plan, but she had just one concern. How would they get Ruby's attention? It wasn't like Neo could talk, let alone impress on the robot girl's voice.
Cinder, thankfully, was thinking ahead of her. "It won't take much, I'm sure, to get her attention. Really all we'll have to do is locate her, do something to wake her, and get her to look out her window." She looked at Neo. "And then, while she's distracted with you, I'll go for the easy kill. She may realize what's going on, but it wouldn't hurt to try for the easy victory."
Neo shot her a thumbs up, liking this plan more and more by the second. Her biggest concern was alerting anyone else while they tried to carry out their plan, and this plan at least had a good chance of ending things quickly and quietly.
"So…" Cinder murmured, glancing at Neo. " Sounds like a plan?"
Neo nodded, smirking for good measure. Cinder's intelligent scheming was, in an odd way, kind of sexy.
"Before we do it, though," Cinder said. "We should rehearse it."
With Cinder's help, Neo was able to craft a perfect illusion to bait Ruby. Utilizing photos of the robot girl, Penny, on Cinder's Scroll, combined with a little creativity on Neo's part, Neo was able to assume the visage of the deceased contraption, except with some tattered clothing and messed up hair to hopefully really concern Ruby, and thus distract her even moreso.
And now, the time had come to execute their plan.
Winter Schnee's home was a two story house a blessed ways away from Schnee Manor and the Academy. It was surrounded by metal fences topped with spikes, with foliage alongside the fence. There was a yard of stone and concrete directly surrounding the house, upon which Neo would soon assume her position as Penny Polendina, as soon as Cinder determined which window led to the girl's sleeping quarters.
Along the back of the house, there were four windows across on each floor; eight windows total. While Neo waited among the bushes near the fence, Cinder used her Maiden Powers to quietly manipulate the air around her to hover from window-to-window, looking into each to try and spot the girl.
By now, things had fully set in for Neo, and thankfully, she felt completely content with what was about to happen, mainly because of the thought she had before about giving Cinder her well-deserved closure. This was less about revenge and now more about helping Cinder. If doing away with the girl who hurt her was what was necessary, Neo would do it.
Cinder, apparently having determined the right window, returned to Neo's side. She was smiling, seeming almost gleeful to finally have this opportunity. "The second floor window furthest to the right," she told her. "That's where she is. She's asleep, alone."
Neo nodded, staring at said window, and then trailing her eyes down toward the ground outside it. She figured she would assume her position about ten meters from the house, directly in front of the window.
"Are you ready?" Cinder asked her.
Neo smiled at her, and they looked at one another for a moment. Cinder nodded and headed back toward the house to wake Ruby as Neo headed to her spot and put on her illusion disguise.
The rapier usually stowed in her parasol's handle was tucked under her belt and invisible through her disguise. She would use it if she had to, but as their plan stipulated, Cinder would get the first shot.
Neo, now looking exactly like Penny Polendina, dropped to her knees and looked up at the window. Meanwhile, Cinder hovered back up toward it. They exchanged one last look and a mutual nod, and then Cinder knocked on the window three times. She then quickly returned to the ground and hid around the nearby corner of the house, out of view of the window.
Neo looked back up and could see movement inside the room. The low moonlight shone through the window just enough for Neo to make out a shadow, and a second later, she saw her. A pajama-clad Ruby Rose had her face pressed up against to window, looking out.
Then she saw Neo. Or rather, she saw Penny.
Neo put on her best scared facial expression, and she saw Ruby Rose's expression warp from confusion to panicked disbelief. The girl covered her mouth with her hands, taking a couple steps away from the window, then stepped back up to it, staring out at the girl on her knees outside her room.
Neo began to breathe heavier in an effort to communicate to Ruby that she was scared and desperate, and it seemed that did the trick.
It seemed Ruby considered going to find someone to come with her, but she thankfully opted to opened the window and come straight to Neo. Once the window was open, she jumped through the opening, landing on the ground safely.
"Penny…" she murmured and ran to her. "Oh gods, oh gods," She neared Neo and slid to her knees in front of her, then immediately capturing her in a hug. "Oh gods, it's you. It's you." She began to cry. "Penny…"
Neo hugged her back, getting a chance to look toward Cinder over Ruby's shoulder. Cinder now held a fiery red sword in her hand.
"What...how?" Ruby asked her, releasing the hug and holding Neo by the face. "Penny...oh, Penny, you're here. I…" She choked on her breath. "I never thought I…"
Out of the corner of her eye, Neo saw Cinder slowly begin to approach, but she nodded along to Ruby's words, taking notice of the pure emotion in this girl's face.
What a feeling it must have been for her to see a dead loved one right in front of her.
"Penny," Ruby was crying profusely now, tears streaming down her cheeks like rain. "I...I don't know if I'm dreaming or…"
Cinder was getting closer, but moving slower and quieter as she neared.
Neo shook her head at Ruby, telling her she wasn't dreaming.
Ruby sobbed, holding Neo's face a bit tighter. "Penny, if this is real or not, I don't care, I love you. I never got to say it to you, so I'm saying it now, I love you. You're my best friend, Penny, right?"
Neo nodded, feeling at least a little affected by Ruby's behavior. A tiny shred of empathy was feeling for her. Of course, the rest of her wanted this to end.
Right?
"I'll get you inside," Ruby said, her tears glittering in the moonlight like her fabled irises. "Okay? I'll repair you, I'll be here for you, always, okay?"
Neo nodded again.
Cinder was within striking distance.
"Penny? Say something...wait."
Neo knew she had made a mistake. The moment her eyes flicked to the side for just a second, she knew their plan was shot.
Ruby's eyes shot open wide, and she turned to see Cinder, sword at the ready, preparing to thrust toward her.
Cinder knew then that Plan A had failed, but that didn't stop her from going for the kill.
Ruby yelled and rolled out of the way, just avoiding the sword. "Cinder…" she grunted as she began to get to her feet, only to turn and see…
Cinder's sword had gone straight through Penny's neck.
"No…" Ruby breathed. "Penny…"
"No…" Cinder whispered. She was frozen in shock, staring at where her sword had gone into…
"No!" Ruby yelled, and Cinder began to feel an all too familiar burning sensation grow and intensify along her left side.
Cinder, still in shock, could do nothing but look to the side as Ruby Rose's eyes began to gleam with power. "Please…" Cinder huffed. "Don't…"
"Damn it, Penny no!" Ruby screamed, her voice mixing with sobs and gasps. "I hate you!"
The burning in her arms was beginning to become excruciating. Was Ruby...purposefully making her suffer slowly? No, whatever it took, Cinder wanted it to end. "Just kill me," she wheezed as it grew almost impossible to breathe.
Ruby clenched her fists as the silver light in her eyes began to surround Cinder. She screamed at her as Cinder's heart felt like it would soon catch fire.
The final, deadly wave of silver light was imminent.
From behind, Neo stabbed Ruby though the chest.
The light disappeared as Ruby gasped violently. She looked down toward her body and saw a thin metal blade protruding from her chest, then toward where the visage of Penny once was, only to find Cinder's sword on the ground.
Cinder collapsed in agony, groaning loudly as she tried to raise herself to all fours, but when she turned her head, she saw a sight that filled her with relief.
Neo pulled the sword from Ruby's body, sending the girl to her knees. Neo and Cinder watched as Ruby put her hands to her chest, covering her wound. The shock hadn't worn off yet, but it was evident in her eyes that Ruby realized what had happened.
Neo came around and knelt in front of Ruby. Ruby looked at her, but her expression did not change, eyes wide, mouth agape. Neo put her hands on Ruby's shoulders and gently guided her to the ground, lying Ruby on her back. Neo leaned down, getting close to her ear, and whispered:
"Be with your friends."
Neo stood back up in time to see Ruby close her eyes, her hands going lax over her impaled heart.
Ruby Rose was dead.
Neo came over to Cinder's side and rolled her onto her back to see her sobbing, just as Ruby had been. Cinder looked up at Neo, and she gritted her teeth and shook her head. "I...I'm sorry…"
Neo leaned down and hugged her, then sat back up and signed, "We need to get out of here."
"I…" Cinder croaked, her voice raspy and almost broken. "Can't move."
Neo, summoning every last bit of strength she could muster, fueling herself with desperation to get them away from the scene of the murder, hooked her arms beneath Cinder's knees and back. With a blinding rush of adrenaline, Neo lifted Cinder into her arms, and she began to carry her toward the fence. She heard noises coming from the house, which only served to motivate Neo even further. She put Cinder on her shoulders and began climbing the fence, her arms and legs burning but not halting. They avoided the spikes atop the fence, and they were soon on the run, Neo moving as fast as she could as she carried Cinder's limp body.
"I love you," Neo heard Cinder whisper, sounding like sandpaper on stone.
Neo kissed her forehead as she continued running, and though she knew she was running out of energy, she promised herself at that moment that she wouldn't stop until they found safety. She wouldn't stop until they were back on their airship, in the air, in bed, in each other's arms.
To Be Continued...