Forced Equality

RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth

Summary: The White Fang has come up with a new violent and forceful way to make faunas the superior race and involves a certain heiress.

Chapter 4

The sun managed to beam its way into the dorm room through the red curtains. Ruby groaned awake and flopped off her bed onto the floor. Turning towards her partners bed with a grin, she paused. Her grin immediately replaced with sadness.

She reached out to touch Weiss' rapier but an abrupt knock at the door interrupted her.

"Hey guys?! You awake yet?!" She heard Sun below through the door, followed by a reprimand from Neptune. Ruby turned around, whistle in hand and blew. The screech sent the black and yellow members of her team into overdrive, she probably would've smiled if her partner were here.

"I'm up! Up now!" Yang threw herself off the floor as Blake clambered down from her battle ready stance atop her bed. Both looked to Weiss' bed with varying versions of disbelief, as if it could've been a simple nightmare.

"Hey, uhh can we come in yet? Did you just get up?" Sun knocked again timidly.

"Yeah, I'm coming! One sec!" Ruby sped towards the door and flung it open and motioned for the two boys to come in.

"Thanks, it was getting a bit awkward just standing in an empty hall." Sun said timidly with a scratch to his head and a nod from Neptune. "Wow, she's really gone." He stated with obvious disbelief.

"Yeah, but I'm certain we'll get her back. And it better be as soon as possible." Yang certified as she picked up Weiss' rapier. Blake put a hand to her shoulder, comfort from the shadows.

"Uhm, before we begin we should… probably get dressed." Ruby said with slight embarrassment. The others agreed without eye contact.

After each member taking it in turn to dress for the day in the bathroom, Ruby emptied a binder on her and Weiss' shared study desk. "Ok, so lets compile what we have so far." She began to create a small mind map of the basics. "A White Fang Movement and a group going out on some sort of recruitment mission."

"A faunas guy in a pretty prominent blue hoodie, sighted near a music shop in the faunas district." Blake chipped in, the crew beginning to crowd around the mind map. Neptune nodded in affirmation of the colour.

"Well, it's pretty obvious we need to go see this music shop!" Yang huffed.

"And how many do you think there are Yang? And the scene she was missing from didn't exactly look safe! Safety first, think calmly." Blake reprimanded.

"Possible dangers-" Ruby mumbled drawing a new line on her mind map. "So, they must be pretty tough to actually take her. We need to carry our weapons around."

"Don't forget semblances, they could be powerful too." Sun added and received a nod from Ruby.

"We need to find out why they need her, they wouldn't take her unless it meant something. They aren't idiots." Blake said calmly. "Yang is probably right though, thinking on it we wont really learn anything if we don't go to the source. They are trying to be careful by targeting only faunas."

"Thank you!" Yang huffed once again, her frustration growing. She suddenly understood how desperate Blake must've felt when she went missing the other year.

"Then we need to go there, in disguise. Undercover. Unseen." Ruby reasoned, the pen tapping at her chin. "Maybe if we go in groups? No that's obvious." Ruby turned to look at both of the two faunas in the room. "Blake, Sun. Could you two?"

Sun rest a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "We can definitely do it! Right Blake? And Neptune can come too! I mean they mistook him for a faunas too." Sun beamed, Blake and Neptune looking at each other and nodding.

"It will be easy. We'll breeze over there and get what we can." Neptune grinned.

"It wont be easy though, Blake said they aren't stupid. Weiss is in danger! Ruby what will we do?!" Yang argued, mostly because she was upset at not having a part in the plan so far.

Ruby rose from her seat with concern and hugged her big sister. Yang was barely holding it together and it was obvious. "Yang, we'll get her. She wont go too." Ruby soothed. "Blake came back as well, remember." She whispered the last part for only Yang to hear.

"Right. Yes, you're right." Yang hugged her sister. Blake looked at them and joined too, her faunas hearing actually picking up on Ruby's whisper. Letting go of each other Blake, Sun and Neptune gathered necessary items for their possibly dangerous journey to the music store in the faunas district.

"We have to find it first." Sun commented. "And it'll probably have a radio studio thing, if that idea isn't too far fetched." He finished with a weak smile, doubting himself under the pressure.

"No, that sounds reasonable." Ruby rubbed her chin. "You guys better set off then," She plodded over to the door, ready to open it for the trio. "and be safe, or we'll have to come get you in our masterful disguises." Ruby grinned at her disguise idea.

"Yeah, be careful guys. Don't hesitate to ring, text or scream if anything goes pear shaped." Yang added with a fist bump to Neptune.

Neptune nodded. "We'll get our snow angel back." He ran his hand through his blue hair and posed as if Weiss were here to see it. The group just stared at him. Ruby shoved the trio out the door.

"We'll see you at dinner!" She waved erratically. No one noticing the figure crouched and staring at the end of the corridor, undetected it calmly walked away.

/

Sun whipped out a map on his scroll as the airship landed in Vale. "Ok, so Googly says there's currently 13 music shops in the faunas district."

"Try narrow it down to ones with a radio station status." Blake said, looking around for any suspicious activity.

"Got it," Sun stared at the map on his scroll, identifying radio station symbols. "yeah. There's only 2 of those."

"Thank God. I was not ready to wear out my new kicks." Neptune sighed in relief and earned a punch to the shoulder from Sun. "Owww!" He pouted.

Blake sighed and trekked to where she knew the faunas district was. The only good thing about that district was that she could show herself without any judgement or fear, except for maybe a rare student seeing her there, but she could totally play that off when it came to it… unless there was photographic evidence or even- she shook her head. Not going to think about it.

Arriving at the edge of the faunas district, the building began to look much more derelict than the ones in the city, with boards instead of windows. A few rusting bins. It wasn't a hovel but not as cared for, probably to intimidate humans on some level.

Blake turned around and released her ears from her bow as she faced her friends. "Where to first Sun?" She asked.

"Oh, I think we should check out…" He scrunched his face up trying to make out the small words on his scroll. "Bops 'n' beats. Its a small looking shop with a radio station, fairly local and small range." Sun began to lead the squad through the streets. After passing a small residential area they stood in a small circle of shops. Nice benches spread in the centre with people just chatting.

The three tried to look unsuspecting by casually strolling by. "Yeah this is it Blake, it should have what you want. My friend recommended it to me for you." Sun stated as he walked into the store. The clerks dog ears perking at his admission.

"Heard of me, eh?" The shop owner stated, leaning on his counter. "What ye be lookin' for lass?" He grinned.

"Oh, uhm." She was put a little bit on the spot and glared at the faunas. "I was looking for some classics, like um, Michael Barkesum." She answered within a beat.

The shop owner looked slightly stunned. "A teen like yerself enjoys some good ol' Barkesum? Good to see a fellow dog faunas' music gripped ye to. Ye've good taste! Only CDs 'ere though."

"That's no issue at all, I have a portable CD player somewhere in my drawers." Blake smiled back as the man left the counter to show her where the CDs were. The other two shrugged at Blake as she stared blankly at them, her eyes almost crying bloody murder.

"'ere ye are. Best of me collection." He grinned wide, the subtle wrinkles in his face stretching. "I strongly recommend this one." he pointed and dragged Blake into a conversation she didn't want.

The two boys took the chance to prance around the store looking for signs of criminal activity only to find not a lot. Neptune actually getting into looking through the owners music collection, inspecting each one with scrutiny before putting it back.

"What ye doin'?" a voice said behind Sun, scaring the life out of him and sending him leaping into the air.

"Me? Haha nothing!" He chuckled awkwardly to himself. "I was wondering about this radio station sign." He quickly corrected and inwardly patted himself on the back for the quick observation.

"Oh. That." The man gazed towards the the poster. "I've gone out of business a bit with that, ye see a newer one opened up down town. Plays all the new tunes, most folk forgot 'bout mine 'n' well, mine died." He sighed. "The times were fun when it was up."

Sun perked up at the new info but tried to play it cool. "Ah right. No respect for the classics these days." He stated with a shrug.

"More like the new station got the funds to run 'em. I'm skint these days 'n' I heard they got a special announcement station ye can tune in to." The owner finished, saw Blake and Neptune walking towards the counter and place their music items on it.

Sun just stared at Neptune, the boy in question sheepishly smiling back with a shrug.

"Haha! Good choices! Good choices indeed! Ye welcome back any time you want 'n' thank the person who sent ye for me." The clerk bellowed. The trio said their thanks and left the store with haste.

"What the hell Sun." Blake started, shoving her bag of Michael Barkesum CDs to him.

"Ok, ok. I get it! No words needed just glare at me." He pleaded then saw the glare and changed his mind and shielding himself from her. "Listen! I got some good intel. A newer radio station popped up and took his sales, he told me they have a special announcement section when they are on air."

This information immediately stopped Blake's glare before she nodded for him to continue, Neptune just hanging around in the background waiting for a job.

"It's got to be the other one on our list! Its popular, has funds and some weird announcement thing. If that's not a red flag for what we're looking for then I must be colour blind." Sun finished.

"Then lets head over and check it out!" Neptune chipped in and slung his arms around Sun and Blake.

As the trio approached the first thing they noted was the more buffer looking people and how populated the area was. Neptune even pointed out a small White Fang tattoo on one guy. This was definitely the place they needed to be.

Blake's scroll began to ring, Ruby was calling. "Hey, Ruby-"

"OmigoshBlake, you didn't update us or anything! We were getting worried, its been like 4 hours! I mean I know it's not dark but-"

"We're fine Ruby don't worry, we got a surprisingly good lead for now. And it definitely looks like we're in the correct place. What have you two been up to?"

"We got team JNPR to come and look at the crime scene but it was all cleared away before they could see everything so we're just looking around town, waiting for any information and staying calm. Are you guys ok?" Blake could hear Nora excitedly pointing out a 'shady white van' to the group in the background of Ruby's call.

"Yep, no danger so far… touch wood." She tapped the frame of a shops notice board. "We should be ok and back for dinner, it looks very promising so far."

"Sounds good, thanks for your work! We'll see you later!" Ruby ended the call with cheer and promise of rest. Blake smiled to the other two with her.

"Lets get to that shop." She began walking with the two catching up.

When they stepped through the doors out of the crowded street, they saw the black, white and red theme. A White Fang symbol proudly shining at the back of the shop, in plain sight with no shame or fear. A symbol of freedom and power but to Blake she only saw it as the symbol of pain and tyranny.

Neptune froze at an unnerving sight and quietly kicked Sun in the shin. "Ow! Dude, what-" Sun began but saw what Neptune meant. The person stood there, the guy in the blue hoodie just chatting up the person behind the counter. They both gawked.

Blake being the only calm person right now walked up to the counter, façade ready. "I was told about a special announcement tune in that comes from the station here." She stated voice a bit shaky but not really noticeable. The blue guy and the shop keep both turned and looked Blake in the eyes. Then the blue guy looked at both Sun and Neptune in recognition.

"Heh, I knew you two would come. You brought a friend?" He asked. "People like to call me Blue, You guys may as well." He stood up straight. "I still like your hair..."

"Neptune." The blue haired boy managed to squeak out, stiff as a board.

Sun left his trance and looked Blue in the eye. "Here we are." He said with a fake grin. This guy knew about the whereabouts of his friend, maybe not friend. Just… Weiss? Whatever, a friend of a friend.

"We run a small… side business, true. A lot of our fellow White Fang like to listen in. It's like a secret only we can get into." The store man smirked but noticed the trio's sceptical expressions. "Oh, don't worry. Those who are out to get us never come out this far and most are to scared to even come into this store." He pointed a thumb to the back wall behind him.

"Yes, it seems like a reasonable reason." Blake stared at the sign.

"You want equality? Take then listen in, we're a Movement. Ready to make ourselves equal, if killing and peace aren't the solution then we've got the most obvious one." Blue grinned, wide and malicious. Almost murderous.

"What do you mean?" Blake gulped as he slipped the paper with the tune in time and radio frequency on it into her hand, she looked down. It felt as if she was literally just given the answers to her problem but was too impatient.

"Tune in tonight and see." Blue's grin grew wider and he looked down eerily. "We have a special announcement tonight." For some reason that sentence alone sent the man into hysterics and the clerk simply looked away like he was disturbed too.

"Ok, ok, Blue. That' enough, your scaring them." The clerks eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, his previous expression over ruled.

Blue stopped at once and stared at them. The trio were actually speechless, in disgust or bewilderment they didn't know.

"We'll definitely listen then, thank you." Blake wafted up the piece of paper after checking its contents. She motioned for the boys to follow as they also said good bye.

Outside the store, they quickly speed walked away. Faces white. They hit the hideous jackpot and now had to reap its benefits later that night. Part of them wanted to find nothing and part of them expected to find evidence of Weiss' kidnapping, not some cryptic crazies hanging out in a music store that somehow happened to be a White Fang radio station.

Blake pulled out her scroll the moment the trio reached the edge of the faunas district and dialled Ruby.

"Hello? Blake?" Came Ruby's voice on the other end.

"Ruby we've got something. Meet us at the dorm ASAP." Hanging up, Blake didn't know or care where they were right now, she just needed the other half of the rescue squad to be at the dorm room by the time she got there.

/

AN- tried to take advice from reviewer Jarec on my archiveofourown version (called Roki Road on there XD), thank you for that btw, appreciate it :) I feel this bad boi is clearing up a lil bit huhu. Ty 4 getting this far in the read! Hopefully u like it. Anyways, I'll upload the next chapter before or on the 20th with all my love. See you all next time ^^