Chapter 13

Ruby

She walked to class just as usual. The day was normal. She did her work and took notes, snuck looks at Weiss. She was beginning to think that she liked Weiss, but that was crazy, she didn't like girls. Did she? This was one of the few things that took her mind off class, or Weiss. But who was she going to talk to? Not yang, she might tell, Blake was quiet but not very talkative. Her teachers were new and she didn't think they were open to talking like that. She was still thinking about it even at lunch. "Ruby, are you ok?" yang asked snapping her out of her trance. "No I'm just thinking about something. I'm fine." She responded. She was just about to give up when she saw Colin.

Colin walked into the cafeteria, grabbed his food, and came and sat down next to her. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked Smiling at everyone. His shirt and pants were covered in stuff, burn marks and cuts. "Have you been destroying our room again?" Weiss asked dejectedly. "Sort of." He responded "But before you get angry, see it, then yell at me." he said pointing his fork, with a piece of broccoli on it. At Weiss. "Fine, my judgement will wait." She said. He looked at ruby for a moment, but she knew that he knew. That she had a problem. So he didn't bring it up, thank god. She thought to herself. When lunch was over he left to go back to whatever work he was doing.

She struggled with the issue for the rest of the entire day. When she got back to the dorm, she waited for the rest of the team to open the door. When she did, Colin was still at his table working, but what he had done to the room, was amazing. It looked like he had never been there. Everything was in its place, very clean and neat. The newest part of the room was the pedestal in the center, and his corner. He had turned his corner into a metal paradise, machines, and lots of them. And a fat, short glowing cylinder sat next to the work bench, it was pulsating a warm orange. He still hadn't turned around from his work.

They walked into the room and looked at everything, it was so nice, and the pedestal had four little sharp ovals sitting on it. Ruby tapped Colin on the shoulder and he turned the torch off and turned around. "Hey, so I've got some stuff for you." He said taking off the mask and throwing a tarp over the bench. He walked over to the pedestal and picked up one of the ovals. "So, since I owe you guys so much. I would like to keep track of you, and your well-being. This." He said pointing to the oval "Will act as a tracking device, life sign monitor, and network. " "I have one." He said lifting his right ear and showing a small scar. "You will be able to track me and your teammates at a moment's notice. And see how they are doing."

"So if you are ok with this idea, cool. If not, also cool." He said "I'm not forcing you to do this." He added quickly. "Sounds like a good tactical decision, I'll try it first." Yang said. He nodded and walked around to the back of her right ear and set the device against it. It made a little noise then quickly cut its way into the back of her ear straight into her skull. "That didn't hurt too badly." She said, then Colin engaged the neural and ocular link. She yelped and jumped. "Why can't I see out of my right eye?" yang asked nervously. "Don't worry, once you connect to the device, it will go back to normal." He said reassuringly. He saw the implant connect to her eye from his wrist pad. "I can see again." She said obliviously calmed. "What is that in the bottom left corner of my eye?" she asked. "Look at it and blink." He told her. "Whoa, is that you?" she asked "yes, now look to your name and blink again." "That's me, that's so cool." She said excitedly. "Now look straight ahead and blink." "Ok, so looking and blinking is how I do stuff." She said. "In essence, yes." He responded. "Now, who is next?" he asked holding up an oval.

Once they had all undergone the process and were fluent in its operation. He went back to working at his bench. While the rest went over school work and the new tech. Ruby still had something on her mind. So she decided to talk to Colin about it, why not, he owed her a lot. If she didn't like his reaction, she could just ask him not to tell. So she got off her bed and asked a somehow shirtless Colin, to come and talk with her. He took his mask off and walked with her.
They got to the roof and sat down. "What's the problem?" he asked "Well I have a small problem, well not a problem. But something keeps distracting me." She said feeling very overwhelmed. "Just get it off your chest. If it is so bad that you can't go to yang, you need help." He said looking out at the sunset. "I think I'm gay." She finally said after a minute of silence. "Cool, what's the problem?" he asked with genuine curiosity. "What? That was it, I think I'm gay." Ruby responded starting to get nervous. "Ruby" he laughed "Being gay is not a problem, its normal. If it's distracting you from your work, that's the problem." He said "What?" she asked astonished. He realized what she was asking and chuckled again. "Ruby, being gay is ok."

Before she could respond he spoke again "Its Weiss, isn't it" he asked smirking at her. She punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch, that hurt." He laughed. "But on a serious note, you are just as normal as yang, or Weiss, or Blake, or anyone. It's just who you are, nothing wrong with that." He said "What did you think I was going to say?" he asked "Well, I don't know. I was scared and nervous. And didn't know what to think." She said "Well, now you know my opinion, you don't want me to tell anyone do you?" "Don't even think about it" she said "now we should get back to the dorms, before they get the wrong idea." He said winking She shook her head and they walked back. They did get a weird look from yang, but other than that. Nothing. And Colin went back to working.

Colin

It was late, and he was still working. He had finished his first project, but not his second. He had been working for way too long, so he tried to go to sleep. But the stress of knowing that in 2 days, he had to get his sorry ass of this planet. So he stopped trying to sleep, and went back to work. He was as quiet as possible, his nanites helping him put together, what he considered a masterpiece.