Where... Am I? Why can't I move? Neo thought, her mind hazy and clouded as she weakly pulled at the restraints binding her to the table. And what the heck is with this pounding in my head...
"Aah, Miss Politan, I see you're awake." A voice said, coming from behind the small girl, who arched her back, attempting to see the owner. "I was afraid I would be kept waiting for a while."
General Ironwood stepped into view, his hands held behind his back, his face set and menacing. Neo swallowed nervously, shifting in her bindings again as he gazed down at her. She tilted her head in a curious manner, tugging a little at the bindings as she did.
"I assume you're wondering about your... Predicament, are you not?" He said, standing beside her table. "Well, this is to ensure you aren't able to escape your captivity while you're here. Some time ago Miss Xiao Long told us all about your semblance, and I can assure you that while you're in those shackles, you will not be teleporting away, nor creating glass clones."
Neo's nervousness showed as she tested the bindings again, still finding them completely unmoveable as Ironwood began pacing again. She looked up at him with a half-questioning, half-terrified face as he circled around her.
"The reaspn you are in my facility is simple." Ironwood began, his fingers flexing behind his back. "I wish to question you, and see how much you truly know about Cinder Fall's plans and base locations, as well as any information you might have on the White Fang. It's also no use lying, as I know that you worked directly under Roman Torchwick, and must have had access to the information. Now, I will ask you one time to reveal the information to me, and if you don't, I will be forced to turn you over to someone who isn't as... Calm, as I am."
Neo opened her mouth, shaking her head vigorously. Ironwood gave a small sigh, shaking his head softly. "Well then, I'm sorry Miss Politan, but I'm going to have to resort to different means..." He said, turning to face the door and shouting. "Enter!"
The door on the other end of the room opened, shining a bright light into the room, a figure stepping in. A tall, dark haired woman stepped towards the two with a small smile on her face. "Having trouble getting the little birdie to sing General? Don't worry, gimme two days and I'll have her telling me her deepest darkest secrets..."
General Ironwood nodded as he left the room, the door shutting with a hiss behind him. As he made his way down the hall, all he could hear were the screams of the girl, echoing through the empty passageway...
Ruby and Yang were elated to say the least. After arriving at Ozpin's office with the rest of the team, along with Summer, they had been asked to enter, as he had a question for the five women. He had been straight to the point, not wasting a single word as usual. As Summer was staying at the school now, but could not remain in the hospital, she required a living space while a room was appropriated for her. The girls eagerly agreed to share their own dorm room with Summer while she needed somewhere to stay.
They were currently on their way back to the room, arguing over bedding arrangements. Ruby quickly opted to share with Weiss, but was shot down with a small glare from her mother, which silenced her immediately.
"Well, me and Blake could share?" Yang said, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh yes, Sun would just LOVE that." Blake said, rolling her eyes as she imagined the Fanus boy's reaction. "Well I mean he would, as long as he was there with us..."
"Well then, maybe me and Ruby could share? I mean, we're sisters, not like we haven't done it before." Yang said, the rest of them shrugged, Ruby smiling brightly.
"It'll be like when we used to stay with Uncle Qrow!" She said excitedly, hugging her sister from behind.
"Well, at least I know you two won't get into trouble." Summer said, giving a small grin as Weiss and Ruby both blushed.
"W-we've never..."
"I-I wouldn't ever t-try to..."
They both began stuttering, sending the other girls into fits of giggles as the two shared nervously looks, both of their faces redder than Ruby's hood. The girls reached their room, Ruby immediately making her way into the bathroom, while Weiss sat on her bed, looking awfully nervous.
"What's wrong Weiss, I was just teasing you earlier." Summer said, sitting down on Ruby's bed and smiling softly.
"Oh no, that's not it at all, honest." Weiss said, smiling nervously. "Well I mean... It sort of is... It's not like I have never thought about it before but... It just seems... Improper..."
"Well, as a woman, I would urge you to talk to her about it, and just see how she feels." Summer said, giving the heiress a sweet smile. "But as her mother, if I hear you hurt my baby in any way, I will personally see to it that a hive of angry Rapier Wasps finds it's way into your locker, understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" Weiss said, her eyes widening in terror as she looked at Yang.
"Yeah she will. Dad died her cape purple on April Fool's Day, and she hid a nest of them in his work shed." Yang said from her bed, causing Blake and Summer to erupt into laughter.
"His face was priceless though!" Summer said somewhat defensively. "And he knew better than to mess with my cape!"
"To be fair, you are really protective of the thing..." Yang said, giving a small nod of agreement. "But still, it was a little overkill."
"Oh hush, shut up and go to bed." Summer said, giving a small smile as she lay down in the bed, soon followed by the others, and eventually Ruby as she finally emerged from the bathroom.
The room was completely silent as the girls drifted off into sleep, completely unaware of what the next few days would bring...
Displeased would be the word most of the crew would use to describe General Ironwood's current mood. He had been storming around the ship, barking orders and shouting at subordinates much more than usual, and it was clear to most that he was in a particularly foul mood, though few knew why.
Winter Schnee was one of the unlucky few that knew the reasoning for the General's unpleasantness, as she was the one that was charged with seeing to the small, multicolored girl that was currently in a holding cell. She knew he had expected the girl to break before now and Winter herself had admired the girl's determination at first; but it was quickly getting out of hand. It had been a week since she had been taken into custody, and she hadn't said a single word, nor shown any signs of releasing information, and it was getting to the point where Winter doubted she even had anything of value.
In fact, Winter had begun to doubt the fact that the girl was bad at all really. In the times she had been sent in to feed the girl, she had been nothing but sweet, accepting Winter's apologies with small smiles and reassuring nods. Winter had begun to pity the girl with each day passed, as she witnessed the girl's cuts and bruises begin to grow more and more common, and noticed her energy leaving her little by little.
Winter sighed as she sat down on her bunk, putting her head in her hands. "Winter, I want you up on the bridge immediately." General Ironwood's voice said over the intercom next to her door.
She stood up, pressing the button and responded with a curt, "Yes sir." before stepping out into the hallway, moving briskly towards the bridge.
The bridge was bustling with activity when Winter arrived. Crew members dashed from station to station, and General Ironwood was issuing orders as he paced through the chaos.
"General, what's going on?" She said, striding up to the man and saluting. "Is it a drill?"
"No, it isn't. We got word of a large horde of Grimm approaching the city, and I want you to get down there and coordinate ground units." Ironwood said, giving her a small nod. "You'll have three squads under your command, use them well. And hold the gates, whatever the cost."
"Yes sir." She said, saluting once more, before rushing towards the hangar.
"Hey you, wake up." A voice said, right before an icy cold wave of water washed over Neo, shocking her out of her slumber, causing her to cough and sputter as she tried to rid her lungs of the liquid. "General Ironwood wants that information, and he wants it now. He said if you don't give it up, the next few days are gonna be the worst of your life..."
Neo looked up at her interrogator with wide, fearful eyes. She shook her head repeatedly, opening her mouth wide and pulling at her bindings. The woman sighed as she stepped closed, letting Neo examine the instrument in her hand. It was a long metal rod, with a bright red handle; on the handle were several buttons, along with a black dial, which was currently in the 'off' position.
"Well then, I'm sorry, but you're forcing my hand by not talking here..."
She turned the dial, causing the rod to begin glowing bright red. As she brought it towards Neo's stomach, it caused a light sizzling sound as the super-heated object touched her bare skin, eliciting an unimaginably agonized scream from the girl...
"Uuuuuuhg, why do we get the boooring jooooob." Ruby groaned, throwing her head back as the girls paced back and forth on the landing pad. "Everyone else is helping to defend Vale, and we get stuck doing some boring delivery for Ozpin!"
"Maybe he actually has good reason for sending us?" Weiss suggested, though her doubt was shown in her voice.
"Mhm, or maybe he just secretly hates us and he's trying to get rid of us by trying to make us drop out of school!" Ruby said, punching her hand and frowning. "No... Professor Ozpin is too nice to do that..." She said, hanging her head in disappointment.
"Weiss is probably right. It's most likely just a mission that we're suited for better than anyone else is all." Summer said with a small smile, patting Ruby's shoulder gently. "We'll be off killing Grimm in no time, I'm sure of it!"
"Helllllooooo ladies." A familiar, and quite annoying voice called out. The girls turned to see Sun and Neptune, along with Professor Ozpin, walking towards them.
"Oh, hi guys... Aren't you supposed to be down fighting the Grimm?" Ruby said, tilting her head curiously.
"Yeah, but Professor Goodwitch told us to stick to Ozpin as bodyguards or something, and she's scarier than Yang on a bad hair day." Sun explained while Neptune nodded in agreement. "We decided that if we wanna live, we should probably do what she said so... Here we are!"
"Well, that answers that question..." Weiss said, pushing Neptune away and rolling her eyes as he tried to approach, a small glint in his eye. "But what about you Professor, are you coming on the mission as well?"
"As a matter of fact I am, though I realize I haven't been very clear on what the mission is. If you'll all be so kind as to board the transport, I'll explain on the way." Ozpin said, gesturing to the large ship behind them.
The team boarded the aircraft, and after closing the metal door, it took off, speeding towards Ironwood's flagship. Ruby and Weiss sat beside each other, across from Ozpin and Summer, while Neptune and Sun stood in the aisle, leaning against the far wall. Weiss was the one to finally break the silence, other than the roar of the engines.
"So, what is the mission Professor?" Weiss said, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Well, to put it shortly, we're going to go retrieve and rescue Miss Politan. The General has had his time, and has given me absolutely no proof that she should be detained any further than this, and so we are going to make sure she gets fair treatment, like a girl her age should." He said, taking a sip from his mug and sighing. "However, when I called him, he didn't seem ready to give her up just yet, so I've decided that instead of letting him bring her back, I would take a team to oversee her departure from that ship personally."
"Wait... Did you say Politan?" Ruby said, giving Ozpin a questioning look. "Like, Neo Politan? That girl that almost killed Yang on the train, and let Torchwick get away numerous times?"
"She is also the one who gave us the information that you were alive, as well as lead the mission to your rescue, nearly perishing because of it." Ozpin said, causing Ruby to look down shamefully.
"Oh... I didn't mean... I just thought..." She said quietly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Sorry..."
"It's alright, you were unaware of the situation. But now that you're up to speed, I'd like to tell everyone their roles in the mission." Ozpin said, giving Ruby a small smile. "Myself, Summer, Sun, and Neptune will be going directly to the bridge, to have a word with the General. Ruby and Weiss, you two will be heading down to the bridge, where you will give this to the guards. It should be enough to secure her release from her cell."
He handed Ruby a small envelope, marked with the Beacon seal and smiled. "General Ironwood's flagship, as requested sir!" The pilot called back to them as they were all given a sudden lurch, signifying their landing.
"Well then, shall we get to it?" Ozpin said with a small smile, standing up and exiting the ship, followed closely by Sun, Neptune, and the three girls.
"Don't get into trouble now you two!" Summer said, sticking her tongue out as Ruby and Weiss both blushed.
"And if you do, I want video!" Sun said, earning him a punch in the back of the head from Summer. "Worth it..."
Ruby and Weiss took off down the hallway, as Ozpin and the others ran in the opposite direction. Several times they got quizzical looks from soldiers as they passed, but after showing the envelope, they were allowed to pass and continue towards the brig. When they finally approached the long hallway of cells, they both felt something was off. Two guards were posted at the door at the end of the hall, each armed with a rifle, and a grimace on their faces.
"We're looking for Neo Politan. We have orders from Professor Ozpin to-" Weiss began, but was cut short by a loud shriek coming from the room the guards were blocking. "That sounded like..." Weiss thrust the envelope into one of the guards' hands and politely, yet still forcefully, pushed him out of the way, pressing a button that opened the door.
The sight that met them was not what either of them were expecting. Ruby looked as though she was about to throw up, covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes widening. Weiss' expression was one of complete shock, standing in the doorway with her mouth agape.
"Excuse me, but I don't believe you're permitted to be here." The woman said, turning away from Neo, was barely conscious on the table.
"Actually, we are. By order of Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, we're taking this girl back with us." Weiss said, finally finding her voice.
"Fine, but I doubt you'll have any more luck than I've had over the past week. She won't talk at all." The woman said with a small shrug, placing the rod down on the table.
"She won't talk? SHE'S MUTE!" Weiss yelled, causing both Ruby and the guards to give a startled jump.
"Hmm, that would explain a bit actually. But hey, not my problem anymore, now is it?" She said, giving a small chuckle before walking out. "Have fuuuun..."
"How can a person be so cruel?" Ruby said, staring at the woman's back as she walked off down the hallway. "I know it was your job but, how can you enjoy doing something like this?"
"I don't know, but we'd better report this to Professor Ozpin..." Weiss said, taking out her Scroll.
Ozpin sighed, his hand running through his silver hair. "James, we've been over this numerous times. Going by information gathered from Summer and Miss Schnee, Miss Politan was not a willing participant in any of this."
"Willing or not, she still committed numerous crimes!" Ironwood said, slamming his fist down on the holo-table. "She has to be punished for it!"
"I know, but we have to do it in a way that keeps our values. Executing her will only take away the only thing we have over our enemy." Ozpin said, frowning at the General.
"And what would that be, morals?" Ironwood said angrily, starting to pace again. "Look where your morals have gotten us so far. One of your best students captured and tortured, Summer had been gone for years, the enemy now has intelligence on us, and we have no clue what they're planning."
"And you think, that by stooping to their level, it's going to fix itself? It will only let them know that they're winning, and that's not something we can afford." Ozpin said calmly, folding his hands over his cane. "I'm not saying she should get off scott-free, but I am saying she should at least have a-"
Ozpin was cut off as his Scroll began buzzing, he opened it, and pressed the green button. "Professor Ozpin, we found Neo, and we're moving her to the transport but she's badly hurt. She has cuts and burns all over, and she can barely stay conscious, let alone walk." Weiss's voice said, her words echoing through the now silent bridge.
Summer clapped a hand to her mouth, while Sun and Neptune showed looks of horror. Ozpin, however, stared at Ironwood, but spoke calmly to Weiss. "I want you to take her to the ship and get her back to Beacon. Get her to the infirmary as quickly as possible, I'll send Sun and Neptune along with you."
Ozpin nodded at the two, who nodded back, rushing out of the door and down the hallway. Ozpin hung up the call, still staring Ironwood dead in the eye. The larger man suddenly looked uneasy, almost downright nervous under the headmaster's gaze.
"She wasn't talking, we had no other choices. It isn't as though I wanted to... We gave her multiple chances..." Ironwood said defensively as Ozpin took a deep breath.
"So you're telling me... That the reason that you unethically and illegally tortured someone... Is because the mute girl, wouldn't talk?" Ozpin said, each word flowing from his mouth with an obvious venom. "Come out into the hallway for a moment James, I need a word in private..."
Ozpin lead the way out of the bridge, followed closely by Ironwood, who was tugging at his collar slightly. Summer and the other crew members aboard the bridge all jumped as they heard Ozpin shouting. Summer had never heard Ozpin raise his voice before, not when giving an order in the field, or even when addressing large crowds to make his voice more audible. After several moments of shouting, only interrupted by a word from Ironwood, followed by several loud bangs, the two men returned to the bridge.
Ozpin raised his eyebrows at the looks of absolute terror on the faces of everyone in the room, giving Summer a soft smile and gesturing to the door. "Shall we take our leave then Miss Rose?"
Summer gave a weak nod as he led her out of the bridge. She made sure to take note of several scorch marks on the walls, smoke still lightly blowing off of them as they passed.
"Wow... That sounds... Horrifying actually..." Yang said, shivering slightly as Summer finished telling the tale of Ozpin's rage. "I never even thought Ozpin could get angry. He just seems so mellow about everything... It's like seeing Sun wear a shirt, it doesn't happen."
"Hey!" Sun said, looking up and frowning, before looking down at his chest and shrugging. "Okay never mind, fair point..."
"So, is she gonna be okay?" Ruby asked nervously, turning their attention back to Neo, who lay in the bed before them.
"The doctor said that with her advanced healing, along with the medicine she's on, she should be fully recovered within a day or two." Blake said with a small sigh. "But..."
"There's no healing the mental trauma she must have suffered. Being stuck in a place like that again must have terrified her, and that's without all of the things that woman did to her..." Weiss said quietly, shaking her head.
"I hope she wakes up soon..." Ruby said sadly, looking at Neo's sleeping face. "I wanna say thank you..."
"Well, in the meantime, you can help us plan the dance!" Yang said, smiling brightly.
"Dance, what dance?" Summer said, tilting her head curiously.
"It's a girl's choice dance, you know, where the girl asks the guy. Me and Yang are planning it, like we did for the Vytal Festival a few years ago." Weiss explained, both Ruby's and Summer's faces lighting up with excitement.
"This is gonna be so much fuuuuun!" Ruby said, clapping her hands excitedly.
Weiss punched the girl's arm. "Sssh, you're gonna wake her up you dunce!"
"Too late for that." Blake said, rolling her eyes as Neo's eyes fluttered open.
Neo shot up, her eyes wide, grasping the sheets in a tight grip. Summer placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Ssh, it's okay, you're safe here. We're not going to hurt you, I promise."
Neo looked around at the faces of Team RWBY and Summer and began to relax, loosening her grip on the sheets. Someone handed her a pad and pen, where she began quickly scribbling down her message.
You guys came for me?
"Of course we did, you helped us rescue Ruby and Miss Rose. We're not gonna let you stay to rot in some jail cell, and especially not leaving you to... That..." Weiss said with a small, calming smile.
"Speaking of... I never really got to... Thank you for rescuing me..." Ruby said shyly, rubbing the back of her head. "Since I was unconscious through the whole thing and all..."
Neo smiled happily as she lifted the pad up for them to see. I'm just happy we made it in time. Are you okay?
"Mhm, I'm all healed up!" Ruby said, which caused Neo to give another bright smile.
"So Neo, how are you feeling?" Summer asked, the others giving her looks of curiousness mixed with worry.
I don't even hurt anymore. I feel completely back to normal. Well, physically anyways.
"Well, take your time recovering, don't push yourself too hard." Summer said with a gentle smile.
Don't worry, I won't. So, may I ask what's this about a dance?
"Me and Weiss are planning it. You're quite welcome to come, though you'll have to find a date." Yang said, smirking at the young girl. "I'm sure Professor Ozpin wouldn't turn ya down, or maybe Uncle Qrow."
"Yes he would." Summer said quickly, giving Yang a slightly threatening look.
"Umm... Okay..." Yang said, raising her hands defensively. "Jokes about Uncle Qrow are off limits, gotcha..."
"You wanna come down into town with me to get fitted for a dress?" Ruby asked hopefully. "Well, as long as it's okay with Professor Ozpin that is..."
"I'm sure that wouldn't be too hard to arrange, provided you two had a chaperone." Said a voice from behind the group.
Professor Ozpin smiled warmly at Neo, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're recovered, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the General. I can assure you, he won't be doing it again."
Neo gave a small nod, jotting something down on her note pad. Don't worry, I can understand why he did it. It'll just take me a little while to... Adjust.
"I understand perfectly." Ozpin said, still smiling as he took a sip of coffee. "Now, about what to do with you... I believe that somewhere in Vale, there's a prestigious academy that could use the talents of a girl like you. Perhaps you would think about enrolling there?"
Neo's eyes widened, and she nodded, her face breaking into a wide smile; Ruby winced slightly as she noticed one or two of the girl's back teeth were missing.
"Well then, perhaps tomorrow when you get back from town, we can get the paperwork sorted out, eh?" He said, giving her a small nod before turning and walking towards the door.
Neo lay back on the pillows on her bed, a bright smile on her face as Ozpin exited the room.
"You're gonna be a student at Beacon with us, this is great!" Ruby said, jumping up out of her seat and clapping happily.
"Please sit down Ruby, you're embarrassing yourself..." Weiss said, her head in her hands as she shook her head gently. "Well, congrats Neo! Now, why don't you get some rest, okay, we can go shopping in the morning."
Neo gave a small nod as the others stood up, Summer leaned over and kissed her forehead gently, giving her a small smile. "Sleep tight."
End Note: Well guys, how'd you like the chapter? I'm super sorry it took so long for me to post it, but the person I have look over my chapters went on vacation, then my Uncle stopped reading halfway through and never gave me his advice on it, so I was forced to do it myself this time XD
Also, to the Guest that gave the comment about Summer's weapon, I actually have a pretty good explanation as to how I know what Summer's weapon was:
I'm the author and fuck you. That's how XD
Anyways, as usual, feel free to leave a request for another story or preferred ships or whatever in the comments, and I'll try my darndest to make it happen! Chiao!