Okay, I'll keep this short and sweet, since this is meant to be short and sweet. This is a mini-chapter that takes place from Adam's POV. It's more like a connector between the two chapters...and to add to extra drama ;)

Also...two-chapter update again!

Intermission

As soon as his childhood friend's legs gave out, Adam darted forward to prevent her from hitting the ground.

Gripping her shoulders, Adam saw her wan face illuminated in the firelight. It was deathly pale and splattered with dry blood. Blood dripped down her side and stained the snow below. A deep gash was on her side. Moreover, her body was as cold as ice; frost covered her inky black hair. Blake's breath was quick and shallow.

Adam swore to himself. He wasn't sure if she was going to make it.

"Blake? Don't die on me, please."

In the distance, Adam could hear the sound of footsteps crunching against the snow. Lifting his head, he saw his comrade, Moira, running towards him.

Her grey feathers along her arms fluttered in the cold wind, and she was breathing heavily with exertion.

"Lieutenant, we need to get out of here," she panted, " I've gotten the Schnee corruption evidence. The air's too cold, and I can't fly or my feathers will freeze. The fire's almost reached the refinery. This place is going to blow."

Moira's grey eyes soon saw the person in Adam's arms.

"Oh my god," she whispered, "We need to get medical help here. Fast. She's losing blood."

"Were there any survivors?" Adam didn't take his eyes off her.

There was a pause.

"No… there's no sign of anyone except for the Grimm." Adam's maroon eyes glowed red as he stood with Blake's unconscious body in his arms.

Moira, although initially wanting to help, now eyed Blake with suspicion.

"Who is she?" she asked, "Headquarters is going to want a good reason."

"She was one of the members sent here. On the mission. I had no idea she was one of them," he responded. Moira's eyes widened.

"The suicide mission? Adam, we were supposed to cut off contact and let the Schnee find them. They are bait, Adam, you know that we can't leave any members alive." Adam glared at Moira, silencing her.

"You say anything, and you know what will happen," he growled, "Blake's not like them. She was just following her caretaker."

Moira looked conflicted as she stared back at the fire.

"I'm not going to report this…" she said slowly, "But I'm going to access the files we have on her. You were the one who approved this mission."

"I didn't bother to look at the profiles." Moira glared at him.

"That's on you, Adam. Rookie mistake. How many times have I told you to read everything before approving? You never listen to reasonable advice."

"Let's go," Adam muttered.

Blake was loaded on the airship. Adam lay her down on one of the seats, and Moira grabbed an oxygen mask and some bandages. She uncapped a syringe and plunged it into her arm.

"What are you doing?" Adam's voice had an edge to it.

"Relax, it's a sedative. The last thing we need is for her to wake up and panic. We need to stop the bleeding and stabilize her breathing," she waved Adam off, "Tell the pilot to head to the base off near the edge of Vale. Give me some space. Wait outside in the cockpit"

Adam looked after Blake reluctantly but walked out.

As soon as the plane had landed, Blake was placed onto a stretcher and whisked away to the medical ward. Adam had attempted to follow after them, but Moira held him back, shaking her head.

"We don't need to cause a scene." Wordlessly, Adam leaned against the wall near the door.

"I'm not letting anyone sneak anything past me." Moira sighed.

"Adam, you have terrible sense of tact. Your subordinates are going to wonder what's going on. Go file the reports. I don't think she'll be going anywhere," she eyed his face. She hadn't noticed a cut near his temple before. Moreover, his mask was nowhere to be seen.

"And for Remnant's sake, get that cut treated!"

Adam returned to the medicine bay after a few hours to find Moira standing outside the door.

"She's stabilized, but the doctors will need to keep an eye on her for a while. Your friend lost a lot of blood and has pneumonia. But," Moira took notice of Adam's tensed shoulders, "By sheer luck, she had some medicine in her pocket. They've used that on her. It seems to work, but she's still being sedated. Have you finished all of your duties?" she looked at him pointedly, "The last thing we need is raised eyebrows."

Adam scowled at her but nodded.

"I'll stand out here. Go get some rest. Tell Gray that you're back."

"You look like you need it more," Moira countered, "But alright, don't lash out at the staff." And, with one last look, Moira left.

Adam opened the room and peered in. The mud had been cleaned away, and her worn clothes had been replaced with a papery medical gown. Blake's skin was deathly pale, and her eyes were shut.

Other than the faint rise of her chest, Blake could have passed for a corpse.

Adam breathed out a sigh and pulled a nearby chair up to her bedside.

How long had it been? Eight, ten years? Blake looked so terrified at the sight of him. Her hands had clutched onto that sword like a lifeline as she sprang forwards. Adam noticed that it had been placed near the nightstand.

Did she forget him? Did she suffer to the point where looking back at happy memories caused her pain? What happened to her while he was gone? How much had she changed? He had so many questions.

Adam remembered the moment when he saw her golden ribbon, the one he had given her, dirtied and threadbare tied on a wooden post, like a grave marker. Adam had thought that she had been found and her building set aflame. He had lost it and killed Schnee workers and Grimm alike. It didn't matter who it was.

Only then, when he saw Blake alive and standing in front of him, did Adam's fury subside. Had she escaped and had been hiding until the attack? He could imagine the Schnee workers breaking into her home and slaughtering her loved ones. Did Blake have to watch? Now, however, he could feel it rise again.

It was the humans, always the humans. They did everything to keep the Faunus as animals, proclaiming themselves as superior. Useless people never bothering to look behind the horns, ears, and tail.

Adam gripped the bed railing. Humans…it was always their fault. The Schnee, the huntsmen, even the civilians. They all stared at the Faunus with hate in their eyes, thinly veiled by poorly concealed tolerance. He knew what they really felt, the hatred behind their polite masks.

Perhaps they should suffer like the Faunus once did. Anger was coursing through his veins like fire.

"I'll kill them all."

Hope you guys like Moira, you'll be seeing more of her! No worries, she isn't a "love rival", but she will get a backstory and a bit of development.