Okay, here is the first chapter where things happen, or in other words, s*** gets real. I hope you enjoy.

TIME: 1300

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

Location: Barracks, Room 107

Ruby sighed as her alarm went off, sitting up slowly. She put on her helmet, walking out of her room and heading to the mess hall… it had been over a day since she had eaten last, and she was beginning to feel faint. Her body still felt numb, but she had found a way to deal with a grief. If she just ignored it, then it would eventually go away. There was only pain when she thought about the events.

She walked absentmindedly down the hallway, and after grabbing her food, sat down in her normal seat. Just like always. In fact, it was better to think nothing had changed, she had learned from experience that if she acted that way, the pain would go away. But somehow, this seemed more personal than when her mother had died. Ruby chuckled at the thought, a stranger's death meant more to her than her mother's.

She felt a hand clasp her on the shoulder, and jumped in surprised, spinning around.

"You okay, kiddo?" York asked. She hadn't been aware they had returned from their mission, meaning the rest of them would probably be back too.

Ruby nodded in response. "I'm fine," She said cheerily. York seemed somewhat taken aback by her optimistic behaviour, but hid it quickly.

"Good to hear. Just so you know, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

Ruby glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough, Carolina, North and South were sitting, seemingly waiting for him. "So, how did the mission go?"

York sighed. "It went well… in theory. We were trying to find the leader of the Insurrection but…"

"Who?" Ruby asked.

York sighed again. "You know the people from the highway? Them. Well, anyway, their leader wasn't there. Our information was faulty, but we think we've found him this time. At least, I hope… Eight times the charm?"

There was a shimmer of green next to York's shoulder, and a green being that resembled Tau appeared. "Statistically speaking, it is likely that if they were able to see us coming, they will be able to do so aga-"

"Give it a rest, D. We've been over this." York said in a resigned manner. Clearly he had been having that conversation often.

"You have an A.I too?"

"Yeah, this is… wait, too? No one else has one yet, although Carolina and North are apparently about to get theirs." York stated questioningly.

Tau flickered to life on Ruby's shoulder. "A-actually there are three fragments, including myself, that were deployed before this… 'D' of yours." It said, and Ruby smiled. Tau's self-confidence had skyrocketed lately, while it had been trying to console Ruby. The two understood each other much better now that they both were living in waking nightmares.

"Logging off." Delta replied quickly, vanishing.

Ruby felt Tau's stab of despair at that.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Our A.I can't communicate directly with each other. It's against the rules, didn't you know?" York replied. Immediately, Tau calmed down slightly.

"Oh, er…. Right. My bad." She lied. She'd had no idea that was a rule, but it was probably best if he didn't realise just how ignorant she was. After all, he thought she had undergone the same training he had… which wasn't even nearly true.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" York asked.

Ruby flinched visibly. "Oh… not much, really." She lied. York clearly didn't buy it, but he seemed to understand she didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, actual-"

"Tau, log off." Ruby interrupted. She felt a stab of guilt when she felt the fear was over her A.I, but ignored it. The A.I complied, vanishing quickly. Ruby turned back to her comrade. "You should probably head back to your friends, they seemed to be waiting for you." She said, nodding in Carolina's direction, who was currently staring at the two.

"Oh, yeah, right. You wanna join?"

"No, that is fine. Have a nice day." Ruby replied, and York walked off casually. Ruby removed her helmet and started eating, checking her reflection to make sure it wasn't too obvious she had been crying. Luckily, she looked almost the same as she had yesterday. The only difference was her eyes seemed… colder.

She was surprised to see someone join her at the table, none other than Texas. That was odd, she'd never seen Texas in the cafeteria before.

"You okay, kiddo?" Tex asked.

Ruby smirked. "I think you know the answer to that, don't you." She somehow knew lying to Texas would be a waste of time.

"Good point."

"So why are you here? You don't have any food."

"I don't know. I just think this is the last chance I'll get to really talk to anyone, don't know why. But I've learned to trust my instincts."

Ruby sighed, finishing her food. "I don't see why, you have all the other Freelancers, and I'm sure one will always be available."

Tex snorted. "Oh yeah, cause they're such good company. All of them are greedy and competitive to a fault. You aren't like that."

"Meh. I'm not going anywhere." Ruby replied.

"Yeah, you clearly don't know the Director very well, do you?" She asked, although it wasn't really phrased like a question. "Besides, I wanted to see how you were holding out. You seemed pretty distressed yesterday."

Ruby averted her gaze. "I'm surprised you care."

"I am too." Tex said, standing up. "But I guess you and I are kind of in the same boat. We don't really belong here, and because of that, we'll never fit in."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, but Tex was already walking off. Did Texas know about where she was from?

'Um… where ARE you from?' Tau asked in her head.

"Never mind." Ruby growled. Tau once again shrunk back in fear. She sighed. "Sorry, it's just a bit of a… sore subject." Ruby lied. It was amazing how easy lying had become for her. Tau seemed reassured by her answer, and slightly more confident.

Ruby stretched, donning her helmet again and leaving her tray, walking off to the armoury to tinker. It was a good way to pass the time.

The halls were deserted, to which Ruby wasn't really surprised. Usually, the other soldiers would only be seen at meal times, and One O'clock wasn't really a standard meal. The Freelancers had specialised, personal training, so they were allowed to eat whenever. The other soldiers were probably off somewhere else.

The familiar sight of the armour began to near, and Ruby smiled a genuine smile. Perhaps today wouldn't be too bad?

"May Agent West Virginia please report to the debriefing room immediately." The familiar voice of F.I.L.I.S sounded. Ruby sighed, beginning the walk there. Another mission, so soon? Didn't they have other Agents to deal with it? True, she had only seen about ten of them, but she had heard there were at least forty. Also, she was annoyed because she had LITERALLY just arrived. And the debriefing room was in the opposite direction from the cafeteria.

On her way, she passed the leader board, as usual. But what caught her eye, was that she was in the number three position. When had she moved up? Only Carolina and Texas were ahead of here, but she was sure Maine should be higher. Usually the board only switched due to excellent performance, and someone messing up badly. Unless Maine had somehow messed up, she really didn't see how he had fallen to fourth.

But… wasn't he in hospital right now? How could he mess up a mission while lying in a hospital bed? Ruby shrugged. It was probably best not to dwell on it for too long. She arrived at the debriefing room, stepping in to be greeted by a too familiar sight. The Director and the Counsellor, standing in the shadows. She mentally sighed, but outwardly saluted. What could the two possibly want from her this time? She had already broken the moral value she held most dear, what else did they plan to take away from her?

"Greetings, Agent. At ease." The Director said in his annoying voice. What accent was that anyway? Ruby had never heard one like it before. She lowered her salute, still facing the man. "I take it you can guess why I have called you here today. Another mission has come up, one we believe you are best suited for, as it will need to be completed quickly. Your window is short."

"Very well, sir." Ruby replied. It sounded like another assassination mission, she thought with contempt. She felt strangely detached from the thought, although it still pained her.

"You will be deployed to one of our simulation bases, named Rat's Nest. More specifically, to the blue team stationed there. You are to assist them."

Huh. Somehow, that didn't seem nearly as bad as an assassination mission, although she still had a foreboding feeling about it.

"Sir, yes sir."

"You are to leave immediately. Time is short, Agent. Try to resolve the situation quickly. Report to Hangar Six for transportation. That will be all."

Ruby turned and left, sighing on her way. Simulation bases, hadn't York mentioned those before? They used soldiers as target practise. Oh well, at least they were soldiers… that wasn't as bad as civilians. Ruby chuckled mentally. Had her regard for human life really fallen that much so quickly? As she thought about it, she came to a resolution as to why she was so calm.

If she refused to kill on the Director's orders, she would lose his trust. She had killed in the first place to gain their trust. So if she lost it now, then she would be wasting the lives she had already taken. In a way, she was honouring them. A very sick, messed up way. She really wasn't cut out to be a soldier, was she… well, not here. Being a Huntress was being a soldier, just fighting Grimm instead of humans.

'What is a Grimm?' Tau asked.

Ruby mentally slapped herself, having forgotten the program could hear her thoughts. "Hey Tau, is there any way for you to… well, not listen in to everything I think?"

"I guess… if I am active I cannot hear your thoughts." It said through its more solid voice, having appeared near her shoulder. Ruby still felt an emotional bond, but it was more distant, as though the two were more separated. She guessed they were in a way, for which she was glad.

"Good. When we're in private, please activate."

"Okay." It replied.

Ruby turned the final door, arriving in the Hangar she had been sent to. As usual, a Pelican lay in wait, which she quickly boarded. The pilot was nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome aboard. It's a pleasure to have you." The pilot called out amiably.

"I wish I could say the same." Ruby replied quietly.

"Not looking forward to your mission? I wouldn't worry too much. Command told me to wait for you, so it probably won't take long."

"That's what I'm concerned about." Ruby replied. The two fell into silence, each unsure of how to continue, as Ruby felt the Pelican begin to take off. There was a faint whistle of the engines as they began to deploy.

However, it didn't get the chance. A loud bang went off, and Ruby was flung to the side of the ship painfully. The cockpit exploded into flame, and the pilot screamed out in agony. Ruby quickly dashed forward, and saw the pilot's arm was trapped beneath a piece of metal, which had fallen on it.

"Warning! Enemy projectiles approaching!" Tau said to her, panicked. Ruby threw the metal off the pilot, and grabbed them, shooting out the window to the cockpit in front of them and jumping.

The Pelican exploded behind her, and a piece of rubble hit her in the shoulder, going right through her armour, aura, and coming out the other side. Ruby gasped in pain, dashing towards the halls with the pilot in hand, and activating her radio. "We need a medical team, Hangar Six!" She called out desperately.

"Medical team, en route," F.I.L.I.S said calmly. "Please remain where you are."

Ruby looked behind her at the smouldering wreck that was the Pelican. Luckily, the Hangar had been mostly deserted… only her and her pilot. It was a burning plane of wrecked metal now, and even as she watched, more missiles were coming through the glowing barrier that marked the entrance.

"NOT AN OPTION!" Ruby yelled to herself, sprinting towards the halls. The missiles exploded right behind her, flinging her forward. She hit the doorway, and much to her annoyance, felt her consciousness begin to slip. The pilot fell to her side, no longer seemingly in pain. Unconscious or dead.

Ruby looked back up at the Hangar, and saw a Pelican fly into it. But this wasn't the normal type of Pelican, it was… different. It was hard to see how, but it was.

She heard footsteps through the hall at her left, and saw a medical team rushing to her, only for the hallway to collapse on them. They screamed out in pain. That wasn't good. Looking back at the ship, she saw figures in armour begin to get off.

"Tau…" Ruby croaked, crawling slightly to the collapsed wreckage. "How long can you hold active camo?"

"An hour at most." It replied.

"Use it sparingly…" Ruby said, as she felt the blackness encroach further on her.

TIME: Unknown

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

Location: Outside Hangar Six

Ruby was awoken by a loud bang. Her eyes shot open, although she remained motionless. She turned slowly, carefully. To her right, a familiar figure was standing over the pilot, a gun in their hand. The pilot had crawled further down the hall. They were wearing armour she recognized belonging to the… insurrectionists? Yeah, that was it. Her visor was cracked, and she wasn't sure how that had happened.

Another two familiar figures walked past the first. They were also insurrectionists. "You stand guard." One of them, clearly male, said, dashing off down the hall. The first figure nodded. And leaned down to the pilot, touching their hand to the pilot's chest.

"I am really, really sorry. Truly. You have my sympathy. I was told no one would be in that Hangar. But a quick death is better than a slow, painful one… so may you rest in peace." The figure said. Their voice… it was so familiar.

The figure took off their helmet, and Ruby's eyes widened, her mouth gaping.

So, yeah! The Insurrectionists are trying to reclaim their stolen property! That never happened in the actual show, which I found to be a bit... odd. So, during the interim from S9 and S10, things will happen! Until next time!