A/N: Well... if I'm being honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter... but, anyway...

DimmaDan: You and I were thinking the same thing... o.o Have you been reading my mind? Can you - can you hear my thoughts right now? And yeah, I was thinking it'd be interesting if he did have a body. We'd see more of 'big brother Church' if he did. And it is fun. I had way too much fun writing that scene. Heh. He'll be showing more of that trait later on. And, to the dismay of her teammates, so will Ruby. Because, as we all know, people implanted with AI for a period of time gain personality traits of the AI. And as for Jaune? That will be explained, as will Church's disappearance. Also, it's a little before the Vytal festival and sometime after the Grimm invasion. And, yes, I do. ;)

blaiseingfire: He might be. Or it may be another issue altogether.

Guest: You're back! Yay! :D Heh. I try to write longer chapters. But for some reason, that just doesn't happen for me. O.e Ah, well... and I do have fun. ;)

Vindexian: Hmm. That's actually a good theory. I don't think they're aware of Remnant, either. The same way no one really knew about Chorus. And, no. Epsilon was with Caboose when Wash set off the EMP. So, he wasn't damaged, then.

ultima-owner: Ouch. Yeah, maybe he did. Wait. You are referring to Cardin, right?

brave kid: Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy it. :)

Chapter 3: This Is The Part Where It Gets Difficult

Look for the light that leads me home.

Tired of feeling lost. Tired of letting go.

Tear the whole world down. Tear the whole world down.

Tired of wasted breath. Tired of nothing left.

Tear the whole world down. Tear the whole world down.

Failure.

Failure – Breaking Benjamin

Ruby was still seated on the floor, clutching the device, when her teammates arrived. She wiped her eyes and stood when they entered. "Ruby?" Yang's worried voice cut through the silence. "I'm all right," Ruby said quickly.

She grabbed her clothes and walked to the bathroom, where she changed into her pajamas, and when she reentered the room, her teammates were standing close together, whispering amongst themselves. Ruby cast a glance at them and climbed into her bunk. Yang and the others watched her, worry etching into their features.

Ruby closed her eyes, hot tears trailing down her cheeks as she rolled onto her side, her back to her friends and her sister. The others sighed, relenting before they changed and retired to bed.

Ruby held the AI apparatus in her hands, turning it over and over in her hands. She remembered when she decided to paint over the odd symbol and drew her emblem over it.

"You're defacing government property, you know," Church said, disapproval bleeding into his voice. "It's not my government." Ruby retorted, blotting out the mark of Project Freelancer with paint.

"Well..." Church started before giving up, "You got me there." She drew her emblem onto the device. "There!" She proclaimed happily. "Yay," Church drawled, sounding annoyed now, "You painted me red."

"Oh, come on, Church." Ruby cajoled, "Red is such a lovely color. You'd look nice in red." "No freakin' way!" Church said, offended. Ruby just laughed.

Now, tears stained her cheeks before she finally fell asleep, exhausted emotionally. Ruby's sleep was restless and dreamless. She drifted in and out of consciousness. "Damn it!" The voice broke through the fog. "No, the other way. You stupid train!" Ruby's eyes fluttered open, sticky with tears. "Church?" Ruby croaked.

He was hovering near her Scroll, cheery music and beeps and buzzes emanating from the device. Church snarled as the trains coasted along the tracks and to the stations. "Not the green station! The red statio - that's it! I've had it!" He ended the game. "I'm gonna hack that damn game and make my own modifications, so help me!"

"Church." Ruby sat up, staring at the holographic figure. "Yeah, what is it, Kid?" He turned to her. "Where'd you go?" She asked softly, the cadence of her teammates breathing telling her that they're all still sleeping.

"What do you mean?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. "You disappeared last night," Ruby said slowly. "Oh, that." Church looked around the room, "Did I ever tell you that these are some really nice digs, I mean it. You guys really -" "Church." Ruby stopped him, frowning.

"Okay, okay. Fine." He turned back to face her, "I just got a little exhausted. That's all. I needed a break." "A break?" Ruby deadpanned. "Yeah, a break. I was a little overworked." Ruby didn't believe him. And she knew that he could read that much from her expression.

"Look, don't worry about it. I'm okay now." Church said. "Get some rest. Don't we have a trip to take in the morning?" Ruby sighed, flopping back on her bed. "Yeah, sure." She turned her back to him, pulling the blankets over her shoulders. Church watched her fall asleep and looked down before going offline.

The sunrise seemed to approach too quickly, as Ruby was being shaken awake by Weiss not two hours later. "Ruby! Wake up. Or we're going to be late." Ruby blinked a few times, shaking her head before sitting up, seeing the others moving about the room, packing their bags.

Ruby snatched the AI unit from under her pillow before hopping down from her bunk. She grabbed her combat skirt and hood, walking to the bathroom. After a quick shower and a change of clothing, she attached the implement and walked back to her dorm, grabbing her prepacked bag.

Church? She thought tentatively. There was no immediate reply. She felt her heart fracture a little. Ruby was so sure she saw him last night. But, now her belief was suspended. No. It was destroyed. Ruby reached towards the underside of the bedside table, her fingertips skimming over the wooden surface before they touched something cold and smooth.

She wrapped her fingers around it and pulled the Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter from the table. She slipped it into her pocket and walked to the door. She walked out of the dorm and down the hallway, shoulders slumped. She felt – she didn't know what she felt.

Church was her friend. He wasn't a very good friend. But – "I take offense to that," the voice came from the area next to her ear. "I happen to be a fantastic friend." Church! Ruby's heart soared to new heights. "Yeah," he drawled, "That's my name. Don't wear it out."

Where were you?! "Jesus," Church sounded annoyed," What is this, an interrogation?" "No," Ruby replied quietly, abashed. "I was worried, again. You disappeared." "I didn't," Church protested. "I just got a little tired." He sounded sheepish. Ruby nodded, even though she didn't believe him.

Church could tell that she wasn't having any of it. "Look, let's just get to the Bullhead." He shifted uncomfortably, "Your teammates are probably looking for you." She straightened the strap of her bag before continuing down the hallway. Her teammates looked up at her as she arrived, and they boarded the ship as one.

Doctor Oobleck had already arrived ahead of them, it seemed and prattled on, briefing them on their mission. Ruby attempted to focus on him but found herself wondering about Church's recent disappearance. "Y'know," Church started, "This guy sounds kinda familiar…" Ruby hummed softly, acknowledging that she knew he spoke, but didn't reply.

Unfortunately, that was the moment Oobleck had decided to turn his attention on her. "So, Miss Rose, what can you tell me about Menagerie?" Ruby blinked, startled. Uh, what? She thought, nonplussed. "Wasn't that the island the humans tried to force the Faunus to live on?" Church asked. Ruby nodded and repeated Church's question.

Oobleck looked impressed, and her teammates looked surprised. "I was asking you that question," Church sounded amused. Oh, Ruby thought. Right. "Right you are, Miss Rose." Doctor Oobleck praised her. "Why thank you, Doctor Oobleck," Church retorted in a high-pitched imitation of Ruby's voice.

I don't sound like that! Ruby rolled her eyes. "Ruby?" Yang questioned her sister, confused. "Oh," Ruby just realized her teammates' eyes were on her. "I just…." She scrambled for an answer. "Oh, way to go," Church quipped. "I don't have to help you tell your teammates. It seems you're doing just fine on that front."

Ruby turned away from the others, focusing on the open door, the city flying past beneath them as their teacher continued to explain their duties. Ruby smoothed her hair down as the wind whipped around them. "Whew," Church said, "Sure is windy today." Ruby didn't answer.

"Just gonna ignore me then?" He sounded hurt, "That's cool." I'm not ignoring you. I'm just… thinking. Also, if you could stop meowing in Blake's ear every morning, that'd be great. "She told you about that?" Ruby could hear the laughter in his voice. She complained about it. Church chortled softly. What's so funny? Ruby felt her patience slipping.

"I was just thinking," He replied. Of more ways to annoy my friends? "Well…" He began. Ruby huffed inwardly as the airship began its descent. Wait… "Huh," Church sounded bemused. "Suddenly, all Oobleck's questions about Menagerie make sense."

The Bullhead lowered, hovering a few feet off the ground and its passengers leapt down. Ruby examined their surroundings. The island looked as though man had never traversed it. It was beautiful and wild, canopies made from tree branches shielded them from the sunlight, and grass grew around them, tall enough to hide them from predators.

Wild birdcalls could be heard in the distance accompanied by the sound of wing fluttering above their heads. It was breathtaking and terrifying all at once. "Alright, girls," Oobleck began, "I'll secure the perimeter. You can set up the camp." With that, he set off, disappearing into the thick brush.

Ruby and her teammates had exchanged glances before they began clearing away debris to make camp. She and the others began gathering sticks and fallen branches for firewood when Church appeared at the edge of her vision, "Hey, uh – can I talk to you for a minute?"

There was an edge to his tone that Ruby recognized. She stepped toward Doctor Oobleck when he returned and passed him the bundle of twigs she'd collected and wandered a small distance from her group. She turned to face Church, folding her arms, "Okay."

"So, tell me again how you plan to find my – ahem – friends again." Church began, looking around with her. "Because, as far as I know, they aren't here!" Church seemed to grow manic as he spoke. We'll find a way; Ruby shot back. You just need to believ - "Yeah," Church scoffed, "I don't know if you know this, but where I'm from, faith and hope and all that happy-go-lucky crap you've been peddling to me? It's not just something you can pick up in a store. Hate to burst your bubble, Kid."

Ruby released a soft growl of frustration before stamping into the woods, ignoring the protests of her teacher and teammates. "Really?" She screeched at Epsilon, as soon as she believed them to be alone. "Now you choose not to believe in me or anything I say?" "Uh, Kid?" Church began warily.

"No – no! I would really like to know, just what exactly you're trying to do!" Ruby shouted, her cheeks reddening with anger. Epsilon cleared his throat before saying awkwardly, "Well, I was trying to warn you that your teammates are standing behind you, but now that's clearly been shot out of the water. So…"

WHAT?! Ruby whipped around, seeing that he'd been telling the truth. Her teammates had been standing behind her. And they had all drawn their weapons, training them on Church. "I, uh –" Church began, before rubbing the back of his helmet sheepishly, "This isn't what it looks like."