Author's Headnote: Been awhile, hasn't it? Well, I needed some time to get the other two stories going before I go on here... but I feel like an update here is overdue. So, here's an intermission to check up on how the Unity Cerberus Lab is doing. That, and I've suffered from a writer's block.

The Ruby of Cerberus: Intermission: Creatures of Remnant

Deneb, Unity, Cerberus Laboratory, April 13, 2175, 14:00, Prison Cells

A Cerberus Scientist is conducting research from the prison cells... the Cerberus Scientist in question? An animal biologist. Though, most biologists are either of the human type or the xeno kind. The animal biologist category is present, but small. The scientist is here to conduct research on the wildlife extracted from the dimensional gateway... for some of them, a larger gateway was constructed because the gateway they found was constructed for humanoids in mind... and what they brought back was far from humanoid... these things were more beast than man.

The first one was extracted... and is rather small... it resembles a wild boar. It is mostly black with a white, outer shell... these things are more aggressive than wild boars... and seem insistent on attacking the more... short tempered, cowardly, or members that are just in a bad mood in comparison to the more positive ones... and despite its boar-like resemblance... it appears to not need sustenance... as it was provided with plants and meats and it just outright attacks them instead... it was the fourth month it was here and it has been up and active without eating a single piece of sustenance.

The second creature is wolf-like... this was the thing that required the larger gateway... likewise, it was much harder to contain and keep in containment. It is far more aggressive than the boar counterpart. And like the boar, it's black with white outer-shelling present. The soldiers capturing it notice that their weapons have little effect on them. Same as the boar. The wolf creature also bears the same stance on aggression as the boar. This was the second wolf that was here, too... as the first one was killed to examine its anatomy, it was killed using a flame-thrower. However, upon death, it evaporates into nothing... as if it never existed in the first place. So, any studies on its internal anatomy has to be done while it's alive.

The third one is a jellyfish like creature with tendrils and an orb in the middle... the soldiers say it was rather feisty when being contained... but the moment it was brought here, it basically dropped dead. As if... something from that dimension was keeping it conscious and now it's disconnected... theory: hive mind creature. If this thing was part of a hive-mind, it would explain how it's in this comatose state. Hypothesis: a device can be constructed to develop a mind. It could be possible the jellyfish creature is correlated with the boar and wolf.

Scientists are advised not to open the cells for these creatures... even the jellyfish-like creature. Because they could be carrying some diseases that they have no protection against.

Deneb, Unity, Cerberus Laboratory, April 13, 2175, 14:00, Medical Lab

Another Cerberus scientist has finished analyzing the structure of the four girl's DNA samples... and in all cases, three of them are certainly human. With one being... mostly human.

However, the most fascinating samples are their immune systems... all four of them have an immune system developed rather differently than the humans here... meaning they are built to resist different illnesses than the ones native to earth. This could lead to... complications. Further exposure could lead to either the scientists or the occupants of the lab sick, or the four girls from the other dimension would inevitably fall ill from an earthborn disease. This was done in analysis from when they were occupants of the facility. Though, to reason they were not advised is unknown, perhaps it is to keep them from being paranoid. If they get sick, there isn't anything a medical expert can really do for them, as their immune systems are different from ones here. They were built to resist different diseases, and likewise, carry different pathogens.

After analysis was done, the samples were disposed of properly and the equipment disinfected. As the last thing the milky way needs is another epidemic. Especially from an extra-dimensional disease.

But now? They are studying samples from the creatures... apparently the breakoffs from the mysterious creatures don't fade out so as long as the host creature is alive... in fact, from what is known... the sample seems to melt entirely after a while, forming a black goo. It is small, but it seems alive. It is advised not to touch the goo. Perhaps extracting more samples and adding them to the goo would yield results...

Theory and Hypothesis: The goo is some sort of larval variant of those creatures... adding more of it would have it form into another version of the creature. If this is true, the sample would need to be moved to a prison cell for containment. It is possible to produce more creatures... the chances of them being a boar or wolf is slim.

Theory: the Boar and Wolf are subspecies of the same super-species... same for the jellyfish.

Question: Are these things even living beings? The cell structure does not match that of a living organism.

Analysis: These creatures may be the reason those girls are skilled at fighting; these are likely rather common occurrences in their world. Special materials are needed to incapacitate and/or kill them. They have high resistance to gunfire rounds, yet for some reason low resistance to fire. This makes little sense... more research is needed.

Perhaps the engineering department would be able to construct a device that would make these creatures easier to control.

Deneb, Unity, Cerberus Laboratory, April 13, 2175, 15:39, Workshop

Earlier, a Cerberus Engineer had received a strange request...

The biologists want a device to help control those creatures from that strange dimension. Though, the problem is... the biologists haven't done an anatonomical analysis on it... so the workings of their nervous system (if they have one) are unknown, meaning that these engineers are gonna be shooting in the dark.

And this engineer does not like building something and not knowing what it'd do...

He had filed a complaint to the head of the cell, but the boss insists that the device must be built. There aren't any plans for the device... and there won't be until they discover how it ticks... so they can build a device that affects the creatures and not them.

Theory: the biologists are scared to cut it open because they may attack.

Obvious answer: send in soldiers to tranquilize the creatures, if they're unconscious, cutting them open would be no problem.

Hopefully, this escapade will provide useful technology, like the translator implants from the last dimension they've visited. Cybernetics were really common in that one. Cerberus needs every edge it can get if humanity is to succeed.

Deneb, Unity, Cerberus Laboratory, April 13, 2175, 15:44, Prison Cells

A couple of Cerberus soldiers enter the room. Armed with guns that specialize in tranquilizer rounds. They were both aiming toward the boar creature, because doing so to the wolf creature would be suicide. The two of them strike up a conversation.

"Why are we holding tranquilizers, again?" the first soldier asked.

"We're gonna be pacifying one of those creatures." the second soldier said.

"Are you mad?"

"Not my idea, it was the engineers. The engineers want a breakdown of their nervous system."

"What? Why!?"

"There's no way to talk them out of this, despite how hard it was to capture the thing alive. If these things die, they vanish."

"So that's why we have tranquilizers."

"Ya, I'm gonna open the door. And on the count of three, open fire."

"One..." the second soldier said.

"Two..."

"Five! No, wait! I mean three!"

The second soldier opened the door, and then they opened fire on the creature. Despite being shot with 32 separate elephant tranquilizer rounds, the creature still stands.

"Gah! The tranquilizer does nothing!" the first soldier screamed.

The second soldier went and slammed the door button. However, it was too late. The creature had escaped. It has gone loose and is now wreaking havoc across the prison cells. The first soldier quickly fled before he could watch his comrade being mauled alive by the creature. It didn't take long before backup arrived. A combat engineer had shown up and used a freeze tech to incapacitate the creature, in which on instinct, a couple of soldiers opened fire and shattered the frozen creature, killing it, and seeing it fade into nothing.

"Well, now what?" the soldier asked.

"Now you're gonna explain why you let it out." the combat engineer stated.

"The engineers wanted it tranquilized, so the biologists can examine it's nervous system."

"And from the firework show that was displayed here, we can clearly see it didn't have one. No red or pink inside. Just black, inside and out."

"What even are those things?"

"I don't know, but the boss insists we figure out how to control them."

"Why?"

"He says these things can help Cerberus greatly, as conventional weapons are ineffective against it."

"That's madness!"

"Well, we don't get paid to criticize, we get paid to follow orders."

"That's one way to put it."

"And if this works out, you can keep on it with guard duty."

The soldier sighed. Thankfully he was aware that the other soldier is alive... alive, but moderately injured. He had returned to his post and went on to erase that incident from his memory. The last thing he needs to worry about are those creatures. May as well report to the engineers and biologists that there's nothing inside those creatures to examine.

Though, if it has no organs, is it even alive? Perhaps it was some forgotten ancient weapon? If these things are so abundant in that dimension, it's a miracle that those girls were incapacitated so quickly. Though, again. The reports did say they were trainees. Things might not get so lucky if they were more experienced.

Obviously, someone must have noticed them being gone for over five months... though, yet again. Nobody in Cerberus would know if this soldier just hopped into that portal and gone AWOL. Not that it would be recommended... he heard rumors the biotics could read minds... though, online sources claim that is, indeed false. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Just stay loyal to Cerberus, commit to that average seven-day work week and long shifts and he'll do well.

Meanwhile, back at the RWBY Dimension

Unnamed Star, Remnant, Beacon Academy, April 13, 81 AGW, 2:00 PM, Headmaster's Office

It's been five months since team RWBY's disappearance. And let's just say their disappearance is not that without notice. On October 12, everyone had noticed that they had not seen team RWBY, but they assumed they stayed inside the dorms. A week later... they were getting worried... so the staff opened the doors. To not see them at all, it's as if on some time on October 11, 80 AGW they had vanished without a trace. The next day, an investigation was conducted, sources indicate on October 11, 80 AGW, that they were seen heading toward a warehouse in the industrial district.

Out of fear, the headmaster had assumed they were kidnapped or worse... so they had sent a team of huntsmen to hunt down and root out every single organized crime and trafficking rink in Vale to get them out. One particular huntsman was very desperate and was very thorough with his search. But alas, the results came up null. They had found an underground faunas slave trade that was busted, along with other things. But among the captives, not a single one of them was a member of team RWBY.

Because of this whole ordeal... the Vytal festival was delayed until next year. After the fourth month, the search was called off. As whoever took them, they left no evidence. And the headmaster even did consider his long old rival as a suspect... but this wasn't her style... she just doesn't make a whole academy team vanish without a trace. Sure, there was some panic, but not enough to attract the grimm. No, her style is a bit flashier... subtlety tends to hinder goals.

However, he needs to focus on the present... such as checking these student applications. He is the headmaster of an academy, after all...

Author's Footnote: In addition to what Cerberus is up to, I've also added a bit on what's happening back on Remnant to make sure nobody forgot.

You can mostly likely guess what Cerberus plans to do with the grimm. Is it going to go horribly wrong? I won't spoil.

But ya, this fic is not abandoned. See ya next chapter... when I upload it.