General Ironwood wasn't happy to hear more people went missing overnight. He assured them he'd be doubling down on search efforts. Dr Watts suggested they increase security around the Academy as a precaution, which led to even more robots infesting the school. It was impossible to go anywhere without running into a guard.
They'd also given Dr Watts the number that called them, but he later reported that it was discontinued shortly after the call cut off.
"It's strange, I can't seem to trace where it came from," he had said. "I'm surprised it's been erased so thoroughly. It's quite impressive if I do say so myself."
That forced them to wait for the investigation to yield new information. The only new evidence was security footage capturing Adam and Blake sneaking out from one of the classroom windows at midnight. After that, they were never seen again.
Yang was inconsolable after she checked Blake's Aura levels on her Scroll. Her information had completely gone missing. Neither Ruby nor Weiss' Scrolls had anything about her status either.
Weiss couldn't concentrate on her work after that point. She called Adam every day, but he never answered. Every evening she'd visited his abandoned dorm room hoping to see him there. Ruby and Jaune were well aware of her new habits, but neither reprimanded her for it.
She couldn't even eat without worrying about him. Did he have a warm meal at the end of each day? Did he have access to food wherever he was? Was he hurt?
At night she dreamt of his embrace in bed. In some of her dreams, he'd turn her onto her back and kiss her. It didn't matter if the brand was still burned on his face. He let her kiss him back and cradle his face in her hands.
She sometimes felt his lingering touch even after Ruby's alarm clock went off. Ruby started setting the alarm after Weiss and Yang woke up late for three consecutive mornings.
Ruby meant well, but Weiss still wanted to throw that damn Scroll out the window. If it meant seeing him safe in her arms, even if it was just a dream, then showing up late for work was worth it.
Winter offered to listen to whatever was bothering her, but she could never work up the courage to confess how much she worried about Adam. Every time she got close to confiding in Winter, an awful pressure in her gut kept the words from leaving her mouth. Weiss wasn't sure why she felt so apprehensive about speaking her mind to her.
Yang wasn't faring any better. She didn't talk to anyone, and she'd eat only when Ruby or Qrow dragged her out of bed. When she wasn't working, most of her days were spent curled in bed. Ruby tried her best to distract Yang, but nothing could cheer her up.
Jaune discussed Adam and Blake's cryptic words more times than Weiss could remember. She didn't know how he recalled their message in such detail. Her head was too much of a mess to remember what they'd said. Whenever Jaune brought up their final call, she'd simply nod along as his words went in one ear and out the next.
Weiss didn't care about his theories. She didn't want to sit around and speculate on where they could be and what could've happened to them. Speculations weren't going to bring them any closer to Adam. She wanted answers. She wanted to know that he was safe.
Where could he be?
The weight crushing her since their final argument grew heavier with each day that he was gone.
Weiss had forgotten all about their day off until Clover reminded them about it after their latest mission. Not that it mattered much to her. It was meaningless when Adam was still missing.
If things hadn't gone the way they did, how would they have celebrated their day off? Would they have gone out to explore Atlas as one big group? Would Blake and Yang use that time to talk again?
Would Adam spend the day alone with her?
Weiss never wanted to turn back time as much as she did on the morning of the election, lying on Adam's empty bed. She buried her face into his pillow. It still smelled faintly like him. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend he was beside her, safe from whatever kept him from returning to her.
Weiss' heart skipped a beat when her Scroll buzzed with a new message. Her hopes shattered when it was only Winter asking to see her. Weiss reluctantly replied to Winter's text and rolled out of Adam's bed.
She found Winter waiting outside team RWBY's dorm. Weiss blushed when Winter asked why she wasn't sleeping with the rest of her friends.
"I couldn't sleep and wanted a change of scenery," she said.
"And where exactly did you sneak off to all night?"
"N-nowhere in particular." It was too embarrassing to admit where exactly she spent the night. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I only wanted to see you before I started my shift today." Winter studied Weiss with narrowed eyes. "How are you, Weiss? You look awfully thin. Have you not been eating well?"
"How can I when my friends are missing?"
"You still need to look after yourself. Neglecting your health could put your life in danger in combat."
Weiss simply nodded in response. She couldn't stomach anything even if she wanted to.
"Will you tell me where you spent the night?"
"Why do you need to know so badly?"
"Because we've got five people missing, and I want to make sure you won't vanish next," Winter explained tersely.
Weiss bowed her head. She hadn't meant to worry Winter like this, but it didn't make it any easier to admit whose room she sought comfort in.
"I went to Adam's room," she muttered, hoping Winter wouldn't catch his name.
"And is it a habit to go into his room during fits of insomnia?"
"I don't think that's any of your business."
"I thought he was just a friend."
"He is!" She hated how her face warmed at her sister's simple question
"I don't see why you need to sleep in his room. It's reckless to seclude yourself with a man late at night."
"I don't know what else I can say to convince you that he's been really good to me. He comforts me when I have trouble sleeping, and I do the same to him. That's how our dynamic works."
But now he wasn't here to hold her anymore.
"Your friend must have done something quite impressive to have you so smitten with him."
Weiss hastily assured Winter that they were only good friends. Winter looked completely unmoved by her explanation.
"Weiss, I understand your journey has taught you many things, but you're still very young and naive.
"I can see why you would think so highly of someone like him. Based on your story, he's protected you from a lot of danger, but please be careful. It's easy to fabricate a sense of safety by performing heroic acts. I mean no offence when I say it was predictable for you to fall for a man like him."
Her fury awakened like an angry beast. Weiss didn't know why Winter was so insistent on antagonising Adam. Wasn't her word about everything he's done enough?
"How's the search going?" she asked instead.
"We've got no new leads," Winter answered bluntly. She opened her mouth to say more, but for whatever reason, she kept quiet.
"Just say it," Weiss demanded, not satisfied with her sister's silence.
"Weiss–
"They're my friends, Winter. I deserve to know whatever you guys have found."
"We didn't find anything, but there are possibilities we need to consider." Winter rested her hands sympathetically on Weiss' shoulders.
The sombre look on Winter's face encased her heart in ice. Weiss held her breath, anticipating the very worst.
"Given your friend's history with the White Fang, it might be possible that he returned to their factions. Perhaps he's been acting as their spy until now."
Dread melted into outrage. Weiss had thought Winter was joking at first, but Winter didn't crack a smile.
"You think he's still part of the White Fang," she said weakly. Her own words hit her over the head like a pile of rocks.
Weiss tore Winter's hands off her shoulder.
"I understand you're upset, but this is a theory–"
"I told you he's not like that anymore–!"
"You're a biased party who cannot see this from a logical standpoint. White Fang agents rarely change their ways. I've seen it again and again. Given the current circumstances, we must cover all our grounds to ensure the safety of our citizens and our colleagues.
"It wouldn't surprise me if your other teammate was coaxed into joining the group by him. Terrorist groups are very efficient at recruiting members. It would be unwise to discount this line of thinking.
"Is it not enough that he fought the leader of the White Fang to protect me twice?"
"You can't underestimate the extent White Fang agents will go to achieve their goals. Perhaps getting rid of the leader was a calculated move to take over their spot. That sort of violence isn't unheard of."
"You're wrong!"
Her voice bounced around them, repeating her words over and over like a broken record.
"His innocence is not up to you to decide," Winter said coolly. "I sincerely hope for your sake that your friends are innocent, but we will need to investigate this matter fully before we can put out an arrest warrant."
An arrest warrant? What happened to them being victims of a disappearance?
Winter's Scroll went off, putting a temporary pause on the conversation.
It all felt like a fever dream, but no matter how hard Weiss pinched herself on the leg, the pain solidified everything Winter had said. Dull pain ballooned at the back of her head as Winter's accusations rooted into reality.
"I need to go," Winter said as she hung up. "I know these couple weeks have been hard, but-"
"You wouldn't be investigating this White Fang theory if he was Human," Weiss blurted.
Weiss wasn't sure where that idea had come from, but the moment it left her tongue, it attached to her head like a parasite.
"The White Fang is a Faunus terrorist organisation, so yes. It would be absurd to suspect a Human of working with them." Winter's response made it sound so logical, but it didn't make her feel any better.
"Would you be investigating him if he was Human? What if it was my friend Jaune who went missing? Would there be possibilities of arrests then?"
"It would be pointless to speculate over matters that do not exist."
"Answer the question, Winter," Weiss demanded. She schooled her expression when Winter's eyes hardened at her tone of voice.
She wasn't going to take back her word and apologise. These were answers she needed to know. Weiss stared Winter in the eyes. She kept her teeth clenched to prevent herself from breaking the silence first.
"As I said, it's illogical to suspect a Human of being a White Fang agent. I assume Jaune has no criminal record, so we'd have no reason to suspect he is an active criminal."
"What if he was like Adam? Hypothetically speaking, what if he has a criminal past, but he's turned a new leaf now? What would you do then?"
"If he's left no evidence linking him to any serious crimes and he's proven to have changed his ways, then it's pointless to waste resources on him. We also aren't going to conduct a full criminal investigation on him with no evidence. It's as simple as that."
It was instinctual to take Winter for her word. The logic behind her explanation was appealing, but Weiss' rage burned the ideal image of Winter and allowed her to read between the lines.
"You're right." She couldn't look at Winter at this point.
It was as simple as giving Jaune the benefit of the doubt but not extending it to Adam or Blake – the only Faunus members of their group.
"I need to go. Please take some time to rest, Weiss. I'll see if I can finish my shift early so I can spend some time with you."
Winter pulled her into a quick hug. Her embrace was suffocating. Weiss balled her hands into fists, fighting every urge to push herself away. Winter didn't seem bothered by Weiss' refusal to hug her back. She smiled, wished her a good day, and made her way down the hall as if nothing was wrong.
Her sister's well wishes felt cold as ice.
Weiss didn't move until the clicking of Winter's heels disappeared. She shakily reached for the door, nearly falling back in surprise when she saw Yang standing on the other side. Yang stared back at her with wide, bloodshot eyes. How long had she been standing there?
"S-sorry," Yang pushed past her and disappeared down the hall.
Weiss hurried into the room and buried herself beneath her blanket. The truth sunk into her like poison. Every word Winter said about Adam and the White Fang added to the venom of her revelation.
Winter was wrong about Adam. His Faunus trait had solidified her sister's opinion long before she even met him. No matter what Weiss says, no matter how much she tries to show Winter the truth, there was no changing Winter's mind. It didn't matter how incorrect Winter's judgement was.
If Winter was so wrong about this…then what else is she wrong about?
The memory of her brother's bruised arms flashed in her head. Her blood turned to ice.
Weiss threw her covers off. They were making it far too restrictive for her to breathe. A part of her still trusted Winter not to overlook Whitley, he was family after all, but for the first time, her doubts were louder than her faith in Winter.
There was only one way to find out the truth.
Weiss changed into her day clothes and headed out without looking back.
I'll admit, the next chapters aren't going to be very shippy, but they're honestly one of my favourite parts to write.
Thanks for putting up with the later uploads this week! I'm still feeling pree sluggish but I'm trying my best! Ain't no way I'm skipping a day when we're getting to the fun stuff!
Thank you to BrazeRancor, AlexusAP, yeaaaahhhh I read, Gleaming Onyx, and a Guest reader for the reviews!