Yang was sceptical about finding the Silver Robins at first. After learning they've been fed so many lies by the media and Military, it wasn't easy to convince her to give this unknown group a chance.
"I know it's risky, but this is our best bet right now," Weiss reasoned with her.
"We could look through more Faunus neighbourhoods instead. That sounds a lot safer than going after some sketchy underground group," Yang said.
"It'd take days to look through every single district. We don't have all the time in the world to search for them."
That finally convinced Yang to give her idea a shot, but she didn't look too happy to go through with it. Weiss thanked her and took the lead in searching through the streets for any hints of robin feathers.
Weiss' eyes burned from fatigue by the time Yang found something that resembled a feather. It was a minuscule mark carved into a sewer cover in one of the many back alleyways they were investigating. It was almost invisible had it not been for the flickering streetlamp unveiling it from the shadows.
"We aren't seriously going to be running through some sewers, are we?" Whitley shivered when Yang uncovered the sewer lid. It didn't smell putrid as Weiss had expected. There wasn't a whiff of anything coming out from the hole.
Still, she wished the Silver Robins could've chosen a less disgusting way of getting around the city.
"This is our best lead so far. We don't have a choice," Weiss said, suppressing a grimace as she eyed the crusty ladder leading down the hole.
"Well…ladies first." Jaune smiled warily at Yang and Weiss.
Considering it was her idea, Weiss volunteered to take the lead. She wrapped her fingers around the ladder rings and pushed onwards with Adam on her mind. If this was going to take her back to him, it'd be worth it. Her foot eventually hit solid ground. She wiped her hands on her leggings before using her Red Dust to get a better view of what they got themselves into.
The tunnel was enormous. The fire on her sword couldn't reveal what lay on either end of the dark tunnel. Clear drain water trickled down the centre of the path while dozens of smaller pipes lined the walls.
After assuring everyone it was perfectly clean, they climbed down one after the other. As the others made their way down, she surveyed the area until she found another tiny feather carving on the wall. Weiss guided them further down the tunnel.
Her eyes never got used to the dark as she led her team deeper. The feather markings were the only sign that they were going anywhere. No matter how far they walked, the environment remained unchanging.
Sometimes their path branched into three separate passages, but there were no indications they were making any real progress. For all they knew, they could've been walking in circles. Whitley kept a firm hand around her arm as if fearing she'd disappear into thin air.
"Do you really think we'll find Blake this way?" Yang whispered.
"I think this is our best shot," Weiss answered vaguely, unsure if they were onto something or if she misunderstood Adam's message.
"Hey, it'll be alright," Jaune assured her. "I'm sure we'll run into them soon enough. Blake and Adam wouldn't let a bunch of robots get the best of them."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Yang murmured. "What if she doesn't want to see me after what I did?"
"Blake isn't that petty. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you've changed your mind now."
"But what if she isn't happy to see me? What if she hates me?"
Weiss wanted to comfort her like Jaune, but she didn't know what to say when she echoed similar fears. She'd broken her promise to help the Faunus when she denied the concerns Adam brought up.
It was one thing to be ignorant about the horrible abuse her family subjected his people to, but it was another story when she chose to ignore the truth because of her blind faith in her sister.
What if he could never forgive her? What if he thought she was as bad as Father? The longer she was left in the dark about his reaction, the more her paranoia grew.
They momentarily stopped when their tunnel split into three more paths. Weiss was about to suggest they stop for a break when footsteps echoed from all three opposing tunnels. Weiss, Yang, and Jaune instinctively pressed their backs together as each of them faced a different tunnel.
"Whitley, stay close," she ordered sharply.
"W-what's that noise?" he whispered, squeezing the life out of her free arm.
"Sounds like we have guests."
"Could it be Security?" Yang asked.
"We're going to have a rough time if those robots corner us down here." Jaune held his shield up when the footsteps grew louder.
There also weren't going to be any witnesses if they got killed.
Weiss braced herself to retaliate when all three tunnels went quiet. She pushed her brother further behind her and kept her eyes peeled for any hints of movement. The longer the silence stretched on, the louder her heart drummed.
"We know you're there," Yang challenged their mysterious stalkers.
Her voice bounced off the walls. Weiss held her breath when footsteps resumed from her tunnel.
"Why are you here?" a familiar voice made her jump. It sounded like they were speaking right in front of her. She waved her flaming blade around to try and see who was talking to them, but there was nothing but shadows.
"We're here to find our friends," Weiss answered when she failed to locate the disembodied voice.
"You're all looking for your friends?"
"I was hoping we could find them if we followed the robin feathers."
She wasn't sure if the painful silence that followed was a good sign or not.
"What do you intend to do once you find your friends?"
"I don't think that's any of your business," Yang snapped.
"You're in our territory, sunshine. You answer our questions."
"We want to make sure they're okay," Weiss spoke up before Yang could respond again.
Another long stretch of silence followed.
"See? Fiona and I weren't pulling your leg," another voice piped in, this time Weiss did recognize who was speaking.
"May?"
In a blink of an eye, May, Fiona and a taller woman materialised right in front of her. Weiss' jaw dropped when she got a better look at the woman standing between May and Fiona.
Robyn Hill was taller than Weiss expected. Her casual clothes were a complete contrast to the tight suit jackets and white button-ups Weiss was used to seeing. A tattered olive green scarf draped over her sleeveless black coat and red vest. Knee-high boots and dusty brown pants replaced her tailored dress pants. A black earpiece hugged her right ear. What stood out the most about her was her bright violet eyes. They looked so familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out why.
"Do you all still have your Scrolls?" Fiona asked.
Jaune explained why they'd all destroyed their Scrolls earlier that night. All three of the women relaxed considerably at his response.
"Take my hand, Miss Schnee." Robyn stepped forward and held out her hand. She spoke with the same sense of authority as Weiss had heard from listening to her debates.
"W-why do you need my sister's hand?"
Weiss felt Whitley tensing when Robyn Hill narrowed her eyes on him. It wasn't a malicious stare, but she looked at him with such intensity it even made Weiss uncomfortable.
"She only wants to ask a few questions," May assured them, patting Robyn's arm as if to prove she wouldn't do anything when touched. "Don't worry, you won't feel a single thing."
Weiss hesitated for a second before taking Robyn's hand. A lilac glow covered both their joined hands. Robyn's grip was firm enough to keep Weiss from pulling away, but it didn't hurt her.
Robyn asked her the same questions as before, and the lilac light turned into brilliant lime green with each answer she gave. The strangest question Robyn asked Weiss was whether Whitley was really her brother. She didn't know why it was so important that they needed to interrogate her over it.
"Shit. That means we acted too hastily," May said as the lilac light turned green.
"You're right." Robyn let Weiss go.
"I don't understand why my brother is such a big deal to you guys."
"He's a big deal because we thought he was kidnapped by the White Fang. Had I known this sooner, I wouldn't have sent so many of our people to look for Sienna's base."
Her response sparked more questions. Robyn didn't seem all too interested in giving her more answers as she gave orders into the black earpiece. She demanded whoever was on the other side to report in and retreat.
Winter had mentioned that Robyn graduated from Atlas Academy as a Huntress. Seeing how she talked now, Weiss could see her training shine through. Robyn was likely the team leader back in her school days.
"Hold on, I thought Weiss said you guys were a charity organisation," Jaune said. "What's with all the secrecy?"
"Technically, that's the name of our public branch," Fiona elaborated. "It's actually a lot bigger–"
"We shouldn't discuss this out in the open," May cut in. "All you need to know is that we do much more than charity work."
Jaune and Yang pressed them for more answers, but neither May nor Fiona gave them anything new.
"Alright, here's the deal." Robyn turned her attention back to them. "I'm sure you all have many questions, but I don't have the time to play trivia. If; however, you agree to help me with a small job, I'll be more inclined to talk."
"What exactly do you want us to do?" Yang asked suspiciously.
"I need you to help retrieve one of the teams I sent to rescue the Schnee Heir. We had no intention of infiltrating Sienna's base without a full medical team ready, but tonight was an exception. Help me get my troops out, and I'll answer anything you want to know. I think it's a fair deal."
Robyn's offer didn't sound unreasonable, but Weiss was still hesitant to accept it so rashly. What if there were malicious intents hidden beneath her generosity? Judging by Jaune and Yang's lack of response, she presumed they felt the same way.
"If it helps, Adam and Blake trust us," Fiona added helpfully.
"Adam's okay?" Weiss asked at once, heart racing from the mere mention of him.
"Adam and Blake are both okay. They found us before those robots could completely run their Auras dry," May clarified.
"I'm glad so many of you finally came to your senses! Your boyfriend has been worried sick about you, Weiss." Fiona beamed.
She didn't care if another person misinterpreted her relationship with Adam. All that mattered was that he was alive and safe. It was the best news she'd heard all night.
"Your friends have volunteered to help our troops with this mission," May added. "It would benefit all of us if you agreed to lend Robyn a hand."
"I'll do it," Yang agreed at once.
"What about my brother?" Weiss asked. "He's got no fighting experience."
"Fiona and a few of our guards will escort him home," Robyn replied.
"You can't take him back to my father."
"If he isn't returned home, Jacques will use this as an excuse to punish innocent Faunus citizens even more."
"You don't understand–"
"I'm not going to compromise Mantle's safety for a rebellious teenager."
"And I'm not going to force him to stay with my father alone. I don't want Father to punish Mantle either, but I'm also not going to let him torment my brother."
Whitley shrunk further behind Weiss as Robyn studied him like a hawk. Was Robyn observant like Qrow? Could she spot an abused child, or did she only see a spoiled teenager who wanted to run away from home?
Weiss kept her shoulders squared and stayed protectively in front of Whitley. It didn't matter what Robyn thought. She wouldn't let Whitley fall back into Father's hands anymore.
"Why don't we discuss this after everyone gets back safely?" Fiona stepped in to ease the tension. "He can go back to home base with May instead. It's going to be a lot safer there anyway."
"I'm going b-by myself?" he stammered.
The selfish part of Weiss wanted to assure him that it would be okay, that he didn't need her to go back with him. She wanted to go out and search for Adam herself, not wait for him to return. But if she did that, it would be no different than abandoning Whitley alone at home.
"I can go with him," Jaune volunteered.
"But, Jaune–"
"You and Yang both have someone you've been dying to see for days now. I get it." He smiled sympathetically. "I'm not in that position…so go ahead. I'll make sure Whitley is safe."
Whitley avoided looking anyone in the eyes, but he didn't need to say anything for her to guess what he wanted.
"I can stay if you want," she assured him quietly, despite her heart screaming at her to accept Jaune's offer.
"Don't you want to fight?" Whitley spoke to the ground.
"I don't mind sitting out on one mission. If you need me, I'll stay with you." She smiled when he looked back at her with surprise.
Whitley hid his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
"W-well…you've been dying to see your boyfriend, right? The last thing I need is for you to sulk while the others are busy getting him back."
"My friend will understand if I'm not there. Seriously, I don't mind staying with you."
"And I don't mind waiting for a bit. Just…come back in one piece…and um…good luck."
Thanks to BL4CK 4NG3L, Gleaming Onyx, BrazeRancor, denewyosh, Unsung Senpai, Iwr1918, and Able and Table for the reviews!
And yes, our boy is finally coming back in the next chapter! Tomorrow's upload will be earlier than usual so the wait won't be as long :))