AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, here we are-*that* chapter. I knew this would be rough to write, and it was. I made a few minor changes to Neo's Tea Party-Clover and Lionheart aren't there, since even in the canon episode they did almost nothing and had no lines. I got rid of them, and probably made it worse by who I did replace them with. (Is it wrong that I'm actually liking what a bastard Cheshire is in this story? The Curious Cat's got nothing on this guy. I imagine him sounding like Gordon Ramsay.)

Given that, just like the actual episode, this chapter deals with depression, rape (not actual rape, but pretty close to it) and suicide, reader discretion is heavily advised. This is a very rough chapter to read and get through. I think the only one I've written that was worse is Sheila Arla-Vlata's rope torture at the hands of the Clans in the Snowbird Saga. You'd think that I had some sort of fetish of torturing my female characters, but trust me, I don't...

Silac Airfield

Banska Bystrica, Independent Confederation of Slovakia

14 September 2001

"Looks a lot worse than it is," Marrow observed, looking at the tails of the F-14. There were several dozen small holes through both tails and the horizontal stabilizers, but only two big ones through the right tail's rudder. "Except for the rudder, the fragments missed everything, eh?"

"Yeah. We got lucky." Blake knew that, if the SA-2 had detonated a few feet closer, it would've knocked out both engines or destroyed both tails, and then she and Marrow would have joined Ruby and Little. Wherever they are.

Pyrrha walked over to where the F-14 was parked on the tarmac. She let out a low whistle at the damage. "Glad you made it home."

"Any damage to your bird?" Blake asked.

"No…miracle upon miracles, no damage. I've never seen SAM defenses like that." She noticed Yang jogging towards them, followed by Weiss and Alyx. The latter had gotten her and the remaining Bob in the air with their A-4s, only to find they weren't needed. "Alyx, you didn't tell us that the Jabberwockies' base was that well-defended." Pyrrha's voice was full of suspicion.

"I didn't know," Alyx said, spreading her hands. "I've never been there. Charlie always told us to avoid it like the plague."

Yang jammed her fists on her hips. "Okay. Let's get bombed up and go in there. Pyrrha, get the 82nd on the horn and we'll get the paratroopers in there too. We'll take out the SAM sites and any of the Jabbers that come up. Actually, Alyx, if you have anything with two seats, I can just land and pick her up—"

"Yang, wait," Weiss said. "We need to plan this out. You heard the radio calls, and Pyrrha just said she's never seen anything like the SAMs." She pointed at the thunderstorm, which was going to be over them in minutes, black and malevolent. "And we can't fly through that, not bombed up. We'd never make it, and we'd never see the SAMs until they hit us. Those clouds aren't going to do much against radar."

Yang glared at Weiss. "Alyx," she said out of the corner of her mouth, "do you have ECM pods?"

"We don't, sorry. We never needed them," Alyx apologized.

"Then we go in low, use terrain masking—"

"And get eaten up by the flak!" Marrow shouted. "Dammit, Yang, we do this half-cocked and we're going to get shot down too!"

Yang let out a scream of frustration and grabbed Marrow by the front of the flight suit. "She's my SISTER, goddammit!"

Marrow slapped her arms down, his teeth bared. "Then help your sister, you fucking idiot! You think it's going to help Ruby if you throw your life away? If you get killed?"

"Neo's going to kill her!" Yang shrilled. She turned away. "Neo's going to kill her…"

"Not immediately," Blake said, and it was like a knife to her heart. "Neo's going to want to draw this out. She's got a flair for the dramatic. She's not going to just haul off and shoot Ruby in the head."

"Oh, wonderful," Yang groaned. "She's going to torture my sister to death instead."

"But it gives us time, Yang!" Blake argued. "You're right. We get the 82nd and we start planning how we're going to do this. Right now. Alyx, get some food going. We get a plan together, we wait out the storm, and then we hit them, full-court press. And we let Neo know we're coming for her. That might make her hesitant to kill Ruby. Neo wants revenge for Torchwick, but she also wants to live. She can't run to Salem or Cinder—Cinder tried to kill her over Leszno last week. It gives us options. Let's look at them." Thunder rolled across the airfield. "And get in out of the rain."

"Alyx, I'll need to use your radio," Pyrrha said.

"You've got it. And you've got everything we can give you…so long as you promise to rescue Cheshire, too." Alyx's eyes were hard. "I know you two hate each other, but Neo's probably got him chained up in a dungeon too."

Pyrrha looked less than enthusiastic about that, but she nodded. "Done." The rain started to fall. "I'm sorry, Yang."

Yang leaned against the Tomcat's fuselage. "Why didn't she talk to me?" she said miserably. "Why did she just…blow up like that? And run off after Neo?"

Weiss went over and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe she didn't feel like she could." She watched the storm. "Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like 'we believe in you,' and 'we can count on you.' I know we mean well, but…"

"We never asked her to be perfect," Yang told her.

"No," Pyrrha answered, "but Ruby thought she had to be perfect. Maybe she's trying to be me, God help her, because I'm certainly not perfect." She sighed. "Not even close."

Yang pushed off the side of the F-14. "No, she's not trying to be you, Pyrrha." The rain started to come down. "Let's just get this worked out so we can get her back." Blake put an arm around Yang's shoulders, and she leaned into the Faunus. "Please God," Yang whispered. "Please help her."

The Divizia

Kosice, Kosice Self-Governing Region

14 September 2001

"Chained up in a dungeon? Really?" Ruby hung from her chains. The fetters weren't uncomfortable; they were loose and her feet were easily on the cobblestoned floor. The entire room was old brick. It wasn't cold, but surprisingly humid and warm. Ruby was down to her underwear, having been forced to give up her flight suit, socks and boots.

Neo sat in a comfortable looking chair, across the twenty feet that separated them, dressed in a white blouse, skintight white jeans, and black boots, an umbrella leaned against the chair. There was a small table next to the chair, with two teacups and a large flask, and a black satchel. There was a pistol there too, a Beretta. Neo poured tea into both cups and tipped the bowler hat on her head backwards. "Want some?" She offered one to Ruby.

"I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

Neo laughed. "Good one! You're being pretty cool about this. I kind of expected you to be crying and begging for mercy."

Ruby shrugged as best she could. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid I'm out of fucks to give." It wasn't bravado. Ruby was mildly surprised that she wasn't afraid; she just wanted Neo to get it over with.

"No worries. The night's still young." Neo noticed Cheshire walk into the cell. "Oh, Mr. Cheshire! Or is it Mr. Tabey? Meh, doesn't matter. Just getting ready to get going here. Have a seat!" Neo motioned to the other chair.

"I think I'll skip it." Cheshire's eyes met Ruby's. There was an apology in them. "Remember our deal, Neo."

Neo waved it away. "Sure, sure. I'll leave your place alone and I won't hurt the mouse girl."

Ruby shook her head. "So Pyrrha was right about you, Charlie."

Cheshire gave a tired shrug. "I told you I would do anything to keep Banska Bystrica and my people safe, Ruby. If that meant betraying you, then so be it."

Neo slapped the arms of the chair. "Welp, I suppose we'd better get to the torture and screaming." She jumped to her feet and walked over to Ruby. Neo stopped just short and pulled a knife from her belt. "Hmm…" She examined Ruby like a side of beef, clearly unsure of where she should begin. She tapped the flat of the knife blade against Ruby's chin. "Remember when I said I'd skin you alive?"

Ruby swallowed involuntarily. This was going to hurt. "Y-Yeah."

"Oh, now you're scared!" Neo grinned. "Well, today's your lucky day. I decided that was too much trouble. Takes forever, gets messy, and there's so much yelling! People scream so hard their vocal cords snap. So nah. I got a better idea. But before I do…" She thumped Ruby on the nose with the knife. "I bet you're wondering how I got out of Poland and got me a new gang."

"Not really," Ruby said, with more bravado than she felt, "but you're going to tell me anyway." Keep her talking, Ruby told herself. Pyrrha is back at Silac by now. She's gonna call in the paratroops. Don't know how they'll get past the SAMs, but they will. And Yang's going to come too. She won't leave me. None of them will. She remembered the argument, only two hours ago. Even if I don't deserve it.

Neo mock-pouted. "Aww. But it's a good story! Not as good as yours, though. Love how you got the Red Prince killed. And Jinxy Peddler! I wonder if he managed to escape Salem. Probably not. He's not as smart as me.

"Anyway, after you ran off—you're really fast, by the way—I knew I was in trouble. That black rain was bad news! I found a cabin and hid out there. Once the rain stopped, I found a village. They had a car. So I stole it, and then it was easy to get here. See, I've worked with the Jabberwockies in the past. They know me. I was sick for a few days, but I was okay. Then I challenged the leader."

"Jenna Tenniel," Cheshire put in. "How did you do it?"

"The way the Jabbers do things," Neo said. "I challenged her to an air duel. I told her to take her best airplane and I'd take her worst, and I'd still beat her."

"And you did," Ruby remarked.

"Actually, no. The moment she agreed and turned her back, I stabbed her with a steak knife, then cut her throat. The Jabbers thought that was pretty cool!" Neo turned a pirouette. "Jenna was kind of unpopular. She hadn't really scored any big hits lately, and well, the Jabbers know my reputation." She turned and faced Cheshire. "And boy oh boy, do they hate you, Charlie. They've been wanting your base for awhile. Better infrastructure, closer to Austria and the Czechs. So it didn't take much to convince them to hit Silac." She sighed. "Too bad about Ruby and her bunch being there. The Jabbers didn't really have much of a chance."

"How did you talk them into hitting us this morning?" Ruby asked.

"One of them challenged me. I killed him. Then I threatened to fly to Salem and tell her alll about this place. They're terrified of her. Can't say as I blame them; she is very scary. Anyways, the people we sent out today were newbies. They were there just to get you up, Ruby. And it worked! I'm so happy." Neo clapped her hands.

"You're daft as hell," Cheshire observed.

Neo skipped over to him and waved the knife under his chin. "Since I was a kid. My parents were such assholes. They called me crazy too." She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "So I set the house on fire and watched them burn. Not before I made sure that I had all their money, though." She walked backwards. "Insanity is very liberating, Charlie. You should try it." She spun in place. "Well, enough talking. Shall we get going, Ruby? I'd love to spin this out for a few days, but I'm sure your friends are planning to hit this place, and I want to be ready for that when it happens."

"They're going to kill you, Neo." Ruby put as much hatred into her voice as she could.

"Promises, promises." Neo suddenly put the knife against her skin and cut off one of Ruby's bra straps. Then she danced over to the other side and did the same with the other. She then cut off Ruby's panties as well, leaving her naked against the wall. Neo stepped back, as if to admire her handiwork. Ruby started to pull her legs up, but there was no way to cover herself, so she just hung there, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cheshire had turned away.

"Humiliating her," Neo said, as if it was very obvious. "I'm going to strip Ruby Rose to the bone. The clothes were just the first step." She laughed at the look on Ruby's face. "Oh, I'm not going to flay you, Ruby! I already said it was going to take too long to do that!"

Ruby couldn't fight down a shiver. "Whatever you're going to do, do it!" Her heart began to pound, and she felt a tear on her cheek as she realized what Neo intended to do. "Bring them in and get it started!"

It must have shown on her face, because Neo shook her head. "No, Ruby. You're not going to be raped. Not like that, anyway." She put the knife back in its sheath and returned to the table. She undid the latches on the satchel, throwing the flap back for both Ruby and Cheshire to see. Inside were vials. Neo hummed to herself as she took out a syringe and stuck it in one of the vials, filling it. She took it out, flicked it once, squirted a little clear liquid from the needle to test, then returned to Ruby.

Cheshire looked sick. "I don't have to watch this."

"Good. I'd prefer you didn't. Close the door when you leave." He did exactly that, clanging the door shut. Neo rolled her eyes. "What an asshole. He has this reputation as being this tough, ruthless guy and he's nothing more than a wimp." She held up the syringe for Ruby to see. "You know what this is?"

Ruby swallowed again. "Kerasine."

"Nice! I wasn't sure if you knew. Cheshire mentioned you'd met the Herbalist, so I figured you knew. Too bad about her too, but I guess I understand where Charlie's coming from." Neo peered at the liquid inside. "That should be the right amount. Monika showed me once, but it's been awhile." She reached up and tapped the vein on Ruby's right arm. "That looks good."

Ruby wetted suddenly dry lips with her tongue. "Neo, listen…I didn't kill Torchwick. He flew into a mountain."

Neo smiled. "Do you think I care? He was after you, Ruby. He was up there because of you."

"He was up there because of you!" Ruby shot back. "You two were the ones who made the deal with Salem! You could've walked away!"

Neo was reaching up to place the needle, but paused. "You're right. I wanted to. I wanted to leave. I knew Salem and Cinder and the White Fang were all bad news. But Roman said a deal was a deal." She didn't meet Ruby's eyes. "I wish it hadn't happened like that. But it did. And you were the one who made him fly into that mountain, so this is why we're doing this." Neo sighed again. "Now you're going to feel a little prick. Kind of like Cheshire." Ruby began to shake as she felt the needle go into her arm, and she started to cry as she watched the liquid go into her. Neo pulled the needle free, took out a hankerchief and wiped away the blood, then patted Ruby on the cheek. "All done. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She stepped back. "You know, you're about to feel really, really good. For a little while, anyway."

Ruby felt the drug begin to work its way into her system: it felt like warmth spreading from the injection site through her whole body. Her heart was already thumping with fear; now it increased to the point that Ruby began to pant, as if she had run a marathon. She looked at Neo, who was now sitting down. I've got to focus, Ruby thought frantically, her heart thumping in her ears. She thought of the Code of Conduct, but she couldn't remember it. Then she thought of Yang, then Oscar. In a moment of clarity, she remembered Oscar telling her how he had resisted Salem's torture. Ruby focused on her sister and Oscar. She imagined them standing there, watching her, cheering her on. Focus on that. Focus on Yang and Oscar. Yang and Oscar, Ruby. Focus on them. Remember fun times with Yang! She forced her brain to remember the time Yang had poured cold water on a sleeping Taiyang's chest when Uncle Qrow had told the girls to get their father up. Remember Oscar! She remembered the first time they had kissed, the night in Algiers, the last time they had touched, in Schnee Manor.

Then the euphoria hit. Ruby gasped and started to tremble. Her eyes rolled back in her head in sheer ecstasy. Oh…God…that feels…good…no, Ruby…think about Yang…and Oscar…I want…need… She began to shake in the chains, her toes curling, her breathing quickening.

"Ruby? Oh, Ruuuby…" Ruby heard Neo's voice and tried to see her. Her vision was swimming. There were two Neos all of a sudden. "That feel good, Ruby?" Ruby tried to form a coherent sentence and failed. "I bet that does feel sooo good." Neo got up, even as the room suddenly turned upside down, and Neo was now walking on the ceiling. Ruby felt like she was floating on a wonderful pink cloud. "Oops!" Neo reached forward with the hankerchief and wiped Ruby's mouth. "Drooling a little there." Neo peered closer as the room realigned itself to the right axis. Ruby giggled, because Neo's eyes had turned a glowing blue, and for some reason that struck her as hilarious. "Now, Ruby…you're going to do whatever I tell you, right? I'm your friend."

Ruby wanted to say yes, but what was left of her will kept her from quite doing so. Instead, she giggled harder. "Nope."

"But you'll believe me when I say there's someone I want you to meet, right?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe. Sure." Neo's eyes had returned to normal, and Ruby thought they looked very pretty. In fact, Neo was prettier than she remembered. I should be her friend, she thought, then tried to shake her head. No…Neo wants to kill me…she wants to kill…friends don't try to kill friends.

Neo took off her hat and bowed, throwing her hand out to one side. Ruby followed her hand, and gazed into the face of Roman Torchwick. He grinned. "Hello, Red!"

Little sat in her cell, miserable. Unlike Ruby's cell, which had an iron door and a small barred window, her cell was more traditional, just iron bars and a locked door. The guard outside had paid no attention to her, even as she cursed him in Polish until her voice was hoarse. They had given her a bottle of water, but no food, and her stomach growled. When she told the guard she needed to use the bathroom, he had shrugged and pointed to a bucket in the corner. His back was to her, at least, but that also meant he paid no attention to her whatsoever. He stood like a statue, one hand on the sling of the AK-47 over his shoulder, and occasionally yawned.

"I'm hungry," Little whined.

"Who cares." The guard scratched his leg and returned to his stance.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Who cares."

Not much for conversation. Little got up from the threadbare mattress and began to pace the eight foot by eight foot cell. The guard glanced over his shoulder, then went back to ignoring her. C'mon, Maly. Think! Little remembered all the American action movies she had liked as a child. What would Bruce Willis do? She stopped and examined the guard. Bruce Willis, she was sure, would reach through the bars and strangle the guard with his bare hands. The problem was that the guard was a good three feet away from the bars, and Bruce Willis was a lot taller than Little was. She had liked ninja movies too, but whereas Sho Kosugi would use a smoke bomb or some kind of ninja magic, Little was short on both of those.

Okay, so I'm not Bruce or Sho. What would Ruby or Weiss or Blake or Yang do? Ruby she wasn't sure about. She wasn't angry at her friend, but wished Ruby had run. I'm not important. Why did she stay? Little sighed. Because she's my friend. I need to help her. Little gave that some thought. If she could escape, she could probably surprise that Neo person, maybe overpower her—the other woman didn't look much taller than Little was. But Little had to escape first, and she didn't think Ruby knew how to do that, since she would have escaped already. Weiss, Little reasoned, would try to bribe the guard. Blake would probably slip between the bars and strangle the guard; she knew Blake was former White Fang, and Little had heard the stories about them.

She crept up to the bars, and measured with her eyes. She was skinny, and might just fit through. Slowly, Little turned to one side and put one arm through. Hope surged through her, and she reached for the guard's belt. It was just six inches out of reach, but she squeezed herself further in, holding her breath. It might have worked, but then the guard glanced behind him again. "Hey!" He whirled around and unslung the AK, pointing it at her. "Get back in there!"

Dammit. Little slid back between the bars. At least she knew she could probably manage to squeeze through. They have to sleep sometime. It's getting pretty late, I bet. When they go to sleep, then I can get out. She sat on her bed, and the guard continued to glare at her. No, I don't have time…they might kill Ruby if I wait. So I don't have money, and I'm not a White Fanger. What would Yang do? A sudden thought struck Little, and her cheeks burned. Wait. Seduce the guard? Hey, didn't that one girl do that in that one ninja movie I watched last time I was in Miami? Showed the guard her boobs and said 'I want it'? Yuck. But it did work. Little looked down at herself. Yeah, but she had big boobs. I don't. But…ugh…maybe it's worth a try.

Luckily, before Little could find out if the guard liked sixteen year olds, the door to the room opened and Cheshire walked in. "Open the door, soldier."

"Why?" the guard wanted to know.

"Because Neo sent me here to get this Polish bint, and since she's in charge 'round here after she fucking well killed everyone in her way, I'm going to do what she told me to. And so are you. Now open the fucking door."

"Not without an express order," the guard snapped. "You get Neo, or another officer. I don't take orders from you, Faunus." He leveled the AK-47, bracing it against his abdomen.

Cheshire looked at Little. "Bloody racist." He suddenly grabbed the barrel of the rifle and shoved it back. Taken by surprise, the guard doubled up over the stock. As he bent over, Cheshire pulled a dagger out of his belt and buried it to the hilt in the guard's neck. Blood sprayed from the wound. The guard grabbed it with his free hand and tried to raise the AK, but Cheshire was already ripping it out of his hands. He smashed the stock into the guard's face, and the man fell, gagging on his own blood as he died.

Little had her hands to her mouth. Cheshire waited a moment, then grabbed the guard's keys. "What…what are you doing?"

"What I should've done in the first damned place," he snarled. "This is what I get for trusting a bloody lunatic." He inserted the keys and opened the door. They had forced Little to strip as well, but then gave her back the flight suit. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Little wasn't sure if she should trust Cheshire or not.

"We're going to get Ruby, and then we're going to get the fuck out of here." He reached forward, grabbed her hand, and dragged Little from the cell.

"Been awhile, huh?" Roman looked Ruby up and down. "How's the fighter pilot biz treating you? I gotta say, you're not looking too good."

Ruby pondered this new development for a moment. She felt like her brain was in a fog. She tried to think of Yang or Oscar, to focus, but her thoughts were like wisps of mist. "You're dead," she finally said to Roman. "I watched you die."

Roman put up his hands defensively. "Yeesh, no manners." He motioned behind him. Ruby suddenly realized the cell was dark, and Neo was nowhere to be seen. "And after everyone came out to see you!"

The lights snapped on, and the room seemed larger now. So did the table, which now comfortably sat five people. Four of the seats were filled: Penny Polendina, Jaune Arc, Ozpin, and James Ironwood. There were teacups in front of each one.

Penny threw her a jaunty salute. "Salutations, Ruby!"

Jaune grinned and waved. "Bonjour!"

"Captain Rose." Ozpin adjusted his glasses.

Ironwood nodded in a friendly fashion and motioned to the last seat. "Why don't you take a seat?" He gave his short laugh. "Oh, I guess you can't."

Ruby gaped in horror. "How…are you…how? They're all dead!" For a moment her mind cleared. "This isn't real!" She looked at Roman. "Stop it! It isn't real!"

Roman sighed and reached forward, undoing her chains. Ruby fell to the floor. She went to cover her nudity, only to see she was wearing her flight suit again—but it was the flight suit that she had worn at Beacon. "Is it real?" Roman asked. "You're the one talking to a dead guy. Reality's getting fuzzier by the minute, Red."

Ruby got to her feet. She lunged for Roman, but he easily got away from her, back towards the table. "You know, they say that everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story. But I knew what I was. And deep down, I think you know you do too." He jumped up on the table as Ruby advanced slowly on him. Her feet felt terribly heavy for some reason. Roman sat crosslegged on the table, and poured a cup of tea. "Want some?"

"No," Ruby snapped.

"Too bad. It's good tea. It's the kind that…resets you." His smile turned pure evil. "Permanently."

Ruby stopped. "Is that what you want?" She put one fist on her hip and motioned him forward. "Well, if you want me dead, Roman, then come get me. Y'know, like you did before…before you sort of ate the side of a mountain." Ruby smiled triumphantly.

Roman was silent for a moment, then chuckled. "Oh, Red, Red…you don't deserve to just die. You deserve to be broken down." He set the teacup aside. "Torn apart." Roman got to his feet. "Wiped from existence."

Ruby turned at a noise behind her and whirled, but it was too late: Neo's fist crashed into her mouth and nose. She dropped to the hard floor as Neo deftly leapt over her, to be caught by Roman and spun around, as if in a dance. Ruby shook her head and wiped her nose; it came back bloody.

"I'm going to enjoy…" Neo began.

"…watching you break," finished everyone at the table, as they stood up.

Silac Airfield

Banska Bystrica, Independent Confederation of Slovakia

14 September 2001

They were gathered around the radio in Silac's tower, Pyrrha sitting in the controller's seat. "That's the situation broadly, sir," she said. The tower shook as a particularly loud crack of thunder rolled over the base. Rain was hitting the ground in huge drops. "Say again, Gavin Six?"

The voice on the other end popped and crackled for a moment, the voice of Brigadier General Louis Hadinata, one of the 82nd Airborne's brigade commanders. "Sorry, Juniper, we've got some interference here from the storm." He paused. "We have to wait out the storm before we can do anything. Figure thirty minutes on that. But I'm not taking my C-130s into a SAM zone. No can do, Juniper."

"We understand, Gavin Six. We need you to relay a request to Blizzard. We need a Greyhound strike on the sites." Pyrrha used the code for a cruise missile attack. "We can identify site locations. I can relay coordinates once the B-52s are in the air. We can—"

"Wait one, Juniper."

"Skata," Pyrrha whispered and sat back. It was the best plan they had come up with. Weiss, Blake and Marrow were leaning against the consoles with Alyx. Yang paced the tower angrily, like a caged tiger. "What's taking so damn long?" she growled.

Finally, after five minutes, the radio crackled back to life. "Juniper, this is Jehovah." All of them gave a start at that, at Ironwood's old callsign. This was not Ironwood, of course—the voice was deeper, and they realized it belonged to Theodore Gale, the new SACEUR himself. "Juniper, you went to a very odd place for leave."

"Affirmative, Jehovah. I have permission—" Pyrrha began.

"Over my head, Juniper, which seems to be a habit with you. Gavin has briefed me on the situation. It's good to know that Ruby Flight is still alive after all, but Ruby Lead is down, behind enemy lines?"

"Roger, Jehovah. She is likely a POW, in the hands of an air pirate named Neo Politan."

"I know the name, Juniper. You must be aware that Ruby Lead is quite possibly KIA."

Yang suddenly seized the microphone. "Jehovah, Ruby Three. She is not KIA. Quit trying to make her be KIA! Either do your job or let us do ours!" She slammed down the mike. All of them stared at Yang in amazement; she had just snapped at a four-star general.

There was silence on the other end. "Ruby Three, Jehovah. It's a good thing I know who you are. We will have words on this subject later, Ruby Three. Consider yourself under arrest."

Yang threw her hands in the air. "Like I give a fuck."

Pyrrha winced and pushed the talk button. "Ruby Three acknowledges, Jehovah."

"I'm sure she does. Put her back on the line, Juniper." Pyrrha handed the microphone to a fuming Yang. "Ruby Three, Juniper, I will be in contact with Blizzard presently. In the meantime, Gavin will not be sending in his transports."

"You son of a bitch," Blake whispered.

"Before you defame my ancestry," Gale said, amusement in his voice—he hadn't heard Blake, but he had certainly guessed that someone was cursing him. "Ruby Three, there is someone you might like to hear from. I think we can spare them and their team for a day or two. Gavin, patch them in, please."

There was a brief pop and hiss of static. "Suds, this is Princess." Yang's mouth fell open as she recognized Otome Higurashi's voice.

"Ot—Princess?" Yang spluttered, remembering just in time to use Otome's callsign. "You—you're up?"

"Suds, you sound surprised. We're enroute your position. A little dinged up, but tactical." Her voice lost its bantering tone, even through the tinny receiver. "And we haven't forgotten what Neo did to Trix. ETA 30 minutes."

The Divizia

Kosice, Kosice Self-Governing Region

14 September 2001

Ruby got to her feet and took a step back as Ironwood came towards her. "Who were you to think you knew what was best for Poland?" he snapped.

There was another voice at her elbow, and she whirled to find herself face to face with Jaune. "I did my best at Beacon, you know that? You were my best friend, Ruby, next to Pyrrha." Then he slapped her across the face. "But I traded my life so my friends could live!"

Ruby staggered back, looking for a weapon, only to be confronted by Penny. The dead seemed to surge out of nowhere. "Just like you were too late to save me when my Paladin went crazy at Beacon." Penny looked sad. "I died in Poland too, didn't I?" She shook her head. "Can you imagine what that's like? To be completely and utterly failed…time and again…" Penny fell to her knees. "…by someone who meant the world to you."

"Penny," Ruby sobbed, and reached out a hand towards her, but was suddenly grabbed from behind by Roman, putting his cane across her throat. "You ready for that drink of tea yet?" he smiled.

Ruby gritted her teeth and elbowed him hard. Roman choked and fell back. Ruby saw the door and ran towards it, only to be confronted by Jaune. "How many more people are going to die because of you?" he shouted. "How many hearts are you going to break? Pyrrha's alone because of you!"

She shoved Jaune aside. "I'm trying to save everyone!" she screamed, then was spun around and punched in the stomach by Ironwood, who hurled her into the wall. "And yet with all your best intentions," he hissed, "have you ever stopped to wonder if you've done more harm than good?" He threw her to the floor.

Ruby coughed and tried not to throw up. "It's not my fault…" She got up to all fours, only to be hit from behind and driven back down, with enough force to drive the air from her lungs.

"It is your fault!" Ozpin hit her again with his cane. "It is your fault!" He continued to beat her, emphasizing each word with a strike. "How many more lives do you have to ruin before you realize you're not cut out to save anyone!" Ruby groaned with the pain in her back and side as Ozpin continued to hit her, though the force was mitigated somewhat; he was so enraged that most of the force was spent when the cane hit the floor more than it hit her. "You should be the one who answered for what happened at Beacon, Ruby! Not blaming a tired old man who got himself killed! You!" He stopped hitting her, spent, puffing for air. "Just like your dead mother—"

Ruby suddenly was on her feet, the pain forgotten, the world turned red with utter rage. She let out an inhuman wail, and threw a punch that knocked Ozpin backwards into the table. Ruby pounced on him, and punched him twice more, screaming like a wild animal. "Ruby, stop!" Ozpin screamed, but Ruby just hit him again. As she raised bloody knuckles, she looked down.

She was no longer beating Ozpin, but Oscar. He was naked and bloody, his face and body bruised and swollen with the wounds Salem and Hazel had inflicted on him. No, Ruby realized in shock, what I did to him. The rage cleared, and she stumbled backwards. She looked around frantically. Yang, Qrow, Blake and Weiss looked back in horror. "I…I didn't…it wasn't…" she stammered.

Roman was beside her again. "Do you really think you can stand to watch more of your friends fall?"

"Please stop," Ruby begged.

"Or are you ready to admit the truth?" Roman continued. "That the world would just be better off without you?" He shrugged and nodded towards her friends. "They seem to think so."

Ruby saw that her flight and Qrow had been joined by Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. All of them stared accusingly at her. Ruby fell to the floor, sitting down, and fell apart into horrible, shuddering sobs, rocking herself back and forth. Neo now was in front of her, and knelt, setting a teacup in front of her. "It's okay," Neo said with a gentle smile. "Just drink. It'll all be okay. Won't it be okay, Yang?"

"Sure." Yang pushed the teacup closer with her boot. "It's okay, Rubes."

Ruby reached for the teacup. She dimly heard a door open, but she didn't care.

Cheshire stared at the scene in front of him, and blocked Little from seeing it. Ruby sat on the floor, naked, her back covered in welts and bruises, her face streaked with dirt, blood and tears. She did not look at him, but Neo did, standing over Ruby. Neo held a hankerchief to her lips; the hankerchief was stained with blood as well. She stepped back. "Don't listen to us, Ruby," she said, with a soft touch of the hand on Ruby's matted hair. "Just think about that tea." Ruby nodded, her gaze fixed on something in front of her.

It was not a teacup. It was a revolver.

Neo stepped back to Cheshire. "Whew!" She wiped more blood from a split lip; one cheek was badly bruised. "Didn't know people under kerasine could fight, but she got in a few licks on me. I got more on her, though." She motioned at the umbrella, which lay broken near Ruby. "Beat her with that until it broke. I should've had a real cane. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I'm leaving," Cheshire replied angrily. "And I'm taking Little with me. As part of our deal." He pointed at Ruby. "What is she doing?"

"Oh, her?" Neo sat down at the table, catching her breath. "She thinks that's a teacup. I made her think my dear Roman told her that, if she drinks it, she'll be 'reset' and won't hurt anymore. Well, he wasn't lying. She'll put that in her mouth and pull the trigger." Neo sighed in satisfaction. "That was Roman's pistol. Along with his spare hat, it's all that I have left of my dum-dum."

Cheshire moved into the room, using his hand to keep Little out in the hallway. There was no guard; either Neo had not thought to post one or they had been called away. He checked his watch. There was not much time before the dead man was found in Little's cell. He picked up the kerasine. "Mind if I borrow this?" he whispered in Neo's ear. "Little's probably not going to cooperate."

"I thought you hated kerasine."

"You haven't left me much choice."

Neo turned to face him. "What happened to the guard by the girl's cell?"

"I killed him. He was getting ready to rape Little."

"Oh." Neo shrugged. "Meh, probably deserved it."

"What?" Both turned. Ruby was looking at them, her pupils hugely dilated. "I'm sorry. Who is that?"

"It's me, Ruby." Cheshire walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "It's…it's your papa." Neo stifled a laugh as Ruby burst into tears again and reached forward. Cheshire hugged her tight, then motioned with his head as Little stepped into the room. Neo's smile faded and she got up.

"Dad," Ruby cried. "Dad, I don't want to be me anymore. Please, Dad, I don't want to do this anymore." In her mind, Taiyang was holding her like he had when she was little and had bad dreams. Ruby was mystified why Tai was only holding her with one arm, however. She wondered if she had gotten small.

"It's okay, little Huntress," Cheshire said softly, stroking her hair. "Now we have to leave," he said softly into Ruby's ear.

Neo had positioned herself between Little and the two of them, but the Faunus suddenly threw herself at Neo. She easily avoided Little's charge, only to figure out that the teenager had not been attacking her after all; she raced to Ruby's side instead and punched Cheshire. It was a poor punch, landing on the side of his head, but he let go of Ruby more out of surprise than pain. "Ow!"

"Leave her alone!" Little shrilled. "You're not her friend!" She shoved him aside and grabbed Ruby. "Ruby! It's Little! You have to get up! You have to get up! We have to go—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Neo grabbed the pistol off the table, aimed, and fired. The shot hit Little in the right temple and exited from her left, sending a spray of blood across Cheshire's face. The mouse Faunus dropped like an unstrung puppet, first to her knees, and then onto her side. Blood quickly pooled around her head.

"Jaysus!" Cheshire jumped to his feet. "What in God's name, Neo—"

Neo pushed past him and knelt again in front of Ruby, who was staring at Little. In her drug fueled haze, Roman had just killed her friend, and she could do nothing but watch Little bleed out. "Another death on your head, Ruby." Neo snatched up the revolver and put it in Ruby's hands. "Now drink, Ruby. Drink before someone else dies."

"Dad?" Ruby looked around frantically, but Cheshire had moved out of her line of sight.

Neo pitched her voice a little lower. She had never met Taiyang, so she could not imitate his voice as well as she could the others. When she had been trained as an assassin, Neo had been taught to become her persona, become her cover. She had been good at it; even Roman had been impressed how well Neo could slip into a new role. Doing the voice of Penny, or Oscar, or even Ironwood had not been that diffcult. It wouldn't have fooled a sober, conscious Ruby, but a semi-conscious, drugged Ruby had been easily taken in by the illusion. "Drink, Ruby," Neo said, in what she hoped was an approximation of Taiyang's voice. "It's going to be okay." Neo took a chance, and gently stroked Ruby's hair, as Cheshire had. "It's going to be okay. Mommy's here, okay? Mommy's here."

Ruby's mind was broken. The shock of seeing Little die, the shock of being beaten by Ozpin, Ironwood and Jaune, the shock of beating Oscar, it was all too much. The tea promised release. On some level, Ruby realized that the tea meant death, but she was fine with that. She didn't want to be Ruby Rose anymore. Ruby was a useless, terrible person that disobeyed orders, attacked her friends, and got her friends killed. Ruby was a joke, a cosmic joke that pretended to be a fighter pilot like little girls pretended to be mermaids or princesses. She had disgraced her family and her country, and there was only one way out now. Her soul craved release. Her mind regressed to that of a child. "Mommy," Ruby whispered, and put the revolver in her mouth; in her mind she drank the tea. She tipped her head back, her lips around the pistol's barrel. Neo got up, not wanting to be covered in any more blood.

Ruby closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud click. Ruby's eyes rolled back and she collapsed to one side. She had drank the tea and now there was a comforting nothingness, a gentle, black cloud that descended around her and embraced her. Ruby's breathing slowed and became ragged.

Neo was in shock herself. "What the hell?" She grabbed the revolver. It was empty. "What in the actual—I loaded that!"

"You did." Neo turned, only to feel a sharp pain in her neck. She reached up and grabbed Cheshire's hand, but it was too late as he plunged the syringe home and injected the kerasine. He pulled it out and jumped back as she swung at him. "Curious as to why it didn't go off?" He held up his other hand, his left one, and let six bullets clatter to the ground. "You were watching Little. You didn't see me unloading the gun with my other hand. You should've checked that the gun was loaded, Neo—what a rookie mistake for an assassin to make."

Neo held one hand over the puncture wound, though there was little blood. She staggered. "You…you bastard…" She raised the Beretta as the warmth began to spread. "You…"

"Now, now, Neo," Cheshire said. "You don't want to fire that gun. In fact, you can't—it's not a gun, you see, but a dragon that's going to bite off your hand."

Neo's lips curled into a smile. "Nice try, you—" Then her eyes widened. She looked at the pistol and screamed, dropping it. "It's—how—"

"The kerasine spreads a lot faster when it's injected into the neck. That's how the Herbalist got my beloved Susie. Of course, the stupid bitch injected too much and killed her, but I'm pretty certain I got the dose right. Had to experiment a few times—poor Blacksmith; she deserves better—but I got it right." Neo slumped to her knees. "How are you feeling, my darling?"

Neo's eyes were wide still, but now her pupils were as well. Her smile was no longer cruel, but happy. "I feel…wonderful…"

"I know, I know." Cheshire went over and brushed her hair back over her ears. "And you'll do whatever your precious dum-dum tells you, won't you?" He bent her head back and kissed her. "I love you, Neo."

Tears drifted down Neo's face. "Roman? Roman, is it really you?"

"It's me, love. Now we need to get out of here, yeah?" Neo nodded. Cheshire picked up the Beretta, closed the satchel of kerasine and threw it over his shoulder, and looked at Ruby. She still lay on the floor, her breathing shallow now, staring into nothingness. "Sorry about that, Ruby. I suppose you'll die soon, but there's only room for Neo and myself. Damned shame, but it is what it is." He threw her a salute. "Lie, cheat, steal and survive."

Neo flung her hands around Cheshire's neck. "Oh, Roman, I've missed you so."