"Monkey to Rabbit, what's your situation, over?"

"Don't do that," Harriet warned, sounding absolutely disgusted as she muttered something to herself too quietly for the scroll to pick up. "Fucking hell… just…"

"Alright, alright," Sun relented with a wide grin as he held the scroll out for everyone in earshot. "I'm just messing with ya. What's going on?"

"We've got inbound," Harriet warned. "We should land and see what's going on. Large fleet of snowmobiles, a few modified trucks, and a swarm of ATVs. It's a small army."

"That doesn't sound like the Fang and Claw," Corsac pointed up as he held his shoulder and rolled it stiffly. "They're coming by air… and it's too soon."

"Blake said she might know what's going on, but that it's unlikely," Harriet replied. "If she's right, she said she'll take the lead on this one. If not… stay behind me. None of you are in fighting shape."

"Are you?" Jaune asked. "Didn't you get injured down in Mantle? I haven't had time to check you out…"

"I'm… different, now," Harriet said hesitantly. "Nothing's working like it used to. I feel like I could take on the world, and in a field of snow… a small army wouldn't stand a chance. I'll cover us if need be. Tell Neo to follow my ship and touch down behind it. Give yourselves about fifty feet of clearance."

"On it," Sun offered as he leapt up to standing and closed his scroll. "You two stay in the ship with Neo. I'll help Blake out if she needs a wingman."

"Sun… you just passed out and you have no aura," Jaune reminded. "If a fight breaks out…"

"I trust Harriet," Sun countered as he made his way toward the cockpit with a wave of his hand. "I need you to trust me."

Sun didn't hear the reply as he ducked into the other section of the plane, and he had a feeling he didn't want to hear it. Neopolitan was staring straight ahead through the windscreen, following Harriet's plane as it began to slow.

"Hey, we've gotta land for a second," Sun said as he leaned against the back of the co-pilot's seat. "I… honestly probably shouldn't tell you this, but we just heard from the crew over in Sanus. That means you can get in contact with Roman."

Neopolitan's attention was immediately on Sun as she reached down and hastily typed something out on her scroll.

"That being said, I… please don't get involved with it until after we take off again," Sun said as he watched her type. "We might need to get in the air quickly if this goes south."

Sun squinted as the scroll was turned toward him.

"You drool in your sleep. It's hilarious and I took several pictures for blackmail later."

"…thanks," Sun deadpanned. "Seriously, though…"

Neopolitan was already composing a reply before tossing the scroll over to Sun.

"I know. I was going to wait until we're in Mistral, just in case. Last time I was impulsive and stupid, I lost two fingers."

"Right," Sun acknowledged as he handed the device back. "No more flying solo for any of us. Land about fifty feet away from Harriet, if you can. See you soon."

Neopolitan gave Sun a two-fingered salute before turning her attention back to the window and beginning to lower the aircraft. Sun ducked back into the cargo hold to find Jaune supporting Corsac and blocking the exit hatch. The blond held a familiar pair of weapons in his free hand, which he thrust out toward Sun expectantly.

"…promise me that if things get bad, you'll retreat immediately," Jaune ordered. "Don't try to fight without an aura and Semblance. Don't start anything. Just… investigate, and stay behind Blake and Harriet. Okay?"

"If you don't want me fighting, why give me these?" Sun asked as he took the proffered weaponry and looped the collapsed sticks into his belt. "Last resort?"

"Last resort," Jaune confirmed. "Good luck."

"Hopefully I won't need it," Sun acknowledged as the aircraft touched down and the door slid open. An immediate shiver overcame him, and suddenly, he began to lose his nerve. "It's freezing…"

"Without aura, it's deadly," Corsac warned. "Perhaps it's time to rethink this…"

"And let Blake go out there with just Harriet?" Sun asked with a look of obvious angst.

"You trust her, don't you?" Jaune asked rhetorically. "Then do what you know you should. Being a leader isn't supposed to be fun or comfortable."

"Yeah, yeah," Sun said with an annoyed sigh as he took out his scroll once again. "Fine…"

"Sun?" Blake asked as she held her device up to her ear. The caravan was approaching through the snow and slowing as it neared. "What's up?"

"I… can't exactly last out in the cold right now with no aura," the boy said simply. "I've gotta sit this one out. I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Blake reassured. "The three of us will handle this."

"Three?"

"…Yang insisted on coming along," Blake replied as she gave her friend some nonchalant side-eye. "We've got a solid crew."

"Yang," Sun said, sounding unimpressed. "With one arm, and probably looking for a fight?"

"I know," Blake said, doing her best not to let her tone betray his words to her friend. "We'll be fine. Leave it to me."

"Alright. Just… keep an eye on her and stay safe. Let Harriet take the lead if it turns into a fight."

"It won't," Blake said confidently as the leading tractor trailer slid to a stop an appreciable distance away. "I recognize that logo. See you soon."

"What's that supposed to be?" Yang asked as she squinted through the snow. The trailer let out a puff of smoke from its twin exhaust pipes on either side of the cab, the vehicle hissing with the expulsion as if in challenge. "And what does it mean?"

"It's a spiderweb," Harriet answered, narrowing her eyes at the deep purple insignia on the grill of the lead vehicle. "And trouble."

"Usually," Blake agreed as she began to walk forward while pocketing her scroll. "But not this time… I hope. Let me handle this."

No sooner than Blake had made the declaration, a portly woman in a deep purple parka exited the passenger side of the vehicle. Though her eyes were hidden by deep orange ski goggles, her expression was easy enough to read as one of displeasure.

"Well, well. If y'all are runnin' from Argus, that ain't a good sign for us," Lil' Miss Malachite drawled as she eyed up Blake. "I'd guess these were two ragtag local resistance members… if I didn't recognize Miss Harriet Bree."

"I'm flattered," Harriet said sarcastically. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you in person… and I forgot my cuffs in my other pants."

"Can't say the same," the other woman said as she turned her gaze toward Yang. "You, though… you do look like the local freedom fighter type, albeit one that just lost a big fight."

"Yang Xiao Long," the huntress said proudly. "And we're not escaping Argus- we're leaving Atlas."

"So… you lot made it, then," Lil' Miss Malachite mused. "Did you use my contact to get into the city?"

"We didn't," Blake denied. "But it looks like we're not the only ones who opted for another path. Change of heart?"

"Less that, more an… opportunity," the criminal mastermind replied as she folded her hands behind herself. "The way I see it, if we pull Argus out of the fire… then one Caroline Cordovin will be more inclined to look the other way when we swoop in afterward and establish a more secure foothold in her city. Lots of money to be made with our hooks in a port town."

"Typical…" Harriet balked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Hey, I'm not totally clean, either," Blake reminded. "We need all the allies we can get against Salem."

"She knows about Salem?" Yang asked. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"I'm sure your friend can tell you all about me when you get back in the air," Lil' Miss Malachite teased. "But for now, if you'd be so kind as to get behind us and fall in line… we've got a city to save. I'll call the shots, you just provide air support as needed."

"No," Blake asserted. "You need to wait here until the Black Claw arrives. The situation in Argus is serious, and you'll need reinforcements. We aren't staying to help take back the city. There's another, bigger matter that we need to take care of down in Vacuo."

"Must be quite something to be more important than the precious lives of Argus citizens," Lil' Miss Malachite said airily. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the heroes. Give me one reason to wait and trust you on working with our former enemies."

"Because if you do take back the city successfully, Atlas won't be in any position to stop you from doing whatever you want," Yang spat. "Atlas is gone. Taken up out of reach to avoid Salem. If you rush in right now, you're gambling with your one chance to get what you want. Going in with the Claw pretty much guarantees you'll pull it off."

Harriet clenched her fists at her sides and gave the blonde a glare.

"What are you doing? We're not about to let Argus just turn into some criminal hotbed…"

"Does it even matter?" Yang protested. "Let them save the city, and then we can worry about it later. No sense debating about the ethics of running a city of corpses. We're wasting time here."

"We are," Blake agreed. "Though… I have one question for you, before we part ways and entrust you with this."

"And that would be?" Lil' Miss Malachite inquired. "I'm feeling generous."

"That… contact of yours, who can get anyone or anything into or out of Mantle on a whim," Blake began. "They're not connected to a tavern in the middle of the city, are they?"

Ilia, for the first time in what seemed like days, felt good. After a thorough exploration with her tongue, Emerald had transitioned to straddling the faunus' lap in a state of total undress. With the office door locked, the girls had taken to grinding, squeezing, and kissing in a sweaty, frenzied tangle atop Robyn's couch without a care in the world. Ilia didn't care if it was a one-off situation that ultimately amounted to nothing at all. She needed the release and rush of adrenaline that came with sudden, semi-public sex, and her companion was willing to provide.

"Where," Emerald asked between kisses, her palms pressed firmly upon Ilia's shoulders. "Did you get… a vibrator? Do you just… carry one on you at all times?"

Ilia furrowed her brows as she gave Emerald's bare butt a squeeze with both hands, spurring the other girl to rock forward into another kiss.

"What the hell are you…?"

Ilia paused her efforts for a moment, and suddenly heard it. A faint, buzzing sound was going off somewhere near to them. The faunus perked up and eased Emerald back to sit upright atop her as she looked around, only to find the fabric of her discarded pants shifting subtly on the floor. With eyes wide, Ilia looked up at Emerald and transitioned her hands to the other girl's waist while she began to lift.

"Off."

"What?"

"Off!" Ilia commanded as she bucked Emerald up and back. "That's my scroll!"

Emerald reluctantly dismounted and moved to the other side of the couch as Ilia slid off the furniture and clumsily fell to the floor. With desperate pawing, she fished her discarded pants closer to herself and took out the buzzing rectangle from her pocket. One look at the screen filled her with an entirely different sort of adrenaline, and her heart fluttered in her chest as she held the scroll up to her ear.

"Blake!?"

"Finally," the other faunus replied with a heavy sigh. "Sun and I have been trying to reach you, but your scroll's been off the grid even with comms back up…"

"Yeah, I was running through Mantle and then underground for a bit," Ilia explained as she rolled onto her back and watched Emerald begin to get dressed again. "Did everyone make it out…?"

"…Ruby's ship went down. We lost her, Oscar, and Pax… but we can talk about that later."

"Shit, Blake, I'm so sorry…" Ilia offered. Though she didn't know Ruby well, she did know that her friend would be devastated. "What can I do?"

"Stay safe," a new voice chimed in.

"Sun?" Ilia asked.

"Yeah, Blake just patched me in on a three-way call," the boy replied. "I'm so glad you're okay…"

"You could say that, yeah," Ilia said as Emerald unlocked the office door and walked out without so much as a word. "Shit…"

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

"Nothing! Nothing…" Ilia said hastily as she got into a sitting position upon the cold wooden floor. "I'm just… I found Winter, Whitley, and Emerald. We're holed up in Robyn's tavern, and I might have a way out of Mantle. It's gonna be alright. We're gonna make it out of here."

"An underground water canal?" Blake guessed. "Rickety boat that only seats a few, heading out under the ice?"

"How did you…?" Ilia asked, only to jump as the office door opened once again to reveal Emerald. The thief tossed her a monogrammed towel from the bar, and she caught it with her free hand. "Thanks, Em."

"I'm with a contact right now who knows the person on the other side," Blake let on. "When you get there, find a woman named Rose, and say you want to go through the looking glass."

"Rose?" Ilia asked as she began to wipe the sweat and saliva from her breasts. "What do you know that we don't? There were blue roses down in the basement here when I did some initial scouting…"

"Rose?" Emerald echoed, perking up. "Wait… that's who we're dealing with?"

"…hold on," Ilia said into the scroll before pulling it down and placing the speaker against her shoulder. "What do you know?"

"That Jacques and Robyn have no idea what's coming to them," Emerald said as she unzipped her pants and pulled down the right side before turning toward Ilia. There, inked into her skin, was a deep purple tattoo of a spider's web that Ilia hadn't noticed in their feverish exploration of each other. "Through the looking glass, right? She'll listen to a former Dragline before those assholes, no matter what kind of deal they cut."

Author's Note:

Early update for the coming week.

Interpret that title as you will.

-RD