Ruby: Previously, on RvBvRWBY: Incursion...

"Morning, Yang. Morning, Dad," Ruby yawned.

"Morning, sweetheart," Tai smiled before placing a plate in front of his youngest daughter. "Eat up, then get dressed. I wanna make it to Vale by noon."

"Ugh, fine," Yang rolled her eyes.

"What's with you guys not wanting to go to Vale?" Tai questioned.

"Dad, Beacon was attacked. We fought in an actual full out battle and survived," Yang said. "After something like that, we are so beyond school!"

"It's… General Ironwood," Ruby said.

"What's Ironwood messaging you about?" Yang questioned.

"He says he wants us for a mission. Apparently Weiss and Blake are already on board. If we're interested, come see him in Vale at the temporary Beacon site as soon as possible."

"I don't know how you talked me into this, James," Glynda sighed.

"Because you know the possibilities with what we've made. What it can do for us, and for them," Ironwood replied.

"It's dangerous," Glynda frowned.

"They are simply escorting the shipment. I wouldn't put them at risk if I didn't think they could handle it."

"If something happens, James, it's on you."

"Tai!" Ironwood smiled and approached the father, putting a hand out to him. "It's good to see you, old friend."

Tai stared at Ironwood's hand before hesitantly shaking it. "Yeah, you too," Tai replied unconvincingly.

"I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, I wanna hear about this mission you have for my girls."

"I present to you, X-636, or as we have taken to calling it, Cosmic Dust."

It's a synthetic Dust, one that if works as intended, will open up the door to the multiverse for us," Ironwood said. "We could create a defense for anything, cure any disease… visit distant friends." Ironwood stressed that last part and gazed down at the four huntresses.

"You mean we could…?" Ruby started.

Ironwood nodded. "As a matter of fact, I promise you that if you escort this shipment of X-636 from here to the halfway point to Argus, where Specialist Winter Schnee will take over, the first test with the Dust will be to see if we can't get you to see Peter Parker again."

The members of Team RWBY traded glances, but there wasn't much to think about. Within seconds, they all already had the same answer. "We'll do it," Ruby said.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked the pilot.

"Proximity alert," The pilot answered. "But I'm not getting anything on the actual scanners."

"Yang, Blake, go check the cargo hold!" Ruby ordered.

The Grimm kept snarling, then turned its head to one of the crates. It placed its paw on one of the crates, and Ruby's eyes rounded.

"No!"

She swung her weapon down and cut the Grimm's hand clean off, also taking a section of the crate off with it. The Grimm howled and stumbled back as crystals of X-636 spilled out onto the floor.

"The Dust!" Blake exclaimed. The Grimm snarled, and eyed one of the crystals.

Immediately, the crystal in its hand as well as all the ones scattered on the floor began to vibrate violently, and the star-like specks in its look began to shine brightly, turning the crystals white. Then each crystal's light became harsher, as if each one was a sun. Soon the entire cargo hold was filled with the harsh white light.

Uh… hello?" Ruby said. The blue soldier suddenly turned and ran up to her.

"Oh! You're awake!" He yelled, his louder voice sounding harsh to Ruby's ears. She winced, but tried to stay polite.

"U-Um, who are you, and where are we?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, um, I am Michael J. Caboose, and this is the future!" Caboose answered.

"These are our new friends: Ruby, Blake and Yang," Caboose introduced.

"We appreciate your help, Sarge," Ruby said gratefully.

"Wait… where's Weiss?" The three huntresses looked around, and realized the heiress wasn't with them.

RvBvRWBY: Incursion

Chapter 2: New Faces, New Colors

The Reds and Tucker started to work on an old warthog jeep they found. Sarge and Donut were halfway under the vehicle, with Donut assisting Sarge with repairs while Grif sat in the driver's seat talking to the standing Simmons and Tucker on the other side.

"Donut, hold the light right there," Sarge ordered. "No, not on me, on that! Why would I need the light on my face?"

"Hey Sarge, what's that metal thing that looks like a bunny?" Donut asked, completely ignoring his CO. "Oo! Oo! And what's that other metal thing that looks like a soup can?"

"Don't touch anything, Donut," Sarge replied sternly. "Okay fellas, I think I've got it! Give 'er a crank!" He called out to his other soldiers but no response came. "Guys? Hey! What in tarnation are you knuckleheads doin' up there?"

Meanwhile, the other three were holding their own conversation. "No, I don't think getting new rims for the jeep is a good idea," Simmons said.

"Oh, come on!" Grif exclaimed. "If we all kick in, we can get some spinners, some kick-ass subs, hydraulics!"

"I'm in," Tucker agreed.

"Why?" Simmons questioned.

"Uh, for style?" Grif replied.

"For chicks! Well, chicks besides those other girls. Where did they go, anyway…?" Tucker said.

"What chicks? There's no one else for miles! We don't even know if anyone's still alive!" Simmons exclaimed.

"What, suddenly you're a pessimist?" Grif questioned.

"Yeah, but if we do find some women? We will literally be the last men on Earth for them," Tucker pointed out.

"He's right," Grif agreed.

"All my life I've had girls tell me, 'Not if you were the last man on Earth!'" Tucker then chuckled. "Well that may be true, but let's see what happens when I'm the last man on Earth with a sweet-ass pimped out ride, bitch!"

Sarge pulled himself out from under the car and stood up on his feet, glaring at the three others. "If you ladies are through gossiping, I could use some help fixing our vehicle!"

"Oh, yeah right. Here, lemme try," Grif said before turning the key in the ignition.

"Wait-!" Sarge exclaimed. Grif hit the gas pedal, but immediately stopped as soon as Sarge's words caught up with him. Donut, still under the warthog, let out a pained scream. "Donut, are you okay?"

"I was just petting the bunny… and then it went into the soup can… and part of my hand went with it," Donut whimpered. Sarge grumbled and crouched back down to help Donut.

"Bunny and hand soup, like mom used to make," Tucker joked.

"Donut, I told you not to touch anything. You touched everything! That's the exact opposite of touching nothing!" Sarge exclaimed.

Simmons hopped up into the front passenger seat. Grif suddenly glared at him. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm getting in the jeep," Simmons replied.

"What, are we on a date? Get in the back."

"Oh, you are so insecure!" Simmons complained before hopping out of the seat.

"Will you two shut up?" Sarge growled as he stood back up. "We need to get this thing fixed."

"Hey," a voice said as they approached. Sarge turned around to see Yang approaching.

"Hey there, little missy. Yang, was it?" Sarge replied.

"Yeah. And don't call me 'little missy'," Yang said.

"Noted."

"I thought you were talking with your friends," Grif said.

"We were. Ruby and Blake are going over our ship again, taking anything useful and as much of the shipment we were guarding as we can carry," Yang replied.

"You're teenagers. What were you guarding, Hot Topic merch?" Tucker questioned.

"Makeup? Clothes? Tampons?" Sarge added, being the more insulting of the two. Yang gave them both death glares.

"Ignore them," Grif said. "Seriously though, what's so important about what your ship was carrying if you crash-landed for it?"

"That's… a bit harder to explain," Yang replied.

"We have time. We're trying to fix the jeep, and with Donut dying under it, we're not exactly making headway," Simmons remarked.

"I feel dizzy, Sarge…" Donut cried.

"Ah, that's just blood loss," Sarge waved him off. "You'll make new blood. You just need some orange juice."

"What's the rush in getting this thing fixed anyway?" Tucker questioned.

"Listen, dirtbag; I know on Blue Team you like to lolligag, a bit-"

"There is no Blue Team!" Tucker cut him off. "It's all a lie. Red and Blue are the same!"

"Ah, don't start that crap again!" Grif groaned.

"You sound like some conspiracy nut when you talk about that stuff," Simmons added. "'The government put a chip in my brain!'"

"'The president can hear my thoughts!'" Grif mocked.

"We never landed on the sun!" Donut continued from under the car.

"'They put fluoride in my water!'"

"Actually, that one's true," Simmons said seriously.

"It is? No wonder I listen to so much pop music," Grif said.

"We're fixing the jeep because we need to be prepared," Sarge answered, "Just as our enemies are no doubt preparing to attack us at this very moment!"

"But you guys think I'm your enemy, and I'm not preparing to do anything!" Tucker defended himself. "Except get l-a-i-d." Everyone, Yang included, stared blankly at him. "Laid," He deadpanned.

"Yeah, we can spell, we just think that's fucking weak," Grif said harshly.

Yang turned back to Sarge. "Sarge, we were wondering, for the time being, can we come with you guys when you head out? We don't exactly know the terrain, and you guys seem friendly enough. Plus, we need to find our teammate."

"Well, the warthog would get cramped, but I don't see why not," Sarge replied. "In fact, if that ship of yours has got any useful parts, we'd be happy to have 'em. Not like that bird'll fly again anyways."

"Sounds fair enough," Yang replied. "In the meantime, I wouldn't mind helping out on the jeep where I can."

"Would you even know how?" Grif questioned.

"Yeah. I fix my dad's truck up all the time, and I have a motorcycle back home that I keep in shape."

"Sounds good enough for me," Sarge said. "If you can pull the dead man out, you can take his place. And in return…" Sarge turned to the still standing-around Simmons and Tucker. "You two, go help the other ladies with unpacking that ship of theirs, and look for any parts we could use in the warthog."

"What? Why do we have to do it?" Tucker complained.

"Because you two are standing around like it's some kind of ice cream social! Now get going before I put a shotgun shell in your ass!" Sarge commanded.

"This is bullshit…" Tucker groaned as he and Simmons passed by Yang towards the bullhead's crash site. The two arrived at the crash site to see Caboose just standing outside of the ship alone. "Caboose, what are you doing?" Tucker asked.

"Well, see, the nice girl in the red hood asked me to stay out here, so that is what I'm doing. Staying out here. Alone," Caboose replied.

"Sounds like they saved themselves a lot of trouble," Tucker remarked.

"I don't know. They've been pretty secretive," Simmons said. "I mean, I get it, we're complete strangers and all, but besides their names, we've gotten nothing. Not where they're from, what they were doing, how the ship crashed, or what they were protecting. We tried to ask Yang about it, but she dodged the question and talked to Sarge instead."

"Huh, I did notice that," Tucker said. He then looked at Simmons. "Wanna go in and see?"

"What?"

"Do you want to go inside and see what's in the ship? We're supposed to be going in for parts anyway, we have a good excuse."

"I don't know, man. I don't wanna cause trouble if I can avoid it. Especially if we're trying to get them to trust us," Simmons replied hesitantly.

"Alright. Suit yourself," Tucker said before heading towards the ship.

"Wha-? Tucker, what are you doing?!" Simmons quickly went after him. "This is a bad idea!"

Tucker and Simmons entered the ship, coming into the messy cargo room, where Ruby and Blake were filling a backpack with starry crystals the soldiers didn't recognize. "What is that stuff?" Tucker asked as they approached.

"This is what we were protecting," Ruby answered.

"That doesn't answer my question," Tucker replied.

"Look, we get you have questions, but now isn't really the best time for us to answer them," Blake said.

"Why not?" Tucker questioned.

"Because we're stranded in the middle of who-knows-where with a missing friend and no clue where to look," Ruby answered.

"I'm missing a friend too, exactly why we should try to get along and, y'know, talk. We both have people to find. Wouldn't it be easier if we helped each other?" Ruby and Blake traded glances, then Ruby looked back to Tucker.

"We understand, Tucker. Can you at least let us finish this?" Ruby asked.

"Actually, Sarge had us come to help out, whether that's helping you pack up this crystal stuff, or stripping this airship for parts for the warthog," Simmons said.

"I don't know how much of the ship is usable, but we need to take as much of this with us as we reasonably can," Blake said. "If you really want to help, it would be much appreciated."

"If you really needed that much help, why have Caboose sit outside?" Simmons questioned.

"Caboose is sweet and all, but…" Ruby started to say.

"He's an idiot," Tucker said.

"That's mean," Ruby frowned.

"It's true. You know if you tell him that scented markers have flavor, he'll try and eat them?" Tucker said.

"Why, have you done that before?" Blake asked.

"No." Tucker then snorted, unable to stifle a laugh. "Yeah."

"He told me the blue ones tasted like blueberries…" They all heard Caboose say dejectedly outside the ship.

Consciousness returned to Weiss slowly. The last thing she remembered was that harsh light, and the Grimm attacking the ship. When she saw her surroundings, they definitely weren't the cockpit of a bullhead. She was in a bland, colorless room, laid on a makeshift bed to rest. She groaned and held her head as she sat up and her feet hit the floor.

"Oh, you're awake!" A voice startled her. She looked over to see a man in purple armor gently approach her. "Sorry if I startled you. How do you feel?"

"U-Uh, worse for wear, I guess. Who are you?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, my name's Frank DuFresne, but everyone I've met recently has just started calling me Doc, and I guess it stuck after all. So Doc is fine too," Doc said. "I found you out on the beach outside this facility, so I brought you inside to treat you."

"Well… thank you, Doc. I'm Weiss, Weiss Schnee," Weiss greeted gratefully. "Would you have happened to see my friends by chance?"

"Sorry, but no. You're the only person we've seen all day," Doc answered. "Only thing out there with you was what I assume used to be a vehicle in a thousand pieces."

Weiss sighed. "I guess we got separated… Wait, you said 'we'. Who else is here?"

Doc nervously chuckled. "I guess that's where things get a little complicated… see, there's kinda this AI in my head named O'Malley that's… not very nice. And the only reason he's not here right now is because I made him promise to let me treat you in peace."

"I'm sorry…?"

Doc sighed. "I probably sound insane."

Had Weiss not had a certain history, she would have absolutely thought so. But given events that took place during her time at Beacon and everything that pertains, this was tame by comparison. "So this AI, O'Malley… you have no control?"

"Yes and no… wait, you believe me?" Doc looked up.

"You're not the first man with a dark passenger I've met," Weiss said before standing up, thinking of a certain bully-turned-anti-hero back on Remnant. "So what does 'yes and no' mean?"

"It means he behaves himself or his body will be mine permanently," Doc said, his voice dropping an octave and becoming gravelly and sinister with a mild british accent, cartoonishly so.

"O'Malley, I presume?" Weiss crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes indeed, Miss Schnee. So don't cross me, or I'll kill you," O'Malley threatened.

"I thought we talked about this," Doc replied.

"Ugh, fine, I won't threaten your patient," O'Malley groaned. "Well, Miss Schnee, come along then. I'd like to keep an eye on you."

"And if I don't?" Weiss questioned.

"I'll kill you. I thought I made that very clear already," O'Malley simply replied. "And considering that little weapon of yours is in my posession, I would consider heeding that warning. Now get moving." Weiss rolled her eyes and walked forward with a frown.

"Y'know, having a weapon would probably make you more threatening," Weiss suggested.

"It's not my fault this fool walks around without a weapon," O'Malley remarked.

"I'm a pacifist, what do you want from me?" Doc said.

"Bullets would be a start," O'Mally said.

Doc sighed and took Weiss's side instead of making her walk ahead. "I-I really am sorry…" he stammered.

"It doesn't seem to be your fault. You're more of a prisoner than I am," Weiss replied.

"You're not really a prisoner, per se," Doc said. "We just found this place and wanted to make it home, even if O'malley has… less than noble intentions."

"That's one way to put it," Weiss remarked. The two then stepped outside onto a walkway that overlooked the courtyard of the facility, including a massive slow-turning turbine and old stone walls surrounding the entire complex. Over one wall you could see a shining view of the expansive blue ocean. "That's actually a nice view."

"I know, right? Very LA bungalow kinda stuff," Doc said.

"If you two start talking about decoration and scenery, I will kill all of us right now," O'Malley threatened as they continued forward. They stepped short of a turret placement, where a single robotic head identical to Doc's helmet but green sat on the ground. "Yes, this place is coming along nicely. Excellent work repairing the turrets, Lopez."

The robotic head then replied in a language Weiss didn't understand. "[Thanks. I find the manual labor very stimulating]."

"I still think a flower box would've been a bit more neighborly," Doc said.

"Oh, shut up you fool!" O'Malley growled.

"Hey, we should start a neighborhood association! It's like a government, but run by housewives and old people, so it's a lot more efficient at controlling your life."

"Get out of my head!"

"It's his head. You're just the killer AI making it his home," Weiss corrected harshly.

"Eh, I don't mind sharing. Don't you remember that talk we had about sharing?"

"Shut up!" O'Malley roared. Weiss looked around the facility, then saw a man in red armor approaching the main building.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"Hm? Who's what?" O'Malley walked over and saw the man down at ground level. "Oh, not this buffoon! How did he get here?"

"[He probably was blown nearby by the bomb]," Lopez suggested, with Weiss still not understanding a word he said.

"Hello? What do you want?" O'Malley called out.

"The disembodied voice of God!" The man said with a high pitched voice before kneeling down in the dirt. "I hear you, holy one! I have made it to the temple and await your command!"

"What's wrong with him?" Weiss questioned.

"His parents didn't put him out of his misery at birth," O'Malley remarked before turning his attention back to the red soldier. "Up here! Hello? Red moron! Eyes up, chop chop!"

The red looked up and stood back up. "Oh! Greetings! Are you the gatekeepers of the temple?" The man asked.

"Us? No, we just moved in!" Doc answered. "Can you help us move a couch? Do you know any good restaurants nearby?"

"Just a second," O'Malley cut him off before turning back to talk privately with Doc in Weiss's earshot. "Listen, you fool, let me handle this."

"I don't know, you haven't been the best choice when it comes to making friends," Doc replied. "Maybe I should try."

"Nonsense! With the proper handling, this fellow will make an excellent stooge! And I'm the one here with the most experience training stooges." O'Malley declared. "Isn't that right, Lopez?"

"[Nyuk, nyuk]."

"You see?"

"Should I even bother weighing in?" Weiss questioned.

"Probably not. He's kind of a control freak," Doc said. "Alright, you can have this, but I get to hang my motivational posters in the living room. Hang in there, kitty!"

O'Malley groaned. "Fine, but I'm telling you, that cat will never make it to Friday." O'Malley had already snapped back onto the red. "Yes, we're the guardians of the temple. What do you want?"

"I have traveled great distances in search of enlightenment!" The Red replied.

"Really? That's perfect! We have tons of that in here. But listen: we just can't let anyone in who wants to get in, so goodbye."

"WAIT!" The Red cried. "I will do anything! Just tell me what I need to do to gain entrance!"

"Psst. Ask him what he knows about gardening," Doc whispered.

"[Ask him if we can have his shoulders]," Lopez added.

"Ask him if he's seen my teammates," Weiss continued.

"Maybe he knows how to use that computer we found," Doc finished. O'Malley pressed the switch that opened the main gate into the facility. The rusted metal screeched as it was opened, but eventually left the main entryway open.

"Alright then, come on in. We'll think of something," O'Malley cackled. He kept cackling to himself while Weiss rolled her eyes. These people were all either insane or brain dead. She suddenly got a feeling they were being watched, though. She looked around and thought she saw a figure in black armor off in the distance, hiding behind the corner of a stone archway.

"I think someone's watching us," She said aloud.

"Hm?" O'Malley looked in the direction Weiss gestured to see no one. "Nothing's there, but I think I saw it too. Strange."

"Hey, tell ya what, Weiss, let's get you back inside and get some food on your stomach so you can get some energy back," Doc suggested. "After that, I can perform one last checkup on you to determine your condition."

"That sounds pretty good about now," Weiss relented. As they re-entered the facility, though, the black armored figure watched them from a new spot, never even blinking as they left their eyesight.

Ruby looked out at the expansive desert ruin landscape, which seemingly reached as far as the horizon. She had her hood over her head, keeping most of the sand on the warm current of wind from getting on her face. Her cloak waved out in the wind behind her as well, rose petals flying away off her. She crossed her arms and sighed.

"You alright?" Sarge's gruff voice startled her as he approached. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"I'm alright," Ruby replied. "Just worried."

"Ah don't worry. We'll find your friend. We made a makeshift cart like a truck bed to attach to the back of the warthog. Once we know it's purrin', we can be on our way."

"We really appreciate it, Sarge," Ruby replied, pulling her hood off her head and looking up at the old soldier.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Not like we're doing much else here anyway. Besides, clearly you support Red Team with that hood of yours! Red is the sign of a strong leader such as myself! Us Reds gotta stick together!" Sarge beamed. Ruby giggled a bit at Sarge's enthusiasm.

"You're certainly patriotic," She smiled.

"Well we gotta be. We stand strong against those Blue devils, Red Team will be victorious!"

"I don't get why you guys are fighting in the first place. You guys seem to get along just fine," Ruby pointed out.

"Red and Blue are sworn enemies! These are just special circumstances. Once things go back to status quo, the Blue's will meet the business end of my trusty shotgun! Ha ha!"

"You should really try to be friends with them," Ruby suggested. "You basically already are. I mean, talking together, hanging out. At least your team seems to be."

"Grif and Simmons have let their guard down, a fatal error. But like my pappy always told me, never trust a Blue. Never."

Ruby just sighed. "Nevermind…" She and Sarge then looked to see Simmons and Grif approaching.

"Grif, Simmons. Where have you two been?" Sarge asked.

"Our patrol didn't go exactly as planned, Sarge," Simmons answered.

"Did you find something? Wait a minute, where's the jeep?"

"Yeah… it's like this;" grif started, immediately prompting Sarge to growl under his breath

"Grif, I just built that jeep. I don't want to hear that it's been destroyed," Sarge said.

"Oh. Well then maybe I should stop talking," Grif said. "Or you could stop listening."

"Grif!"

"Oh no, it's not destroyed, Sarge. The engine just quit," Simmons clarified.

"What were you guys doing when the engine died?" Ruby asked.

"Duh, getting the jeep out of the ditch," Grif answered.

"What was the jeep doing in a ditch?" Sarge questioned.

"Well I can tell you what it wasn't doing, and that's recreating the coolest scene from the Dukes of Hazzard ever." Sarge lowered his head and let out a low sigh. "Simmons was driving!"

"No I wasn't, Yang was! I was holding the arrows and the dynamite!" Simmons defended.

"Wait, Yang helped you crash the car?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"When she found out what we were doing, she basically begged us to let her do it with us," Grif answered.

"She does like excitement," Ruby remarked.

"Let's just see how bad it is," Sarge said. Grif and Simmons led the two leaders back to the warthog, which was being inspected by Yang when they arrived. Sarge began to inspect it himself quickly, pushing Yang out of his light. Ruby took her sister's side and whispered to her.

"Yang, what were you thinking?" She questioned.

"What? I needed to keep myself occupied somehow, and it looked fun!" Yang replied nonchalantly.

"And it was fun. Totally worth it," Grif added.

"You bet," Yang smiled and fist-bumped Grif.

"Wait a second, this thing ain't busted, it's just outta gas!" Sarge exclaimed.

"It runs on gas?" Ruby questioned.

"Of course not, where are we gonna get gasoline?" Sarge said, "I modified the fuel cells to utilize a form of gold fission, powered by solar energy."

"So why is it dead, sir?" Simmons asked.

"You would've had to have parked it in the shade for two hours. What were you three doing parked in the shade for two hours?" Sarge asked.

"Well I can tell you what we weren't doing-" Yang started, but Sarge cut her off.

"Oh, forget it. C'mon. Help me push this thing into the sunlight." The Red leader went to one side of the car to help push. Yang and Grif traded glances, with the Huntress giving the orange-armored soldier a smirk.

"You and I are gonna get along just fine, Yang," Grif said.

The Reds all took positions around the car. While Simmons also actually gripped the car, and began to push, Grif just faked noises of effort with his mouth while standing there. Yang rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You guys need a little bit of help there?" She asked.

"It would be appreciated…" Simmons strained. Yang moved towards the back bumper of the car.

"You guys might wanna let go," Yang warned.

"I appreciate the spirit, litty missy… but one person can't push this alone…" Sarge strained.

"Alright," Yang shrugged, "I warned ya." Yang gripped the warthog by the bottom of the bumper and lifted the back wheels off the ground, and with ease, pushed it forward, and quickly. The three reds were forced to let go of the car as Yang effortlessly moved it out of the shade and back into the harsh sunlight of the desert. She dropped the back wheels back down and wiped her hands clean front he sand staining the green chassis of the vehicle. She placed her hands on her hips and turned back around with a smirk. "There. That was easy." The Reds all stared at her in bewilderment. "What?"

"How did you do that?! That thing weighs a freakin' ton!" Grif exclaimed.

"Natural strength. Yang's always been strong," Ruby answered.

"This is why I'm scared of girls," Simmons said to himself.

"Hey, she saved me from a hernia, so I won't complain," Sarge remarked before walking over to the front of the warthog. "What happened to this fender?"

"It was like that when we took it out," Grif answered.

"And where's the hubcap?"

"Man, this neighborhood's really going to crap," Grif joked.

"I gotta buy those in sets of four, numb nuts," Sarge deadpanned.

"Looks like the jeep's getting power," Ruby said. Soon enough, the main console whirred to life, and the radio began blaring annoying tejano music.

"Turn that crap off," Sarge commanded. Ruby hopped in the passenger seat, unsure of what to actually do, and began to reach for knobs to fiddle with when the music suddenly stopped and different random transmission sounds began to play.

"Ah! I didn't touch anything, I swear!" Ruby exclaimed.

Soon though, the sounds changed into another transmission, with a woman's voice coming over the radio. "Come in! Does anyone read me? Over."

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

"This is Freelancer Tex, looking for anyone from the Blood Gulch Outpost, do you read? Over." The woman repeated.

"It's that mean chick from the blue team!" Grif recognized.

"Hang up on her," Simmons suggested.

"Good idea," Sarge replied, starting to go for the channel knob when Ruby stopped him.

"Wait! What if she needs help?" She said.

"I've found O'Malley's base! Repeat, I've found O'Malley's base," Tex continued.

"O'Malley? Son of a-" Sarge repeated aloud.

"Where is she?" Simmons asked.

Tex answered that question immediately after it was asked. "They seem to be holed up in some kind of fortress, and he's not alone."

"Maybe we could use the radio to triangulate her position," Grif suggested.

"How? We only have one radio," Simmons replied. "We would need a third point to triangulate."

"Okay, well let's just pick a point between her and us," Grif said.

"That would be a line, not a triangle," Ruby corrected.

Grif continued, "Right, a line that will lead us straight to Tex! It's the perfect mathematical plan!"

"Hey grif, why don't you just stick to criticizing other people's ideas instead of coming up with your own?" Simmons deadpanned.

"It does seem to be my talent," Grif said.

Sarge said, "I could simulate a third radio by using some of this sand, and the heat from the jeep's tailpipe to make an enormous refractory lens. And then-"

"Or we could just listen to the coordinates she's saying," Yang cut him off. Sure enough, Tex was audibly speaking coordinates of her position.

"My coordinates are two-two-niner delta, by one-point-three-seven-gamma," She said, then continued to repeat to reach out to any of the Reds and Blues from Blood Gulch.

"Yeah, that works too," Ruby said with a chuckle.

Simmons saw his CO look a bit downtrodden. "What's wrong, Sarge?"

"Nothing," Sarge sighed.

"You really wanted to make the lens, didn't you?" Ruby asked.

"You're damn right!"

"Well, we can make it later, when we have more time," Simmons said.

"Awww, don't patronize me…"

She stood alone, watching out at the expanding dark landscape, entire lakes of Grimm matter continually spawning the dark, evil creatures of Grimm. She enjoyed this relative peace until one of her underlings exited the castle and began to approach her.

"What is it, Arthur?" Salem asked, not turning around to face him.

"Lady Salem. I was wanting to report the success of the attack on that shipment of unnatural Dust Ironwood had sent, though I am somewhat confused," Doctor Arthur Watts said as he approached. "I thought you didn't want to bother yourself with the X-636. If that's true, why have the creatures attack?"

"What are you talking about?" Salem asked, finally turning around.

"One of the bullheads carrying the X-636 was attacked by..." Watts started but stopped short.

"By what, Arthur?" Salem stressed.

"Well... by the Hound, your majesty. I admit I'm surprised, I didn't know you had finished it's creation."

Salem's brow furrowed and she finally turned around to face her underling. "The first Hound's creation will take many more months. As such, no Grimm of its kind should exist. Your reports are false."

"I'm afraid not," Watts said before pulling his scroll from his pocket and showing Salem a few still frames of what would eventually become of her Hound experiments inside the hold of an Atlesian bullhead. "This cargo hold footage was transmitted real time to the end drop-off point in Argus. It was cut off when the ship was lost. I couldn't recover the footage itself, just a few frames."

"Whatever that creature is, it was not sent by me. As I told Cinder before her defeat, I have no interest in the Multiverse or the possibility this Dust has for it. Hence why I ignored it in the first place. That creature acted independently."

"But no Grimm should be capable of that kind of individual thought, at least not yet," Watts said. "I didn't think they could act strategically at all without your guidance. But whatever this was, whether it was the Hound or not, was smart. It was waiting for the shipment just outside of Vale's borders. Which begs the question: what the hell is it? And what is it planning?"

"That I leave for you to discover, Doctor Watts," Salem said.

"Yes, my lady," Watts bowed before leaving Salem alone. Salem still pondered the creature, though. It seemed to be a Grimm that acted individually, which in their nature was impossible. The Grimm were a collective commanded only by her, and were otherwise wild animals. This wasn't a normal Grimm. Whatever it was, it troubled her. What was this creature? Who was controlling it? Being out of control of even the smallest thing was somethin Salem hadn't experienced in a millennia.