A heavy silence fell over the room, enveloping them like a dense fog. Everything was still as they stood in shock, allowing the news to slowly sink in. The article took up the bottom middlemost monitor, keeping every eye locked on to the incriminating photo of Jaune.
"That's Brunswick," the man said in a hollow voice. "I-I never saw a camera."
So Torchwick was to blame for this, then. That's why they were only just now catching him entering the warehouse, Weiss realized—he'd been in Vacuo for some reason and only just gotten back.
"Jaune," Ruby said softly, taking a step toward him and reaching for his shoulder.
"Dammit," he muttered.
"Jaune, it's going to be—"
"Dammit!" He moved away from her and slammed his fist against the wall. "This is why I gave this up in the first place! I was never cut out for this, I was never going to be her."
"But you can—"
"Ruby, just . . . stop." Jaune's voice cracked. "It's over."
"We can find a way through this. There's still—"
"I said stop!" He whirled around, a wild look in his eye.
"Hey, don't you lash out at her!" Weiss's sympathy for him, though still present, wavered.
His anger faltered, and his expression began to sober. He stared down at the ground, seeming surprised to see he was still clutching onto his scroll. He ended the call and pocketed the device, freeing that hand to also ball into a fist.
"No, it's fine," Ruby said. "I get it. Let's just . . . give him some space."
"Right," said Jaune, his tone low and empty. "Space. Won't be seeing much of that behind bars."
"You're not going to jail," said Ruby.
"Ruby . . ." Jaune sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling. But I don't need your optimism right now."
Ruby hesitated. "Alright. So what do you need?"
"I don't . . . I don't know." He was silent for a bit. "I just need to go."
"Go where?" Weiss demanded.
It took him a while to voice his answer. "To the cops."
"What?" said Ruby.
"You can't be serious," said Weiss.
"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked. "I have a life, I have family. I can't just become a fugitive. I'm studying law, and my oldest sister's a lawyer, but I can't be cleared if I don't turn myself in."
"But what about Torchwick?" said Ruby.
"What about him?" said Jaune. "He got us—he got me. We missed our chance, and he won."
"No, he didn't. We know where he is now. We can still take him down while there's still time."
"Ruby," said Weiss. "I . . . I think Jaune's right. Without him, stopping Torchwick is impossible. And if he goes back out there in that suit, then his chances of being exonerated will be reduced to almost nothing."
"But we're so close! We have what we need, we found him."
"We found him too late," said Jaune. "It's over."
"But—"
"It's over."
Ruby's head fell. A long silence ensued before she said in a hollow voice, "So . . . what happens now?"
"The only option we have," Weiss said. "We go to the authorities. We tell them what we know, excluding certain details—" she gestured toward Jaune "—and hope it doesn't take too many sacrifices for them to apprehend Torchwick and Neo."
Ruby bit her lip, clearly unhappy. Weiss wasn't stoked about this plan either, in all honesty. She'd been hoping for something to come along and make her choice for her, but not like this. The cost of stopping Torchwick without the inhibitor and Ruby's semblance was too high, but now there was no other option. They wouldn't stand a chance without Jaune and his armor.
"I don't like it," said Ruby.
"Well it's all you've got," said Jaune. Then, after a few seconds, "Maybe this is for the best."
"What are you talking about?" Weiss said incredulously.
"I already let you down," he said. "I took the helmet off when I shouldn't have, and look where that got us. At least now I can't make any mistakes that would get either of you killed."
"And here I thought Ruby was the optimist."
"You wouldn't have gotten us killed," said Ruby.
"Maybe not. Now we'll never have to know." Jaune stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I should go."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ruby asked. "They haven't even made a call for your arrest yet."
"That we know of. If the cops haven't broken into my apartment already, then they'll be on their way soon. It's better to get ahead of them. The sooner I submit to questioning, the sooner I'll be cleared, right?" His words indicated hope but sounded hollow.
"So that's it, then? You're just going to say goodbye and leave us? After all that's happened, after what we just learned?"
"Yeah. Pretty much." Jaune fiddled with the collar of his shirt. His feet were pointed in two different directions as if each had their own idea of where they should carry him. In the end, they came to an agreement and brought him close enough to Ruby to hug her. He muttered something into her ear and, after a moment, she whispered something back. After they broke apart, Jaune looked at Weiss. He was hesitant, so she rolled her eyes and initiated the hug herself.
"Be safe, Jaune," she said.
"I will."
"Don't tell them anything about any of this—Torchwick, Maze, us. It'll only make you look more guilty."
"I know." He took a step back and wouldn't meet her eyes, then turned his back on both of them. Having not even taken off his shoes the previous night, he was able to leave without any further delay.
A ringing silence replaced his presence. Ruby sunk down to the floor, looking defeated, and hugged her knees. Weiss sat down beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"This was all for nothing," Ruby said.
"No, it wasn't," said Weiss. "We gathered a lot of substantial intel. Us not being the ones to act on it doesn't make it a wasted effort."
"None of it matters. We'll tell the cops everything, they'll send in a tactical team, and Neo will just zip Torchwick away to freedom. Boom, back to square one."
Weiss didn't have a response. That was the only realistic outcome going forward. There are no exceptions in the law prohibiting paragons from using their semblances on non-consenting individuals—not even for law enforcement against criminals. So even if the police had access to someone like Ruby who could counter Neo's speed, they wouldn't be able to legally send them after her. It's a glaring flaw in the system, but no one seemed to care. Weiss's father had given so much money to corrupt politicians, yet he never influenced the rectification of any laws that actually mattered.
"Isn't this the part where you tell me I'm stupid and wrong and that the cops know what they're doing?" Ruby asked after a silence.
Weiss shook her head. "I wish it was, Ruby. But you're not stupid, and the police aren't equipped to handle this situation. Nothing short of miraculously catching Neo while she's asleep or dropping a bomb on the warehouse could guarantee success."
"Well . . . at least I'm not stupid." Ruby paused. "They wouldn't actually do that . . . would they?"
Weiss wanted to say, "Of course not," but didn't know whether that would be a lie. So instead, she said nothing.
"There's got to be something we can still do," Ruby said.
"There isn't," said Weiss.
Half a minute passed before the girl spoke again. "Well . . . are you sure about that? What if . . .?" She bit her lip.
"Do I even want to hear you finish that thought?"
"I mean . . . what if we did it without Jaune?"
After taking a moment to process that suggestion, Weiss repositioned herself so that she could look her friend in the eye. "Did what without Jaune, exactly?"
"We take down Torchwick," Ruby said. "Just you and me."
Weiss was speechless. If she hadn't grown to know Ruby as well as she had, she would've immediately thought the girl was joking. But there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Ruby was being completely serious.
"Look," Ruby said, clearly trying to stave off the impending lecture. She shifted and crossed her legs beneath herself. "I know what you're going to say—"
"Can we just . . ." Weiss rubbed her temple, "skip past me yelling at you and get to the part where you accept how horrible the idea you just came up with is? I don't think I have the energy to do this again. We keep going around this same circle over and over again. When will you get tired of it?"
"Just me hear me out," Ruby pleaded.
Weiss only sighed.
"Neo is the only thing stopping the cops from having a chance to arrest Torchwick," Ruby said. "If we can get her out of the picture, we can tip off Yang and Blake and they can have the building surrounded before Torchwick even knows what's happening, and he'll have no way to escape."
"And the part where we have to get past who knows how many armed criminals without the one person who has any kind of experience with this sort of thing?"
"Stealth," Ruby said, spreading her hands and smiling as if she'd just proposed an airtight solution to the world's most complicated problem.
"Stealth," Weiss repeated blankly.
"We sneak in. I can Blink us past any alarms by aiming through a window. We quietly find Neo, teleport right behind her—I prick her with the inhibitor and you cure her—then we sneak out and call in the cavalry."
"Ruby—"
"I know," Ruby interrupted. "I know what you're thinking. But this isn't going to be another Junior's. We wouldn't be rushing in recklessly and winding up trapped—we'd be going in prepared, carefully. And at the first sign of danger, we bail. I'll Blink us out to safety, and that's it. I'll protect you."
Weiss studied her friend's face and said nothing. She saw a strange look of maturity in those silver eyes—a determined confidence that could almost reassure her that Ruby had learned from her past mistakes.
"But I won't do this without you," Ruby continued. "I won't go in alone and pressure you to come along and risk your life just for me. If you don't want to do this, neither of us will. Just don't make any snap decisions like I would—honestly think about it."
Weiss was impressed. That was all of her worries addressed. Perhaps Ruby had learned from all of this after all. Her words had somehow left Weiss conflicted—she was uncertain in a situation where a refusal should have come without hesitation. The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity until Weiss finally found the will to speak.
"I'll consider it," she found herself saying. But, deep down, a part of her already knew what her answer would be.
Weiss was beginning to wonder if there was another reason as to why she'd foolishly volunteered to help Ruby investigate her mother's murder. Was it possible that a part of her had simply seen a girl in distress and felt the urge to help? Weiss had chosen a career where she could aid people in need, despite having a wealthy father who'd wanted to prepare her to head up the family business one day—a multi-trillion lien company with international influence. There'd always been a drive within her to aid those less fortunate than her, but perhaps it was more potent than she'd once thought. That drive was now causing her to put her own life in peril. Could Ruby be right? Did Weiss have what it took to be a hero?
It was a ridiculous notion, somehow becoming less so. It wasn't like the word "hero" was synonymous with "vigilante", anyway. But, with what she was preparing to do, the distinction didn't seem all that relevant. What was relevant was the fact that a girl had been abducted as a child and hadn't known a single day of freedom since. Weiss had the power to change that, and the idea—however unlikely—of that girl dying to a bomb with her master's name written on it was too terrible to consider.
"How do I look?" Ruby stepped into the room and stood erect with her hands on her hips. She was completely unrecognizable. A hooded cloak sprawled down her back and stopped at her lower leg, the outside dark red with a brighter inner lining. She wore a well-tailored suit that covered everything from her collar down to her boots. It consisted of mostly dark colors accented by reds and a touch of silver. It was primarily made of leather, but Weiss knew some armor plates were hidden beneath the material. And to complete the look, Ruby wore the same metal mask she'd shown to Weiss over a month ago.
Weiss, who had just finished getting dressed herself, took a few seconds to look over her friend. It was the first time she'd seen the complete outfit, and it looked impressive—if she hadn't known Ruby had made it entirely herself, she'd think it was stolen off the set of a blockbuster superhero movie. Weiss's honest opinion was that the look suited Ruby, but she knew that sort of compliment would go to her head. What she said instead was, "You've looked worse."
Ruby lowered the hood and took off her mask to reveal a grin. "I'll take it!"
Weiss, by comparison, looked downright drab. Due to lack of time and resources, her outfit consisted entirely of dark jeans and the black hoodie Ruby had begun wearing to class after Torchwick had seen her in her favorite red zip-up. "You look so normal!" is what Ruby had had to say about the getup. She'd probably meant it as a compliment, but Weiss hadn't taken it as one. It was the dowdiest she'd ever dressed. Even after losing the family fortune, it was a point of pride that she always presented herself with some class. But, unfortunately, this was optimal for what they were about to undertake, as they both needed to be disguised and hard to spot.
"Did you ever get that voice modulator working?" Weiss asked.
Ruby smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh, right! I forgot." She put the mask back on and flicked a hidden switch. When she spoke, she sounded pretty similar to how Jaune did with his helmet, only a bit higher-pitched. "Stop right there, criminal scum! Eh, see? Oh, wait! You still haven't heard my superhero name."
"And I don't want to."
"What? Oh, come on. Of course you do!"
"No, I don't. Asking to hear your vigilante alias would be me approving of you ever putting that costume on again after tonight, which I don't."
"Psh! No it wouldn't. You—"
"Would you take that thing off?"
"Right, sorry. But you've gotta be at least a little curious."
"I'm not. Besides, it's usually the media that nicknames new vigilantes."
"Usually. Unless the hero beats them to it."
"And you think that you can do that."
"You've just got to be quick on the draw, and I'm pretty fast. I came in first in three of my high school track meets."
"That's . . . I don't see how that's relevant."
"You know I'm gonna tell you the name whether you want me to or not, right?"
Weiss sighed. "Do what you want, but I still don't approve of this."
"I am—" Ruby raised her chin up higher "—The Insomniac!"
It took Weiss a few seconds to respond to that. "The Insomniac. Don't you think that's a bit . . . identifying to anyone who knows about your semblance's price?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with my semblance—not as far as the public's concerned, at least. That was how I got the inspiration, sure, but it really just means I'll be up fighting crime both day and night."
Weiss frowned. "And when exactly do you intend to sleep? Your semblance isn't going to keep you up all day and night if you're hypothetically using it to 'fight crime'."
"When does any hero sleep? I'll find the time. But that's not important. Do you like the name or not?"
"I refuse to form an opinion."
"If you don't tell me you hate it, then I'll assume you like it."
"Don't be a child."
Ruby gave her an expectant look, but Weiss didn't give in to her game. She turned her back on the silver-eyed girl and picked up the gloves that would—excluding the ski mask stuffed into her pocket—complete the ensemble.
"Are we ready then or not?" she asked, picturing Ruby's triumphant face as she put them on.
"I knew you liked it!"
"Just answer the question!" Weiss snapped.
"Of course I'm ready!"
"Then let's go before I change my mind."
Weiss led the way out of the living quarters. Her heart rate, which had already been refusing to drop below one hundred beats per minute for the past hour, began to beat even faster. This was, without a doubt, the dumbest decision she'd ever made. Every fiber of her being wanted to renege on it, but she couldn't. Ruby's plan was sound, so Weiss just had to have faith in it.
"There." Ruby pointed. "That looks like a good way in."
Kneeling next to her atop a building, shrouded by the dark of night, Weiss followed her finger toward the neighboring STC warehouse. A door with a thin, rectangular window on it seemed to be what Ruby was referencing.
"That's an emergency exit," Weiss said, squinting and seeing no exterior handle. "They're meant to be kept unobstructed, which means there won't be anything to provide cover."
"Do you really think that Torchwick follows safety regulations?"
"No, but that doesn't mean we should bet on him going out of his way to break them."
"Hmm." Ruby thought for a few seconds. "I could Blink us to another rooftop so we can see the other side of the building."
"How many times do you think you can do that?"
"I'm not sure. Last time I was able to use my semblance fourteen times before I felt like I was about to collapse. But those were really short Blinks. I haven't tried to go all that far yet—there hasn't been a chance, being cooped up all this time. And I don't know how much Blinking with a passenger affects me, either—I haven't done it since Junior's."
"You still need to get us into and back out of the warehouse. Will you be able to manage that if you teleport us to that other vantage point first?"
"I think so."
"You think so? Ruby, we're taking enough risks as is. We can't afford—"
"I can do it," Ruby interrupted. "I know I can."
Weiss scrutinized her face and saw a look of fierce determination. "Okay. I trust you."
Ruby concentrated on their destination and held her hand out. Weiss took it and shortly after felt a violent tugging sensation behind her abdomen. Her ears popped, and then, instantaneously, the two were somewhere else.
After a moment's disorientation, Weiss caught her balance and took in the new view. "I don't know how you can bear repeatedly going through that."
"Going through what?" said Ruby.
Weiss stared at her. "Teleporting! It feels horrible—how can you stand it?"
Ruby shrugged. "It feels good to me."
"What? So you don't feel any of the discomfort?"
"No. I feel a bit of a rush, like when going down a short drop on a roller coaster, but that's it. Nothing bad."
Weiss had never ridden a roller coaster before, and so couldn't reference the feeling Ruby was describing. She almost said that aloud, but then realized that such an idea was probably unthinkable to someone like Ruby. Now wasn't the best time to have another small, pointless argument.
"Let's just focus," said Weiss. She studied the warehouse. This view looked upon the more elevated edge of its slanted roof. A line of windows ran along the wall right beneath it. It was dark, but the interior was visible. As far as they could see, this was the only other line-of-sight they had.
"I can Blink us onto the rafters," Ruby said, "and from there down to somewhere out of view."
"Can you? Rafters are thin. You'd need to be very precise to land us up there safely."
"I can do it."
"If we fall—"
"Just trust me."
Weiss hesitated. It was a dangerous proposition—one tiny mistake would end in disaster. But . . . she did trust Ruby. And it wasn't like they had any other viable options.
"How tired are you now?" Weiss asked.
"Well . . . definitely more than if I'd just done a short Blink, but not enough to worry. I've still got plenty of energy in me."
Weiss relented. "If you believe you can pull it off, then . . . I think this is our best course of action."
"Then get ready." Ruby put on her mask. "This is your last chance to back out of this."
"I know." Following her lead, Weiss dug the ski mask out of her pocket and pulled it over her face, then covered it with her hood for extra measure—her hair was currently stuffed down the back of her shirt, as well, which wasn't exactly comfortable. Ruby held out her hand, and Weiss took it once again, then felt that familiar tug.
Her fears of slipping and falling off the rafters didn't come true. She skipped straight to the falling, her feet never making contact with the metal at all. Weiss's stomach dropped as she began to plummet for all of half a second before she was teleported once more. Her momentum died in an instant, and she found herself lying on something solid. The ceiling looked abnormally close.
Ruby was already in a kneeling position as Weiss released her hand and sat up. Weiss was about to reprimand her, but then she heard someone that forced her to bite her tongue.
"Ten million? She can't be serious."
The voice—a voice Weiss recognized and loathed—came from below. The two had appeared atop a heavy rack between a pair of loaded pallets covered in dust. Weiss looked down upon the dimly-lit warehouse to see the top of a bowler hat, its wearer walking by with a pair of greasy-haired goons following behind. One of his hands was up to his ear while the other played with a zippo lighter.
"It could easily go for sixty at an auction," Torchwick said, then went silent for a few seconds. "That doesn't sound like my problem . . . Look, you tell your girls that if their mom wants the painting, then I'll take no less than thirty for it . . . No, I won't settle for twenty-five! Do you not know what 'no less' means?" He muttered something away from the receiver. "I've got quotas to meet and a busy schedule, so if you could stop wasting my time, that would be just fantastic . . . Well if that's the way it is, then I'll find another buyer."
"No sign of Neo," Ruby whispered.
She was right. From their current vantage point, there wasn't too much obstructed from view by the other racks. The three men were the building's only apparent occupants. But Weiss knew Neo had to be in here somewhere—they'd just seen her and Torchwick's arrival not even half an hour ago on the camera feed. That was why they'd chosen now to make their move, two days after Jaune turned himself in—it was the first time since then that they could be sure that both the criminal and his slave soldier would be here.
"Alright, now that's what I like to hear," said Torchwick. "Now, if I could contact her directly, it'd make setting up the exchange a whole lot easier . . . Fine. So long as I get the money. A pleasure doing business as always, Junior."
He stopped walking as he hung up the scroll. Wait, no. Not a scroll—a cheap burner phone. He pocketed it then turned to his men.
"Perr—shit. I wonder when I'll ever stop doing that. What's your name again? It doesn't matter. Just go tell Neo to add another thirty million lien to the report."
"Right. On it." One of the henchmen turned and started to walk in the other direction, but paused at a sudden exclamation from his boss.
"Dutch! Wait, no. Duke! That's it—your name is Duke. Alright, continue on."
"We need to follow him!" Ruby whispered urgently.
"Obviously!" Weiss hissed back.
But it seemed their good fortune had already been spent on finding Torchwick so quickly without being discovered. The henchman was walking along the ends of the racks and away from the one the two women were currently perched on, meaning they'd have to teleport again to keep track of him. Weiss was getting worried. Ruby would have to use her semblance at least two more times—once to get the drop on Neo and another for their escape. Getting to another shelf would make it three. That number could get even larger due to any number of unpredictable factors, their odds of success going down the higher it went. If Ruby passed out before they could escape the premises . . . The thought was too troubling to bear.
Without even asking if she was ready, Ruby grabbed Weiss's wrist and teleported them two racks over. After taking a second to reorient herself and throw a glare at Ruby—who wasn't even looking—Weiss looked back down at their unknowing guide. Duke arrived at the corner of the building—about twenty feet directly below the two women—and took a turn, continuing along that wall until he reached a door that Weiss and Ruby couldn't see from their old position. He went through it into a room that had likely served as an office while this place was still up and running.
"She's in there," Ruby said. "We wait for the guy to come back out, then we Blink inside and make our move before the door closes."
Weiss glanced back up at the windows. They wouldn't be able to see them from inside that room, and Ruby needed to see the outside to be able to teleport them to safety.
"Maybe we should wait," Weiss suggested.
"This is our best chance," said Ruby. "She'll be alone in there, if we're lucky. But if we wait too long, then Torchwick and his two bodyguards could decide to come back this way and join her in there, or she could leave and zoom away and we'll miss our shot."
She was right. It was a gamble no matter what they did, and they didn't have too much time to deliberate. At least Ruby's plan ensured the highest odds of successfully curing Neo.
"Be ready," Ruby said.
Weiss shakily removed her left glove and pocketed it. Her heart had to be beating at at least double the rate it had been a minute ago, but this was about as ready as she could ever be. How are you supposed to prepare yourself to attack a superhuman who'd been conditioned their entire life to be a perfect killer? If Ruby couldn't place that inhibitor, it'd be all over in an instant—their lives snuffed out for nothing. This was insane. What were they thinking?
The door opened and the same man from before exited.
"This is it." Ruby gripped Weiss's right wrist.
What happened next went by too quickly for Weiss to comprehend. All she knew for sure was that they teleported twice, there was a loud crash, and something struck her in the face so hard she wound up sliding on her back across the floor.
"I-Intruders!" A man shouted.
Fast, echoing footsteps approached. Weiss's jaw throbbed, and her head ached, but the pain quickly lessened as adrenaline began to pump through her veins. Her vision sharpened, and she was able to take in the situation. There was a hole in the surprisingly thin wall to the side of the door they'd seen from atop the shelf. Ruby laid motionless on the other side of it, surrounded by fragments of wood with one foot still in the office. Duke stood nearby, looking over his shoulder in the direction he'd come from with his hand on a holstered pistol. Meanwhile, Neo herself approached Weiss at a quick pace with malice in her mismatched eyes, as well as something silver stuck to her neck—the inhibitor. Ruby had succeeded in her part, but Weiss had failed in hers. She'd been too slow.
She glanced at Ruby again. The girl was beginning to stir, but she seemed dazed. It meant that she was still conscious, though. That was enough for Weiss, who—without an ounce of grace—quickly stood back up. She raised her arms and carefully positioned her feet. She knew she didn't stand a chance. Even without her speed, there were probably very few people who could contend with Neo. But winning a fight wasn't Weiss's goal. All she needed was to hold out long enough for Ruby to regain herself and teleport them away.
Neo smirked. Her fist came fast and—surprisingly—Weiss managed to perfectly block it. That was an outlier, however, as the next hits came ruthlessly and unhindered, despite Weiss's best efforts. She kept backing up, rapidly accumulating more bruises, until her back connected with the wall, just inches away from the new gaping hole. All the while, Neo had a smile on her face. She was toying with her.
"I'm here to help you!" Weiss said desperately. Any second now, the adrenaline would wear off and all the pain would catch up to her.
Neo tilted her head and looked at her strangely. Weiss took advantage of her singular moment of pause and shot her bare hand forward. It made contact with the side of the paragon's face, strands of pink hair tickling Weiss's knuckles. Neo's eyes narrowed in fury and, rather than smacking Weiss's arm away, she reached out and gripped her throat. But it was too late. Weiss—with difficulty—finished inhaling, and then entered her mind.
The first thing she noticed was the pattering of rain against her skin and the clashing of thunder in the sky, as had been the case in Torchwick's mind. Then she found herself struggling to breathe, as if her airway was still being obstructed by Neo. But that wasn't even her most pressing concern. As she looked around, expecting to learn which forest she was in, she didn't see a single tree in sight. The ground beneath her feet was ash and stretched off into the distance in every direction. The world was completely barren except for her.
"Leave!"
The voice came loudly from above, somehow both frail and angry. It sounded like that of a little girl, a child whose age couldn't have even reached double digits yet. Weiss realized with a pang of sadness that it was probably the last voice Neo had ever heard come out of her own mouth.
Next came the lightning bolt. Weiss had been ready for it this time. She'd tossed her sword away and already begun running by the time the smell of ozone reached her nostrils. She covered her ears and came to a stop the instant the bang came. Her already unsteady breathing became even more so.
The lack of trees should have made it easy to see far, but the haze of rain, dense clouds, and dark of night counteracted that. Weiss couldn't see anything beyond a hundred feet of her. This was hopeless. She was starting to get light-headed. Even if she could last long enough to find a Grimm, she stood no chance of actually killing it. There was nothing she could accomplish here.
Still, though, she stayed, for she feared what awaited her back in reality. The seconds went by, and she knew she'd have to leave soon for the sake of her own health. Neo's faceless avatar should have shown up and attacked her by now unless Weiss's experience with Torchwick had just been an anomaly. But it was nowhere to be seen.
Helplessly, Weiss dropped down to her knees and prepared to exit the mind. As she breathed in, lightning flashed off in the distance. It illuminated a dark tower with a large chain on either end linking the top to the ground. Before she even had the chance to be perplexed by this, she was back in the real world.
Neo gasped and stumbled backward, clutching either side of her head in her hands.
"Neo!" a concerned voice yelled out.
Weiss, gratefully breathing in as much air as she could, looked toward it. Torchwick had already arrived with his other goon, and he looked furious.
"Quit standing there and shoot her!" he barked.
Weiss's eyes widened as two guns were raised to point directly at her. All she could do was stand there in fear, watching in slow motion as fingers moved toward the triggers.
Whoosh! There was a flash of red. Bang! Bang! A splash of red and a distorted cry. Weiss felt a hand on her wrist, a tug in her gut, and then she was falling.
A/N: Credit to my beta readers: 0neWhoWanders, Bardothren, and I Write Big. They're great writers who are a huge help with making this story as good as it can be.
Just so this is on the record, lien in this universe roughly equates to Japanese yen. So 1 lien is about 1 US penny. I thought I'd put this here in case you'd all forgotten by now or just hadn't pieced it together from context, yet.
