Chapter Thirty-One: Broken Reflection.
As much as everyone wanted to set out immediately and begin their hunt for the Jabberwalker, Oberon was quick to shut down the idea.
"You cannot honestly expect to just walk South and find her." He had said. "It would take her several days of travel to reach the foot of Glenn, and there are an infinite number of ways to trace a line between where she was and where she intends to go. If we grouped up, we would struggle to find her. If we fanned out, we would be picked off before backup arrived. Neo is a powerful opponent and has a long history in the art of subterfuge. She could drop us like flies if we were separated." He had warned.
"…Then… what are we to do? Just watch the news and look for sightings of her?" Weiss asked, frowning. "By the time the media cover her, she'd likely have long gone."
To answer the Ice Queen's logical question, Oberon just smirked and snapped his fingers. A brief whirring was heard within Limitless Potential, before out burst a small quadcopter which easily fit in the palm of one's hand. Immediately, pretty much everyone recognised it as a surveillance drone. They were a newer invention of the military and police and were yet to be fully enforced, but Oberon didn't care what the law thought to be possible.
"With these, I can scout out the Southern side of Vale automatically. When Neo is located, we can track her location. Since we have technology and transportation on her side, we could catch up with her in hours. It's not a long travel to Glenn when we can fly there." He smiled.
"It… feels a bit strange to not be going after her, ourselves, though." Pyrrha murmured. "She's suffering. I just know it. Is letting her go really the right thing to do? People could get hurt if they get in her way, too. She didn't want to hurt us, but…" She glanced to Weiss, Blake, and especially Yang, who were still wearing bandages as a safety precaution for their wounds which weren't quite healed over yet.
Ruby took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. "He's right, unfortunately. I couldn't even touch Neo in a regular fight with her holding back. I don't think we're in the right condition to give chase. We'd need a plan, and a way to get her out of that purple monster she's in."
Oberon nodded in agreement, before tapping his chin in thought. "It's obvious that it's her semblance which is creating the creature. Her semblance has been acting without her control for a few weeks now, according to her diary. That means-"
"You read her diary, too!? If Neo finds out, you'll be lucky to have kids someday!" Thea hissed, knowing how Neo had responded to being called a 'hat-wearing freak of nature' during Oberon and Neo's duel for the leadership title.
"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't find out!" Oberon hissed back, before continuing his explanation. "Which means it is likely that the Jabberwalker is a result of her semblance. Therefore, if we simply deplete Neo's aura, she'll be free. Andifshe'sstillhostile,we'lljusthavetoknockherout."
There was a slight moment of concern when Oberon mumbled the rest of that train of thought.
"Hey, look. Neo or not, she's not in control of herself. Ally or not, she has information which could make or break the world. We need her alive. Alive and unharmed, if possible, but alive is ultimately the barest of minimums. What happens after we've saved her is only something she is in control of."
It wasn't the most pleasant note to end on, but the meeting closed shortly afterwards. It was only then, as the group dispersed for the evening, that they had actually been optimistic enough to lift their heads up from the floor and notice the flyers around the building. In honesty, it was insane that they'd completely forgotten about it as a collective, but the Beacon Dance was tomorrow. Like, literally the next day. And none of them had organised partners. Sure, Jaune and Pyrrha had spoken about it in the past, but they had basically ended the conversation with Jaune setting his sights on Weiss, and Pyrrha still clinging to the hope that she somehow ends up with Jaune. Might have been one of few times she was secretly wishing that he failed, as opposed to always being on his side. Then again, it's not like she was planning to sabotage anything. If he succeeded, good for him! If not… well, she was always there! There was also mention of Jaune not believing that Pyrrha wasn't already chosen by anyone. A small bet was placed, even if Pyrrha didn't really believe he'd follow through when the inevitable happened. Not that it mattered since both had completely forgotten about the dance until now.
As for Ruby, she had kinda been hoping to ask Neo for a dance. Not because she was lovey-dovey for her or anything like that. More because she thought Neo would be just as uninterested in dancing as she was and would have all the best snacks. In that sense, the agreement of dance would be more like an alliance between friends to just sit down in the corner and have as much food as they could stomach. But, of course, fate had not allowed that. Just looking at the flyers and posters reminded her of plans which could not have been executed. It brought a frown upon her face.
As for Weiss and Yang, they had begun panicking since they hadn't helped out at all! They immediately turned to their scrolls and began checking up on the status of everything. The décor, the refreshments, the utilities…! To their relief, most of it had already been sorted out, but they still took it upon themselves to help out with what was left unfinished.
The next day came soon after, with everyone feeling excited by the party that they'd forgotten about. Team RWBY had spent much of the day ensuring that their outfits were nice, as well as Ruby doing her best to master walking in heels. She wasn't used to wearing such things since she typically wore that which was comfortable and practical. Wearing extravagant and restrictive clothing wasn't really in her repertoire as much as it was with things like weaponry, fighting, and music. Did that make her a tomboy? And just when she thought Yang was the only tomboy she knew. Maybe she rubbed off more on her than Ruby had realised, and it had only taken her until now to realise.
Yang and Weiss were off early to help set up, bringing various supplies which they'd scrounged up last minute earlier that morning. Blake had gone off to talk to 'someone important.' Ruby suspected it was someone which she was planning to dance with. As such, she was in her dorm room by herself, with everyone planning on meeting at the party later that evening.
Weiss and Blake had offered Ruby some advice about mastering her high heeled shoes, which she insisted on wearing due to Weiss's recommendation, but she swore hers were cursed or something, since she could only manage standing in place. Taking steps looked so easy when everyone else did it. But when it was her, she just felt so off-balance, as if the heels of the shoes were like needles pressing against a tile floor. For now, she was just standing in front of the mirror, making some last-minute adjustments to the beautiful red dress she was wearing. Even though she wasn't really fond of looking overtly feminine, she had to admit that she saw the appeal. If it didn't come with the nuances of these high heels, she might have done it more often. Sure, she could just not wear them, but that would be the easy way out. Plus, Weiss would totally make fun of her, and she didn't need that, alongside being partnerless. Not that she really cared about dancing to begin with.
Though she did feel a little sad that nobody had asked her. Maybe it was because they were scared of provoking the wrath of her older sister, or because people thought she was too young. Suppose that was what a one-to-two-year gap can do when you're in school.
She tried a few different poses in the mirror but kept wobbling between stretches. Then came the sound of the window opening. She turned around – stumbled – and looked at the window, only to find nothing there. She walked to the window – stumbled again – and went to close them. To her shock, she felt someone grasp around her waist from behind with one arm, pinning her own arms helplessly to her sides, whilst the other person's gloved hand pressed an odd-smelling cloth to her mouth and nose. She screamed, muffled, into that rag, only really succeeding in breathing in more of whatever chemical it was soaked in. Panicking, she struggled and tried to push the assailant away, only to stumble yet again from her heels and fall, defencelessly, to the floor. The feeling of someone laying down atop her overwhelmed her senses as she tried – and failed – to come up with a way out of this predicament. In retrospect, she should have tried using her semblance, but she was too stressed and afraid to have that kind of clarity when locked in the eye of the storm.
Slowly, and surely, she felt her strength being sapped. A sudden drowsiness overcoming her as she reached out a hand in desperation towards the window… only to have it sink down into the carpet between flashes of darkness which only grew longer in length until… she passed out, completely.
When she had awoken, she felt incredibly groggy and just plain awful. No doubt as a result of being drugged and kidnapped. She felt herself in a sitting position but felt so numb that she couldn't even tell what she was sitting on, and her eyes could barely tell what they were looking at. It was like looking through a pair of glasses which weren't your own. Everything was blurry and just trying to discern what things were was the kind of thing which migraines were made of. Her attempts to move only resulted in the sensation of trying to drag an anchor across a rocky ocean floor. She couldn't even tell what position her arms and legs were in, due to how sensationless she felt. Even trying to speak made her drool as if she couldn't control her own tongue in her own mouth.
After about a minute of feeling like she was falling, she began to piece together reality. She was in a dark room, illuminated only by a lone spotlight from above as if she were being interrogated in a crappy detective movie. Her arms had been bound behind her in a tight and strict set of bindings which felt more like two pairs of handcuffs, due to how they painfully squeezed her wrists and biceps. Her ankles were cuffed to the legs of the chair, and she was still wearing those damn heels, as if the captor knew she couldn't walk well in them. That meant that her kidnapper had been watching her try walking in the heels?! Urgh, now she felt even more embarrassed that she'd been kidnapped.
Lastly, there was an odd, consistent pain in her neck, as if someone had pressed a needle to it. Furthermore, there was a strange feeling of pressure about her throat, as if she was also wearing a choker or some kind of collar.
As she finally pulled herself together, she heard the sound of footsteps clacking along the concrete floor behind her, before standing in front of her and pulling down some kind of whiteboard from the ceiling. Ruby couldn't quite believe her eyes. She recognised that face. It was a very recognizable face. In fact, it was a face which she'd been chasing after for a very long time.
The slight green tint of her eyeshadow. Their short stature. Their matching hair and eye colours. The faint flush of their cheeks which made them look almost like an adorable, harmless doll. Those colours. Pink and brown. A pair of colours which she had long held in high regard, in spite of how their name had been dragged through the dirt. And here she was, proving her trust to be flawed.
"N…Neo?" Ruby mumbled in disbelief. "I'm… I'm so glad you found me. We need to get out of here…"
And then, she blinked again, realising that her clothing was… different. Instead of it being black, white, and pink, with straps and sleeves, she was wearing a black pearl necklace, pink and white cropped blazer, and a brown corset. As if that weren't all, there was no sign of her signature hat or neck scarf. That was when it hit her.
"…You're not Neo..." She mumbled, still not quite recovered from that drug.
She smirked like a demon as she pointed the parasol which Ruby knew to be 'Hush' at the huntress's neck. Despite it being blunt, she knew about the needle-like point which was concealed within its handle. She made as much effort as possible to move away from it, crying out in fear.
Seemingly almost amused, this other Neo pulled the parasol back and leaned in closer to Ruby, and grabbed her by the chin in an almost romantic gesture as she continued to close in. Ruby tried to move her head back in apprehension as she stared down those heterochromatic eyes which switched places with every blink. And then, she flicked Ruby on the nose and backed off, making the girl wonder why it had hurt when she'd mustered up all her aura on reflex.
The girl smirked as she twirled around like a dancer and placed her hand upon the whiteboard which dangled from the ceiling. Shortly after, a red text began to fill the board, as if an invisible, giant hand was writing upon it.
'No aura. No semblance. No escape.' Was first written, as Neo pointed to Ruby. As if to be more specific, that hand then gestured to her neck, implying that the strange feeling around her neck was preventing her from generating an aura, or using her semblance to escape, as if to punish her for not having that forethought when she'd been captured. Neo covered her mouth in psudeo-shock, before taking out Ruby's scroll from Neo's own pocket. 'No friends, either. Just us.' Neo wrote upon the board.
"…What do you want? You didn't go through all this effort just for me, did you?!" Ruby asked, finally finding some kind of backbone. Said confidence was quickly shattered as Neo pointed that parasol to the underside of Ruby's chin. As the blade was yet to extend, Ruby knew just how easy it would be to impale her through the head right there and then. Not wanting to push her luck, she stared along the pink fabric of Hush and into the sadistic eyes of the criminal, which dared her to say more. When she did not, Neo smiled to her with a creepy glare in her eyes, before tapping the board with Hush, changing the words.
'Just some information. And a little promise between the two of us.'
As much as Ruby did not want to give this criminal anything, she had to admit that she was in no position to negotiate. She was the helpless hostage, and she was going to have to play her part if she wanted to get out of this alive. It was quite petrifying to see how thorough this Neo had been to get her hands on her and keep her there.
"…What's the promise? I… I'm not going to hurt my friends, if that's what you're going to ask." She spoke, her voice trembling. Neo pressed a gloved finger to Ruby's lip, as the text changed behind her.
'Simple. Answer my questions, stay out of my way, don't tell anyone you were ever here… and I'll let you go home when we're done. As long as you keep your promise and be a good little wanna-be hero, you'll go home unharmed. Or at least there'll be no broken bones or fatal gashes.'
Ruby couldn't read her. She'd never been able to properly read the Neo she did know personally, but this was just a monster wearing her friend's face. How could she possibly know whether or not this Neo was going to keep her end of the bargain? For all she knew, Neo could grill her for questions, then stab her through the neck and her body would never be found.
"…How can I trust you?" Ruby asked. Neo tapped the board.
'You can't.' She smirked, before tapping the screen again with a particularly smug look on her face. 'Either answer my questions and trust my word or refuse and die right now.'
"I…" She began, only for Neo to lean in closely and grab her by the chin again, forcing her to look into her heterochromatic eyes. Two words appeared upon the surface. One in each eye. 'Don't lie.'
Ruby gulped. She'd never felt this afraid before. She just squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as she cringed, hoping the criminal would give her some personal space. "I won't! What do you want to know?!" She pleaded.
Ruby did not want to die. There were so many things she needed to do. So many people who would be utterly destroyed if she didn't come back home. Neo – the real Neo – was one loss too many. Adding herself into the mix would be soul-crushing for her team. Yang would be wrecked if she found out that her dear sister was gone forever, taken before her time. Especially if she learned it was done by Neo. She had put so much on the line to believe in the goodness of Neo. If she lost her life here, she doubted her sister would hold back against either of them. It had taken so long to get Blake to open up about the White Fang and her being a faunus. And Weiss… Ruby had never gotten to tell her that, despite their differences, she always thought she was a bright spark. Well…ever since the whole debacle regarding Ruby being team leader was over with, at least.
'First things first.' Neo wrote out, before bludgeoning Ruby across the side of the head with the side of Hush. 'That was from Roman. Sent with express delivery as thanks for ruining his credibility.'
Ruby felt the hit strike at full force, too shocked to try to mitigate the hit, and unable to defend herself with her aura. She was lucky to not have suffered damage to her teeth, as the strike landed upon her cheekbone. Still, it hurt worse than that time she accidentally ate Yang's birthday cake.
"Argh…!" She grunted, before quickly panting to calm herself down from the shock of the lightning-fast strike. "I… I didn't mean it. I just wanted to do the right thing. I…" She was interrupted by a second swing, going the other way across her head, causing her to reel back in pain. This time, she made little noise, outside of a pained whimper, and just hung her head in defeat, as if to submit to the other Neo's apparent demand of silence.
Soon enough, she felt Neo grab a handful of her black and red hair and pull it backwards and upwards, making her look up at the board, and the psychopath by extension. It felt like she was being dangled upon a multitude of puppet strings, whilst yanked down by her own body weight.
'Tell me, Little Red, what's up with that girl who wears my face?' Neo displayed a particularly amused grin. Perhaps the first time that Ruby correctly read her; she was enjoying seeing her suffering, as well as the sudden rush of fear which flooded over Ruby as her silver eyes trailed over the red, fancy words written on the board. The pink and white villain enjoyed watching them shrink from terror.
"…You want to know about the real Neo?" Ruby murmured, trying to avoid eye contact from that mocking sneer. "…She's…" Before she could continue that train of thought, Neo kicked her in the ribs. For a moment, it felt like one of them had shattered, but it was just because she was so unused to feeling real pain.
'Let me correct you, Red. You'll find I am quite real, indeed.'
This was going to be a long, and enjoyable night.