Chapter 25: Face of the Enemy

Smoke was wafting out of the barrel of Crescent Rose. The scythe was folded up into its rifle configuration in Ruby's hands. It was aimed at the one and only Roman Torchwick, and there was a fresh bullet hole in the wall directly behind him. Ruby was standing at the far end of the abandoned factory that Torchwick had been using as a hideout. Weiss was to her left with her dagger drawn, and Jaune was to Weiss's left with his shield held ready in its heater shape.

Torchwick was facing his would-be assailants with his hands up and his cane hanging off of one of his elbows. Despite this being the first time Ruby had met Torchwick in person, he looked exactly like she'd been expecting. Most of his wanted photos were over half a decade out-of-date, but his mop of red hair, distinctive eyeliner, and bowler hat made him unmistakable.

"Whoa, Red," Torchwick said in a mocking tone. "Why so trigger-happy?"

Ruby said, "It's all over, Torchwick! We're here to bring you to justice!"

There was a nervous flutter in Ruby's stomach. She was having trouble believing that this was really happening. Torchwick was the last of Cinder Fall's accomplices. All the rest of them were rotting in a prison somewhere or had died in the Maiden War. Taking down Torchwick was Ruby's only chance to personally confront one of the villains who had caused her so much pain. The fact that she was also protecting Weiss made the prospect all the more gratifying.

"Oh blah, blah, blah. Tell me something I haven't heard before! You do-gooders are so one-note! Although…" Torchwick said. He glanced at the bullet hole Ruby had left in the wall. "This seems a little personal. What? Did I kill your father or something?"

Ruby's eyes shot open in shock. Her aim wavered for just a moment.

"Wait? I actually did?!" Torchwick said. Then he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh this is too good! We've got a classic revenge plot here!"

Weiss took a step closer to Torchwick and said, "Shut up! There's nothing amusing about this!"

"Don't be such a party pooper, Princess," Torchwick said. "Go distract yourself with scruffy over there. Me and Little Red are talking."

Jaune muttered, "Scruffy?"

Ruby said, "There's nothing to talk about! You're coming with us!"

"Oh come on, Red!" Torchwick said. "Haven't you dreamed of this moment? You finally get to destroy your nemesis, that's me by the way, in some kind of epic battle! There'll be gunshots! Explosions! And justice for dear old dad."

Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose, waiting for Torchwick to make his move.

"Well good news, kid!" Torchwick said. "You win!"

Ruby blinked. She said, "What…?"

"You win! I surrender," Torchwick said. He flicked his cane off his elbow and let it clatter to the ground. "I hope it was satisfying for you."

Ruby kept her eyes trained on Torchwick. She knew this had to be a trick of some kind, but she couldn't figure out how exactly.

Weiss must have been confused as well because she asked, "You're just giving up?"

Torchwick said, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Princess. But since you're slow on the uptake, let me explain. Cinder? Adam? Those two kids who used to follow Cinder around like lost puppies? Unlike me, they're all dead. And do you know why?"

Torchwick paused and waited for someone to answer. When no one did he said, "Because they let their passion rule them. Me? I've got nothing but pure self-interest at heart. And sometimes that means knowing when to fold them."

Ruby felt conflicted about what was happening. She had thought that all she'd wanted was to bring Torchwick to justice. But she actually did feel let down that he was just giving up without a fight. Maybe she and Yang were more alike than she'd thought. But she forced herself to focus on what was important, and that was making sure Torchwick could never hurt anyone else ever again.

Ruby said to Torchwick, "I don't care about your reasons."

Torchwick said, "That hurts my feelings, Red."

Ruby waved the barrel of Crescent Rose in the general direction of the door she and her friends had entered the factory through. She said, "Start walking!"

Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. She said, "Hold on a moment."

Ruby glanced at Weiss. She lowered Crescent Rose slightly, although she kept it pointed in Torchwick's direction.

Weiss walked over to Torchwick, projecting an air of authority as only she could. She said to him, "Before we turn you in, there are some questions you're going to answer for us first."

"I don't know," Torchwick said. "I've been interrogated by people much scarier than you, Princess. But go ahead. Give it a try."

"First of all, stop calling me that!" Weiss said, "Second of all, tell me everything you know about why my father hired you to kill me."

"Wait…. You? Really?" Torchwick said. Then he burst out laughing.

Ruby reflexively raised her rifle again. Torchwick's laughter was unnerving. And somehow, with only three words, he had made her second guess just about everything. Weiss looked taken aback as well.

Torchwick's laughter finally died down. He said, "Oh isn't that just like a Schnee! You think you're at the center of everything. Well I've got bad news for you, darling. The world doesn't actually revolve around you."

Weiss asked, "Then…who are you after?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Torchwick asked. He cocked his thumb toward Ruby. "Her."

"My father hired you to kill Ruby!?" Weiss exclaimed.

Ruby's stomach was doing flip-flops now, and she felt a cold sweat start to bead on her forehead. Torchwick's words made a terrifying amount of sense, but just when she'd thought she finally knew what was actually going on, Torchwick spoke again.

"I wasn't hired to kill anyone," Torchwick said. "And I certainly wasn't hired by your father."

Ruby heard Weiss's breath catch in her throat, and Ruby's own heart was pounding in her chest. She supposed she should have been relieved that Torchwick wasn't working as an assassin, but she couldn't help but feel the truth about what was really going on would turn out to be far more sinister.

Weiss asked, "Who hired you then?"

"Oh you're going to be so surprised when you find out," Torchwick said. Then his eyes shifted to Weiss's left. "Isn't that right, boss?"

Without any warning, a grenade suddenly slammed into Ruby's back. The resulting point-blank explosion hammered on her aura and sent her flying forward. But even as she arced through the air, she heard a clang followed by Weiss shrieking in alarm.

Ruby landed hard on the floor, but she sprung to her feet again in an instant. She didn't know what was happening, and she didn't care. The only thought in her head was that she needed to protect Weiss.

"Wei—!" Ruby started to shout. But as she spun around a frightfully sharp blade slashed across her chest. Ruby flinched in alarm. Her aura wavered, and at that exact moment, an unseen fist rammed into the back of her head.

Ruby's body went limp, and Crescent Rose slipped from her hands as consciousness left her. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a pair of arms reaching out to catch her.

Over closer to where Ruby had been standing before she'd been blasted by a grenade, Weiss found herself disoriented and sprawled out on the factory floor. She lifted her head and saw Eiszapfen on the floor in front of her. She reached for her dagger, but a boot suddenly gave it a swift kick. The dagger went skittering away from her and ended up hopelessly out of reach.

Weiss pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was still a bit woozy. She remembered an explosion. Then a shield, or something like that, had smashed into her face. Her vision was blurry, but it slowly came into focus. That was when she saw Jaune angrily pacing back and forth. Next to him was a woman who Weiss recognized as Neopolitan, Torchwick's partner. She was sliding a sword back into the stem of her parasol. There was a nasty look on her face, like something had upset her and she was ready to take it out on anyone who dared cross her.

The tip of a cane suddenly appeared on the floor next to Weiss. She looked up and saw Torchwick standing over her.

"Oooh," Torchwick said. His cane was back in his hand. "Someone's having a very bad day."

Jaune abruptly stopped pacing and pointed at Torchwick. He said, "Leave her alone!"

"Sheesh," Torchwick said. He backed away from Weiss. "Way to be a buzzkill, boss."

Weiss's head was finally starting to clear. She asked, "What's…what's the meaning of this?"

"This didn't have to involve you!" Jaune said, sounding genuinely upset. "It all could have been nice and easy. But you just wouldn't leave Ruby alone for five minutes!"

"Ruby…? Ruby!" Weiss shouted. She shot to her feet. That was when she saw Ren and Nora standing there too. Nora looked about as somber as Weiss had ever seen anyone be, which was shocking given her usual exuberance. But what really drew Weiss's attention was Ren. He was carrying an unconscious Ruby in his arms.

Weiss may not have had her dagger, but every imaginable color of Dust lit up on her dress. She was already formulating a plan. Some green Dust could keep Torchwick trapped fighting against a cyclone. Her summon could hold Neopolitan at bay. But what about Jaune? She remembered he had a freakishly strong aura.

Jaune must have guessed what Weiss was thinking because he suddenly interposed himself in between her and Ren. His shield unfolded all the way into its tower configuration. He said, "Miss Schnee, don't be stupid! You can't take all of us on at once!"

Weiss decided using some cyan Dust to create a sheet of ice under Jaune's feet would do the trick. That just left Ren and Nora. Her summoning glyph appeared next to her and started to spin.

Jaune shouted, "You can't take all of us on and keep Ruby safe!"

Weiss's train of thought finally paused. Unfortunately, Jaune did have a point. Stalling for time to think, Weiss asked, "Why have you been trying to kidnap Ruby?"

"It's better if you don't know," Jaune said. "But it's for the greater good."

Weiss had never heard a bigger load of nonsense in her entire life. She wanted to tell Jaune just that, but instead she said, "You'll never get away with this."

"Of course I will," Jaune said. "Because you aren't going to stop me."

Weiss audibly scoffed. Her summoning glyph continued to spin next to her.

"Here's the thing, Miss Schnee," Jaune said. His voice suddenly took on a sinister edge. "I don't actually need Ruby."

Weiss's eyes narrowed. She asked, "What do you mean?"

"There are…others besides her," Jaune said. "So if Ruby becomes more trouble than she's worth…."

"You wouldn't have the guts!" Weiss said.

Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"What's so funny?" Weiss asked.

"It's just that even after all these years, after all I've done, people still underestimate me," Jaune said. He locked eyes with Weiss and gave her a look that sent chills running down her spine. "So let me make sure you understand me. If I look back and see you following me. If I hear about this on the news. If the police come asking questions. I'll kill Ruby myself."

Weiss's confidence finally began to wane. Her summoning glyph vanished.

Jaune looked at his team and said, "We're leaving."

Weiss said, "You can't do this, Jaune!"

"Actually," Jaune said. "I can."

The group started walking away from Weiss. The Dust stitched into her dress was still aglow, but she thought about how vulnerable Ruby was. One flick of the wrist from Jaune or Torchwick or Neopolitan or any of them and Ruby would be gone forever. And without her aura, Ruby could've easily been hurt or killed in the ensuing battle if Weiss tried to free her.

The last of Jaune's group vanished around a corner, but Weiss caught the sound of Torchwick's voice saying, "I'm impressed, boss. That was some top-quality unhinged villain stuff."

One last echo of Jaune's voice filtered across the factory to Weiss's ears. "Shut up."

Then there was silence.

The glow on Weiss's dress faded. She stood there, stunned beyond all belief. At first she felt like she was going to fall into a pit of despair. Ruby had been kidnapped by a madman. It was horrific to even think about. But then something happened. Weiss got mad. She got very mad.

Weiss spotted her dagger where it had come to a rest on the floor. She stomped over to it and picked it up. She tucked it into the sheath incorporated into her belt. Then her eyes landed on Crescent Rose which was lying where Ruby had fallen.

Weiss walked over to Ruby's scythe. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms like it was a helpless child. But Weiss knew the weapon would be reunited with its owner very soon. She had never been more certain of anything in her life than the fact that, despite Jaune's warning, she was going to rescue Ruby. But to do that she'd need help.

"Yang," Weiss suddenly said to herself.

Weiss took off, heading deeper into the factory. Her course of action was clear. She was going to find Yang. She was going to formulate a rescue plan. And then she was going to make Jaune Arc regret the day he'd been born.

Author's Note: Look at me, inserting deep lore about the Maiden War into this chapter! Looks like Emerald and Mercury didn't survive. Sorry if either of them were your favorite character. However, that's not to say they could never appear in this series….

This chapter also reveals, in a roundabout way, the one very specific thing that changed about Ruby's past as compared to canon. Because she wasn't in the city of Vale to drop Yang off at Beacon, she never went to that Dust shop late at night like we saw in the first episode of canon Volume 1. Therefore she never met Torchwick. Therefore she never caught Ozpin's attention. Therefore she never got into Beacon early. For want of a nail and all that.

A minor spoiler warning for the rest of this author's note. Okay? Okay. This is the low point of the story. It's finally time for Team RWBY—which by my count is currently just Team Weiss if you disregard unconscious members—to pull itself up from rock bottom. It's going to be a long climb, but they'll get there!

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.