"Wow...no wonder you're so high quality, Penny! This place is crazy cool! Man, if I'd had access to tools like this..." Ruby couldn't get the smile off of her face. There was just...so much! She'd seen the lathe that had been used to build not only Penny's weaponry but also parts of her body! So cool!

"If you want, I'll speak to father. I'm sure I can get you access to some of his tools! Especially once he sees the work you've done on Crescent Rose, and Shroud and Veil!" Penny's eyes were bright and sparkling.

"I...I'd feel kind of weird using someone else's workshop...but we might need it..." She chewed her lip, suddenly unsure. Intruding on someone's workshop felt almost sacrilegious, but at the same time...she'd seen all the good her upgrade to Ember Celica had wrought. If she had materials and tools like this, she could already imagine all sorts of things she could do for Crescent Rose...maybe Weiss would let her get a look at Myrtenaster, as well? She'd always been resistant, before, saying that it would cause issues with her family, but after the display at the airport Ruby wasn't certain that was as much of a concern anymore.

"General Ironwood did say he was willing to set you up, Miss Rose." Winter's voice startled her out of her spiraling thoughts. She'd been so quiet it was sometimes hard to remember she was even there!

"I...you're right. I guess it just doesn't seem real yet. Having my own workshop is something I've dreamed about since I was little, you know? The idea that it could just happen is..."

Winter watched her carefully, her eyes looking oddly...soft. It reminded her of the way Weiss looked sometimes. "I believe you've earned it. Not everyone would take on the burdens you have."

Ruby looked down. "I...I'm pretty good at being a Huntress, and Obsidian's given me the chance to be even better. Not to mention everything else she's given me. And...if I have all that, all those skills and powers, and I don't use them to fight the Grimm? What kind of person would I be, then? Not the one I want to be."

Winter smiled oh so slightly. "I think I understand why Weiss likes you."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked. "What do you mean? Wh-what did Weiss say about me?"

Winter simply turned to inspect the nearby machinery, still smiling.

"W-Uh, Specialist Schnee? What did you mean by that? Seriously!"

Ironwood laced his fingers together, taking a deep breath as he leaned forward. Once again, they'd found themselves in the passenger segment of an Atlas Dropship, this time as it skimmed across the snowfields towards a specific location on the coast.

"The mission is relatively simple. We have three major objectives. In order of priority: Remove access to the facility from Salem and whatever individuals she has placed in control of it, identify their purpose and what they've accomplished in the time they've controlled the labs, and finally reclaim access to the labs...if they remain salvageable at all. Now, the layout of the lab is as follows." He placed his scroll in a small panel, and a circle of light blossomed in the center of the floor. After a moment, the light exploded outward in a holographic map that spread out before them.

Ruby's eyes widened. "This ship has a holo-projector installed?"

Ironwood nodded. "This specific Dropship was designed for special forces work; it has a few special features. Now, the layout is less ordered than most labs, and consists of two primary 'layers'. The innermost layer, this circle here, was the original lab site. However, once the side-effects of...Obsidian's radiation became apparent, the lab was expanded outward to reduce exposure of personnel and materiel. The old lab was converted into a series of experimental chambers, where the actual tests were performed, and this area around that 'core' are where all other facilities are located."

Blake eyed it critically. "That's...quite a number of dormitories. The staff was that large?"

"Some of those were unoccupied; there were plans to expand the laboratory in the near future. But...yes. The staff was relatively large for such a small location, as security forces had to live on-site due to the difficulty of reaching the lab to transport or rotate personnel. Now, we won't be able to fly straight to the lab; weather conditions make it impossible. So we'll be approaching on foot from the southeast."

"I had a question about that." Weiss frowned. "You've mentioned something along those lines before; what exactly should we expect from the region?"

Ironwood grimaced. "Weather patterns in the area have always been unusually harsh. Current intelligence suggests a powerful snowstorm surrounding the immediate vicinity of the laboratory; the approach won't be comfortable, but we should be able to breach the lab within an hour of landing."

Blake pursed her lips. Obsidian? Could the weather be a result of your energy? There was an unusually long pause before she received an answer.

It is possible, but uncertain. Much data is missing, but my Progenitor's energy did disrupt natural weather patterns on certain occasions.

You mean when Zeal fell.

Yes.

She frowned, before refocusing on Ironwood.

"- the primary computer systems were located here; that's a likely candidate for our secondary objective, but it will depend on what exactly Salem has been up to. If possible, we'll want to secure the computers before any of her servants have a chance to wipe them. Once that's done, we'll determine further action based on the situation. Questions?"

Yang leaned forward. "Yeah. Do you plan on reopening the lab, after all this?"

He grimaced. "I'm...uncertain. The potential benefits are great, but there are risks, as well. Not to mention the fact that Obsidian has now been identified as the source of this power. Still, I assume you're asking based on our objectives; I believe it's best to keep the lab intact for now. Once we have more information, we can determine what must be done." Yang peered at him for a moment before nodding. "Anything else?"

Weiss inclined her head. "Do we need to worry about defenses? I see places on the schematic for turrets or fortified positions."

"It's possible. With Cinder's virus, claiming access to the security systems wouldn't have been difficult. Still, the static defenses required regular maintenance and resupply; without those, they may or may not be active. Be careful when we're entering their fields of fire, just in case. In terms of fortified positions...the lab was designed to weather attacks from the Grimm, not a dedicated team of Huntresses. Having seen your skills in action, I wouldn't be overly concerned. Just be aware that, if the enemy has claimed a hardpoint, a quick assault may be necessary to dislodge them."

Ruby nodded. "Yang or Blake should both be capable of breaking through, if we need them to."

The intercom crackled. "General, we're approaching the LZ...the storm's already visible. Communications will most likely be worse than projected."

He flicked off the privacy switch. "Understood. Remain in the area for one hour, then fall back to refuel."

"Yes, sir."

As the Dropship began to descend at the edge of the snowstorm, Ironwood looked over the five girls before him. Each expression was slightly different...but the spirit was the same.

As the doors opened and the frozen wind sliced through the ship, the seven figures leapt to the ground and began their trek into the swirling snow.

A/N: Surprise! I'd planned on waiting and releasing this as one huge chapter, but I felt I'd reached a good cut-off point. I wouldn't expect the next chapter tomorrow, but it will be up this week barring something terrible happening.