I don't have time for this, Pyrrha thought to herself but failed to put that thought into action. She needed to find Jaune, she needed to tell him what his Semblance potentially was, she needed to help him figure it out… But as she looked at Penny surrounded by well-meaning adults who had asked her to shoulder a curse, she realized that she was also needed here.

She didn't know Penny as well as she would have liked but she knew the look of someone who just needed to know that someone was on her side… I don't have time for this but I can't leave her here alone. I need to say something, anything to let her know that she's got someone on her side.

The problem was that Roy was not a mind reader nor did he know Penny at all and neither was he aware of everything that was going just behind him. While Pyrrha was looking at a friend in need of emotional support, he was looking for a way to help his friends and he was right to do so. He was right to run past Penny because she didn't have what he was looking for and that meant that Pyrrha had to act now.

Fortunately for the gladiatrix, Penny's eyes were wandering away from Glynda and Ironwood. She didn't mean to be rude but it was emotionally draining to keep looking at the two adults in front of her offering shallow condolences. So instead she cast her gaze around the room as a whole, perhaps she was looking for a friend. And that was Pyrrha's chance and she took it by stepping right into Penny's line of sight and returning that gaze.

The two young women locked eyes with each other for just a moment but that was enough. All other voices just faded away and the world turned gray except for the two who without saying a single word opened up to each other. Pyrrha could see Penny's fear for the future and her frustration over being treated as a means to an end. Meanwhile, Penny could see Pyrrha's frustration that she couldn't do more. Without a single word uttered Penny assured Pyrrha that she was acting out of her free will, she was choosing to become the new Fall Maiden and she accepted all the responsibility and trials that came with it. Likewise, Pyrrha communicated support and a plea to Penny to not hesitate to ask for help, that Penny did not have to shoulder this alone.

And then the moment ended.

Time resumed and Pyrrha was pulled back into the present search for her partner and while she wanted to linger for a bit longer… a Semblance that could potentially heal others was far more important. Besides, helping Jaune realize his potential could only help everyone else down the line including Penny. So Pyrrha silently made a wish for her friend before moving on, Be safe Penny. Don't let Oz or Glynda or Ironwood push into something you're not comfortable with.

She then tore her eyes away from Penny's and continued moving with Roy towards Beacon's West Wing and hopefully towards Jaune. Fortunately, there wasn't much distance between where they were standing and their destination. However the current crises meant that what would normally be a brief walk was now a little tricker, but as a student of Beacon this was a path that she had traversed quite a few times already, she knew the shortcuts and detours and it wasn't hard to point them out to Roy.

"Take a left at the bend!" Pyrrhaa shouted to Roy who was still running ahead of her.

"But isn't the West Wing to the right?"

"Right leads outside and those doors are all locked down and barricaded."

"Got it!"

There were a couple of more turns that the pair needed to make, most were annoying detours that sometimes took them further from their goal but there were also "Shortcuts," that partially made up for that lost time. Sometimes they would cut through an office or a classroom, sometimes they'd pause to help someone defend a point or carry something. Each distraction was necessary for the greater good and yet they were a distraction from their goal…

However, they soldiered through each obstacle, and before too long they were rewarded by reaching the final stretch. The last bit that they needed to cross was a straight bit of hallway that led into Beacon's West Wing Lobby. Once there it shouldn't be too hard to find Jaune or someone who knew where to find him. A cyborg pirate was difficult to miss even in this chaotic situation.

The real tricky part would be helping him figure out the ins and outs of his Semblance assuming that he had one or that it was what Roy thought it was. But that was a problem for the near future, as for the present, a new problem had just arrived with the sound of an echoing thunderclap followed by a scream of terror and pain that grew louder as the source rapidly drew near.

*BOOOOOOOM!*

"aaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Neither Pyrrha nor Roy recognized the screaming voice but they could tell where it seemed to originate from. The sound was coming from someone or something at the end of the corridor so far away that it seemed to be a featureless dot. But soon that dot took shape and form as it flew closer towards them; It was a person. A person was flying uncontrollably down the corridor with frightful speed. And soon it became apparent to Pyrrha and Roy that the human cannonball was on a collision course with them. It was worse than that, the speed that person was moving was so great that they had no time to think. All they had were mere fractions of a second to instinctually move in a way that would hopefully avoid the crash.

Roy did the smart thing and ducked out of the way.

As for Pyrrha, she had intended to follow his example but old reflexes from her time in Mistral's arena kicked in. Her body went into autopilot as she took her shield into her hands and backflipped into the air. It was a dangerous but fantastic maneuver that placed her right above the fleshy projectile in a manner that resembled a falcon dive-bombing another bird mid-flight! And just like that masterful predator of the sky, Pyrrha struck by using her shield to hammer her prey right back down into the earth and driving it into the marble floor beneath them forming a crater on the impact zone! Then just to add insult to injury, Pyrrha's performative instincts fully took over and made her land with a stylish flourish, strike a little pose, and flash a playful smile as she stood up for the entertainment of an audience that didn't exist.

Fortunately and unfortunately, Roy was there to bring her back to reality.

"HOLY SHIT! I THINK YOU KILLED HIM!" he shouted and honestly who could blame him? He had just heard the unpleasant sound of metal against flesh followed by cracking stone, of course, he was going to look! And what did he see when he did? He saw Pyrrha standing over what appeared to be a dead man and striking a pose as the man's blood trickled down her shield.

As for Pyrrha, in a better world, she would have been able to calmly explain how her instincts had taken over, how this was an accident… it wouldn't have worked. But it was certainly better than her in a mild panic shouting back; "I THINK I DID! I'M SO SORRY"

She then turned to face the victim of her unwarranted violence. It was a stout and weirdly familiar-looking young man with brown feathers in his arms and hair. Even stranger was that the longer she looked at him the less sorry she felt for doing what she did, "Wait a second… I think I know this guy."

"That's even worse, you do realize how that's worse?!" Roy pointed out.

"No, no. Hear me out, I… I think this guy is an asshole."

A look of utter disbelief, disappointment, and even a little disgust appeared on Roy's face. "An asshole? I-I can't believe this… you are actually trying to justify this. Pyrrha Nikos is trying to justify a murder!?"

"I'm not trying to justify anything! I'm just saying that-!"

"That he was an asshole who deserved to die?! Is that what you were going to say?!"

"No… Well, yes actually. But if you give me a chance to explain-!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came booming down the hallway and was accompanied by stomping dominating footsteps heading towards them, "WHERE DID THAT ASSHOLE CRAWL AWAY TO?!"

It didn't take long to find the source of that third voice, it was Yang Xiao Long. She was coming from the West Wing Lobby and heading right towards them, right towards the man. Her eyes were red, her hair was fire, and her face was twisted into a snarl. She spotted Roy and Pyhrra and answered the silent question on their lips, "That bastard and his friends tried to hurt Ruby! He's dead meat!"

And then there was a fourth voice, it was angry, pained, and hostile, and it belonged to the man on the floor. Pyrrha and Roy looked at him with shock while Yang frowned, it was a miracle that he was still alive but that's all he was, he lacked the strength to even stand up. "You crazy bitch… what is wrong with all you fucking kids." He glared at Yang and Pyrrha but ignored Roy, "You crazy bitches." He then looked at Roy, "I don't know you, but fuck you too."

Then it clicked for Pyrrha, she had heard his voice before, and she recognized its venom. But it was the way that he looked at her that made her remember. She had seen him before, she had fought him before, "You were that creep at the settlement. You and your friends in the Lost Boys killed innocent people and ruined a settlement just to steal a prosthetic arm!"

"What?! He murdered people for an arm!?" Roy asked everyone and no one in particular. "But why would anyone do that and why would he attack her sister?"

"It's a long story, too long given our circumstances," Pyrrha answered with a sigh while returning the glare that the man on the floor was giving her. "So Yang, what are we going to do with him?"

"This." Yang pointed her weapon, Ember Celica, at the man and fired. It was an instant kill, she then gave a loud sigh of relief as her red eyes returned to Lilac, the fire in her blond hair vanished, and the snarl faded with her anger. Then she turned back around to look at her friend and Roy before asking with a strained smile, "So how can I help you?"

"We're looking for Jaune, Roy here thinks that he's unlocked his Semblance and that it's healing," Pyrrha answered as though she didn't just watch a man die.

"Healing!" Yang's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Well, then I better take you to him, follow me!" She then started walking which soon turned into a sprint towards the lobby as Pyrrha and Roy followed closely behind.

As they ran Roy asked out of curiosity, "So you said he attacked your sister?"

"Yup, he walked up to her disguised as our dad and then tried to stab her with some kind of laser sword."

"Damn, is your sister alright?

"She is, we saw through the disguise since I had just gotten off the phone with our real dad. Though the bastard got a nasty good hit on me when I pushed Ruby out of the way of his sword. Thankfully he wasn't any good with that thing, a complete novice swinging wildly and hoping for the best. He fed my Semblance and after that, it was over, all it took was one good hit to make him drop the sword and another sent him flying."

"And his friends?" Pyrrha asked.

"Those guys got taken out real fast. Our friends, the other students, and pretty much everyone else who was quick to intervene. The Lost Boys didn't last very long, even that advanced tech they were packing couldn't make up for the sheer number and skill difference. It's…-," Yang was silent for a moment, she was organizing her thoughts, "-It's actually kind of worrisome how easy it was, how easy all of this has been so far."

Roy did not like the implication that this attack was in any way easy, "What are you talking about? None of this is easy, people are getting hurt and killed!"

"You're right, it was a bad choice of words." Yang quickly apologized as neared the lobby, any second now they would reach it. "What I meant was that… What is the point of this attack? What do the White Fang hope to accomplish and why are a bunch of amateurs like the Lost Boys involved at all? This can't be it, they couldn't have put so much effort into this for nothing."

"What if it's a distraction?" Roy suggested.

"A distraction?" Yang asked, "Are you sure?"

"No." Roy quickly admitted before explaining, "Me and my team are from Vacuo and I've been in a few messes. Nothing major, despite the kingdom's reputation Vacuo has plenty of good honest folks. But there are bad apples, and some become so rotten that they try their hands at banditry. The Academy is responsible for stopping them, most don't last long… but some are clever. They like to organize two attacks, one big one hitting the front gate while a smaller one loops around the back and takes the prize."

Pyrrha's face paled as she suddenly realized just what was going on, it was so obvious. "I know what they're after."

Yang and Roy stopped right on the edge of the Lobby and looked at Pyrrha. Yang then asked, "Well, what are they after?"

Just an hour ago Pyrrha would have hesitated to answer. This was something that Ozpin had worked hard to keep a secret for a very good reason. But now a friend's life was on the line and that took precedence.

"The Fall Maiden."

Roy frowned, "What's a Fall Maiden?"

Pyrrha did not have time to waste here giving an answer that she would only have to repeat later. She would answer but only after everyone had gathered together so for now she pushed past him and stepped into the lobby before saying, "I'll tell you after we've found Jaune. But we need to find him right now! Penny's life is in danger!" She then ran off to start asking around for her partner and both Yang and Roy followed her example.

Jaune rubbed an ache on his shoulder, he wasn't injured but he was only human and building barricades wasn't easy on the arms. There was also the problem of the assholes who attacked him back at that settlement showing up here and taking a swing at Ruby, but that issue was taken care of rather quickly. However, there was a lingering question: The Lost Boys were supposed to be imprisoned aboard an Atlas battleship, so how did they get here? Does it have something to do with why the ships are staying back or why the robots went crazy? He shook his head, those weren't questions whose answers he was going to get any time soon. Right now he needed to focus on the present and that meant figuring out how those assholes even got in and how many were left.

The West Wing lobby wasn't unique when compared to the other lobbies. Just like the others its entrances were barricaded and behind that were several layers of defenses set up to counter attackers. It had different stations set up to handle different issues and just like the others it was filled with people running back and forth trying to do what they could. But the energy here was more frantic than the others.

There is a hole in our defenses.

That was the difference, that realization, that single thought shared by all present was the driving force behind the energy. Everyone had known that eventually, the enemy would get in, fallback points had already been established for that reason. But everyone also thought they had more time! Clearly, that was a foolish assumption on their part, now they had to decide whether to try and fortify this place or start to move back.

However, this wasn't something that Jaune would have to concern himself with. This wasn't something that RWBY or the rest of JNPR would have to concern themselves with. No, what they would have to deal with over the next couple of hours would be far more urgent, dangerous, and important than anything that they have ever done so far. And that began… now.

"Jaune! Thank the Brothers I found you!"

He turned around and saw Yang walking towards him, "Is there something wrong, did that guy you punch get away?"

"No. No, you don't have to worry about that guy anymore. But listen to me, Pyrrha and some other guy whose name I never got are looking for you. They think you might have found your Semblance."

Jaune's eyes widened out of excitement but he tried to rein back in, It has to be a mistake. "I'm sorry but could you repeat that? I think I misheard you."

"They think that you may have found your Semblance but that you may not have realized it yet."

"But… but how can that be possible?"

Yang chuckled before taking out her scroll and typing something, "Oh, it's not just possible. It's actually really common. Just look at my uncle, do you have any idea how long it took him to realize that he wasn't just unlucky, that the reason he kept tripping was because of his Semblance?"

He nodded and his imagination began to run, "So, did they tell you what they thought it was?" CAN I CURVE BULLETS WITH MY MIND?

"They think it's healing."

"That's cool too." THAT'S SO COOL!

Yang gave him a small smile, "Well I'm glad you think so but don't get your hopes up just yet. Even if they are right, it can take a lot of practice to master a Semblance. Also… Pyrrha has something important that she needs to tell us."

"What is it?" Jaune asked, his voice becoming heavy with concern.

"If I knew, I'd tell you, but she wanted to wait till everyone arrived."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone. Your team, my team, and probably even the team of the guy. Hell, you should probably call Tock and her crew. Pyrrha seemed really worried, and I mean really worried. Jaune, her face was pale."

He nodded before grabbing his scroll and beginning to dial, as he did the rest of Team RWBY arrived and Yang began explaining the situation to them. She must have contacted them when she grabbed her scroll earlier. She probably contacted my team as well, good.

"Is thare something wrong darlin'?" Tock's voice was a bit strained and there was the sound of shouting and fighting coming from her end of the call.

Hearing her voice was surprisingly comforting to him but that background noise was worrying, "I should be asking you that!"

"A'm fine, A'm juist helping clear oot some White Fang punks 'n' Grimm. Nothing tae serious. Besides ah git pleny o' hulp wi' me."

Jaune frowned out of worry for her but kept it to himself, "Well then I guess I shouldn't bother you."

"Dinna fash yourself aboot it. A'm juist aboot dane 'ere, whit's wrong?"

"I honestly don't know. But whatever it is has got Pyrrha spooked bad. Bad enough that she wants to talk with everyone about it, I'm worried."

"Whaur urr ye?"

"West wing lobby, but I have a feeling that we won't be staying there for very long." Out of the corner of Jaune's eyes, he could see that his Team had gathered and that the guy he and Nora had helped out earlier was there too. What's he doing here? And he's already walking! Was it my Semblance?

Tock sighed, "Ah cannae mak' it... Tell thaim nae tae wait fur me 'n' let ken whit's gong oan whin ye'r dane."

"I will. Stay safe."

"Ye tae. Ah will come ower tae hulp foremaist chance ah git."

"You don't have to force yours-"

Tock cut him off, "A'm want tae. A'm want tae hulp ye. Sae dinnae hesitate tae ca' fur me. Ah, will be thare if ah kin."

"Thank you… that means a lot to me."

"Noo hurry tae yer friends 'n' dinnae forgoat tae fill me in efter."

Tock ended the call before Jaune could say anything more, it was probably for the best. Hearing her voice brightened his day, even though he sometimes had trouble deciphering that accent, but now wasn't the time to indulge in warm feelings. The others were waiting for him to start and Pyrrha looked anxious, really anxious. It was the kind of contagious anxiety that only existed in people who knew how to hide it but now couldn't or wouldn't.

"Sorry for taking a while," Jaune said as he joined the circle. "Tock can't come but she wants to stay updated so she can try and help later."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding, "That makes sense, but before we go any further.-," She then without warning took her sword with one hand and then took her other hand and moved it across the sharp blade without the protection of Aura.

"What are you doing!?" Weiss asked

Pyrrha ignored her and held out the bleeding hand to Jaune, "Can you heal this?"

"I don't know how!"

The others tried to encourage him but without any knowledge of how he had done it before, all they could offer were platitudes. Jaune did appreciate the gestures, and he did appreciate the faith that they had in him but right now he needed guidance. It sucks that Semblances don't come with instructions…

"Dude! Just do what you did with me," Roy suggested in an attempt to be helpful.

"But I don't know what I did with you!"

"You carried me to the shelter."

"And?"

"Did you have your Aura up?" Ren suddenly asked.

"Of course I did. I would have to be insane not to have it up on a battlefield."

"What are you thinking Ren?" Nora asked.

Ren thought it over for a second before answering, "My Semblance works through my Aura. In other words, I project my Aura onto others to mute their feelings. Maybe you need to project your Aura onto Pyrrha's hand?"

Jaune put his hand over Pyrrha's bleeding palm and did as Ren suggested, as he did everyone crowded around to get a better look. His Aura came into contact with her but nothing happened at first… and then without warning, Pyrrha's Aura suddenly flared up. Her Aura which had still been recovering from Peter's attack was becoming stronger, so strong that any cuts and bruises on her body began to heal and soon there was nothing left, not even scars.

Jaune's eyes widened with wonder and his voice was happy and proud, "That's… that's my Semblance. I don't heal people, I heal their Aura. No… I amplify their Aura and give them the strength to heal themselves!"

Pyrrha smiled, "And that's why you're the captain of our crew." Then her face became serious, "Unfortunately celebrations are going to have to wait."

Yang then said, "Earlier you mentioned that you figured out what all of this was about."

"Yeah, you said something about a Fall Maiden?" Roy added.

"What's a Fall Maiden?" Asked Nora.

Blake also had a question, "Does it have anything to do with the Story of the Seasons?"

"I've never heard that story before," Weiss commented. "But what does it have to do with this?"

"It's a popular fairy tale in Vale, it's about an old depressed wizard living in the mountains who over the course of a year is visited by four sisters. In the end, they help him out of his depression and he thanks them by granting him a portion of his magic… Sound familiar?"

Pyrrha then added, "The sisters would go on to be called Maidens plus the season they arrived at the wizard's house. So the Spring Maiden was the sister who arrived in the Spring and the Fall Maiden…"

"Was the one who arrived at the Fall," Roy answered, confused about why they were talking about fairy tales. "My friends are hurt, why are we wasting time on this?"

"Because the Fall Maiden is real. Magic is real. The reason why your friends were hurt, the reason why everything here is happening is because someone wants that power. Ozpin asked me to shoulder it but I said no and now Penny is the target. We need to protect her!"

Roy naturally wasn't convinced but he was alone, "This is insane! You guys understand how all of this just sounds insane! Magic isn't real, it's probably just a complex and versatile Semblance. Don't be stupid!"

Ruby then stepped right in front of Roy, they didn't have time to argue with him about what was or was not possible. They needed to move in unison and she had just the right thing to bring him up to speed as quickly as possible, it was time for the lessons she had been taking with Maria to pay off… Think about everything and everyone you love. Think about what you're fighting to protect.

"Y-yes?" Roy asked not sure what this girl staring into his eyes wanted. "You're Ruby right? Is there something on m-!"

It started small, so small and subtle that only the most observant of people would have noticed anything, and only if they were looking right into Ruby's eyes. But soon it became easier to see, her silver eyes were becoming sharper, the color more intense and bright. It was almost as if someone was shining a light at her… no, that wasn't right. The light wasn't coming from the outside, it was coming from within.

Roy tried to make sense of it, "Are those some kind of digital contacts?" Her eyes are silver? In the back of his head, he began to recall a fairy tale that he heard long ago. It was a story of warriors with silver-colored eyes who could kill Grimm with nothing but the light from their eyes. No… it can't be true. Can it?

And there was a flash. It wasn't great and it vanished almost as soon as it appeared but it happened. For one moment, light poured out from Ruby's eyes as though it was a flashlight. It didn't cover a big area and most people around them didn't notice anything but it still happened.

"Holy shit, magic is real," Roy admitted, utterly gobsmacked as he watched Ruby return to her team slightly winded.

Weiss crossed her arms annoyed that this detour happened but happy that it was now over, "So what's the plan?"

"We don't have time for anything complicated," Pyrrha quickly answered. "We need help, so Juane should go heal Roy's team and let Tock know what's up."

Yang then said, "I'll get in contact with Qrow. He'll help."

Weiss then said, "I'll call my sister, she's a Specialist and works with Ironwood."

Blake added, "Don't forget team CFVY and SSSN, they'll help."

"We should find Oz or Glynda and ask them for guidance," Ren said before noticing a slightly upset expression on Pyrrha's face which vanished after a brief moment. "I know that they are the ones who asked you and Penny to do this, but that just means that it is in their best interests to help us protect her. They would know what to do."

Jaune sighed, "I don't like it but he's right. The last thing we need to be doing is running around without a clue."

"Well that's not true," said Nora. "The last thing we need is to waste any more time here. We know who we need to talk to and for now, that's enough. We'll just have to make up the rest as we go, just like everyone else."

Marcus Black was an assassin and a damn good one. He was so good that Huntsmen who knew about him had nightmares about the man and his Semblance which let him rob others of their Semblances. He was so good that he had to live out in the middle of nowhere just to have a chance to relax without people banging on his door 24/7 to either try and hire him or someone who had chosen to cut their life short by challenging him. Marcus was an infamous legend of the criminal underground and he knew it and he loved it.

But Marcus was also an utter asshole, an abuser, and he was both a father and a teacher. Specifically, he was Mercury's father and teacher. Though calling him either a father or a teacher was misleading, those titles imply a bare minimum level of caring about others and Marcus didn't love anyone but himself. He hated everyone else and that included his son… But for all of his failings as a human being, he was a shockingly good teacher and he made sure that his son would not be an embarrassment to his name.

The first thing Marcus did was "Toughen," up his son by making that boy's life as miserable as he could. He even went as far as stealing his son's Semblance just to keep him from getting too "Comfortable." But he also taught his son everything that he knew and Mercury was if nothing else, an excellent student. Granted it was excellence born from hatred and Marcus knew that. He knew just how badly Mercury wanted him dead and didn't care nor was he afraid, he taught that boy everything they knew but not everything he knew. There was nothing that Mercury could throw at him that he wouldn't see coming from a mile away… or so he thought.

Mercury found a way. He challenged Marcus and surpassed him. It cost Mercury his legs and during the struggle the house somehow caught on fire but he had won. Sure, he was left homeless in the middle of nowhere with two busted legs but he won. Sure, Cinder soon showed up with an offer he couldn't refuse… but he WON!

His plan worked and he now knew that no matter what happened, he could find a way out. It worked back then and it would work now… He just had to come up with a plan first.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Emerald asked Mercury as she flew ever closer towards the Atlas Battleship Blue-2.

"My plan?" asked Mercury, just a little confused.

"Yes, your plan. You do have one, right?"

"I thought we already agreed on a plan; We get aboard the ship, kick-ass, and then use the ship to get back at Cinder. After that…-" He shrugged, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, nothing to sweat about."

There was a heavy pause as Emerald tried to wrap her head around that answer, she wanted to believe that the painkillers had caused her to misheard him. But she knew that wasn't true, she knew and she was still speeding towards the battleship, "That's… not a plan."

"It's a plan in the making."

"No. No, it's not. It's more of a checklist of things that you want to do. But I wasn't asking what you wanted to do, I was asking HOW you were going to do it."

"Geeze you don't have to shout, we'll figure it out when we get there!"

"And then what?" Emerald was getting angry but she didn't stop flying towards Blue-2. They've gone too far to turn back now, not that there was something to return to.

"And then we can figure it out! Look, I'm sorry if that's not the answer you want but I don't have a map of the battleship on me! But what I do know is that we can take them! My legs and your mindfuckery can take down that dandy twink and that ice cream shortstack he calls a partner!"

Emerald was stunned silent for the second time in a row, her mind was filled with many oh so many things that she wanted to say to Mercury right now and very few of them were kind. But at the same time she could acknowledge that he did have a point: What could he have reasonably planned given their circumstances? She could acknowledge that it wasn't fair for her to demand a fully fleshed-out plan when they literally just decided to do this on a completely drug-fueled whim…

BUT, it was fair for her to ask for something better than, We'll just kick that dandy twink's ass!

And had she been of sound mind she would have been able to properly articulate those feelings… Unfortunately for her, she was not of sound mind. Unfortunately for her, there was a not-so-insignificant part of her psyche that thought Mercury's description of a renowned criminal pair was pretty funny. And unfortunately for her, that silly part of her mind now had control of her vocal cords…

"Roman Torchwick is not a Twink!" She declared as some warning lights lit up and the airship started emitting a loud beeping sound to warn that they were getting dangerously close to the battleship. She was quick to shut the alarm down and flew into the hanger bay/

"Shit, we're already here?!" Mercury muttered to himself.

"Why do you think I was asking you for the game plan? We'll be landing soon!"

"Okay, okay… give me a few seconds!"

"You had a few seconds, you had a few minutes, and you had nearly an hour to come up with something! Are we just supposed to talk to them and hope things work out!?"

"Talk to them?" Mercury said half asking and half considering it as Emerald began landing the aircraft.

"NO! You can't be serious? What are we supposed to say; Hey, you guys hate Cinder and we just had a falling out with her, wanna get revenge and hopefully save our asses? How will that work?"

"We show them our hands," Mercury answered, raising his hand that was missing fingers. "Roman is a pro, there is no way that he believes that Cinder plans to keep him around after this is over. So we show him that we're in the same boat as him and offer to help him get back at her and save his hide!"

If Marcus Black was still alive he would have laughed to his son's face before punching him and telling him to try again. But as he was dead the only thing that he could do was scream in frustration from whatever flaming pit in hell he was being held in. The only thing that he could do was hope and pray that Emerald would somehow inheart his will and act in his stead… she did not.

Instead, she carefully parked the airship in the hangar, stepped out of the airship, and started looking around for something, "Help me find something white."

"Why white?" Mercury asked as he stepped out after her.

"Because I'm trying to make a white flag, that way Torchwick and Neo will know that we didn't come here to fight."

"What if they think that we're trying to trick them?"

Emerald sighed, "Then I guess we'll end up fighting but I'd still rather try avoiding that if I can."

Mercury looked around the hanger bay, there were a couple of other airships besides the one they came in. They were dropships and as far as he could tell they were in perfect working order, So why did they get left behind? Doesn't matter. What's important is finding something white… Maybe an officer uniform?

Eventually, the pair was able to find a semi-clean white rag lying on the floor, they then tied that rag to the handle of a broom that was sitting in a corner before walking deeper into the ship. They kept an eye out for cameras as they ventured towards the bridge of the ship, and every time they saw a camera they would stand in front of it and wave their makeshift flag for a few seconds before continuing.

"Neo are you seeing this shit?" Roman asked as he pointed to a monitor displaying Emerald in a nearby passageway waving a white rag tied to a broom.

Neo stared at the monitor in confusion, she and Roman had expected a "visit" from Cinder and her goons but this was different. This wasn't some stealthy assassination nor was it a bold fierce assault. This was too slow, too forthright to be an attack… it was too honest and she wasn't sure what to do about that.

"There's a speaker button," spoke a voice that neither Neo nor Roman recognized.

The pair turned to face the stranger and paused when they saw that it was just the quiet skinny member of the Lost Boys. He had stayed behind while the others descended onto Beacon to continue their work. Interestingly, the man seemed to have no concern for the safety of his comrades, he wasn't even working. The man was just sitting in front of a computer and playing some kind of game that Roman and Neo were pretty sure didn't come preinstalled on military computers.

"Um, Hi?" Roman finally said.

"Sup," The man answered rather disinterestedly as if there was nothing odd about the situation.

"I don't mean to be rude buuuuuut… why are you here instead of Beacon?"

"I quit."

"You quit?"

"Yup."

"What does that even mean in this situation!?"

The skinny man sighed and for the first time looked at Roman, "It means that I'm leaving the Lost Boys and it's something that I should have done a long time ago."

"I… I thought you guys were friends, you all certainly acted like friends while we were all locked up together. Where is all of this coming from?"

"Do you actually care?"

Roman thought it over for a second and only a second, "No. Not really. No Offense but whatever beef you have against the others has nothing to do with Neo or I. But I support your decision to leave, fuck bad bosses."

"Fuck bad bosses," the former Lost Boy said in earnest solidarity before returning to his game.

Roman then turned back to the TV monitors and saw that the brats were still making their way over to the bridge and that they were still stopping in front of every camera to wave their makeshift flag. That guy mentioned that there was a speaker button, where could it be… Oh! There it is!

"Hello kiddies, to what do we owe this visit?" Roman's voice could be heard in every part of the ship thanks to the speakers.

He waited for an answer but none came, however, it wasn't because Mercury and Emerald weren't trying to communicate with him. They were standing there in front of the camera and their mouths were moving, but Roman couldn't hear anything. The speaker system must be one-way, which makes sense since I doubt the people on the bridge want to listen to every single conversation happening on this ship. But there has to be a way to talk to them…

Torchwick then looked back at the former Lost Boy, "How can we make this call a two-way?"

"There are telephone boxes mounted on the walls around the ship that will allow them to talk to you. They're usually found by the entrances to rooms so if they keep walking they'll find one."

"Thank you!" Torchwick said before turning back to the kids on screen. "I have no idea what you're saying but I'm happy for you. Or sorry that it happened…-"

Emerald and Mercury gave him odd looks.

Torchwick sighed, "-That was a joke, lighten up a bit. Either way, there should be a box on the wall containing a telephone. You can talk to me using that."

It did not take long for Mercury and Emerald to find a telephone box and after a brief discussion amongst themselves, Emerald began talking. "We want your help in betraying Cinder."

"What!?"

"We want your help in betraying Cinder."

"I heard you the first time Green, I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. You're Cinder's bitch! Or at least I was sure that you'd like to be and now expect me to believe you're turning on her?" Torchwick shook his head, "Man, bait used to be believable."

"It's true! Cinder she… she wasn't who I thought she was."

Roman and Neo chuckled darkly, "Of course she wasn't, that's how things are in our world and you know that! You're literally a thief with illusion powers who partnered up with an assassin whose legs are hidden weapons, you both are constantly lying to everyone around you!"

Mercury asked Emerald for the phone and she gave it to him, "Ya we're liars, we are all liars. You're a liar, your partner is a liar, and the bitch we work for is also a liar but she's also the one who held a gun to our collective head!"

"What are you talking about?! What gun did she point at you?"

Mercury and Emerald exchanged a glance with each other before they both raised their mutilated hands to let Torchwick and Neo see that they were missing fingers… Neither side said anything for what felt like an hour but in reality it wasn't even a minute, the fingers were having the effect that Mercury and Emerald hoped they would. Now they just needed to let it sink in for just a bit longer.

"Did… she do that to you?" Torchwick asked before the more sensible part of his brain could stifle the question in his throat.

"Yes, she did," Emerald answered calmly and with a considerable amount of care put into what she said and how much she said. They needed Torchwick's help but they didn't want to seem too desperate, otherwise he might think the whole thing was lost cause or worse that it was a trick.

Torchwick looked at Neo and communicated something with his hands and Neo responded by also using hand movements to speak. The two of them had a short and completely silent conversation while Mercury and Emerald stayed in front of the camera holding up their hands… and then Torchwick spoke but not to them.

"Hey get over here and tell me what you see."

"Hey? Is there someone else there with you?" Mercury asked since Roman could see him through the camera but it didn't allow Mercury to look back. To his frustration, Roman ignored his question though he didn't have to wait long to get his answer.

A voice that neither Mercury nor Emerald recognized was heard over the speakers, "What do you want me to see?"

"Are those brats missing fingers?"

"Yeah… they are! A-Are they okay?"

Torchwick waved him off, "They'll be fine, thanks to you. I just needed to be sure that they weren't trying to pull a fast one."

Emerald quickly pointed out, "Roman you know how my Semblance works! How can I make you see an illusion when I can't even see you?"

"And what if you had lied back then?" Roman asked back.

"Fair point… but now you know that we're not lying. So the only question that remains is if you're willing to hear us out."

Roman looked to Neo who gave him a nod, "Alright, what do you want."

"We want your help to screw over Cinder."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, it looks like things are now in place to ruin Cinder's plan but I wouldn't count her out just yet. The next chapter is going to be throwing a monkey wrench at our heroes, even better, it will be focused on the Villain's POV.

As for Roy… it's funny, originally Team BRNZ was just going to be background characters. Their entire purpose was to show up once or twice for the sake of a joke. Then May and Mercury had surprising chemistry that led to a redemption that wasn't in my original plans. And now Roy and the others are going to play a role in the climax! Meanwhile, Team CRDN was originally supposed to play a bigger role and now they have been all but forgotten… funny how things work out.

As for Ruby's Silver Eyes, this is the first time she has ever used them in the story. Normally such a thing would have been saved for some big moment but it was the quickest way to convince Roy. So from her POV, there was no reason not to do it, which means that there was no good reason for me to hold it back. Also, the reason she was a little winded was because she's not close to mastering those eyes.