A/N: Good morning, everybody! Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY and… welp, this was gonna happen sooner or later. Chapter's late! But in this case, I'm kind of glad, because I really wanted to take my time with this one. After all, we're bringing back a character who is really deserving of more attention, and as the title says, that is Breach. In fact, we're actually going to be delving into a LOT more of her past with this one, and in doing so… just gonna say this right now, things are gonna get pretty heavy with her. Not right off the bat, but gradually, you'll be seeing some pretty big things being brought in. But, for now, let's get into the chapter itself, shall we? This is…

Chapter 113: Breaching In, Reaching Out

…

Weiss Schnee had seen a number of horrific things in her lifetime. The Grimm, a number of terrifying aliens, and ALL of the atrocities her father had committed, including against her own family. But this… this was VERY close to all of those. She had only been to Breach's dimension once before, and back then, she had others around and a guaranteed way back home. But now? She had neither of those things. …Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. She had Neo, but that might as well have been as much consolation as having a box full of tacks in an empty room… with nothing to hang up. She didn't trust Neo, rightfully so. But even so, it was clear that they would have to rely on each other to get out of this situation.

…Though neither one knew where to even start. "Why would Breach bring us here?" the former heiress whispered, keeping her voice down so the passing EVOs wouldn't hear them. She saw Neo tilt her head, obviously confused. "Oh, right… you probably don't know." Backing away from the window, the two girls returned to the center of the room, with Weiss explaining; "You see, Breach used to be a member of the Pack… or you might better know them as "The Collective"."

Neo's eyes widened and she raised a finger… before making several motions that took Weiss aback. She seems to be flailing her arms around while soundlessly snarling, movements that left her confused. It didn't take long for Neo to pause in the middle of her miming, quickly realizing that her usual way of communication wouldn't work. 'Well, guess it's the old-fashioned way then…' she thought to herself, fishing out her scroll.

"Oh, thank you." Weiss sighed in relief, seeing the mute girl begin to type. "I'm sorry, but it probably IS best if we're just straight forward in our communication." She saw Neo roll her eyes with a smirk, which made Weiss pout. "Oh, don't you sass me! I may not get everything you do, but I know sarcasm when I see it."

Silently snickering, Neo brought her phone up to Weiss' face. "I was TRYING to say that they're the ones who we found in that warehouse before the giant monster attacked, right?"

"Giant monster… oh, right, the Hydra." Weiss nodded. "You guys WERE there for that, weren't you? Yeah, they're the same people."

Once again, Neo typed away. "Okay, so who's this "Breach" and what does she want with us?"

Weiss pursed her lips and sighed sadly. "Breach is one of Rex's friends. …And an abuse victim." Neo's eyes widened considerably. "She used to be a loyal member of the Pack under Van Kleiss, though when she realized she was getting the short end, she tried to get away from that life. At least, at first. Unfortunately, we think she suffered from some form of Stockholm syndrome, and she went back to Van Kleiss." Weiss' fists tightened at her side angrily. "For a while, he basically forced her to be the Collective's portal maker for whenever they needed a quick getaway. She was just a tool to them. But recently, she came to regret her actions and wanted out. Thankfully, we were able to help her recently… but then she pushed us all away. We thought she wanted to be left alone for a while…"

Neo was left to think on that for a moment… but then, another thought occurred to her. She hastily typed another message and showed it to Weiss; "What does she look like?"

"Oh, um… she's a very pale girl with dark, strangled hair."

"Did she happen to have a hunchback?"

Weiss' eyebrows shot up. "Well, kind of. That was only her disguise." She motioned to her own back. "That hunch was actually her extra pair of large arms bunched up and hidden under a cloak. …But how'd you know about that?"

At that point, Neo's expression became visibly concerned. "Because I met her that day. We had a conversation and I said I'd help her if I could."

"…And that explains why she brought YOU here along with me." Weiss concluded.

"Well, sure, but why DID she bring you here?" Neo raised a brow. "Do you have a personal connection with her?"

The white-haired girl winced. "No… but I AM dating the only person she's ever known as a true friend. That might have something to do with it."

Her explanation sent a small wave of fear through Neo as she typed; "Wait… don't tell me she could be JEALOUS of you…"

"N-No! Of course not!" Weiss denied, crossing her arms in front of her in an "X" shape. "Rex told me that they NEVER had any sort of romantic encounters. Most that happened between them was when she went to him for help… along with their first encounter where she brought him here to be her plaything, but that was BEFORE she regained her common sense."

"Yes, because flip-flopping between sides TRULY makes for a sane person."

"Oh, stop being such a stooge." Weiss rolled her eyes. "At any rate, we need to find a way OUT of this town, and the best way we do that is to find Breach and find out what she wants from us." Her eyes trailed back toward the window, seeing the mannequin-possessing plants continue to shamble about. "…Provided we can get past them." Glancing down at her hands, Weiss cursed under her breath. "Grr, if only I had my weapon… I'd be able to use my semblance more effectively."

Neo couldn't help but silently agree. She was best in combat with her trusty umbrella. Her eyes drifted across the room, searching for ideas, when something in the corner caught her eye. It was a small rack built into the wall… and settled inside of it were two things; an old cane… and a tattered umbrella. '…It's not much.' Neo thought as she went over to retrieve the objects. 'But they'll do for now.' Picking them both up, she went back to Weiss and offered the cane.

Needless to say, the former heiress was taken aback. "H-Huh?" Neo wordlessly kept offering it, and while Weiss was hesitant, she ultimately took the carved wooden stick, finding it to actually be somewhat decently weighted. "Hm… you know what, this COULD actually work…"

"Good, because this is literally the best option available." Neo typed up another message before nudging her head toward the door. "Now c'mon. Let's find this girl and see what she wants."

The duo began traversing through the house searching for an exit, which thankfully didn't take long. They found the front door the moment they entered the main hall. But, just as they were about to go, Weiss spotted something out the corner of her eye. "Hey, wait a minute…" She trapsed over to a small end table, upon which an old, dusty journal sat. It was the kind of journal that you'd usually see in the "back to school" section, complete with black and white speckles on the front and back over. And, written in the very center, it said;

"Breanna's Journey, Volume 4"

"Breanna?" Weiss tilted her head, leading Neo to sneak a peek at it over her shoulder. "Probably a girl who lived here… kind of odd that it was just left out in the open, though." …She then proceeded to open the book, much to Neo's astonishment. "What?" The mute girl shook her head vehemently, trying to close to book. "H-Hey! Listen, I know it's normally bad to read a girl's personal stuff, but if this has any information about this town, then maybe we should take it with us. …Besides, it's pretty clear that no one lives here now. Whoever Breanna is… or was, she's long gone."

Neo pursed her lips uncertainly, but even she had to admit, the journal COULD hold some useful information. So, with a relenting sigh, she relinquished to Weiss, who opened up the book and started reading;

"September 4th

"Hi, Margret again. To say that I'm nervous would be an understatement. It's Breanna's first day of high school, and on the one hand, we're so proud of her for how far she's come. After her rough start at school life in elementary, and overcoming many hurdles to improve in middle school… I think she's finally ready to make the biggest leap ever. She's made friends, she's on good terms with the teachers after meeting them, and the principal is very much aware of her situation. High school WILL be different, we don't doubt that, but Harold and I will be ready to help her with whatever comes her way.

Here's hoping for the best."

Right off the bat, the first entry made the girls VERY confused. "Huh? Margret?" Weiss squinted, looking back to the title again. "I thought this was Breanna's journal."

Taking out her scroll again, Neo typed up; "Mom and dad?"

"I can only guess, yeah." Weiss affirmed, though that didn't exactly answer much. "Hold on, there's another entry on the same day…"

"September 4th (again)

"It's Harold this time, and as I'm writing this, I'm absolutely livid. Our little girl's first day in high school, and wouldn't you know it, but a new, snobby rich kid has come to town and what's the first thing this little witch do? She picks on out daughter to the point of another lash-out. This hasn't happened in a YEAR. She was doing so good, keeping her temper under control, but now…

Thankfully, her friends were able to help her in the moment, but unfortunately, it seems the school board is siding with the rich bitch. Apparently, her parents are BIG contributors to the board, so now we've got to kowtow to these people. If Breanna lashes out again… it's a suspension. Thankfully, the girl's parents HAVE warned her to not do this again, so that's comforting. And they've apologized to us on her behalf. Hopefully we can try to work something out once we explain our daughter's situation to them. …I've gotta go. Breanna's crying."

After reading the entry, Weiss and Neo were left stunned, needless to say. "Oh… my god." Weiss closed the journal, which suddenly felt much heavier in her hands. "This poor girl…" She looked over to Neo, whose expression was one of sadness and… sympathy. "Something tells me this town wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, even before Breach took it into this dimension. …Come on, we should get moving."

On that sobering note, the duo went straight for the front door. However, when they made it there… they both hesitated. They simply stared at the doorknob with anxious expressions, remembering the shambling creatures that waited for them on the other side. "…W-Well? What're we waiting for?" Weiss stammered. Neo sent her an incredulous stare in response. "Hey, listen, it's clear that you're JUST as freaked out as me, so one of us has to open the door!"

As much as she was scared to do so, Neo pondered how to proceed. In just a few moments, an idea came to her and she gestured for Weiss to join her on the left side of the door, her hand gingerly reaching for the knob. She slowly but surely twisted and opened it up, allowing the old hinges to creak as they swung. The two girls peered out from the side, making sure the coast was clear before creeping their way onto the front porch.

"Okay, so far, so good…" Weiss whispered, stopping just before the porch to duck behind a railing and peer out toward the street. Neo followed suit, taking caution as they scanned the area. "I think they might've all been on the other side of the house. If we can—"

*SMASH*

"GRAAAUUHH!"

"AAAH!" Weiss screamed and spun around as something broke through from under the porch. She and Neo were horrified to see a long, swinging vine that was stuck inside of a plastic mannequin's arm, moving its broken fingers in a way that was eerily human. They were clenching open and shut as it reached out, clearly intent on grabbing one of them. "Shoot!" Weiss thrust her makeshift weapon at the attacker, creating a glyph to shield them. "RUN!"

Neo didn't have to be told twice. The two leapt off the porch and booked it toward the street, just as the porch began to get overturned by even more mannequin-wearing plant creatures. Despite their fear, the duo spared a look back, their pupils shrinking as they saw the monsters giving chase in some of the most disturbing ways. Many were running erratically on two "legs" while others shimmied after them on all fours… but some weren't even full mannequins either.

Indeed, many of the plant creatures only inhabited limbs, from four arms or four legs, to two arms and one leg. Some didn't even HAVE limbs, crawling along the ground in mannequin torsos and heads like worms. 'It's like the most demented version of Mr. Potato Head I've ever SEEN!' Weiss screamed in her head. 'Only these things AREN'T funny!' She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when Neo jerked her by the shoulder, garnering her attention. "GAH! What?!"

The mute girl pointed straight ahead, and Weiss immediately saw several more of the disturbing creatures sprinting towards them. And the most chilling thing about it was… she could swear that they were screaming at them. In reality, the branches of their bodies were simply scraping against the harder mannequin material and making loud noise, but Weiss didn't care. It was still scary as hell. The two were forced to a stop as both groups of creatures closed in on them, trapped with nowhere to go.

"Gah, I REALLY wish I had my Dust!" Weiss hastily rifled around in her pockets, hoping she had a spare vial only to find that she didn't. "…Is this really as far as we go?" Just then, however, Neo pulled a move that took Weiss off guard. She went over and put an arm around her, all while glaring at the creatures intensely. "W-What're you…"

Neo wordlessly glanced toward Weiss, giving her only a single nod. In a way, the former heiress could already tell what she was saying; "Trust me."

"…If you have a plan, then be my guest." Weiss allowed, to which Neo smiled briefly and pointed down at her cane. "You want me to use my Semblance…" Neo pointed to herself. "…when you give the word." With a final nod, Weiss took a deep breath and braced herself. "…Alright, let's do it."

The plant creatures had completely surrounded the two at that point, and many of the larger ones were getting ready to strike. Sure enough, the ones in the lead all pounced at their targets… but they weren't prepared for what happened next. Neo activated her Semblance first, causing her and Weiss to "shatter" upon impact. In reality, though, the duo had shifted slightly to the side, which was when Neo patted Weiss on the shoulder, giving her the signal. With that, the white-haired girl summoned a larger glyph under their feet and they both jumped, the glyph propelling them high above the creatures' heads.

Landing on the roof of a nearby building, they peered down below, seeing that they had successfully left the creatures baffled as to what happened. "Hah… hah… that actually worked!" Weiss smiled to Neo, who was grinning rather proudly herself. "We actually moved too fast for them to see us. Nice work!" With a single nod, Neo jerked her thumb over to the other side of the roof. "Right, we need to keep going… I'd say the rooftops are probably our best bet." And indeed, they began leaping across the rooves of the rather desolate town, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of Breach.

"Now, if I were a lonely girl, where would I hide out…" Weiss paused for a moment, however, when she saw a familiar building off in the distance; the high school where Van Kleiss had based himself at. Neo noticed this as well, and she nudged her head in that direction. "…Yeah, I suppose that'd be the best place to start."

…

Back in Bellwood, meanwhile, Emerald took a deep breath through her nose, smelling the delicious scent of the meal that she was helping Cinder cook up. They may have been living in squalor, but the food that they were able to purchase from their bounty hunting side gig was to DIE for. "Ah… seems like it's almost ready."

"Indeed." Cinder concurred, pulling the pot of stew from the stove. "…I will admit, I hadn't appreciated cooking until I did it for myself… and others that genuinely appreciate it."

Emerald smiled at that and chuckled a little. "Hehe, well, it definitely beats living off of scraps on the street, that's for sure. So, you want me to get Neo?"

"If she's awake, then yes." The Fall Maiden permitted. "But if she's still asleep, best not to bother her."

"Sure, got it." With that, the green-haired thief jogged her way down the hall to Neo's bedroom, giving it a couple knocks. "Neo? You up? Dinner's ready if you want it." No response, which made Emerald raise a brow. Neo wasn't exactly known as a heavy sleeper, so she assumed she'd at least be met at the door. She went to turn the knob and said; "I'm coming in—ah, what?" Much to her shock, though, the knob didn't budge. "Locked?"

"If she locked herself in, that probably means she doesn't wanna be bothered." The sudden voice alerted her to Mercury's presence. "And if she doesn't wanna be bothered, then we should probably just leave her be."

Even so, Emerald wasn't entirely satisfied. "Well, sure, but… she's gonna miss out on some really good stuff."

But Mercury simply shrugged. "Eh, nothing a little microwaving later won't fix. Now c'mon, whatever you made smells delicious."

"Heh, thanks…" Emerald grinned before following Mercury back, though not without sparing one last glance toward Neo's room. 'Hope she isn't asleep for TOO long…'

…..

As that was happening, a certain household across town was in the middle of a much different activity. Not long after Oscar and Paradox's arrival, the Tennysons had returned home, and they had taken the time to meet the two before Sandra insisted on prepping dinner for EVERYONE in celebration. …Predictably, Raven had wasted no time in adverting catastrophe. With herself Sandra and Carl now working diligently in the kitchen, Wu Kong was meditating in the living room, balancing on his staff while Bajie and Paradox talked about the old days. And on the back porch, Winter and Vernal were also conversing about how to improve training methods for the young heroes down in the basement as well.

But, down below, the Omni-Hunters were just about to wrap up their Bionicle catch-up session with Oscar, the farm boy having been immersed in the lore of the first year for around two and a half hours now. He sat at the computer with Ruby, Zak, Ben and Kenny sitting around him, while everyone else watched from a distance. And on the desk, all of the Toa figures were standing with their weapons raised.

"This is it." Kenny said in anticipation. "The big confrontation."

Oscar was both excited and dreading this moment. After reading through the first Bionicle book, the gang had shifted him to playing through the "Mata Nui Online Game", which offered a much different perspective on the first year's story from the island villager's perspective. But now… the game was covering something that had not been touched on in the book; the battle with Makuta himself.

On the screen, Tahu spoke loud and clear in the Matoran language; "Makuta! We have come!" He pointed to an amorphous mass of parts floating up in the air, expecting them to take shape… but instead, something unexpected happened. From below, a small shadowy figure with yellow eyes emerged, something which took all of the Toa aback. "What?!"

…It was a Matoran. One whose body was fully corrupted by the essence of Makuta. "I have been waiting for you." It spoke in a deep, distorted voice.

"…You're kidding me." Oscar uttered.

"Nope, not kidding." Ruby shook her head.

Tahu pointed at the being accusingly. "But you—you are—"

"I am that which you were sworn to protect."

However, Kopaka, the Toa of Ice, wasn't about to fall for such a ruse. "Tahu, it's a trick! We must destroy him!"

If anything, though, the Makuta found amusement in that. "Destroy me? You cannot destroy me. No more than you can destroy the sea, or the wind. Or… the Void."

"You are like the sea?" Hali, the Toa of Water questioned. "The sea bears life! The sea bore us!"

"I bore you. For I am Nothing." Makuta corrected before making his way into a harrowing speech. "And out of Nothing you came. And it is into Nothing that you will go. I stand with Mata Nui, side by side. I am his brother. The people of the world are builders. But look into their hearts… and you will find that they also have the power to destroy. I am that power. I am destruction. And I WILL destroy you."

Oscar was left wide-eyed and silenced by the whole ordeal. For the past several hours, he had wondered what the faceless Makuta, this boogeyman of Mata Nui, was actually like. …And he was not disappointed by the result. And Kenny only helped reinforce that. "Yeah, right there with you, dude. Honestly? One of the best villain speeches of all time."

"He just wants to see the world burn." Zak added. "REALLY wish we had more bad guys like that in media nowadays."

On the computer, Tahu pointed his sword at the Makuta. "But… you are but a Matoran!"

"You expected something else? Something like… THIS?!" On that note, the floating, spinning mass of parts shot down from above and absorbed the Matoran body, ripping it apart so that it may join its collective whole. And from there, the parts began to shoot around the entire chamber, attacking the Toa at every turn.

"Woah! He can do that?!" Oscar exclaimed.

Ruby nodded and grabbed his shoulder. "Yeah, but remember; through Unity, they'll do their duty and achieve their destiny!"

As if on cue, Tahu shouted; "Our only hope is to work together!" With that, he summoned all of his fire power and poured it into his sword, shooting a whirling stream of fire at the Makuta. Kopaka followed suit, blasting a flurry of ice and snow. Hali raised her hooks above her head, summoning all of the water she could from the air before sending it out at her target. From there, Lewa, the Toa of Air, raised his axe and sent a whirlwind at their enemy. Then the Toa of Earth, Onua, and the Toa of Stone, Pohatu, combined their abilities to create a massive earthquake that smashed into the amorphous mass, finally breaking it apart.

However, as the Makuta's essence disappeared, he gave one final set of parting words; "You cannot destroy me. For I am… Nothing."

"…Well, that's ominous." Oscar noted. But, right then, the Toa all began to disappear one by one, no doubt being transported back to the surface.

Before she was sent out, however, Hali noticed something; "But—what happened to the Chronicler?"

Right as she was transported out, her answer would soon come as the pile of now abandoned parts began to shift, revealing a lone Matoran underneath. He had a red body and arms with yellow feet and a blue mask, a notably odd combination among the villagers. "Ah, there's our boy Takua!" Ruby cheered… right as a large door opened on the other side of the chamber, allowing an eerie green light into the room.

The group watched as Takua went in to investigate… only to find a huge wall with several glowing pods situated in a hive-like arrangement. Takua trepidatiously went up to one of the pods and peered into it… where he saw the silhouette of a large, round object. …And he quickly jumped back when it opened its large, red eyes. Within moments, it shot out of its pod and over Takua's head, rolling along the ground before coming to a stop.

"W-What is…" Oscar stammered, only to be shocked when the ground being unfurled a pair of legs and claw-like arms from its body to stand up. "WHAT IS THAT?!" he yelped.

"That… is probably the most ingenious idea Lego ever did." Kenny stated, watching on as Takua ran from his life while more of the mysterious creatures emerged from their pods.

The little Matoran eventually made it to a lone pedestal… which seemed to have a chunk taken out of the top. With no place left to run and the creatures closing in, Takua began rifling around in his backpack for something to defend himself, pulling out a short dagger. …But then, he noticed that the dagger's handle was suspiciously shaped like the pedestal's missing chunk, to which he stuck it in. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit, and from the bottom of his feet, a mysterious sphere materialized and shot him straight up out of the chamber, where he emerged back where it all began for him; Mangai Beach.

From there, the group spectated in silence as the ending cutscene played out, and Oscar breathed an excited sigh. "Hah! That… was… AMAZING!"

"I know, right?" Sun agreed immediately.

"Did we tell ya or did we tell ya?" Neptune smirked knowingly.

Oscar chuckled and replied; "Oh, you told me, alright. You said that was how many years old?"

"About two decades old." Kenny replied. "I was only a toddler when it came out, so it took me until Bionicle's third year to really get into it. But once I did, you bet I caught up BIG time." He craned his head toward the large stack of boxes in the corner of the room. "And you bet that I'm super stoked to get you guys all caught up, too."

However, Blake stood up and stretched her arms over her head, with many following her example. "Yeah, but maybe we should take a break first, huh? We've been at this for what, two hours or so now?"

"Yeah, might be a good idea to get some dinner in us first." Ren concurred.

Nora clapped her hands together, rubbing them eagerly. "Oh-ho-ho, yes! And I'm pretty sure Raven's cooking tonight. Oscar, you are gonna LOVE her food, I guarantee it!"

The farm boy and everyone else got to their feet as well. "Hehe, I'll take your word for it."

*Ding-dong*

Just then, the sound of a doorbell chime came ringing through the room, much to the surprise of many. "Woah! Where'd that come from?" Ilia asked.

"Ah, right, my dad DID say he installed a ringer down here recently." Ben replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Just in case he's down here when we get visitors and stuff. C'mon, let's go see who's here."

Once the team made their way up the stairs, though, they saw that they were already beaten to the punch. "I'll get it!" Sandra called out, reaching the door in record time. Once she opened it, though, she was quite surprised to see who was on the other side. "Oh, Cooper! What brings you around this late, sweetie?"

Cooper smiled and gave a slight bow. "Evening, Mrs. Tennyson. Sorry to come over unannounced, but I've got something important for the others. May I come in?"

"Oh, of course, honey, come in." Sandra said, stepping aside. "Ben! Cooper's—oh, never mind!" It was only then that Sandra noticed her son and the others were already upstairs. "There they are right there."

However, before Ben could even get a word in, Professor Paradox spoke up first. "Why, if it isn't Cooper! Good to see you, lad."

The young genius was taken aback, understandably. "P-Professor! You're back?!" He whipped his head around to the team as they approached. "Uh, guys, were you planning on telling the REST of us or were you just gonna keep this to yourselves for a while?"

Jaune simply gave a shrug. "Well, we figured we'd wait until tomorrow since they only JUST got here, like, a couple hours ago. On that note, though…" He side stepped so that Oscar was in Cooper's line of sight. "Coop, you've met Oscar, right? And vice versa?"

"Ah, yeah! The guy with the cool armor!" Oscar smiled and waved. "Nice to see you again." However, Cooper didn't respond at first, instead simply staring at the formerly much shorter farm boy incredulously. "…Ah, right, I've changed a lot since we last saw each other."

"…That's putting it mildly." Cooper nodded, only to raise a hand once Oscar went to explain. "Wait, don't tell me…" He pointed straight to the professor. "Time-space shenanigans, am I right? You've only been gone for too months, but you shot up like a weed. That can't be a coincidence."

The professor and Oscar both got a chuckle out of that. "Hehe, you're right on the money." Oscar confirmed.

Pyrrha, however, was keen on asking Cooper about what was going on. "But what brings you here, Cooper? I would've thought you'd have gone home by now."

"Ah, well, Caesar's burning the midnight oil on that new prototype we're working on, so I figured I'd might as well work on something useful too." Cooper reached into his pocket and took out a little white device with a key pad and a large radar screen, showing it off to the gang. "So, I whipped this little baby up. It picks up distortions space and traces them to their exact source. I figured, with everything that's happened today, this could help us get a leg up on Eon whenever he makes portals into this world, and hopefully it'll help mitigate those annoying escape strategies of his at least a little bit more."

"Oh, not a bad idea, actually." Gwen commended. "It HAS been getting irritating having to deal with those recently."

"Yeah, nice idea, Coop." Kevin added, only to raise a brow at him. "But uh… was this really a priority to show us this now?"

The young genius winced and cleared his throat. "Ahem, that actually leads me to the SECOND reason I'm here…" He switched on his new device, and immediately, a blip showed up… directly in the center of the radar. "The moment I finished working on it, I detected two spatial anomalies. One across town, which Team CFVY are investigating… and one here, at your residence, Ben."

That managed to take the group off guard, including the adults. "W-What?" Ben stammered. "How? When?!"

"Well, according to these readings, the anomaly occurred a couple hours ago." Cooper said, looking down at the screen. "I'm just glad that I made the device strong enough to detect the residual effects, otherwise I wouldn't have known."

"…That shouldn't be possible." Wu Kong finally spoke up, stepping off his staff and taking it in his hand. "If there was a change of any sort, I would've been able to detect it. And as far as I can tell, there aren't any villains around. And everyone is… wait…" His head whipped around in astonishment toward the stairs. "…What… that can't be…"

Sun's expression became one of concern. "Master? I-Is everything alright?"

Cooper hastily pointed the device up the stairs. "The anomaly happened in this house… and according to this, it DID happen upstairs."

"…Aye dios mio… no, no, no, NO!" All of a sudden, Rex went sprinting up the stairs, taking everybody off guard.

But it didn't take long for everyone to connect the dots. "AH! Weiss!" Ruby cried out, using her Semblance to shoot up the stairs. Yang and Blake's eyes widened in horror as they shot after the two themselves, followed by Ben and everyone else.

Once they had all stormed up the stairs, they saw that Rex was already at Team RWBY's door, though Ruby beat him to the punch when it came to opening it. "Weiss! WEISS!" But once she stepped in, she let out a horrified gasp, as did her teammates. As for Rex, the color had practically drained from his face, leaning against the doorframe to keep from falling to his knees. …She wasn't there. Weiss was gone.

The rest of the team was left in complete silence, absolutely stunned. Their friend was gone… and they quickly noticed that her weapon was still there as well. It didn't take long for them to concluded; "…She's been… kidnapped." Gwen said, lifting a shaky hand to her lips.

"…This is awful." Cooper lowered his head before taking out his Build Phone and putting in a number, leaving the room hastily. "Six, this is Cooper. We've got an emergency. I need the Dimensional Doorway here STAT."

…

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

Back in Breach's dimension, things had quickly gone belly up, much sooner than Weiss had anticipated. She had thought that sticking to the rooftops would be a fine idea. A SWELL idea, even. However, she was quickly proven wrong when she found out that these things COULD CLIMB. Never in her life did she imagine that such useless limbs could get a grip on a wall, but they were also FAST, and that only hastened her and Neo's pace as they sprinted across the town toward the high school.

"Please tell me there's SOMETHING you can do to give them the slip!" Weiss screamed over to her mute ally, to which Neo glanced back to see a gaggle of vines and mannequin parts closing in on them. …And she vehemently shook her head before increasing her speed. "Hah! Hah! Some help YOU are!" Through ragged breaths, Weiss sped up as well… before remembering something. "Wait! That's it!"

Sliding to a stop across the concrete surface, Weiss planted herself firmly in place, ignoring how tired her legs were as she raised her cane and SLAMMED it into the floor, summoning a massive glyph under them. And it was from out of this glyph that she summoned her trusty Sphinx, the winged feline Grimm roaring in defiance against the vine creatures before lunging at them. "Rip them apart!" Weiss commanded. "Then meet us at the school!"

Her summon gave a roar of acknowledgement as she and Neo hopped down from the building, with Weiss bringing forth more glyphs to soften their landing. Just across the street, they saw the school waiting for them, and with one final push, they managed to make it inside. The duo slammed the door shut behind them… and then proceeded to stack anything that wasn't nailed down in front of it. Chairs, desks, trophy cases, the works. "Hah… hah… hah… I think… we're safe." Weiss breathed out.

Neo pursed her lips and took out her scroll, typing; "For now."

"Yeah, well, "for now" will have to do." Weiss asserted, reaching behind her back to pull out the journal they had found earlier. "Now come on, let's find Breach. …Hopefully this can give us some clues about this place…"

Continuing on through the eerie silence, the two girls strolled their way through the desolate high school halls, the atmosphere of the abandoned place slowly but surely taking hold. With every creak or thud they heard, they would often flinch or spin around, prepared to take on anything that came their way… only to find that it was often nothing. But even so, they pressed on, opening any door they came across. …Which quickly proved to be a mistake on several occasions.

…Such as when Weiss opened one to find a hall full of small white stuffed bunnies surrounding a larger pink bunny in the middle. …And none of them had eyes. "…Nope." *SLAM* "Nope, nope, no-no-no-no, SO much NOPE." She hurried to catch up to Neo and opened the journal again, hoping to take her mind off what she had just saw. As she flipped through the pages, though… Weiss found a few things quite odd. "…Hey, Neo."

The mute girl stopped and tilted her head, allowing Weiss to show her. "Take a look at this. A lot of these entries mention EVO attacks and Providence a lot." She only got a raised brow in response. "Oh, uh, right… EVOs are the creatures that the Collective make, though they call them "Creepers". Back in Rex's world, they ran rampant after an incident caused the whole world to be infused with Nanites, which is what makes them. And Providence are the people who brought down these EVOs. Take a listen;"

"October 12th,

Harold here. The attack finally seems to be over. Providence has seemingly taken care of the plant EVOs that threatened our town, thank god. …But unfortunately, not everything is okay. Our little girl nearly got killed… and we're afraid she might've been traumatized by the whole thing. She hasn't spoken a word since she got attacked, even after the Providence Agent that saved her assured her she'd be fine. We're hoping to see her therapist soon… but I don't know if it'll be enough. Here's hoping."

"Seems Breanna was left traumatized by that thing that's attacking us." Weiss concluded.

Neo, however, was still confused, typing into her scroll; "But how's that thing still alive if it was "destroyed"?"

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not sure about the answer to that …but here's something even weirder…" She flipped across the paged until the entries stopped… about a quarter of the way through. "This is the last entry. Nothing past this… and it seems like this one was written in a rush" Indeed, the handwriting was much less neat than the last entries, the pen seemingly having been pressed down hard against the paper. She began to read aloud again;

"Why did everything go wrong?

Today was supposed to be a good day. A HAPPY day. Halloween, Breanna's favorite holiday of the year. We were supposed to go out and host a big party at the school. But it was all ruined. As if we didn't think our luck could get any worse.

She went EVO.

And of course, the first thing that everyone in Greenfield did was panic. People we once considered friends have suddenly turned on a dime, calling her a "freak" and a "monster" once she started lashing out and panicking. …Of course, I don't blame my little girl one bit. It's a natural reaction for something like this… but this was MUCH worse than her previous outbursts. I watched her. I watched with my own two eyes while my heart sunk in my chest as her…"

Weiss trailed off, a silent gasp passing her lips when she saw what came next. Neo was left perplexed, though, motioning for her to go on. Reluctantly, Weiss did, her throat feeling suddenly very dry.

"…as her arms mutated, becoming large and grotesque, as two smaller vestigial arms burst out of her rib cage."

And just like that, Neo realized what Weiss was so caught off guard by.

"But she hasn't changed COMPLETELY. She's just scared and confused. Harold and I both believe that. We need to go and stop that angry mob. Our girl is still in there, and right now, we're the only ones who have a chance at calming her down.

…But if things go south… if we die here defending our daughter…

Breanna. Honey, if you find this, just know that we'll always, ALWAYS love you. EVO or not, you'll always be my baby girl.

Your mother, Margaret Reacher."

With that, Weiss promptly closed the book, her eyes brimming with tears after reading it. Neo was holding her hand over her chest, astonished after hearing all of that. "…The whole town of Greenfield betrayed her. All except her parents." Weiss furrowed her brow. "Not hard to imagine what happened next. …Come on, we can't stop now. We need to find—"

"BREEAAAAAACCHH!"

The two girls gasped and whirled around toward the nearest hall, sprinting down to see the library at the other end. From what they could tell through the windows, there was some sort of ruckus going on in the room, with two shadowy figures moving around inside. Weiss and Neo went running to see what was going on… only for the door to suddenly get smashed out, and through it came none other than… "Breach!" Weiss cried out.

The four-armed girl went tumbling across the floor, but quickly got up to her feet, spinning to face her unknown opponent. But even so, she took the time to address the duo that she had brought to her pocket dimension. "There you are!" Just then, a small desk was chucked out of the library, which she effortlessly teleported away. "Where've you two been?!"

"Huh?! What do you mean? You're the one who left us across town!" Weiss countered, completely caught off guard.

The revelation took Breach off guard. "W-What? I swear I wanted to bring you—WATCH OUT!" Taking the two in her larger hands, she forced them both to duck as another desk, this one much bigger, went sailing over their heads. "…Never mind. We need to go. Now!"

"W-Wait, hold on!" Weiss insisted, while Neo waved her hands in front of Breach to get her to slow down. "What's even going on here? Who's attacking you?!"

"BREEAAAAAACCHH!"

*KER-SMASH*

As if on cue, whoever or whatever the assailant was broke through the whole wall, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. The girls all backed away as they saw a… rather oddly shaped figure come trudging through the rubble. It resembled a Creeper in a way, though rather than be without any clothes, it actually did have ONE article of clothing; a leather butcher's smock. In one hand, it held a massive, metal bat with several spikes protruding out from all over… but what grabbed their attention immediately was its head.

…It was a cube. A giant, metal cube that had been fused to the flesh of the Creeper's body when it went EVO. Weiss nearly gagged when she saw the grafts of skin rippling across the metal box like they were veins, no doubt the creature's REAL head had been infused inside of the blasted thing. Of course, that meant it couldn't SEE anything, so it swung its spiked bat around erratically, hoping to hit something. "BREEAAAAAACCHH! BREEAAAAAACCHH!"

If Neo could scream, she definitely would right now. However, Weiss did enough screaming for the two of them. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! What the HELL is THAT thing?!" …But that proved to be a mistake as the creature stopped, turned its head slowly toward them, and began stalking their way. "…It can hear us, can't it?"

"Yes!" Breach confirmed before grabbing the duo. "Come on! We need to go!" Before either of them could get the chance to argue, the EVO girl leapt through a portal she created, much to the creature's aggravation.

"GRAAAAHH! BREEAAAAAACCHH!"

…..

Down below in the school boiler room, Breach's portal opened up and the three girls spilled out, rolling across the floor in the process. But Breach didn't stay lying down for long, breathing hard as she tried to calm herself down. "Hah… hah… okay… we'll be safe down here. For a while, at least." She hesitantly turned back to her guests, who were both staring up at her with very serious expressions. "…You're wondering why I brought you here."

"…Among many other things." Weiss affirmed, dusting off her skirt and brushing her ponytail out of her face. "Breach, what in the world is going on here? This place was NOT like this when we left. …Or, I guess I should say, when you pushed us out."

Breach lowered her head in shame. "I know… a lot has happened recently. Stuff that I didn't know about."

"Like those plant mannequin monsters outside?" Weiss furthered, with Neo placing her hands on her hips.

"Tch, those things…" Breach clicked her tongue in annoyance. "They attacked this town YEARS ago. Turns out they weren't all destroyed by Providence." She went over to a nearby bench to sit down… well, more like she squatted down on it like a peeved gargoyle. "They planted themselves in the ground to grow back. Though their growth was sped up by that other guy."

Weiss grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah, about that guy, who is HE?"

With a sad sigh, Breach explained. "…You remember when I ejected Van Kleiss and the rest of the collective from this place?" Weiss silently nodded, urging her to go on. "…I don't know how, but I missed one. And he somehow saved a vial of Nanites. I've been trying to deal with him and everything else for the past two days."

"Two days?" Weiss repeated, incredulous to the issue. "Sorry if I'm asking something redundant here, but… why haven't you just teleported him and the plants out?"

"…Because I don't wanna cause any more problems for anyone else." Breach mumbled her answer, which made Weiss sober up quick. The four-armed girl lowered her head, hiding behind the larger pair. "I already made so many mistakes… I wanted to at least wanna try to clean some of them up by myself."

There was a short pause of silence before Weiss came forward, placing a hand on Breach's shoulder. "…I'm sorry, Breach. I was just so overwhelmed by everything that happened that I let my emotions get the better of me." She sat down on the bench, sending her a sympathetic look. "Why don't we start over? Answer me this; why did you bring me and Neo here to help you? Why not Rex? I'm pretty sure you have a stronger connection with him than us, don't you?"

At the mention of his name, Breach's features became etched with sadness. "…Rex. I-I was afraid of what he might've said to me if I brought him here." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and hold herself together. "After what I did, I… I don't know if he'll ever trust me again. After everything he did to help me, I still helped his worst enemy get away."

"…But he helped free you from Van Kleiss." Weiss reasoned.

Breach flung her arms up and argued; "But I still DID it! A-And the worst part is I still don't know WHY I did it! I didn't want to, b-but I also did, k-kinda…" By that point, Breach's voice was starting to break, and tears brimmed her eyes, threatening to fall. "I-I don't know what makes sense anymore! I'm just so confused, I—AH!"

Without warning, Weiss brought her hands down firmly on Breach's shoulders, making the distraught girl focus directly on herself. "Breach, slow down. Deep breaths. In…" Weiss did so herself, which prompted Breach to mimic her. "…and out." On cue, the duo released their breath, with Breach bringing one of her hands up to try and wipe away her tears. "…Okay, so you say that you're afraid of what Rex will say to you. But why us, then?"

"…I brought you here because you're really close to Rex." Breach answered, looking directly into Weiss' eyes. "You're his girlfriend, and that means he trusts you. …I want to trust you, too."

"Oh! Well, I'm glad to hear that." Weiss said with a nervous grin. "Honestly, I was kind of scared myself about us meeting, if you can believe it." She saw Breach tilt her head, coaxing her to continue. "…Because I thought that you'd be jealous. I mean… you like Rex, don't you?"

Breach's eyes widened slightly at the question, absentmindedly brushing a lock of hair back. "I mean… I do like him, b-but I don't know if I like like him. …I've never been good at figuring out those kinds of feelings."

"I see." Weiss nodded in understanding, only to then feel a tap against her shoulder. She and Breach turned to see Neo interjecting on the conversation, the mute girl motioning for them to move things along. "Oh, right. What about Neo here? She said that you two had only spoken once before, right?"

"Right… but that one time was very meaningful to me." Breach explained, putting on a weak yet genuine smile. "You were the first person in a long time to ever just… be nice to me. At least, not since I went back to Van Kleiss. Everyone else in the Collective are big jerks, but back at the docks, you helped me see SOME sort of hope that I could get out." She bowed her head to Neo in gratitude. "Thank you, Neo. …I-I know that you're on the Ministry's side, but… hm?" Without warning, Neo had reached out and gently grabbed one of Breach's smaller hands, leading the girl to crane her head up.

There, she saw a smiling Neo, who was holding up her scroll with a message typed out; "You're welcome. Let's be friends!"

"…F-Friends?"

Neo took her hand back and began furiously typing away, adding to her message; "Yes. I'll be honest, I think you and I actually share a lot alike. I would like to get to know you better… aside from what we learned in that journal, of course."

Breach was taken aback by that last part. "Journal? What journal?"

"Ugh, Neo, you shouldn't have just told her right out the gate." Weiss insisted, making Neo roll her eyes. "Seriously, I was going to break it to her slowly." It was then that she saw Breach eyeing her warily, clearly wanting answers. With a short sigh, Weiss reached behind her and pulled out the journal, handing it to Breach. "We found this in the house you left us in. …Or, I guess I should say it's your house, right?"

The moment her eyes landed on the cover, Breach gasped and practically snapped the book out of Weiss' hands. "Give me that!" She jumped away from the two with an angry glare, taking a defensive stance with her larger arms outstretched. "H-How did you find this?! Did you read it?! You read it, didn't you?!"

Weiss reached her hands out, trying to deescalate things. "N-Now Breach, hold on, please, don't be upset. We only read through it because we thought it would give us some idea of how to get around town." Neo nodded in solidarity. "We didn't expect it to be yours." Breach's scowl didn't let up, however, which led Weiss to make a hesitant move. "…Breanna, I—"

"DON'T… call me that." Breach snapped, making Weiss step back. "…Breanna Reacher was a problematic girl who couldn't take what the world threw at her." She shook her head vehemently. "…I'm not that same girl. Not anymore."

"…You don't sound too convinced of that." Weiss countered, noting the waver in Breach's voice. "If Breanna was like that… then who's Breach?"

The four-armed girl sneered down at the journal in her hands, gripping it tightly as if she was about to tear it in half. "…A monster. An outcast. Someone who doesn't deserve… the people who try and help her."

"All completely false." Weiss stated firmly, with Neo joining her by her side. "Breach, you know deep down that you're still that girl you used to be. The girl who, while she dealt with problems, still tried her best to live a good life with her parent's help."

"Tch… my parents." Breach spat venomously. "They showed their true colors the moment I became an EVO. They were scared. They didn't even try to help me once I was being run out of town!" She narrowed her eyes down at the journal, now actively trying to rip it apart. "They were even part of the mob! I saw their faces! THEY TRIED TO—"

"Stop!" Weiss reached out, taking Breach's hands and gripping them in assurance. "Before you destroy this… read the last entry. I think you'll have different thoughts on that after you do."

Breach sent her a questioning gaze, her frustration starting to grow. But seeing Weiss' resolute stare, she ultimately knew that they wouldn't get anywhere until she did what was asked of her. So, she opened the journal and skimmed to the last entry… and as she read through it, her features softened, shifting to a stunned expression. And then, she read the last paragraph;

"…But if things go south… if we die here defending our daughter…

Breanna. Honey, if you find this, just know that we'll always, ALWAYS love you. EVO or not, you'll always be my baby girl.

Your mother, Margaret Reacher."

…It took a few seconds for Breach to realize that she was crying, her tears hitting the pages as her vision blurred. "…M…Mom… Dad…" All at once, she fell to her knees and dropped the journal, burying her head in her hands as she wailed in sorrow. Weiss and Neo wasted little time in trying to comfort her, wrapping their arms around her shoulders as they let her cry. "AAAAAAHH! GOD DAMN IT! WHY?! Why do I always have to screw EVERYTHING UP?!"

"Ssshh, ssh, it's okay. It'll all be okay." Weiss consoled, with Neo rubbing circles into Breach's back. After about a minute of the EVO girl bawling her eyes out, Weiss decided to follow up with; "…Are your parents alive, Breach?"

"Hic—y-yes…" Breach hiccupped, her head pushed against Weiss' shoulder. "I ejected all of them out of town when I made this place. I… just wanted to just be alone."

"I can't blame you. I'll bet you were scared and confused, weren't you?" Weiss received a weak; "Mmhm" in response. "You didn't realize that your parents were still trying to help you. And Breach, I can guarantee that they to this day DO still love you, wherever they are. …And that's one thing that you have that I wish I had."

Breach clutched their clothes tightly, crying out; "I-I wish I could take it all back! I feel like such a damn… w-wait…" She slowly brought her head up, backtracking to what Weiss just said. "Your… your parents don't love you?"

The white-haired girl shook her head. "Nope. My father's an asshole who tried to control me and my sister all throughout our lives. Meanwhile, my mother is a reclusive alcoholic… and while I want to believe she still cares about us, it's been so long since I've seen her in person, I really don't know."

Just then, the sound of typing fingers caught their attention, which brought their focus back to Neo. "Honestly? Same. My dad was also a rich asshole. And I thought my mother DID care about me… only for her to show her true colors in the end. Then I met someone who helped set me free and the rest is history." Once again, she typed up a quick message, aimed specifically for Breach. "But Breach, you still have something to hope for. Not only do you have people who care about you, but you also have family who've probably spent a long time worrying about you."

"…Three years." Breach specified. "…It's been almost three years since that happened." Her eyes shifted down to her hands, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "Do you think… they'd ever forgive me?"

"Given how they talked about you in that journal, they most definitely will." Weiss encouraged. "…Though getting back to your world to find them is the hard part."

Once again, Breach grew frustrated. "I've been trying. But for some reason I can't get there, not even from this place. It's like… my powers are tied to whatever dimension I'm in and here. I can't break through any other boundaries."

Weiss hummed in thought. "Hmm, yeah, we're gonna need to find your dimension's coordinates with the Dimensional Doorway. Hopefully Cooper can figure that out soon, but in the meantime, we can focus on another big step." Standing up, Weiss offered Breach a hand. "And that's getting things patched up with Rex. And Breach, I can promise you that he will NOT judge you for what you did."

"…You're sure?"

"Positive. Besides, would he have gone through all of that effort to free you in the first place if he WAS going to judge you?"

After pondering on that for a few seconds, Breach took Weiss by the hand and stood back up, with Neo giving her a supportive pat on the back. "Yeah… you're right. God, I feel so dumb…"

The former heiress gave a simple shrug. "We ALL do sometimes. Now, what do you say we take down those plant monsters outside? Along with that… weird Creeper thing?"

"…Blockhead." Breach clarified, leaving Weiss and Neo wide-eyed. "…I've been calling him "Blockhead"."

At first, the girls were quiet… only for Weiss to burst out into uncontrollable laughter. "PFFT—HAHAHAHA!" Neo had to hold her hand against her mouth, silently laughing alongside her. "Hahaha! O-Oh my god, that is SO funny! Breach, you're a GENIUS!"

Eventually, Breach managed a smile and began laughing herself. "Hah… hahaha! I-I guess it IS pretty funny, actually…" Even so, she still knew the severity of the situation. "But we need a way to beat him and those other monsters. Any ideas?"

"Hmm…" Searching the room, Weiss quickly found a few things that stuck out. Namely… a bunch of big propane tanks. She sent Neo a knowing smirk, which made the mute rub her hands together intently. "Oh… I think I've got a few…"

…..

Back outside, the EVO known as "Blockhead" had lumbered himself out of the school, dragging his heavy, metal bat behind him. He had made it to the front courtyard just in time to see his precious EVO plants start overtaking the summoned Sphinx Grimm, all of them having fused together into a giant tangle of roots and vines with mannequin parts sticking out of every square inch of itself. "GRAAAAGGH!" Blockhead raised his bat and roared, calling his creature to make the killing blow… only for something unexpected to happen.

From above, several portals opened up and dropped at least seven propane tanks down onto the Vine EVO, followed by none other than Weiss. Thrusting her cane downward, she concentrated on her Semblance, summoning her Queen Lancer out of a glyph and landing upon its back. The wasp Grimm darted about in the air, repositioning itself to take aim at the propane tanks. "Steady… steady… NOW!" The Queen Lancer lashed out its stinger upon her command, piercing through the tanks as they landed upon the Vine EVO.

The results were immediate as the tanks exploded all at once, catching the creature on fire. Mannequin limbs went flying everywhere as it lurched forward, creaking and moaning as if it were in pain. It retracted all of its vines on reflex, which freed the Sphinx Grimm and allowed it to fly into the air. Now above the beast, it looked to its master for instructions. "FIRE!" she ordered, to which it nodded and opened its mouth, unleashing a blazing blue flame upon the EVO, making the fire even larger.

Eventually, the Vine EVO couldn't handle it and it flopped to the ground, causing a small tremor in the process. It lied motionless as the flames burned all across its body, making the remaining mannequin parts become charcoal black as it all shriveled away. …Needless to say, Blockhead wasn't happy. "GRAAAAHHH!" Mustering all his strength, he hefted his bat up over his shoulder, ready to smash the girl into the ground… only for a different girl to appear directly in front of him.

Neo stood there innocently and demurely, making herself appear as less of a threat as possible. And thankfully, Blockhead took the bait. "RRRAAAHH!" He swung his bat down upon her head… and she shattered into many pieces, resulting in the weapon crashing into the ground and getting stuck. "HRRMMPH?!" He grumbled confusedly, pulling as hard as he could to try and get it out. But before he could make any headway, Neo came flying in from his left and kicked his hand off the handle, before then hooking his wrist with her umbrella and pulling him away from it entirely. And then…

*TO-O-O-O-NK*

"GYAAAARRRGHH!"

Weiss struck the side of Blockhead's… head, causing a loud reverberating sound to echo through his ears inside the metal container. From there, Weiss and Neo began taking turns, striking the metal crate multiple times. All while the former taunted him with every strike. "Word! To! The! Wise! Wearing! An! Echo! Chamber! On! Your! Head! IS! NOT! VERY! SMART!"

*TONK*

With one final strike from both of them, the girls left Blockhead completely disorientated, stumbling backward until he fell… right into Breach's arms. "…B-BREEAACCHH?!" He growled, completely lost to where he was.

"You got that right." Breach snarled. "NOW!"

On her word, Weiss brought her Semblance forth one more time, summoning her Arma Gigas which practically charged its way out of the glyph. The walking armor reeled its fist back and PUNCHED Blockhead with all its might, which prompted Breach to arch her back and swing the EVO along with her in what could only be described as an "assisted suplex". And then… the monster's head crashed into the pavement with a mighty;

*GOOOOONNGGG*

Breach fell out of her arch and stood back up, peering down at the motionless EVO as its legs hung freely in the air while remaining completely motionless. …His square-shaped head was partially to thank for that. "Hah… I think… you got him."

"We got him." Weiss corrected, her and Neo coming up and placing their hands on Breach's shoulders. The three girls exchanged happy smiles before Breach turned her attention back to the burning husk that was the Vine EVO, the warmth of the flames hitting her face. "…You okay? That thing, it… it hurt you back then, didn't it?"

"Yes… but it doesn't bother me anymore." Breach admitted. "…I've been through a lot worse since then." The four-armed girl watched as the Arma Gigas, the Queen Lancer and the Sphinx all reconvened around Weiss, the living suit of armor saluting while the giant feline knelt down to get its nose pet. "…Are these all your pets?"

"Hehe, not "pets", more like "summons"." Weiss clarified. "They're extensions of my Semblance, thus extensions of myself." With a wave of her hand, she said to her Grimm; "Thank you, you're dismissed." And the very next second, they all dissipated into mist, much to Breach's shock.

"Wow… that's cool. So, what next?"

The former heiress shot her a knowing eye. "…I think you know exactly what comes next." She received a sheepish look from Breach, which only strengthened her resolve. "Breach, I know that it's scary… but trust me, everyone back home is going to welcome you with open arms. Including Rex."

Even so, Breach wasn't so certain. "…You're sure they'd be friends with… someone who has as much problems as me?"

"Oh, honey, if you met the kind of people we hang around with, you'd know that our crew will accept you in a heartbeat." Weiss promised, going up and touching her shoulder for reassurance. "Listen… everybody has problems. Some more than others, granted, but the best way to confront those problems isn't on your own."

Breach's gaze drifted downward. "Yeah, but… most of the problems I have aren't so easily handled."

Neo came up next, having written out a new message. "Well then, we'll do our damnedest to try." She continued typing, adding toward Weiss; "I know that our groups are on completely opposite sides of this whole conflict, but when it comes to Breach, I'll do whatever it takes to help. …Even if I have to do it behind the others' backs."

"…You know, you COULD just change sides right now." Weiss suggested, taking Neo and Breach by surprise. "I mean, Breach USED to work with the bad guys, but now she doesn't. And it's clear that things with you are changing as we speak. Between this new friendship… and your feelings for a certain fox of ours." Immediately, Weiss got the reaction she wanted; wide eyes and a furious blush from the mute girl.

"Oh… you're seeing someone on the good guy's side?" Breach said, now smirking herself. "Neo, that sounds so scandalous." Neo began waving her hands frantically, trying desperately to hide her reddened cheeks.

She hastily typed out another message, reiterating her point. "Even if I WANTED to change sides, I'm not exactly in a good position to do that right now. Lemme remind you; I STILL don't like that hooded partner of yours, and I helped free the Demon Bull King. Just… give me some time to think things over, would you?"

"Hm, yeah, I've been wondering about that little grudge you have against Ruby." Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe I could convince you and her to have a little sit down and chat about that one day." She received a sour glare from the mute girl, making her feelings clear on that matter.

"…Please?" Breach added hopefully.

Just like that, Neo's features became less puckered. "…I'll consider it." she typed out. "But for now, I think it's time that we all headed home."

On that, Weiss could agree. "Yeah, everyone's probably freaking out and wondering where we are by now." She turned to Breach and smiled. "…Ready to see Rex?"

"…Hah, as ready as I'll ever be." Breach replied, creating two portals for each of them to head through. However, she made sure to reach out to Neo, giving her one last unexpected hug. "…I'll make sure to keep in touch. And thank you again."

Despite herself, Neo smiled and returned the embrace before typing out; "You're welcome. I'll keep in touch. Promise." And with that, the two groups went their separate ways… with Breach dragging Blockhead through the portal behind her.

…..

Back in Bellwood, a Plumber vehicle had just pulled up in front of Ben's house, Agent Six and Doctor Holiday clamoring out of it the moment they parked. The Providence agent had the Dimensional Doorway in hand, and before he could even open the door himself, Cooper, Ruby and Rex were both already there waiting for him. "Six! Doc!" the EVO shouted, shaking with impatience and anxiety. "What the heck took you so long?!"

"Rex, calm down." Holiday insisted. "I know this situation is bad, but—"

"JUST bad?" Rex countered. "Weiss is gone and we have NO idea where she could possibly be! We need to find her before anything bad happens—ugh!" Without warning, Six struck him hard on the shoulder, making him reel back in surprise.

"Get a hold of yourself, Rex." the agent stated calmly. "I realize how worried you are, but there's no reason to go taking your frustration out on the ones trying to help."

While Rex was about to argue against that, he realized that his mentor was right. Doing so wouldn't get him anywhere. "…S-Sorry." he said, lowering his head. "I-I'm just…"

Holiday reached out and pulled him into a reassuring embrace. "I know, Rex. We'll find her. Don't worry."

"I can promise you that, Rex." Cooper assured, raising the Dimensional Doorway. "With this baby, we should be able to find her in no time—"

"Wait!" Ruby exclaimed, clutching Cooper's arm and pointing out to the front lawn. "Look!" The group spun around and were immediately greeted by a shocking sight; a glowing red vortex appearing right in the middle of the road. Six quickly unsheathed his blades from his sleeves and took a defensive position, with Ruby pulling out Crescent Rose while Rex's arms began to glow blue. …But what happened next, none of them could've possibly been prepared for. From out of the portal stepped none other than… "…WEISS?!"

The white-haired girl whipped her head up at the sound of her name, waving toward the group with a reassuring smile. "Hey, everybody! Sorry if I—AH!" All at once, Ruby and Rex had practically launched themselves at her and brought her into a big group hug, the two of them fretting over her all at once.

"Oh my god, Weiss! What happened?!" Rex exclaimed.

"We thought you'd been kidnapped!" Ruby added, her eyes glistening with tears.

With a sheepish grin, Weiss pat her partner on the head while gently grasping Rex's hand. "Hah, well… kind of, but not really." She craned her head back toward the vortex. "Yes, I was taken… but only because a certain someone needed help.

The others were understandably confused, but they weren't left in the dark for long as the creator of the portal came through, lugging a massive body behind her. And, needless to say, they were all astonished by her presence. "…You've got to be kidding me." Six muttered.

"Huh." Holiday grinned, folding her arms over her chest. "Well, what do you know?"

With a heavy breath, Breach let Blockhead go and slumped over, grumbling irritably at him. "Gah… you are WAY too heavy!"

"…Breach?" Rex muttered, making the girl stiffen up and her breath hitch.

She slowly turned her head back to her friend, gulping down air as her throat suddenly felt very dry. At first, she had no idea what to say, but seeing Weiss' supportive smile helped her regain some needed confidence. She cleared her throat, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "Er, um… h-hi, Rex… I'm back! …I-I know that you're probably upset that I took Weiss without asking, but—ah!" The four-armed girl gasped as she was suddenly brought into a full embrace, her eyes shifting up to see Rex wearing a joyous smile.

"Forget that." he said with a slight chuckle. "I'm just glad that you two are both back." He glanced over to see Weiss approaching, to which he asked; "I'm guessing you two had quite a lot to talk about, huh?"

"A little, yeah." Weiss said while winking to Breach. "See? Told you he wouldn't be mad."

"Ha! What would I have to be mad about?"

Breach's eyes widened, stunned by the response. "B-But I helped Van Kleiss! The whole reason he's still around is because of me!"

But Rex simply rolled his eyes. "Ah, we can deal with Kleiss later. And I promise you, he WILL be dealt with." He pulled himself back into the hug, which Weiss joined in on. "I'm just glad I got YOU away from him. …Welcome home, Breach."

And just like that, the tears flowed from Breach's eyes once more, burying her head in Rex's shoulder as she cried. It wasn't a sorrowful cry, though… but one born of pure happiness. For the first time in a long time… she felt like she was somewhere she belonged. "Thank you. …Thank you so much!"

"Guys!" All of a sudden, Ben's voice could be heard from the doorway, the Omnitrix wielder charging out of his home with the rest of the Omni-Hunters in tow. "What's going on?! We heard the commotion out here and—oh." Upon seeing the group hug, everyone stopped on a dime, staring incredulously at the scene. "…Uh, okay. This is unexpected."

Peering out from the back, Oscar and Zak couldn't help but scratch their heads. And, as if speaking his thoughts, Kaz popped out of the latter and said; "Okay, totally lost again."

"Same." The two boys echoed.

Ruby, on the other hand, was completely at ease, giving a wistful sigh. "Hah... all's well that ends well. So, who's hungry?!"

*GGGGRRRRRRR*

The whole team were absolutely stunned by the loudest stomach growl they had ever heard, bringing their attention straight to Breach as she gasped again. Her smaller hands immediately covered her stomach, her pale features reddening in embarrassment. "Um… sorry."

"Haha! Well, it's pretty obvious that YOU are hungry." Rex laughed, ushering for Breach to follow him. "C'mon, let's get something in you—"

"Ah-ah, hold on." Weiss insisted, taking Breach by the arm instead. "First, before that… you need a wash, missy. Come on, I'll run you a bath."

…If Breach could cry any more, she probably would have at that moment. 'Food? Baths?' An ear-to-ear smile graced her features. '…I made the correct choice.'

…..

A/N: And with that, we've brought Breach out of the scary Silent Hill facsimile and into the light of the real world once again. All thanks to a couple of girls who worked through some dysfunctions in order to do it. Gotta love it when things like this have a good resolution… though we're FAR from the real "ending", that's for sure. I'm only just getting started with Breach, and I hope you guys are looking forward to seeing how she progresses through the story. And with the little nuggets we got here and there about her past in this chapter… I'm wondering how many of you can guess what's going to happen.

But that's not all, because through this experience, it seems that Weiss and Neo actually found some common ground! The fact that they come from similar backgrounds is one thing, but their parents being uncaring is another. Wonder if that could lead to any further development on both sides in the future… and of course, they're connected now through Breach's friendship, too, so there's that.

And, of course, given all of the Silent Hill references, I decided to throw in a little nod to Pyramid Head as well… though a much less competent one. But hey, whaddya expect when it's just some Joe Schmoe who ended up getting lucky with Nanites and put a box on his head to appear threatening? Sorry, "Blockhead", but you're not getting in Van Kleiss' good graces.

Back on the Omni-Hunter side of things, though, it seems that Oscar has been completely engrossed in the Bionicle lore since arriving, so that's cool. And man, Sandra and Carl must've had quite the number of introductions to go through once they came back to such a full house. Hope there's enough food to go around. Also, hi Cooper! Neat distortion detector you got there! Let's see if that manages to live up to its uses… oh, and you know Oscar's gonna go nuts when he sees the Rider forms.

But that'll have to wait for NEXT TIME as Breach starts acclimating to the new place she's in… as well as realizing that there might actually be TOO many people around for her liking. Thankfully, though, we know JUST the person to help her get used to things! Miss Rose, your services are required! The next day, though, the gang take Breach on a visit to Plumber HQ… only to find that some unsavory guests have arrived. Next Time; Code Epsilon. A couple of old "allies" from the Saturdays' past are back… and they want answers concerning the Demon Bull King's escape. Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! And of course, as always, stay safe out there!