AN: Had to skip a couple updates on a few stories! I know I said I'm ahead of schedule, but I do still try to edit them before posting. Y'know, make sure grammar and everything is good! Just been busy as crap at work. Anyway, enjoy!

ooOOoo

Beacon Patient Holding Cell, five years ago...

Why am I here?

In the darkness, she was surrounded by the moans of countless others – some in pain, others succumbing to a feverish delusions. All of them were at varying stages, but the hymn of desperation was always the same. Many times before, she had tried to soothe the others – maybe she could ease her owns doubts - , but the outcome was always the same and she had already given up. The fever was eating away at her too and she was dizzy… How had this happened? How had someone once so great fallen so low? Tears stung her eyes and a choked sob tugged sorely at the back of her throat. She wouldn't show her fear - her weakness - to the others. Even as it altered her to the very core, she wouldn't allow it to break her down into an emotional wreck. She would not mirror the poor souls with whom she had been entombed.

Across the room, an adolescent boy not much older than her began to convulse and the others around him scattered, clawing at the walls for dear life. They screamed and someone called for help, but what did it matter? They'd die soon enough. They might as well go out this way. They were already Affected… Infected? What did it matter anymore… This was the fate that awaited all of them. They were only being kept alive by the graces of an injection that stunted the mutation's growth and gave them a little more time. If anything, this act was simply the torturing of an already dying mind, but there were no weapons with which to end their suffering.

Oddly enough, an incident had played out not long ago where one of the other captives had succumbed to a violent rage and killed another. In his horror and desperation to erase his actions, he had gone insane with guilt and smashed the body against the wall until a bone protruded from the broken body. He used it as a shiv to end his own life… She almost admired that insane man. At least, he had a courage that she didn't possess. No, instead, she was a coward - a useless coward. Once a prodigy beloved by many, she was a true disgrace to the life she had formerly lead - a stain that was wasting away in this dungeon, lacking even the will to move from the damp, cold spot against the wall she had claimed weeks ago… Two entire weeks… She cursed the partial resistance her blood type afforded her and stunted the effects even more so than others.

With a violent jerk, the convulsing boy jerked upright and shrieked loudly – a Tweaker. Ah, so he was O negative. Glancing up ever so slightly, she made eye contact with him, scoffing as he bolted toward her. Awaiting her knight in virulent armor, she gave a defeated smile and dropped her head. Finally, she would be free of this curse, but in the end, it was someone else that would grant her release; not herself… but he stopped…. Why?!

Kill him… Who was talking to her?

He croaked inwardly; his raspy vocal chords clicking as they vibrated with air. Yellowed eyes rolled about lazily in awkward directions as he focused on her, determining whether she was food or of his own kind. An intense rage burned inside of her, lapping away at the self-deprecation she had experienced only moments before and filling her with poisonous bile. Who was this thing to treat her so… so abnormally?! Gritting her teeth in anger, blind rage granted her the sudden inspiration to launch herself at the freshly-turned mutant and she grabbed its collar. No… No! He wouldn't look away from her!

"What's wrong with you?! Am I not good enough?! Kill me, damn it!" She let go of him and he just stared at her. Did he truly think she was one of them? Behind the Tweaker, a child sniffled fearfully and the mutant jerked itself around, scrambling haphazardly toward the noise. It descended upon the thin boy who struggled desperately to keep its gnashing teeth away. That was the first time she had ever felt it… Pure, unadulterated hatred… and it felt good. For once, it felt like the voice in her head was making sense.

Kill him!

An intense anger swelled in her chest and the world turned red, and for the first time, she could see the world clearly. It was like a glowing ring encased her sight and she could only focus on one thing - her prey. Tearing off in blind rage, she leapt at the newborn Tweaker and tore it away from the boy. Yanking it by the hair of its head, she repeatedly slammed its face against the wall, screaming in rage. Every contact made with the cement blocks sent a fresh wave of blood spattering across her person, but it didn't matter. This was the release she was seeking and it felt great to let loose. All those years of pent up rage and her newfound disappointment with herself were coming fruition. She no longer had to be afraid and her heart soared!

Killkillkillkillkillkillki-

"Hic…" What? Mind still hazy with rage, she remembered the boy that stood next to her. Pinning the gurgling Tweaker to the wall, she looked at the boy she had "saved". Had she even intended to? No, if she were to be honest, she hadn't even truly acknowledged his presence. Under her gaze, the boy flinched and hurriedly backed away. In his eyes, her irises reflected brightly with the signs of mutation and her heart sank… Could she even use that form of expression anymore? Feeling herself clam, she looked first to the creature writhing against the wall, then down at the blood that coated her person. Lifting her eyes, she took in the sight of the fearful boy.

What the hell is wrong with me?! Her thoughts turned back to everyone she had left behind. They'd be so disappointed with what she'd become. Well, really, she'd just dropped the mask she always wore. There was no reason to hide her true self anymore. Winter had been the only one that accepted this side of her anyway, but she had fallen for Weiss and Weiss had fallen for... someone she had created. An character she'd been forced to live as because they needed a hero and she played her part well – all the way to the end... But there was no longer any need for a hero here. The only solace she had was that was safe from "the hero" now. There was public to let down, no broken faunus to show a new world, no responsibilities, no Weiss to hope would accept her as she truly was... She had nothing that was hers... Nothing ever was...

"… Are you... alright?" Watching her fight through her words, the boy hesitated before he nodded in response and she released the twitching mess of a mutant. It slumped to the floor unable to put together enough coordination to perform basic motor skills. The doors slammed open and two guards came in, escorting a new patient. Golden and silver eyes locked with each other; one confident and hopeful, the other marred by blood and hostility.

"Dammit! Another one turned?!" The two guards gathered around the three patients, one watching her hesitantly, and the other checking the mess of a mutant on the floor. "0762, what happened here?" She knew he was referring to her by the number on her shirt, but she was still trying to process what was going on inside her head. It had was difficult speak – difficult to think – difficult to come back from where she was. "O762, respond!" He cautiously trained his weapon on her. "0762!"

"She saved me. H-he attacked me and sh-she saved m-me!" Just as the guards finger touched the trigger, the boy's trembling voice cut through the tension. He smiled gratefully at her and took her hand. Meeting his eyes, the reflective nature of the infection had disappeared and he showed little fear toward her.

Somehow, she had managed to bring herself back from wherever she had gone. It had been difficult to fight through, but it wasn't entirely impossible. Looking at the guards, she caught the eyes of the curious addition to the roster and looked back to the boy.

"I'm sorry…" Devoid of emotion, she shuffled off, feeling less alive than ever. How had she lost herself so quickly? Why did she enjoy that? Was this how she was turning? What would she become? This wasn't like the stories she had heard. Part of her mind was alive and buzzed, relishing that display of violence and begged for more. Another part cried out in sorrow, disgusted with her actions and the pleasure she had received from it…

Why did it ignore her?! Was she no longer even good enough for mutants?! Just how far had she fallen?… She was a coward and a disgrace to her former self… Collapsing into her spot, she touched a hand to her chest and felt for her heartbeat. Fingers tracing along the mechanical device fixed into her chest, a pit opened in her stomach. Even if she was here for the same reason as everyone else in this room, only one thing was certain to her now: Out of everyone here, that Affected specifically recognized her as one of his own… This nightmare was real… and there was no waking up.

Dwelling in her thoughts, she shivered in her chosen spot for several minutes. There was no safe-haven in her mental seclusion. It further ridiculed her, replaying visions of her own death. A beautiful girl in white screaming her name in horror. Soldiers dragging her away. Gunfire. The unimaginable pain as a high caliber round tore through her chest… And the haunting wails of the creature that stripped her of everything...

The sound of bare feet padded across the ground, stopping in front of her, but she didn't acknowledge them. The person in front of her knelt down and touched her, earning a hostile glare from her… It was the newcomer… Hadn't she gathered what was happening? She was dangerous. The woman before her tilted her head up and molten gold eyes gazed into her own mercury pools as the woman took her hands.

…Kill he-

"My name is Cinder… Cinder Fall," her soothing voice cut through the other voices. "And yours?" Searching Cinder's eyes, she hesitated as she mulled over whether it was worth introducing herself. This was the first person to genuinely reach out to her since she had been here. She wasn't like the other captives. Her clothes weren't like the soldiers that often came in, but it wasn't anything like a typical wastelander dressed.

"Ruby…"She swallowed hard and pushed the voices in her head aside. "…Ruby Xiao Long…"

ooOOoo

"She managed to get in here on her own with a gunshot wound?! Is she crazy?!" Rose's eyes fluttered open to the sound of Black's voice as she regained her bearings. With a smile of pure elation across her face, the quiet girl with multicolored hair hovered over her and made motions to draw the others' attention. "They must be on one hell of a different level that us. What kind of drugs are they giving them in there?!"

"The kind you definitely don't want," Rose mumbled as Neo helped her sit up and she chuckled to herself. "Makes us all a bit crazy." Something ruffled to her side and she lifted her shirt. Apparently, they redid her bandages with whatever they could find. Duct tape was an efficient enough adhesive for what it needed to do. It was just going to hurt like a bitch when she took it off later. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour," the lime-haired girl offered and shifted a bit. "Sun's gone to get everyone ready. He said he figured you'd still want to do this when you woke up. Are you up for it?"

"Yeah," Rose pressed her palm to her head and Neo gave her a concerned look. "I just wasn't expecting it to reopen again… Thought I was further along in healing."

"How long has it been?" Sustrai asked.

"About a week, I think…"

"A week?!" The grey haired boy shrieked. "Seriously! What kind of drugs are you on?! I've seen gunshot wounds before. There's no way you've healed up that quickly. What were you shot with – a .22?"

"An XTAR?" Rose shrugged and stood up. Something else felt different…

"No way the bullets from that thing left that small of a wound!" He looked at her in disbelief. "You'd have to heal abnormally fast for that."

"Feel free to confirm with the 9's squad leader," Rose said with disinterest.

"Weiss Schnee shot you?!" He couldn't believe that. Not with the way Rose looked. Something else had to have happened.

"Why are you so interested in my recovery, anyway?" She spotted her cloak and lifted it up, but froze. That was why the interest. She realized what it was that felt different now… Rose brought her hand to her face and traced where the missing fabric should have been, covering the lower half of her face with her arm as her fear had been confirmed. "Who removed my mask?"

"We had to in order to confirm you were breathing," Sustrai said and Neo developed a look like a kicked puppy. "…It was faster than removing the cloak…"

"Was Wukong in here?" Neo's expression stayed the same and her blood ran cold. She wasn't ready. What if this affected her mission? She couldn't afford for rumors to spread.

"Yes," Sustrai's voice went dark. "He asked that we keep this to ourselves until we had a better understanding of the situation. Who are you?" The tan girl's eyes followed Rose as she strapped the mask back in place.

"Vesalius cannot see my face," Rose said firmly. "It's already been hard enough on 9. No one was supposed to see me until later. My proxy was supposed to handle everything while I worked behind the scenes." An intense moment passed before she spoke again. "I will talk to Wukong as well, but I only want to explain things in detail once… I just share her appearance. Nothing more. Please don't make a spectacle out of this." To her side, Neo pointed at her mouth and gave her a flat look. "Uh, what does that mean?"

"Her lips are definitely sealed," Sustrai sighed. "Neo's mute." Neo gave a double thumbs up with a smile… Well, that was… a start…

"She's definitely nothing like her," Black whistled. "Xiao Long was super nice. This girl's got a bit of a bite to her." Rose cocked an eye brow at him. "I never got to officially meet Captain Xiao Long, but I admired the hell out of her. I even hoped to make the Squad 9 cut one day. That's where all the misfits went, but they all came together so nicely under her and she was so kind to every one of them. Nothing about her was threatening, but you just scream suspicious. Not so sure I trust you, but if it keeps Ruby Xiao Long's name out of it, I'll stay quiet. I won't have some hunter tarnish it."

"Heh," Rose gave a dark laugh and pulled her hood back up. "I wouldn't dream of it." The Reaper left the room in search of the blonde Faunus, leaving the three members of Squad 6 behind.

"… She's changed a lot," Black mumbled to himself.

"Did you mean what you said, Mercury?" The tan girl asked. "That you admired her that much?" He nodded. "I didn't know."

"I didn't want to believe it was her, but you saw everything too," his heart raced in his chest and Neo patted his shoulder. "There's no way Ruby could have survived what happened. What is Beacon doing, Em?" Emerald's eyes darkened. It wasn't just the gun shot that had alarmed them.

Neo had completely freaked out and alerted them to the progressively worse wounds that littered the "look-alike's" body. Rose was covered in so many bite marks and lethal wounds, but it was the scar tissue across her chest that did it for them. It was consistent with the bullet wound that had ended Ruby Xiao Long's life five years ago. If this was really her, then this meant that Neptune didn't kill her… and that something else entirely was going on… But why would she come back to captain Squad 9 out of all the squads?

"What happened to her out there?" The mood darkened until Neo hopped up and walked to the door. She held out a hand and motioned to the door. "Heh, I guess you're right. We should be more concerned with getting out of here. Right, Mercury?" Neo grinned and he gave a small laugh.

"Well, we can always count on Neo, eh?" He patted her on the head as they left the room and she followed closely behind. It was funny to think that this girl was the most efficient and knowledgeable member of their team. The only thing that kept her from a more advanced position was the fact that she couldn't communicate verbally. Lt. Torchwick still looked to her as an advisor and to keep morale up. Something about the girl's condition and how she never let it affect her just lifted everyone's spirits. If she wasn't one to be brought down by a situation, they couldn't very well let themselves be.

It was strange to see the immediate area so empty, but as they got closer to the garage, they found where everyone had gone. Torchwick was addressing all the squads with Rose beside him. Near the back, Sun and Neptune were watching intently, though Sun was watching too intently. The triad walked up behind him and Neo tapped his shoulder. He immediately spun around and she gave him a knowing look. He looked away, but returned his gaze to the front.

"I know morale is low," Torchwick clenched a fist. "But the good news is that we'll all be able to get out of here tonight! This Reaper has been sent to help us, and as long as we follow her plan, we'll all survive. Squads 6 and 7 will use the vehicles inside, while 8 will secure the Squad 6 truck. On Rose's signal, we'll high tail it out of here and be back home with a warm meal and hot water. How's that sound to everyone?" Most of the troops cheered at the idea of getting out, but a few were unenthusiastic – mainly Squad 8. They had to go out into the danger for a chance at reaching home.

"Alright," the Reaper rose her arm. "If I can have your attention, Squad 8, you will be with me. Please prepare yourselves accordingly." The Reaper began to lay out their plan of action, while Torchwick made his way toward his remaining squad members. When Rose finished, he motioned toward her and she came over to him.

"Yes?" The Reaper looked at him curiously.

"Mercury, Emerald, I'd like to have a word with these two alone," Torchwick offered a friendly smile to them and the former two wandered off to join their squad. The lieutenant waited for them to be out of earshot and turned serious. "Rose, I would like you to take Neopolitan with you." The dual-haired girl's eyes went wide with panic and he chuckled to himself. "Don't worry Neo. 6 will be fine without you for one mission and 8 could really use someone strong and silent." She shook her head in dispute but he grinned at her. "See, you're perfect!" Her frown grew in response and she leered at him. "Hey, don't that tone of glare with me! It's just for now."

"Oh, I know!" He snapped in an animated fashion. "How about I take you somewhere nice when we get back as an apology?" She squinted in disapproval and an idea popped into his head. Placing his hand on the bowl of his hat, he lifted it and placed it on top of her head. "I'm giving you a very important job, Neo. Guard that hat with your life," he winked at her and she touched it. "I'm going to want it back!" A few tears pooled in her eyes and she hugged him tightly. With a fond smile, he returned the hug with equal emotion. "Silly girl. It's not like this is good-bye." He rubbed her back for a moment before separating himself. "Go on and help them get set up." With one last look, she sniffled and searched his eyes before she turned and left.

"Is she your daughter?"

"Something like that," he lit his cigar. "I think of her as family, either way."

"It's a shame you lied to her," Rose said wistfully. "I would have liked to have said my proper good-byes to my own family." He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled knowingly.

"I'm sure you can understand hope, Miss Xiao Long." Her eyes widened and he lifted a finger to his lips. "No need to worry. I'll take it to my grave with me as long you make sure she gets out of her alive."

"You don't need to die, Torchwick," she looked at him adamantly.

"You and I both know that miscalculations happen," he smiled sadly. "We both also know that the Squad with the highest chance of survival is whoever you are with and I want to stack the odds in her favor. Someone in here will make a mistake and a captain stays with his men until the end."

"You're not a captain. This isn't your duty."

"Eh, close enough. I'm all these men have left to look toward for leadership, but 8 will follow its sister squad to death and back – especially now that it's lost its captain. Now, get out of here before she catches on." He turned her around and pushed her toward Squad 8, slinking away before she could look back.

"So, I guess Torchwick is sticking us with the prisoner too… Damn, he's really giving us the short end of the stick," Neptune complained. "How are we supposed to keep them quiet?"

"We knock him out," the Reaper's voice was cold when she joined them. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll do it."

"Well, it's just…" Neptune fidgeted.

"Yes?" While she was happy to see him alive, he had grown nervous over time and was taking up precious time.

"He's a she… I can't hit a lady."

"As I said, I have no problem with thi-." Something heavy thudded down in front of them and Neo tipped off Roman's hat to them before she rolled her eyes. "Well, that takes care of that anyway. Anymore problems?" Neptune looked down at the tanned darkly clad Faunus.

"Oh man," he whined to himself. "I guess not."

"Since you're so nervous," Rose tilted her head and smiled with her eyes. "I'm sure you'll be extra careful carrying her!" He sighed and started to pick her up. This was crap!

ooOOoo

Sliding under the garage door, Rose went first to assure the coast was clear. A firm tap against came against the door and the rest of the squad slid under. Neptune dragged the prisoner under with him and hoisted her over his shoulder, but a thought occurred to him. Where the hell was he supposed to go again?

"Wh-" A hand firmly came across his mouth, muffling him and a pair of silver eyes glared at him through the darkness. Rose's finger came up to her lips and pointed out the sea of sleeping wolves before them. The weight of the prisoner suddenly doubled and he felt faint.

Being a sniper, he'd never had to get this close before. He was always at a safe distance from his prey. Now, he was on the opposite side of the coin. Rose motioned to a box and scampered away noiselessly. With light footsteps, he followed her. The others had gone ahead to the truck and she led him to the back of the truck with Neo.

Luckily, the back had been left open. Unluckily, one of 6's fallen members was in there. Rose signaled for them both to remain silent and she drew her knife. Effortlessly, she slid up into the truck and launched herself at him, plunging the blade into the back of his neck and severing his spine. Neptune cringed at the heartless efficiency she showed toward his former compatriot, but he supposed they were all the same to her.

Unexpectedly, she pulled the dog tag from his neck, as well as a small note from his front pocket. She offered him a moment of silence before she brought him toward them and let him slide to the ground. Rose held her hands out to take the prisoner off Neptune's shoulders and he gladly obliged. Sliding in after her, he helped Neo on board.

With a loud metallic thud, Rose's eyes went wide and someone cursed outside the truck. A loud growl came and the rest of the team scurried loudly. Two more loud thuds came, followed by more growls. Rose put a hand up to tell Neptune to stay still and pointed to Neo, then motioned toward the entrance. The two girls headed to the back and two members of the team ran around the back. They both grabbed for their hands and they pulled them into the truck right as two Beowolves rounded behind them, running into each other. The truck roared to life and the garage swung open, with the other two trucks making a break for it. Their truck took off and Rose looked back to them.

"Guns up. We're getting out of here." Now that was something Neptune could get behind. Kicking up dirt as they went, the trucks tore off away from the waking nest of wolves and a loud shriek came from above them, along with the screams of a swarm of birds. "Shit… Focus on the birds for now. Don't worry about the wolves! I'll handle them!" They were almost far enough.

Gunfire rained out from the other vehicles onto the Beowolves. Rose doubted that the other teams would be as focused on the aerial threats as the ground ones, but they would do as much as they could. When it came down to it, the other vehicles survival depended on Torchwick and whoever 7 had been assigned to.

White eyes blazed out from amid the wolves and a lone wolf jumped out toward her… Not today. Rose triggered her weapon's compound bow mode and fired an arrow into it. Falling backwards, it writhed as it tumbled across the ground and was trampled.

"Seriously?!" Neptune shouted. "Arrows?" Rose rolled her eyes and an explosion set off among the wolves. She gave him a pointed glare and he looked at her in a stupor. He shook himself out of it and continued suppressing fire. "I take that back!"

With a click of something on the body of her bow, a series of explosions took place around them, lighting up the night sky. A number of Beowolves were caught in the explosion, but many of them stayed in hot pursuit. Rose still had her work cut out for her, but things seemed to be going well… Until the Nevermore sprang into action.

"Rose," a dark skinned man with dark green hair and golden eyes called back. "What the hell are we going to do about that?!"

"Ah, crapbaskets!" Crapbaskets? That was a word Neptune had only heard from members of Squad 9. Did it recently catch on or something? 9 hadn't received any new members that he knew of and they pretty much kept to themselves. A Reaper was the last kind of person they'd be caught dealing with, especially with how wary Blake was of outsiders.

The Reaper backed up and jumped onto a bar just above the entrance and swung herself up to the roof of the box and took aim. It was a bit hard for her to focus out here, with so many of the creatures. With a loud shriek, she felt herself become slightly disoriented and the voice that had been with her for years screamed inside her mind, begging for her to kill something. The feeling made her sick as her body tried to subconsiously respond to its call, but shook it off. She couldn't afford to lose herself right now. If she indulged it in this situation, she wouldn't be able to tell friend from foe. She'd be looked at just like F411 and she refused to be on the level as her. She lined up her shot and waited for the avian mutant to rear itself for an attack. Just a little closer… A liiiittle closer… and-

KSSSSSSH. PAH! A long trail of smoke came from behind her and crashed into the Nevermore and it crash to the ground in a brilliant explosion that lit the sky. A wave of dirt and rocks sprayed the area as the bird's body took out a large portion of wolves and their numbers thinned significantly, despite the still vast number.

"Renny!" A girl danced flamboyantly on top of a fourth truck that slowed down to match the speed of the other trucks. "Did you see that?! It was all like SKWAAA and then KABOOM!" The pitch of the girl's voice dropped into a guttural pitch with the last word as she threw a triumphant arm in the arm and waved her rocket launcher around effortlessly, causing Rose to give a single laugh to herself. Of course they'd be out here. A wolf caught up to them and jumped for Nora but Rose wouldn't have that. She jumped across onto 9's roof and tackled Nora before it could swipe at her.

"Are you nuts?!" Rose rolled both of their bodies over to avoid another set of claws. She pushed them toward the lip of the truck and swung Nora into the truck, but the wolf swung around and grabbed her by her cape with a loud roar. As she hung there, her eyes locked with those of Squad 9's and she decided she couldn't let this happen again. Thinking quickly, she swung herself around it and wrapped the cape around its neck. With a hard yank, its neck snapped and it let go, taking her with it.

Untangling herself, she freed herself from it at the last second and found herself tumbling toward another wolf. She planted a firm foot into the new wolf's face and leapt off of it onto another one that bucked as she latched onto it. How the hell did she wind up in a predicament like this?

"Rose!" Pyrrha shouted toward her. "Above you!" Knocking away the Beowolves in its path, the Nevermore had returned with a vengeance. A shrill cry echoed through the Wasteland as it pursued the humans. With a second shriek, Rose grip loosened as that disorienting feel swarmed over her again. Her mind buzzed and that terrible desire came to the front of her mind again.

Shaking the buzz away, she thrusted her bow into its beak as she intercepted its attack. Clinging to the riser of her weapon for dear life, the Nevermore thrashed around in an effort to dislodge her from its bill and she cursed her luck. What the hell had she done to deserve this today? She was gonna' have whiplash like a motherfucker later.

A bullet pelted into the side of its skull, irritating it more than anything and Rose searched for the projectile's origin. Standing atop the roof of his respective vehicle, Neptune had summoned the courage to come to her rescue. Now, if only they'd brought armor piercing rounds... Nevermore were known for being especially resilient for no damn reason. They were only supposed to run into Beowolves and affected humans! Not this!

The Nevermore flapped its wings violently, stirring up a turbulent wind, riddled with its own feathers. The feather chased after the trucks, splintering the ground beneath her and making it difficult to find a Beowolf-free landing zone. As if reading her mind, Squad 6's car slowed up beneath her and she collapsed her bow, landing hard on the roof.

"Rose! Get back on Squad 9's car!" Roman grinned as 9 slowed to match their speed. "Don't worry about us!"

"Torchwick, what's going on?" Rose's voice filled with worry. She could feel the vehicle slowing.

"You don't have time to worry! Just, tell Neo I'm sorry I lied!" She heard something slam shut at the back of the truck and assumed that his team had closed themselves in.

"Wait, Torchwi-." Something santched at her cape again, pulling her away as the vehicle died out and rolled to a stop. The remaining packmates latched onto the still truck, tearing into pieces of it until the truck was swarmed in a black mass that rocked back and forth.

"Let me go!" Rose tried to climb up but she was pinned down forcefully. Pinned down by her protege, she struggled and screamed at her. "No one should ever have to watch someone they love die!" She headbutt Pyrrha hard and the red-head fell back. Scrambling to her feet, Rose ran toward the exit, but her face slammed into the metal floor as Pyrrha kicked her feet out from under her and their struggle resumed. "Pyrrha, I said LET! ME! GO!"

Pyrrha's eye widened as Rose's burned with a searing white hot glow and a sharp pain suddenly jarred Rose' side. Rose screamed in agony as her wound came to life. As her consciousness was swallowed up, a loud ring screamed through her ears and a wave of heat pressed into the vehicle. Making one last effort, she leaned her head back just as Squad 6's truck went up in flames, bursting into a fiery graveyard for the squad and Grimm alike. Bits and pieces of the truck flew in every direction and Rose succumbed to the exhaustion and pain for a second time that night.

... C0RV15 would be so disappointed in how easily Pyrrha had taken her down...

ooOOoo

AN: Eh, I guess Pyrrha's gotta' do what she's gotta' do to keep Rose from making a mistake – even if it means getting physical. Rose is kinda' stubborn. I know I kinda' just introduced 6 to kill them, but hey. It's plot stuff. 6 exists pretty much as a catalyst for Rose to change her current relationship with 9 and to reveal a bit about how she feels in regard to Weiss and Yang. Her comment about watching loved ones die is meant to imply that she holds deep regret for dying in front of Weiss and that she knew how Weiss felt for her.

The opening of the chapter details her time after she "died" and before she became R053. It's the day she met Cinder and the conditions that allowed it to happen. It doesn't detail much about Cinder. Next chapter will go into how Ruby became R053 and V1 and her partner are introduced. We also have more people figuring out who she is, which brings the question to mind: Just how much denial can 9 be in?

Lastly, the name at the end is pronounced Core-Vee-15. While this person chose it with a word in mind, this is how Hunter's actually pronounce it and is the only name that receives this treatment. There is a reason for this and it might make you guys laugh. Anyways, thanks for sticking around for all these chapters!

Reviewer Response:

Latiking: Haha, good ol' Blake! Blake is kind of playing it safe right now. She knows just how much it's going to screw with everyone if she tells them. Also, she doesn't know that they'd believe her. For now, she can only try to figure things out and how to best protect her "family". Just like a cat, 9 is her territory and she's taking measures against what's threatening the thing she holds dear. You guys will also get backstory on her and Yang. I mentioned somewhere that she didn't like Yang when they met. I haven't really given anything on her POV. You've seen Yang's, but I wanted to hold off on revealing Blake's thoughts to the reader. Also, I'm not sure if I've seen the story you've mentioned. I remember one where Weiss is a murderer lol.

Shinra-ex-SOLDIER: haha, I try! The title just kinda' came to me right before I posted it lol. I literally name the chapters about 30 seconds before I hit Post... . But I do name them with something either in the chapter or to do with the chapter. There's still a lot to explain, but I don't want to overload you guys with info. I have a horrible habit of doing that and not giving enough story to balance it out.

As for the killing instinct... ummm, I wouldn't quite say it's against Grimm. Ruby is affected differently that everyone else and that will be explained over the next two chapters. It's literally her blood and what it's caused in her. Ruby also notes in this chapter that if she gives into the voice, she can't differentiate between friend and foe. There's also a reason she only hears it sometimes. I want to tell you what it is, but I also want people to figure it out on there own lol... and now I have to apologize about Torchwick... lol. But technically, I shouldn't for... reasons... Neo is actually about to become a staple character, as well. Actually, all three Neo, Sun, and Neptune.

The White Fang has a bit of an interesting use here. Cinder has an agenda and a reason for stealing the cure that Ruby helped create. A very selfish reason, but a reason nonetheless. I will confirm that they work together occassionally, but what Ruby is actually investigating them for isn't what Cinder is doing with them. If you wanna' be technical, let's pretend this is Skyrim. Cinder would be the dragon you see at the beginning and are like "THAT! I WANNA KILL THAT!" but the White Fang is the actual story that develops as the story goes on. The dragons are always there and in your face, but they're like super OP and you can't kill them til later. They just constantly remind you that they can fuck you up at any point. Or in a FF7 reference, the White Fang is Shinra and you start off like Hey! We're AVALANCHE and we're gonna' fuck their shit up! But then Cinderoth suddenly kills Fangra and then suddenly we're on a quest to kill a descendant of Spira... Which reminds, if the Cetra are from Spira, how the fuck did they talk to the planet?! Spirans never did that! And I'm off topic...

GrnDrgnzrd: The beginning of this chapter should be the last part that you'd be familiar with. The rest from here on out is new =) Honestly, it shouldn't be any surprise that the Faunus figure things out quickly. However, Faunus will be explained here soon. In this world, Blake is part of the first generation of Faunus. They've been around for less than 20 years and not much is known about them. Readers may not be surprised because "It's Blake", but Blake, Sun, and Velvet are the only Faunus they really have experience with haha. Pyrrha even notes that she'd never met a Faunus until she joined Beacon. Blake is the first she's truly interacted with and honestly, Vale are the only humans to have interacted with them.