84

Chapter 84: Night on Mt. Glenn

The stare down went on for ten seconds.

Then the pilot knight hit something on the controls, and the Manta's engines cut out.

Weiss let out a startled yelp as the ship dropped like a stone. She heard the crack of Crescent Rose, a bullet burying itself into the floor just behind the pilot. The ship nosedived right for the abandoned street, picking up speed. At the last second, the engines kicked back in and the ship pitched forward. It skimmed along the surface of the pavement, banking sharply down the next street.

Weiss felt her stomach leave her as her body shifted harshly to the side. How the knights holding her remained upright, she didn't know, but it clearly didn't extend to herself. Her shoulders flared with pain as her weight was thrown from one side to the other, the knights' iron grip digging into her arms.

SCRRAAWW!

Looking up through the hole in the ship, Weiss caught a glimpse of the crimson Nevermore dipping forward before the ship ducked behind a skyscraper. As the Manta quickly picked up speed, she had only three thoughts:

One: When this was all over, she and Ruby were going to have a very long talk about how she did what Weiss's mind had not quite yet computed.

Two: Before that, she was going to throw herself at Ruby and not let go until the tears stopped.

And Three: On that last sharp turn, her legs swung just shy of the knight's knee.

Weiss grit her teeth, willing her eyes to stay red. She was going to get out of this. One way, or another.

Ruby was already leaning forward as soon as the bullet left Crescent's muzzle. Speedymore shrieked in response, her wings angling them into a dive as the Manta streaked around the corner. The whine of jet engines sounded above them, telling Ruby that Penny had fallen in just behind as they picked up speed.

Speedymore banked hard around the corner, her wingtip kicking up a maelstrom of dust and debris as it skimmed the cracked pavement below. She straightened out with a thunderous flap, her wingspan just barely fitting between the dilapidated buildings as she pushed on, gaining as much speed as she could to keep the Manta in sight. The empty streets glowed crimson as Speedymore raced, the only source of light in the dead cityscape.

(A faint thought drifted through the back of Ruby's mind, wondering why, and at what point, did the Nevermore go from being an 'it' to a 'she' in her mind.

(Another one, buried beneath the adrenalin and desperation, fearfully marveled at the ruins they flew through. Where were they? Why was this city abandoned? Why could she hear Grimm roaring from the streets below, catch glimpses of glowing yellow eyes through the cracked and shattered windows they flew past?

(What happened here?)

Ruby shifted her weight as Speedymore banked hard around another corner, and held it as the Manta led them around the building and down a parallel street. She had to duck as Speedymore's back skimmed along the corner of the building, her hair whipping against the wind.

Seeing the remains of a wide main street, Ruby urged Speedymore to give every ounce of speed she had. The summon shrieked her assent, her wings arcing with electricity. The distance between them and the Manta shortened, only four of Speedymore's body lengths away.

Three body lengths.

Two.

Speedymore arced up slightly, bringing her talons to bear. Ruby clenched Crescent Rose tightly, legs tensing for a mighty leap. Silver eyes narrowed in determination as they drew near.

One length.

One-half-

"Ruby, pull up!"

Ruby's eyes blew wide at Penny's alarmed yell, her tunnel vision fading to reveal the flat facade of incoming skyscrapers. A narrow alleyway split the skyline in half, just wide enough for the Manta to turn sideways and barrel through, sparks flying as its belly skimmed the alley wall.

Nowhere near big enough for Speedymore.

"Speedy!" Ruby yelled out in panic.

With a startled squawk, Speedmore flared her wings wide, flapping rapidly in a bid to slow down. The summon let out a mournful warble as she hovered at the intersection, silver eyes dimming. Ruby's heart sank down to her shoes as the Manta sped away down the alley-

"Go high!"

-only to soar again as Penny shot down after it, a green glow cutting through darkness as she blasted past.

"You heard her, girl! Up!"

Speedymore screeched, eyes blazing as she shot skyward, quickly rising above the skyscrapers. As they drifted higher into the starlit sky, Ruby scanned the streets. The higher they went, the fewer details she could make out, the roads becoming nothing more than grid lines separating the shadowy buildings. It wasn't hard to keep track of the Manta, it and Penny's engines being the only source of light in the entire city, a green glow weaving through intersections and around buildings. Ruby angled Speedymore above Penny's path, trying to make out any kind of pattern.

They're all over the place… except… Ruby's eyes narrowed as she followed the Manta's path. They're not heading north. Either heading south or making brief turns. And… never going east for more than a few seconds before turning back. So if their aim is southwest…

Ruby's eyes trailed from the glow to the streets ahead. At the rate they were going, with those turns…

"Okay, Speedymore…" Ruby tensed as the summon swung around, angling towards the Manta's trajectory. "Wait for it… wait for it…"

Suddenly, the green glow shined brighter than before, and a blast of green and orange erupted from the back of the Manta. Penny's glow overtook the Manta… then vanished.

Shock. Relief. Exhilaration!

Ruby smiled widely. "Now, Speedy!"

Amongst many other things Weiss had missed out on due to her stunted childhood, she had never had the chance to ride a roller coaster.

And if they were anything like the ride she was currently going through, she'd gladly keep that record going for the rest of her life.

In addition to the red in her eyes and the blue in her hair, the heiress had also gained a green tint to her face as the Manta dipped and banked, her weight being thrown every which way. She'd have probably thrown up already if she hadn't left her stomach several miles behind her.

Weiss grit her teeth against another wave of nausea as the Manta banked to the left again. She felt the knight's grip on her arms shift with the motion, keeping her in their grasp while she swung between them. She tried to lean into the swing, and she could just feel her bare foot ghost against the knight's side before the world righted again. She cursed internally.

C'mon, Ruby! Penny! One of you has to have an idea.

Though given Ruby's Frustration, Fear, Stubbornness, the speedster seemed to be running low on plans herself. Weiss wracked her brain trying to think of if she had anything at her disposal that could help. A few came to mind (trying to vibrate out of the knight's grasp, confuse them with clones) but with everything flying around her, it was hard enough to keep Yang's Semblance fired up just in case, let alone layering another one on top of it.

Another sharp turn and Weiss caught another glimpse of the green glow chasing the ship. As it leveled out, she looked up to keep track of the spot of red high above, like a crimson star hanging in the sky. There had to be some kind of plan, right?

A sudden bang sounded directly behind her, followed by a deafening explosion. The ship shuddered and dipped, listing to the right. The sudden impact made the knight on Weiss's left stumble, going to one knee… and subsequently driving Weiss's knee into the floor.

Pain had never been more welcome.

Weiss's veins glowed blue, her eyes blazing as the power flowed through her.

At that same moment, the Manta's viewscreen was filled with green light. Glass exploded inward as Penny came flying feet first through the viewscreen, two blades flashing dangerously in her hands. With a warrior's cry, Penny slammed into the kneeling knight with a meteor kick, her blade slicing right through the arm holding onto Weiss as she drove the robot into the back wall.

Her arm free, Weiss's feet finally set back on the floor. The last knight standing tightened its grip on her, but the heiress wasn't having it. Pushing her building strength into her arms, Weiss planted her feet and pulled down, throwing the knight over her shoulder. The robot slammed into the floor with a great smash, its grip vanishing from the impact.

Now fully free, Weiss let all her remaining strength flow through her body. She grabbed the knight's arm with both hands. She spun with all her weight, pulling the knight right off the ground. After making a full rotation, Weiss let go, facing the front of the ship. She watched as the knight went flying out out the broken view screen, right into the buildings blurring past and exploding on impact.

Breathing heavily, Weiss felt all her strength flee her, absorbed or otherwise. She heard an ungodly screeching behind her, looking over her shoulder to see Penny removing her blades from the limbless, decapitated knight. Stepping away from her victory, Penny gave Weiss a wide grin. "Are you ready for extraction, Friend-Weiss?"

Weiss just about broke then and there. "Please."

Penny blinked at her desperate tone, her expression melting into a concerned smile. Letting her blades go back to hovering around her, Penny wrapped Weiss in a brief hug, then moved her arms under the heiress's back and legs, lifting her easily.

"Cease and desist, Polendina 001!" The last knight left yelled from the cockpit, rising from its chair even as the controls flashed red around it. "You are acting against direct administrative orders!"

Penny frowned at the knight, her eyes narrowing. "Not my orders!"

With the whine of building engines, Penny shot out the hole in the Manta's roof, Weiss holding tightly against her neck. Penny slowed her momentum, letting them just hover as the Manta zoomed away, allowing Weiss to see the burning right-side engine.

She licked her dry lips, a cold pit still in her stomach. "Are you going to let it-?"

SCRAAAWWW!

Weiss flinched violently at the familiar cry of a Nevermore, clutching tightly against Penny as her head shot up.

Whistling through the air, the crimson Nevermore dived down with its wings tucked tightly against its sides. At the last second, it flared its wings, talons flying forward as it slammed into the top of the Manta.

The Manta's roof buckled from the impact, the Nevermore's impact driving down to the pavement. Sparks lit up the street as the Nevermore ground the ship against the street, flapping up briefly before slamming it back down in a hail of sparks, incidentally steam-rolling a pack of Beowulfs prowling the street. Still at speed, the Nevermore flapped upwards as it reached the end of the road, rising sharply and releasing the Manta to fly belly first against the side of a building. The building exploded in a shower of debris from the impact, the Manta tumbling as its momentum carried it up and forward, flipping through the air like a coin, before crashing and skidding to a stop on the roofs of the next block.

"...oh," Weiss swallowed thickly as she watched the Nevermore circle the downed Manta, letting out a cry of triumph before angling down to land beside the smoking ship.

Penny followed suit, following the Grimm to set down together. She placed Weiss down on shaky legs, helping the heiress stand. Weiss could feel the adrenalin fading, the aches in her arms, legs, and chest (gods, her chest) rushing forward to make her every movement hurt. She looked up at the Crimson Nevermore, watching in awe as the massive beast fluttered its wings as it settled. Its silver eyes seemed to bore into her, a deep warble sounding in the back of its throat.

Weiss took a hesitant step away from Penny, the android staying close just in case. "How…" Weiss breathed, her eyes wide as she stepped closer to the creature, her arm slowly rising towards it.

"Weiss!"

A jolt ran up Weiss's spine at the sudden yell. Her head shot up towards the Nevermore's horn, seeing a small figure jumping down.

"Ruby…" Weiss gasped out faintly. She took another shaky step forward, the Nevermore forgotten. "Ruby!"

Ruby looked up from her landing, ready to run up to Weiss.

Only to find Weiss running at her full tilt.

"Wei-whoa!"

Ruby stumbled from the impact, falling back against the Nevermore's leg, the Grimm letting out a confused squawk. "Weiss! Are you-" Ruby cut herself off when she felt Weiss trembling, hiding her head against Ruby's neck as she clutched at the smaller girl. "Weiss?"

Weiss sucked in a shaky breath, making sounds that were almost words… before breaking down into ragged sobs, her knees giving out.

Relief. Terror. Desperation. Pleading.

Ruby gripped the edges of her cloak as she wrapped her arms around Weiss, holding her tightly as she lowered them both to the ground. "Oh, Weiss… it's okay," she whispered gently, resting her chin on top of Weiss's head, feeling wetness prickling at the corner of her eyes. "You're safe. You're safe…"

Above them, Speedymore let out a sad coo, pulling its wing out a bit as if to shield the two girls.

Penny watched the reunion with a heartbroken frown, trying to coalesce the strong, willful heiress who took on the White Fang with the sobbing, broken girl before her. Looking away to give the partners privacy, Penny pulled out her scroll. "General? Mission successful. We've successfully rescued Weiss and detained the Manta. We're awaiting pickup… copy that, sir." She turned her attention to the city around them, in case the Grimm grew curious.

Seconds later, a vortex of red clouds swirled into existence at the opposite end of the roof. Raven rushed out, Qrow and Taiyang right behind her, Roman sauntering through a moment later. The group paused when they saw the Nevermore looming over them, their eyes widening. "Whoa…" Qrow droned softly. "It looked smaller in the pictures.

Speedymore stared down at the new arrivals, cocking her head curiously. Four silver eyes drifted across the group, watching, scrutinizing. She must have found what she was looking for, letting out a soft warble before moving her wing aside, revealing Ruby and Weiss.

Seeing the girls, Raven made a motion to spread out. Qrow nodded, moving to speak with Penny, while Roman started circling the rooftop, Black Valentine primed in his arms as he split his attention between watching the skies and the streets below. Raven and Taiyang quickly made their way to Ruby's side, their faces pinching when they heard Weiss's sobbing.

Ruby looked up as they neared, her eyes wet and lost. "Hey, Dad. Hey…" Ruby hesitated when her eyes fell on Raven, her lips almost forming a word she hadn't meant to use.

Raven let out a small huff, her lips quirking upwards. Her eyes darted towards Weiss, who hadn't seemed to notice their arrival. "She okay, Little Rose?"

Ruby glanced down at Weiss, holding her tighter. "I think so. Just… scared."

"And probably freezing," Taiyang said as he shrugged off his jacket, handing it to Ruby to wrap around Weiss's flimsy hospital gown.

Ruby gave him a weak smile. "Thanks." Once she had Weiss wrapped up tight, she gave the heiress a small squeeze. "Weiss?" She shook Weiss gently, trying to make her look up. She grinned a little wider when her girlfriend took a shuddering breath, her blue eyes peeking through her cloak. "Hey. Think you can stand?"

Still shaking, Weiss looked around, jolting slightly when she saw Raven and Tai. She swallowed, then gave the tiniest nod. Ruby smiled encouragingly, helping her rise on wobbly legs.

Once they were standing, Speedymore let out loud coo, drawing attention to her. Weiss's eyes shot wide, only just realizing how close she was to the Nevermore. "Ruby?" she asked quietly, finding herself in a staring contest with the Grimm. "What is this?"

Ruby looked between her and Speedymore, her smile turning sheepish. "Um… my summon?"

Weiss blinked. Rapidly. "Summon?" she squeaked out, her head snapping to Ruby. Ruby ducked her head, cringing slightly. "You summoned…" She looked back up at the Nevermore in awe. "How did you summon… How?"

Ruby scratched at the back of her neck. She grinned awkwardly. "Through the power of love?"

Weiss stared at her blankly.

Then she snorted. A giggle fit followed soon after. "You… utter dolt."

Ruby laughed softly with her, happy to see a smile back on her face. Behind them, Tai let out a deep chuckle.

"That looks familiar."

"Shut up, Tai." Raven rolled her eyes, a slight smirk threatening at the corner of her mouth.

Qrow barked a laugh at the building's edge, Penny grinning as they kept watch on the dead city.

Roman, however, just shook his head in disgust. "Hey, uh, not to break up this oh-so-precious moment," he called out. "But maybe you could continue it when we're not in the middle of Grimm central."

Ruby and Weiss shot him twin, unimpressed looks, Ruby's cheeks puffing slightly as she pouted.

"Hate to admit it, but Roman's got a point." Qrow pointed out towards a fallen skyscraper, twinkling with dozens of yellow pinpricks. "Pretty sure I just saw a Gryphon fly in there. We probably don't want to stick around here longer than we have to."

"Agreed," Raven said. "Though it does beg the question…"

She turned her head towards the smoldering Manta, more smoke pouring off of it.

"What do we do with this?"

Elsewhere...

"Hmm… so much for being the fastest ship in the kingdoms. See if they get funding again. Are there any knights left?"

"I… one is still active, but… it only has one arm-"

"One is enough. Orders go through this screen, correct?"

"Y-Yes, but-"

"Move."

"Wha- F-Father!? What are you doing!"

"Insurance."

Almost as soon as Raven spoke her question, a faint clanging sounded inside the ship.

Raven drew her weapon immediately, stalking towards the Manta, Taiyang following close behind, fists raised. "Looks like someone's still kicking."

"It was crewed with Atlassian knights," Penny piped up, her blades rising around her, Qrow bringing out Harbinger.

"So no real loss," Roman quipped, raising Valentine's sights. "Gotcha."

There was another bang. Then a clatter. Then…

"WHOA!"

The five had to dive out of the way as the Manta's engines flared to life at full power. The ship blazed across the roof, skimming the surface and listing heavily.

Right towards Ruby and Weiss.

Eyes blowing wide, Ruby felt her superspeed kick on. She gripped Weiss tightly, urging to move them out of the way.

But Speedymore was faster.

With an enraged shriek, Speedymore threw her wing to the side, knocking Ruby and Wiess to the ground. The two looked up in shock as the nose of the Manta slammed right into the summon's chest.

"Speedymore!" Ruby cried out.

"Speedymore?" Weiss echoed faintly.

The Manta screamed across the sky, smoke and flame billowing from its engines and cockpit. Speedymore screeched as she was pressed against the craft's nose, her talons scrabbling against its belly as she tried to push off against it. It arched higher and higher, taking Speedymore for the ride as the summon trailed rose petals and sparks, heading for the peak of the distant mountains.

A grinding sound erupted from the Manta's remaining engine, the smoke it emitted turning a toxic black. Shrapnel flew as the engine blew, a fireball overtaking the small ship as it listed fully on its side.

The craft's trajectory shifted, and Speedymore was able to get a claw into the belly of the ship, kicking off from it. She tumbled away from it, the force of her shove sending the Manta arcing higher. The Nevermore let out a triumphant shriek as the ship sailed back down to Remnant, watching as the fireball trailed down towards the rocky peak at full speed.

The explosion of the impact shook the ground, the shockwave echoing out across the whole city.

The group slowly picked themselves up off the ground, watching the smoke rise from the new crater in the side of the mountain.

"Well," Qrow said resignedly. "There goes our evidence."

"Godsdammit." Raven muttered.

Weiss let out a weak whimper, Ruby wrapping an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

Roman tensed as the roars of Grimm started to sound from around the city. "Yeah, and that blast is gonna ring the dinner bell for every Grimm in the city. Let's get the hell out of here."

Raven gave a sharp nod. "Right." She lifted her arm to draw a portal-

SCRREEEE-OOOOOONNNKKK!

Everyone froze as a roar like no other sounded. All eyes turned back towards the mountain.

The cracking mountain.

"What the hell…?" Taiyang breathed, eyes narrowed to pinpricks. The city, once filling with the cries of incoming Grimm, suddenly fell silent.

They all stumbled as a tremor shook the ground, the earsplitting sound of cracking stone shooting across the cityscape. More cracks formed across the mountain top, spreading out from the Manta's crater. Rocks the size of buildings started to tumble away, revealing something… moving.

"No…" Raven gasped. Ruby felt her stomach drop. For the first time, she heard fear in Raven's voice.

More cracks, more falling rock. Suddenly, orangish light shone through the crater: the familiar glow of a Grimm's eye.

The shaking briefly stopped.

Then…

SCRREEEE-OOOOOONNNKKK!

Like a volcano erupting, the mountain peak exploded in a shower of rock and black. But instead of smoke, the black unfurled to reveal what it truly was: the leathery wings of giant dragon Grimm.

A Wyvern.

All the air on the rooftop vanished, the Hunters' breath stolen from them with the creature's appearance.

Strangely… the Wyvern just sat in its crater. It slowly swung its head one way, then the other. It almost looked… confused.

SCRAAAWWW!

Their heads shot up at the sudden cry. Speedymore, seemingly of her own volition, had put herself into a dive, aiming straight for the Wyvern's eyes.

"Speedy, no!" Ruby cried out, reaching towards the summon desperately.

Speedymore slammed into Wyvern's head, talons scratching at the dragon's eyes. The Wyvern let out a bone-shaking roar, sounding more startled than hurt. Ruby felt her heart thud painfully. Speedymore wasn't even as big as the Wyvern's head.

The Wyvern swung its head hard, throwing Speedymore off it without effort. Speedymore squealed in outrage, flapping to pick up speed. She swung wide, aiming for the other side of its head.

Then the Wyvern moved.

With deceptive speed, the dragon lunged out from its crater. Its jaw unhinged, opening part-way down its neck to reveal row upon row of teeth. Speedymore squealed in surprise, the Wyvern's maw taking up her entire view. She flapped rapidly to slow down, trying to angle away.

CRUNCH!

With an echoing shriek, Speedymore vanished within the jaws of the Wyvern, only her wingtips showing through the gaps in its teeth. There was a sound like shattered glass, red shards of light exploding out from between the Wyvern's teeth.

Ruby let out a scream of pain, her knees nearly buckling as Weiss had to hold her up this time. Neither took their eyes off the monstrous Grimm.

The Wyvern snapped its jaws, a growl building in the back of its throat as its apparent meal vanished into the ether. The growl built to a roar as it raised its head to the sky.

SCRREEEE-OOOOOONNNKKK!

The roar echoed throughout the city and beyond, striking fear into every living being within earshot. The Hunters watched as the Wyvern fell silent, its head lowering down to the city below, its eyes narrowing.

Right at them.

Another growl built in its throat, its wings spreading wide.

"Oh, fuck that!" Roman yelled out, face white as a sheet.

His yell snapped Raven out of her stupor. With no hesitation, she swung her arm wide, a portal opening up at their feet to encase the entire roof.

The group fell through the portal just as the Wyvern let loose another roar, the sound chasing them as they fled.

In Ozpin's office, a motley crew of teachers, parents, and future students milled around fretfully. Ozpin sat behind his desk, chin resting on his threaded fingers as his eyes darted between two screens, one filling with Glynda's constant updates as she and the faculty did their best to calm the students and guests disturbed by Ruby's late-night 'practice', and the other showing a map of Vale, a blinking green dot that had been steadily traveling across the screen now hovering right over Mt. Glenn, three white dots slowly approaching the ruined city. Ironwood stood at his shoulder, eyes glued to the map even as he spoke in low tones into his scroll, updating Winter as best he could.

Against the wall near the elevator, Ilia, Neo, and Ciel sat in awkward silence, broken only by Ilia or Ciel answering whatever question Neo sent to their scrolls. Every few seconds, Ilia or Ciel would glance toward the other, an uncertain look on their face before quickly looking away. On the fifth time Neo witnessed the two look at each other at the same moment, meet eyes, and immediately look awkwardly away, the mute girl rolled her eyes skyward, wondering how the hell they were all going to live in the same dorm together if the two couldn't even manage to speak to one another. Her eyes drifted towards Ozpin's desk, zeroing in on the small stone pyramid she'd handed to the man on their arrival. The Headmaster kept it directly in front of him, almost protectively. Her curiosity was piqued, but it could wait until the newest drama with her 'cousins' was over.

At the windows, Ghira, Kali, and Yang looked out over the Emerald Forest. The Faunus leaders shared a worried glance, then looked towards Yang. The blonde stared out at the horizon with an intensity that gave her a dangerous feel to be around, her fists clenching so tightly that the fabric of her gloves was stretching from the strain. Her eyes flickered between lavender and red at random intervals, the symbols on her neck pulsing with color seemingly at random.

Just moments before, they'd all watched Roman and the remains of Team STRQ charge through one of the Bandit Queens portals to collect the makeshift rescue party. Despite their professional acts, even Yang could see an apprehension in them that hadn't been there even before the White Fang ambush. And from the story they'd told about the last time they were at Mt. Glenn…

Where Ruby and Weiss now were…

Yang was dimly aware of Kali's hand gently landing on her shoulder. While the comfort was appreciated, she was too wound up to acknowledge it outside of coaxing the slightest bit of tension out of her shoulders. Judging by the slight squeeze Kali gave to her shoulder, she guessed it had worked.

Suddenly, the peace was broken by a familiar warbling. A storm of red clouds encased the ceiling of the entire room, Yang spinning around in relief as she Felt Ruby and Weiss suddenly jump straight across the kingdom into the room.

But before she could react further, a bone-shaking roar echoed through the portal. Kali and Ilia slammed their hands over their ears, Ghira gritting his teeth as he covered Kali's cat-ears. Everyone else just about jumped out of their skin, all of them reaching for their weapons.

Seven forms slammed unceremoniously into the ground, along with piles of broken concrete and twisted metal. A yelp of pain sounded from Ruby as she curled around Weiss to break her fall. As soon as they hit the ground, Roman's head shot up, eyes bugging out at the swirling clouds above them. "Rae, close it! Close it, close it, close it-!"

Raven swiped her arm so fast and hard it slammed into the floor with a painful slap. The portal snapped shut, cutting the hellacious roar off, leaving only its echo to haunt them.

Ozpin stared up at the ceiling with grim familiarity, then slowly panned back down. He met the eyes of his Hunter's, taking in the shaken pale faces of the veterans. "What happened?"

"Winter, reduce speed and prepare for evasive maneuvers. When that Grimm heads towards Vale, you'll be right in its path. Relay orders to Valkyrie 4 and 7 to arc towards Mt. Glenn away from each other, keeping on the edge of the other's radar."

Kali let out a worried purr in the back of her throat. Not only was Winter at risk, but Blake was also on that ship. Ghira put an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight with a grim expression.

After a rushed, disjointed retelling of what they'd witnessed, Ironwood immediately started barking orders to Winter and her wingman. Across the room, Ruby and Yang huddled around Weiss, the two trying to comfort the distraught girl while all three worried for their missing fourth. Penny had joined her team, the four quietly discussing what happened in more detail. Team STRQ, plus Roman, weren't too far away, in their own little circle and tenser than she'd ever seen, like they were ready any second to charge into battle.

Which they very much might have to.

A dragon Grimm.

Kali shuddered at the thought.

"...Confirmed, sir. I'll report when we have visual confirmation."

The group waited with bated breath, all eyes on either Ironwood's scroll or Ozpin's computer, watching the dots of the Bullhead separate just outside of Mt. Glenn.

A minute passed.

Then two.

Then five.

"Winter?" Ironwood asked when the silence grew stifling. "Status?"

"...nothing, Sir." There was a tense confusion in Winter's tone. "No visual on Grimm. Nothing on radar from the north. Valkyrie 4 and 7 confirm nothing east or west from their positions."

There were confused looks all around the room. Ironwood and Ozpin shared a perplexed look. "A Grimm that size should head towards the largest population." Ironwood stated warily.

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "And there are none larger than Vale."

"Maybe it's making a wider arc?" Qrow piped up, sharing a lost look with Raven and Taiyang.

"Why would it?" Raven asked with a tense frown. "Between its hunger and us pissing it off, it should be making a beeline this way."

A few more minutes passed. Ironwood asked again, his eyes glued to Ozpin's screen as the center dot drew closer to the dead city. "Anything, Winter?"

From the cockpit of Winter's Bullhead, Blake scanned the horizon. Just on the edge of their view, they could see the dark skyline at the base of the tallest mountain. The only thing to be seen in the clear skies above was a thin trail of smoke emanating from a fresh crater near the mountain's peak. Blake strained her night vision, looking down into the darkened plains below. She turned back to Winter just as the Specialist looked up from her ship's display. They shared a pensive look. "Negative, General," Winter said aloud, joining Blake in staring out at the ruins. "No sign of the Dragon Grimm. Radar north, northeast, and northwest of Mt. Glenn remain clear."

Silence fell over the cockpit, the radio speaker crackling slightly from the distance. The voice who broke it was, surprisingly, Roman's, though his tone lacked any of the conman's usual smarm.

"Then where the hell'd it go?"

Elsewhere…

High over the western oceans, an SDC airship sailed lazily through the night sky. Deep in its belly, inside a restricted room littered with monitors, Jacques Schnee stared blankly at the static filling each screen.

At his side was a teenage boy, sporting his same white hair and blue eyes, standing rigidly over one of the consoles. The boy clenched his fists tightly behind his back, eyes darting nervously from the screens to the Chairman.

"Well…" Jacques finally said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I suppose it was too much to hope this could be done quietly and quickly. 'Top of the line.' Peh!" He shook his head in disgust, then looked out the corner of his eye at the boy. "Well, it was a decent idea, Whitley. At the very least."

Whitley blinked. "T-Thank you, Father!" Whitley stuttered out, the surprise praise cutting through his sudden nerves. "I'll endeavor to create even better ones in the future!"

"See that you do," Jacques droned as he walked out of the room, his shoes clicking against the marble flooring. "It would be nice if at least one of my children could meet my standards. Shut things down before you leave, Whitley."

"Yes, sir!" Whitley kept a bright smile on his face as he watched his father leave. Once the man was gone, he turned back to the screen, his distress clear. He tapped at the computer console, pulling up the recent footage to rapidly reverse. He paused briefly on the frightful image of the cloaked girl perched atop the red Nevermore, brandishing that wicked scythe like some revenging reaper, but pushed back farther.

The scene he stopped on sent a chill down his spine.

All his life, he'd known what to expect from his sister Weiss. She was always calm and composed in all she did. She was insufferably superior to everyone she spoke to, save their father, who she cowed to at a moment's notice. She was, to a T, everything a Schnee should be, much as it burned him to admit. That was the Weiss Schnee he knew: the perfect little heiress.

Which begged the question: who… what… was this frost-covered, red-eyed demoness that could rip robotic soldiers apart with her bare hands? Who could throw said robot three times her weight around with little effort?

As Whitley stared at the image of Weiss's snarling face frozen in the air, her red eyes boring into him as she held the disembodied head of a knight in her hand, arm pulled back to launch it right at him, he couldn't help but wonder:

What happened to his sister?

Betaed by Covert Weapon

A/n: Not really considering this one a cliffhanger, since the follow-up on our disappearing Grimm won't be answered for a while. Just consider it… a new piece to the puzzle.

Along with my next new player. Oh, Whitley… I'd feel bad for you if my plans for you didn't make me smile so much.

See ya at the next one!