Ruby opened her eyes and blinked. It took her a few seconds to realize the siren for Grimm attacks was going off. She jumped out of bed and threw her clothes on, then grabbed Crescent Rose and dashed through the door just as Weiss and Blake looked up from their beds. "Ruby? What's going on?"

Ruby dashed down the hallway. Dormitory doors were thrown open everywhere, but she didn't see any other students. Where is everybody? She tore around the corner into the main hall and crashed headfirst into something. "Ow!" Ruby fell backwards, looked up to see Emerald and grinned in relief. "Emerald! Do you know what's going on? I can't find anyone else, it's like the place is deserted." Emerald nodded. "The students and faculty are fighting a swarm of Grimm at the back of the academy. There are some tough opponents, they'll be busy for a while."

Emerald turned back towards the front of the academy. Ruby frowned. "Why aren't you fighting with them then? I've seen you fight, you can handle Grimm easily!" Emerald shook her head. "Those aren't my orders." Ruby opened her mouth to ask what she meant, then the center window exploded in a gout of flame and someone stepped through. It was Emerald's teammate Cinder, but she wasn't dressed in her school uniform or her fighting outfit from the tournament. Instead, she was wearing a dress and heels with a small bracelet around one ankle.

Ruby's eyes widened. "I know you!" Cinder smiled. "I didn't think we would be seeing that young girl in the red cape again. Imagine my amusement when she turned out to be persistent in her adventures." Crescent Rose unfolded into gun form, and Cinder held up one hand. "Wait. Your fight is not with me today. I could teach you so much. About Ozpin, the Grimm, Dust, even Summer Rose." Ruby gasped and gripped Crescent Rose more tightly. "How do you know about my mother?!" Cinder smiled, and her hand lit up. "That isn't important right now. What is important is whether Mercury will hit you hard enough to kill you or knock you out."

Ruby whirled around, but Mercury was already attacking. He swung his foot down as she turned and landed a direct hit on her cheek. Ruby collapsed, and Mercury looked at her with a disappointed expression. "I was hoping she'd need more then one attack to go down." "That isn't the point of a sneak attack. Also, she's only fifteen, don't forget that." Cinder rolled Ruby over. A small puddle of blood had formed underneath her cheek, which was split open. "Poor child. Trained to be a weapon without understanding who she was fighting for." Cinder swung Ruby onto her shoulder. "Get her weapon. She'll want it when she wakes up." Emerald grabbed Crescent Rose then looked at Cinder. "Ma'm, why exactly are we taking her with us?" Cinder smiled slightly. "She can be useful. As her parents aren't here to ensure that she is properly taught, the duty falls to me."

Cinder jumped onto the ledge of the shattered window. Outside, a small ship was waiting in the courtyard. Emerald and Mercury jumped up next to her, and Cinder turned to look back at Beacon. Ruby's cape blew in the wind behind Cinder. From a distance, it wasn't possible to see that Cinder was carrying someone, only the cape fluttering behind her. Cinder smiled as she saw two figures running towards them, then turned and stepped out the window.