Whew, released the first one out of the new stories that are being added. Hope you enjoy it.

"We are now arriving at Signal Academy, please watch your step and check your belongings before exiting-" A female voice announced from the speaker as a white haired man stepped off the train. He wore a black suit with a small green scarf wrapped around his neck. Brown eyes glanced around the station before he made his way towards the exit, several guards giving a nod as he passed- their suits of armor creaked as they did so. He stepped out from the station and walked up a flight of stairs that led up to the academy's courtyard, where he was greeted with the sight of several concrete buildings with different insignias etched into the sides.

He walked past a couple of arenas built into the ground, where he caught glimpses of students training themselves using the suits of armor- 'Combat Suits' was the term usually referred to when talking about these mechanical rigs. He made his way towards the central building, a large yet simple edifice that stood towering over the rest of the campus. Holographic banners hung on the walls as he passed through the entrance, several staff members moving aside for the white haired man as he made his way towards the main office. He knocked on the door and waited a moment for it to open.

"Headmaster Ozpin. It's good to see you again." An older man looked up from his desk and greeted him, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I'm here to scout out any potential candidates, old friend." Ozpin answered.

"Ah, you're still looking for more? I thought that you gave up on that along with the other kingdoms."

"Unfortunately I haven't- as much as the council would like to decommission the Scanner Models, they're still an asset on the field."

"But are the risks worth it? As much as I support you and your academy, I don't want to endanger the students here with that option."

"I understand, but you won't mind if I continue with my search, will you?" Ozpin raised a brow.

"As long as the student agrees then it's fine by me." The older man agreed. "You should meet up with Nicholas in the lobby, he'll guide you towards the senior training ground."

"Thank you, you have been a great help over these years." Ozpin concluded as he exited the room.

The walk to the lobby was short, and as he entered he saw a middle aged man with brown hair by the main desk waving to him.

"Hello Headmaster Ozpin, the seniors are right this way." Nicholas gestured towards the main door. The white haired man gave a small nod as he followed the staff member. They passed by the dormitory and stood above one of the many training arenas, he peered through the reinforced glass for an instant before walking over to a small room next to the glass. They both stood on an elevator that descended into a smaller room, the chamber surrounding the arena with reinforced glass for protection. All the students stood in rows as they fired at the targets that were set before them, the vibration of the blasts were minimal but enough to be felt from where they were observing from.

"This is Class A- most of these students chose the Assault Class as their profession." Nicholas informed. Ozpin paid no heed to his words as he closely examined each and every one. Several had caught his eye, yet he was unsure if they met the qualities that he was looking for.

"Who's the female blonde cadet? In row fourteen?" Ozpin inquired as he faced the brown haired man.

"Row fourteen? Ah yes- that would be Yang Branwen, sir." Nicholas confirmed as he went through a nearby terminal.

"Is there anything special about her? Traits? Qualities?"

"Most of her fellow classmates say that she's kind and friendly, however her temper is not to be trifled with."

"I see...what about the one in row seven?"

"That would be Pyrrha Nikos- she's regarded as one of the best students in her grade."

"Really? Anything else to know about her?"

"I believe that some of the staff said that she fights with a code of honor, and on many occasions she fights alone."

Ozpin stood there watching the students before he turned back towards the elevator, leaving Nicholas behind as he ascended. Once he reached the top he wandered the campus until he found a bench to rest on. The white haired man let out a sigh as he rested his head in his hands, contemplating on which academy to head to next. He knew that his chances were low when it comes to searching for possible candidates but there still was a chance.

He was about to leave until he heard a loud clatter behind him. When he turned around, he was greeted with the sight of one of the many storage facilities that the school housed. What caught his interest was that one of the doors was opened, his curiosity getting the best of him as he approached. He stood outside the door and peered through the open slit.

A figure flew past the opened door, a gust of wind taking him by surprise as he tried to look for the figure once more.

"Come on Miss Rose, you've got to do better than that!" A voice echoed from the storage room.

"Yes, ma'am!" A younger voice answered back.

Another flash of movement caught his eye in the room, until the figure landed in the center. A small girl stood there with an exoskeleton attached, her hair a dark shade of crimson and a visor covering her eyes. The suit was mostly limbs that were attached to the main joints, such as her arms and legs with one main pack on her back, and the only exception he noticed was a large rectangular box attached to the right forearm and a smaller box on the left wrist. He spotted another figure next to her- she had dark brown hair and wore a dark brown uniform with a blue stripe down the center.

"Ms. Kimball, how many more times do I have to do this?" The younger girl whined.

"You're the one who asked for this." The older woman reminded. "Besides, we were just about to wrap this up- now one last time before we go onto shooting."

"Yes, ma'am." The crimsonette grumbled as she took off once more. Ozpin watched the younger girl fly through several rings and dodge obstacles when she wasn't flying, and even with all the barriers and hurdles that were set before her it only seemed that she was getting faster by the moment. Soon after, she touched down in the center of the room and took off her visor. Her crimson hair was parted and covered her right eye.

"23.6 seconds, great job." The older woman patted her on the back where the suit didn't cover her. "Alright, five minutes before we get started on target practice, Rose."

The smaller girl let out a loud groan as she leaned against a wall, "Why? You know that's easy for me."

"I do, but practice never hurts." The brunette placed several metal targets up, all at different ranges. "Okay, let's see how accurately you can hit these before the timer runs out."

Another groan was heard, "You also know that I'm never good under pressure."

"I know, that's exactly why I'm training you for this. Beacon isn't going to be easy, you know."

"I still have two years before that-"

" And you still haven't chosen the suit you want to be."

The crimsonette held her tongue, "You just had to say that..."

"Yes, I do- your courses next year depend on this. Unless you're fine with being assigned to a random unit..."

"Oum forbid that I become a Goliath- I'll probably be thrown around so much just by walking in that damn machine."

"Then you better choose in two days. Break's over, now get up and switch over to combat mode."

"Yes, ma'am." The younger girl grunted as she reattached her visor. Seconds later the rectangular box unfolded, a barrel extending out.

"Ready?" The older woman clutched her timer.

The crimsonette aimed towards the targets before nodding.

"Go!"

The barrel flashed as the room echoed with gunfire, bursts of energy spraying the targets until the timer beeped. The brunette let out a whistle as she glanced at the targets.

"Damn, almost all of them were bullseyes." The instructor affirmed.

A clap alerted the two to the man who was standing at the door. "That was certainly impressive."

The instant they turned towards him, the younger girl stood behind the older woman- using her to hide herself from the white haired man.

"Who are you?" The brunette spoke as she shielded the crimsonette.

"My apologies for intruding- I am Headmaster Ozpin." He answered with a small bow.

Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she realized, "I-I am so sorry, sir!"

The older woman bowed immediately, the younger girl behind her startled by the sudden move quickly imitated her.

"At ease." He reassured the two. "I'm not here for an inspection, but what were you two doing in here?"

The crimsonette stiffened as she hid behind the taller woman. The brunette however cleared her throat before she spoke, "I was helping Miss Rose with piloting a Combat Suit.

"Interesting...but don't they provide classes here for that?" Ozpin questioned as he raised his brow.

"Yes they do sir, but Miss Rose here didn't have a chance to attend those classes this year."

"Is that so? Did she ditch those classes?"

"No sir, she was hospitalized earlier this year and was forced to sit out."

There was a slight pause before Ozpin spoke again, "What are your names?"

"I am Vanessa Kimball, and this is Ruby Rose."

Ruby gave a small wave when her name was mentioned, but she didn't move from her spot.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, she's...shy after what happened." Kimball apologized as she rubbed the back of her head.

"It's fine, do her parents or guardians know of this?"

Ruby stared towards the ground with a crestfallen look on her face. Kimball cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence that was forming.

"Miss Rose...lost her parents. She's been staying at the dorms that the school had provided."

"I see." He turned to face the younger girl, "I'm sorry for bringing up the past."

"I-it's fine! I'm u-used to being a-alone." Ruby stuttered as the white haired man apologized.

"No one wants to be alone, and even if you deny it your body would eventually seek out company." Ozpin surmised before he looked towards the older woman, "I take it that you are her guardian?"

"If that makes it easier for you then yes, I'm her guardian." Kimball affirmed.

"Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course sir, what do you need?"

Ruby watched the two step off to the side, and unsure of what to do she fumbled with her suit until a loud shout echoed throughout the storeroom.

"You want her to what?!" Kimball's voice shook the room with her anger.

"It's not certain yet but I believe that she has the potential to join." Ozpin's voice was calm in contrast to the brunette's.

"The potential?! She's only sixteen and you think that she has the potential to join Beacon?!" Kimball fumed. "Forgive me for my outbursts sir but sending a child into that kind of environment is hazardous to both her and the staff!"

"That's why I said that she has the potential- I have yet to see her in combat let alone practice to be able to tell if she's truly capable of joining."

"She could've applied as a Bruiser, a Pathfinder- hell I would even consider her being a Goliath- but a Scanner Unit?! That's close to being suicidal!"

"U-um." A quiet voice caught their attention as they looked at the younger girl. "W-what's a S-scanner Unit?"

They both looked back at each other before Ozpin spoke up, "I'm afraid I can't tell you unless you prove me otherwise."

"What does he mean, Ms. Kimball?" Ruby turned towards the brunette in confusion, who sighed.

"Headmaster Ozpin will be watching your performance tomorrow to determine if you are ready." Kimball answered.

"But i-isn't tomorrow the t-team battle?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes, yes it is. That's why he will be watching your performance to see if you qualify to attend Beacon."

"B-Beacon?! The prestigious a-academy that o-only accepts the top s-students from the four k-kingdoms?" Her eyes widened as the older woman nodded her head.

"He thinks that you have potential to join but as a certain unit."

"The Scanner Unit? You still haven't told me what kind of suit it is."

"And we won't unless you prove that you are capable of piloting these suits." Ozpin added. "Only Beacon has Scanner Units that are still in commission and only a selected few are able to pilot them."

The white haired man made his way towards the exit and said his farewells to the two before he stepped out. Kimball said nothing as she packed up all the targets and various obstacles while Ruby detached the training suit. She brushed off her brown uniform before she placed the suit on one of the many racks. After they finished packing up they quietly made their way towards the dormitory. The crimsonette stopped in her tracks as she watched the towering walls, casting a large shadow as the sun faded behind them.

She only knew what her mother used to tell her about the walls- tales of the walls protecting them from outside forces that only wished to destroy what was left of humanity. Her mother would go on about wanting to see the outside world that humanity had abandoned for its protection, the sights to behold, or the lakes and rivers that stretched for miles across the landscape.

She shook her head as more memories kept flooding back- she didn't want to think of her mother right now...or for a while. Ruby quickly packed away her equipment in the storage closet and waved her instructor goodbye as she entered the dormitory. The walls were dark gray and the floor was tiled with dark marble, her boots echoing on the stone. The walk towards the elevator was quiet as the hallways were empty, and she sighed in relief as she made it to her room without seeing anyone. She slid against the door the moment she closed it and stared at the ceiling.

'Tomorrow, huh'

Ruby got up from the floor and changed out of her uniform, wearing a white tank top and black shorts. She threw her uniform off to the side and dived onto her bed, throwing the sheets over her. She buried her head in her pillow as she closed her eyes, letting the darkness surround her as she drifted off to sleep.

"-now then, can someone tell me the difference between a Bruiser and a Pathfinder?" The teacher questioned as he wrote on the holographic board.

Several students groaned as a couple raised their hands.

"Carter?"

One of the boys stood up, he had brown hair and a comb-over with a smug look on his face.

"The difference between the two Assault Classes is that the Pathfinder is very mobile and uses gadgets like the grappling hook or jump jets while the Bruiser mostly prioritizes artillery or heavy ordnance."

"Correct." The teacher wrote something else on the board before continuing, "As many of you know, today will be the last training exercise until you're all assigned your new suits. I expect that all of you have chosen your preferences?"

"Yes, sir." Everyone answered.

"Excellent. Now then, let's not keep the instructors waiting." The board turned off as the teacher began packing up his belongings.

The classroom followed suit as they packed their bags, and Ruby who sat in the back quickly placed her notebook in her bag. While she packed two students moved to stand in front of her with smirks on their faces.

"Well, if it isn't the class freak! I'm surprised that you actually showed up for once."

Ruby looked up from her bag and saw the two standing before her, one was a tall blonde girl with a blue hair tie that held her ponytail while the other was a shorter girl with short brown hair.

"You're right, Katie! It's the first time we actually get to see her in a Combat Suit- I'm so sorry for whichever team gets her." The brunette teased.

"I'm sorry for the instructors for when she flunks this year- I don't see why the teachers would keep her around." Katie added.

"Hey! She'll do fine." A new voice caught their attention, making the two look for the source of the voice and seeing Carter walking over to them, "She may have not been in the suit as long as you two but I'm confident that she won't crash that badly."

"But you think that she'll crash?" The brunette pointed out.

"I never said that." Carter defended.

"But you said she won't crash that badly ." Katie added.

"I-"

Ruby stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag before she stormed off. The two girls were snickering as Carter tried calling her back but she had already left the room. She ran through the halls, passing several students until she found herself out in the courtyard. She kept herself from crying as she found an empty bench in the quad, where she rested her head in between her hands as she dropped her bag next to her leg.

'Pitiful, aren't I'

She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself.

'Couldn't even say a word, again'

She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

'Why, what do they have against m-'

Her musing was interrupted as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a man with messy green hair and glasses stare back at her.

"Excuse me young miss, but are you Ruby Rose?"

She said nothing, choosing to nod in acknowledgment instead.

"I'm sorry for intruding, but are you okay?" He asked as he sat next to the crimsonette.

She opened her mouth but no words came out, and instead simply shook her head.

"I see...would you mind explaining why?"

She didn't say anything as she stared towards the ground, fidgeting with her hands. They both sat there for a while until the older man broke the silence when he cleared his throat.

"Pardon me for my blathering, but why are you here?"

Ruby looked up from the ground and back at the man.

"I-I'm here for t-the same reason l-like everyone else." She stammered.

"Not everyone has the same intentions of joining, Miss Rose. Some are here for the promise of wealth, others for fame and popularity. So it begs the question, why are you here?"

'Why am I here' She knew she was here because there was nowhere else to go- nowhere to call home. The school provided her with a place to stay and yet the Headmaster of Beacon had offered her a chance- a chance to escape this suffocating school and its students- but she was scared. She just wanted to run to the rooftop and shout her feelings out but she was scared that everything would just be pulled out from under her.

'Just like back then'

"I don't know." Ruby silently muttered, "I have no idea why I'm here, when everything around me wants me gone."

The older man stayed silent as he stared up towards the sky. A few minutes later he spoke up while making eye contact with her.

"History has always shown that the strongest people are shaped by their tough upbringings. I've yet to see otherwise, Miss Rose."

"B-but-"

"Don't sell yourself short- you're a strong person with a kind heart." He stood up from the bench and faced her, "I can see what Ozpin meant about you."

She looked at him in confusion, "Y-you know Headmaster Ozpin?"

"He is the one who sent me to find you, and I'll let him know that I did. Although that does remind me why I came here- are you going to show up at the team battle?"

"I don't know, what if they cast me out? No one here wants me on their team." She said, crestfallen.

"Then prove them otherwise. The only thing stopping you is yourself. You know, if Ozpin doesn't accept you as a Scanner Unit- I'll vouch for you as a Pathfinder."

"T-thank you, but don't count me out just yet."

The older man had a smile on his face as he saw the fire in her eye. "I'll be watching alongside Headmaster Ozpin, so good luck."

She nodded as she watched him leave, looking up towards the sky before she slung her bag onto her shoulder.

"Hey, Rose!"

Ruby turned around and saw Kimball approaching her.

"Kick some ass out there, girl." The brunette said as she lightly punched her shoulder.

"Yes, ma'am." The crimsonette said with a salute.

"Team Battle begins in five minutes." The speaker announced.

Ozpin sat with many other instructors in a box that overlooked the arena, patiently waiting for Oobleck to return. He let out a small sigh of relief as he saw the green haired man enter the room and sit across from him, giving him a nod as he did so. Now, he was just watching the students line up below on the training ground.

"Ah yes, this is Class C of the sophomores. We have a few promising students that might catch your interest." A blonde haired man gestured towards the crowd of cadets.

Ozpin didn't pay him any heed as his eyes scanned the students.

"We have Carter, who is applying as a Bruiser- he's an excellent student with high grades in both his studies and piloting skills. There's Michael who wants to become one of our best Pathfinders in their year alongside Jacob-"

"What about Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked, as he couldn't spot the crimsonette among the crowd.

"Miss Rose? Ah, her. Ruby Rose has missed half the school year and her grades are barely average. I'm surprised that the administration even kept her, considering her skills are close to none."

"Do tell me what happened to her- how did she miss most of the school year?"

"She's been hospitalized for the most part- her home had a fire and she lost both her mother and her way of life."

The white haired man was about to continue until his eyes were drawn towards the arena as he spotted a familiar shade of red.

"Speaking of Miss Rose, it appears that she is here."

…

"Hey, has anyone seen Rose?" Carter asked as he glanced around.

"Give it a break Carter, she isn't going to show up. Especially after what happened earlier." Katie snickered.

"Carter, I'm sorry to say this but I don't think she's coming." A boy with spiky black hair tried to reassure him.

"Believe me Jacob, she's going to be here."

"If you say so." Jacob sighed as he glanced up towards the timer.

Everyone was suited up with the same training Combat Suit, their guns mounted on the right arm while the left had a wrist launcher.

"Team Battle begins in one minute." The speaker warned.

Carter looked towards the closing door one last time before he let out a sigh.

"Told you she was a no-show." The short brunette, Katie's friend, teased with a smirk.

"I-"

Clang

Everyone turned towards the source of the sound. Several gasps were heard as they saw Ruby prying open the doors. Her suit let out a groan as she forcibly opened the door, slipping through when she made an opening large enough to do so and letting the doors slam closed behind her.

"Sorry, but I'm not letting this opportunity pass." Ruby stated as she brushed off dust her hands.

A couple students were about to speak until the speaker overhead drowned out the silence.

"Team Battle commencing, all teams please make your way towards your respective sides."

The lights on the suits flashed either red, blue, and yellow. The crimsonette looked down and saw her color shifted to yellow.

"Look! It looks like Michael has the freak on his team!"

Ruby turned towards the source and saw Katie and the short brunette.

"Look! It's mad at us- not like it can even touch us."

"Katie! Jasmine! That's eno-" Carter was interrupted as he saw the crimsonette approach them.

"Oh, what is she going to do? Cry?" Jasmine taunted.

Ruby stopped about an arm's length away from the two, and in a split second she brought both of her arms up and smacked both of them square across the face.

"You bitch!"

"What was that for you cunt!?" They hissed while clutching their noses.

In the next second she grabbed both of them by their chest pieces and pulled them close.

"You should brace yourselves, this is only just the start." Ruby warned in a low tone, sending shivers down their spines.

When she pulled away, the two said nothing as they glanced at her with horror plastered on their faces.

Michael let out a low whistle as Ruby approached him, soon after they made their way towards their designated side. "Damn Rose, didn't know that you could do that."

Ruby walked next to the blue haired boy and gave him a small smile, "N-not everyone gives me a c-chance to."

"Really? Well show us what you got on the battlefield- I heard that Carter and Jacob were separated into different teams."

"Hey, you two!" Another student ran up to them- she had pink hair and was taller than both of them. "Everyone's ready to go, so should we stick together as a group or move in squads?"

"Hm, we have ten teammates right Rena?" Michael questioned.

"Yes, we do." She replied.

"We should split up into three teams of three, and one team can have a fourth member."

"That might work- maybe we could have Rose be placed on one of the spare squads. Right Rose? Rose?" The two looked back at the crimsonette, who stood behind them. "Rose?"

She didn't respond as she faced away from them, her visor held in her left hand and her right reaching up to brush her hair away from her right eye. The hand hesitantly tugged at her eye patch until she pulled it off. She winced as the eye adjusted to the lighting, blinking several times until she could see properly.

"S-sorry, I didn't c-catch that." The crimsonette turned to face the two, who stared at her in confusion.

Her left eye shone bright silver, but her right eye practically glowed- it was a darker silver, the entire pupil adjusting itself like a lens. The outline of the pupil was illuminated in a silver light, and on closer inspection the dark silver glinted as it rearranged itself.

"Whoa, what's with the eye, Rose?" Rena asked as she tried to get a closer look.

"I'll tell you another time." The crimsonette caught up to the duo as they made their way towards their designated side.

The rest of their teammates were standing around, staring at the three remaining helmets on the table. Everyone stopped to look at Ruby as she walked past them and reached for her helmet.

"Match beginning in one minute." The announcement reminded, snapping everyone to attention.

Her screen flicked to life as her heads up display and reticle appeared, a mini map present on the bottom right along with her weapons display. She immediately brought up her settings and turned off her automatic balancing systems, along with recalibrating her targeting systems to sync with her artificial eye.

"Oi Rose?" A helmet appeared on her screen to her right, "You alright? Your suit hunched over for a moment."

"I-I'm fine, j-just trying to get u-used to this." She stuttered as she glanced back at the plated helmet.

"Right, this is your first time in one. Well, good luck!" Rena waved as she went with two other teammates.

Ruby watched them leave before she glanced around the battlefield- there were several small ravines scattered around along with a couple large trees and some shrubbery.

"Match begins in five-"

She shook her head as she refocused her attention to the rest of her teammates. She quickly noticed that everyone else was paired up in teams of three, all except her.

"-our, three, tw-"

She took a step towards the clearing in the center of her team until her eyes caught on something next to the munitions table.

"-ne, match begin." The speaker announced, followed by a loud blare from the sirens.

"This is...disappointing." The blonde man commented as he watched another student get eliminated. At the start of the match, both Red and Blue team joined together and went after the Yellow team. "I'm sorry Headmaster, usually they would fight amongst each other rather than teaming up."

Ozpin ignored the instructor as he watched the chaos below- Yellow was down to four students while both Red and Blue had lost only two. He watched two of the surviving Yellow students retreat behind a fallen tree as four other students pursued them.

"Shall I end the match? It's clear that the Yellow team has already lost, and it doesn't seem that the Red and Blue teams are going to attack each other anytime soon."

"No, I would like to see this through." Ozpin answered as he kept his gaze on the field.

...

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" Rena dove for cover as a hail of bullets sailed over her head. "Dammit- we've got to keep moving, Jax!"

"How much longer do we have until we meet up with Michael!?" He questioned as he jumped over a log.

"I don't know, just keep moving!" She shouted as she turned around to take occasional potshots behind her.

The two kept running through the tree line as several more pursuers joined in on the chase.

"Michael! Where are you?!" Rena screamed into her comms as another shot flew past her.

Static was heard through the comms before another voice was heard, "You two keep heading towards the ravine, there should be enough cover for you to hunker down."

"Wha- that's suicide! If we stay down there we can be flanked from the top!"

"If you keep on going, there should be a cave that should cover the top. Michael and I will be arriving shortly to assist."

"Michael and- wait, Rose?! What are you planning?!"

"Just trust me." And with that the comms went dark.

"Dammit, Jax!" The taller girl shouted over the gunfire, "We're moving towards the ravine!"

"Aren't we cornering ourselves?!" He replied as he ducked behind another tree.

"Rose has a plan!"

"That doesn't reassure me at all!"

"Well, do you have a better idea?!"

Jax said nothing as another volley of bullets whizzed past them.

"Alright, we move on my go. Ready? GO!" Rena stepped out from her cover and raised her left arm, the wrist launcher extending itself from the armored gauntlet and firing a rocket at their pursuers. The rocket exploded in a large cloud of smoke, effectively hiding both Rena and Jax as they ran into the ravine.

The two quickly ran towards the cave at the end of the ravine, kicking up gravel as they sped through.

"Hey Rose, we're at the cave. Where are you two?" Jax opened up his comms as his back leaned against the stone wall. "Rose?"

"Any luck?" Rena asked as she peered over her stone cover.

"No, although she was right. This place is perfect to hold down, there's only one entrance and not much cover for them if they approach."

"Right, let's just hope that her plan works." Rena muttered as she kept looking through the outcropping.

Minutes passed by before they saw the pursers out the cave, while a couple more flew in and landed near them. Both Rena and Jax readied their weapons until static filled the comms.

"Rena, Jax, sync up to my suit's guidance and targeting systems." Ruby spoke up as she landed at the top of the ravine, looking over the edge at the growing crowd below.

"What? Why?!" Jax questioned as he saw them approach closer.

"Just do it, you big ol' baby!" Rena shouted as she linked up to the crimsonette. Jax let out a loud sigh as he did the same, his screen flickering as his he connected.

"What now?!"

The comms were quiet, until the two heard a faint whistling sound in the distance. Several explosions followed closely behind as smoke began to fill up the bottom of the ravine, making it impossible to see for the two cadets.

Jax was about to speak up until his screen flickered again, this time revealing several red outlines through the white smoke.

"You're clear to engage- take them out before the smoke disperses!" Ruby announced as gunfire began to hail down onto the outlines from above.

"No need to ask twice!" Rena answered as she sprayed at the red silhouettes.

Jax joined in shortly after, raising his wrist launcher and firing a rocket behind one of the outcroppings. The buzzer above blared as more and more cadets were being eliminated by the remaining Yellow team.

"Michael! We've got three who are trying to escape, one o'clock!" Ruby shouted as she continued to fire at the rest of the enemies below.

"On it." He replied as he jumped off the edge of the ravine, his thruster igniting the moment he left the ground and flew towards the escapees.

Both Red and Blue team's numbers dropped considerably: Red only had two left while Blue had three members who were retreating from the carnage.

"Rose, they left the ravine. I'm going to need some help dealing with them." Michael called.

"Alright, I'll be right there. Rena, Jax? Could you deal with the last two down there?" The crimsonette asked as she activated her thrusters.

"We'll be fine- once we're done, we'll help you hunt down the stragglers." Rena answered as she tagged another student.

Ruby said nothing as she took off into the air, the ground below her turning into a blur as she tried to catch up with her teammate. It didn't take her long to spot the small group of pilots crossing the plateau, and she landed nearby a large tree and set her mounted gun to semi-auto.

'Adjusting trajectory, accounting for wind pressure and bullet falloff, switching to mid-air burst mode' The silver-eyed girl thought to herself as she raised her rifle and aimed towards the fleeing foes.

"Rose, where are you? If they escape into the forest we'll have a tough time trying to catch them!" Michael shouted as he boosted behind the Blue team.

Bang!

...

"I can't believe it- how did they shoot us through the smoke?!" Jasmine cried as she tried to catch up with the rest of the Blue team.

"They must be cheating, it's not fair!" Katie complained as she tried to stay behind Jacob.

"Could you two just shut up and stop complaining?! It's your fault that you wanted to follow those two to find the fucking redhead." Jacob barked, "Honestly, I would've gladly had Rose on the team instead of having to deal with the two of you- at least she knows when to shut u-"

Bang!

The loud crack was heard behind them, causing everyone to turn around towards the source.

"What was tha-" A shot whizzed past Katie's head and caused her to instinctively flinch back, dragging her suit towards the ground in the process. The blonde pilot skidded against the ground before crashing into a small ditch.

"Kati-" The brunette cried before another shot struck her side, knocking her out of the air to suffer the same fate as her friend.

"What's going on?!" Jacob yelled as a couple shots flew past him.

'Correcting aim, firing-' Ruby's rifle went off in consecutive bursts, each shot adjusting itself to hit the remaining target. With an audible crack, Jacob's suit was shot down- crashing in a similar fashion to that of his teammates.

"All targets neutralized," the crimsonette affirmed before she let out a sigh of relief, "Rena, what's your status down there?"

A cheery voice replied back through the comms, "We got the last one! You wouldn't believe who it was!"

"Uh huh, tell me when we're done." The silver-eyed girl muttered just as the speakers blared, signaling that the match was over.

"Match complete, Yellow team wins." The speaker announced right after.

"I-it's over?" Ruby questioned as she stared towards the observation box overhead.

"Hey, Rose!" A female voice called out behind her, causing the young girl to turn to the source.

When she did, she saw three figures approaching her with their helmets off- all with wide smiles on their faces.

"Rena, Jax, Michael?" The crimsonette asked before she was enveloped in a bear hug.

"You. Were. Amazing out there!" Rena chirped as they let go of the flustered girl, "Where did that smoke come from?"

"T-there was a g-grenade launcher on t-the table b-before the match s-started."

"How did you pull off those shots?" Michael questioned.

"I-I uh, let m-my eye do the c-calculations and-" Ruby stuttered as she answered.

"Your eye could do that?" Jax asked.

"Y-yeah, I did s-some modifications m-myself."

"I didn't know you could do that! What else can it do?" The pink-haired girl exclaimed as she stepped closer to examine the artificial eye.

"I-I'll tell you l-later." The smaller girl replied as she stepped back.

"Fine." Rena said with a pout.

The group made their way towards the start of the training grounds, where they noticed most of the students formed a crowd in the center. The yellow team spotted the four survivors they immediately surrounded them, bombarding them with questions and compliments.

"How did you shoot through the smoke?"

"Where did all that smoke come from?"

"Teach me how to shoot like that!"

Ruby stepped back from the crowd, silently thanking herself for not taking off her helmet or otherwise her face would've been bright red from embarrassment. She let out a sigh of relief as the instructor came down from the elevator and caught everyone's attention.

"Cadets, that was a splendid performance out there in the field. We'll give back your reports at the end of the day, but for now we have a special guest that observed your bout. Please welcome Headmaster Ozpin from Beacon."

The crowd went silent as they saw the white-haired man make his way towards them.

"Good afternoon, students. I hope that this training exercise has taught you something important today," Ozpin explained, "Do tell me, how do you think Yellow team won?"

"They fucking cheated!" One of the students yelled out from the back.

"There's no way they could've seen us in the smoke, not to mention how one of them sniped us from a ridiculous distance!" Another voice joined in.

When everyone turned their heads towards the source, none were surprised to see Katie and Jasmine as the complainers.

"Oh, so what do you think they did?" Ozpin asked.

"It was the freak, I swear it was. She probably modified her suit before she showed up to lock onto our heat signatures." Katie accused as she glared at the crimsonette.

"Can't be- her suit was given to her in the locker room. There's no way she could've modified it in a short amount of time." Jax defended.

"Oh, yeah? Then why did her suit hunch over in the beginning of the match?" Jasmine pointed out.

Everyone turned towards the crimsonette with suspicion- even Michael was staring at her with questioning eyes. She didn't like all the attention she was getting, and she wanted to run- go hide somewhere, anywhere that wasn't here right now.

"If she modified her suit, what of it? In the end they still won regardless." Ozpin spoke up.

"What do you mean?! She should be kicked out!" Katie hissed.

"She used everything at her disposal to even the odds- and if I recall, both Red and Blue teams joined together to eliminate Yellow team." The headmaster countered.

"But-"

"Speaking of Miss Rose," he said as he turned towards the silver-eyed girl, "May I have a word with you?"

"U-uh, um- sure." Ruby replied as she stepped forward.

"Can we have a moment?" Ozpin asked the blonde instructor.

"Not a problem, sir- come on, cadets. Let's get you out of those suits." The instructor ordered.

A minute later the room was empty aside from the two of them. The younger girl took off her helmet and left it on the ground as she kept twiddling her thumbs while glancing at the white-haired man until he spoke up.

"That was an excellent performance out there, Miss Rose- you certainly exceeded my expectations."

"W-wait, d-does that mean-"

"My offer still stands- I believe that you have the qualifications to become a Scanner. However, it's not my call to make that choice- ultimately, it's up to you."

She stood there hesitantly as she stared at the headmaster- it felt too good to be true and yet a part of her wanted to take that chance. She shook her head and smacked her face with her hands.

"I-I'll do it." Ruby answered, determined silver eyes locking onto bronze.

A small smile formed on the headmaster's face, "I'll be looking forward to seeing you on campus. I'll have a few of my staff fetch your belongings from your dorm."

"T-thank you, w-will I get another d-dorm room at B-Beacon?"

"I'll have one of my advisors set up a room for you. Until then, Miss Rose." Ozpin bid farewell as he made his way towards the exit.

The crimsonette watched the white-haired man leave before she strode towards the lockers, picking up her helmet as she left. What she didn't expect when she entered was three students waiting for her at the entrance. Rena, Jax, and Carter were standing by the door, talking to each other until they noticed her.

"Rose! Spill the beans- what did he want to talk to you about?" Rena asked as she leaned against the doorway.

"Please tell me it's good news, he wouldn't have pulled you over like that unless it was important." Jax followed up.

"I-I'm, leaving Signal-" Ruby stammered, but before she could finish her sentence a triumphant shout was heard behind them.

"Hah! I knew she would get expelled!" Jasmine crowed.

"Please tell me you're joking, Rose," Carter pleaded as his face melted into concern.

"I'm l-leaving tomorrow to go to B-Beacon." The crimsonette stuttered, earning her confused looks from everyone that heard her.

"WHAT?!" A chorus of cries rang out at the same time.

"You're going to Beacon?!" Rena asked as she shook the shy girl.

"Y-yes-" Ruby replied.

"Wow, that's amazing!" The pink-haired girl said as she stopped shaking her.

"I-I- um-" The silver-eyed girl sputtered as she took a step away from the group of students. Her nerves were already starting to act up.

"Hey Rose, you okay?" Jax asked as he took a step closer.

"I-I'm-" Ruby said nothing else as she ran past them. She felt a wave of fear as she turned into a dark corner and wrapped her arms around herself to stop shaking.

'Not again- anything but that'

"Hey, Rose? Where did you go?" Carter shouted as he walked past her.

She covered her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that they wouldn't find her.

"Where did she go?" Jax asked.

"I don't know. Hey, Rose! Where are you?!" Rena yelled as the two students walked past her hiding spot.

Ruby stayed quiet as the group of students passed her.

"Hey, Michael! Have you seen Rose by any chance?" Carter's voice was distant.

"I thought you guys were going to greet her?" Michael replied.

"We were but she took off-"

The crimsonette quickly detached the Combat Suit and ran in the opposite direction of the source of voices. Not bothering to look back as she ran out of the room, she left the confused group of cadets to wonder where she had gone.

"Welcome to Vale, please enjoy your stay." The computer announced as the doors opened.

"Finally! The seats on the plane were killing my back!" A tanned brunette stated as she stepped out from the airlock. She wore a white t-shirt and jeans with a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes.

"If you were sitting properly, you wouldn't have had a problem at all." The girl behind her chided- she had white hair that was tied in a sideways ponytail and was pulling a suitcase behind her. She had a light blue shirt and a white skirt, and also had a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes.

"Come on Weiss, you had a cushion." The brown-haired girl countered.

"You had one too Ilia, it's just that you didn't want to take it out of your luggage." Another girl joined in- she was taller than the two of them and had jet black hair with a bow on top of her head. She had a white jacket on with black leggings, and unlike the other two she didn't have a pair of sunglasses.

"Well excuse me, I was sitting next to the window." Ilia pouted as she crossed her arms.

"You could've asked Blake or myself to grab it for you." Weiss countered.

"I didn't want to bother your beauty sleep, and besides, I don't think Blake could've heard me anyway with her reading her book and all." The tanned girl explained.

"Excuses, excuses." Blake said as she pulled out her scroll from her pocket, "Our taxi should be here soon, so we should grab our bags and hurry up."

"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want the transfer students to be late for anything." Ilia joked as they made their way towards the terminal.

"And we shouldn't, we're representing the best that Atlas has to offer." The white-haired girl stated.

"We're just checking in at a hotel, chill Ice Queen." The brunette muttered before she grabbed her suitcase from the baggage claim.

"I thought you said that you weren't going to use that nickname anymore!" Weiss hissed as she also grabbed her luggage.

"I didn't say that. I said I wouldn't use "Snow Angel" anymore." Ilia quoted.

"You know what, Ice Queen sounds preferable to Snow Angel."

"Are you two done? The taxi just arrived outside the main terminal." Blake interrupted as she swung her bag onto her back.

"Yes, ma'am." The tanned girl replied as she followed the taller girl out to the exit with Weiss following behind.

Once they opened the door, they were greeted with a crowd of people who held up cameras, microphones, and much more.

"It's Weiss Schnee!" One of the people called out from the crowd.

"Please look this way!" Another voice cried out.

"Can I have your autograph?" A female voice shouted from behind.

The trio didn't break their stride until they got into the waiting taxi out by the driveway. The "taxi" was a sleek black limousine, its windows completely tinted as a blue underglow illuminated the bottom of the vehicle. They all let out a sigh of relief as Blake closed the door behind them and the limo took off.

"How on Remnant did they know I was coming on that flight?" Weiss asked as she pulled a bottle of water out of one of the compartments.

"Maybe one of the passengers texted about it or something before we left Atlas." Ilia elaborated as she did the same.

"I just hope that Beacon isn't full of your fans, Weiss- it's going to be so hard just to deal with a group of fans who're gushing over you for the next couple of years." Blake pointed out.

"Don't remind me. If my roommate is one of them, could I swap out with one of you?" The white-haired girl questioned.

"Sure, as long as it's a cute girl." The brunette said as she sipped on her water.

"You would do anything for a cute girl." Blake said as she rolled her eyes.

"No I wouldn't!" The tanned girl countered.

"Yes, you would- in case you don't remember, you tried asking the both of us out. Before and after we became friends." Weiss added.

"And got rejected instantly- it hurt so much!" Ilia said dramatically as she recalled the memory.

"At least you two were asked out by someone, no one ever tried asking me out. Besides the idiot before me." Weiss huffed.

"Have you not seen the people Blake rejected? It's like their souls were torn from their bodies! They walked like lifeless husks for a week before they got over it." Ilia hooted as she remembered the past.

"They did not." Blake objected.

"They so did- you would always walk away before it happened."

"Alright girls, here's our stop." Weiss interrupted as she tapped the both of them on their shoulders.

The limo pulled up to a large white building with large windows, several fountains lined up along the side of the driveway with shrubbery.

"It makes you really wonder if we're trapped here." Blake thought out loud.

"Isn't that why we're enlisting? To tear down these walls and explore what's out there?" Ilia added.

"We still need to pass the exams first." Weiss followed up.

"Let's just hope that tomorrow is a great day." Blake said as she made her way towards the entrance.

"I just hope our new roommate isn't a douche." Ilia commented as she followed behind the ebony-haired girl.

"Keep talking like that and they probably will be." Weiss scolded before she caught up to the two.

To anyone new to my works, just be prepared for random uploads of different stories. I'm not stopping either B&B or EC so you don't need to worry about me discontinuing those two.