Here's Chapter 16 of RWBY: Necrophobia. Enjoy.

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The sound of Elsa's footsteps echoed through the hall. It had been a few days since she'd killed Celino. His death (and brief afterlife) played over and over in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it. There was something about it that just wouldn't leave her be, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. It was a feeling she hadn't had with others she'd had to kill. But there was one exception to that. It was the same feeling she'd had when Summer had died: Regret.

No. Elsa thought, shaking her head a little. I refuse to associate that murderer to Summer in any way. But there was no longer a doubt that she was feeling regret. However…unlike with Summer she didn't feel as though she regretted his death. It was something else, something that filled her with guilt. When she realized what it was, she stopped walking, leaned against the wall, and gave a heavy sigh.

She regretted how she had killed him. Ending his life would have been one thing, but what she did was beyond cruel. His final moments were etched into her mind, with disturbingly accurate detail. The look on his face, his desperate pleas when he saw the Infector's cage rise, the way the Necromorph had ended his life…and the twisted way his flesh had been remolded into a soulless, killing machine. He may have dealt that horror to dozens of people, but she did it to a man right in front of her. And that would be yet another moment to add to the list of things she would never be able live down.

She resumed her walk towards the archive room and with an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu; just days before she had come down here looking for the Head of Biological Research. Now she was coming down to find the new Head of Biological Research. All she could hope was that the similarities would go no further.

Elsa arrived and turned to face the achieve room door. She took a deep breath, pressed the access button, and stepped inside.

Of all the places in the facility, this was one of the ones she hated the most. Large computers lined the wall, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Rows of access terminals filled the chamber, like the main room of the CCT. And in the middle of the far wall was the main monitor, already running footage from the old facility outbreak for the room's sole occupant.

The man didn't seem to notice the door opening behind him, nor did he seem to notice Elsa as she walked up behind him. He instead seemed to be completely focused on the atrocities that played on the large screen before him. However, to Elsa's minor pleasure, the new Head of Biology Research was visibly shaking at the footage on the monitor.

"Ahem." Elsa coughed, making her presence known.

She would have to remember to let everyone know that the scream that erupted from the archive room was not a result of the new Head of Biological Research being murdered. Rather, it was a result of him being utterly terrified, falling to the floor, and scrambling up the side of the wall, breathing so quickly that Elsa had no choice but to describe it as hyperventilation.

She waited until the man's breathing slowed before she spoke again. "…You okay?"

"Yeah," The man said, finally calming down. "You just…startled me a bit."

"A bit?" Elsa asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. "I doubt there's anyone in the entire complex who didn't hear that."

The man shifted awkwardly, looking down at the floor. "Okay, maybe my life flashed before my eyes. But what did you think would happen when you sneak up on people like that?"

"…I coughed into my hand and you freaked out."

"Oh," The man stated. "Was that all you did? Guess I-you know what, no, I'm not even going to sugar coat it." The man stood up straight and looked Elsa in the eye. "I'm sorry ma'am, I over reacted."

After a few moments of silence the man's eyes widened as he realized something. "Oh, where are my manners." He said, extending his hand. "Doctor Shin Lux, I'm the new Head of Biological Research."

"I know." Elsa said. After a moment she accepted the handshake. "I'm Elsa, Head of the Quarantine Division."

At the mention of those last two words, Shin's face grew very pale. "Q-Quarantine Division?"

"Is that a problem?" Elsa asked, although she already knew full well what the issue was.

"It's just…I heard a rumor when I was moving into my new office, that the last guy who had this job…He…I heard that-"

"I killed him." Elsa stated. Her voice was devoid of emotion, without a hint of pride or remorse. She'd stated a fact, nothing more, nothing less.

Shin slowly began to back away from the woman who just admitted to murdering his predecessor. He began to speak, his teeth chattering. "Uh, j-just so I don't…end up the s-same, could you…T-Tell me what he d-did?"

Elsa was silent. She looked over at the screen, footage of the facility outbreak still playing on the monitor. She saw the distorted faces of people, their bodies defiled in the most horrific ways. "He stole the Marker prototype and created Necromorphs out of a train crew."

All traces of fear vanished from Shin. His eyes remained wide, worry being replaced with utter shock. "What?" His eyes widened even more. "Wait, does that mean that that Schnee train in Vale was-"

"Yes," Elsa answered. "The entire crew died because of him."

Silence filled the room, both occupants staring at each other. After a few moments, Shin spoke. "I suddenly find my sympathies for my predecessor fading."

"I'm surprised you had sympathies to begin with." Elsa said.

"I was told that he died because of something he did for his work." Shin responded. "But I was under the impression that he'd failed to meet a progress deadline or his research had hit a dead end. But this…" Shin looked towards the main monitor, gazing upon the horrors on the screen. "To unleash this upon the world…what was he thinking?"

"If it's any consolation, his end-game goal seemed noble." Elsa looked towards the screen and frowned. "He thought these…abominations, could have been used for regeneration and immortality."

Shin looked over at Elsa. "Alright, the idea of regeneration I can comprehend." He shifted his eyes back to the screen. "But the idea of these things existing forever..." Shin didn't attempt to hide his shiver.

"My thoughts exactly." Elsa said. "And that's why I wanted to talk to you." She turned to face Shin. "I need to know, beyond all doubt, that you will never even think about trying to pull something like that."

"I'm disturbed that your concern is valid." Shin said. He noticed Elsa's eyes widen. "NO, NO, NO, NO. NO. I did not mean it like that. I'm sorry it even sounded like that. Believe me, I'll settle for knowing that some things are just physically possible…even if I wish I didn't."

"Alright." Elsa sighed in relief. "So we're clear?"

"I'd say crystal, but that's far too opaque."

"Good." Elsa began to walk towards the door. Before she exited, she turned back to look at Dr. Shin. "I look forward to working with you."

Elsa wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw the man gulp. "L-Likewise."

Elsa nodded and stepped out the door. Barely a moment after the steel doors slid shut behind her, she felt a vibrating in her pocket. She pulled out her Scroll and checked the ID. Her eyes grew wide and she immediately brought the device to her ear. "It's Els-" Before she could even finish, a panicked voice came out of the other end. "Wha-I can't understand…Alright, calm down, just speak slowly…Yeah that is a lot better. Now, why are you calling….What?! What do you mean-"


"Weiss is coming back to Beacon?" Blake questioned her fifteen year old leader.

"Yep!" Ruby exclaimed, cheerfully throwing her arms into the air.

"Why?" Yang asked, having no idea how Weiss could be in any condition to return so soon.

"Don't know, don't care, just glad she's coming back here!" Ruby practically sang. After she got the news from Glynda, she'd practically twirled and pranced all the way back to the dorm, much to the confusion of her two teammates.

"Uh…Ruby…" Blake mumbled out softly, almost wanting the girl in red to not hear her name spoken. Unfortunately, said girl heard her loud and clear.

"Yeah Blake?"

"I…Before we get our hopes up…" Blake really didn't want to burst Ruby's bubble. But she also didn't want to see the girl run up to Weiss only to have her spirt broken again. "Did Glynda say that Weiss was coming back because she recovered? Or did she just say that Weiss was coming here?"

Ruby was silent for a moment. Her massive grin shrank considerably…but it didn't disappear entirely. "She…She didn't say. But just the fact that she's coming to Beacon has to mean she at least got a little better."

"That, I'm not arguing against." Blake clarified. "I just think we should wait until we see her again to get excited."

"I'm just hoping she doesn't stab my hand again." Yang groaned. "It hurt enough when she used a pen and I don't want to know what it'd feel like if she used Myrtenaster." The other girls winced at the visual. When they stopped they noticed how Yang was scowling at them.

"What's wrong Yang?" Ruby asked innocently.

"I'm still kinda upset that neither of you would be willing to take the pen for me."

"You're still upset about that?" The black haired faunus questioned. "Yang, seriously, move on."

"Oh no," Yang said, putting extra emphasis on the O's of each word. "You two are the last people who should be telling me to move on."

"What do you mean Yang?" Ruby asked.

"You two have been holding the train explosion over my head all week!" Yang exclaimed angrily. "I think that entitles me to be upset up getting stabbed in the hand for at least another hour."

"Yeah, but you landed us all in the hospital." Blake countered, happy to keep the subject off of Weiss.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" The two girls were stunned into silence by the blonde's sudden outburst. After a moment of letting Yang pant heavily, Ruby hesitantly began to move towards her sister. She slowly raised her arms and embraced Yang in a soft hug.

"Apology accepted."

"Yeah," Blake nodded in agreement, putting her hand reassuringly on Yang's shoulder. "Same here."

Yang's heavy breathing slowly became calmer and she let a sigh. "Thanks you guys."


Several hours past and Blake was the only girl in the dorm still awake. Not that it was intentional. Try as she might, her brain was to abuzz with questions to let her sleep. All her thoughts kept drifting back to Weiss; The drawing she'd made as a mental patient, the fact that she'd supposedly been present for the Cerca Mine Incident, and most of all, the way she'd said her name when she saw her. She couldn't get the idea out of her head…

She needed to know if Weiss was the last person to see her father alive.

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Well, I've gotten slow when it comes to updating this story. (Understatement of the year). My most sincere apologies for the delay. There was school, distractions, and now: I'm In College! Woohoo! No idea what this means in terms of writing but I'll try my best. Thank you everyone who's been reading this story. I'm glad you enjoy it.

Please fav, follow or leave a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter (because it's been a while since I've written and this chapter was done in bits and pieces over time). If you already have: Thanks! I appreciate it.