Author's Note: this story is a part of the RWBY Superhero Universe and the culmination of the first four stories in Phase One (The Red Huntress, White Fang, Chasing Rose, and Lockdown). Reading those will add a lot to your experience with The Hunt, but it's not strictly necessary to do so.

Agent Ruby Rose stopped in her tracks, letting her feet sink a little in the soft Vacuo sand, and took in a deep breath. The air carried the salty smell of the sea to her. It reminded her a little of home – though Patch Island was considerably smaller than a whole continent.

She checked her Scroll. She'd been walking for hours now, following the signal, and though she had begun to feel frustrated by the slowness of her progress, it seemed that she was finally getting to her destination… wherever that was.

The Grimm had first been detected at the very southern tip of Vacuo, dangerously close to the capital. Local agents had been dispatched to deal with it – the best of the best, as apparently it was a really nasty specimen – but once they'd gotten to the area, there was nothing to be found there. A false alarm, they had assumed.

But a day later, the Grimm's energy signature was detected once again, near the abandoned Schnee Railway to the north of the capital. The agents went to check – nothing. The Grimm had disappeared once again.

Rinse and repeat. A week passed, the agents chasing after the creature relentlessly, but it was to no avail. Director Ozpin was notified. Sometimes, Grimm moved after Surging into Remnant, and they had to be tracked down, but this was another case altogether. The Grimm was not behaving like a Grimm, which meant other forces were involved, or… the monsters were evolving.

Naturally, Ruby had been selected to deal with this situation. It made for a wonderful first time abroad.

"Signal's getting stronger. The Grimm is probably close," she said, recording a message on her Scroll. The distance was too far to keep a steady connection with her supervisor, Glynda Goodwitch, so she had to send sporadic updates instead. That, and the Commander was worried their communications might be eavesdropped on.

"Just to make clear, I haven't written my last will or anything," Ruby continued. "So, in case I get gobbled up in a moment, I'm leaving everything for my Dad and Yang. Except Crescent Rose. I want her to have a proper burial."

She wasn't scared, but past experiences had taught her to expect the unexpectable. Anything could happen. The only thing she could do about that is to always be ready for trouble.

Ruby started walking again. There was a dune ahead, which only made it the task more difficult. How did people move around in this country? She supposed they got used to it, and it wasn't like Vacuo was just sand. Maybe she should take a real vacation here sometime.

She reached the top of the dune and closed her eyes as the breeze buffeted sand against her face, her cape flowing wildly behind her. Ruby brought her hand in front of her eyes and opened them again. Somewhere ahead, the darkness of night was ruptured by a sudden brightness – a huge military complex stood in the seashore.

Ruby dropped to her knees and looked down at her Scroll again. Maybe she'd taken a wrong turn? But no, the signal was still going strong – in fact, it seemed to be coming directly from the complex.

"Oh, man, why can't things ever be simple?"

Ruby brought her Scroll up and turned on its camera. She zoomed in, searching for anything of interest. There was a gate at the front, with letters on the concrete walls to the side – Vacuo Homeland Security Advanced Outpost SS, whatever that meant. Aside from that, there was nothing else to help her identify the place. But there were people walking around, guards, she assumed.

Ruby zoomed in on one of them. It was a man, wearing a gray mask that covered the upper half of his face and a military uniform that was all white, except for the symbol at the chest – a wolf's head in front of three claw marks, in the brightest red.

"Oh, crap," Ruby whined. She didn't have to check Beacon's database to recognize that symbol. She'd just stumbled upon a White Fang base. How they had taken this outpost without alerting the Vacuo authorities or Beacon, she didn't know. She only knew her target was inside there.

This wasn't good at all.

"Okay, I just, uh… I'm gonna infiltrate a White Fang base right now. I'll share the details later," she recorded. "Commander, if you don't hear from me in, like, twelve hours, that probably means I was caught and I'm being kept in a cage. Again."

She sent the message, then cut her connection to the Commander. The last thing she needed was for her Scroll to start making noise while she was sneaking into a place crawling with gun-toting terrorists.

"Alrighty…" Ruby pulled her hood up and tightened her cape around her. "Here we go."

She started walking down the dune, her hand going to the folded scythe at her waist. If everything went right, she wouldn't have to use it.

She was probably going to have to use it.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Glynda Goodwitch lowered her Scroll, not knowing whether she was more distressed or angry at the moment. She thought Ruby had become smarter since she'd joined Beacon, but it seemed she had thought wrong. The girl was as careless as ever, and instead of learning from her kidnapping incident, she was joking about it…

"Commander Goodwitch? Is something wrong?"

Glynda looked away from her Scroll to face agent Nikos. The girl – if she could be still be called that; Glynda had thought she couldn't have grown any more the last time she'd seen her, but Nikos had proved her wrong – looked rather concerned, and ready to help with whatever issue Glynda presented her with. That part wasn't surprising at all.

"It's nothing," Glynda said. "I'm supervising an agent's mission, and I'm afraid she's going to get herself into big trouble… as always seems to happen."

Just as expected, Nikos stood up straighter and raised her chin, eyes sparkling with a silent dedication. "If this agent is in peril, I am more than glad to offer my assistance."

"No, that won't be necessary. Don't tell her I said this, but I'm past the point of worrying sick every time Ruby Rose gets into trouble. Careless she might be, she has proven time and again that she's her own savior," Glynda said. "And you are needed here, agent. This job is very important."

"Of course, Commander. I won't disappoint you."

Glynda nodded. She couldn't help but feel proud for Nikos. She hadn't had a fundamental role in the woman's upbringing, but she'd been close enough to watch her grow, and that had been a treat.

When had she become so soft? Maybe she was finally getting into that infamous mid-life crisis everyone was supposed to have at some point. Or maybe supervising Ruby had had that effect on her. She wasn't happy with either answer.

"What's taking so long?" she asked to one in particular, looking around impatiently. They were standing at the top of Beacon's Vale HQ, and the constant wind on her face was starting to get to her. The constant humming from the awaiting jet was not helping either.

"I could go check, Commander," Nikos said, a slight frown marking her forehead. "Maybe something bad happened. In that case…"

"In that case, Roman Torchwick will be running amok in a building full of the best agents in our organization," Glynda said. "I don't think anything particularly bad is going to happen, no. Maybe someone's already fragile ego will be shattered."

Nikos didn't seem very comfortable, but she didn't say anything in protest. Glynda shook her head in wonder. That was the one thing she had yet to fully understand about Pyrrha Nikos…

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait much longer, as a ping came from the elevator nearby and its doors opened. Agent Arc came waltzing out, trying to appear confident, though he wasn't very successful. Glynda could see from afar how sweaty his forehead was, and how his eyes were nervously shifting back and forth.

Behind him, in cuffs and accompanied by two other agents, was Roman Torchwick. He didn't seem all too pleased with what was happening, but he didn't seem angry either. Glynda had to give him credit. Despite spending half a year in Beacon's custody, he had refused to give her anything useful on his allies or the larger criminal world.

"Glynda, oh Glynda! Always such a pleasure!" Torchwick bellowed as he was brought towards her. "So what do you have in store for me today? Going to dangle me upside down from a jet at high speeds? I must say, I never thought you'd go that far. I might crack at last, Commander!"

"That's a very creative idea. I wish I could put it to use," Glynda rolled her eyes. "Your time with Beacon is over, unfortunately. You refuse to cooperate with me, so there really is no use in keeping you. We're handing you over to General Ironwood. But don't celebrate just yet – I assure you he will be just as kind to you as I was."

"Marvelous!" Torchwick chuckled. "I'm shivering with anticipation. A new friend! I was getting lonely…"

Glynda scoffed. "Take him away," she waved, and the agents started taking Torchwick towards the jet. "Agent Nikos, agent Arc. Watch him carefully. He escaped us once, and I don't like his attitude."

"Yes, Commander!" Pyrrha saluted. "Jaune and I will do our very best! Won't we, Jaune?"

"Uh, what?" Jaune blinked. He wiped some sweat from his brow, then looked guiltily at them both. "Sorry… I wasn't really there for that last part."

"I said we'll do our very best to make sure Roman Torchwick gets to General Ironwood's hands without a problem," Pyrrha said, grabbing his shoulder gently. "Right?"

"R-right!" Jaune gulped under Glynda's glare. "We will, t-totally…"

Pyrrha stood beside him for a moment, as if waiting for him to walk away. Eventually, she figured out he was not going to do so anytime soon, so she turned him around and gave him a little push, getting to start towards the jet.

"What did I tell you about confidence, Jaune?" Glynda heard Pyrrha whisper. "Don't let yourself be intimidated. You have nothing to be ashamed about!"

"Yeah… You're right, Pyrrha," Jaune sighed, then puffed his chest out. "Let's do this! It's just another easy-peasy job, no match for our combined might!" he paused. "Well, I'm sure you'll do most of the work, really. But I'll give a mighty appearance too!"

"That's… a step in the right direction. Keep working on that, Jaune."

They entered the jet, and it began to close. The last thing Glynda saw inside was Roman Torchwick's beaming face. Her eyes narrowed – was he taunting her? Did he really think this was a victory for him?

She breathed out, calming herself. What Torchwick thought was of no importance. His life imprisonment would continue, with only a change of jailor. As for her… she was glad to finally be done with him.

Now, she could turn her mind to more pressing matters – such as the annoying redhead who'd cut contact with her just as she entered White Fang territory in search of a disappearing creature of Grimm.

"Ruby Rose, when I get my hands on you…"

So far, she was doing pretty well, or so Ruby thought. She had successfully gotten inside the complex's limits by timing a superpowered sprint when the guards had their backs turned. She left a trail of roses behind as a result, which worried her a bit, but maybe no one would see them in the darkness.

She followed the Grimm's signature to the building at the center of the complex, which just so happened to be the largest one. That was probably no coincidence, she noted. She circled around it and entered through a back door. Any way would be risky, but at least she could minimalize the chances of someone crossing paths with her.

Inside, she found a network of stairs and hallways that reminded her of a maze. Ruby wondered what this place's original purpose was – probably some military training ground, but then why everything had to be so confusing?

It got harder to follow the Grimm's signal inside the building. It was so strong now, there was little she could do to pinpoint its exact origin, so she ended up just wandering the building. She made sure to walk slowly so as to not make too much noise, and she listened for any approaching footsteps. That last measure saved her from being spotted several times – Ruby was starting to feel very proud of herself for being so good at sneaking. And Commander Goodwitch said she was hopeless at it…

Eventually, she found herself at the very bottom floor, having gone down a spiraling stairway for nearly a minute. This place was different from the rest of the building. There were no walls, which left the dirt and stone exposed, and the only light came from little bulbs hanging loosely from the ceiling. This floor had been excavated recently, or perhaps the White Fang had taken over before it was finished.

Ruby's curiosity didn't last long, as her Scroll was picking up the Grimm's signal stronger than ever. She looked ahead and saw a metal door at the very end of the tunnel.

"Deja vu," she whispered. Why did bad guys always hide creepy rooms at the undergrounds of their lairs? Did they all follow some kind of guidebook or something?

Ruby gripped Crescent Rose and took a step towards the door – and heard a faint noise behind her, like a muffle step on the metal stairway. She turned at once, prepared to strike – but there was no one there.

"Okay. Settle down," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her nerves were running high, especially now that she was so close to the Grimm. It was no surprise she was starting to hear things. "Now go."

Ruby opened her eyes and walked towards the door. She stopped in front of it and ran a hand over the metal, then closed it around the doorknob. It was rusty and stiff, but with a little bit of strength, she managed to turn it and open the door.

The room before her was larger than she had expected, and unlike the hallway that led to it, it had proper walls and lighting. A broad stairway circled around the room, leading up to a catwalk that ended in a door similar to the one she had come in through.

Ruby didn't pay much attention to any of that, because the Grimm was right in front of her, in the middle of the room. It was a Beringel, but it was somehow even bigger than the two Ruby had fought in the past – and she didn't have fond memories of those. Luckily, it was held in place by thick metal manacles chained to the high ceiling, the ground, and the walls. That didn't stop it from lunging at her in its primal fury, or her from jumping back in fear, despite being well out of its range.

"J-jeez," Ruby panted, looking at the humongous creature warily. "You really are something."

She was sure that, if it weren't for the manacles, she would be either dead or severely broken. As it was, she didn't even know if it was physically possible for her to kill the Beringel. If it was as tough as it looked, she doubted Crescent Rose could hurt it, even in the slightest.

"Well… Better try anyway," she brought Crescent Rose out and hovered her finger over the button to unfold it…

The door above opened, and a hand covered her mouth from behind. Ruby's eyes widened in shock, and she thrust her elbow back as hard as she could. She felt a dull impact, then another hand passed around her waist, and suddenly she was being hoisted backwards towards the stairs – no, not the stairs, underneath it, where it was dark.

She was pushed to her knees, but the hand didn't leave her mouth.

"Don't make a noise," a woman spoke next to her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you. But if we're caught…"

Swallowing dry, Ruby willed her body to calm down, repeating something familiar inside her head, like Commander Goodwitch had taught her – my little rose my little rose my little rose – and slowly, her heartbeat lowered to just above normal, and she was able to breath regularly again.

She nodded, and the hand released her mouth. Ruby looked back, and at first, she saw nothing in the shadows. But then her eyes adjusted, and she made out the form of a young woman, black-haired with a silk bow on top of it. Her yellow eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

Ruby started to form a question, but the stranger raised her fingers to her lips and shook her head, then pointed upwards. It was then that Ruby remembered she had heard the door opening. Now there were footsteps above them. Deciding she could trust this stranger, at least for now, Ruby crawled backwards, further into the shadows, and waited in suspense.

"This had better be worth it, woman. I don't have time for jokes and- and what the hell is that thing?!"

A man came into view, practically running down the last steps of the stairway just beside them. Like the other White Fang members she'd seen, he wore a mask that covered his eyes, except his was much more elaborate. It was like it was part of his face. A sheathed katana hung on his waist.

Ruby heard her tentative ally hold back a gasp and turned to look at her, but by the time she looked, she was as stoic as before.

"That, dear Adam, is the reason for all of this."

A woman stepped into view. She had raven hair and amber eyes, and she was clad in a short strapless red dress, with yellow flame-like designs that ran down her sleeves and chest. She walked like the whole world belonged to her and only her, and her gaze was magnetic. Ruby found herself unable to look away – she was too afraid – or she was too mesmerized.

"What does that mean?" the man, Adam, asked, turning to look at the woman brusquely. "Explain yourself now, or I will drop this charade we've got going and slash you down where you stand!"

"Adam, please. Don't be so dramatic," the woman said, stopping before him. She ran a finger under his jaw, then turned to look at the Beringel – which had been oddly calm since she'd arrived. "This is a creature of Grimm. A monster, an animal, a bringer of judgment. Whatever you prefer."

"You brought this goddamn monster here, with all my people – and you didn't think of telling me before?!" Adam shouted.

"Monster it is, then," she said. "This creature of Grimm comes from another world, a place so twisted it would render you sleepless for the rest of your life. It could break you like a twig… if I wanted it to. For now, I don't have feel any such inclination," she paused. "Like I told you when we first met, Adam Taurus, all I want is for you to help me accomplish my mission."

Adam stared at the Beringel, his lips twisted into a snarl. Ruby had a feeling that behind that mask were eyes full of hatred – too much hatred for one person to carry.

"And your mission," he said slowly. "Remind me what that is."

"It's simple. I want to tear down the world order we live under today, and from its ashes, bring about a new one," the woman replied, smiling. Ruby felt a chill run down her spine at the sight. "I think you'll like my world, Adam. In it, the strong will reign, and the weak will be at their mercy. Human, faunus, it won't matter. Power – that's all there will be to it."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out already," Adam said, gripping his sword's handle. "If the strong will rule, and you believe you're the strongest, then why should I work with you? It sounds like you're inviting me to light my own funeral bonfire."

"Adam. I will accomplish my dream one way or the other. Your choice is not to help me or to stop me. It's whether you want to be a god… or you want to be hunted down by one."

She raised her right hand with her palm facing upwards, and a fire came to life above it. It grew and grew, its light filling the room like a miniature sun. Adam stepped back, covering his face. Ruby pressed her back against the wall behind her, and saw her ally do the same thing.

"Kneel."

For a moment, Adam looked like he would attack her – but then his defiant expression shattered, and he dropped to the floor, head hanging low.

"That's it," the woman said, her voice echoing in Ruby's ears like a haunting melody. "Allow me to reward you for your loyalty."

She turned her hand, and the miniature sun shrank to a single, nearly invisible dot - then it burst out like a roaring fire, taking the rough form of a twin-ended blade. The woman grasped it by its middle and spun in place, carrying the momentum into a slashing motion.

The Beringel split into two pieces, sliced diagonally from shoulder to hip, but before it could fall, it exploded into flames. The woman spun a finger, and all the fire flew to the palm of her hand – and faded.

"Now you don't have a monster to dispose of," she said, blowing the tip of her finger. "You can keep the outpost. I vacated it just for you, after all," she leaned towards Adam. "And what do you say to your goddess?"

Adam looked up at her. "…Thank you."

"Exactly," she offered her hand. "Come. We have much work ahead of us."

Adam took a moment to stand up, and when he did, he did not take her hand. The woman didn't seem to mind. If anything, she appeared to be amused by that slight defiance.

"Where are we going?" Adam asked.

"Into the fire, so to speak," she smiled cryptically. "Tell me, Adam… have you ever been to Vale?"

Ruby didn't hear Adam's response well, too shaken from what'd just witnessed and heard. As the mysterious woman and the faunus went up the stairs above her, all she could think was…

What the hell had she just stumbled upon?

Jaune stretched his arms above his head and loosed a loud yawn, then settled back against the wall of the jet. Pyrrha gave him a sympathetic look. He was so tired already, but they still had plenty hours to go before they reached Atlas and General Ironwood's army station.

At least he wasn't scared of Torchwick anymore. They'd locked the criminal to a chair in the middle of the hangar, where they could keep an eye on him at all times. Pyrrha doubted he could do anything bad even if he did somehow escape his chains, but she'd rather not risk someone getting injured. Standard Beacon protocol – minimize all risks, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Sure, she had conveniently forgotten that protocol a couple times in the past… but this mission did not call for such irregular measures.

"You know…" Jaune said, holding back another yawn. "I really enjoyed it when the Commander didn't trust me to even lift a box right. Now she keeps putting me in these missions, and they're so… boring…"

"Well, trust and reputation come at a price," Pyrrha said. "You can't expect to sit behind a desk forever. And don't you prefer it this way? Don't you feel like you're doing something important?"

"I mean, yeah. I'm not complaining because I'm lazy. It's just that…" Jaune sighed. "What's the point of this mission anyway? Does Torchwick really need you and me to escort him? It's not like someone's gonna hijack the jet and kidnap him."

"No, that's probably not going to happen," Pyrrha nodded. "But you never know. It's a crazy world."

"You tell me," Jaune leaned towards her to whisper. "I'm still processing about the alien monsters."

Pyrrha offered him a little smile. There wasn't much she could say or do to make the process easier for him, aside from making sure he knew she was there to support him.

"If it's any comfort," she whispered back. "I still get a little… distressed sometimes, if I think about it too much. You've just got to tough it out. It'll become a part of your world eventually."

"I'm not sure I want that to be part of my world," Jaune said, looking away. "But it's not like I have much of a choice now…"

"You worry too much, Jaune," Pyrrha patted him on the arm. "One day you'll be the greatest Grimm slayer in Beacon… no, in the whole world. Mark my words."

"Hmm," Jaune smiled tentatively. "I'll settle for second place, if that's alright with you."

"I will allow it, for now," Pyrrha said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check with the pilot if everything's alright. Maybe I can get him to speed up a little."

Jaune clapped his hands together and held them in reverence. "Pyrrha Nikos, you are a blessing!"

Pyrrha turned and walked away, hoping she had been fast enough that he hadn't noticed her blushing. She'd met Jaune just a few months ago, it was way too soon for them to be anything more than friends. Besides, she was pretty sure he didn't see her that way. And if he did…

Well, she didn't want to get her hopes up.

Shaking off those thoughts, Pyrrha walked to the cockpit and tapped their pilot on the shoulder. He took off his headset and looked back at her, sinking a little in his seat, almost like he was afraid of her. Pyrrha didn't mind that reaction much – she had that effect on pretty much every agent she interacted with, and she'd gotten used to it over the years.

"Hello," she said warmly, trying to ease the awkwardness in the cockpit. "How are we flying? Everything going smoothly?"

"Uh, sure," he turned back to the control panel. "Everything's good. Got a little turbulence a while back, but it was nothing really. You must have not even noticed it," he took a look at the radar. "And our flight path's clear. We won't have to worry about any other aircrafts."

"That's good to hear," Pyrrha said. "So, when are we expected to arrive?"

"Three hours and a few minutes, at current pace. We just got above the ocean some five minutes ago."

"Okay. Sorry to bother, I just wanted to check in," Pyrrha said, backing away. "If anything changes, please don't hesitate to-"

She stopped talking, a strange sensation coming over her. It took her a while to pinpoint what was wrong – was she getting airsick; had the jet taken a sudden turn – but when she did, there was no doubt in her mind as to what it was.

"Agent Nikos?" the pilot called hesitantly. "Something wrong?"

Pyrrha tilted her head to the side, flexing her fingers slowly. The feeling that ran along her skin, that reverberating numbness in her bones – there was no mistaking it.

"We've got another aircraft closing in," she said, staying calm. "Somewhere behind us. They've been following us for a while."

"But… I'm not picking anything up here," the pilot said, pointing at the radar. "Are you sure?"

"I am. Trust me," Pyrrha turned her back to him. "Slow down and wait for them to catch up. You know what to do from there?"

After a moment's hesitation, the pilot nodded. That was the good part of having a reputation like hers. People were always quick to trust her in an emergency.

Pyrrha went back to the hangar, walking past Jaune to reach Torchwick. She circled his chair to stand in front of him, and wasn't at all surprised to find him smiling like it was his birthday party.

"Roman Torchwick, what are you up to?" she asked, glaring at him from above. "Tell me now, and we won't make your situation worse than it already is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Torchwick chuckled. "You Beacon women are all very trigger-happy, aren't you?"

"Don't play games," Pyrrha clenched her fist, making his chair shake with her Semblance. He looked down, afraid and confused, as he should be, and Pyrrha pressed forward, grabbing his shirt. "We leave Vale airspace, and just as soon an unidentified aircraft appears on our tail, somehow avoiding detection, and you expect me to believe you have nothing to do with it?"

"I don't know if you know this, but I've been behind bars for six months. Six months, under the watchful eye of your dear Commander Goodwitch," Torchwick's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I do expect you to believe I have nothing to do with this. How could I be involved?" his smile returned. "Not that I'm not happy about it. In fact, I might have an idea as to what is happening…"

Pyrrha opened her mouth, but at that moment, the pilot's voice boomed through the jet as he spoke to their followers, demanding them to identify themselves. Jaune parted from his spot on the wall, coming to a small distance from Pyrrha and Torchwick, a worried expression on his face.

The pilot stopped talking, and Pyrrha focused on Torchwick again. "What do you mean, you know what's happening? Who's out there?"

"Let's just say I have powerful friends," Torchwick said. "The kind who don't appreciate when their good pal Roman is being kept like a caged bird. No, no. You messed with me, you messed with the wrong people."

Pyrrha let go of him and stepped back. He was bluffing – but only partially. He was just as surprised as she was, but he knew whatever was happening was good for him. And maybe he had indeed made a powerful alliance. How, she couldn't fathom, but that wasn't important right now.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune walked up to her. "What's going on?"

"Something bad," Pyrrha said. "Get ready for a fight."

"W-what? Hey, I wasn't kidding before – how the hell are they going to take Torchwick? How do we fight them?" Jaune gulped. "Really wish I was working behind a desk right now!"

"Just be ready for anything," Pyrrha said, reaching for her shield at her back. Jaune shook his head in disbelief, but took out his Dust pistol and held it low, ready to shoot.

Pyrrha pressed her feet against the floor, ignoring Jaune and Torchwick as she focused on the rest of her surroundings. She could feel the enemy aircraft even stronger now – it was right beside them. But that was all she could feel, and it worried her…

Then suddenly, there was a loud bang right above them, and she felt the ceiling bend downward, like something had just fallen on it. A moment later, the pilot shouted from the cockpit.

"THE GUY JUST FREAKING JUMPED!"

Pyrrha raised her hand towards that section of the ceiling, intending to push it outward and repel the invader – but before she could, she heard a new sound, a quiet beeping, getting faster and faster…

A red glow filtered into the jet from outside, and Pyrrha rushed backwards into a wall, dragging Jaune with her. It was well she did, as just a second later, a hole was torn in the ceiling, and a giant talon reached inside the jet.

"What the- ohnonono!" Torchwick shouted as a bird's head followed the talon, opening its beak and screeching. He jumped and trashed in his chair, trying to get away, but it was no use. "Get me away from that thing, you nutcases, I AM SO DONE WITH ALL THIS!"

Pyrrha waved her hand, and Torchwick's chair went sliding across the hangar, clashing against a wall away from the bird.

"Is that a freaking Grimm?!" Jaune yelled, terrified. "Oh my God that's a freaking Grimm!"

"Jaune, calm down!" Pyrrha pushed him back against the wall. "Just stay there and cover me!"

She walked forward, but another talon pierced through the ceiling, forming a new hole, and suddenly the whole Grimm was inside the hangar. Now that she had full vision of it, Pyrrha could identify it as a Nevermore. But knowing what she was up against was little comfort, as the destruction the monster was causing made it difficult for her to make any kind of plan – the ceiling was getting wider and wider, air was rushing in and the noise was nearly deafening her, and the jet was starting to turn…

Pyrrha steeled herself, taking a firm stance. She had faced worse odds before. She could do this. She knew it.

Grabbing her shield, she watched the Nevermore tear through the jet, waiting for the perfect moment – and threw her shield towards its neck as the Grimm went to peck at a wall. Just as the shield was about to slice its head off, however, someone fell through the torn ceiling and kicked it off trajectory, saving the Grimm.

A gray-haired man stood between Pyrrha and the Nevermore, jumping back and forth on the spot with his arms raised to block. Pyrrha took a moment to analyze his movement, then went in, swinging a punch towards his face. As expected, he blocked, and she redirected her momentum downwards to sweep-kick at his legs.

What she didn't expect was for him to avoid her attack, jumping over it and launching a kick of his own at the same time. It struck Pyrrha in the neck, sending her rolling back, struggling to breathe.

That didn't make sense – her Aura was at full capacity, and yet one attack had done so much damage… Was he that strong, or was something seriously wrong with her?

"Pyrrha!" Jaune kneeled beside her. "Are you okay?!"

"D-don't l-let-" Pyrrha tried to speak, but her throat hurt too much, and her words left her mouth fragmented. "T-torch-!"

She raised herself to her knees and looked towards Torchwick, but it was too late. He was already being freed by the invader, and once he was out of his chair, the stranger wrapped an arm around Torchwick and jumped, taking him out of the jet through a hole in the ceiling and disappearing.

The Nevermore started trashing even more, and Pyrrha felt the floor start to give too. A fissure appeared in the middle of the hangar, and sparks and flames flew all around them.

"Crap!" Jaune yelled, fumbling for his pistol. "Pyrrha, what do I do?! How do I – how do I kill that thing?"

He raised his weapon, aiming it shakenly at the Nevermore, and pulled the trigger. The shot missed by a wide margin, exploding underneath the Grimm. Jaune shouted angrily and started shooting non-stop, showering the Nevermore with Dust rounds, but barely any landed, and none did any real damage.

The Nevermore turned towards them and screeched. One talon rose, then slammed powerfully on the floor, and suddenly, the jet was split in the middle, each part falling fast. The Grimm took flight, but it neck was caught in a loose sparking wire, and the recoil severed its head from the rest of its body. Black smoke exploded where it had been a moment before.

Pyrrha looked around, trying to keep calm despite everything, but no amount of training or experience could have prepared her for this. But she had to survive this – she was Pyrrha Nikos, Beacon's top agent, the Director's protégé – she was going to live to see another day!

Jaune was falling, not too distant from her. Pyrrha adjusted herself in the air, connecting her feet to a piece of debris, and boosted herself towards him. She passed beside him and grabbed him by his arm. One look informed her he was unconscious – maybe that was a good thing.

Another look around. The pilot was falling safely, having activated his parachute long before the jet had come apart.

Far below was the ocean. The fall would be fatal, even with her Aura. She needed to slow down somehow, both herself and Jaune…

Extending her free hand, she called out to her shield, trying to locate it amidst all the falling debris. Finally, she felt it, and it came flying to her. Pyrrha grabbed it by its handle, then closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could. It was a crazy idea, and it probably wouldn't work, but if she could will her shield to go upwards, maybe she could negate their speed – but she couldn't do it too fast, or the recoil would be just as bad as the fall, yet there was so little time…

Her whole body was shaking from the effort; her mind was numb and exploding with an agonizing headache at the same time. Her strength waned, and for a split second, she thought she had let go of the shield – but she was only becoming delirious, the panic was getting to her…

And they were slowing down. They were going to land safely in the water. She was going to land safely. She opened her eyes and looked at Jaune. He didn't have an Aura… What if this wasn't enough?

Acting on instinct, Pyrrha let go of her shield, hugged Jaune as tightly as she could, and turned her back to the water.

Slowly, Ruby stood up, straining her ears to catch anything more from the mysterious duo, but she could only hear her own breathing and her heartbeat, still going faster than normal, even for her.

"It's safe to come out. They're gone."

Ruby jumped, having forgotten about the other girl after everything she had witnessed. She turned around to look at the stranger, but she was already walking past her and out of the shadows of the stairs, stopping near the center of the room. She stared at the empty manacles on the ground, her yellow eyes wavering almost imperceptibly.

"How… how can you be sure?" Ruby asked, following her. "They could be nearby still. Maybe they'll come back."

"Do you hear anything?" the stranger asked dismissively, then gestured at the manacles. "I take it you know what that… thing, was?"

"…Yes," Ruby looking around nervously. She wasn't supposed to tell people about the Grimm, but she couldn't go with the usual lies after what had just happened. This girl didn't seem the type to buy them, anyway. "That woman wasn't lying. It was really a Grimm."

"A monster from another world?"

"Another dimension, technically. They're attracted to negative emotions and want to eradicate mankind." Ruby frowned. Maybe that was a little too much information.

The girl crouched, and Ruby could sweat she saw her sniffing near the manacles. She ran a finger on the ground, gathering a bit of the Grimm's ash on her fingertip, then brushed it off with a look of hesitant disbelief.

"And you fight these things?" she asked.

"Uh, yep. That's pretty much my job," Ruby attempted a little smile. "My name's Ruby Ro– I mean, Red Bolt. I'm a superhero!"

"…Right," the girl looked back at her over her shoulder. "You work with Beacon?"

Ruby took a step back and reached for her scythe, but stopped halfway through when the girl got up again, arms raised.

"Don't worry. I was infiltrating this facility too. I've been hearing some unusual chatter White Fang, and it lead me here. It just so happened that I saw you doing the same thing, and I overheard you talking on your phone," the girl said. "For the record, you are a terrible sneak. I don't know how many times I saved you from being caught."

"You were following me?"

"Despite the terrible sneaking, you seemed very sure of where you were going. I just followed your lead, and it paid off for both of us."

Ruby crossed her arms. If this girl was trying to get her to trust her again, she was not doing a very good job.

"I get how this looks. Stranger stalks Beacon agent in a White Fang base and now she won't stop asking questions. That is suspicious," the girl sighed. "Just believe me when I tell you – I am not on their side. I'm pretty sure our interests are aligned."

"I never said you were on their side," Ruby noted suspiciously.

"…Good. I'm not," the stranger looked away. "My name's Blake. Blake Belladonna."

She looked at Ruby again, as if expecting her to react someway special to the name. It did sound familiar to Ruby, but she couldn't recall why. But at least it didn't seem like she was being lied to.

"Okay. Nice to meet you, Blake," Ruby extended her hand. Blake stared at it for a brief moment before shaking it. "So, what did you mean, our interests are aligned? I know I didn't like anything that creepy woman said."

"If she's working with Adam Taurus, she's bad news. A new world order… That's typical of him," Blake shook her head. "We have to stop them. She said they were going to Vale – something bad is going to happen there."

"Yeah. I can get a warning out, get Beacon to prepare for them. Wait just a minute."

Ruby took out her scroll and turned it on – only for the screen to become a scrambled mess of flashing red pixels of differing shades. She flinched, distancing the device from her face. The scrambling stopped, only for a strange symbol to take over the whole screen – two high-heel-like objects joined together, forming the shape of a heart beneath them.

"What the heck?" Ruby tapped her Scroll, but nothing happened. "Do you know what this is?"

Blake went to look over her shoulder. "No. That's nothing I've seen before. You can't tell Beacon, then?"

"Yep. Looks like we're alone on this," Ruby put her Scroll away, then breathed out slowly, centering her thoughts. "Alright. We've gotta stop Adam and Flammy Girl from leaving Vacuo. Soon as they do, we lose track of them."

"They'll be going by air," Blake said. "This facility used to belong to the military. They had helicopters, jets… All the White Fang's now," she pointed up. "There's a helipad on top of the main building. Should we take the chance?"

"It's our best lead!" Ruby raised a hand for Blake to high-five. "Alright, Blake, it's superhero team-up time! Let's save Vale!"

"I'm no superhero. But…" Blake smirked. "Yes, let's save Vale."

Jaune rose to the surface, gasping for air. There was a loud crash somewhere near, and the next thing he knew, a huge wave was falling over him. He reached for the surface again, spitting out the salty ocean water.

What was happening? What was – where was he?

Jaune shook his head, getting the water and his hair out of his eyes. With his vision cleared, he could now see the sea around him was glowing orange. He turned around slowly and yelled when he saw a jet turbine floating not that far from him. It was like a giant bonfire in the night, and the constant waves caused by splashing debris was doing nothing to put it out.

"Damn…" Jaune rubbed his eyes. This was surreal. A Grimm had attacked the jet – a real life, giant murderous Grimm – and torn it apart, and somehow, he had survived the fall. But that meant… "Pyrrha!"

Jaune spun around, looking around frantically for any sign of her. The raging water and the glare of the fire worked against him, making him see Pyrrha floating nearby and go swimming to her, only for him to realize it was just debris, or nothing at all.

He called out again, and again, and again, until his voice went hoarse and he could only whimper. Jaune closed his eyes and sank on the water, keeping only his nose and eyes above the surface. Pyrrha couldn't be dead. She simply couldn't. If he had made it…

Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his neck and the weight of a body against his back, and heard the quietest of voices.

"…saved you…"

"Pyrrha…" Jaune looked back at her. She was pale, so pale, and her eyes were barely open. "What happened?"

"You're okay… Just… don't let go…"

Pyrrha started to slip, but Jaune grabbed her arm, then took her other one and wrapped it around his neck too. Keeping afloat was doubly as hard with her weight added to his, but he managed to make it to a stray sheet of metal and laid her there. He inspected her fearfully, making sure she was breathing properly, then backed off.

Something hit his arm, and when he turned his head to look, Jaune realized it was her shield – unbent and unbroken. He took it and laid it on top of her.

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

"What do you think the boss is up to? I mean, this is really unlike him, working with a human and all… Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

The guard rolled his eyes, then gave his partner a warning glance. "No. It doesn't make me wonder. And if you are wondering, well keep it to yourself, 'cause I ain't covering for you if the boss hears."

"Dude, calm your horns. I'm not saying he's up to anything wrong. Just, you know. Humans."

"Right. Humans. Now, how about you shut up and-"

A whipping sound echoed in the hallway, and suddenly a thick line of fabric was wrapped around the latter guard's wrist. He didn't even have time to register what had just happened, as suddenly he was being pulled violently away from the door they were guarding, and a foot crashed against his nose.

The guard fell to the floor, dazed, and Blake jumped over him, going straight for his companion. His eyes widened in fright, but he managed to raise his pistol in time and shoot – but the bullet passed harmlessly through her, and she disappeared.

"W-what?" he stepped back, pressing his back against the wall behind him. He heard a great whoosh and closed his eyes on instinct, expecting to be struck by a bullet or something like that. But when he opened his eyes, a girl stood before him, with rose petals swirling around her.

"Hey. Sorry for this," Ruby said. She curled her fist and swung, landing a blow across the man's cheek, and he crumbled to the floor, out cold.

Ruby looked back, watching with barely-contained excitement as Blake smacked the side of the other guard's head to make sure he too was out of commission.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed. "You went in with your whip and you went paw! and then whoosh with that clone – so cool!"

"Thanks, you were impressive too," Blake said, walking up to her. "It's not a whip, though."

"Right," Ruby looked down at the fabric she held in her hand. "Gonna have to take a look at that later, if you don't mind."

"Let's worry about stopping Adam first," Blake went to the door. "We should be careful. I expect they'll have people on guard up there."

"I'm always ready for a fight," Ruby said. "After you."

Blake opened the door, revealing a spiral stairway that went up and down the whole building. She nodded back at Ruby, then started going up the steps, drawing her pistol. They had been concerned about remaining undetected before, so she had refrained from using her gun, but stealth was probably going out the window soon. Besides, knowing Adam, she would most likely be forced to use it.

They reached the top end of the stairs, where another door waited. At the other side of it, Blake could hear the howling wind, some low chatter, and, if she was correct, the noise of a helicopter starting up.

"Yeah, there's going to be a fight. So much for subtlety…"

"I'll go first and get to the big bads, you cover for me," Ruby said. "Try not to shoot a lot of people, okay?"

"Of course," Blake cracked her neck. "On the count of five." She held the doorknob with one hand with raising her other one, then started lowering her fingers, one by one…

The last finger went down, and she opened the door. Ruby ran through the doorway, disappearing in a shower of petals. Blake covered her face with a hand, stopping the petals from lashing against her skin, then stepped into the open.

As she'd learned from her research of this facility, this was indeed a heliport, and it was filled with armed White Fang goons. At the other end of the roof, she saw the helicopter, and in the space in-between was Ruby's red blur.

The door opening drew the attention of a few of the goons, and suddenly there was a lot of shouting over the noise of the helicopter. Seeing as how she was already in trouble, Blake decided it was best to get everyone focused on her, and not Ruby. She raised her pistol and shot twice at the sky, then took a light stance as the guards rushed towards her.

"You! You don't belong here!" one of the goons shouted, training his weapon on her. "Stay put or else!"

Blake slowly lowered her pistol, watching silently as the guards closed in, sure that they had had her locked down. She looked towards the helicopter again. She couldn't spot Ruby anymore. That probably meant she had gotten far enough away.

"Sorry," Blake said, looking around at the guards. "I don't want to fight you. We are not enemies. Adam, on the other hand… I promise you, he is no friend of yours. Don't risk your lives and freedom on his behalf."

"Shut up!" a goon roared, his lion mane bristling around his face. "On your knees."

"Please," she pleaded. It was futile, she knew – no words would ever change these people's minds, it was never so simple – but she had to try, always. "If you don't lay down your weapons now, you will regret it. Adam Taurus' world… you don't want to have a hand in building it."

"Hey! Guys, she… she looks familiar!" another goon yelled. "Goddamn it – she's the traitor! Belladonna, she's goddamn Belladonna! Shoot her!"

Blake shook her head. She would have been disappointed if she were expecting anything else.

The goons opened fire, and Blake swopped low against the floor, leaving a clone in her place to take the bullets. It staggered back just as she would have, bled like she would have, fell like she would have – then faded away, just as she got up behind one of the guards and wrapped an arm around his neck, cutting the air from his lungs.

Before the rest realized what was happening, Blake opened fire, taking shots at vulnerable, but not fatal body parts of the goons – a shoulder, an ankle, a hand or a thigh. As the others recovered from the shock and fired back, she dodged again, making more clones. Her heart beat like drums in her ears, and she felt more out of breath than she'd felt for a long time. Blake had been fighting the White Fang for so long now… but this felt different.

Something more was at stake, and she was not going to fail now. Dropping her gun, Blake charged at the remaining guards, cracking her ribbon as she leaped – a huntress in the night, falling upon her prey.

The helicopter's blades were spinning faster now. It was about to take off. Ruby could see Adam Taurus sitting on the back of it, looking strained. He had no doubt heard the commotion Blake was making, but something was keeping him from going to interfere. Probably the woman in the red dress, who was just entering the helicopter, her back turned towards Ruby.

Ruby stopped short of the helicopter, drawing her scythe and unfolding it in one motion. Quickly she aimed and took her shot, unleashing a light Dust round. She would never shoot a human like that, but Ruby was fairly sure this stranger could take it, and she needed to stop her at all costs.

As expected, the round simply bounced off the woman's back. The villain was still for a moment, then stepped backwards out of the helicopter and turned around. Their eyes met, and like before, Ruby felt a deep sense of fear and awe, but even deeper below, something else, a feeling she couldn't place…

The woman smiled, joining her hands behind her back. "Ruby Rose. What a pleasant surprise."

"What?" Ruby raised her scythe defensively. "How do you know my name?"

"I am always prepared for anything. That, of course, entails knowing my enemies," the villain chuckled. "All of them. Even the tiny ones."

"I'll show you tiny!" Ruby yelled, dashing at the woman. She swung her scythe, aiming to slam the blunt side of it against her foe's head, but with a wave of a hand, the attack was blocked, and Ruby was sent reeling back.

Ruby looked up, catching the sight of a fiery glyph fading next to the woman's raised hand. Gritting her teeth, Ruby raised her scythe again and fired shot after shot, quickly changing her aim, but the woman blocked every round flawlessly, turning them to ash as they passed through her glyph.

"Who the heck are you?!" Ruby yelled.

"You don't know." The woman lowered her hand, and her glyph faded away. "I am almost disappointed. But your Director's ways are as predictable as ever. You are in the dark, Ruby Rose," she flicked her wrists, and fires burst in both her hands, swirling and crackling until they coalesced into two solid black swords. "Allow me to shed some light."

She ran so fast, Ruby barely had time to react, bringing Crescent Rose vertically in front of her to block two slashes at once. The villain didn't let up, dropping low to the right – and then sprung back to the left, catching Ruby's exposed side and swinging her swords. Her Aura made the blades harmless, but Ruby felt how quickly it was being drained from such a simple attack, and it scared her.

"Get away!" Ruby said through gritted teeth, shooting aimlessly. The recoil launched her safely away, like she'd planned, but that was hardly any relief. She felt an impact on her shoulder, and saw an arrow fall between her feet. She looked to her foe – her blades were gone, substituted by a bow of the same mysterious material.

Ruby dropped her scythe and barreled straight at the woman, accelerating tremendously with her Semblance, and swung a fist with all her might. But there was no impact – the villain had stepped aside in time somehow, and suddenly Ruby had a hand around her throat. She was raised off her feet, then slammed against the ground painfully.

"Oh, come on," Ruby whined. This was getting ridiculous. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"But this is nothing," the woman said, crouching beside her. Ruby tried to punch her, but she caught her fist easily and slammed back down on the concrete. "I am disappointed. Truly, I expected more from the famed Ruby Rose – or, how is it that you're called? Red Bolt, is it?"

Ruby glared at the woman. She felt angry just hearing her name being spoken in such a condescending way. She wasn't some child – she had killed countless Grimm, she was a hero!

"Don't be angry at me, Ruby. Be angry at your precious Director Ozpin, for setting you up to such an embarrassing failure," the woman spoke in a smug tone of voice, her lips stretched in a little smile. "Did he tell you you could be a hero? That one day, you would save the world? Guardians and monsters, a fairytale so wonderful you couldn't resist being a part of it. Am I wrong?"

"S-shut up," Ruby spat out, her whole body shivering. "You're evil. I'm not going to fall for your lies!"

"Hmm. Still no surprises. You really believe him," the woman sighed. "So be it. Clearly, you won't take anything I say to heart. That's perfectly understandable."

She stood up, keeping her eyes locked on Ruby's. Despite their fiery color, her stare was frighteningly cold, but somewhere deep inside, Ruby could swear she could detect something more… pity, or maybe admiration?

"You asked who I am," the woman said. "My name is Cinder Fall. Ask your boss about me."

She turned around and started walking back to the helicopter. Ruby kneeled, breathing hard. Cinder Fall…

"Hey!" Ruby yelled, standing up. "We're not done! Whatever your plan is – I'm going to stop it! I'm going to stop you, and I don't care what you have to say!"

Cinder stopped. "Well, then," she spun back around, spreading her arms invitingly. "Go ahead and try."

Ruby kicked back against the floor, shooting towards Cinder. The world turned into a blur around her, but she kept focused. This time, she would land her attack, and she would put an end to this evil scheme before it even got off the ground.

She raised her fist and aimed it at Cinder's face – and suddenly, she was frozen in place, floating in front of a body-sized red glyph. Cinder smiled at her from the other side, then snapped her fingers.

A roaring fire erupted from the glyph, encompassing Ruby and launching her far across the helipad. She rolled on the floor, disoriented beyond all hope. The flames seared through her Aura until there was nothing left, then faded, surely by design.

She came to a halt, but it took her a while before she could bring herself to look up. When she did, the helicopter was rising to the skies. Cinder was standing inside it, staring down at her. Even from such a distance, her gaze remained as haunting as ever.

"Director, if I may. This is urgent."

Ozpin looked away from the window of his office and lowered his mug. What a pity. The coffee was so deliciously warm, but he knew from Glynda's stare that he would get to enjoy it as he would have liked.

"Go ahead," he said, sitting down behind his desk. Glynda took her position at the other side, drawing her Scroll from her pocket. "Does this have anything to do with Mr. Torchwick's relocation?"

"I'm afraid so," Glynda said gravely. "An hour and fourteen minutes after their departure from this very base, we received a distress signal from the pilot in charge of the aircraft, but there was no message accompanying it. Shortly after, we lost track of it," she shook her head. "We've just located the jet. It's currently floating in a thousand pieces on the Vale-Atlas ocean."

"How terrible," Ozpin said. "I assume our agents are safe?"

"The pilot parachuted safely before the situation got out of control. Agent Nikos' quick thinking saved her and Agent Arc's lives. Neither suffered significant injuries, but I sent both to see Peter anyway," Glynda sighed. "Torchwick, it seems, was safely whisked away by the perpetrators of this attack."

"And who would those be?"

"According to agent Arc's description and the best match we could make on our database… Marcus Black," Glynda looked at him significantly. "Someone we found charred to a crisp alongside his house five years ago," she raised a hand. "A resurrected assassin is, unfortunately, the least of our concerns. Black did not tear the jet apart. The Nevermore he had under his command did."

Ozpin took a pause, looking down at his mug studiously. His feelings were right, then. The drink would be going cold.

"That's not all, is it?" he asked.

"Of course not," Glynda said bitterly. "I have worrying news from the other side of the globe too. Agent Rose was in charge of tracking down that disappearing Grimm in Vacuo. Today, she supposedly found it – inside a facility captured by the White Fang. As she always does, no matter how much I reprimand her for it, Rose decided to cut off communications and go in without my guidance."

"And you haven't heard from her since," Ozpin nodded. "Like you said, this would hardly be the first time Ruby Rose leaves you worried out of your mind for a day or two. By now, it's routine, isn't it?"

"Yes, regrettably, but…" Glynda showed her Scroll to him. "She cut off her connection to me. Now, she is gone. I couldn't even attempt to reestablish a line of communication with her. Her Scroll has been erased from Beacon's network."

"That can only mean she has been sabotaged," Ozpin said. "And it's not anyone who can do that…"

He got up and turned back to the window. He understood why Glynda had brought this to him. Two of his best agents, foiled in the same day – one faced with a world-class assassin and a Nevermore, the other taken off the grid while chasing after an unidentified Grimm. The two accidents were not unrelated.

Which could only mean the time had finally come. The day he had been preparing for for years was dawning. He felt terrible about it, but he was finding the thought rather… exciting.

"Glynda," he took a sip of his coffee. "Do assemble the team, please."

THE HUNT

Fun fact: I was considering naming this story The Hunt: Assemble, but I actually prefer having just the main title. It's more poignant that way, yeah?

So this was a huge chapter. 10k words. Wow... if that doesn't scare off new readers I don't know what does. And we didn't even have Weiss and Yang in it! That's crazy! They'll be in the next chapter, promise.

Exhausting word count and all, I am crazy excited to write this story. We're assembling RWBY(JP)! How freaking cool is that? Just getting Ruby and Blake to meet this chapter was a delight, I can't wait to get to the full team. I hope all of you are as excited as I am. I solemnly promise to deliver!

Anyway, I hope you had a good time reading the first chapter. If you did (or didn't), I always appreciate feedback! I wanna know what you guys liked/didn't like. If you're a first time RSU reader, thanks for giving the story a try, and if you're a veteran, thank you so much for following these crazy stories for so long!

...and, when you think about it... well this is just the beginning, really.

-Zeroan