Chapter 113:

"What?!" exclaimed Weiss. "You can't be serious!"

"I am deathly serious," said Eira.

Ren stepped forward to to stand next to Ruby. "We determined that Faolan Hargrave had abused his position in order to carry out an investigation that was clearly compromised by racial bias. Furthermore, he deliberately attacked the morale of the residents in order to incite a mass Grimm attack to destroy the settlement in an attempt to cover up his misdeeds."

"That is not my concern," said Eira simply. "I have been sent with the order to take Ruby Rose into custody. The investigation will be handled separately."

"As the leader of the other team onsite, this was my responsibility as well," said Ren, his eyes narrowing. "But it does not seem that you are here to take me into custody too."

Eira's lips tightened into a thin smile. "As expected, you understand things quickly," she said, repeating her lines earlier. "Yes. My orders are only to take Ruby Rose into custody. The rest of you will only be punished if you interfere."

"We received authorization from Professor Ozpin to obstruct Hargrave, if we found him threatening the lives and safety of the residents," added Ren.

"Again, that is not my concern," said Eira.

"Of all the bald-faced bullshit excuses," snarled Yang, deploying her gauntlets with a flick of her wrists.

The others drew their weapons as well, arranging themselves to array against the soldiers ringing them, the armed men and women tensing, fingers tightening on the triggers of their rifles. Only two people didn't move, seemingly unconcerned by the potential battle unfolding around them. Eira and Ruby stared at one another with mutually dispassionate gazes. Ruby's hand hadn't even strayed to her weapon. Eira's posture, while stiff, had not tensed in the slightest.

"I trust you understand what this is truly about," said Eira, meeting Ruby's gaze.

Ruby stared back unflinchingly. "Yeah...I understand."

"Ruby...?" Jaune glanced at her, trying not to shift his gaze too much, lest the soldiers in front of him open fire.

Ruby turned to look over her shoulder at her friends. "Stand down."

"Wha-what?" stammered Weiss, looking at Ruby incredulously.

"You can't be serious!" protested Yang, eyes flickering red.

"I am," said Ruby firmly. "Stand down." She turned to face them fully, willingly turning her back on Eira in the process. "I'm going with them."

"But Ruby..." Nora said, unsure of what to say. Any protest she could have made would be obvious.

Ruby gave them all a sincere smile. "It's going to be okay," she said. She stepped closer, prompting them to close in around her slightly. "Let Professor Ozpin know right away," she said softly. "I don't know how well you'll be able to track me down, but if anyone can figure out a way to find me, it'll be you. If I need to, I can certainly make enough of a scene."

Thinking about the storm that had appeared out of thin air over Aiwendil's central plaza, Ren smiled wryly. "You sure can," he said.

"I'm counting on you," said Ruby, before turning to give Jaune a quick kiss on the lips, then moving to give Yang a brief hug.

"Be careful," said Jaune, not liking this at all. It felt as though he was shirking his responsibilities as Ruby's partner to let her walk into this situation. Yet, he also realized that Ruby wasn't counting on his protection. That wasn't what she needed right now. What she needed was support, and that had some separate connotations.

Turning away from her friends, Ruby began to walk towards Eira.

"Your weapon," said Eira, holding out her hand for Akaibara.

"No," said Ruby simply.

The tension from before returned tenfold. Ruby's friends readied their weapons, while the soldiers accompanying Eira brought their rifles up again, many of them turning to level their weapons at Ruby specifically.

"You are under arrest," said Eira. "That means you are required to surrender your weapon."

"I don't care," replied Ruby. "I'll go with you. But I'm not letting go of my weapon."

"Are you going to force the issue?" asked Eira.

"If you make me," said Ruby. "It depends on what's more important for you."

For a long moment, the two of them stared one another down silently. Finally, it was Eira who let out a slow breath. "Very well," she said.

She turned and entered the bullhead's passenger bay, Ruby getting in behind her. The soldiers, moving with impressive speed, also filed onto their own bullheads. Just a few seconds later, the three aircraft were rising up into the sky.

"We need to place an emergency call to Ozpin right away!" said Weiss quickly.

"Go," said Ren, his eyes locked on the bullheads, rapidly dwindling from sight.

Between herself, the soldiers, and Eira; the passenger bay of the bullhead felt fairly cramped. Upon picking her seat, the first thing she had done was pull Akaibara, sheath and all, from her sash, holding it up to her shoulder, so that she could rest against the seat, while still being able to draw her blade, should she have need to. Aside from that, she'd allowed her cloak to wrap around herself slightly, ensuring that, should the soldiers on either side of her attempt any kind of attack, she could harden it to fend off their first strikes.

Eira settled onto the seat across the cabin from her. "It would seem you understand your situation quite well," she observed, her voice carrying surprisingly well over the rumble of the engines and the occasional rattle of machinery.

"I understand it well enough," said Ruby. "Of course, I want to understand the whole thing."

"Giving yourself up isn't the safest way to do that," said Eira.

"But it is the simplest way," said Ruby. "This isn't the safest way for you either, is it?"

"As expected, you understand things quickly," Eira said again, smiling at Ruby. It wasn't a smirk of superiority, but an expression of respect...for a worthy adversary.

Ruby returned the smile, her hand tightening its hold on Akaibara's sheath. That's right...if I want to do this, I need to enter my enemy's zone.

In the end, it all came down to some of the basic lessons of swordsmanship her brother and Shinrei had taught her. Of course, the situation was larger, more complex than a simple fight, far beyond the level of her fight with Faolan. But, at its core, the fundamentals were the same. Striking meant risking being struck in return. If Ruby didn't open herself to that risk, she would miss her chance to land her own blow.

Of course, part of that was hoping that her friends could follow through on what they needed to do, that they would even be able to find and help her. All the same, Ruby kept her breathing calm and even, kept her awareness extended around her, and bided her time. In front of her, Eira calmly watched from across the cabin...and did the same.

The call with Ozpin had been brief, with the students quickly rushing back to board the bullhead that was settling onto the landing pad. At their urging, the pilot pushed his airship's engines to the limit to get them back to Beacon as quickly as possible. From there, it had been an all-out sprint to the tower, followed by a tense ride up the elevator, before they spilled out into Ozpin's office.

Unsurprisingly Ozpin was there, along with Ironwood and Glynda. With them were Kyo and Amber, the latter looking more mobile now, though she still had issues with her stamina.

"Where's Uncle Qrow?" asked Yang, looking around, figuring that her reliable, if eccentric, uncle would have wanted to be here for a discussion concerning the threat to Ruby.

"Presently trying to keep up with the ones who took Ruby," said Ozpin simply. "His means are...unique...but he can't quite keep pace with a bullhead at cruising speed. Still, he should be able to keep an eye on her, until we can act on what we know."

"What do we know?" asked Ren.

Ozpin smirked, looking quite pleased with himself. "At the moment, we are fairly certain that the one behind this affair is indeed Mason Ayers, current member of Vale's Council."

Jaune swallowed nervously. "That's...pretty bad...right?"

"Yes," answered Ozpin, "though it gets worse. It appears that Councilman Ayers briefly had had access to the very same virus that Cinder Fall used to infiltrate our systems."

"How do you know that?" asked Weiss.

"One of the fronts for Vale's intelligence agencies was shown as the last known access point for the virus' control signal," explained Ozpin, bringing up a holographic projection of a map, which hovered over his desk. "The one doing the actual accessing was one Arthur Watts, a former Atlesian scientist and doctor of some renown...before he supposedly died in an accident."

"Sounds like reports of his demise were exaggerated," remarked Blake.

"Indeed," agreed Ozpin. "As the virus' creator, it is beyond question that he was an associate of Cinder Fall...and is an agent of Salem."

A tense silence fell over the students. Then Nora spoke up. "Uh...how do you know all of this?"

Ozpin's smile was a bit more relaxed. "We know because Dr. Polendina, Ms. Polendina's father, completed the anti-virus, which we used to purge our systems of the offending program. Furthermore, said anti-virus was also able to compile data on the usage of the access the virus afforded."

"That's...good," said Ren.

"Yeah, great," scoffed Yang. "Never mind that! What are we gonna do about Ruby? Those assholes put her under arrest and dragged her off on a bullhead to deliver her right to this jerk...probably."

"Probably not," said Ironwood. "Councilman Ayers isn't likely to put himself at direct risk, by being at the same location as Ms. Rose. However, it is likely that he has indeed taken her into custody."

"It's worse than that!" exclaimed Jaune. "This guy's working with Salem's people, and Ruby is heading right for them."

"What do we do?" asked Yang.

"We move out," said Ozpin. "It's likely that, assuming they haven't arrived already, Ms. Rose is probably close to her destination now. Hopefully, Qrow has managed to keep up with them. I would like to wait for his confirmation on the location, but we can't be certain, so we will move on the data we have."

He highlighted the point on the map where Watts was last known to have utilized the virus. It was an office building, rather uninteresting to look at, which was arguably the point. "This is where we presume the agents operating on Mr. Ayers' behalf are working from. We will assemble around it, and then infiltrate in force, when we have confirmation of Ms. Rose's location."

"How are we going to do that?" asked Weiss. "These people are clearly old hands at this sort of thing. They'll have jammed Ruby's scroll signal."

"That is where I can help," said Kyo, stepping forward, a benign smile on his face. "I will use my Extension to locate Ruby-chan's Aura. Then, by monitoring her location in relation to yours, I can confirm her position, or tell you where she was taken instead."

"Seriously?" asked Yang.

Kyo nodded.

"So you're coming with us?" asked Jaune hopefully. Considering that Kyo was probably the strongest person in the entire Kingdom at the moment, he could probably wipe the floor with all the bad guys present.

Kyo's smile faltered. "Unfortunately...I...cannot."

"What?!" gasped Yang, her eyes flickering a furious red. "Why not?"

Kyo sighed, ducking his head, running his hand through his hair. "As I've told Amber-san before, interfering directly with Ruby-chan's affairs, especially now that it seems that her enemy is in the midst of Vale's own government, would only serve to complicate things for her in the long run."

"As it stands, thanks to the virus, it is likely that Ayers is already aware of Kyo's presence at Beacon," added Ozpin, "and quite possibly his status as Ms. Rose's adoptive brother. That information alone could cause a great deal of controversy for her. Therefore, it is best if we keep Kyo's involvement to a minimum. Besides, we need him to remain behind at Beacon."

"Why?" asked Jaune, giving Kyo a plaintive look.

"To protect Amber," said Glynda frankly. "It would be one thing if we were dealing with Ayers and his people on their own. But we now know that they've allied themselves with Salem's people. It's likely they have no idea of Salem, or what her agents are actually working towards. It's possible that, while Ayers is trying to 'disappear' Ruby, Salem's agents are using the distraction this will provide to make another attempt on Amber."

Amber shivered at the possibility. Truth be told, she would have liked to go with Ruby's friends, and put her power to use to rescue her savior. However, Amber realized that such actions would be out of the question. The Fall Maiden's power could not be used so visibly, not if they wanted to keep it a secret, and ensure that she didn't fall into the wrong hands. And, of course, she still hadn't fully recovered from her months' long coma, not having the stamina to last in a real fight. And recent events had shown that even Beacon was not as secure as Ozpin would have liked it to be. So having her bodyguard with her made sense, even if that meant that it left his sister in more danger.

Knowing him, he'd also say that it's another training opportunity for her, Amber thought wryly, glancing sidelong at Kyo. To her surprise, she saw the faint sheen of sweat on his brow. Since she'd started spending so much time with him, she'd become more and more attuned to the nuances of Kyo's expressions.

He was nervous. That much was obvious to her. That seemed rather simple. Despite his easygoing nature and generally blithe acceptance of the dangerous straits Ruby often entered, Kyo did worry about her, merely doing his utmost to continue to have faith in her strength and skills. However, there was something about the carefully concealed fear on his face that seemed...off...to her.

"But...if you're staying at Beacon, how are you going to find Ruby's Aura?" asked Jaune. While none of them were capable of Extension yet, they did know the basics of the ability, thanks to Ruby's explanations. They were also aware that such an ability had limits to its range. Kyo seemed to imply that he could use it to reach all the way to Vale...without even leaving Beacon's campus.

"I have means," Kyo assured him. "Once I begin, you will understand."

"Then we should move quickly," said Ozpin. "Team Rainbow and Team Raspberry will report to the air-dock in ten minutes. If you require any additional armaments or Dust, now is the time to procure them."

"What about Ayers?" asked Blake. Considering what they'd learned about him, it looked as though the man behind all of this wouldn't even be present. What if he got away?

"That will not be an issue," said Ironwood simply.

Ruby had not expected to be taken to some location that practically screamed "Secret bad-guy base!" Nor would she have expected the bullhead she was in actually fly directly to their final destination. Given the circumstances of her "arrest," of course Eira would be wary of someone trying to track them.

So it came as no surprise to Ruby, when the passenger-bay doors of the bullhead opened to reveal that they had set down in what appeared to be one of the bases operated by the Valean Military, at the Kingdom's perimeter. Ruby couldn't help but note that there was a distinct absence of Atlesian materiel and personnel. There were no mantas flitting through the air above, nor were there any androids marching about the grounds. Ruby wasn't privy to the particulars of what constituted cooperation between the militaries of the two Kingdoms. Perhaps this was just standard.

All she did know was that there was no way to appeal to the Atlesian forces to intervene on her behalf, not that she'd intended to if she could. If she wanted her chance to bring this to an end, she had to let her opponents carry her all the way into the heart of their operation. Perhaps it seemed foolish to believe that they would do that with her. But Ruby realized that, so long as they were eager to capture her alive, she was important in some way, which probably meant that not just any location would do.

So Ruby wasn't surprised either when she, Eira, and their escort marched through the base, their procession not even attracting a second glance. Their journey lasted only a few-dozen meters at best, before they reached a car, a rather nondescript-looking sedan, quite similar to the one that the men who'd tried to abduct her the first time had used. The memory of that incident, along with the realization of what they'd planned to do with her, made Ruby shudder, momentarily halting her movement.

Immediately, the soldiers flanking her on either side stopped as well, their postures tensing, rifle muzzles rising. Eira froze as well, her body going completely still, hands closing into fists, not balling up in frustration, but preparing for battle. In the instant it had taken for Ruby's emotional jolt to stop her cold, Eira had switched into combat-mode, ready for anything.

"Please proceed, Ms. Rose," said Eira, her voice calm, but carrying substantial authority. Even if Ruby had wanted to back out, she wouldn't be allowed to. She would be starting a fight right in the middle of enemy territory, one she couldn't be sure she would win.

Ruby glanced at the car, then up at Eira, then back at the car.

It took a moment, but Eira seemed to make the connection. "Oh..." she said. "You needn't fear any...violation...Ms. Rose. My men are professionals."

"So were the ones you sent last time," said Ruby.

Eira's lips quirked in a slight smirk. "Well, I know better than to try the same thing twice."

She's not even bothering to hide that she and her boss were behind the last time, Ruby noted. If she wasn't worried about maintaining any form of deniability, that meant that Eira was completely confident of the snare they had set for Ruby at the end of this journey, assuming the snare wasn't hidden along the route to their destination itself.

"Regardless, it is too late for second thoughts now, Ms. Rose," said Eira. "That chance passed long ago."

"How long?" wondered Ruby, thinking that Eira was not referring to her decision to give herself up back in Aiwendil.

"Perhaps from the beginning," said Eira simply. "You left Vale long ago, Ms. Rose. It was unwise of you to return."

"I doubt that," said Ruby simply.

"We shall see," said Eira. "However, the fact remains that this..." She gestured to the care in front of them. "...is the only way you are leaving here. Will you get in...or will we need to force the matter?"

Ruby took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Fine," she grumbled.

One of the soldiers opened the back door, and Ruby slid inside. Eira slid in next to her, while one of the soldiers occupied the backseat on her other side, leaving her sandwiched between them. The sedan's interior was roomy. But the extra company left her feeling just as cramped as she'd felt in the passenger bay of that bullhead. Furthermore, she couldn't help but notice the extra feature that this car had, one that the one that had been used in the last effort had lacked, a clear partition between the back and the front. It seemed like a plastic of some kind, but Ruby's awareness told her that it was solid and strong enough to stop a mid-sized Dust-round without breaking.

Her senses also told her that the partition was airtight, a feature she noted with both interest and trepidation, her gaze darting to what looked like air-conditioning vents on the ceiling and walls of the compartment formed by the backseat area.

As before, she had pulled Akaibara out of her sash, resting the sword against her shoulder while she leaned back against the seat, keeping it on her left side, away from Eira, who sat on her right.

When Eira and the soldier closed the door, Ruby could feel the seals that formed afterwards, making the entire compartment airtight. Now she got an inkling of why Eira hadn't bothered to fight Ruby's insistence on keeping her weapon.

Taking another deep breath, Ruby closed her eyes, keeping her awareness combined to the car itself for the time being. This would be tricky. Monitoring the quality of the air around her was one of the skills that was a natural elaboration on her Manifestation. However, she would also need to make sure she continued to monitor her fellow passengers and their intentions. If they disrupted her control, Ruby would be in serious trouble, unless she could respond in time.

She felt the car go into motion, heard the tires grind against the pavement below. The car she was riding in was one of an entire convoy, the other soldiers having boarded similar cars, sandwiching the one Ruby was in between them. She felt a couple of turns and, before long, figured that they'd left the perimeter of the military base.

She didn't need her eyes to sense Eira making eye-contact with the driver through through the rearview mirror. She sensed both Eira and the soldier reaching to their sides, producing gas masks, discretely slipping them on their faces. The driver, in the meanwhile, reached for the console, a move that might have looked like he was just adjusting the radio or something. However, Ruby's Extension allowed her to feel him instead flick one of the switches on the console.

The next thing she knew, the quality of the air coming through the vents changed. Ruby could sense the extra, unknown, gas mixing with the air of the cabin. Just like with the drug that had been in her milkshake, during the first attempt, Ruby could sense the danger conveyed by that gas. It was something that would weaken her, probably knocking her unconscious, if she dared breathe it in.

Carefully, Ruby Projected her Aura outwards, channeling her intentions through it, keeping it hovering around her body, allowing regular air through, but keeping whatever gas that had been introduced into the mix at bay. It was tricky, but she focused on keeping the air that felt "bad" to her senses away, while allowing the rest in.

All the while, she remained wary of the people on either side of her. Eira and the soldier were watching her. If they thought Ruby was resisting the gas, or avoiding its effects somehow, they might work to find out how, their investigation or interference breaking Ruby's control, which would leave her succumbing to the gas's effects. So the best approach was to allow them to think that their trick had worked...for now.

Softening her breathing, Ruby relaxed her body, her head slumping down, then leaning over. She allowed herself to fall against Eira, the woman not even stiffening at the contact. Instead, Eira's posture remained exactly as it had been. Ruby felt the barest glimmer of satisfaction flicker through the woman's Aura, before her cold, icy, professionalism returned to the fore. Eira thought the gas had worked.

Ruby wondered if they'd try to take her sword away now. If that happened, she would have to fight back. However, there was nowhere to keep the blade in the cramped confines of the car, so it seemed that Eira was content to wait until they arrived, before trying to confiscate Ruby's weapon. Just in case, Ruby tightened her grip, ever so slightly, preparing herself to draw and fight her way free at an instant's notice.

She waited, biding her time, leaning against her captor, feigning sleep, as she waited to be delivered right into her enemies' midst. She felt her weight shift as their vehicle went through turn after turn. There was no way she could hope to figure out where they were. Even after her months at Beacon, she wasn't all that familiar with the streets of Vale, particularly not well enough to gauge her location with her eyes closed. The best she could figure was that they were probably heading into Vale's commercial district.

Finally, she felt her body shifting forward as the driver braked, bringing the car to a stop. Then they accelerated slightly, before taking a very tight turn, followed by the car's front dipping down. They were heading underground then, possibly into a parking garage of some kind...maybe. Ruby couldn't be sure, of course. Still, this probably meant they were near their destination. The car came to a stop again, and the engine turned off. Faintly, she heard the sound of the driver opening the door through the partition. Then she heard the doors on either side of her opening as well.

Eira moved away from her, shifting Ruby's body to lay it down against the seat. Ruby let her, not wanting to give away that she was awake just yet. She wanted to see what they had planned for her, if she were asleep. While she waited for their next move, she sensed the gas in the air clearing out, now that no more was being pumped in, and it was streaming out through the open doors.

"Looks like you got her," commented a harsh, male voice from outside.

"It was more difficult than I thought," Eira replied. "She kept her guard up, but it seems that not even she expected gas."

"I guess we should move her before she wakes up."

"And restrain her, yes," agreed Eira. "First things first..."

Ruby sensed Eira reaching for her sword, no doubt to pull it out of Ruby's limp grip. Well, no sense in playing possum now, she thought.

As Eira was about to close her hand around the sword's sheath and try to pry it from Ruby's grip, Ruby snapped her eyes open, looking straight up at the woman.

Eira's response was immediate. The woman leapt back with such speed that it would have given Ruby's Shukuchi a run for its money, her body little more than a flickering blur, before she came to a stop, fists raised in a fighting pose that reminded Ruby of Yang's stance. The sudden move was enough of a cue for the soldiers, and Ruby's ears immediately picked up the clicks of rifles being readied to fire as she lifted her head and began to sit up.

Ruby moved slowly, getting out of the car and standing up, sliding Akaibara back into place in her sash. She was careful not to make any moves that were too threatening. Now wasn't the time to start a fight...not yet.

Seeing that she wasn't about to try attacking or running, Eira slowly lowered her arms, regarding Ruby with wary eyes. "You are full of surprises, Ms. Rose."

"Thank you," said Ruby with a wry smile. Eira's own Aura was smooth to Ruby's senses, not the contained smoothness of Temper, but featureless, glasslike Aura that she couldn't get a proper sense of, for the most part. It was a pure manifestation of the woman's professionalism, that of someone trained to take nearly everything completely in stride. In spite of that, she was genuinely unsettled that Ruby had managed to shrug off the attempt to subdue her with gas.

"Now what?" asked Ruby, taking in their surroundings.

They were indeed within a parking garage of some kind. The lights above cast a weak glow, which was barely enough to illuminate the space. All around her, she could see an expanse of asphalt, the parking spaces laid out in simple lanes, interrupted by the presence of the occasional concrete pillar. Right now, the entire garage was empty. Besides the one she and Eira had been riding in, there were four others, two that had been traveling in front, two behind. They had all come to a stop in a single line at one end of the garage, up near a wall, where a pair of glass doors presumably led into whatever building this garage was built to serve.

Impressively, despite the expectation that she would succumb to the gas, the soldiers that had escorted them hadn't lowered their guards. They had already deployed in a crescent formation around the car, having been ready for anything Ruby might attempt, even though they'd had every reason to believe she was unconscious. Even though Eira had lowered her hands, the soldiers had yet to lower their rifles.

Eira lowered her head and blew out a soft puff of air. "It would seem that we now move on," she said, turning aside and gesturing to the doors, the ranks of soldiers behind her parting to form a lane between them. "After you."

Ruby nodded and started forward, Eira falling into step beside her once again.

Kyo and Amber stood at the cliffs, watching as the bullhead carrying Ruby's friends, along with Ozpin and Glynda, soared towards Vale.

Amber glanced over at Kyo, surprised to see traces of nervousness in his expression. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "You seem worried...more than usual, even when it comes to Ruby."

Kyo sighed, lowering his head. "You're not wrong," he conceded. "It worries me to hear that Salem's people are involved in this."

"You're afraid of them?" she asked.

"Not them specifically," said Kyo. His right hand went to gently brush his fingers against the handle of his sword. "However, you might say that we presently have something of an...armistice...with Salem. Truth be told, we would like nothing more than to wipe her and her ilk from the face of the earth. However, there is one person in her company who makes that difficult."

"Why?" asked Amber.

"Because he is stronger than me," said Kyo simply, making Amber gasp. "Well...perhaps that's not the right way to phrase it. He is someone that I could not kill, no matter how hard I tried. He is the one who has kept us Mibu from intervening in Salem's actions, and dealing with her. So long as he remains, we cannot truly touch her."

"So, if you went with them..." said Amber, her gaze returning to the now-distant bullhead.

"He would have intervened, and things would have gotten much worse," said Kyo. "Of course, the rest of my reasoning holds as well. When Vale's government is involved, it is best that I do what I can to avoid making things more complicated for Ruby-chan. As for Salem's agents, Ruby-chan has bested them before, and I am confident she can do so again...so long as He doesn't interfere on their behalf."

Amber swallowed.

"There's something else," added Kyo.

"What?" asked Amber.

Kyo lowered his head. "Amber-san...I'm about to do something that will make me seem quite frightening. I hope that this does not drive you away."

Amber swallowed, wondering just what Kyo would do. Then her scroll rang. Answering it, she heard Ozpin's voice from the other end.

"We are ready," Ozpin said. "Please tell Kyo to begin."

Amber glanced at Kyo and nodded.

Kyo took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Amber tensed, her ears picking up what sounded like a faint rumbling noise, one that was rapidly building in volume and intensity. Looking at Kyo, Amber could see his Aura clearly, a red outline around his body, getting brighter with each passing second. Within that outline, the color of Kyo's body and clothes darkened, to the point of becoming black. She felt vibrations through the ground beneath her feet. Looking down, she could even see some small rocks and pebbles dancing about.

Kyo's eyes snapped open, and Amber found herself gasping. His eyes had changed completely. The crimson of his irises had expanded to completely swallow the whites, while his pupils contracted until they were barely even visible, mere pinpricks of black adrift in a sea of blood-red. Those eyes blazed like miniature suns, casting off a light of their own, throwing Kyo's body into shadowed relief, making his skin seem almost pitch-black.

Then his Aura erupted outwards in a mighty wave, surging out towards Vale in crimson torrent, swirling, billowing, and boiling. Amber's heart nearly stopped in her chest. He can produce this much Aura!? Sure enough, the red wave of Kyo's power crested over, then descended upon Vale, washing around and through the buildings that made it up.

It was a sight that beggared belief, even if only certain people could see or sense what was going on. The scale and scope of this exercise were beyond her wildest imaginings. For the first time, Amber truly understood the nature of the power that Ruby had told her about, the power that had made Kyo the kind of person that even the Grimm feared to approach. With power like this, it was no wonder that the Grimm viewed Kyo as a portent of their death.

It was hard to see, his body darkened by the light of his Aura, but Amber could see the sweat beginning to bead on Kyo's brow, and hear his breathing getting harsher. What he was doing was incredible, but it was no casual feat for him. Reaching all the way across the bay and spreading his Aura, his awareness with it, across significant portion of Vale required an effort that he might not be able to sustain for long.

Finally, Kyo spoke. "I have her!" he said.

"Where?" asked Amber, holding up her scroll, ready to speak into it at a second's notice.

It wouldn't be easy. From where he was, it wasn't as though Kyo could tell Ozpin the address of Ruby's location. He wasn't so skilled that he could pinpoint her coordinates, or somehow determine her location via latitude and longitude. At present, the best he would be able to do was give her position, as it appeared relative to that of Ozpin and Ruby's friends. Still, that would be enough.

As Kyo began to relay instructions, Amber could see the stream of Aura emerging from him narrowing down, no longer covering all of Vale. Instead, he was narrowing his focus to Ruby's location alone. Doing so allowed him to conserve his strength.

Finally, Kyo relaxed and let out a breath. "That's where she is," he said, confirming that the bullhead from Beacon had arrived at the right point, and that Ozpin's guess was spot-on. "She's below it, in a basement of some kind. She's a long ways down. There are quite a few people in the building, but they aren't a substantial threat on their own. But there are a small number people in the basement...most of them are quite dangerous. Be careful."

Finally, he released his breath, the stream of Aura rushing from his body ending. Kyo closed his eyes. When they opened again, they had returned to normal. Kyo swayed in place for a moment, then collapsed to one knee.

"Are you all right?" asked Amber worriedly, crouching next to him.

"I'll be fine," Kyo assured her. "I'm a bit tired though. I've never had to reach that far and wide before."

The fact that you could do that at all was scary enough, thought Amber. It was daunting to think just how much power this young man had. It made her wonder just what the future had in store for them, if she remained with him.

"Okay...that was just about the freakiest thing I've ever been a part of," commented Yang, her throat dry.

She wasn't the only one unnerved by the spectacular display of power Kyo had put on. They'd had the perfect view to watch as his Aura washed over the Kingdom, and them along with it, like a red tide. While immersed in it, they'd been able to sense the Aura's presence. There had been no malicious intent behind it. But it remained sufficiently ominous all on its own, thanks to the sheer scope of it.

"Is there anyone who could stop him?" wondered Glynda worriedly. "With that kind of strength, he could do virtually anything he wanted...and no force on earth could stand against him."

"There are some," said Ozpin. "But they are few and far between. Of course, in order to do so, they themselves would have attained a similar level of power, which would make them similarly unstoppable, should they ever turn such strength to evil ends."

"I'm sure glad he's on our side," said Nora, shivering, rubbing her arms and the goosebumps that had spread across them.

"A sentiment I share, Ms. Valkyrie," said Ozpin, smiling at her, before turning to look out the open doors of the passenger bay, and look down at the building they currently hovered above, the one that Kyo had identified as the location Ruby had been taken to. True to his suspicions, it was none other than the nondescript office building owned by Stonecutter: Stocks and Bonds.

"She's in the basement," said Jaune, looking down as well. "How are we getting down there?"

"At this point...brute force is more than acceptable," said Ozpin. "Ms. Valkyrie, Ms. Xiao Long; this is your cue. Glynda, if you would handle the debris..."

Yang and Nora's faces broke out into identically savage grins. Glynda drew her riding crop, readying herself, while the two girls leapt out of the cabin. Falling through the air, they deployed their weapons, putting all their impressive strength behind the blows they landed as they touched down on the office building's roof, their attacks rocking the building to its foundation and beyond.

The glass doors opened to admit them into a corridor lined with elevators. The one at the end slid open as they approached, prompting Ruby to look up, her eyes darting around as she looked for a camera, aware that they were being monitored. She and Eira stepped into the elevator, and Ruby saw that the soldiers remained behind. She decided to say nothing, figuring it was probably a pointless question. Either the soldiers weren't going to be a part of what was about to happen...or there were plenty more where they came from.

To Ruby's complete lack of surprise, the elevator dropped, instead of rising. Despite the fact that they had entered the basement floor of a skyscraper, Ruby figured that they wouldn't be going up. The upper floors would be more open to escape. A huntress, like her, was less likely to be daunted by heights, so leaping from an upper floor was a definite option. Besides, people who conducted such underhanded actions and activities typically hid their real bases underground. It seemed that, like Beacon in a sense, this place's basement had its own basement.

The elevator descended for several minutes, leaving Ruby wondering just how far underground they were going. Finally, the elevator lurched to a stop, and the doors slid open.

Ruby and Eira exited into a large room. It was an empty expanse of concrete floor, leading away from the equally empty and unremarkable wall that the doors were set into. Spotlights shined down from above, illuminating a path through the room's center. The focus of the lights and the room's own size prevented Ruby's eyes from seeing much beyond the lighted path, the rest of the room quickly dropping away into darkness a short ways away, leaving the walls and ceiling beyond her sight. Ruby expanded her awareness as she stepped out of the elevator, spreading out her Extension as far as she dared. Her reach was considerable. But even with that, she couldn't sense the edges of the room, nor its ceiling. She got the impression that this wasn't the enemy's true base of operations. Instead, it was an open room designated for activities that might be to...noisy...to carry out in their actual facilities.

At least I've got room to move, she thought ruefully. That would be true for the enemy as well. In a room this large, it would be easy for them to arrange themselves to utilize whatever numbers they might have to their advantage.

And numbers they had. Ruby could sense the presences of at least three others. They lingered at the edges of the room, where her Extension couldn't fully reach from her position (unless she took her time to build it up and/or extend it in a particular direction, like she had in Aiwendil), but their own Auras broadcasted their presence to her own, even from that distance, two of them in particular. The two presences sent a terrifying chill down Ruby's spine.

One was twisted and malevolent, a churning mass of pure violent intentions, the Aura of someone who killed and tormented, not out of hatred, but out of a twisted love of causing pain and death. It was the Aura of someone who would torture her to death...and laugh giddily the whole time. It paled in comparison to the monstrosity that had been Jester's Aura. But it was still terrifying to sense.

The other was frightening for different reasons. It was an Aura of solid, stony determination, shaped and strengthened by pure conviction. What was more, Ruby could sense its contained nature, and realized that the person behind it was at least capable of Tempering, which was worrying. Behind that conviction, Ruby realized that it was little more than a shell that enclosed and contained a pure, unyielding hatred, so powerful that merely brushing against it made her feel faint, with the fact that it wasn't directed at her specifically being the only reason she wasn't brought to a halt, trembling.

And then there was the third Aura...which was all too familiar, because it belonged someone Ruby had fought before. She came to a stop, throwing an angry glare at Eira. "What is Mercury doing here?" she asked. The pointed question actually made Eira jump in surprise, clearly not expecting Ruby to have noticed Mercury was present. "Why isn't he still in prison?"

"We had a use for him," replied Eira.

"Do you even realize who he's working for?" asked Ruby. "Do you know what they were up to?"

"That is immaterial at this point," said Eira simply. "Do not concern yourself with him. Keep going. You're expected, after all."

Ruby frowned, stepping forward, a nervous sweat beading on her brow. Mercury was one thing, but the two other people...Ruby got the definite sense that they were stronger than her, stronger than Adam, possibly even stronger than Cinder, even if they didn't have the raw power of partially-stolen Fall Maiden magic to aid them. She got the sense of seasoned combatants, confident in their skills and strength, but not so much that they would underestimate their opponent, even if she just looked like a fifteen-year-old girl.

Walking forward, Ruby allowed her cloak to enclose her body, hiding her left hand as her fingers drifted up to brush against the handle of her sword. It appeared that Mercury and his cohorts were waiting for something, a signal maybe. But the crazy one's restraint was hanging by a thread, and Ruby was beginning to fear he might attack out of pure impatience.

Her sandals scuffed against the concrete floor, the sound frighteningly loud in this large, empty space. She noted that Eira's own boots didn't make any sound as she walked. Combined with her ability to drop into combat-mode out of nowhere, Ruby realized that Eira must have been an assassin, like Mercury.

After an annoyingly long walk, they reached the opposite end of the room, where Ruby found herself facing a blank wall once more. "Okay...this is just stupid," she grumbled.

Abruptly, a holographic screen winked into existence right in front of her. Ruby couldn't tell where the projector was. Perhaps it was a component of the wall itself. That scarcely mattered though. Instead, her attention was taken up by the figure on the screen.

The person's features were hidden. Instead, all she saw was a black silhouette against a lighted background, which blotted out all details of the person's surroundings. The black shape sported a rounded head, with Ruby thinking she could see the outline of a conservative haircut. Two large, round, white circles covered the places where the person's eyes were supposed to be, Ruby suspecting that they were the reflections off the lenses of a pair of glasses. Between that and the outline, Ruby figured she knew who this was.

"So...we finally meet, Ruby Rose," said the person, speaking with a voice that was probably masculine, but distorted and muffled slightly as a way of further obscuring the speaker's identity.

"If you can call this meeting," said Ruby, scowling at the figure. "What do you want with me, Mason Ayers?"

Eira flinched slightly, a sign to Ruby that her guess had been on point. The figure on the screen flinched visibly as well, before lowering his head and sighing. He reached out with his right arm, stretching it outside the camera's field of view, probably to manipulate some control or interface. Immediately, the image changed. Mason's face came into view, as did his background. He looked to be in an office somewhere, a large, glass window behind him, the skyscrapers of Vale visible through it, though at a distance, which had Ruby suspecting that he was not in the office building above, nor the Council Building where Mason and the other Councilmen actually met.

"It would seem that obfuscation is pointless," said Mason, eyes narrowing behind the round lenses of his glasses. "I applaud your deductive capabilities, Ms. Rose."

It helps to have a pretty well-connected criminal to consult, thought Ruby, Roman's face appearing in her mind's eye. Out loud, she asked, "What do you want with me?"

"To put it simply, I am doing what is necessary to maintain peace and order within Vale," said Mason.

We could've used that when the White Fang were causing problems, thought Ruby sarcastically. "And what does kidnapping me have to do with that?" she asked.

"I am sure that a smart girl, like you, can figure out the reason easily enough," said Mason calmly. "Since you have already called me out, let us dispense with all pretense."

"So it's because I'm from the Mibu," said Ruby.

Mason's head dipped in the barest hint of a nod. "The Mibu are an existential threat to the Kingdoms as a whole," he said. "Their mere existence is potentially disruptive on a number of levels."

"Because they don't rely on Dust," guessed Ruby.

"That much is indeed disruptive," said Mason. "Were that power they possess be allowed to proliferate, it would mean substantial economic upheaval, as the interests that have supported the Kingdoms from the very beginning find their worth being invalidated."

On one hand, Ruby found it more than a little irritating that someone would prioritize protecting the interests of Dust corporations (or at least one big one) over something that could greatly improve the safety and wellbeing of their people. On the other hand, she also realized that there was something to what he said. Corporation or not, greedy or not, there were people out there who had invested the entirety of their worth in Dust, not simply in terms of money. There were people who studied it and conceived of new uses, the people who made looking for it and obtaining it their life's work. The intrusion of a power that did not require Dust to function threatened that worth, making it likely that many of them would feel that they had thrown away the better part of their lives, only to be told that all that hard work had been rendered worthless.

Thinking of it that way, Ruby could understand something like that herself. Suppose that someone found a way to wipe out the Grimm…forever…and ensure that they were no longer a threat to the people of the world. What would such a development mean for Huntsmen and Huntresses, people who had spent their lives training to fight a threat that was now no more? Could they just expect to give it all up and find new lines of work? Could they even find the kind of work that would allow them to properly apply their skills?

However, that wasn't any reason to give up, certainly not now. "I can see that," she admitted. "But that's not all there is is there?"

"I would say that it's enough," commented Mason.

"You would know that it's not the kind of thing that would come about instantly," said Ruby. "You obviously know something about how the Mibu's techniques work, that it took me years of training to wield the power that I have. It's not something that can cause such terrible change overnight. There would be time to adjust, to prevent people from being harmed, and maybe even come up with something new. Who's to say Dust would become completely worthless?"

Mason tilted his head slightly. "And what are you suggesting?"

"I'm not a scientist," Ruby admitted. "I still only know the basics about how Dust works, really. But I know that the Mibu have things the Kingdoms don't...but the Kingdoms also have things the Mibu don't. If you aren't always opposing each other, then you can learn from each other."

"Baseless platitudes," grumbled Mason, frowning sternly through the screen.

"Are they really?" asked Ruby. "Or are you sore about something else?"

"What I am sore about is that Ozpin allowed an agent of an enemy power into the very heart of the institution that is charged with training those who defend our lands from the Grimm," said Mason. "The Mibu, who have always dwelt in isolation, suddenly send one of their own to us...to study as a Huntress? Really? You expect me to believe such a farcical explanation?"

"I wasn't sent," declared Ruby firmly. "I was born in Vale."

"Yet you spent your formative years amongst the Mibu," Mason pointed out. "I am certain that they've spent those years trying to pound ideas of the Kingdoms' inferiority into your head."

He's not wrong, thought Ruby silently. Sure, none of her actual teachers had ever suggested that the Kingdoms were inferior, especially not Kyoichiro. However, that didn't stop some classmates from airing such beliefs themselves, when they thought they wouldn't get in trouble for it, the beliefs they espoused being instilled in them by their own families.

Then Mason continued. "I imagine that their isolation allows them to wallow in such ideas, safely insulated from the truth...like the ignorant savages that they are."

He flinched when Ruby actually giggled. "Is something amusing you?" he asked icily.

Ruby beamed at him. "Yeah," she said frankly. "You sound like those people you were talking about."

"Hmm?" The clenching of the man's jaw betrayed that he wasn't happy about the comparison.

"I mean...the things you say about them, are the same things they say about you." Her smile relaxed a little. "The ones who truly shaped who I am and the way I think taught me to be aware of stuff like that, the way people are people, no matter what Kingdom you're in. Even when we come from different lives, we wind up being more alike than we are different in the end."

Mason's jaw actually dropped slightly at that. "Of all the insulting..." he growled, eyes narrowing.

"I'm sorry if you think I'm insulting you," said Ruby. "I was just pointing out the truth."

"Then allow me to point out the truth to you," declared Mason imperiously. "The fact still remains that you are a representative of the Mibu Clan. You have even gone so far as to claim the criminal, Demon Eyes Kyo, as your brother. You expect me to believe that you were sent with no other agenda than to become a Huntress?"

"I don't expect anything from you," said Ruby. "It doesn't really matter whether you believe me or not. Like I said, I wasn't sent. From the very beginning, before I ever went to the Mibu, all I ever wanted to be was a Huntress, a protector of the people. I met Kyo-nii, and the rest of my family, and they promised to do everything they could to help me do that. I don't serve them, and I'm not an agent of them."

She drew herself up. "I am Ruby Rose, Huntress of Beacon and Vale. That's all I am."

Mason blinked, his eyes widening behind the circular lenses of his glasses, before narrowing again. "I see...perhaps I misjudged you."

Ruby's eyebrows went up. However, she could hear the continued animosity in Mason's voice. Whatever he had taken from their conversation, she knew she hadn't gotten him to abandon his plan to eliminate her.

"It would seem that you are...an altruist," he said.

"I guess you could say that," said Ruby. "I won't say I'm completely selfless, but I really do want to help people."

"Indeed," agreed Mason. "However...in its own way, that makes you an even greater threat."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in confusion. I can get him not changing his mind, especially not after he's gone through all this trouble. But why would wanting to help others make me a bigger threat to him?

"I can see your confusion," said Mason. "Though you do not need an explanation, I shall supply one anyway.

"In their own way, people like you are as great a threat as any agent of an enemy power. You act with a complete lack of awareness of the importance of maintaining the stability provided by the existing order. If you deemed it to benefit people, you would tear down the very government of the Kingdom itself."

Ruby could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "That's what you're afraid of?" she asked in disbelief. "You're afraid that I'm gonna try and overthrow the Council or something?"

"As I said, if you deemed that to be to the benefit of the people, then yes, you would," said Mason. "People like you are completely ignorant of the long term importance of proper government, and the necessities that go into maintaining order within the Kingdom."

Ruby blinked again. "I...I don't get it," she said. "I don't have any reason to overthrow the Council."

"Which is exactly the problem," said Mason, "the fact that you would, if you 'had reason'."

"Probably," Ruby admitted. Her eyes narrowed. "I mean, you are abusing your power, trying to kidnap people."

"I am well within the rights of the authority granted to me," said Mason imperiously. "You represent a clear and present danger to the stability of the Kingdom of Vale. Therefore...your life is forfeit. At least meet your end with dignity, and resign yourself to your death."

The screen winked out, putting an end to any further conversation. Ruby fought down the urge to shout angry curses at the man who was no longer speaking. However, she realized, almost too late, the trick that had been played.

While she'd been wrapped up in her conversation with Mason, Eira had stepped back, out of the space illuminated by the lights, and into the shadows beyond. There, her presence had gradually dwindled away to nothing, the transition so gradual that Ruby hadn't noticed its disappearance, the sign of a highly skilled assassin. Mason hadn't merely been interrogating her. He'd been baiting her, drawing her attention, allowing his agents to move into an opportune position to attack.

A shiver went down Ruby's spine. The intent of all the different people in the room, Mercury, those other two terrifying presences, focused on her. They began to close in.

And then the lights went out, plunging her into pitch-blackness.

Here we go again, thought Ruby, closing her eyes.

Because bad guys aren't bad guys, if they don't have an elaborate, underground base.