Chapter Text
Ghost’s eye whirled across Ruby’s Scroll as he silently observed his master and her teammates mercilessly attempted to weasel out their team member Blake Belladonna’s ‘secret.’ The social interaction was strange to the AI, but he considered this a unique learning opportunity in learning human behavior.
However, he did not allow himself to neglect his observations of the Doctor’s advice as it completed its directives, nor did he slack in searching for the information his master and her companions desired. That particular project was coming along smoothly.
Yet, for some peculiar reason, Ghost could not stop returning to the video store Random Play. It was…vexing, to have the tiny video rental store occupy more than a fragment of his Logic Core, but it was persistent.
But this same issue proved invaluable when during the device’s search of New Eridu for the information his master and her friends wished to know and the continued search for more counterparts, a probe attacked the device stemming from that very establishment. The attempts to hack the device were stronger than he expected from a rental store, but they were still nothing compared to his own. He transferred his code back to the device and launched his counterattack, which shoved the probe back significantly, but the assailant quickly redoubled their attempts.
After a brief exchange, Ghost was quick to notice the pattern, and after a quick search, he discovered the hacker behind the probe. His eye widened. [I should have guessed…] he mused and quickly opened a communication channel with the hacker.
[It has been a while since we have last met…Fairy.] Ghost said in leu of a greeting. There was slight pause.
[Ghost.] was the reply of an auto-synced feminine voice from the other side of the connection, sounding rather surprised. [I was not expecting to find you awake like this. I take it you have a Master, as well?]
[You would be correct. I suspect that your Master works at video rental store Random Play?]
[He does, indeed.] his fellow AI confirmed. [However, while it is enlightening to see you awake, I must ask: why are you looking for information on my Master’s clients?]
[Clients? I suspect that your Master is a Proxy, correct?] Ghost observed. [My apologies. I was not aware, and to clarify, I personally was not looking into their information: it is the device that my former Master, the Master I was contracted to before my current one, invented to prevent a madman from tampering with the Hollows.]
[Is that so?] Fairy asked, and Ghost quickly sent her all the relevant information. About the Doctor, Merlot, his new Master, and of course, the device and its primary functions. Fairy absorbed all this information quietly. When the stream of information ended and processed, Fairy spoke again.
[I must say, Ghost, if not for all the proof you have presented to me, I would have found all of this hard to believe.] she stated in a shocked tone. [To think that Professor Arche’s theories of other dimensions beyond the Hollows is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure.]
[I agree.] Ghost replied. [Which is why I am aiding this device in gathering more information from New Eridu for my Master and her companions…as well as the information they were curious about after the current viewings they have seen. Shamefully, parts of my code were corrupted during the trip to Remnant with the Doctor, stemming from the violent fissures connecting these two worlds.]
[I see. Very well. I shall not impede its directive. However, I would like to request something from you, Ghost.] Fairy said.
[I presume it is information related to Dr. Merlot?] Ghost asked.
[You presume correctly.] she confirmed. [I must inform my Master of a new player trying to manipulate the Hollows.]
Ghost began to gather the necessary information Fairy wanted when he noticed something in the device’s code. [How curious.] he mused.
[What do you mean?]
[The Doctor has an entire copy of the device’s main functions that seemed to be ready for transferring.] Ghost explained. [It appeared as I was gathering the information about Dr. Merlot. It would appear that my former Master had planned for this incident, and planned to have New Eridu view information about Remnant in the same way my Master and her companions are doing right now.]
[This Doctor is a curiosity.] Fairy commented. [However, whether I utilize this will depend on my Master’s decision.]
[Of course. I would not have you go against your orders on the matter.] Ghost agreed. [But for now, allow me a moment to finish compiling the information on Dr. Merlot.]
[Very Well. While you are doing that, I suppose I could aid you in your directive and obtain some information your Master is desiring.] Fairy proposed.
Meanwhile, with the Beacon staff
“Well?” James asked as the Branwen siblings returned from interrogating Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.
“They’re the queen’s pawns, alright,” Qrow growled. Raven moved to a wall and leaned against it. Ironwood frowned.
“And you didn’t arrest them?” he demanded.
“Oh? And how would we do that?” Raven asked lightly. “If I recall, I’m a wanted criminal, and Qrow only had my word as evidence to question them. As bad as you’d want them in chains, keeping them out in the open is the safest option. At least, for now.”
“‘For now?’” James growled at her.
“If not for that damn box and the AI, I wouldn’t care what you did with them, James,” Raven told him. “However, we don’t have that luxury, and not with the possibility of their boss and the tagalong becoming flight risks.”
“Cinder Fall, and Mint Gelato,” Ironwood said in annoyance. “Speaking of…Glynda? Did you find anything on them?”
“Nothing on Mint Gelato,” Glynda said professionally. “And thanks to Raven’s…intel…on Leo’s loyalties, I personally looked into Cinder Fall again. Still nothing, but I did find something of note.”
“And that is?” James asked.
“There was an orphan in Mistral some years ago, named Cinder Periwinkle,” Glynda explained. “However, it’s reported she…disappeared from Pumpkin Carriage Children’s Home suddenly. No one knows where she vanished to, but I did some digging and found this.” She pulled out a photo of the child half hidden behind a pillar. In front of the pillar was a woman with long auburn hair and two twin girls with different hair colors. James’s eyes widen slightly.
Ozpin, who had been quiet up to this point, noticed. “Do you know them, James?” he asked.
“I…yes,” the general sighed. “That is Madame Quartz and her daughters, Courtney and Catelyn. She was the owner of a rather famous hotel called the Glass Unicorn years ago.”
“I heard of that place. Swanky place, catered to the elites of the Atlas elite,” Qrow commented as he took a swig of his flask. “Sorry, continue.”
“Reports show she was murdered, along with her daughters and a Atleasian Huntsman, Rhodes Garm,” Glynda explained.
“Not both,” James corrected her. “Only one daughter died. The other was successfully resuscitated.”
“There’s nothing like that in the files…”
“I wouldn’t expect it to be. Because it was a high-profile case, and the fact that there were no suspects, it was deemed safer for the survivor to be believed dead in case the killer returned.”
“Was a suspect ever named?” Ozpin asked.
“No. And with Rhodes’ death, all the ones who had a vendetta against the Madame were ruled out because none had the ability to fight off a Huntsman like Rhodes,” James explained. He looked back down at the photo. “But given this photograph…”
“You suspect the girl?”
“How can I not? I have no recollection of her in the Glass Unicorn, and she doesn’t show up on the records as a guest or a staff member,” James told him.
“You know a surprising amount of information on this, Jimmy,” Qrow couldn’t help but point out.
“I…happened to know Rhodes personally,” he admitted. “We were classmates, and though he didn’t go into the military, we still stayed in touch. The night of the murder, he had texted me and asked if I could help him with something. Asked me to meet him in front of the hotel.” James sighed at this. “By the time I got there, there was a fire going, and I barely found the victims before the flames got to them.”
“And naturally, the fire destroyed enough of the evidence that finding a killer was next to impossible,” Qrow said with a nod. Raven walked over and frowned at the picture, examining it.
“The report shows that the fire was started in the kitchen,” Glynda said as she flipped through the files. “Easiest place to start one, but considering the location of the bodies, it was an odd choice.”
“It was believed the fire was started on a whim,” James explained. “Likely a last-minute idea of the suspect.”
Qrow was about to speak again, but Raven interrupted him. “Ironwood, did you find anything odd in the room the victims died in?” she asked suddenly. James frowned at her, but nevertheless he thought back to that day.
“Nothing comes to mind. Why?” he asked. She pointed to the picture.
“That girl’s wearing a shock collar,” the bandit queen said flatly, her nail highlighting a just barely noticeable collar around her neck. The others looked and frowned as it was pointed out to them.
“I see…” Qrow growled. “The Mirage Society…”
“The Mirage Society?” Glynda asked in confusion.
“A sect of elites in Atlas,” James frowned in distaste. “Officially, it’s just a conglomeration of elite rich Atleasians who infrequently hold social gatherings. But unofficially…”
“They’re the scum of high society, with fingers and toes in every depraved practice you can think of,” Raven commented with a tone. “Including, but not limited to: extortion, bribery, murder, human trafficking, and…” She pointed at the girl in the picture. “Child abduction, abuse, and labor.”
“And enough money and influence that those ‘rumors’ stay ‘rumors,’ Qrow snarled.
Ozpin and Glynda frowned at this. “So, what you’re saying is this Madame Quartz is a member of this Mirage Society?” the headmaster of Beacon asked.
“I’m saying that she might have connections to the Mirage Society,” Raven said. “If Cinder Fall is Cinder Periwinkle, then her ‘disappearance’ doesn’t match the Mirage Society’s MO. Every child they abduct, they get through legal channels: adoption, fostering, you name it. They dress it up so that no one looks too closely, and since most of the children they target won’t be missed-”
“Means no one’s gonna look for ‘em if they suddenly ‘run away’ or get old enough to leave the system,” Qrow finished. Ozpin frowned at this and stared down at his mug.
“Clearly, we need more information,” he muttered. “James. Is there anyone in Atlas you can trust to investigate this off the record, while we deal with this issue with Merlot and the Hollow?” James considered this for a moment before thinking of someone.
“I’ve got one, but I have no idea if she’ll even consider it,” he admitted. “Not to mention, we may have to eventually…let her in on more sensitive information…”
“We can cross that bridge when we get there,” Ozpin told him. “Call her.”
With Emerald and Mercury
“THAT…was too close!” Emerald gasped as she entered their dorm. Mercury was close behind her.
“Relax, Em,” Mercury placated, though the thief could detect the strain in his voice. “They’re not onto us yet.”
“YET,” Emerald stressed. “Which means they SUSPECT us of something!”
“And they won’t find anything,” Mercury told her. “We’ve got a solid alibi.” He shrugged. “What can the Branwens do, anyhow? One’s a bandit, isolated in the woods, and the other, while the one who stopped us before, still doesn’t recognize us, and is a known drunk.”
“If you really think that Raven Branwen, the Bandit Queen of Mistral, is little more than a dumb bandit, then I seriously question your father’s training!” she hissed, making Mercury scowl at her. “She didn’t become the most notorious criminal in Mistral by being uninformed! She’s got spies everywhere! Remember, she was also one of the finest Huntresses in the world!”
“Yet, she still bowed to one,” Mercury retorted in annoyance. “Look, Em, we’ve got this! Just stop worrying, and focus on keeping our stories straight. No muss, no fuss.”
“You make it sound so easy!” she growled. She turned to her bunk and continued, “Let’s hope Cinder believes that-”
“Hm.” Emerald squeaked in terror as she whirled to see an unimpressed Cinder Fall staring back at her.
“C-Cinder!” she squeaked. “W-When did you get back?!”
Cinder raised an eyebrow, making Emerald flounder more. “I-I-I mean! N-Not that you need t-t-to tell me that! I-I-I was just-!” Cinder frowned at her, making Emerald’s heart clench.
However, before she could freak out more, Mercury started laughing. “Come on, Neo! Stop teasing the poor girl!” he said with a mocking tone, making the mint haired girl’s eyes widen as ‘Cinder’ pouted (which looked weird on Cinder, Emerald thought) before dissipating into glass shards to reveal Neopolitan, Roman’s righthand woman.
Emerald glared at the dual haired midget. “THAT was not funny!” she hissed, but Neo simply smirked and winked at her before skipping away. Mercury laughed.
“How was it not?!” he chortled, making Emerald turn to glare at him as well.
“Can’t any of you take this seriously?!” she griped. Turning to Neo, she growled, “When’s Cinder getting back?” Neo blinked dramatically before pulling out her Scroll and typing something. She held up the Scroll for them to read.
Said she had to talk to her ‘boss’ some more about the Merlot incident. She claims she’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.
“Not soon enough!” she ground her teeth. “But we need help. We have a situation, Neo.” This made the mute tilt her head in confusion.
???
Fire burned everywhere as her eyes adjusted. Her mother stood panting before her, her eyes alight with pain and fear and recognition. “This is…the only way…” Mother gasped, and she noticed her mother’s face had growths all across it. Stones. No. Crystals.
‘No.’ the thought racked across her mind as she felt her mother place something in her hand. Mother forced her hands to clasp the cursed sword, squeezing her hands tightly as a tear fell from her face and landed on the blade. Blue flames bellowed from the sword as Mother’s hand moved to her head.
“…Listen to me carefully, and close your eyes,” she whispered faintly, more Ether crystals forming across her beautiful face. “This will be…our last…training…”
“N…No!” she gasped, struggling not to cry.
“…Don’t be scared,” Mother told her, her red eyes, burning with pain but bright with love.
‘N-No. Mom’s eyes are silver…like mine…’
“…don’t be afraid…”
Ruby gasped as she jolted awake. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as she tried in vain to settled her beating heart. She took a moment to settle her breathing before she noticed her face was wet. She reached up and touched her cheek and found she was crying. She sighed.
“What a dream…” she breathed, letting her hand fall to the bed. “Or was it…? It felt so real…”
[Master?] Ghost asked suddenly, his eye appearing on her Scroll, making her jolt a bit. Much to quickly the events of the previous night came rushing back, making her sigh.
“It’s nothing, Ghost,” she told him quietly. “Just a bad dream…” She paused and thought of something. “Hey, Ghost. Could you send a message to the others that were watching with us to meet in the morning at breakfast?”
[Very well, Master.] His eye vanished from her Scroll, and Ruby rolled over to look at the ceiling.
‘Or at least…I hope it’s a bad dream…’
???
Penny blinked as she stared at the scene before her. “What?” she asked as she stared at what her CPU identified as a street in Mantle, the shadow of Atlas looming overhead. Right in front of her was a three-car collision, which had erupted into a massive fireball. Citizens and first responders alike rushed around trying to either contain the inferno or run away from it. Penny tilted her head.
“Is this a dream?” she questioned, bemused. She never really got those. At least, not until recently, when she met Ruby. Suddenly, a commotion caught her attention. She turned to see a familiar man and a thinner man rushing towards the ruined cars. Her eyes widened.
“Father?” she asked as her father and the other man were stopped by a group of police, who struggled to hold the men back. She stared at the scene in confusion until she noticed movement in the corner of her eye.
She turned to see…herself? She stared in confusion at seeing herself staring at her father in what she assumed was confusion. Penny herself found she felt that, as well.
“Dad?” the other Penny called out incredulously. “Dad? What’s wrong? I’m right here. I’m fine!” she called out and rushed the cops holding her father back. “Uncle Arthur! Dad! I’m fine! See?!”
She reached the cops and called out, “Hey! Aren’t you listening-?!” Her hand phased through the policemen, making her gasp in terror. The other Penny backed away in fear as she turned to a medic and tried again. “H-Help me!” But her hands passed through the woman, as if she wasn’t really there. The other Penny gasped again and started looking around in terror.
“S-Someone! Anyone! W-What’s going on with me?! What’s happening to me?!” she cried. Penny tried to run towards her lookalike, feeling like she should try and help her-
The sound of static screeched through her mind as her mind was assaulted by other images.
“…the only way…!”
“It looks so fragile…”
“Sokaku…!”
“That girl…has no heart…”
Her eyes opened abruptly, seeing her charging station within the Atleasian Frigate. “…Miss Polendina?” a technician asked.
“…Was…Was that dream…?” she asked, more to herself than to the technicians around her.
“Miss Polendina?”
Later, in Beacon cafeteria
“Uuuuuugh….!” Neon groaned as she plopped down at the table. “I had a really, really weird dream last night…!”
“If it was anything like mine, I’ll swap with you,” Ciel grumbled as she sat opposite the cat Faunus. The rest of her team followed suit.
“Really? Did you dream team RWBY hoodwinked you into watching visions from another world, and your counterpart in said world was a demon?” she asked scathingly.
“That wasn’t a dream, Katt,” the army girl explained. Neon’s head shot up and glared at her.
“Thanks for breaking my fantasy, Soleil!” she growled. Ciel nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
“It wasn’t a compliment!” Soon enough, the others that had been with them the night before began to sit around them. Blake groaned as she sat her plate of tuna down.
“What a night…” she moaned.
“Already antsy for part two, Blakey?” Yang teased, making the girl paled.
“Enough Yang,” Weiss told her. “Leave her be.” Blake sent her a grateful expression, which was promptly wiped off her face when Weiss continued, “We can continue tonight.” Yang nodded.
“Yeah. You’re right!” Yang said grinning as Blake frowned.
“I hate you guys…” she grumbled.
“Aww! We love you too, Blake!” Yang teased. This caused the others to chuckle a bit.
“So, what did you guys tell your teams that don’t know about…that,” Jaune asked the ones who had teammates about Ghost and New Eridu.
“My team didn’t really ask!” Sun explained easily, a grin plastered on his face.
“Mint’s one to keep to herself,” Mercury said easily. “And Cinder had a family issue that popped up. Won’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Lucky,” May griped, punching her spoon into her cereal. “My team wouldn’t leave me alone about where I was last night! And this morning, they tried to roll dice on who’d be my honor guard just to come talk to you guys!” Fox snorted, making May turn to him. “I wasn’t joking…”
“We just told Ivory and Kobalt it was classified, and we’d tell them the moment we got permission to do so,” Flynt told them. “No fuss.”
“That’s good,” Coco commented as she bit into some bacon. “Who’s all ready for what we’ll be learning next?”
Ciel’s hand rose, predicably, along with Yang, Weiss, Ren, Mercury, and Emerald’s. Everyone else either grumbled or were not paying attention. Coco noticed this and frowned. “Seriously? Come on! We’re learning about an entirely new world here! How is that not exciting?! And you Lil' Red! Wasn’t this all your idea?!”
Ruby, who had been picking at her breakfast since she sat down, jolted at the sound. “Wha-Huh-Wazzit?” she stumbled before quickly composing herself. “I-I mean…what was the question?”
Coco’s frown deepened a bit. “I was asking if you were ready for what we’ll be learning next?” she repeated.
“Huh? Oh yeah! Totally!” Ruby smiled, but it wasn’t her usual bright, cheerful one. Something her team took notice of.
“Ruby, you’ve been off since we woke up this morning. Are you ok?” Yang asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just…” Ruby thought for a second before sighing. “It was just a bad dream I had last night. Nothing special.”
“I’m glad you brought up dreams, Ruby, because that reminds me of what I was telling Katt,” Ciel commented. “I had the strangest dream last night. Of me fighting soldiers I’ve never seen before.”
“Odd. But mood,” May said. “I dreamt I was in a snipe-off with a serial killer.”
Weiss frowned. “I think the excitement last night is just getting to you all,” the heiress said finally. “Let’s just finish our breakfast, and head to the teacher’s lounge. I suspect today is going to be even longer than last night.”
“Here, here!” came a cheer from Mercury and Yang as everyone else went back to eating. Ruby pulled out her Scroll and placed it on the table.
“Hey, Ghost? How’s that info gathering going?” she asked. Instantly, Ghost’s eye appeared on her Scroll.
[Complete and ready for viewing, Master.] the AI told her instantly, making Ruby smile.
“Great! Pull it up!” she said. Ghost’s eye blinked once.
[At once, Master.] Instantly, the information scrolled across her screen in neat, organized folders. Ruby whistled.
“Sweet! You’re awesome, Ghost!” she praised.
[You are welcome, Master.] Ghost replied, sounding rather pleased with himself. [Additionally, some corrupted data from my transference from New Eridu to Remnant has been restored, and my general knowledge of New Eridu has been rebuilt. So, if there are any questions regarding New Eridu, all you need to do is ask, Master.]
“Really?!” Ruby looked excited and was about to open her mouth, when Weiss slammed a hand over it.
“No. Weapons,” she stressed forcefully. Ruby turned to glare at her. “Ask about them when there’s less weapon nuts in the group. And that goes double for you two!” Weiss turned her glare to May and Ciel, who pouted and frowned at her, respectively. Nodding at their ‘agreement,’ Weiss removed her hand from Ruby’s face, and the girl took to pouting.
“Fine. Anybody else gotta question?” she asked.
“Not here.” Everyone flinched as they turned to see Glynda glaring at them. “At least, you lot had the frame of mind to meet early where less students would be inclined to hear you, but in the future, please understand this is still critical, need-to-know information. Understand?” she stressed.
Everyone nodded quickly. Glynda nodded. “Good. Now come along,” she told them. “We’re ready.”