Author's Note:

As always, I craves the reviews. Thank you to The Baz for the the demon name, the others will be used soon.

Its spring break, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready.

Cinder looked with some disdain up at the airship that hovered over the town. She hadn't minded it much at first, but as the need for their expansion grew, their environment grew more and more oppressive. They needed space and, more importantly, new members. Everyone in the town had already been shown the pleasures that they could have, and knew that there was no greater feeling than sharing the gifts of their Mistress, Cinder.

She smiled at the thought of the name. "Mistress Cinder" had a nice ring to it. But she had bigger things to worry about. The voice from the portal had told her many things, some about the world, some about itself, and even some things about her. Its name was Cramus, and it said that it could show her pleasures beyond anything she had ever known. She had been skeptical at first, but it had been quick to silence her doubt with its own euphoric touch. It was the most wonderful thing that she had ever felt, and as soon as it had stopped, she had yearned for it, hungry.

It had told her of what she had to do. She had to gather forces and build strength until they were strong enough to break through the blockade that now surrounded the town and spread their wonderful message to more people. If they were able to reach a major population center, they would be able to gather enormous power very quickly. The end goal, so Cinder had been told, would be to summon Cramus itself into the real world. It was then that Cinder would know her greatest reward, and take her place at her lord's side. That was what she wanted, and she would strive for it with all her might and cunning. She had felt true bliss, purer than anything else, and she wanted more.

She needed Neo and Roman for a few things, though. Their coming had to be prepared wherever they would go, and there were no better to do it then those two. Unfortunately, however, they were nowhere to be found. They had apparently disappeared from their room, and no one had seen them since they had gone in. They had retreated from the rest of those around the town in an attempt to preserve their minds, and Cinder supposed that she could see why, if she looked hard enough. It could be a frightening prospect, surrendering oneself to such overwhelming pleasure, but if they simply gave it a chance, they would see how wonderful it could be. She intended on showing them soon enough, whether they wanted to know or not. But perhaps that they not know was better that they delay, it would keep them inconspicuous while working among those who Cinder had not yet reached.

The issue remained, however, that she needed them, and they were nowhere to be found. She didn't want to think that they could have deserted her, but it was not out of the question. She had thought that they had been wavering recently.

She raised her hand, and one of her followers came to her side. They were panting and sweating from the rigorous activities they had been engaged in before. She looked to the side to observe the follower, and saw that it was a nude woman, perhaps a few years younger than herself. The nudity didn't surprise Cinder, nearly everyone was nude, excluding her. Clothes had proved to only slow things down. "Go and start a search for my dear friends Roman and Neo. I would very much like to speak with them." Her voice had a sultry edge to it that at some point she'd had to add consciously, but since being touched by Cramus, it had become a permanent mannerism. She quite liked it, too, as she saw the woman start to quake when she heard it, as if Cinders words were caressing her. "Yes, Mistress!" She said in a high pitch voice before going running off.

Cinder looked back up at the airship. She would have to find a way to down it before the great expansion she hoped for could commence. Her master had not told her how to do something like that, but she thought she already had a few ideas. She had several gargoyle-like demons under her thrall, and they would be more than capable of carrying her and her people up to it. After they reached the ship, it would be a simple matter of showing its crew what incredible and carnal pleasures they could give.

They would fall, legs like jelly, groveling for more. They all would. Not just those on the ship, but everyone. Cinder would bring Cramus's delight to everyone. And they would all serve under her. The future looked good, and she could hardly wait. All she needed was for Neo and Roman to return from whatever hole they were hiding in.

There was some annoyance boiling inside of her, but she was able to easily quell it with a few directed thoughts. Her breath escaped her for a moment as a wave of pleasure slammed into her brain. She had been expecting it, but that didn't make it any less of a shock to her body. The thoughts about Roman and Neo faded away, replaced by only thoughts of her master. She wanted to badly to please it, and if she disappointed it, she would be devastated.

The sound of claws clinking lightly against the floor of the building alerted Cinder to the presence of one of the demons that served her, and she turned to face it with a happy expression. It was impossible almost to not feel that way anymore. She was glad to have something bound to her like the demons were, though. She didn't even have to speak commands to them, she could merely think what she wanted them to do, and they would do it. It still felt good to issue commands face-to-face though.

Jaune and Pyrrha both stared at the two nefarious criminals who they were apparently going to have to work with to save Nora. They didn't want to have to do this, but Naze had said that they would need help, and they knew that it was true. They had hoped, however, that there would be someone else that they could get help from. This didn't prove to be the case, though, and the criminal Roman Torchwick explained to them what they would be doing.

"Alright, so here's the deal; Naze said that this Nora chick is going to cause a lot of problems real soon if nobody gets a reign on her, and no one else can spare the force required to do it. Luckily, we, pretty much nobodies in the political world, are able to do something. Now, from what I've heard, you tried something like this, but it didn't turn out too well for you." He gave Pyrrha a look like he was making a sly joke, and she rose an eyebrow at him. "But anyways, I'd like to get this thing done, and get beck to serious business."

Jaune gave the felon a distrusting look, and asked "How long have you been working for Naze?" Roman look up for a moment, considering the question, then pulled his sleeve up and looked at a watch on his wrist. "About three hours. Surprising, I know, I have a way of finding odd partners, but this one approached me. I can't tell you much about our little arrangement, but I can say that I'm liking the idea." Jaune didn't seem to trust him any more than before, but he shook his head and tuned, walking down the alleyway in the direction that he had come from. "Well, come on. We've got a lot to do, so we might as well get started."

Neo stood still for a moment, looking at them, before motioning for them to follow and doing so herself. Jaune looked to Pyrrha uncomfortably and shrugged his shoulders. They didn't have anything better to do, and if this was what Naze was wanting them to do, then it was probably the only way to get Nora back. He started walking after them, putting his weapons away. Pyrrha did the same, but didn't feel right about it. They shouldn't work with criminals. That was wrong. Heroes didn't work with criminals.

The new four walked down the road for a small distance before Roman and Neo dropped back, starting to talk with Jaune and Pyrrha as if they were old friends. "So tell me, how did this whole thing start? I'm going to guess that it wasn't just that you woke up one day and she had claws and fangs, right? What happened?"

Jaune and Pyrrha gave each other pained looks, and Jaune started to explain. Before he could, though, Neo elbowed Roman in the side, causing him to grunt indignantly and look to her with an annoyed expression. "What? Can you-" His complaining was cut off when Neo pointed to one of the people on the other side of the street who was holding a scroll up towards them, either recording a video or taking pictures. Roman spat a particularly unpleasant string of curses and pulled the others along more quickly. Neither of the children needed to ask why. If anyone found out that they were around, then it would be a big issue. Hunting Nora would be made far more difficult if people were hunting for them while they hunted for her.

Jaune let that thought rattle around in his mind for a few moments as his pace quickened. "Hunting Nora" didn't seem to be good. He didn't want to think about it that way. They were trying to help her, not hunt her. They had to find her, though, and that would be a lot like hunting. He sighed. There was no real other way to think about it.

The four entered into an alleyway nearby, and Roman gathered them around him, saying "Alright, so we obviously can't just go waltzing around town. We could get a taxi or something, but I wouldn't trust the driver." A thoughtful look came across his face, and he said "I suppose that we could kill them after, but that could get a little messy-" Pyrrha spoke up immediately, a solid expression appearing on her face. "No. We aren't killing anybody. Naze wouldn't want us to."

Roman draw in a heavy breath from his cigar and gave a small laugh to himself. "Relax, girl. I wasn't serious. At least, not too much. Say…" he leaned forward towards her, examining her face. "…haven't I seen you before? Not on a job or anything, but somewhere else."

Pyrrha looked somewhat taken aback by the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken, and stammered a few times before saying "I don't know where you would've." Roman shrugged, and said "Oh well." Before returning his attention returned to the group at large, and he said "Anyways, we've heard where she is, and that's some distance from here. It's going to be rough getting there without any witnesses, but I don't really care too much afterwards. If we're sensible, we can get there and finish this before anyone can follow us. How long do you think it'll take to get her under control?"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked each other again, both trying to evaluate Roman's question. "Well it's not going to be easy, if that's what you're asking. In fact…" Jaune thought of the times that Nora's smell alone had immobilized him, and gave Roman a warning about it. "She has this weird thing with her smell. It makes you paralyzed, or something. It only seems to work well on guys, though, so you should probably keep your distance from her."

Roman nodded, then looked over to Neo. "You won't have any issue with that, right? I wouldn't think that you would, but you can never be too careful."

Neo gave Roman a raised eyebrow, and a sassy look as she shook her head. A smile came across Roman's face around his cigar, and he said "Good, you'll probably be able to handle this on your own, then. But I guess we should tag along as well."

The sarcastic comment earned something of a simpering look from the girl, and Roman quickly started to move again. "Alright, let's get this over with. I really don't want to have to work with these kids any longer then I have to." He then looked over his shoulder like he had only just realized that the comment could be offensive "Oh, nothing against you two, though. I just don't like kids very much." Jaune rolled his eyes, and said "Yeah, right." In a sarcastic voice.

The group started to weave their way carefully through town, avoiding major centers of population wherever they could, and hurrying through those they couldn't. It was more then once that they looked back to see policemen on their trail, questioning people and sometimes even walking directly towards them. This never failed to speed their pace, and they hurried along their way. For all the disdain that Pyrrha and Jaune felt for their new partners, and hesitance to trust them, they found that they were at least not bad partners. They kept vigilant watch for threats, and always warned when something bad was drawing near. Their new little group was never take off-guard.

It was a long trip across town in such a fashion, though, and it was a few hours before they finally reached the part of town that the many burned out, crumbling factories and refineries occupied. When they did, Jaune pulled the group to a stop, saying "Alright, if we're going to do this, we need a plan. Just trust me, charging in there without one won't be good at all. So, what's it going to be?"

Pyrrha gave Jaune a confused look, and asked "Don't you have a plan? I mean, if you don't, its fine, but I would have thought…" She let her voice trail off as Jaune gave her a knowing look. "Yes, I've got one, but I figure that Mr. Outlaw will want his say to go first."

Roman smirked, and gave Jaune a slightly surprised look. "Was "Mr. Outlaw" really the best you could do? I mean, I should think that I provide far more character flaws to make fun of then "outlaw". Neo-" he look to his companion "-am I really that dull?" The girl gave him a reassuring shake of the head, and he breathed a deep, fake sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I was worried there for a second." He let the mocking attitude fade, and looked back to Jaune, whose face was slowly turning a bright shade of red. "Oh loosen up, kid. If you're always so serious all the time, you'll give yourself a heart condition by the time you're thirty. Have a little fun every once in a while."

Jaune fixed Roman with a scornful gaze and said "This isn't something to joke about. This is us getting our friend back. Not that I'd expect you to get that, of course. You probably don't have any friends." The comment was obviously meant to invoke some emotional reaction from Roman, and it did, just likely not the one that Jaune had intended. Roman erupted into laughter, and said "You got me, kid. I'm actually a horribly depressed husk of a person. This is what a life of crime has reduced me to." He hung his head in mock-shame, and then looked to Neo again. "Right Neo? You actually hate me with a fiery passion, and you're just bound by a blood-pact to help me in everything that I do and act like you love me, right?"

Neo nodded again, this time looking right at Jaune, her expression containing much more than a simple agreement. He wasn't sure how he saw it, but somehow the girl's eyes seemed to convey both a joking familiarity, and a kind of probingly viciousness, like she was trying to see how much he could take.

He was about to speak some increasingly sharp words when Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder, and said softly "Jaune, calm down." He looked back at her, about to tell her harshly about why he needed to give them a piece of his mind, when he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. She was right, he needed to keep a level head.

Now breathing deeply, he looked back at the other two who were trying to provoke him. "Alright, look, either tell us your own plan, or listen to mine. Either way, Naze won't be happy if we fail."

This comment seemed to hit Roman at a much deeper level, and the smile faded slightly from his face. He cleared his throat with a cough, and then looked back to Jaune with an expectant expression. "Alright then, what's the plan, "Boss"?" He gave the last word an emphasis that Jaune didn't like, but he didn't react to it. That would only encourage the man.

"Alright, so the last time we found Nora, she was in a kind of nest with Ren, one of our other team members, with a bund of blankets and pillows and stuff. I don't know if she'll be in the same building, but even if she is I doubt either me or Pyrrha could find it. If she is doing the same this that she was before, she probably won't outright attack us. If that's the case, we should take to time to position ourselves carefully, and make sure that there's no way she can get past us." They all seemed to accept this as a base for their plan, and Pyrrha asked "What positions would those be?"

Jaune thought for a moment before asking Neo "How good are you at not being hit?" As soon as the question left his mouth, a smile stretched across Neo's face, and Roman started to laugh again. "Kid, you've got no idea. That's one of her specialties." Jaune didn't quite know what he meant by that, but it was good anyways. "Alright, do you think that you could hold Nora's attention while the rest of us do what we can to stop her?" Again, an amused expression came across both her and Roman's faces, and she nodded.

Jaune continued, ordering the formation in his head. "Good, so you'll be right up front. Your job is to keep her busy, not to do damage. If you can do both, great, but you don't need to. Pyrrha, you'll be the next closest. You have to lay down the hurt. I know It's going to be hard, doing this kind of thing to Nora, but it's the only way we can get her back." Pyrrha gave him a sad nod, indicating that she understood, and he shifted his gaze to Roman. "Now, are you any good at range?" Roman nodded, and held up his cane, a small targeting circle popped up off the bottom. Jaune could now see that the thing was hollow, and probably served as some kind of projectile weapon. Jaune didn't know what it could do, but given the look on Roman's face, it could do everything a wanted felon could need it to do. He supposed that was enough, and nodded. "Alright, you'll be the ranged support. Wherever you see an opportunity to do any damage without any friendly-fire, take a shot."

Roman smirked and nodded, apparently finding Jaune's mention of friendly-fire somehow amusing. Pyrrha stepped forwards before either Roman or Neo could say anything, and said "What will you be doing, Jaune? I mean, there isn't much you really can do because of her smell, but certainly you aren't just sitting back here." He knew that she didn't mean any insult, but there was some part of him that was insulted by the insinuation. He replied, saying "No, of course not. I'll be hanging around wherever she's most likely to run to. If we find her where she was last time, I'll be by the stairs, and try to give you enough time before she gets past me for you to catch her again."

The plan seemed solid enough that it could work, especially with the addition of the two experienced fighters, but there was still something about it that was off to Jaune. Something didn't feel right. He hadn't expected it to, he was trying to hunt someone who had been one of his closest friends. That didn't make it feel any less bizarre, almost surreal, to plan it out. Memories of having to plunge his blade into Nora's back in order to save Pyrrha were still fresh in his mind, and brought an uncomfortable twinge to his body. He didn't want to believe that it was his own sword that had punctured her spine, or his own hands that had driven the weapon, but that was a reality that he was simply going to have to accept.

He felt Pyrrha's warm hand on his shoulder again, and was jolted out of his thoughts. He came to the sudden realization that he had been staring off into nothingness for several seconds, and quickly started to bring himself back. "Uh, right, so we're good to go, right?" He had not meant to ask a single person when he asked, but he was looking directly at Pyrrha when he said it, so when she answered, he didn't mind. "Yes, we can go in anytime."

The look on her face betrayed that she was worried about him, but she didn't want this to show. Jaune appreciated that she was concerned, but would rather have her focus undivided on the mission at hand. They would need it, he had no doubt.

He swallowed down one particularly hard lump in his throat, and said in as solid a voice as he could manage, "Alright, let's go then."

Mustering all of the strength from inside himself that he could, Jaune stepped into the ash and dust covered district of town that had died before his birth, leaving its skeleton behind, a sprawl of decrepit concrete and rusting rebar. Somewhere in there was Nora, and he wasn't going to fail this time. He was going to bring her back.

Ruby had tried very hard not to let it show that she had been crying, but she felt that her efforts were in vain. Yang was the only one who was really treating her normally, Blake and Weiss seemed to be acting carefully around her in a way that she hadn't seen since the fallout of Yang's death.

She didn't like it. She felt like she was being treated like one of those creepy porcelain dolls. She didn't like those dolls, either, so being treated like one was extra weird. She was getting ice-cream though, which did make it a little better. It was odd of Weiss to suggest something like this, but Ruby certainly wasn't going to complain about it. She was going to complain about the weirdness that she was being treated with, though.

She dropped her spoon back into the now empty bowl purposefully, making a series of loud clinks against the smooth dish. Her friends looked back up at her in surprise, and like they were expecting something. Yang in particular grinned and said "Ruby, if you never slow down when you're eating that stuff, you're going to get brain freeze every time."

Ruby looked blankly back at her sister for a few seconds, the remark totally distracting her from what she had been about to say. Then, and she realized that Yang was probably referring to the two or three times earlier that Ruby had stopped eating to clutch her head and make an odd noise somewhere between humming and growling while pushing her tongue against the roof of her mouth, trying to warm it. She didn't really know if that would help the resounding pain, but she'd heard that it did.

She shook her head, and said "No, no, not that! I want to know what's up with you guys! It's like you all are walking on eggshells again. I don't like feeling like I have to be careful, or that you have to be careful around me. So what's up?"

Her question hung in the air for a few moments, during which Blake and Weiss looked to Yang with expressions that seemed to be asking permission. Ruby also looked at her sister, but with a more puzzled expression. Yang shrugged, and said "Go ahead." In a dismissive tone, prompting both Weiss and Blake to look back to Ruby with slightly tentativeness. "Well, Ruby, we…" Weiss started out, but it was clear by the way that her voice tapered off that she didn't know how to explain. Blake picked up where she left off, though, and said "We saw you crying back at the room, and walked back out. We didn't want to intrude into a fragile moment or anything, so we went back into the hall, and waited for a few minutes out there. We figured that since you were crying, there was something wrong."

Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. "You saw that?" She asked in a slightly quavering voice. She didn't mind too much that they had unintentionally intruded on a moment like that, but it did upset her a little that they wanted to hide that from her. If there was a problem, she wanted to know. Weiss nodded, then reached across the table for Ruby's hand. The gesture of affection was somewhat alien to the Schnee, but she was able to accomplish it without too much trouble. Her hands were warm in comparison to Ruby's, but Ruby had been holding her bowl whereas Weiss had let hers rest on the table. "You know that if there is something bothering you, you can tell us."

The caring words didn't seem to be entirely right coming from her usually cold partner, but that only made them more touching. Ruby felt the blood rush back into her face, and her cheeks burn red as a result. She spoke again, pulling her hand away from Weiss's, trying not to sound as awkward as she felt in correcting them. "You know, guys, I was crying, but I wasn't sad. I was actually really happy, because Yang told me something amazing."

Both of the others were surprised by this, and at the mention of Yang's involvement, looked over at her with inquisitive expressions. Yang shook her head and put her hands up helplessly. "Sorry girls, I can't say. Only Ruby was allowed to be told because she's my sis, and it kind of pertains to her a lot more directly. I really want to tell you, but I can't." Weiss and Blake looked slightly offended, in spite of their efforts to not, and Yang instantly tried to make them feel better about it. "But don't worry! You won't have to wait long to find out what it is. It's going to happen real soon, and things are going to get a lot better after. I can't say any more than that. I really want to, but I can't. You know, undead business."

Both of them nodded, the signs of being insulted fading. There was nothing to be done it was undead business. It did remind them that Yang wasn't quite how she had been before, though. Now she worked in the service of a lord that they knew nearly nothing about, and for goals that she wasn't allowed to share. It was slightly disconcerting to say the least. But they still knew that it was Yang they were dealing with, that much hadn't changed. They could always be confident that she would never betray them, so they trusted her on this matter as well.

Ruby looked at Yang again, and said "Can I tell them? I mean, you know that they won't tell anyone if you tell them not to." Yang shook her head again, saying "Ruby, I know you're excited about it, but the answer is still no. I'd rather stay on the safe side of this one than take a risk. It's not because I don't trust you guy's-" she looked at her other teammates "-but you know, top secret." She placed a finger to her lips and made a low hushing noise jokingly. This did prompt a few smiles, but Ruby still felt a little wrong about keeping a secret like that from her closest friends. She knew that Yang had to feel the same way, but if the reason she wasn't talking was really so important that Yang wasn't going to try so much as to subvert it, she knew that it was probably best to drop it.

Blake looked back to Ruby and said "Well, in any case, we're sorry that we made you feel awkward. We will try to not let it happen in the future." Ruby smiled at this, and happily went back to her ice-cream, shoveling spoonfuls of the stuff into her mouth with vigor.

Yang watched as her friends started to go back to their frozen treats, happy that they were enjoying themselves. She looked at the bright colors of the stuff not just in their bowls, but all around the shop. She wished that she could taste again. She hadn't tasted anything since she had died, and it had never occurred to her much until now how much she utterly missed the sensation. Technically, she could still taste things, the nerves in her tongue still worked, but it wasn't the same. She couldn't get the same feeling from it. It wasn't something that she felt would make the next however many years she worked for Naze unbearable, but watching her sister and friends enjoy their treats was certainly a little unpleasant without being able to join in.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, considering them somewhat childish. So what if she couldn't have any of the ice-cream? Ruby was happy, and that was more than enough for her. She sat back in her seat, just taking the time to admire her sister's antics. Ruby was putting spoonful after spoonful into her mouth, before dropping the spoon on the table and putting her hands to her forehead, making a muffled squealing sound. Blake looked like she couldn't care less, and Weiss gave her partner an incredulous look. "Really? I would have thought that after so many…"

Yang let Weiss berate her sister over something as small as this. It was kind of funny, and Ruby didn't seem to be learning her lesson. As Weiss let Ruby know just how foolish she was, and Ruby continued to put ice-cream in her mouth as Weiss explained, Yang's thoughts drifted to Summer Rose.

Ruby had been too young to remember her, but Yang had gotten to know her very well. She was a better mother than she could have ever asked for, and simply seemed to know how to deal with children, maintaining a graceful composure and perfect compassion the whole time. Yang didn't have a single bad memory about her. But what would she be like now?

She hoped very dearly that Summer had remained unchanged for all of those years, but from what she had learned about dying from those back at the ziggurat, death had a way of changing people. She hadn't experienced any of it, because she was given power from Naze almost immediately after dying, but Summer would have had to experience the gradual decay, and slip into the void. That could have done any number of things, from make her a depressed, hopeless person, draining the happiness from her, or she could have fought tooth-and-nail to stay, which would turn her bitter and angry. She very sincerely hoped that the woman who had raised her had not succumb to either of these. It would be a horrible shame if she had.

Yang tried to picture the woman in her head. She had always worn a cape, a bit like Ruby's, and her hair was about the same kind of red and black that Ruby's was. Ruby took after her in almost every way, now that Yang thought about it. She didn't have Taiyang's muscled build like Yang did, nor the brazen and outgoing personality. Especially not the personality. No, Ruby was much more introverted, but once you got her to open up, she was every bit as insane as the rest of them. Maybe even a little more.

Even with all that knowledge, however, Yang still didn't know how Ruby would react if it turned out that Summer was changed somehow, not the perfect and pristine maternal figure Yang had always made her out to be. She sighed to herself, knowing that all the worrying in the world wouldn't affect the outcome of the question. Either Summer was or she wasn't, it was that simple.

Yang remembered something else, from when she and Ruby had been children, eating dinner or something, Yang didn't recall the specifics of the situation. It was her sister's words that stuck out to her. She had asked "Yang, where is mom?"

She had tried to explain as gently as she could that their mother was dead, but Ruby wouldn't believe it. She kept insisting and insisting that Summer had to just be out there, either doing something, or waiting for the right time to come back. Yang had explained it off as the tireless workings of the toddler's mind, she had been much the same way, but now that she thought about it, she kind of doubted that Ruby had ever outgrown that belief. All the times that she had visited Summer's grave didn't necessarily mean that she'd accepted it. After all, no corpse had ever been found.

But what could be strong enough to take Summer down? Yang had never really seen her fight. At least, not any battle where she had to really let loose, but she had heard stories about it, and apparently it was something scary when she did. A fighter nothing short of ferocious, and cunning to the nth degree. She had been on a solo mission, and those were far more dangerous than normal ones, but still, what could have possibly overcome her talents? Whatever it was, Yang had the feeling that she would see it before she was finished working for Naze.

There was no sense hurrying towards that, though. It would happen when it happened, and she needed not to dwell on it. Patience was a valuable thing to have, especially for one undead such as her.

When Penny realized that Ironwood had been absent all day, she felt a great deal of worry for the man. It was very unusual for her to go a full day without seeing him, he usually made it a point to pay her a visit at least once every twenty four hours. This, in combination with the recent increase of military activity that she had seen on the news not just in Vale, but in every kingdom, made her worry even more. It was obvious that there was something very bad happening, but no one would tell her what it was, and all she wanted to do was help.

She had tried to sneak her way to Ironwood's private room, but had found that the hall was quite heavily guarded, with at least ten men standing between her and the door. She was asked to leave, and had done so without much of a struggle. She already knew that it would do no good.

Now she sat in the lab, in the same chair that she always seemed to find herself back in. A massive computer hung above her, built into the ceiling, and people bustled around, asking each other questions in tones too hushed for Penny to make out. Wires and cords in the back of her head made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but she knew that they had to be there. The last time she had been seated like this, she had lost the ability to dream.

It had been explained to her that the program that had given her this ability had taken a sudden and unexpected turn, endangering her. That was why it had to be removed. Luckily enough, she could still remember the dreams that she'd had. They were so strange, and seemed to make little sense. She had been told that they would be random, but why, then, did they have enough structure to be cohesive experiences? It was something that she had abandoned hope on figuring out, as none of those she had asked had been able to explain even their own dreams with any degree of certainty. Perhaps dreams really were just inexplicable.

But none of that helped her with the situation at hand. She wanted to help, or to at least know what was going on, and she was being denied that at every turn. It was aggravating, to say the least. Penny had never felt the urge to inflict harm on another without first being attacked herself, or seeing one of her friends be attacked, but the lack of information was the thing that had brought her closest to feeling that urge.

She even got the feeling that her friends were hiding things from her, although she had said nothing about it. When she had asked Ruby about certain things, her heart rate had quickened, her eyes had dilated, and she had started to sweat just a little. These were classic signals of lies, but Penny didn't know why she might be lying.

It seemed that the only one who was perfectly upfront with her was Naze. He had been honest with everything she had asked him about, even telling her that he was undead. She appreciated that more than anything else he had done. She wished that she could talk to him now, and get a straight answer as to exactly what was happening, assuming that he knew.

She remembered he had spoken through a ghostly figure, and wondered if that figure was still around. She recalled having to look very hard to see it, and her eyes weren't looking that hard now as she sat in the chair. She intensified her visual scans and started to look around the room. It wasn't more than a few seconds that someone behind her took notice of what she was doing and asked in a puzzled and, if she was reading she tone correctly, a hint of wariness, "What are you doing, Penny?"

They could see her thoughts, the layers upon layers of algorithms and code that served to replace what she didn't have naturally, when she was plugged in like this, but they had to analyze them for some time to tell what all of that really meant. It was simpler to just ask her what she was doing then stare at a screen for tens of minutes just to decipher a single moment of thought.

"Just looking around." Came her innocent response. It wasn't a lie, It really was what she was doing. It was simply what she was looking for that she wasn't going to tell them. She heard the man lean slightly to peer at the screen that shared her eye's vision, then say "Alright, you just tell us if you find anything weird, alright?" His voice sounded somewhat sarcastic, but Penny nodded as much as she could with the cables and said "Alright, I will!"

That one was a bit of a lie. The shades that Naze could communicate through were certainly weird, but she wouldn't be telling them if she did find one. She felt bad about it, they had done nothing that made them deserve being lied to, but then again, neither had she. Her eyes flicked around the room for a while, before finally coming to rest on a dark corner from which two bright orbs were staring back at her, gaseous body crouched in the darkness. She only saw it for a second before it receded back into the wall, but that was enough to reassure her that she would be able to speak with him once she was alone.

She wasn't the only one to notice the shade, though. The man behind her who had asked her what she was doing seemed to be surprised for a moment before hurriedly hitting a few keys and saying "Uh, Penny, did you just see something?" She shook her head, movement again restricted by the cords, and said "No, why?"

The man made a long, drawn out hissing sound through his teeth before calling to one of the others around the room, saying "Hey, Em, come look at this." The woman's footsteps approached the source of the man's voice, and she gasped in surprise. "What is that?" She asked incredulously. He responded by saying "Hell if I know." Then took a few steps over to where Penny was sitting, squatting slightly so that his eyes were at the same level as hers. He wasn't looking at her, like Penny thought he would be, but rather in the direction of the corner. He stared for a few moments before shaking his head and turning back to look at her. "You're sure you didn't see anything?" She nodded resolutely, and the man let out a heavy sigh before standing back up and walking back to his screens, patting Penny on the shoulder as he went. He said "Alright, kiddo." To her, then immediately started talking to the woman, saying "What is that, do you think? She says she didn't see anything, but look. Right there, like eyes." The sound of their talking covered up the sound of her hiccup. She heard the man shiver a moment, then ask "Could it be some kind of glitch? You'd think it would just corrupt the image, but…" His voice faded away, and then he turned back to Penny, saying "Alright, we're going to get you out of there." Penny smiled, happy that she was going to get to talk to Naze sooner rather than later. She did feel slightly guilty for betraying their trust, but she needed to know what was going on.

The cables were undone, and she was soon on her feet again, walking away from the large room that housed the computer used to analyze all of the data that she generated. It was like an all-in-one medical device for a human or Faunus. The elevator back into the main structure of the building that she had called home slid down, and the doors slid open smoothly. She stepped inside, and the doors slid shut behind her as the small box started to ascend. Before the elevator even reached the top of the shaft, a dark figure rose through the floor, coming to rest next to Penny, looking at her in a way that seemed to portray supernatural focus.

"You desired to speak?" The voice that spoke the words was like nails on a chalkboard, and Penny knew that it would probably be a most unpleasant sound for anyone else to hear, but she was able to endure it. "Naze, I want you to be honest with me."

The figure starred back at her for a moment, eyes drilling through her and picking her apart, before making a small nodding motion. "Of course, Penny. What is it you wish to know?"

Penny seemed slightly daunted by the scope of the question, but started to answer anyways. "I want to know what's making Ironwoo-" her voice was cut off when the doors to the elevator opened, revealing another man in a lab coat on his way down to the computer room. He looked down at her, smiling, and said "Hello, Penny."

Penny nodded back, saying "Hello." Before walking out, watching as the shade floated right past the man. He went into the elevator, and the doors closed, sinking him down to his goal. The shade retook its position next to her, and said "You were saying?"

She recalled where she had been and picked up from there. "-What's making Ironwood so nervous. I know that there is going to be a fight, but with what? And how can I help?" her question was punctuated with one of the saddest expressions that she could muster, and by her shoulders sagging down as if the weight of her desire to help was physical.

The shade hovered in the air for a second before replying "The treat that not only Ironwood faces, but the world at large does, is that of demonic incursion. There are currently no forces that are equipped to efficiently deal with this, and the number of people strong enough to combat this is minimal. Hunters and Huntresses are the only individuals with the will strong enough to repel this attack." Penny's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. This was very bad. If Hunters and Huntresses were the only ones who could stand in their way, which meant that there was a precious small number of troops that might be able to make a difference. It also meant that Ruby might find herself fighting in this fight which, if as dangerous as it sounded, could end very badly. She didn't want Ruby to get hurt.

The shade continued, saying "As for the second question, I am not familiar enough with your abilities to accurately assess how much of an asset you might be in the battlefield. Are you a competent fighter?" Penny nodded eagerly. She was more than competent, she had defeated every foe she had come against ever since she had exited her testing phase. If she could lend her blades to a cause like saving the world, like she was meant to do, it would be a wonderful thing.

"Good, good." The shade said, voice not having softened at all. "Yet Ironwood would likely not allow you to enter a battle so dangerous. You would have to do so against his will, and he would do all in his power to bring you back." Penny knew that was true as well. She loved Ironwood, he was her friend, but he was overprotective of her. She wanted to go out and help save the world, but he wouldn't let her so long as he had any say in the final decision. Maybe it was time that she took the decisions about her own future into her own hands. It was natural for any biological child to seek their independence after maturing, and she had done a fair amount of that. Maybe, then, it was time to take the offer that Naze had made a significant time ago.

As if preempting her thoughts, the shade said "You recall what I told you about freeing you from him, I assume. If you wish me to, say the word, and you will be allowed to do battle under me, or to contribute to the combat as you see fit. The process would be quick, and Ironwood could remain uninformed, if you wish. The decision is yours."

Penny was about to speak when the heavy footfalls of armored boots started to clack against the floor not too far away, and a guard rounded the corner, walking slowly. It didn't look like he was doing anything in particular, merely patrolling the halls. He gave Penny an odd look, likely having heard her voice earlier as she talked, then turned and walked the other way, continuing his patrol.

Penny started to walk to where she knew there would be more privacy, her room, she motioned for the shade to follow, and it did, whisking silently across the floor behind her. Once they reached her room, the door shut behind them, and Penny rounded back on the shade. "I want to help, but I don't want to leave him. He cares about me, and he wants the best for me. I want to ask him first, and if he says no, then I might go with you. Is that alright?"

The shade bowed its head again, and said "As you wish." Before seeming to fade out of existence. Penny was left alone in her room with nothing but her thoughts.