Pearls on a String

Volume 2

Chapter 23: Renegades

En Route To Atlas

Monday Evening

Beryl fidgeted in her seat, eyeing the distant water flowing past the window at breakneck speeds with a certain amount of trepidation. It was, she thought wanly, somewhat justified.

They were hurtling across the sea towards Atlas in a long-range Bulldog to assault the residence of the CEO of the biggest corporation on Remnant. Just the four of them, herself and three people she couldn't afford to lose.

How in Oum's name am I gonna be able to protect them all?

Said Bulldog, of course, had taken a certain amount of fast-talking charm from Pip to appropriate. It helped that they'd just brought Team PERL back from a raid on a Vacuo base. Also, the lack of any communications due to the appropriation of the CCT tower signal by Malachite gave some credence to the emergency flight they needed to undertake.

Pip might have glossed over the fact that said flight was not, in fact, authorized.

The blue-haired girl turned to glance around the cabin where her teammates rested. Pip and Lustre were leaning up against each other, peacefully catching up on the sleep they'd all been denied over the past two days. Evie was curled up on her side with her head in Beryl's lap, in a position that would have been incredibly uncomfortable for anyone other than a Cat Faunus.

She kept her gaze on her girlfriend, reaching over to gently run her hands through her raven tresses.

Dust, how I love this girl… I can't let anything happen to you, Evie, I nearly died when you almost got trapped underground… What would I ever do if I truly lost you?

"You're thinking very hard," Evie murmured, her eyes still closed. "And they're all bad thoughts. So stop it."

Beryl chuckled lightly. "Oh, you can tell that with your eyes closed, huh?"

"Yep," she replied smugly, finally peering up with her brilliant sapphire orbs that Beryl felt she could stare into for hours at a time. Had done so, actually. "You also grind your teeth when you're worried."

She consciously unclenched her jaw, though she hadn't noticed the tension before. Without saying anything, she kept stroking her girlfriend's hair and gazing down at her affectionately.

"It'll be alright, sweetie," Evie whispered, still facing her. "We're a kickass team, and nobody's expecting this."

"Well, to be fair, it's a pretty insane plan," Beryl snickered, her dark mood slowly lifting just from her girlfriend's presence.

"Those always seem to work for us, though," Evie quipped back. She shot a glance over to their other two teammates before sitting upright and linking her hands behind Beryl's neck. "Now, do you perhaps need a little more distraction from your worries?"

"Need? No," Beryl grinned as she leaned in towards Evie's inviting lips. "Want? Oh, most definitely…"

Some time later they were interrupted by the pilot's notification of their approaching target. Both Pip and Lustre groaned while sitting upright and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. In Pip's case, she had to wipe the customary line of drool from her face as well.

The blonde stood to stretch but stopped in mid-motion, glaring at the pair seated across from her. "Did you two get any rest, or were you smackin' lips the whole flight?"

'I rested!" Evie protested, trying to be unobtrusive as she wiped her mouth off with her sleeve.

"It's true, though, kissing her is very relaxing," Beryl giggled, earning her a lighthearted smack of Evie's tail across her nose.

"Oum, you two," Lustre sighed affectionately. "Were you at least able to get Beryl to cease in her brooding?"

"I don't… brood," Beryl muttered.

"Oh, babe, yes you do," Pip snarked. "You worry too much."

"Actually, I think I do just the right amount of worrying," Beryl retorted as she gathered her shield and weapon. "We don't even know for sure if he's gonna be home, and we don't know the layout of the place, or the security forces…"

"Well, I might be able to assuage some of that," Lustre replied calmly. "I copied the layout of the Schnee mansion before we left the library."

"What? We could've been studying that!" Beryl protested.

Evie cleared her throat. "We were supposed to be resting," she chided gently.

"Oh, right."

"In any case," Lustre continued, "I have the plans memorized already. I shall guide us up to his study, which is where his safe room is located. As far as opposition goes, Damian is famous for relying primarily on non-sentient guards."

"Androids? Excellent," Pip grinned. "No need to hold back any."

"They are likely to be more advanced models, however," Lustre reminded the team leader. "Now, as to whether Damian Schnee himself is there, I believe it is a fairly high probability. Communications are down for everyone else, but if he is involved as we suspect then he should also be allowed to stay in the loop, as it were. And since the communications of all the office buildings are tied through a central switchboard…"

"...Then everyone in the company would know something fishy is going on," Beryl finished for her partner with a grin. "Hence, at the mansion. I'm guessing it has its own interface?"

"Precisely," Lustre said with a return grin. "Any further questions?"

"What's Beryl's favorite food?" Evie asked quite seriously.

"Chocolate brownies, though she will never admit to it," Lustre replied just as solemnly.

"Good to know, thanks."

Beryl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are we done here?"

"Actually," Pip mused. "I do have some questions about how much longer it's gonna take for the two of you-"

"Let me rephrase that!" Beryl shouted irritably. "We are done here!"

"Spoilsport," the blonde grinned. "Alright then, ladies, let's gear up and go deliver a smackdown on some rich snob."

"One word of caution, if I may," Lustre interjected as they stood. "I am unsure whether or not Damian's sister, Frost, shall be there. She graduated from Atlas Academy some time ago but then dropped from sight. Rumor has it she is part of the family organization, but it is unconfirmed."

"Right," Pip stated confidently. "Android guards and one potential hunter-level threat. What about golden boy?"

"He has had no training. So far as I was able to determine he does not even possess the family semblance."

"Good," Evie grinned. "Then he'll crack easily."

"We're, um… we're not gonna actually beat him up, are we?" Beryl asked worriedly.

"Nah, maybe just rough him up a bit if he won't talk," Pip replied nonchalantly. "Hopin' it won't come to that."

With that, the pilot gave them a ten second warning as the side door opened. Beryl peeked her head out, squinting against the wind to spy a looming manor, at least three stories high and sprawling, coming up fast. The Bulldog dove down to tree level in deference to Pip's less-than-stellar aura levels, and then the four of them were spilling out the door.

Immediately upon hitting the snow-covered ground, they were engaged in combat as the perimeter android guards attacked. Bright beams of hard-light weaponry whizzed by them, clanging off of Beryl' shield as she crouched.

A quick flick of her wrist changed Shashka into a carbine, and she returned fire. Her brow furrowed as an approaching silhouette took three hits until it fell.

"Takes more to bring them down!" she shouted over her shoulder. "Evie? Where you at?"

Her gaze swung to the side as her girlfriend appeared, crouching and with an eager grin on her face. "Oh, you know, here and there, sweetie." With that she blinked away again, reappearing on the flanks of the advancing guards. A concussive blast from Dao sent them sprawling, and actually tore the closer ones apart.

"I love you, even if you are a smartass!" Beryl cheerfully sang out, directing her fire to the ones now struggling to regain their footing.

"Beryl, duck!"

She reflexively dropped into a side roll at the sound of Pip's voice, avoiding the slash from an android just in time.

"Stealthy for a hunk of metal," she grumbled, shooting to her feet and slamming Dahl into the droid. Her other hand was changing her weapon back into a sword, and quickly plunged it into its torso before it could follow up its strike.

Once her opponent was down, she turned to see who else needed help. Lustre was just finishing off a pair of androids, her staff knocking both of their heads clean off of their torsos with one swing, while Pip was braced on one knee and firing up at the roof of the mansion.

"Okay," the blonde reported, rising to her feet. "Roof guards taken care of. How we looking?"

"Clear," Beryl reported tersely, her head swivelling around to search for the girlfriend.

She grinned when she felt a quick peck on her cheek. "Clear," Evie stated as she slipped her arm around Beryl's shoulders.

"I am clear as well," Lustre answered, striding up with her staff across her shoulder. "We should move in soon. I shall take us to the staff entrance, it is likely not as guarded."

They moved as a coordinated group, Beryl in front with Evie and Pip on her heels. Lustre brought up the rear as usual, calling out directions as they neared the mansion.

The blue-haired girl pulled to a stop outside what looked to be a regular-sized door, bordered by an empty parking lot and guarded by a keypad lock.

"Lustre, you wanna use your patented picklocking ability?" Beryl smirked.

"What's this, now?" Pip asked curiously. "You guys pick up some new skills?"

"Oh, yeah, very high-tech," Evie giggled.

"I am not certain it will work here, but I suppose I will give it a try," Lustre commented. She stepped forward and blew out the lock with her staff. There was no change to the door. "Ah, well. Other ideas?"

Pip snorted humorously. "Yeah, real elegant there. Evie, all yours, babe."

The Cat Faunus grinned and stepped forward, flicking a switch on her scimitar. She brought it swinging overhand straight down, blowing the door inwards off of its hinges and blasting into a group of androids waiting for them.

"Nothing personal, Lustre, but I think I like Evie's entry method better," Beryl grinned, striding forward with her shield raised.

"It certainly has more flair," the silver-haired girl agreed. She opened fire down the hallway they'd entered, taking out another pair of android reinforcements. "Though, I would opine that they are aware of our entry point by now."

"Well, that just saves us the time of running them all down," Pip quipped. Her sniper rifle was to her shoulder, though she didn't bother with the scope at this range. The higher caliber bullets from her gun would shatter the heads of androids with one satisfying hit.

As they advanced forward steadily, it did seem as if a veritable army of non-sentient guards were occupying the mansion. Mechanical limbs, electrical wiring, and other chassis remains littered the floor as they headed through the hallways and up the staircase of a grandiose foyer that stretched the full three stories.

Halfway up they almost got pinned down by a coordinated assault from above and below them, were it not for the maneuverability of half of their team. Lustre raced down the stairs, using her momentum to bowl over the advancing androids, while Evie blinked back and forth along the top stairs and balcony, shredding the opposition while Pip and Beryl provided cover fire.

"You know what?" Pip asked idly as they resumed their trek upwards. "I don't think these new models are that much of an improvement over the older ones we fought."

"Well, they're tougher," Beryl commented.

"But no greater capability," Lustre added.

Evie gave a small thoughtful hum. "I wonder if there's money to be made in android testing?"

Pip let out an amused snort as she changed Odachi Dahlia into a greatsword once more. "Well, if he's in a talkative mood, you could always ask Damian." She glanced at a heavy wooden door at the top of the staircase. "So this is it, then?"

Lustre nodded. "Indeed."

"Alright then…" She reached forward and tentatively tested the handle. It turned easily.

"Okay, I've seen enough vids to know what happens next," Beryl murmured, hefting her sword in readiness.

Evie nodded. "Boss fight?"

"Boss fight. Maybe Frost Schnee?"

"Guess we're gonna find out," Pip stated. They spread out to either side of the door before Pip gave it a push inwards. The four girls paused a moment, but no attack was forthcoming.

"Well, are you going to remain out in the hallway all day?" a feminine voice called out. It was fairly high-pitched, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, her tone of voice was somewhat welcoming, if not downright amused.

Pip gave a shrug and turned the corner, sword in hand but not held up aggressively, while the others spread out behind her and into a room that could have hosted a ballroom dance. Instead, it was lined with bookshelves, overstuffed chairs, and reading lamps.

At the far end stood a slender woman a little shorter than Lustre. Her white hair was chin-length and similar to Beryl's in style, though she held it away from her face with silver hairclips. She wore an abbreviated short-sleeved white jacket over what seemed to be a tube top, a skirt, and heeled combat boots, the entire ensemble in a matching color. A sword was belted to her side, though at this distance it was difficult to tell the type of it just from the hilt.

"So, these are the best our competitors can come up with?" she asked amusedly, shaking her head as she made a tsking sound. "I mean, you made quick work of the droid guards, but still. I'd have thought after the last few times they'd have learned their lesson. So who sent you this time?"

Pip looked around at her friends blanky. "Um, Frost, is it? I'm not sure who you're talking about, but we're from Beacon. Well," she amended hastily, "we're not here representing Beacon, that is… See, we need to talk to Damian."

Frost quirked an eyebrow. "I realize the CCT is down, but appointments are still made in civilized society."

"Yeah, I don't think what your brother is involved in is all that civilized, really," Pip answered sarcastically.

"My brother is involved in many things," Frost retorted, her cheeks flushing. "He has to do much to ensure the survivability of our family's company, and I do not have to justify his actions to the likes of you."

"The likes of me?" Pip retorted angrily. "What, am I that far beneath you, Princess?"

"Princess?" Frost bristled, her hand clenching over her sword. "I'll show you 'Princess', you uncouth lout…"

"Whelp, here we go," Beryl sighed as their opponent drew her sword. Pip hefted hers eagerly, waiting for the white-haired woman to make her move, though Lustre quickly stepped out in front of her.

"Is that Myrtenaster?" she asked.

Frost paused, having pushed a foot back in preparation of launching herself into battle. "Er… yes?"

"The legendary sword of Weiss Schnee," Lustre continued, a faint smile on her face.

"Yes, that's right," Frost stood upright, all thoughts of combat gone. "How do you know about this? It's a family heirloom…"

"We have studied the exploits of Team Ruby for some time," Lustre explained as she walked forward.

Pip glanced at the others incredulously. "What is she doing?" she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"I don't know just go with it!" Evie murmured back quickly.

"You see, we had the honor of coming under the very brief mentorship of Ruby Rose," Lustre continued, walking forward until she was a few feet away from the confused-looking huntress.

"Ruby Rose?" Frost exclaimed excitedly. "Aunt Weiss' partner!"

"Indeed. She showed us a picture once of her old team, I do recall seeing her partner. In fact," Lustre smiled at her gently. "You look very similar to her, save for the hair length."

Frost looked down at her feet, blushing lightly. "Yes, I could never let it grow out, it would always get in the way of combat…" She sighed and looked back up at Lustre. "Aunt Weiss meant the world to me, she was my idol. She died when I was pretty young still."

Lustre nodded, a warm smile on her face. "I can see that you respected her greatly, enough to carry on her legacy with her chosen weapon at your side."

"Thank you," Frost whispered. "Not… everyone gets that."

"Perhaps not even your brother?"

"No… definitely not Damian." She sighed. "Still, he's my older brother, and all we have left of the family for now."

Lustre nodded solemnly. "Does that justify following him blindly, though?"

The huntress' face stilled. "What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

"I mean this deal with Malachite. You do realize he is the cause of all the death and destruction currently underway, do you not?"

"I…" Frost glanced behind her at what appeared to be a normally-concealed heavy steel door, now uncovered by the bookcase that had been slid aside. "He is my brother," she could only murmur desperately.

Lustre glanced over her shoulder. "You have met Pip, I believe? I apologize for her antagonistic ways, we have grown accustomed to them by now."

"Hey!" Pip protested weakly.

"In any case," Lustre continued softly. "She is my sister by a bond stronger than blood. I care very deeply for her." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Malachite hurt her, very badly. Do you know what he has done to the Grimm?"

Frost nodded, her eyes wide and clearly dreading Lustre's next words.

"He did the same to her," the silver-haired girl said levelly. "Almost killed her. Even now, if she did not take her medication, she would likely die. He did, however, kill her boyfriend in front of her using the same methods."

Frost's ice-blue eyes switched over to Pip, a look of horror now in them. "I'm… I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"This is what Malachite is capable of," Lustre continued relentlessly. "I do not know what he has promised you or your brother, but it will not come to pass. He is a madman, and he means to destroy the world."

Pip, Beryl, and Evie shared a glance as the white-haired huntress visibly wavered. They remained as motionless as possible otherwise, not willing to break the spell that Lustre seemed to have woven over the other woman.

Finally Frost hesitantly opened her mouth again. "What… is your name?"

"I am Lustre Bijou. Behind me are my teammates, Pip Cerise, Evie Black, and Beryl."

Frost nodded wanly to them in turn. "Well, Lustre… I cannot allow you to kill my brother."

"We do not wish to kill him, merely question him. We need to know where Malachite is now so that he may be stopped."

Frost nodded again, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. She glanced up at Lustre suddenly. "Weren't you a finals entrant in the Vytal Tournament?"

"Indeed, I was."

"Hmm. So was I during my time in Atlas. Didn't win it either, much to the dissatisfaction of dear old grandpa…" Frost seemed to make up her mind suddenly. "I have stipulations."

Lustre nodded agreeably, still serving as the team's spokesperson in this instance. "Very well."

"No harm must come to my brother. I understand if… if this gets out he will need to answer for what he has done… but that should be to the authorities."

Lustre glanced over her shoulder, receiving nods from her three teammates. "Agreed."

"And… when you confront Malachite… I want to be there."

Lustre started slightly in surprise, but quickly nodded. "Absolutely. And if I may… You aunt would be proud of you."

"Well... " Frost sighed as she tucked her sword away and turned towards the steel door. "I'm afraid I've been a bit of a letdown, putting my family ahead of what I knew to be right… but perhaps I can still make amends."

"It is never too late for redemption," Lustre agreed.

Frost typed a string of numbers into the pad, causing it to open with a hiss of hydraulics. "Damian, come out please."

"Have you dealt with those pests already?" a voice preceded the man they had been looking for. He paused in the doorway, the ice-blue eyes that matched his sister's glittering dangerously. "Oh, Frost," he murmured. "I am most disappointed in you."

"As am I in you, brother," she replied softly. "I have someone you should meet."

"What, from these four children?" he scoffed haughtily. "What could someone like them possibly offer to reconcile this blatant betrayal of our family?"

Pip stepped forward, determination blazing in her coral eyes. "Does the phrase 'Phase Two' mean anything to you?"

His posture stiffened ever so slightly before turning back to his sister. "You are no real Schnee if you submit to this," he snarled. "What about all the sacrifices we have made, hmm? Everything we have done-"

"Does not atone for what Malachite is doing," Frost interrupted him sadly.

He let out a huff as he turned back to look down his nose at the invading team. "So, I'm to guess you're looking for Lord Malachite?" he sneered. "Please. You are beneath me and a waste of my time. Be off with you."

Pip calmly walked over to him until she was within arm's reach. "What, you don't think we could make you talk?"

"Ha! You know you cannot touch me. Don't you realize who I am, what I could do to you or those you love?"

The blonde nodded slowly. "Yeah, suppose I can see how all this power could go to that pointy little head of yours…" She leaned towards him slightly, and the deadly smirk on her face caused his sneer to falter somewhat. "Do you wanna take a guess as to what Malachite did to me? I'll give you a hint, it has to do with that little phrase I said earlier…"

At that, his eyes widened slightly as his facade began to crack, but it still wasn't enough to get him to submit.

"Ah, so you do know what they did to me," she purred. Beryl exchanged a glance with Evie, unused to her taking such a dark tone.

"Now, I have one more question for you," Pip continued, her voice dropping even further. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to burn from the inside out?"

She slowly raised her hand up, reaching out to Damian's arm. Frost made a small move from behind him as if to object, but Lustre stepped over and shook her head, whispering urgently into her ear.

Damian eyed the hand as it approached, unable to hide the tremors running through his body.

"I could show you, if you like," the blonde whispered, her voice dripping with eagerness. She clamped down onto his arm, and Beryl could see her shoulders tensing up, evidently struggling to conjure up her semblance past the aura blockers. It must have at least worked enough to warm his arm, as he let out a frantic yelp and jumped back nervously, but Pip's grip remained firm.

"Alright, alright! I'll give you the coordinates to his base here!" he shouted, his eyes wide and panicky.

The blonde removed her hand, her muscles visibly relaxing. "There, now, was that so hard?" she smirked.

As visibly shaken as he looked, he was back in control after the coordinates had been input into Lustre's scroll, his sneer firmly in place, though this time it was directed at Frost.

"And just like that, you abandon me," he said in a bitingly patronizing tone. "You own brother. The only family you have left."

Frost sighed as she gazed down on the floor. "I made a promise, brother of mine," she murmured. "I promised first to mother, and then to our grandfather, that I would always look out for you before anything else." She glanced up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't believe they would have reconciled with what you've done here, though."

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "I've done much worse, all in the name of protecting our company, our legacy! And don't sully my own achievements with that doddering old-" He cut himself off suddenly, clamping his mouth shut with an audible click.

Frost stood motionless, her eyes dancing about Damian's face as if she were thinking very hard about something.

"Um, Frost?" Pip asked hesitantly. "Miss Schnee? We really should get going soon…"

She took a faltering step forward in her brother's direction, her lower lip trembling. "Damian," she whispered. "What have you done?"

Damian's eyes were a little wild, flickering between his sister and, oddly enough, Pip.

Unwilling to waste any more time, but also cognizant of the need to placate their new and welcome ally, the blonde took another step towards Damian with her hand outstretched.

"No!" he shouted, backing away. "Don't you touch me!"

"Then answer her question," Pip snarled. "What did you do?"

"I… I don't know what…"

"You killed him," Frost finally murmured incredulously. "Didn't you? The mysterious illness that was always rumored to be poisoning… And then the rumors about you being the culprit, that you insisted were just our competitors trying to tear us down in our grief… They were true, weren't they?"

"Yes!" he finally shouted, his blue eyes flashing. "Yes, it's true, alright? He was taking forever to step down, Aunt Weis was gone, mother and father were gone… I should have been running the company already! And look what I've done with it to date, we are respected and feared, the most powerful company in all of Remnant!"

Frost stared at him, her face slowly hardening in resolve until she simply turned and walked towards the exit. "Let's go," she said shortly to Pip in passing.

The blonde nodded, gathering the team up with a glance as they followed the huntress out.

"Fine, then, go!" he shouted after his sister. "I don't need you, Frost! I can run the company by myself, do you really think anything you say will stick to me? I have legions of lawyers, entire courts in my pocket! You'll never touch me! Do you hear me? Frost?"

There was no answer forthcoming, his ranting only answered by silence.

"Frost!" he screamed, his face contorting in a brief rage before morphing into something that might have resembled pain.

He sagged against his ornate desk, his arms propping him up behind him. "Frost," he whispered.

"I do believe your sister had abandoned you," a resonantly deep voice echoed throughout the study.

Damian's eyes shot over towards the entrance where Leech was slowly walking into the room.

"Leech!" he exclaimed, heartened. "Excellent, there has been a breach in my mansion, you should-"

"Yes, I noticed," the gangly man murmured. "I also overheard everything."

At that, Damian paled noticeably, his throat closing up in fear.

Leech made a tsking sound as he approached. "You really shouldn't have talked."

It took only a few minutes of contact with Damian's skin until his lifeless body dropped the the floor at Leech's feet. Once done, he turned and calmly walked out the way he came, flicking open his scroll as he went.

"Lord Malachite," he intoned gravely.

"Yes, Leech?"

"I'm afraid your financier revealed your location. He has been disposed of. However, those children are on their way, accompanied by the Schnee girl."

"Well, then," Malachite chuckled over the line. "Best get back here to prepare a proper reception."

"As you wish, Lord Malachite."

He snapped the scroll shut, listening to the sounds of a Bulldog rising from the grounds. His own transport was significantly faster, and his entry point far less opposed than they would be.

He would be there in plenty of time.

An unusually anticipatory smile pulled the skin back on his skeletal visage as he headed out.

A/N: See, and you all were wondering how Frost could go along with Damian's crap. Redemption shall be obtained. And, finally, we're setting up for the big two-chapter confrontation! Whee, I'm bouncing in my chair in anticipation!

Just an aside, I've started a fun side project of pure relationship crack entitled A Thorny Tangled Triangle. Ruby x Pyrrha x Blake, a.k.a. Purruby. Check it out, very different from my usual works. I've churned out enough of the short chapters to last over a week, so it won't cut into this story, I'll still get us through the volume which ends on chapter 26. Might take a brief hiatus after that to finish up other stuff, maybe flesh out volume 3 some more… we'll see when we get there.

Much love for the favorites, follows, and reviews!

Martin Hooper1: Indeed, the whole bit about history repeating itself was a little tongue in cheek. Heh.

TacoKing23: I really do appreciate the comments regarding my characterization. There are some things I try to focus on with a story, and I decided that would be my focus here, to flesh out as many characters as I was able to since there would be so few recognizable ones, using the setting and world as the familiar bits to pull readers in. So thanks for that. And yeah, I do like to toe the line when it comes to character danger. I did have my one major story in the Firefly fandom where, in the very end chapters, I kill off a couple of the main characters that started the journey, as well as a supporting character who was well-received and well-loved. They served purposes with their deaths, but yeah, I'm not above killing off even the ones I like. Oh, and also, I did want another team that PERL could become close to right there in Beacon, kinda like RWBY has JNPR and CVFY, though they won't be nearly as close. Still, friendly faces help with plot.

Alright then, we'll see how long the next ones take, I have them plotted out but I just need to fill in the dressing. Until the next time, then! Stay shiny!