Chapter 34

Walking to the subway, the pain in Ruby's leg flared a little. It was still tolerable, but she hoped there was some aspirin left in her desk drawer...alongside her gun. Thankfully Blake had not asked about it. It still felt strange to have a gun in her possession. It was supposed to make her feel safer, but in her mind it just...felt like an extra weight on her mind, something harsh and cold. In a way it was fitting. Blake could be harsh, she could be cold, but she could also be warm and soft. The gun would never be soft...unless she covered it in fuzzy cloth. She doubted Blake would approve of that, but still, it was a fun idea to toy with, and helped distract from the annoyance in her leg. That pain was showing no mercy as she climbed the steps to the SDC and passed through the employee checkpoint.

"Good morning Ruby." Penny greeted as she stepped into the elevator.

Ruby looked up at the camera in the corner and smiled. "Good morning Penny. What did you think of the gala?"

"It seemed mostly pleasant, aside from Mr. Schnee's unfortunate actions." Penny replied.

"Mr. Schnee?" Ruby questioned.

"Mr. Whitley Schnee, Ms. Schnee's brother." Penny clarified.

"Oh...oh gods, I slept through something serious didn't I?" Ruby gasped.

"Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view." Penny confirmed. "Mr. Schnee interfered with Ms. Nikos' dress. I have been attempting to suppress media of the incident, to little success."

"Is she okay?" Ruby asked.

"Ms. Nikos is a sturdy individual." Penny noted. "After the initial shock she seemed quite calm."

"Good, what about Whitley?" Ruby inquired.

"He received a rather sudden rebuke, and a stern talking to." Penny recounted. "I do not believe he will be allowed back to any future events, unsupervised at least."

The elevator chimed and the door opened, revealing a tired-looking Jaune slouched behind his desk. "Hey Jaune!" Ruby cheered, prompting a lazy smile from the guard.

"Hey Ruby." Jaune greeted.

"Coffee?" Ruby offered, dumping her bag onto her desk.

"I'd love some, please." Jaune accepted.

"Rough night?" Ruby asked.

"Kinda, you?" Jaune rubbed his eyes.

Ruby shrugged, heading for the kitchen. "Slept like a baby." She answered as she vanished within.

"Have you been sleeping well lately?" Jaune questioned. "You napped pretty hard at the party."

"I think so." Ruby called back. "I think I'm just having trouble adjusting to the new timezone and all that. And I always get drowsy after having some alcohol and snacks. How was Nora?"

"She was great, I mean, she was having fun and then...didn't stop having fun." Jaune fumbled.

"Ooooh, so you stayed up even later then?" Ruby giggled.

"This is the worst thing to complain about...oh hey, Weiss is early." Jaune noticed.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"She brought coffee and stuff too." Jaune added.

"Oh sweet!" Ruby rushed out, in time for the elevator to chime once more. Weiss strode out with a smile. "Morning Weiss!"

"Good morning Ruby, good morning Jaune." Weiss greeted. "Nora says you like your coffee black?" She held up the tray in her left hand.

"Dad told me it put hairs on my chest." Jaune explained.

"And?" Weiss inquired.

"It turns out the Arc family genes are kinda' crap for body hair, and now I can't stand milk in my coffee." Jaune sighed.

"Fascinating." Weiss rolled her eyes, placing the tray on Jaune's desk and passing over his cup. "I also brought us fresh croissants. They're a personal favorite of mine." She indicated the box in her right hand, placing it down to open. The smell of warm, buttery pastries wafted from within. Taking one herself, she turned to Ruby. "I feel the need to thank you once again, both of you, for tolerating the more hectic aspects of work as of late."

"It's okay Weiss, I don't mind, but I uh, kinda' skipped some of the gala last night." Ruby shrunk. "Heard some stuff happened?"

Weiss grimaced. "My brother, yet again. I dealt with him, and will continue to deal with him. Perhaps once his money runs dry he will realize the extent of my generosity."

"Is Pyrrha okay?" Ruby asked.

Weiss smirked, chuckling. "Oh she is fine. It'll take more than some undue titillation to phase her for long."

"Titillation?" Ruby tilted her head. Weiss arched her brow, and it struck Ruby in an odd feeling of shock and awe. "Oh fudge."

Weiss laughed.

"So...I was thinking about Nora's proposition...and I think my answer is yes." Ruby abruptly changed the subject.

"Oh uh...good." Jaune managed.

"Are you guys busy this weekend?" Ruby asked.

"I don't think so, but you'd have to ask Nora." Jaune replied. "Send her a text, she'll get right back to you."

"You don't sound that excited." Ruby noted.

"No, I am, I'm just...nervous." Jaune admitted. "I've never done anything like this before. Hell, I've never planned to do anything like this."

"I get that." Ruby nodded. "It's not every day you get invited to a threesome." She laughed awkwardly. "It's something to check off the bucket list though."

"Sure is." Jaune agreed. "Gods this is weird to talk about."

"Sorry, I didn't wanna' make things awkward." Ruby apologized. "It just kinda' popped into my head."

"It's alright." Jaune soothed. "It's not like-"

The door to Weiss' office clicked open and she strode out, making her way to Ruby's desk. "Do you need something?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, a package was just delivered for me." Weiss answered. "Could you head down to the mailroom and pick it up?"

"Sure, what is it?" Ruby inquired.

"Prototype laptops for my approval." Weiss replied. "They shouldn't be too heavy."

Ruby stood at her desk and stretched. She had been sitting all morning. "Do you personally approve every product?"

"No, but I do approve all the special Weiss Schnee Edition products." Weiss explained. "It's about time to finalize next year's models."

"Oh, I have the special edition Dustbuster!" Ruby chirped.

"I loved the art for that." Weiss reminisced. "Well, just be careful with the package. The Lightweight models can be fragile."

"I'll try not to throw the box around too much." Ruby joked as she headed for the elevator. It arrived with a chime. "Want me to get anything else while I'm up?"

"No thank you." Weiss declined.

"I'm good." Jaune replied. Ruby disappeared behind the closing elevator doors, leaving Jaune alone with Weiss. "Do you make lots of Weiss Schnee Edition products?"

"Only if marketing thinks it'll help sell, and I really believe in what I'm putting my name on." Weiss answered. "Penny mentioned Ruby was in the market for a new computer, perhaps she could field test one of the prototypes."

Jaune shrugged. Ruby had never discussed the subject with him. After thinking for a moment Weiss returned to her office, the door locking shut behind her. Jaune was left to his thoughts, and they were a bit unsettled. The gala had been rather boring from his point of view, and it seemed like Nora agreed. After getting home she had to work off a lot of excess energy. He had a hell of a time trying to keep up, and that was just with Nora. Having to handle Nora and Ruby would be a challenge he was not sure he could meet. Of course there were far worse challenges to fail, though few as potentially humiliating. Hopefully things would work out...and Nora would do the heavy lifting.

Before Jaune had much time to dwell on the subject, the elevator chimed. He checked the camera to see Ruby waiting within, box perched on her left shoulder. As the doors opened she smiled at him, happy, carefree. Perhaps he really was overthinking things. Ruby was probably as nervous as he was. As she stepped out, she caught her toe on the lip of the elevator. She stumbled, stepping awkwardly with her right leg. She let out a cry of pain, the box dropping from her shoulder. Jaune hastily stood as the box flipped over almost entirely, landing on its side.

A blinding flash.

A deafening crack.

Jaune felt his ears pop, his sense of balance vanishing. He felt something hard impact his back, then his side, a stinging sensation erupting across his body, the entire world seeming to roar, shaking, his heart beating in his ears, lungs straining for breath. He blinked, trying to regain focus. The floor, he was on the floor, he had fallen...Ruby...Ruby!

Scrambling, Jaune rolled onto all fours, reaching up to steady himself on his desk as he stood. The ringing in his ears throbbed and his eyes struggled to take in the scene before him. Dust and shrapnel littered the room, where Ruby once stood she now lie, pale, staring upward with wide eyes, her mouth shaking as she took sharp breaths, her legs bathed in blood. Shaking his head clear, Jaune scrambled to her side, nearly slipping in the blood surrounding her. Ruby's eyes did not meet his own as he examined her state. It was bad, very bad. Her left leg was severed from the knee down, the other shredded by the blast. He forced himself to look away, sucking down deep breaths to calm himself. Now was not the time for his weak stomach.

"Jaune!" A voice called. It sounded distant, barely audible over the tinnitus. "Jaune!" Clearer this time. "Jaune!" It was Penny.

"What?" Jaune managed, looking up at the speaker in the corner of the ceiling.

"You must apply a tourniquet." Penny instructed. "Use your belt."

Jaune removed his belt and held it before him. Ruby continued to groan before him, barely moving. "Uh…"

"Tie it around her left leg, as tight as you can and as high as possible." Penny instructed.

"Jaune what ha...oh gods." Weiss stumbled out of her office and came upon the scene just as Jaune looped his belt around what remained of Ruby's leg. "Gods…"

"It will hurt her, but you must get it tight." Penny implored.

Jaune took a deep breath and pulled the belt as tight as he could, fastening it in place. Ruby squirmed and released a choked cry. "I know, stay with me."

"I'll call an ambulance." Weiss declared.

"I have already contacted the hospital." Penny noted. "Paramedics and a trauma surgeon are on the way. Now you must-"

"Yang...it burns…" Ruby mumbled. "Make it stop…" She went limp.

"Is she...is she...gone?" Weiss gasped.

"Ruby is not dead!" Penny shouted, electronic distortion screeching from the speaker. "But she will be if you do not do as I say! Take off her belt and use it as a tourniquet on the other leg. Hurry." Jaune did as instructed. Ruby's belt did not look as sturdy as his own, but it held up when he pulled it tight. Already the rate of bleeding seemed to have slowed. Still Ruby's chest rose and fell, still breathing. "Weiss, there is a first aid kit in the kitchen. Use the gauze to fill the wounds as best you can." Weiss nodded and rushed away, but almost immediately the elevator chimed, opening to reveal a doctor and two paramedics as promised.

"We'll take it from here." The doctor stated, kneeling beside Ruby. He gave orders to the paramedics, who quickly loaded Ruby onto their stretcher and began tending to her wounds.

"Is she gonna' be okay?" Jaune asked breathlessly.

"We can save her." The doctor assured, checking her vitals. He returned to giving orders as they returned to the elevator with Ruby.

Weiss and Jaune could only stand by and watch, surrounded by the results of the blast, as the doors slid closed and Ruby disappeared from their sight. "Are you hurt?" Weiss asked after a long delay. "That's...a lot of blood."

"It's not mine." Jaune sighed.

Weiss gave Jaune a look he had never seen from her before. He could not be sure, but it looked like guilt. "What the hell happened?"

It had not taken long for Weiss to carve out a temporary office. After escorting Jaune to the hospital adjacent to SDC headquarters - he had some minor injuries that needed to be looked at - she had headed to Ren's department. She informed Ren of what had happened and dispatched him to go pick up Nora. Before leaving, he directed Weiss to an unused room, and instructed his co-workers to move some surplus furniture in for Weiss' use. He called Pyrrha as he walked out the door, leaving Weiss to make her own calls.

First on Weiss' list was Nora. "Weissy?" Nora quickly answered her scroll.

"Nora, Jaune has been injured." Weiss stated. "Not seriously, but I'm sending Ren to bring you to the hospital."

"Oh, oh like, broken bone injured or fell on a pencil injured?" Nora asked, surely assuming Jaune's clumsiness had caused the injury.

"I'd rather wait until we can explain in person, please." Weiss requested.

"Oh alright, does he need anything from home?" Nora inquired.

"A change of clothes for sure, but otherwise nothing we cannot provide here." Weiss replied.

"Okay then, I'll see you soon!" Nora cheered.

"See you soon." Weiss hung up, savoring the cheer in Nora's voice. She could have told her everything, but there was no sense in causing such worry early. Jaune would be okay, hopefully. Though barely peppered with some shrapnel, he still witnessed the attack...that would stay with him.

By the time the call was complete, she had been provided with a chair, desk and laptop connected to the SDC network. Weiss sat down to make the second call, one sure to be far more difficult. Using the laptop to access the HR database, she acquired Ruby's emergency contact information, her home phone number. Atlas was a few hours ahead of Patch, so it was likely to be early morning there, and Weiss was not sure who if anyone would be home to answer the call. Part of her hoped to get an answering machine, that would have been easier.

"Hello?" A woman who sounded much like Ruby answered the call.

"Mrs. Rose?" Weiss asked.

"Speaking." Summer confirmed.

"This is Weiss Schnee." She said.

"Miss Schnee?" Summer sounded surprised. "Has something happened?"

Weiss took a minuscule breath. "I'm afraid so Mrs. Rose...there has been...a terrorist attack. Ruby is alive, but in serious condition."

"Oh…" Summer's voice warbled. "Oh Maidens...w-what happened? Is Ruby going to be okay?"

"I don't quite know exactly Mrs. Rose, I'm sorry, Ruby's injuries were mostly to her legs however." Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat, schooling her voice as it threatened to crack. "I promise you the best medical care possible is being administered. I will do everything in my power to ensure Ruby makes it out of this alive and well."

"O-okay, thank you Weiss." Summer responded. Weiss' heart stung as she heard a sniffle through the speaker. "I just...I-I need to organize a trip-"

"I can do that for you Mrs. Rose." Weiss offered. "I will have a private jet readied and sent to Signal Airport by the end of the day."

"Thank you Weiss...I'll...i-is everyone else okay?" Summer asked.

"Mostly...the only other present was Jaune, my security guard." Weiss explained. "He's shaken, but otherwise fine...he...he may have saved her life Mrs. Rose."

"Thank the Maidens." Summer sighed shakily, taking a sharp breath. "Please, keep me notified of any changes...and…"

"I will, Summer, you have my word." Weiss wanted to say more, but what more could she say? What little did it mean over the phone, when the next call might come with even grimmer news. She willed herself to close her mind to the fear.

"Thank you, I'll tell Yang and Tai, and start packing...goodbye Weiss." Summer bid farewell.

"Goodbye Summer." Ending the call, Weiss covered her face in her hands, elbows leaning against the desk as she took deep and steadying breaths. They barely worked. She feared the day she would have to make that call. In a way she sympathized with Ironwood now, that her own failings had brought harm to another's daughter, that her sister and father were going to be confronted with the reality that they may lose a family member, and not even be there to say goodbye. This was Weiss' worst nightmare, but she had duties to attend to. She still had yet another challenging call to make.

Weiss picked up her scroll once again, scrolling to the next contact needed. Hesitating, her finger shook over the screen. There was no escaping it. Gods help her, she would have to tell Blake. Her reaction would be unpredictable. She would demand information of course, but Blake was still an unknown, and this was a conversation she would much rather have had in person, when she had actual information to give. She pressed the contact and held the device to her ear.

The phone did not ring for long before it was answered. "Blake-" Weiss immediately started.

"Weiss?" Sun responded in surprise. "You have Blake's number? Weird...I never would have-"

"Sun, where's Blake?" Weiss interrupted.

"Oh, she's in the bathroom." Sun replied. "I saw the name Bitch on her phone and couldn't help but find out who...oh, I shouldn't have said that. So...what's up?"

"There's been an...accident." Weiss lied. "Ruby's been hurt very badly. I'm at the SDC Research Hospital with her-"

"Oh gods...how bad is it?" Sun cut in, all the confidence and playfulness drained from his voice. "Is she gonna' be okay? What happened?"

"It's...serious, but I don't have any information on how serious just yet." Weiss admitted. "I haven't been told anything about her prospects. As for what happened...I'd rather discuss that in person."

"Yeah, of course." Sun agreed. "I'll grab Blake and we'll be right there."

Sun hung up before Weiss could say another word. Part of her was relieved that she had been able to speak to him instead, but that just made the inevitable confrontation with Blake that much worse. The hammer was going to fall sooner or later, but for now she had more to do. There were still calls to make, and Weiss was not going to rest until she had done everything she could to...she was not really sure what. Helping Ruby would not be enough. Aiding her friends would not be sufficient. Even finding the culprits and bringing them to justice would fall short. Still, her friend had been attacked, and she would move mountains until she made things right.