Hello everyone! Decided to mix things up a little and make a fic that centers around canon characters. Been a while since I've done something like that so its time to knuckle down and grind off the rust. So without further ado, let's begin to story.

Chapter 1: Hitting Home

Cinder was a patient woman. Given enough time, she could bring down even the most formidable enemy. Beacon was no exception. She had already infiltrated their ranks and played her part as the harmless foreign student. For all intents and purposes, everyone at the academy was none the wiser to her presence. A deadly mistake on their part.

She just needed an opening. Beacon had a reputation for being invulnerable, almost mythical in its strength. No normal person could ever hope to put a hole in its defenses. But Cinder knew all too well she was much more than a normal person.

But there was only one problem, a thorn in her side that refused to go away. Team RWBY had proven to be too meddlesome for their own good. Time and time again they had interfered in her plans, almost ruining them entirely. She wouldn't tolerate such insolence from children. She had to teach them a lesson.

Which was why she was now sitting in her temporary room in Beacon. Emerald and Mercury had left her on her own, choosing to spend the morning eating breakfast with the other students. She held up the scroll in her hand, a small progress bar flashing on its display.

RWBY reminded her much of Beacon. They were strong, but they weren't untouchable. All it took was a little push in the right spot for everything to fall to pieces. Right now, they were a chain holding her down, but a chain was only as strong as its weakest link.

The progress bar on her scroll completely filled. The screen turned black until a familiar head of pink and brown hair popped up. Neo smiled, but remained as silent as ever.

"Break the fool out. I'm not quite finished with him yet. I'm sending you a couple of files. Have him read them and make sure he follows them to the letter," Cinder said. Neo gave an amused smirk. With a gracious nod, the screen turned black again.

Cinder dropped the scroll on the bed she was sitting on. As much as she wanted to say everything was going smoothly, she knew it wasn't the case. The White Fang's patience was growing thin. Their loyalty was beginning to waver at the time she needed them most. She needed to ensure their cooperation even if that insufferable Faunus Adam Taurus guaranteed it. She needed to throw them a bone. What better way to instill good faith than to attack the people they hated most?

They needed a motive and she needed results. If this plan went smoothly, she'd satisfy both ends. If she intended to strike a fatal blow against RWBY, she needed to hurt the one who had the most weaknesses, the one who had the most to lose.

"The Schnee heiress," Cinder said as she rose from her bed. The girl loved to put on a cold façade, but Cinder had seen plenty before. All she had to do was put everyone she cared about in the line of fire. Family, friends, even her treasured company would not escape her. Once Cinder hung the bait in front of the Schnee girl, she'd drag her friends to their deaths on her own.

And when all was said and done, nobody will suspect a thing. A ruin of ash and fire will be all that remained of the proud Schnee name.

Roman couldn't bring himself to sleep. Even though his holding cell was filled with the night's darkness, he didn't have the slightest urge to lie down and doze off. If anything, he was more awake now than he was when the sun was out. No surprise given his penchant to rob people blind at any hour of the night.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as yet another guard passed by his cell. That made six in the past hour. It was almost as if they didn't want him to escape. Day in and day out it was the same thing. Sit in his cell in mind-numbing silence for hours on end, receive his meals, maybe endure Ironwood's military bravado for a minute or two, then finish the day with more sitting in silence. This was why he despised prison. Not because of the small cell or the terrible food, but because it was so dreadfully boring.

Roman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. If he had to spend another day in confinement he just might have considered ratting Cinder out. At least he'd get some amusement from that. But considering the woman's intolerance for anything that didn't fall into her master plan, he doubted it was a healthy alternative to sitting in a cell and suffering Ironwood's egotistical chest pounding.

On the other side of his cell, another guard passed by. He eyed Roman for a moment before continuing his rounds. It was already late and he was eager to turn in for the night. The guard halted when he caught sight of a small figure leaning on a cane a few feet away. Her face was obscured by the parasol she held over her head, but the odd multi-colored clothing she wore made it clear enough she wasn't another guard.

"This is a restricted area! Put your hands where I can see them!" the guard shouted as he raised his rifle. The girl with the parasol lifted it just slightly so that her mismatched eyes appeared. A cocky smirk grew on her face as she pulled the parasol to her side, revealing a black bowler hat with a red band on her head.

"This is your last warning! Put your hands in the air or I will shoot!" the guard said. Neo closed her parasol and nonchalantly strolled towards the guard, her smug grin never leaving. The guard's finger inched closer to the trigger, his teeth gritting as Neo took one carefree step after another.

"That's it!" the guard stood his ground and pulled the trigger. His rifle cracked an ear-splitting bang. Neo twitched as the bullet struck her chest. Her chest cracked and splintered. Then her entire body shattered like glass.

The guard could barely utter a sound of confusion before Neo suddenly appeared behind him, wrapping the hook of Roman's cane around his neck and pulling him back while thrusting her other hand towards his spine.

A spike of blinding pain speared through his torso. The agony nearly making him black out. A warm feeling spread to his chest and down his legs, staining his clothes crimson. His eyes fell on the long, thin blade protruding from his chest. A pool of blood steadily flowed from the wound.

Neo pulled back her blade and let the guard fall into a puddle of his own blood. Wiping the blade clean with her gloved hand, she sauntered over to Roman's cell. That gunshot was going to attract attention. She needed to move fast if she had any hope of making a smooth exit.

She stopped in front of Roman's cell and pulled a security card from her pocket. She swiped it across the card reader next to Roman's door and stepped back as it slid open.

Roman looked up at Neo, his eyes narrowing. The shorter girl tossed him his cane and he grabbed it with one hand, but still he didn't move a muscle.

"You're wearing my hat," he said. Neo rolled her eyes with a playful grin and gave Roman a curtsy, her head bowed and her arm outstretched. Roman's hat fell from her head and rolled down her arm into her open hand.

Roman rose from his seat and took his hat from her hand. He didn't bother asking her if she had a plan or even if she was here on her own. He knew Neo well enough to know she always came prepared. He walked past her into the open hall, looking down at the bloody corpse of the guard with disgust.

"Well, he certainly had it coming," he said as he passed by the corpse, being careful not to step in the slowly growing pool of blood. Neo stopped next to him and jabbed the handle of her parasol into his side, drawing a scowl from him.

"What do you want, a thank you?" he asked. Neo shook her head and pointed her parasol at the window taking up the entire wall behind them. From their vantage point, they could see Beacon Tower glowing brightly in the night sky. A black dot slowly grew larger and larger until Roman could make out the fine details of an airship heading right for them.

Roman grinned and lifted his cane, firing a flare into the window. A rush of hot air brushed past them as the window exploded. Alarms blared throughout the complex, washing the hall with flashing red lights.

The airship turned to the side as it glided to a stop. A door on its hull slid open, revealing a group of White Fang soldiers armed with guns. They quickly mobilized, surrounding Torchwick and aiming their weapons down the hall as guards suddenly poured out from the opposite side.

The White Fang opened fire, gunning down every guard not in cover. Roman aimed his cane and fired another flare at a guard hiding behind a pillar. The explosion knocked him to the ground where he was swiftly riddled with bullets by the White Fang.

Roman lowered his cane, watching with a smirk as every guard tried to return fire only to be forced back into cover by a hail of bullets. Roman walked backwards into the airship's door, waving the pinned officers goodbye.

"You've been lovely hosts but I really must be going. Tell Ironwood I regret not thanking him in person," he said. Neo came to his side and snapped her fingers. Immediately, the White Fang retreated back into the airship as it lifted into the sky. Roman stepped back into the airship's cabin, the door sliding shut behind him. A flurry of rapid pinging noises reverberated in the room as the guards tried in vain to shoot the airship down.

Roman snickered as he turned his back to the door. He could feel the hum of the engines flare to life as his body was pressed downwards from the ship's takeoff. He took a quick look around the airship's cabin, noticing a large group of White Fang soldiers sitting in the corner.

The interior of the airship was exquisitely designed. Leather couches were placed against walls painted with elaborate diamond patterns. At the far end of the cabin was a fully stocked bar with every type of liquor from the four kingdoms. Each window was flanked with a pair of black velvet curtains that matched the carpet. There were even a few statues of abstract design scattered about the cabin. But what drew Torchwick's attention was the Schnee Dust Company logo printed on the ceiling.

"You've been busy, haven't you?" Torchwick asked. Neo reached into her coat pocket and fished out a scroll, holding it out to him. Torchwick took the scroll from her. A series of pictures were displayed on the screen. A massive mountain, a high-class home built on its steep surface, an SDC guard facility, a monorail, and a dust quarry were all there and explained in painstaking detail.

"I appreciate the thought, Neo. But we have enough dust to buy Vytal ten times over. I'm not interested in hitting the Schnees as much fun as that would be," Roman said as he held the scroll out to Neo. The shorter girl furrowed her brow and pushed his hand back. She pressed a finger against the screen and flicked it to the side. A long page of paragraphs filled the screen.

Roman raised a brow and scanned through every word. The more he read, the wider his smile grew. No doubt this was all Cinder's doing. The woman had a knack for learning every little detail about her enemies. She was more clever than he gave her credit for. He could get all the results with virtually no way of it coming back to him. That was assuming of course, the plan went off without a hitch.

"Oh Red, you're never going to see this coming. Not until you and your friends are six feet under. Hmm…maybe a little more than six feet," he said. He slid the scroll into his pocket, giving Neo an appreciative nod.

"I believe you just made this worth my time. I just hope Cinder follows through on her side of the plan," he said. Neo shrugged with a playful grin. Everything was falling into place. Cinder's plan was set in motion and by the end of tomorrow, the Schnee Estate would be theirs. Once that was done, they'd begin the real work. All they had to do was give the right people a little push. The rest would take care of itself.

Yang wearily blinked away her sleep. She looked through half-lidded eyes at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Guhh…why is it so early? Just five more minutes…" she muttered, trying to ignore the voices coming from somewhere in the room. She buried herself deeper into a mess of blankets and pillows, sighing contently. She didn't care if she had classes. She didn't care if the voices in the room were growing more insistent. But she did kind of care when something snatched her precious warm blankets from her grasp.

"Yang, it's Saturday. Get up. It's almost noon," Blake said. Yang groaned and curled into the fetal position, shaking her head adamantly.

"It's still too early," she replied. Her hand shot suddenly shot out and snatched her covers back from Blake's grip. Yang quickly wrapped herself into a bundle and shut her eyes, hoping it would be enough to send her into another deep sleep.

"Yang, you need to see this," Blake said. Her tone sounded more serious than usual, causing Yang to crack an eye open. Next to Blake, Ruby was holding her scroll out. A news report was playing on the screen. Yang raised a brow and reluctantly pulled herself out of bed. She sat up to see what appeared to be a newscast in the midst of a report.

"According to official reports, only one convict was able to escape in the ensuing chaos. Roman Torchwick, responsible for multiple dust-related thefts throughout Vale, was reportedly aided in his escape by a group of White Fang members. Police are currently asking for tips regarding his whereabouts but stress that civilians should not confront him directly. He is reported as being armed and dangerous."

Blake narrowed her eyes as a picture of Roman appeared on the screen. He was only captive for a few days before he managed to escape. She should have expected as much. It was foolish to think he'd stay locked up forever.

"It seems the White Fang will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Even if it means breaking someone like Torchwick out," she said. Yang looked away from the scroll in Ruby's hand, a look of concern on her face.

"You're not going to tear your hair out trying to find him again, are ya?" she asked. Blake ruefully shook her head.

"There's no point. We don't have the slightest idea where he could be. I doubt he'd go back to Mountain Glenn after everything that's happened," Blake said. Ruby tore her eyes away from her scroll, her expression brimming with youthful determination

"Don't worry, Blake. We'll catch him for sure," she said. Blake turned to her leader with a small smile.

"I appreciate the confidence, Ruby," she said. Ruby gave an enthusiastic nod and returned to looking at her scroll. Blake turned to the window that overlooked most of Beacon's grounds. She could see Vale off in the horizon. Her amber eyes narrowed as a familiar, uneasy thought resurfaced in her mind.

The White Fang used to stand for something. They used to be the only shelter Faunus had. Now they're little better than the people they protected us from. Should I just give up on them?

Blake frowned. She didn't relish the thought of abandoning all hope for her brothers and sisters in the White Fang. For everything they'd done, she wanted to believe there was still good in them. There had to be. The White Fang saved her from a terrible life. Even if they were a shadow of their former selves, they could still accomplish some good in the world.

"Hey, where's Weiss?" Yang asked. Blake snapped out of her thoughts. Weiss, as usual, was the first to get up. Even during the weekend she made a habit of waking early in the morning.

"She went to the CCT. Judging from the look on her face, she wasn't very happy to go," Blake said. Yang raised a brow as she stood up from her bed.

"Isn't she always like that though?" she quipped. Blake allowed a small smile and shrugged. She woke up not long after Weiss. Even if she was half-asleep, it wasn't hard to notice the scorn on Weiss' face when she was getting dressed. It was a face she usually reserved for whenever Ruby's antics interrupted her homework or when Jaune tried to ask her out again. Whatever called her attention to the CCT, she didn't seem enthusiastic to deal with it.

Blake returned her attention to the window. After scouting Mountain Glenn and stopping a Grimm invasion in the middle of the city, she was determined to relax a little. She sat down on her bed, her eyes falling on a book lying beside her.

I suppose reading a few chapters won't hurt.

The elevator door opened with a smooth hiss, revealing Weiss' less than pleased face. As usual the CCT was filled with other Beacon students contacting home with smiles on their faces. Weiss hardly counted herself among them.

Usually she would have made the call from the library's own communication terminals, but considering the likelihood of her have a shouting match with her own sister, she elected to make the call from here.

Weiss stepped into the circular room, immediately making a beeline towards the front desk. As usual, a holographic attendant was sitting at attention, a small smile on its face.

"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?" the projection asked. Weiss folded her arms, her dangerous scowl growing as she almost spit her words out.

"There's a call waiting for me from Atlas from a Winter Schnee," she said. The hologram didn't seem the least bit put off by her rude tone as she made a few beeping noises before smiling again.

"Please head over to terminal 10. Winter Schnee will be patched in momentarily," the hologram said. Weiss gave the hologram a curt nod and moved to the corner of the room. She sat down in front of the terminal with her arms crossed, her fingers drumming against the sleeves of her jacket. The monitor hummed to life and lit up, flashing Beacon Academy's insignia.

The monitor dimmed to black and Winter came into view. Her skin was just as pale as her namesake, unmarred by scars or blemishes. Her long white hair was tied into a neat braid; her bangs combed to the side and kept in place by a hairclip in the shape of a snowflake. Her eyes were a clear crystal blue, much like Weiss' own.

From what little Weiss could see, Winter had once again lavished herself in the finest clothes money could buy. Her jeweled earrings, diamond necklace, and expensive looking fur collared coat made it painfully obvious she was the kind of girl who reaped the benefits of their wealth while carrying none of the burden that came with it.

"Winter," Weiss said, her voice dripping with venom. Her sister didn't seem to notice or care about the malice in her tone. She nodded and flashed a brief smile.

"Weiss, it's good to see you. You took a rather long time to answer. I was beginning to think I'd been stood up," she said. Weiss frowned. Not even ten seconds in and Winter was already making jabs at her.

I can't let her have the upper hand. Don't give away anything.

Weiss' expression stayed perfectly still. Living her whole life being groomed as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, she learned to keep a cool head and a steady hand. She had to be well-versed in business and negotiation if the SDC had any hope of surviving under her leadership. As petty as it may have seemed, talking to Winter was no different than talking to a rival company head. It was a battlefield in its own right, operating on a completely different set of rules.

Never let them think they have the upper hand. Make them feel like it's a privilege that they even share the same space as you. Schnees always hold the power, Weiss. We are the epitome of perfection. Act like it.

Her father's words echoed in her mind. That was how he lived. It was how he raised the SDC to become an industrial powerhouse. Having a sharp tongue and a sharper blade was what made a Schnee. She had to do the same now.

"My free time has been stretched rather thin as of late, Winter. I'm sure you're aware of how busy I've been ever since I left home," Weiss said in a business-like manner. Winter merely chuckled in response. Weiss should have expected as much. Even though she wasn't next in line to lead the SDC, she had plenty of training in business and political maneuverings. Of course, Winter's skills were nothing compared to her own.

"I'm sorry if my call came at an inopportune time. I sometimes forget you're halfway across the world studying all manner of things. None of which seem to be aimed towards helping father," Winter replied. Weiss forced herself to suppress her scowl. She had no idea what it was like having to hold up to her father's standards. She had to do more than Winter could ever imagine. What right did she have to say Weiss wasn't doing anything to help father?

"You'd be surprised what you can learn when you leave home, Winter," Weiss replied. Winter rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"I suppose it can't be helped. I only meant to call because I'm rather bored here. Mother insisted we spend some quality time as a family in the vacation home. Really, it's just a fancy way of saying 'let's avoid each other like we always do in a different house'," Winter said. Weiss raised a brow. She had been to the vacation home plenty of times. Sitting on a wide cliff on a mountain, it had an impressive view of the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges. It was also fairly close to one of the largest quarries the SDC operated.

Because of the quarry's close proximity to their home, a guard facility was built at the base of the mountain in case any Faunus decided to 'start a hopeless uprising' as her father put it. There were a few cases of Faunus acting out or disobeying orders. It always ended the same way. A merciless crackdown on the instigators and harsh punishments to ensure it won't happen again even if those punished had nothing to do with it.

I wonder what Blake would think if she knew what really went on in those quarries. She thought.

"Why call me then? You understand that I have a lot of pressing issues at the moment," Weiss said. Winter pulled her braid over her shoulder, absently running a hand over it as she looked downwards.

"Well I was hoping to have some sisterly bonding if nothing else," she said. Weiss heard what sounded like a sharp knocking sound coming from the other end. Winter looked up with a confused face.

"Who could possibly be at my door now?" Winter stood up from her chair and disappeared from view. Weiss could hear her footsteps come to stop and heard her door open.

Then she heard her sister's panicked screams.

Weiss stood up from her seat, her hands planted on the terminal's desk. She could hear things crashing in Winter's room and what sounded like a scuffle and Winter's cries for help.

"Winter?! WINTER!? What's going on?!" Weiss shouted. The other line went quiet. Weiss couldn't see anything on the terminal. Weiss' heart felt like it was lodged in her throat. Her whole body shivered, begging for a sign that her sister was okay.

Then she saw it.

A white coat. A cane. And a bowler hat.

It was Torchwick.

"Well, this is certainly awkward. I didn't mean to interrupt your courtesy call, Ice Queen. Please, forget I was ever here," Roman said. He walked out of sight, making a sharp whistle to someone in the room. Then Weiss saw a familiar girl with a parasol step in front of Winter's terminal. With an evil smirk, Neo pulled her parasol back and smashed it against the terminal, turning the screen black.

Weiss felt like she was frozen. Every part of her body felt numb and tense at the same time. A sharp, jagged feeling rose up in her chest as her knuckles clenched to impossible limits. Her mind was running with one incoherent thought after another. But there was only one thought that came in as clear as day.

I have to do something!