HCS Airwalker

11:55 hours

"Sorry I'm late, General," Oobleck says to Ozpin as he enters the room. Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda, and Port are sitting around a table. Outside the windows they can see Fort Beacon, smoke and debris scattering the terrain indicating the recent battle. Dozens of military vehicles from Fort Athena are parked both inside and outside what remains of the perimeter wall. Temporary tents and fences are set up as more permanent repairs are made. "I just stopped by the infirmary to check on Blake and Yang."

"How are they doing?" Ozpin asks.

"Recovering as predicted. Blake is stronger, but Yang is still silent. They'll be bedridden for at least another week."

"That's good," Port says. "Wounds like that can sometimes take months to heal. They'll be back out in the field in no time."

"That's something we need to talk about here," Ironwood says.

"We will," Ozpin says. "As soon as the final two arrive."

"Final two? Isn't this everyone?"

"Afraid not," a voice says from the adjacent door. An older man, with spiked, graying black hair, faded red eyes, and an unkempt stubble running along his jawline. He wears a VAF uniform like the rest of the officers.

"Son of a bitch," Glynda says. "Qrow?"

"Glynda!" Qrow exclaims, holding his arms open as he walks to a seat. "Looking good after all this time in the military." Glynda rolls her eyes.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Ironwood asks Ozpin.

"First Lieutenant Qrow Branwen, commanding officer of second platoon, Baker Company, First Assault Marine Regiment, First Assault Marine Division."

"A first war vet?"

"An old friend," Ozpin says. "We served together when I first joined the VAF."

"Yeah, good times," Qrow says. He crashes onto one of the chairs and takes out a flask. "Then I retired when my time was up and did my duty to the kingdoms. Then some asshole comes to my door and tells me alpha golf's on the hunt again and tells me I'm not retired anymore. Apparently humanity is so fucked that they're dragging antiques out into combat again."

"Don't be so modest, Qrow. You were an accomplished scout sniper from the First War and the best soldier I've served with. When you're sober, that is."

"Aw, come on, Oz," Qrow says, then takes a big swig from the flask. "You really think I left this in the barracks during all those field exercises? Fuck, I drank like prohibition started tomorrow back in the trenches. Good way to get some shut eye over the howling Feds."

"So have you just been drunk all these years?" Glynda asks. Qrow holds up a finger as he downs another long gulp of the flask.

"That," Qrow says when he finishes. "And I've done some work training freedom fighters in New Tango, Oak Whiskey, and Raven...whatever. You know, just making sure the next generation of killers know how to actually kill. But, now I guess I can work with some real soldiers again."

"I'm sorry, Oz, but a mercenary?" Ironwood says. "Have we really become that desperate?"

"I'll pretend to take that as a compliment for your sake," Qrow sneers.

"He talks a lot, but I trust him more than anyone, and we'll need support from everyone we can get to keep Beacon alive, including Winter."

"Yeah, we-wait, who!?" Qrow says. As if on queue, a woman with pale skin, white hair tied in a bun, and cold, light blue eyes enters the room. She wears a blue and white AA officer uniform. A patch on her shoulder indicates special forces. "What the fuck is Atlas doing here?"

"This is Colonel Winter Schnee, of the 99th Atlas Shock Regiment. She, along with a company of her troops, will help defend Fort Beacon."

"So we're letting Atlas buy more of their way into our war? And a Schnee no less."

"The Atlesian Army has an invested interest in the Hunter Program and Project AURA," Winter retorts, taking a seat. Qrow glares at her. "After your Hunters sustained several casualties last night, my command requested that an Atlesian officer assist the VAF Hunter Program for the time being."

"You mean so your civilian corporation can control more than one Coalition military?" Qrow turns to Ozpin. "I don't like this shit, Oz. Atlas has no place in VAF business, much less Schnee Armaments. She ain't here to just help us, I'll tell you that much."

"This isn't the place for old grudges, Qrow," Glynda says. "Atlas has more resources at their disposal than us, they can help us find who attacked us faster than we ever could."

"Besides," Ozpin says. "Winter is related to one of my Hunters, so she's not just here for the money."

"Don't worry, General," Winter says. "I won't let any personal feelings get in the way of my duties."

"Understood, Colonel. Shall we proceed?" Ozpin asks, eyeing, Qrow. Qrow stares at Winter for a moment, then slowly nods. "Good. Glynda?" Glynda presses a button on her scroll, and a holographic image of Roman is projected in the middle of the table.

"We have been able to identify the leaders of the attack last night, and who we believe our Hunters encountered in Oak Whiskey, Vale, and Viktor Speeder," She explains. "This one is Roman Torchwick, an accomplished criminal that singlehandedly united the Vale mafias under his rule. He left shortly afterward due to a power struggle, and he apparently became some sort of organized crime mercenary, using his skills to empower any gang or family that paid him well enough. His last job was acting as a Shot Caller for all of the White Fang's military forces in the Federation and border. He's dead now, thanks to Pyrrha."

"Doesn't matter," Winter says. "The Fang will replace him by the end of the week."

"Yes, but for now their soldiers will have to stand down, giving us valuable time to reorganize without worrying about more attacks."

"Any idea who's gonna replace him?" Qrow asks.

"Yes, another member of the attack, actually," Glynda answers, and presses a button. Roman changes to Adam.

"I recognize this one," Port says. "The Fang have propaganda posters of his mask design."

"Yes, this is Adam Taurus, also known as the Alpha. We believe he was born somewhere in New Tango, joined the White Fang at a young age, and quickly rose through the ranks when it militarized. He's idolized by his followers as a complete radical, and he seems to have a burning hatred for humanity like no other Fang member. He's made a reputation for himself through merciless torture, kidnappings, and massacre of humans throughout the border countries, particularly New Tango, where he attempted an extermination of all humans in the country before Federation intervention. He seemed to have slipped off the radar since then, but resurfaced last night, commanding the Spectres alongside Roman."

"So who was in overall command of the attack last night?" Qrow asks. "Roman or Alpha?"

"Neither," Glynda says, and presses a button. Cinder appears on the hologram, and Ozpin's eyes narrow even further. "This seems to be the person pulling the strings. Cinder Fall, a top agent of the Federation Secret Police. According to our intel, she was responsible for hiring the mercenaries to assassinate the rouge Federation officer, Tukson, in Oak Whiskey several months ago."

"Where are you getting this intel from all of a sudden?" Port asks.

"Hunter Yang found a contact book on the body of a Spectre early in the battle, and kept it with her until she could give it to us."

"Did the book mention any other affiliations?" Ozpin asks.

"Um, no, only the Secret Police."

"Makes sense. She wouldn't want anyone in the Federation or Fang to know about her employment for the VIA."

"What are you talking about, Oz?" James asks. Ozpin closes his eyes, remembering his youth.

"A long time ago, she was Agent Fall of the Vale Intelligence Agency."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I worked for the VIA early in my career as well."

"And you knew this bitch?" Qrow asks.

"Yes, vaguely. We worked on a few of the same operations. We were both field agents, and everything on our files are extremely confidential. If there wasn't a war going on, I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about this."

"So was she a spy?"

"No, a double agent, but no one ever knew who she was truly loyal to. When she first betrayed the VIA, she sabotaged an FSP operation, and she attempted to seek asylum in the kingdoms. She traded vital intel for her safety, and we accepted. Then she led the FSP back to us. This went on for many years, and each time it became more and more apparent that she had her own goals in mind, neither the VIA or FSP gaining anything from her personal agenda."

"That lines up with what the VAF files tell us about her," Glynda says. "She's used her experience in the FSP, and apparently the VIA, to hire many elite mercenaries, warlords, and generals to build a small army and fight her personal war. It's possible that even Tukson was taking orders from her, and that's why he defected."

"Who do you have to be to convince someone to defect from the Federation?" Winter says.

"Fall was a very successful field agent," Ozpin says. "Not only is she an excellent soldier herself, but an excellent strategist. On one operation we were together on, we were tasked with raising a militia to topple a border warlord and his extremist army. She, nearly singlehandedly, took a handful of farmers and scavengers and turned them into one of the most brutal paramilitary forces in Counter Wind; torture, suicide bombers, espionage, guerilla warfare, mercenary support, chemical warfare; she picked apart the warlord's forces in months that would've taken a conventional army years."

"How was she allowed to get away with all that?" Qrow asks. "Hell, how did you let her get away with it?"

"Like I said, our files are completely classified. The VIA would do almost anything to get the job done, and that's exactly what we did. I'm not proud of what we did, but the warlord had to go, and Agent Fall made him go. Trust me, she's dangerous."

"As we've seen from her spy, Penny," Port growls.

"Who?" Winter asks. Glynda clicks a button, and the hologram changes to Penny.

"Penny Blackwell. Originally a Sergeant in the Vale Infantry, was declared KIA during the Battle of Camp Signal. Her father, Dr. Jebediah Blackwell, was able to successfully revive her with his Polendina endoskeleton and, in order to both field test and keep the existence of Project Polendina from the Federation, secretly sent her on black ops missions for Vale. We believed she was uncompromised, until last night, when appeared in the middle of the battle and claims to have fired on Hunter Ruby against her will."

"What?" Winter exclaims. "How is that possible? Did the suit malfunction?"

"I can explain," Ironwood says. "I was Penny's CO during her black ops work. We ran diagnostics on her after every mission, and they were always normal, but she always had trouble remembering what happened in between completing her missions and returning to base. She also seemed to have suffered short term memory shortly after returning from her missions, but it would come back eventually. We knew that the Polendia suit was a prototype, so we figured this was a side effect, and kept testing."

"Let me guess," Qrow says. "It wasn't the suit.

"No, it wasn't. Oobleck?" Oobleck stands up, holding a plastic bag containing a thin metal rod, about six inches long.

"After Penny surrendered to us last night," he explains. "I ran the diagnostics on her, and they were...off. They were still normal, but compared to her previous results, they were completely different. I did a full body scan, and found this in the back of her head, attached to the spine and brain."

"Is it a PAWNN?" Winter asks.

"Well, uh, yes. Yes it is. How did you know?"

"Atlas has been aware of the Federation's attempts at a mind control device for a few years now, but they've always just been hypotheticals; wonder weapons. PAWNN was a name that our spies kept finding"

"You did not just say 'mind control,' did you?" Qrow says.

"Unfortunately, yes," Oobleck says. "Psychological Attachment and Weaponization of the Neural Network. P-A-W-N-N. PAWNN. In simplified terms, it is designed to communicate with the brain by converting brain waves into radio waves. This would allow someone to turn computer code into programs that the brain could understand and follow through on."

"Against the will of the person?" Ozpin asks.

"Almost. She is aware of what she's doing, but might not be able to react in time to stop herself. Or the programmed brain waves take priority over her natural brain waves. I'm not sure, I have to run more tests. Penny must have been captured during one of her missions by Cinder, and implanted with the device during one of her missions, and programmed to forget every encounter with Cinder and her operatives. Hence, her memory loss."

"So, can we track the signal from the device back to them?"

"No, after the attack last night, the connection between the PAWNN and where the control signal was being broadcast from was cut manually from the other end. Strangely enough, the last signal sent was some sort of self-destruct sequence, overloading the hardware. This PAWNN is useless now, which explains why she was able to surrender herself and let us remove it."

"It could be a trap," Winter says. "Are you sure she's completely free from the device?"

"Positive, the device only works when implanted, and the circuitry inside the device is fried. Penny has free will again."

"So why did Cinder let her go?" Ironwood asks. "What was the point of this attack?"

"Good question," Glynda says, and presses a button. The hologram changes to a map of Remnant, with the Kingdoms, Federation, and border countries marked in their respective colors. Several border countries and sections of Vale are blinking red.

"This attack wasn't just on Forts Beacon and Athena," she says. "Almost every single Federation military unit still along the border, even those that haven't been active for months, launched a major offensive last night, and they weren't alone; many mercenary and militia movements along the border that were once considered friendly or neutral to us were identified to be fighting alongside the Federation troops. Even our own troops were pushed out of VS-04 by the local militia army, and VS cities one, two, five, and seven through seventeen have shown hostility to us. There was also an offensive in Vale, and there are reports of human pro-Federation fighters helping break through our lines."

"Break through?" Port repeats.

"Coalition forces had to fall back several miles, abandoning their most dug in positions and much of their equipment along the way. Propaganda we've picked up from the Federation is calling it the Autumn Offensive. We believe that, with winter approaching, they hope to keep pushing us back all the way through the cold months."

"Not likely," Port says. "Surely there's some good news somewhere, right?"

"Yes," Glynda replies. "Vacuo is reorganizing almost a third of its armies into the Vacuo Expeditionary Force, a conventionally trained and equipped army to replace their forces outside their borders, while the Militia protects the kingdom itself. It should heavily boost their effectiveness against Federation forces. Atlas has also recalled its fleet from the borders to the coast of Vale, where it hopes to break apart the Federation fleet. This move is in coordination with Mistral, which is already in the process of building thousands of new ships, including five aircraft carriers, fifteen amphibious assault ships, thirty missile cruisers, thirty destroyers, and twelve submarines. They're weeks away from launching the first of these ships."

"Well, I guess that's it," Ozpin says.

"What's it, Oz?" James asks.

"The Kingdoms are actually working together. We're finally taking the Federation seriously. Glynda, what's word from Parliament? Have they made any preparations?"

"Yes, they're reintroducing the draft. We'll have a million more soldiers on the field by the end of the year. Most of them will be sent to the border to keep the Federation back, while the more experience units will be transferred to Vale, which we will work to retake."

"And the Hunter Program?"

"I can answer that," James says. "I'm sorry, Oz, but...well, they're not sure if they want to continue it alongside Project AURA."

"What do you mean?"

"They don't like how many casualties you've taken. I mean, just last night we lost RWBY and JNPR Squads. CFVY is gone, obviously, and we lost CRDL in Vale a while ago."

"What about the other kingdom's programs?"

"SSSN Squad was lost last month, and NDGO and FNKI Squads were completely wiped out during the Autumn Offensive. LVDR and TEAL Squads are still in combat in Vale, but their squad member have taken serious wounds and aren't expected to remain active for much longer."

"How many of the squad members survived?"

"Except for NDGO and FNKI, only one member from each squad is KIA." Ozpin lowers his head and takes a deep breath.

"Tell Parliament that...that I made the rule to disband a Hunter squad after only one KIA during peacetimes, and that is no longer a luxury we can tolerate during wartimes. Tell them that the Hunter Program was far more of a success than I could imagine, and the squads are still effective with only three, two, or even one members alive."

"I understand, Oz, but I don't know if Parliament will."

"We can list the fallen Hunters as MIA," Port suggests. "The original Hunter doctrine dictates that a squad can still function with MIA members until they are confirmed dead. Besides, Foxtrot are already scared of Hunters, but Hunters that never die? That's something else."

"Yes, good, do it," Ozpin says. "Speaking of which, that's our first object right now; finding our MIA Hunter, Ruby. Port, assemble all members of RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY immediately."

"Uh, CFVY, Sir? You sure-"

"Yes, she's ready. Glynda, contact Mistral and see if they'll lend us SSSN. Qrow, Winter, Port, Oobleck Ironwood, make sure Fort Beacon isn't vulnerable to another Autumn Offensive. We'll discuss an attack once the Hunters are briefed. Glynda, we're going to see Penny. Dismissed."

HCS Airwalker

Brig Holding Cell 5

Ozpin stares at the little redhead through the one way glass, who sits behind a small, metal table. Her eyes are wide, head slumped forward. Her foot is tapping uncontrollably. A series of wires connect the socket on the back of her head to a computer on the other end of the table, which displays all of her vital signs and her body inputs; her "software," that is monitored by the Core. A guard stands in the corner of the room, next to the door.

"Has she said anything else since we brought her here?" he asks Glynda.

"No," she answers. "She says that new memories come and go sometimes, but she still claims that she's on our side."

"Of course she does. Do you believe her?"

"Honestly, I don't know yet. She's a VAF soldier, her father is a loyal VAF engineer that implanted the suit himself, and I trust Oobleck on what he knows about the PAWNN. She could be telling the truth when she says she doesn't know anything."

There's a brief silence. Ozpin doesn't look away from Penny.

"Sir, do you believe her?" Glynda asks. Ozpin sighs.

"I learned a lot as an agent in the VIA," he responds. "One of the most important things I learned was that a pawn, while small and insignificant, can still kill the king if it wants."

"...Sir?"

"Find Oobleck. Tell him to keep running tests on the PAWNN implant. Find out where it was manufactured, if we can reverse engineer the technology. I want to know everything."

"Yes, Sir...Are you coming?"

"I will soon. I have my own questions to ask first."

"Yes, Sir." Glynda looks at the anxious girl behind the glass, then the General, then leaves.

Ozpin enters the room, and Penny quickly looks up, visibly gulping.

"Wait outside, corporal," Ozpin commands the guard, his eyes not leaving the prisoner. The guard salutes, and exits the room. The door closes behind him.

"General," Penny squeaks. "I swear-"

"You will speak when I say you speak," Ozpin says. Penny nods. Ozpin walks over to the computer and starts pressing buttons.

"Do you know why we don't have to restrain you?" he asks. "Why you can't move even though you're not bound by anything?" Penny's eyes dash between the computer and Ozpin. "Speak."

"The...you disabled the motors in my legs."

"Correct. That port in the back of your head is the only way to access the hardware inside your body. From there, we can monitor and even control every part of your body. Your limbs, joints, temperature, blood pressure, heart rate…" Ozpin starts tapping a button. "...Oxygen intake."

Penny's eyes fly wide. She wraps her hands around her throat and begins gasping for air that is being emptied from her lungs. Her face quickly turns white, and just as her eyes begin to involuntarily close and her vision starts to darken, Ozpin starts tapping another key, and Penny starts coughing as her air supply forcefully returns.

"The only problem," Ozpin says, walking away from the computer and over to Penny. "Is that you did some bad things while you weren't plugged in."

"The device…" Penny croaks.

"Even with this device you have free will. I couldn't have stopped you from gasping for air if I wanted to. You knew what you were doing and did nothing to prevent it."

"I...I was scared...I didn't feel like...I...I had control over...It was like voices in my head were telling me to do things and...I felt like a thousand eyes were watching me."

"Why did you work with Cinder and her affiliates?"

"The voices...they made me…If I didn't I knew they would know…"

"So you were acting on free will, on fear?"

"No...not when they were there...not when I...shot Ruby. I just tried to block them out while they controlled me, and didn't tell anyone. Not Ironwood, not my father, not Ruby. I knew they would know...they knew everything."

"They could still be in there for all I know. Still talking."

"No...After I shot Ruby, they went away, I know they did...I have control again, I swear to God."

Ozpin leans down, his face inches from Penny's.

"You know if you're lying, if anything you say is a lie, you'll be dead."

"I swear, General Ozpin. I don't know anything. Cinder just made me do what she wanted, I barely remember anything since they put that thing inside of me. The only thing I remember clearly is aiming a gun at Ruby as she dropped to the ground. Neo and Roman...they just left me, like I wasn't even standing there."

"Did you see their hideout? Any other faces besides Cinder, Roman, and the others we know about? Glynda already asked you this, I know, but I'm giving you one last chance."

"No, I don't remember anything clearly from then. When they weren't in full control, there's bits and pieces, but when they started talking...it's like there's a gap in my mind. I'll tell you anything I remember, I swear. I want to do everything I can to help get Ruby back."

"You will. Whether you're telling the truth or not, you'll help us."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear."

"For your sake, Penny, I hope so."

Ozpin walks over to the door and opens it.

"For Ruby's sake as well."

Ozpin exits the room, and the guard resumes his post.

Cinder's safe house, location unknown

12:31 hours

Cinder and Adam walk down a long, morbid hallway, lit only by a handful of faint bunker lights. Several Fang soldiers also occupy the hallway, but they make sure to keep the path clear for the two leaders.

"So have your superiors promoted you yet?" Cinder asks.

"Not officially," Adam answers. "It's a waiting game for the bureaucracy to trickle down the chain of command until I'm in charge. This organization is a disgrace compared to what it should be."

"All the more reason for you to be in charge. But you now have control over all the troops in the border?"

"Yes, all cells are aware of the change in command. I'm the Shot Caller now."

"Good, then it's time to move while the Coalition is still vulnerable. While the Federation continues the offensive directly, the Fang will rally more of the border against the humans. Mercury and Emerald are already in the field-"

"That's not happening."

Cinder stops walking.

"Excuse me, Adam?"

"That's not how this works. Roman was your little puppet because he only cared about money. I'm here for revolution, not to fill my pockets. I only allied with you because you can give me an advantage, as I can you. That's all. I don't tell you where to put your operatives, you do the same for mine."

Cinder chuckles.

"Oh, Adam. You have spirit, I like that. It's what your 'revolution' needs. But you have to understand, Roman didn't get to where he was because he was stupid. He was my 'puppet' because he knew that I knew better than him, as you should. You're worried about your little uprising, but what's at stake; it's so much more than that. All of Remnant is for the taking."

"I don't want Remnant, I want mankind. If you want world domination, that's fine with me. But don't get in my way."

Cinder's smile disappears.

"Alright, this can wait. But you'll see soon enough."

"I doubt it." Adam continues walking. "So what about the Hunter, the one Roman called Red? She live?"

"Yes, she survived the bullet. Neo is interrogating her now."

"You trust that little bitch?"

"Who, Red or Neo?"

"Neo. She was Roman's, after all. She doesn't have any reason to stay with you."

"She's tough, but not that tough. She's not part of the Fang, or the mob, or any group. She's an orphan, and now that Roman's out of the picture, she's mine. Unless you want her."

"I don't want a freak."

"She's an effective freak."

"I don't care if she's a god, the Fang doesn't recruit humans, much less a fucked up human."

"Your loss."

The two turn a corner in the hallway, and face another hallway with large, heavy metal doors on either side. They walk over to one, where muffled screaming can be heard on the other side.

"And speaking of Red...want to take a look?"

"I don't care about her, Roman brought her in. If I were in charge during the attack, she wouldn't have made it back alive. It's your problem now."

"You don't care about how helpful she could become?"

"You can't brainwash loyalty, Cinder. Loyalty is earned through action. I thought you'd know that by now."

"Like I said, you have spirit."

Adam growls.

"I'm going to mobilize my White Fang now. If you need my help, you know where to find me."

"Same to you," Cinder says as Adam walks back down the hallway. She frowns; she was hopeful that she could keep Roman around until the Alpha could learn some humility. No matter, only a minor setback.

Cinder opens the door and enters the dimly lit and room. Ruby is strapped to a table with a soaked sack over her head. Neo stands at her head, with a table laid with numerous blades, wrenches, a car battery with jumper cables, a drill, a blowtorch, and other objects commonly seen in torture chambers. Ruby has been stripped of most of her clothing, left with only her underwear and a tattered undershirt. Third degree burns cover her arms, legs, and chest. Two holes are drilled straight through each of her palms. An old bandage on her hip is dark red and way overdue for changing. Neo pours another bucket of water onto Ruby's head. The Hunter coughs up her lungs with a wince in her voice, like it hurts just to use her mouth. She whimpers for a few seconds afterwards, then goes silent, although her arms and legs are visibly shaking. Neo lifts up another bucket, but Cinder puts up her hand.

"Wait," she says. "Take it off." Neo drops the bucket and rips off the bag. Cinder walks over and peers down at the little girl.

Ruby's eyes are both encircled by blackness, her left swollen shut. A small pool of blood has dried up between her nose and lips. She has a fresh bandage around her neck, where a cut is still trickling blood to the floor. There is also dried blood coming from her ears, and cuts and swelled up bruises on both her cheeks. Her hair is drenched with sweat and water. Her right eye is barely open, but when it makes contact with Cinder, it widens then quickly jams shut, and she grits her teeth and takes long, deep breaths. Cinder smiles.

"How long have you been doing this?" Cinder asks. Neo holds up four fingers. "Impressive that she's lasted this long."

"I'm still ready for more," Ruby says, pain eliciting in each syllable.

"I'm sure you are, but I'm afraid once I'm done with you, it won't matter. In fact, I'd rather you be in perfect condition for combat, but I let Neo have some fun with you, for what happened to Roman. But the wheels have to keep turning, which means you have to turn as well."

Cinder takes a PAWNN out of her pocket and throws it to Neo.

"What did you do to Penny?" Ruby whispers. "I know that wasn't her."

"See for yourself. Neo, put it in, then bring her to me."

Cinder turns around and exits the room. Neo walks around to Ruby's side and leans over her head. She waves the little metal stick in front of her face.

"Wait a minute…" Ruby says, staring at Neo's smiling face. "How old are you? You're short, sure, but now that I see your face...you look too young to be doing this. How did you get caught in this mess? Is this what you want? To let that bitch boss you around, hurting people? You can't even say one word, one single fucking word-"

Her sentence is cut off by a jab to the nose. Fresh blood starts to leak out.

"Ok, so maybe you can't speak, my mistake. Oh, fuck it." Ruby closes her eye. "Do what you want, I don't care. My friends are already coming for me. And they're a lot more scary than your friends."

Neo, looks towards the door, then down at the calm Hunter. She unstraps the Hunter and flips her over. Ruby doesn't move a muscle out of sheer exhaustion. She straps her in again, takes out a marker, and draws a line down the back of her neck and upper back. She picks up a scalpel from the table and takes aim.