I was re-reading this chapter so I know where I was to update this and I found an issue. Mainly, starting chapter 6 in the middle of this chapter! So this is a re-upload to help assuage my conscience.

Sorry about that!

Chapter 5: Situation

"Rubes, time to wake up!" Yang yelled down the hallway. She checked her watch and grabbed her mug off the table. Gulping the remaining dregs, she checked her watch again. 7:41

"I'm gonna leave if you don't get up," she yelled again. Ruby's door exploded outwards a split-second later. She stumbled out and bounced off the wall of the hallway.

"Hrrrgznffee," Ruby mumbled. She slumped down into a chair and buried her face into her arms. It had been 2 months since she had started at Beacon and the work load was finally beginning to catch up to Ruby. "Iwantmuhcoffee," she groaned again. Yang laughed and slid a fresh cup across the table. Ruby caught it and lifted her head enough to take a sip. She grimaced. Ruby never really liked coffee, but ever since Yang had introduced the life-giving properties it had wormed its way into Ruby's routine.

Trying to ignore the acrid flavor, Ruby took another sip. At least the warmth was enjoyable during these cold Martian mornings. As the caffeine slowly returned life to Ruby, she proceeded with the rest of her morning routine.

Shower? Check.

Protein bar for breakfast? Check.

Computer and equipment packed? Check.

Another cup of coffee? Check.

Teeth brushed, hair combed, and uniform on? Check.

Such was Ruby's average morning. By the time she had finished, it was 8:20. Yang was outside waiting on her bike. "Let's go! Traffic is hell this morning and we don't got any time!" Yang rushed her. Ruby whined, as usual, but hopped on the back of the bike, arms wrapping around Yang's waist.

In less than 10 minutes (due to some less than legal shortcuts), they had arrived at Beacon. The front grounds were still littered in streamers and confetti from the celebration a couple days ago. The 3rd year trainees had finally earned their Pilot Certifications and the academy threw a big party for them.

Huge gunships hovered overhead at the docking bay as the two pulled into the parking lot. The entire graduating class was leaving for their first deployment. Apparently, a mining subsidiary of the IMC had offered a job to every single one of them. Ruby noticed a familiar white snowflake on the side of each one.

"Wait, Yang. Who hired everybody?" Ruby said. Yang shrugged and turned her bike off. She took her helmet off and squinted at the ships Ruby was pointing to.

"That looks like Schnee Procurement property," Yang said. "You know Weiss, right? I'm pretty sure it's her dad's company."

Oh. So that was where she had seen it. In retrospect, Ruby should've known; Weiss had that emblem on everything she had. I wonder if I should talk to her today, she idly wondered as she started the walk towards the imposing building. She absentmindedly noticed a dark-haired girl slip out of the shadows towards Yang, but she didn't pay any mind to it.

The first person Ruby saw when she entered the room was Weiss. She waved cheerily. Her smile grew even bigger when Weiss waved back, albeit halfheartedly. 2 months ago, Weiss would have scowled or even ignored Ruby but recently their friendship had made progress. After their fight in the sim, Ruby had confronted Weiss in the locker room. Hard words were traded, and Ruby realized that she had to try to get closer to Weiss.

"Heya Weiss," she said, taking a seat right next to Weiss. "What did you think of the homework?" She pulled out a notebook and started scribbling a header onto a fresh page.

"It was…interesting. Oobleck's instructions on the controls for a Titan was really confusing. I had to ask my sister about it and even she was confused. Apparently her instructor, Peach or something, had given them a simpler packet." Weiss was quite talkative if you found the right subject.

"Really? I thought the instructions were easy. Oobleck's way of teaching was just like how they taught the controls for gunships at Signal. Maybe that's what he was going for?" Ruby said.

"Maybe Oobleck shouldn't assume all of us have had flight training. I don't think many other trainees learned that skill." Weiss pulled out her computer and opened up the simulated control panel for a titan. "See, right there, that display is poorly lit and would be blocked by my arm if I was trying to use the yoke." She pointed to a little green data graph.

"I don't know, Weiss. Flight skills are pretty common. You'd be surprised how vital it is for a lot of people's lives. Plus, that screen is only for extra stuff like core temperature and elevation and stuff. My little skimmer had that table even smaller and right above me, and elevation is important in flight." Ruby had to pause to remember where a similar display had been located on her ship. "And," she added proudly, "I only almost crashed twice for the entire time I owned it."

"How long did you own it for?" Weiss already knew the answer.

"Uh, hehe, about a month." Ruby's face flushed.

"Alright pilots, class is about to begin, if you all could quiet down," a violently quick voice came from the front of the room. A man in an olive green uniform and bright green hair stood at attention, a mug of coffee at hand. "I hope you all did the homework because there is going to a be a minor examination right now. So please, take out your computers and take the quiz I have posted on the network."

"Hey, meet me at Max's Café for lunch. Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha will be there too," Ruby whispered to Weiss before they turned to take their quiz.

Ruby skipped down the boulevard humming some tune to herself as she made her way to the restaurant. She looked at the noonday sun as it sunk below the horizon. Her stomach rumbled.

Down the street she saw a colorful trio sitting at a table. One of them waved, her bright orange hair bobbing as she bounced energetically. Ruby waved back and jogged the rest of the way to the table. She nodded to Ren, a quiet, dark haired Asian man, and gave Pyrrha a hug before taking a seat. They were sitting outside a small café on the outskirts of the city. There were other shops on the street, built to look like classical brick-laid buildings from Earth. The restaurant itself wasn't that full, most of the outdoor tables were full but the inside was empty except for a large group of construction workers crowded around one table.

"So how was the walk Ruby?" Pyrrha said. Her green eyes glimmered with a mirth Ruby only saw occasionally. Ruby looked over to Nora, who was harassing Ren as the pair looked at the menu.

"Ah, it was okay. Yang actually drove me halfway and dropped me off a couple blocks away. What she forgot to remember is that walking with the sun in my eyes is not my favorite thing to do."

"Yeah, I still have a hard time staying on the Martian clock. I'm just used to the sun being in the sky every day," Pyrrha said. Ruby remembered that Pyrrha had lived on Earth for most of her life.

"Anyways. Do you know what they serve here? This seems like your kind of place Pyrrha. I never really eat American." Ruby grabbed a menu and looked it over. She recognized what a hamburger was, but most of the other items were mysterious. "Like what is a pie?

"It's like a pastry filled with meat or other stuff. The fruit kinds are for dessert," Pyrrha explained. "I think you should just order something simple before you dive in deep." She pointed to a picture of a large hamburger.

Ruby nodded and entered her selection onto a nearby pad. She had had a hamburger a couple times before, it wasn't much more than a hot sandwich with more meat than usual. Pyrrha had already entered something called grits? Ew…

"So..," Ruby tried to break the silence that had fallen between her and Pyrrha. "How's Jaune? I heard he was involved in a terror cell raid the other day."

"Jaune? He's doing marvelous. You're right. He was leading an entry team that got caught in an engagement first. Luckily, my training seems to be paying off. He even got promoted to sergeant after he ran out into the open to save one of his squadmates."

"Where was the raid again?"

"It was at the shipping docks." Pyrrha's face burned a little red as she recalled how she got the details out of her boyfriend. "The White Fang had safehouses and warehouses filled with supplies and weapons. Apparently there was even a prototype Paladin-class titan."

"I'm glad that the IMC finally took action against those terrorists," Weiss said. Ruby nodded, Weiss was right. Wait. Since when was Weiss in the conversation? The white haired girl had somehow slipped into the chair next to Ruby without being noticed.

"Oh gosh Weiss, you scared me," Ruby giggled. Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Of course you didn't Ruby. You're about as observant as a sloth," she said. The table shook from a sudden force. Everyone, including people from other tables, turned to stare at Nora. The girl was standing up, her chair discarded, and had the most hopeful look on her face.

"Did you say sloth?" Nora Valkyrie's grin grew wider every second. Ren, her constant companion, buried his face in his hands and mumbled something like 'not again'.

"No Nora, it was just a metaphor," Weiss said calmly. Ren nodded and grabbed Nora's shoulder.

"Nora choose your food and I'll show you some pictures of sloths," he said. Nora beamed at him and cheered.

"Thanks Renny! You're the best." She enveloped the man in a tight hug, both of their faces coloring a little bit. Ren shook his head with a small smile as Nora began scanning the menu again. Everyone else in the restaurant went back to their food and conversations like nothing had happened.

"Who chose this place," Weiss asked, looking around. "It's..nice. A little quaint, but at least it isn't over the top." She tapped in her order after a quick glance at the menu.

"Pyrrha did," Ruby said. "It's American food." Weiss nodded. The decorations were very American and so was the menu.

"I can see why she chose it. American food is always good."

"Not unless you've never had it," Ruby grumbled. Pyrrha beamed at the praise. American food wasn't that popular in Vale, so Weiss's agreement was nice.

Just before she was going to give her thanks, a gunshot echoed down the street. Someone screamed and chaos broke out.

Weiss's eyes cracked open and she peered around. Yup, she was still being held hostage by terrorists. She sighed and sat up. Her back and neck hurt from sleeping on the floor, but she ignored the pain. Instead, she focused on listening in on her captors' conversations. That was the only good way to get information on the outside world.

"So? What happened?" One of the White Fang said. His friend took off his helmet and yawned before sitting down with an audible thump.

"The IMC isn't giving into our demands yet. You'd think that they'd be willing to make a deal. They haven't even handed any food over to feed the hostages. A bunch of hard-asses I say," he said. His voice was a bit higher pitched and the exhaustion was evident in his voice.

"Well, that's classic. I'd expect the guys who blow up Frontier settlers to allow their own people to starve to death."

"What is the boss gonna do?"

"I dunno. He'll probably tell us all later today. Anyways, I'm gonna try and get some sleep. Wake me up if anything happens."

Weiss laid back down as the men moved around to switch their watch. She idly wondered how long it had been since she had laid down on a proper bed. She couldn't quite remember if they were taken hostage 2 or 3 days ago. Whatever it was, everyone in the restaurant was hungry. Someone's stomach growled next to Weiss and she looked over to who it was. It was Ruby. The girl was looking extremely worse for wear. Her red and black hair was disheveled, and her eyes were dulled.

"Did you hear anything new?" Ruby whispered quietly. She glanced around to make sure none of the guards could listen in.

"No, but they mentioned something about how their boss is going to give them new instructions later," Weiss said. Ruby sighed and rolled to stare up at the ceiling. A sob came from across the room, followed by a muttered "shut up" from one of their captors.

"Weiss," Ruby said. She paused, obviously struggling with what to say.

"What's up, Ruby?" Weiss replied.

"Have you-I mean- is there anything you regret not doing?" Ruby said. Weiss closed her eyes and memories of how she first met the girl-in-red. There was a faint tingling in her kidneys.

"There's a lot I regret, Ruby. I'm not as young as I think I am," Weiss eventually said. Ruby perked up and looked at Weiss.

"Like what?" Of course, Ruby wouldn't give up on this line of conversation. For such an awkward and introverted girl, Ruby liked to know a lot about people. Weiss had noticed it early on.

"Small things mostly. I regret not going home to say bye one last time to my mom. Not fighting against my father earlier. The rest isn't that important." A small wave of sadness washed over Weiss. She shrugged and looked away to wipe a small tear. When she opened her eyes, Ruby had turned back to the ceiling.

There was a few more seconds of silence. Weiss sniffled and spoke up. "What about you?"

"Same as you I guess. My mom died when I was little. I don't remember her much, but I wish I had made the most of my time with her. I remember screaming and crying for no reason and causing her pain. That's what I regret."

"That's not your fault, you were little," Weiss tried to console the red head.

"No, it isn't. I should have been there for her, Weiss. 8-year-old me should have known better. I guess that's why I want to be a pilot. Maybe I can be there for someone else's mom to get them home." Emotion spilled over and Ruby began silently weeping. "W-what a fucked up way to go. KIA in th-the middle of nowhere." The curse came unexpectedly. Ruby didn't ever swear, at least in front of Weiss.

The heiress scooted over and gave Ruby a hug. Ruby turned into it and began sobbing into Weiss chest. She didn't notice Weiss's cheeks coloring a bit. Weiss did and she kicked herself mentally. Ruby is going to a tough time, don't be a creep like that.

Eventually, Ruby calmed down and everything went back to normal. As normal as things could be, as Weiss sat up from the dirty linoleum. There was a commotion near the front of the store, beyond the metal barricades and someone ran in.

"I need to talk to Adam," the woman said. The White Fang let her through, recognizing the mask that she wore. Weiss groaned. She thought it was going to be a negotiator, or even better, a rescue team.

A few moments later, the woman exited the back of the shop where the leader of the terrorists had been staying. She was followed by a tall flame-haired man. His helmet was at his side, but his face was still obscured by a thin mask. Weiss didn't miss the metal jumpkit strapped to his waist or the pulse blade strapped to his chest.

"Lewis, Shipton," his commanding voice rang out. "Grab two prisoners and bring them with me." A girl shrieked as rough hands hauled her up and pushed her towards Adam. A businessman followed, he was silent but terror was evident in his eyes.

The White Fang girl pulled out a phone and handed it to Adam. He turned on the speaker and entered a number. The tone rang twice before someone answered.

"Adam. I assume you are calling to give us new demands?" A calm voice said. Adam sighed and unholstered his pistol.

"Tell whoever is in charge to deliver us exactly 3 weeks' worth of food and water for 43 people. I want it in 30 minutes or my next demand will be for 41 people." He voice was equally calm. "I would be willing to negotiate for less if this demand is met."

There was a pause. "You know we can't do that, Taurus. If you as much as harm a single hair on one of your hostage's head, the IMC will show no mercy." The voice finally said.

Adam placed the phone on the table. "30 minutes, Ironwood. That's all you have." He hung up. He turned towards the terrorists. "Keep an eye out for our request. And keep a special eye out on that group over there." He pointed at Wiess and her friends, "I don't want any pilot-trainees to interfere." He stalked away into the back of the shop.

Weiss gulped and gave a quick glance to Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked just as nervous.

Jaune ran through the small encampment that surrounded the store. He spun by a private who was carrying a tray of coffees, probably for the snipers. A deep anger boiled inside Jaune as he made his way to the truck that his CO was in. Luckily, Jaune had mastered keeping his emotions off his face, so when he busted into a meeting between the captain and her lieutenants , at least he had some damage control.

"Corporal Arc, what brings you here at this time?" Captain Schnee looked irritated. Jaune detected the message underneath, 'why the fuck did you break into this meeting?'

"Sorry ma'am, I just wanted to inform you that shots have been heard inside," Jaune said. His voice almost cracked near the end as his anger threatened to boil over. The grave looks he was given indicated that everyone in the truck already knew.

"We know, Corporal. Taurus made his new demands a couple minutes ago. Food and water for 41 this time."

"Yeah," one of the other officers said, "I'm surprised the madman went through with it. I always thought Taurus was a coward." One of the other ones laughed. Jaune slammed his helmet on the table and stared them all in the eye.

"This is not the time for joking," he said angrily. "Someone precious to me is in there and that is why I'm worried. If your friend was stuck in there with her, you wouldn't be so flippant about the fact that the White Fang just executed two of their hostages. And if I were you, I'd try my best not to be some stupid son of a bi-"

"That is enough Corporal!" The captain cut him off. "I would like to remind you that my sister is in that building, too. Keep your emotions in check, or I will remove you from this operation." Jaune snorted and glared at Winter. They engaged in a silent conversation as the two stared each other in the eyes.

Jaune won. "But, seeing as you are the only man willing to risk his skin, I have decided now is the time for action. I will give you and your squad until 1200 hours to prepare for a rescue op. That's forty minutes Corporal." Winter said. Jaune saluted her, Winter saluted back, and Jaune stepped out of the truck. He slipped on his helmet and activated the radio.

"Three-Two be advised, we are go for BCS operation at twelve hundred. I want everyone geared to eliminate threats inside. Briefing is in ten, be ready. Over." Jaune gave a small smile to himself as confirmations came in from his squad. Maybe Pyrrha is gonna be OK, he thought.

/

A/N:

Wassa my dudes! As I said earlier, my updates will be getting more frequent 'n stuff, so that's cool.

I am currently looking for someone to proof read my new chapters, so just PM me or something if you are interested. My reddit username is u/UnnamedArt if you want to contact me that way. It's probably more reliable that PM'ing me here.

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