Chapter 6
After talking about it last night, we started by... coming up with my costume. Honestly, I was thinking we should on a few other things first before the suit, but I guess it was the best we could do for the moment within the comforts of our home. It's not exactly professional, but for now we settled with my unused sports jersey uniform, consisting of black sweats and jacket with red details, along with some black combat boots with red soles, black fingerless gloves, and dark red ski mask with blue lensed ski goggles and a red cape with a hood, finished with taping a kinda choppy spider logo to the left side of the jackets chest area. Afterwards, I thought about the fact that my new powers didn’t seem to include the ability to produce webbing. Which is kind of a good thing and kind of a bad thing. It’s a good thing because it would’ve been absolutely disgusting to suddenly have those web glands in my body. But then it’s also a bad thing because I’m trying to be a spider themed hero and feel kinda incomplete without this ability. So I did some research on spider webbing to help figure out a way to create an artificial webbing, as well as draw some ideas for a way to utilize them. It's possible I could use the webs as a means of transportation by swinging around the city, so the best place to possibly shoot them from would be my hands. And so I drew up some plans for wearable web shooters I can strap around my wrists. The next day, I asked Dr. Peach if I could reserve a workbench to work on a personal project during class, which she only allowed because, number 1: it was kind of a free day today, and B: she respected my track record as a fellow science nerd and believe us scientist should be allowed to work freely. Using my research, I tinkered around to create my web shooters and had a few attempts to create a proper web fluid very close to the real thing, with an obvious tensile strength fitting for the whole human ratio thing compared to the smaller spider. These were done over the course of the next few days during school. After school during these days, Yang and I went to an abandoned junk yard as a training ground for my powers and new equipment. As time went by while testing my webs, it had definitely improved since we started. Tests involved using it to pull down certain junk, and using the nearby trees surrounding the place to practice swinging. We also tested my strength by trying to push and lift some of the heavy stuff in there. We set up a stable enough climbing wall to test my wall crawling, and tested my new ‘spider sense’, which I started calling my new enhanced sense of awareness, with me wearing a blindfold and dodging anything it warned me of when Yang threw things at me. Yang also helped do a quick study of certain martial arts and we used as a base to me creating my own fighting style by using my spider sense to guide me as I fight with improvised techniques derived from average level karate, and tested with sparring matches against Yang, who actually takes a boxing class at the local gym. Come the weekend, we decide to do some field tests, and while it may have been a risk, I have successfully been able to swing from high buildings with ease, especially with my already super brain running all the needed physics equations in my head as I swing to avoid any mishaps that could prove... unfortunate. But the real test was when we picked up a crime in progress with a police scanner. Yang staying behind at a high enough vantage point to try and keep an eye on me all over with some binoculars, keeping her ear out on the scanner and letting me know through my custom made com links.
Yang: “Heads up, Sis. We got a robbery at a jewelry store about a block from me. Officer trying to handle it is outgunned three to one.”
Ruby: *phew*”Okay... Moment of truth. Let’s hope I’m ready. Wish me luck!” I hurry as fast as I can and find what I’m looking for. A cop car is parked across the street from the store and the officer is hiding behind the car for cover as two of the guys have him pinned down with their guns.
Cop: “Dammit! Where’s that back up?”
Ruby: “Heads up!” I swing by and into the two guys from the side with a kick. They dropped their guns, so I take them and web them to the wall a little high up. “Officer, you rest up a little. I can handle this!”
Thug 1: “And who the hell are you?”
Thug 2: “Little girls like you shouldn’t get involved.”
Ruby: “D-don’t underestimate me!” I avoid a few punches before knocking one of them into the other and then webbed them to the wall.
Thug 2: “Ugh! What is this stuff?” That’s when the third guy comes out after hearing all the noise.
Thug 3: “What the hell is going on out here?” And he shows disappointment when he sees the scene before him. “Seriously guys? You let some little girl take you guys down?”
Thug 1: “Not our fault! She's quicker than she looks!”
Thug 3: “Well let’s see if she can dodge this!” He aims his gun at me and fires! But thanks to my spider sense, I’m able to avoid it with a back flip. Once I’m back on my feet, I grab the gun with a web, yank it out of his hands and throw it at his face. He falls over and I web him to the ground to hold him there.
Ruby: *phew*”That was a close call. Hey! It's safe now!” The cop comes from behind the car.
Cop: “My god. You actually did it.” Nearby passer byers start gathering in bewilderment of what I just did. “Thank you. I thought I was almost dead there.” Then I hear a familiar voice among the crowd with a peculiar accent.
???: “Excuse me!” I turn around to see our Velvet Scarlatina, a rabbit eared Faunus girl with long brown hair and various shades of brown clothing. She was our senior we previously mentioned that graduated two years ago. And I can already see a camera in her hands. Velvet: “Mind if I get a picture for the paper?”
Ruby: “Uh... sure.” And she immediately took the shot of me and the cop right by the webbed up crooks.
Velvet: “You know, I don’t think I’ve actually seen you around before. You a new hero or something?”
Ruby: “Yeah... It’s my first day.”
Velvet: “Oh yeah? You got a name I can call you by yet? For the paper.” Crap! I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. I don’t wanna use some cliched name like ‘spider girl’ or something like that. I wanna be unique. That's when I remember all the stark red on my outfit and come up with something that I think will pretty well.
Ruby: “You can call me... the Scarlet Spider.” That’s when I hear more police sirens as they turn the corner a ways away. “Well, that’s my queue to go! Take care citizens!” And I move to swing away from the scene. I make a pit stop back where Yang is waiting to reload on web fluid cartridges. “Yang! You’ll never guess who I just ran into!”
Yang: “Oh yeah? Did you run into Uncle Qrow already?”
Ruby: “Ahahaha.” Sarcastically. “No. No, I ran into Velvet on the scene. She was getting pictures for the paper. And when she asked what to call me, that’s when I finally thought to come up with a name for myself.”
Yang: “Oh yeah. We never did get that far, did we?”
Ruby: “Anyway, I came up with the name ‘Scarlet Spider’, because of all the red.”
Yang: “Hm. Not bad. Though I am a little worried about you already getting media attention.”
Ruby: “I honestly didn’t expect anything less really, considering the circumstances of the sudden appearance of a new vigilante.”
Yang: “I guess. Let’s just try to be more careful from now on though. It would be bad if we got caught too soon.”
Ruby: “Don’t worry, I got this.” Then I get back out there and handle more crimes out there. Meanwhile, we cut to Weiss entering the SDC. These past few days, she had tried using her skills to look through even the most sensitive servers in the SDC for info on Summer Rose but couldn’t find anything beyond what they had already heard about her, which already wasn’t a lot. So she felt like she had no choice but to try and search through the CEO’s office computer directly, thinking it may have files not a part of the SDC servers. Upon arrival in the CEO’s office, she finds Glass and her father chatting it up. The door opening caught their attention.
Jacques: “Weiss? What in Remnant are you doing here?”
Weiss: “I... wanted to speak with Mr. Glass about something, if he didn’t mind.”
Glass: “Of course not. But you kind of caught us at a bad time.”
Weiss: “Don’t worry, it can wait a minute. Right now, I’m more curious as to why you’re still here, Father. I thought you and the family already left for Atlas.”
Jacques: “Willow, Whitley and Klein have already left. I myself unfortunately can't at the moment given the current circumstances around here.”
Weiss: “You mean about the missing tech and these explosions at our warehouses?”
Jacques: “Yes. These recent events have been rather unsettling, so I feel as though I can’t leave until this whole situation has completely blown over.” That’s when his intercom chimes in, the voice belonging to the front desk woman.
Receptionist: “Mr. Schnee, the Atlas council is calling. Their requesting a video call from the conference room.”
Jacques: “Bah! Sorry Weiss, but I don’t have time for you right now. I’ve got more important things to handle right now.” As he storms out of the room.
Weiss: “What was that about?”
Glass: “It’s about the soldier serum project. The supplies been destroyed and all of the spiders are dead, so the council aren’t exactly pleased after we had already spent so many years working on it.” Weiss seems shocked. Guess this is the first she’s hearing of this. “But that’s not exactly any of our business right now. With Mr. Schnee gone, why don’t we talk about what you wanted to talk with me for.”
Weiss: “Ah. Right. Ahem. I was actually hoping to ask about Summer Rose. Particularly about her work on the serum project. That is, if your able to talk about it.”
Glass: “Unfortunately, there’s really not much I can tell you outside of what you probably heard during your field trip. She was a fantastic scientist and a prime candidate for head scientist. Not much was left about her project when she died and hence the need to start from scratch with what we could observe from her station.”
Weiss: “I see...” Then he a call on his scroll.
Glass: “I’m sorry, but I have to take this. I’m not sure how long this will take but feel free to wait here if you still need to talk later.” He steps outside when he answers the call. Weiss seizes this moment to look through the computer, hooking a little drive with PENNY on it to help search through the data faster.
PENNY: “A quick search has helped me gained access to Mr. Schnee’s personal server and I found a journal entry that may be useful.” Right. Jacques set it up so each member of the family has their own personal server to use for their own projects they conduct outside of the SDC. Everyone except for Weiss’ elder sister Winter, since she left the family to join the Atlas military.
Weiss: “What does it say?”
PENNY: “Apparently, when Summer’s corpse was searched by the police, they found a drive that they assumed pertained to her work in the company and handed it over to Mr. Schnee after her case was closed, figuring it was pretty important. However, Mr. Schnee actually didn’t recognize the drive because of the particular emblem printed on it. And when he tried to look through it, he found it to be protected by very heavy encryptions and fire walls that he couldn’t bypass. So until he could find a way to do so, he kept the drive hidden in a secret room right here in this very office we stand it.”
Weiss: “A secret room?”
PENNY: “Yes. It would seem he has rooms like this in the CEO’s office of all four branches of the SDC to hide particular secrets he doesn’t computers to effectively hide.”
Weiss: “And yet he decided to admit to having these rooms in his own digital diary entry? Pfft. Talk about hypocritical.” As she rolls her eyes. “Do we know where this room is?”
PENNY: “It doesn’t say in his entry’s. But I may be able to find it through a quick scan of the room through your scroll camera.”
Weiss: “Okay then.” She removes her device once PENNY finishes covering her tracks and retreats her program back into it. Then she stands by the door and brings out her scroll to aim her camera over the whole room to let PENNY scan the whole room.
PENNY: “Found it. Hidden behind the large painting of Nicholas Schnee. The plaque next to the painting has a keypad underneath it as well.” Weiss moves up to the painting as upon pushing on the plaque, it slides up to reveal the keypad.
Weiss: “Looks like it takes a four digit code to open.”
PENNY: “Hold on. I think I did find a reference to the code in his files. There were references to the phrase ‘Nicholas’ last day’. What do you think that means?”
Weiss: “Nicholas’ last day...” And lightbulb! “Wait... No, he didn’t!” She inputs the date of her grandfather's death which was 12 years ago when she was 5. And lo and behold, the painting sinks into the wall before sliding to the side, revealing the secret room. “Father, you son of a bitch. Using Grandfathers death date in such a way.” She enters to find several shelves full of items. Some of which were labeled with people's names. Then she finds what she was looking for, the drive labeled with Summer’s name. And sure enough, it held an emblem she hadn’t seen before, along with the word ‘B.E.A.C.O.N.’ printed underneath it. Deciding not to waste more time thinking about it, she put the drive into her bag, got out of there, and pressed the code in again which shut the door and brought the plaque back down. Then Glass comes back in from his phone call.
Glass: “Sorry about the wait, Ms. Schnee. Did you want to keep talking?”
Weiss: “No thanks. I just um… got a text from my friends wanting to hang out for dinner, so I should get going.”
Glass: “Very well. Probably best anyway. I don’t think you want to be around when your father finishes his meeting. All calls with council tend to result in a spike in his anger.”
Weiss: “Duly noted.” To which she leaves and makes her way out of the building. On her way home, she starts hearing some odd reports on the large screens.
Lisa: “Earlier today, a jewelry store robbery was thwarted by a brand new vigilante sporting black and red, and using a appears to be spider webbing to restrain the criminals, stopping the crime and apparently saving the officer who was helpless outgunned.” As the screen shows the picture that Velvet took. “According to the photographer who submitted this photo to the station, this new self-proclaimed hero has gone on record to reveal the name she goes by: the Scarlet Spider. More witness reports from officers and citizens alike confirm her continued acts against crime throughout the day since then. Higher ranks of the police have yet to voice any sort of opinion regarding this new individual.”
Weiss: “What the-?” That’s when Blake calls on her scroll.
Blake: “Weiss? Have you seen it yet? The reports on this new spider hero?”
Weiss: “Yeah. I just got investigating the CEO’s office and am seeing the reports now on my way home.”
Blake: “You're thinking the same thing, right? Surely you must’ve already deduced her identity given the circumstances.”
Weiss: “Yeah, but... Surely she wouldn’t do something so reckless, right?”
Blake: “It’s just a deduction for now. There’s only one way to actually confirm it. We'll need to actually confront her about it.”
Weiss: “Okay, but can it wait until tomorrow? I think I may have come across a major lead into Summer.”
Blake: “Oh yeah?”
Weiss: “Yes. I’ll fill you all in tomorrow after I look more into it. I don’t feel comfortable talking about it over scroll call.”
Blake: “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Weiss then heads straight home after their call ends, and works practically all night since then trying to decrypt the drive. PENNY did eventually get her to get some sleep, promising she’d keep the decryption going all night. It wasn’t until the next morning that they finally managed to bypass everything and look into what's on the drive. She let’s PENNY look though that while Weiss calls in everyone to meet at her place. Blake showed up first. Then Yang showed, after I had told her to go on ahead while I finished up a little errand. Said errand being to stop a guy from mugging some woman and stealing her purse. After securing the guy and making sure she was fine, I swung by the building, changed in the alley right next to the building, and finally made my way up to Weiss’ penthouse. For now, I want to really get the hang of this hero thing before letting Weiss and Blake in on it, just to make certain they know I really can handle myself when I tell them.
Ruby: “Sorry I’m late! I didn’t expect that to take as long as it did.” Weiss and Blake both look at me a little concerned. “Uh... Everything okay guys?”
Weiss: *sigh*”Before we go over what I found, there’s something else I think we need to go over first.”
Ruby: “Which is...?”
Blake: “The Scarlet Spider.” Shoot! Don't tell me they figured me out already! “I’m gonna cut right to the chase: You're the Scarlet Spider, aren’t you Ruby?” ...Dang it.
Yang: “Well that figures. Should've known you guys would’ve picked up on it. Best we come clean now, Sis.”
Ruby: *sigh*”Guess you're right.” So much for my initial plan. “Okay. Fine. It's true.” I pull out the suit and lay it out on the operating table to make my point. “I decided to use my new powers to become a superhero.”
Blake: “That’s what I thought.”
Weiss: “What were you thinking!? This is way too dangerous for you to be doing!”
Ruby: “But, Weiss-”
Weiss: “And you!” As she points to Yang. “You Implied you knew about this. How could you let her do this!? You’re her older sister! I thought you were supposed to protect, not let her throw herself into danger!”
Yang: “Hey! Don't try to throw this on me! I promised I’d support her choices no matter how dangerous.”
Weiss: “Are you kidding me!? That is not an excuse to just let this go!” She looks back to me. “What do you have to say for yourself!?” All I can do is try to do is be honest with my feelings like I did with Yang.
Ruby: “Ever since I got these powers, I had this nagging feeling like I was supposed to have them for a reason. And when I thought about Uncle Qrow’s words, that with great power comes great responsibility, I knew that I should use these powers to try and help people. Then I thought about how there were people out there like me. People who have unique gifts and decided to risk their lives in order to protect the people. This was quite possibly the only way I knew how I could accomplish this goal. Look, I know how dangerous this can possibly get. But I know that if I am able to do something to actually help my city, then I think I should actually do what I can help. But now I feel like I won’t be able to if I feel like you guys don’t trust me to be able to handle this.” Now Weiss looks like she feels bad for scolding me.
Weiss: “Ruby, I-”
Blake: “I trust you, Ruby.” Everyone now looking to Blake. “I can understand what it means to want to uphold responsibility. I’m out here working my hardest for the day I have to become chieftess of Kuo Kuana. If this is how you plan to uphold your responsibility, then I’ll support every step of the way.”
Yang: “Blake...” After hearing Blake’s words, everyone now looks to Weiss.
Weiss: “I... guess I understand as well. I have a responsibility to uphold myself when I take over the company. A legacy of honor to fix that had been broken for so long. It’s just... *sigh* It’s not that don’t trust you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You three are the only real friends I’ve ever had, and I just want that to be taken away from after everything we’ve been through these past few years.”
Ruby: “Weiss...” I decide to give Weiss a hug after hearing that. “Weiss, I promise you. I’m not going anywhere. Not so long as I know I have friends and family like you waiting for me. Okay?” It took Weiss a few seconds to fully come to terms with what I said for she let go.
Weiss: “Okay.” After taking a few more moments to clear the air between us all, decides to move on to tell all about what she found. “After letting PENNY handle it all night, we finally managed to bypass all of the drives security this morning.”
PENNY: “And according to my analysis, the data all seem to be video diary entry’s featuring Summer Rose.” We all stand bewildered by this discovery before making a final decision.
Ruby: “Play them.” The then cuts to the first video of many featuring mom in her private lab outside of the company.
Summer: “Hello. I am Dr. Summer Rose. A special scientist working for B.E.A.C.O.N., and the one hand picked by Director Ironwood himself to lead an undercover mission to join the Schnee Dust Company as a means of using their advanced tech in our own attempts to recreate the special serum used by Captain Jaune Arc in the great war all those years ago. All while the Director makes sure the project is seen by Mr. Schnee as one of the company’s contracts with the Atlas military, utilizing his other position as the military’s general. I have just finished setting up my private lab within the city and am ready to begin recording my progress reports. So far, the Ironwood’s efforts have allowed the project to be greenlit by Mr. Schnee and his trio of other CEO’s. Though with what little there is left of Dr. Scarlatina’s work, I am forced to make assumptions regarding certain components of it’s chemical makeup.” The videos as they explain certain things, like how the serum by itself tends to have bad side effects on the mind of the test subjects. Her use of spiders was because of how that when adapted to their venom, it offsets the side effects into something beneficial. Which in my case was the additional powers like the spider sense. Then we come to her last video. “This will be my final recording for now, as I have felt that I am being watched for the past while. I know that I’m too far into the hole to try and give up on this project, but recently, I’ve been getting this nagging feeling that maybe this is all a bad idea. And it all stems from recent reports of a raging monster over in Anima, that was caused by another’s attempt the soldier serum, lead by a scientist named Lie Ren who ended up becoming this monster as a result of an accident with his attempts. If it is Ironwood seeing this recording, then I implore you. Please give up this relentless pursuit into this project. It is clear as day that no one can perfect what Scarlatina created. And if my children are somehow seeing this, then I only have this to say. Yang. Ruby. If for some reason that I don’t ever come back someday, then please know that I always loved you both from the bottom of my heart. And I know that one day, you’ll be doing some miraculous things to change the world. No matter what you girls turn out to be to do so, I will be so proud of you.” She starts to cry and gives herself a moment to compose herself. “I love you… Just the way you are.” Then we hear dad in the background.
Taiyang: “Summer! Your latest batch is ready.”
Summer: “Be right there!” She wipes away her tears and straightens herself out. “This has been Dr. Summer Rose signing out.” And that’s where the recordings end. That last one being dated on the mom and dad died 11 years ago. Tears of my own are now streaming down my face.
Ruby: “Mom…” I haven’t heard her voice in so long. And to hear her say all of that after all these years… It really hits hard in the heart.
Yang: “Ruby… You okay?”
Ruby: *sniff*”Yeah.” I try to wipe away my tears. “I’ll be fine.”
Blake: “Okay. But I’m confused as to what B.E.A.C.O.N. is. She said she was working undercover for them.”
PENNY: “Further study showed that B.E.A.C.O.N. is an organization founded not long after the great war by known associates of Captain Arc: Agent Metis Nikos and Dr. Nicholas Schnee. Nikos taking the helm as the first Director while Schnee lead their science division using his company’s resources. Said resources were cut by Nicholas himself when his son-in-law took over the company rather than his own daughter. The organization itself was made to keep sharp observations over the whole worlds to keep on eye out for any and all potential threats to the whole of humanity after discovering the remnants of the organization, Apathy, the true enemy the kingdoms fought against in the war.”
Blake: “I get it now. The cut resources were probably why they needed to have Summer go undercover.”
Weiss: “And probably keeping the story believable with the fact that Vale was still her hometown.” It all makes sense now…
Ruby: “All the more reason we need to keep doing what we can to keep it safe.” They all nod in agreement.
Blake: “And with that being said. I think we need to talk about your suit.”
Weiss: “Agreed. Not exactly the most professional look for a superhero.”
Ruby: “Hey, come on! This was all I had.”
Weiss: “I’m just saying. You are in definite need of an upgrade.”
Blake: “Luckily, you now have us in on the secret to help you out.” From there on, the four of us all discussed ideas on how improve my suit. And hence the start of our new team.