In Plain Sight

Beckett blinked as a bloodied Hazel stumbled into the room at the club. He’d just got done escorting the smith and retainer to their accommodations and had been looking forward to researching the book for the evening. 

Fate had other plans it seemed. 

“You appear to be in a spot of bother,” Beckett said humorously as Hazel cast him a disinterested stare and collapsed on the couch setting a gun he hadn’t had before onto the table. 

“It’s started.”

Beckett’s words died in his throat at that and he felt something run down his back while it felt like a veil had been lifted from his eyes.

“Just keep doing what she told you to do, and you’ll be fine,” Hazel said as he closed his eyes. 

“Should I expect guests?” 

Hazel merely shook his head before closing his eyes.

Well that was troubling. He turned towards where he knew Atlas was in the distance. 

He lost track of how long he stared as he ran through the various possible outcomes of what was happening and what it would mean for himself and everyone else.

“And all he wants us to do is, nothing?” Raven asked with a raised eyebrow as the woman in front of her smirked. 

“That’s it, love. Just stay right here in your little camp or go somewhere else, but just don’t interfere, and it’s all yours,” Tock said with a wide smile that was all teeth. 

Raven hummed as she looked at the woman and then her group behind her. 

“Where’s the loud one?” 

Tock actually laughed. “Finally got himself killed. Him and a few others. Good riddance to the weak,” Tock said with a feral smirk. 

Raven knew Vernal herself likely shared the same smirk just as she knew Blake and Ilia were likely wearing neutral looks and were on edge around the woman. 

“When do we get the promised reward? After his business is done? I was assuming it’d be like last time, and half up front,” Raven said, crossing her arms. 

“Course you get half now. We ain’t wanna sour a good business relationship would we?” Tock assured Raven as she gestured for one of her people to bring out the promised reward. 

Raven frowned as she casually changed the fingers holding her elbow from four to two knowing Vernal would see it. 

They just needed to wait for the right moment and see how things played out...

Ruby had been ushered off the plane and into a car before arriving at a fancy mansion estate. The kind she imagined Weiss might have lived in since she seemed almost like a princess. 

The fact that there was a faded sign that had her surname on it also pointed in that direction. 

They waited inside the main reception hall for a few minutes until an older looking man came down the staircase. 

“Hate that it always smells like those abominations in here, but I suppose knowledge of the enemy is important,” the man on the left said. 

“Watch your brother, for his sin of heresy is thy sin of tolerance,” the man on the right said, crossing himself and kissing his cross necklace.

“We’ll keep a close watch as we always have, just as we do the other one, but for now keep your mouths shut,” the apparent leader said. 

“Um, can I ask why I’m here?” Ruby said gently and the leader blinked as if he’d forgotten her. 

“Right, sorry lass. Boss man wants to use you as bait to capture some vampires. I’ve been told you’ll be let go once they’re taken care of, but you won’t be able to tell anyone anything about the supernatural, or we’ll have to…well just best you don’t,” the man said. 

“Oh,” Ruby said as she rubbed at her arm. 

The leader removed a phone from his pocket and made a quick call Ruby didn’t hear as she tried to look around. 

“Yes sir,” the leader said a minute later. “You’re being taken downstairs to lure them to the trap but we’re to take a blood sample and drop it off with the boss, to check your health and all that,” the leader assured Ruby who raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I’m a doctor. You can explain it more thoroughly than that,” Ruby instructed him as she stood to her full height. 

“I don’t rightly know. I think it’s to make sure you’re not some sort of demon in disguise honestly,” the man replied as he itched at his scar.

“Do you have the proper labs to perform the tests in?” Ruby asked and he blinked at her. 

“Surgical gloves, sterilized tools?” Ruby tried again as he looked nervous. 

“Do you at least have a needle or syringe that’s clean?” Ruby said defeated as the man finally nodded. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Ruby sighed, presenting her arm. 

Neo frowned as they exited the train. She was shaking. She couldn’t stop. 

This feeling of wrongness was so prevalent here, and every step away from the train and a potential escape made her throat constrict. 

They…shouldn’t be here. She cast a look at Penny who was looking around enjoying the sights. 

Penny was likely not old enough to feel it, but it was suffocating. They were in a city that was marked. 

A battlefield between two opposing forces of terrible strength. She twitched as her eyes were constantly in motion scanning for threats. 

This was suicide. Why were they here? Revenge for her former masters who likely had already fled and were fine if that loud mouthed idiot was right?

She…they needed to go. She needed to take Penny and flee. Every moment they delayed was another moment closer to the death of this city. 

Whatever ruled over the ruins was hardly her concern as long as it went back to the shadows like before. 

She was sure Penny had more than enough for them to go somewhere, anywhere else! She just had to-

She felt a hand gently take her own and nearly jumped as Penny gently gripped her own and led her to a small bench in the park they were passing. 

“You seem unwell friend,” Penny observed. 

Neo tried to think of how to explain and just settled for the truth. Lying was something she did often and was good at, but Penny had been nothing but kind and deserved the truth from her. 

Penny listened as it were, through it all and looked around as if trying to sense what Neo was explaining. 

“Do you wish to depart?” Penny asked after Neo was finished. 

Neo’s first instinct was to nod like a maniac, snatch Penny’s hand and go back to Dusk til Dawn, or just to flee anywhere in the opposite direction to get them out of this place. 

It was nearly suffocating already.

Looking at Penny’s concerned expression as she looked over her shoulder…

“Neopolitan,” came a voice Neo had heard only once before but never wanted to hear again. 

“Oh my,” Penny said as the world around them seemed to stand still. 

A figure garbed in a set of robes walked before them. Strangely they appeared barefoot if the flashes of skin were any indication as they walked toward the pair. 

Neo tried to run away even though she’d done nothing to displease them, that she knew of. All she managed to do however was push Penny behind her. 

Strangely that seemed to amuse the figure as they stopped a few paces away. 

Neo flinched as they gently waved an arm and noticed that despite it having been a busy platform despite the late hour it was now deathly silent with nothing in sight. 

“Let’s talk about what is to come tonight, and your part in it,” the figure said as it gestured for them to sit back down. 

Neo sat knowing there wasn’t any other real option, although she did her best to keep herself between the figure and Penny despite knowing it wasn’t really any protection for her. 

Even Penny seemed to sense there was something about this person that meant she should keep her tendency to ask questions in check. 

“Let’s begin…”

“I’m just saying if you can pray for forgiveness then wouldn’t it make more sense to be a vampire so you can kill the wicked ones better? 

You’d be more effective that way right? And most of you hunt during the night anyway. Plus you’d have others around to keep you in check,” Ruby asked the leader as he led them to a cell where she was apparently to wait for the master. 

“I don’t rightly know. I hadn’t thought of it that way,” the leader admitted as Ruby went into the cell and sat on the small cot provided. 

“I’m just saying you could have another powerful tool to hunt them with. Sure they’d have to be careful but I work at a blood bank. You have no idea how much blood we have to throw away. Sure humans can’t use it, but you guys could right? Then you’d know no one is getting hurt and you’d be getting rid of bad vampires!” Ruby said excitedly. 

The leader merely looked at her with a smile. “You’re a strange one. Bach, vampire hunter at your service,” the leader said, extending a hand through the bars. 

“Ruby Rose. Doctor!” Ruby said in an upbeat tone. 

“I truly hope you survive what is to come Miss Rose,” Bach said sincerely. 

“You too! I mean good luck?” Ruby said with a wince as he merely laughed and left her to her cell. 

“So this is where you got to?” A familiar voice said, bringing a bit of the smell of smoke with it once the man was gone.

“Cinder! You’re alright, and here?” Ruby finished on a questioning tone as she peered out of her cell trying to see her friend. 

“Yeah. Just waiting like you I guess.”

“They take your blood?” Ruby asked worriedly. 

“Nah Tyrian didn’t want to come within a dozen feet of me. Hates the smoke,” Cinder said with what Ruby imagined was a wicked grin. 

“Kinda surprised you didn’t bust out already,” Ruby admitted. 

“Just waiting for now.”

Watts waved off the hunter with a platitude as he left and picked up the vial of blood. Finally a chance to cross one of the names off his list. 

They were close, he could feel it, but still. He carefully took the syringe with the Rose woman’s blood and let the test get to work. 

He stared at it for a moment before he brought up the small list of half a dozen names and profiles. One of them was his final enemy. He didn’t know which but this would either confirm or reduce the list. Either was valuable. 

The machine finished its work and he waited for the results to load. He blinked as he read the printout. 

He snarled and set the test to run again. There was no way this was accurate!

Winter unbuckled her belt and disembarked the plane doing her best to suppress the strange sensations she felt in the air. 

It was a mix between what she and Weiss had sensed in Cinder’s office and some other malevolent force she’d not felt before. 

She did however blink as she saw Penny, and Neo standing there with a sign waiting for them. It read 'The Damned Stand Ready'. How ominous. 

“What are you doing here?” Weiss asked and Winter took note that she and Velvet seemed far less bothered by the atmosphere than everyone else save Pyrrha was. 

Strange, but a thought for later. 

“Hello, friends! We had a lovely talk with the sponsor,” Penny said, slightly less upbeat than normal, although if they’d just talked with the sponsor Winter didn’t blame her. 

Even being near when Cinder had been talking to them had been nerve wracking and nearly forced her to her knees. 

“What do we need to do to get Ruby back?” Velvet demanded as Neo looked nervous. 

“That is…an interesting question,” Penny said, dodging a question and looking supremely awkward at having to do so. 

This…didn’t bode well. 

Watts stormed down to the basement and up to the cell containing the doctor. 

He waited for her to look at him before he held up the paperwork in his hand. 

“Do you know how much effort I put into securing you? How sure I was about you?”

“Um, no. Why would you want a doctor?” 

“Because I was sure you were something more! Do you see these tests? COMPLETELY HUMAN! An utter waste of time,” Watts said, throwing the papers into her cell. 

“I mean I could have told you that,” Ruby said with a confused tone as Watts snarled and pulled out his gun. 

“I have no need for something purely normal that wastes my time. Goodbye,” Watts declared firing his revolver six times over the woman's protest as her body was jerked backwards by each impact before it hit the wall and slowly slid down it, blood already starting to pool from the wounds. 

After watching the woman expire and staring a moment longer he snarled as nothing happened. No healing, no miraculous survival. Just ordinary. The blood he’d sampled upstairs had said as much but he’d hoped to have been wrong. 

The silver bullets didn't fizzle, burn, or interact at all and after a few moments the latent charges detonated and still nothing happened other than the body jerked with the force of the small detonations.

Even the most humane of vampires would have some reaction to that amount of silver, and so would a werewolf or dozens of other creatures.

He snarled as he stared at the cells further down. The Fall woman better cooperate after he was done because he was not in the mood for any more setbacks. 

At least he finally could cross a name off his list even if he’d wasted a large amount of resources on a human of all things. 

He did have the feeling he was forgetting something but put it out of his mind. He’d remember later and had more important things to do now. 

Cinder called out for Ruby but after a few minutes without answer she sighed. This greatly complicated things. 

The werehare and mini hunter were going to be pissed.

She took a long drag from her cigarette and leaned back against the wall. Shit.

Raven watched as Tock and her cronies unloaded the advance payment when out of nowhere she flinched and stumbled backward a half step. 

Vernal was at her side in a heartbeat before anyone else noticed. 

“Our agreement was broken,” Raven said angrily. “Wipe them out. All of them. Then we march on Atlas, and the smug bastard who shot my daughter,” Raven ordered.