Disclaimer: RWBY is not owned by me. It is owned by Rooster Teeth. This fan-fiction is not for profit.

Warnings: This fiction will be rated T for bad language, fantasy violence, and dark themes.

Requiem for Remnant

Chapter 34: Gravity Check

The Strigiformes' engines thrummed softly, permeating its passenger hold like white noise.

Neo lifted her eyes from the cards in her hand. White and brown shifted around. Finally, she reached to her side and pushed her entire stack of chips to the middle of the circle.

"All in," she said, head held high.

A sharp gasp rose from Ube. Her hands trembled. She dropped her cards on the floor and hung her head like a wilted flower.

"I fold."

Smirking, Neo turned her gaze to her final opponent.-

Liquorice stroked her chin thoughtfully. The expression on her face was unreadable. Her hand picked up a stack of chips, then let them fall back in place, one-by-one.

Clickity-clickity-clickity

Her lips curved into a sneer as she moved her entire stack of chips to meet Neo's.

"I call your bluff. Show your cards."

Neo slapped her cards on the floor. Among them were one six, and two nines. "Ménage trois. Beat that, spider."

Liquorice's smile only grew, bearing fanged canines. "Nice hand, but I'm afraid you've played your last, half-pint."

She reversed her cards. A one, a one, a two, a three, a five, and an eight. "Fibonacci."

Neo's jaw dropped. She could only stare as the spider stole all of the spoils into her sinister clutches. She thrust a finger at Liquorice. "You're using your extrasensory vision to see which cards are coming up next, aren't you!"

"Excuse me? I'm the cheater here?" Liquorice grabbed Neo's elbow and gave it a shake. Playing cards slipped out of Neo's sleeve and landed on the floor. "Little miss cards up her sleeves!"

Neo leaped to her feet. "My cheating takes practice to master! You were just born with built-in cheating devices!"

Ube looked between her two bickering teammates. "So, wait, am I the only one who wasn't cheating?"

"Now entering mission zone."

Strigiformes' voice broke the tension in the passenger hold.

"About damn time!" Liquorice said as she stood up.

Neo spared a glance over her shoulder at the fourth team member. Akayami had not moved from her spot since departure. Her black crown was bowed, crimson eyes closed. Not a word had left her mouth in three hours. She could have been asleep, if not for the furrow of her brow.

"We are currently cruising over the mission area at approximately two kilometers above sea level. All stealth functions are online. We are undetected."

"Good job, Striggy," said Ube.

A holographic image appeared in the center of the hold, presenting the entire mission area. The Atlesian Research and Development complex was nestled within the root of the Hesperides Mountains. The complex was crescent shaped, with each wing dedicated to another field of study. According to Cinder's information, their target was located deep within the facility, underneath the mountain. Due to the rocky outcroppings that surrounded the compound, attacking from the ground would be impossible.

Team LUN gathered around the hologram. Akayami remained seated. She opened her eyes and looked at the hologram.

"Okay bitches, listen up! Your dear team leader is speaking!"

Neo rolled her eyes as Liquorice continued.

"We're gonna airdrop right into enemy territory. Speed is the name of the game here. We're gonna hit them hard and hit them fast." Liquorice punched her open hand. "That means no stopping to fight anyone unless they endanger the package! So long as nobody screws up, we'll extract with Project NV within thirty minutes."

She stabbed a finger at the outer perimeter of the complex. The holograph zoomed in, depicting high cliffs circling the mission area.

"First up, Ube, you're gonna land here. Set up shop wherever gives you the best view of the compound. Your first target is the long-ranged communication's tower. Once that's been bombed, that'll be our cue to start. We won't airdrop until you've taken out that tower."

Ube's hand shot straight up. "Excuse me! I've got a question!"

Pinching her brow, Liquorice said with an exasperated tone, "This isn't a classroom. You don't need to raise your hand."

"What's it look like?" Ube asked.

"It's this tall spinning bowl right here." She pointed at the hologram. Another image popped up, giving a 3D image of the tower. "Don't forget to target this tower first!"

"Okey-dokey!"

"Destroying that will cut communications from the rest of Atlas, delaying reinforcements. Next, while we drop in, blow the hell out of their AA batteries."

Ube's expression screwed up in confusion. "Won't they just get more from the store, then?"

"What? No! I don't mean those kind of AA batteries! AA stands for anti-air! I mean anti-air weapons! Like missile pods and laser cannons! We need to punch a hole in their defenses or we'll never be able to extract safely!"

"O-o-o-oh! Now I get it!" She chopped her forehead with an overenthusiastic salute.

Massaging her temples, Liquorice resumed speaking.

"Alright, my role in the mission is sabotage. There's a specific person that I need to eliminate."

She brought up a profile with attached documents. An image appeared, depicting the wrinkled face of an old man with disheveled white hair. His left eye glowed red, an artificial prosthetic.

"My target is this man, one Doctor Merlot. He's a wanted criminal from the Kingdom of Vale, but Atlas is giving him sanctuary. Atlas likes weapons. Old bastard likes making weapons. Match made in heaven." Her shoulders shrugged. "Anyways, this man is the Head Scientist of the whole facility, as well as the sole creator of Project NV. This makes him a loose end, even if he's not aware of that himself. Cinder doesn't want him to be able to create anything that could counter Project NV after we've stolen it. She really thinks of everything."

She spoke to Neo.

"Half-pint has the most important part."

The holographic representation expanded, revealing the underground laboratories. Winding corridors and elevator shafts connected each section of the facility. It looked like an iceberg, with the vast bulk of its mass hidden beneath the surface. Neo leaned closer, inspecting the hologram intently.

"You need to infiltrate the base and extract the package. With your illusions, you stand the best chance of getting around unnoticed. It'll be easier since everyone will be distracted by Ube's bombs. You'll get to sneak around like a bug. A very short, four-foot-ten-while-wearing-heels bug."

Pink and brown glowered. Sextuple eyes twinkled mischievously.

"On your scroll is a map of the facility. It should guide you straight to Project NV's location, here."

A bright red cross appeared, marking a department with the label Project Development Labs.

"You aren't going alone. Making sure you get to the package location is Akayami's job."

Turning her head, the spider called back, "Did you catch that, Miss Tall Dark and Bitchy?"

Akayami abruptly strode through the hologram.. She stopped in front of the exit hatch and laid her hand on a lever switch.

"Wait, hold up! What're you do—" Liquorice began.

"I have a better plan," said Akayami. She threw the switch.

Strigiformes announced, "Opening bay door."

The loading ramp dropped open. Howling winds swept through the hold, sucking playing cards out through the door. The frozen air pierced Neo's skin like a steel knife. Her breath was stolen by the cold snap.

Liquorice hollered at the top of her lungs. "The hell are you doing? Close the damn door before they detect our heat signature!"

Akayami approached the lip of the ramp, heedless of the impending drop. Black hair whipping in the wind, she glanced back at her teammates. Cold determination burned in her crimson eyes.

"Here's the new plan. I will drop in alone and complete this mission by myself. If you ask politely, I may grant you some credit." She returned her attention to the mountainous area far below.

Liquorice's eyes widened. "Hoe, don't do it."

Akayami stepped over the edge, dropping from sight.

"Oh my god."

Nobody moved.

Then the yelling commenced.

"Did that bitch just do that?" Liquorice screamed.

"Yes, that bitch just did that!" Neo bellowed. "Now what do we do, oh dear team leader?"

"Shit!" Liquorice furiously scoured her nails through her red hair.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Okay, okay, okay! We still can do this, we just gotta double-time it!" Turning turned to Neo. "Jump down after Akayami and stop her! I don't care how you do it! Hug her legs, hump her legs, doesn't matter! Just get down there!"

Neo grabbed Miss Fortune and Miss Behave. Then she sprinted to the ramp and threw herself into the open air. The hatch closed behind her and the Strigiformes disappeared entirely from view.

Arctic wind whipped in her face as Neo plummeted straight down. The sound of her jacket flapping wildly filled her ears. She forced her eyes to open and scoured the vast void. There. A red dot far below. It could only be Akayami. The color of her dress contrasted sharply with the darkened terrain beneath. Tucking her limbs in tight to minimize drag, Neo began to accelerate toward her target like an arrowhead.

As she drew closer, Neo could see that Akayami had spread her body out to stabilize her descent. The long sleeves of her dress flared like parachutes, reducing her speed.

"Akayami!" Neo screamed at the top of her lungs.

The black-haired woman twisted her neck and looked up at Neo. A crimson eye regarded her briefly, then turned back to the approaching surface. Akayami angled her body down and brought her limbs together, quickening her plunge.

Both women raced to the ground at breakneck speeds. Neo could see ant-sized figures below. Two soldiers, guarding a door leading into the complex. If they looked up, they might see her.

Swearing under her breath, Neo flipped right-side up. She gripped Miss Fortune's handle and popped the parasol wide open. Miss Fortune caught the air and brought Neo's descent to an abrupt halt. She grunted with exertion. Her stomach dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of her left ankle.

Akayami spread her arms and veered off in the direction of the mountain wall. She drew her sword and plunged it into the stone cliff. Sparks jettisoned as Ju-On carved a winding path down the crag. Earsplitting grinding heralded her descent. The guards below snapped their rifles in the direction of the noise. Akayami never gave them the opportunity to fire.

She fell atop them, parallel blades flashing. Blood splattered. Akayami fell to a kneeling position, sheathing Ju-On in the same motion. Both Atlesian soldiers toppled over, dead before they even reached the ground. She rose to her feet, glanced up at the hovering Neo, then ran through the door.

Neo whipped out her scroll and speed-dialed Liquorice. "I have bad news."

"Don't tell me that Akayami got away from you?"

"Fine, I also won't tell you that she's already killed multiple guards and has headed inside."

"What happened to the leg humping strategy?"

"She had too much of a head start. Tell Ube to take out that comms tower ASAP!"

She slipped the scroll back in her pocket and shut Miss Fortune. She dropped the remaining distance and landed on the ground, knees pistoning to her chest. Then she leaped through the door and into the chase.

Liquorice closed her scroll and turned her head toward her partner.

"Alright, Ube, it's your turn to drop."

Standing on Strigiformes' ramp, Ube stared over the edge. Chocolate brown eyes widened to the size of saucer plates. She gripped Spoonapult tightly. Her voice quavered slightly.

"Umm… we're really high up and the ground is really far down. Do we have any parachutes?"

Strigiformes said, "There are drop kits to your right."

A panel slid back into the wall, displaying a row of backpack parachutes.

"Oh! Thanks, Striggy!" Ube reached for a pack.

"No time!" Liquorice's foot struck Ube's rear end, sending her toppling into the open air. Screams faded as they fell away. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, "Land using your Semblance!"

The ramp raised until it closed. Fingers rubbed her temples in tight circles. "Goddess, save me from these fucking stupid humans..."

Her red crown shook back and forth. "Strigiformes, bring me to drop-point three. I can't be late for my appointment with the good doctor."

High-heeled boots pounded the floor as Neo dashed through the corridors of the facility. Every surface was sterile white, making the red trail of blood very easy to follow. She ran as fast as she could. Left. Right. Right. Around every corner was another butchered body left in Akayami's wake. As much as Neo hated her, she had to admit one thing.

Akayami worked fast.

Something caught her eye. She stopped in her tracks. Another guard, lying motionless on his stomach, throat cut. Two parallel slash marks. Red bubbles leaked from his neck. Still breathing. Still alive, but dying. There was something on his back. She kneeled and inspected the item of interest.

It was a paper tag, rectangular and about the size of Neo's hand. There were unfamiliar symbols written vertically on the paper, like writing from a dead language. What was it doing here? Did it belong to Akayami?

She reached for the paper tag. Her finger brushed against it. Neo's head snapped back, eyes fluttering shut. The world spun like a top. Akayami's voice filled her head and said one thing.

"Sleep."

Neo snatched her hand back before her body could obey the powerful command. She fell back on her rear, vision swimming. Coherent thoughts escaped her grasp. Drowsiness clouded her mind. She shook her multicolored head, fighting back the urge to sleep. What was Akayami's Semblance?

As she struggled to her feet, Neo noticed that the guard was no longer breathing. He had died in his sleep.

She pinched her cheek, hard. The flesh flushed bright red. Now fully awake, Neo leaped back into the chase. Several corridors later, a sound tickled her ear. Steel sliding through bone and sinew. It came from the next corner. The petite assassin ran around the bend.

Fresh carcasses lay across the hallway, soldiers and scientists, all slaughtered alike. More paper tags marked the bodies. Glassy eyes remained wide open, frozen in terror. Akayami stood in the center of the bloodbath, sword sheathed deep in one man's chest. She planted her foot against the corpse's stomach and shoved him away, ripping Ju-On free with a sickening squelch.

Akayami laid crimson eyes on Neo. She flicked the blood off Ju-On's blades. Parallel blood spatters marked the wall beside her. "You should have remained on the ship."

Gritting her teeth, Neo snapped, "Are you completely insane? You've endangered this mission!"

"I am making my way to the objective. You are in my way. That is not a safe place to be." Her cool voice carried a razor steel undertone.

"We haven't taken down the comms tower yet. They can still call for reinforcements. That was the point of waiting for the signal. We need to work as a team to finish this mission!"

"Team?" Akayami spat the word like a curse. "Teams are for weaklings who can't survive on their own! The weak gather and the strong thrive alone!" She gestured toward herself. "I have never relied on anyone else before, and I certainly don't need anyone now! The strength to endure it all by one's self, that is what makes me superior to you!"

Heterochromatic eyes turned pink. Neo squeezed her fists until her gloves creaked.

"You and the rest of your team are nothing compared to me. Mere sycophants licking the boots of your superiors. But I am destined for more. Everything that I do is leading me up the path of greatness. Your team, the White Fang, and Cinder Fall are but mere stepping stones on that path. I will rise above everyone and take my rightful place in this world. All obstacles will be destroyed!"

She aimed her sword at Neo. "So, let me reiterate for your feeble mind. You are standing in my way and that is not a safe place to be."

Miss Behave made no sound as she was drawn from her sheath. Hot blood boiled in Neo's ears, pounding out all rational thought. This bitch was endangering the mission, endangering Roman's life! If Cinder had any complaints about returning minus one member, then Neo was ready to provide a couple choice suggestions where she could stuff them.

A smirk touched Akayami's lips. She flicked her wrist and Ju-On changed shape. The hilt cocked at a slight angle. Twin blades came together, then split apart in opposite directions, forming two arms. Steel filaments connected to the arms and drew them back. Neo could hear spring coils creaking as the arms bent. Clockwork mechanisms in the handle rotated like a drum magazine. An optical lens flipped up. Akayami peered through the crosshairs with one eye.

The transformation from a sword to a crossbow took scarcely a single second.

Akayami leveled Ju-On at Neo. Neo twirled Miss Fortune between her fingers. Both women began to circle each other, maintaining the same distance. Their feet trailed through pools of blood, drawing a crimson ring.

Delicate lace fluttered. Bloodied boots splish-splashed along the circumference of the ring. Brown and pink held contact with crimson. Swords shone in the florescent lighting.

Steeling herself, Neo took a step forward.

An earsplitting sound shattered the tense atmosphere. Warning lights flashed red. An alarm. Damn!

A voice blared over the intercom, "Full alert! Casualties have been discovered in the R&D wing! An unknown number of hostiles have breached the perimeter!"

The clamor of boots came from all sides. Neo stole a glance over her shoulder. Atlesian soldiers stormed through the end of each hallway. They leveled their guns at the Huntresses caught between them. One soldier pressed his hand against his helmet.

"Bravo squad has encountered two hostiles at my exact location! Engaging now!"

For a moment, Neo couldn't decide which would be more dangerous. Turning her back on these soldiers, or turning her back on Akayami. The clicking of safeties disengaging persuaded her to face the imminent firing squad.

Likewise, Akayami pivoted to the soldiers at her back. She raised Ju-On and spoke with a commanding voice, "Blind."

Her finger squeezed the trigger three times in rapid succession. Twang-twang-twang! A trio of paper tags flew at the soldiers and stuck against their silver body armor. The effect was immediate. All three soldiers dropped their rifles, their fingers scrabbling at their helmets.

"I'm blind!"

"My helm-cam isn't working!"

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

They fell apart, groping everything in arm's reach. Squad mates quickly grabbed two of the blind soldiers and pulled them away.

The last one stumbled forward and landed at Akayami's feet. Desperate, he yanked his helmets off his head. Neo could see his blinking eyes. Pure white. No pupils.

Akayami slashed through his neck in a blindingly swift stroke. Ju-On parted his throat twice between its parallel blades. Blood geysered from the headless stump, painting the ceiling and walls.

Every remaining soldier opened fire. Neo hunkered behind Miss Fortune. Bullets bounced off lace. She ran at a group of four while casting invisibility around herself. She threw her parasol at the quad. They fired at Miss Fortune until it sailed past their heads, apparently missing its bearer. All four stared at the discarded sunshade in momentary confusion. That was everything Neo needed.

She leaped and wrapped her legs around the nearest soldier's neck. Using his skull as a ball socket, she swiveled in full orbit around his body while swinging Miss Behave at the other soldiers. The thin sword found gaps in their armor. CRACK. Neck broken, the first soldier collapsed to the ground. He was joined by his squad mates a heartbeat later. She handsprang to her feet, picking Miss Fortune off the floor in the same graceful motion.

"Poison. Slow. Disable. Paralyze."

Judging from the shrill screams and uncoordinated gunfire, Akayami was easily handling herself.

More soldiers ran at Neo, electrified batons in hand. She flicked the blood off Miss Behave and charged to meet them.

Ube was beside her Spoonapult 9000, already engaged in catapult mode. She stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire compound. Military barracks to the east and research facilities to the west. Even from this distance, she could hear the keening of sirens. She peered through her scroll, using its binocular function.

Liquorice's voice shouted from the speakers, "Ube! Why haven't you taken down that comms tower yet?"

"I can't find it!" she wailed.

"What? How the hell can't you find it? I showed you right where it was on the map!"

"I don't see it! I can see the whole place, but not the tall spinning tower!" Ube swept her scroll from side to side, trying to locate the tower in question.

"That's not— gimme control of your camera! Lemme see what you're seeing!"

Her scroll beeped and the camera light began to flicker. One second later,

"That's it, right there! It's right there!" An orange square appeared on the screen, overlapping a tower topped with a radio dish.

"O-o-o-o-h." Ube rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "You said that it was a tall, spinning tower. That tower isn't spinning, so I thought that it was the wrong one. Sorry, my bad!"

"Don't say sorry, just bomb it! Use a big one!"

Reaching into one of her many pockets, Ube pulled out a spherical bomb. Upon tapping a button, the bomb began to expand until it was larger than her head. Its shell was decorated with three pink words, written in a cutesy scrawl.

The Galaxy Buster.

She dropped it into Spoonapult's bowl. The long arm of the catapult bowed backwards. Wood creaked in protest beneath the weight of the explosive. Ube pointed her fist straight at the comms tower, thumb pointing up. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she took aim. Her foot nudged Spoonapult a few centimeters to the left.

"Okey-dokey artichoke-y!" Ube sang into her scroll. "Hold onto yer butt cheeks 'cause this is The Galaxy Buster! Bombs away!"

She stomped on Spoonapult's release lever. The catapult groaned as it flung the gigantic bomb into the air. Ube watched The Galaxy Buster until it shrank into the distance. Then she picked up Spoonapult and ran back from the edge of the cliff.

"The Galaxy Buster?" Liquorice paled. "I know I said 'big', but fuck!"

Her long legs pumped as hard as they could, carrying her toward an entrance guarded by a pair of soldiers. Both soldiers raised their rifles at the approaching faunus.

Thwip-thwip.

Twin streams of webbing sprayed from Liquorice's daggers. The soldiers slammed against either side of the entrance, tangled in webs.

"Get out of my way!" the spider hollered as she ran inside the facility. Not a minute too soon.

A blinding explosion ignited against Hesperides mountains, like a newborn star. Its light eclipsed the mountains. The night sky became robin-egg blue. Miles away, thunder could be heard by every citizen in the city of Maera. Seconds later, the earth shook hard enough to topple power lines.

In the heart of the explosion, a maelstrom of alchemical ingredients and elemental Dust converged. Darkness emerged. A black hole formed and began to draw the nearby environment into the depths of its gravity well. Everything that had been blown back from the initial detonation was now being sucked back. The comms tower buckled and bent as it collapsed into the event horizon. Such calamity should have been deafening.

But there was no sound.

Neo slit another soldier's throat wide open, bright red froth gurgled from the wound. Click-click. A rifle being reloaded. Behind me. She angled Miss Fortune over her shoulder and deployed it. A hailstorm of bullets ricocheted off the parasol. Not a problem. But in front of her, one more soldier pointed his weapon in her direction. Somewhat a problem.

At that instant, the entire world flipped out of control. Every single body, living and dead, was thrown into the air and started bouncing about like ragdolls. They remained suspended as though gravity had been switched off. Red warning lights strobed at a seizure inducing rate.

Neo contorted her slim frame until her boots touched a surface—floor, wall, or ceiling, didn't matter— and leaped off. She sailed weightlessly, ricocheting off surface after surface until she slammed bodily into one of the surviving Atlesian soldiers. Miss Behave thrust into his belly. Angled upward to pierce his heart. Dead in an instant.

She flipped over the body and braced her feet against it. The second soldier was screaming. The recoil from his assault rifle had sent him spiraling out of control. His cries sounded distorted. Underwater. She kicked off the body and flew like a missile. Her sword plunged into his breast. Blood spewed from the wound and hovered like red mist. He fell silent at last.

The final Atlesian soldier had pressed his back flat against a surface. Smart. He was well braced for the kickback of his weapon. He lined his crosshairs on Neo and squeezed the trigger. She swung her weight and maneuvered her latest kill to act as a meat shield.

Bullets tore into the body. The red mist became as thick as a nebula cloud.

Neo reached down, into her right boot. With one motion, she drew Miss Deed and threw the stiletto into the soldier's open mouth. Six-inches of Damascus steel erupted from the base of his skull.

Gravity normalized, dropping everyone to the ground. Neo landed with style, one foot behind the other. She bent her knees in a civilized curtsy. Her slender fingers slipped into the body's mouth, gripped Miss Deed, and wrenched it free. After wiping the blade clean on the soldier's uniform, Neo returned her knife to her boot.

She glanced around. Every soldier was dead. Akayami was gone. Bloody footprints led away from the hallway, but also away from the mission objective. She opened her scroll.

"This is Neo checking in. Is everyone still alive?"

Passing silence gave way to a pained groan and hyperactive chatter.

"Define alive."

"Yay! How did everyone like The Galaxy Buster? I used a two stage combo of Burn Dust and Gravity Dust laced with nitromethane, ammonium nitrate—"

"Holy shit, Ube, stop using big words when my head is killing me! Anyways, is the comms tower destroyed?"

"A-a-a-affirmative! That, along with the barracks too. Nobody survived that one."

"That's good news. Now hurry up and destroy the anti-air weapons."

"Roger-dodger!"

Neo said, "Unfortunately, Akayami also survived and has gone on without me. She doesn't seem to be heading for Project NV anymore."

"What's that bitch think she's doing?"

"Doesn't matter, at least she'll lead enemies away from me. I'm heading for the Development Labs."

"Great. Snag and bag Project NV and we can book it the buck out of here. Also, could you pick me up a bottle of aspirin?"

Neo smirked. "I'll see what I find."

She closed the call line, brought up the map of the facility, and started running through the halls.

End Chapter 34: Gravity Check