RWBY Through Worlds

110: Backs to the Wall

"Mr. Theodore?" Velvet interrupted him on his way out.

"What?" he said.

"I thought you should know--Watts is not in his room," Velvet said. "No one is sure how he got out, but there's a lot of students unconscious. We can't find any marks on them. It's like their Auras just went out."

"What?" Theo frowned. "Vic... All right...this was an inside job. Find out who was around the area when this happened...and group up. Put the school on high alert. Where are my students?"

"They're most of the ones who are out..." Velvet said meekly.

"Of course they are," Theo said. "Great..."

"What's going on?" Emerald came in. "It's, like, dead quiet upstairs."

"You!" Theo grabbed her by the neck before she was ready for it.

He slammed her into the wall.

"Is this you, huh?" he asked. "Are you working with her? Someone had to sneak up there, and you could do it unnoticed by anyone."

"What do you mean?..." Emerald gasped.

"Sir!" Velvet cried. "I don't think it was her."

"I don't care if you're pals--this is no time to be blinded by wishful thinking," Theo said. [Really, Theo? From you?]

"No, sir, I mean that I saw her in the kitchen right before I got word of this," Velvet said. "I don't think it was her. She'd have to be lightning fast!"

Emerald glanced at Theo nervously.

He stared at her, then he sighed and let go.

"She still could be part of it," he said. "Ain't no way to prove it though--you're coming with me, kid."

Emerald rubbed her throat. "I didn't do anything," she said, "I swear. I've been waiting for Oscar to get back--and Pyrrha so we could train. That's all."

"Wait...where did they go?" Theo asked.

"Maybe if you kept on top of your own school, you'd know this stuff," Emerald said snippily. "Pyrrha went to--" She stopped. "--meet up with a friend."

"Vara, you mean," Theo said dryly. "I'm not stupid."

He frowned. "I should find them before this gets worse. All of the Maidens are in danger right now."

"Oscar went to Pietro's new shop," Emerald added, "if you care about anyone other than your girlfriend."

"Don't give me that crap, kid. You're in no position to talk," Theo said. "And on top of that, Vara's capture would doom you as well as me. Get Nikos on the scroll if you can. Tell her to warn Vara, if that stupid woman would even listen to her. Tell her to get inside if she can. That is, unless you're not really working with us."

Emerald gave him a look of disgust.

"Now, there's one other person who could go unnoticed," Theo said. "Where is the little Neo woman?"

"She and the hat man are usually in one of the empty rooms," Velvet said. "But Fox plays cards with them sometimes. Maybe he'd know."

"Find them then," Theo said. "And I'm gonna find the big guy. Why hasn't Qrow called yet? D--- it, there's always a hundred things that go wrong at the same time."

* * *

Pyrrha, not finding Wally available, for whatever reason, had debated whether or not to meet up with Vara--but then decided she couldn't waste the opportunity.