En garde
A meeting, a peculiar swordfight, and a race against time.
[Author's Note: This story follows the story Diversions, and is the fourth episode of Volume 7.]
Winter Schnee, standing on top of the new tower of Beacon Academy, was watching the techs put together the equipment that would form the critical part of the re-built Cross Continental Transmit System. She told herself that it was important for Remnant to have a reliable network for long-distance communication. Very important. And of course the tech team needed security support. There was certain to be some sort of threat ... somewhere. So a senior officer was needed to be here to oversee the security detail. Protection was always vital. That is what she kept telling herself, as she looked out over Vale.
She glanced at her watch. The time seemed to be passing very slowly.
Behind her, she heard the doors of the newly-repaired elevator open. With an effort, she stopped herself looking around.
"Hello, Special Officer Schnee," said a voice.
"Why, good day, Mister Branwen," she said, turning to face him. She noticed that he was wearing the red brooch she had given him after their last ... encounter ... on a silver chain around his neck.
"I only just heard about your arrival," he said. "I've been pretty busy, trying to get this place up and running. Helping Glynda. Stuff."
"I imagine so," she said. "Well, don't let me keep you from ... your important ... stuff."
"I'm on a break," he said.
"Well," she said. "That's a coincidence. I was just about to take a break myself. From ... what I've been doing. From ... supervising. Yes, that's right. Supervising ... the team."
Qrow gave a little grimace, and took his flask from a pocket. "You want some?" he said.
"Oh yes," she said. She took it from him and drank a long swig.
"While on duty?" he said.
"Break," she said. She took another swig and handed the flask back to him. He shook it; there wasn't much left.
"You continue to surprise me, Special Officer," he said. "Say, you're not going to pass out now, are you?"
"Of course not. And I could still whip you in a fight," she said.
"Ha."
"Spoken like someone who knows they would lose."
"Yeah? Look, the Academy gym is just downstairs. Empty. What say we put it to a test?"
"I might be willing to teach you a few things," she said. She turned to the soldier next in the chain of command of the security unit. "Sergeant, I have to ... er, attend a meeting. So if anything threatening happens, you should, uh, well, handle it yourself."
The sergeant raised an eyebrow. "Yes sir," she said. "When will you be back?"
"It might be a long meeting."
She and Qrow got into the elevator. The doors closed.
And then there was a long, passionate kiss.
The door opened at the gym level. They stepped out. They took off their jackets and drew their weapons.
"What are the stakes?" said Qrow.
Winter made a suggestion.
Qrow smiled. "Sure," he said.
She raised her sword. "En garde," she said.
"Whatever," he said.
There was a clash of blades, a blur of metal. Thrust, parry, block, lunge, thrust again.
In a single slice, Winter took off the buttons of Qrow's shirt. It fell open. "You're holding back," she said.
"So are you," he said. He swung, and one of the straps of Winter's top was severed.
"Oh, it's going to be like that, is it?" said Winter. She sliced something else ... and then something else. Qrow responded in kind.
And then Winter sliced Qrow's belt. His trousers went down.
"Now that's a katana," said Winter.
"Guess you win," he said. He threw his sword aside.
"Depends on how you define winning," she said, dropping her own blade. "And how you define surrender."
Some time later, they were sitting together against the gym wall, feeling the heat subside.
"I wonder what your sister and the other girls are doing in Atlas," Qrow said.
"Probably buying clothes, getting their hair done, and generally being slackers," said Winter. "Girls will be girls."
"Straight ahead, over the checkpoint, and then left!" said Weiss, relaying instructions from General Ironwood as he guided the four of them through the maze of deserted corridors.
A door opened in front of them, and they raced through.
"He says that there is an automatic gun coming up, and he can't shut it down," said Weiss. "Twenty metres."
"Yang, take it out," said Ruby.
Yang fired at the mini-turret, and it exploded. They ran past the smoking wreckage.
"Blake, how many doors have we passed through?" said Ruby.
"That makes ten," said Blake.
"Love how you do that," said Yang.
"You can reward me later," said Blake. "This one coming up is eleven."
The door, a particularly heavy one, opened ... and then began to slide shut again.
"Ironwood says he can't fully over-ride this one," said Weiss. "And if it locks it's going to be tough to open."
The door was closing fast.
Yang went lunging forward, and thrust her mechanical arm into the jamb, stopping the door from closing. But now she was pinned there, and the weight of the door was starting to squeeze.
"Blake, open the panel that controls this thing, locate the switches and run a by-pass!" said Yang.
"I have no idea why you would think I might know how to do something like that," said Blake. She opened the panel, morphed her weapon into gun mode, and fired a long burst into the confusion of wires.
The door ceased to push forwards, but it remained in position.
"Well done, Blake," said Ruby.
"Hey, I'm the one with my arm stuck here," said Yang. "And this is really heavy. A little help?"
Between them, they managed to push the door back, freeing Yang.
They ran along the corridor and came to another security door. It was not as massive as the other one, but it was closed and locked.
"On the other side of this one is another big room, and after that the vault," said Weiss, relaying Ironwood's words. "But he can't open this one."
Yang tapped the metal. "Nope, too strong for me," she said.
"I have an idea," said Weiss. She drew her sword and fired a long blast of ice at the door. "Try it now, Yang," she said.
Yang raised her gauntlets and fired, and fired ... and the door exploded, leaving a doorway-sized hole.
"Be ready for anything," said Ruby, as they went through.
Winter touched the brooch that hung on Qrow's bare chest. "This belonged to my mother," she said. "She gave it to me when I was young. Before ... before everything went bad."
"Yeah, compared to the Schnees the Branwen clan is a picture of loving normality," said Qrow. "Where is your mother now?"
Winter considered. "You know," she said, "I have no idea."
END (to be continued)