In the city of Vale, this particular night was frigid. The air nipped mercilessly at exposed skin and stole breaths right from lips, manifesting small clouds whenever someone exhaled. It was jacket weather; the breezes would sting cheeks rosy, bring the promise of sniffles the next morning. Despite the frostiness, Vale was alive with the noisy warbling of taxi cars and catcalling. Even under a blanket of darkness, the metropolis was bright from all of the bar and club's neon signs, overtime office buildings, and 24/7 venues.
The streets were buzzing with the after hours crowd, a different array of drinks in hand varying from person to person, some already staggering from having too much too quickly. On corners, there were the escorts trying to convince the few, whose alcohol hadn't efficiently sloshed out what terrible day they had at work from memory, to exchange a couple of big bucks for a good time. In alleys, the petty thieves trying to score a quick buck. For the city that never slept, with its activity spiked after the sun set, a little chill was perfect to keep its citizens' hairs from sticking to their skin in a sheet of sweat.
Amidst the Vale's past-bedtime bustle, Ruby Rose stood on the rooftop of Vale's Grand Central Bank, a skyscraper of a building that hosted the offices of stockbrokers who invested the money the bank held, lurching over the edge. If anyone could actually spot the girl atop what must have been a fifty story building, it almost looked like she was going to fall right off if not careful. But she was careful. Ruby more than careful; Ruby was coordinated. By no means did that imply Ruby was precise or prepared; Ruby was a little reckless. That never stopped her though; her determination couldn't ever be undermined.
She kept a small messenger bag at her side, and her weapon was slung at her back for now, an impractical scythe that doubled as a sniper rifle. She was verse in a few knives and other firearms as well, but Ruby had a thing for flair when it came to fighting. For that same reason, she wore a hooded cloak. Occasionally, the hood would adhere her vision, but she couldn't help it. Her affinity was toward style, and being a prodigy with weapons made the simple ones bore her.
With a small amused giggle, Ruby spoke clearly for her earpiece to pick up. "I've got security disabled in ten seconds. Are you ready?"
"I'm always ready," Yang snickered into her piece, nodding even if no one could see.
Unlike the younger sister Ruby, Yang preferred up close and personal, hand-to-hand combat. While the Ruby liked to keep her distance, Yang got a rush from anything where she could get a little blood on her hands, watch with a smile the distraught her opponents experienced in their fights.
Yang was dressed casually, wearing a bright yellow tank with a black tactical vest over it. With the colors she sported, she almost looked like a caution sign and appropriately so. On top of them being her favorite colors, it drew attention and she liked it that way. If she could divert the spotlight off of Ruby and raise her safety by even a fraction of a percent, she would do whatever it took. As long as Ruby could made it out of Vale without being in either cuffs or a body bag, then she didn't mind. Her hair was tied in a tight bun; as much as the arrogant lioness took pride in her luscious mane of golden locks, she didn't need it to cause her issues while fighting.
Before Yang answered her sister, she checked her magnums, making sure they were loaded. "You got everything covered up there? And remember, shoot first, bike after. Stinger's in the back."
"Gotcha, Yang! Don't get too hurt now, okay?" Ruby hopped backwards and off the ledge, letting her loosely strapped weapon swing to her front. She made a rough landing on her heels, and quickly snapped her soles forward to balance herself, keeping from falling.
Ruby prepped her gun, putting in the shells at her belt into the chamber. Kneeling down, Ruby would set her bag to the side and position the rifle, using the ledge as her stabilizer. After looking through the scope, she determined what angle she would point the barrel. This part of the job went by with a breeze.
Ruby sorted through her bag and pulled out a small tablet; it lit up to life when she placed her hand over the surface.
Ruby's voice was steady as she gave instructions; whenever a plan was set into motion, she would shed her bubbly and sporadic nature for something lucid and even. "Take care of the inside, and I'll shoot down cops when they make their way here. The alarms will blare one hundred and twenty seconds after their security is disabled, but once it is, the bank's turrets will shut off, and their vault will be unlocked. Which is... four.. three... two... Go."
Yang was already in, she'd broke through the door, leaving shards around her makeshift entrance. She already knew there wouldn't be any clerks at the desk; office hours were over. No one needed banking past midnight. Yang's only concern was the guards who worked the night shift. But she wasn't given much time to worry, she was on a tight schedule that left little time between for thought.
Yang ran to the vault, going at full speed. When she arrived at her destination, the mechanisms had just finished clicking and turning. With the large door of steel now out of the way, Yang was wasting no time, filling up the two duffel bags she that accompanied her with gold bars and stacks of cash. Not until they were half full would she dare to ask, "How much time we got, Ruby?"
"Eighty-nine seconds." Ruby's tablet now displayed surveillance. "Guards are on their way to check it out. Probably wondering what happened to the cameras. Even when the alarm goes off, there will be a delay in when the cops get here. Don't worry about them though. I can shoot them from almost a mile away. But snipers brings in SWAT, but that takes four minutes. We don't want to be here when they do though. Forty-seven seconds. Company incoming."
Ruby was lying down now, right hand holding the forestock of her gun, while her left index ghosted over the trigger and scanned the highway. She was hoping, praying to the silver chain around her neck that Yang didn't try to bring in anything too heavy. Even if those items had incredible value, Ruby didn't like the risk of it slowing her sister down. Her reason was partially that she had a fast-paced attitude, quick of tongue and swift to act; a girl like Ruby thrived on speed. But Ruby tried not to underestimate Yang's strength.
"I'll be out by then," Yang assured Ruby.
Yang was already done filling up her bags. She would have to test the weight out later though; the company Ruby notified her of had found her. They were a pair of dismayed guards, clearly astounded that a single girl had manage to break in. It was too late for them though, Yang's gun was out, and she was holding it loosely with a trigger happy finger while she made hand gestures.
The blonde's voice was hearty, jovial, "Gooooood evening, gentleman. Nice weather we're having, wouldn't you say?"
The guards, speechless, rushed her, but they were gunned down and subdued before Yang could even muster a workout for her muscles. After tucking she tucked her magnum back into the strap on her vest, she wiped the blood off her knuckles, staining her cargo shorts. "Time?"
"We're out," Ruby answered, a thin edge in her words. "The alarm's been set off by the system. Eight more guards headed your way."
Ruby never did have Yang's strength or athletic ability, but at least she was exceptional with tech. With her trusty tablet, despite not being in on the action, she could give her sister some support. "Cops take a minute or so to hit the freeway, another to realize I'm gunning them down from mile. Six minutes total till SWAT. Let's wrap this up in four." She pulled at the loading bar, her gun clicking and disposed to shoot.
"Fuck, are you kidding? I'll have it done in three." Yang was still in good humor even as she could feel the stress that was starting to bubble in her chest. But she would keep a lid on it; she knew Ruby was probably feeling the same and Yang took it upon herself to keep the girl heartened.
As soon as the guards were in vision, filing into the vault room, Yang was emptying her clip on the first few. Three were on the ground, and the other two were fumbling to get their stun sticks out. Yang exploited the time and astonishment, charging the first man and connecting a clenched first with his skull. Yang was one-hit K.O. kind of girl; if her opponent couldn't manage to dodge, it was game over. With her other arm, she shoved her open palm at his shoulder blade, ramming him into another guard.
There was four left, one of which was dismayed from having a man knocked into her. But the other three had their stun sticks and batons out now, gathering around to take Yang down. They'd taken their positions, stances defensive with weapons raised and ready to strike.
Yang didn't bother with them; she went after the fazed guard. Her arms had claimed the guard's neck from behind, wrapping around and constricting at her throat. Yang spun around and held her as human shield. The others wouldn't try to get any closer, and the lady in her arms was petrified. While choking was never the most reliable method due to its drawback of leaving its victims limbs free to move, Yang's threatening hold was enough to keep the woman from trying anything. The blonde brawler's eyes flitted to her duffels bags, checking the distance. When the guards had abrupt into the room, she had slid their assets aside to fight, leaving them a yard away from her current position. While she didn't know the exact time, she knew she needed to pick up the pace.
Here they come. A fleet of police cars started to appear in Ruby's line of sight, accelerating down the black pavement, sirens blaring. There were far more than she anticipated, a grand total of ten vehicles, all blasting their red and blue blinking sirens. She fixed her aim on the driver of the first car, waiting until he reached a distance where her accuracy would be heightened to an acceptable level.
"There's ten of them, Yang. I'll try to take them out so they can't chase us, but... There's a lot." Ruby pulled her finger back, clicking the trigger, and there was the loud crack of lightning that signaled her sniper's shot drowned by the city's commotion. The cop never saw it coming, though. Luckily for Ruby, that car had swerved into the one behind it. Two birds with one stone.
Yang had used her hostage as a cover, strangling the air out the woman's pipes with one arm, reloading her gun with the other. The guards were closing in, stepping around but maintaining a strong triangle, upholding a diamond with the bruiser; there was a yard between each point. They may have remained silent, but Yang knew better than to assume they weren't coordinating a plan.
With the blood in her veins starting to boil, cautioning her of the fiery rampage soon to come, she was administering more pressure to the guard's neck. The guard slumped in her arms, and Yang let her drop to the ground. "I'll be up in a second, Ruby."
Yang sprinted forward, straight for the guard in the back. When the other two turned, that's when the realized it was a fake out.
Yang had skidded to a stop, jumping and slamming her leg into the man on her right. The blond swiveled her torso, giving her more momentum to kick harder, as well as throw a punch into the left guard who rushed to assist his teammate.
The farthest took a moment to register what was happening, having previously presumed Yang was charging him. Once he did, he too, dashed to the scene. That second too late cost him though; the woman Yang clouted was out for the count, and the man she decked was bashed to the ground. Though battered, he still had some fight in him. He really should have just stayed down, Yang thought.
She was back on her feet, and the guard she kicked was getting there. But as he fumbled to manage that, Yang had assaulted with landing her elbow into the second's jaw. Fortunately for him, he was caught by his comrade. With a toothy grin, Yang cracked her knuckles.
"Yang! U-use your gun, would you! You'll get far less injuries!" Ruby insisted.
Ruby had a preference for longer ranges, probably because she lacked in the physical department. It was why even her melee, a scythe, was one of the longest weapons she could pick. But she supposed Yang knew what she was doing; they'd done countless robberies, coming out just fine every time. Unlike Ruby, her sister was pretty durable. She could take a beating, not that Ruby approved.
Ruby moved on to the next car, shooting it down as well. While she didn't like to, she aimed for the drivers not the wheels; it was more effective. That must have been the fifth one she totaled. If Ruby could get them before they reached the bank, she'd save the pair a lot of trouble on their exit. "I think they've realized they're dealing with a sniper. Four minutes till SWAT. Are you almost done?"
Yang had taken care of the guards, managing to leave with nothing but bruises and a nasty scorch mark she'd had to take care of later. Those stun sticks hurt like a bitch, and if she wasn't so pain tolerant, she'd be having convulsions on the ground. Yang picked up the duffel bags, each weighing somewhere around one hundred and twenty pounds, carrying four gold bars each and filled to the top with stacks.
An operation like this might have been a little more worthwhile had they more people to carry more gold, but if a ragtag team of siblings could pull off the jobs on multiple occasions, they could do this. "Heading to the garage now. Elevators working?"
"No. But you're on the ground floor. Garage is two flights down," Ruby explained.
The other cars had screeched to the scene; officers were unloaded, some getting into formations to enter, the others shielding themselves from Ruby's keen hits. She was shooting the ones she could, but once they were inside, she wouldn't be able reach them anymore. Ruby was left at a standstill with the cops that hadn't entered; they hid behind riot shields and dar doors. Worse than that, they were getting off schedule. "Two hundred and forty seconds."
Yang had fled to the staircase and was currently speeding down them; it was a race against the clock, and each pounding heartbeat sent a jolt of epinephrine. She could feel the muscle in her forearms taut; they trembled under the weight was carrying. Yang was good at keeping her voice calm, despite the strain her body was starting to feel. "I'm getting there, okay? Start coming down."
"I'm coming! West side, Yang. But-but that means more cops are going to enter. So, be careful, please!" Ruby started packing up her gun, fast hands moving to dismantle and compact. She swung her sniper up and over onto her back. Ruby doubted she'd need it as a scythe, and considering they were in a hurry, she'd rather not slow herself by lugging it in her hand. Shuffling through her messenger bag, she picked out the zip line gear. She took longer than she liked to set it up, but once she did, she was freefalling down the fifty story building.
Yang was out of ammo, but with a stroke of luck, she hadn't run into any police enforcement on her way to the garage. Yang jogged over to her chopper and secured the bags on to the back.
Swinging a leg over the seat, Yang pulled the band out to undo her bun. Opulent locks spilled over her shoulder; each strand looked like they were gold fibers spun out of straw by an impish man from a fairy tale. She combed her fingers through her hair, teasing the bangs a bit before she plucked her key out of her pocket. Yang jabbed the key into its slot and started the engine, and it roared in protest to her braked revving before she flicked the gears into place. She took off, departing the garage and driving over to the side of the building that faced west. As she looked up, she saw a Ruby diving through the air. Yang veered onto the sidewalk, placing herself appropriately under Ruby.
The black haired girl yanked a gear to slow down her zip line's pulley, decreasing the speed of her descension. She landed herself right into the blonde brute's arms, with what had been the most accurate planned maneuver all night. With a effervescent giggle, she tapped Yang's cheek. "Hiya there, sis."
"And a hello to you, Ruby." Yang set Ruby onto the cement, giving her shoulder a pat and dusting her off. "Come on. Get on. We're blowing this popsicle stand."
The younger sibling nodded and complied, climbing onto the bike and wrapping her arms around her sister's waist. She hugged onto the girl, face pressed to Yang's back and buried in her soft hair. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'll be even better when we finish this. I swear, I can hear the helicopters already."
