The next day, Ruby woke up with her teammates gone yet again. But this time it was different; she felt like someone was watching her. It was dark, even though her clock said it was ten in the morning. Then she saw something in the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head to face it, and her eyes widened. "You've been looking for me." The intruder said, showing no emotion. Ruby shook with terror. Without her armor, he could beat her ass yet again. "You came to my school and attacked me." She said. "How could I not be angry?"
The man nodded. "I understand that." He said. "And I want you to know; I'm not the bad guy. I'm just like you." Ruby shook her head. "No." She said.
"You know what separates me and you from the bad guys?" He asked. "What we fight for. Some people fight for chaos. Others for order. But no one fights for peace. 'As long as there is order, there is peace'. That's what they'd like you to think. But you don't believe it, do you?"
Ruby shook her head. "I'm sorry." He said, grinning. "I can't really see, so if we could just use verbal communication, that would be great."
"What do you mean?" She asked. "How could you have done all that to me without sight?"
"It's simple." He said. "I listen better. I know that you're scared, your heartbeat increased the moment you saw me. And so did your breathing." The man leaned against Yang and Blake's beds, and gave her a sincere look. "You shouldn't be scared." He said. "I thought you were one of the bad guys when I first heard you. I realize now that I was wrong. And I apologize." He paused. "If you need my help, call me. After all, vigilantes should stick together." He smiled.
Ruby hopped down from her bed. "I don't even know your name." She told him.
"It's in your scroll." He said. "You'll know it when you see it."
Ruby turned around and grabbed her scroll, but when she turned back around, he was gone. She unlocked her scroll and looked through her contacts, eventually, she found him; Matt. That's what he set himself as.
Ruby stepped out of her dorm, having just gotten dressed, and immediately ran into JNPR. "Oh, hello, Ruby." Pyrrha greeted. Ruby nodded and smiled, moving down the hallway. "I'll be right back." Jaune told his teammates, jogging to catch up with Ruby. "You found him, didn't you?" He whispered. She shook her head. "No. He found me." She whispered back.
"What?!" He asked.
"I woke up this morning and he was there." She said.
"You don't look beaten up, what happened?" He asked.
"He wanted to tell me that he's not the bad guy." She told him.
"He is totally the bad guy."
"He said that he's a blind vigilante, and I confused him."
"How does that work? The blind thing?"
"He says he listens. Then he told me he left his name and number in my scroll in case I needed his help."
"Do you trust him?"
"What other choice do I have?"
"I— Nevermind. You've been making the news."
Ruby turned towards him, walking sideways. "How so?" She asked.
"The story about you stopping a bank robbery broke." Jaune told her. "It's all over the place. I know my team doesn't trust Iron Rose as far as they can throw her metal ass, so I don't think anyone else does, either."
"And how do I earn their trust?" She asked.
"Well, you probably want to earn their respect. Save the world, something like that. Stop a criminal mastermind." He told her.
"I'll see if Shield needs my help." She said.
"Shield?" He asked. "You mean this thing?" He patted his sheath, and she laughed. "No. They're the people that brought me home."
"Oh! Those guys!" Jaune said, smacking his forehead. "Just be careful, okay? I don't know if I did that well of a job with the stitches." Ruby nodded and bolted off, down to her workshop.
"Jarvis!" She said, dashing in.
"Must we start every day like this?" The AI asked.
"Since when are you one to get annoyed with me?" She asked.
"I am not annoyed." He said. "Just wondering. What was it you needed?"
"Show me everything we have on The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." She said.
"There isn't much." Jarvis said. "Mostly conspiracy theories. People who disappeared because of SHIELD…"
"Any way we can contact them, or even find them?" Ruby asked.
"Not that I can see." Jarvis said. "Wait. Professor Ozpin has ties to them. As does General Ironwood. Mr. Xiao-Long and Mr. Branwen as well. Who do you wish to speak to?"
"Director Fury said he had his eye on me. Now, what can we do that would get him to come and see my personally?" She asked.
"Well, you did break into the Atlesian Military's servers on a dare. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to do it again." Jarvis suggested.
"No." Ruby said. "If Fury would be able to trace it back to me, so would Ironwood. It's too risky. Wait. I have an idea."
Ruby was comfortably reclining inside of a giant decorative donut that rested on top of a donut shop, when she heard Fury's all too familiar voice. "Ma'am!" He shouted. "Would you please exit the donut?" Ruby shifted her attention to him, and hopped down, her suit making a loud clunk as it contacted the ground. "You know how long I was up there?" She asked. "And now you show up?"
"I'm a busy man. You're not the only person I've been watching, and I've only got one eye." He told her. "You wanted me? I'm here now."
"Yeah." She said. "People don't trust me as a vigilante. Thought you might have something for me to do. After all, you are a busy man. Don't have enough people or time to do everything that shows up."
"I'll think about it." He said, turning around.
"That's it?" Ruby asked. "I'll think about it?"
"Yes. Now, I've got a huge green rage monster to take care of." He told her.
"You sure I can't help with that one?" She asked.
"You're a civilian. I couldn't possibly—" Ruby cut him off. "I could reduce the causalities. Just give me a release form or something." She reached out her hand, her palm facing the sky. He sighed. "Goddammit. Fine! Just don't get anyone killed, and don't kill the target." Fury told her.
"Seems reasonable." She said, relaxing. "Who is the target exactly?"
"Doctor Bruce Banner."
