Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. "RWBY" is the property of director and animator Monty Oum (RIP) and production company Rooster Teeth, and "Die Hard" is the property of director John McTiernan, production companies Gordon Company and Silver Pictures, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
At the Atlas-TV broadcasting station, news reporter Cardin Winchester was on the phone with his assistant.
"Jacque Schnee and I are very close," Cardin claimed. "I interviewed him for Oum's sake!"
Velvet pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh no," She groaned. "Why does he have to be here?"
"It's bad enough that Adam is in this movie," Blake added. "But now Cardin?"
"Wait, he's a reporter in this universe?" Jaune asked, surprised that Cardin was playing such a role.
Not far from Cardin, a police scanner blurted out Ren's panicked transmission to the MPD dispatcher.
"Reports shots fired at Schnee Plaza," The dispatcher said. "713 Glacier Avenue. Repeat, officer needs assistance."
"I'm at Schnee Plaza!" Ren shouted in response. "They're turning my car into Sanus cheese! I need backup assistance now! Now, Oum-damn it now!"
Cardin quickly sat up from his chair, staring in shock at the scanner as he hung up the phone.
Back at Schnee Plaza, over a dozen MPD cruisers and other vehicles arrived and set up roadblocks on every route to the building.
On the 30th floor, Roman had a relieved grin on his face.
"I never thought I'd love to hear that sound!" Roman said.
"I'll bet the real Roman would say the same thing if he were in this situation," Ruby said with a smirk.
In Pyrrha's office, Adam was trying to calm his men down.
"All of you, relax!" Adam said, hands raised in a reassuring manner. "This is a matter of inconvenient timing, that's all. Police action was inevitable. And as it happens, necessary."
"Necessary for what?" Ironwood asked. "What the hell else is he planning?"
"I think it involves those explosives they were planting," Penny guessed.
"So let them fumble about outside and stay calm. This is simply the beginning," Adam finished.
Suddenly, Adam's walkie talkie crackled. He picked it up angrily.
"I thought I told all of you I want radio silence," He said. "Until further no—"
"Oh, sorry, Adam," Jaune said on the other end, much to Adam's surprise.
On the 34th floor, Jaune sat on a table as he spoke into his walkie-talkie and holding Corsac's SMG.
"Adam finally gets acquainted with Jaune and his wisecracks," Yang said smiling.
"I'm looking forward to Adam getting pissed off with Jaune," Qrow chuckled.
"I think we all are," Weiss agreed, still hoping Jaune would kill the terrorist leader.
"I didn't get that message," Jaune snarked. "Maybe you should have put it on the bulletin board."
Adam stood up in surprise, realizing who was on the other end.
"I figured since I waxed Tony, and Corsac, and his friend here, I figured you and Karl and Yuma might be a little lonely," Jaune said as he walked across the room to Fennec's corpse. "So, I wanted to give you a call."
"Now he's got another machine gun. Ho-ho-ho," Nora said with an ear-to-ear grin.
"And tons of backup outside," Ren added.
"Things are looking up for us," Jaune said, giving Ren a confident smile.
"How does he know so much about—" Karl said, but Adam beckoned him to be quiet.
"That's very kind of you," Adam said sarcastically.
Jaune began search Fennecs body as Adam spoke through the walkie-talkie.
"I assume you are our mysterious party crasher. You are most troublesome for a security guard."
Jaune made a buzzer sound. "Sorry, Adam. Wrong guess. Would you like to go for double jeopardy where the scores can really change?" He wisecracked.
Adam wasn't very amused as he glared at the walkie talkie in annoyance.
Many audience members laughed at Jaune's sardonic sense of humor.
"You were right, Yang," Pyrrha said grinning. "He knows how to get under Adam's skin."
Yang nodded. "I gotta try that jeopardy joke sometime."
Jaune removed a pack of cigarettes from Fennec's breast pocket.
"Hmm, these are very bad for you," He muttered.
"Said the pot to the kettle," Blake snarked.
"Who are you then?" Adam asked, getting irritated.
"Just a fly in the ointment, Adam. A monkey in the wrench. A pain in the ass," Jaune replied, as he pulled out some detonators and a fire dust crystal.
"There's still some leftover dust," Oobleck observed.
"Maybe Jaune will use it to blow up some of the bad guys," Nora said excitedly.
"Whoa," Jaune said as he examined the dust.
Adam turned off his walkie talkie. "Check on all the others, don't use the radio," He instructed his men. "See if he's lying about Corsac and find out if anyone is missing."
Karl, Trifa, and Yuma left the office.
Jaune glanced around the room as he smoked a cigarette and zipped up Fennec's bag full of equipment before slinging it over his shoulder.
"Mr. Mystery guest are you still there?" Adam asked into his walkie talkie.
"Yeah, I'm still here. Unless you want to open the front door for me," Jaune answered as he stepped into another room through a sliding door.
"No, I'm afraid not. But you have me at a loss," Adam said. "You know my name, but who are you?"
Jaune moved cautiously towards the stairwell, SMG at the ready while Adam spoke.
"Just another Atlesian who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Layne? Tembo? Marshall Dolan?"
"Oh, man. I love all those series!" Neptune said, being an action movie buff.
"Me too, bro!" Sun agreed.
"Me three!" Jaune said, and all three boys laughed and high fived.
"I was actually kind of partial to Roy Rivers actually," Jaune replied. "I really liked those sequined shirts."
"Meh," Jaune, Sun, and Neptune said in unison.
"That one's my personal favorite," Port said, preferring old-school action films.
"You always do enjoy the classics," Ozpin confirmed with a nod.
"Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?" Adam asked with a smirk.
Just then, the elevator dinged nearby as Karl arrived, but Jaune was already at the stairwell.
"Yipee-Ki-Yea, motherfucker," Jaune responded as he slipped out of the room.
Most of the audience laughed at that phrase.
"There's another awesome line I've gotta use," Yang said gleefully.
Weiss facepalmed. "Please no," she groaned.
"Please yes!" Yang replied with a cheeky grin.
Adam lowered his walkie-talkie as he contemplated this turn of events.
Back at the Atlas-TV station, Cardin was with producer Peter Port in the sound room, begging for his support on the Schnee Plaza raid.
"I can get the jump on everybody if I get a remote," Cardin reasoned.
"Peter, I don't have the new pages," Sky Lark groaned in frustration on a monitor. "Where's the Gladden report?"
"Sky, keep your pants on, will you?" Port groaned as he left the room.
"I'm a news producer?" Port asked curiously. "I didn't see that coming."
"Well, you are a great storyteller, Peter," Oobleck said, then smirked. "But, like the news, the truth may be stretched sometimes."
Port huffed and ate some popcorn.
"Peter, look, I'm begging you," Cardin plead, following Port through the studio.
"Dove's already at a remote thing with that Santa sing-along," Peter explained. "I'll tell him to swing by."
"I am not sitting on this for Dove!" Cardin argued. "It's my story!"
"I don't want to hear about it!" Port replied as he entered the recording room.
"Cardin is really desperate for a story," Jaune pointed out.
"Reporters are like that. They'll jump on any opportunity they can find," Pyrrha said, having dealt with slimy reporters pestering her for an interview.
"And many of them would kill for a chance to cover a terrorist attack," Glynda added.
"Alright, Peter, look," Winchester said, pushing forward to block Port's path. "I'll tell you what. If you don't want to give me a truck, I'll go and I'll steal a truck!"
"Oh, give us a break, Winchester," anchorman Sky Lark said in the studio.
"Eat it, Sky!" Cardin replied angrily.
Yang snorted. "I guess they're not friends in this universe," She said.
Behind Sky, a director counted down to the beginning of the news report.
"Sky, we're on the air!" The director informed him.
Sky was still glaring at Cardin before he looked at the camera. He picked up his papers and forced a smile.
"Good evening," Sky said. "This is Sky Lark."
The camera shifted to Sky's co-host to his left.
"And I'm Dew Gayl," she introduced herself. "And this is Atlas-TV News. Our top stories on this Christmas Eve—"
"That girl looks familiar," Neptune said, pointing at the screen.
Weiss crossed her arms. "She was on Team NDGO. You know, the all-girl team you flirted with in the first round," She reminded irritably.
Neptune chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.
Sky glared at Cardin, who in turn gave Peter a pleading look.
"Take Truck Number Five," Peter whispered. "Get out of here."
Cardin nodded and quickly left.
Back on the 30th Floor of Schnee Plaza, Karl, Trifa, and Yuma rushed out of the elevator, and headed back to Adam in Pyrrha's office.
"He wasn't lying about Corsac. He's down on the street. And the other man was Fennec. And his bag is missing," Karl reported.
Adam processed what Karl said. "But he had the detonators…" Adam said nervously.
"I think you're on the right track, Penny," Winter said.
"Without the detonators, they can't finalize their plan," Penny added.
"Still doesn't quite explain how they intend to escape with the bearer bonds with all those cops outside," Qrow said.
Adam dialed a number on his walkie-talkie. "Ilia?"
Elsewhere, Ilia was busy disabling the vaults locks with her drill.
"Ilia?" Adam repeated.
"Yo!" Ilia responded loudly over the drill.
"We may have some problems. How's our schedule."
Ilia checked her computer monitor. It showed that three of the seven locks were disabled.
"Three down, four to go," Ilia answered.
"The cops have just arrived, and they're already halfway finished," Jaune said.
"And if they disable the seventh lock, the vault will be opened," Pyrrha added.
"Only time will tell what they'll do next," Ozpin finished.
"Then don't waste time talking to me," Adam replied.
Suddenly, another voice was heard from the walkie-talkie.
"This is Sergeant Lie Ren of the Mantle Police Department," Ren said. "If the person who radioed for help can hear me on this channel, acknowledge this transmission."
Ilia turned off her drill to listen in better to Rens transmission.
Outside, in a construction yard neighboring Schnee Plaza, Ren was walking along as he spoke into his walkie-talkie. Sirens could be heard as backup arrived.
"I say again," Ren shouted over approaching sirens. "If the person who radioed for help on this channel can hear me, acknowledge this transmission."
Ren motioned at the police cruisers to turn off their sirens.
On the 32nd floor, Jaune entered cautiously from the stairwell, SMG raised. Seeing the coast was clear, he answered his walkie-talkie.
"I read you, pal. You the guy in the car?"
"What's left of him," Ren replied, wiping some blood off his forehead. "Can you identify yourself?"
"Not now, maybe later," Jaune replied.
"Smart move on his part," Coco said, eating a chocolate bar.
"Not just for himself, but for Pyrrha," Velvet added.
"Listen fast, this is a party line. And the neighbors got itchy trigger fingers," Jaune explained. "All right, here's the deal: you've got thirty or so hostages on the 30th floor. The leader's name is Adam…"
In Pyrrha's office, Yuma scowled as Jaune spoke on the walkie-talkie.
"We have to find him and shut him up!" Yuma said angrily. "He's telling them everything!"
"Let him," Adam replied nonchalantly. "I'm waiting for the Ace-Ops to arrive."
"What's Ace-Ops?" Ruby asked.
"They're the top huntsman from Atlas academy recruited as special forces in the Atlesian military," Ironwood asked. "But I don't know how they factor into Adam's plan."
"Until then, he can waste as much time as he likes. But we must. Find. The bag, Yuma!" Adam said angrily.
"They've got a freaking arsenal up here," Jaune reported over the walkie-talkie.
"Go help Tock," Adam ordered his men. "We must have the detonators!"
Back at the vault, Ilia listened to Jaunes report to Ren intently.
"The walkie-talkies work both ways unfortunately," Ozpin pointed out. "Jaune can listen in, but the terrorists can listen in as well."
"They've got missiles, automatic weapons, and enough explosive dust to orbit a Goliath."
Back on the 32nd floor, Jaune slowly walked past the cubicles and computers as he spoke to Ren. He headed towards a window overlooking the front of Schnee Plaza.
"They're down to ten now, counting the sky diver you met," Jaune reported. "These guys are all Faunus. From Menagerie, judging by their clothing labels and cigarettes. They're well financed, and very slick."
"Well, how do you know that?" Ren asked.
"I've seen enough phony IDs in my time to recognize that the ones they got must have cost a fortune. Add all that up, and I don't know what the fuck it means, but you've got some bad-ass perpetrators here to stay," Jaune finished, slumping against a far wall, and removing another cigarette.
"Astute observations, Mr. Arc. I can tell you're an exceptional police officer in this universe," Oobleck complimented.
Jaune was flattered. "I do have a gift for noticing details," He admitted.
"Yeah. Fearless leader misses nothing," Nora said.
Ren paused in realizing who Jaune was judging from his report.
"I hear you, partner," Ren confirmed. "Mantles finest are on it. So light em if you got em."
"Way ahead of you, partner," Jaune replied as he lit another cigarette.
"So what do I call you?"
Jaune thought for a few seconds. "Call me… Roy."
Yang giggled. "He's naming himself after Roy Rodgers," She said.
"Well, listen, Roy. If you think of anything else you think we need to know, don't be shy, okay?"
"The police outside have an advantage with Jaune inside feeding them intel," Ironwood pointed out.
"Hopefully, that'll be enough before they open the vault and try to escape," Winter said, drinking a soda.
Ren approached another officer who wiped off the blood on Ren's forehead.
"In the meantime, find a safe place to hole up and let us do our job, understand?" Ren instructed.
"They're all yours, Ren," Jaune replied as he sat back to finally relax.
Ilia paused in contemplation before resuming her work with disabling the locks.
"Awww, so now fearless leader has to back off?" Nora said with disappointment.
"To be fair, he is outmatched," Weiss said. "He can't handle all of the terrorists on his own."
"But Adam said he was planning for the cops to arrive. What if he's prepared for them?" Blake reminded.
By this point, police officers, technicians, and other emergency personnel were swarming all over the construction yard. Police cruisers, vans, and even a semi-truck hauling a large trailer had arrived.
An unmarked police car strolled into the MPD staging area outside Schnee Plaza. A middle-aged, grey haired woman in a suit stepped out and held out her badge.
"Caroline Cordovin?" Ironwood said in a surprised tone.
"Who?" Weiss asked.
"She's a specialist in the Atlesian military," Winter explained.
"All right, who's talking to them?" Cordovin asked.
"I am, ma'am," Ren replied. "Sergeant Lie Ren."
"Caroline Cordovin, Ren. What's the deal here? What do these pricks want?" The woman asked as she approached Ren.
"Well, if you mean the terrorists, ma'am, we don't exactly know," Ren replied. "We haven't heard a peep from them."
Cordovin looked confused. "Well, who in the hell have you been talking to?"
"I have a feeling Cordovin is going to make a mess of the situation," Ironwood said, hoping he was wrong.
"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked.
"She's of questionable competence. To say the least," Ironwood replied, having recently reassigned Cordovin to Argus.
"We don't know that either, ma'am. He won't give us his name. But he appears to be the one who phoned in the report. He's killed one terrorist for sure. And he claims he's capped off two others," Ren explained.
Cordovin stared at Ren dubiously. "He claims? Ren, has it occurred to you he could be one of the terrorists pulling your chain? Or some nutcase in there?"
"I don't think so, ma'am. In fact, I think he's a cop," Ren replied, ignoring Cordovins unpleasantness. "Maybe not MPD, but he's definitely a badge."
"Ren has good instincts. He can reliably identify a cop," Ozpin complimented.
"Cordovin may have a right to be suspicious, but she shouldn't dismiss Jaune's report so quickly," Ironwood added. "If she heard his call for help and conversation with Ren, she probably wouldn't be so dismissive."
"You're right, general," Winter agreed. "Why would the terrorists reveal their numbers? Or how many hostages there were?"
Cordovin cocked her brow. "How do you know that?"
"A hunch. Things he said. Like being able to spot a phony ID."
"Sweet dust, Ren!" Cordovin said exasperatedly. "He could be a fucking bartender for all we know."
"I don't think I like that woman," Penny said frowning.
"Neither do we, Penny," Winter agreed, referring to herself and Ironwood.
"TVs here," A nearby cop informed Cordovin.
"Oh, shit," Cordovin sighed.
An Atlas-TV News van quickly entered the construction yard.
"Oh goody. Cardin's on the scene," Blake said sarcastically.
"If Cordovin doesn't mess things up, he might instead," Velvet added, still not fond of her former bully.
Meanwhile, in Pyrrha's office, Karl was setting up a portable TV while Adam was examining some of Schnee Plazas building plans. Pyrrha herself walked in escorted by Yuma.
"I have a request," Pyrrha said.
"What idiot put you in charge?" Adam asked, not even looking up from the desk.
"You did. When you murdered my boss," Pyrrha replied bitterly.
Many audience members snickered at Pyrrha's subtle insult, especially Yang, Coco, and Weiss.
"Nice burn, P-Money!" Yang praised.
"Yeah! How do you like that!" Weiss said to everyone's surprise.
"Now, everybody's looking to me. Personally, I'd pass on the job. I don't enjoy being this close to you," Pyrrha said.
Adam glared at her before answering. "Go on."
"We have a pregnant woman out there."
Adam rolled his eyes, not wanting anymore setbacks.
"Relax, she's not due for a couple of weeks. But sitting on that rock isn't doing her back any good. So, I would like permission to move her to one of the offices where there's a sofa," Pyrrha requested.
"He better not hurt my baby!" Nora growled, narrowing her eyes at the screen.
"Whoa! Nora's going mama bear," Coco noted, not expecting Nora's response.
"Damn right!" Nora agreed loudly.
"No," Adam replied. "But I'll have a sofa brought out to you. Good enough?"
"Good enough," Pyrrha said. "And unless you like it messy, I'd start bringing us in groups to the bathroom."
"Yes, you're right," Adam agreed reluctantly. "It will be done. Is there something else?"
"Why would he comply so quickly?" Ruby asked.
"Pragmatism. He wants the hostages as calm as possible to avoid any problems," Blake explained, knowing Adam would never do such a thing out of kindness.
Pyrrha looked behind Adam at the overturned family picture including Jaune.
"No, thank you," She replied.
Pyrrha turned to head out. Adam quizzically glanced at the collection of photos.
"Mr. Schnee chose his people well, Mrs.…?"
"Nikos. Ms. Nikos," Pyrrha replied before leaving.
"Wise decision using my maiden name in case Adam learns Jaune's identity," Pyrrha noted.
"And he doesn't even know who Jaune is or what he looks like," Glynda added. "Hopefully you two can stay under Adam's radar."
"It's best not to tempt fate, Glynda," Ozpin warned, eating a handful of popcorn.
Adam nodded, then looked at the portable TV just as the news came on.
"We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin," The announcer said.
"This is Cardin Winchester, live from Atlas-TV News," Cardin said as a panning shot descended down Schnee Plaza on the TV.
"Tonight, Mantle has joined the sad and worldwide fraternity of cities whose only membership requirement is to suffer the anguish of terrorism," Cardin droned on.
In the limousine, Neptune opened a mini bottle of whiskey with his teeth and spat out the cap. The TV in the limo showed Winchester's report, but Neptune ignored it initially.
Neptune gave a toast to the teddy bear as he poured himself a drink in a glass with some ice.
"Well, at least someone is enjoying themselves in this whole debacle," Qrow said.
"Approximately two hours ago, an unidentified group of men seized control of the Schnee building, sealing off all entrances and exits."
This caught Neptune's attention as he set down the glass and turned to the TV screen. Cardin could be seen with numerous MPD officers and vehicles in the background.
"Oh, now you get catch wind," Sun said, chuckling.
"Oh, give me a break already," Neptune groaned, rolling his eyes.
"All telephone lines have been cut. And the only communication now possible has been through the use of C.B. communicators which the group apparently brought with them."
Neptune took a swig from the mini-bottle before jumping to the front of the limo. He switched on the C.B. radio. On the other end, he heard an MPD officer giving out orders.
"Unit five, hold your position at the main entrance."
A squad of SOU (Special Operative Unit) officers in tactical gear jogged towards Schnee Plaza along the edge of the construction site. Below them, Caroline was speaking to SOU Captain Clover Ebi while looking over the schematics of Schnee Plaza.
"All right, guys. We got Charlie unit in position by the parking structure," Clover said.
"Look, it's Clover Ebi," Winter pointed out to Ironwood.
"So he's in charge of the SOU team here," Ironwood noted. "Although they're police officers rather than soldiers in this universe."
"I take it the SOU are part of the Atlas military?" Yang guessed.
"Yes. They're huntsman recruited as elite soldiers, just beneath the Ace-Ops," Weiss confirmed.
"Let me ask you something. Does this stairway go up to the escalator?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah. That's where they're going," Clover replied.
"Tell them to go ahead through the lobby up there and try and draw some fire," Clover instructed his team.
"You think they can pull it off?" Ruby asked.
"They're at a disadvantage. They know nothing about the terrorists," Jaune answered, drinking another soda.
"Thanks to Cordovin disregarding everything you told Ren," Pyrrha added.
Meanwhile, Ren was on the radio with the dispatcher at the MPD precinct.
"So there's no answer at my address?" Ren asked worriedly.
"That's a negative, 8-Lincoln-30. Straight to answering machine. Over."
"Roger that. 8-Lincoln-30, out," Ren said softly before noticing the SOU team was preparing to make a move. "What's going on?"
"What's it looks like? We're going in," Caroline replied as if it were obvious.
"Going in?" Ren said alarmingly. "Man, that's crazy! There could be over thirty hostages in there for all we know!"
"Nothing better happen to my wife because of you," Ren said angrily under his breath.
"What was that Ren?" Nora asked, not catching it.
"Oh…um…nothing," Ren stammered with a nervous blush.
"We don't know shit, Ren. If there's hostages, how come nobody's come to us with ransom demands, huh? If there's White Fang in there, where's their list of demands?"
"All we know is that somebody shot your car up. It's probably the same silly son of a bitch you've been talking to on that radio."
Ren was outraged. "Excuse me, ma'am!" Ren shouted. "But what about the body that fell out the window?"
Caroline shrugged. "Well, who knows? It was probably some stockbroker who got depressed," She said dismissively.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Blake said indignantly. "She won't even bother examining the body? Or his fake I.D.?
"She's more incompetent than that dispatcher from earlier," Yang added.
Ironwood and Winter could only shake their heads in disdain at the screen.
"We're ready for you chief," Clover said.
"All right, light em up. Let's go," Caroline ordered.
"All right, hit your lights," Clover instructed. "Blue unit, go."
Ren looked up warily at the building.
"Why won't Ren just tell Cordovin that Nora is inside?" Penny asked.
"She either wouldn't believe her or blow her off," Winter replied, knowing only too well what kind of 'leader' Cordovin was in and out of universe.
"Lights on!" An officer called out.
A series of large floodlights positioned in front of Schnee Plaza illuminated brightly.
Back on the 32nd floor, Jaune noticed the floodlights shine off his pack of cigarettes. He picked up his walkie-talkie, stood up, and looked out the window, spotting the floodlights.
"Hopefully Jaune can intervene before things get out of hand," Pyrrha said.
"He's still outnumbered and outgunned. He can't fight them all in a pitched battle," Ozpin reminded.
"Mr. Arc is crafty in this universe," Port reminded. "He'll come up with something."
"Ren?" Jaune said. "Ren, you still with me, bro? What's going on?"
More lights turned on, but Jaune got not answer.
"Yo, Ren!" Jaune said loudly.
"I'm here, Roy," Ren replied into his radio. "But I'm kind of busy right now. I'll talk to you later."
Jaune was getting worried. "Ren? What's wrong? What's going on?"
"I said I'll talk to you later, Roy," Ren repeated. "If you are what I think you are, then you'll know when to listen, when to shut up, and when to pray."
Jaune realized what was happening. "Monty. You're coming in. That's it, isn't it?"
"Oum, Ren," Jaune said. "I told you what kind of people you're dealing with here."
Ren gazed up at Schnee Plaza with worry on his face.
"All right. Let's load them up," Caroline ordered.
"Blue, go," Clover said.
In Pyrrha's office, Adam stood up from his seat and approached the window overlooking the front of Schnee Plaza.
"They'll be coming. Everybody get ready," Adam ordered through his walkie-talkie.
On the 1st floor, Ilia and Mata switched on the CCTV monitors in the security room.
"Ilia, you are the eyes now," Adam said.
"They've even got cameras on them," Qrow said worriedly. "Your little specialists are walking into a death trap, Jimmy."
"Shut up, you booze hound," Ironwood growled.
Glynda glared at the two men, ready to interfere if another argument broke out.
In the lobby, Tuskon used a key to close the gates leading to the elevators.
Outside, Clover and Caroline watched from the MPD command post.
"Bree! Begin your reconnoiter," Clover ordered.
Specialist Harriett Bree and the rest of blue team, which consisted Vine Zeki, Marrow Amin, and Elm Ederne, moved quickly through the construction yard.
From the 32nd floor, Jaune observed the SOU team moving towards the building.
"Shit!" He muttered as he ran to another window for a better view.
Neptune frantically drove the limo through the parking garage to find a way out. He screeched to a halt at another locked gate. Not giving up, he reversed to keep trying to find an exit.
Outside, the SOU team climbed up the hill between the construction yard and Schnee Plaza.
"Hey! Come on! Let's go!" One of the specialists shouted as the team moved quickly.
"Ow! Monty!" One of the specialists muttered after scratching himself on some thorns on a rosebush that Ren drove through earlier.
Winter sighed. "I hate to agree with Qrow, but this is looking bad already".
Inside the lobby, Tuskon and Tock took up defensive positions with SMGs at the ready. Tock stacked SMG magazines on a newsstand countertop, while Tuskon stood behind a wall beside the elevators. Tock glanced down, and noticed the counter was full of candy. After looking around cautiously, she grabbed a chocolate bar.
"He's fine with terrorism, but worried about being caught stealing candy?" Weiss said, confused.
"Everyone has standards, even if they don't make sense," Qrow said with a shrug.
Neptune continued his search for an exit. At the lowest level, he stopped at a concrete wall.
The SOU team assembled across the street from Schnee Plaza where the searchlights were positioned.
Ilia hummed to herself as she closely watched the SOU team on the security monitors.
Neptune had finished checking every exit in the parking garage. He parked the limo on one of the lower levels by a loading dock. Realizing he was trapped, he sighed and turned the engine off. He looked back at the teddy bear in the backseat.
"Shut up," He muttered.
Everyone chuckled.
"At least you have your buddy there to keep you company," Sun teased with a smug grin.
"Very funny, smartass," Neptune deadpanned.
"Let's go," Harriett Bree ordered, and her team jogged across the street.
On the 32nd floor, Jaune watched as blue team advanced towards the front entrance.
"You macho assholes! No! No!" He shouted.
"All right, listen up, guys!" Ilia said into her headpiece, watching blue team on a security monitor.
The other terrorists listened to Ilias transmission.
"Twas then night before Christmas, and all through the house," She jokingly reported. "Not a creature was stirring, except the four assholes coming in the rear in standard two-by-two formation."
"They've got like fifty cops down there. Why not send them all in?" Nora asked.
Jaune shook his head. "That's a horrible idea. The police know nothing about Adam and his men. If they just rush in to storm the building, it could end with a massacre. Or the terrorists might kill the hostages in a panic."
"Jaune is right," Ironwood agreed. "Sending in a four-person team for recon first is a wiser move."
Blue team reached the front of the building.
"Okay, we're all set," Harriett reported to Clover.
Clover, Cordovin, and Ren all watched from a safe distance in the staging area.
Clover looked at Cordovin in the staging area. "We're ready."
"Kick ass," Cordovin replied simply.
"Or get your asses kicked," Yang snarked, knowing the police were in for a rude awakening.
"Go!" Clover ordered.
"Right, let's do it," Harriett ordered.
Blue team moved sideways and reached the front doors. Vine officers tried to open the door, but discovered it was locked. So he tried picking it instead.
Tock was munching on a candy bar when she noticed the SOU team outside. She signaled to Tuskon to hold fire.
Suddenly, from above, Trifa opened fire with her SMG on the 3rd floor.
"They're shooting at them!" Cordovin said, alarmed.
"It's panic fire," Clover brushed off. "They can't see anything."
"They're shooting at the lights," Ren said under his breath in a frustrated tone.
Ren was right. The floodlights shattered one by one from Trifa's gunfire, leaving blue team in the dark. One of them was knocked out right behind Cordovin.
"They're going after the lights," Cordovin said, already losing her nerve. "Pull them back!"
Ren rolled his eyes in contempt.
"Really? No shit," Qrow voiced the thoughts of Rens counterpart.
"With the lights out, they're cut off from support and vulnerable," Ironwood noted, having seen such a situation before.
Back to blue team. Vine was still struggling to unlock the front door to no avail.
"It's not happening," Vine said.
"Ederne! Burn it!" Harriett ordered.
Elm approached the front door and ignited a cutting torch.
From the 30th floor, Adam watched the scene unfold with his walkie-talkie in his hand.
"Don't be impatient. Just wound them," He instructed his men.
Tock finished her candy bar just as Elm began burning through the front door.
"Get them back," Cordovin said urgently. "They're sitting ducks up there without lights."
"No," Clover refused. "They're almost in."
"Get them back!" Cordovin repeated loudly.
"Finally, she's starting to wise up?" Yang said, hoping it wasn't too late.
"If Clover doesn't pull them back, they're in trouble," Pyrrha added, eating some popcorn she shared with Jaune.
"They're almost in," Clover insisted. "Send in the car."
Ren looked at the two bickering officers incredulously.
Far down Glacier avenue street, a large vehicle's headlights appeared as it moved towards Schnee Plaza while the MPD cruisers moved aside.
"What's that coming down the street?" Ruby wondered aloud.
"It might be an armored vehicle," Port guessed. "It'll be necessary to support the officers at the front door."
Penny looked worried, remembering the guided missiles the terrorists were hauling earlier.
Elm continued her work with burning through the front entrance, oblivious to the impeding danger.
Tock and Tuskon took aim and fired. The glass doors shattered, wounding several SOU officers, and spattering the doors with blood. They screamed in pain.
Ruby, Nora, and Weiss gasped at the ensuing bloodbath.
"Bree! Zeki! Report!" Clover said on his headset, hearing the commotion.
"They're getting cut down, that's the report!" Winter shouted, angered that Clover's refusal to pull blue team back was ending in a slaughter.
Ilia continued watching the security monitors, then spotted something.
"Whoa! Wait a minute! What have we here, gentlemen!"
An armored MPD car drove through the space opened in the police barricade.
"The police have themselves an RV!" Ilia notified her associates.
The armored car made a bee line for Schnee Plaza, it's engine roaring as it drove down Glacier Avenue.
Ruby beamed at the sight of the bulky vehicle. "It's so cool!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Nora cheered. "The terrorists don't stand a chance against that!"
Penny broke her cautious silence. "You're forgetting about the missiles."
Ruby and Nora grimaced at the reminder, as did everyone else.
"Southeast corner," Ilia reported.
Up on the 30th floor, Yuma quickly moved to the window to look outside.
Elsewhere in Schnee Plaza, Perry hauled a trolley full of green crates down a hallway with Deery following.
"Come on! We gotta hurry!" Perry shouted.
Deery carelessly dropped another extra missile crate onto the trolley just as Perry got on the freight elevator.
"Careful, you idiot! You trying to blow us up?!" Perry shouted as the elevator doors closed.
"Too bad she didn't," Qrow muttered.
"This isn't going to end well," Sun said, dreading the impeding destruction.
"Oh Monty!" Jaune whispered as he watched the armored car approach the building. He heard the elevator humming behind him. He turned around, but noticed it wasn't stopping on his floor.
One of the hostages tried to peer out the window overlooking the front of Schnee Plaza, but Yuma drove him back at gunpoint.
"Out of here!" Yuma yelled. "Get back! Get the fuck back!"
"Get over there!" Ilia radioed to Perry and Deery from the security room.
On the 3rd floor, Deery and Perry pushed the trolley hurriedly.
"Come on! Move it!" Deery shouted.
One of the crates fell off and Perry tried to retrieve it. "Shit!" He muttered.
"Just leave it! We have enough already!"
"You think the armored car will evacuate the wounded in time?" Ruby asked, sipping her soda.
"Let's hope so," Blake replied. "If not, Jaune will have to step in again."
"I wonder what my counterpart will do this time," Jaune said curiously.
They continued wheeling the trolley and parked it. They opened the crates to retrieve the tripod. Perry quickly carried the tripod to a nearby window and set it down while Deery used a nail gun to hold it in place. Perry attached the missile launcher to the tripod while Deery hooked up the guidance system. Perry then headed back to the trolley, opened one of the crates, and grabbed a warhead.
The armored car had almost reached Schnee Plaza.
"Come on. Step on it!" Nora yelled desperately at the screen.
Ren placed a hand on Nora's shoulder. "It might be too late, Nora," He said sadly.
Deery gazed through the targeting scope of the missile launcher.
"Yeah, I see him!" Deery shouted.
The armored car took a sharp right turn, rumbling towards the front entrance of Schnee Plaza where blue team lay wounded.
"Ready?!" Deery asked Perry, still looking through the scope.
"Just a second!" Perry replied as he loaded a missile into the launcher.
"No! Get out of there, you idiots!" Qrow yelled.
"They can't just abandon their teammates!" Ironwood countered angrily.
"Both of you relax!" Glynda yelled even louder, quieting the two men.
The armored car began to climb the front steps. Unfortunately, it plowed into a row of handrails, causing the vehicle to become stuck.
"Now! Fire!" Perry shouted.
Deery launched the missile through the window, shattering it. It flew downwards and hit the armored car dead on, engulfing it in flames.
"Oh my Oum! The quarterback is toast!" Ilia cheered as she witnessed the scene from the security room.
Everyone groaned or looked discouraged at the destruction of the armored car. Others, like Ironwood and Winter, were visibly angered.
"No," Ruby said softly in despair.
"This is turning into a disaster," Winter lamented with her head in her hands.
"Jaune has to act quickly, or it's only going to get worse," Ironwood added, frowning at the MPDs fruitless efforts.
Back at the MPD staging area, Cordovin and Clover were beginning to panic. Next to them, Ren watched helplessly.
"Their burning in the car! Let's go!" Cordovin shouted at Clover.
"Alright, alright, alright, Bree!" Clover yelled into his headset. "Hang on, Bree! That's an order!"
"Hang on?! They're bleeding to death out there, you idiot!" Winter cried furiously.
"Winter, calm down, please," Weiss pleaded, holding her sisters hand to placate her.
Winter took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding to Weiss in appreciation.
On the 30th floor, Adam picked up his walkie-talkie. "Hit it again," he ordered ruthlessly.
Jaune was watching the disaster unfold from the 32nd floor.
"Adam, you motherfucker!" Jaune shouted into his walkie talkie. "You made your point! Let 'em pull back!"
"Thank you, Mister Cowboy, I'll take it under advisement," Adam snarked. "Hit it again!"
Everyone bristled hatefully at the screen from Adams remark.
"You bastard!" Ironwood snarled, digging his fingers into the armrests of his seat.
"Terrorist piece of shit!" Qrow added, gripping his flask.
"Typical for you, Adam," Blake said, not at all surprised by Adam's cruelty.
"Come one, other me! Do something!" Jaune shouted at his counterpart.
Jaune scanned the room for something to stop the slaughter. He looked at the elevator door and got an idea. He set his gun down, grabbed an office chair from a computer terminal, and placed the bag full of explosive dust on the seat. Next, Jaune smashed open a glass container with a fire axe inside. He grabbed the axe and swung it into the elevator door.
"Fire," Adam said into his walkie-talkie.
Deery fired another missile at the armored car, completely destroying it as it burst into flames again. Adam watched the explosion from Pyrrha's office window expressionlessly.
Meanwhile, Jaune had pried open and braced the elevator doors with the fire axe.
He looked down the dark elevator shaft. "Fuck me," he whispered.
Back at the staging area, Clover and Cordovin continued arguing as the situation spiraled out of control.
"Let's go!" Cordovin yelled "Get them out of the car! Don't you know they're burning?"
The armored car was a flaming wreck at this point. Meanwhile, all the wounded members of blue team lay sprawled at the base of the stairs. They were screaming in pain and running out of time.
"Whatever Jaune does, he better make it quick," Weiss said, worried for the wounded officers.
"He has to take out that missile launcher," Port added. "Or the terrorists will repel any attempt the police make to break in."
On the 32nd floor, Jaune removed a crystal of explosive dust from his bag. The sharp detonators were scattered on the computer chair.
"Fuck it!" Jaune muttered as he jammed all of the detonators into the crystal.
"Called it! He's gonna blow them up!" Nora shouted, pumping her fists.
"Oooooh, this is gonna be good," Yang said in anticipation.
"More missiles! Hurry!" Deery shouted to Perry on the 3rd floor.
Perry ran back to the trolley to get more ammo, but the missile box was empty.
Meanwhile, Jaune grabbed a computer monitor and dropped it onto the office chair with the armed explosive dust.
"See if you can take this under advisement, jerkweed," Jaune said as he tied the monitors wire around the chair.
Yang, Coco, Sun, and Neptune all chuckled at Jaunes remark.
"I see what he's doing," Penny said. "Since the detonators need electricity to function, the sparks from the computer will set them off."
"Clever but very reckless on Mr. Arcs part," Glynda said. "The resulting blast will likely set off the explosives the terrorists have below."
"Well, he can't just sit up there with his thumb up his ass," Qrow replied.
Next, he rolled the chair towards the elevator.
Down below, Perry backtracked to retrieve the missile box he dropped earlier.
"Geronimo, motherfucker!" Jaune said as he pushed the chair into the elevator shaft.
The chair fell and disappeared into the darkness of the elevator shaft. There was a short pause. Then suddenly, a bright explosion illuminated the elevator shaft.
On the 3rd floor, Perry had just grabbed the missile box when the elevator behind him exploded, engulfing him in flames. The missiles in the case exploded as a result as well, killing Perry and Deery instantly in the ensuing blast.
"So that's five terrorists down, eight more to go," Neptune noted.
"Jaune really got the drop on them that time," Yang said smirking.
Everyone groaned at the pun.
Plumes of flame burst out of nearly every window on the 3rd floor, sending debris flying all over the street as the cops outside dove behind their cruisers.
On the 30th Floor, Pyrrha and the other hostages gasped and looked around in alarm as they felt the explosion shake the entire building.
Cordovin and the others in the police command ducked behind cover.
Jaune watched as the explosion ascended the elevator shaft rapidly. He suddenly realized the flames were heading straight towards him.
"Run, Jaune!" Pyrrha cried.
"Watch out!" Ruby added.
"Don't just stand there, you dunce!" Weiss shouted.
"Get away from the shaft!" Sun yelled.
"Oh shit!" Jaune shouted as he dove out of the way.
The explosion burst out from the elevator shaft, narrowly missing Jaune as it propelled him across the room.
On the 30th floor, Adam recoiled from the light and sound of the explosion.
Trifa appeared in the office doorway. "They're using artillery on us!"
"You idiot," Adam snarled, sitting down at Pyrrha's desk. "It's not the police, it's him!"
"Ha! Take that under advisement, jerkweed!" Yang shouted, then laughed to herself.
Blake stared at her partner. "You literally just copied Jaune's line".
"Yeah, sis. At least get your own lines," Ruby scolded.
"It's all right, Yang. You can take it," Jaune said.
"Awww, thanks, Vomit Boy."
A thick cloud of white smoke now covered the lower floors of Schnee Plaza as the explosion dissipated.
The police at the command center poked their heads out from behind cover, dumbstruck by all the destruction.
"Holy shit," Cordovin said simply.
The armored car was a smoldering wreck on the Schnee stairway, but blue team was safely evacuated in the meantime.
"That was awesome! Jaune really showed them that time!" Nora cheered.
"On one hand, he caused a lot of damage to Schnee Plaza," Weiss criticized, before softening up. "But on the other hand, he did save blue team from certain death."
Nearby, Cardin Winchester and his news crew looked on in amazement.
"My dust!" Cardin whispered, before turning to his cameraman Russell Thrush. "Tell me you got that!"
"I got it, I got it!" Russell replied.
"Eat your heart out, Channel Five," Cardin muttered.
Authors Note: I added a brief bit of original dialogue between Ren and MPD dispatch in which he checks if Nora is home. This helps connect the two characters in this universe via marriage and give Ren even more reason to help out Jaune.