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Yang skipped down the steps into the basement, her backpack slung over one shoulder. The staircase was wedged into one corner of the basement, such that the dim location would be revealed only when one reached the bottom. But Yang could hear the strumming of the guitar from upstairs; she knew her Uncle Qrow was down here.
He was seated on the run-down, dull brown couch. An open bottle of whiskey on the coffee table, next to his propped-up feet, and on the other side, a tumbler that appeared half filled with Coke. His eyes were closed, his head back as he played. Yang walked over to the matching recliner that faced the couch and dropped her backpack next to it, with a loud thud. She flopped down in the chair. She was wearing a thick red hoodie, and ripped blue jeans.
"Good day at school, kid?"
"Not very," Yang said, "What song is that?"
"It's called Man in a Box."
"Hmm."
Qrow placed his hand on the strings, halting the lingering vibrations. He took hold of the whiskey, and added a bit more into his tumbler. He took a swig.
"Got any beer?" Yang asked.
"Mm," Qrow said, swallowing the potent mixture, "How old are ya?"
"14."
"...So that's no, right?"
"Jesus Christ, you're so drunk."
"Hey man, hey man," Qrow said, "You got things you- do you have any friends here or anything?"
"No, Uncle Qrow, we're good."
"You got things you do to keep safe," Qrow said, "I got things I do."
"I get that."
Qrow took another sip, set the glass down, and returned his attention to the guitar. Yang caught hints of whispered, off-key lyrics.
"Mom told me what you do," Yang said, "Your Ability. It's always on?"
"It's active," Qrow said, "Believe me, you don't want to see it active. But it's always on, just a little. That's what the booze is for."
"You're blocking your own Ability?" Yang asked.
"Sorta," Qrow said, "See, Abilities start in the brain, right? Our brains generate a unique neural energy signature that alters physics somehow. Don't ask me how it works, I don't fuckin' know, nobody does. The energy your brain generates alters your inertia."
"Making me unstoppable."
"Goddam right you are," Qrow said, "Anyway, the energy my brain generates alters reality in a different way. Everybody's unique and shit. Alcohol numbs the brain, so it numbs the energy it generates."
"You don't like using it?"
Qrow looked at her, a smile both coy and bitter. His hands built in energy as they raced over the strings.
"You mind if I smoke weed down here?" Yang asked, "Mom will just assume it was you."
"Go for it."
Raven reached the top of the staircase, bursting into the kitchen. She slammed the basement door shut behind her. She took a moment to control her breathing. The M4 assault rifle in her arms had a strange weight to it; the incongruity of using the tool of her trade in her own home. Taiyang was pushing the cupboard in the dining room in front of the window, his Benelli slung over his shoulder.
"The kids are downstairs," Raven said, "Taking cover behind the mini-fridge."
Qrow was leaning next to the front window. The glass had been blasted inward across the room. The wall opposite the window was peppered with bullet holes. Spinning blue and red light ushered for the from the window into the room. The wall Qrow was braced against offered concealment, but not cover; Raven knew he was smarter than opening fire from that position, but he was holding his G36 with a purposeful look in his eye; a look Raven was familiar with.
"How you doing, little brother?" Raven asked.
"Sobering up," Qrow said, "Feels nice, actually. There is an implausible number of cops outside."
"They have marksmen on the roofs across the street," Tai said.
Qrow chuckled. His brow was sweaty and his hair was wild.
"I'm kind of in for a penny after killing the neighbour," Qrow said, "Let's kill a bunch of cops. I don't give a fuck."
Raven moved along the wall, grabbed Qrow's shoulder, and pulled him to better cover. He looked at her in surprise and for a moment, Raven felt a wave of pain, and regrets, and self-hatred blast through her mind. For a single instant, she felt shitty for every single thing she'd ever done. Every bad call she'd ever made in combat. Every time she ever failed as a parent. She stumbled back, shaking the intrusive thoughts away. Qrow recoiled.
"Sorry," He said, "I'm sorry. God damn it."
"Qrow, listen," Raven said, gritting her teeth, forcing the thoughts out, "You feel like a piece of shit right now-"
"Yeah, it's my default state."
"Qrow, if that cunt had gotten her way, the cops would have come here, killed my children, and she would have gone to bed, patting herself on the back for doing the right thing."
Qrow looked away from her. She blinked rapidly, and finally stood up straight again.
"You did what you did to give them their best chance. Thank you, Qrow."
The telephone on the kitchen table rang. All three of them turned to face it.
"How about that," Qrow said, "They want one more chat before they kill us."
Raven picked up the phone. She accepted the call, and hit the Speaker button. They could hear breathing on the other end.
"Staff Sargeant Raven Branwen?" A gruff voice asked.
"To whom am I speaking?"
"Ma'am, I would like to thank you for your service to this country."
"You can thank me by sparing the lives of my family."
"This is an unusual scenario, Ma'am," The negotiator said, "We can't risk the lives of our officers by employing non-lethal tactics against three Aberrant assailants."
Raven lowered her head. Tai's cool exterior wavered briefly, and Qrow saw the anger he was holding back. Then, he glanced at the phone in confusion. The negotiator had said something odd.
"If you have an offer to put on the table, get to it." Raven demanded.
"Your brother will step outside and be put down by snipers. You and your husband will surrender. Your children will be taken into state custody."
"And what kind of life will I be handing them over to?" Raven asked, "What will you do with two helpless Aberrant girls? Torture them? Experiment on them? You'd turn them into weapons, at best."
Qrow was looking between Raven and Tai, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. He caught Tai's attention and pointed at Raven.
Two? He mouthed, what the fuck?
Tai gave a quick, purposeful nod and returned his attention to the phone. Qrow ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath.
"The life you want for them makes them a danger to themselves and others," The negotiator said, "We want to help-"
Raven hung up. She leaned over the kitchen table, thinking for a moment.
"I can get the kids out," She said, "But I need time."
"How?" Asked Tai, "I've been wracking my brain, if you have an idea-"
"I have to get something from upstairs, and then I can get them out." Raven said.
Tai seemed confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened in comprehension. From outside, a bullhorn echoed through the house.
"Qrow Branwen! Disarm and walk out your front door with your hands up! This is your final warning!"
"Alright," Qrow said, "Tai, use the M4. You give me support fire from the second floor, and I can reach that police line."
"Can your Ability handle them all?" Tai asked.
The three of them sensed, almost in unison, the watching eyes from the basement door. Yang and Ruby were wedged one above the other, peering through the crack in the door.
"Fuck." Qrow said.
Raven rushed up the stairs, keeping her rifle skyward, finger well off the trigger. Tai followed behind her.
"They'll be alright," Raven said, "And by the end of tonight, they'll be alive. That's the best we can give them."
"Jesus, Ray," Tai said, "It almost killed you last time and you saved some for later?"
"Look, some of the vials we found got broken, remember?" Raven said, "I may have... reported one destroyed that later turned out to be fine."
"Why?!" Tai asked, "Why in the fuck would keeping something that dangerous- stealing something that dangerous- be a good idea?"
The radio clipped to Tai's belt crackled. He pulled it up to his mouth.
"Radio check," Qrow said, "Hear me, asshole?"
"Hear you, asshole."
Raven entered the master bedroom, and moved not towards the bed, but clockwise around the outskirts of the room. Tai stayed crouched in the doorway, shotgun trained on the window. Raven reached the window without ever exposing herself to the pale light flowing in, and raised one hand up to adjust the blinds. The horizontal slats twisted shut, and the light from outside was cut off.
"They're going to try their luck." Tai whispered.
"Mm-hmm."
Bullets tore through the glass and cheap plastic. Feathers exploded up from the mattress. Several of the slats were knocked clean off the blinds, letting a few beams of light cut into the room through the swirling dust.
Raven slipped away from the window, and returned to the dresser she had passed by. She pulled out the top most drawer, and threw aside the single layer of underwear. She pulled out the false bottom of the drawer, and tossed it aside. She removed the .38 revolver and holstered it. Then she took out the second false bottom beneath that.
"God damn it, Ray," Tai said, shaking his head.
Ray lifted a small glass vial out of the drawer. It was filled with a jet-black fluid, and had no label. Raven held the vial tightly in her hand and retreated out of the bedroom. Tai closed the door.
Raven held the vial up to the light. The surface shimmered, almost like oil.
"Started out as an insurance policy," Raven said, "I wasn't ever planning to use it again. Once was bad enough, but here we are. I'll do it for them."
"Alright," Tai said, "Jesus. Swap with me. I need to cover Qrow."
He held out the shotgun and she took it, handing him the assault rifle. He moved the other way down the hall, to Ruby's room, where he would have a view of the front lawn. He peeked around the doorframe and confirmed that the blinds were drawn. He stepped inside, and looked around at the mess of band posters, comic books, dirty clothes. An issue of a manga lay open on the bed. Tai gritted his teeth and moved for the window.
In the kitchen, Raven slid a syringe into the end of the vial. The fluid inside moved like molasses as it filled the syringe. She pulled out 30 ccs, then looked at the kids again. Yang and Ruby were staring at her from the basement door.
"Back downstairs," She said, "I'll be there in just a second."
"Mom, what the fuck is that?" Yang asked.
"Yang, I don't have time to explain everything," Raven said, "You just have to trust me for now."
"Are you fucking serious?! Mom-"
Raven looked Yang in the eye with a stare the girl had never seen from her mother before. Her voice caught in her throat.
"I need you to go downstairs, for you and your sister's sake," Raven said, "I'm going to get you two out of here, but you have to trust me."
"Us two?" Yang asked.
Raven didn't budge. Yang nodded and ushered Ruby downstairs. Raven pulled an extra 5 ccs into the syringe. Qrow was leaning against the frame of the front door. Raven looked over at him, and for the first time in the night, she let her façade slip. He gave her a reassuring nod. She swung the shotgun onto her shoulder by the strap, pulled up her sleeve and stabbed the needle into her arm. Qrow turned away in disgust as the substance was pushed into her vein. Raven pulled the syringe out, already wincing in pain.
"Caused a lot of electric interference the first time," Qrow said, "If the lights start flickering, some drone operator is going to get an itchy trigger finger."
"I need you keeping their attention on the street," Raven said, "Qrow..."
She lurched forward, supporting herself on the kitchen island. There was a strange rattling noise that Qrow couldn't identify at first. He realized every object in the kitchen was vibrating.
"Qrow," Raven said, "We're not walking away from this one. There are things I regret. Things I would do differently, given the chance. Us sticking by each other? That was the smartest thing we ever did."
"Love you too, Sis. Gonna go be on the evening news now."
The kitchen lights flared, then burst. Raven winced again, clutching her ribs. The street outside exploded with the sound of suppressive fire. Bullets were tearing through the front door. A small metal canister, about the size of a pop can, flew through the living room window, spewing smoke.
"Fuck-" Qrow began.
"Advancing on the front door!" Tai called out from above.
"Noticed!" Qrow shouted, "Take those marksmen, now!"
Raven disappeared down the basement staircase. Qrow crouched, and fired a three-round burst into each door hinge. The police's fire pushed the door into the house, giving Qrow a sightline across the street. His rifle was already aimed at the roof of the garage two houses down. As the door fell in, he switched the rifle to single-shot. He fired at the spot he would have chosen, if he were trying to get an angle on this house. He caught the spray of the police marksman's brains silhouetted against the night sky.
"Target Down!" Tai shouted from above.
"Target Down!" Qrow shouted back.
Qrow stood and charged out the door. He saw four cops, so loaded down with tactical gear they might as well have been shambling forward. They were advancing straight, combat shotguns held tight. Qrow had time to register the complete lack of tactics before his own instincts to over. He placed one foot out onto the front step, a simple wooden landing leading to three wooden steps down to the yard, and then pushed off. His next footfall hit the wooden handrail to one side. He launched through the air to the side, flying towards the driveway. The cops had time to look up in surprise before Qrow opened fire from the air.
Qrow hit the pavement. He scrambled for the cover of the family car. A couple of the cops had been hit by the wild airborne barrage. They were laying in the grass, writhing, but staying down for the moment. The others opened fire. Qrow scrambled further into concealment as the back end of the car was shredded. They'd clearly brought the grab-bag of ammunition; buckshot was ripping the body of the car apart, while 12-gauge slugs punched straight through it. Qrow held his rifle over his head, firing through the windows as he crouch-walked behind the driver's side of the car, towards the street.
His ammo was running low. He dropped down to prone and drew a 1911 from his side holster. From his peeking view under the car, he saw two pairs of boots rushing to flank him, both heading for the front end of the car. He put a bullet in the lead cop's ankle, and he tumbled forward. The second tripped over his squadmate, and went sprawling until his head landed in view around the edge of the car. Qrow put a shot through his head, and he was dead weight on top of the live cop.
One of the cops who'd been knocked down in the lawn was making an effort to hobble back to the street. Qrow moved to take aim with his pistol, but a rifle shot from Ruby's bedroom window beat him to the punch, going through the cop's neck and dropping him. Qrow holstered his pistol and pulled the mag from his rifle. He returned it to his belt and swapped in a new one. The pinned cop and the corpse on top of him were a squirming pile of tactical gear. Qrow put two rifle rounds into the live cop's side, shoved the dead cop off of him, and gave him a headshot for good measure.
"Moving for the police line," Qrow said into his radio, "Cover me."
Raven stumbled down the staircase. Her whole body felt wrong. Her guts gurgled, and her heart thumped in her ears. It felt like gravity was shifting around, constantly threatening to throw her off-balance. She reached the bottom and collided with the opposing wall. Ruby and Yang were huddled near the mini-fridge; the best cover the basement could offer. Raven pushed herself forward, feeling a flare of pain in her joints.
"Jesus, did Qrow go out there?" Asked Yang, "Mom, we should-"
"You have your go-bag?" Raven grunted.
"Yes," Yang said, holding up the bag of essential items, "Mom, we should be out there. You know what I can do. If Qrow is fighting them we should-"
Raven fell to her knees in front of them. She saw droplets of blood hit the basement floor. She placed her fingertips beneath her nose and brought them back bloody.
"Fuck!" Yang shouted, "Mom, what the fuck did you take?"
"Raven!" Ruby cried.
Raven looked between them, winced, then took a deep breath.
"It's okay," She said, "It's like... a drug. It lets my brain generate the same... the same unique energy field that..."
"Oh my god," Yang whispered.
"It gives you an Ability?" Ruby asked.
"Just for a few minutes," Raven said, "Just long enough... to get you both out."
Qrow had sprayed the whole magazine at the scrambling cops before slamming into the side of the armoured van. He didn't even have time for a deep breath before three cops were sprinting around the van to greet him. Apparently, busting out all their biggest toys had made them enthusiastic. Each one was dropped by a single shot from Tai, and Qrow gave each a double tap with his pistol before they hit the ground.
"Reloading," Tai called through the radio.
There were more heavy footfalls approaching around the other end of the armoured van. Qrow slammed his last magazine into his rifle, but he'd fired until he was empty like a rank fucking amateur. He didn't have time to rack the slide. He let the G36 hang by the strap and swung around. The 1911 was in his right hand, his left he held out with an open palm. There was no flash of light, or sound, or wave of energy. But the team of officers in full SWAT gear might as well have been hit by a water cannon. They stumbled, crying out in anguish, their momentum carrying them around the end of the van. Some of them managed to fire wildly, though their heads shook and their eyes were unfocused. Their minds were filled more dark thoughts and more self-hatred than they'd ever felt in their lives. Qrow slapped his hand under the pistol to stabilize it, and gave each of them two shots to their center mass. He holstered the pistol, racked his rifle, and put a shot through each of their heads before they could try getting up.
Qrow peeked, rifle-first, around the corner of the van. He only processed a blur of Kevlar before firing a snap shot, knocking the cop back against the squad car. He was heavy-set, and balding; he had drawn with his left, but his right hand was taken up by a bullhorn. Qrow took the opportunity to disorganize them further, and blew his head off. Coming around the van had exposed him to the squad cars a short distance down the road. A hail of blind fire came from the cops cowering behind their vehicles. Qrow waved his hand at the enemy, and they fell backwards, clutching their heads and screaming. One of the last few stray shots got lucky, and hit Qrow just above the right hip. He grunted in pain, then stumbled forward, taking cover behind the engine block of the first squad car. They'd parked their cars in a neat little row; Qrow had a flank on all of them.
He could hear them screaming, crying, begging the thoughts that had filled their heads to be silent. Qrow could only wonder which of the miserable, self-loathing thoughts that had been stewing in his brain had been projected into them. He crawled towards the left headlight of the squad car and poked the rifle around the corner. Tai's voice came through the radio.
"Jesus, Qrow," He said, "If I can feel that, the kids can, too."
"I know." Qrow whispered, just barely concealing a whimper of pain.
Raven held Ruby and Yang tight. The tears falling from her eyes were starting to cloud black. Ruby was trembling, and it made Yang pull her in all the tighter.
"It's okay," Raven whispered, "Just don't think about it. Let it pass."
"Uncle Qrow," Ruby whimpered, "Is this what he...?"
"Yes," Raven said.
She started to wretch, and clutched at her sides as she held in the wave of vomit.
"I'm ready," Raven said, "I'm going to teleport you to Walnut Creek. Steal a car. Go East."
"My jacket's upstairs," Ruby said.
She made an attempt to pull herself from Yang's arms. Yang held her grip, and Raven placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder to stop her.
"No, no," Raven said, "Don't worry about-"
"My hoodie," Yang said, "My hoodie's there."
She grabbed the red hoodie off of the couch. She handed it to Ruby, and the girl dutifully pulled it on. When her head popped out of the top, she looked at the ground, pain in her eyes that Yang couldn't bear.
"Looks good on you," Yang said, "Keep it."
"You don't have shoes on," Ruby noted.
"Shit," Yang said, realizing that her sister was right.
Without a word, Raven sat down on the floor, yanked her shoelaces loose, and removed her combat boots. She handed them to Yang. Yang quickly pulled them on and began tying the laces.
Raven took Ruby's face in her hands. She pulled the young girl's gaze up to her own eyes. She smiled warmly, though black slime was spilling from her eyes, and her nose was running with blood.
"Ruby," She whispered, "Listen. I'm not your mother. I could never have been. But I don't love you any less than your sister. Thank you for letting me do what I could in your mother's stead. She would be proud of you."
Ruby sniffled, then wrapped Raven in a hug. Raven turned her eyes to Yang. She gave Ruby a moment, but she didn't have much time, in more ways than one. She gently pulled Ruby off, then placed her hands on Yang's shoulders.
"Yang..." She breathed, "Keep her safe. It's more responsibility than I have any right to place on you. I know. But you have to protect her."
Yang was fighting against a lump in her throat. She took a painful swallow and nodded. Raven moved to stand up straight, and stumbled, dropping back to one knee. Yang grabbed hold of her mother in surprise.
"I'm okay," Raven whispered, "Let's do this."
"Well, what the fuck do I do?" Yang asked.
Raven guided Yang onto her knees next to Ruby. She huddled the two of them together, and wrapped them in a hug. She could feel the drug altering her thought process, transforming her brain structure; generating energy. A queasy feeling passed through Yang's gut. She looked to her mother and got a nod of reassurance. The dull 60-watt bulb mounted under the ceiling fan flared, dimmed, then flared again before bursting. There were sounds from above; more electrical pops, crackles, bursting fuses. Raven gritted her teeth, revealing black spittle.
"I love you both," She whispered.
Her arms were empty. She fell forward. Agony shot through her body. She sprayed vomit onto the floor beside her. Her brain felt like it was on fire; as if her skull were in danger of bursting. She writhed and screamed, alone in the basement.
The empty G36 clattered to the pavement. Qrow slid down the side of the squad car, leaving a streak of blood. He coughed, and warmth filled his mouth. He drew his pistol, and fumbled for his final magazine. With a shaking, blood-stained hand, he checked the count. He'd only loaded five cartridges in. He scoffed in annoyance, dropped the magazine from the pistol, and loaded in the replacement.
A cop stumbled into view. A kid in his early twenties. His sleeves were pulled up to expose white supremacist tattoos. Qrow coughed, and racked his pistol. He had a bullet grinding against his left ribs every time he moved. His lung felt like it was collapsed. The cop's eyes were streaked with tears; his service Glock shook in his hands. He looked at Qrow with anguish, as if not sure what to do. Slowly, he rose the Glock until the muzzle touched under his chin. He stood like that for a moment, trembling.
"You don't want to do that," Qrow grunted.
The cop stared at him in confusion. After a moment, he seemed to focus, just slightly. Too slowly, he extended his arm to take aim at Qrow. Qrow blew his head off.
"Fuck." Qrow breathed.
All at once, every light on every vehicle on the street flared, blinked, and spun about wildly. A few bulbs burst. A civilian car across the street from the house began blaring its alarm. Qrow grabbed his radio, and clicked down the button.
"Is it done?" He asked.
Inside, Tai was scanning the street, trying to get a visual on Qrow. He'd gone out of sight, leaving Tai with no view but the occasional glimpse of a cop falling dead. He grabbed his own radio.
"I think so," Tai said, "I can cover your retreat back here."
"Nah," Qrow said, "I'm shot to shit. I'm just gonna sit here a while."
Tai turned away from the window and moved for the stairs.
"I'll come get you," Tai said.
"Go to Raven," Qrow said, his voice straining, "She's probably in worse shape right now. See if you two can get out of the house before the Hellfire hits."
Tai reached the bottom of the staircase. He looked towards the wreck of the front door, then the door to the basement. There were more sirens audible in the distance. He clicked in the button on the radio.
"Thank you, brother." He said.
"Thanks for letting me live in your basement," Qrow said, "Later, asshole."
"Later, asshole," Tai said.
He made his way down the basement steps. He saw Raven, huddled in the corner, shaking. Her clothes had been splattered with more discoloured vomit. She looked up at Tai, and forced a smile through the pain. Tai swung his rifle onto his shoulder and rushed to her side.
"Hey, hey," He whispered, "You okay?"
"I'm alright," Raven said, "Doesn't feel as bad as last time."
"Don't mean to be rude, babe," He said, "But it sure looks as bad as last time."
Raven chuckled, then winced.
"Fuck you," She said, "Qrow?"
Tai shook his head. Raven closed her eyes.
"We did all we could to protect them," She whispered, "Was it enough?"
"We did as much as this world allowed, and then some," Tai said, "Everything rides on them now. But it'll be enough. Those girls are strong."
Raven was crying. She wiped her eyes and looked at the black stain on her hand.
"We should-"
A familiar whine came down from the sky. An air-to-ground missile. Tai took Raven by the shoulders, laid her on the floor, and placed his body over hers. Through trained muscle memory, they both held their mouths open as the missile struck. The blast of hot, pressurized air felt like it would set their skin on fire. The ceiling above was torn apart, and rained down on them, with the rest of the house following it.