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.
On the 30th floor, Ilia had just broken the code to the Vault. The words "Ice Castle" flashed on her decoding machine. On the vault's control panel, a green text read 'Access code accepted. Do you wish to proceed?'
"You bet your ass I wish to proceed," Ilia said with a smile.
"Ice castle does sound like an access code the SDC would use," Ruby commented, glancing at Weiss.
"Who can say," Weiss replied with a shrug.
"Now, there's at least two and a half hours until the vault is opened," Penny remarked, remembering Ilias explanation from earlier.
Next to Ilia was a large mechanical drill. She activated it and got to work disabling the other locks.
Jaune rifled through Tony's bag. He found a few spare smg clips, a walkie talkie, and a zippo lighter, which he checked for fuel. He then searched Tony's body and found his wallet. Opening it, he discovered a fake ID inside.
Next, Jaune tried to put on Tony's shoes, but they didn't fit him.
"Nine million terrorists in the world, and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than all my sisters."
The audience laughed at that remark.
"Is that true, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked curiously.
"Actually, yes, it is," Jaune confirmed with a nod. "They all got small feet from my mother's side of the family."
Jaune kicked one of the shoes aside and it slapped against a plastic Santa Claus ornament. Jaune smiled at the decoration, an idea forming in his head. Behind him, Tony's corpse was visible.
Jaune pressed 31 and 30 on the elevators button pad. He waited for the elevator to descend, then switched the emergency switch from 'Run' to 'Stop', halting it. Using a lead pipe, he pried open the elevator door, revealing the space between the two floors. He then reached up and opened the door to floor 32 with the pipe.
Next, Jaune used a screwdriver beneath the doorway to keep it open, then he climbed back up to the 32nd floor, turned around, and flipped the red switch back to 'Run'.
"Quite resourceful, Mr. Arc," Port complimented. "Using whatever is on hand to your advantage."
"But what did he do with Tony's body?" Sun asked.
"I have an idea of what he did," Qrow answered with a smirk, noticing the look on Jaune's face when he spotted the Santa hat.
On the 30th floor, Adam was casually enjoying some food from the party's buffet.
"I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask," Adam addressed the hostages. "Alas, your Mr. Schnee did not see it that way. So, he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."
There were soft gasps and murmurs amongst the crowd. Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly in shock at the mention of Whitley's death.
Weiss looked hatefully at the screen. "I hope Jaune kills you, you murderer," She thought angrily.
"So we can go any way you want us," Adam continued. "You can walk out of here, or be carried out. But have no illusions. We are in charge. So, decide now, each of you."
Just then, the elevator chimed and opened behind Trifa.
"And, please remember, we have left nothing to chance," Adam concluded.
Trifa turned around and gaped in shock. Inside the elevator, Tony's lifeless body was strapped to a chair with a Santa hat on his head and something written in red marker on his sweater.
Some audience members chuckled at the darkly humorous scene. The others were taken aback.
"Except for Jaune," Pyrrha quipped at Adam's previous line with a smirk.
"That's… disturbing," Velvet said uneasily.
A female SDC employee saw Tony's body and screamed in terror.
"Adam! It's Tony!" Trifa shouted, entering the elevator.
"Get them back!" Adam instructed Deery as he rushed over to Trifa.
Pyrrha and Roman watched curiously from afar.
"Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho," Adam irritably read the writing on Tony's shirt.
That prompted more laugher from the audience.
"That is so badass!" Yang praised in between laughs.
"Is that what you were expecting, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.
"The Santa hat, yes. Not so much the writing though," Qrow replied, sipping from his flask.
"A security guard we missed?" Trifa asked.
"They're usually tired old policemen growing fat on a pension," Adam replied doubtfully. "No, no, this is something else."
"Oh, Monty! They're gonna kill us!" A female hostage cried.
"Yuma! Keep them quiet!" Adam shouted over his shoulder.
From the roof of the elevator, Jaune observed the terrorists through a grate.
"What's he going to try now?" Winter wondered.
"Probably spy on them. I can't take them all on at once," Jaune said. "Even if I could, I'd be risking Pyrrha and the other hostages."
Pyrrha smiled at Jaune's concern for her.
"We have to do something, Adam," Trifa implored.
"Yes, we do," Adam agreed. "We have to tell Karl his brother is dead. Tell him to come down."
Trifa took out her walkie talkie. "Karl?"
"Yeah?" Karl answered on the other end.
"Come down to floor 30. It's urgent."
Jaune took out a sharpie marker and jotted down "Karl" under "Adam" and six line marks on his forearm.
"I see now. He put Tony's body in there to lure the others close enough for him to eavesdrop," Winter deducted, impressed by the cunning of Jaune's counterpart.
"And to show them who they're messing with," Nora added with a grin.
"Yuma. You and Trifa take the body upstairs and out of sight," Adam instructed. "I don't want the hostages to think too much."
Jaune heard the doors open from the other elevator above him. He spotted someone enter the other elevator, and watched it descend to the 30th floor. Jaune's elevator starts to rise quickly, picking up speed as it ascended. He went prone as the elevator stopped on the 35th floor, narrowly avoiding being crushed to death.
He climbed out of the elevator shaft and stepped into an electrical panel room through a small maintenance hatch to a circuit breaker room. A nude magazine was taped to one of the power boxes. Jaune briefly ogled the magazine before slinging his SMG over his shoulder and descending a ladder.
Glynda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Again, Mr. Arc? At a time like this?"
Jaune sighed. "Once again, that's my counterpart."
"Even so, he should get his priorities straight," Weiss countered.
On the 30th floor, Karl furiously flipped over a desk with a crash in Pyrrha's office. Adam grabbed Karl and flung him against the wall.
"Damn! That guy is pissed," Neptune remarked.
"I don't blame him. Oum forbid, if anyone did the same to Ruby, I'd be smashing stuff too," Yang said, feeling a grudging pity for Karl.
"So, would I. Right before I hunt the killer down myself," Qrow added fiercely.
"I want blood!" Karl shouted.
"You'll have it! But let Fennec plant the detonators and Ilia prepare the vault," Adam ordered, trying to calm Karl down. "After we call the police, they'll waste hours trying to negotiate, and then you can tear the building apart looking for this man."
"You were right, Penny," Winter confirmed. "They are planting explosives."
"But why would they want to alert the authorities? What else are they planning?" Ironwood wondered.
"We'll have to watch and find out," Ozpin said, also curious about what Adam was up to.
"But until they we do not. Alter. The plan!" Adam finished emphatically.
"And if he alters it?" Karl asked.
Adam didn't answer as he arched his brow and stepped away from Karl.
Through the office window, Pyrrha and Roman watched Adam and Karl talking.
"What do you think?" Roman asked from behind Pyrrha.
"Somethings wrong," Pyrrha replied.
"Cops?"
Pyrrha smiled slightly. "Jaune."
Pyrrha smiled as well, happy that her counterpart still had faith in Jaune despite their estrangement.
"Jaune? Aw, Oum. He could fuck this whole thing up. What does he think he's doing?"
"His job," Pyrrha replied defensively.
"Damn right," Nora shouted. "Fearless leader is saving the day while you're being a wimp."
"Bullshit. His job's 3,000 miles away," Roman sneered. "Without him, we still have a chance. We might be able to get out of here."
"Tell that to Whitley."
That shut Roman up.
On 35th floor, Jaune quickly climbed up a set of stairs leading to the roof. He stepped outside onto the building's well-lit helipad. He scanned the roof in case anybody was there. Deciding it was clear, he took out the walkie talkie he retrieved from Tony.
"Now he can finally call for help," Ren said.
"But wouldn't the other terrorists hear his transmission on their own walkie talkies?" Penny asked.
"That's right. He'll have to be quick about it," Port confirmed.
"Mayday! Mayday! Anyone copying? Channel 9," Jaune spoke into the walkie talkie. "Terrorists have seized Schnee Plaza and are holding at least 30 people hostage. I repeat, unknown number of terrorists, 6 or more, armed with automatic weapons at Schnee Plaza."
Unfortunately, Adam and Karl overheard Jaunes transmission on their own radios in Pyrrha's office.
"Where's the best place to transmit?" Adam wondered aloud.
"Somebody answer me, Oum-damn it!" Jaune said urgently.
Adam looked at Karl. "The roof! Go! Go!"
Yuma tossed a satchel bag to Karl as they and Trifa quickly left the room.
"Oh great," Ruby groaned. "Here we go again."
"It'll be three against one this time," Blake added.
At the MPD (Mantle Police Department) precinct's communications room, two female dispatch officers read the following on a computer monitor.
Schnee Plaza
713 Glacier Avenue
Mantle, Atlas, 61981
"It's the same address as that fire signal," The dispatcher said.
"I'll handle it," The supervising officer said as she put on a headset. "Attention, whoever you are, this channel's reserved for emergency calls only."
"No fucking shit, lady! Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza?!" Jaune shouted on the other end.
The operators sighed and rolled their eyes.
Everyone burst out laughing at Jaune's line. Even Glynda and Ozpin couldn't stifle their amusement even if they didn't approve of such profanity.
"I have to use that line some time. That was great!" Yang said in between laughs as she held her sides.
"I know. That was an awesome comeback," Neptune agreed, coincidentally eating a slice of pizza.
Meanwhile, Karl, Trifa, and Yuma were riding the cargo elevator to the roof. Karl removed and assembled an assault rifle from his bag, eager to avenge Tony's death.
"No one kills him but me," Karl ordered as they stepped off the elevator.
Velvet gulped at how angry Karl looked. "Jaune better hurry before they reach him," She said nervously.
"Given the stupidity of that dispatch officer, I doubt help will be arriving soon enough," Qrow said.
Jaune was still desperately trying to convince the officers to send help.
"They have already killed one hostage! They are fortifying their positions while you're jerking me off on the radio! Now send a police back-up ASAP!"
"Sir, I've already told you," The supervisor replied in a condescending tone. "This is a reserved channel. If this is an emergency call, dial 911 on your telephone. Otherwise, I'll have to report this as an F.C.C. violation."
"Why won't he identify himself as a cop to convince them?" Ruby asked, eating a cup of strawberries.
"He can't. With the terrorists listening in, he might put Pyrrha in danger," Ren replied.
"But Pyrrha's using her maiden name, remember?" Nora reminded.
"Even so, there's a risk the terrorists might connect the dots," Oobleck countered.
"Fine, report me! Come the fuck down here and arrest me! Just send the police now—"
Suddenly, Jaune was cut off by a burst of gunfire that narrowly missed him.
The two operators pulled off their headsets, their ears hurt from the loud gunfire.
"Ow!" The supervisor muttered.
Some audience members jumped at the sudden gunfire while others snickered at the dispatcher's pained reaction.
"That'll convince them for sure," Yang assumed.
On the helipad, Karl fired at Jaune, who jumped onto a nearby metal slant. He quickly slid down it.
"Whoa!" Jaune shouted as he descended.
Landing on a lower deck beneath the helipad, Jaune slammed into a railing that lined the roof, narrowly avoiding a 35-story fall.
Back at the police station, the two operators were still unsure if the call was real.
"See if there's a black-and-white that can do a drive-by," The supervisor ordered.
"That's it? They just heard automatic gunfire and they're sending one police car?!" Yang shouted indignantly.
"To be fair, they did receive that 'false' fire alarm earlier," Ironwood defended the police' uncertainty. "Plus, that dispatcher is young and seems inexperienced. I doubt she's heard actual gunfire over a radio."
"At least they're not completely blowing him off," Winter said, hoping the drive-by would expose the terrorists.
Meanwhile, at a mini-mart, police sergeant Lie Ren was grabbing some pancake donuts from a shelf while humming "Let it Snow".
"There's you, Ren," Jaune pointed out.
"And you're a cop too," Pyrrha added with a smile.
"Now all of Team JNPR is here," Nora cheered, eating some of the same pancake donuts shown onscreen.
Ren walked to the mini-mart worker at the cash register.
"I thought you guys just ate doughnuts," The cashier joked, typing at the register.
"They're for my wife," Ren replied with a smile as he pulled out his wallet.
The cashier didn't bother looking up as he bagged the snacks. "Yeah."
"She's pregnant," Ren explained, counting the money.
Ren and Nora gasped, their faces turning red as the realization hit them.
"Does… does that mean," Ren stammered.
"Yes. You and Nora are married in this universe," Gold-Sith replied, feeling the cat was out of the bag.
Nora squealed with joy. "I knew it! I knew it, Renny!" She shouted ecstatically as she hugged Ren's arm, who was still dumbstruck by the revelation.
Jaune and Pyrrha smiled and laughed happily for their teammates.
"Yeah," The cashier said again.
Ren handed over the money. "Bag it."
"Big time," The cashier said as he handed the bag and change to Ren.
"Thanks," Ren said laughing as he put the change in a charity can on the counter.
As Ren headed for the exit, his radio crackled to life.
"Dispatch to 8-Lincoln-30, over."
"This is 8-Lincoln-30. Come on in, over," Ren answered.
"Investigate a code 2 at Schnee Plaza."
"8-Lincoln-30 to dispatch. I'm on my way," Ren replied as he left the mini mart.
Ren's police cruiser was parked outside. He opened the driver door, tossed the bag of snacks in, and shut it. He then gazed towards Schnee Plaza, only a quarter of a mile away. On the roof, unbeknownst to Ren, muzzle flashes could be seen.
"Looks like Ren's about to enter the fray," Jaune said.
"Especially once he realizes Nora is being held hostage," Pyrrha added.
"Assuming the terrorists don't fool him into thinking everything's all right," Ironwood countered.
Along the edge of the roof, Trifa and Yuma pursued Jaune, guns blazing. Jaune returned fire as he desperately searched for a way to escape. Above them, Karl stalked across the helipad towards Jaune, rifle at the ready.
"Monty!" Jaune cried out, knowing he was outmatched.
Jaune's SMG ran dry and he backed up into the far corner of the roof, not noticing Karl approaching from above.
"Watch out, Jaune! He's right above you!" Ruby shouted at the screen.
"He can't hear you, Ruby," Yang said, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
Jaune moved in between the helipad and an HVAC shack. Karl spotted Jaune and fired at him from behind. Jaune barely dodged the bullets as he hid behind the HVAC shack and reloaded his gun with a fresh magazine.
Cornered, Jaune looked around and spotted a locked hatch to his right under the helipad. He shot out the lock, then quickly jumped over a railing and barreled through the door. He found himself in a corridor with a metal catwalk. He rushed to the other end of the walkway, only to stop when he saw his escape route was blocked off by a large spinning ventilation fan.
"Well, that's inconvenient," Sun said.
"He's cornered in that room," Winter said.
"Don't worry," Nora assured. "Fearless leader will think of something."
Outside the fan shaft, the terrorists began moving in. Yuma and Trifa dove for cover as Jaune suddenly fired his gun through the wall. Karl jumped down from the helipad and motioned Trifa to return downstairs and intercept Jaune.
Inside the shaft, Jaune had stopped the spinning fan with his gun and began squeezing through into the next room. Karl and Yuma entered the vent shaft and fired at Jaune as he narrowly evaded the bullets and fled down a ladder on the other side of the fan.
At the bottom of the ladder, Jaune found himself on a metal catwalk atop an elevator shaft. He hugged the wall to avoid gunfire before heading to a nearby door.
Up above, Karl and Yuma left the fan shaft.
In the next room, Jaune found himself looking at the same nudie magazine posted on the electrical box he saw earlier.
"Girls," Jaune muttered, patting the magazine as a landmark before heading to his left.
Beneath the ladder from the electrical room, Jaune spotted shadows below.
"He won't get far," Jaune heard Trifa said.
"He'll have to get out using the elevator again," Coco pointed out.
"But what if the terrorists moved it?" Neptune asked.
Jaune turned around, double backing to the elevator shaft through the small maintenance panel. Only the elevator was gone.
"Shit!" Jaune whispered. "Where the fuck is it?"
He looked down and saw the elevator car several floors below him.
"You jinxed it, bro," Sun said to Neptune, who chuckled nervously.
"Unless he plans to jump, he's cornered again," Winter said.
"Mr. Arc has shown a lot of resourcefulness so far," Ozpin said, sipping his coffee. "I'm certain he'll find a way to escape."
Elsewhere, Karl and Yuma descended the stairs from the roof, heading for the electrical room.
Unable to reach the first elevator car, Jaune used the butt of his gun to knock off a nearby mesh screen to the next shaft. It fell down the shaft for several seconds before hitting the bottom.
"Oh my Oum," Jaune whispered before beginning to detach the strap from his gun.
"Now what is he doing?" Velvet asked.
"Whatever it is, he better make it quick. They're closing in," Neptune answered.
Meanwhile, Trifa was speaking to Adam on her walkie talkie as she and Karl entered the electrical room.
"Did you kill him yet?" Adam asked.
"No. He slipped away," Trifa replied.
Karl began checking the rooms maintenance hatches.
"Where is he now?" Adam asked.
"He's in the elevator shaft," Karl said.
Down on the 30th floor, Adam sat behind Pyrrha's desk as he spoke into his walkie talkie.
"Perfect," Adam said. "The elevators are locked off. He can't escape. Just shut him in and come back down."
"Karl won't let Jaune evade him so easily," Port observed.
"You're right. He's too eager to get revenge for his brother," Oobleck added.
Back to Jaune. He entered the elevator shaft through the panel he cleared.
"Oh fuck!" Jaune muttered as he looked down.
From the ledge of the panel, he grabbed his gun from the floor.
"Oh no, he's not going to try and climb down, is he?" Sun said, already knowing the answer.
"What is that dolt doing? He's going to get himself killed," Weiss said shaking her head.
"It's either that, or take my chances with the terrorists," Jaune reasoned.
Adam continued to convince his men to return downstairs.
"Karl," Adam implored. "The police are probably on their way already, Karl."
Jaune braced his gun across the panel, tossing the loose strap behind him. Then he grabbed the strap tightly as he slowly lowered himself to the next level. Unfortunately, his feet couldn't reach the next panel below.
Everyone tensed up at the scene, hoping Jaune wouldn't lose his grip and fall to his death.
"Just imagine being in that situation. I'd never try it," Velvet said.
"I'm used to climbing and jumping from high places and even I'd be nervous," Sun admitted.
"Even if he had aura, the fall would likely kill him anyway," Penny pointed out worriedly.
Adam was losing his patience with Karl.
"I can stall them," Adam explained angrily. "But not if they hear gunshots."
"If you lock him in, he'll be neutralized –"
Karl reached over and shut off Trifa's walkie talkie, cutting off Adam's transmission.
"He's letting his temper get the better of him," Oobleck stated, knowing that anger could easily cause mistakes.
"Perhaps his impulsiveness will alert the police," Glynda added.
Jaune was at the end of the strap by this point, hanging perilously over the deep elevator shaft. The strap began to loosen from the gun as Jaune held on for dear life.
He leaned to his side, trying to reach a nearby ventilation shaft, but it was too far away. The gun began to bend under the strain of Jaune's weight.
"Oh no. The strap's slipping," Nora pointed out, her heart starting to pick up.
"Hurry, Jaune," Ruby whispered nervously.
"Please don't fall, please don't fall, please don't fall," Pyrrha said repeatedly as she put her hand over Jaune's, causing the blonde boy to blush.
Meanwhile, Karl found the hatch leading to Jaunes position with Trifa and Yuma behind him.
Jaune tried to reach the vent shaft again, but it was just inches out of his reach.
Karl walked across the catwalk, looking down the elevator shaft for Jaune.
The guns strap finally came loose, sending Jaune falling down the elevator shaft.
Everyone gasped sharply and collectively as Jaune fell.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, squeezing Jaunes hand, perhaps a little too tightly.
Luckily, after plummeting a few floors, Jaune managed to grab the edge of one of the open vent shafts.
Everyone exhaled in relief.
"That was way too close," Nora said, letting her heart rate return to normal.
"Pyrrha… can you let go of my hand now?" Jaune asked, wincing slightly from his crushes grip.
"Oops! I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized as she released her grip.
Karl heard the noise and spotted the open vent panel Jaune escaped through. He approached it just as Jaune hoisted himself into the vent shaft. He pulled out the zippo lighter he took from Tony's bag and flicked it on. It was a long airshaft.
"Come out to the coast," Jaune said sarcastically. "We'll get together, have a few laughs."
Jaune snapped the lighter shut. Unfortunately, Karl heard the click and spotted the glow of the lighter from above.
Jaune began to crawl through the air vent, using the lighter
"Now I know what a TV dinner feels like," He muttered to himself.
Ruby giggled. "You really have a sharp sense of humor in this universe, Jaune."
Jaune smiled and nodded. "You know, this version of myself reminds me of Spruce Willis. Only grittier."
"I knew this flick reminded me of something," Coco said with a laugh.
Karl, Trifa, and Yuma hurried down to the 34th floor and began searching.
"Look in there!" Karl ordered Trifa to one of the electrical rooms while he checked the other one.
Jaune spotted Karl through a grating. Karl pointed his gun at the vent shaft and sprayed it with bullets. The gunfire barely missed Jaune and forced him to freeze.
Karl moved in closer, his gun trained on Jaune's hiding spot. He began testing the sections of the vent shaft for Jaune's weight by pushing the bottoms of the vent with the muzzle of his rifle.
Jaune quietly removed his handgun and tried to take aim at Karl through the vent grating.
"I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but he's cornered once again," Winter repeated.
"He'll have to fight back this time," Qrow added.
"But he can't take all three of them with just a pistol," Ironwood said.
Karl's tests got closer to Jaune. He reached the spot directly under Jaune.
"Karl, come one! The police are here!" Trifa called out suddenly, interrupting Karl.
Karl looked at Trifa, then took one last a look at the vent shaft before reluctantly leaving. Jaune sighed with relief and lowered his pistol.
"Yet another close call," Jaune commented.
"You're one lucky bastard, Jaune," Neptune complimented.
Meanwhile, Ren had arrived at Schnee Plaza in his police cruiser. High above on the roof, Perry observed Ren as he drove along the front drive of the building.
Jaune climbed down carefully from the vent shaft onto a desk. His tank top and pants were now filthy from the vent shaft. With his pistol at the ready, he moved carefully towards the conference room where Whitley was killed. Entering the room, Jaune noticed the Schnee presidents' blood was still on the glass door and carpet.
Jaune looked out the window and spotted Ren's police car down below.
"Well, it's about time," Jaune said as he moved to another window.
"Yay! Now Jaune and Ren can fight the terrorists together!" Nora shouted excitedly.
Ren drove slowly through the deserted front drive.
"No signs of disturbance, dispatch," Ren said into his radio.
"8-Lincoln-30, roger. Possible crank call. Check the area again and confirm," the dispatcher replied.
Jaune continued watching Ren from above as the latter circled the area.
"Whose driving this car? Stevie Thunder?" Jaune muttered.
"Hey! That's not very cool!" Coco shouted, being a fan of the blind pianist.
Ren spotted Tuskon looking at him from the front desk through the buildings entrance.
"I do see a guard inside. I'm going in for a closer look," Ren reported.
"8-Lincoln-30, roger. Use caution," the dispatcher replied.
On the 3rd story, Deery stood with a light machine gun at the ready by a window overlooking the front drive. She eyed Ren like a hawk as he parked his car outside the front entrance.
Nora feared for Ren's life, especially since their counterparts were married in this universe.
"Don't worry, Nora," Ren reassured. "They can't shoot at me without giving themselves away."
From the 30th floor, Adam watched Ren down below.
"Tuskon?" Adam spoke into his walkie talkie.
"I had a feeling you'd be calling," Tuskon answered from the lobby.
"He's going to give that 'false-alarm' excuse again," Blake said, remembering Tuskon calling off the fire alarm earlier.
"Unless Jaune can alert Ren in time," Ironwood countered, drinking another glass of water.
Jaune continued to watch, breathing nervously as Ren stepped out of his patrol car, hoping the terrorists wouldn't gun him down.
Ren slowly approached the buildings entrance, hand on his pistol as a precaution. Tuskon walked to the front door and opened it.
"Good evening, officer," Tuskon greeted. "What can I do for you?"
Nora glared at the screen. "He better not hurt Renny!" She thought angrily.
On the 3rd floor, Karl, Trifa, and Yuma down a hallway towards Deery's position at the window overlooking the front drive.
"How many cops?" Karl asked.
"They only sent one," Deery replied, prompting laughter from her associates.
"Even they're surprised at how incompetent the cops are," Coco noted, drinking a diet soda.
Tuskon gave Ren a brief tour of the lobby.
"We had that false alarm, you know," Tuskon said. If you ask me, that goddamn computer sent you on another wild goose chase. They've been chasing bugs in this system ever since they installed it."
Tuskon sat back behind the desk to watch a football game on a nearby television set. It was Vale vs Vacuo.
"Aw shit! Come on! I got fifty lien bet on those assholes," Tuskon shouted, referring to Vacuo.
Port chuckled. "That's a poorly made bet. Vale hasn't beaten Vacuo at football in over a decade," He said.
"I'll say. I wouldn't even bet five lien on Vacuo," Qrow agreed.
Jaune continued looking out the window, hoping more police would show up.
"Come one, come on," Jaune whispered impatiently. "Where's the fucking cavalry?"
Deciding not to wait anymore, Jaune grabbed a chair from the conference room, returned to the window, and yelled as he smashed it.
Unfortunately, Perry spotted the breaking window from the roof.
"Fennec. I see him," Perry reported on his walkie talkie.
"Damn, he's been spotted again," Sun said.
"Let's hope I don't try to escape out the window," Jaune said, remembering the elevator shaft scene.
"Please no," Pyrrha whispered.
Fennec was still on the 35th floor planting the explosive dust.
"Which floor?" He asked before turning to Corsac. "Corsac, he's on the 30th floor. Go! I'll be right behind you!"
Corsac rushed towards the stairs while Fennec muttered angrily as he prepared to follow.
"Jaune's got more company coming," Ruby said.
"I think this time he can take them. It's only two on one," Pyrrha said.
"Plus, if Jaune dispatches them, the terrorists may not be able to detonate the explosives," Penny theorized, guessing that Corsac and Fennec were the explosive experts.
Back in the lobby, Ren was still with Tuskon by the front desk. The football game continued.
"You don't mind if I take a look around, do you?" Ren asked, looking around the room carefully.
"Nah, help yourself," Tuskon replied with a wave of his hand.
Ren walked off to patrol the lobby while Tuskon watched where he was heading.
"No, Ren. Get out of there," Nora whispered towards the screen as she held Ren's arm.
Ren put his hand over Nora's to calm her. "It's all right, Nora. I'm right here," He said soothingly.
Jaune was still hitting the window with the chair, but it wouldn't shatter. Suddenly, Corsac appeared in the conference room doorway. Jaune heard him and immediately drew his pistol.
"Freeze, motherfucker! Drop it!" Jaune shouted.
Corsac raised one hand in a pleading manner. "Don't shoot!" He shouted.
"Drop the fucking gun!"
"Okay! Don't shoot!"
"Just shoot him!" Qrow yelled, knowing Corsac was stalling until Fennec showed up.
Then Fennec showed up behind Corsac, the latter ducked as the former had his gun drawn. Jaune was quicker though and shot Fennec dead before diving for cover under a table. Corsac got back up and rolled onto the table.
Back down in the lobby, Ren strolled down a hallway. Just around the corner ahead of him, Tock waited with her SMG at the ready. Then Ren stopped and shook his head.
"Ah, to hell with this," Ren said, deciding the whole thing was a prank as he turned around to leave.
"Whew," Nora said with a relieved smile and released Ren's arm.
"He really dodged a bullet on that one," Velvet said.
Corsac pursued Jaune along the zigzagging tables, laughing and shooting at him tauntingly until Jaune reached the other end of the tables.
"Ha!" Corsac laughed as his gun ran dry. "You are dog! No more table! Where are you going, 'pal?' Next time you have a chance to kill someone, don't hesitate!"
"Very poor choice of words," Blake said, knowing what was going to happen next.
Corsac reloaded his gun. At that moment, Jaune emptied his entire handgun into Corsac through the table, peppering his legs, groin, and chest with bullets. He fell dead onto the table.
"Thanks for the advice," Jaune quipped.
Several male audience members winced as the covered their nether regions.
"Nice one liner," Yang complimented with a nod.
"And a very ironic death," Coco added with a wry grin.
"Fearless leader: three, terrorists: zip," Nora cheered, then frowned in realization. "Unless you count Whitley and the guards. I'm sorry, Weiss."
"It's okay," Weiss replied.
In the lobby, Ren waved to Tuskon as he walked towards the front door.
"Sorry to waste your time," Ren said.
"No problem at all," Tuskon replied as he walked Ren back to the door.
"Merry Christmas," Ren said, walking out.
Tuskon grinned smugly. "Merry Christmas to you."
"On one hand, Ren is out of danger," Oobleck noted. "But on the other hand, the terrorists are still under the radar."
"Then Jaune has to get his attention before it's too late," Winter said.
Back on the 34th floor, Jaune got out from under the table and returned to the conference room window.
"Oh, the weather outside is frightful," Ren sang 'Let it snow'. "But the fire is so delightful…"
"I would sing along if the situation wasn't so dire," Weiss said, having sung a few Christmas tunes before.
"Me too," Ruby agreed, remembering when she went Christmas caroling with Yang and Taiyang.
Still standing at the window, Jaune watched Ren climb back into his car.
"Oh for the love of…" Jaune said, looking around the room for a way to get Ren's attention.
"8-Lincoln-30 to Dispatch," Ren said into his radio.
"8-Lincoln-30, go ahead," the dispatcher replied.
"Yeah, that's a wild goose chase over here at Schnee Plaza," Ren said. "Everything here is okay. Over."
"But since we've no place to go. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," Ren continued singing.
Suddenly, Corsacs corpse fell onto Ren's car from above, smashing headfirst through the windshield.
The entire audience jumped in surprise, not expecting Jaune to throw Corsac's body out the window.
"Well, that was one way to get his attention," Sun chuckled, not expecting Jaune to do that.
"What is with him and dead bodies," Weiss said disapprovingly.
"Normally, I wouldn't approve of using a corpse for such a purpose. But given the circumstances, Jaune didn't have much of a choice," Port defended, understanding desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Oh shit! Oum Damn it!" Ren cried in panic, shifting his cruiser into reverse.
Deery opened fire with her machine gun, peppering Ren's cruiser as he reversed quickly through the front drive of the building.
"Welcome to the party, pal!" Jaune shouted through the shattered window.
"Well, I guess secrecy has gone right out the window," Yang laughed.
Everyone groaned at the pun.
Gunfire tore through the top of Ren's car, shattering the rolling lights as he backed up.
Down in the parking garage, Neptune was grinning as he listened to loud RB music while on the phone, oblivious to what was happening. Through a window behind him, Ren's car sailed over a concrete barrier, sending Corsacs body flying off.
This elicited laughter from most of the audience.
Sun pinched the bridge of his nose. "You still have no idea what's going on," he groaned.
"In my defense, I'm just a limo driver in this universe. What would you expect me to do?" Neptune asked.
"Fair point," Sun admitted, eating some popcorn.
Ren's car descended a hill and plowed through a section of rose bushes.
"There's automatic rifle fire at Schnee Plaza!" Ren shouted frantically into his radio. "I need backup assistance now! Now, Oum-damn it, now!"
"If that doesn't bring in the cavalry, nothing will," Qrow said.
"I'm still keeping my fingers crossed," Yang added, remembering the dispatcher from earlier.
Ren finally backed into a steel fence, sending the car falling over a retaining wall, landing on its rear.
Ren, now with a gash on his head, hoisted himself out of his wrecked police cruiser.
Nora sighed in relief that Ren was relatively unharmed.
LuckyPickl3: Glad to hear you're a fan of the film :)