This one inspired a a longer fic that I hope to start posting when I wrap up some projects.
Also thanks to the Rosewick discord peeps for beta reading and talking this one out with me. I appreciate it so much.
Weiss's deft fingers wrapped fresh bandages across Yang's back, ignoring the hisses from the blonde.
Ruby twisted her fingers, "You really got the worst of it is." She was the leader and gave those orders. Get to the front of the train as fast as possible. Yang's efforts did reduce the damage from the train to the city of Vale. Guilt bubbled in Ruby's gut even when she reminded herself that she had made the right call.
Blake frowned, "I should have stayed with you to fight that tiny girl." Twisting her long black hair, Blake must have felt ashamed, feeling as though she had abandoned her teammate.
Yang frowned, "Stopping the train was the priority. We didn't know how well that freak could fight."
Ruby muttered, "I figured that Blake's semblance had the best chance of confusing Torchwick. So you had to be the one to move up."
Weiss huffed, "We are lucky. Which is more that we can say for some parts of Vale." Rubbing her arms anxiously, "Ruby, weren't you going to see Torchwick in prison?"
Ruby sitting on her bed, "I was going to...but I canceled. Besides, what can I do that Ironwood can't?"
Yang rolled her eyes, "You get under his skin! Ironwood hoped you could maybe make Torchwick slip up."
Ruby hugging her knees, "He scares me. I don't want to look someone like that in the eye."
Her big sis softened, "No, of course, Rubbles. You're only 15. It's too much to ask you to face a terrorist."
Blake gritted her teeth, "We all have good reason to be scared. That girl who almost killed your sister is still out there. Torchwick works with the White Fang, and I know they can be an army of spite."
Weiss gripped the cat Faunus's shoulder before turning to her team leader, "Ruby, General Ironwood wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. There is a chance you might make Vale a bit safer if you rile Torchwick up."
Ruby, "But how can I make a professional criminal slip up?"
Yang, "Just be yourself!"
Weiss giggled, "From what my family has on him, he is about my age. I think Blake is barely months older than him. He's gonna make mistakes like any other kid. Furthermore, while he is in a cell, he cannot use his Aura, let alone his semblance."
Ruby, "I guess if he's behind bars. There really is no harm." She looked at the clock, "If I leave now, I won't be too late!" She gusted out of the dorm, rushing to make the subsequent transport.
XXX
Ruby blinked at the man at the front desk, "What do you mean I don't have to turn over my weapons."
The officer looked down at his papers, "Yup, General Ironwood noted that Miss Ruby Rose is to appear as much as her schoolgirl self."
Ruby bit her lip, she knew Ironwood while she was growing up, and this just didn't sound like him. "Maybe you should call him or Special Operative Schnee?"
"Can't, communications on the aircraft have gone down. It happens about once a month or so when we are stationed outside of Atlas. Standard protocol is to go by the morning printouts of our orders."
Her eyes widened, and before she could voice her concerns.
"Don't worry, it doesn't affect the camera system. It's on a different feed. If something happens, you'll have soldiers swarming you in seconds. Besides, only the General and Special Ops can open that prison cell door.
It made her feel better to have her knives in her boots and Crescent Rose at her hip. Even still her stomach was already in knots, Okay, Rubes last cell is on the left. Please don't word vomit on Torchwick, and don't actually vomit...Is someone choking?
Her body lunged forward into rose petals, and she came skidding to a halt. "S-stop! You're killing him!"
Through the open cell door the pair of women appeared shocked. Ruby brain moved much too slowly for this to make sense. The scarf around Torchwick's throat was held taut by one woman, the other remarkably identical except for her dress held him down.
The one in a blood-red dress sneered, "Move along. Or my sister here won't mind one more dead-
Ruby stared at her extended hand, when did it move? She threw her boot knife! With his scarf cut, Roman wheezed desperately for air. Scrambling out of his cage, Ruby caught him to expertly pin him to the ground. He opened his mouth, and she was sure it'd be some pithy remark, but he could only cough.
The woman in a cyan dress tilted her head, "Millie, is she helping or stopping us?"
Seeing the woman approach them, Ruby dissolved herself and Roman into rose petals for a brief moment, "Don't touch us."
She could feel the surprise from the criminal beneath her...and from the criminals before her. Working out what she witnessed. "You, twins, won't let there be a trial." She couldn't have just witnessed an attempted murder? On an Atlas military base!? Uncle Qrow said Jimmy was a stickler for the law, so where were the soldiers on an army base?
The woman in red, "Our information was clear that the only visitor of the day canceled. We don't have much time Mel." Mel's boot stomp down, revealing a glint of metal.
The huntress rolled off of Torchwick. Kicking the leg, Mel went down on her knee. Roman got up too slow, his lips chapped, eyes glassy, and his clothes were bloody. Whatever had been happening to Torchwick had been happening before these twins showed up. Ruby swallowed the bile rising up in her throat. She couldn't trust Atlas, and she wasn't sure if she could trust Vale either.
She fully unfurled Crescent Rose, finger carefully off the trigger. She couldn't have gunfire, not with the military possibly close. She weaved in between the twins ensuring they couldn't protect each other. Suddenly Ruby petal-bursted out from the middle. The arc of her blade caught them both by the waist and spun them into the cell. It locked as Torchwick closed it. She wheezed at the realization she was protecting a literal terrorist...from other criminals.
"How do you think we opened it in the first place? "One twin rolled her eyes and went to her purse, she snapped. "You fucking thief."
Roman's oddly bent fingers clutched a wallet and a scroll. Finally, he opened his mouth and started coughing again.
He grabbed the huntress's arm and led them clumsily down the hallways. "You've memorized the maps here. Y-you were planning on breaking out!" He snorted and clutched the railing of the stairwell they descended. She took a deep breath and muttered. "I made a choice, and waffling will get me killed." She angled him as they moved so the cameras would show the bloodstains on his once-white coat. If the Atlas military made a deal with Vale criminals, Ruby doubted any video footage would get out. She let him break away for a moment, his back pressing to the wall. He gasped for air, eyes squeezed shut, and slid down to the floor. Kneeling, she wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling him up with her. That startled look he gave made her burn with rage, what messed him up so much that he couldn't realize he fell.
"Lean on me. Do you know how to get to the cargo bay?" He nodded and did his best to lead her. Her voice was high, "Where is everyone? There should be some guards on duty."
In a small aircraft now, he lurched away from her and dropped into the pilot seat. Ruby's brows pinched before picking him up to move him with ease. "You can't fly in your state. It's gonna be a rough ride, but I know how to operate these small ones." She started to flip switches. She hoped she was doing this right. Then, in a punchy exhale, "And go!" The aircraft jolted into the air thrusting forward into the sky. The plane shuddered at the impacts it was taking. Finally, they were being pursued. Ruby's knuckles were white on the steering with little to no clue how to keep them steady. At the sound of him slamming his hand on a button, she glanced back to see him drop to the ground. The back hatch opened, allowing him to have sight of those pursuing him.
She screamed, "It would have been nice to know you were planning to kill yourself!" Brothers, she hoped he wasn't going to throw himself.
He crawled to the sidewall and lifted a standard-issue aviation gun. Taking a shot, he hit something. After a few more rounds, he stopped. Ruby figured he was satisfied or out of bullets. Unfortunately, they were hit too and were serpentining. She couldn't figure out how to keep them level!
"Torchwick, I can't maintain altitude." She heard him move toward her then collapse into a heap, unable to stay conscious. Ruby grumbled, "I did not expect my day to go like this."