Krasnaya's Fowl Play

Prologue: Somewhere in Menagerie, 11 months after the Menagerie war

Raven, Pyrrha, and Ciel were all on the verge of a nervous breakdown as Nora drove them through the streets of Menagerie at an alarming pace. "SLOW DOWN!" Pyrrha cried. "What's the hurry?!"

"I can't slow down! There's no time!" Nora replied, hysterically, as if she were being chased.

"Valkyrie! I want an explanation for this reckless driving this instant!" Raven snapped, irritably.

"Wait, you don't know where we're going either?!" Pyrrha spluttered.

Raven tried her best to shrug, but her grip on the side of the vehicle took priority. "I just assumed that a bomb had been planted inside of this Warthog, and would detonate if we dropped below fifty miles per hour! It made sense to me and Ciel."

"C'est l'intrigue du film Speed, espèce d'idiot! (That's the plot of the movie Speed, you idiot!)" Shouted Ciel, who was too terrified to speak English.

"Will you all shut up?!" Nora snapped as she narrowly missed a few pedestrians. "I'm trying to focus!"

"Focus on what?! Where are you taking us?!" Pyrrha felt as if she was going to throw up.

Suddenly, Nora's scroll automatically answered a call from Ruby through the Warthog's speakers. "Hi, Nora? It's me, Ruby. Listen, the house Mr. & Mrs. Belladonna gave us is still out of power, and the pancakes Ren made for you are getting pretty soggy."

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nora floored the gas pedal.

"Pancakes?!" Pyrrha's face went from sickly green to bright red. "You're driving like a maniac just to get some freaking pancakes?!"

"They're not just pancakes, Pyrrha! They're banana chocolate chips!"

"Wait a minute; our base doesn't have power?!" Raven gasped. "That means we're completely defenseless! Step on it, numbskull!"

"Ugh, Je parie que Svetlana revient tranquillement à Rushland. (I bet Svetlana is taking it easy back in Rushland.)" Ciel remarked as she reached for a paper bag.

End Prologue: New Rushland

It had been nearly half a year since the tragedy of Rushland, and yet General Ironwood knew that it felt a lot longer to a certain individual. Even still, he felt the need to let the sole survivor know that she wasn't alone. "I know it hasn't been easy," He remarked as he watched the girl training out in a nearby field, "But I want you to know that you can always talk to me if you need anything."

"I know," Svetlana replied as she remembered what happened so long ago. "Don't worry: I'll join you, Jean, and Ciel in a little while."

The General simply nodded in reply before leaving the area, even as Svetlana wiped away some tears from her eyes and looked up at the night sky. "I swear, by the spirit of my parents, to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life making sure that what happened to me never happens to anyone else."

A few minutes later, Svetlana re-entered the facility and took her place alongside Jean Purple and Ciel Soleil. "There's someone I want you three to meet." Ironwood told them. "She's a special case, so I'm counting on you all to show her the ropes and help her adjust." The general opened the door, revealing a young red-headed girl with shining green eyes and a modest dress.

"Salutations," the new girl called out. "My name is Penny: it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi Penny," the Rushland native replied. "I'm...Rachael. Rachael Red."

"I'm Jean!" The medic waved. "Nice to meet you!"

"Bonjour, Ms. Polendina." Ciel nodded, plainly, having used her Future Sight to learn the new girl's last name. "Vous pouvez m'appeler Ciel. (Call me Ciel.)"

"Well, now that you've all been introduced; Ciel Soleil, Penny Polendina, Jean Purple, Racheal Red, you are now Team CPPR." Ironwood decided. "You will report to Tukson at fifteen hundred hours to begin your orientation. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." The four girls saluted. Only the girl in red stayed behind.

"I still don't understand why you won't use your real name." the General felt the need to remark.

"My family's killer is still out there, James," 'Rachael' declared. "And a part of me was lost when I heard that news. Until he's caught or I've found a new purpose - whichever comes first - Svetlana Crimsonoff is someone who needs to remain like the rest of Rushland: buried in the past."

James merely gave a sigh in reply. "I won't pressure you, but I hope one day you won't be afraid to tell your friends who you really are."

The girl just nodded. "I'll be sure to tell everyone that once I've figured that out for myself."

"Well, until then, I'm always here for you-" Ironwood looked up to see that the Rushland native had already disappeared, prompting a heavy sigh. "One of these days, I'm going to put a bell on her."

In the present day, the city of New Rushland was celebrating the completion of their construction by hosting a party, where Mikhail Kashtonovvy sat by himself at a table for two. The mayor went up to the podium with a silver statuette in her hand. "People of New Rushland… we have made it!" She announced, proudly, earning the applause of the crowd. "It took time, hard work, and money. Thankfully, we had all three! Everyone here tonight is a strong soul hailing from parts unknown. Some of you came here for a fresh start. Some of you are here for new opportunities. But whatever the reason, you all helped build this great city! Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of a very special woman. A woman with a dream to rebuild her home after it was destroyed by the anger of a vile group of criminals. And so, it is with much honor that I bestow the Rushland Person of the Year Award… to Mrs. Svetlana Crimsonoff-Kashtonovvy!"

Mikhail looked around the room as the crowd clapped once more. Once he realized that his wife wasn't coming, he made his way to the podium, himself, graciously took the award, thanked the mayor, and adjusted the podium's microphone. "Uh… aheh, well, obviously, uh, I'm not Svetlana." He stated, nervously, earning a laugh from the crowd. He cleared his throat before carrying on. "But, uh, if Svetlana were here, I'm sure she'd tell us how flattered she is to be receiving this award. I know Ican tell you how proud I am to be accepting this on her behalf. She and I… we were there on the day that the original Rushland was burned to the ground. And it has been our dream to finally welcome others to this wonderful new city! And I'm sure the only reason she couldn't be here tonight, is because - as you all know - there is still much to do. Such as constructing the Penny Polendina Memorial hospital. But that's not to say we aren't still making great progress! Dr. Oobleck - a former teacher at Beacon - has joined us in planning the reconstruction process. My wife's old friend Jean Purple is said to be elected the new chief medical officer. And we have recently appointed a new police captain. And I'm sure Svetlana is doing the best she can to keep Rushland safe."

At that very moment, a woman dressed in red sped through the streets in a custom warthog, chasing after three criminals who had robbed Rushland's first and only bank. At some point, two of the criminals attempted to get away by using the rooftops, only for the woman to launch herself out of the warthog and land on the roof, managing to pin the other criminal down with the warthog as she did. Said criminal could only watch as the mysterious woman knocked his companions' weapons out of their hands before proceeding to tackle one of them to the ground and trade blows with the other before knocking him out.

"H-how'd you do that?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" The crook called out with a slight tremble in his voice as the woman dropped down next to him, having secured his cohorts on the roof.

The red woman narrowed her eyes at her prey; just as he was slipping into unconsciousness, she uttered a simple response. "I'm Krasnaya."

Meanwhile, the Crimson Crusader was completely unaware of the mystic beings watching over her. Impressed by their sacrifice, the Gods of Light and Darkness allowed Ozma and his daughters a place alongside them as their agents of justice. Penny, in particular, enjoyed watching her old friend carry out her promise of protecting the rebuilt Rushland. Ozma patted his daughter on the head as he watched with her.

"And thus, one of the greatest warriors of justice is born." He noted.

Unfortunately, Salem's spirit had been permanently bound to Ozma's. As such, the sinister witch had been transformed into an agent of vengeance under the influence of the God of Darkness. "'Justice,' pah!" She scoffed. "What is justice without vengeance? Merely a slap on the wrist. An invitation for evil to continue."

"What would you have Svetlana do, mother?!" Penny snapped, angrily. Her voice echoed as a result of her fragmented soul being brought together in the afterlife. "To be more like you? Killing those she deems unworthy of mercy? Becoming more and more like the criminals she hunts?"

Salem glared at her daughter, but carried on. "You both know the reason behind these observations. Svetlana Crimsonoff is about to face her greatest challenge. Soon, she shall meet the man who murdered her father and drove her mother into exile. And when she does, the final blow will be struck… for vengeance!"

"For the sake of her soul, I hope you're wrong." Ozma declared.

"I'd put it to a wager." Salem offered.

"Interesting. Go on."

"If Svetlana fails to spare him, she is mine to control. Acting as my own emissary of vengeance on Remnant. Striking down all evil-minded beings without mercy or regret."

"And if she succeeds?"

"Then Svetlana is free to go her own way."

"... I accept."

Back on Remnant, Svetlana had followed her mother's lead on the White Fang's former leader - Dew Mosson. Mosson had been the last figurehead of the White Fang when they attacked the original Rushland, and so he would most likely know who was involved. Her research revealed that Mosson had been admitted to a hospital just outside of New Rushland's city limit, much to her benefit. Utilizing the altered Manta Dr. Oobleck had helped her redesign, she flew to the hospital and donned a disguise to avoid trouble.

Dew Mosson lay on his deathbed, listening to the heart monitor as if it were a clock counting down to his demise. He was brought out of his dismal thoughts by the creaking wooden door opening up. A nun walked into the room and took a seat beside the dying coyote faunus. Mosson let out a bitter chuckle. "So… come to chat, sister?"

"Do you have anything you wish to confess?" The nun asked, patiently.

"Confess? Sure, why not?" Mosson gave a weak shrug. "Uh… when I was nine, I beat up this human kid for picking on my sister… yelled at my mom a couple times… oh, yeah, and there's also the twenty-plus years I spent running the White Fang…" The nun's gaze hardened, slightly. Mosson let out a tired sigh which turned into a cough. "Okay… I got one more… big one… while I was in prison, I had my people attack this developing city… to try and find someone who did me wrong… all I wanted was for the guy in charge to put a bullet in her head and call it even…"

"And who was in charge of that attack?" The nun asked.

"But then it all went wrong." Mosson coughed again; his heart rate weakening. "Some lunatic they brought along burned the whole city up… I mean, sure, that broad had it coming, but I'm no monster."

"What was the man's name, Mosson?"

"Why do you care?"

The nun's emerald eyes flared with repressed anger. "You're not the only one in need of forgiveness."

"Okay… okay…" Mosson began coughing louder. "I just… what happened there… it was… f-Fo… Fowl…"

The nun hung her head, solemnly, as the heart monitor flatlined. Making her way out of the room as the doctors and nurses rushed in, she made her way up to the roof, removing her robes to reveal the red outfit beneath. Krasnaya - New Rushland's guardian - flew back to her home with nothing to show for her efforts to find her father's killer.

"What am I missing?" Svetlana growled out sometime later as she poured over all the evidence that she had collected thus far.

"It's not that you're overlooking something, but rather that you're looking in the wrong place."

Svetlana blinked as she turned towards the intruder. "Professor Ozpin?! How are you…?"

"It seems that the spell I cast had an unintentional side effect," the wizard knight replied. "I now watch over Remnant ensuring that justice is served. Penny and my other daughters say 'Hi,' by the way."

"...you're not the professor: you're Ozma, aren't you?"

"You may still refer to me as 'Professor Ozpin' if that makes you more comfortable," Ozma said with a grin.

"Very well, but what did you mean earlier when you said that I was looking in the wrong place?" the Crimson Crusader couldn't help but ask.

"I mean that I know what it is that you wish to see, but that you won't find it in New Rushland. After all, what you seek was last seen in the original Rushland back before it was burnt to the ground." Ozma remarked.

Svetlana gave a try chuckle. "I guess there are some benefits to being a timeless being."

"Quite."

"Still, the original Rushland was completely overtaken by the fire, the encroachment of nature, and finally all the efforts to rebuild," Svetlana groaned out. "Even if I knew where to start looking, there's no way that I'd find it."

"No, there isn't," Ozma agreed. "Though in the spirit of our past friendship, instead of watching you fret over where you should start your search, I'll simply take you to when you would find that which you seek."

"Wait what?" Krasnaya called out before she found herself being forced to shield her eyes as a bright flash filled the room, only for her eyes to widen in surprise as her vision cleared up. "This is…"

"...the original Rushland," Ozma said with a smile as his companion took in the celebration that was taking place around them. "Several years before it was burnt to the ground or even before you were born."

"How is that…?" The Crimson Crusader started to ask before she caught herself. "Oh, right: reincarnating ancient wizard turned timeless being. I guess I'm not too surprised that you could do this."

"And yet that doesn't mean that I can't still surprise you every now and then." Ozma declared with a grin as he pointed in the direction of a particular couple dressed as a devil and angel that stood amongst the guests of the party that surrounded them.

Krasnaya could only gasp as she recognized them. "Is...is that…?"

"Yes, Svetlana." Ozma nodded. "They are your parents. But be warned; you cannot warn them of their fates. If you do, you risk destroying the timeline and erasing everyone you care about."

The Crimson Crusader sighed, solemnly, before looking back to her parents. "I remember that costume my mother wore. It must've been in the back of my mind when Dr. Oobleck and I designed this one."

"It seems your creativity has not gone unnoticed." Ozma pointed out before vanishing. Svetlana turned back, and her skin paled as the Crimsonoff couple approached her.

"And here I thought I was going to be one of a kind!" Natalia smiled and extended her hand. "I guess great minds think alike, Ms…?"

Krasnaya stammered as she shook hands with the ghost of her mother's past. "Uh… Red. R-Racheal Red." It felt so strange having to use her former alias with her own parents, but she couldn't risk compromising the timeline.

"Appropriate." Natalia chuckled. "I'm Natalia Crimsonoff of Rushland's vanguard. This is my husband; Ivan."

"Oh!" Ivan gasped in shock as Svetlana suddenly wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, my. You're friendly."

"Sorry," Svetlana said with a slight blush as she broke the embrace. "It's just...you have a striking resemblance to a member of my family who passed away sometime ago and I couldn't contain myself."

"No harm done, I assure you," Ivan said with a smile. "And for what it's worth, I'm sure that whomever this family member is very proud of you."

"Believe me: it's worth more than you know." Svetlana said with a teary-eyed grin.

Before the Rushland man could respond, a terrified scream drew everyone's attention to the front of the room. A group of Faunus wearing white and red masks had stormed the gala with weapons ablaze. "It's Mosson!" Svetlana thought to herself as she spotted their leader. But what really drew her attention was the penguin Faunus standing beside him. "And him!"

The Crimson Crusader was just about to attack, but her mother leapt into action first. She watched in astonishment as Natalia easily disarmed the aggressors without any weaponry. "One of them's getting away!" Ivan shouted, pointing to the penguin Faunus.

"No!" Krasnaya chased after the Faunus, only for her surroundings to fade into darkness. "What?! Ozpin?! Ozpin! I swear to the gods, if this turns out to be a wild goose chase…" Svetlana growled out.

"Even if it was, the gods work in mysterious ways," a new voice called out. "Believe me: I know that better than anyone."

Svetlana blinked as she looked to the intruder before giving an exasperated sigh. "Let me guess: you were affected by Ozpin's spell as well."

"Indeed." Salem said with a nod. "But do not fret: I have not come seeking vengeance...at least not upon you."

"I don't have time for your supreme arrogance, Salem!" Krasnaya snapped, bitterly. "I finally found the motive behind Rushland's destruction!"

"And yet, you are restless." Salem pointed out; her silky voice echoing through the void.

The Crimson Crusader sighed. "I still don't know the name of the man who killed my father."

"And what will you do with that knowledge once you obtain it?" The former witch pondered, aloud. "What do you intend to do to that man once you find him?"

"I… I don't know."

Salem permitted herself a smirk. "Surely, New Rushland's guardian has thought that far ahead."

"What do you want, Salem?" Krasnaya said with a frown. "Even if you didn't come to seek vengeance upon me or my friends, you wouldn't have come here if it didn't benefit you in some way."

"...let's just say that you were not the only one whom this man has wronged, even if indirectly." Salem said with a sigh. "I've learned that the men whom you and your mother thwarted all those years ago had worked closely with some of Jacques Schnee's men and that they had passed along some information that would allow that deplorable man to know of 'Ozpin's' Project Guardsman, and make no mistake: while I am no saint, even I think that what 'President Schnee' did to the Summer Maiden was utterly despicable."

"In other words, by helping me get my vengeance, we both get one step closer to closing the book regarding the skeletons in Jacques Schnee's closet once and for all," Svetlana said with a frown. "Even so, that doesn't tell me exactly who it is we're dealing with."

Salem nodded. "I can help with that."

This time, instead of a blinding flash, Krasnaya's vision was impared by an inky blackness that almost seemed to flood around her. When the darkness faded away, the duo appeared inside a prison visiting room. "I recognize this place." The Crimson Crusader noted. "This is Cordovin's prison in Atlas. It's a class-three felony to enter without authorization."

"Don't fret, my dear." Salem purred. "Unlike my husband, I have made it so that we remain unseen in the past. No one will even notice we are here."

True to her word, the guards and prisoners seemingly passed through them without even blinking. At last, one of the guards brought the younger Dew Mosson into one of the booths while a familiar Penguin Faunus sat on the other end of the glass.

"Good to see you, Fowl," Mosson muttered into the phone as the Penguin Faunus trembled.

"'Fowl…?'" Krasnaya echoed before the realization sank in. "Fowl… Mosson's last word! He named the gunman!"

"You've seen that faunus, before?" Salem asked.

"... every time I close my eyes."

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here after running out on us, Jared my boy." Mosson went on.

"I-I'm really sorry, boss!" Fowl stuttered.

"Yeah?" Mosson growled. "Not as sorry as you're gonna be when I get outta here!"

"No, wait! Listen, this is all Natalia Crimsonoff's fault!" Jared stammered. "She's the reason you're in here! Not me! But, listen; we found this guy who's got a plan to get back at her! I promise you, boss: I won't just get revenge on the lady: I'll make sure that neither her or the rest of her stinking family ever bothers any of us again." Jared declared with fervor.

"...whatever: just make sure that it can't be traced back to us." Mosson finally declared after a short while. Jared simply nodded before he turned to leave.

Krasnaya clenched her fists in anger. "So, just like that, he assured the original Rushland's ruin… and my father's death…" She seethed. "So casually. Without even blinking a filthy eye. Where was justice?!"

Salem's grin grew wider. "Where indeed."

"Take me back to New Rushland!" Svetlana ordered.

"As you wish." With a snap of her fingers, Salem teleported Krasnaya to her farmhouse. After the witch had vanished, she made her way into her home. As she passed the kitchen, she was spotted by Mikhail, who was preparing himself a glass of his family's vodka.

"You missed quite the party, love." He remarked, following her. "Pretty weak wine, though."

"Not now, Mikhail." Svetlana made her way to the bookshelf in her den and tilted one of the dictionaries. Doing so activated a secret door that led to a cave beneath the house. In addition to her suit and vehicles, Dr. Oobleck had provided her with a state-of-the-art computer. Svetlana utilized the computer to search for any Penguin Faunus who had been imprisoned with the name "Fowl." At last, she found a match.

"According to this, Jared Fowl was an enforcer with the White Fang for almost thirty years. But I can't find anything about his whereabouts." Krasnaya knew that New Rushland's criminal database had been granted the entire manifold of former White Fang enforcers, and decided that would be the best place to start. "Mikhail, I need access to Rushland's criminal database."

"Well, in that case, you'll need to get into Rushland's police department." Mikhail pointed out. "And while the new police captain is grateful for all you've donated to her force, I doubt she'll let Svetlana Kashtonovvy see it."

"Well, Svetlana isn't going to ask to see it. Krasnaya is going to see it."

"I was afraid of that, my dear." Mikhail sighed, tiredly. "So, I take it you won't be home in time for dinner?"

"Not likely." Krasnaya replied as she made her way to the warthog. "Don't wait up for me."

Mikhail simply sighed. "I love you."

Krasnaya paused before she got into the warthog before giving a light smile in return. "I love you too...and I'm sorry for not doing more to show that to you."

Twenty minutes later, Krasnaya set her Manta to autopilot and used her cape to glide down onto the roof of Rushland's police department. She incapacitated any officers who got in her way, trying not to hurt them, and then made her way into the vents to avoid further detection until she found her destination. She was about to exit the vent when she heard someone barge into the room. "Don't ever talk to me, again!" A teenager shouted, angrily. Krasnaya's curiosity urged her to take a closer look. Much to her surprise, the boy was followed by Captain Jane Maroon.

"Young man, don't you dare walk away from me when I'm talking to you!"

"You deleted my blog!" The boy snapped. "That was my one escape from this stupid place!"

"I wouldn't have deleted it if you didn't post such provocative content!" Maroon snapped back. "Boris, we've been over this; you cannot go around posting about the 'Red Woman' myth! Especially not in a positive light!"

"Why not?!" Boris groaned. "I didn't even wanna move here! I miss our old home! I miss my friends! And I hate having to come straight here after school every day!Krasnaya is the only good thing about this city!"

"How can you say that?!" Maroon continued. "She represents the worst kind of criminal! The kind who think that their actions are justified! Who acts outside the system!"

"The system is broken!" Boris began crying. "You know that! That's the real reason dad's not with us anymore!"

"Boris!" Jane reached out for her son as he ran out. "Boris, wait!"

Once they were gone, Krasnaya exitted the vent and continued to sneak in the shadows. "Mikhail? What do we know about the new police captain?"

"Hmm, give me a minute to bring up her file... " Krasnaya heard her husband typing away at the computer back at their farm. "Oh, my… her's isn't a very pleasant story. It seems that she used to be a lieutenant officer in Atlas, working with internal affairs to root out corruption in her own precinct. Apparently, she rubbed a few officers the wrong way, and her husband went missing. She found him in a landfill three weeks later."

"... how old was her son?"

"Eight years old." Mikhail replied, sadly. "After that, she bounced around from city to city, and it seems she only accepted the position of captain in New Rushland because she thought it would give her a chance to start over."

"Sounds familiar," Krasnaya declared, seeing a bit of herself in the family.

"And, from the looks of things, she isn't too fond of you." Mikhail sent a video to his wife's scroll.

"Today, we put an entire counterfeiting ring behind bars thanks to the efforts of Captain Jane Maroon!" The Mayor announced. "Any questions?"

"Captain Maroon! Captain Maroon!" One reporter called out. "How do you respond to the rumors that it wasn't one of your officers who brought in the counterfeiters?"

"There is no such thing as the 'Red Woman!'" Maroon snapped. "This city will not tolerate vigilantism! Only registered huntsmen and huntresses have the right to aid local law enforcement."

"You know, perhaps you should consider reaching out to her." Mikhail suggested. "She could prove to be a valuable ally."

"I don't need help from cops." Krasnaya replied, bluntly. Once the vigilante found the server room, she quietly removed the vent grate and carefully made her way down to the floor. Using the shadows to her advantage, she crept past the larger machinery until she found a teenage boy huddled in the corner with his laptop.

"MMPH!" Boris yelped into her palm as she pulled him into the shadows.

"Easy, child. I'm not going to hurt you." She promised. "I'm going to move my hand. And when I do, I need you to stay quiet. Understand?"

"Mm-hm." Boris nodded, and then smiled once the hand slipped away. "I knew you were real. I just knew it."

"I need access to the criminal database."

"It's right there." Boris pointed towards one of the computers. He then watched with interest as his hero inserted a device into one of the ports. "Cool pwnbox. You're bypassing the network's main security… but you'll need to access the telecom wires to look into the database remotely."

Svetlana arched an eyebrow underneath her cowl before removing the device once it finished. "This kind of knowledge can get a young man into a lot of trouble." She remarked as she moved onto the telecom wires.

"Eh, I end up in a cell every other Saturday." Boris shrugged as the vigilante began to make her exit. "Hey, wait, I just… I just wanna know; why do you do what you do?"

"... because I made a promise." She replied, plainly.

Suddenly, a smoke grenade rolled into the room. "Get going! I'll hold them off!" Boris coughed and rushed towards the incoming policemen. "You idiots! It's me!"

As Krasnaya reentered the vents, she couldn't help but listen in to make sure Boris would be fine. One of the officers stopped the others. "Hold your fire! It's the captain's brat! What the hell were you doing in there, kid?!"

"It's the only place in this dump that gets any good service!"

"Bullshit! We heard you talking to someone!"

"Yeah! I called a friend with my scroll! Gods, what century do you meatheads live in?!"

"Alright, whatever. Just get the hell out of here."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Boris said with a roll of her eyes before he gave a light smile even as he exited the room. "Good luck, Krasnaya."

Speaking of the vigilante in question, Krasnaya continued to silently maneuver through the vents until she came upon an opening, kicking the grate off and descended to the floor as she did. Unfortunately, she had touched down just as the elevator door opened and Captain Jane Maroon stepped out. The startled police captain drew her pistol, but the vigilante quickly knocked it aside before grabbing her arm and bending it behind her back.

"I don't want to hurt you, but you need to stay out of my way." Krasnaya called out.

Jane grunted, angrily, in reply. "Never."

"Listen, I'm on your side." Krasnaya promised, pushing the captain aside.

"My side?" Captain Maroon growled, doubtfully. "My side works within the law. My side doesn't leave suspects with broken bones and missing teeth. We've earned New Rushland's respect."

"If that were true, I wouldn't be here." Krasnaya declared.

"No, you're here because you want revenge." Jane growled. "I've seen that look in your eyes and it always belongs to someone with an ax to grind: I won't let a psycho like you endanger innocent people."

"I don't have time to convince you that I'm not like your colleagues in the force," the Crimson Crusader growled out before dropping a flashbang, disappearing into the shadows before the Captain's eyes could recover.

Once they did, however, Captain Maroon simply snarled as she took out her radio. "I need reinforcements at my location NOW! Krasnaya is in the building. Repeat: Krasnaya is in the building."

Svetlana narrowly evaded the onslaught of the policemen who were chasing after her as she quickly made her way back up to the roof.

"Freeze," one of the cops shouted out as a light was placed on top of the vigilante, forcing Krasnaya to shield her eyes with her arm...which gave her the perfect position to subtly press a button on her wrist computer.

"I'm taking you in," Captain Maroon declared.

"Not tonight," Krasnaya said with a grin as she let herself fall off the side of the building.

Jane's eyes widened as she ran forward, hoping against hope that she might be able to do something before the Crimson Crusader became street pizza...only to discover that her concerns - while nobel - were unnecessary as a crimson aircraft rose up from beyond that point, with Krasnaya climbing into it and flying off before anyone could stop her.

The police officers could only watch, helplessly, as the vigilante sped away in her vehicle. One of the officers turned to his captain with a deadpan expression. "'No such thing as the Red Woman,' eh?"

Speaking of "the Red Woman," Krasnaya flew over the city before landing on the highest point she could find so that she could scan for where Jared Fowl was going to be tonight. At last, much to her anger, she learned that Fowl had taken advantage of New Rushland's early development to host an underground weapons deal. "This ends tonight." She declared to herself.

One minute to midnight, Krasnaya had found the dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of New Rushland. It sickened her to think that so many criminals saw her new home as their own stomping grounds. As she approached the warehouse, she snuck in through the skylight and perched herself in the rafters.

"Quite a turnout tonight," one of the gathered criminals remarked.

"Yeah, when the boss mentioned that we were getting some people together to discuss New Rushland's future, I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition." another goon declared with a nod.

As if on cue, some trumpets went off as a trio of thugs dressed in red suddenly burst into the room. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition." the leader of the trio called out.

"Where did those trumpets even come from?" one of the other thugs couldn't help but ask even as he looked around the room.

"Doesn't matter. Thank you all for coming, my friends." Fowl greeted as he poured a glass of wine. "But before we begin, a toast… to Dew Mosson. There was never a greater force on Remnant to be reckoned with!"

"Then you've never reckoned with the forces of justice!" A voice echoed throughout the warehouse, startling everyone.

"Holy crap: it's Krasnaya!"

"What the hell, Fowl?! You said she was a myth!"

"Well, seeing that I was wrong, how about a little less gawking and a little more shooting?!"

In the blink of an eye, the Crimson Crusader had dropped several smoke pellets that instantly shrouded the building in darkness. The criminal Faunus could only watch in horror as red daggers flew through the air, cutting into his allies' flesh as a hammer and sickle dispatched their weapons.

"Someone stop her!" Fowl ordered. "Send in the Spanish Inquisition!"

"She expected us!" The leader shrieked in terror as he was dragged into the darkness. "She expected all of us! DIOS MIO, NOOOOOOOOO!"

Fowl paled upon hearing this. "Send in the Anti-Salvation Militia!"

"Holy crud: that's the last time I stick my neck out!"

Now torn between terror and frustration, Fowl growled in reply. "Send in the Southern Mistral Bandits!"

"Uh, about that boss…" one of the remaining henchmen nervously declared.

Meanwhile, just outside the city limits…

"Seriously: I can't believe they thought we were going to help them." Vernal called out before she and her fellow Bandits let out a laugh even as they carted away various bits of equipment they had stolen from under Jared's nose.

"That's what you get for trying to barge in on our territory." Peter, a rabbit Faunus, declared with a smug grin.

Back in the warehouse...

"Branwens!" The Penguin faunus snarled out in rage. Seeing no other way out of this, Jared attempted to escape out the back door through a closed in the office area of the building...only for Krasnaya to burst into the door after him and jam the door in question.

"Jared Fowl," Krasnaya growled out as she knocked his gun out of his hand before he could pull the trigger. "When the White Fang invaded Rushland, you were the slinking coward that murdered Ivan Crimsonoff!"

"That was a lifetime ago."

That had been the wrong thing to say, as evidenced when the Crimson Crusader snarled before proceeding to throw the faunus across the room. "Yes, my lifetime! You took his life without mercy or regret and in cold blood, Fowl. And all because you wanted revenge against his wife. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you were as shocked as anyone to learn that you failed to do the same to Natalia when it was later revealed that she wasn't actually dead at the time."

"H-how could you know that?" The criminal penguin faunus whimpered. "How could you possibly know?!"

"I know because I watched it happen!" Krasnaya growled as tears stung her eyes. "I know because I am the daughter of the man you murdered!" Without thinking, the vigilante tore her cowl from her head, revealing her enraged face. "I am Svetlana Crimsonoff!"

"No… oh, no!" Jared tried to escape, but Svetlana's sickle stabbed through his leg. The crimson crusader pulled the criminal up by the scruff of his shirt, lifting her hammer above her head with every intention of caving in his skull.

"Svetlana…" Ozpin's voice echoed in her ear. "He is beaten. Let your devotion to justice temper your rage."

At the same time, Salem's voice whispered temptations in her other ear. "He killed your father. Drove your mother away. Destroyed your home. Ruined your life. Embrace your hatred. Become what you were always destined to be; an agent… of vengeance! He knows who you are. He can find you if he escapes. If this man lives… Krasnaya dies…"

Krasnaya's gaze shifted in between her hammer and her enemy. Jared Chill had caused her so much pain and misery, but her life was not ruined. She still had Mikhail; the love of her life. And thanks to her, Rushland had been rebuilt. Was she really going to risk throwing away all of her progress for revenge? At last, she made her choice. "Krasnaya might die. But Svetlana Crimsonoff-Kashtonovvy… never." With that, she released her grip on the penguin faunus, casually reapplying her mask even as he made a bolt for the nearest door.

"Guys, you've got to help me!" Jared called out even as he ran towards the assembled criminals outside of the room. "Way back, I wacked a guy for a job and now, that guy's daughter is back for revenge. That guy's daughter...is Krasnaya!" He growled as one of the goons around him started laughing. "What's so funny?!"

"You're saying that we owe Krasnaya's existence to you?" the goon in question called out. "As Loki might say, that's a killer punchline, right there."

"So it's your fault that Krasnaya has been coming after us: is that it?" another one of the goons couldn't help but ask, his eyes slanted in irritation and rage.

"No, guys...wait…" ...and that was all Jared had time to say before the entire warehouse's worth of villains and goons started to wail on him.

"As much as part of me is enjoying this," Krasnaya called out as she entered the room. "I'd prefer it if the police were to handle his punishment."

"Oh, right," one of the goons called out as he and several others readied their weapons. "Can't forget about you, now can we?"

Another thug made a grab for a rocket launcher, only to trip over seemingly nothing just as he pulled the trigger. The rocket went straight up to the ceiling, prompting everyone to scatter. Jared Fowl finally managed to rise to his feet and waddle towards the exit, but his journey was cut short as a portion of the destroyed ceiling fell on top of him.

Svetlana finally found the battered criminal under the rubble. She tried to help, but his injuries were beyond her aid. "Heh, funny…" Jared coughed, weakly. "Because I killed your dad… and started you off as Krasnaya… those other creeps made me pay for it… heh-heh… I guess… I guess you got me… after all…"

Minutes later, Krasnaya had fled the scene of the crime just as she heard the police sirens coming from the distance. "Case… closed." She told herself before turning to make her way home, only to frown as she felt a presence nearby. "...how much did you see, Captain Maroon?"

"Enough to know that you didn't kill that faunus in there, no matter what some of my colleagues might say," Jane admitted as she came out from around the corner, not quite lowering her weapon as she approached her.

"This place deserves better than that," Krasnaya replied.

Jane just gave a sigh in response. "You know, my son thinks you're a hero...but I still have to bring you in."

Krasnaya slowly rose to her feet, moving a hand over her hammer; she was ready to fight her way out if she had to.

"Maroon, come in: what's your twenty?"

"I'm outside the complex," Jane declared into the radio, looking away from the vigilante as she did. "All suspects are secure."

"Son of a bitch," the voice on the other end called out, even as Jane blinked in shock upon discovering that Krasnaya had vanished within that split second she'd diverted her attention from the Crimson Crusader. "We got everyone then. How did you do that?"

"I...had some help." Jane remarked before lowering her weapon with a shake of her head. "Something tells me I'll need to get used to that."

"Svetlana made the right choice." Ozma noted even as he and Salem watched all of this take place. "Ultimately, it was karma that dealt the final blow to Jared Fowl." Salem merely scoffed at her husband's statement, earning her a stern glare. "Although, you must admit; it's funny how that ceiling just happened to fall onto Fowl as soon as he walked under it."

Salem could only smile. "I wouldn't know anything about that…"

To be continued…

Epilogue:

"I keep asking myself 'Why didn't I bring her in?'" Jane declared as she sat down with her son just outside the warehouse overlooking everything even as they watched several criminals being loaded into squad cars, having explained everything that had happened earlier. "And...I now know that I did it because of you, Boris: because you believe in him. I don't know: they put me in charge of a station full of rotten cops and huntsmen, and I can't change that anymore than I can change this...damned city...or at least, that's what I used to think."

"So, what will you do now?" Boris felt the need to ask.

"Maybe...maybe I can give the people something to believe in." Jane declared, looking to Krasnaya's symbol that someone had graffitied on a nearby wall as she did. "Maybe she can give them something to believe in. Maybe she isn't as bad of a person as I feared she was. In other words, perhaps you were right, Boris: perhaps Krasnaya is one of the better things about New Rushland...but you still aren't getting your blog back anytime soon."

"WHAT!? Why not?!"

"Because apparently, a certain someone was 'talking to a friend on his scroll' back at the precinct when he was supposed to be doing his chores like he had promised his mother." Jane teasingly called out.

"Uh, yeah, that's not what I was doing," Boris nervously called out. "I was...I was...there's no right way to finish that sentence, is there?"

"Nope."

"Cheese and crackers." Boris groaned out.

Meanwhile, Krasnaya had just returned home. "Rough night, Svets?" Mikhail called out with a smile as his wife approached him.

"Yes, but I managed to get some closure in the end." Svetlana declared as she removed her mask before gaining a frown as her husband continued to look at her like she was expecting something. "Was...was there something that you needed?"

Her wife merely gave a sigh in reply. "Here. For you." Mikhail smiled, tiredly, as he handed his wife an envelope.

Svetlana's eyes widened as a wave of guilt washed over her. "Oh, gods dammit."

"Yep." Mikhail nodded, half-heartedly. "You forgot our anniversary… again."

"Mikhail, I'm sorry." She sighed.

"It's alright, darling. I understand." He promised with a kiss. "Go ahead."

"But… I don't have anything for you."

"Just open it, already." He insisted.

Svetlana sighed and used her index fingernail to cut open the envelope. Her eyebrow arched in confusion once she saw what was inside. "Circus tickets?"

Mikhail smiled and handed her a brochure. "When I was a boy, my father took me on one of his business trips to Vale. While we were there, he took me to see a circus. There was an acrobat trio that just took my breath away! When they flipped through the air, it was like magic. And as it so happens, there's a circus coming through Rushland to celebrate their acrobats' daughter's twelfth birthday."

Svetlana read the brochure. "'The Flying Robyns'? I don't know…"

"It'll be fun." Mikhail promised. "It's perfect. You need a break, and I need time with my wife. And we both need to make public appearances from time to time." To prove his point, Mikhail held up the award from earlier. "Otherwise, people will begin to get suspicious."

Svetlana let out a long sigh; she knew her husband was right. "Okay. I'll go." She smiled.

End epilogue.