Lost Arc
1
"Oh crap. She is going to be so pissed." muttered THE Jaune Arc to himself as he reshaped his personal pocket dimension to reflect his current location...again. For the 5000th time he jumped universes to try and find his way home and for the 5000th time he wasn't able to sense the quantum vibrations that matched his own, or any that were familiar.
This happened every so often to everyone from the first universe. The first was connected to all the others. Those from the first could travel to any other with the link the entire multi-verse shares with the first. However, infinity is also a very easy place to get lost in. There are those that have never been heard from again after having lost their way. If you lost your way, getting home again made looking for 1 drop of water on an ocean planet laughably simple, and Arcs' soul is now adrift in the infinity.
Jaune has always gone to great lengths to stay close to the first when he travelled the multi-verse, he has his soulmate and longs for her every minute of the day, but the multi-verse calls to all, and that call has to be heeded or the mind shatters.
Jaune has been lost before, exploring an infinitely expanding infinity means you can't avoid it. It took him 20000 years to discover how to find his way home and another 2708 to feel those comforting vibrations of home.
Jaune wasn't going to waste 20000 years this time. His mind had settled and it was time to go home to her.
Meaning he now needs a compass.
He spread his mind back into the infinite sea of the multi-verse for as far as he could see, looking for favourable, strong emotions coupled to wills that can change worlds, and whose souls would recognise his own.
He found them quickly. Happiness, sadness, rage, joy, resentment, fear, love, despair... the full spectrum of emotion burning strong, and shinning beacons of will.
Jaune willed himself to their universe and reshaped his dimension to resemble it, and then he pulled them in.
/
"What the fuck just happened!" shouted Qrow as he rubbed at his eyes trying to restore his sight. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ren, Nora, Oscar and Maria were all in similar states. Blake and Maria being the worst hit by whatever blinding light flashed in front of their Atlas Bullhead as they approached the floating capital, surrounded by the full might of the Atlesian Air Fleet. Blakes faunus nature making her more susceptible to the sudden flash of light, while Marias artificial eyes needed to reboot.
"My Gods..." said Weiss as she looked around her, her eyes being one of the first to recover. "...This is the Vale CCT communications room..." she walked over to some of the large windows and looked out at an unspoiled Vale and Beacon. "...We're back in Beacon."
"Pst. No we're not. Beacon Tower was wrecked, no way we're there..." said Ruby as she walked to stand next to her pattern. Her expression turned to confusion as she looked out the window. "...Although..."
"This isn't possible. It would take a year or 2 to rebuild Beacon Tower..." said a squinting Blake as she and Yang stood next Ruby and Weiss. "...and decades to repair Vale to...this." finished Blake as she gestured out the window, her eyes going wide.
"Not to mention we were at least 3 days travel from Vale using our Bullhead. Despite how it appears, I don't believe this to be Vale." Said Ren as he and Nora walked over to join team RWBY. Nora stopped abruptly and spun round.
"Hey, where's Jaune!" Shouted Nora. Prompting everyone else in the room to turn and start looking for their friend.
Bing.
The elevator doors sounded and everyone jumped. Weapons locking into position or being made ready and all of them pointing at the elevators door as they opened, although Maria just pulled out a chair and sat down. The doors opened and Jaune strode out. At least he looked like Jaune. Alot.
He was physically larger and seemed to appear several years older. He still worn jeans and a hoody. His armour covering his torso the same gold and white, and he still had Crocea Mors on his left hip. However he now wore a long black trench coat with white and gold armoured Pauldrons and Bracers. His blonde hair was longer and nearly reaching his shoulders, though still shaggy. Lastly, he carried himself better...more confident and with strength.
"Wow Ladykiller. Hold it right there." said Yang, Jaune did come to a stop smirking in her direction. Yang wouldn't admit it to anyone, but this new Jaune definitely tickled her fancy a bit. Appearing older and just...more, than the one she remembered from barely a minute ago.
"Jaune..!" Shouted Ruby as she charged forward and around Jaune several times with her weapon going back behind her back. "...what happened to you? You look different?"
"I am the same as I have always been..." said Jaune, his hand coming up to rest on Rubys shoulder as he smiled down at her. "...older and wiser with every passing minute, but still me. I however, am not the Jaune that you all know. I am the first Jaune, the original. Your Jaune Ruby, is safe aboard the Bullhead I just pulled you all from." answered Jaune. Needless to say most of that answer was meaningless and only confused the people around him.
"Soooo...You aren't Jaune?" asked Nora, her hammer still ready.
"I'm not your Fearless Leader Nora, at least not as you know him. I am THE Jaune. I have brought you all here because I need your help."
"Where is Jaune?! Who are you?" Shouted Ruby as she stepped away from this imposter. Her hands going behind her back to grip her weapon.
"As I said, he is safely aboard your bullhead. I can not bring him here before you ask. To do so would kill him..."
"Why? How could bringing Mr Arc here cause his death when neither Miss Rose nor Li Ren have been harmed?" Interrupted Ozpin from Oscars young form.
"Ozpin! You give Oscar back his body right now." Shouted Yang as she gripped the shoulders of the very young man.
"I can fix that if you like." said Jaune as he lifted his right hand to shoulder height and snapped his fingers.
In a flash of light a new man appeared standing next to Oscar and Yang. Late 20s to early 30s with an average physic and dark hair. He was wearing a green Gambeson under grey armour with dark coloured pants, and he carried a staff with a green crystal at its crown. The man looked around confused before looking at Oscar with astonishment.
"Oh my." said this new man.
"There you are. You need not fear for Oscar now Yang. Ozma is now removed from his person." said Jaune.
Qrow walked over to the new arrival gingerly.
"Ozpin...that you."
The man Jaune identified as Ozma turned to Qrow with a unblemished smile of joy on his face.
"It is Qrow. I remember everything...but I have my body back..." Ozma actually hugged himself. "...Thank you." whispered Ozma
"It's fine. It's not the death that you want so badly but, I don't want to kill you. The curse is still upon you Ozma..." said Jaune as he walked over to the wizard. "...Remanent isn't finished with you yet, and it's not my place to interfere...Well, much. I just need your help to get home."
"What are you?" asked Ruby, looking at this man before her that looks so much like one of her best friends. However, where she would usually look upon Jaune with trust and pride. She now looked at him with confusion and fear.
"I'm Jaune Ruby. The First Jaune. Give me a few minutes and I'll do my best to explain..." pleaded Jaune. Ruby kept looking at him with her fearful and confused expression for a few more seconds before she took her hand away from her weapon. The rest of her team as well as Ren and Nora did the same, following her lead. "...Thank you. Is anyone here familiar with the multi-verse theory?" asked Jaune. He looked around and saw mostly blank expressions aside from one.
"The one where every action we take could result in a new universe being created for every other action that could have possibly taken place. You're saying you're from one of these other universes..?" asked Maria from her seat. Looking rather calm despite the current situations. Everyone looked round at her. "...what? I've been watching a lot of documentaries and reading a lot of different books since I had to retire, going from a life of action to retirement ain't easy."
"Well...that is what I'm talking about. Although it's every different path every atom in the universe can take, in every instant. I come from the first universe, I am the very first Jaune Arc, and due to the multi-verses infinitely expanding infinity it can be very easy to get lost in the multi-verse. Some are so different that your minds couldn't even grasp what it was looking at before you crumbled into madness, some, your senses would be useless and you wouldn't be able to physically perceive that universe at all. Some are so similar that no one could ever tell the difference unless you could find that 1 atom that moved differently between those 2 entire universes."
"Great. So you're our Jaune from a different universe. How the hell do you expect us to help you..?" said Yang with her hands on her hips. "...you just snapped your fingers and made a new body for Ozpin. You've somehow fixed all of Vale and transported us thousands of miles and you had better have turned the autopilot on for Jaune."
"I'm impressed you followed everything that's going on Yang..." said Weiss as she stood next to her buxom blonde friend. "...I sometimes forget that the bimbo act is an act."
"Love you too Ice Queen."
"Luckily for me lots of sci-fi helps me keep up." said Ruby as everyone started to relax now that they gathered that they weren't in any danger.
"I'm hungry..." muttered Nora as she plopped herself on the floor. "...we haven't eaten since we left Argus."
"That's not a problem Nora. Your bodily functions have been suspended..." said Jaune, getting every ones attention again. He turned to Yang. "...You're not looking out at your Vale Yang. We are currently in a pocket dimension I created for myself for when I explore the multi-verse, I have altered it to try and make you all more comfortable. It'll alter again and again as we travel to reflect our current location in the multi-verse. Your Jaune also has never been safer. Your universe recognises when a part of it is missing and will freeze itself until it has been wholly restored. I don't know why they do that, they just do, and it's very convenient really."
"We're going to be travelling?" asked Oscar, more afraid than ever now that he was in this situation without an ancient voice in his head to guide him.
"Yes Oscar. As we travel through the multi-verse I will be gauging your reactions to what we will be seeing. Those emotional reactions, the strong will of your minds and the blazing souls burning within you will be our guide. Your thoughts, feelings and souls will be looking for iterations of mine and then you will be taking us to them. Eventually our wondering will give me a bearing to my home. We will head in that direction until I can get a permanent fix, then I will send you home. Easy."
"We just need to watch these other universes?" asked Weiss.
"Yeah"
"How long will this take..?" asked Ozma. "You said our universe has frozen itself until our return and that our bodily functions have stopped, but my mind feels very active."
"Last time I was lost it took me around 22000 years to find my way back..." Jaune quickly raised his hands in a calming manor as everyone looked at him as if they were about to explode. "...but the first 20000 I was on my own. When I did this last time it took only 2000ish years to get home."
Their was a pause.
"WHAT!" shouted everyone apart from Maria and Ozma.
"Are you fucking kidding me with this!" shouted Qrow.
"Fuck That!" shouted Yang.
"2000 years in here!" shouted Weiss.
"We'll go mad!" shouted Blake.
"PANCAKES..!" shouted Nora.
Everyone turned to look at her. "...What?"
"This person suspended your bodily functions Nora." stated Ren.
"Exactly! 2000 years of my tummy rumbling. No siree Ren..." She turned to Jaune. "...PANCAKES..!" Jaune sighed and snapped his fingers again. In a flash of light a plate of Pancakes appeared in front of Nora and she quickly caught them before they could fall. She took a bite and nodded to herself. "...not to Ren standards but they'll do..." looking at Juane. "...We're good."
"Now then..." said Weiss walking up to Jaune with hands on her hips.
"Too late. Questions will have to wait..." said Jaune raising his hand to stop Weiss. "...That outburst has triggered the process. We're off." said Jaune smiling.
All save for Nora, who was happily eating, opened their mouths in shock before everything flashed white.
/
When everyone could see again they were standing in a large concrete room filled with very impressive but unfamiliar cars of various unknown types. Work tables and a small kitchenette with a staircase surrounded by glass panelling was on one side of the room and a large multiscreen computer terminal was off in one corner opposite the stairs. All in all the large garage/workshop screamed private resources and money.
"Nice!" shouted Yang as she stomped right up to the hotrod red Ford Flathead Roadster surrounded by clean, ordered tools and away from the other more modern looking cars on the other side of the garage.
"1953 Ford Flathead Roadster. Classic car from this universe." said Jaune walking up to stand beside Yang as she continued to drool over the machine.
"Hey! We're not done yet!" Yelled Weiss as she marched over.
Interrupting Weiss again, holographic emitters came to life around the room and started to form a large free floating screen in the middle of the room.
The room filled with automatic gunfire, and the screen showed Jaune running and hiding behind a large rock as gun fire followed. He flipped out some sort of small scroll and started typing frantically. A second later there was a wooshing whistling sound and a shell with the words `Arc Industries` landed a few feet from him. He yelled and scrambled away as the weapon exploded, flooring him. After a second of laying flat on his back blood started to flow from all over his chest, Jaune ripped open his suite shirt revealing personal armour, which apparently hadn't protected him from the shower of shrapnel.
"Well...that was over quick. That version of you is dead. The shrapnel in his chest will shred his insides before to long..." commented Qrow as he reclined in the back seat of one of the convertible cars. "...I could use a drink."
"Uncle Qrow." muttered Ruby looking up at the ceiling.
"Where's Jaunes Aura? Has it not been unlocked in this universe?" asked Weiss.
"There is no Aura in this universe. Souls more often than not are dormant throughout the multi-verse. Glad to see you've calmed down a little." said Jaune.
Weiss humpfed and crossed her arms glaring at the first Jaune. "Oh we're not done."
The screen then started flashing as images of Jaune appeared with him tied down to a table. Blood was all over his chest, Jaune was thrashing and yelling until someone put a cloth to his chest and he seemed to go to sleep.
"What happened there?" asked Ozma gesturing to the holographic screen.
"Perceptive Temporal Dislocation. Everything we're seeing is universal perception, mixed with ours and the Jaune we're watching. Unless we're invested enough in what we're seeing, we'll jump to parallel multi-verses which are further along in their lives. It'll settle again very quickly when all our perceptions are aligned again." answered Jaune.
"Errrr." mumbled Ruby.
"It means we'll be skipping the boring bits. Like watching this Jaune sleep." said Maria as she sipped a cup of coffee.
"Where'd you get that?" asked Ozma excitedly. Maria just pointed at the kitchenette. Ozma was rooting through cupboards in an eye blink.
The screen now showed Jaune waking with a start, he coughed and fumbled a little as he pulled a tube out of his nose.
"God I hate those things...feels really weird." said Qrow wondering over to see what else was in the cupboards.
Jaune knocked a cup of water over in his confusion before noticing a man standing nearby shaving, and then he tried to reach for a bottle nearby when he was stopped by something pulling on his chest.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." commented the shaving man.
Jaune rolled back over and saw a battery with wires going underneath the bandages surrounding his chest. He frantically ripped then away to reveal a large circular piece of metal embedded into his chest with the battery wires attached to it. Jaune started to breath faster as he tried to sort through in his head what was going on.
"Oh my Oum. That's what they did to him?!" shouted Nora gesturing to the screen.
"What is it?" asked Ren.
A little while later Jaune was sitting on his bunk looking at the device on his chest with a small mirror as the shaving man cooked something over a fire.
"What the hell'd you do to me?" asked Jaune softly. His voice still a little horse from yelling and screaming before he was knocked out.
"What I did? Hm hm. What I did is to save your life. I removed all the shrapnel I could, there's a lot left and it's heading into your Atrial Septum. Here want ta see? I have a souvenir..." The shaving man picked up a small sealed jar and gave it a little shake before tossing it to Jaune. "...Take a look..." Jaune looked, seeing some small very sharp looking pieces of metal.
"Nasty looking fuckers aren't they. Not a good way to die." said Qrow unusually sombrely, despite having found a drink.
"Indeed my friend. I've had the unfortunate pleasure of suffering that lethargic end. Those around me suffered more of course. I knew my soul would find another host and I would live on, but that is small comfort for grieving loved ones as they watch you pass." said Ozma, rather detached considering he suffered through what the Jaune they are watching is going through right now. He received a couple of concerned and confused looks from teams RWBY and jNpR. Oscar looked even more lost while Maria was just watching the scene unfold.
"I've seem may wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead, because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs."
"What is this?" questioned Jaune, interrupting.
"That? Is an Electro-magnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart."
Jaune closed the hoody he was wearing and looked around the cave, quickly spotting the camera watching them.
"That's right. Smile. We met once you know, at a technical conference in Bern."
"I don't remember." answered Jaune absent mindedly, looking off to the side in thought.
"No you wouldn't. Hm hm. If I had been that drunk I wouldn't have been able to stand much less give a lecture on ah, Integrated Circuits."
"Boy after me own heart." said Qrow saluting the screen.
"Where are we?" asked Jaune.
Before he could get an answer the door to the cave was hit and someone drew back a viewing slide to yell through at the prisoners.
"Come on stand up..." hissed the man with Jaune, as he tensed up. He walked up to Jaune and grabbed him under his arm pulling him up. "...Stand up. Do as I Do. Come on put your hands up."
The door then swung open and a group of armed men walked in. Dressed in clothing in earthy tones and with obvious military purpose, but not.
"Those are my guns? How did they get my guns?" said Jaune.
"Do you understand me? Do as I do."
The man in the lead gestured elaborately as he gave a little speech in a language no one understood, but he seemed pleased with himself, and when he was finished he gestured to Jaunes' fellow prisoner to translate.
"Super creepy vibes here. Do not like that guy!" said Yang pointing a finger and glaring at the man on screen.
"Damn right. Hope that Jaune breaks his legs!" shouted Nora as the two powerhouses fist bumped.
"He says `Welcome Jaune Arc. The most famous mass murderer in the history of America..." The main figure then spoke some more, and continued to do so with Jaunes' fellow prisoner translating. "...He's honoured...He wants you to build the missile...The Jericho Missile that you demonstrated..." The lead man gave them a picture and Jaunes' fellow prisoner showed it to Jaune. "...This one." The picture showed a wheeled missile launcher carrying 4 missiles.
Everyone on the cave paused as they all waited for Jaune to answer.
"I refuse."
"Yeah!" shouted Nora.
A second later and Jaune was being dunked in to a large trough of water and being held there as he yelled and thrashed about. Pulled out for a few seconds before being pushed back in again.
Jaunes' chest magnet then sparked and seemed to glow.
"Jaune."
Everyone looked at the screen in shock.
"Oh my Oum." whispered Nora.
"Was that Pyrrha?" asked Ruby.
"Well. This is an alternate universe. She must still be alive in it." said Weiss.
Ruby was overjoyed to hear Pyrrhas' voice again, but also felt a quick flash of guilt. She was liking how things were at the moment. They all knew that Jaune and Pyrrha shared something during the Battle of Beacon and that it hit Jaune like a sledge hammer when he was told she was dead. However they were getting closer now, and she liked it. Jaune was getting stronger and smarter every day. Ruby and Jaune complimented each other well in their shared leadership roll. She loved how he hugged her like a large warn blanket that can shield her from a charging Nuckelavee while she blew its head off. She didn't want to lose what she hoped to get, and looking back, what Pyrrha always wanted.
After a while, Jaune was lead out of the caves with a bag on his head to obviously prevent him from figuring out the route from his cell to the cave entrance.
When the bag was torn from his head and his eyes had adjusted to the light, he saw a lot of weapons underneath camouflaged netting. They made their way a little bit from the cave entrance and displayed all the lethal tools in the large camp. Nearly every single one branded with Jaunes' company name. `Arc Industries`.
The lead man spoke again and Jaunes' fellow translated.
" He wants to know what you think?"
"I think you got a lot of my weapons." answered Jaune. The lead man wondered around talking again.
"He says ah, they have everything you need to build the Jericho Missile. He wants you to make a list of materials...he says ha, for you to start working immediately and when your done, he will set you free."
Jaune reached for the lead mans out stretched hand and shook it smiling.
"No he won't." said Jaune.
"No he won't." confirmed his fellow.
"I like that guy." said Qrow.
"Jaunes' gonna kick their asses. I can tell. I have a sixth sense about when ass is going to be kicked." said Nora smugly. Complete faith in her fearless leader, even an alternate one.
"So this Jaune apparently heads a weapons manufacturing company. `Arc Industries`, I like it. Has a nice ring to it." commented Weiss.
"Then why'd these guys tell him to build a missile for them. Wouldn't ransom be better for them. How many CEOs know how to do what their companies actually do?" asked Yang.
"Maybe his more hands on. I hope he gets rescued soon." said Ruby.
"He will be fine. If he's anything like our Jaune, and I've seen some comparable behaviour, he's already planning several means of escape." said Ren, just like Nora, having complete faith in his leader/brother.
Jaune and his fellow prisoner were back in their cave cell sitting in front of a fire.
"I'm sure they're looking for you Arc. They will never find you in these mountains..." Jaunes' fellow prisoner knelt beside Jaune. "...Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy Arc. Your lifes' work in the hands of those murderers! Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Jaune Arc..." as Jaunes' fellow was talking Jaune himself just stared into the fire. "...Or are you going to do something about it?"
"Why should I do anything..." started Jaune before his fellow stopped talking. "...they're going to kill me, you, either way if they don't I'll probably be dead in a week."
"Well then, this is a very important week for you. Isn't it? Hmm."
They then jumped to a little later and their cave prison was a hive of activity. Men were carrying equipment and weapons in all directions. With Jaune giving out instructions and telling them what equipment he wanted with his fellow translating. A little later still and Jaune is now working on the weapons that had been brought in.
"Well. Looks like you called it little Missy. Hands on guy. He must design nearly everything himself if he can field strip his missiles under duress with no reference material." commented Maria
Yang stifled a snort.
"Really Yang? Jaune appears to have been kidnapped by terrorists and forced to work for them and you're snorting at missile penis metaphors." shouted Weiss, earning a look from Ruby.
"Come one Wice cream. Jaunes' going to get out of this. He's throwing his weight around already. He'll be fine." said Yang smugly.
"How many languages do you speak?" asked Jaune as he was dismantling one of his missiles.
"Alot, but apparently not enough for this place. They speak Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Farsi, Russian."
"Why the hell would they have so many.!?" asked Weiss. "...They all look human to me."
"More often than not, worlds are split between many cultures. This one has thousands of different ones, probably why they fight so often. They all believe and sometimes think differently." said Jaune.
"Who are these people?" asked Jaune as he pulled out the electronics support cradle from the missile.
"They are your loyal customers sir. They call themselves the Ten Rings."
A few minutes later and Jaune was still stripping down missiles with his fellow not yet being put to use.
"Now, we might be more productive if you include me in the planning process."
"Yaha." said Jaune rather dismissively.
Jaune started hitting the tip of a missile, making his fellow winch, until the tip came away and he reached inside and pulled out a large component of the missile. He started to strip this part down even further before picking up a small metal piece.
"Ok we don't need this." and promptly throw the rest over his shoulder and showing his fellow what he had extracted.
"What is that?"
"That's Palladium .15 grams. We need at least 1.6 so why don't you break down the other 11?"
Later, Jaune was preparing a smelting cup and his fellow picked up a cup of melted Palladium.
"Careful, careful. We only get one shot at this." said Jaune, hovering over his fellows shoulder as he carefully move from the furnace to the smelting cup.
"Relax. I have steady hands. Why do you think you are still alive?"
Jaune put his car battery onto the table with a thud as his fellow carefully poured the liquid metal into the mold.
"What do I call you?" asked Jaune.
"My name is Yensen."
"Yensen. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." said Yensen as he stood from his contribution.
Jaune then started delicately building and soldering together the components he had just extracted from missile or created by hand from the materials until he was sitting in front of the completed device. He slowly moved a lever bringing his creation to glowing blue life and filling the cave with a deep hum.
"Wow! I don't know what it is, but its looks boss." said Yang.
"And not missile shaped from what I can tell." said Oscar sheepishly. Slowly having walked up to stand amongst the older teenagers.
"That's cause it part of Jaunes' master escape plan." shouted Nora, throwing an arm around the young man.
"Woo. That doesn't look like a Jericho Missile." said Yensen, leaning in to get a closer look at the device.
"That's because it's a miniaturised Arc Reactor. I got a big one powering my factory at home..." Jaune gestured to the reactor. "...This should keep the shrapnel out of my heart."
"But what could it generate?"
"If my math is right, and it always is. 3 gigajoules per second."
"Are you kidding me?!" shouted Weiss and Ruby at the same time. Making all their friends around them jump.
"Ruby! Oum, what the hell!" shouted Yang.
"You Dolt! That equates to 3 Gigawatts. That little thing could power Vale!" shouted back Weiss as Ruby rubbed some drool from her chin.
"A dust reactor that can fit in the palm of your hand. That's the Hell Yang. With that thing I could turn Crescent Rose into Rail Gun! Hell! A Rail Super Cannon!" said Ruby, jumping up and down in excitement and squealing for joy.
"Ha..." started Yang smugly. "...Looks like I called it them."
Blake just sighed and face palmed at her partner.
"That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes."
"Yeah, or something big for 15 minutes..." said Jaune. They both then moved over to one of the work tables and Jaune laid out some of the diagrams he had been working on. Yensen scrutinised them and couldn't make heads nor tails of the odd diagrams. "...This is our ticket out of here."
"What is it?"
"Flatten them out and look." and Jaune did just that. The papers together formed a diagram of a hulking suite of armour with the Arc Reactor clearly meant to be in the middle of the chest.
"Master Escape Plan! What did I say!" shouted Nora, shaking Ren wildly.
"That does look imposing. How is a suite of armour suppose to get him out though. He'll just be overwhelmed as he escapes." wondered Blake.
"It'll fly! Obviously!" shouted Nora.
"Yeah. That's obvious." threw in Weiss making it obvious how much she believed that.
"Woow. Impressive." said Yensen, awed.
Time passed on. Yensen installed the Arc Reactor into Jaunes' chest and the two of them worked together for weeks making the parts for the suite in secret while pretending to work on the Jericho Missile.
Jaune and Yensen were playing a board game, they couldn't work all the time. Mental fatigue would set in and compromise their work, and it was too important to allow any faults to occur.
"Good roll good roll." said Yensen.
Jaune handed the dice to Yensen, you could see the Arc Reactor glowing past Jaunes' shirt.
"You still haven't told me where you're from."
"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place."
"Got a family?"
"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you Arc?" asked Yensen expectingly, as if he already knew what the answer will be.
"No."
"No? So you're a man that has everything, and nothing."
"I really like that guy. Got his head on straight and priorities right." said Qrow, back to lounging in one of the convertible cars.
"How would you know? All you do is drink and fight." asked Yang rather hotly.
"You know why I can't have a family..!" shouted Qrow. "...I curse my bad luck about that every damn day!" Qrow then turned away pointedly avoiding the stares of all those around him.
Yang hung her head hearing that. She did know that and knew the second she said it that it was unfair. Qrow would have made a good dad. Not great, but a damn good one.
"Jes Yang..." muttered Ruby. "...that was mean."
"I know. I don't why I just said that."
"He's a Branwen..." muttered Blake. "...I think sometimes you tar Qrow with the same brush as your mother because they are related. Forgetting how different they are."
The weeks turned into months and Jaune and Yensen continued to work day after day creating the means of their escape little by little. Cutting metal, welding it into new shapes. Crafting servos and joints and programming code.
However the patience of their captures wasn't infinite.
The viewing slide slid open and the lead man shouted through. He opened the door and lead his men in pointing their weapons at Jaune and Yensen as they stopped work and raised their hands above their heads.
However a lot more people came into the cave this time. Over a dozen and they made way for another to walk between them calmly, almost relaxed. He approached Jaune and Yensen.
"Relax." said this new man, the obvious leader of this group, surpassing the one Jaune use to think was in charge. Jaune and Yensen both lowered their arms.
"Ok. The other guy gave me creepy vibes, this one, evil vibes." said Yang.
"Strikes me as the self-righteous type." said Blake in disgust. Knowing how far the self-righteous can fall thanks to Adam.
This actual Leader walked up to Jaune casually and examined the Arc Reactor implanted in his chest for a moment.
"The Bow and Arrow, once was the pinnacle of weapons technology..." the leader started walking around examining everything. "...It allowed the Great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great, and four times the size of the Roman Empire..." the leader picked up the diagrams Jaune had drawn showing his armour. He looked to Yensen and Yensen gestured for Jaune to relax and stay calm. "...But today, whoever holds the latest Arc Weapons rules these lands, and soon..." the leader put the papers back down and turned to Jaune. "...It will be my turn."
The leader walked right up to Arc and they stared at each other for a second before the leader started talking to Yensen in a different language without turning from Jaune. He then turned and walked over to Yensen talking to him directly. Yensen was then grabbed by 2 of the terrorists and forced to his knees while the leader walked over to the furnace and started poking at it with prongs. When he turned from the heat he was holding a red hot piece of coal in the prongs.
"Oh my Oum. They aren't going to torture him are they?" asked Ruby fearfully. Some of this hadn't been to bad to watch. Making that Reactor and watching Jaune and Yensen talk and play a game was pretty cool, but they were still being held by terrorists. They were both very far from being safe and Ruby couldn't help but fear.
"What does he want?" asked Arc, fear and concern conflicting within him.
The leader grabbed Yensens' head and lowered it down to the anvil he was kneeling in front of. He started questioning Yensen over and over and Yensen giving the same answer and the leader getting louder and louder.
"What do you want? A delivery date..?" said Jaune stepping forward and as he did every gun in the room pointed at him and the leader looked at him expectingly. "...I need him. Good assistant."
The leader dropped the piece of smoking coal next to Yensens face and threw the prongs passed Jaune onto the ground.
"You have till tomorrow, to assemble my missile."
After the terrorists had all left Jaune was once again hard at work. He was working a forge and anvil and as luck would have it he was completing the last and most obvious piece of his armour. He hammered away at the heated metal shaping it into the required form and dunked it in water before placing the steaming piece of metal in front of Yensen. Steam raising out of the eye holes and mouth grill of the armours face plate.
"Ok. He did not look bad just then. Obviously a civilian, but still good. What'd you think Weiss? Know any CEOs that can pull off the hot blacksmith look?" teased Yang, more to try and ease the tension after nearly seeing someone get branded by burning hot coal than anything else. Although she did like the look of what she just saw.
"Well a lot of CEOs do like to keep fit. A healthy body equals a healthy mind after all. However I doubt any of them have any clue of how to use an anvil and hammer." said Weiss.
"We all know what Ruby thinks." teased Qrow. Making Ruby turn beat red and glare at him.
"Ha! You're right there. Little Rubes here could tell us exactly what that Jaune was doing to shape the metal and probably has ideas of how his going to secure it too. Ain't that right Rubes." said Yang as she grabbed Ruby in a headlock as her arms and leg flayed wildly.
"Shut up Yang! I was not thinking about that at all!" shouted Ruby, Blake raised an eyebrow at that comment having noticed how red Ruby went.
"Children." muttered Maria with a laugh.
Jaune and Yensen were now ready. The armour was finished and now it was time to put it to use. They worked seamlessly as they prepared the armours numerous parts to be fitted to Jaune. After an hour or so, that seemed longer to the 2 soon to be escapees, the chest piece for the armour was lowered into place about Jaunes' chest and the Arc Reactor shone through brightly.
"Ok...Can you move? Ok, say it again." said Yensen as he continued to assemble the armour around Jaune.
"41 steps straight ahead, then 16 steps. That's from the door, fork right, 33 steps turn right." recited Jaune, knowing that to get lost in this cave maze will be to die.
A minute later the viewing slide on the door was pulled back yelling came through.
"Say somethin, say something back." said Jaune.
"He's specking Hungarian. I don't know..."
"Then speck Hungarian."
"Ok ,I know..."
"What do you know?" asked Jaune. Yensen started yelling something back but it apparently wasn't what they wanted to hear as Jaune heard the locking bar move on the door as Yensen continued working. At the last moment they both braced.
BANG!
The explosion rocked the cave and threw the doors back and into the men behind it that died from the impact, Yensen and Jaune were spared from most of the flying debris as they had placed their workstation knowing that the bomb Jaune made was there.
"Yeah! Stage one of Jaunes' Master Escape Plan is in effect. `OPEN DOOR`!" shouted Nora throwing a fist into the air.
"How'd that work?" asked Jaune as Yensen looked at where the door to their prison use to be.
"Oh my goodness. It worked alright."
"That's what I do."
"Let me finish this."
"It's finished..." said Jaune. "...Initialise the power sequence."
"Ok." Yensen moved over to a laptop on the table.
"Now."
"Tell me tell me."
"Function 11, tell me when you see a progress bar..." Yensen pushed the button. "...It should be up right now. Talk to me tell me when you have it."
"I have it."
"Press Control I. I Enter. I and Enter. Come over here and button me up." Yensen ran back over and started tightening the fasteners.
"Ok, all right."
"Every other Hex Bolt."
"They're coming!" shouted Yensen.
"Nothing pretty, just get it done."
They could both hear shouts and yelling coming from the entrance to their cave cell. Yensen was watching the progress bar on the laptop progress maddeningly slowly.
"Make sure the checkpoints are clear before you follow me out ok."
"We need more time..." Yensen turned from the computer and looked at Jaune trapped in his, at the moment, powerless armour. "...Hey, I'm gonna go buy you some time." Yensen then moved away towards the entrance.
"Stick to the plan! Stick to the Plan..!" yelled Jaune, a moment later he heard his only friend for the last 3 months running and firing an assault rifle. "YENSEN!" shouted Jaune as he looked back at the laptops screen helplessly.
It seemed to take an age, but eventually the process completed and power ran around Jaune as his armour came to life. He ripped himself free of the cradle supporting his and his armours weight just as some of the terrorists fearfully entered his cove prison. He stood as still as he could, waiting for the right moment to announce his presence to his captors. One came close enough and he lashed out, the hit sent the man flying across the cave, the impact with his metal gauntlet crushing the mans chest and the impact with the cave wall braking his skull. The others at the entrance fired wildly into the cave hoping to hit something, when they stopped he marched up and illuminated them before him with the blue glow of his Arc Reactor. He smashed the 2 nearest to him to either side killing them like he did the first and then marched through gun fire and hit the last terrorist into the dirt.
"Do you see that thing! That is badass personified right there..!" shouted Yang, she pulled Ruby into her chest and pointed at the holoscreen. "...you have got to figure that out."
"Let go..!" shouted Ruby forcing her head between Yangs tits and then escaping under her arm. "...I can't use that thing..." said Ruby taking large gulps of air. "...it's too heavy it'll slow me down too much. I also have no idea how to make armour!" shouted Ruby.
Jaune marched down the cave tunnels. Thunderous footsteps competing with gunfire. Jaune shrugged off the bullets directed at him as he was charged repeatedly by people who had no idea what they were going to do. He smashed all that got close into the cave walls or sent them flying down tunnels. The power behind the hits killing his captors before they hit the ground.
"Jaunes' being pretty merciless at the moment." said Blake as another terrorist was pounded into the dirt. With no Aura for protection the hit would have caved in his ribs, either killing the man outright or forcing him to die slowly as his lungs filled with blood.
"His goal is to escape and find his friend. I wouldn't hold back either if I was in his place. A knocked out person can wake up, and then he'll be behind you. Best to leave the path behind you empty." said Qrow. Although both Ruby and Yang knew that Qrow would have had to do some pretty nasty things in his work against Salem, it always threw them for a loop. Their loving uncle has killed, probably a lot.
By now the terrorists were running for their lives. Their weapons couldn't stop Jaune and they couldn't get close because he'd bludgeon them to death in a single hit. A single terrorist was ahead of him as he stomped down the tunnel and his fellows sealed a door behind him. He turned to run as Jaune got closer and found the way closed. The terrorist started pounding on it in panic and then turned as the light being emitted by the Arc reactor glowed around the panicking man.
Jaune drew his arm back and struck. No hesitation or mercy for his captors. The dead body fell to the floor and Jaune pounded on the metal door with his enhanced strength provided by his armour. After the 3rd hit on the doors they flew from their frame crushing at least 1 additional terrorist as the rest continued to flee.
1 attempted hit that missed its target got his arm lodged into the cave wall and while he was trying to free his arm a terrorist snack up behind him with a gun drawn and pointing at Jaunes head.
"Oh no!" said Ruby, worried that everything Jaune had gone through and all the work he'd done to free himself would be wasted by sheer bad luck. Although Qrow could turn that to his advantage in a fight, she doubted this Jaune could.
The terrorist fired and the bullet bounced off of Jaunes armoured head and straight into the terrorists. Jaune looked round wondering what had caused that terrible noise and ringing in his helmet that hurt his ears. When he turned back he gave his arm one last mighty pull and it came free. Jaune then continued towards the cave entrance. His loud echoing footsteps giving the terrorists ample warning to escape as Jaune met less resistance.
Close to the entrance Jaune came across Yensin laying on some sand bags fighting to breath.
"Yensin!" yelled Jaune as he started to walk towards his only friend here.
"Watch Out!" yelled Yensin weakly as less than a second later a grenade was launched at Jaune by the terrorist leader exploding just a few feet from Jaunes head.
Never to be out done Jaune primed the only ranged option he had and fired a small missile in retaliation. The burning debris and rock fell onto the leader and he collapsed, either dead or unconscious.
"Did he really have to kill all these people?" asked Ruby quietly and mostly to herself. Yang looked round and was about to say something in defence of Jaunes actions when she paused to think about it a bit deeper. As far as Yang was aware, only she and Blake have ever taken a life.
Adam.
At the time when she was still high on adrenalin and the sheer relief that she wasn't the one who was dead, she felt pretty good about it. As minutes ticked by she became more conflicted. She didn't regret it, but she had killed someone. An act that she herself considers evil, but that she rationalised away.
"I'm sure he wouldn't if he could help it Ruby. You know Jaune. The right thing is just what he does. However in this situation..." said Ren gesturing to the holographic screen. "...I think months trapped, tortured, the constant fear and stress. It doesn't make it right, but I think it can't be helped."
"Yeah. Jaune maybe hard at times but he's no killer. Our fearless leader's better than that." shouted Nora trying to cheer Ruby up.
Nora was right, although they looked so similar, but older and with a blond beard, this wasn't her Jaune. Ruby nodded to herself and returned to watching the screen.
Jaune walked over to Yensin and threw a sandbag that was on top on him out the way.
"Arc..." breathed Yensin, his face was pale from blood lose and he was sweating when Jaune lifted his face mask.
"Come on. We got to go. Move for me. Come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it." said Jaune. He knew what the answer was going to be, but Jaune stubbornly stuck to that little bit of hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked.
"This was always the plan Arc" breathed Yensin. The effort to speak obvious.
"Come on, you're going to go see your family. Get up." Jaune pretty much ordered desperately. This was his friend for the last 3 months trapped in this hell hole. He wanted Yensin to march out with him and escape this place.
"My family is dead."
Everyone turned as they heard a loud crash from behind them near the cars. Qrow had punched one of the expensive looking vehicles leaving a large dent and deformed metal. Qrow slowly removed his arm from the creator he'd just punched into the car.
"It's always the fucking same!" snarled Qrow. Ozma walked up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Indeed it is my friend. The strong in humanity preying on the weak. That is why we fight, to show the world what the strong should be doing." said Ozma. The teens turned back to the screen and Qrow shrugged off Omzas' hand.
"Don't think I've forgotten everything you thought I didn't need to know." whispered Qrow as he tried to walk past before Ozma stopped him grabbing his shirt. Qrow looked up into this unfamiliar face of one of his oldest friends and teacher. Omzas' eyes held a spark of anger, something Qrow didn't see often and knew to be wary of.
"We are fighting a war against a being that can't die with the fate of all life on Remanent in the balance..." whispered back Omza. "... I WILL do what I must." Qrow grabbed Ozmas' arm and pushed it aside.
"I'm on board with that, but I want the truth Ozpin, Ozma? Whatever your name is now? I dedicated my life to a task that can't be done. It's time for a new plan. One that doesn't involve throwing away the lives of children every generation." Qrow marched past Ozma looking for a new place to sit.
Ozma turned as well and saw THE Jaune looking right at him. He gestured to the screen and Ozma walked back to stand behind the teens watching the scene unfold.
"I'm going to see them now Arc. It's ok. I want this. I want this." finished Yensin as his life continued to slowly drift away. Jaune blew out a breath and smiled. He didn't know why, relief that his friends suffering was about to end? The sheer stress and fear and anger finally getting to him and making him go nuts. He didn't know. What he did know, was that it was long past time to give this man his due.
"Thank you for saving me."
"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life." said Yensin, and in a few quick breaths he had past on.
"That's so sad. I really liked him." muttered Nora to herself. Ren put an arm around her shoulders as they and everyone else continued to watch the screen sombrely, feeling the same way.
Jaune stood back up feeling the anger course through him again and looked towards the entrance of the cave, not 20 meters away now. He pulled the face mask back down and started marching towards the barrier between him and freedom. His footsteps echoing around him and undoubtedly warning the terrorists of his coming. He exited the cave and stood out in the sun light. Dozens of armed men surrounding the entrance with automatic weapons pointed right at him.
A second later these men open fire and sparks went fly from Jaunes armour. He is staggered by the sheer number of weapons firing at him and the kinetic energy that thankfully couldn't pierce the armour he'd crafted.
After 10 seconds of continuous fire the terrorists stop and simply stare in awe. Only an actually tank could have taken all that weapons fire from modern assault weapons.
"My turn." says Jaune, sounding calmer than he actually was with his anger simmering below the surface.
Fire burst out of Jaunes gauntlets and bathes everything in its burning embrace. He walked away from the cave and spread the fire as far as he could reach, marching through their camp, taking fire all the time. These were his weapons being used to terrorise and kill innocents. He made them to continue his families legacy. To protect his home and nation and they were now here. In the hands of his countries enemies. He would not allow that.
Jaune set fire to everything he came across, every single crate that bore his name. They started to exploded as the volatile contents reacted to the heat. A 50 cal, probably a Browning his distracted mind thought, started shooting at him too. Something broke in his leg armour, either a gear, chain or piston as the heavy rounds hit him. It was time to leave. Everything around him would soon be gone, he didn't want to explode with it.
He stood up and pushed the ignition switch on his arm and the rockets built into his feet fired. The explosions grew more intense as crate after crate detonated.
Jaune started to lift into the air.
"WHAT DID I SAY!" shouted Nora.
Everything was exploding now and Jaune was surround by intense heat and flames as he continued to swore upwards.
The entire valley that the cave was in them went up in a huge fire ball that chased after Jaune until Jaune outpaced it and escaped into cooler air. He continued to swore away into the sky until the engines in his feet gave out. At which point he started falling. Very far. He screamed as his uncontrolled decent continued with parts of his armour finally falling off as it gave up trying to stay together.
Jaune than crashed into a sand dune creating a small creator and burying himself up to his waist. He started throwing off broken bits of his armour. Most of it really from his arms and threw his helmet off before laying still for a few moments in exhaustion.
"Not bad."
"Not BAD!" shouted Nora, shaking with pent up energy and shocked that after something so awesome occurred he'd be so nonchalant about.
"That was fucking awesome!" shouted Yang, starring gobsmacked at the screen that then promptly disappeared.
"Control yourself you brute. Although I have to say that was an impressive and ingénues feat." said Weiss turning with the rest of her friends away from the now vanished screen since it was no longer there to hold their attention.
"Arh. You going all soft on our Fearless Leader now. That I think was the first compliment to come out of you." Teased Nora as she appeared very close over Weiss' shoulder making the petite young woman jump.
"Ahh..." taking a moment to compose herself. "...no Nora! That wasn't our Jaune remember. It's a different one from a different universe. Ours is still a huge fool."
"Me thinks she protests too much." said Yang appearing shoulder to shoulder with her fellow powerhouse as they both appraised Weiss with critical expressions as she looked back with a gobsmacked, shocked look.
"Ok guys, that'll do..." said Ruby as she walked up next to Weiss. Both to end the teasing of her partner and because she didn't really like where the implications lead. "...Although I didn't like all those people catching fire. That was really cool. Our Jaune is pretty smart when he actually tries. Do you think he'd be able to do anything like that?" asked Ruby.
"Jaune isn't really the academic type..." started Ren, with Nora gasping. "...although the 3rd strongest here, I don't think that type of technical exercise is within our Jaunes range."
"3rd strongest?" asked Blake.
"Not in ability, but in strength, easily. After Yang and Nora he is easily able to output the most in the form of brute strength, and I think he might be able to soak up more damage thanks to his constitution and massive Aura reserves than you 2..." said Ren nodding at Yang and Nora. "...but as I've said. Although he has a flexible mind he isn't academically gifted."
Everyone just looked at Ren for a moment as if he just grew a second head.
"Wow. That was like...3 or 4 whole sentences." said Yang. Nora than jumped on Ren and gave him a big kiss on the check and a bone crunching hug.
"Ohhh...I knew you had it in you."
"Jaune?" Everyone looked around to see Ozma standing in front of Jaune.
"Yes Ozma?"
"You have all the knowledge of every Jaune Arc?"
"I do." replied Jaune. Ozma thought that Jaune already knows what he's going to ask and could answer right now. However for whatever reason doesn't.
"Do you know how Salem can be defeated?" asked Ozma. Everyone was silent. Could it really be this simple? Just ask this Jaune and then defeat Salem.
"Yes." answered Jaune. Everyone waited but he didn't say any more. He stood in front of Ozma like an immoveable statue. Ozma knew that few could maintain eye contact with him. The knowledge and pain of ages could be seen in his eyes no matter how old the body he inhabits, and some how, people can see or feel that. This time...looking into the eyes of this Jaune...Ozma found it difficult to not look away. His eyes may contain the ages of Remanent, but this Jaunes contained the ages of universes. He felt sorry for a second for the people he knowing turned his full gaze upon now.
"Will you tell me?" he asked again.
There was a pause of several seconds before Jaune answered. "You know...I'm not suppose to interfere with the universes..." said Jaune. He saw Ozma deflate and waited just an extra second for his own perverse enjoyment. "...much." finished Jaune and Ozmas' face at that one word was worth being a little bit of a dick to the poor guy.
"I'll tell you what you need Ozma. You'll have to work out the rest for yourself..." said Jaune, pausing again.
"You're being mean you know." said Ruby, with a cute scowl, which wasn't at all intimidating. Jaune just smirked.
"You need Ruby, and you need Jaune. Both need to be fully committed to the cause for it to succeed."
"Awesome. We're all set then!" shouted Nora striking a dramatic pose on Rens' shoulders.
"Are you?" asked Jaune. Causing the atmosphere of relief to evaporate.
The room began to glow at that question, and in a flash of blinding light everything around them changed.
(Crossover = Iron Man)