A/N: Qrow's getting introduced a lot earlier than in canon, because it makes sense with Penny's introduction here. Thanks for leaving reviews, and I apologize for how long this chapter took. Enjoy!
Qrow's day is looking up.
"Really, Jimmy's sending his second-best this time?" he comments, balancing effortlessly on the steel beam connecting the two under-construction Atlesian skyscrapers.
"Don't patronize me," Winter Schnee snarls from two floors below him. Her pristine white-and-blue Atlesian uniform doesn't have a single crease, like the clothes make the fighter. "I'm going to bring you in."
"Oh, sure you are. Why don't you go back to pencil-pushing and spending Daddy's money and let the real heroes get back to their jobs."
Winter vaults up two stories, until she's at the other end of the beam. Apparently she's a little better than he gave her credit for. Still not good enough to have a hope of beating him.
"There was a security breach earlier this morning. Classified Atlesian military engineering projects were stolen. And you're the only one with the skill and knowledge to crack that vault."
"For once, I didn't do it." He raises a hand to placate Winter as she raises her saber. "I'm not a thief. I've broken out a few innocent prisoners in my day, but I'm not a thief. I can assure you."
"You're also not well-known for telling the truth."
"Maybe, maybe. But if Jimmy –"
"James," Winter growls.
"I don't give a fuck. If he stops worrying about my attempts to make his job easier and focuses on catching the real criminals here, you'd have your thief in days."
"We set an example for criminals by catching them regardless of their crime and regardless of their skill. It doesn't matter if they're vigilantes with cult followings."
"One, you mispronounced folk hero, and two, I'm familiar with your motto, seeing as it's the only thing I've heard you say. Jimmy needs all the allies he can get, and his approach is alienating the other kingdoms and the heroes."
Winter wordlessly attempts to stab him. He ducks, manages an affected yawn, but keeps the quip to himself. She wouldn't appreciate his humor anyway.
He finally does have to start fighting, which is a shame, but forcing Winter into an undignified retreat with her feet nearly sliding off the beam more than once is decent compensation. Winter's bringing down gusts of wind every time she steps back, which is boring. If Qrow could control the weather, he'd be doing something a little more impressive than that.
Winter flips off of the beam, then rockets straight up toward him, which he dodges. Winter snaps her fingers to raise thin walls of ice around the scaffolding, trapping him.
Okay, I admit, that's kind of impressive. She still just negated her biggest advantage by pinning us both down.
If this were anyone else, he'd stay and fight, but this is getting boring. Qrow breaks one sheet of ice with a tap from Harbinger and leaps, cape spreading out to soften the landing. Winter leaps too, and manages to land a glancing blow to his back. Only his cape is damaged, but Qrow is very protective of his cape.
Both of them hit the pavement and straighten up. Winter Schnee is breathing hard, pointing her saber straight at Qrow.
"You won't get away with this," she rasps.
"Wow, not even original. I haven't done anything to get away with – this time, anyway – so why don't you find the real criminals?"
Winter isn't listening to him; she's focused on her earpiece. Finally, the Atlas bureaucracy is helping Qrow out a bit.
"Next time, I'll be waiting," Winter snarls, turning to leave.
"It's a date."
She ignores him.
Ah, well. He probably should go actually find the stolen Atlesian technology before it winds up in the hands of a terrorist.
…
Okay, so seeing some suspicious activity down at the docks and going to check it alone, while reassuring her teammates that it was probably just some petty smuggling, might not have been a great idea.
Ruby leaps down from the wall to avoid the next explosion, hooking her scythe into a robot and pulling it neatly in half in the process. Torchwick aims a cluster of bullets at her, most of which get caught by the robot's skeleton.
Ruby nearly drops her scythe, but manages to keep it upright and slice the arm off of another robot that gets a bit too close. Just a small-caliber bullet to the elbow, nothing that's going to kill her, but it's a weakness that might be fatal.
"We're on our way!" Yang shouts through the earpiece. "Just hang in there."
Fortunately, the docks are full of cover. Ruby ducks behind a stack of crates, which buys her a second before they get ripped apart. A second is long enough to vault to a shipping container and fold Crescent Rose into a sniper rifle.
A blur of green light leaps over her, then there are sharp pointy bits of metal surrounding Ruby. She ducks farther behind the shipping container. The new arrival could be literally anyone, and she's not taking chances.
The attacker looks like a girl, not much older than Ruby, in old-fashioned clothes. Dying here is one thing, but Ruby won't let a civilian get into this fight.
"Run!" she shouts.
The girl turns her head and spots Ruby. She winks.
A storm of swords flashes around the girl, ripping apart the two nearest robots effortlessly. The girl raises one hand and slowly turns it, and the swords float into a vertical circle around her, all pointed directly at Roman Torchwick. The remaining robots lunge at the girl, and they get torn to pieces by quick finger flicks that dispatch half a dozen blades in one direction or another.
Obviously, you can get some control of a weapon with biomechanics, like Pyrrha's electromagnets, but that level of power seems impossible. This mysterious girl may well be evil, and is almost certainly not to be trusted, but she's so cool.
Ruby impulsively steps out from behind the shipping container, keeping her scythe up.
"Who are you?" she calls.
"Salutations!" is the bright response. The girl is grinning broadly and facing Ruby now, while keeping the swords pointed towards Torchwick. "Unfortunately, I cannot exchange further pleasantries, as I have apprehended a criminal. Please wait."
Okay, she might be a little weird, but she just caught Roman Torchwick and is currently slapping cuffs around his wrists and ankles. Probably on Ruby's side, at least.
The girl turns around again, and waves to Ruby.
"Salutations! I am Penny, and it is a pleasure to meet you."
"Um, it's nice to meet you too," Ruby manages. "Um, are you with Pyrrha's team?"
"Who is Pyrrha?"
"Never mind. If you're not associated with the heroes, why did you help me?"
"You required assistance, which I was able to provide," Penny says, still smiling brightly.
"I appreciate the help. I'm Ruby Rose."
"Salutations, Ruby Rose! I am always happy to help, but I have other business to attend to."
Ruby may or may not have watched her walk away, still dumbstruck, barely remembering to take mugshots for future reference, only remembering after she leaves that Torchwick was just apprehended. She jogs over to him; he appears to be unconscious. The cuffs on him are the Atlesian style, so Penny's either from Atlas (unlikely, considering their attitude toward the heroes) or just a really good thief (also pretty unlikely).
"Problem solved," she says into her earpiece. "Torchwick apprehended."
"Really? That was quick," Weiss comments.
"My baby sister is better than you, like most people," Yang says. The two of them continue bickering.
Ruby isn't going to mention Penny. Mysteries are harder to solve with other people blundering around in crime scenes, or something. She saw that on CSI.
…
Torchwick stretches out across the back of the prisoner transport helicopter, looking bored. The pilot ignores him, and the rest of the crew probably should too, but one of the guards can't resist the opportunity for a bit of mockery.
"Not so tough without your machines, huh?" he says, laughing.
Torchwick yawns.
"I'm not the one you should be worried about here," he says. "Worry about my – associates."
"Your associates didn't show up to save you, and you're headed to Atlas, for a long stay in a padded cell."
"I think not," Torchwick says, still calm. "This is getting terribly boring. Neo, let's go."
The guard closest to the helicopter door rips it open, letting the screaming wind into the interior of the craft.
"Are you insane?" the pilot shouts.
The guard winks, her eyes momentarily changing color. Then she begins to fight in earnest.
Torchwick doesn't really feel guilty for throwing his guards out of the helicopter. One of them wrinkled his jacket, after all.
"I wonder what this lever does?" he comments, then presses it. The test missile lands close enough to the military complex that Ironwood can probably feel the shock.
"Let's go, Neo. We have a lot of missiles, and it would be a shame if they went to waste."
Neo smiles, her illusion spell falling away, and settles into the pilot's seat.
This will be fun.