Remnant Goes to the Movies 3
Disclaimer; I do not own RWBY or the movies within. Wish I did, though.
Runaway 2
(Ten minutes later)
"Okay, everyone. Break's over." At the words from 'Racer', the viewers excitedly retake their seats. But not before Qrow chimes back in.
"That root beer was pretty good. Got any more?" A larger bottle appears before Qrow, getting him to grin widely. "This'll do just fine." Once they're all seated, 'Racer' resumes the movie.
Outside a construction site, the blue and white patrol car numbered 206350 arrives. Pyrrha driving, Jaune the passenger. Pulling to a stop in front of a sign that says, 'Caution. Robot, Human and Faunus work area'. Jaune and Pyrrha both exit, the former grimacing as he looks upward before speaking.
"Great." As he walks on, Pyrrha chimes in herself.
"He said you were gonna love it."
As a female tiger Faunus supervisor leads them, she speaks to them as sparks fly from welder robots.
The eyes of Sienna Khan go wide at her wearing white overalls and a white hardhat.
"So… I'm a construction supervisor then." Shrugging, she adds, "Could be a good line of work to get into when I'm not engaged in business for the White Fang." Adam nods his agreement and sighs.
"Construction work's another good contender."
"Come on, this way, guys." They cautiously walk behind her as she adds, "Careful." Jaune notes the number of robots in the site before he speaks.
"You have a lot of robots here." Sienna grins, showing her teeth, before responding.
"This is nothing. You should see the construction project over on Main." Guiding them onward, she goes on. "No regular humans or Faunus working there at all. Just hundreds of robots. No coffee breaks, no union hassles." Jaune gives a minute nod at that.
"So what's the problem?"
Jaune's query is answered by a bag of powdered concrete hitting the ground from high up. The impact is so great, the bag bursts, the powdered concrete flying up into the air in a cloud of grey/white.
"Stacker. Gone nuts! It's stacking where there's no place to stack."
High up, a yellow stacker robot has a bag of powdered cement in its forks before it drops the bag down. Once the bag's made impact, she goes on.
"It's on the 18th floor. Come on, I'll show you." Jaune looks uneasily upward as Pyrrha and Sienna go into the elevator. Looking toward her, Jaune speaks up again.
"Why don't you just shut it off yourself? Have one of your own people do it?"
"Our insurance doesn't cover it."
"Of course it doesn't." Sienna rolls her eyes before looking over at Jacques. "Sound familiar to you, Jacques-ass?" Much to his credit, Jacques holds his tongue. Giving Sienna the slight victory.
Uneasily walking toward the elevator, Jaune digs in his pocket.
"Looks pretty open."
"Robots don't need doors. Come on." Knowing he's on the verge, Pyrrha chimes in.
"What do you say I take this one?" Relieved to no end, Jaune hands her a com-bud.
"Yeah, I think this one's all yours." As the elevator goes up, Pyrrha nods.
"No problem. I worked construction at one time." Jaune smiles faintly at her.
"Of course."
Watching as Pyrrha goes up in the elevator, Jaune is still somewhat on edge. He's barely out of the path of another bag of powdered cement before it falls to the ground. After it bursts, his com-bud chimes.
"I'm on the 18th floor. It's pretty windy up here. I can see the stacker now. We're gonna look for..." Her com is garbled by interference before her voice comes back. "I found the junction box but I can't find the switch." More garbled interference before she's audible again. "I got it! No problem! I turned it off! Jaune, do you read me?" Pyrrha's triumphant voice then comes out over open air.
"I got it!"
Once she's back on ground level, the two start making their way out of the site. With Pyrrha making idle conversation.
"Think it's better than it used to be when Faunus and regular humans did all this work?"
"Sure." Pyrrha slightly frowns at that.
"But machines always break down."
"Let me tell you how the world is. Nothing works right. Relationships don't work right, people don't work right. People make machines, so why should machines be perfect?"
"Because they're machines."
"Well, that's not the way it is." With that, they finish exiting the site and move on to the next item on their agenda.
"You might want to keep that in mind, General." The words from 'Racer' get Ironwood to blink before pondering it.
As their car pulls up to where the 709 happened, Police mark-offs and vehicles are in place as CSI had been working non-stop and are still working. Once inside, Jaune greets one of the techs.
"Hi, Penny."
"Hi, Jaune."
"How's the new car?" Penny scoffs at the query.
"It's in the shop."
Penny can only scowl at that.
"If it's new and already in the shop, I must've gotten a lemon." Pietro can only scowl at that.
"You're kidding." Looking around, he sees the door's surveillance equipment. "Did you check the door recorder?"
"No, not yet."
"Is it clean in here?"
"Yeah, it's clean." Jaune turns on the equipment and preps the footage for playback. The first one is of a woman.
"Hey, Nebula, it's Octavia. I guess you're not home. I just came by to see if you wanted to go to that ceramics class tonight. Give me a call when you get in. Bye."
Nebula and Octavia both burst into tears. The former because she died and the latter because the message was from the previous day. Dew and Gwen both follow suit with their own tears. Along with hoping neither of the other two died with Nebula.
The next recording has a most unexpected man on it.
In the audience, Cardin Winchester can only blink before scoffing.
"Like I'd actually work with Vasilias." Neptune blinks before snorting.
'Like he'd be smart enough to be in my line of work.'
"Hi, 'Nep'... I'm a little nervous about our project and... meet me in the office, will you? It's important. Really. Okay? Okay." The next recording has one more man on it.
The audience recognizes the man quite easily before looking at him and Cinder cackles.
"If you'd taken the bet and went against, you'd have lost a lot of lien miserably." Watts can only scoff in sheer arrogance.
"That still remains to be seen, Cinder." Cinder, however, has a very confident smirk.
"Yes, it does. But I'm supremely confident."
"This is Atlas Robot Repairs. We got a call in our office that one of your 912s was not functioning and I'm..." After the man looks up, the rest of the video goes blank.
"It's been erased." Pyrrha's words get Jaune to rewind the video to repeat the message.
"Yeah, but not completely." As the two watch the message again, Jaune adds, "I wanna know who this guy is."
In an electronics cleanroom, the man from the scene and video is seated. Peering intently into a microscope as he scrolls and zooms in on the feed. Examining for any flaws of the design.
"Beautiful. Just beautiful."
"I'm glad you're satisfied, Doctor Watts." Watts looks up, a faint smile on his face as he rises.
"Satisfied? Dr. Winchester, I'm more than satisfied. I'm delighted. I'm ecstatic." Cardin beams at the praise.
"That's good. That's good!"
"Where are the chips?"
Inside the locker room, Cardin gingerly brings out a rack of red-striped chips from under a towel inside his locker before turning to Watts.
Cinder gloatingly laughs while looking over at Watts.
"Still convinced you're not the deranged scientist, Watts? Because those chips are prime evidence of your derangement."
"I'm going to have to agree with her on this, Arthur. Making chips that can make robots become killers is a sign that you're truly deranged." Ironwood's words get Watts to grit his teeth as Cinder cackles.
"At least someone's smart enough to recognize Watts' derangement." Watts scoffs again before speaking.
"Tyrian is more deranged than I am." Before either can butt heads, 'Racer' speaks up.
"Tell you what. We'll have a derangement face-off. How does that sound?"
"Intriguing…" Tyrian cackles madly at the thought before looking at Watts. "You may want to step up your game if you want to beat me." Watts smirks arrogantly even more.
"I think I can beat you quite handily." Curious, he then asks, "When does the 'face-off' start?" Somehow, Watts can tell 'Racer' is smirking behind the visor.
"It started when the other you made its first appearance." At the reply, the others start laughing and Watts' face goes pale as 'Racer' goes on. "So far, you're in the lead as Tyrian has yet to make an appearance in the movie." Tyrian cackles even more before Watts realizes he'd been had.
"You have to be very careful with these chips, Doctor Watts. They're very dangerous."
"I know they are. That's why they're so valuable." Cardin can't help but blink.
"Valuable to whom?"
"Oh, the mafia, terrorist organizations, foreign agents. Anyone who'll offer me the most lien."
"Well, then… how about my lien?" At Cardin's query/demand, Watts looks back down at the chips before speaking again.
"Cardin… these aren't all the chips. And where are the templates to make more?"
"The rest of the chips and templates are locked in a company safe. We'll give you the key after Vasilias and I get paid." Watts' attention is grabbed by that.
"Have you seen Vasilias?"
"No. He didn't come in today. It's terrible, what happened to his family." Watts gives a minute nod at that.
"It's a tragedy."
"One you caused, you demented fucker of a sicko!"
Neptune's outburst is full of ire to both the Watts on screen and the Watts in the audience. Terra looks aghast at Neptune, cross look on her face. Ruby, however, cries out.
"Swear jar!" For effect, she produces a jar labeled 'swear jar'. Getting most of the viewers to chuckle at her verbal innocence. Even Cinder chuckles before sighing.
'You sweet innocent child. How I envy you.'
"Would you like me to pay you now, Cardin?"
"I really would." Watts gives Cardin a smile at that.
"I thought so. I brought the lien with me."
Pointing down, indicating for Cardin to look downward, he sees Cardin looking down to see a black leather-wrapped briefcase on the bench. Eagerly putting his hands onto it, Cardin then hears a beeping chirp from a robot that sounds close and slightly panics.
"Sentry, on rounds!"
Going to the door, he looks outward through the door and sees a white four-foot-tall square robot going by the door. Looking back, he sees that he's totally alone, as if Watts was never there.
"Dr. Watts?"
Upon getting no reply, Cardin opens the briefcase and smiles upon seeing all the lien cards. Bringing a stack out, he sorts through them. Only to see blank plastic cards mixed in with the lien cards. Feeling rage at the blatant rip-off, Cardin snarls out.
"Damned, evil son of a bitch!"
Terra, having a feeling of what Cardin was fixing to say, given she was unable to react before Roman did in time, was quick to cover Adrian's ears while glaring over at Cardin.
"I'll thank you to not really use that kind of language in front of my and my wife's little baby boy while we're here, Mr. Winchester." Her glare then goes to Roman and Neptune. "That goes for you two as well. Any more like that and you will be putting your lien into Ruby's jar." Her words get all three of them to rapidly nod in agreement.
"Now that's what I call a double cross." Watts' words get Cardin to grit his teeth in irritation before he wills himself to speak again.
"You'll get yours, Doc. If I know one thing about Jauney-boy, if this version is anything like him, it's that he'll do what he can to bring you down." Watts gives a smug chuckle.
"While I don't doubt that, I also see it as being highly unlikely." Cardin smugly chuckles himself.
"That's why thinking like that is going to be your downfall." An intrigued Cinder chimes in herself on that.
"What kind of odds does Sergeant Arc have in terms of stopping Watts, Cardin?"
"Hmm, I'd say 75… maybe 90%."
"I like those odds. Put me down in the 90% range."
Grinning widely, Cardin nods in agreement as others chime in. All of them being in the 90% range. Watts grimaces even more as a cackling Tyrian gets in on it before shrugging himself.
"Alright… I'll take the longshot that he doesn't stop me. After all, 10 to 25%... while it's not my cup of tea, I'm supremely confident." Cinder gives a snicker.
"I hope you're ready to pay out big, Watts."
"I am. But I won't lose." Looking around as Cinder chortles, he then asks, "Anyone else want to bet on me succeeding?" Much to his consternation, no one does. Not even Salem. "Your… Grace? You're… betting against me?"
"My apologies, Arthur, but I'm not really one for gambling as I know a clear sucker bet when I hear one. Dearest Ozpin, how about you?" Ozpin takes a deep draw of his coffee before replying.
"I'm going to have faith that Mr. Arc's other will stop you, Dr. Watts. No betting necessary."
Closing the briefcase, Cardin hears mechanical chittering from in front of him and looks. A small silver robotic spider comes out from under a towel that'd been left on the bench.
Before he can even move, the spider leaps up onto him and extends a needle. Cardin screams upon feeling a hot liquid sensation burning into him before dying. The spider's circuitry self-destructing into flame right afterward. Neptune arrives right after, horror on his face before receding away from the door.
Cardin can't help but feel horrified at his end. Along with hope that Watts gets the same kind of end.
At a hotel, Jaune and Pyrrha are outside by a food truck, speaking with a man that'd seen Neptune and called them.
"Sure he's still in there?"
"Checked in an hour ago." Pyrrha chimes in, soft smile on her face.
"I bet he's the only electrical engineer in there." Jaune nods at that.
"What room?"
"404. Fourth floor." Jaune and Pyrrha both walk into the hotel as Watts reaches the food truck.
"Coffee, black." Once he receives the coffee, he takes a deep draw of it.
"How can I even think of drinking something so… pedestrian?" Watts' snide query gets an eye-roll from Tyrian.
"Are you upset because it's not tea or the coffee's not gourmet at least?"
"Among other things, yes." Tyrian snickers as the movie goes on.
The two walk into the hotel, looking around, before Jaune goes for the staircase.
"Keep an eye on the elevator." As Pyrrha nods and posts herself at the foot of the stairs, eyes toward the elevator, he goes up the stairs.
Arriving quickly at room 404, Jaune, unsure of what he would come across, has his duty weapon in hand. Lightly touching the doorknob, he hears an alarm blare before kicking it open.
As the door opens, Vasilias fires a gun twice.
"Police!" After yelling out, Jaune brings out his ID and edges it into the doorway, adding, "Drop it, Vasilias! Now!"
"Okay!" Watching as the man does so, Jaune keeps his aim as he goes in. Shutting off the alarm once he's reached it. Vasilias gets a good look before adding, "You are the cops."
"Who were you expecting?"
"Nobody." Jaune can't help not believing him.
"Yeah right. You got a suitcase packed. You got an alarm and a gun." Picking up Vasilias' gun, he asks, "You got a permit for this?" Vasilias' lack of answer is all he needs before Jaune says, "Come on." Knowing his run's over, Neptune Vasilias agrees, easing his way to the door.
"What are you gonna to do?"
"Take you down to the station for questioning." Just as Vasilias reaches the door, Jaune yanks him back so he can frisk him.
"Sorry." As he's being frisked, he asks, "Is this about the robot?" Jaune finishes the frisk before putting his weapon back into the holster.
"Yeah, it's about the robot. Come on."
Back on ground level, the three, Vasilias in the middle, start making their way to the door. Only for Vasilias to balk.
"You're crazy. I can't go out there."
"Why not?"
"I'm telling you, I can't go out there!"
"Sure you can."
"I can't go out…!" Jaune won't have it and just pushes Vasilias out the door, Pyrrha in the front. Rounding the hotel's corner, they reach the car and Pyrrha opens the door. Before he can get in, Vasilias looks back.
"No…" As Jaune and Pyrrha look back, they see the man from the video recording and a scared Vasilias bolts away. Jaune in pursuit as Pyrrha calls in.
"Dispatch, this is Runaway 2! Runaway 2!"
Ahead of Jaune, Vasilias ducks into an alleyway. Jaune reaches the alleyway, only to barely avoid being hit by a Western-Star dump-truck that blows its horn at the near hit. Jaune pays it no mind as he goes around the truck. At the same time…
Watts reaches into his grey blazer and brings out a massive matte chrome handgun. A large box-like item on the underside of the front end.
Ruby's silver eyes go wide at the sight of it, getting her teammates to facepalm.
'Oh great! "Gun-Nut Ruby" is looking hungry!'
As Vasilias keeps running, Jaune is keeping track of him as bet he can. When Jaune finally catches him, he shoves the man into a group of garbage bags and stops at the driver's side door of a green pick-up. Looking back at him, his face is barely even.
"What the hell are you trying to do? Come here." Pushing Vasilias' form back into a wall, he looks right at him as Vasilias looks to the right. And sees Watts enter his sight, bring up the gun and pull the trigger.
The view quickly becomes that of the bullet as it goes around obstacles. The view quickly changes back to Jaune and Vasilias as Jaune avoids being hit by the large bullet that… arcs midair and goes right for Vasilias.
"Its bullets can do that?! How?! I want to do something like that for Crescent Rose now!" A bemused Adam looks at Blake and sees an expression of amused exasperation on her face.
"Umm, Blake… is she… okay?" Blake turns toward Adam at his query before smiling softly back at him.
"She's fine. Ruby's very passionate about weapons." Nodding his understanding, Adam grins right back and chuckles while shaking his head.
"Seems you made a very interesting friend, Blake." The cat Faunus can only sigh and nod as she turns back to the screen.
"That, Adam, is putting things mildly."
The bullet barely misses Vasilias and hits the wall. Vasilias takes the opportunity to flee more, with Jaune drawing his weapon before running after him. Watts pulls the trigger again.
The view becomes that of another bullet as it flies through a pipe from end-to-end before following Jaune around the corner as he weaves around vehicles. The view goes back to normal as Jaune looks back and forth multiple times before ducking away from the bullet.
Vasilias runs past a parked Cola truck in time to see the Police car, Pyrrha behind the wheel, pull to in front of him. Lights flashing as Pyrrha calls out.
"We're the Police!"
The view becomes the bullet again as it flies in an arc, Pyrrha in view outside the car before going right for Vasilias. The view goes back to normal before the bullet hits Vasilias in the back. Eliciting a pained scream from him before he falls to the pavement. Dead. Pyrrha can only be horrified by it.
Neptune grimaces at his other's fate.
Putting his weapon back into the holster, Jaune checks for a pulse but finds none. A large, smoking dark hole is seen in the back of Vasilias. Sirens approaching as Jaune moves back.
Neptune's grimace goes even deeper as he notes the extensive damage.
Penny and Pyrrha come back into view with a computerized-composite generator. As Pyrrha tells Penny the parameters, she works the controls until the composite is done.
"Like that?" Penny's query gets Pyrrha to nod before verbally replying.
"Pretty close. That's a lot like him. That's good." Shaking her head, she whispers, "Brothers."
At the same time, a sniffer-bot is at work sniffing the corpse of Neptune Vasilias. Roman's watching the bot's readout intently before he speaks.
"It's picking up diphenyl compounds and tetrahydrocarbons." Looking back toward Jaune, he goes on. "Tetras are explosive and diphenyls are solid propellant like they use in rockets."
The audience can't help but blink before Jacques clears his throat.
"If what we're hearing is correct… they don't use… dust."
"That's the first smart thing you've said today, Jacques. Don't let it get to your head, though." The words from 'Racer' gets Jacques to puff up in pride before deflating and grumbling.
Jaune shuffles slightly before Roman makes a query out of curiosity.
"How big did you say those missiles were?"
Ruby's eyes go even wider.
"It was a handheld missile launcher that he had used?!" Ruby starts panting excitedly, causing Yang no end of worry.
"Breathe, Ruby, breathe." Adam, however, chuckles again before looking over at Blake again.
"I see what you mean by putting things mildly, Blake."
Jaune makes a circle of sorts with his right index finger and thumb to indicate the size.
"About that big." Roman can't help but be stunned by it.
"And they went around corners?"
"Yeah." Roman mulls in thought before looking back at Jaune.
"Who was this guy?"
"His name's Vasilias, electronic engineer."
"Do you know where he worked?"
"A company called Vectrocon."
A computer screen quickly comes into view, with a synthesized-male voice piping up.
"Welcome to Vectrocon Security Systems. A retinal identification check is required to proceed." Jaune puts his left eye over the cup of the retinal scanner before the voice goes on. "Retinal identification is now being carried out. Thank you for your cooperation." A minute later, it adds, "Retinal identification is now confirmed. How can we help you, Sergeant Arc?"
Ironwood can only arch the eyebrow beneath the metal strip in his forehead.
"A private company has access to Law Enforcement databases?"
"It's to cut down on time getting cooperation from a company for someone identifying themselves to be Police. That console itself is tied into the Department mainframe. It can access retinal patterns filed, along with basic info on the Officers."
"I need data files."
"Data files for what person or subject?"
"Employee Neptune Vasilias."
"One moment, please. Allow me to search the records." As the computer goes to work, Jaune looks at the Security Guard.
Nora's eyes go wide at the sight of Ren before she looks over at him. Her gaze smoldering, getting Ren to blush. His parents Li and An Ren both smile widely.
"That's a pretty good voice. What is it, a 5590?"
"Yeah, it's a 5590 processor, but with a Z-77 phonetic ROM. Gives it that lifelike tone." Ren looks back at Pyrrha, getting her to lightly grin before the computer speaks again.
"Thank you for waiting, Sergeant Arc. Neptune 'Nep' Vasilias is 32 years old. He has been with the company four years. A graduate in electronic engineering. He has worked on several projects for this company: The Vectrocon Security System, the Phantom Stealth Missile and a laser-guided smart bomb. For the past year, he has worked in the Special Projects Division. In his spare time, 'Nep' enjoys skiing, biking and water sports." Jaune can't help but feel annoyed by what he'd heard.
Neptune can't help but blink at his other not having been aquaphobic.
"It's just a standard PR bio." Getting up from the seat, he sees Ren looking right at him.
"Sure, what'd you expect?"
"It's no good to me."
"That is what you requested."
"What do you wanna know?" Ren's query is what Jaune was hoping he'd be asked.
"This Vectrocon Security project. What about that?"
"That information is classified by the company."
"You keep quiet." At the same time, Pyrrha's com chimes before the 5590 speaks again.
"Do you wish to disconnect?"
"No. Now how can I find out about this project?" Pyrrha then looks up at Jaune.
"We have a call."
"Have another unit take it." At the same time, Ren gets a call on his com as Pyrrha chimes back in herself.
"Yeah, but our call is right here." Guard Ren finishes his call.
"On my way." With Jaune asking his own.
"In this building?"
"Yeah." Ren chimes back in on that.
"You guys wanna handle this? It seems like we got a runaway." Looking back at Pyrrha, Jaune shrugs before replying.
"Sure."
In an office, a robot's motors are frazzled, it's sensor arrays moving rapidly before a young woman with long brown curly hair wearing a black blazer and a blue under-blouse comes into view.
Raven arches an eyebrow before looking aside at her next-seat neighbor and grinning.
"Well now, Vernal… that's a good look for you."
Vernal is stunned by the look she's wearing and grimaces.
'I really much prefer my crew-cut.'
She makes to move past the robot, only to get a nasty shock to her arm.
"All right!" Retreating, she moves back to the wall before calling out.
"Hello? Anybody there?" Her voice comes over the intercom as Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha enter the adjacent room. On the monitor, they see she has a cigarette and is smoking it before calling out again. "Hello?"
"Who is she?" Intent on getting a good look, Jaune goes to the monitor, Pyrrha idly rolling her eyes, as Ren answers.
"Vernal Branwen, one of the executive secretaries." Vernal's voice comes back, annoyance starting to emerge.
"Hello?! Can anybody hear me?!" Jaune hits the 'mike' switch before speaking.
"We hear you, Miss Branwen. This is Sergeant Arc of the Runaway Squad."
"Will you guys get me out of here? This damn Jacques-ass robot won't let me pass."
The audience feels their eyes go wide, Jacques' the widest, before Tyrian starts cackling.
"This should be good for some giggles."
"He's already zapped me twice." Bringing up her right arm, she points at to just above her elbow. "Can you see that?"
"You just sight tight, Miss Branwen." Looking aside at Ren, he adds, "She's very attractive."
"Yeah." Slight annoyance on her face, Pyrrha looks toward Ren.
"Is she supposed to be in there?"
"Maybe she's just working late." Jaune, however, goes to work.
"Let's see the runaway." Zooming the camera's feed out, he sees the robot. "A 577 Sentry?" Pyrrha brings out her compact computer to look it up as Ren answers.
"Yeah, 577 with office-checking routines onboard."
"Got it. Insulated wheels, steel hull." Looking back at Ren, she asks, "Delivers Taser shocks only?"
"Yeah." Jaune chimes back in himself.
"Standard issue." Ren nods right back at him as Pyrrha looks over the info even more.
"Yeah. We don't modify them. We just run them as they come from the factory." Pyrrha then looks back over at Ren.
"It's supposed to voice-inactivate with a code. Do you know the code?" Quietly, Ren nods before going to the console and activating the mike.
"Sentry. Input. Vetro. Zip off. 891. Clipper."
"I've already tried that. It isn't responding to voice codes." Ren mulls it over before looking back at them.
Willow can't help but lightly snicker. Jacques rolls his eyes.
"You know what's wrong with these Sentries? The internal temperatures get too high and they pop their chips right off the motherboard. It's a design defect."
Jacques' eyes go wide at the glaring defect before he grits his teeth.
'It's okay. All Sergeant Arc has to do is flip a switch to turn me off. Should be simple enough for him to do.'
"Would you guys please do something?" Vernal gets another zap. "Oww!"
"All this thing can do is deliver shocks?" Jaune's query gets Ren to nod before speaking.
"Yeah."
"What level?"
"Sting level only. Irritating, but it can't hurt you. No bio, cardiac, nothing." Upon Jaune standing and removing his duty belt, Pyrrha speaks up again.
"Want me to get the insulation and padding from the car?"
"Nah."
"Are you sure? This robot'll shock the heck…"
"No, no, no. I'll knock this baby off quick." Engaging the 'mike' again, he adds, "Miss Branwen, this is Sergeant Arc. I'll be right with you to deal with this robot. You just sight tight." Vernal's voice comes back, annoyed relief in her tone.
"Thank you, Sergeant Arc." As Jaune makes his way to the doorway, Ren looks at him like he's nuts.
"I thought you guys got all armed and protected before you went up against a runaway." Pyrrha has a slight smirk to her face before she speaks again.
"I think he's in love." Jaune looks back at her, unamused expression on his face before he turns back to the door and opens it.
Stepping in, he sees the 577 and Vernal before speaking.
"Hello."
Vernal can't help but roll her eyes at the basic greeting.
"That's it? Just 'Hello'? No… 'Wanna bear my kids' or anything like that?" Raven smirks widely at that.
"Sounds like you've a crush, Vernal." The girl scowls at that while blushing.
"Hi." Vernal gives Jaune a slight wave as Jaune enters the room even more.
Vernal facepalms at her other's own basic reply, along with remembering Raven's statement. Raven, however, sighs in semi-fond nostalgia and chuckles. Remembering when STRQ was first formed.
"You just stay put, Miss Branwen. This will only take a minute." Vernal uneasily points back toward the 577.
"Y… You better watch out for him." As the 577's arrays twitch even more, Jaune is calm.
"I think I know what I'm doing." The 577 gives Jaune a nasty zap to his chest, getting him to bowl across a desk to the floor. As he regains his bearings, Pyrrha's voice chimes back in.
"It's not set for sting level, it's set for stun."
"I noticed."
"Want the padding now?"
"No." Getting back up to his feet, he sees the 577 moving toward him. "Uh-oh."
"Yes, Mr. Arc. 'Uh-oh' is indeed appropriate." Ozpin's comment gets snickers from most. Even Jaune snickers at himself.
The 577 zaps Jaune again, which annoys him as he tumbles across another desk. Getting his wind back, he hears Vernal's voice again.
"Are you all right, Sergeant?"
"I'm fine." Slowly moving upright, he feels the back of his head make contact with the underside of the desk. Vernal lightly rolls her eyes before looking sympathetically back at his location. Deciding he's done playing 'turn-off the runaway', he quickly forms a plan.
Peering over the desk, he sees the 577 in place still, its arrays still twitching, before he pushes a monitor off the desk. Once it hits the floor, the 577 zaps it, cooking its innards as Jaune quickly crawls along the floor. Vernal catches his actions before speaking again.
"Is this the way you usually do it?"
"Sure." Crawling to another desk, he quickly removes his jacket before pushing that desk's monitor off. As the 577 zaps, he covers the 577 with his jacket.
"What are you doing?" At Vernal's query, electricity arcs over the jacket before Jaune hefts a chair over his head.
Jacques lightly gulps as if feeling like he knows where it's going.
Jaune swings the chair four times down onto the 577. Grunting with the fourth swing, he relishes seeing the smoke rise from his vanquished foe.
"Oh my." Tyrian's giggling returns before the crazed scorpion Faunus adds, "I sure wouldn't want to be a runaway robot. Especially if he uses that kind of tactic." Jacques is both stunned and irritated at what had happened to his robotic other.
'Did he really have to be so barbaric?!'
"You didn't have to do that!" Ren comes into the office, agitated, Pyrrha in tow, as Jaune retrieves his jacket.
"Judgment call." Looking it over, he adds, "It was a new jacket."
"Yeah, but the Sentry's ruined. I'll have to report this."
"I'll have to check your maintenance records. And if there's any irregularities, we'll shut down all your machinery as hazardous for a 60-day inspection period." Meanwhile, Vernal's getting ready to leave before Jaune addresses her. "Are you all right, Miss Branwen?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Well, I'll just see you to the door." Vernal, however, declines.
"No, it's fine, thanks."
"I insist."
"You've done more than enough already."
"It's all in the line of duty. I mean, here you are, working late at night, all by yourself."
"I just had a few things to finish up." Vernal's demeanor becomes slightly panicked at that.
Raven and Vernal both ponder before coming to a conclusion.
'She's/I've got something to hide!'
"No, I insist. Let me help you."
"No, really." Jaune's gentle tug of escort becomes a violent wrench before Vernal's handbag leaves her grip. It falls onto a desk, spilling red-striped chips onto it. Ren and Pyrrha feel their eyes go wide.
Jaune's eyes go the widest at the sight before his eyes narrow and he picks one up for closer examination. Feeling like she'd been busted, Vernal tries to think fast. Only for Jaune to beat her to it as he looks back at her.
"What are these?"
"It's not my fault. He made me do it. He made me get them from the vault."
"Who did?"
"Watts. They're his chips! I didn't have anything to do with this."
"Uh-huh." Looking at the chip in his hand more, Vernal goes on.
"He said he would kill me if I didn't get them for him tonight! He said he would kill me just like he killed Vasilias and the others! He's evil, I'm telling you!"
"Where's this Watts now?"
"A meeting."
"What meeting?"
"I don't know! Please. I'm not involved…"
"Where is he?!" At the anger on Jaune's face and within his voice, Vernal can only capitulate.
"The Glass Unicorn Hotel."
Cinder's evil adoptive Mother and sisters all arch eyebrows before the Mother clears her throat.
"I would not tolerate such unlawful dealings in my hotel." As her daughters nod in agreement, Cinder scoffs.
"Didn't stop you or your daughters from breaking the labor and anti-discrimination laws. Or did you have so much influence it made you above the laws? I wonder…"
As the three grit their teeth, 'Racer' has ear/eye coverings appear onto Adrian's head. Getting Saphron and Terra's notice as Adrian tries to squirm them off.
"This next bit is a mite… much for little Adrian. So until it's over, those'll remain in place."
Within a corridor, Police Officers are posted at every possible entrance/exit that's on the floor they're on. An elevator dings and the door opens as a female voice chimes in.
"…Glass Unicorn Hotel." Adam, earpiece in place, looks and sees Jaune and Pyrrha exiting before speaking.
"He's in the Presidential Suite. He's got two guys with him and two girls. They've got an EVS scrambler on, so we can't hear or see shit."
"Do you know where in the Suite they are?"
"Can't determine their location without an active probe and they'll probably pick that up."
"Using passives only?"
"Yeah. Passives only."
"All the exits and elevators covered?"
"We don't have enough people to cover it." Jaune looks back at Adam at that.
"This guy's a killer. I'm not gonna let him get away." Adam then puts a hand to his headset before speaking again.
"Something's going on in there." Jaune turns away at that.
"I'm going in." Adam and Pyrrha following right behind as Adam speaks up again.
"You taking responsibility?"
"Yes." Pausing at the corner, Jaune looks back at Pyrrha. "You okay about this?"
"Yeah, fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. It's more interesting than traffic."
"Okay. I'm gonna go in first and when you hear me, you come in." Pyrrha nods at the plan.
"Okay." She then follows Jaune and watches as he indicates for her to take position. Drawing her weapon, she watches as Jaune goes to the door next to the Suite.
Jaune draws his weapon and gently opens it before going in. Having his weapon aimed in front of him, Jaune quietly enters the room and sees the adjacent door is open. Going into the next room, he sees another door leading into the suite. Looking in the gap between the door and doorjamb, he sees Watts handing the portable launcher, magazine in place, to one of the men that quickly aims it.
Dove Bronzewing can't help but be stunned at the sight of him.
However, he soon learns he's not alone in the room when he hears a woman's voice nearby.
"Honey, did I leave my purse out there?" Looking back to where the voice came from, he sees a young woman, clad in only a towel that covers her lower section, the side of one of her breasts out in the open. She's primping her hair as she goes on. "Babe? Did I leave my purse out there or not?" She turns to the door, both breasts coming into view as she exits the bathroom, asking, "Are you listening to me?"
Both Malachite sisters blush, wondering which girl it is. Along with hoping Jaune likes what he sees. They know they do, seeing him in his uniform.
"He's not even here." Picking up her purse, she goes to a mirror, high heels in hand, before seeing Jaune's reflection. Gasping, she turns and sees he has a Police uniform on and has a gun in hand before covering herself.
Melanie lightly smirks at Miltiades.
"Looks like you're super shy in this, Mil."
"Looks like, Mel."
"Good s… don't shoot, please. Please don't shoot." Hastily exiting, she doesn't see the Officer outside as she adds, "Please don't… Ah!"
"Come on, now." As he bustles Miltiades away, Pyrrha opens the door and lunges in. Inside, Watts, Dove, the other woman and one other man slightly jump.
Hazel Rainart blinks at his being there. Salem can't help but be in thought.
"Nobody move." Positioning herself to cover them, she goes on. "Just stay cool. Everything's gonna be just fine." The other woman, wearing a white cocktail dress, scoffs as she looks at Watts.
"Shit. You said there wasn't gonna be any trouble."
Melanie smirks over at Watts.
"You're busted, dude. Give it up."
"That remains to be seen."
Pyrrha keeps her coverage up before calling out.
"Nobody move. Jaune?!"
"Right here." Jaune comes into view, gun aimed as he adds, "Okay, let's take it easy. Everybody move real slow, and we won't have any trouble."
Watts, however, aims his eyes without moving his head and blinks twice. At that, a black floater descends from the ceiling, expelling white gas, getting Pyrrha and Melanie to violently cough. Watts then lunges for the handheld launcher and takes it up into his hand. Pyrrha notices and aims her weapon.
"Hey!"
Watts doesn't hesitate and shoots a missile at her. It hits her right arm, right in the bicep. Pyrrha falls back in agony as Watts shoots the other two men before grabbing hold of Melanie and aiming it at Jaune.
"Drop it, sucker." When Jaune doesn't, he says, "I said drop your gun." When Jaune doesn't, he aims the launcher at Melanie's head, adding, "I'm not kidding, asshole. Drop your gun."
A scared Melanie looks to him, whispering.
"Please…" Seeing no way to save her in the present circumstance, Jaune does so. Getting Watts to smirk in triumph.
"Such as it should be." Watts' gloat is curtailed by a cough from Ironwood.
"He was undoubtedly following set protocols from his beat days when it comes to hostage situations. So do not think for one minute you'd won."
"Now kiss your ass goodbye!"
Aiming the launcher at Jaune, he pulls the trigger just after Jaune lunges for cover. The missile hits the door frame and Watts takes Melanie out of the room. Upon seeing another Officer, Watts sends another missile into the Officer's torso. As the Officer falls to the floor, dead, another Officer opens fire and Watts fires another missile. As the Officer withdraws, the missile follows him around the corner and explodes.
Cinder's evil adoptive family feels their eyebrows twitch in irritation at their hotel being damaged by mini-missile fire. Cinder and Rhodes, however, are having a ball at the karma being dished out.
As Watts moves his hostage along, Adam steps into view.
"Police! Hold it!" Watts fires again, getting a pained scream from Adam. "Aahh!"
Adam can't help but wince at the fate of his other.
Back in the room, Jaune goes to check on Pyrrha, only for her to reassure him.
"I'm okay. Go get him." Jaune exits the room as Watts reaches an exit stairwell.
"Where?!"
"The stairs!"
"Officer down, inside. Call for backup." Jaune goes into the stairwell and checks downward before his vertigo kicks in. As he falls back against the wall, his com-bud chimes.
"They're on the roof!" With an idea of which way to go, Jaune goes up the stairs.
The rooftop door opens, revealing Watts and his hostage. Both move along before he shoves her away and goes to a black bullhead with red striping. As it takes off, Jaune bursts through the roof's door and aims his weapon at the bullhead as it flies away, but he holds his fire as it's quickly flying out of range. Once it's out of sight, Jaune hears Melanie sobbing and puts his weapon back into its holster as he walks back to her.
Gently putting his hands on her shoulders, he feels her flinching before speaking.
"It's all right. It's all right. You're okay." As she sobs, he gently helps her up and nestles her into his side as they both go back to the roof-top door.
Once they reach the floor the fracas had happened at, they see a Medic zipping up a body bag with one of the Coroner's Officials on site speaking.
"The Coroner's Office has authorized the removal of the bodies." Jaune gently eases Melanie to the Detective standing with the Coroner. The distraught young woman whimpers out.
"Come on." Nonplussed, Jaune passes her to the Detective.
"She's a witness, Marrow."
Marrow Amin, one of Ironwood's Ace Ops, feels his eyes go wide while Clover Ebi, Harriet Bree, Elm Ederne and Vine Zeki proudly applaud him. With Ironwood and Winter joining in themselves. However…
"A… filthy Faunus… a Detective? What nonsense." Cinder's eyes roll at the words of her evil adoptive Mother before she speaks herself.
"This isn't the Stone Age of Remnant anymore. Get with the times or be left behind even more." Rhodes nods his agreement at that.
"Indeed."
Nodding, Marrow accepts care of her as Jaune walks on as Cinder comes into view again. This time with a camerawoman.
Cinder looks over at Emerald and sees her grimacing before looking to Mercury and mouthing.
'Cheer her up!' Unsure, Mercury shrugs before speaking.
"You'll probably last much longer than I did, Em." Emerald lightly shudders before warily looking back at him.
"Somehow, given what'd happened to you, I don't think I like the sound of 'probably', Merc." Mercury can only smile sheepishly before she sighs. "But thanks for trying anyway." Mercury gives her a silent nod and Cinder nods back at him in approval.
"Sergeant Arc, may we have a word with you?"
"Go away." As voices clamor, trying to get his attention, Jaune goes past Ironwood as another Medic moves a body bag away. Ironwood notices him before he gets to the door and steps in.
"I want to talk to you, Arc." As Jaune steps in, Cinder's voice can be heard again.
"Chief, do you have any further comment at this time?"
"No, Miss Fall, there is no comment right now." Jaune sees a Medic, a male blond monkey Faunus, tending to Pyrrha, an x-ray monitor right at her side, as he kneels down before her.
Sun can't help but blink at his other being a Medic before grinning.
"How is it?"
"Fine. Didn't even break any bones. They're going to take me to the Hospital. They'll take the bullet out there." Jaune can't help but blink at that.
"Take it out there?" Sun chimes in on that.
"Yeah, that's right, Sergeant, we gotta take it out there in case she starts bleeding."
"But you can't move her."
"Arc!" Ironwood's voice gets Jaune to grit his teeth before replying.
"Just hold on a minute!" Getting back to his feet, he beckons for Sun to follow him. "Come here." Sensing the grave tone in his voice, Sun follows Jaune away from Pyrrha before the former speaks again. "Now you take a look at that screen again. That's not a bullet in her arm. That's an unexploded micro-shell. It can go off at any time." Sun grimaces slightly at that.
"Oum, you're right. It could blow her whole arm off…"
"That's right. You gotta take it out here. You cannot move her." Another Officer, a dark-skinned male, goes to Jaune with an ominous message.
"Jaune, the Chief wants your ass."
Flynt Coal blinks at his being a Police Officer and shrugs as his partner and friend, Neon Katt, squeals in delight before hugging him.
"Yeah, I know." Going back to Pyrrha, he says, "Hey. Just sit tight. Everything's going to be fine." Even though her arm's in agony, Pyrrha gives him a smile.
"I'm trying not to breathe."
"You do that." Moving away from her, his eyes catch sight of a small case. Within it is two items that look like the gun's missiles.
Lifting one of them out, he looks it over as another Officer, a female Faunus, gets his attention.
Ilia's eyes go wide before her parents go ecstatic at seeing their little girl as a Police Officer.
"Our baby, Tom! Our baby!"
"I see her, Raquel! I see her!" Ilia goes beet red in embarrassment before smiling faintly. Even though they're gushing about her, embarrassing her in the process, she loves them very much.
"Arc, look at this. Look." Bringing out a portable module, she goes on. "You know those two dead hoods?"
"Yeah?"
"We got a make off the prints." Bringing up the information, she says, "Dove Bronzewing, degree in electrical engineering, from At Tech."
"Great." Ilia then brings up the other one.
"And Hazel Rainart, degree in solid state physics, from V.I.T. Now… I figure these guys are high tech shoppers. But what are they buying?"
"That's a good question." Ironwood then bellows out.
"NOW, ARC!" As Jaune exits, Pyrrha's composure has cracks as the medics prep her for extraction of the shell.
"Alright, Arc, get over here." Jaune and Ironwood walk away from the room, in view of Cinder and Emerald, before the latter starts. "Just who the hell do you think you are, running an operation like this?"
"It's my operation."
"Oh, it's a 'Runaway' operation? No 'runaways' in that room." Before Jaune can speak, Ironwood goes on. "You screwed up good, Arc. We've got two dead Officers, you understand me, Mister? Two dead cops! And we got two wounded, one of them your own partner. We got two dead punks from two different parts of Remnant. And nobody knows why or what the hell it's about!" Seeing a chance to talk, Jaune takes it.
"I know what it's about. It's about this." Holding up the mini-missile, he lets Ironwood snatch it from him for examination.
"Yeah? What is this?"
"It's some kind of new bullet, like a guided missile, Chief. It can go…" Jaune's voice trails off at the sight of the model disarm robot that's being delivered. "Wha… What the hell is this?!"
"Disarm robot. Somebody in there with an unexploded fragment…"
"I know, but you can't use that thing on her!"
"They sent for it." Jaune looks back at Ironwood at that.
"You can't use this thing on her. They screw up all the time."
"We have to use it. It's a live shell."
"It'll screw up!" Looking back at the tech and then Ironwood, he calms down to say, "It'll blow her arm off." Looking back, he asks, "Can't you get a CVD?"
"There are no CVDs available." Ironwood's words get Jaune to look back at him.
"Look at this thing! It's over a year old and they were never any damn good to begin with!" Ironwood is feeling even more irritated by Jaune now.
"Oum, Arc, you've got a hell lot of nerve complaining! Haven't you done enough for one day?!" Exhaling sharply, Jaune looks his superior right in the eyes before speaking.
"I'll get the bullet out." Ironwood looks at him with sheer disbelief in his eyes.
"You?"
"Yeah. I'll disarm the damned bullet." Turning back, he yells, "Get this thing out of here!" Looking into the room, he goes on. "All right, clear out. We've got a disarm job." When they don't, he yells, "Clear out!" Frustrated, he looks back to Ironwood, not really caring that Cinder's nearby with her microphone, and asks, "Can you get them to clear the room?!" His agitation rising, he goes on.
"Look, I want Tensolite shields! I want blast pads! And I want to clear the fucking room now!"
In the audience, Jaune's face is beet red with mortification for he'd never spoken like that before. Cinder, however, feels herself getting wet with how forceful the goof's other is being. Pyrrha right behind her. They both look at each other and lightning figuratively flies between them.
'He's mine, Cinder!'
'If you want him, then tell him so, "Invincible Girl"! Otherwise, I'll grab him up and introduce him to a world full of sheer ecstatic bliss.'
'Over my dead body!'
'That can be easily arranged!'
"Arc! You're on television." Ironwood's words for civility are ignored by Jaune.
"I don't give a shit. Get that thing out of my face." Moving away, Jaune goes to prep himself for the shell extraction while Ironwood sighs in dismay before looking into the room.
"All right! Get out! Clear it out!" At those words, they do as Ironwood commands and he turns to Cinder and Emerald, adding, "Ladies, down here. I'll give you a statement down here."
"The public has a right to know…" Cinder's words are disregarded as Ironwood calls out again.
"Let's go! Get out!" As they exit, he adds, "Yes, I will give the public a statement."
At that, the viewing pauses again, with 'Racer' going to the front of the gathering.
"Okay… one more intermission then we'll finish up. Any questions so far?"
"Who dares disturb the balance?!" Two figures appear. One gold, the other purple.
Nonplussed by the intrusion, 'Racer' looks at his wrist at a non-existent watch before giving a 'tsk' of disappointment.
"Took you two long enough. You missed a little over half the movie. How rude."
"You dare make light of what you've done?! You disrupted the balance between lie and death, much like Salem Umbra had attempted to when her beloved exited their world! We made an example of her and we can do the same for you!" Much to their surprise, 'Racer' chuckles.
"I think you're gonna find that a little hard to do, fellas."
"What makes you say that? We do have that kind of power."
"Not right now." Before either can ask, 'Racer' snaps his fingers. "There you are. You are both now powerless and will stay that way until after you leave this realm." The Brothers try, but find they can't.