Remnant Goes to the Movies 4
Disclaimer; I do not own RWBY or the movies within. Wish I did, though.
Runaway 3
As the Brother Gods of Light and Darkness try over and over to exert their influence, and fail miserably, Jaune and Pyrrha both brace themselves for what Pyrrha's other is about to go through. Qrow, however, starts looking around frantically. Which gets 'Racer' to notice.
"Something wrong, Mr. Branwen?"
"Yeah… I need to… purge my tank." Winter, however, looks at him in disgust.
"Must you be so crass?" Qrow gives her a soft scoff.
"I'm trying to be subtle, 'Ice Queen'. If I wanted to be, I could be crass. But I'd really rather not. Anyways, 'Racer', got any place like that?"
"Ah, yes. Just over there." Qrow looks at where 'Racer' nods and sees 'restrooms' over a doorway.
"Thank you." Qrow strides over and goes into the doorway, leaving Winter and 'Racer' semi-alone together.
"So, 'Racer', what do you do when you're not… inviting people to watch movies?"
"Do what I can to stay sane because… quite frankly… an insane me is not a pretty sight. At all."
"I see. And your… commentary on some of your guests… not exactly what a good host does."
"Maybe. But if they act rude or unruly, I will return the favor." Winter nods her understanding at that, Qrow returns and 'Racer' resumes the movie.
Jaune reenters the room, body armor in place, as the Medics get ready to leave the room and notices the camera in there.
"What's this?"
"Remote TV." The reply from one of the Medics gets Jaune to lightly sigh before replying.
"Of course." The two monitors outside the room has Jaune standing as the Medics are still getting ready to exit while the other monitor has an x-ray image of Pyrrha's arm. The micro-shell within. "Okay, guys, let's clear out." At Jaune's words, the two Medics exit the room. Once they're both outside and the door's closed, Ironwood speaks up.
"Better get away from the door." The Medics take position with Ironwood, Penny, Cinder, Emerald and several other Officers and watch the screen intently. Inside the room…
Pyrrha watches as Jaune haunches down to before her.
"How we doing, partner?" Pyrrha gives him a faint smile at his query.
"Okay. I heard the news." Jaune prepares himself for what he's about to do.
"Yeah? Well, don't sweat it."
"You don't have to do this."
"Yeah, I know."
"You can let the robot do it."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Pyrrha looks up at Jaune and her faint smile widens slightly as he brings up a panel of body armor and puts it over her torso, saying, "Okay. Just hold real still." Once it's in place, he asks, "Too tight?"
"No, it's okay." Her voice is quiet, yet Jaune heard it. Jaune reaches back for the forceps the Medics left behind and turns back to her.
"Okay, I want you to sit back and take it real easy. Because this is going to hurt like heck." Pyrrha idly rolls her eyes before Jaune goes on. "Just real easy. Just turn your arm. Real slow." Pyrrha follows his directions as he coaxes her along. "That's it. That's good." Once the wound's in sight, he looks her right in the eyes. "Okay, whatever you do, don't move your arm."
"I'll try and remember." But before Jaune can get started, she asks, "Don't you need your glasses for this?" Jaune can't help but look at her incredulously as she smiles cheekily.
"Want me to run down to the car and get them?" Pyrrha gives a soft chuckle.
Yang lightly chortles at the banter between the two.
Pyrrha smiles cheekily still until she feels the forceps enter her arm and mildly flinches, keeping her arm still.
"Breathe it, partner. Hold still." On the monitor, the forceps can be seen reaching toward the micro-shell. "Come on, partner, breathe it. That's it. Just keep breathing. Hold still."
Pyrrha's face contorts in agony as Jaune tediously works to get hold of the piece of unexploded ordnance.
"That's it. Come on, partner." On the monitor, the forceps have their target in their grasp and Jaune starts to slowly bring it out. "Breathe it. That's it. Easy." The forceps lose their hold on it, with it springing back into place without detonating. Pyrrha pants as she feels the forceps exiting her arm.
"Did you get it?"
"Not yet." Jaune's reply gets an exasperated eyeroll from her.
"Oh, jeez. Can't you do anything right?"
"I'm doing the best I can."
"This thing's going to be okay." As he goes back to work, she then asks, "Heard any jokes lately?" Her face contorts into agony again as Jaune reaches the forceps back to the micro-shell.
"Come on, partner. Hold on. Come on, hold still. Breathe it." On the monitor, the forceps have the micro-shell firmly in their grasp as Jaune eases it out. "That's it. I can see it."
"Oooh, oh Oum." Pyrrha's face is in sheer agony.
"Come on. I can see it. It's almost there. Come on."
As the micro-shell exits the view of the screen, Pyrrha grips the nearest solid object and tightens her grip as Jaune shouts in triumph.
"There!" Bringing it out, he tosses the forceps holding it behind him to the mini-bar.
BOOM
The mini-bar is mildly damaged due to the fragmentary nature of the warhead.
Cinder's wicked adoptive family feels their eyebrows twitch even more before looking over at Jaune.
"Just so you know, you will be getting the bill for the damages, Mr. Arc."
"Don't send it to me, send it to Watts. He damaged the hotel the worst. And it was his ordnance."
"Oh, he'll be getting the bill for most of the damages. I'm talking about the damages to the mini-bar."
"Like I said. His ordnance. Your mini-bar was just in the right place at the right time." Jaune's grin is semi-sinister which greatly arouses Pyrrha and Cinder both. Renewing their eye-war.
In relief the agony's over and she's shell-free, Pyrrha tearfully hugs Jaune. With him returning it.
"It's okay."
"Well now, 'Vomit Boy', think you can actually do that?"
"Probably not, Yang."
At the Hospital, Jaune waits patiently while reading, his glasses on, until he hears footsteps approaching. Looking up, he sees Pyrrha, her right sleeve rolled up and white bandage on her right bicep, and stands to greet her. Getting a warm smile from her in the process.
"You didn't need to wait, Jaune, I'm fine."
"Well, I was worried about you."
"I'm fine, really." As they walk out of the waiting area together, Jaune looks to her.
"Hurt much?"
"No. Not really."
"Bet it does." Smiling still, Pyrrha sighs.
"Jaune, I'm fine."
"What do you say we have dinner tonight?"
"Dinner?"
"Yeah." Her eyes lighting up at the chance to go on a dinner date with him, she's happy to accept.
"Sure. I gotta go home and change, though."
"You can go just like that."
"I can't go to the restaurant like this."
"Well, we're going to my place." At the thought of an intimate dinner between them, Pyrrha's smile widens.
"Oh. Okay."
"We should get to know each other better."
"I love it." Reaching up, Jaune removes his glasses as he goes on.
"It's a good idea for partners to spend some time with each other away from work."
"Definitely. I think you're right."
"We'll go over the usual office routines, station procedures." In that instant, Pyrrha's enthusiasm is curbed.
'Jaune's thinking about work away from work! Not romance!'
Yang cackles and Weiss facepalms.
"He's as dense as our Jaune is." Weiss' comment gets a quick retort.
"Yep. Also, he wants to keep things professional. That way, they can avoid unneeded drama should something go wrong." The words from 'Racer' gets their attention as the movie plays.
"There's a lot of things you'll need to know. The Chief isn't the easiest guy to get along with. I always take my new partners to dinner." Pyrrha blinks at that.
"Oh, you do?"
"Just because you're a woman shouldn't make any difference, right?" Feeling somewhat crestfallen, Pyrrha idly nods.
"Right." Sighing, she adds, "Well, listen, I really appreciate the gesture, but I think I want to go home tonight."
"Why not dinner?" Pyrrha gasps at his puzzled look before shaking her head.
"Just forget it." Taking her duty belt, she walks away with as much dignity as she can. Jaune watches after her, wondering what she was expecting.
"She was expecting you to realize her feelings for you, you dolt!"
"Weiss, take it easy."
"No, Yang! It's bad enough that we live it every day! Thinking of…" Looking aside at the Jaune in the realm with them, Weiss goes on. "Why can't you understand that Pyrrha's nuts about you?! She wants you to make the first move, you goofball knight!"
At the bombshell from his former crush, Jaune looks aside at Pyrrha and sees her blushing beet red.
"As heartwarming and amusing as this is, we're still watching 'Runaway'. It can wait until afterward." The words from 'Racer' get sheepishly chagrined smiles from the three and chuckles from some before the movie resumes.
Sighing in defeat, deciding that he'd never be able to understand how women think, Jaune goes to the elevator and hits the 'down' button.
In the audience, Jaune chuckles in a self-deprecating manner.
A clear pot with pasta noodles in boiling water comes into view before Weiss' claw descends down, her voice following.
"The pasta will be al dente in exactly two minutes 17 seconds." Jaune comes into view, removing his duty belt before he gives his reply.
"Forget it, Weiss."
"Where is your guest for dinner?"
"Just forget it."
"Did she forget it?"
"No, she didn't forget it. I'm asking you to forget it."
"Very well, I will erase it from memory." Jaune removes his tie at her still-cheerful tone as he gives his reply.
"You do that." Weiss' claw comes up, pasta noodles in grasp before she speaks again.
"Adrian stayed up late to say 'good night' to you."
As Jaune enters Adrian's room, he sees the boy sleeping facing away from him. Gently seating himself on the bed, he sees Adrian stirring before turning his way.
"Dad."
"Hi, son."
"I saw you on TV."
"Oh yeah?"
"I know you didn't mean it." Jaune can only be baffled at that response.
"Mean what?"
"What you said." Jaune blinks before remembering his profanity and Ironwood's words about him being on television.
'I guess the censors couldn't bleep them out in time. Not my finest moment.'
The audience lightly chuckles at the self-recrimination.
"The words that you said that you say I can't say."
"Yeah… well, you see…"
"I know. You didn't know what you were saying because you were just worried about her."
"Well, that's true. But that's not an excuse. You see… sometimes…" Adrian then cuts him off.
"Just don't let it happen again." The tone in Adrian's voice is resolute, getting Jaune to sheepishly chuckle, Adrian chuckling as well.
"I'll try." Wiping his right eye slightly, he hears Adrian speaking again.
"Did she come here tonight?" The both of them exchange chuckles before Jaune gives his reply.
"No, she went home." Weiss' voice then comes as her form approaches the doorway.
"Excuse me, Sergeant. They want you at the Police Station."
"Oh…" Jaune and Adrian both chuckle at the interruption before Jaune looks back at Adrian. "I gotta go."
"Okay."
"You go to sleep. Good night, son."
"Yes, sir." Jaune and Adrian both chuckle again before the former gets up from his seat and exits. Adrian's still chuckling as Jaune says one more thing.
"Good night."
"Good night." Adrian then snuggles himself back into bed, chuckles still coming out.
The women all sigh at Jaune's paternal side. Even Cinder's wicked adopted family isn't immune as the two daughters look over at Jaune. Wondering what it'd have been like if they were nicer.
In the 'Runaway' space, Roman's right hand is holding a cutting tool at one of the missiles. Jaune, his glasses on, watches as Roman cuts down the missile by the length. The missile losing its shine due to the nature of the cutting tool's medium. Roman's face then comes into view, a set of spreaders in hand as a male voice comes over the PA.
"Vehicle recovery on three-six."
Roman spreads the missile apart, revealing its innards.
"Jaune, look at this." As Jaune nears, Roman goes on. "The back half is all solid propellant. There's different valves for directional control. The nose… it's all electronic. You've heard of a bullet that has your name on it? Well, this one really does. And you can program it to go after a certain person."
"What's its signature?"
"I don't know, man. I've tried everything. Movement, light, shape. I don't know."
"I gotta know, Roman."
"I know you gotta know! I'm doing my best here, okay?" Sighing in frustration, Roman reaches down and brings up a cigar and lighter before putting the cigar into place, adding, "It's tricky." As he reaches the lighter to the cigar, he lights it, getting the equipment analyzing to react.
Ruby's silver eyes go wide in glee.
"They're miniaturized heat-seekers! I really gotta make them now!" She then blinks before murmuring, "Do Grimm even have heat signatures?" The others ponder it while Salem muses thoughtfully.
'I never really took the time to learn about them. All I know is that I can control them.'
"Heat." Roman closes the lighter, its flame facing the nose of another unopened missile, as Jaune comes closer. "My Oum. It's a heat-seeking missile." Jaune, putting it together after remembering how it went after Vasilias and not him, chimes in himself.
"They come right at a specific person."
"Sure." Turning to the computer nearest to him, Roman goes on. "Everyone's body has its own unique heat pattern." On the screen, Jaune's comes up. "This is yours." Roman clacks more keys and his comes up right beside. "And this is mine." Sighing, Jaune moves away from Roman before speaking again.
"Clean, simple and neat." Uneasy at the ramifications, Roman shakily rises from his seat before speaking again.
"Jaune… this is a Police nightmare. We used to worry about terrorists and crooks getting A-bombs? The real problem is this microelectronics stuff like this. I mean… a smart bullet?" Uneasy himself, Jaune removes his glasses before looking down at the seized chips.
"What about these chips?"
"Overrides all CPU instructions. Can turn any domestic computer into a killing machine."
A monitor comes up, with a mug-shot, file and side profile of Watts.
"Arthur Watts. This the guy?" Ironwood's query gets a reply from Jaune. Glasses on his face once again.
"Yeah, that's him." Ironwood looks the information printout over before nodding and chipping in himself.
"This is a bad guy. Served one to three, armed robbery. Arrest, murder 2, no conviction. Arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, conviction overturned. Mob connections. He's a rich kid gone bad. What was he doing with Vasilias?"
"He got Vasilias and Cardin to design the chips, knocked them off and ran away with the stuff." Seating himself before the monitor, he sees the mugshots of Watts moving. "He likes to kill people. He's killed five so far. I want him."
"Yeah, I'm sure you do. But how are you going to get him?"
"We've got his girlfriend." Ironwood can only look at Jaune like he's nuts.
"Whoop-dee-do! You think this guy's interested in a piece of ass?"
In the audience, Vernal cringes in revulsion at the thought itself.
'Him? Ewww! I'd really much rather go for Jaune!' Watts, however, rolls his eyes.
'Like I'd involve myself with such an unkempt trollop.'
"She's all we got."
"And she leads nowhere. I want you to talk to one of our psychics."
"Oh… Chief." Ignoring him, Ironwood mulls it over before speaking again.
"Glynda's in the building, working on that missing kid case. I'm going to send her up here to give you a reading."
"Come on, Chief."
"Just do it, Arc." At that, Ironwood exits, leaving Jaune to again look at the monitor.
In the audience, Glynda can only be stunned at the prospect of her making her own appearance and as a psychic.
Glynda paces softly, mini-missile in hand. Wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt with a floral vest over it. She gently rubs the bullet, as if it'll give her the answers she seeks to give.
"Walter… Wal… Wa… an old name. Wacko."
Tyrian bursts into hysterical laughter, Mercury, Emerald, Hazel and Cinder right behind, Salem lightly giggling, before looking to an incensed Watts.
"She certainly has you pegged." At Salem's words, Tyrian cackles again as Watts grits his teeth while the rest laugh as well. Ozpin and Ironwood are having a hard time breathing, so they manage to calm back down, yet have wide smiles of mirth on their faces before Ozpin looks at a snickering Goodwitch.
"You enjoyed that, didn't you, Glynda?"
"Immensely." They all then resume watching, with Watts pouting.
'I just know she did that on purpose!'
"Watts?" In the background, Jaune nods, cup of coffee in hand as she asks, "Is his name Watts?" Unseen by her, he silently nods before she goes on. "And you're looking for him." Shaking her head, she adds, "He's very angry." Jaune chimes in himself.
"Where is he?"
"I'm not surprised you're looking for him. You have a karmic bond, you know. You were brothers in another lifetime."
In the audience, Jaune and Watts look to each other before scowling. With Jaune thinking.
'Why'd my "brother" in another lifetime turn out to be such a wacko?' Watts' thoughts, however...
'To think I had such a buffoon as a "brother" at one point!'
"Glynda…"
"Your relationship is very clear, you're like… pieces in the same puzzle." Glynda pauses at that before resuming. "You've been close many times, and you'll get closer."
"Glynda…"
"You'll definitely meet."
"When and where?" Glynda looks back to him at his query.
"He'll see to that." Stepping toward him, she adds, "After all… you have what he wants."
"I do?"
"Of course."
In the Station's booking area, Melanie is trying to sweet talk an Officer into cutting her loose.
"I work as an exercise instructor."
Melanie's eyes light up at the thought of being an exercise instructor itself before looking herself over and looking over at Miltiades. Seeing her twin look over at her, she smirks widely and gets a smirk right back.
'We'd make a killing!' They both muse thoughtfully before remembering one other person that can be useful. 'What that bimbo can do can be considered exercise of sorts. We'll talk to her about it afterward.'
"Where?" The Officer's query catches her semi-flatfooted before she gives her reply.
"Well, a lot of places. Look, I got a firm body. My body's perfect." Lightly flaunting herself, she adds, "Here… just go ahead. It's like a rock." Beside her, Miltiades, dressed in her red dress, is undergoing the same procedure herself as the Officer gently, yet firmly, bustles Melanie away.
"I can see that."
"Oh, come on." As the Officer gathers Miltiades, Melanie sees Jaune and tries to appeal to him. "Arc, he's giving me a hard time. He doesn't believe I'm an exercise instructor."
"Sorry, I can't help you." Melanie disgustedly gives a retort.
"Weiner-head!"
The twins both facepalm, having experienced firsthand being booked, knowing full well that the Jaune on-screen has no real authority, discretion or pull when it comes to resolving or canceling bookings. They both then wonder about the size of Jaune's 'weiner', if the Pyrrha in the audience with them had seen it yet and if it'd be big enough to satisfy them and gaze right at him.
'I want to find out!'
Jaune feels an urge to gulp nervously and does so.
Another male voice comes over the PA as Pyrrha, wearing a white floral pattern dress, enters at the same time as Jaune. White bandage on her arm.
"Officer Zedong, sketch artist room."
May Zedong's right eye goes wide at the thought of her being a Police Officer.
"Called you back too, huh?" Jaune's query gets a faint smile from Pyrrha.
"Yeah." Wanting to forget the earlier conversation, Jaune goes on as an Officer in the background is on the phone.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Okay. Hurts a little, but it's okay." The Officer then calls out to Jaune.
"Hey, Arc, telephone!" Jaune, however, waves it off.
"I'm not here." Pyrrha looks at Jaune at that.
"What's going on?" Before he can reply, Roman gets his attention. They move away from each other and Jaune goes to Roman.
"You know those illegal chips? It looks like they were production-etched." Jaune blinks at Roman's words.
"Meaning what?"
"They were run off a regular assembly line."
"So?"
"So… somewhere there're photo templates to make more." Getting the gist of what Roman's saying, Jaune leans toward a nearby computer and clacks some keys.
"Who has the templates?" An image of Vernal appears on the monitor as Roman gives his reply.
"I don't know, but we better find them." The Officer on the phone, however, speaks up.
"Hey, Arc, he said he knows you're here. Do you know someone named Watts?"
"My, my. How boldly brazen, Watts. Calling the man that's working on finding you." Cinder's comment gets Watts to facepalm.
Roman and Jaune both look to the Officer before they pick up the receivers on two different phones. Roman for tracing, Jaune for speaking during the trace.
"This is Arc." Watts' voice comes over the line, full of sheer arrogance.
"You're lucky to be alive, Arc. You should've let the robot disarm it." As Roman works on getting a trace done, Jaune works on keeping him talking.
"So you watch television. What's on your mind?"
"I watch, I look, I listen. I'm watching you now."
"Right. What's on your mind, Watts?"
"You're standing by the desk in the middle of the room, punching buttons on the console, trying to trace this call, which won't do shit because I'm calling from a bouncing scroll."
Jaune and Roman both look around before cupping their hands over the receivers as Watts speaks again.
"Now you're looking around. Now you're cupping your hand over the receiver." Jaune quickly puzzles it out. Still keeping his hand cupped, he calls out.
"He's tapped into the closed-circuit TV. Kill that camera!"
"I can't hear what you're saying now, but you're right. I've tapped into the TV line." Pyrrha, being nearby, picks up a cap and puts it over the camera's lens. "That wasn't very nice, Arc." Roman looks aside at Jaune before asking their shared question as quietly as possible.
"How's he doing that?"
"You're probably wondering how I did that." Watts gives an arrogant snicker before Jaune gets to the heart of the matter.
"What do you want?"
"I want my girl, Arc. I know she's there. I want you to turn her over to me."
"No way." Unfazed by the refusal, Watts goes on.
"If you don't, I'll kill her and then I'll kill you. You can't run away, Arc. I'll find you. My little machines will find you wherever you go." At that, the call ends and Jaune slams his receiver down. Exiting the bullpen, Roman right behind, he nears Pyrrha.
"Why does he want the girl so much?" Pyrrha doesn't miss a beat before giving Jaune her reply.
"Maybe she has the templates."
"Maybe. Roman, can you get me a little bug? A real little one?"
"Yeah, I got it for you." As Roman goes to his stash, Jaune and Pyrrha go in a different direction.
Cardin smirks viciously over at Watts, with Mercury, Neptune, Adam, Nebula, Hazel and Dove echoing it. Watts feels somewhat nervous, but he doesn't let it show.
"It's just a matter of time now, Wacko Watts. Jauney-boy's going to nail your ass to the wall. Maybe even literally." Cardin's words get Tyrian to burst out laughing, Mercury, Rhodes and Ironwood right beside him. Emerald and Cinder both giggle at the thought of Watts being literally nailed to a wall.
In the drab concrete interrogation room, Vernal is anxiously smoking. Word had spread fast about the debacle at 'The Glass Unicorn' and the hunt for Watts is still ongoing. Hearing the door open behind her, Vernal turns and sees Jaune entering.
"You were supposed to catch him." Nonplussed by the words, Jaune lets the door close before posing his query.
"And how are you?"
"I said you were supposed to catch him!"
"I tried." Vernal gives a scoff at that.
"Yeah well you didn't, shithead!"
"I feel bad about it too." Jaune's still nonplussed demeanor agitates Vernal.
"Not half as bad as I do. You know, you really screwed up. You let him get away. You know where that leaves me? He's smart, you know? He's gonna know how you got in at the hotel room and how you found him because I told. And he's gonna be so mad…" Vernal loses steam before puffing out. "What am I gonna do now?" Snaking her cigarette for a puff as she leans against the wall, she hears Jaune speaking.
"Well, we'll take care of you, Vernal." He gets a scoff in return.
"Sure you will."
"We're going to move you to a safe place."
"You're going to move me to a safe place? And where is that? There is no safe place. Not from him."
"Sure there is." Vernal's agitation peaks back up at that.
"No, there isn't! What does it take to get through to you?! He sees everything! He knows everything that's going on in here!" Vernal's eyes are starting to shine with tears of fear as she leans forward and asks, "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"
"Why is he looking for you, Vernal?" Vernal wars with herself, torn between telling Jaune and withholding before the latter wins out.
"How do I know?" At that, she leans back against the wall.
"Tell him, you dumbass bitch!" Vernal's angered screech gets Ruby to wave her 'swear jar' before she snorts. "Later, 'Little Red'. But, for now… make a deal with them! If you got the templates, give them to them! You can get protection at least!" Watts scoffs at that.
"No protection can stand against me."
"Maybe, but I'd rather take a leap of faith and… do the right thing." Vernal shudders at the very thought of it before adding, "Even if it kills me."
"We're going to move you." At that, Jaune opens the door and exits and Vernal purses her lips in thought.
Pyrrha's head appears before she steps into a large scanner. Jaune removes his watch and puts it in his pocket before drawing and unloading his sidearm as she does so.
"Beginning debug scan." Pyrrha, lightweight white jacket on over her torso, turns around as the scanner moves down her body before it completes the scan. "Scan complete. No bugs detected." Pyrrha steps out and Jaune hands her his sidearm before stepping him himself.
"Beginning debug scan." The scanner goes down his body, the process finishing with same result as Pyrrha. Jaune exits before Vernal makes to step in for her turn. Only for Jaune to stop her.
"Purse, Vernal." She can't help but sigh in exasperation.
"Not again."
"Come on."
"I'm clean." Pyrrha chimes in herself.
"We'll see." Complying, she hands it over before stepping in. Jaune seating himself at a workstation and turning the light on for purse inspection.
"Beginning debug scan." The digitized male-voiced scanner moves down her body before stopping, a small red light appearing on her blouse. "Bug detected."
"Give me your blouse, Vernal." Pyrrha's instruction to her is no-nonsense, getting Vernal to comply, leaving her in her black skirt and white sport bra as Jaune inspects the purse. Pyrrha looks the blouse over before finding what the scanner found. A small strip of circuitry. "Nice." She then hands it to Jaune so he can look it over as the scan resumes.
"Resuming scan." The scanner resumes its movement, only to stop again. With the same small red light appearing on the front of her sport bra. "Bug detected."
"Give me your bra." Already feeling indignant just by being in her sport bra and skirt, Vernal turns around before whipping her sport bra off and passing it back. Pyrrha can easily see three burn/whip marks before looking back to Jaune. He looks and sees the brutality inflicted onto her.
Vernal scoffs angrily.
"Abusive, huh? My other really could've done far better than Wacko Watts. I gotta admit Jaune's looking better and better by the second." Watts grits his teeth in irritation as chuckles once again abound.
"Resuming scan." The scanner resumes moving again, only to stop once again. Red light appearing on her skirt's snap button as it says, "Bug detected."
"Hold still." Pyrrha yanks the bug off the snap before the scan resumes and she takes the bug to Jaune.
"Resuming scan." The scanner resumes movement and she seems clear the rest of the way until that little red light shows on the stiletto heel of her right shoe. "Bug detected." Pyrrha steps back to Vernal at that.
"Jeez, what a 'bug'-gy situation. Eh? Eh?" Yang's pun gets facepalms from most, with Cinder's evil adoptive family groaning and guffaws from Taiyang, Adam and Rhodes. Cinder looks aghast at Rhodes, getting a wide smirk in reply.
"What can I say, Cinder? I like puns." Cinder can't help but sigh before shaking her head and her evil adoptive Mother speaks up.
"Does she… do that often?"
"Yeah, she does." Cinder's reply gets her EAM to sigh.
"Well, at least being dead means being free of wretched puns. If anything, I'm glad you were never like that. It seems my daughters and I warded that urge away from you." Cinder's amber eyes start gleaming evilly.
"Perhaps I'll try doing a pun myself." The EAM and her two daughters look aghast at her in horror and Rhodes beams. Cinder noticing. "I did say perhaps. I just have to find the right pun for the right time." Jaune and 'Racer', however, lightly snicker.
"You got a lot of bugs, Vernal." Knowing what was coming, Vernal props herself and lifts her right foot up.
"I thought I was clean." Still inspecting the bugs found, inspection of the purse done, Jaune looks back at Vernal. Disbelief at her words on his face.
"You're loaded. Watts really wants to keep track of you. Why is that, Vernal?" Vernal doesn't answer. She just looks forward in silence, tapping her right fingernails against the scanner's wall.
In the garage, Pyrrha is scanning a Police car with a robotic driver within. Upon finding no bugs, she closes the door as Jaune walks up with Vernal.
"These two are clean."
"Okay, fine." Vernal's eyes go wide at the idea itself.
"Are you crazy? These are Police cars." Pyrrha chimes back in.
"You want the regular four-car escort?" Jaune looks back over at her. Vernal looks back and forth between the two seemingly bonkers cops.
"Nope, just you. We'll take this one with the robot driver. You ride shotgun."
"Is that gonna be enough?" Pyrrha's query snaps Vernal out of it before she looks back at Jaune.
"Hell no! If we go out there in cop cars, they'll catch onto us right away."
"Oh, I doubt that." Vernal looks at him in incredulity.
"You doubt that? You're acting like freaking Sir Nicholas riding on your white horse and you're going to get us all killed." Jaune looks evenly down at Vernal.
"Where're the templates, Vernal?"
"What templates?" Seeing that she's not budging, Jaune sighs.
Vernal facepalms herself in disgust as Raven gently pats her back.
"Let's get moving. Come on." As Vernal clambers in, she issues another gripe.
"Great. We hit the streets and you, me and dollface are dead." Closing the door on her, Jaune starts making his way to the other side before seeing one of the Police mechanics coming at him.
"Hey, Jaune, you need a hand?"
Bolin Hori arches an eyebrow at him being a mechanic and shrugs.
'Not what I had in mind, but it'll do in a pinch.'
"Everything's fine. Just don't touch the cars, Bolin." Not knowing the rationale, Bolin goes on.
"Come on, it's me, Bolin, your old buddy." Reaching to the hood of the car Jaune's getting into, he's soon cut off. "I just…"
"Don't touch the car!" Jaune's yell halts Bolin, getting him to back off.
"Come on, I'm clean."
"Back off!" Putting his arms apart to his sides, Bolin does so. Not believing that Jaune doesn't trust him.
"No… He's just not taking any chances." Bolin's examining the rationale gets their attention. "We all saw how small those bugs they pulled off Vernal are. If there were any smaller bugs, they can be applied anytime, anywhere by anyone. Whether they know it or not."
"Okay." Hurt expression on his face, Bolin walks away and watches as the two cars exit the garage. Jaune and Vernal with the robot driver in the lead, Pyrrha right behind.
The view within the car driven by the robot turns to an overhead view of the two cars rolling along the roadway. In the air above them, a black bullhead with red striping is shadowing them. Vernal tentatively looks out the back windscreen and sees it.
"It's Watts." Jaune, however, keeps his cool.
"Yeah, could be." As the cars circle off the highway, a lone car turns around and starts tailing them. As Pyrrha pulls her car alongside, Jaune looks back before calling Pyrrha on his com-bud. Aware the Vernal can hear Pyrrha's reply over the car's speakers. "Nikos, you reading?"
"Very clear."
"Armed?"
"Yeah." At the reply, Vernal looks back at Jaune.
"What do you think our chances are of getting through this?"
"I'm not worried."
"Yeah, well, you should be." Silently, Jaune activates the windscreens' tracking grids, a female voice chiming in.
"Internal screens are activated."
"Clear so far."
Ironwood's eyes go wide before he looks to Winter.
"Take careful notes, Winter. Technology like that can be useful for our forces. Include the retinal security as well."
"Yes, sir."
"No electronic targets are shown." In the car following behind them, two men are barely visible before the driver speaks.
"Set up."
"Okay. Pull back a little." As the driver does so, he speaks again.
"Get the lock-on ready." Ducking down, the passenger slides open a panel in the car's floor before bringing out a small white object and turns it on, the roadway flying by underneath.
In the robot-driven car, the windscreen grids go red before the female voice speaks again.
"A lock-on is…" Jaune speaks up at the same time.
"Lock-on. Armed."
"Front or rear?"
"Rear." At the same time, the voice repeats.
"A lock-on is armed."
In the following vehicle, the passenger releases the lock-on and it speeds forward. Weaving around cars.
Inside with Jaune and Vernal, the female voice goes on.
"A lock-on is tracking." Vernal has the perfect response.
"Shit!" Jaune's reply is still nonplussed.
"In progress." As the lock-on rapidly gains, the view switches to Pyrrha in her car. Grid on her rear windscreen active.
"You're riding shotgun, partner. It's all yours."
"Got it." Pyrrha activates the car's defensive suite. On the roof, the left side of the lightbar slides aside and a small laser cannon pops up as the voice goes on.
"A lock-on is targeted." The laser cannon turns to the rear and takes aim before firing a thin red streak. Destroying the lock-on. In Jaune and Vernal's car, Jaune speaks up.
"One down." Back in Pyrrha's car, she speaks as well.
"One coming." Her green eyes pick up a lock-on coming from the front.
"Seems to be more than one vehicle is involved in this." Arslan Altan's words get nods from her teammates and most of the audience.
"A lock-on is closing." Jaune's voice comes over her car's speakers.
"From the front." The laser cannon turns around and aims precisely at the lock-on as the voice speaks again.
"200 yards." Another thin streak of red hits the lock-on, destroying it. A car just ahead of it swerves at the narrowness of the blast. In Jaune and Vernal's car, the latter's agitation is peaking again before she yells.
"You are crazy. You're both crazy!" The following vehicle deploys another lock-on that speeds up, beeping all the way like the others did. In both cars, the voice speaks again.
"A lock-on is tracking. Conditions are serious." The LC turns, aims and fires, destroying the lock-on that was just too close for comfort. The following vehicle deploys yet another lock-on that quickly speeds along traffic. Only it's not the only lock-on now on the road as five others are zooming toward them.
In their car, Jaune's starting to feel on edge, but keeps his cool still.
"Damn, how many you got?" In her car, Pyrrha does the count before speaking.
"Five… six." Jaune's reply gets her attention.
"Bail out."
"Moving in." Pyrrha electronically opens her left rear door as the lightbar on the RDC lights up.
"Conditions are dangerous." Vernal notes Jaune opening his door.
"What's happening now?"
"We're getting out of here." Jaune hefts himself out of the doomed car numbered 323206 before edging his way along the door over to the other car's door.
"Multiple lock-ons targeted at less than 200 yards. Conditions are dangerous." The voice then updates with, "Multiple lock-ons are targeted at less than 100 yards. Conditions are dangerous." Jaune completes his move and looks back to Vernal.
"Come on! Jump!" Vernal mulls it over before the voice convinces her.
"Multiple lock-ons are targeted at less than 50 yards. Conditions are dangerous." Vernal grabs her purse and starts making her way over to the other car. "Multiple lock-ons are closing. Conditions dangerous." Little by little, the lock-ons gain ground as Vernal finishes her transfer and leaps in, the door closing as the voice adds, "Take evasive action."
Pyrrha moves the car away from the doomed car just as the lock-on zeroes in on it and detonates. Upon detonation, the car swerves three times before another explosion from within its fuel tank forces it off the road. Jaune and Vernal watch out the rear windscreen and Pyrrha in the mirror watch it make its way onto a field, ablaze before the voice comes back.
"Multiple lock-ons are closing."
"They're still tracking!" Pyrrha's yell gets Jaune to snarl.
"Damn. They're keyed on." Pyrrha gives a reply at that.
"Whatever it is, it moved with you when you did." Jaune looks at Vernal as the voice speaks again.
"Conditions are dangerous."
"Vernal…"
"Come on, you know I'm clean." Pyrrha chimes back in.
"Six coming from the front and rear."
"… targeted a less than 200 yards."
"We're never gonna make it through this one." Pyrrha's dismayed tone gets Jaune to look back at Vernal.
"Vernal!"
"Multiple lock-ons targeted at less than 100 yards." Jaune sees her tapping her purse nervously before realizing one other tracking bug had been embedded within the purse material itself. Making a grab for it, he gets a reaction from Vernal.
"All right! Just a minute." She opens her purse as the voice goes on with the distance countdown.
"Eighty. Seventy. Sixty. Fifty. Forty. Thirty. Twenty." A done Vernal hands him the purse.
"Go ahead. Throw it!" Jaune drops it out the open window just as the voice speaks again.
"Conditions are hopeless." The lock-on goes right to the purse and detonates, getting another car to swerve away from the blast. Back in the car, the tracking grid deactivates and Pyrrha sighs in relief.
"That did it." Jaune sighs in agreement before looking at Vernal.
"The templates?" Vernal sighs in reluctance before handing them over to Jaune.
"Do you have any idea how much these are worth?"
Vernal facepalms at her other self's dangerous ambition and Watts grits his teeth.
'She was going to start her own chip making business! With my templates!'
"I know Watts wants them pretty bad." Jaune opens the film template and looks it over before Vernal speaks again.
"Yeah, he does." Not stopping his examination, Jaune gives his reply.
"And I want Watts pretty bad." Ending his examination, he looks to Pyrrha and asks, "What do you say we make a public appearance?" Pyrrha looks back in silent agreement as he puts the templates in his jacket pocket.
At an outdoor diner, Jaune and Vernal are before a robotic sushi prep station.
"Hai! You want sushi?"
"Two California rolls." Slipping the bug Roman had provided into the templates, Jaune ensures as best he can that it can't be easily seen. As he folds the templates back up, Vernal speaks.
"You know, you've gotta be out of your mind to stand here like this."
"Why? Where is he?"
"How the hell should I know? He could be anywhere."
"Yeah, well, that doesn't do us much good, does it?" Vernal gives him a snarl at that.
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of! You think he's going to show up here?! Well he's not going to show up. So let's just get out of here!"
"He wants these, doesn't he? He'll come." As he puts the templates back into his pocket, the robotic sushi chef chimes back in.
"Hai! Sushi is here!" Jaune looks down and three sushi platters emerge on a tray that extends outward.
Blake's eyes go wide at the delicious-looking food. Adam notices and sighs fondly. Sienna, Ghira, Kali and Ilia echoing it.
"Oh, see. Doesn't that look good?" Looking back at Vernal as she looks at the food herself, he adds, "You had the tekka maki." His com-bud then sounds off with Watts' voice.
"Arc." Jaune puts his hand to his com-bud and looks around as Watts goes on. "Let me speak to her, Arc." Looking around, Jaune can't see the deranged genius.
"Where are you?"
"Don't be an asshole. I'm like you, having dinner. You might say a night out n the town with your partner." Jaune's eyes rove over the crowd as Watts goes on. "Come on, come, hurry up." Jaune's eyes then see Watts sitting beside Pyrrha, menace on his face as Watts goes on.
"Officer Nikos here was niceenough to lend me her headset. Move a little, dear, so he can see the gun." Nervously, Pyrrha slightly moves aside so Watts can bring out the mini-launcher as Watts adds, "Take a seat with Vernal." Jaune looks aside at Vernal and sees she's scared witless before speaking.
"Come on." Steeling her nerves as best she can, Vernal walks arm-in-arm with Jaune as they near the dining area. Over Pyrrha's com-bud, Watts hears the waiter addressing them both.
"Good evening. Two for dinner?"
"That's right." After Jaune's reply, the waiter comes into view with Jaune and Vernal.
Nadir Shiko feels his eyes go wide at him dressed as a waiter before smiling slightly, remembering he'd once worked as a waiter while becoming a Huntsman-in-training as a part-time job.
"This way, please." As the two follow him, making their way through the massive dinner crowd, Watts' voice comes back over the com-bud.
"Be cool. We don't want any shooting in a place like this, do we?"
"No." Hoping his voice was low enough, Jaune hears Watts speaking again, in a mockingly condescending tone as Nadir brings Jaune's chair out for him after seating Vernal.
"Good boy. Just don't get too nervous, Arc."
"I won't." Nadir, however, heard that part.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" As Vernal brings out a cigarette and lights it, he looks back to Nadir.
"Nothing. This is fine." Unsure, Nadir walks away, leaving Jaune and Vernal alone together before Watts speaks again.
"All right, now give Vernal the templates." Reaching back into his jacket pocket, Jaune brings out the templates as a female server walks up to their table.
Arslan Altan blinks at her appearance before looking at Nadir and grinning.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"
"Sure does, Arslan. Sure does."
"Good evening." Her tone cheerful, she asks, "Would you like something from the bar?"
"Uh, no, nothing. Thank you." Arslan doesn't lose her cheer as she speaks again.
"I'll be right back with your menus. Okay?" Jaune looks back at her after the offer.
"Could you give us a couple minutes?" Smile still on her face, Arslan gives her reply.
"Sure." At that, Arslan walks away, leaving Jaune and Vernal in eyeshot of Pyrrha and Watts before Watts speaks again.
"All right. Now send Vernal over to me."
"Send Nikos first." Watts feigns a hurt tone with his next words as Vernal reaches for the templates.
"What's the matter, Sergeant? Don't you trust me?" As Watts speaks, Vernal tears the templates into two portions, ensuring to keep the bugged portion in her grasp before sliding the other to Jaune. "Come on, come on, I haven't got all night." Jaune looks up at Vernal and sees her smiling faintly.
"It's my insurance policy."
"She knows." Vernal's words are quiet before the bandit girl goes on. "She knows that she's not likely to survive past that night… so she wants to ensure that even if he gets away, he still can't make more of those… evil chips." Wiping her eyes, she looks up and, as bravely as possible, watches what happens next.
Vernal rises from the table, with a still-seated Jaune lightly holding her elbow before speaking again.
"Send Nikos."
"At the same time." Jaune looks up at Vernal and nods.
"Go ahead, Vernal."
Releasing her elbow, he watches as the woman walks toward Pyrrha as Watts releases the redhead. With Pyrrha walking toward Jaune.
As they near each other, Vernal's unseen eyes send Pyrrha a message before both women are concealed by the crowd. Prompting Jaune to angle his head to try and spot them.
'Take good care of him.' As brief as it was, Vernal makes her way to Watts, smirk on her face as she holds the bugged templates portion up. As she passes him the templates, she tenderly kisses him out of sight of Jaune. He repeatedly looks to try to spot her.
As she kisses Watts on his cheek, he brings out an out-the-front knife and jabs it into the back of her head. Severing her spine from her brain and ending her life at the same time.
Vernal gasps at how her other went out before bowing her head and wiping her eyes. Raven gently gets her attention.
"Was it how you expected?"
"Somewhat… though I'd say it was a good death. Can't ask for a better end than trying to do the right thing. And hoping it'd be enough to stop a wacko like Watts." Noticing Watts gritting his teeth, Vernal needles him even more. "In fact, I'd say he makes Tyrian there look semi-sane. And that's quite a feat in itself." Tyrian chuckles softly while bowing.
"Thank you, Miss Branwen. However, it's still to be decided."
"Oh please. Watts is the craziest one here, without a doubt." Vernal's words get Watts to grit his teeth even more before remembering what 'Racer' had said and clears his throat.
"Um, 'Racer', if I may interject. You did prohibit personal issues while here, correct?"
"That I did."
"You're willing to let what that… waif of a bandit said slide?"
"Uh… yeah. Because she just pretty much said what we're all thinking." Watts' expression is wide-eyed shock at the frank admission and Tyrian cackles.
"Goodbye, darling." The cold words entering Jaune's ear tells him all he needs to know as Watts dumps her corpse right into the diner's pond. "Sweet dreams." As Vernal floats face up, her blood flowing into the water, Watts voice comes back. Enraged. "What?! Do you think I'm stupid, Arc?!" Trying to see, Jaune speaks back up, not wanting to tell the deranged genius what he really thinks of him.
"What's the matter? Something wrong?" Jaune finally sees Watts, his face contorted in rage as he waves the templates in his left hand while snaking his right into his blazer's pocket.
"These aren't all of them, Arc. Nobody does that to me. Nobody!" Jaune sees his hand emerge, mini-launcher in hand as he aims and pulls the trigger. Thinking fast as the missile flies past Pyrrha, Jaune upends the table in time for the mini-missile to make impact with it. Watts pulls the trigger again and flees as the mini-missile locks in on a candle on a different table and detonates, frightening the three diners at that table.
Ruby, Yang and Blake all blink before Ruby smiles widely.
"It's us!" Yang mulls it over before Blake chimes in.
"We must be on a girls-night-out or something like that." Yang nods before frowning.
"Why would we have recoiled, though? We could've taken the hit with our semblances."
"Oh… right." At the sheepish words from 'Racer' as he pauses the movie, they look and see he's tapping his fingers together before speaking again. "In these movies… your others don't have semblances. Which is why…" Weiss puts it together.
"You turned our semblances off. To give us some perspective of sorts of what our others go through in these movies."
"Yeah… if you like, though, I can turn them back on now for you." Weiss thinks it over before smiling faintly.
"No thanks. While I can't speak for the others, I know I can stand to wait." The others mull it over and agree with Weiss before 'Racer' resumes.
Watts, in his run, sees two Police Officers rushing onto the scene and changes course, jumping down onto another shallow pond. His clothes getting soaked in the process as he lands on his hands and knees before getting back to his feet and racing for the shrubbery while he's out of eyeshot of them. Jaune and Pyrrha move after him, meeting their back-up at the fountain. All four look around for him, not seeing him seething in rage at how close they came to catching him.
'All of my brilliant plans, contingencies… did not account for his tenacity. I must get ahead of him!'
Inside Ironwood's office, the man drums his fingers against the window before speaking.
"So he got away."
"Yeah."
"And he stiffed the girl."
"That's right."
"Well, that's good. That's excellent work, Arc. What're you going to do next?"
"Nothing." Ironwood 'beams' at that before sarcastically speaking again.
"Well, you can't screw that up." Jaune, however, gives his rebuttal.
"We're going to do nothing because I planted a bug on him. We'll pick it up anytime now."
"You hope." A knock is then heard on Ironwood's door. When he opens it, Pyrrha's in the doorway. "What is it?"
"Arc, they got a signal from the bug on Watts." Jaune rises to his feet and both exit, leaving Ironwood in his office.
"Where?"
"City Hospital. He must've gotten hurt."
Pausing the viewing, 'Racer' looks back to them.
"One more break, for sure, and this movie will be done."