A/N: AAAAAAA! I'm back. Sorry about this taking a little longer than usual but school was a bitch as expected and I had to finish up some stuff since the end of the school year is approaching. Thankfully, I got through all of the imminent shit so I have more free time now. Regardless, the extra time it took to write this was actually a small blessing, since it let me think over the characters reactions a bit better and I feel they're more... Entertaining? Better, let's go with better.
But yeah, this is the last chapter dedicated to the BO2 mission. I already have the franchise for the next chapter planned but I haven't decided on the specific part I'll have them react to just yet. Regardless, suggestion and feedback are still welcome. With that said, I hope you enjoy!
"Do you think she's okay?" Yang asked, noting that Weiss hadn't returned for some time now.
"I-I don't know." Ruby said nervously. "I mean, her sister went after her, so she's probably okay but she hasn't come back yet and I don't know where she is and- and-"
"Ruby. Breathe." Yang said and Ruby did as she asked, inhaling a lung full of air. "Okay. Hold it… Breathe out."
"Haaaaa…"
"Better?" Yank asked with a small smile.
"Yeah… Thanks, sis." Ruby smiled back. Then the door to the room opened.
Ruby and the rest of her friends turned eagerly towards the door and their hopes were rewarded when they saw Weiss and Winter step back inside. The former of the two had puffy red eyes and flushed skin but both of them had warm, happy smiles on their faces.
"Weiss! You're back!" Ruby shouted, already getting up from her seat.
"Miss Rose, I don't think-" Ozpins words were ignored in favor of Ruby tackling her partner to the ground with her semblance, a good amount of rose petals fluttering around the room.
Penny watched the sight with wide, bright eyes.
"Weiss! Are you okay? I was so worried when you didn't come back and-" Ruby froze as she felt hands softly wrap around her. She opened her eyes, which she had shut tight when she collided with Weiss, only to see her partner returning her embrace with an appreciative, if small, smile.
"I'm alright, Ruby. Thanks for worrying." Weiss said.
Ruby beamed. She didn't notice Weiss' gasps for air as she tightened her hold around the White haired girl.
"Uh, Rubes…" Yang began warily, although full of amusement. "You're pulling a Penny. Might want to let her go before she turns blue."
"Ah! Sorry!" Ruby properly got to her feet, allowing Weiss to take a deep, gasping breath for sweet, sweet oxygen.
Winter only giggled silently at the sight, hiding her smile with a hand. "Why don't you two go and sit down. I'm curious to see how this tale is going to finish." She said as her gaze turned to the screen with curiosity behind her eyes.
"Uh… Right!" Weiss said, before the both of them sat back down quickly.
Penny blinked. "Friend-Yang?" She asked, turning towards the blonde brawler as Winter retook her seat next to Qrow.
"What's up, Penny?" Yang asked with a smile.
"The ceiling." Penny stated bluntly.
Yang blinked.
Roman, Neo and Qrow burst out laughing with unrestrained mirth while Winter giggled, however Ironwood dropped his head into his head before shaking it with a sigh. Ozpin placed a comforting hand on James' shoulder.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you of all people would walk into a joke." Blake commented with a twinkle in her eyes as Ruby snickered uncontrollably.
"Oh come on, Rubes! Not you too!" Yang cried in despair.
"You did walk into it though…" She pointed out with a giggle, causing Yang to pause before sighing.
"Okay, that's fair, but that wasn't the point." Yang waved her arms, before turning towards Penny. "Okay, look. When someone asks you "What's up", they're asking how you're doing. It's like a greeting, you get me?"
Blake raised a confused eyebrow as she picked up what sounded like the faint whirring of circuits and electronics from the young girl but she decided to dismiss it. After a few seconds of what could be considered awkward silence, Penny's eyes suddenly, possibly literally, lit up.
"Oh! I see! It's an informal greeting. Is that correct?" Penny asked with a curious smile.
"Yup! That's it." Yang confirmed. "Same with "You get me?". It's an informal version of asking if you understand me."
"Ooooh!" Penny realized, before smiling. "Then, yes, Friend-Yang, I do indeed get you."
"They grow up so fast!" Ruby squeaked quietly with a sniffle, causing the rest of Team RWBY to chuckle softly.
Ironwood was staring at the interaction with awe, his mouth opening slightly before closing with no words coming out. Ozpin glanced at him with a smirk. "And you said you didn't think she was ready to have interactions on her own."
Ironwood sighed, although there were the beginnings of a smile on his face. "I still believe that my reasoning was well-founded. Although…" Ironwood glanced back at the conversation between Penny, Ruby and Yang.
"But…" Penny began. "What does "Pulling a Penny" mean?"
"Oh boy… So…" Yang began to explain to the disguised android.
"I'll admit that things are turning out well." Ironwood finished.
"I agree." Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. "Well, I think that it's a good time to finally finish viewing this universe. I'm curious to see what will happen but I'm also ready to move on."
"I'll agree with that. I believe we're all ready, Ozpin." Glynda spoke up.
"Hey now, who do you think you're speaking fo-" The Deputy-Headmistress turned to Qrow with a glare so powerful that he stopped in his tracks. Even Torchwick and Neo broke out into cold sweats.
"Back off, Qrow, back off!" Torchwick hissed with sweat pouring down his brow as Neo nodded frantically. Qrow raised a pair of trembling hands into the air.
"Now as I was saying…" Glynda continued after she cleared her throat, before turning away and pushing her glasses up. "I believe we're all ready to continue." Qrow, Torchwick and Neo slumped in their seats with relief.
"Very well then. Let's begin." Ozpin said as he used the remote to continue the viewing.
"Oh, that's what "Pulling a Penny" means!" Penny shouted with happiness as the screen unpaused once more, continuing the viewing.
A few minutes passed and the three of them turned to a welcome sight. A large antenna tower. Tai looked over his shoulder and smiled at Tai. "Village ahead." He said. "The antenna means they've got a radio."
"Lucky break for you guys, huh?" Roman asked rhetorically as he puffed a drag from his cigar.
Unbeknownst to Roman, Qrow's brain had completely ground to a halt at those words and the situation on screen clashed together, forcing the greased up gears in his head to start turning. Abruptly, he snapped out his his stupor with wide eyes and an even wider smile. "I… Finally my semblance doesn't screw something up…"
"Are you…" Winter began slowly before grimacing. "Are you crying?"
"No." Qrow sniffled. "I just have something in my eye."
Winters palm met her face.
Qrow connected the dots quickly and smiled back. "We can call Savimbi for emergency extraction."
Weiss gasped with a wide, happy smile. Seeing Winter in that state again made her cringe slightly on the inside but any uncomfortable feelings at the situation were squashed at the mere thought of rescue. "They'll be able to do it… You'll be okay, Winter!" Weiss shouted, turning to her sister.
"Now, I'd hate to be the bearer of bad ne- OW!" Torchwick yelped from Hush jabbing into his side.
Beside him, Neo was scowling slightly and frantically waving her hand back and forth in front of her neck in a 'Cut it out' gesture. Roman rubbed at the affected area with a slight wince. "Alright, alright, sheesh. I get it, I'll tone it down…" He mumbled slightly.
Neo only smiled, before curling up against Roman's side affectionately, but not before receiving a bowl of Ice Cream from Winter, who handed it to her with a wink. She must have seen her eating it earlier. She learned fast. Neo decided that she liked her.
The two continued forwards, slowing their pace as they neared the village before Tai raised a hand. "Hold!" He hissed quietly and Qrow looked in front of him only to see an enemy officer. The only reason they hadn't been spotted yet was because he was facing the opposite direction.
Sun whistled as a small amount of sweat gathered on his brow from the tension. "That is… a tense situation, I'll be honest…"
"You can say that again." Neptune mumbled next to him.
"I have to admit," Ozpin began with the subtlest of shit eating grins. "it's quite lucky the soldier was facing the other direction." Qrow's gaze snapped to him. "Then again, it's also unlucky that he was standing there in the first place." Qrow deflated.
"Don't do that…" Qrow began, before sniffling once more. "Don't give me hope."
Despite the situation, Ruby and Yang couldn't help but giggle. Blake just rolled her eyes.
Tai gestured to his left, where a fallen log was laid. "Take cover behind that log." He whispered and the two of them moved, dropping to their stomachs and laying behind it, although a small opening let them see underneath it to the other side.
"Ooh…!" Nora leaned forward excitedly. "We're gonna see something, we're gonna see something!" She said in a quiet sing-song voice.
"It is conveniently placed… I just hope they don't get discovered…" Weiss mumbled softly. Ruby squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.
'Don't…' Qrow thought to himself as he glared at the screen.
Glynda in a rare showing of concern for the male Branwen, glanced over. "Is everything okay, Qrow?"
"Yeah, I'm… Fine just…" He sighed before mouthing 'Bad Luck' to her. Her eyes widened and she nodded sympathetically. They both knew it was irrational since he didn't even have a semblance in that world but years of being nothing more than a Bad Luck Charm left their toll.
Qrow laid Winter down next as she panted in exhaustion but looked grateful for the break. "What the hell are Cubans doing here?!" Qrow hissed, only for Tai's response to be interrupted by Winter having a coughing fit.
Ironwoods eyes widened in alarm. "You need to keep her quiet. It's not ideal given her condition but you'll be discovered if you don't do something."
Glynda winced slightly and glanced back at Qrow how cringed quite visibly with distaste and anxiety. He was a drunk and a pain in the ass but he was still a friend and it pained her to see him like this.
Neo held up a sign she conjured out of nowhere. 'See? This is why being mute is awesome.' Torchwick and even some of the students chuckled at her despite the situation, as she beamed with appreciation.
Tai snapped his gaze to Winter with a look of alarm as Qrow quickly placed his gloved hand over her mouth, muffling her voice. She coughed again but the noise was minimal.
Everyone in the theater, or most rather, Torchwick and Neo didn't really care, breathed out silent sighs of relief. Jaune himself grimaced at the sight. If Weiss' sister was really sick then he pitied her for having to breath in through a most likely clogged and dirty nose for an unknown amount of time. Then he paused and wondered if focusing on that specific aspect said something about him.
Qrow, despite himself, chuckled nervously. He had a smile on his demeanor was far from calm. "The hell is this? Haven't felt this jittery or anxious in a long time…"
Roman raised an eyebrow as he exhaled some cigar smoke. "And here I thought Neo and I had problems…" He scoffed mirthfully.
Qrow hissed and glared at him out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. Roman snorted.
The two waited for a moment longer before the two heard a Cuban officer shouting but what surprised them were child-like voices who answered him. The officer stood in the clearing in front of them as children quickly lined up, armed with assault rifles. Tai snapped his gaze to Qrow with a look of horror. "They're just kids…" He murmured.
"What…?" Despite the soft, uncertain question which was almost as silent as a whisper, Nora's question cut through the sudden silence like a hot knife through butter.
"To think… People could be so cruel as to…" Glynda couldn't, wouldn't finish that sentence as she looked on with horror in her eyes. Having teenagers attend academies to fight monsters and graduate once they were adults was one thing. Having younger teens attend school to learn the basics of combat and aura manipulation was another. But this?
Blake couldn't move. Her eyes stayed locked onto the screen as if it had taken control of her and forced her to watch. Child soldiers. That was the only was she could describe it and she absolutely hated the idea of it. The White Fang might have had some young members, her, Ilia and even Adam at one point being examples of this but they had all joined willingly. The way things looked right now, it seemed far from voluntary.
Ironwood and Winter were also in similar states of shock, the former of the two especially furious. His organic hand clenched and trembled, his knuckles turning white from the force as he grit his teeth. These people, whoever they were, were monsters! If he had his way, they'd be executed for something so horrendous.
Even Torchwick, a long time criminal with sociopathic tendencies couldn't hide the disgust. He was a piece of shit, the scum of society, even he knew this. But kids? Some of them looked no older than 8 or 9 and they were being forced into military training? He drew all of his lines at kids. A glance at Neo told him she shared his views.
The officer backhanded one of the kid, the sound audible across the clearing before he quickly scrambled into line up with the rest of the children. The officer then began to inspect the children lined up and spotted one who held their rifle the wrong way.
He pointed to them and shouted something in Spanish and the kid quickly scrambled to hold it the right way, only to fumble and drop their gun.
Yang's eyes flashed Red as he hair began to smolder. "Those bastards…!" She hissed. It was taking everything to keep from exploding.
Ruby wouldn't consider herself much better. She always saw the best in people and in the form of Torchwick, she was even proven right. Sure he wasn't a good guy but he wasn't evil! The fact that he could sit here with her Uncle Qrow and laugh with them was proof of that! She didn't know why he did the things he did but she figured she could ask some other time. The officer on screen? He was evil, she decided.
Weiss and Winter both gasped as they saw the rifle fall to the floor, the former's hands shooting up to cover her mouth. They had an idea as to what might happen but prayed that they'd be proven wrong.
The child quickly scooped up the rifle and held it correctly but that didn't stop the Cuban officer from backhanding the poor child, their rifle getting knocked out of their hands and sliding underneath the very log Tai and Qrow were laying under.
"Hey! Leave him alone, you jerk!" Nora shouted and by the looks of the others, everyone agreed with her, some more strongly than others.
Qrow clenched his fist, slamming it as hard as he could against is arm rest without drawing attention to himself. A shot of hard bourbon appeared in his hand. He threw his head back and downed it, the burning liquid helping to distract him.
"I just wish we could do something… that anyone could do anything!" Pyrrha cried softly as she teared up. She couldn't bear the sight of watching those poor kids. Jaune put a hand on her shoulder and for once she actually took advantage of it, leaning into the touch that comforted her greatly, but nowhere near enough.
Ozpin, with words no one wanted to hear, spoke up. "Students, now would be a good lesson to learn…" He started as all of the students present slowly turned to him. "You cannot save everyone… Remember that." His words, while neutral on the surface, were noticeably full of sorrow underneath for those more perceptive.
Some of them knew this already. Blake as a White Fang member knew this, as did Sun who lived in Vacuo for most of his life and as did Ren and Nora, having witnessed their village destroyed when they were young. For others, however, such as Pyrrha, Jaune and even Ruby and Yang who had their mother taken from them… It hurt to hear.
Both of them tensed as the child quickly ran over and scooped up his rifle and held in sighs of relief as the kid quickly ran back to join the others.
The officer invaded the kids personal space and began to scold him as the child hung his head but any further action was interrupted by an alarm. The group quickly rushed away, leaving Qrow, Tai and Winter alone for now.
Torchwick released a quiet breath. "Lucky bastards the lot of you…" He mumbled but it was loud and well timed enough to get a few snorts and giggles out. Roman didn't know how to feel that he was making brats laugh while looking through this dark shit. The question was if he was doing this intentionally or not. He didn't rightly know but he hoped it was the latter.
Qrow released a quiet but absolutely exhausted breath at the whole situation as he slumped limply in his seat. Winter gazed on and contemplated weather she wanted to comfort him or not. Then she recalled all of the jokes he and Torchwick had made at her expense in the last hour alone in between viewings and her decision was easy. She wouldn't mock him though, she wasn't that cruel or petty.
"Let's move…" Tai muttered and the group stood up, but not before Winter gulped in a few greedy breaths of air and released her held in coughs.
"It's hard to watch Winter in this state." Ironwood said quietly so as not to concern Winter or her younger sister but the looks on their faces from a quick glance told him that they shared his thought. "And it's even harder to imagine how she must be feeling… Grateful, I'd imagine but loathing at her helplessness."
"Would you mean she is unable to sit still and watch when she could be doing something herself?" Ozpin asked curiously as Ruby Rose came to the front of her mind but he already dismissed his own question as Ironwood shook his head.
"She hates being a burden." He explained. "She doesn't want people to die because of her own failures."
"Has this happened before?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"Not yet and I hope it never will." Ironwood said. "But she has been in a similar, although nowhere near as dire situation before. She was a girl once too, not a young woman."
Ozpin's eyes widened ever so slightly in realization. "Ah…" He mumbled before chuckling slightly. "I see. Students are always restless"
"Stay low, keep your head down…" Tai muttered as the two of them hid behind some rocks. A few Cuban officers emerged right in front of them but faced away as they argued. "Don't move! Let them pass!" Tai hissed as he held his rifle in a death grip.
"This is honestly really nerve wracking." Neptune said as he sipped on a soda, the ice clinking every time he moved the glass.
"Sure, but it's also exciting, you can't deny that." Sun argued. The two of them ended up just shrugging in acceptance.
Tai spoke up as the two men started to leave. "Okay, on my lead, we run for the wooden hut." Qrow nodded in response. A few seconds passed before Tai gave the signal. "Now!" Tai hissed and the two sprang into action, quickly but quietly crossing the distance as dog barks and shouts sounded in the distance.
Blake went rigid, her ears flicking left and right as her saucer wide eyes darted to different points on the screen. Her team glanced over at her with confusion. "Blake?" No response. "Blakey?" Yang nudged her with a finger. Blake tipped slightly not unlike a solid object before wobbling for a few seconds.
Torchwick and Neo snickered but didn't say anything. Yang nevertheless rounded on them. "Hey! What's so funny?! You know what's up with her?" Yang asked, mildly annoyed.
Surprisingly, it was Penny who spoke up. "I believe, since Friend-Blake is a cat faunus-" A hand suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
"Don't…" Blake said quietly, with enough intensity to make even Nora rethink her life choices.
Penny was not affected. "Friend-Blake, why can I not say that you are most likely afraid of dogs?" She asked with a confused head tilt, despite Blake's hand still clamping around her mouth. How she kept talking, Yang was not aware but all she cared about was the horrified look on Blake's face.
And how she was going to tease the ever-living shit out of her partner later. Judging by the anxiety filled stare, Blake knew she was in trouble.
Once inside the hut, they were forced to hide behind a held demolished wall as more soldiers appeared. "Don't move." Tai held out a hand to halt Qrow. "More patrols passing by…" The two hid in the shadows as Tai peaked around the corner. "On my go, we head for the grass." Tai said and Qrow peered through a hole in the wall at the tall grass outside the hut.
A Cuban soldier entered the house, the both of them tensing as he approached but as the soldier rattled something to another man out of view, he turned and walked into another part of the house, leaving them a clear shot at escape. "Stay close." Tai whispered and the two were on the move again.
"Ugh! My nerves are killing me!" Ruby whined, causing a few snickers to erupt from those around her, the mood lightening somewhat.
Qrow snorted. "Now you know what being a Huntsman is like. Nerve shattering tension all around." Ruby's face fell and Qrow suppressed a grin.
"Now, now, even if what Qrow is saying has truth, his words are an exaggeration." Ruby's face lightened somewhat but Ozpin wasn't done. "That being said, you must be prepared to face tense and nerve-wracking situations. If you let it get to your head, you can and will die."
Ruby gulped audibly, her face scrunching up cutely as she did so.
The two of the crept through the grass, Qrow's heart jumping in his chest as enemy soldiers and guard dogs patrolled all around them. They hid behind a large rock where the foliage was rather thick as the volume of the voice picked up. "Hold position." Tai whispered as he turned to Qrow. "They're right in front of us." The two of them waited with bated breath for the patrol to pass.
The entire theater was silent, only the low sounds of breathing were audible within the absence of conversation. No one dared speak, as if even a single word from those in the audience would lead to Qrow and Tai being spotted.
Qrow himself was probably faring worst of all. Despite his words, his heart rate was through the roof. He damn well knew his other self didn't have a semblance but that didn't stop him from worrying. All it took was one snapping stick or the crumple of grass… One wrong step and it would be over.
When they finally did, Tai let out a sigh. "Okay, we're clear. Move out of the grass." He whispered as he gestured for Qrow to follow, which he did.
The audience collectively slumped in their seats, some with more exaggeration than others, namely Ruby and Qrow. "Glad that's over…" He mumbled.
The two of them walked for a minute before coming to a natural arch made of rock which stood in front of an intersection like path. Qrow sat Winter onto the ground. "You'll be okay, Winter. I'm going to radio for help." Tai nodded to Qrow. "I'll take care of Winter." He said as Qrow turned towards the radio hut.
Weiss couldn't suppress the smile on her face at those words. "Finally, they can all go home!" She said quietly.
"Yep! Nothing to worry about now! Just gotta call for a pick up and it's smooth sailing from there." Yang added. She froze as she felt a glare on her back. She turned, only to see Nora staring at her with murder in her eyes.
"You jinxed it…"
"Huh?"
"You jinxed it!" Nora shouted.
"What're you..?" Yang paused and thought for a moment before her eyes widened. "Oh no..."
Before Qrow could get away, Tai spoke up once more. "Watch yourself up there. Try not to draw any more attention." Qrow nodded grimly before slowly approaching the hut.
As he walked, Qrow stumbled across a shed. Taking a chance, he stepped up to the door and quickly picked the lock. Inside were a few bear traps mixed in with other mundane supplies, which Qrow grabbed just in case, before continuing on his way.
"Bear traps?" Goodwitch asked curiously. "I can't image what he'd need those for…" She mumbled.
"Just because they were meant for bears, doesn't mean they can't be used against men." Torchwick spoke up with a drawl.
"I'd stay quiet if I were you, Torchwick!" Glynda hissed angrily. Roman complied with a smirk.
As Qrow approached one of the buildings windows, which was open, he heard radio static which alerted him to the radio being in use. He shifted one leg over the window sill, a pistol at the ready, as the figure at the radio spoke. Qrow listened in. "Do you need to be reminded of just how I deal with those who fail me?" The voice asked as Qrow crept closer.
Blake's eyes widened as her ears twitched slightly. Yang noticed this and glanced over, concerned. "Everything okay, Kitty Cat?"
Roman snorted behind them.
"Don't call me that." Blake snapped quietly, before sighing. "And… Yeah, I think so it's just…" She shook her head dismissively. "Just thought the voice sounded familiar but I'm probably imagining things."
"It's probably that "Gun Runner" guy Savimbi mentioned earlier." Jaune surmised and Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Most likely. I for one would love to see the one who did such horrible things to my sister." She growled slightly.
The radio said something back but due to the static and the distance between Qrow and the radio, he couldn't understand what was said. The figure was clearer now but since they were still turned, all Qrow could make out was a tuft of red hair.
Now it was Winter's turn to be alarmed. She turned to Blake worriedly. "Miss Belladonna, was it? You wouldn't happen to recognize the figure at all, even from the back?" Suddenly, Winter's gaze hardened. "You did mention the voice sounded familiar…"
Blake's ears flattened against her skull as she swallowed audibly. "I- I… I might…" She stuttered. "I just hope I'm wrong…" She mumbled.
Ironwood had caught on and he too was glaring holes into the back of Blake's head. "I think we're in agreement on that." Winter said icily.
"Eh?" Weiss mumbled while looking between Blake and Winter, confused at the sudden tension. "Do you recognize that man?" She asked. Neither responded.
"Saber Rodentia… Do not concern yourself with local politics." The figure, a male by the voice, snarled back.
Qrow placed his pistol right next to the man's skull. He flinched and turned slightly, a single piercing blue eye glaring at him from his seat. But otherwise, the man didn't react and kept his cool.
"No…" Blake mumbled fearfully, her tone full of disbelief. She didn't even realize she was trembling until a hand landed on her shoulder. She flinched and snapped her gaze to the side, only to relax ever so slightly at the sight of Yang.
"Okay, that is it!" Weiss suddenly shouted. "Ever since that person appeared, you've all been tense and cold! What is happening?!"
"James," Ozpin spoke up. "perhaps this can wait-"
"No. It cannot." Ironwood replied. "However, it is interesting that you let a White Fang operative into your school."
However, to both Ironwoods and Winter's surprise, the reaction was far more subdued than he expected. Glynda snapped her gaze to Blake with wide eyes, as James knew she would but otherwise it seemed as if no one cared.
Neptune glanced over at Blake with a slightly wide eyed look, but more out of surprise than fear. Qrow looked non pulsed but raised an eyebrow. The rest…?
Torchwick snorted. "Took you long enough to figure it out."
Ironwood whirled to face Ozpin who didn't look even remotely surprised. "You knew?! You knew and you let a White Fang operative into your school?!" Glynda similarly looked shocked as she turned to Ozpin as well.
Blake shrunk in on herself.
"James, please. Let me explain-"
"Explain what? The fact that you've willingly endangered the lives of your students?!" James roared.
"ENOUGH!" Ozpin shouted with heat in his tone. Ironwood backed down, albeit reluctantly.
Everyone in the theater stopped moving. Winter had a hand around Weiss' shoulder, ready to pull her away from Blake if she needed to. Glynda was glaring at Blake and himself, swapping between them. All of the students looked nervous but Ozpin had no illusions as to who's side they were on, if the comforting hand on Blake's shoulder from Miss Xiao-Long was anything to go by.
Torchwick… He was smiling like an idiot while munching on popcorn.
"Miss Belladonna has been a student at Beacon for a few months now. In that time, she has shown no signs of malicious intent, nor any action implying her continued loyalty to the White Fang." Ozpin spoke, both Ironwoods and Blake's jaws dropping from disbelief, albeit for different reasons.
"It was clear she was seeking redemption, a way to atone for things she may have done. I merely offered her the chance and so far she has far from squandered it."
"He's telling the truth, sir." Penny spoke up, to Team RWBY's surprise and gratitude, Blake especially. "Friend-Blake actually helped protect a Dust shipment from the White Fang in Vale a few weeks ago." Blake almost slumped in relief when she saw Ironwood's glare soften slightly.
The Atlesian General turned towards her, looking stern and contemplative but nowhere near as intimidating as before. "Is this true, Miss Belladonna?" He asked.
Despite her fear and anxiety, she was able to look Ironwood straight in the eye. "Yes." She said, clearly.
Ironwood stared at her for a few seconds longer and Blake began to sweat slightly, before he sighed and leaned back in his seat, the tension in the room dissipating as he did so. "Very well, then. I hope you'll forgive me for being wary, Miss Belladonna."
"N-No… I understand, sir." She replied cautiously.
"It's okay, Winter. She's my friend." Weiss whispered to her sister. Winter looked conflicted and worried but with a few glances between Blake and Weiss, she reluctantly let go and returned to her seat.
When he spoke into the radio again, he spoke Russian instead of English. "He is merely a puppet… As are you." Qrow nudged him with his gun, signaling him to hurry up, but other than scowling, no reaction was given.
"Do as I instruct." With that, the line on the other side went dead as the other radio was switched off, allowing Qrow to speak.
"But, we still don't know who that is!" Weiss insisted hotly.
"That man is-"
"One moment, Specialist." Ozpin interrupted her softly. "I believe this is something Miss Belladonna should reveal." Winter glared lightly, but a nod from Ironwood had her relent.
"He's my…" Blake began quietly, uncertain. "Was…" She corrected. "My mentor. His name is Adam Taurus and he's the leader of the White Fang's Vale branch…" She explained.
"Oh…" Ruby mumbled quietly. "Is he that bad?" Ruby asked, noting the reactions from everyone not long ago.
"Yeah… He is…" Blake said sadly.
"You're a dead man unless you do exactly as I say. Turn the radio to-" The man smashed his fist into the radio, breaking it in a shower of sparks, before pushing the chair away and standing up to face Qrow, who got a good look at the man.
"Woah…!" Sun jumped slightly, not expecting the sudden action.
"No!" Weiss yelled. "How can they call for help now?" She asked, distressed.
"I'm sure they'll manage, Weiss." Winter tried to assure her but even she didn't sound completely convinced.
Red windswept hair with streaks of brown, a lean build and face and two piercing blue eyes stared at Qrow with a smug superiority. He simply shrugged and grinned. "You're going to kill me?" He asked calmly.
"He's... He's human...?" Blake whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "There's... There's a universe where Adam... The same Adam that hates humanity... is human himself?"
Yang chuckled softly, although noting Blake's emotional state, it came out forced and hollow. "That's a... nice ironic twist, huh?" She asked with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Blake didn't respond.
Ironwood's eyes hardened. "He's calm… Too calm…" He noted. "Something feels wrong…"
"Be careful, Uncle Qrow…" Ruby mumbled.
"Don't worry, kid. Your Uncle's gonna be fine." Qrow assured, which allowed Ruby to crack a smile.
Before Qrow could respond, a Cuban soldier walked in and started speaking before he noticed Qrow. The soldier pointed his gun at Qrow and called for the other soldiers waiting outside but didn't shoot as Qrow had quickly taken Taurus hostage. "No one move, or this fucker gets it!" He said but despite the heart hammering in Qrow's chest and the frantic shouts of the Cuban soldiers, Adam was unnervingly calm.
"Ah… There it is…" Qrow mumbled sadly. "There's the Bad Luck…" He grabbed his flask and downed it's contents.
"Rest in Peace, Qrow Branwen. You may or may not be missed depending on who you ask." Roman drawled sarcastically.
Blake was unnerved. She knew Adam could be calm when he wanted to, charismatic and charming even, but the Adam on screen was so calm it was disturbing. He knew something, or he had something planned. There was no way he didn't.
Adam spoke in Spanish to the soldiers calmly but Qrow wasn't having it. "Shut up!" He yelled. Adam only chuckled, opting to ignore Qrow and so he kept speaking. "I said, SHUT UP!" Qrow yelled again, forcefully nudging his pistol against Adam's head.
"What language is that?" Jaune asked curiously. "Now that I think about it, that Adam guy also spoke another one…"
Ozpin was already on it once again. "They are Russian and Spanish, in the order we heard them." He said.
"Then Adam in this universe can speak both?" Ren asked.
"It seems since in this universe, he was born in Nicaragua, Spanish is his first language with Russian and English, the latter of which is simply another name for Valean surprisingly, having been most likely learned later."
"Then what's he saying?" Blake asked softly.
"I wish I knew, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin replied.
"Lower your weapons!" He shouted, some of the soldiers beginning to comply but others kept their guns ready. Qrow shifted his hold on Taurus and placed his gun right underneath his chin. "I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL KILL THIS BASTARD!" He shouted, the soldiers paling as he did so.
Adam, however, was still wholly unbothered by everything happening. He kept his voice level and calm as he spoke to the soldiers before he glanced at Qrow with a smug smirk.
"Oh no…" Blake's ears flattened against her head and her eyes widened in alarm.
"Get out of there, Qrow!" Ironwood roared.
"I can't do anything, Jimmy! That's not the same me!" Qrow replied, equally distressed.
With a final few words spoken that Qrow still couldn't understand, Adam held up a grenade he had concealed and pulled the pin. Qrow's eyes widened and he panicked. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He shouted as he scrambled to knock the grenade away.
"Uncle Qrow, No!" Ruby and Yang shouted together while Ironwood, Glynda and Ozpin froze.
The grenade fell to the floor and Adam whirled, grappling with Qrow as the two men struggled to gain the advantage. Behind Taurus, the two Cuban soldiers leapt onto the grenade without hesitation, trying to shield him from the blast.
"They… they're sacrificing themselves…?" Pyrrha muttered with horror as she raised a hand to her mouth.
"Adam is a psychopath but he's charismatic…" Blake spoke up quietly. "So charismatic in fact, that a good majority of the White Fang's zealots, and almost all of the ones in the Vale branch, would give their lives if it meant he'd survive…"
"That's…" Ren opened his mouth but not more words came out.
"Insane…" Yang finished for him. Blake felt some part of her agree.
'Stupid, more like.' Roman said in his head but didn't voice his thoughts. If Cinder were ever to be in that situation, he'd run the other way without looking back. If it were Neo though… That's another story.
Adam, after a bit of struggle, managed to pin Qrow's arm against him before he smirked smugly. Then, in a burst of movement, he grabbed a knife sheathed on his belt and thrust at Qrow, who just barely managed to grab Adam's wrist, the knife only a millimeter away from piercing his abdomen.
Qrow breathed out of his nose violently, his heart skipping a beat at the sight on screen. "Shit…" He muttered, gulping down some more drink.
"He's dangerous…" Ironwood muttered. "Even in a world without aura, he's still just as dangerous as the Taurus in our universe..."
"I'll break his knee caps!" Nora shouted with anger in her eyes.
"For once…" Weiss spoke up, fury burning in her own pale blue orbs. "I agree..."
Despite the barely avoided attack, Qrow, who had managed to pry his arm free, aimed his gun at Taurus who tried to push the pistol away but was unable to do so before Qrow fired a shot which hit Adam in the eye. Qrow turned to the window but wasn't able to take a single step before the whole building exploded, the blast tossing Qrow through the window onto the ground.
"Ah! Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted as her eyes teared up. "Are you okay?!"
"Looks like I just caught the tail end of the blast." Qrow said, his own hammering heart slowly calming down. "Lucky me…" He snarked bitterly.
Blake just bristled. Just like her- No, she wouldn't phrase it like that. Just like the Adam she knew had a scar across his eye, so too did this one possibly lose his own. Granted the placement on injury was different, it was the implication that bothered her. This Adam and the Adam she had left behind on the SDC train were almost exactly the same…
And that scared her.
"Is he…" Jaune spoke up slowly before trailing off.
"Dead?" Ren finished his question slowly.
Jaune nodded nervously.
"There's no body…" Ironwood spoke up. "And there were soldiers covering the grenade, not to mention he was standing right next to Qrow. It's possible he only has minor injuries, if at all. Not to mention the gunshot looked like it didn't hit Taurus at a fatal angle." He deduced.
Blake didn't know how to feel about that. Some part of her was glad, glad that her old mentor was still alive. The other felt like it was a missed opportunity that would lead to something horrible.
Qrow stood and immediately began sprinting back towards Tai and Winter. "Tai! We're moving! Head for the beach!" He shouted as alarmed Cuban soldiers rallied and began to chase him.
"Did you secure evac?" Taiyang asked via the radio but Qrow only grimaced at the words about to leave his mouth. "Negative! We're on our own!" Qrow winced slightly as Tai cursed on the other end of the line but kept moving.
"I know that this is the obvious thing to say here, but this doesn't look good at all…" Jaune said with a concerned face.
"You can say that again, Kid…" Qrow said. "We, or they, are gonna have to hightail it out of there… And with that alternate Winter slowing our other selves down…" He heard a sharp intake of breath from the Elder Schnee followed by a string of curses muttered under her breath. "It's not looking pretty…"
"But… But you've gotten so far!" Ruby cried. "There's no way you can just lose now!"
"News flash, kid. Life isn't a fucking cartoon or a fairy tale. Shit happens and when it does, it hurts." Torchwick glared at her with annoyance.
"Any other day, any other time… I'd give you a real beating for hurting my niece…" Qrow spoke up softly but full of anger as he glanced at Ruby's worried look and Yang's blood red eyes which glared at Roman. "But it's something she needs to hear… now more than ever…"
"Joy…" The thief drawled.
As he ran into the clearing where Tai and Winter were, he spotted Winter already hauled up by Tai, who was moving as quickly as he good down the path. "Head for the river!" Qrow shouted as the alarm in the village started blaring, alerting everyone to their presence.
"Dammit, Qrow! Sounds like half the village is on our ass! What the fuck happened back there?!" Tai shouted but nevertheless kept moving with Winter thrown over his shoulder.
"Can it, Tai! Just keep moving!" Qrow shouted as the two men literally ran for their lives.
"I'm surprised Qrow is the one to keep Tai leveled here and not the other way around." Glynda noted with a raised eyebrow.
She ignored the quite curse directed at her. Frankly, she'd let him off the hook this time.
The soldiers chasing them caught up quickly and began firing at the two fleeing agents. "They're closing in on us! We gotta by some time!" Tai shouted before ducking behind a rock and setting winter down, Qrow ducking behind another boulder not too far away.
"Frankly I'm not too optimistic here…" Ironwood muttered softly. "With aura, Qrow and Tai would be able to easily take out those soldiers assuming they're not Huntsman trained… But without it?" His hand rubbed at his brow nervously.
"Yes, it is quite the predicament… We'll just have to hope." Ozpin responded.
The two men began returning fire and while they managed to take down a few, there was too much vegetation and uneven terrain to reliably fight. Tai glanced to his left and spotted a snipers platform in a nearby tree. "Use the poachers platform to snipe! Get up high! Provide cover fire!" He shouted and Qrow rushed his way over, climbing the ladder before setting himself atop it.
"Good eye, Tai… Good eye." Qrow muttered with appreciation to his friend.
"And a good idea." Winter hummed as she appraised the screen. "The entire area is uneven terrain. A vantage point will allow your other self to spot and deal with more enemy soldiers." She concluded.
A few bullets whizzed past his head but nevertheless, Qrow began firing upon their pursuers, cutting down a great many of them while Tai defended Winter down below. "We've gotta get moving Tai! Throw smoke!" Qrow shouted as he killed another soldier.
"Smoke out!" Tai shouted, before the grenade exploded, enveloping the immediate area in a thick white fog. "Grab Winter!" Qrow shouted and Tai did so before calling up to Qrow. "I got her! Let's go!" He shouted and Qrow quickly descended to the ground, before the both of them continued moving. As they ran, Qrow placed a few bear traps in the narrow area between the clearings where some soldiers would inevitably step on them.
"That's a good move…" Jaune spoke up to the surprise of some and pride of others. "The smoke will prevent the enemy from advancing! It'll let Qrow and Taiyang retreat further back without harassment."
"While that is a fairly basic concept to grasp, it shows you have a good head on your shoulders." Ironwood noted, causing Jaune to blush slightly. "Would you happen to be your Team leader?"
"Uhh- Y-yes, sir." Jaune responded with a slight stutter.
Ironwood nodded in approval. "Interesting. A head for strategy is a good thing to have for one in your position. Make sure you improve upon it, though. Would be a waste to limit your attacks to rushing in blindly."
"Yes, sir!" Jaune respond, more confident but no less embarrassed and on the spot than before.
Weiss rolled her eyes but Pyrrha was absolutely beaming with pride.
"That's our Fearless Leader for you!" And Nora was being… Nora.
"We've gotta make another stand!" Tai shouted after another minute. "Get Winter in cover!" Qrow replied and the two once more turned their guns on the enemy, firing upon them and holding them back as best as they could. After a few minutes, Qrow shouted at Tai. "We gotta make a run for the river!"
"They're almost there…" Glynda muttered, her eyes widening more ever so slightly by the minute as they filled with hope. "Perhaps they can really make it…"
"Of course they will!" Ruby cheered, her face split with an equally hopeful smile. "Kick their butt Uncle Qrow!" She shouted.
"That's right! You can do it, Qrow!" Yang joined in and with that, most of the students began to cheer their own forms of encouragement.
"Throwing smoke!" Tai shouted, a thick white fog enveloping the area of where he'd thrown the grenade. "Go! NOW!" Qrow shouted as Tai picked Winter up once more before they booked it as fast as their legs could carry them. "Come on Winter! We're getting out!" Tai shouted as they ran but Winter didn't respond due to her exhaustion. "I got you, Winter!"
"Keep moving!" Qrow shouted as bullets whizzed past them but they could see the river, they were almost there. Then the sound of a car engine filled the battlefield.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Qrow swore under his breath at the sound of the vehicle.
Roman raised an eyebrow. "Don't you still have a rocket launcher?" he asked rhetorically.
There was a silence in the theater as they all pondered that question.
Yang grinned. "Yes. Yes he does." She chuckled darkly, a few of her teammates inching away from her, slightly disturbed.
"Qrow…?" Ozpin asked, understandably concerned.
Qrow just sighed. "She can… get excited occasionally." He vaguely explained.
"Dammit!" Tai shouted as he looked over his shoulder. "MG truck on the waterfall!" Qrow looked over his shoulder at it and scowled. "I'll deal with it! Get Winter in Cover!" He shouted.
Tai set Winter down behind a rock near the river while Qrow turned towards the truck. He levied his RPG and fired, the rocket sailing towards the vehicle which exploded as the rocket crashed into it.
Nora cackled with mad glee and excitement. "YES! GLORIOUS DESTRUCTION! MEET THE WRATH OF YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, HAHAHAHAAAA!"
Ren sighed with an exhaustion that shouldn't be present in such a young man. "So can Nora…"
Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose as Winter and Ironwood looked on in complete bewilderment. "Children…" She mumbled.
"Weiss?" Winter whispered to her younger sister. "Is this… normal?"
"Unfortunately… Yes." Weiss responded with a glazed look in her eyes.
"I… see…" Winter lied.
"There's a boat on the beach! Come on!" Tai shouted with Winter already over his shoulder. Qrow eagerly followed him, redoubling his efforts as their salvation was in sight. As they neared the beach, Winter collapsed to her knees, slipping out of Tai's grasp as Qrow gunned down the vanguard of the force pursuing them.
"They're going to make it…" Weiss muttered as a smile so bright, so happy and revealed that even Ruby stared wide eyed at the very unusual sight on the usually cold and professional girl.
"I told you, Weiss! Uncle Qrow is the best!" She smiled brightly at her partner. For once, Weiss returned her smile and Ruby beamed. Even Yang couldn't hide her adoration at the sight.
'Damn right we're getting out!' Qrow thought with a relieved grin. He wiped away a stray tear but didn't let it bother him. 'I'm not having another die on me… I'm not leaving anyone else behind...'
"We can't stay here!" Tai shouted as he made to pick Winter up again. "Come on, Winter! Come on! We're getting out!" Qrow shouted but the familiar sound of a helicopter filled them with dread.
"A helicopter…" Ren noted and while he remained mostly impassive, the reaction of the audience was mixed.
"Oh! Oh! They're here to rescue them!" Nora deduced easily.
"Maybe…" Blake allowed. "But there was already one hostile helicopter… This could be another one…" She seemed apprehensive and for good reason.
"Treason against the Queen…" Nora quietly hissed at Blake, the faunus flinching slightly as her ears flicked.
"We'll just have to hope…" Qrow spoke up. 'But knowing my luck…' He thought to himself but refused to say.
"Please… Please be friendly…!" Weiss crossed her fingers, Ruby rubbing her shoulder reassuringly.
Both of them looked forward as they saw a Russian helicopter fly towards them from the river. "No…" Tai muttered with disbelief before he scowled. "Fucking Russians!" he shouted, glancing between the helicopter and the soldiers pursuing them. They were trapped. "Dammit. No way out."
A slam echoed throughout the room. The audience glanced over, only to see General Ironwood had slammed his right hand onto his seats armrest, destroying it. He raised that same hand to his face and covered his eyes. The armrest was repaired in a flash of light a moment later but no one cared.
"So… That's it?" Sun asked quietly. "After all that, they just… lose?"
"But… It can't be…" Ruby muttered tearfully, Yang had already recognized her sisters state and smushed her in a comforting hug. "Dad and Uncle Qrow were supposed to save Winter and go home…" She sniffled as her lip wobbled.
"Winter… No…!" Weiss muttered, before breaking down into quiet sobbing. Her shoulders shook, her tears dripped down her cheeks, her chest rose and fell, but no noise left her mouth. She raised her hands to her eyes, wiping away the tears that fell, only to be replaced by new ones. Arms soon wrapped around her in a familiar embrace and she leaned into it, burying her face into her sister's shoulder.
Ozpin sighed sorrowfully before closing his eyes. He turned his head slightly, unable to look at Qrow and Tai's inevitable end.
Tai lowered his gun and approached the helicopter, puffing out his chest as if daring the pilot to gun them down. Then the guns opened fire but to their surprise, instead of them getting filled with holes, the guns were aimed at the Cuban soldiers behind them.
"What the…" Tai muttered with shock as the soldiers behind them were torn to pieces by bullets and missile fire.
Oz's eyes snapped open, his gaze landing on the screen. His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. Glynda and James were in much the same predicament.
"Say what?" Jaune mumbled, absolutely awestruck.
"But… I thought that was an enemy helicopter…" Pyrrha mumbled uncertainly but she wasn't complaining.
Sun's eyes widened in realization. "Oh hell yes!" He shouted cheerfully.
"Huh?" Weiss mumbled, her voice still thick in emotion.
The helicopter then descended as the door on the side opened up, revealing the smiling face of Savimbi. "You thought I would leave you, eh?!" He shouted at them with a laugh. The two men smiled with relief as they hauled Winter to her feet, before approaching the helicopter. "Hurry! Come!" Savimbi shouted, beckoning them forward.
"That mad bastard…" Qrow mumbled before he burst into hysterical chuckles.
"How did he even get there…?" Blake asked quietly, her eyes wide and perhaps a little dilated as she questioned reality. Then she realized she was in a damn movie theater where time apparently didn't move and had a whole new crisis, albeit silently.
"Yes!" Yang shouted suddenly. She was misty eyed but she held a bright smile that her sister matched. "They're all gonna be okay!"
With Savimbi's help, they loaded Winter into the helicopter and laid her down before Tai turned towards Qrow with a satisfied smile. "Well…" He began, before putting his shades on. "We got her Qrow."
Yang groaned audibly. "Oh my god, he's trying to be all cool with the shades…" She grumbled as Qrow and Roman laughed.
"That's Taiyang for you…" Ozpin quipped softly, a smug yet nostalgic smile.
"Personally, I believe he looks swell." Penny commented happily.
"I don't know… I think he rocks the shades pretty well." Neptune added with a glance at Yang.
"Well, yeah, but just look at the moment! He obviously just put em on to look cool!" She argued.
Jaune shrugged. "I'd say it's working…" He mumbled. Yang rolled her eyes.
A gunshot interrupted their moment and Tai staggered back as a bullet hit him in the shoulder.
"Oh Shit! Dad, no!" Yang shouted, before wincing and glancing at Ruby. She hadn't noticed the swear as she was too busy looking at the screen with a panicked look.
"Tai!" Qrow shouted in alarm.
"And the moment's ruined…" Neptune muttered, only to flinch as a very angry Xiao-Long whirled, her eyes blazing red at him. "Too soon?" He asked nervously.
"Fucking kids…" Torchwick grumbled, Neo giggling behind her hand.
Qrow whirled to see a Cuban soldier, who had somehow snuck up on them, was aiming his rifle at Qrow. He tried to reach for his own weapon but he wouldn't make it. Then to his surprise, the Cuban soldier dropped dead as another gunshot rang out.
"Well…" Ruby mumbled quietly. "That was a thing…" Yang raised an eyebrow, remembering when she had said those very words during initiation.
"Yeah…" Sun chuckled. "But… Who uh… shot the guy?" He asked.
"Maybe it was that other man? Savimbi, I think it was?" Ren offered with a raised eyebrow.
"It's possible…" Ironwood spoke up, before his eyes narrowed slightly. "But I didn't see him with a weapon."
"But then…?" Weiss mumbled in confusion.
Qrow whirled once more only to see Savimbi with a shocked look on his face as he stared at Winter, her arm outstretched and a pistol in hand. "You can't kill me…" She said, a piercing glare in her eyes and while her voice was raspy, hoarse and low, it was full of life.
There was a tense silence for a minute, before a quiet but incredibly high pitched squeal of happiness from Weiss shattered it. "Winter, you're so cool!" She said, her voice was a whisper but surprisingly loud and still full of emotion.
Winter herself felt her own eyes widen, before she smiled at the sight, both of her on screen and of Weiss practically beaming at the demonstration. She placed a hand on her younger sister's head and ruffled her hair softly. She did look pretty cool.
"Woah…" Yang said with a large grin. "Your sister's pretty bad ass, Weiss."
"That sister-" Yang flinched slightly. "Is right behind you, Miss Xiao-Long." Winter said icily, before smiling, much to Yang's relief. "But yes, I do agree with your assessment."
Winter winced as she felt something flick her in the back of the head. "Don't let it get to your head, Ice Queen. Wouldn't wanna let it get any bigger now, do we?" Qrow snarked as Roman chuckled with mirth.
Ironwood, Glynda and Ozpin simply smiled, relieved at the sight. They had no words to say, only the need for them to feel proud.
Qrow turned towards Tai who grimaced at the pain in his shoulder, before stepping into the helicopter with Qrow's help. The helicopter then took off and began to fly away as Qrow stared at Winter, a smile on his face. Despite all of her exhaustion, Winter glanced back and barely managed a small ghost of a smile that said 'Thank you'. Then the screen went black.
It was quiet for a few moments, before a soft clapping echoed throughout the theater. Ozpin gave a soft applaud, his cane leaned beside him. He was soon joined by Ironwood and Glynda who also gave a polite applause with proud and relieved smiles. Then the rest of the students joined in and soon the entire theater was filled with raucous cheering and celebrating.
"That was amazing!" Nora cheered with glee as Ren tried in vain to calm her down.
"They made it! They really made it!" Ruby cheered happily before she tackled Yang in a hug, the two girls embracing each other, relieved for their Uncle's safety.
Neo gave Roman a pointed look.
Roman sighed. "Fine, fine… I'll clap…" He said, before doing as Neo expected. To her surprise though, it wasn't sarcastic or half-assed like she expected, despite it being soft. She raised an eyebrow. "What? Just because I'm a prick, doesn't mean I can't appreciate what I just watched." He explained. Neo shrugged. 'Fair enough' She signed to him.
"You're okay!" Weiss bawled softly into Winter's clothes for the umpteenth time that day. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay!" Winter winced slightly at the moisture seeping through her uniform. She'd need to get a change of clothes sooner or later.
Winter caressed her sister's hair, before glancing at Qrow who gave a long, relieved, drawn out sigh, before downing a glass of something she didn't bother to recognize. "I think that's enough excitement for now…" He said. Looking down at Weiss, Winter couldn't help but agree.
"Yeah…" Yang sighed, tired but satisfied in a way. "Can the next thing we watch be a bit tamer?" She asked. "Not that it should lack action or stuff like that but something where we don't have to watch our friends and family almost die?"
"I'd agree with Xiao-Long." Ironwood stated and was surprised, despite hiding it, when Glynda nodded with him. For once she was agreeing with him.
"Yes, I think that's something everybody-" He sighed internally. He didn't need to turn to know that Torchwick was flipping him off behind him if Qrow's snickers were anything to go by. "Most of us would like."
"Maybe you could allow someone else to select what we view next, Professor Ozpin?" Penny asked politely, a small smile adorning her lips.
Sun snapped his fingers with a grin. "I'm down for that! Why not give it to Weiss this time around?" he offered. "Since… You know…" He said, trailing off. Ozpin did in fact know what he meant.
"Miss Schnee?" Ozpin asked. "Are you okay with this?"
Weiss blinked for a few seconds before responding. "I… I suppose so…" She grabbed the remote that Ozpin handed to her.
"Sure…" Roman mumbled in a low voice. "Give the Schnee the remote… Of all people-" No one bothered to turn when he cut off with a wince. Weiss decided that this Neo character wasn't too bad once you go to know her.
Looking down at the remote, Weiss was interested to find that it also had a touch-screen interface. She stared confusedly at it before glancing back at Ozpin. "Uh… How do I…?" She trailed off.
Ozpin just chuckled. "I'm not sure Miss Schnee. Everything we've watched so far has either been at the whim of our host, or completely random." Weiss did recall that Hatman character limiting their first viewing to their own universe and she did see the button that said 'Random selection'.
"Let me help! I used to watch TV all the time at home!" Yang said, ignoring Qrow's snort. "Alright, what do you wanna watch?"
Weiss pondered this for a moment. "Umm… Perhaps something… Silly?" She offered. Yang blinked at the fairly out of character request. Weiss quickly explained herself. "I would just like one viewing to calm down a bit more… Perhaps laugh a few times…" She blushed at Yang's incredulous look.
Suddenly Nora spoke up. "Do you guys ever just think of an alternate universe where our lives are nothing but dumb gags?"
Everyone blinked.
"I mean… I'd watch that." Ruby said quietly.
"That… sounds perfect, actually…" Weiss said slightly red, although the smile on her face betrayed her happiness at the thought.
"Then perhaps we could- Oh." Ozpin paused as the screen seemingly lit up with selection, before beginning to prepare the next viewing. "I suppose we've selected our next universe…" He mumbled, slightly confused.
"But... How did...?" Jaune stuttered with confusion.
"It appears the controlling device has the ability to detect your desired viewing and automatically select it based on your wishes." She said helpfully.
"Woah..." Ruby gasped quietly in awe. "That's cool...!"
"Let's get this party started!" Neptune said enthusiastically and everyone else quickly returned his enthusiasm.
"Oh, this'll be good…" Roman mumbled as he leaned back in his seat, the others also getting comfortable once more.
A/N: There we go. Finally done with this. I'm not gonna lie, when I first decided to do the whole first mission of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, I wasn't expecting it to be nearly 30k words in total. But I don't regret it, it was hella fun to write. Besides, most people just do Modern Warfare or Vorkuta from BO1 in RWBY reaction fics. There's one fic that did Vendetta from World at War and that one was really cool, but I haven't seen one with BO2 yet. That said, yes, I am going to do more from BO2 but not for a while. Gonna get some more variety first.
Like I said at the top, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. If you'd like to make a suggestion or address something I did, be it good or bad feedback, or if you want to ask me something, feel free to write a review or message me in my PM's, either is fine. I hope the quality of this chapter made up for the slight delay in comparison with the other updates. With that said, I'll see all of you when the next chapter is ready.