(A/N) Hey everyone, it's time for our next X-Ray and Vav chapter, up on time, as promised! From now on we'll be having weekly updates, so put a note down in your calendars for every Thursday for the foreseeable future. It's going to be an X-Ray and Vav night. Or morning. Or whatever. Damn timezones…

Of course, as I'm sure you're all aware of, the very first episode of RWBY has just gone up, so, if you're more fortunate then myself and happen to be a sponsor on the Roosterteeth website, I'm going to assume you've already checked it out. For those that are like me, well, we only have to wait a little while longer. And I know it'll be worth it.

As always, from The Freelancer Collaboration, enjoy!

Chapter Three – Killing Floor

Jack Pattillo / Bullet-Beard

Written by Jerem6401

"They say of a sniper's bullet that it if you hear it, then you are safe, because it will already have passed safely by. It is the ones that you don't hear that do for you" ― Sohni

The smell of the gunpowder was still fresh in his nose. A high-pitched whine from the crack of the .308 caliber round smashing through the sound barrier still ringing in his ears. There was nothing like that sensation to him. The knowledge that a bullet had just left his weapon, ripped through the air in front of him, and buried itself in a target. It's what he did best. That and keep his beard trimmed nicely at chest level. Hey… he wasn't called Bullet-Beard for nothing.

He pulled his trench-coat over his shoulders, and dipped his hat down over his face as another police cruiser tore by, then calmly pulled out a cigarette and gently lifted a match to it. He took a relaxing puff, before sighing into the sky before him and slumped back against the wall as he reached into his pocket. He could feel the end of his rifle bump against his wrist, since it was still firmly strapped across his back, making an interesting dent in the rear of his jacket. Pulling out his phone, he smashed in a few of the numbers, before casually lifted it to his ear, like he was just another pedestrian on the street.

"Well?" a voice asked abruptly from the other end after a few rings. No 'hello's, no 'how are you's. Just straight to the point.

"Kerbal Gunnerz won't be a problem anymore," Bullet-Beard spoke quietly and confidently.

"You're sure he's dead?" the man asked.

The bearded man smirked and slightly lifted the brim of his hat. "Have I ever missed before?" he asked.

There was a silence, before the man chimed in once again. "Excellent work, matie. You've done well to repay your debt."

Bullet-Beard pulled the cigarette away from his mouth and flicked it off into the distance. "I'll report back when the next target is down. All this activity… he won't be able to pass up the chance to make an appearance… well… you know what I mean."

The man snickered a few times, is his extremely low pitched voice. "Another scurvy-dog will hit the deck tonight, Bullet-Beard. Do not disappoint me."

Bullet-Beard nodded and hit the end button. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, sighing while he did. It was dirty work, what he was doing… but he had no choice. He closed his eyes and thought back to a time before his career as an assassin. When he wasn't Bullet-Beard… he was just Jack Pattillo. He was a gun-nut. It didn't matter what the firearm was, how powerful it was, or how deadly it was. If it could fire a bullet, Jack could use it. His obsession with guns was only matched by his love of motocross, and it was only after an injury in a local tournament had ended his amateur career that he gave up aspirations of turning pro, but guns...guns he could use. However, more firearms meant more money, and working a simple 9 to 5 wasn't going to cut it. Bullet looked down at the ground, seeing a newspaper soaking in a rain puddle. He knelt down and picked it up, shaking some of the water from it. Front page news.

"Heisty-Beardo still at large." Bullet smirked and dropped it to the ground again. Heisty-Beardo. That was the name he took when he dropped into crime. It started small, but eventually grew into full bank robberies, involving drills and thermite to get the goods. However, one of those jobs had landed Jack in the back of a swat truck, tied up and helpless on his way to prison. That's when the massive explosion occurred, which threw the swat truck onto its side. The convoy to the prison had been intercepted.

Someone wanted Jack for themselves.

When the doors to the truck opened, there he was. Almost seven feet tall, eyepatch, thin mustache, well-kept pinstripe suit. What was his angle? Booty or Wall Street? Didn't really matter. All that mattered was Jack had a debt to repay for being freed… and this is how he needed to repay it. The clock-tower rang out as it hit midnight. It was time to make his way back to the crime-scene. Bullet was sure his next target would be there waiting for him.

As he made his way up the fire escape to the rooftops, he envisioned the man he was tasked to kill. He called himself "Lamp." Probably because he has the ability to switch on and off his invisibility powers… or because he wears a lampshade over his head. He tugs on that damn pull-string every time he goes invisible… like it's necessary.

Lamp used to be a villain… or he guessed what the people of Achievement City would call a 'villain.' He was mostly a prankster, who just liked to give X-Ray and Vav a hard time. Now he was trying to jump into the superhero business. That wasn't if Bullet's boss had anything to say about it. He made my way to the rooftop, looking down over the street still filled with flashing red and blue lights. Kerbal's body had long since been taken away, but people were still looking for any evidence… not that they would find anything. It was the chance to be a hero, a detective who figures out the crime.

Perfect for Lamp.

Bullet pulled out his sniper rifle and started to attach the biped, not looked away from the street while he did. He sat cross-legged, patiently waiting for any signs of the target. He started to fasten on the scope, making sure he had locked it into an exact position. Bullet didn't need to sight in his rifles anymore. He knew just from the appearance of the scope that it was going to be dead accurate.

Suddenly he saw something, a flicker off in the distance within the crowd of police officers. He dropped to my stomach and rested the biped on the rooftop. Bullet pressed the stock into his shoulder as he peered down the scope, getting a closer view of the situation at hand. There was nothing but the officers, chatting away and every now and again looking at the ground for clues. Then it happened again, a flicker of another figure jumped across Bullet's scope. It was only there for a moment, before it disappeared again.

The sightings were few and extremely fast, it would be a tough shot… for anyone besides Bullet-Beard. Bullet held his breath as his rifle steadied. He watched a puddle on the concrete very carefully, taking in everything about it. Suddenly a small ripple jumped across it, barely noticeable to anyone else. Bullet smirked and rested his finger on the trigger.

"You just got lamped," he said quietly. Bullet pulled the trigger, firing the .308 shell out of his rifle. It tore through the air and into the crowd of officers. It appeared to not hit anything, until a shower of blood erupted from the air between the officers. A man wearing a lampshade on his head took form as the bullet stopped in its tracks. Lamp fell to the ground and splashed into one of the puddles. His lampshade tumbled off of his head and rested silently on the ground. The officers all took cover, while others ran to Lamp's side to try and assist.

Bullet sighed and pushed himself to his knees. He looked down at another rush in front of him, all too familiar from his last encounter with Kerbal Gunnerz. This was only the start. He was sure that it was only a matter of time before X-Ray and Vav found their way onto his list.

And they would die, just like every other person that had made their way, somehow or other, onto his hit-list.