Author's note: Hi all! I see your comments. I felt the same way. Like I literally found amazing fanart and cute ideas, but there was a limit to content in going down that social media hole. It was rather inspiring, and I loved all the different combinations of ships. Love is love. I have edited the first chapter twice after rewatching V7-8 to make a more cohesive story in the future since I have been writing out multiple chapters in advance. If I can improve it after posting then I will go back. That being said, the original of this chapter became over 23 pages. It made it difficult to read and edit. So I broke it up into multiple chapters, and this is now the first half at about 15 pages (~7,250 words). As always, I hope you enjoy, read, and comment. Do good things.
Birds of a Feather
Chapter 2: Birdcage Breakout
Robyn stirred as she felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder, "Hmm?" she asked, eyes closed.
Her body was leaning towards her left side as it rested against something muscular and warm. Her head slumped over a curved area leaving the opposite side of her neck stiff. This position felt different from how she had leaned against the wall behind her. The shaking became more pronounced at the shoulder and torso as her head gently shifted forward and back against where it rested.
"Hey, get up," Qrow's voice calmly said over the gentle hum of the airship's engines.
Slowly she remembered the emotional and physical exhaustion of the day she experienced as her head tilted towards his voice. Groggily she opened her eyes to see stubble along his defined jaw. Her head and shoulder nestled against his chest as his gaze transfixed on her. He cleared his throat prompting her to move.
"Huh? What's the matter?" she asked as she gently pushed up from his abdomen until their eyes were level. His abdominal muscles tensed under her hand as his face was an inch away from hers. For a moment she was speechless as their eyes connected, and the feel of his warm breath hit her lips. 'He looks…different,' she thought as his crimson eyes blended with the color of his cheeks. It was apparent now how close they were. Qrow scanned her body from her eyes down to her hand on his chest then back to her without lifting his head. A small curve at the corner of his mouth appeared as the awkward silence hung in the air. He looked mischievously handsome to her at that moment. A sudden thump hit under her left breast as if her heart had knocked into the backside of her sternum with the realization as she felt her own cheeks heat.
"'Bout time you woke up. You, uh…gotta buy dinner first though," came his response.
A hotter burn hit her face as she instinctively removed her hand from his abdomen and quickly shifted her body away to create space between them. "Sorry about that. Are we at Argus yet?" She asked over her shoulder as she adjusted her gaze towards the cargo hold. 'Now that's a wake up call. It's been a while since this happened,' she thought to herself. She convinced herself he was just as surprised as she felt heat in her cheeks. The sensation in her hand lingering where it had started.
"Nope. We ought to be close by now," he responded.
Peering over her shoulder she saw his cheeks still lightly tinted as he looked away. She smirked, realizing he had reacted similarly as she asked, "You know any good places in Argus to get dinner?"
"None worth mentioning. We could find one though," he commented as he turned back to address her. His tinted cheeks had returned to their original color.
"Thought you might know since you're my trusty guide," she poked back at him attempting to lighten the mood. Her cheeks slowly cooled as they conversed.
She saw a smile consuming his entire mouth as he responded, "We haven't landed yet. So it hasn't started."
She couldn't stop her cheek muscles from holding up her lips as she rolled her eyes, turning back to face him. "Pretty sure you didn't wake me up just for that. So what's happening?" She asked as she noticed a sudden change in his demeanor.
In an instant he had changed from playful and amused to somber. As if he were ready to deliver news at a mourning ceremony any minute. "I have a bad feeling about this," his stern voice responded. He seemed to understand her baffled expression as he paused, sighed, and continued, "We were both listed as prisoners in the Atlas database before it fell. Harriet was right about us still being fugitives. And we're-"
"Yep, I hear you," she interrupted. He didn't have to say more. She knew from previous military experiences that upon landing both of them would go to jail for an unlimited amount of time until interrogated. Then leave only after the higher ups determined they were unnecessary.
Qrow stood up from the bench, "Then we need to get off this aircraft before it lands." He walked towards the back and hit the button for operating the cargo bay door. Slowly it creaked open. "It's the best way to ensure we leave Argus. See if we can find anyone else."
She immediately thought of her Happy Huntresses with his words.
Coolly she stood up from her seat as the sound of racing air filled the cargo space with the door slowly lowering to the open position. Her neck and back felt stiff from leaning to one side on Qrow. She moved her arms and neck to stretch as she pulled them above her head and towards the opposite side to feel the release along her torso. Seeing Qrow react in this fashion reminded her of when they had been in Atlas' jail cell, and he instinctively knew something was different before an entire wall blew up. She observed him cautiously as he looked out towards the expansive darkness.
"So you got a plan then?" she asked, approaching the back end of the cargo bay.
His eyebrows furrowed contemplating the situation. His thoughts quiet as the rest of his face remained emotionless until he said, "It's not really one that you'll like."
She followed his gaze towards the abysmal ocean. It hit her immediately once she placed his actions together then snapped back to look at him. Flabbergasted as she realized his intentions. "Wait, what? Was your plan to swim the rest of the way?"
"Not exactly," he responded, then stepped closer to the edge of the now open cargo bay door, and held onto the metal frame. "Do you have a landing strategy?" He said over his shoulder.
Her arms crossed over her chest as she stepped forward, closer to the opening to peer out observing the endless, glimmering ocean. It outlined Qrow's form now a couple feet ahead of her. Yet there was no land in sight amongst the dimly lit waves thousands of feet below them.
"Not for this high over water. And swimming in freezing temperatures isn't exactly my forte." She noticed a parachute on the wall, but dismissed the idea. She wouldn't be able to swim to shore if they were too far from land, and Qrow would be useless in assisting her.
Qrow appeared to be frozen while scanning the dark landscape with his eyes. His cape swished in the air as she observed him ruminating on his words and thoughts. 'Looks well defined against the backdrop' she thought as she admired his sinewy body frame.
Several moments of silence passed until he responded, "Okay," and turned around to face her directly. His eyes dark like rosewood in the shadows covering his face as their gaze met. "Once the airship lands, try to gather whatever information you can. Then get the hell out of there."
"What are you going to do then?" She asked, discerning his movements as he was aligning his feet to stand at the edge.
As if a wave of sadness had rolled into him with his thoughts, he averted his eyes from hers as he responded, "Wait for you to get out. The less you know the better."
His sincere response caught her off guard. She uncrossed her arms as if to reach for him, to comfort him, as she had several hours ago. She honestly didn't want him to leave her alone in this. His eyes returned to hers, melancholy filled as if years of saying goodbye meant never again.
She felt a need to reassure him, "I'll get out as soon as I can."
He nodded, "Then I'll see you on the other side. Good luck with Cordovin." A moment passed as he leaned backwards as if in slow motion until he dropped off the cargo door and vanished from view.
'What is he up to?' she thought as she dashed the couple more steps to the edge and held onto the door frame. It was dark, but the moonlight illuminated Qrow's body as he descended towards the water. His size decreased as he plummeted away from the aircraft. Suddenly his form morphed into a bird and immediately soared upward into the sky, tailing further behind the aircraft. "Tsh, figures," she placed her hand on her hip as she stared out at him flying. 'He really can change into a crow…well that's convenient. Wish I could change into a robin. But who is Cordovin?' she thought. Qrow's actions had been too quick to leave her behind, trapped on the aircraft.
She could see for miles in the unobstructed view with the clear night sky. The Atlas airships fleet trailed solemnly behind in the distance. Stepping away from the door she hit the button sealing the cargo space once again and made her way up the ladder. Pushing open the hatch she entered the cockpit where Marrow, Harriet, and Elm were situated. Both Marrow and Harriet were sitting opposite sides of the cockpit while leaning against the wall. Facing away from each other as they slept. Elm in the pilot seat monitoring autopilot as Robyn approached. She stood stoically next to Elm as she looked out the window at their destination. They were closing in to land with only a couple miles to go as the lights and city became bigger and brighter. The military base sits on one gigantic dock in the ocean bay with a sturdy bridge connected to land in front of a pleasant looking, lit up, small city with the backdrop of several snowy hills and a gigantic wall. It had been about a decade since she had last come to Argus, and it had expanded more than what she had remembered. It looked like a bustling city this evening as she saw trolleys moving people through the hilly city.
Elm looked over her shoulder at her then behind her, "Did Qrow not come up?" Elm asked.
"Nope. He jumped off the back. Couldn't stop him," she responded matter-of-factly.
Elm's eyes widened as her eyebrows shot up. She appeared mortified, "What!? He'll freeze in the tundra ocean," she exclaimed. "And how are you so calm right now about it?"
Either Elm hadn't realized what Qrow's capabilities were or hadn't seen his parlor trick. Either way, Robyn felt no need to explain Qrow's abilities to her, and instead capitalized on it. She shrugged her shoulders, "Can't say I blame him. He saw his opportunity and took it."
Elm shook her head, "Great. Now we have to deal with a deserter who committed suicide. We're almost to Argus, and will land soon. Take your seat."
Robyn stepped to sit next to Marrow as she buckled up for the landing. 'He probably just wanted to avoid questioning, and saw this as his opportunity to do that,' she thought hopefully. She had wished that had been the case.
The aircraft landed on the flight deck of the massive dock which was showered by stadium lighting. The moment they opened their doors she saw a group of Atlas military members approach the airship. They were friendly as the Ace-ops had contacted via radio ahead of time. She said her goodbyes and headed towards the exit as planned. Walking towards the gate she assumed was the exit. Suddenly cut off with the approach of 2 large, stout guards in unison who were blocking her path. Each alternating in their speaking patterns to complete each other's sentences and thoughts.
"Ms. Hill!" said the first large guard. "You're under arrest!" said the second stout guard.
"Hey fellas, let's not be so hasty," she held up both of her hands in a stopping motion, "We only just met. I'm sure there is a misunderstanding."
"There is no mistake!" Said the first guard followed by the second, "It's a direct order!"
"A direct order by who?" Robyn questioned the guards. "We literally just landed."
The guards continued, "From one of the remaining leaders of Atlas." With the next stating, "We introduce a special operative who is now our leader." The two Atlesian guards puffed up their chests, erecting their posture, as if to stand taller. It appeared as a practiced maneuver they had rehearsed too many times as they said with a jubilant cry in unison, "Caroline Cordovin!"
A small elderly woman with gray hair and a stern expression walked past the two guards to approach her. The guards at her side were twice Cordovin's height yet their calculated and intentional robotic movements were disconcerting. Robyn observed her typical military posture and walk. Though her size was disarming, her presence was formidable.
Harriet had now found her with the commotion and come off the airship. Immediately pointing at Robyn saying she was an enemy along with Qrow who was absent. The short woman held her ground as she moved to block Robyn's escape, glaring up at her. Robyn easily towered over the vertically challenged elderly woman whose forced tight-lipped smile was an attempt at being approachable, yet her unyielding posture showed otherwise.
'This must be what Qrow meant about Cordovin…how underwhelming,' she thought as she stared back at Cordovin. Yet Robyn was so accustomed to the power struggles of Atlas and Mantle she found herself disinterested. This woman was no more powerful than any of the other officers she had encountered. She felt herself yawn from exhaustion and leaned onto her back foot; arms crossed in defiance. She asked directly, "Do you have something to say?"
The small woman spoke with a voice that was dramatic and resolute, "If Atlas has been destroyed…then I am the leader left. That makes this base able to operate autonomously, and I will no longer expect any help from the kingdom." Robyn nodded to Cordovin. It seemed reasonable to assume such since Atlas didn't exist as a kingdom but an assumed potentially displaced group of people. The woman continued, "That means we shall take you in for questioning about the fall of Atlas, Ms. Hill."
Robyn shook her head. "There's no need for that. I can tell you right now it's pretty obvious what happened." She felt obligated to comply in order to leave promptly, but knew from her training in Atlas that Cordovin intended to take her in for actual questioning. Behind closed doors where she could manipulate the facts at her whim. It seemed Cordovin was unaware of how bad the situation truly became so Robyn explained, "We watched Mantle be destroyed by Atlas then flooded. We assume everyone died in the incident. Although they might be alive somewhere in Remnant." The thought of her home being obliterated beyond repair left her whole body with a sinking feeling.
The woman and her two guards appeared saddened and shocked by the news. However, the guards continued in their direct, single-minded chant.
The first guard on her right spoke, "We already know." As the second on the left responded, "The kingdom is no more."
Cordovin held up her fist in a halt motion. The two guards hushed and stepped to encircle Robyn and Cordovin. "I will be the one to determine how to deal with this," Cordovin said.
Harriet barged into the conversation, "She and Qrow stopped our plans! Qrow escaped! She would probably know his whereabouts, ma'am."
The name alone seemed to elicit a response, "Qrow?! As in Qrow Brawnen?!" Cordovin exclaimed as her small body appeared rigid. Her next words were as if she were spitting venom with each syllable, "He was here months ago with those children!" Then her voice lowered as if pondering to herself as she said, "Although they did their best to make up for their actions. They caused quite a ruckus, and Argus was defenseless during an attack. Yet they came back to assist with stopping the invasion."
Robyn however felt so annoyed by Harriet's constant accusations she turned her attention to Harriet as if they were the only two present and adamantly stated, "How many times do we have to go over this?" She stopped dramatically as if letting the question hang in the air. "Your orders and Ironwood's plan were to drop a bomb on thousands of innocent people in Mantle!" Their gaze clashed as if a volcano had erupted and the magma now flowed down the hill. "And I will not sit back and watch that happen! Everything I did was to protect Mantle, and you still see me as the enemy even though we were trying to save the same kingdom!" She yelled desperately at Harriet. She felt breathless and paused. Seeing if Harriet had received her message. Harriet looked taken aback, Marrow and Elm appeared sympathetic to her struggles, and Cordovin was disappointedly unchanged. Whispered conversations started between officers in the silence. She realized how pointless it was to argue with someone so hard-headed and repetitive.
The silence stopped when Harriet finally spoke up, "it was a direct order from General Ironwood to help everyone which you foiled. Now where is your accomplice?"
"Seriously?" Robyn answered in disbelief as she stared at Harriet exasperated. Harriet was unreasonably transfixed on this point. It finally occurred to her there was some motive Harriet had to be pushing with the constant, unchanging narrative. She felt the urge to continue yelling, but remembered she had to go. That meant finishing this conversation and getting past Cordovin. With that thought she felt herself calmly respond, "Look, he didn't tell me where he was going. He just left. He's a hunter who can make his own damn choices."
"You're lying! You would know where he went," Harriet spit back.
"Maybe if he'd taken the time to tell me," Robyn said as she threw her arms up in the air. Then pulling back and crossing her arms against her chest again. Shifting her weight to be more comfortable towards one side, "Which he didn't. He just bailed. Fell out of the back of the airship without mentioning his whereabouts. If you really want to know if I'm telling the truth then why don't you just take my hand?" She extended her right hand in Harriet's direction. It was Harriet's word against hers, and it seemed her location implied outranked. Yet using her semblance would put them on an even playing field.
Harriet stared at her hand, but then dismissed it, and responded, "No need to. I already know you're a part of this. So where are you going now?"
She returned her arm to crossover the other in front of her chest, "An inn if I can find one. Restart my life in a new city not destroyed by Grimm yet," she replied calmly.
Cordovin continued to watch her as she spoke, "Well my dear, your situation doesn't seem pressing so spending some time to think about it will probably change your tune."
The two tall, robotically moving guards suddenly appeared in front of her blocking the path. "Wait! Didn't you hear me?" Robyn said taken aback.
"Oh, I heard quite enough from a fugitive. Now take her away!" Cordovin ordered.
"It will be this way, Miss Hill," said the first guard. "And we'll lead you to it," said the second guard. Robyn looked up at the guards dumbfounded by their movements and appalled by how little Cordovin wanted to listen.
"We will determine when we believe you have given us enough information to be released," Cordovin said with a small grin.
"That's illegal. You don't have any reason to continue to detain me," Robyn yelled back, but suddenly the two guards had jumped onto her. Each grabbing hold of one of her arms as they wrestled her into restraints.
Cordovin continued, "Ah! But you were in jail in Atlas without the charges cleared. So it's only fitting to have you serve some time for your crimes-"
"What crimes?!" Robyn exclaimed, "The only one they charged me with was resisting arrest after waking up at a crash site! And I was resisting arrest since THEY WERE ARRESTING ME WITHOUT TELLING ME WHAT THE CHARGES WERE!" She struggled to move her arms out of their grips but they had placed the restraints.
"Your reputation precedes you, Ms. Hill. We will pick a time for a proper interrogation. Now enough! Take her away," Cordovin stated trapidly o her guards.
Realizing a fight here was pointless as they outnumbered her, she followed the orders. The two guards pushed her in the direction they wanted. As she looked over her shoulder to remark at their behavior, she glimpsed a familiar black bird sitting on the gate just at the edge of the realm of light. Its red eyes differed from the usual crows she had seen in the city before, and she could tell it was staring directly at her as she was being escorted to another part of the military base. There was no doubt in her mind the bird was Qrow, and he had witnessed the whole interaction. It cawed several times then took off into the night sky.
'Must be nice to be free,' she thought to herself as one guard shoved from behind her.
She found out firsthand why Qrow had avoided landing as she paced back and forth in the holding cell.
'This is so dumb,' she thought as she circled the small space, 'that woman is out of her mind.' She had attempted with no success to find an exit only to realize she was just locked in another box. She finally tired and sat on the cement bench provided in the room as she stared at the toilet. They would watch her during that too. Her thoughts were her only comfort, 'At least last time I had Qrow to talk to for a bit. This is so boring now.' She stood back up and walked to the rounded camera in the room corner.
"Can we speed this up? I know nothing more than what I told you." There was no response except the camera moving to keep her in view.
'Great…now I have to wait. Hope Qrow factored this into his plan THAT HE DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME ABOUT!' She thought as she laid down on the cement block. Frustrated until she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. 'There isn't anything I can do about this right now, so I should save my energy.' A plate of food delivered once she had backed up completely to the opposite wall per their orders. She fell asleep out of necessity once her hunger had subsided. She tossed and turned attempting to get comfortable, but found her thoughts lingering on all the recent events.
She lamented on her previous memories in her destroyed home. She remembered her team of Happy Huntresses; her home in Mantle surrounded by her community; the efforts they had gone through as she was pitching her campaign while meeting with the Mantle community; and the bar they used to hang out in with food and the unending supply of drinks for the "Heroes of Mantle" as the people called them. Even the more mundane memories of doing scout missions in the tundra with her team seemed preferable to her now enclosed space. And while she might have had her run-ins with the law only escape back to her hideout to wait out the search…she had been free to do as she pleased. Free to exist unbounded and protected by the people. Free until she had teamed up with Ironwood and ended up in jail. Strangely enough, she missed even the brooding Qrow from her last jail visit. He was at least company she had preferred over the snake, Jacque Schnee; and the nefarious scientist, Arthur Watts. Being detained in the same space as those two was low for Ironwood. Implying they were criminally all equal.
Yet the thought of Qrow triggered something within her mind. Maybe it was the way he held her when they were on the aircraft comforting one another, or the way he had looked at her as the mental walls surrounding him slowly opened to accept her responses. The playful comments they had shared until he put them back up. For a moment she allowed her imagination to take over. Qrow's stoic face appeared in front of her own. His stubble lined his defined jaw as the black hair covered his forehead, and his nose almost touched hers as her arms tucked in and rested on his chest. He held her around her waist. His deep crimson eyes lured her head forward as his lips connected with hers, and she felt her body become warm with the thought. She shook her head as she pushed herself up to a long-sitting position on the bench. The fleeting thought disappeared immediately as she pushed it out of her mind. 'It was just a daydream,' she thought, 'I'm restless since I'm trapped like a bird in a cage.'
With that thought, she removed her coat and scarf then started moving around the prison cell in her normal exercise routine to burn some of the energy from the emotional and mental disaster. It was helpful her room at her Mantle hideout had been about the same size as she had learned to workout limited by space. The cell was small, but diagonally she could jog back and forth until she needed to rest. Then she began doing jumps, lunges, rolls, flips, pushing off the wall, and clearing the bed with her movements. She rested, catching her breath and sipping some water before returning to her training. Next she focused on her punches, jabs, and kicks for another half an hour. Counting how many she did of each until she was finally tired, sitting back onto her concrete tomb stone.
She was still in jail. Unable to tell how much time had passed in the windowless cell but approximated a few hours passing. She returned to laying on her back as she covered her face with her arms and jacket to block out the indoor light and slowly drift back to sleep. Several hours probably passed when she had awoken again from the everlasting light. Wondering how many countless days she would spend uncomfortable like this, and counted the number of meals she had received being thrown at her as the light barrier went down then back up immediately. Knowing from experiences in the tundra her sense of time was probably skewed, and she couldn't tell how many days had passed at this point. She had watched so many guards walk past her cell, but always with different names and at different times which had yet to repeat memorably.
She ruminated on the events which had taken place after resting. Harriet had maintained her unwavering stance and unwillingness to change about what happened despite factual information presented by her and the actual experiences. Her instincts were telling her it was something malicious and possibly vengeful. Confirming in her mind Harriet was not to be trusted. She also felt spite towards the other Ace-ops who didn't state their viewpoints but merely went along like herded sheep with the new wannabe dictator, Cordovin. It was sickening how brainwashed they were, and a reminder why she had refused to join the military after she had graduated from the academy over a decade ago. She sighed as she laid there. She couldn't blame Elm or Marrow for their choices. They were on the outside of a jail cell she assumed. Suddenly the light barrier faded as the cell door disappeared. Her head snapped to the door as she saw Marrow's body appear in the opening.
"Oh good. It's you. I found the right cell," he stated overjoyed as his canine tail was wagging behind him upon seeing her face.
"Wags! What are you doing here? What time is it?" She asked, surprised as she sat up excitedly. She hadn't expected him to come. The last time it was her and Qrow breaking out by luck as the cells obliterated in front of them, but this time they opened automatically.
He responded quickly, "Here to get you. It's 05:40."
She pushed herself off the bench and took a couple steps towards him before she felt her suspicions arise and stopped. She needed answers. "Wait…Are you taking me for questioning?" she crossed her arms and stepped back.
Marrow leaned back to look behind himself then back at her, "No. That was their lie to just keep you longer."
She nodded, "I knew it! Mohawk had a reason for keeping me around. So what's the reason?"
"To blame you for killing General Ironwood," he responded quietly.
"What?!" Her whole body felt hot and rigid. They meant to use her as their scapegoat for the bigger issues, and it would be all too easy to do so as it was their word against hers even though it was a lie.
"Shhhh-keep your voice down," Marrow responded in a hushed voice, making multiple movements of pressing his open hand down. She regained her composure immediately as Marrow continued, "They were working out the details of how to question you in order to get a false confession."
She was unsure if she should trust him. He could be lying to have her comply willingly. Then turn her back in once she led them to Qrow. She held out her hand, "Take my hand and say it one more time."
Marrow looked at her hand then connected with her eyes and grinned, "Qrow said you'd probably say that." The comment surprised her as he firmly took her hand without hesitation. He repeated every detail quickly, and added, "Harriet's decision appalled Elm and me. We argued against her when we were in the Manta's cockpit. I think the death of Vine, Clover, and the General got to her. So Elm and I agreed to help Qrow with getting you out, and I'm here to take you to him. There was word from Vacuo a day ago that thousands of people suddenly showed up in the desert. Seems like team RWBY found a way." He smiled at the last sentence, "Never a dull moment with those kids."
Her hand glowed green the entire time. It was all she needed to know as she released Marrow's hand and turned to don her jacket and scarf. She didn't have to be told again, "You mean huntresses and hunters," she commented back regarding the kids. "Now let's get out of here." She stepped towards the exit, but Marrow stuck out his arm, catching her trunk and gently pulling her by the shoulder towards himself.
He leaned over and whispered, "We have to make this believable though since we're walking through the base. We're on a time limit with the guard on break. Try not to slow down," he said, pulling out the lasso rope handcuffs. Her shocked face was probably more than enough to warrant an explanation. Marrow continued, "So the story we are going with is 'they ordered me to take you in for questioning, but the interrogation rooms are down a floor." She nodded in understanding as Marrow placed the restraints on her as he continued explaining. "They didn't account for the emergency exits. They would alarm at the bottom exit if used, but ones disabled near the path we have to go."
It seemed like a well thought out plan except for the part where he just revealed all this information inside the cell in front of the camera. "And what about these?" She motioned her head towards the cameras.
Marrow seemed unconcerned and responded kindly, "Qrow knows someone who looped them. He sent me the signal that we are in the clear temporarily. Play along until we get out of here."
She didn't really have any other choice. Robyn donned the cuffs in front of herself as Marrow checked the hallway was clear, and off they went walking in the compound side by side. They passed by multiple military members heading for breakfast who didn't even acknowledge their presence. They had almost reached the elevator when Harriet appeared and blocked their route.
Harriet stood in their way, "I see you're transporting the prisoner."
"As they ordered me to do," Marrow responded. He looked down at his watch, "we have to get down there." With that they both continued walking past Harriet.
"You'll get what's coming to you," Harriet yelled after her.
"Good luck with that, Moh-," Robyn responded until she felt Marrow jab his elbow into her side causing her to halt her words.
"I'll see you at morning huddle later, Hare," Marrow interjected. He whispered to Robyn, "not now," and pushed her roughly along ignoring Harriet's petty attempts to instigate a fight. "Sorry about that. I just have to make it seem forced," he whispered quickly again.
"No problem," she whispered back.
Harriet stopped momentarily to observe them and asked, "Are you sure it's that way?"
"Yeah, the elevator I was told to go to was this one," as he gave Robyn another jab in her back towards the direction. Harriet seemed to contemplate Marrow's answer.
They could see the elevator with two people waiting in line. Marrow looked over his shoulder, then back at the military personnel, "up or down?"
"We're going up," came the response from a soldier.
"We'll wait for the next one," Marrow responded, relieved, and looking down at his watch again. The slowest elevator arrived, the soldiers entered, and once the doors closed Marrow started pushing her along the corridor next to them reaching the stairwell through the emergency exit. She was afraid the alarm would sound upon entry, but it was silent as she pushed open the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" A female voice from behind yelled down the hallway. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Harriet by the elevator.
"Just go in," Marrow said quietly to her as he turned his attention to Harriet and yelled back, "The elevator was taking too long, so I figured this would be faster."
It was inconvenient to not use her hands, but she did as told and entered the stairwell. Marrow quickly followed as he let the door close behind. He then pulled out his weapon and flung his boomerang at the stairwell camera, breaking it.
"Keep going down. We are going to lure her in," Marrow had just finished telling her his plan as they jumped down to the stairwell landing below. She heard the door open behind them to see Harriet who was standing near the top of the stairs.
"Well, what do we have here?" Harriet's stance changed as she looked down observing them as if realizing their plans, "Who said you could leave?"
Marrow turned and faced her. He appeared to be waiting for something specifically as he spoke to her, "Hare. I'm doing what they ordered me to do, and right now you're interfering with my orders."
Harriet appeared unhinged as she held open the stairwell door. "Sounds like something you made up. The interrogation room is located upstairs, but you're down a level." Harriet activated her semblance. It was as if lightning was flying between the two of them with their connected view.
Marrow remained still, immovable by her accusations as he responded, "why don't you come get us then?"
It was as if he were issuing a challenge that Harriet couldn't refuse. The speedster increased her semblance as electricity was visible surrounding her body. Harriet was incredibly fast as she moved down the stairs. Robyn tracked her movement as Marrow remained still as if waiting. She noticed his lack of movement and lunged forward pushing him out of the way as he staggered to the side. She set her stance in an instant and swung her arms upward as if hitting with a bat where she thought Harriet's face would be. Her fists connected with Harriet's jaw which knocked her back and disoriented the warrior. Harriet grunted from the hit as she staggered.
It was then Robyn heard the audible click of the stairwell door above signaling it had closed. Marrow, who had recovered this stance, extended his arm and snapped his fingers in Harriet's direction, "Stay." Harriet froze instantly in space. His focus was intent on detaining her completely.
"Nice going, Wags. Mind giving me a hand?" Robyn raised her arms in front of her as Marrow reached out with his free hand to release her bindings without ever losing focus on Harriet.
"I didn't want it to come to this, but you left me no choice. We can't stay here," he said as he released Robyn from the cuffs.
Robyn immediately picked up on Marrow's motions with detaining Harriet. She moved Harriet easily like a puppet and placed her into a sitting position on the metal hand railing of three longitudinal bars. Harriet's arms draped around the bar and her legs dangled over the edge. Robyn wrapped the cuffs around her wrists, railing, and legs as if tying a boarbatusk to a spit immobilizing her. Making it difficult to have enough force to break through them. Once she finished she stepped away, and Marrow released his hold on Harriet.
"I'm sorry, Hare," Marrow said as they continued down the stairs. He turned back to face Robyn, "We need to get out of here."
They could hear Harriet's screams as they descended towards the bottom floor, "Aren't her screams going to attract others to the stairwell?" She asked.
"No. It's why I had to wait. The fire door diminishes most of the sound," Marrow responded coolly, "It's why I destroyed the camera beforehand as well. So when it came back on it wouldn't show her immediately to security."
They reached the bottom exit door. Marrow pulled her bird inspired crossbow from his larger pocket and handed it to her. He looked at his watch as it read 05:55, "Okay. It should be about time for shift change," he placed his hand on the pad, and the door opened to the dim morning sunrise looming over the airfield. He peered out, "Looks like the coast is clear. Walk out normally."
A gust of cold air hit her face and body as she felt a shiver work its way from her head to her spine. It had been several days inside since she felt this cold. It was refreshing to smell the air even if tinted with gas and oil. Snow lightly poured down around them as they casually strolled in silence through the airfield towards the main gate. Their footsteps left shallow indents in the fresh powdered snow as they reached the gate. A guard recognized them immediately and moved forward to meet them.
"What is this prisoner doing out here?" Asked the guard dressed in Atlesian soldier uniform.
It was Marrow who spoke as he pulled out two official-looking papers and handed them to the guard. "She finished her questioning with the investigation team. Major Cordovin ordered me to escort her off the premises immediately which I assume is across the bridge. And I will take leave on a mission as per my orders so I will not be returning."
Robyn felt her hands form fists as her jaw flexed. They were so close to leaving she didn't mind another fight. They could knock out the guard, steal his badge, drag him into the post, hide him in a closet, and be across the bridge disappearing into the city before anyone would be the wiser. Marrow's ability could halt the guard before they made any moves to warn others. It would be almost too easy to leave. It was then she heard the similar caw of a bird above her, and looked up to see the red-eyed crow looking down upon her. Immediately her body relaxed. She recognized that crow from the other day and turned her attention back to the grumbling guard.
The guard didn't loosen his grip until he had completely read both papers and looked back to Marrow who was professional in his interaction. The guard begrudgingly handed the orders back to Marrow. "We can't go against a direct order from our leader, Major Cordovin," he said and walked back to their post.
"Not unless you want a whole lota problems," Marrow said to the guard. Marrow approached the security pad and placed his hand on it which opened the gate. They briskly walked through as the guard returned to his post. They crossed the bridge towards the town as the gate closed behind them. The feeling of a weight being lifted off her body with each step, and suddenly the same crow was flying overhead towards the city. Cawing loudly as if guiding them towards the rows of shops and homes which lined the street as they entered the district. They might not be out of the city yet, but at least she felt she could move freely unlike before in the small prison cell. Her strides lengthened as she kept pace with Marrow. Finally, they felt safe enough to talk.
"That was pretty smooth. I didn't expect it from you." Robyn withheld making a comment of how she had felt he was a lapdog of the military as he was now her savior.
"What can I say but I'm a natural," Marrow commented back turning and giving her a forced smile which made him appear goofy. "I wasn't sure it would even work, but here we are." He pulled out a small paper with streets and an address scribbled on it. He guided them through the early morning of bustling streets while avoiding security cameras. It amazed her by how many people were out so early in the city, getting on the trolley, grabbing their morning coffee or tea, and walking with their kids to school. It almost seemed so similar to Mantle in that people were taking advantage of whatever limited light they had during the day. They arrived at a large townhouse. It was pleasant, covered with snow across its overhang. They ascended the snow-covered steps carefully to get to the entrance when they heard steps crunch in the snow and a familiar voice called out behind them.
"Looks like you're finally here," the rough voice behind her said.
She turned around to see Qrow standing at the bottom of the steps waiting. His slender built body presented bigger with the scarlet cape flapping rhythmically to the icy breeze as he stood unwavering. She observed his brawny body with the gray and black attire contrasting with the snowy background. His face cleanly shaved compared to the shaggy stubble previously. It wasn't until her eyes landed on his face which held a small smile acknowledging her presence that he pushed away his bangs to reveal his crimson eyes. A sense of life lit up in his body she hadn't seen previously as their gaze collided with one another. A faint flutter in her chest brought her back to reality, and the sense of annoyance she had felt towards him keeping secrets dissipated. Another moment passed as she felt a familiar thump hit the front left side of her chest.
"Yup. Thanks to someone's help," she responded with a wink, and she felt her lips turn upwards naturally responding to him.
End Chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed! Until the next time. ^_^