Author's Opening Note: I had to publish this chapter later than planned due work-related reasons. Also, it's with a very heavy heart that I inform those of you who haven't heard the bad news.
First of all: legendary manga artist and creator of "Dragon Ball", Akira Toriyama, passed away on March 1st at age 68. Rest in Peace.
Second: after 21 years of business, RoosterTeeth is shutting down. I pray that this doesn't spell the end for RWBY.
Please point out any mistakes I've made.
Review Responses
Guest, March 6th: Not a bad idea. Either him or Winter could play the role.
paulbryant830: Well, I was torn between choosing her or Jaune. I'm sorry if my choice disappoints you.
GojiraRWBYSW18: There will be more "300" in the future. And I'm pretty sure I'll write a "Godzilla" adaptation someday.
Octavio Constant: I haven't seen "Dune" yet, but if I do and enjoy it, I'll keep your casting choice in mind if I ever write an adaptation for it.
EmeraldStirling: Sorry, not this one. But I'm 90% sure I'll write at least one "Batman" one shot. I'm not too sure about "God of War" or "Asura's Wrath", but I'll keep your casting choices in mind for all three franchises if I ever get to them.
StoutShako42Refined: Yeah, it does suck. But I've fully recovered. Nothing too bad. Anyway, Ozma may have been a good choice, but I settled on Ironwood due to the beard he had in Volumes 7-8, lol. Anyway, your right. "One Piece" is such a long-running franchise, so it would be difficult to decide on what part to adapt, but if I ever get around to it, I'll remember your casting ideas.
Pharamine: Thank you for your concern, friend. Although, I must disagree. I found "Max Payne" quite gritty. And the audience will as well. BTW, read the end note.
Guest, Feb 22nd: You bring up a good point. I've edited the previous chapter and the "Halo" chapter as well with fewer expositions. Thanks for the constructive criticism.
Yawar: Good idea. I think "Fury Road" is the most likely one I'll pick.
Memnon45: Thank you so much for understanding. Even without COVID, it's not as easy updating as it was nearly three years ago when I first started here.
speedfreak201065: Sorry to disappoint you if you don't like "HTTYD" :( Though, I'll keep your casting ideas in mind if I ever adapt "Hitman". And thanks for your concern. COVID sucks.
TheDoctor1998: It's good to be healthy again. I haven't watched "Hazbin Hotel" yet, but I've heard pretty good things about it. If I ever write a one-shot, I'll keep your casting choices in mind.
Jack Redhawke: I will. I promise.
Lancastershipper: I loved that movie! I'll keep your idea in mind if I ever choose it.
Inspiration: Max Payne
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. "RWBY" is the property of director and animator Monty Oum (RIP) and production company Rooster Teeth, and "Max Payne" is the property of video game director Petri Järvilehto and developing company Remedy Entertainment.
Fade onto the ocean on a winter's night, heavy snow falling from the sky. The camera panned up to show a bullhead barely visible in the distance, its spotlight shining as it hovered towards the shore.
A small white caption below read: Vale. Present Day. One hour ago.
"Stand by, 10-10, investigate a reported disturbance at Aesir Plaza," the helicopter pilot spoke over her headset.
"10-4 dispatcher, verify address?"
"That's Aesir Plaza, repeat, Aesir Plaza."
The bullhead flew past the camera, which rotated to reveal Vale's considerable skyline.
"Hmm. This version of Vale looks larger," Ozpin observed the city's size.
"Indeed. There's taller buildings as well," Glynda added with a nod.
On a long, snow-covered street, two VPD cruisers sped towards their destination, sirens wailing. Luckily the road was clear of traffic due to the blizzard.
"Shots fired on the rooftop. An assault in progress at Aesir Plaza. Repeat, an assault in progress," the cruiser cop reported.
"An assault?" Port quirked an eyebrow.
"Perhaps it's a robbery," Oobleck guessed with a sip of coffee.
"And look at all that snow. There's a blizzard ravaging the city," Ren pointed out.
"Then Weiss would definitely be enjoying herself if she was there right now," Ruby smirked mischievously at her partner.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny."
The police cruisers both suddenly skidded to a halt just outside Aesir Plaza's front entrance.
"It's a warzone down here!" the cruiser cop exclaimed. "10-85 dispatcher, need additional units, additional units now! Officer in danger, officer in danger!"
"10-5, please repeat. 10-5, all units, all units, emergency, officer in danger, Aesir Plaza, repeat, Aesir plaza, all units...," the helicopter pilot rambled on until her voice faded out.
"Jeez. It sounds really serious," Yang commented before munching on some popcorn.
"But who are the perpetrators?" Blake questioned.
The camera ascended upwards towards Aesir Plazas roof.
"They were all dead. The final gunshot was an exclamation mark to everything that had led to this point," a familiar voice began to narrate.
Ruby and Yang instantly recognized the voice. "Uncle Qrow?"
"Yeah, that's me all right," Qrow nodded.
"Great," Winter mumbled impassively.
The camera reached the rooftop, exposing a collapsed radio antenna. Standing next to the antenna on the roofs edge was Qrow Branwen holding a sniper rifle and dressed in a black leather coat. The camera zoomed in on him, revealing a small smirk of triumph on his face.
"I released my finger from the trigger, and then it was over."
"Wait a second. I'm not playing some crazed gunman, am I?" Qrow fretted.
Ruby shook her head. "No way. You wouldn't play bad guy, Uncle Qrow."
"Either way, I'm liking that leather coat," Coco praised the most distinctive article of Qrow's outfit. [1]
The screen shifted to a graphic novel style view of the VPD right outside Aesir Plaza's front entrance, speech boxes showing Qrow's words as he spoke. Low, chilling music played concurrently.
"To make any kind of sense of it, I need to go back three years. Back to the night the pain started..." Qrow said forebodingly.
"Whoa! Look at that," Sun pointed at the onscreen comic.
"It would seem part of this story is told in the form of a graphic novel," Ren identified the unusual but interesting setting.
"Wow. That's pretty cool," Neptune praised, having read his fair share of graphic novels.
Ozpin blinked. "The night the pain started," he parroted. "I don't like the sound of that."
"I could say the same about that music," Velvet said uneasily.
Flashback to three years ago. Qrow was chatting with his friend and partner, James Ironwood, at a VPD station over some coffee.
"I was still in the force back then. VPD, North District. Hell's Kitchen," Qrow narrated.
"There's me again," Ironwood quickly recognized himself. "What part do I play? And what's my relationship with Qrow?"
"You two are detectives and partners in the Vale Police Department," Gold-Sith answered.
"I didn't see that coming," Qrow said in surprise.
"Must be tough work if the district is called Hell's Kitchen," Port guessed with a sip of diet soda.
"So, when are you coming to work for me, Detective Branwen?" James asked Qrow.
"You'd make me work undercover in some hellhole," Qrow shook his head. "Sorry James, Winter and the baby come first."
Everybody was thrown for a loop at the revelation. Winter and Qrow both did a spit-take with tea and whiskey respectively.
"What did he say?!" Weiss gasped.
"We're what?!" Qrow coughed.
"Wow...I didn't see that coming," Yang muttered.
"See. My last smoke. It's bad for the baby," Qrow said as he put his cigarette out.
Ironwood chuckled. "That's you, Qrow. A regular boy scout."
"See you, James," Qrow bid his partner farewell as he turned to leave.
"Still on for poker Thursday night, right?" Ironwood asked.
"Like taking candy from a baby," Qrow confirmed as he headed home.
Winter snapped out of her daze. "This is absurd. I would never marry an irresponsible drunk like him!"
"And I'd never propose to a frigid bitch like her!" Qrow retorted.
Winter angrily stood up. " You want to repeat that?!"
"That's enough!" Ironwood barked. "Both of you sit down."
Penny jumped in to calm things down. "Well, he has a good job in law enforcement and he quit smoking for his child. He sounds like a good husband to me," she pointed out, feeling happy for Winter.
Winter gave a slight conceding look before she and Qrow sat back down to the relief of everyone.
Cut to Qrow driving home in the Vale suburbs.
"Life was good. The sun setting on a sweet summer's day, the smell of freshly mowed lawns, the sounds of children playing, a house by the river west of Vale. A beautiful wife and a baby girl. The Valean Dream come true," Qrow narrated wistfully.
Qrows words brought a sense of tranquility to the audience. His counterpart had pretty much what nearly everyone in the theater ultimately wanted from life.
"So, I have a niece in this universe," Weiss realized with joy.
Yang and Ruby smiled. "And Ruby and I have a little cousin."
"What's our daughters name?" Winter asked curiously.
"Viola Branwen," Gold-Sith answered.[2]
"Hmm," Qrow hummed softly with a content nod.
Cut to Qrow entering his house after a long day at work.
"Honey, I'm home!" he announced, locking the door behind him.
"But dreams have a nasty habit of going bad when you're not looking."
The approach of evening cast an eerie shadowy look to the house.
"The sun went down with practiced bravado. Twilight crawled across the sky, laden with foreboding."
Qrows words created a sense of tension in the audience.
"I'm getting serious noir vibes from this," Jaune remarked from his experience in reading crime comics as a child.
"Me too. Gold-Sith wasn't lying when he said it would be dark," Pyrrha agreed with her partner.
An overhead shot of the living room showed it looked mildly ransacked. The coffee table was untidy and a lamp had been knocked over. Not a soul was in sight.
A small caption below read: Vale, three years ago.
"Winter? Honey, anybody home?" Qrow called out, puzzled.
There was no answer. In fact, it was dead silent inside the house.
"I didn't like the way the show started. But they had given me the best seat in the house. Front row center."
The tension increased, especially for Weiss and Winter.
"I don't like the way this show is starting either," Weiss agreed, having a bad feeling that Winter and Viola were in danger.
Qrow only had to take a few steps to find out something was very wrong.
"What the hell!?" he muttered.
Crudely spray painted on the left wall in black was the letter "V" and a syringe running through it.
"Something ugly had been tattooed on the wall, a map of things to come. It was a poison syringe, a magic tag full of diabolical meanings," Qrow described the disturbing scene.
"V...?" Ruby identified the crudely painted letter.
"A map of things to come, he says?" Ozpin murmured, having the strangest feeling the V had very strong meaning to it.
Alarmed, Qrow drew his handgun and stepped further into the house to find the dining room barricaded by an overturned cabinet. Next to the barricaded doorway, the telephone rang on a table.
But the most disturbing detail that worried him was a blood stain on the wall.
Several people gasped at the grisly sign, notably Ruby, Yang, and the Schnee sisters, their apprehension increasing.
"Oh Gods...a break in!" Weiss whispered.
Next to the barricaded doorway, the telephone rang on a table.
Qrow rushed over and answered the phone. "Listen! Someone's broken into my house, call 911!" he requested.
"Is this the Branwen Residence?" the caller asked; a woman with a disturbingly raspy voice.
Everyone felt discomforted by the callers voice, some even feeling whoever it was to be a villain.
"He sounds really creepy," Nora shuddered.
"I agree...though I think that's a woman, Nora," Ren corrected.
Blake blinked. "Wait...why is she asking if it's the Branwen residence."
"Yes, someone's broken into my house, they are still here, you have to-" Qrow went on.
"Good," the woman cut him off. "I'm afraid I cannot help you."
The mysterious caller then hung up, leaving Qrow standing there, dumbfounded.
"Who is this? Hello?"
"Good?! What the hell?" Yang shouted indignantly.
"Who even was that?" Penny asked, confused.
"Forget that for now. He's gotta save Winter and Viola," Weiss said urgently.
Now, even more concerned, Qrow ran to a nearby closet, opened it, and pulled out a 12-gauge pump action shotgun.
Moving on, Qrow found the living room empty. He then continued up a staircase to the left. Halfway up, he heard something heavy topple over.
"Qrow was right. They're still there," Velvet whispered.
"Hurry, Uncle Qrow. Hurry," Ruby whispered, gripping her hood.
"Don't you dare let us down, Branwen," Winter ground out under her breath.
Qrow reached the top of the stairs. Then he froze as he heard a horrifying cacophony of Winter screaming, Viola crying, and loud male voices shouting.
"No! Not my baby!" Winter pleaded. "Don't hurt my baby!"
"Winter!" Qrow called out.
"No!" Winter pleaded.
"Shut up!" one of the perps thundered.
Suddenly, three loud gunshots rang out. And Violas crying ceased.
"Ah! No! No! Qrow!" Winter cried hysterically.
Ruby, Nora, and Velvet all shrieked briefly and covered their mouths in horror. Weiss and Winter recoiled, mouths hanging open. Everyone else went rigid in shock.
"Oh no..." Glynda said shakily, fearing the worst had just happened.
"Don't just stand there other me! Get moving!" Qrow yelled at his counterpart.
Qrow barreled into the bathroom connecting to the master bedroom. He tried to enter, but something was blocking the door from the other side.
"Winter!" Qrow shouted.
"No! Please!" Winter pleaded tearfully.
Three more gunshots, and then dead silence.
The theater was just as silent as everyone dreaded what just happened. Winter and Weiss both recoiled again, harder this time. They both sat almost catatonic in their seats, eyes wide as saucers.
Qrow frantically exited the bathroom.
"I'm gonna hurt you! I'm gonna hurt ya!" one of the male voices shouted.
Re-entering the hall, Qrow ran toward the door at the end leading to the nursery, which in turn, led to the master bedroom.
The door flew open. Standing there was a bald, slender man dressed in a dark green jumpsuit. He wielded a 9mm handgun and had a crazed look on his face; his eyes wide and bloodshot.
"It's coming..." the killer snarled at Qrow
"Holy crap!" Neptune exclaimed at the frightening perpetrator.
"That's so freaky!" Coco commented.
"He's gotta be hopped up on something," Qrow judged from the perp's behavior and appearance.
Qrow aimed his shot gun at the killer. "Freeze, VPD! Drop it!" he barked.
Unfazed, the killer stepped forward. "Death! It's coming! Your gonna die!" he bellowed, raising his weapon.
But Qrow was faster on the draw. He blasted the man in the chest, sending him screaming and flying backwards.
With no time to waste, Qrow ran into the nursery. A second armed goon barged in through an opposite door, squeezing off a shot at Qrow. Normally, the round would have hit him at such close range.
Instead, time suddenly slowed down while Qrow moved normally. He dove to the right, the bullet sailing harmlessly past him as he fired his shotgun again, nailing the killer in the head.
"Whoa! What was that?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"His semblance, perhaps? Assuming they exist in this universe," Oobleck theorized.
"Whatever it was, it was pretty cool," Yang praised with a smile.
Qrow got up and turned around. Then nearly dropped his gun in pure shock at what he saw, his eyes widening.
Lying in the overturned cradle, covered with blood, was baby Viola, still wrapped in a blanket. A soft lullaby played from a music box in the corner.
"No, No, No! Please Gods no!" Qrow said waveringly.
The entire audience shrieked or gasped sharply in utter horror at the brutal murder of a defenseless infant, especially the students.
"Nooooo!" Winter wailed as she buried her face in her hands.
"Oh my Gods! Viola!" Weiss screamed as tears brimmed in her eyes.
"Those sick bastards! How dare they!" Yang bellowed as her eyes went crimson, feeling ready to rip the projector screen to shreds.
"H-how could they do something so t-terrible?!" Ruby whimpered tearfully.
Qrow's mouth hung open, his whiskey glass falling from his limp hand and shattering on the floor.
"The flesh of fallen angels!" a third killer shouted, his voice coming from the bedroom.
There was no time to mourn. Qrow barged into another short hallway leading to the master bedroom. He stepped inside.
Everyone, especially Weiss and Winter, steeled themselves, hoping against hope that the latter's counterpart was somehow still alive.
Straight ahead from Qrow was a third armed thug who opened fire while screaming maniacally.
Again, Qrow used his bullet-time ability and easily dodged the 9mm rounds before gunning his opponent down with a well-placed shotgun blast.
But he was too late. Winter was dead; lying on the bed with a trio of bullet holes in her chest.
"No, No, No! Gods no, please Winter! Oh, baby," Qrow muttered tearfully, falling to his knees in despair at the foot of the bed while melancholy piano music played.
That was it. Weiss got up and rushed over to Winter, both sisters breaking down crying in each other's arms. Ruby and Yang wept as well for their baby cousin. It was even worse than Taiyangs death in the "Dragon Ball Z" viewing.
The absolutely devastating and chilling viewing had half the audience in tears. The other half were either stunned silent or enraged by the merciless killings.
"Too late..." Ozpin murmured sadly.
"If only he'd gotten back a few minutes sooner…he could have saved them," Ironwood added mournfully, feeling terrible for Qrow.
Qrow could only silently hang his head in shame and sorrow. True, he didn't like Winter, but he'd never want to see her brutally murdered, and failing to save her and Viola reminded him of Summer all over again.
The next comic image showed an anguished Qrow cradling his dead wife in his arms.
"NOOOOO!" Qrow cried in grief, his voice echoing.
Just then, Winter snapped. "You son of a bitch!" she shrieked as she unwrapped her arms from Weiss and lunged at Qrow.
"Whoa!" Qrow yelped as Winter grabbed him by the shirt collar.
"You blithering idiot! If you weren't so slow, my daughter and I would still be alive!" Winter roared as she shook Qrow heavily.
"Let go of me! She was my daughter too!" Qrow protested, trying to push Winter off.
It took the combined efforts of Ironwood, Weiss, and Yang to pry the hysterical specialist off of Qrow.
"Specialist Schnee! Control yourself!" Ironwood ordered his subordinate.
"Sister! Please stop!" Weiss begged.
"That's enough!" Yang shouted.
"Specialist Schnee, I understand your anger, but I won't tolerate any violence in my theater," Gold-Sith reprimanded.
Winter stopped grasping for Qrow, but still stood seething with anger and sorrow. Qrow himself smoothed his shirt but didn't retaliate against Winter, understanding her rage.
"Perhaps you'd like to take a few minutes to cool off?" Weiss recommended.
Winter nodded silently as she took out her scroll and used the link to teleport out of the theater. A few seconds later (or a few minutes for her), she returned with her composure regained and she sat back down without a word.
The screen switched back to comic form as the story continued. Cops surrounded Aesir Plaza and forensics camera shutters were heard clicking at the crime scene.
"That was three years ago. Everything ripped apart in a Valean minute. The killer junkies had been high on a previously unknown designer drug: Valkyr, V. After the funeral, I told James I would be transferring to the DEA," Qrow resumed his sad tale.
"So, this Valkr turns people into violent killers?" Sun deducted. "That's a hell of a drug."
"What's the DEA?" Velvet asked as she ate a slice of carrot cake.
"Drug Enforcement Agency. A Valean government law enforcement branch that deals with illegal narcotics," Gold-Sith answered.
"So, he's gonna try to stop the distribution of V," Weiss realized, mentally hoping Valkr would be taken off Vales streets.
Ozpin pursed his lips in contemplation. "Call me crazy, but something tells me those junkies weren't just addicts burglarizing a house for drug money," he said suspiciously.
"What do you mean, headmaster?" Pyrrha asked, not understanding.
Glynda tapped her chin. "Hmmm. He could be onto something. They were all wearing matching jumpsuits."
"And what about that woman on the phone?" Ironwood brought up. "She must be involved in this as well."
Everyone realized they had a point and sat mystified by the full circumstances surrounding the murders.
"I suppose only time will tell," Ren concluded with a shrug.
"It took us three years long years to get a break in the Valkyr Case. Then, finally, two months ago, a lien-dropper tipped us off that Tyrian Callows [3, a mob-boss in the Torchwick Crime Family, was trafficking."
The next panel showed a grim faced Qrow overlooking the snowy city.
"I went undercover, infiltrated the worst Mafia family in Vale."
"Roman Torchwick? He's responsible for distributing Valkyrie?" Weiss presumed angrily.
"Or at least this Tyrian Callows is," Ozpin seconded, unfamiliar with the name.
"Let's hope those three years of detective work pay off," Ruby bid Qrow luck on avenging his family and stopping Valkr from spreading.
Cut to only two days prior to the scene at Aesir Plaza. The blizzard had just begun to enter its peak.
"I came in from the cold and the dark. Outside, the city was a cruel monster. I'd been slowly working my way from small-time to the big fish, trying to get to the source of the drug," Qrow narrated.
Qrow wasn't exaggerating. The winter storm was in full swing, blanketing Vale with well over a foot of snow, strong, sub-zero winds blowing loudly.
"James and B.B. were my only contacts in the DEA... The only ones in this decrepit city who knew I was down here."
Just then, B.B. called Qrow at the latter's apartment.
"B.B. here. Something urgent has come up with Tyrian Callows. You need to meet with James, immediately at the Roscoe Street Station," BB instructed.
Qrow stared down at the phone while drinking a cup of coffee.
"I hadn't had a face to face with James since I'd gone undercover."
"So, for two months, Qrow was undercover and snooping around Torchwicks turf?" Neptune said, impressed.
"Such dedication," Winter admitted about Qrow's counterpart.
"And now they're finally making some progress," Penny noted positively.
"Outside, the mercury was falling fast. It was colder than the God of Darkness' heart, raining ice pitchforks as if the Heavens were ready to fall," Qrow accurately described the blizzard.
Everyone was running for shelter like there was no tomorrow. It didn't get any better when I got to the subway.
"My word. That's one nasty snowstorm," Oobleck remarked, knowing it would hinder Qrow.
Port nodded. "Indeed, my friend. Why, I haven't seen such a snowfall since that one blizzard in Vale twenty years ago. I was snowed inside a cave in the for three days with-" he trailed off before he noticed everyone staring at him, and promptly stopped.
"Anyway, that snowstorm is definitely going to make our job harder," Ironwood noted.
An overhead shot of Vale being bombarded by the blizzard, then Qrow aboard a subway train cruising down the track towards Roscoe Street Station.
"The feeling hit me like a point-blank shot straight in the face... Something was not right about this."
The audience became wary again. Judging from the very first scene, they expected Qrow to step into a total shitshow.
"I hope he's just being paranoid," Ruby said nervously.
Qrow sighed. "I doubt it, squirt. Whenever I get that feeling, I'm usually right."
Cut to a shot of a subway street entrance. A caption below read: Two nights earlier.
"My Beretta stirred nervously under my coat...but the train doors had already shut behind me, and I was in for the ride... Next stop: Roscoe Street Station, and James.
"So, this is where his story started," Pyrrha realized.
"Only two days before whatever happened at Aesir Plaza," Ren added as he slowly sipped some green tea.
"I've got a feeling it's gonna be a very long two days for Qrow," Sun predicted accurately.
Qrow disembarked. As the train departed, Qrow scanned the station, but James wasn't there.
The Station was drenched in gloom. James was a ghost nowhere to be seen. I'd have to look for him.
Qrow glanced to his right, noticing the gate to a flight of stairs was closed. He approached it and tried to open it, but it was locked.
Blake tilted her head. "Why is that gate locked?"
"And why would I set up a meeting at a closed station?" Ironwood, knowing something was off.
Puzzled, Qrow headed to a slightly opened door on the left; a sign on it read "Employees Only". A few empty shell casings on the floor nearby caught his eye.
The door opened into a short corridor. To Qrows surprise, blood stained the wall and trailed down the corridor towards another closed door.
Qrow drew his Beretta and carefully entered the next room. Lying face down on the floor in a puddle of blood was a dead Vale transit cop.
"Death was in the air at Roscoe Street. I had to find James fast."
"Oh no. That poor officer," Ruby mourned.
"Your instincts were spot on, Qrow," Ironwood nodded.
"And BB was right. Tyrian's boys are up to something," Jaune finished.
A quick search of the room turned up a few spare beretta magazines and a small bottle of painkillers, all of which Qrow took.
"The pills would ease the pain."
"Painkillers?" Yang questioned Qrow's find.
"Makes sense to me," Qrow shrugged. "In case I get hit and I can't get patched up."
Qrow started back towards the train platform. And then he froze as he heard male voices coming from it right outside the door.
"Wasn't Jake supposed to take care of this?" one man sighed questioningly.
"He an' Mickey are havin' too much fun takin' care of the cop up there," a second replied.
Qrow snuck over to the doorway and peaked out. He spotted two Torchwick mobsters dressed in black suits, fedoras, and red sunglasses descending the now unlocked stairway.
"Those scumbags are killing police officers left and right," Winter growled, hoping they weren't talking about James.
The Torchwick goons stepped onto the train platform.
"W-w-what's the plan?" the first goon asked.
"Simple: gun down every mother-loving bastard that gets off the train!" the second answered.
"They plan on killing civilians as well," Penny narrowed her eyes angrily.
"Don't worry, Penny. Uncle Qrow won't let them," Ruby said with confidence in her uncle.
Goon one bounced excitedly. "Sweet...but didn't the train go already?"
"No idea, let's just wait and see," goon one shrugged.
Seizing his chance Qrow sprang from his hiding spot and charged toward the goons, alerting them.
"What the hell?!" goon one reached for his gun.
"Gun him dow- aah!"
But Qrow was much faster. He mowed down the first thug before he could even draw his weapon.
The second goon drew and fired his Desert Eagle .357 handgun. Using bullet-time, Qrow dove forward, dodged the attack, and emptied his last few rounds into the second thug, killing him before Qrow hit the ground.
"All right. Uncle Qrow's a badass crime fighter!" Yang hollered with praise.
"Whatever that ability is, it definitely gives Qrow an edge over his enemies," Pyrrha appraised Qrow's bullet-time.
"Lucky him. He's probably gonna be outnumbered," Ironwood expected with a sip of water.
Qrow got up and took one of the Desert Eagles and a few extra clips from the dead thugs before moving on, hoping that James was still alive.
"While looking for James, I'd ended up in the middle of a big-time crime operation."
"Nice handgun. Doesn't hurt to have some extra firepower," Ruby praised the Desert Eagle.
Cut to an hour later. Deeper inside the station, a heavy metal door rigged with explosives was suddenly sent flying across a room and crashing into a wall from the subsequent explosion.
The imploded door fell to the floor with a thud.
James Ironwood, who was on the other side of the door, heard the explosion and came running down a hallway from behind a transit security gate. He stopped at the gate and aimed at the blast hole.
"What was that? A bomb?" Velvet guessed correctly,
Coco shrugged. "Could have been."
"It's good to see your still alive, Jimmy," Qrow said honestly.
Qrow stepped into the room through the smoldering hole.
"Hold it!" James ordered before recognizing who it was. "Qrow! Brothers, you almost gave me a heart attack! I nearly shot you."
Qrow approached the gate. "James am I glad to see you," he said with relief.
"What the Hell's going on here? There are more corpses here than at the City Morgue!"
Unbeknownst to the two detectives, a man dressed in a trench coat and black tinted sunglasses silently descended an adjoining staircase on James side of the security gate.
"Who's that guy?" Jaune pointed at the mysterious man.
"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of him," Pyrrha responded.
"It's an armed robbery. A tunnel job straight through the Roscoe Bank vault through the old station wall," Qrow informed his partner on the situation.
"This is Callows' doing? Callows' men? Really?" James asked sarcastically.
"You sure know how to pick a place. Can you get through?"
The mystery man pulled out a Desert Eagle and aimed it at the oblivious James down below.
"Look out!" Glynda gasped in warning.
"He's right beside you!"
"No, it's locked," James told his partner. "We gotta get outta here. If it's Callows it's-"
The assassin fired at James from the side, killing him instantly.
James POV showed him crumpling to the floor while a wide eyed Qrow watched helplessly.
"James?! James!" Qrow cried out with grief.
The sorrowful piano music played again while the assassin fled back up the stairs.
Ironwood recoiled at the death of his counterpart, mouth slightly agape.
"General!" Winter cried out.
"No!" several more audience members gasped.
"Not Jimmy too," Qrow clenched his teeth.
The deceased Ironwood lay in a pool of blood from a headshot right before Qrow's eyes.
"There was nothing I could do. He was dead. I could tell by the empty accusing stare of his eyes," Qrow grieved.
But there was no time to mourn his partner. Qrow turned to his right and continued to escape the train station. And make Tyrian Callows pay for James' death.
"First Winter and Viola, now James," Glynda lamented the loss of Ironwood.
Winter's face bristled. "This Tyrian bastard will pay for this!"
Directly up a stairway leading out of the station, a group of mobsters were ready to make their escape while sirens blared right outside.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" one good shouted as he headed for the stairway towards Qrow, oblivious to the danger.
"We'll be fine, just take it easy," a second assured.
"I'm allergic to sirens, we got to get moving!"
"Shut up, ok!"
But the mobsters never got the chance to escape. The first one to descend the stairs took a shotgun blast to the head from Qrow. The rest immediately spurred into action as Qrow swiftly ascended the stairs, switching out his shotgun for duel berettas. Using his bullet time, he quickly cleared the room, killing the three remaining gangsters. Qrow took a few glancing hits. But a handful of painkillers seemed to take care of that.
"That's it? Take a few painkillers and he's fine?" Yang questioned.
"Sounds pretty badass to me. No point in getting patched up," Nora commented.
"You need to be careful with those pills, Qrow. You take too many, and you could become addicted," Ironwood cautioned. [4]
Wasting no time, Qrow hit a door switch in a security booth to open the subway gate and exited the train station. Outside, the snow storm was still ongoing and sirens could be heard approaching
Shift to another comic panel as Qrow ascended a stairway out of the subway and stepped onto the snowy, blizzard ravaged streets of vale.
"James had kept me relatively sane for the past three years. Now I didn't know how I felt."
"Well, personally, I'm feeling pretty pissed right now," Qrow growled, slightly gripping his whiskey glass.
"You're not the only one," Winter reluctantly shared Qrows sentiments.
Beretta in hand, Qrow looked left and right, a stone serious and vengeful look on his face as he made his way down the street.
"Somehow he had stumbled upon something big- and ended up stepping on Tyrian Callows toes."
Not much later, Qrow had begun a one-man hunt for Tyrian Callows. He started at a sleazy mob-rub hotel. Near the top floor, he stumbled upon a radio. From it, Lisa Lavender could be heard giving a special news report.
"...In his press conference today, the mayor stated that Valkyr represents a clear danger to Vale and called for drastic actions to eliminate the problem. On today's top story, the Valkyr Crisis worsens with the murder of DEA Special Agent James Ironwood, Special Agent Ironwood had been shot repeatedly from a point-blank range. The gunman has been identified as Qrow Branwen. The noose is sure to tighten around this fugitive criminal, as more VPD units join the search to apprehend him."
Qrow looked befuddled. "I had just gotten my 15 minutes of fame," he said sarcastically.
Everyone was nearly as shocked by the frame-up as they were by the murders of Winter and Viola.
"Say what?! They think he did it?!" Ruby shouted with outrage.
"Well, that's just wonderful!" Qrow threw up his hands in exasperation. "First I lose my family, then my partner, and now I've been framed for murder?! I just can't catch a break in this universe."
With that, the viewing ended, much to the audience's relief. Seeing a baby killed in cold blood was a bit too much for some of them.
"So...what'd you all think?" Gold-Sith asked tentatively.
"Well…you weren't kidding when you said it was dark and gritty," Pyrrha said flatly.
"After a viewing like that, I believe we could all use some levity," Ozpin strongly suggested.
"Absolutely. While I want to see Uncle Qrow avenge his family and General Ironwood, I think we've seen enough of that universe for one sitting," Yang declared, no doubt voicing what nearly everyone was thinking.
"Very well. The next viewing won't be as dark. It'll be a continuation of one of the previous universes."
"Anything lighter than that last viewing is a welcome change of pace for me," Winter said.
Author's Points
[1]- I have a feeling Coco would really dig Max/Qrow's leather coat. I certainly do.
[2]- Violas are a winter flower in case you're wondering why I chose this name.
[3]- Always count on Tyrian playing violently insane characters.
[4]- Unfortunately, Ironwood is absolutely right. By "Max Payne 3", the protagonist is thoroughly addicted to painkillers, as well as alcohol and cigarettes.
Cast
Qrow Branwen as Max Payne
James Ironwood as Alex Balder
Winter Schnee as Michelle Payne/
Viola Branwen as Rose Payne (Original character)
Tyrian Callows as Jack Lupino (Mentioned only)
Roman Torchwick as Angelo Punchinello (Mentioned only)
BB as himself (Unchanged)
TBA as Nicole Horne
Author's Closing Note: I know you probably expected a "Batman" adaptation, but I'm afraid that particular universe will have to wait. "Max Payne" is one of my all-time favorite PC games, so this adaptation will definitely be a joy for me to write. This adaptation is also dedicated to the titular character's voice actor, James McCaffrey, who tragically lost his battle with cancer three months ago. And, finally, Pharamine gave me the idea for this adaptation and helped out with the casting choices, so special thanks to him. There will be future "Max Payne" adaptations until the final showdown at Aesir Plaza.
Until then, let's get those votes in for a future viewing. It'll be for a comedy adaptation after the next one.