The air reeked of fuel and burnt metal. A mangled helicopter lay in pieces on the outskirts of Vale, a testament to a sudden and violent crash. Beneath its twisted frame, a woman lay pinned, her face pale and strained. White hair, usually meticulously arranged in a bun, was now disheveled and streaked with dirt. Icy blue eyes, typically sharp and commanding, were wide with a desperate plea. "HELP!" she cried out, her voice barely audible above the crackling wreckage. She was Winter Schnee, a high-ranking Atlesian specialist, and she was trapped.
Atlas soldiers swarmed the site, their faces grim. They strained against the wreckage, trying to lift it enough to free her, but the mangled metal wouldn't budge. Before they could formulate a new plan, a figure blurred past them, a whirlwind of motion.
He was tall and muscular, with sun-kissed blonde hair and equally bright blue eyes. Dressed simply in a black hoodie, jeans, and surprisingly vibrant red sneakers, he seemed an anomaly amidst the military chaos.
"Hold on, Winter!" he shouted, his voice echoing with urgency. Without hesitation, he gripped the twisted skids of the helicopter. The soldiers watched in stunned disbelief as he began to lift. Muscle strained, veins bulged in his arms, but the heavy metal groaned and slowly rose.
"Who are you?" a soldier demanded, suspicion etched on his face.
The young man ignored him, focusing all his effort on lifting. He grunted with exertion. Finally, with a Herculean effort, he raised the helicopter just enough for the soldiers to pull Winter free. They scrambled to drag her away from the wreckage.
Winter, now safe, stared at him, tears streaming down her face. "Jaune," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
He didn't release his grip. His face was now a mask of pure, raw power. "Get… Her… Out!" he roared, his voice echoing across the field. As the soldiers pulled Winter further away, he flipped the helicopter onto its side, a feat of unimaginable strength. He caught a whiff of gasoline and cursed under his breath. "Oh Oum," he muttered, touching his ear. "TRINA, GET ME A DOOR!" he yelled into seemingly thin air, his voice amplified as if through a hidden speaker.
A disembodied voice, calm and measured, responded, "[How big?]"
"GARAGE SIZE!" Jaune bellowed.
"[To where?]" Trina asked.
"I DON'T CARE! AWAY FROM MY COORDINATES!" he roared, his voice laced with panic.
There was a brief pause, then, "[Calm down, little bro, I'll get one open for you. Hold on.]"
Suddenly, a shimmering, glowing portal erupted into existence a few yards away. It swirled with otherworldly energy, revealing a glimpse of distant stars and swirling nebulae. Jaune didn't hesitate. He shoved the leaking, unstable helicopter towards the portal with a final burst of strength. The vehicle hurtled through the gateway just as the fuel ignited.
"Close it, Close It, CLOSE IT!" he screamed, his voice hoarse. The portal flickered and vanished, milliseconds before a deafening explosion ripped through the air where the helicopter had been.
He took a shaky breath. "[Thanks]" he said, his voice barely audible.
The soldiers stared at him, speechless with a mixture of awe and terror. Jaune, however, had already turned his attention to Winter. He rushed to her side, his expression softening with concern.
She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate, trembling hug. "You're alive! Oh, Oum, you are alive!" she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.
He hugged her back, gently stroking her hair. "Good to see ya, 'Sis'," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Their moment of reunion was shattered by the harsh sound of gunfire. A platoon of 'Taurus Bulls,' ex-White Fang members, were bearing down on them, weapons raised.
Jaune sighed. "This is so not my day," he muttered. He turned to the soldiers, his eyes hardening. "Get her somewhere safe."
The soldiers nodded, fear and determination etched on their faces. Winter hesitated.
"Wait," Jaune said, pulling a small glass bottle from his pocket. He pressed it into her hand. "When you get to safety, take that. Because I know you've got to be paralyzed."
"What will it do?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Heal you. Fix your spine," he replied, his voice firm.
The soldiers hurried Winter away, sheltering her from the gunfire. Jaune watched them go, then turned to face the approaching horde of Faunus extremists. He glanced at a nearby security camera, a flicker of mischief in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked the camera, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Cue the music."
A thundering beat erupted from seemingly nowhere, filling the air with a raw, aggressive energy. (X is gonna give it ta ya - DMX)
As the music surged, something extraordinary happened. A dark, liquid substance began to flow from his body, engulfing him like a living shadow. It coalesced, hardened, and reshaped itself, transforming his simple clothes into a sleek, impossibly advanced suit.
He was now clad in a black bodysuit with gold gloves and boots. Gold armor with black trim covered his torso and limbs. A full mask completed the transformation, the left half gleaming gold with a single white eye, the right half a void of absolute black. He was armed to the teeth, with pistols holstered at his hips, rifles slung across his back, machine guns strapped to his thighs, and a pair of razor-sharp ninjatos sheathed on his back.
The Faunus hesitated, momentarily stunned by the display. Jaune held up a hand, stopping them in their tracks. "WAIT! I only have so many bullets, you're going to have to share!" he quipped, his voice distorted by the mask's vocoder.
Then the fight erupted. The battlefield became a whirlwind of gunfire, explosions, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Faunus dropped left and right, felled by bullets, sliced by swords, crushed by lightning-fast kicks, or pulverized by devastating punches.
(Meanwhile, with Winter)
Winter was with the remaining Atlas soldiers, Ironwood himself hovering with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety.
"My back... I am paralyzed," she said, her voice tinged with resignation. Then, her eyes widened. "Jaune's alive! He's fighting Taurus' army."
Ironwood paled. He saw the small bottle Jaune had given her. "What is that?"
"I don't know. He said it could help me," she said, her voice laced with hope. She uncorked the bottle and swallowed the liquid. A wave of power surged through her, tingling in her limbs, erasing the pain. She could feel her legs again. Her entire body felt stronger, lighter, revitalized.
Just then, Team RWBY and a team of first year students who were known as PNR (Pioneer) rushed to her side.
"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am fine," Winter replied, straightening up, her voice regaining its usual authoritative tone. Then, she spoke the words that made everyone's hearts leap with hope: "Jaune's alive."
"What?" they said in unison, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief.
(Back with Jaune-pool, er, I mean Jaune)
A massive buffalo Faunus, wielding a crude but effective club, charged Jaune, bellowing with rage. Jaune met the charge head-on. The two figures traded blows, the buffalo Faunus' club leaving painful bruises on Jaune's armored body, while Jaune's ninjatos carved deep gashes into the Faunus' thick hide.
Then, with a swift, targeted strike, Jaune severed the Faunus' hands from his wrists. The club clattered to the ground. "Got to 'hand' it to you. You were good, but," Jaune quipped, pulling a grenade launcher from his back. He fired, obliterating the Faunus' head in a shower of blood and gore. "Don't go losing your head over it," he added with a wry chuckle.
He landed gracefully on his feet, the music still pounding in his ears. He scanned the battlefield, searching for one particular figure. "ALRIGHT, TAURUS! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Suddenly, a ninjato blade erupted from his chest, piercing his armor and flesh.
"Right here, 'human'!" a voice hissed from behind.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "Penetration, Adam? On the first date? At least treat me to dinner first," he quipped, his voice strained but still laced with sarcasm. He mule-kicked the speaker, Adam Taurus, in the groin with enough force to shatter bone. Then, he snapped the blade off at the hilt, pulled the broken piece from his chest, and with a lightning-fast swing of his own ninjato, decapitated the terrorist leader. He then pulled a shotgun from his back and blasted Adam's head into a gorey paste.
He was catching his breath when he saw the girls running towards him. "Well, hi girl-oof!" he said, as they launched themselves at him in a flurry of hugs and tears. They kissed all over him and soaked him with their tears. He felt his mask getting fogged up. Finally, they helped him to his feet. Ruby, her face streaked with tears, punched him hard in the stomach.
"YOU JERK!" she said, her voice choked with emotion. "How could you ever think we didn't want to be your friend?"
"Rube's right, Jaune," said Yang, stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "No matter how you think you are, you're one of us." They hugged him tightly, their warmth and affection a balm to his bruised body and soul. "Oh, by the way, Mom wants to kill you."
Jaune paled beneath his mask.
(Ozpin's office)
Raven used her impressive super strength to squeeze the life out of the blonde super-soldier. "I Am Going To Slaughter YOU!" She yelled, "Don't You Ever Think You're Worthless To Us Again!" She shook him like a ragdoll.
"OOOOOKAYYYYYYY!" He stammered, then she hugged him tightly again. She let him go and he took a huge breath of air.
"Hey um, Ruby?" He said. She looked at him tentatively. "I have a little surprise for you." He brought a hand to his ear, "[Summer? Want to come down to see your daughter?]"
"[Sure, Jaune]" a soft voice replied.
Suddenly, a shimmering, golden 'door' opened in the middle of the office, and out stepped a beautiful young woman in white robes and a cloak. She had long, black, red-streaked hair and silver eyes. She looked at Ruby and the others with a warm smile. "Hello, 'my little gemstone'," she said softly.
Ruby dropped Crescent Rose with a clatter, covering her mouth with her hands. Tears streamed down her face.
"M-mommy?" she sobbed, and ran to her, throwing herself into her mother's arms. They hugged tightly, Ruby crying on Summer's shoulder, the years of loss and longing pouring out in a torrent of emotion. Yang and the others watched, their faces a mixture of shock and wonder.
"S-Summer?" Raven stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
"Hello, Raven," Summer replied, turning to embrace her former teammate. They hugged tightly, a silent acknowledgement of the shared history and the deep bond that time and circumstance had failed to break.
Then, Summer went over to Jaune and hugged him tightly.
"But how?" she asked, her voice filled with gratitude.
"I rescued her," said Jaune, shrugging. "And made her an offer she couldn't refuse. To be with her daughter."
Ruby broke free from Summer's embrace and tackled Jaune in another hug, her tears flowing freely.
"Thank you, Jaune!" she cried.
"You're welcome, 'Squirt'," he said, ruffling her hair with a gentle smile. He may have become something more than he once was, but he was still Jaune Arc, friend, brother, and now, savior. And for the moment, that was enough.