IV. James Ironwood, Long Ago (Part 2 of 2)

The trail doesn't lead to Signal, as you'd suspected it would. It doesn't even take you to the fortress-come-town that surrounds the academy, where many students and teachers (including your quarry) live. Instead, you find yourself traversing the emptier side of Patch island, running across strawberry fields and cutting through dense woods.

"Shit!"

You turn to look at your partner for this excursion, Glynda Goodwitch. You don't think you've ever heard her curse before, she's usually so proper about everything. The simple curse- a four-letter-word you might even say every day- sounds disgusting, particularly profane, as it passes her lips. "Of course this is where he'd run."

"What is this place?" you ask. "I didn't think many people lived on this side of the island."

With a violent pulse of telekinesis, Glynda clears a path through a thick copse. The uprooted trees crash loudly a few meters to either side. "And weren't we trying to be quiet about this?"

"Don't delude yourself, James, they know we're here. Or did you forget about Qrow's way with the birds?"

"They? And where is here anyways." You quickly grow tired of her evasive answers. The pronoun game has no place during serious military actions. Basic communication 101 should be mandatory for all hunters, with particular emphasis on how to communicate information quickly and concisely in and near combat situations.

In lieu of a response, Glynda blasts her way through another thicket and you emerge into a large, picturesque clearing. In the light of the shattered moon, your eyes trace the neat cobblestone pathway up past a white picket fence all the way to a fairly nice house. Before you can take in any more details on the house, though, your attention snaps back to the figure standing defiantly before it.

The man you're chasing.

His tattered cape, the faded red color barely distinguishable in the moon's gentle glow, flutters proudly in the breeze. His weapon, fully extended in it's scythe form, looms menacingly. He must have stashed the girl somewhere, presumably in the safe-house behind him.

He looks the pair of you over, but doesn't say a word.

Qrow Branwen is a dangerous man, but with his scythe he's very solidly a mid-range fighter. With your cybernetic enhancements you've got him beat in the close range, and Glynda's support gives you the advantage at this distance. That's not even mentioning the cannon you call a handgun, which outclasses Qrow's rifle add-on.

So really, you've got two quite decent strategies available to you. You could keep him at arm's length, kiting him until his aura is depleted. Or you could close in quick and smash the self-righteous smirk right off his face. You could even do both.

As you skid to a dead stop about fifteen meters from him, Glynda finally finds it in her to explain. "James, he may have back up," She hurriedly whispers, "This is Xiao-Long's house."

Ah, Taiyang Xaio-Long. A legendary battering ram of a man. Heart, soul, and muscle of the most successful huntsman team in recent history, the near mythical team STRQ.

It all clicks into place. You understand why Qrow's come running to this innocent-seeming house instead of well-defended Signal. After all, who better to shelter an illicit clone of Summer Rose than the husband of the original.

"Only if Qrow can convince him," you argue. From what you know of Xaio-Long- albeit mostly through Qrow's drunken ramblings- he and Qrow had a major falling out nearly a decade previously. "Or if he's even had time to, with us so close on his tail. I doubt he's done more than stash the girl."

"Just don't do anything hasty."

Heeding Glynda's words, you cease the movement of your hand towards your holster. It wouldn't do to start a fight you might not win. Besides, you're all on the same team really. Best to lead with that.

"Qrow," you reach out diplomatically. "We don't need to fight."

He shifts his grip on the scythe, but doesn't speak. Nor does he make eye contact.

Glynda gives it a shot. "Qrow, I know that you're upset about the girl. We all are. I am." She's always been better at this whole communication thing than you. "But... you understand why we need her."

He finally opens his mouth. "That doesn't excuse anything."

"Qro-" you begin, but he cuts you off. "You were right about one thing, Jimmy. We don't have to fight. Just walk away."

"You know I can't do that."

"How many years have I known you, James? Ten? Twelve? Whatever. I always thought you were a good man. A reasonable man. Someone who does what's right."

He pauses for a long moment, and you wonder if he's about to attack. But then he just says, "Keep doing that… Go home."

You know you don't have the moral high ground here, but you have a responsibility to Ozpin. A responsibility to humanity. To every living creature on Remnant with a goddamned soul. "And consign us all to oblivion, Qrow?" The rebuttal comes easily. "I am doing what's right. I'm not here tonight because it makes me happy, chasing you halfway across the world to steal back a toddler. I'm here because if I'm not, we all die. It's all over, Qrow. It's all goddamned over."

You're startled to realize that you're shouting now. Keep it together, Ironwood. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone, you're not the one who's opening the door to all manner of Grimm by neglecting the huntsman's creed. You're doing your job.

"You need her back to kill the monsters for you." Qrow's voice is flat, a dead giveaway that he's done with this conversation. "And you're willing to become a monster for that."

Behind you, Glynda shifts her weight. She'll start off with a raw telekinetic wave to create some space, which you'll follow by laying down suppressing fire as she prepares a one-way barrier. After that, Qrow'll be a sitting duck, to be picked off at your leisu-

A light flickers into life on the porch of the picturesque cottage behind Qrow. You hear footsteps, and then the door cracks open. "Whoops," says a low voice, followed by the rattle of a chain and the door opening in its entirety.

"James," begins Taiyang Xaio-Long jovially as he steps out onto the porch. "Do try to keep it down. My daughter's sleeping." Then with a frown, he goes on. "As is your prospective savior/science project."

It takes seventeen seconds from the instant he goes to shut the door.

One for you to draw your handgun as the door clicks shut. Taiyang begins to turn around.

One for you to click the safety off and get a bead on the man's center of mass. Glynda begins her telekinetic wave, and your target's knees bend.

One for Taiyang to leap forward, punching directly through the incident blast of energy. You track his movement and squeeze off your first shot, which dings off his aura. Qrow disappears from your peripheral vision as he begins to duck and weave. You'll leave him to Glynda for now.

Ten more seconds for you to empty your clip into the blond battering ram's chest as he surges towards you, staggering back slightly each time you connect. You've made a sizable dent in his aura by the time he's near; he must be down to forty percent or so. Off to the side, you hear the sharp report of Qrow's rifle. The smell of ozone fills your nostrils as Glynda calls lightning in response.

One second as you holster your weapon. Taiyang extends his arm to strike you. You react instantaneously, moving to duck under and levy a low kick at his shins. He leverages his momentum well, sidestepping your attack neatly.

And then the melee begins in earnest. Xaio-Long's footwork is on point, as he makes to circle around but instead lunges forward. A vicious grin lights up his face. He's telegraphing a strike with his left arm, but you're ready for the feint. You lead with your right, stepping into the lighter of his blows expecting to retaliate. It doesn't go well; the glancing blow to your reinforced steel arm knocks you off balance. The follow-up to the gut is severe as Taiyang gives you the old one-two.

You double over as the wind is knocked out of your chest, but your steel frame keeps you on your feet. Spotting what looks like an opening, you launch a wicked jab.

With 20 kiloNewtons of mechanical force, this punch would pierce an Ursa Major's armored face and come out from the other side. Honestly, it's overkill against any human opponent- against any other opponent you'd worry about killing them outright, but Taiyang did just eat a full clip from your revolver and come out on the other side smiling. With this, well, you've got the fight in the bag.

He catches the blow open-handed on the seventeenth tick of your internal clock.

The ground cracks beneath your feet under the pressure of the deflected impact.

Gasping for breath, you try to negotiate. "W-w-w-wha-" You're not sure if the words are directed at your opponent or at the universe itself- maybe it's shock; you just need to know what just happened- but there isn't enough air in your lungs to force the words out. Ignoring you, slowly, deliberately, Xaio-Long tightens his grip. Your servos whine in protest as they struggle ineffectually to extract your hand from his closing fist. In this matchup of flesh against steel, somehow… steel finds itself lacking.

There's an instant of intense pain as your circuits transmit the sensation of rending metal, warping under heat and pressure, and then just nothing; your system disables misfiring hardware to prevent permanent neural damage. Your prosthetic arm hangs slack, suspended only by its connection to your shoulder on one end and by the molten mass in Xaio-Long's grasp on the other. As he lets go, it swings lamely.

As the two of you stand in silence in front of the Xaio-Long house in the middle of the night, panting heavily, your focus gradually widens. You begin to hear the gunshots- Qrow's rifle- and feel the earth shake as Glynda pulverizes the otherwise beautiful countryside using uprooted trees as makeshift missiles.

Even without looking, you know that they're evenly matched. Neither party can bring the fight to an end; Glynda can't corner Qrow, but he can't close in to engage her with his scythe. But it's only a matter of time before Glynda runs out of stamina, if she continues expending energy at the rate that she's been this last minute. Meanwhile, all Qrow has to do is not get hit.

"It's over." You can see the surprise on Taiyang's face as you make this declaration. Somehow, even with a full third of your body useless, he expects you to struggle on. "Glynda, Qrow, it's over."

She'll stand down on your instruction. Qrow will follow, you're sure of it. He's not here to attack, he's here to defend.

Slowly, as to not spook your immediate adversary, you slide your left arm into your right pants pocket. "Just my scroll," you explain. "I'm done, Xaio-Long. You got me. And in another minute, the two of you would have Glynda. I'm all out of ideas; I can't convince you, I can't beat you. I'm all out of ideas."

You dial the number from memory, then punch in the six digit verification code to confirm your identity on the secured line. "But I know who might have a few." Finally, you raise the scroll so that its front-facing camera might survey the battlefield.

"You've really made a mess of it, haven't you." The familiar voice comes out a little tinny over the small speakers on the device. The face onscreen is briefly obscured by the bottom of a white coffee mug. "All of you, I really expected better."

"Ozp-"

"Give me a minute, James." You stand down, leaving plenty of room for Ozpin to work this out. The white-haired man continues. "Well, Taiyang, I wish we were speaking under… better circumstances."

"I'm beginning to remember exactly why it was that we stopped speaking, Ozpin."

Your blond adversary takes the scroll from your hand, disables the speaker mode, and puts the little machine up to his ear. After listening for a moment, he responds in a soft, calm tone that betrays none of his visible anger. "Right, well, I don't care if it really is the apocalypse. I've had enough of you putting my family right in the line of fire."

Another second and then he explodes: "Of course she's my goddamned family. You're going to clone my wife and you think that wouldn't make her my daughter?" And then he's calm again. "No, you listen. This isn't a negotiation. This is me telling you what's going to happen."

You marvel at Xaio-Long's resolution; you certainly wouldn't speak to someone like the headmaster in that way. Your balls might be stainless steel, but this man's got brass.

"It's very simple, Ozpin. Yang's going to have another sister. If either of them want to become huntresses, either Qrow or myself will train them. If the girl wants to save the world, she can make that choice of her own free will, with all the facts we can get her to inform her decision. You know, when she's old enough to decide something like that."

...

Notes:

First time writing Jimmy's perspective. Character notes for James Ironwood: Focused, Single-minded, Dutiful, Ready, Calculating, Self-assured, Aggressively rational. He doesn't let his emotional decisions get in the way of what he thinks is the correct thing to do. He won't even let the right thing to do get in the way of the correct thing. He's maybe a little in love with Glynda, but that's not going to interfere with the mission- he's not even going to turn his head to check on her while he focuses on his fight with Tai. (To be fair, he knows that Qrow wouldn't kill her. For most, that wouldn't be enough. James is sure when he's sure, though.) He cares, he really does, but when he's on the job he won't let that get in the way. He'd rather be a good man than a good soldier.

- Based on the one scene where he kills an Alpha Beowolf, I've decided that James is mostly a close-combat fighter who takes advantage of the fact that half of him is durable and ludicrously strong. He supplements this with his massive revolver.

- 20 kiloNewtons is about 5000 ft-lbs. That's a stupidly high amount of force on that punch. A typical real-world bullet hits with about 3 kN. Jimbo's full-power ironpunch hits almost 7 times as hard. This isn't too ludicrous in context, since Grimm can shrug off some amount of dust-powered weaponry and the ironpunch is supposed to be an all-in one-hit kill.

- Jimmy doesn't know Tai's semblance, which is- as typical in my fics- basically Yang's semblance. As in Stark White, Taiyang fights in an incredibly reckless manner getting super-charged then hitting like a truck. Here, he tanks Glynda's TK wave and eats a full clip of Jimmy's revolver (putting him in the red) before getting into hand-to-hand range. That's more than enough for him to be completely hulked out and trash James.

- Glynda has no experience with military-style work at this point in the timeline. James is probably not a general yet, but he is a career soldier. He's not yet confident and experienced enough to disagree with Ozpin as he does in Volume 2.

- Qrow and Glynda are reasonably matched, just as Qrow and James might be (It's hard to tell how much of that is Jimmy's bravado, though). Even with James out of the picture, Glynda's attempting to kite Qrow. However, without additional pressure from a second source, Qrow's able to evade most of her attacks. Meanwhile, Glynda can't divert her attention to Tai because she'll lose Qrow for sure.

- We really agonized over the line about Taiyang's brass balls. I just want you to know that. I don't know how it got written in the first place, but my beta told me I was keeping it.

...

Yep, I'm not dead. I opened my eyes is probably next to be updated.