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Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 26

Juniper cornered him later in the day. He'd been expecting it earlier, but the other girls had been on their scroll call until Roman's battery died, and he hadn't the heart to stop them. In truth, he was also a little afraid on what she'd have heard about him. Chivalric Arms hadn't let him have any news from the outside world, but then he hadn't been shuttled around because someone was coming to save him and killing everyone in their path.

"Jaune," she said sweetly. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." As if he could dent her anything right now. They'd never been touchy-feely, not because he had issues with it or her but because he'd been a teenager trying to look cool back in Ansel, but now he took her hand and shivered at how thin her fingers felt, how easily he could pull her over to one of Roman's sofas and sit her down. "Do you want something to drink? Something to eat?"

"Neo already made me some cereal and toast," she said. "That sweet girl. You could do worse than her, you know?"

He didn't know whether to stammer or to laugh at the random line. "Mom!"

"I know. I know. Not the best situation for romance, is it?" She laid her hand atop his and smiled. "I'm alright, Jaune. I feel stronger already for being away from them. Weight can be put on." Her bony hand squeezed his. "All these problems can be fixed."

"Now that you're free."

"Not that I'm free." Her head tilted to the side, eyes boring into his. He knew better than to look away, even if he was afraid what she might find. "It's strange," she whispered. "I've heard so much of what you've done. I didn't know what to imagine on seeing you but…" Her face softened. "You've barely changed."

"I'm a killer," he rasped.

"And yet you're still falling apart the second I look at you." Her teasing tone had him looking away indignantly. "Always the mommy's boy. Oh, are you embarrassed now?" A finger poked at his cheek and she laughed delightedly. "You really are the same. My little boy. I'm… I'm relieved. More than you can know. I expected the worst."

"That I'd be a violent maniac?"

"No. Not you. More… More that you would be consumed. By vengeance, bloodlust or the satisfaction of taking them down. You're not, though. Mercury and Emerald let me read up on you. Really, they let me do anything, but I wanted to know more about what my son was doing. Do you know what I felt reading that?"

"Disgust?"

Her hand swatted his arm. "Jaune," she said harshly. "I was in the same situation you were. They murdered my husband, stole my children and experimented on them!" Her voice took on a hysterical edge. "P-Please don't turn away from me like this."

He was such an idiot. A selfish idiot! He twisted on the sofa and wrapped his arms around her, welcoming her hug and squeezing her tight. "I'm sorry," he said, eyes watering. "I was worried about what you'd think."

It didn't excuse him. Juniper had just come out of hell. None of the girls had been in one piece that soon and neither had he. If anything, having Lavender to look after helped him because it let him push his panic attacks away in favour of caring for her. Mom doesn't need me being defensive and pushing her away. What was I thinking?

"I love you," he said, smiling into her shoulder as she squeezed him as tight as she could. "I love you mom."

"I love you too!" She was crying. "A-And I don't care what you've done. How could I? Every day I wanted someone to save me. I dreamed of your father – oh, poor Nicky." Her voice cracked. "I dreamed of me becoming strong enough as well. I blamed myself. If only I'd trained to be a huntress, I could have fought as well."

"Or you would have died with dad."

"Yes. Yes, I know that's the truth but locked in those cold cells it was all I had for comfort."

"You're not there anymore," he said. "And you're never going back."

Sniffling, she wiped her face in his neck, rubbing her nose and cold tears onto his skin. She seemed to be coming back under control, if only because her brief sniffles didn't precede more tears. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I… I had to get that out."

"It's fine. I'm crying too."

He was. They were running down his face in fat tracks.

"Y-You baby…"

"Come on, mom. I get enough with Jade and Hazel being on my ass for that."

He laughed and she did too. It unlocked something and they both collapsed into one another, hysterically laughing and shaking so hard it made them both cry again, and this time be unable to take care of it. They sagged back onto the sofa, breaking apart and wiping at their eyes. Juniper's face was red, her eyes sore and glistening, but her lips were drawn into such a wide smile that the tear tracks were forced to run around them.

"Goodness," she gasped. "It feels like forever since I laughed like that. It – It wasn't even that funny!"

"I'm a master of comedy," he replied, wiping his own eyes clean.

"You're a master of something." Her hand fell to his knee and she smiled peacefully. "Whatever you've done, Jaune, whatever you feel you've had to do, I'm never going to judge you for it. You saved them. Lavender, Jade, Hazel and Coral – they're so happy in Menagerie. And if I'm not reading things wrong, Lavender and Ilia seem rather close."

"I got that impression myself."

"Is she a nice girl?"

"Wonderful," he promised. "Ilia knows the truth and would defend Lavender until death."

"Let's hope it won't come to that. I can't wait to meet her. Apparently, she's teaching Lavender to fish today, then they're going to the beach and dinner after. It sounds so tropical. Oh, I hope they're all remembering to wear sunscreen."

"Considering Coral is the oldest there, I somehow doubt it."

"Me too." Juniper sighed, but it was too light to be unhappy. "I'll have to take care of their sunburn, I suppose. And yours…?" she asked hopefully.

"Once I find Amber. And once I know for sure that Saphron and Sable are safe."

Juniper's mouth opened and closed. He knew she wanted to take him away from any danger and yet to do so would be to abandon Amber to the same horrors they'd all been through, and they both knew that couldn't be allowed. As helpless as he'd felt at times, he couldn't begin to imagine how helpless his mom felt right now.

He could fight. She couldn't do anything.

"I'll find her," he said, taking her hand. "Don't you worry. We've all got our parts to play. I can bring us back together, but it's going to take you to help everyone recover. I mean, I've left them to Coral for crying out loud! They're going to be scarred for life."

Juniper giggled and pulled his hand into her lap, holding onto it with both hands. "You're right. I'll do my part as best I can." Both her thumbs rubbed over the back of his hand and she looked at him intently. "You just make sure to come back in one piece yourself. And look after Neo as well. I'd have gone mad if it wasn't for that poor girl, and she's been through things as bad as we have. Sometimes worse."

"Worse…?"

"They wanted to break her. Of all the horrible things they did to us, at least it was limited to our bodies. They wanted to destroy her mind, and they weren't kind about it. Torture. Electrocution. Suffocation. I remember hearing her screams, Jaune, until one day… one day she didn't scream anymore." Juniper clenched her eyes shut. "I remember thinking that it might have been better if she died there, how at least she'd escaped them that way. And then she came back, silent. She never spoke again."

"They're evil. Pure evil."

"They are. I'm sure it's done with some reason – profit or the national interest – but that only makes it worse. I even think I was a part of her torture. They let her develop a bond on me, a dependency."

"With the intent to break it, and her, later." He shook his head. "Is there no low these monsters won't stoop to?"

"They didn't see us as people, Jaune. We were test subjects. How often do scientists care for the mice they experiment on? It was the same here. I don't think they lost any sleep once they convinced themselves we weren't real people."

"They deserve to die."

"But they don't deserve your time!" Juniper pulled his hand, and his attention, to her. "I know this will sound ridiculous, Jaune, but you need to be the bigger person and ignore them."

His jaw dropped. "W-What…?"

"Not ignore that they have Amber. Save her, save everyone you can, but once you have and once we're a family again, let them go. Don't dedicate your life to ending them or develop some need for vengeance. If you do, you'll never be free of them." Her other hand cupped his cheek. "That's a line you can't afford to cross."

His anger dissipated. The tension drained out of him. Mom wasn't saying he had to forgive or ignore the things they'd done, only that he should keep the objective in mind. "That's all I want to do anyway," he promised. "Once I've saved them, I'm coming straight to Menagerie. They… They're monsters, but so is Atlas. Let them have one another. I don't care as long as everyone is okay."

"That's it. You and Neo," she urged.

"I'll look after her as well. If she even needs me to." He swallowed. "Mom. Are… Are you…?" He wanted to ask if she was okay with what he'd done, but the question would have been insulting. She was his mother. "I'm worried about how easy it's becoming," he said instead. "Killing." He waited for her to flinch. She didn't. "I think… I don't know. I don't think I like it, but there are times I feel a rush and it's not just the adrenaline. I feel satisfied."

"Have you ever hurt someone who isn't working for Chivalric Arms…?"

Jaune winced. "Define hurt…"

"Killed, Jaune. Have they died?"

"Not because of me. Except… There was a huntsman and a huntress." He swallowed. "They attacked us and were going to take us back to Atlas. I had no choice."

"Did you enjoy that time?"

"No!" he fired back. "I hated it!"

"Then I don't think it's something to worry about yet." Juniper squeezed his hand again. "As long as you're making sure your anger is directed toward the people who hurt you, it's okay. Not great," she admitted, "But not unnatural either. Just… try to keep it contained to what is… I don't want to say `fair`, but maybe `warranted` is a better choice. You don't want to hurt someone who doesn't really deserve it."

"I've tried not to. There've been people who died because of me, but I've only killed people who work for Chivalric Arms. I just… Sometimes when they keep me away from you and I got angry and I feel like I enjoyed it."

"Jaune, you feel like you enjoyed it. That doesn't mean you did. And even if you did, it's not something to blame yourself for. You didn't choose to be here. None of us did. If they'd only left us alone, we'd all be living peacefully in Ansel. They killed Nicholas. They struck the first blow. I don't think anyone will blame you striking back."

"I… Yeah. That's what I've been thinking. I was just… It feels like Dad would do this better."

"Nicholas was a huntsman, Jaune. He would have had the training to do this. You don't. And I think that if he was here, he'd be proud of you. I'm proud of you."

The words hit harder than he expected.

"T-Thank you," he managed to choke out.

"Just be careful you don't step too far," she said. "One foot across the line is alright but take two and you might find yourself unable to walk back. Promise me you'll remember that. Promise me you'll do your best only to take the lives of those that deserve it."

"I promise."

/-/

"This day is sensational!"

"Y-Yeah. It sure is…"

Yang spared a glance for her sister. She didn't know how Ruby had done it, but she'd managed to pick up a friend even more awkward than herself – and in record time, too. Maybe Ruby came with a radar for people with no social experience.

Penny seemed nice enough. That was the only way she could think to describe the girl. Nice. Weird and quirky, but nice. A little stunted on the social side of things, but nice. Not – as harsh as it sounded – someone Yang would have normally been interested in befriending, but someone perfect for Ruby. A person who wouldn't be put off whenever Ruby started rambling about weapons or ammo cartridge modification. At least, that was her excuse for dumping the girl on Ruby.

"Any news from Blake yet?" Weiss asked.

"None yet. I figure she's still in that meeting with Ironwood. That or she's plotting our demise."

Weiss snorted. The normally prickly girl looked to be in a much better mood now that she was out in the city and not confined to Beacon. Or maybe it was knowing that not everyone thought she needed an escort every hour of the day. Yang couldn't even begin to imagine how annoying that must have been. Taiyang was protective, but he knew they could take care of themselves and wasn't afraid to let them go out and grow.

A few shopping bags in hand, some fresh air and a dinner at the mall had everyone in better moods. Hence Ruby skipping blindly into a girl rounding the corner and bowling her over and making a new and slightly clingy friend out of the deal.

Personally, I'm leaning toward a disability, Yang thought as she watched Penny interact – and she used the term loosely - with her sister. Nothing too serious since she's out on her own and handling herself. Maybe a minor learning disorder. All in all, Penny didn't seem too in need of help, just a crash course in social interaction.

And hey, so did Ruby. Convenient timing.

"We should probably swing back to Beacon soon," Yang said with an eye toward the sky. It was getting dark. "If we're lucky, we might be able to get back before your sister or Blake realises we're missing."

"Wasn't the whole point of this to prove them wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Well yeah, but if we can get away with it for nothing, we might as well. We can always prove a point next time."

"Hm. I guess so. I'd half a mind to stay out and make Winter panic, but considering she's in charge of a military unit…"

"Yeah. I've never been hunted down and arrested by the army before," Yang said. "Let's not try that out now. Dad would freak." Raising her voice, she asked, "What about you, Penny? Don't mean to call this short and all, but do you have somewhere we can take you?"

"I am staying at Beacon!"

"Huh. Really? I've never seen you there."

"It is a new development, friend Yang. I am here for the Vytal Festival."

Weiss looked at her in shock. "You're a huntress!?"

"I am combat ready!"

Huh. Honestly, Yang couldn't blame Weiss the rude question. She hadn't pegged Penny as a huntress either. It wasn't the mannerisms because Ruby had proven social skill wasn't required. It was more the way Penny held herself, or the way she didn't. There was no muscle definition on her legs or arms, no awareness or instinctive movements that suggested a combat background and no weapon in sight. Penny looked, moved and acted like she didn't have a single bit of training.

Weird. Even dad favours one side and moves a little differently, and that's with him trying to rein it in. Penny looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over. If she was here for the Festival, though, she had to be good. Maybe her Semblance created weapons for her and compensated for the less physical training. Some people were best at range or in support roles.

"That makes things easy!" Ruby said. "We can all hitch a ride back together."

"That sounds like a sensational idea, Ruby!

It sounds like the only idea, Yang thought with a tiny grin. Unless they wanted to walk through the Emerald Forest, that was. Still, Penny's cheer was infectious, and it gave Ruby a chance to take the lead in social interactions, which would hopefully make her more comfortable with them. Maybe this is what she needed all along. Not to be surrounded by people better than her, but people who are worse.

Ruby could do social stuff perfectly fine; it was just that she didn't believe it about herself. Classic case of anxiety and self-doubt. "Sounds like a plan," Yang said. "You up for that, Weiss, or did you want to stop by anywhere else?"

"No. I have everything I needed. Let's go before Blake tattles on us."

"Heh. And here I thought the biggest tattletale in Team RWBY would be you."

"Hmph. Just because I'm home school doesn't mean I'm a teacher's pet."

"Do not worry, Weiss," Penny said. "I was home schooled as well and came out of it both combat and social ready!"

Yang coughed desperately into her fist, turning away as Weiss looked like she'd not just sucked on a lemon, but had it injected directly into her veins.

"That is… Thank you, Penny. It's nice to have your… support…"

"Yeah, Weiss. Snrk. You two, ksk, are peas in a pod."

"Xiao-Long, I shall freeze you to the spot if you don't stop laughing."

Crack!

The loud sound tore through the air and had three quarters of them flinching. The distant echoes of it receded slowly, but not before they'd all turned their eyes toward the north. After years of training, much of which involved firearms, there could be no mistaking that sound.

"Was that…?"

"A gunshot," Penny noted, proving her own experience. "It was a small calibre firearm, likely a standard-issue sidearm. 9mm."

The rest of them exchanged worried looks.

/-/

"Idiot!" Jaune drove his knee into the security guard's lower back, pinning him down as he wrenched the man's hands back and let one of the White Fang members tie them. The discarded gun was still smoking beside the man's head. "What part of put the gun down you're surrounded did you not understand?"

"Y-You're Jaune Arc!" the man babbled. "You'll kill me!"

"So what, you thought shooting me first to piss me off would improve your chances?"

The man didn't get a chance to answer as the White Fang member assisting him unrolled a bundle of duct-tape and slapped a hefty chunk over the man's mouth. He then took the guard away, dragging him off to the portacabin nearby where they'd be storing them. Jaune stood, growling under his breath as he turned back to check on Juniper.

Neo had her protected. The small girl was already in front of her, but luckily the shot had been aimed for him and had impacted his aura, bouncing off into a nearby wooden crate. No damage, which was fortunate. If the man hit his mom, he'd be dead.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Juniper asked.

"I'm fine, mom. Aura protected me."

"He – He shot you! Even after you told him you wouldn't harm him." Even if she'd heard of everything, this was the first time she'd directly seen evidence of it. The shock seemed to be getting to her. "He shot my baby boy..."

"Can you blame him?" Roman stepped between them, swinging his cane with an aggrieved look on his face. "The media has painted such a shitty picture of you that people won't even believe you when you offer to spare their lives. He probably figured he was dead either way and that his only chance was to kill you."

That would explain the wild look in the man's eyes before he opened fire. Jaune sighed and ran his fingers over the point of impact. While aura kept it from really hurting him, his left shoulder felt stiff and there was probably a bruise forming under his stolen jacket. He cracked his neck to work the muscles there and rolled his shoulders. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things.

"They're all dealt with anyway," Roman said. "Is our transport on its way?"

"They're coming in now," a masked faunus answered. "We just need to mark which containers we're taking."

"Do they know about my mother?" Jaune demanded.

The faunus nodded. "I spoke to both the teams involved and the faunus on the trawler. Everyone knows about her and that she's vouched for by both Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan. There won't be any problems, sir."

Sir. Roman didn't get that respect from the White Fang, but then Roman wasn't afraid to call them animals either, so he probably deserved the cold shoulder. Thanking the faunus, Jaune left them to identify the containers they were taking and moved over to his mother. Neo smirked his way and stepped aside, letting him take Juniper's hands.

"Sorry you had to see that."

"See what? He wouldn't listen and you still spared him." Pushing her White Fang mask up, Juniper leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You don't have to act like I'm going to be afraid of what you've done. Anything you do can't be as scary as the day you crawled out my body."

"Ugh. Mom. I didn't need that image."

Giggling, she petted his cheek. "That's the point. It broke the tension, didn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess it did." He heard the sound of engines in the distance. The Bullheads that had been awaiting the signal by the trawler were approaching. From here, speed was of the essence, and that meant they didn't have any time to waste. "This is it," he said sadly. "Goodbye."

"For now." Another quick kiss and her mask was pushed down. "I'll talk to you tonight if I can get any signal. If not, it's three days journey to Menagerie and then we'll talk. Look after yourself. Neo, can you look after my baby boy as well?" The diminutive girl nodded firmly. "Thank you, sweetie. Hah." She let out a long breath. "It feels too soon to leave you. We only got to see each other again last night."

"I know." He held her and felt her hands rub over his back. "Sorry it's so rushed but I don't want Chivalric Arms getting any chance to find you. The sooner you're safe, the sooner I can find Amber and meet back up with you."

Juniper smiled beneath her mask. "Then I'd best stop holding you back." She drew back but then lunged in for one last hug. "I love you. I'm so proud of you."

Jaune sniffed and held her tight. "Love you too. Look after the girls for me."

Nodding, she hurried off toward the small group of faunus waiting by the first SDC-marked container. He could see the aircraft flying in now, and the faunus were busy securing hooks to the four corners which would then be attached to the Bullhead by thick steel cables. They'd look after her and then Ilia would keep her safe in Menagerie. This was for the best, for all it hurt now.

"Argh!"

A loud crash followed by a short yell dragged his and Neo's attention off to the south-east side of the docks.

They paused, listening, but nothing else sounded. Several White Fang members had gone that way prior to secure and watch the main entrance.

Chivalric Arms…? How did they know so soon?

Neo moved but Jaune caught her shoulder and pulled her back. "Protect Juniper. Keep her hidden. I'll check it out."

The girl nodded and skirted back to his mom, who would be safer than he could keep her under Neo's illusions. Charging toward the point the noise came from, Roman met him halfway, cane gripped in one hand and cigar clenched between his teeth.

"What now?" the thief growled. "I swear, if those idiots have knocked a container on themselves, I'm going to-"

They rounded the corner of the brightly coloured containers in time to see a faunus thrown back. The armoured woman skidded to a stop at their feet, groaning and holding her chest. Jaune and Roman looked past them in time to see the final member dragged down and knocked out by a blonde in a brown jacket with a purple sash. Beside here were three other girls, none of which he recognised.

One of which Roman apparently did. "Oh come on. Red!" he called out. "I think it's past your bedtime. Why don't you trundle on home before you get in trouble?"

Red? This is the girl that put Roman in prison.

She didn't look like much. Short, pale and not nearly as imposing as Roman himself was – but she was holding a scythe bigger than the both of them and covered in mechanical parts. Huntress. Or one in training, but that still put her on a level far more dangerous than the average person. Fuck. We don't need this.

"Torchwick!" the girl shouted, pointing. Her face fell soon after. "A-And Arc," she said miserably. Unafraid, he noted. More… bothered. Nervous. "What are you doing here?"

Saving my mother.

"None of your business."

He stepped forward, glancing back over one shoulder. The Bullheads were coming in – two choosing to land and one coming a little further. The doors on the side opened and White Fang jumped out. Reinforcements. They landed behind Roman and him, a good ten in total. Ten against four should have been good odds, but he'd seen what Adam and Blake could do to normal people.

These four had to be from Beacon. A team of huntresses in training. That made them dangerous. His thumb slid over Mors, flicking off the safety, but his mind fell back to Juniper. Lines to cross. Harm to those who deserved it, not those dragged into his conflict with Chivalric Arms.

"This isn't any of your business," he repeated. "Leave and we won't need to come to blows. We'll take three containers of dust and go – and you can have the hostages kept in the portacabins on site. None of them are hurt."

The Schnee, recognisable by her hair, lowered her rapier. "Hostages…?"

"That's right," Roman said, sauntering up. He looked a lot more confident now the odds were on their side. Typical of him. "You don't want to cause any problems that might put those fine people at risk, and we're not looking to cost Beacon a team. How about we all agree to let this go. The dust is insured. No one is really losing anything."

"You are Jaune Arc." It was the redhead that spoke, staring at him with unusual intensity.

His fingers tightened around Mors' grip. "I am."

"General Ironwood wishes to speak with you."

Ironwood? Tch. Of course he would. Atlas wanted him back under their thumb so he could be the next weapon of the Kingdom. Broken down to use for munitions or, if they couldn't get it out of him, forcefully taking his seed to artificially breed more test subjects.

"Funny," he spat. "I want to talk with General Ironwood too. He has something that isn't his. A few somethings." It was a fight not to shoot. They were out his range and his Semblance wasn't activated. More than that, he couldn't kill them. They were innocent. "You can tell him I'll come speak to him soon enough, but for now you should go."

"Or what?" the blonde challenged. "You'll make us leave?"

"Yes."

His quiet confidence had them hesitating.

"I'd listen to him," Roman warned. "He's killed huntsmen older than you."

He didn't deny it. This wasn't what anyone wanted, but if they were going to put Juniper at risk so soon to her rescue, he would stop them. That doesn't mean I have to kill them. I promised mom. I won't go back on that. If acting the killer would make them back down, then it was worth doing. Jaune stepped forward, walking toward them with Mors held out to his side, barrel to the ground.

"I am Jaune Arc. I am Null. I suggest you retreat now."

"General Ironwood should be alerted," the redhead said. "We should retreat and await his assistance." Jaune didn't interrupt her. That was all they wanted, and they'd be long gone before Ironwood could mobilise.

"Tch. He doesn't look that tough." The blonde scowled his way but didn't move to attack. Her whispers reached his ears regardless. "This sucks, but I guess it's the best bet. Can't attack without putting those hostages at risk anyway."

Good. This was good. Jaune relaxed his shoulders.

"Yes. We shall retreat an- and…" The redhead flinched.

No, it was more than that. The girl with the orange hair buckled, stepping back with one foot and clutching a hand to her face. The other girls cried out, thinking she'd been shot, and for a second Jaune did as well. There was no blood though, and no gunshot. It looked more like she'd suddenly been hit with a dizzy spell.

"Penny?" Red cried. "Penny, are you okay?"

"I am – I am combat ready, friend Ruby." The girl stood up again. She looked dizzy, confused, but quickly shook her head. Violently shook it. Less like she was trying to clear cobwebs from her mind and more like she was trying to smash her head on a wall. "I am – I am…" Her eyes closed and opened again. "I am moving to incapacitate Subject 000."

Jaune's eyes widened.

"MOVE!"

Roman's cry was his only warning. Jaune hurled himself to the left mere seconds before the girl rocketed forward, cutting through the space he'd occupied and lunging so far her fist impacted into and through a metal container. Her back opened up, spilling out blades that fanned around her like the petals of a flower.

"Get her!" Roman shouted to the White Fang. "Hold her off!"

"Penny!" the huntress in red yelled, charging in so fast she became a blur.

Jaune reacted instantly, slamming Null into place. The girl was a streak of red right up until she stepped within range of him, at which point everything slowed. Roses pelted toward him in an explosion, but the girl tripped, stumbled and went spinning across the floor like a stone skimmed across water. Screaming in pain and shock, she skipped past him and slammed into another cargo container.

"RUBY!"

The blonde was almost on him, fist cocked back. Jaune cut his Semblance off and brought his hands up to block the punch. Her fist struck his crossed wrists but the yellow weapon on hers bucked and fired into him, launching an explosive blast that hurled him back. He crashed into the top of a container, buckling over it with his legs dangling down and his back leaning on the metal.

"Weiss, check on Ruby and deal with Torchwick. I'll hold the serial killer off!"

"Got it!"

Groaning, Jaune rolled onto his front and looked back. He couldn't pick his mom out of all the White Fang members in grey, but Neo stood out, helping one specific member onto the first Bullhead and pushing her gently inside. It already had its cables hooked into a container. Safe. Juniper was safe and loaded on.

The shout from behind warned him to roll aside, clambering up onto the container as the blonde huntress drove a fist into where he'd just been. Rolling onto his back again, he kicked at her face and used it as a springboard to get onto his feet and run along the top. Close distance was bad for him, especially if she used shotguns. He couldn't take a shot with his Semblance or she'd be close enough to tag him too, and her punches would shatter bone.

Not to mention I'd kill her. Self-defence is one thing, but this girl is a student at Beacon. The other…

He looked down to the orange-haired girl. No one knew him as Subject 000 other than Chivalric Arms, and she was tearing her way through the White Fang mercilessly. Long knives twirled around her, wielded almost like a round shield that she would thrust and sent into people, cutting through armour and drawing blood.

The White Fang weren't trained soldiers. They were volunteer recruits. While some were thrown back mostly in one piece, the damage being done to them would still be almost fatal. This shouldn't have happened! They'd been about to retreat!

"Get back here!" the blonde roared. "What did you do to my sister!?"

"Nothing!" he roared, jumping to a new container. "So fuck off!"

Buckshot tagged his leg left and spilled him down off the container. He tucked his shoulder and landed as best he could, rolling up in time to aim Mors and fire off three shots. Rather than dodge them, the girl barrelled through all three, trusting her aura.

I can't use my Semblance here. I'd kill her in an instant!

"We don't have to fight!" he said. "Take your team and go. There's no reason for this."

The girl ducked and threw a haymaker for his head. Jaune hopped back but she'd clearly planned for it, switching the blow into another step forward and driving her other foot into his stomach. Spit flew from his mouth as he was flung back, slamming into a metal container.

"Bit late for that, isn't it?" she quipped. "You're not as tough as you're made out to be. You don't even know how to read a feint." Her fist swung and he tried to block it. The sheer force pushed through his arm, snapping it back. She followed through and struck him in the stomach, bending him double over her fist. "And you've got no idea how to handle yourself in a fight."

F-Fuck! He gripped onto her wrist, trying to think of something to do. The knee crunching into his face didn't help, especially when his entire vision went black for a fraction of a second. He came back in time to catch her fist to his temple.

The world swayed. Sound winked out for a second and he stumbled back, drooling spit or maybe even blood. His hand cupped his mouth and came away bright red. Definitely blood. Fuck. This was why he didn't let people get in close.

"Different game when you're killing innocent people, isn't it?" she taunted. "Not so tough now you're against someone who can fight back."

"F-Fuck you," he slurred.

"Sorry, bub." She aimed her shotgun gauntlets at him. "You're not my type."

Jaune burst through a container full of chocolate bars and came spinning out the other side, tossing wrapped confectionary in every direction. He landed on all fours, dazed, shaken and on the cusp of consciousness.

"Kid!" Roman shouted. He was being engaged by both the huntress in red and the Schnee. "A little help here!"

The White Fang were doing no better. One charged the orange-haired girl, but she flung her blades to his left and right, forcing him to pick which side to defend as they converged on him. He tried to throw himself back but ended up tagged, picked up and slammed into a container. He crumpled to the base, unconscious or worse.

One shot. He could end this with one shot.

"Promise me you'll do your best only to take the lives of those that deserve it."

Damn it! Wasn't this deserving? The bitch was ripping his ass open and that made this self-defence, except that he was sure Juniper wouldn't see it that way, especially when she was just protecting her idiot friend who charged in. Jaune staggered to his feet in time for the blonde to explode through the crates, fist cocked back.

He ducked as best he could, and this time dodged to the follow-up as well. He tried to bring his gun around, but she flicked his wrist aside with the back of her own, grabbing his collar and driving him back against the chain link fence.

"I won't do it!" he snarled. "You won't make me!"

"Do what?" she taunted. "Bleed all over me?"

He gritted his teeth and forced all his aura forward in preparation for the blow. "I won't kill you. You won't… make me the monster here."

"Kill me!?" The huntress burst out laughing. "Pal, I don't know if you're a little gone in the head, but you can't not notice how this is going. Torchwick isn't gonna last against Ruby and Weiss, and you're not the hot shit Blake made you out to be."

Cold settled on him. Cold as harsh as winter.

"W-What did you just say…?"

"Guess we'll show Blake and Ironwood we're not to be underestimated by bringing you in. You'll answer for your crimes in Atlas."

The labs. The cells. The tests. Ice gripped his heart and squeezed it tight.

No. He wouldn't go back.

He wasn't going back.

The roar of the Bullhead's engines sounded over the combat. The three aircraft, stolen dust in tow, rose up over the containers and angled themselves out toward the open ocean. The blonde swore and tried to give chase, but his hands gripped doggedly to her elbows, refusing to let go. He'd have this victory. No one would stop him saving his family.

"No!" she growled. "Shit!"

"Penny!" the red huntress yelled. "The Bullheads!"

Penny paused and looked up, throwing aside a White Fang grunt. "I see them!" she said loudly. Two more blades suddenly shot out her back, impacting into a brick warehouse and hauling her back on two almost invisible wires. The girl flipped and landed far away from any White Fang, bringing her blades into a spinning pattern before her.

What was she-?

Green light formed in the centre of her spinning blades. It grew and built as the knives angled inwards, forming a tunnel or, he realised in horror, the barrel of a gun. Jaune screamed, pulling desperately away from the blonde.

"NO!"

"Whoah. Not so fast, buster!" The blonde yanked him back and fixed a hand on his throat.

It was too late anyway.

A beam of iridescent green light scythed through the still, Vale air. It slashed through one Bullhead, the second and then the third, sweeping out the other side before dissipating. In slow motion, the three aircraft slid apart, red hot metal visible along with misty blood and bodies, a fraction of an instant before all three detonated in great balls of flame.

"The White Fang's retreat has been neutralised," the girl said proudly.

Jaune Arc screamed.

I don't normally spoil but… no, those Bullheads were not illusions. There wasn't a magical fourth, and Neo did not mysteriously decide to stop Juniper getting on one of them. She is dead. Cut down by Penny as most of the White Fang in the show within those Bullheads would have been. Without aura or training, she wouldn't have had any chance of survival.

Next Chapter: 10th August

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur