Chapter Text
BOOM!
Frantic screams of panic and chaos. Heavy machine gun fire rains from the air.
"GET DOWN, PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!" Theodore yelled into his scroll. It was an emergency broadcast to the nearby C.C.T. towers in Vacuo. Students that were out and about run into the city, weapons at the ready to help protect the civilians. Other elder huntsman and huntresses assist as well.
Sounds of glass shatter all around. Hovering in the sky was an Atlas airship fully equipped to cause as much harm as possible. It was an order directly from Yang.
"GIVE US THE GIRL RUBY!" A feral Qrow yelled at the smoking debris of a building he'd help level. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! THAT DIDN'T KILL YOU!"
Qrow hacked and slashed his way through the debris. Getting to where he thought Ruby was hiding. Qrow was donning his new Atlas uniform. White tassles hung off his shoulders. A white beret with a dark feather in the cap. His button down white shirt with bird designs replaced with a long dark grey Atlas officer cloak with dark wings going down the back.
Ruby whimpers as she cowers in the wreckage. Qrow attacked her. HER! of all people. She was too mentally disturbed to reconcile this. The aggression he showed in Atlas was nothing like he was showing now. He was losing his mind. Julia tries to shake Ruby out of her panic. They separated after Qrow and Elm made it clear they weren't here for a parlay. Ruby ran with Julia. She didn't want to fight her uncle. She loved him.
"MISS RUBY WE NEED TO GO!" Julia yells. Qrow was getting closer. If he didn't kill them, the fire and smoke would. Ruby sat in a fetal position still rocking. She didn't know what to do. What made it worse? Penny was helping Qrow. She was tearing from the top of the debris. Down to her. So long as Penny had Ruby locked on, there was no escaping without a fight. But Ruby did not want that. Not at all.
"10 meters from target," Penny said in Qrow's ear.
"Engage at will." Qrow said with a wicked smile.
"With pleasure." Penny said as she blew the top portion of the debris off, revealing Julia and Ruby at the bottom. Ruby gasps as she looked at the glowing green eyes of her *friend*. Ruby grabs Julia and tries to run away again. Penny flies down quickly and gives a swift kick to Ruby's mid-section knocking her back. Julia then briefly engages Penny with her Summer maiden powers. The fight between them was lop sided at best. While Julia was talented, Penny was more than enough to keep her at bay. Julia was only 12.
"Julia, come back! She'll..." Ruby's plea is cut short by a rush of feathers. Qrow pins her against the wall by the throat.
"You're under arrest brat by order of General Yang." Qrow said. His eyes were practically burning red. Ruby had never seen this before.
"Uncle Qrow, stop it!" Ruby said fighting against him. She dropped Crimson Rose at her feet when she was surprised. Qrow stakes his scythe into hers.
"You will surrender to me now!" Qrow said choking her.
"St....op...pl..." Ruby said weakly losing her vision.
"NOOOOOO!" A small defiant voice rang out. Oscar aids Ruby and jabs Qrow in the right side with his cane. Qrow takes the blow and skids on his feet. Ruby drops the ground limply before showing signs of life.
"Kid...I am not in the mood." Qrow said walking back towards the two love birds.
Ruby's eyes open briefly and she's immediately alert. She runs without even acknowledging Oscar. She was terrified.
"Elm cut her off." Qrow said in his ear piece.
"Roger." Elm said as she turned the bullets onto the red caped hero?
Ruby manages to use her speed to dodge the hailstorm of bullets, but it was unorganized bursts of speed. She was running in full fear. Julia manages to knock Penny down to the ground and freeze her with sub zero ice.
"Miss Ruby we need to go!" Julia said shielding Ruby with a shield of rock and ice using her maiden powers.
And with a final ditch effort, Ruby just grabs Julia and runs. And runs. Then...her semblance kicks in. Due to her desperation, she glows with maiden power. With a burst of red petals and aura, Ruby takes flight into the air. Elm quickly follows in pursuit. Bullets whizz by Ruby. Julia screams in fear as she tries to protect her new friend. Then...a hot piercing feeling hits Ruby in the side. A sniper shot from Qrow.
"Got ya." He said. He was the one that taught her after all. He could always use a sniper rifle, but after upgrading his own gear, this was the perfect moment.
Ruby fights through the pain, bleeding. She speeds up in a way she didn't know she could do. With one final burst of her aura, she screams as she becomes a shooting red star across the sky of Remnant, leaving Elm in the dust. Then...she was gone.
(Moments later)
"The General won't like this." Elm said taking Oscar and Theodore into custody in the small jailing section of the airship. Vacuo was in ruin. Half of downtown on was fire or about to be. Some bodies were laid about, left for the critters of desert to feast on.
"You let me handle her." Qrow said crossing his arms sitting down in the cockpit.
He failed his first assignment, but at least...they knew who the summer maiden was. A mere child. Ruby would show herself again. They had Oscar. The trap was already set.