Chapter Text
It was cramped, musty, and killer on his elbows. A cold sweat slid down his neck as he shuffled along the vent. It was cliche, like an old crime thriller however instead of looking cool it was a huge pain in the ass. Even though wings were incredibly flexible he still had to them bound with ace bandages. They were also wrapped tightly so no feathers would drop. Needless to say they were incredibly itchy. The whole situation was extremely uncomfortable, especially since he had the damn recorder in his mouth for easy access. The hard part was not making any noise, sound tended to reverberate across the metal ventilation system. It was pretty inconvenient when someone was trying to infiltrate a significant communications facility that was used during a lot of foreign trade negotiations.
After years of this kind of work Qrow’s nerves were placid. That still didn't stop him from inching forward like a snail. Qrow was a get it done as quickly as possible kind of guy. Usually he was on the front lines; aka slamming a guy against a crummy bar wall, demanding intel. Needless to say he was impatient but sane enough not to screw himself over. After what seemed like ages Qrow reached the end of the section. Spitting out the recorder on his hand he stuck it onto the rim of the vent using the putty that was already plastered on it. Satisfied that it wouldn't fall off Qrow start to shimmy backwards, unbeknownst that there was a vent underneath him that was already creaking from weight that was not supposed to be there. Before he knew it Qrow's heart stopped as a rush of air flew past him. He landed with an ugly thud and the metal vent clattered to the floor. Graceful as fuck.
Now James always was given limited information, but usually enough to at least realize the motives behind his higher ups. This time, it just didn't make any sense. His squad was sent to guard a communications facility. It wasn't his usual gig. But he took it in stride. Part of him realized that maybe his usual..change of the sort of missions he was given was because of his accident. Half of his body gone, only to be replaced with metal. His wings were barely spared, leaving one to have to be replaced with a lightweight prosthetic. He didn't mind however. He still could do most of the things he usually did, include flying.. Though these days it was a limited practice, his prosthetic only handling a few minutes at a time: A disadvantage he learned to make up for with excellent combat practices.
Winter had been disapprovingly watching her three other squad members shuffle around a pack of cards, each eager to get out of here as soon as possible. The night was incredibly quiet so far. And everyone was tired and worse,bored. Winter had been supervising her squad members, and James remained in the halls, walking around slowly. To anyone else he could have been patrolling, and that was normally what he would have told them, but tonight it was to stretch out his wings, or rather his newest one. Aches were something he usually ended up with during late hours in the night and he had taken to moving, walking around to get them off his mind. He had just gotten to the end of the main hall when he heard a muffled crash coming from one of the rooms. Without thought, his wings curled, tensing in anticipation as he pulled out his pistol. Right, he was on a job. It was hard to remember with these uselessly long hours.
The crash which sounded too much like flimsy metal, had obviously come from one of the nearby rooms, and having studied the map of the facility, he knew only a few rooms which weren't inspected fully and have not got any upgrades. Which meant that right now, he had five choices.
He turned on his headset,"Winter, I need you in the main hall, get Taber or someone and get to the east end. " he commanded, his eyes falling to each of the doors.
He leaned against the wall just for a second before pushing the card through the reader, leaving the door to open, then peeked in. The room was empty, some sort of storage area, the vent was busted and half replaced with something slightly younger. So no. Next room.
In the room a hallway away Qrow was cursing himself for his huge fuckup. Groaning in pain Qrow clutched his head, a throbbing ache spreading throughout his skull. His wings twitched uselessly seeing as they were bound. Still dazed Qrow fumbled around for the vent. When he located it he put it on a nearby table. Maybe if someone discovered it they would chalk it up for maintenance being too overworked to deal with a broken vent. In all fairness for a government facility the vents were flimsy as hell. Once he regained his bearings Qrow scanned his surroundings, looking for any possible exits. He was in some sort of computer room, high tech computers were propped up on sleek black tables. From the looks of it the room seemed empty. Perhaps it was used during shady foreign operations. This idea was reinforced when he spotted a holograph in the middle of the room. It must have been motion activated because the device emanated a hologram of a complicated map. Judging by the region names Qrow put his money on it being Minstrel. Qrow itched to scour through the computers to see what he could find but he was already in a tight situation.
Pushing his bangs up Qrow mulled over his options. He could climb back up to the vent but that would require him to shift furniture around so he could reach it, however once up in the vent he wouldn't be able to rearrange the furniture back to their original position. He could use the computers to try to find a map of some sort, but Qrow had a feeling that each computer use was traced back to a database. No doubt questions would arise onto why a computer was being used in a vacant room. His only feasible option was to traverse through the halls and hope that no one caught him. The odds were against him but stealth was one of his forte's. Sure he mostly liked being upfront with things but at some points the easiest way to catch someone off guard was to stay low and then pounce for the kill. Walking toward the door Qrow pressed his ear against it. He couldn't hear any footsteps or voices so he carefully opened it and started down the hallway. He was on high alert, anxiety was starting to froth but believe or not he'd been in tighter situations before. Worse comes to worse he could always use...that thing. His ace in the hole, last resort kind of thing. However Qrow really wanted to avoid leaving any more evidence that he was here. Feathers were a pain in the ass. Also a bird in a government facility was pretty damn suspicious. Luckily from what he could tell there were no cameras around this area.
Qrow kept twisting and turning his head, he was on high alert for anything, even the sound of noisy plumbing put him on edge. A high point was that Qrow had a slight idea where a possible exit was. When he turned a corner Qrow froze. A mix of sounds came from what he presumed was the hallway next to his. Quickly he ducked back in the corner, pressing his body against the wall. A door or maybe several doors were opened and closed. A peculiar almost tinny sound gave off a dissonant melody. Qrow had no idea what it was but he could safely say it spelled trouble.
James had looked through two more rooms before he heard quiet footsteps. And considering the lack of the usual heels, it wasn't Winter or Taber. He knew that stealth was something that would be considered an outrageous option, considering his size and the small metallic sounds that resonated from his every step. So his best chance was head on. He glanced upwards at the wiring on the ceiling. Large heavy cords were resting across perpendicularly placed bars. Enough to support three or four people if needed. He tensed his knees lowering just a moment before springing right onto the bar above him. Who was coming?Hopefully his position near the large electronic cord would be better to catch the intruder off-guard. He stood, the ceiling barely grading his head as he eyed the dark hallway. Something was moving ahead and usually he'd be able to see it if it weren't for the fact that the power on this side was turned off during late hours. He knelt down slowly, an almost nonexistent sound of his metal leg adjusting to this new position.
Qrow, unaware of the hidden general, knew his only option at this point would make a break for it. Drawing in a long breath Qrow turned the corner again and booked it as fast as possible. His footsteps weren't as loud as he thought it would, but then again he was rather light on his feet. However sound still thundered off the tile floor from his rapid run, signaling someone was dashing through the halls. He was quite surprised that the intruder hadn't at least realized he was there. But maybe he underestimated how to quiet this machinery actually was, or what was more likely, this intruder was just an idiot. What was he thinking anyway? Breaking into a government run communications facility? This was a new level of recklessness that he had seen in eager young kids coming right into the military.
Lucky for Qrow, he was sprinting James's way, with an obvious eye for stealth and quiet, but at the same time, the hurried steps seemed to indicate nervousness, paranoia. He took a deep breath, waiting a second or half of one before dropping down right in front of the person, cutting off their exit. The pistol he had was already pointed towards the person whom was still cloaked in the darkness of the hall.
In retrospect Qrow never had a chance. A shadow literally dropped from the ceiling and caught him red handed. He would have been mildly impressed if he wasn't so shocked. It was like he was some sort of bat hanging off the ceiling to apprehend criminals. Wouldn't that make for a neat comic book. Seeing the gun Qrow knew it was a lost cause to try and out maneuvered him, unless he wanted a bullet lodged in him.
"Hands above your head, wings, and legs apart." James said carefully, in a monotone, practiced tone.
With no other option Qrow put his hands above his head and spread his legs, but he couldn't really do anything about his wings. Stupid ass wing binding was a lost cause, didn't even help him not get caught. What a load of
Although he did his best to look calm his heart was beating out of his chest. It wasn't so bad, he gone through worse. The person who caught him made him even more nervous though, he was the spitting image of a hardened soldier. He was a hulking guy, standing at least 6 ft. His uniform was pristine though his very toned body was accentuated clearly. If he wasn't a soldier he could have very well been a heavy weight champ. His biceps were huge, honestly there was really nothing Qrow could do but comply. Either he would be shot or have his bones shattered. Neither option sounded particularly appealing. The looming fear didn't stop him from being a cocky asshole, he already lost the game so no harm in dicking around.
"Oh dear I seem to be lost, could a fine gentlemen like yourself escort me to the exit? I promise I'm no trouble," Qrow quipped with a smirk.
James had the gun still aimed towards the intruder when he heard quick steps sounding from one of the halls nearby. Winter was coming, he guessed. The overhead lights flickered to a dim rather dirty colored yellow, bathing the whole hall in it. That was when he noticed the bandages wings. He raised one eyebrow, a curious, yet cautious look appearing as he inspected the bound wings and spoke,"Slide over all weapons you have on you, and not another word."
"I'm unarmed Mr. I have a stick up my ass," Qrow replied.
James didn't want to comment on the fact that this fucking lunatic just came in here thinking it was all fine and dandy to break in here, and make sure he'd get caught and acted like a smart ass? Was that what he was trying to do? Because he didn't see a reason for the bandages. They were debilitating in every sense. And his smart ass attitude was only going to put him in a worse spot.
Winter was now by Jame’s side, looking at Qrow with shock and icy disgust. "Sir, Taper has gone to the left wing. He'll be here in a few minutes. You've caught him?" Winter asked straightening up as she stopped besides her commanding officer. Just as he had noticed the wings, so did Schnee. "Shall I get a cell ready?" She asked narrowing her eyes at the man with the bound wings, receiving a nod from Ironwood.
Looking at both of them they seemed oddly familiar, he racked his brain for any ideas on their identities. The girl with the shockingly white hair...oh wait...OH. Qrow gave himself a mental pat on the back for figuring out who she was so quickly. That girl was a Schnee, and not just any Schnee, she was the oldest daughter who joined the military. He remembered her back in his military days, she was as cold blooded as he remembered. He wouldn't be able to talk his way out with that body builder guy, but perhaps he could at least throw Winter on edge. She was way over her head, probably thought the military was some sort of hero organization. What a naive girl. The overhead lights cast a pale yellow on all three of them, making the scene seem more dangerous and gritty. Both soldiers had him locked in bad position but maybe if it was just him and Schnee he could take her.
Giving both of them his best shit eating grin Qrow honored Winter with a bow. "Oh excuse me I didn't realize I was in the presence of royalty. What's a Schnee still doing in the military? Surely daddy wasn't so happy finding out his eldest daughter was sticking with the big dangerous military. Guess you weren't content sucking on a silver spoon, never took you for having a taste in government dick. To each their own I suppose."
James frowned. This guy was hitting all the sore spots in her situation. Her father, family, and government position. He could feel her cold glare and her steady voice as she slowly walked over. "Sir, I'll take it from here, If I have your permission." Her teeth were gritted, but he could hear obvious effort in trying to sound like she was unaffected.
She grabbed the intruder's wrist, pulling it to the center of his back and shoved him against the nearest wall. He was surprised the wall didn’t give out considering the peeling paint had fallen like a dust cloud at the contact. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut, if you don't want to bite your tongue" She said and went on to searching for any hidden weapon, making sure to be extra rough in each action. He was impressed, she seemed to be a soldier who'd enjoy precision rather than brute force. He guessed this changed when he was involved?
"Whatever you say ice queen. But I could say the same for yourself, seeing as you've bit off more than you can chew. I wouldn’t be surprised to see you run back to daddy after you get a taste of what real combat looks like. Pity you're stuck guarding a rundown, useless government facility. Guess getting cut off from all that wealth and power was really worth it," Qrow sarcastically observed.
Winter seemed to just coldly glare at him as she moved away, her weapon drawn. "He's clear, sir." She gave him a rough pat down that was harsher than necessary. Her voice was more of a hiss then a reply, and while he would have found it usually amusing that something so half assed could push his most disciplined to the brink of assault, he didn't show it, and simply waited quietly for her to place back her sword. However this man seemed to have more taunting to do and this time, Winter seemed to be at a breaking point because her weapon was immediately stuck right next to the man's cheek, as if given a warning. "Shut up, Qrow"
The harshness of Winter was to be expected, and yeah maybe Qrow did deserve to be be manhandled against the wall. The impact made his already aching head ring but at least he didn't have a hole in his chest. Really, this communications facility was pretty shabby, it almost looked like it wasn't worth it. Qrow would have second guessed himself if the information wasn't from Raven. They might not agree on everything, and she had an extremely pessimistic view on the world, but she was a reliable informant.
Apparently this was used during very shady operations on the government's part. The building itself was practically falling apart but it made it even more inconspicuous. They only met here if the dealings threw out every moral imaginable, but what Qrow wouldn't give to hear what went on. All those juicy illegals deals were just begging to be heard. Which lead to the situation at hand. He had to admit this wasn't his best espionage mission, in fact one could say he royally fucked up.
James frowned, this Qrow was getting to her, and he didn't see it ending very well. "Lieutenant, get a room ready." He stepped towards the man, his expression turning cold and hard, "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop riling up my lieutenant. The sooner you'll cooperate, the sooner we can get this over, and get the bandages off your wings. As I’m sure you know, they're not ideal for long term use."
James, while finding this little exchange to be quite valuable, saw it as something that didn't need his effort at all. Schnee was more than capable of taking care of herself. But it wouldn't hurt to have a second person watching this man. These two knew each other, however. Or maybe it was one sided? Either way, it would make things easier. He wasn't one to be pulled into childish fights that involved name calling, or taunts. He preferred his fighting doing the work for him. Of course, this wasn't always possible. Take this incident for example, beating the shit out of this man would most likely result in nothing but a busted body, loss of information, and more importantly, a few officials on his ass. Ozpin had told him to not fuck this up. And at first he thought this was a simple guarding mission.For god's sake, he was guarding a rather forgotten communications facility after all. For whatever reason, after the tip off, this became the most important one around. He guessed there was something Ozpin wasn't telling him. And while the man seemed to always be on his side, there was something quite obviously silencing him.
But whatever information was in this communications tower, this intruder wanted it, and seemed to not want it enough to actually try and make this successful. That was the strange part. This communications facility was falling apart. And it was old. Normally, people would easily get through with a map. And this guy didn't seem to make an effort. He had to say that he did however do a good job of breaking in. His exit was shabby however.
Qrow still wasn’t done, far from it. "Looks like my reputation proceeds me..." Qrow remarked, ignoring the soldier’s advice. He needed to really get under her skin, act like she was beneath him. To make it look like common Vale scum was better than her. And what better way to than pretend to have forgotten that little incident. "Ah that's right. You were still under daddy's heel when I stirred up trouble for your company. Pity you let an ameture like me fuck with your shit. I bet daddy had a real issue to, I heard he can be quite brutal when things don't go his way, even to his family." He was stepping into extremely dangerous territory. It was either a brilliant or dumb as fuck move. Making it look like he was an ameture curve suspicion and infuriate her even more. After all people struck their company all the time. However that last bit had very harsh implications. Qrow was pretty sure if she didn't chop his balls off there would be one hell of an even worse situation.
It was actually visible when Qrow's words got to his lieutenant. She stopped in her steps, and turned slowly, her eyes full of fury. Without warning she had her weapon drawn out, her wings flat against her back, and in a blink she was ready to dice the man into pieces. If no one intervened he'd have been dead, or at least heavily injured.
Now was his chance. When Winter stopped he know this was it. Qrow readied himself, so not only to deflect Winter, but also bolt out of there. He'd probably get a gash or two, though it beat being apprehended by the military. Adrenaline pumped through his veins when Winter dashed toward him, ready to cut off his head.
Except James intervened at the last second, shoving his foot right into her stomach, his metal hand stopping the blade in an instant. She stumbled back, her hand grasping her stomach. Her breath was knocked right out of her, and Winter's sword fell to the side.
"Enough!" He growled,"Schnee, get yourself cleaned up." Then turned to Qrow, a snarl pulling at his lips. "Keep your mouth shut" though he tilted his head to the side, "Or better yet," he stepped towards the man, and barely aimed the pistol to his chest and pulled the trigger. He had thankfully the option of either sleeping darts or real bullets. He didn’t like killing unless it was the only option. The biggest problem that it took a minute to work on someone’s Qrow's size.
When it hit a sharp pain spread throughout his chest. However it didn't feel like a bullet wound, Qrow would know. Looking down he saw a dart that he was 99% sure was full of sleeping toxins. Ripping it out Qrow could already feel the effect. His vision was blurry and it was hard to think. It was like a weird hangover.
"Couldn't even...give me...a clean death..." Qrow slurred, stumbling forward. "Fucking...he’s...gonna be pissed as fuck...hell I'm pissed as fuck...should have just flew outta..." Finally unconsciousness claimed him, and he unceremoniously fell.
He could have just punched him out, but he kind of didn't want to give the man any sort of concussion or anything like that. He needed him alive. So a sleeping dart it was. He straightened up, grabbing the unconscious man's arm and pulled him to lean against James's wing.
"Schnee, " He started, his eyes softening just a bit, before he spoke, "Get your temper in check. Your situation isn't ideal, but do not endanger the mission just because of this." He said, before gently kicking the sword towards her, letting it slide towards her. "Get a room ready. And, made sure to get a first aid kit."
With this, he moved his arm around the man's waist, then tossed him over his shoulder. While he weighed a bit more than James was used to, he had no problem doing so. But the wings were sort of annoying. He pushed back the feathers with his other hand, then headed towards their resided area. He dragged a hand over his face, again pushing those damned feathers from his face and muttered a quiet curse. He wasn't prepared to have this sort of drama but he guessed it was less action than he thought would be happening. Which was actually quite good. There was no need to try and make a mission more brazen and "exciting" than it planned out to be. He was more than fine with having quiet missions every once in awhile.