RWBY: Batman Begins

Chapter XXXVIII

The Narrows was tearing itself to pieces.

The toxin was spreading throughout the city, turning even the kindest civilians into maniacs that tore each other apart.

Salem looked over her work with a smile, a gas mask on her face to protect her from the toxin as she and the League of Shadows hooked up the microwave emitter to raise it into the train.

Weiss Schnee held the child in her arms, hugging him close, and soothing him to the best of her ability.

"It's okay," she assured. "Nobody's going to hurt you."

Then, she heard the sound of something approaching, and she turned to see Jonathan Crane riding a Beowolf Grimm. He wore his scarecrow mask, and the sleeves of his straightjacket were freed from the original fixed position.

"Of course they are!" he said.

Weiss shook her head in denial as she saw him. "Crane?!"

"No," he said. "Scarecrow."

Weiss pushed the boy behind her, and lifted Myrtenaster in her hand. Crane, or "Scarecrow", charged at her on the Beowolf. She formed a glyph underneath her feet using her semblance, and dashed out of the way.

She set the kid down.

"Stay here," she ordered, before turning around to take on Scarecrow.

Ruby Rose wasn't in nearly as tough a situation as Weiss, though she was working hard to keep people from killing each other, or her.

She pulled out her scroll, and answered one of Professor Ozpin's many attempts to contact someone inside the Narrows.

"Ozpin!" she shouted into the scroll. "This is Ruby Rose!"

"What's going on in there?" Ozpin's voice came through.

"We need help in here!" Ruby said. "You need to send people in! But give them gas masks!"

"Ruby," Ozpin said, "all of Beacon's staff and students are on the island with you!"

"But they're all poisoned by this toxin!"

There was a pause on the other end. "Ruby . . . there's nobody left to send in . . ."

She heard the sound of an engine after that last part.

"So my team and I are on our own?!" Ruby yelled into the scroll.

Then, she heard the sound of something hitting the ground behind her, and she spun around to see the Batmobile land in the Narrows after boosting over the river.

She smiled as she watched the windshield open, and Batman climbed out.

"The Narrows is being destroyed!" Ruby said.

"This is just the beginning," Batman explained. "If they hit the whole city, there's nothing to stop Vale from tearing itself apart."

"How are they gonna do that?" Ruby asked.

"They're using the train. The monorail follows the water mains to the central hub beneath Wayne Tower. If the machine gets to the station, it'll cause a chain reaction that'll vaporize the city's water supply."

"Covering Vale in this poison!" Ruby finished, blown away by the plan.

"I'm gonna stop them from loading that train, but I may need your help."

"Anything," Ruby nodded. "What do you need?"

Batman reached into his utility belt, and pulled out the remote for the Batmobile. "Can you drive stick?"