This idea came to me while I was rewatching an old show, and I decided to run with it. As of right now, I won't be putting solid work into this yet, at least not until I finish one of my other stories first, but I'm going to be adding to it slowly while I am stuck in either of my other stories.
Disclaimer time! This is an AU fic, and as such, some characters will be behaving outside of what we would expect from what we have seen in the show itself. There will be differences as well, ranging from major to fairly minor, so if you honestly hate whatever I'm doing, just stop reading. It's not that hard guys...
The hum of equipment and quiet mutterings of men and women at work were a constant in the labs. A cacophony of sounds Ozpin found himself nostalgic over as he entered one specific lab, the room populated by computers, wires, scientists, and a closed pod in the very back, where pipes and wires eventually ended. Beside the pod were a number of readouts, each one detailing their subject's vital signs, which, Ozpin noted with satisfaction, were all functioning normally. Glynda had ensured the process had gone over without a hitch, as Ozpin hadn't been able to personally oversee this one in particular.
One of the scientists, a senior member of staff, a woman named Amanda, stood up from her hunched over position at a computer and swiftly turned around, almost colliding with Ozpin in her rush. "Ah! S-Sir, w-what are you doing here?" Ozpin looked at her as she tried to calm herself after almost crashing into her boss. Amanda was quite experienced, an expert in her field, but was cautious as well despite said expertise. Ozpin found that to be quite refreshing; too many scientists had over-inflated egos when it came to their skill and work.
"I was under the impression that, as the commander of Beacon, I was able to traverse the base as I see fit." Ozpin responded, his amusement hidden as the woman coughed to hide her embarrassment and busied herself with turning back around to move towards the pod.
"O-of course sir. I simply meant-"
"How did I know the subject would be ready?" Ozpin finished, to which Amanda nodded as she walked to a console next to the pod, Ozpin following close behind. He sipped his coffee, noting how the other staff members were noticing his presence and becoming agitated. Really, it wasn't as if his presence was always a bad thing. "I am quite familiar with the process, Amanda. I wanted to be present for her awakening." Ozpin answered honestly; it had been some time since he was last available for this. And this subject was something special indeed, something he pushed off a conference with Ironwood and the other commanders to be present for.
Amanda nodded in understanding, and began typing on the console, pulling up a model of the young woman in the pod, as well as a chart of her brainwaves and another with her genetic code. "This one did prove to be somewhat difficult sir. The DNA we used was hardly compatible, not to mention her power. That alone practically threw off her stability, but we got it under control." Ozpin nodded as he leaned in closer, his eyes slowly scanning every line of DNA present, looking for any anomalies. While he was confident in Amanda and her team, he took nothing on good faith alone, always checking, and rechecking everything he could. After some time, Ozpin straightened, nodding in satisfaction as he looked towards the pod.
"Is she ready?" Amanda responded in the affirmative, and Ozpin sipped his coffee as he strode over to the white pod. "Excellent. Then there is no need to delay, wake her up."
"Understood sir." With that, Amanda keyed in the system commands, calling out to the various scientists for any changes the woman inside would experience. Normally, this would not be an issue, as this had been done many times before, by everyone in the room. However, this case was different; the young woman they were waking up had a body that was a few years younger than what they were used to, and that small difference in years could very well mean the woman would die once the seal was broken.
Ozpin slowly stood next to the pod, his cane, for once, conspicuously absent as his gaze ran along the pod's unmarred surface. Laying parallel to the floor, the pod would allow the subject to steady herself upon gaining consciousness, and cause less of a mess if something went wrong. Closing his eyes, Ozpin sent a silent prayer to gods that he knew were no longer watching over Remnant; they wouldn't help, especially him, but Ozpin still took some small comfort in the practice. Hearing that everything was running smoothly, Ozpin opened his eyes, watching carefully as the seal of the pod was broken, a hiss sounding as air rushed to escape it's prison before the top slide sideways, revealing the precious contents it held within.
Inside was a young girl, the body of a fifteen year old, yet not quite fragile as one might expect. Her body would need time to get used to her power, and making her body physically younger than normal was the most efficient way to ensure she didn't kill herself using it. Looking at her face, Ozpin was surprised to see she was already waking; it normally took several minutes for the subjects to wake up from the pod. 'Curious.' Ozpin pondered. Her eyes opened, and were already bright and alert, yet curious, looking up at the older man's face intently. Smiling, Ozpin addressed the girl. "Hello there. Do you know your name?" In his peripheral view, he noticed the team were observing the two, each member of the team who made her scared that they had failed.
The girl took a moment to think, her young face screwing up, not unlike a puppy who just caught a whiff of something unpleasant. "Um...I think...it's Ruby right?" Ozpin nodded, and the girl smiled happily, her silver eyes shining with childlike glee. Ozpin offered his free hand to the girl, which she took, and he slowly lifted her up, watching her carefully for any signs of pain or discomfort, but found none.
"My name is Ozpin, Ruby. I will be your commander after you finish orientation." Ruby cocked her head curiously as she turned on the pod, either ignorant, or uncaring, that she was still naked. It was one of the many times Ozpin was grateful his science team was staffed by professionals, even if most of them were rather callous and cold hearted when it came to their work. "But before that can begin, today is a very special day."
Ruby slide off the pod, landing beside Ozpin before stretching and yawning, clearly not quite as alert as he first thought. "What do you mean? Why is today special?"
Ozpin smiled and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder before nodding to Amanda, who opened a small locker nearby, pulling out a bodysuit for Ruby. "Why, today is your birthday, of course. Now, get dressed, and I will take you to meet your family." Ruby nodded and took the bodysuit when Amanda came to them, whining about how uncomfortably tight it was, while Amanda reassured her it wasn't permanent.
Ozpin sipped his coffee slowly as he observed the child, already thinking of who her team would be composed of. So many promising candidates, yet, if Ozpin's first impressions were right about Ruby, he knew precisely who should be on a team with her. Orientation would begin tomorrow, and then the next several months would train Ruby for her duty.
Ozpin could only hope that there was time enough afterwards for her to grow accustomed to her eyes.
A bit on the nose, that last part, but I don't like writing from Ozpin's point of view. I don't know why, I just don't. I know this chapter didn't give a whole lot to work with, but I wanted to set a starting point so people wouldn't get confused later down the line, even if I know that this is going to confuse some people as it is.
All will be explained in due course, and no, this is not a Ruby focused fic, it's going to bounce between characters as the story progresses. Leave any comments, let me know if your interested, since I'm still a little iffy on continuing this. And unlike most of my other stories, I actually have a rough plot line written out for once! Shocking, I know.
Thanks as always, and I hope everyone has a great day!