The first expeditionary team returned earlier that morning with the first shipment of Life Fibers salvaged from the REVOC's building. Reportedly there wasn't as much as Janus had expected, but still a vast quantity to supplement her plans. The better part of their morning was spent waiting for the tailor's to figure out how they would implement the strange red threads into the dissected uniforms provided. Luckily, the tailors didn't question the origin of the strange threads, thought it did help that they were being paid to stay quiet, on top of the large sum they were already receiving.
It had taken many trials, but the end result was beyond expectations. Janus looked at the seemingly insignificant uniform laid before her, crafted by the fine hands of the tailors. It looked identical to the standard uniform, but she could feel the difference in the fabric. It felt alive.
"Let's run a trial straight away." Janus announced. "I cannot wait to see how it performs."
"At your behest." Jarret snapped his fingers as two guards approached, picking up the uniform and carrying it out.
Janus looked out a viewing glass over a sizeable room that would house the field test. The walls had been reinforced with steel plating and concrete, amongst other things. She could see the other subjects shuffling into the room. Ten soldiers stood in formation on one side of the room, rifles in hand. From the other door, a lone man walked in, dressed in the custom made uniform.
Each and every soldier was notified that this was an experimental armour test, though they weren't informed of the Life Fibers. The ten soldiers were all given live ammunition, in order to truly test the uniform's ability to withstand a real firefight. The lone subject wearing the uniform was given stun rounds in order to cause non-lethal injury to his fellow comrades.
"Experimental armour test one. Commence." A voice announced over speakers to the soldiers in the room.
Janus watched in fascination as the lone soldier initiated his transformation as instructed. The uniforms appearance altered, the entire thing shifted from normal looking clothing into a metal looking material. The shoulder pads grew into large pauldrons, and it even went as far as to provide the soldier a helmet. His entire head was protected, face obscured by an opaque, ominous, black visor similar to a stereotypical motorbike helmet. In mere moments, he had adopted armour out of thin air.
The other soldiers raised their weapons, aimed, and fired. Janus' smile grew larger as she watched the bullets ricocheting off the armour. No matter where they hit, the rounds just bounced off, he didn't even appear to be intimidated by the sheer volume of gunfire. Janus watched as the soldier raised his own rifle, and in split second bursts he was pulling the trigger.
With expert timing and precision, the soldier was landing one round into each soldier's chest. One after another they fell, there was no excessive waste of ammunition, no hesitation to taking aim. He was the super soldier that Janus had dreamed of making. By the time he had finished with the others, Janus halted the test to remove them before continuing.
"Commence experimental armour test two." Janus ordered.
"Commencing." She watched as the soldier let his gun drop to the floor.
From the other side of the room, a lone man walked in holding a fifty calibre sniper rifle. Janus watched with impatience as he set the rifle on the ground on a bipod, getting behind it and taking aim at the soldier's chest. He showed no fear and stood to face the bullet. The gunshot was deafening from inside the room, but Janus watched with excitement as the bullet bounced violently off the armour and spun off only to hit the glass with a *TINK!*.
The rifleman readied another shot, this time the bullet was aimed at his head. The gun went off again, and even though the soldier was pushed back a couple steps, the bullet once again fell harmlessly on the floor. With the test over, the rifleman packed up and left. The entire time he looked in complete awe at how the armour had withstood his shots.
"Commence test three." Janus spoke over intercom.
This test involved the soldier standing in the middle of the room while two wall panels enclosed around him, attempting to crush him. The mechanical arms bearing the plates groaned and screeched in protest before giving out. The soldier was again, unharmed.
"Commence test four!"
A block of concrete was raised from the floor. A perfect five meter cube, the soldier cracked his knuckles in a display of confidence as he threw a punch into the center of the block. The thing cracked and splintered, he continued hammering it with punches and within seconds the block disintegrated as dust motes scattered into the air.
"Test five!"
The block was removed, and now a bomb was raised up on the other side of the room. The soldier picked up the remote trigger lying next to it and depressed the button. The bomb went off with an incredible display of fiery light, leaving only black smoke to fill the room. The ventilators sucked the smoke out of the room and revealed the soldier slumped against the wall. He steadily got back up, however, giving a thumbs up.
Janus' heart fluttered with excitement. This was revolutionary. This was what she aspired for when Ragyo had first introduced her to the Life Fibers, showing her those Goku uniforms. The soldier exited his transformation and left the room, with only black scars across the walls to tell what had happened.
"What do you think?" Jarret was pleased by the excitement on her face.
"It's… wonderful." She could not think of another word to express her joy.
"Shall we have the uniform returned for further analysis?"
"Yes. But afterwards I want it given back to that soldier. He's promoted."
Jarret made a quick mental note as he voiced over the intercom to the scientists in the other room. "Evaluate any damage to the uniform. Return it once you're finished."
"We can make an army. An unstoppable army." Janus spoke aloud to nobody in particular.
"I take it that you would like the tailors to make more of them?"
"Absolutely! We can even increase the total Life Fiber composition this time around."
"I shall see to it. Have you considered giving them a name?"
"A name? Do you think they need one?" Janus turned to face him.
"If you believe they are worthy of one. People often name their successes."
"Hmm." Janus closed her eyes to think for a moment. "Centurions."
"Didn't see that one coming." He snickered, though she ignored him.
"Yes. That's what we shall call the soldiers who will wear these uniforms in the name of humanity. They shall safeguard the future, each one worth a hundred soldiers."
"At your behest." Jarret nodded.
"And to think that was an example of what Ragyo would have considered a 'one star' Goku uniform." Janus intertwined her fingers, thinking of the capabilities of a two, or even three starred uniform. Then again…
Why stop there?