Here's chapter 5! Enjoy!

Present Day:

To say that General Ironwood was pissed would have been an understatement. Considering how he punched a hole straight through his desk, it was clear that the man was infuriated. Dr. Haze watched the general's display of anger from her seat with mild amusement as she sipped from a cup of tea.

"I take it that Ozpin didn't read your report?" She asked.

James glared at her. "No, he read it."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that he has once again chosen complacency over action."

Cassandra didn't look very surprised. From what James had told her, Ozpin had a certain way of handling situations. He preferred the discrete method over James' direct approach.

"Ozpin said that taking action would only alert Salem and make her change tactics. He wants us to carry on as though we're unaware so that we can counter her when the time comes." The general stood by his office window and stared out into the distance with his arms crossed. "Unfortunately, we don't know what exactly she's planning and so complacency, in my professional opinion, will do us no good when she strikes."

"One would think that with the Fall Maiden on life support, that would have been a clear wake-up call, wouldn't it?"

"One would think that," replied James, "but it appears that Ozpin seems to think differently."

Cassandra took another sip from her mug before she spoke.

"Aside from watching you vent your anger, is there a reason you've called me here? I'm a busy woman."

That was very true. Ever since Dr. Polendina retired five years ago, she'd taken up the helm of Atlas' Science and Research Division. Not only did she have to handle the general's many R&D requests, but she had to undo much of the restrictive policies Pietro set in place during his tenure as chief scientist. Four years ago, when General Ironwood announced an open challenge to innovate a breakthrough in defense technology to the kingdom's scientists, Dr. Polendina answered the challenge despite having retired to focus on his pharmaceutical and clinical practice. Cassandra would have been lying if she said she hadn't taken James' public challenge as an insult. She didn't even bother submitting something to him, knowing that she had already delivered the greatest technological and biological advancement in Remnant's history, but according to James, though, it was a failure. Arthur Watts proposed greater emphasis on robotics and mech suits, but Pietro ultimately won the challenge in the end. Cassandra had to admit that Arthur's work was impressive but compared to what Pietro came up with Arthur's work wasn't in the same league. To say that Arthur was devastated upon learning his work was passed over again would have been putting it lightly. He became bitter and angry and stopped coming into the lab. Her efforts to console her old colleague proved fruitless, however. While she and Arthur hardly ever saw eye to eye, she did respect his intellect and his abilities as a scientist. Sadly, six months later, Arthur died in an airship crash over the ocean, where his body was never recovered. His death was a tragedy within the scientific community. Had he lived, he would have been happy to know that the general had incorporated many of his ideas into the military. With Arthur's schematics, the SDC was able to produce autonomous robotic soldiers and the SDC was currently working on the Paladin mech suit. With Pietro winning the challenge four years ago, his Penny Project had been given the green light and all the funding it required. Cassandra didn't think much of Pietro's little project at first. She was more interested in understanding James' motive for approving it. She still remained the chief scientist and she still oversaw all of Ironwood's projects; so, she didn't really have anything to worry about, though she had her suspicions. Those suspicions proved accurate. She vividly recalled the anger that overcame her when she received a written request from James about a year after his little announcement. She pushed those thoughts aside before she turned her attention back to the general.

"There is much to discuss Cassandra," said James.

"Then please enlighten me."

James gave her a nod of understanding. "I have decided that it's time to take matters into my own hands. If Ozpin won't do what must be done, then I will."

Dr. Haze listened intently as the general continued.

"We need our own eyes and ears inside of Beacon if we're going to properly anticipate her next move."

She took another sip of her tea. "If you've brought me here, then I take it that my Guardians are involved in some way?"

"If this is as big as my instincts tell me, then we're going to need our very best for this."

"What's your plan, James?"

"I figured I'd take a page from Ozpin's book. We send Unit 117 to Beacon under the cover of transfer students. While they're there, they'll operate discretely and keep an eye out for Salem's pawns and act as silent protectors."

She raised an eyebrow. "Silent protectors? What do you mean by that?"

James tapped a few buttons on his scroll and sent a few files to Cassandra's scroll. She placed her cup of tea on the desk before she retrieved her scroll and examined the information he sent her. Once she finished looking the information over she looked back at James.

"Are you serious James?" She held back the urge to laugh. "They're going to be glorified bodyguards?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Even you know that their protection must be assured, Cassandra."

"I do not deny that those three are very important and should be protected, but I simply never imagined my Guardians being reduced to this sort of role."

"It's only temporary," he replied, "once they find Salem's pawns they'll figure out where the witch is hiding, and they'll do what they were made to do."

She digested his words for a moment before she shrugged. "Fair enough," she said, "but don't you think Ozpin will find only three transfer students a bit suspicious?"

"Who said it'll just be them?"

"Care to explain James?"

James merely smiled. "I think it's time for her to be tested properly. Don't you think so?"

She blinked. "Surely, you're joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

His expression was serious.

"They don't work well with others. What makes you think she'll be any different?" She asked.

"Because they'll do as they're told," he said with determination.

Dr. Haze shrugged nonchalantly. "Very well. What do you need from me?" She asked.

"I want you to forge transcripts and cover identities for them. I also want you to arrange for them to receive proper instruction for socialization. They need to blend in as best as they can."

It made sense. If anyone knew them better than the general, it was her. She always knew how to best handle them.

"Understood," she replied.

The Next Day:

The sound of deep breathing was the only thing that could be heard inside the fitness facility. The facility was equipped with the most up-to-date equipment. There was an indoor track, a gymnastics area, a large pool for lap swimming, a weightlifting area, and a sparring area. For such a complete fitness facility, there were only three men inside it. Interestingly enough, this facility was to be used only by these three young men and them alone. While this gym was located within Atlas Academy, it was located within one of the restricted areas of the Academy. The only personnel that were allowed here needed special clearance or at the bare minimum, they needed to be escorted through. This particular restricted area contained this private gym as well as the sleeping quarters of the three super soldiers.

The three were dressed in black shorts, running shoes, and grey, long-sleeve shirts with the symbol of Atlas in the center. The three in question were the unarmored members of Special Mission Unit 117, The Bad Batch. Zero-Six-Nine stood at a towering 6'11" and had a southeast Asian appearance to him with somewhat long black hair and dark brown eyes and high cheekbones. He was currently in the middle of performing deadlifts with a barbell that weighed 5,000 pounds. Zero-Three-Seven stood at 6'10" with tan skin, short brown hair, and light brown eyes. He was currently on the bench-press pushing a weight of 3,000 pounds. Zero-One-One was the shortest and stood at roughly 6'9" and had a Caucasian appearance to him with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes and a sharp jawline. He was busy performing overhead squats with a weight of 2,000 pounds. All three sported powerful physiques with well toned muscles.

There was an electronic aura reader in the corner of the weight room that monitored aura levels. Currently, the reader showed that their auras were deactivated, which meant they were relying on their bodies' natural abilities. There was a clock on the wall that read that it was 0650 in the morning. The three arrived at the fitness facility at 0400 and began with a gentle warm-up run of fifteen miles, which they managed to do in thirty minutes. Once that was done, they swam three miles in the pool in under twenty minutes, and after that, they underwent hand-to-hand combat training before beginning their weightlifting regimen. Once they finished, they'd go to get breakfast. This was their normal morning routine. After they ate, they moved on to another aspect of training. Whether it be Huntsman style sparring, target practice, small unit tactics within close quarters, or simply training simulations, they were always busy doing some sort of training. If they weren't out on missions, they were training.

At 0700 they finished their morning workout and proceeded to shower and change into their Wraith Infiltrator armor before going to get breakfast at the dining facility. The three sat together at a lone booth in a far-off corner, away from prying eyes as they ate their breakfast. Each of them had a small mountain of food piled on top of their trays.

"You think Lacertilia knew anything?" Asked Zero-One-One as he took a bite of his bacon.

"It'd be a shame if he didn't because that means he got to live for nothing while his subordinates died," replied Zero-Three-Seven.

Zero-Six-Nine remained silent as he ate, still listening to the conversation. Zero-One-One glanced at him before he spoke.

"Hey Melon," Zero-One-One said, "what do you think?"

Zero-Six-Nine, Melon, briefly glanced at Zero-One-One before replying.

"As Chap said, it'd be a shame that he got to live." Zero-Six-Nine proceeded to eat a spoonful of fruit before he spoke again. "Why do you ask, Doc?"

Zero-One-One, Doc, shrugged his shoulders. "Just curious is all."

"You've been getting more curious than usual," said Zero-Three-Seven, Chap, "I've seen you reading those aerospace magazines lately."

"I find them interesting," replied Doc, "but is it really that out of the norm for me, Chap?"

"I guess you have a point," replied Zero-Three-Seven, "you were always one of the more outgoing ones. Makes sense that you'd develop a hobby."

"You should try it," replied Zero-One-One. Doc looked to Zero-Six-Nine before speaking again. "You both should."

Melon looked up from his food before he replied. "I'll be sure to take that into consideration. In the meantime, I will focus on the mission."

While Guardians did not have actual names, that did not stop them from coming up with nicknames for each other during their early years in the program. It was their way of bonding with each other during the intense years of training. However, they only referred to each other by their nicknames when they were alone. Whenever they were in front of other people, they would call each other by their service numbers.

The small conversation was interrupted when their wrist-mounted communicators alerted them to a summons from General Ironwood. Without a word, the three put their helmets on and made their way out of the dining facility and to the general's office. It didn't take long before they stood before they entered the general's office. The general was seated at his desk with Dr. Haze standing next to him. The Guardians removed their helmets and held them in their left hands. The three stood at attention as Zero-Six-Nine saluted on behalf of the others.

"Sir! Guardians Zero-Six-Nine, Zero-One-One, and Zero-Three-Seven report as ordered!"

The general returned the salute. "At ease men."

The three relaxed their stances before they turned their attention to Dr. Haze.

"Good morning Doctor Haze," they said in unison.

She smiled. "Good morning," she replied, "it's always good to see my Guardians."

"Thank you, ma'am," they replied.

General Ironwood cleared his throat, grabbing their attention before he spoke.

"As you all know, the Fall Maiden, Amber, is currently in critical condition under the careful watch of Professor Ozpin from Beacon Academy. Thanks to Doctor Haze," he gestured to the chief scientist of Atlas, "we've been able to keep her alive but unfortunately, we don't know how long we can do so."

"But that's beside the point," she said.

Ironwood nodded before he spoke again. "When Qrow rescued her, he mentioned that her attackers were two human females and a human male. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a clear physical description of them, but the fact that they managed to steal half of her Maiden power is clear evidence that they are working for Salem."

The Guardians were listening intently as the general continued. He brought up a hologram containing different files and information.

"Ater a lengthy interrogation, Mr. Lacertilia revealed that three humans, who match the description Qrow provided, made contact with Adam Taurus and enlisted the White Fang's aid for a revolution of sorts in Vale with an associate's help. If Vale is involved, then that means Beacon Academy is the most probable target and it is for this reason that we need to keep a closer eye on Beacon."

"Sir, what is our mission?" Asked Zero-Three-Seven.

The general frowned. "I'm afraid that I will need the three of you to go undercover as transfer students to Beacon Academy and find Salem's pawns. The goal is to ensure that Beacon remains safe and that Salem's location is traced through her operatives."

The three looked at each other with slightly confused looks on their faces. They could handle the most dangerous missions but going to school as undercover students was something they were never trained to do.

"Sir," said Zero-One-One, "will Ozpin know about our presence at Beacon?"

"No," replied Ironwood, "you three will be nothing more than transfer students as far as he's concerned."

"Yes sir," replied Zero-One-One.

The general nodded. "Uncovering this plot is only part of your mission, however," Ironwood said as he stood up from his desk and walked to the three with a stack of files in his hands. He handed a file to each of them, and they proceeded to open their respective files and read through them. Melon's file contained a frontal face picture of a raven-haired girl with red highlights, Chap's file contained a frontal face picture of a fiery red-haired girl, and Doc's file contained a frontal face picture of a white-haired girl. The files also contained biographical information about the different females which the three read through.

Dr. Haze spoke up. "The young ladies in these files will be your other objectives. You will watch over and protect them at all costs, with your lives if necessary. Ruby Rose possesses silver eyes, Pyrrha Nikos has been chosen to be the next Fall Maiden by Ozpin himself, and Weiss Schnee is the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I'm sure you understand how important it is that these three ladies remain safe, correct?"

The three super soldiers nodded in understanding. "Yes ma'am," they replied in unison.

"Good. I've gone ahead and assigned you three cover names as well as transcripts and transfer papers," she said as she handed each of them another file.

The three opened the files and quickly skimmed the information contained within.

Name: Terre Verte

Age: 17

Height: 6'11"

Weight: 302 Lbs.

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Black

Blood type: AB-Negative

Nationality: Kingdom of Atlas

Name: Jai Gris

Age: 17

Height: 6'10.5"

Weight: 295 Lbs.

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Brown

Blood type: O-Positive

Nationality: Kingdom of Atlas

Name: Rahm Tangerin

Age: 17

Height: 6'9.6"

Weight: 290 Lbs.

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Blonde

Blood type: B-Negative

Nationality: Kingdom of Atlas

Ironwood spoke up.

"From this point forward, you will address each other by these cover names. You need to get used to these new identities."

"Yes sir," replied Zero-Six-Nine.

"Good," replied the general, "now, what are your names?"

"Terre Verte," said Zero-Six-Nine.

"Jai Gris," said Zero-Three-Seven.

"Rahm Tangerin," said Zero-One-One.

Ironwood nodded. "Good. There is one extra detail about this mission, however. In order for your integration into Beacon Academy to go without issue, you will require a fourth member to be added to your team. As you may or may not know, students at huntsmen academies are placed on four-man teams."

"Who will this fourth member be, sir?" Asked Zero-Three-Seven.

The general pressed a button on his scroll to initiate a call. "Send her in," he said.

In the time they waited for the mystery teammate to arrive, Ironwood spoke again.

"She's been briefed on the mission, but she is under the assumption that you all are protecting VIPs from White Fang extremists. She does not know about Salem and we will keep it that way. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied.

A silent passed.

"Sir," said Zero-One-One, "will anyone else, such as Special Operative Schnee, know about our presence at Beacon? I ask because her younger sister will be under our protection."

"Doctor Haze asked me the same thing," replied the general, "and the answer is yes, but Special Operative Schnee will know no more than your new teammate."

Ironwood had briefed Specialist Schnee on the mission, but he made sure to leave out the parts about Salem. Winter had been given the same information that the new teammate had been given. Ironwood kept the knowledge of Salem restricted to Doctor Haze and the Guardians. Weiss was the easiest to justify being a VIP, considering she was the heiress to the SDC and any member of the White Fang would have jumped at the chance to either kill or kidnap her. Pyrrha and Ruby, however, were a bit more difficult. Pyrrha's protection was justified on the basis that she was a popular celebrity in Mistral, while Ruby's was justified on the grounds that her involvement in breaking up the Dust robbery would paint a target on her back. There were certainly a few unwanted questions from Specialist Schnee, but the general managed to either evade them or simply reply with the tried and true 'because I said so.'

"She already has her transcripts and transfer papers. She does not know you three beyond your assigned cover names. She is not to learn anything about Project Guardian. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied.

Dr. Haze spoke next. "In contrast to the three of you, she's a very outgoing individual. She will ask you questions obviously but-"

Jai spoke up. "We're to answer with what isn't classified or whatever cover story we can think of."

"Exactly," replied Dr. Haze.

The general retrieved another file and handed it to Zero-Six-Nine who immediately began to read through it. The file read 'Top Secret: Ghost Protocol.' The Bad Batch's leader looked from the file to the general before he handed the file to Rahm.

"This mission requires a great deal of flexibility," said the general, "you three need to be able to disappear in a moment's notice. I have several cover stories prepared to ensure it goes smoothly."

"Understood sir," replied Terre.

Rahm had since finished and handed the file to Jai who quickly read through it as well.

No more than a minute later did a somewhat short red-haired girl wearing a skirt walk in. She smiled and had an energy about her that radiated positivity. "Salutations!" She yelled with excitement.

A solemn expression from all three was all that was said. It didn't seem like the silence registered to her, though.

"Meet Penny Polendina, your new teammate. She is the first-ever synthetic human with a fully functioning aura created by Doctor Pietro Polendina," Ironwood gestured towards the cheery girl. "Penny, meet Terre Verte, Rahm Tangerin, and Jai Gris," he said as he gestured to each of the Guardians.

The red-haired bundle of positive energy skipped over to the three Guardians and shook each of their hands. "It is a pleasure to work with each of you. I hope that we will become friends!"

The three were taken aback by the robotic girl's energy and politeness. While Terre and Jai were still a bit confused as to what was going on, Rahm responded in kind.

"We look forward to working with you, Ms. Polendina." The robotic girl's smile grew wider, and she jumped up and hugged the armored giant. Rahm awkwardly hugged the girl back so as to not offend.

Terre and Jai both cocked their eyebrows in slight confusion. They bent forward in observation of Rahm's awkward display.

"It's good to see that you're all getting along so well," Dr. Haze said with a smile and a slight laugh.

"I cannot stress enough that this assignment must remain secret and that you are not to blow your cover," said Ironwood. "No one is to find out that Penny is an artificial human. The four of you will tone down your skills and abilities so as to not draw attention to yourselves. Furthermore, you are to protect Penny with your lives."

The general paused for a moment to make sure that they were listening carefully before he continued.

"You will arrive at Beacon approximately thirty days from now. I understand that the four of you have very little experience with interacting with others, and so Dr. Haze has arranged that you all attend mandatory training to help you interact with people your age to better help with this undercover assignment. During this time, the four of you will train together in order to give Penny time to integrate herself among you," he said before taking a momentary pause.

"Men," he said, "first thing tomorrow you will return your Wraith suits to the armory. You will not be able to have your suits with you at Beacon. Once this assignment is complete your suits will be returned to you. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied.

"Another thing," he said. "You four will be given two tests before you're sent to Beacon. We need to make sure that you four can operate as a team. Is that clear?"

"Crystal!" They replied.

"Excellent. Then you are all dismissed; please feel free to take the rest of the day off."

The Bad Batch and Penny saluted the general. The three super soldiers put their helmets back on and exiting the general's office with Penny following right behind them. Once they were gone, Dr. Haze spoke.

"You really think this will work?"

James sighed. "It has to."

Penny followed her new teammates down the hallway, skipping about happily, keeping up with their long strides. The three super soldiers eyed her out of curiosity, Rahm being the only one to speak up.

"Are you alright, Ms. Polendina?"

Penny skipped ahead and turned on her heel to stop right in front of them. Her short height was further exacerbated by their tall heights.

"My friends call me Penny and since we are teammates, I consider you three my friends."

Though they had their helmets on, it was clear by the glances they shot each other that they were slightly taken aback by Penny's words. They had never been on a first-name basis with anyone, and so this was a drastically new experience for them. Rahm merely nodded while Jai and Terre still looked a bit apprehensive.

"I'm sorry Penny. We're not used to interacting with others is all. We're not on a first-name basis with anyone really."

Penny smiled.

"It's okay Rahm," Penny moved to the side so that her teammates could continue walking. She resumed her skipping alongside them.

"Out of curiosity, where are we going?" She had been following them ever since they finished speaking to the general.

Rahm was the one who answered her.

"We're on our way to the target range."

Penny jumped up in joy. "That sounds like it will be quite pleasant," she said as they continued on towards their destination.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tune in next week for the next one. Please remember to review. Thank you!