Chapter 38: Project Colossus

AN: Here we are. The final six chapters of Volume One. And honestly… I am super nervous about how this chapter goes. This can go real bad real quick, and I really hope I write this well enough that you guys like it.

In fact, I think I'm going to stop talking now and get to the chapter. Actual author's note is at the end.

(Perspective: Kassidy)

Glynda blew a sharp whistle and brought the duel to a close. "And I'm going to need to pull you out of the fight before any real injury occurs, Ms. Smith. Still, though, your swordplay has measurably improved, and you managed to bring Mr. Bronzewing's aura down to 53. I'd advise working on your footwork, and your guard."

The first day of June smiled brightly on Kassidy Smith. After getting the go-ahead to start using the training weapons in Combat Training class, being able to beat up one of the CRDL meatheads was just the latest of a series of fortunate events, even if she lost yet again. She'd never admit it, but that weekend of forced relaxation actually did wonders for her mood. Her insomnia was brought back under control, her grades shot back up just in time to ace a couple tests, her extra training with Weiss was going splendidly, and the whole team even earned a tidy sum of 2500 Lien each for exterminating the Hunter-Killers.

Her schoolwork wasn't all that was looking up. Ruby finally stopped pestering her to socialize more; sure, the brunette was still a pain from time to time, but at least it was reasonable now. Weiss was far more open to her, in fact the two girls had mostly stopped arguing even. Debates, on the other hand… well, those are quickly becoming my new favorite pastime. Helps that Weiss is such an excellent debate opponent. Almost makes me feel bad when I use Bob to, ahem, enhance my knowledge on a subject. And then there was Yang, the blonde brawler that had finally seemed to find a pleasant middle ground of helping where she could without drawing unnecessary attention. Hell, even that damn rumor has seemed to have run its course. Relations with JNPR go well, with Nora no longer glaring at her whenever she could, and Bob even saw a multitude of program updates head his way.

Thursday meant Algebra, and Algebra meant she could literally sleep through the class and still get everything right. However, this time she wasn't sleeping. Hunched over Bob and typing furiously, she almost missed Yang leaning over. As per usual, Yang was probably bored out of her skull. Kassidy couldn't blame her, obviously; this professor did a terrible job of teaching the subject.

"So, what're you up to nerd?"

"Again, geek. And you remember that encrypted hard drive that I got talking with Ozpin about after our first training mission?"

"That was the one you said, how did you put it? 'Came from a German mad scientist', I think? Yeah, what about it?"

"Bob finally got around to taking a crack at it, and holy shit did the guy spare no expense in keeping whatever was in this thing locked up. Figured I'd help out where I could since we're in the worthless class on our schedule. Been a while since I've had to dabble in cryptography, nice to flex those muscles again."

"Ugh, if you like your computer so much, why don't you marry it?"

"Jealous, Xiao Long?" It took most of Kassidy's self-control to not bust up laughing at Yang's sputtering. Finally, a way I can tease Yang back. Well, other than her obsession with her hair, of course.

"Not funny, partner."

"Actually, getting serious again, you know what's not funny? This kind of encryption." As Yang silently asked the obvious question, Kassidy explained herself. "I know Bob's kinda famous for basically ignoring your guys' security systems, but that's not unique to Remnant. Back home, he was the best computer by a lot, too. Do you have any idea when was the last time it took him more than five minutes to crack any system?"

"Probably been a while."

Kassidy shook her head. "It hasn't happened before. And yet, Bob's a couple hours into this and he's barely made a dent in the thing. Which has got me wondering what the hell's in it that's worth this kind of protection. You get what I'm saying?"

"Ms. Smith, since you're obviously too smart for this class, surely you can give me the inverse of this function." Kassidy looked up from her work and gave the problem on the board exactly five seconds of thought before blurting out the answer. The professor huffed and grumbled after failing to catch her off guard yet again. If this is life now, then this is something I can get used to.

As the final class of the day ended, there was an unusual buzz in the air as everyone rushed to the auditorium. As Team Rookie made their way to the building in question, Ruby was the first to ask the obvious question. "What do you think Headmaster Ozpin's announcement is going to be about?"

"I think I heard earlier that the school recently got a new piece of technology to augment its training program. Not sure what, but it's obviously pretty big if the channels I keep up with in my father's company are talking about it." Weiss flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued to walk in the perfect image of poise and properness. At this point, the four girls had entered the auditorium and speculation was brought to an end. It didn't take long for Ozpin to take the microphone and begin his announcement.

"I will keep this brief. As we come upon the last month of your first semester at this school, all of you have made strides towards honing your craft and acquiring new skills. You have made friends, battled Grimm, and begun working with your team as one cohesive unit. In short, your education at Beacon Academy has begun splendidly. However, not all aspects of being a Huntsman can be learned from a textbook or from clashing with Grimm in the wilds outside this school. A true Huntsman must be able to fight not just the monsters outside, which threaten to tear down and consume our bodies, but also the monsters inside, which threaten to tear down and consume our very souls.

"As part of your Combat Training course, you will learn how to fight the monsters on the inside. Normally, starting tomorrow, specialized one-on-one sessions would begin to ensure this part of your education runs smoothly. However, I am pleased to announce that, thanks to the hardworking people at Atlas and the Schnee Dust Company, in addition to recent breakthroughs in computing technology, Beacon Academy has as of today been outfitted with a state of the art simulation room.

"This simulation room is capable of building artificial environments as realistic as any you may come across on Remnant, and can create nearly anything we can program into it. While in the future, it will be used to assist in training students in real-world scenarios, starting tomorrow you will each individually enter a fantasy world of our choosing. From our analyses and judgements based on your performance these past three months, we will make you face that which you fear most.

"Make no mistake: this is not a trivial lesson. Every Huntsman must be able to silence the monsters inside them if they are to successfully defend society from the monsters on the outside. We will not take this lesson lightly; I suggest you do not either. Be prepared. That is all."

Everyone filed out of the auditorium, and RWKY made their way back to the dorm. JNPR decided to join them, and rather than get ready for extra practice the four girls decided to lounge around with friends for the remainder of the time before dinner. A tense silence descended upon the eight before Kassidy decided to broach the obvious topic. "Alright, so it's pretty obvious what's on all our minds now. How're we feeling about tomorrow?"

Weiss curtly answered, "I'm a Schnee. I can handle anything they can throw at me."

Yang was just as confident in her reply. "I'm pretty sure I already know what they're gonna have me see. I'm not too worried. Rubes I'm a bit concerned for, though."

"I'll be fine, Yang. Promise." Ruby gave a small smile, and Kassidy glanced around the room at their guests. Ren and Nora were busy exchanging silent, worried looks. Pretty sure that they know what they're about to see. Pretty sure the other's gonna be playing a lead role in it, too.

"Well, I mean, I'm a pretty simple guy. There's a lot I'm scared about, that's just me. But nothing truly life-shattering they can really draw from, you know?" Jaune put on his best fake smile to try and inject some confidence back into the room.

"Whatever gets thrown at us over these coming days, I'm sure we'll all be capable of dealing with it." Pyrrha seemed a little unsure herself, but still put on a brave face for the sake of her friends.

"How about you, K?" Kassidy looked up to see Yang looking at her with concern. "You think you'll hold up alright?"

"There's nothing Ozpin can do to me that's worse than what I've already been through, guaranteed." The next half hour flew by as the teens talked about classes, the new arrivals visiting from the other academies, and the upcoming festival. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm feeling pretty fucking good about life. Ozpin has no idea how to really go about scaring me. Head in, pass his little test, then we're on the home stretch to final exams.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I've just managed to break the encryption on that hard drive, Kassidy."

"Three and a half hours? Holy crap that took forever. Alright, pull it up and let's see what was worth that kind of protection."

"Analyzing… um. Um. My god…"

That reaction was somewhat concerning. "Talk to me, Bob. What're we looking at?"

"This shouldn't be possible…"

"What shouldn't be possible?"

"Establishing group call with Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, and Doctor Narud."

"Wait, what? Why are you calling them?" Jaune's question put the new mood in the room perfectly into words.

Ozpin's voice rang clear. "Kassidy, this is unexpected. May I ask why you deigned to call all three of us?"

"Headmaster Ozpin, this is Bob. Remember that encrypted hard drive from a few months back that was our best lead into the situation with Kassidy's Aura?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Am I to understand that you've decrypted it?"

"I have, and… well… how quickly can the three of you join Kassidy in a meeting?"

"I happen to have Glynda with me right now, actually. Are you able to join us, Doctor Narud?"

"Yeah, you caught me at a good time."

"Excellent. Bob, does you and Kassidy meeting us as soon as you can sound agreeable?"

"Yes it does. I'd rather not say more over a Scroll connection… but you need to see this. All of you. That means you too, Kassidy."

"Any reason you set up a meeting as opposed to just telling me?"

Glynda sounded over the call. "Wait, you mean to tell me Kassidy had you set up a meeting she didn't even know was going to happen?"

"No, I set it up for her. I'll make sure Kassidy is up shortly." Terminating the call, Bob whirred as his processors hit overdrive. "I promise, I'll reveal all. But let's not keep the professors waiting."

"Ah, glad you could join us, Kassidy. Now, Bob, for what purpose did you request that we gather here?"

"Before I show you what I'm about to show you, I want to make it clear that Kassidy has seen none of this beforehand, nor did she know about it. Also, I'm cherry-picking the information that's relevant to us as a whole; there's obviously far more in the hard drive than what I am about to show you."

"Gotta admit, Bob, you're freaking me out a bit with all this secrecy." Kassidy fidgeted in her seat.

"I'm sure we'll do our best to keep that in mind. Now, shall we begin?"

"Of course. Kassidy, would you be so kind as to plug in the projector I had you bring up?" After a few moments of playing around with the device and pointing it at one of the walls, Bob spoke up again. "Beginning video file playback."

The scene displayed upon the wall was reminiscent of a science laboratory. The camera was focused on one man: hair graying from age and splayed out in all directions, a lab coat and pair of spectacles the only visible parts of his attire.

"No…" Kassidy's whisper at the sight of the man drew some raised eyebrows, but she didn't care. This was him.

"Alright, let's get things started. This is lead genetic engineer Klaus Schmidt, working on assignment for DARPA. This video report and all subsequent reports are classified above top secret. If you're watching this, you're fired."

"That seems to be a rather extreme level of discretion," Glynda remarked dryly.

Ozpin replied with a hum. "Indeed. This does bode for interesting viewing."

The video message played on. "Now that the regulated warning is dealt with, allow me to proceed with the briefing. This is video report one for Special Weapons Project 31187, designated 'Project Colossus'. There are many reasons one might say Project Colossus was set up. Those reasons might range from a simple super-soldier project to applications of weaponizing genetic research. However, I like to put it in a broader, more awe-inspiring fashion: what are the limits of the human body? If we were to look billions of years into the future and look at our offspring, at the apex of the evolutionary process, what would they be capable of? While some might call Project Colossus a look into weaponized humans, I prefer to look at it as a look into 'unlocked' humans: people who have had the potential in their genes, their biology, and their chemistry unlocked and stand at the pinnacle of human physiology."

"This shouldn't be possible." Three pairs of eyes turned to Kassidy at her bold claim. "I mean, don't get me wrong, we had some pretty fancy toys, but genetic engineering at that kind of scale… it just didn't exist."

"Evidently it did," Narud said plainly.

"After billions being sunk into the program by our generous and wholly mysterious benefactor, Project Colossus has developed two working models… oh dear lord how I hate that. Do I seriously have to keep referring to them as 'working models'? No? Great." Recomposing himself, Schmidt tried again. "This series of reports focuses on Special Weapons Project 31187 Model 2, hereafter referred to as 'Kassidy Smith'."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that filled the room. Slowly, all heads in the room turned to the person in question, pale as a sheet and trembling. "I-I-Impossible. N-N-Not possible…"

"At the time of this initial report, Kassidy Smith is twenty nine days of age, and already bears significant fruits. Not even a month old, and she is fluent in a basic vocabulary. She can count to five and understand and obey the most simplistic of verbal commands. In addition, she has begun to put especial effort towards gaining control over her motor functions."

"Quite the resume for a child that would have only been a week or two out of the hospital." Ozpin's offhanded remark did little to ease the atmosphere. Suddenly, the video disappeared and got replaced by a different clip.

"… This is video report seventeen for Special Weapons Project 31187 Model 2. Firstly, I'd like to express my concerns about the father. He believes that he's been dropping her off at a daycare, though I'm afraid he's developing some suspicions that are probably fed by errant comments from his daughter."

An offscreen voice interrupted him. "'Errant comments from his daughter'? I thought you ensured that Model 2 would have no recollection of her sessions with you."

Klaus sighed. "Firstly, I did not ensure that she wouldn't have recollection, I ensured that I would do my best to allay suspicions. Secondly, you know as well as I do that sensory and memory manipulation are technologies still in their infancy. And even as young as Kassidy is, we're still dealing with one of the most powerful minds in human history. I'm sorry, two of the most powerful minds of human history."

The offscreen voice interrupted again. "Did you just suggest that Model 2 has two brains?"

"Her name is Kassidy, and I did not suggest it. I outright said it. Now, if you would allow me to continue on with my briefing, that was actually the subject of today's report. Ahem, anyway, Kassidy turned six months old today and continues to display an intelligence beyond extraordinary. She flawlessly recalled today's date – December 31, 2023 – and has mastered addition and subtraction up to and including two digit numbers. Her vocabulary is approaching fifth-grade level, and while her physical development lags far behind Model 1 it is still on par with others her age. I have come to the conclusion that her intelligence is a side-effect of one of her augmentations. Before I begin, I would like to reiterate for the benefit of those watching that the primary purpose of Kassidy's augmentations were to push the boundaries of human mortality."

"Explains why I'm so damn hard to kill, I guess."

"Quite. Like I said, you've taught me more about human biochemistry than all my studies on the subject. You're a veritable treasure trove of information on the subject. It's almost a shame that common morality and decency forbids me from using you as a surgical playground." At her incredulous glance, Narud reaffirmed, "I said almost a shame. I still have principles, after all."

The report continued. "The augmentation in question left Kassidy's spinal cord with a nerve cell density more than triple that of the average human's. So many nerve cells, in fact, that her spine is capable of functioning as its own sentience. With the human brain such a vulnerable organ, one of the first priorities of this project was to make it less of a vulnerability, and a backup organ was the obvious solution. In this way, Kassidy – and any future models with this augmentation – no longer require an intact brain for continued existence, and in theory might even be able to survive outright decapitation. The side effect I was speaking of earlier is that her body has figured out how to leverage both intelligences to simultaneously process information. This is where I believe her vastly increased intellect comes from."

As the video skipped forward again, Glynda had a moment to voice her opinion on the matter. "Is this even real?"

"I do believe it is, unfortunately." Bob resumed playback after his answer.

"… This is video report twenty three for Special Weapons Project 31187 Model 2. The subject of tonight's report concerns Kassidy Smith's biochemical defenses. By modifying the appropriate genetic sequences, we have effectively replaced Kassidy's immune system with a more… aggressive variety. Her phagocytes react negatively to any and all foreign substances, isolating and destroying anything not specially marked with a unique marker protein with extreme prejudice.

"Today's sessions were spent analyzing the effectiveness of her modified immune system, and the results are incredible. Her cells destroyed everything from smallpox to curare to some other, more exotic poisons. In light of keeping this brief, Kassidy Smith is resilient to both disease and toxins. However, an unanticipated side effect is that her cells also attack and destroy foreign chemicals as well, without prejudice. The same system that protects her from poison also prevents any sort of sedative or painkiller from functioning, and severely hampers medication of any kind. If she were to contract an illness or poison, then there would be nothing we could do to save her."

Ozpin furrowed his brow in thought. "That seems to be less beneficial than he's making it out to be."

"Good thing the last time I got sick was when I was three, then."

Another skip, another video. "… This is video report thirty for Special Weapons Project 31187 Model 2. Today was Kassidy's first birthday. So, of course, I was ordered… to determine the effectiveness of the most complex of her augmentations: cellular regeneration. On the record, it's this kind of shit that's making me start to lose my patience with the program. Cutting up little girls on their birthday was not what I signed up for."

The same offscreen voice from earlier spoke up again. "You signed up to augment a pair of human embryos and determine the effectiveness of said augmentations. This was included in that job description."

"Don't lecture me on duty, General! Ahem, anyways, the way Kassidy's regeneration works is not wholly understood, but in a word: cancer. We gave the girl cancer."

"That can't be right. There hasn't been the slightest hint of a tumor in your body from what I can tell." Narud frowned at this insight.

"He's not talking about actually giving me cancer. I think I actually know where he's coming from with this."

"It's amazing what stem cells are capable of, and I'm truly thankful that research into them was resumed. After modifying Kassidy's yellow bone marrow to produce stem cells instead of store fat, well… we're not really sure exactly what happens. What we do know is that when Kassidy suffers an injury, once her body stores enough energy it will begin producing stem cells at an alarming rate. The cells are ferried to the location of the injury, where they attach and begin replicating out of control, similar to how cancer behaves. However, unlike cancer, we've figured out a way to prevent the cells from replicating when the original structure is replaced."

The offscreen voice seemed annoyed this time. "You're trying to tell me that Kassidy's most complex augmentation, the one that cost us nearly a billion dollars in research individually, allows her to heal faster from a papercut?"

"Of course not. Injuries that take weeks to heal instead take days. Broken bones are fused together. Muscles knit into their original structure. Hell, the stem cells are even capable of replacing whole organs or repairing brain damage."

Nobody dared say anything as the video clips switched again. "… This is video report eighty nine for Special Weapons Project 31187 Model 2. This is also the final video report for Kassidy Smith. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, our funding has been cut and our project shut down. I'm a bit torn on this, actually. On the one hand, the opportunity to continue my research has likely now disappeared forever. On the other, the things we did to the poor girl… but I digress. A small team is being set up by the CIA to observe her discreetly as we speak.

"As a final note, rumors of difficulties regarding the augmentation process have been circulating. Allow me to confirm those rumors. While simple genetic manipulation was possible, the amount needed to yield Kassidy's augmentations were mysteriously being rejected. After a lengthy bit of research, there was some… I don't even know how to describe it other than 'unknown force'. One particularly green scientist had the gall to call it her soul. Either way, it prevented us from modifying her DNA past a certain extent. Long story short, an incredibly precise dose of a particular poison, one which could bypass her defenses and was just shy of killing her, eliminated this unknown force preventing the augmentations. Details are provided. This is Klaus Schmidt, signing off."

As Bob turned off the projector, silence reigned for a good few minutes. Eventually, Ozpin cleared his throat. "Well, I do believe we've found the cause of the damage to Kassidy's soul. Doctor Narud, you said you needed to know the cause of the damage to fix it. Was that enough?"

"It depends. Bob, can you send the specifics to my Scroll?" Narud rifled through the data for a short time, before furrowing his brow. "This is an incredibly complex and intricate process they used, a far cry from the 'inject with poison and hope for the best' method they hinted at. Still… I am the best in my field for a reason. It will take me a while, but I'm sure I'll be able to come up with a remedy."

Glynda, however, was focused on something else. "Kassidy, are you alright?"

Kassidy was barely able to breathe. In twenty minutes, her life went from the best it had been in years, to crashing down around her. Eventually, she let out a sigh and spoke painfully. "I'm a goddamn science experiment. A biological weapon grown in a test tube to satisfy some bureaucrat's curiosity…" The three adults exchanged worried glances, but said nothing. "Well, I guess now I know what you guys are gonna make me see in the simulator."

"Miss Smith." Ozpin's tone managed to grab her attention. "I want you to know this in no way makes us think less of you. You obviously have a lot to consider. If you need to talk to any of us, do not hesitate to let us know. Even if you don't, I strongly advise talking with your team. Our friends are often those best able to help us deal with situations such as these. Take the evening off, take time to examine yourself, and draw strength from the connections you have forged."

Kassidy nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I need to… take care of a few things." After being dismissed, she stepped into the elevator and began the long ride down. I'm a monster. And not just the monster circumstances made me to be. I'm an actual goddamn freak of nature grown in a beaker.

They can't know.

Kassidy opened another bottle and watched the night sky. The combination of five beers and the beautiful scenery was the only thing that could even attempt to calm her nerves. She had long ago lost track of how long she had been on the roof of the dorm building.

"This again? Really, partner?" Yang plopped down beside her and yanked the bottle out of her hands. Kassidy made a move to get it back, but gave up after a few failed attempts. "What's up this time?"

"What if… what if everything you thought your life was, was a lie?"

Yang blinked at the horribly slurred words before finally processing them. "I dunno. Where's this coming from? You thinking your life's a lie now?"

Kassidy tried to scoff, but it wound up as a hiccup instead. "I already knew my life was a lie. But I just found out that lie was in itself a lie. A lie within a lie."

"And where does that leave you?"

"Fucked."

Yang sighed, before suddenly pulling her into a hug. "I don't know what you're going through, or even if you can understand everything I'm saying at this point. But we've got your back. I've got your back. You're not alone, K. You're not alone."

Through a drunken stupor, all of Kassidy's inhibitions failed as she decided 'screw it' and started bawling into Yang's shoulder. Losing track of reality, Kassidy cried herself into an alcohol-induced slumber.

This is one thing you're wrong on, partner. For this, I've got to be alone. I've always got to be alone…

AN 2: Holy shit. What's up with me insisting on long chapters lately?

Anyways, I think I've already mentioned how nervous I am about this chapter, seeing as I'm considering this a real "sink or swim" chapter for the story. I'm a quivering wreck writing this author's note right now, and believe me when I say this is going to get at least a dozen revisions before I put it out. Good thing I got it written a couple weeks before it actually gets published.

So, shit got real. I finally gave some firm definitions as to what exactly is up with Kassidy, and what she can and can't do. Obviously, this revelation left her a complete wreck, and on the day before the big "face your demons" test too! Don't go just yet, things are about to get wild.

On a final note, congrats to GramVeyZahkrii for being the 100th follower of the story. For such an auspicious occasion, I bequeath… a boot to the head. And another for Jenny and the wimp.

Coming up next: Matthew revealed.

Well, after some Reader Responses, that is.

Akshka: Done and done.

AgentDraakis: Please, don't feel the need to apologize to me. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so much. I see a distinct possibility of Kassidy becoming friends with Penny. Bob getting a permanent body? Haven't decided yet, but if it does happen that is a LONG way away. As for Blake… spoilers. Sent you a PM about your question.

James: Yeah, sorry about that. Wrote the first half or so of the story watching along with V1E15 to make sure I got all the lines right, guess I didn't even consider that most people wouldn't automatically recall the episode to remember who's saying what. There won't be a repeat of that, I promise. And yes, Blake does play a more important role later on.

FloriteFlower: Oh boy, I definitely don't want to be responsible for a spontaneous combustion. All four seasons? Ehhhhhhhh. I'm definitely doing through Season 3. I suppose whenever we reach the end it all comes down to whether or not you guys can talk me into going past that.

winddemon199: I can understand that viewpoint, and I honestly didn't even think about the whole OC instead of Russel deal. I'd still like to think I made the right call in regards to that specifically, but I'll consider myself duly warned and I'll put more thought into future chapters. Thanks for the feedback.