OK FIRST OFF: Sorry about the misfired update for chapter 11; my dumbass posted the draft version instead of the final version. Sorry for the blank updates that happened over the last few days. I had several issues formatting this chapter on for some reason. On top of that, I was cleaning up some of the previous chapters and I accidentally deleted one and replaced content with another and so I had to put it back up and well you know the rest. Please forgive the batshit craziness you've experienced for the last few days.
Shit has been getting insane at work lol. So updates every 2-3 weeks will be the norm for the foreseeable future. Worst case scenario it will be once a month. Once again please share your thoughts in the reviews and don't forget to vote for your favorite OC on the poll. I am still looking for a beta reader to help catch mistakes prior to posting so please let me know if you are interested. Without further delay, here is chapter 11! Enjoy!
2250 Hours:
The Bad Batch were huddled around a table in the cargo hold of a Manta dropship. Aside from the two pilots up front, they were the only ones on board. On the table, there was a holographic display of a mountain with numerous tunnels and caves.
"I'll secure this entry point here on the western side," Terre pointed to one of the many entrances. "Jai, you will take this entry here on the northern side and Rahm you'll take this one on the southern end." He looked at their newest member. "Penny," he said, earning her undivided attention, "you will take this point on the eastern end."
Penny could hardly contain her excitement. She was eager to make her teammates proud. The plan was relatively simple. Since the rebels had entrenched themselves in a labyrinth of caves and tunnels, they would need to split up to increase their chances of finding Ibis.
"Once we're over the mountain at a sufficient altitude we'll execute a high-altitude insertion. Stay hidden and do not engage until I have given the green light. Understood?"
Rahm, Jai, and Penny merely nodded in response.
"Good," replied Terre.
Ibis Hill scratched at the greying stubble on his face as he let out a tired sigh. The bags under his eyes were clear evidence that the man was fatigued. The former Atlesian military officer was sitting on a cot in his poorly lit quarters. The candles were the only source of light in the room, the shadows they produced danced around the cave walls. This room was one of many within the mine's labyrinth of caves. Ibis' decision to set up their base of operations in an abandoned SDC mine was because of the vast network of caves and tunnels that made it painfully difficult for anyone to track. The living conditions were far from great, but they were adequate for former military members. In his hands, there was a slightly worn photo of what appeared to be a younger-looking Ibis. In this photo, he wore an Atlas military uniform and looked much more energetic and livelier. His left arm was wrapped around the waist of a beautiful woman with long raven hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and a beauty mark underneath her right eye as well as another one on the side of her mouth. She was dressed in a blue summer dress and black heels. In his right arm, there was a little girl with blonde hair and violet eyes similar to his. The girl rested in her father's arm as she clung to his uniform. The little girl looked no older than six and she wore a blue dress like her mother's. Ibis fought back the urge to shed tears as he tenderly held the photo.
"Melanie," he said to himself softly, "not a day goes by when I don't think of you. Our little Robyn's all grown up. I wish you could see the woman she's become. She didn't make the mistake I made in joining the military after graduating from Atlas Academy. She's out there helping people and making a difference in the community."
Ibis momentarily paused as he lowered his head in shame.
"I wish I could have been like Robyn when I was younger; I was too blind to see how corrupt our kingdom was. I sacrificed so much for a kingdom that far too often neglected the people of Mantle."
Ibis let out another tired sigh.
"I miss you so much, Melanie. If anyone could help bridge the gap between Robyn and me, it'd be you."
He hadn't spoken directly to Robyn in a long time. The aging man longed for the days when he and his daughter were close. During her teenage years, Robyn became more and more rebellious. She saw her father as nothing more than a tool for the powerful elite. She enrolled in Deimos Academy, located in Mantle, with the intent of gaining admittance to Atlas Academy so that she could become a Huntress. She had no aspirations of joining the military. She refused to be under the authority of General James Ironwood for longer than she had to.
Ibis repeatedly tried to reason with his daughter. He tried to show her how she was misguided, but it only drove her further away from him. By the time she left to attend Atlas Academy, she had stopped talking to him altogether.
The only reason she chose to attend Atlas over Beacon, Haven, or Shade was that she did not want to be far from her sickly mother. Melanie was diagnosed with Leukemia when Robyn was twelve. Originally, the doctors deemed that she had only a few years, but Melanie was a fighter and she fought on for another ten years before she finally succumbed to the disease. Ibis and Robyn had been briefly reunited at Melanie's funeral, but the reunion was short. Neither of them felt comfortable around each other any longer. It wasn't until Ibis finally realized that his daughter was right about the system and right about Ironwood that he resigned his commission five years ago.
When she learned that he had quit and wanted to help with her activist efforts she was caught by complete surprise. The three years that followed were happy ones. They led humanitarian efforts to redistribute food and supplies to the sections of Mantle that needed them the most and led peaceful protests against the government. Things between them seemed to return to normal for a time, but it didn't last. Ibis had grown impatient and sought immediate results. The last time he talked to her face to face was two years ago. She deemed his proposed methods of freeing Atlas and Mantle from corruption as too extreme. He was back to square one all over again with his daughter, but he had hope that one day he could reconnect with his little girl. Despite the fact she was in her late twenties, to him she would always be his little girl.
Ibis put the photo aside.
Unfortunately, reconnecting with his daughter would have to wait. He needed to stay the course. Atlas and Mantle wouldn't free themselves from a corrupt council and a man who wielded far too much power by having two seats on the council. Ibis was tired, however. Even he needed his rest. Ibis readjusted himself on the cot before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
A pair of sentries stood watch outside one of the many entrances to the mine's tunnel complex. They were garbed in heavy winter gear and wore black helmets that obscured most of their faces. The weather around them had taken a turn for the worse. The blizzard, combined with the night sky, restricted visibility to no more than a few feet.
"Can you believe this weather?!" Yelled one of the sentries to his partner. He could barely make out his form amid the blizzard.
"Yeah, it's insane! I haven't seen weather like this since-"
"Since what?!" He yelled back, awaiting his partner's answer.
The blizzard had reduced his visibility almost entirely. He couldn't see his partner any longer.
"Coal?! You there?!"
No response.
He slowly moved in the direction towards where his partner last stood, completely unaware of the towering figure behind him.
The sentry moved to speak but found himself unable to as a blade forced its way into his neck. Within a moment he began to choke up blood. The sentry flailed about as he struggled to free himself, but his strength quickly left him as his arms fell limply to his sides. The sentry's body was tossed away as if it weighed nothing. The figure stepped into view to reveal a giant clad in advanced green armor with the white numbers 069 in plain view. A blood-soaked knuckle plate blade retracted back into the armor.
"Bad Batch," Terre said through his helmet's communication system, "I'm in position. Move in!"
"Copy," replied Rahm and Jai nearly simultaneously.
"Understood Terre!" Came the lively voice of Penny.
With Terre's signal to proceed, Rahm decloaked himself. Faster than the sentries could perceive, Rahm retrieved his polearm and drove it straight through an unfortunate soul, killing him instantly.
The group of sentries he was standing among jumped in surprise.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The sentries pointed their weapons at Rahm as he retrieved the polearm from the corpse before bringing it back to an offensive position.
"Surrender now! You're outnumbered!" Yelled one of the sentries.
Rahm merely observed them curiously for a moment before he moved faster than they could follow. The screams that followed echoed throughout the mines' tunnels.
Penny's swords danced about her as they deflected the incoming rounds. Penny darted forward and drove through the rebel soldiers. Penny punched a rebel soldier in the sternum, sending him crashing through the opposite side of the mine, shattering his aura. Penny's swords extended out towards a rebel soldier who was aiming at her with a rocket-propelled explosive. The rebel was unprepared for the incoming swords and found herself being assaulted by a flurry of precise strikes. Luckily her aura was engaged, otherwise, she would have been mulch. With a final swing the rebel's aura was shattered and was sent tumbling down the ladder she was on. Penny's swords returned to her as she surveyed her handiwork. The rebels before her were all incapacitated.
"Penny here," she spoke through the comm channel, "everything is under control on my end. I am proceeding further into the caves."
"Roger that," came the voice of Rahm.
Penny took off in a run down one of the many caves within the mine.
A frantic knock at the makeshift door to his quarters woke Ibis from his slumber.
"What is it?" He asked in a tired voice.
A dark-skinned man of medium height with black hair and green eyes rushed in. He was dressed in green military fatigues and black boots and was armed with what appeared to be a battle-ax that was slung over his back.
"What is it, Moss?"
"Sir," replied the man known as Moss, "the base has been compromised! They've found us!"
"What?! How many are there?"
"We're not sure sir. The comms we've received only describe what appears to be a young girl who can seemingly control swords with her mind. What are your orders?"
Ibis took a moment to think of the proper course of action. There was no way there was only one person. There had to be more. Ibis knew Ironwood would never send in only one individual to handle a mission. He always had reinforcements at the ready. If that was the case, then that meant all the exits were most likely secured. It was a trap. It had to be.
"We'll lure them deeper into the mine. We'll funnel them into the chokepoints and pick them off from there."
"Yes sir!"
Moss quickly turned and took off in a run to inform the troops of their commander's decision. Ibis, meanwhile, rushed to get his gear. He never expected Ironwood to find him this quick. The general most likely planted a mole in his forces. There was no other way he could have found him this fast. All Ibis knew for a fact was that this night would end one of two ways. Either he and his men would live to fight another day, or the Free Reformation would die here. He'd be damned if he let Ironwood's forces take him as a prisoner. He'd rather die on his feet than rot in one of Ironwood's cells.
Ibis was now fully dressed. As he rushed over to his weapon, which appeared to be a bow and arrow, the sound of gunfire could be heard nearby. Moss's pained grunts were the last thing Ibis heard before the wooden door to his quarters exploded in a multitude of shards. Luckily Ibis had his aura activated, otherwise, his body would have been littered with wooden shards. Ibis looked on as a young girl walked in. Several swords emerged from behind her and were soon pointed at him. From where he was standing to where she stood the distance was roughly twenty-five feet.
"Ibis Hill," she said from across the makeshift room, "pursuant to Atlesian code 18, section 2381, you are hereby under arrest for treason against Atlas. Surrender yourself and no harm will come to you."
Ibis said nothing. He merely regarded her for a moment, carefully analyzing her.
"Is it safe to assume that you are not alone?"
"That is correct. My teammates will be here shortly."
"I see," he replied, "tell me something. What is your name?"
"I know you are stalling for time, Mr. Hill, but seeing as how you have nowhere to go, I will answer your question. My name is Penny Polendina."
"Penny…Polendina…" he said to himself as if he were in deep thought, "I knew your name sounded familiar. About a year after I resigned my commission, General Ironwood issued a challenge to the greatest minds in Atlas to innovate a breakthrough in defense technology. I heard from my sources that Dr. Polendina's design won the challenge. He dubbed it the 'Penny Project' if I remember correctly. I take it that you are his creation?"
Penny's silence only confirmed his suspicions.
"It's honestly sad."
"What is?" She asked.
"The fact that your father continues to be one of Ironwood's pawns. He didn't think twice to waste precious taxpayer Lien on a war machine instead of using it to create something that would help the people of both Mantle and Atlas."
Penny looked at him questioningly, unsure of what he was talking about.
"I…I am afraid I do not understand what you are talking about. My father is a good man."
Ibis rolled his eyes.
"I figured you wouldn't understand. When I was still a military officer, I began to notice discrepancies. For the past thirteen years there's been billions of Lien funneled to different research and development projects, but when I tried to find them it turned out they didn't exist. I knew that Ironwood had been funneling money to feed some sort of secretive military project. Seeing you here makes it all clear. You are that secret black project that Ironwood was funding. You and your father are nothing more than tools for a tyrant."
"Who? General Ironwood? He is no tyrant."
"Really?" Asked Ibis. "How is it just for him to hold two seats on the council? How is it just for billions of taxpayer Lien to get funneled into secret off-the-books projects while there are people in Mantle that desperately need assistance? What purpose could you possibly serve other than being an enforcer?"
Penny moved to respond but Ibis cut her off before she could speak.
"The fact that you are here only proves my point. Ironwood has misappropriated funds to create weapons like yourself that are then used to enforce his rule."
"I was designed to save the world. I am only here because you and your rebel group have resorted to violence to achieve your political goals," Penny shot back, "you killed Atlas military personnel, stole Dust from the Schnee Dust Company, and attacked government property."
"I don't deny those things," replied Ibis, "but the people and centers we've attacked are all legitimate targets in our fight against corruption. They were all contributing to this rotten system that must be torn down if everyone is to have an equal chance at prosperity. Let me show you something."
Ibis retrieved his scroll and typed in a few commands before he revealed the scroll's screen to her. Penny could see several photos of families in the streets without adequate clothing in the cold weather. She also saw photos of the poorly maintained infrastructure of Mantle while Atlas was kept in a near utopian state. Inside, Penny felt sadness once she saw the photos of malnourished children in Mantle wearing rags to clothe themselves.
"We fight for the those who cannot make their voices heard. If peaceful protest will not yield the proper justice, then violence is the only answer."
"I am sorry that there are people in need in Mantle, but what you are doing is not the answer. Please surrender yourself peacefully."
"I will do no such thing," he replied with determination, "I will either die here or I will go free."
Realistically, he knew that the odds of him walking out of here alive were slim to none. If this was indeed Ironwood's top-secret project, then he stood no chance against her. On top of that, she admitted that she wasn't alone. If by some miracle he managed to get by her then her teammates would quickly apprehend him. Ibis moved to put his scroll away, but not before he subtly inputted a command on the scroll that thankfully went unnoticed by Penny. With his hands-free, Ibis retrieved his bow and arrow. Penny stood ready to engage him.
Before either of them could move, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the tunnel. Ibis and Penny both looked on as three armored giants entered Ibis' quarters and took positions next to Penny.
Ibis's suspicions were confirmed. This was it. He refused to let them put him in a cell. He would die fighting here. Ibis drew his bow and fired a single arrow that was tipped with an explosive. Ibis spotted the one in orange armor jump in front of his comrades and spread his arms to shield them. The resulting explosion echoed throughout the mine. Ibis had to briefly shield his eyes because of the intense light that emanated from it. When the dust settled, Ibis could see the orange-clad individual completely unharmed, just like his comrades behind him.
Ibis moved to draw his bow again, but he found himself struggling to breathe as an armored hand was clasped around his throat. All the while he felt his strength fading. He looked up and saw his reflection in the blue T-shaped helmet visor of the one clad in dark grey armor. He didn't even register his movements. He couldn't believe something so big could move so fast. Ibis struggled against the monstrous grip, but the more he struggled the more strength he lost. It only took another few seconds for his aura to completely shatter. Ibis looked on as a blade emerged from the knuckle plate of the giant's free hand. Ibis closed his eyes as he awaited his imminent death. Jai thrust his fist forward.
"Stop!"
Jai's fist stopped dead in its tracks. The blade stopped less than an inch from Ibis' trachea. Jai looked over his shoulder to see Penny giving him a disapproving look.
"We have to bring him back to Atlas. He and his men must stand trial for what they've done," she said.
Jai cocked his head to the side in slight confusion before he looked over to Terre and Rahm. They too looked confused. It was clear that Penny had not fully understood their mission. Judging by what she said, it was evident that she did not kill the rebels she encountered. She merely incapacitated them. Their mission was to crush this insurrection and leave no trace of it. That meant that everyone and everything related to this operation was to be eliminated.
Rahm silenced his helmet's speaker before he spoke over a private comm channel to Terre and Jai.
"I take it that she misunderstood what this mission entailed?"
Terre and Jai had likewise silenced their helmet speakers.
"It appears so," replied Terre.
"What are your orders boss?" Asked Jai.
"Jai, release Ibis," Terre replied.
Jai let the rebel leader fall unceremoniously to the ground. Ibis immediately began gasping for air as he gingerly held his throat.
"One of us needs to distract her while the others finish the mission," said Terre.
"If it's alright with you boss, I'll handle Penny," said Rahm.
Terre merely nodded.
"In that case, I'll handle Ibis and ensure the charges are set. Jai, go and take care of the ones Penny missed."
"On it." Replied Jai as he turned and made his way towards the exit.
Penny looked on as Jai exited, wondering where he was going. Before she could ask him, Rahm unsilenced his helmet's speaker and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Penny," he said, "may I speak with you outside?"
Penny looked back at Terre, seeking his permission to leave.
"It's alright Penny," replied Terre, "I'll stay with Ibis."
Penny nodded before she turned to face Rahm again.
"Certainly Rahm!"
Terre watched as Rahm led Penny down the opposite direction Jai went. He waited a few minutes until he was sure Penny was far enough away before a hard-light sword emerged from his gauntlet. Ibis looked on as the green giant moved towards him, its red visor stared menacingly back at him. Ibis prepared himself for the embrace of death that would soon find him.
"What did you wish to speak to me about Rahm?"
The two were currently standing by one of the many entrances to the abandoned mine.
"Do I need a reason to talk to you?"
"No," she replied, "but you hardly ever initiate conversation, and when you do it is certainly not during a mission."
"Well…this is important," he replied.
Penny looked at him with curiosity for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. This whole thing had been a distraction. She moved to run back inside in hopes of saving Ibis, but she was stopped by a firm, but non-threatening- hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Rahm who remained silent. He removed his helmet, holding it in his left hand before he knelt so that he was eye level with Penny.
"Rahm, please let me go. I know you are distracting me to prevent me from arresting Ibis."
"You're too late Penny. It's already done."
Penny frowned.
"Why did you do this? He and his men needed to stand trial for their crimes!"
Rahm shook his head.
"No Penny. That wasn't the mission. We were to eliminate them, not take prisoners. You must have misunderstood the mission specs."
"But why was our mission to eliminate them?"
"Orders are orders, Penny. It isn't our place to determine the mission. Our place is to merely execute it."
Penny didn't like it. She'd always been told by her father that she was going to save the world one day. How could she save the world if she was being tasked with killing others? It didn't make any sense to her. She didn't agree with any of what Rahm was saying, but then again, she was still new to all of this. Perhaps she would understand as she gained more experience? That's what she had been telling herself every time she didn't understand why her teammates did certain things. She couldn't know for sure, but what she did know was that she wanted to go home.
"I…I think I will go wait for the dropship at the extraction point…"
Without another word, she walked off as Rahm looked on. He watched her form fade into the blizzard from where he stood. Rahm put his helmet back on as Terre and Jai approached, having completed the mission.
"All hostiles have been eliminated and the charges have been set." Jai noticed that Penny was missing. "Where's Penny?" He asked.
Rahm gestured out towards the blinding blizzard.
"She went to the extraction point to wait for the shuttle," replied Rahm.
"I take it that she's not too happy with this?" Asked Jai again.
Rahm nodded. "You'd be right. She's never taken a life before; she isn't used to it. That could be a problem down the road."
"What do you suggest?" This time it was Terre who asked.
Rahm pondered to himself. He went about determining what the proper course of action would be. After a few moments, he replied.
"For now, I think that we should shield her from death as much as we can and try to gradually inoculate her as time goes on. She isn't desensitized like us. She isn't a Guardian."
Rahm's Guardian brothers merely stared at him. Despite the fact he couldn't see their faces, he knew when they were giving him strange looks and vice verse. It was a testament to how well they knew each other. Rahm spoke again.
"I know it isn't a very thorough and detailed plan, but it's all I can think of at the moment. Unless any of you have a better idea?"
Jai mused it over for a moment before he replied.
"While I don't think she can avoid it forever, I think that'd be best for the time being. What do you think Terre?"
Terre nodded. "I agree. I think that's the best course forward."
The three Guardians gave a simultaneous nod of agreement before they walked off in the direction of the extraction point. As they did, Rahm retrieved a detonator from one of his armor's many internal compartments before he pressed the red button. Behind them, the sounds of explosions resonated as the charges that were strategically placed throughout the mines detonated. The bodies and equipment would either be incinerated by the explosives or buried under the rubble. Either way, all traces of the Free Reformation were erased.
Somewhere in Mantle:
The sound of a scroll beeping caused a ruffled mess of blonde hair to stir from its slumber. A well-manicured, feminine hand reached for the nightstand light. The dark room instantly lit up as the hand reached for the scroll. The woman sat up to reveal a tired-looking Robyn Hill clad in a red nightgown. She checked her messages and her eyes widened in surprise.
From: Dad
She opened the message to see what it contained. To her surprise, the message was heavily encrypted. Whatever it was it must have been very important for her father to send it to her via an encrypted message. Had it been sent to anyone else; they would have never been able to break his encryption code. But she wasn't just anyone. He taught her exactly how to read his codes. Robyn got out of bed and retrieved her portable computer. For the next hour, she sat at her desk as she went about decrypting the message that her father sent her. She glanced at the clock. It was currently 0140 in the morning. She hadn't spoken to her father in two years. She hoped that whatever he had to tell her was important because if there was one thing she hated it was missing out on her beauty sleep. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke the code. Robyn looked on with bewilderment at the message.
76.2506° N, 100.1140° W
It looked like her father had left her coordinates. She didn't know where exactly those coordinates led to, but she decided she'd find out tomorrow morning after she got some much-needed rest.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice Cassandra."
Dr. Haze looked tired and, quite frankly, a bit irritated. She glanced at her watch which read that it was 0230 in the morning. She was dressed in her usual attire and held a steaming mug of coffee. She took a longer than usual sip from the mug. It was far too early for this. The general had called her in the middle of the night to meet him in his office.
"It's always a pleasure James," she said sarcastically. "To what do I owe this meeting?" She asked a bit impatiently.
Ironwood responded by pulling up a holographic screen. On the screen appeared images of Penny. The images were from the first test. A test she passed with flying colors. Cassandra regarded the information on the holographic display for a moment before she turned her attention back to James.
"It appears that our investment with Dr. Polendina's research paid off. Penny has demonstrated adequate combat effectiveness. Here's the after-action report that Zero-Six-Nine, Zero-One-One, and Zero-Three-Seven gave me," the general handed the report to the scientist.
There was silence as Cassandra read through the fifty-odd-something page document. Her Guardians spoke highly of Penny's potential. She had no issues keeping up with her teammates in the field, but she definitely needed more experience.
"Does this mean that Project Sentinel has the green light?"
James shook his head.
"Not quite. I still need to secure adequate off-the-books funding for it, and that will take a few more months. Are you certain you can improve on Penny's design?"
Cassandra scoffed, clearly insulted by what James was implying.
"Are you really asking that to the woman who created the world's first, and only, super soldiers?"
James chuckled.
"Forgive me. I must have forgotten that I was in the presence of the Great Doctor Cassandra Haze."
Dr. Haze rolled her eyes in annoyance. It was clear James hadn't lost his terrible sense of humor.
"I am curious, however, James. What is to become of my Guardians?"
James shot Dr. Haze a quizzical gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"You clearly deemed Project Guardian a failure. You wouldn't grant my request to fix my mistakes and try again with another class of candidates, but you want me to replicate Dr. Polendina's research and produce an army of aura-powered synthetic humans."
General Ironwood closed his eyes before he let out a heavy sigh.
"You make it sound as though you are the only one who cares about them."
"If you truly cared about them then you wouldn't replace them."
"Cassandra," he said tiredly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "we've been over this. I thought I made it clear three years ago."
"Don't you dare evade the question, James. Do you want to replace them?"
"NO!"
Dr. Haze was taken aback by the general's sudden outburst.
"Special Mission Unit 117 is by far the greatest military achievement that Atlas could have ever hoped for. Those three are my most valued assets. A single Guardian is equivalent to an army. Those three will never be retired or be replaced. I can promise you that."
Cassandra looked at James with a raised eyebrow.
"Then tell me something, James. Why didn't you let me try again? I know where my mistakes in the augmentation procedures were made. I can create more Guardians; I'm sure of it."
James sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"The candidates of Project Guardian were walking into a literal slaughterhouse. Despite Zero-One-One, Zero-Three-Seven, and Zero-Six-Nine proving themselves to be the greatest soldiers in history, I can't bear the thought of sacrificing more children."
Dr. Haze laughed, catching Ironwood by surprise. What could possibly have been so funny?
"I'm sorry James," she said while laughing, "it's just that I don't believe that for a minute."
"What do you mean?"
"You're trying to wash your hands and play the moral card, but we're in a war for Remnant's survival against that witch and her endless hordes of Grimm. The time for ethics and morals has long passed."
James glared at her, clearly pissed off by her words. As much as he hated it at times, she was the only person who could speak to him that way. Outside of him and the Guardians, she was the only one in Atlas who knew the truth about Salem and that gave her a lot of freedom in how she interacted with the general.
"You're right about one thing Cassandra. We don't have time. With Salem making her move against Beacon and with Ozpin's complacency, it's clear that time is running out. It took seven years of training and indoctrination before the Guardians were ready to undergo the enhancement procedures. And on top of that, it took an additional year of recovery and training with their Wraith armor before they were mission ready. As of right now, I believe that the best course of action is having the Guardians oversee the training of the Sentinels and lead them against Salem."
Cassandra sighed, bringing her hand up to massage her temple. While she wasn't pleased with James' answer, it was still a hell of a lot better than what she initially feared. The thought of her Guardians being cast aside to make way for artificial humans was something she could not stand. At least James was acknowledging that her Guardians were superior. He wasn't wrong, however, when he mentioned Project Guardian's dreaded weaknesses. It was indeed time-consuming and very dangerous. She knew that the second class of Guardians would yield casualties, but in her professional opinion Guardians were the best chance for Remnant's survival. While Penny was indeed impressive, she would never amount to her Guardians.
"Fair enough James," she replied, "but you're missing an important point."
"That being?"
The brilliant scientist smiled. It was a warm smile.
"You view my Guardians merely as military hardware. They are so much more than that. My Guardians are Humanity's next step in our evolution. They are our future. Do not underestimate them."
James regarded her with a stern look for a few moments before he sighed.
"I made the mistake of underestimating them once," he replied, "and I will not do that again."
The two shared a nod of understanding. A brief moment of comfortable silence ensured before the general spoke again.
"It's getting late. We'll continue this another time Cassandra. Have a good night."
"Thank you, James. It's always a pleasure."
With that said Dr. Haze stood up from her chair and left the general to ponder her words alone.
What did Ibis send Robyn? What will Penny think of her teammates moving forward? What is Project Sentinel? I guess we'll have to wait and see how the story unfolds. Feel free to try and formulate guesses. See you next chapter when the Bad Batch get ready for Beacon. Thank you for reading.
-Dude64