Cover art done by CHE3ZY. As promised, here is chapter 13! Don't forget to vote on the poll for your favorite OC. Rahm is currently tied with Dr. Haze for favorite OC with Jai and Terre tied for second. Expect chapter 14 in another 2-3 weeks. Please be sure to leave your thoughts in the reviews.
Mantle:
Penny sat on her bed as she hugged her knees towards her. The energetic synthetic girl was glancing out her window. The light of the shattered moon illuminated her room. Tomorrow she would be off to Beacon and begin her mission. She would be lying if she said she didn't have mixed feelings about going. Would the students of Beacon like her? Would the mission turn into something like her last mission? She didn't like the thought of hurting people. She couldn't understand how her teammates could do the things they did and treat her so well. Jai and Terre weren't as warm as Rahm was, but they were clearly protective of her. They were the first people her age she ever met. Before she met them, she was always in her father's lab. She was grateful to be able to finally be free from the confinements of the lab. Truthfully, she had very much enjoyed her time at Atlas Academy with her teammates. She loved training with them. Every time she sparred with her teammates, she had something new to learn. They were a seemingly endless fountain of combat experience. She'd been combat-ready since the day her father made her, but after her classes with Dr. Lockhart, it was clear she wanted something more than just combat. She still wanted to fight to protect the world, but she didn't want that to be the only thing in her life. Her father didn't want that for her. He wanted her to also be her own person. If she wanted to better protect the world then she also needed to be a normal girl in order to share the world with those around her. That was something that her teammates were seemingly incompatible with.
Penny's thoughts began to linger on Rahm, Terre, and Jai. Those three were always focused on their mission. It was as if they never rested. She had learned much about human emotions and socialization, but her friends were anomalies. They were clearly human, but the way in which they acted seemed so inhuman at times. It was as if they were machines, killing machines. She found it a bit ironic how she, the machine, was more human than they were. She knew that before she came into their lives that they didn't interact with anyone other than the general or Doctor Haze regularly. Maybe this mission to Beacon would help them in that regard? She really hoped it would.
Penny looked down as she let out a sigh before looking back up at the moon. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. Her eyes quickly followed it and saw a glimmer of light streak across the sky before it vanished into the distance. Her eyes went wide in amazement. She was 99.99% certain she had just witnessed a shooting star. She'd heard a children's song once that said that wishes made after seeing them were likely to come true. She quickly bowed her head.
"I wish that Beacon will be a great experience for us," she said aloud to herself, "and I wish that my teammates and I will make friends that will last forever."
Having voiced her wish, Penny laid her head on her pillow and went to bed.
The Next Morning 0500 Hours:
"Sir! Unit 117 reports as ordered!" Terre stated as he saluted the general who was seated at his desk.
The general returned the salute with a friendly smile.
"At ease men. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I wanted to speak to you about your assignment."
"Yes sir," they replied.
"As you know, the Maidens are crucial to maintaining the stability of the world. You three will put a stop to Salem, but in the aftermath, the Maidens will continue to exist." The general pulled up a holographic display showing photos of two women, one of which was of the elderly Fria and the other was a pre-comatose Amber.
"This situation with Amber has proven that the Maidens will require more extensive protection. Therefore, once you three have destroyed Salem, I want you," the general looked at Jai, "to continue to watch over Miss Nikos until I deem otherwise."
Jai nodded.
"I understand sir."
"Is it safe to assume that we will watch over the other Maidens?" Asked Rahm.
"Not quite," replied the general, "things are a bit complicated. We still don't know the whereabouts of the Spring Maiden. For all we know she could be dead, and her powers could have gone to someone else. The Summer Maiden is kept under close watch by Professor Theodore. Only he and Ozpin know who the Summer Maiden is. As for the Winter Maiden…you three know that I have selected Special Operative Schnee to inherit Fria's powers when she passes. I do not deem it necessary for Winter to require a protection detail at the moment. If need be, I would assign the Ace Ops as her security detail."
The general paused for a moment to see if they had any questions. Seeing as how they didn't, he continued to speak.
"I have a potential assignment for you two once Salem is defeated," the general was looking at Rahm and Terre. "No promises, but I may need the two of you to oversee the training of some new forces if need be. Part of these forces would eventually relieve you of your duties as a bodyguard, Zero-Three-Seven."
Terre, Rahm, and Jai looked at each other briefly before returning their attention to the general.
"I understand that I am being vague, but please understand that I cannot tell you everything at this time."
"Understood sir," replied Terre.
They didn't need to know anything that wasn't pertinent. They came to understand that early on in their training. Do not ask questions about anything that doesn't immediately pertain to the situation at hand.
The general nodded. James still needed to acquire sufficient funding for Project Sentinel and on top of that, he needed to be sure that Cassandra could deliver on an improved design. If she couldn't then that would throw things into disarray. Pietro made it clear that Penny would be his only creation and that she would act as a guardian for all of Remnant. The general agreed to his request but not before giving Cassandra Penny's schematics. He didn't know why he was doubting Cassandra. She was the most brilliant mind on Remnant. If anyone could improve on Penny's design, it was the woman who created the greatest warriors to ever walk Remnant. The general could see it now. An army of synthetic humans, trained by his Guardians, that would protect the Maidens and keep Remnant safe from the leaderless Grimm by hunting them down and exterminating them all. This broken world would one day be at peace. He was sure of it. He wished that all one hundred Guardians could have been here to take on that responsibility instead of synthetic humans, but sadly it was not meant to be. They were short on time and time was something a second Project Guardian would need a lot of.
"Then in that case," said the general, "you're dismissed. Get ready because you're leaving for Beacon in a matter of hours."
"Yes sir," they replied.
The three saluted the general before they exited the general's office. The walk back to their quarters was quiet. They received a few looks of confusion here and there from passing military personnel, looks that they ignored. The sight of the three giants in uniforms that lacked any sort of identification certainly raised a few eyebrows.
The three super soldiers stopped in their tracks. In front of them stood Special Operative Winter Schnee, who stood in a regal military pose with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Specialist Schnee," greeted Jai, "is there something we can help you with ma'am?"
"Actually yes," she replied, "I was hoping to speak to Rahm for a moment."
Rahm looked at Terre for a moment until the leader of the Guardians gave him a nod of approval.
"I'll catch up with you two," said Rahm.
"We'll be waiting," replied Jai.
Jai and Terre continued walking, leaving Rahm and Winter alone in the hallway together.
"What did you want to talk about ma'am?"
"I wanted to thank you properly," she replied.
Rahm looked down at the former heiress from his tall height in confusion.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," he replied. "What for?"
"You will be watching over my younger sister and ensuring her safety at Beacon," she stated matter of factly.
"I don't believe a soldier should be thanked for doing his job."
Winter smirked.
"I appreciate your humility, but you have my thanks regardless. I'm not particularly close with my family, unfortunately," she said with a painful grimace, clearly thinking about her encounter with Whitley, "but Weiss and I have always been close."
Rahm nodded.
"I will make sure no harm comes to her, ma'am. You have my word."
"Thank you again," she replied.
"If you'll excuse me," Rahm said, "I need to get back to my team."
Winter nodded in understanding.
Before the two could walk past each other, Winter spoke again.
"Also," she said as she walked by him, "I wanted to thank you for what you did for her before."
Rahm feigned a look of ignorance as he watched her walk away.
When they finally arrived back at their private dorm hall they were met with the sight of a familiar orange-haired bundle of energy waiting for them with a big smile.
"Salutations friends!" She gave them a wave before she skipped over to them and enveloped each of them in a bone-crushing hug. "It is so good to see you again."
The boys looked to each other briefly in mild confusion before they looked back to Penny.
"You're not angry?" Asked Jai.
"I was never angry," she replied, "I was merely conflicted about what to feel. I spent the last few days with my father, and I believe that helped me sort my thoughts. I am sorry for avoiding you all. Although I do not agree with your actions, I understand that you were doing your jobs." Her smile quickly formed into a frown as she looked to the ground, downcast.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder. The synthetic girl looked up and saw Rahm kneeling down to her level. The blonde super soldier gave her a small smile.
"It's good to have you back Penny."
She smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes," said Jai, "we'd be lying if we said that things haven't been the same without you around."
While Jai and Terre didn't show it like Rahm, they had come to grow fond of the girl. She looked up to them for guidance and was always there following them around. It was as if she were a little sister.
"He's right," Terre said with a nod, "things have gotten rather dull."
Penny's smile grew larger.
"I will be sure to make things even livelier than before!"
The three Guardians looked a bit uneasy at the mention of that. Could they handle even more of Penny's energy?
"I wish you three could have met my father," she said with a bit of sadness, "he won't be able to see me off later today."
"There's always next time," replied Rahm.
Penny beamed a smile. "Yes! You are correct!"
Her teammates merely nodded.
"Let's get our things ready," said Terre, "it won't be long before we have to leave."
The hour finally came for the four to depart for Beacon. They were standing near a landing platform and each of them carried a duffel bag containing their clothing and gear. Rahm, Terre, and Jai were wearing normal civilian clothing. Terre wore black boots, muted blue cargo pants, a green t-shirt, and a black open jacket. Rahm wore a black and orange sweatshirt and white pants, and white sneakers with orange trim. Jai wore black boots, greyish-green cargo pants, and a grey long sleeve t-shirt. Penny wore her usual outfit. The four spent the bulk of their time listening to Penny as she talked about her time back home with her father. Dr. Lockhart had summoned them to go over the different lessons they all learned in her classes. She encouraged Rahm to continue with his reading hobby and she pushed Penny, Terre, and Jai to develop their own hobbies. They also received their team's name based on the color naming rule. The team would be known as Team PGRT (Pomegranate,) and Terre would be its leader even though Penny's name came first. It was more of a coincidence really.
General Ironwood and Doctor Haze were out on the landing pad ready to see them off. Ironwood handed Terre a file. Before Terre could ask, Ironwood beat him to it.
"It appears that another person of interest will be attending Beacon Academy," he said.
Terre opened the file to see the photo of Ms. Blake Belladonna. The file also contained a small biography. Rahm and Jai were looking over his shoulder, reading the file as well.
"She's a late acceptance to Beacon as you can see. She is the daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna and she is a former member of Adam Taurus' White Fang faction," said the general.
"Shall we terminate her, sir?" Terre's expression was emotionless. The Bad Batch leader was a true testament to Project Guardian's lack of basic humanity.
"No," he replied. "She has left the White Fang. However, I want you to keep an eye on her in case I'm wrong. If she is indeed a threat, you have free reign to do what is necessary as long as you are discreet and do not blow your cover. And by discreet, I mean don't tear her limb from limb and burn down half of a city block while doing so."
Rahm shrugged. "Fair enough," he said.
"Good," replied the general, "Atlas and Remnant are counting on you. Good luck."
"Thank you, sir," the four replied in unison.
It wasn't long before the transport vessel arrived. Penny could hardly contain her excitement while her three teammates remained blank and emotionless.
"Goodbye General Ironwood! Goodbye Doctor Haze!" Penny waved goodbye as she darted off towards the bullhead.
"Goodbye Penny," said Ironwood with a wave.
Cassandra let out an amused laugh as she too waved goodbye to the synthetic girl. General Ironwood sent a firm nod to the three Guardians before he turned and walked away.
Doctor Haze stepped forward towards the three Guardians with a genuine smile on her face.
"I have to admit," said the doctor, "things are going to be quite dull here without you boys."
"We'll be back," replied Terre.
"I know you will; you're Guardians, my Guardians," she said with a warmness in her voice. "Be sure to keep a close eye on Penny and the girls."
"We will, ma'am," said Rahm.
"Good," she replied.
The good doctor proceeded to envelop each of the Guardians in a hug. Terre and Jai were a bit awkward to return the hug while Rahm was far easier.
"I'll miss you boys. Be safe."
"We will," replied Jai.
The flight to Beacon Academy took several hours. No one slept during the ride and the only noise came from a few movies that Penny had forced them all to watch. Rahm would sneak glances at an aviation magazine he was reading. Being a member of Special Mission Unit 117 came with the highest level of security clearance and so he knew of all sorts of top-secret aircraft projects. Despite that fact, however, he enjoyed reading up on the currently accessible information. He was currently glancing at the proposed aircraft that was pending the Atlas council's approval for construction. It was a stealth ship that would enable reconnaissance without being detected by enemy forces. When the movie finally ended, Terre gestured for his teammates to converge around him for a discussion.
"Listen up Bad Batch. We'll be arriving soon. We need to ensure that we keep our cover intact at all times," he watched as they nodded in agreement. "Penny," he looked at her. "As you know, we have other objectives aside from keeping you safe. You're very energetic, but you need to remember that we have a mission and so you must keep yourself out of trouble and make sure you do not let anyone know about your capabilities. Understood?"
"Absolutely understood Terre! I won't let you down!"
Terre nodded.
"When we arrive, we need to establish eyes on our respective targets and investigate any and all potential leads. We've never failed a mission before, and we won't start now. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," replied Rahm.
After several hours, the airship finally arrived at Beacon. Penny's face was stuck to the window as she couldn't help but look at the campus in amazement. The ship touched down on a landing platform and the doors opened, allowing for the four of them to exit. The campus was bustling with airships and new students walking about. The four walked towards the main entrance with Penny, who was holding onto Rahm's hand, leading the way. The group stood out like a sore thumb what with the three giants being led by a small, petite redhead.
"So this is Beacon?" Asked Jai as he looked around.
"I wonder why everyone is staring at us," said Rahm.
"I believe it is because you all are really tall," said Penny with a happy grin.
Rahm wanted to reply to that but couldn't because the sound of an explosion got their attention.
"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" Yelled a female voice.
The four turned to see a short white-haired girl dressed in a short white dress yelling at a short raven-haired girl with red tips dressed in a red and black outfit with a red cloak.
"I'm really, really sorry!" Said the raven-haired girl.
Jai addressed his two Guardian brothers. "Well, it looks like your targets are getting along just fine."
Rahm and Terre glanced at each other briefly. The four walked over to the area where the commotion was happening. When they arrived they saw that another girl had joined the scene. She was taller than the two girls of interest and she had black hair with a bow. All four members of the Bad Batch could see through the girl's attempt to hide the fact that she was a faunus. Moreover, the three Guardians immediately recognized her as Ironwood's mentioned person of interest. It was none other than Blake Belladonna, a former member of Adam Taurus' faction of the White Fang. The three shared a look of understanding, silently agreeing to not mention anything about Ms. Belladonna. Not wanting for something worse to develop, Rahm decided to take it upon himself to diffuse the situation.
"Is everything alright here ladies?" he asked.
The three girls turned to see some of the three biggest guys they had ever seen. They towered over them and their strong frames could not be hidden by their clothing. There was something about their eyes that made the three girls very uneasy. To them, their eyes lacked any sort of life or warmth. Little did they know that those eyes of theirs had seen things that should never be seen. Untold horrors of combat and war. The eye contact they maintained pierced into their very souls and their faces were devoid of emotion. In front of them stood a red-haired girl that was much closer in height to them and sported a wide smile. The three girls found themselves slightly intimidated by the appearances of the young men.
"W-What?" Asked Weiss Schnee.
"I asked if everything was ok. You two were causing a bit of a scene," Rahm replied.
Weiss pointed an accusing finger at Ruby. "It was her fault! She almost killed us with her reckless behavior!"
"I said I was sorry!"
This time it was Terre who intervened. "Well, luckily you're both safe."
Weiss seemed to calm down a bit upon hearing that while Ruby looked a bit flustered.
"So…uh…what are your names?" Ruby asked.
"Rahm Tangerin"
"Jai Gris."
"My name is Penny Polendina!"
"Terre Verte." Terre extended his hand.
Ruby looked at Terre and blushed slightly.
"I-I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you," she said as she shook his hand.
"Schnee. Weiss Schnee," Weiss kept her arms folded and her eyes closed haughtily.
The girl with the bow in her hair spoke next. "I'm Blake Belladonna," she said shyly.
"Salutations!" Penny stated with much enthusiasm. "I look forward to an exciting year here at Beacon."
Blake and Weiss were a little surprised at Penny's friendliness. Ruby, on the other hand, appeared to be just as excited.
"It's nice to meet you Penny, and I hope we become friends."
Penny looked at Ruby quizzically.
"What did you say?" Asked Penny.
"Uh…I," Ruby stammered, "I said I hope we become friends…"
Penny lunged forward and immediately hugged Ruby tightly. "We will be the best of friends Ruby Rose!" Ruby found herself comically struggling to breathe under Penny's grip.
The three Guardians observed Penny's overzealous show of affection with mild looks of disapproval.
"I am so excited! We will do so many friendship things like paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Was that correct? She hoped it was. Dr. Lockhart said that that's what teenage girls did. Penny continued to squeeze the life out of poor Ruby.
"S-Sounds…good…Penny…can't…breathe," Ruby said through strained gasps for air.
"I am so sorry!" Penny immediately released Ruby, who gasped for air. "Please forgive me, Ruby."
Ruby coughed for a moment as she regained some much-needed oxygen.
"It's fine Penny. I'm glad to know I've already made one friend," she said with a warm smile.
Penny smiled in return.
The three Guardians had been observing Penny's actions with curiosity. Jai turned to look at his two brothers.
"I'm going to go get us signed in," he said, "don't wait up for me." He walked away from the group and towards the registration area, leaving his three teammates alone.
He found the registration line and proceeded to take his place in line. He didn't wait very long before he found himself at the desk and handing over his team's transcripts and transfer papers. The woman seated at the desk was a beautiful, busty blonde woman who wore glasses, a cape, a white blouse, a skirt, stockings, and high heels. The woman looked up at him with a quizzical look.
"Ah, so you and your team are the transfer students from Atlas. Welcome. I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch, the assistant headmistress of Beacon Academy."
"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your assistance," replied Jai.
"You are most certainly welcome. You and your team are all set. You'll be needing this," she handed him a sheet of paper with a schedule for dinner and the location of their sleeping quarters. "Have a good day," she said.
"You too," he replied.
Having completed their only mandatory task for the day, Jai began to walk about the campus. He was mentally taking notes about Beacon's layout. He wanted to get an idea of where the exits were located and where any vantage points were located. Soon he found himself approaching a large statue with a hunter and a huntress standing on top of the corpse of a defeated Grimm. He stopped about a few feet from it and began inspecting the artwork of the statue. He wasn't an artist, but he could appreciate good art when he saw it.
A few minutes later he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He glanced to the side and spotted a lone girl standing there, looking up at the statue with interest. She looked like a warrior princess. She had bright, fiery red hair and she was adorned in armor and a tiara. For a girl of her age, she was quite tall, though compared to him she looked minuscule. He immediately knew who she was. She smiled his way.
"An intricate work of art, is it not?" She asked.
"It is," he said. He took a step closer to her. "What is your name?" He asked with feigned ignorance.
Pyrrha was taken aback by his lack of knowledge as to who she was. She was the four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament. She was the top-ranked huntress student in the world. Her name and face were on cereal boxes, news channels, and sports gear. She had arrived at Beacon not less than an hour ago and she was already being hounded by students for her autograph. Then this boy crossed her path, and he knew not who she was. This was definitely a first for her. She wouldn't blow this opportunity for normal interaction. She shook herself out of her stupor and smiled warmly.
"Pyrrha Nikos," she replied, "and your name?"
"Jai Gris. It's a pleasure to meet you Pyrrha."
"Likewise," she said with a warm smile. "Are you excited to be here at Beacon?"
"Yes," he lied. He and his Guardian brothers were meant for the field of battle, not attending school. "I'm curious to see how things run here as compared to over at Atlas."
"Are you a transfer student?"
"Yes. My teammates and I are transfer students," he replied. "What of yourself?"
The part of him already having a team stung her for some reason. It would have been an interesting turn of events if the two of them found themselves on the same team.
"I hail from Argus, and I attended Sanctum Academy," she said.
"That's quite a prestigious school. I take it you're a very talented huntress," he feigned ignorance about her abilities. He knew everything there was to know about her, but he could not risk blowing his cover.
She blushed slightly. "You could say that," she said as she looked away sheepishly. "What of yourself?"
"I wouldn't say that, but I try to do my best." Technically, he wasn't lying. The Guardians never boasted about their martial prowess or lethality. They preferred to let their actions speak for themselves and they did indeed always strive to be the best they could possibly be. She giggled at his response.
"Well, I look forward to seeing your actions speak for you," she said with a smirk.
"I could say the same about you," he replied. "But I'm afraid I need to get back to my team. I look forward to seeing you again," he said as he extended a hand to her.
"As do I," she stated as she shook his hand.
Later on, the students were gathered in the auditorium, where the Headmaster, Ozpin, welcomed them all. Professor Goodwitch informed them all that the ballroom would act as their sleeping quarters for the night as the dorm rooms for the incoming students were not yet ready. During the event, Penny was busy talking to her new friend, Ruby. The rest of the Bad Batch stood off in the back, observing the area with care. Jai silently addressed his brothers.
"I located the third target," he said in a whisper while looking straight ahead to avoid looking suspicious.
"Good, that's one more objective complete," replied Terre.
"Anything interesting happen while I went to go get us registered?"
"Another student by the name of Jaune Arc introduced himself. None, save for Ruby and Penny, paid him much mind. Other than that, nothing," replied Rahm.
Jai nodded. "Got it. We need to keep an eye on Belladonna. Whether or not she's working with the White Fang, she could prove to be trouble."
"I agree," replied Terre.
"Same here," said Rahm.
The welcoming ceremony ended shortly after that and the students were directed to the dining facility for dinner. Penny sat with Ruby and her blonde sister, Yang, while the three Guardians sat at a table just over from them. Weiss sat with Pyrrha at another table while Blake sat with a hyperactive redhead and a silent boy with long black hair, dressed in east Asian garb. Despite the fact they were eating, the three Guardians kept a sharp eye out for anything suspicious. They would sneak glances at the other tables to make sure that Penny, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Weiss were safe from trouble.
Before long the students were gathered in the ballroom and getting ready for bed. Ruby was laying down on her stomach as she busily wrote a letter.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang yelled as she dropped down on her sleeping bag on the other side of Ruby.
"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys," said Ruby, keeping her eyes on the letter.
"I know I do," Yang said with a smirk as she was eyeing the three male members of the Bad Batch who were busy setting up their sleeping bags alongside Penny.
They were dressed in navy-blue sweatpants and black t-shirts that did little to hide the powerful physiques they had. They towered above all of the incoming students in the ballroom. Jaune walked into her line of sight in his onesie pajamas that did nothing for him in the attractiveness department. The blonde locked eyes with her and did his best to give her a flirtatious smirk, but Yang didn't take too kindly to it.
"Get out of the way Jaune! You're ruining the view!" She yelled, causing a few students to look her way with questioning gazes. To be fair, she wasn't the only girl eyeing the three Guardians like candy.
"Am I right, sis?" Asked Yang. Ruby only giggled at her sister's antics.
"I don't know what you're talking about,"
"Oh don't act like I didn't see you getting flustered when you met Mr. Tall-Handsome-and-Mysterious earlier," the blonde poked her younger sister on the arm repeatedly. "I think someone has a crush!"
"N-No! I was just intimidated by how big he and his teammates were," she said as her face began to turn red.
"Yeah. I bet they are 'big'," Yang gave a suggestive smirk.
"Yang!" Ruby's face was redder than a tomato.
The Bad Batch, meanwhile, had finished setting up their sleeping bags; all the while ignorant of the stares they received from the opposite sex.
"I'm very excited to begin initiation tomorrow!" Penny stated with excitement.
"We won't be participating," replied Rahm as he read his aerospace magazine. "Transfer students don't participate in initiation."
Penny frowned at that. Penny wasn't the only one who didn't like being left out of initiation, however. Her teammates weren't too happy to have their targets kept out of their sight for long. Granted, Penny was more interested in the participation aspect rather than the mission aspect. They would need to trust that everything played out smoothly. The mission specs they received told them to not attempt to spy on their targets during initiation. Faculty members would be posted everywhere to keep an eye on the students in secret and so they wouldn't be needed. Still, they didn't trust the safety of their targets to anyone but themselves. Speaking of their targets, Weiss and Ruby were once again having a verbal altercation. The Bad Batch looked over and saw the two girls yell at each other while Yang and Blake simply watched.
"Let's just get some sleep," said Terre. "I'll take the first watch," he spoke quietly.
They nodded in agreement. They agreed to sleep in shifts in order to keep a close eye out for anything suspicious. As the other students began going to sleep, Terre stayed awake. Ideally, this would be a peaceful night. Luckily for him, it would be. After two hours into his watch, Terre quietly retrieved a small box from his bag. He opened it, revealing three small electronic devices. The leader of the Bad Batch retrieved the devices before stealthily making his way out of the ballroom and towards the locker rooms. The super soldier was careful to avoid any security cameras or guards that were wandering about as he finally arrived at his destination. The locker room was pitch black but thanks to his enhanced vision he could see without issue. He looked about for a moment before he spotted what he was searching for. Terre opened the locker and found Ruby's Crescent Rose within. He quickly took it before carefully placing one of the devices within the weapon. Once that was done, he placed the weapon back inside the locker before closing it.
"One down, two to go," he said to himself quietly.
It didn't take him more than three minutes to be in and out of the locker room. The Guardian made his way back to the ballroom without anyone noticing. He quietly sat down on his sleeping bag before he nudged Jai awake.
"You're up Jai," Terre whispered.
Jai simply nodded as he slipped out of his sleeping bag. "Did you plant the tracking devices?"
"Yeah, easy enough."
"Good," Jai whispered back. "That'll make keeping an eye on them a lot easier."
Terre nodded in acknowledgment before he slipped into his sleeping bag and went to sleep, leaving Jai alone in the darkness of the ballroom.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The boys and Penny have finally arrived at Beacon. Let's see how things pan out for team PGRT at Beacon. See you next time.
-Dude64