In case it wasn't clear yet, yes, IXA is essentially Kamen Rider Kiva's IXA. Just with a few tweaks added to make it fit the setting.
Does that mean Kiva will appear? Who knows?
Individual System
By the time sunlight started filtering in through the windows, Jaune Arc was already done making breakfast. Once upon a time, the notion of him being up before sunrise would have been unthinkable, but times changed. He had no one to wake him up by jumping on his bed anymore. It was just him and no one else in the apartment Ironwood had given him. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Getting an apartment in the floating city of Atlas was nearly impossible for most people. A house located in the classy side of Vale was cheaper than a small studio apartment in the upper districts of Atlas. Those who performed menials jobs in the floating city usually lived in the lower districts. They had to make the trip to and from the upper city each day.
There were only a few exceptions to this. Huntsmen and Huntresses received significant discounts when purchasing or renting property in Atlas. People liked feeling safe, and having Huntsmen around helped foster that atmosphere. Then, there was the army. Atlas provided free housing for all its soldiers. The same went for everyone who worked in Atlas Academy.
That was how Jaune Arc found himself with an apartment most people would have to sell their organs to buy. It was neither big nor luxurious. But it was above the clouds, and in Atlas, that meant everything.
As Jaune finished eating breakfast, he found himself missing the usual noise that accompanied meals back home. Growing up with seven sisters made a guy get used to a certain level of noise.
Jaune frowned as he remembered the conversation he had with his family after Ironwood had recruited him into the IXA project. It had been extremely uncomfortable yet extremely satisfying. Satisfying because the looks on his parents' faces were something he would treasure for the rest of his days, but uncomfortable because it meant explaining to them he wasn't going to return home anytime soon.
His parents hadn't exactly been pleased about it. How could they? They barely understood how their son had gotten a part-time job at Atlas Academy, which was the cover story Ironwood had given him. However, there wasn't much they could do about it. By Atlas law, he was of age. Besides, they had given him permission to go to combat school. Many of those happened to be boarding schools, so this wasn't all that different from what they had already agreed to.
Jaune sighed as he finished his coffee. He gave himself one look in the mirror and quickly slapped his cheeks.
This was no time to be getting distracted! Today was an important day!
Today, he was finally going to put on that suit!
xXx
Jaune stood in the middle of a room with white walls, a white floor, and a white ceiling. Cameras watched him from every corner. It was a room Jaune was more than familiar with by now. After all, he spent most of his time fighting droids here nowadays.
This time, there were no droids in the room.
Raised on a podium in the center of the white room was a belt. It was black with a gold and red belt buckle that was slightly larger than average, hardly unusual by Huntsman standards.
"I thought I was supposed to try out the suit today?" Jaune asked, trying to find the impressive suit anywhere in the room and coming up empty.
"You are," Polendina replied through the speakers. "IXA contains highly advanced mecha-shift technology. When not in use, it shifts into the form you see before you. Now, stop wasting time and put on the IXA belt."
That big suit turned into that belt?
Jaune let out an impressed whistle even as he put the belt around his waist.
"Good. Now hold the belt-buckle by the left side and pull."
Jaune followed Polendina's instructions and was surprised when half the buckle came off and began shifting. The belt grew in size, turning bulkier and more mechanical. Meanwhile, the buckle in his hand turned into something that looked like the halfway point between a gauntlet and a pair of brass knuckles. A black and gold weapon with a red gem on top of it.
Again, all perfectly normal by Huntsman standards.
"What you have in your hands is the IXA Knuckle. For now, it will serve as IXA's primary weapon."
Huh, so that was why Red and Blue had been making him fight unarmed. Poor Crocea Mors was stuck gathering dust in his apartment.
"Push the IXA Knuckle against any part of your skin, then connect it to the belt," Dr. Polendina instructed. "That will trigger the transformation. IXA is already keyed to your biometrics, so there is no need to worry about someone else accidentally activating it."
"So like this?" Jaune asked as he pushed the IXA Knuckle against his palm. The moment he did, an electronic voice came from the belt.
Ready!
"And then I do this."
Fist. On!
"Hey, doesn't that sound kind of—"
Jaune never got the chance to finish that sentence. One moment, Jaune had been about to try the IXA suit for the first time. The next, there was fire and pain. For the first time since his Aura had been unlocked, Jaune felt his whole body consumed by agony. The roar of the explosion drowned out all other noises, even his own screams.
Then there was darkness, and Jaune knew no more.
xXx
"You told me it was safe!"
"It was! There should have been no risk!"
"Then explain to me what happened back there, Polendina!" Ironwood roared. His metal fist slammed against Polendina's desk. Had the furniture been made of lesser material, it would have broken in half. As it was, the desk merely cracked.
"Explain to me why there was an explosion! Explain to me why I had to go into that test room and peel the suit off that kid before it burned through his skin! Go on! How did that happen?"
The moment Jaune activated IXA, the suit had exploded. Jaune's Aura had saved him from grievous injury. However, the superheated metal of the suit still clung to his skin in the aftermath of the explosion, rapidly eating away at his already diminished Aura.
Had Ironwood been any slower to act, Jaune Arc could have died. Of that, the general was certain.
Thankfully, Ironwood's quick actions had prevented the worst outcome, and Jaune Arc was now recovering in the infirmary.
"I may…" Polendina frowned in thought before sighing. "I may have a theory."
"Do tell."
Though Ironwood allowed the doctor to explain himself, he made no move to sit down, choosing to loom over the man instead.
"There was too much Aura."
"What?"
Ironwood's voice was harsh and without an ounce of sympathy in it. Polendina knew he had to choose his next words very carefully.
"IXA is powered by its Rider's Aura. That's why it is necessary for the Rider to have substantial amounts of it. However, we neglected to consider what would happen if IXA's reactor received too much Aura at once. IXA received too much, too quickly. The reactor overloaded, leading to the explosion we saw."
"So you are telling me," Ironwood said through gritted teeth, "that we have a weapon that will harm its user if his Aura is too small, but will blow up when given too much Aura!"
Polendina looked away.
"That… would seem to be the case, yes."
IXA's technology was still in its experimental stages. The simulations they had run proved the Aura Reactor required too much Aura to work. Even if someone with an Aura rank of B were to use IXA, he would be drained in a few minutes. An A-Rank may fare better but still wouldn't last anywhere near long enough to provide useful data. If someone with a too small Aura were to use IXA, the suit might even kill that person.
That was why someone with an Aura as large as Jaune Arc's was necessary. Through repeated testing, they would be able to observe how the Aura Reactor performed under different conditions and work towards improving it. The final goal of the project was to make it so even someone with an Aura rank of C would be able to operate IXA.
However, if putting someone with an Aura rank of S inside the suit led to such a catastrophic outcome, how were they to test the suit?
There was only one conclusion that could be drawn.
"If that's the case, the suit is useless," Ironwood said. "IXA is useless, and we have wasted our time and money on it. If it can't produce results, we may have to cancel the project."
"No!" Polendina rose from his seat, pale-faced and wide-eyed. "You can't do that! If IXA is not finished, then Penny… Penny won't…"
Ironwood took a deep breath. When he spoke next, his voice had lost some of its harshness.
"I know Penny is important to you. I had high hopes for her as well. However, for Penny to be realized, IXA's Aura Reactor needs to work. That cannot be done without further testing, and it is clear that's not an option right now. IXA has proven itself too dangerous, and I will not subject my men to such risks."
Enough soldiers and Huntsmen died against the Grimm already. There was no need to add even more people to that number, not if Ironwood had his way. IXA was supposed to help limit casualties, but if the only way to get it ready was for people like Jaune Arc to sacrifice themselves to the machine, then that was not a path Ironwood was willing to take.
Ironwood was a soldier, not an unfeeling robot. Even if his detractors would like to claim otherwise.
Still, it was a pity. Without IXA, it was unlikely Penny would ever be finished. Both would have been great assets in the fight against the Grimm and in the battle against Salem, not that Polendina knew about the last part. Without them, Atlas would have to rely on the Paladins and the next generation of Atlesian Knights, both of which were still in development.
"I am sorry, my friend."
"Wait!" Polendina held out his hand. "Please, wait. Do not talk as if the decision has already been made!"
The scientist closed his eyes. His hand clenched and unclenched numerous times as he gathered his words. When he opened his eyes, they were full of resolve.
"I can fix it."
Ironwood raised an eyebrow.
"Can you?"
"Yes," Polendina said. "If I am right about the problem, and I usually am right about most things, then I should be able to create a solution. I can place a limiter on the reactor. No, not just on the reactor, on the entire suit. IXA's capabilities would be lowered as a result, but it would allow the suit to be used. That would be enough for testing to get started. Once more data is gathered, we can gradually release IXA's limiters."
Ironwood observed the old man carefully. Usually, Polendina's words could be trusted, but the person in front of him wasn't the brilliant scientist he was used to dealing with. The person in front of him was a father that desperately wanted to save his daughter.
"And you are sure you can do this?"
"I am a genius," Polendina said, his usual confidence returning. "There is little I cannot do. We need to repair the suit either way. Making a few modifications while we are at it should not prove too difficult."
There were times when Ironwood hated his position. This was one of those. Should he deny the man the opportunity to save his daughter and deny the world a powerful weapon against the Grimm? Should he potentially put an innocent boy in danger on the word of a brilliant but emotionally compromised man?
There were never easy answers.
"I will give you one chance to fix this. However," Ironwood's face grew stern, "If there is another incident like this one, I cannot guarantee the project will continue."
"You have my word, Ironwood. I have no interest in killing children," Polendina said, placing a hand on his chest.
"I never believed otherwise," Ironwood replied. He turned to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go check on our Rider. After what happened, I would not blame him if he wanted to drop out of the project, and I will not stop him if that is what he wishes."
"About that," Polendina said rather nervously. "If he decides to stay, it would not be a bad idea if he received more extensive tutoring on how to control his Aura. Had he a better handle on it, he may have been able to prevent the reactor from drawing so much of it today."
Ironwood glared at him. "I thought the point of these tests was to see how someone untrained would handle the suit."
"And the end goal is for the suit to be used by fully-trained soldiers who will have greater control over their Aura than that kid has," Polendina pointed out. "I have read his training reports, James, and if I read them, you definitely have as well. That kid doesn't control his Aura. He just has it on all the damn time!"
Polendina was unfortunately right. As someone with a large Aura, Ironwood knew first-hand just how difficult it was to learn how to control it compared to those with more average pools. If IXA was going to be adapted to fit its Rider, then it wouldn't be wrong for the Rider to be adapted to IXA.
"I will see what I can do about that," Ironwood said, already having a good idea in mind.
On the bright side, this gave him the excuse he needed to keep Winter Schnee away from the frontlines. She was still too young for such things.
She was not going to be happy about it, though.
xXx
Jaune wasn't quite sure when he regained consciousness.
He was on a bed. That much Jaune could tell. It was not his bed back home or the one in his new apartment, but a bed was a bed, and Jaune felt like he could use some rest at the moment. He didn't even have the strength to open his eyes.
Jaune stayed on the bed for a few minutes. At least, he felt it was only a few minutes. Who really knew? It was hard to tell the time when sleepy.
Once Jaune felt enough strength return to his body, he tried a few experimental blinks, slowly getting used to the light. A yawn escaped his mouth, and he lazily rubbed his wrist against his forehead.
A horned demon loomed over him.
Jaune gasped. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body was still too weak.
"Whoah! Easy there!" The demon held up his hands, not to hold him or attack. Rather, the gesture was meant to be placating. "You don't want to fall off the bed. Gods know you've already taken enough damage."
Jaune blinked a few more times at that. As he did, his vision started to clear, allowing him to better see the horned demon.
No, Jaune corrected himself. Not a horned demon. Not a demon at all. Just a man with horns.
Just a faunus.
Talk about overreaction.
"I…" Shame and embarrassment welled up inside Jaune. "Sorry, I didn't mean to react like that. I had just woken up and…"
"And this is not exactly a face anyone wants to wake up to," the man said, pointing at his face. "I know."
He wasn't wrong which made Jaune feel even worse. The man was thin to the point of being bony, and his skin was extremely pale, sickly even. His hair was white, but rather than being white like snow, it was an ugly shade of platinum that looked like a botched hair dye. Two long, curled horns grew from the man's head. They had to be closer to three feet than two and were likely quite capable of seriously injuring a normal person.
Yes, there was no denying the man was scary-looking. He was the sort of person one wouldn't want to encounter in a dark alley.
He was also wearing a doctor's coat.
"It's not like that," Jaune said, his face burning with shame. "I mean, I don't have anything against faunus. Honest! I know plenty."
Jaune wasn't lying. People who didn't live there would be surprised to learn about it, but Mantle had a large faunus population. In the aftermath of the Great War, many people moved away from Mantle, leaving the city in dire need of workers. At the time, any worker had been a welcome one, human or otherwise. Many of the faunus who had just been granted citizenship found jobs in Mantle and ended up settling there.
Decades later, more faunus migrated to the surrounding area due to the SDC mines, but those hadn't fared nearly as well.
Jaune had grown up seeing a lot of faunus. However, none of their traits had been as extreme as that of the man in front of him. Jaune had seen faunus with horns before, but they could not compare to the monstrosities atop the man's head. Still, the fact that Jaune had been scared of the man's appearance, even if he had been half-asleep at the time, left a bad taste in his mouth.
To Jaune's surprise, the man chuckled.
"It is okay. You are probably used to only seeing faunus with cute animal ears or tails. I can't blame you. Not everyone gets a pair of these," he said, tapping his white horns. "That's not even getting into this mug of mine. Trust me when I say it's one only a parent can love. I'm used to all sorts of reactions by now."
"That's…" Horrible? "Not fair."
The man smiled. "I appreciate the feeling, but it's fine. I know how to deal with it. Hell, I know people out there who have it worse than me. A buddy of mine is a mantis faunus. Super unlucky."
Jaune blinked, not quite understanding why that was unlucky.
"Compound eyes," the doctor explained, tapping the side of his head. Jaune winced. Yeah, that sounded unlucky. "Poor guy can't go anywhere without a pair of oversized sunglasses. Even faunus stare at him." The doctor shook his head and slapped his hands together. "But enough about that! Let me introduce myself. I'm Dr. Onyx Xebi. I'm in charge of the medical facilities which means it is my job to keep everyone involved in the project healthy. That includes you."
The guy extended his hand, and Jaune was quick to shake it.
"Nice to meet you, doctor," Jaune said. "I am Jaune Arc."
"I am aware," Dr. Onyx said. "I've been studying your medical history since you were brought here."
Jaune blinked. Come to think of it, just why was he in the medical wing? Immediately, Jaune flinched as the memories came to him all at once. The test. The suit.
The explosion.
"Easy," the doctor said. It was only then that Jaune realized he was grabbing his head with both hands. "Don't try to force yourself to remember. It will come to you when it comes to you. No sooner. No later."
"I… what happened?"
He had a pretty good idea, but he'd rather hear it from someone else.
"As I am sure you can tell, the test did not go according to plan. There was an explosion, and you were knocked out," the doctor explained. "As I understand it, General Ironwood got to you in time. He's the one who brought you here."
Jaune looked up in surprise. "He did?"
"Yeah, looked pretty worried too, and not without reason. While the damage was not as bad as it could have been, you did have quite a few superficial burns. Don't worry," Onyx added when he saw Jaune checking his body for wounds. "Your Aura has already taken care of that."
"So fast?" Jaune asked, still checking his arms and not finding even a slight burn.
"Fast?" Dr. Onyx chuckled. "Oh, no. You have been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-Four Hours!"
"Twenty-four hours," the doctor confirmed. "Now if you'll excuse me, General Ironwood requested to be notified the second you regained consciousness. I'll be in my office after that. You would not believe how much trouble monitoring the health of twelve people can be. Word to the wise kid, never deal with people who think a Ph.D. is remotely comparable to an M.D. There is only one type of doctor that matters in the world."
"I'll… keep that in mind?"
"Good." Dr. Onyx started walking away before stopping at the door and looking over his shoulder. "Oh, and don't try to get up. You're in good health, but there's nothing wrong with playing it safe. Rest while you wait for the General to arrive. You are free to leave after that. If you need anything in the meantime, just press the red button next to your bed, and I'll be here right away."
Jaune nodded, not having the chance to say more before Dr. Onyx left the room.
Even though the doctor hadn't seemed angry by what happened, Jaune still felt a little uncomfortable after his less than stellar first impression. Oh well, this was hardly the first time he made a fool of himself. He'd have the opportunity to make things right eventually.
Hopefully.
As Jaune laid on his bed, he became aware of the tick and tock of a clock. He couldn't see it from his position, but he knew it was somewhere in the room. As the minutes kept passing and the clock kept ticking, Jaune started to grow bored.
It was inevitable. He was hardly the most patient of persons on a good day and being in bed with nothing to do wasn't really helping things. Jaune cast a longing gaze at the lone TV on the wall. If only he had a remote…
Sure, he could just walk up to it and try to turn it on manually, but what kind of savage did that?
Besides, Dr. Onyx had told him to remain in bed until Ironwood was done talking to him. The last thing he needed was for the doctor to walk in and find him disobeying orders. Knowing his luck, it was bound to happen if he tried it. He could call the doctor, but Jaune didn't want to waste his time.
Jaune extended his arm as if trying to reach the TV, knowing it was in vain.
"Would you like me to turn on the TV?"
Jaune sat up, his eyes quickly searching for the person who had just spoken.
"Who was that?" Jaune asked, more than a little wary. As far as he could see, he was the only person in the room.
"Salutations! My name is Penny," the invisible person replied, making Jaune jump again. He felt tempted to check under his bed. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Eh… hi, Penny? Nice meet you too. I'm Jaune."
"Greetings, Jaune."
"Yeah, greetings and all that… say, where exactly are you?" Jaune asked, still trying to find the girl.
"Oh, apologies. I must have startled you." There was something odd about the way Penny spoke, or rather, there wasn't, and that was what was odd. Her intonation was perfect to the point of being mechanical. "I am not in the same room as you if that is what you are wondering."
Jaune blinked. Slowly. "Then where…?"
He let his question hang in the air, waiting for the answer.
"I am currently watching you through the security cameras. Look to your left."
Jaune did and found a camera hanging from the ceiling. He waved at it. Curiously, the camera moved from side to side, as if waving back.
Weird.
"So," Jaune said, "do you work here or…?"
"My father works here. He lets me watch through the cameras so I don't get bored."
Jaune blinked. That didn't exactly sound professional. Maybe it was Bring Your Daughter to Work Day? Did that apply when you worked in a secret government lab?
"You looked like you wanted to turn on the monitor," Penny said. "Would you like me to do it for you?"
"Can you?" Jaune asked, scratching the back of his head. "I don't want to make you walk all the way here from wherever you are."
"That will not be necessary. I can do it from here." As soon as she said it, the screen turned on.
"You can just access the TV from the security room? Do you have to push a button or something?"
"O-Of course!" Penny hiccupped. "I pushed a button. I certainly did not hack the base's systems to do so."
"…okay."
"Would you like me to change the channel?"
Jaune stopped for a moment to think about whether trusting the voice of a girl he had never met who may or may not be hacking Atlas security was a good idea. In the end, he just shrugged, reasoning there was no way someone dangerous would go out of her way to talk to him.
"Could you change it to channel 404?"
"Right away."
Jaune smiled as his favorite cartoon started playing. It was a bit dated by the standards of some, but he always had a soft spot for the classics. He had half-expected Penny to stop talking to him after helping him out, but to his surprise, she started asking questions.
"Why does the duck talk? Is it supposed to be a robot?"
"What? No. It's just a cartoon. It doesn't need to be realistic. It's okay if animals talk."
Odd questions.
"Why was the coyote not able to run into the hole he painted on the wall like the roadrunner did? Does the roadrunner possess special abilities? Is it his Semblance?"
"Nothing like that. It's just a joke. You're not supposed to think too hard about it. You just accept it as something silly that happens."
But Jaune couldn't say it wasn't all that bad.
"Why are the kids so mean to the rabbit? He merely wanted some cereal."
"I know, right! I keep that saying that. Those kids are jerks."
As they continued watching the show, Jaune almost forgot Penny wasn't in the room with him. It was like relaxing with a friend, something he hadn't done in a long time. These days, if he wasn't training with Red and Blue, he was in his apartment. It was only now that Jaune was starting to realize how lonely he had been.
Jaune opened his mouth to thank Penny for keeping him company when the TV shut down. He blinked.
"Penny?" Jaune received no answer. The door opening a second later, however, shed some light into his companion's sudden absence.
"Good morning, Mr. Arc," James Ironwood said as he strode into the room. The general looked as impressive as always, not a single wrinkle to be found in his suit. Jaune didn't know whether he should stand up to greet the man or not.
"At ease," Ironwood said, smiling. "You are not one of my soldiers. You're not obligated to stand or salute."
Jaune nodded. Still, he found himself straightening his back. General Ironwood just had that sort of effect on people.
"I must admit I am glad to see you have recovered already," Ironwood said. He grabbed a chair and pulled it next to Jaune's bed. "However, that doesn't change what happened. That explosion was something that should have never occurred."
"Sir?"
"I have come here to apologize, Mr. Arc… Jaune," Ironwood said, inclining his head to him. "Our foolishness placed your life in danger."
"I…" Jaune didn't know what to say. Seriously, what was he supposed to do when one of the most powerful men in Remnant apologized to him? "You don't have to apologize."
"I most certainly do," Ironwood said. He said it with such certainty that Jaune immediately lost the will to contradict him. "I was the one who called you to Atlas. I chose you to be IXA's Rider. It was our poor preparation that put your life in danger."
Jaune frowned. "Just how much danger are we talking about here?"
"You could have died," Ironwood bluntly said. Jaune flinched. "The explosion damaged the suit. The sheer amount of heat generated was slowly draining your Aura. Had a few more minutes passed, the suit would have burned through your skin and muscles."
Jaune suddenly found his lap very interesting to look at. Dr. Onyx had told him he had only received superficial burns, so he hadn't thought much about it, but hearing what could have happened… It wasn't a good feeling. It wasn't a good feeling at all.
He could have died.
One accident and a couple of minutes, and that'd have been it for him. No going to a Huntsman Academy. No seeing his family again. No being a hero.
Just a dumb accident and death.
Just failure.
Ironwood sighed. He looked tired. "It is one thing to send soldiers against the Grimm. They are taught death is always a possibility. However, you had no reason to think your life would have been in danger during that test. You were not properly informed or prepared for what happened through no fault of your own. It is us who have failed you, Mr. Arc. That is why it is only proper for me to give you the chance to drop out of the project."
Jaune jerked his head up
What?
"What?"
"Dr. Polendina believes he has located the flaw that led to yesterday's incident and has promised to fix it. However, after what happened today, I will not blame you if you want nothing to do with this," Ironwood explained. "If you wish to leave the project, I will write you a letter of recommendation for the combat school of your choice. Now that your Aura has been unlocked, you will find the entrance exams considerably easier."
A letter of… General Ironwood was offering to… Jaune forced himself to take a deep breath.
A letter of recommendation. With a letter of recommendation from General Ironwood, no combat school in Altas would turn him down. Even without that, he knew he'd pass Hyades' practical test as he was right now. He had lost count of how many droids he had destroyed during training.
If Jaune took Ironwood's offer, he'd be able to go to combat school like a regular person.
However…
"Would that be enough?" Jaune asked. For some reason, his mouth felt dry. "If I go to a combat school right now and study hard, would that be enough? Would I be able to enter a Huntsman Academy if I do things that way?"
Ironwood considered his question for a moment. "I wish I could say yes, but the truth is there are no guarantees. You have a large Aura which is a valuable asset. However, you lack years of education and training compared to other students your age. Considering the standards of Huntsman Academies, there is no guarantee two years of combat school will be enough to put you at that level."
"But IXA would?"
Ironwood nodded.
"If the project goes well, then yes. I will stamp your Huntsman License myself."
A part of Jaune wanted to point out that Ironwood could just let him into Atlas Academy if he wanted to. After all, it was his school. However, he understood Ironwood was under no obligation to do so. That he was willing to write him a recommendation letter was already enough.
In the end, the choice was up to him. Leave now and hope two years would be enough to put him on par with people who had probably been training since they were ten or younger or stay and do his best to make IXA a success.
"In that case, I—"
"Do not answer right now," Ironwood said, raising his hand to stop him. "I can see what answer you have chosen. It's written all over your face."
Was he really that obvious?
"However, I want you to think it over carefully. This is a decision that will affect the rest of your life, Jaune. It must not be done in haste. Take the week off. Think it over carefully. If you have not changed your mind by then, I will gladly welcome you back."
Ironwood left the room after that, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts.
AN:
It's funny. The reason why I started writing Individual System instead of Maybe I am a Lion was because I needed to do something light after Lonely Nights, and racism (which would feature heavily in MIAL) is a heavy subject. Yet here we are. Can't do Atlas without touching on faunus racism. It's not going to feature as much as in Maybe I am a Lion, but this story is going to explore the subject a little. It kind of has to since the first "season" is going to deal with the White Fang.
Dr. Onyx is an OC created for that purpose. A faunus with a trait that's a little more intimidating than usual. Sure, it's easy to like faunus when they're cute animal people, but what about when they aren't? Take Tyrian, for example. Even if you remove all his crazy, you're still left with a guy who has a giant scorpion tail with deadly poison in it. Imagine living next to a guy like that. You probably don't want to be rude, but you'll still be wary of the deadly scorpion tail.
As an aside, it's fair to warn you guys, the story is not going to reach Vale for a while. The entire first arc of this story is going to take place in Atlas. That said, you may see some familiar faces sooner than expected.
Oh, and for those who remember last chapter's AN, yes, the original version of chapter 3 was supposed to end with the explosion, but I realized there was little point in a half-baked cliffhanger like that.
When I end a chapter on a cliffhanger, it's going to mean something.
Anyway, tune in next time for the final chapter of Don't Say No!