Act I: The Captain

Chapter Two: Testing The Waters

It was five minutes later when his mother walked in.

Jaune turned his attention from the mirror, gazing at his now shorter mother. June let her eyes fall down her son's physique… he looked a lot like his father, she realized. She approached slowly, as if her son were a spooked animal.

Jaune didn't dare move, afraid he'd hurt his mother if he so much as hugged her. After watching the metal bend at his very touch… yeah, he was in no hurry to try that on a person. He barely felt his mother's touch on his shoulder, trailing up his collar to frame his face.

She frowned, "Honey… you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but I need to know you're okay. Just nod, okay?" Jaune, of course, nodded. He was shocked, but… other than that he felt fine. Better than fine even. He felt like he could lift a mountain if he needed to.

June let out a little sigh of relief, "Good… Dr. Callus wants you to come with him. He's going to run some tests to make sure everything's fine… okay?" Jaune nodded again, not applying even the slightest pressure as his mother took his hand, guiding him out of the bathroom.

Callus approached a moment later, the guards and general flanking him on either side. "Mr. Arc, I'd like you to follow me to the infirmary," he said, gesturing just past June's lab, back toward the main base. Jaune nodded, turning without a word to lead the way. He'd been there enough times, he figured he knew it by now.

The only words spoken were the quiet whisperings of the guards, both discussing Jaune beneath his hearing… well, they thought it was beneath his hearing anyway. Jaune heard every word of it:

"Can you believe that scrawny kid turned into that?"

"No… probably some stage trick. Callus got some big buff guy that looks like him."

"You think he'd try and fool the general like that?"

"Maybe. Maybe he's desperate for more funding? Proving it works… that or he's a traitor."

"Traitor? Guy seems alright for an Atlesian… I mean, they've got a bounty on him for dust's sake."

"Part of the cover for spies. Got a brother that works espionage. They pulled a stunt like that on Mistral for months before they finally extracted the guy."

"Callus isn't a spy, what he did to me is real," Jaune said, glaring at the two guards. The general raised an eyebrow at him, turning to see his guards' bewildered and somewhat embarrassed faces. Dr. Callus, meanwhile, had eyes brighter than the lights nearby.

"You heard them, Mr. Arc?" Callus whispered at a volume that should've been beneath any normal person's hearing… and Jaune nodded. Callus nodded a few times, reaching into his coat and pulling out a notepad, adding to the many observations he'd made about Jaune since he woke up.

When Jaune, at last, led the three into the infirmary… well, suffice to say he raised a few eyebrows. All the nurses that weren't currently treating wounded or doing something else important stopped to stare, watching as the 6'6" man in nothing but a pair of boxers walked through, letting two doctors, two soldiers, and a general walk-in after him. The general turned to the nurses, a silent glare sending them all back to work.

Dr. Callus, meanwhile, turned to Jaune. "Mr. Arc, we're going to conduct a series of tests to your new abilities. If you feel threatened at any time, please tell me, okay?" Jaune nodded, gesturing for the doctor to go on. He'd expected a few things. Weights, maybe. Test his strength.

He hadn't expected him to pull out a card with an inkblot on it.

"Uhh… am I supposed to-"

"Ah! Right. Forgive me, Mr. Arc. You see, I want to test your mental capacities before I test your physical. To ensure there was no potential 'brain atrophy' as it were. No point in having a powerful physique if you can't tell left from right."

Jaune nodded… that made sense at least. There were probably at least a few side effects from... whatever it was Callus had done to him. He sat down in a chair, going through a rather standard inkblot test with Dr. Callus.

Every time Jaune would answer something relatively mundane -like a bat, a bull, or two bears high-fiving- for what the blot would look like, and every time Callus would write it down. Then it switched to word association… then simple trivia… it was about ten minutes later when Callus finally stopped.

"Well, Mr. Arc, from what I can tell you have suffered no mental trauma beyond what would be considered normal. Now," Callus motioned to the two guards, both of which walked away and returned with an assortment of weights in their arms. Based on their facial expressions, both were struggling.

Jaune stood, "Here, let me help." Jaune casually lifted both armloads, stumbling back at how light they were… yeah, he was not ready for that. Callus -having figured Jaune would offer help and make his job a bit easier- nodded a few times as he scrawled out some notes on his paper. Jaune, almost more curious than Callus himself, started lifting the weights, hoisting them to the ceiling with relative ease.

"Fascinating… now, Mr. Arc," he reached into his lab coat, pulling out a small jar,

"I'd like you to open this pickle jar."

Jaune raised an eyebrow… was this some kind of test about being delicate? Some kind of measure of control? He complied regardless, working with the seal for a moment before at least opening the jar, handing it to Callus. Jaune watched as the man took a pickle from it, casually taking a bite from it.

"... what was the point of that test?"

"Opening the jar. Those lids are rather pesky to get off."

The general and guards slowly shook their heads, June letting a quiet giggle slip. She had to admit, it was kind of funny. Callus claimed to have enhanced her son beyond any physical limitations… and one of the first things he has him do is open a pickle jar.

The general cleared his throat, "Dr. Callus. If you're done with your snack, I think we'd all like to continue testing Mr. Arc's capabilities." Jaune and June both nodded in agreement. For very different reasons, both of them were very curious about Jaune's new abilities.

Callus finished his pickle, nodding a few times before his hands flew to his throat. To June, the general, and the nurses nearby, it was rather obvious he was miming actually choking. To Jaune and the soldiers? It was a very real threat.

"Doctor Callus!" Jaune didn't think as he wrapped his arms around the man's waist, performing the Heimlich maneuver in a way that made his mother both proud, and incredibly terrified.

Callus tapped Jaune's shoulder a few times, giving him a faint smile, "Fascinating… even under stress, you're able to maintain control over your new strength."

Jaune raised an eyebrow… how was the doctor so calm? Had he not just been choking? It took him a few seconds (and noticing the restrained smiles and laughs from his mother and the nearby nurses) to realize the doctor had faked it as another test.

Jaune put him down, Callus turning to the general, "Now, General Hanlon, do you understand why I choose him?" Jaune raised an eyebrow… he knew where this was going but… did the general actually want someone like him? Someone that cared about other people's lives and tried to save them?

The general nodded a few times, "Yes… he has a remarkable control for someone that only recently gained their strength." Jaune's worries seemed to be misplaced. The general had a very different interpretation of why Callus had picked him compared to the actual reason.

Callus just nodded along, pointing across the room, "Mr. Arc, I'd like you to read the letters on the eye chart." Jaune looked up, nodding a few times. Callus expected him to do well, of course. He hadn't needed glasses or really anything to correct his vision beforehand, and the serum -by his calculations- should've only improved that.

But even he was shocked at the results.

"P-E-Z-O-L-C-F-T-D," Jaune recited, reading the lowest possible line on the chart. One the doctor -with his glasses- couldn't actually see. It wouldn't be that surprising if Jaune wasn't almost forty feet away.

Curious, Callus tried something else, "Alright… Mr. Arc, I'd like you to tell me… hold on -nurse! I need a small syringe over here! Used, preferably!" the nurse, naturally, was rather confused at that, but brought one over regardless.

"Ah! Perfect, thank you. Now, Jaune, I'd like you to tell me what was last in this syringe." Callus held up a hand, shushing the nurse, June, and the general himself. No doubt they were about to ridicule him about how such a feat as impossible, how Jaune couldn't-

"It looks like… anesthesia? I think that's what it is. It looks clear but… kinda cloudy."

"He… that's right how -how is that possible?" the nurse asked, taking the syringe back, holding it up to the light herself. There was nothing. It had been perfectly… on closer inspection, she realized there was a tiny drop of anesthesia still in the bottom. It was barely the size of the needle -how could he have known?

Even Dr. Callus was impressed, "My word! Jaune, what you've just done has expanded the boundaries of human evolution! You've shown that it's possible to further improve upon the human body through biochemical manipulation!" Jaune pretended, for a few seconds, to understand what the fast spoken, excited techno-babble meant.

The general… did not share Jaune's courtesy. "English, doctor. Explain exactly what just happened." Callus -taking a few moments to calm himself -briefly went into a small rant about something Jaune… honestly didn't understand in the slightest.

He was a bit more focused on his mother as she walked in front of him, flexing her finger to get him to lean down. Jaune complied… it was so weird, leaning down to hear his mother when just a few days ago she was doing the exact same thing to hear him.

"Honey… Jaune. Just because Callus made you this way, I don't want you to do everything he tells you to do. If you don't agree with it, say something… you might be bigger and stronger, but," she leaned up, planting a kiss on his cheek, "You're still my little baby."

Jaune rubbed his cheek, face flushed as he stood up straight, "Mom…" he trailed off, gesturing to Callus, the general, and the nearby guards. Granted, those guards definitely weren't saying anything to piss off the guy that had just casually lifted well over 400 pounds of equipment and could see better than a hawk.

June turned, "I've got to get back to the lab… if they deploy you, I want to see you first, okay?" Jaune nodded as his mother walked away, heading back to her lab. Away from the very obvious research of Callus, and into the much less obvious research into her little, subatomic world.

Jaune, not for the first time, wondered why his mother worked on a military base and not in a normal lab somewhere. After all, it wasn't like her work was vital to the war effort at the moment. Callus, on the other hand… well, he'd created him -and could assumingly create more.

"Mr. Arc," Jaune turned, seeing the general approaching, holding out a hand, "I don't believe we've formally met yet. I'm General Hanlon, and you'll be taking orders from me now." Jaune raised an eyebrow as he shook the man's hand, the older general giving him a small smile before turning to Callus.

"Doctor, I'd like you to keep up testing… and for Gods sakes get this soldier some pants," the general said, gesturing to Jaune's attire -or lack thereof. Jaune, for the first time since he'd been in the bathroom, looked down, his face turning even more red as he realized he'd been half-naked during his entire walk through the base.

Callus nodded, saluting as the general walked off, waiting to relax until he disappeared around a corner. "Phew… man means well but I swear he's going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Callus gripped his chest as if to further illustrate the point.

One of the nurses walked over, looking at Callus for a brief second before turning to Jaune, giving him a smile, "Hello Mr. Arc. Dr. Callus does your… patient, I assume, require a standard or non-standard checkup?"

Callus shook his head, "Oh that won't be necessary at the moment, ma'am. If there are any problems relating to Mr. Arc's condition, I will refer him to your unit immediately. For the time being, however," he turned to Jaune,

"We have a lot of work to do… and by 'we', I mean you."

"Ahh… I… I can't go on, doctor…"

Jaune fell to his knees, sweat pouring down his fatigues and over his brow. Callus, meanwhile, was still sweating (mostly because of the heat) but of course hadn't been running. He reached into the cooler next to him, handing Jaune a water bottle before grabbing a pen, working to tally his… well, tally marks.

Jaune had completely drained three bottles from a nearby cooler when Dr. Callus spoke up. "One-hundred and seventeen laps… definitely, a boosted endurance." as if any normal human could sprint over one-hundred laps and still be standing long enough to go another seventeen in the first place.

Jaune nodded a few times, leaning against the metal wall Callus had been using for shade. "AH! HOT! HOT!" unfortunately, Jaune's new physique didn't make him immune to heat… or pain. As Jaune was leaning forward in pain, Callus was putting more notes down, slowly nodding as noted how long Jaune's recovery was taking.

In five minutes, Jaune seemed like he was up and ready to go again. "Mr. Arc, are you hung-"

"Starving." Jaune didn't let him finish,

Callus nodded a few times, "I see… if my calculations are correct, the serum significantly boosted your metabolism. While this means any dead cells on your body should more rapidly replicate, it also means you'll likely require far more nutrients than an average human of your size."

Jaune nodded a few times, stomach growling at the thought of food, "Yeah… yeah, food sounds good -now, now preferably." he said, nodding a few times as he looked away from Callus. The doctor -speaking of- slowly stood, packing up his small folding chair and making his way to the mess hall.

"Grab the cooler, if you would." Jaune did so with one arm, holding it over his shoulder for ease of… well, to be honest, he just wanted something cold to lean his head against. It was eighty-nine degrees outside, can you blame him?

When the two walked into the mess hall, they drew quite a few eyes. Though, it was actually quite a bit less than Dr. Callus had anticipated. The reason for that? Well… there weren't many of them, but some people's eyes were still drawn to the three large men near the center of the hall, surrounding a shorter one.

Jaune grit his teeth as he saw the same men that had -apparently- helped to get him noticed by Dr. Callus. This time it wasn't a faunus, but rather a shorter, light-brown haired man, blue eyes staring at the three. Callus couldn't hear over the commotion in the mess hall, but Jaune could hear just fine.

"Looky here boys, we got another wannabe hero." that was the taller one, he guessed the leader.

"Yeah. Should pay the wiseguy a visit soon, punish him for this stupid trend he started."

"You won't have to look far!" Jaune shouted, walking toward the group. The four turned, three of their faces paling as the significantly taller and more muscular Arc loomed over them. The three looked up as he stood there, glaring down at them. The mess hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, everyone looking on in shock.

Jaune broke the silence when he turned to the target of the other three, holding out his hand. The other man looked at it for a moment before taking it, letting Jaune pull him to his feet. Jaune turned his attention back to the other three, who were now very much in the 'piss their pants' stage of fear.

Jaune just turned, guiding the other man back toward Dr. Callus. "How about you have lunch with us so they don't get any ideas?" Jaune asked, giving the man his signature smile. The man blinked a few times, slowly nodding as the three went their way through the line.

After a bit of work from Dr. Callus (also known as scribbling out an excuse on why the large soldier behind him needed double rations), the three were sitting at an empty table with four trays… two of them were for Jaune alone.

Jaune had downed his before Callus was even half-way through with his. The other man -who'd finished his about the same time Jaune finished both of his- was the one that picked up the conversation, holding out his hand. "I'm Dove Bronzewing, by the way." Jaune shook his hand, smiling at the newly named Dove.

"Did you try and do what I did? The whole 'stand up to give the victim time to run' thing?" Jaune asked. Dove confirmed that yes, that was exactly what he'd done… except this time there had been someone to keep him from getting the beatdown that Jaune had received when he'd tried it.

"So… uh, weren't you a lot smaller? I heard they beat you up and… I mean, they do not look like they could beat you up," Dove said, gesturing to Jaune's large frame. Jaune was about to nod when he froze, turning and raising an eyebrow at Dr. Callus.

He didn't think it'd be a secret -hard to hide it when he was walking around suddenly so much larger than he used to be- but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Rather than just letting Jaune tell Dove about himself, Callus decided to explain… well, most everything for him. Jaune just sort of stood by, throwing in bits here and there as Callus went to explain the process. Unlike Jaune, Dove didn't seem to be left behind, but rather just seemed fascinated, even asking questions that rivals the doctor's explanation.

"Were you a college guy before the war?" Jaune asked. Given he could apparently understand the doctor's jargon with relative ease, Jaune figured it was a safe assumption. It surprised no one when Dove nodded.

"Sort of. I was in medical school before they conscripted me. I went from learning how to save lives to learning how to take them in five minutes," Dove explained. Jaune nodded a few times… Dr. Callus, however, had a few more questions.

"Seems odd that they'd draft a medical school student as a soldier and not a medic. Other than farmers, doctors are usually the lowest on the conscription ladder," Callus said, scratching his chin. Dove nodded a few times, frowning as he looked away from the two.

"My father being Atlesian probably has something to do with it…" Callus slowly nodded… he wasn't surprised. He'd seen dozens of soldiers conscripted and thrown onto the front lines just because they had Atlesian or Mistralean blood in them.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Why would you being Atlesian have… wait, they do that?" Jaune leaned in, eyes widening as it dawned on him. Dove looked up at the taller man, giving him a faint smile before he nodded. It was… odd, seeing someone that wasn't aware of Atlesian conscripts… it was almost refreshing -and also sad, in a weird way.

Before Dr. Callus could further comment, he heard a burst of static coming from his pocket. He reached in, pulling out his radio. "Dr. Callus, general Hanlon is requesting you and Mr. Arc's presence in his office immediately."

"Understood, we're on our way," Callus said into his mic, the three standing. Callus looked between Jaune and Dove, raising an eyebrow at the taller blond. Jaune looked to Dove before nodding a few times, giving Callus a little smile.

The doctor shrugged, "Suit yourself. Alright, soldiers, follow me." the three made their way out of the cafeteria, Jaune forcing himself to take smaller steps to avoid passing Callus -who apparently knew where Hanlon's office was.

It took five minutes to reach his office, the three walking in without hesitation. There the general sat alone, gesturing for Callus to sit down before his eyes trailed back to the two soldiers. "I thought I requested only you and Mr. Arc, Dr. Callus," Hanlon said, eyes narrowing at Dove. Jaune stepped in front of him, nodding a few times.

"He's here on my request, sir," Jaune said, honestly rather shocked at how calm his voice sounded. He should've been terrified of the man in front of him… maybe his mind was realizing just how strong he was before even he did… and maybe his mind would somehow make that make sense for him too.

The general glared at him for a second before a wry smile crossed his face, "Hehe… turning into a bit of a maverick now that you got muscles, huh? Good… just don't go too maverick. I'd rather not have to declare you AWOL," he said.

Callus fell back in his chair, letting out a sigh of relief. That could've gone very badly -for literally everyone involved. His mind had currently been running through his worst-case scenario 114, where Jaune accidentally killed the general and ran off, resulting in both the doctor and him getting hunted down and executed by the Valean military.

Jaune nodded, giving the general a smile and salute, "Don't worry sir, you won't have to… so, what are our orders?" there was definitely a reason for the general to suddenly call them here. He knew it wasn't just checking up on how he was doing… actually, come to think of it, it might've been that, checking how Callus's tests had gone and all that.

His dark expression said otherwise.

"We're sending you and Callus to the eastern front… you'll be selecting your gear from the armory tomorrow, shipping out at 0800 hours on Tuesday," he said. Callus, naturally, raised more than a few objections to sending out someone that had relatively recently gained their strength and abilities to the front.

"Sir!"

Dove saluted, stepping in front of Jaune, "Please allow me to accompany Captain Arc on his mission!" Jaune was, of course, confused. For one thing, he was not a captain -not by any stretch of the imagination. He'd not even gotten past his basic training yet!

The general just smiled, "I can't allow you to accompany him, cadet Bronzewing… Sergeant Bronzewing and Captain Arc, on the other hand…" Jaune and Dove looked at each other, both stunned at what they were hearing… was it real? Was the general actually just promoting them both?

"Are you… serious, sir?" Dove was the one who found his tongue first.

"You're damn right I am… but understand you can't go bragging about this to anyone just yet. Wouldn't want Mistral and Atlas learning about our newest weapons, now would we?" Hanlon said, a small smirk on his face as he motioned them out.

Callus, still somewhat miffed about his objections being so casually waved by the general, walked out after the two, closing the door and heading down for his lab. Just before he reached the elevator, he turned to Dove, slowly shaking his head, a faint smile gracing his features, "Kid… either you're a moron or you've got bigger balls than an Ursa."

"He's an idiot, then." the three turned, Dove's face going red as he saw a young woman in a nurse's uniform approach. Dr. Callus -meanwhile- was more confused as to why the seemingly random nurse was approaching… and thought for a moment that it was Dr. Arc in disguise… then he put two and two together.

Jaune, meanwhile, just walked up to her, a smile on his face, "Jasmine!" said girl casually held out her arms, embracing her not-so-little-anymore brother. She pulled back after a second, looking over him for a moment before turning to Dr. Callus.

"Hey, think you can give my boyfriend this treatment?"