Chapter 2: The 1st Gynoid

[10 Years Ago]

{New Atlas City} is considered the most beautiful and glamorous city in all of Remnant and it would be true, especially considering it's literally floating in the sky on an island. However, even if something is beautiful on the outside it can hide something disgusting and ugly within and Atlas is no different as most of the people living there are nothing but a bunch of haughty and greedy assholes that will look for any opportunity to put you down and use you for their own gain. Something that one Faunus girl would fall prey to...though it was more out of greed than racism. She simply had the misfortune of being poor and desperate and was willing to do anything for money.

Too bad it was going to cost her greatly.

KHGM

"So let me get this right, you all ran the tests and you ruined her body...and that's all that was left?!"

The angered head scientist points to the tubes of culture fluid containing her vital organs and a Seal tail which was all that remained of the seven-year-old girl.

"Whatever. I guess I have no choice, but to rebuild her body. In fact, I can improve it...make it better," The head scientist said with a grin.

"But Dr. Cossack, we…"

"No. You have proven to me that you three can not handle such a task. So, I have a new task for you. Ensure that the girl's parents are compensated if she has any. Now out!" Dr. Cossack said as the lab assistants left in a hurry before turning his attention back to the remains of the poor girl. "Now, rebuilding you isn't going to be too hard but I'll need to make sure you don't remember any of this. I can't have you having a mental breakdown and I would rather not let you relive that pain."

Dr. Cossack called his daughter over, the one he trusted to run this operation, Kalkina.

"What the hell happened to the subject?" Kalkina asked, horrified at the sight before her.

"Incompetence from the techs. I'm looking over the data and it seems they didn't realize the cameras were on. Ugh, that poor girl. I wanted a loyal soldier for Atlas...not something to do all the literal horrors about. We have Grimm for that." Dr. Cossack said with a sigh. "Kalkina, I'd like you to donate some DNA so I can work on making a new body."

"Of course, father. This will be a grand opportunity." Kalkina said as they both got to work.

[Many months later…]

We now find the father and daughter duo standing before a containment tube containing the newly rebuilt faunus girl. Now not only organs, one could see the girl had a petite build with healthy pale skin and long neon sea-foam green hair reaching past her waist. Her Faunus trait is a Seal tail the same color as her hair but a darker shade.

"Alright, Kalkina this is it, the moment of truth. Are we ready to inject the Connection Core Fluid into her?" Dr. Cossack asks.

"Yes father, everything is ready to wake her up…I just wish we knew this poor girl's name," Kalkina said while looking over her datapad.

"Perhaps she'll remember upon awakening," Dr. Cossack mused. "Now then…begin the wake-up process."

Kalkina nods before typing a few keys on her datapad which makes mechanized syringes rise within the tube before injecting the CCF into her body, one into her neck, one each for her arms and legs, and one for her tail. Once completed, the mechanized syringes move away before the tube begins to drain itself of the medical liquid while mechanical arms rise to keep the girl steady. A series of beeps indicate it was finishing.

"A shame our plan didn't work out as planned, but I do feel good doing this as those lab scrubs downstairs will get their karmic due. The tube containing her is secure." Kalkina said, pouring out tea for her and her father. "We're probably going to have to leave Atlas."

"Way ahead of you my dear daughter," Dr. Cossack said before flipping a switch. "The lab's set to blow and we'll be in Mistral soon enough. Those foolish lab techs have already been dealt with."

True to Dr. Cossack's words, the lab suffered an EMP shockwave that affected the city's power grid. They were long gone by the time the newly formed Ace-Ops arrived at the scene, emergency personnel doing their best to keep bystanders back.

"Damn, what happened here?" Marrow breathed out in shock.

"Not sure but whoever did this is probably long gone and we have no way to track them with everything rebooting," Vine mused before turning towards his leader. "What do we do now Clover?"

"Even if that's true we still need to investigate...Ace-Ops spread out and see if you can find any clues as to what happened here," Clover ordered and they did just that.

After wandering the lab and being careful not to stab the sharp metal and glass on her semi-bare feet, Elm spotted a lone light coming out of a room. Being ready for anything, the bricc woman peeked inside…and gassed audibly at what she saw.

"Guys! Come check this out!" The muscled girl called to her group who were quick to rally to her.

"What the...is that a kid?" Harriet asked in disbelief as she stared at the little girl in the tube which was the only thing with power.

"It appears to be, let me see if I can…" Clover said as he fiddled with the controls.

The hiss of smoke was audible as it opened to which the girl awoke briefly before slumping out of it but Clover was quick to catch her.

"I don't think she's a normal kid," Marrow said before recoiling a bit when the girl weakly opened her eyes and he saw how unnatural they were. "Yeah…definitely not normal."

"What do we do, Clover?" Vine asks his leader.

"We will have to bring her to the general for questioning," Clover said as he carefully held the girl to his chest.

Feeling weakness overcome her, the girl let slumber take over once again.

[Present Day]

Piece by piece, some semblances of her memory had come and gone over the years. She was able to reclaim her name, but it was all fuzzy. What she remembered was being rather hungry and being offered food for a job. Then, it went black and all she could feel was the pain. She could not visualize it, but she could feel it. What she did not realize was while Cossack removed the memory, he inadvertently left her with phantom pains. Sure, the Ace-Ops looked after her, but...she realized she did not want to stay in Atlas.

"Hey, Sera! Quick spacing out, we have a mission!" Harriet called breaking her from her thoughts. "Meet in the war room in five minutes."

"Understood," Was the gynoid's monotone response as she rose from her bed before putting on her clothes and then looking herself over in the mirror.

After ten years of growing, she stood at five foot four while having healthy pale skin and a petite yet slightly toned build, like that of a swimmer. Her hair was styled into long twin ponytails reaching her knees and large wide eyes that are more Seal-like being black with only her irises having any color which is teal.

Her attire was a white skin-tight diver suit under a cobalt blue trench coat reaching her ankles with a high, upturned collar while having her emblem, a gray outline of a baby Seal holding a black colored gear with blue markings, on the back, black thigh high open-toed leather combat boots with navy blue lacings and a white baby seal hat on her head. She also has a silver futuristic belt with glowing blue markings and a glowing blue circular center and five matching colored rings that are connected around her wrists, ankles, and tail.

Seraphinite came into the room before sitting next to Marrow as the General himself made an appearance. He had made it an important matter to look after Seraphinite, especially because of the discovery of her origin. Cossack had been found but not arrested as he was able to basically shove the blame on his lab assistants while he and his daughter had cut a simple deal in handing over the schematics for the gynoid research and got a ten-year exile.

"Seraphinite, I wanted to congratulate you on your recent mission," Ironwood said as Seraphinite sighed. "Something the matter?"

"Yes, I...I want to reconsider retiring from the military," Seraphinite said as Marrow spat out his hot chocolate.

"Any reason for that?" Harriet asked as Seraphinite got up.

"While I appreciate all that you have done. You were all like the family I never had...my place was never to be a soldier. I remember that I always wanted to be a huntress. Plus, from what I managed to recover my old self...I discovered I have a living relative in Mistral. I have an uncle, and I want to go find him." Seraphinite said firmly. "I will however do this final mission with the Ace-Ops though."

"If that's the case, I won't get in your way. Your time with us has proven invaluable." Ironwood said, putting a hand on Seraphinite's shoulder. "There'll be a severance package waiting for you and be aware that if you are willing, you'll be welcomed back with open arms."

Seraphinite, showing a bit of emotion, hugged him tightly which the usually stern General returned with a soft smile. After a few moments, they break the hug and Seraphinite returns to her seat by Marrow as the briefing begins.

"Alright everyone, listen closely as your mission is going to probably be very hazardous for you all...you are to seek out someone and convince him to join a Huntsman Academy. Atlas and Vale are the more preferred choice but if he joins any of the four main academies this will put a lot of people at ease," Ironwood said, making the six operatives look at one another.

"Um with all due respect sir, how is this mission considered hazardous?" Elm asks in confusion.

"Yeah, this sounds like something you would have rookies do, not elites like us," Harriet grunted in annoyance, thinking it wasn't worth her time but a harsh glare from the General made her straighten up.

"Because if I had anyone else do this they would piss themselves in fear and run away at the sight of him or would get themselves killed by attacking him on sight. This is why I need you six to go and convince him as you have better nerves than any other soldiers sans myself and Specialist Schnee," Ironwood said grimly.

"Who is the target?" Seraphinite asks before Ironwood pulls up a holographic picture of them making the gynoid's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah...I see."

"Oh hell no!" Marrow exclaimed in disbelief.

"Sir you can't be serious! You want us to convince him of all people to join one of the academies?" Clover wheezed out.

"Can we even call him a person?" Vine muttered while glaring at the screen.

"I understand all your apprehension but it needs to be done," Ironwood said gravely. "No matter the cost you all must find a way to convince The Grimm in Human Skin to join one of the academies...and not get yourselves killed in the process."

"...It shall be done, we will not fail," Seraphinite says, glaring at the screen in determination, making the General smile a bit.

"Good, you are to leave immediately and his last seen location has been updated to your scrolls. Good luck and Oumspeed to you all. Dismissed!" Ironwood saluted as the Ace-Ops and Sera did as well before leaving the war room.

The General sighed tiredly before opening his scroll and hitting the speed dial. "Ozpin, it's me, the Ace-Ops are inbound to meet the target."

"Excellent news James, I do apologize for having to ask you to do this but I'm afraid my group and I are still swamped in paperwork with the newest batch of students," Ozpin said on the other line.

"It's fine but let me remind you that I still think this is a bad idea at trying to recruit this one to join any Academy. You know what his reputation is like, he's an unstable psychopath!" Ironwood seethed heatedly.

"I know James but need I also remind you that if we don't get to him first then she is sure to do so herself? If that boy falls into her clutches and she manages to twist him even more under her heel...I dare say not even the Seasons will be able to stop him," Ozpin gravely stated as Ironwood couldn't counter that claim. "Besides with this method, we can make sure to monitor and keep an eye on him to see where his moral lies...and if need be we will eliminate him if he becomes too much of a threat."

"I guess you do have a point Oz...but what if he doesn't want to become a Huntsman at all or if he does want to be one, what if he doesn't come to our schools?" Ironwood asks.

"Not a problem, if he chooses not to become a Huntsman then we'll just continue to monitor from a distance...a very safe distance I might add. As for him not coming to our schools, don't worry, Theodore will be able to give us weekly updates when he can if he decides to go to Shade Academy," Ozpin explains.

"What if he goes to Haven?" Ironwood suddenly asks before hearing Ozpin choke on the other side, making the General's eyes narrow. "Ozpin...please tell me we have a way to check on him if he goes into the Lion's Den?"

"...Well, spying is not an option. We all agreed to the accord, I gave my word…" Ozpin mutters.

Ironwood facepalmed himself with his robotic hand..hard, before sighing hardly through his nose.

"Oum damnit, Oz," Ironwood groaned, he needed a very hard drink after this. "If he does choose Haven, I do hope you can talk to Leon about our concerns.."

"I'll do my best James," Ozpin said. "I suppose Leon would understand the circumstances…hopefully."

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: And that's chapter 2 done, poor Seraphinite had a rough start in this story but hopefully it'll get better for her. This chapter is shorter than how I usually write chapters but there really wasn't a need for anything crazy in this chapter but don't worry you'll get to see our Gynoid Seal in action next chapter. Speaking of which…it's time for the future King of Grimm to make his appearance!