[One year ago.]
Dr. Anita Boze had graduated top of her class in Med school. She was one is of the most promising neuroscientists in Remnant. Her work titled: Neuroplasticity: how the brain stores information by altering its structure was truly a breakthrough and won her a full-time research position in the Altas Technological Institute.
One day out of the blue she was offered a new position at the Vale medical center, personally by Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon academy. I didn't know that Combat academy headmasters did scientist headhunting in their spare time.
I obviously declined his request, after all, I had just settled in my new lab and my research here at Atlas was starting to take off, I simply can't drop everything at a moment's notice to go to Vale. If I needed that kind of life I would have been a huntress, not a scientist.
Moreover, what scientist in their right mind would leave Atlas, the undisputed leader of Scientific innovation and technology in the world to go to Vale of all places. No offense to Vale, in general, but the Vale university specialized in Humanities and Arts. Sure, they had a decent medical school and Beacon was the best combat institute in Remnant however, nothing spectacular in the sciences yet.
But Ozpin was a persistent man. The next thing I knew, I was visited by General Ironwood himself telling me that Vale had opened up a new research institute for Neuroscience. I was being offered a position there and that he'd really appreciate it if I accepted. He told me, "Think of it as a sabbatical, you don't have to relocate to Vale permanently, you'll still have everything here, just go out there for one term and come back after finishing your tenure there."
It sounded like an order from the military man, even though the general reassured me that it was entirely my decision.
I hated Ozpin's guts at that moment. Who did he think he was? While the general was not my boss he was on the Atlas council and the Atlas council had a huge say in the allocation of research grants. So it was not a good idea to defy the general so blatantly. If he personally visited me for this then he and Ozpin must be pretty tight. I wonder what Ozpin wants. I finally relented, convincing myself that this was a golden opportunity for my career. I told the General so and he was almost pleased. I emailed Ozpin informing him that I will accept the offer and almost immediately got a response, which was weird, that he was delighted and that he'll ensure my transition to Vale was as smooth as possible, the smugness of the email was palpable.
I was given a week to get my affairs in order, it was Monday and I was to leave on Saturday, talk about a tight schedule.
I got the paperwork later on Monday itself, who thought bureaucracy could be this efficient!
I completed the hiring paperwork and sent it back by Wednesday. On Thursday, I received a message from Ozpin that he'd be attending some Schnee fundraising event for a memorial regarding the tragedy of Mount Glenn on Friday and would like it if I came as well the formal invite to the event was enclosed in the message.
I wondered if Ozpin was trying to impress me by pulling these things out of nowhere, it couldn't be a coincidence that in one week I was contacted by Ozpin, Ironwood, and was invited to a Schnee event. I didn't know what to think, so I just went with it. I messaged him that I would be there. To which he again immediately responded. "Splendid! Looking forward to meeting you." Seriously, why does he reply instantaneously! But I had another concern now, what to wear and not look like a homeless casual amongst those snotty rich people.
Friday evening came too soon. I drove up to the Schnee manor, a valet parked my car.
The gentry of the event was as stuffy as I imagined it to be. Everyone was spectacularly dressed and too cheerful for an event that was supposed to commemorate the tragedy of Mount Glenn.
The life of a scientific researcher could be very isolating and I never felt that more than in the Schnee fundraiser. I had read in passing about the tragedy of Mount Glenn a few weeks ago but I was not aware of its scale and severity. Apparently, there was more to Mount Glenn that met the eye.
There was a short speech by none other than Jacques Schnee about how everyone in Atlas was saddened by the tragedy and will show solidarity by offering an outrageous amount of money for the memorial.
It was followed by the screening of a few excerpts of a Documentary on "Warrior Clans" featuring Dr. Oobleck, a world-renowned Historian from Vale and an authority on the subject of warrior clans. Everyone knew of the legendary warrior clans of Remnant. They were accident families whose history predated the kingdoms themselves. They were fierce and proud people, Combat was their way of life. After the kingdoms were established they initially remained isolated, however over time, almost all clans integrated into the kingdom. Almost. Vale and Mistral were the only exceptions, even in their case there remained only a handful of families who staunchly followed their way of life and found the kingdom's ideology and lifestyle too alienating. They chose to remain aloof in their remote settlements and were notoriously elusive. The idea of Hunter and huntress training academies was inspired by the way of life of these clans, it was no secret that the most prominent hunters and huntresses all around the world could trace back their lineage to one of these clans. Many speculate that the silver-eyed warriors from the fairy tales were members of such a clan. With that, the documentary ended.
And Jacques was back on stage, this time introducing, Ozpin to deliver a few words.
Ozpin looked every bit of the legendary hunter everyone. He had an air of regality to him with a presence that commanded respect. Silver hair, cane, dressed immaculately, he slowly made his way to the stage.
As he looked at us from that stage, his countenance changed, the mood of the entire hall grew somber. The light dimmed and there was a spotlight on Ozpin as he began, "Thank you each and every one of you for coming together tonight and sharing my grief. For me, Mount Glenn is a personal loss. For I had been in contact with the leaders of the warrior clans of Vale for almost a decade now, I was finally able to convince them to unite and integrate with the kingdom, it was obviously a lengthy negotiation, but we were finally able to come up with something they couldn't refuse. Mount Glenn was supposed to be an endeavor to integrate these remaining warrior clans of Vale with the kingdom; they were to have complete autonomy on how they lived." He paused before continuing," and now they are gone. The Grimm took too much away from us that day. But our fallen allies took out the largest contingent of Grimm ever recorded in the history of Remnant. It is a testament to their strength. Remnant kind will continue to draw inspiration from them and keep their legacy alive. "
In the background photos of the destroyed settlements were being projected. So far, they didn't find any survivors. It was an uncomfortable reminder of what was out there, beyond the walls, I didn't know about the others but I wasn't able to enjoy the evening, quite the opposite actually, I lost all my appetite and was starting to feel depressed. I needed some fresh air, so I moved out to one of the many balconies. Times like these made me question what was the point of everything when remnant kind's survival rested on a blade's edge. I was lost in my thoughts and didn't know how long I was out on the balcony.
" Dr. Boze, I presume", I heard someone call me from behind. I turned around to see it was none other than Ozpin himself. "Mr. Ozpin, it's really nice to meet you. I am really sorry for your loss, I had not known it was so personal for you."
I wanted to give him a piece of my mind for using Ironwood to get me to accept the offer, but now was not the time and the place, and I was honestly so done with this place, I just wanted to go home.
"Thank you, Dr. Boze. I really appreciate the sentiment." Ozpin replied calmly.
"Hey Oz, how long are you going to take..Dr. Boze, what a pleasant surprise, I am sorry did I interrupt something.", said a slightly apologetic General Ironwood.
"Just give me a few minutes James, Dr. Boze, I am really sorry. I have a lot of catching up to do with James here as you can see, he's a bit impatient, we're both busy men. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you accepting the offer. I was planning to leave for Beacon around 11 AM tomorrow. Would that time work for you?"
"Yeah, sure...", I was not able to process everything
"Wonderful! I'll send someone to pick you up by 10 AM.", Ozpin interrupted me.
"Thanks but, I can drive..."
"Think nothing of it, Dr. Boze, you've been nothing but accommodating so far, and I did tell you that I'll make your transition as smooth as possible."
"Thanks, Mr. Ozpin"
"No, thank you, Dr. Boze. I'll see you tomorrow, have a great night", Ozpin said before he left with the general.
"What have I gotten myself into", I wondered once again, as I took my leave as well.
The next morning, a car showed up at my home at 10 AM, with the chauffeur informing me that he was there to drive me to Mr. Ozpin's Bullhead, I had already completed my preparations so I departed as soon as possible.
The drive was uneventful, we reached the bullhead and I was told to board, and not worry about my luggage, so that is exactly what I did.
I had never been in personal bullhead before, the interior was styled as a luxury apartment. I entered and found myself in what looked like an extremely well-furnished living room. There were 2 recliners and a coffee table between them. Ozpin was already sitting in the recliner facing the entrance, we saw each other as soon as I entered. He stood up to greet me.
" Dr. Boze, please have a seat, I want to thank you once again that you accepted the offer ".
He extended his hand. I shook it," Someone was very persistent." I said in a deadpan voice, which amused him to no end.
I sat in the recliner opposite to him, there was already a grey folder kept on the coffee table in front of me.
"We just have one last piece of paperwork, that needs to be taken care of, can you please go through the contents of the folder in front of you."
I did as I was asked, and it did not make much sense to me.
"Excuse me, what is the meaning of this? A Non-disclosure agreement for a visiting researcher position, I know that scientific research is competitive but this is taking it a bit too far. "
"I am afraid that we cannot proceed until you sign that."
"Then I won't sign it, have a good trip to Vale Mr. Ozpin." I started getting up.
"Dr. Boze, please, a moment. You haven't even read the terms yet"
" I don't need to, NDA for a research job is usually done by corporations, not public-funded research institutions and I don't understand why are you here.."
Ozpin raised his hand to stop me. "That is very simple Dr. Boze. I am the one funding the project you'll be working on should you sign the NDA. The terms are very reasonable, I assure you that I am not doing anything unethical, just go through them. We have encountered something unusual. It was suggested that you might be able to shed some light on the matter. I promise it will be worth your time."
"Let me make something very clear Mr. Ozpin before I even open that folder again. I am not a member of your staff. I am an independent researcher. I will not compromise on the integrity of the study and if at any point in time, I find out that you're doing something unethical, the NDA will be void and I will leave and if I find out that the outcome of this study could help people are you intend to withhold that information for any reason, the NDA will be void and..."
"You'll leave, perfect!" Ozpin interrupted me with a smile.
"Very well." I sat down once again and went through the terms and conditions of the NDA. I was surprised that they were pretty reasonable.
There was absolute secrecy regarding the circumstances of the study and who the subject was. There was also some scrutiny regarding what I could publish and guidelines regarding how I should publish it. There even had a clause that if at any point in time something beneficial came out of the study it could be used immediately and that I should contact the sponsor to discuss an alternate route should I feel at any point in time that something unethical was being done.
" Can you tell me anything else before I sign this?", I asked.
"I am afraid not", he told me calmly.
"Very well", I didn't like it one bit, but I was curious.
I signed the document and gave it back to him.
As soon as I did that I could hear the engine of the Bullhead roar to life and we started ascending in the air. Did he plan that?
"Thank you, Dr. Boze, would you like some snacks"
I gave him a look, "No thank you, I would prefer to know what I have gotten myself into"
"Straight to the point then, very well. We found a survivor near Mount Glenn, a young boy, four to five years old, when he was brought in, almost a month ago, he was on death's door, he had the highest number of recorded injuries in remnant, no one thought he would survive but his aura was unlocked and with each passing second, he fought for his life. It rekindled a spark of hope and the doctors at Vale Medical center worked round to clock to stabilize him, he is out of danger, as of now, however, he is comatose and we don't know why. Preliminary scans show that his brain is undergoing some sort of unusual activity, we'd like to know what is going on, with your expertise on monitoring and modeling of the neural dynamics we were hoping you could shed some light on it or at least tell us if he'll ever wake up or not. I am going to send all the reports on him on your scroll. "
Of all the things I had imagined, this was very unexpected. It was a surprisingly humane request. Trying to save the life of a child who was most likely the last of his kind, if he survived.
"Why not tell everyone that there is a survivor. "
"I will. If he ever wakes up, fragile hope could be a dangerous thing Dr. Boze", he said solemnly.
"I will only use non-invasive methods", I informed him.
"That should be fine. I was told that you have developed an array of non-invasive tools and technologies that yielded unprecedented results, and at times much better than invasive technology."
"But, most of those machines are in my lab here in Atlas, will it not be more convenient to transport the patient here." I enquired.
"Don't worry, you'll have everything you need in Vale, including all the machines you have in your lab.", Ozpin told me.
" In that case, I wouldn't mind those snacks now, and drink too if possible", I said as I started going through the report I had received on my scroll.
AN: Thank you OMG Fanfic for the review and everyone who fav and followed the story.