Chapter 10

July 21, 2167

0525 Hours

Izuku wasn't entirely sure what was going on. The majority of that had to do with the fact that not one of the instructors or doctors had explained to him the situation. Not that he or his fellow candidates bothered to question them. They were told to follow Mendez-sensei to the labs, so that's what they did.

Izuku did, at least, have an idea. He knew that this was part of the process referred to as "Graduation" by the staff. It was in this building full of sterile white walls and expensive looking machinery that they would take their final step towards becoming fully-fledged Spartans. Doctor Halsey had told them several times before that their training would only account for half of their abilities, and that they would undergo various operations to enhance their bodies.

Many hypotheses had arisen amongst the candidates over the years. The more popular ones said that they were going to be taking some sort of illegal performance enhancing drugs, like high quality steroids. Others, like Mei, had proposed that they would receive cybernetic augmentations. Some of the imaginative candidates had gone so far as to suggest that Doctor Halsey had cracked the secret behind Quirks themselves, and that all of them would be receiving an arsenal of the best abilities accumulated throughout the decades. Izuku supposed that with the money, people, and devotion that'd been invested in them, any one of those ideas could be true. Though, he found himself leaning mostly towards the cyborg theory.

After a few more minutes, they arrived in what had to be the main area: an expansive room with dozens of doors to what were probably individual operation rooms. A team of doctors, nurses, technicians, and other personnel stood waiting outside each one. They wore typical medical gowns, with nitrile gloves and face masks that hid whatever emotions they might've been feeling. Izuku immediately picked up on the tense atmosphere of the main area. Despite nothing to go off, he felt that whatever procedure they were to undergo, he and his comrades had somehow underestimated just how dangerous it would be.

They weren't kept waiting for long. Doctor Halsey walked out to greet them as soon as they'd all filed in. "Candidates, welcome to Black Site One. It is here that your training will end. Once you've undergone your augmentations, you'll have graduated. You will have become Spartans."

She hesitated for a moment. There was something eating at her, and that sent Izuku to red alert. This was Halsey they were talking about. She'd never once shied away from telling them the hard truth before. Not about All Might's injuries, nor the threat of the Meta Liberation Army. What could be so daunting that she'd hesitate now?

"I won't lie: this will be the end for some of you. The augmentations are invasive. Even with the best medical staff equipment available, this will be dangerous."

No one reacted to this. There were no outcries or exclamations of fear. All senses of disobedience had been stamped out early on. Still, Izuku was shocked. They'd known that their journey towards becoming Spartans would be brutal - agonizing, even. But to know that some of them would die here, before they'd even have the chance to go out and do what they'd dedicated their lives to? It was unfair, it was tragic, it was… It was necessary.

It had to be. After everything that they'd done, there was no way the Commission would just waste their lives unless these augmentations were positively essential. Izuku was proud of his team, and every last one of the other candidates. They'd all gone above and beyond. They were already a force to be reckoned with, but against the likes of an entire army, they'd need something to even the playing field.

And this was it. It had to be if Doctor Halsey, Mendez-sensei, and everyone else were willing to risk everything on it. Whatever these augmentations did, they would help him fight the MLA. They would help him save people.

Once she'd allowed the information to settle in, Doctor Halsey continued. "You'll have a moment with each other before we begin. Good luck, candidates."

He looked at his team, his friends. Hitoshi, Mei, Will… They'd been the greatest things that's happened to him. And now, there was a chance that they could…

"Well, see you all on the other side."

Izuku stared dumbly at Hitoshi for a moment. Out of everything his teammate could've said, that was not what he'd been expecting.

"Lighten up, Izuku," Mei commented. "This isn't the end. Not for us. No matter what happens to us, we'll always be there for each other."

Will then placed a hand on both Hitoshi's and Mei's shoulders before looking Izuku in the eyes. "This is just another test. One last obstacle. We'll crush it like we have with everything else before. After that… Well, after that it sounds like we're gonna be freaking superheroes."

Will's confidence was infectious, and soon Izuku found that he too felt just as determined to see this through. They were right. This wouldn't be the end. Just one more challenge.

XXXXX

Halsey felt nauseous. Working with ONI had taught her many valuable lessons, key amongst them was how to keep a straight face. She was able to maintain that facade until she made it to her temporary office. There, she made no effort to keep appearances. She flopped onto her chair and stared in at the bland ceiling while running her fingers through her hair.

They shouldn't have accepted it so easily. They should've been disturbed. They should've been outraged. Despite all their training, they were still teenagers. In fact, some of them weren't even that. The ages of the soon to be Spartans varied between the oldest of sixteen, and the youngest of twelve. She'd known soldiers in their forties who were terrified at the possibility of meeting their untimely end. The candidates were far too accepting of the possibility of death.

The children were far too accepting. But this was what they created. This was what they needed. For years, she poured through the data, desperately searching for something that would increase their chances of survival by just a few more percentages. She'd thought about asking Doctor Shield for his help, but he was already swamped with the numerous setbacks they'd come across with Project MJOLNIR. Even now, they were still behind schedule. The first batch of suits wouldn't be complete for a few more months. She'd already made the call to issue SPI armor to the Spartans in the meantime. It would do for now.

There wasn't a moment to lose. She'd done all she could to help them through the augmentations. Now, it was time to turn her focus towards the other areas that would aid them. Armor, logistics, intelligence reports, it didn't matter. Anything to drown out dread that seemed to loom all around her.

It didn't take long for the screaming to start.

Author's Note: It's a short chapter, but I just got so excited that I pumped this out and wanted to post it tonight. There'll still be a chapter on Wednesday, this was simply a random, spur-of-the-moment thing.