*Venice: Talon Base*

"Again" Moira ordered.

SS28, now noticeably older, struggled back up on her feet before the hulking Heavy Assault Unit. Ever since the incident at the bank, Moira has been pushing her to her breaking point for weeks. She was told that if only she could defeat this Heavy Assault Unit will she be allowed to rest.

"What are you waiting for? Attack!" Moira ordered again.

With a frustrated scream, SS28 leapt at her opponent and once again, her claws barely scratched the reinforced exoskeleton. Every time she made any progress to actually damaging the Heavy Assault Unit, Moira would instantly heal it.

"Harder! Faster!"

SS28 intensified her attack but was brutally countered as her opponent swung his weapon, breaking her arm as she flew into the wall. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed a deadly volley into her, causing her to cry out in pain.

The scientists looked on with concern, fearful that SS28 will either break under this pressure or die.

"Dr O'Deorain" one scientist said, causing Moira to tear her attention away from the test, anger filling her eyes, she recognized him as SS28's main observer.

"What?"

"Sh… She has been fighting for more than 4 hours… We…" he stopped short when he saw his fellow colleagues shot him a murderous look.

"I… Think that it is best if she could rest for a while before… She continues her… Training?" he finished pathetically.

Moira stared at him silently.

"Unit 88, hold your fire" she spoke into her microphone.

Silence came and everyone held their breath in fear as they wait for her next move. She walked slowly towards the scientist and raised her right arm.

"Excuse me Dr O'Deorain, a... Oh..." a runner said, freezing at the sight of her raised arm over the cowering scientist.

"This better be important" she said calmly.

"Mr Korpal from the Vishkar Corporation is here to see you" the runner replied.

"Ahh… Send him in, everyone else, leave" she said, lowering her arm.

The scientist almost collapsed to his knees in relief as they all ran out of the laboratory.

"You two, return in an hour for further testing" Moira said to Unit 88 and SS28.

"Yes ma'am" they both replied before returning to their respective quarters.

Moira sighed heavily as she watch SS28 walked out with her head down, knowing that she disappointed Moira with her recent performance.

If it were not for the sudden deadline, they would have more time to develop her skills further. However, she must be pushed to the breaking point constantly in hopes that she will evolve faster under the pressure.

"Dr O'Deorain" she heard Sanjay say as he enters the room, pulling a large suitcase "I trust that your research for our next step is ready?"

Pulling out a file from her coat, she hands it over to Sanjay, who recoiled slightly as she used her right arm.

"Everything you need is in that file" she said flatly "As long as the blueprints you gave me is accurate, then this will provide the optimum results"

"Excellent" he said as he flips through the file, smiling as his goals grow steadily closer to his ambition.

"And now, what do you have for me?" Moira asked.

"Ahh..." he said as he opens the suitcase, revealing an almost transparent vest and claws "We usually build simple security turrets and buildings but this… This is some next level tech"

"This meets all my specific requirements?" Moira asked, ignoring the dramatic speech.

"Of course, though it was not easy. This will stretch as your little soldier grows as if it is his or her own skin, but I have to tell you one thing, the hard-light grows thinner with every stretch, so it will technically grow weaker"

"I will keep that in mind" Moira said, unconcern about the thinning of a simple armor "I only require it for a few months"

"Then why don't you just use regular armor?"

"That is all for today Sanjay, is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Moira said as she fade to the door, opening it for her guest to leave.

"I suppose not, good doing business with you Dr."

She did not reply as she close the door behind him.

Raising her arm, she shot a stream of purple beams towards the suitcase and watch it crumble to dust, leaving only the hard-light armor and claws.

Smiling, she collected her new tools and fade into SS28's quarters, which she found her sleeping on her bed.

"Soon" Moira thought to herself "You will grow faster than we would ever thought possible".

Normally it is not her preference to see to matters personally but, in this case, it is necessary that only she must know about this, no one else, not even SS28.

*One hour later*

Moira and her team stood by as they watch Unit 88 and SS28 enter the testing floor. What everyone noticed is that her skin seems a bit fairer and lighter than usual but no one thought more of it as she consistently changes her physique.

"Begin" she commanded.

Unit 88 prepared himself in his usual fighting stance as he waits for SS28 to charge. However this time she remained still, head bowed in defeat.

"SS28… Attack" Moira said again, speaking louder now. The scientists stood by silently as they quietly pray for the test to begin lest she turn her wrath on them instead.

Moira stared at her test subject with rising anger.

"Very well" she thought to herself "If she refuses to attack, I'll force her to attack"

"Unit 88! Attack!" she shouted into the microphone.

He responded immediately, aiming both weapons at SS28, he delivered a massive payload of lead and steel at his target. With a scream she curled into a ball as his shots hit home, soon she is engulfed in a cloud of smoke and sparks.

"Double your firepower" she said.

The room shook as the Heavy Assault Unit complied, firing his weapons at its highest speed until he ran out of ammunition. To Moira's frustration, SS28 did not retaliate.

"Charge in! Ram her!" Moira shouted.

With a roar of his jetpacks he charged straight into the cloud, his speed and strength surpassing even the Crusaders of Germany.

Moira gripped the edges of her desk until her knuckles turn white.

If she does die…

"No" she thought, shaking her head angrily "She will succeed"

Then finally it happened, a result Moira desperately needed. Unit 88's charge cleared the smoke and with an almighty collision, he was stopped dead in his tracks.

He looked down in surprise as he saw that not only his opponent had stood back up and caught him, her claws has penetrated deep into his armguard.

Within a violent second, she tore his arm from its sockets, causing him to scream in pain. Lashing out with his other arm, he knocked her flying towards the wall. To his horror, it barely had any effect as she skidded to a halt before charging him again.

Throwing away his weapon, he dodged her charge and grabbed the back of her head and slam her face onto the pavement so fiercely that cracks formed from the impact.

"This is the end for you" he thought to himself as he felt Moira's healing spray slowly healing his injuries.

But it was all in vain.

Arcing backwards with impossible flexibility, she grabbed and tore his remaining hand in half, his screams music to her ears. In a snakelike slither, she repositioned herself before beginning her massacre. Her arms were blurs as she clawed her way into his armor so easily that it is as if he were naked before a sword, far surpassing the healing capabilities of the healing spray.

"Very good… Very good…" Moira said as she faded onto the floor, clapping sarcastically "Took you long enough. Now... Stand down..."

SS28 looked up from her dead opponent and recognize the woman who have made her life a living hell. The woman who kept pushing her to the breaking point. The woman who gave her nothing but pain. She looked at her with absolute hate.

Moira smiled as she sees her creation charge at her with animalistic rage.

Putting both her hands together, she focused all her biotic energy into her hand as she fades behind SS28. When SS28 realized where her target has faded to, it was too late.

Geill do mo thoil!

Unleashing her Coalescence she launch the beam straight into SS28, drowning her in a huge beam that bypasses the hard-light armor. It was not long before her subject collapse onto the floor in pain, exhausted and defeated.

Moira approached her subject who is now crying silently on the floor, curled into a fetus position as she awaits her punishment for her insubordination.

She bent down and reached out with her right hand, causing the little girl to curl tighter, shivering and whimpering in fear.

"Shh…" Moira hushed gently, shocking her and the scientists above at this sudden show of affection "Rest now little one, you did well today, you made me proud"

Upon hearing this SS28 looked at her with confused eyes, her crying slowly stopping as Moira stroke her hair, showing her motherly affection for the first time in her life.