The journey was longer than I expected, given the General said it was 'on site'. We ended up taking a bullhead at Elm's suggestion, as she said it would be much faster than walking. Since I wasn't footing the bill for the trip, I didn't hesitate to agree. It took the three of us to a secluded offshoot of the sprawling complex of towers that Ironwood commanded, around the back side of the large base that I suppose consisted of everything military and Academy related. Together we moved through a number of checkpoints and a miniscule number of disinfection chambers.
At the end of it all, we were standing in a steel room that made up the single exit point in the entire hall we just left. I cast my gaze around, noting the flush steel plating and smooth blue lines that snaked around the chamber. A large, circular steel door sat on the wall opposite the entrance, painted sparsely with yellow and black bars.
"Brace yourself." Winter advised from my side.
"Hm?" I hummed in question, hand on the pommel of Crocea Mors.
"She means it can be pretty flashy for first-timers!" Elm supplied, crossing her arms beneath her chest idly as she waited at my other side.
With no other context, I simply grunted and chose to wait. It didn't take long before a small series of panels around the room opened with a smooth metallic scrape. In the blink of an eye, a grid of blinding lines filled the room above us. As one they slid down the room in a weave of strands, washing over us slowly and shooting back to the top once they hit the floor. A harsh purple light narrowed at us next, jumping from person to person before turning green and disappearing altogether. I rubbed the stars from my eyes as the steel panels slid back into place over the holes.
"What the hell was all that?" I asked, offput by the lightshow that assaulted my eyes.
"We told you to brace yourself." Winter reminded me in a playfully dismissive tone, getting a glare out of me that she responded to with a smile.
"Ah, nothing but necessary precautions." An unfamiliar voice answered, emanating from the walls of the chamber as the massive circular door began to move. A seam popped into existence in the middle of the circle of steel, and the two sides were sucked into the wall. A thinner steel sheet was between them, and afterwards it was lowered down into the floor. "The good General wants nothing but the best in security for his investments, which is understandable."
Loud clanking, metal against metal, set me off. It was only by the skin of my teeth that I managed to stop from drawing Crocea Mors. A large quadruped machine lunked into view from the side of the door, carrying something with it. It's top was fitted with a seat whose occupant was a dark complected man wearing a green cap and a lab coat over well-to-do clothes. The man paused to take in the three of us, then his machine stepped back away from the entrance. He smiled in a grandfatherly way at us all before gesturing us inside.
"Please come in! We have much to do."
Winter and Elm stepped forward with no hesitation, and I followed suit. I cast my gaze around the room, noticing the impressive integration of technology all around this main hub. People rushed in many directions, though their numbers were shockingly few.
"Three of us here are already acquainted. If my intuition is correct, you must be Jaune Arc." His voice reasoned as I continued to gaze at the area. When I felt finished, I looked back to the man in the mecha-chair. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the current Head of the Science Department, though my time is spent focused on rather specific fields and important projects under the approval of the General. Doctor Pietro Polendina, at your service."
"Pleasure." I greeted back flatly, seeing no need for a self-introduction. "I take it you're the guy that's gonna administer it."
"Correct, my boy." He said with a smile, though his expression turned serious immediately after. "I admit that the opportunity for this is one people will seldomly pass on, as Ironwood doesn't hand things out like this lightly. On the other hand, I want to make sure you're taking this seriously. This isn't an easy procedure."
"I'm willing to accept the consequences." I spoke immediately after he finished, completely sure of my answer. My eyes met his, and I made sure my feelings were understood. "I'll accept the opportunity and anything the procedure brings with it. I can't afford not to."
"Hm…" The Doctor hummed, maintaining eye contact as he scratched his chin. His gaze hardened. "You're absolutely sure?"
"Deathly."
I felt eyes on me, aimed from my companions. In the end I chose to ignore them and focus on the man before me. Seconds passed as the stare-off continued, but eventually he broke off with a nod.
"Very well. I can see you've made up your mind, just remember my words later." He said, returning to his more jovial attitude. I answered with a simple nod, feeling the tensity of the room clear after his vetting. Without much warning he turned and began leading towards a hall, his metal feet clanking lightly against the floor. "No time to waste then. Let's see if we can't get Jupiter sorted, yes?"
Winter snickered quietly as she went ahead, and I aimed a frosty scowl at her as she passed with Elm. The large woman aimed a clueless look at the Schnee, but I wasn't interested in letting other people in on the joke. My feet moved last in the group, and I ended up bringing up the rear. We passed through the atrium and began our way down the hall Polendina was leading us through. I followed slowly, soaking in the sights and technology.
"Towards the end is my own personal area. When working in the actual facilities I mostly tend to occupy here, as proper environments for the projects I attend to are easily set up. A few rooms constructed here and there filled with specialized equipment is a good way to spend my excess research grants, since I'm also subsidized by the Council at Ironwood's behest." Pietro rambled out as he led the group in his chair, emphasizing random words with sweeps of his hand. He paused for a second to chuckle. "Having everything I need in a cluster like this helps keep these old bones from grinding, you know!"
"As I remember, your examination set is near the end?" The specialist asked, her white hair bobbing with her steps. The Doctor inclined his head towards her, nodding in answer.
"Precisely, Ms. Schnee. When we arrive, I'll send for some personnel so we can effectively check on Jaune." He answered succinctly, keeping an overall casual air about him that I found interesting. "Enough about that for now, there will be plenty later on. Elm, I've been meaning to ask! How have you been faring since our last checkup?"
The taller specialist quickly padded to the front to walk alongside him, and the conversation took off from there. I honestly tried to pay attention, if only for clues of what's to come, but couldn't force myself to listen. Instead I let my gaze crawl across everything we passed as I lagged behind the group. We continued on for minutes at a sedate pace, and tangentially I was aware of the conversation growing more animated by the second. My attention never stapled to it though, and I simply followed the integrated technology and smooth metal seams that flowed through the walls. Eventually, I encountered something out of the ordinary. A bright strip of light that caught me in the eye as I passed made me stop in my tracks. Naturally, I followed it to the source.
An interesting metal door greeted me, one that was meant to close vertically down the middle. It seemed to be jammed though, as bright light shone from between the two panels that made up the door. I gazed at it carefully, noticing the name plate of 'Pietro Polendina' that was screwed into the wall next to it, and cast a glance towards the retreating backs of my group. I looked between the two briefly, weighing my options.
"Not like they're rushing. I can always catch up after…" I muttered to myself, quickly acting on my decision and striding towards the metallic glint I noticed at the base of the seam. There must have been a sensor, because as I neared the door it slid open like many of the others in Atlas that I've seen. When it was out of the way I swiped the glint from the floor, and smirked. In my hand was a stubby, but rather thick and heavy bolt. Just as I thought, it must have fallen from a workbench or something and blocked the doors from closing completely. I tossed and caught it in my hand, and entered the room with the intent of placing it down and catching up with the Specialists and Doctor.
The bolt I'd just picked up clattered back to the floor the second I looked up.
"What-!" My voice started before I could prevent it, but I was at a loss for words. My jaw hung limp, and the sight was uncomfortable to look at.
An expressionless redhead stared back at me, strapped to a near-vertical operating table that was back-lit in emerald green. All of her… pieces were strapped where they would otherwise be if she were whole. Her upper and lowers torso were strapped in place with leather, and her detached arms were held at her side. Wiring and jagged metal structures jutted out of her abdomen in odd places, but her eyes were what drew me. Green irises stared directly into mine, but they were unfocused, unseeing.
"Penny…"
I said her name, and thankfully there wasn't any response. I let out a breath I didn't remember holding, and walked forward steadily. Up closer, I could see the obvious work that was being done. A small steel table was placed beside the mechanical bed, neatly burdened with all sorts of tools. They included soldering and welding implements, as well as all manner of expensive looking tools. Penny had sensor pads attached to her temples and other various spots on her corpse, and the wires all led to a terminal on the opposite side of the steel table. I moved over to peek at the holoscreen, but the only thing I could make out in the jumbled mess of scrawling data was a complicated looking progress bar.
I stared at Ruby's friend for a few seconds more than I meant to. The harsh green bounced off the organized pieces of her body, casting the damage in an even more brutal light. Knowing all of this was just a means to an end for that woman made me sick. Every person killed was just a tool for her to send a message. It took a lot more than it should have to tear away from the redhead. My eyes flicked around the room briefly, studying the room. It wasn't any bigger than an office, but every facet was state-of-the-art.
I moseyed around the area taking in the sights until I noticed a glass-topped table. The empty surface caught my attention, but when I approached its purpose became clear. Light leapt up into the air when I got too close in a way that immediately reminded me of Ironwood's table in his office.
"Woah." I muttered under my breath. The hologram displayed an incredible and three-dimensional schematic, with a main body and detailed models of each component that comprised it in detail. Some parts had hand-scrawled notes floating around them, looking like they were torn from the pages of a notebook. "Atlas sure is fancy."
The light came to display a personalized prosthetic of a right arm that would start at about mid-bicep. It came complete with an… integrated shotgun, right around the wrist.
"Admiring my latest design?" Pietro's voice made my head snap towards the door, my eyes wide with surprise. The Doctor simply chuckled. "I'm not surprised you found your way here. I have a bad habit of leaving my door open, hahaha!"
"Just what were you thinking, Jaune Arc?" Winter scolded, stomping towards me with a dangerous look on her face. I stared her down without expression. "Perusing through rooms in a military-funded location can lead to serious consequences! Doing so without proper clearance is-"
"Enough, Winter." Pietro's voice cut through her growing rant, and knocked the Schnee out of her tunnel vision. She took a moment to compose herself as the Doctor continued. "Considering he's been allowed the utilization of Serum, one of the most well-guarded assets of Atlas, I'd say he's been well vetted and verified by the General. If so, I'd be willing to trust him with some of my own secrets. After all, I'm a decent judge of character myself, and I've heard tell of Jaune's actions."
"Apologies." Winter huffed, straightening her uniform while Elm hid a smile. "I didn't mean to lose my composure."
My eyes rolled at her dramatics.
"I can trust you to keep word about my daughter to yourself, yes? At least until the time is right, I'd prefer the public to forget about her… fate in the tournament. Until she's rebuilt." The older man asked, taking his hat off and holding it against his chest.
"Your daughter…" I echoed, looking at him curiously before glancing to Penny. The pieces fell into place quickly in my mind as I looked between them, and I had my answer instantly when they did. I waved my hand dismissively at the entire situation. "Your daughter, your business. It's not my place to say anything about her."
I heard the Doctor breath a sigh of relief as I turned to look at the schematic again.
"I will say that there are people in Vale that will be glad when she's fixed. She had good friends out there."
"I'm happy to hear that! She's always been concerned with the idea of friends. Obsessed, I'd almost say." He laughed.
I stared at the prosthetic depicted in the hologram. A silence passed before I broke it.
"I'll ask for a favor as a trade, though." I stated flatly, catching the suspicious looks on the girls faces from the corner of my eye. To his credit, Pietro simply stroked his beard with a curious look.
"Oh?" He voiced.
"This prosthetic wouldn't be going to Yang, would it?"
The scientist looked shocked for a moment, but intrigue quickly blossomed across his features.
"How could you have known that?" He grilled with excitement, manipulating the legs of his chair forward and next to me before the projection table.
"Lucky guess?" Elm spoke up, leaning against the doorframe.
"Something like that. How many people need a right arm prosthetic just above the elbow with an integrated shotgun right now?" I explained, keeping my eyes on the device being made for my friend.
"… that's fair." Elm admitted with a shoulder shrug.
"So what would you request for the 'trade', as you put it?" Pietro questioned, leaning towards me from his chair. I glanced at him from my peripheral, still facing the hologram.
"I know my friend. Make it in yellow." The terms were as blunt as I was. "And when you ship it off, let me put a note in the box."
A warm smile spread over the division head's face as he studied me.
"That can be arranged." He chuckled. "You almost had me worried for a second."
A few explanations followed, along with more grilling from my Schnee comrade. I let it all pass me by, instead wondering how Yang was dealing with her new state. By association it led to wondering about the rest of my friends, but eventually the Doctor prodded us to continue on. We ended up going through the rest of the hall and into an exam room, which was filled with many different machines and equipment. The room was constantly filtering doctors and nurses in and out as we spent multiple hours going through a variety of test. Anywhere from CT, MRI, or PET scans, all the way to urine sampling and bloodwork testing. I was moved to a couple other rooms for certain machines due to 'regulation', as they said. To my surprise, all the results were made available in mere minutes after they were performed. Apparently that's one of the perks to being in one of the most advanced facilities in the world. Topping off the incredible series of decisive screenings were a brief aura evaluation and a simple reflex test that consisted of a small hammer and a flashlight.
As I blinked away stars, Doctor Polendina leaned back in his mobility-mech and studied a holographic screen emitted from the arm of the chair.
"Well," The man started, scratching at his scalp through the hat on his head. "You're in great condition for someone that recently fought that nasty Wyvern. A noticeable lack of wounds, scarring aside, and no internal damage picked up by our testing. Organs in peak operational condition with no sign of trauma from the explosive exposure you mentioned. Your bloodwork came back acceptable. No diseases and your blood type is O-."
"A universal donor they call them, correct?" Winter asked from a chair against the opposing wall, flipping through a magazine. I already gave her a hard time for the cliché earlier, and the old man simply laughed as it all played out.
"Exactly right, my dear." He answered idly, visibly distracted by the readouts he pursed through. "You could stand to drink more fluids, but that can be corrected easily enough with a simple saline solution."
"Fascinating, Doctor." Elm yawned, leaned against the same wall as Winter.
"Spare me, Ms. Ederne. I'll have you remember that you were very fascinated to learn the process when you sat in this room, all those years ago." I watched in interest as Polendina embarrassed the Specialist with one sentence. The shade her cheeks turned was much brighter than I thought she was capable of. It brought a smile to my face. "Have you forgotten?"
"Er…" She blushed. "No, sorry. Point taken, sir."
"In any case, you're in perfect condition for the procedure itself." Pietro said, the hologram from his chair disappearing as he maneuvered it over towards the desk. I watched in curiosity as he tapped the table in three specific places, then in shock as a slot opened up in the surface and a keypad flashed into existence. He typed out a series of combinations I couldn't follow, and the desk folded up into a pivot with a hiss. It disappeared seamlessly into the cabinet next to it, and with another hiss lines appeared on the wall where the desk once was. The sheet depressed then slid away into the wall, leaving a passageway where no one would ever think to look.
"…" I had no words for how noir-esque this felt. The secrecy was more well-kept than I'd anticipated. The Doctor glanced back at me casually, motioning towards the opening.
"Follow me, if you would."
The examination bench was left behind without a single word, with Elm and Winter following in silence. Led by Pietro the four of us cleared a corridor and came out into a well-lit room that had an icy blue tint.
"I'll have to ask you to strip for the procedure, Jaune. There are many points I'll need access to, and excess clothing will complicate the process." Pietro requested, looking away to attend to a terminal.
"Should we give you priva-" Winter started, only to pause mid-sentence as my borrowed white t-shirt and roughly cleaned jeans hit the floor along with my shoes. "-cy?"
"Is underwear fine, Doctor?" I asked, doing my best to ignore Elm's wolf whistle. The man bobbed his head, typing one last thing before turning to address me.
"Perfectly acceptable, my boy." He said, then gesturing to the only form of furniture aside from the table and cabinets in the room. "Please have a seat. Then we can begin."
I approached the large chair that sat perfectly in the middle of the room cautiously. It was imposing, made largely of steel with brown leather set in strips for cushion. I sat, placing my arms on the beefy armrests and my legs on the same equivalent, much like a steel recliner. I heard the now familiar sound of metal on metal, and I knew who it was before Pietro appeared in my field of view. He looked at me with worry written across his feature.
"This is your last chance." He muttered gravely. "Are you sure you want this?"
I locked eyes with the man.
"Do it."
Pietro breathed deeply, and pressed a button on the steel chair. Metal cables shot from the chairs base and snaked around my limbs and abdomen in multiple places. Their form shifted in the blink of an eye, and they flattened out thinly and pulled taut. I yanked my arm as a test, and to my surprise it didn't budge.
"They're so you don't hurt yourself." The Doctor's voice explained from my side. He carefully tied a leather strap around my forehead and anchored it to the headrest. His hand offered me a separate strip of leather, this one far thicker than the last. When I looked at him oddly, he offered me an answer. "To bite down on."
I took the offer with surprisingly little hesitance.
At this point I could look around exclusively by moving my eyes… and I was beginning to worry about the extent of the restraints. I watched with a leather strap clenched between my teeth as Winter and Elm stood at the front of the room facing me. Elm seemed to take it in stride, but Winter looked uncomfortable at the entire display. Pietro clanked his way over to a standalone metal terminal that jutted from the floor and pressed another series of buttons.
A circle swirled open in the ceiling, and giant mechanical arms tipped with a needle each reached down towards me. I stared them down, watching as they and some from the floor maneuvered themselves to specific points all over my body. They were mostly even on both sides, with them lining my arms and legs, but some were lone fliers.
"This is the most effective method for evenly dispersing the Serum through your body, apologies for how brutalist it may seem." Pietro explained. My eyes flicked towards him, and I watched as he pulled a unique hexagonal key from his coat pocket. "You'll have to suppress your aura for this next portion, I'm afraid. Shall we?"
I just grunted in the affirmative, but he seemed to pick up on the answer. Another button pressed, and something new happened yet again. Sensor pads raised from the chair into place around my torso, with two more on my temples. I ignored them in favor of watching the key be inserted into the terminal, and a quarter turn set things into motion. A hologram flickered to life above the key slot, setting a countdown timer.
"Commencing administration of Strength Serum to recipient Jaune Arc, at the behest of himself and General Ironwood." Pietro spoke, an audio band on the hologram bouncing with each word as it recorded. "Starting in approximately…"
Liquid began to pump down the tube connected to each arm, from the ceiling and from the floor. It emitted light that was blinding enough to drown out the blue overtone of the room we were in, shining a molten red that looked like lava.
"3."
I looked at the liquid contained in glass tubes with some concern. It was only a small amount in each, but the harsh color was off-putting even to me.
"2."
A separate liquid was pumped into the receptacles on each arm, quickly diluting the solution that was there originally. The Serum was now an autumnal orange with a soft glow that reminded me of the light behind the ashes of a fire, after it was done.
"1."
I breathed deeply, shearing myself from the nervousness that was creeping up on me. I let all of my concern go, and accepted my decision with open arms. The key made another quarter turn.
"0."
When the needles moved forward I reigned in my aura, letting the many points puncture the skin with a sensation similar to a pinch. The liquid was plunged from the glass and into muscles and points all over me. For a moment I felt nothing other than the needles retracting all at once. It was blissful status quo.
"Please, try to endure it." Pietro's voice said, meeting my ears.
SHRRK.
"KKGGGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAGH!"
I bit through the thick leather pad in my mouth like it was nothing, and screamed. The colors of the room sharpened ten-fold and cut into my eyes, and everything I looked at felt blinding. Every sound, every movement, every breath felt like hot death scratching from the inside of my body, trying desperately to cut its way out. I thrashed in my restraints, hearing groaning metal and squeaking leather with every heartbeat that sliced its way through me. Magma bubbled and popped through the injection points and slowly spread throughout me, the sensation so hot it left me chilled against the steel. I tried anything I could to make the pain more manageable but couldn't, so I did the only thing I could.
I screamed.
[AN- Yo. Thanks for the comments and ridiculous number of favs and follows last chap. To answer the one ab Penny and Weiss, absolutely. As for why Weiss and Winter don't have Serums because of SDC funding, the only one that would be able to lobby Ironwood to get them Serums would be Jacques since he's the CEO and he hates the fact that they are soldier/huntress respectively. Love the theories tho. Here we see the lengths Jaune will go for his friends even if he's not near them. The Serum is no easy thing. Enjoy!]