The restructuring was complete, though there were cautions being displayed. Mainly that the Slayer might have to bring additional materials onboard if further restructuring was needed. Also, that water tanks contained insufficient water volume to properly run all sinks, faucets, toilets, and etc. Good old conservation of mass. But he had ideas on how to fix those.
Penny had just left to help team RWBY, and Slayer was now wandering the restructured Fortress, checking out the results. There were new dorm rooms, with primitive bunk beds. And plenty of rooms too, more than were needed right now, though Slayer had an idea why that might be, mainly expansion room. And one was smaller, likely for Viri. I just hope they're big enough. After all, there were some tall people among the group now. The redhead, Pyrrha's got to be like 6 feet. Same for Miss Fashionista Coco. And Yatsuhashi's a BIG BOY, he might be 7 feet. That's even taller than me. He's the kind of man dense enough to tackle the goliath of protein and calories known as the Round Meal. If only that was real. Heh, though I could probably also handle the Round Meal. And each room had a window too, so they could always get a view of space, and plenty of room for extras. Because they ARE still teenagers. Well, except my own team. They need to be able to customize their rooms.
Next he check out the bathrooms, which there were plenty of, but there were 2 main ones, with showers and the like. I DO find it curious, how the teams are mixed. So, does that mean both genders share their bathrooms? His idea was to separate them, but hopefully that would either A, cause no trouble, or B, if they did mix, it didn't cause problems. Which to a degree brings up ANOTHER issue. Mainly...the issue of hormones.
He knew that hormonal teenagers would be hormonal teenagers, and that there really was no stopping, only ensuring safety. He remembered how the Southern US had tried and failed in that regard, because of old conservative ways and false beliefs. And he had to admit...it's not like Remnant seemed to know what ugly ladies were. Even age didn't seem to diminish beauty in Remnant, considering Winter, or Glynda. So he knew the likelihood of everyone getting up to no good was HIGH. I can certainly say... He thought, as vague memories of what could've been a past life, when he was mortal, before the Sentinels, before the demons, even before the Marines, back when he was a teenager, that if he had been in the situation these kids lived in, he likely would've sought plenty of "company." He could even see a possibility of some of them coming to him for advice.
On another level, there was a kitchen, though lacking some appliances, but plenty of cabinet and pantry space. After all, teenagers can get hungry. And with the lives they lead? I bet they get HUNGRY. Hell, so would I, if I still needed food. It was strange, not needing to eat anymore. It often made him wonder where he was getting his energy from, because conservation of energy. Though he still did eat now and then, and he could have the kind of appetite where he ate, A LOT. Which was unsurprising to him. He had always been a big eater, back then. And now...well, there have been ways in which I often feel like I'm a normal human, turned up to eleven. And he had plans, for once the Fortress was set up, and all the...everyone had "moved in" so to speak. An old tradition that ran in the family, upon moving into a new place.
All the...huh, we should have a name. I mean...it's almost like I'm reforming the Night Sentinels. Except...given various things, I don't think that's a fitting name. The Sentinel part? Yes that can work. But not Night. He told himself he'd give it some thought.
On the same level, nearby, there was also a lounge. One with a TV, covering an entire wall, and the Slayer saw speakers everywhere. He even tried playing a few movies from the Fortress's central server, all playing quite nicely, and sounding great too. From Avengers, to Star Wars, The Dark Knight to James Bond, the handful he tested all played quite nicely. Even the games he also had on said server seemed to load quite nicely, ranging from all the systems the server could emulate. I REALLY need to whip up some controllers. But did he ever have games. From Chrono Trigger to Breath of the Wild, Sonic to Halo Infinite, Final Fantasy VII to Call of Duty, he had quite the range. I would bet all the Lien that ONE game series will become the group favorite, for playing against each other. Especially since it'll be the only safe for work Smashing that will go on up here.
Lower down still, were some workshops, clearly made so the kids could fix their own weapons. And I bet they DO need fixing. I mean, all those moving parts? I mean, that scythe alone...
But the most impressive workshop was up ahead, as the Slayer saw that while many things weren't touched, his own personal man cave was bigger, and upgraded. In one corner, all his old suits hung on display behind glass. Oh yeah. Daddy's home. In your face Stark, He thought with a grin, finding an expanded workbench, holographic projectors, and even his anvil and hammer were more prominent, with a nearby forge, though it was dark.
He even found his stockpile of Argentite ingots, which was nice, but the dark forge would be a problem. I mean, plus side? It's nigh indestructible, and is what my armor's made of. Negative side is it's a BITCH to forge. I mean, there's a reason why the Night Sentinels have had forges around literal stars. And there were more 3D printers, larger as well. But all the rest was there too, his computers, figures, books, guitars, and more, including Daisy's old cage and the painting, were all still there. But in a pleasant twist, the trash was gone. No more pizza box, chip bags, or etc. Oh yeah. I'm having fun here.
Further down were extras like a laundry room, trash disposal, a room the Fortress had ID'd as a "pet room," as well as what looked like a simple infirmary, as well as other maintenance rooms. But further down still was the new brig. The cells had simple cots in them, and the doors were glass and sealed. Good. No privacy. There was one feature he had added, that he didn't tell anyone, but he had a feeling would be needed, to ensure cooperation of prisoners. A reason why the doors were solid, and not bars, a feature he tested out. The cells could be depressurized, which was easy to do considering vacuum, and repressurized, all with a few control taps. Once people get settled, I'm asking about the baddies of Remnant. I know of the White Fang, but based on things Penny's mentioned, there's a LOT more out there, and possibly quite dangerous too. But, I'm sure I can intimidate them. Though he always nurtured a part of himself that was unsure, as it kept him on his toes, humbled him, and prevented over-confidence, which was always deadly.
But one of the best parts was at the very bottom, when he saw the upgrades to the Ripatorium. It could alter the arena, able to mimic any terrain, even including his logs of old missions. And it could conjure any enemy too. All sorts of Grimm, as well as demons. It also came with seats along the edges, so that no matter what the Ripatorium's actual arena looked like, people could always view the action from above. Oh yeah. This will be QUITE useful. They tell me there's an arena at Beacon, so they naturally have a place to practice anyway. But up here? This will be better. THEY will be better.
He went back up to the control center, giving one last glance. There was also a conference room nearby, and he reminded himself he had yet to check out the towers. But there were alerts. Apparently, some features were discovered, but lacked power to properly use. An example was the "powerup generator," and apparently it had already identified three sources, but more information was required. Now all I have to do is wait for everyone.
It took some time, especially after pulling things out of the combined pocket dimension, and placing things where they needed to go. The laundry machines went where they needed to, kitchen appliances, and more. The lounge also got a few couches, tables, and unsurprisingly to him, beanbag chairs. As for bedrooms and bathrooms, he figured they could claim the rooms themselves.
But it was while he was installing things he got an idea. Wait, we already send things up via pocket dimension. We could bring more up here. Mainly, his thoughts were about extra material for further restructuring, as well as water. There has to be some lakes we can drink from, right? Or am I going to have to figure out a way to desalinate? So he sent texts to everyone, explaining what he was about to go do, as he scanned for material sources and water, grabbed some PDD's, and headed out.
While he was gone, everyone did meet back up at Fiye Weapons, and Penny after a few tries was able to link up to the Fortress, activating the portal up there, and they did a tour of the Fortress before fixing up their bedrooms. Coco gave a low whistle. "Damn. Big guy nows how to upgrade."
"I bet even your dad couldn't afford a place like this, could he?" Pyrrha asks Weiss, who pouts.
"I don't think anyone can. Though he'd also turn the place down. I mean, bare rock? Stained glass? Statues? This place still looks like an old castle," she responds.
"Not to mention," Ren adds, "he's a practical guy. He cares more about function than form. With a few exceptions."
"And that workshop!" Ruby says excitedly. "We can make so many things in there!"
"But I must ask," Blake comments. "What's a 'Ripatorium?'"
"Oh, I learned about it!" Penny chirps up. "It's a practice arena he's used in the past. Mr. Blazkowicz has used it as his gym."
Everyone grew quiet, and all eyes turned to face Penny. "Mr. Blaz-what?" Ruby asks.
"Well, as he said it, William Joseph Blazkowicz III," Penny explains. "But went by Blazin' Bill in the past."
"HE HAS A NAME?!" Marion asks. "He never told us that!" Nixera and Daisy also start questioning loudly about the Slayer's name.
"So why would he hide it?" Ren asks. "He has to have a reason."
"Because according to him? He said it was once his name. He talked about it as if it was an old life of his," Penny explains. "He's still human, deep down. He's just had...a LOT happen to him in life. He lost his pet rabbit, long ago. He's watched entire worlds die," she says somberly. "He's very glad he doesn't need sleep, as he fears the nightmares that come with it. So much has happened to him, he's almost forgotten how to be human, and has lived far longer than any human should, mostly as a warrior. And that's just what I know so far."
"Damn," Pyrrha comments. "So, big tough guy, but is really a softie inside huh?"
"And beyond," Yang says. "But enough about that, we have to fix up our rooms," she finishes, as the teams go to prepare their bedrooms, nodding in approval once they're finished.
"And we have the run of the place," Ruby says as they meet back up, heading for the lounge, sitting on the various couches and beanbag chairs, and browsing the movies the Slayer had on the central server.
"He's got quite the selection, doesn't he?" Jaune comments. "Some of these look old. Like this one, 'Wizard of Oz.'"
"Does he have all the movies from his world?" Velvet asks. "We will likely never be bored again up here."
"Meanwhile, I have one idea. Not for all of us, but some volunteers," Daisy suggests. "Penny, have you figured out the restructuring generator?" Penny nods with a raised eyebrow. "He may not need sleep. But...let's give him a bedroom. His own bathroom as well. Let's give him a place to be him." Penny nods, and they walk out, joined by Marion, to go do that, while everyone else surfs through the Slayer's movie collection.
"It'll be nice," Marion says. "Viri can come up here, away from all the BS down there. If only she wasn't sick all the time."
"Plus, one area got labeled as a 'pet area.' Doesn't RWBY have a dog?" Daisy asks.
"Zwei," Penny says. "I've seen him, he's so cute! But yeah, the pet area needs...well, grass," she explains as she taps at the primary control panel. "Hey...you 2 can shop for the soft bits," she says. "Want me to ready the portal?"
"Sure. But how did he always activate it?" Marion says. "Didn't he always push this stone down?" Once the coordinates were set, she tried it. "That is so cool," she says as the portal activates, and she and Daisy head down to go shop again.
Meanwhile, the Slayer was by a lake. He had tossed a PDD inside, and it was sucking up quite a bit of water, but nothing that would hurt said lake. He had also found an old mine from which he could absorb rocks and other raw materials into said pocket dimension. He was about to head back, when he spotted movement, and went to investigate. Sneaking closer, which was difficult due to how he wasn't used to stealth, he found an encampment of White Fang, many on patrol.
He thought quickly, until he pulled the scope to his heavy cannon out of his pocket dimension, holding it up for a better look. Within, there were some people he hadn't seen before, clearly in charge of this operation. One was clearly White Fang, wearing the mask they all did, and matched Daisy's description of Adam Taurus. There was also a green haired girl, a gray haired boy, and a short girl with dual-colored hair of pink and brown, as well as a man in a top hat and cane that matched Penny's description of Roman Torchwick. And there was another girl too, a brunette in a red dress everyone feared. They were all talking from what the Slayer could see, but he was too far to make out anything.
Summoning his helmet, he put it on, and snuck closer, boosting the audio feed so he could hear better, mentally cursing himself for not being prepared for such a spy mission. And...there. I should hear them now.
"Are you certain it's here?" Red dress said in a tone that suggested extreme displeasure, the kind that was dangerous for her followers.
"Look Cinder, all I know is these things have been everywhere, and nobody knows where they came from, or what they are. They're not Dust, that's the only thing we do know," Roman answers her. "And that one was collected before we could get to it."
"So what exactly is Ozpin doing with his prize?" Gray hair asked him.
"It wasn't him Mercury," Green hair answers. "Somebody else got to it first."
"Oh really Emerald? And who IS that someone? A friend? Foe?" Mercury asks back.
"Nobody aligned with either side," she answers.
"Meanwhile, I just hope the traitor and her friends aren't going to show," Adam says. "They've been a parasite for quite a long time, yet we're never able to stop them."
"The traitor will be dealt with in time," Cinder answers. "As for her friends? The witch's tricks will not deceive us, nor will the other one be able to escape for long." Short girl then drew a mark in the dirt, a mark DMND had been leaving on warehouses they raided, partially as a taunt. Mainly, it was HIS mark, inside of a diamond, and the short girl was also pantomiming his attacks.
"Ah yes Neo, Him. HE is the biggest mystery of all. My soldiers tell me he can't be stopped," Adam tells them. "They give him poetic labels as unstoppable, the Green Menace, the Damned Soldier, and beyond. And have you SEEN how many weapons he has? And he swaps them on the fly, the ones he's not using fading away. Not to mention that blade on his arm. On top of that, the music he plays, and the fact there's always a menacing aura around him."
"I heard rumors," Emerald says. "That he's not even from Remnant. That he was found out in the wilderness, slaying Grimm left and right. He was held by Ozpin and his crew, but he escaped. The older Schnee and hundreds of Atlas robots tried to stop them, but he pulled out a HUGE gun, and stopped them all in one shot. In fights, he also never slows down, never stops, never..anything. Like he's the definition of unstoppable force."
"That's not the worst part," Roman chirps up. "Neo heard rumors that Red and her friends are getting chummy with that guy."
"Damn him. Damn everyone who works with him," Cinder says in a low voice. "Aren't they all damned?"
"One of the solders said they called themselves Diamond. Which based on our intel..." Emerald says, making a few mental notes. "Would turn into DMND. Which is also damned, minus the consanants."
"And besides, even if he's as strong as the rumors say? I doubt he can beat Her," Cinder adds.
Neo then looked around, and the Slayer noticed it was mostly in his direction. Time to leave, he thought, sneaking away, thinking about what he heard. Well as a plus, I know some of the enemies now. Interesting that there's more. It first seemed like Cinder was the boss, but there's someone above her huh? Also good to know how annoying we are, He thought with a grin. But an idea hit, so strongly he could almost feel the light bulb over his head. They want to damn anyone that works with me. Let that happen, he thought as his grin turned menacing. Let us BE the Damned Sentinels. Let us be the Diamond Sentinels. And wear "Damned Sentinels" with pride, the way "rebel scum" and "meddling kids" have been worn with pride. The sun was starting to set, so he made a few calls, so pizza could get delivered to Fiye Weapons.
He got a big welcome once back on the Fortress, though explaining the stop he had to make. This confused everyone, until he showed up again, pizza boxes and sodas in tow, handing boxes out to bring to the kitchen, explaining a few minor things he had to do. Mainly, he wanted to transfer the water and the rocks that were now in pocket dimensions, to the Fortress's tanks and stores respectively. Once done, and after changing out of his armor, he joined them, as they were distributing paper plates and napkins, and they all went to the lounge.
Once there, the Slayer first began by describing everything he had seen, and heard, to the amazement of the rest, finishing "So, anyone that works with me is damned in their eyes. Let's use that. I was once a Night Sentinel, a long time ago. Now...let us be the Damned Sentinels to them. Let us be Diamond Sentinels. Any opposed?" He asks, and everyone thinks it over.
"Then we're the Diamond Sentinels!" Marion exclaims, raising her glass. "To the Diamond Sentinels," the room cheers out, drinking from their glasses, and they start to eat.
"You know, Penny here has told us what you've been hiding," Marion says in between bites. "Why didn't you tell us who you were?" Nixera and Daisy also give hard looks as Marion finishes. "Bill. That throws it all off. BMND? That means nothing!"
The Slayer sighs. "Because I got so used to being Doom Slayer, I forgot how to be Bill. Trust me...the gifts I was endowed with are also curses. I have been doing what I do for a LONG time. Long enough that I might predate planets, stars, maybe even entire galaxies or universes. Some have considered me a god, and I would not refute their claims. But I would also say that at a fundamental level...I'm still human. I'm not all powerful, all knowing, all good. I'm a human at eleven. Unlimited stamina, enhanced strength, speed, and reaction time. I don't really need food nor sleep. But I also feel more too. I can get FAR angrier, as you all know. But I feel ALL emotions stronger, not just anger. Trust me...you may want to learn my skills, learn my tricks to live. After all...we're all in a profession in which good people usually die young, and I am a VERY, VERY, old man. But to truly BE me? Trust me...that's the LAST thing you want."
Everyone ate in silence for a bit, but after a bit, Marion gave him a hug, that Slayer loosely returned. "Thanks Marion. As one example? I can't even hug you as tightly as I can, since you like air in your lungs, and bones intact," he says with a chuckle.
Jaune clears his throat, and changes the subject. "You know Mr. Bill," he says after finishing a pizza slice, "I just thought of something. Well a few things. First...will we have a symbol?" Everyone else perks up. "And second...what rules will you have for us?"
"Good question," the Slayer admits with a chuckle. "Well, some of the latter is easy. Some fundamental tenets of the Night Sentinels, translate here. 'Honor the innocent. Honor thy brethren.' The entire thing that started me on this mess? I punched my old CO for ordering us to fire on civilians. I hadn't even MET the Sentinels yet, and I was already respecting their first tenet. And I never stopped. And 'Honor thy brethren,'...do I REALLY have to go into detail?" He asks, chuckles going around the room.
"That's in everyone's playbook though," Velvet says. "The anti-traitor rule."
"Fair enough," the Slayer adds. "What else...oh, yeah, this one applies to you twelve," he says, looking between RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY. "Good grades. I'll let you up here to do homework, but still...get them grades," he says to some light groans. "That's it for now. I may think of more, FYI."
"But what about that symbol?" Nora asks. "We could use something like that!"
The Slayer smirks, turning on the TV with a voice command. "Well, I had ideas," he says as he waves his hands around, the TV responding. "Remnant's shattered moon," he says, throwing it up on screen. "A diamond in the center of the part that's whole," he adds a vertical diamond in the center, rotating the moon until it looks right. "And in the middle of that?" He adds his own mark. "This is what the Sentinels gave me, this mark. It's been used as a way to invoke fear in my enemies. Or to warn. Let others fear it as well."
"And let me guess...'Rip and Tear' is our slogan?" Daisy asks with a laugh.
"'Until it is done,'" Slayer finishes.
It was quite a while later, that everyone was full of pizza, soda, and more, and were headed off to their new beds. But Penny had a different idea. "While you were gone..." she said, leading him to a different room. Inside was a bedroom with good sized bed, and a private TV, with attached bathroom, the whole thing being large and simple. "We made this for you. Me, Marion, and Daisy."
"Thanks Penny," he says, giving another hug. "Someone's eager to bring out the human in me huh?"
"You have a chance I don't have," she says, looking down.
"Now now, flesh and blood doesn't make someone human. It begins by asking yourself the question, 'Does this unit, have a soul?' as a famous game once said. And to me? I'd say the answer is yes. You feel, as well as any of us. You have opinions, desires, and more." He crouches down to eye level for her. "Just because you have circuits, and not flesh, does not make you any less human. Here...while everyone else sleeps...let's watch some robot movies. Well...some good ones at least. Bicentennial Man is one you'd like," he says as they relax on the bed.
"And while not TECHNICALLY a robot movie, the old Pinnochio is a classic. It's pretty much a favorite story to tell with plenty of AI' stories" he explains, not wanting to reveal the truth about the OTHER favorite story type. 2001 is probably the forefather of that type, so let's hope Penny doesn't start singing Daisy Bell, or whatever that song is. Though, the COOLER version is the one that made Ah-nold famous. Though the second movie is likely more famous. And has CGI that can hold up, MUCH later. The T-1000 walking through the bars is classic. Penny even snuggled into him as they watched Robin Williams play a robot.
