Glynda Goodwitch placed a hand on the door to Ozpin's office and froze as for a moment her mind became clouded by doubt and guilt. Over the many years that she had worked for Ozpin there have been plenty of instances where he would make a decision that she couldn't understand and in some cases could not agree with. Each time he addressed her concerns and either adjusted his plans or in so many other cases proved her wrong, this was something that she had grown accustomed to. She had become accustomed to Ozpin knowing best, That was a mistake, I should have never accepted his ideas based solely on the fact that they were his! In her free hand, she held numerous documents, each one detailing a decision he made that she had an issue with. Some were admittedly small things, others were more important, many were recent, and more than she would like to admit were old… things that she had promised to herself that she'd bring up but that was a promise she kept breaking. I have put off this confrontation for too long, steeling her nerves she opened the door and entered the office quickly spotting her boss and mentor sitting at his desk and typing away at his computer while pausing now and then to open a drawer, pull out a file, read it, and then place it back inside the drawer.
"Thank the brothers you're here," Ozpin didn't look away from his work as he addressed her. "Do you have any idea how much paperwork is involved with a stakeout? Too much, far far far too much, I honestly think that the Raid had far less paperwork involved."
She took a deep calming breath and began walking towards him, "After what had happened that day, changes were to be expected. The council wants to make sure that all of their bases were covered which means a paper trail to prove that they did everything correctly, add the fact that we are sending more students than we did for the Raid-" Then under her breath, she added, "-for some reason."
"What was that?"
"What?"
He blinked, "I-I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say something else but I couldn't quite make it out. But maybe it's just my frustration getting to me," He then resumed his work.
Her breath hitched, if she was going to confront him then she had to do it now or she'd drop the subject out of habit. The worst part was the knowledge that she'd lie to herself by saying that it wasn't a good time and that topics like this needed to be handled slowly, No, I cannot delay this when the wellbeing of our students is at risk! "Ozpin, you know that you will always have my support. But I can't in good faith approve of this." Glynda Goodwitch walked up to him and placed several documents on his desk before sliding them towards him.
He picked them up, quickly skimmed through each one, and noticed that they all shared three elements. The first was that each one was a request form, about half were from the police, various business, private entities, and what appeared to be settlements and the other half were from students within Beacon. The second thing he noticed was that every single one bore his signature of approval, in fact, he could recall signing at least some of the documents. Finally, he noticed the red ink, on each document was red ink that Glynda had used to mark and encircle multiple names of students that all had one thing in common: They were people of interest, not to the police department or the council of Vale but rather to Ozpin and the rest of his inner circle. Among those names, there were two in particular that were noticeably more emphasized by the red ink than the others and it was for reasons that he understood the moment he read them: Blake Belladonna and Jaune Arc.
He gently placed the papers down and looked at her, "I understand your concern, the Raid was in many ways a near disaster which is only made worse by the fact that we still haven't found that sniper. That being said, we do have a few suspicions but nothing really con-"
"Ozpin," Glynda's voice was firm like that of a teacher warning a misbehaving student trying to change the topic, he was not going to be able to wiggle his way out of this conversation.
He took a breath and nodded his head in silent understanding, "The White Fang may be many things but they won't do anything too extreme, not after all of the work that they put into boosting their reputation." His hands swept over the computer and paperwork, "All of this is just unnecessary paranoia, they don't actually need our help but it's a good experience for the students, a safe valuable experience. They will be fine."
"Unless something goes wrong."
"And it won't."
"You don't know that!" Her voice was rising and her tone was becoming sharp, "You have absolutely no idea what will happen in there but you're willing to throw them at it! For example, you said not even a minute ago that you had no lead on the sniper but you don't seem to have a problem potentially placing Jaune in the sight of their scope, again! And before you bring up his regeneration, I will remind you that we don't know how strong it is, a bullet to his brain could kill him!"
That had hit a surprisingly sensitive nerve, "This isn't the Raid! This is just a recruitment drive! You've seen how those things go, the only thing that will happen is that someone is going to get on stage, talk for a bit, and after that, there will probably be a demonstration of some kind to prove that they are a group worth taking seriously. Then there will be an invitation to join, some recruiters will present themselves, and then everyone will be sent home. We've seen several of these now and it's the same every single time, there is no danger to the students."
Glynda opened and clenched her fist a few times as her patience started to wear thin, Why does he always have to be so damn stubborn!? "That might be the case for most groups but this branch of the White Fang operates very differently from the others, Adam Taurus is not Sienna Khan and if you approach him the same way then you are going to be disappointed and people are going to be hurt."
"And that's why I approved of Blake's request to be a part of this, she worked with Adam and at one point was even romantically involved with him. We may not know much about this man but she knows plenty and it would be the height of foolishness not to use her knowledge!"
Glynda felt a desire to scream rise in her throat but she quickly suppressed it, "Did you forget what happened at the Docks? Did you forget how Miss Belladonna abandoned her team and nearly got herself killed just because she thought her former group might be involved in something? Did you forget how afterward she and Jaune had to have multiple sessions with Dr. Riviera in order to process everything that had happened?"
Ozpin felt just a little offended by how she accused him of forgetting something like that, Calm Down, you're better than this. "Of course, I didn't forget, how could I possibly forget something like that? But neither Jaune nor Blake is the same person they were back then, they have grown and it would be an insult to coddle them!"
"Sir, you know better than anyone else just how easy it is for all of that progress to be undone by rushing into something you weren't prepared for. For example, let's imagine that she does go undercover and sees Adam right on stage and repeating the same lies that she once fell for, except now she's surrounded by a crowd of people who don't know any better and is forced to watch as they nod along in agreement! Do I even need to explain how potentially damaging such an experience can be?"
He opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out, he couldn't think of anything to say and instead, he took a step back before collapsing into his chair where he began to rub his eyes, "Yes… you're right, you're right… How about this, I'll send her over to Riviera for a psychological assessment. Will you consent to her inclusion if he thinks she can handle it?"
"Yes I would and I've already made the arrangement, she should be talking to him as we speak."
He was stunned, Glynda had worked for him for years and he had known her for far longer. During all that time she's had multiple disagreements with him and even once refused to carry out an order that he now looks back on with shame but this? Going around his back was something she had never done before, it was something that he had come to believe was beyond her. Was I mistaken about her? Or have my recent actions pushed her into this? Is it both? And it wasn't just her, James, Gris, Qrow, and even the normally too timid Leonardo had lately all been more willing to openly doubt and question his decisions. It was frustrating but at the same time, he recognized it as a sign that they cared… Would they still care if they knew? Or would they understand? Would they give up as others have?
"Sir? Are you alright?"
Ozpin snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Glynda was giving him an odd look, "I did it again didn't it?"
"With all due respect Sir, I understand that you are a rather introspective person, and it is one of the things that I admire about you. However lately you've become rather prone to this… is it something I can help you with?"
"The best thing you can do right now is to continue as you have and remember, you can always express your true feelings to me."
She felt a weight fall off of her shoulders, "Thank you, Sir, I will remember that."
"Oh! And I just had an idea!" Ozpin reached for his Scroll.
"May I ask what it is?"
"James has been getting frustrated with the Council lately."
She tilted her head wondering where he was going with this, "Because they don't want to seem incompetent by asking for help from the representative of another kingdom." Which is a stupid reason to reject help.
"Exactly, which is a shame because he brought a young lady with him who could have possibly caught that sniper."
"You mean Penny Polendnia?" She mused over it for a few seconds, "It will be hard to get the council's approval."
Ozpin just chuckled and began to dial, "Not really, they owe me a few favors so why not put those to good use?"
She frowned, "And if things go wrong? They've been looking for an excuse to try and rein you in. Sure it's all but guaranteed that you'll eventually regain any lost influence but time isn't on our side."
His shoulders sagged as a weary feeling came over him making the man look far older, "Time has never been on our side…"
Dr. Riviera was the kind of person who loved surprises, well, he loved most surprises. Just like literally everyone else in the world, there was zero love in his heart for the kind of surprise involving extra work being suddenly dumped on his lap. Despite the inconvenience, the initial disappointment was alleviated somewhat when he learned that he would be helping out a student which was, after all, the reason why he had come to Beacon in the first place. That being said there was still a little bit of frustration on his end as he had some plans that now would have to be delayed, then Glynda told him that the student was Blake Belladonna and explained why she was asking him to do this. The girl was someone he already had a few sessions with thanks to the incident at the Docks and he would happily admit that those were sessions that he looked forward to. It most certainly helped that their time together was often productive as she was an intelligent woman who wasn't in a total state of denial about their issues, she had a supportive team who were more than willing to keep her on track, and Beacon proved to be a far healthier environment than the one she left.
But he also knew how easy it was to slip back into old destructive habits, wounds of the heart and mind were not so easy to heal and the scars often ran deep. Being exposed to a toxic influence before they were ready was an event that often ended in disaster, and some people would never reach the point where they could handle the exposure. That was what this last-minute session was about, Blake was going to be exposed to a toxic influence and they were trying to avoid a disaster.
Now it must be understood that the concern here wasn't if there was any risk of her rejoining her former comrades, any possibility of that happening was thoroughly dashed back at the Docks. What they were evaluating was the potential risk to her emotional and mental wellbeing as it has been no secret to the girl's close friends or to Ozpin and his inner circle that Blake felt a strong and perhaps misplaced sense of responsibility for the actions of her former group. Granted it was also perfectly understandable why she would feel that way, frankly, it was a rather easy conclusion for anyone to reach which made this evaluation all the more important. If she wasn't ready and went to the rally anyway it could only cause problems either at the rally or later on down the line in future encounters with the group.
Fortunately for the young woman, the session was going rather well, Riviera had yet to see any real danger but the evaluation wasn't done just yet, the easy part was over and soon they would jump into the meat of the issue. "Alright, that does it for the preliminary questions. How are you feeling so far?"
"To be honest I'm feeling a bit nervous," answered Blake with little hesitation.
Riviera smiled and noted her honesty, "Is there anything in particular that you're feeling nervous about?"
She thought about it for a few seconds, "I'm nervous about what your questions could be and I'm anxious what the White Fang might be planning."
"And both of those things are perfectly valid concerns, I can't promise you anything about the Fang but I can remind you that you don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable answering. In fact, you can end this session whenever you want and the only consequence is that you won't be going to the rally." He noticed her tensing up during that latter part of that sentence, "It would just be for the rally, the White Fang isn't going anywhere so there are going to be plenty of other opportunities down the road. We just want to make sure that you are ready to tackle them especially since you possess unique insight into the group."
She relaxed a little, there was still a bit of tension remaining but it was well within an acceptable range, "Would it be alright if I had something to drink first?"
"Of course! Is there anything in particular that you would like? I have water, tea, coffee, orange juice, and beer."
She chuckled at that last option and decided to play along with what was obviously a joke, "I'll take the beer."
"Oh, good choice!" He then got up from his seat, walked into the kitchen, and returned carrying two mugs filled with an unmistakable golden frothy liquid. "You're in luck, I just got this imported from Mantel, and let me tell you that even those Atlas Elites can't hold a candle to what those guys make." He then set a mug right in front of her before sitting back down on his chair, taking a nice long gulp, and then pulled out his notepad and pen, "So do you want to be eased into the hard questions or do you want to just dive right into it?"
She didn't answer right away, instead she was focused on the beer-filled mug in front of her, Surely this is a joke but then why would he take it this far? Is it non-alcoholic? Well, I suppose that there is only one way to find out. She grabbed the mug and took a sip, her eyes briefly widening when the unmistakable taste of alcohol touched her tongue. For a moment she lowered the mug and glanced at the psychologist trying to figure out if this was some kind of mistake or if he hadn't had expected her to call his bluff, I hope he doesn't try and take it away, this stuff is good.
He noticed the look she was giving him and for a moment he was confused, Is there something wrong with the drink? Oh! Wait a moment! This could be a cultural thing, but I should ask to make sure. "Is there something wrong?"
She pointed at the mug and then took another sip before explaining, "This is alcohol, you gave a student an alcoholic drink."
"Yes, yes I did. Am I right to assume that you thought my offer was a joke? Because I'm more than happy to get you something else, it's really no bother at all."
"No, this is fine. It's just that I never expected you to actually give me the drink, over in Menagerie this would be a prank. A harmless way to tease a teenager who's too eager to prove that they are not a kid anymore," She then took another long sip from her mug.
"Sounds like we have some cultural differences or maybe it's the academy."
"How so?"
"The reason I'm able to give you that drink is that you are a student at the Huntsmen academy. After all, what sense is there in letting you risk life, limb, and sanity for humanity but not letting you enjoy a nice cold one after a day of hard work? As bad as excessive alcohol can be for your health, I don't think there exists a person who'd argue that it's worse than the Grimm. Not to mention that it is just a really weird place to draw the line, I can't even wrap my head around the moral code of a person who's okay with letting someone your age face actual soulless horrors but thinks that letting enjoy a drink is the greater moral failure, any sane person would say that's it's the other way around."
She smiled at his comment and took another sip before her smile faded, "There is no academy in Menagerie, we can't afford it and even if we could it would just cause all kinds of problems."
"Politics?"
"Yup, Menagerie isn't recognized as a kingdom which means we don't get the same protection or respect as one. Add to that the fact that the White Fang is intrinsically and unavoidably linked to the island and it's not too hard to imagine a scenario where any Academy we might try to build will just get declared a White Fang training camp before being bombed…"
"Do you hate them?"
"Who?"
"The White Fang, do you hate them for making the situation in Menagerie worse?"
"No."
Riviera was surprised but not by her answer, what surprised him was her complete lack of hesitation. Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, she almost certainly has an extremely nuanced view of the situation. "What do you mean?"
She smiled apologetically, "I'd love to tell you but I'm not sure we have enough time to cover everything in this session."
Rivera briefly studied her trying to figure out if she was being sincere or if this was an attempt to change the conversation, She wasn't wearing her ribbon when she came here which suggests openness, her poster is excellent, she has maintained steady organic eye contact, her speech is normal and doesn't sound practiced, and her reactions appear authentic… she doesn't seem to be trying to avoid the topic but I do want to prod a little, "Then can you tell me what you believe is the core problem?"
She leaned back on her chair and began to think, There isn't one single reason for anything that's happened and I can't just toss around blame… well, I can safely blame the racists but they are hardly the entire problem… but they do play a massive role. The leadership of the group is also important, oh! I think I have an idea! It won't answer everything but I can make him understand a bit better. "If I had to summarize the core problem in a single word then I would use is; Frustration."
"Frustration? Huh, that's a rather interesting one to use..,." He let the word bounce around in his head for a bit as he recalled the kind of coverage the media had given the group and the greater movement at large. Atlas and Mistral were overwhelmingly negative to the point where watching it felt like propaganda, Vale, on the other hand, was a bit more positive but it was also guilty of underreporting the group's activities, and Vacuo was Vacuo. In hindsight it feels so obvious and yet it wasn't something I really thought about until that Hospital video dropped on the world, "The more I think about it the more I agree, frustration is a good word to describe it."
She nodded pleased that he was understanding her so far, "Faunus like me are naturally frustrated with how we've been and are still being treated, we are frustrated by the mountainous number of broken promises that people in power have are still actively adding to, and we are frustrated by how the even basic things had to be violently ripped out of the hands of people who didn't want us to have even that much for no other reason than bigotry." She took her mug and chugged down the rest of the drink before letting out a deep and tired sigh, "But the most frustrating thing to me and others is how achingly slow progress is being made, our ancestors fought in the great war thinking that they could earn respect and humanity spat on their faces. Then we had to fight another war just to be allowed to live in our own homes. My father Ghira believed that we had reached a point where all we had to do was extend a friendly hand, show them that we just wanted to get along… he was wrong. Then came Sienna and she got results but… I don't know."
"That makes sense."
"It does?"
"Please correct me if I am wrong; She did or allowed some things that you're not comfortable with but she got results and you're not sure how to feel about it. What you are feeling right now is only natural."
"Yeah, yeah that's a really good way to put it."
"Nice," He then got up from his seat and picked up his now empty mug, "I'm going to get a refill, do you want one as well?"
"Yes, please," She then handed him the mug and watched as he walked into the kitchen. Once she was alone she began to look around the room, there were pictures of Riviera and his boyfriend Dr. Gris hanging on the walls. At first, she thought that they were pictures of dates but upon closer examination, she found that these weren't photos of dates or at least not what most people would consider a date. Rather these were photos of the pair doing humanitarian work… the kind of the work she used to do with her parents. The kind of work that Girha Belladonna had believed would finally close the gap between the two races and lead to a brighter future where they stood together against the real enemy, against the Grimm. It was the kind of work he was doing when their convoy was attacked by a group of human supremacists… in hindsight, that's where it started, or at least where it became visible.
When Riviera came back he instantly noticed the look on her face, it was one that he had seen over and over again due to his career. It was the look of someone who had something that they wanted to say but didn't know if they could or how they were going to do it. In his experience, he had found that there was frustratingly little he could do beyond letting them know other than be patient, "It's alright if you can't find the right words right now, there is always later."
"Thank you but I think this is something that will be easier to do if I don't try putting it off, I have a bad habit of making things too complicated so I want to get this over with." She then took a deep breath and began, "Back when the White Fang was an aid group there was an incident in Mistral where they were ambushed on the road by a group of humans."
"Bandits?"
She shook her head, "I wish, so much would have been avoided if that had been the case. But they didn't care about the supplies, they just wanted to spill Faunus' blood and decided to attack a group of known pacifists." She took a sip from her mug and under her breath said something that Rivera couldn't quite make out but he was willing to bet that she wasn't saying anything kind about those people and he didn't blame her. "Luckily Sienna was there and had the foresight to come armed, she and a few others fought back while Gihra kept pleading for the violence to stop but it didn't, and eventually, someone tried to kill him… Adam saved my father's life by killing the guy. The police would go on to label the incident as yet another bandit attack despite how it happened unusually close to a settlement, even worse was how they were more interested in searching us for contraband and then exiling us from the area even though they couldn't find any. In hindsight, it's a bit obvious that moment was the tipping point and only a month later Gihra would step down and be replaced by Sienna."
Riviera hadn't been merely listening to the story, he had been taking notes and was making plans to talk to Doctor Oobleck to gain a better understanding of this event, I have a feeling that educating myself on this subject is going to be beneficial. "There were plenty of other instances before that, it's remarkable that the group hadn't retaliated sooner but I guess that was the straw that broke the camel's back?"
"That's an understatement, the situation was more akin to a leaky dam being struck with a wrecking ball. People were angry, furious and Sienna directed all that raw energy right at the ones responsible and sent a message; We will not be silent, we will not be ignored, and we are not asking."
There was a minute of silence where the two of them just enjoyed the drinks, then Rivera asked "Do you still agree with that message?"
Blake didn't answer right away, how could she? A question like that wasn't something that anyone should be able to answer without a bit of introspection, thankfully Riviera seemed to understand this and was more than happy to let her sort out her thoughts and there were many. For example, the very first thought in her head was an unkind paranoid fear that this was some kind of trick, that just outside the door was a group of people waiting for her answer before rushing in and arresting her for… expressing a perfectly legal opinion? Think rationally, if they were going to arrest you it would have happened right after the docks, this is clearly a legitimate question. But what was the answer? History has shown time and time again that it was never enough to ask, after all, if asking nicely was all that it took to be treated fairly then the problem would have never lasted for so long. History had shown time and time again that right had to be won and that it almost always involved violence, her father's methods were doomed from the very beginning. But if she said yes, if she said that she agreed with Sienna's approach then what right did she have to criticize Adam for also using violence? It's not the same, he uses violence to lash out at people just for being human. To him, it is a weapon to be used whenever possible rather than a means to achieve a goal. Sienna on other hand believed in using violence only when she felt was necessary but that line only bolstered people like Adam or, is the actual problem that she didn't draw a hard line in the sand? Would things be different if she set limits and enforced them? Of course, they would.
She looked Riviera right in the eye, "Yes, I do still agree with the idea expressed in that statement but I don't always agree with how it's been applied."
"How would you apply it?"
"I would participate in and even call for marches, boycotts, sit-ins, and rallies all with the intention of grabbing attention and possibly getting arrested."
Riviera nearly choked on his drink, "I'm sorry, did you just say that you'd be trying to get arrested?!"
"Yes," she answered as though what she was advocating for was really so simple. "Arrests get media attention and courtrooms are a good place to highlight the injustices since now they have to defend the actions that they took, and the trial makes for a great rallying cry regardless of the outcome."
"I understand… this is more complicated than I thought… perhaps we should try and get back on topic but, I'd love to continue this later."
Blake smiled, an earnest unashamedly happy smile, "I would love to."
Roman stood in front of a reinforced steel door which was the only thing separating the creature locked inside from the rest of the world. Before entering he checked his cane Melodic Cudgel, specifically he was checking how much ammunition was left inside, Looks like I got two shots of Red left and a single Shot of White meaning I got room for one more. Reaching into his pockets he pulled out a Red-colored shell but then paused as a thought popped into his head, If something goes wrong the extra range won't help me in there but, having extra firepower will. He then grabbed a second Red shell from his pocket, pulled out the White shell from his cane, and then loaded the two Red shells into Melodic Cudgel. After that, he gave his weapon a quick look over to make sure that it would fire properly, and when he was satisfied he turned to face his partner who had been patiently waiting the whole time. "Sorry about that, I just wanted to be ready in case the shit hits the fan."
Neo shook her head and pointed behind herself, towards the hallway with a set of doors leading outside.
"Yeah, there really is nothing stopping us from just turning around and leaving that thing to rot. But I don't think Cindy will like it very much."
Neo frowned at the mention of their boss but kept her feelings to herself, after all, Roman already knew how she felt about the arrangement so what point was there in repeating it? She then pointed at the doors they were standing in front of, she then pointed at her throat and dragged it across her neck.
"Just drop the whole scam and kill the beast? That's tempting, that's really tempting especially with that fright it gave us… how about we decide once we get a better look at it?"
Neo nodded her head and opened the door revealing a makeshift hospital room with one single "patient" inside, though that wasn't the right way to describe that thing. The "patient" more resembled a prisoner as it was laying sedated on the bed and tied down with numerous bindings attached to its neck and limbs, even its mouth was gagged just in case it tried anything with those fangs. In addition, there were several armed guards standing watch along with a nurse whose only job was to keep the thing sedated, but even all of that security couldn't do anything about the nervous atmosphere in the room.
The two partners walked up to the bed and for the first time ever, got a clear look at the thing that was inside of the cage, "A deer woman?" Roman whispered under his breath, surprised by the true form of what had terrified them but the longer he stared the more he felt that his description was inadequate, this was once a deer Faunus and now it was something else. He wasn't sure what this woman had become but his guts were telling him that this was not natural, Just who the hell is our supplier?
"Sir, I've compiled our initial findings."Roman and Neo turned to look at the speaker and found an older man dressed in surgical scrubs and holding a file in his scaly hands. "The first page is a summary of what we know for sure and the second contains various hypotheses, everything after that is a detailed breakdown." He then offered Roman the file which he graciously took and skimmed through with Neo.
Almost right away the two of them spotted a word that sent a cold shiver down their spine, "Grimmification?" That one word dropped the temperature in the room to a frightening degree as everyone became visibly uncomfortable standing in the same room as that thing. Out of the corner of his eye Roman spotted one of the guards reaching for his pistol, "Don't." The guard's hands moved away from the pistol but Roman's attention was still on him, "Don't be too hasty," the thief slowly moved until he was standing between the guards and the thing on the bed. "I'm not comfortable with this… whatever this thing is either, but that's no reason to jump the gun and assume the worst. We've already set this whole thing up, let's at least try and make it work before we back down."
His words did little to calm their nerves but it was enough at least for now.
The man who handed Roman the file then stepped forward, "Thank you for that. It would have been a shame to lose-"
"Shut up and explain why you used that word."
"I-I understand that it is a… controversial term to use but I was not the one who came up with it. My assistant-," he pointed at the nurse, "-was the one who had found it inside the files you've provided. I'm not exactly sure what the term itself truly means but we do have a few hypotheses."
Neo flipped to the second page and began to read through it as Roman joined her, "It has Aura but it has high-speed regeneration instead of shielding? What does that mean?" The doctor opened his mouth to answer but Neo was quicker, in a moment she was by the thing's side with her blade drawn but didn't make the cut. Instead, she was looking right at the doctor as though she was asking him a question.
It took a second for the older man to understand what was going on but when he did he quickly put together what she was silently asking him, "Ah, yes a demonstration is an excellent way to show what I mean and it should be safe to do so. However just to exercise caution I recommend that you cut either heel or elbow, there aren't many pain receptors there."
Neo nodded and then in one swift motion Hush's blade made a deep cut into the monster's heel causing the thing to stir but not wake up. Then before everyone's eyes, the flesh around the cut began to bubble as a dark liquid that wasn't blood began to slowly seep up from the wound until it covered it completely. Then it solidified and shifted in color until it matched the rest of the surrounding skin leaving no evidence of any cut except for a small pool of blood underneath the heel.
"That's… something alright…," Roman said, feeling both grossed out but curious. "It's not as fast as the term hi-speed would imply."
"It is when compared to the body's normal ability to heal and is even noticeably faster than healing with an Aura boost. That being said, at this speed I believe that the ability is inferior to the shielding normally provided by Aura." The doctor's words had a miraculous effect on the guards who all became far calmer but wisely remained a little wary. "However, the creator's notes have pointed out that this… woman now has a greatly reduced reaction to pain though I'm not sure whether it is because the receptors have become numb or if the threshold for tolerance has risen."
"Woman?" Roman asked with a raised eyebrow, "You just called that thing a woman."
"Yes, as you can see the specimen possesses all of the outwards physical characteristics of a female, we even checked to see if it had the proper reproductive organs."
Roman shuddered and pointed his figure at the doctor, "That is not an image I or anyone else in this room wanted in our heads, at least have the decency to tell me that this… woman is sterile."
Glancing around the room the doctor saw that Roman had been right, even the nurse seemed uncomfortable recalling the procedure, "Apologies, I didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable. Perhaps you will all take comfort in knowing that she is sterile, though I'm not sure why that is the case."
"Finally, some good fucking news." Roman just wanted to get out of here and enjoy a pint of ice cream with Neo while watching a delightfully bad movie but, he couldn't leave without asking the question that brought him in the first place. "Will she make the news?"
"Yes, but I fear she'll be more of a footnote when compared to everything else."
That wasn't the answer Roman was hoping to hear and was tempted to just call the whole thing off, It would be the safer and smarter thing to do, after all, not all rewards are worth the risk. Not to mention it would be an easy affair, destroy the head and crush the heart and no amount of regeneration will save you. He glanced at Neo who drew her blade and together the two of them prepared their weapons to need that creature in a single blow, "Alright boys, we're going to unload on her and then switch to blades, afterward I want the remains tossed into the incinerator." The guards raised their rifles and pointed right at the still unconscious body…
"I have an idea," spoke the nurse who had been quiet up to now.
"Let's hear it," Roman replied while still pointing his cane at the thing.
"Oh, okay! Um, well as you know she has a much higher tolerance for pain than what should be normal. So how about we take advantage of that and the excess Dust we have laying around here?"
Roman shook his head, "You're talking about a Dust injection, it's a good idea on paper but if we did that then everyone who saw her would know what we did and that's no good. I love your initiative but that idea of yours would only put us in a bad light when the point is to make them look like the bad guys."
"What if there was a way to do it where they wouldn't have the chance to figure it out?" The nurse pulled out their scroll and pulled up some pictures from the hospital that they used to work at and showed them to Roman and Neo. "This is a prototype device that would have been used in therapeutic electrical stimulation sessions but was ultimately thrown away due to the cost of running it."
The pair glanced at the pictures, looked at the thing, and then at each other, "Do you think we can pull this off in time?" Neo nodded before pulling out her own scroll to start texting the people necessary to make this work. Meanwhile Roman addressed the doctor and nurse, "Can you make it look real?"
"Yes."
"Excellent! Get it done ASAP." He then turned to the guards, "Gentlemen! I am pleased to announce that there are going to be changes made to your work schedule that I am sure you will find very agreeable. Furthermore, these changes are effective immediately so if you'll kindly follow me, I will be able to set you up." He then walked out of the room as the guard eagerly followed closely behind, just happy to get away from that sleeping monster.
Neo was the last person to leave but just before she did she looked right at the doctor and nurse and smiled, it was not a kind smile. It was a cruel hungry smile that carried with it a silent but undeniable promise, the kind that dared the recipient to attempt something foolish. It was a predatory smile that instantly extinguished any thought of escape that might have been bouncing around in the mind of the prey who understood that salvation lay in compliance. As soon as she was out of sight, the doctor and nurse got to work, it took them the rest of the day and the entire night just to make sure that everything was in working order. Even then the two of them refused to stop until their part in this was done, when they finally finished and drifted off into sleep they found that their fear had twisted what dreams they might have experienced into nightmares where they were being hunted by the sound of clicking heels and the cold touch a sharp slender blade burying itself in warm soft flesh.
Author Notes: There were some things that I wanted to include in this chapter but I decided against it since I felt it would cause the chapter to drag out for a bit too long. This is something I feel will work out better than my original intentions as the flow should feel more natural, funny how writing works sometimes. But more importantly, the next few chapters that follow are something that I've been planning, scrapping, and reimagining over and over again and I still haven't worked it all out, I am excited.