Cover Art by CHE3ZY
I think that based on the title of this chapter, you all can infer that this one is going to go a bit deeper. The time has come to reach the next level of character development with the boys. From when we first met them, the boys have gone from being killing machine super soldiers with only killing on their agenda to full fledged protectors. They've developed hobbies, and whether they know it or not they have formed bonds with the greater cast. Volume 2 is nearing its end and soon we'll be onto Volume 3. Please let me know what you think of this one, and that brings me to ask you all an important question.
Without further delay, here is Chapter 34: Who Are You?
Vale Mountains:
The ride in the bullhead was silent for the most part. Most of the talking came from Penny who would point out interesting landmarks on their way to their destination. Ozpin would smile at her and converse with her every now and then, but the headmaster of Beacon kept his attention primarily focused on the three sole survivors of Project Guardian. His gaze was drawn to their eyes. When he first met them, he knew immediately that these three were no ordinary boys. Truth be told they were not boys, but rather battle-hardened men, except he simply didn't know it.
Their eyes said it all. In all his lives, which numbered far too many to count, he had seen and done it all. He experienced every aspect of life imaginable. He knew what it was like to wither away and die from disease, to have a family, to experience the deaths of loved ones, and to experience what war was like just to name a few.
He had seen the eyes of the three young men before him many times before. He himself possessed those eyes long ago.
The great mystery before him, however, was why they possessed such eyes? He had examined their files and found nothing that gave any clue as to why. Their transcripts were nothing short of excellent, not as good as Ms. Nikos' but excellent, nonetheless.
According to their files, the boys attended Phobos Academy in Atlas while Ms. Polendina attended Deimos Academy in Mantle. They passed the entrance exams to Atlas Academy with high remarks, and all four were selected for Atlas' early summer start program.
It was during the summer program that they stood out among their peers and managed to be selected for the two-year exchange program at Beacon Academy. Normally the program would only be available to second-year students, but team PGRT had proven themselves. This was where the ancient being was at a complete loss for words.
Nothing in the boys' files indicated anything that would remotely explain why they possessed the eyes of battle-hardened men. Such a mystery was partly why he brought them with him on this mission.
Just who exactly were they?
"Professor Ozpin," the voice of one of the pilots drew the attention of the five passengers, "we'll be arriving in one minute."
"Thank you, Arnold," replied the headmaster.
The bullhead's airspeed slowed down significantly as its altitude began to drop. The ride to their destination didn't take long at all, no more than thirty minutes. Penny was looking out the window. She could see the smoking ruins of a small village. She looked over at Professor Ozpin.
"Was this a Grimm attack?"
He merely nodded.
The bullhead landed just outside what remained of the village. The doors opened, revealing two emergency medical technicians and their patient. The patient was an old woman. Her arms were covered in bandages, and she was hooked up to an emergency oxygen supply.
Ozpin and team PGRT cleared out of the bullhead, allowing the two EMTs and their patient to get on without issue. Penny watched the woman with sympathetic eyes. The pilot quickly fired up the engines and in a moment the bullhead was airborne again. The headmaster walked towards the village with team PGRT following close behind him.
As they entered the ruins of the village, they could see medical personnel and other first responders as well as a few Huntsmen and several soldiers hurrying every which way to help where they were needed most. Ozpin turned his attention to the four students.
"You'll each be assigned to a different section to assist. I will allow you four to decide amongst yourselves where you want to lend a hand. We'll need one to assist the medical personnel, one for temporary shelter construction, one for search and recovery, and one for distributing food and clothing. Any questions?"
Penny raised her hand.
"Yes?" Asked Ozpin.
"What will you do Professor Ozpin?"
"I'll be moving about, helping where I'm needed."
The four nodded in understanding. Ozpin turned and walked away, leaving them to decide amongst themselves.
"I would like to assist in search and recovery," said Penny.
"I'll help the medical personnel," said Rahm.
Terre nodded before looking over at Jai.
"You okay with taking food and clothing distribution?" Asked Terre.
Jai nodded.
"No complaints here," said Jai.
"Then that leaves me with shelter construction."
"I need more gauze over here ASAP!"
Rahm didn't need to be told twice. He had been assisting the field surgeons with whatever they needed. At the moment he was bringing them medical supplies. He retrieved the gauze and ran back over to where the doctor was trying to stop the bleeding of a boy that looked to be no older than thirteen.
"AHHH!"
The boy's cries of pain could be heard throughout the medical tent. The doctor, a man who looked to be in his fifties, immediately grabbed the gauze and went to work to try and soak up the extra blood. Rahm observed the boy in detail. His head was wrapped in bandages, his chest was bleeding, and it looked as though his legs were broken.
"Please! I don't want to die!"
"Relax kid, you're not going to die," replied the doctor, who looked over to Rahm. "Hey son."
"Yes sir?" Rahm asked.
"Need your help for a moment. Keep pressure on this wound for me and make sure you keep a firm hand."
Rahm nodded and did as he was told. His gloved hands kept the gauze over the wound. He had been given gloves as soon as he walked in to help. As Rahm kept pressure on the wound, the doctor went to work by putting a more permanent stop to the bleeding. The boy was in agony as he attempted to flail about, but Rahm's firm hands kept the boy pinned.
"Relax," said Rahm, "I know it hurts but just hold on for a bit longer."
"Easy…for you to say…you can't imagine the pain I'm…going through!"
If the kid had known the truth, he would have eaten his own words. The boy's words echoed in Rahm's mind, bringing memories that were long since buried back to the surface. He looked down at the boy and to his shock, he saw that the boy's face had changed.
Instead of the pale, lilac-eyed, brown-haired boy, he saw someone else. The person in the bed before him was now a dark-skinned, red-eyed, orange-haired boy that looked to be the same age. Rahm's pupils dilated slightly as he looked on.
"Tw-Twitch?"
"You say something son?"
The sound of the doctor's voice snapped the super soldier back to reality. He looked down again and saw the boy from before.
I must've been seeing things.
"No sir," he lied.
"Got it. Well, he's all set. Why don't you go take a break? You've earned it."
"Thank you, sir."
Rahm looked down at the now unconscious boy before he discarded the gloves and washed his hands. With that done, he exited the tent and found Professor Ozpin waiting for him.
"Thank you for your excellent work, Mr. Tangerin."
"It's nothing, sir," replied Rahm.
"Your humility is admirable Mr. Tangerin. I've known many individuals who, despite being capable of great things, neglected humility, and yet you have not gone down that path. You've certainly handled these gruesome sights well."
Rahm said nothing. He merely studied Ozpin with suspicion, trying to figure out what he was getting at.
"Who are you Mr. Tangerin?"
"I'm Rahm Tangerin," he replied on instinct.
Ozpin smiled.
"I did not ask for your name. Who is Rahm Tangerin? Who are you?"
"I…" Rahm began, unsure of how to answer, "I'm afraid I don't understand the context of the question, sir."
Ozpin took a sip from his mug.
"I see…" he trailed off as he observed the first responders working. He turned his attention back to the Guardian Zero-One-One. "I would suggest you think about the question then. I would very much like to hear your answer."
Without another word, the headmaster turned on his heel and walked away, leaving a very confused Rahm to stand there and ponder his question.
Who am I?
"Down here! I have located more survivors!" Penny's voice echoed in the darkness of the basement she was in.
Before her was a petrified little girl who was held in the arms of what appeared to be her mother. They were pinned beneath the collapsed staircase that led out of the basement. It looked like they ran down here to hide, but the Grimm had leveled the house to the point that the basement was also damaged.
"Do not worry! I am here to help!"
The synthetic girl used her great strength to lift the collapsed portion, freeing the woman and her little girl. Seeing that they were clear, Penny allowed the wreckage to fall once more.
"Thank you young lady!" The mother held her daughter in one arm and enveloped Penny in the other.
"You are quite welcome. Now, let's get you out of here. Shall we?"
Penny extended her hand, which the woman took with her free hand. Penny held the woman and her daughter close before she jumped up through the opening and out of the basement. The first responders present immediately took over and led the woman and her daughter away to be examined for injuries. The woman looked over her shoulder at Penny.
"Bless your sweet little heart!"
Penny couldn't help but smile. She was truly enjoying this mission. She was so caught up in her joy that she failed to notice Professor Ozpin a few feet away.
"Most impressive Ms. Polendina."
Penny shot the Headmaster a warm smile.
"Thank you Professor Ozpin."
"No, thank you. Your efforts here have been a much-needed blessing for these good people."
"I do not feel as though I should be thanked. It is my duty as a Huntress to help and protect those in need. Anything less would feel as though it were not part of me."
"Oh?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "And just who are you Ms. Polendina?"
Penny examined him with a slight look of confusion.
"I am Penny Polendina," she said with another smile.
Ozpin couldn't help but laugh.
"Not quite the answer I was looking for."
"I am afraid I am confused, sir. What do you want to know?"
"I want to know who you are."
"Who am I?" She asked out loud.
She was at a loss for words. She was confused by the question.
"I…I am afraid I do not know what you want me to say."
Ozpin smiled.
"No need to worry Ms. Polendina. Merely think about the question and we will talk again later."
He turned and left, not allowing the curious girl to ask for clarification.
Terre was busy organizing cots in the tent he just finished setting up. He placed the final cot in position before exiting the tent. As he stepped outside, he observed the other tents he put up. This one was the tenth he had put up. It also happened to be the last tent.
"Wow! You work really fast, don't you?"
Guardian Zero-Six-Nine looked over at the source of the voice. It was just his supervisor, a man who looked to be in his early forties.
Terre merely shrugged.
"It's nothing," Terre replied.
"Well, in any case, we greatly appreciate the work you and your friends are doing. Thank you."
"Your thanks are unnecessary."
The man smirked, nodding at the super soldier before he turned and left, leaving Terre all alone. Terre observed the ruins of the village, taking note of the damage. The damage done by the Grimm was extensive, but from the look of things, it appeared that the village was salvageable.
Though the Grimm had taken lives here, the survivors should have considered themselves lucky. It's not every day that a small village gets spared complete destruction from a Grimm attack.
Seeing that there were no more tents to set up, Terre decided to move and see if his help was needed elsewhere.
The street he walked was absent of people. The only movement he spotted came from stray dogs and cats that were scavenging, trying to find nourishment. His head shot up. He heard something. He listened carefully and found that he could hear crying.
Deciding to investigate, he walked in the direction of the sound. After he traversed a block he turned a corner and found a little boy, no older than six years old, sobbing at the entrance of a destroyed home.
"Are you alright kid?" Asked Terre.
The boy didn't respond. He was too busy crying.
"They're all dead…"
Terre didn't say anything. He merely watched the boy with interest.
"Those…monsters came and took them, b-but not me…"
Survivor's guilt…
The boy looked up at Terre, who found himself staring at the boy. He felt his heart skip a beat. It was as if he were staring at a mirror image of himself when he was six. The boy looked as though he could have been his younger brother. For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, Terre found himself completely unsure of what to say or do. This whole situation felt far too familiar for his liking, memories he had long since forgotten began to resurface. Within the deepest parts of his subconscious, Terre could hear feint, distant voices.
"Mommy! Dad! Anybody?! Please! HELP!"
"EVERYONE IS DEAD!"
"Who are you? Let me go!"
"Target acquired, returning to base."
The leader of the Bad Batch pushed the memories out, effectively ignoring them.
"Come on kid," he said, "let's get you out of here."
"No," the boy replied, "this is my home. I'm not leaving."
Terre studied the boy for a moment. The kid was adamant about not leaving. Had this been a life-or-death situation, Terre wouldn't have hesitated to get the boy to a safe location. Seeing how the area was free of Grimm and how there were first responders within visual distance, Terre decided to let the boy be.
"Very well. Just be sure to stay within the safety zone."
Terre left the boy to grieve, not looking back. He walked towards the other first responders, hoping to see if he could be of some use. As he approached, he saw that Ozpin was standing there, seemingly waiting for him.
"Ah, Mr. Verte. How have your efforts gone?"
"Well enough sir."
"That's good to hear. Hopefully, this village will stand on its two feet again."
Terre said nothing, instead choosing to merely nod.
"I have a question for you Mr. Verte."
"Yes sir?"
"Who are you?"
"My name?"
"No, Mr. Verte. I know your name. I want to know who you are. What makes Terre Verte him?"
Terre blinked; unsure of what Ozpin was asking.
"I'm afraid I don't understand the question."
"Well then," replied Ozpin, "please think on it. I would very much like to hear your answer."
Before Terre could say anything, Ozpin had already walked away.
"That should do it for now. Thanks again for your help."
Jai nodded as he observed the civilians he had just helped distribute food and supplies to.
"You're welcome," he replied.
The woman he was talking to appeared to be in her mid-thirties, though the bags under her eyes as well as the stress lines might have led someone to believe she was forty. The brunette woman retrieved a pair of water bottles, handing one to Jai. The super soldier graciously received it. The woman took a sip of the water as she too observed the civilians.
"I'm just happy that there were survivors to help. The last time I responded to a Grimm attack I wasn't so fortunate."
Jai didn't say anything. He merely observed her.
"When we arrived at the location there weren't any survivors. Either the Grimm had gotten them, or the elements did. It was cold that night and we found quite a few who had succumbed to hypothermia."
That last bit echoed in Jai's mind. Memories began to enter his mind, memories he would have preferred to stay buried.
"But days like this," she continued, her voice providing a decent enough distraction for him, "days where we have survivors, they bring a smile to my face."
"I can imagine so," replied Jai.
"Excuse me?"
The two looked down and spotted a little blonde-haired girl who looked no older than ten years old. She had minor cuts and bruises on her arms, but other than that she was fine.
"Yes? Can I help you sweetie?"
"May I have another blanket please?" She looked at the ground in slight embarrassment. "I…I get cold easily."
Jai found himself staring at the girl. Just when he thought he had distracted himself from those memories, the girl before him only served to reawaken them. He no longer saw the girl, but instead, he saw someone else. He saw the frozen corpse of a similar blonde-haired girl. Her green eyes looked as though they were piercing into his very soul, and her skin was purple from the cold. Jai found himself at a loss for words.
This isn't real. They're gone…she's gone.
The super soldier shook himself out of his stupor and nodded at the little girl who was now standing where he had previously seen the corpse. It took but a moment for Jai to retrieve the blanket and hand it to the girl.
"Thank you," she said before she turned and left.
The woman waved goodbye, smiling as she did so.
"You think you can handle things for a few minutes?" She asked Jai. "I need a break."
"Yes ma'am," he replied.
"Thank you. I'll be back soon."
She left, leaving Jai to man the food and supplies desk by himself. Luckily there were no other civilians that needed anything. He found himself standing idle for a few minutes before he was approached by Ozpin.
"Hello Mr. Gris."
"Professor Ozpin," he nodded respectfully.
Ozpin observed the civilians eating their meals in peace before looking back at Jai.
"You've done an excellent job here."
"Thank you, sir."
"You and your team are the ones who should be thanked. I've heard nothing but positive remarks from the first responders. They were amazed by team PGRT's professionalism."
Jai shrugged.
"We're just doing our job sir."
"Indeed. Though, I do have one question for you."
"Yes sir?"
"Who are you, Mr. Gris?"
"Who am I?"
"Yes," replied Ozpin, "who are you?"
"Is this a trick question?"
"It is the furthest thing from a trick question."
"I…" Jai began, "I don't think I understand it then. I want to naturally respond with my name, but you know my name."
The headmaster of Beacon merely took a sip from his mug.
"Think about it. I want to hear your answer later."
"Who am I?"
Rahm's head perked up before he turned his head towards Penny. He had been in the middle of cleaning his weapon when he heard her speak. She was sitting on her cot, which was located next to his, looking down at the ground in deep thought.
"What did you say, Penny?"
Penny turned her attention to Rahm.
"Oh, I am sorry Rahm. I was merely pondering a question that Professor Ozpin asked me."
At this, Jai and Terre turned their attention to them from their respective sides of the tent.
"Let me guess," said Rahm, "he asked-"
"Who are you?"
At this, Penny, Rahm, and Terre turned their attention to Jai.
"I guess it's fair to assume that Professor Ozpin asked us all the same question?" Rahm's question was rhetorical.
"It appears so," replied Terre.
"You think he knows about us?" Asked Jai.
"Unlikely," replied Penny. "I studied his body language, heart rate, and breathing. Based on what I know of Professor Ozpin from the perspective of General Ironwood, I am confident that he is merely curious about us."
The boys took in her words for a moment. That was definitely some good news, though. If Ozpin had uncovered the truth behind their purpose at Beacon then the ramifications would have been catastrophic.
"I am confused," said Penny, "he asked me who I was, and I merely responded with my name, but that was not the answer he was seeking."
The three Guardians listened intently as she spoke.
"Am I supposed to answer that I am a synthetic human?"
She spoke again before any of her adopted brothers could say anything.
"Logic would dictate that saying I am a synthetic human is incorrect because that is what I am and not who I am. Further analysis has shown me that the secondary purpose of his question was to generate deep, introspective thought."
The three super soldiers knew that they were. They were Guardians, the swords and shields of humanity. Penny was right, though. Guardians are what they were. It wasn't who they were and so that wasn't the answer to Ozpin's question.
Penny looked as though she were in deep thought. Her internal processors were fast at work trying to arrive at a logical conclusion to the Professor's question.
"If our names are not what he was seeking then the only logical explanation is that he wants to know what comprises our identities. The definition of identity is 'the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make an individual human unique.' I cannot think of a more logical explanation. If any of you have differing thoughts, I would love to hear them."
Silence.
The only three survivors of Project Guardian had nothing to say. They could only digest the girl's words. They weren't silent because her logical reasoning was solid.
No.
They were silent because Ozpin wanted to know what made them unique individuals, but that there was the problem.
They didn't know what it meant to be individuals. From the day they were taken from the ruins of their homes, they were indoctrinated to forsake their individuality and their humanity for the greater good of protecting mankind. That was the sole reason their names were replaced by numbers. To be fair, however, the one hundred candidates of Project Guardian clung to their humanity and individuality in some form deep down.
If they had completely abandoned what it meant to be human, what it meant to be unique, then they wouldn't have given each other nicknames and they wouldn't have cared for each other as brothers and sisters did.
On the other hand, they did not socialize well with those who weren't their siblings. Outside of their circle of Guardians, however, they were nigh machines in almost every way. Most grew to view the general and the doctor as their father and mother figures respectively.
They only responded to their numbers and they followed orders without question. They were raised and trained to be the perfect soldiers, the ultimate weapons against Salem and her dark forces. Through monstrous training, emotional deprivation, military indoctrination, and human experimentation Guardians were crafted to be the pinnacle in both humanity's physical evolution, according to the doctor, and lethality, according to the general.
Super soldiers without equal who could finally bring the nigh eternal conflict with the evil witch to an end. In order to be the perfect defenders of humanity, according to General Ironwood, they needed to evolve beyond humanity, effectively separating themselves from it. The young candidates didn't understand what the general meant at first.
To be fair, they were merely frightened children, who at the time had been recently abducted after having survived Grimm attacks on their villages that left them all orphaned. To help the young candidates better understand what it meant to be a Guardian, the general compared the children to guard dogs while comparing humanity to sheep.
The sheep are defenseless against the wolves, but the dogs keep the sheep safe. The dogs can fight off the wolves because they are not sheep. In this case, Salem and her dark forces represented the wolves. As the years went on, the Guardians became more skilled and deadlier while they grew more and more distant from their humanity.
Over the course of seven years, the program would claim all but three of the candidates. The three that survived achieved what the general and the doctor only dreamed of. While the program failed to produce the desired number of super soldiers, it managed to produce three perfect soldiers.
The three survivors, having lost their brothers and sisters in the program, only had their individuality and humanity dwindle further. Having survived the physiological enhancements, they could hardly be considered human anymore. They were superhuman now but at the cost of what it meant to be human individuals.
They saw themselves as nothing more than tools to be used for the protection of humanity. Their lives meant nothing to them because all that mattered was the mission. They would die if needed without a second thought if it meant ensuring humanity survived and that Salem was defeated.
They accomplished their missions with machine-like efficiency, and they returned with little more than a few scratches on their armor. Every now and then they would return with the blood of their enemies on their armor instead of some scratches. Though, Jai's encounter with Salem's pawn had been a significant change in the normalcy of things.
The missions had always been so simple. Eliminate a bandit tribe, take out a White Fang camp, exterminate a pack of Grimm, etc. Between when they officially entered active duty in the Atlesian military and when General Ironwood put them on the assignment to Beacon, three years had passed.
Three years of constant, back-to-back missions that served only to prove that no soldier or huntsman on the face of Remnant could hold a candle to them. The missions, however, represented nothing more than training for them. Everything was meant to prepare them for the ultimate mission: killing Salem.
If they could find Salem's agents, then they would be able to find her and end the perpetual threat to humanity. By that logic, they should have been prepared for anything.
What they were not prepared for was the inner turmoil they each faced. Penny's logical conclusion to Ozpin's question only exacerbated that turmoil.
Who exactly were they?
This mission at Beacon had made them see new things that they never would have before. The three had discovered many things during their time as undercover students. They were given names, they discovered hobbies, they adopted Penny as their sister, and for the first time they became true protectors as they watched over four special ladies: a synthetic girl with actual aura, a silver-eyed warrior, the chosen successor for the Fall Maiden's powers, and the heiress to a Dust empire. Despite these new experiences, there was another question that was left unanswered.
Were these experiences what they themselves had or were they the experiences of their cover identities, their masks so to speak?
Rahm Tangerin, Jai Gris, and Terre Verte were merely cover identities.
Were all these developments in their personalities and relationships with others a result of their undercover identities or were they something more?
Did Guardian Zero-Six-Nine enjoy playing video games because he enjoyed them or because Terre Verte enjoyed them?
Did Guardian Zero-Three-Seven enjoy playing the piano or was it Jai Gris who enjoyed it?
Guardian Zero-One-One had always been an exception. He was one of the few candidates of Project Guardian who stood out as being more outgoing and less machine-like. He had his hobby of reading aerospace magazines long before his assignment to Beacon.
The general's orders had certainly made things even more complicated. He'd ordered them to address each other by their cover names at all times, but over the last few months, Rahm had grown to interpret those orders differently.
Rahm's logic dictated that as long as they were alone, there was no harm in addressing each other by their nicknames. Terre had immediately been critical of it, but it didn't stop the inevitable conclusion of their nicknames resurfacing on occasion when no one else was around.
The fact that Rahm had gone so far as to make his own unique interpretation of the general's orders was proof that he'd changed during his time at Beacon. They all changed.
Was Zero-One-One becoming Rahm Tangerin?
Was Zero-Three-Seven becoming Jai Gris?
Was Zero-Six-Nine becoming Terre Verte?
They didn't know. They had no way of knowing. Maybe it was possible that deep down, they were always Rahm Tangerin, Jai Gris, and Terre Verte. The truth eluded them.
They weren't the only ones who didn't know the truth. Penny had been kept in the dark about so much. She knew nothing of Salem or Project Guardian. She didn't know the real them. Despite that, she succeeded in becoming the first outsider to befriend Guardians and then subsequently develop a sibling-like bond with them. The fact that she was like them in so many ways didn't hurt the relationship between her and them. She was the result of a top-secret Atlas military project, but nothing on the level of secrecy as Project Guardian.
"I am the kind and caring daughter of Doctor Pietro Polendina, whom I love so very much," Penny's words snapped them out of their deep thoughts. "I love my experiences with humanity and I want nothing more than to find my place within it. I love my new friends and I especially love my brothers."
Well at the very least it was clear that Penny knew who she was. That was good. The girl was that much closer to achieving her goal of finding her place in the world. The three Guardians, however, did not have an answer to Ozpin's question. Their talk with Penny only made them realize that they didn't know who they truly were.
Would they ever know who they truly were?
Before they assumed their cover identities the only things that made them unique were their nicknames. They had earned those nicknames early in the program when they were still children. They were no longer children. They were full-fledged Guardians now.
They had seen the horrors of war and yet they showed no emotion toward the death they had both seen and inflicted. They weren't always Guardians, though. There was a time when they were normal children with names, families, and friends they would play with.
The time before the program, however, had long since been forgotten. The names and memories they once had were lost amidst the years of military and psychological indoctrination, grueling training, and death. The general had told them early on in their training that they needed to forget everything that did not contribute to their well-being as Guardians.
The only things that contributed to their well-being as Guardians included the mission, training, their teammates, and the undying loyalty and respect for the proper authority.
Nothing more. Nothing less. These things were meant to produce soldiers without a sense of individuality. If there were no individuals, then that meant everyone was the same and that would only promote tighter unit cohesion.
But even then, despite their shared horrific experiences, the three survivors of Project Guardian were not identical to each other. Before this assignment to Beacon, they were different.
While it was true that they were killing machines without equals, they still had unique personality traits and abilities that distinguished them from each other.
A semblance, as they were taught, was the manifestation of one's aura. Barring hereditary semblances such as the Schnee glyphs, semblances were never identical. Although, there were cases where some semblances were very similar.
Rahm could make himself invulnerable as long as he didn't move, Terre could manipulate his surroundings by strengthening or weakening the molecular bonds of the material he touched, and Jai could siphon the aura and energy of whoever he touched and use it to either bolster his own aura reserves temporarily or transfer them to another.
Despite the identical augmentation procedures they underwent, the three were not equal in terms of physical ability. Terre was the largest and the strongest of the three, Rahm was the smallest and the fastest, while Jai seemed to be in the middle. He was stronger than Rahm but slower than him; at the same time Jai wasn't as strong as Terre but he was faster than him.
Terre was by far the most machinelike in his personality and the most distant of the three. Rahm was more outgoing and the least distant. Jai was distant but not to the same degree Terre was. Although Terre was the most distant of the three, he was the most capable as a leader. That in itself was an interesting contrast.
Though they were Guardians, they did not have the same specializations. They each brought something unique to the team. Before they were brought together as a team, they each had their own teammates. The 100 candidates of the program were originally divided into 25 teams of 4. The respective 25 teams were divided into 5 squadrons, labeled from Alpha to Echo, comprised of 5 teams each.
Alpha Squadron specialized in combat search and rescue, Bravo Squadron was sabotage, Charlie Squadron was reconnaissance and intelligence, Delta Squadron was assault, and Echo Squadron was counterterrorism. Rahm came from Alpha Squadron, Terre came from Delta, and Jai came from Bravo.
Their different backgrounds in specialization brought unique skill sets to their team. Rahm was the team's medical specialist, but he also had a natural knack for handling explosives of any kind. Jai was skilled in infiltration and he also had the most developed close-quarters combat skills of the three. Terre was the team leader with a tactical genius unlike any other. He was able to envision the battlespace and perfectly understand it to draw the correct plan of action. It was for this reason that Terre was chosen to be the leader. Early on in the program, Terre stood out with a few others as having the highest leadership potential.
Though their team was officially named Special Mission Unit 117, they never addressed themselves as such, unless it was in a formal setting with the general. They called themselves the Bad Batch for a reason. The name served as a dark, ironic reminder that they were the only batch of survivors of the program. It was Rahm that came up with the name. He felt that it was a way to remember their brothers and sisters. Jai and Terre agreed that it was a fitting name. Despite all of this, Ozpin's question remained.
Who were they?
They hadn't realized it but they had been pondering that question for a few minutes in silence. Penny merely looked on at them quietly. Terre decided to end the silence.
"We-"
BOOM!
They all immediately turned their attention toward the source of the noise. Terre, Rahm, and Jai immediately grabbed their weapons and jumped from their seated positions, and rushed to the tent's exit. Penny likewise followed them outside only to see that the refugee camp was under attack by Grimm.
"It appears that Professor Ozpin's insistence that we not take the first watch was misplaced."
"It appears so, Penny," replied Jai
Rahm cracked his neck, relieving some of the tension that was there before he spoke.
"Time to get to work boss?"
Terre nodded.
"Just remember that we need to restrain ourselves. We can't blow our cover."
"Can do," replied Rahm.
Without another word, Special Mission Unit 117 rushed in to help fight off the Grimm.
Before anything else, I want to know something from all of you.
Who do you think the boys are? Are they and their cover identities the same? Are they different? What makes them the boys we know? How do you think the boys got their respective nicknames? lol
As you can see this was by far the most introspective chapter so far. The boys are beginning to wonder who they are. The girl Jai saw in his head and the boy that Rahm thought he saw are both important characters that will resurface later on in the story so be sure to pay attention and don't forget the details. I'm certain you all have ideas as to who they are. I'm working to build something from the ground up rather than throw everything out there at once with no backstory or development. Hope you all enjoyed this one. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it in the reviews. See you next time.
-Dude64