Underground Training Facility

Description: Underground training facility under the orphanage, other descriptions are pending, as I'm tired right now.
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Corvis had made her way back inside the Orphanage and twisted through a few of the halls, leading Ada along behind her. A few waves and polite smiles were given to those she passed in the hall, but she decided to remain quiet until they arrived at her chosen destination; which was a large door positioned at the end of a hall near the back of the orphanage. The door possessed several locks of different variety, no doubt to keep curious children and unapproved staff from entering. Upon unlocking them, allowing herself and Ada inside, she would close the door and re-lock it from the inside. After doing so, she made her way into the basement where another door was located, giving way to a large elevator which would drop several hundred meters even deeper below the orphanage.

She entered and placed her hand on a palm scanner which approved her use of the lift, then waved Ada inside and hit the only button on the wall. The door would close and they would begin their descent to the training area. Veronica decided to use the time it would take to reach the bottom of the elevator shaft to explain a bit about what this place was and what she did.

"What you're about to discover may sound like a fairy tale, a myth, or simple superstition, but I can assure you that it is very real," She began, her tone growing firm and serious as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There are things in this world that roam in the dark, Ada. Monstrous and insidious beings who skulk the shadows and prey on those who are unaware; their sole purpose being to meet their own ends. Some are hundreds of years old, others can even be thousands, and few are even worshiped as Gods. If left unchecked, these beings can bring about cataclysmic results on the human population.

The Catholic Church has been well aware of these beings since ancient times, and we've upon their discovery tasked ourselves with erasing them. The result of this was the creation of the True Cross organization--my organization. That is why I disappear from the orphanage from time to time. I have a job to do."

She stopped for a brief moment as the elevator came to a stop, the door opening to reveal the vast expansive hall before it. White tile floors and luminescent lights made the corridor shine with a bright purity. The hall branched off into countless doors, each leading to numerous training areas which ranged from shooting ranges, Olympic sized pools, running tracks, rock climbing walls, and much more, all of which could be spectated from the hall due to the transparent, reinforced and soundproof glass making up the walls, which muffled most of the noise from the facilities currently in use.

Corvis stepped from the elevator and began to make her way down the hall, nodding for Ada to follow. The girl should have had plenty of time to take in all of what she had previously said. She continued. That job is the sole purpose of this organization; erasing the aforementioned abominations from the face of this earth, in God's name, of course. This is the Training Facility where all of our agents come to hone the skills they will need to carry out their mission." She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned slightly to face her Daughter, her arms still crossed. She had paused in her explanation to give the girl a chance to respond to everything, which Corvis was sure she had something to say about it all.

Ada followed Veronica into the orphanage she remained quiet as she and Veronica navigated the halls of the orphanage, To those passing by it would seem as if Ada had once again gotten herself into trouble which wasn't really far from the truth considering she had eavesdropped on a conversation she no doubt was not supposed to hear. As they went deeper and deeper into the orphanage less people seemed to pass by until it appeared that only Veronica and herself were the only people in this part of the orphanage. Finally they reached a lone door at the end of the hall adorned with numerous locks of different varieties.

She watched as Veronica undid the locks and opened the door allowing them both entry before shutting it and locking it behind them. Inside was a staircase which led to the basement part of Ada was questioning where Veronica was taking her. But she kept her doubts to herself as she continued to follow her adopted mother downstairs where they passed through yet another door. She raised an eyebrow as she found herself in a large freight elevator something totally out of place in an orphanage especially considering that it required a palm scanner to use.

As the elevator descended Veronica began to speak elaborating more on what she had heard earlier. Now that she was hearing it directly from the source the entire thing both seemed a lot less crazy, When she'd heard it when she was listening in on Veronica and Tony it had seemed like it could all just be a joke. But the way that Veronica described it now made it seem all too real. She didn't know what to say to all this she remained quiet as Veronica continued to describe the nature of her work and she still had nothing to say. What was a girl to say when their mother told them that they spent all their time away from home hunting down "Abominations." and not only that but that she was the head of an organization that did this on a daily basis.

As the elevator doors opened Ada's eyes widened as she was greeted with a large room, Upon closer observation she noticed that the room was divided into sections and halls using thick glass. She could see numerous people within each section training in different ways from shooting to fighting, She could even see some people studying what seemed to her to be like magic as they read from a book while pages from said book floated around them in a steady spiral.

Ada followed Veronica as she entered the training areas she listened as Veronica gave her final words on the entire situation before turning to her stopping in her tracks. Ada glanced at Veronica seeing an expectant look on her face. Ada opened her mouth to speak but shut it after a moment. Her mind was a jumbled mess right now even with the time given to process everything she was finding it all so hard to comprehend. Finally she opened her mouth once more to speak "So...Your telling me...That you spend all your time away from the orphanage. Hunting monsters? And not only that but your leading an entire organization that does the same..." Ada asked she was restating what was told to her for the benefit of her own sanity.

Had this been any other person Ada would have probably called an Insane Asylum but something about Veronica's explanation told her that everything just told to her was far from fantasy. She remained quiet for a moment more before speaking again. "So what happens now? I'm guessing I'm not supposed to know about this right? Is this the part where I get my mind wiped like in those weird American movies with the black suits and sunglasses?" Ada asked.

"Hardly", Veronica said dryly in response to Ada's last inquiry, using a finger to move a strand of grey hair from her face as she glanced down the hall to face away from Ada. She paused for a moment, then smirked slightly as a mischievous idea crossed her mind, after which she turned half-way back toward Ada with her features showing no signs of deviating from their previous alignment. What she said next was accompanied with a shrug of her shoulders and shaking of her head. "Tampering with someone's mind leaves much to be desired in terms of secrecy. The brain is a complex organ, and the potential that memories could resurface at any moment by random triggers leaves a gaping hole in such an approach. Sadly, that fact makes it a lot less effective than it is in the movies, so it's not a viable option."

Obviously, neither Veronica nor any of the True Cross had the ability to alter another persons minds. Well, at least not in any useful way that would be effective in keeping the secrets they had. One could argue that religious indoctrination was a form of mind control and of child abuse, but that was another topic entirely. Regardless, Ada didn't know anything of what Corvis or True Cross were capable of. She had, after all, just been introduced into a world that would been filled with mystery, monstrosities, horrible dangers, and whatever else a person could imagine, and Veronica took the chance to set the girl straight about how things worked and to take advantage of Ada's ignorance in order to use the situation as a makeshift punishment for her daughters earlier eavesdropping.

"Plus, it would be a waste of time considering I purposely brought you down here. There would be no point in wiping your mind. No," she stopped, and then her voice took on a more serious tone, "we usually just eliminate anyone who knows our secret, then we dispose of the body at our own discretion..." She gave an intimidating sidelong glance toward Ada for a brief moment to let the poorly hidden threat sink in, which was done so intentionally. She purposely drew out the long moment of silence to watch her daughters reaction, letting a bit of tension build. She then gave a casual shrug a few seconds afterwards, turning away and beginning to make her way down the hall. She beckoned for Ada to follow with a brief wave of her hand as she did so, her voice returning to it's normal, motherly tone. "Luckily, you're exempt from those rules. Well, unless you turn into a security risk... but we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

Her smirk returned for a brief moment before casting her gaze into the various rooms as she made her way down the wall, giving a few casual waves to other members who noticed her as she started to speak again. "You wanted to know why I was gone all the time, so I've told you. Now that you know about the organization and what we do, I intend for you to join our ranks. However, I will not force you to do it, and I wont lie to you about the danger. The possibility of becoming crippled or dying is extremely high for field agents like me, especially since most of what we fight against are vastly superior to we that call ourselves human."

She stopped, turned to face Ada, and crossed her arms over her chest. Her voice took on a dark and serious tone once again. "We fight monstrosities who inhabit the shadows of every crack and crevice, alley and hole, heart and mind. They are the sole reason why we humans have a primordial fear of the dark, and they prey upon that fear." She stopped and studied her daughters face intently for a moment, looking for any sign of distress or uncertainty, any sign that would make her regret introducing the girl into this dark world. "We give our lives, and indeed, most of them are readily taken by the very beings we seek to eradicate. However, in our eyes it is a meager price to pay, and we willingly charge headlong into the abyss to do so. You're to only accept my invitation if you truly believe you can handle such a commitment."

Ada had pretty much expected Veronica's response regarding her inquiry about getting her mind wiped. There was no way someone could just wipe away the memories of someone just by flashing them with a little light. However as Veronica continued on explaining why the method wasn't very effective. Ada opened her mouth to say something on the matter somewhere along the lines of what would happen considering it wasn't a viable option. But before she could voice her question Veronica seemed to pick up on it answering the question before anything could be said.

The answer was less than encouraging as Veronica stated that those who found out about the organization without authorization were often eliminated and disposed of. This answer made Ada's blood run cold in her veins causing a shiver to run up her spine. "W-What the hell!? What have I gotten myself into!?" Ada thought part of her wanted to run, But if she was being honest with herself how far could she really get. It was obvious Veronica was way faster than her and she was completely out of her element, this was Veronica's domain pretty much where would she run to if she even tried.

Ada turned her eyes up to look at Veronica only catching a glimpse of that sidelong glance that held no indication of exaggeration. As Veronica beckoned her to follow her deeper into the facility Ada did so for a while they walked in silence before Veronica finally spoke again this time in the warm motherly tone that she was often used to stating that luckily for her she was exempt from the fate that often befell those who found out about the organization. This assurance caused Ada to let out a visible sigh of relief, She definitely wasn't planning on becoming a security risk anytime soon if that was the only thing between her and being dumped in some random ditch on the side of some backwater road in Italy.

Ada continued following Veronica watching her mother wave to some of the people training within the different areas around the facility. Suddenly Veronica stopped almost causing Ada to collide with her back. Ada looked at Veronica's back waiting for some explanation for why they had stopped and sure enough the explanation she was seeking came as Veronica voiced her intentions to recruit her into the organization's ranks. Ada was quiet as she listened to her mother list of the potential dangers that existed in her line of work. Part of her was afraid of what could happen but another part of her wondered what it would be like to be part of whatever all this was.

There was no denying that it seemed like an interesting distraction from the norm that she was used to but was it worth her life just to distract herself from the dullness of everyday life in the orphanage. She listened to the last words that Veronica had to say on the matter. Ada brought her hands up to her head gripping two handfuls of her hair as her mind weighed the pros and cons of the decisions she could make. She sighed as she made her decision "Okay...So...Where do we start?" Ada asked.

Veronica touched her chin with her index finger and thumb, studying Ada for a few moments longer as she continued to analyze the situation. The girl's reaction met halfway with what Corvis had expected, but she still wasn't sure if Ada had fully understood the danger or the requirements that would accompany what she had just she had just accepted. So Corvis was, in all honesty, still concerned, though only slightly. From what Veronica had witnessed, Ada's religious standing was, to say the least, shaky at best, and that was something that would have to change if she was going to learn what Veronica had to teach.

She didn't like the thought of her daughter using the typical weapons that True Cross utilized, such a firearms, even if the bullets were blessed. Instead, she intended to gradually introduce the child into the use of Gospel Warfare, which turned the very pages of the bible into a weapon to use against their unholy enemies. It was something very few could do, and even fewer could master, and as one of those rare masters, Veronica could attest to the requirements of ones faith needing to be absolute and honest in order for it to be used properly. That was her only concern regarding Ada and her potential development within the organization.

However, after a long moment of careful consideration and mulling over the entire situation that had just transpired, sorting through her own personal concerns in the process, she clapped her hands together in front of her chest with credence of her daughters decision and let her lips form into a small smile, giving a light nod of approval in the process. Then, without warning, she'd throw her arms out and wrap them around Ada in a warm embrace, hugging her tight and close. "Right then, as of today, you're now an official trainee of the True Cross Organization." After another long moment of maintaining the hug, she'd pull away and take a step back. "Your life changes from this moment on and I can't guarantee that anything will remain the same, but I want you to know that I am proud of you." She gave a genuine smile as she spoke, but he features quickly returned to their original position, taking on a more serious tone.

Typically, Trainees aren't allowed on field missions. So you're not going to be thrown into any danger as of yet. Instead, I'll accompany you to the Vatican's Esoteric Archives to help with your studies on the various threats that you'll eventually combat. I'll also help train you in putting that knowledge to combative use. The True Cross will also provide a number of trainers in order to get your physical and martial ability up to par with our standards. I also have something I want to pass on to you, but I'll explain that when we come to it. Do you have any questions before we move on?"

Ada remained silent watching Veronica's face curious to see her mother's response to her choice. She'd made her choice but part of her wanted to know what Veronica thought about her decision, would she be angry that she'd decided to put herself in so much danger voluntarily? Or would she be proud of her choice to stand up and make such a decision. She jumped a bit as Veronica clapped her hands together a bit surprised by the sudden movement and sound. She felt a sense of pride overcome her as she saw Veronica's smile it was clear that her mother was pleased with her decision.

Part of her was wondering if she had really made the right decision, Or if perhaps she'd been too quick to make her decision. Should she have thought more on her choices before making her decision should she have asked for more time first. She closed her eyes feeling Veronica throw her arms around her declaring that she was officially a trainee. Her choice was made now and she had no intentions on taking it back. She returned the hug enjoying the loving moment with her mother before the two separated.

She took a deep breath as Veronica stated how proud she was of her decision. Ada felt a smile spread across her own face at this. She listened to Veronica as she stated where they would start in her training and nodded. She was still in slight shock at this entire situation, Just recently she'd been bringing back groceries for the orphanage while babysitting Lucretzia like a normal person. And one eavesdropped conversation had led her to this. Becoming a warrior in an organization that she didn't know existed up until a few minutes ago. An organization meant to hunt monsters led by her mother. Had anyone told her a year ago that in a year she would be training to become a monster hunter underneath an orphanage she probably would have called them crazy and broke their nose.

But now here she was, As Veronica asked if she had any questions to ask before they began she shook her head. There weren't any questions she could think to ask, None that would have an answer that mattered. "I'm ready let's get started." Ada said nodding as she mentally psyched herself for whatever could happen next.

"Excellent, then we'll begin immediately. Come, I'll show you around and get you acquainted with the layout of the facility and everyone you'll need to know for future reference, then we'll get started on your actual training." Veronica said cheerfully with a nod, turning to make her way down the hall. She'd take her time in showing her daughter about the facility, pointing out the various training areas and teachers who turned True Cross Agents into deadly servants of Divine Retribution before leading her even deeper into the complex.

The transparent glass walls of the training facility would eventually vanish, replaced with reinforced concrete walls which offered no visual insight on anything behind them. The thin wooden doors were replaced with thick, heavy metal ones, and the floor of the halls became stone instead of tile. The overall purity that the training facility had showcased had all but vanished, and a single freight elevator stood at the dead end of the hall Veronica had led Ada down.

A palm reader and eye scanner was positioned beside it, to which Veronica went about accessing and opened the door, motioning once again for Ada to follow her. The elevator would into the deepest depths of the facility, to the Esoteric Archives that contained all the secrets of the Church, the True Cross, and all the knowledge the Catholic Church had on anything supernatural.

----> Exiting into Limbo (Timeskip of a month will occur for Veronica and Ada during our next posts)

1 Month Later

Ada sat on the sidelines watching two of her fellow recruits exchanging blows in the center of the sparring mat. The match up would seem unfair to quite a few people a small Asian girl versus a large boy from Russia. However for those watching it was clear who held the advantage. The small girl darted about the mat landing blows to the larger boy's knees and ribs targeting vulnerable areas. With each strike the large boy swung his meaty fists trying to use his superior strength to crush the smaller girl. But each swing was simply ducked beneath or dodged with ease.

Finally the boy made a slip up in his fatigued state swinging his fist at the girl only to have the strike redirected over the girl's shoulder as the girl turned in place gripping the fabric of the other boys shirt and using her hips to throw him to the ground. From there the girl proceeded to kneel beside the boy's head raining strikes down upon his prone form until the instructor supervising the bout came forward to pull her away.

Both fighters stood and shook hands before going their separate way's to their own ends of the mat. The instructor looked down at a clipboard he was holding before glancing up at the recruits lining the edge of the sparring mat. "Ada Koch versus Victor Noriega!" The instructor called. Ada stood feeling some of her fellows pat her on the back wishing her luck as she walked out to the center of the mat. A Spanish boy a few inches taller than her stepped out of the crowd to meet her. The instructor looked at both fighters before placing a hand on both of their shoulders "I want this to be a clean bout. No strikes below the belt, no eyes gouging or hair pulling, no lethal techniques do you understand me?" The instructor asked. Ada and the boy across her nodded.

The instructor nodded before taking a step back and chopping the air between them "Fight!" He called. Ada shifted into a basic combat stance positioning her right foot forward with her left foot facing left. Her opponent adopted a different stance his body was positioned diagonally with his right foot and fist forward. A southpaw boxing stance mirrored as if performed by a professional boxer. The first strike came from her opponent a right jab thrown towards her face.

Acting quickly Ada brought her right arm up batting the jab away with her forearm before stepping forward as the boy's momentum carried him and delivered an elbow strike to the underside of the boy's jabbing arm. The boy quickly backed away shaking out his arm trying to rid it of the pain caused by the strike. However as he did so Ada quickly advanced delivering punch after punch drawing her arm back far enough to deliver enough force to cause pain but not far enough to slow the rate she delivered each punch at.

The boy raised his arms to guard against the punches but each strike raining down on his forearms seemed to make the next even more painful. The boy grunted in pain with each punch before lashing out with his foot catching Ada in the stomach with a front kick. Ada coughed as the kick succeeded in knocking quite a bit of air out of her lungs. The boy grit his teeth as he rubbed his arms keeping a wary eye on his opponent as he tried to ease the stinging aching pain in his forearms. "Hijo de la verga!" The boy hissed before moving forward throwing a flurry of punches at Ada. Each blow was stopped in it's tracks as Ada lashed out with her elbows striking the boy's forearms and biceps as his arms extended to throw a strike redirecting each blow to the side and forcing the boy recoil from the pain.

This time however instead of allowing the boy another chance to properly recover Ada quickly rushed him delivering a knee to the boy's gut and wrapping her fingers around the back of his neck. The strike to the gut knocked the air out of Ada's opponent allowing her to take control as she forced the boy's head down as he doubled over. She then proceeded to land another knee right into the boy's face followed by another and more after that. Each strike to the boy's face and head knocked all thought from his mind as his nose erupted in a geyser of blood and pain. The instructor supervising quickly pushed the two apart and checked the boy's face.

Ada smiled as she saw the instructor shake his head declaring an end to the match and pointing his arm towards her declaring her the winner. Ada approached the boy who was now pinching his nose which luckily seemed unbroken "Good fight." Ada said. The boy nodded before stalking off to go nurse his bloody nose.

Veronica had entered the room some time ago, but her presence had gone unnoticed due to everyone's attention being focused on the exciting sparring matches that had been occurring. Things have gotten lively, Veronica thought, watching from the sidelines, her arms crossed and her back pressed against the transparent glass wall that made up the room. She had been there for quite some time, watching the various matches take place and taking note of each of the recruits combat abilities.

Her attention, however, was more aptly focused on Ada when she began to participate. She had vastly improved over the past month of training, not only in a physical sense, but mentally as well. How much knowledge she had retained about the undead, however, had yet to be seen, and Veronica had still neglected to teach the girl how to utilize scripture as a weapon due to the teenagers personality and shaky footing when it came to things involving God. Still, it had been a treat to watch her evolve so rapidly.

So much so, that Veronica had thought it was about time for her first actual mission. Not one serious, as the upper levels of Undead were still years beyond her reach as an Agent of God, but perhaps she should be allowed to experience the lower tier in a hands on situation. Veronica herself would be present, of course, in case things had gotten out of hand. She had seen many trainees fall even to the lowest classification of undead beasts, and despite how small the chance was, she wasn't going to take it.

Regardless, the Nun had already made the arrangements.

Veronica gave a smile and began a slow and steady clap at Ada's victory, which filled the room with a slight echo. "You're improving. A bit rough around the edges, I must admit, but improvement is improvement nonetheless, and you should take that with pride. After all, you continue to make me proud."

In the heat of all of the recent events Ada had not noticed Veronica watching silently from across the room until she'd made her presence known. The presence of her adopted mother had certainly caught her off guard, Sure there were many times where she'd seen Veronica observing her training but sometimes it just surprised her how easy it was for her to just show up out of the blue. All of the other recruits in the room stiffened as the presence of their leader was made known. All recruits except for Ada of course who seemed to be the most relaxed out of nearly everyone in the room, Even the instructors seemed to tense at Veronica's arrival.

"I think I need to learn to focus more, I could have blocked that kick." Ada said rubbing the back of her neck as her mother complimented her on her improvement. A month ago when she'd started her training Ada was no better than a punching bag for her fellow trainees. Many of them had at least some training in a sort of martial art as she had arrived to the training a bit later than most of them. For the first week of training she'd taken more punches than she'd ever taken while living on the streets of Rome, and a good number of these people knew how to make a punch really hurt.

It had taken her two weeks and multiple nights of staying up late after study sessions in the archives training before she'd taken down her first opponent. And over the span of the month she'd only progressed further from there, By no means was she the best out of her peers but she certainly wasn't the weakest link either. Her stealth skills however had served her well during a training course that involved sneaking through a simulated mission environment without being discovered. Out of the 30 recruits in her class only 6 had made it to the end of the course with Ada coming in 2nd.

So many of her skills and abilities had been tested and stretched to limits she hadn't thought they were able to reach. During her time here her agility and stamina had been refined, she'd learned how to fight and how to fire a gun, learned things that a month ago she would have thought were fairy tales or myths only to learn of just how real some things in mythology really were.

She smiled at Veronica she did feel some measure of pride at her rapid improvement over the past month. And the knowledge that she was making Veronica proud while doing so only added to her positive mood. "So what brings you here mommy dearest?" Ada asked as she stretched a bit as the next match began this time between a average sized boy from Russia and an African American boy from the United States. Both seemed evenly matched as they exchanged blows with one another each brutally delivering blows and enduring them.

Veronica moved a strand of her hair from her face with a finger, casting a glance toward the next sparring match and the practitioners. She took a moment to analyze the difficult match up, taking note of the evenness of the two combatants before responding. "A mission of sorts, she said, pausing for a moment before adding, "or more specifically, your very first mission as an official True Cross Agent."

She pushed herself off the wall to stand straight, her gaze falling back toward Ada. "One close by, in fact, in Northern Italy. An unholy rodent has been terrorizing the citizens for the past few days now, including defiling the local church and slaughtering a few of the clergy who were assigned there. It's been taken too far, so now it's our duty to erase it. This will be your first time combating a creature of the night, and while I have little doubt that you're ready for the task, I feel compelled to remind you to remember the training you've been put through."

"I will be accompanying you, but only as a supervisor and safety net. You will be the one to deal with it, and you will have to make use of all of your training. I will only interfere if things become complicated, so don't expect me to hold your hand in dealing with it. Understand? This isn't something you can refuse, by the way, since I've already volunteered you for it as a sort of final test. We leave in a few minutes, so if you have any questions, it's best to ask them now."

Ada watched the next match up with minimal interest, The two fighters were in the process of testing each other's defenses with jabs. From the looks of it the match up would only result in a slug fest with one another. She turned to Veronica as she began to speak about a new mission one that she'd be participating in. "Already? Am I ready for that?" Ada asked, She didn't know what to think about this she'd only been training for a month what could she really do against a vampire at her current skill level. She'd read multiple tomes and books about them most of it involving vampires ripping their victims to shreds and licking the blood from their fingers.

Vampires were physically superior to humans in almost every way. Faster, stronger, more durable and in a lot of cases way more experienced. Even the weakest of vampires could be powerful to a normal human. She kept quiet as Veronica began to state the terms of her mission she felt slightly relieved when Veronica mentioned that she would be there to supervise the mission and keep things under control if things got to chaotic. As Veronica stated her belief that she was indeed ready for this she took a deep breath and nodded. "If you think I'm ready...Alright." Ada said. To say that she was completely confident in her ability at this point would be a lie.

But now wasn't the time to doubt herself, It was time to sink or swim. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath "Alright I'm ready let's go." Ada said.

----->Exit to A Housing Development in Northern Italy (Let's get this show on the road~)

A Housing Development in Northern Italy ----->

Ada sat on the sidelines of the sparring circles watching yet another sparring match. Though unlike all the others her own attention wasn't focused upon the two battling within the circle but upon the small group of her peers that seemed to be whispering to one another and looking over at her. Ever since she'd returned from her failed mission the outcome didn't need to be said vocally her behavior and demeanor had told her classmates all that needed to be said. And like many teenagers disciplined or not many were coming up with their own judgement for her based upon it. Ada shut her eyes gripping her knees tightly tilting her head toward her lap she could feel her nails digging into her flesh as she tried to ignore the group sitting across her.

Her attempts to withdraw into herself was interrupted however as a hand gripped her shoulder and shook her out of her own self induced isolation. She looked up to meet the eyes of the instructor supervising the sparring match. "Koch your up now." He said. Ada bit her lip "Can't I just pass this once?" Ada asked pleadingly. Her recent failure brought up doubts regarding her own abilities as well something that had effectively stunted her training. A scowl appeared on the instructors face as he shook his head "Just because you failed once doesn't mean you give up now get up and fight." He said firmly. Ada's eyes were drawn over the instructors shoulder as a few of her peers snickered at her expense. Her hand tightened into a fist as she watched them she got up "Fine." Ada said curtly before stepping past the instructor into the circle brushing past him briskly.

The Instructor sighed taking the slight attitude the girl was exhibiting in stride before turning to one of the other trainees that had been standing opposite her. "You." He said pointing at one of them a petite brunette girl. "If you have time to laugh you can fight next." He said. The girl nodded and stepped into the ring brimming with self confidence. Ada shifted into her fighting stance though being out of practice it wasn't as well executed as her sparring partners own was. Once the bell was rung Ada was set upon by a flurry of well placed blows landing on her stomach and shoulders. It wasn't long before Ada backed out of the circle to escape the barrage of blows flinching slightly.

Her opponent chuckled a sound that was mirrored by the other trainees in the circle. The Instructor pointed back at her starting position in the sparring circle "Step out again and your DQed Koch." He said. Ada nodded as she stepped into the circle she could feel the eyes of all the others trained upon her. She wiped some sweat on her palms away on the legs of her fatigues before taking up her stance once more planting her feet more firmly in position. As the bell rung again once again her opponent took to the offensive raining blow after blow towards her torso. This time however Ada took each strikes either enduring it or redirecting it away from her body. However with her attention focused on blocking her opponent's hand strikes she neglected to anticipate the incoming take down that came in the form of her opponent hooking a leg around her own and pushing forward with her weight.

The move took both of them to the ground but the fall knocked the most air out of Ada herself as she hit the ground hard on her back. Immediately her opponent took advantage of her new position and sat upon Ada's stomach raining blows down on her chest and face. Ada lifted her arms blocking to the best of her ability hoping to avoid a TKO loss. Pausing her assault for a moment Ada's opponent took the time to smirk "What's wrong Koch giving up? No surprise you failed your first mission right?" Her opponent said. Growling Ada reached out wrapping her hands around the back of her opponents neck and pulling her in close before wrapping her arm around the girl's neck in a headlock before turning them over so that their positions were switched with Ada sitting on the girl's legs tightening her grip around the girl's neck. She flinched as the girl rained crushing blows to her ribs using her elbows finally forcing Ada to release her.

Quickly her opponent seized one of Ada's arms and kicked her legs up to wrap around either side of Ada's head as she pulled Ada's arm taut extending it out. Ada groaned in pain as she felt the pressure building in the joint of her arm but instead of tapping as many anticipated she got to her feet calling forth reserves of strength she didn't even know she had. As she got to her feet her opponent clung to her arm her weight bringing more pressure upon the joint but she let out a cry of pain as Ada dropped forward smashing her opponent's back to the floor. Her opponent released her and this time Ada took the advantage scrambling into the mount position above her opponent and landing close fisted blows upon her opponents face.

Still reeling from her impact to the ground her opponent weakly raised her arms to defend herself only to have her feeble defense batted away as Ada continued to strike her mercilessly. Ada's assault only ended as the instructor gripped Ada's arm and forcibly pulled her off of the girl below her. "KOCH ENOUGH!" He yelled. Ada whipped her arm away "Get off me!" Ada hissed glaring at the man. All around her the other trainees in her training platoon stared at her and back to the girl with the bloodied face writhing on the floor. Ada's knuckles were stained crimson and dyed purple from blood and bruises. The Instructor stared at the two slight disbelief in the show of brutality shown in this match. He'd seen aggressive fights in his time training new members of true cross but a beating this bad was something that rarely occured.

Enter from Champion of the Sword (Mission Topic)

Exhaustion, fatigue, agony, pain, these were all things that laid their claim to the injured form that now belonged to Veronica. Bandages in multitudes wrapped diagonally across her face to obscure the wound which marred her features, and though they would remain unseen due to her typical clothing, more bandages of the same kind had been wrapped around her abdomen to cover the impalement wound which left it's mark on her right side, and more wrapped around her chest to restrict the wounds upon her back.

The amount that her body ached was indescribable, bringing forth a slight groan or grunt with each effort of movement, even something simple as walking twisted her lips into a subtle and continuous look of discomfort until the action came to a halt. It was no doubt due to the stubborn refusal she had given in regards to staying in the medical wing of the True Cross Headquarters, which was heavily suggested by the doctors who were present upon her arrival and during her treatment, which had taken several hours.

Veronica did well enough to avoid the sight of anyone within the Orphanage's upper level, both for the sake of not bringing worry upon the children nor the staff who lent their hand to assist with the everyday tasks there, and instead slipped through the halls in obscurity towards the lower levels which were unknown to all but the Agents within the Organization she was Champion of, and rode the elevator down into it's depths. She took a moment of relief upon entering, using the railing within the descending metal box to take some of the stress from her weary knees, but it was not to last long, for the door soon opened up into the crisp white hallways that made up the training ground.

Inhaling for the uncomfortable trek forward, she entered the pure halls with slow steps, though she gave no other signs of injury aside from those that were already evident, the likes of which drew the questioning gaze of several through the transparent glass walls which encompassed the various training rooms, the likes of which were ignored in their majority by dismissing their looks of concern with a wearisome smile and slight wave of her hand, which was repeated for nearly every look she had gotten until arriving at the destination she had intended to reach.

The rowdiness she heard from within only served to increase the headache which made her head throb violently, touching what little of her visible features with an irritated and unpleasant expression, of which her right hand raised against her forehead in a futile attempt of quelling the pain. She had not seen what had transpired before her arrival, but through the use of her uncovered eye, which held a jaded and phlegmatic gaze, could tell through the observable details it took in with ease.

"Foolish child of accursed ignorance... Why must you be so boisterously intractable? Why can you not display at least a modicum of discipline?" Veronica, in her current condition, which was one of both physical and mental weakness, was in no mood for any of it. None. Slowly, due to the pain that wracked her body, she would move across the training room, across the mats and around the injured participants, her expression one of indifference, until she would arrive infront of her daughter.  

Immediately, without the slightest word or warning, not even one to order those still in the room to leave, the Nun's hand would fly up with an open palm to forcibly strike the cheek of the one she can come to take as her daughter for everyone in the room to witness, the force behind it enough to leave a mark of red in it's place. Nothing else had seemed to work. None of her teachings or efforts to bring the child into the reality she had agreed to be apart of, that being one of an Agent of the True Cross, had not succeeded. Veronica saw it as a last resort to forcibly wake the child from her youthful ignorance, but now it was time to do so.

Upon lowering her hand by her side, Veronica's harsh but controlled tone would finally speak, the gaze of her uncovered eye locked onto the girl's face. "Your hellion behavior and imprudent actions will not be tolerated from this point on, do you understand? None of it. You are not a child anymore, you are apart of the True Cross by your own accord, and you will act like it."

Two of the girl's friends came to their friends aid helping her to her feet and trying to aid in tending her wounds to the best of their abilities. One of them proceeded to glare at Ada "What the hell is wrong with you Koch!?" The girl yelled right after it had been said the girl's eyes widened as she looked over towards the entrance of the training room. Ada followed the girl's gaze until her eyes fell upon the object of everyone's attention. Approaching slowly was Veronica with bandages covering one of her eyes obscuring it from view.

Although it wasn't apparent to others it wasn't too hard to tell that something was wrong. In the time Ada had spent with Veronica as her daughter she'd always seen her mother with a sense of purpose and intent in her step. As if each step was taking her in a direction that would serve to further whatever goal her mother had set for herself. But this slow gait was something she'd never seen before and only served to worry her further. However what she failed to see the others around her did not.

Those in the room parted to allow Veronica room to reach her intended target and by the time Ada could realize what was about to happen it was too late. Ada's head snapped to the side as Veronica's hand struck her across the face leaving a red print in it's wake. Ada's eyes widened as her mind registered what had just happened. She'd gotten used to the strikes with the bible so a slap didn't really hurt as much as one would think for the former orphan. But it was the meaning behind the slap that shocked her.

Whenever she'd been struck before it had been to teach a lesson that Ada would or wouldn't learn depending on different factors. But this was different there was a sense of finality in this strike that shook Ada to her very core. There would be no second opportunity to learn whatever lesson Veronica wished to teach this time. Ada's hand rose to her cheek feeling the tender skin before turning to look at Veronica as she spoke.

"Your hellion behavior and imprudent actions will not be tolerated from this point on, do you understand? None of it. You are not a child anymore, you are apart of the True Cross by your own accord, and you will act like it."

Ada opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find any words to say. Her mind was in complete dissaray of what to do. Should she be angry, should she cry? Both of these options were marked negatively by what little conscience thought she had access to. Instead she bowed her head in a show of obedience. "Y-Yes ma'am..." Ada whispered just loud enough for Veronica and a few others to hear. There was nothing else she could think to say in response. Veronica was right she'd made her choice but part of her wanted to turn back. To go back to just being Ada the ex-pickpocket and daughter of Veronica Corvis. And stop being Ada the True Cross Operative.

A grimace tugged at her marred features once again as the recalcitrant migraine that she had apparently been cursed with by her the incidents regarding her latest conquest began to pulsate once more, pounding against her skull as if with unshakeable determination to punch through to the brain below. The very hand that had delivered the slap upon Ada's cheek had been brought to her own forehead, another futile attempt on her part to quell the agonizing disturbance, which seemed as nothing more than a simple practice in futility on her part.

Unable to focus clearly, the Champion of the Cross stood in silence for a moment and attempted to gather her senses. There were several subjects which demanded the Nun's attention, the majority swirling around at the back of her mind in a manner akin to several internal voices crying out, some that could be argued as being even more important than the girl standing in silence before her. Gritting her teeth in a moment of effort to try and suppressing the pulsating pain that had taken residence in her skull, she turned slightly to further observe the training room and those within from between her fingers.

Why did she have to be such a troublesome child...?

"Starting now, you're grounded for the next eight months. You're not allowed to leave the orphanage grounds and all other privileges regarding electronics are revoked until the allotted time of your punishment has passed. In addition to your own chores, you're going to assist the other Nun's with anything they require; this is not optional." A glower that twisted her features caused her to pause momentarily, the pain of trying to force the pulsating migraine to dissipate obviously showing. "When you're not doing chores, you're going to focus solely on your studies. Additionally, seeing as how you can't be trusted to even take part in a friendly sparing match, your True Cross training will now be overseen by me and me alone. I will inform the other instructors that they are not to tutor you."

Veronica's irritated gaze shifted toward Ada, glancing at the child from the between her fingers by means of the corner of her eye. "Do you understand?"

Ada maintained her silence as Veronica laid out the terms of her punishment, The way she was now Ada couldn't protest if she wanted to it was as if Veronica's actions had cast a spell of silence upon her. She could only listen as Veronica declared that she would be basically be a prisoner within the orphanage for the next 8 months unless she said otherwise. She spared a glance toward Veronica as she spoke and the discomfort her mother was feeling was now evident in her actions. There was more to her mother's anguish than just annoyance and anger there was physical pain there.

But before she could voice any concerns she had Veronica turned her eyes back upon her the sharpness in her eyes made all other thoughts in her mind take a back seat to whatever it was Veronica had to say. "I understand." Ada said nodding. She could feel the eyes of all her peers on her and Veronica it wasn't a secret that Veronica had adopted Ada as a daughter but most familial interactions between the two often occurred just between the two of them.

Ada took a step back "Permission to be excused please?" Ada asked quietly. She wanted nothing more than to just sink into the floor and hide for the next few years from the world. But for now leaving the training facility to retreat to her room sounded like an acceptable alternative at the moment anything to escape the questioning and judging eyes of the others in the room.

The Nun tilted her head back in another attempt to quell the whirlwind of irritation that was the pulsing headache attempting to split her skull in half, palm still covering the majority of her face as a sigh of irritation escaped her lips. Perhaps it wasn't as wise as she had thought to refuse the medication those in the Medical Facility had offered her; one of the detrimental aspects of her stubbornness, it seemed. Nonetheless, she would go back for them soon, otherwise she might be driven insane by the nonstop persistence the pulsating displayed.

Despite the agony she was currently combating, Ada's words didn't fall on deaf ears. Inhaling for a moment, Veronica lowered her head to face the girl directly, her hand falling to her side. A moment of thought crossed the Nun's mind, taking in the situation with more clarity that was gained through forced focus which was used to mitigate the throbbing in her skull, before she finally came to a conclusion as to what she should say.

A sidelong glance towards the others still in the room made the message clear that training was done for the day, and with a nod from the instructor, he ushered those still present out of the room, his primary focus being getting those injured medical attention. "Granted. Talk to the other Nuns and see if they need assistance with anything. If not, go straight to your room." She hesitated for a moment, then added, "I'll know if you don't, so I suggest you comply."

The Nun turned back towards the door, her hand finding it's place upon her forehead once again as the throbbing and the pain that came with it regained it's hold upon her. She was going to the medbay, and then into the Archives for further research. She wanted more information on the godforsaken abomination that she had just destroyed during her time in Paris. It was far beyond the typical pests that claimed the title of vampire. It was an unknown, and she didn't like unknowns...

(OOC: Veronica will exit the topic if Ada does, unless you have something else to add~)

Ada although concerned for Veronica's well being wasn't in any position to question her adopted mother's wishes. Answering only with a nod before turning on her heel and heading towards the door leading out of the training section they were in. Once she'd entered the long hall she made a beeline straight for the elevator leading back up to the orphanage. She didn't want to say down there any longer than she needed to. Even as she made her way to the elevator she could feel the eyes of the training facilities many inhabitants staring at her as the scene was not exactly that secretive due to the glass walls that separated all of the areas.

-------------> Exit

-----> Of youth and growth

Ada gritted her teeth as she sat in front of one the door leading to the armory set in the back of the shooting range. Scattered all around the floor around her were bobby pins snapped in half and bent in awkward angles all marking a failed attempt at picking the lock of the door. Of course Ada hadn't expected the task to be easy it would be stupid to have a door leading to an entire room of dangerous weapons be easy to break into. But even with this knowledge Ada was intent on gaining access she'd been banned by Veronica from training with anyone other than the nun herself but after her recent run in with Pietro and Tony's admittance into surgery Ada needed some way to get her mind off things. What better way was there than to put holes in a human shaped silhouette.

Ada let out a cross between a scream and a growl as she kicked the door with her foot hissing as her toes throbbed with pain. Taking off her shoe Ada rubbed her toes trying to ease the pain from her ill fated attempt at breaking through the sturdy door. Letting a sigh slip past her lips she fell back lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling her hair fanning out across the floor. She closed her eyes "This was such a fucking stupid idea..." Ada muttered. Sitting herself up and propping herself against the wall beside the door Ada scowled as she thought of her life's recent turn of events. She'd managed to send her life spiraling downward in such a short amount of time.

This new arm felt good, or rather, he supposed "felt" was a bit of stretch. He would never quite feel things like he used to. This would suffice however for the rest of his life, perhaps even do more than that.

Either way, as long as the people back in the labs were able to implement what they thought might work he was happy with it. He was already excited to start deriving strategies and such that he could use with his new weapon. He imagined it would be a pain for every day life, nothing he couldn't live with of course. He would just need to learn to use his left hand.

Anthony strolled into the training room, he was eager to test out his new hand though unfinished it was, apparently he was able to lock and unlock it into certain positions, conserving the amount of time he had to spend focusing on it.

Anthony draped in his usual flowing black attire and an air of exhaustion entered the room clutching a bandaged arm to his side. He was beat up and black and blue to boot, but nonetheless smiled as he walked, and sang lightly in latin praises to the lord.

Though he frowned as he saw Ada, sitting there frustrated so it seemed and angered. He wasn't sure if she wanted to be left alone or not, but he supposed he might as well ask.

"Good evening dear. Would you like a bit of company?"

Ada glanced up at the sound of Tony's voice. Had it been any other occasion she might have been at least a bit concerned at having been caught trying to break into the training facilities armory. But considering who she was talking to and the history they shared she doubted she had to worry about any real negative repercussions except for perhaps a stern lecture sometime later. Ada knocked her elbow against the sturdy door keeping her from the treasure trove of weaponry within "If you can get this open for me then yes your company is more than welcome..." Ada stated bluntly as she got to her feet.

She crossed her arms as she stepped away from the door the beginnings of a scowl pulling at the edges of her lips. "Part of my punishment from mom involves me not being able to train without her supervision...I just want to make sure my skills don't get rusty..." Ada muttered

In Veronica's absence she'd tried multiple time to get her trainers to work with her but each of them turned her away insisting on enforcing Ada's punishment to the fullest. To say that it frustrated the aspiring True Cross operative was an understatement in completely infuriated her.

Father Diem smiled carelessly at her, this always happened when he was near death. He cared a LOT less for just about everything. Especially rules. Anthony approached the weapons locker and placed his wrapped hand into his pocket with hardly a noise, using his left to unlock the door and then open it for her.

He smiled at her still, not an ounce of concern marring his features. He was actually the head of this place, and could get away with quite a bit. One such example was disobeying a request from the champion of their order, whom he hilariously outranked.

"After you get good with stationary targets, we should move you to you roaming ones. I can't stress this enough Ada but good aim is nearly worthless in our field.

Unless you have the gut instinct and intuition to shoot at where the monster is going to be you aren't going to hit the strong ones even with the fastest bullet."

But we can worry about that later eh?

Anthony gave her a wink, knowing that she probably just wanted to blow off some steam, and he was perfectly content to let her do so.

He took a relaxed seat on the bench behind the targets and eagerly awaited her shooting. He might give her a few tips here and there but for the most part he was content just to spend time with her.

Anthony placed his wrapped hand inside of his cassock leaving it there unmoving, and used his other hand as a pillow against the wall of the training facility. Humming an old song once more to himself.

As soon as the door was unlocked Ada wrenched it open walking over to the quartermaster's desk and opening the top right drawer lifting up the small pile of dirty magazines concealing the keys to each of the lockers and racks scattered all around the room. Slamming the drawer shut Ada walked over to the nearest locker turning the key in the lock and opening it grabbing a Sig Sauer P220 and and a handful of empty magazines before dumping them onto the quartermasters desk. She then moved over to another locker on the other side of the room

Opening this locker she was met by the sight of an entire line of shotguns running her finger down the line Ada picked one out checking the chamber to ensure it was empty before depositing it on the desk as well. The shotgun was a Remington Model 870 Marine model. A small smile formed across her lips as she unlocked the padlock on one of the racks this one lined with assault rifles of a diverse selection of origins and manufacturers. Ada crossed her arms beneath her chest her finger tapping against her forearm as she poured over her selections. Finally she picked one of the rifles turning it in her hands the weapon was a Heckler and Koch 417 Battle Rifle her smile widened a bit as she realized the small connection between her own last name and the name of the weapon's manufacturer.

She grabbed about four magazines and left the weapon on the desk beside her other choices. What she'd selected would suffice for now. She walked over to another locker and opened it inside were black metal ammo cases with different ammunition types stenciled across the front. Grabbing the cases labeled .45 ACP, 7.62x54mm and 12 Gauge she moved out onto the range depositing the cases next to one of the shooting lanes unceremoniously. She then sat beside the cases and began to process of loading each magazine with ammunition. She spared a glance toward Tony who was sitting on one of the benches "So...You still up for telling me your life story? It's not the funnest thing ever just sitting here loading in silence..." Ada said as she turned her attention back to the .45 magazine she was filling.