Jaya stood straight and proud beside her friends, specifically being the first in line. As Dumont spoke she looked across the crowds of people, all ordinary citizens who had come to hear of the recent events. She also knew they would be streaming it to TVs around the UNSC, so the crowd was technically much bigger. When Dumont looked back she gave him a large smile.

Soon they'd have something to announce, but first, the commendations.

The towering figure of Sebastian, almost 7ft tall in his GEN2 armour, stood directly behind Jaya.
He looked over the crowds of people. He was barely used to this sight, having only attended one other awards ceremony five years prior.
Numerous floating camera drones moved about the wide expanse of the area, hovering on several air propellers attached to them. Some swooped down to capture live video-feeds of the crowds, while a number of others focused on Jaya and Sebastian and whoever else had attended to receive commendations from different angles. Particularly, one camera zoomed in on Jaya as Dumont mentioned supernaturals.

On either side of Sebastian, the seven surviving ODSTs also stood.

Kitty stood beside her daughter, her arms crossed over her chest and only a slight grin on her face. She was half a foot shorter than Jaya, but she still wanted to stand next to her. Her blue eyes were scanning the ground, her body a bit tense. Despite the fact that this was some form of awards ceremony she wanted to be on guard in case ONI tried something. The sheath around Kitty's waist was still empty, she had also been hoping that she would get the Arclight Blade back, but no such luck.

"First is Jaya, a supernatural who brought these people to the UNSC and kickstarted our advance on the enemy." Dumont smiled as he limped over to the angel girl, his injuries from the Lightbringers destruction still noticable. From a case held by another uniformed man beside him, he retrieved a blue and gold medal and held it to Jaya's chest. There he pinned it on her clothes, giving her a friendly nod and smile.
"Thank you." She smiled back, before Dumont moved on to Kitty.
"Now, Kittiana, another supernatural who fought every battle valiantly for the UNSC." He smiled at her, pinning another of the same medal to her clothing. "Then there is Spartan Duarte. He is no supernatural, but he led the ground assaults in both battles and the final encounter. For this him and his team deserve to be commended as much as the others." Dumont smiled at each of them aswell, pinning a medal for every one of them.

After limping back to his podium, he spoke again to the crowd directly.
"We would also like to commend those who helped our cause but could not be here, not because they were busy but because they felt unsafe to be publicly shown. This leads us to our announcement, and specifically our problem. Supernaturals once worked alongside the UNSC with great trust and success, but Haven changed that. People lost trust in them, but we stand here today to show that we can trust them, and we need to re-establish our bonds to protect the UNSC. This is why we are publicly initiating Initiative Zero; otherwise known as the Knight Initiative. Their assigned leader, Jaya, shall explain."

As she was called Jaya stepped forward, giving her mother a glance of 'I know what I'm doing'. They hadn't told anyone about what was to happen, but now they would all hear. Reaching the podium and thanking Dumont, Jaya spoke clearly to the audience.
"I am a supernatural, born with abilities beyond normal humans. My mother is one too, and so was my father. It was him who created the Knight Initiative as his way of ensuring humanity could trust us again one day. Yes, Haven was a catastrophe. Many still grieve for the men lost there. However times are changing, and more threats like the one we just faced are coming. Humanity is strong, and I am not saying you need us, but we want to help you. We want to be human too, we want to fight for what's right." She paused for a moment, looking at all the faces before her.

"Since the private enaction of this initiative, two large construction projects have taken place. Disguised as housing projects, they are actually for this plan. The first, which is purposely located near the statue of Aaron-157, is the Knight's Academy. Here supernaturals from anywhere may come to learn and control their powers for good, avoiding a life of evil or crime most are forced to pursue today. They will be accepted into the UNSC and graduate as Knights to fight with the soldiers and help rebuild and reclaim the territory lost since Haven. As for the second construction, that serves as a base for the graduated Knights and those who helped fight this war. Before long supernaturals will no longer have to hide, and will be able to contribute to the military power and safety of the UNSC."

"When my father died he whispered to me two things; the first of those was about this Initiative. It was his dying wish for me to build this, and I shall make it happen with all my heart. No matter what any agency, union or government official says, this initiative is in effect and will not falter. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the first UNSC knights."

With a deep breath Jaya stepped back whilst the podium retracted into the floor for full view. Stopping just before Kitty, more people began to appear around her. The Artificer, appearing through teleportation, joined her right side; A dark skinned man with red eyes landed silently, seemingly from nowhere, to his right. To her left but with more distance came a Kitsune; specifically one nicknamed Swift she knew long ago. They all stood in line, proudly looking out to the now-cheering crowd.

There was however a gap in the line, to which Jaya turned her head and extended her hand to Kitty; beckoning her to join them.
"Mother?" She asked, hoping she would step forward with them.

"Oh no.." Sebastian whispered under his helmet. This was bad. The UNSC and the public are one thing, but ONI are another. On one hand, Sebastian was very happy at the Knight's Initiative... but on the other, he feared for the lives of his friends. Kitty, Jaya, Gavin, Diana, Silas.. and every other supernatural upon the Earth.

He knew the power that ONI held, and that Jaya had now made herself and her friends the newest targets, along with any other supernatural that chose to publicly present themselves.

Kitty hesitated, glancing at Sebastian knowingly before looking back at her daughter. Kitty forced a smile on her face, but all she wanted to do was yell at her daughter for doing this. She might as well have had a bulls-eye tattooed on her forehead. Kitty had been foolishly hoping that Jaya's name would not join ONI's hit list but it looked as if now that was a fools dream. Despite that she did step forward and join her daughter's side, her eyes glancing out over the crowd and her stance tense. 

"Dammit Jaya." She muttered almost inaudibly under her breath, casting a worried glance at her daughter before plastering the fake smile back on her face.

On his way to the complex, Sebastian passed the statue of Aaron-157. He stopped at it, looking up at the massive towering replica of the man who had fallen five years ago. He silently wished he were still alive, as at this point he was unsure what to do. His friends were targets, ONI hadn't issued any sort of statement on whether or not they were for or against the initiative. Their silence had him worried. Aaron worked for ONI earlier on in his life, he'd know what to do.

Sebastian let out a sigh underneath his helmet, and continued on into the Knight's academty. Jaya and The Artificer came into view as he approached them.

The growl of an engine slowly grew louder, a sleek black motorcycle with flames painted on it coming into view. The rider was wearing a black helmet, the visor on it down. The rider suddenly turned, stopping a few feet away from Jaya and the Artificer, kicking up a bit of dirt. The rider hopped down, pulling off the helmet. Kitty ran a hand through her somewhat wind-blown hair, a frown on her face. She was dressed in her typical outfit, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with a vest over it. She also wasn't wearing any shoes either. She pushed the kickstand down on the bike, hanging the helmet on one of the handles. She stepped forward towards her daughter, her arms folded over her chest. She was not happy at all.

"I'm glad you could all make it," Jaya smiled, albeit somewhat forced at her angry mother. Nevertheless she opened the doors and beckoned them to follow, leading the others down a long corridor until the very end. There they entered another room which featured various screens and a central table. Above the table shone holograms of atlas', maps and figures. Taking a stance on the other side and gesturing the others to gather around, she finally spoke.

"Isn't it nice?" She said, looking around at the facility.

"I think I'm in love" Sebastian replied, the sarcasm in his voice almost prevalent.
"So how many supernaturals do you expect? The facility's quite big." He said. He shifted his gaze from the central table to the ceiling, the walls and the windows.
"A lot'a money must've went into this place. How'd you get the UNSC to agree?"

Kitty walked behind her daughter, quietly seething and glaring holes in the back of her skull. She was just waiting for a moment where she could pull her daughter aside and ask her what the hell she thought she was doing. "Looks absolutely lovely." Kitty hissed through her teeth, her hands clenched into fists at her side. "Jaya, can I speak to you for a moment?" Kitty forced a smile on her face, but it looked more like a grimace. "Privately?"

"Dumont owed my father his life, it was the least he could do but sway the vote." Jaya smiled to Sebastian, before turning to Kitty. Her face went serious all of a sudden. "You can say it here mother," She looked to the other two, knowing of Sebastian's concern too. "I know the dangers of this, me and Dumont both did. But it's for the best, it's what father wanted and it'll force ONI's hand. They can't do anything yet, not now that it's public. While they prepare we can train more supernaturals, we'll be ready for them. Do you understand?"

The door then opened and a cloaked figure stepped in to join the others at the Academy. He quickly took his hood down, revealing himself to be Ven.
"This is dangerous Jaya, Kitty has a point." He started, trying not to scald his niece.
"But..." He continued, turning to Kitty.
"Jaya is also right, we're safe for the moment and we have the opportunity to build our forces."

Sebastian turned to watch the new arrival walk in.
He then looked back to the others.
"Making the Initiative public was a smart move, that way ONI can't get to you guys as easily. At least.. they wouldn't be able to take a diriect approach. If anything were to happen to the academy, there'd be public uproar. However measures need to be taken.
Question, does this place have surveillance? And does the academy itself offer accommodation? Like a boarding school?"

Kitty turned to Ven, her face switching with anger as she fixed him a look that could kill. "Oh no, YOU do not get a say you absolute fucking moron. You haven't even been here." Then she stomped over to one of the computers attached to the screens, booting it up and typing furiously. "You are all idiots. You think just because you decided to have a little supernatural club ONI is just going to sit there? No." She had hacked into the hit list again, but this time Kitty's name was at the top which made her snarl. Beneath it was Gavin's name, and under that was Jaya's. Then she sifted through the names that weren't listed as 'Captured' or 'Roaming'. 

A different slideshow popped up with smaller windows. Each with a "Play" button. The heading of the page was "Confirmed Terminations - Evidence."
Each video had a different name, starting with "001" and so on. Silas clicked on the first video.

The feed showed the perspective of an ODST trooper, who was crouched down in a bush.
"Motion tracker confirms two heat sigs'" whispered another ODST who was crouched with him.
"Must be them" a voice, that of the ODST who was recording with his helmet, replied. "Trackers, what have we got?" He went on.
A voice came in through the radio. "Just as the briefing informed us, two mutts. One's an adult while the other's much smaller. I'm thinking a mother and her child."
"Understood. Immobilise the mother." The first ODST said. Two silenced shots went off, and the howl of a Werewolf.
"Move in! Contain!" The first ODST shouted through the radio. The two ODST's bursted through the bushes into a grassy clearing that was surrounded by a thicket of trees. In the middle of the clearing, a Werewolf was kneeling down on one knee, with its cub at it's side. Other ODSTs bursted through bushes around the Werewolf. Her knee was shattered and she was barely able to support her own weight on the other leg. The cub was on the floor, leading the first ODST, who seemed to be the squad leader, to deduce that the mother had been carrying the child but had dropped him when she was shot.
The wolf snarled at them as they surrounded her, aiming their silenced SMG's at her.
"Nailed the bitch good," an ODST said, emerging from the thicket. He was carrying a silenced Designated Marksman Rifle.
The leader then established contact with the HQ; "Black One to Black Actual. We've secured the targets. One female Werewolf with a child. Should we bring them in?"
The voice on the other end replied: "Negative Black One, command's changed their mind. Get rid of them."
"Understood" the ODST known as Black One replied. He looked back at the female Werewolf, who now held her cub close now. He then looked over to his ODSTs and nodded. They raised their weapons and opened fire. The mother tried her best to shield her child, covering him with her whole body as the bullets pelted and penetrated her thick hide. The continuous barrage of fire caused the werewolf to scream and howl in pain, however the ODSTs did not stop until the howling stopped.
"Alright, the bitch is down" the 'Tracker' ODST that had shot her first, said. "However..."
He walked over and kicked the Werewolf's corpse over. The child was still alive, but shaking - clearly frightened. The ODST aimed his DMR down at the child and shot it straight through the skull. He then walked off.
"Drop an splinter grenade, and get moving." The ODST leader said. One of the ODSTs threw a glowing red and orange object that trailed red energy at the two corpses. The grenade landed on the mother and exploded into orbs of light that floated around the two corpses in a 3D-hexagon formation. Each orb then subsequently exploded and the two corpses disintegrated into ashes.

When that video was over Kitty played another video file, glaring at the group. This video showed a man with pyrokinesis shooting fireballs at his attackers as he attempted to run away. ODSTs gave pursuit until one of them managed to land a grenade on the man's back. The grenade exploded into a cloud of blue and white, and when it all cleared, the man was frozen in place, covered in ice. The ODSTs finished him off by literally shooting him to pieces.

Kitty didn't stop there and played another one a girl with cryokinesis was similarly overwhelmed by and torched to death by three ODST flamethrower troops.

Then Kitty turned the screen off, glaring at Jaya. "Honestly I'm not surprised this was your father's idea. He's a complete imbecile." Kitty ran a hand through her hair, suddenly letting out a harsh laugh. "Half the time he wasn't even here to even observe the humans, rotting away in his prison. He doesn't get it. He hasn't seen what I have." Kitty waved her arms around as she spoke. "ONI may issue a statement saying they agree, but they'll still be like poisonous snakes. In the centuries i've been alive all I've seen humans do is betray one other, write peace treaties then when the other shoe drops its a bloody war. They will watch your every move, they will wait for your slip up. Then they will pounce, and kill you publicly instead of in the shadows." Kitty spat out, glaring in turn at everyone in the room before resting her eyes on her daughter. "I had hoped that your father's other words were that this is a joke, but I guess it is not."

"Constant surveillance, but we ensured it's an enclosed network cut off from outside connections. ONI can't tap into it unless I'm ONI. As boarding yes, we're looking to house over a hundred students in our first year. Jaya then turned to watch the videos her mother was showing, wincing at the cruelty shown in them.

"These videos show exactly why we have to force them to make a move. We have to stop them and save any more supernaturals from being killed or captured like this. It's risky and it's going to be hard, but we have to do it!" She gripped the table as she leaned forward, defiant in her and Dumont's plan.
Then her head lowered at Kitty's last sentence.

"His last words were that he loved you more than anything, he just never showed it."

"Constant surveillance is good." Sebastian said. "Make sure everything is recorded 24/7. Any incidents, even minor, should be reported to the UNSC and documented. We can not allow any risks."
He looked at the table, taking a moment to understand and realise the amount of work put into the program, as well as its intentions.
He sighed.
"Look, I know this is what your father wanted. Hell, this is what everyone wants, and what's done is done. You need to understand that you have put yourself directly in the middle of ONI's crosshairs, which is why your mother's saying what she is. You have to understand that she's scared for you. Which is why I recommend having security guards patrol the academy 24/7. They'll minimise any potential risk at least."

The anger drained from Kitty's face and was replaced with a look of pain from Jaya's words. Kitty sighed and ran a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Excuse me." Kitty walked out of the room, her head slightly downcast. "I'm sure you guys can handle it from here."

Ven looked over towards Sebastian.
"How many Knights do we actually have so far?" He asked.
"It's pretty obvious we can't defend this place AND the students on our own."
The man pulled his cloak off completely, making himself at home as he sat down and started looking around some of the documented Supernatural captures within the ONI network.

Jaya looked between them all, listening to their concerns and suggestions. Her mother walked off, understandably taken aback by her father's last words. "As much as ONI wants us all dead, they won't strike anytime soon. They'll take their time preparing something big, so for now we shouldn't concern ourselves with building an army. Depending on who you class as Knights," She glanced over to Kitty as she left the room, wondering whether she would consider herself one. "Well there's me, The Artificer, Swift, Damien, and you if you consider yourself one. Until more graduate from the Academy that's who we've got. Although, I doubt Gavin would refuse to help us if things got dire."

Turning to look at the rest of the large metal room, Jaya sighed.
"It will work, it has to. The others just have to believe..."

"I'm not a supernatural, but you have my support." Sebastian said.
"When she's back from her mission with Kalashnikov, I'll get in touch with Masterson to do a little more snooping around. See what she can pull from the spooks at ONI. That way we'll at least have some sort of headstart on them, should anything come our way."

Kitty was about to walk back through the door, her eyes looked a bit red around the edges and slightly puffy, when her phone rang. She grabbed it with a slight scowl on her face and put it up to her ear after pressing the button. "What." Kitty hissed into the phone quietly. Then some of the annoyance faded from Kitty's face and she listened for a couple minutes. "What?" Suddenly all the color drained out of Kitty's face and she shut her phone and ran out the door to her bike.