Midday, local time: 11:25 AM.
Leon, carrying a boxed toy, and Ada, dressed in her distinctive red cheongsam, arrived at the front gate of Elementary School No. 119. This school had been established by the local government before Atlas fully took over the Eridanus star system and had received a considerable amount of resources. In terms of appearance, it looked even more advanced and futuristic than schools in the prime universe.
It was lunchtime at the school. Children who lived nearby had been picked up by their parents to have lunch at home, returning to school later in the afternoon. Those who lived further away stayed on campus to rest. Many children who had finished their lunch were already out playing on the school's playground, taking advantage of their free time before the 12:30 nap bell signaled them back to their dormitories.
As Leon and Ada approached the entrance, two security guards stepped forward to stop them. One of the guards, dressed in a deep blue uniform that closely resembled the local police attire, asked directly, "Who are you, and what's your business here?"
Both guards wore holo-glasses and had tactical attachments at their waists and thighs, along with the latest AMWS submachine pistols. The red-and-white "Λ" logo of Atlas on their right sleeves indicated they were company employees. The security room beside the main gate was equipped with armor and various types of specialized AMWS ammunition, suggesting that the school's security rivaled that of a local police SWAT team.
Atlas placed a high value on education, especially when it came to children, prioritizing both the quality of education and the safety of students. School security personnel were equipped and trained on par with the company's armed security forces.
Leon's toy immediately put the guards on alert; it looked like something meant to win a child's favor, or perhaps deceive them. The guards rested their hands on their weapons, prepared to immobilize Leon and Ada if anything seemed suspicious.
Ada, however, showed no irritation and even seemed reflective. Had she grown up in a town under Atlas's protection, she would never have been orphaned, nor would she have come close to the horrific fate she narrowly escaped.
With a calm smile, Ada pulled out her ID card and handed it to the guard. "We're company representatives here to speak with a first-grade student named John Brown. We'd also like to meet with his parents."
The guard took Ada's card, and his holo-glasses immediately scanned it, confirming her senior employee status with Atlas. Leon handed his ID to the other guard, who verified it in the same way. Atlas ID cards couldn't be faked, thanks to an integrated AI that could authenticate each card's information. Each card contained biometric data and had to be present with the cardholder for scanning.
The guards handed back the cards, and one said neutrally, "Understood, colleagues. You're welcome to enter, but please keep your visit under forty minutes. After that, we'll escort you out."
"No problem," Ada replied with a friendly smile. "We're just here for a short conversation with the child and his family."
The guards nodded and opened the main gate, allowing Leon and Ada to enter the school.
After a quick inquiry with some of the playing children, they located John Brown behind the main school building. There, a group of kids was playing a game of "cops and robbers," reenacting scenes from classic crime films. John, a child with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, was leading a group of "cops" who had successfully caught a larger team of "robbers."
The child playing the lead "robber" tried to run around the playground equipment to avoid capture but tripped, allowing John to make an easy arrest. With the game over, Leon and Ada approached.
Seeing two unfamiliar adults, the children became wary, likely a result of their teachers' frequent reminders to stay cautious around strangers. Ada knelt down and smiled kindly at the brown-haired boy, asking, "Are you John? John Brown?"
"Who's asking?" John replied, his tone guarded.
"We work for Atlas," Leon said, pulling out an old-fashioned wallet and showing him a metal badge from the company's armed division.
"That's right," Ada added. "We're here to talk with you and your parents about something important. Do you have a moment?"
John glanced at Leon's badge, momentarily surprised. He was just an elementary school student, so what could be important enough for Atlas to send two officials all the way to Eridanus II?
After a moment's consideration, John nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm John Brown. If you need to talk, we can use the school's meeting room. But I'd like to inform my teacher and call my parents first."
His calm and mature response impressed Leon and Ada. John's poise and confidence confirmed the selection AI's accuracy in choosing him as a candidate.
As part of the Spartan Program's preparation, Atlas had been using intelligent AI like AP and Melissa to sift through UNSC and UEG databases over the past three years. By now, more than two thousand candidates had been identified. Selection criteria included physical resilience, cognitive activity, and a stable family environment, ensuring candidates had the mental stability to endure the program.
"Good," Ada said, standing up with a smile. "Let's proceed as you suggested."
The other children resumed playing, while Leon, Ada, and John went to a meeting room on the ground floor of the school's main building. John's male homeroom teacher soon joined them, briefly discussing the situation before allowing John to use a phone to call his parents.
When John's parents arrived, Ada requested the teacher leave, and Leon activated the anti-surveillance function on his investigator's device. He spoke plainly to John's parents, "Atlas has a project we'd like John to participate in, one that could change the course of his entire life."
He looked over at John and added, "Of course, John's decision will be fully respected. If he doesn't wish to join, the company won't pressure him."
Ada then opened a presentation on her phone, adding, "What you're about to see is a Level 2 classified project."
Sixteen Earth days later.
Leon and Ada departed from the last colony on their list in the "Archer" cruiser, re-entering the blue-lit warp layer. As Leon sat in the main pilot's seat, he reviewed the current status of the Spartan candidates on the hard-light display. John Brown's name was listed on row 117:
> Name: John Brown
> Status: Withdrawn from school, officially transferring to the prime universe.
> Details: The Brown family and John himself have agreed to Atlas's Spartan Program. The family has immigrated to the Ark Installation, where Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, in charge of reverse-engineering Forerunner technology, will oversee John's specialized enhancement plan.
>
> The Brown family will have leave to visit John every fifteen days.
>
> Attachments:
> 1. Negotiation footage
> 2. Confidentiality agreements and project contract details
The Browns were now deeply bound to Atlas, given the fifteen-year timeframe required for John's training and transformation into a full Spartan soldier. In the meantime, Atlas would gather data from these candidates to advance its adult soldier enhancement programs.
Of the more than two thousand candidates, around half had declined participation. In some cases, while the candidate was interested, the family had refused due to concerns over the program's risks and the impact on the child's future. Some parents, in fact, felt that if their child were to join a super-soldier program, it should be one like the Astartes, where a blood connection with the "Emperor" was involved.
For Leon, his primary task was to evaluate the trainee agents who had accompanied them, reviewing negotiation footage to gauge each agent's ability to handle the unexpected. Regardless of experience, it was a tough mission: persuading parents to allow their children to join a secluded military program, undergo unimaginable enhancements, and, in effect, sacrifice their future.
Thanks to Atlas's reputation and advanced biotech, about half the candidates' families had opted to "entrust everything" and participate. If the UNSC or UEG were still in charge, ONI would likely have resorted to covert abductions, replacing children with flawed clones rather than offering humane choices or "securing their futures."
For Leon, assessing the agents' responses to parents' concerns was an ideal way to spend the six-hour journey back to Prosperity's frontline base. Once they returned to the prime universe, he and Ada would have less than half a day's rest before heading to the Imperial Square.
In just over twenty hours, the Human Empire would hold its inaugural ceremony, broadcast live across all universes. As senior employees of the company—Leon, an investigator with a sense of justice, and Ada, the Emperor's adopted daughter—neither wanted to miss the historic moment.
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