I am inside a courtroom big enough to host an NBA game. White marbles with blue (closer to the color of lapis) veins inside them cover the ground, and the room is almost four-story tall high. This height might be too big for the standards of many, but this place is almost like holy ground. Berlin UDC High Court. Both a museum of heroes and one of the main bases of operation for UDC's European branch.
Pictures of the old world and some of the most influential people in human history are on the walls. There are giant marble statues of heroes from today and the past placed in the corners. No, not just heroes, legends. And lastly, the flags of United Korea, Argentina, Egypt, and UDC are connected on a giant banner big enough to cover the large walls inside.
These three countries made great sacrifices for humanity's future. All three except some parts of Argentina turned into a wasteland after a massive Crimson invasion. God bless the souls of everyone who died fending the invaders.
After five minutes of waiting, a woman in a dress showed her importance, and three dozen UDC agents filled the courtroom.
She sat on her designated bench and took out a file. She inspected it for some time and then put it away. "Mister Leonard, welcome to the special training league or STL for short. We, the members of UDC, watched you in your first two matches and decided that you are worthy enough to join one of our special programs. Do you have any questions in your mind?"
The person who just talked is a woman named Sandra Blanchfield. She is one of the first high-ranking female members of the UDC. A very influential figure and a candidate to become a legend in the future. Before joining the back lines, she was a frontliner*.
"First of all, thank you, mam, for seeing me worthy enough to become a member of one of the special training divisions."
She stopped me by hitting his hammer on her table. "We will see that in the future, mister Leonard."
"Sorry, mam," I apologized. "Thank you for seeing me as a possible candidate for your special training division."
She nodded her head as a way of approval. "Your first two matches were only to test your capabilities in scenarios where you are limited, so we can see what you can do with limited tech. Don't forget, mister Leonard, UDC spent more than a hundred million dollars on your projects, and we want the fruits of the money we gave."
"I assume major James talked to you about my financial crisis."
"Financial crisis!" She laughed. "Do you know how big your budget is for a single person?"
"Well, that might be true, but I have something different, something your frontliners don't have."
"Alien super computer implanted inside your brain or something will put UDC into a financial crisis."
"Bullseye!" I said and threw a metal suitcase to the ground.
"And what was that for." She asked me.
"Dear High Council member, normally I had plans to develop a sentry robot, but because UDC has fifty different designs already produced, I did something else instead. Feast your eyes. Code name steel dancer v1."
The metal briefcase began folding until it took the form of a slender and tall human with four arms and blades instead of limbs. Let's not forget the ball-shaped camera placed instead of its head. So it can scan almost all angles.
"That looks cool, but what do they do." She asked.
"It is great for protecting VIPs from human targets, can be used in black ops, and uses standard light duty batteries of UDC."
I threw a necklace toward HCM (High Council Member). "Please try it by yourself."
She grabbed and wore the necklace. With it, the steel dancer activated its protection protocol, climbed into the closest pillar, and began scanning the room until it made contact with UDC agents. The weapons they are carrying put the security bot into alarm mode.
"As you see, this piece of art does not create any sound. It is efficient at killing, and it uses renewable energy sources."
"What are those renewable energy sources?" She asked.
"Thanks to micro coating, it can use wind and solar energy to charge when in rest mode. Of course, I can remove this feature to make it cheaper. " I began acting like a salesman, with small hand gestures and all, "As you can see, this beauty, I call it steel dancer, can easily blend with the environment around itself and act when called for."
"And how exactly do I use this machine." She began moving her fingers around, but the machine didn't respond.
"You don't. That necklace is an experimental technology I've been developing for some time."
"So?" She asked.
"That necklace is not a controller but a marker. While you have this necklace, steel dancer will protect you from anything you consider a threat in a single word."
"But, does it have any other way of control, or are you planning to bring something I consider a threat to the courtroom?"
I raised my hands. "Of course not! Why would I do something like that?" I might cause some problems back in the day, but I learned my lesson.
"Then how can I see its effectiveness in combat?"
She is right. "I have something for that," I pulled out a matchbox from my pocket. "There is a small scorpion inside that matchbox. I suppose a threat small as that won't cause any problems."
She shook her head. "No, I suppose, but if that thing goes missing, you will find it!"
"Of course, I can." I threw the matchbox towards the HCM. "Now, say the word. Active Protection."
"Dancer. Active Protection." And with her command steel dancer beeped, and the necklace HCM was wearing glowed red. In seconds, the machine jumped towards the matchbox and stabbed it before it touched the table in front of the High Council Member.
Matchbox fell to the ground from the steel dancer's blade, and I grabbed it, then raised it to the air, showing what my toy could do.
UDC agents looked at each other and nodded their heads in approval. My machine impressed them.
"What you say. Increase my findings, and I will make five more of these."
"I assume UDC has some extra money in its pocket, but you will need to wait sometime for that. Remember, we are here for the STL program."
"Oh, STL, yeah. I only have one question, what is my limitation. Tell me that, then I will be on my way to prepare my weapons."
She sighed. "I am scared to say that, but your only limitation in the STL test match is not killing the other candidate."
My eyes began shining. "That means I can use drones, sentry bots, and walker tanks, am I right?" My expensive toys, waiting in facilities. I finally have full access to them!
"Sadly, yes, but now thinking we should limit the number of machines you can use, so you won't flood the arena with random things you crafted and threw away."
"Well, I wasn't waiting for this last-second limitation but good enough." I bowed forward and began getting out of the room.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" She stopped me before I left the room.
"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot it. How much preparation time do I have."
"One month, but that's not the thing you forgot. Wait, stop! You forgot the robot you made!" She shouted after me.
"Take that as a president," I shout back and leave the courtroom. "Password for activation and deactivation is purple. Don't forget about it!"
I left the building and hopped into the vehicle waiting for me outside. Father is in the driver's seat.
"Did she like your project?" He asked me while starting the vehicle's engine.
"Yeah, I got the increased funding. I don't know the exact amount, but UDC can be quite generous. Now can we go to the black market? I have some money to spend."
"What will you buy this time?" Father asked.
"You will see in a month, and while talking about black markets, do you think you can find me experimental electric engines used in old UDC spider tanks. I need them." I pulled out two pictures from my pocket. These are pictures of the experimental engine I need.
He looked at the pictures and nodded his head. "I can arrange something."
*Word used to call people with abilities fighting in active battlegrounds against invasions.
