Time passed as it nominally did. Some trainees graduated, others came in. Still more left off, to do their own thing. Roman Torchwick was curiously absent for a while, those who relied on his contacts to pull strings mildly disappointed. Neo soon left as well afterwards, as did others more higher up the command post.
And yet despite it all, life went on more or less, same as it always had. The multiverse wasn't going to save itself. There would always be Akibaharas and Elliots and Bill Ciphers and Handsome Jacks, ready to bring down their brand of villainy for their own petty reasons. Which was the entire reason the Torch existed. They were a light to the shadows, they were the burning spirit of the Coalition, giving up their all.
But....Lucifer sighed deep in his soul as he looked out at the exercise field.
Did they have to keep him cooped up, as a substitute instructor?
He slapped the side of the vehicle and called out to the mixture of students he was teaching today.
"Now THIS is a Basilisk artillery piece! A level of technology that while not too advanced, nevertheless possesses enough power to suffice for our needs in warzones. The Basilisk's main weapon is an Earthshaker Cannon, a 132 millimetre caliber gun that is capable of firing its shells over 15 kilometres at a velocity of 814 metres-per-second, and is fully capable of destroying enemy tanks and fortified structures with a direct hit. The weapon usually fires High Explosive shells but is also capable of firing Incendiary Shells, Smoke Shells, and Illumination Shells. But mostly, her job is to take one of these shells-!"
He gestured to the one next to him for an example.
"-And give someone a REALLY bad day, all the way over yonder. Now what kind of enemies would we be facing, to warrant such a weapon?"
He waited patiently for the cries of various students, each naming some enemy far-fetched as well as grim....Such as the Order with their demons. Or Umbrella with their bio-weaponry, that he and Clare had been investigating before the Rapture incident. The multiverse was full of enemies of all kinds.
Sometimes, you had to even the odds a little and hope for the best. He sighed inwardly again.
At least some of the students were improving. Cadet Ripley for example, was among the loading crew. Good for her. Pity they weren't cleared to fire it, but watching them load the dummy shell in with precision made him happy some were progressing.
@Whoever
