Became Locus and Director

"Salem." Locus nodded.

"Release her." The Grimm tendrils wrap around Locus's neck.

"I don't fear death." Locus was completely unfazed that her supply of air was cut off.

"Hmm, neither do I." Salem commands the Grimm to let Locus go after she saw Locus's eyes that were incredibly dead.

"But unlike us, an immortal and a suit of armor and a gun, this one fears death." Locus tightened her grip on Cinder's throat.

"Indeed, however, she is important to my plans. I am your real employer. Let her go, that's an order." Salem spoke words she knew would work on the woman broken by war.

"Understood." Locus let go and Cinder fell to the ground, gasping and coughing.

"Her plans could use more refinement. I understand your frustration. Things aren't as efficient as you would like them to be. But she is young and has never been in a commander's position. Please understand that she is a child compared to us. Perhaps you could mentor her for a bit." Salem grinned at the thought of a more competent Cinder.

"That was not in the contract. She nearly wasted valuable soldiers for little gain. Simulation troopers, I can understand, but the potential loss of such skilled soldiers is not something I will tolerate." Locus/Jet remembered reading that contract five times in a row before signing and nowhere did it mention having to teach Cinder a damn thing.

Cinder also had no hesitation in wasting two highly trained soldiers, aka Freelancers, for a train crash. The reason why Project Freelancer is around still compared to the Original from RvB is because the Director, aka Locus, is in the middle of the action and isn't anything like the director.

Locus actually listens to the opinions of her agents and isn't a control freak. She values the Freelancers, not out of affection, but because the loss of such skilled individuals is something she will not tolerate. She also doesn't use something like a damn leaderboard which brings team cohesion to an all-time high when people aren't trying to one up each other.

"Very well. Just do your job and you will walk away from the shattered Vale alive with all your men intact." Salem grinned.

Salem knew that Locus was in on all the plans for the fall of Vale/Beacon and respected that Locus didn't care about such things. Locus was not in the dark like Romen or the others and even adjusted the plans so that they did better than they would have before. Such as the train crash, which actually caused massive devastation to Vale and civilian lives lost in the upper 1000s compared to the handful of the original.

Salem also knew that Locus told her Freelancers the whole plan that would bring Vale down, and even reassured them that they will not be participating in the final act and would instead turn against the Grimm. Salem did not mind the act of betrayal and even endorsed it, she knew that these soldiers would not join the final act and is fine with that.

Unlike Locus from RvB, this one is a true soldier on the side of humanity and finds the final plan clashing against her ideals. The Freelancers were vocal about their approval of not joining in on the final plan... As that would make them terrorists, not soldiers without borders, trying to serve the greater good as they always have.

The Train Crash Plan did not involve Grimm and was aimed at the defenses on Vale, But Cinder was nearly killed by Locus due to her deception, Cinder was actually insane enough to plant bombs around the city square to kill civilians and Locus and a couple of freelancers made their displeasure known by beating her senseless.

"If she brings civilians into the equation again before the Final Act, all bets are off. And you will find yourself in a very unfavorable position, Salem." Locus growled menacingly.

"We're with you boss, just say the word and this whole Op of theirs will end tonight." North put a round into the chamber of his sniper rifle. Cinder cast a frightened glance at North when he pulled the bolt trigger.

"And your dust will not be found in this warehouse by daylight." Maine cracked his knuckles and popped the joints in his neck, his deep voice unnerving even to Salem.

"Your resources will be our by the end of the week." South grinned as she put a fresh mag into her rifle.

"All your plans will be dismantled." Carolina yawned as she proceeded to stretch a little. A Martial Arts Master at her core.

Salem, for the first time in centuries, truly felt cornered. These were not mortals to be messed with and had to be handled delicately.

"That won't be necessary." Salem spoke nonchalantly, despite her being panicked inwardly. She has observed these mortals and knew that they would follow through as they were not making threats... They were making promises and Salem knew that they would make them a reality within days.

"I hope for your sake it won't." Locus and her soldiers left.

/// Far into the Grimm Lands.

"I want to kill her." A scorpion Faunus glared at the crystal orb.

"Impossible." Salem shook her head as she tried that long ago and suffered for it. She may be unkillable, but her forces aren't and learned that the hard way. She sighed and played an old memory with the crystal ball.

"She could lift 16,000 tons worth of weight as seen by her lifting this ancient Grimm Titan I sent after her and possibly lift even more now that she is older compared to a teenager she once was. When things get heated, she can use her semblance to increase her reaction speed to a level of that of a demon or perhaps... a divine being, everything will slow to a crawl as if frozen in time as she moves just as quickly killing an entire army of Grimm I sent after her. She even killed the person who once occupied your seat Hazel, she snatched the sword from him and used her semblance to cut him at mach speeds until his aura shattered and then got cut into pieces so small it looks like he was nothing but a puddle of blood." Salem was terrified of Locus and rightfully so after the shit she's seen the soldier do.

Tyrion, Hazel, and Watts were horrified.

"So, do any of you think you can kill a God in a human body?" Salem basically asked them to fight the non-bald Saitama from Planet Remnant and they shook their heads so fast they nearly got whiplash. Salem nodded. To her, she doesn't see Locus as a human anymore but more like a God merely inhabiting a mortal body for shits and giggles.