Grimm Augmentation

Augmentation is standard procedure for most Grimm entering the hands of the Grimm Control Program. By the end of the lengthy process, Grimm are smarter, stronger, and faster.

The augmentation of Grimm is performed through the use of two different groups of items. One group is the augmentations, which are physical additions to a Grimm such as foreign appendages, organs, or glands. The other group is the Enhancers, specially designed substances that, once injected into Grimm, drastically alter its physiology through the synthesis of systems both natural and foreign to Grimm. An example of these groups would be red matter and a gland, respectively.

## The Augmentation Process

### Capture

The first step of augmenting a Grimm is finding a suitable candidate. Contrary to belief, not every Grimm can be augmented. Though it is a very small percentage, there exist Grimm incapable of accepting certain Enhancers. Another rare group of Grimm belong to a species typically capable of accepting certain Enhancers are incapable of doing so. The reason for this is unknown. The younger a Grimm is, the harder it is to augment as well. The red matter of younger Grimm is considerably more volatile than older Grimm, which may feed into their brash and almost feral behavior. Larger Grimm are also less accepting of Enhancers, though this is likely because of the sheer amount of red matter within them. In order to determine if a Grimm is capable of accepting Enhancers at all, one must first capture it and determine its age. Once an age has determined, and it exceeds the minimum requirement of twenty years old, it is then time to determine which Enhancers it can accept.

Some Grimm, such as the OMEGA Subject and standard Geists, are either too evasive for an age to be accurately determined or do not show easily understood indicators of age. A Geist, due to its nature as a possession Grimm, typically does not stay in its base form and let its red matter be examined. However, the shade of the eyes on its mask can be referenced for an estimate on the age, though red matter is more accurate.

Depending on how Grimm are built, different Enhancers may have reduced or no effect. The Geist, for instance, is incapable of accepting Enhancers at all. Seers also are incapable of receiving a majority of the Enhancers, with the Strength Enhancer being the sole exception.

Once a suitable Grimm has been located, it must be sedated. While hunting tranquilizers in any feasible dosage are incapable of having long-term effects on Grimm, mixing said tranquilizers with variable amounts of ice and lightning Dust can have profound effects. The size of the Grimm ultimately determines the amount of Dust mixed in, as they too can die to overdosing.

Once a Grimm has been sedated, the augmentation process may begin. It should be noted that Grimm are regularly sedated during surgeries to keep them asleep for the duration.

### Surgery Preparation

Grimm are not immediately ready to be operated on. While most Grimm possess rough hide or scales, many have fur or feathers. It is common practice for GCPRG personnel, just before the surgery, to shave or pluck Grimm that require it for easier access to red matter. Once that has been done, it is also common procedure to clean the Grimm. Grimm are not cleaned in the sense of washing off blood and grime, but more in picking out stray obstructions such as metal or wooden fragments, bone shards, and the like.

In certain cases, such as with the OMEGA Subject, they are deemed to volatile and have the more important sections of the surgery done first.

Once Grimm have been cleaned, preparations are complete and the first stage of surgery can begin.

### Surgery: Stage One

Stage one of a surgery consists of all the augmentations to a Grimm such as additional appendages, glands, organs, and artificial armoring and weapons. This section of the surgery varies greatly in length depending on the Subject in question. The OMICRON Subject, for instance, received only a brain and moved on to the second stage of surgery. Others, such as the ALPHA and the OMEGA, received additional augmentations. While the former received the tail of a Deathstalker, the latter received a venom gland and the transplant of another Grimm's mask. This, however, is typically one of the shorter stages of the surgery.

Another part of this surgery is the implantation of a set of vocal cords. Grimm, in the wild, do not have vocal cords capable of producing the speech of humans and faunus, or even vocal cords at all. They produce sound in a manner still unknown to the GCP. Because of this, vocal cords are typically given to Grimm during surgery, and typically come from the donor of the brain as well. Exceptions to this include the IOTA, LAMBDA, and OMEGA Subjects. The IOTA and LAMBDA Subjects, being a Geist and Seer respectively, did not have suitable locations for vocal cords. Although Geists do have a physical form, it is unaccepting of most augmentations for reasons unknown. Despite these setbacks, both Grimm were capable of unaided speech. The OMEGA, however, was incapable of receiving vocal cords due to quickly approaching deadlines requiring him to be active and mission ready.

### Surgery: Stage Two

Stage two of a surgery is the Enhancer stage. In this stage of the operation, the leading doctor injects the five Enhancers the Grimm Control Program has into the Grimm. These Enhancers are known as: Auditory, Endurance, Olfactory, Optical, and Strength. Each one has a different effect on the Grimm, and must be injected into different places. Each Enhancer is created in a different process, known only to the Overseers and the highest-ranking members of the GCPRG. It is rumored among members of the Program that not even the doctors and surgeons know what is inside.

Some Subjects received different dosages of different enhancers. The TAU and KAPPA Subjects, for instance, received larger doses of the Endurance Enhancer than normal. This led to them having increased armoring and spikes in comparison to other Grimm their species and age. The OMICRON Subject received a larger dose of the Strength Enhancer, making him significantly larger and stronger than other Manticores, in addition to increasing the destructive capabilities of his fire breath and the potency of his venom.

### Surgery: Stage Three

Stage three of the surgery is the repair stage. If the Grimm has lost appendages, spikes, or other parts of them not capable of being regrown, this part of the surgery is dedicated to attaching replacements. These replacements can come in the form of prostheses for limbs, artificial eyes, and shells slotted over and bolted into damaged spikes. If a Grimm proved too volatile for it earlier, this is also the stage where obstructions in their hide and red matter are removed.

### Surgery: Stage Four

Stage four of the surgery is the cosmetic stage. In this stage, Grimm have a letter of the Ancient Mistralian alphabet engraved into their face masks. The GCP plans to add other processes to the stage, such as the dying of the Grimm's hide and recoloring of its eyes. It would also be during this stage that Grimm receive their custom-fitted uniforms.

## Enhancers

There are five Enhancers at the disposal of the GCP: Auditory, Endurance, Olfactory, Optical, and Strength Enhancers. Each one has a markedly different effect on Grimm when injected, and take time to fully integrate into the Grimm's red matter.

### Auditory Enhancer

The Auditory Enhancer (AE), as suggested in the name, improves the Grimm's hearing. What is not described in the name, however, are the nerve center and gland created as well. The nerve center was designed to detect certain key words and phrases. Once they were, the center sent a pulse to the gland, called an Aggression Disabler Gland (ADG), which directed the gland to release a pheromone into the red matter. Upon entering the system, the pheromone would react with the internal gland provided by the Olfactory Enhancer and incline the Grimm toward passivity and obedience while also dulling its perception of negativity ever so slightly. This pheromone will eventually leak out of the Grimm and can be detected by other Grimm that were injected with the Olfactory Enhancer, creating a chain reaction of Grimm pacification. Through this gland, the GCP is capable of controlling Grimm and recapturing those that escaped.

Some Grimm, such as the Geist and Seer, are incapable of receiving this Enhancer, however. Fortunately, for reasons unknown, both are exceptionally welcome to conversation and deal-brokering, the Seer especially.

### Endurance Enhancer

The Endurance Enhancer (EE), once injected, encouraged the growth of red matter and the development of new bone protrusions. These protrusions could take the form of spikes, plates, and claws. This Enhancer is also the reason behind a Subject's larger size post-augmentation in comparison to before. Interestingly, the growths could vary in density, number, size, and type between members of the same species, even when given the same dosage near the same age. It cannot, however, repair damaged bone.

Endurance Enhancers could be injected in varying dosages to dramatic effect. This was shown with the TAU Subject, as once the extra-dosage Enhancer settled, plating covered almost 100% of her body.

### Olfactory Enhancer

The Olfactory Enhancer (OlE) is a misnomer. While it does boost a Grimm's sense of smell, it is more a general sensory overhaul. It also improved emotion and pheromone detection, in addition to slight boosts to the senses of touch, sight, and hearing. While not all Grimm are capable of receiving all of its benefits, there is a single benefit to it that all Grimm capable of accepting the OlE do: the Passivity Gland. Much like the AE, the OlE also creates a new gland. This Passivity Gland is designed to react to a special scentless perfume designed by the GCP that gives off pheromones known as Grimm Ally Detectors (GADs). Once the gland detects this or the ADG pheromone, it releases a chemical into the red matter to, among other things, disincline the Grimm towards acting aggressively with sources of GADs.

### Optical Enhancer

The Optical Enhancer (OE), once injected, improves the eye structure of a Grimm while also creating an associated nerve center and gland. The Grimm's eyesight and dark vision both increase in strength and reliability, though they are overshadowed by the nerve center and gland. The nerve center is designed to react to certain visual stimuli such as the symbol of the GCP or the symbol of the White Fang, and send impulses according to them to the brain. The brain interprets the pulses and sends instructions to the gland to release chemicals into the red matter that either discourage or encourage aggression.

### Strength Enhancer

The Strength Enhancer (SE), once injected, increases the density of red matter. This allowed Grimm to be stronger and faster, have better reflexes and motor control, and even helps boost their resistance to getting cut or punctured. The cost of all this, however, is a dramatic increase to energy costs. This is the main reason that augmented Grimm require sleep for a time after augmentation.

The SE is injected prior to the EE in order to promote the growth of the new, denser red matter rather than a Grimm's standard red matter. It should also be noted that the EE's increase in red matter does help mitigate the energy requirements somewhat, as that means more red matter is generating energy. It is not enough, however, to fully outpace the costs until some time has passed and the Grimm has gotten used to the additional energy required to function.

## Nuance

Some Grimm, for one reason or another, react to the augmentations differently than others. Some are very accepting of it, some resist it minorly, and some have even rejected it in its entirety to usually fatal results.

### Augmentation Rejection

Some Grimm, for reasons unknown, initially resisted or rejected different augmentations. The TAU Subject is a prominent example, having initially rejected the brain implant. Though she eventually accepted it, this did not come without a cost. Her psyche was damaged to an extent that it gave her Dissociative Identity Disorder, resulting in to distinct personalities dwelling within her.

### Enhancer Imbalances

Some Grimm receive or even require different amounts of the different Enhancers. The OMEGA Subject, for instance, was blind in his left eye. To combat this, the AE he received had been carefully marked so that neither eye would be stronger than the other. The TAU and KAPPA Subjects received stronger doses of the EE due to their naturally prevalent armoring, whereas the OMICRON and SIGMA Subjects received stronger doses of the SE due to their more powerful bodies.