Zack flashed back to the image of Angeal's Buster Sword leaning against the wall of his home, and his mother looking down at her folded hands with a sad look in her soft eyes.
"That sword represents our family's honor."
He saw Angeal holding the sword to his head in silent prayer at Wutai.
Now Zack stood alone in SOLDIER wing, unable to mesh the Angeal he knew with the Angeal he'd lost. He sighed, defeated.
Then his phone went off, and he flicked it to his ear.
There was no answer on the line for a long moment, he thought someone had pocket-called him.
Then a voice he could never forget spoke to him from the other line, said one thing, and hung up.
"Come to Lazard's office."
Sephiroth?
Zack hung a right, then a left down the South Hall past the R&D Department's Research Room toward Briefing, where a gaggle of white-coated lab techs gathered outside the frosted glass observation window. They were giddy as school children, biting their nails and whispering amongst themselves while peering nervously at whatever was inside. Zack stopped for a minute to take a look too.
"What's going on here?" he asked one of the lab-rats.
"A new experiment! Doctor Hojo is about see Project Gemini fully realized!"
Zack scratched his head. "Project Gemini?"
"He's successfully transplanted cells from a Cetra onto a high-level monster, effectively neutralizing its feral instincts and bending it to the will of Shinra instead. This is a breakthrough in Bioweapons engineering, and if all goes well we may be seeing imbuement with armor and Materia insets within the next year."
Zack peeked through the glass at a massive King Behemoth that thrashed about while hooked up to wires and tubes, and a spindly little man with a pony tail in a white coat wringing his hands in satisfaction like a mad scientist. The man pressed a button on a control panel, and a searing electric current zapped the Behemoth into a roaring rage. A minute later, it stopped thrashing, going limp like an obedient dog.
"And you guys think this is a good thing?" Zack winced.
"Oh yes! We'll be able to cut the casualty rate of the Security Forces and the ARMA weapons development budget in half. Imagine the implications for modern science!"
Zack walked away disgusted and continued down the hall. A buzzing informed him of incoming email, he whipped his phone out and read a company-wide memo in his inbox.
To: —Shinra Personnel Email List—
From: Do-Not-Replya@MailerDaemon.Shinra.mil
Re: Shinra News
We hereby declare an end to the war with Wutai. Worthy of note is Sephiroth, SOLDIER 1st Class, whose contributions were instrumental in bringing about a peaceful resolution with a minimum of casualties. We thank you all for your steadfast service.
President Shinra
"WHAT!? Sephiroth was with Bravo Team! What's all this about his 'heroic efforts?' They don't mention me at all!"
Zack slumped halfway to the ground. Heroes were chosen by the media after all, and it's not as if Sephiroth had much control over what the PR Department put in their press releases.
He took the elevator up two floors to Lazard's office. Sephiroth was there going over readouts on an iPad. He looked up at Zack, but Zack didn't look at him. Suddenly he really didn't want to talk to him, or Lazard for that matter. He went to Lazard's desk and stood at attention.
"Congratulations, Zack," Lazard said with folded hands. "You've been promoted to SOLDIER 1st Class."
Zack stood stone. A whirlwind of emotions that had been churning for a long while suddenly went completely numb. Usually, a mentor was supposed to be present for his student's promotion, but since his mentor was indisposed, it appeared Sephiroth had offered to stand in for the announcement. This was the moment he'd been dreaming about for such a long time, ever since he became SOLDIER, and now that it was finally here, Zack felt…nothing.
Lazard nodded with knowing eyes.
"Too much has happened too fast. But Zack, I'm afraid I need your assistance again."
What Zack heard was 'I need you to do someone else's job, go through a world of heartache and not get any credit for it…again.'
He looked away disgruntled and caught Sephiroth staring at the floor. "Are you pushing another assignment on me?"
That wasn't directed at Lazard, that was for the big man who leaned sanctimoniously against the wall. Now he had to look Zack in the eye and own up to him personally.
The alarm on Sephiroth's phone went off, a theme that reminded Zack of chocobos. It saved him. He took out his Black RAZR and turned the chime off.
"Excuse me," he said, then left the room going into Lazard's bathroom outside in the hall.
What the heck does this guy have his bowels on a freaking schedule?
Zack shook the aggravation and crossed his arms at-ease, not needing anyone to give him the command to do so. He was done being an obedient puppy.
"I'll fill you in on the assignment," Lazard said. "But before that, go to the lockerroom and change into a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform. It should be hanging outside your locker, and one way or another, you've earned it."
Zack nodded, kicked the full parade-dress turnabout to the curb, and left the office.
Down in the lockerroom he found his uniform on a metal hanger on his locker, along with a bulging manila envelope containing his new I-9's and a forest worth of paperwork. Going from gear-stipend to wage was fun stuff apparently, especially after a failed mission. He changed from his 2nd Class SOLDIER blues into his new 1st Class SOLDIER uniform—the same thing he'd been wearing, only in black.
Wow, movin' up in the world.
He threw the envelope in his locker and walked out into the hallway a 1st. But if he had any hopes of being descript, they shattered when his friends saw him strutting his Gunmetal black fatigues.
"OHHHH MAN THIS GUY!" They all ran to him, Kunsel, Luxiere, Damaris and a guy they called "Swift." They bash-barreled into him, hugging him and slapping him on the back, ruffling his hair, shouting in wild celebration that one of their own had made the cut.
"You are the man! You are the freaking man Zack-Attack!"
"It's Zack-in-Black now guys," said Luxiere, pinching Zack's new digs. Zack just smiled and said nothing.
"So DUUUUDE, we heard what happened in Banora!"
"Yeah man, they freaking leveled the place!"
"You alright bro? Tell us what happened."
"Yeah man, what went down?"
"Tell us Zack."
They all stared at him in anxious anticipation, salivating like he was about to tell them he got laid. The sensation of being backed into a corner with no escape shot his heart-rate sky-high, and his eyes shifted quickly to each one of them. Finally he just shoved his way through them and kept walking to the elevator. They all stared at him as he went, worried about him, not recognizing him.
Behind the closed doors of the elevator he took a deep breath. He got off and went to stand at attention by Lazard's desk, who looked him up and down with something like satisfaction in his eyes.
"A hit has gone out on Genesis," said Lazard as he stood up. "Angeal as well."
Zack's jaw hit the ground. "And you want me to do it?"
"No, the Shinra Army will handle it."
"What about ME?"
"They don't trust you. They believe your emotions will hamper your…judgment."
"Well of course!" Zack leaned on Lazard's desk, this was a bloody nightmare.
A velveteen voice broke his spiraling.
"That's why I'm going too."
Zack's world froze again, the spinning in his head became calm. He stood up off Lazard's desk, facing Sephiroth for a long time, eyes boring into him like a sword.
Then, the alarm! Red lights flashed in Lazard's office and security walls came down.
"An intruder!" Lazard leapt up.
"Where?"
"Close. Sephiroth, the President! Zack, entrance!"
They both nodded and ran out together, falling in step without meaning to. Sephiroth raced to the stairs and Zack hit the elevator, punching G for ground level.
When he got to the entrance, he saw Genesis clones ransacking security forces.
He drew his sword. "Is Genesis responsible for this?"
Zack rushed in to do major damage in minimal effort.
A clone flew at him and he slid on his knees. His whirling sword caught the clone right in the groin. Popping back to his feet, he slash-drew a six-pointed star all around him and clones dropped contorted on the ground in agony. A playful Zack folded his hands in prayer and gave a slight bow.
Zack looked up from the Genesis copies and saw Sephiroth running to him from the stairs.
"Sephiroth! The intruders are Genesis copies!"
Sephiroth slashed a clone nearly in half as he talked. "I know! Hollander must be behind this."
"Who?" Zack arc-sliced another clone and jumped back-to-back with Sephiroth.
"A Shinra scientist," said Sephiroth as he scanned Zack's six. "Vanished after lifting the copy technology."
"So this Hollander and Genesis are working together?"
"Perhaps," another whipslash sent a leaping clone flying. Zack took three more of them in a spinning crescent-slash and it looked like they had a reprieve.
"What is it that they're after…?" Zack asked out of breath.
Sephiroth flicked the gunk off his daikatana. "Hollander lost his bid for the leadership of the Science Department."
"So he's helping Genesis for revenge?"
Then, Zack heard music like a thousand warring angels descending from the sky; an unholy portent of aural reverence serenaded in celestial choirs and pipe organs of apocalyptic doom…Sephiroth answered his phone.
"This is SOLDIER 1st Class Sephiroth…Understood…" He hung up and shot Zack an urgent look. "Genesis copies are attacking Sector 8. Let's go."
They ran out to the Fountain District where Genesis clones were ransacking the cafes and coffee shops.
"Gee, I know lattes are expensive but really?" Zack and Sephiroth set their swords preparing for the takedown.
"You go on ahead Sephiroth. I'll take care of things here—"
But a flash in the corner of Zack's eye swiped like a laser, and he froze. When he looked up, a handful of clones laid dead at Sephiroth's feet. Zack just picked his jaw off the ground and followed.
A clone leapt behind Sephiroth, and Zack cut him down with a single well-timed slash. Sephiroth turned to see Zack at his back with a copy at his feet, and met his eyes with a nod.
They sprinted to the outskirts of Sector 8, and Zack looked around like he was going crazy. "Whoa, this is some serious trouble!"
The clones were like ants, they just kept coming! Lucky for them, Zack liked playing exterminator.
"We should split up," said Sephiroth.
"Got it." And Zack ran off to kick some Genesis assassins.
But a baton flipping out in front of him stopped him dead in his path, making him whirl to keep his balance. He looked over to see a Turk with crazy red hair like he'd rubbed a balloon over his head and stood in a lightning storm.
"Sector 8 is Turks jurisdiction, Slick." He lolled the baton on his shoulder. Another bull-rocker of a bald man joined him, but thankfully he said nothing. Finally, Tseng entered the crowd, and Zack found himself surrounded by suits with sticks up their—
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Zack whirled. "Tseng, do something!"
"The other areas…"
"Midgar's just crawling with nasties," crazy-hair flipped his hand.
"SOLDIER is having difficulties," bull-rocker finally spoke.
"Reno, Rude," and Tseng just wouldn't shut up.
"Just say the word," crazy-hair, aka Reno complained.
"Go."
"Yes sir." And with that, Reno and Rude ran off to find trouble to get into. Zack put his hands behind his head like the whole world had gone mad.
"So now we're outsourcing to the Turks?" he asked.
"SOLDIER's being stingy," a slight little voice answered him.
"There's a manpower shortage isn't there, wait—what!" He whipped around to see a little spitfire girl standing behind him with her arms crossed. "You're a Turk too?"
She was slight with hair as red as balloon-head over there that draped around her fitted black-suit collar like she just got out of the shower. Her weapon looked like a sharpened pinwheel, but she held it like she knew how to use it. Zack wondered what else she could hold like that?
"I'm Cissnei."
Her hazel eyes weren't infused with Mako. Thank god, a normal girl! Zack perked up and stuck his hand out.
"I'm Zack, pleasure to meet ya."
Then gunshots rang out, and Cissnei shoved Zack out of the way. A flip-twirl of her pinwheel sliced a leaping clone in the torso, dropping it dead in front of Zack. His jaw dropped.
Zack went to stand beside her. He looked over at her with a wayward gaze as she crouched down to the body. This clone seemed a cut above the rest, as a single charcoline wing protruded from its back.
"When I was a kid, I always wanted to have wings. You know, like an angel."
She spoke to him as if they'd known each other forever, like a young girl confiding in her best friend.
"If people had wings," he said with a solemn rouse, "they'd be monsters."
She shook her head with sad eyes.
"…Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none. They don't symbolize monsters."
When she stood up, worlds swirled in her eyes. She threw a little smile his way, and something in him smiled back.
"I'm sure we'll see each other again."
She waved, and took off down Loveless Avenue. Maybe not all Turks were so bad.
[Received Key Item: SOLDIER 1st Class Uniform]
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