Title: A State of Contradistinction
Rating: T
Disclaimer:
Final Fantasy, and any and all other topics mentioned belong to their respective owners. I'm just borrowing them for the sake of writing *Fanfiction*, where the only profit I obtain is the gratification associated with writing and, if I am lucky, constructive criticism and reviews from my peers.
Authors Notes:
1. This is my second full story outside of the Lord of the Rings fandom. Please be patient with me: I've never played any type of Final Fantasy Game. I've watched Final Fantasy Advent Children, and a collection of cutscenes from Crisis Core, but that, plus my knowledge from reading Final Fantasy fanfiction, is the extent of my Final Fantasy background. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a review or PM me with your comment. Any links to help support your statement, regarding cannon structure, would also be greatly appreciated.
2. For those of you who might be curious, I got this idea while thinking about Samurai101's Naruto story 'Ascendent' (which I highly recommend if you have a chance to read it), and Final Fantasy 7:Crisis Core (obviously). There was another story that I read recently, where '23 year old, recently deceased, Zack" goes back in time to help his younger self, but I don't remember the story's name-that story had a little influence on this too, though.
3. For those of you whom have read Modern Me in Middle Earth, Danielle is making a brief guest appearance. :)
4. I am a terrible updater, and am very picky about what I publish. Apologies in advanced for the delays.
Regarding this story;
1. I don't think it'll be needed in this story, but if I have any warnings regarding potentially sensitive topics in the text, they'll be posted before each chapter. I will note, however, that the rating is 'T' for a reason- you have a sixteen year-old male and a seventeen/almost eighteen year-old female locked in the same mind space... just to let you know.
2. Due to the multiple levels of narration and conversation in this story, different typefaces will represent different things. Hopefully the characterization will be enough to keep it clear, but here is a general guideline-just in case;
Regular story narration
/hand signal/
Sounds
'Zack's thoughts'
"Aubrey's thoughts"
Anything else should be indicated through the narration, but if something is unclear, please tell me so I can try to fix it.
Enjoy!
Prologue: You wouldn't believe me if I told you...
Ring! Ring! Riiiinnnggg!
Pulling the PHS from the counter, Kunsel read the caller ID, "Zack, it's commander Hewely", he called to his roommate in the next room. From the living room, Kunsel heard the sounds of the video game cease, and Zack's accompanying groan as he got up from the couch. Kunsel didn't blame Zack for his irritation; a call from the commander meant Zack was going to be assigned a mission today, and this would have been Zack's first day off in three weeks.
Zack entered the kitchen and grabbed the phone from Kunsel with a sigh and a muttered 'thanks', before turning back the way he came.
Ring-
Zack was careful to keep his tone neutral as he answered, "Zack, here... your office 13:30?... Yeah, I'll be there. Should I bring my mission gear, or is it just a briefing?... Okay, see you then"
Zack glanced at the clock, he still had an hour and a half until he needed to report. He really, really, wanted to keep playing his video game, but he knew he needed to go check his gear. He didn't want to risk missing the mission transport because he couldn't find something. Zack sighed, saved his game and then headed towards his room.
"Another mission?" Kunsel questioned, as he came out of the kitchen, halting Zack at the bedroom door.
"Briefing, though with it being so early, I wouldn't be surprised if the mission transport is set for sometime this evening..." Zack glanced at Kunsel's plate of food with a wince, "What is that? It smells terrible,"
"Didn't the commander say you would have the day off? It's been three weeks..." Kunsel said, ignoring Zack's question about his food: Zack had never cared much for the intricacies of well prepared meal, and had a strict policy of 'if it smells bad, I'm not eating it'. To elaborate would have been pointless.
"He did, but I guess something came up,"
"I'm sure there are other seconds who could take the mission, unless they're planning to evaluate you again- in which case, I wish you the best of luck, friend,"
"Thanks, man, but I seriously hope not. There's no way I'll be in peak form if we head out today- I'm still drained from yesterday's mission!"
"You'll be fine. Commander Hewely would not be assigning you if he didn't think you could complete it. I do believe, however, you get whining rights after this though: No break for greater than twenty-one days in non-war-time is extreme,"
Zack laughed, "You'll be the one hearing it then. Angeal would lecture me about how whining over work and responsibilities is not 'honorable', and should be avoided- I intend to avoid hearing that lecture again, if possible,".
Kunsel smiled, "It's a good thing your whining is nothing new then. Seriously though, you should ask him when you'll definitely get a break: you don't want to burn out, and all of these missions have definitely been wearing on you,"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I just don't want to turn down something that could help me make it to first"
"Zack-"
"I'm serious, Kunsel. You know the negative effects of turning down a mission. And I will tell him when I need a break: I'm not stupid enough to risk my life over something as simple as not asking for a break when I need it,"
"Alright, just be careful okay?"
"Will do"
Zack turned to his room with a sigh, he really did need to clean it, but there definitely wouldn't be time to today. Resigned to his task and the mess he had to work around, Zack began his mission preparations.
Ten-minutes to one thirty, and commander Angeal Hewely again glanced at the clock, for the sixth time in the last hour. A nervous habit, exacerbated by the monotonous report in front of him- the twentieth he had read today-, was the result of second guessing himself on requesting Zack for this mission. His student had been working hard, and Angeal knew Zack was tired after so many back-to-back missions and intensive training sessions. Zack should be fine, even if he was tired: It was a retrieval mission, and he shouldn't have to do much other than a basic floor sweep.
Two-minutes to, and a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Angeal called, eyes sweeping the remainder of the report, before signing on the bottom.
"Second class, Zack Fair reporting for a mission briefing, sir"
"Have a seat, Zack" Angeal said with a smile, pleased to see that Zack appeared to be his usual self despite the drain he was sure Zack was feeling, "Before we begin, I wanted to confirm with you if you feel up for another mission- scheduled to depart tonight and last a full day- before committing you with mission details. I've been working you hard lately, and if you need the time off, now the the appropriate time to say so,"
"Thanks, but I'm good 'Geal. If this keeps up though, I might just fall asleep on you during next Tuesday's training session," Zack said with a teasing smile.
"Alright. I'm glad to hear it-regarding the mission, that is. If you fall asleep on me on Tuesday, after resting the entire weekend, I will leave you at the mercy of whichever SOLDIERs are in the vicinity upon my departure: I know I don't need to remind you, anyone sleeping in the training rooms or gyms is inviting pranking,"
Zack winced at the memory, "You are a cruel person sometimes, you know that, right?".
"The solution is simple: don't fall asleep. Now, onto the mission: It will be a joint operation between SOLDIER and the Turks. You will be responsible for assisting in the capture of an ex-ShinRa scientist who has been passing along company information to known enemies. We are expecting a bit of resistance, and the building the man is currently residing in is quite large, which may make his capture difficult,".
Angeal brought up a few pictures and a video on his computer, turning the screen to face Zack, "Your target is Doctor Mivels Hailbe: the first picture is from his company ID card, during the last year he was employed- taken about five-years ago. The second and third images were taken about a week ago during the Turks preliminary evaluation. The video was from a scientific conference he participated in about two-years ago,".
Zack looked though the images and the video, attempting, and failing, to suppress a shudder. After completing the video, Zack looked to Angeal and asked, "Why do so many of ShinRa's scientists fit the description of a horror movie antagonist?-"
"Zack-" Angeal interrupted in a disapproving warning tone.
"Seriously, 'Geal. Just listening to him is giving me the chills: he's got a major superiority and god-complex- if that video is anything to go by-, and those are dangerous combinations,"
Angeal sighed. He was glad to hear Zack was accurately analyzing the situation, but that didn't excuse his student's comment, "I'm glad you picked up on two of the doctor Hailbe's character flaws: you would be wise to use them against him during the mission. However, you need to learn to curb your commentary: a constructive analysis of your target would have been acceptable, a blanket opinionated statement that includes a large number of individuals in a relating category, is not,"
"Sorry, sir" Zack replied sincerely, recognizing the gentle reprimand.
"Any questions regarding the target?" Angeal asked.
"No, sir"
"Alright, the mission is expected to progress as follows: preliminary SOLDIER evaluation of the building and any resistance starting early morning, infiltration upon command of the mission leader, synchronized building sweep with the Turks, leading to the apprehension of the target, retreat to the perimeter, and destruction of the building. The Turks are securing the basement and establishing a perimeter prior to SOLDIER's arrival and will destroy the building and any ShinRa information within, after capture of the target. I have a collection of information about your target for you to review between now and departure. Any questions?"
"Who will I be working with, and who will be mission leader?" Zack asked, confused. It was uncommon for a team to briefed at separate times and, until Angeal had mentioned 'mission leader', Zack had thought it would be a solo mission, but the mention of a mission leader meant two or more SOLDIERs would be part of the operation.
"There are four SOLDIERs assigned to this operation- the building sweep will be ineffective with any less. You will be working with myself, Genesis Rasphdos, and general Sephiroth. Sephiroth will be our mission leader"
Zack was shocked into silence. A moment later he spoke, "Seriously? I get to go on a mission with the three of you?"
"Yes, Zack"
"That's AWESOME! Angeal you're the best!" Zack exclaimed, happily, bouncing around the desk to hug his mentor briefly.
Laughing at his student's enthusiasm, Angeal gently pushed Zack off of him.
"Any questions before you go? You have a lot to do before departure"
"Uh, a few: Why me? Don't get me wrong, I'm super psyched, I'm just curious, ya' know?"
"The portion of the sweep we will need you for will be simple, and is not difficult enough to have a fourth first class SOLDIER assigned to. We needed a second or third class SOLDIER we could trust to complete the mission successfully, and avoid the distractions provided by hero worship. There will be a lot of waiting, and the last thing Seph, Gen, or myself want to deal with during a mission is fan-interrogation, even from one of our own men. You've proven repeatedly you can get the job done regardless of the distractions and that was our primary reason for selecting you. That being said, you must be on your best behavior and contain that boundless energy of yours to constructive activities for the mission: Sephiroth and Genesis do not tolerate any nonsense"
"Right, best behavior. Got it." Zack stated seriously. He wouldn't- couldn't- afford to mess this up. Sephiroth had the final say in whoever made first class, and Zack knew it was very important for him to make an excellent impression on this mission.
"When do we depart and where are we going?"
"The details are in the mission file," Angeal said as he handed a massive file to Zack. Zack visibly winced at its size. Noticing his student's reaction Angeal supplied, "Most of it consists of CDs from the the Turks. You should be able to get through all of it in about an hour and a half"
"Right..." Zack replied, skeptical.
"You are dismissed, SOLDIER" Angeal said, "and Zack... don't be late for the transport" he added sternly as Zack made his way towards the door- practically bouncing in excitement.
Angeal sighed as he turned back to the pile of reports he needed to finish. He had a lot to do before leaving for the mission.
Zack was smiling upon his return to his shared apartment, mission envelope in hand. Kunsel was cautious and attentive to his roommate as Zack entered. A smiling Zack could mean several things, ranging from a training session or mission gone-well to a prank that the man was contemplating or had recently executed. The key to determining which was applicable, was to pay attention to anything abnormal in the vicinity. That mission envelope that Zack was carrying was definitely abnormal: odd in shape, and far larger than normal. Kunsel eyed it warily: he wouldn't put it past Zack to disguise a glitter bomb or something in a mission envelope.
"Briefing go well?" Kunsel questioned hesitantly.
"Yeah! I'm super psyched, though I've got quite a bit of studying to do before departing tonight"
"Team or solo? Can you say where you're headed?"
"What, you don't already know?" Zack said teasingly. With Kunsel's flat look as a response, Zack continued, "Team. And I doubt it, though I don't even know yet. Angeal said the details are in the preliminary mission forms"
"Who are you going with?"
Zack's smile turned into a full blown grin, "Dude, you so wouldn't believe me if I told you!"
~o~
It was a bright November day, and abnormally warm for the season. Outside the dormitory window, the last few colored leaves clung to their trees and danced in the bright sunlight. A gentle breeze blew through the small opening in the window, shuffling the homework on the desks within. The two girls sitting there scrambled to collect the pages before they could slide to the floor.
Sighing, the younger of the two turned to her friend, looking up from her creative writing textbook, "I don't know about you, but for as much as I despise early morning practices, I really do appreciate the excuse to be outside all day, for that and the game, instead of doing homework"
"I know, right? There are not going to be many more days like this" her friend replied with a small smile, "We have an early game next Saturday though: 6 a.m. practice"
"It is supposed to be freezing next weekend, Danielle. Not nice like it is today" Aubrey replied, flatly.
"At least we'll be outside..."
"True..."
The two continued with their studying, resigned to the necessity of using this time for homework, since they would not have other opportunities in the coming week. Occasionally Aubrey would stare off into the distance, as if caught in a daydream, only refocusing on the present after startling as if shocked. Danielle watched her friend closely. This behavior was extremely atypical for her normally highly-focused friend, and Danielle was worried it might be related to the injury Aubrey had received a few weeks back. After a particularly long stretch, and almost violent startle, Danielle voiced her concern, "Aubrey, are you alright?"
"Yeah, just thinking"
"Thinking isn't usually accompanied by jumping like that, are you sure your okay? You have to let the doctors know of any new symptoms; a brain injury is not something to mess around with"
"I'm okay, Danielle. I promise. I just need to stop thinking about it"
"About what?"
"... I'd rather not say..."
"... If you're sure you are okay, than I'll leave you alone about it. Promise me you'll let me know if you're not, though, okay?"
"I'm okay, Danielle. Really"
With a sigh, they both returned to their books. Not long after, the dinnertime bustle brought more noise near the study lounge. Just outside the lounge, boisterous students began yelling to each other in the hall. Calling out to their friends as they headed to the dining hall for dinner, the loud conversations ranged from discussing the day's events to the university's hockey team's most recent win.
Danielle looked at Aubrey, "I'm not going to be able to get anything else done with all of this noise. Do you want to head up to my room? It will be a lot quieter, even with the dinner rush"
Aubrey glared at the hall before nodding her assent, "Sounds good. I'm almost done, so I won't intrude on you too long"
"You are always welcome, Aubrey, you know that"
"Yeah, but we always go to your room to study. I feel bad that I can't really return the favor with my roommate's mess everywhere"
"Don't worry about it, really. Since I don't have a roommate, we have a lot more space. It's really not that big of a deal"
The girls finished packing up their things, and made their way to the fourth floor. Danielle pulled the key from her lanyard and inserted it into the lock, "Sorry it's a little messy today, I woke up late and was almost late for my organic 2 lab. The desk is cleared off though"
"Sleeping through your alarms, now?" Aubrey asked her friend with a teasing smile.
"You laugh, but we'll see how well you're doing by your third year, freshman" Danielle replied, turning on the bedroom light.
'A little messy' might have been putting it lightly. The room was organized chaos: lining the walls, books, notes, and flashcards were organized, by class, in messy piles, the bed was unmade, and some of the dresser drawers were slightly open, likely from the morning rush. As Danielle said however, the desk was clear, and there was plenty of space for the two of them to continue studying.
Danielle dropped her backpack on the bed, "Did you want anything to eat or drink? There is yogurt and apple cider in the mini-fridge. I also have protein bars, if you are interested"
"I'm good, I'll head down to dinner after I finish my homework. Thanks though"
The two pulled out their books and continued studying, with Aubrey at the desk, and Danielle on the bed, the following hour passed quickly.
Aubrey paused in her writing, looking out the bedroom window. Her words were almost whispered, as she broke the silence, "I think I'm going crazy, Danielle".
Normally, Danielle would say something jokingly like 'what was your first clue?', but she knew now was not the time. The normally happy-go-lucky girl in front of her was dead serious.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up from her textbook.
"I... well... let me put it this way: have you ever had an out-of-body experience, before?"
"No... you have?" Danielle asked, almost worriedly, thinking of her friend's weird daydreaming from earlier.
"Well, I think I did, but it's not like what you would expect"
"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying"
"Um, it was either an out-of-body experience or, more likely, a really vivid dream..."
"Care to explain further?" Danielle asked, still a bit confused on what her friend was really trying to say.
"It felt like an out-of-body experience, but logically it could only have been a dream... but I'm almost positive I wasn't dreaming"
"Oh. But you're still not sure..."
"... yeah..."
"Does this have to do with the daydreaming from earlier?"
"No... well, kinda, since I was thinking about it, sort of..."
"Tell me about what happened, I might be able to help you make up your mind"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."
"Oh, I don't know about that" Danielle said with a small smile, thinking of her own misadventures, "I can assure you there is very little that would surprise me, and even less that I wouldn't believe..."
Aubrey looked at her friend skeptically, but Danielle's face said she was entirely sincere, "Fine, but promise you wont tell anyone, okay?"
"As long as you promise to talk about it with your doctors if it could even possibly be related to the injury"
"Fine, promise?"
"Promise"
"Thanks... Do you remember the game on October sixth?"
"Of course, that's when you asked me about the Tuba section and when you were involved in that little incident- worst marching band related fear in the world for me, by the way" Danielle shuddered briefly at the memory before continuing, "You're little experience through it hasn't done anything to alleviate that fear..."
"Of all the things to remember, you remember me asking you about the Tuba section's name?... Whatever... Anyways, I'm pretty sure that's when it all began"
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
