The Forgotten Project

Prologue

The Journal

Vincent sighed as he kicked over a black, scorched metal case to the side. It landed on the burned ground sending up ashes into the air, they were quickly capture by the wind and blew like snowflakes before disappearing into the horizon. He looked at the burned, damaged skeleton of what used to be the first floor of the Shinra Electric Company building. He looked at up at the rolling clouds, imagining the old building towering above him before laughing to himself.

"Hey Cloud!" he called back. "Cloud can you believe this is all that's left?"

Cloud didn't respond as he kicked over a burnt stick which crumbled into black ashes as it rolled. Cloud blinked as he looked back up to Vincent.

"Yes Vincent, I can. Let's just be grateful that it's finally over so that the healing of the planet can start. Remember? That's why we're here to asses anything that can or cannot be recovered."

Cloud and Vincent began the arduous task of trying to clean up the ashes around not as damaged papers. Al they found was a lot of logs, scientific studies with different types of Mako, and a few reports to Rufus Shinra. Vincent grimaced as he looked at his clawed hand covered two inches deep in black soot.

"Hey Cloud got any water? I need to wash this off."

Cloud started to reach for his water bottle, and then he saw a small dark corner sticking out of the blackened dirt. He kneeled down; he instantly knew it was medal as he brushed his fingers against it. He used his hands to dig around it, soon more of the corner appeared, and then another he tightly wrapped his hands around the small metal box. He pulled it out sending ash, and black dirt clods flying into the wind. Vincent lifted his brow as he walked over to Cloud.

"Well, well. What ya find?"

"I don't know."

Cloud inspected the small box. It was about the size of a shoe box and didn't feel as heavy as he had suspected. He slowly pricked his fingers around its black edge, searching for any way to open it. He swore as he cut his thumb on a sharp piece glass that stuck out of its blackened frame. Vincent grabbed the box as Cloud swore some more.

"Here let me look at it." Vincent said.

"Vincent grabbed the edge of his cloak, wrapping some around his hand he brushed off at least five inches of black ash of the top. He gasped as he saw a glass frame hiding a piece of paper underneath

"Cloud look! Something's under here."

Vincent delicately used the edges of his clawed fingers to left off the glass. The moment the glass was slivered off the wind picked up the paper setting it free into the air. Cloud quickly grabbed it with his uninjured hand. He turned his back to the wind so the paper would stop rustling around, Vincent walked to his side.

"What is it?" he asked.

Cloud looked closer at the yellow parchment; there was black writing that looked as if the person wrote in a rush. There were also a few blood stains on the top of the paper where he found the title.

Last Journal Entry

Day 3688 in SOILDER

Cloud's eyes widened. He quickly looked down to the rest of the paper, seeing only a few more, badly written lines.

If anyone finds this box, take it to the closest SOLDIER and to know one else, for within this box is my journal as a SOLDIER. From within this box you will know the truth; the truth is that everything about Shinra is a lie. Nobody is save while Shinra is in control, for everything is a cover up, a lie to cover up the truth about what Shinra and his scientists are using innocent people for… this will probably be my last entry, for they know. They know I have found the truth, and I'm being hunted as I write this down…. For when you read this I will probably be dead, and covered up as a forgotten project. My name is Asuka Higeki, I was the first SOLDIER 1st class, everything you know about project JENOVA is wrong…. For I was there, from the beginning, the beginning of the disaster and fall…

Cloud blinked in surprise, he tried to brush off more soot to find more words, but the words just stopped dead on the page. Vincent looked into Cloud's eyes as the sun began to sink beneath the dark hills.