SOLDIER 1ST Class Paine
Summary: When Zack was SOLDIER, he was one of the best. When he was a cadet, he wasn't the Best. It was Paine.
Chapter 1
Recruitment
When she first came to this new land Paine was slightly disoriented, and decided to have a rest at the closest hotel she could find. She was relieved to find that Gil is also the currency in this new world; it was all she had in her pockets. Her pocket change however was meager, and so she had to start lending her sword arm as a mercenary, just like what she used to do before the Crimson Squad and the Gullwings. It was strangely calming, to think that even in a place as alien as this she still had a place all her own.
That all changed when the blue suits came to the village she was living in. They came and interrogated the people living there and gathered information about her before they decided to start.
She had just come from another fiend hunt and was just getting her wages from the weapons dealer when an unfamiliar voice spoke to her.
"You are Paine, correct?"
She spoke before she faced them, counting the gil to be sure that she wasn't cheated from her wages again, "Who wants to know?"
"I'm Tseng, of the Investigational Section of Shinra. I'd like to ask you some questions."
She turned to meet a man that was only slightly taller than she was with brown eyes and some sort of a circular tattoo in the middle of his forehead being flanked by two others wearing the same blue suit as he was, one was a young girl with curly red hair and cerise eyes at his left and another man was at his right, also with red hair, but much spikier than the girl's, and much brighter, with goggles over his forehead and curious red markings on his cheeks.
She titled her head to the side as she said, "I'm listening."
"The villagers have all said that you have exceptional talent in combat, is that correct?"
"You can say I've had a lot of experience in battles, yes."
"How would you like a place in Shinra's military? You can choose to either join the Investigational Section or you can join SOLDIER at your discretion."
A silver eyebrow rose at his proposal. "Military? Why would an electricity company need one?"
"It came from necessity." Was the curt reply from the blue suit; she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn to Yevon that she saw the other two subordinates stiffen slightly.
She crossed her arms and looked down to the floor, contemplating his words. On one hand she was terribly bored of the enemies in this part of the world and the villagers could only pay her so much for her mercenary missions. She was itching for a good battle and to explore this world fully. If what she had heard about this so-called 'electric company' was true then she'd have all that and more. Though what she'd also heard about human experimentation was slightly worrying. She wasn't sure if she wanted any part of the Farplane injected inside her. In her opinion only the summoners deserve to know the arcane secrets that world surely hid. Having come to a decision she nodded to the floor before she met the eyes of a surprised blue suit.
"I will join, but on one condition."
"And that would be?"
"I want no injections of may-ko inside of me if or when I join either the SOLDIER or the Turks. Having the essence of the dead is just revolting and I want no part in this experiment."
Tseng blinked before turning to his comrades, Cissnei nodded slightly while Reno just snorted and gave him a smirk as an answer. He sighed before he acquiesced, "Done. If you would be so kind as to follow us, we'll bring you to the headquarters." He turned without looking back, both of this subordinates following right behind him. She followed.
She had a feeling that from now on, everything will change, whether it will change for better or for worst still remains to be seen.