Shinra's Deception
By: Shadow Risae
Amara_Tenoh@hotmail.comAuthor's Comments - I know this has been done before, but Vincent is my favorite Final Fantasy VII character. This is my take on what happened to him during his time with Shinra. Possible FFVII spoilers within.
- Intro
The true evils of Shinra Corporation lies far deeper than polluting the environment, as the notorious group called AVALANCHE eventually finds out. They use every resource available to them to accomplish their missions. This includes using their own employees like puppets. It doesn't matter if he or she is high ranking or not...
My name is Vincent Valentine. I used to be in the Turks. The Turks are Shinra's elite force that are compromised of some of the strongest and smartest out there. The mission of the Turks is to protect various government officials. At least, that's what Shinra makes the public believe. The actual Turk mission is basically the mission of a mercenary. The Turks do whatever Shinra orders them to do. Murder, kidnapping... you name it, they do it.
What the Turks do is not the only reason why Shinra is a demon in disguise. Shinra also has some other evil tricks up its sleeve that the public doesn't know about. So, I decided to tell what I know to warn everyone. Shinra may hunt me down once I try to get this published, but what else can they do to me? Oh yes. They can kill me. I'm not afraid. There's much worse things than death that I've already experienced...
Vincent Valentine
- Part 1: Joining the Turks
I remember as a child seeing the recruitment commercials on television for Shinra's army. It had fascinated me. The commercial told of being able to see the world, meeting new people, earning a great salary, and free housing. It said that you were respected and treated the same as everyone else. I constantly wondered what that last part would be like. I was always one of the smartest kids in my class. I was quiet, shy, and constantly bullied around. I had absolutely no friends. Maybe the army would let me have those friends I wanted so badly. I decided I should join the army when I was old enough.
When I turned 15, my mind changed slightly. My father, a local law enforcement officer in the ghetto of Midgar's Sector 6 (where we lived), showed me how to use his gun. I instantly fell in love with the weapon. It was so small and light in my hands, but could kill with one shot. It's power was incredible. I then decided I'd be like my father.
A few months later, my mind changed once again. My father was to escort some Shinra army soldiers to Sector 6's reactor. There were reports of thugs attacking anyone who went near the Mako reactor and, since Sector 6 was my father's jurisdiction, he decided to offer to be the escort so he could try to arrest the thugs causing so much trouble.
Well, to make a long story short, my father found the thugs. Too late, however. They tried to attack the group. They shot my father a few times before a Shinra army officer gave the order to kill the thugs. The thugs were killed, but so was my father.
That ruined my family. My mother went insane and was placed in Midgar's psychiatric facilities. My little sister, who was too young to survive without the care of an adult, was put up for adoption. I, on the other hand, bribed a teacher to allow me to live in her basement so I could finish high school.
The day after high school graduation, I spent all of the money I had to buy a gun, a suit, and a chocobo rental. I then packed my things and made my way to the Shinra Mansion in the town of Nibelheim. It was where the former Shinra HQ and some offices still resided. One was the office of the infamous Turks. The Turks sounded perfect for me. They were portrayed as similar to the army except that they protected government officials, including law enforcement. I thought I could let my father rest in peace by protecting his colleagues. I didn't know how wrong my idea of the Turks was...
Two weeks later...
"Vincent Valentine." Tseng, leader of the Turks, looked at my application. My interview had gone quite well the week before and Tseng asked me to come back to his office.
"Yes sir. Do I meet the requirements of joining the Turks?" I asked.
He looked up at me, his oddly warm dark eyes meeting mine. "Well, let's see. You graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA. You can use a gun. Your family has a bit of a government background.... The only thing is your age. We've never had a Turk younger than 25 before, Mr. Valentine. You are only 17."
"I believe I can handle it sir. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get into your organization. It means a lot to me to do so." I felt my hands shaking and clenched them in tight fists. I didn't want him to see me as nervous and weak.
"Very well." He pulled a gun from his side, handing it to me. "This is a Shinra issue gun called a Quicksilver. It operates the same as your average 35mm gun. Now, demonstrate your ability to me." He motioned for me to follow him.
We walked outside and around the back of the Shinra mansion. A path led up the mountain.
"Where are we going, sir?" I asked.
"Not far. There's something up the path that's been bothering me for quite some time that can be the perfect target for you."
Along the path, there was a tree. Tseng stopped in front of the tree. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking a long puff. I thought he was just going to stop for a smoke break, but he glanced up at something in the tree.
"See that up there?"
I looked up in the tree. The only thing in the tree that wasn't part of the tree was a bird's nest. In it sat a mother bird feeding her babies. "All I see is a bird's nest."
"Exactly. Your target is the mother. That damned bird likes shiny things. It pilfered President Shinra's gold watch the other day and he made me climb up the tree to get it. I would've killed the mother myself, but she wasn't there at the time. So you can have the honors." He took another long puff.
"But… sir, that's just wrong. Her young will die…"
"Mr. Valentine, in this world only the strong survive." He walked up to me, taking a puff off of his cigarette and blew the smoke in my face. "Are you strong or are you weak, destined to die like your father?"
I gritted my teeth. I no longer felt nervous. How could he say something like that about my father? My father was a great man. He worked hard to protect everyone in Sector 6. He wasn't like President Shinra who sat around feeding his face and shouting orders all day. "My father was strong. Far stronger than a lot of the military you deal with on a daily basis."
"Well, how about you?"
I clicked off the safety and, not even looking, fired a single shot. I heard a strangled sounding tweet and feathers fell around us. I glared at Tseng. "You tell me."
Tseng smiled. "Not only a show off, but you have the attitude of a bad ass. Alright, you're in. Your badge will be given to you tomorrow when you report for work." He then started to walk back down the path.
"Do you want your gun back?" I called.
"No, keep it. If that's a sign of how you really are deep down, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day. You'll need it."
I thought he was just being a bastard. But his prediction would come true…