Note: I did not create these characters nor do I own them. This is meant to be a continuation of Final Fantasy 7's storyline with a few flashbacks here and there, taking place about two years after Dirge of Cerberus.
My ears were deaf to the symphony of gunfire that was erupting all around me. All the SOLDIERs were gathered here at this spot, aiming down at the same target, my friend Zack Fair. He was dodging and blocking the bullets fairly well, but I could only cringe when the missiles from the helicopters grazed right by him, blowing up nearby sending his tiring body flying across the canyon.
Every SOLDIER in the canyon was doing their assigned duty. All except for me. If only these young soldiers knew what I knew about their target. If only they knew about what he strived to be. If only they knew about what he stood for, and how much of a victim he was to circumstance. I hated Hojo. I hated ShinRa.
I let my gun hang loosely at my side as I stared at the onslaught. There was nothing I could do, but I promised one day that I'd avenge my mentor. That would be my dream. Zack always said to hold onto your dreams, the very same message his mentor Angeal told him. Angeal was dead now though, a victim of ShinRa's atrocities as well. I would have my revenge on the company though, and I would make every last one of them pay for what they did.
I am SOLDIER First Class. Kunsel.
In order to exact my revenge on ShinRa, I thought it would be best to go up through the ranks of power so that I could eventually strike a deep wound. I know my old director Lazard did this, rising to the point where he was in the running to be the Vice-President. I successfully led my platoons through many missions, controlled the Wutai rebellions, and personally oversaw the creation of several Mako reactors. I had done so much dirty work that I was one day confronted by Tseng. He had recently become the head of the Turks and was looking to recruit new members. I agreed to join, and was quickly dispatched to do behind the scenes work for ShinRa.
Time went on, and my plans for revenge continued to grow incessantly. Many of the Turks were killed when they failed important missions or decided to leave the group. It was a ruthless policy. One of the most painful to watch was the dismissal of my friend Cissnei.
Cissnei was one of Zack's close friends while he was alive. She had become so attached to his family after his death that she became like a daughter to them. But one day, it was discovered that she had let Zack escape on two occasions, once outside of Nibelheim and once when he had visited Gongaga. Tseng of course knew that she had, but he had no problem with it because he wanted Zack to get the freedom and liberty he deserved. Yet, while going through tapes and recordings of the Turks, Scarlet, Weapons Director of ShinRa, had found out of her intentional mission failure.
And so Scarlet demanded Cissnei's immediate death. I was the one assigned to do it. How could I bring myself to kill someone who tried to protect my friend and hero? I would have done the same thing she did. And as I led her to the Cliffside, I decided that I wouldn't be able to do it. And so I let her go. And I haven't heard from her since, which is a good thing, because I never want ShinRa to touch her again.
Scarlet applauded me for my excellent work, discretion, and resourcefulness. She mentioned my name to Heidegger after my many successful missions as a Turk. They looked up my history of being a 1st class SOLDIER and a prominent member of the Turks. And so they gave me a special offer. They wanted me to undergo a new scientific breakthrough for ShinRa.
It was a yes or no deal. And once I heard their offer, if I refused, I would have to be killed. They let me know outright. And so of course, if it was indeed a special offer, then I had to accept it.
They wanted to infuse me with the spliced cells of ex-SOLDIER Genesis. I had known Genesis personally, and I was horrified to hear of the experiments they continued in his name. They wanted to turn me into something called a Tsviet. They said that I wouldn't be the first. Evidentially there was already one named Azul who originally wanted to be a Turk, but they made him a member of this "DeepGround" instead.
I'm now about to leave my home to go into the depths of Midgar. I don't know what to expect, nor do I know what the future brings. But I shall have my revenge.
Cloud swung his sword half-heartedly. It wasn't that he was tired. It wasn't that he didn't care. It's because he was going easy on Denzel.
Denzel stood before Cloud holding a long, thin sword. He parried it weakly and leaned backward in fear of getting struck.
"No, Denzel, keep the back foot planted for support and lean into your enemy, crossing the blade over you, like this," Cloud instructed, showing Denzel the stance he kept trying to make him do.
"I'm sorry Cloud, I just don't think I can," Denzel said sadly.
Denzel was fifteen years old now, and was getting more confident about who he was. And being a fighter like Cloud didn't seem to be in him.
Cloud felt differently though. He saw a lot of himself in Denzel. Cloud tried to remember the feelings of being weak and naïve, but the Mako poisoning from so many years ago made his memory foggy. Denzel needed Cloud like Cloud had needed Zack.
"Okay," Cloud shrugged, "We don't have to keep going. Let's go back to the 7th Heaven, I'm sure Tifa, Shelke, and Marlene have already made lunch."
Cloud and Denzel walked up the wooden stairs of the 7th Heaven and swung the door open carefully. Tifa was across the room cleaning the bar glassware as usual.
"Hey, Tifa," Cloud greeted.
Tifa looked up with a smile and replied, "You boys finally back? We almost have the food ready."
"Any word on Vincent yet?" Cloud asked.
"None," Tifa replied, putting the glass down and walking around the bar to sit with Cloud and Denzel at the table near the window. "Shelke's still upset, but there's not much we can do. He's already been gone for two months, she needs to try and get herself together."
"Cid and Yuffie are still out looking for him, right?" Denzel asked. "I know that they'll be able to find him."
"But," Cloud started to say, "What if he doesn't want to be found?"
Cloud distinctly remembered the feeling of not wanting people to get close to him. He thought that Vincent had overcame that feeling, but evidentially he may not have.
Tifa and Denzel were silent after Cloud said that.
Shelke and Marlene came out shortly carrying a few trays loaded up with salads, soups, and sandwiches.
"Hey Denzel! Hey Cloud!" Marlene smiled happily. "How's the weather outside?"
"Beautiful as always," Cloud replied happily, grabbing a bowl of soup. "The sky is as blue as ever and the sun as warm as it's been all season."
"Good, then after we eat we can go outside and walk it all off," Tifa offered.
Shelke ate quietly.
Three men walked along the dusty canyons quietly, their movements and presences unknown. The sun was high above them, glaring down upon their silent approach. The canyons outside of Midgar were empty and quiet besides the occasional squawking of crows.
They approached the edge of one particular canyon where they had spotted some object from afar. Stabbed deeply into the barren earth was a tall, wide, rusted sword.
"Ahh… Angeal. Zack," The man leading the other two spoke. "What has transpired while I slept, isolated from the planet in need?"
The other two men kept silent, staring onward at the sword and the luminous wreckage of Midgar beyond it.
"My friend, do you fly away now?" The first man spoke aloud, raising his hand to the sky. "To a world that abhors you?"
"Loveless," one of the others said quietly. "The story is not over. The final act remains unsung."
"The final act?" The first man asked, smiling, as he turned to face the other two. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return. If this world seeks my destruction… It goes with me."
"That's your final act," The other man spoke, "But it is not over."
"It is," The first man replied sadly. "The three friends are no more. The dream is gone. And the promise is in vain."
He looked up the glaring sun and reminisced of the days of old.
Shelke walked slowly along the river bank. She had not been to these caves since the defeat of Omega, she felt it was not her place to be. But she needed to talk to someone. She hoped that he was here, but she knew very well that the last time they checked he was not.
Shelke peered her head into Lucretia's cave. Vincent wasn't there. This was the place Vincent always came for answers though, and to be consoled. Shelke felt maybe Lucretia would be able to console her in her time of need also.
She walked into the dark cave. Sunlight streamed into the back end of it, but what really lit the cave was the luminous glitter of all the crystals. Shelke walked toward the monumental crystal in the center of the cave. Just as Vincent had been in a coffin for thirty years, Lucretia had remained frozen in these crystals, in a coffin all of her own.
Shelke looked into the crystal for Lucretia's serene face, but found none at all.
"What?" Shelke said in surprise.
Lucretia was not there.
"How long has she been gone?" Shelke said aloud in disbelief. "Did I just not notice it the last time I came?"
Shelke ran out of the cavern. She needed to tell Cloud her discovery. What made Lucretia leave her crystal coffin? And why?
The room sat in silence. The center table was littered with test tubes and vials. Sheets of paper were scattered all around the room. It's walls were made of stone, as was the floor, and the whole room had a very isolated and lonely feeling to it.
The most eerie thing about the room though, was the body of a young woman sealed in a cylinder against the farthest stone wall. The tall tank was filled to the top in Mako. She rested there gracefully, eyes closed, serenely at peace.
Okay that's the end of Chapter 1 so far. I know there's really not any action yet, and there may not be for the next two chapters or so. But I have a lot of things that I'm trying to throw in the air right now. For those of you whole watched Spiderman 3, I'm modeling this story very much after it. Typically in movies there's a good guy and a bad guy, and the end of the movie is their ultimate showdown. This was not the case in Spiderman 3 though. There were many villains that needed to be fended off, multiple things that needed to be protected, and many battles within the main character. I feel that it's much more interesting like that, so you're in for a real treat if you're going to follow the rest of the story. It's gonna be a good one ;-)