Hi guys! This is my first Final Fantasy VII fic! It's based on Crisis Core...ok, I'll be honest with you...it is and it isn't. I'm going to tweak with the storyline a bit because as you know from reading my crappy summary, Zack and a certain someone meet (I don't want to give anything away, but you all probably know who this "certain someone" is, right). For now, the rating will be T, but I may have to raise it to M for future chapters. Your reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. So...hope you enjoy!:)
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.
Alternate Mission
SOLDIER. The small, elite army of the mighty Shinra Electric Company in Midgar. They were considered as "the heroes" to children and "the protectors" of the peace.
But every citizen in Midgar knew that these SOLDIERs weren't normal and it was true indeed. Men who joined SOLDIER were infused with a thick, greenish liquid called Mako, thus giving them those "superhuman" abilities and their trademark…the sky-blue eyes.
Any man could join SOLDIER, but it was the Mako that determined them worthy of joining this elite force. The "surgery", as some members would call it, would not always succeed in transforming an ordinary man into one. Many times has the substance rejected the body, resulting in minor to severe Mako poisoning, coma, or even death. The Mako Surgery was the sole reason so many men refused to enlist.
Zack Fair was not one to refuse such a challenge…
Born in the tiny village of Gongaga, Zack grew up with his humble, poor family. His father made a living selling the fruit he would pick from the trees in the hills and his mother stayed at home, doing work around the house and their son helped them in any way he could.
Since the time Zack took his first steps as a toddler, his parents noticed that he had a habit of doing squats. Zack would be seen doing them all the time, whether he was up in the hills with his father or in the house with his mother. This amused his parents and they encouraged him to keep doing squats, but also to take caution not to overexert himself doing them.
Zack's countryboy days ended at the early age of eight when Shinra had arrived at his village to check on a malfunctioning Mako reactor. Several SOLDIER members accompanied by three Shinra infantrymen, trodded the barren path leading to the towering reactor located at the junkyard in the village. The reactor had been there since Zack's birth and his parents always cautioned him never to go anywhere near it.
Every villager retreated into their huts at the sight of the Shinra men; everyone except Zack, who was finishing his squats that morning. He stood from his last squat and stared at the visitors passing by the huts.
Worried that her son would be shot down by the Shinra, Mrs. Fair hurried out the door and ushered her son inside, telling him not to leave the house until the Shinra had gone. The youngster couldn't figure out why his mother and the rest of the village feared these people so much, but he obeyed his mother and watched them from the window of his bedroom.
After that morning, Zack was allowed back outside to finish his squats. He was about ready to continue from where he left off when something shiny caught his eye. As he picked the object up, his eyes immediately widened with joy and a huge grin spread across his face.
He found a Shinra dog-tag! The company's emblem was painted on the back and when he turned it over, the words Angeal Hewley, SOLDIER 1st Class were engraved on its sleek metal.
From that day on, Zack eagerly wanted to abandon the country life and join the prestigious SOLDIER army. At first, his parents wouldn't hear of it, telling him that it was not worth his life to join that corrupted Shinra Company. But after a year of incessant nagging, Zack's parents finally gave in and sent a written letter to the Shinra, informing them of their son's interest in their SOLDIER program.
Shinra, of course, wrote back to them saying that Zack was welcome to join SOLDIER, as long as he met their requirements. Attached to the letter was an application which they handed over to their son.
Zack read the application the following morning and signed the agreements, policies, and medical forms. By lunchtime, the application was already on its way to Midgar, sealed in a Shinra business envelope.
Three days later, several Shinra infantrymen arrived at the Fairs' hut to take Zack to Midgar. After bidding a tearful farewell to his parents, Zack followed the soldiers to a waiting helicopter outside the village.
From the time of his arrival at Midgar, Zack never failed to impress the people around him. At the young age of nine, he survived the Mako surgery everyone came to fear. In two years time, he passed the rigorous training at the SOLDIER academy which normally took four years for the average SOLDIER rookie to complete.
He quickly rose up the ranks and was promoted to SOLDIER, 2nd Class at the young age of sixteen. During his time in SOLDIER, he met with the owner of the Shinra dog-tag he had found in Gongaga. Zack met Angeal during his first mission as a 3rd class. Ever since, Angeal had taken Zack under his wing, teaching him not only useable skills for use in future missions and battles, but also teaching him the ways of a true SOLDIER.
"Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens, you must protect your SOLDIER honor and pride." Angeal always made it a habit to recite those words to Zack at least once, if not, twice each day. Sometimes, it drove Zack nuts, but he knew it would benefit him later on in life.
Dreams? Zack had one dream...and that dream was to one day become a hero like the great Sephiroth. Zack heard of him from a fellow rookie back at the academy. He also heard stories like how the Great Sephiroth could kill a multitude of beasts with a single strike or how he completed difficult missions without a single scratch on his body.
Although Zack never failed to impress those around him, he had one major weakness; his lack of focus. At the age of sixteen, Zack was still a kid at heart. Often times he became restless when he wasn't immediately given a mission within three days, and he had the attention span of a pea, earning him the nickname "Zack the Puppy". Following orders correctly was already hard enough for Zack and if Angeal wasn't around with a stern reminder of the importance of focus, the whole mission would be a train-wreck, resulting in confusion, and possibly a failed mission, and SOLDIERs knew that Director Lazard did not take a failed mission lightly.
Nevertheless, Zack the Puppy never backed down from a mission issued to him...until now.
"What kind of a mission is that?"
Zack was in the SOLDIER Director's Office standing in front of the Director's desk. Lazard was sitting behind it, his eyes glued to the computer screen at the moment, which was showing Zack's mission briefing. Angeal stood a few feet behind Zack, leaning against another desk with his arms crossed.
"I'm sorry Zack, but after the last mission in Wutai, which may I remind, you screwed up had made matters worse and I don't want another load of paperwork sitting at my desk in the near future."
"You mean this?" Angeal asked, picking up and reading one of the reports from Unit B of the Shinra army, stating that SOLDIER did not follow procedure to infiltrate, resulting in casualties.
Zack whirled around "Whose side are you on anyway?" Lazard cleared his throat to get Zack's attention.
"As I was saying, you are to report to Hojo of the Shinra Science Department and aide him in some research."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Zack huffed. "Are you giving this mission to me as a punishment for failing the previous one?!"
"Perhaps." Lazard answered casually. At hearing this, Zack slammed his hands down on the desk, startling the Director.
"Ok, I screwed up one stupid mission-"
"A mission that was vital to this war we're currently having with Wutai." Angeal cut in.
Zack rolled his eyes before looking directly back at Lazard. "Could you just let it slip by? Just this once?"
Lazard stood from his chair, locking his eyes with Zack's. "Did you not just hear Angeal? That mission was supposed to help increase our chances of ending the war with Wutai, not decrease it." He walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out several books, and walked towards Zack, handing them over.
"Now I suggest you head to the 66th floor. Hojo doesn't like to be kept waiting. And make sure you give him those books when you see him."
"Of all the missions!" Zack grumbled as he walked away and toward the elevator to the hall on the far right of the office. Angeal and Lazard watched with some amusement as he fumbled in his pants pocket for his keycard while trying to balance the pile of books with one hand.
Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...
