Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Notice: Except for the beginning here, this story will be told through the point of view of the OC, Jace. I will occasionally change this from time to time, and when I do it will be with the heading: (Point of View Change: _) with blank being the character I am changing it to. That being said, I hope you enjoy!

Seeking The Truth

Chapter 1: Prologue

Office of SOLDIER Director Lazard, a week before the beginning of Crisis Core…

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?!" Lazard nearly yelled, glaring at this current insubordinate. SOLDIER 2nd Class operative Zack Fair crossed his arms, looking away. "Hey, I had no idea the entire thing would blow up!" he protested. "But there is the fact that you didn't check to see if it would or not," his mentor, SOLDIER 1st Class operative Angeal Hewley, pointed out. To this Zack said nothing, but merely huffed and bowed his head. At age sixteen Zack possess spiky black hair and short bangs that framed his face, along with the trademark glowing blue eyes that all Soldier operatives possessed. His build was tall and well-built, and he unlike other 2nd class operatives he wore a dark blue uniform, gloves and boots with a standard issue sword.

Angeal stood with his arms crossed, his face set in a frown. At 25 years old he was taller than Zack, and his build was even more muscular. His hair was black as well, but slicked back except for two bangs on the sides of his face, and a fair amount of stubble that he had always seemed to have. He wore a black SOLDIER 1st class uniform, with the one exception being a large Buster sword he carried on his back. Lazard sighed, placing his head in his hands. He had blond hair that was kept back and blue eyes with glasses, and wore a suit composed of a dark blue jacket, and white shirt, pants and gloves and a light blue tie. The tension in the air was palpable, and the director rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation.

Zack was currently standing in the Director's office for a very simple reason: he was in trouble. Zack had been assigned to assist transporting a large shipment of mako to the Shinra Headquarters, where it would be made into Materia. The shipment had made it into the city, but then a surprise ambush of troops from Wutai had attacked intent on stealing the shipment. Zack and the accompanying infantryman had succeeded to holding them back, but while they did so one Wutai soldier had snuck behind them and planted a faulty Firaga Materia in the cart, before dousing it in gasoline and pouring a trail back away from the field of battle.

Zack had noticed the trail and hit it with a Fire spell, checked to see if the faulty Materia had been planted. So while the trial caught fire, reaching the Wutai solder and caused the gas can it had was holding to explode, it also caught the hidden Materia ablaze, and the faulty construction of it made it the perfect explosive. "An entire shipment of mako lost. All because you didn't check! Shinra is short-handed on materia as it is!" Lazard said angrily, looking back up to glare at Zack. To this Zack still said nothing. In his defense, he had been too focused on the battle to think of such a thing, but that was the whole reason he was here- he hadn't thought to check.

Angeal was also silent; Zack had to learn from his mistakes. No one said anything for a long time, until Lazard sighed heavily and lied back in his chair. "Well, there's no good ranting about it anymore now. That being said, some form of disciplinary action must be taken," he said. At this Angeal looked up. "And what do you have in mind?" he asked. Zack stared him with complete shock and outrage, but he ignored it. As he said, Zack had to learn. And being punished for something had a way of making you remember things. "I'm not sure. Something more than just extra guard duty, or cleaning the bathrooms. We need something that will stick," Lazard said, taking out a folder from his desk and flipping through it.

For a few minutes there was only the sound of flipping paper, until Lazard stopped at one page and read. And as he did, his eyes grew wide with inspiration. "That's it! Perfect!" he exclaimed. Before Zack or Angeal could say anything, he reached for the company phone on his desk and dialed a number. Less than a second later it picked up. "Afternoon. This is SOLDIER Director Lazard. Could you possible bring Agent Vallis to my office? I've found a way to take care of two birds with one stone. Yes. Yes. Very well. I understand. Thank you," he said, and hung up. "What was that all about, if you don't mind me asking?" Angeal asked. "And who's this Agent Vallis?" Zack added.

Lazard smiled. "Agent Vallis is one of Shinra's most promising Turk agents, and was recently found guilty of an act of insubordination- the details of which I shall not reveal- and we have yet to determine what his punishment might have been. And now that you've acted out as well, I've developed the perfect solution: starting now, the two of you will be working together on missions until you have both been deemed rehabilitated," he explained. Zack's jaw dropped, and Angeal even looked faintly surprised. "A SOLDIER and Turk operatives working together on assignments regularly? Are you sure, Director?" he asked.

He nodded. "The President and I had already been pondering the idea, and now is the perfect chance to "give it a try" as the saying goes," Lazard said. Angeal thought about this for a moment, before shrugging. Zack was still in the same position as he was, but quickly fixed it. "Great. Just great…" he muttered under his breath. Zack had no quarrel with the Turks or anything of the sort, but being forced to work with someone because of one mistake was not something he liked the sound of. Before he could give voice to these thoughts though, the door behind him hissed open. An infantryman appeared and said "Sir, I have brought Agent Vallis, as you requested."

"Thank you," Lazard said, nodding his head. The infantryman nodded and left, and in his absence the Turk agent walked in, allowing Zack and Angeal to get a look at him. He was tall, about the same height as Zack plus just a few more inches. His skin showed a slight tan and was toned and muscled, not a lot but enough for it to be seen despite his suit. Over the suit and around his neck was a necklace with a pendant. The pendant was a pair of metal wings, one white and one black. His hair was a messy brown that reached the tips of his ears, and his eyes were a sea-blue that spoke of both intelligence and awareness. At his waist was a sheathed sword with a cross hilt and black leather handle, the word "Potentia" inscribed on the sheath.

"Gentleman, I'd like you to meet Agent Vallis," Lazard said, motioning for them to shake hands. Zack grumbled and stuck out his hand, which the Turk took and shook, his grip cool and firm. "Nice to meet you. Vallis is my codename; my real name is Jace Salutare," he said, his tone just as cool and rather direct. "Zack. Zack Fair," Zack said. Lazard opened his mouth to speak, but Jace held up his hand. "Let me guess, Director. Zack here did something he wasn't supposed to, and you've come up with some punishment he doesn't like. And based on the fact that you wanted me here, I'm guessing that whatever it is, I'm getting the same treatment for my own punishment?" he asked.

Lazard blinked in surprise, as did everyone else. "Actually, yes. Did you gather all of from plain observation?" Angeal asked. Jace nodded, smiling. "You'd be surprised what having a keen mind can tell you," he said. Lazard smiled and looked Angeal. "You can see why he's our most promising agent. Not including his habit of getting in trouble," he said. Angeal nodded, and Lazard spent the next few minutes explaining his plan to Jace. When he was done he asked "Well? What do you think?" Jace shrugged. "Personally, I think just about as much of it as Zack does," he said, jerking a gloved thumb at said SOLDIER operative. "But then again, I don't have much choice, do I?" he added.

The Director smiled again and nodded. "You're beginning to catch on fast. It will take a few days for the paperwork to make it official, but starting next week the two of you are partners. Any questions?" he said. Jace had none and shook his head, while Zack did the same. During the whole exchange he had said nothing, and with that he was able to fume in silence until he wasn't as angry. "Very well then. Dismissed," Lazard said, turning his attention to the papers on his desk. All of them prepared to walk out, but then Lazard said "Not you, Angeal. I still need to speak with you." Zack and Angeal looked back at him, but Angeal nodded Zack turned back forward, walking out.

Jace was standing in the hallway, and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, I know that this is certainly what neither of us wanted, but if we're going to have to work together for Gaea-knows-how-long, we might as well learn some about each other," he pointed. Zack grunted, crossing his arms. He still didn't like the idea of this, but he had no choice so he might as well try to enjoy it. "Alright. Got any place in mind?" he asked. Jace nodded, relieved. "In fact I do. There's a bar in Midgar that just opened. Why don't we grab a few drinks and talk?" he offered. Zack nodded; he rarely drank, but after this he might make that rare exception. "Okay. Let's go," he said.

Back in Lazard's office, Angeal stood in front of the Director's desk. "Okay, we're officially alone. What did you want to talk about?" Angeal asked. Lazard looked at him, all traces of whatever good emotion he had gone, replaced with seriousness. "There's another reason why I wanted Zack and Jace to work together. I know your attention to detail, and so I have a job for you. Observe Jace and give me a report on his condition every other week," he said. Angeal blinked in surprise, and before he could stop himself he asked "Why?" "There's a reason Jace is Shinra's most Turk agent. And it's not because of his sense of logic or willingness to follow orders," Lazard said.

"The reason is because his body has altercations that make him different from other humans. Not only is his mind sharper than normal, but he possesses added speed, endurance and, most importantly, the power to cast magic. Without materia," he said. Angeal gasped, staring at the Director in disbelief. "Magic without materia? Are you serious? How is that even possible?" he asked. "That's the thing: We, we meaning Shinra, don't know. Jace was living in Nibelheim until reports of his abilities appeared, and when we did the whole town was placed under quarantine so we could search for the cause. Jace and Shinra came to an agreement. If he carried out orders as a Turk operative, the quarantine would be removed and Nibelheim would become virtually free of Shinra activity.

"Another part of the agreement was that whilst under of surveillance Jace would have a supervisor who would give reports of his condition every other week. His previous supervisors were Professors Hojo and Hollander, but after the incident that landed him in this situation both refused to work with him, particularly Hojo," Lazard said. "And so you want his new supervisor to be me?" Angeal asked, to which the Director nodded. Angeal sighed, before deciding that he had no choice as well and nodded. And truthfully, he was curious as to seeing Jace's abilities as well. "Very well," he said. Lazard nodded his thanks and dismissed him, and Angeal walked out.

At the bar in Midgar Jace smiled, having just told Zack of a delightful little time when he had been riding a chocobo through his home town of Nibelheim and fallen prey to rare wandering Tonberry/ Luckily both he and the chocobo had been saved by young lady from there named Tifa, who Jace later became friends with. "She was really good-looking, and had a heart of gold to go with it. Too bad she already had it in for someone else," Jace said, staring at his glass. "Really? Who?" Zack asked, intrigued and ever so slightly intoxicated. Jace smiled and winked, but didn't say anything. That was another thing Zack was quickly learning about him. Jace never lied or gave partial information; he either told you the truth or said nothing at all.

Quickly the two were becoming partners indeed.

Well, there's the first chapter of Seeking The Truth. I hope you all like it, and next chapter the actual storyline will begin! I just have one question for you all: what length do you want each of my chapters to be. Two-thousand words, or three-thousand? Please, let me know.

GS Phoenix: I hope you like the way I portrayed this and your OC.

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)