A/N: This is the third and final part to SOLDIER Memories which will complete the three-part prequel (of sorts!) to the main storyline of The Smirking SOLDIER. A chunk of the end of this chapter was taken from the new-and-improved first chapter of The Smirking SOLDIER. About that guest review on the second part, the person who asked me about getting a book deal... (I know exactly who this person is...), I will NOT be getting a book deal because I am comfortable with writing fan fiction. I can do this in my own time and when I feel motivated to. Writing a real book would only pressure me and I'd rather avoid more pressure than I already have. Anyway, enjoy. I hope. -AtrophysFinest.
SOLDIER Memories – Part Three
Part of 'The Smirking SOLDIER' series
John woke up inside his tent and stretched before reaching into his pack to grab his PHS. He flipped open the device and saw a message from an unsaved contact. He opened the message and smirked when he read it.
"Hm, I knew it. She feels the same as I do. Cute." A moment later he saw the zip on his tent being pulled down, and John quickly put his PHS back in his pack. He saw Sephiroth at the tent's opening and nodded.
Sephiroth smirked a little. "Ready?" John nodded and left his tent, preparing to pack it up. As he started to pack up his tent, he smirked as he saw step out of his tent and trip on a rock, falling into the snow face-first.
Once Zack recovered and all the tents were packed away securely, Sephiroth led the group through the Whirlwind Maze.
Shin-Ra Headquarters, 70th Floor, President Shinra's office, Midgar, Eastern Continent, 09:35
President Shinra sat on his comfy office chair, chewing on an expensive cigar as he looked at one of the many monitors embedded into his desk. A few moments later, a bearded man with messy hair dressed in a lab coat walks up to the desk and stops a few feet away.
The man has a number of files in one hand and brings his free appendage up to his face as he clears his throat. President Shinra looked up at the man in question. "Yes, Hollander? What is it?" The man known only as Hollander walked right up to the metal desk and places the files on the desk so -each name was clearly visible.
"Mr. President, I have the files of the subjects for the Project-A experiment in front of you. All that needs to be done is for you to make a selection and the Science Division will take care of the rest." President Shinra studied each name before slamming his fist down on his choice.
The President raised his fist and grinned at Hollander. Hollander returned the grin. "Thank you, Mr. President, you've made the perfect choice. John Valentine will be the subject for Project-A, Shin-Ra's new scientific breakthrough. Professors Hojo and Crescent don't approve, but who needs to tell them?"
President Shinra laughed and watched Hollander leave before he span his chair around and got up, walking to the window facing the Heliport. He grinned evilly as he saw his empire before him. "This Planet is mine and no-one can take it."
Whirlwind Maze, Northern Continent, 12:32
John couldn't believe the sight before him. All arranged in a triangular shape was Materia, but it wasn't any normal kind of Materia, this kind of Materia was almost unheard of. John spoke one word. "Huge..."
Sephiroth placed his hand on his friend's shoulder before nodding. "This is what President Shinra was searching for. This Huge Materia confirms the high Mako readings." Zack took a step forward. "What should we do now? It's not like we can carry these things back home, we don't have the equipment!"
Angeal inspected his Buster Sword (as always.), before walking up to the blue Huge Materia. "Make your choices, men. We're each taking a shard back to Midgar. We do NOT tell President Shinra."
Genesis's eyes widened. "What about the readings?" Angeal smirked. "It would take forever for the President to move this, but there's no harm in taking a memento home with us." Sephiroth nodded and walked up to the magic Materia.
Zack chose the yellow Command Materia, Genesis chose the red Summon Materia. The only Materia that was left was the huge purple Materia, the Independent Materia. John walked up to it and drew his longsword.
He thought things over before removing his own shard. He carefully cut into the Huge Materia and removed a shard before placing it into the front pocket of his pack. He sheathed his longsword and watched his allies do the same before they all looked at each other.
John drew a smirk, knowing who he was going to give his shard to. Zack spoke to Sephiroth. "What do we do now?" Sephiroth drew a smirk of his own. "Now we go back home." All five SOLDIERs made their way back through the Whirlwind Maze, back to Gaea's Cliff.
6175 Lower Junon, Eastern Continent, 14:32
Tiffany groaned as she opened her eyes, a shrill sound filling her bedroom. She rolled over in her bed and looked at her alarm clock before her eyes widened. "FUCK! I'M LATE FOR CLASS!" Tiffany jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed and grabbed her bag before running out of her apartment.
As she left and hurried down the street to the university, her PHS which was left on her bedside table vibrated. A short preview of the message lit up on the small screen on the top of the PHS. 'Tiffany, it's John Valentine. I haven't been able to keep you off...'
As Tiffany ran through the hallways of Junon University, she found the double-doors to her class and ran into them, almost falling down the many stairs of the lecture hall. The professor turned from his blackboard to look at the young warrior stood breathless at the top of the stairs.
The professor raised an eyebrow. "Now that you've joined us, Miss Lockhart, perhaps you'd care to sit down so I can continue this lecture on Ancient Theory?" Tiffany grinned sheepishly at the professor and found an empty seat next to Aeris.
Tiffany's best friend looked rather nervous about this lecture and the Nibelheim-born girl knew why. Tiffany placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gave Aeris a knowing nod before turning her attention to the Professor.
Icicle Inn, Northern Continent, 17:57
John, Zack, Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth regrouped with the 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs at the high end of the Great Glacier. They all made their way back to Icicle Inn for supplies and to relax before pickup later that night.
carr
John was glad today was Friday. He knew exactly what he was going to be doing this weekend, but he wasn't going to tell anyone. Genesis noticed that his friend was staring into space and punched the SOLDIER's shoulder.
"Hey. What are you thinking of?" John was thrown from his reverie and shook his head. "Nothing, Genesis. I'm a little tired." Genesis smirked. "Go to the Weapon Shop. We could use some more Tents to take back to Midgar."
John nodded and walked into the Weapon Shop. An old man dressed in warm, dark clothing was sleeping a rocking chair. As John walked up to the counter, a young girl dressed in warm, pink clothing reached up and slapped the sleeping man, shouting at him. "Wake up, Grandpa! We have a customer!" The man awoke with a start and opened his tired eyes, looking at John.
"How can I help you, young SOLDIER?" John smirked, amused by the scene before him. "Can I have seven tents, please?" The man nodded at his granddaughter and walked into the back of the property, grunting as she struggled to carry all seven tents to the counter.
The grandfather groaned as he got up from his chair to help his granddaughter. He came back with six of the seven tents while his granddaughter carried the seventh to the counter. "That'll be thirty-five hundred Gil, young man."
John reached into his wallet and removed the correct amount. The old man took the payment and smiled at the SOLDIER. "Thank you for your custom. Hope to see you again soon." John left the Weapon Shop and regrouped with his SOLDIERS, throwing four of the tents in Zack's direction. "Hey, I'm not carrying all of these Tents all the way back to Midgar. Get some of the 3rd Class SOLDIERs to help us out."
Zack grinned and carried his share to the group of 3rd Class SOLDIERs who were laid out in the snow, exhausted from the excursion. Zack threw the tents at them and they got up, grabbing the tents with one arm while saluting with the other.
Sephiroth checked his watch and grunted. "It's time we headed back through the Corral Valley. John, rally the troops." John nodded at his ally and turned his attention to the 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs.
"SOLDIERs, we're making our way through the Corral Valley! Let's move!" The SOLDIERs followed John and their other leaders back through the Corral Valley.
6175 Lower Junon, Eastern Continent, 22:32
After a night out of physical training, Tiffany had made her way home and promptly slumped on her bed. She rolled on her back and saw that the LED on her PHS flickered purple, indicating she had a message. Her eyes widened when she saw who the message was from.
She flipped open her PHS and immediately opened the message. She read it aloud, her voice giddy. "Tiffany, it's John Valentine. I haven't been able to keep you off my mind since I left for my mission. I know there's a connection between us. I'd like to see you this weekend in Junon. Shall we say outside the Weapon Shop at half-past nine in the morning, or is that too early? Let me know what you think. Thinking of you, too. John."
Tiffany squealed and jumped on her bed like a child. "HE WANTS TO SEE ME! HE WANTS TO SEE ME! HE WANTS TO... FUCK!" Tiffany's PHS rang and vibrated in her hand. She was instantly nervous when she recognised the number.
She jumped onto the floor and started pacing up and down the floor, trying to compose herself before she hit the green button on the device. "H-hello?" The voice at the other end of the line chuckled. "It's been a long time, Tiffany."
Tiffany snarled. "What the fuck do YOU want, Darren? We NEVER have been and NEVER will be an item! You took me to the prom, which was the worst date of my life. You know EXACTLY what happened, no matter how much you try to deny it! I was NEVER interested in you. I only said yes to your offer to stop you hounding me. Look, just leave me alone. I'm happy now. I'm with someone, a member of SOLDIER. If you try anything, he'll rip you to pieces, and I won't hold him back, so just get that into your little..."
Darren interrupted the maiden fighter. "I love you, Tiffany. Say you'll be mine. We can get married and have children. Your mother and father always wanted you to be with a Nibelheim boy. We can honour their memory. You don't need some SOLDIER freak. Come back to me."
Tiffany nearly crushed the phone in her hand. "Don't you DARE stain my parent's memories with your bullshit. I'm happy with my boyfriend. If you don't stop getting in contact with me, I'll make sure my boyfriend sends a full platoon of SOLDIERs round to rip you to unidentifiable shreds and that IS a promise."
Darren immediately hung up and Tiffany drew a wide smirk, knowing her words had hit home with the lecherous man. Before getting undressed for bed, Tiffany opened her messaging function and replied to a message she had received.
Tiffany read the message aloud as she typed it up. "Hey, John, it's Tiffany again, by now you've probably saved my number, so why am I telling you who's messaging you? Anyway, I'd LOVE to see you tomorrow morning. Half-past nine works for me! I'll see you outside the Weapon Shop at exactly half-past nine. All my love, Tiffany."
Tiffany sent the message and couldn't fight the huge grin on her face. She was far too excited, like a child who was going to a theme park for the first time. She got undressed and let her clothes fall to the floor before she got into bed.
SOLDIER Floor, Midgar, Eastern Continent, 07:27
John quietly rose from his bunk, being extra-careful as he didn't want to wake Zack who was snoring. The smirking SOLDIER walked into the bathroom and removed all of his clothing befores stepping into the shower and turning it on.
He resisted the urge to sing and proceeded to wash his hair. After lathering the standard-issue shampoo in, he rinsed his hair and face and grabbed the body wash. As he cleaned himself, a loud groan could be heard from the bunkroom. John's PHS rang and Zack shouted. "Son of a bitch!" John merely smirked as he showered.
6175 Lower Junon, Eastern Continent, 08:30
Tiffany woke up after a dreamless sleep, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She got out of bed and checked her PHS for messages, smirking as she read one from Aeris. 'Best of luck with the SOLDIER, today! Gaia knows you need a dose of happiness! Love, Aeris.'.
Once she closed her device and placed it back onto the bedside table before walking into the bathroom. She removed her bedclothes and stepped into the shower, turning the heat up all the way, she felt giddy, but unclean.
As soon as Tiffany was clean, she stepped out of the shower and walked to her bedroom to find some clothes. She opted for her usual outfit, orthopaedic underwear, brown miniskirt, brown suspenders, white tank-top and rugged, red boots with shiny metal buckles.
She fixed her make-up and hair before leaving her apartment for her meeting with the SOLDIER who had stolen her heart.
Junon Weapon Shop, Lower Junon, 09:25
John was browsing the weapons inside and spoke to the shopkeeper who was wearing a gas mask. "Do you do repairs, here?" The man nodded and the lights inside the shop reflected off the red bug-eyes on his gas mask. "Sure do, SOLDIER! What needs fixin'?"
John smirked and handed the man his longsword. "Can you see what you can do with this? I have a date in about five minutes and I can't afford to be late." The man took the sword and nodded again. "Come and get it at the end of the day, this may take a while." John thanked the man and left the Weapon Shop, standing next to the entrance for Tiffany.
As soon as he saw her slowly walking up to the Weapon Shop, his heart leapt up to his throat and started racing. His lips parted as she walked up to him. Tiffany was dreadfully nervous, too. She experienced the exact same feelings that John did when she saw him.
John smirked as Tiffany approached him. He was the first to speak. "Hello, Tifa." Tiffany couldn't speak, her lips parted as she inhaled. "H-h-h-h-hello..." John retained his smirk and reached up to stroke the maiden's cheek. His voice rumbled which nearly sent the fighter into a spin.
Tiffany stammered and John grinned. "Have you had breakfast, Tifa?" Tiffany shook her head. "N-n-n-no..." John chuckled loudly. "How about pancakes? I know a great place at the other side of Junon."
Tiffany nodded weakly and stared at the SOLDIER. Her reply was a squeak. "Pancakes sound... Pancakes sound good..." John offered the martial artist his hand, which Tiffany immediately joined with her own, lacing her fingers with his.
Unknown Facility, Unknown Location, 12:30
A group of men were setting up some kind of prison cell inside a murky old building. They all wore white lab coats and one man approached the group with a manilla folder in the crook of his arm. He opened the folder and spoke to the men in the lab coats before dusting off his own.
"Is the room ready for our subject?" One of the men in the group nodded. "Yes, Hollander. All that remains is for the honoured guest to join us for Project-A to begin." Hollander returned the nod and grinned evilly. "The President will be most pleased with this room, it's perfect."
The man mirrored the grin and spoke to Hollander. "What do we do now, Professor?" Hollander laughed. "Now, we wait for him to go back to Midgar. He boarded a train to Junon earlier today. The President has men watching his every move. He's currently on a date with a rather beautiful specimen who would be a great asset to us, but that can wait for a later date."
Another member of the group spoke to the Professor. "What of Hojo and Lucrecia? Have they given their consent to this experiment?" Hollander growled and shook his head. "Hojo and Lucrecia? Ha, they're too goody-goody to agree to this scientific marvel! The President agreed to the assassination of the two failures to science and it will take place within the next week, but you didn't hear that from me. With John Valentine and Project-A, my sheer genius will be a true credit to science which will shine throughout history! I WILL BE IMMORTAL!"
All of the scientists including Hollander grinned at each other, knowing everything would soon be in its place.
Shin-Ra Library, Floor 62, Shin-Ra Headquarters, Midgar, Eastern Continent, 13:37
Zack was looking through some of the records after receiving some advice from his girlfriend, Aeris. He was in one of the rooms and found the file he was looking for. After reading it and returning it, he was horrified with what he learned.
"They're KILLING the Planet! All this time, we were helping them ERADICATE our Planet!" Zack nearly choked on the bile that rose up in his throat. He swallowed it and grimaced before running to the elevator.
Once Zack reached the SOLDIER floor, he ran into the Director's Office where he saw Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis talking about battle strategies. Angeal turned to face Zack and could tell something was wrong. He placed his hand on Zack's shoulder but the spiky-haired killing machine pushed the hand away, shaking his head.
"I want to leave SOLDIER and Shin-Ra. They're killing the Planet, don't you see this? Screw Midgar and everything here, I'm leaving. If you don't believe me, check the library on Floor sixty-two!"
Zack then stormed out of the Director's office and left a bewildered Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis as he proceeded to his bunkroom to pack his things before leaving the SOLDIER Floor for good. As soon as the SOLDIER left, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth all nodded at each other in unison, knowing what they had to do.
Lower Junon, Eastern Continent, 16:32
John and Tiffany walked along the street toward the station after returning to the Weapon Shop when a man approached them, a smug grin on his lips. Tiffany immediately squeezed John's hand and the SOLDIER understood. The man spoke to the couple with malice. "Tiffany, is THIS is the freak you left me for? He looks like a hippie!"
John merely smirked at the man. "Can I help you, Mr...?" The man interrupted. "Bell, and you can help me by returning my woman to me, thief!" John turned his head to look at the love of his life. "Do you know this man, Tifa?"
Tiffany hung her head. "Yes, I do. He has no hold on me whatsoever. I agreed to go to the prom with him to shut him up. He never touched me, never kissed me or anything. I detest this lecherous bastard with every fibre of my being."
John nodded and turned his attention back to Darren. "Would you care to move out of our way, please?" Darren shook his head and spat at John, the saliva hitting the SOLDIER just under his eye. John let go of Tiffany's hand and wiped his face before slamming his fist into Darren's stomach, grabbing his head and bringing it down to force his knee upwards to Darren's chin.
Darren fell to the ground, defeated. His words were pained stammers. "M-m-message received and... Fuck... Understood... You win..." John laughed and continued walking with Tiffany.
Once they reached the station, John stopped walking. He turned to face Tiffany and said something to her. She started bouncing around like a child. John laughed and tried to calm Tiffany down. "Hey, now, Tifa, listen to me, please," John said, flicking his long, unruly hair behind his head with a smirk.
"I'm all ears, John. Well, I'm not JUST ears!" Tiffany giggled loudly, obviously pleased with her own joke. Smirking again, the SOLDIER First Class sighed sarcastically at his girlfriend's joke, secretly amused by it. Noticing this, Tiffany lightly punched his shoulder. "You and I BOTH know that you liked that joke, John!"
With no thought of a verbal response, all the SOLDIER member did was smirk and gently pull his partner into his arms. Clutching his chest, Tiffany raised her head to meet her boyfriend's eyes, a perfectly mirrored smile on both of their faces. "Tifa, the train to Midgar will be here soon. Before I have to go, I have something for you. Close your eyes and do not open them until I say you can. Okay?"
Nodding frantically, Tiffany's heart raced, wondering what the gift would be. Smirking again, the First Class lanceman and rifleman gracefully ran his fingers through Tiffany's fragrant, deep-chocolate locks as he inhaled the fragrance, distracting his giggling partner before running a thin, stainless steel chain around her neck.
Caressing her cheek as he walked around to face her, he retained his smirk, folding his arms triumphantly. "Miss Lockhart, you have permission from SOLDER to open your eyes and examine your gift."
Tiffany's eyes widened when she saw the crystal pendant, her glistening eyes reflected in the gemstone. "Oh, Gaia... Is this... Is this Materia?" Nodding at this amazed woman, he sighed happily.
"Well, Tifa, that piece of Materia is nothing that you can find in any shop, not even in Midgar. The gang and I, whom you all know from the SOLDIER Floor, back when you were an intern?" John paused a moment before continuing. "We spent a weekend up in the Northern Continent, doing survival training. Heh, Zack even managed to outdo The Great Sephiroth when it came to the race up Gaea's Cliff. Still, Sephy's excuse was that he dropped his Masamune and had to fall back. He didn't drop it, at all. Angeal cast a Confu spell on him, the poor guy's katana was strapped to his belt the whole time!"
John paused again. "Long story short, we got cut off from the rest of the Third Class members, who were falling behind, and ended up in a place that Genesis named the Whirlwind Maze, and the home to something quite unbelievable. HUGE Materia! Anyway, you know that there are five main types of Materia, don't you? Yes, of course you do." John took a deep breath before continuing.
"Before the rest of the platoon radioed in, we noticed Angeal cutting off some of the Huge Materia with his Buster Sword. Glancing at each other, we all nodded and each chose the Materia that we wanted a memento of. I was the only one who chose the Independent Materia, and now, it's yours. No arguments, before you get carried away. This almost one-of-a-kind Materia is in the pendant, and it's a symbol of my undying love for you, and to prove that I will always be with you, even if not physically."
Tiffany grinned and pressed her lips against those of her smirking boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering something that only they could hear. The reply she received melted her heart once more. "Your hero will return and save you once more, I promise."
As John boarded the train, Tiffany felt sad, but excited for the time she would see him again.
Train to Midgar, Eastern Continent, 16:59
The train stopped in the middle of the mountains. John was shaken from his thoughts when everything went black. He stood up and tried to get his bearings when he felt something sharp in the side of his neck, before collapsing to the floor.
A group of four people in dark, navy suits dragged the body of the smirking SOLDIER away and out of the train to where a group of men dressed in white lab coats were waiting in the middle of the cut tunnel.
One of the men in the suit spoke to the scientist. "I don't fucking agree with this at all." The scientist grinned. "Your job isn't to agree, your job is to follow orders. Go back to Midgar. President Shinra will give you new orders."
The man in the suit returned to the train and left with the other passengers who were shaken by the events. The scientists dragged the body through a hidden door in the mountains and vanished, slamming the door behind them.
Nothing else was seen of John Valentine, the Smirking SOLDIER.
Continued in The Smirking SOLDIER