The First Hope – Chapter 1 - Shock and Awe Moments
Midgar; a colossal metallic city in the Middle Eastern part of the world. Built as a ring, the city symbolises perfection, or so they say. Midgar is separated into 8 sectors, all recently numbered because no one could be bothered using their given names anymore. As well as these 8 sectors, Midgar is divided clean through the middle, creating 2 separate halves; an upper half and a lower half. Now, you only ever saw a modicum of 'the good life' if you lived on top of the plates, the upper half of the city. All those who lived on the ground, their lives were difficult to say the least. These lower sectors were nicknamed 'The Slums' by their inhabitants and were more or less completely forgotten about by Midgar's ruling power, the government if you will. So you see, even though Midgar itself is supposed to represent perfection, any halfwit with a sense of morality could understand that Midgar was far from perfect, it was a complete load of bull.
As for this government, its name is Shinra, it's supposed to; ironically have something to do with the word, "God." The Shinra Company in their efforts to expand their business acumen, apparently discovered a substance with literally, magical properties. They called this substance, 'Mako'. A project was launched soon after to construct 8 reactors along the perimeter of Midgar. These reactors would harness the power of Mako and turn it into energy, providing Midgar with its electricity, petrol, gas, you name it. The project was a success and on review, figures suggest that 8 reactors weren't needed. The revised number of reactors turned out to be 5, yet the 3 'excess' reactors were never decommissioned.
This breakthrough in utilizing energy was something the entire world became interested in, thus Shinra's expansion began on a colossal level. Almost every city on the Planet had a Mako reactor built, thus everyone's trust in Shinra grew massively because they were doing such a great thing for the planet.
However Shinra didn't only excel in economic market and business enterprise. There was another aspect to the company; it had its own private army, used mainly as a peace keeping authority. It consists largely of troops, trained to use rifles, machine guns, grenades, snipers etc. These troops are spilt into divisions and are under the command of one of the superior members of the army. The superior members have their own separate division. Collectively they are known as SOLDIER and there are rumors that the combined power of SOLIDER is at least 3 times that of Shinra's entire army. So basically, the members of SOLDIER are the cream of the crop. Not only that, but within SOLDIER there are ranks, ascending through these ranks earns prestige, respect, and a bigger pay cheque of course. The lower end of the ranks tend to stick with the guns, rifles and whatnot, while the upper end; 2nd class, 1st class, officer, etc, they almost definitely swap in for swords, and all manner of bladed weaponry. It is the officers in SOLDIER that command the divisions of the army previously stated.
Shinra's headquarters is a towering structure in the heart of Midgar, around 70 stories tall. Anything and everything that has to do with Shinra, its affiliations, and its interests, come through this building. Like most absurdly tall structures, there is no direct route from the bottom, to the top floor. On top of that, access to the top 15 or so floors is restricted unless you have the proper credentials, strictly for security purposes.
It is on the 68th floor of the complex where this story begins.
A young man was climbing the main staircase in the upper tier of the Shinra building in a slow, casual gait. He wore a navy blue polo necked vest, and matching cargo pants with pockets on the thighs, tucked into black combat boots. There is a steel plated guard around his waist and a couple of braces reaching up and around his shoulders, latching onto the back of the same steel plate. His shoulders were also protected by steel plated guards; his arms were bare all the way down to his hands which bore black leather gloves. This clothing was the uniform of a SOLIDER 1st class, the young man in particular happened to be the youngest and newest in the 1st class ranking. He was only 17 years of age, and being in service to the Shinra army for 4 years he showed immense capability and strength. His left hand was latched onto a fully sheathed katana known as Shuurajou. He held the scabbard towards the top near the hilt where a long and flowing tie chord was wrapped around, green to match his eyes. The blade length itself was around 5ft in length. As the SOLDIER reached the top of the staircase leading to floor 68 he had a look of faint displeasure radiating off his features. His eyes were a calm and welcoming emerald green, very distinctive compared to the rest of SOLDIER, as their eyes were anything but calm. Hair colour was a plain and ordinary brown, the style however, was rather promiscuous for a member of SOLDIER. Long and loose at the back, reaching down to his shoulder blades, followed up by the sides curling their way past his ears somewhat, and a few bits hung over his forehead creating a fringe, some were short, others hug down the full length of his hair, these pieces we usually shook to the side or tucked away behind his ears. That said, if you caught his shadow or a silhouette, you would more often than not mistake it for a mullet. When off duty his hair tended to hang completely loose, if not tied into a ponytail using the blue bobble he wore on his left wrist covered up by the glove.
Being at this age of the late teens, the young man was expected to be at the peak of physical fitness, this was true. He stood tall at 5' 11" and was built like a brick shithouse, while keeping a readily athletic frame; his muscles were definable through the uniform though nothing bulged as if blood circulation was being cut off.
The SOLIDER came across a large electronic door, next to it was a keypad. He carefully selected a 5 digit code then swiped a card through the reader situated at the side of the keypad. The big red light above the door switched to blue as a woman's voice spoke through the keypad.
"Security protocol passed. Access granted."
The door slid into the side of the wall and the young man stepped through into the laboratory floor. With a short flick to the side, fixing his hair, he began looking around, searching for someone.
"Professor Hojo?" He called out, still trying to spot a distinctive white coat. His eyes soon caught onto a man sat down at a desk, hunched over all manner of paperwork, waving his hand in the air in a beckoning fashion, this was the Professor.
The member of SOLDIER continued his gait towards this desk situated in front of a large glass observation tank, currently empty.
"You wanted to see me again Sir?" The teen spoke up. Hojo began nodding before turning to face him in his swivel chair.
"Ah, Kagateo. I didn't expect to see you so soon." The Professor was smiling.
"Yeah well, the sooner I have done with this, the better. No offence but I just don't like this stuff." Kagateo admitted, folding his arms, still holding onto his sword. Hojo nodded more.
"That's quite alright, but you must understand, you're quite an interesting specimen." Kagateo glared, clearly taking offence. Hojo soon corrected himself, "I'm sorry, it's a force of habit. But my point still stands." Hojo stood up, trundled over to a filing cabinet, swiftly opened, searched, and removed a file from it, and pushing it shut he called over. "You know the drill Kagateo."
Sighing the teen walked over to where the Professor was heading, sort of like a medical bay amidst this giant laboratory. After tying Shuurajou to his waist guard, he removed the shoulder plates and unbuckled the braces, removing the polo vest, and throwing them onto a gurney. He sat next to these items, flicking his hair to the side again. Hojo retrieved a stethoscope and began using it, among other precautionary tests. Writing some figures down, he spoke again.
"So, do we have any progress at all this time round?" Hojo put down his pen and assumed a seating position in another swivel chair, ready to listen intently.
"Well..." Kagateo said, taking a moment to decide how he should word an answer. "It's happened quite a few times, very briefly though. Nothing that could be counted towards as progress." Hojo shook his head.
"Nonsense. Last time we talked, it was only a couple of times. Now, could there be any possible correlation forming in these times? Meaning, were you doing anything particular while the changes occurred?" He reached for the clipboard paper and a pen again ready to jot things down.
"No, sometimes when I eat. When I'm in the shower, anything really. It's just random." Kagateo gave a nonchalant smile as Hojo put a hand to his chin and made a throat noise.
"So something like battle, doesn't always trigger it?" Kagateo shook his head. The Professor nodded a bit then stood. "Well, it seems we are getting there. I have theories but seeing as you're the one living with this, I shall ask your opinion. Why do you think the Mako energy is taking so long to be accepted and to take effect? Especially considering that all other 1st class SOLDIER before you only required one or two doses."
This was the truth behind Kagateo's calm eyes. To explain this properly, when a member of SOLDIER reaches 1st class they are given one maybe two doses of Mako energy at maximum strength and potency. Two doses however are usually pushing it. The enhancements the Mako energy provides is monumental. The senses heighten, strength is increased, agility is unreal, even intelligence is boosted. And you are always able to tell who has received these enhancements, the look in their eyes. It's known as the mark of SOLDIER. The pupils of the eyes appear to be unnaturally focused at all times, sharp, cold and emotionless; piercing stares. This is also combined with a faint glow, noticeable in the darkness. Kagateo was the only SOLDIER 1st class who did not have the mark of SOLDIER, even though he had received a ridiculous amount of Mako injections. 14 to be precise, some say it is a miracle he is not in a permanent coma.
"Well, I think that, maybe it's because I have a high immune system. I mean, all my life I've hardly ever had colds or the flu, never had chicken pox or anything. So maybe it's my body fighting the Mako and refusing to accept it as something that's gonna help me." Kagateo made wavy hand gestures as he spoke, something he did all the time when trying to explain something. Professor Hojo smiled.
"Excellent, we're on the same page. That's precisely my understanding too. And I trust that you're now also thinking that because these briefly moments where you receive the mark are becoming more frequent, that your body his starting to 'give up' as it were, accepting the Mako as a friend, not the enemy?" Kagateo nodded.
Hojo stood up, carrying the paperwork concerning Kagateo with him; he continues his evaluation before fixing his glasses. "Well, I don't see much point in another injection, 15 is -definitely- pushing it." Chuckling at the emphasis he put on the word. "I suppose waiting is what we do now; however, I would like to make some observations about your genetic makeup in the meantime. By taking a blood sample I will be able to uncover parts to how your immune system works." Hojo picked up an empty syringe, Kagateo's eyes widened slightly, and the Professor noticed this.
"Not a fan of these things, eh?" He chuckled some, "Nothing to worry about, I doubt you'll feel anything. You see, until the mark shows up permanently I'll need to see what exactly is going on. I guess you could say that I'm tired of waiting." He laughed a little bit and Kagateo gave a weak smile before snapping his neck to the side, grunting somewhat and held a hand to his forehead. The Professor arched an eye brow.
"It's doing it again." Hojo's eyes widened this time and he dropped the syringe to dart back over to Kagateo.
"Really!? Open your eyes boy, let me see!" Hojo removed his glasses and held Kagateo by the shoulders as he raised his head.
The Professor frowned upon noticing that Kagateo's eyes were their usual calm green orbs. Suddenly his eyes sharpened to immense standards, Hojo was taken back by this, it shocked him slightly, this process repeated 3 times. Before Kagateo started wincing.
"It's different. There's pain this time." He then yelled in pain, shaking Hojo off, holding his head a little.
Hojo began thinking, holding a hand to his chin, "Excellent. Maybe this time, it's for keeps..." He continued observing as Kagateo dropped to his knees yelling a little bit more. His eyes kept jumping in and out of focus at random intervals, accompanied with surges of sharp headache pain. Moments later this stopped. Kagateo's breathing was moderately heavy; he made his way to his feet, keeping his head lowered to the floor. Professor Hojo jumped over to Kagateo, grabbing the clipboard and pen again.
"How do you feel Kagateo?" He quirked, preparing himself to write furious amounts of detail.
"Different." He deadpanned, "A lot different..." Kagateo raised his head to face Hojo, the scientist in question could feel his hair standing on end; the stare he received was truly cold, he looked heartless. Hojo after a few moments, begin smiling proudly.
"Then we have results at long last. I wonder though if I should question this coincidence." He didn't, "So I guess there's no need for that sample then. I have nothing to examine when everything I wanted to see is right here, staring me in the face." Giving a satisfying nod he turned tail, collecting some paperwork and refilling them where they should be. "I suppose I should congratulate you, but this may be premature. You see, you might want to put that uniform back on, we need to run some tests."
The Professor explained to Kagateo that now he had officially received the illustrious, 'Mark of SOLDIER'. He would have to go through some standardised tests to score up his abilities and how significant their improvements are. Kagateo was escorted to a training simulator donning his full uniform and sword in hand. The room was just a big metal container, Kagateo smirked at this.
"This is some budget you people have..." The sarcasm poured off of him, as he began examining the room, slowly circling on the spot. As he heard Hojo's voice boom over a tannoy, Kagateo spun to observe a giant pane of glass with the walking lab coat speaking through an earpiece attachment.
"Alright, let's begin." He began typing into a large control panel, and pushed a circular green button.
Suddenly things started to warp, inside the room, the glass pane disappeared and the metal walls morphed into an expanse of green. Kagateo looked around in amazement; his cold emerald green eyes were wide. He stood on a dirt road that led off miles into the distance. It was a warm summer's day in the countryside, there were sparrows chasing each other in the sky; their graceful art form made Kagateo smile. Then out of no where a truck raced past the SOLDIER, nearly running him down. It was travelling at a decent speed too, perhaps the driver trying to get away from something.
Hojo's voice appeared out of no where again. "Impressive isn't it? I'll explain all of this to you later if you wish. Right now, you have a job to do now. There are some very important documents aboard that truck. Your mission is to retrieve them, now go!"
During this Kagateo had folded arms and nodded his head with each point until Hojo commanded him to start, this startled him somewhat.
"Wait, hang on. What!?" Looking rather perplexed he figured he was supposed to catch it on foot, and then took off after the truck at an equally startling pace.
Back in Hojo's lab on floor 68, Kagateo stood with folded arms and closed eyes, his head lowered to the floor. Hojo was busy at a computer, entering the data gathered from the trials Kagateo just went through. It was a stilling silence minus the sounds of the obsessively fast pace that Hojo was typing. The clicks and pings of the keyboard echoed around the room slightly.
"I imagine you're barely out of breath, right?" Hojo spoke up smiling to himself, Kagateo made a throat noise, still retaining his posture. The black haired, ponytail donning master scientist, chuckled a little at this, "Excellent." He said punching one more final key before spinning round. "Take a look; I think you shall be quite proud." Kagateo opened his eyes and arched an eyebrow, walking forward to the large screen.
It was a table with a list of names down the left hand side, and several strings of numbers lined up horizontally for each name.
"What's this?" Kagateo quirked having a few guesses but rather wouldn't say for possible embarrassment.
"This," Hojo began with a sense of pride, "Is a statistical chart, listing all of Shinra's 1st class SOLIDER's. You see, the entire SOLDIER 1st class are tested in the exact same way. The same trials you just went through. And the results are frequently updated and they are all of these numbers you see beside the names. It ranks collectively. Generic strength, speed, intelligence, plus blade skills, magic power just to name a few, are gathered and ranked. Now would you like to take a look at the names in particular? Tell me if you find something interesting."
Folding his arms again Kagateo scanned the list, looking for his name, guessing that was what Hojo was referring to. He didn't spot it so he simply shrugged his shoulders. Grinning, Professor Hojo highlighted a row.
"Take a look now, and tell me what you see." Kagateo looked up and his eyes grew wide. It was his data that Hojo highlighted; he was 2nd from the top. "Congratulations kid, you're officially the 2nd strongest SOLDIER we've got." He swivelled round once more to take a look at the teens reaction.
Kagateo stood, his cold, piercing, emerald orbs staring at the screen, mouth slightly agape.
"Whoa..." Was the only thing he could muster at the time.
Hojo began snickering again. "Surprised I take it? It's only natural considering your age and inexperience against the rest of the top ranked names. Impressive is too casual a word for this achievement."
Kagateo lifted his gaze up just a little more and made a throat noise at the top ranked SOLDIER, it was completely obvious even before he knew this graph existed, yet somehow he felt a little bit of surprise upon observing the name above his own. He was barely taking notice of Hojo as he spoke, too busy comparing the numbers. Until of course, Hojo came out with this.
"I know someone who is going to take great interest in these results..."
Kagateo stared at the Professor, who began nodding.
"Yep, the very man you failed to beat in these tests..."
Kagateo head sank, right hand cradling his forehead.
"Sephiroth."
There was another momentary stilling silence.
"Great..." The sarcasm in Kagateo's voice had returned.
(A/N: And we're done. Now honestly, if it wasn't obvious enough in the Prologue, I expected this update to be some time off yet. But I shall explain; the inspiration for this chapter came from when I was in the gym last night. Maybe you can spot which bit was directly influenced by me going to a gym last night. ^^
So this chapter provides a nice solid introduction to this piece of fiction, or at least, I think it does. XD Anyway, do as you may; pillage and rape, perform some interpretive dance, instigate some racial cleansing, I'm not fussy, although honestly I do prefer RnR's. *thumbs up*
I hope you are enjoying this read so far.)
(A/N/N: I do not, I repeat, -NOT- support the raping and pillaging of villages, towns, etc. And I do not, again I repeat -NOT- for racial cleansing... Interpretive dance however... XD
And finally, apoligies for the random underlineing of the heading. For some reason this site prefers the heading to look like that instead of a nice neat underline like the heading of the last chapter. Peace.)
