Chapter 2: Where the heart is…
The next day after being congratulated on their previous mission the group separated, Sephiroth went wherever it was he goes after a mission, Commander Angeal resumed paperwork in his office or what you could call an office, as it was quite messy a small wooden table in a darkish room with only a dim lamp keeping everything visible and his trusted weapon the Buster Sword was kept leaning against the back wall. Angeal sat back for a moment to reflect on recent company issues. "What is the President thinking!? He wants me to… but he is too dangerous.. The project had failed after all. But if I don't the job will fall in the currently incapable hands of my student." The respectable commanding officer leaned forward and put his face in his hands.
The two young men Zack and Cloud were walking down one
of the corridors towards the ShinRa HQ cafeteria as they did two
female receptionists walked by.
"Heeeeey, Ladies!" Zack
uttered happily. The two girls, though very much taken by Zacks good
looks hid their blushing faces behind clipboards.
"Hey, are
girls all you think about?" Cloud questioned.
"Yeah.." He
paused for a moment before laughing. "I'm just having a little
fun." Zack smiled as he put his arm around Cloud. "You've gotta
learn to liven up a bit and take it easy my friend! Tell you what.
Why don't we go mess around with Professor Hojo again?"
The
blonde youth removed his friend's arm. "But Professor Hojo is on
the list this month he might be promoted to the head of ShinRa's
Science department."
Zack was smiling even more. "Yeah, if we
mess with him again he'll be so pissed that.." He was cut off by
the Presidents voice over the speakers. "Will all SOLDIER personnel
under Commander Angeal report to my office!"
Both young men
started running through the halls. "Cloud! This is big man, really
big!"
"I know, I hope I can get the chance to prove
myself!"
They both continued through the passageways up the
stairs until they reached the office door of the President, Angeal
and Sephiroth were already waiting.
The commander's arms
were folded. "You two are late!"
Zack and Cloud were both
panting heavily. "Sorry sir!" Zack shouted. "It won't happen
again." Cloud added.
Angeal smirked and began opening the door.
"See that it doesn't. Come on, let's go."
The three
followed after him and they all approached the president's large
desk.
The Presidents chair swivelled around to reveal a short,
blonde haired, middle-aged man wearing a red suit. President Shinra
was small in stature but he commanded a lot of respect but he did
have plenty of enemies, especially in the slums.
The President
spoke up. "I have a new assignment for you four!" They stood
straight as they waited for their order. "I want you to deliver a
shipment of extra parts to the MAKO reactor at Kalm." Angeal
decided to speak up.
"Sir! Why send members of SOLDIER for such
a mediocre assignment?"
The President laughed. "Commander,
the people in Kalm are losing their respect for ShinRa they may be
quite hostile and I don't want to send any incompetent scientists
there to fail this task."
Angeal sharply saluted. "Yes sir!
We will leave immediately!"
As the four men left the building
somebody was buried under books in his office by the science
lab.
The man was skinny, his hair was dirty and tied back, his
eyes couldn't be seen through his thick glasses and he was always
hunched when he walked, this man was Professor Hojo of ShinRa's
science department. He was reading books and files that had been
gathered over the years particularly the ones he acquired more
recently.
"Hehehe found in a geological stratum yes.. I remember
these files very well, that fool Gast had no idea what could be
achieved." He began murmuring under his breath.
"Project…G…"
Angeal and his men were being transported
to Kalm in a ShinRa military truck as always. Kalm was small and
outside Midgar but it looked no better, there were homeless hanging
out on the streets and men were stumbling out of the bar drunk. Once
they arrived in the town something hit against the front of the
truck.
"What the hell was that!?" Zack shouted. Another object
hit the truck.
"We're being pelted!" Angeal yelled. "What
the hell do they think they're doing!?"
"Why are they
throwing things at us?" Cloud asked.
Sephiroth just smirked. "Hm
seems they don't like ShinRa in this town."
"Alright!
Everyone out!" Angeal ordered.
All four men got out of the truck
while townsfolk gathered round holding fruit, vegetables and stones
ready for another shower.
Zack tried to quiet the people down.
"Hey! Hold on a minute we're just here to drop off some parts for
the MAKO reactor."
"Yeah!? Well we don't want anything from
the ShinRa!!" An angry resident shouted.
"All ShinRa has done
is cause misery! My son is sick in bed from the pollution!!" A
woman cried out.
"Sir! Your orders?" Zack requested.
"Just
drop off the materials and leave!" He ordered his men in the truck
after they had carried the parts to the reactor in the middle of town
while being pelted by objects.
While the truck was pulling out of
the town one man used a rifle to blow out one of the tires, the truck
stumbled back to ShinRa HQ.
On the way back the four men could
only contemplate the reasons for a neighbouring town such as Kalm to
be so hostile. Zack leaned back against the side of the truck with
his arm around his motion-sick comrade. "You know, I had no idea
MAKO was causing pollution, isn't it supposed to be a great
economical energy source?"
Sephiroth again smirked to himself.
"MAKO isn't economical… it uses natural resources and sucks
them dry, after all that can be used is used it puts the waste into
the air…"
Cloud finished off the sentence. "Hence all the
excess MAKO coming from the reactors" he paused for a moment before
looking at Sephiroth. "But… why?"
Commander Angeal decided
to stop the conversation. "That's enough! The companies
industrial affairs are not for us to gossip about."
The three
subordinates fell silent the rest of the way to ShinRa HQ.
End Chapter…
