A/N: An early update! What is this sorcery? I was blown away by the last chapter's overwhelmingly positive response that I had not expected at all. Hopefully it's not all downhill from here ;)


Chapter 8

The regular army trained every morning in the lower levels of the building. Each of the training areas could be viewed from special observation rooms in the level above. They usually went unobserved; it wasn't often that anyone cared enough about the infantry's training regimen enough to bother watching.

This was a special occasion.

Sephiroth stood imperiously before the tinted windows with his arms crossed. The lowly grunts were filtering into the room below.

He had been resolved to let the debacle to play out and then let Shepard bring reports of her failure to him herself, but something had occurred to him. The alien woman had barely been on the planet three weeks and yet she'd already wormed her way into a position of authority and influence.

Many of Shinra's departments recruited from the infantry and not just the military divisions. SOLDIER was the most obvious one, but the Turks, the Air Force, Weapons Development, and even the Materia Department were known to recruit troopers who showed potential. While many would progress no further than the infantry there were still plenty who would be dispelled throughout the company into all manner of vital positions.

It could just be coincidence, Shepard's complaint about friendly fire had been verified by Guzzard's report, but if she wasn't entirely on Shinra's side she was very well positioned to do irreparable damage. He might not take the regulars seriously but a company of Shinra's size was only maintained by large scale co-operation and loyalty. They could not afford to have that compromised.

And so he had decided to oversee the first few training sessions personally.

It wasn't because he wanted to watch her fail. He had no personal stakes in this, it was simple pragmatism.

Back straight and eyes narrowed he watched the SOLDIER in question enter the room below. She marched in and eyed the disorderly group of troopers. There was one of the standard issue rifles slung from her shoulder, as well as her own much bigger gun resting on her back. Some of them looked at her, noted her uniform and gossiped excitedly amoungst themselves. Perhaps they thought they were lucky to have a SOLDIER trainer for the day. A few eyed the firing range to the side in anticipation.

She barked out an order and they scrambled into line. They snapped out a salute that was lacking in co-ordination. Shepard's look said exactly what she thought of that.

Sephiroth held back his irritation at their incompetence. The issue wasn't whether or not the regulars were dreadful, that had already been established. The question was whether or not she could do anything about it.

A part of his brain considered whether or not he was taking the wrong stance here but it was ruthlessly quashed. The regulars had been beyond hope long before his time. That was the whole reason behind creating the SOLDIER division.

The door behind him opened. He turned to see Angeal entering.

"They you are." The Second class said, approaching the window. "I was wondering if you- What is Shepard doing down there?"

"She expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the infantry." He said, facing the room below again. "I suggested she do something about it."

Angeal stood next to him, shelving whatever he had been after, and looked down at the lined up troops. "They aren't enhanced, there's only so much we can ask of them."

"Precisely." Sephiroth said. Of course the ever reasonable Angeal would understand; he wasn't driven by Shepard's so easily disappointed standards. "They've already received standard training, there is little more they are capable of."

"I suppose she does know how to wield that gun of hers. If anyone can help she can." Angeal added with a shrug. "The normal instructors didn't mind though?"

"They did not."

"Really? I would have expected them to be angry at some SOLDIER trying to take over their duties."

"Apparently they were overjoyed at having the mornings off." Sephiroth said in a tone that relayed how unimpressed he had been.

"That's… not the best attitude." Angeal said,

Sephiroth had to agree. Nobody wanted to get stuck with the regulars but that didn't excuse them from actually doing the job. At least Shepard wanted to do it. Whether or not she still wanted to afterwards remained to be seen.

Below Shepard spoke to the troopers. They couldn't hear what she was saying but soon the troopers moved in a disorderly line to the opposite end of the room where there were rows of tables set up. Each stood before a table and slung their rifles from their shoulders.

Shepard watched expressionlessly while they dismantled their firearms and then reassembled them.

Or at least, they attempted to do so.

He was torn between disgust and embarrassment at the incompetence on display. Sephiroth hadn't used a gun in years but it was abundantly clear even to him that most of them had no idea what they were doing. Half were just fumbling their way along and would have no chance of reassembling their weapons. The others were boldly going about it in the wrong way entirely.

It pained him to concede the point, but she had been right about at least one thing. There was no way she could make the situation worse.

"Are they working with new rifles?" Angeal asked with a look of pity on his face.

"No." He replied dispassionately. "They are not."

Shepard's hard express remained unmoved.

Angeal settled into the nearest chair and kept watching the way one might study a car crash. Sephiroth sat as well, realising with resignation that this would be far more painful than he had anticipated.

"Were you and Genesis ever this incompetent?" he asked. Sephiroth had never been in the infantry but many other SOLDIERs had started there.

"We were never in the regulars; the Turks recruited us straight into SOLDIER prep." Angeal said, scratching the back of his head. "I like to think I was never that hopeless."

"I don't see how anyone can be that hopeless." They weren't even using the weapons yet and he was already convinced that none of them ought to be carrying firearms.

"What does that one think he's doing?" Angeal said, standing up suddenly and looking aghast at a trooper trying to wrestle his gun into co-operation.

Sephiroth wanted to march down there and take it from him, that wasn't just incorrect it was dangerous. "That isn't how you-"

Shepard snatched the offending weapon from him. Then she gave him a well justified chewing out that had the trooper cowering in shame.

"Planet, why are we giving these people guns?" Angeal whispered in horror.

"Surely they were trained in basic firearm safety." Sephiroth said, the evidence before him loudly proclaiming otherwise. "Surely."

"It doesn't look like it, Sephiroth."

"That training is mandatory!" He cried.

"Perhaps they should sit it twice."

This was… a travesty. The infantry didn't need to be as good as SOLDIER but for goodness sake there had to be some standards! He wouldn't trust these people with a wooden stick let alone live ordnance. And they were responsible for guarding the entire Shinra HQ.

Once the incompetence had reached its zenith Shepard took pity on them. Placing the standard issue rifle she had come in with on the table she called for attention. With a smooth efficiency that spoke of endless repetition she dismantled it and then had it one piece again in minutes. Sephiroth and Angeal both breathed a quiet sigh of relief that there was some proficiency to be found in the world. The troopers were awed at the display.

Once she was done she paused and then took it apart a second time, slower now, pointing out each piece as she went and presumably explaining how it worked. The troopers looked on in wonderment.

Afterwards she walked around the stations, overseeing the individual troopers who were still confused.

It took nearly thirty minutes but eventually all the troopers had their guns in proper working order.

The exercise completed she stood before them again. Some were looking eagerly again at the firing range. Then Shepard told them all to reassemble their rifles a second time. The look of utter despair on some of the troopers' faces would have been comical, had it been in anyone else's army.

Shepard had her work cut out for her. Feeling something approaching shame, Sephiroth found himself actually hoping she succeeded. This was unacceptable.

"I think I've had about as much as I can take." Angeal said, rising from his seat. He had come in here for something but the dismal sight had apparently driven it from his mind.

Sephiroth had suffered all he was prepared to as well. The two both had more important things to do and this wasn't getting them anywhere. Shepard could deal with it.


Several days later there was an update on the alien SOLDIER, this time from within the company.

"Sephiroth, thank you for joining us." Tseng said, already seated at the table opposite Professor Hollander and holding a pristine manila folder of papers.

"You have news?" Sephiroth asked, taking a seat facing both of them at the end of the table. The matter of her enhancements, or lack thereof, had yet to be resolved.

"The test results have come back." The portly scientist said, scratching his beard and gesturing at the papers Tseng held. "I have every reason to believe Shepard will survive the enhancements."

"This issue now," Tseng said, addressing the General "Is whether or not we should permit her to get them."

It was a complicated issue. His opinion of her had changed drastically in several directions in only the last couple of days. She fit the military mould perfectly and had garnered the respect of her fellow SOLDIERs in no time at all. She was also headstrong and borderline insubordinate when she had an axe to grind. But then she had only resorted to that because she didn't like high casualties in the ranks. Now that his indignation had cooled somewhat he couldn't criticise the endeavour, even if he still resented the implications.

She was smart though. While she hadn't hesitated to brazenly interrogate him in the common area of all places about what his agenda was, the question of her own agenda still stood. She fought intelligently and with confidence, she was already on par with the majority of the SOLDIERs. Would she even want the enhancements? What would she be capable of with them?

"Of course we should enhance her." Hollander said as though it were a foregone conclusion. His voice, roughened by years of chain smoking, was made more gravelly by his enthusiasm. "While she's under I can run a few more tests, I'm fairly certain the mako will react favourably with her but we still don't even know if she's really human. It's fascinating, there's so much more to be done."

"You're not experimenting on her, Hollander." Sephiroth said bluntly. Especially not with the political landscape of the science department as it was. Even if Shepard had been lying about her implants he wasn't going to risk the wildcard she'd be or what the science department would come up with if they got their hands on her.

"It'll just be a quick look. The mako in her system will cover up any scars; she'll be as good as new." Hollander continued.

"You're not going to take a look; you're not even going to keep a record of these results." He said, taking the folder from Tseng and tearing the entire thing in half. Hollander gaped at him. He rearranged the pieces and tore them several times more into shredded confetti which he poured into Hollander's hands. "Those were the conditions of our deal."

"But- I assumed you just said that to get her to sign the contract. You were actually serious?" He looked between him and Tseng in bafflement. "Why? You don't really believe what she said about world ending implants do you?"

"We have very little to go on regarding that." Tseng said. "Given the severity of the warning I would advise caution."

"We have no reason to believe either way yet. Unless that changes, I won't risk exposing anyone to whatever alien threats she may carry." Sephiroth said. Not to mention he wouldn't risk losing an obviously capable SOLDIER to the science department. He was very well acquainted with how they worked. Disappearing into their clutches wasn't just the scary rumour the lower ranks thought it was. It rarely happened to SOLDIERs, they were too public and too valuable to the company. If a scientist thought it was worth their time though? He wouldn't put it past them. This was his SOLDIER, under his jurisdiction, and he had every intention of making full use of her. The science department wouldn't be riding on the coat tails of SOLDIER's success this time.

"Unbelievable." Hollander said, leaning back and throwing his hands up. "This could be the greatest discovery since- …there's no knowing what leaps in science she could be hiding, you just want to throw that away?"

"You're right, 'There's no knowing.'" He said dismissively. He didn't have to explain himself to Hollander. "We made a deal. She has held up her end, we will uphold ours." He'd have to see if Tseng could get one of his Turks to ensure Hollander had actually deleted the records.

"I agree with the General in this. The threat she posed has currently been neutralized. To jeopardize that now would be counter intuitive. We have secured her allegiance and the Turks are no longer watching her. Further investigation is not necessary, Hollander, from any of us." The Turks patently bland and unassuming tone went over the scientist's head.

"But… she wouldn't even have to know. Just a couple of scans." He tried desperately, before his face twisted in mounting frustration. "I don't believe this. You can't just cut me out like this. If I was head of the science department-"

"But you're not head of the department." Sephiroth cut in sharply. "And Shepard isn't going to be your stepping stone to outdoing the competition."

Heavy silence filled the room. Tseng remained passive, his expression unmoved. Hollander backed down but his frustration morphed into anger and it showed openly on his face, resentment shining plainly through his eyes. He crossed his arms and slouched in his seat like a reprimanded child. Sephiroth barely repressed a sneer. He hated working with most of the scientists, even when it was absolutely necessary. Hollander wasn't the worst of the lot though, not by a long shot.

"If we could get back on track." Tseng said, filling the silence deftly. "Sephiroth, you've seen her at work. Mako enhancements are a company secrets and not to be handed out without discretion. Do you believe she can be trusted with them?"

"She has already shown investment in the company." More than he had counted on. Enough that he hadn't decided whether to be glad or concerned.

"Yes, I did hear she had taken an active interest in the infantry."

He had sent Tseng an update on the situation as a curtesy. He didn't need to, the Turks would have known anyway, but it paid to keep ones allies onside.

"I see no reason not to offer her the enhancements." He said. "Whether or not she will accept I cannot say."

"Very well. I will leave the matter in your hands then." Tseng said, rising and giving Hollander a polite nod that was not returned. "If that's settled then I believe we are done here."

The Turk left and Sephiroth rose to follow.

He remembered something at the door though and turned to address the brooding scientist.

"Hollander, one last thing." He said. "The device she keeps on her arm, the Omni-tool. What did you think of it?"

Several emotions flickered through Hollander's eyes. Alarm was the most prominent one before caution took over.

"It's a simple enough interface." He said, picking his words carefully.

"No it isn't." It was nigh incomprehensible. The circular control system, the gauntlet that was apparently both armour and control panel and projector and who knew what else had no similarity to the straight forward OS that Shinra favoured.

Hollander cleared his throat and re-crossed his arms.

"You're not qualified for handling these things General." He said, lifting his chin as he got up and walked out of the room. "If you want a more thorough analysis then bring it down to the lab some time."


Training the infantry was gruelling work.

Shepard rolled her shoulders and waited for the elevator to arrive on the right level. It wasn't physically exhausting work, or even all that mentally demanding, just disheartening about the general state of humanity on this planet.

The first session had told her everything she needed to know.

They weren't simply bad, they were abysmal. Fighting alongside the best the galaxy had to offer for so long may have skewered her standards, but not even the most relaxed Alliance drill sergeant or the shadiest C-Sec instructor would have stood for this. If they were Krogan they would have been kicked from the clan for being too pathetic.

Lack of enhancements was no excuse. It certainly wasn't an excuse she'd take; she wouldn't be taking any excuses at all.

Sephiroth thought this was the best that could be hoped for. That for the unenhanced there was simply nothing to be done. Her eyes narrowed at the thought just as the elevator doors opened. A slew of office workers hastily got out of her way.

Sephiroth hadn't seen what she'd seen. He hadn't witnessed an entire galaxy stand up to their superior-in-every-way executioners and seize victory through sheer force of will. He hadn't seen the Alliance army side by side with Turians, Krogan, Quarian, Geth, all just regular men and woman who gave their everything when it mattered most.

All sorts of incredible things could be done if only you were prepared to work for it and had the nerve to stare down your opponent. Admittedly it had taken the threat of complete extinction in order to get those results. In this case the threat of a demanding Spectre would just have to be enough.

No matter how long it took she would whip these troopers into respectable shape. By the time she was done with them they'd be good enough to stand alongside any Alliance regular. Assuming any survived that long. Clearly they were not used to hard work and their initial excitement at having a SOLDIER instructor had evaporated swiftly when they realised she was actually intending to get work out of them. They didn't know the half of it. Shepard had never been accused of leaving a job half done.

She reached her destination. All the required grunts were there, nervously standing in a line. She had gone easy on them the previous day, really she had just been assessing what they were capable of. Today began the real work.

"Morning Gentlemen." She said, her back ramrod straight and eyes surveying the line-up. She had never been the traditional drill sergeant sort, shouting every single sentence. She gave direct orders and expected them to be obeyed, no yelling necessary. Wrex had never understood her insistence on it. He thought it hilarious that a woman infamous for blowing stuff up was so damn polite about it. She just found that if she was civil most of the time then everyone paid attention when she really did yell. That and she liked to keep people guessing.

"Ma'am!" They replied, giving her a barely synchronised salute.

"At ease." They relaxed into comfortable stances.

"I hope you were all paying attention yesterday." She began, walking the length of the line and looking them over. "Because you're going to be taking your rifles apart again." After that they'd be going through calisthenics and endurance training. If they worked at an acceptable level she might get them down to the firing range and go through correct technique. She did not hold much hope of that happening.

A groan went up, and she gave them a sharp look. They silenced instantly.

She didn't want to hear it. Yesterday's display was something she wasn't even ready to talk about yet. In the field your weapon was your best friend, you take care of it and it'll take care of you. That went for all of your equipment. Pristine condition was a requirement not a luxury. It wasn't as though it was all that hard either, she'd picked up one of their standard rifles the night before the previous session and spent some time going over the manual it came with, then tearing it down and finally practising at the firing range.

She told them they would be taking their rifles apart first thing in every training session with her, until they could do it in their sleep. Today she would expect it done in ten minutes. Those who exceeded the time would be doing it twice.

"Uh, no disrespect ma'am…" One at the end of the line said in a tone that didn't sound particularly genuine. "But this is a waste of time."

"Is that so?" she asked coldly, her hands loosely clasped behind her back.

"No one cares what us regulars can or can't do. And for those of us who make SOLDIER it won't matter if we know how to properly clean a gun."

"Is that what you're here for, Recruit?" she drawled. "To waste time in the regulars until someone promotes you to a job you find more amusing?" He shifted on his feet and didn't meet her eyes. Her voice grew more cutting. "Do you honestly expect the higher ups to be impressed by your lazy and disinterested approach to the task you've been assigned?"

"I… uh, no ma'am."

"I hope not, because I don't appreciate people wasting my time." She said sharply.

"Yes ma'am." He replied meekly, abandoning his point.

With them all in helmets and uniforms it was easy to forget that most of these were still just teenagers with no idea about how the world around them worked, let alone the military. All the SOLDIER worship just made it harder. It was down to her to show them the proper way.

"Recruits, do you imagine monsters will go easy on you just because you're wearing the trooper uniform? Do you expect to be granted mercy on the battlefield just because your eyes don't glow?" She asked of the group, pinning them with her eyes. "Or perhaps you're counting on a SOLDIER to show up and rescue you." She spat the last part scathingly. A few of them looked down in shame at that.

"You have each been given a weapon," she continued, walking down the line again. "You are being deployed into live combat zones where you are expected to hold your own. If you don't know how to fight with your own rifle, or you think it's beneath you to learn, then you won't survive long enough to get any promotions at all. I am here to teach you how to hold your own, how to fight like a unit, and how to excel as army regulars."

Some stood straighter and held their chins up high. Others slumped, their shoulders drooping in disappointment.

"If that's not glorious enough for you then I suggest you leave now because you're not soldier material, enhanced or otherwise." She said sharply. "Either pull your weight, or get out."

A few looked up at her in shock. Two glanced at the door.

She waited. Those were her terms, always had been. It didn't matter what you were or where you came from, all that mattered was whether or not you were prepared to do the work.

They all remained lined up before her. The two who had looked at the door squared their shoulders and stood firmly in line.

Excellent. She gave a sharp smile. It was time to get the real work done. They would be cursing her name for the months' worth of exhaustion and muscle cramps from here on out, but it would be worth it. She would whip these kids into an army to be proud of.

"You have your rifles and you know where the tables are. You have ten minutes. Any questions?"

One timidly raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Um… Did you really kill two Midgar Zoloms single handed?"

She suppressed a sigh. It had better be worth it.


A/N: Regarding the question I posed previously about romance: there won't be any pairings in the immediate future, I'm going to cover a lot of ground with this story so by the time I do get into any romance it won't consume the story, the main plot is still the main plot.

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you like, or not if you don't!

Next Time: enhancement, robots, and transhumanism.