Chapter 1 - Suits and Labcoats
The loud bangs from the rifle echoed incessantly across the shooting alley accompanied only by the soft tinkling of empty cartridges cascading to the floor.
"He has the devil's aim." muttered an amused Tseng who watched enraptured.
Beside him, rude merely nodded.
Te two Turks stood side by side like living statues. Young men of about 20, broad shouldered and tall with a gaze that could unnerve the bravest man. Mako-eyed gods in business suits. These were the first. The true Turks, Tseng would say. And not without reason. Now the force was growing, but there was a time when it was only him and Rude. He smiled to himself behind the thick glass of the shooting alley. They had been nothing but boys. Tseng himself was merely 17 when the Turks were created, and yet they stood proud.
"Excuse me, sir." the eastern accent was strong and evident in the boy's voice, his short black hair combed neatly to the side and equally neatly trimed. "but we are here.. with a proposition."
"Proposition?" snarled the large cadet. Captain of the 42nd Division, distinguished combatant defending midgar several times during invasion and a ruffian at heart.
"Yes. I am Tseng, of the Turks. We come on behalf of the President. Bearing in mind your.. abilities, we are honored to invite you to join special forces team SOLDIER. I assume you will acc-"
"SOLDIER my ass!" growled the Captain. "Why, so I can be your little labrat and have you pump me full of god knows what to do your dirty business??"
The young Tseng raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Think I don't know about you..?? My brother joined SOLDIER three years ago. Where the hell is he now? Huh? Can you tell me that? Dead or crammed in a test tube somewhere, that's where. While we're out there sweatin' our ass out to save Midgar where's SOLDIER..? Off on some classified mission? No, don't give me that! And you..."
Tseng waited politely for the outburst to end.
"You Turks ain't nothing but kids running errands for the President. If you knew the first thing about combat you wouldn't be standing in that suit in the first place. You'd be protecting our borders, that's where you'd be. So you can take your 'proposition' and cram it up your wutai a-- "
He was on the ground with a loud crash and Tseng standing menaceingly over him before he could finish that. The young Turk smiled.
"If you knew the first thing about combat.. you wouldn't insult a Turk." His foot was on the captain's neck, ready to break it at the slightest flinch. "now this is how a Turk proposition works. We propose, you accept, nobody get's hurt. We propose, you deny.. snap goes your neck. Shall we try again..?"
"Tseng, that's enough! SOLDIER has no openings for broken vertebra or traumatized minds. Let him go."
Ah, how he resented that cursed SOLDIER commander. On that day he had proven himself superior. Superior to SOLDIER. He sighed patiently as he watched Vincent empty his last rounds. To think that the great Turks were destined to use all their skill in scouting out fools playing at being heroes.
The last empty cartridge tinled lightly on the floor and the newest Turk took off his mufflers.
"Not bad, Valentine, not bad.." spoke Tseng finally, breaking the deafening silence which had descended after all the shots. He whipped his bangs out of his eyes characterstically.
"Not bad?? Tee, come ON, that was perfect! Look at it, 30/30!"
Tseng lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
"Tee..?"
The statue-like Rude smiled and the trio started making their way out of the shooting alley.
"Heh, anyway, the point is: Let me go with you. You know I'm just as good as any turk around!" begged Vincent.
"Valentine, do you know what kind of mission this is..? It is _not_ a regular Turk assignment. There shall be no SOLDIER candidates where we're going."
"I know, I know. Nibelheim. Classified. But that's what you always said we should be doing, right? That's what the Turks should be, isn't it..? I'm with you, just let me prove myself. Let me show you that I'm a real Turk."
Tseng stopped and sighed.
"I'll ask the president."
* * *
Vincent couldn't start pacing around the ShinRa lobby, his perfect Turk shoes clicking loudly against the polished marble floor. He was biting his nails nervously, his crimson eyes darting here and there, his eyebrows in constant frown. This was it. Not only would it be a field mission, but it would be a _major_ field mission. Classified. not even Heidegger and the others new about it. This.. was Turk business. Tseng should be down any minute with the answer. Any minute now..
"Settle down, Turk." came a cold metallic voice.
Sitting on one of the large leather couches - which the lobby was very famous for - was a young long-haired man. Scientist. His lab coat gave that away easily enough. His black hair was tied in a ponytail just below his shoulders, noted Vincent. He always wanted to grow his hair long, shame the Turk dress code didn't allow it, but he knew Tseng was planning to change that soon enough.
"I can't settle down.." answererd the Turk nervously. "I'm waiting for someone. For some news.. about this assignment, you see..?"
"Ah." noted the man curtly. He was probably about Vincent's age, but he acted as if he were some sort of ancestral wise being - all knowing and all commanding.
Silence.
"First day on the job..?" asked the scientist at last.
"Wha..? No. I've been a Turk for a while already."
"Doesn't look like it." was his acid reply.
Vincent stopped and narrowed his eyes at him. The man was beginning to annoy him.
"Well, who are _you_ anyway? Haven't seen you around either." he snapped.
"Of course not. My name is Hojo, I am a special envoy from Junon, to meet here in Midgar with Tseng. One of the real Turks." he replied, adding a special emphasis on the last part.
Vincent's eyes inflamed. How dare he?? He glared silently at the man, his teeth clenched tightly together, and the look of a tiger about to pounce on his prey.
Silence. Hojo merely stared back at the Turk, as if challenging him to do so.
Finally the tension was broken by the noise of the elevator arriving and the doors opening. Tseng stepped out.
"Professor Hojo." they shook hands. "And Valentine. Good. You're both here. To the 68th floor, gentlemen, if you please." He announced, ushering them into the elevator.
The loud bangs from the rifle echoed incessantly across the shooting alley accompanied only by the soft tinkling of empty cartridges cascading to the floor.
"He has the devil's aim." muttered an amused Tseng who watched enraptured.
Beside him, rude merely nodded.
Te two Turks stood side by side like living statues. Young men of about 20, broad shouldered and tall with a gaze that could unnerve the bravest man. Mako-eyed gods in business suits. These were the first. The true Turks, Tseng would say. And not without reason. Now the force was growing, but there was a time when it was only him and Rude. He smiled to himself behind the thick glass of the shooting alley. They had been nothing but boys. Tseng himself was merely 17 when the Turks were created, and yet they stood proud.
"Excuse me, sir." the eastern accent was strong and evident in the boy's voice, his short black hair combed neatly to the side and equally neatly trimed. "but we are here.. with a proposition."
"Proposition?" snarled the large cadet. Captain of the 42nd Division, distinguished combatant defending midgar several times during invasion and a ruffian at heart.
"Yes. I am Tseng, of the Turks. We come on behalf of the President. Bearing in mind your.. abilities, we are honored to invite you to join special forces team SOLDIER. I assume you will acc-"
"SOLDIER my ass!" growled the Captain. "Why, so I can be your little labrat and have you pump me full of god knows what to do your dirty business??"
The young Tseng raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Think I don't know about you..?? My brother joined SOLDIER three years ago. Where the hell is he now? Huh? Can you tell me that? Dead or crammed in a test tube somewhere, that's where. While we're out there sweatin' our ass out to save Midgar where's SOLDIER..? Off on some classified mission? No, don't give me that! And you..."
Tseng waited politely for the outburst to end.
"You Turks ain't nothing but kids running errands for the President. If you knew the first thing about combat you wouldn't be standing in that suit in the first place. You'd be protecting our borders, that's where you'd be. So you can take your 'proposition' and cram it up your wutai a-- "
He was on the ground with a loud crash and Tseng standing menaceingly over him before he could finish that. The young Turk smiled.
"If you knew the first thing about combat.. you wouldn't insult a Turk." His foot was on the captain's neck, ready to break it at the slightest flinch. "now this is how a Turk proposition works. We propose, you accept, nobody get's hurt. We propose, you deny.. snap goes your neck. Shall we try again..?"
"Tseng, that's enough! SOLDIER has no openings for broken vertebra or traumatized minds. Let him go."
Ah, how he resented that cursed SOLDIER commander. On that day he had proven himself superior. Superior to SOLDIER. He sighed patiently as he watched Vincent empty his last rounds. To think that the great Turks were destined to use all their skill in scouting out fools playing at being heroes.
The last empty cartridge tinled lightly on the floor and the newest Turk took off his mufflers.
"Not bad, Valentine, not bad.." spoke Tseng finally, breaking the deafening silence which had descended after all the shots. He whipped his bangs out of his eyes characterstically.
"Not bad?? Tee, come ON, that was perfect! Look at it, 30/30!"
Tseng lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
"Tee..?"
The statue-like Rude smiled and the trio started making their way out of the shooting alley.
"Heh, anyway, the point is: Let me go with you. You know I'm just as good as any turk around!" begged Vincent.
"Valentine, do you know what kind of mission this is..? It is _not_ a regular Turk assignment. There shall be no SOLDIER candidates where we're going."
"I know, I know. Nibelheim. Classified. But that's what you always said we should be doing, right? That's what the Turks should be, isn't it..? I'm with you, just let me prove myself. Let me show you that I'm a real Turk."
Tseng stopped and sighed.
"I'll ask the president."
* * *
Vincent couldn't start pacing around the ShinRa lobby, his perfect Turk shoes clicking loudly against the polished marble floor. He was biting his nails nervously, his crimson eyes darting here and there, his eyebrows in constant frown. This was it. Not only would it be a field mission, but it would be a _major_ field mission. Classified. not even Heidegger and the others new about it. This.. was Turk business. Tseng should be down any minute with the answer. Any minute now..
"Settle down, Turk." came a cold metallic voice.
Sitting on one of the large leather couches - which the lobby was very famous for - was a young long-haired man. Scientist. His lab coat gave that away easily enough. His black hair was tied in a ponytail just below his shoulders, noted Vincent. He always wanted to grow his hair long, shame the Turk dress code didn't allow it, but he knew Tseng was planning to change that soon enough.
"I can't settle down.." answererd the Turk nervously. "I'm waiting for someone. For some news.. about this assignment, you see..?"
"Ah." noted the man curtly. He was probably about Vincent's age, but he acted as if he were some sort of ancestral wise being - all knowing and all commanding.
Silence.
"First day on the job..?" asked the scientist at last.
"Wha..? No. I've been a Turk for a while already."
"Doesn't look like it." was his acid reply.
Vincent stopped and narrowed his eyes at him. The man was beginning to annoy him.
"Well, who are _you_ anyway? Haven't seen you around either." he snapped.
"Of course not. My name is Hojo, I am a special envoy from Junon, to meet here in Midgar with Tseng. One of the real Turks." he replied, adding a special emphasis on the last part.
Vincent's eyes inflamed. How dare he?? He glared silently at the man, his teeth clenched tightly together, and the look of a tiger about to pounce on his prey.
Silence. Hojo merely stared back at the Turk, as if challenging him to do so.
Finally the tension was broken by the noise of the elevator arriving and the doors opening. Tseng stepped out.
"Professor Hojo." they shook hands. "And Valentine. Good. You're both here. To the 68th floor, gentlemen, if you please." He announced, ushering them into the elevator.