Note: Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to put these any longer, but you've left me no choice. Not a single one of you has picked a character and responded in character like I asked. After this chapter it's going to get impossible for me to write the chapters if you don't respond in character... Come on guys... Humor me... Please...

Sephiroth, huh? So that's who you think is summoning me? I suppose it would make sense to think that way. After all, you do know that Zack was good friends with the General.

But you're wrong.

Believe me, I was surprised as well when Zack threw open that office door in order to reveal Tseng waiting on the other side.

The Turks were the things of legends or, as it seems now, nightmares.

As I've said before, Sephiroth was someone I knew of, but not someone I cared much about. Tseng was a totally different matter. Everyone knew that when the Turks showed up, trouble wasn't far behind.

I was afraid of the Turks back then, as I should have been. It didn't take a rocket scientist to point out that messing with the Turks was probably the last thing you would ever do, and if you were dumb enough to piss off one, then you'd just managed to piss off all the others at the same time. They were a loyal bunch with long term memories.

And I couldn't help but feel as though I was about to make Tseng very, very angry.

"Cloud Strife?" I nodded slowly not relaxing for even the slightest second. "And I'm sure you remember me, Mr. Charon."

Zack grinned and gave a small wave, but I knew him well enough to see that he was strung tighter than a wire on a spring trap. If pushed, the wire would break, releasing the full force of his pent up unease.

I found myself praying that Zack was on my side.

Tseng stood and walked over to a file cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out two manilla file folders. "Here I have two files. One, Mr. Charon, is yours. The other, Mr. Strife, is your. Now, I can do one of two things with these precious documents."

"I can take this rubber stamp," He held up said stamp, the raised letters turned so we could easily read them. 'TURKS.' He lowered the stamp back onto the desk. "and mark on your files that you belong to the organization within our humble company that makes certain everyone stays safe. You'd never be able to become a SOLDIER, but you wouldn't need to. The Turks are the top of the ladder here, my boys. You don't go much higher than us."

"Of course." He picked up a different stamp. "I couldl always do this." He phantomimed stamping one of the files witht he new stamp. "Mr. Strife. You haven't had the best training record here, have you? I know someone training within our ranks you would get along very well with. I see potential in the both of you."

"As for you, Mr. Charon." He tossed the stamp in the air and caught it easily. Gods how I wanted to know what it read. "This stamp cannot be used on you, and you know it. You're far too important to this company, no matter where you end up, but that won't stop me from using it on your dear friend's file. But we've discussed this at length already.

Zack nodded grimly as Tseng finally tilted the stamp so I could read its raised lettering.

'TERMINATED.'

I felt faint. I knew what he was getting at now. Either I joined the Turks, or I coulld consider myself expelled from the company all together. Hell, I was probably going to be terminated anyway. Tseng had made it perfectly clear: Zack had tocome as well.

What kind of person would give up their dream to help a lowly liar when they could use their own importance to ensure a place in the ranks of SOLDIER?

Zack would, apparentally.

"I see you've left me no choice." A smirk crept across his face. "I'll do whatever Cloud deems appropriate."

That did it. Any more shocks and I was going to say 'Screw pride' and faint dead away. I suppose that's what I got for underestimating Zack once again. You'd think that I would stop doing that after awhile.

My mind wass racing off down several different paths. I could accept and prevent Zack from achieving his one goal in life, or I could screw over any chance I ever had of receiving a job within ShinRa and end up alone on the street.

Maybe Zack knew the name of a good church I could spend the night in.

"No." Tseng's eyes widened. Something told me that he was rarely denied something he wanted. "I couldn't do that to a friend. I don't care what the circumstances are."

Silence descended on the room like a heavy cloak. I don't think the even Zack had expected me to turn down the opportunity of my lifetime in order to protect him of all people. I'll freely admit that I'd never really projected the image that I cared about him.

I'd projected a lot of things that weren't true back then.

Suddenly Tseng began to clap."You were right, Mr. Charon. He's stubborn as a mule with a sense of loyalty the likes of which I have never seen in all my days."

Zack began laughing and patting me on back. I was stunned into silence. "See. He'll be a real asset to any division, but I want him in yours simply because there are many people I don't trust and none of them are in the Turks."

"Um." I'd found my previously missing voice. "Can I have a say in this?"

They both looked at me strangely, but Tseng nodded that I was allowed to continue. Very nice of him him to give me a say in my own life.

"Will someone explain exactly what is going on around here? Preferably Zack."

Another long silence, and then Zack began speak.

"Well, I was sitting around in the dorm one day when I chose to skip class, when what do I hear but someone trying override the door combination.

"I, naturally, hid. I wanted to know who would want to sneak into a lowly cadet's dorm. It was Tseng and he was loooking into a claim that you were accepted into ShinRa under false pretenses. Someone had felt threatened by your sudden improvements, got suspicious about your, well, your less than mature bady features, and ratted out to Tseng that something wasn't quite right about you."

"He has been taken care of, by the way." Tseng interjected. "If there's one thing I despise among the ranks of grown men, it's a rat."

I held up a hand to stop either one of them from going on. I had to think about what had been said for a moment.

A couple of mintes later and I gave Zack the signal to continue.

"So Tseng was rifling around in your bafs looking for anything that would point to you being anything other than what you claimed to be. I confronted him, and, after a lot of threatening and bribing on both parts, we came to an agreement.

"He wouldn't tell anyone that you were sixteen and I would make sure that you were ready for the Turk training program by the end of the month. This..." He made a broad gesture. "was just another test."

"You passed by the way." Tseng pointed out.

"Okay." I said weakly. "So what does this mean for me?"

"You are now officially a Turk-in-training." Tseng offered. "If you want to be, that is."

He tossed me the first stamp, the one that said 'TURKS'. I stared blankly at it for a moment. "The ink pad's on the desk," He put one of the files down. "as is your file. Do what you want with it."

He then left the room.

I looked at Zack and then at the stamp. I could vaguely hear Zack fidgeting in the background, but there was one more question to ask.

"Why do you want me to be a Turk so badly?"

He stopped fidgeting. "There are a lot of reasons..."

"Give me one."

"Look, Cloud. You and I both know that you aren't going to go anywhere in SOLDIER. You told me so yourself." He sighed. "You are too young to keep up with the rest of us."

"And yet Tseng would take a failure like me into his precious Turks?"

He held up a hand. "Before you start going on about how you've failed everything you've every tried and how ShinRa would have to be braindead to give you a spot any higher than a grunt, let me talk. I've heard this speech before, anyway."

And it was true. He had heard my speech before, many times as a matter of fact. He knew what I was thinking, better than myself at times. It was kind of creepy really.

"You're not a failure. Teng and I agree on one point. You're undertrained. You are outmatched and way undertrained. Some of these eighteen year olds have been here since they were fifteen. You can't compete against that. Not in a million years, though you have been doing exceptional all things considered. But you knew this when you signed up. You swallowed your doubts and fears and chose to trust yourself. Not many guys your age could do that and you know it. Tseng's trying to give you the chance to train with someone your age for once. See how you fare. See if you courage was only just a passing flare."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. So this was what Zack really and truly though about me. I was flattered.

Nevermind that I knew I was undeserving of the praise. It had been an act of desperation that had brought me to this point, not courage.

And fear was why I had stayed.

But maybe he had a small point. Courage had caused me to put everything on the line for him. Courage and a tinge of momentary insanity.

"Fine." I slowly made my way to the abandoned desk. I could feel Zack's eyes following my every move. "Fine."

"Fine, what?" He asked hesitantly.

I picked up one of the stamps and pushed it against the spongy ink pad, watching as the red ink rose up around the rubber, only to be soaked in again by the sponge. I lifted the stamp and slowly placed it on my file, pushing down hard in order to make a clear imprint.

"I'll do it."