I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.

Chapter 4

Tores found himself sitting on the floor and watched dazed as Talin leaned over Bastion to whisper something in his ear. A green glow emanated from the older Cadet's arms. What is that? What happened? Before he could turn to ask the others, Talin bolted from the room as it exploded in whispers. Callian was on his feet, "Talin!" he called out but he was gone.

"The hell was that?" Jasper said from his seat across the table. The dark-haired boy was as confused as the rest of them as they looked from one another for answers. The only one that didn't was Callian.

"Cal, the hell did we just see?" Dayton asked from next to his friend. All eyes fell to the blond and he just looked back to the doors where Talin had fled.

"I... I need to go after him," was all he said as he moved to follow.

"Wait. Tell us what's going on," Dayton urged again, gripping Cal's arm as he passed.

"Ya, seriously, Cal. What was that glowing thing Talin did?" Hank asked. As the shock wore of, Callian could see mild fear settle on the faces of some of the group. This wasn't going well. He needed to turn this around fast but he couldn't do it here where everyone could hear...

"C'mon, I'll tell you, but not here. We have to go after Talin, he needs us right now," He said and then muttered under his breath, "Probably scared out of his mind..."


Callian was wrong. Talin wasn't scared. He'd grown up with fear, had known its stomach-turning presence since a very young age. But this bone shaking panic was a new monster all together. One that he couldn't fight or run from.

He had attacked someone. That alone was punishable, but he had used Mako to amplify that attack in front of at least two hundred witnesses. The cat was out of the bag, there was no going back now. He had been so confident that he could keep it contained. How arrogant he had been. Mako was a force of nature. Why had he thought he could box it away? All that work, the forged papers, promises that he would keep it in check, months of planning, for what? For him to blow it only three days in!

He had run to one of the 23rd floor training rooms and hidden amongst the simulated mountain crags and cliffs. He wished he had a better place to hide but it was all he had unless he wanted to actually leave the building. Or should he? If he left now, he could lose himself into the deep shadows of Midgar before anyone started after him. Maybe he could get away before word of the odd, Mako powered Cadet reached the science department. Maybe...

The sound of the gym doors opening cut off his line of thought and he ducked further into the shadows of the spire he was behind.

"Talin?" A tentative voice called out.

"Cal?" Sure, there weren't many places that he could really go but he was surprised that his friend had found him so fast.

"Dude! Thank the Goddess! Where are you? You ok?" The relief in Callian's voice both soothed and pained him. What a position to put his supposed friend into. He had asked for his silence on the subject and then blew that secrecy to hell and back.

Taking a shaky breath, Talin stood from his hiding spot and moved to the cliff edge that looked towards the doors. "Here, and ya I'm...fine I guess..." He said with an expression that was everything but fine.

Callian moved to the base of the cliff, about twelve feet below. "That was one hell of a way to blow your cover," The blond said with a half-smile.

"Is Tores alright?"

"Oh ya, he's fine. Can't say the same for Bastion, but he sure won't mess with you again anytime soon. Dude looked freaked when they took him to medical, but he was walking ok on his own from what I saw," He paused for a second before asking, "You held back, didn't you?" Talin sat down on the cliff ledge and scrubbed both hands into his hair.

"I... I don't even remember getting up or charging him," He said with a slight crack in his voice. "I saw him grab Tores and then next thing I see is my fist aimed at Bastion's chest. All I could do was change it to a palm strike and cut as much force from the blow as possible." The anguish in his voice cut Callian deeply as he listened. "I didn't wanna hurt him but I wasn't about to let Tores take a beating for defending me." Talin almost whispered but his voice carried well enough in the open room.

"I don't know who I was trying to fool. A freak trying to become a SOLDIER. What a joke," He said with a disgusted sneer.

"You're not a freak, Talin!" Cal said firmly, "You're just different. You have a strength most could only dream of and you use it for the right reasons. You were a hunter to protect the people of your town, right? I'm betting you came here for similar reasons, didn't you?" The determination in Callian's eyes as he spoke broke through Talin's worry.

"I joined so I could help people. I don't want to hurt anyone..." He said looking away again.

"I know that, Talin." Cal said quietly.

"We all do," said another voice from the doorway. Talin jumped to his feet and saw his Unit huddled around the entrance. He hadn't noticed before that the doors didn't shut after Callian came in. They had been left open on purpose and the other Cadet's had heard everything. Michael had been the one to speak and now walked further into the room. Some came up with him without fear but still others were yet hesitant.

The instinct to run hit Talin hard, but there was nowhere to go and he dropped back down to sit on the ledge. Eyes meeting Callian's all he could do was ask, "Why?"

"Don't blame him, Talin. We pestered him till he was forced to let us come with," Chase said from a little behind Michael. Talin felt trapped but refused to let his instincts get the better of him for a second time that day.

"Just tell them what you told me," Callian encouraged. He was still at the base of the cliff but was now faced back towards the others almost like a guard.

"Please tell us something," Lox chuckled from near the back of the group, "Curiosity is killing me," He said with a slight smile.

"Seriously dude, tell us what it was you did back there." Cody was practically hiding behind Kyle as he spoke. Talin's stomach sunk further. Some of them were seriously freaked and he couldn't blame them. He dropped his gaze to his hands and took a shaky breath. Now or never. He thought.

Closing his eyes, he stretched his right arm out in front of himself and pulled on the Mako within. Several gasps were heard along with a quiet shuffle of feet. Opening now green eyes he looked around again. More fear but some faces also showed the same wonder of a small child playing with fire.

"Mako." He said quietly, looking at his outstretched hand before continuing. "After falling in the well, it wasn't just embedded in my skin, but all the way down to my cells. I learned that I could pull on it, use it to be faster, stronger." He dropped his arm and cut the Mako off, letting the glow fade away entirely.

"It's why you were a hunter so young..." Dayton said as he walked up to stand near Callian. He was watchful as he approached but not fearful. Talin nodded and could see the flinch from the group as his eyes shifted back to grey-blue from green.

"So, you were holding back in our match last night?" Michael looked more offended than anything and that pulled a small laugh from Talin.

"Ya... I don't like using it against people even in sparing. Today was..." He paused and looked up at Tores. " I didn't want you to get hurt because of me, Tores." He said and ran a hand through his hair. As fear was replaced by wary acceptance, the few hanging back moved closer.

"I didn't want you guys to find out this way. In fact, I would have preferred no one found out but..." He shrugged and scanned the faces of those around him. "So, what happens now?" Talin asked in a dull tone. Several looked from one to another of the group, unsure, before Jasper spoke up.

"I want a hot shower and to crash for the night," the dark-haired boy said. He had come from Junon with Milo and had the same fashion of speaking bluntly. "Don't know why we're making this such a big thing. He's Mako enhanced, so what? All SOLDIERs are. He's just a step ahead of us." Jaz threw his hands up in exasperation. "I, for one, think it's pretty awesome. Gives us someone to spar against who will be a real challenge. So long as you stop going easy on us," He said, looking up to lock eyes with Talin, a small grin forming on his face at the others hopeful expression.

"Jaz is right," Michael said in his low voice. "We all joined Shin-Ra to become SOLDIER and that means being enhanced. I don't see any problem, so long as you don't have another trick hiding up your sleeve?" The large boy said with a playful smile.

Talin couldn't help the laugh this time and held up his hands. "No sleeves to hide something, remember?"

The tension broke with a small bout of quiet laughter and chuckles. Zale, Brooks, and a few others looked like they were still a little uncomfortable, but relaxed a bit as the group made its way back to the barracks for the night.

Talin could understand the renewed hesitance to come in contact with his hands. For the most part, things went back to the way they had been earlier in the day. There was the odd look from one or another when he made a fast hand movement, but, hopefully, that too would soon pass.


When classes started the next day, Bastion the bully was not in attendance.

"Anyone know where Cadet Carter is?" Zack asked as he went down the attendance list. A smaller boy from Unit 23 stood.

"He's still in the medical ward, Sir." The boy sat but stood again when prompted as to why Bastion was in medical. "He was in an altercation last night at dinner, sir, and has been kept overnight to monitor for concussion." Several pairs of eyes turned to look in Talin's direction and whispers started that were easily picked up by Zack's enhanced hearing.

"What happened?"

"You didn't hear?"

"Bas learned not to pick on U28 is what happened..."

"Stupid bully got what he deserved."

Abruptly the chatter was cut off by the SOLDIER's authoritative voice, "That's enough." He scanned around the room and took note of several near smug looks from the U28 group before continuing. "Ok, let's get into today's lesson..." It was the last thing on the man's mind but he focused on the class till the chime tolled, releasing the cadets to their next class and Zack to investigate.

He had heard in passing about a scuffle in the cadet mess hall last night but hadn't thought anything of it. Quickly moving down to the cafeteria floor, he went to the security room. It held recordings for 36 hours before deleting them so he was able to bring up video from last night no problem. Four different angles played across the screen as he watched in five times speed till a light flashed and he backed it up. Hitting play, he watched at normal speed.

Bastion stood and yanked one of the U28 kids from the table and hauled back to punch him...then was gone in a flash of green light. Another view showed him sprawled on the floor by a wall yards away with Talin standing over him...glowing arms held stiffly at his sides. Zack backed up the tapes and slowed them down, trying to catching what he missed before. This time in .25 times playback, he watched Talin closely and saw the instant flash of green that flooded over his arms and eyes.

Shaking his head slightly in disbelief, Zack copied the video files onto an external drive he carried and then deleted the originals.

Walking back down to his lecture hall, he pulled his phone from his pocket to make a call. It was answered on the first ring.

"Yes?"

"I need to show you something after classes tonight," He said, entering the classroom and closing the door behind himself.

"What is it?" The smooth voice asked.

Zack chuckled before responding, "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya."