Whoo! Chapter 5. I'm so happy to see so many people reading this story and really hope you all are enjoying it so far.
Marken: Thank you so much for your reviews. It really means a lot to me and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and my characters. There will be more familiar ones in this chapter as well. ;)
A huge thank you again to my amazing Beta Readers Pixie, Kiza, and Discord for all they do to keep this story going and preventing dumb mistakes on my part.
As always, I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.
Chapter 5
Unit 28 entered the training room the next morning with different emotions. Some, like Talin, were excited, others were almost shaking from nerves. All had gotten ready that morning with much talk about training with Commander Fair. Ones like Hank told stories about him with reverence but for every story of bravery, there was one of his numerous pranks from Brooks. Both having lived in Midgar all their lives had offered a unique view of SOLDIERs and plenty of gossip about the youngest 1st.
Most had heard of Commander Fair only as the young prodigy of Commander Hewley who had made SOLDIER 1st Class at just seventeen. Talin had been amused to learn that Zack was also known for his bouncy, unpredictable nature and his many escapades and pranks. What was really shocking was to realize that they were almost the same age. Zack was nineteen, almost twenty, and Talin would be nineteen in a few weeks.
As the training room filled up with the rest of the units, Zack arrived and scanned around till he found U28. He kept his eyes moving so as not to single out any one group but he would need to talk with Talin at some point today.
"Ok cadets, go grab out the sparing mats and warm-up for now. We'll be breaking into pairs for one on one matches after that. Remember to take it easy, this isn't a competition. I'll be making rounds and breaking into your matches to partner as many as I can today to get a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who I can't get to today I'll work with tomorrow."
Chase claimed Talin as his partner before the others could. Together, they grabbed a mat and set up in one corner of the room.
"So, you going easy on me today, or do I get to see some of that magic of yours?" He said with a laugh as they stretched. Talin scoffed at that and laughed.
"It's not magic, more... like raw power..." He trailed off. It had always been hard to describe what if felt like to pull and use the Mako. Chase just laughed at his attempt to explain.
"I'm just messin', man. C'mon, I want to try another throw that I was working on." They stood and went to opposite sides of the mat before getting into a ready stance. As Talin getting into position, he happened to look over Chase's shoulder. Bastion was halfway across the room with his partner but his focus was fixed on him.
Fear, anger, and venomous hate all raced over his face as their eyes met. Talin's eyes hardened and a dark expression overtook his face, effectively shaking Bastion's bravado. Satisfied when the other looked away first, Talin relaxed and looked back at Chase who had stepped aside and been watching the silent exchange.
"Ha! I'm surprised he didn't piss himself after what you did to him," Talin was taken aback at that comment, but he quickly went on. "That guys no good, T. Tores was telling us about him last night a bit. Serious bully who deserved what you did to him. 'Bout time he was taken down a peg from what I heard. Anyways, I'm your opponent today, and I won't be taken by surprise," The bleach blond said as he fell into a fighting crouch.
Their match was rather one-sided, with Chase attacking while Talin dodged or countered. The end result was Talin finding an opening and taking the other Cadet to the floor in an instant. Quiet clapping drew Talin's attention as he helped Chase back to his feet. Commander Fair was walking over to them. "Good match. Cadet Raker, you need to work on your guard. I saw several other places Cadet Graft could have hit you. For now, I need to steal your partner for a moment." He said with a kind smile to Chase before turning back to the redhead.
Confused, Talin followed as Zack moved to an unoccupied area of the training room. Far enough away to not be overheard but near enough to keep an eye on the other cadets.
"So, I heard there was a disturbance in the mess hall yesterday..."
Stomach rolling at that simple statement, he nodded but didn't offer any excuses. Even if he was defending Tores, he had still attacked another Cadet. He looked up at his Commander and Talin found himself off balance looking into the blue eyes of the SOLDIER. This close, the Mako in them let off a glow, much like his arms did. But the thing that threw him was the movement. The green shifted and swirled in Zack's eyes ever so slowly, it was hypnotizing.
Zack mistook Talin's distraction as hesitation and smirked gently again.
"Don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I looked over the tape and I know you were defending your friend." His posture shifted slightly and Talin saw the happy, almost playful look change to one of serious focus and calculation. "What I'm more curious about is what else I saw on that tape... care to explain?" His tone had dropped to a quiet, encouraging one, but still held that touch of authority. Talin looked away from those glowing eyes.
Even though his back was to a wide-open room, Talin felt trapped. How he wished he had just kept himself in check! There was no helping it. He had decided to stop running from this and now was his time to start taking control of his life again.
Zack stood still and watched a range of emotion flood over the Cadet and was glad that he hadn't bolted out of the room like he feared he might. A forced calm finally settled onto Talin's face as he looked at the 1st again.
"I told you before about an accident that left me with the Mako coloring in my arms?" Zack nodded as he continued. "I fell into a Mako well when I was six... It left more than just the odd coloring. It left traces of Mako in my system and, with focus, I can use that remnant Mako..." He looked away again but kept his downcast eyes on the boots in front of him. This could go one of a few ways and he was determined not to be caught off guard. That quiet, authoritative voice hadn't changed when Zack responded.
"So, what I saw was you using that remnant Mako?" Talin just nodded and then jolted his gaze up when Zack dropped his arms to his sides and took a step forward. Zack froze. He could see the wary look in the Cadet's eyes but he also saw a flash of green. Slowly, he stepped back again. This guy was on serious defensive mode, he would have to go slow for now.
"I'd like to see that in action if you can do it at will," He said gently and smiled when Talin nodded. They moved to an empty mat nearby and Zack took a pose with both hands cupped together, making a target.
"Let me see what I'm workin' with. Use a little juice and hit me." The 1st said. Talin hesitated, and then pulled the smallest amount of Mako he could and threw a punch. Zack easily deflected the blow and shifted his hands to a new location, encouraging the Cadet to strike again. After a few hits, Zack spoke up.
"C'mon, that feels like nothing. You can hit harder than that." The flash of challenge in Zack's eyes was met with a harder hit and the smallest glow to Talin's arms. Others nearby had stopped training and were just watching as Talin sped up and hit harder when Zack kept urging him on.
The 1st watched as the glow increased and almost missed a block when the Cadet's eyes bled into a crystal green color that he had only seen on one other person. Pulling his mind back into the training, the SOLDIER encouraged Talin again to hit harder and faster. It was impressive, the amount of strength in those blows. For someone who hadn't had the Mako infusions, it was really impressive.
"Good! Those feel like some real enhanced strikes!" Zack said smiling and shaking out his hands after the most recent combination. It was only at that moment that Talin realized they were being watched by most of the room and cut off the Mako flow harshly.
The Commander watched in silent awe as those bright green eyes melted back to grey-blue and the glow disappeared in his arms from one breath to the next. Cadet Graft was impressive, but had his flaws. Upon first inspection, one might think it was shyness that caused him to shut down, but Zack knew better. The stiff posture, defiant flare in his eyes, and controlled breathing were all signs, not of shyness, but of a person ready to fight. Talin wasn't shy, he was afraid. But of what?
Zack looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost time to release this class. Wanting to speak with Talin a bit more, he turned to the others and said, "Ok guys, great work today. I will get to the rest of you tomorrow for assessment. For now, go ahead and get changed for your next class."
Unit 28 stepped up around Talin and Zack was a little taken aback at their closing ranks around their unit mate. "Cadet Graft, I would like a word before you head out," Zack said quickly. Some of the Unit left to the locker room but the rest hung back near the door to wait and, again, Zack's curiosity was piqued at the show of support.
"I won't keep you long," He said looking over Talin's shoulder to the other cadets. "I just wanted to let you know that, as far as I know, Cadet Carter hasn't made any formal complaint regarding the incident in the cafeteria. That being said, I doubt I need to remind you to keep yourself in better control." The words were spoken quietly, both warning and reassurance.
Nodding Talin said, "Thank you, Sir. I will be more careful."
"One last thing," Zack said before he turned away. "Our match today wasn't a real assessment, so I will partner you tomorrow when I'm done with the other students. Do you feel comfortable sparring with your Unit till then?" Their eyes met and Talin tried to not get distracted again by the flowing swirl of Mako.
"Yes. My unit is willing to spar with me and I never use Mako in our matches." Not wanting to keep him longer, Zack nodded and released the Cadet to the care of the group waiting for him. He watched as they left and noted the fact that the others practically hid Talin from view as he rejoined them. How interesting...
The rest of Talin's classes went by normally, other than the talk about his session with Commander Fair. When he told them that he would be back with him the next day some about choked.
"Again?" Hank asked as they finished up dinner.
"Ya, he said today didn't count as an assessment. Makes sense to me, since we didn't really spar," Talin replied tiredly. He wanted nothing more than to go practice a bit and then crash for the night. The group started chatting about their different sparing sessions with the 1st and Talin let his mind drift before eventually standing up.
"I'm going to the training rooms, anyone want to come with?" He had played with the thought of inviting the others all day and finally said screw it. He needed to expend energy and since now they knew, why not. A few agreed and before long they had changed into workout clothes and were up in one of the free rooms.
Callian and Dayton had picked up practice swords and were drilling in a corner while some others had broken off to do more hand-to-hand practice in preparation for tomorrow's class.
Talin worked his way to an unclaimed corner, removing his shoes before starting a round of shadowboxing. He didn't need to use much Mako after the day's events so he only pulled lightly on the reserve. Twenty minutes in, he caught the sound of someone approaching and turned to find Anders walking up with a few hand target pads.
"Want to hit something real for a bit?" He said with a grin that widened as Talin nodded. It was much like his round with Zack but he found himself holding back again. Even with the hand mats, Talin couldn't shake the fear of hurting his friend.
A few minutes later Anders surprised him by lashing out with his padded hand. Dodging quickly, Talin laughed and they fell into a new random set of strike, block, dodge, and strike again. Anders changed up the pattern over and over again to give more challenge and they both had stupid grins on their faces long before they called it quits.
Sweaty and tired, the group packed up to head back for showers and bed.
While Talin was settling down with his Unit for the night, a small group was meeting in the upper floors of the tower.
"Ok, Zack. What is it that you dragged us in here for?" Director Lazard asked from the comfortable seat behind his desk. The older man was tired from a long day of paperwork and meetings about new assignments for SOLDIERs. Running a hand through his gold blond hair, he fought a yawn. It was obviously important if Angeal had vouched for Zack, but what could be important enough to involve not only himself but the General as well?
Zack fiddled with the computer, slotting in a memory stick and bringing up a video. "Trust me, Director, you want to see this," The young SOLDER said as he finally got everything set up. He had been pushing for them to see this all day via text and finally pestered them into it just an hour ago. Angeal had put in his own guarantee and that had tipped the scales in their favor.
The stoic older 1st was leaning against the wall by the door and smiled indulgently at the eager look on Zack's face. He himself was curious to see what the response of the two seated around the meeting table would be. His own had been a mix of shock and curiosity after seeing the short clip and even more interest after watching the playback of Zack's session with the Cadet from this morning. The boy was promising, but even more pressing was the concern for such a powerful cadet to be among the general population. If he didn't have control of his strength, things could get bad fast.
Sephiroth said nothing as they waited. He was relaxed enough with them all to stretch his legs out under the desk and lean back casually in his chair but his focus was still sharp as Zack started speaking.
"Ok, so, as you know, I have been working with the cadets in hand-to-hand this quarter." There were nods from his small audience and he continued. "Well, Tuesday night there was a small scuffle in the mess hall between two of my cadets. This is that video."
Lazard sighed," You are more than capable of handing out discipline, Zack..."
"No, it isn't that... oh, just watch," the spiky-haired 1st said and hit play.
The video played at normal speed and showed the four different angles as Cadet Carter stood and grabbed the boy from U28. Zack had seen the video many times and now focused on watching the reactions of the others instead. At the flash of green light from the video, he saw both straighten.
The General's hands beat Lazard's to the keyboard and backed up the video to play in slow motion. Their interest gratified Zack and he smirked over at Angeal, who shook his head with a small smile on his face.
"Zack, what are we seeing here? Is that a Mako glow? And what about his arms? Why are they that color?" The director asked as he watched the clip again.
"Yup, and before you ask, yes, he is a Cadet, and no, he hasn't had any Mako enhancement as we know it. I will explain more in a second." He moved over and took the keyboard from the silver General to pull up the match from that morning.
"This is from a session I had this morning with him." Hitting play, they all watched and saw the brightening glow of Mako over the boy's eyes and arms. If Zack didn't know Sephiroth so well, he would have read the expression on his face as anger but it was just extreme focus. As the older SOLDIER sat forward, that long silver hair shifted over his shoulder and Zack had the urge to go play with it. He had always had a weakness for that silky hair but resisted and returned his eyes to the playback.
Towards the end, Zack turned back to watch the others again and saw them fidget at the part where Talin's eyes changed color.
"Explain," Was all Sephiroth said as he looked over to Zack.
"Yes, please do explain this, Zack. How can he do this as just an unenhanced Cadet?" Lazard asked as he started the training session video again.
"Well, I don't know the full story but he says that when he was little, he fell into a Mako well and he came out marked like that and with some kind of remnant Mako in his system he could control." The doubt was obvious in their eyes as he spoke but he kept going before either could speak. "I didn't get the sense that he was lying about any of it. How he survived such a fall is a real question, but other than that, his strength is proof of his other claim. He can control the power in his strikes and speed for sure. I don't know his upper limits yet, but I'm sparing with him tomorrow, too, so you can come see then if you want." Angeal stepped forward at this point to stand next to Zack.
"I will be going for certain, but I think you should come as well Sephiroth." It was lost on no one the similarity of eye color when the Cadet used Mako to the General's.
"Why? If you're so interested in him, why don't you take him as a trainee?" The silver General asked as he leaned back in his chair again.
"I am already working with most of the 2nd class these days. I don't have the time for a new dedicated student," Angeal said as he watched his friend carefully. He could tell that the man was interested but convincing Sephiroth of anything against his will was impossible. "Why don't you come with tomorrow and make your judgments then. I know you have a clear schedule, so don't even try saying you're busy," A small smirk appeared on his face as the General rose and flippantly said he would think about it as he walked out.
Zack couldn't hide his grin as he bounced over to Angeal. "He'll be there. He may pretend, but he couldn't take his eyes off the guy either." Lazard laughed at that and also stood.
"Well, I am just glad that for once we have a promising student instead of a troublesome one. Speaking of, what happened with the other Cadet from the mess hall?" The Director asked and Zack couldn't help a giggle thinking back on the silent confrontation that morning between the two.
"Oh, he won't be a problem. Cadet Graft scared the living hell out of him, I think, but that's all. I haven't heard of a complaint even being filed from the incident." Zack said with a small chuckle.
In general, Angeal didn't agree with the cadets fighting, but it was obviously in defense of another student, so he was willing to look the other way this time. If Cadet Carter had filed a report, that would be another story.
Lazard sighed and nodded before heading towards the door. "Well, whatever happens tomorrow, please be sure to keep me updated on Cadet Graft. That boy will need to be monitored regardless. Shin-Ra won't allow valuable assets to be out of their control for long..."
