Author's Note: I'M BACK! OMG, it was so hard to put this story down for two full months but, as I promised, I am back to finish what I started! So much has happened in the last 60+ days, but a great deal of it was spent writing both for my professional work and for this story and I feel like I finally have my edge back.
Let's keep going and, for the love of the Goddess, let me know what you think of the story so far. I LOVE to write, but I love having feedback just as much and would really enjoy hearing from some of you on what you enjoy, what you hate, and your favorite parts of the tale so far.
Markin: I've missed seeing your weekly reviews so much! I hope you come back to finish this story and I have my fingers crossed that I will spot a new review from you as I resume my weekly postings.
Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.
I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.
Enjoy and please R&R.
Chapter 51
Turbulence rocked the aircraft and Talin blinked awake once more where he sat strapped into his seat. The one next to him was empty, its occupant having left while he slept, and the teen wondered where the man could have gone to. The plane wasn't large, having only a few sections accessible from within the structure, but a glance through the windowed door leading to the next compartment showed it was also empty. With a resigned sigh, he let his head fall back against the seat and tried to get comfortable once more.
They'd been flying for hours and, as the Cadet checked his phone, he saw that they still had about two more to go. The smaller craft that had brought them to the other continent, had made the scheduled stop in Costa Del Sol and they were now on the last leg of the trip to the Satskin Reactor site. Unfortunately, they were running late.
The large cargo plane, that should've been ready to go upon their arrival, had still been loading the needed resources to repair the facility. A delay with the large forklifts or something, but it had left them sitting for hours while everything was hauled aboard and strapped down for transport. Had they been on schedule, it would have been bright enough to do the initial evaluation and maybe a short run out to look for traces, but now it was full dark, and all that would have to wait for morning.
Talin had hoped to be able to finish this mission with only one night spent so close to his old home, but it looked like it would be at least two now. If they were really unlucky, three or four nights could pass before they tracked down their quarry and neutralized the threat it posed to the reactor and its inhabitants.
As the redhead shifted in another attempt to find a comfortable position in the horribly stiff chair, he felt the strap of his blade harness slide from his knee. Catching it before it could fall to the floor, he lifted the set and marveled again at the glint of blue that gleamed even in the dim light. He still couldn't quite believe that such a beautiful pair of blades were his, but they were, and Sephiroth's belated birthday present to him hadn't been the only surprise that morning...
…
Talin was anxious. He'd packed the night before, carefully storing the sets of enhanced uniforms in his pack along with the other necessities for a mission of unknown length. He'd checked his blades and sharpened them till the rest of his unit came back from training.
Having received permission to accompany their Captain to the helipad the next morning, they all went to bed early. A few were almost too excited to sleep knowing they were likely to see some of, if not all, the 1st's and the General in just a few hours, but one Cadet's sleep was disturbed by nightmares instead of daydreams.
After finally falling asleep, Talin found himself woken by his unit just a few short hours later. Three-thirty AM was a wretched time to have to be up for a deployment, but orders were orders. He watched as the group hurriedly got themselves up and ready at the ungodly hour to see him off on his first big mission. The sight of them rushing to make themselves presentable finally put a smile back on the redhead's face and he felt more relaxed than he had since finding out about the trip. When all were ready, the group headed to the elevators and Talin got his first shock of the day.
Deadset against waiting for a second lift to bring up half the Unit at a time, Michael all but tackled Talin and dragged him into one corner of the elevator as the others flooded in behind them. Despite the protests of their Unit Leader and the loud, angry chirps of the elevator, the doors had closed to the cheers of the group.
The first sign to those on the helipad that their Cadet had arrived was the cacophony of laughter from the direction of the elevator hall. Genesis raised an eyebrow at such glee from those sending a friend out on a dangerous mission, but Angeal's tolerant smile and Zack's laughing grin were the first that the group saw as they finally made their way out to the platform. Seeing the three commanders rapidly sobered the cadets and, in moments, they shuffled into the neat rows that had been drilled into them. Talin's spot remained empty in the formation as they ranged behind their Captain and saluted the SOLDIERs when he did.
A war of excitement and anxiety raged within Talin as he looked past his three lovers to the man who still stood gazing out over the city. "Cadet Graft, reporting for duty, Sir!" A chill ran down his back when crystal green eyes turned to meet his but it was rapidly chased away by the warmth in that cat-like gaze. The Cadet had expected the General to hide all lingering embers of such emotion, but he was also glad to see it.
They'd been carefully circling each other for the last few days before their departure. At first, the teen felt like he must have somehow misread the meaning in the 1st's words, but that lasted only till their next training session. The first gentle brush of fingertips over his ear, as Sephiroth dodged an attack, had startled Talin so much he'd almost crashed face-first into a wall. When he turned to face his mentor, the warrior was still his calm and composed self, except for the tiny flame in the bright green eyes.
Each day had a similar event. A small touch at his neck, ear, or wrist, too fast for any camera to catch, left the redhead with a phantom reminder of their prior conversation. Talin had never wished so earnestly for the days to pass faster... The thought made heat curl in his gut as the man walked towards him and it was a firm reminder that he needed to be mindful of his expressions while around those who could so easily read them.
"Are you packed and ready to go, Cadet?" There was an odd inflection to his tone as Seph said his rank and the eyes that had held his slid to look past him at the sound of a suppressed chuckle. Talin spun to face his Unit but found his words coming out confused instead of strict when he saw the wide grins on most of the group's faces.
"What's funny? Who laughed?" None of the group broke their attentive posture under the scrutiny of their Captain.
"Permission to speak freely, Sir!" Callian's sharp request startled Talin and, on instinct, he looked back over his shoulder to the General to grant such permission.
The fire that had glowed in the depths of the man's eyes had been replaced by amusement, but his voice remained neutral. "He isn't asking me..." Sure enough, when the teen turned back to his second in command, Cal was waiting for his response.
"Cal, you don't need permission to speak freely to your Unit Leader." Confusion at the strange request and discomfort from the awkward scene drew a strained chuckle from the redhead. What's gotten into them? They'd never act up around the 3rds or 2nds. Why now?
"Sir! Permission is required when addressing a SOLDIER 3rd, Sir!" Callian's eyes never deviated from Talin's as he spoke. The smiles of his Unit grew bigger, colored with pride and excitement that sent a thought shooting through the Cadet's head like lightning.
"But I- I'm not a 3rd..." Mind reeling, Talin slowly pivoted, looking first to the three Commanders and then his General.
"Not yet." There was a smugness to the SOLDIER's feline eyes as he pulled something from his long leather jacket and held it out to his trainee. Still not believing what was being insinuated, the teen took what he was handed, hesitating only a moment before finally inspecting what he'd received. It was a single-page document, folded, signed, and dated as of that morning by Director Lazard right next to a stamp from President Shin-Ra's office. It was a designation change.
The Director of SOLDIER had quietly pulled every detail of Talin's training and reviewed it. All his tests, class scores, mission reviews, videos of public sparring matches, and even a few that had been quietly recorded by Angeal, Zack, Gen, and Sephiroth. It had all added up to a satisfactory amount of proof that he was more than qualified to take the SOLDIER exam and would likely pass.
His new designation of SOLDIER 3rd was contingent on passing the test at the end of the year, but the rank and title change was effective immediately. Talin wouldn't know till later that he couldn't have gone on this mission without that change. Assignments given to 1sts were highly classified after all...
The redhead stared disbelieving at the letter, and it took him a moment to look up from it to his mentor. "Sir, requesting permission to congratulate SOLDIER 3rd Class Graft, Sir!" Callian's voice cut through his spinning thoughts, but Talin was still too shocked by the unexpected news to respond before the General did.
"Granted." With one fluid movement, the silver 1st plucked the letter from Talin's hands and was well out of range of the sudden rush of cadets coming to 'congratulate' their Captain. The dogpile that ensued had Zack laughing and cheering on his young lover as the redhead struggled to escape the mob of excited teens. Even Genesis couldn't help a small smirk at their antics but had turned away on the pretext of speaking with Sephiroth to hide it.
Eventually, the group relented and allowed the new SOLDIER to extract himself from the pile. The distant sound of copper blades on the morning air reminded all that time was running out for the departing pair. The sound was an odd sort of confirmation to Talin that this was real and his prior anxiety returned. The Unit sobered as well at the distinctly familiar thudding noise and came up to wish their Captain a safe trip.
Several firm thumps on the shoulder and back, fist-bumps, and a few unexpected hugs accompanied the well wishes of his team before the group saluted the SOLDIERs one more time and headed back inside with waves goodbye. Callian was the last to head through the doors and turned to give a smile and wink to Talin. He'd ensure the group would make a hasty exit so his friend could have a proper goodbye with the elites.
Only moments after the doors had slid shut, strong arms wrapped around Talin and lifted him off his feet. Zack nuzzled the laughing redhead and gave one extra little squeeze before setting him down again. "You better take care of yourself, Red, and come back in one piece."
Before he could make that promise, Angeal claimed the former cadet for a smothering hug of his own. ~You'll do fine, Talin. Focus on your objectives and Seph will take care of the rest. ~ It was a silent pep talk he hadn't known he needed. The soothing pressure against his mind eased the strain from the younger fighter's shoulders as he was hugged physically and mentally.
Fingers sliding into his hair drew Talin's attention to Genesis as he was released from Angeal's arms. The Red Commander was uncharacteristically quiet as he pulled the teen to himself for a hug. The arms that had slipped under the long red jacket pressed tighter, as did the ones around Talin's shoulders before the two parted. Gen knew his little bird's worries as well as Talin knew his romantic lover's concerns, but neither needed to speak them aloud to give the other comfort.
The helicopter was fast approaching when Sephiroth finally made his way back to his trainee's side and held out the bundle he'd retrieved while the others were saying goodbye. Talin was unsure why the General was giving him another duffle till he realized that there was something within it. "What's-" The 1st didn't hide the small smile as he gestured to the bag.
"Open it and find out." Talin didn't hide his excitement as he dug into the pack to retrieve a heavy item encased in leather. When his hand met the cool press of steel within that protective casing, the redhead looked up at his General, eyes wide knowing now what he held.
"Happy belated birthday, Talin."
Pulling the blades free, Talin examined and marveled at their simple, but elegant design. They were similar in style to the ones he already used, grips and length matching almost exactly when he compared them, but where his original swords were solid silver, the new ones were detailed. Each blade was dark, not solid black but an odd shade that would shift from rich ebony to a startling blue as you turned it in the light. Atop that unique coloration, along the flat of the blades, was a depiction of a slender but fierce dragon, wings spread and fangs bared at an unseen enemy.
As the helicopter came to hover over the landing area, Talin gave a few experimental swings of the swords and felt for differences between the old and new pair. They were certainly different, but it wasn't a difference that he couldn't compensate for and he quickly swapped them for the ones in his blade harness.
Sephiroth had watched with satisfaction while the teen tried out his gift and, although the mission was no doubt a dangerous one, he was eager to see his Trainee in real action with the new weapons. While Talin said his final goodbyes to the others, the General kept his back to the now landed helicopter so that he wouldn't have to hide his emotions from his lovers or the new SOLDIER 3rd just yet.
Having already said their own goodbyes, the silver 1st instead reached out mentally to give one last caress to the trio as Talin went to grab his abandoned travel bag from the doorway. The four 1sts had spent the previous evening together. Patching the sore spots in their recently strained relationship had taken hours and then Seph had spent the rest of the night making it up to them. He wasn't tired, thankfully, but he did wonder how Zack was upright after the night they'd had.
"Ready to go, Sir!" Talin's smile as he returned to his Mentor was full of a joy that the silver SOLDIER hadn't seen since before their estrangement and his own smile widened. Feeling bold, Seph reached across the Void to his student.
~This may end up as a longer trip, have you said everything you needed to? ~ He nodded in the direction of the Commanders to make his point and was glad to see that Talin didn't flinch at his mental touch. At the teen's nod, Seph pulled away and spoke aloud for the benefit of the others. "Very well, let's go."
…
The brush of fabric against his thigh once more woke Talin from his fitful sleep and he found Sephiroth settling into the chair next to him.
"We land in about twenty minutes. It's already too dark to attempt any search for tracks but, if the floodlight system is up and running again, we may be able to evaluate the damage tonight." The General was no less irritated about the delay in their mission than Talin, but he wasn't going to grumble about the unavoidable as Genesis might have.
The grogginess of poor sleep cleared rapidly from the teen's mind as he processed the news. He'd been wracking his brain for days trying to think of what creature would've attacked the reactor and had come up blank. Nothing native to the region was big enough to do the kind of damage that would require such extensive repairs as detailed in the mission briefing. That thought alone worried him more. If it wasn't a regional monster, it could be anything.
They'd been descending steadily as he'd pondered the possible culprits till the cargo plane jerked and shuddered as they touched down. Not wanting to sit in the uncomfortable chair a moment longer, Talin was up and gathering his bags before the plane had come to a complete stop. The quiet chuckle of his General caused the teen to pause and look back at the man just in time to catch the amusement in his eyes before concealing the emotion once more. Talin hated that mask, hated watching it slide so effortlessly into place, but knew it was necessary.
The cargo door locks released with a loud bang of metal and in moments the two were able to walk down and out of their transport. The fresh bite of chilly night air was refreshing but also made goosebumps rise on Talin's skin. There was no smell of pine trees or the sound of flowing water, but his hindbrain knew this climate and he was all too aware of his proximity to his home.
The firm push against the redhead's mind followed by a lingering gentle touch told Talin that his distraction had been noticed. Before he could do more than glance at his Mentor, a worker from the reactor intercepted them.
"General! Welcome to Satskin. I'm Dole Gallaway, Foreman of reactor #22. Thank you for coming on such short notice." It was common knowledge that Sephiroth wasn't one for casual contact like a handshake and Dole politely inclined his head as he greeted the 1st instead. The reactor manager looked both exhausted and truly relieved to have the SOLDIER there to help. After that introduction, his eyes traveled to Talin and hesitated only a moment before extending his hand to the redhead.
"I didn't know we'd have two SOLDIERs sent to us. Forgive me, distinct as you are, I'm afraid I don't know your name." Talin took the offered hand, careful to match his strength to the man's firm grip.
"SOLDIER 3rd Talin Graft. I was a last-minute addition to the trip." The teen had been told on the flight over just how 'last-minute' his inclusion had been. His involvement had been kept unofficial till that morning when the papers were signed and submitted into the system. Hojo might very well have been planning another attempt to get his test subject back. Now, with Talin's rank of 3rd and thus under Lazard's direct political protection, the scientist would have to think twice about such a move.
Sephiroth had watched the exchange between the two, allowing Talin to make his own impression on the man before returning the conversation to the purpose of their visit. "Lieutenant Graft is my Trainee and was assigned to this mission to assist in tracking the creature that attacked this installation." The Foreman's eyes widened slightly but the glance he gave to the teen was an approving one.
Dole's easy acceptance of Talin as both a 3rd and Sephiroth's student made pride flicker to life in the silver SOLDIERs chest. The fact that his Cadet- no, his Lieutenant... his SOLDIER, was strong enough to be taken seriously on his own had Seph fighting the smug smirk that wanted to curl his lip as he continued. "I heard your floodlight system was being repaired, is it operational enough for us to inspect the damage?"
With a huff, the man crossed his arms and his voice was full of irritation. "No. Much to my annoyance, they haven't been able to get half of the systems back up since the attack. The majority of the damage was done to the living quarters and, unfortunately, that was where most of the electrical controls were housed for ease of access." Not wanting to keep his guests standing in the rapidly cooling night air, Dole motioned for them to follow him.
"We've been working round the clock to get the important systems online again, but outdoor lighting fell to the bottom of the list when the heating and water pumps failed." He led them into one of the few lit buildings visible in the pitch blackness of the mountain night and Talin saw the huddled forms of men sleeping on temporary cots lining the halls. The Foreman lowered his voice to a whisper knowing the SOLDIERs could still hear him.
"Ninety percent of the building that was destroyed was worker housing so we've had to find other places to stash people till we get another building converted for bunks." Quickly but quietly, they made their way down the halls before Dole stopped and opened a door for them. It looked to have been an office that was recently converted into a temporary bedroom and Talin recalled the man's surprise at having two SOLDIERs instead of just one. There was only one bed.
Thank you all so much for keeping with this story while I was on break. It was very, very much needed and now I am ready to continue work on 'Mako's Fury'.
Don't forget to leave a review and thank you again!
