S.E.E.D. Chapter 2 : Recruitment

It was late morning. Squall had overslept. Not surprising considering the night he had. Another late night patrol with Zell, Rajin and Fujin. Don Corneo wanted to annex this district to his underground empire. Seifer had told him to stick it in his ear. This district belonged to the Disciplinary Committee. Although it could be considered like a gang, it didn't go into any of the activities gangs normally did. They didn't steal, murder, kidnap, or any of this. They were just there to ensure no other gang came in. They were a sort of private militia one could say. The slums of Midgar were a dangerous place to be. It was ruled by gangs. Neither government nor Shinra even cared about the place. The Disciplinary Committee was a way to stop the crime and violence dominate this sector of Midgar. It was Seifer who had had the idea first, and he was quickly followed be others. First his cronies Rajin and Fujin, then others from the orphanage such as Zell, Selphie, Vivi and him. They had used the old orphanage as HQ once Matron died and it closed down. Social services didn't find the place fit enough for children. He couldn't really disagree. Matron had been the only good thing about this place. The care she brought to them compensated for the poor material conditions. After that, when deciding on their fate, the residents decided to stay and live in the place. They had no place else to go. They weren't qualified enough for good jobs and so, had to find whatever they could get. The Committee was an effort to make life better for them.

Seifer was the leader of it, and Squall, despite their rivalry, didn't see any reason to contest. He did a good job.

Squall rose up and got dressed. He would see if he could find some job to bring in gil. He arrived downstairs where Zell was practicing against a punching ball.

- Morning Zell.

Zell stopped punching the bag and turned to him.

- Hey Squall! Selphie said you got mail. Looks important.

- Probably some opportunity to save one's soul by joining Yevon.

- Nah, said it looked official, maybe taxes.

- All right, I'll look.

Squall went to the mailbox and rifled through the letters. He finally found the one for him. Zell was right, it looked important. He recognized the seal of the Eshtarian government on it. It also said Department of Defense. He opened the letter and read it.

- Zell, tell Seifer I'll be out today.

Squall was directed by two soldiers to the right room. He had been rather surprised to be conveyed to the local army HQ. Was it for some sort of job or something?

Once he was in the room; some sort of presentation room, he took a look around. There were already a few people inside: Two white haired men who looked like twins but dressed drastically different: One wore jeans and a red coat. That was it. He didn't have any shirt under it. His brother was dressed rather more elegantly, some sort of nobility garment. Their attitudes also seemed opposed, whereas one looked very serious, the other one was laid back and had his legs resting on the seat in front of him. The others mostly looked more normal, there were two scientist looking men at different place, both with glasses, but only one hade a beard and straight hair whereas the other one was shaven and had middle parted hair. There was also some cop with a ponytail at the back. The last man in the public looked rough and Squall supposed him to be some sort of a commando or something. There were also two woman. One was black haired and looked just as rough as the commando while the other was blond with glasses definitely not someone who had grown the hard way.

They also looked at him, apparently scanning him in the same way. They didn't seem to know any more than him on the situation than him. He didn't bother to ask and just took a seat.

A voice suddenly spoke:

- Now that everyone is here we can start.

They saw coming in the room some sort of military officer. He had short straight white hair, the military kind. He also had a bit of a beard. But most noticeable was the fact he only had one eye.

- I'm sure you are all very anxious to know on why you have been summoned here today.

He looked at the laid back red coated man.

- Or at least a little curious for some..

The wall behind him opened and revealed a giant screen.

- Whoa, I want a TV like that!.. OUCH! You meany..

The man in red had just got a tap on his head by his stern looking brother. A few in the audience tried to suppress smiles.

The screen showed the ministry of defense logo.

- Let me present myself, the only name you will ever know me by is Big Boss. That is my codename and the only that you will ever hear. You have been summoned here for a very specific reason.

He pressed a button on a remote control and the screen displayed a movie. It first started with various newspaper cuttings, all with specific articles:

''Fiend released in Kindergarten, 31 dead, Mad Yevonite slaughters Ronso Tribe, Crazy clown mage takes restaurant hostage, …. And the list went on.

- As the more perceptive of you noticed, there has been a rise in supernatural related threats. The media is all over it, debates are taking place, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The screen then showed a diagram that was rising… a lot, a lot more than what media showed.

- President Loire has decided to keep things under wraps as much as possible. The real rise is even greater than the public is informed of. But of course, he has decided to actually do something about it. A new force is being formed, a force specialized in dealing with that sort of threat.

The cop in the room rose his hand:

- Isn't that rather a job for SOLDIER? I can see where this is going, you want us in that crack squad. Wouldn't it be more practical to just form a SOLDIER detachment for that?

- Yes, I can understand your surprise mister Kineas, but the MOD has opted to form a new force overall. A force that would recruit from different sources. The intent of this force is to gather a team of experts that will have support from other forces. It is for a… pecking order thing, this force would have theoretical command on the field.

The woman with glasses raised her hand:

- Why us? I can understand you wanting that cop and these others who strike to me as combatants of some sort, but I'm a doctor, not a soldier. I have nothing to do in a… crack squad as this gentleman pointed out.

The officer simply stayed in place, answering casually.

- This team is not strictly an assault squad, it also needs experts: Medical, scientific, and engineering. The greatest issue with this type of enemy is the fact info is low on them. The role of this force would also be to collect and analyze data. Chances are also, we'll need medical help at some point.

The small crowd was considering the words and their application. It left Squall in deep thought. If he was here, it meant they were planning on hiring him, probably as muscle to the squad. Chances were he wasn't the only one amongst that group to be thinking that. He noticed the two twins in a discussion, apparently trying to figure if joining was a good move.

Squall thought it was time to ask the question most had in mind but none dared voice:

- So you want to hire us for your new force.

- That is correct, Mister Leonhart.

- You obviously have a motivation for us. I don't know for the others but I can't afford charity work.

He couldn't here what the soldier had said but lip reading showed something like: ''He's got guts''.

- Let me detail the offer. If you join, your work will be to face threats of supernatural nature. You may sometimes act alone, like you will sometimes have support from other forces such as SOLDIER, police and others. I won't hide anything, the job is hard, demanding and obviously very hazardous. But then, that's why most of you were chosen in the first place. You already have experience against that shit. However, that doesn't mean we are not training you. Brace yourselves for a training of equivalent level of what SOLDIER gives. The next six months will be hell for you. Wake early, lots of exercise, training, lectures.

The red coated man laughed a bit:

- And that's supposed to motivate us?

- I'm a soldier, bold direct, honest. I'm no politician, I don't do non full disclosures and whatever they call that kind of crap. It's elemental courtesy. What I've described is pretty harsh, but there is a good side. You will have a good salary plus hazard pay. You're fed, lodged and all that at the taxpayer's money. The retirement plan is great and don't neglect the fact that with all that training, if you go private again, you can raise your rates quite high on the merc job market. Note too you will have access to the best equipment. Brand new toys just waiting for you. If that's not enough, ask yourself what the next attack of supernatural nature will be. The country needs that force. Hell's gonna break lose and we need to be ready for them.

Squall could tell Big boss wasn't fucking with them. He was the honest sort of guy, sort of a modern version of a knight or samurai with his warrior code of honor. Squall almost wondered how that kind of person could still exist in today's world.

- It's your call now. The contracts are on the table, take it or leave it. Now's the time to decide. Take your time to decide.

People in the room took time to think about it. The two brothers were in a frantic discussion while the two scientists and the doctor were talking on their side. Squall thought about the job. If the claims were correct, then he had financial security for the rest of his life. On the negative side, it would be more dangerous than his current job, up until now he had only faced punks and a few minor fiends. This was the next level. It didn't scare him too much. He hesitated because of Seifer and the others. Leaving them would mean letting them down. And Squall wasn't someone who let people down. But then, with the salary, he could help them in his way.

It took him time to notice the police officer had sat next to him.

- Well, that's a tough decision.

- I guess so…

The guy looked friendly, brown hair in a ponytail. He gave Squall the impression of a Casanova in a cop suit.

- I've faced some of this shit myself. I had to snipe a crazy mage in a restaurant, the bastard had already killed some hostages as well as some of my colleagues. He also nearly killed two SOLDIERS. Got him with a headshot, the SOB. It's getting worse everyday. If I can help that I will. I couldn't look myself in a mirror if I didn't. I thought joining the police was the best way to help people, but now, I see my skills can make an even bigger difference. I might be able to save more lives.

It took some time but little by little. People went and signed in. Squall was the last to take the pen and sign. He had just got himself a better life he thought.

The years to come would prove him entirely wrong as he would discover the painful way.

That chapter was not as long as the first one but don't worry. The others will probably compesate.