A/N: I know a lot of people don't like original characters, but give these ones a chance, they are essential I swear. Most of them fit with what you would expect from their respective roles. It's a slow beginning but their will be action soon, please be patient. Thanks.

Cash

"Lifestream – otherwise termed Mako. It is the substance of life, the blood of the planet and the ultimate library. Mako is infused with the knowledge of all who have lived and died on this planet since it first began."

"Individual people do not make much of a difference or impact in Mako, their memories not potent enough to be detected. They Ancients or Cetra as some call them, they were different."

"The Ancients bestowed a wealth of knowledge on this planet, knowledge and power that will never be lost. Knowledge and power that is evident in every day life."

"Materia is nothing more than condensed Mako, semi solid globes of pure knowledge. When a user focuses and draws upon Materia, the knowledge left by the Ancients is shared with us, through instinct. This is the most common and known use of Materia. To cast "magic" as some would say."

"This is a gift from the Ancients. Some knowledge is too complex or too abstract to be decoded by the ordinary mind, some just won't mix with certain kinds of mindset. These advanced "magic's" can only be achieved through practice or an abundance of natural talent."

"We here at Shin-Ra have the stockpile of materia to produce on demand Materia Sets. Entire suites of it! Catered to suit the users! And the users my friends are you! SOLDIER!" The professor stop to let it all sink in for a second, then added " Kiara if you would."

Professor Tortellano was a rather small man, with fat features and a puff of grey hair. A white lab coat trailed him as he stepped aside. Stepping up and taking his place in front of the white screen was Kiara Conroy, a beautiful and brilliant twenty five year old Materia specialist.

Unlike professor Tortellano she did not wear a white lab coat. She wore a fitted black dress that slightly resembled a suit. This meeting was a meeting for new SOLDIER recruits. A room full of hopefuls some listening intently others pretending to. All the same it seemed as though every man in the room squared their shoulders when she took the front.

The specialist fixed her silver glasses and clicked the projector cue.

"Good after noon everyone, my name is Kiara and I'm here to explain why people have different Materia capabilities. I will also be responsible for finding your particular strengths when the time comes."

Only at a second glance did professor Tortellano notice the blue suited man standing in the far corner of the room, well out of sight of the recruits. The professor nodded a goodbye to Kiara the first chance he got and headed for the man.

Riene Conroy was the brother of Kiara and the centres resident Turk. Dark green eyes seemed to withhold a wealth of authority. That is, until he needs it. Riene was a pleasant man at all times but Tortellano could sense something in him…maybe.

"Sup Doc?" Riene said as the professor approached. Riene flicked his head sending his hair to rest over one eye. Tortellano walked gracefully past the Turk and uttered,

"Is the job done?" White lab coat flowing he continued up the hall way knowing Riene would follow.

"Sure is. Some Turks are with the carrier right now." Riene walked lazily behind Tortellano fixing the lapel of his Turk jacket. They passed doors, all colour coded and numbered for Authorisation. Most where green #3 , that meant SOLDIER theory class rooms. Riene always found that colour ironic.

Glaring uneasily at the black tinted windows of a blue #5 class room Riene passed it by. Biotechnology.

"So Doc," the Turk started "What exactly is being delivered?"

- - - - -

Walking through the Shin-Ra populated streets of upper Junon was one of the few things that made Cloud uneasy. Dejavue from hell. Two men in blue suits accompanied him. One on either side, not too unlike to a police escort.

"Need to know basis" Rude said, his deep voice easily over coming the background noise. Cloud spotted a few people give them uneasy looks, everyone seemed to instinctively put distance between themselves and the group.

"Yeah, you know how it is ,Bro" Reno walked turning slightly to Cloud, swinging his arm loosely.

Over the years these two had been both help and hindrances and right now, in the litter covered streets of Junon, Cloud was struggling to determine exactly where their loyalties lay.

"You expect me to do this, and not know what I'm carrying? Why me? Surely you could just fly it there on your own." Cloud protested. The weight of Styx, his multiplex weapon, around his waist reminded him he already knew that answer.

"Well the thing is," Reno started, shuffling ahead a little and turned to face them, leaving him walking backwards. "they wouldn't agree to ship it out at all unless it had the most reliable of curriers. You see there is an anti-Shin-Ra group working out of Mideel, the town that was moved for the facility. Old Tortellano won't let it out of his sight unless it's better guarded than Rufus himself."

Rude coughed and shuffled a little. Reno reached into his jacket and produced a small card between two of his fingers. Just as he began to speak he spun to avoid walking into a pole backwards and then stopped. "So you see bro, that's were you come in."

The red head held up his hand and Cloud stepped over and took the card with one hand.

"So you're hoping I'll go unnoticed?" Cloud looked back and forth between the contrasting men. Rude, the bald, strong, silent type and Reno, the loud, obnoxious and flashy type, with bright red hair. Could they be more different?

"Or are you hoping that if I don't go unnoticed I'll deal with them so you don't have to. That way Shin-Ra doesn't get more bad press." Cloud said it with a taste of cynicism in his mouth. He placed the card in his holster at his back with out looking away from Reno.

Rude made an almost inaudible grunt and nodded, Reno just laughed and replied,

"We're paying you enough, yo?"

- - - - -

Acoustic Guitar could be heard playing through all the radios in Seventh Heaven. The music was loudest in Denzel and Marlene's room. Tifa opened up an hour ago and spent her time after that setting up tables and turning on the food equipment in the kitchen. Denzel was in his room practicing with Marlene learning more about Materia from Barret.

"Tifa!" Tifa couldn't help but smile when Yuffie called; she placed her cloth on the counter and turned to the stairs. Yuffie stood at the top of the staircase in a black dress that was pressed at the bottom to form creases. She stood holding her hair up with both hands and holding a ribbon in her mouth.

"Mph I phd knwn ths jmb hd m dmph cmde I'd hmp-"

Stamping her feet she tied the Ribbon so it held two thick clumps of hair from the front of her head at the back, with the rest hanging under.

"Okay" she breathed, "If I had known this job required a dress code I'd have told you to beat it!" She whined. Denzel popped his head out of the door looking down the stairs at Yuffie. She immediately spotted the grin.

"Oh shove it!" She laughed and glared back at Tifa.

"You'd have accepted any way and you know it" Tifa said and turned back to the bar.

"That's not the point!" Yuffie looked down at her wrist ribbon that tied Ultima to her arm like a bracelet jewel.

"This better pay well" she muttered.

- - - - -

Back in Junon Cloud had just reached the dock when Reno handed him the usual brown envelope. The sea breeze was cool against his skin as he reached out and took the envelope from him.

"Fifty thousand now, the rest when you come back." Reno scratched the back of his head as if forgetting something. "Oh! Lose that card and you're in trouble. We want that back too"

Cloud flipped his phone open and checked the time, placing it back in his pocket he nodded to the men and stepped forward.

"Vincent will be here for my bike with in a few days." Cloud said over his shoulder, "Make sure it's where I left it. And…why so much money?"

"You're worth it, yo?"

Nothing left to be said he left them there and headed for the boat. The ticket master obviously observed Clouds meeting with the Turks, he seemed to forget to ask Cloud for his ticket. The grated steel ramp to the ship was inclined at an unusually high angle. The tide was high today, that usually meant rough seas. It was going to take two full days to reach Mideel from here.

Two days of rough sea was not the ideal way to travel, but it would have to do. On the upper deck it was obvious this was a Mideel bound ship, it was packed full of young men and woman with backpacks.

"Recruits" Cloud muttered and walked over to the railing. He gripped it with his right hand pulling at it slightly. It had certainly seen better days. Brushing rust off his glove Cloud turned to view the recruits.

Most of them would not get through the first week. A few, Cloud thought, would be lucky to pass the medical. One man in particular caught his eye. Short blonde hair sat slightly up and backwards on his head. Nothing strange about what he was wearing, plain casual but practical clothes, just like everyone else. Something about the way he walk intrigued Cloud.

His view of the man was rather abruptly interrupted by a woman's head. More accurately, the side of a woman's head. Black hair fell to her waist behind her, so black it almost seemed blue. Suddenly she turned her head and looked Cloud straight in the eyes.

"Hey handsome, you're one of the recruits?" the woman turned herself round and leaned lightly backwards on the banister, clearly to emphasis the curves of her body. Cloud simply turned and faced off ship, inhaling the cool air.

"Do I know you?" he asked flatly, still staring intently at the sea. To Clouds surprise the woman slid across the banister and slung her arm across his far shoulder, trying to pull him closer.

"No, but we could 'get to know each other'" she replied biting her lip. Another pull at his shoulder sent him swaying slightly towards her. Did something just brush him? Instantly Cloud spun away from her, in one fluent motion he pulled Styx from its holster popping it's sub blade out to his other hand.

He stood between two figures, the smaller blade at the woman's throat and Styx at the man he had spotted only moments before.

"You're a Turk" Cloud hissed, as his eyes narrowed. Despite his 'friendship' with Reno and Rude, Shin-Ra where not to be trusted any further than that. Turks less than most.

"Good Guess, names Levka" he replied politely, his eyes drifting to his partner at the back of Cloud. "We're talent spotters-"

"Don't care who you are, hand over my envelope and leave me alone, I'm not interested." Cloud placed both weapons separately into his holster; it was designed for duel wielding.

"How observant…Interesting," Levka took an envelop out of his back pocket and held his hand out. The woman behind him passed him by and stood by Levka. Cloud didn't move.

"I said my envelope" he added. Levka shrugged slightly surprised and placed the decoy in his pocket. Then he slid the real one out his sleeve. Cloud took it and placed it back in his holster.

After glancing around the deck Cloud settled his eyes back on Levka.

"Now go bug someone else," Clouds eyes drifted to the woman "And put some clothes on."