Disclaimer Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley and all other things relating to Final Fantasy VII belong to and are property of Square Enix AND NOT TO ME XD;

A loud yawn echoed throughout the halls of the SOLDIER floor. Genesis Rhapsodos was reclining in one of the chairs, his head down looking at his crimson phone. Angeal was next to him, silently observing one of the pot plants near the window. Both had been awoken by a loud knock on their door about an hour ago, leaving them little time to ready themselves. However, Genesis was not in the least pleased with the hour they were woken up.

"It's still dark outside, and this phone says it's 7 AM…it's too early." Genesis grumbled, flipping his phone shut.

"Well, if I recall, it's always dark in Midgar. Those clouds never seem to go away." Angeal mumbled to Genesis, who was rubbing his eyes. A few other members of SOLDIER were wandering around the floor, paying little to no attention to either of them. Genesis didn't really care, all he wanted was a little more sleep. He leaned his head back, letting his eyelids gently close. He breathed in deeply, letting a rather long sigh escape his lungs as he exhaled. Unfortunately, a familiar buzz from his phone vibrated his pocket, disturbing him from his rest. With a grumble, Genesis reached into his pocket and flipped the phone open, scanning the message.

To: Genesis Rhapsodos
From: Lazard, Director of SOLDIER

Good morning, Genesis. I hope you've rested well in your first night of SOLDIER. There's a slight change of plans, I'd like you to meet me outside the training room. Come alone.

Best regards,
Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER

Blinking a few times to get some sleep out of his eyes, Genesis quickly flipped his phone shut. He arose from his seat, pulling the crinkles out of his shirt. Angeal was about to follow, but Genesis shook his head.

"Lazard wanted me to go alone. Sorry, man. Your turn is probably afterwards."

Angeal nodded in an understanding manner, settling down back into the chair and reaching for his own phone. "Wish me luck, hey?" Genesis said, striding off in the direction of the company training room.

"Good luck!" Angeal called, waving a hand to his redheaded friend as he walked past the sliding doors into the training room.

Yawning, Genesis proceeded inside, finding a patient Lazard and another man standing near him. Being the good SOLDIER that he was, Genesis stood at attention and gave Lazard a quick, formal salute before relaxing. Lazard smiled, motioning for Genesis to follow him to the other side of the monitoring station of the actual room for training.

"First, we shall begin with a routine health check. Professor Hojo, if you may." Lazard motioned Genesis to take seat, while Professor Hojo began the examination. To Genesis, it was just like a doctor's appointment that his parents forced him to go to once a month. Ironically, he was due for another meeting with a doctor sometime in that week.

"Tongue out, boy." Hojo barked. Genesis rolled his eyes before doing as he was told, feeling the small wooden stick on his tongue just like he remembered it. He used to hate having to do it as a kid, and frankly, he didn't really see the point in the exercise. As clueless as he was now, Genesis made an attempt not to complain about anything that was done in today's examination. He was ready to put up with anything that ShinRa put in his way on the path to becoming a SOLDIER. No, to becoming…a hero.

After a few more minutes of following Hojo's blunt instructions, Genesis was finally released from the chair. Feeling quite relieved, Genesis sighed contently as he pulled his jumper down. He guessed that they did need a heart rate to measure how fit he was. Hojo was hunched over a computer screen now, entering bits and pieces of data while he growled in frustration. Lazard was watching over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the furious typing of Professor Hojo on the screen. Genesis swayed in place, eager to get on with the rest of the check ups.

"Well, it seems, according to the data…that you're in good health. I swear this infuriating machine has some faults, since you don't really…" Hojo trailed off as Lazard gave him a warning glance. Clearing his throat, the director of SOLDIER motioned for Genesis to follow him over towards the training room sliding door.

"Now, we commence your physical fitness testing. Once you enter the training room, I'd like you to perform as many squats as you can in a single minute. The test will begin once I give the signal." Lazard explained, slowly and clearly so Genesis could understand exactly what he was being asked to do. With a nod and a quick smile, Genesis proceeded into the room with clear walls, taking his jumper off and revealing his shirt underneath. Stepping into the middle of the room, the redhead breathed in deeply, letting the air out of his lungs slowly and evenly. He looked over at Lazard, who gave him a thumbs up, signalling that the test had begun.

Genesis bent his knees as far as they could go, and with a swing of his arms, lifted himself up again. This same series of moments occurred as the test continued, his face turning a shade a deeper red after each squat. Much to his relief, Lazard signalled him again, notifying Genesis that he need no longer squat. Taking shallow breaths, Genesis stumbled out of the training room, a few beads of sweat on his forehead. Professor Hojo was staring down at his clipboard, his mouth gaping at the results.

"No…this isn't right. Not even an excellent 2nd class SOLDIER could achieve these results…50 squats in the minute…unbelievable…" The Professor trailed off, grumbling as he walked towards the data machine once more. Even Lazard looked impressed, giving Genesis a reassuring smile as the redheaded teenager tried to regain his breath.

"Well, you're certainly fit for the job, Genesis Rhapsodos. As of this moment, you are now officially ranked as a 3rd Class SOLDIER. Congratulations." Lazard spoke, offering a hand. Genesis managed to shake the directors hand, feeling rather accomplished that he had officially made it into SOLDIER. "Professor Hojo will take you for your conditioning momentarily, he just needs to finish entering the data for your profile. You can take a seat if you like."

"Thanks." Genesis breathed, sitting on the chair with a heavy sigh. He slowly pulled his sleek phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and giving the screen a quick rub with his finger. Sliding his fingers over the keys, he quickly typed a text message to Angeal, notifying his best friend of his pleasing results. Feeling a push on his shoulder, Genesis abruptly looked up, seeing Hojo exiting the room.

"Hurry up!" Hojo commanded, leaving Genesis little time to store his phone into his pocket and catch up with the grumpy professor. He caught sight of Angeal as he went into a corridor, giving his friend the thumbs up sign with a grin. Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Genesis pulled out his phone and chuckled to himself. Angeal had sent him a replying message that read, 'Sure, I can beat 50 squats in a minute ;) Congrats, man!' .

Following Hojo into one of the elevators, Genesis stood next to the professor as the elevator began its ascent. An eerie silence was all that accompanied the two of them as the floor numbers ticked upwards, stopping once they reached '68.' 68? Isn't that one of those…restricted floors?

"Follow me." Hojo grumbled at Genesis, who was right behind him as they stepped out of the elevator. Shivering slightly, the redheaded teen kept close behind Professor Hojo, a little freaked out about walking where he probably shouldn't be. As long as Hojo was nearby, it gave Genesis enough explanation to say why he was there if other people saw him. Rounding the corner of another corridor, the two passed a series of tanks, which seemed to be filled with a bubbling, green liquid. Genesis' eyes widened as he passed a few of the large test tubes, seeing the head of a horrific monster through the glass of one of the tanks of liquid. Quickening his pace, he continued following the professor down the corridor.

Thankfully, within a few minutes, Genesis found himself in the comforts of a room that looked slightly less menacing that the last. He could only gather that is was the laboratory of the professor, judging by the kinds of contraptions that he saw littered around the place. Professor Hojo pointed sharply to a chair that was placed by a small table, indicating that Genesis should sit there. It was now that the youngest member of the Rhapsodos family was beginning to get a little nervous. He'd never feared injections before, but this atmosphere was making him feel a little uptight about it.

Watching Hojo cautiously, Genesis saw him filling up a syringe with that same turquoise liquid that he had seen before. Before coming over Genesis had expected Hojo to do, the professor hurried to another bench top. His hunched over shoulders prevented Genesis seeing what Hojo was doing, making the redhead worry slightly more. Finally, the professor dutifully came over and sat adjacent to Genesis, motioning for him to lift his left sleeve up. With a gulp, Genesis did as he was expected to do, feeling Hojo wipe on antiseptic lotion. Before he had another chance to prepare himself, Genesis bit his lip hard when the needle pierced his skin. Closing his eyes, only the tiniest squeak escaped his lips as he continued to bite down, nearly drawing blood. A feeling of relief washed over Genesis as the needle came out, with Hojo quickly ushering him out of the chair. Disposing of the syringe, Hojo made his way back towards the elevator, motioning Genesis to follow him.

Obediently, the teenager followed Professor Hojo back down the corridor and into the very same elevator that they were in moments ago. Rubbing his arm slightly, Genesis winced in pain as the elevator arrived back onto the SOLDIER floor, where he stepped out and waited for further instructions from Hojo.

"You can send the other boy in now." The Professor said gruffly, moving off towards the training room once again. Genesis hobbled over to where Angeal was slumped in the chair, appearing to have dozed off. Genesis snickered slightly, giving his friend a little push in the shoulder.

"Your turn, Angeal." Genesis mumbled, sitting down onto one of the sofas next to the chair. With a grumble, Angeal slowly got up, clearly still sleepy from such an early wake up call. "How was it?" Angeal inquired.

"Not too bad. The needle stung a little…"

"Oh. Nothing to worry about then." Angeal chuckled, wandering over towards the training room.

Genesis slumped down into the sofa, feeling a little dozy and faint after the injection. Lazard did warn him that the process was 'draining', he supposed. He lay down on the sofa, closing his eyes for a few minutes. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a searing pain shot through his left shoulder. Grumbling, Genesis rubbed the spot where his shoulder ached, careful not to bump his left arm. The pain shocked him again, causing the redheaded teenager to let out a cry in discomfort.

"Whoa…" Genesis groaned, this time standing up and continuing to rub his left shoulder. A third time, the pain jolted him like an electric shock, sending his knees to the carpet floor. Genesis whimpered in pain once again as his shoulder throbbed with agony, the pain not ceasing this time. Bent over, he let out a final cry as the discomfort reached its peak, his voice echoing throughout the SOLDIER floor. "What…what's happening…?" Genesis whispered through clenched teeth, his hands now gripping the carpeted floor forcefully. The pain eased off a little, allowing Genesis to lift his head slightly.

A silken black feather rested next to him on the floor, followed by another one which floated down past his head. Turning his head, his brightly coloured mako eyes widened in complete and utter shock with what he was witnessing. A magnificent, single black wing protruded from his left shoulder, the lights of the roof reflecting off the velvet feathers. "Holy…"

Another feather floated past his face, landing gently on the floor beside him. To his dismay, his favourite red jumper and shirt now had holes torn through them, leaving him no way to take them off while the wing was still present. With the pain now dissipating, Genesis slowly lifted his torso up into a kneeling position, with his newly acquired wing retracting to his side. With a little bit of concentration, he managed extend and retract the wing by his own control. To it's full extent, the silken black wing brushed feather tips with the roof, indicating that it must have been rather large. Craning his neck around to his left, Genesis took a good long look at his shoulder, his right arm reaching over and giving himself a pinch.

"Crap…I have got to be dreaming…yeah…dreaming, that's it…" Genesis trailed off, whispering quietly. His eyes were still wide with shock as he examined his wing, giving it a little bit of a flap to test it out. Thankfully, all the SOLDIERs were already out for the day on assignments and training, leaving no one to witness him suddenly sprouting a wing. Putting his face into his hands, Genesis groaned, feeling a headache overcoming him. So, apparently this is Lazard's idea of 'draining', huh?

Struggling, Genesis attempted to stand up, the added weight of the wing making it a difficult processes. Grumbling, he finally found himself on two feet again, despite his awkward appearance. Looking down, the redhead saw about twenty feathers on the floor, a telltale sign that something suspicious had happened. Genesis bent down, scooping one of them up into his hands and closing his hand around it. A vibration from his pocket caused him to jump in surprise, dropping the feather. Hastily moving his hand into his pocket, Genesis pulled out his phone and flipped it to the screen.

To: Genesis Rhapsodos
From: Angeal Hewley

Hey, buddy! I got 49 squats down in that minute…one away from beating you! Darn it! I'm heading up for my injections shortly, so I'll see you soon.

- Angeal

"Oh, just wonderful. He's coming out soon…only to see me like this…" Genesis rolled his eyes in annoyance, energy slowly returning to his body. Without another moment to loose, he kneeled down onto the floor, picking up as many feathers as he could to hide the evidence. Thoughts raced about in his mind, raising many unanswered questions in his head. Why? Do SOLDIERS normally have wings? Was it that stuff Hojo put into that syringe? At this rate, I'll never find out…

Picking up the last visible feather, Genesis returned to a standing position. Just as his eyes scanned the doors of the training room, the sliding door glided open. To his horror, both Angeal and Hojo stepped out into the foyer of the SOLDIER floor. The Professor's clipboard left his hand and connected with the floor as he laid eyes on Genesis, who was just as dumbfound as he was. Angeal just stared, his navy blue eyes wide in disbelief at his best friend. A shaky finger on Hojo's part pointing at the redhead was less than comforting to Genesis, who just shrugged his shoulders after recovering from the shock. With his old self returning, Genesis extended his wing to reveal it in all it's glory, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER 3rd Class." The redhead triumphantly spoke, his smile turning into a grin. Maybe having a wing wasn't all that bad, contradicting what Genesis had previously thought.

"What on Gaia's name are you playing at, boy!?" Professor Hojo exclaimed, reaching down to pick up his clipboard. Angeal was silent, a little unsure of what to think of his best friend.

"How would I know?" Genesis responded, a questioning look on his face. "You're the one who gave the injection, not me."

"No, I refuse to believe that my handiwork created something like that!" Hojo spat, grabbing Angeal by the arm and forcing him to follow him towards the elevator. "That infuriating Hollander…it was probably his idea of…revenge…" Hojo muttered under his breath, quickly stepping into the elevator with Angeal close behind. Genesis, now coming to terms with what had just happened, shook his head a little. He sat down on sofa, relaxing his wing to his side. Quickly taking possession of his phone, Genesis quickly typed up a text message to Angeal.

To: Angeal Hewley
From: Genesis Rhapsodos

Angeal, I'm sorry. I have no idea what happened , or why it did…but I'm still the same old Genesis, okay? I'm really freaked out at the moment, but hey, maybe having a wing isn't too bad…I hope…

Just as Genesis hit the 'send' button, his ears picked up the sound of the sliding door of the training room. Hearing footsteps, the redhead looked up, seeing Lazard approaching. How on earth does he manage to stay so calm!?

"Come with me." Lazard spoke bluntly, motioning for Genesis to follow him. "We'll need to have your current health checked again. Hurry." Quickly following on the heels of the Director, Genesis kept his wing to his side as much as possible, in a vain attempt to make it less noticeable. Or knock anything over, for that matter. For the second time in the day, he found himself seated in the same chair as before, awaiting Hojo to come back from the laboratory. Running his hand through his hair, Genesis waited silently while Lazard was frantically typing away on a regular computer, apparently searching for some kind of explanation. The sound of the door made Genesis turn his head, seeing a stressed Hojo shuffling into the room, dragging Angeal along behind him. "We'll have to keep a close eye on this one, too." Hojo muttered, releasing his grip from Angeal's wrist and ordering him to sit down.

"Professor, we'll need to repeat the health examination on him." Lazard pressed, wanting to make sure that there wasn't anything else wrong with Genesis. If the results proved negative, he could finally get on with his day. With a growl, Hojo repeated the same tests all over again, coming up with very similar results. The only exceptions were the effects that mako usually has on the body.

"I'm finding this all very suspicious, Hojo. Mako enhances one's senses, Jenova cells increase strength and stamina, but never before has any of our SOLDIERs mysteriously grown a wing." With a sceptical look, Lazard eyed Professor Hojo, awaiting some form of explanation.

"The contents of the syringe were exactly the same as they always have been, Director. I see no reason why this one should have any different reaction. I can only discuss it with Hollander and see if he comes up with anything. Which I doubt, mind you, knowing his incompetence…" Hojo trailed off, shaking his head in disbelief. Moving back over to Genesis, Hojo abruptly took hold of one of numerous feathers which comprised the redhead's wing. With a quick hand motion, the Professor pulled the soft, black feather from the wing, sending a yelp of pain from Genesis. His reflexes acted, his wing suddenly at its full extent, nearly sending Hojo off his feet.

"Watch where you put that wing, boy!" Hojo grumbled, his hunched over figure moving towards the door.

"Hey, you pulled one of my feathers out of my wing. I can feel it, you know." Genesis growled, relaxing his wing once more. Meanwhile, Angeal was silently watching the whole ordeal, seemingly unaffected by his previous injection. Truth be told, the son of Gillian Hewley was scared out of his wits after seeing what had happened to his best friend. I wonder…is he really the same old Genesis?

A/N: Whoot! I was looking forward to writing this chapter so much! I can't wait to make this more action-filled now that Genny has his wing. Angeal's will be explained later…but for now, I shall reveal nothing more :3 Keep on reading', folks! The adventures of Genesis in SOLDIER have only just begun…

Note me if any typos or mistakes show up!

- Lioneh the cheetion! :D