Chapter 11
The next morning was a flurry of spastic enthusiasm and energy as Zack, Kunsel, and Zen all scramble up to the helipad donning their brand new Third Class SOLDIER uniforms complete with helmets upon all three eager heads. With grins as wide as a half moon, they take their seats upon the leathery cushions of the awaiting helicopter where Angeal and Cicero were already residing on opposite seats.
"Move over, I want the window seat!" Zen exclaims eagerly, roughly shoving Zack to the side.
"Hey, I want the window seat!" the raven-haired boy shouts back, holding a hand over his helmet to keep it on.
"Last I checked, helicopters tend to have windows on both sides," Kunsel sighs and shakes his head, taking his place between his two best friends in order to act as an argument buffer.
"You kids act as if this is the first time you've been on a helicopter," Cicero laughs out loud.
"Well, yeah, we've been on helicopters plenty of times," responds Zack. "But this is the first time we've been on a helicopter as official members of SOLDIER."
"Ah, I see," the Turk smiles warmly.
"Hey, what happen to your lady friend?" wonders Kunsel, referring to the missing Amira.
"She still has some work to do here in Junon," answers Cicero matter-of-factly. "She'll be back in Midgar later."
Angeal says nothing as he turns his gaze out the window.
Once the three teenagers settled themselves in as comfortably as possible, Cicero nods to the pilot to let him know they were ready. The pilot nods back and in a matter of minutes, the helicopter was taking off and flying towards their new destination.
As the airborne helicopter glided over the vast western continent landscape, the previous excitement had died down to a drawling silence within the hold. Staring at Cicero, Kunsel feels his chest heating up as questions linger on his mind, just begging to be asked. The atmosphere in the helicopter was already calm and he didn't want to disturb it with Zen and Zack around, but it couldn't be helped that he really wanted to know something about their current statuses.
"Uh, Cicero," he exclaims at long last.
"Is there something the matter, Sir Kunsel?" the Turk responds in kind.
Zen and Zack both turn their heads curiously towards their friend, but Kunsel refused to back down. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he lays his hands flat on his knees as he sits up straighter in his seat and looks unrelentingly at Cicero.
"As I understand it, Shin-Ra recruits must be selected for SOLDIER candidacy in order to get into SOLDIER, right?" he began. Angeal breaks his gaze away from the window and glimpses over at the young man, curious to see what he was after. "And from what I can tell, a higher rank such as a member of SOLDIER itself is able to recommend candidates, correct?"
"That much is true, yes," admits Cicero.
"Since Angeal recommended Zack for SOLDIER, I can't help but wonder who selected both Zen and myself," Kunsel rolls his hands up into fists as he spoke, his emerald eyes piercing through his SOLDIER helmet. "Do Turks have the authority to recommend recruits for SOLDIER as well as members of SOLDIER themselves?"
Cicero closes his eyes and brings a rolled up hand to his chin before replying hesitantly. "Yes, that is true."
"So, wait, does this mean that either you or your partner suggested both Kunsel and me for SOLDIER?" spoke up Zen. "If that's the case, then what's with the third degree about me being taught by a Wutanese?"
"Dame Amira just wanted to be sure we made the right decision, that's all," answers Cicero, brushing some hair out of his face with a hand. "A company like Shin-Ra cannot afford to have any loose ends, otherwise our tough tapestry of an organization unravels and leads to chaos." He creases his emerald eyes. "Do you question our choice?"
"Well, no, but," began Kunsel, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I… just find it hard to believe that the three of us…"
" It is nothing more than the luck of the draw," assures Cicero with a smile. "All three of you are suitable candidates for SOLDIER membership and the fact that all three of you know each other simply makes the transition easier. You should be happy that this coincidence happened. It means lady luck is looking favorably upon all of you."
"I guess…" utters Kunsel. For some reason, it sounded like there was more to the Turks' decision than just the factor of their overall strength and fighting prowess. But it was much too early to cast doubts on their situation at this point in time. They were all in SOLDIER and that was all that mattered, right?
"Oh, hey, we're goin' over the Chocobo Farm now," exclaims Zack, pointing out the window.
"Hey, didn't you say something about working at the Chocobo Farm once?" recalls Zen.
"Oh, we get a lot of SOLDIER requests from that farm," notes Cicero, feeling a little glad for the change in topic. "The Midgar Zolom tends to cause quite a bit of trouble for the farmer there."
"What's a Midgar Zolom?" wonders Zack, looking back at the Turk.
"Oh, it's a giant serpent that can fling a human being at least a mile away as well as have a bite power of 10,000 pounds per square inch and can burn its victims to a crisp," explains Cicero rather happily. "But it's not a major problem so we usually send in Third Class SOLDIERS to take care of it."
At the sound of that, Zack, Zen, and Kunsel balk at the prospect of having to contend with the gargantuan monster.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Zack mutters quietly with a frown.
It was nearing evening as the helicopter touched down on the Shin-Ra headquarter's helipad right in the middle of Midgar. Construction vehicles were still at work building walls and Mako reactors to unite the formerly separate towns in the area as one. A few trains were already in service and lights were starting to come on thanks to power from the already erected reactors. The sight was unlike anything Zack, Kunsel, and Zen had ever seen before.
As the helicopter's blades began winding down, the three new SOLDIER recruits climb out of the vehicle onto solid ground. They watch as Cicero walks over to meet a red-headed man who wore a similar suit. Angeal remains with the teenagers until Cicero beckons all of them over.
"This here is Sir Rodney," he introduces with a smile. "He'll be giving you a tour of the Shin-Ra headquarters and guide you to your new barracks where you'll be staying."
"Pleased to meet you," greets the Turk as he shook everyone's hand aside from Angeal. "And welcome to Midgar. If you have any questions, I'll answer them to the best of my abilities."
"Well, Sir Angeal and I will be off now," exclaims Cicero. "Enjoy your stay."
Zack, Kunsel, and Zen watch as Angeal walks off with Cicero, leaving them in the hands of their new associate.
"Well, if you follow me, I'll show you around," says Rodney, waving his hand over.
The four of them enter the building to access an elevator with glass walls, allowing them to see more of Midgar while they went down to the lower levels.
"Floor 49 is the SOLDIER floor," Rodney explains matter-of-factly. "That's where all members of SOLDIER must go to receive training, get briefed for missions, and receive supplies from the company." He hands each of them a keycard, which had their names printed on them and a black bar on the other side. "These will act as your SOLDIER identification cards as well as your keycards. You will only have access to certain floors so don't think you can just wander around anywhere you please. You can purchase potions and other provisions through the company store on the second floor."
"Man, I remember when this area was still separate towns," noted Zen as she looks out across the developing city. "Shin-Ra sure works fast, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, the elevator stops and the four of them step out onto a floor with multiple hallways and closed doors.
"Where are we now?" wonders Kunsel.
"The first phase of your initiation into SOLDIER," answered Rodney. "Your Mako treatment."
"Mako treatment?" exclaims Zack dubiously. He could tell Kunsel and Zen were both as unsure as he was.
"Every new member of SOLDIER must undergo Mako treatment," affirms Rodney. "It enhances their abilities and makes them much stronger than they ever could without it. Surely you already know of this."
"Well yeah, we do," Kunsel scratches the back of his head nervously. "It's just that, we don't know what the treatment entails."
"… There won't be needles involved, will there?" spoke up Zack, twiddling his fingers.
"As far as I know, no," replies Rodney, raising an eyebrow incredulously. He found it hard to believe that a SOLDIER candidate like Zack would be afraid of needles of all things. So much for positive first impressions. "New members basically just get showered with the stuff and that's it."
"Oh, is that all?" exclaims Kunsel, feeling a little better about the whole thing. "I guess we were worried for nothing then."
"Now, if there aren't any more questions, please follow me to the treatment room," instructed the Turk.
The three of them follow Rodney into a room with what looked to be a large area blocked off by a wall of glass. Scientists were at the computer panels near the door, working some sort of calculation and whatnot. Another door went into the larger area where the teenagers assume they would be going.
"The treatment will take about thirty minutes," notes Rodney. "I'll come back when you're done and show you to your new barracks."
With that, the Turk disappears through the door they just came through, leaving the teenagers in the hands of the scientists at work.
"Please take off your armor and weapons and enter the room," instructed one of them, opening the sliding door to the larger area.
The three of the did as they were told, removing their swords, pauldrons, armlets, and chest armor as well as their helmets and lay them all on a table in the middle of the operating room. They gulped as they then enter the next room, unsure of what to expect. As soon as they entered the treatment area, they could hear the door close and seal up behind them.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure not going to be standing for the whole thirty minutes," declares Zen, taking a seat near the middle of the floor and crossing her legs.
"I wonder what's going to happen," spoke up Zack.
Before Kunsel could get a word in, a greenish mist suddenly falls upon all of them, filling their vision with a soft green haze. The three of them became silent as they endure the Mako shower. Kunsel shields his eyes and look upwards in an effort to see where the mist was spraying from, but gave up as his line of vision was filled with green rain. He looks over to where Zen was sitting, the girl apparently in a meditative state with eyes closed as the Mako fell on her. He blinks a few times as his eyes started seeing everything in shades of soft green. He turns his gaze over to Zack, who had decided to sit down after a few minutes. Kunsel supposes Zack realized they weren't at risk of getting their pants wet if they were to sit down.
But that was what fascinated Kunsel most: they weren't getting wet at all! Mako isn't a solid substance, merely energy seeping from the Planet. He could feel the "rain" of Mako passing through his clothes and penetrate his body, but nothing more. Perhaps that was why the scientists wanted them to remove their armor, but leave the rest of their uniform on. His face blushes at the thought of all three of them undressing down to their underwear in order to undergo the Mako treatment. Even after being with Zack and Zen all these years, he still was a little shy when it comes to undressing and dressing in front of his best friends.
Suddenly, the mist stops as abruptly as it began. Kunsel watches as the haze fades away, allowing him to see his friends much better. As soon as the room was clear of the green fog, the glass door slides open to allow them to retrieve their armor and weapons.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," notes Zen, putting her pauldrons and chest armor back on.
Just then, Zack cries out and points to Kunsel's eyes.
"Your eyes!" he exclaims. "They're blue!"
"I know you're slow at times, Porcupine, but this is ridiculous," Zen responds incredulously. "We've been together for three years and you don't know Kunsel's eyes are green? If you're that oblivious, I might as well tell you now that my eyes are hazel brown."
"No, it's not that!" replies Zack. "I mean, they're glowing blue!" He then points over to the girl after seeing her eyes. "Your eyes are blue, too!"
Zen raises an eyebrow until Kunsel speaks up as well.
"No, it's true! Your eyes are blue now!" he adds.
"Please calm down," demanded one of the scientists, rubbing his temple after having to hear the teenagers shout at each other. "Glowing blue eyes are a result of the Mako treatment. Every member of SOLDIER has them."
"Oh, I thought that was an Angeal thing," responds Zack, dumbfounded. "Then again, he's the only SOLDIER member we've ever met…"
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this change," says Zen, bringing a hand to her chin. "I mean, what if we have to do stealth missions? Won't our eyes give us away in the darkness?"
"I doubt the glow is like a flashlight, Zen," chuckles Kunsel, putting on his pauldrons. "It's a lot more subtle than that. Remember Angeal? We never noticed his glowing eyes until we got closer to him. You're not going to be able to see it from long distances."
Just then, the door to the room slides open and in steps Rodney, returning after the treatment like he promised.
"I assume you all are done with the treatment?" he asks straight out.
"Yep," answers Zack, putting his hands on his hips. Along with Kunsel and Zen, all three of them were back in their armor with swords strapped to their backs.
"Good, follow me," nods Rodney.
The four of them head to the elevator where they were taken to the ground floor of the Shin-Ra headquarters. There, Rodney leads them outside to an adjacent structure that seemed to look twice as small as the Shin-Ra building. Upon entering the SOLDIER barracks, they were taken down below the surface via another elevator.
"Don't be fooled by the size. The barracks are a lot bigger than they seem," spoke up Rodney as they moved farther down. "The bigwigs at Shin-Ra just wanted to make sure their main building stands out above everything else."
"Interesting," notes Kunsel.
"Within the Shin-Ra building are also laboratories in addition to an infirmary," continues the Turk. "Make sure you don't mistake the two, as the scientists are too busy to differentiate visitors from test subjects." He pauses. "Be sure to familiarize yourselves with the building directory on the first floor."
All three teenagers look at the man nervously, wondering if he had been the victim of floor mix-ups during his employment with the company.
The elevator stops and the four of them step out onto a very long hallway lined with metal sliding doors on both sides.
"On your keycards are room numbers underneath your name and title," explains Rodney. "Each member of SOLDIER has his own individual room and bathroom so you won't be sharing a suite like you did back in Junon. If you have any more questions, utilize the help desk at the Shin-Ra headquarters. I'll see you around."
With that, Rodney reenters the elevator and goes back up, leaving the three sixteen-year-olds to their own devices. Once the Turk was gone, they each take out their individual keycards to see what rooms they were in."
"Well, this is it," speaks up Zack solemnly upon seeing the numbers on everyone's keycards. "Looks like we won't even be neighbors. I'm on the floor above this one."
"We could still hang out in the SOLDIER lounge at HQ," says Zen. "So at the very least, we'll still be able to see each other."
"That's right," agrees Kunsel with a nod. "Not so bad."
"Yeah," sighs Zack with a smile. "I guess we should all get to sleep soon. It's going to be a big day for all of us come tomorrow."
"To a new and beautiful beginning," says Zen, putting out her hand.
"To a bright future for all of us," adds Kunsel, putting his hand on top of Zen's.
"All for one, and one for all," adds Zack, putting his hand on top of Kunsel's.
A/N: It's always the tough-looking guys that are afraid of needles, no? XD And, gee, I wonder which of the Before Crisis Turks Rodney is.