Chapter 12
Zen awakens bright and early the next day and quickly went about changing into her navy blue SOLDIER uniform. She spies a piece of paper laying on her nightstand and snatches it up before rushing out the door towards the elevator. Checking her pocket to make sure she has her Gil purse, she presses the button for the surface floor.
Once outside in the streets of Midgar's upper plate, Zen checks the piece of paper and heads for the train station going down into the developing slums below. As she ran, citizens stop to wonder whether she was a young man or not as female members of SOLDIER were extremely rare and unheard of. She overheard one little boy ask his mother why that man had long hair when referring to her.
But there was no time to stop and correct everyone. Zen was on a mission; a personal one mind you, not a SOLDIER-classified mission. At long last, the girl slows to a walk upon entering what was now known as Sector 5. She scans the unmarked shops that have set up around the area until she found one in particular that had swords and other weapons decorating its inner walls.
The purveyor of the shop nearly has a heart attack upon seeing a member of SOLDIER of all people bound up to his store. Before he could say a word, Zen happily shoves a drawing into the poor man's face.
"Hi, I have a job for you," she exclaims with a grin.
Kunsel was wandering around the SOLDIER floor with his helmet off as he familiarizes himself with the place. Earlier in the morning, he was given a Cure Materia, the very first Materia he had ever laid hands on. It was a standard Materia that all members of SOLDIER were supposed to receive upon membership to hone their magic skills. The brown-haired young man was a little apprehensive when it came to magic, as it was never his forte. He looks down at his slotted armlet, the clear green surface of the Cure Materia shining in the light of the sun outside.
He hears his name being called and turns around to see Zack walk up to him.
"Hey, did you get your first Materia yet?" asks Kunsel.
"Oh, we get Materia now?" exclaims Zack.
"Yeah, you can grab one from the container units in the briefing room," answers Kunsel. "We're only allowed a Cure Materia for now since we're new, but I think we get better ones as time goes on."
"Cool," responds Zack. He looks around the area and turns back to Kunsel. "Where's Zen? She hasn't been sent on a mission yet, has she?"
"Not that I know of," replies Kunsel, scratching the back of his head.
"Zack!"
The two of them turn to see Angeal walk up to them.
"Report to the briefing room ASAP," declared the First Class SOLDIER.
"I'm on a mission already?" sighs Zack, interlocking his hands behind his head.
"Get use to it," says Angeal. "This is how it is to be a member of SOLDIER."
"I guess I'll see you later, Kunsel," says Zack. "Tell Zen I said hi if you see her."
"Will do," responds Kunsel as he watches Zack follow Angeal to the briefing room.
Cicero was waiting for Angeal and Zack near the desk panel when they entered. Zack had not counted on working with the man so soon, but sees it as a blessing as he is at least familiar with the Turk.
"Sir Angeal, Sir Zack," greets Cicero, motioning a hand to the seats near the briefing table.
The two SOLDIER members sit down before the Turk continues on.
"We've been getting reports in the Gongaga area about strange monster attacks," began Cicero. He looks over to Zack. "That's why we've got you on this assignment. You're knowledgeable about that area, correct?"
"Uh, yeah," responds Zack, shocked again by yet another surprise. He definitely did not count on returning back to Gongaga at all. He twiddles his fingers at the prospect of meeting his parents again after so long.
"We will assign five infantrymen to escort you," continues the Turk, bringing up a world map on the screen and highlighting the appropriate areas. "You will take a ship from Midgar to the Gongaga area on the Eastern Continent. From there, you will be driven to your final destination of Gongaga where you will investigate the cause of the monster appearances. Any questions?"
Zack meekly raises a hand.
"Yeah," he began nervously, lowering his hand a little. "Is it possible for me to sit this one out?"
Angeal and Cicero look at him as if he grew another arm out of his head.
"Sir Zack, Third Class and Second Class SOLDIERs do not have the authorization, nor the choice, to decide which missions they do unless a medical condition prevents them from effectively carrying out their orders," explains Cicero. "You don't have a medical condition that would prevent you from carrying out this mission, do you?"
"No, sir," Zack answers dejectedly and hangs his head.
"Allright then," affirms Cicero. "Both of you will leave the Midgar harbor at 2200 hours. Good luck!"
Later that night, Zen bounds into the SOLDIER lounge area, her black ponytail bouncing up and down as she ran. On one of the many seats in the lounge sat Kunsel looking at something in his SOLDIER issued cell phone, his helmet laying on the seat next to him. With a grin that threaten to split her face in two, the teenage girl plops down next to her best friend holding something rather large and wrapped up in her hands.
"What'cha readin'?" she wonders curiously, looking over at his cell phone as her black bangs fall over her face.
"Just trying to get a better understanding of Shin-Ra and its policies," responds Kunsel without looking up from his phone. "What'cha got there?"
"Something."
"Something?"
Kunsel raises an eyebrow and finally tears his gaze from the miniscule screen he was looking at to look at his friend. "Does this involve something dangerous?"
"Maybe," pouts Zen, taking off her helmet with one hand and putting it on the seat next to her. "If you count a harmless object as dangerous."
"Anything that gets in your hands becomes dangerous," retorts Kunsel.
"So true!" she trills with glee as gets up and unwraps the object she was holding, revealing a weapon that was two-thirds blade and one-third staff with a loop at the bottom. "Ta da!"
Kunsel's eyes widen in surprise. "Is that…?"
"You bet it is!" exclaims Zen happily. "It's my own horse cutter in the flesh! Well, iron and steel, but who cares!"
"Congratulations," says Kunsel with a smile. "You finally achieved your dream."
"Thanks," responds Zen, giving her new weapon a few swings. "Took me a while to find the blacksmith who could do it." She falls quiet and pauses, holding the staff of her weapon with both hands. "Hey, Kunsel. Have you been below the plate yet?"
"Not personally," answers the brown-haired teenager. "But I think I might know what you're thinking about."
"Midgar used to be a collection of separate towns the last time I saw them," began Zen. "They were only constructing the walls back then. I thought that was all they were doing. I didn't expect them to merge and industrialize like this."
"Times are changing," says Kunsel, turning his attention back to his cell phone.
"I know," responds Zen, hanging her head. She suddenly remembers something and turns to Kunsel. "Oh, where's Porcupine? I want to show him Promise."
"Oh, Zack and Angeal left for a mission a couple of hours ago," answers the boy, still looking at his cell phone's screen.
"First day on the job and he's already got a mission?" Zen attaches her horse cutter to her back and goes down on all fours to start doing push-ups on her fists. "Wonder when we're going to get our first mission. Any idea where they're going?"
"Most likely Wutai," responds Kunsel. "A lot of SOLDIER members are getting dispatched there to fight in the war." He pauses and looks down to where Zen was. "How would you feel if you had to fight your own teacher?"
"Teacher left Wutai a long time ago," replies the girl, still doing her push-ups. "I doubt I'll run into him when we get missions for Wutai."
"But he still has family there, no?"
Upon saying that, Kunsel notices that Zen had stopped midway through a push-up.
"Hey, want to head over to the training room?" she asks him, getting up to her feet. "We haven't sparred in a while."
"Uh, okay," answers Kunsel, putting his cell phone away to grab his helmet.
I never noticed before, he thought. She never talks about her family.
A/N: Zack, Kunsel, and Zen have never gone below the plate back in Junon so they're blissfully unaware of the situation with the fishing village underneath Junon.