A/N: Just to let you know, I've started writing a companion piece to SOLDIER's Song called SOLDIER's Song: Intermission. This is a series of short stories that didn't make it into the main story because I simply didn't know how to fit them in. So if you're looking for something to do in between SOLDIER's Song updates, you can check out Intermission in the meantime.
Why am I working on something else when I should be focusing on SOLDIER's Song? Well, because it helps me combat writer's block and come up with ideas for SOLDIER's Song's development. This story isn't just based on Crisis Core, you know. ;)
Chapter 27
A month passes since Angeal disappeared with no news about his whereabouts. Zack is frustrated as his emails to his mentor continue to go unanswered. He couldn't understand why he couldn't get into contact with the First Class SOLDIER operative. Surely Angeal trusts him enough to let him know where he was, right? Then again, the both of them are using Shin-Ra issued phones so responding to him would reveal his location.
Did he really join up with Genesis to betray Shin-Ra? wonders Zack wide-eyed. He shakes his head. No! I refuse to believe that. The Angeal I know wouldn't do that.
Pacing around in the SOLDIER floor lounge once again, Zack continues to ponder in silence until his cell phone starts to ring. He picks it up to hear an unfamiliar voice order him to report to the briefing room. Before he could ask who it was, the person had already hung up.
"The heck was that all about?" he exclaims with a frown as he stares at his phone.
He jogs over to the briefing room where Director Lazard sat staring at a computer screen.
"Have you heard anything from Angeal yet?" Zack asks anxiously.
"No. We can't get a hold of him by phone," answers the blonde.
I could've told you that, Zack thought, raising an eyebrow. He crosses his arms. "So why'd you call me here then?"
"I'm giving you a new mission," responds Lazard. "Investigate the hometown of the missing First Class Genesis."
"Why?" wonders Zack.
"According to our intel, Genesis' parents claims he's not around," begins Lazard. "I can't trust this information."
"Why not?" continues Zack.
"Because they're his parents," answers Lazard matter-of-factly.
"Oh…" utters Zack. He thinks of his own parents and how they would easily lie for him if he should end up in trouble.
"I sent some personnel earlier, but I haven't had contact with them since then," continues Lazard. "Check out the situation." Footsteps cause him and Zack to turn around to face the visitor. "He will be accompanying you."
The visitor turns out to be a Turk that Zack had never seen before. With black hair tied back, he looked much younger than the SOLDIER operative expected.
"The name is Tseng," greets the Turk straightforward. "Once you are ready, please let me know."
Zack's phone rings suddenly and he picks it up to hear Kunsel's voice on the other end.
"Oh, hey Kunsel," exclaims Zack. "I'm still in the briefing room… Ah, no can do. I've got another mission… Okay, I'll catch you later then."
He hangs up and turns to Tseng.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "So, we're just going to do some investigating? Sounds simple enough."
"Hardly," responds Tseng. "Originally, Sephiroth was supposed to be on this mission so this should be taken seriously."
"What happened with Sephiroth?" wonders Zack, crossing his arms.
"He refused to take the mission apparently," replies Tseng.
"Wait, he can do that?" exclaims Zack in surprise. "Is that possible? Aren't you being a little too lenient on him?"
"Heh, how about I repeat what you said to him?" smirks Tseng.
"Uhh, please don't!" pleads Zack, putting his hands together and smiling nervously.
Deep within his quarters, Kunsel stares at his phone intently as he reads the data that came across its screen. After Zack had told him that he was going on a new mission, Kunsel wasted no time in looking up the assignment his friend was put on.
"Banora, huh?" he utters quietly. "Why does that sound so familiar?"
One helicopter ride later, Zack and Tseng found themselves on the coastal town of Banora Village. As they walked through what looked to be the entrance to the town, Zack notices the pathway was lined with the strangest-looking trees he has ever seen.
"Weird trees," he asserts curiously.
"They're trees that produce White Banora apples," explains Tseng. "Otherwise known as Dumb Apples."
"Dumb Apples?" repeats Zack thoughtfully. Then his eyes brighten up. "Wait, you mean… Angeal lived in the same village as Genesis?"
"Exactly," answers Tseng. "Seems they were old friends."
Does this mean that the best friend that Angeal told me about a month ago was Genesis? thought Zack.
Suddenly, a group of Genesis clones appear. Fearlessly, Zack draws his sword and makes quick work of them without even breaking a sweat. The clones were already down by the time Tseng drew his gun.
"This doesn't bode well," he asserts, still holding his gun. "If they're here, that means the villagers are in danger. Possibly taken hostage." He takes a step forward and raises his gun. "We'd better move quickly, as the President plans to use weapons of mass destruction to get rid of Genesis and his accomplices."
"Weapons of mass destruction?" repeats Zack wide-eyed. "Isn't that a bit too extreme?"
Tseng didn't respond as he dashes forward towards a residence with Zack quickly catching up. When they got to the residence, they were greeted by a giant spider-like robot that looked ready to shoot them down. Without hesitation, Tseng raises his gun and takes a few shots at the robot's scope. Meanwhile, Zack goes in with sword drawn and begins hacking away at the robot's legs, throwing shots of lightening magic when he got the chance. It took some time, but eventually the two of them brought the metal beast down.
"I wonder how many Genesis clones there are here," spoke up Zack.
"Where did you hear that?" ask Tseng.
"Heard it from Sephiroth," answers Zack, withdrawing his sword.
"The machines you see here were stolen from Shin-Ra," clarifies Tseng, putting his gun away. "They can also create Genesis clones using monsters and SOLDIER operatives."
"What are you saying?" asks Zack, turning to the Turk. "That SOLDIER members and monsters are the same?"
"There's no time for this," says Tseng, changing the subject. "We need to move on to the next location."
Frowning, Zack follows Tseng to a high-end estate that looked simply lavish.
"This is Genesis' parents' home," confirms the Turk. "The landlords of Banora Village."
"The missing SOLDIER operatives Genesis and Angeal join as accomplices," articulates Zack. "Is that what you think?"
"It's what Sephiroth thinks, apparently," asserts Tseng. "It's not hard to believe. They did grow up together and become best friends."
He looks over to a tree that seems to have something interesting underneath it.
"That looks like a grave," says the Turk. "And freshly made, by the looks of it."
"You're not going to do what I think you're going to do," spoke up Zack, looking a little displeased. "Are you?"
"Someone has to do it," answers Tseng. He turns to the young man and smirks. "But don't worry. Thanks to work like this, I get paid better than you."
"You've got to be kidding me!" exclaims Zack shockingly.
Turning his head so as not to see Tseng start digging up the grave, Zack heads over to the main part of town and is surprised to see no one around. He sees the door to one house is opened and goes to investigate. The sight of an old woman surprises him a bit since there wasn't another soul in sight.
"Is there something I can help you with?" she asks him.
"Oh, no, not really!" exclaims Zack, waving his hands in front of him. "Sorry to intrude. I'm Zack."
"Zack…" repeats the woman. Her eyes then widen in curiosity. "Are you Zack the Puppy?"
"What?" Zack exclaims once again, but with more surprise than before. "Where did you hear that?"
The old woman simply chuckles in turn. "My son told me all about you in his letters. No concentration and energetic like a puppy that never calms down."
"Wait, you're Angeal's mother?" asks Zack. He stands up straight and bows respectfully. "In that case, I'm very sorry to intrude!"
"Don't worry about it," assures Mrs. Hewley. She pauses. "You're not by any chance a comrade of Genesis, are you?"
"Nope, not at all," affirms Zack. "No need to worry."
"Has… has something happened to my son?" wonders the old woman.
"I'm not sure," responds Zack. "That's why I'm here. To find out."
"Some time ago, Genesis and his comrades came and started killing the villagers," explains Mrs. Hewley somberly. "He was such a good child back then."
"Have you heard from Angeal?" Zack asks eagerly.
"He came back as well," says Mrs. Hewley. "He left his sword behind and went off somewhere." She turns to the Buster Sword leaning on a wall not far from her. "That sword is our family's pride."
"So that's why Angeal rarely uses it," thought Zack as he gazes at the weapon. He turns back to the old lady. "Leave Angeal to me. In the meantime, I think you should hide for your own safety."
"Don't worry about me," assures Mrs. Hewley. "Genesis will not kill me."
Confused, Zack reluctantly leaves the house, feeling that the old woman's words ring true. He sees Tseng coming down from the hill where the grave was and dashes over to join him.
"So the grave…?" he asks hesitantly.
"Genesis' parents," Tseng answers grimly.
"He wouldn't really do that to his parents, would he?" exclaims Zack in shock.
"Doesn't seem like he has any reason to hide the truth," asserts Tseng. "Did you find Angeal?"
"He wasn't home," responds Zack. "But give me time! I'll convince Angeal to come back! Once he thinks it over, he and Genesis will come back to Shin-Ra!"
Tseng looks on at the SOLDIER operative with a smile. "I see now why Sephiroth chose you to go on this mission."
"Wait, really?" utters Zack, surprised by what he just heard.
"Genesis and Angeal were his best friends," says Tseng. "Most likely Sephiroth refused the mission because he didn't want to have to fight them."
"I'm Angeal's friend, too," adds Zack, putting his hand over his heart.
"I look forward to you bringing those two back," smiles Tseng. "Now let's hurry. We don't have much time."
"Even if what you said is true," began Angeal, frowning. "There was no reason to kill your parents."
"They've lied to me my entire life," sneers Genesis. "And continued to do so even when I confronted them with the truth."
"They only wanted the best for you," asserts Angeal. "You shouldn't have been so hard on them."
"The best they wanted for me is what's currently killing me," growls Genesis, clutching his copy of LOVELESS tightly. "A swift death was too kind for them, in my opinion."
Angeal sighs and walks over to a window. "He's here."
"Let him come," says Genesis, waving his hand. "There's nothing he can do to change anything." He glances over to his friend. "What will you do now?"
Angeal says nothing. With a shrug, Genesis saunters out of the room.
"Angeal!" shouts Zack as he ran about the building which seemed to serve as Genesis' base of operations. "Angeal, are you here?"
He rushes into a room to see none other than Genesis, reciting lines from his LOVELESS book as usual.
"You're quite the noisy one," articulates Genesis, putting down his book. "Zack the Puppy."
"I investigated the grave near your home," spoke up Tseng as he enters the room. "We had other personnel sent here to investigate, but it seems they've been killed."
"Are you threatening me now?" wonders Genesis haughtily. "Your intel is mistaken and unreliable."
"It's obvious, isn't it?" says Zack angrily. "At the very least, you should've let your parents live."
"Shin-Ra dogs…" growls Genesis. He gets up from where he was sitting and dusts off his jacket. "What the hell do you know?"
He shoots a blast of Fire at Tseng, knocking the Turk down cold. Zack quickly takes out his sword, but before he could attack, someone steps into the room with his own sword in hand. Zack could only look on in shock as Angeal raises his Shin-Ra issued sword at his own best friend.
"So you've decided, I see," says Genesis. "As your childhood friend, I respect your choice." He walks past Angeal with a smile on his face. "However… can you live in that kind of world, now that your eyes have been opened?"
The words seem to have struck a nerve in Angeal, turning to follow Genesis out of the room while Zack looks on. Zack quickly tries to follow after them only to find that they had mysteriously disappeared.
"Damn, they're fast," breathes Zack. "Where the hell did they go?"
He hears footsteps behind him and turns to see Tseng come up to him.
"Zack, there's no time!" he says quickly. "We have to leave! There's going to be an aerial bombing that's going to erase any trace of this deplorable event. Was there really no one left in the village?"
The look on Zack's face and the silence that followed only serve to worry the Turk even more.
"Hurry!" he tells Zack.
The two of them rush out of the building and then split up in different directions. Zack ran as fast as he could, all the while cursing to himself for not getting Angeal's mother to safety beforehand. He sees the house looming ahead and quickly dashes inside to see the lifeless body of Mrs. Hewley on the floor.
Zack's eyes widen in shock at the sight, memories of Zen's death suddenly coming back to haunt him. He senses someone behind him and sees Angeal standing there with Buster Sword in hand. Anger overwhelms Zack as he grabs Angeal and throws him at the wall.
"How could you do this?" he yells heatedly. "Is this what you call your fucking pride?"
In his fury Zack punches his now ex-mentor, causing the older man to fall back out the door of his own house.
"My mother no longer had any reason to live," coughs Angeal. "And I'm guilty of the same crime."
"Stop saying things I don't understand!" continues Zack. "Explain yourself!"
"I told you. He can't return to that world anymore."
Genesis appears next to his fallen friend, brandishing a smile and attitude that only served to anger Zack even more. Zack turns back to Angeal, who had gotten up and began walking away.
"Angeal!" he shouts at him, going over to stop him. "Angeal!"
As he went Genesis trips him, causing Zack to get a mouthful of dry dirt upon landing on the ground. The ginger then begins to recite lines from LOVELESS, inciting Zack to tell him to shut up multiple times.
"It seems Sephiroth isn't here today," notes Genesis. "I wonder why."
"SHUT! UP!" growls Zack as he finally got up to his feet. "What happened to your pride as a SOLDIER?"
Genesis became silent for a bit before he turns around to look at his home one last time.
"We are… monsters…"
Shootings his left arm out, a large black wing sprouts out from his left shoulder blade, causing Zack to step back in surprise. Genesis turns to Zack as he flexes his wing.
"We have lost both our pride," he says. "And our dreams."
With that, he took to the air with some of his black feathers floating down as he went. Looking up in awe, Zack catches one of the feathers in his hand and grasps it.
"SOLDIERs aren't… monsters…" he says quietly.
Soon after, he is picked up by Tseng and watches silently from afar as the entire town of Banora Village was decimated to smithereens. Closing his eyes somberly, he ponders on Genesis' words and the sight of the man's black wing.
First Zen and, now Genesis, he thought. What on the Planet is going on?
Back at Midgar, Zack joins Kunsel in his quarters for another game of Big 2. He needed a break from all that has happened and Kunsel was the only solace he could rely on. As they played on Kunsel's floor, Zack couldn't help but wonder about all that he's seen and heard.
"Kunsel," begins Zack quietly, lowering his set of cards. "Are we… monsters?"
"Huh?" exclaims Kunsel, looking up at his friend in curiosity. "What brought this on?"
"Genesis and Angeal," begins Zack. "They've been making clones of themselves using monsters and SOLDIER operatives," explains Zack.
"… I see," says Kunsel thoughtfully. "Well, fiends are dangerous because they possess a much higher concentration of life energy from the Lifestream than humans do. And since we get showered with Mako, which is from the Lifestream, it's only natural we'd end up with similar strength. Make sense?"
"… I guess…" responds Zack, looking doubtful.
Kunsel raises an eyebrow. "What are you really thinking, Zack?"
Zack drops his cards and gets up to his feet, turning away from his friend.
"Zen had wings when I found her," he explains. "And just recently, Genesis got a wing of his own. What does that mean if we're not monsters?"
"It just means there's a logical explanation for everything," answers Kunsel. "Just because two people we know sprouted wings, that doesn't mean it's an epidemic."
"Yeah, but still…" Zack falls back on to Kunsel's bed and sits there. "I can't help but wonder."
Kunsel looks down at the cards still in his hand.
Project G… he thought. I can't believe Shin-Ra would actually do something so dark.
A/N: When Kunsel told Zack in the game that he was well connected, he sure wasn't kidding! :p
And, aww, poor Zack. :( So many crazy things happening to him.