Well, I'm back after a long time! Apologies for the wait! :)
sunflowerspot: Eheh, sorry for the long wait! I hope you like this chapter! :) And thanks again for the help with the rating problem ^^
Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Green in Sharp, Pointy Things
7 years ago...
"Angeal!" a 25-year-old Zack Fair shouted happily with a grin, waving at his mentor and close friend.
Angeal smiled back and waved, waiting for Zack to jog up to him as he observed the trainees, "Zack, what is it?"
Zack shook his head, smiling, "Nothing, just wanted to see how the training is going," Zack looked at the many trainees, men and women, going through the training program to be prepared for joining SOLDIER and the evaluation exam.
Angeal nodded in approval, "They are good, I think they will be good SOLDIERs in the near future," Angeal smiled before he remembered something," Before I forget, Sephiroth has requested to speak with you," Zack rose an eyebrow, resting a hand on his hip.
"Really? What does the silver diva want now? I was in his office a minute ago!" Zack shook his head, grinning at Angeal, "Well, I'm off, I'll see you later at lunch!" he waved at the older man and headed in the direction towards Sephiroth's office.
He greeted some of his colleagues on the way, smiling charmingly at a small group of female SOLDIERs and opening the door for them, they only chuckled and smiled at him, thanking him.
Zack winked at them in a friendly manner and went inside the elevator, pressing the button with the number "6" on it to get him to the highest floor.
They had expanded SOLDIERs facilities, meaning bigger training grounds, more rooms for theoretical and strategy lessons and remodeling the main building to a few stories higher, with more room inside and barracks for the SOLDIERs inhabiting it. They created two separate buildings, one for the trainees under supervision of a few experienced SOLDIERs and one where the "elite" reside as well as the science department.
Zack stepped out once the elevator doors opened with a short ring, smiling at Sephiroth's personal secretary before knocking on the door where the name "Sephiroth, SOLDIER First Class" was written in silver. Usually the standard colors for engraved names on doors for SOLDIERs were white on a black background, but since they were First Classes, they had a few more privileges than the rest.
"Come in," Sephiroth's formal voice sounded, slightly muffled from behind the door. Zack turned the knob and entered, adding a little salute for formalities' sake after he closed the door behind him.
To his surprise, Genesis was in there too.
Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER First Class, was known for his amazing skills with anything concerning explosives and fire power, literally fire. The man was known for his fiery temper, quick wit and sharp tongue, as well as his grace and strength in battle, the man looked like he was practically flying in the battlefield whenever he fought.
"I see the pup found his way to the alpha dog's house," Genesis teased, winking at Zack with a small smirk.
Zack was long used to Genesis' teasing remarks, the guy was often playful and liked to joke, especially poking fun at his friends.
"Only because I followed the stench of gun powder and coal," Zack tapped his nose, smirking playfully at Genesis when the older man chuckled and beckoned him to sit.
"Sephiroth," Zack nodded to his superior, mildly amused at the fact that the silver haired general looked quite exasperated and annoyed, most probably due to Genesis' work.
"Zack," he greeted back formally, clasping his hands together on the table, his sharp green/blue eyes zeroing in on Genesis, "Do you mind?"
Genesis lifted his boots in the air and settled them on the desk with a smug grin, "Not at all, thanks, my feet were getting itchy," a playful twinkle was in Genesis' identical blue eyes at Sephiroth's growing irritation.
He roughly shoved Genesis legs off his desk, "I meant for you to get out, now. I need to speak with Zack alone," when Genesis stood, Sephiroth added with a light joking note, "And don't come in here again before you clean your boots on my door mat!"
"Yes mom, will do, mom," Genesis mockingly saluted his best friend and left the office, leaving it oddly silent without his radiant presence.
Zack shook his head at the older men, amused as he tried to imagine how they were as teenagers or slightly younger, how they all bickered with each-other and got on each-other's nerves.
It was a miracle how Sephiroth didn't kick Genesis' ass out whenever the unruly man stepped foot into his office, truly. Sephiroth was a perfectionist on and off the battlefield, his office was flawless, clean, very tidy and all drawers and closed documents were labeled and dated. His room carried the same pattern. Sephiroth liked it clean and tidy, the easiest way to invoke his wrath was to cause chaos in either his office or his room.
Genesis was the complete opposite, he liked it slightly messy, while he didn't live like a crack addict on the streets, clothes would randomly be on the floor or the back of his couch in his room, at times his bed wouldn't be made..etc...etc. His office was very much the same, he had nothing labeled, except any classified documents. A thin layer of dust would be found on drawers or the like Genesis didn't often need or looked at.
Angeal was very similar to Sephiroth in that respect. His office and room were always clean and tidy, he had many plants in his office, especially in his room. Angeal often said how they would calm him and remind him that there was something else beside work, the battlefield and SOLDIER. Plants represent life and growth, that would help Angeal meditate in his room often enough. Genesis would often call him crazy or a 'plant lover' but Angeal would only reprimand him calmly or deliver a fist in his shoulder for it.
"So, you said you wanted to talk about something? Must be something big since you kicked Genesis out. Wait...am I in trouble? I swear I didn't put that snake in your bath tub that was Genesis!" Zack flailed his arms, mentally cursing Genesis for his wicked pranks.
"A snake in my bath tub? What are you-you know what, forget it, let's not...just..." Sephiroth sighed, rubbing his forehead, feeling a pounding headache coming on, fast, "Let's not talk about Genesis defiling my room again,"
Zack scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before he cleared his throat when Sephiroth started talking again; "You are in no trouble Zack, the matter I must discuss with you is of utmost importance. I've already filled in Angeal and Genesis on the matter, I wanted to speak with you in private with no..disturbances," he grimaced at the thought of Genesis constantly annoying him.
Zack's full attention was on Sephiroth, "Well, what's the deal?"
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, "Surely you must have noticed that the science department is in dire need of...scientists?" to Zack, it seemed like Sephiroth was choosing his words carefully, something he didn't often do, except if it was about...delicate matters. Sephiroth was blunt and hated to sugar coat things, preferring to voice them as they were.
Zack rose an eyebrow, thinking for a moment, "Yeah, why? Let me guess, Hollander fired them because they were better than him?" Zack released a short laugh, though he turned serious when he noticed just how serious Sephiroth was.
"Hojo said he needed new men for his...experiments. We both know Hojo is insane, simply put. Hollander is not too far off either. He refuses to reveal any important details about this experiment of his, he only said he required more men to work under him." Zack rose an eyebrow.
"I see, but why would that be unnerving? Sure, Hojo is mentally unstable but he usually says he would do some suspicious experiments, that's not necessarily unusual," Zack didn't understand what Sephiroth was getting at.
"Hojo said he would dismiss the monthly mako injection process," Zack's eyes widened.
"Oh..." he remained silent for a moment, "Yeah, that's unnerving," Sephiroth's eyes narrowed.
"We need to find out why Zack, or rather, you need to. I think you are the only one Hojo hasn't met yet, so he doesn't know how you look like, I would advise you though to avoid stating your name and title. There is no one here in SOLDIER that hasn't at least heard of you, if Hojo learns of your name and title he will be all the more reluctant to reveal anything," Sephiroth's demeanor unsettled Zack to say the least.
"I don't think it will work Sephiroth. If Hojo won't even answer to us then he surely won't entrust something he considers important to anyone of lower status. I don't even think Hollander knows what's up," Zack crossed his arms, eyebrows raised up skeptically.
Sephiroth sighed, "It's worth a shot, we have no knowledge what Hojo is up to and that leaves me restless. We have to try anything, Angeal, Genesis and I tried to interrogate Hojo but he refuses to reveal any information to us."
Hojo, the lead scientist of the science department, originally SOLDIER didn't have any science department, it was a medical one until they decided that they needed scientists for whatever reason. The result; the science and medical department merged.
SOLDIERs of higher status, like First and a select few of Seconds, get monthly mako shots injected into their blood stream. Mako is a form of greenish liquid which offers humans enhanced strength, stamina and health. SOLDIERs with mako are mostly immune to illnesses such as asthma but they were still susceptible to becoming ill like any other person. They also recover faster from illnesses unlike normal people and their metabolism is twice faster.
The iconic blue eyes that can only be associated to SOLDIER is because of that mako, glowing blue eyes with a slight greenish hue in the irises. That's how everyone knew someone was from SOLDIER, because of the uniform and the glowing blue eyes.
Zack had tried to deceive Hojo and gain access to the lab, but to no avail. Another scientist had recognized Zack and Hojo immediately refused to grant him access to the lab any longer.
Nobody knew outside of the science lab what Hojo was up to.
When Shinra had bought SOLDIER and encouraged Hojo's experiments and mad mind, it only grew worse.
Zack never would have imagined that so many things would have gone wrong so drastically.
Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis have been officially reported in files as M.I.A, but Zack knew they were either dead or held hostage somewhere. He believed they were dead, since they would rather die than reveal anything about SOLDIER.
Their prowess in battle had been unmeasured, their loyalty and honor never strayed or wavered...
And maybe that was what killed them in the end.
Zack had told Cid and Barret the truth, the thing with Hojo and SOLDIER. To his surprise they stayed with him and swore they would help him once they get out.
Zack, ever the stubborn optimist, tried to keep his spirits up but at times it was quite difficult.
Prison changed and shaped a person in so many ways. They had tried time and time again to look deeper into his soul with therapy sessions, asking him constantly the same questions.
'Why did you kill them?', 'Do you desire to kill yourself?', 'Why did you betray your own men?', 'How many people did you exactly kill?' and the worst of them all, 'Do you have something to do with the missing SOLDIER Firsts?'
The last question in particular never failed to set him on edge, grabbing the stupid therapist by his shirt collar and hollering at him angrily how he would never do such a thing to his friends. They had proclaimed him as too dangerous so they set him in a isolation cell for the first few months. But when they learned that Cid and Barret were never harmed by him and were even the only people in that prison on that godforsaken island who were his friends, they allowed Zack to share a cell with them, unless he misbehaved, then he would go to a isolation room for several months to 'cool off'.
Today, after another month, they finally allowed them to go outside and train a little. This prison in particular was known to be cruel to its prisoners, Zack though, wouldn't let himself get controlled by these bunch of idiots.
He knew better, he experienced far worse than what they would do to him here, he survived those things and could tell stories these guards would only dream of telling and living.
Zack sparred with Barret, being closely monitored by eight guards. Four to subdue Barret and four to control Zack, should they 'go wild'. It usually took far more men to even hope to subdue Zack but since Zack wanted to get out of this hellhole as soon as he could, he chose to be obedient and peaceful, even helping out in prison whenever possible.
He was commonly viewed and called an enigma, a man as dangerous and skilled as himself, a criminal who killed so many people, would be a goody two shoes in prison...heh.
Zack drank a small bottle of water, wiping his sweaty forehead, thankful for the breeze. It was common to be windy, especially out here at sea, it was a relief from the blazing sun.
"Hey, are you the man people call 'Fair' around here?" a young male voice asked Zack from behind him.
"You mean 'Fair' like 'fair skin' or 'fair hair'? I have black hair ya see and I'm a little on the tan side," Zack didn't bother turning around but noticed Barret tensing a few feet away from him and wondered why.
"I need a Zack Fair,"
Zack rolled his eyes, people couldn't even joke anymore. He straightened up, dusting off his pants before turning to regard the man standing before him.
He looked like he came from Modeoheim or Valstedd (A/N: "Valstedd" for lack of a better name is a fictional town far up north, something like Scandinavia in the RL) with his fair complexion, blue eyes, lean build and blonde, light hair.
"Who wants to know?" Zack didn't bother with a fake smile, he hated them like the pest. He usually showed what he felt; his blue eyes narrowed. The man had bloodshot eyes, cracked, dry lips, something wasn't quite right.
"The name's Veld, listen, l-listen," he came closer to Zack, whispering now, "I got a tip from some chick outside, said something that you were her friend. Dark brown hair, pretty babe, busty, pretty red eyes, sound familiar?" Zack's eyes narrowed further, he didn't like how this guy was describing Tifa at all.
"Yeah, what did she say?" he hadn't expected for Tifa to contact them so soon, much less through a inmate.
Veld fidgeted around and Zack could see how bloodshot his eyes truly were, sand dry lips, paler skin than normal, his veins were bulging unnaturally; drugs. Zack had more often seen them than he would have liked and he couldn't understand how someone could throw their life away like that and poison themselves, it was like pure torture.
"Told me to tell you she's got some plan. Some plan. Don't know what plan. Said you have to be patient a little longer, just a little longer." He came even closer to Zack, "So…have any idea what that plan is? Hey, maybe we can work together ya know? I can get out and get back to my babies, I can't get any stuff in here, they won't let me," his hands were shaking.
Zack wondered why they let former drug addicts in the same department such as them now, they had special institutions for them to cure them, what the hell were they doing here? This was one of the toughest prisons Zack had heard of, why were drug addicts here?
"What the hell are you junkies doing here? You got your own damn departments to take care of you," Zack crossed his muscled arms, Veld's eyes were briefly drawn to the "First Class" tattoo before he nervously averted his gaze.
"Pff, have no idea, not an idea. Dumped me here after couple of friends o' mine told me they burned down the clinic, heh, fuckers got what they deserved for stealin' my babies from me," Zack snorted in disgust, he never liked drugs. He may enjoy a beer here and there but he was never too fond of those drugs or alcohol, they were bad news.
"They? Who's 'they'?" Veld looked afraid now, Zack had no idea why, as if someone was watching them, someone dangerous.
"Your company man, your company. Burned down the building. H-have to wait to make new one, burned down a few others t-too, don't know why, don't know why," his hands were shaking stronger, his eyes dilating strongly.
Glowing blue eyes widened, "What? Burned down? Shinra burned down buildings? For drug addicts? Why the hell should I believe a scumbag like you who doesn't even know how many fingers he's got on one hand?" Zack was angry, his glowing blue eyes boring into Veld's scared ones.
"H-hey, hey, listen SOLDIER boy, searching for no trouble, no trouble at all. Just sayin' what I heard. My….my buddies…they said something…something about some dudes in white, plan on making new buildings, clinics or such. But they didn't burn down all clinics, just a few, don't know why."
Zack's eyes narrowed, "Dudes in white? Wait…he said Shinra did that…white clad dudes in Shinra…scientists?! Hojo? What the hell?!"
This time, Zack got closer and grabbed Veld's collar, lifting him slightly up, suspending him in mid-air, Zack snarled his next words, "Tell me everything you know. You said something about men in white, how many were there? Did your friends hear what they were talking about?" he had to know.
Veld smiled wickedly, "N-no, no, first g-give me something, I-I ain't talkin' without getting s-some," he held out a shaking hand, his eyes dilated and wicked.
Zack snorted in disgust, slapping his hand away roughly, his eyes furious, "You really think I have fucking drugs on me?! Pull yourself together and tell me what I want to know or I'll turn you in to the guards and they will throw you to these shits, trust me, you don't want to get to know them on a personal level," Zack hoped his threat was clear. Inmates didn't treat drug addicts kindly, especially not in this prison.
Zack heard they were, along with homosexuals, one of the most common prisoners to get subjected to rape and brutal torture. Something Zack strongly was against, it didn't matter that he killed the bad guys, even if they were people, Zack couldn't believe how people encouraged such vile acts.
Veld was sweating, "M-Many, there were many. Many of them lab c-coats walking around, many of 'em. They were talking, t-talking like the top dogs out there, top dogs. Something about experiments, p-pretty little rainbow colors…"
Shit. Zack didn't need him going delusional now from lack of drugs.
"Hey! Tell me what did they say?" Zack's grip tightened, his gaze desperate.
Veld's eyes blinked rapidly, his pupils dancing, "Experiments…rainbow colors…there was green…plenty of green…green in people…sharp, pointy things…in people…green in sharp, pointy things…" he was a goner. Damn it.
Wait…
Zack let Veld go, "Wait a minute…green….maybe he means mako? 'Green in people'? That doesn't make any sense…green in people…wait…sharp, pointy things? Sharp….pointy…what could that…Shit! Green…that's mako! Sharp, pointy things are fucking injections! They're giving mako shots to people?! To civils?!"
Zack quickly jogged up to Barret, "Barret!"
"What is it porcupine?" Zack would have punched him if the situation wasn't serious.
"Barret, I know what the hell Hojo is trying to do." He leaned in to whisper in Barret's ear, "Hojo's planning on infusing mako into civilians, Shinra burned down and built several buildings to store mako and inject it into people. They may use a real hospital as cover,"
Barret rose an eyebrow skeptically, "What? Do you know what you are talking about?! How the hell do you know that shit?" he looked skeptically at his tense friend.
"Tifa sent some drug addict to me to deliver me a message about some plan, he told me that some of his drug buddies saw how Hojo and the rest burning down several clinics and rebuilding new ones or using some old ones to do something there. He's injecting mako into normal people!" Zack snarled, his eyes blazing.
"Shit," Barret swore, slamming his fist on his knee, "He'll poison the entire town or even country if he dreams big!"
"Not if I'm still breathing," Zack was sure of it, he was.
"Ya can't even set one foot outside of this fence without alerting the entire country about it," Barret rose a skeptical eyebrow, crossing his arms, calling Cid over.
Zack smirked, "I've escaped from the lab didn't I?" he rolled his shoulders, "This should be a cinch,"
He grinned, his mako blue eyes glowing.
Thanks for reading the story! Suggestions and critics are welcome! :)