It is a deplorable thing to do, taking a child from his mother without even a simple goodbye being allowed to be exchanged. Yet, for the sake of the world, Rufus Shin-Ra needed Cloud Strife to hate everything about his company and the men running it. The boy, of course, had struggled and earned a sharp cuff from an exasperated Reno. He was thirteen on the day they moved in on the small village of Nibelheim and ordered the Governor to assemble all children aged eight to fourteen in the town's small square. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea to force the parents into thinking they were benefiting from their motivations. The offer of a scholarship to any Shin-Ra-run school worth thousands of Gil had ensured their cooperation until the cost was levied on them.
For every ten children to benefit from the money, one would be taken without argument into the Shin-Ra military.
Cloud Strife had not been a part of the initial groups of children. Looking over the assembled children, Rufus had sent his people into the houses to perform thorough searches until they finally brought the one he was looking for. The blond boy had put up a fight the moment he figured out what was going on. Giving a scalding look at the Mayor for not providing this particular child, Rufus reached out and placed a simple hand on the arm of Mrs. Strife. In his hand, he held the register of names, birthdates, and medical records of each child. The woman had been struggling through the crowds to reach her only son when Rufus stopped her. Withdrawing the intended tool for constructing hate from his coat, Rufus Shin-Ra offered her a single apologetic smile. Placing the weapon against her temple, all activity came to a sudden halt.
"It's quite simple, Mrs. Strife. Shin-Ra wants your son, and Shin-Ra will have him," he explained. "If you or anyone tries to interfere with our goals, we will simply kill you. No one will ever know the difference or care. Money is like that, you see, when it comes to making a profit everyone has his or her price. Now, if you behave yourself and stay out of our way, I promise you will see your son again."
A strangled sob answered his proclamation as Rufus signaled for his men to take the unconscious child into the chopper. Reaching into his pocket, the Vice-President withdrew two checks. Slipping one into the hand of the Mayor, he took the man's hand for a brief moment. Slipping the second one into the whimpering, distraught mother's hand, he offered a second statement.
"Come to Midgar in two years' time, and you will be reunited with Cloud. Think of it as a chance to see your son realize his dreams," he offered in an oblique sense of compassion. He had no doubt that after today, she too would hate Shin-Ra, just as he hoped to make every other man, woman, and child do. Turning around, Rufus stalked toward his chopper, clambering inside just before Rude followed him and pulled the door shut.
Glancing once at the unconscious child, Rufus jerked his head at the pilot to get moving. "Tseng, where is Zack Fair located at this time?"
Checking the registry on his computer, the Turk confirmed his guess. "He's just been accepted as a Soldier Third Class. Do you want us to move?"
"No. Wait for a while. I want him to meet with the three first and to create some bonds." Leaving the pilot guessing at what was going on, Rufus motioned for them to get to the next form of business. "I want Hojo, Hollander, and any other scientist they've ever worked with brought to my lab in Costa del Sol."
(Line Break Here)
The break of dawn highlighted a man's dream, streaking across every dark surface and filling in all the crevices of his mind. Slowly, green eyes turned to look over at the slumbering forms of the other assembled soldiers of his platoon. The young man rolled softly to his left as his mind boiled to life with sluggish thoughts and whispers of a dream that yet lingered. Noting the position of the sun, Genesis came to a complete halt when his eyes landed upon the still form of his best friend. Leaning against a crumbling stone wall, Angeal had spent the last four hours looking out over the camp.
Sitting up, Genesis Rhapsodos stretched out stiff muscles before placing his rapier across his back where it belonged. "Anything happen while we were camped out?"
A silent nod.
"What was it?" he asked smoothly.
"Sephiroth was dropped some three miles from here and made his way on foot. He's talking to some of the prisoners we've got bunked out in the caves." As he spoke, a scream of pain and terror echoed out from the cavernous backdrop protecting their backs.
"I see." Genesis mused. "I suppose he's interrogating them then."
"Just so." Offering a few words at a time, Angeal closed his eyes and whispered a soft Wutain prayer for those confined within their prison.
"They knew what would happen when they stepped out onto the battlefield, Angeal. Just as we did when we took up our own swords." Genesis offered the source of comfort, dark and only earning a simple glance for his troubles. Shaking his head, the young man stopped his gestures of goodwill when their silver-haired counterpart stepped from the dark caves, blood spattered across his left cheekbone.
Oddly suiting the image he created of an avenging angel, Sephiroth kneeled down beside the freely flowing spring and washed himself up. When he was finally cleaned off, he turned to the other two commanders with a beckoning gesture. "I've brought news from Midgar. Professors Hojo and Hollander have gone missing, and orders have been handed down to find them. The Turks are out on this mission as well, and the entire army is to keep watch for them. Reinforcements are en-route from Junon and will arrive at our position in two days' time. We are to move camp after they arrive and mobilize in the capital city. The president thinks the Wutains might have captured them. He wants them back, regardless of the cost."
Sucking in a breath at the potential cost this would indeed cause, Angeal let out a worried sigh. "Who's leading the reinforcements?"
Here Sephiroth locked his green eyes with Angeal's blue. "Your student, Zack Fair, has been handed command of the Tenth Unit."
"He's only just been accepted as a Soldier Third. How can they just do something like this when he has no combat experience?" Angeal argued, his protective instincts coming to their good senses.
"Easily enough." Genesis mused. "Besides, they're probably counting on one of the three of us to guide him properly in his new command."
"Protocol states that only Seconds and Firsts should be given command over entire platoons. Units fall into this category. Besides, he's extremely young yet, and war like this is no place for a child."
"It was Rufus Shin-Ra who ordered his advancement in the military. Not even the Board of Directors could argue him out of it." Sephiroth explained. "That young man… he's been up to something for the last few months. Ever since the village of Nibelheim lodged a formal complaint against his new draft laws, there has been nothing but trouble from him."
Genesis raised a brow. He had been out here the longest, designing the first battle plans and victories over the Wutain forces for the last three years. Angeal's arrival some two months ago had shifted things into a newer perspective, but this was the first time he had heard of such a motion. "How are they allowing the Vice President to make political moves like that?"
Sephiroth shook his head at the lack of home news on the battlefront. "That's the thing. Rufus Shin-Ra assumed command of both SOLDIER and the TURKs divisions nearly a month and a half ago. He left both directors in charge of the divisions as long as they followed his orders. The President himself thinks that Rufus is trying something, but no matter what direction he turns, there is no proof. It's as if he knows exactly what to do before he does it."
"Wonderful." Genesis spat out. "The Professors go missing, Rufus Shin-Ra is enacting a coup on his own father, and we're expected to win a war with a bunch of greenhorns."
"If only it was that easy." A new voice chimed in, hovering over the edges of their position from the trees. Stalking quickly towards them, Tseng of the Turks reached the outskirts of their tiny circle and passed a letter to Genesis. "You've been called back by the Vice President, Rhapsodos. There is something he wishes to speak with you about regarding your command. Gentlemen."
Gesturing for the waiting transport, Tseng waited only long enough for the redhead amongst them to nod swiftly in answer. Packing was something that all SOLDIERs did without these days, especially given the lack of actual necessities in the place. "I'll see you two later, I suppose." He murmured to his friends, following the TURK to his chopper and vanishing with him into the encroaching light of day.
(Line Break Here)
Zack moved faster than he had thought possible, a monster's roar pushing him faster and faster than he had thought possible, as his men screamed for mercy. Swiftly as his hands could, they reached for the weapon on his back and drew it with practiced ease. Jumping into the air, the teen came down with a jolt across the beast's arm and threw himself back as it lashed out at him. Sweat trickled down his brow, into the neck of his uniform as it turned malevolent red eyes on him.
Whatever the hell it was, it was determined to kill him before he reached his primary position. Throwing aside the writhing infantryman on it, it roared at him once more. Violet-blue eyes narrowed at the creature from nightmares, and the sword came up once more. Preparing to strike, the beast moved quicker than he could and rammed its clawed hands into his gut. Pinning him to a tree, Zack kicked and twisted until he saw a glint of metal shining in the trees.
Preparing to yell out a warning, a shot echoed, and something sharp pierced his neck just above the collarbone. His eyes widened as the beast suddenly let go, stepped back, and moved away into the shadows of the forest. Green-tinted darkness skewed the rest of his assessment as the drug kicked in and forced him into a chemically induced sleep. Leaning down over his body, a blond woman with chopped hair touched his neck, looking for a pulse. Finding what she sought, she removed a radio handset and confirmed that the target was neutralized.
The shattering whirl of a chopper's blades descended on the world, and Elena raised her hand to the sky. Waving them down, she jerked the unconscious boy to his feet and wrestled him into the waiting vehicle. The slumped form of their third target merely raised a brow on her behalf.
"What'd you hit him with?" she asked as her aid roughly shoved past her and into the other passenger seat, hauling Zack Fair in with him.
Tseng smiled tightly at her. "Give him Hollander's special recipe."
She winced at that. "He's going to be extremely hungover in the morning. Poor guy."
"Not as badly as Zack there." Reno called over the roar of the chopper's blade. "I've already radioed the other guys. They'll come get their backup soon enough."
"Did you confirm with the Vice President that we've acquired the last of the targets?" Tseng mused.
"Yeah. He knows we're on the way." Leaning across the expanse of space between them, Rude of the Turks pressed another vial of the strange chemical to the back of Galian's neck. Depressing the trigger, the chemical released and took swift effect. The transformation faded, and the man left behind slumped forward in a nearly dead faint. Shaking his head at their actions, the Turk turned back to the forest view and watched for any snipers aiming at their position.
