Post by Moonie on Jun 8, 2008 14:56:02 GMT -5
[Change of Clothes]
"What is it that you're going to accomplish from this?"
"I don't...know.."
Zack hurried through the halls of the company. He didn't want to make it suspicious, but if anything happened to get in his way, he'd make up an excuse to rush past and keep on his way. However, instead of taking the elevator like any normal worker or citizen of Shinra, he raced up the stairs. And even more so, he found himself climbing atop the railings and leaping to the next floor to hurry his pace. At each checkpoint of the stairs, Zack used his ID to continue.
Yet despite the focus he had on his feet and his goal, his mind always wandered back to Aerith. He didn't want her to suffer something so alien as a virus. It was bad enough he couldn't always be there for her, but he was going to damn well try to save her life against something that these demons wouldn't let be. He thought back to his mentor, his teacher, and his best friend - Angeal. Whatever had become of him, Zack had wondered. But what would he do if he was presented with this situation? Would he have stayed faithful to Shinra?
At the last level, Zack pulled his Buster Sword from his back and eyed the last set of stairs above. Swinging the sword, he let it fly above. The wide blade embedded itself into the wall of the stairs just below the final floor, sending a few pebbles of the stone to the several floors below. Zack climbed onto the railing one final time before he leaped and caught hold of the hilt of the sword and hoisted himself up and over the edge. At once, he was faced with two guards blocking the entrance to Rufus' office.
"Howdy, kids. How's the President? I need to speak with him," he said bluntly. One of the guards glanced at him like he was a fool, smirking even. "Oh, okay. So I'm guessing you didn't get the message that I was gonna be around. Well, I'm going to tell you both something. It's a secret."
He waved his hand to usher them closer as he stepped forward. However, as soon as they got into range, Zack grabbed a hold of one of them and kneed him in the stomach before knocking him out. Grabbing the baton from that soldier, he whirled around and knocked the other one against the head with more strength than he had bargained for, causing the man to fall unconscious to the ground. Leaning down, he searched the body and came up with a silenced gun. It would come in handy if he was going to finish this job.
"Told you it was a secret. You just wouldn't listen."
Passing by the bodies, Zack pushed open the doors to the office and looked around. Such a fancy place. Such a pity he'd never see it again after this. The raven belted the baton and gun and walked forward to the middle of the room. It was odd how nobody seemed to be in sight, but it was probably a natural thing to keep Rufus from immediate harm's way.
"Rufus! I need to talk to you," outspoke Zack, his cerulean eyes locking onto every figure. The leather chain in front of him, and behind the desk, moved as it turned around slowly. However, instead of seeing the president of Shinra, he found somebody else in that chair. "Professor Hojo..."
"Well, my boy, it seems you get far in such a short amount of time. Tell me, do you train on a regular basis?" The man sickened Zack, for all he was worth. He was nothing but a twisted, scientific obsessed freak. In fact, he couldn't have been any different from Misoka.
"I don't have time to play, Hojo. Where's Rufus?"
"Oh, he's coming. Don't you worry. But for now, I have some friends for you to meet." On cue, several beasts came from behind the pillars. With their teeth bared, Zack saw that these were a few of the experiments that Hojo had no doubt conjured up. Any healthy, normal canine would have pearly white fangs and pink gums. These were grungy yellow and nearly black. And the eyes...they were wild.
Pulling the baton from his belt, Zack sprung into action. He took down most of the canines with ease, bashing them at a vulnerable area in the back of their heads. However, the beasts began to dodge quickly and even snap at him as they did. The raven tried several other maneuvers, but each only ended up with him being snapped away.
"These canines adapt in their battles. Unlucky you will never be able to take them down the same again." Gritting his teeth, Zack pulled out the gun and shot the remaining dogs without a worry.
"Yeah, but I guess they didn't see that coming," he said with a grin. He pointed the gun at the Professor and tilted his head in curiosity. "Get out of my sight, Hojo. Like I said, I'm not playing games here anymore."
"That's enough, First Class Soldier." Zack lowered his gun slightly as he turned around, looking right at Rufus. Well, it couldn't have gotten any better than that. His target really had come straight to him. "Hojo, leave. If I find you in my office again, I will make sure you never set foot in a Shinra operated city again."
The raven watched as Hojo slunk off the stage and as Rufus returned to his designated seat behind the desk. Their eyes didn't make contact for several minutes, and even then, the words were unspoken. Zack waited patiently - for what, he wasn't sure of. But something would happen.
"I see why you're here, Zack..."
"Huh?" The raven's focus faltered. Something so ethereal to him was so obvious to somebody else. How come?
"What is it that you're going to accomplish from this?" asked Rufus, altering the papers and objects on his desk calmly. It was almost like he knew his fate was going to be this way, and he wasn't doing a damn thing about it. Why?
"I don't...know..." he answered, averting his gaze to the ground.
"Do you want to know the truth? Of your origin. Of your history here at Shinra." Rufus sat in his chair and lazily leaned back, staring at the young SOLDIER before him. Zack already seemed to have lost his focus on his mission, being spellbound by simple curiosity. "You were born in Gongaga. Your blood type is O. You are 6 foot-one." Zack turned his eyes upon the man in angry surprise. The fact that he knew so much about him was something different. But how was he born in Gongaga? He knew he was born in Nibelheim. He'd been there for as long as he could remember. "You moved from Gongaga to live in Nibelheim when you weren't even born. This was because your father had joined SOLDIER and moved closer to headquarters so he wouldn't have to travel so far. However, he was exposed to Mako during a Reactor mission while trying to save a fellow comrade. It took a toll on him over the next few years. When he finally died of Mako poisoning, we informed your mother that he had died in the war as a hero. It was so we could keep those secrets hidden."
Zack shook his head. Why was everything falling apart before him? He had a great life as a child, but when Shinra and SOLDIER became involved, it seemed to tear apart his world like it was paper. He glared at Rufus with an intense hatred. Not at him, but at the company and what unlucky things it brought about.
"With that history briefly shared with you, Zack, we have reason to believe you have more than just Mako poisoning in your system. You have Jenova cells. Jenova cells increase your physical capabilities, almost like a steroid. A disease called Geostigma. However, you are a special case..." Rufus paused in his rant, taking a moment to look at Zack. He was more lost than before, confused about everything he was living for. "You seem to have some sort of immune system that retaliates against the virus, keeping it from contaminating your skin and health, but still affects your life span in the minimalist ways. Your immune system prevents the worst of it, which is why you are living so long. Perhaps you can still live another twenty or so years."
"S-stop..." choked Zack, shaking his head. "Stop! I'm not a virus. I will not be treated as one. And I won't be used as a tool. I don't want to do this Rufus, but I feel like I have to. I don't know what Angeal would do or what my father would do. But this is what I'm doing. As long as I still have my pride, I won't regret a damn thing I've done." The raven pulled up the silenced gun and pointed it at Rufus' chest with marked precision. Closing his eyes, Zack sent up a prayer that he was wearing a vest under that suit so he wouldn't have the entire SOLDIER unit on his ass. "I'm sorry, Rufus, but I'm sure you lived great by killing people with your Mako. Good luck." He fired. The bullet hit. And Rufus sat in his chair with a smile as Zack dropped his weapons and stepped forward. He found the remains of Jenova in the bottom left hand drawer after breaking the lock and finally took his leave.
However, he wasn't expecting company the moment he stepped out of the door. Although they weren't first class SOLDIER, they were capable of doing some damage if he didn't snap into action. Without hesitating any longer, Zack took down the first three in his way. Taking the batons, he chucked them with precision at his targets and kept going toward the rail. At the last second, guns went off behind him as he disappeared over the rail, ignoring the pain that sliced through his right shoulder. As he fell, he gripped the hilt of his Buster Sword and dislodged it out of the wall. It was only seconds before his sword hit the ground and his feet a split second after. But Zack fell to his knees and gritted his teeth as blood seeped from his shoulder. Lucky bastards... he thought. For second class, they were good.
Pulling the sword out, he reattached it to his back and bolted out of the stairway and through the lobby. The one thing he was thankful for was that nobody in the lobby paid much attention to a SOLDIER since they were so common. But if he could get out before the other armed men came, he would be more than safe.
As soon as Zack exited the building, he made a detour to the left and over a wall into foliage. Ripping away the vines and leaves, his motorcycle came to life with a purr and the raven took off quickly. While he still had time to think, Zack replayed everything in his mind. All in all, he had probably staked out most of his time, giving him five hours of getting ready for his infiltration. By the time he started his plan until the end, he calculated nearly fourteen hours had passed. That meant he'd spent nineteen hours already. He didn't have time to stop and tend to his wounds.
"What is it that you're going to accomplish from this?"
"I don't...know.."
Zack hurried through the halls of the company. He didn't want to make it suspicious, but if anything happened to get in his way, he'd make up an excuse to rush past and keep on his way. However, instead of taking the elevator like any normal worker or citizen of Shinra, he raced up the stairs. And even more so, he found himself climbing atop the railings and leaping to the next floor to hurry his pace. At each checkpoint of the stairs, Zack used his ID to continue.
Yet despite the focus he had on his feet and his goal, his mind always wandered back to Aerith. He didn't want her to suffer something so alien as a virus. It was bad enough he couldn't always be there for her, but he was going to damn well try to save her life against something that these demons wouldn't let be. He thought back to his mentor, his teacher, and his best friend - Angeal. Whatever had become of him, Zack had wondered. But what would he do if he was presented with this situation? Would he have stayed faithful to Shinra?
At the last level, Zack pulled his Buster Sword from his back and eyed the last set of stairs above. Swinging the sword, he let it fly above. The wide blade embedded itself into the wall of the stairs just below the final floor, sending a few pebbles of the stone to the several floors below. Zack climbed onto the railing one final time before he leaped and caught hold of the hilt of the sword and hoisted himself up and over the edge. At once, he was faced with two guards blocking the entrance to Rufus' office.
"Howdy, kids. How's the President? I need to speak with him," he said bluntly. One of the guards glanced at him like he was a fool, smirking even. "Oh, okay. So I'm guessing you didn't get the message that I was gonna be around. Well, I'm going to tell you both something. It's a secret."
He waved his hand to usher them closer as he stepped forward. However, as soon as they got into range, Zack grabbed a hold of one of them and kneed him in the stomach before knocking him out. Grabbing the baton from that soldier, he whirled around and knocked the other one against the head with more strength than he had bargained for, causing the man to fall unconscious to the ground. Leaning down, he searched the body and came up with a silenced gun. It would come in handy if he was going to finish this job.
"Told you it was a secret. You just wouldn't listen."
Passing by the bodies, Zack pushed open the doors to the office and looked around. Such a fancy place. Such a pity he'd never see it again after this. The raven belted the baton and gun and walked forward to the middle of the room. It was odd how nobody seemed to be in sight, but it was probably a natural thing to keep Rufus from immediate harm's way.
"Rufus! I need to talk to you," outspoke Zack, his cerulean eyes locking onto every figure. The leather chain in front of him, and behind the desk, moved as it turned around slowly. However, instead of seeing the president of Shinra, he found somebody else in that chair. "Professor Hojo..."
"Well, my boy, it seems you get far in such a short amount of time. Tell me, do you train on a regular basis?" The man sickened Zack, for all he was worth. He was nothing but a twisted, scientific obsessed freak. In fact, he couldn't have been any different from Misoka.
"I don't have time to play, Hojo. Where's Rufus?"
"Oh, he's coming. Don't you worry. But for now, I have some friends for you to meet." On cue, several beasts came from behind the pillars. With their teeth bared, Zack saw that these were a few of the experiments that Hojo had no doubt conjured up. Any healthy, normal canine would have pearly white fangs and pink gums. These were grungy yellow and nearly black. And the eyes...they were wild.
Pulling the baton from his belt, Zack sprung into action. He took down most of the canines with ease, bashing them at a vulnerable area in the back of their heads. However, the beasts began to dodge quickly and even snap at him as they did. The raven tried several other maneuvers, but each only ended up with him being snapped away.
"These canines adapt in their battles. Unlucky you will never be able to take them down the same again." Gritting his teeth, Zack pulled out the gun and shot the remaining dogs without a worry.
"Yeah, but I guess they didn't see that coming," he said with a grin. He pointed the gun at the Professor and tilted his head in curiosity. "Get out of my sight, Hojo. Like I said, I'm not playing games here anymore."
"That's enough, First Class Soldier." Zack lowered his gun slightly as he turned around, looking right at Rufus. Well, it couldn't have gotten any better than that. His target really had come straight to him. "Hojo, leave. If I find you in my office again, I will make sure you never set foot in a Shinra operated city again."
The raven watched as Hojo slunk off the stage and as Rufus returned to his designated seat behind the desk. Their eyes didn't make contact for several minutes, and even then, the words were unspoken. Zack waited patiently - for what, he wasn't sure of. But something would happen.
"I see why you're here, Zack..."
"Huh?" The raven's focus faltered. Something so ethereal to him was so obvious to somebody else. How come?
"What is it that you're going to accomplish from this?" asked Rufus, altering the papers and objects on his desk calmly. It was almost like he knew his fate was going to be this way, and he wasn't doing a damn thing about it. Why?
"I don't...know..." he answered, averting his gaze to the ground.
"Do you want to know the truth? Of your origin. Of your history here at Shinra." Rufus sat in his chair and lazily leaned back, staring at the young SOLDIER before him. Zack already seemed to have lost his focus on his mission, being spellbound by simple curiosity. "You were born in Gongaga. Your blood type is O. You are 6 foot-one." Zack turned his eyes upon the man in angry surprise. The fact that he knew so much about him was something different. But how was he born in Gongaga? He knew he was born in Nibelheim. He'd been there for as long as he could remember. "You moved from Gongaga to live in Nibelheim when you weren't even born. This was because your father had joined SOLDIER and moved closer to headquarters so he wouldn't have to travel so far. However, he was exposed to Mako during a Reactor mission while trying to save a fellow comrade. It took a toll on him over the next few years. When he finally died of Mako poisoning, we informed your mother that he had died in the war as a hero. It was so we could keep those secrets hidden."
Zack shook his head. Why was everything falling apart before him? He had a great life as a child, but when Shinra and SOLDIER became involved, it seemed to tear apart his world like it was paper. He glared at Rufus with an intense hatred. Not at him, but at the company and what unlucky things it brought about.
"With that history briefly shared with you, Zack, we have reason to believe you have more than just Mako poisoning in your system. You have Jenova cells. Jenova cells increase your physical capabilities, almost like a steroid. A disease called Geostigma. However, you are a special case..." Rufus paused in his rant, taking a moment to look at Zack. He was more lost than before, confused about everything he was living for. "You seem to have some sort of immune system that retaliates against the virus, keeping it from contaminating your skin and health, but still affects your life span in the minimalist ways. Your immune system prevents the worst of it, which is why you are living so long. Perhaps you can still live another twenty or so years."
"S-stop..." choked Zack, shaking his head. "Stop! I'm not a virus. I will not be treated as one. And I won't be used as a tool. I don't want to do this Rufus, but I feel like I have to. I don't know what Angeal would do or what my father would do. But this is what I'm doing. As long as I still have my pride, I won't regret a damn thing I've done." The raven pulled up the silenced gun and pointed it at Rufus' chest with marked precision. Closing his eyes, Zack sent up a prayer that he was wearing a vest under that suit so he wouldn't have the entire SOLDIER unit on his ass. "I'm sorry, Rufus, but I'm sure you lived great by killing people with your Mako. Good luck." He fired. The bullet hit. And Rufus sat in his chair with a smile as Zack dropped his weapons and stepped forward. He found the remains of Jenova in the bottom left hand drawer after breaking the lock and finally took his leave.
However, he wasn't expecting company the moment he stepped out of the door. Although they weren't first class SOLDIER, they were capable of doing some damage if he didn't snap into action. Without hesitating any longer, Zack took down the first three in his way. Taking the batons, he chucked them with precision at his targets and kept going toward the rail. At the last second, guns went off behind him as he disappeared over the rail, ignoring the pain that sliced through his right shoulder. As he fell, he gripped the hilt of his Buster Sword and dislodged it out of the wall. It was only seconds before his sword hit the ground and his feet a split second after. But Zack fell to his knees and gritted his teeth as blood seeped from his shoulder. Lucky bastards... he thought. For second class, they were good.
Pulling the sword out, he reattached it to his back and bolted out of the stairway and through the lobby. The one thing he was thankful for was that nobody in the lobby paid much attention to a SOLDIER since they were so common. But if he could get out before the other armed men came, he would be more than safe.
As soon as Zack exited the building, he made a detour to the left and over a wall into foliage. Ripping away the vines and leaves, his motorcycle came to life with a purr and the raven took off quickly. While he still had time to think, Zack replayed everything in his mind. All in all, he had probably staked out most of his time, giving him five hours of getting ready for his infiltration. By the time he started his plan until the end, he calculated nearly fourteen hours had passed. That meant he'd spent nineteen hours already. He didn't have time to stop and tend to his wounds.
