Chapter 5: Zack Fair

The deal with Rufus went well, too.

It seems he directly appealed to the President regarding the betrayal by SOLDIER Director Lazard, and we managed to apprehend him before he could flee.

We'll continue our search for the fugitive Hollander, Genesis, and their group, but losing their collaborator should slow them down.

Lazard was dealt with secretly, and officially, it will be announced that he was assassinated by attackers who harbor anti-SOLDIER sentiments.

Man, Shinra is terrifying. Between the cover-ups and the blatant lies they spout, they don't have a single shred of ethics.

Then, the question of what to do with the vacant seat of SOLDIER Director became an agenda item at the executive meeting.

Even without a Director, SOLDIER is a crucial military asset, and it would be disastrous to fall out of step when the war with Wutai is nearing its end.

Heidegger from the Public Security Division proposed integrating the SOLDIER department under his command, but Rufus, the MVP this time around, put his own name forward for the Director position.

Naturally, Heidegger couldn't exactly push the Vice President aside to force his own agenda, and fortunately, the President was also on board.

When Reeve and I subtly backed Rufus, the decision was made almost immediately.

What surprised me was that Hojo, who usually seems uninterested in these things, also recommended Rufus for SOLDIER Director.

Rufus probably laid some groundwork behind the scenes.

Was it budget-related, or did he agree to provide Hollander's and Genesis's data that the SOLDIER department had deliberately withheld from the company?

"Therefore, I appoint Rufus as Vice President and Director of SOLDIER."

When the President says that, no one can argue.

With this, Rufus's influence and his position within the company are rock solid.

The discussion then moved straight into strategies for ending the Wutai War.

The original strategy was centered around SOLDIER, but out of concern over the sudden change in leadership, it was decided that Public Security and the Advanced Weaponry Division would provide support.

I, of course, intend to help as much as possible, and Heidegger will likely find the President's son easier to deal with.

It's a good opportunity; it might be best to have Cloud experience actual combat around now.

No matter how good his results are in the simulator, a lack of real combat experience is a problem, and he'll probably want a track record of distinguishing himself in the war.

Right now, if I ask Rufus, we should be able to integrate him into a SOLDIER operation.

While I'm at it, I should have him team up with Zack to build a connection.

I probably can't poach Zack since he's already in SOLDIER, but since he'll be wielding his power under Rufus, I want to avoid antagonizing him.

Besides his strength, he's a key figure—there was even a depiction of him somehow being alive in the Remake.

With that decided, I'll ask Rufus to lend me Zack for now.

Plus, Cloud made a rare request, saying he wants to experience real combat outside the simulator.

It really helps that Cloud is so greedy to get stronger.

He listens to what I say obediently and shows proper respect.

You can never have too much affection, and it's necessary for him to get stronger, so I'll grant his wishes as much as possible.

Besides, it just feels good watching Cloud, the protagonist of a game I originally loved, keep on winning.

Suddenly, my boss, Director Lazard, was gone, and the Vice President, a guy named Rufus, became the new Director of SOLDIER in his place.

Officially, it's been stated that he was assassinated, but the new Director, Rufus, told us the truth.

At first, I couldn't believe it, but he also explained about Genesis and Angeal suddenly defecting, and the phenomenon called "degradation" that those two were suffering from.

"This is all very sudden, and you may be unsettled, but Wutai won't wait. For now, SOLDIER, Public Security, and the Advanced Weaponry Division will execute the initial operation."

War doesn't wait. It was already decided that I'd be heading to the battlefield as a SOLDIER 2nd Class.

"You're Zack, right? Sorry, but there's a slight change to your deployment. Stay behind for a moment."

Just as the meeting ended and everyone was leaving the conference room, the new Director called my name personally, so I waited until the others were gone.

"As I mentioned earlier, personnel from the Advanced Weaponry Division will be dispatched for this operation. You will be acting together with him."

"W-Wait a second!? The Advanced Weaponry Division means rear support, right? Don't tell me I can't go to the front lines!"

Just when the path from 2nd Class to 1st Class was finally coming into view, I absolutely refuse to be stalled here.

Considering he's the Vice President, I probably should have spoken more politely, but I don't think I'm to blame for reacting naturally, despite it being our first meeting.

"I don't mind the casual tone with me, but watch yourself around Heidegger. And while that's a natural question, there's no problem; the guy coming from the Advanced Weaponry Division is a combatant. Starting today until the operation begins, go to the Advanced Weaponry Division, train with him, and get on the same page."

Saying that, he handed me a document with orders to report to the Advanced Weaponry Division.

Not entirely sure what was going on, I made my way down to the underground R&D block of the Advanced Weaponry Division, a place I normally never go.

"Hey there! I'm Zack, on assignment from the SOLDIER department!"

For starters, I cheerfully called out to a nearby researcher in a white coat.

"Oh, you must be Zack. I've heard about you, follow me."

I didn't know where to go, and since I never enter this area, I had no sense of direction.

I followed closely behind him so I wouldn't get lost, and soon we arrived at a massive battle simulator, just like the ones we use for training.

"Whoa, this is way bigger than ours."

"Haha, that's because it's the latest model Director Scarlet prepared specifically for Cloud. Director, I've brought SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack, on assignment from the SOLDIER department."

"You may leave."

Standing there was a woman who, while beautiful, wore rather heavy makeup and was dressed entirely in red from head to toe, right down to her fingernails.

I don't interact or speak with her much, but she's the head of this division, Scarlet.

According to combatants who have dealt with her harsh personality, she's a difficult executive right on par with Heidegger.

They joked that if both are hell, at least the hell with the beautiful woman is better. She's definitely beautiful, but her personality seems pretty intense.

"I am Scarlet, the one who summoned you. Cloud's training will wrap up shortly, so wait over there."

Looking at the simulation displayed on the monitor, it was brutal.

I have to do these in training too, but this was high-level combat—maybe even tougher than what we go through.

So this spiky-haired guy is Cloud. I couldn't help but be impressed by his movements.

He looks way younger than me, but he moves much better than your average SOLDIER. If I had to rank him, he's definitely at least a 2nd Class.

I have no intention of losing, of course, but if we end up doing a mock battle, it's going to be tough unless I really bring my A-game.

As I watched the training with these thoughts in mind, the session ended, and Cloud stepped out of the simulator.

"Good work, Cloud. It's truly wonderful that you're able to fight this well even with data adjusted for a 1st Class."

"Thank you. It's all thanks to your daily guidance, Lady Scarlet."

"Don't mention it. You're special to me, after all. More importantly, how did the weapon feel this time? I tuned it to draw out the effects of the Materia, so its raw power is a bit subdued."

"You're right. It's great being able to use elemental and healing magic effectively, but the drop in base attack power is definitely a bottleneck. When fighting solo, it leaves larger openings, and I'm concerned about the overall drop in enemy clear speed."

That's completely different from the rumors.

Director Scarlet doesn't seem all that difficult to deal with; in fact, she's weirdly gentle with Cloud.

I've had my own bosses and seniors look out for me like that, but never from anyone at the Director level.

Cloud doesn't seem like he's being forced to train, either. Maybe he's emotionally close to the Director, because he's voicing his opinions without any tension.

If you tried to voice an opinion to Heidegger, you'd be in for a terrible time.

Yeah, you can hear him yelling even during joint operations. It really brings morale down.

More importantly, are you two just going to ignore me?

Cloud seems to only have eyes for Director Scarlet. He hasn't looked my way once.

Come to think of it, I've heard rumors about the Director keeping had a "lover" locked away in the Advanced Weaponry Division... is this actually true?

I'm not going to say anything since I just saw with my own eyes that he has real skills and isn't just riding on connections.

Is talking to a high-ranking executive like the Director really that fun?

I'd really appreciate it if they noticed me soon, though...

"Lady Scarlet, who is he?"

Oh, he finally noticed.

"This is Zack, the SOLDIER 2nd Class I told you about who will be joining you for the upcoming operation. He'll be the live-combat training partner you requested."

"Thank you, Lady Scarlet. Nice to meet you, I'm Cloud Strife, a tester for the Advanced Weaponry Division. I look forward to working with you."

"Hey, like she just said, I'm Zack Fair. I might be your senior, but since we'll be watching each other's backs from now on, feel free to just call me Zack."

"Understood. Just call me Cloud, then. Good to meet you, Zack."

He held his hand out to me with a friendly smile.

I grabbed his hand and we shook on it.

Yeah, that's a good smile. My gut tells me Cloud's a good guy.

"Well then, shall we have you two do a mock battle right away? Make sure you accurately grasp each other's abilities."

"Alright, the Director here doesn't waste time! Just 'cause it's training doesn't mean I'm gonna lose, Cloud!"

"Sorry, but I can't afford to look pathetic in front of Lady Scarlet. I'm going to win, Zack!"

It's great that he's so fired up, but what's with this intense loyalty?

It's true that combatants sometimes swear loyalty to someone they look up to.

Even Director Lazard had SOLDIERs who adored him, and it's not uncommon to harbor those feelings for someone you respect, even if they aren't your boss.

In our department, we have Sephiroth with his overwhelming charisma, or Angeal, who was always great at looking after his juniors.

But it might be rare to see someone this attached to Director Scarlet, who doesn't exactly have the best reputation.

Yeah, it's no wonder there are rumors about him being her lover.

Watching their interaction just now, they're way too close to just be a boss and subordinate.

But the age gap is a bit too wide for them to be lovers. Anyway, I shouldn't be thinking about weird stuff right now—I need to focus on the mock battle.

After all, my opponent isn't someone I can take lightly.

I'm aiming for 1st Class too. Time to step up as the senior and show this junior what I'm made of!

"I won't forgive you if you lose, Cloud."

"Of course, Lady Scarlet."

After that, we hopped into the simulator and fought mock battles over and over across various scenarios: urban areas, plains, and grasslands where monsters crashed the fight.

Cloud might not be a physically enhanced SOLDIER, but his skills and footwork put regular SOLDIERs to shame.

At first, I was able to maintain the upper hand by exploiting his lack of real combat experience, but he seemed to grasp the feel of it quickly, and there were several moments that sent a chill down my spine.

But I have my pride as a senior, and I want to look cool in front of my junior.

It doesn't look like I can win easily, but I'm not going to let him win easily, either.

Taking advantage of what they said earlier—that his basic weapon specs were low in exchange for powerful magic—I went on a relentless offensive to minimize the amount of magic he could cast.

We kept going like that, changing the settings and fighting match after match.

Just as my stamina was finally hitting rock bottom, the Director called a stop to the matches. In the end, we tied.

We stepped out of the simulator, and both of us received a Potion from the Director before taking a seat on a bench in the room.

The Potion seeped into my battle-sweaty body.

Cloud, just like me, chugged the Potion the Director gave him and let out a heavy sigh.

"I apologize. I didn't lose, but I was unable to secure a decisive victory."

"It's fine. As long as you're alive, there's no problem; not losing is enough. More importantly, look at this combat data. Your movements improved before my very eyes. This is enough for you to make it as a 1st Class. You still have room to grow. Next time, let's gather combat data again with readjusted equipment."

"Yes, Lady Scarlet! Someday, I'll prove to you that I can become a man who surpasses Sephiroth!"

"Oh, that's an awesome goal. I can't afford to lose, either—I'm the one who's gonna be a hero greater than Sephiroth!"

Surpassing Sephiroth. That's the kind of goal people give up on the closer they get to him, but seeing him chase his dreams so purely reminded me of myself right after I left the countryside.

If my junior is setting goals like that, I absolutely can't lose!

"Anyway, that concludes training for today for both of you. Zack, come back to this room again tomorrow. Next time, I'll have you run simulations to check your coordination together. Cloud, stay with me; we're going to adjust your equipment."

"Understood, thank you very much, Lady Scarlet. See you tomorrow, Zack."

The two of them left the room just like that.

As they walked away, they were discussing how the weapon felt during the fights and throwing around ideas for future modifications.

Yeah, wait a second.

Does that mean she was watching Cloud the entire time we were training inside the simulator!?

"They're way too close..."