#warprotocol

glancing up from the recon report that had been forwarded to him from lazard for validation, veld registered the silhouette before anything else. there were few men who could fill a door in that manner, and the uniform and beard registered next.

laying his pen down on his desk, veld leaned back into his chair, his thoughts already wandering through a litany of possibilities for the late-evening visit; missions? equipment requisitions? had one of his turks been caught meddling where they shouldn't be? or was this a kick-back for veld being reappointed?

Her head fucking hurt, that’s one of the first things she thought when she came too. Coming too wasn’t like it was in the movies, at least not for her. It wasn’t a snap all at once it was gradual- and unfortunately for Jill, her hearing was first and of course he’s a fucking gloater. Men like these, they’re almost always gloaters because they love to hear themselves talk, so fucking annoying. Tongue slowly runs over teeth, her saliva feels thick and off, but she doesn’t feel anything too fucked up so there’s that.

Jill can’t explain what it was that tipped her off, just the way he looked at her hadn’t sat right. It’s not the first time someone fooled her, just a survivor- she should have known better. His figure had been a touch too imposing but she had wanted to believe at face value.

She doesn’t know where they are, she’s trying to piece back what happened before she woke up. She had been asking him a question, the last one had been markedly off and she was pressuring him and then-nothing.

The thought that they’re anything alike, it’s all she can do to stop from rolling her eyes. Instead her head lolls back, seemingly in her attempt to clear the cobwebs from her mind. A semi-pathetic groan, an exhale out, she’s awake.

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Awareness flooded back to him with a pounding head but he kept his eyes shut and breathing slow in an attempt to maintain the illusion that he was unconscious. The last thing he remembered, he was snooping in an area he really shouldn't have been in. He'd hacked into Shinra's mainframe and had been in the process of downloading some very confidential files that would do AVALANCHE a whole lot of good.

Then there had been a sharp blow to his head and then...nothing.

It seemed he'd gotten sloppy, but by that point he'd been undercover with Public Security for months. Richard Grayson had made quite the name for himself. A model trooper who, for some reason, had passed on the opportunity to join SOLDIER.

Keep calm, Grayson, you knew this was a possibility. Just keep your head and figure out the situation.

Even without moving he could feel the tight bindings digging into his wrists as they secured him to the chair. He might be able to slip out of them, but he wasn't going to try until he was sure he was sure he was alone.

@warprotocol

It was rare that Noctis accompanied the General outside of ShinRa HQ, and even rarer that they ventured down to the slums. He wasn't entirely sure what they were doing down there – some sort of inspection, he assumed – but he was excited at the opportunity to not only explore, but see the man work.

He had been on his best behaviour the whole time, a silent shadow by the man's side. That was, until he heard whining coming from a nearby alley. Heidegger was a few steps ahead of him so he took the opportunity to slip away to investigate.

What he found was a small puppy. It was a runt of a thing, cold, scared and hungry. Noctis crouched down and extended his hand to the frightened pup, smiling when it plucked up the courage to sniff him.

Rufus looked over his shoulder, with no real expression to his face. He was looking out he window at the city, prior to the interruption.

The bookworm swordsman gulped a little as he was nearing a rather tall structure as everything around him looked vastly different from where he hailed from, he readjusts his azure silk coat before curiosity took over.

He made sure not to be noticed by the many armed individuals as he slipped into a vent, he began to slowly wiggle through in search of a opening, all the while hearing various sounds coming from the grates below where he was crawling past.

The youth began to search for clues on where he might have ended up, all the while remaining as cautious as can be as you never know if there might be a scanner nearby that could pick up his presence. He continues to venture forth.

Today was finally the day. After all those years of training and torture and fighting, today Genesis would finally get his reward. Here down in Deepground every day was survival of the fittest and even though the young one had not understood it why the people in white coats were calling him a failure and eager to make him bleed, he simply decided that he would not give up and die. He would fight. He would fight and survive and one day he would be strong enough to be allowed to go to the outside world and kill and spill the blood of those the organization and their superiors deemed useless. He only had to endure. And he did. If they wanted to turn him into a monster he would succeed and become the deadliest creature they had ever seen.

Now he stood in front of the whitecoat that had been in charge of his training and development ever since Genesis had arrived at Deepground at a young age, the very man that had been responsible of countless sessions of being strapped to a table and screaming his lungs out while being cut open again and again. Marcus was his name, and Genesis had never seen a crueler smile than the one on this man’s face. But today he seemed almost proud when he looked at Genesis.

Genesis kept quiet as Marcus examined him with his eyes. Now that he was about to leave Deepground he had been allowed to exchange his dirty white uniform against a black sweater and a comfortable pair of black trousers, and on top of that he had received a beautiful red leather coat as a gift or rather as a reminder of what would be taken away from Genesis should he fail now. His trademark weapon, a red rapier, was strapped to his back, and his hands were tied in front of him to prevent him from attacking anyone after they left the facility, he was nothing more than a weapon after all.

“One of Shinra’s executives requested an assistant that would make no fuss about carrying out orders others would refuse. In other words, he wants you to do his dirty work for him. I assume torturing and killing will be among those orders”, Marcus explained to him as they stepped into the elevator that would take them right to Shinra’s headquarters.

“This is our chance to prove that our work here in Deepground matters just as much as everything they put into the official SOLDIER program. You won’t mess this up and disappoint me, right, Genesis?”

Marcus smiled at him, but Genesis knew that this smile was nothing more than a threat in disguise, so he simply shook his head in response, no words needed.

When they finally made their way through the long corridors of the headquarters Genesis didn’t get a chance to look around despite his curiosity and fascination for a world he never got to experience before. And when he was finally presented to the man he was supposed to work for now, Genesis could only stare for a moment.

The man before him was tall, very tall, dark-haired and wore a very mean looking smile on his face. There was a dangerous aura about him, one that expressed dominance and control, but also unmistakable competence. A SOLDIER? Genesis wasn’t sure, but this first impression was very impressive nevertheless.

“Go on. Introduce yourself”, Marcus then urged him on, already looking at him with impatience.

“It is an honor to meet you, Sir. My name is Genesis.” The red-haired man slightly bowed his head, but then his curiosity got the better of him and he added: “Who are you?” It felt almost like a desperate need to learn more about the man, but before the man in question could even reply, Marcus already moved.

He kicked his red-headed subordinate in the back of his knees, making him fall to his knees in front of the tall man, grabbing a fistful of his hair to yank his head back enough to hiss into his ear: “You do not ask unnecessary questions. I thought I raised you better than that.”

Heroes are not born in times of peace they are forged in war. Stand with ShinRa against the Wutai insurgency and defend our home with Lieutenant Rikelus ShinRa and Colonel Heidegger From Midgar to Junon, the world depends on those willing to fight for progress. Enlist now. Victory awaits.