Two days later...

Adrin Gillard was pleased with himself. Over the last five days, he had been in the Mythril Mines alone. He had found enough mythril to make the whole town of Kalm gasp in astonishment. Well, maybe not that much, but he found enough mythril to make plenty of weapons to sell to the Weapons Shop owner in Kalm. Adrin had lived in Kalm for all fifty six years of his life, although he visited his relatives in Midgar frequently. He also spent much of his time in the Mythril Mines collecting mythril to sell or make weapons. Soon, Adrin would have enough mythril to open his own weapons store.

Adrin was now passing by Midgar. It had just rained a couple of days ago. The ground was still a little muddy from the storm. Adrin decided that before going back to Kalm, he would sit and look at the great city of Midgar. He did this ritual everytime he returned home to Kalm. He found a nice cliff overlooking the city. Adrin made his way over to the ledge, but something was wrong. Was that a man?

Adrin rushed over to the lying man, not sure if he was sleeping or dead. He crouched down beside the young man. Blood streamed out from holes in his body. Bullets had pierced the man's head and torso. Adrin shook his head in disgust.

"Who would do something like this?" Adrin said out loud. He got up to leave the man, but something surprised him.

"...Ughhhh....eeell...p..." the man whispered hoarsly. How could anyone survive a brutal attack like that? Adrin turned and ran back the the fallen man.

"Ok, you're gonna be alright, buddy," Adrin reassured him. The man moaned as Adrin put him on Adrin's back. "What's your name, kid?" "...Uhh...Zz..aaaa.ck..."

"Zack, huh? Well, alright Zack, I'll fix you up." Zack's head slumped down onto Adrin's shoulder as Zack fell once again into unconciousness.

Zack Steele woke in a small second floor bedroom. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here. He was lying on a large comfortable bed. The last thing he remembered was being shot at by those Shinra troops. They must have been after him and Cloud for breaking out of the Shinra Mansion laboratory. Cloud! What happened to him? Thoughts swirled in Zack's aching head. Zack slowly moved his hand up to the left side of his head. A large bandage had been applied. Zack looked down at his chest and noted that his torso had been similarly bandaged. Zack lay his head back down on the pillow and started to slip into a deep sleep before the bedroom door opened suddenly. Zack opened both eyes and stared at the newcomer.

"Well, looks like your awake," the man said. He was wearing casual clothes, a red short-sleeved shirt and dark blue denim pants. He looked to be an older man; his hair and scruffy beard where a light gray color. The man's ice blue eyes seemed to be able to pierce through anything.

"Where...am I? Who are...you?" Zack croacked. The man chuckled and gave a lopsided grin.

"I'm the guy that saved your sorry ass," he replied. "The name's Adrin. Adrin Gillard. Pleased to meet ya." Adrin stuck out his hand for Zack to shake. Zack shrugged.

"Where am I?" Zack asked again.

"This is Kalm. You know, near Midgar? When I found ya outside Midgar, I thought you were a goner. You looked like you were in a little brawl. What happened?"

"Dammit...I don't remember..." Zack replied. "Me and my friend were being chased by Shinra troops...they got me..." A pained expression suddenly crossed Zack's face. "Where is he? Where's Cloud?" Zack demanded. Adrin shrugged slightly.

"I didn't find anyone there except you. This Cloud guy must've gone off without ya." Zack leaned back and closed his eyes. "That means either Cloud's still alive and free, or the Shinra got him." Zack said to himself. Zack felt a sudden surge of fire in his chest.

"I have to go find Cloud." Zack tried to get up and move his legs, but they wouldn't budge. Adrin took a step towards the bed.

"Whoa, fella. You're not strong enough yet. Your wounds still need time to heal. Look, buddy, your gonna have to stay here for awhile before you can leave Kalm."

"What? How long?"

"Well, while you were out, I had a doctor come in and check you out. He said the bullets that went through your head have made you not able to move your legs...for awhile."

"Keep going."

"The doctor said you can't move your legs for a couple of years. After that, you'll be good as new." Zack groaned.

"Shit. Well, what about Cloud? What'll happen to him?"

"I dunno. If the Shinra got him, who knows. If he's free, there's another who knows. Did you talk before you got attacked?"

"Yeah. I told 'em we're both gonna mercenaries. If he's free, that's what he'll be doing."

"Mercenaries, eh? Well...that's nice. By the way, what's your name? Or don't you remember that either?"

"I'm Zack Steele. Former SOLDIER First Class." Zack fell back into unconciousness.

 

Adrin Gillard walked back downstairs. That poor kid. Adrin would probably have to take care of him now. He wasn't surprised that Zack used to be in SOLDIER. After all, only the most elite type of soldier could withstand an attack like that. Now that would be the kind of guy Adrin would want fighting on his side. The only question Adrin had was why Zack would leave the elite troops of SOLDIER. He had heard about an incident at the town of Nibelheim, but that happened a couple of years ago.

"Was Zack the guy that torched Nibelheim?" Adrin asked himself. He shrugged and tried to put that in the back of his mind. That wasn't important now. He had to restore Zack's life back to it's normal state.

 

Zack woke up a few hours later. Frim his bed, he could see that the sun was going down over the horizon as evening approached. His stomach growled. What Zack needed right now was a good warm meal. A minute later he got what his heart desired.

Adrin entered the room with a steaming hot plate of what appeared to be chocobo meat and a glass of milk.

"Hey, Zack, wake up. I brought ya some fresh chocobo meat and a drink." Adrin placed the meal on Zack's lap and Zack propped himself up against the back of the bed. He grabbed a fork and gobbled down the chocobo meat, much to Adrin's amusement.

"Well, you must've been a little hungry," Adrin chuckled.

"Try not eating for a few days. You'll find out how hungry you can get." Zack replied with a smirk. Adrin laughed at his remark. He knew that him and Zack would get along well.

"Alright, Zack. I guess that you'll be needing rest. See you in the morning." Zack was silent for a second. Adrin began to walk out of the darkening room.

"Adrin!"

"Yes, Zack?"

"...Thank you for doing this." Adrin smiled and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

 

Deron Kendrik stepped into the Shinra Headquarters; his two remaining soldiers behind him. The young Shinra Commander had lost three others in a small skirmish outside Midgar.

"That damn SOLDIER kid," Kendrik said silently. "He was good. I don't know why the President had me kill him." Kendrik's men were fatigued, even though they had spent the night in a fairly decent hotel in Sector 3. Kendrik felt fine.

Kendrik led his men up the stairs in the lobby to the second floor. From there, they would enter an elevator to go to Floor 70. Floor 70 was President Shinra's floor. The highest level in the Shinra Building, Floor 70 was reserved for top secret interaction or for Shinra's best men. Kendrik honestly felt he didn't deserve to enter the "hallowed ground", but President Shinra himself had told him to go to Floor 70 when his mission had been carried out. Kendrik's men were to report to their quarters on Floor 36.

The Shinra Headquarters seemed surprisingly busy today, even though Kendrik didn't recall any occasion for this day. Business men and soldiers bustled about, seemingly to prepare for something. Kendrik shrugged it off as he and his soldiers entered the elevator.

After Kendrik's men were dropped off at their level, Kendrik proceeded directly to Floor 70. As the doors opened with a mechanical *bing*, two armed guards dressed in tough red armor stepped in front of him.

"Name and rank," one of the guards asked.

"Commander Deron Kendrik. Here to speak with President Shinra." The guards glanced at each other.

"Follow us, Commander Kendrik," the first guard ordered. The two soldiers turned on their heels and promptly led the way for Kendrik to follow. Kendrik stepped out of the elevator quickly and followed the guards.

The trio made their way out of the elevator lobby and went up a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs, the second guard removed a security card from his armor pocket and inserted it into a slot. The twin doors swooshed open in front of them and the guards stepped aside for Kendrik to enter.

The room was gargantuan. The ceiling was very high, and much open space was in the room. Large crystal-clear windows were placed behind a large desk where President Shinra himself sat.

President Shinra wore his traditional blood-red tuxedo and his aging blond hair was combed neatly back. Even the President's mustache seemed to be kept well.

Kendrik sucked in a breath as the doors behind him closed. Another pair of armor clad guards stood at either side of the doors. Deron Kendrik started to walk towards the President's desk; his shiny boots making echoing clicking noises in the large room. President Shinra rose from his chair at his desk to greet the young commander.

"Ah, this must be Commander Deron Kendrik." Shinra spread his arms towards the continuosly walking Kendrik. Kendrik managed a small smile. "This is my pleasure, sir. Mr. President, sir."

"No no, it is all mine. Please, be seated." The President motioned towards two cushioned chairs set off to the side of the desk. "Guards, you may leave us." The guards turned and left the way Kendrik entered. After the doors closed, the President sat, as did Kendrik.

"So, Commander, I believe I had ordered you to terminate the rogue SOLDIER Zack Steele and his friend Cloud Strife?"

"Yes, sir. It has been carried out, although I lost three of my men in the process." Shinra made a face of mocked pity.

"Oh, that is a shame," Shinra whined. "But there are other soldiers to replace them." Kendrik bowed his head for a second and then returned the President's gaze. "Oh, Commander, come now. This is a glorious day. Let's not ruin it with a loss of three petty soldiers." Kendrik sighed and nodded his head.

"Yes, Mr. President. I noticed that the employees seemed to be in a rush today. What is going on?"

"Ah, you do not know? All of our Mako Reactors here in Midgar are being updated so that more Mako energy can be absorbed from the earth! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes, it is." Kendrik smiled. This meant more money for him and the rest of the Shinra. The President seemed to be very pleased with himself and his moneymaking Reactors. "Lucky man..." Kendrik said to himself.

"Anyways, back to business," Shinra said. "Was there any struggle with killing the two?"

"Well, sir, as I said, I did lose three men in the process. There was a short battle just outside of Midgar a couple of days ago. The SOLDIER killed the three quickly. Then we shot him a few times, and he's dead for sure now. The other..."

"Go on, Commander."

"Well, the other guy was already in bad shape so we just left him. He's most likely dead now. Plus, we had to conserve ammunition; we were almost out."

"Ah, well. If you say he's dead, I trust you." President Shinra rose from his chair, and Kendrik did likewise. Shinra extended his hand to shake. Kendrik immediately did so.

"Thank you for your report, Commander. I am pleased that we are rid of renegade SOLDIERS such as Zack. Yes, Zack was very good...almost as good as Sep...well, he was good."

"Yes, of course, sir."

"Now Commander Kendrik, I have need for couple new generals to replace some that were lost awhile back in the Wutai Wars. Interested?" Kendrik's eyes widened at the oppurtunity to command legions of Shinra's finest.

"Wha...well...I-I'd..." Kendrik stammered. President Shinra grinned. "I-I'd be honored, Mr. President."

"Good, General Kendrik. You shall command what remains of Sephi...the old general's SOLDIER troops, the finest in the Shinra Army."

"Tha-Thank you, sir." Kendrik couldn't contain himself.

"Alright then, General Kendrik. Report to here tomorrow at 0900 hours to recieve your official promotion." President Shinra saluted the new general and Kendrik returned it. "You are dismissed, General."

As Deron Kendrik left the President's office, his heart beated like a drum. Soon, he would be commanding hundreds of the best troops the world had to offer. Kendrik smiled. "I shall be invincible," Kendrik muttered under his breath as he returned to his quarters.