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Rogue and Zack 9
As Rogue went through, patting down the rebels, most stayed stoically silent, staring down at the ground. Wanting nothing to do with the ShinRa peon arresting them. Rogue'd figured for as much. To say the least, she wasn't insulted.
Then one of them turned to look back at her, a frantic, desperate look in his eyes. A look an older, more experienced soldier might have taken as fear of being arrested or even insanity. Rogue, however, with the innocence and imagination of youth, bit her lip, feeling an uneasy tug in her gut at the look. She heeded her instincts.
“Problem?”
“You really don't see it, do you? What ShinRa's doing?” The man's voice was quiet, but feverish. “You don't see? They're destroying this planet. They're sapping the life out of it! You're going to defend them? Do you not care? The planet isn't going to last five more years if they keep going at this rate!”
As he spoke, Rogue felt a pulse through her heels, radiating from the ground up through her boots. This close to a reactor, Mako was calling to the Mako she'd had injected into her bloodstream. She'd be stronger here. But she'd only had the one injection. Zack had taken two. He'd be twice as strong as she was.
Mako... Mako is energy. The company is harvesting that energy straight from the planet's core. You've seen how deep the taps of these reactors plunge, Rogue. Maybe he's not at all crazy. Should you really be doing this? Should you find someone to talk to?
Biting her lip, Rogue pulled the man's arms behind his back and cuffed his wrists together. She went with her standard answer.
“I don't do politics, man. I'm too young for that s**t anyway.”
“But your not too young to fight? Die for the company?”
She felt the smirk pull at her lips.
“You care? I chose this... Don't concern yourself with the why. Just remember this while your in lockup... Not every SOLDIER gives a damn about the company. We're just following orders.” In some ways, that was too true. ShinRa didn't necessarily tell their soldiers anything.
The lumbering military transport vehicle pulled up then with the crunch of gravel, two infantrymen hopping out of the cab to load up the captives.
“Good job, guys! Guess this's why you get paid the big bucks,” one of the footmen congratulated as he pulled down a ramp to the back of the truck.
“Do we?” Zack replied with an arched eyebrow, looking over at Rogue. “Damn. If what we make is the 'big bucks', I'd hate to see what you're paid.”
Rogue just shook her head as the prisoners were prodded onto the transport. As he walked by, the guy she'd come to think of as “her” prisoner turned and looked at her with a hook of a smile.
“Yours is not to question why, it is but to do and die.”
Oh, now that was a good one.
Rogue challenged his stare with her husky colored eyes.
“Guess so.”
Once he was loaded on, the ramp was shoved back in, the doors slammed shut, and the infantrymen jumped back in the cab, headed for the maintenance highway that would take them straight to ShinRa HQ. Zack clapped his hand to her shoulder and Rogue jumped, her head jerking around to look at him.
“Jesus Christ... Sorry, must've been more out of it than I thought.”
“Not a problem,” Zack shrugged. “You did well. For your first mission. I like that you weren't scared.”
“How long have you known me now, and you still suspected I'd be scared?”
Before he could answer, her ShinRa issued phone bleeped. She fished it out of her pocket, opening a message from the Director.
Reactor cams caught your performance. Impressive. Report to my office.
“Well, I guess Lazard liked it too. He wants me to come to his office...”
Zack looked... Vaguely surprised.
“You're serious...? Rogue, I think that means a promotion. Damn, you got boosted quicker than I did... We'll be the same rank.” A weak smile crossed his lips. He wanted to be happy for her. Rogue knew that. But he was, to say the least, having a difficult time with that. And Rogue knew why. She felt the same way.
If they were both Second Class... She wouldn't need his mentoring anymore. There was no promise that they'd still be able to be partners.
“How much trouble can I get in if I tell him no?”
“You'll be fired.” Zack gently took her arm and started tugging her back the way they'd come. “But since he didn't say ASAP... We can take the scenic route at least.”
Rogue grinned and let herself stumble on that first step after him.
“Delaying the inevitable. That works, I guess.”
“It'll work for about an hour. I'll take what I can get.” He shot a playful grin over his shoulder and jerked her forward to walk beside him. “C'mon, I know you can do better than that.”
“Oh shut up.” She grinned up at him and released his hand, crossing her arms over her stomach for the long walk.
No need to send her partner, her partner, for God's sake, mixed signals.
Sure enough, Zack had been right. Lazard promoted her. Sadly, it took him thirty minutes to go through the formalities and speeches, berate her for not informing him that Genesis was her father, which he had evidently taken it upon himself to do, give her the new dark blue uniform, and send her on her way, a lot less pumped and a lot more annoyed.
What the hell? My dad can't come talk to me, but he can go run to the Director and warn him that his daughter's joined the ranks? Seriously, ******** my family...
Zack was waiting on the front steps, sitting at the top with his back to the concrete side, one leg up on the same stair, the other stretching two down. His gaze was already fixed on her as she approached the clear glass doors. Something about the pose and his eyes... Dragged heat up in her cheeks and she shifted her new uniform, the same color as his, under her arm.
“Problem?” she asked as she nudged the door open, stopping to stand beside him, looking down into a face that was an advertisement in concern. He was biting his lip, his brows slightly furrowed... There was an air about him, something more intense than normal that... It sent the kind've chill through her she'd never felt before.
“Well... Tell me... Are we done? Being partners, I mean. Are they splitting us up?”
She'd figured that had been his concern.
Rogue pulled her face into a grim expression and shifted her new uniform under her other arm, looking at the ground.
“Nope.”
“Figures... Wait, what?”
“Nooope. We're not done. Like I said... I said I'd quit if we were split up. We're partners for 'the duration of our joint employment here'.” Rogue put on a tone to mock Lazard's, a smile lifting her unpainted lips as she tilted her head to glance up at Zack.
He as smiling, his own expression bright and enthusiastic.
“You really did that? Risked losing this job and the chance to see your dad... Just to stay my partner?”
Rogue smiled and reached out for his hand. “Of course. There's no one else I'd rather do this job with. And I don't think I'd make it alone.” Her smile warmed, lighting her face as she blushed. “You really saved my life. I don't think... I would have been alright that night if I'd stayed on the streets, delirious with Mako poisoning... Thank you. In return... I've got your back. Always.”
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