Crisis Core: The Female SOLDIER

12

It's been several months since then. With two of Shinra's best SOLDIERs 1st Class officially known to have deserted, Lazard has been sending out Zack, Sera, and Sephiroth along with other members of the SOLDIER program on several missions to pick up the pace, taking out enemy troops and anti-SOLDIER monsters located in several areas between Wutai and Midgar.

Unfortunately for Zack, none of his deeds were shown in the press. Only Sephiroth's was, and by extension of that, Sera's as well, as she was his student, though she was not as often mentioned as her mentor. It could not be helped though. The media were the ones who chose who will be published and who will not. And they chose Sephiroth. That was how it works.

The war between Wutai and Shin Ra had been declared over about a month ago, after long years of constant fighting between them and everyone was rejoicing at the end of it all.

Everyone except Sera, Zack, and Sephiroth.

Sera was standing alone in the SOLDIER wing, looking down through the looking glass at the new recruits training under their instructor's critical eye a couple floors below her when she received a call.

"SOLDIER 2nd Class, Sera speaking."

"It's been awhile, Sera."

"Sephiroth?"

"Come over to Lazard's office. He wants to see you. Zack is being called over as well."

"Alright. I'm on my way."

The call was hung up after that and she walked away, turning a corner and going past the Science Research Division when someone spoke up from her left.

"Well well well, if it isn't Sephiroth's little pet."

She bit back a snarl, recognizing the condescending voice of the one person she loathed above all others in Shinra and turned her head slightly to see Professor Hojo, the director of the company's Science Research Division, leering at her over his clipboard as the ceiling light reflected off his round glasses, hiding his eyes from her view.

'Just as well,' Sera thought as she watched him cautiously. She didn't want to see that look in his eyes whenever she caught him staring at her with that creepy smile on his face.

That look of eagerness; the desire in getting his hands on a strong new specimen to experiment on. It made her sick to her stomach and thus she tried to stay away from the mad scientist as much as she could.

Today was just not her day.

"I am no one's pet," Sera spoke fervently, voice bitingly cold as she gazed frigidly at the slimy man before her. "He may have taken me in as a child but he is not my master."

'And neither is Shinra.'

Hojo seemed unperturbed, shrugging his shoulders uncaringly. "So you say, yet do you not run to him at every beck and call? But nevermind that, you have excellent timing. I am in need of your assistance."

Sera's eyes narrowed, her guard rising up at his words. "...What do you want?"

"There's an experiment I've been meaning to conduct and I would like you to participate in it. The data gathered would serve me well into making sure no more of Shinra's dogs would go astray, like those two defected SOLDIER failures."

'How dare you...' Sera growled ferociously in her mind, wanting nothing more than to lop his head off his shoulders and hang them on her wall like a trophy piece but she held herself back, clenching her fists tightly before she did anything rash. She quickly turned her head away, not wanting to stay in his presence any more than necessary as she began to leave. "I refuse. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to report over to Director Lazard." She clipped.