Chapter 15 - Permanence

It was a city of grey steel and concrete.

Elliot wasn’t sure what to think.  Things seemed really different between the slums and the life above the plate.  In front of them, a large building took up a majority of the space and it seemed to be the center of the city.  It was large and intimidating, but it was also still under construction.  It also seemed to be the direction towards which the two were heading.

“That’s the Shinra building.  It’s the base of operations for all SOLDIERS and Turks working under President Shinra.  You and me are both SOLDIERs!”

“You seem pretty proud of that.”

“Well yeah, being a SOLDIER is like being a hero!  I’m going to become a 1st class like Sephiroth!”

“Oh really, well then, you’ve got a long way to go.”

“What do you mean?!”

Elliot laughed at Zack as he punched her shoulder in mock hurt.  In reality she didn’t know what the significance of being a SOLDIER meant, but it was obviously important to Zack.  It was also amusing to think that he wanted to be a big shot hero when he had such an earnest attitude.

“Hey so, what are the Turks, and SOLDIER, and Shinra?  I’ve heard a lot of people mention it, but I don’t actually know what they are.  I can guess that maybe Shinra is like some sort of Bodyguard Company, and from the name of SOLDIER, the army?  Turks I can’t even begin to guess.”
 
“Haha, close but no.  Shinra is an electric company that reinvented how the people live!  We provide power with Mako, and make life more convenient.  SOLDIER is kind of like the private force of Shinra, same as the Turks.”

Elliot was puzzled, a power company that had a private force and its own secret service?  It sounded like Shinra was a lot more than just being an electric company.  Not that Elliot actually knew how the government worked in this place.

“Say Zack…”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been wondering this a while now, but…is it really okay for a SOLDIER that was put down as dead to suddenly appear in Midgar?  Don’t you think this would cause some sort of uproar?  I mean you seem okay with me suddenly being alive, but a company is a different matter.”

Pausing in the street, Zack stopped to think.

It was true that it was unheard of for a SOLDIER operative that was KIA to suddenly appear from nowhere into the middle of the city.  It would seem suspicious, but on the other hand, Elliot didn’t really seem to remember much.

His thoughts were interrupted by several rings.

Looking at his phone, he frowned.  It was a mission with the worst timing.  He couldn’t just leave Elliot, but Zack suspected that it would probably be better to wait before suddenly reintroducing him to Shinra.  Elliot seemed to pick up on his distress.

“What’s going on?”

“I have a mission…I need to go, but I can’t just leave you alone…”

She grinned, glad that he cared, but knew it was probably important for him to go.

“You saying I can’t handle myself?  Clearly my track record for coming back alive is better than yours.  I think you don’t need to worry.”

He didn’t seem totally convinced.

“Oh right, I can just tell Kunsel to meet you!  I’ll shoot him a message on the way so just wait around here alright?”

“Zack, I’m not some kid, but alright.  Go and do…“hero” things.”

Languidly waving her right hand, she dismissed him as he grinned and ran off towards the large towering building of Shinra.  Sighing, she turned and observed her surroundings.  The streets were cobbled and people walked in and out of buildings, passing each other in the streets.  

It felt nostalgic.

Sighing, Elliot felt everything catch up to her.  She was exhausted.  She’d met two people who had ‘known’ her, and was about to meet another person.  Not to mention the Shinra Company that she had seemingly belonged to.  Walking over to a bench, she sat down and closed her eyes, waiting for Kunsel.

A gentle shaking stirred her.

Groaning, she pushed the hand away, before sitting upright and tiredly opening her eyes.
 
A man wearing a helmet and a similar uniform to Zack’s except deep purple, stood before her.

“Kunsel, right?  Sorry I hadn’t meant to doze off like that…” Standing up, she stretched her stiff neck.

“It’s alright I can imagine you’d be pretty tired with all these sudden events.”

“Hey, I recognize your voice.  You were the one who called out to me in that alley.  Sorry for running away.”

He nodded before a stretch of silence settled over them.  Elliot fidgeted, unable to tell if Kunsel was actually looking at her or something else, because of his helmet.  

“Are you really Elliot?”

She cracked a grin at his question.  That was something she wanted to know as well.

“Ah finally, a logical response!” Letting loose a slight laugh she sighed.  “I was beginning to wonder about the intelligence of SOLDIER, but now I see that Zack is just trusting.”

Turning her attention towards the street where people still roamed, she watched them before facing him again.

“But I don’t know.  Why don’t you tell me?”

“You look just like him…”

She watched him waiting for his assessment, while at the same time staring at him, perplexed by his helmet.  She wanted to know what he looked like, but it didn’t seem as if he was going to take it off anytime soon.

“What?  Why are you staring at my helmet?”

“How can you even SEE in that thing?”

At this comment he chuckled.

“And am I going to have to keep imagining what your face looks like under it?”

He smiled this time before taking a step closer to Elliot.

“You even act the same…”  

At this comment, his gloved right hand gently took hold of her chin, turning her face slightly in both directions.

“But…”

Elliot squirmed, but allowed him to do so.  If he hadn’t been wearing a helmet that covered his face, she would have shoved him away.

“You don’t have Mako eyes.” Kunsel dropped his hand and stepped back away.

Mako…she recalled that Zack had mentioned it while talking about the Shinra Company, but hadn’t really elaborated on what it was.  What did it have to do with her eyes?

“What are Mako eyes?”

“The signature mark of every SOLDIER and Turk.  It’s the green glow of our eyes, showing that we’re a part of Shinra.”

Kunsel watched Elliot as he tensed slightly at the news.  Slowly he lifted up a hand and rubbed his pale blue eyes, a familiar action he frequently did in SOLDIER.

“That…why would you let them do that?”

“It’s a requirement to be able to do what we do.”

“Haha, so…give up yourself to be marked forever as Shinra’s?”  

Kunsel was appalled.  He had heard from Zack that Elliot had been troubled over joining SOLDIER, but hadn’t figured out why.  Had this been the reason?

“Zack would be sad to hear that.  Everyone admires what a SOLDIER does, and it’s not like Shinra owns us.”

Elliot let out a humorless laugh.

“Wrong.  It’s permanent right?  I think it’s like giving a part of yourself to them for something else.”

The SOLDIER let the words sink in as he thought back on Elliot’s behavior while he had known him.  Although he hadn’t been a friend with him as long as Zack had, he had noticed that he seemed much more quieter than the rest of the troops.

“I can’t believe it…”

Ignoring Kunsel’s silence, Elliot continued.

“I can’t imagine being happy with that idea.”

Elliot sighed.  She would never want to give up her freedom.

“But I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”

Kunsel finally broke his silence after those words.

“For you, it was probably better that they weren’t as permanent as you thought they were…”

She looked at him, the corner of his lips were turned down.  She imagined beneath his helmet the green glowing eyes he had described.

“You used to rub your eyes all the time back then...”

He sounded sad.

“I think I know why now.”