Crisis Core: The Female SOLDIER

29

It's been over a month since Sera had started training Cloud and she admittedly found it to be rather enjoyable. She could see why Angeal enjoyed teaching so much. The thought of Angeal still hurt her, but not as much as the first few weeks since his passing and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. But she knew Angeal would not want her to mourn over him for so long. And she was sure it was the same for Zack.

Zack, obviously, found out about the training sessions she had been giving Cloud and therefore had decided to join in as well, whether out of pure boredom or because he wanted to hang out with the blond infantryman outside of missions, Sera didn't know, but she felt it was both. The two seem to connect really well, most likely because they're both guys and they're both from the countryside if she remembered correctly from Zack's proclamation back at Modeoheim. Zack and Cloud had more in common than Zack and Sera after all. She even saw them hang out together after their missions. Just the two of them. Something akin to jealousy rose within her but she shoved the feeling away immediately. It wasn't like they didn't try to invite her as well, which she would accept occasionally, but she was unused to a social setting that did not really relate to work. She felt out of place in them, so she was at fault for not joining them.

She knew where she got that habit from.

So she decided to make use of her time via other means, when the two guys are on their leisure time.

Like her research on what the hell Shinra wanted to do with the girl in the slums.

"Nothing," Sera sighed, closing yet again another file when she saw that it didn't contain what she wanted, placing the binder back where it came from. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she sure knew it wasn't this. Then again, it gave her a glimpse of the situation. If she cannot find what she was looking for in the research room, then it means it must be in the restricted area, where she knows her access card would be useless. Tseng did mention that whatever related to the girl from the slums was classified.

'And whatever's classified means it's related to the Science Department,' Sera dreaded to think of what they would want with her.

It was when she got out of the research room did she receive a call from Zack.

"What's up, Zack?"

"Besides the sky? Just a heads up. They're sending us to Costa Del Sol. The Turks are coming with us too."

"What?"

--------------------------------------------

"Suntan lotion?" Sera turned to see Cissnei standing on the steps to the resort, wearing a two-piece swimming suit instead of the Turk uniform Sera usually saw her in. Sera was reclining on a seat by the beach, reading a book in her hand while she was sheltered from the rays of the sun with the large umbrella over her and Zack...

The guy was shirtless, only wearing a pair of black swimming shorts. He was doing his stupid squats again, a habit of his whenever he's feeling bored. Sera thought he looked ridiculous.

Sera shook her head no to the offer while Zack voiced his refusal out.

"What is this?" Zack asked, still doing his squats as he spoke. "Are they putting us out to pasture?"

"You could use some R&R. And Sera doesn't seem to mind." Sera nodded at Cissnei's statement.

Zack finally stopped his squats and Cissnei walked down the steps towards them. "But I'm bored," Zack protested. He hates not being on missions or sparring. "That's it, I'm calling them."

"Director Lazard's not in," Cissnei's next statement caught their attention and Sera sat up, book now on the seat as Zack paused from taking his phone. "He's been missing for a while now."

"What have you found out so far?" Sera asked.

"Apparently it was Lazard who was funding Hollander's research," Shock appeared on both Sera and Zack's  faces. "Using the company's money," Cissnei added.

"Are you serious?" Zack demanded.

Cissnei nodded."We're interrogating Hollander, so we should learn more soon," she informed.

There was silence for a moment, both Sera and Zack contemplating Cissnei's words.

"... What's wrong with them?"

"Hm?" Cissnei turned to Zack when he spoke, but he was looking out to the sea instead of her.

"People," Zack elaborated. "What are they all thinking?"

"The truth lies within each person," Cissnei said, turning to look at the sea as well. "But even truth seems suspect once it leaves their mouths..."

Sera could agree with Cissnei's words.

"Cissnei, go do something," Zack suddenly said after a moment of silence as he turned around to get something.

"Calling Aerith?" Cissnei assumed.

"How do you know that?" Zack whipped around to look at the female Turk, a bit freaked out. "Am I being watched? Did Sera say something to you?"

'Oh yeah, sure, Zack, place the blame on me, will you?' Sera rolled her eyes as she thought before going back to her reading.

"No, Aerith's the one being watched," At Zack's confused look, Cissnei elaborated. "That girl is an Ancient. The only one left in the world. You didn't know?"

"She... never said anything," Zack admitted. "The only one left in the world, huh..."

"She is one of a kind." Sera could only smirk in fond amusement when she heard Zack muttered those words to himself, a rather far away look on his face before going back to reading.

Suddenly Tseng came rushing in down the steps towards them, a bit out of breath as he pointed out to the sea. "Heads up! Genesis copies!"

As if on cue, three fully covered Genesis copies leaped out from the sea to stand before them, rifle guns on their shoulders and ready to shoot and Zack prepared himself for combat.

With a closed up umbrella of all things, since his sword wasn't with him.

At the sight of Zack fighting the copies, wielding the umbrella like it was the Buster Sword, which was practically useless unless he planned to stab them with the pointed end or bash them to death, Sera called out to Tseng. "I need a gun!"

He threw his gun to her and three perfectly aimed gunshots later, the copies were dead, their bodies disintegrating into green wisps of light gently floating up to the sky.

"These guys are still around?" Zack wondered as he looked at the bodies. "But Genesis..."

"Maybe Genesis is still around, too," Tseng said, getting everyone's attention and they all turned to him. "When the soul leaves the body, it returns to the Lifestream."

"Yeah, and...?" Zack pressed on.

"The Lifestream is the river of souls that circle our planet. Perhaps Genesis's soul is..."

"You're saying that he is controlling the copies from the Lifestream? Is that it?" Sera found that notion to be rather farfetched.

"...It was merely a supposition," Tseng stated. He knew about her connection to the two passed Soldier 1st Class, but they had to face the facts. "In any case, Sera, Zack, your vacation is over. Junon is under attack by some unknown force. You two will be going there with me to investigate."

"Woohoo! Finally! I was getting bored out here!" Zack cheered.

"I really don't know whether you're a workaholic, or just itching for a fight," Sera commented, but even she couldn't deny that she missed the feeling of being sent on missions as well, as they all went back to the resort.

Vacation was over. There was work to be done.