The Good Life: Infiltration (ch. 96) (Patreon)

“Welp, now that we're actually here… how exactly are we supposed to find your cat? It's a whole new world, and we might not even be in the right decade,” Jinx remarked as we walked along a busted asphalt road towards the city that loomed in the distance. So far, we hadn't seen a single car coming to or from the city, which was an indication of… something. Of what? That I wasn't too sure about, but it was certainly something. 

“All that depends on what kind of world we're dealing with,” I answered, feeling a familiar hum of anticipation in my blood. There really wasn't anything quite like stepping foot on a brand new world that I knew nothing about. No, that wasn't true -- I knew something about this world. I knew that Asami was convinced there was something on it that could take on Yoruichi. Which made it even more exciting. “That and how Asami learned about it. Is her Dias that much better that it can see things in high detail, down to individual people's actions? Did she somehow send someone to the far future, learn all about what happened in the past, then dropped Yoruichi off during the time that whatever disaster was happening? Does she have agents in this world?” 

Time was a real pain in the ass to factor into grand plans. Like, as things were, Asami and I were operating on entirely separate time scales. A second for me could be a bajillion years for her just as a second for her could be a bajillion years for me. Had Asami found this world hundreds of years ago in her own perspective? I didn't think so, at least -- otherwise she wouldn't have missed her shot. 

No, for now, I would just assume that we were operating on comparable time frames. That, and the fact that she hadn't been able to bring Gojo and Geto with her for the attempt on my life because they were busy told me she couldn't just slide up and down the timeline. 

“It also depends on how far ahead we are,” I continued. I was threading the needle a bit with some assumptions, but it was worth the risk. Asami had no reason to figure out when I jumped to this world, thus she was less likely to invest the time into that function of the Dias. She’d also discounted me as an engineer who shamelessly stole all of my designs from Fallout, and she was ignorant of my ability to harvest information and intelligence from others. I imagined that in her mind there was little chance that I could reach Yoruichi before her even with the Dias blueprints she'd left me. That gave me an opportunity. 

If Asami was ignorant of the fact that I had already retrieved Yoruichi and that Yamato person, then with the expected timeline, I would have the better part of nine months to work my magic on Nobara, Maki, Rumi, and even Yamato. A false memory here, a few orgasms there… maybe I could even tap whatever crazy juice Taylor had been mainlining.

“That being said, it's better safe than sorry so I would say a subtle touch would be best. At least initially,” I said as we continued to walk and my gaze caught a rusted over sign. 

‘Welcome to Midgar.’ 

The name tickled something in the back of my mind, but I couldn't quite place it. Still, it was a lead worth following. Jinx, likewise, was enraptured by the sight as we headed for the main road towards the city. “It reminds me a bit of home,” she remarked, pointing at the large platforms that lifted small cities over an urban sprawl. “Got its own Topside and Undercity. Nature got a real kick in the teeth too.” 

She was right on that remark. If I had to describe the terrain around the city, then the word ‘dead’ came to mind. The soil was more like sand and rocks, and the grass grew in withered patches if it did at all. Yet, there were signs that it was a recent development -- if the terrain had always been a desert, then there wouldn't be groves of trees at all, even if they were dried out husks. 

Honestly, it looked like someone was sucking the life out of the ground. Or poisoning it. Either would work, and you didn't get super huge mega cities without a little bit of poisoning the environment. It was basically a staple. 

“That's human nature, for you. There's always going to be a top and a bottom,” I said, earning a glance from Jinx. 

“Howdya’ know they're human? Could be an alien planet,” she pointed out -- and I couldn't wait until I found a planet with aliens. The real kind from outer space, rather than reskinned animal themed humans that shared a rock with humanity since the beginning. 

“Because I can see them,” I noted, pointing off into the distance, towards the entrance of the city. “There’s a road block. See it?” I guided, knowing that Jinx was still adjusting to her superhuman senses. She had to squint and cup her eyes, but a couple dozen miles away, there was a large checkpoint erected. 

A good dozen humans guarded the entrance wielding guns. Though, far more interestingly, at the center of the checkpoint was a robot -- bipedal, bulky as all hell, with a dozen guns slapped everywhere so it could shoot in every direction it needed. Jinx let out a ‘huh’ before she nodded, “I see ‘em. So, how we getting past them?” 

“No need to complicate things -- we'll walk right by them,” I answered, and Jinx cast me a doubtful look. One that lasted until we eventually reached the entrance of the city a few hours later. 

“Halt!” A soldier shouted out, something that seemed to shock the others on duty, interrupting their game of cards. They scrambled to get into position and we were greeted with a wall of guns. “State your business!” 

“Just a pair of travelers come to make it big in the big city!” I replied, holding up my hands and nudging Jinx to do the same. “I don't suppose you could lower the gun, could you?” 

“We cannot -- not when there is a war going on,” the lead guard said, his tone carrying an air of an apology. A war, hm? Interesting. “Approach with your hands up and be prepared to be searched. Do you possess any form of identification on you?” 

“No, we don't,” I answered, doing as bid. A quick Shambles brought everything of importance out of our bags, leaving us with basic camping gear that wouldn't look out of place. “We're from a small village. Never needed an ID card when everyone knew each other. Sorry -- is that going to be a problem?” 

“Ah… not really,” the guard said as another pair took our bags and began trifling through them. Another pair began to frisk us down. “Country yokels coming to Midgar to join the army is a common occurrence these days. Though, they usually come in convoys,” he noted and I shrugged as an answer, letting him supply his own answer. “Not enough gil, eh?” 

“If we were rich, we wouldn't be looking to make it big in the city,” I agreed with a laugh. All the while, I turned over the apparent name in my mind. Gil. That was… also familiar. 

“Where are you from, anyway?” The guard asked. His tone maintained the conversational quality, but I recognized the question as part of an interrogation. Just trying to catch me out with polite questions to trip up any would be spies or what have you. Depended on who or what they were at war with. 

I went with my instincts. “Nibelheim,” I answered. “It's way up in the mountains.” 

There wasn't any sign of recollection from the guard, but he nodded, “Never heard of it, so you're definitely from the boonies. Well… welcome to Midgar. I'd recommend swinging by the Shinra enlistment office for work -- they're always hiring, especially with the war.” 

Shinra. 

“Thanks -- we'll do that. Oh, while I still have you,” I said, taking my bag back, “How is the war going? I'm a bit behind on the news.” 

To that, the guard sucked his teeth. “Wutai are being stubborn bastards. We won the war years ago, but they're just refusing to accept defeat. Luckily, we have heroes like Sephiroth and all the other SOLDIERs to pave the way to victory.” That sounded like he was quoting a campaign slogan, but I hardly noticed as we passed the checkpoint and entered the city of Midgar in earnest. 

Sephiroth. I knew that name. There wasn't any doubt about it -- this was a Final Fantasy world. Final Fantasy… Seven? I think? 

I wasn't entirely sure of that, at least not until we entered the city and we were immediately hit with the propaganda stick in the form of a thirst trap that looked like a K-Pop boy band. Just with swords. Standing at the front of a trio was someone I recognized with relative ease, though the two behind him were lost on me. 

Long silver hair, bright green eyes, a smoldering pretty boy kind of face with an absurdly long katana -- he struck a pose, flanked by a red headed guy wearing a red trench coat, and a guy that… might be Zack Fair? Ah, nope, their names were provided at the bottom of the poster that was trying to recruit me into the military. 

Sephiroth.

Genesis Rhapsodos. 

Angeal Hewley.

No clue who the other two were, but I recognized Sephiroth -- he was something of an iconic character. The Supe scene had been my personal thing, but that didn't make me entirely ignorant of things outside it like anime and JRPG’s. Though, admittedly, most of my exposure came from a weeb friend in my brief stint in foster care. Still, I absorbed enough through osmosis: Cloud, Chocobos, big sword, Sephiroth, Aerith getting ganked, and Tifa had big boobies. That last bit was made especially clear when people complained about her tits getting nerfed. 

“So that's how she did it,” I mused with a slight grin tugging at my lips. That made far more sense, I realized in hindsight as the pieces fitted together. I’d thought she had scanned each and every world in a World Line, looking for something that could throw down with Yoruichi. Instead, she had signs to work off of. She was looking for specific worlds that she could recognize that contained threats that could fight her.

After all, the Dias was originally intended to find Asami's home world. I imagine that's what her Dias was fine-tuned towards. 

However, that revelation paled to the more relevant one -- I knew of Final Fantasy Seven. It was an old game that came out of Japan that people had endlessly hyped and begged for a remake, and when one did get made they got pissed off about it for some reason. Yet, here I was, standing in the world of it, looking at a thirst trap recruitment poster of that same world. 

Meaning… I could find supposedly fictional settings and enter them through the Dias. 

I wasn't sure how exactly the math worked out, that a game in one world could be an actual world on another World Line, but that was something I could leave to other people to figure out. I, on the other hand, would make full use of this. I only knew the broad strokes of this world, but what about others? Ooh, I could find the world of Naruto, couldn't I? I really needed to crack open more manga, or read or watch more stuff in general really, as it would open the door to finding specific things and worlds worth adding into my ever-growing empire. 

“Thinking about signing up?” Jinx questioned, cocking an eyebrow in my direction, and I just chuckled. 

“In a manner of speaking,” I decided before walking along. I really wish I’d paid more attention to my yapping bunkmate, or generally that I chose a better series to invest myself into rather than the false narrative of the Seven. As things were, I knew enough to get a start. But first, we needed to figure out when we had arrived. After all, canon knowledge would be useless if we were a century ahead of canon. “Ever wanted to work at a megacompany?" 

“... Don't you run one?” Jinx questioned, her tone curious, and I shook my head. 

“Nah -- what I run is a little kid company in comparison,” I replied, pursing my lips as we walked the slum streets. Despite it being well into the afternoon, the undercity was cast into a long shadow from the plates that hung overhead. While I hadn't gotten a peak at what the uptop of Midgar had to offer, I imagine it would be pretty similar to Piltover in nature. While the undercity was forced to endure broken asphalt streets that were more potholes than asphalt, or outright dirt roads that were flanked by rundown grimy buildings… uptop would be all clean streets, flowers, and the sun shining brightly overhead. 

I started making my opening moves as I pondered what exactly this world had to offer me. A Room was wordlessly opened, and my wallet began to fill itself with a Gil here and there from those that passed us by or lifted from a till. From the looks of things, you could buy common goods like groceries for a couple hundred Gil. So, I made sure that we had a couple of thousand to get us off on the right foot. 

But, as we walked, I realized my memories were a bit too fuzzy to get that much use out of them as they were. So, I jabbed myself with a syringe and withdrew the memories -- anything related from Final Fantasy in general that I’d absorbed through idle conversation, memes, looking over someone's shoulder, or simple media osmosis. Then, once the memories left my head, I jabbed them back in and I recalled them all with far more crisp detail now that they were at the forefront of my mind. 

Doing so got a slow smile to tug at my lips as I realized I knew more than I thought. My gaze rose up to a large 7 painted on a support pillar for the plate overhead -- a plate that would one day fall on the sector. And I knew that we were in the right place to begin our search. My Room expanded to find the right place to go, and my feet carried us there while Jinx was busy sightseeing.

It didn't take us too long to reach our destination. The Seventh Heaven -- a run down looking bar in the middle of the Sector 7 slums. I felt my excitement take a small downturn as the bar looked run down to hell and back, and the person behind the bar wasn't a woman with huge tits. Instead, it was an older man that was tending to a mostly empty bar that seemed like it was only kept alive by a handful of regulars. 

Still, it was a decent place to start and with a painfully loud squeak from the saloon doors opening for us, I saw the old man behind the bar perk up as he set down the glass he had been in the middle of cleaning. “Welcome to the Seventh Heaven -- what can I do ya’ for?” He asked as we approached the bar. 

“Something to drink and some news wouldn't go amiss. We just got off a long road,” I replied, placing a handful of gil on the counter that he was quick to snatch up. “This your place?” I asked, and crossed my fingers that he was just the bartender. 

“That it is,” he answered proudly. “The name is Monty and the Seventh Heaven is my baby.” Ah… shit. I had absolutely no clue who this guy was, but it meant that we were before canon started. From the latest dates on the magazines tucked in the corner, it was the year 1999. Which didn't really mean anything to me, but I did know I could get a more accurate estimation of the date if I went to Nibelheim as Tifa and Cloud were both around twenty during the game. Hopefully they weren't too young - I wanted to see if Tifa lived up to the hype.

Monty proved to be a pretty convenient exposition dump with minimal prodding as he told me everything that I wanted to know under the guise of rumors, gossip, and complaining. 

“Materia prices have gone through the roof since the war started -- Shinra began a buy back program for the military, and they jacked up the price. Now just about no one down in the slums can afford one,” Monty complained as I sipped at a sub par beer. “The only folks that still have ‘em are the ones that didn't bother to sell in the first place. Smart decision that was- wish I did the same, but I sold mine for the down-payment on my bar!” He added with a laugh. 

Materia. That was something of interest to me -- the afterlife aka the Lifestream was a thing, and it spat out crystallized magic on occasion. Something of immense potential as it was almost exactly what I was looking for when I first found Runeterra. I would need to examine it closer, and there was no way that I was going to do that down in the slums, but I was hoping to combine it with my Magic Circuits. 

I smirked into my beer -- robots, Materia, the Lifestream, SOLDIER… 

Oh, Asami was going to regret showing me this world. It had everything I needed to expand my empire, and a great deal more. 

…

“Idleness invites opportunity for dishonor. A moment not spent on self improvement is a moment wasted,” Zack Fair quoted as he continued to do squats, feeling a distant ache, but that was the most he felt after a couple hundred. That was the effect of the Mako enhancements, and even after a few years he still marveled at the sheer power that his body was capable of now that he was SOLDIER. 

‘Second Class,’ he added to himself silently with a giddy smile and a giggle he couldn't quite swallow. He had been selected to be recruited into SOLDIER out of bootcamp, and he spent an entire year as Third Class -- still a super soldier, with all the enhancements that came from the Mako bath that saturated their bodies with pure power. Then, a couple of weeks ago, after a mission in Wutai that went horribly wrong, or right depending on how you looked at the outcome, he got noticed by Angeal -- not just a First Class SOLDIER, but one of the First Class SOLDIER. 

The only recommendation that could have carried more weight was one from Sephiroth himself! 

“Hehe- First Class, here I come!” Zack muttered to himself, his enthusiasm renewing and he intensified his squat routine. Still, the thought held a bitter edge. “At least I would be, if they gave me a challenge!” 

“A challenge, hm?” The sudden voice nearly made Zack jump into the air. Well, he did a little, but only to turn around to see Angeal, his mentor, leaning against the doorframe. 

Honestly, if Zack didn't already know his father, then he would have wondered if Angeal was his dad. The resemblance was uncanny, and noticeable enough that the others teased him about nepotism over his swift rise. They looked a lot alike, especially with Angeal's Buster Sword hanging from his back. His ‘Pride and Honor.’ He hadn't seen Angeal use the weapon yet, but he hoped so soon.

“In that case, I might have something for you, Zack,” Angeal said and Zack immediately perked up. 

“A mission? Finally! I was going to go stir crazy! What are we doing? Blowing up a base? Rescuing a princess? Winning the war in one fell stylish swoop?” He asked, smiling at the mere thought. 

He joined SOLDIER for one singular purpose. A dream that he would ensure became a reality through hard work.

He would become a Hero, capital H. Just like Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. 

He saw what the Wutai had done on the news -- kidnapping civilians, committing acts of terror, and sabotaging Mako reactors in ways that left entire regions without power. They started a war with Shinra, then they resorted to underhanded tactics to fight that war for years on end rather than just surrendering when they were so clearly defeated. It sickened him, and he would do something about it! 

“Hm,” Angeal hummed, looking at him for a moment with amusement dancing in his glowing eyes before he jerked his head for Zack to follow. “Compared to this, all of that looks pretty easy.” 

“Woah! Really? It's gotta be an important mission,” Zack breathed before he smacked both of his cheeks. Right. Time to put his game face on. The kind that showed that he could absolutely be trusted with super important missions that could decide the whole war without making even a tiny mistake. He walked behind his mentor in silence, trying to show that he could be serious about things and carry the same kind of professional intensity as they… 

“Angeal? This looks like the medical wing. Not the mission briefing room,” Zack noted, his nose curling at the scent of chemicals and blood. 

“That would be because it is the medical wing and not the mission briefing room,” Angeal replied with a sage wisdom, not looking back. “There is a new doctor that's replacing Hojo for our general checkups. I got you an early appointment.” 

That was actually a bit of good news, actually. Hojo was the big brain behind SOLDIER, but even a great company like Shinra had its bad eggs. Hojo was absolutely, 110% one of them. The guy made his flesh crawl every time they interacted, which was monthly given that SOLDIERs needed constant maintenance. To make sure that the Mako enhancements were still within the ‘expected parameters’ or other medical jargon that went in one ear and out the other. 

So, a new doctor taking that over? Big win. Great news. 

However… 

“Will this check up involve needles?” Zack asked, a pool of dread forming in his stomach. 

“A blood sample will be taken so… yes,” Angeal replied. Then he reached behind him and grabbed Zack by the turtleneck vest he wore as part of his uniform -- a uniform he looked quite dashing in -- and promptly began to drag Zack behind him with a hand when he tried to turn on a heel to flee. “I did say it would be a challenge. Use it as an opportunity to surpass your limits and conquer your old fears. After all, you can't be First Class if you're still afraid of getting a shot.” 

Zack sighed, crossing his arms as he was dragged behind his mentor. “I know that you're playing me, Angeal…” 

“But it's working?” His mentor replied, his tone amused. 

“It's working,” Zack agreed with another heaving sigh, earning a soft chuckle from Angeal as he dragged him to the appointment. He swallowed a lump in his throat when they arrived at the door, and with a gentle push, he found himself on his feet once more. Clearing his throat, he raised a hand to knock, only to freeze when a voice stopped him cold. 

“It’s open,” came the voice from the other side of the door. Zack glanced at Angeal, who offered a very unhelpful shrug in his direction, before Zack opened the door. He was greeted with a familiar room that was stuffed with gizmos that monitored his SOLDIERness. What wasn’t familiar was the man in a lab coat, holding a clipboard and wearing a bored expression. 

He was way younger than Hojo, at most he’d put him around his early to mid twenties. Which said a lot about his ability, given that he earned such a position so young, Zack figured. You had to be pretty old to earn a doctor's degree, like thirty or something. His black hair was pushed back, his eyes were a steel gray, and he was surprisingly well built. 

Mako enhancements augmented not only his muscles, but his senses too. He picked up the minuscule details that the lab coat and office slacks couldn’t quite hide, such as the slender but powerful muscles. He was someone who understood the value of working out and pumping iron, so if he wasn’t already ahead for simply not being Hojo, then Zack would have respected him more anyway. 

“Please, take a seat,” the doctor gestured. “My name is Dr. Lawrence Waterloo, but feel free to call me Dr. Law. Or Dr. Water. I’m not picky. Just slap the Dr. anywhere in my name and I’ll be happy -- a lot of work went into earning that degree, you know?” Dr. Law began, and already, he was a lot more personable than Hojo. 

“Dr. Law, then! Nice to meet you, I’m Zack Fair -- Second Class SOLDIER!” He introduced himself, taking the seat. “But, if you don’t mind me askin’...”

“What happened to Dr. Hojo?” Dr. Law ventured, grabbing the various monitoring equipment and whatnot. Zack didn’t have a clue what any of it did, but he recognized all of it. “The top brass decided that Dr. Hojo had more important matters to focus on than running medical checkups. So, the buck got passed to me,” Dr. Law said, swabbing his arm with something new before he jabbed him with a needle. 

And… it wasn’t so bad? Honestly, when Hojo did it, it was way worse. He wasn’t the only one with a fear of needles, and most of them could trace that fear back to Hojo. The guy loved them, and more importantly, he loved using them on them. 

“I’m one of his research assistants going forward,” Dr. Law continued, distracting him as his blood was drawn. It didn’t take much- actually, it was way less than what Hojo took, almost to the point that Zack thought he was doing it wrong. But, it wasn’t like he was going to complain about keeping more of his blood in his body. Then, once the vial was drawn, he swabbed the arm once more and let his natural regeneration close the needle mark. 

“Have you been with the company long?” Zack asked, though it came a little muffled when the back of his throat was checked. 

“A few months,” Dr. Law answered easily. “I got headhunted,” he bragged, and he was right to. Shinra only took the best of the best for its research divisions. To get headhunted by them made you the best of the best of the best. 

The rest of the medical check-up was pretty smooth sailing. There was a bit of pain and a little discomfort, but nothing compared to what they went through when Hojo was administering the exams. It was actually somewhat alarming how different the check-up was.

Then, when it ended with him getting tossed a piece of candy on his way out the door?

Maybe going to the doctors wasn’t going to be so bad!