Hey guys! Here it is, the long-awaited prequel to 'Reduced to Specimens,' well not so much long-awaited for y'all as it has been for me. I've been planning to write this probably since I began RtS. I have a few things to talk about that I hope you take the time to look over before you move onto the chapter.

First, this story begins with Cloud's enrollment in the Shinra SOLDIER program and will end where 'Reduced to Specimens' begins just after what happened in Nibelheim before Cloud and Zack are taken by Hojo for experiementation. While I intend to keep details of the story somewhat accurate, it is going to deviate from the the original storyline. Mainly, I am changing when it is that Cloud and Zack actually meet one another, which I'm sure will end up changing a lot lol. Zack will be a huge part of this story but we won't see him around much for the first few chapters.

Second, I may include some subplots as well but I haven't made up my mind completely yet. We'll see if the major plot can hold it's own first. I must say i'm a little nervous about this story because I'm more used to writing heavy action or the more fast-paced types of stories so I think this will be a test for me to see if I can write out of my element without boring the readers lol. The story will start a little slower and lighter but I am issuing a warning now that it WILL get darker, though I don't know all the themes I'll be exploring so I'm keeping this story rated M to be safe.

For my faithful 'Reduced to Specimens' readers. Worry not that I will begin slacking on updates for RtS because I now how two stories on the go. I assure you that RtS is my first priority on this site and I will make sure I continue to update regularly. As I've mentioned before, this story is a bit out of my element so of course I would appreciate any imput you guys have. Don't be afraid to offer constructive criticism. I am a critical writer so I appreciate critical readers :)

I think that's about all I have to say for now. Any questions or comments are greatly welcomed. Read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII

Chapter I

19…21…23…

Cloud counted the bunks in his head as he passed them slowly, the info sheet regarding his living arrangements grasped tightly in his hand, the sweat from his fingers moistening it and forming ripples in its taut white surface. To say he was nervous would be one hell of an understatement. He was all but shaking, though he was determined to not let that show. He was as excited as he was nervous. Being here meant a new start, no the real start to the beginning of his life. No one knew him. He wasn't going to be judged by the same things that had weighed him down the first 14 years of his life. He felt a sudden twinge of guilt then as his mother's words echoed in his mind. Just don't forget where you came from and who you really are. Fat chance at that. It would take one hell of a blow to the head to forget where he came from. Who he really was, however, was a different story. He didn't know who he was. Frankly, he didn't care. He was interested in one thing, and that's who he would become.

"27," he spoke aloud as his eyes fell on the etched numbers in the frame of the wooden set of bunks to his left. This was to be his bed for the next five months, hopefully longer. Standing to the left of it, he looked up to see his bunkmate hadn't checked in yet. His sheets and blankets were all folded tight and neat on the mattress just as his were. There was a small envelope resting on top of the stack with the number 27 on it. It was the key to his locked set of drawers at the head of the bunk. His bunkmate's were at the foot of the bunks.

This is it, he thought. I'm a number now. B27. B was the dorm letter. There were four dorms, A, B, C, and D, and each housed up to 40 recruits. Looking around at the busy dorm, it appeared that most of the recruits had arrived.

Holding the smooth key to his dresser in his hand he put down his duffle he'd brought with him and moved to the head of the bunks. He slid the key into the lock and opened the first drawer. Right away he felt his stomach flutter as he stared down at the contents. There were three sets of the regulation initiate uniform and Velcroed to the first of the three was a nametag with his last name and first initial on it. Seeing it there made it seem unreal. He brushed his fingers against the uniform, smiling a little as he let himself believe it was really happening. He was really on his way to becoming a SOLDIER.

A few moments later, he was putting his own belongings into the other two drawers. He was crouched down when someone walked into him, nearly pushing him over.

"Whoa!" the person above him exclaimed as he stumbled and grabbed for the set of bunks next to Cloud's. "Geeze, sorry man! I wasn't watching where I was going." He glanced at the number on the bunk he was holding onto. "Found my bunk though!" he laughed. The guy had dark brown hair and bright green eyes and to Cloud's surprise looked about his height. He always considered himself a short kid. Most of the other boys his age in his hometown were taller than him. It was good to know he wasn't the only guy on the face of the planet who was vertically challenged.

"No problem," Cloud replied and returned a polite smile.

"I'm Paul Tousa," the guy introduced himself and held out his hand.

"Cloud Strife," Cloud said as he accepted his hand.

"Cloud?" Paul questioned. He smiled. "Well, that's different."

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "I guess."

"Can't believe we're actually here," he said happily. "Was it a long trip for you?"

"Yeah. About 5 hours," Cloud said with a nod as he pushed his drawers closed and stood up.

"5 hours?!" Paul looked at him in astonishment. "Geeze, where you from?"

Cloud cracked a half-smile. "Just some small town," he replied as he sat down on his bunk.

"Shit," a muffled voice said from nearby. Both Cloud and Paul turned to see a guy standing at the head of the bunks. He had a half-eaten sandwich in his mouth, a garbage bag in his one hand and his orientation materials in his other one. Some of the materials were slipping from his hand, the information book already lying on the floor at his feet. Taking a glance at the bunk numbers, he kicked the book towards Cloud and Paul before dumping his stuff on Paul's bunk.

"Hey," Paul greeted.

"'Sup?" his new bunkmate replied as he removed the sandwich from his mouth. "Sorry, man, I was gonna lose it if I didn't set down my crap," he added as he gestured to his stuff.

"No worries," Paul assured him before introducing himself and Cloud. The guy raised an eyebrow at Cloud's name but said nothing. His hair was the colour of deep navy blue, obviously dyed. It went along well with his dark eyes that seemed almost black. He was tall and looked to be in pretty good shape compared to most of the other boys in the dorm.

"Johnny Six," he greeted them.

"Six? Like the number?" Paul inquired.

"Like the number," Johnny confirmed with a nod.

"Don't think I've ever heard that one before. Guess it's the day for unusual names," he joked as he glanced at Cloud.

"I made it up," Johnny said then as he was unlocking his drawers.

"Made what up?"

"My name. I changed it when I left home."

"What? When did you leave home?" Paul questioned in astonishment.

"When I was 12," he replied casually as he dumped the contents of his garbage bag into the drawers.

"That's…ambitious," Paul suggested uneasily.

"Not really," Johnny said with a shrug. "My dad was an asshole." Cloud and Paul looked at each other uncomfortably. "Do either of you know where we can smoke around here?" he inquired. Cloud shook his head along with Paul. "Well. See you guys at orientation," he said as he shut his drawers and headed off.

"Orientation, right. What time is it?" Paul questioned then. Cloud glanced at his watch.

"4:10. Orientation in 20 minutes," Cloud replied.

Paul sighed. "Do you know where we're supposed to go?"

"Definitely not," Cloud laughed lightly.

"Guess we better go wander then," Paul suggested and Cloud agreed, pulling himself off his bunk to accompany him in scoping out the place.

000

It wasn't as difficult to find the orientation room as Cloud had thought it would be. There seemed to be a general flow of people headed toward the assembly room. He and Paul grabbed a couple seats for themselves and Johnny if he happened to show up, which he did nearly late. He took a seat next to Paul about 30 seconds before a first class officer stepped forward to begin the orientation talk.

"How'd you spot us?" Paul whispered, wondering how he'd managed to find them in the hoard of new cadets.

"Strife's hair isn't hard to see," he explained as he slid down in his chair a little, making himself comfortable. Paul held back the urge to laugh. Cloud frowned a little, not knowing if he was being made fun of or not. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been made fun of for his hair. It was a mess of blond spikes that rarely did what it was told. When he was 9 he took a pair of scissors to his hair in attempt to 'normalize' himself and fit in with everyone else. It didn't work out so well. He ended up looking like he'd gotten into a fight with a weed whacker and lost.

"Welcome to the SOLDIER Initiate Program," the officer at the front of the room spoke loudly, silencing the few boys that were still talking amongst themselves. "As initiates you will have twice the work as any normal boys your age would. In addition to the education you would be receiving at any regular school, you'll be expected to learn the history, fundamentals, and techniques of various aspects of a SOLDIER's training."

Cloud listened intently, trying to ignore the sound of his own excited heartbeats.

"Each of you has been assigned a letter and number corresponding to your dorm bunk," the officer went on. "This is also your identification letter and number. Each dorm has been assigned an officer to act as a leader, a guide, advisor, and councilor. Dorm A is assigned Officer Bryant; Dorm B, Officer Tanner; Dorm C, Officer Zertis, and Dorm D, Officer Fair." The officers were pointed out as their names were said. Cloud stared at his dorm's assigned officer. Officer Tanner. He was a well-built man, fairly intimidating-looking. He didn't seem very friendly. "It is suggested that you get to know your assigned officer as well as the other initiates in your dorm. They are going to be the closest thing to family you will get around here."

There was the sound of snickering around the room that was silenced again when the officer continued.

"Now. A few of the rules. First, no alcohol, at all. If you are caught with alcohol in your possession on Academy grounds, your enrollment will be terminated. We can't stop you from consuming it off-grounds but if you are inebriated on-grounds, you could find yourself in front of the disciplinary board. So the advice would be don't do it. Second, no narcotics. Period. If you are taking drugs you better have a goddamn prescription for it. There will be drug tests administered several times during the semester and they will be administered without prior notice. If you are caught in possession of narcotics or found to have consumed narcotics your enrollment will be terminated. The use of tobacco products on-grounds is also strictly prohibited for all those under the age of 19, which most, if not all, of you are. So, if one of you jerks is caught smoking on-grounds you will find yourself in front of the disciplinary board."

"Guess that answers your question about where you can smoke," Paul whispered to Johnny with a wide smirk on his face.

"Man…this blows," Johnny mumbled dejectedly.

"Third," the officer continued "no female visitors in the dorms, ever. Failure to adhere to any of these rules or those outlined in your information book will subsequently lead to either the disciplinary board, or enrollment termination. Trust me, gentlemen, when I say you do not want to find yourselves in either of those positions. All rules are strictly enforced and done so for a reason. As potential SOLDIERs, you are expected to be in the best condition mentally and physically as you possibly can be."

Cloud found himself nodding slightly in response to the officer's words. He knew it was going to take a lot of work to transform himself into the perfect specimen for the SOLDIER program but he was determined to do it. He had never wanted anything more in his life and he'd do whatever he had to, to reach his goal.

000

The orientation went longer than Cloud had expected, ending at around 6:30. He and the others were dismissed for dinner and free time. Training would begin at 7 am. All the recruits were to be out on the field behind the facility ready to begin. Lights went out in the dorms at 10 pm.

When Cloud returned to the dorm that night, he found his bunkmate had finally arrived. His name was Lou Gallent. He was built like a linebacker and had sandy-coloured hair and light brown eyes. As he was lying in his bunk, Cloud couldn't help himself from imagining what a guy that much bigger than him could do to him if the top bunk suddenly came crashing down on top of him in the night. It was a less than comforting thought.

For the first hour after lights out that night, the dorm was still alive with laughing and conversation but as the minutes in the darkness dragged on, the noises grew quieter and less frequent until there were only the sounds of slumber filling the room. Cloud was surprised so many of the boys were even able to sleep. For one, he had never slept with that many people in the same room before. And two, he was too damn anxious to sleep. Training began tomorrow. Goodbye pathetic weakling, Cloud thought to himself as he stared at the bottom of Lou's bunk. Tomorrow, everything would change.

At 6 am alarms were going off. Cloud was sure he hadn't slept more than an hour the whole night. There was a mass scuffling as guys were getting out of their beds. Cloud was at his locked drawers quickly. He had been dying to put on his uniform.

"Too fuckin' early," a voice drawled. Cloud looked up to see Lou getting down from his bunk. "You seem awfully eager," he added as he rubbed his eyes.

"Aren't you?" Cloud threw back at him with a slight grin.

"Well yeah," Lou agreed. "But you're not supposed to act like it." Cloud shrugged as he began undressing.

"Hey," a voice greeted from nearby. Paul appeared, already dressed though his hair was still dripping from the showers.

"Hey," Cloud greeted. "Did you get up ridiculously early in order to shower?" he questioned.

"Naw. Just two minutes under the cold water. Best wake-up medicine in the world."

"I think you're underestimating the effects of coffee," Lou commented as he was pulling on his uniform shirt.

"Psh. Caffeine. Just another drug," Paul replied as he used a towel to dry his dark brown hair.

"Well, I like my drugs," Lou retorted.

"Where's Johnny?" Cloud questioned Paul.

"Dunno. He was already gone when I woke up," Paul said with a shrug.

"He probably realized how hard the program's gonna be and skipped out like a pussy," Lou suggested.

"Yeah, Lou, cause that seems just like him," Paul said sarcastically.

"Well, whatever. Who's getting breakfast before training starts?"

"Not me," Paul spoke fast. "If I eat anything before doing something hardcore physical I'll probably puke."

"Strife?" Lou questioned.

Cloud shook his head. "Same here," he agreed with Paul.

"Suit yourselves. See ya guys outside," Lou said before taking off.

Johnny showed up not long after Lou disappeared. He hadn't dressed yet and came in barefoot and wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

"Where were you?" Paul questioned him quickly.

"Looking for a place to have a smoke," Johnny responded through a yawn.

Paul shook his head. "You're sad, man," he said with a mild laugh.

"You try goin' from a pack an' a half a day to nothin' overnight," Johnny retorted.

"How in the hell did you ever get up to smoking that much in the first place?"

"Easy. I started early," he responded with a smirk.

"Please tell me you were older than 5," Paul said lightly.

"Of course. I was 9."

Paul shot a glance over to Cloud, giving him a wide-eyed look.

"Well way to seize childhood," Paul threw at Johnny. He scoffed in reply as he was doing up his uniform pants.

000

The three boys headed out to the track behind the facility. Already there looked to be close to a hundred cadets waiting to begin training. It wasn't difficult to find the other boys from their dorm. The cadets seemed to have separated themselves naturally into their dorms out on the field.

It was a chilly morning but no doubt the drill officers were going to have them warmed pretty quickly. They'd been waiting around about 20 minutes when Cloud spotted the dorm-assigned officers coming toward the congregation of boys. With them were the presumable drill-officers. One of them blew a whistle, long and hard, drawing the attention of everyone.

"Gather around, gentlemen!" another yelled and the boys complied slowly, making a semi-circle around the officers. "Welcome to your first day of training. Make no mistake. We are not going to go easy on you because it's your first day. We want excellence and if you don't give us excellence you will get a boot up your ass, is that understood?!"

Several of the boys nodded awkwardly. "I SAID, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" the officer shouted so loud Cloud was tempted to cover his ears.

There were a hundred mumbled yeses that only prompted more yelling. "Yes? YES WHAT?!"

"Yes, sir!" the collective responded loudly.

"That's better. From now on, when you are in the presence of an officer, you will stand at attention and salute or you will have your ass kicked, is that understood?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. It's time to get to business. Let's get something straight. You will get hurt in training. You will bleed and your mommies aren't here to baby you so you better get used to it fast! I don't wanna see any of you boys bawling like a bunch of little girls, you got it?!"

"Yes, sir!" the hoard shouted.

"Good! Now get your asses onto the track and gimme a good run, 12 minutes, GO!" the officer instructed and another blew a whistle. Without a second's thought, the boys headed for the track. The thought of a 12-minute run didn't seem that bad, but that's because none of the cadets imagined the officers meant an actual 'run.' As soon as you slowed into a jog you got yelled at. It was brutal, but the fact that the officers seemed to be running along just fine, and were still able to yell at all the recruits was somewhat encouraging, to Cloud anyway. If they could do it, he could too. Eventually.

After the run, the boys were split up into their dorm groups and led off to different areas with a driller and their dorm officer. That's when the real physical hell began. Bent-knee crunches, reverse crunches, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and of course push-ups. There seemed to be a hundred different versions of the push-up and every single one sucked worse than the one before it. There were the regular push-ups, then the diamond push-ups, then the wide-arm push-ups and, if you could manage, the one-handed push-ups. If you couldn't manage then you got yelled at. But then, you got yelled at anyway.

Cloud was happy he'd forgone the option of eating that morning. Several of the boys in his dorm group had already tossed their breakfasts onto the grass at some point. Unfortunately, lunch was not considered an option.

"If you forfeit lunch, I will beat you so hard you'll need a feeding tube to eat!" the driller had shouted at them. "We don't need no little fainting skinny boys, you got it?!"

"Yes sir!" the collective shouted back.

"I want your asses back out here in 45 minutes, gentlemen! You're dismissed!"

"I think I'm dying," Paul panted as he stepped up next to Cloud. Cloud was too out of breath to even respond verbally. He nodded instead. Johnny walked passed them casually. "Hey!" Paul called out to him and he turned back towards them. "How is it a smoke box like you seems barely out of breath?" he questioned.

"'Cause he's a backline slacker," one of the other boys from their dorm commented as he passed by.

"Bite me, Justus," Johnny replied quick, kicking some dirt at the guy as he was headed away.

"Let me guess, you started training for SOLDIER when you were 4?" Paul commented as the three of them began heading back to the facility.

"Don't be jealous," Johnny joked as he grabbed a bottle of water and towel from the large supply sitting on the edge of the field.

Cloud grabbed one of the towels also, using it to wipe off his face and neck. He couldn't remember ever sweating that much in his life. He was looking forward to the shower he'd be having later on.

He had a light lunch, knowing that if he ate too much he was more likely to go to sleep then move his body around on command.

Training continued that afternoon with a game of 'Tactics.' Basically it was a more organized form of 'Capture the Flag.' Cloud hated the game. It brought back memories of his pathetic excuse for a childhood. Though it seemed to be a general consensus that the game sucked. Not too many of the boys were into it. The dorm group was split in half for it. Cloud's side lost. That was no surprise to him. He grew up being on the losing teams. That's usually how it went in school. The class would divide itself into the 'normal' kids and the rest left over, the 'rejects' made up the other team. That wasn't exactly how teams were made in this case but close enough. Cloud had a feeling the driller put a lot of the more 'athletic' looking boys on the one side. Cloud was the furthest thing from at that point. He had good endurance but his strength wasn't the best. There was very little muscle mass to him. He was hoping that would change soon.

The game took a long 3 hours to finish. And then, there were more drill exercises and running. Cloud had always been a pretty good runner but even he was ready to collapse after an hour of circling the track. As much as he would have loved to do just that at the end of the run, he and the others were granted push-ups instead. His body was so weak at that point, his arms shook as he tried to hold himself up over the grass. The drill-officer continued to shout. He wondered how it was after a whole day he was still able to scream into the ears of the boys.

Just when he thought his arms were about to break off, the driller blew his whistle and ended the torture. "Not bad for a first day, gentlemen! But you got a damn long way to go if you think you're gonna be in SOLDIER! You're done for the night but your butts better be back on this field at 5:30 am and not one minute after!"

Cloud collapsed on his bunk, thankful to have the bottom one because he didn't think he could climb to the top one if he tried. He let out a low groan as his muscles relaxed and the pain became less evident. He didn't want to think about what he would feel like tomorrow. He didn't bother to drag himself to the cafeteria for dinner. Food was the furthest thing from his mind. All he wanted was to sleep. His wish was granted quickly enough and he was sinking into the pillow at his head, his thoughts falling away to let peaceful darkness in.

Several hours later, Cloud was pulled from his heavy sleep suddenly by the ear-shattering sound of alarms going off. He sat up, ignoring the painful protest in his body for him to stay still. He looked around the dark room, seeing the others rise and seem as confused as he was.

"What the fuck is that?!" Lou shouted down to him.

"It's a goddamn fire drill!" Paul said from his own bunk. "We're gonna get our asses kicked if we don't get outside like now!" he added as he threw the covers off himself and grabbed his bunkmate's arm. Johnny had his pillow over his head, trying to drown out the sound of the alarms.

There was a mad rush in the dorm. An outbreak of disorganization that Cloud could tell, without even thinking about it, wasn't going to be looked upon happily by their dorm officer. He could feel the phantom pain in his arms from the imminent push-ups he suspected were going to be forced upon them outside…