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Whir, whir, whir.

Rogue bit her lip as she leaned back in her gently swaying helicopter seat. Looking up at Zack, silhouetted against a night sky in the open side door, one hand rested on the metal lip as his wildly spiky hair was whipped by the wind, the 'copter's slipstream. He glanced back at her.

“Sure you don't wanna come?”

“I think you can handle this... Besides, if you need your a** bailed out, I'll be right here anyway.” She waved a hand dismissively, encouraging him off on his way.

She heard his little laugh before he nodded and jumped out into the night, diving straight down like a well-thrown dagger, landing in an impact absorbing crouch on one of the cars of the train zipping along below. Right on target.

As the broad, First Class uniformed figure of Angeal approached him along the back of the train, Rogue sat back in the seat, content to watch over the shoulder of the faceless soldier that flew the 'copter. The two men nodded to each other, then Zack took off up the train.

Sitting out wasn't normally Rogue's forte, but Zack needed training. And if he was destined for First, he needed some solo training, needed to be able to handle a full mission by himself if need be. So, for his sake, she was just observing, along with their senior officer, Angeal, who had control of the actual simulation.

So far, Zack was handling it well. He was clearing off the top of that train, cutting down the simulated enemy left and right, without skipping a beat. As Rogue watched, a squad a few trains ahead pulled into a tight group, leveling bazookas to their shoulders.

Oh s**t, how's he gonna handle this? I didn't know our AI was that advanced...

As she watched, Zack's stride hitched as he quickly shuffled some fancy footwork to avoid a shower of bullets, before lifting his eyes again to size up the little squad, waiting for him to move in range.

Then he grinned, right as they fired.

And he jumped. Really jumped, in a way that would make a track and field champion drool in envy. He cleared the path of the launched grenades by at least four feet, the light of the explosions a brilliant blaze below his dark silhouette as he also leaped four of the crossbeams over the tracks, landed behind the soldiers, and took them out too.

That's my guy! Rogue grinned to herself as she watched the scene below. Zack really was good. If anything, by real merit, he deserved to have made First before her. As much as she was heralded around the headquarters, Zack was the one that had to work for what he did. Her abilities came naturally. Zack trained. Solo exercises every chance he got, and against Rogue herself whenever he could.

Though he had yet to beat her, he was good, and rapidly improving. But more importantly, their spars were fun. They both enjoyed the workout and the competition.

The train stopped, and Rogue watched as Zack hopped off onto the platform of the Plate. He was topside now, and, supposedly, the scenarios he faced would be harder here. She crossed her arms over her stomach and kicked her feet up on a clear space of dash, watching with an increasing level of anxiety.

Then a behemoth lumbered out from the maze of skyscrapers, all rippling blue flesh stretched over cords of muscle, a thick, lashing tail, and thick, fiery red mane and Rogue felt her eyes cross. Sure, Zack was a Second Class, but that thing had claws longer than she was tall, and fangs that were even bigger. Was it really fare to expect him to take it on alone...?

Then she remembered watching Sephiroth take down something that looked like a cross between a bull and a mammoth in one stroke, and realized that it had to be expected of him. He wanted to become a First more than anything, and if he was going to reach his high expectations for himself then he had to have some major steps to get there, to get good enough.

For Zack, this would only be the beginning. Rogue felt her jaw set. And she'd be there with him from now till the end.

Partnership... It's a beautiful thing and a trap all at once.