X-SOLDIER
Harbinger O Great Justice
- AKA
- X
"What If? Final Fantasy VII: Altered Crisis"
Last update: 9/9/2011
About a year ago, I had the idea about a "What If?"-style fan fiction about FFVII, taking place during the ending events of Crisis Core, and if things had gone slightly differently. I finished this some time around 8/2010, and had meant to put it up on the forums, but like many of my other little projects, I kinda forgot about it for a while, and just remembered it when Lord Noctis started his Fan Fiction-related thread. I went and found it floating around my google docs, and decided to post it up. I can't recall if there were any changes that I was still going to make to sync with the existing events more accurately, but I figured I'd toss it out for people to take a look at. I've never attempted to really write anything before, let alone fan fiction, so hopefully it's a good first attempt.
-----------------------------------------
~ Late September, εуλ 0007 ~
"We're friends, right?"
-----------------------------------------
~ October 5th, εуλ 0007 ~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments and criticisms are appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Part 1: 4/8/2011
Part 2: 8/11/2011
Part 3: 8/12/2011
Part 4: 8/17/2011
Part 5: 8/18/2011
Part 6: 8/19/2011 & 8/26/2011
Part 7: 9/2/2011
Part 8: 9/9/2011
X
Last update: 9/9/2011
About a year ago, I had the idea about a "What If?"-style fan fiction about FFVII, taking place during the ending events of Crisis Core, and if things had gone slightly differently. I finished this some time around 8/2010, and had meant to put it up on the forums, but like many of my other little projects, I kinda forgot about it for a while, and just remembered it when Lord Noctis started his Fan Fiction-related thread. I went and found it floating around my google docs, and decided to post it up. I can't recall if there were any changes that I was still going to make to sync with the existing events more accurately, but I figured I'd toss it out for people to take a look at. I've never attempted to really write anything before, let alone fan fiction, so hopefully it's a good first attempt.
-----------------------------------------
~ Late September, εуλ 0007 ~
"We're friends, right?"
Only the rhythmic whir of the helicopter blades permeated the cabin, emphasizing the tense silence as Reno & Rude flew over the withered, mako-desiccated landscape, scouring the ground for the two targets. Reno was rather annoyed with the whole prospect, and it didn't help that it seemed to be getting nowhere. Even Rude's Turk-centric optimism wasn't lightening his mood. Tseng's silence on the specifics behind the mission didn't sit well with him either. They were Turks, and they deserved to be in the know, not cut out of the loop like some damn army grunt. He was about it open his mouth, when Cissnei's voice came crackling to life through their headsets.
"Reno, Rude, status?"
"We got nothin'." Reno replied in a nonchalant tone, waving his hand dismissively.
"You?" Rude inquired, a hopeful tinge in his voice.
"Likewise..." Cissnei sounded only mildly discouraged. "I'm heading to point 235. You two take Point 120."
"Roger." Rude acknowledged.
"Yo, Cissnei." Reno cut in, with an edge of sarcasm in his voice "Why do you think the director's being so secretive about our new delivery service?"
Rude shot him a tight-lipped glance from underneath his dark glasses, which Reno returned with a shrug, and a roll of his eyes.
"You mean the letters?" She responded, slightly confused.
"Yeah. Who's sending them that they're so important that we've been put in charge of ensuring they get to their intended recipient?"
The question struck her, and she paused. She hadn't thought about that before. Who were they from, and how did Tseng get a hold of them in the first place? After all, 88 letters was enough to be fairly frequent during Zack’s absence... It must have been someone close... Could it be…? Then she remembered Gongaga. Zack's motivation to check on his parents, superseded the fact that he knew going there wasn't safe. If there was someone other than his parents who was important to him, Zack would doubtlessly try to find his way to them in the most direct route possible, and trust himself to be able to overcome any odds. And with the force that the army had recently mobilized...
Back in the other chopper, Rude put a hand over his mic, his tone matching his now serious look.
"Now you've done it."
Reno’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He raised his hands innocently, before hurriedly returning one to the throttle, and then responded back into his mic,
"Hey... I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry about it Reno. You and Rude keep heading to Point 120." Cissnei interjected.
"Roger." They both responded simultaneously. Their chopper hung right, and headed towards the location.
Cissnei cut off the communication, and pulled out her handset. Tseng picked up almost immediately.
"What's the status?"
"I may have a lead." she replied "Where are those letters from?"
"What does who sent them have to do with your lead?" Tseng said.
She noted the slightly protective sound in his voice, and replied "Where. I don't care who they're from, just where."
"Underneath Sector 5."
It's gotta be someone in the slums. No wonder Tseng was acting suspicious… Wait- "How well did they know him? Would they have had his handset number?" her voice was slightly more desperate now.
"Yes."
Of course. It’s gotta be Aerith. No one else would have Tseng being so vague. "Well then if Heidegger got the information from Hojo as to the identity of the target, there's a chance that they army could use that information, and get a heads up on us, but at least we won't be grasping at straws." Her suspicions were confirmed, but there may still be time.
"Cissnei. If you're sure, then go. I'll do what I can."
“Roger.”
--------------------
Heidegger sat in a chair on the 66th floor of the ShinRa HQ Building. Two of army's Captains stood to either side of him. The meeting with the President and Hojo had just ended. They had managed to pull some solid information on one of the two rogue specimens from Nibelheim, and he had dispatched several forces in the nearby area that should take care of the AWOL SOLDIER & his companion.
"Gya haa haa!!! Those fools won't know what hit them. With the information that we pulled from that mobile, we'll be hot on their trail in no time." Heidegger pulled back and socked the Troop to his right in the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly.
The other Captain snapped to attention,
"Sir! We have a report from the field. One of the Turks' Helicopters was just spotted rushing low past one of our squads, near Point 126."
"Gya haa-huh!?" he cut of mid-chortle, "Where the hell is Tseng!? I'M the Head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department!!" he pounded both fists into the desk "Get him down here, NOW!!!"
He stood, his chair tipping back precariously, before barely righting itself and settling back onto all four legs as he shoved both men towards the door. The two Captains rushed towards the exit, and barely managed to step aside as the door opened, and Tseng walked in the room.
"Heidegger." Tseng addressed the man, as he stepped forwards, hands placed neatly behind his waist.
"Wh-You.." Heidegger stuttered, having to interrupt his tirade. Sweat still beaded on his brow, and his coarse, dark eyebrows knitted even more tightly together.
"I received a report from Elena that the two fugitive subjects had managed to slip past and have been spotted near Kalm, so I sent Reno and Rude out to meet up with her to cut them off before they reached the village."
“Why wasn’t I informed!?” he asked as he sat down.
“This is why I came down to talk to you. You were in a meeting with the President until just now.”
“Hrmmm…” he scratched at his thick beard, “Just don’t forget that I’m the Head of the PSMD. We can’t afford any more internal… incidents.” he said, leaning closely Tseng. Then, he twisted his gaze upwards towards the two men at the doorway. “You two – get the troops in order. Have them follow that helicopter, and scout the area with the Turks, and tell the other squads to move up towards their position.”
“Sir! Yes sir!” They both snapped to attention and hurried out of the room, the door shutting quietly behind them.
“Gya haa haa! We’ll crush those damn traitors. Get back to your own business Tseng. I’ll call you if I need you.” Heidegger said, his spirits back to their usual brashness.
“Understood sir.” Tseng replied calmly, standing, and exiting the room, the smile hidden in his eyes not once touching his lips as he made his way back to his office.
--------------------
Cloud groaned as Zack hoisted him along. They had ditched the truck with the old guy a little ways back. As much as he’d have liked to continue onwards at a fair speed, he couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt, especially this close to Midgar, it’d be pretty easy to spot the two of them in the back of a pickup. He’d rested with Cloud for a moment behind a rocky outcropping before moving forwards. Little bits of plant life still managed to cling to the parched earth out here, but past this point, it was all barren, dissicated by the mako reactors. Most of the daylight had already faded behind the ominous, gray haze that perpetually hung above Midgar, enhanced even more by the natural dark clouds of an approaching storm.
As he moved toward the cliff’s edge, he could see the Sector 6 Slums, exposed to the sky. The section of the main plate was missing, like a pie with a single section removed. The metal city was opened and inviting him to come hide out in its depths. If he and Cloud could make their way past the open space and the gate, it’d be a simple matter of getting to the Sector 5 or 6 slums, where they’d be less exposed, and easily be able to hide. Mercenary life would be easy since there was a great deal that needed doing down there if it was anything like it was when he left for Nibelheim… such a long, long time ago. They were so very close now… Hold on Aerith. Just a little longer.
He was torn from his moment of nostalgia by the sound of an approaching helicopter. He hadn’t heard it sooner, because it had muted its approach by flying below the cliff’s edge ahead of them. That means that they must’ve spotted a while back. They had been cut off, and it was too far back to find cover. Zack barely had time to set Cloud down, and whip the Buster Sword off of his back before the chopper breached the cliff’s edge, eclipsing the view of Midgar, and sending dust and small pebbles swirling across the ground.
Even if this was only a scout, they were close enough to Midgar that they should be expecting reinforcements soon. The helicopter positioned itself at the edge of the cliff, and set down. The side door clicked and began to slide open. Zack positioned himself in a combat stance and stood against the wind, ready to fight. Cloud silently grasped after Zack, as he rushed forwards to intercept the troops before they had a chance to exit the vehicle.
“Zack!”
Zack slid to a stop. Cissnei’s gloved hands pulled the door open, her auburn curls were bouncing around her face in the wind from the spinning blades. Her light brown eyes looked pleadingly at him. Had she betrayed him after all this time?
“What are you doing, Cissnei?” Zack shouted, his defensive posture not letting up.
She almost corrected him about using that name, but decided that there wasn’t any time for that now.
“Heidegger’s sent whole squads of the army after you. He’s more determined than ever.” She said, stepping towards him. “You need to get out of here.”
“But, I have to get-”
“I know you’re going to see Aerith. Didn’t you learn anything from what I told you at Gongaga? It’s too dangerous for you to keep being so headstrong.”
Zack’s expression changed and his tone sounded hurt. “Headstrong? It’s been four years. What am I supposed to do? You’re the one being headstrong, and disobeying orders.”
“You’re wrong.” The hurt of his words filling her eyes. She didn’t know that he hadn’t been aware of how long he’d been gone. “Tseng sent me out to save you. We don’t want you to get killed. You know she wouldn’t either.” Zack stepped back, the Buster Sword still held up. His face not convinced by her words. “Why would I lie to you? I’ve been protecting you this whole time.” She glanced behind him “-and he looks like he’s still suffering from Mako Poisoning. You can’t save everyone by yourself Zack.”
Zack glanced back at Cloud, then back to Cissnei, and sheathed his sword. He walked back picked up his friend off the ground, as drops of rain started falling from the sky. He hoisted Cloud over his shoulder, and fixed his gaze back from the direction he came.
“Sorry Cissnei… I can’t.”
He heard her approaching, and started walking forwards. He felt her gloved hand grasp his, and looked back over his shoulder. The rain streaked her face, masking any tears that may have been there as she gazed up into his eyes. He looked deep into her face, not knowing what else to say. He opened his mouth, but no words came. As he began to turn back, Cissnei’s voice quietly spoke.
“…Tseng’s been keeping letters from her for you. He has all 88 of them. I can help get you to Sector 6.” Zack’s mako-glowing eyes opened wide, and shock spread across his face. He felt his stomach drop, and his heart race, confusion spreading through his system. Tseng had been keeping Aerith’s letters? Was she being held by Shinra? Cissnei saw the look in his face, and tried to calm him. “Please Zack… Let me help you.” Her other hand grasped the inside of his elbow, holding him in place.
“Is she alright? Has she been-” Zack began
“I don’t know. The director’s been keeping quiet about everything, cause I don’t think he wants any of this information slipping out. Please Zack, there isn’t much time…” as if to accentuate the point, Cloud murmured, his unfocused mako eyes looking as Cissnei, and his fingers moved weakly.
“Well,” Zack said, considering all the new options in his mind, “if Cloud trusts you, we’d better get going.” He turned with a familiar smile, his face resolute and he hurriedly moved towards the chopper. Cissnei felt a warmth of relief spread through her, and walked with him, releasing his hand, and helping to move Cloud into the vehicle. As soon as they were both in, she moved into the pilot's seat, as Zack secured Cloud, and pulled the door closed. Cissnei pulled up on the throttle, and lifted the helicopter off the cliff’s edge, and banked off left towards Midgar. Zack sat down next to Cloud and ruffled his hair, “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you hanging buddy. We’ll still make it as mercenaries.” The helicopter kept rising, finally disappearing into the gray sky above Midgar.
Below, the rain washed away the tracks in the dirt as a Captain, and two ShinRa Troops walked up onto the cliff’s edge, the triple glow of their helmet lights staring out like sinister monsters in the rain. They walked to the cliff’s edge, guns raised and looked down, searching the bare rock, as their visibility dropped in the storm. The troops finally turned towards their commander and shook their heads. The Captain radioed in to HQ.
“All clear. No sign of the targets.”
--------------------
"Reno, Rude, status?"
"We got nothin'." Reno replied in a nonchalant tone, waving his hand dismissively.
"You?" Rude inquired, a hopeful tinge in his voice.
"Likewise..." Cissnei sounded only mildly discouraged. "I'm heading to point 235. You two take Point 120."
"Roger." Rude acknowledged.
"Yo, Cissnei." Reno cut in, with an edge of sarcasm in his voice "Why do you think the director's being so secretive about our new delivery service?"
Rude shot him a tight-lipped glance from underneath his dark glasses, which Reno returned with a shrug, and a roll of his eyes.
"You mean the letters?" She responded, slightly confused.
"Yeah. Who's sending them that they're so important that we've been put in charge of ensuring they get to their intended recipient?"
The question struck her, and she paused. She hadn't thought about that before. Who were they from, and how did Tseng get a hold of them in the first place? After all, 88 letters was enough to be fairly frequent during Zack’s absence... It must have been someone close... Could it be…? Then she remembered Gongaga. Zack's motivation to check on his parents, superseded the fact that he knew going there wasn't safe. If there was someone other than his parents who was important to him, Zack would doubtlessly try to find his way to them in the most direct route possible, and trust himself to be able to overcome any odds. And with the force that the army had recently mobilized...
Back in the other chopper, Rude put a hand over his mic, his tone matching his now serious look.
"Now you've done it."
Reno’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He raised his hands innocently, before hurriedly returning one to the throttle, and then responded back into his mic,
"Hey... I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry about it Reno. You and Rude keep heading to Point 120." Cissnei interjected.
"Roger." They both responded simultaneously. Their chopper hung right, and headed towards the location.
Cissnei cut off the communication, and pulled out her handset. Tseng picked up almost immediately.
"What's the status?"
"I may have a lead." she replied "Where are those letters from?"
"What does who sent them have to do with your lead?" Tseng said.
She noted the slightly protective sound in his voice, and replied "Where. I don't care who they're from, just where."
"Underneath Sector 5."
It's gotta be someone in the slums. No wonder Tseng was acting suspicious… Wait- "How well did they know him? Would they have had his handset number?" her voice was slightly more desperate now.
"Yes."
Of course. It’s gotta be Aerith. No one else would have Tseng being so vague. "Well then if Heidegger got the information from Hojo as to the identity of the target, there's a chance that they army could use that information, and get a heads up on us, but at least we won't be grasping at straws." Her suspicions were confirmed, but there may still be time.
"Cissnei. If you're sure, then go. I'll do what I can."
“Roger.”
--------------------
Heidegger sat in a chair on the 66th floor of the ShinRa HQ Building. Two of army's Captains stood to either side of him. The meeting with the President and Hojo had just ended. They had managed to pull some solid information on one of the two rogue specimens from Nibelheim, and he had dispatched several forces in the nearby area that should take care of the AWOL SOLDIER & his companion.
"Gya haa haa!!! Those fools won't know what hit them. With the information that we pulled from that mobile, we'll be hot on their trail in no time." Heidegger pulled back and socked the Troop to his right in the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly.
The other Captain snapped to attention,
"Sir! We have a report from the field. One of the Turks' Helicopters was just spotted rushing low past one of our squads, near Point 126."
"Gya haa-huh!?" he cut of mid-chortle, "Where the hell is Tseng!? I'M the Head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department!!" he pounded both fists into the desk "Get him down here, NOW!!!"
He stood, his chair tipping back precariously, before barely righting itself and settling back onto all four legs as he shoved both men towards the door. The two Captains rushed towards the exit, and barely managed to step aside as the door opened, and Tseng walked in the room.
"Heidegger." Tseng addressed the man, as he stepped forwards, hands placed neatly behind his waist.
"Wh-You.." Heidegger stuttered, having to interrupt his tirade. Sweat still beaded on his brow, and his coarse, dark eyebrows knitted even more tightly together.
"I received a report from Elena that the two fugitive subjects had managed to slip past and have been spotted near Kalm, so I sent Reno and Rude out to meet up with her to cut them off before they reached the village."
“Why wasn’t I informed!?” he asked as he sat down.
“This is why I came down to talk to you. You were in a meeting with the President until just now.”
“Hrmmm…” he scratched at his thick beard, “Just don’t forget that I’m the Head of the PSMD. We can’t afford any more internal… incidents.” he said, leaning closely Tseng. Then, he twisted his gaze upwards towards the two men at the doorway. “You two – get the troops in order. Have them follow that helicopter, and scout the area with the Turks, and tell the other squads to move up towards their position.”
“Sir! Yes sir!” They both snapped to attention and hurried out of the room, the door shutting quietly behind them.
“Gya haa haa! We’ll crush those damn traitors. Get back to your own business Tseng. I’ll call you if I need you.” Heidegger said, his spirits back to their usual brashness.
“Understood sir.” Tseng replied calmly, standing, and exiting the room, the smile hidden in his eyes not once touching his lips as he made his way back to his office.
--------------------
Cloud groaned as Zack hoisted him along. They had ditched the truck with the old guy a little ways back. As much as he’d have liked to continue onwards at a fair speed, he couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt, especially this close to Midgar, it’d be pretty easy to spot the two of them in the back of a pickup. He’d rested with Cloud for a moment behind a rocky outcropping before moving forwards. Little bits of plant life still managed to cling to the parched earth out here, but past this point, it was all barren, dissicated by the mako reactors. Most of the daylight had already faded behind the ominous, gray haze that perpetually hung above Midgar, enhanced even more by the natural dark clouds of an approaching storm.
As he moved toward the cliff’s edge, he could see the Sector 6 Slums, exposed to the sky. The section of the main plate was missing, like a pie with a single section removed. The metal city was opened and inviting him to come hide out in its depths. If he and Cloud could make their way past the open space and the gate, it’d be a simple matter of getting to the Sector 5 or 6 slums, where they’d be less exposed, and easily be able to hide. Mercenary life would be easy since there was a great deal that needed doing down there if it was anything like it was when he left for Nibelheim… such a long, long time ago. They were so very close now… Hold on Aerith. Just a little longer.
He was torn from his moment of nostalgia by the sound of an approaching helicopter. He hadn’t heard it sooner, because it had muted its approach by flying below the cliff’s edge ahead of them. That means that they must’ve spotted a while back. They had been cut off, and it was too far back to find cover. Zack barely had time to set Cloud down, and whip the Buster Sword off of his back before the chopper breached the cliff’s edge, eclipsing the view of Midgar, and sending dust and small pebbles swirling across the ground.
Even if this was only a scout, they were close enough to Midgar that they should be expecting reinforcements soon. The helicopter positioned itself at the edge of the cliff, and set down. The side door clicked and began to slide open. Zack positioned himself in a combat stance and stood against the wind, ready to fight. Cloud silently grasped after Zack, as he rushed forwards to intercept the troops before they had a chance to exit the vehicle.
“Zack!”
Zack slid to a stop. Cissnei’s gloved hands pulled the door open, her auburn curls were bouncing around her face in the wind from the spinning blades. Her light brown eyes looked pleadingly at him. Had she betrayed him after all this time?
“What are you doing, Cissnei?” Zack shouted, his defensive posture not letting up.
She almost corrected him about using that name, but decided that there wasn’t any time for that now.
“Heidegger’s sent whole squads of the army after you. He’s more determined than ever.” She said, stepping towards him. “You need to get out of here.”
“But, I have to get-”
“I know you’re going to see Aerith. Didn’t you learn anything from what I told you at Gongaga? It’s too dangerous for you to keep being so headstrong.”
Zack’s expression changed and his tone sounded hurt. “Headstrong? It’s been four years. What am I supposed to do? You’re the one being headstrong, and disobeying orders.”
“You’re wrong.” The hurt of his words filling her eyes. She didn’t know that he hadn’t been aware of how long he’d been gone. “Tseng sent me out to save you. We don’t want you to get killed. You know she wouldn’t either.” Zack stepped back, the Buster Sword still held up. His face not convinced by her words. “Why would I lie to you? I’ve been protecting you this whole time.” She glanced behind him “-and he looks like he’s still suffering from Mako Poisoning. You can’t save everyone by yourself Zack.”
Zack glanced back at Cloud, then back to Cissnei, and sheathed his sword. He walked back picked up his friend off the ground, as drops of rain started falling from the sky. He hoisted Cloud over his shoulder, and fixed his gaze back from the direction he came.
“Sorry Cissnei… I can’t.”
He heard her approaching, and started walking forwards. He felt her gloved hand grasp his, and looked back over his shoulder. The rain streaked her face, masking any tears that may have been there as she gazed up into his eyes. He looked deep into her face, not knowing what else to say. He opened his mouth, but no words came. As he began to turn back, Cissnei’s voice quietly spoke.
“…Tseng’s been keeping letters from her for you. He has all 88 of them. I can help get you to Sector 6.” Zack’s mako-glowing eyes opened wide, and shock spread across his face. He felt his stomach drop, and his heart race, confusion spreading through his system. Tseng had been keeping Aerith’s letters? Was she being held by Shinra? Cissnei saw the look in his face, and tried to calm him. “Please Zack… Let me help you.” Her other hand grasped the inside of his elbow, holding him in place.
“Is she alright? Has she been-” Zack began
“I don’t know. The director’s been keeping quiet about everything, cause I don’t think he wants any of this information slipping out. Please Zack, there isn’t much time…” as if to accentuate the point, Cloud murmured, his unfocused mako eyes looking as Cissnei, and his fingers moved weakly.
“Well,” Zack said, considering all the new options in his mind, “if Cloud trusts you, we’d better get going.” He turned with a familiar smile, his face resolute and he hurriedly moved towards the chopper. Cissnei felt a warmth of relief spread through her, and walked with him, releasing his hand, and helping to move Cloud into the vehicle. As soon as they were both in, she moved into the pilot's seat, as Zack secured Cloud, and pulled the door closed. Cissnei pulled up on the throttle, and lifted the helicopter off the cliff’s edge, and banked off left towards Midgar. Zack sat down next to Cloud and ruffled his hair, “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you hanging buddy. We’ll still make it as mercenaries.” The helicopter kept rising, finally disappearing into the gray sky above Midgar.
Below, the rain washed away the tracks in the dirt as a Captain, and two ShinRa Troops walked up onto the cliff’s edge, the triple glow of their helmet lights staring out like sinister monsters in the rain. They walked to the cliff’s edge, guns raised and looked down, searching the bare rock, as their visibility dropped in the storm. The troops finally turned towards their commander and shook their heads. The Captain radioed in to HQ.
“All clear. No sign of the targets.”
--------------------
Tseng stood behind his desk, looking out over the city, and into the rain-filled sky. His mind was filled with scenarios, but they all hinged on how things played out. He knew that Reno & Rude couldn't keep the Army forces running forever, and it would come back at him hard if they didn't deliver, not to mention if they were found out to be intentionally misleading Heidegger. The Turks were already on thin ice, but this was a risk he felt that he needed to take, and now it all hinged on how Cissnei's suspicions played out.
His handset hadn't even finished a single ring before it was at his ear. Satisfaction and relief washed over his face, at Cissnei's words, "We've got them."
"Excellent work, I need the two of you to bring them and rendezvous with me under the outskirts of the Plate, over by Sector 5." He replied. "What's their condition?"
"Zack's fine if a little suspicious. His friend is suffering from severe Mako poisoning still. He looks like he's been catatonic ever since I first encountered them, and I don't know how he'll continue to fair without proper treatment."
Tseng was quiet as his thoughts ran through a number of possibilities, before finally settling on one.
"I've got a plan, but it's going to be very risky. I'm certain that it has the greatest chance of success for convincing the Army, as well as keeping the both of them hidden from ShinRa afterwards, at least until suspicions are gone. If you don't hear from me within an hour, use your best judgment to hide them in the slums any way you can, and let Reno and Rude know they'll need to improvise."
"Yes, sir."
The line disconnected, and Tseng turned back to his desk. He opened up a briefcase, and placed the container holding Aerith's letters inside it on top of a suit before closing the lid and snapping the clasps shut. He then unlocked a hidden drawer in his desk and removed a keycard. He tucked it into his breast pocket before picking up the briefcase, and exiting his office. As he headed out to the elevator, he was met by one of the other Turks, Epson. His collar was undone, his shirt was open, and he didn't have a tie - as usual. The left side of his hair was in cornrows, while the right was loose and wild. Epson sauntered up alongside him, and followed him into the elevator. Tseng punched it in to take them to the bottom level, before turning towards the him.
"What's happenin', boss?"
"I need you to keep an eye out for anyone who might see us. We're going off on a mission that's off the record, and rather unorthodox. I figured that you'd appreciate the opportunity to be allowed to break protocol for once." Tseng replied, glancing at Epson's rather untidy appearance.
Epson smirked as he placed one hand on each of his pistols, "Sounds great to me, anything you need."
"Good." Tseng answered. "We have to to reach or destination unnoticed."
"Yes sir." He replied.
Epson checked out of the elevator, and signaled the all clear. Tseng exited out of the elevator, as Epson kept a careful eye for anyone. As they reached a hallway, Tseng paused and removed his mobile, checking the time. The cameras should be out of range...... now. He signaled Epson forward again, swiftly proceeding to an access door. Tseng removed the keycard from his pocket and swiped it, opening the door, and the three of them slipped inside, closing it behind them. They descended down a flight of stairs to a large elevator. As they entered, Tseng said,
"Stay close, and let me do all the talking. Don't let your guard down- even for a second. Don't let anyone get within CQC range. If you have event the hint of a suspicion, shoot to kill."
Epson drew his pistols and moved into a defensive position in front of Tseng, his steel grey eyes fixed forward as the doors closed, and they descended... into Deepground.
--------------------
The rainfall outside streaked across the windows. The heavy pitter patter of the water droplets against the glass were entirely drowned out by the muted thrumming of the engine. The mechanical white noise seemed to be calming Cloud. While his blank expression hadn't changed and his eyes were still blank and unfocused as if he were staring through everything, Zack still thought that he looked more relaxed somehow. Zack smiled to himself, and checked that the seatbelt straps holding Cloud upright were tight and in place.
Even thought he had managed to overcome the initial adrenaline rush of being surprised by the confrontation of possible enemy forces, when it had turned out to be a friendly face, he was still on edge. It was hard to tell how long they'd been flying, and the rain and the barren landscape didn't offer any points of reference to gauge their progress. Despite the openness of the cabin, he couldn't do squats to calm himself, due to the way that the helicopter sometimes banked unexpectedly, but he still couldn't force himself to sit still and wait either. Zack's mind was still rushing with the urge to reunite with Aerith, as well as what would become of them both, now that their fates had changed from his initial plans of mercenary work.
He and Cloud had been running from ShinRa for such a long time, and being with them now felt tense, even though they were there to protect him. He reassured himself that Cissnei had had two opportunities to sell them out before, and she'd kept them safe from detection both times. He knew that there had to be another Turk on board as the pilot or copilot, due to how quickly Cissnei exited the aircraft when it touched down, but he'd too been busy securing Cloud, to get a good look as Cissnei had moved back to the cockpit. He looked up as Cloud's head gently bobbed to the left with the listing of the aircraft.
Zack took a breath, and stood up, ruffling Cloud's hair before turning towards the cockpit. He slid open the cockpit door, and was met with a surprisingly familiar glance from Cissnei's Turk co-pilot. A jagged scar ascended from the man's jaw to his left eye, disappearing under the lens of his glasses. His black hair was slicked back, except for a single portion hanging forward on the right. Zack thought that he recognized the man's face from Gongaga, even though he'd been gone for some time.
The man slid from the chair and removed his headset, handing it to Zack as he stood up, while sliding a sheathed katana out from behind the chair. He leaned close, so that Zack could hear him over the ambient cabin noise and said,
"I'm glad you're safe again, friend. I'll watch over your companion, while you catch up on the details with Cissnei." his strong voice barely audible.
"Thank you!" Zack replied loudly, clapping the man on the shoulder before taking a seat. The door slid shut behind him, as Zack slid the headset on, the headphones muting out the noise, and allowing Cissnei's voice to come through clearly.
"How's your friend?" she asked
"Cloud seems alright. I doubt he'd even notice the difference, except that I don't wear suits." Zack responded, running his thumb along the scar on the left side of his own jaw. "Well... that and I've got a bigger sword." he said with a roguish grin
Cissnei rolled her eyes over and gave him a sidelong glance, and smiled despite herself when she saw Zack's expression. Well at least he's comfortable enough to be joking again, she thought.
"Yeah, you and Xerif do have a rather striking resemblance." she chuckled "Tseng figured because of that, along with his history, he'd be the best person to accompany me to help find you."
Interesting. So I did recognize him from Gongaga, but his name's not familiar at all, I wonder if the Turks use pseudonyms. Zack thought. Maybe I can find out if he's the swordsmen I'm thinking of. His tone became more focused as he asked,
"Why's that, Cissnei?"
"He was imprisoned a long time ago for single-handedly killing a large number of ShinRa Operatives in order to rescue a friend of his who had been kidnapped. He was offered a plea bargain to put his skills to work for the Turks, rather than spend his life in jail." She responded. "Tseng figured that he'd be the most reliable person to find a missing, friendly target from Gongaga who's being pursued by ShinRa, without having any ulterior motives."
Zack let out a sigh, and his shoulders relaxed. It is him, and it looks like I can trust him completely as well. "That's a relief. So what's the plan?"
"We should be at Midgar shortly. We'll fly in just below the plate, and meet Tseng just outside of the Sector 5 slums. Reno and Rude are running a cover operation to draw the Army forces towards Kalm, while we rendezvous which should buy us some time, until the Army finds out that they, 'failed to secure you' when you passed through." Cissnei said, her voice sounding a little nervous for her comrades. "I'm not entirely sure what Tseng's plan is after that, as he only dropped a few rough details when I contacted him to let him know you were safe, so I'll leave the rest to him when we meet up." She desperately hoped that they'd actually hear from him, and not have to resort to improvisation.
"Thanks, Cissnei." Zack said, looking over at her. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me."
Cissnei smiled, "You're welcome, Zack."
They continued flying in silence, a feeling of calm temporarily enveloping them from their current situation. His mind began to wander again, and Zack hoped that this calm was how Cloud was feeling. As if responding to his thoughts, the clouds slowly faded from the overcast gray into the greenish glowing haze of the output from the Mako reactors, as the darkened silhouette of Midgar slowly grew out of the rain. The silence was broken by Cissnei's voice over the headset.
"Could you get Xerif back up here, Zack? We'll be making our final approach very shortly."
"Yeah." Zack said, slipping off his headset and standing up, before sliding the cockpit door open, and heading back into the cabin. A few moments later, Xerif stepped back in, closing the door, and setting his blade back behind the seat. He slid the headset on, as he sat down, and moved back to the controls.
They dropped altitude and descended below the plate, the giant metal structure looming over them, instilling a feeling of claustrophobia. There was a clearing in the slum debris that looked to be free of any people, and they touched down. Just as the rotors were slowing to a stop, Cissnei's handset went off. She answered it immediately.
"Cissnei, where are you?" Tseng's voice came through hastily.
"We just landed."
"Epson and I'll meet you in ten minutes. Contact Reno & Rude, and check if they're still ahead of the Army. If they are, have them proceed towards point 036, and lead the troops back towards Midgar, near the mountains. An above all, keep Zack and his friend inside the chopper until I arrive."
"Roger."
--------------------
His handset hadn't even finished a single ring before it was at his ear. Satisfaction and relief washed over his face, at Cissnei's words, "We've got them."
"Excellent work, I need the two of you to bring them and rendezvous with me under the outskirts of the Plate, over by Sector 5." He replied. "What's their condition?"
"Zack's fine if a little suspicious. His friend is suffering from severe Mako poisoning still. He looks like he's been catatonic ever since I first encountered them, and I don't know how he'll continue to fair without proper treatment."
Tseng was quiet as his thoughts ran through a number of possibilities, before finally settling on one.
"I've got a plan, but it's going to be very risky. I'm certain that it has the greatest chance of success for convincing the Army, as well as keeping the both of them hidden from ShinRa afterwards, at least until suspicions are gone. If you don't hear from me within an hour, use your best judgment to hide them in the slums any way you can, and let Reno and Rude know they'll need to improvise."
"Yes, sir."
The line disconnected, and Tseng turned back to his desk. He opened up a briefcase, and placed the container holding Aerith's letters inside it on top of a suit before closing the lid and snapping the clasps shut. He then unlocked a hidden drawer in his desk and removed a keycard. He tucked it into his breast pocket before picking up the briefcase, and exiting his office. As he headed out to the elevator, he was met by one of the other Turks, Epson. His collar was undone, his shirt was open, and he didn't have a tie - as usual. The left side of his hair was in cornrows, while the right was loose and wild. Epson sauntered up alongside him, and followed him into the elevator. Tseng punched it in to take them to the bottom level, before turning towards the him.
"What's happenin', boss?"
"I need you to keep an eye out for anyone who might see us. We're going off on a mission that's off the record, and rather unorthodox. I figured that you'd appreciate the opportunity to be allowed to break protocol for once." Tseng replied, glancing at Epson's rather untidy appearance.
Epson smirked as he placed one hand on each of his pistols, "Sounds great to me, anything you need."
"Good." Tseng answered. "We have to to reach or destination unnoticed."
"Yes sir." He replied.
Epson checked out of the elevator, and signaled the all clear. Tseng exited out of the elevator, as Epson kept a careful eye for anyone. As they reached a hallway, Tseng paused and removed his mobile, checking the time. The cameras should be out of range...... now. He signaled Epson forward again, swiftly proceeding to an access door. Tseng removed the keycard from his pocket and swiped it, opening the door, and the three of them slipped inside, closing it behind them. They descended down a flight of stairs to a large elevator. As they entered, Tseng said,
"Stay close, and let me do all the talking. Don't let your guard down- even for a second. Don't let anyone get within CQC range. If you have event the hint of a suspicion, shoot to kill."
Epson drew his pistols and moved into a defensive position in front of Tseng, his steel grey eyes fixed forward as the doors closed, and they descended... into Deepground.
--------------------
The rainfall outside streaked across the windows. The heavy pitter patter of the water droplets against the glass were entirely drowned out by the muted thrumming of the engine. The mechanical white noise seemed to be calming Cloud. While his blank expression hadn't changed and his eyes were still blank and unfocused as if he were staring through everything, Zack still thought that he looked more relaxed somehow. Zack smiled to himself, and checked that the seatbelt straps holding Cloud upright were tight and in place.
Even thought he had managed to overcome the initial adrenaline rush of being surprised by the confrontation of possible enemy forces, when it had turned out to be a friendly face, he was still on edge. It was hard to tell how long they'd been flying, and the rain and the barren landscape didn't offer any points of reference to gauge their progress. Despite the openness of the cabin, he couldn't do squats to calm himself, due to the way that the helicopter sometimes banked unexpectedly, but he still couldn't force himself to sit still and wait either. Zack's mind was still rushing with the urge to reunite with Aerith, as well as what would become of them both, now that their fates had changed from his initial plans of mercenary work.
He and Cloud had been running from ShinRa for such a long time, and being with them now felt tense, even though they were there to protect him. He reassured himself that Cissnei had had two opportunities to sell them out before, and she'd kept them safe from detection both times. He knew that there had to be another Turk on board as the pilot or copilot, due to how quickly Cissnei exited the aircraft when it touched down, but he'd too been busy securing Cloud, to get a good look as Cissnei had moved back to the cockpit. He looked up as Cloud's head gently bobbed to the left with the listing of the aircraft.
Zack took a breath, and stood up, ruffling Cloud's hair before turning towards the cockpit. He slid open the cockpit door, and was met with a surprisingly familiar glance from Cissnei's Turk co-pilot. A jagged scar ascended from the man's jaw to his left eye, disappearing under the lens of his glasses. His black hair was slicked back, except for a single portion hanging forward on the right. Zack thought that he recognized the man's face from Gongaga, even though he'd been gone for some time.
The man slid from the chair and removed his headset, handing it to Zack as he stood up, while sliding a sheathed katana out from behind the chair. He leaned close, so that Zack could hear him over the ambient cabin noise and said,
"I'm glad you're safe again, friend. I'll watch over your companion, while you catch up on the details with Cissnei." his strong voice barely audible.
"Thank you!" Zack replied loudly, clapping the man on the shoulder before taking a seat. The door slid shut behind him, as Zack slid the headset on, the headphones muting out the noise, and allowing Cissnei's voice to come through clearly.
"How's your friend?" she asked
"Cloud seems alright. I doubt he'd even notice the difference, except that I don't wear suits." Zack responded, running his thumb along the scar on the left side of his own jaw. "Well... that and I've got a bigger sword." he said with a roguish grin
Cissnei rolled her eyes over and gave him a sidelong glance, and smiled despite herself when she saw Zack's expression. Well at least he's comfortable enough to be joking again, she thought.
"Yeah, you and Xerif do have a rather striking resemblance." she chuckled "Tseng figured because of that, along with his history, he'd be the best person to accompany me to help find you."
Interesting. So I did recognize him from Gongaga, but his name's not familiar at all, I wonder if the Turks use pseudonyms. Zack thought. Maybe I can find out if he's the swordsmen I'm thinking of. His tone became more focused as he asked,
"Why's that, Cissnei?"
"He was imprisoned a long time ago for single-handedly killing a large number of ShinRa Operatives in order to rescue a friend of his who had been kidnapped. He was offered a plea bargain to put his skills to work for the Turks, rather than spend his life in jail." She responded. "Tseng figured that he'd be the most reliable person to find a missing, friendly target from Gongaga who's being pursued by ShinRa, without having any ulterior motives."
Zack let out a sigh, and his shoulders relaxed. It is him, and it looks like I can trust him completely as well. "That's a relief. So what's the plan?"
"We should be at Midgar shortly. We'll fly in just below the plate, and meet Tseng just outside of the Sector 5 slums. Reno and Rude are running a cover operation to draw the Army forces towards Kalm, while we rendezvous which should buy us some time, until the Army finds out that they, 'failed to secure you' when you passed through." Cissnei said, her voice sounding a little nervous for her comrades. "I'm not entirely sure what Tseng's plan is after that, as he only dropped a few rough details when I contacted him to let him know you were safe, so I'll leave the rest to him when we meet up." She desperately hoped that they'd actually hear from him, and not have to resort to improvisation.
"Thanks, Cissnei." Zack said, looking over at her. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me."
Cissnei smiled, "You're welcome, Zack."
They continued flying in silence, a feeling of calm temporarily enveloping them from their current situation. His mind began to wander again, and Zack hoped that this calm was how Cloud was feeling. As if responding to his thoughts, the clouds slowly faded from the overcast gray into the greenish glowing haze of the output from the Mako reactors, as the darkened silhouette of Midgar slowly grew out of the rain. The silence was broken by Cissnei's voice over the headset.
"Could you get Xerif back up here, Zack? We'll be making our final approach very shortly."
"Yeah." Zack said, slipping off his headset and standing up, before sliding the cockpit door open, and heading back into the cabin. A few moments later, Xerif stepped back in, closing the door, and setting his blade back behind the seat. He slid the headset on, as he sat down, and moved back to the controls.
They dropped altitude and descended below the plate, the giant metal structure looming over them, instilling a feeling of claustrophobia. There was a clearing in the slum debris that looked to be free of any people, and they touched down. Just as the rotors were slowing to a stop, Cissnei's handset went off. She answered it immediately.
"Cissnei, where are you?" Tseng's voice came through hastily.
"We just landed."
"Epson and I'll meet you in ten minutes. Contact Reno & Rude, and check if they're still ahead of the Army. If they are, have them proceed towards point 036, and lead the troops back towards Midgar, near the mountains. An above all, keep Zack and his friend inside the chopper until I arrive."
"Roger."
--------------------
"Finally!" Reno exclaimed, tossing up his hands as the communication line with Cissnei cut. "From delivery service to Army decoy; it looks like we've been promoted back to real Turks, man."
Rude smiled silently back at his friend.
"Let's make these guys sweat." Reno said, gripping the throttle, and banking sharply over the roofs of Kalm, before cruising low and fast out towards the nearest platoon. As they approached the edge of the storm, the sky was overcast until they were within view of the military forces. Rude opened up the communications channel to one of the Army choppers.
"We have possible target sighting heading towards point 042. We're going to scout forward. Please inform Heideggar and provide his updated instructions so that we can coordinate with your forces to prevent the target's escape."
"Roger." After a pause, a reply came through. "The army will sweep to point 042. Heideggar said to have you proceed forward to point 038, and flush the target back to the Army."
"Hey, man. That's no fair!" Reno shouted over the channel.
"Those are our orders, so we're moving to point 042 whether you like it or not. Over and out." The Army general replied before cutting the line.
A grin split across Reno's face, as he laughed. "Man, pushing these guys around is like shooting fish in a barrel. Just let them think they've got the upper hand."
Rude chuckled, "Nice job."
Reno gave his buddy a thumbs up, before saying, "The rain should provide us enough cover that we can make it to point 036 without the Army butting in. Let's do this."
The spotlight flicked on the front of the chopper as it disappeared into the rain, with the military following behind.
--------------------
Cissnei and Xerif stood outside the chopper, keeping watch. Zack had been surprisingly compliant when he was told he'd need to remain hidden, until Tseng arrived. Cissnei hoped that it was because he trusted them. Besides, he couldn't very well make an escape with Cloud in tow. She noticed that Xerif's stance had shifted, just as the approaching truck caught her attention.
She pulled up her Rekka, and held it at the ready. The truck was almost within range, when she managed to identify that the individual driving was Epson. The vehicle pulled up close alongside the helicopter, so that the covered bed of the truck ended just in front of the sliding door to the cabin.
Tseng disembarked from the back with briefcase in hand, as Epson shut off the engine, and came around the side.
"Well done, you two. I knew you could accomplish it."
Cissnei smiled, pleased at how this was coming along. Xerif stepped back as she pulled open the chopper door. Zack was in the entryway, just standing up from a squat. His expression shifted immediately from whatever thoughts had been running through his head as his eyes fell on the director.
"Tseng! Finally. It's nice to see you."
"I'm glad that you're alright, Zack." he replied, his face clearly relieved, but still tense.
Zack hopped down from the chopper onto the ground between the four Turks, his glowing eyes looking around at each of them, before taking a step back so that they were all visible at once.
"So what's the plan?" Zack inquired. His voice was cautious, but resolute.
Tseng spoke, "We're short on time, but I'll try to not to be too brief, while still getting you all the important details." He took a deep breath and began.
"For the last few years, ShinRa has expressed an interest in Aerith, because of her unique heritage, so I've been officially in charge of keeping her under surveillance. It's because of this that we're afforded a unique opportunity to reunite you two. I've just filed a report indicating that there has been some unrest in the slums, and that, in order to ensure her safety by officially assigning Xerif to look after her as a bodyguard."
Zack's gaze left Tseng and focused on Xerif, but the man's expression remained unchanged. Zack's attention moved back to Tseng as he continued.
"As you've probably noticed, Zack, the two of you bear a fair resemblance to one another. In reality, I'm going to assign Xerif to another task, away from ShinRa's attention, while you take his place and remain with Aerith." he said, as he stepped forward and handed Zack the briefcase. "You'll find almost everything you need for the disguise in there, including the suit, two pairs of glasses, as well as all of the letters that Aerith's been attempting to deliver to you in your absence."
Zack's hands trembled as he took the briefcase from Tseng. He set it on the floor of the helicopter and undid the clasps before opening the lid. His heart raced as his eyes fell on the sealed container, full of letters. He closed the lid, and turned back, stepping forward, and surprising Tseng with a tight hug.
"Thank you, so much! I knew I could count on you." Zack said, before letting the director go.
Tseng smiled, though there was a slight furrow in his brow, "You're welcome, but... there are some things that I need from you, that will require your trust." he said, as Zack expression became slightly concerned. "I need you to give me your sword."
Shock and outrage washed over Zack's face,
"What!? I can't just give it up to you like that."
"Zack, the reports know that you're travelling with it, and it would be a dead giveaway that you're a fake. Besides, I need it to fake your capture. It's the only way this will work. I'll do my best to return it to you."
Zack stared at the ground shaking his head, jaw and fists clenched tightly. His only response was short angry breaths through his nostrils. His eyes squeezed shut, Angeal... I'm sorry. I need to, to embrace my dream. He felt a brush against his arm, and opened his eyes. Cissnei had her hand placed on his arm and was looking up at him. His shoulders relaxed under the friendly gesture, and he reached over and held it, as he replied with a sigh.
"...Alright..."
"Thank you, Zack. I'm sorry it had to be this way." Tseng said.
Tseng turned and nodded to Epson, who climbed into the back of the truck. He continued, "I'll need you to change out of that SOLDIER uniform, and into the suit as quickly as possible. You can leave the sword in the helicopter. I'll also need you two swap Cloud's uniform out for one of these."
Epson emerged from the back of the truck, before reaching back in and removing a body. There was a helmet over the face, and it was clothed in an odd SOLDIER-like uniform, but one that was distinctly different from the one Zack and Cloud wore. He hoisted it over his shoulder and walked it over before laying it out on the helicopter's cabin floor.
As Zack opened his mouth to ask, Tseng responded to his surprise. "They're part of another ShinRa Experiment. They've been through enough Mako showering to pass as the two of you if anyone gets suspicious. And don't worry; they were already dead, though it does bring me to my final point."
Zack frowned acceptingly, "What's that?"
"While you're taking his place, I'm officially assigning Xerif to take care of Cloud. I made a bargain to get Cloud treatment for his Mako poisoning somewhere ShinRa won't look, but he'll still need someone to look after him. Since he's at greater risk, I'd like to keep him under our protection until he can start to look out for himself."
He glanced over to Xerif again, this time meeting the man's gaze face-to-face.
"Don't worry, friend. I won't let anyone hurt him." Xerif's voice was certain and resolute, giving Zack back his feeling of confidence.
Zack smiled genuinely, and took a deep breath and climbed into the chopper cabin, sliding the door shut. Cut off from the others, he kneeled down and ran his hands along the Buster Sword, before turning to Cloud, and unbuckling his flight harness.
"You're gonna get some medical aid, buddy. Don't worry; I know you'll be safe. Don't forget, when you wake up; Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honor as SOLDIER. Well, almost SOLDIER." he said with a grin. "Let's get ready to go."
--------------------
Rude smiled silently back at his friend.
"Let's make these guys sweat." Reno said, gripping the throttle, and banking sharply over the roofs of Kalm, before cruising low and fast out towards the nearest platoon. As they approached the edge of the storm, the sky was overcast until they were within view of the military forces. Rude opened up the communications channel to one of the Army choppers.
"We have possible target sighting heading towards point 042. We're going to scout forward. Please inform Heideggar and provide his updated instructions so that we can coordinate with your forces to prevent the target's escape."
"Roger." After a pause, a reply came through. "The army will sweep to point 042. Heideggar said to have you proceed forward to point 038, and flush the target back to the Army."
"Hey, man. That's no fair!" Reno shouted over the channel.
"Those are our orders, so we're moving to point 042 whether you like it or not. Over and out." The Army general replied before cutting the line.
A grin split across Reno's face, as he laughed. "Man, pushing these guys around is like shooting fish in a barrel. Just let them think they've got the upper hand."
Rude chuckled, "Nice job."
Reno gave his buddy a thumbs up, before saying, "The rain should provide us enough cover that we can make it to point 036 without the Army butting in. Let's do this."
The spotlight flicked on the front of the chopper as it disappeared into the rain, with the military following behind.
--------------------
Cissnei and Xerif stood outside the chopper, keeping watch. Zack had been surprisingly compliant when he was told he'd need to remain hidden, until Tseng arrived. Cissnei hoped that it was because he trusted them. Besides, he couldn't very well make an escape with Cloud in tow. She noticed that Xerif's stance had shifted, just as the approaching truck caught her attention.
She pulled up her Rekka, and held it at the ready. The truck was almost within range, when she managed to identify that the individual driving was Epson. The vehicle pulled up close alongside the helicopter, so that the covered bed of the truck ended just in front of the sliding door to the cabin.
Tseng disembarked from the back with briefcase in hand, as Epson shut off the engine, and came around the side.
"Well done, you two. I knew you could accomplish it."
Cissnei smiled, pleased at how this was coming along. Xerif stepped back as she pulled open the chopper door. Zack was in the entryway, just standing up from a squat. His expression shifted immediately from whatever thoughts had been running through his head as his eyes fell on the director.
"Tseng! Finally. It's nice to see you."
"I'm glad that you're alright, Zack." he replied, his face clearly relieved, but still tense.
Zack hopped down from the chopper onto the ground between the four Turks, his glowing eyes looking around at each of them, before taking a step back so that they were all visible at once.
"So what's the plan?" Zack inquired. His voice was cautious, but resolute.
Tseng spoke, "We're short on time, but I'll try to not to be too brief, while still getting you all the important details." He took a deep breath and began.
"For the last few years, ShinRa has expressed an interest in Aerith, because of her unique heritage, so I've been officially in charge of keeping her under surveillance. It's because of this that we're afforded a unique opportunity to reunite you two. I've just filed a report indicating that there has been some unrest in the slums, and that, in order to ensure her safety by officially assigning Xerif to look after her as a bodyguard."
Zack's gaze left Tseng and focused on Xerif, but the man's expression remained unchanged. Zack's attention moved back to Tseng as he continued.
"As you've probably noticed, Zack, the two of you bear a fair resemblance to one another. In reality, I'm going to assign Xerif to another task, away from ShinRa's attention, while you take his place and remain with Aerith." he said, as he stepped forward and handed Zack the briefcase. "You'll find almost everything you need for the disguise in there, including the suit, two pairs of glasses, as well as all of the letters that Aerith's been attempting to deliver to you in your absence."
Zack's hands trembled as he took the briefcase from Tseng. He set it on the floor of the helicopter and undid the clasps before opening the lid. His heart raced as his eyes fell on the sealed container, full of letters. He closed the lid, and turned back, stepping forward, and surprising Tseng with a tight hug.
"Thank you, so much! I knew I could count on you." Zack said, before letting the director go.
Tseng smiled, though there was a slight furrow in his brow, "You're welcome, but... there are some things that I need from you, that will require your trust." he said, as Zack expression became slightly concerned. "I need you to give me your sword."
Shock and outrage washed over Zack's face,
"What!? I can't just give it up to you like that."
"Zack, the reports know that you're travelling with it, and it would be a dead giveaway that you're a fake. Besides, I need it to fake your capture. It's the only way this will work. I'll do my best to return it to you."
Zack stared at the ground shaking his head, jaw and fists clenched tightly. His only response was short angry breaths through his nostrils. His eyes squeezed shut, Angeal... I'm sorry. I need to, to embrace my dream. He felt a brush against his arm, and opened his eyes. Cissnei had her hand placed on his arm and was looking up at him. His shoulders relaxed under the friendly gesture, and he reached over and held it, as he replied with a sigh.
"...Alright..."
"Thank you, Zack. I'm sorry it had to be this way." Tseng said.
Tseng turned and nodded to Epson, who climbed into the back of the truck. He continued, "I'll need you to change out of that SOLDIER uniform, and into the suit as quickly as possible. You can leave the sword in the helicopter. I'll also need you two swap Cloud's uniform out for one of these."
Epson emerged from the back of the truck, before reaching back in and removing a body. There was a helmet over the face, and it was clothed in an odd SOLDIER-like uniform, but one that was distinctly different from the one Zack and Cloud wore. He hoisted it over his shoulder and walked it over before laying it out on the helicopter's cabin floor.
As Zack opened his mouth to ask, Tseng responded to his surprise. "They're part of another ShinRa Experiment. They've been through enough Mako showering to pass as the two of you if anyone gets suspicious. And don't worry; they were already dead, though it does bring me to my final point."
Zack frowned acceptingly, "What's that?"
"While you're taking his place, I'm officially assigning Xerif to take care of Cloud. I made a bargain to get Cloud treatment for his Mako poisoning somewhere ShinRa won't look, but he'll still need someone to look after him. Since he's at greater risk, I'd like to keep him under our protection until he can start to look out for himself."
He glanced over to Xerif again, this time meeting the man's gaze face-to-face.
"Don't worry, friend. I won't let anyone hurt him." Xerif's voice was certain and resolute, giving Zack back his feeling of confidence.
Zack smiled genuinely, and took a deep breath and climbed into the chopper cabin, sliding the door shut. Cut off from the others, he kneeled down and ran his hands along the Buster Sword, before turning to Cloud, and unbuckling his flight harness.
"You're gonna get some medical aid, buddy. Don't worry; I know you'll be safe. Don't forget, when you wake up; Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honor as SOLDIER. Well, almost SOLDIER." he said with a grin. "Let's get ready to go."
--------------------
Zack pulled at the collar, and stretched his shoulders. The suit fit, but it was very different than him normal attire and felt a little restrictive in comparison. Oh well, it could be worse. he thought. He glanced down at Cloud. The Deepground suit fit him well enough, and covered his body completely. Hopefully Tseng's plan would work, and he'd be able to remain anonymous and get the treatment he needed to get well again. Zack crouched down next to him, and picked up the helmet off of the floor.
"Stay safe, my friend." Zack said quietly, as he placed the helmet on Cloud's head. Cloud's eyes seemed to stare up towards Zack's face, but his expression remained motionless as the faceguard came over it, completely hiding his identity.
Zack reached over and grabbed the briefcase. He pulled out the tie, and slung it over his neck, before closing the case, and taking it in hand. He walked towards the door and pulled it open, hopping down from the helicopter's cabin and onto the floor.
Xerif stood with his back against the chopper, one leg on the ground, and the other bent at the knee and propped against the vehicle behind him. He was fully equipped in the Deepground gear, save for the helmet, and glanced over at Zack as he hopped out, a slightly amused smile crossing his face.
"It'll take more than just a suit to get you the pay raise to be a real Turk, Zack." Tseng said chidingly, as he nodded to Epson.
The Turks all chuckled, as Epson grabbed the stripped body from the truck, and carried it over the chopper's cabin, setting it down before climbing in and beginning to re-dress it in Zack's discarded SOLDIER uniform. Cissnei walked up to Zack, shaking her head.
"You'll never pass for Xerif like that, Zack." she said, reaching up and straightening the tie around his collar, and beginning to tie it for him. "You need to look more proper."
Xerif continued to smile as he watched Cissnei finish straightening out his tie and start slicking back Zack's spikey hair. I really am happy for him. he thought, as he ran his hand back through his own hair. He could tell by their expressions that for a moment, the two of them had managed to escape the gravity and risk of their situation, and just get lost in one another's friendship. He knew those feelings well, and assumed that even in his comatose state, it was Cloud's friendship that kept driving Zack forward all this time, and keeping his mind from the danger he was in.
His mind shifted immediately, as a glance from Tseng caught his eye, signaling him over to the truck. He slowly pushed off against the chopped and casually walked over to Tseng. Tseng stepped to the side, obscuring his face from Zack behind Xerif's head, but still keeping one eye on him.
"Are you sure about this, Tseng?" Xerif asked "Does Zack even know what Deepground is?"
"No." he replied "And it's better that way. There's no chance he'd give up Cloud if he knew the full extent of the situation, but I'm confident that the deal that I made with Argento will keep the two of you safe until Cloud's recovered from his Mako addiction."
Tseng sighed, and Xerif looked back as Cissnei burst out laughing, when she slipped the duplicate glasses onto Zack's face.
"Even so," Tseng continued, "I don't trust her enough not to send you. You've got experience in prison, but that's just the tip of the iceberg compared to what Deepground's like. I trust that you'll be able to take care of yourself, but if things go wrong, notify me immediately."
"Don't worry, sir." Xerif said, as he turned to walk back to Cissnei and Zack, "I won't lose when it means protecting a friend, and I won't fail, because I'm a Turk."
He walked up to Zack, who was looking embarrassed, as Cissnei kept giggling and running her fingers through his hair. She turned as he approached,
"Look at him, Xerif. What do you think?" she said with a smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement, as her curly hair bounced against her shoulders.
"I think there's still something missing." Xerif replied, placing a hand on Zack's shoulder. "It looks like I'm taking over your role for a while, friend. You make sure to keep up my reputation while you're in my place, alright?" He reached forward, and pressed his sheathed Katana against Zack's chest. Zack reached up, holding the blade, and looking into Xerif's cool blue eyes. "Keep this, and make sure she's safe." he said, "You're more than just a Copy."
The word resonated in Zack's mind, first flooding it with memories of his confrontation with Genesis, before moving onto Angeal. That made his mind drift to the Buster Sword sitting in the helicopter behind him. As he was lost in his thoughts about SOLDIER, he was reminded of Lazard and the Copy that brought him Aerith's final letter. It seemed like he could feel all 88 of them in the briefcase that was now set at his feet, reaching out to him... Aerith...
"I'll take care of it for you, and ensure that it takes care of us." Zack said as his mind returned to the present, "and I'll remember that I'm more than just a Copy."
"Excellent." Xerif replied "Until I see you again, I'll make sure that Cloud' well cared for. In fact, maybe he'd appreciate it if I did this." Xerif ruffled his hands through his hair sending it sticking out in all directions. Zack smiled approvingly, as Epson's head peered out of the cabin, nodding that the operation was ready to go.
Xerif stepped up into the chopper and gently picked up Cloud, resting him on the floor, and climbing back down before hoisting him onto his shoulder and moving him into the back of the truck. He gave a final nod to Zack & Cissnei before closing the flap in the back. He looked at Cloud, and said, "Don't worry, friend. We're gonna get you fixed up." before slipping on his helmet.
Outside of the truck, Epson was already running startup on the chopper, as Cissnei climbed on board. Tseng turned to Zack,
"From here on, I'll be addressing you as Zerif, since you're a Turk for all official intents and purposes. We're just outside of the slums, but you should still be able to find your way to the Church. Given the weather, she should be off of the Plate, and tending her flowers there. You can accompany her anywhere, just be careful to avoid any attention from ShinRa officials."
He walked up to the truck door and opened it. As the chopper's propellers began spinning up, he looked back and shouted,
"I'll let you know as soon as there's a change with Cloud."
Then he climbed into the seat, and started the engine. The truck peeled off back from the way it came, with Cloud and Xerif hidden away in the back. Moments later the chopper lifted off and flew away, fading off into the fog, and Zack was left alone.
For the first time since he was travelling with Cloud, his senses took in the surroundings. The smell of Mako output was heavy here, and the faint sound of trains could be heard toward the central pillar. Zack held the Katana tightly in one hand, and the briefcase in the other, and set off walking from the outskirts in towards the main slum and the church.
He'd only gone about twenty steps before he realized that he was in a full blown run, his heart pounding in his throat, and a smile on his face. Aerith, I'm here! I'm finally back!
--------------------
"Stay safe, my friend." Zack said quietly, as he placed the helmet on Cloud's head. Cloud's eyes seemed to stare up towards Zack's face, but his expression remained motionless as the faceguard came over it, completely hiding his identity.
Zack reached over and grabbed the briefcase. He pulled out the tie, and slung it over his neck, before closing the case, and taking it in hand. He walked towards the door and pulled it open, hopping down from the helicopter's cabin and onto the floor.
Xerif stood with his back against the chopper, one leg on the ground, and the other bent at the knee and propped against the vehicle behind him. He was fully equipped in the Deepground gear, save for the helmet, and glanced over at Zack as he hopped out, a slightly amused smile crossing his face.
"It'll take more than just a suit to get you the pay raise to be a real Turk, Zack." Tseng said chidingly, as he nodded to Epson.
The Turks all chuckled, as Epson grabbed the stripped body from the truck, and carried it over the chopper's cabin, setting it down before climbing in and beginning to re-dress it in Zack's discarded SOLDIER uniform. Cissnei walked up to Zack, shaking her head.
"You'll never pass for Xerif like that, Zack." she said, reaching up and straightening the tie around his collar, and beginning to tie it for him. "You need to look more proper."
Xerif continued to smile as he watched Cissnei finish straightening out his tie and start slicking back Zack's spikey hair. I really am happy for him. he thought, as he ran his hand back through his own hair. He could tell by their expressions that for a moment, the two of them had managed to escape the gravity and risk of their situation, and just get lost in one another's friendship. He knew those feelings well, and assumed that even in his comatose state, it was Cloud's friendship that kept driving Zack forward all this time, and keeping his mind from the danger he was in.
His mind shifted immediately, as a glance from Tseng caught his eye, signaling him over to the truck. He slowly pushed off against the chopped and casually walked over to Tseng. Tseng stepped to the side, obscuring his face from Zack behind Xerif's head, but still keeping one eye on him.
"Are you sure about this, Tseng?" Xerif asked "Does Zack even know what Deepground is?"
"No." he replied "And it's better that way. There's no chance he'd give up Cloud if he knew the full extent of the situation, but I'm confident that the deal that I made with Argento will keep the two of you safe until Cloud's recovered from his Mako addiction."
Tseng sighed, and Xerif looked back as Cissnei burst out laughing, when she slipped the duplicate glasses onto Zack's face.
"Even so," Tseng continued, "I don't trust her enough not to send you. You've got experience in prison, but that's just the tip of the iceberg compared to what Deepground's like. I trust that you'll be able to take care of yourself, but if things go wrong, notify me immediately."
"Don't worry, sir." Xerif said, as he turned to walk back to Cissnei and Zack, "I won't lose when it means protecting a friend, and I won't fail, because I'm a Turk."
He walked up to Zack, who was looking embarrassed, as Cissnei kept giggling and running her fingers through his hair. She turned as he approached,
"Look at him, Xerif. What do you think?" she said with a smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement, as her curly hair bounced against her shoulders.
"I think there's still something missing." Xerif replied, placing a hand on Zack's shoulder. "It looks like I'm taking over your role for a while, friend. You make sure to keep up my reputation while you're in my place, alright?" He reached forward, and pressed his sheathed Katana against Zack's chest. Zack reached up, holding the blade, and looking into Xerif's cool blue eyes. "Keep this, and make sure she's safe." he said, "You're more than just a Copy."
The word resonated in Zack's mind, first flooding it with memories of his confrontation with Genesis, before moving onto Angeal. That made his mind drift to the Buster Sword sitting in the helicopter behind him. As he was lost in his thoughts about SOLDIER, he was reminded of Lazard and the Copy that brought him Aerith's final letter. It seemed like he could feel all 88 of them in the briefcase that was now set at his feet, reaching out to him... Aerith...
"I'll take care of it for you, and ensure that it takes care of us." Zack said as his mind returned to the present, "and I'll remember that I'm more than just a Copy."
"Excellent." Xerif replied "Until I see you again, I'll make sure that Cloud' well cared for. In fact, maybe he'd appreciate it if I did this." Xerif ruffled his hands through his hair sending it sticking out in all directions. Zack smiled approvingly, as Epson's head peered out of the cabin, nodding that the operation was ready to go.
Xerif stepped up into the chopper and gently picked up Cloud, resting him on the floor, and climbing back down before hoisting him onto his shoulder and moving him into the back of the truck. He gave a final nod to Zack & Cissnei before closing the flap in the back. He looked at Cloud, and said, "Don't worry, friend. We're gonna get you fixed up." before slipping on his helmet.
Outside of the truck, Epson was already running startup on the chopper, as Cissnei climbed on board. Tseng turned to Zack,
"From here on, I'll be addressing you as Zerif, since you're a Turk for all official intents and purposes. We're just outside of the slums, but you should still be able to find your way to the Church. Given the weather, she should be off of the Plate, and tending her flowers there. You can accompany her anywhere, just be careful to avoid any attention from ShinRa officials."
He walked up to the truck door and opened it. As the chopper's propellers began spinning up, he looked back and shouted,
"I'll let you know as soon as there's a change with Cloud."
Then he climbed into the seat, and started the engine. The truck peeled off back from the way it came, with Cloud and Xerif hidden away in the back. Moments later the chopper lifted off and flew away, fading off into the fog, and Zack was left alone.
For the first time since he was travelling with Cloud, his senses took in the surroundings. The smell of Mako output was heavy here, and the faint sound of trains could be heard toward the central pillar. Zack held the Katana tightly in one hand, and the briefcase in the other, and set off walking from the outskirts in towards the main slum and the church.
He'd only gone about twenty steps before he realized that he was in a full blown run, his heart pounding in his throat, and a smile on his face. Aerith, I'm here! I'm finally back!
--------------------
Epson and Cissnei sped low over the barren earth. The rain had slowed, but was still falling and giving them cover in the reduced visibility. The moistened ground also prevented any dust from kicking up behind the chopper as they skimmed along the landscape at top speed. As they neared the location for Point 036, Cissnei opened the coms channel.
"Reno, Rude. What's your status?"
After a brief pause, Reno's voice came crackling through the coms channel.
"Hey! It's about time. The army's been creeping forward in a sweep and in almost at Point 040. We've been sweeping in advance with the spotlight and chasing shadows to keep them occupied. We're just passing out of Point 037 now."
"Perfect." Cissnei replied "We'll be dropping into Point 036 shortly. We're going to find a location to land, and we'll tilt our spotlight up. Radio in when you see it, so we can shut it off. We'll need time to setup before we notify the Army, but we won't have long."
"Sure thing. See you two in a bit." Reno replied, before cutting the channel.
Cissnei and Epson exchanged glances, their faces solemn and focused. This is where things get serious. Failure now meant more than just losing Zack & Cloud. It meant putting everyone else in jeopardy. This was where they proved what their true value was as Turks.
They saw an outcropping of rocks from the dead earth below them. It was small enough to avoid a careful manhunt, but large enough for two refugees to hide in. Cissnei started setting down the chopper, and Epson unstrapped, and moved swiftly into the back of the cabin. As soon at the landing gear touched down, he was out of the chopper and into the rain, moving with one of the bodies clothed in the SOLDIER uniform on his back. As he faded into the downpour, Cissnei tilted up the spotlight.
Time seemed to crawl. Epson's form finally became visible again, running back towards the chopper. He leapt back into the cabin; the curly mop on the right side of his head was clinging to his face, as he leaned in to the cockpit.
"We've got a problem. The storm's clearing up." he said, his grey eyes serious.
"How long do you think we have?" she replied.
Epson's reply was interrupted by Reno's voice coming through the headset.
"We can see ya, man." Reno said, as their chopper's spotlight faded into view. It was clearly visible farther away now.
Cissnei turned to Epson tapping on her headset, "It's Reno."
Epson snatched up the headset from the empty seat and quickly shouted through.
"Guys, that storm's gonna dry up any time now." His voice steady but urgent "If the Army gets here, and it's clear, there's a big chance that they'll discover we're setting them up. Report back to the Army that you've got a sighting from one of your other teams that they've seen two figures moving into cover at Point 036 and they're moving in to engage and are requesting backup. You make sure they get to the right place ASAP."
"Roger!" Reno & Rude both shouted.
"C'mon." Epson said, ducking back into the cabin, and hoisting the second body onto his shoulders. "Grab that sword and follow me!"
You say that like it's easy. She thought, standing from the seat. She left the chopper blades spinning, and ready to liftoff in case they cut it too close. She pulled the Buster Sword out to the entrance, before gripping the hilt, and resting it on her back. There's no way she could fight with it, but at least she could move it, albeit slightly awkwardly. She followed Epson into the slowly thinning curtain of rain.
--------------------
Heideggar was sitting in his office when a communication from one of the field commanders came in. His thick, calloused hand snatched up the handset from his desk with surprising efficiency, as his brash voice shouted, "What's the status?!"
"Sir! One of the Turks' search parties has identified the targets moving into cover near Point 036, and is moving in to engage but they're requesting backup. Given our current position we could catch them in a pincer movement. We're still moving in towards the target. What are your orders?"
He sat up, and pressed the button on his desk phone, connecting him to Tseng's office. When there was no response, his thick eyebrows knitted together, and he clenched his fists. Where the hell is he!? He picked up the phone, and started to dial Tseng's mobile, when he paused, interrupted by a sudden thought. A smirk cracked across his face. I am the head of the PSMD after all... He slammed the phone handset down resolutely, and switched his attention back to the military officer.
"Take out the cover with extreme prejudice. If the targets flee towards the Turks, don't hesitate to do whatever you need to immobilize them. Just make sure that any... additional casualties are from collateral damage, and not any overly trigger-happy troops."
"Roger. Over and out."
"Gya haa haa!" Heideggar burst out, pounding both fists onto his desk. Even if they do make it out alive, this'll be sure to remind the Turks what their place is.
--------------------
Cissnei and Epson had managed to wander in to the rocky outcropping, and reached were he had left the other body. Epson unslung the body he was carrying and propped it against one of the walls. Cissnei slung the sword off of her back, and Epson helped her position it with the two. The rain had reduced to a light trickle, as they looked at each other.
He took a deep breath, and turned his steel eyes away from her auburn hair, and onto the two SOLDIER uniformed men in front of him. Instinctually the guns slipped from their holsters and into his hands as his fingers slowly squeezed in on the triggers. The report of the first shot rang out loudly, the flash of the barrel briefly dancing light across the wet rocks, as the smell of the gun smoke permeated his senses. In the flash of that single moment, his mind saw a different time. The woman next to him was screaming as the gun fell from the man's hand in front of him. The Don stood behind him and Scotch by his side. Her brother had come to kill the Don for taking his sister, but by the time he'd halfway drawn his gun, Epson had already put a bullet through his neck.
Epson's shot had hit the former Deepground soldier in the cheekbone, caving in the left side of his face, and splattering blood across the rocks he was propped against. As the second shot fired, penetrating into the second target's chest, he noticed the four chopper spotlights visible over the top of the rocky outcroppings. It was Reno and Rude, and right on their tail, it was the Army. He turned to Cissnei, whose mouth was just opening to alert him.
"Retreat!" they shouted to each other in unison.
He swung his gaze back to the targets, one gun locked on each SOLDIER uniformed corpse, and fired indiscriminately. Some bullets hit the rocks, others flattened into useless lumps against the Buster Sword, while the rest hit the targets. This had to look like a fight from men who had survived on the lam for quite some time. He started to back up slowly after Cissnei, firing behind him as if they were being pursued. Waiting for the choppers to come in view and drop in support. Then he noticed that the three Army choppers had dropped low, and emerging from them were sparkles, like daytime stars appearing and growing in size.
"They're not sweeping with machine gunners!" he yelled turning around completely, before shouting, "RUN!!!" and bolting into a full-blown sprint. The rain had completely stopped now, but the droplets streaked across his face as he caught up with Cissnei, coming along her right side. His loose hair clung to his cheek, and her curls bounced as her legs pounded forward. Their eyes met, his cold grey and her soft brown both sharing their feeling of panic beneath their determined expressions. For a single second it seemed as if, they hung there together, suspended in time, before the flash of light and the shockwave overtook them.
"EPSON, CISSNEI!!!!"
Reno and Rude shouted, as they helplessly watched the Army helicopters that had dropped below them unleash a full volley of missiles that ripped the earth and stone outcropping apart in a series of thunderous explosions.
--------------------
"Reno, Rude. What's your status?"
After a brief pause, Reno's voice came crackling through the coms channel.
"Hey! It's about time. The army's been creeping forward in a sweep and in almost at Point 040. We've been sweeping in advance with the spotlight and chasing shadows to keep them occupied. We're just passing out of Point 037 now."
"Perfect." Cissnei replied "We'll be dropping into Point 036 shortly. We're going to find a location to land, and we'll tilt our spotlight up. Radio in when you see it, so we can shut it off. We'll need time to setup before we notify the Army, but we won't have long."
"Sure thing. See you two in a bit." Reno replied, before cutting the channel.
Cissnei and Epson exchanged glances, their faces solemn and focused. This is where things get serious. Failure now meant more than just losing Zack & Cloud. It meant putting everyone else in jeopardy. This was where they proved what their true value was as Turks.
They saw an outcropping of rocks from the dead earth below them. It was small enough to avoid a careful manhunt, but large enough for two refugees to hide in. Cissnei started setting down the chopper, and Epson unstrapped, and moved swiftly into the back of the cabin. As soon at the landing gear touched down, he was out of the chopper and into the rain, moving with one of the bodies clothed in the SOLDIER uniform on his back. As he faded into the downpour, Cissnei tilted up the spotlight.
Time seemed to crawl. Epson's form finally became visible again, running back towards the chopper. He leapt back into the cabin; the curly mop on the right side of his head was clinging to his face, as he leaned in to the cockpit.
"We've got a problem. The storm's clearing up." he said, his grey eyes serious.
"How long do you think we have?" she replied.
Epson's reply was interrupted by Reno's voice coming through the headset.
"We can see ya, man." Reno said, as their chopper's spotlight faded into view. It was clearly visible farther away now.
Cissnei turned to Epson tapping on her headset, "It's Reno."
Epson snatched up the headset from the empty seat and quickly shouted through.
"Guys, that storm's gonna dry up any time now." His voice steady but urgent "If the Army gets here, and it's clear, there's a big chance that they'll discover we're setting them up. Report back to the Army that you've got a sighting from one of your other teams that they've seen two figures moving into cover at Point 036 and they're moving in to engage and are requesting backup. You make sure they get to the right place ASAP."
"Roger!" Reno & Rude both shouted.
"C'mon." Epson said, ducking back into the cabin, and hoisting the second body onto his shoulders. "Grab that sword and follow me!"
You say that like it's easy. She thought, standing from the seat. She left the chopper blades spinning, and ready to liftoff in case they cut it too close. She pulled the Buster Sword out to the entrance, before gripping the hilt, and resting it on her back. There's no way she could fight with it, but at least she could move it, albeit slightly awkwardly. She followed Epson into the slowly thinning curtain of rain.
--------------------
Heideggar was sitting in his office when a communication from one of the field commanders came in. His thick, calloused hand snatched up the handset from his desk with surprising efficiency, as his brash voice shouted, "What's the status?!"
"Sir! One of the Turks' search parties has identified the targets moving into cover near Point 036, and is moving in to engage but they're requesting backup. Given our current position we could catch them in a pincer movement. We're still moving in towards the target. What are your orders?"
He sat up, and pressed the button on his desk phone, connecting him to Tseng's office. When there was no response, his thick eyebrows knitted together, and he clenched his fists. Where the hell is he!? He picked up the phone, and started to dial Tseng's mobile, when he paused, interrupted by a sudden thought. A smirk cracked across his face. I am the head of the PSMD after all... He slammed the phone handset down resolutely, and switched his attention back to the military officer.
"Take out the cover with extreme prejudice. If the targets flee towards the Turks, don't hesitate to do whatever you need to immobilize them. Just make sure that any... additional casualties are from collateral damage, and not any overly trigger-happy troops."
"Roger. Over and out."
"Gya haa haa!" Heideggar burst out, pounding both fists onto his desk. Even if they do make it out alive, this'll be sure to remind the Turks what their place is.
--------------------
Cissnei and Epson had managed to wander in to the rocky outcropping, and reached were he had left the other body. Epson unslung the body he was carrying and propped it against one of the walls. Cissnei slung the sword off of her back, and Epson helped her position it with the two. The rain had reduced to a light trickle, as they looked at each other.
He took a deep breath, and turned his steel eyes away from her auburn hair, and onto the two SOLDIER uniformed men in front of him. Instinctually the guns slipped from their holsters and into his hands as his fingers slowly squeezed in on the triggers. The report of the first shot rang out loudly, the flash of the barrel briefly dancing light across the wet rocks, as the smell of the gun smoke permeated his senses. In the flash of that single moment, his mind saw a different time. The woman next to him was screaming as the gun fell from the man's hand in front of him. The Don stood behind him and Scotch by his side. Her brother had come to kill the Don for taking his sister, but by the time he'd halfway drawn his gun, Epson had already put a bullet through his neck.
Epson's shot had hit the former Deepground soldier in the cheekbone, caving in the left side of his face, and splattering blood across the rocks he was propped against. As the second shot fired, penetrating into the second target's chest, he noticed the four chopper spotlights visible over the top of the rocky outcroppings. It was Reno and Rude, and right on their tail, it was the Army. He turned to Cissnei, whose mouth was just opening to alert him.
"Retreat!" they shouted to each other in unison.
He swung his gaze back to the targets, one gun locked on each SOLDIER uniformed corpse, and fired indiscriminately. Some bullets hit the rocks, others flattened into useless lumps against the Buster Sword, while the rest hit the targets. This had to look like a fight from men who had survived on the lam for quite some time. He started to back up slowly after Cissnei, firing behind him as if they were being pursued. Waiting for the choppers to come in view and drop in support. Then he noticed that the three Army choppers had dropped low, and emerging from them were sparkles, like daytime stars appearing and growing in size.
"They're not sweeping with machine gunners!" he yelled turning around completely, before shouting, "RUN!!!" and bolting into a full-blown sprint. The rain had completely stopped now, but the droplets streaked across his face as he caught up with Cissnei, coming along her right side. His loose hair clung to his cheek, and her curls bounced as her legs pounded forward. Their eyes met, his cold grey and her soft brown both sharing their feeling of panic beneath their determined expressions. For a single second it seemed as if, they hung there together, suspended in time, before the flash of light and the shockwave overtook them.
"EPSON, CISSNEI!!!!"
Reno and Rude shouted, as they helplessly watched the Army helicopters that had dropped below them unleash a full volley of missiles that ripped the earth and stone outcropping apart in a series of thunderous explosions.
--------------------
The wood let out a low groan as the large door shifted inwards, followed by a slight squeak as one of the old hinges moved past a tight spot. Raindrops sparkled in the light that shone in through the broken ceiling. The gentle beams from the sky bathed the white and yellow flowers in a dim glow that filled the rest of the church. The soft pitter patter of the rain against the leaves and petals was the only sound that Zack could hear over his own heartbeat.
He stepped cautiously inside, closing the door behind him. He looked around slowly, peering through the lenses of his glasses. The smell of the flowers and petrichor filled the building now, but for the first time in the long, long run something settled in his senses that made him feel at home. He walked down the aisle between the pews. His shoes allowed him to tread more softly, but the floorboards still creaked familiarly under his feet. He turned before the flowers and sat down in the front pew, setting down Xerif's katana and his briefcase. He swept some dust off of the seat before sitting down, and opening the briefcase.
He stared at the sealed box containing all of the letters that Aerith had written him over the last 4 years. They were all there, aside from the one that the Angeal Copy had brought to him. That one sat by itself, so close, but also so far away from the others, much how he felt right now. He reached in to pick it up and underneath it, he found a small slip of paper that he'd kept with him all this time. He'd made sure to tuck it away when he'd changed out of his SOLDIER uniform. As he picked it up, he heard the door creak open.
She stopped, standing in the doorway. A woven basket was held in the crook of her elbow, a little over half full of flowers. She straightened her long pink dress, and closed the door behind her. She reached up brushing the rain off of the shoulders of her short-sleeved jacket, the silver bangles on her wrists clinking softly as she stepped forward.
"Hello..." She said, her soft voice carrying clearly through the quiet church, as she closed the door, no longer hesitant, and walked up towards the flowers. As Zack nervously opened his mouth to speak, she continued "It's a little surprising seeing one of you in person. You're getting a little more bold about spying on me these days." she said managing to sound lighthearted despite the slight nervous tremble. She kneeled down and ran her hands through the flowers, brushing off the droplets as the rain slowly abated, while humming softly.
Zack's hand clutched the little scrap of paper tightly, and he was trembling despite himself. His mind was bursting, but he didn't know what to say. He stared at the little note and focused. His voice started slowly,
"T-There were 23 little luxuries that you dreamed about having once."
Aerith's hand froze. A tiny sliver of light shone through the clouds, gradually brightening the room as he continued.
"I couldn't bring you the other 22... but I made sure to remember the one that you wanted most." he said, slowly standing from the bench, his jaw clenched tightly, as his gaze shifted from staring at his hands to looking up at her.
Aerith gasped, her breath quickening as she turned slowly, leaving her flower basket on the floor and walking over towards the man in the suit. She noticed him holding a small piece of paper, but as she got closer, her eyes peered up through his glasses. His eyes shone, like the sky brightening all around her. She reached up and carefully removed his glasses, as a tear fell down his cheek, running across a familiar scar.
"Z-Zack...?" her voice trembled out.
He smiled in response, "We can finally spend more time together, like you wanted."
She leapt forwards, hugging him tightly. His face pressed against her jacket shoulder, still damp from the rain. It hid his tears as he continued, his words now spilling out between them,
"I'm sorry it took so long. I had to take care of Cloud, and I did everything I could. I got your letter, and I had no idea how long it had been, and I kept running." he looked up, gazing into her beautiful green eyes. "I just couldn't let-" he was suddenly cut off as she stood up onto her tip-toes and kissed him. All the fear, pain, and sadness melted away, like they were the only things in the entire world. The light from the sun shone in brightly, as he held her close.
She slowly sank back onto her heels and re-opened her eyes, fixating them on his face while taking in a deep breath and smiling. He blinked down at her, standing strong as a smile bloomed across his face as well. She giggled,
"Since when do you wear a suit and glasses?" she mused while looking up at him, spinning the glasses in her hand.
He laughed, "Since Tseng rescued me, and set up for me to be your official bodyguard! I know it's a little strange, but there's so much for me to tell you."
"Well then we should go somewhere better suited for talking." She grasped his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Let's go, Bodyguard!!"
They walked over, and Zack placed the paper back into the briefcase, and closed it back up. Aerith picked it up, while he took the Katana, scooping up her flower basket with the long hilt, before they started off walking down the aisle, hand-in-hand. They exited the church into the outdoors. Aerith tugged the door closed, as Zack admired the area around them. It may be the slums, but I finally feel like I'm home. he thought to himself as started down the road together.
--------------------
The truck bumped along steadily, towards its destination. Xerif and Cloud sat in the back of the covered vehicle, obscured from the outdoors and thus also unaware of how far they had progressed towards their destination. Under his helmet, Cloud's vision temporarily swam into a hazed focus. His head tilted slightly as his consciousness attempted to swim to the surface. He looked up and saw a man across from him. A-Are we headed to Nibelheim? But this already happened, didn't it? This is the same as before. No it's not. What, what is? His thoughts blurred together as the greenish glow surrounded his vision again and he felt his consciousness losing grip again.
Then, suddenly, clarity burst through into his mind's eye. It felt as though his memories were being fusing together. Like two halves of himself were combining, and that their realities were merging together and becoming clear. It was as if he could suddenly perceive the truth of what was happening around him. The man with him in the truck was Zack. They were headed, deep down into the Reactor. They were here to find and free someone. They needed to get together all the things that had been lost. He needed... Cloud's consciousness lost touch again and faded back into the haze with only final thought filling his mind, Reunion.
***
On the 67th floor of the ShinRa building, in the Science Department Headquarters, Jenova's decapitated body momentarily twitched to life. She lashed out with her fist, punching the glass viewport of its specimen container with a heavy thud, before shuddering back into a completely dormant state. The noise went unnoticed in the empty room, as a small crack splintered into the glass at the base of the viewport.
***
Xerif thought that he had just seen Cloud shudder for a second, but it was almost impossible to tell with the way that the truck was moving over the rough terrain. He had a lot on his mind, as he thought about the plan that Tseng had come up with. As a Turk, he had recruited for Deepground before, but Tseng had obviously cut a deal when he and Epson had met with Argento. Normally, no one would have been inducted into Deepground without being subjected to receiving a neural implant that would keep them subservient to the Restrictors. Tseng had explicitly avoided that procedure; not only did he want to avoid losing Xerif's capabilities, but he needed to ensure that Xerif would be able to protect Cloud no matter what. Xerif also assumed that it had something to do with the second stage of Tseng's plan, so that the Restrictors wouldn't be able to prevent their escape with a single command.
The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that there must be more than just the objective of the Turks' mission for them being left unchipped. This must have played into the deal that was made with Argento somehow as well; otherwise the opportunity wouldn't have even presented itself. He didn't know the specific details, but he had received the information in the debriefing when they began perusing the two of them. One was an Ex-SOLDIER - Zack, and the other had killed Sephiroth. It was almost unbelievable that the Legendary SOLDIER Sephiroth had been killed, let alone by the man in front of him, who hadn't even made it into the SOLDIER program. Tseng might even have it in his mind to somehow use Deepground as a backup to ensure that the Turks weren't placed into a bind by the Army.
As his mind filled with the possible implications of his current situation, the truck pulled to a stop. Xerif immediately focused his mind back on the task at hand. I'll have time to worry about the future when it arrives. he thought as he lifted up Cloud, and disembarked from the back of the vehicle. He walked warily in front of Tseng, carrying Cloud on his back. As much as he wanted to speak with him, any interaction between the two of them could blow his cover, and maintaining that illusion was the most important thing right now. They entered through a secret hatch that had been largely discontinued since the Wutai War for bringing in casualties into Deepground undetected.
As the doors closed behind them, it became difficult to tell whether the smell was the lingering of death from the wounded who had been brought through here, or if that was permeating up from Deepground itself. As the three of them proceeded in silence, through a winding series of metal corridors the smell became stronger, Xerif felt his mindset hardening. He'd taken the job with the Turks to get out of prison, and as much as he hated the thought of intentionally placing himself into an even worse hell, there was no way he would fail his fellow townsman, Zack. Even more so than that, he'd never let a friend fall to ShinRa. Despite the little that he knew about the man he was carrying, Zack had risked his life to keep Cloud safe, and that was enough for him.
"Halt!"
Argento approached them from around a corner, carrying her broadsword in her right hand. Her long black hair fell straight, matching the stripe down the center of her closed Captain's rank jacket. The armored plates and crown-like visor made her appear regal, though the eyepatch over her right eye made it apparent that she was a warrior. Her left eye watched them warily as Tseng stepped forward.
"These are the two escapees that I mentioned before." he said "The one who's conscious is the ex-convict, and his friend who needs treatment is the one who took down Sephiroth."
Argento smiled, "Truly, he is the pinnacle of strength hidden in weakness."
"Keep them safe until I contact you again." Tseng said, his expression flat and serious.
He and Argento exchanged cold, quiet looks. It seemed as though there was an unspoken exchange taking place. After a few moments, he walked past her and began heading toward the main elevator that lead up to the HQ building.
Once Tseng was out of sight, Argento looked at Xerif and said,
"Follow me."
--------------------
He stepped cautiously inside, closing the door behind him. He looked around slowly, peering through the lenses of his glasses. The smell of the flowers and petrichor filled the building now, but for the first time in the long, long run something settled in his senses that made him feel at home. He walked down the aisle between the pews. His shoes allowed him to tread more softly, but the floorboards still creaked familiarly under his feet. He turned before the flowers and sat down in the front pew, setting down Xerif's katana and his briefcase. He swept some dust off of the seat before sitting down, and opening the briefcase.
He stared at the sealed box containing all of the letters that Aerith had written him over the last 4 years. They were all there, aside from the one that the Angeal Copy had brought to him. That one sat by itself, so close, but also so far away from the others, much how he felt right now. He reached in to pick it up and underneath it, he found a small slip of paper that he'd kept with him all this time. He'd made sure to tuck it away when he'd changed out of his SOLDIER uniform. As he picked it up, he heard the door creak open.
She stopped, standing in the doorway. A woven basket was held in the crook of her elbow, a little over half full of flowers. She straightened her long pink dress, and closed the door behind her. She reached up brushing the rain off of the shoulders of her short-sleeved jacket, the silver bangles on her wrists clinking softly as she stepped forward.
"Hello..." She said, her soft voice carrying clearly through the quiet church, as she closed the door, no longer hesitant, and walked up towards the flowers. As Zack nervously opened his mouth to speak, she continued "It's a little surprising seeing one of you in person. You're getting a little more bold about spying on me these days." she said managing to sound lighthearted despite the slight nervous tremble. She kneeled down and ran her hands through the flowers, brushing off the droplets as the rain slowly abated, while humming softly.
Zack's hand clutched the little scrap of paper tightly, and he was trembling despite himself. His mind was bursting, but he didn't know what to say. He stared at the little note and focused. His voice started slowly,
"T-There were 23 little luxuries that you dreamed about having once."
Aerith's hand froze. A tiny sliver of light shone through the clouds, gradually brightening the room as he continued.
"I couldn't bring you the other 22... but I made sure to remember the one that you wanted most." he said, slowly standing from the bench, his jaw clenched tightly, as his gaze shifted from staring at his hands to looking up at her.
Aerith gasped, her breath quickening as she turned slowly, leaving her flower basket on the floor and walking over towards the man in the suit. She noticed him holding a small piece of paper, but as she got closer, her eyes peered up through his glasses. His eyes shone, like the sky brightening all around her. She reached up and carefully removed his glasses, as a tear fell down his cheek, running across a familiar scar.
"Z-Zack...?" her voice trembled out.
He smiled in response, "We can finally spend more time together, like you wanted."
She leapt forwards, hugging him tightly. His face pressed against her jacket shoulder, still damp from the rain. It hid his tears as he continued, his words now spilling out between them,
"I'm sorry it took so long. I had to take care of Cloud, and I did everything I could. I got your letter, and I had no idea how long it had been, and I kept running." he looked up, gazing into her beautiful green eyes. "I just couldn't let-" he was suddenly cut off as she stood up onto her tip-toes and kissed him. All the fear, pain, and sadness melted away, like they were the only things in the entire world. The light from the sun shone in brightly, as he held her close.
She slowly sank back onto her heels and re-opened her eyes, fixating them on his face while taking in a deep breath and smiling. He blinked down at her, standing strong as a smile bloomed across his face as well. She giggled,
"Since when do you wear a suit and glasses?" she mused while looking up at him, spinning the glasses in her hand.
He laughed, "Since Tseng rescued me, and set up for me to be your official bodyguard! I know it's a little strange, but there's so much for me to tell you."
"Well then we should go somewhere better suited for talking." She grasped his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Let's go, Bodyguard!!"
They walked over, and Zack placed the paper back into the briefcase, and closed it back up. Aerith picked it up, while he took the Katana, scooping up her flower basket with the long hilt, before they started off walking down the aisle, hand-in-hand. They exited the church into the outdoors. Aerith tugged the door closed, as Zack admired the area around them. It may be the slums, but I finally feel like I'm home. he thought to himself as started down the road together.
--------------------
The truck bumped along steadily, towards its destination. Xerif and Cloud sat in the back of the covered vehicle, obscured from the outdoors and thus also unaware of how far they had progressed towards their destination. Under his helmet, Cloud's vision temporarily swam into a hazed focus. His head tilted slightly as his consciousness attempted to swim to the surface. He looked up and saw a man across from him. A-Are we headed to Nibelheim? But this already happened, didn't it? This is the same as before. No it's not. What, what is? His thoughts blurred together as the greenish glow surrounded his vision again and he felt his consciousness losing grip again.
Then, suddenly, clarity burst through into his mind's eye. It felt as though his memories were being fusing together. Like two halves of himself were combining, and that their realities were merging together and becoming clear. It was as if he could suddenly perceive the truth of what was happening around him. The man with him in the truck was Zack. They were headed, deep down into the Reactor. They were here to find and free someone. They needed to get together all the things that had been lost. He needed... Cloud's consciousness lost touch again and faded back into the haze with only final thought filling his mind, Reunion.
***
On the 67th floor of the ShinRa building, in the Science Department Headquarters, Jenova's decapitated body momentarily twitched to life. She lashed out with her fist, punching the glass viewport of its specimen container with a heavy thud, before shuddering back into a completely dormant state. The noise went unnoticed in the empty room, as a small crack splintered into the glass at the base of the viewport.
***
Xerif thought that he had just seen Cloud shudder for a second, but it was almost impossible to tell with the way that the truck was moving over the rough terrain. He had a lot on his mind, as he thought about the plan that Tseng had come up with. As a Turk, he had recruited for Deepground before, but Tseng had obviously cut a deal when he and Epson had met with Argento. Normally, no one would have been inducted into Deepground without being subjected to receiving a neural implant that would keep them subservient to the Restrictors. Tseng had explicitly avoided that procedure; not only did he want to avoid losing Xerif's capabilities, but he needed to ensure that Xerif would be able to protect Cloud no matter what. Xerif also assumed that it had something to do with the second stage of Tseng's plan, so that the Restrictors wouldn't be able to prevent their escape with a single command.
The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that there must be more than just the objective of the Turks' mission for them being left unchipped. This must have played into the deal that was made with Argento somehow as well; otherwise the opportunity wouldn't have even presented itself. He didn't know the specific details, but he had received the information in the debriefing when they began perusing the two of them. One was an Ex-SOLDIER - Zack, and the other had killed Sephiroth. It was almost unbelievable that the Legendary SOLDIER Sephiroth had been killed, let alone by the man in front of him, who hadn't even made it into the SOLDIER program. Tseng might even have it in his mind to somehow use Deepground as a backup to ensure that the Turks weren't placed into a bind by the Army.
As his mind filled with the possible implications of his current situation, the truck pulled to a stop. Xerif immediately focused his mind back on the task at hand. I'll have time to worry about the future when it arrives. he thought as he lifted up Cloud, and disembarked from the back of the vehicle. He walked warily in front of Tseng, carrying Cloud on his back. As much as he wanted to speak with him, any interaction between the two of them could blow his cover, and maintaining that illusion was the most important thing right now. They entered through a secret hatch that had been largely discontinued since the Wutai War for bringing in casualties into Deepground undetected.
As the doors closed behind them, it became difficult to tell whether the smell was the lingering of death from the wounded who had been brought through here, or if that was permeating up from Deepground itself. As the three of them proceeded in silence, through a winding series of metal corridors the smell became stronger, Xerif felt his mindset hardening. He'd taken the job with the Turks to get out of prison, and as much as he hated the thought of intentionally placing himself into an even worse hell, there was no way he would fail his fellow townsman, Zack. Even more so than that, he'd never let a friend fall to ShinRa. Despite the little that he knew about the man he was carrying, Zack had risked his life to keep Cloud safe, and that was enough for him.
"Halt!"
Argento approached them from around a corner, carrying her broadsword in her right hand. Her long black hair fell straight, matching the stripe down the center of her closed Captain's rank jacket. The armored plates and crown-like visor made her appear regal, though the eyepatch over her right eye made it apparent that she was a warrior. Her left eye watched them warily as Tseng stepped forward.
"These are the two escapees that I mentioned before." he said "The one who's conscious is the ex-convict, and his friend who needs treatment is the one who took down Sephiroth."
Argento smiled, "Truly, he is the pinnacle of strength hidden in weakness."
"Keep them safe until I contact you again." Tseng said, his expression flat and serious.
He and Argento exchanged cold, quiet looks. It seemed as though there was an unspoken exchange taking place. After a few moments, he walked past her and began heading toward the main elevator that lead up to the HQ building.
Once Tseng was out of sight, Argento looked at Xerif and said,
"Follow me."
--------------------
As the blackness slowly began to fade back to reality, the first thing that she noticed was the high pitched ringing sound that seemed everywhere. The sound penetrated straight through her brain. It was accompanied only by the thudding sound of her heartbeat that slowly grew louder as she became aware of her head again. Feelings started pumping through her body with each percussive explosion in her head, making her aware of her extremities.
As Cissnei attempted to move, color began to return to her visions in uncontrolled bursts. The minor colorful eruptions blurred together and began forming cohesive images as tiny blinking starts emerged while her vision corrected itself. Her vision swam as she attempted to look around, making her dizzy.
Slivers of sunlight reached through the overcast clouds, changing the lighting as they passed across her. One particularly bright patch seemed to linger on her, and she looked up at it. The churning breeze that she finally felt across her face made her focus more carefully. It was a spotlight from one of the choppers overhead. She moved for the first time, noticing the rocky debris all around her. She wasn't trapped under any large pieces, though the aches that had started to appear told her that the debris hadn't missed her entirely. She brushed her hands over her suit, and tears and scrapes in the fabric confirmed her suspicion.
Suddenly, she felt the cold metallic barrel of a rifle pressed against her cheekbone, pushing her head to the side. She winced, attempting to focus through her swimming vision. Above the ringing, she barely managed to distinguish his words as the man yelled back,
"It's only one of the Turks. Keep moving!"
He pulled the rifle away and her head swung back, the triple glowing red lights on his helmet carving lines across her vision. The light above her seemed to snap away suddenly, and she slumped back to the ground becoming enveloped in the ringing in her head, before it faded back to silence again in the comforting darkness.
--------------------
Xerif followed Argento farther into Deepground, carrying Cloud on his back. There were so many things that the company had gone to extreme lengths to cover up, and he couldn't help but be a little bothered by the fact that many of them were possible, because of the work that the Turks had done. Hell, only ShinRa could get away with burying an entire city both literally and figuratively. The people in the slums has always thought they just lived underneath the plate of wealth and excess, they had no idea that they were actually sandwiched between a single corporation's metallic heavenly extravagance above and the twisted hell of their failed ambitions below.
The smell was different here than it had been in the tunnels. The tunnels were long unused, but the lingering of the injured and dying from the Wutai War had still managed to cling to the walls there. Here it was fresh. It carried a hint of the foul nostalgia of prison, but it was flavored heavily by Mako Reactor 0. More than a cage, this place was a false front of the real world for those who were incarcerated here. It was somewhere to encourage their most violent ambitions to serve them in refining their uniquely dangerous talents in order to become the best of the best.
As the three of them descended further, Xerif found that oftentimes, the blue glow from the luminescent strips on his body armor were almost necessary. Despite the power syphoned from Reactor 0, and the greenish glow of the reactor itself, many areas were left dead of activity. They were passing through a number of these sections now, as Argento lead them closer to the core of Deepground.
After several more minutes of walking in silence, they entered a building with a large vaulted roof. It looked to have been used as a warehouse, as it was filled with boxes and other supplies. Unlike the outer areas, this place was provided more than adequate levels of power. It was apparent now that high end systems, likely devoted to security and research were more important to sustain than anything else down here. There were a number of computer terminals, as well several metallic chambers with glass viewports pumping mako energy.
Argento turned to Xerif, "With the Mako addiction, his system's so starved, it's got little chance of reviving itself on its own, even with help, unless we can get his saturation levels up to peak first. We have proper medical chambers, but I doubt they have the level of output that was being used with him. We'll want to flood his system with Mako first to have a better chance of stepping him down properly to a place where we can revive him. ShinRa used to use these Mako conduits for high end experimentation at one point, so this might work."
She walked over and twisted a valve, shutting off the flow through one of the Mako conduits on the wall. As she did so, some of the lights in the room dimmed slightly. She opened a hatch on the side. There were grates above and below to prevent Cloud from moving, as Xerif lowered him off of his back and into the chamber. Argento closed the door and locked it shut. Before twisting the valve, and letting Mako flood into the chamber.
Energy poured into Cloud's body. Behind the veil of his helmet, his eyes glowed intensely. He shuddered slightly as the tingle of the Mako energy lanced through his body, and he felt the slight hint of a waking consciousness approaching him. He attempted to reach out to it, his hand grasping weakly towards the viewport, mimicking his detached mental experience. Then suddenly, he felt a presence...
"Cloud..."
His pupils snapped into thin vertical slits as the dark voice spoke into his thoughts. He became acutely aware of the metal walls surrounding him in this tiny chamber, as well as the flow of energy. His mind spun with the connected elements. I need to... free from... captivity. His hand flattened against the glass, attempting to shove it out, eliciting a groan from the metal holding it in place. Before he could continue, the flow of Mako energy cut off inside the chamber. His mind disconnected from the outside world again, as well as from the haunting voice that had reached out to him. His eyes relaxed back into their unfocused circular state, all still hidden underneath his helmet, and his body slumped against the side of the tank.
Argento pulled open the hatch, and Xerif caught Cloud as he fell out, laying him gently on the ground. She closed the chamber door and twisted the valve, re-opening the flow into the room. The pressure gauge read slightly high now. She noticed that it had spiked unexpectedly, which is what had prompted her to shut it off so suddenly. There didn't appear to be any external damage or leaks, though. She turned,
"Bring him this way."
They moved from the main room into a back chamber filled with tall, cylindrical glass chambers. He placed Cloud inside, while Argento walked towards the back, the door sealing behind her.
"Stay here, and watch out for Cloud, I'm going to start up the chamber." Argento said. "If you need a weapon, there are some spares lying around, or I can craft you one later."
Xerif nodded in affirmative, picking up a spare SOLDIER standard issue blade from a shipment crate left from the Wutai War. It wasn't the best, but it would do until he could find something more appropriate.
"Don't worry." Xerif said quietly, as he closed the chamber. "In a little while, we'll have you good as new, friend." He rested his hand against the glass and looked in.
In the back room, Argento approached a console. Next to it, a young girl was lying slightly inclined on her back in a specially designed chair, with a wired helmet attaching her to the console. Argento spoke.
"Shelke."
"Yes?" the girl replied in a toneless, almost whispered voice.
"Make sure he remembers what we need him to, but be careful. Making an SND into him when he's still in this state might be dangerous, but it could be easier to implant the ideas we need to."
"Understood." The lights on her helmet lit up and her body relaxed.
The chamber filled, and Cloud was soon floating suspended and unconscious. Moments later, Argento returned and the door closed behind her. She approached Xerif directly.
"I need to return, as I have duties to perform, but I'll ensure that either I or someone else will return to check on you and your friend." she said.
"Sounds fine." Xerif replied while he thought to himself "I know she's withholding information, but there's no advantage to calling her out on it now."
Argento exited the building, leaving Xerif and Cloud alone. Xerif paced back and forth, as he began subconsciously recalling the oppressive claustrophobia of being incarcerated despite the wide open spaces of the building. He walked down from the chamber where he still had line of sight to Cloud, but had more room to move freely, and began practicing his swordplay. The SOLDIER issue blades were quite different from what he preferred, but he still needed to ensure that he was capable with what he had. It could be the difference between life and death down here, especially because that was a line that seemed to be crossed quite regularly down here.
"I won't let you down." he said to himself, as he worked into another form, expertly slicing the air around him, his face focused and resolute.
--------------------
"...o...."
".....Yo, E...son."
"Epson, are you alright?"
Epson's left eye slid open, his right refused to move. He reached up, touching the right side of his face. Some of the blood still felt fresh, but he didn't seem to be actively bleeding. His face was pretty swollen though, and he felt like he had a month's worth of hangovers all at once. His vision focused and he saw Reno crouched over him and staring down, like some sort of large bird.
Epson laughed to himself, feeling a new pain in his ribs, as he managed to expel a few words in as much of an inappropriately casual tone as possible. " 'Sup, Reno?"
Reno sighed loudly as he rolled his eyes up, while dropping his hands to his sides. The tension disappeared from his shoulders as he began talking. "God, man. We were up in the air when the damn Army decided to bombard the area without warning. We dropped altitude to scan the area after the first barrage, and that prevented them from firing any additional rockets, but we had no idea what happened." he paused momentarily before looking around and asking, "So, did we get the targets in time?" followed by a wink.
"Heh, just barely, but yeah..." Epson said, "We got 'em." He winked back, before realizing that this was a blink with his other eye swollen shut. Reno didn't appear to notice though.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright, but I'm not really surprised. You are a Turk after all." Reno said, his trademark sly grin breaking across his face.
Epson grinned back at him, reaching up his bloodied hand. Reno stepped behind him and carefully helped lift him up by his shoulders onto his feet. His legs were still shaky, but he managed to stand.
"Is Cissnei alright?"
Cissnei was vaguely aware of a set of arms sliding under her shoulder blades and the back of her knees that began lifting her off of the ground. She still felt dizzy, but the return of awareness made her feel better than before. Despite the pain that returned that had vanished while she was unconscious, she was aware that her current state was an improvement, from what she felt before. The ringing seemed to have mostly subsided in her head, though the dull aches across her body were more apparent than before, though less directly painful. She opened her eyes, and saw her reflection in Rude's sunglasses, followed by a surprised look on his face.
"Are you alright?" he asked
"I'm not amazing, but I think I'll survive." she replied with a shy smile
"Good." Rude replied.
He walked with her a little ways, and she heard some familiar voices. She reached up and tugged on the lapel of his suit, and he gently set her on her feet. Rude kept a strong hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.
Cissnei focused on Reno and Epson.
"You look even more raggedy than usual, Epson." she said with a smile.
"And it looks like you might need to iron that suit again." he replied with as much of a smirk as his face would allow.
Reno cut in, "The friggin' Army managed to slide a rocket past the cliffs and take out your bird so you'll have to catch a ride back with us, though maybe it's for the better, since you're not in any condition to fly, and we didn't bring along and healing Materia."
"What about the 'targets'?" Epson asked
"The Army did a sweep and confirmed the targets. I'm not sure if they recovered them or not, though I'd bet they did, just so they'd have something to show for the level of collateral damage that they caused. They had already headed off by the time we'd managed to find you." Reno replied in an annoyed tone.
A glimmer of sunlight reflected and caught Cissnei's eye
"What's that?" she said, pulling away to walk towards it.
"Oy! Careful with yourself!" Reno shouted as he and Rude followed after her. Lodged in and amongst the rocky debris was the hilt of Zack's Buster Sword. She made her way up to it, and started moving rocks. "Are you serious? You're digging this thing out, NOW?"
"Zack trusted me to take care of it." she replied
Rude released her shoulder and pushed aside the larger rocks. They were heavy, but loose, and it was soon easy enough to pull free. The rocks had left scratches, and there was char across the blade, but it hadn't been significantly bent. Rude pulled it out, and handed it to Reno, whose eyes widened as he felt the weight of the blade.
"Let's go." Rude said.
They slowly made their way back to Reno and Rude's chopper in silence. Their pains were all second to knowing that the job had been pulled off, and they did what they set out to do. It hadn't gone according to plan, but what really mattered had worked out.
When they finally reached the aircraft, Reno dropped the Buster Sword into the cabin exasperatedly, before coming back to assist Epson into his seat. Rude lifted Cissnei in and ensured that the two of them were secure while Reno started up the rotors. He moved into the front. The floor listed slightly as they took off and headed towards Midgar. As the city came into sight, Reno shouted back into the cabin,
"We never fail."
"Because we're Turks!" They all replied.
--------------------
As Cissnei attempted to move, color began to return to her visions in uncontrolled bursts. The minor colorful eruptions blurred together and began forming cohesive images as tiny blinking starts emerged while her vision corrected itself. Her vision swam as she attempted to look around, making her dizzy.
Slivers of sunlight reached through the overcast clouds, changing the lighting as they passed across her. One particularly bright patch seemed to linger on her, and she looked up at it. The churning breeze that she finally felt across her face made her focus more carefully. It was a spotlight from one of the choppers overhead. She moved for the first time, noticing the rocky debris all around her. She wasn't trapped under any large pieces, though the aches that had started to appear told her that the debris hadn't missed her entirely. She brushed her hands over her suit, and tears and scrapes in the fabric confirmed her suspicion.
Suddenly, she felt the cold metallic barrel of a rifle pressed against her cheekbone, pushing her head to the side. She winced, attempting to focus through her swimming vision. Above the ringing, she barely managed to distinguish his words as the man yelled back,
"It's only one of the Turks. Keep moving!"
He pulled the rifle away and her head swung back, the triple glowing red lights on his helmet carving lines across her vision. The light above her seemed to snap away suddenly, and she slumped back to the ground becoming enveloped in the ringing in her head, before it faded back to silence again in the comforting darkness.
--------------------
Xerif followed Argento farther into Deepground, carrying Cloud on his back. There were so many things that the company had gone to extreme lengths to cover up, and he couldn't help but be a little bothered by the fact that many of them were possible, because of the work that the Turks had done. Hell, only ShinRa could get away with burying an entire city both literally and figuratively. The people in the slums has always thought they just lived underneath the plate of wealth and excess, they had no idea that they were actually sandwiched between a single corporation's metallic heavenly extravagance above and the twisted hell of their failed ambitions below.
The smell was different here than it had been in the tunnels. The tunnels were long unused, but the lingering of the injured and dying from the Wutai War had still managed to cling to the walls there. Here it was fresh. It carried a hint of the foul nostalgia of prison, but it was flavored heavily by Mako Reactor 0. More than a cage, this place was a false front of the real world for those who were incarcerated here. It was somewhere to encourage their most violent ambitions to serve them in refining their uniquely dangerous talents in order to become the best of the best.
As the three of them descended further, Xerif found that oftentimes, the blue glow from the luminescent strips on his body armor were almost necessary. Despite the power syphoned from Reactor 0, and the greenish glow of the reactor itself, many areas were left dead of activity. They were passing through a number of these sections now, as Argento lead them closer to the core of Deepground.
After several more minutes of walking in silence, they entered a building with a large vaulted roof. It looked to have been used as a warehouse, as it was filled with boxes and other supplies. Unlike the outer areas, this place was provided more than adequate levels of power. It was apparent now that high end systems, likely devoted to security and research were more important to sustain than anything else down here. There were a number of computer terminals, as well several metallic chambers with glass viewports pumping mako energy.
Argento turned to Xerif, "With the Mako addiction, his system's so starved, it's got little chance of reviving itself on its own, even with help, unless we can get his saturation levels up to peak first. We have proper medical chambers, but I doubt they have the level of output that was being used with him. We'll want to flood his system with Mako first to have a better chance of stepping him down properly to a place where we can revive him. ShinRa used to use these Mako conduits for high end experimentation at one point, so this might work."
She walked over and twisted a valve, shutting off the flow through one of the Mako conduits on the wall. As she did so, some of the lights in the room dimmed slightly. She opened a hatch on the side. There were grates above and below to prevent Cloud from moving, as Xerif lowered him off of his back and into the chamber. Argento closed the door and locked it shut. Before twisting the valve, and letting Mako flood into the chamber.
Energy poured into Cloud's body. Behind the veil of his helmet, his eyes glowed intensely. He shuddered slightly as the tingle of the Mako energy lanced through his body, and he felt the slight hint of a waking consciousness approaching him. He attempted to reach out to it, his hand grasping weakly towards the viewport, mimicking his detached mental experience. Then suddenly, he felt a presence...
"Cloud..."
His pupils snapped into thin vertical slits as the dark voice spoke into his thoughts. He became acutely aware of the metal walls surrounding him in this tiny chamber, as well as the flow of energy. His mind spun with the connected elements. I need to... free from... captivity. His hand flattened against the glass, attempting to shove it out, eliciting a groan from the metal holding it in place. Before he could continue, the flow of Mako energy cut off inside the chamber. His mind disconnected from the outside world again, as well as from the haunting voice that had reached out to him. His eyes relaxed back into their unfocused circular state, all still hidden underneath his helmet, and his body slumped against the side of the tank.
Argento pulled open the hatch, and Xerif caught Cloud as he fell out, laying him gently on the ground. She closed the chamber door and twisted the valve, re-opening the flow into the room. The pressure gauge read slightly high now. She noticed that it had spiked unexpectedly, which is what had prompted her to shut it off so suddenly. There didn't appear to be any external damage or leaks, though. She turned,
"Bring him this way."
They moved from the main room into a back chamber filled with tall, cylindrical glass chambers. He placed Cloud inside, while Argento walked towards the back, the door sealing behind her.
"Stay here, and watch out for Cloud, I'm going to start up the chamber." Argento said. "If you need a weapon, there are some spares lying around, or I can craft you one later."
Xerif nodded in affirmative, picking up a spare SOLDIER standard issue blade from a shipment crate left from the Wutai War. It wasn't the best, but it would do until he could find something more appropriate.
"Don't worry." Xerif said quietly, as he closed the chamber. "In a little while, we'll have you good as new, friend." He rested his hand against the glass and looked in.
In the back room, Argento approached a console. Next to it, a young girl was lying slightly inclined on her back in a specially designed chair, with a wired helmet attaching her to the console. Argento spoke.
"Shelke."
"Yes?" the girl replied in a toneless, almost whispered voice.
"Make sure he remembers what we need him to, but be careful. Making an SND into him when he's still in this state might be dangerous, but it could be easier to implant the ideas we need to."
"Understood." The lights on her helmet lit up and her body relaxed.
The chamber filled, and Cloud was soon floating suspended and unconscious. Moments later, Argento returned and the door closed behind her. She approached Xerif directly.
"I need to return, as I have duties to perform, but I'll ensure that either I or someone else will return to check on you and your friend." she said.
"Sounds fine." Xerif replied while he thought to himself "I know she's withholding information, but there's no advantage to calling her out on it now."
Argento exited the building, leaving Xerif and Cloud alone. Xerif paced back and forth, as he began subconsciously recalling the oppressive claustrophobia of being incarcerated despite the wide open spaces of the building. He walked down from the chamber where he still had line of sight to Cloud, but had more room to move freely, and began practicing his swordplay. The SOLDIER issue blades were quite different from what he preferred, but he still needed to ensure that he was capable with what he had. It could be the difference between life and death down here, especially because that was a line that seemed to be crossed quite regularly down here.
"I won't let you down." he said to himself, as he worked into another form, expertly slicing the air around him, his face focused and resolute.
--------------------
"...o...."
".....Yo, E...son."
"Epson, are you alright?"
Epson's left eye slid open, his right refused to move. He reached up, touching the right side of his face. Some of the blood still felt fresh, but he didn't seem to be actively bleeding. His face was pretty swollen though, and he felt like he had a month's worth of hangovers all at once. His vision focused and he saw Reno crouched over him and staring down, like some sort of large bird.
Epson laughed to himself, feeling a new pain in his ribs, as he managed to expel a few words in as much of an inappropriately casual tone as possible. " 'Sup, Reno?"
Reno sighed loudly as he rolled his eyes up, while dropping his hands to his sides. The tension disappeared from his shoulders as he began talking. "God, man. We were up in the air when the damn Army decided to bombard the area without warning. We dropped altitude to scan the area after the first barrage, and that prevented them from firing any additional rockets, but we had no idea what happened." he paused momentarily before looking around and asking, "So, did we get the targets in time?" followed by a wink.
"Heh, just barely, but yeah..." Epson said, "We got 'em." He winked back, before realizing that this was a blink with his other eye swollen shut. Reno didn't appear to notice though.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright, but I'm not really surprised. You are a Turk after all." Reno said, his trademark sly grin breaking across his face.
Epson grinned back at him, reaching up his bloodied hand. Reno stepped behind him and carefully helped lift him up by his shoulders onto his feet. His legs were still shaky, but he managed to stand.
"Is Cissnei alright?"
Cissnei was vaguely aware of a set of arms sliding under her shoulder blades and the back of her knees that began lifting her off of the ground. She still felt dizzy, but the return of awareness made her feel better than before. Despite the pain that returned that had vanished while she was unconscious, she was aware that her current state was an improvement, from what she felt before. The ringing seemed to have mostly subsided in her head, though the dull aches across her body were more apparent than before, though less directly painful. She opened her eyes, and saw her reflection in Rude's sunglasses, followed by a surprised look on his face.
"Are you alright?" he asked
"I'm not amazing, but I think I'll survive." she replied with a shy smile
"Good." Rude replied.
He walked with her a little ways, and she heard some familiar voices. She reached up and tugged on the lapel of his suit, and he gently set her on her feet. Rude kept a strong hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.
Cissnei focused on Reno and Epson.
"You look even more raggedy than usual, Epson." she said with a smile.
"And it looks like you might need to iron that suit again." he replied with as much of a smirk as his face would allow.
Reno cut in, "The friggin' Army managed to slide a rocket past the cliffs and take out your bird so you'll have to catch a ride back with us, though maybe it's for the better, since you're not in any condition to fly, and we didn't bring along and healing Materia."
"What about the 'targets'?" Epson asked
"The Army did a sweep and confirmed the targets. I'm not sure if they recovered them or not, though I'd bet they did, just so they'd have something to show for the level of collateral damage that they caused. They had already headed off by the time we'd managed to find you." Reno replied in an annoyed tone.
A glimmer of sunlight reflected and caught Cissnei's eye
"What's that?" she said, pulling away to walk towards it.
"Oy! Careful with yourself!" Reno shouted as he and Rude followed after her. Lodged in and amongst the rocky debris was the hilt of Zack's Buster Sword. She made her way up to it, and started moving rocks. "Are you serious? You're digging this thing out, NOW?"
"Zack trusted me to take care of it." she replied
Rude released her shoulder and pushed aside the larger rocks. They were heavy, but loose, and it was soon easy enough to pull free. The rocks had left scratches, and there was char across the blade, but it hadn't been significantly bent. Rude pulled it out, and handed it to Reno, whose eyes widened as he felt the weight of the blade.
"Let's go." Rude said.
They slowly made their way back to Reno and Rude's chopper in silence. Their pains were all second to knowing that the job had been pulled off, and they did what they set out to do. It hadn't gone according to plan, but what really mattered had worked out.
When they finally reached the aircraft, Reno dropped the Buster Sword into the cabin exasperatedly, before coming back to assist Epson into his seat. Rude lifted Cissnei in and ensured that the two of them were secure while Reno started up the rotors. He moved into the front. The floor listed slightly as they took off and headed towards Midgar. As the city came into sight, Reno shouted back into the cabin,
"We never fail."
"Because we're Turks!" They all replied.
--------------------
"...and that's when I finally found you again."
...Four years... he thought. Zack felt drained from recounting the long history of the events that had managed to steal away years of his life in secret. He still remembered the confrontation with Sephiroth at Nibelheim like it had only happened days ago, although somewhere he was vaguely aware of being trapped inside that capsule for an enormous period of time, but the Mako exposure and experiments that happened there made his perception of the passage of time blurry, much like it did during his time on the run with Cloud. Each day was isolated and the focus was so central on survival that it was difficult to track them into a coherent string, and even then it didn't seem like it could possibly have been that long. The ShinRa that he had once been a part of had slowly changed even during his time in SOLDIER, but from in the slums, it now seemed even more like a cold, monstrous entity more than ever.
His thoughts were broken by the soft touch of Aerith's hands gently sliding along his jaw, cupping his face. She looked up at him, her eyes briefly making him forget about everything that he'd just unveiled. She smiled and slid her hands behind his neck, and hugged him tightly. He wasn't sure how she always managed to smile, but he was glad she did, and held her close. For a moment, his mind wandered back to Angeal's death, when she silently held him close in the church. She always managed to elicit the emotions that he normally hid away behind his casual attitude, and make him feel comfortable. He took a deep breath, holding it for a second and exhaled, noticing that she did the same as their grip slowly released, and she sat back down beside him. She rested her closest hand on his leg, while the other held his forearm, and they looked across the room.
Soft, blue light reflected through the window just outside the door, across the dark wooden floor and onto the simple bed where they sat. There was a small chest of drawers against the wall with a number of potted flowers set on it. Zack's briefcase lay open on the large rug embroidered with flowers, which covered the floor. All 89 of the letters were opened and strewn about Aerith's room. Over the last few hours, they had opened them together, and talked about all of the events that had transpired while Zack was away. He answered all of her little questions that she had written, and she told him all about the flowers, the Turks, and all the little details that she could think of. When they'd reached the end of the letters, Zack had explained how he received the final letter, as well as what had happened during that time. Now that it was all out in the open, and they were caught up to the present, they were both quiet. He couldn't tell if he was quiet because he was still soaking in all the details, or if it was because he just didn't know what to say now.
After a few minutes, he reached forward and clasped her hand that was resting against his leg and lay down, letting his head flop back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"I was gonna be a mercenary, ya know." he said nonchalantly into the air.
Aerith, still sitting, turned to look at him.
"I had it all planned out with Cloud." he continued "We were gonna do mercenary work to get by, and make our way doing whatever it took, but all that's different now." he said, his eyebrows knitting together "Cloud's being cared for in secret, and I'm pretending to be a Turk. I don't even know the first thing about working in a suit."
"Well, you are my bodyguard now." she said, tilting her head amusedly.
"Yeah, but it's not like the Turks are actually cutting me a paycheck." he replied, rolling his eyes before muttering, "...though it isn't like they couldn't afford to."
"Don't worry, I'm not completely helpless." Aerith said confidently "I've learned how to take care of myself, too so I won't just be a burden. We can help each other out. Maybe you can come help me sell flowers tomorrow."
"Yeah? I'd like that." he said, sitting up.
"Though..." she said, looking down and kicking one of her heels against the bed.
"Yes?" he replied inquisitively, raising an eyebrow and leaning close.
"Try not to barter all of our customers away this time."
Before he could respond or even fully react to her statement, she leaned close and kissed the scar on his jaw, before standing up and saying with a smile,
"Come on, let's clean these letters up and get some rest."
Zack laughed and swept up a handful of the letters from the bed, as Aerith giggled and picked up the ones that had drifted onto the floor. They carefully placed them back into the container that Tseng had provided them in, and re-sealed it. Zack dropped the container into the briefcase, and snapped it shut. He picked it up and walked towards the door to her room. As he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand.
"Zack..."
He turned around in the doorway, as she walked up close to him. She looked up and he placed his hand behind her head, running his fingers along the fabric of the pink bow that he'd bought for her such a long time ago. He smiled and leaned in, resting his forehead gently against hers, the Mako glow from his own eyes making the green in hers seem brighter. Her gaze twitched from eye to eye for a moment, before she leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose.
"Goodnight!~"
"Goodnight, Aerith." he replied, smiling as he walked over towards the other room, hearing the sound of her door close gently behind him.
Zack took his briefcase and set it on the couch at the far end of the room, before slipping off his suit jacket and placing it over the top of the briefcase. He sat down on the side of the bed, and began untying his shoes. As he was just taking off the second one, and setting them by the foot of the bed, he heard a gentle tap on the door.
He walked towards the door, his socks making almost no sound against the hardwood floor. He lifted the sheathed katana from the bed, and held it in his off-hand just in case as opened the door. Elmyra, Aerith's mother stood outside, a look of slight concern on her face.
"Is there something the matter?" Zack asked, stepping back and gently setting the sword back on the bed against the wall.
Elmyra stepped into the room and began speaking in a low voice. "I've heard Aerith talk about you, and how you're- were in SOLDIER." she said, glancing at his eyes. "Aerith's been followed sometimes, and-"
"Don't worry." Zack interjected calmly "I'm not actually with ShinRa anymore. I just have some friends there helping me out right now."
"Can you trust these friends of yours?" she inquired quietly
"Well, I trust Tseng and Cissnei and whatever they have planned. Without them I probably wouldn't have made it this far, but at the end of the day, they're still ShinRa and that's something I don't trust anymore, so don't worry. As long as ShinRa thinks that she's being properly monitored, they shouldn't try anything drastic."
Elmyra still didn't look convinced, so he continued in a hushed voice.
"It's not just because I'm an ex-SOLDIER, and it took me such a long time to get back here." he said, while carefully avoiding making any hints about his fugitive status "Cissnei told me once that Aerith is special; that she's the last of her kind on the Planet, and that's why ShinRa's watching her. She hasn't brought it up, but I figure that she will when she feels like it. Either way, ShinRa has a way of taking even ordinary people and twisting them into monsters. That's happened far too many times to people that I care for, and I won't let them do that to her."
Zack's gaze was fixed firmly forwards, and Elmyra's expression changed. She didn't smile but the look of concern that had been there before had been washed from her face.
"Thank you, Zack. Goodnight." she said, turning and closing the door, before gently descending back down the stairs.
Zack walked over and laid down on the bed. He couldn't worry about everything, but he wished there wasn't so much that was beyond his control. Regardless, he maintained resolute that he would ensure that nothing he could control would go wrong. He pulled the blankets over himself, and instinctively wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword. As his head sank into the pillow, he suddenly became aware of how long it had been since he had slept in a bed. The softness enveloped him, and he drifted off to sleep thinking about how to help Aerith with her flowers in the morning.
--------------------
Shelke floated in a vast green haze as she descended into Cloud's mind. After some time, she managed to locate a piece of solid ground. It was circular and surrounded by a number of interconnected pathways, leading to outcroppings of memories. Floating marble-like spheres drifted through the nebula-like mist.
"Hmm."
It seemed strange. She had expected the different pieces to be completely disconnected from the level of Mako addiction he was suffering from. Normally when someone was unconscious, it's because their memories weren't able to interconnect properly to restart their own consciousness. But this was... different somehow. She could tell that some memories of past and those of current events had already begun to overlap, as if they'd been forcibly reconstructed already. The odd thing was that it looked different than it would if she'd done it. Rather than a static screen from the SND interface inserting itself into the memory gap, this seemed to be almost purely organic. Those memories and triggers were growing together almost naturally, leaving behind only a small blank white flash in the gap. If she could make modifications in here, they might actually adapt more successfully than normal.
She would need to create an anchor point outside of that memory sector, in case this organic change attempted to overwrite it. There was less chance of it being rejected by the main section if there were a precedent for the content she wanted to add in a different section, so she moved to the South first, drifting back into his childhood.
**Static Crackling**
Cloud was at home in Nibelheim. His mother wandered through the kitchen, her long black hair swaying from side to side as she wandered through the house. Cloud lay back on his bed, when there was a knock at the door. Cloud's mother turned, her hair swept across her face, revealing only her left eye as she walked up to answer the door. Cloud rolled over, and swung his feet off of the bed as the door opened. It was Shelke.
"Hi Cloud!!" she waved, jumping up and down enthusiastically, before looking up at his mother, "Can Cloud come out to play?"
"Yes, he can." She replied.
"Yay!!! C'mon, Cloud, let's go or they'll start without us!!!" she squeaked.
Cloud stood up quickly, and rushed for the door.
"Have fun, but be careful you two!!" his mother replied.
Cloud and Shelke ran out, slamming the door behind them. Weiss was already sitting on top of the water tower with his hands over his eyes and counting out loud. Nero was hiding underneath the tower in the shadows, while Rosso and Azul were wrestling and fighting over a hiding place in the plaza. Shelke ran, holding Cloud's hand hurrying towards one of the fences.
She always knows the best place to hide. he thought to himself, as they climbed over the fence, and hid together behind some crates.
"They won't find us down here, Cloud." she said softly.
**Static Fade**
Shelke wandered back towards the center of Cloud's memories. It was slightly odd making memories with herself and the other Tsviets, but she needed his trust, and it needed to be a deep trust. If this boy was anything like Argento had claimed, he was an asset that they couldn't afford to lose, especially in these details. The memories of playing with siblings and friends pulled at something inside her momentarily, but she shut it out.
I have to focus. she thought. I have a precedent set for the memories, but there's not enough to it. This is complicated, because his past is being blurred into current events, and if he takes too much of it as déjà vu, he might not believe it. She cleared her mind, and moved to the West into a different set of memories.
**Static Crackling**
It was night time, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky as Shelke climbed up the water tower, and sat with Cloud.
"Sorry I'm late, Cloud. What did you want to talk about?" she said, catching her breath.
"Come this spring, I'm leaving this town for Midgar." Cloud replied confidently.
"Are you going to join SOLDIER with Weiss and the rest of them?" she asked
"Yeah, but I'm going to better than of all of them, just like Sephiroth!" he exclaimed.
"I want to come with you too, but you have to promise me something." she said, leaning close to him.
"What?" he asked.
"If you do become the strongest, and we're ever in a bind, you'll come same us, all right?"
"All right... I promise."
A star shot across the sky, and she stood up. She took a marker out of her pocket, and drew a circle on the wall of the water tower.
"This is our mark, so you'll know where to find us, if we need help." she said.
**Static Fade**
Shelke moved back from the cluster of memories. It hadn't been as difficult with Cloud's mother, because the memories of her seemed to have been largely absent, but replacing herself as the girl in those memories had been particularly difficult. She'd have to hope that it took. What was there was good for now.
The North of his mind was still too complicated to deal with all at once. She thought that there might be a way to separate some of the events into the past still. The ones dealing with the town were the least clearly merged back into the present by whatever other force had affected his mind. That should be sufficient, but this step would be significantly more complicated, since it meant very carefully detaching some of his memories and moving them away, plus the manipulation would be rather complicated.
It looked like there was some space to the East where she could assemble them that didn't currently contain an assembled memory node. She carefully began removing some of the unbonded memories from the North and assembling them in the node in the East. Despite being unbonded with the existing node, some of these memories were already muddled. This meant that she would have more difficulty replacing the appropriate roles, and this would be the biggest potential location for failure, not to mention it was much larger than the previous two. It seemed that for some reason Cloud lacked proper identity with who he was, perhaps because he was ashamed of not living up to his goals at the time. But she needed him to be strong from the outset. He needed to believe that he was capable of what she needed him to do...
Once she had pruned the necessary content, she moved to the East and began bonding it together and modifying it.
**Static Crackling**
Cloud sat in the middle of one of the Army's military transport trucks. Zack and a helmeted MP sat together on either side of him as the vehicle bumped along the road. Cloud sat silently as Zack peered out the back of the truck,
"It sure is raining hard." Zack said before leaning down to the lone MP. "Hey, how're you doing?"
The MP, shook his head before saying, "I'm alright." before waving him away.
"Sorry I don't know how you feel, I've never had motion sickness." he said with a shrug, before turning to Cloud. "Everything ok with you?"
Cloud looked up at Zack, "Hey, settle down."
Zack started doing squats, "I just got new materia, and I can't wait to use it. Are you gonna brief us about the mission?"
Cloud stood up and walked to the back of the truck, "This isn't a typical mission."
Cloud sat and faced Zack in the back of the truck. Cloud leaned forward and began explaining the details of their mission.
"There was a unit of SOLDIER that went rogue, referred to as 'Lost Force.' They were supposed to have been one of the most elite squads during the war. They've recently been hunting down other elite SOLDIER members and recruits, and forcibly captivating them to replenish their ranks, and it's assumed that they're trying to form their own army." he looked up directly at Xerif before continuing "First, we'll dispose of the Lost Force, and then we'll locate the captives and set them free."
**White Flash**
Freedom.
R-E-U-N-I-O-N
**White Fade**
"Where are these brutal creatures?" Xerif asked, his glasses disappearing from his face, and his uniform glitching into a SOLDIER First Class uniform briefly, before reverting.
"...Nibelheim..." Cloud said, memories of his childhood friends flashed through his mind, interrupted as the truck lurched to a stop. "That would be our cue." He said, leaping out of the back of the truck, Zack following right behind him.
**Static Glitch**
Cloud and Zack stood in the middle of Nibelheim in flames. Fragments of memories of defeating the members of Lost Force seemed to be in his mind, but their leader had escaped. The Restrictor is what they had called him. As they ran past the water tower, they saw him.
He stood surrounded by the flames. They licked upwards, against his long black cloak, and the sparks were reflected against his black helmet, leaving his face hidden. He turned away from them, disappearing into the darkness. Cloud ran after him shouting,
"RESTRICTOR!!!!"
**Static Glitch**
More sporadic memory fragments seemed to jumble together all at once. Some were images of Restrictor commanding his friends, and taking them away. There were also flashes of being impaled by him, and then healing inside a tank with Zack. Then Zack was helping him travel to find his friends. Sometimes Zack wore glasses and a Deepground uniform, and other times he didn't wear them and had a SOLDIER uniform. They had been in a truck, travelling to...
His vision began to blur into a haze of whiteish green.
Travelling the Mako Reactor to... free... someone... his friends and..... his mother? They were going to be reunited.......? Have a Reunion......? He remembered...... They were close....... The Mako Reactor.........
**Static Fade**
Shelke stepped out of the node to the East. That organic bonding seemed to have been involuntarily triggered by some of the implanted memories that she added. As soon as the trigger had been tripped, it had even flashed white in the middle of her assembly. After that, it seemed that anything complex that she tried to assemble begun to get interlaced with other memories, and had become fragmented. Eventually it got intertwined so tightly during the phase of the Mako Addiction that it had broken apart entirely and just faded out.
Since Cloud had been suffering from Mako Addiction, she hoped that would help to explain the odd fading that this memory set experienced. Still, there was no way of knowing how clear it would be once he actually regained consciousness. Hopefully the presence of his friend Zack in Deepground would serve to reinforce the reality of what he remembered, though if she wasn't careful, he might interfere. At the very least, she didn't think that he'd be able to last in Deepground forever, especially if he came up against the Tsviets once they'd been freed, because she only needed them until then.
She looked to the North now. It was going to be incredibly complicated to make any changes there that took, but the fact that Cloud's memory had looped in on itself was all she needed. She just had to implant the right cues so that Cloud's memory of killing Sephiroth would trigger a déjà vu sensation when he encountered Restrictor. If he really was strong enough to have done that, they didn't need to take the time of making him into a proper Tsviet. That type of power should be enough. Even if he failed, it might present a window that was big enough for them to accomplish the task themselves. She moved into the final section of memories.
***
Shelke sat up in the chair, and removed her helmet. Her SND was completed, and now they just needed to wait for the treatment to take effect, and for Cloud's memories to have time to settle into place. What's done was done, and only time would tell if he would be the savior that they were counting on...
--------------------
Reno, Rude, Epson, & Cissnei stood in Tseng's office waiting. They had been told to meet up there, while he attended a meeting with the President and Heideggar about the Army's conduct during the assault, involving the injury of two of the Turk operatives on location, the deaths of the two rogue subjects, as well as the destruction of one of the helicopters. Tseng's face was deadly serious when he had seen Epson and Cissnei on the helipad.
Epson and Cissnei had been mostly recovered by the materia back at HQ, but they still felt a little worse for wear. Cissnei in particular just wanted to get some rest. The both of them sat in chairs on one side of the room, still recuperating. Rude stood like some sort of picturesque marble statue in the center of the room; his expression stoic and his hands behind his back, while Reno just paced back and forth in front of Tseng's desk.
Reno suddenly straightened up and was opening his mouth to exclaim something exasperatedly, when the door slid open and Tseng walked into the room.
"Sir!" They all said in unison, Epson and Cissnei standing from their chairs.
Tseng motioned them to sit back down, and they gladly complied. Tseng walked over towards the two of them, and Reno and Rude fell in step behind him, one to each side. Tseng stopped just short of them, and Reno and Rude stepped up, forming a close circle.
"Well!?" Reno said impatiently.
Tseng replied calmly, and in a low voice, despite them being along in his office. "The Army's overaggressive conduct was able to work to our advantage, though I'm sorry about the injuries that you two sustained because of it. I was able to blow it up into enough of an internal scandal that there wasn't any suspicion placed on the elimination of the two subjects. In fact that was mostly glossed over, since I placed a larger importance on the survival of my own men that I let the lives of those two take a back seat." He smiled briefly as he continued.
"More than likely, this is what Heideggar wanted, since he came through it makes him look good, even at the expense of our team's safety. He's very inflated about his importance as the Head of the PSMD, and it doesn't hurt to let him stroke his ego every so often, but I won't put up with him putting us in the crossfire. Tensions are already high for us, so we'll have to focus on current objectives. I know we're all worried about Cloud and Xerif. For now, the best we can do is wait until we receive some kind of word from them." He paused, looking across the four of them, as his voice changed back to its official tone.
"Reno, Rude! You two stick with me when you're not on an official mission. We need to build a strong presence around HQ in the meantime so that Heideggar doesn't think that he can just walk all over our department, especially in the next little while. Cissnei, I know Zack'll find himself wandering the Plate with Aerith at some point. Keep an eye on him and make sure that he stays out of trouble when you're off assignment. Epson, you know the Sector 6 slums from your time working with Don Corneo, so if you've got downtime and Cissnei hasn’t got eyes on them on the Plate, make sure they steer clear or trouble in the slums. For now everyone, just go get some rest; you've earned it."
"Roger."
"Absolutely, man."
"Yes, sir."
"You got it."
"Dismissed."
--------------------
...Four years... he thought. Zack felt drained from recounting the long history of the events that had managed to steal away years of his life in secret. He still remembered the confrontation with Sephiroth at Nibelheim like it had only happened days ago, although somewhere he was vaguely aware of being trapped inside that capsule for an enormous period of time, but the Mako exposure and experiments that happened there made his perception of the passage of time blurry, much like it did during his time on the run with Cloud. Each day was isolated and the focus was so central on survival that it was difficult to track them into a coherent string, and even then it didn't seem like it could possibly have been that long. The ShinRa that he had once been a part of had slowly changed even during his time in SOLDIER, but from in the slums, it now seemed even more like a cold, monstrous entity more than ever.
His thoughts were broken by the soft touch of Aerith's hands gently sliding along his jaw, cupping his face. She looked up at him, her eyes briefly making him forget about everything that he'd just unveiled. She smiled and slid her hands behind his neck, and hugged him tightly. He wasn't sure how she always managed to smile, but he was glad she did, and held her close. For a moment, his mind wandered back to Angeal's death, when she silently held him close in the church. She always managed to elicit the emotions that he normally hid away behind his casual attitude, and make him feel comfortable. He took a deep breath, holding it for a second and exhaled, noticing that she did the same as their grip slowly released, and she sat back down beside him. She rested her closest hand on his leg, while the other held his forearm, and they looked across the room.
Soft, blue light reflected through the window just outside the door, across the dark wooden floor and onto the simple bed where they sat. There was a small chest of drawers against the wall with a number of potted flowers set on it. Zack's briefcase lay open on the large rug embroidered with flowers, which covered the floor. All 89 of the letters were opened and strewn about Aerith's room. Over the last few hours, they had opened them together, and talked about all of the events that had transpired while Zack was away. He answered all of her little questions that she had written, and she told him all about the flowers, the Turks, and all the little details that she could think of. When they'd reached the end of the letters, Zack had explained how he received the final letter, as well as what had happened during that time. Now that it was all out in the open, and they were caught up to the present, they were both quiet. He couldn't tell if he was quiet because he was still soaking in all the details, or if it was because he just didn't know what to say now.
After a few minutes, he reached forward and clasped her hand that was resting against his leg and lay down, letting his head flop back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"I was gonna be a mercenary, ya know." he said nonchalantly into the air.
Aerith, still sitting, turned to look at him.
"I had it all planned out with Cloud." he continued "We were gonna do mercenary work to get by, and make our way doing whatever it took, but all that's different now." he said, his eyebrows knitting together "Cloud's being cared for in secret, and I'm pretending to be a Turk. I don't even know the first thing about working in a suit."
"Well, you are my bodyguard now." she said, tilting her head amusedly.
"Yeah, but it's not like the Turks are actually cutting me a paycheck." he replied, rolling his eyes before muttering, "...though it isn't like they couldn't afford to."
"Don't worry, I'm not completely helpless." Aerith said confidently "I've learned how to take care of myself, too so I won't just be a burden. We can help each other out. Maybe you can come help me sell flowers tomorrow."
"Yeah? I'd like that." he said, sitting up.
"Though..." she said, looking down and kicking one of her heels against the bed.
"Yes?" he replied inquisitively, raising an eyebrow and leaning close.
"Try not to barter all of our customers away this time."
Before he could respond or even fully react to her statement, she leaned close and kissed the scar on his jaw, before standing up and saying with a smile,
"Come on, let's clean these letters up and get some rest."
Zack laughed and swept up a handful of the letters from the bed, as Aerith giggled and picked up the ones that had drifted onto the floor. They carefully placed them back into the container that Tseng had provided them in, and re-sealed it. Zack dropped the container into the briefcase, and snapped it shut. He picked it up and walked towards the door to her room. As he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand.
"Zack..."
He turned around in the doorway, as she walked up close to him. She looked up and he placed his hand behind her head, running his fingers along the fabric of the pink bow that he'd bought for her such a long time ago. He smiled and leaned in, resting his forehead gently against hers, the Mako glow from his own eyes making the green in hers seem brighter. Her gaze twitched from eye to eye for a moment, before she leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose.
"Goodnight!~"
"Goodnight, Aerith." he replied, smiling as he walked over towards the other room, hearing the sound of her door close gently behind him.
Zack took his briefcase and set it on the couch at the far end of the room, before slipping off his suit jacket and placing it over the top of the briefcase. He sat down on the side of the bed, and began untying his shoes. As he was just taking off the second one, and setting them by the foot of the bed, he heard a gentle tap on the door.
He walked towards the door, his socks making almost no sound against the hardwood floor. He lifted the sheathed katana from the bed, and held it in his off-hand just in case as opened the door. Elmyra, Aerith's mother stood outside, a look of slight concern on her face.
"Is there something the matter?" Zack asked, stepping back and gently setting the sword back on the bed against the wall.
Elmyra stepped into the room and began speaking in a low voice. "I've heard Aerith talk about you, and how you're- were in SOLDIER." she said, glancing at his eyes. "Aerith's been followed sometimes, and-"
"Don't worry." Zack interjected calmly "I'm not actually with ShinRa anymore. I just have some friends there helping me out right now."
"Can you trust these friends of yours?" she inquired quietly
"Well, I trust Tseng and Cissnei and whatever they have planned. Without them I probably wouldn't have made it this far, but at the end of the day, they're still ShinRa and that's something I don't trust anymore, so don't worry. As long as ShinRa thinks that she's being properly monitored, they shouldn't try anything drastic."
Elmyra still didn't look convinced, so he continued in a hushed voice.
"It's not just because I'm an ex-SOLDIER, and it took me such a long time to get back here." he said, while carefully avoiding making any hints about his fugitive status "Cissnei told me once that Aerith is special; that she's the last of her kind on the Planet, and that's why ShinRa's watching her. She hasn't brought it up, but I figure that she will when she feels like it. Either way, ShinRa has a way of taking even ordinary people and twisting them into monsters. That's happened far too many times to people that I care for, and I won't let them do that to her."
Zack's gaze was fixed firmly forwards, and Elmyra's expression changed. She didn't smile but the look of concern that had been there before had been washed from her face.
"Thank you, Zack. Goodnight." she said, turning and closing the door, before gently descending back down the stairs.
Zack walked over and laid down on the bed. He couldn't worry about everything, but he wished there wasn't so much that was beyond his control. Regardless, he maintained resolute that he would ensure that nothing he could control would go wrong. He pulled the blankets over himself, and instinctively wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword. As his head sank into the pillow, he suddenly became aware of how long it had been since he had slept in a bed. The softness enveloped him, and he drifted off to sleep thinking about how to help Aerith with her flowers in the morning.
--------------------
Shelke floated in a vast green haze as she descended into Cloud's mind. After some time, she managed to locate a piece of solid ground. It was circular and surrounded by a number of interconnected pathways, leading to outcroppings of memories. Floating marble-like spheres drifted through the nebula-like mist.
"Hmm."
It seemed strange. She had expected the different pieces to be completely disconnected from the level of Mako addiction he was suffering from. Normally when someone was unconscious, it's because their memories weren't able to interconnect properly to restart their own consciousness. But this was... different somehow. She could tell that some memories of past and those of current events had already begun to overlap, as if they'd been forcibly reconstructed already. The odd thing was that it looked different than it would if she'd done it. Rather than a static screen from the SND interface inserting itself into the memory gap, this seemed to be almost purely organic. Those memories and triggers were growing together almost naturally, leaving behind only a small blank white flash in the gap. If she could make modifications in here, they might actually adapt more successfully than normal.
She would need to create an anchor point outside of that memory sector, in case this organic change attempted to overwrite it. There was less chance of it being rejected by the main section if there were a precedent for the content she wanted to add in a different section, so she moved to the South first, drifting back into his childhood.
**Static Crackling**
Cloud was at home in Nibelheim. His mother wandered through the kitchen, her long black hair swaying from side to side as she wandered through the house. Cloud lay back on his bed, when there was a knock at the door. Cloud's mother turned, her hair swept across her face, revealing only her left eye as she walked up to answer the door. Cloud rolled over, and swung his feet off of the bed as the door opened. It was Shelke.
"Hi Cloud!!" she waved, jumping up and down enthusiastically, before looking up at his mother, "Can Cloud come out to play?"
"Yes, he can." She replied.
"Yay!!! C'mon, Cloud, let's go or they'll start without us!!!" she squeaked.
Cloud stood up quickly, and rushed for the door.
"Have fun, but be careful you two!!" his mother replied.
Cloud and Shelke ran out, slamming the door behind them. Weiss was already sitting on top of the water tower with his hands over his eyes and counting out loud. Nero was hiding underneath the tower in the shadows, while Rosso and Azul were wrestling and fighting over a hiding place in the plaza. Shelke ran, holding Cloud's hand hurrying towards one of the fences.
She always knows the best place to hide. he thought to himself, as they climbed over the fence, and hid together behind some crates.
"They won't find us down here, Cloud." she said softly.
**Static Fade**
Shelke wandered back towards the center of Cloud's memories. It was slightly odd making memories with herself and the other Tsviets, but she needed his trust, and it needed to be a deep trust. If this boy was anything like Argento had claimed, he was an asset that they couldn't afford to lose, especially in these details. The memories of playing with siblings and friends pulled at something inside her momentarily, but she shut it out.
I have to focus. she thought. I have a precedent set for the memories, but there's not enough to it. This is complicated, because his past is being blurred into current events, and if he takes too much of it as déjà vu, he might not believe it. She cleared her mind, and moved to the West into a different set of memories.
**Static Crackling**
It was night time, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky as Shelke climbed up the water tower, and sat with Cloud.
"Sorry I'm late, Cloud. What did you want to talk about?" she said, catching her breath.
"Come this spring, I'm leaving this town for Midgar." Cloud replied confidently.
"Are you going to join SOLDIER with Weiss and the rest of them?" she asked
"Yeah, but I'm going to better than of all of them, just like Sephiroth!" he exclaimed.
"I want to come with you too, but you have to promise me something." she said, leaning close to him.
"What?" he asked.
"If you do become the strongest, and we're ever in a bind, you'll come same us, all right?"
"All right... I promise."
A star shot across the sky, and she stood up. She took a marker out of her pocket, and drew a circle on the wall of the water tower.
"This is our mark, so you'll know where to find us, if we need help." she said.
**Static Fade**
Shelke moved back from the cluster of memories. It hadn't been as difficult with Cloud's mother, because the memories of her seemed to have been largely absent, but replacing herself as the girl in those memories had been particularly difficult. She'd have to hope that it took. What was there was good for now.
The North of his mind was still too complicated to deal with all at once. She thought that there might be a way to separate some of the events into the past still. The ones dealing with the town were the least clearly merged back into the present by whatever other force had affected his mind. That should be sufficient, but this step would be significantly more complicated, since it meant very carefully detaching some of his memories and moving them away, plus the manipulation would be rather complicated.
It looked like there was some space to the East where she could assemble them that didn't currently contain an assembled memory node. She carefully began removing some of the unbonded memories from the North and assembling them in the node in the East. Despite being unbonded with the existing node, some of these memories were already muddled. This meant that she would have more difficulty replacing the appropriate roles, and this would be the biggest potential location for failure, not to mention it was much larger than the previous two. It seemed that for some reason Cloud lacked proper identity with who he was, perhaps because he was ashamed of not living up to his goals at the time. But she needed him to be strong from the outset. He needed to believe that he was capable of what she needed him to do...
Once she had pruned the necessary content, she moved to the East and began bonding it together and modifying it.
**Static Crackling**
Cloud sat in the middle of one of the Army's military transport trucks. Zack and a helmeted MP sat together on either side of him as the vehicle bumped along the road. Cloud sat silently as Zack peered out the back of the truck,
"It sure is raining hard." Zack said before leaning down to the lone MP. "Hey, how're you doing?"
The MP, shook his head before saying, "I'm alright." before waving him away.
"Sorry I don't know how you feel, I've never had motion sickness." he said with a shrug, before turning to Cloud. "Everything ok with you?"
Cloud looked up at Zack, "Hey, settle down."
Zack started doing squats, "I just got new materia, and I can't wait to use it. Are you gonna brief us about the mission?"
Cloud stood up and walked to the back of the truck, "This isn't a typical mission."
Cloud sat and faced Zack in the back of the truck. Cloud leaned forward and began explaining the details of their mission.
"There was a unit of SOLDIER that went rogue, referred to as 'Lost Force.' They were supposed to have been one of the most elite squads during the war. They've recently been hunting down other elite SOLDIER members and recruits, and forcibly captivating them to replenish their ranks, and it's assumed that they're trying to form their own army." he looked up directly at Xerif before continuing "First, we'll dispose of the Lost Force, and then we'll locate the captives and set them free."
**White Flash**
Freedom.
R-E-U-N-I-O-N
**White Fade**
"Where are these brutal creatures?" Xerif asked, his glasses disappearing from his face, and his uniform glitching into a SOLDIER First Class uniform briefly, before reverting.
"...Nibelheim..." Cloud said, memories of his childhood friends flashed through his mind, interrupted as the truck lurched to a stop. "That would be our cue." He said, leaping out of the back of the truck, Zack following right behind him.
**Static Glitch**
Cloud and Zack stood in the middle of Nibelheim in flames. Fragments of memories of defeating the members of Lost Force seemed to be in his mind, but their leader had escaped. The Restrictor is what they had called him. As they ran past the water tower, they saw him.
He stood surrounded by the flames. They licked upwards, against his long black cloak, and the sparks were reflected against his black helmet, leaving his face hidden. He turned away from them, disappearing into the darkness. Cloud ran after him shouting,
"RESTRICTOR!!!!"
**Static Glitch**
More sporadic memory fragments seemed to jumble together all at once. Some were images of Restrictor commanding his friends, and taking them away. There were also flashes of being impaled by him, and then healing inside a tank with Zack. Then Zack was helping him travel to find his friends. Sometimes Zack wore glasses and a Deepground uniform, and other times he didn't wear them and had a SOLDIER uniform. They had been in a truck, travelling to...
His vision began to blur into a haze of whiteish green.
Travelling the Mako Reactor to... free... someone... his friends and..... his mother? They were going to be reunited.......? Have a Reunion......? He remembered...... They were close....... The Mako Reactor.........
**Static Fade**
Shelke stepped out of the node to the East. That organic bonding seemed to have been involuntarily triggered by some of the implanted memories that she added. As soon as the trigger had been tripped, it had even flashed white in the middle of her assembly. After that, it seemed that anything complex that she tried to assemble begun to get interlaced with other memories, and had become fragmented. Eventually it got intertwined so tightly during the phase of the Mako Addiction that it had broken apart entirely and just faded out.
Since Cloud had been suffering from Mako Addiction, she hoped that would help to explain the odd fading that this memory set experienced. Still, there was no way of knowing how clear it would be once he actually regained consciousness. Hopefully the presence of his friend Zack in Deepground would serve to reinforce the reality of what he remembered, though if she wasn't careful, he might interfere. At the very least, she didn't think that he'd be able to last in Deepground forever, especially if he came up against the Tsviets once they'd been freed, because she only needed them until then.
She looked to the North now. It was going to be incredibly complicated to make any changes there that took, but the fact that Cloud's memory had looped in on itself was all she needed. She just had to implant the right cues so that Cloud's memory of killing Sephiroth would trigger a déjà vu sensation when he encountered Restrictor. If he really was strong enough to have done that, they didn't need to take the time of making him into a proper Tsviet. That type of power should be enough. Even if he failed, it might present a window that was big enough for them to accomplish the task themselves. She moved into the final section of memories.
***
Shelke sat up in the chair, and removed her helmet. Her SND was completed, and now they just needed to wait for the treatment to take effect, and for Cloud's memories to have time to settle into place. What's done was done, and only time would tell if he would be the savior that they were counting on...
--------------------
Reno, Rude, Epson, & Cissnei stood in Tseng's office waiting. They had been told to meet up there, while he attended a meeting with the President and Heideggar about the Army's conduct during the assault, involving the injury of two of the Turk operatives on location, the deaths of the two rogue subjects, as well as the destruction of one of the helicopters. Tseng's face was deadly serious when he had seen Epson and Cissnei on the helipad.
Epson and Cissnei had been mostly recovered by the materia back at HQ, but they still felt a little worse for wear. Cissnei in particular just wanted to get some rest. The both of them sat in chairs on one side of the room, still recuperating. Rude stood like some sort of picturesque marble statue in the center of the room; his expression stoic and his hands behind his back, while Reno just paced back and forth in front of Tseng's desk.
Reno suddenly straightened up and was opening his mouth to exclaim something exasperatedly, when the door slid open and Tseng walked into the room.
"Sir!" They all said in unison, Epson and Cissnei standing from their chairs.
Tseng motioned them to sit back down, and they gladly complied. Tseng walked over towards the two of them, and Reno and Rude fell in step behind him, one to each side. Tseng stopped just short of them, and Reno and Rude stepped up, forming a close circle.
"Well!?" Reno said impatiently.
Tseng replied calmly, and in a low voice, despite them being along in his office. "The Army's overaggressive conduct was able to work to our advantage, though I'm sorry about the injuries that you two sustained because of it. I was able to blow it up into enough of an internal scandal that there wasn't any suspicion placed on the elimination of the two subjects. In fact that was mostly glossed over, since I placed a larger importance on the survival of my own men that I let the lives of those two take a back seat." He smiled briefly as he continued.
"More than likely, this is what Heideggar wanted, since he came through it makes him look good, even at the expense of our team's safety. He's very inflated about his importance as the Head of the PSMD, and it doesn't hurt to let him stroke his ego every so often, but I won't put up with him putting us in the crossfire. Tensions are already high for us, so we'll have to focus on current objectives. I know we're all worried about Cloud and Xerif. For now, the best we can do is wait until we receive some kind of word from them." He paused, looking across the four of them, as his voice changed back to its official tone.
"Reno, Rude! You two stick with me when you're not on an official mission. We need to build a strong presence around HQ in the meantime so that Heideggar doesn't think that he can just walk all over our department, especially in the next little while. Cissnei, I know Zack'll find himself wandering the Plate with Aerith at some point. Keep an eye on him and make sure that he stays out of trouble when you're off assignment. Epson, you know the Sector 6 slums from your time working with Don Corneo, so if you've got downtime and Cissnei hasn’t got eyes on them on the Plate, make sure they steer clear or trouble in the slums. For now everyone, just go get some rest; you've earned it."
"Roger."
"Absolutely, man."
"Yes, sir."
"You got it."
"Dismissed."
--------------------
-----------------------------------------
~ October 5th, εуλ 0007 ~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments and criticisms are appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Part 1: 4/8/2011
Part 2: 8/11/2011
Part 3: 8/12/2011
Part 4: 8/17/2011
Part 5: 8/18/2011
Part 6: 8/19/2011 & 8/26/2011
Part 7: 9/2/2011
Part 8: 9/9/2011
X
