By Kainen
Chapter 1 - 4 years later
Hurry! C?mon, move! Faster! . . .Why don?t you run?! The man?s mind was racing, his heart pounding, but still he wouldn?t run or quicken his pace to a jog. He couldn?t chance it, not if he wanted to escape. This time he would make it. This time, he wouldn?t be caught and thrown back into his twisted hell; agonizing over seeing sadistic experiments performed on his friend -- and being able to do nothing. It was because of him -- his weakness -- that he was unable to stop a monster. The very being that started a chain of events that caused all of his friend?s pain and torment, and in turn his.
Zack shook his head trying to dispel memories of the past from flooding his mind, forcing him to remember. Can?t think of times past now, the present is what?s important. He looked down at the limp form of Cloud in his arms and held him closer to his chest. Cloud was deathly pale and he shook violently as shivers consumed his body. His appearance was not a sight to be seen. He was haggard and weak, both physically and mentally, while his skin molded itself to his ribs. Zack?s friend was nothing like the strong, lithe boy he remembered from SOLDIER. When was it? Six years ago? Cloud was barely conscious, his eyes slightly opening and closing to reveal the secret they told the world. Zack caught a glimpse of the glowing Mako blue eyes and knew his shone with a similar colour and brightness. The legendary mark of SOLDIER -- something to be proud of.
What a joke.
The young man could have laughed then, his sides bubbling with the now forgotten tickle of emotion. If he could have allowed himself a minute of laughter, he?d have guaranteed it wouldn?t have been out of joy. Shinra wasn?t something to be proud of being part of -- it was something to loathe, hate, and despise. But the people of Midgar didn?t know Shinra at all. They didn?t know what happened behind closed doors of conference rooms, laboratories or test sites.
Their ignorance was simple to understand: they didn?t care.
The rest of the world didn?t matter, all that was important was to have a good time, to make money and then to drown losses and sorrows in drugs and booze; all the while trying to stay alive. Those who did care though, were few and could do nothing but watch and be ruled. The Shinra company of course took advantage of the faults of its people and hid itself well, masking its true nature to create an illusion of purity.
God, they?ll pay.
Zack?s face twisted with anger and he shook his head again, wanting to forget. His revulsion and hate for Shinra rose again as it did every time he had let his mind wander away from his present life. His present hell.
Nothing else could be heard around the young man except for two pairs of feet hitting the metal grate floor of the hallway. The noise made Zack extremely uneasy. Usually he would be calm, cool, and collected; never letting anxiety get in the way of a mission. That had been in his military days, where he had ranked as a First Class SOLDIER. But that had been years ago. The number of missions he had missed since, to keep his skills sharp and deadly, were too many. But one could be reminded of the old saying: once a SOLDIER, always a SOLDIER. Which meant one could never forget his training or the experiences one went through as a part of Shinra.
Right now, Zack considered all that out the window and forgotten. Right now, blood pounded in his ears over raw nerves. The tiniest sound like his breathing gave Zack a cause for alarm. He feared that at any moment now some Shinra guards would hear him and give chase. The pairs of feet hitting the floor were no exception. In Zack?s eyes the hollowness of the hallway only served to magnify each sound ten-fold.
Zack looked downward then, causing thick strands of hair to fall into his eyes. Past Cloud?s body he examined his attire. He was dressed simply, as a prisoner should, in gray cotton shorts that covered his muscular thighs while simple shoes donned his feet; he wore no socks. On the top portion of his body he wore a white tank top overlaid by a gray sweatshirt. Cloud on the other hand, wore only a pair of shorts.
Why in hell didn?t I get Cloud a sweater?! Zack seethed at his momentary stupidity before he looked up and in front of him.
?Wait, please,? His voice cut through the air, cracking. The figure before him half hidden in shadows stopped and turned.
?What?s wrong? Has something happened?? The woman?s voice was like water over rocks: cool and soothing while still managing to retain an air of authority.
?It?s Cloud. He?s shaking uncontrollably . . . he must be cold.? The ex-SOLDIER?s response to the delicate voice was quiet and imploring.
Though Zack knew the woman wasn?t a certified doctor she did spend a good portion of her days working with medicines and patients to some degree. Because of this, Zack was confident she could ease Cloud?s present physical state. Stepping out from the shadows, the woman slowly approached Zack; the white lab coat she wore shuffling silently at her ankles. Zack saw beautiful colours of green when he looked up from Cloud?s form to the woman?s face. Her eyes had a soft inner glow to them as brown specks of colour encircled the irises.
The woman in turn looked at the young man in front of her. A stern, emotionless face gave way to momentary awe. He was quite handsome; his face wasn?t marred with blemishes or scars from battle as others were. The ex-SOLDIER had sharp features -- all finely chiseled. His strong jaw line curved his face and shocks of midnight black hair framed it magnificently. His eyes were deep blue whose colour reminded her of the open ocean -- something she hadn?t seen for quite some time. His round eyes stood out against everything else, accentuated by the Mako infused into them. But no, she thought, they could never compare to his. His eyes would never dull with age or sorrow or anything caused by man. His uniqueness was his own.
The woman reached out to Cloud then, to the face who held the eyes she?d grown to adore. She stroked his face gently; her fingers gliding over his smooth skin as if he were a child. And, she thought sadly, in a twisted way, he was. In the process, the front of her lab coat slid out of a single button hole that held it closed and the ever so familiar glint of steel could be seen. Zack shuddered then, reminded of the events only less than an hour ago.
*********
?Zack, wake up!? Abruptly, under insistent hands, Zack woke from his slumber, his mind still in a fog of confusion at the sudden arousal. Was it morning already? Cloud still hasn?t recovered from the last time . . . ?Shh, keep quiet and get up and help me.? A figure in the darkness of the cell stopped shaking him then and moved toward the cell doors -- which were wide open.
?Huh? What are you doing here? What time is it?? Zack asked. Sleep was still pulling at him, weighing his eyelids down, but he rubbed at his eyes and managed to get to his feet. Pulling on a sweatshirt from a nearby night stand and following the woman, he intently waited for an answer.
?It?s one thirty in the morning,? the figure outlined in black responded. ?Early enough for us to slip out relatively unnoticed. We have precious hours before they come for Cloud again.? The woman by the doors stood there and looked at Zack, wanting to know if he understood what she was saying. When he said or did nothing to convey his comprehension she elaborated, ?I mean, we?re getting out of here, all three of us. Away from them, away from Hojo.?
Zack was immediately awake at the mention of escape. Could they really do it this time? Seeing his reaction to her words, the woman continued, ?It?s been long enough. Hojo?s work is killing Cloud instead of making him stronger,? Turning, she snapped up some towels from a metal sink, stepped outside and began to wipe the outer walls of the cell. ?We must be quick and quiet,? she finished. ?They haven?t let up on all the security.?
A knot was beginning to form in the pit of Zack?s stomach; it took him time to process what the woman was saying. It was surprising, she held her voice with such certainty and confidence. It was unexpected -- this whole nightly encounter. ?What exactly are you doing? Aren?t there suppose to be guards at the doors?? Approaching the cell?s entrance with caution, Zack looked out tentatively. After his last attempt at escape with Cloud, Hojo had stationed two guards ?round the clock outside the laboratory holding cell. But at the moment, oddly enough, they weren?t there and the hallway lights revealed why.
What Zack saw made him sick to his stomach and he recoiled in horror. Both guards were on the floor dead. One soldier was lying on his side with a knife lodged up to the hilt in the side of his head. Blood welled around the wound and trickled down into his eyes before dripping into a small puddle on the floor. The other man was sitting, rather slumping, on the ground with his back against the smooth metal that made up the walls of the hallway. A crimson red smeared the metal leaving a bloody trail as the body had sunk to the floor. A knife protruded from the soldier?s chest. His eyes were open, staring at nothing. Feeling a wave of nausea coming on, Zack gripped the cell door frame for support.
?My God, you did this?!? he choked out, his voice suddenly hoarse. It was all he could do to keep the bile from rising in his throat. Such viciousness. . . The woman stopped what she was doing and entered the cell again, dropping the blood stained towels on the floor and removed her lab coat. She flung the garment aside carelessly, seemingly oblivious to Zack?s reaction.
?Alright, now help me. We have to get these two set up in each bed,? The woman bent and got a firm hold on the guard she had stabbed in the chest before she began to drag him in the direction of Zack?s bed. The man?s lifeless body left a trail of deep red as it swept across the cell floor, adding to the carnage.
Zack still hadn?t moved or even tried to speak. He stood where he was in disbelief as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. What left Zack speechless was the fact that the woman before him betrayed no emotion or feelings of remorse to what she had just done. She acted as if she did or saw these kind of acts regularly. So much so that she?d grown impervious to any sort of emotions she should have felt.
For the first time since waking up, Zack looked at the woman instead of her actions. He saw that she was clad all in black, from her snug ribbed turtle neck to her heeled boots. Across her chest she wore a row of throwing knives secured diagonally from the top of her left shoulder to the bottom of her right hip where another, smaller, set of knives hung in a leather belt. On her outer calves on each leg a ten-inch blade was strapped in its sheath. Except that, Zack noticed, one of the deadly blades was missing. He looked to the bed he had previously occupied and saw grimly where it had gone.
Where did she get such weapons? Zack thought. More importantly, how?
With a quick motion, the woman pulled her knife from the dead man?s chest, and, after whipping it clean, carefully slipped it back into its sheath. The woman in black then turned to Zack, who still had not moved. Irritation coupled with slight anger lined her voice. ?It was necessary, Zack. Besides, this is nothing new to you, nor is it to me. You know that,? Walking over to the only sink in the cell, she began to vigorously wash the blood from her hands. Continuing, she said, ?You were in SOLDIER; they killed thousands -- especially during the war. You yourself have probably killed many without even putting a name to a face.?
?Never in cold blood.? Zack retorted vehemently, his voice harsh at the accusation. But he had to accept the truth. He had killed a lot of people for Shinra, for SOLDIER. Back then that had been reason enough -- to defend Shinra, to kill for Shinra. That was a fact he couldn?t hide. But always, he would say a prayer afterwards for the countless and faceless people whose lives he had ended. A foolish gesture, Zack knew, to ask for forgiveness but somehow it had cleared his heavy conscience.
At Zack?s response, the woman?s green eyes flashed. They glowed with anger. Her voice turned hard and she spoke with malice. ?These two weren?t innocent! They were part of Cloud?s nightmare, your nightmare, even mine. All they did was stand there taking blind orders, never stopping long enough to think of the consequences of their actions. They deserved to die, as do all the others.?
Her words made Zack cringe. He couldn?t really blame her for being angry. Angry at her own life, her own helplessness, and of course her own inabilities within Shinra. Zack knew she hated whoever was part of Cloud?s daily pain and anguish, and that included herself. Her anger was almost tangible and Zack couldn?t help but shudder inwardly. ?You know the situation,? she stated flatly. ?It goes deeper than what they?re doing to Cloud.? Her voice was soft now, subdued by the remembrance of the whole matter. Her anger and hate were gone, dissolved into something like . . . sorrow?
Zack was silent. All that she had said was true.
It was on one of her nightly visits to his and Cloud?s cell that she had caught him looking at her with curiosity from across the room. Every night she would take the chance to sit beside Cloud?s tired and sleeping form, muttering things of the past and of the present. Unspeakable things, so dark and horrible that no one should have had the right to utter them. But that?s what Shinra did to people. They took what they wanted but gave nothing in return.
Upon seeing Zack watching her, the woman decided to tell him everything: about Shinra, about Hojo, about Cloud and him, and about who and what she was. The pure insanity of it all had shocked Zack to the core. How could they . . . Hojo . . . do this to Cloud?! The very concept of it made Zack flare with anger and renewed hatred. If Zack had not lived it himself, he would have thought the whole thing a fabrication. But it wasn?t. And that made Zack want to protect Cloud even more.
After the woman had finished, she had made Zack promise never to tell Cloud. Her reason being that it would destroy him mentally to know his whole life was nothing more than what he was to Shinra. Zack couldn?t agree to what the woman wanted, how could he? To let a friend keep living a lie. It was unheard of. The most he could offer was when he himself thought Cloud strong enough to handle what he really was, then he would be told everything. Having seen the determination in his eyes, the woman had bowed her head and said nothing.
The stilled darkened figure within the cell seemed to snap out of her own reverie and refocus her sights on Zack. ?I?ll finish cleaning up outside,? she stated. ?You attend to Cloud and get the other guard set up.? With that said, a pair of green eyes turned away from Zack and the woman exited the cell. Zack watched her go and sighed. He went to Cloud?s bed and looked down at him. Such a pale thing he is, can he really be what he once was? Zack thought to himself.
Bending down, Zack slipped his left arm under Cloud?s shoulder blades while his right went to support him under his knees. Cloud didn?t even notice in the least when Zack lifted him up and set him down on the cold, hard floor of the laboratory cell. Straightening, Zack sighed again and turned to the cell?s entrance where the other dead man lay. Zack reached for the guard and silently prayed that there would be no more blood shed for him to see.
*********
?Zack . . . Zack!? The woman in the white lab coat removed her hand from Zack?s shoulder and replaced it in her coat pocket. ?I?m sorry . . . Cloud?s condition is not due to exterior causes.? Her right hand went up to stroke Cloud?s face lovingly. Over his pale face she ran her fingers through his limp hair and her face darkened. ?There is nothing I can do.?
?Then just wait a moment,? Zack said, bending down on one knee. Propping Cloud against him he took off his own sweatshirt and carefully slid Cloud?s arms into the sleeves, pulling the rest of the material over his torso.
?Zack, I implore you, we must hurry. Hojo has guards all over the place,? the woman said in response to Zack?s actions. Zack looked up quizzically.
?I thought,? he said slowly. ?You were in charge of . . . this project . . . in Hojo?s absence. Couldn?t you exploit your position over them??
Shaking her head form side to side the woman replied, ?Be sensible, Zack. They may not be your regular SOLDIER but they?re not stupid either. They will know something?s wrong when they see the experiment being carried by a prisoner lead by the assistant to the committee. Not to mention unguarded.? Lowering her eyes to meet Zack?s, she continued with concern in her voice, ?Besides, I have the feeling they don?t all trust me. For all I know, Hojo could?ve . . . ? Trailing off, the woman turned her head away and covered her face with a hand.
As she did, Zack, despite their current situation, couldn?t help but notice that the woman?s hair shone with brilliance as it caught the light from above the corridor. The dark blonde waves that were her hair appeared thick and soft. Tendrils of colour framed her pale face, some obscuring the pools of green from view. The rest was made up into a tight bun at the very back of her head. The woman had a slim face with high cheek bones. Her eyes had a colour Zack had never seen before in any other woman. And that fact only made her more beautiful. Her full lips were moving now, and it took Zack a minute to realize she was speaking to him.
?If we keep to the back hallways, those that aren?t used regularly, we might have a good chance of making it to the stairway unnoticed. From the stairs, we?ll go down eight floors to reach the twin elevators regular employees use on the fifty-ninth floor. Then, we?ll ride it down and slip out the fire escape where I have arranged for transportation. Do you understand?? Zack?s mouth was tight with tension and all he could do was nod his understanding. At the same time, he brought Cloud up once again to his chest.
?But . . . can we really make it down sixty-seven floors that easily?? Zack managed to say, his voice sounding strained. ?I mean, really, what do we do if -- ?
?There is no ?we?,? the blonde woman cut off harshly. ?You let me worry about it.? With that, she turned around and started to walk off down the hallway with Zack following quietly behind.
End Chapter One
-----Thanks for reading!! Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!!
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