After receiving an awfully rude review about this story, I feel that I am required to put this at the beginning of the chapter. THIS STORY IS A NOVELIZATION OF LAST ORDER. Regardless if one wants to debate on whether or not it is a fanfiction is up to them. I really don't care. I spent hours on this only to be told that the reader thought it was a waste of their time. If anyone wants to submit a nasty review, maybe they should think it over before he or she audacity to do so. Everyone else: thank you for taking the time to read this (if you did of course). Hopefully putting this "warning" will be enough for these offensive people.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. Square Enix owns them.

Final Sequence

By

PlayedTheBeamOfLight

The forest around them had an eerie sense to it. The branches of the trees were warped and the roots protruded from the ground like monstrous claws waiting for a weary traveler to trip over them and sink to the grassy floor with exhaustion.

Their hearts were pounding by the time they made it out of the mansion and into the forest nearby. It seemed to be their safest bet to take cover under the canopy of trees and the darkness of the forest. Whether their blood was pounding with exertion and strain or the fear that drove them from the mansion, they didn't know. Their weary legs kept on walking, almost robotically in a way.

The sound of their footsteps and theirs alone was a comforting blanket wrapped around their minds, though their panting was not. Surly SOLDIER and the Turks were on their way to collect them and return the runaways back to the hellish mansion.

There wasn't a single drop of conversation. Zack had never been a "think before you act" type of person and with their current situation he began to worry, becoming nervous and quiet. Cloud on the other hand; well Cloud just didn't speak anymore, not after years of experimentation…

The blond began to slip from Zack's grasp as his motionless legs stumbled over an up- lifted root. The First Class SOLDIER struggled to regain Cloud's position at his side. He slung Cloud's arm over his shoulder once more. Looking down into the younger man's face he saw only an empty expression. Zack smiled a little, unnerved by his companion's lack of life. With his right hand he held Cloud's waist and with his left he held Cloud's other arm. It was like trying to drag a life- size rag doll, but Zack wasn't going to leave his companion behind, not with Hojo and his demented experiments.

As they continued in their slow and steady pace, Zack decided he would try to get some sort of reaction out of Cloud. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'd love to let you take a break but…" he sighed and continued to carry his load. "That's not gonna happen." Zack continued making his way through the eerie forest while trying to keep a positive attitude. Little did he know that there were military soldiers following their trail like dogs on the hunt.

Their helmets had three red dots that formed a triangle that glowed a ghostly red in the dark of the night. They looked like a demon's eyes and reflected much about the Shin- Ra military. They were armed to their teeth in weapons of all sorts, but their favorites were guns. Guns were very effective in the way they could injure their target without killing or just the opposite.

A moment passed before their target disappeared into the darkness further ahead. The soldiers ran forward while making a formation as silently as possible. Their current arsenal were swords, they were scouts sent further ahead to test the strength of the fugitives. Two of them climbed into the trees attempting an attack from the above. They jump down nearly on top of the targets. Their swords were aimed in a calculating manner and gleamed sinisterly in the pale glow of the almost non- existent moonlight above the trees.

Zack stopped dead in his tracks; he knew that they would be found eventually. His muscles tightened and twitched in response to the sudden rush he felt at the anticipation of an upcoming fight. He kept his head facing forward and without a glance, brought out his Buster sword that had been previously resting against his back. He thought that the feel of the blade would have been lost in the five years of their capture and he wasn't sure if he could use it as well as before. He would just have to find out now wouldn't he?

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Tseng sat in a tall- backed swivel chair in front of his desk yet slightly angled to face both the door to his office and the city scene behind him. His hair was tied in the way of his people and he had a tilak made with sandalwood paste, ashes, clay, and other 'cooling' substances, in the middle of his forehead. He was young for his age as a Turk director and commander, but Tseng had been an active member of the Turks for more than four years. He was stern, but polite, calm, and more importantly he was respected among his fellow Turks.

He sat in his chair with a cell phone resting against his ear while staring at the city of Midgar. The light gave off a soft green glow that would have been soothing if it weren't for the thought that the glow came from the city's mako reactors. Still it often calmed his already tranquil persona.

It was dark inside his office with two exceptions. One was the soft shine of mako while the other came from six stylized lights that gave off almost a non- existent, subtle light in the room.

Tseng closed his eyes and listened carefully, keeping silent so as to hear every word. "The military has made contact with the targets," came a muffled voice from the phone.

"Rude and the others head straight for the scene." He paused and thought for a moment. "Everyone else, back to the base… About the location of the target now…"

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He was definitely wrong in presuming that his blade wouldn't feel right in his hands, even after five years without it. Zack looked up at the attackers from above and took a moment to calculate, just a moment. He had finally decided to take out the two men charging behind him first. He attacked, slicing towards the area to his back. Making contact with the pursuers, blood sprayed from mortal wounds, staining his blade crimson with their lifeblood.

The aerial attackers were next as they missed their chance to strike the moment Zack moved. His raven hair billowing whichever way he went, he swiftly brought his blade behind him, gently releasing Cloud from his grasp. They blonde sat in the ground absorbing what he could see through hazy green vision. With both hands, Zack made a swift diagonal cut, leaving behind now two more dead bodies.

The last man charged towards Zack with a loud cry in an effort to take down the First Class SOLDIER on his own. He failed miserably as Zack sliced diagonally upwards, bringing some dirt with attack, as he diced the man in half. Returning his blade as if nothing happened, he walked over to the blond lump that was Cloud, who lay prostrate on the ground supported only by his forearms and elbows. Zack smirked as he bent down to pick Cloud back up.

"Like an average SOLDIER can take me on, right?" he joked hoisting Cloud up from the ground. The blond said nothing, making no movement or acknowledgement to Zack's presence. His eyebrows furrowed from the silence that came from his companion; it was pretty disappointing. Zack had hoped that Cloud's health and mentality would get better the further they were from the mansion, apparently that wasn't the case. He leaned over to Cloud and slung his arm around his waist. Zack, using his left arm to hold on to Cloud's right, lifted him up from the ground and they continued walking.

"There they are!" Someone shouted from far behind them. There were at least ten more SOLDIERS all armed with machine guns. Zack sighed and began to run.

"They never give up do they?" ha gave a cheerful laugh. "What a bunch of persistent guys…" The second Zack began to run the SOLDIERS opened fire. The wide Buster sword acted almost like a shield deflecting their bullets and protecting them from harm. He smirked. "You can't hit me!" he taunted. Their shots got sloppy; they didn't like being teased.

While supporting Cloud's arm over his shoulder, they drew ever closer to what seemed to be a very steep hill but it was more of a drop off than a hill. He never faltered in his escape. When Zack realized it was a cliff, he only sped up preparing to jump. He took it as an invitation to a thrill ride, a dangerous risk that he just had to try. Cloud said nothing as they free- fell high in the air; he just remained in his cataleptic state. The wind gushed passed them while chasing after them were the SOLDIERS hoping that the two fugitives would fall to their death, but they knew better than that.

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Tseng held a stick of red wax over the candle flame, watching it melt with fascination and amusement. One drop was all he needed and when that drop landed on the piece of paper next to his signature, it looked like a single drop of blood. Picking up the signet with the Shin- Ra logo engraved on it, he pressed lightly on the wax and lifted, looking at the wax seal. Picking up a nearby pen he began to write:

Seventy- two hours ago, we at the Executive Department Investigation Section, also known as the Turks, received a mission to capture samples that were on the run from a Shin- Ra Facility. The escaping samples, it seems, are two fully- grown adult males. One of them is a combat expert who was formerly a SOLDIER First Class.

Tseng set the pen down and got up. With the first report finished, he could treat himself to the coffee that had been given to him a few minutes ago. He leaned against the window frame and stared out into the shining city that was Midgar. He began reminiscing about what happened five years ago in the Nibelheim incident. Behind him there was a case album specifically relating to that incident five years ago.

On these pages were pictures of the people involved and description of what had happened and if possible, detailing where they were now. Because of what happened five years ago, the targets of this current mission were somewhat related to him. If this incident hadn't happened five years ago, their lives would never have been this crazy.

Tseng opened the album and turned the first page. "If it weren't for that man…" he said taking another sip of his not so hot coffee. The picture was of Sephiroth. "The strongest SOLDIER… Some of us even went as far as to call him a hero." In a way he was, that is until he underwent a period of insanity when he found his true identity: one of Hojo's warped experiments to create the perfect warrior. Unfortunately, it was a success. Hojo had indeed created the most elite of warriors; the problem was that he seemed to be unstoppable.

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Well, let me know what you think. Reviews and comments are highly appreciated. Any flames and disrespectable comments will be used for toasting marshmallows.