"New Age Heroes"
Prologue: Tifa's Escape
(AN: I DO NOT OWN FF7. This is for entertainment only!)
Darkness became more or less a frightful scene in the city of Midgar. People were rushing home to avoid being attacked by Mako infused monsters or dirty looking thugs who wanted to get easy money. The scarce lighting the houses provided brought little to no comfort. Homeless claimed the sides of the walkway begging passerby's for food and drink or money. For the young beautiful woman now walking down this path the scene was a depressing one and her sadness shined in her tired wine colored eyes. Her outfit that consisted of an old Shinra Guard uniform hung loosely on her lithe form. The boots on her feet were worn and dirty with dried blood and mud. She drug her feet staring at the scenes before her. Her half slackened form slumped more with her exhaustion and her arms exposed with big dark bruises slid with her stride.
Her long dark brown hair clung to her body like a second skin, green liquid dripping the ends. She came to a store and leaned against a column that supported the sign that read ' Sector 7 General Store'. She placed her head onto the cool stone in an attempt to ease her pounding head, the door opening made her head jerk up in alarm. A dizzy spell came over her almost causing her to fall. A big burly man came into view and looked her way. Her eyes begging for help, but at the same time held fear.
"Are you all right miss?" the man asked and Tifa was shocked at the gentle tone in his voice due to his size.
"H-help m-me. S-sh-Shinra.," the woman got out before she collapsed in exhaustion. Her body began falling to the ground. The man caught her with a metal arm and hoisted her up over his shoulder since his other hand held a bag of groceries. He ran as fast as he could to a building that sat in the corner of the town known as Sector 7. He rushed in and to a room not caring about the four people who let out a startled cry due to his actions.
He laid the young maiden onto a bed and ran to the bathroom looking for medical supplies. A young girl with vivid curiosity came into the room. Her purple dress swayed with her stride to the bed. Her medium long brown hair bounced as she walked, her innocent light brown eyes looked the woman over, and scanning each wound with sympathetic worry claiming her once happy filled eyes.
"Marlene, go on back to the living room. She will be okay," the burly man said ruffling the girl's hair after setting the supplies down. The little girl known as Marlene nodded in obedience and ran off in the direction she came from. Once she was gone from view, the man began cleaning the wounds with alcohol and now was able to see tons of needle pricks that marred the woman's strong arms. The man came to the conclusion this woman was one of Hojo's experiments.
He had heard of the madman from other soldiers who claimed they heard screams coming from his lab while on patrol. If the man knew one thing the SOLDIER Guard was never one to make up such stories. The ones he came across who were gossiping like teenagers were telling nothing but the truth. They even talked about the Great Sephiroth going mad and burning down a town and killing all but four people. That came as a shock to him, the man known as Sephiroth was the best Shinra had. If he was gone, Shinra was significantly weakened and they would be easy to destroy now. Shaking his head, he set to work again. Once he was finished with what he could see, he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Jesse! Get your ass in here," the man yelled a bit of rage in his voice. This caused the woman to jump up and clumsily run into the room.
"Yes Barret," the apparently startled Jesse asked. She was very short for her age of late 20's. She was beautiful with her short red-orange hair and light muscular build. Her outfit expressed her obvious lack of fashion sense, she wore an orange over shirt left unbuttoned a bit exposing the white shirt underneath, green pants, a red bandana, and brown boots.
"I need you to examine her and clean any wounds that are not visibly exposed." Barret said in a commanding tone before walking heavily out of the room. Jesse smiled at Barret's gentleman like quality, she closed the door and locked it, and she return to the bedridden woman's side. As she removed the Shinra coat, she saw a huge black bruise on her right shoulder.
This bruise was covered in star-shape cuts like she was butting a steel door or container. This woman apparently was trapped where she didn't want to be. Jesse began gently wiping, cleaning away the muck and puss surrounding the wounds. She paused for a moment when the woman let out a groan of pain and then began again when silence filled the room. Once she was done, she rolled up her pant legs, but only found bruises. She then turned her attention to the tank top, it had a huge bloodspot upon it, and Jesse unconsciously swallowed hard. Nervousness and anxiousness claiming her usually calm form. She lifted it up and immediately turned her head to try and keep herself from regurgitating all over the floor.
The wound on the woman's chest was almost clean except for the end of it that had curved towards her ribcage. The blood had stopped flowing, but infection had set in. Upon further inspection she realized that it was an old scar that had been reopened!
"Goddess, what happened to you child? Who did this to you," Jesse asked the apparent still unconscious woman, her shock overwhelming her capability to move for just a moment.
"S-Sephiroth. H-Hojo," the woman choked out her eyes looking right at Jesse.
"Sephiroth did this to you? Then Hojo reopened your wound right," Jesse asked and frowned when the young woman nodded. She shook her head and dipped the rag into alcohol, wrung it out, and started cleaning the wound. As the rag touched the deep laceration, the woman began screaming and shaking violently.
"I am sorry for your pain. Just hold on, it will be over soon. I promise," Jesse whispered with kindness. The wounded woman opened her eyes that were closed due to the pain, fresh hot tears cascading like waterfalls down her face.
"There ya go. All cleaned up. Just wait here and I will go get the Aid Kit to stitch ya up.," Jesse said smiling and left the room.
"Z-zack," the woman mumbled and more tears fell. Jesse returned and after she got what she needed ready started stitching up the wound.
"Z-zack," the woman said again.
"Zack? Was he trapped like you," Jesse asked finishing up her stitching. "N-no. G-got t-to," was all the woman could get out before her voice left her and she began coughing.
"Just give me a moment. I need to wrap up your wound and I will bring you some food and water," Jesse said while she was wrapping the gauze around the wound. The woman nodded and once Jesse was done she pulled herself into a sitting position against the headboard.
Jesse walked out of the room and left the woman to think for a moment. Although, she appreciated the help, she knew she couldn't stay. She had to get out of Midgar fast before Hojo found her. Jesse returned with a tray of food and a glass of water.
"I am so rude. My name is Jesse. What's yours," Jesse asked sweetly and handed her the glass of water, who gulped it down.
"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart," Tifa said and immediately scarfed the plate of food when Jesse sat it on her lap.
"Nice to meet you Tifa. Where are you from," Jesse asked curiosity filled to the hilt within her. That's when Tifa remembered the flames, bodies, pain, Sephiroth's eyes, and Zack's resolve. Her image of her dead father made her gasp and immediately jump up. She walked with a slight limp to the Shinra coat and slid it back on.
"I am sorry if I offended you miss. Your eyes glow like SOLDIER. I bet you didn't want it though. You should rest up you are not fit to leave," Jesse said getting in front of her to try to get her to stay.
"No, I have to go. You wouldn't understand why," Tifa said her eyes glowing with determination and she smacked the woman away. However, with whatever Hojo had done to her, had caused her strike to Jesse almost sent her through the brick wall. The woman slumped to the ground out cold. Tifa's eyes widened and she ran out of the room and out of the building not caring at the fact that the other 4 people in the home hollered at her to stop. She kept running until she got to the Sector 7 gate leading to the outside world. She looked around and spotted a dead Shinra Soldier. He was most likely killed by thugs. She walked up to the dead man and searched his person for a way out. She found it in his shirt pocket, a keycard. Her freedom was apparent now; she jogged to the gate and swiped the card. The ground slightly shook as the gates came apart. Tifa stuffed the card into her back pocket and ran out and towards the mountain terrain. Hojo wouldn't find her this way it would be too hard. When she reached the top she found an old dirt road and began walking down the path. Her thoughts drifted to while she was in the tank in Hojo's lab. A SOLDIER had told him Sephiroth and Zack were to be executed for treason. They were now allies to Genesis Rhapsodos. The anger on Hojo's face was apparent. Tifa shook her head and looked up quickly when she heard a motorcycle's approach. She could barely make out black spiky hair, hoping it was Zack she began waving him down...
End of Prologue
AN: Do you guys like or not? I know just a mentioning of Genesis, but he will appear in the next chapter! Please review your opinion means a lot to me! Any who, when fate intervenes final chapter and epilogue, should be up in the next couple of days. Thanks to all who read this! JA NE!