Chapter 1

Zack kept a smile on his face as he kept up a stream of chatter, flicking a glance toward the driver of the truck. The old man didn't seem to be paying them any attention- and hadn't for hours -but the SOLDIER didn't want to take any chances. He'd managed to explain away Cloud's condition as having had too much to drink when they'd bummed a ride 'back to Midgar,' but that excuse wouldn't work twice. It was a long drive and Cloud should've been sober and well into the hangover by now. He exhaled softly, putting off that problem until they were closer to their destination. They still had several hours yet.

"We should leave the truck behind."

Zack's brow furrowed slightly at the stray thought. He turned his head to look toward Midgar, already visible in the distance. There was no doubt that it would be faster to stay in the truck. Even though the road circled almost halfway around Midgar to get from the clifftops to the valley floor, it would still beat walking on foot by a long shot. On the other hand, there weren't many roads leading in and out of Midgar itself and he was fairly certain the Turks, if not ShinRa itself, knew he was headed there. If he had been seen in Kalm, it would be easy for them to set up a road block and force a confrontation. Zack knew he'd been lucky so far in the skirmishes he'd fought, never running into a large enough group to pose a threat. If ShinRa knew where he was, or rather where he'd be, they'd send out everything they had to eliminate him. The fact that they'd chased him for several months across two continents was proof enough of that.

"ShinRa's headquarters are in Midgar. If they even suspect that is our destination, then they're likely to send the army to stop us. We should leave the truck behind."

Zack shook his head, smiling wryly at the errant thought. While it was fairly obvious ShinRa wanted him dead, he didn't think he was quite important enough to warrant sending out the army. Then again, after Banora and Nibelheim- where the company destroyed the entire town to cover-up what happened -he wouldn't put anything past ShinRa. Deciding that it was better to be overly paranoid than ambushed, Zack pushed himself to his feet, holding onto the cab of the truck with one hand as he stretched muscles sore from bouncing in the bed for far too long. Shifting his gaze, he watched the road for a few moments, looking for anything likely to make the driver slow down. It wasn't long before he saw a rather large dip coming up and he knew this was his chance. Falling back into a crouch, he surreptitiously glanced back toward the driver. The old man was distractedly fiddling with the dials on the radio.

Lips quirking in a grin, Zack replaced the buster sword on the magnetic holder on his back and lifted Cloud over one shoulder. "I know I said we'd be able to ride all the way to Midgar, but there's been a change in plans," he informed the blonde, keeping his tone light as he held onto the side of the bed with his free hand. "Seems our stop is coming up a little sooner than expected."

It wasn't long before the truck slowed and Zack hopped out of the bed, stumbling a few steps before he managed to catch his balance. He turned and watched as the truck continued down the road, none the wiser of its missing passengers. He carefully set Cloud on his feet, still supporting the blonde's weight while he pulled one limp arm over his shoulder and put his own arm around the other's waist. Turning from the road he started walking, automatically setting a slow pace to match the shuffling steps at his side.

Hours passed, the rolling hills long since replaced by the craggy rock formations that made up the majority of the cliffs around the wastes. The day was fading into twilight- at least Zack assumed it was. Dark clouds had been building for the last few hours and although the SOLDIER couldn't yet smell any rain on the air, he knew it was only a matter of time. "At least we won't have to worry about helicopters once this storm gets underway," Zack said optimistically. They'd only seen two helicopters so far, but that didn't mean the Turks weren't out in full force looking for them. He'd been lucky in that he'd managed to find somewhere to hide both him and Cloud without being seen both times. He knew if he was spotted Cissnei wouldn't be able to help him this time.

"Whoops! Easy there," Zack said, tightening his grip as the blonde stumbled. "I guess it's time for another break, huh? Let's move over there first, alright?" he asked. "Partial cover is much better than none." He guided Cloud's faltering steps toward a crevice in the rugged rocks to their left, gently easing the blonde to the ground. "Alright, rest up Spiky," he said, taking a seat next to Cloud while absently rolling his left shoulder to relieve the pressure building there. "But don't take too long. I know we haven't seen much in the way of anyone else out here- aside from the helicopters, I mean -but I think this storm will be our best chance to cross the wastes." He let his gaze wander toward the edge of the cliff no more than fifty yards away, Midgar looming just a few miles beyond that. They were so close Zack could almost taste it.

"I don't know if you remember or not," he continued, still rubbing his shoulder, "but once we get down off the cliffs, it's a straight shot to Midgar- literally. The wastes are flat with virtually nothing to use as cover. Hopefully we can find a way down there before the rain starts." He chuckled, uselessly digging his fingers into his shoulder blade. Nothing he did seemed relieve the pressure. "Man! Have you been sneaking food when I'm not around? My shoulder has never acted up like this after carrying you for only a few hours!" He finally gave up trying to massage it away, ruffling Cloud's hair instead. "But, don't you worry about me! I can still carry you just fine. It doesn't really hurt or anything, it just...feels weird, I guess. It's starting to tingle, like it's going numb. I'd carry you on the other shoulder for a while, but I need my right arm free in case we do come across anyone up here. I've gotten pretty good at fighting while carrying you- not that you need to be reminded of that particular skill, I'm sure. At least you don't seem to get motion sickness anymore, right?"

"We should go."

Zack sighed, heaving himself back to his feet. "Alright, break's over Spiky. Come on, up and at 'em," he said, pulling Cloud back to his feet and sliding the blonde's arm back over his shoulder. "You can rest again once we're closer to the edge while I look for a way down, alright?"

Zack hadn't walked more than a few yards when he felt something bulge out from his shoulder, ripping a hole in his shirt. He stumbled in surprise, somehow managing to keep his feet and not drop Cloud at the same time. Eyes tightly shut, he stood still for a moment and took several slow deep breaths as he concentrated on just feeling. Muscles he couldn't identify contracted and tendons he didn't know he had stretched behind his back. There was also a feeling similar to wind blowing through long hair, except Zack knew he didn't have hair that long anywhere on his body but his head. And this was definitely not attached to his scalp. He could also feel something soft brushing against his bare arm around Cloud's back.

Zack slowly opened his eyes, very carefully turning to look over his shoulder. Although he was certain he knew what he'd see, the black wing sprouting from his back was still a shocking slight. He turned his eyes back to the front, taking a few more deep breaths. "Okay," he said, although the voice that came out of his mouth didn't sound like it belonged to him. "That's...unexpected." His eyes widened, jaw going slack with a horrible realization. "Does that mean...I'm degrading too?"

"I'll worry about that later. We can't afford to stop now."

Zack simply stood there for a moment, letting the implications of this new development wash over him. Genesis had showed signs of rapid aging and mental instability once he'd started degrading. There was also a sharp decline in his level of skill as his body failed him. How long did it take for him to reach that point? How much longer did Zack have?

Resolutely shaking his head, Zack forced his feet to keep moving. He'd have time to freak out later, after they were hidden in the slums. If nothing else, the foreign sensations coming from his new appendage gave him a whole new appreciation for how Angeal must have felt. He scowled darkly at the thought of his mentor, purposefully standing up straight as he walked with sure steps. He would not bow to this. An extra limb would not determine his worth. "I am Zackary Fair, SOLDIER First Class," he declared, his voice hard. "I am who I choose to be, not what others make me. This does not make me a monster.

The first few drops of rain were just starting to fall as they reached the edge of the cliff. Zack settled Cloud against some rocks before looking over the side with a critical eye. His enhanced sight could easily see all the way to the bottom of the cliff, even in the gathering gloom, but it didn't look good. There was simply no way he could scale the cliff wall, especially while carrying Cloud. He'd have to keep walking until they found another way down.

A faint hum, barely noticeable over the drizzle of rain caught Zack's attention and he darted toward the nearest rock, pressing his wing close to his body as he searched the skies. He found a small black helicopter to the north of his position, though it looked like little more than a blob at this distance. The search light was turned on and sweeping left to right as they searched the clifftops for the escapees. Zack watched them for several seconds, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized the chopper's current path wouldn't intercept them.

Not wanting to take any chances, Zack kept low as he crawled back to Cloud. "Bad news, buddy. It seems ShinRa knows we're somewhere on the cliffs and is still out looking for us," he informed the blonde. "I'd like to say I have good news too, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to get down from here. We'll have to keep walking and hope we don't run into any patrols on foot." He sighed, settling down next to Cloud as he waited for the helicopter to move on. Chances of them being spotted out the side window weren't good, but Zack wasn't willing to risk it. Sitting against the rocks, they were just another dark spot on the landscape.

Zack shifted, trying to find a comfortable way to sit with his wing folded behind him. No matter how he moved, he was either sitting on it (and digging rocks painfully into the surprisingly sensitive appendage), pulling, pinching or bending feathers (which, he soon discovered, was its own brand of uncomfortable) or bunching up muscles and bones as his weight forced them to bend in ways they weren't designed to. He finally gave up, stretching the wing out as an impromptu rain cover for Cloud. "Man, I really hope this thing's not permanent," he sighed.

Zack glanced back at Cloud, who had turned his head and seemed to be staring at the black wing- or would be, if his eyes were focused. Zack reached out, laying a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Now, I know what you're thinking, Spiky," he said, smiling wryly. "Why don't I just use my wing and fly us outta here, right? Well, aside from the fact that I'm still figuring out how to use the thing, I have no idea if it's strong enough to support both our weights."

Zack didn't mention that he was having a harder time dealing with the thought of being able to fly than the sudden addition of a wing to his person. He'd been a deranged scientist's plaything for years. He could remember when he had been called on to put down the fruits of Hojo's labors back when he was still on ShinRa's payroll. He remembered the monsters mutated beyond recognition, with bones growing outside their skin or an extra head on their back. In light of that, one wing didn't really seem so bad. Using it, on the other hand...

If he were completely honest with himself, Zack was afraid he'd turn into Angeal. Spouting philosophy from the safety of the sidelines was all well and good, but actually being on the receiving end of the looks of horror, of the whispers behind his back, of being ostracized simply because he was different... Zack wasn't sure how well he'd cope with that. Oh, the majority of the populace wouldn't bother him. He was a SOLDIER, and they were feared as much as they were respected. No, there was only one person that mattered to him. Aeris had been afraid of SOLDIERs before they met because they weren't 'normal.' They'd gotten past that but now, after everything he'd gone through to make it to Midgar, if Aeris couldn't...

Zack shook his head sharply, breaking off the thought. He couldn't dwell on 'what ifs' right now. Instead, he turned his attention back to scanning the skies for the helicopter. He could no longer hear it over the rain that was now coming down in buckets and figured that visibility was poor enough they could start moving again. "Come on, Cloud," he said, hauling the blonde back to his feet. "Time to go."

Zack froze, eyes darting toward a beam of light reflecting off the rain maybe forty feet to his right. It disappeared a few seconds later, blocked by the numerous rocky formations littering the area, but Zack knew what it was. Ground patrols were closing in on their position, and with the cliff on one side and the helicopter as back-up... Zack knew if they were found now, he'd never be able to get Cloud out of here.

"I've got to risk going over the cliff. Even if the wing can't fully support us both, it'll slow our descent so we make it to the ground safely."

Zack hesitated, all the possible scenarios playing through his mind. He didn't know how many people were out there, or even how far away they were. While the rocks and rain could give him enough cover to sneak behind them and take them out quietly, it would only take one person radioing for help to bring every Turk and trooper out here down on their heads. Zack grit his teeth. They were too close to fail now. He wasn't going to let Cloud be caught again because he couldn't face his fears.

"We're out of time! I've got to risk it!"

Pushing thoughts of Angeal far from his mind, Zack shifted so he was holding Cloud bridal style and turned so he was facing the edge. He closed his eyes, moving his wing back and forth a few times to make sure he had the hang of it before stretching it out to its fullest. Getting a running start, he took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff.

. . .

To Be Continued

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