Due to the multiple levels of narration and conversation in this story, different typefaces will represent different things. Hopefully the characterization will be enough to keep it clear, but here is a general guideline-just in case;

Regular story narration

/hand signal/

Sounds

'Zack's thoughts'

"Aubrey's thoughts"

Chapter 1: It's Game Time!

"Tubas! Head down to the field!"

High in the student section, the three-hundred member West Lake University Stallion Marching Band cheered their team on. It was the 2012 Homecoming game, with five-minutes on the clock until halftime, and the band was beginning to make their way to the field for their halftime performance. Aubrey Sibuz, first-year member, turned and waved to the departing section behind her, wishing her peers good luck on the upcoming performance.

Turning back to the game before her, Aubrey happily noted the Stallion's fourteen point lead, before turning to her section member beside her, a third-year member in the band, "Hey, Danielle? Why do we call our Sousaphones 'Tubas'?"

After a moment in thought, Danielle responded, "I have no idea... because it is easier to say 'Tuba'? I dunno... Ask Franny, she might know"

"Piccolos! Head down to the field!" the director called.

Grabbing her shako and her piccolo, and double checking to make sure her gloves were still beneath her left shoulder strap, Aubrey followed the piccolo section down to the field.

As true with all football time, the five-minutes of "game time" remaining in the second quarter ended up being more like fifteen. Aubrey and the other band members waited patiently in the extra area surrounding the field at the end zone. Aubrey caught snippets of the conversation around her as she moved her way to the front of the group to get a better view of the game...

"Cell Block Tango, make it hot"

"Be angry! Angry, piccolos!"

"Don't forget about the adjusted set for At Last!"

"Pay attention when playing the Alma-Mater for the homecoming court"

"Come-on Stallions! Just a few more yards to go! Let's get a touchdown!"

Aubrey was finally close enough to observe the game before her, finding herself again standing next to Danielle. The two briefly smiled at each other before turning their gaze back to the game; the play was on the side of the field closest to them and they had the best "seats" in the house.

Two minutes on the clock and just a handful of yards to go. The teams flurried into sudden motion- the Stallion's black jerseys mixing with those of the opposing team. Players running towards the press-box side, the ball thrown to the student end. Caught by a Stallion! The stadium noise gradually increasing as the Stallions get closer to the end zone and... TOUCHDOWN! The stadium erupts in cheers and band members jump and cheer in celebration!

The cheers turn to screams...

"Look out!"
"Get outta the way!"

Suddenly the bodies of the football players are very close, moving fast, and unable to stop. Not a second later, Aubrey is slammed into by one of the players, and thrown back into band members behind her, her world dark before she even felt her friends catch her as she fell.

~o~

From within the dense bushes just inside the tree line, two young men observed the massive stone structure before them; past the barbed-wire fence and various groups of guards, the crumbling structure concealed the target of their mission.

The men, a young adult and teenager, teacher and student, had spent the past few hours in their current location, observing their opponents while awaiting the return of their comrades.

The young adult, First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewely, fought the urge to roll his eyes. Like always, his student was full of pent up energy; shifting and fidgeting, unable to sit still. To anyone else, his student's constant movement, especially in their current situation, would appear to be nerves- but Angeal knew better: his young student was anything but nervous, and the fidgeting was a product of his excited anticipation. For a moment, he turned his gaze to his student.

"Zack, focus" He whispered.

"I am" The restive Second Class SOLDIER responded.

"Then stop moving, you're making too much noise"

Zack stopped moving for a moment before turning to face his instructor, "Sorry, 'Geal. But can we go now? All of this waiting is driving me crazy".

"So I see, but we need to wait for Sephiroth and Genesis to return before we attack"

Zack sighed in frustration, returning his gaze to the target. Again, he ran through his mental checklist for evaluating his soon-to-be enemy. Angeal, taking pity on his restless student, provided a small distraction to occupy Zack until their comrades returned.

"Which of the guards, do you think, will pose the most trouble?" he asked quietly, gaining his student's immediate attention.

"Some of the larger guards appear to have been enhanced with mako, but with the three of you that's probably not going to be a problem. We'll have to be careful to defend against the boarder patrol guards when we break cover, though, since they are such close range. The guards on the second and third level tiers, however, are another story"

"How so?"

Zack was well aware that his teacher was merely quizzing him; Angeal already knew the details to what he was asking from Zack. Angeal always focused on observation while they trained saying, 'Thorough observation permits accurate, and effective, evaluation and planning. Even the smallest details can determine life or death for you or your squad'.

"They have the advantage of high ground, which increases their shooting range while decreasing our ability to accurately return fire-not that we will be going in with long-range attacks anyway. Not only that, they appear to have snipers positioned in various windows. Once we enter the field, we won't be able to see the snipers, but they'll have a clear shot at us"

"Why won't the guards on tiers five and six be a problem?"

"By the time they are able to organize themselves for close range, we will be halfway through the field and out of their shooting area. I'm surprised that they have such a large ledge up there, it will become a huge handicap for them when their guns have to be angled downward to shoot... Why is there such a large ledge up there?"

"This facility was once used for research, pertaining to the atmosphere and weather. The machines they used to accomplish various analytic tests, were placed on those ledges"

"Huh... a poorly defensible building once used for research, now hosting terrorists... I suppose we should be thankful to whomever made that decision. Makes our job a lot easier..."

From a few feet behind him, Angeal heard two sets of familiar, quiet, footsteps. Looking back, he greeted his friends with a nod. A moment later, Zack too was aware of their presence, nodding respectfully to his superiors, before returning his gaze to the target. As Genesis and Sephiroth took their positions flanking Angeal and his student, Sephiroth spoke quietly, "We will begin within the hour, when the green flare is fired. Turks will begin at the same time, so be mindful of their presence"

"What? Now we have to wait for a signal? That's not fair, we've been here for hours..." Zack lamented.

As they waited for the signal, the four of them continued to observe the target, Zack fidgeting all the while. A brief flash of apprehension moved through Angeal when he noticed Genesis turning to speak to him. Had he and Zack missed something when doing the pre-mission evaluation?

"I thought you said this kid was going to be an asset on this mission" Genesis said quietly, angling his head slightly towards Zack, "He'll be useless if he's going to be a ball of nerves the whole time".

"Hey! I'm not n-mphf" Angeal quickly threw his hand over his students mouth, muffling the sound of his student's zealous protest and simultaneously forcing the both of them to the ground. Next to them, Sephrioth and Genesis had done the same. All four were completely motionless as they prayed for the board patrol guard's inevitable gaze to turn elsewhere. After a few long seconds of complete silence, Sephiroth indicated for them to return to their original positions.

Zack looked at his three superiors sheepishly, grateful that looks couldn't kill, "Sorry" he whispered, apologetically. As his gaze fell on Genesis, he scowled, "I'm not nervous".

"You keep moving around and making noise like that and it won't matter- you'll blow our cover" Genesis replied sharply.

Before Zack could respond, Angeal cut in, "Zack, focus" he repeated, noticing that Zack had resumed his fidgeting. "Do you remember our objective?"

"Of course; 'Apprehend Doctor Mivels Hailbe and destroy any Shinra-related information he has given to the enemy'... when will the signal be set off? "

"Soon, Zack. Be patient"

"Zack," Sephiroth interrupted, "stop moving". The general didn't need to add 'that's an order' to his statement. All SOLDIERs knew that tone and look meant business, and Zack responded accordingly; halting his motion as if suddenly frozen.

"Sorry, Sir"

During the following ten minutes, Zack struggled to remain still. Were the four of them not in the middle of a soon-to-be battle field, the situation might have even been funny. Every time Zack's mind drifted onto something else, he would subconsciously begin moving again, only to catch himself a moment later, halting his movement abruptly.

After what felt like an eternity to Zack, the signal was set off; a bright green flare shot high above the crumbling building. After drawing their swords, Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and Zack lept out from their hiding place, and sprinted into the field before them.

Gun shots filled the air immediately, as the guards fired off into the surrounding woods. From the north side, four men, SOLDIERs from the look of it, sprang from the bushes, almost too fast to see.

Up on the wall, the guards flurried into motion. Various shouts and commands filled the air, though the sounds were lost to the SOLDIERs below.

"Captian! They are coming from the north!"

" 'ow many, Al?"

"Four. SOLDIERs by the looks of it, Sir"

" 'S that the SOLDIER Three?"

"Who?"

"The SOLDIER Three; General Sephiroth, Angeal Hewely, and Genesis Rasphdos... oh Gaia! 'S them, we're gonna die!"

"What'r SOLDIERs?"

"What do you mean ' What'r SOLDIERs? '... Have you been livin' under a rock or somethin', ?"

"SOLDIERs; Shinra's super warriors? Mako enhanced?... is any of this ringin' a bell?"

"Not really..."

"Shuddup maggots, an' get ready! Yer not gonna die if ya do what yer supposed to' "

It was child's play for the four SOLDIERs to cut through the barbed wire fence. Their sharp swords cut through the metal fence like hot knives through butter. By the time the guards on the wall had organized themselves to effectively attack the intruders, the SOILDERs had already made it through the fence and were advancing through the open field quickly. Not yet discouraged by the intruders progress, the captain gave the order to fire.

"Bring 'um down, maggots! Bring 'um down! I wanna be eaten holed-cheese SOLDIERs for dinner!"

The SOLDIERs hardly noticed the shower of bullets as they prepared themselves for the approaching ground level attack. Their enemies had released about twenty large blood hounds out into the field, and the monsterous dogs were headed their way. Behind the dogs, were about a hundred footment armed with guns, swords, and other various weapons.

The four SOLDIERs didn't miss a beat as they moved their blades into a more favorable attack position. With Sephiroth in front, on point, and Angeal and Genesis to his left and right, Zack hardly had to engage any enemies. Bullets whizzed through the air, the dogs barked and growled, and footmen screamed as the four SOLDIERs cut through their ranks.

Not long after they began, the four SOLDIERs reached the building's entrance and the noise up on the tiers became suddenly quiet. The silence was so complete, one would think the tiers had never been occupied. Apprehensive with the sudden silence, the group cautiously took their positions around the main door, following the General in after he broke it down.

Inside the crumbeling structure, the four were surprised to be met with no resitance. The build lobby was completely empty, as were the halls extending from it. Using SOLDIER hand signals, Sepiroth signaled to Angeal, Genesis, and Zack for them to follow in tight formation.

Unsure where their General was leading them, the three other SOLDIERs kept their eyes on the crumbeling walls and cealing, but to their dismay, the building appeared to be entirely empty. Ignoring the strange situation around them, the four SOLDIERs pressed on, determined to find the people that must be residing somewhere within.

A few minutes later, they found their enemies waiting for them in the cafeteria. Without their SOLDIER enhancements, the four SOLDIERs would have walked right into the awaiting ambush. As it was, the General, the most mako enhanced human on the planet, knew of the ambush long before he and his men would have walked into it. Just out of sight of their enemies, the General stopped his men, signaling to them the situation and how they would proceed:

/target/ /room/ /ahead/

/enemy/ /ambush/ /four-hundred/ /footmen/ /unknown/ /number/ /dogs/

/obstacles/

/company/ /in sight/ /before/ /target/

/expect/ /high/ /difficultly/

/formation/

/tight/ /four point/ /expanding/ /block/

/press/ /enemies/

/annilihate/ /everything/ /exclude/ /target/

After confirming his squad had received the message, the General gave the command to begin: the door was blown inward with a miniature bomb, which was followed with a smoke bomb. After the first round of gunshots had been fired, the General signaled to advance, and the four Shinra SOLDIERs charged into the room.

The second round of gunshots began immediately, and the SOLDIERs used their blades for both attacking and defending simultaneously.

Thrust, parry, lunge, cut, defend, attack, dodge... the motions were fluid, measured, and paced while the SOLDIERs cut through their enemies, keeping tight in formation. As the SOLDIERs made it further into the room, they split into pairs; Genesis and Sephiroth took the right side of the room, and Angeal and Zack took the left. All four continued their deadly dance, without missing a beat.

The sounds of battle gradually died away and, after ensuring his last enemy was dead, Angeal turned to his student, checking to make sure he was okay. Aside from some minor cuts and scratches, the young SOLDIER was uninjured.

"Well, that was fun..." Zack said, sarcastically, when he noticed Angeal looking at him. Angeal merely raised an eyebrow at the statement, before indicating that they needed to head over to the other two. As they met up with the other two, Sephiroth relayed his instructions for the remainder of the mission.

"I need to meet with the Turks: we should not have gone in with such heavy resistance. If they are facing the same on their end, they may not be able to get through" The General told his three companions, "Split up and search the remaineder of the facility- you have an hour and a half. The doctor has to be in here somewhere. If you cannot guarentee his capture, do not engage. Call in your location on your shortwave radio, and wait for assistance. The bombs are set to go off at 1600. Make sure you are well away from the building by then, and report to the rendeveous point by 1630. Zack, the basement was cleared by the Turks before mission start. You should not run into any trouble, but be on your guard" turning to Angeal and Genesis he said, "I will leave levels one, two, five, and six to the two of you. Proceed with caution, and expect heavy resistance. I will clear levels three and four, with the Turks. They have several things to recover there"

With their plan-of-action issued, the four headed off in separate directions; Sephiroth moved to the rear of the facility, where the Turks were supposed to be entering from, Genesis and Angeal followed the staircases leading to the upper levels, and Zack headed for the staircase that led to the basement.

At the bottom of the staircase, the basement was designated with a faded and chipped sign that read "B1". With his weapon drawn, Zack carefully put his head to the door, listening for any sounds on the opposite side. Upon hearing none, he carefully swung the door open and moved through it, prepared to attack should the need arise. The hall was empty, and Zack relaxed slightly, pleased to not be thrown directly into a fight. The stairwell had opened up in the middle of the hall, and it would have been difficult to defend from, with enemies on both sides. Turning to his left, Zack began his inspection of each of the rooms on the floor, recalling his mentor's instruction for subject searching in buildings:

'Remember Zack, use environmental cues to help increase your search productivity' Angeal's voice echoed in Zack's mind.

After several minutes, Zack confirmed all of the rooms on the left side of the hallway were clear. Most had collapsed and couldn't have been entered. The stairwell at the end was the same. Turning back around, Zack resumed his search with the rooms on the right side of the hallway. Though in better condition than the ones on the left, most were chained shut, and obviously had not been entered in quite some time. As he approached the end of the hall, the overhead lights flickered, startling Zack from his focus.

"Damn, nothing creepier than being in a crumbling basement with flickering lights" Zack muttered to himself, while shaking off the sudden shudder.

From the corner of his eye, through an observation window for one of the labs, Zack noticed sheet of paper slowly making it's way across the floor, as if caught by a draft. It came to a stop a moment later, settling on the ground completely motionless. Zack's eyes narrowed; had the paper been caught by a draft from a ventilation unit, his mako enhanced eyes should have picked up at least slight movement in it, even after it had settled on floor. Completely still now though, meant that the draft was from something that had since moved, and was a potential threat. Zack entered the lab with caution.

The lab was large in size, with few places to hide. Zack was able to secure the main room with only a brief glance. Towards the back however, a small hall lead to a different part of the lab. Sword at the ready, Zack proceeded slowly, listening for any sound that may accompany the monster or human that had made its way through here a moment before.

Stepping swiftly around the corner, Zack was shocked to find the hallway continued, turning again at the end. This repeated twice more, before coming to a room that was partially collapsed: rubble littered the floor, and a part of the ceiling blocked the view of the room to his left. Zack entered it carefully, stepping around the rubble near the door, while watching for any sign of movement. Something had to be in here!

The lights flickered again, but Zack barely registered them as the sound of a door slamming echoed from somewhere ahead of him. Adrenaline and mako pumping fast through his veins, Zack stepped quickly around the collapsed ceiling, only to find another stairwell leading further underground.

"What the hell?!" Zack exclaimed in frustration, "The Turk's maps only showed one level,"

Footsteps descended some ways below, the sound echoing up the stairwell. Grabbing his radio, Zack pressed the call button to contact his teammates. "Zack, here. Basement has more than one level. In pursuit of an unidentified human-"

The radio cut him off with a beep, flashing it's no signal icon.

"F***! Stupid shortwave radios. No signal my ass!" Another door slammed in the distance.

Zack took a moment to move around the room, trying to get signal. The icon didn't change however, and Zack wasn't sure how best to proceed. Go back to call for backup, or pursue the potential target? Zack's brief indecision was removed as again another door slammed in the distance, again further than the rest. If this kept up, he wouldn't have a chance at catching back up with the person.

"What was that three more levels? Dammit..." After a quick evaluation of the stairwell integrity, Zack began his descent. Without his mako enhanced hearing, the slamming doors may have thrown him off. With it however, he was able to tell whomever he was pursuing was trying to create a distraction, and confuse him as to which level they were exiting on.

Zack was careful to note the layout of the terrain as he passed it: two sets of stone and metal stairs, counting ten each, followed by a marked sign indicating the floor. As he reached level "B2", Zack quickly, and quietly bent the metal frame so that the door could not be opened without using enhanced strength, preventing an un-enhanced target from going there on a path back up. Another door slammed, followed by descending footsteps.

With the aid of his mako enhanced hearing, Zack could just barely tell that the person was still moving further down the stairwell. The echoing off the stones was beginning to blend the sounds, and he was falling behind from bending the door frames. Another door slammed.

Zack repeated the same for level "B3". While he was working however, the building began to shake: a rumble like an earthquake shook the stairwell, dropping pieces of stone and metal. Zack crouched in the corner, waiting out the debris: the sound of it disrupting his audio-tracking of his target. As the debris finished falling, the lights flickered once, before going out completely, leaving only the dim red emergency lights in the corners.

"F***! Well this just got a whole lot harder. What the hell was that?" Zack muttered, as the dust settled around him.

Zack's mako enhanced eyes would allow him to see in the dark, but the details weren't as sharp as they were under normal lighting. Looking up at the stairwell above him, Zack noted the stairs had several holes now, but were still useable. Looking down below him, Zack sighed. He couldn't tell where the stairs ended, and had lost track of his target.

Zack listened closely for a moment, attempting to hear where his target had gone, though the hall was quiet. Zack sighed in defeat. Looking at his wrist watch, he noted he had about an forty-five-minutes until the bombs were due to go off. His time would be better spent returning to the main level and letting the others know what he had found. Just as he was about to turn around, he faintly heard a woman scream.

"HELLLPPP! HELP! PLEASE!"

A door below him opened, the sounds suddenly much louder, giving way to a woman's heals clacking on the stone floor as she ran. A growling and snarling sound came up next. Followed by a body slipping and falling on the stone steps.

Without thinking and using his enhanced speed, Zack began his frantic descent, "Hold on! I'm coming!" he called.

"HELP ME, PLEASE! NOOO, HEEELLLLLPPPP!" she sobbed, "NOOOO! NO!"

The woman's cries for help were followed by shrieks of pain. Zack's heart lurched at her suffering. Nearly a full minute later, he found her and the monster, the floor level beneath them. Zack was in full battle mode before he even registered the scene. He struck out at the head of the creature, the attack barely phasing it. It turned to face Zack, beady eyes watching him closely, angry for the interruption. The fur on it's back stood on end, and it growled low before producing a wailing screech that dropped Zack to his knees. Barely able to recover, Zack rolled out of the way of a giant clawed paw, before it could slice into him.

Standing up, Zack struck towards the monster's front paw, attempting to maneuver it away from the woman. The creature refused to budge, and lashed out in anger, striking the wall with a shaking force and causing debris to fall from the stairs above. Zack dogged the debris, only to become pinned on his back by the monster, his sword knocked away from him. In a frantic attempt to subvert instant death, Zack grabbed the jaws that were descending on him, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of the snout. The creature yelped, an pulled back slightly, just enough for Zack to get enough leverage to throw it off.

Zack didn't take his eyes off of the monster: he knew he was still to far from his sword to collect it safely, and was going to have to maneuver his way back to it. The creature lunged, and Zack backed up with it, kicking the creature hard in the face once it was within his range. A yelp and a snarl, preceded the creatures next attack: it lunged again, this time its paw outstretched. Zack rolled to the side just missing the outstretched paw, and grabbing his sword in the process. The creature shrieked in frustration. Again it lunged, only to fall on Zack's waiting blade. Breathing hard, Zack threw the heavy creature off of him, arms shaking with the effort.

After confirming the kill was successful, Zack turned to the women, now behind him.

His heart sank. He knew he was too late, but that didn't stop him from checking for a pulse, just in case.

Reigning in the sudden flood of emotions, Zack turned to his surroundings. Mid-mission was not the time to deal with emotional upset. And racing down here in the first place without paying attention was not brightest idea he'd had today.

"B10?... Who the hell puts ten basement levels in a research building?" Zack muttered aloud to himself. Deciding he should at least evaluate the floor to see if there were any other exits, Zack cautiously opened the door, sword at the ready.

The room was dimly lit with two emergency lights, and Zack didn't see any other exits. Thankfully no other monsters showed up. Zack was speculative for a moment. Surly he wasn't chasing the woman... he couldn't have been, he would have heard her heels earlier. They were much louder on the stone than the other footsteps had been. There had to have been someone else on one of these levels.

Closing the door, Zack checked his wrist watch. The bombs were set to go off in twenty-minutes and he had ten floors to climb to reach the main level and exit. If he ran into another enemy and was pulled into a fight, there was a good chance he wouldn't make it out in time. Still drained from his rush down and the fight, Zack began his trek upward, his muscles aching with the effort: the day was starting to catch up with him.

B9...

B8...

B7...

B6... Zack's enhanced hearing picked up a conversation, "I don't know what they're up to, Mivels. But I'm guessing we should get out; four SOLDIERs and two Turks annihilated our army. I don't care what they're up to, I just don't want to be anywhere near them."

Zack froze mid step, listening closely.

"Don't sound so surprised, Maranda. You know the reputation that three of those SOLDIERs have..."

That voice! Thats our target! Zack recalled the targets voice from his earlier debriefing. To say Zack was discomforted by the man's speeches on the videos would be putting it lightly- the doctor just had that look and tone about him that would make one's skin crawl.

Zack glanced down at his watch again. He only had fifteen-minutes left. Engage or leave? Zack's internal war did not last long when he heard the doctor's next words;

"They are up to something, but I'm not sticking around to find out. Knowing Shinra, they'll probably blow the place. Not that it really matters at this point. Oh, make sure you take the center stairwell on your way up. Someone followed me down here, and you are going to be my diversion. With you leading the SOLDIERs further into the building, away from me, I'll be able to escape"

Fueled by a brief flash of anger at the cowardice and blatant disregard for life, Zack burst through the door before Maranda even had a chance to respond.

"What the hell?! You'd just leave her here to die?"

Maranda screamed and ran away from the pissed SOLDIER, deeper into the building. Filing his awareness of her to the back of his consciousness, Zack turned to the creepy old man that was his target.

Doctor Mivels Hailbe was an old man in his sixties. His graying frayed hair stuck out at odd angles, and his lab coat was covered in many stains. From his pocket the doctor pulled out a gun and a knife. With one in each hand, he aimed the gun at Zack, smirking at what he thought would be an easy win.

"Give it up kid. There's no way you're going to survive this"

Not giving his enemy the chance to shoot the gun, Zack lunged forward, creating a shallow cut on the doctor's arm, forcing the gun from his grip. Moving beneath the pathetic attempt at a defense, Zack elbowed the doctor in the stomach, simultaneously running the two of them into the wall and locking the doctor in a hold. After a few hits with the butt of his sword handle, Zack was able to force the man to drop his knife and a moment later, he had the doctor on his stomach, with his hands behind his back. Taking some rope from his pack, Zack proceeded to tie the man's hands, before addressing the doctor again.

"I need you to cooperate if we're both gonna get outta' here, alright?"

The doctor was silent for a minute before responding, "Nice try kid, but I'm not going back to Shinra"

With that final statement, the doctor bit down on a poison tablet hidden in his mouth. The tablet took immediate effect, and the doctor's body began seizing in a matter of seconds.

"Shit!" Zack quickly searched his pockets for an Antidote, but was dismayed to find none. Next to him, the doctor had gone still. It had taken only about twenty-seconds for the tablet to kill the man. Dismayed and frustrated at his failure, Zack searched the doctor's pockets for anything that could be important. Again, the doctor was one step ahead: the man wasn't even carrying a name tag. After confirming again that the doctor was dead, and somehow not faking it through drug induced means, Zack resumed his trek to the main level- the woman Maranda was nowhere in sight, and he was running out of time.

B5...

B4...

B3...

B2...

B1!

Zack was more relieved than he'd care to admit, when he finally reached the main level and exited the building. The warmth from the bright late day sun was a welcomed feeling, he had five-minutes to spare before detonation, and was pleased to see Angeal out in the forest waiting for him. Just as he was about to call out to his mentor, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a roar of sound, and Zack was thrown off his feet.

Angeal watched in horror as his mako enhanced eyes caught the first flash of the bombs going off. They still were supposed to have five-minutes, and Zack was going to be caught in the explosion. It took milliseconds for the domino sequence to innitiate, and Zack was caught in the outer part of the blast, thrown forward before he even knew what was happening. Angeal didn't even have time to move to protect himself as he lost his footing and was thrown backward and buried; he quickly lost consciousness.

Angeal awoke to an uncomfortable pressure on his back. His mind slow as it regained consciousness.

After a moment of regaining his bearings, Angeal maneuvered his way out of the rubble he had been trapped beneath. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious for; it was either a short while, or an entire day, because the sun hadn't moved much from its previous position. It took a moment, but after taking a second to observe his surroundings Angeal's memory of the mission returned.

"ZACK!"

"ZACK!... Dammit..."

Pulling out his phone, Angeal sent an urgent message to Genesis and Sephiroth: 'Over near our stake-out location. Zack is buried in the rubble, somewhere between here and the building site. He was caught in the outer part of the explosion- I do not know if he is alive'.

Before Angeal had a chance to do anything else, the General responded with a text of his own: 'We are on our way'.

Knowing that the 'we' in the General's text was referring to both the General himself and Genesis, Angeal didn't worry about receiving a response from his other friend. Instead, he dialed Zack's number, hoping to get the kid to answer. It was a rule that all PHS devices were turned to total silent status (meaning no form of notification for incoming calls), prior to beginning a stealth mission, however if by some miracle Zack did have his phone out, Angeal might be able to reach him. Unfortunately, the line immediately went to voice mail, meaning it was either off, or dead.

"Dammit... ZACK, ANSWER ME!"

Angeal continued to search through the rubble, and he was soon joined by the General, Genesis, and two Turks. After about an hour of searching, Angeal came across something that sent a flicker of hope and a wave of dread through him: sticking out beneath a large cement slab, was a Shinra issued boot. Following the boot further beneath the rubble, Angeal found his student;

"OVER HERE!"

Using all of his mako enhanced strength Angeal lifted, and nearly threw, the cement slab off of his student. Zack was barely breathing, covered in blood and dust, and had some obvious broken bones in addition to the various burns decorating his body. The injury that had Angeal the most worried however, was the nasty cut on Zack's head. It was deep and bleeding sluggishly. With the help of his comrades, Angeal issued first response aid to his student, staunching the flow of blood from the injuries and setting the broken bones.

To Angeal, time passed in a blur. He couldn't focus on anything but his student, and soon all four of the Shinra SOLDIERs were on a helicopter heading back towards headquarters and emergency care. The ride back was a quiet one, and the sickening weight of worry was tangibly felt by everyone; no one knew if Zack was going to make it.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think and leave a review!

Just so all of you know, this is one of the longest chapters I have ever written! It is over 6,000 words including the author's notes. :) Hope you all have a good weekend!

Oh, and regarding the band incident, it's never happened to me, or to anyone I know, if it has even happened at all- but I think about it all of the time when we (the band members) are waiting for halftime to start... it is one of my fears when down in that area of the field... so that is why it is in here :)

I also apologize for butchering anything football related. I've been watching it since my freshman year of high school, and I still only understand the very basics of it. If you have any corrections or suggestions, please let me know!

Enjoy!