Chapter 7

It ended up taking him just under two hours to reach the bar and he was glad to note it was just as empty as the time he'd been there before. Tifa was straightening chairs and filling the bowls on the tables with nuts, smiling at him when he walked in. She motioned him to a corner table where the same man with the gunarm he'd seen last time was sitting. He was wearing a dirty brown vest, left open in the front with the sleeves torn off and dark green cargo pants. His head was shaved around the sides and back, with a shock of black hair cropped close to his scalp on top. He had a full beard and mustache, also neatly trimmed, with two thin scars under his right eye that disappeared into his beard. He was a bit on the heavy set side, although Zack could see it was almost pure muscle. The ex-SOLDIER almost wanted to ask if the flaming skull tattooed on his bicep moved when he flexed, but managed to keep the question to himself. If the glower was any indication, this man didn't like him already.

"Zack, this is Barret," Tifa introduced them, taking a seat next to burly man. "Barret, he's the friend I told you about."

"Heard you was a SOLDIER," Barret said, openly looking Zack up and down. "You don't look that tough to me."

"Ex-SOLDIER," Zack corrected, giving the gunman a somewhat forced smile. He could already tell working with Barret wasn't going to be fun. "I heard you had a job for me."

"Maybe."

Zack blinked. "Isn't that more of a 'yes or no' question? How can you 'maybe' have a job for me?"

"You got a problem with fighin' ShinRa?"

Zack snorted. "I wouldn't have come all the way down here when Tifa said 'terrorist cell' if I did," he stated.

"You've got a smart mouth on you, boy," Barret said, eyes narrowing.

"Call it a character flaw," Zack replied, grinning. "I like to speak my mind."

"I'd watch it, if I were you- might get into trouble someday."

"I've been alright so far."

"Cocky bastard, ain'tcha?" Barret grunted.

Tifa could tell this was going nowhere fast. "Tell him about the job," she said.

Barret scowled. "I don't trust him."

There was a loud smack of a boot connecting with flesh under the table and Zack winced in sympathy. To his credit, Barret didn't make a sound. He turned his smoldering gaze on Tifa.

"We already went over this before I called Zack," she pointed out angrily. "You said we really needed the help, I vouched for him and you agreed to give him a chance."

Barret dropped his gaze to the table, muttering a few expletives under his breath. "We're gonna blow up one of the reactors," he said, glaring at Zack. "You okay wit' that?"

Zack leaned back, folding his arms pensively. "I'll help, but only if we do it at night. There'll be fewer casualties that way."

Barret's gaze darkened. "We're trying to hurt that ShinRa scum," he said heatedly.

"I'm all for hurting the corporation," Zack agreed. "But a lot of the people that work for them- janitors, maintenance workers, secretaries -they're just innocent people doing the best they can. ShinRa provides a lot of jobs for the middle class and I don't think they should be punished just for trying to earn a living," he stated, his gaze hard. "And, that's not counting the fallout of an explosion to the business sector just outside the reactor."

Barret was grudgingly forced to admit Zack had a valid point. "What about the guards?" he pointed out. "They're just more of your middle class trying to earn a livin'. You gonna have a problem wit' us killin' them?" he asked.

Zack's expression didn't change. "When you sign up with the army, you know your life will be on the line every time you fight. They should be prepared for the consequences of that choice."

Barret raised an eyebrow in faint approval. "Huh. I might learn to like you yet, Whitey," he said, his lips quirking in an almost-smile.

. . .

The train hurtled along its tracks toward its destination, its whistle piercing the night air. Brakes screeched as it neared the station, finally coming to a stop at the end of the line. Zack didn't wait for it to stop completely, leaping off and taking out the startled guard before he knew what hit him. Bringing his sword up, he turned to face the guard at the other end of the platform only to find a man in green army fatigues with a red headband tied around his forehead had already beaten him to the punch. Nodding at Biggs, Zack turned and signaled 'all clear.' He didn't wait for the remaining three members of the team to disembark before turning and following Biggs up the stairs to street level.

They came to a crossroads, the path ahead of them blocked by a thick steel gate lit by a lone streetlight. Biggs automatically moved to guard the road leading to the left while Zack took the right, sticking to the shadows. Barret and two more hurried toward the locked gate, the burly gunman saying something about not moving around in a group while a woman examined the access panel with a practiced eye. She had long light brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and was wearing a navy blue shirt under her breastplate and shoulder guards with a pair of khaki shorts and running shoes. Zack had been told Jesse was their expert when it came to anything electronic, from fake IDs to coded door locks. From the way she was confidently re-wiring the panel, Zack didn't see any reason to disagree.

The last member of the group was the only one who really looked like he didn't belong. A bit on the portly side, Wedge was standing near the center of their group, hands clutching the machine gun like a lifeline as he anxiously glanced down the street. He was wearing a pale yellow shirt with blue pants, a red bandana covering his dark brown hair and was shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously. He jumped when Jesse's voice broke the silence.

"I've got it," she said, quickly gathering her gear as the gate slid open.

Biggs and Zack took the lead again, running ahead to clear the way for the others. The road turned to the left and the ex-SOLDIER stole quietly to the edge of the building, carefully peering around the corner. He was surprised to see a lone trooper walking the patrol route with a guard hound at his side. He hadn't realized ShinRa had been successful in training monsters to support their troops. Spying the shock collar and corresponding remote on the trooper's belt, Zack revised his opinion. It seemed ShinRa had been mostly successful in training monsters not to attack whoever had the remote.

Taking a deep breath, Zack turned the corner and burst into action. He could feel the mako singing in his veins as he sprinted forward, almost moving faster than the eye could see. The guard hound reacted faster than his handler, hunkering down and baring its teeth as it prepared to lunge. Zack's materia glowed with barely a thought, a thick ice crystal literally freezing the monster in place. The trooper barely had time to widen his eyes before Zack's sword had plunged through his heart. As he fell to the ground, Zack spun and kicked the ice hard, shattering it and killing the guard hound instantly.

"Pretty impressive skills," Biggs said, running to catch up. "I know Barret said you were ex-SOLDIER, but...wow."

"This? This was nothing," Zack said easily, wiping his sword on the fallen trooper's uniform. "Come on, let's keep going."

It didn't take them long to reach the reactor core, members breaking off one by one to guard their retreat until it was just Barret and Zack left. They finally made it down to a wide catwalk, the glowing mako far below it casting the room in an eerie green.

The gunman pushed the bomb into Zack's arms, gesturing at the control panel at the end of the catwalk. "You set the bomb."

"Me?" Zack asked, a bit startled. "I don't know anything about explosives! You do it!" he insisted, trying to hand it back.

"I gotta make sure you don't pull nothin'."

"Seriously? We're in the heart of the reactor, about to blow it sky high! What do you honestly think I'm gonna do? We killed all the guards on the way in here!" Zack exclaimed, gesturing back the way they'd come.

"Jus' do it!"

"Fine!" Zack grudgingly took the bomb, grumbling under his breath as he stomped over to the control panel. He wedged the explosive under a valve shut off handle, hoping it didn't actually have to be wired into anything. "How do I turn it on?" he asked.

"There's a switch on the side."

Zack found it and flipped it. "There," he said, turning around. "Anything else?"

Loud alarms started blaring, red lights flashing along the roof. Both men clapped their hands over their ears.

"What'd you do!" Barret yelled, running for the exit.

"Don't blame me! I told you I didn't know what I was doing!" Zack shouted back. He skidded to a stop as an odd shadow pattern caught his attention, jumping backward as a large robot landed where he'd just been on the walkway.

Feeling the tremor in the metal platform under his feet, Barret glanced back over his shoulder. He cursed loudly, stopping and swinging his gun around. "What is that?" he demanded.

The robot uncurled from its compact position, getting its feet beneath it and balancing its weight between six legs. The core was raised a little above the main body with two machine gun-like arms attached to it and a long tail ending in a sharp point twitched almost spastically behind it. All in all, Zack thought it looked like someone had built a mechanical scorpion as tall as a house. "You go on ahead!" he called to Barret over the alarms as he drew his sword. "I'll take care of this!"

The robot locked onto Zack, bullets peppering the ground as he launched himself into the air. He landed on its back, bringing his sword down on the core and breaching its armor. He couldn't inflict any damage before the tail swung toward him, forcing him to jump out of the way. He landed to the robot's side, immediately rolling under another spray of bullets. He was back in the air as soon as he could stand, charging the strongest lightning spell he had as he landed again on its back. Thrusting his hand into the hole he'd made previously, he released the spell.

The robot jerked and twitched as all its circuits were fried, sagging to the floor. Zack glance around at the staccato of gunfire interspersed with the sound of bullets impacting metal right behind him. The large tail crashed heavily into the robot's back beside Zack, the bullets having knocked it off course. "Thanks Barret," he said, pulling his hand from the core.

Barret nodded as he turned, leading the way back.

They managed to make it out just before the bomb went off, taking shelter in a maintenance tunnel as the explosion rocked the Plate. They all hit the ground and covered their heads as bits of the roof cracked and fell on them, chunks of metal and concrete creating a deafening racket as it rained down outside. Once the worst of it seemed to be over, Zack cautiously raised his head and glanced around.

"Anyone get hurt?" Barret asked, looking around at the group. Several head shakes answered his question.

"Um, I don't mean to sound pessimistic," Zack said, glancing at the now completely blocked- and in some places, still smoldering -entrance. "But, did anyone plan for that?"

"Don't worry, I got it covered," Jesse spoke up, digging through her bag as she headed to the opposite end of the tunnel. She took a moment to study the debris, deciding the best place to set the charge.

"Wow, electronics and explosives," Zack commented lightly. "I didn't really think those two would go hand in hand."

"You'd be surprised," Jesse replied, sticking a small amount of C4 to the rubble. "Alright, everyone get back! Boss, if you'd do the honors?" she said, running back to the group and hunkering down.

Barret nodded, lying on the ground before raising his gun and firing.

The much smaller explosion did its job, creating an opening large enough for them to jump through. Zack went first, his hand on his sword as he glanced around for any guards before stepping out of the way to let Barret through.

"Awright, now let's get out of here!" Barret said once they were all out. "Rendezvous at the Sector 8 train station! Split up and get on the train!" Everyone nodded and headed out in a different direction, quickly picking their way through the rubble.

Zack shrugged and headed up the stairs to his left. He recognized Loveless Avenue, the billboards and signs advertising the latest rendition of the play. The structural damage was surprisingly minimal considering the mess he had left behind, although one of the trucks parked on the street had been flipped on its side. Not wanting to linger more than necessary, Zack quickly headed through the main plaza and turned down a back alley. If he remembered right, this should be a shortcut to the station. He followed the alley to the next street, groaning when he realized this was the bridge the train passed under as it began its descent down into the slums- and the station was back in the opposite direction.

"Hey! You there!"

Zack spun around, eyes narrowing at two troopers who had their guns trained on him. He had to admit, he was impressed with their response time.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" one of the troopers barked.

Zack didn't have time for this. His materia glowed, fireballs flying toward the guards. He dodged to the side as they fired blind, a scream telling him at least one fireball hit the mark. Pulling his sword out, he rushed the other guard, taking his head clean off with one swing before administering a mercy killing to his still-burning friend. He could see more guards running toward the alley way, blocking his path. Cursing, he headed back toward the bridge- still away from the station -and turned to the right, hoping to be able to circle back.

"Halt!"

Zack didn't hesitate as three more troopers appeared in his path, using the poor lighting to his advantage as he leapt high in the air. The guards brought their guns up, firing blindly into the night. Zack deflected the two or three bullets that would have hit him with his sword, planting his boot solidly on the middle trooper's head as he landed. His sword came down on the trooper to the right while a flash of lightning took out the one on the left. He could see more troopers circling around to cut off this street as well so he turned and headed in the opposite direction.

"Stop right there!

Zack cursed loudly as several more guards seemly materialized on the street ahead of him, sourly noting that all his escape routes had been cut off. Knowing he was far outnumbered, the troopers moved in to surround him, guns all aimed and ready to fire. Zack took a step back, his boot hitting the upraised concrete of the curb. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, noting with some irony that he'd been backed up against the edge of the bridge the very train he needed to be on would pass under. He stepped up on the curb, keeping his sword in front of him.

A red uniform appeared out of the sea of blue- a commanding officer. "Citizen, you are under arrest," the officer proclaimed. "Lay down your weapon and surrender."

"What are the charges?" Zack asked, stalling for time. "I was having trouble sleeping, so I went out for an evening stroll. Is that against the law?"

"You will be detained for questioning in regards to the explosion of the No.1 Mako Reactor," the officer barked. "Even if you had nothing to do with it, you are still responsible for the deaths of five men!"

"They attacked me first- it was self-defense!"

"The judge will decide that."

Zack snorted. "You mean, ShinRa will decide if I'm to be the scapegoat for this."

The officer narrowed his eyes. "Lower your weapon and surrender or we shall have to use force!"

Zack bit back a grin as he heard the familiar whistle getting closer. "If I lower my sword, none of your men will shoot?" he asked, edging back slightly. "I'm sure some of these guys were friends of the ones I killed."

"None of them will shoot unless I give the order."

Zack could feel the vibrations in the ground as the train drew nearer. "Alright," he said raising his hands and slowly sliding the sword back into its harness. "Just don't shoot."

"A wise choice." The officer motioned two of the guards forward.

Zack smiled as the train finally passed under the bridge. "Sorry," he said, stepping back. The bullets flew over his head as he fell, twisting to land on his hands and knees on top of the second passenger car. He was already under the next overpass and out of sight before the troopers could adjust their aim.

Knowing he didn't have much time before the security checkpoint- aka, a laser grid covering the tunnel to prevent hitchhikers outside the train -he crawled to the back of the train as quickly as he could. Once he was at the last car he leaned over the side and banged on the door. If everything had gone according to plan- for everyone else, at least -then Barret's team should be in there.

He waited several seconds, but no one opened the door. "Come on, guys!" he said, banging on it again. "I can't ride out here all the way down to the slums!"

He couldn't wait any longer. He moved to the edge of the door, grabbing the rim and pulling with his adrenaline and mako fueled strength. The catch snapped and the door was flung back along its rail, clanging loudly as it hit the end. Zack almost lost his balance, not expecting it to give so easily. Quickly catching himself, he crawled back over the now-open doorway, grabbed the frame and swung himself inside.

Several loud exclamations met his ears as he straightened up, the group all wearing various expressions of shock. Zack looked around, relieved that only members of AVALANCHE were in the baggage car. "Am I late?" he asked grinning.

"Yes, you're late!" Barret yelled, pounding his fist on the crate next to him for emphasis. "Think you can't just waltz in here, making a big scene!"

"Hey, I knocked first, but no one would open the door!" Zack shrugged, brushing the big man off. "What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to meet at the station, like everyone else!" Barret yelled. "Havin' everyone worried like that. You don't care 'bout no one but yourself!"

"I'm sorry!" Zack apologized, holding his hands up placatingly. "I didn't do it on purpose! I kind of...went the wrong way and got cornered by a bunch of troopers. I had to escape by jumping on the train as it passed under the bridge!"

Barret stared at him for several seconds in disbelief before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You mean to tell me, Mr. big-and-bad-ex-member-of-SOLDIER got lost on the way to the rendezvous point?"

"Heh, it's been a really long time since I was Plateside," Zack hedged, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it all worked out in the end, right?"

Barret muttered several less than complimentary phrases under his breath before moving toward the head of the car. "We're moving out!" he declared. "Follow me!"

They relocated to the last passenger car, making themselves comfortable for the long ride. They arrived at the Sector 7 station without any further difficulties. Barret disembarked first, motioning the others to follow him off the side. "The mission was a success," he stated, keeping his voice low. "But don't get lazy now. The hard part's still to come! Don't y'all be scared of that explosion, 'cuz the next one's gonna be bigger than that!"

"Why?" Zack asked. "We took out the reactor just fine- what's the point in taking out the surrounding areas as well?" He noticed Jesse looked a little disappointed with his logic.

Barret glared at him for interrupting. "Meet back at the hideout!" he said, acting like Zack hadn't spoken. "Move out!"

The group split up again, although Zack wasn't really sure what the point was. Given the layout of the slums, there was generally only one path they could take to reach their destination. Shrugging, he followed behind the others.

Barret entered the bar first, Biggs, Wedge and Jesse hanging back at the base of the stairs. Zack's eyes widened as he heard gunfire. All the patrons quickly filed out, falling over each other in their haste to get away. Barret reappeared, motioning the members of AVALANCHE inside.

Zack marched right up to him, poking a finger at his chest. "What do you think you're doing!" he hissed. "We're supposed to be lying low!"

Barret pushed Zack's hand away. "I'm emptyin' the bar. We need ta have a meetin'."

"You don't think clearing out a bar at gunpoint after a reactor exploded is gonna catch anyone's attention?" Zack demanded.

"These guys are all too drunk to remember anything," Barret said, raising his voice. "And if they ain't they better fo'getaboudit, if they know what's good for 'em!" He saw several people in the immediate area flinch, quickly looking away.

Zack clenched his teeth, shaking his head and muttering under his breath as he entered the bar. Working for Barret seemed like a worse and worse idea all the time.

. . .

It was very early morning by the time Zack made it back to Aeris' house. He quietly unlocked the door and pushed it open, pausing as several items thumped heavily on the floor behind it. He stuck his head inside, glancing behind the door. Several large books had been stacked on their ends against the door, falling over as soon as he pushed it open.

"Zack...?" a sleepy voice across the room asked. "Is that you?"

Zack looked up, his enhanced slight easily picking out Aeris sitting up on the couch, rubbing one eye as she looked toward the doorway. "Yeah, it's me," he said, stepping inside and closing the door. "I told you not to wait up." He knelt and began gathering up the books.

"I didn't," Aeris argued, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head. "I slept on the couch."

Zack shook his head, stacking the books on the table. "I'm guessing that was meant to wake you up when I got home?" he asked, gesturing at the door.

"Mm-hm," Aeris agreed, turning on a lamp on the end table. She flinched away from the light, covering her eyes with her hand until they adjusted. "I wanted to make sure you got back safely."

Zack smiled. "Well, as you can see I made it back safe and sound. You should go back to sleep."

Aeris' brow furrowed, something in his tone bothering her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

Zack sighed, plopping down on the seat next to her. "The mission was fine," he said, waving his hand absently. "It's just...I don't know. I don't really get on all that well with Barret."

"I can't imagine anyone not liking you," Aeris said, snuggling up against his side.

Zack chuckled. "They're more common than you might think," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "But this is more than just a personality clash- I've had commanding officers I didn't like before. This is more of a disagreement about how things should be done, I guess."

"Like...what?"

"Like setting the next mission for tomorrow night instead of next week, or two weeks from now."

"Does it make that much of a difference?" Aeris asked.

Zack nodded. "After the reactor was hit, ShinRa will be increasing security on all of the remaining ones. The extra security will still be there in a week or two, but they won't be as on edge as they will tomorrow night," he explained.

"Did you explain that to Barret?"

"Yeah. For all the good it did me." Zack sighed, shaking his head. "I think our easy victory last night has gone to his head. Also, he's always spouting philosophy about 'ShinRa sucking the Planet dry,' but I don't think that's his main reason for doing all this. It seems much more personal than that."

Aeris cocked her head so she could look at him. "Isn't that pretty much your reason, too?"

"I'm just a mercenary for hire," Zack deflected. "I'm not saying it's bad that Barret is doing this for revenge. The problem is he's too emotionally attached." He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "When I first took the job, I was able to reason with him. After the successful mission last night, he refused to consider anyone else's opinion but his own- even accused me of still being loyal to ShinRa, if you can believe that." He shook his head again. "He's so caught up one minor victory that he can't see- or is ignoring -the threat that ShinRa still poses. That's what makes it dangerous to follow him."

Aeris let her gaze fall, staring unseeingly at the floor. "The next mission is tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And it's going to be even more dangerous?"

"...Yeah."

She bit her lip. "You're going to go anyway, aren't you?"

Zack huffed out a breath of air. "Tifa will be coming along this time," he said, rubbing her arm. "And I kinda feel I owe it to Cloud to look out for her, you know?"

Aeris didn't reply.

"Hey," Zack said, tilting her chin up to look at him. "I'll be careful," he promised, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. "And I already told Barret this would be the last job."

"I don't want to lose you again," Aeris said softly.

"You won't," he said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I promise. You know I always keep my promises, right?"

"Do I have to wait four more years?" Aeris asked, giving him a shaky smile.

"No." Zack turned so he could wrap his other arm around her, holding her against his chest. "Whatever happens, I swear I will be home by this time tomorrow." He paused contemplatively. "Tonight? Tomorrow morning? What time is it anyway? Is it still today or is it already tomorrow?"

"You totally ruined the moment," she told him, chuckling softly. "Thanks Zack."

"Try not to worry about me, alright?" he asked. "Barret may not be a military man, but I am- uh, was -and we're trained not only to follow orders, but to improvise if the mission goes south. And, I think we're going to have to hit a few more reactors before ShinRa mobilizes a defensive unit that can give me a run for my money." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Aeris sighed, unable to quell the traitorous voice in her mind that whispered Zack wouldn't come back from this mission. "I'll hold you to that."

. . .

"I don't like this," Zack said, bringing up the rear behind Tifa while Barret led the way. Biggs, Wedge and Jesse must have been assigned jobs elsewhere, because Zack hadn't seen them since entering the reactor.

"What are you talking about?" Tifa asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Aside from the hiccup with our fake IDs, this mission has gone perfectly."

"Okay, first off, being forced to jump off a moving train to avoid being caught by security is not what I'd call a 'hiccup'," he pointed out. "As for the rest of the mission- doesn't it seem odd that we've encountered almost no resistance? Everyone's been talking about how ShinRa has increased security, yet we've run into less hostiles than we did in the No.1 Mako Reactor," Zack pointed out. "There wasn't even some sort of security robot in the core!"

"Maybe you jus' didn't trip the alarm this time," Barret pointed out.

"Hey, I did exactly what you told me to!" Zack argued. "Besides, if you thought I messed up last time, why would you insist on me being the one to set the bomb again today?"

"Maybe they increased security at the No.2 and No.8 reactors only, thinking we were going to work our way around the outside," Tifa suggested, trying to head off yet another fight before it got underway.

"I don't think so," Zack disagreed. "We destroyed a reactor, taking out one eighth of the power generated in Midgar. One reactor may not make much difference to a corporation as large as ShinRa, but they're not just going to sit back and wait until we do enough damage to become a threat."

"What are you implying, Zack?" Tifa asked, following Barret through the last security door and out of the reactor.

"Even though we didn't come in through the front door, so to speak, there should have been more security than this- a lot more," he said. "This...this feels like a trap to me."

They hurried down the open walkway, the Sector 5 slums visible through the grating beneath their feet. The catwalk ended at a 'T' intersection and Barret immediately turned to the left, heading for the access tunnel. He stopped, cursing vehemently as four troopers marched out, blocking his path.

Zack glanced to the right, immediately taking up rear guard with his sword raised as another group blocked that escape route as well.

"So it was a trap," Tifa said, raising her fists and falling into a defensive position.

The sound of slow clapping came from the reactor behind them, a portly man stepping out of the doorway. He was wearing a green military uniform and had a thick black beard and mustache that almost completely covered his mouth. "Very good, young lady," he sneered, still clapping sarcastically. "You figured it out."

"Who are you?" Barret demanded, keeping his gun trained on the troopers.

"My name is Heidegger," he introduced himself, pulling a cigar from his pocket the clipping the end. "I'm the head of Public Safety."

"Fancy term for the military," Zack muttered.

"As such," Heidegger continued, either not hearing the comment or not caring, "the President deemed it my responsibility to personally oversee the elimination of AVALANCHE," he finished, lighting his cigar. He took a few puffs before scowling at the group. "I don't know why you couldn't come at a decent hour instead of the middle of the night," he growled.

"Din't realize we were interruptin' your beauty sleep," Barret remarked snidely.

Heidegger scoffed. "Unfortunately I have an executive meeting in the morning, so I'm afraid I can't stay," he said, pulling out a remote control as a small helicopter descended, hovering just over the rail to his right. "So, I've arranged a playmate for you all. It's called 'Air Buster'- a techno-soldier. Consider it a gift from our Weapons Development Department," he said, pushing the button.

The guards blocking the path on Zack's side scattered as a large machine rumbled through them. Zack threw himself against the rail as it passed him, blinking at the odd robot.

It was about as twice as tall as he was and had a large circular base that hovered 8" to 12" off the ground. The main body on top of that was roughly shaped like the top half of a human, complete with arms, hands and something that could pass for a small head. There were no less than five exhaust pipes- two on the base, one on each shoulder and one sticking up behind the head. As it glided past him, Zack could see the glowing core behind the thick exhaust pipe on its back and the ex-SOLDIER couldn't help but shake his head. What were the people in weapon development thinking?

Barret immediately opened fire, peppering the torso with bullets as Tifa hung back to act as support. The robot brought one arm up to shield itself from the bullets, the other one opening- palm up -as if to grab something. The metal plate on its palm slid open, a small bomb popping out before closing again. The robot wasted no time tossing the explosive toward Barret. The gunman cursed and dodged to the side but wasn't quite fast enough. He cried out as his bloodied leg gave out, dropping him to the ground. Tifa's materia was already glowing, the soft green light spreading over his injured limb.

Zack rushed forward, two quick slices exposing the core behind the pipe. He yelped in surprise as bullets grazed his leg, jumping back as two small turrets he hadn't even seen sunk back down into the base. The entire robot turned to face him, forcing him to jump back again as it tried to ram him.

Spotting the glowing core, Barret adjusted his aim and started firing again, sending spider web cracks all across the protective plate, but not shattering it. The robot spun back to face him and Tifa, readying another bomb in its hand.

Seeing his chance, Zack darted forward, materia glowing as a quick slash broke the plate completely. He hopped onto the base, stuck his left hand directly into the core and let the lightning spell do its work.

In hind sight, Zack supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised when the robot exploded, throwing him off the catwalk and into freefall toward the slums. He only caught a glimpse of Barret and Tifa's shocked faces as he fell, the catwalk he'd just been on disappearing at an alarming rate. He spent a second or two panicking before an important fact occurred to him: he could fly.

Flipping over so he was facing the ground, he spread his arms and legs to slow his momentum slightly as he tried to figure out how to activate his wing. He visualized it in his head, focusing all his might on trying to remember what it felt like when it had manifested the first time. He would have grinned when he felt the pressure building up on his shoulder blade if the ground wasn't rushing up to meet him quite so fast.

His elation quickly turned back to panic as the pressure seemed to reach its peak, but no wing appeared. He tried to think back, desperately going over that night on the cliff. He remembered the foreign muscles stretching and contracting as the wing burst from his back, but before that... He'd walked around for several minute after the pressure had built up but before the wing appeared. Was there some set amount of time that had to pass before the wing could manifest?

Whatever the case, he was out of time. Cursing loudly, he braced himself for the impact, his entire body tensing. He could have cried in relief when he felt the muscles that shouldn't be on his back moving, the wing appearing in a cloud of black feathers. Unfortunately, he was too close to the ground to keep from crashing. His wing flared to catch the wind, managing to slow and redirect his momentum enough that, instead of leaving a Zack-shaped hole in the ground, he hit and rolled head over heels across the packed dirt, coming to a stop as his back smacked into the painfully solid base of a stone pillar. His vision went black for several seconds, the sound of crunching bone loud in his ears.

Zack couldn't do more than simply lay there for several minutes, his breath coming in pained gasps. His SOLDIER training took over, forcing him to focus on assessing the situation. No backup was coming to rescue him- he had to get out of this on his own.

Zack closed his eyes as he focused on his body, taking stock of his injuries. Ribs and hips felt badly bruised, likely from the various rocks and debris he had rolled over, but seemed fine otherwise. Minor cuts and scratches everywhere, but no obvious out-pouring of blood- always a good sign. Right ankle swollen, possibly broken, from when he had landed and left wrist sprained, likely from the same. A few minor bumps on his head, painful but not worrisome- Zack could almost hear Angeal making some comment about his 'thick skull.' His wing was the most badly damaged, excruciating waves of agony pulsing in time with his heart. The bones were broken at the very least, possibly even shattered.

Physical assessment complete, Zack moved on to step two: first aid. The Cura equipped in his bracer would be enough to mend the bones to the point he could move without debilitating pain. However he first had to move to give the bones the space they needed to be reset.

He was half-sitting, half-lying against the pillar, his wing pinned between it and his back. Standing was out of the question, but rolling forward and turning slightly to the side would be enough to shift him from sitting to lying face down. Taking a few deep breaths, Zack grit his teeth and lunged forward, rolling onto his stomach. He couldn't hold back a scream, the bones grating against each other as the wing fell limply against his back. Zack's vision blacked out again, taking his consciousness with it.

. . .

To Be Continued

If you would like a response to your review, please sign in before reviewing or leave an email address. Thank you.