Crisis Core: Remix
Summary: After Angeal leaves SOLDIER, Zack is assigned to investigate the desertion. But Lazard thinks it's time for Zack to take a leadership role for once, and puts another 2nd to work with him. They argue and argue, but could something else result from it? ZackxOC, NOT slash. AU.
Chapter 10: Modeoheim
Zack and Carina go in. "Carina, are you okay with Genesis.....being the enemy? Because he's your dad and all?"
"An enemy is an enemy. And he's only ONE of my dads, the one that was never there."
"Oh. I'm sorry if I-"
"You didn't do anything. Let's go, Zack." She starts down the stairs, and Zack notices a tear flowing down her face. I suck at being a friend... He follows her to the elevator.
"Carina, I'm sorry," he whispers to her as the elevator doors close.
A few moments later...
Hollander is backing away from the approaching Genesis. "What's the meaning of this?" Genesis doesn't answer, but puts his sword to Hollander's throat. "You need me Genesis, remember that! If you get rid of me, who'll stop the degradation?" The elevator holding Zack and Carina arrives. Zack gasps. WHAT?! I thought they were working together!
"The Jenova cells," Genesis says, and Zack chooses that moment to advance on him.
"What are you doing Zack?!" Carina yells, and Hollander tries to run away, but is stopped by (guess who?) Cloud. Carina holds her sword to his throat. "Try to run, and it'll be the last thing you do, am I clear? Great job, Cloud, by the way."
"Yeah, great work!" As Zack says this, Hollander elbows Cloud in the nose and kicks Carina in the stomach, disarming the two, and gets out of their grip.
"Nobody knows where the Jenova cells are! Not even Hojo knows! Nobody will find it!"
"Then I shall willingly accept my fate."
"That's a lie, Genesis!" Carina says, before being silenced again by Hollander.
"I wasn't finished. I'll accept my fate, but I'll take the world with me!" Genesis thrusts his sword at Zack, who blocks it. Hollander makes his escape.
"Carina, Cloud, go!" Cloud nods and goes, but Carina stays.
"I'm not leaving." Genesis starts a swordfight with Zack and Carina. Genesis blocks all of Zack's frontal attacks, but is helpless with Carina's back attacks. Then he turns and slashes her in the stomach, the force propelling her against the wall with a streak of blood following her across the floor. Genesis turns and knocks Zack's sword out of his hands. Zack catches it before Genesis attacks, which he blocks. The two lock swords, and Zack uses his head to hit Genesis' head, knocking him back. Genesis flies backwards, and advances on Zack. Zack blocks him with his sword, and slashes his shoulder. Genesis retaliates by throwing a fireball at him. It hits Zack's left arm, which doesn't affect him, since he's right-handed. Zack pauses for a while, and catches Genesis off-guard with a barrage of slashes and cuts to the chest, which sends Genesis to the floor. Carina comes over, the bleeding in her stomach ended, and picks her sword up
from the ground.
"'Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh.' Such is the fate...of a monster."
"We're not monsters, you hear me? We're SOLDIER!" Zack says.
"Genesis, where's the honor you once had? The honor the three of you tried to teach me?!" Carina yells. Genesis pushes himself up with his hands.
"'Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return.'" He steps back, closer to the edge, with every word. "If this world seeks my destruction," he flies onto the railing, "it goes with me." He smiles and falls backwards, into the dark abyss. Carina's feeling of anger disappears from her face and she drops her sword and runs to the railing, Zack not far behind.
"Dad...." Carina trails off and starts crying lightly on Zack's shoulder.
"It's okay. Cry." Genesis...
Zack and Carina walk back out, all signs of crying gone from Carina's face. They look to the cliff where Tseng and the others were. "They're gone.." Zack notices a cave. "I guess this is the way to Modeoheim."
"Let's go."
An hour later..
"Great, we go this far, and all there is is a bathhouse," Carina groans. "Whatever." She and Zack take the hall to the left and go through the doorway at the end and look around. "There's nothing here? Strange...." An Angeal copy flies down. Zack quickly defeats it, before Carina has a chance to draw her sword.
"You're probably still injured. I don't want you to bleed to death."
"I'm not that fragile," she says arrogantly. "Back to the situation at hand. I think Angeal's here."
"You do?"
"Yeah, I've noticed that Angeal turns up wherever we find Angeal copies."
"Follow me." They go up the stairs to their left and see Cloud at the end of the first flight.
"Cloud!" Carina and Zack run toward him. He groans in pain.
"Cloud, talk to me!" Zack says. Cloud tries to get up, but falls backward. He pushes himself into a sitting position.
"We're all right..." Zack looks up and sees Tseng lying in the doorway.
"Tseng?!" They run over to him.
"Tseng, what's going on?"
"Down that way...You have to catch Hollander. Angeal is...waiting."
"He is?"
"Yes. Now go." Zack nods and goes through the doorway.