Chapter 10
Zack was a bit surprised by how easily he fell into a routine at the Twin Dragon. The major project of the first week was repairing a couple leaks in the roof over one of the guest rooms, which was currently out of use. After that, he replaced the damaged ceiling tiles, a few missing shingles outside, re-painted the shutters and cut away the vines in front of the window, although Shawn didn't want them pulled off the wall entirely. He even found enough time while running to the hardware store for supplies to stop by a few of the clinics in town. Although it was a productive week for do-it-yourself projects, all the nurses and physicians Zack talked to told him the same thing: all cases of mako poisoning would be shipped straight to Midgar. The staff simply didn't have the training to help afflicted patients. ShinRa had the corner on that market and guarded it closely. Considering mako was a prime ingredient in turning regular people into enhanced members of SOLDIER, Zack wasn't too surprised.
The second week passed as quickly as the first, the majority of Zack's days being spent re-tiling two of the guest bathrooms while stopping by the remaining doctors' offices in his free time. Thursday afternoon he made it to the last clinic, only to hear the same thing he had at every other one in town. The best they could do to help him would be to provide a ride to Midgar with a referral to a ShinRa approved specialist. Thanking them for their time, Zack left the clinic and headed back to the inn.
Zack idly kicked a rock on the sidewalk in front of him, watching it skitter across the concrete. He knew chances were slim that he'd find someone so close to ShinRa's base of power, but the setback was still disheartening just the same. The question now was where to look next. It needed to be an outlying area, rich in mako but without a strong ShinRa presence. A memory bubbled to the surface of his mind, green tendrils of unprocessed mako rising out of the broken ground in the destroyed remains of Banora flashing before his eyes. Surely, there would be a doctor there who had dealt with mako poisoning before in an area like that. Banora was gone, but perhaps Mideel would have what he needed...
Zack was drawn from his musings by a familiar pink ribbon holding back a ponytail of light brown hair up ahead of him on the street. He smiled, quickening his pace to catch up with Aeris. His brow furrowed when she stopped, glancing down an alleyway before heading into it. Wondering what could have caught her attention, Zack jogged to the head of the alley where she had disappeared.
Aeris was standing about ten feet in, staring at a pipe running up the wall- or, more accurately, the faintly glowing green tendrils escaping from a weak joint in the line about shoulder height. The wisps curled lazily on the air currents before disappearing altogether, the slow leak releasing another strand or two of the shimmering vapor to replace them.
"Don't touch that," Zack cautioned as Aeris lifted a hand toward the translucent streams. "There's probably not enough there to cause any serious damage, but you should avoid touching mako with your bare hands if you can."
"Mako?" Aeris repeated, turning to face the ex-SOLDIER standing at the mouth of the alley. "That's...mako?"
"Yeah." Zack folded his arms, leaning against the wall. "You never seen it before?" he asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.
Aeris shook her head, her gaze drawn back to the glowing green mist.
Zack glanced back to the winding tendrils as well, letting his eyes trace the fading trails through the air. It was a mesmerizing sight, like watching smoke curl from the wick of a blown out candle. This sight, however, brought back memories of the last time Zack had seen it. He was back in the labs watching the green haze dissipate in the air, evaporating from their skin and clothes once he had broken both him and Cloud out of the mako tanks... Zack shook the memories away, forcefully bringing his attention back to the present. "We should get going," he said, pushing himself away from the wall.
Aeris nodded almost absently, watching the mako for a few seconds longer before turning and following Zack back out to the street.
"So, what's in there?" Zack asked, nodding to the basket on her arm.
"Hm? Oh, just some sewing supplies mom wanted me to pick up," Aeris answered distractedly. "She didn't bring any of hers with her when we left Midgar."
"Oh yeah, she said she was going to start her sewing business again." Zack folded his arms, gazing up at the sky contemplatively. Elmyra was happily putting down roots, but Aeris still seemed a bit lost. Not that he could blame her- fleeing her home in the middle of the night, being forced to leave everything she had ever known behind, had to be hard. "What about you?" he asked, glancing over at her. "Have you decided what you want to do yet?"
Aeris shook her head. "I've never really been good at anything but growing flowers," she admitted.
"Well, why don't you try growing some here?" he suggested. "The soil seems much better than it is in Midgar. You'll grow tons of them and then you can open your own shop!"
She smiled at his enthusiasm. "I think Kalm has enough florist shops," she stated, glancing pointedly at a vendor selling flowers across the street.
"Perhaps, but I'll bet yours would be the best in town."
Aeris giggled softly, shaking her head. "What about you?" she asked, changing the subject. "Are you going to be uncle Shawn's handyman from now on? With how he's been raving about your work, I'm sure he'd be happy to pay you."
The smile fell from Zack's face. "Actually," he said slowly, "I think I'm gonna leave in the next day or two- me and Cloud." He kept his gaze straight ahead, not wanting to see Aeris' reaction to the declaration.
Aeris started in surprise, falling a step or two behind as she stared at him. "Leaving?" she asked, hurrying to catch back up. "Leaving where? Why?"
Zack sighed, shaking his head. "Cloud's not getting better," he said. "I thought maybe he just needed time, or a chance to recover without being constantly on the run, but..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I need to find a doctor to look at him, someone who has some experience with mako poisoning but without any ties to ShinRa. I've checked all the clinics in town, but there's no one here that fits the bill. I've gotta look somewhere else, much farther away from Midgar."
"Mako..." Aeris repeated softly, thinking back to the leaking pipe. "I think...a doctor may not be able to help Cloud."
Zack's expression darkened, his stony gaze remaining on the road ahead of them. "Why's that?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
"It's just..." Aeris sighed, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. "I can't be sure- I've never seen it for myself, just heard stories -but I think that what ShinRa refers to as mako is actually part of the Lifestream."
Zack blinked, completely thrown by her non sequitur answer. "What?"
"My...birth mother used to tell me stories," Aeris began. "About the Lifestream- the river of life the circles our planet, giving life to the world and everything in it. Plants and animals, humans and monsters- everything is born from the Lifestream and returns to the Planet when it dies," she explained. "Like I said, I've never seen it myself, but how she described it- the winding streams twisting together through the air as though dancing to a music we can't hear, the gentle green glow so full of life, the voice of the Planet calling from within-"
"Wait," Zack said, stopping her with a hand on her arm and turning her to face him. "Voice of the Planet?" he asked. "You heard the Planet's voice from the mako?"
Aeris looked away, perplexed; her brow furrowing as she tried to put it into words. "Maybe?" she answered, not sounding too sure herself. "It was really faint and hard to make out, more like a quiet murmur in the background- almost like too many people all talking at once in a room down the hall, I guess."
Zack nodded slowly, taking a moment to process that. His girlfriend heard the voice of the Planet from glowing green mist. Given everything he had seen in the last eight or nine years, it shouldn't have surprised him quite as much as it did. Perhaps that was because everything he had seen had been the result, both directly and indirectly, of scientists playing at being gods. Aeris, on the other hand, had been born with her abilities.
Zack chuckled wryly, realizing neither one of them was really normal. He had so many enhancements he could practically see in the dark, he could hear her heart beat while standing next to her- a little fast, probably nervous because he was taking so long to reply -and he was strong enough that he could suplex a train. She, apparently, could grow flowers where nothing else would grow, hear the voice of the Planet and do whatever other Ancient-y things that the Ancients used to do. What a pair they made.
"Zack?" Aeris asked nervously. She wasn't quite sure what reaction she had been expecting, but that almost bitter laughter wasn't it.
Zack shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Sorry," he apologized, flashing her a grin. "Just...really wasn't expecting that, I guess. Not your fault- I mean what sort of warning can you give to prepare for something like that?" he asked easily, shrugging off the weirdness of the situation. "So, you can hear the Planet? What does it say?"
Aeris returned his smile, feeling something unclench in her chest. Her abilities as a Cetra- what little she knew about them, anyway -had been a closely guarded secret of hers for as long as she could remember. She didn't know what she would have done if Zack had rejected her because of it. "I can't really understand it very well. At first I thought it was because I was only half-Cetra, because I only ever heard it when I was tending the flowers in the church. However, since leaving Midgar, I can hear it almost all the time, but it's still difficult to make out. There are also so many voices that I can't really distinguish one from another."
"I guess that makes sense, in a way," Zack said pensively. "If mako is actually this Lifestream thing, it would be more difficult to hear the voices in Midgar because they have eight reactors pumping it out."
Aeris blinked. "You're right," she said slowly as the realization dawned on her. "I can't believe I never realized it before..."
"Well, you'd never seen mako before or left Midgar either, so it's not really unusual that you didn't connect the dots," Zack pointed out. "So you're half...what did you call yourself?"
"Cetra," Aeris answered. "It's what we called ourselves, before our name was lost in history and the scholars labeled us as the Ancients."
"Cetra," Zack repeat, rolling the name on his tongue. "Yeah, it sounds a lot better than Ancients," he agreed. "Okay, so mako is actually Lifestream and you're half-Cetra, which means you can hear the voice of the Planet, but can't really understand what it's saying," he summarized, getting the conversation back on track. "Can I ask what all of this has to do with not being able to find a doctor to help Cloud?"
"Well, there's nothing physically wrong with him, so I don't think a regular doctor can help," she explained. "It must be some sort of reaction with the Lifestream itself."
"So what are you saying? That there's nothing we can do?"
Aeris shook her head. "I think we need to find an expert on the Lifestream."
The use of a plural pronoun did not escape Zack's attention. "We?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as his mouth softened in a smile. "You planning on tagging along for the ride?"
"Of course!" Aeris said decisively. "I'm not letting you run off on your own- we both know you're not very good at staying in touch and I don't think I can wait another five years!"
Zack laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, so you're coming to keep an eye on me. Fair enough, I suppose. Any idea where we're supposed to find said expert on the Lifestream?"
"Probably the city renowned for their Study of Planet Life," Aeris answered, her smile just a touch smug. "Cosmo Canyon."
. . .
Elmyra was shocked the next morning when Zack announced his intentions to leave, although Aeris' declaration that she was going with him wasn't surprising. However, once she recovered from the initial surprise, she had taken it in stride. Digging out an old map, she suggested the young couple plan out their route while she renovated the inside of the basket where Cloud, and on occasion Aeris, would be riding.
Shawn hadn't been too surprised when Zack told him they'd be leaving in a day or two, merely raised an eyebrow at the last-minute notice. He had tried to give them some money but Zack declined, saying the innkeeper had already done enough by putting them up for the last two weeks. Shawn gave it to Aeris instead while Zack was out purchasing supplies. He winked when he told her it was to help pay for either their trip or elopement- whichever they needed it for first.
Zack was heading back from the grocery store, numerous bags full of non-perishables hanging from both arms when he saw the navy blue suit. It was a woman, a young blonde that he didn't recognize. She was sitting at a table in an outside café across the street, one hand supporting her chin as she idly scanned the people walking down the street. Their eyes met, staring at each other for several long seconds before her attention was drawn by another navy suit- this one a man with long dark hair that reached past his shoulders. He pulled out the chair next to her, sitting down as Zack ducked around the corner. Although he hadn't seen the blonde before, he recognized Tseng easily. As soon as the ex-SOLDIER had broken line of sight, he ran for all he was worth.
Zack cut down back alleys, jumped fences, zig-zagged through city blocks and even ran along the rooftops at one point, doing everything he could to shake off any pursuit. The Turks could blend in incredibly well when the situation called for it and Zack wasn't taking any chances. After about twenty minutes of running around town, he carefully made his way back to the inn. He entered through the back, dumping his groceries on the kitchen table. He cringed slightly as the cans thunked together loudly, mentally thanking Elmyra for offering to bake them several loaves for their trip. He didn't think the bread would have survived his mad dash through the city.
Zack found Aeris in the room she shared with Elmyra, packing her clothes. He knocked on the door frame, getting her attention. "There's been a slight change of plans," he said, stepping into the room. "The Turks are in Kalm and one of them saw me."
"Do they know we're here?" she asked, a partially folded shirt in her hands as she gave Zack her full attention.
Zack shook his head. "They saw me on my way back from the grocery store, but I made sure they didn't follow me here," he stated. "However, I think we'll want to leave as soon as possible, before dawn if we can. And, I don't think we should go through the Mythril mines- too easy to leave a trail. We'll head straight for Junon, instead."
"But how are we going to get over the mountains? The stables don't have any mountain chocobo to rent," Aeris pointed out. "It'll take us at least a week to cross on foot, plus however long to walk to Junon once we reach the other side."
Zack folded his arms, staring pensively at the floor. "We'll need to move much faster than we can on foot, and I don't want to let the Turks know we left by renting any chocobo." He sighed, shaking his head. "As much as I'd like to keep a low profile, I think we're gonna have to fly to Junon. From there, we'll stick to the plan- take the boat to Costa Del Sol and rent chocobo there to take us to Cosmo Canyon."
"Are you sure you'll be alright flying all the way to Junon?" Aeris asked. "That's an awfully long trip..."
Zack shrugged. "I'll be fine. Besides, if I get tired, I'll land and we can walk for a bit."
"Okay," Aeris said, nodding. "I'm almost finished packing."
They said their goodbyes early the following morning, wanting to get out of Kalm as early as possible. Elmyra teared up as she hugged them, cautioning them to be careful and to call when they reached Junon. Shawn was a bit more reserved, shaking Zack's hand and reminding him the Twin Dragon's door was always open to him. Thanking Shawn and Elmyra both for their hospitality and promising to keep in touch, Zack picked up the basket with Cloud- and their supplies -and headed down the street, Aeris at his side.
Zack checked the time as they neared the city gates, estimating another thirty to forty-five minutes before sunrise. He motioned for Aeris to wait as he sauntered over to the guardhouse.
"Good morning," Zack greeted cheerfully.
"It'll be better when my relief gets here," the guard grumbled, tiredly resting his chin in his palm. "What has you up at his unholy hour of the morning?"
"Well, my girlfriend really wants to watch the sunrise over the ocean so I packed a special breakfast just for the occasion," he said, lifting the basket slightly. He glanced back over his shoulder, smiling at Aeris and offering a small wave. "And, uh, if the mood is right," he continued, lowering his voice as he leaned forward conspiratorially, "I'd like to pop the question." He grinned, eyes bright in anticipation as he patted his pocket a bit nervously.
The guard chuckled, pushing his chair back as he stood. "If you're willing to get up early enough to put together something like this, she had better say yes," he commented, exiting the guardhouse. "Come on over here. I can't open the main gates until 6:00, but I can unlock the maintenance entrance for you."
Zack grinned again, motioning Aeris over and following the guard to a door little ways off to the side of the main gates. It took a few tries before he found the right key and he held the door open for them, quietly wishing Zack luck as he passed by. The door was promptly closed and locked behind them.
Aeris giggled once they were a little ways away. "You know, I didn't really think you'd be able to convince the guard to open the gate for us this early in the morning," she stated. "What did you tell him?"
"Only that I wanted to propose to you on the beach at sunrise," Zack said. "People tend to be a bit more accommodating for things like that."
She was a bit surprised by his audacity. "What would you have done if he had asked to see the ring?" she asked.
"Aeris, girls ask to see rings. Guys just slap each other on the back," he said, waving away her concerns.
"But if he had?"
"Then I'd...I don't know, say I didn't want to risk you seeing it accidentally or make you suspicious about what was taking so long or something." He shrugged. "I'm pretty good about thinking on my feet."
"Isn't another way of saying you tend not to think things through in the first place?" she wondered.
"Hey!"
She giggled again, slipping her arm through his. "So, how far away do you think we need to be?"
Zack looked back over his shoulder, studying the city carefully. He nodded after a moment, coming to a stop. "This should probably be far enough. I want to be out of sight before the sun comes up and we don't have much time left."
Aeris nodded, releasing his arm and stepping away from him as her the materia in her bracelet glowed and she started shrinking. Once she was done, Zack carefully put her in the basket, waiting as she got herself situated.
Elmyra had added padding to the bottom and sides, leaving bits of yarn sticking out all over to serve as handholds during turbulence, as she called it, as well as numerous small pillows and a couple blankets for extra cushioning. Zack tried not to take it personally, reminding himself that no matter how careful he was, it was impossible to hold the basket perfectly still at all times. Cloud's own bed had raised edges- also padded -to keep him from accidentally falling out of it and was attached to one side of the basket. Elmyra had also put a divider in, sectioning off a small portion at the end for their bags and equipment so it wasn't being jostled around with the occupants.
Once Aeris was settled, Zack closed the basket and focused on his wing. It took him a couple tries before it burst from his back, making him wince slightly at the sound of cloth ripping. Making a mental note to figure out a solution to that later, he pulled a compass from his pocket and checked his position. Adjusting his course a bit more to the left, he replaced it in his pocket, picked up the basket and leapt into the sky.
He stayed between thirty and forty feet above the ground for the first hour, using the shadowed mountains in the distance to obscure himself from view until he was sure he was out of sight of the city walls. The sun was leaving the horizon when Zack noticed a cloud of dust steadily getting closer. He glanced down, cursing softly as he realized his course had brought him uncomfortably close to the road and beat his wing almost frantically to gain altitude. He kept an eye on the car until it passed by him and continued on down the road, never once slowing. Breathing a sigh of relief, the ex-SOLDIER resolved to be more mindful of his surroundings. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed he was well beyond visibility of anyone not enhanced, and probably a number of SOLDIER Second and Third class, as well. Nodding to himself, he decided it was safe to stay at the higher altitude, periodically checking his course against the compass as the miles flew by.
. . .
Monday afternoon found Zack touching down at the edge of a forest a little ways outside of Junon. He set the basket down after a quick survey to make sure no monsters were waiting to attack and closed his eyes, focusing on pulling his wing in as he heard Aeris climbing out of the basket. It was easier than it had been before, only taking him a couple tries to make it disappear. He shuddered as whatever it was shifted beneath his skin again, really starting to understand why Angeal and Genesis preferred to keep their wings out all the time. Unnerving didn't even begin to cover it.
"You know, if you wanted to, you could probably open your own shop," Aeris quipped, kneeling next to the pile of feathers Zack had shed and idly twirling one in her fingers. "Selling specialty feather dusters or something."
Zack shook his head. "Nah, no one wants to buy black feather dusters- they'd always look dirty."
"True," Aeris agreed, running her finger along the smooth edge of the vane. "And these are so glossy, too. Well, I'm sure we can come up with some use for them."
Zack laughed. "Come on, you can think of various way to use me as your meal ticket while we walk- I'd like to reach Junon before nightfall."
It took them just under an hour to reach the lower city, Zack striding with purpose past the run-down buildings and grimy street corners. Aeris was reminded of the Midgar slums, the residents all either watching them warily or ignoring their existence altogether.
It didn't take them more than ten minutes to reach the steel doors holding the elevator platform that would take them to the upper city. The trooper guarding the entrance, however, posed another problem altogether.
Not wanting to kill the trooper and be done with it- mostly due to the security camera blinking down at him -Zack put on his most winning smile and sauntered up to the guard.
Several minutes later- and one thousand gil poorer -Aeris and Zack climbed onto the platform, holding onto the rail as it started moving up.
Zack stared disgruntledly at the floor. "Can you believe that guy? Talk about kicking a person when he's down!"
Aeris laughed softly, trying to stifle it behind her hand. "What did you expect when you told him you'd 'snuck you and your girlfriend out and were trying to get back before the CO caught you'?" she asked.
"A little sympathy from a fellow member of ShinRa," Zack complained. "Or, barring that, a little more respect for SOLDIER! I know he recognized the uniform- I even dug out the belt!"
"Perhaps he might have been a little more accommodating- if you had a better excuse for not having your ID." Aeris shook her head. "A hazing gone wrong that ended up with your badge being melted by bizarre bug acid?"
"Hey! That actually happened to me!" Zack said defensively.
Aeris really was trying not to smile. "At least we got in," she offered, managing to sound more or less sincere instead of like she was trying not to laugh.
"Highway robbery is what that was," Zack grumbled. "I know troopers don't make that much, but SOLDIERs aren't much better off, either."
Aeris took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out, although she couldn't quite wipe the smile off her face. She'd had no idea Zack could be such a sore loser, especially over something as ridiculous as this. "So, you couldn't talk him into letting us in for free. We're here- isn't that what's important?"
"It's the principle of the matter," Zack insisted. "We have the cash to spare- what about the next unfortunate person that falls victim to this...this...opportunistic thief?" he asked, sending a dark glare down the shaft behind them.
Aeris bit her lip, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "Well, I guess the next fugitive trying to sneak into the city without any ID will be on his own," she stated after a moment. "You don't need to sulk about it."
Zack spun to face her, a scandalized expression on his face. "I'm not sulking," he denied, stunned she'd even suggest such a thing.
Aeris gave him a patronizing smile.
"I'm not," he insisted petulantly.
"For what it's worth," she said, slipping her arm through his and standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "I think you're cute when you sulk."
Zack simply stared at her for several long seconds, his jaw working but no sound escaping his throat. Realizing he wasn't going to convince her otherwise- and any further arguments would only cement the false accusation in her mind -he figuratively threw his hands up, surrendering with a deep, heart-felt sigh. Aeris patting his arm consolingly was practically adding insult to the injury. Fortunately, his pride was a rather resilient thing and could weather a beating or two, even if it was at the hands of his girlfriend.
The streets of upper Junon were filled with a flurry of activities. Platoons of troopers were practicing drills and marching, shop owners were cleaning their windows or putting a fresh coat of paint on their stores, and someone was riding on a machine that seemed to be scrubbing the sidewalk. Zack kept a hold of Aeris' hand as he maneuvered past the various groups, cutting down several back alleys until he found a street not quite as busy as the rest to re-stock their supplies.
They stopped by the bakery first, Aeris looking over the loaves of bread while Zack chatted with the baker.
"So, what's going on out there?" Zack asked, leaning against the counter as he nodded toward the front of the shop. "We just got into town."
"Ah, the new President ShinRa is coming into town tomorrow," the shopkeeper explained. "They're gonna have a parade in his honor. People want to make a good impression, so they're cleaning up the place real nice. This street isn't on the route though, so no one's botherin' with it."
"New President ShinRa?" Zack repeated. "Rufus? He's the president now? When did that happen?"
"Aye, he inherited the company four or five days ago."
"What happened to his old man?" Zack asked.
The baker looked at Zack a little strangely. "He was assassinated," he answered. "Killed in his own office in ShinRa tower."
Zack was shocked. Someone had either managed to infiltrate ShinRa tower and made it all the way to the top floor, or launched a full-scale assault and succeeded in overcoming their defenses. Genesis and his SOLDIER army of clones hadn't even been that successful when he'd tried it years ago. "Do they know who did it?" he asked.
The baker shook his head. "Nah. Some folks say it was AVALANCHE, but it don't seem their style. They like to blow things sky-high, and the tower is still standing. Others say it had to be a Wutai ninja, seeking revenge for the war. I say that's poppycock. Why now, when the war ended, what, seven years ago?" He shrugged before lowering his voice. "Between you and me, though, I think whoever did it might be in town."
"What makes you say that?" Zack asked, unconsciously lowering his own voice as well.
"I hear the Turks are on the killer's trail," he said. "And my wife said she saw two of 'em strolling down the street like they owned it when she was out running errands today. A redhead with a long ponytail and a bald guy wearing sunglasses, both dressed in navy blue suits."
"Sounds like the Turks alright," Zack agreed, keeping his voice level even as his heartbeat skyrocketed. Reno and Rude would recognize either one of them on sight.
"Zack," Aeris called, pulling his attention away from the baker. "Is five loaves too much?" she asked, holding the bread in question in her arms. "They're just all so soft, I couldn't decide which ones to get..."
"Five loaves is fine," he assured her. "If it tastes half as good as it smells, I can guarantee it won't last long enough to go stale."
The shopkeeper straightened up a bit at the compliment, smiling broadly as Aeris set the loaves on the counter.
Zack raised an eyebrow at two of the loaves. "Cheese bread? And what's on this one...pineapple?"
"Do you mind?" Aeris asked, looking at him with large, pleading eyes. "They both sounded really good and they're so fresh..."
Zack laughed. "We can get them if you want," he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. "Anything that makes you happy."
Aeris shrunk the bread after they left the store, slipping it into the basket. Zack gave her a quick rundown on the situation as they hurried on to a grocery store, stocking up on water bottles, non-perishables and dried meats.
Once they had re-supplied, Zack took Aeris hand again as he ducked down more alleyways and side-streets, quickly making his way to the harbor. The sooner they were out of the open, the better.
The port was just as busy as the main city streets, cleaning crews washing the salt from the docks, men adding a new coat of wax to the ships and cranes and forklifts moving crates of cargo into warehouses. A few helpful crewmen pointed Zack to the harbormaster's office, where he could inquire about passage to Costa Del Sol.
As it turned out, the only ship headed that way departed as soon as the new President ShinRa boarded it after the parade tomorrow. They could board tonight or early in the morning, but they had to be on board and in their rooms before the president set foot on the docks.
Zack could think of so many things that could go wrong, but he didn't want to raise any suspicions by suddenly changing his mind. The whole city seemed to be going crazy trying to make a good impression on Rufus and even the harbormaster acted like he was doing Zack a huge favor by letting him ride on the same boat. Reluctantly handing over enough money to buy passage for two, he was given two tickets and directed toward the largest, flashiest ship in the harbor.
It didn't take them long to reach the boat and even less time to irritate a naval officer by wandering onto the deck. Their tickets stopped the man's tirade, earning them a tight-lipped silence in its place as he escorted them to their quarters, strongly recommending they not leave their room until after the ship had set sail the following day.
The room was rather small, the military grade bunk bed to the left of the door taking up an entire wall and leaving about five feet of space between it and the other wall. A dark brown dresser was situated beneath the porthole giving them a lovely view of the barnacles and spots of rust on the ship moored beside theirs. The wall opposite the bed had two doors on it, one hiding the closet and the other leading to a rather Spartan bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower stall. Overall, Zack felt the room had a more military feel than the luxury liner it was supposed to be. It seemed quite a few expenses were spared for the coach accommodations.
Aeris moved over to sit on the bottom bunk, the mattress creaking softly beneath her weight. "Well this is...cozy," she said hesitantly.
Zack gave her a half grin, setting the basket on the floor in the corner. "Don't worry- I know the room's a bit small, but it's only a two day trip. And who could say no to a hot shower?" he asked, fishing her bag out of the basket and tossing it to her.
"Mm, that does sound nice," Aeris agreed, catching the bag. "Do you mind if I go first?"
"Go ahead, but leave me the materia- I'll fix us something for dinner but I need to unshrink the food," he said, already pulling out a few more bags.
Aeris took off her bangle after restoring her bag to its proper size, handing the entire thing to Zack before disappearing into the bathroom. "I'll try not to take too long," she promised, closing and locking the door behind her.
Zack nodded absently, his hands going through the motions while his mind was somewhere else entirely. Although they were not only off the streets, but also potentially hidden away from all ShinRa personnel for the duration of the voyage, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake.
. . .
To Be Continued
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