Hey everyone! Got another chapter for you! Obviously...or you wouldn't be here haha! Anyway, I have to apologize for the fact that Cloud wasn't in much of the last chapter. I know a few of you are getting fed up with having him just lay around. I assure you he's going to be back in action very shortly. Next chapter for sure. He does have a pretty important role in this chapter though, even if he is still just lying around. I PROMISE he will be a more central character of upcoming chapters. So thank you for reading desipite the fact that he hasn't done much in the past few chapters ^^. The songs for the chapter are listed below. All songs but those by Sintellect are on the 'Featured' playlist of my YouTube page. For Sintellect you will need to go to the webpage listed next to the songs. And then select the song from the artists playlist. Sorry if it's such a pain in the ass. I really miss IMEEM lol. Alright, I'm done whining. Enjoy the chapter!
Songs:
Caressing the Rain I – Sintellect (http:/www. thesixtyone. com/#/Sintellect/)
Forget About You – Cary Brothers
With Rainy Eyes – Emancipator
The Hand That Feeds – Nine Inch Nails
Caressing the Rain II – Sintellect (http:/www. thesixtyone. com/#/Sintellect/)
Drift – Forty Foot Echo
Falls Apart – Hurt
Medusa – Cinephile
Tracks – Sintellect (http:/www. thesixtyone. com/#/Sintellect/)
Chapter XIII
Tseng stood in Sector 1, staring at the phone booth in front of him. After weeks of monitoring Jacob Whymer's phone records, finally something had come up as unusual. An incoming call from a payphone in the Midgar slums. He suspected the call had come from Zack, though they couldn't be sure as there was no tap on Whymer's phone. There was also nothing about the phone itself that was going to tell Tseng where Zack had been hiding out but he needed a starting point.
Any ordinary person might assume that since Zack had made the call from Sector 1 that he must be staying somewhere nearby in the same sector. Tseng was smarter than that. He knew Zack was smarter than that. He also knew that Zack knew the Turks were onto him and Cloud. Naturally, Zack would want to pick a phone as far away from where he was staying as possible to throw the Turks off. But Zack was also smart enough to know they would anticipate his move.
For a moment, Tseng considered that Zack may be staying in Sector 4. But no, that would have been too obvious. This would require further investigation. He took his phone from his pocket and flipped it open, dialling Reno.
"Reno, I want you and Rude to go through Sectors Seven and Eight. See if you can pick up any traces of Fair or Strife," he ordered.
"Why there?" Reno questioned.
"I have a feeling," Tseng announced.
"Well there's a surprise," Reno replied sarcastically.
"Reno."
"I got it, boss, we're on it," Reno said then. Tseng hung up without another word. He sighed to himself. They should have found the boys by now. There was no excuse for why they hadn't. They were Turks. They could find anyone.
000
Zack woke with a start. He was sure he heard himself gasp as he came out of the dream he had just been imbedded in. He raised himself on his elbows swiftly, feeling an immediate strike of pain in his right shoulder from lying on it most of the night. He had to remind himself where he was. He'd been dreaming of the mansion again. Of the lab. Of being strapped to that cold slab of a steel table near the centre of the room. There had been screams in the air all around him, some of which were his own. Then, he was on that cliff just outside Midgar, spent from the fight he'd just been in. He faced three soldiers in front of him as their weapons went off and riddled his body with bullets. At that moment he'd woken up.
He ran his one hand over his chest slowly, pausing just over his sternum. He shouldn't have survived that fight on the cliff. He'd been prepared to forfeit his life, but Cloud had brought him back from the edge of darkness. When he'd woken up at Jacob's the following morning, he had noticed a heavy bruising on his chest, not associated with the impact from the bullets that had hit him. His conclusion then had been that Cloud had resuscitated him. But it was just his assumption. He had never questioned Cloud about it. He was ashamed to admit that for the first few days after he'd woken up, he was a little disappointed—angry even—that his friend had essentially brought him back to life. His feelings were different now, of course. He was disappointed in himself for having almost given up. Well not 'almost'. He had given up. It was something he felt the need to atone for.
He looked down at Cloud, lying next to him. He was curled up tightly, shivering under the blanket over him. Zack sat himself up and rubbed his shoulder a little before reaching over and placing the back of his hand against Cloud's left cheek. He was strangely cold.
Zack turned over so he could kneel. He pulled the blanket down Cloud's body gently. He looked over his friend briefly, his eyes stopping at Cloud's right hand. The skin beneath his fingernails was bluish-purple. Zack took his hand in his own. It was cold and clammy. Turning his arm slightly so he could see the bandaging around his ports, he could see that what blood had soaked through was dry and brown in colour. A part of his mind jumped at the thought that perhaps his ports had stopped bleeding. That his friend was improving. But he knew it was just the opposite. He was getting worse. He could see that Cloud's chest and back ports were still seeping. The blood on those bandages was fresh. His suspicions were that the blood flow to his limbs had become minimal. The flow instead was centred around his core. It was probably his body's way of conserving what blood he had left, but it could also mean his heart was weakening, not strong enough to pump out to all parts of his body. Zack was hit in the face once more with the realization that what was happening to Cloud could actually kill him.
He tried waking him then, which produced no results. He had an idea. Something that could help. He turned Cloud onto his back before reaching under his back with one arm, raising his upper body off the floor. Cloud was roused by the motion. He lifted his head weakly and it fell slightly in front of him before he attempted to lift it again.
"Spikey, hey," Zack spoke, shaking his shoulders gently. A short and quiet moan fell from his mouth. "Can you help me get you up, Spike?" Zack asked him.
"I..." Cloud began to reply at barely a whisper. "My-my legs are...I don't feel...I d-don't know..." he stuttered out barely audibly. What Zack got out of it was that he either couldn't feel his legs at all or he just couldn't move them.
"Okay, buddy," Zack said in acceptance before reaching his other hand under his friend's knees and pulling him closer to his body. He lifted Cloud from the floor slowly. He wasn't as easy to carry in this position, but he wasn't going to throw him over his shoulder at that point either. He headed for the bathroom.
"'m really cold," his friend mumbled as they exited the bedroom.
"I know, Spike," Zack said sympathetically. When he'd gotten to the bathroom, he set Cloud down inside the tub. His friend hissed in a breath as his exposed skin touched the cold surface below and around him. "Sorry, buddy," Zack said fast, not having thought about the fact that the tub would probably be freezing. Cloud didn't respond but his head rolled a little until his right cheek was resting against the edge next to him.
Zack reached for the faucet, turning on the hot water and holding his hand under the water until he started to feel it heating up. He turned the cold water on then, evening out the temperature to something just below hot. He didn't want to shock his friend's body too severely. When he sat back to let the faucet run, he was a little surprised to turn his head and see Cloud's eyes looking back at him. He smiled warmly at Cloud and reached to move some of his hair from his face.
"You need a haircut, kid," he said casually.
Cloud began to reply slowly then. "Was I...a good SOLDIER?" he asked quietly.
Cloud never was a SOLDIER. Well—he was a 'soldier' but not a SOLDIER. He had been in the militia. But as far as Cloud knew, he really was a SOLDIER. He had no memory to suggest otherwise and when he'd woken from his coma not long ago he'd been wearing a SOLDIER uniform. What else was he to conclude? Zack, of course, hadn't corrected him on that assumption.
"You were a great soldier," Zack said in return. It wasn't totally a lie. Cloud had been a great military soldier. But Cloud assumed he meant 'SOLDIER' and it seemed to satisfy him. His mouth formed into a mere ghost of a smile. It was a sad smile. Zack tried not to think about it. He looked down at the rising water level. "How does the water feel? Too warm?" he asked.
"No," his friend replied. "'s'good," he added.
"Good," Zack repeated. "I'm gonna give you some more of the old medications before I go out later," he explained then.
"Go out?" Cloud echoed.
"I have to talk to Jacob. He helped me out in finding a drug that may actually work in controlling your illness. I'll be picking it up tonight," Zack revealed.
"From Jacob?" Cloud questioned.
"No, from...somewhere else," Zack said vaguely. He really didn't want to say too much about it.
"I'm sorry," Cloud uttered then, his eyes lowering.
"What for?" Zack inquired fast.
"For being so useless," his friend said dejectedly. He moved his one arm a little under the water.
"Come on, shut up," Zack said as he leaned forward and shut off the faucet. "You aren't useless."
"I'm weak. It's pathetic," Cloud argued.
"Spike, stop," Zack ordered. Cloud was quiet then. "Give yourself a break. You've been through a lot."
"So have you," Cloud pointed out.
Zack shook his head. "It's not the same thing. I didn't go through the same things you did," he tried to explain, though it looked like Cloud was shutting him out at that point. "You were subjected to a hell of a lot of mako, buddy," he continued anyway. "More than any average person could take." Cloud's eyes were still downcast. "So much you were glowing, ya freak," Zack added then. He had meant it somewhat jokingly. But the scary part about it was that it was true. His body had been so saturated with mako at one point that it was showing through in his veins, as well as his fingers and toes. Indeed it had seemed a little like it was glowing.
Cloud looked at Zack sceptically. "Glowing?" he repeated doubtfully and Zack nodded. Cloud shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said as a small smile came across his face.
There was the sound of floorboards creaking out in the hall then. Zack turned to look at the doorway just as Tifa appeared. She was in sweats and a t-shirt. She squinted a little against the light of the bathroom. She began to say something but stopped abruptly and turned around fast.
"I'm sorry!" she said in surprise. "I didn't know you were—" she went on but Zack stopped her.
"Still haven't become acquainted with the male body, huh?" he inquired jokingly.
"A while ago actually," she replied. "But I'm pretty sure Cloud doesn't want me seeing...that," she added.
"You saying he has something that's shame-worthy?" Zack questioned.
"No I—" she started fast but stopped. "I don't know, I—"
"Can we change the subject?" Cloud muttered from the tub.
"I-I'll go now," Tifa said and began to leave.
"He's got shorts on, Tifa," Zack called after her and she paused.
"Oh," she spoke and turned slowly.
"Yeah," Zack confirmed with a nod. "I'm not really in the habit of sitting with Cloud while he bathes naked in front of an open door."
Tifa shot him a look that told him to shut up. "Is everything okay?" she asked then, looking at Cloud briefly.
"Yeah, fine," Zack said before turning to Cloud. "Be right back," he assured him before getting to his feet. Tifa moved into the hall and he followed her out.
"What happened?" she asked quietly when they were outside the bathroom.
"He got worse over the past few hours," Zack revealed.
"Worse? How?" she said in slight shock.
"I think he's either at the point where he's losing blood faster than his body can replace, or...his heart's failing," Zack explained tentatively.
"You think his heart could be failing?" she said swiftly.
"It's possible," Zack said, nodding. "Especially since it's happened before."
She looked back at him in confusion. "When?" she asked.
"At...the mansion," he replied, shaking his head. "Anyway, I woke up to find him with little circulation in his extremities," he continued. The ports in his arms aren't even bleeding right now."
"Isn't that good? That they aren't bleeding?" she inquired.
"At this point, not really. I'd feel better if they were." He glanced into the bathroom to make sure Cloud was still alright. "I'm going to give him another dose of the old medications and then I have to go find a phone to talk to Jacob about possibly having Cloud's ports removed.
"So, he can do that?" she asked hopefully.
"Well, he needs to see them first."
"You're going to bring the doctor here?" Tifa questioned,
"No, I want to be smart about this, I don't want him knowing where we've been staying," Zack said, shaking his head. "Hopefully I can just bring Cloud to his office," he added. "Anyway, the first priority is the drugs. I gotta go pick them up tonight."
"Yeah...about that," Tifa said in the tone Zack was learning meant she wasn't impressed. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out you went to a dealer, ya know, so refusing to say that's how you're getting them is rather pointless."
Zack looked back at her and then smirked. "Well since you know everything, telling you would have been rather pointless as well," he countered.
Tifa groaned in frustration. "What are you thinking, Zack? You're getting involved with a drug dealer!" she pointed out as if he wasn't already aware.
"It's the only way to get the drugs, Tifa!" Zack fired back at her.
She looked away then. "How much is this gonna cost you?"
"Doesn't matter," Zack said, crossing his arms.
"Zack—" she began.
"Tifa," he cut her off.
"God," she said in exasperation, throwing her hands up. "It's too early for this. Just, if you need help paying, let me know. Please. Don't take this all on yourself."
Zack exhaled forcefully. "Yeah," he said in acceptance. "Alright." He dropped his hands then turned for the bathroom, stopping and turning back. "What time is it anyway?" he asked.
"Six-thirty," she replied tiredly.
"Alright. I'm gonna fix Cloud up before I leave to go find a phone. We'll see if maybe he can eat something too. Are you going to be able to keep an eye on him while I'm out?"
"Of course."
"'Kay, you should go back to sleep for a few hours, you look like you could use it," Zack suggested then.
Tifa waved him off. "Thanks, I'm fine," she replied.
"Really? Oh, I thought maybe you didn't start looking good until after nine," he commented.
She pushed past him roughly in response, her shoulder hitting his as she headed back to her room.
Zack returned to the bathroom and sat himself back down on the floor next to the tub. He thought at first Cloud was asleep. His eyes were closed and he actually looked rather peaceful. But after a moment he opened his eyes and looked as Zack.
"Thought you were sleeping for a moment there, buddy," Zack admitted.
"I don't want to," Cloud uttered quietly.
"Don't want to..." Zack repeated in a bit of a questioning tone.
"Sleep. Can't have nightmares when you're awake," Cloud explained. That wasn't entirely true. They'd lived a nightmare for four years.
Zack nodded. "I know how you feel," he said anyway.
"I know," Cloud replied then. "You were crying last night. In your sleep."
Zack was a little surprised and embarrassed. "Really?" he questioned and Cloud nodded slightly. He laughed lightly then. "I think you were imagining it, Spikey," he said without looking at him.
"Did something...happen?" Cloud asked. Zack wasn't entirely sure what he was meaning. "Last night. You were gone..." his friend elaborated.
Zack shook his head in response. "No, Spike, everything's fine," he lied. Everything was not fine. But it was nothing he wanted to put on Cloud at the moment. Cloud looked back at him with a doubtful expression.
"Sure," he said and averted his eyes slightly. Zack smiled grimly, though Cloud didn't see it.
Zack let him sit in the tub for another few minutes before getting him out and bringing him back to the bedroom. He got him dry and resettled on the floor before giving him some medication and re-wrapping his bandaging. The warm water seemed to have helped get his circulation going a little stronger. The ports in arms weren't bleeding but the colour was returning to his fingertips. He tried to get Cloud to accept some breakfast but all he would take was water. He didn't stay awake long after that, slipping back into sleep before Zack had left to go find a phone.
He headed up towards Sector 2. He didn't want to pick a phone in the same sector as before. He scouted out a booth in Sector 2 and made sure it looked safe before approaching. It was in a more populated area than the phone he'd chosen before so he wanted to make sure there were no cameras on any of the buildings. It seemed unlikely that there would be. Buildings in the slums weren't typically that decked out with technology.
Jacob didn't answer this time when he called the man's house. His daughter picked up first.
"Hi," Zack spoke awkwardly. "Is your dad around?" he asked.
"Who is this?" she questioned in response.
"It's...uh...can I just talk to your dad?" He thought he could hear Jacob in the background then.
"Hello," the man's voice spoke through the receiver.
"Is it the convict?" Zack heard Jacob's daughter say.
"Zack?" Jacob questioned and Zack finally replied.
"Yeah," he answered. "I was able to get that drug your friend mentioned."
"That's good news," Jacob replied.
"Yeah," Zack agreed. "Any idea how much I should be giving to...to Cloud?" he hesitated on using his friend's name.
"Lars said about thirty millilitres twice a day. Though he can probably get less after a week or so," Jacob said.
"Alright," Zack sighed. "Uh, I'd like him to see Cloud," he added then. "To see if he can do something for him. To maybe remove those ports from him."
"Of course," Jacob agreed, then continued. "But Zack, there's something I think you need to be aware of," he said.
Zack was hesitant on replying. Whatever was coming, it didn't sound good. "What's that?"
"The Turks have been watching my house since you left," Jacob announced.
Zack grew cold at that statement. "You're sure about that?" he asked lowly.
"I am," Jacob confirmed. "I assume they're expecting we'll be meeting up again. I realize now that the house was already under surveillance when Lars was here to treat your friend the first time. I wouldn't think it a stretch that the Turks would be watching him as well."
Zack let himself fall back against the side of the booth. "Great," he muttered.
"May I offer a suggestion?" Jacob asked.
"Go for it," Zack said dejectedly.
"Have him meet you someplace that wouldn't seem as suspicious. No doubt the Turks would notice if you brought Cloud to his office."
"No doubt," Zack agreed. He thought for a moment, looking out at the market nearby. "Alright, uh, your friend wouldn't happen to drink would he?" he inquired at last.
"I believe he does."
"Has he ever gone to a place in the slums before?" was Zack's next question.
"That I'm not sure about," Jacob admitted.
"Well I guess he does now. You think he'd be free tomorrow night?"
"After five, yes."
"Tell me again I can trust you," Zack said then.
"I promise, you can trust me. And Lars," Jacob assured him.
"Okay," Zack said in acceptance. "Tell him to come down to the Seventh Heaven bar in Sector Seven of the slums," Zack instructed. "And...I really appreciate this, Jacob. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
"It's no trouble. We're both happy to help, Zack. I don't know what happened to you both but I don't doubt it was Shinra that did it to you. And whatever it was, you didn't deserve it."
"Thanks," Zack said gratefully.
"You're welcome. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."
"Will do," Zack agreed.
"Bye for now."
"Take care." Zack hung up the phone slowly and stepped out of the phone booth. As he did he found himself looking directly at a suited figure across the street. It was a Turk. A young Turk. He didn't recognize him but he could tell what he was. The Turk was looking back at him. There was no way he hadn't seen him. At precisely the same time, both Zack and the Turk broke into a run. Zack headed for the nearest buildings, cutting between them as the Turk was running across the street after him. Zack realized immediately that he was going to have a bit of a tough time losing the kid. He was more fit than many of his coworkers, on account of being newer. He was on Zack's heels fast.
"Hey!" Zack heard him call. "Stop! Zack Fair!" he shouted. Zack felt his heart skip as his name was called. He picked up his pace as he rounded a corner. Ahead of him was a dead end but it wasn't going to stop him as he raced toward it. He jumped from the ground onto a dumpster at the end wall and leapt over without breaking his momentum. He hit the ground on his feet and stumbled a little. He fought to keep himself from falling to his knees though he touched the ground with his one hand and then propelled himself forward again. He heard the sound of the kid's feet on the dumpster and then the thud as he hit the ground after him.
"Stop!" he heard him call out again. Zack turned back only for a second to see how far the Turk was behind him before rounding another corner onto the street. He was a little surprised to find the kid so close behind. There was fit, and then there was just damn fast. Fast enough that he could keep up with someone who was mako-enhanced. "Zack, wait!" the Turk shouted as they entered a park. There were some kids playing on the run-down equipment. They stopped what they were doing to watch, some of them even attempted to run along.
A moment later, they were out of the park and back onto the street. Zack headed for another alley. Just as he entered, a door opened in the side of one of the buildings and he nearly ran into it. He was forced to come to a near stop to avoid it, turning sideways to get around it. It was too much of a slow-down. He just made past the door before he was tackled from behind. He hit the pavement on his knees and elbows and went immediately into fight mode. He turned and grabbed the kid, pulling him to the ground roughly before attempting to get to his feet and run. Two hands clutched his leg and pulled him back to the ground before the same hands were pulling him up and pushing him toward the nearby wall. It was a battle of strength now, which Zack knew he was going to win eventually. It was only one-on-one after all.
The Turk sounded like he was about to say something but his words were cut off in his throat as Zack threw his elbow back into the kid's abdomen. He turned fast then and laid a hit on the side of his face that had him stumbling back into the opposite wall of the alley. He reached for something but Zack stopped him, grabbing his arm before kicking his legs out from under him. He hit the ground on his back with a hard thud, knocking the air from his lungs. Before he had a chance to get up, Zack was gone.
The Turk lay on the ground a moment trying to catch his breath. He reached into his pocket then and pulled out his phone. He dialled before attempting to sit up.
"Tseng," his boss answered.
"It's Dominic," he panted into the receiver.
"Something wrong?" Tseng questioned.
"No, I...I just saw Zack Fair," he revealed before taking in a deep breath. He dabbed at the new cut on his cheek.
"Where?" his boss inquired swiftly.
"Sector Two," Dominic replied. "At a phone booth. He just kicked my ass and took off," he added. "Should I let Reno and Rude know?" he asked. There was a bit of silence on the other end of the line before Tseng answered.
"No. I still want Sectors Seven and Eight searched. Zack isn't staying in Sector 2. Did you see where he headed?"
"No, sir," Dominic said as he exited the alley the way he'd seen Zack go. There was nothing but empty street ahead of him.
"Fine, come back to headquarters," Tseng ordered.
"Yes, sir," Dominic said with a nod. When his boss hung up, he pocketed his phone. He touched his now swelling cheek and cursed softly before heading back to the headquarters as ordered.
000
"What the hell happened to you?" Tifa asked when Zack returned to the bar. There were bloody rips in his pants at the knees.
"Nothing," Zack said sharply. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to her right now. He aimed to head to the back so he could go upstairs but she stopped him, grabbing his one arm.
"What the hell, Zack?" she exclaimed as she looked at the drying and sticky blood on his elbow and part of his forearm where it had ran down with gravity.
"I'm fine," he said firmly and pulled his arm away from her.
"Well I don't really care, I just don't want you bleeding on my bar," she replied fast.
"Ha ha," he responded flatly and went to push past her.
"Hang on," she said, stopping him. "Sit down, I'll get the first aid kit from the back."
"I don't need first aid, I need to change my pants," he said in return.
"Just sit down," she ordered before disappearing into the back. He exhaled in frustration before sitting himself down on a chair at the nearest table. Tifa returned a moment later. "Let's see," she said, motioning to his knees. He rolled up his pant legs slowly. "What happened?" she repeated her earlier inquiry.
"I fell," he said simply.
"Oh yeah? 'Cause you're such a klutz?" Tifa asked sceptically, tearing open the packaging of an antiseptic wipe.
"Fine, it was a Turk," he revealed. Just then she pressed the wipe against his left knee.
"Ow!" he exclaimed fast and slid himself back from her.
"What?" she blurted loudly.
"Will you friggin' warn me first!" he shot back at her. He tried to snatch the wipe away from her but she pulled back out of his reach.
"First," she said, "Don't be a damn baby. Second, a Turk? Where?"
"Sector Two. I lost him, don't worry about it."
"Well I gathered as much. But he still caught you first, right?" she inquired before reaching to apply the wipe to his leg again. He grabbed her wrist before she could touch him and took the wipe out of her hand.
"Yes, if you must know," he replied and then dabbed gently at his knee with the antiseptic. "He was a fast son of a bitch, I'll give 'im that."
"What if he followed you back here?" she asked before pulling out a chair to sit across from him.
"Well I left him lying on the ground so I doubt he got up fast enough to see where I was headed," he explained.
There was a brief moment of silence before Tifa said "They really are after you."
He glanced up at her. "Uh, yeah. Did you think I was lying?" he asked as he started cleaning the blood off his right knee.
"No, I just..." Tifa began but hesitated. He looked her way once more. "I dunno. I'm just...getting used to the idea."
"Yeah, well...better get used to it soon." He took a bandaid from the kit on the table and pulled the back stickers off it before applying it to his one knee. "Turks have a way of finding people. We aren't going to be able to stay here forever."
"Well I can tell you now that I've never had Turks in this bar, so I think you're fairly safe here."
"Oh yeah? Well that might change soon", Zack said before hissing a little in response to the new wipe he pressed against his one elbow.
"Why?" Tifa asked.
"That doctor I mentioned before. The one who may be able to help Cloud," he clarified and Tifa nodded. "He's gonna be coming here tomorrow."
"What does that have to do with the Turks?" Tifa inquired in confusion, shaking her head.
"Well, they may be following him," Zack revealed.
"What?" Tifa said fast, coming to a stand. "No way, Zack!"
"What do you mean 'no way'?" he questioned as he looked up at her. "There isn't really a choice here, Tifa," he pointed out.
"Sure there is! You could have him see Cloud anywhere. Why here?"
"Well because Cloud's here first of all. Secondly, I need a place for the doctor to come that won't look suspicious to the Turks if they are following him."
She was silent a moment as she looked at him in shock. She shook her head then.
"No. I'm sorry, no," she said firmly.
Zack got to his feet then. "I'm not really asking here, Tifa," he said sternly.
"Oh, you're telling is that it?" she challenged. Zack was at a loss for words for a second.
"You got a good reason why the doctor shouldn't be coming here, Tifa? Besides you just not wanting him to? I don't want to have the Turks this close to us either but this is the best option. Cloud needs this! Doesn't that matter to you?" he fired at her angrily.
"Of course it matters! But, Zack, my life could be in danger if the Turks decide they suddenly have a reason to search the place. And not just my life," she explained ominously.
Zack looked back at her in confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.
"I—" she stopped herself and turned away, putting her hands to her head.
"Tifa, what?" he pressed her, moving toward her. He took her arm and pulled her back around to face him. "What?" he repeated.
She said something. One word. He wasn't sure he heard it right. "What?" he asked again.
"AVALANCHE," she repeated herself a little louder.
"The...terrorist group?" Zack said slowly.
"If that's what you want to call it," Tifa replied.
"What about AVALANCHE?" Zack asked.
"You're standing in its headquarters," Tifa revealed at last. Zack looked around briefly. He released a short laugh. He grew serious then after a moment.
"You're not kidding?" he asked.
"Nope," she confirmed.
"AVALANCHE," he repeated. "The ruthless, murderous—"
"No, it's not like that. It's different now," Tifa said fast.
"Different."
"Not one of the original members remains. We have different goals," she tried to explain.
"We? You're one of them?" Zack said in surprise.
"Well yeah. It's being run out of my bar," she confirmed.
"Oh my god," Zack uttered as he sat back down.
"What we try to do now—" she began to try and explain but Zack stopped her.
"It's cool, I don't need to know," he said definitively.
"You understand then, why I can't have Turks near this place?"
"Yeah." Zack nodded. "And do you understand why there's no other option?" Before she could answer he continued. "What's more important to you?" he asked.
There was silence between them for what seemed forever before Tifa exhaled long and hard and finally said "Alright."
"Thanks," Zack said.
"It's fine. But Zack," she said, getting his attention back as he'd turned away from her. "Don't question me again about my feelings for Cloud. You know how I feel about him. I wouldn't question you."
He nodded in understanding.
The afternoon hours dragged on slowly as Zack waited for the evening to roll around so he could go back to the plate and pick up the drugs he'd 'ordered.' He'd been keeping an eye on Cloud, trying to make sure he stayed warm but that his head stayed cool at the same time.
Cloud had been dreaming that afternoon. When he wasn't dreaming he was moving around. It was actually difficult keeping him in one position where he could throw up safely if he had too. At times it actually sounded like he was trying to talk to someone. Zack couldn't help but wonder what it was that was getting such a vocal and physical response from him.
They were more than dreams to Cloud. He was being dragged into a crevice of darkness filled with what he assumed were remnants of memories. They were all painful. All confusing and terrifying. There were faces of people he must have known but couldn't remember. Voices he knew he'd heard before but couldn't place.
He was standing on the edge of a precipice, vast and deep. He couldn't see the bottom. The air around him was dark and tinted green. It was stifling hot and whipping around him like a windstorm, picking up dust and throwing it into his face. The sound of thunder crashed nearby as the sky above thickened with black clouds. He was standing on the edge of Hell. That's what the feeling in the pit of his stomach was telling him.
"Hello!" he called out as he tried to shield his eyes from the sand-filled wind. He turned away from the edge in front of him to see the fuzzy outline of a figure coming toward him. "Who are you?" he shouted to the approaching figure. There was no reply. The figure seemed to change position. Suddenly, it was charging. Cloud was frozen in place as he watched the dust part and could see a silver-haired man running at him. He was holding a sword and was aiming it out ahead of him for a strike. It took only a split second before Cloud felt the cold metal of the sword slice through his chest. His mouth filled with blood before he had a chance to cry out, the pain nearly paralyzing him.
The man spoke then, uttering in a smooth and icy tone, "You're Mine."
Cloud tore out of his sleep only to be met with the immediate sensation of choking. His chest felt crushed and almost immediately he felt the urge to cough come upon him. Something was rising up fast from his chest as he began to sputter. He raised himself onto his elbows as his mouth filled with blood. He couldn't hold back from releasing it. He coughed and the first mouthful hit the plastic below him and splattered, dots of it flying back up at him. He extended one arm out, reaching for the trashcan that seemed just a bit too far away, all the while his chest was still heaving and his lungs lurching in the need to clear themselves. A voice was still speaking to him. It wasn't the same voice as in his dream. He couldn't make out the words.
Zack heard him from the bathroom where he'd been brushing his teeth. He set his toothbrush down, spitting hastily before rushing back to the bedroom. He saw Cloud struggling to bring himself onto his hands and knees. His breathing was erratic, yet shallow sounding. He could see a small puddle of blood on the plastic below his friend.
Zack lowered himself to the floor in front of Cloud. He placed a hand on Cloud's back and rubbed gently.
"Calm down, buddy," he urged, seeing the panic in his face as he struggled to breathe. "Slow it down. Breathe in and hold it," he ordered. After a moment, Cloud did as instructed. He took in a breath and held it, looking up at Zack with eyes about to overflow with tears. "Alright," Zack said after a few seconds. "Let it out slow, buddy." Cloud complied shakily. His expression became a pained one as he broke into tears then, bringing his breathing back into the realm of laboured. Zack took hold of him, hugging him close.
"It hurts," Cloud cried against his shoulder.
"I know, Spikey," Zack said. "God, I know," he whispered, more to himself as he squeezed his friend a little tighter. "Just hang on, alright, Spike. Just a few more hours," he urged.
"Zack," Cloud squeaked out in response. "I'm going crazy," he claimed oddly.
"What do you mean?" Zack inquired.
"I'm hearing voices," Cloud whispered, almost fearfully.
"Voices?" Zack echoed, his stomach sinking. He knew what his friend was about to say.
"A wo-woman," Cloud stuttered as he struggled to take in a steady breath. "She's been whispering to me."
Zack knew it. Jenova. He must have been hearing Jenova. The idea still seemed absurd to him and he had witnessed her control over Cloud at the mansion. As far as he knew, Cloud hadn't yet remembered Jenova. He wanted to keep it that way.
"You're not crazy," Zack said reassuringly. "It's just...the mako sickness, Spike. It'll be all over soon."
He couldn't think of anything else to say. He was scared. Scared that even once he'd gotten the drugs to treat Cloud that Jenova was going to keep talking to him. That she would somehow be able to control him again. There was nothing he could do to get rid of her. Her cells were in Cloud's body. In both their bodies. But he hadn't heard from her the way Cloud had described. For some reason, she either had no power over him, or she didn't care to.
But there would be time to worry about all of that later. For now, he needed to focus on the most immediate problem. He had hours to wait before going back to the plate to pick up the drugs for Cloud. He needed to go to the apartment first to get the money he'd been saving up from working in the repair shop. That was yet another problem he'd have to worry about later. He was supposed to be back in the repair shop the following morning. He couldn't afford not to be. He was going to need the job to pay for the medications he would need to keep buying.
Cloud didn't do so well the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. He developed another fiery fever and by the time Zack was getting ready to leave, he was vomiting and coughing up blood simultaneously. It was incredibly hard for him to walk out the door and leave his friend. He had to trust he would survive another few hours and that Tifa would be able to take care of him.
He raced to the apartment where he retrieved a large portion of the cash he'd stashed there. The wait at the train station afterwards seemed to last forever, though it was almost exactly ten o'clock when he reached Scorch's club.
He pounded on the back door of the club and waited, wondering if he was going to be heard over the music inside. After a moment the door opened and he was motioned in by once of Scorch's employees. He was directed downstairs where he'd met Scorch the night before. If Scorch and his men hadn't changed clothing, it would have seemed they'd remained in their exact positions from the night before. One person was missing. The woman who'd been sitting beside Scorch.
"Welcome back," Scorch greeted Zack as he entered the room. "You're here right on time," he stated.
"You got what I asked for?" Zack questioned, skipping over the small talk. Scorch smirked.
"You got your cash with you?" he inquired in return.
Zack took the roll of bills from his pocket and passed it off to the nearest guy next to him, knowing he wouldn't be permitted to give it directly to Scorch. The man passed the money down to his boss. Scorch removed the rubber band holding the bundle together and let the bills open. He flipped through them briefly.
"You brought more than I expected," he remarked. He nodded at one of his men standing near the table at the one wall. The man lifted a metal case onto the table and opened it. He turned then and moved toward Zack. He reached out a hand and Zack took what was in it. Two small clear bottles of liquid. "That's a hundred mils together," Scorch said. Zack was shocked. A hundred millilitres looked so much less than he'd imagined. Looking at it, and knowing now approximately how much he would be giving to Cloud dosage-wise, he knew he was going to have to come back for more pretty fast.
"Feel free to come back for more if you feel the need," Scorch said then. Zack looked at him briefly before pocketing the bottles.
"Yeah," he said somewhat lowly before heading for the door. He was fairly eager to get the medicine back to Cloud.
He almost wanted to break into a run when he got outside. But he was afraid that if he did so, he'd run into one of the many people on the streets around him or trip like an idiot and destroy the glass bottles he had shoved into his pockets.
He'd had a strange feeling from the moment he left the bar. He felt like he was being followed. He didn't think much about it until he got off the train in the slums. He knew for sure then. But it wasn't a Turk following him. He could tell that much. He wasn't sure who it was but he decided to lead them around briefly.
Her name was Rayna. She'd been walking behind him discretely since he'd left the club on the plate. She hadn't lost him once. Not until now. Her target had looked back just shortly after leaving the station in the slums and she had stepped between two buildings to keep from being noticed. When she left the narrow passageway, the target was gone. She suspected he must have entered an alley at the end of the road. She moved toward it swiftly, reaching the corner of the alley and pausing before rounding it. She stopped suddenly as she found the alley before her empty.
Looking back briefly, she then hurried to the end of the alley and looked out into the street at the end. Nothing. She was shocked. She didn't think she'd been that far behind her target. She took a step back before turning around and gasped as she found she wasn't alone. Her target had bested her.
"You know," Zack started, moving in close to her. He recognized her as the woman from the club who'd been sitting next to Scorch the night before. "I thought it was kinda cute at first, you following me. But now I'm truly curious about what the hell it is you think you're doing."
He had her basically cornered, her back to the one wall. She turned to the left and he lifted an arm to stop her, his palm landing on the wall hard. She looked up at him fast.
"Talk," he ordered firmly.
"I was sent out to follow you," she said then, speaking in a tone that suggested she was trying not to sound intimidated.
"Yeah, I gathered as much. Why?" Zack questioned a little more impatiently.
"You're a SOLDIER aren't you?" Rayna asked in response.
"What?" Zack said back forcefully.
"Scorch sent me to find out what a SOLDIER wants with that drug when you can get it through Shinra," she explained sharply. Zack stared down at her.
"That's it?" he said and she nodded. He took his hand off the wall and stepped back. "Why'd he send you?" he asked.
"I guess he figures I'm pretty good at moving undetected," she replied confidently.
"You're not that good," Zack argued.
"Well I'm not normally following a SOLDIER," she countered.
"I'm not a SOLDIER," he said fast. She laughed lightly in response.
"Nice one," she commented. "But it's pretty obvious."
"I was a SOLDIER," he clarified. "Not anymore."
He was met with sceptical look.
"What does Scorch care anyway?" Zack inquired then.
"He likes to know his clients," she explained.
"Really? Sounds more like he wants information he could use against a 'client' if he wanted to," Zack pointed out.
She shrugged. "It's just business."
"Whatever," Zack said. "I don't want you following me. I got what I needed from your boss, or whatever he is to you. I paid. So back off."
He said it softer than he was meaning to, making him wonder if he sounded as serious as he really was. He found it hard to threaten a girl.
She held her hands up briefly and smiled. "Sure thing, ex-SOLDIER boy," she said as she moved past him. She looked back once as she was heading back down the alley from where she'd come. He watched her until she disappeared. A brief thought went through his mind then. She was attractive. He didn't think he could notice such things anymore.
He noticed.
He made his way to the bar quickly then, making sure he wasn't still being followed. It was dark in the bar but the moment he entered he could hear Cloud. The sounds his friend was making were ones he was familiar with. They were sounds of pain.
Zack rushed the stairs. He had one of the bottles of medicine half way out of his pocket when he reached the top and headed toward the spare room where Cloud was. The door to the room was partly closed but it was pulled open quickly and Tifa was in the doorway. She was visibly upset and her clothes were smeared with blood in several places. She burst into tears when she approached Zack. She pushed past him fast.
"Teef," he said quickly, turning after her.
"Just help him!" she called without looking back at him. She disappeared into her room.
Zack made his way into the spare room then. Cloud was on his side, writhing against the floor below him. He was digging his fingers into the wood of the floor so hard he was tearing his fingernails from his fingers. There was blood all over him, likely from his movements as he rolled in place. Actions that were reminiscent of those days he spent in the containment tube in Hojo's lab when he was being subjected to the very mako procedure that had caused his current problems.
Zack took his one wrist and pulled back his hand from the floor that he was digging his nails into. He was amazed at the strength Cloud put forth in resisting. A groan of partial protest floated out from between his clenched teeth. He thrashed then, throwing his arm out. Zack was hit in the chest. It didn't hurt but he was a little surprised when Cloud's hand closed on his shirt tightly. Zack tried to pull his hand back but Cloud's grip seemed iron-clad.
"Let go, Spike," Zack urged but Cloud only pulled back with his shirt still in his hand, yanking him forward with surprising force. His friend's eyes opened a little then. It wasn't much but Zack could see clearly how vividly green they were. He stared back at them breathlessly, his pulse pounding in his ears as he felt a spark of fear ignite within him. "Jenova," he uttered aloud, though he hadn't meant to. The name had an instant effect on Cloud. He groaned loudly once more before words began to fall from his mouth. Zack couldn't tell what he was saying. He realized quite fast that he couldn't tell because the words Cloud was saying weren't English.
Zack attempted again to pull out of Cloud's hold. He used his other hand to retrieve the medicine bottle he'd been trying to get out of his pocket before. Just as he'd gotten the bottle out and into the open air, Cloud's other hand shot out and knocked it away. The bottle fell from his hand and rolled across the floor. Zack motioned to go after it but Cloud's ever-present hold on his shirt held him back. Before he could make another attempt to release himself, his friend's other hand clamped around his neck. He grabbed for Cloud's hand with his own.
It didn't hit him right away that he should be worried by Cloud's actions but he became aware pretty quickly that he could be in more trouble than he thought. His friend was incredibly strong right now and he was feeling it in his neck as he struggled to breathe. He dug his fingers under Cloud's, scraping away his own skin as he tried to get space between his neck and his friend's vice-grip.
"Sp-Spike—" he rasped out, looking at Cloud and trying to see if there was a part of him that was listening at all. His eyes were so green they may have been glowing. Mysterious words were still seeping from his mouth like a chant. Zack realized then that he needed to put forth a hell of a lot more effort to get himself free of him or he may actually be in trouble soon. He didn't want to hurt Cloud, but he wasn't going to have much of a choice.
He placed a hand on Cloud's chest and grabbed Cloud's one arm with his other hand. He twisted his arm fast and hard by the wrist and pushed him forward. Cloud cried out and let go of his shirt by was still holding onto his neck. Zack grabbed his arm at the elbow and dug his fingers into the pressure points he knew were there. At the same time, he grabbed for Cloud's pinky and ring fingers and pulled back fast, aiming for pain, and not to break them. The moment his friend's grip slackened, he grabbed his hand and turned him over fast. Cloud's shoulders fell back against his lap as he held onto both his arms, and kept them pinned to his body. His friend's back arched as he groaned loudly and continued to mutter unintelligible words.
"Tifa!" Zack shouted out and waited for the sound of Tifa's approaching footsteps. She came quickly though she seemed tentative as she entered the room. She looked their way in surprise. "Get the medicine bottle over by the night table!" he ordered as he tried to keep hold of Cloud while he writhed and struggled in his grip. "You gotta give him the shot for me!" he announced as Tifa stepped past him to get the bottle.
"What?" she said fast.
"Don't think! Just do what I ask!" he shouted in frustration.
She went for the syringe on the night stand that Zack had left earlier. "How much?" she asked when she'd thrust the needle into the rubber top of the bottle.
"Thirty mils," Zack replied. He grunted as Cloud's elbow hit him in the ribs.
"What's he saying?" Tifa questioned as she filled the syringe.
"I—I dunno, hurry up!" he commanded. She pulled the syringe from the bottle. "You know what to do?" he asked. She nodded as she tapped the instrument and applied a little pressure to the pump to release a bit of the liquid. She hesitated then.
"Where am I—" she began to question.
"Just—in the upper arm," Zack replied. He was straining his muscles to keep Cloud's arms under his control. He couldn't believe how strong he was right now.
"I—" Tifa started to say something as she was holding the tip of the needle just above Cloud's skin.
"Don't worry about doing it right or wrong," Zack spoke fast. "Just do it!" She nodded and pushed the needle into the skin of Cloud's arm, just under his right shoulder. He tried to move away from it but Tifa injected the liquid fast and retracted the syringe.
Zack wasn't sure what to expect then. A part of him had expected his friend to grow weak almost immediately and stop struggling. But he fought another few moments before his limbs seemed to go limp. After a minute, he stopped speaking, the strange words dying in his throat. Zack loosened his grip slowly but didn't let him go completely. His friend was still groaning in pain and arching against him slightly. He broke into some soft, half-conscious sobs as Zack rocked him a little.
"Good job, Teef," Zack said quietly, glancing up at her. She set the syringe down tentatively on the nightstand again. Zack looked back at Cloud. He used a hand to pry open his one eye gently. The green was dimming. His friend was still crying. "It's okay, buddy," Zack whispered.
"Do you think it's working?" Tifa asked.
"It's doing something," Zack answered her flatly. Cloud was growing heavier in his grasp as he seemed to be relaxing. His sobbing died down to a slight whimper between his pained groans. Zack released him slowly before bringing himself to a stand. "Goddamn, he's a mess," he muttered as he looked down at his now bloodied clothing. He touched his neck tentatively.
"Are you...is that yours?" Tifa asked as she looked at the bit of blood on his neck.
"Yeah," Zack admitted dully as he dabbed at it. He'd done it to himself as he'd tried to keep Cloud from choking him. "He didn't hurt you earlier, did he?" he asked and she frowned.
"No," she answered uneasily. "Wait, Cloud did that to you?" she asked as she motioned to his neck.
"It was me really. He didn't know what he was doing," Zack rationalized.
"Well of course not," Tifa replied. "He wouldn't hurt you on purpose," she added.
"No," Zack agreed. "Everything's fine now. I got him for the night," he said. "You can go get some sleep now," he added.
Tifa nodded slightly before heading for the door. She paused and turned back. "If you need anything..." she said and he smiled tightly.
"Yeah, thanks," he said and watched her leave. He looked back down at Cloud, touching his neck gently once more. "Yeah..." he muttered once more.
He didn't mean it, he told himself once more. But Jenova did.