By a Fraction of a Degree
A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129
Rated T for Violence and Language.
I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spinoffs. That honor goes to Square-Enix.
Part II: Reunion
Chapter 22, Diving Deeper
December 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0007
"…And now the Turks who haven't gone renegade are tracking him in this direction, so we're planning to try and catch him from the front as soon as we're done here," Zack finished.
"So Sephiroth learned the truth about the Jenova Project," Vincent mused. "and he was thought dead but just recently reappeared. He's killed many people and is now searching for the Promised Land."
"As far as I know," Zack said. "I have no idea what else he'd be trying to do. But anyway, we've told our story, so what about you?" He stood in the doorway to the tomb, as Cissnei continued to hold the flashlight. He was thankful Aerith had not let go of him the entire time he'd spoken.
Vincent regarded them impassively and then said "There is no need. I've only one more sin to haunt my dreams, and I cannot."
"Well that's disappointing," Tifa huffed. "We were really hoping you'd be of help to us."
"Vincent," Cissnei said. "If there's anything you can tell us about what happened, it might help."
The man in red paused, thinking. "As a Turk, have you ever heard of Lucrecia?"
"Who would that be?" Cissnei asked.
Vincent was silent as he considered his words. "She was the woman who gave birth to Sephiroth."
"So his mother wasn't Jenova? That's definitely a relief," Zack said.
Vincent remained as still as a stone, his body barely moving as he continued. "Presuming he has a connection to Jenova is not completely wrong, but Sephiroth was born from a beautiful woman, and that woman was Lucrecia. She was an assistant to Professor Gast, of the Jenova project and worked here, with Professor Hojo… Beautiful Lucrecia…"
"She was used as a human experiment wasn't she?" Cloud observed.
Vincent's nod of ascent was barely noticeable even as his expression remained blank. "There was no way to stop her. I tried and failed, and that was my sin." He sounded almost as though he was talking to himself, beginning to slide back down into the coffin. "I let the one I loved, the one I respected the most, face the worst…" He was already pulling the lid of the coffin back on even as Cissnei walked forward, stopping its movement with her hand.
"And you think sleeping down here is going to make it any better?" she asked. To Zack's surprise, he thought he heard a hint of anger in her voice. "I know how that feels… but you can't use it as an excuse to waste your life. Do something about it."
"She's right," Aerith agreed. "If you stay down here, you won't accomplish anything."
Vincent paused and for a moment, Zack thought he might get up again, but then, he lay down, gently pushing Cissnei's hand away and closing the lid.
Zack decided there was nothing further to gain by waiting in here. "Come on. We can't make him tell us anything else if he doesn't want to." He walked out the door and Cloud and the girls followed him. As he left the room, the stench of Mako filled his nostrils once again, and he remembered where they were going. Maybe in the time he'd spent in Vincent's room, he'd forgotten, somewhat, but now, the realization hit him full force. A cold sweat started to form on his body. He thought he imagined the world spinning as he saw the big metal doors in front of him, and his heart raced as thoughts and memories flitted to the forefront of his mind. Oh Gaia, the tanks… the operating table… Cloud… the mako… the cell… Hojo… He stopped walking, casting about for anything to anchor him, and found his hand still clasped around Aerith's.
"Zack?" She was looking up at him now, worried. He glanced behind him and saw Cloud and Tifa were coming closer, with Cissnei behind them. He leaned up against the wall, and tried to focus on breathing like he'd done when Rayleigh had first been called in at the hospital.
Inhale… Exhale… That's it Zack, keep it together, He thought to himself, letting the air flow into his lungs, forcing them to take it in slowly and let it out. Aerith had wrapped an arm around him, he noticed, and he took comfort in her touch. He needed it so badly right now. "It's okay..." He finally got out. "I'm okay… just… need a little time… all right?"
"Are you sure?" he heard Cloud behind him.
"Perhaps you should go back," Cissnei suggested.
"No… I'll be fine." Zack took another breath, let go of the wall and stood a little straighter. He looked over at Cloud and saw his glowing blue eyes looking right back, just as worried as everyone else. He wasn't sick, and he certainly wasn't floating in any mako tubes. He was standing right there in front him. They were back, but no one here was going to hurt them. There was no one here at all, aside from Vincent, and maybe some sahagins he hadn't killed on the way out. "Don't worry about me." He let go of Aerith's hand, and gestured that she back off for a moment. He steeled himself for what was coming, and pushed open the doors. A line of light fell across the darkened cavern, growing into a larger rectangle whose origin was a fixture on the ceiling of the next room with five naked light bulbs.
As their eyes adjusted, the light revealed the inside of the lab and the door to the library that lay beyond. The operating table that adorned the center of the room was just as he remembered it… metal and cold as a fluorescent light shone down upon it, the echoes of blood stains shining off the surface in his mind. He shivered, diverting his eyes away, landing them next on the mako tanks. Someone had cleaned up the glass, from where he'd broken out. The tanks were empty now, but he could still remember the dull burn of the mako on his skin, his face, in his eyes. The empty blank stare as Cloud looked back at him from the other tank when he'd tried to scratch a message on the glass about feeding time, silently begging for his friend to give him some kind of answer. He could still see the scratch marks where he'd carved them. It had been one of the last things he'd done before the mako overpowered him. He'd felt so hopeless, when he saw that Cloud probably couldn't even read it, and his own eyelids drooped from the soporific, yet painfully acid chemicals…
"…Zack?" Cloud had walked up behind him and was looking around uneasily.
"I'm all right." He tried to put as much emphasis behind the assertion as he could. "Are you?"
"I'm fine. But… this is the place, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Zack glanced around, realizing that everyone else was watching him too. "Let's just do what we have to do and get out."
As Zack, and the girls wandered into the library, and he heard Kunsel acknowledge their entrance, Cloud lingered in the lab. Up until now, he remembered very little about this place. The most he'd been able to draw from the recesses of his mind, outside of the nightmares, had been from one time he'd passed through here to run a message to Sephiroth from Zack. For the most part, he'd stayed topside, watching the entrance down to the caverns. His gaze wandered over the various test tubes and equipment. What dark shadows did Zack see in this place? Even without that knowledge this room gave him a disquieting sense of unease. Something felt very wrong here.
He heard footsteps behind him, a pair of sneakers, and he felt someone watching him. Turning around, he saw Tifa standing by the next door, and walked past her to follow Zack. Upon entered the library, he saw Kunsel looking through some books at the desk, while Freya and Mao searched through the shelves.
Freya dusted off one of the volumes she was holding before trying to suppress a sneeze. "Ah-choo! I don't get it!" She said after she'd regained her composure. "I would have thought we'd find a lot in here, but all we've found are some journal entries from some assistant and a whole bunch of stuff about the Ancients. The only thing we've seen related to what we're looking for was that status report in the lab."
"Maybe he took his research with him when he finished," Mao suggested.
"I guess it's possible it's all in those files we stole at the Shinra building. But until Shalua finishes decrypting them, we'll have no idea," Freya mused.
Kunsel was looking through a book at the desk as Zack looked over his shoulder. Aerith was also paying attention. "The thing is, all of this stuff seems like it's geared toward the theory that Jenova was an Ancient. I don't know if that's important or not, but…"
Suddenly a thick stack of papers stapled together landed on the desk, thrown there by Mao, who was standing on a ladder against one of the higher shelves and Kunsel diverted his attention from the book he was holding. "Hmm, a scientific thesis?" Cloud came a closer to see as the brown haired SOLDIER read the heading. "Jenova's Legacy…"
"What's it about?" Zack asked.
Kunsel read the first few lines, his brow furrowed in concentration. "It sounds like a paper on the properties of Jenova cells." He checked the author. "It looks like it was written by a Professor Gast Faremis… though Hojo apparently made contributions, along with… Professor Hollander? Huh." He checked the date. "It's pretty old, but it might be of some use." He stuck it into a small pile of books and papers that sat nearby on the desk.
"This can't be the only part of the lab," Cissnei said.
"There's more all right," Zack replied, the bitterness apparent in his voice.
"Where?" Cloud asked.
Zack looked down at Aerith. "I'll be right back."
She was clearly worried, but saw that he wasn't going to let her argue and answered "Okay."
He then strode out of the library, his focus on the door back out into the caverns as he walked through the lab. Cissnei was behind him and Cloud opted to follow. Once they exited the lab, Zack made an immediate left and entered another chamber full of coffins. That was when he heard more footsteps indicating Kunsel was following behind them.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
Zack glanced around the crypt before his eyes landed on a chain hanging from the ceiling and he reached out his hand to give it a light tug. Cloud heard a grinding noise coming from the back wall, and as they all watched, the rear wall slid open revealing a new path deeper into the facility. Zack walked in, his jaw still clenched. This was clearly the last place he wanted to be, but he was doing everything he could to keep himself under control. As they continued further into the darkened hall, Cissnei spotted a power switch on the wall and threw it, sending a line of fluorescent lights down the corridor. It was then Cloud realized they were walking along a line of what appeared to be cells. Zack looked to his left as the lights flickered on, blinking in surprise. He peered into the room he stood by as though transfixed, and over his shoulder, Cloud took in the details. It was an empty cell, maybe about seven feet deep by seven feet wide, if it was even that, with a small alcove to the rear with a toilet and two tiny bunks. Standard Shinra issue. As Zack registered the cell's contents, his expression darkened, and he placed his hand on the door, slamming it shut before he turned away.
The sounds echoed off the cavern walls as the dark-haired SOLDIER drew in a breath and let it out. The others watched with concern as he continued down the hall. It was rare to see him this upset. To Cloud, it was unnerving. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe he should say something. But what should he say? What right did he have to say anything when he couldn't even remember the horrors they had endured?...
"This is as far as I've gone," Zack called over his shoulder. "I think there's another lab down this way, but I never saw it." They walked further down the corridor, taking in the other cells until it opened out, revealing a huge mako tube and another doorway, leading to a second library.
"Who worked in here?" Cissnei wondered.
"Judging from the extra layer of dust, I'd say this place has been used even less recently than the library in the other lab," Kunsel noted, walking through the door and up to one of the bookshelves, taking in the titles. "The Harbinger of the End, Chaos and the Lifestream… On Omega… None of this sounds particularly like it was along Hojo's line of research. But we'll check the rest just to be safe."
Cissnei joined Kunsel in searching through the dusty tomes when Cloud again heard Tifa behind him. As he turned to face her, she glanced around the room nervously, unsure and perhaps a little worried of what she might find. "What's up?"
"Freya said it might be good to start taking things back up to the surface and wanted to know if you and Zack could help with that," Tifa answered.
Seeing the look of relief on his friend's face, Cloud answered quickly, "Sure, we'll be right there."
Zack looked back to Kunsel. "Do you need us for anything before we go?"
"Probably not. If none of this has to do with Jenova, Sephiroth, or Hojo, than we should get through it pretty quickly," Kunsel replied. Zack was about to leave when the brown haired SOLDIER spoke again. "Get some fresh air, all right?"
He gave his friend a grateful nod, and then he hurried back down the passage. Cloud followed him with Tifa close behind. The SOLDIER did not stop until they were out in the main cavern again, and as Cloud emerged behind him, he saw Aerith carrying a small stack of reading material in her arms and placing them on the cavern floor near a few other similarly sized stacks.
She looked up as she heard them and relief was evident on her face. "I thought I'd bring what we were planning to carry out here for you. There isn't a lot, but we didn't think it was a good idea for anyone to be wandering around in the dark who couldn't see where they were going."
"Good call," Zack said, his focus diverted to the task at hand. He walked forward and leaned over to collect the books and papers Aerith had set out until he had a single stack and quickly made his way back towards the spiral stairs.
To his surprise, as Cloud approached, he saw that there weren't very many items for him to carry. "Is there anything else?" He asked, thinking the least he could do was wait until he had a full load.
Aerith considered the question. "I don't know. They're still going through what's left in the library to make sure we haven't missed anything. I'll go see how they're doing." With a swish of her long braid, she left the opening to go back to the library, though in her wake, a slip of paper that had previously sat on the operating table suddenly caught the breeze generated by her passing. The sheet floated through the air before landing just at the door's left side and Cloud knelt to pick it up. He glanced at the text in front of him, and felt a chill run up his spine.
"Analysis of Procedural Failure
Failed Case #1: SOLDIER 1st Class
Summary: Desired effect did not occur. Strong tolerance to Jenova cells due to SOLDIER conditioning assessed as cause.
Failed Case #2: Shinra Infantryman
Summary: Weak tolerance to Jenova cells led to toxicosis. Lack of response to outside stimuli suggests severe system damage. Recovery highly unlikely."
"Failed… how appropriate…"
What?...
…He felt a dull phantom pain all over his body… all he could see was a fog of relentless burning green that misted cold over him, blurring his vision, dulling his mind, already empty and incapable of thought. He felt distant, as though he were aware of it, but it was happening to someone else. There was a crashing noise at the edge of his consciousness, and then suddenly a figure stood in front of the tank… dark hair dripping mako… his body swayed as he fought dizziness… a worried expression… a SOLDIER uniform… the man pressed a button to the side of the tank draining the mako out. He felt himself drop into the man's arms as he heard a clunking noise far away and someone whispering a name he could barely register as his own… "Cloud…"
…A bright light shone in his eyes, and terror ripped its way through his body. "We'll make the incision here. If there are results, it will be easiest to see that way." He wanted to scream, but the sound wouldn't come. A gloved hand was touching his side but the light prevented him from seeing clearly who it was. "Now, prepare the clamps, let's begin." His breath caught in his throat as he trembled in fear until finally it found release as a white hot jolt of pain cut deep into his abdomen…
…"Cloud, I have to go to Midgar, do you wanna come with me?"...
…he lay curled in on himself on a small bunk in what looked like a tiny cell. Spasms worked their way through his muscles twitching painfully when he moved, and his eyes burned. He almost didn't feel, and yet felt too much, the hand that had landed on his shoulder. "They gave you mako, didn't they."
He didn't answer. He knew he wasn't okay. The whispers in his ears were driving him crazy, making him wish Zack would knock him out just so they would stop. He didn't want to open his eyes either, but Zack was already trying to help him up, asking him to open them so he could confirm what he thought but hoped wasn't true. The darkness gave way, and he saw Zack's face harden. "I was afraid of that."…
…"Just kidding, you know I wouldn't do that to you. We're friends, right?"...
…"Cloud?... Cloud!" He blinked. His head ached as he tried to regain his bearings. He had fallen to his knees in shock and as his vision cleared, he saw Aerith standing in front of him. Tifa was leaning over him trying to get his attention and it was she who had called his name.
He leaned against the door, realizing he'd been holding his breath. "What happened?" He asked.
"That's what we want to know," Tifa answered. "You were acting like you were going to pick up that paper and then you just started staring off into space."
He reached up a hand to massage his temple as he felt the pain slowly begin to recede. Finally, he stood, taking in the tanks and the operating table, which, he now noticed, had restraints. "I'm not really sure," he said after a moment. "I saw something…" He was strangely tired, and there was also a strong desire not to be here anymore. It was then he remembered what he'd been waiting for and his gaze landed on Aerith "Was there anything more to carry?"
Aerith shook her head. "Don't worry about it." He noticed she was carrying the slip of paper he'd been looking at in her hand. "Let's wait for the others and then we'll go back up together, okay?" Her voice was gentle, yet filled with authority, even as her brows were knitted with concern. When she saw where his eyes were directed, she slipped the report into one of her jacket pockets. Realizing there would be no further arguing, he walked a bit away from the door and after placing his sword next to him, he sat down against the wall next to it, his gaze directed out into the darkened cave. Tifa joined him, sitting next to him, though maintaining a polite distance. "What was it?" She asked.
"Memories, I think."
"Oh." She bit her lip nervously.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," He added after a moment.
"It's okay."
The three of them waited in silence until they heard footsteps coming from the other corridor, revealing Kunsel and Cissnei, the flashlight illuminating their path. Shortly after, Mao and Freya appeared behind Aerith in the doorway. Almost as soon as they appeared, everyone's attention was immediately drawn by the sound of a familiar pair of combat boots as Zack returned from the surface. He seemed a bit more composed than when he'd left. "Everything I took's up in that bedroom the secret entrance opens to. We just need to run it to the chopper and we'll be done," He confirmed. His eyes almost immediately landed on Cloud and the worry returned to his face as though he knew instinctively that something wasn't right, but seeing him stand and return his swords to his harness, he merely gave Cloud a look that said he'd be asking what was up later.
Kunsel picked up the items that remained on the ground and started toward the exit. "Sounds good. Let's go."
Everyone had just passed Vincent's room when suddenly, Cloud heard the door creak open and a soft baritone voice echo after them. "Wait!" Everyone turned in surprise to see the red cloaked man standing behind them, his expression serious. "If I go with you, will I meet Hojo?"
Zack thought about the question. "I can't make any guarantees, but if we're looking for Sephiroth, there's probably a good chance we'll run into him. Even if we don't find him soon, I'm thinking we'll have to deal with him eventually, and I have no problem with you helping to solve that particular issue."
Vincent considered that for a moment, and Cloud could have sworn he heard him whisper "Lucrecia…" before he faced them again with a dramatic swish of his cape. "All right, I've decided to go with you."
"You're coming with us?" Tifa asked.
"As a former Turk, even if there are already a few here, I may be of help to you."
Zack nodded and gestured that they go back to the surface. "Great. Welcome aboard Vincent! We'll introduce you to everyone else once we're topside, all right?"
The ex-Turk inclined his head in slight surprise. "Everyone else?"
Cissnei had just turned on the flashlight again and they were walking back towards the stairs when Kunsel suddenly give a soft chuckle. "What is it?" Zack asked.
"It's nothing important," The brown haired ex-SOLDIER replied. "It just occurred to me, this is the first guy who's joined us that you or Freya didn't already know."
They reached the first few steps and began to climb as Zack took a moment to consider the observation and though he definitely still had his mind on other things he shrugged. "Small world, huh?"
Cait Sith had spent the majority of the day creeping around the village, though at one point he had climbed some ivy to look into one of the windows of the mansion. He'd almost been spotted by Barret Wallace, but had ducked just in time. He discovered a broken window, shortly afterward and being careful to avoid being seen, he spent the next hour or so investigating the mansion on his own. It was when he heard a crowd of people coming closer that he quickly retreated back out the window. The front doors swung open as he reached the side of the building . Peering around the side, he caught sight of the various members of the group walking towards the gate, some of them carrying books and papers. The renegade Turks were walking at the forefront, discussing something among themselves. "We'll need to get these back to Rayleigh as soon as we can. Hopefully she'll be able to make some sense out of it." Freya was saying.
"I'll take them," the curly haired Turk answered. Cait's data banks said she went by the name "Cissnei" though her files asserted she didn't think of it as her real name. "Mao will tell you there aren't many who can fly faster."
"It's true," the swordsman Turk replied. "Why do you think she made it into the Turks so young?"
"I guess that's a good point. We'll be counting on you then," Freya agreed. Her voice faded out of range of the robot's microphones as five other figures passed through the gate. Cait quickly identified them as Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Aerith Gainsborough, and Kunsel. None of them seemed to be talking at all but they looked tired and concerned about something. They too passed by quickly.
The last of the group passed then. The specimen Red XIII, Barret Wallace, and Yuffie Kisaragi, the princess of Wutai. Trailing just behind them was a man in a red cloak.
"What's goin' on with Spiky?" Wallace asked.
"I'm not sure," Red XIII looked up as he spoke. "It would probably be best to let it be for now."
Kisaragi was hanging back with the new arrival who was obviously pretending to ignore her. "So, Mr. Vampire, you're coming with us? Was it true you were sleeping in a coffin? What were you doing down there?..." Cait heard Reeve chuckling on the other end of his connection back in his creator's office in Midgar. He must have just walked in right as Kisaragi had come within earshot. As "Mr. Vampire" and the ninja passed through the gate, Cait Sith sprinted behind buildings, hurrying to get back to the helicopter. It was paramount that he get back to their campsite and into his hiding place before he could be discovered.
It was late afternoon when the party returned to the helicopter. They probably could have stayed at the inn that night, but after what they had seen in town, nobody had volunteered the idea, and Zack figured that if anyone had suggested it, there would be objections. Especially given that all the other seemingly normal people in town seemed to be actors brought on to give Nibelheim the façade of normalcy. It was far too creepy for anyone to want to be in close proximity to the area while in the potentially vulnerable state of being asleep, even if they'd posted a watch.
After spending some time getting their acquisitions stowed away, and making dinner, Freya called everyone into the helicopter, saying she was setting up a joint call with Veld and Dr. Rayleigh. Yuffie sat on the floor of the chopper with Nanaki as everyone else found somewhere to sit, and Freya worked the controls up in the cockpit to get the call streamed through the speakers. Once she was finished, she walked back to join them. "Okay doctor, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
"Sir? How's your end?"
Veld's voice sounded over the speakers "It's fine. I'll try not to bother you more than necessary, but I wanted to hear your opinion as well as Mao and Cissnei's on what you found there. Do these strange beings seem to be threatening?"
Mao spoke up. "I'm not sure. Though we've procured the samples the doctor requested. Unfortunately, none of the persons we detained seemed capable of communication beyond the ramblings I reported before."
"Troubling." Veld was quiet for a moment. "Do you have any thoughts on the subject, doctor?"
"I can't say for sure. Though it does bother me that they all speak of this 'Reunion.' It's come up in the notes Shalua sent me several times, though they haven't been decrypted sufficiently for me to make any more of them yet." They heard the sound of the doctor shuffling through her notes. "I would like to speak to Zack and Cloud before the call ends, in private if possible."
"That's no problem," Zack agreed.
"Good. In the meantime, what were you able to find?"
"Not a lot," Kunsel said. "I found something in the library before everyone else finished talking with Vincent. There was a short note stuffed on the shelves talking about this group called the 'Lost Force,' but it didn't seem relevant. We also found quite a bit of stuff dealing with the theory that Jenova was an Ancient… but there was a thesis in there that might be of interest. It had to do with how Jenova cells work."
"That could be useful. As much as I've worked with this subject, I can tell you with some certainty that the theory of Jenova being an Ancient is a complete load of chocobo dung. Anyone who's worked extensively with her cells could see that if they ever had the opportunity to compare them with an Ancient's. Professor Gast may have made the mistake early on, but clearly the person who stocked the libraries didn't see fit to contain his later papers. Either that or they couldn't. They are in a restricted portion of the library in Midgar. All of Gast's work was classified after the president became interested in the Promised Land..."
"Why was he int'rested in that?" Barret interrupted. "Wasn' it some kind'a Ancient myth?"
"Well Mr. Wallace," Rayleigh said, not missing a beat. "That's the question. I don't know what the president believed, but Veld might have some insight, given how closely he worked with Shinra's former CEO."
Veld cleared his throat. "I suppose it might be relevant. The President believed the Promised Land did indeed exist, as a location rich with Mako and therefore uniquely suited to place reactors, generate power, and potentially build a city that could replace Midgar in prominence, thus solidifying Shinra's economic clout. He made it his primary goal to locate it, but he never succeeded. It was for this reason that on his orders I directed Tseng and the Turks to attempt to retrieve Ms. Gainsborough. It was thought she might be able to give them the location. Of course, Tseng decided it would be better to get her cooperation willingly, which was why he didn't bring her in right away."
Zack shivered involuntarily, and felt a pang of gratitude towards Tseng for choosing not to resort to 'the old fashioned way' as Freya had put it. The idea that Aerith had suffered the way he and Cloud did was not something he wanted to entertain. The flower girl sat next to him, clearly thinking about her heritage as it was being discussed, and he felt the need to protectively put an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. She accepted the gesture with a gentle smile as Barret scowled at the implications. "You Turks make me sick, all'ya. Jus' doin' yer jobs 'cause someone asked ya to. If the President had asked ya to jump off a bridge, would ya' have done that too?"
Veld seemed unimpressed. "If it were part of the mission, I would have taken a bullet for him, and proudly."
"Even after what his #$%^&* crazy doctor did to your own guy?" Barret growled.
Everyone jumped as Vincent looked up. He'd been leaning on the side of the helicopter right at the main hatch, and he'd been standing so still, those present had forgotten he was there.
"Vincent told you something?"
"Yeah," Zack supplied. "Not about that specifically, but considering what we found in the mansion, and the fact he's here now and seems to have a score to settle with Hojo, I think we were able to put two and two together."
"He's there with you?" Veld asked clearly surprised the man had even set one foot out of his coffin.
"I am," Vincent said. "But the purpose of this meeting is to discuss your findings related to Jenova and Sephiroth, correct?"
The reminder immediately brought everyone back to the task at hand and everyone could hear Rayleigh shuffling through papers again. "True. Have you seen any sign of him?"
"No, not yet," Freya admitted. "Though there is no way he should have passed through here already. Not if he's walking. Last I heard, Elena, Reno, and Rude were on his trail, but they were only following him. If there is a confrontation, it'll be with us."
"Those guys in black were talking about him a whole lot," Yuffie said. "What did they mean when they said 'become one with him?'"
"One more thing I don't know." Rayleigh sighed. "But it sounds important."
"What about the unnamed item they were talking about?" Nanaki said. "They said things like 'must get it,' and 'bring it to him?' What could that be?"
Freya shrugged. "At this point, your guess is as good as mine. It's hard to say."
"I feel like we have all the pieces to this puzzle except the most crucial ones. All of this has to be connected in some way, I just wish I knew how." Rayleigh's tone was one of mild frustration.
"If we find anything else, we'll tell you," Cissnei said. "In the meantime, I should probably let you know, I'll be delivering the goods to you while they're looking for the former General. I'll be leaving soon. You can expect me at the landing site back home…" she checked the clock on her PHS, "…about mid-afternoon tomorrow."
"Thank you for doing this."
"It's no trouble. I want answers just as much as everyone else does." The younger Turk stood and made her way to the exit as though she was going to leave the helicopter.
It was Veld who spoke this time. "Mao, what do you intend to do?"
The swordsman held his katana at his side as he too stood. "I will stay near the village. We don't know enough about these strange people. Someone should keep an eye on them in case there's any change in their behavior."
"Very well. If you need anything, you know how to contact me, and I will want updates on the situation."
"Understood," Mao confirmed.
"Is there anything else?" Veld asked.
"Not at the moment," Freya replied, already walking back towards the front of the helicopter.
"Then I'm done for the night. Keep me posted."
"Yes sir," At Freya's response, Veld hung up and Zack allowed himself to relax a little. It seemed no matter what they did they still ended up coming back to Veld, and he was more than relieved to see him go.
"Why do you still call him 'sir' if he isn't your boss?" Yuffie frowned up at the lady Turk as she walked past her.
Freya grinned. "I don't know. Probably force of habit. Still, it's always good to have a network in place and if he wants to run it, I'm not going to complain." She looked around the inside of the helicopter. "In any case, the public part of the meeting's over. Let's give the guys some space."
Nanaki shook himself free of Yuffie and led the way as the others cleared out. Barret was almost out when he muttered "I can't believe that guy."
"It's a Turk's reality," Mao cut in. "You complete the mission, no matter what. No mission is impossible for the Turks."
"But ya ain't a Turk anymore. None o' ya are. And there ain't no mission. Why can't you get that through yer thick skulls?"
"You never leave the Turks," Mao said. "Shinra may have chased us out, but the Turks are more than just an intelligence organization; they are a state of being."
"Like SOLDIER?" Nanaki asked.
"Maybe not in the biological sense. It's not as though we're physically rebuilt like they are, but I could no more deny what I am than they could shed their enhancements. As to whether or not we have a mission, even though I'm no longer working for the company, there's no reason why I can't set my own."
Barret scowled and moved to follow the Turk outside, but glanced behind him to find that Tifa was still standing near the seat she had occupied during the course of the meeting. "C'mon Tifa, let's leave the SOLDIERs alone."
Tifa took a last look around, pausing on Cloud, who had been sitting at the far end of the helicopter for most of the meeting. The blond swordsman offered her a reassuring smile before she left. Kunsel and Aerith followed her. "Zack," Freya got his attention at that point, waving him to the opening leading to the cockpit so he could see what she was doing. "When you're ready to end the call, press this button here, all right?"
He looked where she was pointing. "Okay, got it."
"I'll be running pre-flight checks for Cissnei, so come let me know when you're done, all right?" After seeing his nod of confirmation, she walked to the main hatch and pulled it shut after her.
"So what is it Doc?" Zack asked as he and Cloud both approached the front of the chopper.
The doctor took a few seconds to phrase her question. "I just wanted to know if the two of you were okay."
"I guess so. I mean, it's not like we enjoyed going down there." He debated whether to mention the moment when he'd almost succumbed to the fear the place instilled in him, before deciding there was no sense not getting it out in the open. "I know we both had moments where things got a little… well… do you remember what happened back at the hospital when you first showed up?"
"Yes. The panic attack. I remember."
"I'd rather not think of it that way, but yeah, it kind of happened again. I got control of it, but it was kind of embarrassing, you know?"
"That happened before?" Cloud asked. He sounded as though he'd been so distracted with his own thoughts he'd completely forgotten about what had happened to Zack when they'd first neared the lab.
"It happened while you were still out of it. I didn't know what was going to happen to us, and I guess after everything we'd been through… well, even the best of us lose it once in a while."
"It's not an unnatural response." Rayleigh explained. "You've both been under a lot of stress and it's nothing to be ashamed of."
Zack rubbed the back of his neck, before giving Cloud a meaningful look. 'Okay, I shared. What about you?'
Realizing Zack wasn't going to let this go until he spilled, Cloud admitted "That wasn't the only thing…"
"Something else?"
"There was this paper I saw on the floor…" Cloud began. "When I read it, I think I started to remember a little. It wasn't very clear, but I heard voices, and then there was this light and…" He shivered visibly. "It was in the lab I'm sure, but whatever it was, it was awful…"
Rayleigh had remained silent until now. "I see. I'm not going to force you to talk more about it now if you don't want to, but when you return, I will want to discuss this further, all right?"
"I'm fine now," Cloud asserted, a frown beginning to form as he folded his arms defiantly. The gesture was wasted since the call was audio only, but it didn't matter, his tone sent a clear message anyway.
"Even so, get plenty of rest before you leave tomorrow, and look out for each other. I know you're both grown men, but still, this whole situation worries me."
Zack let out a sigh. "It worries all of us Doc."
Cissnei awoke after a brief nap and crawled out of her tent, taking in the star-studded night sky that vaulted over the woods in which they were camped. The night she'd found Zack and Cloud out here had been just as clear. A cool breeze washed across her face as she looked around the campsite, seeing the coals of the fire burning down but still carrying a small flame. Zack was on watch, though she was surprised to find Mao a short distance away. He reminded her of the wandering samurai that populated some of the Wutaian legends she'd had the opportunity to read, as he stood alert in his traveling clothes, his katana in one hand and his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. On hearing her walking towards him he offered her one of his kinder smiles. "I see you're awake. Freya's got the helicopter prepped for you, so you can leave whenever you're ready."
"Good." The younger Turk drew in a breath as she thought of what she wanted to do before she left, her eyes on Zack as he sat by the fire listening for any intruders, clearly aware of them, but completely focused on his task.
Mao raised an eyebrow at her as though he sensed her thoughts. "You remember what I said before, right?"
"I know."
"Just don't hurt yourself, okay?"
"You used to say that when I first joined the Turks." Cissnei grinned ruefully.
"I still say it. No matter how far away you are, you're still my partner. And you're still that stubborn little girl they entrusted me with." Mao reached out and affectionately patted her shoulder.
"And you're still that serious old geezer they stuck me with," Cisnei quipped back.
"Be safe."
"I will. You as well." The younger Turk shouldered the small bag she was carrying and walked to the campfire.
Zack looked up as she approached. "You're ready to head out, huh?"
She nodded. "Though actually…" Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to find her words. "I wanted to talk to you before I left."
"What about?"
"Would you walk with me? Mao's here, it should be all right."
"Okay." The SOLDIER stood and followed her as she continued towards the helicopter.
"I know today must have been hard," she began.
"Well, we got through it, and that's what counts."
Cissnei smiled. Typical Zack, always trying to make the best of everything even when times were at their darkest. It was one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place. "Right."
It was hard to see his expression in the dark, but judging from the silhouette of his arm as it neared the back of his neck, the moment had become a little awkward. "So what did you want to tell me?"
"Do you remember when we met in Gongaga?"
"Yeah?"
"And I told you Cissnei wasn't my real name?"
Zack nodded. "What about it?"
Cissnei looked up at his glowing violet eyes, once just like a puppy's but now, so much more grown up, just like her own, through the rigors of the last few years. She opened her mouth, enunciating her given name before continuing. "I wanted to tell you for a long time. I wanted to be there for you… though I knew…" She felt tears in her eyes as she spoke and raised a hand to wipe them away "…It wasn't my right, not after everything we did. But if you ever need my help, just ask… all right?"
She looked up to see him watching her, completely surprised at her admission, but then he offered her a sad smile, the kind that didn't fit on his face. "Thanks." He sounded tired as he looked up at the sky. "You're a good friend, and I'm glad to have you as a friend. I'm… honored… that you think I'm close enough to know your real name. It's… beautiful."
There was no surprise. Just the gentle reminder of what could never be, and even though it hurt a little, it was what she had expected. She smiled sheepishly, hoping the small injury was hidden by her attempt to regain her professionalism. "I guess I'd better go. I have a delivery to make."
"Be careful, okay?"
Were all Gongagans so protective? "Of course. And you make sure to let me know how it goes with Sephiroth."
"Yeah. Though there's no way he'll get through here without being seen, and if he hasn't reached Cosmo Canyon yet, that's our last chokepoint. Whether we find him or not, we'll let you know our progress once we get there."
"Roger. I'll see you when I get back." As she turned away and climbed into the helicopter, her cheerful smile faded. She pulled the hatch closed, two final tears falling from her eyes. Why was she doing this? Hadn't she made peace with her feelings about Zack a long time ago? She leaned against the inside wall of the darkened chopper, forcing herself to calm down. She would need her wits for the long flight back to Mideel. She'd sworn to herself multiple times that she wouldn't take this too hard. She took another moment to compose herself before going to the cockpit. She had a mission to complete. Calmly, she checked Freya's notes on the earlier checks she'd run, and then began the standard routine that could only be done right before takeoff. Zack had backed off a safe distance, and she could see Mao watching the chopper just a bit further away. As the rotors began to turn faster and the noise overtook her hearing, she gently lifted up on the flight stick and the helicopter started going up. Past the trees. Past the mountains. Even a few of the clouds. She adjusted her flight trajectory and soon she was going east, towards home. Little did she know at the time, but as she continued her flight, and warred with her own thoughts, she wasn't alone.
Phew, what a heavy chapter, and yeah, Sephiroth is not in Nibelheim. I wonder where he is...
At this time, the party is probably either still at the Gold Saucer or camped out at the south edge of the Corel Desert right now.
Until next time!