The Forgotten
Chapter 21: Recovery.
"No!" cried Luna, hearing the news of Lance's fate. She fell to her knees, tears brimming in her eyes, then sliding down her cheeks before falling to the dirt covered ground. She couldn't believe the one good thing in her life was gone. He can't be dead. She just couldn't and wouldn't believe it!
"Luna," said Stratus, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have done something, anything. I'm really sorry."
"No! He's not dead! He can't be!" she cried again.
"We saw it with our own eyes, he just couldn't have survived. I'm so sorry to say this but. He's dead."
"We understand how you feel Luna, Lance was a great person." Explained Gale, joining Stratus.
"No!"
"We can't stay here, they obviously know where we are. We must leave now!" interrupted Blain.
"What are you saying? Your daughter is crying her eyes out and you don't even care!" yelled Gale, facing the man.
"Gale, calm down. He is right, we must go." Agreed Red. "I understand what your saying but if we stay here any longer we will have the same fate as Lance."
"Come on Luna, get up. We must go." Said Blain, pushing past Stratus and grabbing his daughter's arm. Stratus fumed at this.
"Hey! Give her a minute at least!" he yelled, taking his anger out on this jerk was a good idea to him. He must admit, he didn't seem to like Lance on the outside. But deep down he was a friend, and he was angry and upset with his demise.
"Back off boy! She is my daughter and I know what's best!" bellowed the Bounty Hunter. Stratus didn't take this lightly and lunged at the man, hitting him square in the face. Blain fell backwards, landing with a thud.
"I don't care what you say is best! Just because she is your daughter doesn't mean you can boss her around! Do you have no heart? Is it that cold?" yelled Stratus. Gale tried to calm him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Enough everyone!" Came a voice from afar. "We are all upset over Lance. But Blain is right; we cannot stay here any longer. Stratus, you are also right. We must give Luna some time alone. We can gather the supplies whilst she comes to terms with things. Stratus, I suggest you stay with her." Finished Akira, always knowing how to calm the situation.
----
The small amount of light peered through the roof of the cell, shinning on his battered and bruised face. He squinted, trying to gather himself. He felt his arms held out at his sides, chained to the wall. His legs bound by rope. He hung his head, the trickle of blood from his mouth dripping to the floor. His chest felt like it had been hit by an airship. The cold air chilled his naked torso and he shuddered. The scene played over and over in his head. He was inches from Stratus when he felt the sudden sharp pain as the bullet entered his back, sending him to the floor before he could reach his friend. He was so close. The sound of metal sliding open caused him to jump, he raised his head slowly, though this pained him.
"Still breathing I see." Chuckled the brute General, that laugh would drive anyone insane.
General Talenus stood in the doorway, the extra light that shone into the room allowed him to finally take in his surroundings. The cell was small, rusty and dirty. Puddles of water scattered around the place, the water must leaked in through the cracked ceiling. That was pretty much it; the cell was completely bare, what he could see anyway. He could not see behind him, his body ached whenever he moved, even the slightest move sent searing pain through his body.
"You are going to make the perfect bait boy. However that doesn't mean I can't have fun with you, does it?" the General chuckled again, before sending a hard punch to the boys bandaged chest. Lance screamed in pain, before he slowly felt himself lose consciousness.
----
Luna hadn't moved from her position, Stratus stood besides her trying to help her come to terms with things. It wasn't working.
"Come on Luna, the others will be calling us shortly. You have to stop crying. I know it's hard, but we just can't stay here any longer."
"Lance isn't Dead." Choked Luna. She Stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't help but cry, even though she didn't believe he was dead. It still hurt.
"I saw him get shot Luna." Replied Stratus. He too didn't like how things turned out, but he couldn't do anything about it.
"I never said he didn't get shot! I just know he didn't die. He's alive. I can feel him."
"We better get going. I'm sure they'll be finished by now." He took her hand and led her down the dirt path. They had landed the airship at the bottom of the mountain. The others had begun to upload supplies onto the ship; the main group would then take them to the evacuation site. He didn't know what that was and didn't really care at this point. The rest of the rebels had split into group and had to make there way there on foot. When he reached the bottom, he saw everyone loading the craft with boxes.
"You finished yet?" he asked, approaching Gale.
"A few more boxes, want to help?" she asked, handing him a box. This was obviously not a question and he took the box and began to help load the ship.
----
"Piper. You have done as I asked?"
"Yes sir. I took care of him." Lied Piper, well he wasn't really lying. He didn't really say he had killed him, and he had taken care of the problem.
"Good. I have something to tell you. You'll be very happy to hear it too." Informed the President; he stood in usual position, back to the door.
"Yes sir?"
"I am sending you too Junon. We have captured Barret Wallace's pupil, Lance Hunter."
"Can't you just bring him to me sir?" asked Piper.
"No. You see, you will go to Junon. Then you will wait. Wait for his friends to come rescue him. That's when you will take your revenge on Avalanche." The president finished with a laugh.
"How sir?" Piper still didn't understand.
"His friends include Stratus Strife, Cloud and Tifa Strife's son. They are responsible for the death of your parents. Understand?"
"Stratus Strife. This will be fun, I understand sir." With that, Piper left the room to prepare for his journey.
----
The group arrived at the evacuation site just before nightfall, they began to set up camp and wait for the on foot groups to arrive. The evacuation site was a small cave that would hide them from aerial view. Further into the cave was a small cavern that had been created prior to their arrival. This small cavern held many small tents for the high-class soldiers. The rest would have to sleep in the cave entrance and so on.
Stratus sat alone in his tent, he was tired but just could allow himself to sleep. After all he still blamed himself for the loss of Lance. The zipper of his tent sounded and Gale popped her head in warily.
"Hey. Can I come in?" whispered Gale. Stratus tried to smile at her but failed. She took that as a yes and entered, sitting next to him cross- legged.
"You okay?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I should have done something Gale. Why do I always fail, I always let people down?" The angered teen whispered.
"Don't say that. You couldn't have done anything to stop it. Neither could I. I know its bad, but you shouldn't blame yourself. If you want to blame someone blame that stupid General."
"Lance didn't deserve that. He was a great person, better than me." Stratus voice was still a whisper.
"Your right, he was. But so are you. Your actions now prove this."
Suddenly the tent ruffled open and a clumsy soldier burst in, almost tearing the tent down.
"What is it?" asked Gale, turning to face the man.
"We have just received a message, on our radio frequency." He started but was interrupted:
"Get on with it!" shouted Stratus.
"Sorry. It said Lance is alive, and that if you want him back you have to come get him. They requested you personally Stratus." Bumbled the soldier.
"What?" Stratus jumped forward, pushing past the man and ran up towards the main tent. He entered, seeing Blain, Akira and Red discussing things.
"What's going on?" he yelled, storming up to the group.
"Calm down." Said Akira. "We got a message from a General Talenus, he said that if we want Lance back you have to come get him."
"What are we waiting for? Lets go!" shouted Stratus, turning to notice Gale approach.
"Are you serious? It's obviously a Trap!" spat Blain, grabbing the boy before he could walk off.
"Let go of me!" Stratus swung his arm back and hit Blain in the face, knocking him backwards.
"Calm Down Stratus." Calmed Gale. Placing her hands on his chest.
"Blain is right." Came a voice from the tent door, Vincent stepped in. "It is a trap, but we must go none the less. We cannot let them hold Lance any longer. We have no idea what they might be doing to him."
"Exactly." Commented Red. "We will rest tonight and set of in the morning, okay?"
"Fine! But count me out. I am not risking my life for that brat!" complained Blain.
"How can you say that? That 'Brat' is your daughter's boyfriend!" yelled Gale.
"Let us not argue, if Blain does not wish to go. I will." Informed Akira, calming the situation slightly.
Chapter 21: Recovery.
"No!" cried Luna, hearing the news of Lance's fate. She fell to her knees, tears brimming in her eyes, then sliding down her cheeks before falling to the dirt covered ground. She couldn't believe the one good thing in her life was gone. He can't be dead. She just couldn't and wouldn't believe it!
"Luna," said Stratus, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have done something, anything. I'm really sorry."
"No! He's not dead! He can't be!" she cried again.
"We saw it with our own eyes, he just couldn't have survived. I'm so sorry to say this but. He's dead."
"We understand how you feel Luna, Lance was a great person." Explained Gale, joining Stratus.
"No!"
"We can't stay here, they obviously know where we are. We must leave now!" interrupted Blain.
"What are you saying? Your daughter is crying her eyes out and you don't even care!" yelled Gale, facing the man.
"Gale, calm down. He is right, we must go." Agreed Red. "I understand what your saying but if we stay here any longer we will have the same fate as Lance."
"Come on Luna, get up. We must go." Said Blain, pushing past Stratus and grabbing his daughter's arm. Stratus fumed at this.
"Hey! Give her a minute at least!" he yelled, taking his anger out on this jerk was a good idea to him. He must admit, he didn't seem to like Lance on the outside. But deep down he was a friend, and he was angry and upset with his demise.
"Back off boy! She is my daughter and I know what's best!" bellowed the Bounty Hunter. Stratus didn't take this lightly and lunged at the man, hitting him square in the face. Blain fell backwards, landing with a thud.
"I don't care what you say is best! Just because she is your daughter doesn't mean you can boss her around! Do you have no heart? Is it that cold?" yelled Stratus. Gale tried to calm him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Enough everyone!" Came a voice from afar. "We are all upset over Lance. But Blain is right; we cannot stay here any longer. Stratus, you are also right. We must give Luna some time alone. We can gather the supplies whilst she comes to terms with things. Stratus, I suggest you stay with her." Finished Akira, always knowing how to calm the situation.
----
The small amount of light peered through the roof of the cell, shinning on his battered and bruised face. He squinted, trying to gather himself. He felt his arms held out at his sides, chained to the wall. His legs bound by rope. He hung his head, the trickle of blood from his mouth dripping to the floor. His chest felt like it had been hit by an airship. The cold air chilled his naked torso and he shuddered. The scene played over and over in his head. He was inches from Stratus when he felt the sudden sharp pain as the bullet entered his back, sending him to the floor before he could reach his friend. He was so close. The sound of metal sliding open caused him to jump, he raised his head slowly, though this pained him.
"Still breathing I see." Chuckled the brute General, that laugh would drive anyone insane.
General Talenus stood in the doorway, the extra light that shone into the room allowed him to finally take in his surroundings. The cell was small, rusty and dirty. Puddles of water scattered around the place, the water must leaked in through the cracked ceiling. That was pretty much it; the cell was completely bare, what he could see anyway. He could not see behind him, his body ached whenever he moved, even the slightest move sent searing pain through his body.
"You are going to make the perfect bait boy. However that doesn't mean I can't have fun with you, does it?" the General chuckled again, before sending a hard punch to the boys bandaged chest. Lance screamed in pain, before he slowly felt himself lose consciousness.
----
Luna hadn't moved from her position, Stratus stood besides her trying to help her come to terms with things. It wasn't working.
"Come on Luna, the others will be calling us shortly. You have to stop crying. I know it's hard, but we just can't stay here any longer."
"Lance isn't Dead." Choked Luna. She Stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't help but cry, even though she didn't believe he was dead. It still hurt.
"I saw him get shot Luna." Replied Stratus. He too didn't like how things turned out, but he couldn't do anything about it.
"I never said he didn't get shot! I just know he didn't die. He's alive. I can feel him."
"We better get going. I'm sure they'll be finished by now." He took her hand and led her down the dirt path. They had landed the airship at the bottom of the mountain. The others had begun to upload supplies onto the ship; the main group would then take them to the evacuation site. He didn't know what that was and didn't really care at this point. The rest of the rebels had split into group and had to make there way there on foot. When he reached the bottom, he saw everyone loading the craft with boxes.
"You finished yet?" he asked, approaching Gale.
"A few more boxes, want to help?" she asked, handing him a box. This was obviously not a question and he took the box and began to help load the ship.
----
"Piper. You have done as I asked?"
"Yes sir. I took care of him." Lied Piper, well he wasn't really lying. He didn't really say he had killed him, and he had taken care of the problem.
"Good. I have something to tell you. You'll be very happy to hear it too." Informed the President; he stood in usual position, back to the door.
"Yes sir?"
"I am sending you too Junon. We have captured Barret Wallace's pupil, Lance Hunter."
"Can't you just bring him to me sir?" asked Piper.
"No. You see, you will go to Junon. Then you will wait. Wait for his friends to come rescue him. That's when you will take your revenge on Avalanche." The president finished with a laugh.
"How sir?" Piper still didn't understand.
"His friends include Stratus Strife, Cloud and Tifa Strife's son. They are responsible for the death of your parents. Understand?"
"Stratus Strife. This will be fun, I understand sir." With that, Piper left the room to prepare for his journey.
----
The group arrived at the evacuation site just before nightfall, they began to set up camp and wait for the on foot groups to arrive. The evacuation site was a small cave that would hide them from aerial view. Further into the cave was a small cavern that had been created prior to their arrival. This small cavern held many small tents for the high-class soldiers. The rest would have to sleep in the cave entrance and so on.
Stratus sat alone in his tent, he was tired but just could allow himself to sleep. After all he still blamed himself for the loss of Lance. The zipper of his tent sounded and Gale popped her head in warily.
"Hey. Can I come in?" whispered Gale. Stratus tried to smile at her but failed. She took that as a yes and entered, sitting next to him cross- legged.
"You okay?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I should have done something Gale. Why do I always fail, I always let people down?" The angered teen whispered.
"Don't say that. You couldn't have done anything to stop it. Neither could I. I know its bad, but you shouldn't blame yourself. If you want to blame someone blame that stupid General."
"Lance didn't deserve that. He was a great person, better than me." Stratus voice was still a whisper.
"Your right, he was. But so are you. Your actions now prove this."
Suddenly the tent ruffled open and a clumsy soldier burst in, almost tearing the tent down.
"What is it?" asked Gale, turning to face the man.
"We have just received a message, on our radio frequency." He started but was interrupted:
"Get on with it!" shouted Stratus.
"Sorry. It said Lance is alive, and that if you want him back you have to come get him. They requested you personally Stratus." Bumbled the soldier.
"What?" Stratus jumped forward, pushing past the man and ran up towards the main tent. He entered, seeing Blain, Akira and Red discussing things.
"What's going on?" he yelled, storming up to the group.
"Calm down." Said Akira. "We got a message from a General Talenus, he said that if we want Lance back you have to come get him."
"What are we waiting for? Lets go!" shouted Stratus, turning to notice Gale approach.
"Are you serious? It's obviously a Trap!" spat Blain, grabbing the boy before he could walk off.
"Let go of me!" Stratus swung his arm back and hit Blain in the face, knocking him backwards.
"Calm Down Stratus." Calmed Gale. Placing her hands on his chest.
"Blain is right." Came a voice from the tent door, Vincent stepped in. "It is a trap, but we must go none the less. We cannot let them hold Lance any longer. We have no idea what they might be doing to him."
"Exactly." Commented Red. "We will rest tonight and set of in the morning, okay?"
"Fine! But count me out. I am not risking my life for that brat!" complained Blain.
"How can you say that? That 'Brat' is your daughter's boyfriend!" yelled Gale.
"Let us not argue, if Blain does not wish to go. I will." Informed Akira, calming the situation slightly.
