CHAPTER 3

Zack simply looked on in awe at the sight which had unveiled itself before him. All the men (and occasional woman) dressed in black or camouflage fatigues and combat gear, running all over the place, doing this and that, drilling, training, etcetera. He quickly glanced over at Dyne...

"Wh-what is this?" he asked, then less seriously, "...and what kind of name is 'AVALANCHE'?"

"Well," Dyne replied with a chuckle, "AVALANCHE was the name of me and my friends' 'secret club' growing up, and I always liked the name. Anyway, we're an anti-Shinra political organization... Sector 7 is our base, and we have influence in other slums, and a few chapters in other cities around the world." Dyne paused for a moment, then continued, "The Shinra ruin the lives of people the world over, and yet somehow they've gained complete economic and political dominance over almost every town therein. Not to mention what their 'Mako-reactors' are really doing to the planet," he concluded with a nod.

"... You mean making monsters?" Zack replied slowly.

"That..." the slightly taller man started, "And.. I'm not sure how to put this or how to explain it... Okay. I know. When was the last time you saw a tree around here?"

Zack shrugged.

"A piece of grass? Anything? No... And do you know what the fertility rate in and around Midgar is?"

Again, Zack just shrugged, though he was beginning to lose track of where Dyne was going with this.

"About five percent. It's a blessing for horny teenagers, but for people trying to start a family, it's a disaster. Doctors have to recommend people go to Mideel or Cosmo Canyon in order to conceive a child. The presence of Mako reactors is making it impossible for new life to be created, especially in the immediate area around the reactors. And the irony is, it's these Mako reactors which give Shinra all their power and influence. People pay the Shinra for electricity and protection, not knowing that they're the reason for all the problems in the world."

Zack nodded... "You can say that again..." he muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Can we sit down somewhere?" Zack asked.

"Of course.... here, let me help you with your friend..." Dyne offered. The two men picked Cloud up and held him between their arms. Dyne motioned with his head over to the bar; 7th Heaven. "The name's Dyne, in case you didn't pick that up before."

Zack nodded in comprehension. "I'll have to shake your hand... when it's free. What happened to your arm?"

"It's a long story, and you have to tell me yours, first." Dyne replied smugly.

As they came into the mostly wooden structure, Zack noticed a few of the others that were with Dyne before, treating a few of the more seriously injured men that had attacked Zack. They looked up.. most of them smiled, and a few even waved or gave him the "thumbs up". This puzzled Zack... maybe he had just passed an initiation or some...

..thing...

Oh my god... look at that BODY!!

She was behind the bar, and her back was turned. However, Zack still caught sight of her firmly shaped behind, and could even see quite a bit of her bosom when she turned a bit. She wore almost all-black, except she actually seemed to be wearing some kind of ninja-outfit. Yet for some reason, she was mixing drinks. She had short, chocolate brown hair... it looked like it'd gotten cut recently.

Dyne tugged Cloud away and placed him in a chair, making sure he wouldn't fall over. He looked straight at Zack, who was still mesmerized by this apparent epitome of beauty and sexuality.. this god's gift to men...

The woman slowly turned around, her hair flying in the air as if a breeze swept in. Zack didn't know what her face looked like... he imagined light blue eyes, thick lips, a soft chin and high cheek-bones. She seductively brought her leg over the bar and stretched out, looking at Zack with wanting eyes...

Dyne looked at Zack with narrowed eyes. He snapped his fingers in front of the younger man's face...

She proceeded to bring her other leg over, and slid off the bar. She started messaging her legs, crotch and stomach. As she did so, she brought up her shirt (despite the fact that her outfit was obviously a one-piece), practically revealing her cleavage. She walked over to Zack with a wink...

Dyne continued snapping his fingers in front of Zack's face. Zack's only response was opening his mouth and maintaining a goofy smile.

The two, not even knowing each other, wrapped themselves together in a tortia of passion and started to kiss. Things went rapidly. They smothered against one another, and without cue or invitation, they both opened their mouths...

Dyne smacked his forehead, and sighed heavily in disapproval. Zack was now licking thin air, a lost look in his eyes. He was also starting to thrust his hips...

Zack reached up and felt the stranger's bosom. She only let this last a second, and rolled her eyes playfully, as if to say "wait 'till we're alone, hotshot".

Zack was now very... VERY visibly aroused, as indicated by the bulge in his pants. He wasn't sure if the woman in front of him was either very oblivious to -or all too aware of- what was happening not 12 feet behind her. He didn't care too much, and continued fantasizing for a moment...

Dyne tried snapping a few more times, but still, nothing. He rolled his eyes, glared at the SOLDIER and pointed his gun at Zack's head and loaded a round, making a very audible CLA-CHIK. Nothing happened. He pointed his Gun-arm down at Zack's crotch. Zack suddenly blinked, and snapped to attention.

"Thought that'd get your attention..." Dyne mumbled to himself, "Snap out of it, Zack. Tifa isn't fond of people leering at her," Then more quietly "...and fix your pants."

Zack looked down and quickly adjusted himself, not even trying to be discreet, while at the same time speaking, "Did you say Ti..."

Tifa's head spun...

"Did you say Za.."

"..fa"

"..ck"

Zack and Tifa looked right at one another, neither of them blinking. They both thought they were seeing a ghost!

"...Z-Zack" she said softly. She looked at the chisel-featured, handsome man in slight shock for another moment, thinking her brown eyes deceived her. She shook her head, jumped over the bar and jogged up to him...

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" The both yelled in jubilance at once. They gave each other a fond hug, but Tifa promptly separated herself after a moment. She still wore a smile...

So when Tifa's palm slammed into Zack's face, he was very, very surprised. Not to mention she was lightning-fast to begin with. A few more punches came, making the former SOLDIER's head spin in a different direction with each blow. Dazed, but still cognizant, Zack finally had the sense to put his hands up... Which didn't help him when Tifa dropped and did a spinning trip-kick. She had sprung back up before Zack even hit the ground. She put her foot to his throat...

"YOU BASTARD!" She spat, "You left me to die! What happened to Sephiroth?! TALK OR I'LL..."

"Tee... fah..." came a distant, hoarse voice. Tifa spun her head...
The blonde spiky hair... the innocent blue eyes and pointed jaw... She hadn't noticed him sitting there before, and her eyes went wide with nostalgia...

"C-Cloud?!" She whispered. She looked back and forth between Cloud and Zack. Dyne was leaning against a wall, taking in what was going on with a bit of interest and amusement. Today was just full of surprises.

"Tifa..." Zack wheezed, holding his hands out in front of himself, "Just... just lemme explain. I was about to tell Dyne all this, anyway..."

Tifa glared at Zack for a moment. She looked back at Cloud... he looked sick, and barely coherent. She remembered him from a long time ago... he had left their town of Nibelhiem to join SOLDIER when they were both about 14, and promised he'd one day become her "knight in shining armor". It was obvious he had gotten into SOLDIER... he was wearing the uniform. But what had happened to him?

Tifa took the pressure off of Zack's neck, and extended her hand to help him up. He accepted, and pulled himself up with a grunt. Tifa's other hand suddenly went for Zack... or so Zack thought. He cocked his head aside to avoid the "blow"...

But instead, Tifa went for Zack's sword, unsheathed it, and tossed it behind her. Zack whined in protest for a moment, but decided against it. The gigantic Buster Sword swung a few times in mid-air, and imbedded itself on the bar at a perfect 90 degree angle. "I don't trust you," She said plainly before Zack could question her.

Zack shrugged nonchalantly. "Can we sit?" he asked.

Tifa, Zack, and Dyne sat at a semi-circle shaped table Cloud was already sitting by. Zack figured maybe it was a circular table that had been cut in half. It had three legs, and stood against the wall, most likely for balance.

Zack took a deep breath. He had to think about what he was going to say. He remembered that Cloud was on the mission he was about to describe... but Tifa didn't know that. He had kept his mask on the whole time, embarrassed that he hadn't made it into SOLDIER.

Did all that really matter now? He looked at Cloud for a second, and something clicked. Zack made a mental nod to his friend, and started.

"It all started five years ago... I was 17," Zack began with a nod... "It was just after the war ended, and so it was SOLDIER's duty to clean up Shinra's messes... whether it be rebels, natural disasters, or in this case, a malfunctioning reactor and monsters."

"A malfunctioning reactor..." Dyne noted, yet still seemed to be asking. "Let me guess... Nibelheim?"

"Yeah, how'djya know?" Zack asked.

"Tifa's told me this one," Dyne replied, motioning to Tifa. "Still, continue. I want to hear your side of this."

"I want to know what this has to do with Cloud..." Tifa pointed out.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "I though you wanted t' know what happened to Sephiroth? And anyway, this ties into what happened to Cloud."

Tifa blinked. She could have sworn she heard a hint of resentment in his voice. Probably because she'd just mopped the floor with him. He WOULD make a good mop, what with all that hair, she thought to herself. This brought a slight smile to her face.

Zack continued. "So anyway, We heard reports of the reactor there malfunctioning, and producing monsters... I was assigned on a team along with Sephiroth and... uh, some other troops to investigate..."