Hello everyone

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a good 4th of July…and if you don't celebrate that, I hope it was a good Tuesday! Heh heh… anyways! Stayed up till 4:30 am last night reading a fanfic on here in one sitting. Had to finish it before I went to sleep. So I slept for 4 hours got groceries and then watched some cartoons and took a nap and finally got from my lazy bum and decided I should write the next chapter! Sorry…just told ya about my boring day! Well lets get started shall we! Enjoy! –Annubis

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Squaresoft does.

Chapter 21

The tires squealed as Rude made the sharp turn into the hospital parking lot. He almost missed the tiny "Midgar Emergency and Treatment Hospital" sign due to a low tree branch. He slammed on the brakes as a van put on its reverse lights.

"Come on…" He groaned as he noticed a group of children piling into the back.

"Oh Rude this is gonna take forever!" Reno looked back at Elena. She was as pale as the white sheets around her.

"It'll take longer finding another parking spot that's empty!" Rude waved the van to go ahead and move back. "Yeah…I want you're spot…." He grumbled with a high level of annoyance and sarcasm in his voice. The van moved back slowly, almost like the lady was doing it purposely.

"Move it, Bitch!" Reno yelled through the window. The van sauntered slowly down the covered parking strip and around the corner. Rude sped into the parking spot. He slammed into park and quickly turned the car off. His patience was drained for the day. Reno and Rude darted from the front seats and helped Tseng in the back get Elena.

"Reno, you go to the emergency room and tell them we're coming. Also, get a damn wheelchair or something while you're at it." Tseng ordered in a quiet voice. He tried to remain calm but the situation was getting too dangerous for his liking. Reno nodded and sprinted down the parking garage towards the emergency area.

"Is she alright?" Rude asked.

"I hope so. I really couldn't tell you." Tseng shook his head as he tried to get a hold of her legs. 'Elena…please don't die on me.' Rude saw the tired look Tseng had and knew he wasn't fully recovered from the incident with Hojo.

"Here. Give her to me. It'll be much faster than the two of us carrying her." Rude positioned one hand under Elena's head as he reached for the crook under her knees, taking her from Tseng.

The poor girl was vulnerable and near death and all she had was a baggy night shirt and her panties for protection. Her blonde hair was stuck to her face with specks of blood. The torn sheet provided her some cover but she still was cold as ice and the blood was soaking through heavily now. He carried her quickly, almost running down the ramp towards the emergency outlet. Tseng was quiet the entire journey. They crossed the bright green lawn just as Reno came rushing out with a handful of doctors and a stretcher. He had a smile of accomplishment on his face. Rude raised an eyebrow as the doctors took the girl from his arms and laid her gently with the utmost care. She was wheeled in quickly. The three men followed.

"Told them it was an emergency. They looked at me like I was stupid so I got angry. Said she was dieing. They all nodded and moseyed around for another minute. Said there was an important rich person who just came in with a broken leg! Pulled out my damn authorization card for Shinra and pointed out I was a Turk…They finally put their asses into gear!" Reno shook his head. "Why can't doctors just do their damn jobs? Since when was it about the money and not about the lives?"

'This is bad.' Reno sighed. "Should we call her parents?" He added. Rude and Tseng stopped and stared at him.

"She has no parents, Reno." Tseng informed the red haired man. Reno gawked and felt the embarrassment take over.

"Oh…" He said quietly. He remembered last night and what he had said to her when he saw her apartment. He surely felt like an ass now.

"How much does that cost mommy and daddy?" Reno said sarcastically. Elena glared at him.

"I pay for it myself…" Elena growled. "Asshole." She said under her breath.

"Well…good thing Shinra has full benefits." Rude sighed. This was gonna cost an arm and a leg.

The three men rushed after the doctors and into one of the emergency rooms. Reno wrinkled his nose. The smell of the sterile halls and the sound of the machinery around made him uncomfortable. He felt like he was in a building made for Hojo. He half expected the doctor to be Hojo.

"You okay Reno?" Tseng asked.

"Hm? Yeah! Yeah. Just don't like hospitals I suppose." He shuddered a little.

"…Same for me." Tseng smiled lightly. Reno chuckled a little. The mood lightened a bit, but no one could fully relax. The doctors began sticking needles into Elena's arms and attached an oxygen mask to her face. The utensils were brought out and immediately Reno turned to leave the room.

"I'm going for coffee." He said quickly. "You guys want some?"

"Yes please." Tseng nodded. He couldn't tear his gaze from Elena.

"Yeah…one for the road I suppose." Rude set a hand on Tseng's shoulder. "I'll come with you Reno."

"You gotta leave, that's right." Tseng murmured.

"Yeah. You take care of her, alright? I'll see you soon." Rude patted Tseng's shoulder and headed out into the hallway with Reno. Their footsteps echoed through the deathly silent halls towards the vending area.

"What do you think?" Reno asked.

"It'll take a miracle, but I think after they found out who we are, they'll take the best care of her they can. At least, they damn well better." Rude grumbled. Reno smiled at that.

"Yeah…they should too. What else are we paying them so much for?" Reno smirked.

"You know…we get paid just as much." Rude looked down at Reno sideways. Reno thought about it and chuckled.

"We're the ones that send people to hospitals. They owe us!" The red haired Turk smiled at the irony. "If it weren't for us…the bastards wouldn't get paid."

Zack dodged a beam shot from the giant robot. The metal legs screeched and groaned on top of the walkway.

'This isn't happening. I have to do something.' He looked at his surroundings. 'They're circling us.' He watched the soldiers near him and the others.

"What do we do?" Aeris asked. She held onto her staff tightly. 'I can do magic. I'm good at that. But what about everyone else?' Aeris felt some power drain from her as she summoned a few lightning spells. The bolts ignited around a few of the men sending them into the water.

'The water! Oh! I have to get those men into the water.' Aeris smiled.

"Fire!" The commander shouted. The battle had commenced. Gunfire wrung out into the reactor.

Barret spun to his left firing back at the soldiers around him. Cid spun his spear in front of him deflecting a few.

'# damn it! How the hell am I supposed to get close to these bastards!?' Cid thought angrily. He leapt forward, pushing his spear outwards. He hit one in the chest pushing him over the ledge and into the water. A second later a lightning bolt hit the surface and the man was fried. Cid turned his head looking at Aeris. She nodded at him.

"Damn good idea!" He laughed. "Red!" Cid whistled. The animal turned his attention to Cid. Cid pointed at the water and then at Aeris. He spread out his fingers and mouthed the word, 'BOOM!' Red XIII smiled and snagged a soldier by the leg. He pulled the man over to the ledge, shaking his head trying to make him lose balance. The fiery beast pulled quickly sending the soldier into the waves. A second later a loud crackle sounded and a bolt hit the water and the soldier was defeated.

Vincent saw what they were doing. He was surprised they had formulated a plan so quickly.

'I could try to transform…' Vincent thought for a minute. He shook his head. 'No…it's too painful. I just couldn't do that…at least, not right now. I'm not ready yet.' Vincent hated his weakness. The demons inside of him were already hard enough to put at bay but during a battle like this, he almost could not refuse the power. He had to though. He had to keep the evil from winning inside. It was an inner conflict he wanted to conquer.

'Maybe it's a little too selfish.' Vincent thought. 'I don't have the strength yet. Not unless I am pushed to my limit.' He growled and pulled out his Remington shotgun. He would hold it off until it was desperately needed. The last time he used it, Tifa was in trouble and the Highwind was covered with Hojo's soldiers. There was no way they could win. This time he felt they had a chance, at least for now.

"Watch out! It's getting closer!" Cloud's voice called out over the battle. The spider-like robot lurched forward, swinging one leg out towards the blonde man. Cloud rolled out of the way. "Yuffie! Look out!" He shouted. A high pitched whir sounded and a beam shot out towards the ninja girl.

"Oh no!" She pulled up her shuriken and tried to get out of the way. She lurched to the side as the beam burned through upper left arm. It melted a long hole in the protective cover. She hissed as she felt the searing pain and blood flow down her arm.

"You alright?" Zack ran to her. Yuffie straightened up quickly.

"Yeah…perfectly fine!" She snarled and threw her weapon at the beaming robot. Her shuriken sliced through one of the robot's metallic knees. A few bolts of electricity crackled and it leaned quickly to the right. Yuffie smiled at the amount of damage done.

"Aeris!" Zack called out. He pointed at Yuffie's arm.

"Hey! I told you I was fine!" Yuffie put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, for now. You let that burn set there and you won't have an arm anymore. It'll eat through the bone." Zack said quickly and turned his attention back to the commander.

"What!?" Yuffie looked at her arm and then at Aeris. "Aeris! Aeris! Hurry! I need that arm!" She said in a panic. A second later the tingling sensation from a cure spell kicked in. Yuffie sighed with relief.

'That was scary…' She took a deep breath. Aeris smiled and looked back at the water. There were numerous bodies floating on the surface. It was almost too much to handle.

'I'm killing so many people…' She shook slightly.

'That's right…Kill. Kill some more!' A familiar dark voice sounded in her head.

"Oh!" Aeris turned to look around her. Everyone was still in battle. Laughter wrung in her ears.

'Sephiroth!? Where are you?' Aeris held onto her staff.

'Where would you like me to be?' Sephiroth's voice sounded again.

'What kind of question is that?' Aeris grit her teeth.

'I'll give you a hint. I am somewhere in this reactor.' The man chuckled again.

'You're a bastard you know that? Why don't you get the hell out of here, unless you plan on helping us out?' She said sarcastically.

'Hmmm…I don't feel like fighting right now. I just wanted to warn you of my plans tonight. I think I'll pay you another visit. Is that alright?' His voice faded towards the end of his last sentence. Aeris' eyes widened at the request.

"Don't you ever get near me again." Aeris hissed out loud. Sephiroth's voice was gone. She could no longer feel his presence. 'That asshole.' She turned her attention back to the battle.

"Is that all you got!?" Tifa's voice shouted. She sprang forward and grabbed a soldier by the collar of his shirt. She sprung into the air, throwing him into the blue depths below. His gun clattered to the floor. Aeris called for another bolt spell. Tifa turned to her and gave her a thumbs up. She was actually having fun. The soldiers were easy to handle, but she had a bad feeling about the commander. Tifa knew there was something up his sleeve by the way he seemed so relaxed.

"Well…looks like you all have some experience." The commander leaned against the wall of the reactor.

"What are you so calm about?" Cloud asked the man as he sliced at the side of the intruding robot. The robot's leg shot out to the side hitting Cloud and sending him rolling across the walkway and towards the edge. He stuck his fingers in the holes of the grated floor, stopping his body from rolling into the water.

'Aeris might fry me if I fell in.' Cloud slowly pulled himself up.

"Now that wasn't very nice!" Zack's voice called out as he leapt onto one of the robot's legs. He flipped into the air and brought his sword down quickly on one of the jointed knees. The robot fell forward, losing its balance.

'That outta keep it down for a while.' Zack smirked. He imagined it wouldn't be long before the machine gained its balance and could steady itself with its other legs. He turned towards the commander. All the soldiers had easily been disposed of and there was a clear path to the man.

'Now's my chance.' Zack sped as fast as he could to the commander. 'It'll be over in a second.' He brought up his sword. In two steps he covered thirty feet and was inches from the commander. He brought his sword down quickly.

'He won't even know what hit him.' Zack smirked. Cloud watched from the ledge. He was shocked to see the speed Zack had.

'What is this speed? He's…so…strong.' Cloud gasped and got to his feet quickly. A loud clang of metal colliding rang out.

"What!?" Zack gasped. He was face to face with the commander. In the time it took Zack to bring the sword down, the commander pulled one of his own from the metal pipeline behind him. He was hiding it to keep from their sight. The commander swung upwards meeting Zack's blade. It all happened in a blink of an eye.

"No way…" Cloud whispered. He knew a commander usually carried a spare weapon but a sword like that was for a different class.

"Oh…I forgot to mention…" The commander laughed. "I was promoted today! Who you see standing before you, is the general of SOLDIER First-Class." The commander chuckled and pushed against Zack's sword.

"You're…the general of SOLDIER!?" Zack stepped back. The commander, now known as the general, stretched his arms. 'He's too cocky to be the general of SOLDIER First-Class.' Zack frowned.

"That's right. Got promoted this morning by the president himself. Hojo has given me a special gift!" The man took a stance and pointed his sword at Zack. "I've been treated intensively with Jenova's cells over the last couple of weeks. Received my last treatment this morning."

"No. It can't be." Zack whispered.

"I'm stronger than the Great Sephiroth himself!" The general laughed. "True, the experimentation was very dangerous and there was a high chance of going through Mako poisoning and my body rejecting the cells, but this shit is better than steroids!" The man looked at his body.

"Why would you agree to do such a thing?" Zack asked through gritted teeth.

"Power! Why not!? I could be a legacy. I could do great things for Shinra. I'd be in history books and in the papers!" The general stared at his sword. "I could defeat the Great Sephiroth and be the strongest man ever to grace this planet! ….And I would start my legacy by destroying you!" He jumped towards Zack, swinging his sword outwards towards his chest. Zack leapt backwards dodging the attack. The man kicked out hitting the dark ex-soldier in the stomach. Zack doubled over and leapt to his feet quickly.

'Damn he's fast!' Zack ducked and rolled to the side and swung his arm upwards. The uppercut grazed the man's jaw. He stumbled backwards a few feet and glared at Zack.

"I will not lose to you!" The man dove for Zack his sword was deflected quickly. The two men stood, facing each other. It was going to be a difficult battle for Zack. They stood for a second and a beam of light flew between them. The robot was charged and ready to continue. It headed for the two men. "What's it doing!?" The general asked.

"Looks like it doesn't care who you are." Zack smirked. He crouched and sprang into action. He was not going to let this man win.

Zack swung his sword quickly. The general was not prepared. He was too busy glaring at the machine as it neared the men. Zack's sword was met quickly by the general's long thin sword. Zack followed by a blow to the head with his heel. The man toppled over quickly. He fell towards the ground and placed his hands down to catch himself. Zack leapt into the air, his sword aimed at the man's back. The general rolled quickly and the sword grazed him, cutting his uniform. Zack still didn't stop. He was not going to give the man the upper hand nor was he going to let him rest. Zack had the advantage. He was built up over years; this man was created in a few weeks. There had to be a disadvantage to that. Something had to be unstable especially if the man just finished treatment today. Zack punched the man, connecting beautifully with the side of his face. The general coughed slightly as blood spattered out the corners of his mouth.

"Tired?" Zack asked and kicked upwards, back flipping. His boot connected with the man's chin. He was sprawled across the metal, gasping for air. Just as Zack had hoped, the man's body was not yet prepared for its new strength. A low hum sounded and then a high screech. A bright beam of light soared towards the two men. Zack dove and rolled on his side as the beam shot down towards the general. Zack watched as the blue light burned through the man's side. He screamed in horror and pain at the sight. Zack couldn't help but feel a little pity for the man.

"Are we finished?" Zack turned his back to the man and headed for the controller for the robot.

"Far…from it…" The man sat up. There was a soft clank as he reached into his pocket and pulled out three large vials. Zack turned around quickly to see what he was doing. The vials had bright green ooze inside of them. "Took these…when Hojo's back was turned." He took quick breathes and pulled out a syringe.

"No! Don't do it!" Zack stepped forward. A beam of light hit in front of him. The robot was causing trouble. 'Damn…that thing is getting in the way!' Zack noticed Cloud darting for the robot.

"Got him!" Cloud jumped and sliced across the head of the robot. It turned quickly, staring at its new target. Cloud was going to distract the weapon so Zack could finish off the general. There was a groan and Zack looked back. The general had three syringes stuck in his chest. He had inserted all three large vials of Jenova's cells.

"Oh, Shit…" Zack watched the man as he screamed in pain. There was a cracking sound and blood oozed from his wound.

"You're taking in too much. You're body can't handle it!" Zack took a step forward.

"I…can handle it! You…watch me…" the man's voice changed towards the end. It was deep and hollow. His arms and chest rippled as his body gained muscle mass. He shook violently as the green sludge oozed from his mouth. "I…won't…lose…to…you."

'This is bad…very bad!' Zack armed himself and prepared for what was to come. The general fell to the floor, silent and not moving. Zack continued to watch. In the far corner of the room Zack could hear a worried gasp. 'Aeris…'

"What's going on?" Aeris whispered. She felt her heart stop. She felt a strange force within the room and she knew it was not Zack. "Jenova…" Aeris cringed.

"You alive?" Zack asked quietly to the general. There still was no sound or movement. The room was loud from the clanking and banging of the robot. As much as the others wanted to know what was going on they had to keep fighting the few soldiers that remained and keep the robot at bay. Zack took a step forward. The body twitched. Zack froze. He felt his heart pounding. He could feel the man's power climb to a high level. In a flash the general was up from the ground and in Zack's face. He looked like a monster, scabs and liquid pouring from his body. His veins bulged on his pale skin and his eyes were glowing with the awful green color like Sephiroth. The monster grabbed Zack by the head and threw him against the wall. A new transformation continued. The general growled as his arms hung low past his knees and his feet and hands grew claws. He was no longer human.

'Such a quick transformation.' Zack panted. He groaned and strained to get to his feet. He did not think he could withstand another blow like that. 'He's too fast now. There's no way in hell I can beat that thing.' He stood up slowly.

"YUU CNT WWIINN…" The bulbous noise sounded from the monster. The gibberish was barely understandable. Zack took in a deep breath. There was no way the general could remain stable. It took a few steps towards the man. Now it was slow. Zack figured the monster was just trying to be intimidating.

'He's right…I can't win…' Zack gulped.

"JENOVA." The monster gurgled. It reached out for Zack.

Zack lifted his sword and swung quickly at the beast. His sword cut into the monster's side where the beam from the robot had hit. The monster screeched and shoved Zack quickly. He was flung like a rag doll against the side of the small escape submarine across the reactor. Everyone stopped.

"ZACK!" Aeris screeched. Zack's body slipped into the water. He did not resurface.

"Damn!" Cloud ran to the water and dove in. There was no way they could beat the monster without Zack's help. Cloud had admitted it to himself. He swam in the dark water. He searched through the darkness. It was difficult due to the numerous bodies from soldier. 'Where are you?' He became impatient. He listened in the water for movement and searched for the man. A small bubble flowed to his right. Cloud turned quickly to find Zack caught underneath the submarine. He glided towards him and grabbed him around the waist. The two men reached the surface of the water. Cloud sputtered and laid Zack over the ledge of the walkway. He pulled himself out, the water poured from his clothing, and then reached for Zack and slid his body onto the walkway. Cloud took in a few deep breaths and looked to find the robot fighting with the Jenova monster. The rest of AVALANCHE was running into the submarine to hijack it.

"Zack…" Cloud shoved on his shoulder. He looked towards the dock to find Aeris walking slowly towards the two men. Cloud waved at her. "Get in the sub! Don't worry about it right now! Just get out of here!" She stopped and nodded. She did not want to get in the way. In seconds she was boarding the sub with the rest of the group.

"Zack wake up! Get up, man! We have to get outta here before that thing gets to us!" Cloud felt for a pulse and sighed when he felt the gentle movement. "You're fine! I know you are. Get the hell up!" Cloud tried frantically to get the man to wake up. He pounded him on the chest. A splurge of water was coughed up and Zack rolled over quickly. He coughed up the liquid, sputtering and gasping for air.

"What…happened?" He asked.

"You fell in. The monster flung you into the water." Cloud stood up quickly. "We gotta get outta here, Zack. It's fighting with the robot right now but I imagine it'll be over soon and come for us." He grabbed Zack's hand and helped him up. Zack stared in disbelief as the monster ribbed off the robot's legs and turned his attention to the men.

"It changed again." Zack muttered. The monster growled and flew towards the men. "Oh shit! Run!" He sprang towards the sub, pushing Cloud with him. The used to be general stopped quickly and fell to the floor. It gurgled loudly as green ooze spilled from every orifice of its body. Its limbs trembled and rippled. He was dieing. His body was rejecting the cells. He went through too much change in a short amount of time.

"I told you…" Zack murmured to the creature as he entered the sub. He could not look anymore into the green eyes. It was the only thing left that appeared human. He could see the pain and sorrow.

"Alright everyone, let's get out of here. We're going to have a hard time catching up with the other sub." Cloud announced. He smiled when he saw another commander and two other soldiers unconscious on the floor. He leaned forward and tapped the down commander on the shoulder. He twitched and slowly opened one eye. "You wanna get yourself and your men outta here so we can take this sub?" Cloud asked.

"Uhrm." The man nodded and sat up. He hit the other soldiers and woke them up. In a minute they all were stumbling from the sub and onto the walkway. The submarine door shut quickly just as the three men's yells of surprise sounded at the sight of seeing the ex-general.

"Let's move this thing." Zack said as he walked into the control room. His head was pounding.

"Zack…" Aeris whispered and walked up to him quickly. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I'm alright." He whispered to her. He noticed Barret was at the controls and Cid was trying to help.

"Erm…maybe this button." Cid pressed a big red button on the side. The ship shook violently and stopped. "…maybe not…"

"How about this one?" Cloud joined in. Together the men looked at the panel and switched many switches and pressed all the buttons. Cloud looked around nervously. The entire group was crammed together in the small room. He felt himself sweating. 'Man…it's hot in here.'

"Cloud?" Zack walked next to the blonde.

"I…I can't take it!" Cloud grabbed the sides of his head. He turned and walked out into the small hall near the exit. Tifa stared at him curiously. Zack followed him out to the hall.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Just…so many people in there. I couldn't breathe." Cloud took a deep breath and sat on one of the pipes. His hands were shaking. "I can't stand cramped places." He shook his head. Zack smiled.

"Is that all? I was afraid it was something serious." He sat next to Cloud. They were silent for a minute. "Thanks for helping me back there."

"Yeah…couldn't let you drown. We'd be in trouble for sure." Cloud calmed himself. The sub rocked back and forth. Yuffie began yelling.

"Why is it when Barret touches something it breaks!?" Yuffie slapped her forehead.

"I can fix it!" Barret snorted and began pounding on the control panel. He went down the sides hitting everything in sight. A second later the sub vibrated and lowered into the water. "Told ya!" He scoffed.

"Luck…" Yuffie stuck out her tongue.

"Looks like were off." Zack said. Cloud sighed.

"Um…Sorry." Cloud murmured.

"Huh?" Zack tilted his head.

"About yesterday…the fight." Cloud fidgeted. It was very uncomfortable.

"Oh…that's okay." Zack smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "We're just stressed."

"I shouldn't have said those things. I don't know why I said it. I didn't feel like myself at all." Cloud lowered his head. "I just…I dunno what got into me."

"It's alright. I understand. Things got weird and uncomfortable and everyone took it differently. You had been going through a rough time." Zack reassured him.

"You're the only friend I ever had, Zack. And I ruined it by saying those things. I know that you busted your ass for me and I was a fool for treating you the way I did." Cloud sighed again. "You were dead…"

"I died for you Cloud." Zack said. Cloud looked up at the dark haired man. Zack could see the sadness in Cloud's eyes. "Its weird saying that…cause I'm alive now."

"You did die for me…to protect me. And I betrayed you. I lived you life…and took it away from you." Cloud covered his face. He never felt like such an ass in his entire life. "There's something wrong with me. I couldn't help it. I don't know what I was doing."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I understand." Zack stood up. He did not want to make the situation worse. "Let's forget about the fight. If you ever wanna talk, you know you can talk to me." Zack gave him his genuine smile. The one he gave Cloud the first day they met. Cloud smiled slowly. It was a small smile but Zack caught it.

"Thanks…" Cloud remained in his seat.

"Well I'm gonna check up on Cid and Barret. Who knows where they're takin' us!" Zack grinned and entered the control room. He instantly frowned and ran to the front by the window. "How many!?" He leaned on the panel.

"I'm guessin' about five for now. I'm sure they called for more." Cid pointed towards a large red sub. "That baby is the one we're after."

"Them damn yellow ones look mean though. I think they the ones after us." Barret shook his head. "Cid I think you would have better luck. You know where the torpedoes are?"

"Me!? #! I barely know where they are on my ship!" Cid looked under the panel.

"Guys…" Zack stared out into the water.

"Damn…Shinra likes to hide those buttons." Cid looked up top.

"GUYS…" Zack called again. This alerted everyone in the room. Cloud looked through the door to see what the commotion was all about.

"Shit! This stuff is like in another language!" Barret read through a manual he found on a small shelf.

"GUYS!! GET DOWN!" Zack shouted and fell to the floor. Barret and Cid both looked out the window to find a torpedo heading their way.

"Oh, SHIT!" Cid dropped his cigarette and followed Zack's actions. The entire sub shook violently. Zack could hear the shouts of surprise as everyone fell over and ran into the side of the ship. Alarms were going off and the lights went out above the panels.

"Well…" Cloud was the first to speak. "That was a direct hit…"

"Barret, Cid!" Zack stood up quickly. "Move this #mn sub!"

"Sir!" Cid said quickly and got up. Barret followed. He did not want any trouble from Zack.

"Looks like we got more trouble, everyone. You all ready for this?" Zack turned his head towards the others.

"Reinforcements are here!" Cait Sith called out. "Just got off call from the main ship."

"That's just great…" Barret grumbled.

"Think you can call them and tell them to pull over and let us onboard?" Cloud asked Cait Sith.

"Um…doubting that one." Cait Sith stared at his phone.

"Well…here comes another one." Tifa sounded. Everyone looked out the window.

"And another…" Aeris held onto the panel.

"This is going to be fun…" Vincent mumbled.

"Yeah, well…I can't see anything from down here." Red XII lifted his head.

"Everyone! Hang on! This is gonna be a bumpy ride!" Cid shouted and pressed a button on the panel.

Tseng looked down at the dark, hot liquid in his cup. He stirred the skinny straw watching the ripples span out to the sides.

"How long has it been?" Reno broke the silence.

"Well over an hour. But then again…time is going by real slow today." Tseng mumbled. They were sitting in the small tan chairs in the waiting room. Tseng had Reno's dress jacket on. He never gotten the chance to get some fresh clothes and the hospital threw a fit that he hadn't had anything on to cover his top.

"Real slow." Reno sighed and downed the rest of his coffee.

"Shouldn't you have been somewhere?" Tseng asked Reno.

"Naw…I wanted to stay here and make sure she was alright, and keep you company. Who knows…maybe Shinra will come in looking for you. I gotta be here to help." Reno smirked.

"Thanks Reno. You really saved my life." Tseng looked back at his coffee.

"Ah, don't mention it." Reno waved a hand at him. Tseng smirked. Reno did have a unique personality.

"Excuse me?" A nurse came into the waiting room. "Are you the ones caring for this young lady in here?"

"Yeah." Reno and Tseng straightened in their chairs.

"She's doing well. She was lucky to have you men get her here quickly." The nurse continued. "She will need to stay here for a day or two to make sure there is nothing wrong internally with any organs. One shot almost ruptured her liver but I think she'll be alright. They still need to run a few tests. I'm afraid there can be no visitors today. She is not well enough and needs her rest. She lost a lot of blood."

"Alright." Reno looked at Tseng.

"Now, do you know which insurance she goes through?" The nurse asked.

"Shinra Co. Red Cross." Tseng said.

"Shinra? Oh well! She should be covered real well then." The nurse laughed nervously. "Do you have her card?" The nurse asked. Reno looked at Tseng.

"No…we didn't bring any of her things with us." Reno chewed on his nail.

"That's alright. We can look it up on her file if she's been here before. If not, you boys can bring it here tomorrow if you want." The nurse smiled brightly.

"We'll do that." Tseng stood up. "Also…I need a favor from you." He approached the nurse.

"Please do not release her name or any other information about her. You do not let anyone else come in to see her unless it is me or him." Tseng pointed at Reno. "The other man that was with us is allowed as well, but he had to leave on a trip." The nurse nodded quickly.

"This is a confidential report. Shinra cannot allow the release of this information for the time being. You can use the insurance and that is all." Tseng informed.

"Gotcha. No information released to anyone. No one can be allowed near her unless it is you, him, or the bald guy. Only use the insurance card for information and nothing else." The nurse agreed. She knew who the men were and did not want any trouble.

"Thank you." Tseng smiled at the lady. "We'll be back tomorrow. I'll call later to see how she is doing." Tseng turned and left. Reno followed behind nervously.

"That was cool! Did you see the way she stared at us!?" Reno slapped his hands together. "She looked like she was gonna shit herself!"

"Reno…" Tseng rolled his eyes.

"How are we getting home?" Reno stopped suddenly. Tseng slowed his pace and lowered his head.

'Rude took the car.' Tseng sighed.

"You have any cash, Reno?" Tseng asked. He could tell by the innocent smirk that the answer was 'no'.

Okay that's it for this chapter. I know it ended a little weird, but it's late and I didn't want to get into another battle scene that would last another couple thousand words…heh. Hope it was still enjoyable. I know not a lot of Zack and Aeris. Don't worry, there will be plenty to come! Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis