Hi, friends! Sorry for the wait. You can expect one more chapter and an epilogue before we wrap up this fanfic. It's all written, just in need of editing. Thanks again for all of the kind words you all have left. I'm starting to run out of steam, but when I reread your comments, I am re-energized! Thank you!

Content warning for this chapter: Death & non-graphic assault

Time takes on an unreal, nightmarish quality as days blur into weeks, and weeks into months. Life falls into a toxic, soul-crushing routine. You wake up, cure your hangover with coffee, experiment on humans, and drink yourself to sleep. It's not much of a life, but you're surviving.

You've given up on lying to yourself about quitting alcohol. What's the point of thinking This bottle is the last bottle…no, this bottle is the last bottle…no, this one is… when you know damn well it isn't going to be? Getting drunk is the last thing you derive any semblance of peace from, so why the hell would you give that up? Besides, you've held true to your promise of not letting alcohol compromise your work in any way. You might need a shot of vodka to steady your shaking hands some mornings, sure, but other than that, you've become a model little Shinra scientist. You show up, shut up, and carve up Cloud and Zack as directed. When you get back to your room, you fantasize about blowing yourself up too. You understand now why Julia presents herself the way she does. On the rare occasions you can bring yourself to meet your gaze in the mirror, you recognize Julia's trademark, cold stare looking back at you.

You've cut yourself off from your family, despite your promises to remain in touch. Their voicemails and texts go unheard and unread. You shoot your mom a text once a week to let her know you're alive. She almost always responds by immediately trying to call you. You watch your phone ring itself into silence while kicking back your drink of choice and pretending to be a heartless, unfeeling machine.

Except it's all an act. Every morning you wake up on a damp pillow, dried tears on your cheeks.

The temperature continues to plummet and the snow on the peaks of the mountains creeps towards the valley every day. Your hikes become shorter and shorter until, after two feet of snow gets dumped on the valley, you're forced to conclude that your hikes must be put on hold until spring. Despite the mansion's expansive square footage, claustrophobia rears its ugly head when you think about how you'll be stuck in there with no one but your colleagues for company until the weather warms. But you shouldn't complain. You could be stuck in a cell.

The Shinra Mansion, as old and rundown as it is, is nearly impossible to heat. You search other rooms to find additional quilts to add to your bed. You also move your plant away from the window and towards the heater so its leaves don't rub against the frosted glass at night. The wool sweater your mom knitted for you becomes part of your every-day uniform, and, when it gets even colder, you consider breaking your estrangement to request home-knitted socks to match. But, again, you shouldn't complain. While you and your colleagues get to wrap yourselves in blankets and layer on warm clothing, Cloud and Zack have to make do with what they have. You bring two heavy comforters from spare rooms down to them, but, even still, Cloud and Zack have to place their mattresses next to each other on the floor and sleep close together for warmth. This is an endless source of entertainment for Dom who teases them mercilessly for it.

"So do you take turns at being the little spoon, or…? Oh, what am I saying? We all know Blondy's the bottom bitch."

"So, tell me, Zack. Is he as good of a fuck as he looks? Haven't had a chance to take my turn yet."

"If you ever get too cold down here, Cloud, my bed's always open to you."

The only consolation is that as Dom grows bolder, Barnes grows more vigilant.

"Goddamn, can't I go to the bathroom without you being there to hold my dick?" you hear Dom yell one night. "Give me my fucking space."

You don't hear Barnes' response, but you doubt that Barnes left Dom alone to go to the bathroom in peace. You're not sure why Barnes, who regularly restrains Cloud for torture, is so adamant about keeping Dom away from him. Barnes definitely isn't bothered by Cloud's screams for mercy while Hojo is cutting into him. He's comfortable standing by, scrolling through his phone as if everything is normal. But when it comes to Dom, Barnes' cool indifference hardens. Barnes always tries to reach Cloud first to be his handler, but sometimes Dom beats him to it.

With each passing day, the fight is slowly draining from Cloud and Zack. There's only so many times a person can fight, be electrocuted into submission, and then still have the desire to fight again. Everyone still keeps a hand on the shock remotes when Cloud and Zack are being moved, but the frequency at which they are used dwindles. When Dom gets to Cloud before Barnes, he uses Cloud's growing apathy to his advantage, handling Cloud in ways that only just stop short of assault.

"Knock it off, Dom!" Barnes finally snaps. "Can't you fucking keep your hands to yourself?"

"Can't you get off my fucking case? For a WalMarket slut, you're prude as shi-"

Barnes abandons Zack and goes to throw Dom against the wall by his throat, but Dom twists out of his grip and knocks Barnes away. Barnes lunges at him and clips him across the chin. Dom staggers back, holding his jaw, but he's laughing.

"Touchy subject?"

Barnes is shaking with anger. Pure fury laces his words. "Don't…don't you ever bring that shit up again."

Dom laughs again. "Thought I wouldn't find out, didn't you? What? Don't be shy! Everyone's gotta make a living somehow, even if it means getting on your knees every no-"

Barnes launches himself at Dom with a roar. Dom sidesteps and trips Barnes who goes sprawling, but is on his feet in seconds ready to tackle Dom. Before he can, Hojo steps between them.

"Barnes, you're done for the day."

Barnes looks murderous, as if he might attack Hojo to get to Dom. He manages to pull himself back.

"But he started-"

"I did not see Dom leave his specimen unattended to attack a colleague." Hojo says. "I saw you do that. So you're done for the day. We'll discuss tomorrow if you're fit to continue working for me. Dismissed."

For a heartbeat, you think Barnes really is about to attack Hojo. Instead, he grits his teeth and shoulders his way past Dom out of the lab. Dom waves goodbye to him, mockingly. "Bye, bitch boy!"

"As for you," Hojo says pointedly. "I expect more professionalism, or we're going to have the same conversation. Are we clear?"

The smirk dries up off of Dom's face. "Yes, sir." he mutters before steering Cloud and Zack back to their cell.

Hojo ends up keeping Barnes on the team, but Barnes starts giving Dom more space. Dom becomes more subdued, especially in Hojo's presence.

The winter solstice passes and you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the days will, at long last, be getting longer. There are still months of winter ahead, but at least it won't be dark when you enter the lab in the morning and leave it at night for much longer. You're looking forward to sunlight. So is your plant, who is losing leaves at an alarming rate. The weak, winter, Nibel sun isn't enough for it. That, or you keep forgetting to water it.

The holidays approach without fanfare, but the primal craving for family, love, and togetherness you always get at this time of year eventually leads you to breaking down and listening to your family's voicemails and reading their texts. Your sister has sent you pictures of Evan in festive onesies, crumpling wrapping paper, and holding your mom's homemade cookies between his two, chubby hands. It already hurts to be missing this time of year with your family, but it kills you that you're missing out on so many of your nephew's firsts.

You try to lose track of the days so you won't know exactly which tradition you are missing out on with your family at any given moment. For a while, you're nearly successful. Aside from the difference in where you cut into Cloud and Zack, the days are all the same. It's impossible to completely lose track of time, though.

You're hauling yourself to the third floor, your feet sore and slick with Zack's blood. You want nothing more than to scald your skin off with a shower and down as many shots as it takes to make you pass out, but the faint sound of live piano music draws your attention. You've never heard piano music here. You didn't even know any of your coworkers could play. It's a traditional song that your family always listens to at this time of year. A lump clogs your throat as nostalgia sweeps over you. The wistful chords and warm melody don't belong in the Shinra Mansion. It's like finding a flower in the sewer.

The music pulls you down to the end of the hall where you find the last door slightly ajar. Music drifts out from behind it. Hesitantly, you push the door open. It's Clark. He's sitting at a dusty, upright piano that's tucked into the corner.

"I didn't know you played." you comment once he's finished with the piece.

"Huh?" Clark stiffens, then relaxes when he sees it's just you. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I used to play nonstop. I loved it. I, uh, actually wanted to be a concert pianist as a kid, but my dad wanted me to become a doctor. You know, 'do something useful and help people.'" Clark laughs bitterly. "So here I am. 'Helping' people." He rests his fingers on the keys. There is blood under his fingernails.

"You should play more."

"Ahh, I don't know. It doesn't feel right here. But I couldn't resist tonight… You know what day it is, yeah?"

"I've been doing my best to forget, actually."

"How's that working out for you?"

"It's not."

"Yeah, not for me either. …do you want to celebrate together?"

You sink into one of the musty armchairs near the piano. "I'd love to."

He starts playing again. You shut your eyes and pretend you're home.

The new year comes in hard and cold. Snow drifts pile high against the main floor's window frames. Going outside is out of the question for the simple reason that hardly anyone can get the front door open. Supplies get airdropped in from a helicopter once a month, first at Nibelheim's landing pad, then directly in the mansion's yard after the roads become impassable.

Tensions rise to an all-time high as cabin fever sets in. You increase the frequency of your breakfast shots to numb yourself for the day. Then, once that stops having much of an effect, you take another shot at lunch. No one seems to notice, except maybe Julia, whom you catch sniffing the empty glasses you leave in the kitchen sink with a disgusted expression. She doesn't say anything, though, and as long as you're not a stumbling idiot in the lab, Hojo doesn't comment either.

Limb by limb, bone by bone, organ by organ, Zack and Cloud are torn apart and put back together with S-cells. Barnes has gotten better at casting silence and can now maintain it for up to twelve minutes at a time, although he is weak and shaky after recasting it during longer procedures.

"Here," Clark hands Barnes an energy drink after Barnes collapses into a chair. His shirt clings to him, sticky with sweat. He accepts the drink gratefully, kicking it back while you finish stitching up Zack, who's only barely conscious. Julia sees to Cloud, who's fully unconscious, removing the metal cuff from his ankle before asking Dom to put him in the mako tank for recovery.

You all learned, through a heart-stopping incident where Zack nearly gained the upper hand on Dom and Barnes after being let up from the table, that the cuffs become useless when exposed to mako. (Incidentally, Dom and Barnes now carry guns for emergencies.) Now, you're all careful to remove the cuffs before you put Cloud or Zack into the tanks. Since it's standard procedure to subdue Cloud and Zack with sleeping gas before letting them out of the tanks, it's easy to put the cuffs back on when they're being moved to their cell. Julia locks the cuff and its key in a filing cabinet near the tanks.

"Thanks," you hear Barnes tell Clark breathlessly as he finishes the energy drink. "Appreciate it."

"Now that you're done having mommy nurse you back to health, can you give me a hand?" Dom asks, uncuffing Zack from the table. "Big boy didn't miss many meals."

Barnes rolls his eyes, but doesn't deign to give Dom a response.

As they put Zack in his tank, you can't help but think that Zack is looking less like the "big boy" Dom described him as. Next to Cloud he might look like the epitome of health, but now that you're taking a moment to actually study him closely, you can see he is fading. He's always been lean, but he's now more gaunt than you ever remember seeing him. There are dark circles under his eyes, accentuated by his ever-paling skin from lack of sunlight.

He's also less…Zack-like. Before, you remember Zack always being larger than life. There was a confidence in his posture and easy-going aura about him that drew people to him like a magnet. Now Zack is starting to shrink in on himself, avoiding eye contact and talking back less, especially when Cloud isn't around. Zack puts up a great act of being strong and unaffected for Cloud's sake, but you can see he's being beaten down.

Not that you would be able to tell, though, from the snippets of Cloud and Zack's conversations you catch from your desk. When they're in their cells, it can be difficult to concentrate on your work because of Zack's steady dialogue of stories, memories, and anything else he has on his mind. There's a forced optimism in his tone, which you know is for Cloud's sake. You have to admit that you enjoy it too.

"…and then she showed me this great restaurant in the Sector Five Slums. You wouldn't think it, but fried wererat is actually super good."

"Don't they serve that to visitors from the Plate as a joke…?"

"They do?!"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. Someone from basic training was from the Sector Five Slums and he told me that they offer it to people from the Plate as a 'Slums delicacy.' They laugh at people who are too polite to refuse."

Zack isn't daunted. "…well, they should consider making it a permanent addition to their menu. Because seriously! It was really good!"

You hear stories about Zack's mentor, Angeal, Zack's childhood in Gongaga, Zack's quest to build Aerith a cart for her business, Zack's mistakes as a SOLDIER Third Class, Zack, Zack, Zack, Zack…

But, honestly, you enjoy it, and you're pretty sure Cloud does too. You hear Cloud laugh for the first time after Zack's dramatic retelling of getting bucked off a chocobo. His laugh is quiet and soft, but genuine.

When the snow finally creeps back to the highest-most reaches of the mountains and it once again becomes safe for the van to travel to the helipad, Hojo takes a trip back to Midgar for a board meeting. Your relief at the prospect of having a few Hojo-free days is cut short when he hands you, Julia, Clark, Dom, and Barnes a long list of tasks to complete while he's gone. Clearly, he doesn't want to give anyone a paid vacation.

You all waste no time checking things off the list once he's gone, hoping to wrap things up quickly enough to buy one day off before Hojo returns. Dom and Barnes are assigned to maintenance tasks, like patching the roof, sealing leaky pipes, and other physical chores that Barnes describes as "fucking exhausting." Clark and Julia are spared from physical labor, but instead are given the mind-numbing, tedious task of moving old data to the new database Shinra is upgrading to. You, on the other hand, have been instructed to thoroughly clean the lab and gym. All bloodstains, mako spills, dust, and clutter must go. It's disgusting, tiring work, and by the end of the day, you have to actively fight your eyes to stop them from closing by themselves. There's no way you're going to be able to finish everything and buy yourself a free day. Nearly sleepwalking, you get back to the third floor, splash water on your face, and collapse into your bed. You're nearly asleep when you remember you left your phone in the lab.

Fuck.

If you had anything else to use as an alarm, then you would have left it there and gone to sleep. But you don't have anything else, and you know you'd sleep well-past noon without it, risking not finishing Hojo's assignment before he gets back. You're on thin ice as it is; you can't afford another strike.

Groaning, you haul yourself out of bed onto sore feet and pull a sweatshirt over your pajamas. You slip your sockless feet into your shoes and trudge downstairs half asleep, intent on grabbing your phone and getting back into bed as soon as possible. You grumble to yourself as the meager warmth you'd managed to accrue during your shower leaves you in the perpetually frigid mansion air. Snowflakes pelt the windows. A spring blizzard has moved in.

You descend the staircase to the basement, not thinking much of anything other than how much you'd rather still be in bed, when the sound of muffled yelling snaps your attention to the lab. At the end of the hall, you catch a fleeting glimpse through the doorway of Dom dragging Cloud by his hair across the lab. You freeze.

Heart pounding, you hear Dom yell again. You hear the sound of a fist on flesh. A strangled screech. Zack screaming out for Cloud, powerless to do anything behind bars. Dom has Cloud. Dom has Cloud.

You unglue your feet from the floor and sprint down the hall towards the lab as quietly as you can. You might have cut open and stitched together Cloud more times than you can count, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to try and stop another tragedy from happening to him. You feel fury rise in your chest. You might be a monster, but Dom is a devil. But just as quickly as the fury comes, it dies and is replaced by fear. You stop just short of the lab, your mind racing. Even once you get to them, what are you going to do about it? Even though you're technically a higher rank than Dom, he only follows Hojo's orders. He won't listen to you. He might laugh in your face…or worse. Can you physically stop him? That's laughable.

But you can't do nothing. You should go get someone, get help…

Barnes.

You hear Dom drag Cloud out of the lab towards the gym. Cautiously, you peer around the doorframe and see the end of Cloud's kicking feet disappear down the hallway. The lab is empty. On your desk sits your phone. Thank Gaia you'd left it down here.

You sneak to your desk, pick up your phone, and dial Barnes. The phone rings, rings, rings… Come on, pick up, pick up!

"W'd'you want…?" Barnes' voice is thick with sleep and irritation.

"Dom has Cloud." you whisper, not wanting to alert Dom to your presence. "He took him to the gym… I…I can't stop him."

The annoyance and fatigue vanish from Barnes' voice. "On my way."

Click.

Dom's low voice carries to the lab. "Ready for our rematch?"

No response from Cloud.

"No, really." Dom says. "Try and hit me. I dare you."

Still no response from Cloud. You can picture him standing in the middle of the gym, eyeing Dom warily while calculating his odds of success. You imagine his resigned expression as he figures they aren't very good, but he'll put up a good fight anyways.

"Come on…" Dom cajoles him. "Make this fun for me. I'd like a good struggle before I fu-! Ahaha, there it is!"

You hear Dom's laughter, a yelp from Cloud, a thud. You wince, cold sweat pouring from your skin. A grunt of pain from Dom tells you that Cloud must have landed a pretty good blow, but Cloud's hoarse scream says that Dom must have paid him back tenfold.

"You're fucking beautiful when you scream, you know that?" Dom taunts. Cloud screams again. "It's like music to my e- agh! You fucking bitch. You're a dirty little fighter, aren't you? Unlucky for you, I can fight back just as dirty."

Cloud shrieks.

Your hands creep to your ears, not wanting to hear any more. You pace back and forth in the lab's entryway holding your head between your hands, your heart pounding against your ribs. Come on, Barnes, come on!

Barnes arrives in record time, although it feels like he takes hours. He doesn't acknowledge you in any way, he just steps right past you towards the gym, an uncharacteristically intense expression on his normally indifferent face. You follow him, adrenaline coursing through your veins. You enter the gym, terrified of what you might see.

To your marginal relief, they're both still clothed, but your relief stops there. Dom is straddling Cloud, twisting one of his arms painfully behind his back. Cloud's other arm lays limply on the ground at a strange angle. It's dislocated. Cloud's face is covered in blood which gushes from his broken nose, payback from the one he gave Dom all those months ago. Tears stain Cloud's cheeks, but his teeth are bared in a defiant snarl. Even as you watch, Cloud struggles beneath Dom, determined to not give in. From Dom's torn shirt, busted lip, and scratched skin, you can tell Cloud hasn't made this easy for him.

Dom takes a fistful of Cloud's hair and wrenches Cloud's head back towards him.

"I've been waiting for this." Dom whispers against Cloud's ear. "You have no idea how much I've wanted… Oh, for fuck's sake."

Dom has caught sight of you and Barnes.

"The hell are you two doing here?" Dom lets Cloud's head drop back to the ground, but he doesn't release his grip on Cloud's arm. If anything, he twists it higher, causing Cloud to squirm beneath him as he tries to relieve some of the pressure on his shoulder. Much more, and he would have another dislocated arm. Dom glares up at you and Barnes.

"Can't a guy get some privacy? Listen, if you want a turn with him, you're going to have to wa-"

His words are drowned out by an earsplitting bang. Dom goes limp, a bright, red hole glistening between vacant eyes.

Dom's body falls on top of Cloud, who scrambles frantically to disentangle himself from Dom's corpse, struggling with his useless arm. Ears ringing from the gunshot, you turn to look, horrified, at Barnes who is still standing with his gun held aloft, his features contorted by raw hatred.

You're speechless.

Dom lies facedown, his hair dyed red around the bullet's exit hole. Cloud has pushed himself to the wall and is staring wide-eyed at Dom.

"…you killed him…" Cloud whispers.

Barnes finally lowers his gun and holsters it, although his expression is still that of pure rage. "Are you complaining?" Barnes spits. "Get up. Now."

Cloud climbs shakily to his feet and steps gingerly around Dom's body. It won't be long before it returns to the lifestream. Already, tendrils of green light are beginning to envelop his body. Soon, there will be nothing left of him except a small splatter of blood on the ground.

You watch, transfixed, until Barnes calls you back to the present.

"Can you patch him up?" Barnes asks, with a glance at Cloud.

You nod, mute.

"Then come on." Barnes motions to the door.

Zack can still be heard yelling for Cloud from his cell, his voice growing hoarse.

"I'll go tell him he can shut up now." Barnes says. "Be right back."

Cloud sits motionless on the operating table. An echo of pain in your jaw reminds you of the last time you treated Cloud without restraining him, but tonight you're both in such a dazed shock neither of you even think of trying anything. Cloud's gaze is unfocused, lingering somewhere in the middle distance, unresponsive to anything except for a hiss of pain when you reset his shoulder. You tend to his cuts and bandage up his nose. Although his next mako bath will likely make it look as though it was never broken, it'll a bit crooked until then.

When you and Barnes walk Cloud back to his cell, Zack stops pacing to throw himself at the bars when he sees Cloud, his expression is torn between relief at having Cloud back and horror at Cloud's appearance. You can tell Zack has a million questions he wants to ask, but is too afraid to. Zack rushes to Cloud's side the moment he reenters the cell, looking as though he wants to pull Cloud into his arms, but isn't sure if Cloud will accept his touch. Zack examines Cloud's bandaged nose, bruised skin, and bloodshot eyes. "Gods…"

"Dom's dead." Cloud says flatly.

"…did you…?"

"No."

"Did…did he…?

"No."

Zack pulls Cloud into his chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Cloud stiffens and looks as if he might pull back. But, after a moment, he softens against Zack. Then, he's sobbing. Zack murmurs softly to him, rubbing circles into his back. They slowly sink to the ground, Zack holding Cloud close against him, rocking him gently back and forth.

"C'mon…" Barnes mutters to you, starting down the hall.

You follow him. You don't need to see this.

You and Barnes check the gym to make sure Dom's body is gone. It is. Barnes wipes up the blood splatter, as well as the puddle of blood from Cloud's nose. Hojo will still know what happened from the security footage, but he'd still appreciate a clean space. Barnes throws the blood-stained rag away, looking grim.

"I'll email Hojo and let him know we need a replacement." he says.

"…what about you?" you ask. You're worried about what Hojo might do to Barnes.

"What about me?" Barnes snaps. "I was protecting the specimen. Dom was a fucking animal that needed to be put down. Hojo should be thanking me."

"…alright."

It turns out that your concern for Barnes is unnecessary. Hojo shows no signs of caring what Dom did to Cloud or what Barnes did to Dom. Apparently, replacing hired muscle is easier than replacing a lab assistant. A surly man in his fifties takes Dom's place the following week. His name is Matson and he's a retired sniper from Shinra's army. He's quiet and sullen, but you trust him more than you ever did Dom within a week.

Spring finally arrives. Slushy, gray days give way to brilliant, blue skies and vast landscapes of flowers that color the mountainsides in radiant hues of pink, purple, blue, and yellow. You spend every moment you can outdoors, getting reacquainted with the trails that rested under several feet of snow throughout the winter. You marvel at the migrating birds, drinking in their song, and sit in the sunlight until your skin grows tender. You have months of darkness to make up for. Your houseplant perks up too and rewards you with a new leaf.

While you enjoy the resurgence of life that is spring, you can never forget that Cloud and Zack have no indication of the passing seasons. On a whim (or perhaps because you were halfway plastered), you bring them a fistful of flowers you snagged during your hike. Zack takes the blossoms between his hands like they're made of gold and buries his face into them. Weeks later, you notice that he's carefully stored the dried flowers under his bed. You occasionally catch him staring at them with an expression of pure longing that hurts to look at.

You're just over halfway through the S-cell treatments and Cloud's S-cell count is soaring, although you wouldn't know it by looking at him. Cloud looks…sick. His skin is dry and brittle, his hair listless, his eyes dull. He has frequent nosebleeds and seizures, especially after being pulled from the mako tank. Even though he and Zack are fed meals that technically meet every nutritional requirement a person needs, Cloud is struggling to keep on weight. His ribs become more prominent with each passing day, his cheekbones too noticeable on his young face.

It's the early stages of mako poisoning.

Even Hojo recognizes that Cloud is at real risk for mako over-exposure and puts a pause on treatments. Yet, he isn't willing to let them sit and rest.

He throws them into the gym, intending for Cloud to work himself back into shape. The chance to do something other than sit in a cell or float in mako does both Cloud and Zack good. When it becomes clear that Hojo isn't offering any instructions other than "get in shape," Zack begins to mentor Cloud in swordsmanship. You watch Cloud and Zack momentarily drop their guards and pour themselves into sword training, forgetting where they are for a few glorious hours.

Zack is a great teacher and Cloud is a fast, determined student. Even though his unused muscles shake from exertion, Cloud never backs down from the challenges Zack throws at him. In fact, Cloud is often the one pushing Zack to go on longer than Zack is willing.

"One more round."

"Nah, let's take a break."

"I'm not tired."

Zack eyes Cloud skeptically. Cloud is drenched in sweat, breathing hard, and swaying on his feet. Zack doesn't contradict him, though.

"Well maybe I am. C'mon. Let's take a break."

They pause until Cloud catches his breath. Then, they're back at it.

"Whoa, where did you learn how to do that?"

"What?"

"That parry. It looked just like…"

"…Zack?"

"…like something I haven't taught you yet." Zack finishes lamely. You can tell Cloud's not convinced that Zack said everything he wanted to, but before he has a chance to press, Zack says "One more time, let's go."

Later, once Cloud and Zack are back in their cells, Hojo replays the footage of Cloud next to a recording of Sephiroth. Cloud and Sephiroth's movements are identical. The exact same stance, the same fluid grace, the same intensity. Hojo doesn't say anything, but his lips are twisted into a smug, self-satisfied smile. Even with Cloud's brush with mako poisoning, the S-cell treatments are working. After two weeks, Hojo deems it safe to reintroduce Cloud to mako.

Summer passes quickly in the mountains and, before you know it, it's October again. A full year has passed since you moved to Nibelheim. A full year since Cloud and Zack have known freedom. It feels like an eternity.

The season is bone-dry. The mansion doesn't see rain for an entire month, the grass and shrubs around the building drying into brown husks. Dust follows you in after every hike. Matson, who has an extreme preference for order and cleanliness, sweeps the dust up after you, with heavy, passive-aggressive sighs.

The President is demanding a year-end report, and the end of the S-cell treatments concludes in a rush as Hojo scrambles to put it together. The two-week pause in treatment to avoid poisoning Cloud knocked Hojo off schedule. Still, he manages to wrap up phase one of Project S-II and record the data needed for his presentation to the President before the deadline.

Despite Hojo's best efforts, Zack still shows no signs of ever being introduced to S-cells. This irritates Hojo to no end. Cloud, however, shows promise. His body has accepted the S-cells completely and is now reproducing them on its own. He's started to put on muscle after his near-poisoning, and, when compared to last year's base data, he is stronger and faster than before. You're sure that Zack will be nothing more than a footnote in Hojo's report, while Hojo will dedicate the bulk of it to lifting Cloud up as proof of his success.

Hojo gives you a copy of his report to proofread. Your predictions were accurate.

You and Julia are selected to travel to Midgar with Hojo to assist with the presentation, while Barnes, Matson, and Clark stay behind.

"Bring back something nice for me?" Clark jokes, but you assure him you will. A little care package from civilization would probably do him good. In exchange, he promises to keep an eye on your plant while you're gone.

Four days before you're set to leave, you pick up your phone and call your family for the first time in months. You nearly hang up when you hear your mom's voice. It's almost too much. She's beside herself with excitement as she joins your father in the living room and calls your sister in from the field. You hear Evan babbling in the background. Soon, you're on speaker for all to hear. You really do want to hang up, there's too much between the last time you spoke and now to make things feel normal, but you force out, through hesitant, mumbled words, "Do you want to meet me in Midgar this week?"

A dark, guilt-ridden corner of your brain expects them to laugh at you and hang up. Why would they travel to Midgar to see someone who hasn't made any effort to speak to them since last year? But they accept immediately, overjoyed.

You know you don't deserve it, but you're happy too.

As you watch the Nibel Mountains disappear beneath you, you feel as though a weight is lifted off your chest. You won't have to come face-to-face with Zack's disappointed glare or Cloud's accusing eyes for an entire week. You won't have to wield a scalpel, smell blood, or stitch flesh back together. You won't have to spend your nights drinking alone in your room. Even though you'll be working this week, it'll be a vacation compared to life at the mansion.

Midgar's sights, sounds, smells, and sensations nearly knock you off your feet as you travel to your hotel (your old apartment long since rented out to another tenant). It's been a full year since you've seen other humans besides your colleagues, Zack, and Cloud. It's almost too much to be reminded that there is an entire civilization of people not directly involved in human experimentation. You can't remember what it's like to live like that.

Anger unexpectedly flares inside you, burning red hot, when you enter the Shinra Building for the first time since last year. Its polished floors, gleaming lights, and lobby that smells of wealth, rather than blood, is so unlike the Shinra Mansion that you have trouble reconciling that they're owned by the same company. Your rage grows as you look at all of the employees around you wearing shining Shinra ID badges, high-end suits, and polished shoes. (You remember when you proudly wore your new, shiny shoes in this lobby, only to have them stained with blood within a week.) These people have the audacity to look happy working for Shinra. They have the audacity to believe that they are doing good at this company.

You want to drag each and every one of them by their perfectly-coiffed hair down to the basement of Shinra Mansion and press their faces against the glass of Cloud and Zack's tanks. You want to make them see a couple of teenagers who wear the Shinra logo as a tattoo, not a badge, just because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You want to clench their hands around a scalpel and make them decide if their life is more valuable than the one they're cutting in to. You want to scream at these people that they're fools if they believe they're doing good. You need them to understand that they have just as much blood on their hands as you do, even if they don't know it.

The first day of meetings passes in a blur. You watch the clock so intently that it stops altogether, waiting for five o'clock when you'd finally be free to go see your family for the first time in over a year. It takes forever, but the clock finally does strike five and you launch yourself out of your seat to rush to the lobby where your family said they would wait for you. Except, halfway out of the conference room, you pause. You suddenly feel sick. You're not sure if you can face them. The last time they saw you, you hadn't experimented on humans before. What if they can tell? What if it's written all over your face?

But it's too late to bail now. You go to the lobby.

There they are.

Your small, hesitant smile suddenly grows into a wide, genuine one, and your awkward, shuffling walk speeds into a near run as you rush to meet them. Your parents look more lined and gray than you remember, your sister more tired, but they radiate warmth and joy that you soak in like a person dying of thirst. And then, there's Evan.

Without warning, your sister transfers him into your arms. You stand there stiffly, not sure what to do, staring at this tiny life that you've just been made responsible for not dropping. Evan stares up at you with Cloud-blue eyes, but they're untainted by fear, pain, and distrust. They're open, innocent, and loving. They say I trust you.

It's too much for you to handle. Your heart that you've tried to hide behind cold iron all year swells with emotion and bursts free. You drop your head into Evan's tiny belly and weep. It takes everything in your power to not fall to your knees and breakdown entirely. Your family envelopes you in their arms. Their love burns.

For living with cancer for nearly two years, your dad looks damn good. Maybe because it's the first time in a long time that you see something positive come from your Shinra salary, you feel another lightness come over you. Seeing your dad alive, happy, and so clearly in love (and loved by!) your mom, sister, and Evan, you're reminded that there is a purpose for tarnishing your soul. It's not enough to erase even a fraction of your guilt, but you're glad some good has come from your sins.

Since your dad visits Midgar every month for his cancer treatment, he's learned where all of the best restaurants are. He recommends an amazing restaurant just a few blocks away that serves Gongagan food.

You're halfway through the meal and feeling pretty proud that you don't feel the need to order alcohol when you remember that Zack is from Gongaga. The food turns to ash in your mouth. You end up ordering the strongest drink they offer.

The next few days of meetings pass like the first day. The President seems frustrated that Hojo doesn't have much more to show other than Cloud's elevated S-cell counts, marginal increase in speed and strength, and similarities to Sephiroth's fighting stance. Hojo masks his irritation well in front of the President, but whines about the President's short-sightedness, lack of vision, and general unintelligence behind his back. Hojo explains that Cloud is exactly where he should be at this stage. The S-cell treatments are mere preparation for the real work that lies ahead: J-cell treatments. You only halfway listen during the meetings, your attention on the clock, waiting for the moment when you can go be with your family again.

"…Sephiroth was a strong SOLDIER, but I think we agree that he was not the conduit with J-E-N-O-V-A we hoped for, Mr. President. If you consider the progress TS-3 has made…"

Tick.

"…integration of S-cells was complete. Therefore, we can expect the same to happen with J-cells. Once we begin…"

Tock.

"…repeat of past procedures. There is even indication that…"

Tick.

"…a conduit with J-E-N-O-V-A, leading us to The Promised Land at last. It is beneficial that She is still being held in Nibelheim, as I believe that proximity…"

Tock.

Five o'clock at last.

Evan really takes a shine to you, always reaching out his chubby arms and asking to be held when you're near. You oblige and revel in the feeling of being trusted. You walk the city streets with your family, enjoying parks, shops, and restaurants. You know that this excursion is costing your family a lot, especially your sister, who left the farm during harvest season. You offer to pay for as much as you can, but your family won't hear of it. Your father won't accept more help from you than you've already given.

You drink in this time, wanting it to last forever. You can't remember the last time you felt this light, this happy. You buy a few snacks for Clark, as well as a few bags of gourmet coffee to enjoy as a team. Your family buys tickets to LOVELESS for the following night. Your sister, a huge fan of the book, cannot wait. Your dad, who chronically falls asleep during movies, offers to stay at the hotel to watch Evan.

But on the day you're supposed to go see the play, Hojo receives a call just as he's about to enter the board room. He stops dead in his tracks, his body taut like a steel cable. His knuckles grow white around the phone. He spits a few tense words into the receiver, shoves his phone into his pocket, and spins on his heel to face you and Julia.

"We're leaving." he says tersely. "TS-2 and TS-3 escaped."

Your body still tingling from the hugs your family gave you goodbye, you watch Midgar disappear in a cloud of smog beneath you. Your eyes are raw and red from crying at the sudden departure. You thought you had two more days with your family at least.

There is plenty of time on the return trip to Nibelheim to review the security camera footage Matson sent to Hojo. You and Julia lean over Hojo's shoulder as the clip begins to play. The footage begins by displaying the exterior of the Shinra Mansion. There's initially nothing unusual about the video, everything is so still that it looks like a photo, until the trees jerk sideways as they're hit by an invisible force and the sky darkens to a near-black. Lightning forks through the sky. It's a massive storm.

Raindrops hammer against the security camera and distort the image, but not enough for you to miss lightning flash again, this time striking the brittle, brown shrub planted right by the mansion's front door. It bursts into flames. The fire quickly spreads to its neighbors, also made dry by the drought. The lights of the mansion flicker, then go black. A faint light appears moments later when the generator boots up. Barnes and Matson burst out of the front door, armed with extinguishers and heavy blankets. They try to smother the flames or at least prevent them from leaping onto the roof's cedar shingles. Although the rain is coming down in sheets, the drought has left everything as dry as matchsticks, and the fire burns brightly once ignited.

The image switches to an interior camera - the one facing Cloud and Zack's cell. You see the moment the lights flicker, then the screen goes black as the mansion loses power. When the auxiliary power kicks in and the camera turns back on, the cell door is stuck halfway open and sparking. Cloud and Zack are gone.

You knew something wasn't right with that door!

But now isn't the time to say "I told you so."

The screen flashes from camera to camera, following Cloud and Zack as they race to the lab. Sirens are wailing, lights are flashing, and delicate, medical machinery is ominously black. Cloud anxiously keeps watch as Zack wrestles with the locked filing cabinet that contains the keys to the cuffs around their ankles. Why had you let them see where you keep the keys?! Zack finally pries it open with nothing but brute strength and sheer determination. The cuffs are off their ankles in seconds. Cloud and Zack tear out of the lab.

They sprint down the long hall towards the staircase to freedom faster than you've ever seen them move before. But just before they reach the atrium, an obstacle appears. It's Clark. He's coming down to check on the equipment after the power shortage, as protocol requires. He's entirely unprepared to come face-to-face with two escaped experiments.

Clark freezes.

Zack Fair does not.

He's on Clark in an instant, seizing Clark's head between his hands and tearing him off his feet. Clark's body convulses once, twice, three times as Zack slams his temple against the sharp edge of a concrete step.

Clark doesn't move after that.

You feel sick.

Zack and Cloud bound over Clark and claw their way up the stairs. They burst into the mansion's great room, pause to get their bearings, and then sprint towards the nearest exit: the front door. Zack throws open the door and they bolt through it, taking their first steps outdoors in a year.

But just as Clark wasn't expecting to encounter Cloud and Zack, Cloud and Zack aren't expecting to run into Barnes and Matson. Barnes and Matson aren't expecting them either, but, unlike Clark, they don't freeze. They turn their attention away from the smoldering fire and reach for the shock remotes on their belts. When they realize that the shock remotes are doing nothing, they don't hesitate. They reach for their guns.

Zack is almost on top of Matson when he fires. Matson, former sniper that he is, doesn't miss. Zack's knee bursts in an explosion of red. He goes down hard. Barnes fires at Cloud, but Cloud doges and the shot goes wide. Barnes takes aim again. It's difficult to hear above the wind and rain, but Zack is begging Cloud to run. Cloud launches himself at Barnes instead.

Cloud slams into Barnes a millisecond before Barnes fires. The bullet goes harmlessly into the grass rather than into Cloud's leg, like Barnes was aiming for. Cloud knocks Barnes off balance and pins him to the ground, trying to wrench the gun from his hands. Cloud might be faster than he was before, but he's still not strong enough to overpower Barnes. Barnes is also no pushover and has at least a hundred pounds on Cloud. They wrestle, rolling across the wet, dead grass while lightning flashes overhead.

Matson sprints over to Zack, who is trying to struggle to his feet. Matson kicks Zack in the ribs. You wince. You know Matson wears steel-toed boots. Zack falters, winded, but continues trying to get to his feet. He lunges at Matson. Matson kicks at him, but Zack anticipates this and grabs Matson's boot, pulling him to the ground. Matson kicks again, but Zack's grip is too strong for him to dislodge his foot from his grasp. Zack wrenches Matson's ankle sideways. Thunder masks Matson's howl of agony.

Cloud appears to finally gain the upper hand on Barnes. He's straddling Barnes with Barnes' gun arm pinned under his knee. Cloud's hands are wrapped around Barnes' throat. Barnes' free hand scrambles uselessly against Cloud's forearm. He's turning blue. Cloud reaches with one hand to seize the gun from Barnes' weakening grip…

With a Herculean demonstration of grit, Matson tugs his broken ankle out of the boot Zack's still holding in a death grip. He grabs a rock from the driveway and slams it against Zack's shattered knee. Zack instinctively jerks away with a hoarse scream. Matson reaches for his gun, takes aim at Cloud, and fires.

The shot only grazes Cloud's arm, as intended, but it's enough for him to release his grip on Barnes. Barnes coughs, trying to suck as much oxygen back into his lungs as he can. Cloud, realizing his mistake, goes to grab ahold of his throat again.

But it's too late.

Barnes catches Cloud across the jaw with the butt of his pistol. Cloud topples off him sideways, landing roughly on his injured arm. Barnes strikes Cloud's temple with his gun again, again, and again until Cloud goes limp. Barnes handcuffs Cloud and sprints to aid Matson.

Zack and Matson are locked in a fierce battle on the ground. Rather than risk letting Zack get ahold of his gun, Matson has thrown it across the grass. Neither one of them can rise to their feet, Zack's knee busted, Matson's ankle broken. Matson is putting up a good fight, but being thirty years older than Zack and not mako-enhanced, he's losing. Zack is reaching for Matson's skull, perhaps hoping to end his life with a sharp jerk of the neck. He doesn't see Barnes coming up behind him.

Barnes strikes him across the back of the head with his gun. Zack spasms, but doesn't go down. He rounds on Barnes, but in doing so, he opens himself up to another blow to the temple from Matson. Zack staggers. Barnes and Matson take turns raining blows onto Zack until Zack finally goes down and stays down. They cuff him.

Barnes offers Matson a hand, but Matson stubbornly refuses it. He trains his gun on Cloud's unconscious form and tells Barnes to drag Zack inside. Barnes does, then returns for Cloud.

You can't decide if it is a blessing or a tragedy that Cloud and Zack aren't conscious to catch one last glimpse of the sky before being sealed back underground.