Zack landed gracefully on the ground. He grinned up at the open window. Was that how it felt to fly? Casually strolling away from the Shinra tower, he tried to figure out what to do with his newfound freedom. He walked down Loveless Avenue looking for something to entertain himself with. He found a small café. Curious to see what small café could exist on a loud, big avenue, he entered. It was homey, busy, and peaceful. The café held five tables with tablecloths. Tiny figurines decorated the center of each table. The inside of the building was made up of the same metals as the rest of Midgar, but the atmosphere made Zack feel like he was in a restaurant in a village. He sat himself down and ordered a snack. The dish was small, but it was presented as if it were plated for royalty. Zack did his typical thing and devoured the ornate treat.

Sighing with contentment, Zack paid for his snack and walked out of the peaceful café. Once he was outside his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID to see that it was Angeal. Sighing he flipped open his phone. He was doomed, one for not telling Angeal that he had gotten in trouble that morning and two for leaving his punishment.

"Fair speaking." Zack tried his best puppy voice, hoping to get out of trouble with his honor bound mentor.

"Since you are wanting to train to the point of disobeying orders," Angeal's voice rang out clear, void of emotions. "We are trying a new training method right now."

"Really?" Zack couldn't be hearing Angeal right. "I am not in trouble?"

"I don't want to see you back at the Shinra tower until dinner time," Angeal continued. "At which point it will be in our apartment with no one seeing you get there."

"Okay," Zack's voice betrayed his caution. "What's the catch?"

"Don't get caught. It is you against all of Shinra." Angeal's voice held humor in it.

"What?!"

"Good luck," Angeal said as a click indicated the end of the discussion.

"What…Hey Angeal are you still there?" Zack pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it.

"I've located Fair," a voice said.

Zack spun around and saw a Second. He didn't have time to think about anything else. He took off running out of Loveless Avenue. He zigzagged between people and watched the flashing signs of Loveless Avenue pass by. He paused as he exited the avenue and looked around. It was just his luck; he saw a THIRD this time. Shinra was everywhere. How could the people of Midgar live with so much… Shinra around?

"Found him." The THIRD looked pleased and cocky.

Zack smiled deviously and jumped over the THIRD running towards the train tracks. He wasn't going to get caught. Sure this was not what he had in mind for a free afternoon… but at least he wasn't bored. He would head toward the slums, where there were more places to hide. Zack started to run fast as a voice whispered, taunting him to fail and be captured.

"Got him and I am now intercepting," a gruff voice said loudly to Zack's left.

Another SOLDIER, the owner of the gruff voice, stepped in front of Zack. The man looked like his definition of fun was to work out. His stature would be intimidating to just about anyone, but not Zack. Zack didn't say anything as he moved in and gripped the huge man's arm. Then using the man's weight against him, Zack flipped the man.

"Omph!" The SOLDIER was down for the count.

"You guys are going to have to do better than that!" Zack challenged as he picked up the man's earpiece. He wanted to make sure that everyone could hear him.

Zack strolled down the block, taking his time to get to the train. Was that risky for him? Duh! But he could handle Shinra troops. He wasn't sure where he had gotten his confidence from, but something told him that this wasn't a problem.

"Halt o-o-o-or I'l-l-l-ll shoot," a shaky voice warned.

Zack turned around to see an infantryman with a shaky gun targeted on him. Zack took pity on the poor soul and took off at full speed again. It didn't take him long to get to the station. As he was entering the area a lot of people were exiting, meaning he just missed the train. Oh well, it is not as if he hadn't run on the track before. He ran head long and dramatically flipped onto the tracks; a cocky smirk crept across his face as he heard gasps. Once he was sure he had his footing, Zack continued to run. The wind combed through Zack's hair. He felt free. He wasn't quite sure why this sensation was so exhilarating, but he enjoyed the feeling. He never had a problem with feeling free before. It always came easily for him, but that wasn't the case now either. This problem and his new phobia were starting to worry Zack. When did he gain such problems in his life?

Zack was torn from his thoughts by a set of headlights coming at him from a distance. Pushing up harder than normal, Zack shot into the sky. He looked up in time to see a random beam come at him. Instinctively, Zack's hand tried to cover his face. He willed his hands to reach out and grip the beam. Then just in the nick of time, he swung his body around so he was perched on said beam. He watched the train zip underneath him. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then he crawled over to the edge of the beam. He slid his body over the edge and started to climb down, hand over hand.

Five minutes later Zack's feet touched the ground. He stretched his muscles which had tightened from the climb. He picked a direction and started walking. Pollution from the plate above filled Zack's lungs. He must have found an abandoned part of the slums; there were no standing buildings, except for a church for as far as his enhanced eyes could see. He slowly made his way over the piles of junk looking around for potential enemies. He saw none his whole trek, no monsters, no Shinra.

He surveyed the slums again for a sight of any living thing. With a shrug he slipped inside the old doorway. He must have slipped under Shinra's radar. Zack looked around his new sanctuary. The building seemed to be falling apart, half of the pews were broken, the floor was cracking, some of the support beams lay across the room, and there was a gaping hole in the roof. Zack's eyes were caught at the center of the room, there stood a First class SOLDIER. He had blond spikey hair. His shoes were off at the edge of the flowerbed and his face was pointed up to the light that was flooding in through the hole in the ceiling. Zack took a step forward, something about this man drew Zack to him. Flashes of foggy dreams rushed forward. When the flashes stopped, he was staring at startling blue eyes. Eyes that glowed brighter than Sephiroth's did. Zack blinked again and took a step back. Standing in front of him was not a First class SOLDIER, but a redheaded Turk. The Turk reached into the depths of his pockets and slipped on a pair of sunglasses.

"What…? Who are you?" Zack demanded. "Get out of the flowers! You are going to kill them!"

Zack rushed forward and stopped at the edge trying to figure out the best way to get the man out of the precious flowers. He watched anxiously, bouncing slightly, as the Turk walked casually out of the bed.

"You didn't tear any of the roots, right?" Zack inspected the flowers to see if the Turk had created a flaw in them. "Good, you didn't break any."

"Yo, you act as if he was going to set the whole bed on fire," Reno interjected.

"He could have," Zack said standing up and looking toward the other redhead. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, out for a stroll." Reno causally walked forward. "How about you?"

"Ah man," Zack whined. "The training exercise."