I do not own anything nor do I make any money from this story. All rights apply.
[A/N Readers who have played FFVII CC will notice I haven't used any of it so far and while there will be some scenes later on, they'll be greatly reduced. The reason is simply because it doesn't work for this piece of fiction, both in time line and character interactions.]
The Price of Freedom – The Clandestine Dark Suits
Zack stood for a moment watching the helicopter trying to see where it was heading. There was no doubt it was heading for Arda, and it wasn't flying directly either. The helicopter turned large lazy circles over the foothills and rocky outcrops that lead up to and surrounded Arda. It was looking for something – looking for them. Zack swore under his breath and hurriedly stuffed their belongs into the backpack before swinging it onto his back. With little caution, he hoisted Cloud over his shoulder and set off. Zack angled up the mountain side looking for a place to hide from aerial view. He had brief luck when he found one almost immediately but it could only hold one of them. Without further thought Zack tucked Cloud under the overhang, making sure he was on his side in case he threw up again. There wasn't place for the backpack so Zack kept it in place on his back. The sudden burst of movement had his muscles protesting, his body also felt sluggish.
Moving further up the mountain, Zack kept the helicopter in sight. Angling round outcrops so he was always hidden. The helicopter circled round the town of Arda twice before continuing its mountain side search. By now Zack could clearly make out the ShinRa logo on the side, he couldn't see the pilot clearly but the lack of shocking red made him think someone other than Reno was piloting – they may actually have a chance.
The closer the helicopter got, the more difficult it was to keep it in sight but remain out of sight at the same time. Zack also had shadows to contend with – the sun cast long shadows and he had to keep his from being cast. As the helicopter got closer it whipped up sand and gravel, making seeing difficult. As it passed over head Zack had to rely on the sounds of the blades for the location of the helicopter as it was near impossible to see through the haze. Wind swirled round him as he crept round the rock he was currently pressed against. From the sound and direction of the wind, Zack guessed the helicopter had passed overhead and continued without incident. Coughing in the aftermath of dust and debris, Zack snuck a look round the rock. The helicopter had moved on in the same lazy circles as before, Zack guessed it to mean he hadn't been spotted. Zack continued to watch the helicopter, looking to see if it would land or continue onward. He was inclined to think it would land, question the people in Arda and, depending on what was said, stay for further investigation or move on. And Zack had no idea what would be said.
Zack had little doubt that he could take the Turks in the helicopter but any interaction with Turks would spell trouble and be a howling siren for their position. In addition, Zack didn't want to fight anyone. The weight of the Buster Sword on his back reminded him that he might have to fight if they wanted to stay free. How long would ShinRa look for them? Weeks, months? Zack's eyes narrowed as the helicopter made to land outside of the plantation. A plan was forming in his mind – once the Turks had search the plantation, they would head down and hide in the plantation while the Turks searched the town. There were many risks and areas of uncertainty in the plan and Zack knew with certainty that if Reno had been piloting the helicopter his plan wouldn't work. As it was, he was risking everything on the observation skills of a rookie Turks.
Zack took a deep breath and blew it out quickly – sooner to start sooner to finish. Moving quickly but still with stealth, Zack returned to where he had hidden Cloud. He was as Zack had left him, though covered in sand stirred up by the helicopter. Even after the rough handling Cloud's eyes were still closed and his body relaxed. Zack frowned as he brushed some of the sand off Cloud's face and checked his breathing before he hauled Cloud onto his back.
"Must have had a rough night," muttered Zack as he started off. "Or maybe you're just sleeping late, hmm?"
Zack decided to stay in the rocky terrain as long as possible and only head into the plantation once the Turk had got to Arda. Zack was surprised to see both Turks, neither of which he immediately recognised, in the truck that rode to Arda. Were there three Turks? Zack was sure he had only seen two in the helicopter as it flew over earlier. Or, more likely, they had left the helicopter unattended. Zack paused his downward journey – why leave the helicopter unattended, someone would take it. But who, he thought. It was highly unlikely that anyone working at the plantation would know how to fly the thing, and Zack surely didn't. It made sense, an extra set of eyes were more useful in town than watching a helicopter no one could steal. It took Zack a lot longer than it should to get to the plantation. Cloud's weight was wearing him down and causing his shoulders to ache.
Getting a closer look at the plantation, Zack saw there wasn't much in the way of hiding space. The palms were too far apart and the office too small. The plantation workers were grouped on the far side of the plantation. They didn't appear to be doing anything particular other than waiting for the Turks to return and catching a quick smoke. Glancing back at the town, Zack saw the truck was making its way back. He swore, he didn't want to risk doubling back – that meant risking the meagre cover of the palms or pushing further into the foothills.
Zack was still cursing his luck when he spotted a dumpster along the side of the office. Smelling as they did after a day in the hot sun and a ride in the mud pit of truck, Zack doubted they could smell any worse after a couple of hours among rotting vegetation – at least Zack hoped it was just rotting vegetation. Rookies tended to forget the grimier aspects of searching. They hadn't seen enough desperation of those in flight. And Zack felt nothing for using that to his advantage. Zack sped up his progress keeping an eye on the returning truck as well as the gathered workers. He found it a little strange that the workers were so fixed on watching the returning truck. It was almost as if they were purposing trying not to look somewhere. Time was too pressed for Zack to mull over potential traps for Turks. The dumpster was a three lid affair – it would make hiding a tad more comfortable not to be squashed but big things that could hide people tended to be noticed. Without further deliberation Zack slotted his sword between the office and the dumpster and lift the first lid. He quickly but careful placed Cloud in the dumpster. Zack noted his eyes were still closed but he no longer had a relaxed expression on his face – in fact, it looked as if he was about to cry. Hanging over someone's shoulder was bound to make anyone uncomfortable.
"Please, not now, Spike," whispered Zack and he clambered in after him.
Zack waited a moment before closing the lid to see if Cloud was going to do anything but he appeared to have calmed down. Before lowering the lid, Zack snagged a bit of foliage and caught it in the lowering lid. Not only did it offer Zack some breathing space – for the dumpster did reek – it gave a little light and, more importantly, a space for Zack to see out without the dumpster looking suspicious with a cracked lid. As Zack scanned the area through the narrow slot, quick breaths drew his attention. At first he thought it was Cloud but even as he thought that he could hear Cloud's soft breathing, he could hear his own. So who drew the shallow fast breaths?
Zack turned to look in the direction of the breathing. A young man was pressed against the far corner of the dumpster, he looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four and was fairly well muscled – Zack guessed he worked on the plantation, he also guessed that this dumpster was where the plantation workers were not looking. The young man was scared, Zack could see that, and having a SOLDIER glaring at him couldn't be helping. Zack closed his eyes for a second – where in his subconscious had he thought running would be easy? What had made him think such a ridiculous thing? He opened his eyes again and looked straight at the young man before putting his finger to his lips. The youngster nodded quickly and seemed to relax a little. Zack turned his attention back to the scene outside. The Turks were talking to the workers and reading the body language, they weren't getting anywhere. After some minutes the Turks gave up and headed toward the helicopter. Zack watched them through the gap, they didn't look that annoyed. He glanced back at the young man behind him and back to the Turks. If he knew anything about the Turks, they knew something was up but not what they were currently dealing with. Arda would be flagged – he had to get out soon.
The plantation workers returned to the fields as the helicopter started up and made ready to leave. By the time it lifted off the ground, they were working as if nothing had happened. It made Zack suspicious.
"How long after the Turks leave do you come out?" asked Zack still looking through the gap.
"O-only after the chopper can't be seen," answered the young man.
"You do this regularly?" asked Zack noting the helicopter was in no hurry to leave.
"No, but I think they do."
Zack assumed 'they' to mean the plantation workers and the people of Arda. Zack frowned in thought as he watched the helicopter make more lazy circles. The closest towns of note were Rocket Town, North Corel and Nibelheim. All had interests for ShinRa, obviously, otherwise they would be a nameless on a map as Arda was. Any town that had any connect to ShinRa would be teeming with troops by now – he would have to bypass the bigger towns in favour of those that were less likely to have ShinRa troops. Unfortunately, he was SOLDIER, there was no denying it. His presence would be noticed and in some cases, he was sure, would be hated or perhaps, feared – possibly both. Either one made people jumpy and not keen to help.
The helicopter had stopped the circling and was making straight for North Corel. So, Zack thought to himself, not the direction he was to go. He wouldn't be going to Rocket Town either. He needed to go a little south before he tried to cross the water. But first he needed to get out the dumpster.
"Okay," muttered Zack as a few of the workers began to wander over. "Surprise now or surprise later…"
Zack saw little point in delaying the inevitable. Besides, he didn't like the idea of reacting to a situation instead of instigating it – he would have more control of any potential situation if he acted first. With that decided, Zack lifted the lid and stood causing the young man to gasp in fright and the approaching workers to pause. Zack had expected the pause – they had put one guy into the dumpster and a different guy popped up. He gave a friendly smile as the dumpster's other able occupant stood up. The initial hostility that greeted him gave way at the sight of the young man but the workers weren't being friendly too quickly. Not that Zack blamed them, they had no idea who he was. They had just had some Turks sniffing around and now there was a SOLDIER in their midst. The young man next to Zack seemed unsure of what to do next. The rest of the plantation had stopped working and were watching the situation – some curious, some ready to fight.
Suddenly Zack was struck with inspiration – these were not cruel or mean spirited people. They had hidden the young man from the Turks, this showed concern. Or it showed complete hatred for ShinRa but Zack didn't think so. They hadn't attacked him on sight. In fact, they appeared not to know what to do with the SOLDIER before them. With deliberate movements Zack climbed out the dumpster, he let the smile fall from his face but kept his expression neutral. The young man followed suit and moved toward the group of workers while Zack turned his back to them and reached for Cloud. It worried Zack that Cloud hadn't opened his eyes yet but he shoved his concern out the way, he had more important things to worry about now. Zack gently laid Cloud on the Cloud before turning back to the waiting workers. Zack waited, his expression neutral – he needed their help but unlike asking Alice, a woman on her own, Zack had to make sure all, or at least most, of the watching men would help. One wrong move or word could cause one to panic and others, not knowing what to do, might follow the leader.
"We never had a SOLDIER deserter before," said the man in front. Zack guessed him to be the foreman, he also recognised him as the guy who drove the Turks to Arda earlier.
Zack didn't correct the man but he could see that he wasn't wholly convinced by his statement either.
"I do not want to bring trouble-"
"Too late."
The foreman turned round to see who had spoken, a couple of guys looked shifty but Zack knew who had spoken. He gave the guy a level look before returning his attention to the foreman.
"I do not want to stay – I would like to buy some supplies and be on my way," continued Zack before anything else could be said.
After a moment, the foreman nodded and turned to his men.
"Right," he yelled, "back to work. I'll deal with these two."
Slowly the men wondered off and joined the other in whatever tasks they were doing. Once they were alone by the office, the foreman pulled free a pack of cigarettes.
"Thank you," said Zack.
The man just nodded as he lit the cigarette, studying Zack.
"You're not a deserter," he said after a moment. "Deserters are running away from responsibility," he added with a pointed look at Cloud. "If you wanted to leave ShinRa you would have retired."
"I'm not a deserter," said Zack with feeling, wondering how many times he was going to have this conversation. "We are not deserters."
"You do stink though," the foreman said with a bit of smile. "I'm Lucas."
"Zack – and this is Cloud. I would shake your hand but, well…" Zack let a smile creep back on to his face.
"Yeah, keep it to yourself. Let's get you to Arda," said Lucas.
He flicked his cigarette away and headed toward the truck. Zack quickly retrieved his sword from behind the dumpster before pulling his pack out the dumpster and gathering up Cloud. He ignored the looks the workers gave the sword on his back and followed Lucas.
XxX
Lucas pulled up in front of the largest house in Arda. Being the foreman must be a well paying position in a small place like Arda. The house was also beautifully maintained with neat gardens on either side of the walkway. Zack had thought Lucas would take them to the inn but he took them to his house instead. When Zack asked him why, he said that the couple that ran the inn were notorious gossip mongers and he would prefer not to have the Turks back in Arda.
"I can understand that," said Zack standing next to the truck.
"Also," added Lucas as he came to stand next to Zack, "I know your friend has mako poisoning."
Zack gave Lucas a hard look.
"Hey, hey," said Lucas with raised hands, "I worked for ShinRa as a younger man – very one wanted to be SOLDIER First Class. I failed and decided that maybe it wasn't for me so I came back home."
Zack looked away.
"Yeah, First Class…" he muttered.
He had wanted to be First Class, it had been his dream. And here he was SOLDIER First Class standing in the middle of nowhere covered in mud and rotting vegetation needing help.
"I guess you got what a lot of people wanted," said Lucas.
Lucas reached forward and Zack's hand shot out and caught Lucas' wrist as he reached into the back of the truck. The hold was more firm than needed and Zack's gaze was harsh but when he saw Lucas had been reaching for his pack he let go with an apology. Lucas didn't say anything, he just lifted the pack and started toward the house.
"My wife's name is Mercia," he said continuing casually. "I have three sons – I think they'll like you."
Zack quickly got hold of Cloud, he didn't want to keep Lucas waiting. Following Lucas inside, Zack found the house to be just as well looked after. Nothing was overly new but it was neat and tidy. The smell of bread was coming from the kitchen and for a moment Zack imagined himself at home.
"Zack?"
Zack's eyes snapped open, he glanced about trying to place himself. He hadn't realised he had closed his eyes – he had almost dozed off standing upright in a strangers house! How long had it been since their escape…? Two days? Was that all?
Zack focused his attention to find Lucas looking at him patiently, a woman stood quietly by his side. Zack assumed it to be Mercia. She gave Zack a hesitant smile. Seeing how neat and contained the house was and Mercia herself, Zack suddenly felt terribly uncomfortable standing where he was, how he was.
"Sorry – I'm…" Zack was suddenly at a loss, his mind betraying him by refusing to work.
"Let's get you guys cleaned up first," said Mercia suddenly coming forward and hustling them up the stairs.
Zack started to protest but once again he found his mind to be blank. Was this a side effect of Mako poisoning? Memory loss? Lack of cognitive function? Maybe he was tired? Sleep deprivation affected thought patterns – he had been doing some rather spectacular blunders recently. Ideas that had seemed good at the time soon got away from him and didn't seem so good later on. What was he doing in this house? Leaving the mountain had been a bad idea. The worst idea had been getting into the truck heading for Arda in the first place, for now he had no money and what felt like millions of witnesses to their location. Finding himself in the bathroom also didn't ease his nerves – he was zoning out too often. He couldn't afford it. He shifted Cloud from his shoulder to the floor and noticed a small frown on Cloud's face as the water ran into the bath. The sound brought a moment of unease to Zack as well. Running water had always been a rather calming sound to Zack but now it reminded him of a tank filling up.
"It's okay, Spike, it's just a bath," said Zack as he continued to remove Cloud's more than grubby gear. "You'll feel a whole lot better once you're clean."
Zack knew he would. He had been unsure of Mercia helping him wash Cloud but as she had pointed out, she had raised three sons – she knew what she was doing. Zack had to admit to himself that Mercia probably had a better idea of what to do than he did. He really didn't know anything about looking after anyone but himself. It's all he ever had had to do really. Now things were different, and not just looking after Cloud, he had made a promise to Aerith. He had to keep at least one promise, right…?
"The water's ready," said Mercia breaking into Zack's thoughts.
"Thanks," said Zack as he put Cloud's arm around his neck and scooped up his legs.
Mercia stepped back so Zack could put Cloud into the bath. Zack was glad she did – Cloud initial reaction to feeling the warm water against his skin was to react, and react violently. He thrashed against Zack's hold, almost causing Zack to lose his grip.
"Cloud," called Zack hoping the sound of his voice would calm him down.
It did the opposite – he started crying and tossing his head from side to side. Unable to keep a gentle grip on Cloud, Zack lowered him into the bath lest he dropped him. Cloud gasped and his eyes snapped open as the water covered his body. But even as his blank eyes darted round in fright, his body began to relax as the water warmed his muscles. His eyelids slowly lowered as his head came to rest against the side of the bath.
"See," said Zack wiping the tears from Cloud's face, "I told you you'll feel better."
Zack waited till Cloud was completely relaxed before stepping back.
"The shower's in the main bedroom," said Mercia reaching for the cloth that lay over the edge of the bath.
"I-"
"I'm not cleaning him up so you can dirty him again when you take him out," interrupted Mercia.
Once again, Zack had to concede to her point. It didn't help his fragile state of mind.
"Thanks," he said. "I'll be quick."
Standing under the pummelling water Zack was forced to admit to himself some things he had unconsciously been pushing away. One, they had been in the mansion a lot longer than he first thought – he hadn't used his muscles in months. Two, he was not well. He was fooling himself thinking the trembling muscles were just fatigue and the occasional nausea was from eating too fast, his body was battered and abused. Three… and this was a hard one – he was scared. And not of the Turks that hounded his steps, he could take out anyone that threatened him. He was scared of his memories. He was scared of remembering.
Pulling back the shower curtain Zack saw his clothes had been removed and a pair of folded track pants had been placed on the toilet seat. Zack idly wondered how long he had been in the shower as he towelled himself dry and stepped into the pants – they were a bit short but Zack wasn't really in a position to complain. He caught sight of the wall clock as he went back to the main bathroom. He started at it for a moment – it was almost 09h30. Zack felt it should be later, much later – afternoon even. Zack watched the second hand move round the clock and suddenly gave a shiver. He remembered someone holding his wrist counting heart beats in a minute. The hand was cold with the smooth feel of rubber gloves. He turned rather violently away from the clock and walked quickly to the bathroom but it was empty.
Zack ran back into the passage. He was about to call Cloud but obviously the blond hadn't walked out on his own. What was Lucas' wife's name…? Maria?
"Mercia," he called frantically.
"Here." The voice came from the far end of the passage.
Zack followed and found himself in a busy room. There were posters all over the walls – most of them were of cars and motorbikes. Expensive speed machines. Zack gave a half smile at the sight. Cloud was on the bottom bed of a bunk dressed in dark green pyjamas, Mercia was sitting on the bed as well.
"My youngest son is very into his cars and bikes," explained Mercia from where she was sitting.
Zack noticed that she held Cloud's hand. His eyes were closed again but he looked fairly relaxed and even had a bit of colour in his cheeks.
"Some of these are very nice to drive," said Zack pointing at the few vehicles that he had driven as a SOLDIER.
"Zehn is going to question you to death-" Mercia stopped short. "Sorry, that was careless."
"Don't be," assured Zack.
"I thought you might want to be close to your friend and Zehn has two beds; you can sleep here," said Mercia.
"Ah… We really can't stay," said Zack. "I'm really grateful for your help but I have Turks on my tail – they are not nice people."
"They have looked here already," said Mercia.
"They will come again," said Zack. "I know them. The two Turks that were here are inexperience and made many mistakes – they will come again, with others." Zack knew it to be true. He also knew Tseng would send Reno or Rude. There was no hiding from them – they could sniff out a rat anywhere, they were rats themselves.
Mercia was about to say something but Zack continued.
"Look at me," he said. "I am a SOLDIER, SOLDIER First Class, and I am on the run from ShinRa. You think they're going to let someone like me go?" And all that I now know, Zack added silently – the secrets, lies and horrors that were beneath the exterior of ShinRa. "They will look until they find me."
"Are they going to come back today?" asked Mercia.
Zack paused. It wasn't likely they would but he once accepted help, from Alice, and it had put her in danger. He didn't want to risk the lives of anyone else. He wanted to say no but Mercia had a point – today he was safe from the Turks. Hadn't Alice used a similar argument? He couldn't really remember. Zack suddenly realised he needed to sleep. How was he expected to look after Cloud if he was dead on his feet? He needed to be thinking clearly and planning ahead, not reacting to the situations he found them in. Today he would sleep and tonight he would be rested and able to do plan his next move.
"Thanks," said Zack.
Mercia nodded and stood. She tucked Cloud's arm back under the blanket and left the room. Zack rolled his head from left to right, easing muscles. It was then he caught sight of a SOLDIER poster. The top half was obscured by another poster but Zack didn't need to see the face to know who the katana and black leather coat belonged to. Sephiroth. Zack glared at the poster remembering – he could almost feel the heat of flames, the sting of cold steel. He suppressed a shudder and climbed into the top bed. He would sleep for a few hours and then get ready to plan, plot and outrun the Turks.