"Cloud man you ok?" Zack asked as he took Cloud from the infantryman and onto his bunk.
"oh, Z-za- Zack..?"Cloud mumbled as he woke up.
"Cloud, you've been in there 2 days, you ok?" There was no answer, Zack was about to ask again, when he realised his buddy had fallen asleep again. He ruffled Clouds hair, "I'll get us out of here, I promise", he then turned to let Cloud sleep. Standing there watching him was Hojo. Zack stared at the professor hate in his eyes.
Hojo ignored Zack and looked over at Cloud. "He's an unexpected surprise his physical test scores at ShinRa were low, too low for him to make the cut as SOLDIER he was lucky to make it into the Infantry, but as a test subject he's proving quite valuable indeed."
"Hojo LET US GO.." Zack shouted in frustration...
"I think not. If your going to be like that, then it's time for you to sleep." at that Hojo walked to the opposite wall and pressed a switch, the cell filled with gas and Zack felt his eyes sagging, 'must fight it, must stay awake, ensure Cloud is ok' Zack thought.
After a while he woke finding himself on his bunk he figured he had managed to get to his bunk before passing out. He looked over and saw Cloud laying on the other slab sound asleep, 'He appears ok' Zack thought as he got up to check on him, as he got up the outer door flew open he turned around abruptly, and was shocked to see Aerith walk in. he was even more surprised to see she was wearing Jeans and a leather bikers jacket, and her hair was cut short.
"Zack..?" she recognised him instantly and ran over the cell door, "You're alive... I was told that you died?" Zack looked into in the eyes, and noticed her sweet look of innocence, the one that made him fall in love with her was gone, it had been replaced with a rebellious determination similar to the one that he saw in the eyes of those Wutai rebels he helped track down back in Midgar.
"Aerith, I told you not to run off alone, where are you?" Zack heard a familiar voice speak from the corridor.
"I'm in here" Aerith shouted in response. Then turned back to face Zack "Zack.. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't know you were alive."
"Aerith, what happened, you've changed."
"The world changed, SOLDIER was all but gone, the infantry could not cope when Midgar was attacked by these creatures, These guys I believe they were ex-Soldiers that led the attack, they destroyed the city. Zack ShinRa is no-more, the city has become a deserted wasteland. most of the population are dead, us survivors went into hiding." A tear formed in her eye and she blinked causing it to run down her cheek as she started to sob Reno walked into the room and grabbed her pulling her away. She resisted him and broke free of his grasp, and ran back to Zack, she grabbed the bars of the cell door and shook them trying to get it to open. The tears streaming down her face.
Reno grabbed her threw her over his shoulder, "We got to get out of here the explosives are set, we barely have time to get away from here." She looked at Zack sadness in her eyes.
Zack shouted after Reno "Reno, set us free." Reno turned round and saw Zack there in the cell.
"Zack, that you man? Heard you died, sorry no time, this whole building going to be destroyed, we barely have tome to escape ourselves" at that he turned and ran out the door into the corridor.
"I love you Zack..." he heard Aerith crying out as Reno ran out... Zack frantically started to shake the bars in an effort to get free and chase after her. He heard the hinge creaking and he shook the door with renewed vigor the hinge broke and door opened, he stood there, torn he could get away, chase after Aerith, but he could not leave Cloud here alone, so he turned round and shook Cloud, he did not respond so he just picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, as he did he started coughing realising the sleeping gas had been released and his eye lids were getting heavy. He was determined to get away to get chase after Aerith. He took a step towards the cell door, but was unable to resist the urge to sleep, he fell to his knees, Cloud slipped from his shoulder landing harshly on the floor his head colliding with the corner of the bunk with a sickening thud. Zack looked over to check on Cloud and saw blood oozing from a gash on his head.
As he faught to stay awake he heard an explosion from above, 'not like this, not like this, dammit I was so close to getting away.. he felt another explosion from above and felt the room shake... and the ceiling started to creak... then without warning a further explosion was felt and the roof came crashing down a large piece landed on his legs crushing them, he screamed in pain and passed out.
He woke and found he was laying on his slab, his legs were fine, and there were no signs of any explosions... he lay there confused, when he heard the outer door opening and Hojo walked in escorted by two infantrymen. he looked over to Cloud.
"Ok, Specimen C, let's see the how your responding to the treatments, Hojo turned to the infantrymen I want him in Room 2 in 15 minutes time..."