Zack was resting on his bunk, when he heard a noise from outside and some guards walked in. He stared at them and stood back as they opened the cell and pointed at Cloud who just got up and walked out to follow them.
"Good to see you cooperating finally" the one guard said locking the door.
"How far would I get? You're armed, I'm not." Zack replied.
"Not far at all" the guard sneered as they led Cloud away. "Oh, this is for you" the guard muttered as he went to open the door, he lifted his gun and fired a tranquilizer dart at him.
"Why? I didn't resist"
"Cause I love to fire these darts at you," the guard replied as Zack felt his eyelids getting heavy and sleep took him.
"He woke and found he was laying in an dark alley he groggily got up and checked his pockets, but found he was wearing a black robe with no pockets. He stretched and walked out of the alley.
Beyond the alley lay a small town, he thought about the town, how it shouldn't exist anymore. As he did, his head started to ache, he fell his knees and grabbed his head.
"Hey, you OK?" a mid-aged woman with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, rushed over to him and helped him back up. He recognised the woman, but as he looked at her the pain in his head intensified. He stopped thinking and the pain disappeared.
"Yeah I'm fine now" he said allowing the woman to help him get up.
"Do you need a place to rest for a while? I have a spare room you can use" he looked at her and saw kindness in her eyes.
He nodded "yeah, that'll be nice thank you, ma'am" he followed as she lead him towards her home.
Inside the house she lead him into the spare room,
"This is the room, this was my Sons room, or at least it used to be, he left to join the ShinRa, with dreams of becoming a SOLDIER."
"What was his name, if he made SOLDIER I probably knew him."
She looked at him, tears forming in her eyes, "I received a letter just last week, about him, saying he was MIA presumed dead"
Zack dropped his head "I am sorry, I didn't think."
"It's ok, you remind me of him, there's something about you, your hair, it reminds me of his" she opened a drawer and handed him a photo, "this is him, his name was Cloud"
He took the photo and looked at it, it showed a photo of Cloud climbing into a ShinRa helicopter with a mans arm reaching to help him. He instantly recognised him. "Ma'am, I knew him, he was my buddy"
The woman, looked at him, "You knew him?"
"Yeah, I remember this photo being taken, we were on our way to Nibelheim. That guys arm reaching to help him, it's mine"
"You have to be mistaken; Sephiroth and another SOLDIER came here, with a couple infantrymen. However my son wasn't with them, he would have come see me"
"That, other SOLDIER was me, I told him to come see you, he told me was ashamed. I believe he is still alive"
"He is? Then why the letter"
"We were being held captive," he rushed out of the room and outside.
Clouds mother chased him, "where?" Zack looked at the mansion.
"In that mansion" Zack went to take off towards the mansion.
"Wait," she grabbed his arm to stop him "You can't go unarmed"
Zack turned back to her, "I have no choice."
"Follow me" she pulled him back into the house.
Zack, sighed and followed her, she took him to a storage area and struggled to move a box aside. Zack helped her move the box, underneath was a locked chest. She walked off, then returned a couple seconds later holding a key, which she used to unlock the chest.
"I brought this for Cloud, for when he made SOLDIER, I intended to send it him when he made SOLDIER." She opened the chest and inside was a beautiful katana, styled after the Masamune. "I purchased this from a local swordsmith. He called it the Muramasa"
She handed it to Zack, "please use this to free my son and if he's alive, I want him to have it."
Zack held the sword and saw a harness inside the chest. He turned to thank her, but found she had walked away. He started to strap the harness over the robe. She returned with some clothing, "Here, these belonged to my husband; he was about your height and build, so these should fit."
He took the clothing, thanking her, she walked off to give him some privacy as he got changed.
When he was dressed in the clothing, he placed the Muramasa onto the harness and went to find Clouds mom. He found her sat on Clouds bed the photo frame discarded on the bed besides her and she was holding a photo. She looked up at him and tears formed in her eyes,
"You look just like him"
"Like Cloud?" he asked confused.
"No, my old husband, he went to join ShinRa, died during his first mission"
"Oh, I'm sorry,"
"It's ok, I got over his death long ago, I opened that photo, found it was folded over," she handed it to Zack.
Zack took the photo and smiled finding it was the photo of Cloud climbing into the Helicopter however now it was unfolded and showed Zack was indeed there helping him.
"Well, wish me luck, I'm off to the mansion to rescue your son"
"Good luck Zack" she hugged him tightly.
A while later he stood at the gate to the mansion with a determined look on his face. He jumped over the gate rushed into the mansion, ready to grab the sword in case of resistance. Inside he found no sign of anyone so he stood at the foot of the stairs. He rushed up the stairs and located the hidden stairs inside one of the bedrooms which he descended and walked up the corridor. He started to get antsy, as he had still not encountered any resistance at all. "This is too easy" he muttered he ran into the library and saw two mako tubes in the corner, inside the one he saw Cloud.
"Hang on buddy, I'm here to rescue you" he looked around and saw his buster sword and its harness leaning against a nearby desk, Zack grabbed it and changed harnesses over. He placed the Muramasa on the desk and the buster sword on the harness. He heard a dull thudding noise from behind him, so he turned round to look towards the mako tubes. Cloud was awake and was banging his fists on the tube. Zack rushed to the control panel and saw a big red shiny button, which he pressed, he heard a hiss which made him jump backwards in shock. The mako drained and the door opened, Cloud stumbled out.
"Cheers Zack," Cloud said
"No problem, let's get out of here, your mother is waiting"
"My mother? I thought she died?"
"No, she's alive, ShinRa told her you were MIA, presumed dead"
"That sword, where did you get it?"
"The buster sword, it was my mentors"
"No, the katana, on the desk"
"Oh, it's yours; your mother brought it for when you made it to SOLDIER"
Cloud picked up the sword and swung it back and forth, "I like it" he placed the harness on and placed the Muramasa on it.
"You ready to go?"
Cloud nodded and they walked out of the library a siren was blaring, and a small platoon of infantry was assembling in the corridor, they teamed up into several groups.
"oh man, looks like we gotta fight our way out of here" Zack drew his sword and rushed the first group, he swung the buster sword killing the group instantly; he heard the other two groups preparing their guns, so he rolled to the side avoiding the incoming bullets. He rushed towards the next group killing them too, leaving just one final group, which he also killed easily. He placed the buster sword back in his harness, as the siren stopped, "We did it buddy".
He turned round and saw Cloud on his knees holding his head, "You ok buddy?"
"Yeah, just a pain in my head, I couldn't move"
"It's OK Cloud, I dealt with them"
Cloud stood, "it's gone, lets go see my mother"
They rushed up the stairs and into the mansion, he saw a wardrobe in the bedroom, inside which was a couple SOLDIER uniforms, he grabbed one, and handed to Cloud, get changed those mako drenched clothes can't be good. I'll scout the corridor ahead, I'll be back shortly. Cloud nodded and started to change.
He returned and saw Cloud standing there in the uniform, swinging his sword.
"Looking good buddy, you could pass for a real SOLDIER.
Cloud grabbed his head and fell to his knees, "No, can't resist." Cloud got up and pulled the Muramasa from the harness and swung it at Zack, catching him off guard, the sword cut a gash across Zacks chest Zack stumbled back as Cloud punched him in the stomach and then round house kicked him across the side of the head. Zack fell down face first as Cloud stood over him laughing. Cloud kicked Zack in the ribs, before stabbing him in the back with the Muramasa. He felt the life draining from his body, as his eyes closed.
He woke, he was laying in the cell again, he was slumped on the floor. He got up and looked around. The door opened as a guard unlocked the cell, he took a step back as another walked into the cell and dumped an unconscious Cloud onto his bunk. The guard retreated as Zack stared at him the first guard aimed the tranquilizer gun at Zack, he laughed and locked the cell door he then lowered it again and left.