Chapter 40: Attack in the Outskirts
February 15, 0010
In fact, Zack was nowhere near the apartment. He was riding his motorcycle outside the city when he felt his phone buzz.
It was a text from Yuffie.
"WTF?" it read. "Reno's looking for you and you're ghosting us? He says he's got a job for you. Snooze you loose!"
Zack didn't respond.
He didn't feel good about just leaving his girlfriend behind like that. He knew she would be pissed, and I would be the same if Tobin ever pulled such a stunt.
But Zack had a very good reason for fleeing. He hope Yuffie would eventually understand.
That morning, he had tested positive for Geostigma.
He knew he probably already infected the other three; in this timeline, remember, it was viral.
And he knew he couldn't frighten them.
And he knew that if he responded to her, he would spill the beans. Of course, he couldn't text while riding the motorcycle without risking a horrid dismount.
At that moment, he felt the pain of a Geostigma attack coming. He slowed down his bike and clutched his arm, waiting for the pain to pass.
It lasted a few seconds.
But it felt longer.
This was an early symptom. Soon, the black puss would leak. And, in the end, he would die.
The timeline was finally reclaiming him.
In any event, the attack passed, and Zack continued on his way.
MEANWHILE…
At that very moment, the three Sephiroth remnants, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz, sat on their motorcycles at the top of a cliff.
They were staring at Midgar, as if they were waiting for something to happen; they had been told that something would.
"Hey, Kadaj?" began Yazoo. "Is that where Big Brother lives?"
"Yeah," Kadaj replied.
They were, of course, referring to Cloud, who was now serving as First Gentleman of the Western Continent.
"Do you think he'll be glad to see us?" Yazoo asked.
"Not a chance," Kadaj dismissed. "His old lady turned us into stone the last time we saw him."
"Don't cry, Yazoo," Loz taunted.
"But Mother's with him," Yahoo pointed out.
They were, of course, referring to the Jenova cells in his bloodstream. But Cloud wasn't the only one who had them.
"Maybe not," Kadaj suggested.
And then, amusingly, it appeared as if Loz was actually crying.
"Don't cry, Loz," Yazoo mirrored.
At that moment, Kadaj spotted Zack on his motorcycle.
"Hold on," Kadaj announced, "he's coming."
Yazoo scanned the motorcycle and its occupant.
"This isn't Cloud," he said. "Reno said Cloud would be coming this way, but not this guy."
"I still feel Mother," Kadaj said.
"Maybe it is Cloud," Loz suggested. "Maybe he dyed his hair."
"That's Zack Fair, idiot," Yahoo sighed. "But I thought he was supposed to be dead."
"In any event," Kadaj said, "he won't be making the trip home."
"Let's take him," Yazoo announced. "Reno will know what to do with him."
MOMENTS LATER…
Zack continued to ride through the barren land as he heard the sound of two more motorcycles behind him.
Looking back, he could see Loz and Yazoo pursuing him.
"Sons of bitches," Zack muttered as he drew his buster sword.
The two remnants surrounded him on both sides, preparing to attack.
And then, they were joined by three shadow creepers, quadrupeds without eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Where's Mother?" demanded Loz as he rammed his motorcycle into Zack's.
"The fuck?" Zack retorted.
He had been told of the origins of the remnants. As Meteor was approaching, Sephiroth roamed the surface via another Jenova-generated avatar, meeting three young women and having sex with them. Each would give birth to one of the remnants, dying in the process.
Yazoo, meanwhile, drew a gun and opened fire.
Zack struggled to dodge the bullets while maintaining control of the motorcycle at the same time.
"We know you hid her, Brother," Yazoo accused.
"Hid who?" demanded Zack.
"Mother!" Yazoo replied.
"I hate to break it to you," Zack retorted, "but your mothers all died giving birth to you."
ON THE CLIFF….
On the top of the cliff, Kadaj observed the carnage while talking on his cell phone. He was quite disappointed; he had been promised Cloud.
"You promised me Cloud," he said. "I got Zack Fair instead."
"Zack Fair's dead," Reno replied on the phone. "He was tortured to death on the Island Gulag."
"He looks pretty alive to me," Kadaj retorted. "Don't tell me you're leading me on? Because I think you do have Mother there."
"No need to shout," Reno insisted.
"I don't want to talk to you any more," Kadaj sighed. "Put the president on."
"Sheesh!" muttered Reno. "No need to be a Karen, either!"
BELOW THE CLIFF…
Zack struck one of the shadow creepers, causing it to dissipate.
Three more appeared behind him.
"Jesus H. Christ!" he muttered. "They never stop!"
A moment later, he found Loz right next to him, bearing a metal claw-like weapon on his hand.
Zack struck the claw with his buster sword, only to hear a loud clanging sound.
Grinning, Loz thrust the claw forward.
Another clang sounded his ears.
Zack looked on in horror as the buster sword flung out of his hands.
He then looked forward-too late-to see Yazoo approaching him head-on.
Without warning, Yazoo flipped his motorcycle, flew over Zack, aimed his gun at his forehead, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet merely grazed his head; a sheer miracle.
Kadaj still stood on the cliff.
"This is a waste of time," he sighed as he made a signal with his fist.
The shadow creepers dissipated.
Yazoo and Loz suddenly turned around, and rode their motorcycles in the opposite direction.
The perplexed Zack continued on his way, headed for his destination, as blood trickled down his face.