Part III: Past, Present, and Future

Chapter 37: Quarantine

FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER…

It was now February 13, 0010.

Over two years after this story begins, the world had become quite a different place.

Life as it had been was no longer. Every town square on the Western, Eastern, and Northern Continents was deserted. Closed non-essential stores were a sight all throughout each town.

In Midgar, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The streets were practically deserted. Everyone was staying at home. No cars were visible, not even parked ones

The signs were everywhere, posted on the front windows.

"Closed Due to Geostigma."

"Closed Due to a Staff Shortage."

"Closed Due to a Staff Shortage Due to Geostigma."

I had been warned about the Geostigma. It happened in the original timeline. Holy moved and the Lifestream spread all over the planet, saving it. But Jenova had tainted the Lifestream. Anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way was infected. It was only transmitted by the Lifestream; either you got hit, or you didn't.

But in this timeline, it was contagious.

This was something nobody saw coming. At first, we were completely baffled why.

But it didn't take us long to find out. In the original timeline, Meteor struck Midgar. So the Lifestream gathered around it. Lots of people got in the way and were touched. Those who were touched were infected. They got weak, and had sores with black pus coming out.

But in the new timeline, Meteor struck the rural Western Continent. Fewer people came into contact with the Lifestream as a result. And at first, it was hoped that Geostigma would die out. But, instead, it mutated. It became a virus; it wanted to live. It would jump from anyone to anyone.

In an otherwise-deserted Midgar gym, Zack Fair ran around the track for the upteenth time. He was punching his firsts as he did so. He might have been the ambassador to the Eastern Continent, but he didn't want to get weaker.

A nearby sign read "Masks Required," but Zack paid it no heed; he was the only one in the gym. He continued his run that nobody would see. Nobody could harm him, and he could harm nobody in return.

For him, it was as if the pandemic wasn't happening.

MEANWHILE….

The helicopter flew cautiously over the Northern Crater. The gaping hole was surrounded by snow as far as the eye could see. It was the northernmost place on the planet, yet one of the least visited. In fact, nobody had dared to go there since Meteor struck.

But now, somebody was willing to tempt fate.

"Tseng!" Elena exclaimed over the intercom. "Look at this."

"Pay dirt," Tseng replied. "Again."

"Still just as ugly as the other time," Elena said. "Still not a pretty sight. I was hoping it would be changed this time."

"There's no time to discuss paradoxes!" Reno shouted from the chopper. "Just get the damn thing."

He was sitting alone and piloting. He gazed down into the Northern Crater, a seemingly bottomless pit.

"Reno," reminded Tseng over the intercom, "the chopper."

"You got it," Reno acknowledged as he lowered the helicopter into the Northern Crater, causing it to disappear from view.

And then, gunshots were heard over the intercom.

"Here it comes!" Tseng announced.

"Reno, hurry!" exclaimed Elena. "Reno!"

"Who the hell is that?" Reno exclaimed.

And then, Elena made a painful groan.

"Elena!" Tseng called.

"Go on! Get out!" Elena pleaded.

The gunshots continued.

MEANWHILE….

Ambassador Fair took a huge drink of juice as he finished his workout. He had done his run, and kept his muscles in shape. He was drenched in sweat, but it was well worth it. Any other gym was closed due to the pandemic.

With nothing further ado, he stripped naked and turned on the shower. He had it cold; he would overhead in a hot one for sure. He washed his entire body and dried himself, his legs still aching from the run.

Zack had been appointed ambassador to the Eastern Continent. It was more of a formality, because President X had never asked to speak to him, or even try to meet him. At this point, President X was still a mystery, except for the fact that he had been president of the Eastern Continent for two years.

Zack put his clothes on, which included his face mask, just in case anyone was passing by as he let the gym. Nobody was, and he was relieved to have taken it off as soon as he got into his car.

He drove down the deserted streets, seeing only one or two pedestrians, and no other cars. He didn't even understand why he bothered to stop for red lights. He was the only one who had the balls to go outside in the mess.

He got to the apartment building which had the penthouse at the top that he called home. He parked in the underground parking garage and made his way to the elevator.

He pressed the button, and the elevator moved up. He stood there, counting the floors as he was taken higher and higher above the world.

Finally, he arrived at the fifty-second floor. The door opened, and he stepped off the elevator. He was in a large hall with marble floors. There was a stairwell, but he had no desire to climb. He walked down the hall to his penthouse apartment. There was no door, but there was an alarm the went off if anyone other than the apartment's four occupants tried to enter.

Then, he made it into the kitchen.

Denzel was there to greet him.

"At the gym again?" he greeted.

"You got it, little man," Zack replied.

Nine-year-old Denzel was living with Zack after the latter encountered the former in the streets. He had already been told about him. Denzel was an orphan. In the original timeline, his parents were killed when the Sector Seven Plate fell.

In this timeline, his parents escaped the plate, but later died from Geostigma. The timeline had reclaimed them.

"Anyone else at the gym?" Denzel asked.

"Nope," Zack dismissed. "It was as deserted as ever."

Denzel grinned, and turned around to face the dining-room.

"Sage!" he called. "You owe me five gil!"

Out came the annoyed Sage Tuesti in her pajamas and slapped Denzel a five gil piece.

"You win this time," she groaned.

She then turned to Zack, and placed her hand on his bicep.

"Keep up the good work!" she complimented with a smile.

Sage also lived with them. It was a temporary situation, until it died down. What happened was that one of the senators elected by the Downings put a bounty on Reeve and his family because he didn't agree with how they lived. He offered a million gil for Reeve killed, a million gil for Parker killed, and two million gil for Sage killed (he felt it would be better if Reeve suffered first).

Of course, he was charged with threatening them.

An impeachment trial was currently going on, but nobody was safe until he was convicted, removed from office, incarcerated, and, by extension, the bounty was discontinued.

Sage, now thirteen, was mostly a good kid. But she had a huge crush on Zack.

Not that it would ever work; she was thirteen, he was twenty-six. Thirteen would get him twenty-six.

And then, Zack though of the apartment's fourth occupant.

"I'm off to crash," he announced. "Don't stay up too late."

"Oh, we won't," Sage assured him, with a hint of dishonesty in her voice.

Zack was skeptical, but it didn't matter; Sage was a teenager now, and wasn't expected to follow the rules all the time. With nothing further ado, he passed into the dining-room. He then passed through the parlor, the game room, and the den. In the den, there was a stairwell, as the penthouse apartment had three stories. He climbed the stairwell with direction.

He was upstairs now, walking down the hallway. Two doors were on the left and two doors were on the right. One of them was Sage's room, and another was Denzel's; the other two were unoccupied. But Zack was focused on the middle door at the end of the hall.

He opened the door, and stepped inside.

A staircase lay before him.

Denzel and Sage weren't allowed to go up the stairs, or even pass through the door.

But he ascended the stairs, knowing exactly who awaited him at the top.

Sure enough, she came into view when he finished climbing.

Yuffie Kisaragi was standing there in her pajamas, her arms folded.

"You're late," she reprimanded. She then sniffed. "And you've showered."

"Unless you wanted me smelling like shit," he informed her.

"Hold on," Yuffie suddenly commanded. "Procedure, as usual."

Zack sighed as he raised his arms to a horizontal position.

She sprayed his clothes with disinfectant, having him turn three hundred and sixty degrees as she did so.

"There," he said. "All traces of Geostigma gone."

Yuffie smiled, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her lips against his.

"Don't be out so late again, baby," she whispered. "Your girlfriend gets worried."

Zack wrapped his arms around Yuffie's waist and lifted her off the ground, causing her to squeal in delight.

I know what you're about to ask: "I thought they broke up!"

They sure did.

Two weeks after the inauguration, they got back together. And it turned out to be so good that they broke up and got back together three more times.

"Up for a movie?" Yuffie asked.

"Of course," Zack agreed.

"How about something more mature," she suggested. "Since I am a grown-up now."

They watched a movie on the couch, with Yuffie lovingly resting her head on Zack's shoulder.

When the movie was over, he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and began to kiss her.

She deeply kissed him back.

He then started to lift her shirt.

Yuffie shook her head.

"Nothing's coming off tonight," she warned him. "Once I'm in my pajamas, they stay on."

Zack was disappointed, but he understood; it was late.

Of course, they still slept in each other's arms. Given the world's circumstances, it was paradise.