Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 15

“Alliance”

Chapter 15

~**********************************~

(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

~***********************************************~

 

 

With their allied forces assembled, the WRO, ShinRa militia and Cloud's small group moved in on the Ancient Forest. Led by Nanaki, the ground troops moved in first while the air force followed from above, ready to drop the more specialized fighters into the fray. The plan was for the elite forces to surround the Deepground operatives while the ground forces attacked head-on, hopefully boxing them in and preventing any retreat.

 

Vincent peered down at the ground through the open hatch of the cabin door, his harness already attached to his chest. Cloud, Tifa and Zack were putting their harnesses on while the gunman kept an eye on the ground forces. They were just starting to fly over the thick canopy of the Ancient Forest and soon the trees and undergrowth would make it difficult to see what was going on, much less find a suitable place to descend. It would be up to Reno to find a clearing for them.

 

“Zack, why are you putting a harness on?” Tifa asked as she finished fastening hers. “I'm not saying you can't use the cables but do you really need to?”

 

The black-haired fighter looked at her and then down at the harness he was just about to finish securing. “I guess I just forgot for a minute,” he said sheepishly. “I was just operating on past experience.” He took the safety device off and looked kind of embarrassed.

 

“Well, you spent more time doing it this way than using your own wings,” Cloud comforted. “I'd have probably done the same thing.”

 

“Thanks, buddy,” Zack said with a grin, feeling a little less stupid.

 

“It's started,” Vincent announced over the noise of the rotaries and the wind.

 

Cloud secured the final buckle in his harness and joined his friend by the hatch, scanning the forest they were flying over. He could see the bursts of gunfire through the canopy and from somewhere beneath, there was a small explosion that sent a cloud of dust and dirt into the air.

 

“Remember not to go crazy with the explosives, you two,” Cloud shouted to Reno and Rude. The last thing they needed was for the helicopter forces to set the forest on fire and burn everyone up, including the people on their side. Plus, he'd promised Aerith they'd try to keep the environmental damage to a minimum.

 

“Yeah, we got it,” Reno assured him over his shoulder. “We'll save the big guns for more open areas. Think I'd risk you, Blondie?” He shot a grin at the blonde. Rude kept an eye out for a good drop-off spot while Reno flew them further over the canopy, circling around the fighting below. Other ShinRa choppers were doing the same thing. Reeve and Tseng's aircrafts were ahead of all the others.

 

“Reno, Rude, do you copy?”

 

The redhead adjusted his headphones. “We copy, Reeve. What's up?”

 

“The forces attacking our people on the ground seem to be a decoy,” answered the WRO leader. “We've spotted a larger force retreating from the other side of the forest and we need backup to give chase.”

 

Just as Reeve finished his announcement, a streaking missile fired from somewhere on the ground and narrowly missed his helicopter.

 

“Damn, where did that come from??” Reeve exclaimed.

 

There was no time to debate because several more followed the first and one of the choppers got hit and went down, but the pilot and occupants fortunately jumped out and drifted safely to the ground on parachutes before the aircraft crashed.

 

“Fuck!” Reno swore. He twisted in his seat to shout a warning to his companions. “Everybody hang tight, back there!”

 

Vincent slammed the hatch shut and everyone scrambled for the seats, quickly buckling in as Reno took evasive maneuvers. The other helicopters did the same but their pilots weren't as skilled as the redhead and another one was hit. It didn't go down like the first but it was forced to retreat.

 

Reno swore again and spoke into his mouthpiece. “Reeve, you and Tseng get the hell outta here or you're gonna get rolled!”

 

“You'll have to retreat too,” the engineer insisted, “drop off Vincent and the others on the other side of the forest and stay clear!”

 

Reno looked at Rude and they nodded at each other, silently communicating with one another as they often did.

 

“We can handle it,” Reno said into the mouthpiece. “Our guys need air back-up and if anybody can give it to `em right now, it's us.”

 

His eyes widened as a missile streaked towards him and he banked sharply to the right, practically tilting the chopper on its side. Rude hastily grabbed hold of the overhead grips and pressed his lips together, avoiding looking out his window because his side of the aircraft was now facing the ground.

 

Tseng's voice broke in over the comm. unit. “That's a negative, Reno. The ground-to-air fire is too heavy, even for you.”

 

“Don't get cocky, Red,” agreed Reeve.

 

“I'm not being `cocky',” snapped the redhead, “It's the simple truth, man. You both know it, too.” He righted the chopper and banked back to the left at a less steep angle. “Let us handle this!”

 

Reeve and Tseng's aircrafts were angling away from the forest below, getting out of range of the missiles. Tseng's voice was steady but wary when he spoke again.

 

“Very well. If the two of you really think you can do this, you have permission. We're dropping off our fighters and hanging back. Be careful.”

 

“Got it,” Reno said. He turned to his partner. “Ready, big guy?”

 

Rude had already flipped the release on the firing panel and started activating the guns. He gave Reno the “thumbs up” sign and pulled down the targeting visor from the ceiling. While Reno evaded the incoming projectiles from the ground, Rude began to return fire, aiming at where the missiles were coming from. He couldn't see well enough through the canopy to get a lock on them but he was able to unload a hail of bullets close enough to the general direction to scatter whomever was launching them and stall them.

 

Meanwhile in the cabin, Zack's face took on a wild expression that Cloud was all too familiar with. He watched with wide blue eyes as the dark-haired fighter unbuckled his safety harness and made his way over to the cabin door, holding on to the ceiling, chairs and whatever else his hands could reach for balance as he went.

 

“Zack?” Cloud hollered over the noise. He started to unbuckle his own restraints impulsively.

 

“Keep yourself strapped in, Cloud,” Zack barked, his eyes blazing with adrenaline. “You just stay focused on stopping those runners and let me take care of these missiles!”

 

Cloud froze, staring at the taller man. He was forcibly reminded of Zack's comment the other day that he'd never actually seen the Lieutenant. He was assaulted with foggy memories of the other fighter tearing through the ranks of Hojo's pursuing forces while he sat helpless and limp. He'd only been partially sentient so it had seemed like a dream to him, but now he was seeing that side of his old friend with fully aware eyes.

 

“What are you doing?” Tifa hollered as Zack yanked the catch down on the sliding door and pulled it open with a groan of exertion.

 

Zack looked over his shoulder at her and spread his feet on the deck for balance as he drew the handguns holstered to his outer thighs. “I'm saying `hello' to our friends down there, sweet cheeks. I'll meet up with you later at the base camp.” He activated the Barrier materia socketed to the bangle he'd been issued, forming a shield around his body to provide some protection from flying bullets and missiles.

 

Tifa started unbuckling her safety harness impulsively, thinking he was out of his mind. For a split second, she forgot that he could manifest wings and when he dove out of the open hatch she screamed his name and strained against her belt.

 

Vincent was sitting closest to the door and he leaned over and watched Zack hurtle through the air. The sable-haired fighter's ivory wings emerged from his back and he dove like a predatory bird, heading straight for the spot where the most recent missile had been fired.

 

“He's fine,” the gunman assured Tifa, shooting a crimson-eyed look her way. “He's heading for a clearing.”

 

“Yo, did Fair just jump out?” Reno hollered from up front.

 

“Yes,” Cloud answered through gritted teeth. His fear for Zack made his heart thunder in his chest so strongly that he could almost hear it over the wind and helicopter rotaries.

 

“Shit! Stay strapped in and hang the fuck on,” Reno shouted, “we're gonna give him some cover before we go to slam those running chickenshits!”

 

Cloud tightened his harness numbly, trying not to imagine his dark-haired lover getting shot down or struck by a rocket. What Zack did was reckless. The guy was charging at who knew how many enemy forces, all by himself.

 

~All by himself…just like before.~

 

Cloud was struck with sudden moment of clarity. Zack might not be completely back in his element right now, but he was doing what he did best. It should have scared him even more. It should have made him lose his head and tear his restraints off to leap out of the helicopter after him. Instead, the epiphany made Cloud smile a little.

 

He knew that if Zack had any doubt that they'd see one another in the flesh again, he would have taken a moment to do more than blurt an order at him. The situation wasn't suited for the two of them fighting side-by-side and he had a gut feeling that they would get that chance later.

 

Of course, the sudden, stomach-twisting dive that Reno conducted wiped the confident little smile from Cloud's face and made him slap a hand over his mouth. He turned his head to the left and looked straight down at the open cockpit. The velocity of the descent lifted Cloud and his companions from their seats and if it weren't for the safety harnesses, they probably would have tumbled to the back of the cabin to crash against the cargo doors.

 

Reno shouted recklessly as he put the chopper in a nosedive, following Zack down to the canopy. Rude's face would have probably turned as white as a sheet if his skin pigment weren't naturally dark. As it was, he took on an interesting shade of grey and pressed his lips tightly together. He vaguely registered the sound of the cabin door slamming shut again and he assumed that Valentine was responsible—though he couldn't guess how the raven-haired gunman managed to seal the hatch again without getting out of his seat and ending up flattened against the back wall of the cabin.

 

~****************************~

 

Safely out of range of the missiles now, Reeve's helicopter hovered over the Ancient Forest. The WRO leader watched as a small form dove out of Reno's chopper like an arrow, heading straight for the canopy below. The sudden streak of white emerging from the figure's back explained who it was and the next thing Reeve saw was Reno's helicopter taking an abrupt, wild dive, following in the former Soldier's wake.

 

“Shiva, even the damned helicopter's crazy,” Reeve muttered, his heart constricting in his chest. Vincent was on that aircraft and it was getting dangerously close to the thick awning of primeval trees. He pulled the mic to his mouth and checked the frequency on the comm. unit.

 

“Tseng, are you seeing this?” Reeve queried in a raw voice.

 

“Oh yes,” answered the Wutaian in a faintly surprised tone.

 

“What in Gaia's name is Reno doing?” Reeve watched the reckless descent of Zackary Fair and the ShinRa chopper piloted by Reno with horrified amazement.

 

“What comes naturally to him, I presume,” Tseng answered calmly.

 

In the distance, Reno's chopper began firing its automatic weapons, cutting down some of the tree limbs that it was getting dangerously close to. A rocket fired from the aircraft and Reeve heard the resulting explosion as it hit the ground below.

 

“What exactly would you say that is?” Reeve sputtered. He pictured himself picking up pieces of Vincent, Cloud and Tifa and he was sure he was on the verge of a heart attack.

 

“Spontaneous improvising,” answered the Turk readily. There was a hint of worry in Tseng's voice but he controlled it well. “Reno is very clever and he's the best pilot I have ever known. Give it a moment before you panic, Reeve.”

 

The engineer swallowed, feeling like his esophagus was lined with sandpaper. He knew that Reno was particularly brilliant when it came to flying helicopters but this…this was by far the most daring and stupid move he'd ever witnessed from the redhead. Reeve shut his eyes and prayed to Gaia that whatever Zack and Reno were trying to accomplish didn't result in the death of them, his friends and his lover.

 

~********************************~

 

~Okay, I didn't expect this to happen.~

 

Zack admitted it to himself as he dove to the earth, aiming for the small break that he'd spotted in the canopy. He heard the rhythmic beating of the propellers as Reno's chopper followed in his wake and he looked back over his shoulder, surprised. His plan had been to dive in and start dismantling the missile launchers while Reno piloted the chopper to drop off Cloud and the others to stop the fleeing Deepground members. It seemed that the redhead had other ideas, however.

 

“Crazy Turk,” Zack grunted as he closed the distance to the green smattering of tree limbs and leaves. Through the tangle of branches and undergrowth, he spotted snatches of human movement and he took aim with his guns and started firing.

 

~Too bad I'm a suck shot with these things, but it'll make them scatter and give me the chance to land and whip out the good stuff.~

 

He nearly yelped with surprise as the sound of much more powerful gunfire rattled above and behind him. He felt the disturbance in the air as the passing bullets streaked by him and the noise of cracking branches and rustling leaves followed soon after. Zack realized what was happening a moment later when his way was suddenly cleared as pieces of the upper layers of trees fell away to the ground.

 

~Gotta hand it to Reno and Rude; they know how to handle that bird.~

 

A rocket streaked past—mere inches from his right wing—and Zack almost lost control of his flight.

 

~WHAT THE…~

 

His confused thoughts were interrupted as the rocket exploded below, causing an eruption of earth and a mild explosion. He heard frantic, confused shouts and he risked a glance up over his shoulder at the chopper. It was pulling back up and leveling the trajectory again.

 

“Oh, I get it,” Zack muttered. He smiled. Reno and Rude had just cleared the way a bit for him and scattered the nearby Deepground forces enough to give him an edge.

 

~*****************************~

 

“Way's cleared for him,” Reno said with satisfaction. He pulled the chopper out of its dive and leveled off, heading for the far end of the forest where Reeve had said some of the Deepground forces were retreating. “You guys doing okay back there?”

 

“Could be worse,” answered Cloud in a nauseated voice.

 

Reno smirked and glanced at his partner. Rude looked like he was fighting to keep his lunch down too. Some people just didn't have the stomach for flight. Reno would have liked to give him a smooth ride, but the missiles were still coming and it was either hold steady and get blown up or keep maneuvering and risk somebody blowing chunks.

 

“There's puke bags under your seats,” Reno hollered over his shoulder. He tilted the chopper to the right and avoided another incoming projectile. Rude was gamely returning fire as well as he could, swallowing his nausea and staying focused.

 

“Cloud, get ready to use the drop cables,” Reno announced as they neared the back edge of the forest, “we're almost there.” They were going out of range of the ground fire and Reno was able to fly the chopper in a straight line again.

 

Tifa and Vincent got the cables ready to be tossed over the edge of the hatch while Cloud recovered from his attack of airsickness. When they reached the edge of the forest, Vincent pulled the door open and looked down. He thought he recognized Elena amongst the operatives that were fighting on the ground to cut off the enemy's escape. By the number of fleeing Deepground operatives he counted, it was no wonder that Nanaki hadn't been able to organize an attack. If this was less than half their numbers, Deepground had recovered from the Omega incident faster than they had thought.

 

“Cloud, are you ready?” Vincent asked, looking across the cabin at the blonde.

 

Cloud nodded and unbuckled his seat harness. He joined the gunman and Tifa near the hatch and checked his weapons before hooking his harness up to one of the cables. Reno turned around in his seat to watch and the redhead called out to Cloud.

 

“Kick ass and watch yourself, Blondie,” said the Turk when Cloud looked at him.

 

The fighter nodded. “You too.”

 

Vincent went down first, followed by Tifa. Cloud descended to the ground last and he swore and ducked as a bullet flew over his head. He looked up to see a line of Deepground operatives shooting at him and the other teams, trying to cover their companions' escape. Vincent was already returning fire and Elena was up ahead to the left, taking some of them out with her gun while using a rock formation for cover.

 

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other, both knowing that they did their best work in melee range. They followed Zack's earlier example and used the materia they had equipped, raising barriers to block any bullets that they couldn't dodge.

 

“Ready?” Tifa asked.

 

Cloud drew his sword and nodded. They took off together, dodging and weaving as they closed the distance between themselves and the line of enemy marksman. Cloud saw a male form leaping through the air at him and he rolled, avoiding the incoming attack nimbly. The enemy struck the ground where he'd been standing with such force there was little doubt in Cloud's mind that he was Mako enhanced.

 

Tifa kept going and Cloud faced off against his attacker, studying him with narrowed blue eyes. He briefly wondered why he'd singled him out but considering that everyone else on the field wore either ShinRa combat gear or Turk uniforms, it made some sense that he would assume Cloud was a special operative. The man was heavily built and he had short-cropped brown hair and Mako-bright, green eyes. He had a cruel look on his face and he carried a rather impressive-sized axe.

 

Cloud wasted no time and charged him. He saw Tifa launch a flying kick at the head of one of the shooters and as he went down, she knocked another one off his feet with a low, sweeping kick. Cloud was glad that she was taking them down hard and fast while he was engaged with the axe wielder. His opponent struck with sheer, brute strength but he was lacking skill. Cloud blocked the swooping axe with his thick sword, grunting with exertion as his feet skidded on the ground from the strength of the blow.

 

“You think you can stop what's coming?” the Deepground operative snarled, his eyes half-mad. “Do you think we're the only ones?” He roared and swung at Cloud again.

 

The blonde rolled beneath the attack and came up with his weapon ready. “Do you think you could shut up?”

 

He came at his opponent then, launching blow after blow and putting him on defensive. A bullet whizzed by and Cloud grunted as it grazed his left shoulder, scattering droplets of bright blood on the ground. His momentary lapse gave his opponent time to counterstrike and Cloud ended up on his back, pushing against the axe with his sword. The blade of the enemy's weapon was getting closer and closer to his face and though Cloud was also Mako-enhanced, his opponent was bigger and stronger than him.

 

He knew he couldn't beat the man in a contest of strength, so Cloud had to rely on dexterity to keep his face from being split open. With a grunt of effort, he twisted his body and rolled to the side, kicking out at the enemy and striking him in the solar plexus with his knee. They broke apart and Cloud got to his feet and charged again, not giving the other man a chance to recover. The enemy tried to raise his axe and block the blonde's incoming swing but he was off-balance. His head flew from his shoulders a moment later and Cloud's sword was bathed with abnormally bright blood.

 

~**********************************~

 

Zack smirked inwardly at the open-mouthed, half-panicked expressions on the faces of his enemies as he swooped at them. Two of them were already down, one with his leg blown off from the explosion of the missile from the chopper and the other with a stray bullet in his chest. Zack shot one of the gawking enemies in the shoulder and hit another one in the knee before he put his guns away and drew his broadsword. As soon as his feet touched down, he drew his wings in and tore through the ranks, his weapon flashing in the dappled sunlight.

 

They hardly had the chance to fight back before they were cut down. Zack didn't stop until there were none left to oppose him. He looked around at the scattered bodies, grimacing with distaste. It was ugly and brutal and above all, unfair…but his only other alternative would have been to ask them nicely to stop firing missiles at his friends—and that would have gone over like a turd in a punchbowl.

 

He heard a soft, gurgling groan to his left and he turned to find one of his victims still alive, clutching at the open wound in his stomach to keep his intestines from spilling out. Zack swallowed a lump of remorse and pity as he approached the man. Like the rest of the missile operators, he was wearing close-fitting gear of green and brown colors for camouflage. He looked up at the approaching swordsman with pain-glazed, glowing yellow eyes.

 

“End it,” the Deepground operative pleaded in a choked voice.

 

Zack nodded, his throat too tight to speak. He drew one of his pistols and fired at close range, putting a bullet in the man's brain and ending his suffering. For a few moments, Zack stood there with the gun still trained on the now deceased operative. His hand trembled and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

 

“Goddammit all,” Zack whispered.

 

He'd forgotten the ugly reality of combat. This wasn't training; this was war and people were going to die. Some of them were probably good people too, even if they were the enemy. He looked around at the bodies he'd slaughtered and wondered how many of them were taken by force and injected with Mako. If they were, what drove them to fight alongside their abductors? Did Deepground brainwash them or did they simply come to hate normal humans when they realized they could no longer fit in their world?

 

As his adrenaline rush died, he became aware of the sounds of combat to the south, where Nanaki and the ground forces had come in. To the east, west and north he heard more missiles firing and the faint sound of helicopter blades. It seemed that Reno and Rude had come back into range, though why they would do that was a question Zack couldn't answer.

 

~*******************************~

 

“Why are we doing this again, partner?” Rude kept the targeting visor over his eyes and continued shooting into the canopy in the general direction of the streaking rockets.

 

“To keep `em busy, man,” answered the redhead as he banked to the east and avoided another missile. “It'll give Zack a chance to take them down and maybe they'll even run out of ammo trying to hit us. Then Tseng and Reeve can send in their choppers and help finish this.”

 

Rude mumbled under his breath uncertainly but he stayed focused on his task. For the moment, the other choppers were focused on shooting down the Deepground members that were trying to run. He and Reno were the only ones on the air strike force that were staying in range of the missile launchers in the forest below.

 

“We'll be okay,” Reno promised confidently. “The day I get taken down by some mutated turkeys and their piss-poor aim is the day I need to call it quits on piloting, yo.”

 

Rude would have personally been happy if Reno would call it quits right now…not for his own sake but because he hated the thought of his partner getting blown up. He didn't argue with him though and he didn't remind him that if they did get hit, he was going to have to call it quits anyway because he wouldn't be alive to pilot anymore.

 

~*************************************~

 

Zack was faced with a dilemma. He could go south and join Nanaki's team, possibly capturing instead of killing. Or, he could move along to the next missile launcher and take the operatives out. He was so distracted by the inward debate that he almost didn't hear the approach of running footsteps. There was no verbal warning and very little sound as someone came at him from behind, and Zack turned at the last minute and brought his sword up to block a wicked pair of curved knives. He knocked the blades aside and broke away from his attacker.

 

“Damn, it's a chick,” he groaned aloud. He had all the respect in the world for the fighting abilities of females but he hated hitting women. His parents raised him to never strike a lady unless there was absolutely no other choice.

 

She had black hair that was streaked with purple and it looked like in lieu of using scissors to style it, she'd hacked it with a knife. It was wild and uneven, falling to her shoulders. Her eyes were vivid, neon blue and her pale face was full of mad rage as she launched another attack at him.

 

Zack evaded her attack and tried to reason with her. “Listen, I don't like hitting girls—”

 

She didn't listen. Instead, she came at him again in a twisting flurry of blades and limbs. Zack swore as he blocked her attacks. One of them got through and nicked him on the arm, rudely reminding him that woman or not, he was going to have to put a stop to this or end up as carved kibble. Zack found an opening and he took it. He cringed as he punched the girl in the face and made her stagger.

 

“I said I don't like hitting girls,” he informed her as she glared hatefully at him. “Didn't say I wouldn't. Now how about we chill out and talk about this?”

 

“I have nothing to say to you, animal!” She came at him again and this time, he put a little more vigor in his defense. “I'll cut your tongue out!”

 

“You sure about that?” Zack grunted. “I can think of other things you could do with my tongue that would be a lot more fun.”

 

“Disgusting filth!” she spat.

 

Zack lost his wind as her foot connected with his stomach and he almost dropped his guard.

 

~All right, now I'm getting mad.~

 

“You wanna talk about who's `disgusting'?” He glared right back at her. “How about your buddies, huh? What about what they did to the Turk girl they caught?”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “The ShinRa bitch deserved whatever she got.”

 

Zack's pupils dilated. “Oh, you shouldn't have said that, honey.”

 

He charged at her the moment the words left his mouth and his rage lent him speed that she couldn't counter. His furious sword strokes soon knocked her smaller blades away into the grass, disarming her. He tripped her and she fell onto her back. Zack straddled the woman and snarled down at her, putting the point of his sword over her throat. He almost drove it in…he wanted to…but she stared up at him and he saw the fear she tried to hide.

 

“Say `goodnight', sweetheart,” Zack growled. Instead of stabbing her in the throat, he dropped his sword and punched her, hard enough to knock her out. He was breathing heavily, his gloved hands clenched into fists as he stared down at the woman. “You're really lucky you're a girl,” he muttered as he retrieved his sword and got back up.

 

The sound of someone crashing through the bushes put Zack on guard again. He was fired up now and his earlier guilt was salved. All he had to do to get through this was tell himself that each and every one of these Deepground bastards was responsible for Cissnei's condition.

 

“Come and get it, assholes,” the former Soldier muttered as he waited to see how many opponents would come out of the vegetation. He lowered his sword with surprise when a powerful, orange-red lion bounded into the small clearing, followed by a group of WRO militia.

 

Nanaki looked around at the bodies on the blood stained ground, assessing the situation quickly. His orange eyes settled on Zack and he spoke. “Where are the others?”

 

“Chasing down the guys that are trying to get away,” Zack explained. “I jumped ship to go after the missile launchers, so the air teams can help without getting shot down.”

 

“Are there any survivors here?” Nanaki questioned, sniffing the air with a feline grimace. He didn't seem to enjoy the death surrounding them any more than Zack did, but he was calm and practical.

 

“This one,” Zack said as he nudged the unconscious woman with his boot. He scowled down at her. “I wanted to kill her, though.”

 

The lion studied him thoughtfully, knowing from Cloud's descriptions of him that Zackary Fair wasn't the sort to kill because he “wanted to”. He did it out of necessity and Nanaki wondered what the woman had done to make such a man want to see her dead. He nodded at his team and indicated the unconscious female with a paw.

 

“Take her with the others to the base camp,” Nanaki ordered. Two of the WRO members came forward and restrained the woman with handcuffs before picking her up and carrying her away. To Zack, he said; “We've defeated most of the ground forces to the south. If you'd care to join us, we can move on to the other missile launchers and clear them out, too.”

 

Zack nodded. “Happy to help with that.”

 

~******************************~

 

Cloud stood in the bloody field and stared at the carnage. The few survivors had been rounded up and taken to a holding transport. The rest were either dead or escaped. Now the WRO and Turks were wading through the mess and taking pictures of all of the bodies, for identification purposes. Some were once civilians that had gone missing and the WRO intended to notify their families if they were able to identify them. ShinRa choppers circled overhead, searching for any fleeing Deepground operatives they might have missed.

 

Tifa was sitting on the ground with her back against the trunk of a tree, getting her right arm bandaged by Elena.

 

Cloud approached her and looked at her with concern. “How is it?”

 

“It's not much worse than yours,” Tifa said with a pointed look at the bleeding gash in Cloud's shoulder. “You should have someone look at that. It might not be serious enough for a Cure spell but it could still get infected.”

 

“Yes, Mom.”

 

Tifa made a face at him.

 

“Okay, I'm done here,” Elena said as she finished wrapping Tifa's arm. She motioned to Cloud. “Come here so I can do yours too.”

 

He silently squatted down and allowed the blonde Turk to see to his injury. Her hands were gentle as they wiped the blood away with antiseptic soaked gauze and applied antibiotic lotion to the gash.

 

~Zack was right…Elena's not so bad after all. She's actually kind of nice. Guess I just never got the chance to see it before.~

 

Cloud saw movement coming out of the forest and he looked up to see Zack and Nanaki approaching with some of the ground team members. Zack was limping a little and there was a cut in his left arm and drying blood all over him, but other than that he seemed unharmed. His eyes met Cloud's across the distance and he smiled tiredly and increased his pace, jogging as much as his injured leg would allow him to.

 

“What happened to your leg?” Cloud asked when Zack stumbled to a stop before him.

 

“Wrenched my knee a little,” the black-haired man answered, grimacing as he tried to put his weight down on the leg. “It'll be okay with a little hot and cold therapy. How about you two?” His eyes scanned Cloud and Tifa with faint anxiety. “Looks like you both copped a couple of bo-bo's.”

 

“Just a few nicks and bruises,” answered Cloud with a shrug. Elena was bandaging his arm now and the sting was fading a little. “You've got a cut on your arm, too.”

 

“Yeah,” Zack looked down at the wound and he smiled a little. “Finally, I'll have a scar or two.”

 

“You want scars?” Tifa asked with raised eyebrows.

 

He shrugged. “I'm not saying I want to look like a road map, but it makes me feel a little more at home in this body to have a couple of battle scars. Hey, where's Vincent?” He looked around with a frown, scanning the scattered forces for the red-caped gunman.

 

“He went with Reeve back to the base camp,” answered Tifa. “They're getting ready to transport the prisoners to the harbor.”

 

“How many did we get?” Zack sat down beside the brunette and stretched his injured leg out, wincing at the throb of pain in his knee.

 

“Only about a dozen,” she sighed. “Some of them killed themselves when they realized they couldn't get away. Whatever they've been planning must be pretty important to them if they're willing to die to keep it secret.”

 

“That level of fanaticism is dangerous, indeed,” Nanaki remarked as he came up behind Zack. “I do hope that the WRO can get information, but I don't believe the captives will talk without extreme measures of incentive.”

 

“Somehow I don't think anyone's going to have a problem with the use of `extreme measures',” Zack said wryly.

 

A helicopter landed several yards away and Reno climbed out of it, followed by Rude. The redhead almost tripped on a body and he cursed, shaking his bloodied shoe with disgust. He spotted Cloud and Zack and he hurried over, watching his footing as he made his way through the obstacle course of death. Rude followed silently behind him.

 

“Damn, Blondie…you had yourself a little field day out here,” remarked the Turk when he made it to his blonde lover's side.

 

“I didn't do all of this,” Cloud scoffed.

 

Reno pulled a clove out of his breast pocket and put it between his lips. “Yeah, but I can tell which ones ya did get. Never leave `em in one piece, right?” He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

 

Cloud shrugged. “They started it.” His sapphire eyes were shadowed with guilt as he looked around and saw some of his handiwork, though.

 

“You're right, they did start it,” Reno said as he squatted beside him and waved away his smoke. “Don't get that look on your face, babe.”

 

“They'd have done the same to you if they had the chance,” Zack added. “I feel bad about it too, but sometimes we don't get a choice, Sunshine.”

 

Cloud nodded silently and lowered his golden lashes. Reno sighed and stroked his feathery hair soothingly before his sea-green eyes examined Zack. “Looks like you took down a couple dozen yourself, Fair. Ya look like you just went through a slaughterhouse.”

 

Zack glanced down at his blood-dampened clothes and grimaced with distaste. “Yeah, it wasn't a picnic. The blood's attracting insects, too.”

 

“They have clean uniforms at the base camp,” Rude said.

 

“Yeah, they planned for a messy situation,” confirmed Reno. “They'll have buckets and washcloths ready for people too, so you can at least clean up a little until we get back home and you can have a shower.” He took another drag of his clove and turned his head away to exhale, fanning the smoke so that it didn't blow in anyone's face. Zack found the gesture a little surprising.

 

“I never pictured you as a courtesy smoker,” the sable-haired fighter said with a little grin.

 

Reno smirked at him. “I only do it for people I like, man. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna finish this over there. The wind's trying to shift.” He gave Cloud's shoulder a parting squeeze before standing up and walking away from everyone.

 

“Zack, why don't you use a Cure spell on your knee?” Tifa asked when the former Soldier struggled to his feet and groaned softly.

 

Zack shook his head. “It's not serious enough to drain materia over it.”

 

“Or you're just trying to be macho and cool in front of everyone,” Tifa guessed with a dry smirk.

 

“Sugarlips, I am macho and cool,” Zack drawled. “I don't have to try.”

 

Cloud shook his head and a tentative smile found its way on his lips.

 

~*******************************~

 

-To be continued