Lost and Found

“Lost and Found”
Chapter two: The Lieutenant
~********************************~
(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.*
~***********************************************~

Cloud’s prediction was right on the mark. Telling Aerith that he thought he’d found out where Zack surfaced but failed to bring him home was terrible. The way her eyes lit up with hope only to darken with despair made him want to kick himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all, until he’d gotten indisputable evidence that Zack was with the unknown army.

“Cid is searching all of the nearby areas,” Cloud told her gently. “An army isn’t going to be hard to spot from the air and once he finds them he’ll check things out and get back to us.”

“But what if they’re already hidden somewhere?” prompted Aerith.

“Then we’ll keep looking,” insisted Cloud. “We’ll search until we find him, Aerith. You’d feel it if he died, right?”

She swallowed and nodded. “He’s alive,” she said stubbornly. “I think if I got close enough, I could track him down myself.”

Cloud and Tifa exchanged a thoughtful look at that. “Then you should come with when Cid finds them and comes to pick us up,” Cloud said. ~If he finds them, that is. If this is some kind of terrorist group they’re probably going to try to stay hidden.~ He didn’t speak his concerns out loud, not wanting to upset his friend further. He wanted to get Zack safely home almost as badly as she did and the only thing worse than his inability to do so was the pain in Aerith’s eyes.

“I will,” Aerith agreed, her lips thinning with determination. “I’m strong enough to travel now and I can’t just sit behind and wait for others to find him for me.”

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

Cloud finished bathing the travel dust from his body and he joined Tifa in their bedroom. She was lying on her side waiting for him and she patted the mattress invitingly as he approached. He untied his robe and shrugged out of it, draping it over the foot board before climbing into bed with her. Her mouth met his in a slow, soft kiss and he stroked her shiny hair and returned it. His exhaustion didn’t stop his body from reacting as he rested a hand on her hip. She was wearing a black teddy and lacy panties tonight…presumably chosen to enflame his libido. It was working.

“Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Reeve about this army,” Cloud murmured between kisses. “Maybe he knows something about it and maybe he doesn’t, but it won’t hurt to find out.” His breath caught as her hand glided over his chest and down his abdomen, teasingly skimming over his flesh as it got closer and closer to the source of his desire.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she replied softly. She caught his earlobe between her teeth and tugged gently on it, making his eyes flutter shut with pleasure.

Cloud rolled onto his back and brought his wife with him, positioning her so that she was straddling his hips. His erection lay between her thighs, pressing against the crotch of her panties. He dragged his hands up her outer thighs to her hips as she bent over and kissed him again. Her tongue traced his lips and he parted them to allow her access as he slipped his hands underneath the teddy to cup her breasts. He returned the caress of her tongue with his own, groaning faintly into her mouth as she rocked against him, rubbing the material of her panties against his cock.

Tifa thought about the birth control pills in the bathroom and she distantly regretted staying on them. She and Cloud had agreed to wait on starting a family, until they had a decent fund put aside for their future son or daughter’s schooling. The problem with that was, as Aerith pointed out to her yesterday, that if they waited for the perfect time to have a baby they’d probably never have one.

“Cloud,” Tifa whispered, breaking the kiss to look down at him.

“Hmm?” He stared up at her with passion-glazed blue eyes, his hands gently fondling her breasts and stimulating the nipples.

Tifa sighed with pleasure, distracted by the tingling caress. “I’m thinking of going off birth control now, instead of waiting. What do you think?”

Cloud thought about the question carefully, the motions of his hands slowing but not stopping. “It’s sooner than we agreed, but if you want to start trying early I can’t really say ‘no’.”

She chuckled. “You can say ‘no’. It’s going to be your baby too, fluff-head.”

Cloud shook his head and gave her a crooked little smile. “I’m not the one we’re trying to get pregnant. Like I’m going to refuse sex with you if you stop taking birth control.”

Tifa laughed again and ran her hands over his chest, enjoying the tone of the compact muscles. “Okay, so I’ve got a tiny advantage over you on this. That doesn’t mean it isn’t your decision too. I won’t stop taking them unless you’re okay with it. You’re my partner, not my sperm donor.”

Cloud made a face. “That’s…not very romantic but I get what you’re saying.” He drew her down for another kiss. “We’ll make due with what we’ve got. If you’re ready to start trying then I am too.”

Tifa’s lips met his with passionate warmth and she reached down to pet his rigid sex, stroking the velvety length slowly and leisurely. His breath quickened and he began to push into her touch rhythmically. She was tempted to drop down and give him oral pleasure but being without him for nearly two weeks had made her sexually frustrated. Tifa lifted up long enough to taker her panties off and toss them to the floor and before Cloud could react, she gripped his erection and lined it up with her moist slit.

Cloud hissed softly as Tifa sank down and took him inside of her. ~So much for foreplay. I’m not complaining, though.~ He honestly didn’t think he could have fooled around for much longer without risking disgracing himself anyway. There would be plenty of time for less hurried lovemaking after they satisfied their immediate need for one another. He lifted her teddy and she raised her arms and allowed him to pull the garment over her head. His arms went around her and he sat up and began pumping his hips, holding her tightly and kissing her with hot enthusiasm.

Tifa winced a bit at the stretching and relaxed as much as she could. She adjusted to the penetration after a few moments and she moaned Cloud’s name as she undulated on top of him. His mouth left hers and he kissed her throat and shoulder while his hands gripper her hips to guide them. Tifa whimpered softly as he started thrusting harder while urging her to rock more firmly against him. He lowered his head some more and teased her nipples with his lips and tongue, one at a time. She arched her back encouragingly and put her hands down on the mattress, on either side of his legs to support her. The throbbing heat was growing stronger with each powerful thrust and she knew it wouldn’t be long before the final, sweet bliss overcame her.

Cloud tried a different angle, tilting her hips so that his sex was pushing against the front wall of her passage each time he pushed in. Tifa’s low, shuddering cry encouraged him and he stopped kissing her nipples to capture her lips again as a louder cry burst from them. He cupped the back of the head and kept his mouth over hers in a muffling kiss as her pleasure and excitement grew. Ordinarily they were both fairly good about keeping the noise to a minimum when the kids were home—particularly at night when they were in bed. Sometimes though, the passion got the better of one or both of them.

Tifa cried his name as the spasms started deep inside. The exclamation was muffled by his lips and she shuddered in his arms as she clenched rhythmically around his pumping length. He groaned in response and kept his motions steady until her orgasm tapered off and she was panting and weak from relief. He gentled his kiss and his thrusts while she recovered, murmuring her name breathlessly. She shuddered one last time against him and he took his cue, increasing the speed and force of his thrusts again to reach his own climax. Tifa gamely bounced on his lap, panting against his lips as he stroked deep inside of her. He gave one final, hard push that lifted his hips and the barmaid off the mattress and he grunted as he pulsed inside of her.

Tifa combed her fingers through his hair and brushed her lips back and forth over his as he gasped and groaned with release. His arms went around her waist and he sighed, resting his cheek against her shoulder. They stayed like that for a little while, until they both began to nod off with sleepy contentment. Cloud realized he was falling asleep and he mumbled and gently shifted his wife in his lap, easing her off of him. He covered her up with the sheets and stretched out beside her. She cuddled up to him and laid her head against his chest and he stroked her back and closed his eyes.

In her makeshift bedroom down the hall, Aerith lay awake and stared up at the ceiling. She’d heard some of the muffled sounds coming from her friends’ bedroom and she bit her lip with envy and heartache. She wondered what it would be like to experience the things that provoked those gasps and moans with Zack. It seemed sometimes that fate itself was conspiring against them, striving to keep them apart. She knew it was a childish theory, brought about by frustration and worry. Whining about how unfair it was would get her nowhere.

“Zack,” Aerith whispered in the dark, shutting her eyes. “Where are you?”

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

“So you don’t know anything about an army that was camped near Mideel?” Cloud asked Reeve over the phone the next morning.

“Whoever they were,” answered the Commissioner, “they weren’t our people. Times are hard and it wouldn’t surprise me if a vigilante army rose up somewhere. Maybe they’re mercenaries or perhaps they’re refugees that decided to form their own fighting force, to protect communities from wandering beasts.”

“You really are an optimist,” sighed Cloud. “In my experience, super secretive armies that come out of nowhere aren’t interested in helping anyone.”

“Good point,” agreed Reeve with a sigh of his own. “I just shudder to think that this could lead to another fiasco like the Omega incident. What do you plan on doing if Cid locates these people?”

Cloud bit his lip. He hadn’t really thought that far yet. His immediate interest was finding Zack and bringing him safely home, but he hadn’t considered how they were going to go about discovering this army’s purpose without provoking a fight with them. “I’m still working on that part,” he admitted.

“Well, I have a suggestion,” Reeve said. “Why don’t you let me send my people out with a description of Zack? We’ll cover more ground and we’ll have a greater chance of finding him and this army. You can’t expect to do it all by yourself and you’ll only wear yourself out trying.”

Cloud felt some of the tension leave his body and he realized for the first time how stressed this entire affair was really making him. “You’d do that for us?”

“Of course,” soothed the older man. “Besides, we need to investigate this military group anyhow. If they’re a threat they’ll need to be dealt with.”

“Just make sure you don’t get Zack hurt in the process if you’ve got to ‘deal’ with them,” warned Cloud. “I don’t know whether he’s their prisoner or not but make sure your people know to do everything they can to rescue him safely, if they find him.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Reeve. “I knew Zack Fair too, you know. Not as well as you did but well enough to know he was a decent fellow. I won’t let anything happen to him if I can avoid it.”

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

Cid got in touch with Cloud two days later and reported unfortunate news that he hadn’t been able to locate the military force that had Zack. “These guys know how to stay out of sight,” he grumbled, “It’s like they fucking vanished or something, kid.”

Cloud shut his eyes and grimaced. “Nothing more to do about it,” he replied. “Thanks for trying, Cid. Reeve’s sending out the WRO to search for them so you don’t need to keep looking.”

“Roger that,” answered the pilot. “Sorry kid. I wanted to find your pal for you but it looks like those guys he’s with are too tricky to find easily.”

“It’s okay,” Cloud assured him. “You tried. I’ll just have to explain to Aerith that we lost their trail for now. Talk to you later, Cid.”

Cloud hung up and sank onto the couch, frowning unhappily at the turn of events. It was the weekend and Aerith was upstairs with the kids, playing a board game. He’d have to interrupt the fun and further dash her hopes.

~Poor Aerith. I didn’t realize how close she and Zack had gotten, until now. I just hope Zack’s okay, wherever the hell he is.~

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

Aerith wasn’t really surprised to hear that Cid wasn’t able to locate the army. She was growing more pessimistic and depressed with each day but in her heart of hearts, she couldn’t bear to give up. She meditated several times a day, trying to get a lock on Zack’s spiritual presence. She could tell he was somewhere far away and to the south, but that was the best she could do. Days passed into weeks without further word from anyone and Aerith’s desperation became unbearable.

“I have to go,” Aerith said to Tifa when the barmaid caught her packing a duffle bag with clothing.

“Go where?” Tifa demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

“South,” Aerith answered with a shrug. “I don’t have an exact location but I sense him to the south. I’ve saved enough tip money to rent a car and I’m going to drive until I can get a lock on him and track him down.”

Seeing the bewildered look on her friend’s face, the Cetra sighed and hugged Tifa tightly. “I appreciate everything you and Cloud have done, but I can’t stand all this waiting and hoping, Tifa. I’ve got to try and find him myself and I know I can do it if I can just get close enough.”

“Wait,” Tifa begged, “I understand how you feel but what are you going to do if you do find that army? What if he’s their captive? Do you think you can rescue him all by yourself?”

“I don’t know what I’m capable of doing until I try,” Aerith insisted stubbornly, “and if I sit around here waiting for someone else to bring him home I’ll never find out.”

“Just hold on,” Tifa demanded with growing alarm, “wait until Cloud comes home from his delivery and we’ll all sit down and talk about this. If I have to I’ll close the bar down and send the kids to stay with friends so we can go with you but please, don’t go rushing out on your own!”

Aerith looked at her and Tifa saw the agony in those green eyes surface briefly before the Cetra forced it back down. He heart went out to her friend and she stroked her hair gently. “You really love him, don’t you?”

“If love means feeling like I’m dying a little every day without him, then yes,” admitted Aerith.

Tifa could relate. There was a time when a smile and a wink from Zack Fair sent her heart a-flutter, too. Cloud had taken his place in her heart but she was no less fond of the black-haired Soldier and she hated the thought of him getting hurt or killed. “Just do me a favor and wait until Cloud gets home,” she urged. “We’ll work something out. We’ve just gotten you back and you can’t expect us to sit by and watch while you head into possible danger.”

Aerith reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait…only because you’re my friends and I don’t want you to worry.”

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

“You said I should go with you when they find the army anyhow,” Aerith reminded Cloud as the three of them sat down to discuss her plans in the living room that evening. “I know I can find him, Cloud. He and I…we’re connected. I’m prepared to go on my own if I have to but I’d be happy for the company, if you and Tifa want to come with me.”

“You don’t give us a choice,” sighed the blonde. “You know we can’t turn our backs on you or Zack and I’ve been ready to travel as soon as we get word.”

“I’m sorry for putting you both on the spot like this,” Aerith apologized sincerely. “You’ve got a new life together and I know I’m getting in the way.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tifa said impatiently. “You and Zack are our friends. Helping you isn’t as much of a burden as you think.”

Cloud nodded his agreement. “I think we all want the same thing here,” he murmured, “and since we share the same goal it makes sense to work together, right?”

Aerith smiled at him, then at Tifa. “What would I do without you two?”

“Probably get yourself killed or hurt,” Tifa sighed, but she was smiling back at her.

“Now that we’ve settled on a plan,” Cloud said, “Let’s try to relax, so we can get plenty of sleep for tomorrow. I’ll go tell the kids they can come in now and we can make plans for them to stay with Barret or their friends while we’re gone.”

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

Aerith helped Tifa with dinner and after they ate, they sat down together in the living room to watch the nightly news. Aerith wasn’t expecting to hear anything useful pertaining to Zack by now. The time had passed for the media to be of any use in locating him. She sat between Marlene and Tifa as the news broadcast came on and she brushed her long hair slowly, hardly paying attention to the television screen.

“Earlier this evening, one of ShinRa’s electricity generating dams near Junon was assaulted by an unknown army of vigilantes.”

Aerith’s eyes shot to the TV and Cloud tensed in his armchair. The woman on the screen summarized the damage while video footage of the damage played in a square behind her shoulder. “Two security guards were killed and several workers were injured in the explosion. Authorities have no leads at this time other than some eyewitness descriptions of some of the perpetrators and the words AVALANCHE spray-painted on the side of the factory building.”

“AVALANCHE!” Everyone in the room blurted it at the same time and as if on cue, Cloud’s cell phone began to ring. Cloud hastily dug it out and brought it to his ear.

“Cloud Strife,” he said mechanically, his eyes wide and stunned on the TV as he spoke into the phone.

“Hello, Cloud.”

He recognized the voice and he pressed his lips together. “Look, I’m sitting here looking at the news right now and I can tell you we aren’t responsible for this one.”

“I’m aware of that,” answered the president. “Keep watching the broadcast, if you’d like to see who is.”

Cloud stared as several sketches appeared on the screen and the reporter explained that they were identification sketches based on descriptions of the terrorists that witnesses saw. Three of them meant nothing to him but then a sketch of a woman with an eye patch came up and there was something oddly familiar about her. It was followed up by another sketch that he immediately recognized as Zack, though it wasn’t a perfect likeness.

“Oh no,” Aerith gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. She shook her head. “There has to be a mistake!”

“Witnesses say that this man and this woman seemed to be the leaders of the group,” the reporter went on. “Authorities ask that if you see any of these individuals, contact the hot line immediately. These people are armed and dangerous so we urge civilians not to engage them if you see them.”

Cloud forgot he had the phone to his ear until Rufus spoke again. “Did you recognize the woman, Strife?”

He shook his head dumbly. “Not really.”

“Well, it wasn’t a perfect drawing,” replied the president. “That was Scarlet, former head of our Weapons Development department. It seems we were too quick to presume her dead. As for the man they’ve alleged to be her partner in crime, he looks oddly familiar to me as well. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say he once served as a First Class Lieutenant in my father’s SOLDIER regime. Then again, what do I know? I was barely around, back then.”

“There’s been a mistake,” Cloud said with certainty, clenching his jaw. “Zack wouldn’t do something like this.”

“Then you admit he’s alive?” questioned Rufus slyly.

“What if he is?” argued Cloud. “I’m telling you, Zack Fair would never resort to terrorist attacks!”

“Why not?” prompted Rufus. “You did, after all.”

Cloud snarled. “That was a different situation and you know it. The only way Zack would do something like this is if he’s being controlled or something.”

“Interesting,” mused the president. “Well, I’m calling to offer you a job. I assumed that since your friend appears to be involved in this, you’d want to take part in his capture to ensure that he doesn’t get harmed. I’ve got to put my people on it as well of course, but I’ll reward you and your friends if you can put a stop to this terrorist group before it escalates.”

Cloud thought about the offer and he realized that in his covert, unusual way, Rufus was trying to give him the opportunity to get to Zack first. “I don’t want a reward,” he murmured, “I just want a promise that Zack won’t be harmed.”

Tifa’s cell began to ring and she picked it up while Cloud carried on his conversation with Rufus. “This is Tifa,” she said, shooting a fierce frown at her husband as she listened. “Hi Reeve. Yes, we just finished watching it. Why didn’t you call and tell us about this earlier?!”

“Believe me,” the commissioner placated, “If I’d have known about it earlier I would have called you. I’ve been out of the office all day and I just came home to my apartment and got a call from Tseng, telling me to turn on channel five.”

On the other end of Cloud’s phone, Rufus spoke. “If Zack is indeed responsible for this, I can’t promise anything. You’re best off capturing him before my people do, Cloud. Oh, and you have my permission to take Scarlet out, if that’s really her they identified.”

“Thanks so much,” snarled Cloud. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to the president; he just hung up the phone and replaced it. He looked over at Tifa, who was still speaking with Reeve on her phone. Aerith sat frozen in place and Marlene patted the Cetra’s arm soothingly.

“We’re going to leave first thing in the morning,” Tifa informed Reeve. “If we can get any of the others to come with us that would be great, but we can’t afford to waste time gathering our forces. Have you been able to track these people at all, Reeve?”

“Unfortunately, they struck and withdrew too fast for out people to close in on them,” answered the WRO leader. “We found some evidence that they may be holed up at Fort Condor for now, but we have to double security in the city in case these people take it into their heads to go for bigger targets.”

“I just can’t believe Zack’s involved in this,” Tifa sighed. “Maybe he’s their prisoner and they brought him with them when they attacked?”

“But witnesses claimed the other terrorists treated him like a leader,” reminded Reeve. “I don’t know what’s going on but for whatever reason, Zack Fair is one of the suspects. Like I said, Fort Condor is your best bet if you want to find them before they’re on the move again. If you’d like I can arrange for a chopper to come and pick you and the others up right away to get you there faster.”

“Can you?” Tifa said hopefully. “Then we could leave tonight if we can just find somewhere for Marlene and Denzel to stay at short notice.”

“I’ll send Reno to come for you right away,” answered Reeve.

Tifa’s face fell. “Uh, I thought the Turks were Rufus’s people?”

“They are but Tseng’s already informed me that they’re at our disposal for this situation.”

Tifa shrugged. She supposed she could live with getting a ride from the outspoken redhead and his partner if it meant reaching Zack first and getting him to safety before the proverbial shit hit the fan. They’d teamed up with the Turks out of necessity before and for the most part, she knew they could be relied on when it counted.

“Okay Reeve. I’ll let the others know and we’ll get ready. Thanks for this.”

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

The house was a tornado of activity after that. Cloud called up Barret and the coal miner packed some things and came straight over. None of their other friends were nearby to come and help at short notice so Tifa left messages with all of them. If they wanted to join them Cid could always collect them in his airship and fly them over to meet up with them. Aerith was still packed from earlier so all that was left was for Cloud and Tifa to throw some things into bags and make arrangements for Denzel and Marlene to stay with someone while they were gone.

The girl who Denzel had befriended after her brother died from Geostigma convinced her foster parents to let them come stay with them. Cloud could never remember her name but she was a nice kid and she had a fondness for moogles. Tifa drove the kids to the girl’s house in her car while Cloud and the others made some last minute preparations. When she returned, Tifa spotted Reno and Rude approaching the front door of the tavern as she pulled her car into the driveway. There was a black luxury car parked by the curb and she guessed the vehicle was a rental.

“Hey guys,” said the barmaid as she got out of the car and headed toward them. “Everybody should be ready to go.”

Reno turned to face her and he took a drag from his cigarette. “Hiya babe. We’ll just wait out here by the car for ya.”

She didn’t argue with him as she fished her keys out of her pocket and opened the door. Rude stepped aside for her and gave her a polite nod in passing as she hurried into the tavern and up the stairs. “Our ride’s here guys,” Tifa announced as she walked into the house. “Lets grab our things and get going.”

They hefted their bags and left, locking up on their way out. It hadn’t occurred to any of them to mention that Aerith was revived as well as Zack and Reno’s cigarette went tumbling out of his mouth when he saw her.

“What the fuck?” Reno stared at the young woman, his tourmaline eyes stunned. “Yo, I’m seeing dead people everywhere today, man!” Beside him, Rude was also staring slack-jawed but he didn’t blurt out any surprised exclamations.

“Quick explanation,” said Tifa hastily, “Aerith brought herself and Zack back from the Lifestream but they got separated on the way in and now he’s brainwashed or something and we’re going to get him before he gets himself into real trouble.” She took a deep breath and added: “As for Scarlet, I don’t know why she’s still alive and I don’t care. Okay?”

“Uh, got it,” Reno said, scratching his head and shrugging at his partner. “Where are you going, Strife? The car’s here by the curb.”

“I’m getting Fenrir,” said the blonde over his shoulder.

“No you’re not,” Reno corrected, “If you’re gonna try to sneak up on an army, riding in on a motorcycle isn’t the way to go. You need stealth, man.”

“You don’t think a ShinRa helicopter will give us away?” Cloud argued.

“We’re using an unmarked bird, genius,” Reno informed him. “And we’re gonna land it in the hills, away from Fort Condor. We ain’t flying close enough for them to spot us.”

Cloud pressed his lips together and tried to think of an argument. Unfortunately, Reno was right. In a situation like this, Fenrir could only prove to be more detrimental than helpful. He sighed and shook his head. “Hold on, I’ve just got to get some weapons out of Fenrir’s compartments.”

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

It was going on nine o’clock at night when Rude drove them to the landing pad where the chopper was parked. The bald man handed the car keys over to a guy that was waiting there and gave him some gil to return it to the rental place. Cloud and the others piled into the chopper and the Turks helped them put away their belongings before getting into the cockpit.

“Are you sure we can trust them?” Aerith whispered to Tifa as the barmaid buckled herself into the seat beside her. While she’d grown somewhat fond of Tseng, the Turks were never an organization she would have counted as allies.

“I know it sounds weird,” Tifa whispered back, “but they aren’t the same company you remember. I still wouldn’t give them my bank account information but they’re trustworthy enough.”

“It’s going to be okay,” Cloud assured her as he secured himself next to Tifa and glanced at Aerith’s safety belt to make sure it was properly buckled.

“We’ll get your man safely out of there,” Barret rumbled from his seat on Aerith’s other side. “Don’t know what’s going through his head but we can figure that out after we get him.”

“He may not be willing to go, if he’s being controlled or if he’s been brainwashed,” Aerith sighed worriedly.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions yet,” Tifa soothed. “We weren’t there when that dam was attacked so we don’t know exactly what happened. Those witnesses don’t know Zack like we do and they could be completely off the mark with their observations.”

Aerith nodded and she tried to ignore the lurch in her stomach as the helicopter took off. No matter what happened or what was going on in Zack’s head, she had to believe she could make everything okay if she could just get close to him again.

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

“We’re coming with ya,” Reno informed Cloud when they touched down a little more than three hours later.

Cloud and Tifa shared a look. “Why don’t you just wait and if we need backup, we’ll call you,” suggested the blonde.

Reno clucked his tongue and shook his head. “No can do, Strife. We need to see what’s going on too and get an idea of what we’re up against, yo. These guys are out for ShinRa blood. Kinda funny that the name ‘AVALANCHE’ keeps getting passed around by terrorist groups, don’t you think?”

“Obviously it’s supposed to be ironic,” Tifa pointed out. “Especially if that bitch Scarlet is leading it.”

“Oooh, the kitten has claws!” Reno chuckled. “Look, you could be walking into a nest of terrorists and if you are, you’ll need all the help you can get. You guys are good but you ain’t gods, you know?”

Aerith wasn’t paying attention to their arguments. She could sense Zack now more than ever and she immediately started walking in the direction where his presence felt the strongest. She tapped her new staff on the ground as she walked, comforted by the familiar feel of the wood in her hands. Barret followed closely and he waved at the others meaningfully, afraid that in her eagerness, Aerith might outdistance them and wander recklessly up to the fort.

Cloud stopped trying to argue with the Turks. No wonder Tseng had been so quick to lend Reno and Rude to them…this way he could get a report on the situation from his own people. He drew his sword as he walked, keeping it ready and watching out for any signs of ambush as they closed the distance to the fort. He was glad they left during the night instead of waiting ‘till morning. There were few places to conceal their presence out on the open plain and their best chance of moving in close without being spotted was under cover of darkness.

“If these punks are here,” Rude reasoned, “they’ve probably killed the original residents or taken them hostage.”

“Let’s hope it’s the latter,” Cloud said grimly. He glanced at Tifa as she pulled her fighting gloves on and he silently wished she wasn’t involved in this. He knew she could take care of herself but the protective side of him wasn’t pleased at the prospect of her seeing battle again—especially now that they’d begun trying for a baby. She could be carrying their child right now and it made him sick to his stomach to think of what a fight could do to the fragile life form.

“You okay?” Tifa whispered when she noticed his subtle look of concern.

“Just a little worried,” he answered, his Mako-bright eyes falling of their own accord to her flat stomach. He didn’t elaborate—there was no need to.

“I’m not,” she assured him. She wasn’t about to go into details in front of the others but she’d discovered to her disappointment just this morning that she wasn’t pregnant. The dull cramps in her uterus gave silent testament to that fact.

“You’re sure?” Cloud asked.

She nodded. “I’m sure.”

Reno cracked their code despite their efforts to keep it subtle. “No bun in the oven yet, eh? Hey Cloud, are you sure you’re not shooting blanks? I’ve heard a lot of Soldiers ended up sterile and since you’ve had Mako treatments too, mayb—“

“I’m not shooting blanks,” Growled the blonde irritably. ~Does this guy ever just keep his mouth shut?~

“Have you been checked out?” persisted the redhead, undeterred by the warning tone in Cloud’s voice.

Aerith flushed uncomfortably and she and Barret walked a little faster to outpace their companions and the awkward conversation Reno was pushing.

“None of your business,” Cloud said shortly.

“Hey, I’m just trying to help you out, man.” Reno shrugged and checked the charge on his EMR. “If you’re trying to make little Blondie’s you’d better make sure your plumbing’s working.”

Tifa looked sidelong at Cloud and bit her lip. She’d wanted to bring up the idea of having his sperm count checked because she had her own fears concerning the effects of Mako on his fertility, but it was a sensitive subject for men. Cloud wasn’t as full of himself as most guys but she was afraid he’d see it as an insult to his virility if she spoke up. For once, she was almost thankful for Reno’s big mouth.

“Are we really having this conversation right now?” snapped Cloud. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Reno shared a smirk with Rude and shrugged again. “Just making conversation, Strife.”

“Then talk about something else,” Cloud suggested impatiently. “My sperm count isn’t something we need to be worrying about right now.”

“If you say so,” Reno conceded. “Hey Tifa, what positions do you guys use when you—“

“DON’T go there,” Tifa warned, shooting a glare at the redhead to rival Cloud’s.

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

“Lieutenant, we’ve spotted someone approaching on infrared,” one of the men informed Zack.

He dropped his crossed ankles off the top of the table they were propped on and got to his feet, stretching the kinks out of his muscles. “How many?”

“Just half a dozen,” answered the other man. “I don’t think they’re ShinRa. They’d have sent an army to attack.”

“Unless the people you spotted are scouts,” Zack suggested. He shrugged. “They could just as easily be travelers, but I don’t know why civilians would be traveling this way at this time of night.”

“Should I wake Scarlet up, Sir?”

Zack immediately shook his head. One thing he’d quickly learned about his blonde comrade was that she had the temper of a beast when her rest was interrupted. That, and she had an almost mannish libido. He’d turned down her not-so-subtle attentions thus far but she was persistent. She contented herself with other men in their forces but every time she looked at him, he could see the calculating lust in her eye.

“I’ll have a look first and if I think it’s enough of a threat, then we can wake Scarlet up.” Zack said as he walked to the ladder leading up to the top of the fort. He silently pondered as he climbed. His memories were still buggered, but he caught flashes of them sometimes and they only reinforced Scarlet’s explanation that ShinRa had ruined his life and needed to be taken down. He remembered gunfire and blood…and he remembered killing a man that had been his friend and mentor that had gone mad from experiments done on him by ShinRa’s scientists.

Zack reached the top of the ladder and he approached the window overlooking the top of the fort. One of his men was peering through the window with infrared binoculars and Zack tapped his shoulder and held his hand out meaningfully. He handed the binoculars over to the lieutenant and Zack brought them to his eyes and scanned the surrounding countryside. It didn’t take long for him to spot the six figures that were approaching from the direction of the Mythril mines and he furrowed his brow when he noticed that one of them carried an object that could only be a sword.

It wasn’t unusual for travelers to arm themselves, with all of the wild, mutated animals still wandering the wilds. He still wondered what the group was doing traveling this late at night and they were clearly heading straight for the fort.

“Well Sir, what do you think?” the fighter next to him asked after he examined the approaching people for a few moments.

“I think I’m going to take a handful of men out there with me and bring them in for questioning,” Zack said. “It may be nothing but I’m not going to take that chance.”

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

Cloud heard a distant engine and he looked at the others with a frown before spotting the two hum-v transports rapidly closing in on them from the direction of the fort. Aerith stopped and froze like a startled doe as the headlights flashed on her and blinded her momentarily.

“Shit, I don’t think they’re just going out for a joyride,” Reno muttered as he activated his mag-rod. Beside him, Rude also readied his baton in one hand and his gun in the other. Barret activated his prosthetic arm and transformed it into the gun.

“I’ll bet they have night vision equipment they spotted us with,” Rude guessed. There was no sense trying to seek cover now; the vehicles were heading deliberately for them, leading little doubt that they’d been spotted.

“You just now thought of that?” Barret growled.

“I didn’t hear you speaking up about the possibility,” Rude shot back.

“Maybe it’s just the residents,” Tifa said hopefully.

“No,” Aerith answered with certainty as she felt Zack’s presence grow closer with the vehicles. “It’s him.” She looked at her staff uncertainly, wondering if she was going to be forced to fight Zack. “Don’t do anything rash, guys. We might be able to get through this without a fight.”

“Right,” Reno muttered. “They blew up ShinRa property and they’re not gonna think anything of it when they see two Turks with you guys.”

“You’re the one that insisted on coming,” Cloud reminded him. He readied his sword and fell into a defensive stance, unconsciously stepping in front of Tifa as the automobiles grinded to a halt a few feet away.

The doors opened and Aerith’s heart beat fiercely as Zackary Fair stepped out. A dozen men in camouflage exited the vehicles as well and they left the headlights on, spotlighting the group. Zack approached with a curious expression on his handsome face.

“It’s a little late to be out hiking,” he said conversationally, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes met Aerith’s and he frowned, feeling a weird sense of recognition. She was a pretty thing, with petal-soft, fair skin, a long braid of honey colored hair and expressive green eyes. He felt unreasonably drawn to her and it irritated him. A solid-built man with dark skin and rugged features stood next to the girl and behind him was a young man with fluffy golden hair and bright blue eyes, another woman that was almost as beautiful as the one with the staff and two Turks.

Zack narrowed his eyes on the Turks and smirked. “Well, I guess this answers the question of whether you guys being out here is a coincidence of not. Let me guess…scouts, right? You’re here to scope out our goods and report back to ShinRa.”

“We came to find you,” Aerith insisted, her melodic voice a touch desperate.

Zack looked at her again and allowed his eyes to scan her from head to toe. “I figured that out already, honey. The question is, why?” He stepped closer and held her eyes with his. She didn’t move as he approached and he leaned in, invading her personal space as he inhaled the scent of her. “Come to be my groupie?”

He started to put his arm around her but the blonde guy behind her launched into sudden motion and Zack was forced to hop back as the thick blade of a sword interposed between him and the girl. Zack reached up and behind for his own sword, drawing it out of the sheath quickly while his men moved in on the group. He looked into the blonde’s challenging gaze and he was again struck with a feeling of familiarity.

“Do I know you?” Zack muttered as he lunged at the blonde. The other man blocked his attack and grunted with effort and the girl that had so delightfully thrown herself at Zack watched on with distress, calling out for everyone to stop fighting. Her companions were already engaged in combat and two of Zack’s men fell to the black man’s impressive guns.

Cloud could hardly believe it as he was forced to defend against his best friend’s attacks. Even though a flash of recognition had lit Zack’s eyes for a moment, he seemed to shrug it off as unimportant and he came at Cloud in a flurry of spinning steel and kicks. What was even more disturbing to the blonde was the way he’d reacted himself when Zack made that crude suggestion to Aerith. If he’d imagined this encounter in his mind, he would have thought he’d have said something first instead of putting his sword between them like that.

~Something’s off about him…something more than a lack of recognition.~

The others were busy fighting off Zack’s companions and Cloud was hard-pressed to deflect and dodge the black-haired man’s attacks. He’d forgotten how devastating Zack could be on the field and his confusion over the situation crippled his reactions. He didn’t want to hurt Zack but he knew he’d have to put his back into fighting him if he didn’t want to be carved up. Their weapons crossed and threw sparks and for a moment, Zack’s face was close to Cloud’s.

He saw it, then. It only happened for a brief moment but the Mako flash of Zack’s eyes changed from amethyst to green and his pupils elongated into slits. Cloud stared at him and shoved him away with a grunt of effort.

“Never thought I’d be fighting you,” the blonde panted as his opponent stared back at him for a moment.

Zack lifted a hand to his head and winced. He heard someone speaking in his mind…someone whose voice he knew but couldn’t place.

“Kill him.”

Zack gave the blonde an accusing, alarmed look. “I don’t know what the hell you just did pal,” he snarled as he attacked again, “but it’s not going to work!”

Cloud braced for the attack, suspecting what had just happened but unable to do anything about it. He parried and dodged, trying to find an opening to trip his opponent up. If he could take Zack hostage it could put a stop to this fight and they could get out of here with him. Unfortunately, Cloud wasn’t the only one with hostage taking in mind. Zack feinted to the left and to Cloud’s surprise he rolled by him and came up behind Aerith, who was fending off one of the guerilla fighters with her staff. She cried out as he caught her around the neck with one arm and put his sword against her throat.

“All right, everybody stop what your doing and pay attention,” Zack called out, turning around with his prisoner.

Cloud and the others froze and watched with alarm. Zack’s eyes were uncommonly cold as he looked at them each in turn. “Drop the weapons,” he demanded. “Nobody’s going to get hurt if you cooperate.”

Somehow it was difficult to believe him when those eyes were so void of emotion. Cloud didn’t want to believe for a second that Zack was capable of harming Aerith, but if his suspicions were right, his friend was under the influence of Sephiroth’s will. He silently tossed his blade to the ground and the others did the same with their weapons—except for Barret, whose gun was grafted to his arm. The coal miner transformed it back into the metallic hand instead.

“That’s better,” Zack said.

He kept his hold on Aerith and nodded to his people. Cloud and the others allowed themselves to be cuffed and loaded into the transports, while Zack cuffed Aerith himself and ordered his men to bring the prisoners’ weapons. He guided Aerith to his own vehicle and lifted her into it, keeping her close to ensure the good behavior of her friends. He kept looking at her out the corner of his eye as they drove back to the fort with their catch. She was likewise watching him sidelong and her pretty, green eyes regarded him as if she knew him.

~Something’s weird about these people. They act like they know me and that blonde guy did something to my head while we were fighting. I’ve got to figure this out before I let Scarlet know about them.~

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

-To be continued