DOGS of War

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Zack shivered from the cold. He shifted, nuzzling into the soft warmth in his arms. He pulled it closer, trying to ease the chill around himself. The feeling of hair tickling his throat and chin finally roused him from his light sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, confused. The lights had been shut off in the room, but a tiny amount filtered in from around the door. Enough for his mako-enhanced eyes to see the pale body entangled with his own. He could feel Haine shivering as well, and immediately wrapped himself more tightly around the smaller boy, lightly stroking his side and back. After a few moments, the white haired youth’s shaking ceased and his breathing evened out.

Zack lay awake, once again watching over the other as he slept. He faintly wondered just how many nights Haine had spent in this room alone, curled up in the corner, cold and afraid. How many nights had all the missing children huddled together for warmth and reassurance? Despite the chill and his troubling thoughts, Zack found himself once again drifting back towards the solace of sleep.

Zack’s head snapped up, his ears instantly focused on the noise he’d just heard. It was silent now, but he waited, his heart racing, for a sign of what he’d heard. There. Zack was fully awake now, his ears trained on the faint sounds of combat in the distance. He sat up slowly, lifting the still sleeping Haine into his lap and moving them both into the corner farthest from the door, fearing that a friendly face might not be the first to reach them. If Einstürzen came for them, all she would have to do is trigger their collars to render them helpless. If she decided to unleash one of those beasts in here, they would be cornered and Zack knew even he wouldn’t be able to take down a monster like that in a confined space with no weapon, let alone protect Haine at the same time. Almost as if he could sense that Zack was thinking about him, Haine stirred in Zack’s lap, turning slightly to bury his face in the larger male’s shoulder. He settled down again with his arms hanging limply onto his thighs, but Zack could hear his uneven breathing and feel him blink against his shoulder through the thin shirt and knew he was awake and listening as well. The sounds outside the room were drawing closer now, and it was still impossible to tell just who was where. He didn’t hear gunshots or the running of booted feet… did Angeal come alone? Or was something altogether different happening? Was this really the rescue he’d been anticipating? Zack unconsciously pulled Haine even tighter against himself, the boy still limp in his grip.

Gradually, silence filled the room as all noises from outside stopped. No, not all. There were still faint sounds of doors opening and closing. Someone was searching. Einstürzen wouldn’t need to search, she’d know where they were; it must be someone else. Zack struggled to hear clearly over the pounding of his own heart, hope flaring again. The light around the door was partially blocked as someone moved to stand in front of it and Zack could hear speaking, though he couldn’t make out the words being said. A loud rending sound resounded through the room and Zack knew that the lock on the door had been demolished. He could feel Haine turn his head, looking towards the door now, still pressing firmly into his protective embrace. The door swung open, light pouring into the room around a large, familiar figure. Zack smiled weakly, shaking with relief. “Angeal!”

= = =

“You are to remain out here and await further instruction. We don’t know what’s in there and it would be too dangerous to have bullets flying in a confined area.” Angeal stood in front of the line of infantrymen as they gathered at the entrance to the facility that the SOLDIER firsts had tracked Zack’s signal to. Fortunately, the homing device had remained stationary until it faded out, leading them to the underground facility. Once they had arrived, it didn’t take long to locate the entrance; it was obvious that whoever had designed this place felt no need to hide. Whether it was out of confidence or stupidity, Genesis and Angeal couldn’t be certain. They decided to take every precaution, calling in for reinforcements and a chopper to transport any survivors with. They really had no idea what they were going to be heading into, but it was pretty damn obvious it wasn’t an underground amusement park. With a nod to Genesis, Angeal stepped forward, slashing the doors off their hinges and stepping down into the staircase that led down into darkness. Genesis watched him quizzically, arching a brow in surprise that the burly first had drawn his sword, let alone used it. With a small shrug, he followed his childhood friend into the gloom. Clearly, this was personal.

The two walked silently, peering into the open doorways. The hallways were a maze of tunnels, most of the lights burned out or flickering overhead. All of the doors they encountered were open to expose small rooms. Some filled with what looked like dilapidated medical equipment, some completely empty. The stench of death and decay permeated the facility, and it appeared to have been abandoned. Angeal’s stomach clenched tighter as they continued deeper into the complex, finding nothing but dust and decay.

“’Geal,” Genesis whispered from across the hall, where he was looking into a darkened room. Angeal turned away from the empty room he’d been peering into, crossing the distance to join Genesis. He leaned in, his eyes taking a second to adjust to the darkness of the room. He sucked in a breath, taking a few steps into the room and looking around. There were small desks bolted to the floor in several rows, each with a set of wrist cuffs attached to it. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs covered everything, the same stench of death flowing strongly in this room. There were large blotches on the floor, Angeal could only assume what could have made them. Angeal looked up at the large chalk board, his eyes going wide.

“MOTHER KNOWS BEST” was scrawled across it in strict lettering. Angeal didn’t know why, but it chilled him to the core just looking at the words. Genesis touched him on the arm, bringing him back to his senses. The pair exited the room in silence, their steps somewhat heavier.

They continued on for several minutes, Angeal’s chest growing tighter as the minutes passed with no signs of life present. His stomach roiled with the emotions tangled there. Concern, sadness, guilt. He had known that giving Zack the tracer pill would plant the idea in his head. Shit, to be honest, he hadn’t thought the plan half bad at the time… His thoughts ground to a halt as he noticed a brightly lit room up ahead. He turned to Genesis to see the same flutter of hope reflected in the other SOLDIER’s features. With a hopeful trepidation, they made their way into the room.

The room was huge, and appeared to be styled after a school’s gymnasium. The scent of death was strongest here, and Angeal grimaced as he took in the devastation. There were several large cracks in the walls, as though something had been thrown into them causing them to crumble. Deep gouges and large streaks of dried blood covered nearly every surface. Angeal noticed Genesis crouching over something, and walked over to him. A bloodied pipe lay on the ground. As Angeal crouched down beside Genesis, he realized why this particular item had piqued the redhead’s interest so. The blood on the pipe, as well as in the pool around it, was still drying. Angeal couldn’t be sure whether this was a good or bad sign, but his experience had taught him not to hope for too much.

“Oh my, Kenny… it seems we have some unexpected guests.”

The two men whirled around, swords drawn. The woman stood near a tunnel in the far wall, she was nearly as tall as Angeal, and her light blonde hair flowed down her back like a long, wavy cape. There was no sign of ‘Kenny,’ whoever that might be.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later… the children are not ready yet.”

“Where are they? Where are the kids, what have you done with them?” Angeal shouted at her, his raw emotion bleeding into his voice.

“He isn’t perfect yet… he was a bad puppy… he isn’t broken enough yet.” She said dreamily.

Genesis looked at Angeal, the larger man looked like he’d been kicked in the gut and his shoulders were trembling, the tip of his sword wobbling as it conveyed the shaking if his large hands. The redhead took a step toward her. “Can we see them now? Even if it is a work in progress, we’d like to see…” Genesis tried to reason with the insane woman.

Her eyes flared with panic and she stepped back against the wall. “You won’t take my puppies! Kenny! Get them!”

Genesis and Angeal both took fighting stances as three huge beasts came rushing out of the tunnel at them. They were all identical, massive creatures with gas masks on. They fell easily to the skilled swordsman, leaving the woman once again defenseless. She gave them a frantic look before turning and running down the tunnel that the monsters had emerged from, the two SOLDIERs right behind her.

They ran the full length of the tunnel, finally reaching a dead end. Angeal and Genesis both stopped in their tracks at the sight of the examination tables and various pieces of medical equipment in this room. Unlike all the others they had found, this room had been used very recently, the smell of fresh blood still lingering.

“Kenny!” she shouted again, several more of the hulking creatures appearing out of the darkness around the room.

“What the fuck!?” yelled Genesis. “I thought we killed Kenny!”

“I think they’re all named Kenny!” Angeal shouted back, dodging a swipe from one of the Kenny monsters. Thankfully, these beasts were just as easy to defeat as the last and soon they had the tall woman cornered.

“They aren’t done. Kenny… They’re not ready. My children… My puppy, he should have been a good boy! My son… He should have—“ Her rambling was cut short as Angeal rushed forward, impaling her against the wall, his thick blade slicing her clean in half. Her eyes widened in shock as the pain registered and her torso began sliding off to one side before falling solidly to the ground with a wet thump.

Angeal pulled his sword out of the wall, glaring down at the bloody halves of the madwoman. “He’s not your puppy,” he growled before turning around and swiftly heading back out through the tunnel they had come through.

Genesis watched his friend’s back in surprise, taking a moment to look over at the woman’s remains before he, too, beat a hasty retreat.

“Angeal!” he shouted, catching up with the taller man. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to search every inch of this place until I find Zack,” he stopped, not raising his eyes to meet those of his childhood friend. “...whatever state he may be in.” Genesis nodded mutely, falling into step behind the burly brunet.

+ + +

They continued searching through the hallways, finally finding doors that were closed or even locked. Those rooms showed signs of more recent use, but were all empty now. Angeal reached out to the handle of the next door, jiggling it slightly to determine that it was locked. Angeal and Genesis both froze, looking down the hallway.

“Did you hear that?” whispered Genesis. Angeal nodded, his eyes narrowing as he looked down the dimly lit hallway. “I’ll go check it out, you keep checking rooms.” With that, the fiery first was gone, silently pulling the sword from his back and disappearing around the corner.

Angeal turned his attention back to the door, grasping the handle firmly and pulled. The metal gave way easily in his hand, the lock being torn out as the door’s knob was demolished. The door swung open, light sliding in from the hallway to drive back the darkness in the room. Angeal’s eyes met with vibrant blue ones framed with spiky black hair and his entire body flooded with relief. His relief was short lived, though, as he took in the bedraggled appearance of his student. His usually charming grin was replaced with a weak smile, and his arms trembled as he held on to the young boy in his lap. But it was the thick, heavy collar that caught his eye, making his mouth go dry and the guilt come flooding back with a vengeance.

“Angeal!” The soft cry of relief broke him out of his reverie and he moved into the room, kneeling down beside Zack, finding it hard to keep his emotions in check. He looked at the white haired boy, their eyes meeting only for a moment before Haine turned away, burying his face in Zack’s shoulder again. “Did you… find her?” Zack’s quiet voice brought Angeal’s gaze up to his worried blue eyes.

He nodded. “Yes. She’s been… taken care of,” he said with finality. Zack’s smile finally brightened, the light of it reaching his eyes. “Zack, do you know where the other children are?” The light in Zack’s eyes immediately faded again, and the pain and sadness that threatened to spill from between the younger soldier’s sooty lashes was answer enough. This time, Angeal couldn’t stop the hand that reached out to brush the dark strands of hair aside, gently cupping the younger’s cheek and stroking the soft skin with the pad of his thumb with a comforting touch.

“Yea, it was noth-Holy shit!”

Angeal pulled his hand back as though he’d been burned, turning in surprise to face his childhood friend. The redhead was preoccupied, however, staring agape at the two maltreated boys. “The fuck did she do to you?!” he blurted out. The Genesis store was apparently sold out of tact for the day.

If Genesis had noticed his friend’s act of affection, it was long forgotten now as he moved to crouch down beside Angeal.

Zack looked up at Genesis, his eyes full of confusion. He rarely ever saw the red-clad SOLDIER first, the two of them having barely been introduced. He turned his questioning gaze to Angeal, the burly man giving him a small shrug. Zack had been told that Genesis had a tendency for being a bit of a loose cannon, so the fact that he decided to come along rather than stay in Wutai really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise.

“Gen, we need to get them out of here.”

Genesis opened his mouth to speak, but understood the unspoken words in the glance that Angeal shot him, opting instead to nod in silence. He stood, moving back to the door and looking out, still wary of another attack.

“Zack, can you walk?” Angeal asked quietly.

Zack nodded, turning his attention to the young albino still in his arms. “Haine, we’re leaving now. Can you stand on your own?”

Without a word, Haine stood, his eyes still blank and lifeless. Zack looked at him worriedly as he stood up, gently resting a hand on the slim shoulder to guide the boy out of his prison and to freedom. The return to the surface was relatively uneventful, Angeal being sure to detour around the now destroyed lab and the twisted classroom. As they ascended the steps, Zack could see the infantrymen and helicopter awaiting them. He was happy to finally be leaving the underground complex, but was devastated that he wasn’t able to save the children. He shook his head, mentally correcting himself. He got one.

As they passed through the doorway and out into the sunlight, Zack felt Haine’s steps falter at his side and turned to look at him. “Haine!” he shouted, once again reaching out to the other to steady him. Haine’s eyes were clenched shut and tears were streaming from them as he hid his face in his hands. “Haine, what’s wrong? Does it hurt?” Zack panicked, fearing that their departure had somehow triggered the smaller male’s collar.

“Bright.” Haine’s voice was quiet, but steady.

Angeal stepped in front of him, blocking out most of the light as his shadow fell over his slender frame. “Come on, it won’t be as bright in the helicopter. Your eyes will adjust by the time we get home.” Feeling the sun no longer beating against his skin, Haine cautiously pulled his hands away from his eyes, squinting slightly up at the tall man. He peered around Angeal, finally noticing the large metal object. He remained in Angeal’s shadow as the four of them made their way onto the chopper. Once inside, the three soldiers immediately took seats, Genesis and Angeal strapping themselves in on one side of the small cabin, Zack on the other. It took them a moment to realize that Haine had remained standing with his head down, awaiting further instruction. Zack motioned for him to sit in the empty seat next to his, and helped him get his harness and buckles fastened.

“Hey soldier boy! You made it!”

Zack looked up to the front where the cockpit door had been slid open revealing a beaming redhead. “Reno!”

“Hey man, you look like shit. No worries though, we’ll get ya home in no time and get you fixed up real good.” He grinned giving the raven a thumbs-up before sliding the door shut again and preparing to take off.

Angeal watched the exchange, his mood lightening considerably at seeing Zack’s smile returning to its usual vigor already. He also noticed Haine’s blank expression, wondering if the young boy was even able to comprehend what was happening. Hopefully the troops they were leaving behind would turn up something useful in the lab, and they would be able to reunite the boy with his family.


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Yay! Zack's saved! Now the story can really begin. :D

A few notes:

Puppies: Yes, Einstürzen is insane and unintelligible. No, I won't tell you why just yet. You'll just have to wait and see. :3

Kenny: In DOGS, Einstürzen calls her big pet monster Kenny. There are several of them that show up and they all look exactly the same. Are they all named Kenny? No clue, but in this, they are. XD