Chapter 5: Deliveries, Planning, and Discoveries
“Business?” Aerith asked uncertainly, a feeling of uneasiness entering the atmosphere. It made her skin tingle and the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Come quietly...” Tseng spoke softly, staring at her with troubled eyes.
“No.” Aerith replied firmly, taking two quick steps back from him.
“Be reasonable, Aerith. I don't want to do this by force!” he snapped, suddenly angry.
“Force is the only way you'll get me to go!” With that, Aerith turned and began to run, though she knew in her heart that it was a hopeless effort. Tseng was a Turk; he had a gun, and all she had were flowers; he was trained in the art of killing, and secret rendezvous where people disappeared without a sound. She knew that she didn't have a chance – but she had to try.
Tseng sighed, unwillingly forcing his arm up, holding the gun at eye level. There were no bullets in this gun, only tranquilizer darts. Still, he hadn't wanted it to come to this. It took him only a moment to aim at his target and pull the trigger. The dart found its mark, and Aerith staggered, hand flying to her arm, yanking the dart out. It was too late though; the tranquilizer had already entered her system and was at work. Her body began to feel like lead, and her steps became slow and labored. She fell unsteadily to her knees, her basket of flowers falling into a messy pile on the dirt.
Tseng slowly made his way over to Aerith, a false look of calm upon his face. He leaned down once he reached her, placing one knee on the ground as he placed one arm under her neck and the other in the crook of her knees. Aerith's eyes fluttered as she tried to fight the waves of sleepiness washing over her.
“Why...?” she croaked softly, struggling to stay awake, trying to keep her eyes focused on the man in front of her.
“...I'm sorry.”
Those were the last words she heard as the tranquilizer took over and she fell into a deep sleep. Tseng lifted her limp body up a gentleness surprising of a man who had just shot a flower girl so carelessly. Inside, he felt remorseful, but his duty was to the Turks, and the Turks' duty was to Shinra. With no thoughts to console his troubled mind, he slowly made his way to his helicopter to finally deliver the last Ancient to the President.
--
Zack had wanted to leave for Aerith right away, but he knew that he couldn't very well go charging out into broad daylight where anyone could see him. He knew that no one down in the slums was loyal to Shinra, but he could never be sure that there weren't guards patrolling. Things had changed in the four years he had been gone, and it seemed like Shinra had concentrated its funds on placing guards down into the slums to stop uprising; however, they had done little to repair the state that the slums were in, and as far as Zack was concerned, pushed more people into uprising. The guards did little to bring peace down in Midgar. Instead, they brought fear, and with that fear, anger and frustration; the tension was palpable in the air. So, it was with these thoughts that Zack resigned to stay in the Seventh Heaven bar until night fell once again. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen though, and his bad feelings usually turned out to be right.
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and began pacing again. “I can't take this!” he cried out in dismay, throwing his arms up in the air.
“Sit down, boy! Damn it, you're making me twitchy!” Barret shouted gruffly, glaring at Zack.
“Sorry...” Zack grumbled in reply, flopping onto the bed and looking sullen. “I just hate waiting.”
“Well, get used to it. Where would we all be if we just rushed into Shinra and tried to blow the place up? We'd be dead, because Shinra would send out their precious SOLDIERS,” Barret sneered, baring his teeth. “And they would rip us all a new one and then kill us!”
“Actually...” Zack began to correct Barret, but paused. He decided against telling Barret that Shinra wouldn't bother sending SOLDIERs to deal with a few measly rebels; now was not the time to make more enemies. “Never mind.” Zack sighed loudly, staring at the ceiling. In the bed next to him, Cloud still lay in the same condition he came in – listless and unresponsive. Tifa had been dabbing his forehead with a cool cloth periodically, but it hadn't appeared to do anything.
“I don't think dragging him around in the hot sun did any good for him.” Tifa told Zack, the corners of her mouth turned down in a frown.
“I did what I could, given our situation.”
“Yeah...well...” Finding that there was no argument to that, Tifa merely returned to Cloud's side, gazing at him with a worried expression. “He will get better, won't he?”
“...some people don't.” Zack didn't want to lie to Tifa, or to get her hopes up. “Some people die from mako poisoning. That's why its so risky. That's why only the strong are given mako.”
“Then why did they give it to Cloud?” Tifa cried, exasperated.
“...Hojo. He did it. He works for Shinra...but I think he did this for his own benefit...some...sick twisted desire to test on us. That's all he ever did...experimented.” Zack's eyes glazed over as he remembered. “We were only subjects to him...and he'd push everyone to their limits. It didn't matter if we died. He only wanted his results.” He sat up suddenly, violently punching the bed. “He was just a sick bastard!”
“So...he tested on you too?” Barret asked, interrupting the conversation.
“I...I don't really want to talk about it.” With that, Zack flopped back on the bed, turning his back to the two of them. “I'm going to try and get some rest. I have a feeling I'm going to need my energy.” Zack closed his eyes, trying to keep the memories of Hojo and his better-than-thou attitude out of his mind. Tifa and Barret exchanged worried expressions, wondering just what kind of experiments were really held on Zack and Cloud, but kept their mouths shut. They both rose from their positions, leaving the room to discuss their worries in private; Cloud continued to lie listlessly, and Zack fell into an uneasy sleep.
--
The air was different. It was cold, and smelled sterile and medicinal. It wasn't slum air, which was always stifling and smelly. Aerith briefly wondered if she were in a hospital. Had Tseng shot her? Was she dying? She blinked blearily, eyes coming into focus slowly. She squinted as the harsh lights reached her eyes, and she groaned. She couldn't hear the planet from here, where ever that was. Aerith tried to sit up, but found that she was being restrained. Any previous thought that the building was a hospital was dashed away. Why would the hospital restrain her? It had finally happened – Shinra had her.
The walls around her came into focus as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights, and she took it all in. Cold steel walls, gray, bland, with machines whirring and blinking all around.
“Ah, you're finally awake,” a cruel voice invaded her ears, and a pale man came into view over her. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and calculating eyes peered out from behind his glasses. “Yes, you're quite the curious subject. Not quite human, but still I haven't discovered your secrets. Is it true that you can talk to the Planet? And the President...hmmm. Hehehe, he is quite eager to find the promise land...” He seemed to be talking more to himself than to her, so Aerith didn't reply. She knew that she shouldn't judge people without knowing them, but she instinctively didn't like this man.
“Hehehe, yes, you will make a fine subject indeed. And after the President gets the information he needs...well then, then we will see exactly how the Ancient boy reacts to some of my more...questionable experiments...hehehe.” Aerith gulped, wishing fervently that Zack were alive. He would have saved her. Suddenly, a door off to the side opened with a whoosh, and two SOLDIERs walked in, one in black and the other in blue, mako infused eyes focused on Hojo. Aerith could only see glimpses of their expressions, but they didn't seem to want to be there. They both eyed Hojo with distaste, but they said nothing.
“Ah, finally, you two muscle heads have arrived. Yes...you in the blue. What's you're name again?” Hojo demanded, eyes never leaving his clipboard.
“Kunsel, sir!” Kunsel saluted, though grudgingly.
“Mhmm...” Hojo didn't really seem to be paying attention. “And who might this other lug be?”
“Luxiere, reporting for duty, Professor Hojo.” Aerith shivered. Hadn't Zack mentioned a Professor Hojo once? What was it he had told her? Try as she might, she couldn't remember his words, and she silently cursed her forgetfulness.
“Right, well,” Hojo finally glanced up with a superior air towards the two SOLDIERs. “Take the subject to her cell immediately. I have other experiments to conduct right now, and I don't need the subject taking up my precious space! Go, get on with you.” Without waiting to see that his orders were carried out, he returned his thoughts and his shrewd eyes to his clipboard and all the graphs and results they had.
It was only when Luxiere and Kunsel turned toward the 'subject' that Kunsel realized the gravity of the situation. Kunsel had heard enough times from Zack about her, after all. The kid had been in love with Aerith. Luxiere didn't know, of course, and so he strode right on ahead, ready to fulfill his task at hand. Kunsel decided that he would have to do something, for Zack's sake...even though Shinra had said Zack was killed in action, he could hardly believe it. Still, Zack hadn't replied to any of the messages he or Luxiere had sent. But, Kunsel had confidence in Zack. Zack wouldn't be so easy to kill. He hoped.
Luxiere undid the straps restraining Aerith, who immediately struggled to get up and run away. However, Luxiere hadn't been promoted to 1st class for nothing, and he effortlessly restrained her once again, holding her arms firmly behind her back.
“Come now,” Luxiere said soothingly, realizing that the girl in front of him was panicked. Who wouldn't be when faced with two of Shinra's SOLDIERs? “We're only taking you to your cell. Isn't that right, Kunsel?” Luxiere turned toward Kunsel and was surprised to see he looked a bit uneasy.
"What's up, Kunsel?”
"Let's go." Was all he replied, turning and exiting through the door. Luxiere shrugged and gently guided Aerith after him.
Aerith gave up struggling, realizing it was futile. The SOLDIERs were too strong – and unlike Zack, she found them scary. Still, she felt safer with them than with that Professor Hojo. The one in black – Luxiere, if she remembered right – seemed to want to talk to the one in blue – Kunsel. However, Kunsel didn't want to talk, or if he did, he didn't want to talk in front of her. So, they both led her to the cell in silence, exchanging glances. Aerith briefly wondered what her mother would do for money, then the idea was dismissed by a more worrying one. What would her mother do when she found out her adopted daughter was missing? Tears began to form in Aerith's eyes, but she shook her head fiercely to get rid of them. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her captors.
Luxiere and Kunsel finally stopped in front of cell 013, Aerith's new quarters. With a swipe of his access card, Luxiere opened the door and led her inside, letting her arms go free and quickly stepping backward to block the door. Aerith rubbed her sore wrists and glared at Luxiere, her eyes daring him to say something. He kept his mouth shut though, exiting the room, the door locking with a click behind him.
“So what's up, Kunsel?” Luxiere demanded. He and Kunsel had come to work together after Luxiere had been promoted to 1st Class after Zack had disappeared – mostly though, they were brought together because they had both known Zack. They had both been troubled to hear that Zack was killed in action, and they didn't want to believe it, but they had had no word from him in four years. Perhaps Shinra had been telling the truth for once. Kunsel waited until they had made some distance between them and the cell before replying.
“That girl...” Kunsel began, pausing and looking up uncertainly. “We've got to get her out of here.”
“What? Why? You got a crush on her or something, buddy?” Luxiere laughed, elbowing him jokingly.
“No, not me. Zack. That's Zack's girl, Aerith!” Kunsel exclaimed, rubbing his head. “We've gotta get her out for Zack, even if he is dead.”
“...Zack? As in Zack Fair. That's his girl?” Luxiere was lost, shocked at the news.
“What other Zack do you know?”
“Well, none.” Luxiere shrugged sheepishly, then became serious again. “But, what does Shinra want with Aerith? Do you think...what if Zack's not really dead and like...they're using her as bait or something!”
“Hmm...” Kunsel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But why would they need to use her as bait? Zack's not a bad guy.” he pointed out, shaking his head. “Besides, it doesn't really matter why she's here. The only thing that matters is getting her out of here. We owe it to Zack...he was our friend, and a good SOLDIER.”
“But how are we supposed to do that? We'd lose our jobs! Shinra obviously wants her for something...and Hojo would be furious. You know how he hates it when he loses his subjects before he gets to experiment on them.”
“It doesn't matter. We'll have to come up with a plan. Or are you just going to let her face some unspeakable horrors because of our jobs?”
“...No.” Luxiere finished meekly, feeling defeated. “I just...I just got promoted though!” he sighed, arms falling at his side.
“There are bigger things at stake here than your promotion.” Kunsel repeated firmly. “I need to go think now. I'll see you later.” With that, Kunsel took off down the hallway, his agitation clear in his posture.
“...” Luxiere watched Kunsel go, his heart down in his boots. He knew that if they freed Aerith, their jobs wouldn't be the only thing at stake. They both knew it. If they released her, their lives would be on the line; they just hadn't wanted to bring it up. “This if for you Zack.” he muttered, eyes toward the ceiling. “I sure hope you appreciate it, wherever you are.”
--
Night had fallen in Midgar, and Zack wide awake, pacing nervously once again. He felt that Barret and Tifa were taking far too long to prepare. All Zack needed was his materia and his Buster Sword, but the others had to prepare with potions and weapons.
“I have plenty of Potions, you know.” Zack had told them. They refused to accept any of his potions though, preferring to waste time gathering their own. Tifa had also been torn between staying with Cloud and going on the mission. She finally decided that she would leave Cloud with Wedge and Biggs, who would also be watching Marlene, Barret's daughter. Zack didn't see the resemblance between them, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Alright, lets get moving!” Barret thundered.
“Like I haven't been ready for the past half hour,” Zack grumbled to himself. Barret either didn't hear or decided to ignore him, because he walked out the door without a word. Tifa gave one last, almost longing glance at Cloud, and then proceeded to follow Barret.
“We'll be back soon, buddy.” Zack said quietly to Cloud, patting him on the shoulder. “Hopefully, we'll have someone who can help you out too.” He grinned, his face lighting up at the thought of Aerith.
“Are you coming or what, boy?” Barret called back loudly.
“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!” Zack's heard a few well chosen expletives coming from Barret. Zack stepped out into the the night Midgar air, breathing in deeply – and then wishing that he hadn't. The air wasn't exactly...clean. He gagged, making a mental note to taking smaller breaths while he was down in the slums.
“It's Shinra's fault, you know.” Tifa explained, gazing back at him.
“Hmm? What?” Zack quickly stood up straighter, trying to cover the fact that he had just been choking on air.
“The air. It's polluted because of Shinra. We get no fresh air down here either, because of the plates.”
“...yeah. I know.”
“They should be stopped.”
Zack nodded sympathetically. “I know. And we will stop them.”
“We?” Tifa raised an eyebrow, looking momentarily startled and confused.
“Yeah, we. I figure...I figure that since you guys are helping me find Aerith, the least I can do is help you guys. And you guys are trying to stop Shinra, so, I guess I am too.” Zack shrugged, then grinned at her.
“I...well...thanks. I suppose we could use a SOLDIER's help. Aren't you super strong, and such?”
“Ex-SOLDIER,” he corrected her. “And yeah, I'm a little stronger than normal.” he said modestly, looking a little embarrassed.
“Would you two like to grab yourself a cup of coffee or something?” Barret interrupted rudely. “We're kind of doing something important here.”
“Right!” Zack exclaimed, his mind refocusing on the mission.
“Well, where do we go SOLDIER boy?” Barret demanded, waving his gun arm in the air.
“To the church, in sector 5...that's where she took care of the flowers.”
“Flowers in Midgar?” Tifa asked skeptically.
“Yes. Flowers in Midgar.”
xxx
It only took them about forty-five minutes or so to reach the church. Zack's heart sank when he saw that the church was empty.
“She's not here.” Zack sighed dejectedly.
“Well, it is night time and all,” Tifa pointed out. “Maybe she's at home, sleeping.”
“You know...you have a point there.” Zack admitted, suddenly feeling a little better.
“Well...do you know where she lives?”
“Ah...actually, that's a problem. I've never actually been there.” Barret made a noise of frustration.
“Well, what a lot of help you are!” Barret shouted, disgruntled.
“Look, we'll just check the slums marketplace and ask around. They all know Aerith there, and they know me too.” Barret just glared at Zack.
“It's the only idea we have, Barret.” Tifa said reasonably. “It wouldn't hurt to try.”
“Let's just hope there are no guards patrolling this late.” Barret grumbled, unwilling to be consoled by either of them. His plan wasn't going as he had planned it, which of course, defeated the purpose of a plan.
xxx
Zack felt defeated when he left the marketplace. Everyone had been unhelpful for the most part, thought generally quite surprised to see them. There were several comments made, mostly to do with his absence, and a few about how Aerith had fared. From what he had heard, she had continued to sell her flowers, though very recently she had stopped wheeling her wagon around and taken up a basket instead. He could only wonder why she had given up her wagon. Perhaps it had broken, or she didn't really like it. She had said it wasn't cute enough.
That was only the beginning of it. Although she had pretended to be fine, all of the market people could tell that she had been unhappy. Aerith had been unhappy, and it was his fault. His shoulders sagged and he sat glumly on a broken stair. He couldn't even make himself face Tifa or Barret; he didn't want them to see the desperation in his eyes.
“We ought to go, you know.” Tifa said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It'll be daylight soon, and they usually send out guards before the sun rises.”
“Right...” Zack's throat felt tight, the guilt boiling in his stomach.
“There's a shortcut through the park,” Barret explained gruffly, not waiting for the others to get up as he walked toward the park.
The park was the last place Zack wanted to go. It was the place where he and Aerith had shared their first...sort of date together...but he knew they didn't have time to waste, so with a dreadful feeling eating at his heart, he rose and trudged behind Tifa and Barret. He was so focused on being glum and depressed that he almost missed the basket on the ground in the park.
A basket...
“A BASKET!” Zack shouted, dropping to his knees next to it. He set it upright, gazing at the flowers as he picked them up gently. “Aerith's flowers...”
“What's that?” Barret grunted, nearly stepping on one of the flowers.
“Don't step on the flowers!” Zack shouted, waving his arms around. He was reminded of how Aerith had said the same thing to him the first time they met. “They're Aerith's flowers...but why would she leave them out here? It's not like her...”
“There's a tranquilizer dart here on the ground.” Tifa said softly, holding it between two fingers. “Made by Shinra.”
“The Turks must have finally gotten her.” Zack said between gritted teeth, hands clenched into fists.
“Then they've taken her to Shinra.” Barret replied in conclusion.
“We'll go back and make another plan, then.” Tifa finally looked away from the dart, looking to Barret instead, waiting for his response.
“No,” Zack shook his head fiercely, eyes glued to the flowers. “I've already got a plan. We break into Shinra and get her back.”
“Break into Shinra!? Have you lost your damn mind, boy?” Barret shouted, an incredulous look on his face. “Shinra's got so much security, we couldn't even sneeze at Shinra without getting arrested!”
“I'm aware of the security!” Zack snapped tersely. “But we have no other choice. I have to save her! There's not telling what Hojo will do to her now that he has a new 'subject'. Especially since she's the last Ancient.” he added bitterly.
“Well, what's your big plan, hotshot? How do you plan to break into Shinra? It's not like you work there anymore. They'll kill you in a heartbeat.”
“Don't you worry about that,” Zack replied smugly, pulling out his cell phone. “I've got some contacts inside who should be willing to help. You just get everyone ready...”
“Who are you to tell me wh-” Barret began to shout, but was stopped by Tifa.
“Barret! Just...let's do what he says. This will give us a chance to learn more about Shinra's plans...and who else knows better about Shinra's layout than an Ex-SOLDIER?” Barret thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Zack was busy scrolling through his contacts. “Kunsel...Luxiere...I hope you're ready to hear from the dead.” he muttered to himself, busily typing his message to them:
It's Zack. I need your help. Shinra has taken Aerith, and I need to get in to get her out. I can't let Hojo get his hands on her. I can't explain why. I can't explain where I was for the past four years...not yet. If you're willing to help, send me back a message. I'll be waiting.
- Zack
--
Up in Shinra, Luxiere and Kunsel got the same message at the same time. All they could do was stare at each other in amazement. Zack was back from the dead...and what he wanted was unbelievable.
“...Well, we're doing what we planned to anyway.” Kunsel shrugged, looking at Luxiere uncertainly.
“Yeah, but before it didn't involve smuggling in Shinra's most wanted.”
“Shinra told us that he was dead! Besides, I want to hear the full story from Zack, and that won't happen until we get him in and Aerith out.”
“...I'll get to keep my uniform, you think?”
Kunsel groaned and smacked Luxiere on the head lightly. “Come on, let's come up with a plan. Zack's depending on us.” With those last words, Kunsel and Luxiere messaged Zack back.
We're in...