FFVII: Horizon ~ Prologue
Title: Horizon ~ Prologue
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7, Last Order, Advent Children, and FF7: Before Crisis
Warnings: AU of at least one, potentially two of the series
Betas: ladylore and lithele
Rating: PG13 ish at the moment
“Living is strife and torment, disappointment and love and sacrifices, golden sunsets and black storms.” ~ Laurence Olivier
Horizon
Zack struggled to open his eyes once more. Red lights flashed brilliantly in the darkened room, casting an eerie brown glow through his Mako filled eyes. He fought against the burning touch of the smooth green substance that urged him to lethargy, to close his eyes and struggle no more. He had to get out of here… had to go… had to…
Click.
The sound echoed from the far side of the room, jerking Zack from the edge of sleeping once more to stare at the door. The bolt had been thrown open. Moments later, the knob twisted, and the door was cast ajar as a young lab attendant walked steadily into the room. The lights cast a hellish glow upon him. Zack watched in amazement as the dark-haired man began the process of draining the Mako from his tube. None of the staff had been brave enough to do so after what he had done to the attendant during his last escape attempt. Not that he blamed them… Given the chance, he’d gladly kill them all, if it meant his freedom.
The Mako was gone now, and Zack took a deep breath for the first time in over six months.
“I’ll lift the glass,” said the man, “if you’ll promise not to kill me.”
“Well,” Zack replied, coughing as he narrowed his eyes at his guest, “the question is, why would you do that for me? Hojo wouldn’t stand for it unless it’s in his plans for me. Now, call me crazy, but I’m not overly fond of the idea of walking out that door only to get riddled full of bullets again so that he can test my healing abilities.”
Dark eyes flashed sharply with emotion as the attendant quickly busied himself with unlocking the cabinet containing Zack’s gear. There was his sword, his beautiful sword. He stared at it unabashed, recalling all too clearly the comforting feel of its weight in his hand.
“Hojo’s dead.” The dark-haired man replied distractedly as he fished for something in the back of the cabinet.
“Of course he is.” Zack said patronizingly, wrinkling his face at the other’s back. “Clearly, President Shinra has at long last seen the light, and decided to forsake Hojo and his evil ways, to stop drawing Mako from the Planet and return to the days without electricity or trains, to give away all his belongings and join Wutai in worshipping their gods. Heck, I’ll bet he’s even trying to talk Cloud into going with -“
“Don’t talk of that failure to me.” The man said, whirling around, hatred blazing from nearly obsidian orbs. Zack paused, and waited. His companion took a steadying breath, and Zack let him. His voice was low and angry as it continued, “If President Shinra saw any light at all, undoubtedly it was merely his brain’s last desperate attempt at saving its pathetic existence.”
“I don’t understand.” Zack answered, shaking his head.
“He’s dead, too.” The man’s back turned towards the captive once more as he grabbed the last of the SOLDIER’s gear and threw it atop the rest. He wandered down a nearby hall, studying a clip board he’d brought with him and grabbing several files from the shelves as he went. “Hojo, President Shinra, even that brat Rufus - they’re all dead. What does it matter, though - most of the Planet won’t be around that much longer anyway.”
“Wait, hold on a second - what in Holy’s name are you talking about?” Zack leaned forward in his cage, craning his neck to watch the man as he wandered down the hall and selected a few more files. Without the Mako pressing in on him from all sides, filling his lungs, Zack could feel his strength steadily returning to him. He was grateful, then, that being trapped in Mako protected muscles from atrophy. A few more minutes and he’d be free of the glass regardless of whether he had help or not.
“Your friend - ” the derision in the word was palpable - “he’s at the North Crater now.” The lab technician turned and looked at him again, studying him for a moment. “You’ll be fine getting out of here on your own in a few minutes, so I’m afraid you’ll have to begrudge me a head start. There are some things on this planet I’d like to enjoy before that psycho destroys them.”
“Cloud?” Zack gasped, his heart jumping into his throat. The attendant shook his head, seeming not to hear Zack as he busied himself switching one file for another and mumbling under his breath. Zack paused, then shook his own head once, twice to clear it. “No… He’s the only one, but he wouldn’t - he couldn’t! I thought he was dead!”
“Mako poisoning is surprisingly non-lethal. It just takes time to adjust to the excess running through your system. Surely you knew that, even if those idiots who caught you the first time didn’t.” Dark eyes glanced speculatively at Zack with a raised eyebrow before the man began ordering his files, comparing each to the list and checking things off.
“But - the Turks! He couldn’t have…” A sour taste filled his mouth, and Zack shook his head and swallowed to clear it. “Even if he could have, he wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t do something like this!”
“Just how many people do you think there are left running around from Dr. Hojo’s experiments who have skills like Sephiroth?” The technician shook his head with a bitter, ironic smile on his face. He snatched the files back off the desk, tapping them once to neaten them, and slid them under his arm.
“Why should I believe you?” Zack challenged as the other man contemplated the wide bladed sword on the table before him. He grinned at the dark-haired man before him, the flashing lights no longer bothering his eyes. It wouldn’t be long until he could shatter the glass. He spread his hands wide and shrugged. “After all, it’s not like Shinra employs the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met.”
“Believe what you want.” The man replied, turning and walking sharply back to the door. He paused then, framed in the entrance way with his hand poised on the door knob as eerie red light shone around him. “Either way, your friend is still crazy, and he’s still about to destroy us all. Your opinions don’t matter.”
Zack beat his fist upon the glass to no avail as the door slammed shut behind the man. The distinctive click of the bolt sliding home sounded, guaranteeing the attendant’s safe departure from… wherever this was. With an exasperated sigh, he seated himself on the floor of the now Mako-free tube, light spasms running through his arms and legs as lethargy slowly fell away from them.
It simply couldn’t be true. Cloud… had he even survived the incident six months ago? There was no way to be sure. The man had had a point, though - if Cloud still lived, Zack wouldn’t blame him if he had gone crazy. Sephiroth had, after all - and then had killed Cloud’s mother, and destroyed his town. Cloud had been forced to kill Sephiroth, and their time together in the lab had shown nothing reassuring from the blond as to how he was dealing with that, never mind everything that had come before, and then years of torture and experiments with Hojo…
No, Zack supposed the technician’s story wasn’t that strange after all.
It would be stranger if Cloud were sane.
So, if Cloud lived, then he had gone insane and intended to destroy the Planet. Zack gathered his strength and threw a fist into the glass again. This time it shattered, splintering away and leaving his knuckles covered in blood. Zack shook away the stinging sensation as he rose to his feet and strode out of the glass tubing that had served as his home for the past five and a half years. He walked slowly over to the pile of his clothing and began to dress.
Zack sighed as the smooth fabric brushed against his skin, a painless source of warmth protecting him from the chill of the lab. There was no telling if Cloud still lived. Hell, there wasn’t even any guarantee that he’d leave this building in once piece, though leaving him his sword had meant leaving him a huge advantage. He grabbed the broad weapon by the hilt, deciding against putting it at his back until he had departed the location. Cautiously, he strode forward and opened the door.
Empty.
The outer room was empty, save for a table and a bunch of crates, though a chair at a computer on the far side suggested that someone had at one point worked in this space. Zack stepped warily into the room, only slightly surprised when the door closed behind him and, as he turned to look at it, showed not a door at all, but a solid wall.
“At least this place isn’t as creepy as the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim.” Zack said wryly, heading carefully for the stairs. He climbed silently up them, tensed against the imminent arrival of guards to recapture “Specimen Z” for Hojo. The stairs were solid, with a nice finish, and as he reached the head of them, Zack noticed there were paintings on the walls. He glanced around at the vaguely familiar décor, trying to place it.
Slowly but steadily, sword still in his hand, Zack studied the passageway. After a critically appraising the doors dotted along the hallway, he shrugged. Lifting his weapon to a ready position, Zack charged down the hallway, around a corner to the right, another to the left, and through the last door into the outside world.
Ouch.
Zack hissed softly, and nearly drew back into the building as the blazing sun beat down upon him. A warm breeze blew across his bare shoulders, grabbing his long hair and lifting it ever so slightly into the air. Raising a hand to his brow, Zack turned to study his surroundings.
“Welcome to Costa del Sol!” proclaimed a large sign on the path on which he stood. Zack spun back to look at the building he had just exited. Figures that Hojo would put a secret lab in every Shinra vacation home. He shook his head. What can I get for this lovely villa, complete with its own hidden experimentation for all your mad scientist - related practices?
Laughter floated to his ears from the direction in which he remembered the beach being. So did the sounds of drunken singing, undoubtedly floating out of the bar. A couple walked arm in arm under the bridge on which he stood, the girl batting her eyes shamelessly at the well-muscled man to whom she had attached herself. The normalcy of it all reassured Zack, and he sheathed his sword at last.
The former SOLDIER First Class blinked as a large shadow passed over head. Costa del Sol never suffered from the problems of foul weather that seemed to haunt other cities, especially Midgar. Surprised, Zack turned to stare at the sky.
Hanging low there was a massive rock, coated in the same ominous red that had been flashing in the laboratory. It shone steadily, though, which some how made it seem even more portentous. As if summoned, the giant object seemed to be coming steadily closer to the Planet.
I may not be an astrophysicist, but I seem to recall something about meteors causing the end of the world… The lab attendant, it seemed, had been telling the truth. Unbidden, a memory from the early days in the lab, when Cloud still had something resembling coherence to his name, dashed across his mind. He had known, they both had… Hojo hadn’t bothered to hide his intentions from them to turn Cloud into what Sephiroth had been … Hadn’t bothered to hide what that might mean…
I’m coming, Cloud. Zack shook his head once more and took off to find transport north. After all, I promised - and no one stops SOLDIER First-Class Zack from keeping a promise.
Next Chapter
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7, Last Order, Advent Children, and FF7: Before Crisis
Warnings: AU of at least one, potentially two of the series
Betas: ladylore and lithele
Rating: PG13 ish at the moment
“Living is strife and torment, disappointment and love and sacrifices, golden sunsets and black storms.” ~ Laurence Olivier
Horizon
Zack struggled to open his eyes once more. Red lights flashed brilliantly in the darkened room, casting an eerie brown glow through his Mako filled eyes. He fought against the burning touch of the smooth green substance that urged him to lethargy, to close his eyes and struggle no more. He had to get out of here… had to go… had to…
Click.
The sound echoed from the far side of the room, jerking Zack from the edge of sleeping once more to stare at the door. The bolt had been thrown open. Moments later, the knob twisted, and the door was cast ajar as a young lab attendant walked steadily into the room. The lights cast a hellish glow upon him. Zack watched in amazement as the dark-haired man began the process of draining the Mako from his tube. None of the staff had been brave enough to do so after what he had done to the attendant during his last escape attempt. Not that he blamed them… Given the chance, he’d gladly kill them all, if it meant his freedom.
The Mako was gone now, and Zack took a deep breath for the first time in over six months.
“I’ll lift the glass,” said the man, “if you’ll promise not to kill me.”
“Well,” Zack replied, coughing as he narrowed his eyes at his guest, “the question is, why would you do that for me? Hojo wouldn’t stand for it unless it’s in his plans for me. Now, call me crazy, but I’m not overly fond of the idea of walking out that door only to get riddled full of bullets again so that he can test my healing abilities.”
Dark eyes flashed sharply with emotion as the attendant quickly busied himself with unlocking the cabinet containing Zack’s gear. There was his sword, his beautiful sword. He stared at it unabashed, recalling all too clearly the comforting feel of its weight in his hand.
“Hojo’s dead.” The dark-haired man replied distractedly as he fished for something in the back of the cabinet.
“Of course he is.” Zack said patronizingly, wrinkling his face at the other’s back. “Clearly, President Shinra has at long last seen the light, and decided to forsake Hojo and his evil ways, to stop drawing Mako from the Planet and return to the days without electricity or trains, to give away all his belongings and join Wutai in worshipping their gods. Heck, I’ll bet he’s even trying to talk Cloud into going with -“
“Don’t talk of that failure to me.” The man said, whirling around, hatred blazing from nearly obsidian orbs. Zack paused, and waited. His companion took a steadying breath, and Zack let him. His voice was low and angry as it continued, “If President Shinra saw any light at all, undoubtedly it was merely his brain’s last desperate attempt at saving its pathetic existence.”
“I don’t understand.” Zack answered, shaking his head.
“He’s dead, too.” The man’s back turned towards the captive once more as he grabbed the last of the SOLDIER’s gear and threw it atop the rest. He wandered down a nearby hall, studying a clip board he’d brought with him and grabbing several files from the shelves as he went. “Hojo, President Shinra, even that brat Rufus - they’re all dead. What does it matter, though - most of the Planet won’t be around that much longer anyway.”
“Wait, hold on a second - what in Holy’s name are you talking about?” Zack leaned forward in his cage, craning his neck to watch the man as he wandered down the hall and selected a few more files. Without the Mako pressing in on him from all sides, filling his lungs, Zack could feel his strength steadily returning to him. He was grateful, then, that being trapped in Mako protected muscles from atrophy. A few more minutes and he’d be free of the glass regardless of whether he had help or not.
“Your friend - ” the derision in the word was palpable - “he’s at the North Crater now.” The lab technician turned and looked at him again, studying him for a moment. “You’ll be fine getting out of here on your own in a few minutes, so I’m afraid you’ll have to begrudge me a head start. There are some things on this planet I’d like to enjoy before that psycho destroys them.”
“Cloud?” Zack gasped, his heart jumping into his throat. The attendant shook his head, seeming not to hear Zack as he busied himself switching one file for another and mumbling under his breath. Zack paused, then shook his own head once, twice to clear it. “No… He’s the only one, but he wouldn’t - he couldn’t! I thought he was dead!”
“Mako poisoning is surprisingly non-lethal. It just takes time to adjust to the excess running through your system. Surely you knew that, even if those idiots who caught you the first time didn’t.” Dark eyes glanced speculatively at Zack with a raised eyebrow before the man began ordering his files, comparing each to the list and checking things off.
“But - the Turks! He couldn’t have…” A sour taste filled his mouth, and Zack shook his head and swallowed to clear it. “Even if he could have, he wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t do something like this!”
“Just how many people do you think there are left running around from Dr. Hojo’s experiments who have skills like Sephiroth?” The technician shook his head with a bitter, ironic smile on his face. He snatched the files back off the desk, tapping them once to neaten them, and slid them under his arm.
“Why should I believe you?” Zack challenged as the other man contemplated the wide bladed sword on the table before him. He grinned at the dark-haired man before him, the flashing lights no longer bothering his eyes. It wouldn’t be long until he could shatter the glass. He spread his hands wide and shrugged. “After all, it’s not like Shinra employs the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met.”
“Believe what you want.” The man replied, turning and walking sharply back to the door. He paused then, framed in the entrance way with his hand poised on the door knob as eerie red light shone around him. “Either way, your friend is still crazy, and he’s still about to destroy us all. Your opinions don’t matter.”
Zack beat his fist upon the glass to no avail as the door slammed shut behind the man. The distinctive click of the bolt sliding home sounded, guaranteeing the attendant’s safe departure from… wherever this was. With an exasperated sigh, he seated himself on the floor of the now Mako-free tube, light spasms running through his arms and legs as lethargy slowly fell away from them.
It simply couldn’t be true. Cloud… had he even survived the incident six months ago? There was no way to be sure. The man had had a point, though - if Cloud still lived, Zack wouldn’t blame him if he had gone crazy. Sephiroth had, after all - and then had killed Cloud’s mother, and destroyed his town. Cloud had been forced to kill Sephiroth, and their time together in the lab had shown nothing reassuring from the blond as to how he was dealing with that, never mind everything that had come before, and then years of torture and experiments with Hojo…
No, Zack supposed the technician’s story wasn’t that strange after all.
It would be stranger if Cloud were sane.
So, if Cloud lived, then he had gone insane and intended to destroy the Planet. Zack gathered his strength and threw a fist into the glass again. This time it shattered, splintering away and leaving his knuckles covered in blood. Zack shook away the stinging sensation as he rose to his feet and strode out of the glass tubing that had served as his home for the past five and a half years. He walked slowly over to the pile of his clothing and began to dress.
Zack sighed as the smooth fabric brushed against his skin, a painless source of warmth protecting him from the chill of the lab. There was no telling if Cloud still lived. Hell, there wasn’t even any guarantee that he’d leave this building in once piece, though leaving him his sword had meant leaving him a huge advantage. He grabbed the broad weapon by the hilt, deciding against putting it at his back until he had departed the location. Cautiously, he strode forward and opened the door.
Empty.
The outer room was empty, save for a table and a bunch of crates, though a chair at a computer on the far side suggested that someone had at one point worked in this space. Zack stepped warily into the room, only slightly surprised when the door closed behind him and, as he turned to look at it, showed not a door at all, but a solid wall.
“At least this place isn’t as creepy as the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim.” Zack said wryly, heading carefully for the stairs. He climbed silently up them, tensed against the imminent arrival of guards to recapture “Specimen Z” for Hojo. The stairs were solid, with a nice finish, and as he reached the head of them, Zack noticed there were paintings on the walls. He glanced around at the vaguely familiar décor, trying to place it.
Slowly but steadily, sword still in his hand, Zack studied the passageway. After a critically appraising the doors dotted along the hallway, he shrugged. Lifting his weapon to a ready position, Zack charged down the hallway, around a corner to the right, another to the left, and through the last door into the outside world.
Ouch.
Zack hissed softly, and nearly drew back into the building as the blazing sun beat down upon him. A warm breeze blew across his bare shoulders, grabbing his long hair and lifting it ever so slightly into the air. Raising a hand to his brow, Zack turned to study his surroundings.
“Welcome to Costa del Sol!” proclaimed a large sign on the path on which he stood. Zack spun back to look at the building he had just exited. Figures that Hojo would put a secret lab in every Shinra vacation home. He shook his head. What can I get for this lovely villa, complete with its own hidden experimentation for all your mad scientist - related practices?
Laughter floated to his ears from the direction in which he remembered the beach being. So did the sounds of drunken singing, undoubtedly floating out of the bar. A couple walked arm in arm under the bridge on which he stood, the girl batting her eyes shamelessly at the well-muscled man to whom she had attached herself. The normalcy of it all reassured Zack, and he sheathed his sword at last.
The former SOLDIER First Class blinked as a large shadow passed over head. Costa del Sol never suffered from the problems of foul weather that seemed to haunt other cities, especially Midgar. Surprised, Zack turned to stare at the sky.
Hanging low there was a massive rock, coated in the same ominous red that had been flashing in the laboratory. It shone steadily, though, which some how made it seem even more portentous. As if summoned, the giant object seemed to be coming steadily closer to the Planet.
I may not be an astrophysicist, but I seem to recall something about meteors causing the end of the world… The lab attendant, it seemed, had been telling the truth. Unbidden, a memory from the early days in the lab, when Cloud still had something resembling coherence to his name, dashed across his mind. He had known, they both had… Hojo hadn’t bothered to hide his intentions from them to turn Cloud into what Sephiroth had been … Hadn’t bothered to hide what that might mean…
I’m coming, Cloud. Zack shook his head once more and took off to find transport north. After all, I promised - and no one stops SOLDIER First-Class Zack from keeping a promise.
Next Chapter