Hi everyone! New readers or faithful readers of 'Reduced to Specimens' and 'Dreams Incarnate.' This is actually just a prologue to start the sequel to RtS off. First chapter is not quite ready so I thought I'd give you this to have a look at for now. It's just a short piece. If you read the note I posted at the end of RtS then you know roughly what this story is going to be about. For those of you who have not read 'Reduced to Specimens,' it is not necessary that you read it before reading 'Reclamation.' I'm writing it in a way that no knowledge of RtS is needed to understand the plot of this story. But of course it wouldn't hurt to read it through if you're interested haha!

In terms of what this story is about, it centers around Zack and Cloud's life after escaping experimentation under Hojo in the Shinra Mansion. Yes, Zack is alive in this fic. Which on it's own changes a lot. Which brings me to the next thing. This story will also be quite AU-like. As I explained at the end of RtS, it will cover roughly a year's worth of time before the events of the original FFVII game. Regarding the relationship status between Zack and Cloud, this is a friendship fic. And it will remain as such throughout. I appologize to those of you who prefer yaoi but know that I really do appreciate you reading this despite that. Also, if you're familiar with my fiction then you know I write some pretty depressing and at times gross or horrific stuff. While this story will contain nowhere near the amount of graphic material there was in RtS, it's still not going to be very pleasant at times, which is why I'm keeping this rated 'M.'

I believe that's about all I have to say, if you would like a few more details just pop over to the note I posted in 'Reduced to Specimens' after the final chapter. And of course if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message. Oh, and before I forget, I was asked to continue to post the songs that I listen to while writing the chapters and I've agreed to that so I'll list the songs as the beginning of each chapter. For this short prologue there shall be just one however and that is "Closer" by Kings of Leon.

That's all from me. Cheers guys and thanks for reading!

Prologue

Once again the clouds were weeping in rage, expelling millions of drops of bitterly cold water toward the earth, masking the landscape in thick, wet curtains. There had been a brief lull in the onslaught but the giant masses of dark vapor regained their strength soon enough and began their next attack.

Cloud struggled to keep himself reasonably upright as he fought the urge to relieve himself of the weight bearing down on his shoulders and back, the source of the burden being his unconscious friend, Zack. In the back of his mind, Cloud was aware of the fact he was carrying someone who weighed more than he did. He wasn't sure how he'd been able to manage it and he wasn't interested in questioning it. His thoughts were focused on pushing himself forward, dragging and pulling his feet from the mud they'd sunk into over and over again and taking another step. And another. And another…

He pushed on, even though his muscles and joints were alive with fiery agony. Even though his body begged him to stop. He couldn't stop, for fear that he may not be able to move himself again once he had.

Uncertainty burned in him the way his muscles did. Burrowing away at him were those persistent questions. The ones that he was screaming inside himself. Questions that shouldn't have been difficult to answer. Questions about his identity. Questions about why he couldn't remember anything. Even himself. He knew of his name but beyond that, the only thing familiar to him was the friend he carried across the wasteland before him in search of aid. The rest of his knowledge seemed like mere shadows on a blank surface. Somewhere deep inside him, something was telling him that it was pertinent few people know of his and Zack's whereabouts. That thought was ominous to him and confusing but he didn't want to challenge it.

His right foot found a small hole in the ground below him as a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and a burst of thunder crashed upon the area. His knee gave out and he fell forward onto the muddy surface, losing hold of Zack as his friend slipped from his shoulders and landed next to him. He lay for a moment in the cold muck, taking in deep, gasping breaths. He turned onto his back after a minute and opened his eyes a bit to stare up into the dark sky.

Get up, he urged himself. You have to keep going… He knew this.

And yet his body wouldn't move.

"Please," he whispered as he blinked once when a few raindrops landed in his right eye. "Lend me some strength…" he begged.

The sky shuddered with thunder once again as he forced himself to turn over and pull himself to his hands and knees. He leaned over Zack and placed two fingers on his neck to check his pulse. It was a miracle he'd survived that long without bleeding out. Zack was doing his part in fighting to live. It was up to Cloud to figure out the rest.

Groaning deeply, he grabbed onto Zack's body and hoisted him up slowly, spending a long few moments trying to get his friend back up onto his shoulders. He stayed slightly hunched over as he began to rise from his knees, Zack resting across his upper back. An involuntary cry left Cloud's mouth as he felt every muscle in his body straining itself to the tearing point. Once standing, it took whatever reserves of energy he had deep inside him to make himself move forward.

Once in motion, he felt his body begin to go slightly numb once again. He welcomed it. He tried not to think of anything, to not dwell on any of his anxious wonderings. To not worry about where exactly he was going to get help for Zack. There would be a way. And Zack would be okay. And once he was awake again, he would make everything else okay as well…cause that's what Zack was good at…