Chapter 1: Real Name

Black Shinra helicopter flew through the skies at top speed, as search for a missing SOLDIER and an infantryman continued. Turks knew they were running out of time. An entire army has been dispatched to eliminate their once teammates. If that army found their targets first…

'Needle in a haystack, yo' the red headed pilot frowned as his eyes combed the endless miles of featureless desert. Reno met that SOLDIER they were looking for – Zack - on quite a few occasions. They weren't close friends but it was hard not to like that man. Boundless enthusiasm, cheerful smile despite all the crap life dealt out to him, caring even for his enemies and always striving to become…what was it again?...oh yeah, a hero.

Sephiroth was a renowned hero, praised by the media for decades and looked up to by many cadets. Yet that same Sephiroth quit SOLDIER, burned down all of Nibelheim and went berserk.

What value did that title 'Hero' held now? Did Zack despise Shinra now, after being hunted down for over a year, or, despite all of that, is still following his dream?

Reno didn't know an answer to those questions, but that gave him a goal as well. He would ask Zack when they find him, in person.

'No mission is impossible…' pitched in Rude, to cheer up the fellow Turk and to reassure himself as well.

'…for the Turks! Yeah, yeah' Reno automatically completed one of the company's mottos, but a confident smirk found its way back on his face. No sense giving up, the mission would be completed no matter the cost.

Cissnei looked out of the window, feeling anxious. She held a box, containing 88 letters, the last Cetra, Aerith, wrote to Zack. Aerith was not informed of the status of either Zack or Cloud, as strictly speaking she was Shinra's prisoner and as such not included in the information network. However, Aerith could speak directly to the Planet and even though that information was vague, she probably knew more than she let on.

Cissnei sighed. Planet. That word always reminded her of extremists that claimed Shinra was destroying it by using mako and draining it of its lifesource. She didn't know if that was true or not, and it wasn't her job to think about those things.

Glancing back from the box to the window, she remembered the promise she made to Tseng. To save Zack. She liked Zack, but kept that interest to herself, it wasn't part of her job either. However, he was in danger and there was a real chance army would get to him before they do. In which case he would die without knowing that Cissnei was just an alias. And that didn't sit right with her.

Hurry up. Please, hurry

/

His whole body hurt, a constant severe pain, which up until now was too strong for him to regain consciousness. Cloud blinked, wincing as the light flooded his senses. But he was also aware of something else besides that. Zack, his best friend, was there. He seemed to recall Zack was there for a long time. He remembered fighting Sephiroth, the rage that filled him at the sight of both Tifa and Zack hurt by the monster he used to look up to. He remembered the searing pain from Masamune sword as it delivered a nearly fatal blow. He remembered coming back out to check on Zack and Tifa, after defeating Sephiroth somehow. But that's when the memory stopped and anything after that was a thick haze.

Zack was leaving. And wherever he was going felt dangerous.

Cloud blinked again, opening his eyes wider to make sure this wasn't an illusion. He reached out to stop his friend. He had to warn him.

There wasn't enough strength left. Dammit.

Cloud was forcing himself to wake up, to summon enough energy to stop this nightmare. Familiar battle sounds were going off in the distance, shots, artillery whistles and metal clashing against metal. Was it coming from the direction where Zack headed to?

Cloud could now see he was in some sort of desert, propped against a large rock. It was hot and his head was throbbing as if it was hit by a truck. He felt sick to his stomach and exhaustion was unbelievable. It took everything he had just to keep his eyes open but that wasn't good enough. He had to go, follow Zack. To stop him.

Weakly he started crawling, dragging his heavy body across the ground. He noticed as a passing thought he was wearing Soldier 1st class uniform. But wasn't he just an infantryman? He never made Soldier, right?

He continued for what seemed like an eternity, move inch by inch. The battle sounds were getting quieter and there were fewer and fewer.

The air suddenly got filled with a roar of helicopters passing close overhead. There were two, both carrying Shinra emblems on them. Both landed just over the hill.

Cloud saw Zack on the edge of the cliff next to that hill, with his uniform battered and face bloodied, struggling to keep the heavy sword from slipping out of his hands. Bodies of infantry littered the place, along with empty shells and discarded weapons.

Three more infantry soldiers exited the helicopter, guns drawn and headed towards Zack.

No stop! Don't shoot!

'STOP! DON'T SHOOT' People in black suits filed out of the second helicopter. 'I REPEAT, STOP YOUR FIRE!'

Army men paused and got quickly surrounded by Shinra's special force. As others sorted out orders and legalities, Reno, Rude and Cissnei ran towards the Soldier that struggled to stay on his feet.

'Zack? Woah man, you sure don't hold back. Thanks to all that though, we managed to find you. You…holding in there?' asked Reno.

Zack nodded weakly with a smile. He couldn't trust the Turks, but at this point he didn't have the strength to do otherwise.

'C..Cloud?' Zack's consciousness was fading away, so he only had enough strength to say the important things.

'Strife? Where is he yo? Wasn't he with you?' Reno looked around the battlefield, searching for the man.

Zack winced and shook his head, even though that motion sent waves of pain throughout. What if unthinkable happened? What if army found him somehow?

'Oh! I see him! Yo Rude!...'

Zack glanced where Reno was looking, and saw that Cloud was alive. Before Zack knew it the world went dark and he collapsed.