EDIT 9/14/09: I changed the prologue a bit because I thought the original one didn't do what I wanted it to do. I like this one better because it has a sort of metafictional undertone to it. And yes, that would be the former English major in me speaking. A normal update should be following some time soon.

A/N: Hello dearies. And so I make my return with a rather ambitious project. I suppose I'd consider this a quasi-rewrite of the Final Fantasy 7 game with many many changes. I have great aspirations for this one; then again, so did I with my other ones too. Again, just to reiterate, I don't believe in giving up on my fics, but I do believe in long absences, for which I apologize profusely. In the meantime, enjoy another concoction of the strange workings of my mind.

Disclaimer: This applies to this whole story. Final Fantasy 7 and all related materials are property of Square Enix.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Prologue

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.

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This is more than a game I play.

There are no restarts when we mess up.

There is no clear path or destination we must reach.

There is no evil we must face but ourselves.

There is no assurance that the world revolves around our actions.

There is no world for us to be the heroes of.

Life is not a movie made for us.

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.

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Blink.

Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing here?

Blink.

Stop. Don't panic. Think this through. My name. What's my name?

Blink.

Cl—

Blink.

Zack. Zack Fair. My name is Zack Fair. What do I do?

Blink.

SOLDIER. I'm a member of SOLDIER, first-class.

Blink.

No. I was a member of SOLDIER. I'm not part of SOLDIER anymore. I no longer have any affiliation with Shinra. So what am I?

Blink.

A mercenary. I'm a mercenary. I'm a mercenary who's being hunted down by Shinra. Where am I now?

Blink.

Avalanche. I'm working for a resistance group called Avalanche. I blacked out? I don't know. Don't remember.

Blink.

Doesn't matter. Just remember. Remember who you are. I am Zack Fair, ex-SOLDIER, a mercenary. This is who I am.

Blink.

Remember.