A/N. I got this idea a short while back. Any comments on how good or bad it is will be welcome.

I do not own FFVII, but I want to.

Tales of the Forgotten

Chapter One

Twenty-odd years after Kadaj and his gang brought Sephiroth back and tried to destroy the planet, the world once again faced a crisis. But this was one where no heroes rose to save the populace. This crisis sunk entire continents below the oceans, cities with everyone in them were simply wiped out of existance by the use of terrible weapons. But this crisis hadn't originated with Jenova and her spwans, but with the dwellers of the planet themselves.

The new Shinra company, named the Shinro Organization, returned to harvesting Mako as their primary power source. They said it would only be temperary, that as soon as an abundant source of energy cold be found they would abandon using the planets life energy immediately. But no effort was put into looking for another source. The planet began dying again. A new resistance group rose to defend the planet, calling themselves The Saviors. Like Avalanche, they resorted to blowing up Mako reactors, making sure no one got hurt. But when Shinro began catching members of the resistance and executing them, the leader of the Saviors responded likewise, targeting barracks and public places. This soon lead to a full out war.

No one remembered exactly how, but a new technology was born during this crisis, one which focus was destruction. Shinro, lead by president Gerald, son of Rufus, used his new toy to blow up Edge in an effort to wipe out the rebels in one blow. But it didn't work. The resistance got a hold of the science of the new weapon and improved on it, blowing up the new capital city Solace. Eight millions innocent people died within a week, and more followed over the years. A decade later, both sides fractured due to internal conflicts, and now dozens of groups were fighting each other simply for survival.

One day, two members of the original resistance raced in their vechicles down a worn out, abandoned highway leading into Midgar. The couple were a man and a woman, he in a battle weary car, she on a thrity year old motorcycle. They were being pursued by a group of at least three vechicles.

"Any indication as to whether they are friendlies?" The man asked through his helmet radio.

The woman turned her head as far as possible before answering. "Not a clue. But it doesn't matter. Odds are they'll kill us for our fuel."

"We can't let them follow us into Midgar. We'll have to lose them." His hand went for a particualry large shotgun at his side.

"I'll take care of the first two." She said.

"Wait! Don't-"

But before the man could finish, the woman had already spun the motorcycle around. Her right hand went fot the hilt of a large katana strapped to her back. The first enemy car, catching sight of her, opened fire. She would've deflected the bullets, but they had terrible aim. Adjusting at the last second so as not to crash into them, she swung the sword at the windshield, and nearly cut the entire hood clean off.

The second swerved to avoid her, but she pulled out a heavy hand gun strapped to her thigh and blew out its tires. The third slammed its brakes and three leather clad men stepped out of the car. But her friend had turned around by this time and was shooting at them. The three guys jumped back in and sped off back to where they came. The young, dark haired, removed her helmet and gave her partner a wide smile, that is until he aimed his rifle at her and pulled the trigger. She froze at the sound of the firing bullet. A man behind her gave a quick cry as he was hit just before he was able to take a stab at the long-haired woman. Looking down at her attacker she realized he had been one of the drivers of the cars she destroyed. The others were getting out of their wrecked cars, armed with chains, bats, knives and guns.

The man and woman got back to back, weapons ready.

"I told you to wait." The man said, his helmet still on.

She beat her long, dark lashes at him innocently. "Oh? I didn't hear you."

Three minutes later the fight was over and they were off again.

Midgar had only gotten worse over the years. Many battles were fought there, some important, others not so much. Most of the buildings that survived the intial crisis with Meteor now laid in huge heaps of ruins. Most of the plate was rusted away now, the mako canon having fallen apart years ago. Only what laid underground remained more or less intact. The man parked his vehicle in front of an underground entrance, one that had originally been concealed during a time which was now named the Sephiroth Age. Now it laid open, like a large, gaping mouth leading to a dark underworld. He walked in without hesitation, she didn't feel the same about it.

"No."

He turned around, his helmet still on, masking his voice. "What is it?"

"You didn't think I'd remember, did you? This place is forbidden, no one can ever go in."

"Supersition."

"It's not when what lays inside there can kill the entire planet!"

The man sighed, reaching both hands up to his face and removed his helmet. His curly brown hair was matted down to his head and his thick goatee was heavy dark with his sweat.

"Marlene," he said calmly, "this has to be done."

"No Denzel, it doesn't. It's not worth the risk. Not even close."

"Well, you don't have to come. Stay here, do nothing as everything crumbles apart like our lives did. We have to act for the greater good…now."

"Not matter the cost?" Marlene asked, her grown up face hard with conflicting emotions.

The man who had once been sick with geostigma as a child looked at her in the eyes. "You've always trusted me. Why can't you do do now?"

Taking a step forward, Marlene pointed her finger at him. "Because over the last few years you went from a leader with principles to a man I barely know. Ever morning I wake up wondering who is that person lying next to me. I…don't have faith anymore, Denzel…in anyone."

Denzel's gaze fell downward. Her words had hit hard, much more than he thought they would. But he couldn't give way to self doubt, not at a time like this.

"Listen Marlene," he began, looking up at her.

But she wasn't listening. Marlene was looking down at her chest, a inch hole in her shirt, from which blood was seeping out of her body. She looked at him, her face pale.

"Denzel…" she whispered.

At that moment he realized a gunshot had gone off.

"NNOOOO!!!" Denzel roared, sprinting to catch her as she fell.

One of the surviving drivers had followed them more discreetly than he and his friends had before, wanting to avenge his fallen comrades. He quickly reajusted his rifle to shoot Denzel, but the latter managed to pull out his shotgun and fired first. When the forty year old man looked down at his childhood friend and soulmate, he could see it in her glazed eyes she was dead.

The last time Denzel had cried was over thirty years before that day. It had been a time that was so hard he never had any more tears to give. Not even the sight of Marlene's lifeless body made his eyes moist. But he cradled her body for a long time, long after the sun had set. Some time that night he laid her down to rest, turned to the underground entrance and walked in. As he went deeper and further into the abyss, he began to speak out loud.

"I will change everything, Marlene. I'll save the planet from this crisis, I'll save all the friends we have ever lost, and I'll save our family…"

After what felt like an entire life span, Denzel found what he was looking for. And there in the darkness of the place once known as Deep Ground he made a solumn vow.

"And I'll start by killing Cloud Strife!"

A/N. Like the ending? I do. Thanks for reviewing.