DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Final Fantasy VII or any of it's characters. All I own are the plot and my OC's.

YumiStar, once again, your review made my laugh. I greatly appreciate it.

Once again, Imma ramble on about how if you go to my tumblr mystorystar you will find some art, concepts, updates, headcannons, blah, blah, blah...

Anyhoo, enough from me. Enjoy the story!

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Better Run, Better Run

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" Zack furiously repeated as they ran full speed to nowhere in particular. He honestly didn't care where they were going just as long as it was away from Reno and his band of merry men. Or not so merry. Considering how much grunt work infantrymen tended to get, it was probably the later. He was forced to slam on brakes as they rounded a corner to find themselves faced by a chain link fence suspended between the backs of a run down looking convince store and a smoke shop. He instinctively flung his arm in front of Cloud to keep him colliding into it.

Cloud skidded to a halt, bending at the knees as he slid under Zack's outstretched arm. He walked up to the fence and leaned heavily against it, clamping a hand over his mouth as a wave of nausea rushed through him. He was still a tad bit ill from the mako, thus causing his body to react negatively to his sudden fifteen minute sprint. He glanced back at Zack who stared at him in mild concern.

"I'm fine," he said after a few seconds, his stomach settling. He turned his back to the fence, sliding down it until he was sitting. He suppressed a shiver as the cold from the ground seeped into him. Zack slid down next to him, his sword clinking against the fence as he squatted. They shared a look and Cloud sighed. "That was most definitely the old Reno. That glint in his eye was undeniable," he stated, frowning.

Zack released a dry humorless chuckle. He knew exactly the glint Cloud was talking about. It was like that of a cat curiously pawing at a mouse before ultimately deciding to kill it.

He knew from interacting with a few deceased Turks in the Lifestream that some of them had planned on helping them if they got the chance, but despite it all, he just couldn't bring himself to trust the sly fuckers. He knew from experience that their helping hands would only be extended just as long as they themselves weren't threatened. All assistance would be immediately withdrawn at the first suspicious glance thrown their way. That was just how the Turks rolled.
"Yeah," Zack muttered, nodding. "I don't think it would be a good idea to trust him or the others. Cissnei, maybe, but most definitely not Reno."

The name rung a bell in the back of Cloud's head, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to match a face to it. "Cissnei?"

Zack glanced at his friend as it suddenly occurred to him that Cloud probably still had blank spots regarding certain memories. "You don't remember her?"

Cloud thought for a moment before shaking his head. "The name's familiar, but other than that, nothin'."

Zack hummed thoughtfully, the back of his head tapping against the fence causing it to rattle. "She has reddish hair, brown eyes, and fights with a big red shuriken. If I'm not mistaken, I think you actually saved her life once." He glanced at Cloud once more, feeling a slight bit disappointed at the lack of recognition on his face. "Still nothin'?"

"Mmhmm..."

"Well anyway, she's one of the only reasons we got away from Nibelheim and managed to avoid being recaptured," Zack explained, a ghost of a smile tracing his lips. It was true. She'd not only let them go on multiple occasions, but gave them her bike, which he may or may not have kicked a big ass dent into after it ran out of gas. In his defense, it had been a looooong day and getting stuck on the side of the road in ninety degree weather had been the last straw. "What the hell were they even doin' back there anyway? They couldn't have possibly known we'd be heading that way. Hell, they shouldn't even know we're in Midgar," He grumbled in slight frustration.

Cloud thought back on their encounter with Reno and the more he thought about it, the more it seemed as if he hadn't been waiting on them, that their crossing of paths was completely accidental. "I think it was a coincidence." Zack scoffed and Cloud shook his head. "No, Zack, I'm serious. They were looking for someone, but I don't think it was us. The Sector was on lockdown last night, quite possibly still is, because some nutjob went on a killing spree. There's actually a pretty good chance that's who they're after, not us."

Zack opened his mouth just to close it again. Cloud had a point. "Still, it would be a good idea to get the hell outta here before we run into more trouble."

Just as they stood up and started to leave, Zack heard the sound of someone removing the safety off of a gun. Him and Cloud both froze, turning slowly to find a crazed looking man sticking the barrel of a modified shotgun through the chain links, aiming it at Cloud. He was missing a few patches of hair, making Zack wonder if he'd been pulling it out himself, or had lost it some other way.

I just had to open my damn mouth, didn't I? Zack thought as he stared the man down, rising his hands above his head, his arms bent slightly. Cloud mirrored him. "Hey, now. We don't want any trouble. Just put the gun down and we'll be on our way."

"No! You'll tell them where I am! They'll take me back!"He screamed, panic flooding his features. His hands trembled as gripped the gun tighter. "I ain't going back there. I'd rather die first!"

"Go back where? I don't know what your talking about," Zack told him, though he had a horrible inkling as the where the man was referring to. I need to calm the crazy fucker down before he does somethin' stupid, Zack thought as he chanced a glance at Cloud. Apparently this was a bad call because the second he did, he saw a bullet rip through Cloud's side. Zack swore loudly before flinging himself over the fence and onto the man, ripping the gun from his slack grip by the barrel and hitting him upside the head so hard it snapped in half. It was only then that Zack noticed two things were off. For one, the gun was empty. No bullets, no shells, no anything. The second thing was that it was cold as ice, suggesting it hadn't been used in a while. But if he didn't shoot Cloud...

"Zack, Run!" Cloud yelled from where he was squatted on the other side of the fence, his hand pressed firmly just under his rib cage to try and stunt the bleeding. Zack turned away from him to find himself face to face with a Turk with spiky black hair, the tips alternating between an icy blue and a metallic purple, with a gun pointed at him. He fired twice, one shot hitting the man he'd taken down in the shoulder and the other embedding itself in Zack's right leg, causing it to give out and sending him plummeting to the ground.

The Turk, Allon, pulled his cell phone out and speed dialed Reno, informing him that he not only intercepted the first target, but the ones Hojo had been getting on their asses over as well. "I'm requesting that you send some soldiers to my position-" What kind of fuckin' accent even is that?! "-along with a vehicle to help transfer them back to labs."

Zack felt himself steadily growing more and more groggy by the second, which was strange seeing as he wasn't losing that much blood. He looked back at Cloud, the motion taking more effort than he would've liked to admit, only to find the blond collapsed on his side, his eyes glazing over as he fought to remain conscious. A low grow rumbled in Zack's throat as he heard Allon laugh, flipping his phone shut and returning it to his suit pocket.

"Getting sleepy, mon amie?" Allon asked, smirking at Zack as he crouched a few feet away from him.

"The fuh..." He swallowed before once again attempting to talk. "The fuck did you... did you do... to us?"

Allon looked up at nothing as he feigned a contemplative gaze. "Nothing much. Just laced my bullets with a bit of tranquilizant." Allon frowned suddenly as he found himself unable to properly translate that last part. "Errrr. What is it you call the medicine of sleep?"

Zack stared at him in confusion. By this point he could barely hold himself up, let alone translate whatever language Allon was speaking into proper english. His eyebrows knitted together as his arms went weak. He blacked out before he even hit the ground.

"Oh well. I guess I'll never know," Allon sighed as he stood and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He leaned against a building as he took a long drag, a bit of ash falling on his pant leg which he promptly dusted off. "Alouette, gentille alouette. Alouette, je te plumerai..."

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A/N: I do believe this is the longest chapter yet (cheers). I'd also like to inform you that Allon is, in case you haven't figured it out yet, french. I'd also like to point out what he says at the end is actually a children's song that literally translates into "Bird, gentle bird. Bird, I will pluck you." A bit dark, eh?

SPHIROTH: I like it ._.

A/N: Thank you. Anyhoo...

ALLON:(flicks cigarette) Review!