Second Chance

Preparation

Shinra had once been the planet's primary provider of Mako power for almost a decade. Stationed in Midgar, once the most technologically advanced location ever constructed on Gaia, it provided the rest of the planet with energy, weapons, and much more. Now, it's nothing more but ruins and a painful reminder of what power can inflict on weak and greedy minds. It, along with the rest of Midgar, is nothing more than a soon-to-be-forgotten chapter of Gaia's ever-growing history.

Within Shinra's broken-down structure, Zack exhaustingly climbed its many unstable staircases while carrying his unconscious partner on his back. It had been long since he was this active, so his ascending was too slow for his comfort. Either way, there was no other option to get up the top floors, so he had to make do with the exercise. His goal for scaling broken staircases and avoiding rubble and debris is to get to the SOLDIER floor. The floor was where SOLDIER operatives not only gathered to rest or train but also to receive new weaponry and supplies for their missions. He did try the supply shop on the second floor of the reception hall, but it was buried under a large amount of rubble; it would take too long to dig it out. So his best option, although a few floors up, was the SOLDIER floor.

He tried his best to avoid monster confrontation as much as possible due to him being handicapped at the moment. One of his handicaps was the rusted metal pipe securely strapped to the belt around his abdomen. The pipe in question was fully rusted; sure, he could hit with it, but it wouldn't last long in a fight. His second handicap, and the biggest reason he was being extra careful, was the unconscious Aerith resting soundly on his back.

He was utterly shocked when he saw her in that Mako chamber a while ago. Finally, the person he wanted to see the most and thought to have missed his chance years ago was right in front of him. She has aged well, looking slightly different from how he remembers her. She was a bit older and mature looking, but her signature smile and soft facial expression were still as adorable and beautiful as he remembers. And to top it all off, she was wearing a pink dress! She considered his idea after all. He smiled this whole time after seeing her, but then he frowned, realizing something terrible. Why was she here? What was the experiment they wanted her for?

The thought loomed over him; He was used in some experiment that much was a given, but then she was also in the same lab, which meant that she was involved in the same experimentations as himself. What kind of experiments were they? What was possibly done to them? Unfortunately, no one conducting the experiments was around to answer him, nor was the project report available. So, for now, there was no point in thinking about it. His priority now was to get out of these damaged and Mako-drenched clothes, get some supplies and equipment and leave this place as fast as he could. Who knows what dangerous rogue experiment could have gotten loose in a place like this.

Stepping into the 49th floor, he breathed a sigh of relief; he finally made it to the SOLDIER floor after endless hours. His feet throbbing, he carefully leaned Aerith on the wall beside the door leading back to the staircase, then sat himself down on the floor beside her catching his breath.

"I need to get back into shape after all this, don't you agree, Aerith?" He glanced towards her side with a chuckle. This journey was starting to get very similar to the one with Cloud. Only, on this journey, the destination was Edge, and his travel buddy was Aerith. He looked away from her and stared into the Midday sky beyond the broken windows.

"The sky actually looks clear today. Last time I saw it I remember how dark and cloudy it looked. It was raining too. Aerith, I know you wrote that it was over between us, but if I could... I want to try again, I want to make 'us' work. If you'd let me, then I promise you that I'll do better."

His intense hearing picked up on an echoing sound of grunts and steps somewhere in the area. They weren't alone. He slowly reached towards his belt and took out the rusted pipe while determining where the source was. They needed to move to a safer spot; being out in the open was not a good idea. He quickly picked Aerith up and made a beeline to the briefing room's antechamber. Thankfully, the threat wasn't anywhere near that location yet.