inhabitants of the city that the newly rebuilt company had simply decided to leave their home the hell alone.
The coastline had become much more enjoyable without patrolling Shinra issue guards and a massive cannon
sticking out of the center of it, and after they had cleared the rubble that was left of some of the Shinra
offices everything had pretty much settled into an enjoyable, if not just a little dull, state.
Which is why it was fairly reasonable for the precense of a man in a long white coat with spikey blonde hair,
and a hard cut Gonganan with a massive sword to cause a bit of a stir amid the local townspeople.
Zack and Rufus were well aware that they were being watched with less than welcoming gazes as they
walked slowly down the main street of Junon. They would have taken any other, more secluded route if it
had been possible, but the only elevator in existence that could take them down to the underwater Mako
Reactor could only be accessed by going down the exact center of the town, and thus they simply decided to
be as inconspicuos as possible. Due to the growing crowd watching their progress, they had apparently
failed in that regard.
The elevator was one of the few things that had been left undisturbed in the almost riotous destruction of all
things related to Shinra in the last year or so, if only because no one was sure what would come up from
below if they got rid of the barrier seperating them from it. This only added to the mounting worry of the
villagers as Zack and Rufus approached the elevator without caution, and calmly pressed a button on the
side that was marked ‘down.’
Rusted with infrequent usage, the doors stuck for a few seconds before opening, which they finally did with
a small ding. The two men glanced inside, and then went to step in- before doing a sharp double take.
Standing in the elevator, looking quite surprised himself, was a middle aged man with a face full of stubble
and a rather wrinkeled blue uniform on. His eyes went straight to Rufus, and widened.
“Mr. President!” he sputtered, and snapped to attention, raising his hand in a sloppy salute. Rufus heard a
gasp behind him, far to the right, and quickly darted into the elevator, yanking Zack behind him, and shut the
door. The Shinra guard seemed quite taken aback by this, but didnt drop his rigid pose until Rufus absently
gestured for him to do so, running a hand back through his hair.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, rather unlike the president that the guard had been used to
serving.
“Uh... my duty, sir!” said the guard, sounding quite pleased with himself, apparently figuring he had come up
with the perfect answer to this question. When Rufus’ disbelieving gaze locked in on him, he instantly
realized that this was not so, and chose to elaborate on what he had said. “Um, I was ordered to watch this
elevator and regulate who was allowed in until relieved by a fellow officer, sir!”
“You mean to tell me...” Rufus said slowly, “youve been on duty for over a year now? How have you
survived?”
In answer, the guard merely looked to the left, where a inclove room had been built into the wall. It seemed
to contain very little, just a bed, a few piles of clothes, and several hundred stacked cans of freeze dried
food. The whole thing seemed very unkempt, which was slightly understandable, as it appeared the man had
only brought about a weeks worth of clothing anyway. Rufus looked at him with a sort of pitying
admiration. “Soldier,” he said simply, “you are relieved.”
The mans face lit up, but he didnt respond and give Rufus time to take back his order. Instead, he saluted
smartly, wisely chose to ignore the ratty clothes he had in his little apartment, and opened the door to leave.
Right before he exited, Rufus put his hand on his arm, and the man looked back at him in surprise.
“Remember,” Rufus said firmly, and Zack noticed that flickers of old coldness had swept back into his voice
as easily as most people turn on a faucet, “this never happened.”
“Classified, right,” the man nodded happily, and left as quickly as he could. Zack shut the doors behind him,
and pulled the lever that would maneuver the elevator downward,all the while giving Rufus an odd look.
Eventually, even the president couldnt pretend he didnt notice, and sighed with exasperation.
“What?” he snapped.
“Nothing...” Zack said with a shrug. “Was it just me, or were you actually nice to that guy?”
Rufus gave him a cold stare, and seemed to be thinking of the most appropriate response. “Weve been going
down for about two minutes,” he said finally, “there is now roughly a hundred feet of water above us on
every single side.”
An involuntary shudder ran through Zack, who glared angrily at Rufus. “Was that really necessary?” he
snapped, leaning back hard against the steel wall of the elvator and beginning to take deep breaths. Suddenly
the earlier chiding words of Rufus didnt seem worth it to dispell by coming down here. Water was... an
incredibly stupid concoction. If it wasnt for the fact that we needed to drink it to live, Zack probably would
have started some sort of movement to simply boil the oceans away and give us a hell of a lot more land to
walk around on. And imagine all the pre-cooked fish.
The trip down was incredibly long, even longer than Rufus had anticipated. Of course, very few people
assumed that this elevator even went all the way down to the mako reactor- or could manage the trip- but it
did and it could, though it took years of research to design and build a protype that could stand the pressure.
In the end though, it simply hadnt been cost effective to send a submarine every time someone needed to
make a routine check up, especially when the damn things kept getting high jacked by random do gooder
terrorist groups.
Even with the state of the art technology employed by the elevator, the two men inside couldnt even pretend
not to notice the random squeak or groan that emitted on the trip downwards. Zack in particular was in the
need of something hed never really valued before, even though most of the other Soldiers seemed to base
their lives on it- an incredibly stiff drink. Monsters didnt scare Zack, you had a chance against monsters. He
had a sword, and he had muscles, and if the thing ate him then it was his own damn fault. But water... you
cant fight a tidal wave, and its not like any skill under god would let you swim thousands of feet straight up
without taking a breath. It was just... wrong.
The doors opened much with the same ding they had opened, but the sound held a very different meaning
for Zack. When the doors opened, he expected to see glass walls, and thousands of tons of water all around,
ready to snap in and bury him, to be discovered hundreds of years later and quickly put in whatever sort of
book existed that listed some of the most unavoidable deaths ever. Instead he saw...
...nothing.
“Fuck,” Rufus muttered angirly beside him, peering out in vain into the darkness. “Someone killed the lights.
Well have to try to do this in the dark.”
Zack looked over at him in horror. “Is that even possible?” he asked.
“Not really.” Rufus said, and shrugged. “But at least you wont die by drowning anymore, youll just die by
walking right into an exposed wire or something.” Rufus glanced over to see what kind of effect his words
had caused on his travelling companion, and his eyes widened.
“Uh... Zack?” he muttered.
“What?” Zack snapped, looking around in a sort of sustained panic.
“Why is your sword glowing?” Rufus asked.
“Huh?” Zack quickly ripped his long buster sword from its sheath on its back, and discovered that it did
indeed seem to be emitting some sort of light. Nothing like a flashlight, a lamp, or even a torch, but a dull
flickering glow, that allowed him to see at least four feet in any direction. Though inexplicable, it was a mild
comfort to know he had it. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “And I don’t really care.”
Taking a deep breath, the ex Soldier stepped out of the elvator, feet clanging on the hard metal ground of
the mako reactor. Shrugging his shoulders, Rufus also stepped out, staying close enough that he could
utilize the light offered by Zack’s weapon. “Im fairly sure we just go straight ahead,” he offered, feeling
quite useless because thats the way they had begun to walk anyway. Zack, however, didnt seem to be
listening.
“Do you see that?” he asked slowly.
Rufus shot him a look. “If youre referring the endless stretch of blackness, then yes, I absolutely do.”
“No,” Zack growled, pointing his sword off to the side of the path. The light cast a bit further than it had
before, and in the slightly illuminated area he was pointing out, shadows were dancing a little too actively for
Rufus’ tastes. “That. What the hell is it?”
“Not sure...” Rufus said quietly, and calmly pulled his shotgun out from under his coat. He pumped two
shells into the champer, clicked off the safety, and easily aimed into the center of the area where the shadows
were moving. Surprised, Zack smacked his gun barrel down.
“What the hell are you doing!?” he asked.
Rufus glared at him. “Shooting it,” he said cooly, “obviously.”
“You don’t even know what it is!” Zack retorted harshly, keeping his hand on the top of Rufus’ gun to keep
it down as he peered closer, trying to see what shape the shadows were coming off of. “It looks like a dog!”
With a snort, Rufus relented, and let his gun go limp in his grip. Satisfied, Zack released it, but kept a
watchful eyeon his partner as he muttered something about no dog being able to survive down here. Not
entirely encouraged by his words, but resolute to discover what the creature was, Zack began to take a few
steps forward towards it, and for the first time Rufus did not follow to stay inside the light. The orb of
visibility widened, bringing for a few seconds the features of the animal in the corner-
-it was a dog.
“See!?” Zack said calmly, turning around to shoot Rufus a smug look. To his horror, the president had
raised his shotgun again, and before Zack could voice a protest he fired once with both barrels, and a pitiful
whine that was suddenly silenced was all the indication Zack needed that the man had been on his mark. He
didnt even turn around, disgusted at what he might see, and instead rounded angrily on Rufus.
“What the hell is wrong with you!?” he cried, throwing his hands up. The light went with the sword, of
course, casting them into darkness, and when Zack lowered the weapon Rufus still hadnt spoken, but was
merely pointing at the still form of the animal. He walked straight up to it and knelt down, and Zack placed
his sword down beside its limp body to get a better view. The fur on its flank was matted and blood stained,
and dancing around its muzzle was thick, creamy foam. Zack looked back to Rufus in surprise.
“Rabid.” Rufus said simply, turning his head to the side to crack a stiff joint in his neck. “And about a half
second from ripping your spine out when you turned around.” Without waiting for Zack to say anything, or
even to see if he followed with the light source, Rufus rose and trudged resolutely down the way they had
already been going, but Zack noticed he didnt replace his weapon in its holster.
With a sudden burst of speed the Gonganan caught up to him, and held the light a little closer to Rufus than
himself in gratitute. “Hey man,” he said, “I didnt know. Thanks.”
The look Rufus shot him over his shoulder was unbelievably cold, and a sneer played acrost the mans lips.
“Im beginning to realize,” he said slowly, “how a group of misfits managed to infiltrate my buildings and
sabotage my operations over and over again. Apparently all it takes to be a Solider is a layer or two of
muscle, and absolutely no grasp of the real world in their heads.”
Zack’s eyes suddenly unfocused, staring back over his companion’s shoulder. “Uh, Rufus...”
“What?” The president snapped, “more dogs youd like to go pet?”
“...not exactly...” Zack muttered, seized ahold of Rufus’ arm, and with one hard thrust dove to the side and
spun the president out of the way of a brilliant flash of energy that struck the floor in a minor explosion,
temporarily lighting up the room. They seemed to have walked into a sort of office, what Zack had assumed
was only a wider branch of the hallway, and it formed a veritable maze of desk, chairs, and tables.
Ironically, it was only when the darkness retook, could they truly appreciate what was looming behind them.
It appeared as if someone had shaved a gorrila, given it a few packs of steroids and some growth
enhancements, and then force fed it napalm for a few weeks. The very skin of the creature seemed to glow
and flicker with flames, that spread through its entire body, outlining its veins, bones, and nerves, and
focused in a flat, featureless face, which sported only a gaping angry maw from which the enrgy had
spawned. As Rufus and Zack lay, staring at it in shock, it reared back and fired again, managing to miss a
second time, whizzing over their heads and striking a stack of wooden crates, lighting them instantly ablaze.
Slipping a little on the wet metal floor, Rufus and Zack darted to one side and slid behind an upturned table,
now visible thanks to the raging flames. Under the temporary protection, Zack shot Rufus an incredulous
look. “What the hell is that!?” he said frantically.
Rufus shrugged, worried despite his calm facade. “Mako mutation,” he said quietly, as he once again slid
shells into his shotgun with shaking hands. While what he had said wasnt entirely correct, it had to have been
close enough. Just about a week before his untimely death, there had been reports of three men falling into
one of the reactors ultra hot valves, and the end result was most likely what was currently trying to light
Rufus up like a Christmas tree. He just hoped the other two had done the polite thing in such a situation and
simply died.
This time when Rufus rose up with his shotgun forward, Zack made no pretense of not wanting him to
shoot- thus, of course, shooting is just what Rufus did not do. What he did was fall forward into a speedy
summersault roll to avoid a high shot ball of fire, and then came up and emptied both barrels into the
creature in front of him. The scattered shells hit it in both sides of the chest, and blew easily out the back,
streaming smoke.
The creature didnt even blink.
‘Shit’, thought Rufus idly, as he was forced to run straight *at* the creature to avoid the fireballs it was
launching right over the back of his head, where they promptly licked at the heels of his feet and began to
melt the soles of the new shoes he’d picked up from Aeris. ‘Shit, shit, shit... what is it with me and fire?’
With a final burst of speed, Rufus came right up in front of the creature, and feeling the unbearable heat
radiate off it, rolled to the left, just in time to clear the way as Zack leapt forward and swung his sword
uppercut style, where it pierced the creature mid belly, sunk deeper as it arced up, cleaving chest, jaw, head,
and coming out the top in a flaming arc. For a moment it looked like the creature was indeed going to split
in twain, but after a moment of hesitation, the two halves slapped back together, and apparently bonded
back in the flame, remained that way.
For a moment, Zack stared at what used to be his sword. It was charred, black, and twisted, the glow
extinguished, and he threw the now useless thing to one side and his body to the other to avoid yet another
ball of fire coming his way. As tough as this thing seemed to be, it sure had bad aim, which was something
of which Zack was eternally grateful. A pair of gun shots rang out behind him as Rufus once again tried his
luck in shooting the thing- something that seemed exceedingly foolish to Zack, who failed to realize that the
glass the structure was made of was strong enough to take a shot from most rockets, let alone a spray of
bullets.
Of course, an idea came to him suddenly, that maybe the walls cracking a bit would be one of the best things
that could possibly happen.
Vision aided by the now quite prevelant fires throughout the room, it didnt take Zack long to find what he
was looking for- a pipe. Underwater or not, this place would need plumbing, and the Soldier took a moment
to thank god that Shinra hadnt been one for flashy details, such as ceilings. Now he just needed something to
bust it with...
Zack froze in sudden shock as a scream of pain rang out, and he whirled on his heel. The fiery thing had
managed to maneuver Rufus into a corner, and from the way the president was clutching his left forearm
tightly and had a look of extreme anguish on his face, Zack realized that the creature’s aim was getting
decidedly better. Lining up a desk in the corner of the room, the soldier charged at it, snatched up the chair
that lay on its side, and leapt on top of it, bringing the chair over his head in an incredible arc. He felt steel
ring against steel, and with the feeling of a bat smacking a baseball, he felt the pipe give way.
Instantly a cascade of water rained down upon his head, soaking him, the desk, the chair, and pretty much
anything that happened to be in the vincinity of the desk, the chair, and him. Hoping the test his theory, Zack
reared back and let the chair fly, tossing it into the back of the flaming creatures head. Though it seemed to
do very little physical damage, a sizzling sound was heard as the damp object passed through the being, and
it let out a gutteral growl, turning angrily towards Zack.
“Ah.” Zack said, realizing suddenly that his plan might not have been the best after all. For the first time
seeming focused on something, the creature didnt even bother with a fireball, and instead charged him much
in the manner a linebacker charges a quarterback who is fumbling blindly for a loose ball on the ground.
Zack steadied himself for an extremely painful impact, watching the blur of red coming through water
blinded eyes, which he promptly closed as the creature leapt, arms out reached, for his throat.
He heard the sound that he imagined an entire chorus of snakes would make if they had suddenly been
struck in the back with a shovel, and a torrent of steaming water struck him in the face, causing him to ball
back, shielding his eyes from damage. He succeeded in that aspect, and opened them whole and undamaged,
to see...
...absolutely nothing at all. The creature, whatever the hell it had been, had apparently dissapeared in a sort
of frenzied suicide, killing itself in its attempt to leap through the virtual waterfall. Chest heaving in pain,
Zack rolled off the desk and hit the ground with a thud that seemed to remind him of a job well done.
Slowly, he got to his feet, and saw Rufus crouched a few feet from him, staring distastefully at a cluster of
dark brown skin that had formed due to the burn to his arm.
“Im starting to realize,” Zack said quietly, but with extreme relish, “how a group of misfits constantly
infiltrated your buildings and sabotaged your operations. Your leader thinks he can use fire arms to fight
actual fire.”
Rufus snorted and shot him a glare, but there was little malice behind it. Instead, in a deep set way, Zack
was startled to see fear. “You do know,” Rufus said slowly, picking himself up gingerly. “That this is an
underwater facility? No openings, no doors, no windows...”
“So?” Zack asked, dissapointed Rufus hadnt tried to sting him back.
But the president was preoccupied, watching the water pour from the broken pipe in incredible amounts.
“No drains,” he said simply, and then looked down, where the water was already forming a thin layer of
dampness over the entire floor. Inadvertantly, Zack had just given them a very strict dead line to get out of
here, because it wouldn’t be too long before the water that was being siphoned into the room would spread,
and if given enough time, rise to the ceiling.
This all came to the Gonganan in one impactful, sickening moment, and he reeled. “Oh.” Was all he could
think of to say, before promptly turning to the side and throwing up.
In the dying remains of the fire, hed seen exactly what he dreaded- tons of water pressing in on them from all
sides through thick glass walls. At least, what had seemed to be in all directions. Now, with hydration rising
steadily from the floor, was it truly closing in at every angle possible.
Zack took a moment to collect himself, and then retched again.
[A/N: Im not much one for Author’s Notes myself, I think their presumptuos methods for ass holes to get
props for things they are doing about 85% of the time, or begs for compliments, reviews, or what the hell
ever. This is more like a recognition of my failures, as Im not much one for writing action scenes (or, as my
naysayers would comment, for writing anything at all). Hopefully I will be able to over come this, as this will
very much so be one of those stories that climaxes in a clusterfuck of fighting. I apologize if this puts you
off, but hey, thats just me.]
Chapter 15
Turk Wars