THE STARLESS NIGHT
"Come with me."
Cloud looked up from the game of solitaire he was playing to see Merlot standing in the doorway of the room.
"Where are we going?" he questioned.
"I can't tell you yet."
Cloud swept up the cards and placed them on the dresser, wondering what was going on. Merlot had never done anything like this before. In fact, they hadn't done anything since they had infiltrated the Shinra substation last week. He had thought that would finally get things moving, but Merlot hadn't spoken to him about the Nighthawks at all since then. Now he was starting to think that this spy stuff was overrated. Most of his time since he had arrived here had been spent playing solitaire, bored out of his mind. He looked at Merlot's face, trying to read his expression, but he didn't get anything from it. His first thought was that they had found out about him somehow. Perhaps he had done something to give himself away on the last mission, perhaps they had found out he hadn't killed that guard they ran into. It was funny, every day was boring as hell and yet still filled with tension. He was never sure that he was safe, never sure that something might have happened to give him away, never sure when they might come for him. Had it finally happened?
He walked over to the closet and picked up his sword, which had been leaning against the wall beside it. He glanced at Merlot again, but again there was no reaction. He realized he was being paranoid. There was no reason to think this was some kind of trap. He reviewed in his mind all that had gone on at the substation, and his cover story about why he hated Shinra and could find nothing that he had done wrong, or that would give him away. That didn't mean it hadn't happened, of course, but it was reassuring nonetheless.
Merlot waited patiently until he nodded that he was ready to go, then led out into the streets. It was only a little after seven, not that late, and the streets were far from empty. Merlot threaded his way cross-town, doubling back and taking them down blind alleys several times. Cloud kept his eyes open but saw no one following them, not that it mattered to him. Eventually they found themselves in front of what looked like an old abandoned house in an area of the slums even more run down than Cloud was used to.
Merlot took one last look up and down the road. Apparently satisfied, he walked up to the door of the building and pulled it open. It was dark inside. Cloud peered in from over his shoulder, but could see no sign of light or habitation. Merlot unhesitantly stepped inside, immediately becoming a barely discernable shadow. Suspicions aroused once more, Cloud hesitated to follow. If they were going to ambush him, this looked like the perfect place to do it.
"C'mon," came Merlot's disembodied voice.
Realizing that unsheathing his sword would make him look too suspicious he hesitated a moment more, then followed. The house was as dark as it looked from the outside, and all he could see after he stepped in was the outline of the door behind him. He heard Merlot's soft footsteps in front of him, but for a moment couldn't see the man at all. The open doorway did let a little light filter in from outside and after a moment his eyes began to adjust. He still couldn't see much, but it was enough to barely make out the dark form of the man in front of him and the deeper darkness of the walls around them.
Merlot led him straight across the room. Cloud followed slowly. The floor seemed to be littered with debris. He wasn't sure what it was, but he suspected it was bits of plaster from the walls. At least, that's what it seemed like. The crunch of it beneath his feet was the best indicator of Merlot's position.
Cloud had been trying not to fall too far behind, but was reluctant to go too quickly because of the unsure footing. He was only a few feet behind his companion, or so it seemed, it was hard to tell exactly in the dark, but suddenly the man vanished.
Cloud took a slow step forward. In front of him was a deeper darkness. It looked like the outline of a doorway. He could still hear Merlot, his footsteps plodding on, but the sound had changed, instead of the crunch of debris, it sounded more like a firmer tread on a wood floor. He wasn't sure exactly why, perhaps because of the way the footsteps echo had changed, but he thought Merlot was walking down a stairway.
"Watch your step," floated up to him, confirming his suspicion.
He reached the darkened frame that was the entrance to the stairway. Placing his hands on it he slid one foot forward until he felt the edge of the first step. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness now, and he could see well enough to make out shapes in the room he stood in, but try as he might, he could nothing down the steps except pitch blackness.
Merlot must have realized he had stopped, for his voice came out of the darkness again.
"C'mon, only a little farther to go."
Pushing aside his reluctance Cloud started down the stairs. He extended his arms, brushing his fingers on the walls on either side as he felt his way down. After nine steps, his foot his solid ground once more and the walls disappeared on either side of him.
He stared into the darkness, but could see absolutely nothing. He couldn't hear Merlot anymore and had no idea which direction the man had gone in. How the hell could he tell where he was going?
He heard another sound, off to his left. A door opened, and suddenly the room was filled with light.
There was another room beyond the door, and the source of the light was in there. It wasn't that bright, but still, after the complete darkness that had enveloped him until just a moment ago, it was almost blinding, and he had to blink his eyes several times to let them adjust.
Merlot had already entered the room, which seemed to be some kind of meeting place. As he stepped in he saw Mouse and Riley standing not far away, but there were several other people in the room that he had never seen before. He felt relief and also a little bit of excitement. It seemed unlikely it was an ambush now. No, instead it seemed like he had been invited to a meeting. Perhaps they were beginning to trust him after all.
"No problems getting here, I trust?"
A tall man, square jaw hidden beneath a beard of reddish hair leaned against a crate looking at the two newcomers. He wore the clothes of a workingman, nondescript navy blues. The kind you expect to see a nametag sown over the shirt pocket, though there was none there. Dark gray eyes peered at them from his craggy features, looking them over keenly. The others all seemed to be facing him. Was this finally the man Cloud had been looking for?
The man seemed as interested in him as he was in the man. Both of them stood there looking each other over.
"So you're Strife," he said slowly. "I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm afraid I can't say the same," Cloud replied.
"My name is Marcus," the man answered. "It's my little band of thieves you've been helping out."
Cloud nodded a greeting, making sure to keep his face expressionless, which was difficult considering the triumph he felt inside. Finally! It had been less than two months ago he had gone undercover. A combination of luck and desperation had conspired in his favor, but of course, he didn't know that. He had done remarkably well for himself to meet the boss this quickly, but it didn't feel that way to him. To him, it seemed like it had taken forever.
Cloud looked around.
"So to what do I owe the pleasure of our meeting?"
"I was just about to explain that," Marcus replied. The man stood up, crossing his arms, looking at everyone now, not just Cloud.
"We've suffered a few setbacks recently," he announced. "It seems that Shinra has taken notice of us and is tightening the screws. The two missions before our last one ended in ambushes. Fortunately, we escaped without anyone getting killed or caught, but it was obvious we were going to have to do something."
"I thought about closing us down, at least until things cooled down, but Shinra is keeping the pressure on. I'm sure you all know that half the sector has been blacked out the last few days. Shinra says it's temporary and they're doing their best to correct it, but they don't know how long it will last. We, however, all know the truth. There has been no loss of production nor increase in demand. Shinra is producing as much electricity as it had before the blackouts, they're just selling more to other cities to make a bigger profit."
"That leaves us in a bind. It's still cold out. Will be for a few months yet. People are not going to be able to survive without heat. So far, when the blackouts have occurred, we've been able to supply power to those without it. They need us, now more than ever. We can't afford to just shut down."
"Shinra knows that. In fact, I suspect that's what they're banking on. They might have even caused the blackouts just so we wouldn't stop, so we'd strike again and give them another chance to catch us. That might have worked, except we have something now that we didn't have before."
He turned and looked at Cloud again.
"Because of you our last attempt went off without a hitch."
You don't know how true that really is, Cloud thought.
"We're indebted to you," Marcus went on. "Everyone in this sector of the slums is indebted to you. Because of you, people who couldn't afford Shinra's rates will have heat."
Cloud inclined his head, feeling uncomfortable. If they only knew what he was really here for.
"But there is still a lot that must be done," Marcus continued. "We have some power from the substation, but of course, we can never tell how long it will last. Though Shinra's security has been lax in the past, we know they're after us and have to assume they'll be more vigilant. It's only a matter of time before they find our little wiring job and cut us off again. Which means we'll have to go in again, and each time we do the risks increase."
Marcus shoved his hands into his pockets.
"However, Strife has come up with a bold new plan."
He looked at Cloud again as he said this.
"He's suggested that we go after the source. That instead of wasting our time on substations we infiltrate a mako reactor and draw our power directly from there."
There were some raised eyebrows at this and a mummer of surprise. Marcus lifted his hands for silence.
"I know, I know, it seems insane. We've been having trouble getting into the substations and the security in the mako reactors is ten times as tight, but there are some factors in favor of the idea. One, they won't be expecting it. We've been hitting the substations all this time. There's no reason for them to think we've changed our method of operation. Two, we have someone from Soldier with us. Before he came here, I wouldn't even think about tackling a Mako reactor, but with his knowledge of Shinra and it's security procedures, I think we might have a chance."
His speech finally over, Marcus looked around for a response. He didn't have to wait long.
"We've never tackled anything like that before," one of the men Cloud didn't know spoke up. "Do you really think we can handle it?"
"Yes," Marcus replied simply.
"I think the whole idea is crazy," another spoke up bluntly. "Security at those mako reactors is tighter than a drum. Even with this Soldier character, I don't see much chance in this succeeding."
"You've always been a pessimist, Orlan," Merlot said. "We know we can't get much power out of the substations. We know Shinra is watching them now, so it makes perfect sense to strike in another direction, a direction they won't be expecting. I know it sounds crazy but maybe crazy is exactly what we need here. I think someone coming in here with some fresh ideas is just what the doctor ordered."
"Yeah, another direction is fine, but a mako reactor," Orlan replied, obviously not prepared to concede the point.
"Merlot is right," Marcus spoke up. "Someone coming in here with some new ideas is probably just what we needed. I know it's a risk, but isn't everything we've done a risk? We'd be bound to be caught if we kept going the way we were. It was either shut down or go in a different direction. I'm not willing to shut down, not now, not if there are any other options at all. Like I said, it's a risk, but the rewards are also great. Tapping directly into the mako reactor, we can deliver ten times as much power as we have been. With that kind of capacity no one in the entire sector would have to do without."
The others fell silent, pondering Marcus' words. Though some still had skeptical looks on their faces, it appeared their reservations weren't strong enough to voice.
"How do we know we can trust him?" the first man who had spoke up finally said.
Marcus rounded and looked at Cloud again. Not just casually looking him over this time but staring directly at him.
"That is the one key question, now isn't it?" he said after a moment.
He stood up, not taking his eyes off Cloud, who tried very hard to remain calm and expressionless and not let show on his face what he was feeling.
"I've had my people watching you, as you probably know," Marcus said. "Most of them seem to think you're on the level, enough to convince me to give you a chance. I'm putting the lives of everyone here on the line by bringing you here. I'm willing to risk it all. I just want you to answer one simple question."
He walked over until he stood right in front of Cloud, his dark gray eyes staring right into Cloud's face.
"Are you a spy?" Marcus asked.
Cloud didn't hesitate. He knew he had to answer, and he knew he couldn't wait. Marcus was testing him, perhaps believing that he wouldn't be able to stand face to face with the man and lie to him.
"No," Cloud said firmly, looking right at Marcus and hoping his expression didn't give away the sick feeling he had in his gut.
Marcus didn't reply, just stood there looking in his eyes. Cloud didn't dare to turn away, afraid to move, afraid to even breathe, afraid that any motion or flicker in his eyes would give him away in spite of his response.
Finally, after what seemed like the longest few seconds of Cloud's life, Marcus turned toward the others.
"Does anyone have anymore questions?"
No one replied.
"We'll be moving on the mako reactor in three days," Marcus announced. "Merlot and Strife will coordinate the infiltration and I'll be leading it when we go in. You're all here because you're the best team we've got. You all know what's at stake, let's make this a good one."
With that the meeting broke up, with everyone filing out into the darkness. Merlot slapped a hand on Cloud's back.
"Congratulations," he said. "Looks like you're one of us now, and we're going after the mako reactor."
Cloud nodded, not sure what to say. Not sure what he felt. He had done it. It had worked out even better than he had hoped. Not only had he met the man in charge, but he was going to be leading the mission on the reactor, just as Cloud had hoped. It was all working out perfectly.
He glanced back at Marcus, but the man was no longer looking at him. He had nearly died of a heart attack when Marcus had confronted him, had asked him if he was a spy. It appeared he had passed the test, but had he really? If he hadn't passed, if Marcus didn't believe him, would he have said something right then, or would he wait for a more opportune time? It had only been two months he had been working on this job, only two months undercover. When he had first been assigned this task he thought it would be exciting, but he was rapidly getting tired of not knowing who he could trust, who would believe him and who would not. The constant tension of not knowing if some innocent thing he had said or done had given him away; not knowing if the next knock on his door was by someone sent to kill him was starting to get to him. The sooner he was done with this assignment the better he would feel.
Still, he should be happy. It looked like he had been accepted. Their leader had revealed himself. It looked like this assignment was well on it's way toward completion.
"You look tired."
"I feel tired."
Zack looked at his friend. He didn't pretend to know what Cloud was going through. He had never been on an undercover assignment, but it seemed plain it was taking it's toll.
"But that's not important now," Cloud continued. They stood in the men's room of a small bar not too far from Merlot's house. They had come in at different times, and had already checked to make sure they were alone. "I met their leader. His name is Marcus. He bought into my story about infiltrating a mako reactor. It's set to go in three days time. Merlot and I are doing the planning. I'll let you know exactly what's happening when the time comes."
Zack didn't hide the fact that he was impressed.
"Damn, good work," he said. "You cracked the case in just over a month. I'll bet Sephiroth will be impressed."
"I hope so," Cloud responded. "I'm glad it went this quickly. This undercover thing is not all it's cracked up to be."
"Yeah, well, I'm not surprised," Zack said. "I'm sure there's a lot of pressure not knowing who your friends are."
"Yeah," Cloud said slowly.
They stood there in silence for a moment. Zack looked at his friend closely. It seemed like he had something more to say...
"Is there something else?" Zack prodded.
Cloud hesitated a moment more, then nodded.
"We were told these guys were saboteurs, right?"
Zack's brow furrowed.
"Yeah."
"You sure? That's what they said right? Saboteurs, not thieves?"
Zack tilted his head.
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm not sure Shinra told us the whole truth."
"What do you mean?"
Cloud hesitated again, looking at his friend. If what the Nighthawks had told him was true, if they were only stealing electricity, then someone in Shinra had lied to them, but where had that lie come from? Who knew about it? How far down the chain of command had it come? Was it only the Shinra executives who knew the truth? Or did it go farther than that? Did Sephiroth know? Did Zack? For all he knew, he might be the only one out of the loop on this.
Zack just returned his gaze, looking at him curiously. Cloud returned the look, then sighed. How long had he known Zack now? It seemed like they had been friends forever. Was this undercover thing making his suspicious of everyone?
"The Nighthawks have said and done some things that have raised some questions," he finally said.
"Questions? Questions about what?"
"I guess I might as well start at the beginning," Cloud said. He quickly went over the events that had taken place when he had broken into the substation with the Nighthawks, how they hadn't destroyed anything at all, had said they were not there for that, but instead to steal electricity. They weren't saboteurs, he had seen that with his own eyes. So why had Shinra told him they were?
"Stealing electricity?" Zack repeated. "Why?"
"Believe it or not, to give it to the poor. They feed it into the homes of people living in the slums who can't afford to pay."
Zack scratched his head, looking bewildered.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Cloud replied. "Like I said, I saw it with my own eyes."
"That's not what it said in the report at all," Zack said slowly.
"That's what I thought," Cloud replied.
"So what's it all supposed to mean, that Shinra is lying to us? Why?"
"I don't know," Cloud said slowly. "Do you think Sephiroth knows?"
"I don't know..I don't think so. No, why would he?" Zack gave a range of answers. "Why are you asking this? Does it matter? Even if they're only stealing electricity, it's still illegal."
"I know, but don't you think there's a big difference between stealing electricity to give to the poor and sabotage?"
"Well yeah, of course," Zack responded, sounding only slightly less flustered. "But that still doesn't explain why they would tell us that if it wasn't true. Maybe they were sabotaging plants before you joined them, or maybe they're tricking you."
"I thought of that," Cloud replied.
"And?"
"I don't know. I don't think it's a trick," Cloud said slowly. "In order for it to be a trick they would have to know I'm a spy. If they did, why go through all that trouble to trick me, why wouldn't they just kill me?"
Zack shrugged his shoulders, the argument made sense.
"And there's a few other things too," Cloud went on. "Those Shinra guards in the bar, you know, the one's I fought when this mission first started. They were all killed, but I certainly didn't kill any of them. And in the substation, in this latest attack, you told me Sephiroth had had the place cleared of guards, yet we ran into one. What was he doing there?"
"I don't know," Zack replied. Cloud had already told him about the run in with the guard at a previous meeting. He had passed the information on to Sephiroth but hadn't got any answers.
"Added all up it just seems weird," Cloud mused. "I don't know what it all means, but it makes me suspicious that someone is not telling us something."
Zack nodded.
"Even if that's true, does that really surprise you? We're Soldiers, we're supposed to take orders and carry them out, not question them. This is a top secret operation. There are some things about this that are probably kept on a need to know basis, and I guess they don't think we need to know!"
"Yeah, I suppose that could be it," Cloud replied thoughtfully. "Still, I don't like it much. You and I are the one's in the middle of this. I would think we'd be the one's most in need of information."
"More you than me," Zack corrected. A week ago it might have seemed strange to him for Cloud to be questioning Shinra's motives, but not now, not after his little talk with Sephiroth. He was dying to tell Cloud all about it, but Sephiroth had said to leave it to him, and this was not the time. Tempting as it was, he forced himself to keep his mouth shut about it. "But you may be right. Shinra may be up to something here, something they don't want even us to know about. I don't know if we can do anything about it, but Sephiroth probably can. I'll talk to him about it and see what he has to say."
Cloud fell silent. Could he trust Sephiroth? He was a General, he certainly knew the value of keeping things on a need to know basis. Would they just be telling him things he already knew?
There you go with that paranoia thing again, Cloud thought. He had known Sephiroth for a long time now, almost as long as Zack. Even if the General didn't tell him everything, he had no doubt the man was doing whatever was in all their best interests, no matter what Shinra might say. No, the General would watch out for them, would take care of any problems Shinra might create, if they were up to anything at all, of course. It could be that he had just read this whole thing wrong...
"Well, I better get going," he said finally. "If I stay away too long Merlot might get suspicious."
"All right then," Zack agreed. "Watch your back."
"I will," Cloud replied. "You too."
Cloud turned and walked out the door. Zack stood there for a few minutes, looking in the mirror over the sink. He was in no rush to leave, it wouldn't do to be seen leaving too closely after Cloud, someone might link them together.
Finally satisfied it was safe he exited the bathroom too. The bar room he entered was not much bigger than the bathroom had been. The place was tiny and out of the way, precisely why they had picked it as a meeting place. He looked around for a moment, mindful of prying eyes, but saw no one who seemed to have taken an interest in him.
He glanced at his watch as he stepped out into the street. Almost nine. He would have to hurry. He had promised to meet Aeris tonight at nine thirty. He wasn't far from the train station, but he was still cutting it close.
He quickly walked the short distance to the station and boarded the train. Her house was only two stops away, but even so he doubted he'd make it in time. He had things to get first. Still, he wouldn't be too late and even when he was, it never seemed to bother her much.
The first stop the train made was the Wall Market station. He quickly hoped off and trotted down the street, heading straight for a sporting good store. He already had been through here and found what he wanted, but he hadn't wanted to lug anything around with him when he met Cloud. He rushed inside, made his purchase and then hurried back to the train. As he hoped, it hadn't even left yet, so he could get right back on. With that bit of luck, he felt much better. He's hardly be late at all now.
He had promised to spend some time with her. He had expected to be able to spend more time with her now that his mission was right here in Midgar, but so far it hadn't turned out that way. He'd been so busy with planning and details, arranging for Cloud's foray to the substation, that he really hadn't had much time to spend with her, in spite of his promise to keep an eye on her.
The train stopped. He got off and hurried down the street, his breath leaving a trail of white puffs behind him. It was cold tonight, below freezing. Perfect.
He arrived at Aeris house, the light shining warmly through the windows. He rapped on the door and heard a muffled acknowledgement. A few moments later the door swung open.
"Hello Zack, c'mon in," Elmyra invited. "Aeris will be down in a minute."
Zack nodded and stepped inside. He had gotten to know Aeris' mom fairly well, well enough to feel comfortable around her. He admired her, in fact, it wasn't easy to raise a young girl all by herself. Especially taking in Aeris the way she had.
Aeris' boots thumping on the staircase made him look up. She looked at Zack and smiled when she reached the bottom, then walked over to the closet and took out her long winter coat. Pink mittens and scarf completed her ensemble.
"So where are we going?" she said, spinning around to face him.
He lifted the plastic bag he was holding.
"This should be a good clue. You did say you had a size eight shoe, right?"
She tilted her head, giving him a curious look, then walked over as he set the bag down on the coffee table in the center of the room. Opening it, he pulled out a pair of white ice skates.
Aeris eyes widened.
"Ice skates?" she said, somewhat anticlimactically.
Zack nodded.
"I thought something different might be...fun."
"But I don't know how to skate!" Aeris said, though her smile told him she wasn't as upset as she sounded.
"That's okay, neither to I," he responded.
She looked at him.
"Okay, just kidding," he confessed. "Don't worry, it's not that hard, and I'll be there to catch you if you fall."
Aeris looked down at the skates, lifting them up to inspect them. Then she lifted her head again and looked at Zack.
"Sounds like fun. But where can we skate here?"
"The river," Zack replied. "Don't worry," he continued, seeing the looks on their faces. "I know it's polluted but you can't even smell it when it's this cold out."
"I'm not worried about smelling it, I'm worried about someone falling into it," Elmyra stated.
"It's all right," Zack reassured. "It's been more than cold enough this last week to leave a nice thick layer of ice. They only way you'll be breaking through it is by drilling."
Elmyra didn't seem completely satisfied, but that was apparently good enough for Aeris.
"All right then, let's get going!" she said.
After some negotiation with her mom, who still didn't look completely thrilled with the idea, it was agreed Aeris would return home no later than midnight. That bit of haggling completed, Zack pulled another pair of skates out of the bag for himself. Slinging them over his shoulder and holding Aeris' skates in his hand by the laces, the young couple started on their way.
"What made you think of this?" Aeris questioned as they walked down the street.
"I don't know," Zack replied. "I remembered the old days when I used to go skating, and how much fun I had. I just thought it might be fun to do it again, and different."
"It certainly is that," Aeris agreed. "But wait, when did you learn how to skate? Gongaga is not exactly a winter wonderland, from what I've heard."
"No, it's not," he agreed. "I didn't learn in Gongaga, I learned at Icicle Inn. We used to go up there every winter to visit my grandparents, or at least, every winter we could afford to."
"You went up to Icicle Inn in the winter?" she mused. "Isn't it usually the other way around? People go from someplace cold to someplace warm in the winter?"
Zack grinned.
"Yeah, but we were backwards. My father loved the snow, and my mom hated it. So we lived in Gongaga, but we'd go up to Icicle Inn for a week or two when we could to keep my dad happy. There was a pond in back of my grandparents house that was always frozen over when we were there. I used to spend hours skating on that thing."
"I see," Aeris said, looking at Zack. He rarely talked about his past.
There weren't many people out on the streets, it was just too cold. Zack kept his eyes open anyway. It was still the slums after all. Zack wasn't in uniform, he couldn't depend on that to give any thugs or thieves second thoughts, but no one disturbed them and eventually they found themselves on the bank of the river.
There was no stars or moon, of course, here under the plate. They made their way onto the ice guided by the dim glow of the streetlights and the buildings across the street. Aeris stared down at the ice as she stepped on it, mindful of her mother's warning. It felt solid enough. Zack plopped down on it without a thought and pulled off his boots. Aeris sat down more carefully, slipping her own boots off and putting on the skates, lacing them up methodically. Zack pulled himself to his feet long before she was done. He looked at her for a few moments, but when it became obvious it would be a while before she was done he glided off, skating around her in slow circles. He wobbled once and almost fell, but righted himself in time.
"Gee, it's been a long time," he commented.
Aeris finished tying her skates and held out her arms.
Zack skated up to her, stopping in front and helping her to her feet. She stood there unsteadily while he held her.
"I'm standing!" she said proudly.
"Yup, now let's see if you can move."
Leaning heavily on him, she started forward, taking tiny steps.
"No, you don't walk," he said. "Glide. Push your feet outward."
"I'm trying!"
They made wide circles around the ice, Aeris' face a mask of concentration as she watched Zack's feet and tried to do as he did.
"Relax," Zack suggested. "This is supposed to be fun."
"That's easy for you to say!" she retorted.
"You're starting to get the hang of it. I think you're a natural. A couple of more sessions and you'll probably be skating rings around me."
"Yeah, right."
Seeing that she was doing better he loosened his grip on her, but when she realized what he was doing her fingers dug into his arm.
"Don't let me go!"
"I'm not going to let you go," he reassured her. "But I don't think you need to cling so tightly. You're doing really well. Why don't we try just holding hands now?"
"No!"
"C'mon Aeris, you're never gonna learn how to do this if you keep clinging to me."
"But I like clinging to you. It keeps me warm, not to mention upright."
Zack laughed.
"I have to admit it does have it's advantages, but we'll have plenty of time to cling later."
"No we won't," Aeris contradicted. "It's already late and I only have til midnight. You don't..."
In spite of her warning to not let go, she could feel him loosing his grip again.
"I told you not to let go!"
"I'm not," he protested. "I'm just...hey, what are you doing?"
She had turned toward him, grabbing hold of his arm. Her twisting threw her off balance, and one foot shot out from underneath her. She jerked on Zack's arm, trying to keep her feet, but he wasn't expecting it and she ended up pulling him off balance as well. They both suddenly fell to the ground in a heap.
"Aeris, are you okay?" he said, lifting up his head. She was lying on her back, her arms splayed out. Ignoring the pain in his hip he turned toward her. He thought she had hit the ground pretty hard.
"Aeris?"
Her chest heaved, but it was not from pain. Instead, she started laughing.
Zack looked at her for a moment, then joined her. For a moment the both of them just laid there on the ice, laughing quietly. If anyone would have been passing by, Aeris wondered what they would have made of the two lunatics lying on the ice laughing like idiots.
Eventually their laughter faded into silence. Aeris slid her hands behind her head, propping it up off the ice, looking up into the darkness above them.
"There's no stars," she commented.
"Nope," he replied. "Not down here. I remember out in the fields in Gongaga, looking up in the sky at night. There were more stars than anyone could count."
Aeris didn't reply, just looked silently into the darkness. She couldn't see the plate above their head. It was too dark, the streetlights didn't reach up that high, but she knew it was there. No one in the slums ever forgot it was there.
"Did you ever think of getting out of here?" Zack questioned.
"Huh, where?" Aeris said distractedly.
"Here, Midgar," Zack replied. "This isn't exactly heaven on earth, I'm sure you know. Wouldn't you like to live somewhere where you could see the stars?"
Aeris turned to look at Zack. His features were dim in the light. He had never asked her anything like that before.
"Well, sure, I suppose," she said, turning her gaze once more to the darkness above them. "No one lives down here because they want to. Still, it's not all bad. We have a nice home, and I have my church."
"Aeris, your church is falling apart. I'm surprised it hasn't already collapsed."
Aeris turned toward him again.
"What a horrible thing to say! I love that old church!"
"I'm not trying to be horrible," he protested. "I'm just being realistic. Even you have to admit that place is on it's last legs."
"That church is special," she replied. "All my flowers are there."
"I realize it's special to you," he replied. "And your flowers too, but even so, that's hardly a reason to remain here."
"I don't have anywhere else to go," she responded.
This time it was Zack's turn to look away, thoughtfully.
"Maybe someday we'll change that," he said softly.
"Hmmm?"
"Nothing," he said, turning back toward her. "C'mon," he continued, starting to get up. "We better get up if we want to get anymore skating in before you have to go back."
"But I'm very comfortable!" Aeris protested.
"Comfortable? You're lying on ice!"
"Well, I have a coat..."
"If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to avoid doing anymore skating," he commented.
He was on his knees now, tugging on her arm.
"Can't we just wait a little longer?" she whined.
"No, c'mon, get up, you'll have fun," he countered.
"Oooh," she muttered. "Fine then. All work and no play. This is what I get for going out with a military man."
"This is play," Zack retorted as they got to their feet once again.
They started off again, at first with Aeris holding on tightly, but eventually she did let him loosen his grip a bit. By the time it was finally time to go, she had her hands wrapped around only one of his arms.
"Well, I only fell once," she said as the pulled their skates off and slipped their boots back on.
"That same amount of times that you did," she couldn't help but point out.
"I wouldn't have fallen at all if you hadn't pulled me down," he replied.
"I wouldn't have pulled you down if you hadn't let go of me," she replied.
"I didn't let go of you!" he protested.
"Yes you did, or you were going to."
"Was not."
"Was to."
"Not."
"To!"
"Not not not not not."
"That's a lot of nots," she said. She suddenly looked around. "I wish I had a snowball."
"A snowball?"
"Yes, so I could klonk you one with it."
"What did I do to deserve that?" he said, trying very hard to sound innocent.
"Who said you had to do anything?" she replied.
His eyes fell to the ground. He stooped down and picked up a clump of dirt.
"No snowballs here," he stated. He held out his hand. "Will this do?"
She looked tempted, but then shook her head.
"Nah, it wouldn't be the same."
Zack tossed the clod of earth over his shoulder. Aeris stepped closer too him. It seemed colder than ever, probably because it was. Zack put his arm around her. They walked on, eventually finding themselves once more in front of Aeris' home.
They stopped and she turned toward him.
"I had a great time tonight."
"In spite of my forcing you to ice skate," he said.
"Yes," she said. "It was a lot of fun. I'm glad you thought of it."
He slipped his other arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She looked up at his face, so close to hers now. She had had a lot of fun, more fun than she had had in a long time. It reminded her of the old days, when they had first met. She waited patiently, looking up at him. She wouldn't have objected if he had pulled her closer still.
But he didn't. Instead he lifted his head and looked out into the darkness.
"Aeris..."
"Yes?"
Another pause.
"We have to talk."
She frowned, hesitating a moment to adjust to those words.
"No," she said finally.
"No?"
"No," she repeated. "I don't want to talk. No good conversation has ever stared with the words 'We have to talk'."
He smiled for a moment, but it quickly faded.
"It's important."
She sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I have to know," he continued. "Have you seen the Nighthawks at all?"
So that was what this was about? She was tempted to lie, but she knew that wouldn't help in the long run.
"Yes," she said. She told him about what had happened to Riley, and how she had healed him.
Zack nodded when she was done.
"You haven't seen them since?"
"No," she said.
"And you'd tell me if they were coming back? You haven't joined them, right?"
"No, I haven't. Zack, we've gone over this already. If they ask for help, I'm not going to refuse, just like I wouldn't refuse anyone."
"I don't care about that," Zack replied, much to her surprise. "I just want to ask you one thing. A favor."
"A favor," she said slowly.
"Yes, a favor. A very simple one. Next Tuesday, I want you to stay inside."
"Huh?"
"Next Tuesday I want you to stay away from them. Don't have anything to do with them. If they ask you to go anywhere, don't do it. If they want your help, don't give it. Just that one day, that's all I'm asking for."
She just stared at him for a moment.
"Zack what are you saying?"
"I can't make it any clearer," Zack said, a hint of sharpness in his voice. "Stay away from the Nighthawks next Tuesday. Please!"
She just looked at him. That made no sense. He wanted her to stay away from them for one day, just one day. Why would that matter? Why would he want her to keep away from them on just one particular day, unless...
"You're setting some kind of trap for them," she said slowly.
"I didn't tell you that!" he said immediately. "Aeris please, you don't know what kind of risk I'm taking just telling you this much. It could ruin my career, not to mention putting lives in danger. Lives of other members of Soldier, or even my own. You can't say anything to anyone about this. Am I making myself clear?"
Aeris didn't say anything for a long time. She had thought it was cold before, but now the air felt like ice.
"Zack," she said slowly.
"What?"
"Isn't...isn't there some other way?"
Zack shook his head.
"Aeris, no matter what you may think, no matter how you may feel about these people, the truth is they're criminals. Our job, the job of Soldier is to stop them. I've heard some things myself, some things that might put what they're doing in a better light, but they're still breaking the law. It's not up to me to decide their guilt or innocence, it's my job to stop them and let the courts sort it all out. If it makes you feel any better, I'll do my best to make sure no one is hurt. If they surrender..."
"I don't think they will," Aeris told him.
"If that's the case then I can't guarantee anything," he said. "If they fight, we'll have no choice. I'm not going to put my own people in danger."
"I realize that," Aeris said softly.
Zack pulled her to him once again.
"I care about you Aeris. I care..." about you more than I have anyone else, he thought, but did not finish. "I don't want to see you hurt. I don't want to see anyone hurt, but the Nighthawks are going down. It's all arranged. If you tell them anything, you'll be putting me and others in danger. If you are with them that night, I can't guarentee your safety. You have to stay away from them. You have to promise me."
She bowed her head. It had been such a lovely night, so romantic and peaceful. She had been happier than she had been in a long time. And now this. She should have known. She should have known it couldn't end without some kind of controversy.
"I will promise," she finally said. "I'll promise if you promise me that you'll come back to me when it's over, if you promise me that no one will get hurt."
"Aeris, you know I can't promise that," he said. "If they fight we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves."
Aeris slipped out of his arms.
"Thank you. I had a lovely night," she said. "You're really special Zack, you know that? I wish this night could have lasted forever, but it can't. You go do what you have to do on Tuesday, Zack, and I'll do what I have to."
And with that she walked away, slipping through the door to her house and out of the cold cold night.