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| {Hey, do you think} Zack Fair {I became a hero?}; ... NOT A PUPPY. >.< | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: April 9, 2011, 11:22 am (228 Views) | |
| Zack | April 9, 2011, 11:22 am Post #1 |
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The Hero! :D
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Name: Zack Fair Picture: Age: Well, Zack died at 23, but he was resurrected at 25. Hometown: Gongaga. The backwater town in the middle of nowhere. This little tidbit here had a lot to do with him and Cloud becoming friends. Current Location: After getting ejected from the Lifestream, Zack decided to hand around Traverse Town for a while. He does tend to travel to other worlds when the opportunity presents itself (such as finding a Gummi Ship). After all, he had to run from ShinRa for how long? Moving from place to place became a habit. This base is subject to change. Fandom: Final Fantasy 7. Mentioned in most of the prequels and sequels, but Crisis Core is the only one completely about him. Additional Information: Zack is, first and foremost, a puppy. He’s a loyal dog, tends to act big, and likes to get excited. Zack does not, however, act bigger than he is by any means. He just likes to show people the full extent of his abilities, and build them up. He likes to train hard 24/7. He doesn’t brag (actually, he’s rather modest); he just likes to put everything he has into everything he does. Zack would never abandon anyone. Ever. In his life. Unfortunately, once he died, he was forced to leave them behind, and is going through a mild guilt streak, especially towards Cloud. He left Cloud completely defenseless and alone… At least Cloud recovered. He does feel a bit better about leaving Cloud because of this. Zack is easily excited. Scratch that, very easily excited. He likes to get his hopes up, even when they get crushed. Not always due to life not meeting his expectations. For instance, when he was promoted to 1st Class… Zack does not think that he’s a puppy. Therefore, if you call him a puppy, he will complain and explain why he is not a puppy. In addition, Zack can be quite entertaining at times, and will fail hard on occasion. He attempts to be serious, but if you flick the scale, everything will come falling down. Zack is also a ladies’ man, and would die before hitting a girl. Hitting on a girl? Completely different story. Zack still considers himself a SOLDIER, and therefore still wears his black First-Class uniform. Oh, and since he gave Cloud the Buster Sword, he had to pick up a new sword… another basic SOLDIER sword. Oh, well. Cloud can have the sword. It’s his gift to a fellow backwater boy. Zack is also technically a Sephiroth clone, as Sephiroth’s cells were spliced into his, but was completely unaffected due to being an able-bodied SOLDIER. Cloud, however, wasn’t so lucky. Being only a simple infantryman, Sephy’s cells + Mako + Cloud = Comatose, Mako-poisoned Cloud. Therefore, Zack + Comatose, Mako-poisoned Cloud = way more work for Zack. Zack doesn’t mind, of course. It’s just doing the right thing and being a good friend, in his opinion. Oh, and being trained by Angeal, honor is extremely important to him. He would never flee, never abandon anyone, and would die before he did either of these things. Which is exactly what happened. Why are they here?: The Lifestream and its ruler, Minerva. Such strange, mystifying beings. Zack, however, could care less. Genesis would be ashamed. Instead, every second he spent in the Lifestream he spent hoping his friends were okay, watching them from the Lifestream. After a while, Zack began to want to return. Scratch that, he’d always wanted to return. But now, seeing all this crap that was happening to his friends, he wanted it twice as badly. He returned to Gaia for very, very short bits of time, usually just to give Cloud a pat on the back. This desperate want to return presented a choice for Zack. Remain safely in the Lifestream like a coward and hope that things got better for his friends, or break out and do something about it. Duh, Choice 2, please. Zack spent most of the two years he spent in the Lifestream wandering, looking for weak spots. Weak parts in the whole freaking planet’s defense system. Oh, dear, this would not be easy…. But search he did, and eventually he found exactly what he was looking for. South of Modeoheim, there was a small section where the Lifestream was weak. After finding an escape route, he watched and waited for Minerva to let slip a little yawn, or something of the like… finally, the great Goddess turned her back, and Zack slipped out his little escape route, body and all. Zack had officially broken out of the Lifestream. Minerva, angered by the boy’s insolence, cursed him. Zack, though alive for now, would not be granted access to the Lifestream again if he died. Instead, he’d fade into nothingness. So, basically, his need to be with his friends got him screwed. Other Characters: Lea, Loz, Xaldin, Shayde, and Gaia. History: He would be a hero. He would. He knew it. Who cared what everyone said? If he trained enough, he’d be able to handle it. He was determined to be a hero, no matter what it took. At the tender age of 5, he started doing twenty squats every day. When his parents walked in on him, he’d say that he was training. His parents in Gongaga didn’t even ask what he was training for. They just walked out. Over time, his workouts became too easy. He wanted real training. At the age of 10 he started one of his famous stakeouts. Zack had always liked eavesdropping… until he decided to give his two cents and get scolded by whoever he’d eavesdropped on. He searched and listened everywhere for a good trainer. Finally, he heard of a famous trainer far, far away, in a place called Olympus Coliseum… his name was Phil, apparently. Weird name for a famous hero trainer. So he searched every nook and cranny for a way to get there. Zack, finally, at the age of 15, found just what he was looking for in a small cave on one of the cliffs surrounding his hometown. There was a strange ship, with strange controls. There, on the dashboard, stated in large letters, “WORLD”. He eagerly typed in “OLYMPUS COLLISEUM”, not even realizing/caring that he was technically hijacking a vehicle. He would be a hero at last! The dashboard went nuts, Zack quickly strapped himself in, and the Gummi Ship took off. Zack noticed an asteroid of some sort, and saw it scrape the ship (whoa, he knew that it was far, but not this far!). Huh, guess he couldn’t take an easy ride. He grabbed the control stick, grinning, and dodged a massive rock. The ship’s GPS could bring him to the world, and he’d have to do the steering and landing. He quickly learned how to pilot the thing, and then made his best guess on how to land. He stored the ship behind a building and stepped out, immediately in search of Phil. Phil took a while to find. He searched everywhere, listening in on everyone, and getting hit by a few women after hitting on them, until he finally mustered the brains to ask someone. Almost immediately, a man told him where Phil was and gave him directions to the building he could usually be seen around. Unfortunately, Phil wasn’t there, but his trainee was. The boy told him that Phil was out on an errand and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Zack nodded and walked outside the building, and started doing his routine, now 200 squats, 200 sit-ups, and 200 push-ups, before sleeping. He slept outside on the ground all night, and woke up to an odd, chubby little creature with… “You okay, kid?” Zack started and jumped up at the sound, acknowledging the first thing he noticed about the man who’d woken him up with a cry of, “Dude! You have a donkey butt!” The creature looked down at Zack, frowning. “I’m a satyr, kid. ‘Course I have goat legs…. And they’re goat legs, not donkey legs.” The satyr did not look impressed in the least. Zack stared blankly at the creature for about 10 seconds before realizing that he was being rude and scrambled to stand up and introduce himself. “Oops, sorry, my name’s Zack. I’m looking for a Phil. You know him?” he asked. “You’re lookin’ at one, kid. Phil, great hero trainer!” he said, looking extremely proud of his title. Zack stared at him again, this time with a total “oh, crap” expression. He’d just told his (hopefully) future trainer that he had an ass’s…. ass. Oh, shit. “Um, sorry ‘bout that! Um… I was kinda hoping that-“ “I’d train you,” Phil finished Zack’s sentence for him, “like everyone else. You’d better be good, kid, you’ll have to work for it!” he said, grinning up at Zack. Well, duh, that’s exactly what he’d been doing! Zack nodded, grinning, and pulled off his signature puppy dog eyes. “Yes, please,” he said, smiling innocently and clapping his hands together into a prayer position. Phil laughed at the weird kid who’d just committed to a life of being yelled at by him, and was literally begging for it. The look would remind anyone of a puppy. “Okay, kid. I’m sorry, but…” He was then cut off by a flying blonde kid and Phil’s apprentice followed by several odd-looking creatures. Zack immediately sprang forward and sliced through a few. He couldn’t let this kid fight alone. Him and the blonde kid (later learned to be named Ventus) fought them all off, and Zack grinned, putting his sword back. Phil looked impressed, and after a discussion and a few introductions, Phil decided to enter Zack and Herc into the competition. Of course, Herc would win, but he’d have to be fair. The kid had potential. Zack spent every waking hour training and preparing. He was more determined than he’d ever been. He trained and trained right up until the competition. When it came, Zack was more than ready. But what happened, he didn’t sign up for. Unversed (the odd-looking creatures) came and attacked the city. Ventus offered to defend the city to preserve the fight between Hercules and Zack, but Hercules withdrew a second before Zack did. By the time Zack arrived to help, all the monsters had been defeated. Phil arrived and told Zack that part of a hero's important quality involves the will to do what is right and quick acting, and, since Zack withdrew after Hercules, Hercules was once again Phil's trainee, even though Zack had technically won the match. Zack took his defeat well, and continued on his path to become a hero. Of course, the second he stepped out of the Coliseum, he was assaulted by the God of Death and turned to the darkness. He fought the boy named Terra, completely out of it. The whole thing was a blur to him. He thought he attacked twice. Finally, he was stricken down and was knocked back to his senses. Terra helped Zack up and the two introduced themselves and talked for a bit. Terra reminded Zack of the blonde kid… Ventus, right? The kid was definitely a hero for sticking his neck out like that just so Hercules and he could have a good match, even if Ven himself wouldn’t admit it. Turns out, Terra refused to admit it, too, even though that everyone else saw him for what he was. To Zack, being a hero or not wasn't something you chose yourself, and if you chose not to be a hero, it didn’t matter one bit. Which was exactly the reason why Zack trained so hard. He wanted everyone to think of him as a hero, since walking around and calling yourself a hero did nothing but make people see you as egotistical. Terra and Zack agreed to have a rematch sometime (one where Zack would use his own strength), and set off again. He ran into Phil, Hercules, and some hot chick he hadn’t seen before who apparently knew Terra. Zack, deciding to chat after Phil and Hercules left, brought up his fight and rematch with Terra, which immediately caught Aqua’s attention (score!). He went on to explain how he had been possessed by the darkness, and might have mentioned how Terra saved his sorry ass. The girl (Aqua, apparently. Sexy name.), seeming relieved, walked off. Zack left to prepare for his next match, with Aqua. He trained relentlessly, determined to finish this competition and place as high as possible. The next day, Zack was calling home on his cell phone to let his parents (who were royally pissed that he’d run away from home at the drop of a hat to another world, for some reason) know he was okay. His mom told him to come back, but Zack declined, saying that “he’d be a hero someday, and this was the first step”. His mother sighed, knowing that there was no fighting with the headstrong, stubborn child. Zack hung up and kept training. Soon, the day of the match had arrived, and Zack was more than ready. He stood in the ring, and flashed a grin at Aqua before starting the match. Zack ended up with another loss, knocking him out of the competition. Zack took the loss well, and shrugged it off. That chat with his mother had reminded him of home. Home had ShinRa. And ShinRa had SOLDIER. He had a backup plan now. And then Hades arrived, insulting Terra (which Zack didn’t appreciate, and Aqua even less) and admitting he’d be fought in the final match. Zack, angered beyond control, pursued Hades only to lose him. Zack’s losing Hades was more of a disappointment than anything to him, as that might have been the last chance to get revenge on the god who’d controlled him. Telling Aqua to take revenge for him and Terra, Zack left for his temporary home, as the competition was over for him. ‘Course, he’d support Aqua. He had a question for her… Soon after, Zack hopped into the stands to watch the last match, Aqua against Hades. Of course, Zack was cheering for the former. Just then, Hades summoned a massive ice creature, saying that the rules allowed backup. Cheater. Zack rushed to Aqua’s side, prepared to fight, but Aqua waved him off. Zack was going to insist upon staying, but decided against it and returned to the stands to watch. Aqua won triumphantly, and Zack pounced, saying that he’d love to celebrate with her by asking her out on a date. Zack’s heart sank a bit as Aqua declined, but shrugged it off, mentally congratulating her anyways. She was still a trainee, and was on a journey, huh? Oh, well. Zack made her promise that they’d go out on a date after he became a true hero. That said, he returned to the Gummi ship and flew home, concealing the ship again and walking into his house. Immediately, he was assaulted by his mother. “Grounded for life” was an understatement. He was forced to stay in his home. No talking to any of his friends, nothing at all. So instead, Zack did squats. At first, it was just because it was training to do. Then he realized how fun they were. And then they became his favorite part of working out. Every day, in his room, he’d increase the amount of squats he did the day before by 10. Soon, even after he wasn’t grounded anymore, he did almost nothing but squats in his room. His friends would come and count for him, laughing. He lived in Gongaga for a little bit, before returning for a few hours on his 16th birthday to Olympus Coliseum to check up on things. Everything was fine, and he leaned against one of his usual walls, as a black feather drifted down. He looked up and blinked. He would have sworn he saw a man in the sky. He shook his head and returned home, after saying hi to Phil and Hercules and learning that Ven, Terra, and Aqua had moved on. Oh, well. He returned home before the day was done. A year passed in Gongaga. Finally he told his mom he was going to join SOLDIER. His mother had seen this coming for years, but it made it no easier to let her little boy (who was 17) go. Zack said goodbye to his parents and friends and left his hometown. He walked alone the whole way from Gongaga to Midgar, and was enlisted and accepted into SOLDIER. Finally, he’d be a part of something bigger! He’d learn to be a hero! ~~*~~ Of course, first he had to go through training. He’d gone through training as an Infantryman for a bit (as was required) before officially becoming a SOLDIER with Mako and all. Apparently he was awesome with a sniper rifle. But all that was worth it. To be able to fight for something, and to start his path to heroism… he’d do anything. Whatever it took. Whatever he needed to do to reach his life dream… --- Mako did not treat the 17-year-old Zack well. As with most SOLDIERs injected with Jenova cells and sprayed with Mako, Zack was a bit out of it the first few days. He spent time in the Recruitment Ward, which was obviously a hospital for those who were recently recruited. The week he stayed in the ward was a blur. Though he faintly remembered being slapped by a lady-scientist and calling one of the 1st Classes a woman. And escaping a few times. And then the second half of the week felt like he’d been hit with a truck and rubbed down with sandpaper. And then gotten a really, really bad hangover. He could barely move, and he had to be fed through a tube. But he lived through it, and went through the necessary rehabilitation. Finally, he was back in working order, and eager to start. Mako and Jenova cells were complicated things. Mako, in a nutshell, was the liquid form of the Lifestream, a collection of energy and souls that acted as the Planet’s primary protection. The Lifestream had been harnessed by the ShinRa Power Company and used to power things, similar to nuclear power. Mako, however, had been developed to be used for military purposes. Humans sprayed with Mako became much more powerful. Now, Jenova cells were even more complicated things, but a lot easier to explain. Jenova cells were literally the cells of a being called Jenova, who was (falsely) believed to be an Ancient, an all-powerful race that controlled the Planet before the humans wiped them out and could control the Lifestream. People exposed with Mako could easily be identified through one physical trait a mile away: glowing eyes the color of the sky, referred to as “Mako eyes”. That was only the sign that could be seen without the person exposed showing their abilities. While showing their abilities, Mako-exposed people had heightened senses, strength, and stamina. These heightened abilities were sharpened further through grueling training if the exposed person happened to be a member of SOLDIER… which they usually were. He trained even harder than usual as a 3rd. He received a slightly different sword than the one he’d received from a SOLDIER traveling past Gongaga when he was little. He’d treasured the sword, but now he had his own. He kept the sword in the tiny closet each SOLDIER received with their 10-by-10-foot room. Zack decided to fill the room with pictures of heroes from the past. A poster of each 1st Class hung by his bed, pictures of old war heroes, and a few ancestors Zack had dubbed heroic. They were his motivation, in all honesty. His first mission went something like this. Escort a group of Turks to a Mako reactor. The task was led by a few experienced Seconds. The three others (him, a Third named Kunsel, and an infantryman named Luxiere). He became pals with Kunsel on the trip) were enclosed in the middle of a circle of Seconds with the Turks. In was unexciting for a mission, but Zack put his all into the mission like he was leading President Shinra himself. He completed the mission and returned to the ShinRa building. After a while, when he was walking over to the training room, he noticed… “Angeal!?” he gasped. His fanboy instincts kicked in and Zack was immediately at Angeal, commenting on everything he saw. He was ecstatic to see one of the Firsts and wanted to ask them so many questions…! Said questions began pouring out as Zack squealed out his questions, but was interrupted by Angeal’s gloved hand patting and resting on top of his head. Zack was immediately silent and looked up sheepishly. “Sorry.” Angeal chuckled and smiled down at him. “Tell you what. I’ll show you sometime,” he said to the Third that reminded him of an excitable puppy. Zack looked up, eyes shining. Did he just…. Offer to mentor him!? Dude, yes! Zack’s face burst out into a huge grin in happiness. He was going to be taught something by the best! It was like being taught to use a sword by freaking Sephiroth! Zack tackled the First into a hug. “Are you serious!? Man, you’re awesome!” he cheered. Angeal chuckled and patted the happy little Third on the head. The boy seemed so happy… It made Angeal feel happy too. Angeal nodded slowly, grinning. “I’ll show you a few tricks, if you’d like. Now, what’s your name?” Zack looked up and realized he was still hugging Angeal, quickly letting him go and taking a large step back, blushing. Oh, he hadn’t told Angeal his name! He grinned sheepishly and met the First’s eyes again. They were surprisingly warm, for someone who’d seen so much pain and violence… And they were wise, too. Which made sense, of course, as this man had seen enough to put Zack’s grandfather to shame… maybe. And, well, duh. Of course he’d want Angeal to show him something! He could show him how to use the toilet for all he cared. Just to be able to say that he’d been taught something by a First…. “The name’s Zack. And you’re Angeal. Of course, everyone knows that… When are you going to show me?” he asked happily. Angeal smiled down at him. “Zack Fair? Next week, then. You’ll be in my squad.” ~~*~~ Zack must have passed out from exhaustion every day that week, from how hard he’d trained. He had to show Angeal that he’d be worthwhile to train. If he actually became Angeal’s trainee… who needed Phil? (Wow, he hadn’t thought of that old satyr in a long time. Shows how excited he was.) He’d be at least a Second in no time! ~~*~~ His mission with Angeal went somewhat like this. It was him, a bunch of Seconds, and Angeal. Their task was to exterminate several monsters around a reactor to the south. Angeal took point, Zack managing to keep up a few feet behind the First, and the Seconds in a small horseshoe shape behind him. They trotted lightly and quietly through the dense undergrowth of the forest, which abruptly became a dirt circle around the reactor. Angeal motioned for everyone to enter the dirt clearing with hand motions, and Zack was already there. The Seconds followed in and formed a small ring around Angeal and Zack. They huddled together, and Angeal spoke in a tone so low that even the SOLDIERs, with their Mako-enhanced hearing, struggled to hear. “Alright. Partner up. Purples One and Two, Three and Four, and so on. Understood?” The Seconds nodded. “I will be with Third 1. Spread out, and comb the forests.” The Seconds did as commanded with crisp nods and disappeared into the forest in groups of two. Angeal and Zack stayed in the clearing, and Angeal didn’t move. Instead, he drew his sword and pressed his forehead to the massive piece of metal. Zack stared at the First quizzically and watched as Angeal placed the broadsword on his back. “Your first lesson. Always, no matter what happens, remember and keep your honor.” Zack stared at him for a few seconds, and then nodded. That was it? He’d expected a demonstration. Oh, well, it was definitely something! He grinned and nodded, taking these words to heart for eternity. Angeal turned away and dashed off into the woods, his running footsteps completely soundless. Zack blinked and took off after him, his feet half as quiet. This was only his twenty-third mission, after all. How many missions had Angeal been in? Like, a million? They reached the forest, and immediately slowed to a walk. They crept through the forest, listening. Suddenly, Angeal lashed out with his SOLDIER-issued sword, slicing a pantherlike monster in two. It shrieked, and the creature’s blood soaked into the leaf-strewn ground. The thing’s body dissolved, barely visible in the midnight light. Zack blinked in surprise, and looked up at Angeal. Angeal turned to Zack. “Lesson 2. Be aware of your surroundings all the time, no matter who you’re with or how distracted you get,” he said, still using that low voice. Zack nodded, making another mental note. He’d actually write this down eventually. ~~*~~ A few months passed. Angeal had wordlessly taken Zack under his wing now, and the Third was rapidly improving. His performance was growing more and more like Angeal’s (exactly what the Third wanted, since he wanted to be just like his mentor). Still, Zack never asked why Angeal pressed the sword to his forehead before a mission. Every time Angeal was chosen to lead a mission, Zack somehow managed to appear on the list. Angeal would reserve the training room sometimes, and Zack would undergo training missions. Soon, after his thirty-ninth mission, Angeal told him excellent news – he’d recommended Zack for a promotion to Second Class SOLDIER and had been accepted. Zack was naturally ecstatic for the news. He was accepted! He was that much closer to being a hero! Zack hugged Angeal, thanking him. Angeal just “Hm”-ed and clapped the newly-appointed Second on the shoulder, nodding in approval. ~~*~~ By now, he was close friends with Kunsel and Luxiere, and had been greatly affected by Angeal’s strong sense of honor, and was trying to model himself after his mentor. He was spoken of fondly in SOLDIER, with few of his missions failing and putting everything into anything he was told to do. He was also known to be a bit cocky and excitable… but whatever. Point is, Zack had few enemies. Zack’s rank as Second was short-lived. Truth was, he was improving exponentially, and was growing closer and closer to First-Class material. He was stronger, faster, and (usually) better under stress than most other Seconds, and under the tutelage of Angeal and occasionally Kunsel, was only going to get better. After a training session, Angeal surprised Zack with a bit of good news, indirectly. He was told to go up to Executive Director Lazard (the man he worked under) and was told that he was going to be tested to become a First Class SOLDIER. Naturally, the puppy was ecstatic at the news. He would be sent to Wutai (a country ShinRa had been warring with for a while) to prove his abilities. During this briefing, however, Zack learned some less positive news. First Class Genesis Rhapsodos had deserted ShinRa, bringing several Seconds and Thirds with him. Zack wasn’t sure what to make of the news, as he hadn’t known Genesis. He knew that Genesis and Angeal had been close friends before they’d even joined ShinRa, but that was it. Zack passed it off as another tragic even that wasn’t related to him and left to prepare. ~~*~~ Zack had, of course, been assigned to Wutai with Angeal. Zack never went on a mission without his trusted mentor. As the two sat crouched in the bushes, hiding, Angeal asked Zack if he knew what dumbapples were. Zack, of course, had no idea whatsoever and Angeal explained to the boy that dumbapples, actually called Banora Whites, originated in his hometown of Banora, and that they grew randomly on the trees throughout the year (which was the reason for their nickname of the “dumbapple”). Zack wondered how this was relevant whatsoever, but failed to get a straight answer out of his coworker. Shortly after, Zack watched as Angeal pressed his forehead to his sword the way he always did. Zack finally decided to ask why, and Angeal replied with, “Use brings about wear, tear and rust, and that's a real waste,” before being cut off by the signal; a bomb, triggered by the Turks. Zack jumped into battle and dispatched the enemy outside the base singlehandedly before entering a room and being attacked by two anti-SOLDIER monsters. Zack destroyed them both before a third one fell, which Zack supposedly killed. He turned to leave, but was swatted by the monster and cornered. Right at the perfect moment, Angeal came to the rescue and killed the monster with the Buster Sword. Zack blinked in surprise, as he’d never seen Angeal use the massive sword before. He knew that the sword represented Angeal’s dreams and honor, and was confused as to why his mentor had used such an important weapon to save him. Angeal teasingly replied with, “I think you’re a little more important than my sword… but just a little,” before helping Zack up. When Zack was heading back to the Headquarters with Angeal and Director Lazard, they were assaulted by several Wutai soldiers. Angeal commanded Zack to get Lazard to safety while Angeal dealt with the attackers. Zack quickly did so, and returned to find several corpses and no Angeal. A small red materia floated over him and the fire summon Ifrit appeared and attacked Zack. Zack fought back and again thought he was victorious before being attacked from behind again. Sephiroth appeared out of nowhere and killed of the monster in a single blow before identifying the corpses around them as not Wutai soldiers as Zack had first thought, but rather Genesis clones. Sephiroth says that Angeal probably deserted ShinRa to join Genesis. Zack refused to believe this, however. Zack was crushed to find that Angeal wasn’t at Headquarters. He worried about his best friend for a long while, until ShinRa quickly decided to sent him off on another mission, this time with Tseng (one of the Turks). He was sent to Banora (Angeal and Genesis’s hometown) to investigate the disappearances of his fellow SOLDIERs, and went to interrogate Gillian, Angeal’s mother. Tseng had stayed behind to investigate a grave nearby while Zack came in. He learned that Gillian didn’t know where Angeal was, that he’d left his sword behind, and that Angeal nicknamed him “the puppy”. He left and headed over to a factory where he was assaulted by Genesis, and his former coworker injured Tseng and attacked Zack before leaving. Angeal arrived to save Zack, but is soon pushed away. Tseng tells Zack that he’d ordered Banora to be bombed, due to a high number of hostiles. Zack immediately thought of Gillian and rushed off to save her, but instead found her dead on the floor at Angeal’s feet. Zack, thinking Angeal murdered her (although this was not the case, she killed herself), broke out into a rage, punching Angeal and questioning his mentor’s precious honor. Genesis arrived and allowed Angeal to escape, tripping Zack as he attempted to pursue. Genesis summons Bahamut, which Zack defeats, and questions Genesis’s honor. Genesis replies that he has no honor and believes himself to be a monster before sprouting a single black wing and flying off. Zack, confused and angry, heads back to a ShinRa helicopter and watches as Angeal and Genesis’s hometown is bombed and burned to the ground. Zack returns to ShinRa headquarters and was assigned the title of First Class, which Zack was less than pleased about. He’d attained his dreams so early, and after so many stupid mistakes… he wasn’t sure he deserved the title. Sephiroth watched from the corner as Zack received his new title, which was a good thing, because out of nowhere Genesis’s army attacks Midgar. Zack was ordered to deal with the problem as Sephiroth went to protect the President of ShinRa. Zack headed down into Midgar and saw Cissnei being attacked. Zack saved her, and was then told by Reno that “she could take care of herself”. Cissnei was a Turk, so Zack believed her and ran off to the Sector 5 Reactor, meeting up with Sephiroth along the way. Sephiroth and Zack looked through some papers on Genesis until Dr. Hollander, a scientist suspected of working with Genesis, arrives. Zack is ordered to pursue Hollander (who had immediately fled) as Genesis arrived. Zack chased Hollander through the Reactor until he was stopped by Angeal, who revealed that he, like Genesis, believed himself to be a monster. He also stated that all he could think about were world domination and revenge, which Zack stated “is not even funny”. Zack then told Angeal that, since he had angel wings, he was an angel. Angeal countered this by asking what an angel’s dreams should be and then answering his own question, “to be human”. Zack couldn’t respond to this, and Angeal attacked him, knocking him back. Angeal pleaded Zack to fight, which he refused to do. Angeal then used magic to destroy the metal grate Zack was standing on and sent him plummeting. Zack fell through the roof of a church in the slums and is knocked unconscious. He then woke up and muttered “Heaven?” because he figured that a fall that far would have killed him. Aerith giggled and told Zack that he was in a church in the slums. Zack then asked Aerith if she was an angel, which Aerith denied and then introduced himself. Zack got up and introduced himself, before stating that he had to pay her back for saving his life and asked her out on a date. Aerith called him silly but accepted. Zack almost stepped on the flowers growing in the church and was scolded by Aerith, and Zack stated that the flowers were a luxury in Midgar and proposed that they sold them. Aerith thought this was a good idea and suggested they built a wagon to sell them in. Zack then walked out of the church and has his wallet stolen by a child. Zack pursues and catches the child, only to learn that their wallet had been eaten by a monster. Zack let the child have his wallet but kept a few coins, and bought Aerith the ribbon she’s shown wearing throughout the series. The two went out on their date and talked, and Zack told Aerith that he was a SOLDIER. Their date was cut short, however, when Zack is called by ShinRa and told to fight Genesis on the Midgar Plate. Zack apologized and left, and met Angeal on the way to the Plate. Angeal says that they had to work together to defeat Genesis. Zack agrees to team up and Angeal picks Zack up and flies him to Genesis. Genesis summons Bahamut Fury and Angeal drops Zack, telling him to deal with the summon while Angeal took care of Genesis. Zack complained but did so, and defeated the summon only to find that Angeal and Genesis had both disappeared. Zack questioned his location and headed back to ShinRa Headquarters to figure out what had happened. ~~*~~ Zack was then sent to Modeoheim with Tseng and a few infantrymen in a helicopter, but was shot down by Genesis’s troops and the group was then forced to trek through the snow along the mountainside. Zack noticed an infantryman keeping up with him much better than Tseng and the other infantrymen, and struck up a conversation. Zack learned that the infantryman was from Nibelheim, a Reactor town, and that it followed the usual pattern: “If there’s a Reactor outside of Midgar, there’s nothing else out there”. The two chatted about their origins in the middle of nowhere for a while before Zack announced that he’d made a new friend. Only then did Zack ask for his new friend’s name, and he replied with “Cloud”. They come to a Mako Excavation Facility and were ordered to infiltrate it, which they did, and found Genesis arguing with Hollander. Zack confronted Genesis while Hollander fled, and the two fought for a while before Genesis began quoting LOVELESS and flew up onto a railing and let himself fall. Zack assumed him to be dead and pursued Hollander. Zack found Hollander inside a ruined bath house accompanied by Angeal. Here, Zack learned that Angeal’s biological father was Hollander, and that Angeal didn’t kill his mother, Gillian committed suicide. Hollander went on saying that Angeal is the perfect soldier, but Angeal denied the title and stated instead that he was the perfect monster. Angeal then summoned several Angeal copies and absorbed them, turning himself into Angeal Penance, which attacked Zack with its trident, scratching his cheek. Zack was then forced to kill his mentor-turned-monster, and after the battle, he kneeled in front of a heavily-degraded Angeal as his mentor gave him the Buster Sword and –through that- his dreams and honor before dying. Zack grieved for his mentor, but found comfort in the arms of Aerith, and he was helped through his sadness. Because there were only two First-Class SOLDIERs left, him and Sephiroth, Zack decided to take over as the emotional heart of the SOLDIERs, carrying on Angeal’s legacy. One of the infantrymen (Luxiere, actually, from his very first mission) was inspires by his speech and began to look up to him as a role model. Zack was then ordered to deal with the band of rebels known as AVALANCHE. He goes to Icicle Inn to destroy a base, and was accompanied by several Turks and a few SOLDIERs. Some of the Turks were kidnapped and turned into things called Ravens, created by a man named Fuhito to be his personal guard. Zack defeated the Ravens and Fuhito and made a memorial grave for them by crossing their swords. ~~*~~ Zack was then given a vacation in Costa del Sol, with Cissnei to watch over him. He soon grew tired of being forced to stay here and wanted to return to work (and to see Aerith), which he voiced to Cissnei in a conversation. He told Cissnei to leave, and Cissnei correctly guessed that Zack wanted to call Aerith. Zack asked her if he was being monitored, and Cissnei explained that it was Aerith being watched, as she was the last of the Ancients. Zack was surprised by this news but shrugged it off, and was then attacked by Genesis Copies. He fought them off with a large beach umbrella, which revealed another wave of enemies being commanded by Genesis. They soon discovered that Director Lazard himself was a traitor, and that he’d broken Hollander out of imprisonment in Junon. Zack was ordered to pursue Hollander (now revealed to be a Genesis Copy), but the former ShinRa employee escaped with the help of two Genesis Copies. Sephiroth then arrives on the scene and tells Zack that this mission would be counted as a failure, and that it went on his permanent record. Sephiroth then tells Zack that he had permission to go home and see Aerith, and to “take care.” It was then revealed that several monsters had escaped from Hojo’s lab and were laying siege to Midgar. One monster, a wolflike Angeal Copy and the last bit of Angeal’s will on the planet, flew to the church and defended Aerith from the attackers until Zack arrived. Zack then helped Aerith build a flower cart (which she didn’t like) to sell the flowers in the church in. Zack had to leave early, though, as he was ordered to go to Nibelheim to investigate a Mako Reactor due to a malfunction. Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth (his only companions on the long journey) reached Nibelheim after being guided there by a resident named Tifa on September 22nd. Sephiroth turned around and asked Cloud what it was like to see his hometown, as he didn’t have one, and mentioned his supposed mother, Jenova. The three went to the Reactor and easily fixed the problem. However, Zack and Sephiroth discovered something much more unnerving – several monsters. They were quickly identified by Sephiroth as humans being stored in massive amounts of Mako and then mutated into monsters. Zack was intimidated by the creatures but continued looking around until he noticed a door labeled “JENOVA”. Wait… Jenova… wasn’t that…? He turned around to see Sephiroth walking away. Genesis then appeared and spoke to Sephiroth, confusing him. After he leaves, Zack asked Sephiroth if, since he was a special SOLDIER, he could have been made the same way. Sephiroth then shoved Zack away and opened a pod, releasing a monster. This amount of shock from his discovery, along with opening the door and actually seeing Jenova, and hiding himself in the ShinRa Mansion for seven days and reading about the Jenova Experiments, sent Sephiroth into insanity. Sephiroth, in a rage of anger and insanity, attacked the town and burned it to the ground, slaughtering the townspeople. Zack and Tifa chased Sephiroth back to the Reactor, but Tifa was easily cut down. Zack and Tifa spoke for a bit and Zack overhears Tifa say she hated him. Zack then saw Sephiroth talking to his “mother” and demanded Sephiroth acknowledge him. The famous General didn’t respond, so Zack attacked Sephiroth but was easily pushed off and fell. Zack landed on a glass-and-metal platform and he and Sephiroth battled, but Zack was defeated. Zack then told Cloud to finish Sephiroth off with the Buster Sword (which he’d dropped), and Cloud ran Sephitroth through the middle, mortally wounding him. Sephiroth beheaded Jenova and ran the infantryman through the chest with Masamune, but Cloud pulled the great sword further into himself and picked Sephiroth up, tossing the more experienced madman from his sword. Sephiroth then jumped from the Jenova “shrine” and fell into a Mako pit. Cloud, exhausted and mortally wounded himself, passed out. Several scientists, including Hojo, came to repair the damage. Hojo took Cloud and Zack and deemed them strong enough to participate in his “newest experiment”, and ShinRa ordered several employees to act as Nibelheim’s townspeople to cover up for the incident. Zack and Cloud were then given Sephiroth’s cells, turning them into Sephiroth Copies. Zack, being a SOLDIER already, survived the experiment easily. Cloud wasn’t as lucky. The infantryman was sent into a state of comatose due to Mako poisoning, and ultimately became a vegetable. Four years later, Zack broke out of containment after hallucinating and pounding the glass so it shattered, released Cloud, and fled ShinRa and Nibelheim. Several Turks tried to stop him, but Zack was too strong. They fled on a ShinRa motorcycle and hid in the woods. He was discovered by Cissnei but allowed to go free, as Cissnei told the Turks that he and Cloud escaped. Zack is grateful to the Turk and fled the forest, and the two ran from ShinRa for several months before reaching Midgar. The two were attacked by Genesis and his former teammate explained that he needed Sephiroth’s cells to recover from his degradation, because they were perfect. Since Sephiroth himself was dead and Zack had been a SOLDIER before he was implanted with Sephiroth Cells and therefore polluted the perfect cells (making Zack worthless to him), Cloud was the last person to possess actual Sephiroth Cells. One of the clones then pulls out a lock of Zack’s hair and ate it to prove a point, and is then mutated into a horrible monster. Zack battled it as Genesis and the other clone fled, and then continued to Zack’s hometown, Gongaga. Zack wanted to speak to his mother but was met by Cissnei, who told Zack that she’d already spoken to his mother, Angeal had been sighted in the town, that he had ten minutes in this town before she attacked, and that Cissnei wasn’t her real name. Zack asked her to talk to his mother for him and Cissnei agreed to do so, and after a short chat, Zack noticed a white wing. Zack immediately gave chase and saw a heavily degraded Angeal who then revealed himself to be Director Lazard, turned into an Angeal Copy. The two teamed up and fled Gongaga. Genesis then appeared with Hollander (now a heavily degraded Genesis Copy) and tried to take Cloud, but Zack and Lazard fight the two off, and Zack easily kills Hollander. Zack then took note of the Banora Whites that Genesis always carried around whenever he appeared, and how they were always fresh. That had to mean that Genesis was working in a place where the dumbapples grew, and only one place in the world grew them – Banora, Genesis’s hometown. Genesis was working from Banora. Zack immediately left for Banora and investigated, and discovered a large cave. He worked his way down the cave until he came upon Genesis, now dangerously degraded, reciting LOVELESS in front of a statue of the goddess Minerva. Genesis then greeted Zack and explained that he’d found the Gift of the Goddess spoken of in the poem. Genesis then showed Zack a massive Materia high above the ground – the Goddess Materia. Genesis then absorbed the Goddess Materia and transformed into Genesis Avatar and attacked Zack, but Zack defeated Genesis. The other ex-SOLDIER reverted back to normal (degradation cured) before waking up again and attacking. Zack defeated Genesis again and then carried his former enemy out to daylight, where he found Lazard collapsed by a chair. Lazard explained that ShinRa has come and attacked them, and that he fought them off with the help of the wolflike Angeal Copy form the church, which was collapsed by a tree. Zack sat Genesis down by the chair Cloud was resting on and spoke to Lazard before he died, and watched the other Copy die. Zack was reminded of Angeal again and approached Genesis with a dumbapple and bit into it, determined to remove the subject from his mind. Being a Sephiroth clone, he was fulfilling Genesis’s desire of having Sephiroth try a dumbapple. He apologized for now being the real thing, and Genesis asked Zack if the thought it was good. Zack nodded, surprised that Genesis was awake, and noticed a note on the ground, left by the Copy from the church. It was from Aerith, saying that this was the 89th and final letter she’d send him, although Zack had never received any of them. Zack didn’t want Aerith to forget him and left for Midgar with Cloud, leaving Genesis behind. The two SOLDIERs hitchhike in a truck and Zack talks to Cloud about his plans to start a business that did everything before he noticed a ShinRa sniper trying to assassinate Cloud and told his friend to get down, causing the sniper to miss. They flee the truck and Zack puts Cloud into a safe place behind a rock before he left to fight the massive army. He fought valiantly and defeated most of the army, but was overwhelmed in the end and was shot through the skull by a commander. As he laid dying on the stone, Cloud crawled over and Zack smiled at him. He told Cloud that he was his living legacy, and that he had to live for the both of them before handing over the Buster Sword, giving Cloud his hopes, honor, and dreams, before asking Cloud if he thought he was a hero and passing into the Lifestream with the assistance of Angeal, now a true angel. Zack then watched Cloud and Aerith from the Lifestream and even came to see Cloud after Aerith joined him in the Lifestream. Finally he grew restless and escaped from the Lifestream, and then returned to Gongaga to take his Gummi Ship and flew off to a new world he’d heard two women talking about – Traverse Town. Right Now: Zack is currently a world jumper, but does own a small house in Traverse Town. He is a mercenary of sorts, travelling anywhere he wants to unless he gets a job. FACEBOOK FRIENDS LIST: Aeris Gainsborough: You’re my girlfriend. Though… did that last letter mean that we’re breaking up? I hope not… Sorry I haven’t been able to see you much. I’ll make it up to you. Wait for me, you got that? Cloud Strife: Dude, you are awesome. Us country boys gotta stick together, am I right? Heheh. Gongaga, the urban wonder. Nice to see I’m not the only hick here. :P Angeal Hewley: Genesis Rhapsodos: Eh. Angeal likes him, so I do too. Even if you made your clones eat my hair ( 0_o ), tried to kidnap Cloud, helped drive Sephiroth into insanity, and dragged Angeal over to your side and its off-the-wall antics… I still like you, dude. You just wanted to get healed. Can’t blame you for that. Sephiroth: Um… 0___o Where’s the delete button on this thing…? You might be all-powerful and badass and everything… But, hate to say it, you’re nuts. ^^; Kunsel: You were probably one of my first friends here. Oh, and I only have 200 texts a month. Could you kinda slow down? I’m fine now. *holds up phone bill* -_-‘’ Luxiere: I love you (no homo), but… Sometimes I can’t tell if you take job-over-friends, or friends-over-job. Miiiight have to ask you about that sometime. ^^; Cissnei: Whaddaya mean that’s not your real name!? >.< … But seriously, I owe ya. Thanks for talking to my mom. And letting Cloud and I go. And…. eh. You get the point. XD Tseng: You’re a good guy. Pretty tough. Not quite as tough as Cloud and I, but… |
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| Sora | April 13, 2011, 4:03 pm Post #2 |
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a hero's not afraid to give his life
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3:12 PM Jul 11