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Title: Orders
Author: GW Katrina aka![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
icedark_elf
Beta:forgottenlover
Warning: Implied torture, some cursing, start of an darkish AU
Wordcount: 1,314
A/N: Based onkemis's Ode of Diversion. Trust me, read that, you should get an idea of where this is going. It's also why this is the first fic in the Nibelheim Burning set. It won't be a happy set of fics, though I -think- everyone gets out of it alive and mostly intact.
Maybe.
Anyway, it's not going to be happy, though there will be some good times, a lot of it's going to be bad, and a bit darker than most people think of Zack and Cloud, at least. We all know Sephiroth is nuts, so the fact he's part of it should surprise nobody.
Enjoy.
Orders
He had refused his orders. Flat out told the President of Shinra Electrical and his little pet scientist to shove the orders straight up their ass.
Zack wasn’t going to take those orders, he wasn’t. It was stupid of them to think he was. Friendship wasn’t to be bought, by coin or blood.
And they eventually tried both.
“You are a SOLDIER 1st Class,” Shinra had said. “Your pay would reflect the category of danger you are in.”
“You are the youngest and the fastest we ever had reach the level of 1st Class,” Hojo had added, eyes glittering as they looked at Zack. “You are the one best able to do this.” That look made him nervous in ways he refused to let him see. Hojo had always had rumors floating around him, ones that even Zack was bothered by.
“No offense, President Shinra, this is insane on so many levels. First of all the fact that you even have this order to issue. It’s stupid, it’s horrifying, and it will backfire on you the moment he finds out.”
Eyes glowing brightly and as icy cold as the northern snow, Zack looked at the blond man. “Second of all, the fact that you would ask me to carry them out is stupid. He is my friend, and I won’t do that do him. Sir, take these orders and shove them.”
Anger was clear to see in Shinra’s eyes. “These are your orders. Accept them or face the consequences.”
Zack drew himself up straight and, somehow, his expression grew even colder. “And I say bite it. I will not accept these orders.”
There was a voice in the back of his head saying that he should just accept them and tell Seph at the soonest time possible. It sounded like a very Seph voice, too, but…he couldn’t. It just went against his very nature to accept orders of this nature. How could he tell Seph that he had accepted them, even if it was to get out of there?
The tension in the room shot up as the men tried to stare each other down. Shinra continued after a moment of quiet.
“This is your final chance, SOLDIER 1st Class Zack. These orders are for you to terminate General Sephiroth in the case of his betrayal or lapse of sanity. Do you accept them?”
“I will not.” Simple, clipped words. A sure sign of his anger, and Shinra shifted a bit uneasily.
“Your only other choice is to accompany Professor Hojo to the labs so that he might see why you moved so quickly through in the ranks of SOLDIER. Your choice.”
“President Shinra, I hope your dick turns black and rots off. You deserve it. My answer is the same.”
“Fine. The General will be informed of the fact that you have been given an assignment that will last an unknown time. You will be released when you decide to agree.”
Zack knew the two pretty boy SOLDIERs he could deal with, but not the three Turks. Not unarmed and outnumbered. So he held quietly still as Hojo moved closer, eyes dark as they focused on the doctor. “Seph won’t let you get away with this.”
The smile Hojo gave was creepier still than his look earlier. “I’m sure that, in the case of your death, we would be able to make Sephiroth forget all about you.”
It was a quick, sudden, burning pain, the shot Hojo suddenly gave him, used to dealing with SOLDIERs and their reflexes. Zack growled and swatted at the man, but already his legs were giving out under him, and he found himself falling.
“I’ve always wanted to test on you,” were the last words he heard.
///
Two months.
That’s how long he was in that hellhole. Two months of testing and torture. Every now and then, Shinra would appear and ask if Zack had decided to follow the orders, and Zack did his best to spit on the man every time.
Two months of taunting, of being told Sephiroth didn’t even seem to notice that Zack wasn’t there, that the General seemed more relaxed without having to deal with Zack.
Like Zack was going to believe anything they said. He simply glared at them and focused on ignoring whatever the test was this time, doing his best to foul them up at every turn. It was making Hojo frustrated and that was always a good thing in Zack’s books.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Hojo asked one day. “You don’t seem to understand. They will find a way to control him, to keep him in line, or they will kill him. And I will not see my grand experiment destroyed because of your weak willed sentiments.” The man’s tone was furiously cold. “Agree to the orders.”
Zack couldn’t actually say anything past the broken jaw, but his expression was plenty of answer, still coldly angry and defiant.
That was the last time they had asked. Zack wasn’t even sure how long into the torture it had been, just that they had finally stopped asking the same stupid question over and over and over. Instead, they just tortured him.
Then, one day, it stopped.
Still half blind in one eye and woozy from all the blood they had taken out that he just hadn’t had time to replenish, Zack had barely paid Hojo any mind until the man said the one thing that would always catch his attention.
“Sephiroth has been very…demanding that we let him know where you had been assigned. In order to placate him, the President has decided to release you back into his custody. He will be told that you were dealing with a new breed of monsters, one that was, regretfully, more dangerous than we had anticipated. You dealt with them, but not before being so injured that you fell ill.”
Hojo pulled out a needle and filled it with something. “Of course, you won’t be allowed back with what you know, so we’ll need to do a bit of…modifying.”
The needle prick was ignored as Zack focused on Hojo’s words. That bastard!
Even as the drug made everything darken around him, Zack kept as focused as he could.
This couldn’t be forgotten, he had to warn Seph.
Then there was nothing.
///
“Zackary, I know you are awake. Open your eyes.”
The tone of voice, the almost order, the damn name.
“S~ph….” His throat hurt. There was a flurry of movement and then a cup pressed against his lips. Only the fact that it was Seph there let him drink it, and he almost cried with how good plain, cold, untainted water could taste. He curled his fingers tight around Seph’s wrist, partly to hold him there, partly for the contact. So tight was his grip he could hear the bones creak, and that was saying something given who he held.
“Zack, you’re safe. You don’t….”
“Seph,” he rasped, tugging weakly on the leather clad arm in his fingers. Obediently, Seph leaned in closer.
“I remember,” he said, so low he wasn’t even sure if Seph heard him even with Zack speaking directly in his ear. “Don’t let them know, but I remember.”
They had threatened Sephiroth, and Zack would not let that happen.
Seph’s expression was one of confusion, but Zack was satisfied. Even as sleep rose up to claim him again, he was nearly thrilled. He had told Seph something was up, and the man would ask him again when it was safe. Even if Zack was hazy, he would remember.
They had done something to him that had broken something in his head. Or maybe it was just because they had threatened Seph. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter.
Hojo had failed. Zack hadn’t forgotten. And he would do anything to keep them from hurting Seph.
Anything.
Wordcounts:
Nibelheim Burning: 1,314
Nov 2: 5,078
Novermber so far: 10,454
Author: GW Katrina aka
icedark_elfBeta:
forgottenloverWarning: Implied torture, some cursing, start of an darkish AU
Wordcount: 1,314
A/N: Based on
kemis's Ode of Diversion. Trust me, read that, you should get an idea of where this is going. It's also why this is the first fic in the Nibelheim Burning set. It won't be a happy set of fics, though I -think- everyone gets out of it alive and mostly intact.Maybe.
Anyway, it's not going to be happy, though there will be some good times, a lot of it's going to be bad, and a bit darker than most people think of Zack and Cloud, at least. We all know Sephiroth is nuts, so the fact he's part of it should surprise nobody.
Enjoy.
Orders
He had refused his orders. Flat out told the President of Shinra Electrical and his little pet scientist to shove the orders straight up their ass.
Zack wasn’t going to take those orders, he wasn’t. It was stupid of them to think he was. Friendship wasn’t to be bought, by coin or blood.
And they eventually tried both.
“You are a SOLDIER 1st Class,” Shinra had said. “Your pay would reflect the category of danger you are in.”
“You are the youngest and the fastest we ever had reach the level of 1st Class,” Hojo had added, eyes glittering as they looked at Zack. “You are the one best able to do this.” That look made him nervous in ways he refused to let him see. Hojo had always had rumors floating around him, ones that even Zack was bothered by.
“No offense, President Shinra, this is insane on so many levels. First of all the fact that you even have this order to issue. It’s stupid, it’s horrifying, and it will backfire on you the moment he finds out.”
Eyes glowing brightly and as icy cold as the northern snow, Zack looked at the blond man. “Second of all, the fact that you would ask me to carry them out is stupid. He is my friend, and I won’t do that do him. Sir, take these orders and shove them.”
Anger was clear to see in Shinra’s eyes. “These are your orders. Accept them or face the consequences.”
Zack drew himself up straight and, somehow, his expression grew even colder. “And I say bite it. I will not accept these orders.”
There was a voice in the back of his head saying that he should just accept them and tell Seph at the soonest time possible. It sounded like a very Seph voice, too, but…he couldn’t. It just went against his very nature to accept orders of this nature. How could he tell Seph that he had accepted them, even if it was to get out of there?
The tension in the room shot up as the men tried to stare each other down. Shinra continued after a moment of quiet.
“This is your final chance, SOLDIER 1st Class Zack. These orders are for you to terminate General Sephiroth in the case of his betrayal or lapse of sanity. Do you accept them?”
“I will not.” Simple, clipped words. A sure sign of his anger, and Shinra shifted a bit uneasily.
“Your only other choice is to accompany Professor Hojo to the labs so that he might see why you moved so quickly through in the ranks of SOLDIER. Your choice.”
“President Shinra, I hope your dick turns black and rots off. You deserve it. My answer is the same.”
“Fine. The General will be informed of the fact that you have been given an assignment that will last an unknown time. You will be released when you decide to agree.”
Zack knew the two pretty boy SOLDIERs he could deal with, but not the three Turks. Not unarmed and outnumbered. So he held quietly still as Hojo moved closer, eyes dark as they focused on the doctor. “Seph won’t let you get away with this.”
The smile Hojo gave was creepier still than his look earlier. “I’m sure that, in the case of your death, we would be able to make Sephiroth forget all about you.”
It was a quick, sudden, burning pain, the shot Hojo suddenly gave him, used to dealing with SOLDIERs and their reflexes. Zack growled and swatted at the man, but already his legs were giving out under him, and he found himself falling.
“I’ve always wanted to test on you,” were the last words he heard.
Two months.
That’s how long he was in that hellhole. Two months of testing and torture. Every now and then, Shinra would appear and ask if Zack had decided to follow the orders, and Zack did his best to spit on the man every time.
Two months of taunting, of being told Sephiroth didn’t even seem to notice that Zack wasn’t there, that the General seemed more relaxed without having to deal with Zack.
Like Zack was going to believe anything they said. He simply glared at them and focused on ignoring whatever the test was this time, doing his best to foul them up at every turn. It was making Hojo frustrated and that was always a good thing in Zack’s books.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Hojo asked one day. “You don’t seem to understand. They will find a way to control him, to keep him in line, or they will kill him. And I will not see my grand experiment destroyed because of your weak willed sentiments.” The man’s tone was furiously cold. “Agree to the orders.”
Zack couldn’t actually say anything past the broken jaw, but his expression was plenty of answer, still coldly angry and defiant.
That was the last time they had asked. Zack wasn’t even sure how long into the torture it had been, just that they had finally stopped asking the same stupid question over and over and over. Instead, they just tortured him.
Then, one day, it stopped.
Still half blind in one eye and woozy from all the blood they had taken out that he just hadn’t had time to replenish, Zack had barely paid Hojo any mind until the man said the one thing that would always catch his attention.
“Sephiroth has been very…demanding that we let him know where you had been assigned. In order to placate him, the President has decided to release you back into his custody. He will be told that you were dealing with a new breed of monsters, one that was, regretfully, more dangerous than we had anticipated. You dealt with them, but not before being so injured that you fell ill.”
Hojo pulled out a needle and filled it with something. “Of course, you won’t be allowed back with what you know, so we’ll need to do a bit of…modifying.”
The needle prick was ignored as Zack focused on Hojo’s words. That bastard!
Even as the drug made everything darken around him, Zack kept as focused as he could.
This couldn’t be forgotten, he had to warn Seph.
Then there was nothing.
“Zackary, I know you are awake. Open your eyes.”
The tone of voice, the almost order, the damn name.
“S~ph….” His throat hurt. There was a flurry of movement and then a cup pressed against his lips. Only the fact that it was Seph there let him drink it, and he almost cried with how good plain, cold, untainted water could taste. He curled his fingers tight around Seph’s wrist, partly to hold him there, partly for the contact. So tight was his grip he could hear the bones creak, and that was saying something given who he held.
“Zack, you’re safe. You don’t….”
“Seph,” he rasped, tugging weakly on the leather clad arm in his fingers. Obediently, Seph leaned in closer.
“I remember,” he said, so low he wasn’t even sure if Seph heard him even with Zack speaking directly in his ear. “Don’t let them know, but I remember.”
They had threatened Sephiroth, and Zack would not let that happen.
Seph’s expression was one of confusion, but Zack was satisfied. Even as sleep rose up to claim him again, he was nearly thrilled. He had told Seph something was up, and the man would ask him again when it was safe. Even if Zack was hazy, he would remember.
They had done something to him that had broken something in his head. Or maybe it was just because they had threatened Seph. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter.
Hojo had failed. Zack hadn’t forgotten. And he would do anything to keep them from hurting Seph.
Anything.
Wordcounts:
Nibelheim Burning: 1,314
Nov 2: 5,078
Novermber so far: 10,454