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Zack Fair ([info]herosheart) wrote in [info]silverage,
@ 2011-07-18 15:39:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!log, susan pevensie, zack fair

Who: Zack Fair and OPEN
When: Monday, July 18, late afternoon
Where: a conveniently deserted alley somewhere in Manhattan
What: Zack is confused and needs explanations.
Rating: TBD, probably some reference to recent intense violence
Status: Open, in progress

The truth was, it was pretty easy to confuse Zack. He was a fairly straightforward man, and while he was far from unintelligent, he didn't have much of a mind for intrigue or mystery. The trait came with being the sort of person who liked to give others the benefit of the doubt. Zack Fair, at the end of the day, wanted to believe in people. He wanted to believe in the intrinsic goodness of his fellow human beings.

So, really, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Zack was very confused at the moment. He could have sworn he'd just been in the middle of the worst fight of his life (which was saying something, considering he'd fought Sephiroth), and now he was standing in the middle of a deserted alley with no one else in sight.

"Huh. Weird."

Zack raised his free hand to check for head injuries, just in case, although if he were hallucinating, he probably wouldn't hallucinate the injury responsible in the first place. Nope. No headwounds. His arm hurt, though. He glanced down and scowled as he realized that he'd caught a bullet with it. That was the problem with SOLDIER enhancements. You didn't always realize you were hurt until well after the fact.

Still, his biggest worry wasn't how many bullet holes he might be sporting this time, or if everything around him was real or a figment of his imagination. His biggest worry was Cloud--specifically, where Cloud had gotten to. The kid hadn't been in any shape to go anywhere on his own when Zack had tucked him behind the shelter of some boulders, so where was he now?


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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-18 08:11 pm UTC (link)
Susan walked home from work, it was better than the bus, and she was rather used to the shenanigans that occurred in her city. She wasn't used to not being able to leave, but she rarely left anyway. What was disconcerting were the creatures that seemed to follow this out-of-time people. It made her think of Narnia, and whether it had all really been a game.

"Silly imagination," she muttered, walking past an alley, then doubling back. There was a man standing there looking utterly confused, and if Susan wasn't mistaken, he was bleeding.

"New one, aren't you?" she called to him, the slight Britishness still tinging her voice, even after 15 years. "I won't hurt you, come on out, and let's a look at you."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-18 08:17 pm UTC (link)
Zack jumped, actually jumped, at the sudden, unexpected voice. He'd been too preoccupied with trying to understand what was going on to hear the woman's approach. He spun around, quickly hefting his massive sword over his shoulder to rest on the magnetic harness strapped to his back. The woman didn't seem to be a threat, and he didn't want to scare her by holding out a sword nearly as big as she was, and most likely a whole lot heavier.

"New one?" he asked, frowning. "What do you mean?" Nevertheless, he obeyed her directive and walked to the end of the alley. Well, limped was more like it. Some of the grunts Shinra had sent after him could actually aim. Now that he was away from the fight and his adrenaline levels were easing off, he was starting to feel some of his injuries. Man, he hated getting shot.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-18 08:24 pm UTC (link)
The sword didn't bother her until it was pointed at her, right now she was concerned as he limped towards her. She had some gauze in her purse, but not nearly enough. And she wasn't going to just let anyone into her apartment. She tried to think of where the nearest clinic or hospital was.

"It's New York City. 1964. People have been dropping in from their respective places in time and universe to ... collect here, I suppose. No-one can leave, and the only people entering are ... well, you. And others like you," Susan said. No need to gloss over the details and try to sugarcoat it, it was the truth and he'd learn it sooner than later. Sooner was always better, in her book.

"Now, your arm is hurt, your leg is hurt. Are you hurt anywhere else? I can take you to hospital, there's one about seven blocks from here." She paused, then added softly, kindly, "Where did you come from?"

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-18 08:28 pm UTC (link)
"New York City?" Zack repeated, trying out the strange place name as his frown deepened. "Never heard of it. Which continent?" He'd been on the Eastern continent, in the wastelands just outside of Midgar. There were no other cities on that side of the mountains, and the only town nearby, Kalm, was nothing like this place. He wondered if somehow someone's Exit materia had been activated, and he'd been transported to some place he'd never been. It didn't seem likely. Just one look told him that this was a big place, and he knew all the big cities on both main continents.

"Look, no offense, but I've got other things I need to do, and I don't like doctors. I'll be fine. If you could just ... give me a rough idea of where I am, that's plenty."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-18 08:40 pm UTC (link)
"You're bleeding," she protested. You're hardly fine. That was how it was with many of the new arrivals, thought they could handle themselves in the big old city because they'd handled stuff back where they were from. But still, Susan didn't want to see him hurt. She took a deep breath - she couldn't be cross with him. How had it gone with Narnia all those years ago? She'd been pretty stubborn herself.

"You're on Earth. 20th century. In the United States of America, specifically New York City, in the State of New York." She smiled kindly again, "I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal - you allow me to help you, almost as a favour, see. And then, should you need it returned, I'll help to the best I can. Oh, I'm Susan, by the way - Susan Pevensie."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-18 08:44 pm UTC (link)
"Zack Fair." He leaned down for a better look at her and made a face. "Are you serious? Because I've never heard of any of the places you just talked about."

For the moment, he ignored the slowly growing ache of overtired muscles. He really wanted to get a handle on what had happened to him, and if this girl was being serious, crazy, or in fact didn't exist at all and was some sort of strange mirage conjured by his brain when he took a piece of shrapnel to the head.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-18 08:51 pm UTC (link)
"Where are you from?" she asked again. "Wherever it is, you've been pulled here, to New York, to stay. No sense in trying to leave, others have tried and failed. There's no out, which for you looks a bit of a shame, but we do need crimefighters, unless you're the criminal type. But you don't look the criminal type. I could be wrong, I've been wrong before."

She hadn't come across any of the new refuges right when they were bounced here, but she'd explained things to a fair bit of them as they wandered the city, trying to make sense of it.

"I am, however, exceptionally serious. As are your wounds. Having a native with you will help at hospital, so I suggest we start the walk there, and I'll do my best to answer any questions you've got."

There was the Welcome Center, and she'd direct him there, after she made sure he got patched up good; she couldn't bear the thought of sending anyone out into the streets of New York bleeding and lost and alone.

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-18 09:00 pm UTC (link)
"Gongaga." Zack backed up a step and put a hand to his head, tangling his fingers in the wild spikes of his black hair. "This is insane. A whole different planet, right? That's what you're getting at?" He dropped his hand to his side and shook his head. "This is wild. Even compared to ... well, everything." Zack had thought he'd seen crazy when Sephiroth went around the bend and burned Nibelheim to the ground, or whenever Hojo would come down to the labs to start a new experiment. What Susan was telling him, though, was a whole new kind of nuts.

"Look, I'm really not as bad off as you think. I'm SOLDIER ... which I'm guessing you know nothing about since my eyes didn't give me away." All SOLDIERs had mako eyes. Zack's, a vivid blue, glowed a little more than most, but in the daylight, the effect wasn't always noticeable. "And I'm dead serious when I say I don't like doctors. Just show me someplace I can clean up and I'll be fine. Promise."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-18 09:18 pm UTC (link)
The emphasis he put on the word soldier had her more curious than anything else, and she peered at his eyes to see if she could discern a difference. Now that he said something, his eyes were a little ... off.

"It does sound like yes, you are from a different planet. I thought the craziest thing I'd ever have to deal with ... well, let's just say I would never have imagined jumping to a whole new planet." She ignored the wounds, though it pained her to do so, and looked him over. He did alright, for passing for human. Susan wasn't going to make assumptions that he was, the message boards certainly referenced a lot of things, and Susan wouldn't be surprised if real, non-human aliens came through. Well, there was the sword, but it wasn't as if she didn't carry things in her purse that could be weapons.

She frowned at him, "That insistent? Alright. The Welcome Center's too far of a walk from here, hospital is closer. There is a gym ... two blocks down and three blocks east? You should be able to use one of the showers, I would think, but your arm ... are you certain that you're certain? It would put me at ease to get that properly fixed up."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-18 09:30 pm UTC (link)
"Yeah. That insistent. Let's just say I've had bad experiences with the medical profession." Although he wouldn't call anything Hojo did medicine. The man was insane, twisted in ways that didn't bear thinking about, and Zack still had no idea exactly what the scientist had been trying to do to him and Cloud. He was pretty sure, if the doctors around here were used to regular human patients, he'd raise more than a few eyebrows. He didn't want that kind of attention, not after laying low for nearly a year and spending the four years prior locked in a glass tube.

"I'm certain," he hastened to reassure Susan when she continued to press the matter of his injuries. "I think I have a low-level Cure on me. Once I get the bullets out, I can use that to patch myself up a little."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-19 07:48 pm UTC (link)
She had no idea what he was talking about, but someone at the paper mentioned that there were people running about with magic wands that could do some pretty nifty things, so she wasn't really that surprised at a low-level cure, whatever that was.

"I'd still like to walk with you to the gym," she said cautiously. "I don't want you passing out in the street and someone else coming along who isn't so nice."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-19 07:59 pm UTC (link)
Zack snorted at that and shook his head. "It's going to take more than a few bullets to make me pass out. Not that I don't appreciate the help, but I'm really better off than you seem to keep thinking I am. But, if it makes you feel better, I won't say no to some company. Especially since you seem to know what's going on. How come you know what's going on?"

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-20 03:11 am UTC (link)
Susan laughed, though his comment felt like copper in her mouth - it was tangy and wrong. "I'm used to human beings, I guess," she said. "Earthlings. Homo sapiens. From the 20th century. 1928 to 1964 -" Then she blushed, faintly, because she'd just given him her age, and she didn't go around exactly advertising it, y'know?

She struck a heel forward and started out, figuring she'd let him set the pace, and if they needed to stop, they would. It was interesting how much one could do in a pair of heels - it was either that or walk stocking footed through the streets of New York. Not going to happen.

"I live here, that's why. Have lived here since before this all began - before people started turning up from all over. Moved from London about 15 years ago. So it's a bit off for me as well, seeing these ... worlds all collide on my city, but I'm not the one of place and time, so it's easier to adapt."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-20 03:23 am UTC (link)
"Why are you assuming I'm not human?" Zack asked as he fell into step beside her, passing up the chance to comment on the information she'd given him. He definitely didn't do the math to figure out her age. That required more mental gymnastics than he usually spent his time on. Zack was a great soldier, and intelligent in his own way, but school learning? Not his thing.

Although Zack was limping, he was making good time. He was tall, and in good enough shape that his wounded leg wasn't much of a hindrance. "I'm not some sort of ... I don't know. Alien. I'm not normal, but I am human."

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sry! my basement flooded!
[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-22 09:01 am UTC (link)
"You're from a whole new planet," Susan said. "I mean it's - it's like a fairy tale, all these people showing up, and some who look ... normal - human - but actually aren't." She didn't know how to explain it to someone who'd come here, the malapropism of New York - her New York - by people who shrugged of getting shot. And had low-level cures on them, not that she knew what a cure was.

"If you're not from here, you're by definition alien. Not that it's a wrong thing, just different. What's a low-level cure?" Might as well trade a question for a question, right?

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oh dear! everything all right?
[info]herosheart
2011-07-22 04:04 pm UTC (link)
"Could we call me a foreigner instead?" Zack rejoined. "Sorry, but the whole alien thing is a sore subject." An alien to Zack was something like Jenova, a creature so strange and horrific that he was still having trouble wrapping his head around the idea five years later. Sometimes, remembering that he had some of her cells inside of him gave him the creeps, despite the advantages they gave him. Advantages like shrugging off getting shot.

"A low-level Cure's exactly what it sounds like, but I'm guess you've never heard of materia. Long story short, certain materia let you cast certain spells, and this one lets me cast a low level healing spell."

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we're good!
[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-22 10:20 pm UTC (link)
She laughed, a deeper laugh, and it echoed through the darkening streets. She unconsciously pulled her blazer tighter around her. "They still call me foreigner, you know, being from London. But I think I can be amenable to that."

Materia? Sounded like half a word. "No, can't say I've ever heard of it, but does this mean you've got a wand, then, if you're casting spells?"

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good!
[info]herosheart
2011-07-22 11:31 pm UTC (link)
Zack gave her a flat, disappointed look. "Why would I need a wand? You just hold the materia and tell it what you want it to do. Some of them are even easier than that. They only do one thing, so all you have to do is tell them to work."

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Re: good!
[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 02:51 am UTC (link)
"The other wizards here need wands to cast their spells," Susan said, trying very hard not to be cross with him.

"And it's different for me, you see, having never come across materia or wands before. Or much of anything, really. And there are some rather odd people here, some with ships, and regular time-travellers, and people looking for spacemen ... materia could be anything to me, you see?"

They had just a few blocks to go, and Susan was glad; the sun was setting, and she was going to have to bus back to her apartment as it was, but the sooner, the better. One it dipped below the skyscrappers, it got pretty dark on the streets, pretty fast.

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 03:06 am UTC (link)
"I'm not a wizard," Zack immediately corrected. "I'm just a soldier. You don't have to be a wizard to use materia. You just need to practice."

He was a little taken aback by the different types of people she described. He'd never heard of any of this outside of fiction, the same as Susan.

"Are we getting close?" he asked, taking note of the dying sunlight and not liking the idea of leaving Susan alone on the city streets after dark. "If we are, you can just give me directions. I'm sure you had someplace else to be."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 03:12 am UTC (link)
She nodded. All the new different rules each person had coming in! How would they all survive in New York? What if they all weren't meant to?

She pushed such horrid thoughts out of her head and nodded, "It's the building at the end of the next block. I've seen you this far, I suppose I'll see you to the Welcome Center as well; we've passed my apartment already. It's just ..." she gave a little laugh, more to reassure herself. "The monsters come out after dark. Most of them, anyway."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 03:17 am UTC (link)
"In that case, all the more reason for you to give me directions and me to walk you to your place. I can handle monsters just fine. It's kind of in my job description. You, though ... " Zack gave her an apologetic smile. "No offense, but you look kind of like you'd be lunch."

He really wished that she understood he was stronger than she thought, and his injuries were hardly debilitating.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 03:28 am UTC (link)
"You're hurt," she protested. And besides, once upon a time hadn't she fought monsters of her own? Sometimes she woke up and it had all been so real, especially in light of all the people coming into the city. One of them might show up after all.

"I can't just leave you. If you get fixed up with your materia, I'll permit you to escort me home, how's that?"

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 03:36 am UTC (link)
"Deal." She reminded him a little of Aerith, with her stubbornness, and Zack felt a pang of loss at the thought. He hadn't spoken to his girlfriend in five years, and she still had no idea what had happened to him. Getting back to her and explaining was a priority, once he wrapped things up here and got home.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 04:10 am UTC (link)
"That was easy enough,"she laughed as they reached the gym; she paid the two dollars for an hourly card and handed it to Zack. "Okay, I'll just wait out here while you clean up; you sure your spell can handle it?"

There wasn't much reading material in the front, but she'd manage, she always did.

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 04:20 pm UTC (link)
"Thanks. I'll pay you back when I get a chance. And yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine." Zack flashed her another smile and took the card. He disappeared into the back, glad that the gym's layout wasn't all that different from the gyms Shinra kept for their employees.

Once he found the showers, he checked to make sure no one else was around to remark on the blood or the glow of the Cure spell. Then, he stripped down and did his best to dig out the bullets. He'd left his Buster Sword outside, safely concealed, but he didn't want to leave it there for long. After he'd scrubbed himself clean, he grabbed the materia and was pleased to see that the spell took care of the worst. He turned off the water and toweled off, then pulled some bandages from his meager supplies.

Zack headed back out to the front once he was taped up and dressed. "All set," he said, knowing that he looked significantly better, even if he was still a little stiff.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 07:46 pm UTC (link)
"Consider it a welcome gift," Susan said. She liked the kid, even if he was a bit ... alien. Foreigner. Off. Odd. But he walked back to the gym front looking ... like a whole new person.

She couldn't help but narrow her eyes and give him a careful lookover. No, he didn't appear to have gone in and just hidden his wounds. He looked a lot better.

"All right," she conceded. "My apartment's back this way."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 08:00 pm UTC (link)
"Lead the way." Zack made a quick detour to retrieve his sword. It was probably a good thing it was getting a bit dark. He hadn't seen anyone else walking around with weapons, and he didn't want to get in trouble, but he was definitely not giving up the sword Angeal had bequeathed to him.

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 09:30 pm UTC (link)
"So instead of a wand, you've got materia and a giant sword," Susan observed as they doubled back to her apartment. "And you're a soldier, not a wizard or magician. I'm pretty much convinced now that if someone can imagine it, it can pop up here."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 09:35 pm UTC (link)
Zack laughed and reached back to ruffle the spikes of hair over his neck in a nervous gesture. "Yeah, well, I'll believe that when I see it. I still have to get used to the idea that I'm not even on my own planet anymore. I'm kind of worried, to tell you the truth. I left a buddy back home, and he can't really take care of himself. So what happens to him? I'm kind of hoping he might have gotten picked up. Is there a way I can try to find him, do you know? Something faster than walking all over the city, I mean."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-24 09:53 pm UTC (link)
Susan felt a pang in her heart for Zack. Her entire family had left her. Being left behind was the worst possible feeling in the world.

"Yes," she said quietly. "As soon as you drop me off, I'll direct you to the Welcome Center. You'll need to take a bus, but I have some tokens. There's also these ... odd bulletin boards." She didn't know how to describe them other than magic. "You write on them, and the writing shows up on every bulletin board across the city. It's a bit different."

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-24 10:01 pm UTC (link)
"Huh." Zack blinked. "So, sort of like a text message, but with paper." He guessed that was okay. He'd try the boards, definitely. They might give him a few leads.

"About the bus ... are they going to throw me off for having this sword? I noticed no one else is carrying weapons."

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[info]_believeinmagic
2011-07-27 05:02 am UTC (link)
"Text message?" Susan asked. "You mean like a telegram? Or Morse? I suppose one doesn't need a paper for Morse code."

He was definitely confusing.

"They might, they might not," Susan said. "We're coming up on my place; I'll give you a bus token, and if they don't let you on, you can just buzz me and ... we'll figure something out." She would rather pay for his hotel room than let him - mostly his sword - stay with her.

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[info]herosheart
2011-07-27 02:13 pm UTC (link)
"Thanks. I appreciate all of this." Zack really did. He'd been on the run for so long that the simple experience of walking somewhere with someone who didn't have the potential to turn him over to Shinra for another four years in the lab was a relief, even if he was still worried about Cloud.

"If there's ever anything I can do to pay you back, let me know, okay? I mean it."

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