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A Long Time Forgotten ~ Chapter 10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zack waited patiently for the plane's twin props to stop their lazy circling. Beside him, Hojo muttered something about incompetence and delays. Out on the runway, Rocket Town mechanics swarmed around the plane, blocking the wheels and rolling up a staircase. It was a bright, sunny day, quite unlike the smog and gloom they'd left behind in Midgar. Not that Rocket Town was in much better physical condition than Midgar, really. After the moon launch program had been cancelled, the town had slid quickly into stagnation. The only thing keeping people here was a stubborn dedication to the slowly collapsing Shinra 26, and the intermittent air traffic from Midgar. It had been different during the war, of course, but six months of peace had been enough to over-turn Rocket Town's moderate war-time prosperity. The door finally cracked open and Zack stood, shouldering his duffel bag. Hojo stalked off the plane first, ignoring the half-hearted pleasantries of the ground crew. Zack quickly fell into step two paces behind and to the right of Hojo as the scientist stormed across town. When they reached the hotel, Hojo stopped abruptly and turned to Zack. Bright, beady eyes swept over him from head to toe. With a disapproving sniff, Hojo pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Get out of that uniform. There is no need for it here, nor in Nibelheim. The people don't need to know what you are." He turned stiffly away without waiting for a response. "Sure thing, boss," Zack said with a half-hearted shrug. The phrase was Reno's, of course, and he wished he could manage even a faint imitation of the red-head's devil-may-care attitude. He needed something to shake the heavy sense of dread around his heart. As soon as Zack was changed, they climbed into a waiting truck and headed for Nibelheim. It was a silent trip, neither man being inclined to make small talk. Hojo refused to stop until they reached the town, so Zack drove through the night, wishing for some good, strong Midgar coffee. Or a couple of beer from the Dragon's Zoo. "Quit that!" Hojo hissed. Zack blinked, and realized he'd been whistling absentmindedly. "Sorry," he said, not bothering to sound at all contrite. He wished for a smoke -- something he didn't do very often -- and kept driving.
The town was eerily quiet, bathed in moonlight and touched by mountain shadows. Zack tried to imagine Cloud there, in the moonlit town, and found he couldn't. There was an other-worldliness to it that unsettled him. He wished Sephiroth were with him. The iron gates of the Mansion were bolted closed. Hojo gestured impatiently for Zack to deal with it. He wrestled the bolt back, wincing at its squeals of protest. The scientist darted through as soon as there was enough space for his slender frame, leaving Zack to carry both their bags. The bright lights in the main hall of the mansion blinded Zack momentarily as he opened the heavy oak door. Blinking owlishly, he walked slowly forward, waiting for his eyes to adjust. "Hurry up," Hojo called. Glancing around, Zack realized the professor stood at the top of the curving staircase. Shifting his grip on the bags, he headed up the stairs. Hojo showed him to what had to be the smallest room on the upper floor, gave explicit instructions about where Zack was not allowed to go, then disappeared, leaving Zack staring somewhat blankly at the open door. After a moment, he shrugged and turned away. There wasn't much settling in to do, so after he had put away his clothes, he undressed and climbed into bed. His sleep was fitful and tiring.
He hadn't, of course, at least not that Zack could find. Sitting down at the dusty kitchen table, Zack sneezed once as he glanced around. He didn't know where Hojo had gone, and he didn't dare leave the Mansion, but he was hungry. Sighing, he stood and dusted his hands off on his jeans as he headed out into the hallway again. He passed what might have been a small greenhouse-like area, judging by the pots and plant remains. A couple of the plants were still green and growing. He stayed away from them, though, not wanting to know what they had been living on all this time. Finding himself in what he supposed must have been the dining room, he wandered over to the baby grand piano that stood forlornly in the otherwise empty room. Dusting off the piano bench, he sat down and attempted a few notes. They were out-of-tune, but not too much so. He was half-heartedly attempting to play a tune by ear when he heard footsteps behind him. "Must you?" Hojo hissed irritably. Zack shrugged, turning towards him. "There's no food here, sir." Hojo peered at him. "Incompetence," he muttered. "Find the phone and order some, then." "From where?" Zack asked, a little annoyed as Hojo turned away. The scientist waved a hand irritably. "Wherever." He wondered idly if the Dragon's Zoo would deliver to Nibelheim, but decided against calling. Swinging his legs over the bench, he stood up again, trying to remember if he'd seen a phone yet in his exploration.
Transferring the sandwich to his left hand, he wiped his right hand on his jeans and picked up the pen. Not until he'd had a few more bites of sandwich and a large swallow of water did he actually start writing anything. Hey Cloud, he wrote, ignoring the slight stab of guilt that troubled him. He'd write to Sephiroth later, he told himself, when he had more to say. You would not believe how boring it is here. Hojo's got me guarding an empty house while he vanishes for hours on end. Maybe he's afraid of ghosts. He chuckled to himself and took another bite of his sandwich. Maybe he is a ghost. He certainly is a weird one. You know he even forgot to order food before we got here? Kinda scary when you start thinkin' that travel rations would be nice. Oh, you haven't experienced the joys of travel rations yet, have you? Heh. Just wait. He grinned to himself, imagining Cloud's expression when he was finally faced with the evil that was Shinra travel rations. Then his smile fell away as he realized Cloud might very well get sent on a mission while he was away. Sighing, he started writing again.
There's not much to say about this place. We're near the mountains, and it's pretty enough, I guess, but kind of depressing to have all that rock looming out over us. I'd rather be off over by Gongaga somewhere, or out in the forest. Zack. He stared at the letter blankly when he was done. Finishing his sandwich, he carefully folded the letter and tucked it into an envelope. After a moment's thought, he addressed it to C. Strife, at the Midgar barracks, and sealed the envelope. Holding it in one hand, it suddenly occurred to him that he had no way of sending it, prisoner as he was within the Mansion. Unless there was a mailbox he could sneak out to and drop it in during the night. Thinking back over their arrival in Nibelheim, he couldn't recall seeing one. With a frustrated sigh, he headed for the phone again. He would get the letter sent, even if it meant paying somebody to send it. Another thought hit him as he was picking up the phone, one that made him set the phone back down, number undialed. He couldn't just send the letter to Cloud. It would be postmarked from Nibelheim, and he didn't want Cloud to know he was here. Growling in frustration, he headed back to the kitchen. He'd have to write to Sephiroth, tuck Cloud's letter in the General's envelope, and hope that his lover was in a generous enough mood to pass it on. All he could do was hope....
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