08-14-2016, 11:37 PM
Zack had been in a submarine once before. It was part of a tour to learn the various facilities in Junon, and the different responsibilities of the many Shin-Ra divisions. He didn’t like it. He was too tall and his preference for oversized blades didn’t match well with the confined space. These memories were at the front of his mind as he watched Caira descend down the hatch after Gary. After glancing around the docks one last time, Zack grabbed the ladder and descended as well. He paused only to reach up and close the hatch above him, twisting it tightly to seal it.
Zack skipped the final three rungs on the ladder, dropping to the floor and landing with a loud thud. He surveyed the room they were in, which was predictably a little cramped. At the center was a large table with an equally large map covering it. There were various markings and instruments scattered around it. Zack figured it was at least a partial map of the Vasty Deep, considering that it was mostly water and islands, with some other structures penciled in.
Gary looked to Caira, then pointed to one of the two doors that exited the room – the one going towards the stern of the vessel – before issuing his next order. “Go through that door, and go downstairs. On the third right is a small supply room. Get the map that’s in there.”
“It’s different from this one?” Caira curiously asked as she looked at the table.
“It contains more important information. Go,” Gary was harsh with his order, and Caira departed.
Zack crossed his arms, then cocked an eyebrow as he noticed Gary staring intently at him. Great, now what?
“You wear a uniform,” Gary stated so bluntly it caught Zack completely off guard.
“They’re combat fatigues,” Zack responded quickly. Was this the source of Gary’s suspicion? Other than being a tremendous asshole, that is?
“They have an emblem,” Gary countered that point just as fast.
Zack scoffed as he looked down. Sure enough, the old Shin-Ra emblem could be seen stitched into the leather piece of his outfit. He’d honestly forgotten. “It’s from before the Omniverse. Just haven’t taken the time to scrape it off. What are you, the fashion police?”
“You were a soldier somewhere, I’m guessing,” Gary said as he stepped a little closer to Zack. “Some sort of organized army, given the fact that there is a marking of some kind.”
“It didn’t end well,” Zack shrugged.
“Not my concern,” Gary dismissed what Zack might actually be interested in talking about. “What was your rank?”
“I didn’t have a rank,” Zack answered, though the curiosity was apparent in his voice. “I was a part of a special operations section that worked independently inside the department.”
“Then I can assume you have some experience, and might be familiar with training regimens,” Gary snapped, his point finally made. It resulted in a tense stare down between the two. “I will not warn you again, not to interfere.”
“I’ve helped with training,” Zack’s voice was a rare shade of serious, for him. “I can tell the difference between the guys that want to teach, and the guys that want to boost their own ego.”
Gary scoffed this time. “Caira is destined for far more than you. You will be used and cast aside when your value has passed. There is great potential for her.”
“For you, or for something that really matters?” Zack challenged.
Gary’s eyes flared with anger. “I’m already tired of you, boyo. Sit and wait for me to send you to your doom.”
Zack smirked and nodded his head. To most others, that was a threat, but to him it was an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to defy the odds. Another reason he’d volunteered to stick around. But then again, he figured Gary knew that much about him. They both looked at Caira as she entered the room once again, clutching the rolled up map Gary desired.
Gary snatched the map from her hands, and brushed several pens and other tools on the table aside. He then dropped the parchment on top of the other one, and it naturally rolled open on impact with the table. Zack crossed his arms, while Caira bit her lip as they looked at it with him.
“Mr. Clowney is likely at Cinnabar Island, still. Which is here,” Gary advised them as he pointed to a land mass on the map, and then moved his finger to another. “We’re starting from here. As you can see, we have a long way to go.”
Zack tilted his head as he contemplated the journey. He’d never really travelled by water in any regard, having usually been airlifted to most of his far away destinations across the sea in his career. This sure would be interesting.
Gary continued after a brief pause. “Go downstairs. Get settled. Take this opportunity to rest.”
Gary departed through the opposite door, which appeared to lead to the controls that would move this undersea boat. Caira merely smiled at Zack, and nodded her head towards the door she had already been through. There were living quarters downstairs, which would presumably be their rooms. She was taking the initiative to assume that they were.
Zack followed Caira through the doorway, and down a terribly claustrophobic hallway. Halfway down the hall, slightly off to the side, there was a spiral staircase. Caira descended down it, and Zack followed her, only managing to get the Buster Sword stuck on the stairs once or twice. He grumbled but made the descent fairly painlessly.
They arrived in a new hall, this one just wide enough for one person at a time. There were multiple doors on either side, and as they approached Zack could see a bed built into the wall of each tiny room. There wasn’t much else, except for a rack to hang clothes and a small desk. Zack shook his head as he stepped into one room, nearly hitting his head on the doorframe as he did. That was going to be a problem on one dark night, for sure.
Caira stood in his door, watching as he took the Buster Sword from his back and leaned it against the wall. “I guess this is where he meant. We’ll need to sleep, after all.”
“I don’t know how you put up with that guy,” Zack responded, taking a seat on his old bed momentarily. Surely, Gary’s room was bigger and nicer than this sardine can. “That dude is certifiably crazy.”
“He’s here to help,” Caira said with a faint smile, and a moment of hesitation. “I’m pretty sure.”
Zack finally burst out laughing, and Caira’s smile remained, although the curiosity in her eyes was apparent.
“Pretty sure,” Zack repeated in his fit of mirth. “What kind of lunatic joins up with someone because they might be able to help or they might be a good person?”
Caira opened her mouth to begin her defense, but then she took in Zack’s ridiculous grin. Of course, he was here for much the same reason. “Oh…oh!”
Caira giggled as she got Zack’s joke, appreciating his lighter spirit. She couldn’t resist jabbing back just a little. “It’s not too late to turn back.”
Not more than a second after the words left her mouth the submarine lurched forward. They looked to the Buster Sword as it rattled against the wall and nearly fell over. They could feel the ship moving through the water. Gary had pulled the ship from the dock, and they were well on their way to Cinnabar.
Zack smiled once more. “I think it is, now.”
The two primes shared another brief laugh as their adventure began.
Zack skipped the final three rungs on the ladder, dropping to the floor and landing with a loud thud. He surveyed the room they were in, which was predictably a little cramped. At the center was a large table with an equally large map covering it. There were various markings and instruments scattered around it. Zack figured it was at least a partial map of the Vasty Deep, considering that it was mostly water and islands, with some other structures penciled in.
Gary looked to Caira, then pointed to one of the two doors that exited the room – the one going towards the stern of the vessel – before issuing his next order. “Go through that door, and go downstairs. On the third right is a small supply room. Get the map that’s in there.”
“It’s different from this one?” Caira curiously asked as she looked at the table.
“It contains more important information. Go,” Gary was harsh with his order, and Caira departed.
Zack crossed his arms, then cocked an eyebrow as he noticed Gary staring intently at him. Great, now what?
“You wear a uniform,” Gary stated so bluntly it caught Zack completely off guard.
“They’re combat fatigues,” Zack responded quickly. Was this the source of Gary’s suspicion? Other than being a tremendous asshole, that is?
“They have an emblem,” Gary countered that point just as fast.
Zack scoffed as he looked down. Sure enough, the old Shin-Ra emblem could be seen stitched into the leather piece of his outfit. He’d honestly forgotten. “It’s from before the Omniverse. Just haven’t taken the time to scrape it off. What are you, the fashion police?”
“You were a soldier somewhere, I’m guessing,” Gary said as he stepped a little closer to Zack. “Some sort of organized army, given the fact that there is a marking of some kind.”
“It didn’t end well,” Zack shrugged.
“Not my concern,” Gary dismissed what Zack might actually be interested in talking about. “What was your rank?”
“I didn’t have a rank,” Zack answered, though the curiosity was apparent in his voice. “I was a part of a special operations section that worked independently inside the department.”
“Then I can assume you have some experience, and might be familiar with training regimens,” Gary snapped, his point finally made. It resulted in a tense stare down between the two. “I will not warn you again, not to interfere.”
“I’ve helped with training,” Zack’s voice was a rare shade of serious, for him. “I can tell the difference between the guys that want to teach, and the guys that want to boost their own ego.”
Gary scoffed this time. “Caira is destined for far more than you. You will be used and cast aside when your value has passed. There is great potential for her.”
“For you, or for something that really matters?” Zack challenged.
Gary’s eyes flared with anger. “I’m already tired of you, boyo. Sit and wait for me to send you to your doom.”
Zack smirked and nodded his head. To most others, that was a threat, but to him it was an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to defy the odds. Another reason he’d volunteered to stick around. But then again, he figured Gary knew that much about him. They both looked at Caira as she entered the room once again, clutching the rolled up map Gary desired.
Gary snatched the map from her hands, and brushed several pens and other tools on the table aside. He then dropped the parchment on top of the other one, and it naturally rolled open on impact with the table. Zack crossed his arms, while Caira bit her lip as they looked at it with him.
“Mr. Clowney is likely at Cinnabar Island, still. Which is here,” Gary advised them as he pointed to a land mass on the map, and then moved his finger to another. “We’re starting from here. As you can see, we have a long way to go.”
Zack tilted his head as he contemplated the journey. He’d never really travelled by water in any regard, having usually been airlifted to most of his far away destinations across the sea in his career. This sure would be interesting.
Gary continued after a brief pause. “Go downstairs. Get settled. Take this opportunity to rest.”
Gary departed through the opposite door, which appeared to lead to the controls that would move this undersea boat. Caira merely smiled at Zack, and nodded her head towards the door she had already been through. There were living quarters downstairs, which would presumably be their rooms. She was taking the initiative to assume that they were.
Zack followed Caira through the doorway, and down a terribly claustrophobic hallway. Halfway down the hall, slightly off to the side, there was a spiral staircase. Caira descended down it, and Zack followed her, only managing to get the Buster Sword stuck on the stairs once or twice. He grumbled but made the descent fairly painlessly.
They arrived in a new hall, this one just wide enough for one person at a time. There were multiple doors on either side, and as they approached Zack could see a bed built into the wall of each tiny room. There wasn’t much else, except for a rack to hang clothes and a small desk. Zack shook his head as he stepped into one room, nearly hitting his head on the doorframe as he did. That was going to be a problem on one dark night, for sure.
Caira stood in his door, watching as he took the Buster Sword from his back and leaned it against the wall. “I guess this is where he meant. We’ll need to sleep, after all.”
“I don’t know how you put up with that guy,” Zack responded, taking a seat on his old bed momentarily. Surely, Gary’s room was bigger and nicer than this sardine can. “That dude is certifiably crazy.”
“He’s here to help,” Caira said with a faint smile, and a moment of hesitation. “I’m pretty sure.”
Zack finally burst out laughing, and Caira’s smile remained, although the curiosity in her eyes was apparent.
“Pretty sure,” Zack repeated in his fit of mirth. “What kind of lunatic joins up with someone because they might be able to help or they might be a good person?”
Caira opened her mouth to begin her defense, but then she took in Zack’s ridiculous grin. Of course, he was here for much the same reason. “Oh…oh!”
Caira giggled as she got Zack’s joke, appreciating his lighter spirit. She couldn’t resist jabbing back just a little. “It’s not too late to turn back.”
Not more than a second after the words left her mouth the submarine lurched forward. They looked to the Buster Sword as it rattled against the wall and nearly fell over. They could feel the ship moving through the water. Gary had pulled the ship from the dock, and they were well on their way to Cinnabar.
Zack smiled once more. “I think it is, now.”
The two primes shared another brief laugh as their adventure began.