What If... Zack Survived? - Final Fantasy VII

Instructions

I am pretty sure you have thought about this once during the campaign of Final Fantasy VII. What if First-class SOLDIER Zack Fair survived the Shinra attack. No alternate universes or time travel. Let's see. Disclaimer: This is not canon, it was purely made for entertainment purposes. So, relax FF7 fandom. Chapter 1: Midgar Entry Zack gasps for breath. The Shinra soldiers were relentless, but the never-ending stream finally seemed to stop. The captain, seeing the bloodshed, finally halted the attack, specifically saying, "Hojo will find them. But, it is important to my job that the president does not find out about this." Zack stumbles over to Cloud. "We did it. We are going to make it. Cloud shakes himself awake at last. Seeing Zack's damaged condition, he immediately asks what happened, scanning the area for combatants. "Where is Sephiroth? Where are we? What happened?" Cloud asks urgently. "We are just outside Midgar. Shinra is apparently not with us anymore. I don't know where Sephiroth is, but we will deal with that later. Let's just get inside without getting shot at." Cloud chuckles, but is still cautious about the situation. They stumble into Midgar finding a train station. There, both Cloud and Zack see a familiar face. "Tifa?" Cloud says. Tifa looks around startled. She finally finds Cloud. But, when seeing Zack. Her expression turned cold and distant. She walks up to the duo. "Cloud. What are you doing here with this SOLDIER?" "Ex-SOLDIER. Shinra attacked us just a few hours ago. Don't think me or Cloud want anything to do with them." Zack said. "Let's stop there. We need to go somewhere where we can talk more about this." "And somewhere where we can take care of your injuries." Tifa said, looking at Zack's wounds. "I have somewhere we can go." Tifa signaled them to follow. She brought them to Sector 7 where she entered a bar. Inside, she brought out some potions and medical supplies. Zack and Cloud sat down at the bar and started treating their injuries. "So. Explain." Tifa said. Cloud looked at Zack and Zack said, "I'll explain." Zack told Tifa the story of what really happened in Nibelheim and in recent events, including the attack from Shinra. Zack left out a few minor details including Cloud's involvement in Nibelheim. "I guess we need to keep moving. We need money. Any suggestions? We were thinking of being mercenaries!" Tifa thought for a second. "You guys could work with us." "Who?" Zack and Cloud asked. "We have reasons to believe that Shinra's production of Mako is hurting our planet. I am host of an eco-terrorist group called AVALANCHE. You guys could support us for a few missions and we could give you guys a head start in money." Zack pondered this for a moment. "I don't like the prospect of fighting against the company that I have been working for since I was a teenager. But, I don't follow their prospects anymore. Cloud?" Cloud looked at Zack and said, "I can't fight." Zack thought that Cloud was a bit depressed due to the recent events and said, "I have seen you in combat. You could take this on. You are a SOLDIER! Well, you never made SOLDIER," He gestured to his chest. "but it's what's in here what counts!" Cloud looked slightly inspired, but quickly said, "No, I literally can't fight. I don't have a weapon." Zack made a face of understanding and said, "Well, if we are going up against Shinra, we'll find a sword for you. Tifa? We are in!" End of Chapter 1