The Measure of a Man: Chapter 09

"Tseng, come in. Tseng, can you hear me?"

The Head Turk sighed tiredly, picking up his radio at the sound of General Hewley's voice and holding it up near his lips. "Loud and clear, General. We are still unable to take off in the choppers until the storm lets up." He wasn't lying, either; he wanted to find Zack and Cloud, too, but if they took off now the helicopters would likely be blown into the sides of the mountains. Besides which, the visibility would be so obscured by the enormous snowflakes that there would be little chance of spotting the two from the air anyway, especially in the middle of the night.

"I understand. I'm just radioing in to report that we've reached Point 035 and are going to continue south from there. We expect to reach Point 043 by morning. You can meet us there if the storm has passed."

"Understood. Tseng, out." Sighing again, Tseng returned the radio to its proper place, settling back in his seat in the cockpit of the chopper and waiting for the instant he could take off in search of the two missing men. There was no question in his mind about whether those two would be found; it was only a matter of time. "After all," he thought wryly as he typed the coordinates for Angeal's location into the computer. "Aerith would never forgive me if something happened to Zack on my watch."
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Not long before the sun rose again, Cloud was startled awake by the sound of Zack's wet coughing; he didn't even remember falling asleep. Since Zack had not awakened this time, he expected it wouldn't last long, and he waited patiently for the fit to subside, wincing at each squeaking wheeze and choked-back moan of pain. Instead of tapering off, however, the coughing seemed to intensify, eventually progressing to the point that Zack's lips began to turn slightly blue. Cloud sighed and pulled him into a sitting position, pounding his back as he continued to wheeze and hack. The older boy gasped and shuddered, obviously in pain, while Cloud kept hitting him on the back to loosen up the fluid in his lungs. After a few moments, Zack sucked in an enormous breath and gave a harsh, gagging cough; Cloud shivered as he saw the thick, bloody saliva splattering onto the floor in front of them, but he did not move, just rubbing circles between Zack's shoulders until he was sure he had his breath back.

When he had cleaned the blood from Zack's mouth and gotten some water into him, Cloud laid him back down on the pallet and turned him onto his side, pulling the blankets up around his shivering form in an attempt to keep him comfortable. He fought against the worry gnawing away at his thoughts; he wasn't sure how much longer Zack was going to hold out in this frozen wasteland, and the storm was showing no signs of easing up anytime soon. Where in the world was Angeal?

He shook his head angrily, glaring down at his feet and reprimanding himself for being so weak. Angeal couldn't help them right now, so it would do no good wishing he was there. No, Cloud was all Zack had now, and he was going to make sure his friend pulled through no matter what.

A soft groan and a movement beside him snapped Cloud out of his daydreaming, and he turned his attention to Zack as the raven-haired SOLDIER blearily opened his eyes and looked around the dim tent. His eyes settled on Cloud's worried face and he sighed, holding a hand over his mouth and coughing softly.

"Hey, Spiky…" he greeted with none of his usual energy. "I… Heh… 'm sorry you're stuck taking care of m – *cough* – me like this. I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, but…" His eyes widened and he sat up quickly, hacking harshly into his hands for several seconds and panting exhaustedly afterward. "Umm… I think… I may be in a little trouble, Cloud…" he said softly, staring wide-eyed at the dark red stains on his palms. "It's been years since I was this sick; before I joined SOLDIER, actually… We probably ought to get moving again, before I'm no use to you anymore."

"Don't talk like that!" Cloud snapped, his heart pounding with fear. "You'll be fine. Pneumonia's bad, but you can beat it."

"Never said… I couldn't beat it…" Zack said, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to stay conscious; he was just so tired all of a sudden. "Just might not… be much use to you in the meantime…"

"Zack, don't go to sleep right now!" Cloud leaned forward and shook his shoulders, but Zack just slumped forward against his chest, breathing quickly and shallowly as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Cloud gritted his teeth, cursing himself for being so helpless without Angeal and Zack to guide him. He reached forward and felt Zack's forehead, drawing his hand back quickly when he realized how hot it was. This was bad. He had seen plenty of people with pneumonia before and even contracted it himself once – in a backwoods town like Nibelheim, it was a fairly common occurrence – but he had never seen it get this bad this fast. How was this even possible?

"Okay, alright, just calm down, Strife… Let's just think this through…" He sat still for several moments, propping Zack up against him so it would be easier for him to breathe, and tried to think of the best course of action. The temperature outside was brutally cold, and the snow was getting thicker all the time, but it was also getting cold inside the tent faster than the fire outside could warm it. Besides which, staying here was getting them no closer to rescue, and at the rate Zack's health was deteriorating those few extra hours could cost them dearly.

With that thought, Cloud made up his mind in an instant. He hurriedly snatched up their packs, stripping his uniform jacket off and slipping it around Zack, fastening it tightly to keep out the chill as much as he could. He was going to be miserably cold without it, but he was more accustomed to weather like this than even most SOLDIERs; Zack, however, was from the tropics and not used to cold, and he would be far less able to handle it in this condition than usual. Once the jacket was on, he put the lighter of the two packs on Zack's back before hoisting his friend onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. He was heavy, but Cloud had been through enough training to at least be able to hold him like this for a while.

With grim determination, he stepped out into the cold, not allowing himself to flinch when the chill wind immediately cut at him like a hot knife. A flashlight clutched in his gloved fist was the only light he had to see by, since he did not have the mako-enhanced night vision of a SOLDIER, but it was enough. He was going to save Zack, even if it killed him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

The early hours of the morning ticked by slowly, all bleeding together into one miserable blur as Cloud made his way through the deep snow, trying his best to ignore the howling of the wind and the way it cut through his clothing as if he wasn't wearing any at all. The only thing that kept him from giving up and taking shelter was the knowledge that Zack needed his help so badly. Even with the extra warmth the wool cadet jacket provided, the SOLDIER was shivering almost uncontrollably, and Cloud could hear the rattling in his breath even over the wind. Every so often Zack would whimper, though whether it was from pain or a nightmare Cloud had no idea. All the blond could do was grip his hand a little tighter, make sure his hold on Zack was still secure, and urge his exhausted body forward through the knee-deep snow.

"Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelheim winter was worse than this…" He repeated those words in his head over and over, trying to keep himself from thinking about how he could barely feel any part of his body anymore. Although the sun had risen an hour ago and the snow had stopped falling, he never even noticed. The cold had ceased to hurt anymore; now he was just numb. "Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelhe –"

"Cloud…"

Cloud jumped a little, not expecting to hear Zack's voice breaking through his mental mantra. The Gongagan man was looking at Cloud with tears in his eyes; some had already fallen down his face and frozen on his cheeks in shiny trails.

"Zack? What's the matter? Are you hurt –"

"Sorry… *cough, cough * 'm sorry… sorry…"

"Zack, what are you talking about?"

"Couldn't protect Cloud… I'm sorry… Please be – *cough* – okay… Please…" Cloud's eyebrows knitted together in worry, not sure why Zack was saying things like that.

"No, I'm right here, Zack. I'm fine, see? A little chilly, maybe, but fine."

"Failed… Couldn't protect… my friend… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… sorry…"

"The fever's making him delirious. It must have gotten higher…" Cloud thought worriedly, noticing that Zack was still mumbling to himself between coughs, although the words had become incoherent. "Gods, can nothing go right for us right now?!" he screamed at the gray morning sky, willing anyone who could hear it to stop toying with them so much. "Can't you please just give him a break?!"

As if in answer to his question, Cloud suddenly heard the sound of a twig snapping in the trees not far from where he stood. He tensed immediately, remembering how he had heard the same sound just before the Bandersnatch had attacked them before.

"Oh, please, not now…"

Another twig snapped, then another, coming closer with each step. Gritting his teeth furiously, Cloud set Zack down on the ground behind him, pulling a knife from the belt on his uniform and standing protectively in front of his friend.

"Alright, then. You want a fight? I'll tear you to pieces before you touch him. So COME AT ME!" His shout echoed through the stillness of the mountain forest, the sound of his own voice the only answer he got. He tensed his body as he heard movement again, ready to kill the beast before it got anywhere near Zack, and the knife was held in a death-grip in his fist.

When a dark shape finally emerged from the trees, Cloud sprang forward with a furious yell, ready to plunge the blade as deep as he could before it could move. What he didn't count on, though, was the figure moving first. He felt something grab onto his wrist, twisting it until the knife fell to the ground, and he was pushed roughly onto his back, losing his breath as his body collided with a fallen tree. Dazed, he shook his head, looking up at his attacker before freezing in shock. He was suddenly so overwhelmed with relief he almost began to laugh, though he managed to keep it in check. Instead, he picked himself up slowly, coughing a few times as he regained his air, and smiled at the man standing in front of him.

"The hell're you still doin' out here, kid?" the man asked gruffly, brushing some of the snow off of Cloud's back. "I thought you and yer friend were s'posed to be gone already!" Instead of answering, Cloud just smiled again.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you right now, Cid."