This story is in honor of my mother who passed away when I was in the middle of it. It took me forever to be able to move the story further, but after I got going it didn't seem to stop. I hope it flows nicely from the point where I stopped when she got sick and where I started back up again. Thank you all for your patience. I don't see myself publish much stories anymore, but I'm happy to know that I'm not so depressed that I lost the will to write. This was my only outlet from the stresses of my life. Well enough about me let's get this story rolling.

Warnings: Violence

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Chapter One

Snow blew about, covering every inch of the mountain and the small wooden cabin in the center of the trees. A small group of infantrymen stood surrounded the cabin. Each doing some sort of dance to keep themselves warm. They were sent from Shinra to protect this outpost from recent bandit and monster activity. Every fifteen minutes one of the men in the cabin would replace one standing outside. All except for the smallest one leaning against a tree on the back side of the cabin. Unlike all the others, he was not moving around to keep himself warm. "Strife!" a deep voice shouted from the back door. "Come in here now for your fifteen and stop being so foolish."

Cloud shrugged and pushed himself off the tree to follow the dark haired man inside. The cabin was warm with the quiet crackle of fire eliminating the first floor. He propped his gun against the fireplace and used the heat to warm his fingers. Being in the cold never bothered the young man, nor did it bother him that the other men "accidentally" forgot to relieve him. He knew that he was an outcast. He knew that the other infantrymen were finding some way to get him to leave, but Cloud refused to give them what they hoped for. Cloud was going to become SOLDIER one way or the other. He had a hero that he admired. Someone he drove to be like. The very general that ordered his squad to this frozen tundra. General Sephiroth. The white haired warrior stood tall and gave off an air of confidence wherever he was. He was capable of holding his ground in tough situations. Something that Cloud was attempting to succeed at one day. Until then, the closet Cloud could get to SOLDIER was talking to his good friend Zack.

Zack was different from all the other SOLDIERs. He laughed and played pranks. If he wasn't on a mission, he was visiting the training centers. Zack and Cloud constantly sparred together, using wooden swords only because Zack feared he'd hurt Cloud by accident with a real one.

Cloud smiled as he sat back against the soft couch. It pleased him to have his first friend. There wasn't too many children his age in Nibelheim, except for Tifa. Even though they talked all the time and went places together, Cloud could never figure out why he couldn't call her his friend. He liked Tifa, found her interesting, but Zack was different. Zack always asked him about his day and wondered what techniques they taught him. He even offered to help Cloud train and practice. Meanwhile Tifa always talked about herself and never asked about his day.

Cloud glanced at the clock, noticing he had another minute before he returned to the cold. He couldn't believe he spent the whole fifteen minutes reminiscing on his past and thinking about Zack like an obsessed lover. Did he think of Zack that way? Cloud shook his head and gathered his equipment. He never was attracted to girls or boys. He was confused and didn't know what he felt. Maybe it was brotherly love. Returning to the cold, he motioned for the next man to go in before taking his spot. He felt butterflies in his stomach every time he saw Zack smile. The thought worried him, and he knew he didn't stand a chance against the womanizer, nor did he even think Zack would like him the same if he knew. Zack was clearly straight and wouldn't think of him that way, would he? Did he honestly want Zack as a lover? Was that what he was feeling?

A twig snapping drove all thoughts from his mind as he glanced towards the sound and moved his gun to the ready position. The other two men around him mimicked his motions, confirming that he wasn't the only one to hear the noise. The darkness around made them rely mostly on their other senses. Suddenly an arrow flew out of nowhere, piercing the man to Cloud's right through the throat. The man gurgled on his blood before collapsing on the ground, melting the snow with his blood. "Attack!" Cloud shouted as the men on the other side ran over to help them. The only SOLDIER in their group came around the back, using his mako eyes, he spotted two men in the trees.

"Up in the trees, three o'clock. Fire!"

All the men including Cloud fired at the tree. A body fell, but the other man managed to shoot another arrow, killing another man through the eyeball. This scared some of the men as the began to shoot randomly. "Men, focus! Aim for the tree at ten o'clock towards the top." Cloud calmed his nerves and fired directly where his superior instructed. There was a large bang before another body fell. The firing ceased as all men held their breathes.

The SOLDIER looked around at all the trees convinced that there had to be more. Suddenly out of nowhere, a dagger flew through the men, stabbing the SOLDIER right through the heart. Cloud stared in shock as the event moved in slow motion. Their superior fell backwards. His eyes hollow no longer seeing the area around him. Blood soaked his uniform and the area around him. The men screamed around Cloud. "What do we do? They took out a SOLDIER."

"I knew this was too much for infantrymen. They sent us to be slaughtered!" The shouts surrounded Cloud shocked him. Would Shinra really do that to their army? Another arrow took another man down. Was there no hope for the squad? Arrow after arrow struck the men as they ran for the cabin. Was this the end? No! Cloud wasn't going to die here. He was going to become SOLDIER!

He didn't know how he did it, but his body moved on its own. He dodged the arrow that was intent on killing him. Aiming his weapon, he shot randomly at the tops of the trees, judging by the angle of the arrows. The people shooting was at the top. He made his way quickly through the snow and fallen members of his squad until he reached the cabin door. Slamming it shut and shoving the first solid object against it, Cloud crawled his way under the exploding windows until he reached the radio. He knew deep down that he wasn't surviving this. The least he could do was to warn Shinra about the bandits being assassins. There was no other explanation to how accurate these people were. He managed to get to the radio and turn it on before the door exploded, igniting in fire. "Squad Eight to Central Command," Cloud spoke rapidly. There was nothing but static. He tried again, repeating what he said as two figures walked into the cabin. "Squad Eight to Central Command. If you read this..." Cloud stopped for a second and breathed. "Don't send back up. The squad was completely destroyed by the suppose bandits. They are..." One of the large armored men slammed his fist into Cloud's stomach. He gasped and spat the bile and blood mixture that rose. His vision was failing and he could barely make out the sound of the radio falling.

"Do you think he knows?"

"He knew enough on how to contact them." Cloud stared up at the two through his blurry vision. "Plus he's the only one left alive." Cloud's vision darkened, and he fell into the unconscious world not knowing when or if he'll wake up or even if Shinra received his transmission

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Zack stood in the hallway directly outside of the materia training room. He was patiently awaiting his turn as he did his squats. He couldn't help but wonder when Cloud would return from his mission. He wasn't really concerned, considering that they were just handling simple bandits or small creatures. Or was he concerned? Zack stopped and looked down the hallway. Something was making him uneasy. The elevator door slid open, revealing a tall long silver haired man. Zack stood and saluted the new comer. "General, sir."

"Commander Fair, if you would please follow me," Sephiroth whispered, walking passed the raven haired gentleman and into the other elevator on the opposite side. They didn't speak until the door to Sephiroth's office was firmly shut. "We received a radio transmission from Squad Eight a few minutes ago."

"Cloud's group! Is he okay?"

Sephiroth sighed. "We don't have much time. Calm down and listen. The transmission told us not to send backup and cut off before the person could say this reason why. You and I are going to investigate. It'll be a lot easier if it was just the two of us. I was going to select a different SOLDIER not close to any of those men, but I figured you'd recklessly follow after you found out. I have no time to deal with your heroic nature; however, you follow my orders completely. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ready yourself and met me on the roof. Reno will fly us as close as possible without being detected. Dismissed."

Zack saluted him and turned to go. "Sir, could you identify the voice?"

The long haired general sighed before placing the paperwork lining his desk in a locked drawer. "Other infantryman in the unit identified it to be Cloud's voice. They're not one hundred percent sure."

"Understood, sir. Thank you." With speeds most men dreamt of, Zack flew to the elevator and took it down to his private apartment. Most of his supplies were always packed incase of emergencies. He quickly slid his key card through the latch on the door. He entered his spotless apartment and grabbed his pack of supplies, sitting by the door. He knew that there wasn't anything else he needed. Fear that Cloud was dead plagued his thoughts. He knew that Cloud was skilled, but how long could he hold up against a force that killed all the men including the SOLDIERs that they sent to lead them.

Zack sighed and shuffled the small bag on his shoulder and grabbed a warm jacket even though he was used to the cold environment, he wanted to ensure that he'll have enough time to search for his missing friend, without feeling frostbite or fatigue taking over his body. He walked towards the elevator and inserted his card to travel to the roof. He wasn't a fan of Reno's, but if the man was going to get them there with no hassle then who was he to say anything. The fact that Sephiroth trusted him was enough for Zack not to argue with the man.

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Cloud shifted and stirred. His mind barely registered that he wasn't awakening in his warm bed at the lodge. He opened his eyes and all he see was darkness. He attempted to move his arm up to remove whatever was blinding his vision, but his wrists wouldn't move. Stricken with fear, he thought all bodily motions were paralyzed. The cold air nipped at his skin. His mouth was dried. He feared that whatever happened after he was knocked unconscious left him paralyzed and blind. Wetting his dried lips, Cloud tried his voice. "Hello. Is anyone there?" His voice sounded hoarse. He coughed feeling like something was stuck in his throat.

No one answered him. The world around him became more and more in focus even without his eyes. He realized that he was sitting in a hard, steel like chair. His legs and arms were strapped firmly to it, leaving him only with his fingers and toes to move. He was shivering from the cold. His mind began to work and concluded that he was taken hostage. Confused on why these men would take a simple infantryman hostage, Cloud closed his eyes and tried to listened for any noise. They wanted something from him, and he couldn't recall anything that they would want to know.

He sighed and awaited his fate. Deep down inside he knew that he would more likely not be making it out alive, but he held some hope that someone would notice him missing even though he told Central Command not to come. Everything felt lost, and he bowed his head. Subtle footsteps caught his ears. Someone was coming. He wondered if this would be the end of his life, but he knew that if they wanted to kill him, he'd already be dead. A door creaked to the left of the room, announcing the presence of another person. The person said nothing but moved quietly through the room.

Cloud slowed his breathing, disguising that he was awake. Unfortunately that didn't fool the person. Cloud was struck across the face by a strong, gloved hand. "Stop trying to fake sleeping," a deep male voice hissed. A chair was pulled from somewhere, and the man sat in front of Cloud. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to answer them. If you don't answer or I feel that you're lying," the man paused, "Well let's say you don't want to know what I'll do to you." Cloud attempted to slow his breathing more. Fear ran through his veins. The hope of making it out alive vanished. He knew that once they had the intelligence they needed, they would kill him. He frowned. He never got to tell Zack how he truly felt. He never got to meet the man he idealized, Sephiroth. He wondered if Shinra would find his body and ship it back to his grief stricken mother. Would they deem him a failure or an honorable death?

Pain shocked Cloud from his thoughts as the mysterious man bent back one of his fingers. He screamed in agony before hearing that sickening crack. Cloud breathed deeply, tears soaked the blindfold. "I'm going to ask again. Why was Shinra there?" Trying to get his bearings, Cloud didn't even realized the man asked him a question.

He felt fingers wrapped around one of his other fingers. "I don't know. They never explain anything to infantrymen," he answered quickly, trying his first lie. The fingers remained in the same place for a few seconds before they were moved.

"If you were just an infantryman, how did you know to go for the radio? How did you manage to kill my men?" The hand went for his fingers again.

"They taught as how to use it. I got lucky with killing your men. I was following orders. I'm sorry," Cloud added quickly, hoping to say the right words. Pain soared through Cloud's body as something stabbed him right through the shoulder. More tears soaked the cloth covering his eyes. He didn't understand why the man stabbed him. He answered that one honestly.

"That's something for you to think about." The man walked away from Cloud, leaving him bleeding with the knife still in his shoulder. Cloud's breathing was heavy as he attempted to ignore the pain cascading through his body. His felt lightheaded, and his consciousness rocked back and forth. He knew the man didn't stab any vital organ, but the blood flowed quickly. His body relaxed, and he fell into the unconscious world completely unaware of the poison seeping into his body nor the camera watching him.

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Chapter one done. I'm going to move to the next one. I have the whole story written but I'm editing it because my mind went one direction in the beginning and another direction at the end. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow. Thank you for reading. Please review.

Angel Dove