A/N: I'm revising this story a bit, clearing up the story a bit and making it read better. I think once I've done that I can finally get back into it. I'll write a bit in bold on every chapter I revise so you all know if it's the updated version or not.
The little scientist fidgeted with his new creation, the clinks of buttons and switches and the sound of a machine warming up on the other side of a glass pane the only sounds echoing through the room. He watched as the machine hummed, a metal oval gate covered in wires slowly rippling a green film of energy, much like a bubble film created from a mix of soap and water. The scientist puffed out his chest proudly, the portal was finally working properly. He would need to do a few more tests to see if it was safe for travel, however. He played with the oversized frill circling his neck as he continued to watch the portal. Soon, they would go through it to visit.
The first contact with another dimension had happened a year ago, Time Compression and Ultimecia's attempted devouring of all time and space having a certain lingering effect on the world; certain dimensions had seemed to either pull closer to this one, or their barriers had simply thinned here and there. The first sign of this trouble was a Galbadian farmer who had gone missing for several days, only to return to his field in front of a search party, jabbering about a large red canyon filled with strange people and a fire tailed monster. The portal then began to lazily fade away after a few minutes, said the reports.
About four and a half months after that, this time in Esthar, a portal opened up in the city proper. It released a foreign monster into the metropolis, reaping havoc. The offending beast was exterminated by nearby soldiers after the invaded plaza was cleared; it was a strange beast unknown to any of the continents. The corpse was taken in for testing and contained foreign DNA and a strange energy substance.
Odine was sent to examine the temporal anomaly, and he was ecstatic that he could finally take a look at the strange phenomena up close. The little scientist quickly worked on the shimmering, silvery portal, scanning it and taking as many measurements as he could, even demanding his assistant put his head through despite the strong protests from the young man. The assistant saw a desolate wasteland, with what looked like some trace of civilization far in the distance, or the ruins of such. He really couldn't tell if it was inhabited or not, the frazzled assistant had said. It was all so tantalizing to Odine; a new world filled with new things to study!
Using the measurements Odine had made two machines based off the one called Junction Machine Ellone, ones that could directly communicate with this new world. Information could pass between each communicator, if only this machine would be found by sapient creatures. Creatures Odine was certain existed if his assistant was correct. He only had to wait for another portal to open up in Esthar, and he would deliver the little gift by way of an Estharian robot soldier. To his delight, he didn't have to wait much longer.
About a month afterwards, another portal was detected near the Sorceress Memorial. The little scientist hurried his gift towards it, excited at the possibility of contact with inter-dimensional beings. This could be a fresh, new research possibility if they weren't a few centuries behind them in technology. Setting the AI of the soldier one final time to make certain it wouldn't malfunction and attempt to kill any friendly creatures, he let it go through the portal. It slowly walked towards it and disappeared into the shimmering portal. Guards stayed posted in case anything hostile came through, and Odine made his way back to his labs, hoping to be able to hear or see something of interest from the machine.
He wasn't disappointed by what he saw, though he was annoyed that the president had gotten wind of his experiment and had been excitedly waiting at his lab for him. Resigning himself to the dopey man's presence, he turned on a monitor connected to the larger of the twin machines to observe the area around the robot. As the large monitor in the lab lit up, the screen showed a grey cityscape with an unusual monument in the center of what looked like a plaza's roundabout. There were what looked like humans of all things staring nervously at the robot soldier, unsure if it was friendly or about to kill them all; a blue suited soldier with a red barrette and a raised rifle was slowly approaching the soldier robot.
"Hey, Odine. Looks like your experiment is getting some attention!" the president said excitedly as he moved his long black hair behind his ear, a sheepish smile on his face. "This's so cool."
The scientist made a tsking sound before pressing a button on the machine to turn on the AI's speaking capability. "Hopefully ze don't ruin zis exchange, President Loire." They both watched as an exchange occurred with the soldier, the man slowly lowering his rifle and taking a look at the camera on the machine the robot held; a crystal blue eye searched it. A mumbled sentence came from the speaker.
"Mr. Tuesti is gonna wanna see this..."
And so, a connection was formed between Esthar and the World Regenesis Organization, the latter working on the machine given by the former to start a proper communication between dimensions. Within a week Laguna Loire was speaking to Mr. Tuesti by monitor. Laguna was excited and open while Mr. Tuesti was more reserved, and despite what was obvious trepidation on his part he began to warm to the Estharian president over time.
"Like, I know we've only known each other like a month or so, but..." Laguna swept a hand through his hair, then returned his green eyes to the monitor that held Tuesti's face. It was a strange mix of wariness and curiosity. "Could we do a meet and greet? Do some exchanges? I'm gettin' a bit old for adventuring, but I'd totally do this."
Tuesti gave a wary smile. "It's not that I wouldn't like it, it's just..." He looked down, thinking it through. His hands were behind his back.
"Look, you said you have energy problems, right? We'd be glad to give ya some energy tech so your civilization doesn't have to worry about all that," Laguna happily offered. "We can trade knowledge." He thought that would be great, learning about alien science and helping them in turn.
Tuesti hummed as he looked back up. "That would be nice, especially if it works here!" He stroked his goatee. "...Maybe it wouldn't hurt."
A voice chimed to his side, off camera; worried and very girly. "Reeve, are you like, sure about this? They could be puttin' on an act y'know!"
"I really can't act to save my life, sorry." Laguna blushed, shifting his feet awkwardly. "I mean if you wanna come here first, that's cool too. I just wanna meetcha face to face."
Reeve shook his head, smiling. "We'll be ready in a month. Your head scientist told mine how to create an artificial portal with the machine given, and it should be finished by then."
Squall frowned. "We're going where?" The former SeeD commander was now a member of the presidential family who kept himself busy with military excursions or guarding his father whenever he was needed in that capacity; he had left Balamb Garden shortly after Ultimecia's defeat to keep Rinoa safe, despite his strained relationship with the president. Laguna had promised her safety, and that was all Squall needed to hear, that Rinoa would be kept safe from the rest of the bitter world. He still felt bitter towards his father, but he supposed if Laguna was willing to go out of his way for him, he would go out of his way to build some semblance of a relationship with his estranged father.
"Cool, huh? Another world, with aliens that look and talk like us! I'm bringin' Odine, and your good friends as my guard! You and Rinoa, too!" Laguna was excitable as ever. All of Squall's friends? That would make a total of four, not including himself and Rinoa. Take Rinoa to a strange world?
He knew about the dimensional portals and that Odine and Laguna were contacting the civilization they found, but he never thought they would be visiting it in person. Or maybe he did, but not after a little more than a month. Squall gave Laguna a piercing look and wondered for the thousandth time if he was really his father.
"Is this even safe, Laguna? If we get through the portal alive, we're practically at their mercy, you know," Squall said, his frown deepening as he put a gloved hand to his hip.
Kiros spoke up. "We've already said as much..." Ward nodded silently next to him.
"Odine knows what he's doing, and Mr. Tuesti seems pretty cool. A little stiff, but cool," Laguna said flippantly.
'Damn it...' Squall's father blundered into things much too fast for his liking. He let out a heavy sigh. "When do we have to go?"
"Uh, tomorrow, actually. We're gonna go to a place called Edge, it's one of the major cities on that world. Mr. Tuesti said that word's gotten out to world leaders, so it's gonna be us meetin' them all." Laguna still smiled goofily.
Squall pursed his lips. He wondered if Laguna had asked this Tuesti fellow any pertinent questions. "Did Mr. Tuesti give any names? If we're going we need to memorize them."
Laguna put a finger to his lower lip and pressed gently on it. "It was Rufus Shinra, Bughe, and Godo Kisaragi." He tapped his foot. "He's not inviting every mayor and leader ever, just the bigger cheeses I guess."
The young man mulled the names over in his head. "Do they have countries they rule over?"
Laguna's eyes lit up at the question, and he actually frowned. "Well, see...Mr. Tuesti said they don't have any real countries quite like we do, except a place called Wutai. Everything is sort of like, city states that may or may not be controlled by one faction or another. It's all really strange."
"Sounds it." Squall sighed. "I better alert them, if we're going on such short notice." Squall nodded at his father, then turned around to leave the President's office. He rubbed his face with his hands, quietly groaning as he went towards the meeting room; the prospect was exciting and terrifying at the same time. What if they met something more dangerous than a sorceress? After a few minutes of walking and deep thought he entered his desired room. It was light blue with a large convex window looking over the huge city, and a large grey table sat in the middle, surrounded by multiple chairs. He took out his phone and made a group message to text the other five members of his group; for whatever reason his friends followed him to Esthar without a second thought. They said it was because they did not want to possibly go on an assignment that could pit them against each other, and a desire to protect Rinoa, too. 'A lot of loyalty...'
He waited, tapping his fingers absently upon the sleek metal table as his other hand propped his chin up as he drifted into his thoughts. Ultimecia's Time Compression brought about dimensional anomalies, and now one of them helped set up a point of contact with an alien civilization; Laguna had said they looked and spoke like them, and Squall found it suspicious unless it was just because the dimensions were so close together that they would have such similarities. He didn't look up from the table until a loud greeting startled him, making him frown; he waved nonetheless.
"Irvine."
"You alright, man? You're more lost in thought than you usually are," the sniper chided as he crossed his arms, tipping his cowboy hat back a little.
Squall gave a mirthless chuckle. "Are you guys in for a treat..." He motioned for Irvine to take a seat, the others flooding in as he did so. Rinoa came to sit by his side, holding her hand on his knee under the table and making him blush ever so slightly. Squall looked up at his waiting friends, all staring back at him, wondering what the meeting was all about. He cleared his throat. "Right...We have an assignment tomorrow to be President Laguna's guard...And Rinoa's too, obviously." The sorceress looked up at Squall, a brow raised.
Quistis moved back some of her long blonde hair from her face and tugged at her salmon colored dress before speaking up. "Laguna and Rinoa's guard? Where are we going that requires both of them to be guarded at the same time?" Quistis cocked her head. There was no way they were going to visit Galbadia. Rinoa would probably be killed.
Squall breathed in deeply. "Remember those portals that appeared on occasion after Ultimecia's defeat?" The others nodded, their faces frozen and wide eyed as they sensed where their leader was going. "Well, Odine made contact with a civilization on the other side of one of them. We're going to make a little visit."
"Wait wait wait wait. Wait." Selphie, the little brunette wearing a bright yellow dress spoke up, green eyes showing a barely contained explosion of excitement. "You're telling us...That we're gonna go to another dimension to talk to...aliens, and see Hyne knows what?"
Squall nodded. "That's the plan."
"That's so...Cool!" she squeaked happily. "I can't wait, aliens! What do they look like? Are they like, slimy, tentacled freaky things?!"
Squall frowned, and Rinoa squeezed his arm and let out a disapproving sound. "I haven't seen them yet...But, Laguna said they're a lot like us, it seems."
Zell scratched the top of his blond haired scalp. "What if it's a trick, they could be a buncha shape-shifters!"
"Maybe." Squall shrugged. 'They could be having this exact same conversation...'
"I wonder if they have sorceresses, too..." Rinoa murmured. Squall gave another shrug, unsure.
"All I know is we're departing tomorrow. So please, get prepared now and get a good night's rest. It's going to be an interesting day..." Squall lifted himself up, the rest doing the same while chatting to each other about their new duty as they left. Rinoa hummed as she walked with her knight, holding his hand.
"This seems...kinda scary."
Squall nodded as they went down the hall to their room. "I'll be there to protect you."
"I know, it's just...sudden. He could have given us more warning." Rinoa sighed as they stopped at the door.
"Just like him to do that. Remember the last mission I had? I was given a day to prepare for it, too." He entered his room with the sorceress, preparing for the anxious day tomorrow.
"D'you really think this is a good idea, Reeve?" Yuffie asked, swinging her legs about on the chair she sat upon with a nervous glint in her eyes. "What if we're opening the Planet to a world full of Jenovas?"
Reeve hummed at the young woman's query. "I'd think they would have made a move already, to be completely honest. After all, Nanaki reported that one of them already came through a portal for a number of days in Cosmo Canyon, and nothing bad happened." He shrugged, then paced his office a bit, leather shoes clomping on the hard, white surface. "There'll be some extra security there, just in case."
Yuffie knew what he was talking about immediately. "Oh, he's so pissed at you."
"He is. But he agreed to it, regardless." Reeve had offered his friend more than enough in compensation for skipping work for a little job. "He said he would meet us in the portal room."
Before Yuffie could respond, a scientist came into the office. "It's ready, Mr. Tuesti, Lady Kisaragi. We will need your presence at the portal." The man left. Reeve and Yuffie looked at each other nervously.
"I-I guess it's time to meet them," Yuffie said warily as she got up from her seat and walked towards the door, Reeve at her side. He didn't say anything back, too focused on whatever he may have agreed to that could be a Pandora's box. They walked silently through the halls of the WRO building located within Edge, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the mostly empty space. After a few minutes they approached the portal room, and entered. Compared to the halls they had traveled, this room bustled with activity.
It was a large whitish-grey room, one side occupied by a curious device that made a thin metal arch fifteen feet high and twenty feet wide. Beneath it was a metal floor that met a ramp that led down towards the busy scientists manning machines they calibrated for the portal to activate. Reeve stood in front of the ramp with Yuffie right behind him looking this way and that way, reassured by the multitude of soldiers on either side of the room. She touched her shuriken on her back, giving her back her spunk.
A moment later and the door behind them opened up again; a man with spiky blond hair and a surly expression marring his pale face entered. He clomped towards Yuffie and Reeve, his blue eyes smoldering quietly as he came to stand next to them, his swords jangling as he walked.
"H-hey Cloud," Yuffie stammered out. He looked at her from behind knotted brows, giving him a menacing look.
"If they do anything funny, I'm killing them," he said simply.
Suddenly the portal flashed, and a rippling liquid green shimmered in the arch, and then began to churn slowly. After a few minutes it seemed to still again, and several surprised people appeared, followed by several more. All but two seemed about Yuffie's age, all looking about in amazement of varying degrees; the Yuffie noticed the one male was particularly stoic looking, a girl was clutched to his arm who wore a blue duster, with her almond eyes wide.
Reeve came forward, giving them a small bow. "Welcome, President Laguna and company. We finally meet face to face!" Despite nervous trepidation he kept a friendly face.
Laguna came to the front, casually waving and grinning like a maniac. "H-Hey! Mr. Tuesti, it's great to meetcha like this!" Reeve and Yuffie noticed several of his entourage shook their heads or sighed with a grin on their face; he must be well known for his casual attitude. Cloud stood stiffly, arms across his chest and sporting a suspicious glare, as if waiting for their friendly guises to fall away.
The others slowly made their way down the ramp behind Laguna, soaking in the sterile looking room. To them, the most interesting things in the room were the three people Laguna had walked up to; a young woman with black hair and warm brown eyes wearing a strapless blue tank top and yellow shorts with a large shuriken hanging from her back, the man known as Mr. Tuesti, who had slicked hair but for some splayed bangs and wearing a black business suit, and a menacing looking man with golden spiky hair and three swords hanging from his back, one larger than the other two. He wore nothing but black; one side had a sleeve coming out of his leather pauldron and a black apron of fabric on his hip.
"Squall...That guy doesn't look too friendly," Rinoa said in a whisper as they stopped behind Laguna. Before Squall could give a response, she felt the man's strange, angry blue eyes on her. 'Did he hear me?' She gulped.
Squall looked the man up and down, and was given much the same treatment back. He was only a little taller than Zell, slim, and the amount and size of the swords on his back would be considered troublesome for a beefy body builder. 'Over compensating much?'
Reeve coughed. "I suppose introductions are in order...I'm sure you know who I am, but...I'm Reeve Tuesti, leader of the World Regenesis Organization."
Squall frowned. 'World Regenesis Organization? Did something bad happen here?'
Reeve pointed a hand towards the young woman to his side. "This is Yuffie Kisaragi. She works closely with me in intelligence gathering." She did a little bow with a nervous smile.
"And this is..." Reeve began, but was cut short.
"Cloud Strife, delivery boy," the man said flatly.
Laguna raised his brows, still wearing a goofy smile. "'Delivery boy' must be a dangerous job if you're armed like that."
Cloud shrugged before turning his head away.
Squall squinted his eyes. 'I don't think he's here for a delivery...'
"...He's an extra bodyguard," Reeve added, eyeing Cloud.
"Right! Well, obviously I'm Laguna Loire, president of Esthar!" He pointed towards the little man next to him, who wore a large frill. "This is my head scientist, Dr. Odine!" Laguna then pointed towards the group he had brought with him, naming them all off. "That's Irvine, and she's Quistis, that's Selphie, Zell, and this is Rinoa..." He pointed at Squall with his thumb. "And this is my son, Squall."
Squall rolled his eyes at the introduction. He didn't like being introduced as the son of the president, it felt pretentious. Laguna continued. "They're my guards, but they're also friends of Squall's, you see."
"Laguna..." Squall warned from between his teeth. Laguna never shuts up, he thought.
Reeve nodded. It was a risk on his part to be here, too. He would have thought it strange that they were a group of friends, but who was surrounding him right now? "Since you'll be staying a few days, let us guide you to the guest area. Please, follow me...Yuffie, if you could stay here until the machine is offline..." He motioned for the group to follow him, the so-called delivery boy taking the rear of the group and eyeing them suspiciously as Reeve and Laguna casually spoke up front with Odine about energy technology. Rinoa looked back and the blond man took notice of her. She quickly looked ahead again and held on tight to Squall as they made their way out of the room and into a vast hallway.
Squall frowned as he looked down at her. "What's wrong?" he mumbled softly. The dark haired sorceress was snugly attached to his jacket covered arm.
"Nothing...That guy is really suspicious of us, isn't he?" she whispered to him.
Her knight shrugged. "If a bunch of strangers from another dimension came to our home, I think I might be the same way." He looked back towards Selphie, the girl almost dancing with excitement as she observed the new world in front of her; the rest of the group seemed much calmer, waiting to see what might lay beyond the building before giving into fascination. It was just a hallway, after all.
"Here are our guest chambers. There are plenty of rooms, please use them at your discretion..." He opened a large, rich wooden door that opened to a rectangular chamber with a multitude of rooms branching off from the main room and large, red velvety curtains covering the far wall and a chandelier fed golden light throughout the spacious room; obviously this area was used for important guests that might be staying in the area.
"...Cloud will also be using one of the rooms for the time you are here." Cloud gave a dark look to the WRO leader, then went back to observing the group, leaning against the wall near the door. Reeve ignored the face his friend had given him and did a short bow with clasped hands in front of him. "Take your time! I'll have Miss Kisaragi escort you and Dr. Odine to my office in a little while, President Loire. If you don't mind."
Laguna gave Reeve a thumbs up. "Sure thing!" He looked about as Reeve closed the doors behind him, then scratched the back of his head before making a dash for a room near the back. "I call dibs!"
Squall slapped his forehead in embarrassment after watching his father playfully make his way towards the back of the room. The rest joined Laguna in a search for a proper room, couples finding the larger beds to their liking. The rooms weren't particularly well lit but were at the very least well kept with quality sheets on the soft beds and private bathrooms. The bathrooms were strange to the visitors, holding both showers and a tub while separated from the toilet by a wall.
Leaving their chosen rooms they conglomerated in the main chamber. Selphie peeked through the curtains to look at the city below them and bounced happily as she observed a new world. The rest noticed Yuffie had entered the guest area, she was speaking softly to Cloud as she waited for Laguna and Odine to finish their business. The delivery boy's face had softened into one of pure concern, nodding and shaking his head to the young woman's queries. He looked back towards the guests, and his face became stony again. Yuffie turned towards them and motioned for the president and the scientist to follow her. Squall looked at her and held up his hand to catch her attention.
"I think one of us should be with them, too," Squall said, crossing his arms.
Yuffie nodded, conceding to the idea. "Yeah, pick whoever."
Quistis raised her hand. "If you don't mind...I might make a good compliment to Laguna's way of communicating." The blonde gave a small, cheeky smile before coming forward. Yuffie gave a small smile back. Her spiky haired acquaintance simply watched the exchange from behind her, his arms crossed over his chest and back still to the wall.
"If you're ready, sirs, I'll be escortin' you both to Mr. Tuesti's office!" Laguna waved at her as he bounded over while Dr. Odine shuffled by. She opened the door, letting them through, but peeked her head in once more before leaving. "We'll be back in a little while, so for now try to make yourselves at home..." Yuffie looked at Cloud and smirked. "That means you, too, Spike," she whispered too loudly, Cloud narrowing his eyes at her before she closed the doors.
"Woooo, the city looks so cool!" Selphie came from under the curtains, cheerfully returning to the group. "Seriously though, what's up with the big, ugly thing in the distance...Um...Cloud?" she chimed, almost forgetting the man's name. He blinked at her but said nothing, looking away and towards the floor.
"Maybe he doesn't know," Irvine said, half joking as he went to sit on one of the plush sofas. Zell joined him while Rinoa went to peek out the window to see for herself. Squall leaned on the wall behind one of the couches and checked the room for any point of entry that an assailant could take in an attempt to keep himself from thinking too much.
Selphie seemed to take the silence as a challenge, coming over to the delivery boy and looking him over with her hands on her hips. He looked back at her, scowling as she studied him. Annoyed by her stare, he angrily spoke up. "Is there anything I can help you with...ma'am?"
She looked back into his narrowed, blue eyes with curiosity dripping green ones. "Well...It'd just be nice to talk to someone from here, y'know." Selphie took interest in his swords, looking at what she could make out. "I don't know how you can carry that many swords of that size without back problems."
Cloud sighed and closed his eyes.
"Do you treat your customers like this!" She playfully stomped her foot on the white floor.
"I don't," he said flatly.
Selphie frowned as he opened his eyes up again, matching her frown with his own. "Why so mean, then?" The rest of the party seemed to be enjoying their conversation, multiple pairs of eyes on them.
Cloud put a gloved hand through his spikes. "I'm not mean. I just...don't trust you yet."
"Oh. Well, I guess I can understand that. Still, it wouldn't hurt to know what that big thing in the distance is, would it?" Selphie cocked her head, and Squall noted she was using her playful charm to burrow through the blond man's shell; she had a way with that, he had to admit.
Cloud sighed and nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. That's Midgar, an abandoned city." He paused, wondering if he should say more; the warrior decided they would find out either way. "It was destroyed several years ago by...well...a meteor." Suddenly to Squall, the name of the WRO made much more sense.
Selphie's eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth. "A meteor?" She frowned and made her way back to the window, peeking with Rinoa; a moment later she returned to Cloud, the man holding a less hostile visage. "How come it's not a crater, then?"
Cloud looked uncomfortable with the question. "I don't think I should be talking about all of that just yet..." He looked away again. Selphie seemed to understand, and nodded.
"Thanks, Cloud." She turned and bounded towards Irvine, sitting next to him as he and Zell lounged on the couch. The group chattered softly between each other as Cloud listened with his eyes closed and arms crossed again, trying to hear any inkling of an evil plan while they waited for Laguna, Odine and Quistis to return.
"Yeah. Xu said the Galbadian government was looking for any and all sorceresses they can find."
"Damn. Can't blame them though, one of them started this portal business, didn't she?"
Cloud frowned. Sorceresses? 'They must be extraordinarily dangerous if they can open up dimensional portals like this.'
"Guess we left the Garden at the right time. I really don't feel like that business anymore."
'Garden?'
"Hey, Squall. Do you think your dad will be back soon?" That girl that kept looking back at him...
"Knowing him, he's probably chewing Mr. Tuesti's ear off. I don't think he knows what he got himself into, talking to Laguna." Cloud let out a quiet snort as he listened to Squall's feelings on his presidential father.
"Yeah, but I think Quistis might temper him a bit, don't you think?"
"Maybe."
Cloud opened his eyes. Three of the occupants sat upon one of the couches and the other two stood by the window. They seemed preoccupied with idle talk, and he felt less worried than when Reeve had contacted him a week ago, their conversations were nonthreatening. He silently lifted himself off the wall, walking towards an unused room that he would claim for himself.
Walking through the dark room he checked on the amenities, never having used the rooms in the WRO building before. 'Fancy bathrooms, fancy furniture...Closet?' He peeked into the darkness of the closet, noticing some extra towels and blankets and what looked like simple nightwear for sudden guests. Taking a look at some of it, he decided he could probably fit in it if he really had to spend the night. Cloud sighed wistfully. So close to home and yet here he was, stuck babysitting interdimensional aliens.
The pay Reeve offered was just too tempting, however. It more than covered the loss in business over the next several days; it was at least half a year's worth of deliveries and bar work combined. The warrior wasn't afraid to admit he balked at the payment, wondering what the catch could possibly be from his friend. The catch was something he never would have guessed. He almost punched a hole in the wall in his office at what he considered a foolish decision that could destroy the planet, deciding to go after talking to Tifa about it.
It wasn't as if he hadn't been aware of the strange robot that appeared in the center of Edge, purporting to be from a benevolent civilization from another world. He had also been aware of rumors of strange portals appearing here and there and eventually disappearing and leaving no evidence of it ever existing. Cloud had not expected Reeve to throw caution to the wind and allow a visit to their world, and he had argued with Reeve that it was a deadly mistake. There was only so much he was capable of if they turned out to be hostiles, but Reeve had said they had had plenty of time to do something via one of the portals that showed up seldomly.
So far, it seemed his worries had been wonderfully misplaced, for now. Then he gets a huge payout for three days of work; perhaps he could take the family out to Costa Del Sol for a vacation with some of it, he thought. Barret could join them, maybe even Yuffie if she promised not to bury him in sand as he napped again.
"Yo, Cloud, you in here?" Cloud turned around to look at Zell, who was peeking into the room. Zell's eyes widened as Cloud faced him, and he frowned back in the dark.
"Yeah...Need something?" he queried.
"Uh, n-no...Just wonderin' if you were alright in here..." Zell said lowly, his jaw hanging open.
"Oh. Thanks, but I'm fine. Just checkin' out the room."
"...In the dark?"
Cloud mentally kicked himself for forgetting to turn on the lights. "...Yeah." 'Damn.'
"O-okay, then." Zell popped his head back out of the room, leaving Cloud to stand alone in the middle of the dark room with a sigh on his lips. He decided to leave before anyone else barged into his bedroom.
"That guy has some freaky eyes, man," Zell whispered to his seated friends. Cloud overheard as his head peeked out from the door to his room, still frowning. He was a bit of a freak, he had to admit to himself. They only saw the tip of the iceberg, however.
The door opened to the group room, and Laguna, Odine, Quistis and Yuffie made their way inside. While Dr. Odine held his usual smug look and Quistis had a slightly curious smile, Laguna was happy as ever and Yuffie was totally relaxed. She looked around and found Cloud, putting her arm around his neck and prying him away from the quiet darkness of his room. He looked terribly uncomfortable to any in the gathered group that glanced their way.
"Heeeey, Spike! They're cool!" she whispered into his ear in Wutaian; Cloud had picked up the language from bits of Zack's memories and Yuffie's urging. As a delivery boy, he knew the basics to several common languages and his native tongue, but Wutaian he knew best if just to know what the little ninja was up to.
He finally pulled himself away from the chipper young woman, a blush on his cheeks. "How's that?"
"Totally not Jenova freaks, they let us take a peek at some cells. They're almost identical to us." She was grinning now, shaking his shoulder.
Cloud sighed. "That's relieving. Tell me more later..." he mumbled.
Yuffie looked back to the others, waving them over joyously. "Well you guys, Dr. Odine agreed to assist in our energy tech, and you seem safe to us, so we're gonna let you roam around the building with Cloud as your guide for the day. Tomorrow a bunch of leaders are gonna be here to meet President Laguna, so try to enjoy the afternoon, okay?" She made a face with a finger to her cheek as she thought. "You know what, I don't wanna be cooped up in the office...I'll join ya."
"You can do that?" Squall said, surprised. Didn't she have orders and duties?
She scoffed. "Reeve trusts me to act on my own."
Several minutes later two groups had formed; Cloud would guide Squall, Rinoa, and Laguna, While Yuffie would guide Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Zell. "The more the merrier!" the ninja had chimed. Cloud seemed satisfied with his smaller group, both groups leaving the room and walking towards the elevator nearby. Odine had decided to stay behind and speak to a scientist in the group room, too interested in this new world to think of going to lunch.
"I vill just have ze room servize zend up a platter!" the strange little scientist said before they left.
Selphie held her stomach. "I'm hungry...What kinda alien food do you eat around here?" she inquired.
Sephie, I think it'd be native food...We're the aliens, remember?" Irvine said with an amused grin.
Cloud snorted. "There's a fancy cafeteria on this floor, if I remember right. A cafe downstairs and a grunt's cafeteria, too."
Laguna scratched the back of his head. "How fancy's fancy, though?"
Cloud shrugged. "Never eaten here."
Yuffie chimed in. "It's the place that serves Mr. Tuesti's food when he's in town, and he hasn't complained yet. I like it, so there's a vote for that!"
"All right, so let's try that then!" Laguna looked towards Cloud, who shrugged and lead the way. Yuffie led her group in the same direction, chattering wildly to them about the building. They passed several areas of the large building, and Rinoa saw a library as they neared their destination.
"I wanna go in there, next!" she chimed. Squall gave her a small smile, remembering the sorceress' love of reading.
"If that's where you wanna go," Cloud responded. They continued on, reaching an area with glass windows revealing a small restaurant with multiple booths and natural lighting. The warrior walked to the entrance, his swords swaying softly on his lower back as he moved. Reaching it, he stopped and waited for the two groups to reach him. His mind was on sorceresses, and how a mysterious being could hold such power as to rend the fabric of space and time to create portals.