NDA: me * looking suspiciously at the numbers of subscribers vs numbers of commenters then whispering with saddness *: curse you, follower-bots

also me *lying on the floor, screaming without interruption bc this chapter was even harder than the last and I keep changing it bc I didn't like it until I remembered I wasn't trying to write a Nobel worth book and ascended to a plane of peacefulness*

Ten

.

Cloud let himself fall in one of the two chairs in the room. Tseng sat across from him and put a folder on the table but didn't open it at first. Cloud looked around, noting Reno and Tseng places then the camera. He sighed as he crossed arms and legs. He purposefully hit the table with a knee to realise it was fixed to the ground. Tseng send him a look that said he knew what Cloud did that for. The blond stared back.

Behing Tseng, Reno leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets and moving an old toothpick with his mouth. He smiled at Cloud when their eyes meet.

"Are you going to ask questions or are we going to look at each others in silence for the next hour?"

Tseng made what could be seen as a smile then crossed his legs, without uttering a word. Cloud's chest expended as irritation swelled in him. He exhaled and let the silence of the room lull him. If the Turk was trying to test is patience he'll bite his fingers. Cloud could spend days without talking. Not moving wasn't a problem either.

He looked up at the ceiling and lost himself in his thoughts.

"Please, state your full name, your age and you lieu of birth."

"Cloud Strife, 18, Nibelheim."

"It this stated in this report witnesses heard Lieutenant Zack Fair and you talk about Old Nibel names. Can you state them?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It's religious. Anyway my name is Cloud Strife outside of my mother home. Why do you need them?"

"To be sure you are who you say you are."

"Well, except from my mom and Zack, nobody could confirm the names. I can say anything I want, if that makes you happy."

Tseng sighed, he closed his eyes longer than for a blink.

"How long were you part of The Watchers?"

"I'm sure you have a more exact date than me."

Tseng breathed, his chest heaving at the movement.

"Please, Cloud, speak your mind."

"I already do. I don't know the date of my disappearance; I can't give you the length of my... stay."

Tseng nodded and choose to drop this question.

"Did you join them voluntarily?"

"No."

"How were you taken?"

"I was abducted."

"When and how?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"I'm sure you're already aware Mako can mess with your memories."

The silence returned, Reno moved his toothpick an inch. Cloud inhaled, bored.

"What are Dirk and Flore for you?"

"We follow the same chocobo riding classes."

Reno's snort woke up Cloud from being on the moon. He breathed silently and resisted the urge to bite his lips at his impulsive response. Tseng didn't seem to have taken ombrage of the answer, he gave a blasé look and crossed his hands on the table.

"Do not make me repeat."

"I don't know, they're not friends."

"Lovers?"

Cloud shuddered, "No."

"Mentees?"

Cloud paused and shrugged one shoulder, "Close enough."

"What is the life in the Watchers?"

"Terrible."

Tseng kept his eyes on Cloud, unwavering. Cloud waited for the next question. In the other reality induced by his mako poisoning he had a conversation with Yuffie about interrogation tactics. Since she had been arrested a bit too much for such a young girl. At least, she always found a way to run away. Her favorite tactic to deal with was when the cop asked questions and stayed silent until the person face to him filled the uncomfortable silence by speaking at length. Which Yuffie loved. She talked and talked and often time managed to give the cop a headache.

Curious, Cloud lifted his head from the crucial observation of his own nails. Was this the true reason for those lengthy silences?

"Can you be more specific?" Tseng asked, his tone clipped.

Cloud's lips quirked up a second but he controlled himself not to smile. He was right. Which was disconcerting. He remembered things that never happened from a crazy future and yet hardly remembered his time as a trooper or at Nibelheim.

"Terrific."

Tseng took a breath. He looked to a point above Cloud's head, and the blond had the certitude Tseng was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The Turk put his hands on the table, made a sign to Reno and rose. They exited the room under Cloud's curious eyes. Where they going to let him marinate alone until he cracked and became talkative?

"Reno, you're going to ask the questions."

Cloud was surprised to hear Tseng. He thought the room was designed with SOLDIERs enhancement in mind. Although he was at a First level on this domain, the sound-proofing could be only for lower ranking since he still had to listen carefully, focusing on the faint conversation, but he heard all.

"What? Why me? Not that I refuse, but what's your reasoning, yo?"

"Because you resemble Genesis."

There was a pregnant pause where Cloud had to force himself not to emit the sound of disbelief that took him. He couldn't saw any similarities between Reno and Genesis; they didn't give the same signature at all in Cloud's mind.

Reno said in a high-pitched tone, "I swear to Shiva if it's because we're red head, I quit! And Genesis isn't even a natural red head anymore!"

"Reno," Tseng sighed. "I know Rude and Elena tease you too much about it, but there no link with your hair colour. You're both passionate and have a smooth way of moving. When you're not stumbling on your toes."

"And you think it'll help him talk?"

"Reno, you're a good Turk. Make him talk."

"Sure sir, I'll make this little shit spit out his darkest secrets."

Cloud pondered on the conversation. They could be trying to trap him by knowing he could listen. It was a bit convoluted and they didn't say anything remotely important, but Cloud was wary of every action from the Turks. And others people.

Also Reno was right, the only resemblance between him and Genesis was their hair colour and yet it still wasn't truly the same.

They came back, Reno with a spring in his steps.

"So," Cloud started. "You're doing the serious cop and the flippant one?"

"Isn't it the good and bad cop normally?" Reno retorqued.

Cloud shrugged, "I'm not an expert. You tell me."

Reno sprawled on the chair, propped his feet on the table and crossed his hands on his stomach as he started rocking his chair. Behind him, Tseng leaned on the wall, arms crossed and eyes swift.

"Can you describe your life with the all-black dudes? And please give all the gritty details, I love that."

Cloud decided to be less of an asshole.

"There's not so much to say. There was a dichotomy between enhanced and non-enhanced soldiers. We had to fight to have enough food. Or hunt when we could be outside. Sometimes we spent months held inside. And then we'd had to go on missions."

"What were the kind of missions?"

"Fighting against ShinRa troops. Making Mako reactors explodes."

"Explosions, yeah, that's cool, but did you ever fight enhanced people?"

"Obviously."

"Did you kill some?"

"Obviously."

Reno leaned a few centimeters toward Cloud, returning all the chair legs to the ground in an irritating sound.

"You realise SOLDIERs are prized for the company and you are going to pay for any damages done to those precious jewels-dudes?"

Cloud blinked, his mind going fast, "We weren't talking about SOLDIERs."

"C'mon, don't lie! Yes, we were."

"You said enhanced people. You could have been more precise."

Reno leaned back again, considered his words and nodded. He was still on two feet of the chair which tempted Cloud to push Reno's feet enough for him to fall flat on his back.

Reno groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's say you're a bit more stupid than I thought. Now I'll be precise: Did you kill enhanced Watchers?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Dominance fights, fights for food, fights for comfort," Cloud listed before stopping. "Do I need to continue?"

"No, I think I understood the pattern. Fight for anything, uh?." Reno nodded with big movement that made his hair fly in all orientations. "Anyway, there wasn't any authority figure keepng all the Watchers on their toes?" Cloud nodded. "'kay, did you kill SOLDIERs?"

Cloud could lie, it's wasn't like he was against lying. Not in this situation anyway. But he wasn't sure about what Dirk and Flore had said. After leaving Lazard's office the first day, he barely had time to tell them they should restrict all informations about him and his capabilities, especially about his many quarrels with the little group of enhanced Watcher where all the best fighters where gathered. Arguably, Cloud thought the most irritating of the Watchers where in this group.

"It was that or I was killed," Cloud said in a breath. "Is ShinRa going to ask money for compensation?"

"It could," Reno answered. "Before you wallow about your futures debts, can you talk to me about the day your squad was attacked."

Cloud tilted his head and crossed his arms, "I can't remember much." He paused. "The place was tranquil. I don't know why we were here. But the place was tranquil. Still, we advanced with caution." He took another inspiration as he forced himself to fish slippery memories. "There were monsters. Not a big deal, but then there was a blast. I- … I thought-" Images of a ShinRa helicopter flashed before his eyes. He held his breaht then exhaled, classing the memory in a part of his brain. He hoped he would remember it until he could write it. "I was confused by the explosion, and the rest is lost. I can't help you."

Reno hummed without taking his eyes off of Cloud as he rocked his chair. Cloud stopped himself from making his legs jump under the pression and kept the red head gaze. For the first time Cloud felt uneasy under the scrutiny of the Turks, but he couldn't say he saw the ShinRa logo on the chopper. He doubted it himself and saying it out loud could be interpreted as an accusation. A thing ShinRa dealt with swift disappearance if money didn't work first.

An illumination made him grin.

"What ShinRa's going to do to retribute me?"

Reno lost his composure a second then frowned.

"What do you mean, yo?"

"I mean, I was a trooper and I was caught by its enemy, I was tortured to the point of losing my identity and fighting against ShinRa."

"It will be discussed," Tseng interrupted. "Though we need all the informations before that."

Cloud hummed but didn't lost his smile. He wasn't foolish as to think ShinRa would retribute him. It was just to mess with them, even just a bit.

"I understand. Then, what will I receive for all the informations I'm giving you?"

This time again Tseng seemed to be taken aback by Cloud's question. The blond was disappointed, the rumor said Turks could think in advance of all the response their interlocutor could give.

"They are free in exchange for a roof above your materialistic head and food, yo," Reno interjected.

"No, they aren't free," Cloud said in the same tone. "Food and a roof aren't a good payback. Do you think I can't live by myself? Also, if I'm considered M.I.A then I will be paid veterans pension. Food and care are also provided. I know I'm a Watcher too. Yet I helped a group of SOLDIERs survive and I'll be giving you much needed informations."

"Your chicks can give them too, without needing retribution."

"Are you sure?"

Reno moved his awful toothpick to hide his pout. Apparently he wasn't so sure. Tseng wasn't speaking up either which meant they perfectly knew Dirk and Flore had less informations than him. Cloud hoped it would be in their favor. Reno sighed and crossed his arms.

"None of our SOLDIERs said the escape was prepared-"

"It was. Except it wasn't including some lost SOLDIERs."

"None of your chicks talked about paid informations, yo!"

"They don't have a lot to bargain for. We were part of a branch shut of the principal Watchers' group and they never read my notepads."

Reno jumped on the last sentence, "About those notepads. Where were they?"

Cloud blinked, taken by surprise by the sudden interest in those.

"In Doc's lab."

"Where exactly?"

"Doc could tell you that." Cloud paused. "Is he dead?"

"Why are you asking us that, yo?"

"If you didn't find the notepads in the bam, then he's either dead and the others scientists stole his works or he left the bam with it."

Reno made a pout as he thought and played a rhythm on the table by hitting it with his fingers.

"We only found some corpses in the bam. Including a degrading young woman fitting the description made by Lieutenant Zack Fair and his squad."

"Lydia." Cloud evocation made his chest tighten. He had given everything to help her. But even that wasn't enough. The worst had been to witness her lose her will to live. She kept saying that she was willingly to give her life to help them escape. It had been a quiet sort of ideation of death until Cloud could see her reflect on killing herself before the degradation did it. The only thing that stopped her had been the idea suicide would help no one she cared about.

She had been so advenced, Cloud had thought she was beter dead too.

Reno paused in his little music and looked at Cloud with a frown, his smile vanishing.

"That's all? I tell you one of your chick is dead and you nod?"

"She was ready to make this sacrifice."

Reno lifted a brow but said nothing more about Lydia.

"Now can you talk to us about he Numbers?"

"Numbers?" Cloud raised his eyebrows. "Numbers are mathematical objects used to count and measure," Cloud smirked. "I'm sure you heard of it, it starts with 1, 2, 3-"

"You're so funny, look I'm pissing myself laughing," said Reno, rolling his eyes. "The last sympathiser of the Watchers we found understood our nicknames. Apparently they use them too."

"Well... our settlements were always far away from bigger branches. Informations travel poorly between them."

"Well, those dudes kick ass." stated Reno opening the previously forgotten folder and throwing it to Cloud. "Even SOLDIERs Firsts' asses. They're the big guys capable of killing Firsts one on one."

Cloud tilted himself above the table and took a good look at the photographies spread before him. It showed Firsts against enhanced Watchers, thought he only recognised Sephiroth, Angeal and his Zack. He focalised on Sephiroth against a Watcher. A duel wielder. Yet he pointed the one against Angeal first.

"This one I don't know, the sword don't give me hints to identify them. And those... Numbers, change members a lot, because of degradation or good old killing." then he pointed the lance wielder against Zack. "This is Kira."

Cloud leaned back in his chair and pondered giving more infos about those Numbers. He knew them and they didn't change members that much. Only one was often changed, the rest was stable in their positions.

"Hum," sounds of swords clashing echoed in his head. "I know a few dual wielders, but they aren't strong enough for Sephiroth. There was Elio but he changed branch. I dual wield too, sometimes. But I'm no match for Sephiroth."

He wasn't surprised when it picked up the interest of the two Turks. Cloud's heart picked up speed. He ignored it in favour to seem controlled. He was trying to lure them on his strength.

"Oh, really?"

"That's why he was my target. It was a doomed mission. I am just here to serve as an inconvenience until a better fighter than me could take my place. My goal was to hold Sephiroth by all means. Even dying."

Cloud nodded to himself. He had said more than enough about the Watchers to be considered as a cooperating 'prisoner'. He could relax a bit and use his patched memory to look like he couldn't answers others questions.

Alone in his quiet apartment Genesis glanced through the ex-Watchers' files. He had to give a – metaphorical – arm to the Turks in exchange for it. He sipped his apple juice, giving a melancholic thought to the times he could drink wine without being forcefully stopped by one of his lovers.

He took the last folder; Cloud's.

Sephiroth rubbed off on him. Now he kept the best for the end. In any domain.

Cloud's files were both the best and worse of the trio. It was interesting but also heartbreaking. Cloud had a good position in the Watcher. By that the Turk clarified it meant the blond was strong enough to fight for his food or a place to sleep. Strong enough to protect two younger Watchers and take them under his wing. From what the Turk gathered from the three, Cloud was a mama chocobo. In return his chicks were glued to him and protected him during 'pulls'.

Another interesting thing. Which would attire the Science Department even more. The boy was subject to relapses in mako poisoning. Harmless enough that they referred it as 'something that happen'.

Genesis muttered it to see if it sounded less stupid aloud, "Mako poisoning is something that happen. No need to panic."

It didn't work.

For the redhead it still wasn't the worse thing. Cloud's memory was shredded to pieces. He managed to hide it pretty well in his own interview, but his chicks had been less careful. Plus the Turks spied on the Watchers since their arrival and Cloud said a lot. To him mostly. Genesis could find a tiny bit of him sorry for having contributed to pull answers from the ex-Watcher.

At least the Turks assured the interviews proved the three ex-Watchers were renegades and not spies. Although Genesis could have answered that under a minute, who created such stupid plans to spy on people and hoped they worked? Nobody, that is.

The ex-Watchers talked also about the life in the organisation and Genesis was baffled such a disorganised group could hold it's gound against ShinRa.

He took another mouthful from his drink and put the wine glass on the table. The stress ball offered by Cloud rolled a bit and stopped against notepads Genesis took to make notes. He didn't take any notes. Genesis played with a notepad's corner. He had an idea. It wasn't very safe. But the notepads were little. They could be hidden on someone.

"We'll see later!" he said before falling on his couch and pulling out Loveless.

Only to straighten up and grab the notepads. Genesis knew how it was to be incapable of trusting his own mind. He was more susceptible to bout of emotions than memory loss, but whatever. It counted as the same for him.

He found the blond in the SOLDIER' lounge, huddled in a corner. He clearly was looking at his chicks with the raptness of a mother watching over her kids. It would be funny if not for the tension reigning in the room. Maybe the SOLDIERs reacted to Cloud's tension or the other way around, it didn't change the fact the atmosphere was tense.

Cloud's attention reported on him the instant he stepped on the room. He was wary of him. Genesis grinned, and, maybe, puffed his chest. But he attracted the worried eyes of all his SOLDIERs too. If Cloud was a mama Chocobo, what were the SOLDIERs? Over-eager puppies? Somehow it sounded like an insult to Zack. Although the PuppyTM Angeal took as mentee matured a long time ago. He had to think a new nickname to put in his PHS for Zack's number.

Walking toward Cloud, Genesis pulled out the notepads and scribbled rapidly Zack and his numbers. His mind still half on the nickname for Zack. Or he should just change his analogy with the flock of SOLDIERs. Dogs wanted to please their master, not watch them like he was a prisoner.

Which mean they preferred Angeal. They obeyed him rather than Genesis after all.

Genesis groaned and a frown took place on his face. He stood before a confused blond looking at him. The Lt. General gave him the notepads. The eyes on them irritated him more and more. He thought he learnt to deal with it, but the renewed intensity of their scrutiny grated on his nerves. He wouldn't support that for long each time he wanted to talk to Cloud.

He died to burst them aflame. He wanted them to remember what SOLDIER we had been.

"Here, I don't use them," Genesis all but barked.

Cloud startled but took the notepads, "Okay... thanks?"

Genesis turned around, anger boiling in his veins, "I won't break only because someone looked at me wrong! Go training rather than slouching here! What are you? SOLDIERs or grandmas?"

They jumped on their feet and flew the room. Cloud passed next to Genesis with a more sedated pace. He looked at the redhead with clear confusion written on his face. Genesis felt the urge to explain his outsburst. From the corner of his vision, he saw only Kunsel waiting at the door.

"I hate being observed like a circus freak. I prefer awe to worry," Genesis said. "I'm going to push Lazard around for him to regularise your status here."

Cloud nodded, then followed Kunsel. Genesis smiled at the reverence he saw in the blond's eyes as he got away. Alone, Genesis let escape a trembling breath. Another minute under those eyes and paranoia would have kicked his ass. And him theirs.

.

.