A SOLDIER's Weapon

By Oniko

Chapter 10

… … …

Sephiroth felt his heart nearly stop at Cloud's evasive answer, the stupid, idiot guess was right. Cloud pushed off from the wall and reached for his bag.

"No!" Sephiroth said, nearly panicking that Cloud had misinterpreted his shock. "No, stay. I want you… I want you to stay."

Cloud dropped his hand. Now he was watching Sephiroth warily. He didn't ask. He didn't say anything. He just watched and waited.

"I want you to fuck me," Sephiroth said, looking Cloud straight in the eye. There, he'd said it. He'd said the thing that he had been dancing around since he had first seen the blond SOLDIER.

"No." The denial was flat and final. Cloud's blue eyes were cold and hard.

"But," Sephiroth started to protest even as the clenching pain in his chest made him want to glance down and make sure that no one had stabbed him when he wasn't looking.

"No," Cloud repeated again, more forcefully. "You don't know what you're asking."

"Yes, I do," Sephiroth whispered. They stared at each other across the room, across the void. Cloud shook his head.

"Yes, I do!" The exclamation drove Sephiroth to his feet, pacing forward a few steps. "I know I can't ask anyone else. Not anyone in ShinRa. I'm nothing but a toy to them. A pet…a weapon."

"You are not a weapon," Cloud said harshly.

"Yes, I am," Sephiroth said as he stepped forward again and looked into Cloud's blue eyes. Cloud's façade was starting to crack. "We both know how ShinRa treats its weapons. But you…" Sephiroth let his eyes drift to Ashura that Cloud had taught him to care for. " 'A well cared for weapon will serve you for years to come.' Isn't that what you said? I'd rather be a weapon in your hands then theirs."

"You are not a weapon," Cloud repeated softly, one hand reaching out.

Sephiroth closed the distance. He leaned down until his lips barely brushed against Cloud's. "That's why I want it to be you."

Cloud reached up, his hands cradling Sephiroth's head in a strong grip that could probably crush his skull if Cloud let it. Cloud leaned into him, his eyes closed and his voice full of anguish. "You don't know what you are asking!"

Sephiroth opened his mouth to protest again, but Cloud was kissing him. A hard press of mouth to mouth, his tongue sliding against Sephiroth's sent a frission of need straight to the tip of his cock. Sephiroth pressed back against him just as desperately, his hands tugging at the other man's clothing. Zippers and buckles come undone in a disorderly fashion of whatever he happened to find under his fingers.

Cloud pushed him back onto the bed, and he was dimly aware of his own clothes being shed. Mostly he focused on the feel of hands and mouth on skin. Sephiroth tugged down the zipper to Cloud's black uniform top, he ran his hands across Cloud's broad chest, marveling in the feel of muscle and skin under his hands. Cloud's skin was marred by old scars, and Sephiroth traced them lightly. There was one, about the length of Sephiroth's palm, purplish in color and slightly off center that he recognized at the twin to the mark he saw on Cloud's back after the Mythril Mine operation.

"What happened?" Sephiroth asked, his fingers lightly brushing against the dark scar. Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's hand in a tight grip. He could feel his bones grinding against one another. He refused to make a sound of pain, though his breath hitched in his throat. "Cloud?"

Cloud's expression had gone blank, lost in memories again. After a long moment it cleared, and Cloud released Sephiroth's hand. Sephiroth flexed his fingers, nothing broken. "Sorry. I'm sorry. The wound is still… fresh."

"It's okay, I understand." And he did. Some wounds damaged more than the body, and Sephiroth had inadvertently triggered something. He reached out to trace the side of Cloud's face. Cloud flinched a little at first, but then leaned into the touch. He turned his head to kiss the palm of Sephiroth's hand. "No harm done."

Not to Sephiroth. Not to Cloud. Whatever had happened was long past and over, they were both alive today. Cloud leaned down for a long, slow kiss, and settled them into a more languid pattern of long strokes and gentle kisses.

After an indeterminate length of time Cloud pulled back to study Sephiroth sprawled out on the bed before him. Both of them had been stripped of their dark uniforms. Even Sephiroth's long braid had come loose and spilled across the pillow in a silver fall. His face was once again an expressionless mask.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, uncertain what he was asking, but needing the answer just the same.

His lips curled into a slight smile. "Just thinking," Cloud murmured. "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you," Sephiroth said, uncertainly.

"And I don't want to hurt you," Cloud said, as his hand slid along Sephiroth's thigh in a long gentle glide, that caused Sephiroth's cock to twitch and jump. Cloud smirked at him. His own member was long and hard. "Roll over."

Sephiroth did as he asked, suddenly apprehensive. Sephiroth may have been a virgin and he may have been inexperienced, but he had listened in on enough barracks talk to know what was coming next. And to know that it was never portrayed in a good light. Painful and humiliating, but it was Cloud.

"Shh, relax," Cloud said gently, one hand rubbing gentle circles into the small of Sephiroth's back while the other dug through one of the packs for something. "ShinRa doesn't exactly pack for this sort of thing, so we will have to make do."

Sephiroth glance back at Cloud to see him lay out a few item from the sword care kit, soft cloths and oil. He tried not to laugh at the irony of it. The cloth was soaked in warm water and trailed along his skin, along with gentle touches and open mouth kisses. It took a moment for Sephiroth to realize that Cloud was cleaning him. He flushed in embarrassment and started to pull away. As soon as he did, Cloud stood up and stepped away from the bed.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked. He shivered in the sudden cold. "Why did you stop?"

"You're obviously not ready for this," Cloud said, reaching down to grab his pants. "I'll just sleep downstairs."

"No, I'm," Sephiroth reached out grab Cloud's wrist. He wanted this. As uncomfortable as the thought made him he wanted this so badly, he was hard and throbbing. Not just his penis but his whole body was humming with the sensation from the light touches and deep kisses. "I'm ready, I want this. It's just… I don't know what I'm doing." And that admission hurt, he had never been in a situation where he didn't know exactly what he was doing. But ever since Cloud had come into his life it has been one thing after another, and he could never tell with Cloud what the correct response was supposed to be…

"Sephiroth, there isn't a correct response," Cloud said seriously. And, oh goddess he did not just say that out loud. But by Cloud's solemn expression he had and what was Cloud going to think of him now? Cloud reached up and brushed the long bangs out of Sephiroth's face. "There's just what you feel. It isn't right and it isn't wrong. I am not going to punish you for it."

Sephiroth clung to that tenuous promise. "You won't leave?"

"No," Cloud sighed, leaning over to give him a gentle kiss. "I won't leave."

Sephiroth tugged him back on the bed, never letting go of Cloud. If his hand wasn't on his wrist, he was stroking Cloud's hip or kissing pale skin. He was half-afraid that if he didn't Cloud would try to leave again.

They lay entwined on the bed, kissing and touching. This time when Cloud gently urged him to his hands and knees he didn't tense up but remained relaxed as Cloud stroked and petted, down his spine and up his thighs. The gentle massage and press of fingers inside of him did not cause him to flinch. Instead he moaned as the stimulation sent electric shivers across his skin.

He groaned again, louder at the wet press against his opening. Even as his brain processed the shock that Cloud had pressed his tongue to Sephiroth's sensitive opening the wet slide and thrust felt so good all he could do was moan and twist the sheets in his fists.

"Hmm," Cloud paused long enough to purr darkly. "You do beg so nicely." It was then that Sephiroth realized that formed words had actually been falling from his lips: 'please,' and 'more' and 'yes.'

There was the clink of glass and the familiar smell of the oil from his sword care kit filled the air. It didn't actually smell of metal but the association was so strong that Sephiroth could almost taste the sharp tang on the air anyways. Fingers, now slick, probed deeper. Sephiroth groaned and pushed back.

"Impatient."

"Please, Cloud. I need…" Sephiroth trailed off because he wasn't sure what he needed, just that he needed.

"What do you need?" Cloud asked softly. He repeated the question gently but all Sephiroth could do was moan please. Cloud leaned over him and kissed his shoulder gently. "Shh, it's alright."

When he did that their bodies were pressed together, and Sephiroth could feel Cloud's length, slick with oil, pressing against him, and he knew without any question or doubt that was what he wanted. When he felt Cloud pull away he whimpered, but before further protest could be aired he could feel the blunt tip of Cloud's cock pressing against him. Strong hands against Sephiroth's hips held him steady as Cloud eased forward with gentle, shallow thrusts. It was good, each thrust sent tingles down his spine. But it wasn't enough.

"More, please," Sephiroth begged. Cloud paused, cock buried deep inside of Sephiroth, he stopped and Sephiroth wanted to scream in frustration.

"I could hurt you," Cloud cautioned, gently tucking a strand of long hair behind Sephiroth's ear.

"I am as much a SOLDIER as you are," Sephiroth said. "Please, Cloud."

"Tell me if you need me to stop," Cloud said, one hand gently pressing between Sephiroth's shoulder blades to push him down.

"I won't need you to," Sephiroth promised. His only warning was the tightening grip of Cloud's other hand on Sephiroth's hip and Cloud was thrusting into him with his enhanced strength, pounding harder and deeper than he had before. If it was good before, this was so much better. His cock was throbbing in time with Cloud's thrusts, and he knew he was going to come on the sheets.

Cloud's hand snaked around to grab his penis, hard, and his other grabbed at Sephiroth's hair pulling his head back roughly. "Don't you dare," Cloud growled in his ear. "Don't you dare come until I say you can."

"Please, Cloud," Sephiroth begged the words falling from his lips but they held no meaning, all he could do was feel. Push back into Cloud's thrusts and rock forward into his hand, harder and faster. Pushing him higher and higher.

Until he stopped. Sephiroth whined, pressing back against Cloud, but their bodies were already pressed together as tightly as they could. Cloud was no longer pulling back on his hair, but his arm was wrapped around him, a powerful vise that held Sephiroth in place. His hand was still pressed against Sephiroth's cock, gently rubbing and massaging. It took Sephiroth a long moment to realize that Cloud was speaking, his lips brushing lightly against Sephiroth's ear and his words were soft and low.

"-roth, I want you to come… now." As Cloud said it, the word coming out a harsh order, his hand gave a strong pull and Sephiroth felt everything dissolve around him as he came over Cloud's hand at his command.

Sephiroth gradually came back to himself in bits and pieces, the gradual awareness of still twitching muscles, a curl of cool air snaking across his calf, and Cloud cradling him, hands combing through long tangled hair. He also gradually became aware of Cloud's still half erect member pressing against his thigh. He twisted around and blinked up at Cloud.

"You didn't…?" he asked hesitantly, because he certainly did, and he was still quivering with it. And Cloud was giving him an absolutely wicked grin that he had never seen.

"Don't worry," Cloud said, running his hand lightly down Sephiroth's thigh, causing the muscles to shiver and twitch. "We'll be getting to that, later."

… … …

Their time spent at the ShinRa lodge in Icicle Inn was like a paradise to Sephiroth with just him and Cloud, no ShinRa and no Hojo. They continued their lessons in the day, sparring or simple war games between the two of them. Sometimes Cloud would take him out to show him the resort's various attractions: skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing. But Sephiroth preferred the nights where it was just him and Cloud together in a cozy warm cottage shutting out the world.

It was easy to push aside the outside world and the mysteries of Cloud and WolfHaven. But Sephiroth was better trained then that and as much as he wanted to, he still found a quiet moment here and there to make a quiet call, check a few facts. The information that he got back only seemed to make matters more confusing.

He learned that the 'avalanche' Cloud ordered Yuffie to look into was actually 'AVALANCHE,' a small anti-ShinRa terrorist group with an environmentalist slant. Sephiroth couldn't tell why Cloud seemed to think that they warranted special attention. There were other groups who were just as crazy and even more dangerous with better funding and civilian support. By all accounts, even though AVALANCHE was a Midgar centered organization their principals were straight from Cosmo Canyon, most Midvolk just didn't understand their goals. It was all a moot point anyways; AVALANCHE couldn't have possibly been around long enough to be the same group that Cloud was worried about up here.

It was late one morning when Sephiroth awoke. He would probably still be asleep if not for the chill along one side that spoke of a recently vacated place on the bed. He turned over, trying to roll the warm blankets around himself without letting in any of the cold air. "Cloud?"

"Go back to sleep," Cloud said. Sephiroth would have but by the rustle of cloth it sounded like Cloud was getting dressed.

Sephiroth sat up and blinked blearily at Cloud. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Cloud said shortly. "Go back to sleep."

"You're getting up for nothing? Come back to bed."

Cloud sighed. "I would love to, but Yuffie called. She can get to be annoyingly persistent when she thinks she's being ignored."

And with that he was gone, down the stairs and out the door, before Sephiroth could properly rejoinder that Yuffie was always annoying, and shrill. Sweet Shiva, the pitches she could reach. He debated getting up as well but he was still tired from a very late night, so late he actually saw the sun graze the horizon before starting back into its upwards motion. He buried himself back in the blankets, tugging at them to close that stubborn gaping hole that always seemed to let a draft down his back. Sephiroth was drifting in and out of sleep when he felt a presence beside the bed.

"What did she want?"

"Sleep," an unfamiliar voice said, greenish yellow light from the spell washing over him. Sephiroth tried to fight it, force himself from the bed to grab his weapons, but he was too tangled up in the heavy sheets and he fell heavily to the floor unable to catch himself.

The thing about the Sleep spell is that it isn't a true sleep, although his eyes were closed and his breathing a soft regular rhythm, Sephiroth was semi-aware of his surroundings. Sounds were muffled, and he could feel himself being bundled up and manhandled into the back of a vehicle. It was unpleasant and disorientating but they were gentle enough to not break the fragile spell that kept him unable to move.

He was taken out of the vehicle, through the cold and then into warmth once again. It's hadn't been long but difficult to judge how fast the vehicle had traveled or how much ground had been covered. Once inside he was laid out on a cold surface, probably a table if the drag he could feel on his hair spilling over the edge was any indication. Cold metal was clamped down on his arms and legs, also heavy bands across his shoulders and hips, pinning him down. He wanted to fight, break, do something, but he couldn't. He felt a sharp pinch in his arm, a needle, and the fog of the spell started to lift. He turned his head, blinking his eyes to clear the haze, to see a young man in a lab coat drawing blood from his arm. Sephiroth snarled at him but the man barely glanced up at him.

"Waking up now, are we?" he asked, removing the needle and daubing at a drop of blood with a square of white gauze.

" 'M not gonna tell you 'nything," Sephiroth slurred, the remnants of the Sleep spell still making it difficult to speak.

"Silly boy." Sephiroth wanted to snarl at him, the man couldn't be any older then he was, and the man was copying Hojo's affectations to an irritating degree. "You don't need to say a word. All of Hojo's secrets are hardcoded into your DNA. All his successes," the man reached out and ran his thumb under Sephiroth's eye in a gesture that might have been intimate coming from anyone else. "All of his failures."

"Cloud will stop you," Sephiroth said stubbornly. The call Cloud had stepped out for couldn't take very long, and he would notice that Sephiroth was missing quickly. Sephiroth never went anywhere without informing Cloud. It was basic SOP when on a mission, and no matter how much it may have felt like a vacation, it was a mission. Cloud would know that something was wrong right away. He had been half-expecting something like this and probably already had a contingency plan in place. He probably would have had a contingency plan in place anyways because this was Cloud.

"Don't you worry about your friend," The man said. Before he could ask why a mask was placed over his face, and the table Sephiroth was strapped on to tilted up until he was completely vertical and rolled backwards. Sephiroth only started to panic when a thick curved glass wall slid shut enclosing him in a narrow capsule, not unlike the tubes Hojo used for the SOLDIER's Mako showers. The restraints were made for SOLDIER strength and there was nothing he could do. Water quickly rushed in to fill the capsule. Fortunately it was only water, though Sephiroth knew how quickly that could change to Mako of various consistencies, burning and screaming and whispering secrets and horrors in his ears.

The air from the mask was filtered and stale but clean and it didn't contain any traces of detectable drugs. Sephiroth resigned himself to waiting. Whatever this guy was planning he wouldn't keep Sephiroth in the tanks forever. Eventually he'd want to see what Sephiroth could do, they always did, and that was when Sephiroth would have his chance.

The man left him in the capsule, puttering about the lab, running his blood sample through machines that only Hojo would probably be able to identify. Computer screens lit up with strings of information. Sephiroth hated being underwater like this because every sound, every vibration, had a strange echoing quality that magnified the smallest thing and muffled the loudest screams until it all blended together into dull buzzing through his head. Mako was almost preferable because the voices, disjointed and disturbing as they were, were a distraction from the scientists and lab assistants talking about him in those vast booming voices like proclamations from the gods themselves.

Time always seemed oddly warped whenever Sephiroth was trapped in a Mako tube. The scientist didn't seem to take breaks, but others did come and go. He couldn't tell if they were assistants or guards. They seemed to provide a similar function as Hojo's assistants but they wore a generic combat uniform and some of them were armed. Watching closely he was unable to find any discernable pattern in their actions. Sephiroth's heart nearly stopped when Cloud walked into the lab escorted by two of the assistants/infantrymen.

Sephiroth wasn't the only one surprised by Cloud's appearance.

"What are you doing?" The scientist leapt out of the chair, knocking over a glass beaker. It shattered on the hard concrete floor but no one paid it any mind. "My orders were to kill the other one, and you brought him here? While he is still armed! How incompetent do you have to be?"

The infantryman on the left shrugged. "He came up to us, Doctor. Knew the passcodes."

"What? You're AVALANCHE?" AVALANCHE. Cloud told Yuffie to look into ties to AVALANCHE, no doubt she'd came through. Must have been what her call was about. Sephiroth thought he might have to kiss the girl when next he saw her. It was just too bad that they were able to grab him while Cloud was getting her message. But with his mentor and lover here, Sephiroth felt safe knowing that Cloud would never let them do anything to him. The scientist glared at the trio standing in front of him. "Impossible! What is the Planet's grace?"

"The Lifestream is her blood and her blessing," Cloud said, his voice was filled with a soft reverence, sounding less like a god and more like a supplicant reciting a familiar prayer. It must have been the correct answer because the scientist fumed at him but didn't object any further as Cloud pushed his way into the room. The other two guards shrugged at each other and slinked off back to where ever their assigned posts were.

Cloud scanned the room with a practiced eye. After being drilled on the procedures by the blond man what probably only felt like a million times in the past several weeks, Sephiroth knew exactly what he was doing. He was identifying potential weapons, entrances, items usable for blockades, weak points in the room's defense even down to the air vents, and people were categorized as enemies, allies, and liabilities. Cloud came to stand before Sephiroth a flat emotionless mask over his face, even his eyes were distant blue pools as unfathomable as the ocean. "Interesting new toy you have here, Fuhito."

"Yes, Hojo's prized prototype, just think of what I can learn from him," the scientist, Fuhito, gloated. "The DNA strands are fascinating, but who would have thought Hojo to be this… this clumsy." Fuhito shook his head and traced his fingers over one of the screens. "The entire DNA sequencing of a kraken and for what?"

"Hn, thicker skin I believe," Cloud commented in an offhand manner, still watching Sephiroth with those blank eyes. Why hasn't he just killed the man yet and gotten Sephiroth out of there?

"The dermal layer," Fuhito scoffed. "That boy is two steps away from having tentacles. And wings, is that a roc?"

"He wasn't what I was referring to, though," Cloud said. "Your equipment here. It's more advance then I would expect to see from a hack operation like this, and your Ravens are further along than they should be."

Fuhito started. "What do you know of my Ravens? No one knows about my Ravens."

"Your subordinates talk," Cloud shrugged, turning around to face Fuhito. "The important question no one can answer is where are you getting your information?"

Fuhito shifted nervously. "I found a disk with ShinRa secrets, details on the SOLDIER project."

Sephiroth gasped in surprise, ShinRa was not going to take this news well.

"No," Cloud said flatly. "You didn't. Someone gave you the information, and it didn't come from ShinRa. Who?"

Fuhito glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Why do you care? It will serve AVALANCHE well enough once the project is complete? Unless, you're not really AVALANCHE."

"This again? You are almost as paranoid as Hojo," Cloud said.

"You have the passwords, but you never did say…"

"I am with AVALANCHE," Cloud said slowly, carefully enunciating his words. "I lead a small specialized team. We are currently investigating one of our, your, benefactors who we believe may be setting us up for ShinRa to take out."

Sephiroth could only admire how smoothly the lie fell from Cloud's tongue. At least he assumed it was a lie. There was still that niggling doubt that was creeping around the edges. How much about Cloud did he really know?

"You infiltrated ShinRa? To do a background check?" Fuhito sounded incredulous.

"The plan was already in the works. This just moved things along," Cloud said. It had to be a lie. Why would he need Yuffie to investigate AVALANCHE if he was part of it?

"Well you have nothing to worry about," Fuhito snapped. "I didn't get my information from one of AVALANCHE's usual sources."

"Now I don't believe you," Cloud said, he leaned casually against a nearby desk, absently shuffling through scattered papers, much to Fuhito's annoyance. "You have been holed up without outside contact for the better part of the past four months."

Four months. That's about when Cloud first arrived at ShinRa. Sephiroth's niggling worry got a little stronger.

"And I know for a fact that what little outside contact you have is too heavily monitored for your source to have come from outside of AVALANCHE," Cloud continued. He hadn't told Yuffie to investigate AVALANCHE, Sephiroth realized, but to look for connections to AVALANCHE. The distinction could mean nothing, or everything. "So, who gave you the information?"

Fuhito pursed his lips together and the two men stared at each other across the room. The scientist broke first. "It was that bastard Corneo," he said. "I always said he was playing both sides. We already knew he was paying bribes to Shinra to run that sordid little den of his."

Cloud nodded and stood up. "Alright."

"Alright?" Fuhito asked in surprise as Cloud ambled casually towards the door. "That's… that's it?"

"That's it," Cloud agreed. "I guess we don't need you anymore."

Even Sephiroth was shocked at the speed of his actions. He went from a completely relaxed, languid pose to a forward strike faster than the human brain could process the movement. Fuhito didn't know what hit him, the narrow v of the Hollow Blade punched through his chest and out his back. Cloud withdrew the blade and with a casual roll of the wrist, spun the blade leaving a spatter of blood on the floor.

Cloud tapped out a command sequence on a nearby control panel and Sephiroth could hear the machinery groan as the water started to cycle out of the cylinder he was trapped in. Within moments it was empty and the glass slid open with a soft hiss.

"Took your time," Sephiroth grumbled, tugging at the loosened metal bindings. His hair was soaked and he had no clothes in the middle of hostile territory.

"Sorry, that's not Mako is it?" Cloud didn't really sound concerned, it was fairly obvious that it wasn't. "There should be clothes in the cabinet over there."

And sure enough there were, several of the lockers had various other items including the generic military uniforms in various sizes still wrapped in the plastic coverings. He considered not asking, briefly. "How did you know?"

"Having a ninja around is useful," Cloud said. He pulled a small roll of leather and spread out another toolkit on the table.

The apparent non-sequitur made no sense to Sephiroth, unless he meant… "Yuffie?" She could not be a ninja, she was loud, and boisterous, and… and loud. And wasn't she part of the WolfHaven project anyway? What would a ShinRa affiliate be doing with a Wusheng ninja? Rumor had it that negotiations were… tense, though no one has actually said 'war' yet everyone was thinking it.

"Hmm-mm," Cloud agreed absently. Sephiroth quickly pulled on a uniform and tied back his wet hair. "How's your demolitions?"

"More theory then practice," Sephiroth said, his practical experience with demolitions involved lobbing a Fira at it and if it was still standing hit a couple of time. He walked over to stand by Cloud. His bare feet slapped wetly on the concrete floor, there were no boots of a reasonable size that he could find. "What are you doing?"

"Shutting down their little hide-a-way," Cloud said, as he pulled out various items from the leather pouches. Now that he was closer Sephiroth could see that it was a bomb kit, not ShinRa issue. There were tiny shards of weapons-grade Materia each pouch labeled in careful print Fire, Aero, 1000 Needles, Armor Pierce, Critical Hit, All, Darkness, and Confuse. With this kit someone could easily make bombs for any number of tasks: kill, incapacitate, or just do a ton of structural damage.

"Fire is the keystone in the matrix," Cloud said placing one of the Fire shards in a Materia slot that was little more than a twist of metal wire to hold the shard in place. "Aero feeds the fire, and Critical Hit to maximize the damage." He picked up another twist of a thicker metal and a small reservoir of raw Mako. "It's a basic spring load, the timer pulls the pin, the hinge snaps, and the Mako meets the Materia." Cloud placed the various pieces together almost as quickly as he spoke, deft hands twisting the wires together with deadly precision building a bomb no bigger than Sephiroth's fist that could probably take out the better part of the building they were standing in. "Don't jostle it."

Sephiroth pulled up a chair and copied Cloud's method for wiring a small bomb. He moved slowly, careful with the unfamiliar motions. Cloud had completed three more by the time Sephiroth built the one to Cloud's specifications.

"Set the timer for ten minutes," Cloud said. Once they had built a dozen of the firebombs. "That should give us enough time to place these and get out of here."

"We'll be fighting our way out once they realize that Fuhito is dead," Sephiroth cautioned, but did as he said. He was actually surprised that no one had come in yet.

"We don't want to give them time to dismantle the bombs," Cloud said, then added with a lazy smile. "What's life without a bit of challenge? Ready?"

Cloud wanted three of the bombs set in the lab to destroy the computers and equipment. The rest were placed in key locations throughout the building on load bearing walls and pillars. They met the enemy first, right outside of the lab, two guards stationed by the door. Both were killed before they recognized Cloud as a threat. Their element of surprise was lost soon after and the building was flooded with eerie red light. No siren though, but that made sense after a moment's thought. They must not have wanted any internal squabbles to disrupt the outside community and draw attention to their presence.

Ten minutes was still cutting it a little close. There was resistance at first, a few scattered troopers and patchwork monsters that must have been the result of some of Fuhito's early experimentation, but as they reached the last levels most of the enemy had cleared out. They had just exited the building themselves when it collapsed in a firestorm. The sound was deafening with the crack of concrete and the roar of fire. Sephiroth didn't hear any screams, but then he suspected that at this point most of the AVALANCHE soldiers had either died or fled. Sephiroth shivered, the wave of intense heat just emphasized the cold. His hair was a line of literal ice down his back, and he was standing barefoot in the snow. He really should have put on even ill-fitting shoes when he had the chance.

"C'mon," Cloud said. "Let's get you back to the lodge."

People were starting to pop out of nearby lodges to point and stare. A few of them glanced at Cloud and Sephiroth, but once they noticed Cloud's First Class badge and belt they quickly found other things more interesting.