~Fifty-Three~
Lazard is a traitor…One good thing has come out of this. We know where to find Jenova's body…We can honour her wishes…when you're ready…
Cloud hadn't been able to stop thinking of Genesis's words at least a few times a day since the man had spoken them on the plane. Genesis had called him there the day after he'd let Lazard into the building where he had successfully inflicted damage on Jenova's physical body. He actually wasn't sure how much damage had been done because he hadn't been told. All he'd heard was the word significant. There had been "significant damage done," said Hojo, but what had been salvaged had also been "significant", so he wasn't sure how bad the result had been.
Genesis had reminded him of the mission that Jenova had tasked them with but there wasn't a specific direction given in how or when to achieve it. Eventually, there would be the reunion Jenova spoke about but there was more than one path to it and there were advantages to where they were right now in Midgar, so Genesis had said. There were advantages to being inside Shinra and advantages to being situated within SOLDIER. Genesis told him that ultimately it would be up to him to decide when to complete the mission, which was a confusing concept for him to grasp.
Making important decisions on his own wasn't something he thought he was capable of. Each day he let himself be led around and did what he was told to do. There were moments, many of late, when he questioned what he was being told to do but he couldn't hold on to the reasons or the why's that had made him question those things. Each day felt new but familiar at the same time. It was easy to forget that time was passing at all. All he had was what he could see out of the windows in the building and special company events to mark that passage, and the day before the Spring Parade had him realizing just how much time had passed since he'd been back in Midgar. An entire season really.
The reunion mission had stayed on his mind since his meeting on the plane with Genesis but there was another mission that he had no choice but to focus on. It had been months since he'd developed his concentrated heat generating and object moving abilities, but he hadn't progressed much with them since. When it came to moving objects, he couldn't make them do anything that could be considered telekinetic. Hojo, Galen and Rand had determined that since he could only make something move by first touching the surface the object was on that he was essentially just transferring energy from one place to another and he had a hard time doing it. The harder he tried the less effect it seemed to have.
It had become much easier over time for him to generate and transfer heat to another surface or liquid, but he wasn't able to do what he was asked to with it. He couldn't control the temperature or hold it steady. The one thing that had changed was that while initially he had to put forth a lot of effort to make more heat, now he had a hard time keeping the heat low enough that it wouldn't scorch what he was touching or break the vessel containing the liquid he was trying to warm.
"You should be able to do this by now," Hojo told him in a tone that he was sure meant the man was unhappy with him. He had just shattered another beaker of water that couldn't withstand his heat. He always seemed to be breaking things now. He broke things in the training facilities nearly every day. Regardless of whether he meant to or not it still seemed to happen wherever he was. Kunsel and Hojo were very different in their reactions though. Kunsel kept telling him it wasn't his fault and that he just didn't know his own power and strength yet but Hojo had begun yelling at him that he thought he was purposely breaking things as some form of protest. He didn't know what that meant. He told the professor he was sorry almost every day but he didn't know what that even meant. He didn't feel sorry. He didn't feel much of anything about it except that he didn't like when Hojo was upset. It made him feel off somehow. His stomach would clench up and he'd start feeling like he might be sick. He'd gotten that feeling every day with Hojo since the day he'd let Lazard into the building.
He returned to the apartment frustrated with the fact he couldn't do what he should be able to. Frustrated that Hojo wasn't happy with his performance. And just…frustrated. Uncomfortable. He didn't know what to call what he felt. He felt like he needed to keep moving. Like he wanted to be outside or somewhere else. He was supposed to be getting outside the following day for the parade but it was hours away and suddenly it felt like an endless amount of time.
He thought there must be a lot of reasons he was feeling but as always, there were no answers in the small area of his mind he could search. He felt like he had too much steam building up inside him and no way to get it out. He could go to the training facilities but lifting weights and running on a treadmill wasn't going to cut it and he'd probably just break more equipment. He felt like he should hit something instead. Sparring might help but he'd only been allowed to do that with Kunsel or Genesis and it needed to be arranged ahead of time. He decided instead to throw his weight into the heavy punching bag Rand had had installed in their suite recently. The man had told him he'd boxed a lot in the past and had been teaching him some things at home.
Rand not being there meant he didn't have anyone around to make him wear gloves. He didn't care about potentially hurting himself. The light was getting low outside but the glow from the fading day was orange and more calming than the artificial lighting in the apartment. If it were up to him, he'd never turn them on and would only live by the sun and the city lights outside at night. The bag being in the main area of the apartment meant he could be near to the view that represented a natural calendar and clock of sorts.
He started off in a controlled rhythm with his hits but by the time Rand finished working and arrived, he was out of that rhythm and beyond the point of simply blowing off steam. He'd been hitting harder the more exhausted he became, struggling to push himself to where he felt the endorphin high that would be followed by released tension and a satisfying relaxed state, but it wasn't coming. He couldn't reach the point where the exercise made him feel good. There was just the same feelings of discomfort and frustration and then pain in his hands that were now cut open and bleeding. He didn't notice when Rand came into the apartment.
Rand dropped his work bag by the door when he entered and observed Cloud from across the room. He knew something must be wrong by the disorganised way Cloud was hitting the bag ahead of him. He called out his name but there was no reaction from him. As he approached Cloud he could see he was coated in sweat and bleeding from his hands. They must have been bleeding for at least a few minutes. There was blood on the bag and specks of it were flying back at Cloud while he threw his fists into it. He wasn't about to try and get between him and the bag but he did grab onto Cloud's one arm from behind and stop him from making another hit with it.
"Stop!" he ordered as he pulled him backward, out of reach of his target. "That's enough, come on," he told him.
Breathing heavily and shaking, Cloud felt weak suddenly as he finally acknowledged Rand's presence. He had to shake his head a little as his vision seemed to be spotting over. Rand watched him waver a little then and imagined he might pass out if he didn't sit down to recover.
"Over here," he said as he led Cloud back toward the kitchen area. He sat him down on one of the chairs at the island counter and left him there while he took off his suit jacket and went to fill a glass with water. The skin of Cloud's face was flushed red and his whole body seemed to heave as he was trying to breathe. "Drink it slowly," he told him as he set the water glass down in front of him and then went to turn on the one small light over the stove nearby.
Cloud nodded before attempting to sip out of the glass. It was all he could do and the moment the water sank to his stomach he thought he might throw it back up. Setting the glass down he put his head in his hands and rested his weight on his elbows on the counter. Beads of sweat were running from his face and dripping from his chin. He felt his pulse pounding in his ears and behind his eyes but he tried not to think about it as he listened to the sound of water running from the kitchen tap for a few moments.
"Let me see your hands," Rand said and he lowered them from his head to place them on the cool granite surface between them.
The man used a wet cloth to clean the blood from his stinging knuckles. The skin seemed bluish purple. He wasn't used to seeing that. Normally, he could heal before bruising had chance to occur but he hadn't allowed his body the chance to recover while pummeling his flesh continuously.
"What are you thinking?" the man asked him. "This must have hurt," he pointed out.
It did. "I don't know," Cloud replied breathily, still panting a little. He shook his head then and pulled his hands back from Rand. He stood up but wasn't even sure where he was planning to move to.
"Wait," Rand demanded firmly. "Tell me what's going on in your head right now," he said but Cloud ignored the request, looking as if he were just going to keep on his way. "I said wait!" he ordered more sternly.
Cloud halted and looked back at him fast then. "I don't know," he answered in something of a sharp tone that took Rand a little off guard. Cloud placed his hands back on the island countertop and leaned forward slightly. "What's going on in my head?" he asked. There seemed to be a clear insinuation behind the words.
The man didn't have time to respond before the water glass on the island started vibrating. It only lasted a split second before it tipped over completely and quickly rolled off the counter crashing against the tile floor. Cloud stepped back from the island, shaking his head again, this time apologetically before he attempted to start picking up the pieces of broken glass near his feet. He was breaking things at home now too.
Rand took a deep breath as he dropped the cloth in his hand to the counter and rounded the island. "Stop," he said to Cloud softly. "Just leave it," he told him.
"I didn't mean to," he said but didn't immediately stop trying to collect the glass pieces.
"I know," Rand replied. "Leave it for now," he said as he placed a hand on Cloud's right arm and urged him to stand up straight again. Cloud gave in then and complied, letting Rand move him away from the glass and toward the nearby couch where he had him sit down on the arm of it. "Look at me," he said as he took Cloud's head in his hands gently. His hair was also damp with his sweat. It took another moment but Cloud did meet his eyes finally. "You're restless, and you're anxious," he told him.
The man lowered his hands from his head then and placed them on his knees. "Did something happen in the lab?" Rand asked and he lowered his eyes.
"Nothing happened," he said before looking out the windows across the room. "I couldn't do what he wanted," he said then.
"Hojo?" Rand asked and he nodded. "He's not an easily pleased person," the Keeper said. "That's not what's got you like this," he argued then. "You've been wound up for days," he pointed out. Cloud didn't know what to say to that, not really knowing what he was and what he seemed to other people. "You've got too much tension and you need to relax," he said as he began rubbing the tops of Cloud's legs slowly, trying to soothe him a little.
The man's hands running up and down his thighs repeatedly led to a response of arousal from Cloud that he hadn't meant to happen and he didn't know why it was. When Rand noticed he just smiled and lifted his one hand from his thigh to approach the waistband of his sweatpants. He pushed the man's hand back then and spoke a quiet "Don't," to him. The man shushed him gently.
"It's been days," Rand reminded him. "You need this right now," the man added.
Did he? He didn't think so.
"Your body is telling you that," Rand said. "You need to let me help you."
Cloud shook his head at that. "I don't feel right," he tried to tell him. There was still that burning restless feeling running through him. His stomach felt heavy and tight.
"You need release," Rand replied softly as he began rubbing him through the material of his pants. His body was responding, and he tried to listen to what Rand told him. He shut his eyes and tried to feel something good but as the man's hand pulled at the elastic waistband of his pants once more and reached into them he just felt uncomfortable and he didn't know what else. He didn't want to be touched by his hands right then.
He could hear the man's voice in his head, though, telling him all the things he'd told him before about relationships and partnerships and the things they needed to do for each other regularly. How important those things were…Intimate tension-releasing activities, as Rand had called them before, had been essentially daily in occurrence until the most recent weeks. Something had changed. Rand hadn't touched him as much and not in the same way as before and he didn't know why. When he listened in on the man's thoughts sometimes he knew he was thinking of those tension-releasing activities but it was like he was waiting for him to do something. He needed to know he wasn't failing to do what he was supposed to do. He was failing in the lab. Was he failing at home too?
As hard as he tried to make himself sit there and let Rand massage him to release, he found himself instead reaching to grab hold of the man's shirt in his one fist. It was happening without him thinking. The Keeper froze as he gripped the material tightly, aggressively. He could see ahead then to what he'd unconsciously wanted to do, which was to shove him back and away with the same force he'd been throwing into the bag minutes earlier. Rand's hand left his pants to take hold of his where it was crushing the crisp fabric below his chin.
He heard what Rand was thinking in that moment. The thoughts he had were questioning ones. Ones that considered if he should retrieve sedatives from where they were locked away in a cabinet in the bathroom. Ones that considered if what Cloud was doing was something he would have to do something about…that maybe it would be in his best interest to be kept from the public and away from the president and the parade the following day until he could deal with his aggressive combative behaviour.
It was a lot and it went through the man's head so quickly. Cloud didn't want to lose the chance to be outside. He didn't want more drugs...
Instead of pushing Rand away, he used his hand to pull him closer by his shirt until he was within reach for him to kiss him. Rand's hand let go of his to brace the back of the couch. His other hand went to the back of Cloud's head as he kissed him back deeply. Cloud had taken him by surprise. He'd thought something else was about to happen, that Cloud was going to lash out but he'd obviously read him wrong. He had to step back as Cloud started to stand, his mouth still on his.
As Cloud stood up, Rand's hand on the back of his head went to his back and slid downward into the lower curve that was still wet with perspiration. The man pulled his body into his and he could feel that he was also aroused. With Rand still kissing him strongly, he reached to undo the man's pants, thinking that if he did for him what Rand had tried to do first it would be enough for now. But he was wrong. Rand wasn't giving up trying to stimulate release from him, grasping the front of his sweats and tugging them downward. There was one sure way he thought to distract the man from the task. He pulled back from Rand then and turned away from him, pushing his sweats down his own hips further and taking hold of the corner of the couch back in his hands. He waited for Rand to penetrate him.
Rand stood for what felt like the longest few seconds of his life staring at Cloud with slight confusion. It was clear what Cloud was suggesting to him, but he couldn't help being a little shocked by the suddenness and boldness of it. He hadn't had any intention of going that far with him in the living room right then. He'd only wanted to stimulate him to the point of a climax that he was sure could help Cloud release some of the tension and aggression that seemed to have been building in him over the past few days. He hadn't been doing that as often for Cloud because he'd been trying to be sensitive and didn't want to force anything on him when he'd seemed to be struggling a little mentally. He had been second-guessing that decision and had started to feel that the more frequent physical contact was probably better for him even if that meant coercing him when he wasn't entirely receptive to it.
He couldn't see how Cloud could want what he was suggesting right then. He was exhausted and still had sweat and blood on him from his punishing attack on the punching bag. Rand hadn't been looking to satisfy himself, but it had been days since he'd had sex with Cloud and he couldn't deny how badly he wanted it. He'd clearly been wrong in thinking it was better to refrain for Cloud's mental health. It hadn't helped. He thought he was being sensitive to whatever he was going through, but he'd only seemed to get more frustrated and withdrawn.
The fact Cloud was doing what he was now perhaps showed how much he needed it. Still, it wasn't responsible of him to take advantage of Cloud right at that moment. Cloud needed a shower, he needed hydration and rest…he was clearly mentally and physically struggling. There'd been no preparation to make sure he was comfortable and relaxed. Everything about it seemed wrong...he couldn't want this right now...
He knew it was wrong. He knew he shouldn't do it...but he did it anyway. He even told Cloud to wait while he retrieved something quickly for lubrication. He tried to be gentle, tried to move slowly. He briefly questioned again what he was doing to him when what seemed like sounds of pain came from him. But then Cloud began stroking himself and the thought he was going to get pleasure in some way had him resolved to go through with the act.
As uncomfortable as Cloud was, and although he didn't like Rand doing what he was doing, he felt better knowing he was controlling his own body and his own sexual release. Maybe he did need it. He didn't know. After months, he still didn't know. But if he was going to have it at that moment, he wanted to decide how.
000
There'd been no hope in Zack's mind that he'd be able to sleep the night before the Shinra Spring Parade. Knowing what was supposed to happen in just hours had him a mixture of excited and fearful. He had to keep repeating to himself, everything will be fine. Everything is going to go according to plan. It was four in the morning when he heard the door to the bedroom open and Aerith coming out to the living room where he'd been lying and staring at the ceiling most of the night. He sat himself up to look over at her when she turned on a light under the cabinets in the kitchen instead of heading to the bathroom where he thought she might be going. She began filling the kettle with water from the sink.
"Did you sleep at all?" he asked her, knowing she was probably as anxious as he was. She just shook her head without looking at him. Something was wrong. It wasn't just anxiety, he could tell. "Are you okay?" he questioned next as he got himself up off the couch.
Slowly she turned around to face him and he could see in her face what looked like deep concern. "I don't want you to go today," she told him and he stopped in his tracks.
"What?" he replied with a bit of confusion. There was something far beyond a normal level of worry going on. She looked scared. Moving once more he reached her just as tears were suddenly filling her eyes. He hated seeing her cry. He put his arms around her small frame. "It's okay," he told her.
"I have a bad feeling, Zack," she spoke into his chest "A really bad feeling. I don't think Johnny should go either," she declared.
"He's already there," he revealed to her then. "He has been since last night—" he began to explain. It had been important to Johnny's plan for him to be in place the night before the parade. He pointed out that it wouldn't be so easy getting to his planned assassination spot with a weapon in the morning when security was all over the place.
"Then contact him and tell him to call it off," Aerith said back fast as she pulled out of his embrace.
He shook his head at her words and tried to be reassuring. "Look, you're just worried, I get it—"
"Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it," she argued, cutting him off.
He couldn't recall ever seeing her quite like she was right then.
"Listen," he said calmly, trying to hide his own feelings of apprehension over all the things that could potentially go wrong that morning, "it's going to be fine, I promise." He felt like he needed to help settle her. He didn't want to see her upset. "I'm only going to be there in case Six gets into a jam…or something." He shook his head as he thought about it. "I don't actually know what I'd be able to do for him. I have no idea where he's going to be shooting from and he's basically kept me in the dark about any of the plan so..."
"Then please, don't go! I'm telling you, something bad is going to happen there today!"
"Like other than the president getting shot in the head?" he commented a little sarcastically, not able to help himself. She certainly didn't find it funny and was quick to turn away from him. He stopped her fast and turned her back to face him. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said seriously. "I'll call him and talk to him and I promise you I won't be involved in whatever he's doing, but he's probably still going to go through with it. He already took Rufus's money and he's doing this for Cloud's sake, and mine, and all of ours probably," he pointed out and he could see her sinking a little under his words. "It's the best chance there is right now to help Cloud," he reminded her.
She nodded a little as she listened to him but she wasn't looking at him, her eyes instead on the floor between them. She had the pendant of her necklace in between her thumb and index finger and was running it back and forth on the chain nervously. It was the necklace he'd given her. The one he'd found at the small market when he'd been on the run from the mansion with Cloud.
"I will stay at the sidelines, I swear to you," he promised. He took hold of her hands with his, forcing her to let go of the pendant. "Aerith," he said and she made herself look up at him. "I have to go," he told her. "I can't just leave Johnny out there on his own," he said.
"Rayna's going," Aerith retorted softly and he sighed a little in return. "I'm afraid you won't come back home today," she concluded.
He nodded emphatically. "Yes, I will," he told her but he didn't see her believing him. "I will," he repeated firmly. Even if she was hesitant, he would have enough belief in that fact for the both of them. "Trust me," he said.
000
It was a fine day for a parade event. Most years it rained during almost the entire festival, including the parade. It was either cold and raining or warm and raining. It was surprisingly mild that year given how cold the winter had been and how cold the city had been even just days earlier. And it wasn't raining. In fact, it was a perfect day for an attempt on the president's life with a gun from a distance. It was a little overcast, no glare from the sun, and it wasn't windy. Things were already in their favour, Zack thought.
He asked Tifa one last time if she wanted to go with him to the plate to watch the parade, in the chance Cloud might be there. She turned him down just like she had the other dozen times he'd asked, although he could see it was harder for her that last time to turn him down. Of course she wanted to see Cloud, but she had decided she wasn't supportive of Johnny getting involved with Rufus, even for Cloud's sake nor the venue that the hit was taking place at. When she refused that morning, he asked if she wouldn't mind spending some time with Aerith instead, so that he'd know she wasn't sitting at home alone freaking out. Tifa agreed but told him she thought it was stupid for him to go when Aerith was at home upset. He couldn't really argue with that.
Up on the plate, Cloud woke after a heavy sleep, only stirring when Rand brought coffee into the bedroom and reminded him that if he wanted to get some fresh air he was going to need to move. He didn't wake up thinking of the parade. Once he was reminded of it, he felt quickly energized and eager to go.
Rand sat in the living room to watch the morning news while Cloud was getting ready to go to the lab as part of his daily routine. He was tired and he imagined Cloud probably was too. The previous evening had been physically draining. He had meant it to be, for Cloud at least, although he'd also benefited from it himself. After days of keeping his hands to himself, he found he couldn't keep them off of Cloud once he'd been given the opening. It didn't end in the living room. After spending more time together in the shower and the bedroom over the following hours, Cloud finally seemed calmer or more sedate perhaps. It hadn't taken him long the evening before to realize Cloud had been trying to avoid being touched but Cloud gave in and stopped trying to fight him eventually. He hadn't seemed happy about it but he knew Cloud wasn't going to remember what he felt in the moment when he woke up the following morning. He'd fallen asleep around nine that evening which gave Rand plenty of time to clean up around the apartment before going to bed as well.
Still, with the ample hours of sleep, he was still tired. When he woke Cloud up, it was just as he'd expected, Cloud had nothing to say about the night before and there was nothing to suggest he was bothered by any of it. He seemed happy about the parade being that morning and when word came down that the president wanted to have him, Hojo and Cloud riding with him on a float he really seemed to light up. He seemed almost proud when he was able to look at himself in the mirror wearing a brand new SOLDIER uniform, complete with sword. Rand couldn't help but look at him with adoration and pride as well. He looked good and he told him so, earning him a small smile before they needed to leave.
000
There was certainly no lack of security that year, or protesters. There was a large group of sign-toting eco-protesters gathered near the start of the parade route, but they were being kept back from the actual route. No matter how hard the company had tried to calm the media and the public regarding their partnership with Hark Inc, people refused to be quiet about it, although outrage seemed to be coming mostly from outside Midgar. Despite the scandal and the anger, there was also no shortage of citizens who had turned out for the parade that would open the Spring Festival. Perhaps there had always been so many children, but somehow knowing what was supposed to go down this year had Zack feeling like there were many more than there'd ever been in the past.
He had called Johnny, just as he'd said he would, to tell him of Aerith's warning and suggestion they abandon the plan for the day but as he'd expected Johnny wasn't swayed by the concern and reiterated that it was what he'd agreed to and been contracted to do and assured that it wasn't even in the top ten of the hardest jobs he'd ever taken. Although Zack had asked him for details regarding how and where he'd situated himself and how he'd avoided security sweeps the night before and that morning, the only thing Johnny would tell him was which building he was set up in or on. It was near to the end of the route, close to the parking lot where Rayna had planned to wait. He and Johnny were both wired with earpiece and microphone systems so they could communicate. It made Zack feel better knowing he wasn't going to be completely blind to what was happening and that he'd be able to help if Johnny got into a trouble.
He stood himself down the street from where Johnny was about a hundred metres or so on the opposite side of the road. As he was blending himself into the crowd he looked up to see a drone flying overhead. He couldn't see if it was a security drone or one belonging to a media outlet. There were a lot of television cameras along the route. The assassination of the president was going to be airing live pretty soon and the images of it would be public forever after that. Reno had told him he'd planned on watching from home, not wanting to be spotted at the actual parade. He was still trying to hide the fact he was back in Midgar from anyone from Shinra. Whether they believed it or not, he didn't know.
It had been years since Zack had seen the parade and he'd never seen it from that vantage point on the sidewalk. It was cheerful and colourful. Most of the floats were decorated with brightly coloured paper flowers and some were shaped as birds or other animals. There were several bands from schools around the city performing as they marched. The appearance of the SOLDIERs was what signaled the upcoming Shinra grand float where the president and vice president usually stood or sat. Not all SOLDIERs marched. In he past, about twenty percent of them had and if that were still the case then the army of them had grown substantially.
It was incredibly nostalgic for Zack to watch, and it was easy to forget what was coming. He'd been watching to see if Cloud would also be marching. He saw the grand float. It stood out from the others easily by both its size and colouring. It was adorned with red, gold, and black hues. A model of a reactor sat in the middle on a raised platform. Seated on the same platform in front of the reactor was President Shinra. Rufus was notably absent next to him but in his place is where Cloud was and it wasn't what Zack had expected.
"Cloud's on the float with the president," he told Johnny, not sure if the float was within his view or not from where he was situated.
"It's fine," Johnny told him, knowing Zack would be worried about how close Cloud was physically to the actual target.
"What if there's a ricochet or something, or what if your aim is off?" Zack replied quickly.
"It won't happen," Johnny spoke back calmly. "I know what I'm doing," he reminded Zack. "I won't shoot if I can't make the perfect shot," he assured him.
"Okay," Zack answered him uneasily. He did trust him, he supposed. He still didn't like it. He watched Cloud a moment and couldn't help but smile a little. He looked amazing in his uniform. It wasn't a common SOLDIER uniform. It was a darker tone of blue and grey, looking almost black and had some subtle metallic accents on the armor. He looked something in the realm of happy as he was waving along with the president to people cheering and waving back from the sidewalks. Zack looked around the float then. He could see Hojo and Rand seated a little lower on the float, along with the director of SOLDIER. There were Turks, including Tseng and Elena, walking beside the float on the president's side.
"I've got a good line," Johnny told him quietly then, making him instantly nervous. He felt as though a million insects were erupting under his skin. "I'm gonna take the shot."
"Alright," Zack replied. There was nothing then but a heavy and somewhat scary anticipation holding him glued to the pavement. Was this it? Was this the moment where everything was going to change in his and Cloud's favour? How long would it be before Cloud was back home where he belonged? How long until—
No. A guttural sound found its way from deep inside him as he watched what happened next and his blood ran cold. He didn't hear the shot over the sounds of the crowd or band music. He doubted anyone outside of Johnny heard it. Only a few people had known what was about to happen, and somehow one of them was Cloud. At the moment the shot was fired, Cloud had stood up suddenly and his body had blocked the president's. Almost as quickly as he'd stood, he was buckling over from the sudden projectile impact to his torso. He landed on one knee and it was still another moment before those aboard the float with him realized what was happening. Unconsciously, Zack had clapped a hand over his mouth in horror before he was able to find his voice.
"You hit Cloud!" he called into his microphone then.
"It wasn't me," Johnny replied as he used his scope to see where the other shooter must be. It was impossible, the angle was too close to his own. "Must be from somewhere else in this building or the one next to me," he told Zack. He hadn't had a chance to fire before the mystery sniper nearby had.
Everyone had come to a stand on the float then as they recognized what had just occurred. Rand had quickly moved to check on Cloud and was leaning over him when Cloud suddenly grabbed him, pulling him downward before struggling to rise and turn around just as several more shots were fired in their direction. He was just close enough to the president that he was able to shove him. The man stumbled backward and fell from the float, out of the line of fire toward the Turks that tried to break his fall. Cloud was hit again, twice this time, the bullets tearing through the fabric of his uniform and entering his back, spitting backward a mist of blood at the impact sites. Zack looked on in disbelief. His eyes were on Cloud so he didn't immediately see that Hojo had been struck by one of the bullets as well. Any satisfaction he may have felt over that realization was hindered by the fear he felt for Cloud and the shock he was experiencing seeing him scrambling to get to the professor to shield him.
By then it was clear to everyone that the president and the parade were under attack. The Turks were rushing to protect the president and get him someplace covered and safe. SOLDIERs were trying to usher the crowd from the street. All the while, more bullets were cutting through the air toward the float where Cloud was pushing Hojo to where Turks were able to drag him to the ground. Rand had jumped from the float and had been trying to get around to the other side to where Cloud was closer but was forced to duck down from the next round of fire, this time coming from somewhere at street level.
It was clear to Zack then that there were multiple shooters, but Johnny confirmed it for him from what he could see from his location. There were three he could see. They had semi-automatic weapons and had turned their focus from the president who was now heavily protected to the SOLDIERs on the street.
"Can you stop any of them?" Zack asked Johnny but he said he couldn't do so without risking hitting innocents. "I think we need to get the hell out of here then," he suggested and Johnny agreed.
Easier said than done. The panicked crowd was moving in all directions. While they tried to escape the scene, there were masked people wearing camouflage pushing their way from between buildings, armed with various weapons. It wasn't just a few attackers now. There were at least two dozen.
Looking toward the building where Johnny supposedly was, he spotted Rand on a cell phone, his attention on the building while he walked towards it, looking like he was sure he'd just figure out where the first shots had come from. He didn't want Rand to find Johnny in there. No doubt Six could take care of himself but he certainly couldn't stand back and let it Rand surprise him, and there was something else too. This was a moment he had dreamed about. A moment when he'd be able to confront one of the monsters responsible for what had happened to Cloud. It was a gift he wasn't about to pass up and his adrenaline was surging as he jogged toward the man. He didn't even think to tell Johnny what was happening at ground level at that point.
"Rand!" he shouted louder than he had meant to when he was a few metres away. The man heard him and turned fast to face him. He knew Rand recognized him immediately and he was still speaking into his phone while quickly reaching for something inside his coat with his free hand. Zack saw what looked like a gun holster.
Rand only had enough time to drop his phone and pull the gun from the holster before Zack was able to sprint forward and attack him, quickly knocking it from his grasp to the ground where he kicked it away into a nearby alley and attempted to deliver a hit to the man's face. Rand dodged the hit and Zack suddenly felt the man's fist connecting with his ribcage. It was a surprisingly hard hit. The man's right foot was landing in his gut and shoving him backward just as fast. It occurred to him then that there were a lot of things he didn't know about Cloud's Keeper and one of those things was how capable he was in a fight. Apparently, he was capable of handling himself. He was quick and the way he delivered hits made it clear he'd had training in some kind of combat or fighting technique. Knowing that now didn't change anything for him though.
"You seem out of practice," the man pointed out.
"So what?" Zack replied. "I've got mako."
"You aren't the only one," Rand said, and it was certainly a surprising comment.
It did make sense then why the hits he'd gotten from the man had seemed harder than expected and in fact did hurt. He didn't have time to wonder about how and why the man had come to receive mako enhancement that possibly equalled his own. He only had so long to deal the blows he'd dreamed about and, mako or not, there was no way the man would be walking away without help.
He prepared himself for a more challenging hand-to-hand fight than he'd first expected but that's not exactly what followed. He did land a good hard punch on the left side of Rand's cheek that had him stumbling into the mouth of the alley where his gun had fallen. He grabbed the wall next to himself to stay on his feet. As Zack swung at him again though, the man evaded the hit and managed to pivot around his body. It happened quickly. Zack felt a hand on the back of his head then and knew what was coming but had no time to raise his hands to stop the side of his forehead hitting the building. It was a sense-stealing blow that had him sinking to his knees on the ground. He thought he could feel a warm trickling of blood down the side of his face but another sudden move from Cloud's Keeper had his focus turned elsewhere. The man's right hand was on the back of his head once more but this time it was done to force him forward and into the man's left arm that was now locked under his chin, confining him in a tight chokehold. He found his vision quickly fading on him as he struggled to breathe.
For a moment all he could think about was how shocked he was to have been overpowered that quickly, and about how weak he felt…But, then he thought of Cloud and wondered how many times he'd felt powerless and weak in the man's presence, and how mentally difficult that must have been and possibly still was on some level.
In one explosive burst of movement, he stood himself up and propelled himself backward toward the wall he'd had his head thrown into, slamming Rand's body into that same wall. The man was forced to let go of him as he was jarred by the impact. Zack wasn't about to pass up the chance he had then as he scrambled forward out of his grip to retrieve the man's handgun just feet away. Realizing what he was going for, Rand tried to stop him, grabbing hold of his coat at his back to try and restrain him but it was too late, he had hold of the weapon. He had the safety off and he was ready to fire as he turned around and pointed in the man's direction. Rand actually ducked then, thinking he was about to be fired on. He threw his hands up in front of him as if it would stop a bullet coming at him and stepped backward quickly. When he realized a bullet hadn't yet been fired he called out "You don't want to do that!"
"You don't know what I want!" Zack found himself shouting. He knew for sure then he was bleeding from his head as he felt the blood dripping from his jawline, but he wasn't really thinking about it. He was imagining what it would be like to see a bullet entering the centre of Rand's forehead, ripping into his flesh and busting a hole through the bone, carving a path through the folds of his brain tissue.
"You'd only be hurting Cloud!" Rand claimed loudly, his one hand lowered while the other was still ahead of him like some kind of shield. "He needs me," he said and the words instantly sent a renewed rage through Zack's veins. Instead of firing, he released the trigger and swung the weapon into the side of the man's face. He hit him repeatedly with the blunt object, not giving him any chance of recovery and retaliation as he was trying to protect himself from the blows. The man was right actually. He didn't want to shoot him. He wanted to crush every bone in his face and head.
Hojo and the president had been brought into a nearby building. Cloud was finally off of the float and on the street when Genesis appeared and grabbed hold of him. He'd been marching nearby when the attack had begun.
"Are you alright?" the man asked and he nodded, not actually knowing if he was or not. Of course, he knew he'd been shot and could feel the bullets in his body but there wasn't much else he felt outside of confusion.
The man began leading him away from the float but stopped him suddenly and pointed across the street through the tangle of SOLDIERs and masked opponents. It was Lazard. He was limping his way down the sidewalk calling out a name. Zack. He was calling out for him to stop. Cloud followed his line of sight and could see Zack at the mouth of an alley between two buildings, kneeling over someone on the ground and delivering blows to the person.
"The traitor," Genesis uttered hatefully. He hadn't been given a sword that day for the parade. The company still had reservations about him that were obvious to him and also justified. He'd been outfitted with a wrist monitor as well to keep track of his location. It hadn't kept him from hiding a weapon, however. He reached into his boot and pulled from it a small blade and headed toward Lazard.
Cloud realized what Genesis was intending to do with it and he tried to stop him, reaching out to try and grab his one arm but something caught his eye then as he heard the sound of a revving engine. He looked to his right and saw a vehicle headed his way. People were fleeing from its path as it drove partially on the sidewalk to get past the floats that were stalled in the centre of the street. He realized the car was probably on a path to the building where the president was being hidden away, perhaps on a mission to drive straight into it. He turned back in the direction of the building into the path of the speeding car and took a firm stance.
Zack barely heard his name being called. He wasn't even sure he was actually hearing it. He couldn't hear much but the sound of his own pounding pulse as he was slamming his fist into Rand's body. The gun had broken in his hand after one of the blows he'd delivered with it so he continued the onslaught with his fists. Rand was on his right side, protecting his head with his hands but he was barely conscious. Once that consciousness faded, Zack turned him flat on his back and directed his fury at the man's face.
The car didn't slow as it advanced toward Cloud quickly. There were at least two people in the vehicle that he could see. The passenger shut his eyes and braced his arms on the dashboard as the car was about to make impact with him. Just before the bumper could make contact with his legs, he took his hands and slammed them down on the hood of the vehicle and pushed back with everything he had. The car came to a sudden stop, so sudden that the front end of the vehicle dipped down toward the pavement with enough force that the back end lifted slightly from the ground. The airbags in the vehicle deployed and cushioned the impact for the occupants.
As the talc cloud from the airbags dispersed, he saw the driver reaching for something in the centre console to his right. That something, Cloud could see, was a gun. Seeing it made him act again then and the feelings he had over what was happening and knowing these were two of the people responsible for trying to kill the president and putting the lives of all the SOLDIERs and Turks as well as the public in danger had a feeling like fire running through him. With his hands still on the hood of the car he let that feeling run through him like a tidal wave and into the car, igniting a literal fire inside, under the hood he had his hands on.
It took some time for Johnny to disassemble his weapon and pack it away so he could exit his hiding spot and head to the street. Since he'd lost contact with Zack, he was talking to Rayna instead. After telling her what had happened, he asked her to try and find Zack and she had left the nearby parking lot immediately to track him down. She spotted him in the middle of his assault on Rand and it appeared the man was unconscious or near to it. Racing to stop Zack from inflicting any more damage, she grabbed onto him when she made it to him, yelling at him to stop before he killed the man.
Zack hardly heard her but as he felt himself being wrenched backward, he suddenly recognized how much damage he'd done in a short amount of time. There wasn't much he could see now under the blood on Rand's face. He wanted to keep going but he and Rayna were both startled by gunfire that sounded close to where they were. They both looked to see Johnny standing in the road, aiming a pistol down the street. They looked to where he was directing his fire and it was then that Zack realized Lazard was on the street nearby. He hadn't seen him since Gongaga and it suddenly registered in his head that it was Lazard who'd been yelling his name moments ago. Genesis collapsed next to Lazard as Johnny shot him down. He let go of a knife that he'd been plunging into Lazard's chest, leaving it embedded in his flesh that was already sticky and red from the multiple preceding stab wounds.
Zack looked back to Johnny to see him still holding the pistol ahead of him. He seemed frozen in place, stiff like a statue but his arm was shaking. The expression on his face said something was wrong. He could see the sweat trailing down his face, even from where he was at the alley mouth and he could see fear in his eyes. He'd never seen Johnny look so scared. His face became strained then as he was suddenly and without explanation moving his arm so as to lift the gun and press the muzzle to the side of his own head.
"What the fuck?!" Rayna exclaimed.
It was all she had time to say before Johnny was shutting his eyes tightly and firing the weapon, shooting a bullet into his skull. Zack thought he heard Rayna scream in protest next to him but it was quickly cut off by a loud ringing in his own ears. He stopped breathing. His whole body felt suddenly numb. He couldn't believe what he'd just watched Johnny do and all he could think was that it couldn't possibly be as it seemed. He hadn't just shot himself in the head. As his body fell forward heavily to the pavement, another person was suddenly visible and just as suddenly the reason for what Johnny had done became clear, only he still had a hard time believing it.
Cloud stood at the other side of the street, his eyes on Johnny with his hand out ahead of him in his direction. The look on his face was nothing Zack had ever seen from Cloud before. He was a stranger. Rayna was rushing toward Johnny then, dropping next to him and gripping his head, checking for herself that what had happened was real. Confirming the truth, she reached for Johnny's gun, still held within his now lifeless hand. She turned it toward Cloud and fired at him before Zack could stop her, obviously knowing just as Zack did that Cloud had to be the reason for what they'd just witnessed. She shot him twice in the chest and it barely seemed to affect him at all.
With his dark-seeming eyes now locked on her, Cloud reached over his left shoulder and pulled a sword from his back scabbard that had until then remained untouched by him. Zack was finally able to make himself move then, calling out to Rayna and ordering her to stop firing. She had emptied the magazine by the time he was able to get to her. By then Cloud was nearly within reach of them as well and he was readying to strike. Blood was seeping through his wounds and through his uniform but he didn't seem to care. He lifted the sword, about to make an upward strike at Rayna.
"Cloud! Stop!" Zack yelled from where he was kneeling next to Rayna. He pushed her out of the way before reaching and stopping the blade in his right hand as it was in motion. He barely felt the pain of it, but he knew the steel had cut into his flesh. Angrily, Cloud fought his restrictive hold and continued the upward swing. Zack felt the blade slide through his hand and the arc of the swing found the tip of the blade making shallow contact with his left shoulder, slicing through clothing and skin. He cried out but he tried to ignore the feeling, turning his head upward and looking Cloud in the eyes. "Spike, stop, please! It's me!" he spoke to Cloud in a pleading tone.
Cloud's eyes were locked on his but there didn't seem to be any recognition there from him. He seemed in a trance until he looked up and away, over to where Genesis had started making some movements on the ground. The gunshot wounds Johnny had inflicted hadn't been fatal. Zack took the distraction as the opportunity to get rid of Rayna. "You need to go," he told her. She was crying, her gaze glued to Johnny and the blood that was pooling around his head.
"No!" she said back fast.
"You shot a SOLDIER, you have to go!" he ordered her as he passed Johnny's pistol back to her from where she'd dropped it. He didn't want anyone finding it and matching it to any bullets fired at Genesis or Cloud. He looked briefly at Johnny and at the backpack he had on and which presumably had his disassembled rifle in it. "You need to take this with you," he told her as he removed it from Johnny's body and handed it to her. She barely grasped hold of it when he pushed it into her arms "Leave!" he urged.
She gave in finally and lifted herself from the ground just making it away from them as the local police in riot gear were descending upon the area. They weren't really needed at that point. As Zack looked around, he could see that the SOLDIERs had been able to neutralize the ones who'd attacked the parade. Unfortunately, there looked to be casualties on both sides, and some of the bodies lying on the street or sidewalks belonged to citizens. Zack looked down at Johnny again. Something about the blood escaping his head and a strange and deep sound that seemed to come from him had Zack taking notice and checking his vitals. To his shock, he found Johnny was still alive. Miraculously, the shot hadn't killed him. He still had a pulse and he was breathing, barely. He covered the entrance wound with his uninjured hand and looked up at Cloud, finding his eyes returning to his and in that moment he could see Cloud coming down from that dark high he'd been lost in.
"You know him, Spike," he told Cloud as his friend stood unmoving in front of him, the sword in his hand hanging at his side as he started breathing more unevenly. "Why would you do this?" he inquired shakily, his adrenaline falling and his emotions in the process of spilling out. Cloud said nothing in return. The sword he was holding slipped from his grasp then and fell against the pavement.
"Cloud!" a voice called and Zack looked back to see Kunsel coming toward them. His friend paused briefly when he recognized him. "Zack, what the hell are you doing here?" he inquired in a tone that wavered. "Who is that?" he asked as his eyes fell on Johnny lying facedown on the road.
"Johnny Six," Zack told him, drawing a look of shock from Kunsel. "He's been shot in the head," Zack added and Kunsel was quick to radio for medical.
"I have a Shinra military member down with a GSW to the head," he said to the dispatch and gave them his location. He justified giving Johnny's partial identity then. "They'll find out anyway when they run his prints. He'll get better care if they know he's one of ours," he pointed out. "Zack," he said then. "Rand gave your name. They know you're here, I—I have to arrest you," he said with clear and deep sadness. Rand had been on the phone when he'd approached him. He must have alerted whoever he was talking to. There was no getting away with anything now, not that he'd planned on abandoning Johnny regardless.
"I know," Zack replied shakily in turn.
"Get out of here, Cloud," Kunsel directed firmly. Cloud didn't seem to be listening. Zack looked up at him, trying to read him. He seemed confused now and overwhelmed, his eyes darting from one place to another. Over at Genesis, then over to where Rand was lying unresponsive, back to Johnny. He finally acknowledged his bullet wounds, raising a hand to his chest and gripping it. His face became pained then.
"Spike," Zack spoke to him but he wouldn't look at him now. "He needs help," he told Kunsel.
"He'll be fine, trust me," Kunsel said. He took hold of Cloud then and made him look at him. "Just go, okay? You don't need to be here right now, go! Go back to headquarters," he encouraged, physically turning him in a different direction.
Zack watched as he looked back once before following Kunsel's orders and leaving. "Will you please stay with Johnny if you can? Go with him to the hospital?" Zack asked his friend then.
"I'll try," Kunsel agreed.
"Don't let him die, okay?" Zack begged and Kunsel just nodded. Paramedics had reached them finally and immediately began their aid of Johnny. Zack was forced to let go of him and back away.
Kunsel cuffed him then, restraining his hands loosely in front of him. "You'll go to the hospital first," he told Zack as he surveyed his injuries visually. Zack was unable to stop himself from crying suddenly, tears running fast from his eyes. "You have to tell Aerith I'm sorry," he sobbed. "She knew this would happen. I didn't listen."
"Why wouldn't you just stay away?!" Kunsel fired back at him angrily. Zack just shook his head. There was nothing to say. Nothing he could say. And now that the realization was setting in that things had gone wrong in a way he could never have imagined the pain and devastation were quickly overwhelming him. Two Turks were with them soon enough to officially place him under arrest and take him to another medical vehicle. He was read his rights on the way but he didn't hear any of what they said to him. His rights meant nothing. They never had.