"Cloud? You feeling all right?"
"Huh?" Cloud blinked. He did his best not to be disturbed that he didn't remember arriving and sitting down.
"You've been spacing out, haven't you? It's a common symptom for those unused to mako in their bodies. I'm drawing some labs to have a better look at your blood work. Is that okay?" She knew how these men could turn violent at any moment during these procedures.
"Yeah. Sure." Cloud nodded. He cleared his throat and extended his arm.
"I've heard Vincent is approved to stay if he so wishes. But he's choosing not to stick around. Is there anything you would like to ask him before he leaves?"
"What kind of question is that?" Cloud perked up at the inquiry.
"Nothing. Wasn't he someone you met in your past? You never got the chance to ask him." Aerith frowned at his reaction.
"Never met him before." Cloud shook his head.
"... Okay, then." She continued on with a mask on her face, which made the blonde frown.
"What's going on? Why are you afraid?" He tensed. A part of him wondered why he was like this.
"Nothing is wrong." Aerith assured in a false tone.
"You're lying." Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"Cloud?" Now the fear was prominent. Her voice was shaking. She pulled the needle out after a few vials, her hands moving on autopilot. When she held the vials in her hand she backed away slowly.
For some reason this angered him. Why was she afraid? She had no reason to be afraid.
"The hell you - "
"Tseng!" Aerith cried out.
A jab at his neck. Cloud grunted and felt what stuck into him. A needle? He pulled it out. Oh. It was a tranquilizer. Cloud had just enough time to process when suddenly he was manhandled against the wall, arms twisted and held in such a way he couldn't escape.
He saw the one way glass and the last he saw were green eyes with slit irises instead of his blues. Then Cloud knew no more.
"They will pay for their ignorance."
Sephiroth?
Cloud blinked his eyes open. What the?
Nibelheim?
It was, wasn't it? Except...
Everything was burning. He turned to examine everything. All of the buildings were burning. Screams filled the air. Some were silenced forever. Some went on in continuous agony. Some mourned.
Cloud knew he should be sad. Angry even. But somehow he felt numb. Then he felt his mate's presence. A hand felt over his jawline while Sephiroth leaned over his shoulder. He felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lips.
"Yes. It is time my sweet puppet. Wait for my return. I won't be long my love."
"Yes, Sephiroth."
A chuckle echoed over the sounds of screams.
Meanwhile...
"What do his labs show?" Tseng called her. He would leave to go and talk to her himself, but he would rather he watch over Cloud should he awaken and needed another tranquilizer.
"I don't understand this. He's almost the same as General Sephiroth." Aerith was confused. Her voice was still shaken over the latest incident.
Just hours ago Cloud was the sweet hearted omega everyone he worked with admired. Then in a blink of an eye he changed. This was more than just mako changing him. And Aerith could only link Sephiroth as the reason for it.
"Where is the general?" She had a sudden sense that he shouldn't be outside of the city.
"Nibelheim. Why?"
"Call him back." Aerith pressured.
"What for?" Tseng was confused.
"Just do it! I need a fresher sample from him for a better comparison! This could be another Genesis situation, but worse because they're not dying!"
The panic in her voice was enough. The Turk hung up and began to call General Sephiroth. Only to meet silence. What? That wasn't like him. He was always punctual. Something Tseng admired in him. He tried again. Voicemail.
"What's going on?" Vincent's sudden appearance almost gave Tseng a heart attack.
"I can't reach Sephiroth." He tried again. Nothing.
"I should have listened."
"What are you talking about?" Tseng glanced up at the caped man.
"My instincts told me to follow him to fight the Bahamut. I stayed behind for the unit to survive. If I hadn't, he wouldn't have need to activate himself. At least... That's what Chaos is whispering to me." Vincent explained. He only trusted Tseng with bits of his past, enough for the Turk to see him as an ally instead of an enemy.
"What do you mean activate?"
"Notice how most of the SOLDIERs died off? Jenova rejected them. I suspect she has her hold on Sephiroth, who in turn could be passing it on to his mate. Cloud did have a small amount of her infect him at a young age. I saw no sign of her influence in him over the years."
"So now that he's activated the cells he's... Becoming Sephiroth? Or something like him? But what does that mean, exactly?"
"... I don't know." Vincent admitted. He had asked Chaos that same question. For whatever reason the demon went silent.
Tseng tried calling again. This time he finally got through. But the signal was odd. The sound cut in and out, but he could faintly hear screaming in the background? His heart began to race.
"General Sephiroth? Your assistance is needed back at HQ."
"Yes, I'm aware." His voice sounded different. Like he was lost in thought.
"Then come back." Tseng pressured.
"Don't worry. I will. I just need to take care of something first."
"Wait I need you to come back now. This concerns Cloud." Tseng was grasping at straws. He noticed how that got the general's attention. His instincts were never wrong, although he couldn't pinpoint the urgency yet.
"... What happened?"
"I'll explain when you get here." Tseng assured.
"... I'm on my way." Sephiroth hung up.
Not long after a chopper signaled that he was on his way back. However a few hours waiting for his return Tseng got an unexpected call.
"Sir? There's a woman on the line asking to speak to anyone within a high rank in the Turks." A secretary informed him.
"Put her through to my phone." Tseng usually didn't do this, but with everything that was going on he figured it wouldn't hurt to listen.
"Hello?" A female voice spoke. It sounded like she had been crying.
"Hello, this is Tseng. I understand you needed to speak to someone of high rank. I am currently leader of the Turks. What is the problem tonight?" He spoke calmly.
"It's my village! He burned everything! Everyone is dead! All because of him!"
"Calm yourself. Let's start from the beginning. Where are you? Who burned it down?" Tseng felt his heart sink.
"Nibelheim! It was General Sephiroth! He was about to hunt me down, then he changed his mind and left. I finally got a signal to make this call. Please." She broke down into sobs.
"I'm sending someone for you."
"Are you going to apprehend Sephiroth for what he's done?"
"I will hold him for interrogation soon as he's back, miss."
"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart."
"Miss Lockhart. Care to share with me your coordinates so I can send you help?"
"Yes. And please, please keep my friend safe. He's mated to Sephiroth. I don't know what his plans are or if he'll hurt Cloud. But I don't want Cloud hurt."
"I assure you that won't happen Miss Lockhart."
"Thank you." She hung up.
Tseng glanced at Vincent with a heavy heart. The gunslinger heard the whole conversation. They both turned to study Cloud, who continued to sleep on like nothing around him was going on.