Hello, my friends. This week has been a trying one for those of us in the USA, and I wanted to say that we WILL make it through this. As my favorite musician once said, "This too shall pass." TW in this chapter for thoughts of suicide, but because I'm the author of this story these characters WILL make it through and live to find happier times. As the author of your own story, you too will find happiness if you're still searching. I promise. Thank you to my incredible beta, Rand0mSmil3z, because she really helped polish this monster of a chapter into a diamond.
Aerith
The first sign that Aerith should have been suspicious was when the helicopter didn't land.
Hovering above the helipad outside President Shinra's office, the same helipad where she had often returned from trips with her guardian, she stared down to the darkly tinted windows of the all-too-familiar office. They were even more ominous in the late evening than usual, and Rude - rather than setting the helicopter down as he would normally - continued to hover above the ground while Tseng pulled open the door and gestured towards her."
"This is your stop," Tseng said into his microphone. His lips moved a half-beat ahead of low rumble that hissed out of the headphones in Aerith's ears, and she could only swallow nervously in reply. Her nerves were already frayed from the realization that things were about to change, not to mention that she wasn't exactly trusting of Tseng's intentions for once in their…friendship? She wasn't sure what to call it, but their relationship wasn't nearly as positive as she had once thought, and now she wasn't sure what to think.
So instead of thinking about all of that, she frowned at him and shot back, "Aren't you going to land and march me in like the good Turk you are?"
"Can't," he deadpanned in reply. "We have somewhere else we need to be. You, on the other hand…"
Not wanting to tip Tseng of her curiosity, Aerith simply turned away and, after moving towards the open door, ripped off her headphones and placed them onto the seat she vacated. It was only a few feet drop to the ground below, and yet she found herself debating the chance that she would wipe out in the ridiculous dress and heels that she was still wearing. The worst part was that she'd been so close to returning to her own clothes; they'd been ambushed right outside Madam M's. Now, she was marching into a hostile situation with her guardian while dressed in an outfit that left little to the imagination and offered no comfort or warmth. How typical, she thought cryptically.
Taking her chances, Aerith bent her knees and hopped off the helicopter. She landed as well as she could and was happy that throwing her arms out helped her balance the landing, so that she didn't fall down. As she glared back up to the rapidly retreating Turks, the curiosity she hadn't wanted to show before got the better of her for a moment. They were steering the helicopter back under the plate…but what for? Aerith thought to her PHS, which was still sitting on the front console of the helicopter exactly where Reno had placed it earlier after he had stolen it from her. That meant that she was without any form of communication and no way to call for help, not to mention that she had left Cloud in an incapacitated state in Wall Market of all places. Now she could only hope that Kunsel and Tifa were there to help him gather his bearings from whatever caused him harm.
She hugged her arms around herself as a particularly gusty, cold December breeze rustled the ruffles on her dress and raised goosebumps on her bare skin. She shivered. Gone was the strange warmth she'd felt when she'd been so close to Cloud, when she had spent time with him.
She was on her own now.
She turned towards the same tinted windows she had been watching from the helicopter, and she debated the chances of her being able to sneak down the media's side entrance, down the dozens of floors, out the main doors and then away from the Shinra building. Those chances were pretty slim to begin with, but without Kunsel to help her... Sighing, she squared her shoulders and, after giving herself a quick hug to try and comfort the anxiety bubbling in her chest, forced herself to move towards her unwilling destination.
Shaky steps accompanied shaky breaths, but eventually Aerith found herself standing in front of an already open and waiting door. Strangely enough, there wasn't a guard waiting for her outside it, and she was left her to collect herself in the doorway for as long as she needed.
Will I ever be ready? she wondered as she stood at the doorframe, and the answer came immediately: No, probably not. She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes drifted back towards the railing behind her. It would be so easy to walk over there and just… jump. Heat pricked at the corners of her eyes in watery anger. The fall would be quick, and the impact would come so fast that it would be painless – maybe. Not to mention that her death by suicide would be horrible press for Shinra, which came her some measure of sick satisfaction… and yet her feet would not move towards the railing, and her stomach twisted as she looked towards the horizon.
I can't do it, she realized, tearing her gaze away from the edge of the helipad. A single tear cut a hot trail down her cheek, and she closed her eyes. I can't.
And that left only one thing to do. Aerith lowered her arms from her middle and fought against the desire to clench her hands into fists, to rage, to scream, and – as she impatiently wiped away her tear – to cry. She needed to appear docile and obedient, maybe even a little regretful of her actions. She could do that easily enough; she'd been doing it the majority of her life. It wasn't until the past few days when she'd finally been able to express real emotions without the guilt that she'd usually associated with doing so. Something about her resolve to get to the bottom of Zack's story had changed her, and she liked to think it was for the better.
But is it? She worried her lip, brows creased with indecision, before she schooled her expression, took a deep breath, and marched through the door into the den of wolves known as Shinra.
What greeted Aerith surprised her – a long, black table, as mirrored as the floor beneath it, dominated the space that was usually President Shinra's luxurious, minimalist office. On one end were two chairs opposite each other; one was empty while the other was currently being occupied by the younger Shinra. Rufus had a full plate but wasn't eating; his eyes met hers and his expression was as unreadable as ever. On the other end of the unnecessarily long table sat President Shinra, who was sitting straight, back pressed against the equally straight chair with a dark expression on his face. The temperature in the room, while probably pleasant, felt ten times colder than the outdoors she'd just left.
"I don't like to be kept waiting," Shinra snapped without rising from his seat. "Sit."
The lone chair opposite Rufus was in front of a silver charger and black plate. Pristine silver cutlery waited untouched for her to sit and use them. Platters of mouthwatering food that normally would have left her stomach gurgling – steak medallions with blackberry sage sauce, wine and cheese kale colcannons, and white-truffle risotto – did nothing but make her nauseous.
She sat down anyway. The chair was cold, and across from her Rufus continued to watch her with an unreadable expression.
"Eat," her guardian commanded. Aerith quietly loaded up her plate with small spoonfuls of each of the dishes placed in front of her and kept her mouth shut and her eyes focused on the task at hand. When she'd exhausted all options before her, she slowly picked up her fork and tasted the first bite – the venison with blackberry sauce. As expected of Shinra, it tasted divine; it was tender, moist, and the blackberry sauce cut through the gamey meat in bursts of fresh tang.
But mostly, it just tasted like blood.
She continued to eat.
"It's a nice evening outside," Shinra mused then, anger momentarily slipping below the surface of his emotional output. "We shall enjoy the view from the balcony after dinner."
Rufus sighed from across the table and picked up his fork. Aerith shot the tiniest of glances his way and was thankful to see he was no longer staring. She picked up her glass of water and took a sip, letting the cool, refreshing liquid soothe her as best as it could. It was a far cry from feeling normal, but it would have to do for now. Her heart continued to hammer in her chest, and she felt exposed in more ways than just physically.
A few minutes of blissful silence graced her ears, exceptions being the clinking of cutlery against plates and chewing. Aerith felt like she was in a constant state of dreaded anticipation, the very thought of the next words out of her guardian's mouth sending her insides into a frantic frenzy of fear. Outwardly however, she was maintaining a composed, polite, innocent appearance. The battle between her inner fears and outer indifference was giving her a bit of a headache.
"So."
President Shinra's voice permeated the room, echoing around and landing on her plate. Aerith was impressed such a small word could have such strong connotations. He was beyond angry.
"I hear you've taken to undermining my authority and protection," Shinra continued.
Aerith obediently dropped her gaze and tried to force another small bite of food into her mouth, if only so that she had an excuse not to speak for a moment. Besides, he wasn't looking for an answer from her, not really. He already knew everything he needed to know.
At least, that's what she assumed.
At the lack of response, her guardian slammed his fist on the table and she flinched, her cutlery jumping despite the distance between them. Her heart rate skidded in her chest as she slowly set her fork back down on the table. Her lipstick stained its prongs a bloody red.
"You've been meeting with Wutai spies, sneaking out, and you've been threatening Turks. Who the hell gave you a weapon?" he demanded, barely concealed fury nearly cracking his low, even tone.
Aerith hands trembled in her lap as she wondered how to respond, but then Rufus sighed again and set his fork down. "That was me, father," he responded, and it took all of Aerith's willpower to not stare at him in shock. "I too have noticed her interesting new choice in acquaintances, and had wanted her to be able to protect herself. I had thought –"
"You thought?" Shinra cut him off, voice raised. "You thought wrong, boy. She doesn't need a weapon, she needs to listen to her orders. You have no say over her wellbeing and don't have the slightest idea of what is best for her."
"Isn't that the entire point of our match?" Rufus's response was biting but unchallenging, only sounding amused and polite as he always did around his father. "I thought you wanted me to help look out for her with our being engaged."
Shinra waved his hand dismissively, in the same breath correcting him. "It's all for show," he stated matter-of-factly. "This company needs to maintain a positive face, and your match made the most sense. But as you're not married yet, I still have the primary say on her life."
Rufus didn't press the issue further and Aerith continued to stare at her plate, fighting away the tears that threatened to fall once more. In the back of her mind she envisioned a bird in a cage, unable to spread its wings or fly or even cry out as it was watched and argued over again and again.
She didn't want to be that bird.
Her guardian continued his mantra as he pulled a fresh cigar from his inner suit jacket pocket. Upon finding it, he clipped the end, stuffed it in the corner of his mouth, and fished around for a lighter. "As you seem to have forgotten, Aerith, your place is as my ward, under my care, and we need to discuss your punishment. But first of all," he added, abruptly changing the subject, "Rufus: have the Turks apprehended the suspect?"
"Not yet," Rufus replied slowly. Aerith looked up at him again, and it almost looked like he was avoiding her gaze when he glanced down at his PHS. "They are currently indisposed on your orders."
Shinra hummed thoughtfully. "As they should be. Now tell them that finding the leftover Avalanche sewer rats -" he spit out the word, "- is the Turks' highest priority once they complete their… other task." The ice in his glass of scotch clinked together, the only sound in the room for a moment, until he continued, "I will not allow Avalanche to roam about my city freely, polluting the citizens with their irrational notions of saving the planet."
Leftover? Aerith thought to herself in a small voice. What does that mean? And what did Shinra mean by 'other task'?
"Very well." Rufus typed into his PHS before setting it down on the table next to his food.
Having finally come up with the lighter he'd been looking for, President Shinra lit his cigar and puffed smoke into the air. Aerith could smell the heady, acidic scent of nicotine even on her side of the table, but through the smoke she could make out the staircase that she knew led down to the elevators Maybe I can make a break for it, she thought for one brief, wild moment, but she tossed that notion aside almost immediately. There were guards undoubtedly posted outside, not to mention that running in her heels was virtually impossible.
Shinra's exasperated tone drew her back into the conversation. "Aerith, Aerith, Aerith…" His very tone suggested that her mere presence was a nuisance. "Now, what are we going to do about you?"
Aerith was still at a loss for words, and underneath the table her fingernails dug into her palms with so much force that she wondered if she had broken skin. She could feel the rigidity in her shoulders that were a dead giveaway for her obvious discomfort. She couldn't say anything, not now. Anything she would say would be turned back onto her; there was no winning here.
A sudden chime from the other side of the table cracked the tense moment, and Aerith hazarded a glance to see her so-called guardian check his PHS. His lips curved in a sharp, humorless grin, and a new fire brimmed in those steely gray eyes as they skipped across the mess. Then he lifted his gaze and their eyes locked, and Aerith knew beyond a doubt:
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
Aerith couldn't tell what it was exactly, but without his saying another word she already knew he was already enacting her punishment, and there was nothing she could do about it but sit in the hard-backed chair, a decadent yet inedible meal spread out before her, completely at his mercy. Her mind raced in a tangle of thoughts and anxieties, each more shrill than the last. Was Hojo already on his way up to collect her? Or maybe it was something even worse, something deserving of Shinra's sheer hatred of her? She couldn't picture much worse than Hojo, and the chills that trembled down her spine had everything to do with the penetrating look that she thought she could feel on her.
"Shall we retire to the balcony? The weather this time of year is quite…delightful," Shinra suggested. Well, it wasn't a suggestion; Aerith knew this, so she completely ignored Rufus' waiting, outstretched hand as she robotically stood. There was no use playing naïve now, she could tell. She was already screwed. Instead, she followed her guardian back outside, where he stood looking down on his vast mako empire.
The weather this time of year really wasn't delightful. It was chilly outside again, of course. Rufus tried to offer Aerith his jacket, not as a sign of politeness but merely because her teeth began chattering, but Aerith refused. She wondered inwardly if she'd die of cold before her punishment came to get her, and maybe that would be a mercy compared to what would come. She'd brave out the icy breeze.
President Shinra's arms swept upwards to highlight his kingdom. "Look at this glorious city I've built," he announced in a voice that sounded reminiscent of his speeches to the media. His sole audience, Rufus and Aerith, weren't as easily impressed. "Especially the beautiful sector seven. See how it sparkles tonight, how quiet it looks as everybody has retired for the evening. It really is too bad that this city has become plagued with vermin."
"Vermin, father?" Rufus asked, as if on cue.
Shinra's smile broadened. "Yes, of course. To think that Wutai and Avalanche have infiltrated our beautiful city and tried to sway my own ward, tried to tear us apart with their schemes of blowing up reactors. All those casualties on their hands… That vermin has no place in my city."
Aerith had a bad feeling that was growing larger by the second. Against her better judgment, she stepped forward and leaned over the railing to observe the silent sector seven below. Its reactor was happily pumping away, and its luminescent green fumes – the color matching Cloud's glowing eyes from only an hour earlier – hazed the sky around them. Even the few stars above them were tinged with the sickly color, and if she leaned even farther beyond the safety of the railing, she could almost peek between the cracks of the plate and see the sector seven slums below – Cloud and Tifa's home, she knew, as the latter had referred to it a few times in the past day. Down there the rest of the city slept, not caring at all about the color of the sky or whether mako really was the lifeblood of the planet. Aerith knew the truth, but not enough to speak out. She kept her lips pursed together as she looked below.
Maybe Cloud is already back home, she wondered, and her chest tightened as she recalled his earlier pain. Please be safe, she begged to the polluted sky.
Shinra's sharp exhale clouded the air. "I have received word that Avalanche is preparing another attack as we speak," he dropped into the silent air.
It was as if a bomb had already gone off. "What are you talking about, father?" Rufus asked sharply at the same time as Aerith whipped her head around to gawk at her guardian. The president's expression was especially prideful at his successful delivery of surprising news as he glared down at her with wide, feral eyes.
"It seems," he said slowly, enunciating every word towards her while he answered Rufus's question, "as if Avalanche is currently trying to separate the sector seven plate support. If this occurs, the plate will fall…and every soul above and below will perish."
Aerith's hand flew to her mouth before she could stop herself, and the knuckles on her other turned white as her grip tightened on the railing. Its cold bit into her palm as she realized: This was the punishment he had promised. Did he know that Cloud lived in the sector seven slums? Did he know that he was the reason she'd snuck out? Desperate, she looked back down towards the sleeping sector, wishing her voice could carry into the night the scream she needed to let free to warn not just him but everybody else. There had to be thousands of people down below who didn't know what was about to happen!
"Father, what are you doing?" Rufus snapped behind her. "The people in sector seven work for you. Why would you do this?"
"You mean, why would Avalanche do this, why would Wutai do this," Shinra reminded him with a grin and tone suggesting he knew otherwise. "Our poor Turks are doing everything they can from stopping the ecoterrorists in their latest plot, but alas…" A hand gestured out of Aerith's peripheral vision, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene below. The plate looked fine; she didn't see anything wrong with it. Were they attacking beneath it? She scoured every inch she could see, hoping beyond hope that Cloud and Kunsel and Tifa hadn't gone back to her new friends' home and were in any other sector…or that if they were there, they were fighting. As long as the only friends she had in all of Gaia were safe, that's all that mattered. She didn't care about anything else. Aerith felt a hand on her back and she ignored it, her every fiber of being screaming out to try and will her friends to win any fight that may be happening.
Shinra cleared his throat as if wanting the attention back on him again. "I suspect the separation should happen anytime now," he said gleefully, and she heard footsteps pacing back and forth in excitement behind her. The hand didn't leave her back, which meant it was Rufus, but she sidestepped the touch and finally rounded on Shinra, words bubbling out of her in an abhorrent shriek that shocked even her.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you ruining so many lives? Why do you always ruin lives?" Her knees felt weak and she grabbed the railing behind her once again for support. "My friends…please…" She trailed off, voice drawing faint as she began to beg. "Please, I'll do anything you want. Just don't … don't do this."
It was what President Shinra wanted to hear, and the victorious smirk on his face didn't waver. She also noticed that his hand did not reach for his PHS to call off the order, a fact that had her heart plummeting. "I'm afraid I can't do that," he told her plainly, and her heart sunk further. "You made a mistake, Aerith. I will not have you question my loyalty again. I needed the perfect catalyst to enact my plans against Wutai anyway, so this isn't all for your benefit. It's selfish of you to assume as such."
Aerith didn't have the words nor the strength to answer – there wasn't enough air in the world for her scream and the mako haze was bitter on her tongue anyway, like blood except not, a bastardization of something that should have been beautiful but took a wrong turn and became poison instead. Somewhere behind her she thought she heard Rufus shout something; a curse or an insult maybe, but it was lost on her as the night was broken by a heart-shattering, mental-rending groan.
The world held its breath. Even the reactors seemed to have gone silent, until one, two, three explosions rang through the night from down below. Their echoes bounced off the building and fell upon her ears, and for a moment she could only grip the railing and stare as something inside of her plummeted, and nothing came to fill in the void as the ground trembled beneath her.
And then it all clicked.
"NO!"
She barely heard the scream that tore from her throat, but she felt the pain as ragged hyperventilation raced through her veins, anxiety tightened heart, and a cold sweat beaded her brow. She was only vaguely aware that she collapsed when her knees cracked against the concrete and a seam in her dress tore from the force of her collapse. Her fingers clenched the rails as she watched, unable to look away as the entire plate careened a little, tilting like a sinking ship. She could only stare as chunks of the ground, the pieces that held houses and expressways and train tracks and people, began to break apart from others. Each fell down in a silent symphony, and a few moments after they began to fall, a trembling ripped through the air and joined the earthquake in her feet.
All that existed around her was noise noise NOISE as she began to cry. Souls, screaming for help as their lives were snuffed out, began to hit her one by one in a discord of confusion and terror. They came slowly at first, each brushing against her mind and leaving open wounds on her heart before they passed along to the lifestream. Then they began to come faster and faster, quickly overwhelming all her senses and splitting her mind open. Aerith cried out, grabbing her head in her hands. She felt lightheaded as she desperately greeted each soul, searching desperately for familiarity that she simultaneously longed for and dreaded finding. They were coming too fast now; she couldn't keep track of them all. Terror gripped at her heart at missing the last chance to say goodbye to those she truly cared about…
Before she knew what she was doing, Aerith was folding her hands. Tears streaming down her cheeks, eyelids shuttered closed from the fiery torment and gaping empty wound of the no-longer sector seven plate and instead swam in a world of familiar lifestream green. Souls were everywhere in a way she'd never experienced before, and each one of them was clawing at her presence, as if she could save them from the torment they were going through.
It was too much.
As Aerith untethered herself from the waking world, she thought perhaps that this was for the best after all, that each of these souls expected her to accept their pain and move onto the promised land.
The Promised Land…
Everything fell together in a single snap of her mind, and her body toppled onto the balcony, her mind leaving the world for those that needed her more.
I'm sorry, was her last coherent thought.
Cloud
Sneaking up to the plate and to the Shinra parking garage had been easier than Cloud had anticipated. With a biking helmet masking his identity and the motorbike itself registered in Kunsel's name, it had been stunningly easy to join the expressway at the top of the service tunnels and even easier passing the gullible guards who mistook him for the bike's actual owner. Apparently, Kunsel was a fan of wearing helmets, and it wasn't uncommon for him to return to base without showing his face at all – a habit that saved Cloud quite a bit of time as he made his way to Shinra's headquarters.
Cloud followed the ramp's color and number coded system that corresponded with the little sticker on the gas tank of the bike – blue level 5. He went around a few levels before finding Kunsel's bike's designated section, and after he parked in the last available slot beside rows of other identical bikes, he switched out his helmet for Aerith's cap. He was also carrying the rest of the clothing the strange massage parlor lady, Madam M, had given him in a bag slung over his shoulder. Though, maybe given wasn't the right word, considering that she had demanded that he pay for her gift in return. He blushed a bit, glad he was alone. That was something he wouldn't need to recant to anybody else.
Shoving the embarrassment aside, Cloud squared his shoulders, drew the cap low so that it shadowed his eyes, and glanced towards the stairwell leading to the main entrance. He briefly took out his PHS to double check Kunsel's instructions before setting off on foot to continue his infiltration, stepping lightly to make as little noise as possible.
A loud rumble shook the building for an extended amount of time as he reached the stairwell, and Cloud backed up against a wall in momentary surprise but after about fifteen seconds, the rumbling began to taper off. He frowned to himself, glancing downwards. Could the trains be moving by that closely and loudly? On any other occasion he'd rather investigate before continuing, but he was on a time-sensitive mission and didn't have the luxury of a spare moment to look further into it.
He continued his ascent of the stairs to the main level, only a little winded when he reached the top. An empty, completely clean hallway greeted him, one that led around a corner to a wall of windows and doors that shone into a massive atrium that was the entrance to the Shinra building.
While Cloud had vague memories of walking through these doors back in the day, he was surprised that he did not remember much of the building itself. Perhaps he'd spent a lot of time away from here on missions? He could faintly recall some time spent in Junon, and other small missions like Modeoheim sprang to mind. Of course his last mission, the one that had ended up with his hometown razed to the ground and mother killed, wasn't one he was bound to forget anytime soon.
He was getting sidetracked in his memories again, and Cloud shook his head quickly to clear his thoughts. He was here to rescue Aerith as quickly and quietly as he could, although he wouldn't be opposed to bashing in a few Turks' heads while he was at it, this much he could agree with himself on. Taking a deep breath, he began his confident walk deeper into enemy territory, hand itching to grasp his sword in case he was ambushed.
He wasn't. The main floor was empty, something that instantly had Cloud a bit suspicious. Yes, it was late at night, but he'd just walked right in the front door. Not even the normal guards were stationed at the front on their nightly patrols. The entire thing screamed trap and yet Cloud knew he couldn't let that stop him. He'd fought worse, after all, and even though his stock of potions wasn't that great, he had enough strength and a cure materia equipped to help him along the way. His footsteps reverberated in the tall space, a lone noise in the otherwise empty atmosphere. Taking the stairs two at a time, he noticed that the next level up was a lounge and welcome area for visitors. Large, pristine motorcycles sat behind thick glass, their metal bodies illuminated by spotlights. He allowed himself a half second of appreciation for the vehicles before he finally spotted other people at the elevators – guards stationed at their entrance, and a surprisingly small crowd huddled around them as they waited for the elevators to arrive. Cloud used the traffic to his advantage, and as one set of doors dinged open, he was able to morph in with the crowd and let his shorter stature help for once in masking his identity.
When the elevator was packed to the rafters and the doors had slid shut again, it was only then that he realized the buzzing excitement coming from the crowd was not positive. Their tense whispering, their tears, and their hushed voices all hinted at something quite the opposite. As soon as the elevator reached the top floor, Cloud found himself shoved out the doors and up the escalator to meet the next elevator off to the side. This one had an even larger queue as everybody seemed to be trying to reach the upper floors in a fast, frantic pace.
Curiosity got the better of him. "What's going on?" he asked to somebody standing next to them. The person, a young woman a few years older than him with a pencil skirt and a smartly pressed blouse, didn't even glance his way. Instead, the fear in her eyes was accentuated by the trembling finger she rose. She was pointing towards the next set of elevators, towards the glass wall that surrounded it.
Cloud was about to ask her to elaborate, but then he was pulled by the crowd as people surged into both elevators as they arrived, and it was out of pure luck he was able to squeeze into the second one right before the doors closed. Everybody was clambering around him to see out the solid glass walls of the elevator, and Cloud found himself in a poor position to see what was going on. He set his shoulders, closed his eyes, and relied on his hearing to help him out.
"It's – it's gone," one shocked voice said.
Another was crying freely as they added, "I can't reach my family!"
"How could this happen?"
Cloud's eyes flew open and he studied the air from what he could see above the heads of those in his way. The sky looked gray, foggy, cloudy. He couldn't make out anything from here.
The elevator let off at the fifty-ninth floor and the crowd piled out, pushing him along in their determination to get the best vantage point to look at some otherworldly horror he had yet to lay eyes on. Cloud let the mad rush of people go first, and then he followed them into a wide room with emblazoned sign above it, which read "Skyview Hall."
Curiosity was getting the better of him now. Cloud pulled his PHS out to see if Tifa had sent him any messages yet but the device was as silent as ever, a change he thought would be welcome after Kunsel's constant messaging up until the night before when he'd fallen. No news is good news…right? he thought to himself. Hopefully Tifa and Kunsel had taken care of business back in sector seven and were now on their way to provide him backup.
That was wishful thinking and Cloud reminded himself that he needed to be careful expecting others' help, so he resolved to keep his mission solo - which meant that his first course of action was to collect information, such as learn why everyone seemed so stunned. He made to follow the crowds flocking towards the right corner of the room at a quick pace.
A cycle of stunned silence and horrified whispering engulfed him as he approached the back of the crowd. From this angle, the night view of the sky was actually quite a sight to look at. On the other side of the room, the ruins of Mako reactor five gently puffed small, beautiful specks of green lazily into the air. After a few minutes of waiting for a good spot to sneak in, Cloud finally saw an opening and pushed his way forward to join the rest of the Shinra Electric Power Company in gawking at the sight down below.
Smoke was the dark gray that had billowed up and blotted out the stars, this he could now see. As it rose, he was able to catch glimpses of the damage down below, although it took a few more moments for his brain to process what his eyes were seeing.
A section of Midgar – so like the slice of a rotting pizza Barret liked to claim it was - was licked in flames of orange and red as the gaping wound of empty space permeated the room and hearts of all looking from above. A plate had fallen without warning, voices whispered around him. Avalanche had attacked again. Phone lines were overwhelmed as people tried to reach loved ones.
Cloud couldn't believe his eyes. He found himself squatting in the front of the crowd, one gloved hand pressed against the glass as he tried to make out through the smoke which plate had fallen. He determinedly ignored the spoken number that rose from the lips of those around him, beginning a steady stream of denial into his mind. No, he needed proof. He had to see it for himself. He had to know–
For one moment, the smoke cleared from the reactor that stood stalwart, a lone beacon that had once butted against its sector. The number reflected the orange and red dimly onto the emptiness that now stood in front of it.
Like a radio that had suddenly come back into range, his hearing began picking up everything at once. Sector seven. Sector seven.
Sector seven had fallen.
Something in his chest went brittle, broke, and then sank entirely, and Cloud suddenly felt the strong urge to vomit. He stood up too quickly; spots clouded his vision as he pressed off from the glass, and he stumbled into others moving to fill his spot as he backpedalled in horror. His hand fumbled in his pocket for his PHS. Fingers trembled as they fought to hit the buttons he needed them to hit. He pressed the device to his ear, desperation creeping into his bones as he waited for the ringing to start. Instead of that, a single tone signaling the call hadn't gone through shouted into his ear.
He tried again. And again. Each time, the PHS couldn't connect to the network. Without realizing what his feet were doing, Cloud found a plush bench and sank into it while subconsciously pulling his sword out of the way. His hand gripped the useless PHS almost too tightly. His hearing was fading in and out as he felt his breathing hitch, but then he was brought back to reality by a hand clapping on his shoulder.
"Hey, you're a friend of Kunsel's, right?"
The inquiring voice barely registered with Cloud, and lost in his own thoughts, he gave one terse nod as an answer. He couldn't peel his eyes from the gently rising smoke, black and choking outside the windows. What had happened to Tifa? What happened to Barret, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge? What happened to Marle, the landlady that gave him a room and had looked after Tifa all those years? What had happened to the place he'd just begun to call home? Meanwhile, one thought buzzed in his mind, over and over and over again just like that PHS's busy signal:
Did I lose everything again?
The man above him was speaking again, and it took all his willpower to even register the words. "…sent me a message to keep an eye out for you. I know where you're trying to go, and I can help get you there," the man was saying. Cloud tore his eyes away to look up at the newcomer. The man had short, blond curly hair and an olive complexion underneath a standard SOLDIER uniform, and his anxious gaze darted back and forth from Cloud to the windows and back again. He held in his arms two identical helmets, one of which he shoved towards Cloud's arms.
Cloud looked dumbly at it for a moment, trying to force his brain to bring him back to the present.
There's nothing I can do right now. I have to complete my current mission first…then I can figure out what happened.
"Who are you?" he asked in confusion.
The other man sighed, his blond curls bobbing with the movement. "Look, I'm sorry – we don't have a lot of time if you want to get into Hojo's lab. Luxiere's the name. I'm a friend of Kunsel's, and he told me to keep an eye out for you."
"Friend of Kunsel's?" Cloud repeated, before realizing he probably sounded like an idiot. He ran a gloved hand through his spikey hair – Keep it together, Strife – and, after shoving his PHS back into his pocket, stood up and grabbed the waiting helmet. "How did you know who I was?" he asked. "And you're going to help me?"
"God, you're thick," the other man, Luxiere, muttered under his breath as he slid his own helmet over his head. "Kunsel told me you were a short kid, with blond hair that defied gravity. That hat isn't exactly hiding you, bro."
Cloud, having already pushed on his helmet, slipped Aerith's cap back into his pocket and his thoughts slipped with it, and he found himself once again glancing towards the window. A small part of him wondered if he could see Tifa from here, just a glance to know that she was safe… but another much larger part brutally reminded him that that was impossible, and that he needed to focus.
The SOLDIER's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, something that Cloud was thankful for. "Come on," Luxiere told him. "We gotta get going, while everybody else is distracted."
Cloud nodded and allowed himself to leave Skyview Hall with this new stranger under the premise that, if anything, he could probably take him down if they were alone relatively easily. His mission was to save Aerith after all, and if this man claimed to be sent by Kunsel, then maybe he was telling the truth about wanting to help. It didn't stop Cloud from unnecessarily checking over his shoulder to make sure his sword was still strapped to his back. It was, thankfully. He never wanted to be away from it when he needed it again.
"Where are we going?" he asked as they rounded their third escalator going upwards. The number "62" was emblazoned on the wall ahead of them.
"Well, ah…here's the thing," Luxiere said in a hushed, almost sheepish voice. "What Kunsel asked me to do would usually be pretty impossible for someone with my clearance level, but Kunsel isn't the only one working outside the box here." He grinned. "I may have another partner who will help, but only if you speak to him first."
This set Cloud on edge, and he gripped the hilt of his sword firmly and planted his feet at the top of the escalator before an imposing square door. "Don't lie to me," he spat. "Tell me what's going on."
The other man turned back around, expression hidden behind his helmet's metal visor. "Look, it's not my place to say, but I promise he's a friend," he promised. Cloud studied his body language for a moment: unclenched hands and body directly facing him showed him he was open, telling the truth. While Cloud wasn't the best at reading people, he would have to trust Luxiere.
He sighed, trying to release the angry tension in his shoulders still taut from the shock of losing sector seven and not being able to search for his friends. "Lead the way."
Luxiere led him through the door in front of them, which gave way into an impressive two-story library. Artificial light from the glass ceiling above stained the bookshelves and antique book spines a sickly gold, and the room was completely empty… except for, Cloud noticed a moment later, the occasional white robot. The robots quietly hummed across the floor as they sorted books and organized the space.
"What is this place?" Cloud asked as he looked at the upper floor of the circular room, his voice carrying in the space.
"Corporate archives," Luxiere supplied instantly. "Come on."
The other SOLDIER led the way towards the other side of the cylindrical room, where he then pushed against one of the books on the bookshelf – not to tidy it, as Cloud had been expecting, but instead to open a secret door that revealed a hidden staircase. Cloud recovered from his surprise immediately however, and as they climbed, Cloud took a quick, steadying breath. With nothing else to focus on – there were no bookshelves or no secret doors in the stairwell, only walls full of shelves of books and soft, muted carpet – his mind slid back to the sector seven plate, and on the sector seven slums lying beneath the broken plate. His small room down there had never held any personal possessions, but it had been right next to Tifa's, and she had a few things from home stored there. Was she able to grab anything before the plate fell?
Is she even still alive?
His mind was swimming with anger and confusion and hurt and other emotions he didn't have the time nor the mental capacity to deal with, not with the current mission in mind. Focus, Strife. Aerith was somewhere in the floors above him, probably already being subject to invasive poking and prodding by the infamous Professor Hojo, who he himself had been under the knife of so many times –
Cloud's thinking came to a screeching halt as he heard Sephiroth's familiar voice echo in his ears and around his mind, "There you go."
What the hell am I thinking?
He'd never come in contact with Hojo that he could remember, and yet the thought of the man sent his hands curling into fists and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Whatever he wasn't able to remember wasn't pleasant, and it definitely had to do with the infamous Shinra scientist.
At the top of the stairs and out another door stood a man, nondescript in nature with a simple cream suit and a curious expression. He gave a slight tilt of his head by way of greeting, which Cloud uncertainly returned.
"Welcome," the man said. "I am Hart. The mayor is waiting inside."
Cloud eyed the door behind the man distrustfully. "The…mayor? Of Midgar?" he repeated slowly.
"The one and only," Hart replied dryly. "Please entertain him for a few minutes. He's very curious to meet you."
Looking back at Luxiere who was standing there with his hands on his hips in a relaxed pose, Cloud took that as a sign that there wasn't an ambush waiting for him. At least, not yet. For now, he could hear out the mayor of Midgar if that's what the politician wanted of him.
Hart opened the door for him, and Cloud stepped through the threshold into an office. Around a corner, the space was dark and lit by the views of at least a dozen screens, each showing various angles of cameras throughout the Shinra building. Upon a quick inspection, he could see the piles of people crowded against windows as they stared at the wreckage below, only for the screen to suddenly blink and show the scene from another angle A muted television in the corner was covering live the destruction of the plate, something he had to rip his eyes from.
Next, he turned to look at the main desk, on top of which sat a few large monitors and a keycard holder. It was only when somebody spoke that he realized there was somebody hiding behind the desk.
"Welcome, welcome… please take a seat," a reedy, older voice greeted. Cloud looked at the couch that dominated the space of the small office, back towards the desk, and then sat down, stretching his sword behind him so it rested comfortably on the couch without harming him. The bag of Aerith's things, a new addition he still wasn't used to, hugged his middle. He pushed it to the side as the hidden figure finally stood up and revealed themselves.
The man behind the desk was not exactly what Cloud expected when he thought of the mayor of the largest city in Gaia. He was terribly thin, with reed-like arms and legs smothered by an ill-fitting, overly-large suit. He was bald, but made up for it with the strangely pointed beard and stunning thick mustache, both colored a dull gray that was more likely from age than dye. He was also clearly excited, as his thin lips were pressed together eagerly and his beady eyes – which were nearly hidden beneath his bushy eyebrows – studied Cloud for the longest moment. Then, finally:
"I am Domino, Mayor of the great metropolis of Mako!" the man introduced himself dramatically, holding out his arms. "And you are a day early."
Cloud frowned at him, his eyes flicking back to the television in the corner before once more focusing on the mayor. "Early? Early for what?" he asked hesitantly.
"You are Avalanche, are you not?" the other man demanded, and Cloud nodded slowly in confirmation. "Well, the infiltration isn't happening until tomorrow. Were you not clued in?"
Sighing, Cloud replied, "I'm not here for some infiltration. I'm here to get Aerith back."
Recognition flitted across Mayor Domino's features. He glanced at the wall of screens next to Cloud and then back at his desk, and a few quick keystrokes later, the monitors displayed new photos: it was dozens of pictures of him and Aerith taken the few times they'd been outside Shinra together, first at the coffee shop and then as recently as tonight. Interspersed among them were different angles of his time at the colosseum, and grainy shots of Aerith in her dress up in the VIP box.
"Is this you?" Domino asked with a pointed finger towards a particularly impressive shot of Cloud slicing a crab in two. Cloud, staring at the photos for a moment, decided he was safe enough to remove his helmet for now. He took it off as his answer and met the mayor's eyes again. That would have to be confirmation enough.
"I need to get to Aerith," he reiterated. "We think she's being held by Hojo."
The mayor brought a hand to his beard, stroking it while in thought. "This complicates things," he finally said. "I even called the vice-president down to meet you."
"You did – what?" Cloud sputtered, leaping to his feet and grasping the hilt of the buster sword. "I don't have time to deal with him!"
"Calm down," Domino snapped, holding his hands out as if that could indeed calm Cloud down. "He was indisposed at a meeting with the president and things aren't going to be happening quickly with the destruction of sector seven, so he shouldn't be down for a few more minutes. So let's recap here: you're not here with Avalanche, you're just here to steal the president's ward?"
Cloud glowered, his hand still on the hilt of his sword. "I told her I would keep her safe," he said stubbornly. "I made a promise."
The mayor sighed in annoyance and crossed his arms. "There are more important things than love, but you are young and I suppose I can excuse you for that. Will you be joining the rest of Avalanche in the infiltration tomorrow?"
"I had no intention," Cloud responded, choosing to entirely ignore the Mayor's other assumption. "My mission is Aerith. Besides, what about sector seven?"
"What about it?" Domino shrugged. "The plate fell and I have no power here in Shinra to do anything to help. However, what I can focus on is our retaliation plan, and that remains the same: tomorrow, Avalanche infiltrates Midgar and forcibly removes President Shinra from his position. There isn't anything more we can do except wait."
Something about the way Mayor Domino said those words made Cloud's blood boil, but he continued to remind himself that he didn't have time, nor the energy to spare, to argue about matters outside of his control. Instead he asked, "What do you know about Hojo?"
"Professor Hojo?" Domino ran a hand over his beard. "He's the head of Science and Research here at Shinra. Some say he's a nasty piece of work, but I don't often see him," he added with a shrug. "I do know that your Aerith visits him often, however. Some secret project on the President's orders. If she's with him, she's probably fine."
Cloud stood up and adjusted his sword, knowing that this wasn't true – at least, not this time, not when she'd betrayed the president himself, and her so-called guardian was the only one stopping things from getting worse. He pressed his hand on her bag of things, making sure it was still at his side, before turning to Domino. "I have to go. Good luck with your infiltration."
"I've given the SOLDIER waiting for you access to the sixty-fourth floor where the entrance to the science lab is. Good luck with your rescue," Domino replied in the same tone. Cloud turned around and left the room, his resolve to complete his mission quickly and efficiently further tempered, especially if things were about to change at Shinra for good – and especially since the vice president of the company knew he was here when he wasn't supposed to be.
Luxiere and Hart, who had both been standing in the archives in awkward silence, perked up at his presence. "Ready to go?" Luxiere asked as he shifted on his feet. Cloud nodded in reply, after stuffing the annoying helmet back on his head. Soon after they bid Hart goodbye, and then left the archives for good.
"Get everything figured out?" the other SOLDIER asked, his tone conversational as they headed back up the stairs. Cloud noted the keycard in his hand that was ready to be scanned, and he realized that must be the access he had needed that Domino had mentioned.
At least one good thing had come out of the stupid, time-wasting meeting, he thought dryly.
He turned back up the stairwell. "Not really," he replied. "I'm not here for the reasons he thought I was."
There was a beat of silence, and then Luxiere coughed. "Oh. Oh, uh, okay." Cloud glanced his way; though he couldn't see the SOLDIER's expression beyond his helmet's dark visor, he got the sense that Luxiere was somehow tense, maybe even a bit disappointed.
"Oh, okay," he replied in a quieter voice. "That's too bad, we could use all the muscle we can get with the big plan."
"How do you factor into this, anyway?" Cloud questioned. It wasn't that he wanted to strike up a conversation, but at least time went faster and it kept him grounded in his mission instead of wandering back to whatever had happened to the sector seven plate.
Luxiere chuckled to himself as he rounded the next escalator. "Isn't that a story…" He scanned his card at the elevator, and it cheerfully beeped to signal them through. "All I'll say is that a lot has happened around here that doesn't add up, and it was by pure chance that I got roped in with the mayor at all. I blame Kunsel, honestly," he added with another humorless laugh. "He's been asking a lot of questions lately."
"Questions?" Cloud repeated slowly. "Like what?"
"You know, stuff like where the infantry was stationed and all that. He's been trying to get his hand on a sealed KIA file for awhile, too. He's not the most… subtle of SOLDIERs."
When they reached the top of the escalator, Cloud looked around in suspicion. He didn't know what he had been expecting, exactly: maybe a secret lab, mako bubbling in pods, metal beds hammered into the floor, but it certainly hadn't been this. This floor looked like a glorified office building, nothing more. Off to the side was a door with a keycard on it. It was this door that Luxiere led him towards.
"This is as far as I can get you," Luxiere told him, flipping up his visor so Cloud could see his eyes. "You'll need to be stealthy while you're in there. Nobody knows what Hojo does behind his closed doors, and the place is entirely his territory. He's pretty messed up, I'm sure you've heard."
Cloud nodded. "I've heard," he agreed, pushing down the strange feeling once more that he'd done more than heard about the mad scientist.
Before Luxiere could swipe the keycard, he glanced around and then paled. "Ah shit," he swore quietly. "Here comes the vice president himself."
"What?" Cloud followed his gaze to the other end of the hallway, where none other than who had to be Rufus Shinra was exiting the main room in the middle and striding their way. He hadn't seen them yet, a small blessing that had Cloud hissing between his teeth, "Hurry up." Running into Shinra Junior himself was not a part of his plans, and he waited impatiently as Luxiere swiped the card and flung open the door. Cloud darted in without so much as a goodbye.
"Good luck, man," Luxiere told him with kind eyes and a thumbs up. "Stay stealthy and let me know if you need anything else. I'll hang around the recreation hall for a bit."
Cloud nodded and thanked the SOLDIER before letting the door slide behind him. The deafening silence that followed enveloped him and set him on edge.
It had taken him quicker than he'd thought to get here, and he was inwardly grateful that Kunsel had had the idea to call ahead and set up help on the inside. The last time he and Tifa had snuck into the Shinra building, Kunsel's 'help' had gotten them through the doors but it was by pure luck and mistaken identity that they had been mistaken to be related to Rufus's party. Now, while he knew that a few people had caught on to his presence, he was still safe to move around without worrying about SOLDIERs or infantry chasing him in the meantime.
Something about Shinra troopers chasing him seemed to spark a strange sense of familiarity within him, and he was rapidly getting sick of these déjà vu moments, not to mention that he didn't have time for them. He decided it was best to keep his sword in hand now, especially at the echoing of ominous warnings by both Mayor Domino and Luxiere that everything in Hojo's lab was a secret from the rest of the facility. That thought made him a little nervous, and he did not get nervous.
As he maneuvered through the mazes of junk, crates, and large empty tanks, he couldn't help but do a double-take at the latter. It was as if he'd seen them before, except filled with something nauseating and green...
He shook his head to clear the image. Keep moving, he told himself in annoyance. Get Aerith and get out of here.
Up a flight of stairs, he found himself on a viewing platform of sorts. A locked door and thick glass stood between him and the rest of the lab, which stretched out dark and imposing beneath him. Careful not to step in front of the window and expose his location, Cloud used the door as cover and removed his helmet before peeking his head around the side to get a glimpse at what he was dealing with.
A large, expansive room greeted him through the window of the viewing platform. On the edges of the room at various workstations, scientists in their stereotypical white lab coats were working away, no indication on their faces that they even knew what had happened outside like the rest of the building did. The walls were packed to the rafters with sealed containers that almost pressed flat against the cavities that held them. The ambiance of the room was sheathed in shades of red and gray, which left an ominous sight to behold.
Something moving caught his attention, and Cloud focused his vision on the other side of the room just in time to see a few scientists pushing a stretcher into a caged elevator. A glimpse of bright red caught his eye and his heart dropped as he realized that he'd found her.
"Aerith…" he breathed, hand coming out to touch the glass. He had to find a way in. He had to find a way in now.
"What are you doing here?" a voice snapped from behind him. Cloud tore his eyes away from the caged elevator as it slowly descended and whipped around, brandishing his sword at the newcomer just as the other stopped closer for comfort than he liked. It was a man in a white coat, with long, straight black hair wrapped in a low ponytail and tinted circular glasses. His wrinkled, unpleasant face was twisted in annoyance, but when their eyes met it morphed into something else that Cloud couldn't quite comprehend.
"I'm here for Aerith," Cloud snapped, holding the sword against the man's throat.
The scientist looked contemplative for a moment, and then a strange gleam of realization shone in his eyes. "Are you sure that's why you're here?" he asked calmly, then leaned forward and scrutinized Cloud, something that made him uncomfortable. "Oh ho, it is you! My boy, are you certain you came here for the president's ward?"
"Why else would I come here?" Cloud returned a bit more uncertainly than he'd like. Was this… "You're Hojo," he added as he realized the man he was dealing with was Aerith's captor himself.
The scientist clapped his hands together once, as if that very realization was music to his ears. "Excellent, yes, of course I am," he agreed amiably. "And you do not recognize me?"
"I recognize an asshole when I see one," Cloud countered, taking a menacing step forward. "Now lead me to Aerith and we'll be on our way."
Hojo's face twisted into amusement, and he smirked back. "I'm afraid that won't be possible at this time," he told Cloud. "She's rather indisposed at the moment. Do not fret, however… you are most welcome to join her."
"What are you planning to do to her?" Cloud growled, his sword so close he saw a prick of red drip down Hojo's neck. "I should run you through right now!"
The laugh that escaped the scientist's lips made the hairs on his arms stand up at the sheer familiarity of it. "It wasn't me," he expressed. "Rather, I think the planet is reaching out to her, which is exactly the perfect time to run a few experiments. Now, would you like to join her or not?"
"What kind of question is that?" Cloud asked angrily. "Bring me to her or I'll end this here and now."
The scientist sighed, smirk never leaving his face as he resigned himself to his fate. "Very well, follow me, boy," he replied conversationally as he eyed the sword Cloud held at his neck. Cloud dropped it ever-so-slightly so he could unlock the door.
Hojo led the way down the stairs. Cloud warily followed, his sword mere inches from the his back as they descended. He was acutely aware of the stares and gasps from the personnel in the lab as one by one they all noticed the spectacle he'd created. Cloud grit his teeth and continued pressing Hojo forward.
"Look, everyone!" Hojo called in an eerily gleeful voice to everybody else. "Look what I found!"
"Shut up," Cloud hissed, pressing the buster sword into the scientist's back. "Or I'll run you through."
This only seemed to get Hojo more excited. "Of course, like you've done to another before," he replied matter-of-factly. This caused Cloud to falter for a moment as his mind began drumming a light pounding against his skull. The edges of his vision stained green, and he had to fight himself to make sure he didn't lose grip of the sword.
"Take me to Aerith," he reiterated, forcing his voice to sound more confident than he was beginning to feel. He didn't want to harm innocent civilians, but he knew he'd have no choice if anybody else decided to become a hero for their boss while he was trying to get Aerith out of here. He glanced around himself at those watching with scared, nervous, and nondescript faces.
Aerith's captor tutted and turned, much to Cloud's surprise. Instead of addressing him, he looked back and forth at his team that surrounded them. "For those of you who don't recognize the specimen here, Failed Case #2 of the Jenova Project has returned to us."
The word Jenova hit Cloud like a ton of bricks, and his vision swam dangerously for a moment as he tried to absorb this information. He could feel it ramming against the careful puzzle he'd been building for himself, trying to force itself into the memories that made sense. For a second, he forgot where he was again as he clutched his forehead in a desperate attempt to relieve the sudden, blinding pain that erupted there.
"Does anybody remember this particular specimen's weakness?" Hojo called as if from far away, abundantly eager even from Cloud's point of view as he forced his eyes back open and did his best to shove the headache and roaring in his ears aside. He straightened again, bringing the sword up and trying not to show the exertion it took to perform such a task.
Like schoolchildren to a teacher, a chorus of voices called back the same word. "Mako."
The word alone sent shivers down his back. What the hell were they talking about? "I'm a SOLDIER," he said in susurration, his tone almost desperate as he addressed the scientist in front of him. His sword fell the slightest fraction of an inch. He didn't notice.
"My boy," Hojo was shaking his head with his arms out in glee, "You were never in SOLDIER."
The headache and loud noises in his ears disappeared for the slightest moment, just in time for him to hear a final footstep and feel a sharp, piercing pain in his neck. Cool liquid burned like an icy fire in his veins as he realized with growing horror that he'd been injected with something. His hand flew up to his neck as suddenly his vision wavered again, green overpowering all else, and then his legs gave out, his mind reiterating the last words he'd registered over and over:
Never in SOLDIER…