Disclaimer: I do not known Final Fantasy VII: Remake or any of its characters. Those belong to Square Enix.
It was a moment of tension broken by a man's relief and a "Holy shit!" filled with nothing but excitement.
The three infiltrators glanced between each other, wondering whether they should strike before the alarm could be sounded. Yet the Security officer had diverted his attention to his coworker who was as eager to enter combat.
"It's cool, bro. We went through training together." A smile pulled at the right corner of his lips as he turned his attention back to the blonde of his youth. "Damn! So you still alive and kicking, huh?"
There was a minute pause where the man addressed, ground his teeth, his gaze darting back and forth as he tried to place the man and his too familiar voice. It was causing that terrible ache at his temples, a snarl creeping its way to his lips.
"Some of the guys heard you got smoked, but I told 'em all it was all bullshit!"
Another jolt, stronger than the forming ache, almost staggered him and the worried noises from his two compatriots reminded him that he couldn't let himself go. It was so tempting though.
"Cloud?" Tifa's concerned voice was able to cut through some of the roaring in his head.
The other man, the new/familiar face and voice drew closer and his features mirrored what his friends were displaying.
"Hey you okay man?"
"The hell you care!" The tall, heavily muscled man stepped forward taking a protective stance in front of the distressed blond.
"C'mon Cloud, just take a seat and I'll get Kunsel." He didn't seem at all bothered or intimidated by the gruffer man and shouldered his firearm for the time being. At least, wasn't going to back down when his friend/enemy? was not feeling well. Fortunately this was one of the various interdepartmental meeting and relaxing areas spread throughout the building and there were plenty of places for a respite.
Fluctuating between shaking his head, gripping at it and biting down on his own teeth, Cloud, dressed in his First uniform, allowed himself to be guided to one of the more comfortable seating areas.
It seemed the other security officer was at a loss for how to react, at least for now, and was following his partner's lead. He did, however, eye the dark haired woman and their short tempered companion warily. They too seemed as lost as he was as to how to handle this situation.
"Hey Rykes, go see if you can find some water will you?" Once he'd managed to get Cloud sitting, though he was looking rather pale and sweating at the same time, he pulled out his PHS and dialed the one number he hadn't expected to need so soon. Or, well, ever really. He may have hoped he would though.
Though wary, Rykes the security officer nodded and went to do as asked.
"C'mon, pick up. Pick up.." On the third ring the call connected.
"Sadiki, now's no-" Cloud grimaced again as the new/old voice reached his ears, even though the phone was not set to have the call on speaker. He did know the voice except the words ".. base? Wait. Haven't you heard?" were the ones recalled. From where? When?
"Kunse! I found Cloud!" He interrupted before the man on the other end of the line could get too far into his greeting. The long pause and silence from the other end was so satisfying.
"What?" It didn't take a genius to recognize the bafflement in the lone word.
"Seriously, Cloud's here and we're on the 63rd."
Kunsel made several attempts at starting to respond but they ended up as nothing more than confused and incoherent sounds. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
And the call disconnected. Sadiki heaved a small, relieved and happy sigh as he turned to grin at Cloud again. "Probably means he's going to be taking the stairs."
"Who was that? What'd you call 'im for an' why'd he even care about Cloud?" The large dark skinned man growled out, again adopting a strong and proud stance. Clearly, he was trying to be intimidating again but Sadiki had been in the presence of greatness and true power before. He knew what standing in front of a predator waiting to pounce was like. This guy didn't even rank.
"Kunsel's an old friend. The four of us used to hang out a lot. Well, when we could anyway."
"F-Four?" Cloud's brows were furrowed, from pain or something else, he didn't know.
"Yeah. Remember? It was you, me, Zack and Kunsel." Sadiki's eyes darted to the woman for her gasp. The color was draining rather quickly from her face too. Maybe she had what Cloud did? No, she looked more afraid than in pain. "Still have no idea how you managed the guts to talk to a First, even if it was someone newly promoted like Zack."
A sky full of dark clouds. Rain poured down from the heavens in sheets. Everything was soaked and the sand and dirt blended together in a thick mud.
He was on a tall cliff, still miles outside of Midgar. He was dragging himself closer to the edge. He was there and in a very bad way.
"My honor, my dreams… they're yours now."
The hilt of a long, heavy sword offered, his own hands gripping almost reverently.
"I'm… your living… legacy."
The weakest of smiles. Eyes the color of the clear blue sky closed slowly, for the last time.
A silent tear ran down his cheek. "Z-Zack…."
Cloud suddenly found his head between his knees as all muscles contracted to keep the scream, emotional and physical pain blending into one, at bay.
"Whoa! Cloud!"
A flood of memories, all mixed together of his life and everything that had been before. Before Nibelheim, his time in Shinra, failing out of SOLDIER training, meeting and actually making new friends. A helicopter's crash on the side of a snowed in mountain. Meeting and befriending his fellow backwater town dweller. Listening as Zack took on his former mentor and the aftermath of that encounter.
Everything in between which ultimately led to Nibelheim and the burning, smoke-fire everywhere. The grief and rage as he picked up the sword he had no business holding, Zack's plea. And then falling; Sephiroth's fall and so much blood…
After that it was only fragments here and there all filled with pain and a rage not his own with shouts intermixed pleading for mercy and to leave him alone. Eventually, there was nothing for a while, still only pieces until the cliff.
In the here and now, voices blended together, sounding a lot like several dogs snarling and growling over who got to keep lunch.
A door, somewhere at the far end of the room, slammed open but it didn't have any effect on the clash of words muddling together until it was only noise.
And then the voice from the phone with a stern, but not loud, was there. "Enough!"
The air was thick with authority and challenge. One of the three immediately backed down and fell silent as he surrendered to the new comer. The other two, however, were startled for all of half a second before together they rounded on the man.
"Why the hell should I listen to you?!"
"Who do you think you even are!"
Still breathing heavily, Cloud chanced to open his eyes and saw the familiar dark, sturdy leather boots and fabric of the SOLDIER uniform. Oh. It wasn't that off purple color anymore. It was black, like… Like Zack's.
With a deep breath, and a feeling he hadn't had in some time, Cloud cautiously looked up at the man suddenly looming over him and snarling vicious words at Tifa and Barret.
He still wore his signature helmet, but Cloud knew that underneath was a head covered in sandy blond hair. Behind the visor had been eyes that were more green than blue but… that was before further enhancements. Before he'd been made a First. There was even a new scar that went down from his lower lip on the right at an angle away from his chin. One thing though, there was still no mistaking that voice.
"Kunsel…?" Though the name had been spoken in a quiet whisper, the man's attention was immediately on him. He still managed to give an air of annoyance, at the situation at large, though there was a small hint of relaxation, possibly relief.
"Hey Little Spike." There was warmth in the nickname. "It's good to see you again. Do you kn-"
Cloud followed where the man's gaze traveled, glancing over his shoulder, only just catching sight of the hilt of the large, heavy weapon at his back.
"Oh…" Though no one moved, he'd staggered back a half step as if struck.
"Oh shit…" Sadiki breathed heavily for several breaths, his hands twitching and shaking mildly.
Cloud was only vaguely aware of the fact that Barret and Tifa were having a quiet conversation regarding the topic at hand. For this moment, at least, it appeared that the woman was fully aware of what wasn't being said. She was still angry at Shinra for… For Nibelheim, but Zack had treated her well. He had tried to help, to stop Sephiroth. Even knowing full well that he never stood a chance, Zack still went charging in. But she would probably never forgive him regardless.
"Kunsel, I-" Cloud's words were still soft. He knew the difference now, between himself and the outgoing Zack. Even the stoic persona he had created in the wake of his friend's passing, felt a little wrong. After everything, Cloud still had to learn who he was, all over again.
"It's…" Kunsel took in a deep breath to collect and steady himself once more. Cloud heard that barely perceptible hitch but he doubted any of the other three present were able to catch it. Sometimes, having SOLDIER enhancements helped. Still, the First straightened himself, standing just a little bit taller. "I caught wind of it from the Turks but, with them, you can never really be sure. If you have that sword…"
Now knowing what the man had been missing over the last five years… Cloud winced and averted his gaze, casting it downward and away. Zack, wouldn't want him to be upset with himself, but he was gone now and…
"Cloud." Though hesitant, Cloud turned his gaze back to the man before him. Though with an air of melancholy, Kunsel shook his head, telling him to steer clear of that line of thinking. "Why are you here?"
"We're here for a friend," Tifa interjected, a glare aimed at the SOLDIER. "The Turks brought her here, to Professor Hojo and-"
"Hojo?" The hint of steel was back in the SOLDIER's voice, though it was dampened somewhat by the worry. He muttered a string of words that had Cloud wincing at the imagery they inspired. "You're going to need a lot of luck to get 'em out from his-
"It's Aerith."
For the second time the SOLDIER was stunned into silence. He was quiet, and still, even his breaths slowed and were almost imperceptible.
It was the security officer who groaned loudly.
"Shit, really?" Cloud could only nod at the man and, now knowing what the scientist was capable of, he shared their dread. "Gods above."
"What?" Though still clearly displeased with the situation as a whole, Tifa was confused by the sudden shift in atmosphere. "Why's that important?"
"Sounds like you skipped that part of the tour…" Sadiki muttered. "The good professor is… To put it mildly, a basket case."
"And a little bit of a sadist."
Cloud winced and shook his head. "It's actually not sadism but very close to it. It's all clinical to him. He doesn't care about people, just the science and how far that can be pushed."
Some memories were, unfortunately, more easily drawn on, especially because of the topics they were immediately discussing. He just hoped most of the memory fragments of his time between mako baths remained just that. What little had managed to be recalled, he knew it was not a path he wanted to venture down. Those were best forgotten.
May they forever stay quietly within his memories.
When Cloud managed to look up again, even through the helmet, he could see the shift in the older man's features. There was a question in them but the younger blond wasn't quite certain of himself or…
"Cloud…"
Barret huffed. "So, what you're saying is, that you're just getting in our way then? We got other places to be than for everyone here to be takin' a trip down memory lane."
And just like that, Kunsel's hard frown returned as his head turned toward the large, dark skinned man. If he hadn't known better, Cloud might have guessed that both Kunsel and Sadiki had "forgotten" about Tifa and Barret. As it was, he had been doing his level best to simply ignore their presence.
"Listen, you ha-"
"Aerith is the priority," the SOLDIER interjected before the security officer could get too far into the same rant he wanted to take part in. Still, he was a task driven individual and, at present, there was no higher calling than the rescue of someone from the grasp of Hojo.
"Oh so you goin' to be 'elping with that."
"I'll help Aerith," and there was such force behind the words that Cloud knew it was just as much because he had befriended Aerith as it was that she and Zack had been… Still, there was no denying that Kunsel was furious with the knowledge he had been given. In that, however, Cloud wasn't sure if it was because he was so late in learning or the nature of it.
If there had been anything in the man to feel sorry for, Cloud may have felt that for Hojo in the coming encounter.
Well. Almost.
"What do you have in mind?"
The responding feral grin Kunsel gave him… Hojo was definitely going to be in for a world of hurt.