The sunlight was just beginning to peer through the motel window of the Rocket Town Inn as Cloud Strife stirred from unconsciousness. Tifa Lockheart lay beside him, gently breathing in a deep sleep. The past day had really taken a toll on her, he observed. He rubbed his bright blue eyes and glanced around the room. The walls were painted a yellowish color, he now noticed. The girl next to him and himself had drudged into the one bed motel room too tiredly the night before to notice such menial things as the color of the walls, or the soft blue carpet. What the hell were they thinking, Cloud thought to himself in a jocular fashion. Urine colored walls topped off with electric blue carpet. It amused him even more to find that the window was curtained with purple drapes. "Better than the slums I guess."
Tifa groaned as he sat over the edge of the creaky bed and pulled on his black SOLDIER Uniform. Cloud tied his boots and walked over to the small bathroom a few feet away. He quickly fixed his hair and washed his face. As he walked out of the bathroom he noticed something that struck him. Tifa was wearing nothing but white underwear. Whoa, he thought to himself. This is going to be a good day. Tifa didn't even think about it as she pulled her clothes on and laced her fighting boots tightly. She casually swooped her raven hair back and smiled at him.
"Good morning," She said as she stretched out. She must have been teasing him because her tight shirt and miniskirt pulled up nearly three inches with the movement. The blond haired man casually acted like he didn't notice and coolly grabbed the hilt of his sword from the corner of the room. The dark blade didn't even seem to have a luster to it. "Sleep good last night?"
"Next to you, who wouldn't?" Cloud mused with a slight less volume than other, more casual, statements. Tifa let out a gruff, inaudible reply, but was nonetheless humored by the young man's bravery. She pulled on her gauntlets and opened the front door of the motel room, silently waiting for her 'companion' to follow. Cloud sheathed his giant sword on the magnetic strip of his uniform and exited the musty room. The chill of the morning air greeted him with a refreshing breath of crisp grassland breeze. Rocket town was truly a wonderful place. Calm, quiet, with everyone so busy with they're daily lives that they move as one giant system. Much like Nibelhiem, Cloud thought to himself.
"I am anxious to hear whether Aeris has risen from her coma yet." Tifa took a deep breath and glanced around at the city. She was truly a beautiful figure. For that matter, the duo together were a beautiful couple.
"We should head to Cid's house right away. I'm assuming she is in the care of his home." Cloud stated as they headed down the dirt road towards Cid Highwind's tiny home. "And to think that he and Shera were doing the dirty last night with Aeris just in the other room. Gross…"
As they walked through the aged wooden doorframe, the familiar scent of tea, cigarette smoke and a faint trace of oil were the first sensations to spark memories for the two. They both looked at each other warmly and walked into the back spare bedroom. Barret was the only one there. His weariness was so blatant that Tifa rushed over to him instantly and rubbed his huge dark shoulders. His eyes had dark sacks beneath them and were covered in tiny tendrils of red. It was both saddening and admirable that he would dedicate his time in its entirety to Aeris' safety.
"Barret, go to the motel and get a room. We'll be in rocket town for a few days. You have to catch up on sleep or you'll end up sick." Tifa checked the monitor that displayed Aeris' data as she spoke to the large dark skinned man. Cloud agreed with the girl, patting Barret on the back.
"We'll look after her man, don't worry about it. Just go get some sleep. You're a total mess."
"Aight. I am pretty tired. If she wakes up while I'm gone, call me up." Barret spoke gruffly, words grudgingly muddling together from the weariness that was only noticeable when he moved an appendage. He stood up with a few cracking complaints from his sore bones, and stretched out. He let out a mighty yawn and proceeded to exit the small house. Cloud looked over at Tifa after he heard the front door close. She was checking Aeris' heart rate, brain activity, and general health via the advanced medical bed. The bed was a Shinra made medical supply, which kept perfect record of a patient's bodily functions. Several tubes fed necessary fluids for recovery into the small girls wrist, and all the sensors supplied the necessary information on the small monitor connected to the foot of the bed.
"Well, it seems our sleeping beauty is in good condition. I would expect her to wake up any time soon," Tifa said, glancing up from the small monitor to Clouds handsome face. He was looking at her, she noticed. His bright blue eyes glowed with such intensity that any ignorant girl on the street would mistake the look for lust. Tifa understood that the glow in his eyes meant far more than emotions. Although, when a SOLDIER's eyes change color, or intensity, it is often a dictation from emotion. She pondered deeply what he was thinking at that moment…just before he looked away casually. "Every thing alright?"
"Yeah…I just had a thought." Cloud glanced over at the beautiful brown haired girl on the bed. "She is going to be so confused…I…I'm not sure what to tell her…"
"I know." Tifa replied. "We cannot tell her what really happened. But will she even be the same person when she wakes up?"
"I don't know. If we tell her that Sephiroth took her life and then we resurrected her a month later, it might do mental damage to her. I don't want to take that risk, but she is going to want to know the truth." Cloud brushed the girls long hair out away from her face and stroked her chin lightly. Tifa felt a small blade of jealousy strike her in the stomach but she discarded the thought instantly. There were much more important things than love interests to deal with at the moment.
"We'll worry about that when we have to," interrupted the gruff voice of Cid Highwind as he barged into the quiet room with a robustly cheery mood. Shera could be heard in the kitchen starting dinner and mixing some of her amazing iced tea. "Tifa, I was hoping maybe you would help Shera cook dinner tonight, eh? Your both great cooks but I haven't had your cooking for a long time!"
"Sure Cid. Sounds good. I think it would do me some good to do something productive!" Tifa felt a spark of excitement within her at the thought of cooking again. Besides fighting, it was her utmost enjoyed activity. She quickly exited the room and met Shera in the kitchen. They were both happy to see each other again and began chatting about what to cook for dinner.
"We need to talk Cloud. Don't mention anything to Barret yet cuz' this is some serious shit that he doesn't need to worry about right now. I'm going to head over to the shop and grab us a couple of combat packs and some supplies." Cid kept his voice down so the girls wouldn't hear him. Cloud simply nodded with a bewildered look on his face. "We'll head out after dark so we may not be back in time for dinner. Be sure to grab something before we head out."
"Just what the hell is happening?" Cloud crossed his arms with a questioning look on his face. Cid grinned mischievously.
"Just meet me on the outskirt of town…the Mt. Nibel side, at seven thirty tonight." Cid patted Cloud on the shoulder and turned to exit the room. "Oh, and also…bring your sword and best materia combination."
The capital city of Wutai was truly a beautiful place. Cobblestone roads and walkways covered nearly ninety percent of the ground, yet there was still an aura of natural earthly beauty about the place. The central courtyard was the workplace of nearly every inhabitant of the general population. If you weren't a soldier for the emperor than you were a peasant merchant. There were very few occupational options for the citizens of the Godo Empire, but it was a place unlike the rest of the technological world. People didn't care about individuality, only working together as a community. Unlike the brutal atmosphere in the slums of Midgar, Wutai had hardly any crime. None of these things, however, were on the minds of the five dark figures in the helicopter approaching the center of the courtyard. Merchants scrambled to hide behind their barrels and wagons of self-made merchandise. Everyone, however, was equally surprised to find the Emperor Godo himself approaching the landing site with his young daughter Yuffie by his side. Both with dressed in fine oriental fashions.
Yuffie had developed into quite a beautiful young lady over the past month. Her birthday had come just recently and by her country's laws, she was rightfully an adult. Her raven black hair was styled neatly like always, but she was now dressed in a fiery red kimono with a slightly revealing top. Godo on the other hand was completely garbed from shoulder to toe in red and gold robes. A beautiful red and yellow katana was sheathed at his side along with his smaller wakizashi sword. He was a wise old samurai in every sense of the word. His long black hair rushed back in the violent wind that invaded the ceremonial grounds.
"Godo is a kind man, but he is stubborn in the ways of his nation. Reno, be on your best behavior, and Elena, no complaining about anything, and also…Rude, for the love of God, speak if you are spoken to. Is this all understood?" Reeves glanced out the window as all of them nodded. Elena, taking the worst of it, grunted a slight protest but agreed nonetheless. Reeves looked cautiously into Vincent Valentine's eyes. The retina of his nearly black eyes glowed slightly with a blood red tint. Reeves knew that he held no animosity for anyone around him, but Vince was a very cold and unloving man. He greatly resembled the late Turk leader Tseng, only that he was much more collected leader than Tseng had ever been. There was nothing sporadic about his behavior and his ties were bound so limitedly. Valentine was not a foolish thrill seeker as Tseng had been. Tseng weaved the web of his own untimely death the moment the idea to follow Sephiroth came to mind. Silk words and a mako pistol simply were not enough to sway Sephiroth's lust for blood. "This is our one shot at balancing the power scale in the world. If Godo agrees to our plans we can take on Rufus and get him off of his golden throne. I have dedicated my life to the city of Midgar since its birth, and I refuse to sit and watch Rufus treat its civilians like animals."
The Shinra Helicopter landed smoothly on the rough ground below. The winds created by its whipping blades gathered dust and random particles, throwing them in random directions. Civilians backed towards the outer walls of the courtyard, not sure whether they should fear the incoming visitors or welcome them. As the helicopter's side hatch opened it released a small spray of blue steam, obviously the mako power the engine ran on. A small metal step folded down and the five tuxedo dressed outsiders stood before Godo and Yuffie. All of them bowed with Reeves lead and accepted a small nod in return from Godo and his daughter. Reno sleazily eyed Yuffie's new attire and accepted a rolling of the eyes from the less than elegant girl.
"Welcome. I am assuming you wish to speak with me alone?" Godo spoke solely to Reeves, although he eyed each of the Turks beside him equally.
"That would be a necessity your highness, thank you." Reeves nodded slightly and gripped the silver briefcase at his side carefully. Godo noticed that a magnetic handcuff ensured that the briefcase would never go anywhere without Reeves fragile arm connected to it.
"Very well sirs…and madam. You may follow me to my executive council room." Godo turned on a heel and set the pace to his imperial dojo. He casually rested his left palm on the red hilt of his katana as they walked, making it plain and obvious that they held no power in their current position. "These matters you spoke of to me when we last conversed…they are trivial, and I have found myself and my council questioning the absolute value of what you offer. Is it truly what you say it is? With you now, do you carry the secret to Shinra's might?"
"Yes your highness. But such matters should not be discussed in the presence of the common people. Such information could prove both dangerous to those who know it, and dangerous for those who spoke it." Reeves wavered only slightly in his rebuttal. Unable to see the Emperor's face, the five were unsure of his thoughts.
"You are a smart man Mr. Reeves. I admire such forethought." Godo humored slightly with his words, but returned to his emotionless state of mind almost instantly. "We shall speak no more of these matters until we reach the dojo."
As they entered the massive wooden complex of Godo's home, the fresh scent of aged wood and candle wax accosted they're senses. They're clicking footsteps were yet another cultural difference they noticed, as Godo and Yuffie wore tight leather sandals, soft to the wooden floors. Their heavy black dress shoes were not of the appeal of the general Wutain culture. They all followed the wise Emperor into the well lit council room, which was already seated by the members of his council. Each of them were garbed in the traditional robes, each accompanied by a unique katana sword. They all sat at the desk and watched intently as Reeves disarmed the magnetic handcuffs and laid the silver briefcase neatly in front of himself.
"We have gathered today to discuss a very important matter, gentlemen," Godo broke from his more formal speech, and spoke in a more business like fashion. "Mr. Reeves is the ex-head of urban development of the Shinra Corporation. He was the original designer of Midgar and has watched over improvisations made to it over the past twenty years. However, Rufus Shinra, the newly appointed leader of Midgar, has ushered him out of Midgar and taken his tyrannical role as President once again. As you all know, the strange incident involving a meteor over Midgar destroyed most of the city just over a month ago. Reeves single handedly, with the help of thousands of maintenance crews worldwide, led a campaign to rebuild Midgar. Rufus Shinra's acts are both morally diminishing, and blatantly wrong. Mr. Reeves, would you care to finish?"
"Thank you your highness. Emperor Godo is correct. I led Midgar back to prosperity, and cleaned up the mess that Shinra cared nothing about. He purposely waited until I had finished rebuilding Midgar, then gathered his SOLDIERs and seized the Headquarters from the executives I had appointed. He threw allegations at me such as traitorous behavior, and fed lies to the main media that I attempted to murder him in order to take his company. He single handedly turned all of the people I worked so hard to shelter against me and sent me on my way." Reeves looked down at the briefcase for a moment before continuing his speech. "What Shinra hadn't expected was that I had gone through all of their computer systems, downloaded all of their important data. I'll get to that in a minute, but right now I would like to introduce my gift to you, should you be willing to use it."
Everyone waited in anticipation as Reeves dialed several codes into the top of the briefcase and opened it with a slight hiss of air invading the airlock casing. The case opened flat and everyone was confused to find several sealed containers, a set of syringes, a small laptop computer, and a set of computer discs. "What I have brought you today is every secret to Shinra's success. This laptop computer contains a map of mako currents running beneath the planets surface. Also there is Shinra's industrial secret to building mako reactors, ranging from full-scale city sufficient mammoths to small-scale home generators. The required materials are all listed and the production of each is also explained. Anything you could imagine that Shinra has made can be found in full detail on this computer and on this set of discs. Now you may be wondering why I have brought you this gift."
"Mr. Reeves is giving us the chance to build a military equal to Shinra's and tap into the amazing qualities of mako. With these maps we will be able to locate the nearest mako vein and build a small reactor capable of mass-producing mako. Mr. Reeves, would you please explain the relevance of the strange colored liquids in your briefcase?" Godo glanced over at Reeves, trying to keep the conversation going so that the council couldn't burst into conflict with the plan.
"These vials contain enough mako to enhance the senses, physical attributes, magical properties, and endurance of a small group of average men. When bathed in these fluids for a period of up to four hours, the body will absorb the enhancements that are naturally within mako. Subjects will notice short-term side affects such as nausea, fatigue, and the excretion of random bodily fluids and waste." Reeves paused as one of the council members raised a hand to speak.
"Yes? Any questions are welcome." Godo allowed.
"Just what exactly will happen to a human physically when they are enhanced with mako? This is very serious." The slightly middle aged man asked with a serious tone to his voice.
"One of the most amazing benefits of mako enhancement is when the body begins to take on a perfect state. Skin will automatically release any unnecessary melanin, hair follicles, and oil, and muscles will fill out quickly under the stress of menial activities such as jogging and pushups. One other incredible enhancement mako has on the body is the excretion of wasteful materials in the body such as fat, cholesterol, and natural waste. This process takes only a few days. Once these materials are gone mako enhanced humans no longer are required to waste time eating large meals to whet an appetite. Most of Shinra's SOLDIERs rarely eat actual meals they simply take three nutrient pills per day. This adds to the value of your military when such time consuming activities are no longer necessary. One thing that has not been verified as a side effect or an enhancement is increased scalpel hair growth and increased nail growth along with the infamous glowing retina. Many SOLDIERs are known to have bright eyes, long beautiful hair and glass like nails because of this. It could be either an indulgent or a task, but very menial to say the least." Reeves paused again as another hand was raised. Godo nodded, allowing his underling to speak.
"What your saying is that mako attempts to perfect the body in all ways? What if someone has one eye or a missing hand?" The man posed his question carefully, thinking it through before speaking. Reeves was all too understanding of this and waved coolly.
"If they are not fully able they are not suitable for the SOLDIER program. It is as simple as that. The SOLDIER program is primarily for young adults and boys in their middle teens. Before you protest, this serves it's own purpose. Such young ages allow for the enhancements to grow with them. When they finally reach a more mature state they will be extremely strong and skilled as a fighter." Reeves stopped to allow another question.
"Now that we know all the things that affect the physical appearance, what we really need to know is how mako makes great warriors. So far all I've heard is that we have a perfect human being that is pretty on the outside and never has to eat or shit. This drifts from our need." The slightly cocky young man aroused a bit of laughter from his colleagues, before Reeves and the Turks on either side of him chuckled in reply.
"How does mako make amazing soldiers? It allows binocular vision, senses so sharp that you can feel the air move from several yards away when someone is sneaking up on you. You can hear the faintest whisper or the click of an insects legs on the glass should you choose to hone on something that intensely. When you breathe you can smell individual components of oxygen and taste impurities in the air that an average human could not. Should your airways become blocked it is possible, if trained well enough, to relax and open your pores to intake enough oxygen to keep your heart and brain alive. Physical and mental endurance can be trained to an extreme level such as the First Class SOLDIER ranks who perform primarily on one hour of sleep per week. With careful training a mako enhanced human can speed up the healing process of wounds including optical, internal, and external wounds to an extreme pace. Wounds can heal overnight. The resiliency of bones, ligaments, and even the enamel of teeth increase dramatically, and can all be regenerated if damaged. Strength, speed, agility, dexterity, endurance, and even magical prowess develop beyond the capabilities of any human or beast. Gentleman, mako infusion is the equivalent of the term 'Perfect Soldier'. This is what I offer you."
Everyone in the room sat silent for an uncomfortable period of time. Even the emperor himself was stricken by the thought of such power. Yuffie sat lazily back in her chair, quite bored with the conversation. She cared little for daddies little projects. Reno, Rude, Elena, and Vincent all sat silently in their chairs. They were only there to protect Reeves should the situation turn for the worst. It could have mattered less to them if Godo accepted to begin a line of SOLDIERs. Everyone fixed their gazes on Emperor Godo Kisaragi.
"Gentleman, who is in favor of beginning this project?" Godo asked with a slight indifference to his voice. It seemed he was doubtful of his council's compliance. Everyone began to whisper to each other. Soon enough they all began to nod approvingly.
"Your highness, I believe your host here has bought our attention. We are in full support of this new military plan."
"Then it is settled. Tomorrow we will begin production on this new reactor plan and begin landscaping for the placement of it. We don't need a very large reactor, just a medium sized one capable of producing enough mako for the treatments. And Mr. Reeves, you are in charge of this project. Please do not let this backfire on Wutai. You will be well protected also, so don't worry about some nonconformist attacking you. The meeting is adjourned, and all of you must keep silent about these matters until it is time to begin registration." Godo nodded to his council and to Reeves and turned to the exit.
Cloud finished off the nutrition bar that he had grabbed from Cid's cabinet and peered around the edge of the house. He had been waiting on the outskirt of town as he had been instructed for nearly a half hour. There was no sign of Cid it seemed. Just what does he mean to do dragging me all the way out here after dark, Cloud thought to himself in annoyance. Just as the thought went through his head, the sound of an all-terrain vehicle rumbled in the distance. It was Cid. He rolled to a stop in the vehicle, rolling down the window and ushering Cloud inside. The vehicle was quite nice, the young man noticed. It had black leather interior, and all the necessities that a land rover called for. Before getting in Cloud set his sword in the backseat. After the door slammed shut he looked over at Cid who had a strangely serious expression on his face.
"So what the hell is going on that you don't want anybody else to know about?" Cloud brushed his hair back with one hand, agitated. Cid took off over the bumpy grasslands outside of Rocket Town. He was headed straight for Mt. Nibel. This made Cloud's stomach begin to flutter. He hadn't been near those dangerous peaks since the search for Sephiroth.
"Up ahead here there is a cave entrance that leads to the pipelines of the Nibel Reactor. While Shera and I were out in the town today I overheard a few hunters mention they saw Shinra vehicles around the cave entrance. They mentioned that they were hauling scraps out of there. It is important that we investigate this immediately because if the Shinra are up to something around this reactor, they might be festering with the other ones too. We have to figure out what's going on. It will give us a heads up before we dive into Midgar for a shitfest." Cid kept his calmness and focused on his driving. Cloud was shocked.
"Shinra…playing around with the Nibel Reactor? Something definitely isn't right. I wonder what they are up to?" Cloud looked out the window and kept watch for any beasts that might attempt to stop them. Why would they be hauling scraps out of that shithole, Cloud thought to himself. Maybe they are tearing it down?
"We're about to find out my friend because the cave is only a half a mile over this hill." Cid smothered the remainder of his cigarette out as they approached the cave entrance slowly. There were, as the hunters mentioned, Shinra transport trucks everywhere. There was no one currently outside, making it easy for Cid and Cloud to hide the land rover and sneak into a few of the trucks for information.
"Here's the deal. You check those trucks over there and I'll search through these. Grab any useful pieces of information that you can. There should be something to explain why they are here in Nibel." Cloud looked around, his blue retinas the only thing visible to Cid in the darkness of they're hiding spot. The entrance to the cave was lit up brightly, he noticed. Obviously they had fed some industrial sized lights into the cave from the truck batteries. Cid nodded to Cloud and they both silently moved towards the large Shinra trucks.
Cloud quietly opened the door of the first of the six trucks and climbed into the cab. The familiar smell of Shinra made vehicles brought back fond memories of his days in the military. He fumbled around through the glove box for anything useful and quickly asserted that there was nothing of value to him in the vehicle. He quickly moved onto the next, searching everything and finding nothing. Upon checking the third truck he did find a small planner that surely held some information. He slid it into his backpack and climbed out of the truck meeting up with Cid behind one of the large trucks. "Anything good?"
"No but one of the soldier's radios was on and I could hear em' going on about the mission." Cid glanced to the cave entrance. A slight wince told Cloud that something wasn't right. He could have sworn he saw a large shadow creep past it. "Did you see that?"
"No wha-" Cloud attempted a reply but it was cutoff sharply by the scream of a human being inside the cave. Several rounds of fire went off from the soldier's mako rifles, but several more screams followed. Cid glanced at him with a look of concern. They both took off towards the cave, curious as to what was attacking the platoon inside. The wet grass squeaked under they're feet as they stopped abruptly and peered in cautiously. Both reached for they're weapon as they saw the monstrosity lurking within. It was a giant red arachnid creature with many glowing orbs stuck in its armored skin. There were several shredded soldiers lying about, but the arachnid was focused on one man in particular. Cloud studied him for a moment, instantly realizing that he was a SOLDIER of First Class rank. He placed a hand over Cids spear and made the notion for him to watch. Cid eyed the situation suspiciously but complied easily. He hadn't really wanted to take on that monster anyway.
The SOLDIER stood his ground as the spider closed the distance to him slowly. He reached to his hip and unsheathed a long straight edged sword from its sheath. The SOLDIER's face was completely focused on the arachnid as the workings of his tactical mastery forged a beautiful chain of attacks upon the giant spider. The large monster was so tall that it couldn't reach to bite him without getting hurt, so it proceeded to stab at him viciously with its claws. The young man weaved in and out of attacks like a serpent as he laid perfectly aimed strikes to vital points on the monsters legs. Just as the sword attack came to an end, the SOLDIER stunned the beast with a Lighting spell and leapt onto one of its legs in the confusion. The arachnid swung wildly but the brave SOLDIER held on defiantly. He climbed quickly to the top of the hideous monster's body and raised his sword to stab the monsters thick skull. The sword came down in a flash and ended the huge mutated beasts life instantly. As the spider came crashing down, the SOLDIER slid coolly down one of its legs and walked away.
Cloud studied the man for a moment and became intrigued once again by the phenomenal abilities of the First Class SOLDIER. The young man had long black hair, tied back at the nape of his neck. The uniform the man wore was very similar to his own black SOLDIER uniform. His eyes glowed with a bluish tint and his dark eyelashes closed over them for a split second as he looked around at his team. Everyone in his platoon was dead. Blood painted the floor and the cave walls. The scene was like a green and blue canvass sprayed with red. The spider's body was crumpled on the floor behind the young man. Its armored skin seemed to glow like materia. Then it happened. One of the arachnid's fangs lurched out and stung the oblivious man in the leg. He cried out in surprise and whipped his blade across the fang before it could retreat. A yellowish slime sprayed out as the fang was severed from the now dead spider. The man dropped to his knees slowly and from there fell on his face. Cloud and Cid leapt from their hiding places and sprinted to the fallen warrior. Cloud checked his heartbeat and discovered that it was still strong. He dropped his pack to the ground and rummaged through its contents for an antidote. After finding the small syringe he pulled the man's sleeves back and injected it into his vein.
"I don't know if we should be helping him, Cloud. He is our enemy after all…" Cid was unsure about the situation as he kept watch for any other enemies. Cloud looked up at him and back down to the fallen SOLDIER. "What if he tries to attack us when he gets better?"
"I don't think he is that stupid Cid. A smart SOLDIER knows when he can't win. He will try different tactics outside of combat to escape. Grab my pack while I carry him out of here." Cloud grabbed the man and carried him over the shoulder. Cid grabbed both of their packs and retrieved the man's long silver blade from the ground.
"Go ahead and put him in the back seat of the rover. I'm going to check these infantry soldiers and see if they have any useful information on them." Cid headed to the nearest blue uniformed soldier and knelt down beside him. He pulled out the man's wallet and rummaged through it. A roll of family pictures fell out, but Cid purposely resisted looking at them. He knew he would kill another man before his adventures were over and he didn't need guilt on his shoulders. There was nothing but a few gil and some phone numbers. After checking the rest of the soldiers he noticed a small clipboard on the ground and rushed over to it.
"I'll be damned."
Reeves stepped out of the shower in his personal dojo room and grabbed a white towel from the wall mount. He dried himself quickly and brushed his short dark hair back with his hand. As he looked in the mirror he noticed that he had let his goatee get out of hand and rummaged through the cabinet for a razor or clippers. He was a man of perfection. He always had been, he thought to himself. The key to his success had been his attention to detail. Midgar, Junon, the Gold Saucer…they had all been his creations. He was given no credit for most of his works of architectural art, but his success with Shinra was undeniable. After trimming his beard and brushing his teeth, the small businessman pulled a silk robe over his shoulders and headed towards his bed.
In the room across from Reeves', another fairly frail man was getting ready for bed, but in a much different manner. Reno slumped back into the soft cushions of his red satin bed and closed his bright green eyes. His sharp features delegated the true nature of his being. He wasn't sharp. He was sloppy and uncaring. One of such behavior would seem unsuitable for a Turk, but Reno was totally accurate both with his shock stick and his dealings. He unbuttoned the rest of his dress shirt, which was usually half open most of the time anyway, and took a swig of whiskey from the bottle cradled at his side. This was his life, and he truly loved every moment of it. Alcohol was his best friend. It slept with him, ate with him, made him laugh, dried his tears, and was less expensive than any woman. His long shiny locks of blood red hair fanned out around him as he pulled it out of a hair tie. He snapped the small band across the room just before falling into an unconscious drunken stupor.
Elena's room was just on the other side of Reno's and was much more quiet. The young blonde Turk lounged in the bathtub of her dojo and soaked up the heat of the bubbly liquid around her beautiful and curvaceous body. Her shoulder length blonde hair was wet and swept back and her dark wine colored eyes were hidden behind long lashes. She didn't seem like the type of person to be involved with the Turks, much less be one. She could easily strike a simple-minded man as a low profile secretary, but there was far more fire hidden behind her petite frame than met the eye. She reached her wet arm out of the hot water and delicately grasped a cocktail glass and sipped it. Being a Turk wasn't so bad though, she thought to herself. If only Tseng were still around. She let out a slight sigh at the thought of her ex-mentor's name. She could just imagine how beautiful they're children would've been.
Rude's room was next to Reeve's and was also very quiet. The stillness of the atmosphere represented the silent nature of his attitude. He was a man of few words, and there were few words that could describe him. He wasn't the type of man to allow too much to be known about himself. His true eye color was even a bewildering subject amongst his fellow Turks. He never removed his sunglasses unless he was asleep. His suit was always completely pressed to perfection, and his boots were always shined to a perfect black finish. He looked in the mirror as he took out all of his many earrings and folded his dark glasses to retire for the evening. After hanging his clothes neatly in the closet and shaving he neatly pulled back the black covers of his bed and went to sleep. That was that. Rude didn't bother with the usual things most humans do. He gets up, goes to work, maybe has a drink with his friend Reno, and then goes to bed. There were some days where he wouldn't even speak a word. It was all natural to him.
The most ominous of ominous men was Vincent Valentine. This was known by all who knew him, and all who had crossed his path before…his many different paths. Vincent's room was just down the hall from the others and was much different than any of his companions. He sat up straight and tall at a small wooden desk and poured himself over a thick book. His composure was always to the utmost highest level. His dark eyes gleamed with a blood red tint to them as they crisscrossed over the lines of the book. His long raven hair was tied back at the nape of his neck and his bright gold claw shined brightly in the overhead lamp. His attention was never diverted as he read away at whatever interest he had for the evening. After finishing the last line of his book, Vincent Valentine pulled his mako pistol out of it's holster and disengaged the clip of glowing bullets. He laid the two pieces of the gun on the table and prepared for the short unconsciousness that humans called sleep. He knew sleep. Eight hours was not sleep…
Tifa, Shera, and Barret all sat quietly at the small dinner table in the kitchen. Few words were exchanged as they all picked at they're food meticulously. The two females were quite nervous. Neither of they're 'companions' had returned for a couple of hours. It was already late and they said they would be back in an hour. It was strange enough that they had taken the land rover and not told them where they were going at such distances. Barret glanced up from his meal and opened his mouth to console. Just before the words could be uttered, the door burst open and Cid Highwind walked quickly to the back room where Aeris was resting. He grabbed a blanket and a pillow and laid them out on the wooden floor before pulling his black leather backpack off his back and laying it next to the makeshift bed. Barret and the two girls shot up from they're seats in surprise as Cloud stumbled through the doorway with a full grown man unconscious over his shoulder. Barret and Tifa both gasped.
"Just what the hell have you guys been up to? That's a First Class SOLDIER! Why did you bring him here," Barret exclaimed as Cloud drug the equally sized SOLDIER to the back room and set him on the makeshift bed. He pulled the mans slick raven hair out of the ponytail to release any pressure on his head and pulled the turtleneck-like uniform away from his throat. Cid grabbed a pocket knife and began cutting the material around the man's wounded leg. The pocket knife did little to no damage to the dense fabric.
"Damn it. Cloud, these pants won't cut very well." Cid cut again at the fabric, frustrated. Cloud shook his head.
"That was they're purpose, actually. Go get a razor, they cut a little better." Cloud rummaged through the bag and found another anti-toxin. He fed the needle into the man's vein and injected the antidote slowly. Cid finally got the fabric around the infection wound cleared and cleaned the puncture with alcohol. He quickly wrapped a cloth around the wound and bandaged it with medical tape. "Well, he should be alright I imagine. We'll leave him in here until he wakes up. It will probably be a few hours."
"Just what the hell is going on?" Barret crossed his huge arms and looked down at both Cid and Cloud. He was a very domineering person, but neither of the smaller men were affected.
"Earlier today I heard some people talking about seeing Shinra vehicles around the Nibel cave. Cloud and I investigated the cave tonight only to witness the entire platoon butchered by a giant spider creature. This First Class guy fought amazingly and killed it but right before it died it stung him in the leg." Cid stood up and lit a cigarette as he spoke. Tifa and Shera just looked at each other as Barret grew agitated.
"We can't just keep him here! If he wakes up he may try to hurt us," Barret exclaimed, raising his arms in frustration.
"No he won't. He doesn't know that we are against Shinra. Plus, he may be our gateway to getting into Midgar unnoticed. He has no reason to hurt innocent civilians, just keep your cool and act normal." Cloud eased the situation with a surprisingly well thought out plan. Cid walked outside after the ordeal and grabbed the clipboard he found in the cave. A few splotches of blood could be seen, dried onto the Xerox paper. Everyone met in the kitchen to finish dinner.
"I found this clipboard at the scene. It has some useful information on the situation with Shinra. It says here that this group's mission was to disassemble the Nibel Reactor and send the parts and scraps to a molding plant in Midgar. I can only imagine that they are doing the same at the other reactors around the world." The blonde haired pilot glanced around at everyone and handed the clipboard around.
"What would they need that much metal for? And, why would they cut off their mako income?" Shera glanced at the blood stained board before finishing her meal. Everyone just went silent and thought out the possibilities.
"Well, lets not think too much on this. We'll just end up creating illusions. Let's all just finish our meals and we'll learn as much as we can from this SOLDIER guy when he wakes up," Barret shook his head and sat down to finish his meal also. Everyone followed his lead, including Cloud and Cid. The dinner table was quiet for the rest of the evening.