Chapter Two - Cloud
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I sat bolt upright in bed, my heart thundered in my chest and I grabbed instinctively for my sword. It was a full minute before I separated my nightmare from the ringing of my PHS. I let go of the Ultima Weapon and grabbed the ringing item off the desk. So much for my first non- drug induced slumber.
Though I was grateful after the dream I was having that someone woke me. Oddly fitting that it would be Vincent, after all, if anyone knew how I felt it would be him. "What's the matter?" I asked directly, Vincent wouldn't call me like this without a good reason. It wasn't like him.
It was a moment before he spoke, and when he did it was in a carefully clipped voice. "Something has happened ... a child sought me out."
That took me aback. "Wait… a child? What happened to make a child come to you for help? What is wrong with them?" He knew I didn't mean to insult him; we were on too far level ground for that sort of thing. Barrett had called it "freak understanding of freak." And even though I didn't – and don't – like the term, he was right.
Vincent is not an inviting figure, and he didn't pretend to be one. Unlike Barrett, Tifa and Yuffie, who reveled in a "hero" status, he and I slunk back into the background. In fact, I knew him to do almost anything to be left alone till he got his vindication.
I felt bad for him; I knew he'd never find it. Sometimes things happened for no good reason, Hojo was that exact no good reason.
"Apparently there is some sort of ... organization that are abducting children from what remains of Midgar. They're performing tests on these children, or so Aeryn -the child- has told me." He paused for a moment before continuing, "She's heard of me, or so she says ... and came to ask me for help. I'll be leaving tomorrow and heading for Midgar to reunite her with whoever is waiting."
"Did she look like something happened to her?" I didn't need to embellish, Virtol, Mako, Dromamine, they all were very specific drugs that Hojo was fond of, Vincent would know them if he saw them. I swallowed hard, damnit all, I was afraid.
"That's just it," he said, "Aside from being horrendously malnourished, she looked fine. But she said some of the other children that were tested on were dying, or getting sick."
"Maybe they didn't get to her yet then…" I muttered. It didn't make any sense, if someone wanted to do anything why pick children off the street of Midgar? There were rouge SOLDIER troops, already mako fortified, who no one would miss. I knew how hard on a body full blown experiments could be. I had scars still to prove it. "I'll meet you at the Inn there in Nibelheim in the morning, first thing." I said, knowing full well there was one way to get from Cosmo to there in just under two hours.
"Thank you, Cloud." He said, and to those who didn't know him well the slight gratitude in his voice would have been hidden. "See you then."
I hung up and got out of bed. I got dressed quickly, not really needing any light to see in the dark anyway. Jenova blue lit the whole room in sharp detail. I pulled my sword back in the sheath on my back and started out the door. I could see Nankai's hut from above mine, for a moment, I debated taking him with me. But he had his own issues as a leader of the Canyon. No, there was only one person I needed to call as I walked my motorcycle out to a place its engine wouldn't wake anyone.
Turning the volume down a bit on my PHS I then dialed that one person. Hoping that he would give me a moment to state my name before telling me off in ways that I didn't think any human could accomplish. "Sorry in advance Cid," I muttered, putting the PHS to my ear.
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