Chapter 3

[Part 7]

They were sitting in a booth by the window where Cloud could keep an eye on the mechanic's work. The table was made of wood slopped in spilled sodas and greasy food. The chair wasn't comfortable either. Cloud shifted in his seat that was too lumpy for comfort. He eyed the old man who was sipping his coffee while warming his hands on the cup.

"Who are you?" The old man looked up from the thin fog of warmth coming from the foam cup.

"That's what I was about to ask you," Cid said. "But it seems like there's something wrong."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

"You're Cloud. We know that. Even you said it was true," he paused to take a sip of coffee. "But what I don't understand is how you don't fit in with the whole Cloud role. Like how come you've never been here, or how do you not know who I am..."

"I am Cloud. But not the Cloud you're talking about," Cloud drunk his hot chocolate watching the mechanic fill the motorcycle with new oil through the windows of the garage.

"Is that so...?"

"Look, I don't know what's going on, but I was told that something happened here," Cloud explained agitated. "Something involving some girl named...Edea Matron." Cid dropped his cup splattering the contents of his coffee atop the wooden table. He cleared his throat from choking on the coffee turning red from coughing.
"Are you...ok?" Cid regained his composure wiping his lips with his old handkerchief.
"Edea Matron!" he spat. "And you said you're not Cloud!"
"Do I... know her?"
"Edea Matron?" he yelled. "Of course you know her! And if you know her than that means you are Cloud!" Cloud sat in silence.

The cashier came over to the booth. "Everything ok here?" Cid nodded at the man with a scolding look on his face. "This ain't no social club, it's a business, so either shut your traps or get outta my station." He eyed them once more after hearing the door ring with an incoming customer, which he then walked away to attend.

"There's no way...you can't know who I am..." was all Cloud could breath out.

"Do you even know who you are?" Cid looked straight at him. The mechanic was now working on the engine. He seemed to be having a bit of difficulty with fixing it.

"I'm... I'm going to help..." Cloud pointed to Vincent. He had some trouble breathing and he really needed some air. "I'll be back."

"Wait! But we're not— The ringing bell of the front door where Cloud stormed out quieted Cid. He watched the teen walk towards the mechanic. He could see the teenager's forehead crinkle with troubles. "Who are you Cloud?"

[Part 8]

So it's true, Cloud thought to himself. I'm connected to Trion... to Edea Matron... but how? Cloud opened the smudged glass door into the garage where Vincent was working on his Black Ninja XRV. He didn't seem to have much trouble with it as he worked idly with his wrench.

"Sup. How's she doing?"

Vincent looked up and smiled. "She's better. You've got a fine piece of work here."

"Yeah."

Vincent glanced at Cloud who was staring at the gas station's diner where an old man sat. He was drinking a new cup of coffee and watching a football game on the small television screen in the corner of the register's ceiling. The cashier cheered loudly. "Must be a touchdown. He's rooting for the Besaid Aurochs this year. Been making a whole lot of money for it." Cloud didn't reply. He just stared off into space lost in his thoughts. "Uh, is something wrong?"

Finally he snapped back to reality. "What? Oh..." he sighed heavily rubbing his temples. "You got any aspirin? This headache's killing me."

"Oh yeah, it's over there by the binders. You see that white bottle?" Cloud walked over to a counter cluttered with paperwork and binders filled with multicolored paper stuffed into its rings. "Just a headache?" he laughed. "I thought something was up with you for a sec there."

"There is actually." Vincent stopped turning the wrench and wiped the beads of sweat forming above his brow. "Sorry man, what's going on?"

"Would you think I'm crazy...if I said I'm connected to this city, but I don't even know why?" Cloud looked at Vincent who was puzzled.

"Dude, you do not make any sense," he friendly joked.

Cloud laughed half-heartedly. "It's just that... yesterday, I was living this whole life not knowing what truly happened half of it." Vincent had finished repairing the engine and was listening fully now. "Seventeen years, I had no idea... and now I'm here."

"Where'd you come from?"

"I live, or used to live, in the Galbadia military camp. I'd been training ever since my father signed me up for it."

"Galbadia! Good lord," Vincent hollered. "You came a long way man! What's the deal? Why'd you come to Trion?"

"A letter," Cloud replied. "There's something going on here, and somehow it's connected to me, but I haven't found much. I just got here a few hours ago when my bike was breaking down. I ended up meeting this homeless family."

"You talking about Sir Stalk A Lot?" he chuckled at Cid who sat at the booth by himself. A child was bothering him while his mother paid for gas.

"He stalked you too?" Cloud shook his head. "I wish I could say he was just some crazy fool, but I can't. He knows me, he knows who I am, and why I'm here."

"Maybe you're from here," Cloud looked at Vincent who was cleansing his hand in a small sink next to the counter. Drying off his hands, he said, "Well, it makes sense. You don't seem to know about your past life, maybe you were from around here. Did someone you use to know send that letter from Trion?"

"No, I'm not from here, that'd be impossible. And it...wasn't signed. So I don't know who could've sent it, but they said something about Trion and some girl," Cloud leaned against a pole putting his hands in his pockets. It was chilly in the garage for it wasn't sealed completely shut and there was no heater to heat the place up.

"Oh, girl?" Vincent's eyebrows shot up. "I see, so some childhood sweetheart found you and wanted you to come here..."

"Yeah right, I wish," he said sadly.

"How's a good looking dude like you not have a girl yet?"

"I got my reasons," he told him.

"Tough guy, go figure, it's your attitude man!" Vincent said. "I mean you're cool and all, but you got this atmosphere thing going on around you." Cloud looked at him skeptically. "Yeah, well Cid's got his hands full with women."

"Cid?" Cloud asked.

"The hopeless homeless oldie over there," he pointed to Cid waiting. "He's got his wife to look after, but he's still searching for his sis."

"Who cares? She probably ran away from his psychotic illness."

"Yeah, well, from what I hear, she's been missing for six months and there's no trace of her," Vincent sat on a stool when Cloud suddenly gasped. "What now?"

"No way..." Cloud dug through his pockets and pulled out the letter. "...Six months..." He froze within his thoughts. "Did you say six months...?"

"Yes, do you know his sister by any chance?"

"I'm not—

"Jesus, we're being robbed!" Vincent ran towards the window pressing his hands against the glass as he looked at the station's register. Cloud saw Cid standing with his hands behind his head. Fear crossed the cashier's face. Cloud would've smiled if Cid weren't in there with the ruthless cashier. "There goes my next paycheck."

"Let's go," Cloud walked to the door.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Happens all the time." Vincent stood there and watched as four people robbed the gas station's diner.

"Do they kill?"

"Only if you go against them."

"Perfect." Cloud walked out of the garage and slyly walked crouched down towards the diner. He could hear Vincent crying out for him to stop faintly, but ignored it. Cid was his only connection, aside from his family, and he needed him alive. The gas station was deserted. There was still one car parked next to one of the gas pumps, but whomever it belongs to was probably held hostage in the diner also. Vincent stayed behind watching Cloud's every move, but didn't budge to help.

Cloud reached the gas station's diner and leaned back against the cement walls. The sharp texture carved his skin as he made his way to the diner's entrance. He bent down low to avoid being seen through the windows. He leaned between a coke stand and an ice refrigerator as he swiftly peeked inside. He sat as he skillfully devised a plan of action quickly in his mind. Each robber that stood inside the diner was dressed in black with a red wolf painted on a piece of white cloth tied onto one of their arms. Must be a gang, Cloud thought. He took a short glance once more. One was a woman that held the sobbing cashier at gunpoint with a rifle as he watched a man with brass knuckles empty out his register. Another man with long knives attended Cid while the last that had an electric shocker kept watch over a couple that laid flat on the ground. A shooter, a shocker, a carver, and, of course, the idiot, Cloud smirked. "This should be easy." He inched towards the door unbuttoning the leather strap that held in his gun around his ankle. He stuffed it into his pocket opposite from his dagger as he made his way passed the door. He made sure he was seen.

[Part 9]

"Irvine!" cried the woman. "Someone's out there!" She looked panicked at Irvine, the man with the brass knuckles.

"Shut up, bitch," he spat at her. "Don't be looking anywhere else but at this mother fucker." He yanked the cashier's hair and smashed his head against the edge of the counter breaking skin. Blood poured from the wound as he wept. "Ah quit your goddamn whining bozo, we'll be way out of here before you can call your mommy." Putting the torments on hold, Irvine continued clearing the register.

"But Irvine, I swear—

"I said shut up!" Irvine stepped over the cashier to the woman. He grasped her by the neck and shoved her until her back slammed onto the wall. "One more word out of you, you fucking little whore, I'll beat your damn brains out!"

He barely let out the last word when the lights were turned off. Everyone panicked, except Cid, who took the opportunity to run to the door and escape. The door had been locked, slowing him down as he struggled to find the lock. "Ugh!" he cried as someone skit his arm. The man dragged Cid back to the booth he sat at earlier with Cloud and parked him down. He held the knife at his throat tight enough so that one little move would tear the skin of his throat.

"Shit!" Irvine let go of the woman's neck. "Well? What are you waiting for, damn it! Go check it out!"

"Me? I can't Irvine!" she gripped her rifle close to her.

Irvine stepped towards the woman. "Selphie, either you get your whiny ass out there right now or you go down with this fool." He said towards the dark figure squirming on the ground. "Now go!"

Selphie hesitated when Irvine was about to slap her. She ran towards the door unlocking it before she stepped out into the wintry cold. Meanwhile, Cloud peered from behind a wall and saw Vincent sneak around the back alley of the diner as Selphie made her way out the door. Being that the power was out, not even Cloud could see who walked in the shadows. Shivers ran down her spine as she placed her finger on the trigger of her rifle. She stepped softly crunching the dead leaves whirling in small tornadoes on the ground. She held her rifle up as she stepped quietly. She wasn't sure what was louder, her heart beating, or her crying. She turned to see whether she had backup, but the others were safely inside.

Cloud waited by the power box where the switch for the lights and all electric appliances was turned off. He looked around the wall again as he saw a shadow cast its way down in his direction. He placed his hand on his gun when he saw it was a woman. He let go of his gun when he decided to go with the dagger instead. Selphie stepped forward slowly. "Ah!" she screamed when something grazed her shoulder. She turned to see that it was only a leaf falling from the gutter of the diner. Her heart was racing at an immense rate, she breathed hard to get control of herself. Suddenly something else touched her arm. It was Cloud.

He took the rifle and disarmed it in seconds throwing the parts over the ground while launching the bullets into a nearby trash dump. A clinging sound rung as the bullets hit the metal sides causing Selphie to cover her ears in fright. Cloud watched her carefully with furrowed brows. Giving her a baffled, but cautious, look, he turned at the sound of a snapping twig where Vincent was slowly walking from.

"Please! Don't hurt me, please," she pleaded through her hiccups with eyes telling no lies. She was scared to death. Cloud covered her mouth with his hand to quiet her.

Grasping the white cloth tied around her arm, he ripped it off and threw it out of sight when he whispered, "You're a victim, understand?" He nudged his chin over her shoulder at Vincent's approaching figure. Understanding his lead, she nodded.

Vincent came and turned on a flashlight, pointing it to the pair. "Hey, you ok man?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied.

He looked back at the young woman, which Vincent shifted his flashlight to. He noticed the bruising on her flushed cheeks. "Aw man, are you all right, Miss?" he asked dumbfound and worriedly.

Selphie opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She looked at the teenager for assistance, and he told him, "Vincent, watch her. You stay quiet." She nodded at Cloud who slipped out his dagger. He hadn't needed it earlier as he thought he would, but now it may not be enough.