As Cloud continued to trek through the snowy mountains, he stayed close to Zack, helping him out in combat whenever random beasts decided to show up. After every beast was slain, Zack would grin at him, giving him a thumbs up for a job well done.
"Hey Spike! I knew you were the 2nd lieutenant and stuff, but you really know how to fight!" Zack exclaimed happily.
"Thanks," Cloud replied softly.
Eventually, the two made it to the edge of the cliffside.
"Phew…Let's wait a bit," Zack chuckled as he looked back. "Guess we must have gotten carried away with how fast we were moving."
Cloud looked back, seeing that Tseng was still walking at a slow, casual pace, along with the other Infantryman who was still a few steps behind him.
"He really must be enjoying the weather," Cloud thought. "Can't say the same for the other guy however…"
"So Cloud!"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"You enjoying your time in the Infantry?"
Cloud wasn't sure how to answer it out of the blue, but he could tell Zack wasn't doing it to gain anything. He just quietly seemed to be curious, wanting to make a conversation out of something while they waited.
"Oh, I guess it's going okay. It's a lot of responsibility, even for just a 2nd lieutenant."
"Well hey, I'm sure you deserve it!"
Cloud shrugged as he looked down at his feet. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."
"Cause it's true!" Zack cheered. "Also hey, come on let's go take a look already."
The two slowly crouched to the edge of the cliffside, looking down at the facility below them. They could see what looked like Infantrymen walking around, though their outfits were out of the normal requirements. Their shirts were red, along with the tips of their helmets being the same color. No doubt they were loyal followers of Genesis.
"That's a mako excavation test site," Tseng explained as he came up from behind.
"I'll go check it out," Zack stated as he stood up.
Tseng cleared his throat first, drawing the attention of both boys to look. "Our primary objective is to investigate Modeoheim. We can't afford to lose people here." At the same time, we can't ignore the activities of the Genesis Army. Therefore…" he trailed off as he looked at Zack, waiting for an answer.
"Infiltrate while avoiding combat, right?"
Tseng nodded. "Exactly. Now, there's an entrance at the back of that warehouse. Once you're inside the facility you can do as you like."
After Zack agreed, saying he was ready to prove that isn't all 'muscle and brawn'. Just before he headed out however, Tseng was quick to remind him, as well as Cloud and the other Infantryman about the freezing temperatures.
It was hard for Cloud not to smirk as Tseng reminded Zack to do whatever he could to keep his temperature from dropping.
"I wonder if Tseng can ever feel like he is freezing… There has to be some temperature… If he's only a demi-god, he can't be fully immune to the cold, right?" Cloud pondered.
He figured if he really wanted to know, he could always ask Tseng later on but for now he had to focus on the mission.
Zack then waved off the group, heading off first to sneak into the facility. Cloud and the other Infantryman would wait until Tseng gave other orders, but Cloud was starting to get increasingly impatient. Zack was down there all alone, and despite Zack being a good SOLDIER, it didn't sit right with Cloud to let him go on alone.
"You wish to go on ahead, Lieutenant Strife?"
"Oh um… Yeah," Cloud answered as he looked at Tseng.
"Very well, follow carefully just as Zack had, don't let yourself be seen. And use your skills wisely," Tseng replied.
Cloud nodded and quickly ran off to catch up with Zack. Using his speed, he ran as quickly as he could once he was inside the facility, trying to find which way Zack had gone. Thankfully it wasn't long before he found the right way, finding Zack confronting Genesis, along with Professor Hollander.
The man was about to make a run for it, but Cloud got there just in time to grab the man, restraining him as best as he could.
"Cloud!" Zack exclaimed, giving him a quick glance and smile. "Good work!"
Cloud nodded as he tried to keep his grip on Hollander, but the man was thrashing far too much. Cloud knew he could easily use his extra strength to keep him down, but before he could even try to reposition his hands, Hollander unexpectedly elbowed him in the face.
Gritting his teeth as Hollander slipped away, he watched as the professor instead chose to stand behind Zack.
"But… nobody knows where the Jenova cells are being kept! Not even Hojo knows. You'll never find it."
He wasn't too sure what he had missed in the conversation already, but Cloud could tell from Genesis's expression, he wasn't too happy with that answer.
"Then I shall willingly accept my fate. But, I'll take the world with me!"
Genesis then began to engage in combat with Zack while Hollander made another run for it. Cloud found himself torn, knowing that he probably should run after him, but he hated leaving Zack. He knew that he could easily help take on Genesis, but before he could even make a decision of his own, Zack told him to go run after Hollander.
He chased the man all the way out of the facility, and across the area into what seemed to be an abandoned bathhouse. He would have kept on running after the guy if he hadn't seen Tseng approaching with the other Infantryman.
"We'll go together," Tseng said. "We must capture Hollander at all costs."
The three ran in the area, expecting the place to be completely abandoned, but there were beasts in there. They were rather strong too, coming up to attack without warning. Cloud kept his guard up as he tried his hardest to keep the beasts back, but even with all of his training, he had never faced creatures like these before.
He had half the thought to tap into his powers and send a wave of electricity towards them, but there was still that other Infantryman. Even Tseng wasn't using any of his demi-god powers, so Cloud knew he had to restrain himself for now.
But before long more of the beasts started showing, more than the three of them could take on.
Right before Cloud's eyes he witnessed one of the beasts pounce onto the other Infantryman, digging its claws in deeply. The screams let out by the young man caused Cloud to come to a full halt in his own battle.
Quickly turning his attention towards the other, he tried to run as fast as he could, firing off his gun at the monster. He was able to shoot it off, causing it to collapse and crumble off to the side, but the Infantryman was still injured.
"Hey, you okay?" Cloud asked softly as he tried to pull out a potion.
"I… Been better," he answered weakly as he shut his eyes.
"Cloud!"
Cloud turned around just in time to see two more monsters barreling towards him. Without even having time to ready his gun or baton, he reached his hand out and created a large gust of wind.
The beasts screeched as they tumbled back against the wall, laying there stunned and dazed. Tseng was quickly able to run over to them after that and give the final blows.
Now that the beasts were taken care of, he turned his attention back to the other Infantryman. He was unconscious now, but Cloud could see that he was still faintly breathing. It gave him relief he started pouring the contents of the potion over the wounds.
"That was smart thinking," Tseng said as he walked over.
"I just… I didn't mean to do it. But I know it was risky…"
"It was," Tseng replied. "But it made the difference between life and death. I'm sure if your friend had been awake to see it, he would have appreciated it."
"But what if he told others? I thought you said I need to be careful with my…" he trailed off, shaking his head.
"I know what I said, but when it comes to protecting others and yourself, sometimes those risks have to be taken."
"But now what? The potion only did so much…"
Tseng crossed his arms. "We'll have to get him out of here… Though we are still waiting for a backup helicopter to arrive. It may be some time."
Cloud sighed. "Right… makes sense."
"But I must say, getting to see a faction of your powers was intriguing."
Shrugging, Cloud picked up the Infantryman and brought him over to a wall. He sat him down gently before sitting down next to him. "Just was some wind, nothing 't you do anything like that?"
It was something Cloud had thought about for a little while ever since he learned the truth about Tseng. His mother, Shiva, was the ice goddess. And while the cold and ice was a given for powers Tseng had, Cloud wondered if any part of it included icy, cold winds.
Tseng managed a small smile. "Yes, you would be right about that. But, I suppose my main reason for finding interest is still the fact that you are the only other demi-god that I know."
"Guess you have a point," Cloud replied. Now with that thought on his mind, he found himself curious to see more of Tseng's powers in action. Perhaps it would have to be for another time, but he certainly wouldn't forget to ask.
Before anything more could be said, a new screech was heard from further into the bathhouse. Cloud jumped to his feet as Tseng ran towards the door to investigate.
Suddenly, a golden and silver creature with large white wings barrelled through. Both Tseng and Cloud barely had any time to react before they were both knocked over from the force of it. Whatever this creature was, it wasn't like the rest. This one was bigger and much stronger.
Cloud hit the ground hard upon impact, his head spinning and throbbing. Still, tried to get back ready to fight against this new creature. But just as he was finally able to stand back up the creature knock him down again with a powerful blow, this time having his head hit the ground hard, leading him to completely black out.
When Cloud started to come too, he heard Zack calling his name.
"Cloud! Can you hear me buddy?"
"Ugh…" he groaned as he tried to push himself up.
"Cloud! Talk to me!"
"I… I hear you," he mumbled. "What happened to that creature…?"
He tried to stand, but his legs felt a little stiff, causing him to fall backwards onto his butt. He sighed as he rubbed the side of his head, looking up at Zack's concerned face.
"You mean the Angeal monster? I took care of that. But are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Cloud said, knowing he wasn't in any true pain. It was only the headache from hitting his head that was persisting. "But Tseng… He's…"
"Tseng?!" Zack shouted as he ran over towards the doorway.
Cloud could see now that Tseng was slumped up against it. He didn't look physically hurt either, but Cloud figured that creature had surprised the both of them more than they would have liked.
As Cloud got up to his feet, he walked over to the other two. "Down that way… You have to catch Hollander. Angeal… is waiting for you."
"Huh… he must have seen something while I got knocked out…" Cloud thought as he stood next to the other two.
"Right, I'll go. You guys stay here, okay?" Zack said as he stood back up.
"But Zack," Cloud started, but Zack just shook his head.
"Nah, you need to recover. I got this."
Before Cloud could even say another word, Zack went running on ahead. Cloud shook his head, letting out a long sigh. Zack was strong, he knew that much, but he didn't like him running off on his own.
Cloud had half the thought to run after him, but he also wanted to respect Zack's choice and stay back. His head was still throbbing a little anyways. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he just sat down to rest a little, keeping an eye on Tseng and the other Infantryman.
The long wait is over! I am back with a new chapter and I hope you all enjoyed! Sorry it took a while, but I think I finally overcame the writer's block!
