Recap: Cloud and the gang are rebuilding Niebelheim. While restoring the library, they come across Professor Gast's old journal, which covers cloning with Jenova cells. They realize Hojo is still alive, and that it was the Turks that sent them the journal in the first place. Scarlet and Hojo are attempting to re-launch Shinra, but before they do that, they intend to wipe out any resistance by way of a second "calamity from the sky." However, they are using a rocket to launch a manmade virus that only they have the cure for. The Turks are willing to do anything to stop them because of the biological altering they underwent as Turks. Without their regimen of shots, the drugs they took to block out painful memories have long since worn off. This is also the cause of Vincent's deep depression and feelings of guilt. Chapter three ended with Cloud and Reno agreeing to work together to put a stop to Neo-Shinra.
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Cloud and Reno came through the door. Everyone stared at the two, waiting for some answers.
Cloud coughed to clear his throat, noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room. "I'd suggest getting a little friendlier here, guys. Looks like we got some work to do…together."
Barret's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious, Strife!"
Cloud rubbed at his upper arm and turned to Reno. "You want to explain it?"
Reno quickly explained the situation to the group, as Elena and Rude stood by looking very uncomfortable.
Tifa shook her head. "This is awful." She shot a sideways glance at Vincent, wondering if he had been part of the emotional suppression program the Turks went through. "Will we be able to find a cure for you?" she asked Reno.
Reno shook his head. "Probably not."
"But maybe we could find the formula?" asked Yuffie. They all looked at Reno, but it was Vincent who spoke. "Best not to get any hopes up."
There was a long silence, and a lot of uncomfortable shifting. "Well," said Cloud, "We need to come up with a game plan and prioritize our objectives. I say we leave as soon as possible." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Where is Neo Shinra working out of?" asked Cloud.
"Back in Midgar," answered Reno. "Not far from the old building, ironically enough. Or maybe not so ironic." He shrugged.
Cloud paced the room, thinking out loud. "Alright. First things first, we need to get back there and take out this 'Jenova Encore' project. Then we'll deal with Hojo."
"Don't count out Scarlet," warned Elena. "She'll be in charge of security. We may have to deal with her before we can get to the other two."
Cloud nodded. "Okay, three objectives then." He counted off on his hand: "Me, Barett, Tifa, Vincent, Red, Yuffie, Cid, Reno, Rude, and Elena. That's ten of us. We should be able to split up for this. Reno, you, Rude and Elena take care of Scarlet. Vincent, you and Tifa find out all you can about the Jenova project and take it out, if possible. Barret, Red, Cid, Yuffie, and I will take on Hojo. I say we leave tomorrow morning."
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Reno's eyes were slightly narrowed, not quite used to being ordered around by a former enemy.
Just then, someone knocked harshly at the door. Tifa walked over and opened it slightly. "Reeve!" she exclaimed, as she opened the door wider, allowing him to enter.
"Reeve?" Reno gaped incredulously. He certainly looked nothing like he remembered him: scruffy, long haired, and unshaven – he was a mess.
"What…brings you here, Reeve?" asked Cloud.
"I have something you might be interested in, Cloud," Reeve said in an odd voice. He reached into the pocket of his shabby trousers and pulled out a glowing orb of materia. It was clearly a healing type of materia, but the shade of green was something none of the group had ever seen before. It was glowing with an eerie quality – it was the same as looking at a person with blue eyes, and then looking at someone like Cloud. The brilliance was shocking, and hard to overlook.
"What is that?" Cloud asked Reeve a bit cautiously.
"This is a new materia. It's called Refoveo. Let me show you what it does…" Reeve reached into an equally shabby leather pouch, and pulled out a small field mouse. With quickness that shocked everyone, he gave it a shake by the head, the mouse's neck breaking with a small crack.
"Reeve!" cried Yuffie. She made to stride over to where the heartless animal-abuser was, but Vincent caught her upper arm.
Reeve held the dead mouse in one hand, and the materia in his other. Closing his eyes, the same eerie green filled the room, and the mouse twitched. Once, twice, it opened its eyes, and as Reeve lowered the small animal to the floor, it scampered off.
Cloud gaped uncharacteristically at the demonstration he'd just seen. Possibilities flooded his mind.
"Aeris…" he said softly.
"What? Okay, no." Reno bodily shoved Cloud aside and stood in front of Reeve. "Just what are you doing here? Where did this materia come from? Why did you show up just now?"
"…I-I found it, Reno. I travel a lot. When I came across it by chance, it was so different I had to take it. Once I figured out what it was for, I thought you might be able to put it to better use than I could."
"I don't buy that for a second," Reno spat.
Reeve raised his hands defensively. "Reno…"
"Give me that materia." Cloud ordered in a low voice.
"Strife…don't," warned Reno. "It won't work. And besides, we have other things we need to do first!"
"It will work," Cloud said, in that same, low, still voice. "Reeve…"
Reno stepped in between Reeve and Cloud. "Think about it, Strife! Death is not curable! And isn't it a little fishy Reeve here just happened to wander over here, just now?"
"…It worked, you saw it."
"Strife…" Reno was clearly trying to remain calm. "Shinra worked on this kind of stuff for years. They made it as far as reviving small animals, but they never lived long –"
"It doesn't need to be for long," Cloud murmured.
Reno slapped Cloud hard on the face, a move that made the rest of the group jump and become even more agitated. "I'm trying to put this the nicest way I can, but it's obviously not getting through! Listen to me! I know you want to revive Aeris. It's completely understandable. But you have to realize that the mouse? It just died! Aeris has been dead over two years!"
Cloud stared at him, and Reno could almost feel the hatred aimed at him. "Besides the problem of how to find her body in the first place, she's…she has to be fully decomposed by now. There's no way that would ever work—"
Cloud hit Reno with all the strength he possessed. It sent Reno flying backwards into Reeve, and the two fell to the floor. In a flash, Cloud was on top of Reno, who had Reeve pinned underneath him and clawing at the floor to get away.
"Cloud!" Tifa ran over, and with the help of Vincent was able to pull Cloud off Reno. Rude did the same with Reno, pulling him up and holding an arm out in front of him. Reeve remained huddled on the floor, looking up wide-eyed back and forth between Reno and Cloud.
The two glared at each other, breathing heavily until Cloud wrenched his way from Tifa and Vincent's grasp. He bent over and picked up the new materia, snapping it into an empty slot on his armband. He walked to the door and reached out to grasp the doorknob, and suddenly paused. His back turned to the rest of them and his head bowed looking at the floor, he hesitated. Then without a word, he flung open the door and marched out.
Tifa ran out to the front stoop. "Cloud! Stop, you can't do this!" He made no indication that he had even heard her. Running to him, she grabbed his arm. "Cloud…listen to me. We all care about you. You can't go. Please, please…"
Cloud yanked his arm back and turned to her. His face softened a bit. "Tifa…I'll be back. I promise. But I have to do this. You don't understand…"
"But what about Neo-Shinra, Cloud? We have to do something about it! You can't just leave!"
"…I'm a mercenary, Tifa. I can leave whenever I want." Tifa's pleading face fell into a stony stare. "Are you listening to yourself? Cloud, you can't live in the past! I don't care if…" Cloud cut her off. "Stop it, Tifa. I can't stay."
Tifa was at a loss of what else to say. The two stood in the middle of Nibelheim, the twinkling stars dancing over the mountains just barely visible in the darkening sky. A gentle wind blew through the village, and crickets were beginning to chirp intermittently. It was by all accounts, a beautiful night.
Cloud took a deep breath and squeezed Tifa's hand. "Good-bye, Tifa." And with that, he walked away from her.
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Reno paced furiously inside as the others peered out the door, watching the exchange between Tifa and Cloud. Reno hit his palm into his hand with such force he actually winced. "What does that idiot think he's doing?"
Red looked up at Elena and raised his fluffy eyebrows at her. She bit her lip as she watched her boss stomp angrily around the room.
"I thought this would be crazy enough to work, not just crazy. I should have known that Jenova-infected freak wasn't stable enough for something like this!"
"That's enough," warned Vincent, turning from his view of Tifa, who was silently crying on her knees outside. "We still need to do this, with or without Cloud."
"You can do it without us!" snarled Reno. He stormed over to the door and looked at Rude and Elena. "We're going."
"Reno, don't do this. We can't do this alone," said Rude quietly.
"Oh, I don't believe this. Have you been watching what a nuthouse this place is?" cried Reno.
"Reno…he's right," said Elena in a small voice. For a minute, Reno looked as if he were about to blow up. Everyone braced themselves for the imminent explosion, but it never came. Reno swallowed hard, turned and walked off.
The group was falling apart quickly. Tifa remained outside, rubbing at her eyes with her fists. Reeve lay in a heap on the floor, looking frightened by what was going around him. Reno had disappeared from view, and the other two Turks were making jerky movements as if they were about to run after him, then thought better of it. Yuffie was stunned into an uncommon silence, Vincent was staring into the fireplace, looking as if he might be daydreaming about some totally unrelated scenario, and the rest of the group looked back and forth between each other, unsure of what to do.
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Update- I re-uploaded this chapter because all the formatting was screwed up. Sorry bout that!
A/N: Ok, I didn't get to Rude's sunglasses in this chapter, but it just didn't fit in. Definitely the next one.
Next chapter: "Visions" Cloud gets his wish, Cid gets an offer he can't refuse, and Reno's just as messed up as he thinks Cloud is.