Cloud glared at his captors. He was being lead by two on either side, one behind and one in front. They passed huge cages. Cages meant for animals.
But they placed Soldiers inside.
Some men were pacing. Others were praying. Some tried to offer supportive smiles his way. Cloud felt his stomach turn when he saw those.
Cloud was shoved into an empty one. He tried to race to make it before the cage door closed. It shut and Cloud gripped the bars tightly.
"What the hell are you going to do to us!?" He demanded.
His outburst earned him laughs. Cloud wished he hadn't been so stupid as dropping First Tsurugi when he was being abducted. Then again these people would have claimed it as their own.
The blond began pacing. It was after dawn that he finally sat down. He refused to lay down. That made him vulnerable. Instead he leaned against a corner of the cage to rest.
He awoke to talking.
Cloud couldn't understand the language. He opened his eyes to see two people being lead around. One of them was in a lab coat.
He felt his heart jump at the sight. What's a lab coat doing here?
They went around every cage. Inspecting each Soldier. Some cowered away. Others tried to charge, but the bars prevented them from doing any harm. A few demanded to know what was going on.
Cloud warily approached.
He dared not get too close to the bars. Just enough to get a better look.
Who were these people?
The lab coat was a woman. She had some Wutai origins, but she towered over most of the others. For the most part she seemed uninterested with the Soldiers.
The other person not matching the black uniform was most likely her assistant. He was full Wutainese. He seemed rather young, maybe in his twenties in comparison to her in the thirties.
When they approached his cage Cloud tensed. He wanted to back away. But his eyes met the young man's and he stopped. They held a sadness in them. So deep he could almost feel for the man.
"Oh? This is the blond in the news a few times. Supposedly he's the general's pet." She smirked, eyes lighting up.
Cloud glared, but didn't respond verbally.
"He's got spirit. It's no wonder he became an interest to them." The young man commented.
She began speaking in Wutainese. Cloud glanced between all of them, unsure what was happening. He didn't like this one bit.
Then they turned away from him.
All of them but the young man.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"Senna!" The woman called out for him.
He hurried to follow her. Cloud blinked, wondering what that was about. He returned to his corner.
He next awoke to screams.
Cloud was immediately alert. He and several others had fallen asleep apparently. He and his neighbors glanced around to find the source.
Someone across from him pointed to the right before going further in his cage for a better view. Seconds later the screaming turned into roars. The one who went to have a better look ran away from the sound, near crying.
"What happened?" Cloud asked.
"They turned him into a monster!"
Horror seized them all.
The monsters sent at the front lines were their own men.
Cloud ran back to his corner as more screams filled the air. Yells of hatred, some begged, others simply cried out that this was their fates.
One by one an entire row turned into monsters.
They weren't taken away until the next day. No one touched their food that night. The food spoiled the next morning. And as the monsters were being lead away, the woman in the lab coat yelled at them.
"This is the thanks I get for providing you all food!? The audacity! I'm showing you our best hospitality and you all just turn it down like we're the monsters? Filthy animals you lot!"
Her words spurred anger. Cloud stayed in his corner shaking. He tried imagining Sephiroth.
"Enough! Perhaps more of you should become monsters then!" She decided.
More of them did become monsters.
Cloud dreaded when they passed his cage. But they ignored him. He watched them confused.
"Hey! You passed the guy next to me! What the hell!" The Soldier next to him noticed as well.
"We've got something special for him." The woman in the lap coat smirked.
Cloud felt his heart sink. He tried imagining good things with Sephiroth as he heard the screams turn into roars. It wasn't working very well so he curled up in his corner, hands over his ears.
At some point he was the only one left.
He realized this on night when someone visited him at the back of the cage.
"Hey. Don't be alarmed. I want to be a friend." A voice spoke in a soothing manner.
Cloud whirled to see Senna. He stared, but didn't reply. Why would this man help?
"Look, I know, we're the worst for doing what we do. I only wanted to become her assistant out of honor with her ability to turn the tide of the war. I tried to speak about her methods, but the higher ups don't care since the men she's using aren't ours."
"...Why help me?" He asked.
"What she has planned for you, it goes too far. But she and others are fighting over what to do with you. Use you to bargain, or use you to hurt the Demon."
The Demon of Wutai being Sephiroth.
"I can't help you escape tonight. I need some sort of distraction in order to do so. Be patient, I will figure something out soon. And please, please try to eat to reserve your strength. When I get you out I can't ensure it will go smoothly."
Cloud couldn't follow through with this advice after Senna left. He would stare at the food and his stomach wouldn't find anything appealing. All he could think about were those screams. The roars.
Nearly the end of two weeks and just when Cloud was beginning to lose hope, one night changed everything. Explosions hit the main courtyard of this place. Cloud and the other prisoners were alert and hopeful.
Senna rushed, opening the locks of the monsters first to go after the others outside their hold. When the coast was clear Senna began to unlock the rest in a rush.
The Soldiers gathered behind Cloud. He was the only one they knew a familiar face. And he was usually constantly by Sephiroth's side. So they saw him as a face of comfort.
"Come! I'll lead you to the vehicles! I don't know who it is that's dropping fire everywhere, we can't locate anyone on the ground around us." Senna rushed for them to follow.
"Should we trust him?" Someone asked.
"We follow. I think he's genuinely trying to help." Cloud assured them.
So they ran in the cover of darkness. Their enhanced eyes managed to follow Senna despite his black outfit. They came to an array of vehicles. Soldiers climbed into a large van meant for large transport.
"Come with us." Cloud grabbed Senna's wrist.
"But - " He grew hesitant.
"You will make a better impact if you come. I know some important people, they can protect you." The blond promised.
"...You sure?"
"You have my word that you will be safe." Cloud assured.
Suddenly someone landed beside them. They both turned and gasped.
"Commander Genesis?" And with his wing.
"Take this and ride that dirt bike. Soon as they notice that we're escaping, they will give chase." He handed over his sword.
"But sir - " Cloud accepted the very flashy sword.
"That's an order, Strife." The wing retracted and he climbed into the driver's seat.
Cloud urged Senna to take the passenger, who did so while biting his lip.
"By the way, all of you swear you didn't see that." Genesis warned with a tone.
"Yes, Sir!" A bunch of voices answered in unison.
The engine started. Cloud climbed onto the dirt bike and turned the key. While this thing wasn't like the bikes Shinra had, or Fenrir for that matter, it was better than nothing. He placed the sword on his back as he raced after the van.
Soon the enemy caught on and tried to race after. Most were on dirt bikes. Cloud cut them all down with ease. Once he finished off the last one with a Spinning Strike, cheers erupted from the van.
Cloud felt dizzy.
The bike wobbled. Then he straightened out. He noticed a worried look from Genesis.
"He refused to eat." He heard Senna explain.
"I can see that. He's lost weight." Genesis frowned.
Cloud struggled to stay awake the whole night as Genesis guided them back to their camp. Just after the dawn breached the skies did they finally see the familiar tents. The men in the van cheered again.
Excited the blond raced forward so he was in front of the van. This way the sentries saw his hair and uniform. And hopefully the well known rapier on his back. The glass windows of the van were tinted. So he worried they would open fire.
Sephiroth was in a meeting with Angeal, Tseng, and Director Lazard. The director was talking to them through a computer, all the while maps are laid out everywhere.
Time was running out for Genesis. So they began their own search from what they knew the immediate layouts of the enemy territory.
Suddenly Zack barged in.
"Hey! There's some vehicles heading this way! The sentries are saying they identified Cloud!" He relayed excitedly before rushing back, presumably to go watch.
"Meeting adjourned." Sephiroth immediately followed the lieutenant's lead.
Angeal and Tseng weren't far behind him.
Sephiroth gave them no attention. He was too focused following the excitement. Just as he reached the outskirts, people made way. A dirt bike raced into the camp before pulling to a stop. A van skidded to avoid hitting anyone.
Sephiroth stared.
Cloud had lost weight. He seemed haggard. Stress lines on his face. His cheeks were hollowed out. He handed back the rapier to its original owner, who climbed out of the driver seat of the van.
Sephiroth approached as everyone cheered. Cloud saw him. Soon as their eyes met they rushed at the same instance. Together they embraced tightly.
Cloud cried in his arms. His body relaxing to feel Sephiroth hold him. Finally he could put the hell he endured behind him. Zack approached but hung back, allowing them their moment.
"Hey! He's the enemy!" Someone panicked at the sight of Senna.
"Wait! He's a friend!" Cloud pulled away. He quickly wiped away his tears.
"He risked his life to help us escape!" He explained further.
"He did. I bombed them with Firaga from a distance as a distraction. By the time I made my way to where they had the prisoners, they were already gone. I followed their tracks to find this man had lead them to the vehicles." Genesis added.
"Then we welcome you, friend. May I escort you to where you'll be staying?" Tseng approached.
"You...you're Wutainese?" Senna stared.
"To an extent. I grew up in Midgar before the war. I rose among the ranks of Shinra. Now I'm head of the Turks. Think of them like your Shadows." Tseng explained, hoping to put Senna at ease.
"He won't be a prisoner right?" Cloud asked.
"No. I might recruit him. But we shall see after we learn what he knows." The Turk assured with a smile.
He lead the way, and Senna followed him.
When they left Zack pulled Cloud in for a hug. Angeal approached Genesis with a smile.
"You were cutting it close there, Gen." He was proud.
"Took a while to find and scope out the place. Then I caught sight of blond hair. It's a good thing you stick out, Strife." Genesis commented, earning a blush.
"I'm not that striking." Cloud pouted.
"Spike, you're a human chocobo in a sea of people. You stand out." Zack chuckled when he let him go.
"Come, you must be starving." Sephiroth finally addressed him.
"If it's all right with you, I'm exhausted more than hungry. Sir." Cloud wanted to sleep.
"You'll eat before you rest. I was informed you didn't eat at all the entire time you were there." Genesis stared with a hard expression.
"Cloud, come eat." That was the closest the general would openly say please.
The blond sighed, running a hand through his spikes. Then he followed Sephiroth's lead. Together they made their way to their tent. Zack debated whether to follow. He really missed his friend.
"Allow them a moment, puppy." Angeal advised, reading him like an open book.
"It's not fair." Zack complained, but gave in anyway.
"You've seen how stressed Sephiroth is without him. And it looks like Cloud went through hell, too."
Zack recalled how much meaner Sephiroth was with Cloud gone. He snapped orders like everyone was disobeying him. He even kept a distance from Angeal and Zack. Refusing to talk when either approached him for support.
"Yeah. I know." Zack sighed.
He just hoped that Cloud will be all right.