"Where's Cloud?" Tseng demanded.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tifa blinks. She was in some sort of chamber in Junon. It had been a while since she had seen her childhood friend.
"He disappeared when we sent him after you lot. Where. Is. He?" The man was losing patience.
"I don't know! We last saw him in an abandoned lab! We offered him to come with us, but he decided to stay with the company!" She was getting scared now. She never considered the Turks scary. But right now Tseng was frightening.
He considered her words for a moment. A phone rings and he steps away to answer. He didn't have to glance at the name to know who it was.
"Yes, Mr. President?"
"She's telling the truth. Elena located the lab the girl was speaking of. It's the same one Reno and Rude got their asses handed to them by Avalanche."
"Did she find security cameras?" Tseng grew hopeful.
"She's logging into them now as we speak."
Tseng couldn't help but feel a swarm of pride towards Elena. He trained her well.
"What do you want me to do with the girl?" He asked.
"Dispose of her. I don't give a damn. Just come up here and help me find my brother."
"Understood, sir."
"Thank you for your cooperation. It is time for our meeting to come to an end." Tseng pressed a button and leaves. Tifa panics as gas began to leak and spread within the chamber.
Tseng quickly made his way over to the office Rufus and Elena were using. Standing guard outside were Rude and Reno. Both of them had grim expressions.
"Boss, will we find him?" Reno asked.
"That's what we're doing, aren't we?" He replied perhaps a little too sternly. Even so the redhead nods.
"Don't lose faith. We'll find him." Tseng softens up a little.
"Yeah. He's stubborn. He'll either find us or we find him." Rude nods.
"And raise hell on what's taking us so long." Reno snickers.
There's his boys. Tseng held back a smile and entered the office. Rufus was pacing back and forth with very little patience. Elena was somehow keeping her cool under the pressure and was typing away. Then the several monitor screens came to life with the security footage.
"Got in!" She exclaimed.
"Good. Now go back to the day Avalanche beat down the boys." Tseng instructed, going straight to business.
The footage changed, and the date and time was set on that specific day. Together they searched through all the corridors. Then they found one where Cloud came across Avalanche on his own. It was unfortunate that the cameras didn't have sound, but Tseng can easily guess that they did indeed offer Cloud to journey with them.
The blonde refused, and watched them go down their way. When Avalanche was out of sight he turned and tried to make his way back to Tseng. They followed through the cameras until a trap was sprung. And none other than Hojo steps forward.
"That slinky son of a bitch!" Rufus snaps.
"How many labs does he have?" Elena turns to her boss.
"It's unclear. This one wasn't known by us. But we can try to search through his research records for any clues." Tseng suggested.
"We don't have time to play guessing games!" The president yells.
"Calm yourself, sir."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"I am not ordering, I am suggesting. Take a moment to breathe. We all understand how much he means to you. He means a lot to us."
Rufus takes a moment to study the Turk. He breathed in and held it for a few seconds. When he exhales he was a bit more clear headed.
"Right. He's one of you." He recalled how Cloud turned down a position as director of either Weapons or Public Security.
"Rest assured, we will find him." Tseng returns his attention to help Elena.
Finding Cloud had become top priority.
xXx
Avalanche had escaped the grasp of ShinRa Power Company once again. This time they had the knowledge that Cloud was missing, too. So they began their own search.
What they didn't count on was that ShinRa Turks would be right on their trail to the same hidden laboratory. And leading the Turks was Rufus ShinRa himself.
"The hell he doing all this for? All for a suit?" Barret questions when he caught sight of the new president.
"They must really like Cloud!" Yuffie guessed.
"Enough for the president himself is here? That's a little... Bizarre, don't you think?" Tifa wonders, glancing at them all.
"I've heard rumors. He made an announcement naming his little brother as his heir." Vincent stated quietly. "Why else would he go to such great lengths to search for Cloud?"
"So you're saying that Cloud is... His brother?" Tifa caught on. "I don't really wanna believe that but - "
"Well then, we just gotta keep Cloud outta his grasp!"
"To what end will that do for us?" Red questions. "That will make them more mad."
"I dunno? It just gives me a reason to one up ShinRa."
"Or we can see if Cloud is our link to befriend ShinRa?" Aerith suggested casually.
"Are you insane!?"
"Look at all the changes he made. He got rid of his own people just to reshape the company. And I bet Cloud stayed to help that change." She explained in better detail.
"Tch. Don't mean shit. We're still charged for our crimes against the company."
"Not if Cloud helps us!" Aerith insisted.
"Huh... You really think he will have that much power over the president?"
"If he's going this far for Cloud, then yes."
"Then let's give it a whirl!"
"We have to find him first!"
The laboratory was a maze like most of the others. But having gone through two other laboratories before, the group were quick to find their way. Eventually they made their way to one of the holding cells. All but one held monsters inside.
"Cloud!" Aerith and Tifa call out.
He didn't move. Passed out sitting against the glass. Before they could close the gap between them and Cloud, the monsters in the other glass containers awoke. And in a matter of seconds glass shattered and monsters sprang forward.
When it was done and over with Barret was quick to aim his gun arm at the control panel. The glass door swung open, Aerith and Tifa were immediately at Cloud's side.
"His eyes are open!" Tifa exclaimed.
"But... Those are mako eyes. He's been poisoned." Aerith bit her lip.
