Cloud Strife was having a terrible day. It had started out bad, sure, what with being attacked by Sephiroth's Remnants, but somehow it had continued to go downhill. Sephiroth had managed to return for a third time using what was left of Jenova and Kadaj's body and though he wasn't at full strength, he had still put up a hell of a fight, skewering Cloud and doing his damnedest to kill him . Cloud still ached from his relentless assault, and he was further exhausted from the pain of the Geostigma that had made a home in his body. Even though Aerith's spring had cured him of the cancerous illness, he would still need time to mentally recover from the parasite and the battle. Unfortunately, it seemed he would never have a break, because as soon as he had watched Kadaj dissolve back into the Lifestream, Yazoo had shot him in the back. He was sure he was dead.
Until he woke up.
The voice had echoed in his consciousness, disturbing his peaceful slumber. He groaned, willing it to go away and leave him in peace. The voice continued after a beat, and he groaned again, this time in pain as he slowly regained feeling in his body. Everything hurt. His foot, torso, arms, face, and especially his chest. The voice kept talking, and he wished with all his might it would just leave him be.
It continued speaking.
He grit his teeth and blearily opened his eyes. He was greeted with the blurry outline of a person. He squinted as he struggled to understand what the figure was saying. His throat protested with soreness and pain as he asked softly, "Who are you?"
"My name is Agent Coulson. You are on Earth. Do you know where that is?"
Earth? He had never heard of such a place, and he had been everywhere on Gaia. Perhaps this was a dream, or with his luck, a hallucination before death. Cloud grunted softly as he managed to get his hands under him.
Here I go.
He pushed upwards with his remaining strength, but fell back to the ground as his feet slipped out from under him.
Come on, get up.
He tried again with more success, stumbling upright onto his feet. He felt the smallest bit embarrassed about showing such weakness in front of a stranger, but consoled himself with the fact he would never have to see this guy again. He blinked, trying to clear his thoughts, tiredly turning to face Agent Coulson as he asked suspiciously, "And if I don't?"
Agent Coulson's brows rose. "Well, then I suppose we'll have to get you acquainted."
Cloud assumed that meant the guy expected him to stay.
Not a chance. He wanted to go home and sleep. "Not interested." He said dryly.
Cloud started to drag his tired body towards the endless desert in front of him. He considered staying, if only to ask for medical aid, but decided against it. Medical aid wouldn't help him much in a dream, or hallucination, and even if he truly was in a strange new land, he wanted to scope the world out himself first. Besides, he wasn't bleeding anymore. In fact, all of his aches seemed to be phantom pains, because the hole in his foot that was most definitely there before he lost consciousness was now gone, and most notably, the gunshot wound in his chest had disappeared. Healed. That meant he probably truly was hallucinating. He sighed. He was way too exhausted for this.
He was alerted by the sound of helicopters. Shinra? He only barely stopped himself from turning around to see them. Well, this was a desert. Perhaps he was in the Midgar wastelands? A pang went through him as he thought of Zack. Why was Shinra here? Why were they sending helicopters? So many questions, so little energy.
Agent Coulson cleared his throat behind him. . "As I said, my name is Agent Coulson. I am a member of the Defense branch S.H.I.E.L.D., otherwise known as the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. We investigate strange occurrences around the world. You're are a strange occurrence. You are henceforth under the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D. Please desist from resisting custody."
Cloud knitted his brows. That was definitely a Shinra thing to say. He had never heard of S.H.I.E.L.D., but perhaps they used to be under Heidegger or Scarlet and now carried on their own operation under Shinra. But investigating strange occurrences... he didn't like that. If Rufus thought he could use Cloud's current state to apprehend or hire him, he was sorely mistaken. "I'm leaving. If you think this is going to get me to join Shinra, you're wrong. Tell Rufus to leave me alone." He turned back to the desert and continued trudging through the dirt.
Cloud's mako-enhanced senses could detect noises for miles. He almost turned pale when he heard Coulson mutter, "We've got a runner. Coordinates 31.8150° N, 106.5969° W. Blond hair, black clothes. Tranquilize on sight."
What in the world was going on? Rufus planned to tranquilize him? Cloud spun around and glared, ignoring the helicopters that were getting much to close. He ran at Coulson, but didn't remove his sword. One good punch was all he would need. Coulson dropped into a sloppy fighting stance, but Cloud was faster and stronger. He sank his fist into Coulson's stomach, but was careful not to fatally injure him. "I will not go back to Shinra. Tell Rufus to mosey on along." He murmured. He backed away as Coulson dropped and curled into the fetal position. He took a few steps backwards and spotted the black specks that had to be helicopters in the distance. He closed his eyes and breathed for a few moments. Outrun helicopters? He felt sick when he thought about the last time this had happened. Zack, This time will be different, I swear.
He swallowed the acidic bile in his throat and started running in the opposite direction from Coulson, looking for cover as his feet sank into the sandy ground with every step. There was pitifully little cover in the barren desert of the Midgar wasteland. Thankfully, the sun was starting to set, which would at least give him the cover of night. He cursed his bright spiky hair, not for the first time.
There. He spotted a rocky outcropping on a somewhat distant cliff side. He raced towards it, pumping his legs and arms, sweating as the last rays of the sun sank beneath the horizon. It would get cold quickly, being out in the desert at night, but the cave would do. He was sure he had a fire materia on him to warm up. The sound of helicopters behind him grew ridiculously loud. They had to be right behind him. Shit.
He spun around to face the helicopters, drawing his sword. People would get hurt, but if they were working for Shinra... What if they aren't? What if you're just being paranoid? A voice at the back of his head asked. More blood on his hands. Regardless, nobody was going to be taking him in for an "investigation". Four years in the Nibelheim Manor's basement was more than enough for him. The helicopters began firing rounds. Cloud danced around them, eyes widening slightly as he saw the small vials attached to some of them. A bullet and tranquilizer combination? He'd have to be fast.
He leaped into the air, meeting the shocked gaze of the pilots, and swung his sword up and to the side, slicing off a few wings from the propeller. It chopped through the metal like it was butter. As Cloud landed back on the ground, the helicopter veered to the side. By the some miracle, the helicopter landed on its side but didn't catch fire. The pilots and one or two passengers scrambled out from the wreck, allowing Cloud a sigh of relief. No casualties. Yet. Another helicopter replaced the first, and Cloud gave it the same treatment. This time he swung downwards and to the side. When this one crashed, it caught fire. The pilots managed to escape, but Cloud had no idea about the passengers, if there were any. He swallowed as a third helicopter approached, leaping up to meet it. However, this one knew his tricks, and managed to veer away from his strike. While he fell back down, Cloud swung up with First Tsurugi and wedged the blade into the underside of the helicopter, most likely between the pilots. A few blood droplets crawled down the blade. Or maybe into the pilots. He used his momentum to swing his body back and forth like a pendulum. The helicopter swung with him. Cloud performed a back bend on the underside of the helicopter, planting his feet towards the front and pulling out his sword, swinging it back around to the nose of the helicopter and through the engine. He pulled his blade free and flipped back down to earth as the helicopter careened sideways. He was breathing a little heavily, but was otherwise fine. He watched the third helicopter go up in a blaze, smoke pouring out as somebody desperately pounded on the upright door. He tried to turn away and steel himself for the fourth, but he could hear their desperate cries as they tried to free themselves. His eyes darted back towards the wreck. They didn't deserve this. He wasn't even sure they were working for Shinra. He knew nothing about these people. He couldn't stand here and let them die. Besides, even if they were Shinra, the were definitely not Turks, and would most likely be harmless once they were out of the helicopter. Cloud sucked in a breath through his teeth, calming his fight-or-flight instincts, and sheathed his sword.
He raced towards the flaming wreck, bracing himself for the heat. He jumped on top of the toppled vehicle and crouched down to pull open the door. He was completely open to attack, so he would have to hurry. It took more than a few tugs, but he managed to wrestle the door open and off its hinges. He threw it to the side, reaching inside the helicopter for the pilots. The second one had crawled over the first, who was unconscious. He pulled the second pilot out, then jumped in and glanced around. No passengers besides the remaining pilot. He unbuckled them and jumped out of the wreck, cradling the pilot in his arms. He set them down a few yards away and checked himself over. No burns, just soot.
A sudden sting in his leg caused him to glance down. A small vial was already pumping itself into his veins. He smiled thinly. That had to be the fourth helicopter. Hopefully the dosage wasn't enough to make him drowsy. Despite being a fake SOLDIER, he had most of the enhancements of one. He plucked out the tranquilizer and glanced around. His head protested and pain shot through his body. He felt his eyes closing. Had they dosed the tranquilizer with a Behemoth in mind? Or perhaps the tranquilizer was simply enough to mess with his already exhausted body. He slumped to the ground, falling face first into the dirt. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but sleep seemed to sweep over him like Leviathan's tidal wave. As his eyes closed, he allowed himself to glare weakly at psudo-Shinra's helicopter. What a terrible day.