Cloud finally booked a room at the hotel and slept in a warm bed for the night. He didn't even bother to take off his clothes. As soon as he shut his eyes, he was out like a light, sleeping soundly until late the next morning.
Cloud groggily opened an eye and turned over, trying to get away from the beams of sunlight as they invaded the dark sanctuary of his room. He attempted to get more comfortable, but the hat he still had on tugged at his hair uncomfortable. He managed to squirm around and knock it off his head, but by then he was too awake to continue his slumber. He slowly sat up, blinking into the warm light coming in through the hotel window. Morning, world, he thought groggily. He sat there a few minutes, letting his head clear. He blinked a few times, wondering what to do next. A warm shower sounded nice. The thought of the water hitting his back soothingly and cleaning off the grim that had accumulated on his skin convinced him to leave the warm retreat of the covers. He pushed himself off the bed towards the bathroom, yawning, grumbling quietly when the cold tile met his bare feet. He stared at himself in the mirror. Yep. The hair looked the same as usual. Eyes too.
He turned the water on and swiftly undressed, climbing in as soon as it was hot enough. Rinsing through the grime in his hair was a welcome chore, sandy grit washed away down the drain. Scrubbing off the dirt on his body was quite the process, layer after layer coming off with soap, but once he got it all off he felt fairly clean for the first time in awhile. He sighed in relief once he was done, letting the hot water cascade down his back. It had been maybe five minutes when the water started to turn cold. Wondering if it was the heater or the owner messing with him, he climbed out and toweled off. He had left his usual all black outfit out on the bed, and when he stepped out of the batroom he was greeted with the welcome sight of it laying clean on his bed.
He dressed and headed downstairs, First Tsurugi strapped to his back with materia equipped. He had decided not to travel anywhere in this world without a weapon, at least until he got more acquainted with his surroundings. He pushed open the 'lobby' door (the inn was to small to have anything considered a lobby) and his stomach growled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten in a day or two.
He glanced around the town, looking for a spot to grab a bite to eat. Wasn't there a 24-hour diner somewhere around here? Ah, there it was. He cut diagonally across the not-so busy street, entering the diner. The bell chimed above his head, but he tried to not draw attention to himself as he looked for a place to sit. The diner tried to give off a 'cozy' feeling, but in Cloud's opinion it had more of a 'worn' look to it. The seats all had small holes in them with the stuffing popping out in places, and the barstools squeaked loudly whenever an occupant moved even the slightest inch. Settling for not drawing attention to himself, he grabbed a seat at an unoccupied two-person table and settled in, studying the occupants of the diner. A few were looking at him strangely, but most were watching the four person group at the far back of the diner. Cloud listened and immediately picked up on Thor's gruff voice talking to Jane's higher one. He could pick out a few words over the clatter of the other customers, things like, "father", "Asgard", "Mjolnir", but he couldn't figure out their whole conversation. He knew the latter two terms referred to items of Nibel mythology, but he didn't know who the 'father' was in reference to. A waitress bustled over, asking kindly for his order.
Cloud considered for a moment before he replied, "Water and a pancake, please."
The waitress scribbled down his order in her notepad and smiled, thanking him before leaving to talk to the kitchen staff. Cloud fidgeted in his seat, looking around him for possible distraction. He didn't do to well when it came to staying in one place for to long. His eyes fell upon the strange party entering the diner, all clothed in armor and carrying weapons. They approached Thor like old friends or comrades-at-arms. Thor smiled widely when he saw them, rushing over to embrace each of them in turn. Cloud took this as his cue to listen, moving his chair more towards their general direction.
The only woman of the group was talking to Thor, surprised at whatever he had said a moment before. "Thor, we're coming to take you home," she explained.
Thor stared at her for a moment before chuckling slightly, replying, "Oh, no my friends, I think not. My father banished me here, and now that he is gone I cannot return. I am to live out the remainder of my life on Earth."
The women stared at him in confusion as she slowly said, "Thor...your father, he lives."
Cloud knitted his eyebrows, unsure of what exactly was going on. If Thor was a god, then these were probably his godly friends. Was this some sort of misunderstanding on the cosmic level?
"Here you are, dearie. Have a nice day!" The waitress had entirely escaped his notice, focused as he had been on Thor and his strange companions. The pancake she had placed on the table looked fluffy and swollen with syrup, small strawberries littered here and there. Cloud reached over for the water she had brought, and turned his attention back to the group. They weren't speaking anymore, instead staring out the window. Over the tops of their heads , Cloud could just see what seemed to be the top of a twister worryingly close to the town. He glanced back down at his pancake, back up again at the twister, and took out his knife and fork. As soon as he started cutting, he grunted in frustration and stood up. Projecting his voice a bit, he called out to all the customers and said, "Everyone! Evacuate now before that twister gets here! Back door that way!"
A minor grumbling swept through the diner, but once they caught sight of the twister they begrudgingly got up and did as they were told. Cloud glanced at the group staring out the window. "All of you. Either fight or help the townspeople escape."
They looked at each other and nodded, most likely due to the fact they were taking orders from a stranger. After a brief pause, Thor told Jane to leave for safety, to which Jane protested vehemently. Cloud stared at them in frustration. Now was not the time for couple problems. "Look, Thor, she'll do what she wants. You both aren't helping anybody by just standing there."
Jane and Thor looked at each other for a moment, then back at Cloud, then back at each other before nodding. The four armored strangers were already running towards the twister and Darcy and Erik were nowhere to be seen. Cloud nodded to himself. The diner was clear.
He stepped outside and was immediately buffeted by the winds of the twister, which was quickly approaching. Cloud squinted into the storm, straining to see past the flying sand and dirt. He could barely make out the figure of a bipedal creature that seemed to be completely covered in armor, its footsteps clanking on the flat desert floor. Cloud cursed and ran deeper into town to try and help evacuate before that thing arrived. He found a young mother and her child attempting to flee and directed them to the nearest evacuation truck. He did the same with every person he encountered, hoping against the odds they would be able to flee to safety.
Now that the town was cleared, he could direct his attention towards the armored creature that the Thor's friends were currently fighting. The woman had managed to stab it through the neck, and was preemptively celebrating with her comrades. Cloud shook his head and began to race towards them. Before he was able to get too close, however, the armored beast somehow turned its entire body around and shot a red-hot energy beam from its face. The women barely managed to escape in time, dropping to the ground as the creature regained its bearings. Cloud studied the energy beam and switched out his All from his Lightning-All pair with a mastered Ice materia. He knew that as he gathered energy, he would have to get much closer for this to work. Thor's friend were scrambling away as the creature fired off another two energy beams, destroying cars but missing its targets as they flew from the force of the explosions. Cloud closed his eyes to concentrate as he heard Thor yell for them, but he sincerely hoped that he hadn't left cover to check on them. He might get hurt. The familiar whisper of materia echoed in the back of his mind, and he knew his spell was ready. Cloud opened his eyes and thrust out his hands, unleashing Ice3 on his seemingly fire-based foe. The materia worked its magic as it sailed across the space between him and the creature, infiltrating its armor as it solidified into enormous spikes of ice that seemed to grow out of each other to make a grotesque, super-sized sculpture./p
Despite the pieces of armor being separated incredibly far by the spikes of ice, Cloud was hesitant to say that had finished the job. One careful look confirmed his fears. The armor appeared to be heating up, melting the spikes formed by the attack into pools of water. Unfortunately for Cloud, the piece of armor closest to him happened to be the head, which had already melted through the attack. Cloud's eyes widened and he threw up a weak Barrier as the head piece finished charging, unleashing it's heat beam directly onto his /Cloud flew sixty yards directly into the side of a building. He was sure the beam and crash combined had broken and burned his flesh and bones. Unfortunately, he retained consciousness throughout the ordeal, enough so that he could see Thor charge recklessly at the creature. If he could move or feel his face he was sure he'd be frowning. He'll get himself killed. Why would he do that?
Thor launched himself at the creature, attempting some sort of kami kaze move. It didn't work, and Thor was slapped back to the ground. He curled up on his side, groaning as the beast above him glowered and prepared another attack. Thor seemed to be murmuring something to the creature, talking to it. I see. That thing must be controlled by somebody. Thor probably knows who. Cloud thought to himself. The beast had scorched his face good, turning him into quite a crispy critter. Cloud couldn't feel a thing anymore as an inexplicable tiredness took him over. He slumped to the side, unable to keep watching the fight. It seemed Thor had managed to find a weapon...a hammer? How /His last thought as he fell unconscious was a prayer to Aerith and the Planet, for victory.
Cloud woke up on a gurney, arms and legs strapped down. He was not happy about that. In fact, he was quite upset. This was the second time in two days he had been strapped down and he was, quite frankly, a little sick of it. This time the confines weren't leather, but steel. Great. Staring at the ceiling proved impossible, as directly above him a man stood over him, studying his face. He immediately glared, but on the inside he was having a panic attack. A second Hojo? Who the hell had he pissed off to get this? He began struggling with his bonds, hissing as the metal cut into his wrists. His gloves were gone, but the rest of his clothes were there. As he began to struggle in earnest, the man above him placed his hand on his chest. Cloud stilled, but continued glaring at the stranger, making sure his loathing was known. He would see what this man wanted, then do his damndest to do the opposite. Any agency that tied down people like lab subjects was no friend of his.
The man glanced down at him, an appraising look in his eye. "Strife. Cloud Strife, correct?"
Cloud didn't answer, and instead continued struggling. The man stared at him a moment, then pulled a tranquilizer gun out of his pocket. Cloud stilled, eyeing the gun. "Now, Mr. Strife, I've heard some strange things about you. 'Rufus'...'Shinra'... those names mean nothing to me. Nor do they mean anything any government agency around the world. Or any crime organization around the world. So, let me ask you this, Mr. Strife. Where are you from?" Cloud swallowed, looking away from the man's eyes. He would be difficult, even if it cost him. "Far away."
The man scoffed and glanced at Cloud's outfit. "Obviously."
The man put his hands behind his back and strolled around Cloud, judging everything about him. His demeanor. His body. His personality. Cloud resolutely refused to look away anymore and met the man's eyes, hoping he could convey with his eyes just how much he detested this conversation with all his being.
The man spared him a glance, smoothly opening with, "Mr. Strife, I think you and I could help each other. Now, I am prepared to cut you a deal. My terms are: You must become a citizen of this world. You must agree to S.H.I.E.L.D. medical testing. You must sign onto the Avengers initiative. In return, I won't call the Pentagon and tell them to hunt you down like a rabid dog. Do you agree to those terms?"
Cloud didn't know why he needed to be afraid of a shape, but this man sounded serious. He reconsidered his resolution to be difficult. Two of the terms didn't sound too bad, but the third one... "Take out the part about agreeing to medical testing."
The man glanced down at him, eyebrow minutely raised. "And why should I do that?"
Cloud stared him square in the eye. "Because if you don't, I will break out of here and escape. I don't care who or what the Pentagon is, I'll run. I'm more than willing to live freely for a shorter period of time than become a lab rat again for the rest of my life."
The man seemed to consider his offer, studying his face carefully before he extending his hand. "You drive a hard bargain Mr. Strife."
Cloud rolled his eyes and pointedly tugged on the cuffs on his wrists. The man chuckled, "Right."
He pressed an unseen button and all the cuffs were released. Cloud freed his hands and rubbed gently on the small amount of chaffing. The man once again extended his hand. Cloud ignored it and got up, stretching his aching body. He walked off, ready to leave the man waiting, before he remembered his sword and gloves. He slowly turned on his heel to face the one-eyed man. The man had put his hand away, and was considering Cloud very carefully.
"Where's my sword and gloves?" Cloud asked him.
The man stared for a minute longer before taking out his hand and gesturing to the left. "Down the hallway. They're in the broom closet."
Before he could walk off again, the man said, "I have one more thing to tell you."
Cloud spun on his heel, annoyed at being interrupted again. "What?" He asked sharply.
The man smiled. He liked this kid.
"Welcome to the Avengers."