Shinra Tower was a rat's maze. Cloud had been through its doors the moment they opened, and it was well past lunch time now. He was sure of that, because after the front desk, the secretary on the eleventh floor, the office on the twenty-third floor, and then the sleeping archivist in the records room, the employees took a lunch break. Cloud would have just snuck through the building, but he didn't know where to go. Shouldn't it be easier to ask to join SOLDIER? Not to get in, of course, but surely they had people asking after it all the time, what with the publicity. World events weren't covered well in the "newspapers" he had seen, but there was plenty of advertisements. Buy this, buy that, didn't Sephiroth look dashing and wasn't the new SOLDIER program amazing? It must be quite new if they hadn't come up with an efficient way to direct applicants.
Eventually, he was sent to an office on the twenty-seventh floor by a secretary who tried to pinch Cloud's cheek. He easily dodged this, unlike the earlier narrow miss of having his hair ruffled. Only Zack was allowed to do that, not complete strangers. Not even other friends, Aerith's attempts notwithstanding.
Floor twenty-seven, office nine. It was a fairly large room, completely empty save for a few filing cabinets in a corner and a desk by the window. Cloud was relieved to see there was also someone here, as that hadn't been the case in every office. He walked up to the desk and asked, "Is this where you apply for the SOLDIER program?"
The man looked up, a faint shine to his eyes, gave Cloud a quick up and down glance, and replied, "It sure is, kid. Whatcha here for?"
"I'm here to join SOLDIER."
The man's mouth twitched. "Sorry, we, uh, only take people with basic training already under their belt."
Cloud nodded seriously. "I'm pretty good with all the basics, already." He stood a bit straighter, and patted Little Friend briefly on the head. He'd walked into the office with a staff, materia, and his knives weren't all hidden and the guy didn't think Cloud could fight?
"Yeah, sure, umm...there's also a minimum age requirement."
Cloud had practiced speaking in a lower register, but it just made him sound sick. His voice had never been what you called deep in the first place, so he had settled for serious. Having a bright, happy tone along with his lack of height would make him seem like a child. Steady, grave, and standing very straight with excellent posture; it wasn't enough, but it would have to do.
"I'm sixteen."
The man brushed his hand over his mouth and coughed. Then he started to chuckle, which quickly turned into all out laughter.
Cloud waited this out in stoic silence.
When the man finally got himself under control, he grinned at Cloud, "Tell you what kid, I'll put your name on a list, and you can come back in a few years, eh?"
That would be far too late. He'd try a different tack. "I need to see Sephiroth."
"Oh, is that it? I admire your, er, dedication, but y'know, if you wanted an autograph you should've gone to Public Relations. They're on floor-"
This was going nowhere. If Cloud wandered around the building, what were the chances security would throw him out before he found Sephiroth? If there were people desperate for autographs, they probably had someone keeping an eye on stalkers, but how else was he going to get close enough? Time to mostly tell the truth.
"I came to join SOLDIER so I could fight Sephiroth. If you won't let me join, at least tell him I'm here, and would like to..." Cloud trailed off, as the man started laughing again. Cloud glanced at Little Friend. No, not yet. Something else...
"If I beat you in a spar, will you send him a message?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Kid, I'm SOLDIER 3rd class." He wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm sure you're proud of your...getup and all, but you can't beat me."
"Wanna bet? I win, and you contact Sephiroth."
"I don't fight children, and even if I did, you got nothing to forfeit for when you lose." The SOLDIER smirked.
Cloud felt the long day of being patronized starting to catch up to him. "You refusing both of my requests several times now is disappointing. If I was a 'kid' I would have no qualms about staying here and annoying you for the rest of the day, and coming back every day to do the same ad nauseum."
The man leaned back in his chair, and pointed a pen at Cloud, "I'd just have security throw you out."
"I'd find a way back in." Cloud smiled; it wasn't a very nice one.
"But you said you weren't a kid."
"So I'm not going to come back in every day to make you miserable. That means I'm not a child, and you can fight me."
The SOLDIER hummed and replied, "You still don't have a forfeit, though."
"I don't need one, because I won't lose."
The man chuckled. "Fine, kid. We'll spar, and when you lose, maybe it'll take you down a peg or two."
The SOLDIER walked to the middle of the room. Cloud leaned Little Friend carefully up against the desk, and moved to a sword's length from the man.
"You're not going to hit me with your stick?"
"No. Little Friend is for Sephiroth." Cloud replied.
"You brought him a frog as a present?"
"...Something like that." He waited a few moments, but the SOLDIER didn't seem to get the hint. Cloud raised an eyebrow and said, "We're not bowing first; you can attack anytime."
The SOLDIER sighed, shook his head, and threw a halfhearted swing at Cloud.
Rookie mistake; never underestimate your opponent. Technically, Cloud had done so as well. With haste and his best Wutaien "ninja" moves, it still took an entire minute to take the SOLDIER down. With a knife in each hand pressing carefully against arteries, Cloud asked pleasantly, "Yield?"
"Yeah, you win."
The man sounded almost shaky. Cloud backed away and tucked his knives into their scabbards. He won, so time for the man to pay up. "So, if you'll send that message to-"
"Where did you learn that stuff, kid?" The SOLDIER interrupted.
The man was looking at Cloud with...awe? Huh. He was still a "kid", though. Cloud thought a moment, and figured it was safe to answer. "A friend taught me the martial arts."
"But the speed! You...I have mako enhancements, how did you...that was fast!" The SOLDIER practically spluttered.
"Magic."
"Seriously, kid, how..."
Cloud rolled his eyes. If the SOLDIER wasn't going to listen when Cloud gave an honest reply, he was done with this conversation. "I won the spar, so I'd appreciate it if you'd contact Sephiroth now."
"Can you repeat whatever made you so fast?" The man asked eagerly.
Cloud hesitated, not sure why the man was asking. "Yes."
The SOLDIER walked quickly over to the computer on his desk, typed and clicked, and said, "I'll do you one better, kid; he's in the VR room on floor sixty-four, you can meet him like you wanted to, after all."
Cloud nodded in satisfaction, retrieved Little Friend, and followed the man out the door.
ooOOOoo
"-seriously, sir, I've never seen hand-to-hand like that before!"
"Yes, so you've said; I don't see how-"
Cloud continued to breathe evenly. They had arrived at the VR room, whose purpose Cloud probably knew, if he thought about it. That...would be later. Staying in the here and now was far more important. Focus on his current surroundings. Breathe very evenly.
"-could hardly keep up, I don't know how-"
"I'm sure your little spar was just fascinating, but I don't see what it has to do with-"
The SOLDIER whose name Cloud never asked was talking very excitedly with another SOLDIER who seemed vaguely familiar, and a man who wasn't enhanced, but appeared to have seniority since he was also a "sir". SOLDIER wasn't like the infantry where you sirredandma'amed everybody. Focus. Breathe. Near the three-way conversation (argument?), leaning against the wall listening but not participating, was Sephiroth. Piercing pain through his sternum and the acrid smell of burning. The air in this room was quite clear and fresh. Cloud knew this because he kept breathing. it. in. even. intervals.
"-so I agreed, and he won, and so here we are."
"You really don't have the authority to guarantee-"
Sephiroth straightened up from the wall and interrupted coolly, "Or I could fight him like he wants, and the time saved from not having this argument will make it a moot point." He turned towards Cloud and said bemusedly, "Luxiere said you brought me a frog?"
Shall I give you despair? Cloud shook his head and looked for something specific to focus on, because he had fought this man way too many...where was the trench coat? That was different. Sephiroth was wearing a mostly standard uniform. Combat trousers, ribbed reinforced shirt, no pauldrons, and no trench coat. His sleeves were rolled up. That was...perfect.
Everyone was staring at Cloud now. He'd probably been asked a question. He didn't remember what it was, but they all should just get to the point anyway. "I only want to fight Sephiroth, so everyone else should probably leave for safety's sake." Cloud was quite proud of that excuse. No one nearby, meant no interference.
Desk SOLDIER obligingly backed into the hallway, but the other two men just walked to the edge of the room. Cloud glowered at them, but they were unaffected. Surprisingly, Sephiroth waved them away, and they went to just outside the door to the hall. That was...probably as good as it was going to get. Cloud turned to face Sephiroth. The man towered over Cloud in a way he usually only did when the wing sprouted and the flying started. Breathe. Focus on the arms. Bare skin, perfect reachable target.
"I'm trying to save the world," Cloud muttered under his breath to bolster himself. He'd never done this without backup, maybe that's why this seemed more unnerving than it had been before.
"What-" Sephiroth started, but the rest of the question was lost in the chaos that ensued.
Cloud didn't need to concentrate to cast haste anymore. He just moved. Feint to the right, dart under Sephiroth's left arm, turn, and swing Little Friend's staff at Sephiroth's side. The man twisted slightly towards Cloud, and blocked the staff with his bare arm. A minor blast of magical pressure pushed Cloud back a few steps, and then there was a touch-me where once stood Sephiroth. Voices started loudly exclaiming something, but Cloud tuned them out. He flipped his staff around so the blunt end without Little Friend on it was pointed towards the monster, and hit touch-me Sephiroth on the head as hard as he could. This appeared to injure Sephiroth, but not mortally. As Cloud threw his weight into another blow, he hit a shimmering barrier. The voices were practically shouting now, and he felt arms snake around his middle and pull him sharply out of reach of Sephiroth. Cloud rammed a vicious elbow jab backwards, and jerked away. He pulled out two handfuls of sharp, shard-like knives he had prepared for a possible long-distance attack, and threw them at his target. The blades positively sang as they flew towards Sephiroth. Some kept traveling past the touch-me's head, the majority that would have hit him were blocked by a metal blade, and some kind of pressure wave flattened the rest to the floor. Cloud heard more shouting, then felt extremely strong magic wrap around him and pull him into darkness.
ooOOOoo
Cloud woke groggily, feeling like someone had cast sleep on him. That's what this plan had been lacking; a Barrier materia. He sat up slowly, and took in his surroundings. It was a cell, he supposed, but it was the cushiest one he'd ever been kept in. The cot he had been lying down on was comfortable. Softer than the ground anyway, and he had a blanket thrown over him. The walls were painted, not just gray metal, and there was carpet on the floor. There was a small table or maybe nightstand with some energy bars and a bottle of water on it. What he assumed was the exit was even a normal door, no force-field. There was a mirror next to it, of course; big enough you'd be able to see the whole room from the other side.
Cloud stood up carefully and took stock of his condition. That had been a powerful spell. They'd taken Little Friend, which he had expected. He hadn't realized it would bother him so much. If the Science Department got their hands on his touch-me and decided to experiment, there would be consequences.
His armbands were also gone, and they'd gotten every single knife; even that dull pocket knife he'd still been carrying. They hadn't removed his boots, though. He stretched his toes out, and felt the edges of two materia. He'd mastered his Time awhile ago, and hastewas too handy to be without in this sort of situation. As for the other, well...he could see two possible ways to escape without it, but he'd bet the door's lock was electronic. A little zap with a Lightning materia would short that out nicely.
This wasn't the sort of place you put someone you were going to torture. Hojo's "experiments" aside, he didn't even know if Shinra did that to people. Someone was likely monitoring this room with a camera, even if they didn't have anyone behind the mirror. So the boots would stay on for now, no need to get his back-ups confiscated as well.
Cloud sat down on the cot, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and leaned against the wall. Without poisona, no eating the food or water. Being in sealed packages meant nothing; Shinra made those on its mid-level floors. What they might put in the food he wasn't sure, but better safe than sorry.
If they were just waiting until sleep wore off to question him, they should show up soon. Why no one had woken him up with esuna, he wasn't sure. This wasn't a long-term holding cell; there was no toilet. Maybe they were waiting for him to get anxious and eager to talk. Cloud had to resist a laugh from that thought. He had spoken more today, to more people, than he had in total since the day he found himself on the Nibel slopes. The brief amusement faded quickly. His plan failed. He had known it might, but to have come so close to it working, was harder than if nothing had gone right. He shook himself away from that line of thinking. "If onlys" would get him nowhere. There was still the plan: kill Sephiroth. It was just his first attempt that failed. He'd try again, and wouldn't repeat the mistakes he'd made with this one.
First of all, there absolutely couldn't be anyone but Sephiroth around. That was the biggest mistake, and Cloud was embarrassed about that one. He got a little...single-minded around that madman, and only now realized, that if he'd been thinking clearer, he would have remembered that the people watching them wouldn't be on Cloud's side. There was often innocent bystanders in the vicinity when they fought, who were screaming and running away and not helping Sephiroth. Cloud had managed to stay in the present by not paying any attention at all to his surroundings.
The shouting hadn't been innocent victims, or voices in his head. It had been the people watching he and Sephiroth fight. The shimmer that kept his second staff strike from landing must have been barrier. That was tied into the first mistake. You can't use materia in touch-me form, so it was a bystander who cast it. If Cloud had Barrier he wouldn't have been knocked out. Not getting one of those was very short-sighted. They were pretty hard to come by, though. Where could you find one, he wondered...
The door opened, and two people walked in. The vaguely familiar SOLDIER from before, and Tseng. Cloud reminded himself not to smile. He hadn't been on the best terms with the Turks before, but by now a face Cloud had a name for was a pleasant sight. The SOLDIER stayed near the wall opposite the mirror, and Tseng walked forward til he was a few steps from the cot and stopped.
Best to introduce himself. Cloud didn't want to pretend he didn't know Tseng, and he did wonder who the SOLDIER was. "I'm Cloud Strife. Who are you?" He asked politely.
There was a moment of silence; then, "I'm Tseng of the Turks." This was said a little flatly.
Cloud looked expectantly at the SOLDIER, but the man just stared at him curiously. Cloud shifted his gaze back to Tseng, and raised an eyebrow.
"That is Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER. Are you going to attack him?"
"No." If Cloud's reply sounded like a mix between surprise and confusion, it was quite sincere. Why would he attack random SOLDIERs? The strange hint of familiarity stayed, but no memories were forthcoming. That was odd. Cloud hadn't had time to think about that yet, but with so little to go on, he bet it wasn't a Zack memory surfacing at all. If Cloud had met this man, it was likely before Hojo, and so he might not figure it out. Good that Cloud learned his name, then.
"What kind of hand-to hand did you use to fight Luxiere?" asked Tseng.
"Who's Luxiere?"
"The SOLDIER you made a bet with in office nine, floor twenty-seven."
Oh. Odd question for Tseng to lead with. Maybe this was a chronological interrogation. Cloud couldn't think of a good reason not to answer. "The kid I learned from, called them 'awesome secret ninja moves'."
"Kid? You learned this from a child?" Tseng asked with slightly more inflection.
Well, yeah; they always called Yuffie a kid. Because she was only, what, sixteen? Why everyone was calling Cloud a kid...oh, he was sixteen now. Wait, he'd been telling people he was sixteen, but wasn't he fourteen? He'd already been in the infantry by sixteen before, so he was younger now. He'd decided to lie about his age. Cloud sighed. This was why he usually went for blunt honesty. His memory was mixed up enough without lying added to the mix. Right, he'd make an effort to tell the truth as much as possible. There was no Tifa to help him keep his head on straight. He probably shouldn't let himself get irritated about being called a "kid" anymore, either. He was younger than Yuffie had been, and he didn't like hypocrites. He should answer Tseng's question now. Cloud took a moment to remember what it was.
"Yeah, she was a kid I met in the woods. We traded materia for martial arts lessons."
"Do you know where she learned them?" Tseng asked, not seemingly bothered by how long it took Cloud to reply.
That was something he had always appreciated about the man. Vincent was like that too, maybe it was a Turk thing. Cloud thought of Reno, and amended; an older Turk thing. He should probably try to stay focused, Tseng was being quite polite, and Cloud was being questioned for something rather serious. He should pay better attention.
"I think it was just standard Wutaien hand-to-hand."
"You think it was from Wutai?" Tseng asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It was definitely Wutaien, I'm not sure if it was standard. She said her teacher was a boring traditionalist, so maybe?" Cloud trailed off at the end. How much had Yuffie made up, and how much was something she learned from her instructors? She had a really neat move he had never replicated, which she usually ruined by screaming, "White Rose of Wutai!" just before she landed. Things usually dodged when they heard screaming above their head. Then again, she was the princess, so was her fighting style standard or specialized? Cloud had no idea, but Tseng seemed to be moving on.
"Is the magical beast from Wutai also?"
That stung. "It isn't a beast; Little Friend has gotten quite tame. You haven't hurt it have you?" Cloud asked, glaring suspiciously at Tseng and the still silent Genesis.
"It's called a "little friend"?" Tseng asked, without answering Cloud's question.
Now that was rude, Cloud had answered all Tseng's questions; truthfully, even. Cloud crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "Little Friend is its name, and you didn't say if it was all right."
Tseng stared at Cloud. Cloud stared back.
Genesis interrupted their impromptu contest after a minute. "The creature you say is called 'Little Friend' should be fine. It was scanned with a sense spell, and was given water, but we're not sure what it eats."
Tseng turned and gave the SOLDIER a look, and Cloud thought Genesis was either a very good liar, or was actually being honest.
"They eat bugs and grubs like frogs do. The Science Department isn't dissecting it or anything, are they?"
"No one is dissecting 'Little Friend'," Genesis said, not unkindly. "You said like a frog. What is it, exactly?"
"It's called a touch-me."
Tseng didn't seem entirely pleased with the change of interrogators, but didn't stop the SOLDIER from continuing.
"Where did you find it?" Genesis asked.
"They only live in the Gongagan jungle. Which is kind of odd, because Little Friend has seemed fine whatever the temperature has been..." Cloud trailed off. Ah well, Nibel wolves only lived near Nibelheim, and he doubted anything elsewhere could kill them. Touch-mes must prefer the swamp. No accounting for taste.
"Not Wutai?" Tseng interjected.
"Umm, no, just Gongaga." Replied Cloud, bemused. Why the obsession with Wutai?
"We are less familiar with that continent than the Western one, and while Shinra has a reactor in Gongaga, we've never heard of a touch-me." Genesis explained smoothly.
"And Shinra pays so much attention to the local environment when they build a reactor." Cloud replied sarcastically. He received an odd look from Tseng for that reply, but Genesis only tilted his head and smirked.
There was a brief silence, and Cloud wondered at the lack of hostility. He had been expecting more accusations, or...he didn't know what, but there was a surprising lack of death threats or promise of execution.
"Is Septhiroth very badly injured?" He asked, wanting to finish before his voice gave out entirely.
"No." Tseng replied shortly.
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall his return." Added Genesis.
Say what? Cloud looked at Genesis in complete befuddlement. He realized his mouth was hanging open, and snapped it shut. That was...almost as dramatic as Vincent, though maybe not as effortless. Very distracting, too, which may have been the point.
They seemed more concerned with how Cloud did everything, than what he had done. They weren't giving off any "I'm going walk away while a minion kills you" vibes. Maybe...they didn't realize he'd been trying to kill Sephiroth. Cloud thought it was obvious, but if they didn't, then he might not need to go on the run yet. He hadn't been looking forward to that. He was still tired from the Nibelheim to Gongaga to Costa Del Sol trip. And kind of skinny. If he didn't fatten up a little, his growth spurt would be delayed even more.
Lying was entirely out of the question from now on. Being here was going to be confusing if the moments before the fight were any indication, and he wasn't going to be able to keep track of a completely false set of circumstances. Vincent had explained once to him, that was how the Turks kept their stories straight; they told the truth. They simply misdirected people in such a way, they thought they knew something that had never actually been stated. Cloud could do that, a little. It should be easier than lying about his age. No one believed him, anyway.
"So, does that mean I can still join SOLDIER?" Cloud asked.
Genesis raised his eyebrows, and Tseng blinked.
"You want to join SOLDIER?" Genesis asked, still raising one brow.
"Yeah, I made a bet with desk SOLDIER, er, Luxiere, and won, so I met Sephiroth, and I would have won that fight if someone hadn't cast barrier." He paused and eyed Genesis suspiciously. Cloud wondered if it was him. "So, if I can fight a SOLDIER and win, the age requirement could be waived, right?" Cloud tried to interject some innocent hopefulness into the question. Hope was easy, if he was in SOLDIER, he would be perfectly positioned to keep an eye on Sephiroth in preparation for the next attempt. It was the innocent tone he had difficulty with. Maybe he'd practice it, later. Marlene had been really good at it.
Tseng and Genesis exchanged a speaking glance.
"There is a meeting, soon." Tseng said, back to being nearly toneless. "Your request is certainly something we can discuss."
Genesis followed with, "In the meantime, we'd appreciate you staying here. If you need to use the facilities, knock on the door, and you'll be escorted."
"May I have my materia back?"
"No." Tseng replied quickly.
"At least Heal, so I can eat the food and water?" Cloud requested rather blandly. If he couldn't manage innocent, he wasn't even going to try for wheedling.
"Why would you need Heal to eat?" Tseng asked, slightly incredulous.
"Poisona." Cloud replied in that tone people used when the question was pointless, because the answer was self-evident.
The two exchanged another glance, and hesitated. After a moment to consider, Genesis replied, "Your escort will hand you a Heal long enough to check your food, and then you'll give it back. Until the next meal."
Cloud nodded, even though it wasn't a question. That was more flexible than he thought they'd be. "See you later." Cloud said pleasantly. They'd been surprisingly decent about this whole situation.
Tseng raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." Then turned to the door.
Genesis gave Cloud one last contemplative look and followed.
Cloud generally tried to avoid admiring anything the Turks did, on principle, but Tseng was too good. He hadn't answered the question about SOLDIER, he misdirected.