To the Morrow, For the Past

Chapter 8 – A New Beginning -

The cave wasn't there.

Cloud stared at the sheer cliff face for a moment of incomprehension. As far as he was aware, it would take centuries for a cave that big to form, and he'd only gone back in time fifteen years. Then again, there had been a meteor fall on the planet, and the lifestream had erupted from the surface. He supposed that would have changed the topography somewhat. The cave had had to have come from somewhere after all.

Anyway, it didn't matter. Cloud still needed shelter for the night. With an irritated sigh, he turned around and went back in the direction he had come from.

The sun was low in the sky by the time he made it back to the Chocobo Farm. His muscles were aching and his energy levels were quickly depleting. How long had it been since he'd walked this far? Not since he'd got Zack, that's for sure. Maybe even before that. He'd had Fenrir after all. Why walk when you can ride?

It must have been in the months leading up to Meteorfall. That was nearly eight years ago – or seven years from now. Cloud tried not to think too hard on tenses. His past just happened to be from this world's future and it could get very confusing.

Tired, hungry and all around in a bad mood, Cloud took a deep breath before knocking on the door of the small house. Choco Bill answered with a look of surprise. "Oh, it's you!" This time, he ushered Cloud inside, seemingly excited about his presence. "You took off so fast – we didn't get a chance to thank you! You're just in time for dinner, come on, sit down!"

He allowed the old man to push him into a chair at the table. Chloe sat opposite him, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Beside her was her brother Choco Billy regarded him with something akin to awe.

"You saved Chloe." He said, "From a Zolom." The way he said that reminded Cloud that it was all but unheard of for a Zolom to be defeated without a small army. Or Sephiroth. Even the First Class SOLDIER's didn't fight one alone. And Cloud had killed one in less than five minutes. No wonder the Turks were interested in him.

But why had Tseng been there? "There was a man watching." He said quietly as a bowl of stew was put in front of him. "Did you see him?"

"Oh, you mean mister grumpy face?" A bowl was also put in front of the siblings and she started eating almost right away. "Yeah, he likes to watch the chocobos. Something about grace?" She shrugged. "He doesn't do no harm and the chocobos like him."

"Hmm." Cloud picked up a spoon and slowly started to eat. The food was good. Really good and he suddenly realized just how hungry he was. It was difficult to tell when he last ate – time travel really screwed with things like that – and he found himself greedily shovelling food into his mouth. He slowed down as soon as he realised what he was doing and looked up to see three amused faces.

"I guess fighting Zoloms makes you hungry huh?" Billy said, pushing a plate of bread towards Cloud. "Sorry we don't got anything better."

Cloud shook his head, "This is delicious." He reassured the boy. "Thank you." That part was aimed at the old man, Billy.

"You a SOLDIER?" How old was Chloe at this point in time? Cloud couldn't remember. She was asking the same kinds of questions that he would expect to come from Denzel. He thought back to his time. Chloe had been about the same age as Cloud. Maybe a little older? At this time, Cloud had been... thirteen. Gods that was a long time ago. That would put Chloe somewhere in her early to mid teens.

She was still looking at him expectantly, and Cloud shook his head in answer. "No." He finished his meal and gently pushed the plate forward. "SOLDIER is a den of monsters."

"But your eyes...?" Cloud had actually thought about that, and had come up with an answer that wasn't entirely a lie.

"I fell into a Mako pool." He told her. "I got sick and when I woke up, I had these." He gestured to his eyes.

There was another plate placed in front of him, and Cloud looked up in surprise. Choco Bill smiled at him. "You saved my Chloe." He said with a shrug.

Home made apple pie. Cloud's mouth watered and he gladly took a bite. Ordinarily he wouldn't accept this sort of thing from virtual strangers, but right now, he was hungry enough to do so. Why go hungry when you had a choice?

– – – – –

After dinner, Cloud hadn't had to ask for a place to stay. It was already dark out and Choco Billy insisted that he stay at least until dawn. It was well known to be dangerous between cities after dark – nocturnal monsters tended to be a lot more vicious than diurnal - and Cloud didn't argue about staying, grateful for the warm place to sleep.

Morning came, but Cloud still had no idea what to do next. The planet hadn't given him any clue so he had no idea what his mission was, let alone how to achieve it. He knew he couldn't stay at the ranch, but the only other thing he could think of was to go to Midgar. To Aerith's church- only Aerith would probably be there and he wasn't sure he could handle seeing her alive again. His guilt was still pressing heavily on him. Even if she had forgiven him, Cloud didn't know if he would ever forgive himself.

Without a better idea, Cloud decided to head towards Midgar. He was offered a Chocobo – the walk would take him a very long time, so he accepted the steed great fully. The journey still took a while, but with a chocobo the monsters left him alone and he moved a lot faster than on foot.

By the time he arrived at the edge of the Midgar Wastes, Cloud had come up with a rudimentary plan. And it involved infiltrating Shinra. The thought didn't appeal to him, but he had to find some way to get close to Sephiroth. With nothing to go on, Cloud had assumed that his mission had something to do with the Silver General. It always had in the past, so why not in… the past? The only other time he'd time travelled he'd been told to save the boy.

But was he supposed to save the man again, or take him out? He'd been on missions for both, so it was hard to be sure. He only hoped that things would become more clear as time went on.

First though, he needed to get close to the man. And that meant joining Shinra. Probably even SOLDIER. Cloud was certain he'd make it in this time, but the idea of being around the science department still made him anxious.

Hadn't Tseng said that they could negotiate? It was a long shot, but the man might be able to help.

When Cloud arrived at the gates to the slums, he climbed off the chocobo. He gave it the rest of the greens he had been carrying and watched it down them before heading back to the ranch. When the chocobo was out of sight he turned and faced the gate before him. The gate sat open and Cloud pushed himself through, thankful that he wouldn't have to go and find a key or break his way in this time. He didn't have an airship handy for another aerial assault.

This place brought up memories. Most of them bad. The dim light that filtered through under the plate made the whole place look a lot more gloomy. Sector 7 was just as run down as he remembered from before the plate dropped, though a lot of their buildings were still incomplete.

It didn't take him long to find the inn. It was one of the more stable looking buildings, oddly clean. He walked inside. "I need to use a phone." He said to the clerk.

"Sorry man, it'll cost ya."

"I need to call my SO." It was a bluff, the people of the slums didn't like Shinra, for good reason. But they also feared SOLDIER. His gambit seems to have paid off. The man behind the counter looked torn, as if he was debating with himself. On one hand, he wanted to charge Cloud more for the use of the phone, on the other, he didn't want to piss off a man with mako eyes.

"Fine. Don't take too long." He gestured to the phone on the wall.

Cloud took the card from his pocket and dialled, still not entirely sure he was doing the right thing.

"I'm ready to talk." He didn't introduce himself – he was sure he wouldn't need to, the Turks had probably had him under observation from the moment he entered the wastes – and he didn't wait for a reply. Tseng would know where to find him.

- - - –

The bar wasn't 7th Heaven, but it would do. Apparently 7th Heaven didn't exist yet, or at least, it wasn't finished and named. This one was a lot grubbier and it seemed to attract less than desirable clientele, but Cloud wasn't worried. He knew that being here would make Tseng uncomfortable, and that was well worth his own mild discomfort.

Tseng didn't take long to arrive. Less than half an hour from Cloud's call. He quickly found Cloud and sat beside him. "I'm glad you called." He said.

Cloud didn't comment, only sipped his drink as he regarded Tseng. He knew that there would be more Turks lurking around, if not in the bar, they'd be close enough to assist Tseng if he needed it. Not that Cloud intended on threatening the man. He idly wondered how many of them he would be able to recognise.

"I assume that you're willing to join Shinra." Tseng continued when it was apparent that Cloud wasn't going to answer his greeting.

"I'm considering it." As always, Cloud had to carefully pick his words. Unlike most people, Tseng could read between the lines. "But I do have conditions."

Tseng lifted an eyebrow, gesturing for Cloud to continue.

"I want to join SOLDIER. But I will decide which scientists I work with. I've heard of Hojo and want nothing to do with him. If he comes anywhere near me, I cannot guarantee his safety." That was an understatement. Cloud had no issue with killing Hojo (again), and wouldn't hesitate if he felt the need. Fighting his way out of Shinra wouldn't be easy, but he'd done it before. This time he wouldn't have his friends to back him up though.

Tseng considered his words for a moment before giving a small nod. "I'm sure we can accommodate that." He didn't react to Cloud's thinly veiled threat towards Hojo, and while Cloud could see the curiosity and suspicion burning behind his eyes, he also didn't question it. Yet. Cloud knew that those questions would come later. After the Turks had looked into his background. "Your name?"

Which also brought up another problem. Cloud had been thirteen at this point in time. He hadn't yet left for Shinra, but he would soon. Having two Cloud Strife's on record would cause a lot of confusion, so Cloud had decided that he needed to use another name.

Getting used to a new first name would be too difficult to get used to and his slower reaction to the name would make it obvious that it was an alias. A new surname would have the same problem, but not many people used their last name on a regular basis, so it wouldn't be too suspicious if it took him a while to get used to it. He would keep his first name, and change his last.

So he just needed a new surname. He needed something similar enough to his own name that he could grow used to it quickly enough. He was nearly thirty, learning to answer to a new name would be difficult. His name was already ridiculous enough, so an equally ridiculous name seemed fitting.

"Cloud Storm."

He sighed at Tseng's flash of amusement but otherwise ignored it. His drink was mostly finished now, so he sucked down the rest of it. "Have we got a deal? Because I could walk out of here right now and make sure you never find me." Cloud had become quite good at avoiding Turks, and those ones had known him. If he needed to, Cloud knew a large number of places that the Turks would never find him. The most secure was the Forgotten Capital, but Cloud wasn't sure he was ready to go back there yet. Lucrecia's cave was also a possible safe location. Or he could just go and hang out with Vincent for an eternity. Or at least, until he died of old age. Sleeping for thirty years was almost appealing at this point. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the Turks.

– – – – – – –

Tseng had been right. This time around, the pre-SOLDIER exams weren't at all difficult. The 'field' exam had been laughable. He'd been pitted against Kalm Fangs. Even Zack had been able to take those down by the age of three. When his skill had become obvious, the examiners had sent a whole pack at him personally. He didn't even break a sweat.

Next came the cognitive exam. They needed to test that he could follow instructions and observe his surroundings. He was put into a team of four troops – none of them could have been older than fifteen and Cloud felt ridiculously old – and made to work as a team. Each of them had an opportunity to lead the squad. The other three had stuttered and been unsure, but when it came to Cloud, he was confident and precise. He'd led people into battle before – a battle with much higher stakes – he knew what he was doing and it showed.

Lastly, there was the physical exam. This one was in two parts. An examination to find baseline vital signs and screen for possible weaknesses. The second part was the part that had Cloud nervous. They would be injected with a highly diluted mako solution to test the body's reaction and ensure that the SOLDIER serum would take.

It was very unlikely that Cloud would fail that, given his habit of falling into the lifestream and general exposure to mako both natural and not, but he had never exactly been fond of having the stuff shoved into his veins.

And it was for good reason. Exposure to mako would make the average person ill – the more mako the worse they would feel – but Cloud had been one of the few with very little resistance to the stuff. The first time he'd tried out for SOLDIER, his body had all but shut down. His body had been wracked with shivers strong enough to trigger seizures, his entire body had ached, his mind had screamed at him, his brain feeling like it was imploding while explosions happened from almost all his orifices.

The first time he'd been exposed to natural Mako, he'd fallen into a pool. He'd been comatose for a while and didn't remember much about what happened before Tifa had managed to bring him back. It still wasn't something he wanted to repeat.

The more recent exposures had been when he travelled through time.

Who knew what would happen this time. Cloud couldn't help his anxiety as a faceless doctor (not one he remembered) pressed the needle into his arm. He flinched and concentrated on his breathing. This brought back memories that he would have been happier without. When the needle was removed, Cloud tensed. Waiting. The side effects of mako exposure were almost immediate.

Nothing happened. Cloud frowned and looked down at his arm. The mark from the needle had already healed and he could feel the mako making its way through his system, but there was no illness. No aches or pains. No nausea or headaches. Nothing.

Apparently this was not an expected outcome. The doctor was watching him, monitoring his reaction. He'd already been on edge – it wasn't exactly expected that someone entering the SOLDIER program would already have mako eyes. Luckily, they hadn't asked about them. Probably on Tseng's order.

"Do you feel anything?" The doctor asked and Cloud shook his head.

"No. It's just warm." It wasn't even burning like it should have been.

"That's odd." The doctor pulled out a chart and read through it before reaching for more equipment. He took Cloud's vitals again, frowning even further. "Not even a fever." He muttered to himself. "Was it a dud batch?" He turned back to Cloud. "I'll be back."

He wasn't gone for long, and when he returned, he had a few vials with him. "I'm going to try to give you another dose." He said, "To make sure that it wasn't a tainted sample. I'll also need some blood work done."

Cloud held out his arm. He hated needles, but this was a means to an end. He'd put up with worse, and as long as Hojo didn't come anywhere near him, Cloud could handle a few needles.

The test was repeated and Cloud again felt very little. Just a warm surge in his arm as the mako met his circulatory system, the site of the injection itched a little. This left the doctor incredibly confused, but he took his blood samples and left. Cloud was dismissed and shown to a place he could wait.

He situated himself in the back of the room, leaning against the wall to observe the other twenty candidates. From his position, he could keep an eye on the exits and the people in the room. It was an old habit, one he hadn't needed to fall into for a long while, but one he was glad he hadn't lost. He was in enemy territory now and he needed to stay alert. Especially as his body was still adjusting to being so active again.

They were left in the room for a little over an hour, the other candidates were getting restless and nervous. Their chatter had quieted down quickly and now most of them were sitting in the provided chairs, sending anxious looks to the doors.

When they finally opened, the other candidates shot to their feet, instantly at attention. Cloud simply pushed himself off the wall, his arms still folded in front of him. The examiner walked through the door with a clipboard. "If your name is called, go through there." He pointed at the only other door.

"Albert. Grieve. Nichols. Storm." Cloud followed the other three through the door, making sure to take the rear position and to keep his senses open. He didn't expect an ambush here, now, but he still didn't let his guard down.

The four of them were in a small room. There was a table in the middle and an entire wall made of glass at the far end. The other candidates hesitated then took a seat, some shivering from mild fevers. Cloud once again found a vantage point where he could see the entire room.

After a moment a blonde man walked into the room and sat at the far end of the table. "Congratulations gentlemen." He said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose. "You are now SOLDIER Third Class. I am Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER. Your uniforms will be waiting in the supply pods. A Second Class will be outside the door. He will give you your orientation. Report back here at 0800. Dismissed."

When the men began to file out, Lazard spoke again. "Storm, if you would remain."

With a nod, Cloud waited until the others had left before giving Lazard his full attention. "Sir." It would take a while for him to get used to calling someone that again. It irked him, and felt wrong, but right now he had to blend in. Infiltrate. Vincent had taught him a thing or two about it, but Cloud had never been a Turk, even in his dreams.

"I have been given some interesting reports on you. According to my sources you have a pre-exposure to Mako. The doctor in charge of your medical assessment also noted that you appeared to have no adverse effects to the preliminary mako injection, nor the SOLDIER serum he gave you after." Cloud's eyes narrowed at that. He'd been led to assume that it was just another dose of the diluted mako. Not mako laced with J-Cells. He didn't appreciate being deceived by that, but he also wasn't surprised. None of the candidates had even been warned about the sterility that came with the injections.

"Sir." That was the polite way of saying 'no comment', while also giving the impression of minor confusion.

"I have discussed this with my collogues and we have decided that you require special attention. I have been informed of the deal that you made with Tseng. While I don't appreciate him making deals on my behalf, I will adhere to it. However, he made you no promises as to your rank. At this point, we'll be keeping an eye on you, perhaps even running a few more tests. The likelihood is that you will make it to First Class faster than most."

He paused here, as if expecting Cloud to speak up. Cloud supposed that most people in SOLDIER would be ecstatic about that idea. Cloud didn't really care. First Class would certainly make things easier for him, it would be a lot easier to get closer to Sephiroth if he were the same official rank.

However, Cloud didn't respond and Lazard continued. "I have assigned a second to shadow you. Officially he will be your mentor, unofficially he will be observing you. He will report to me his opinions as to whether or not you will fit as a second, or even first."

Cloud gave a nod. He was probably going to be watched to make sure he wasn't a threat to the company.

An amused smile flickered on to Lazard's face, "You don't say much do you?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

"No sir." Cloud did answer this time, and Lazard chuckled.

There was a buzz at the door. "Ah. This will be your escort." Lazard said, standing. "Come." He called to the person behind the door.

The door opened to reveal a sheepish looking man. Dark hair framed his face and bright blue eyes shone with the mako glow. A gloved hand was rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry director." He said, a sheepish grin on his face, "I got caught up with the new Thirds." The man turned his gaze to Cloud, "So this is the guy everyone's talking about?" He asked.

Cloud was staring. He couldn't help it. His heart was pounding in his chest and something was stuck in his throat. He wasn't breathing, he was trembling. He couldn't think. All he could do was stare at the man before him.

"Hey, you okay? Maybe you did get side effects after all." The man stepped forward, a hand reaching out in a very familiar way, sending a wave of emotion crashing over Cloud.

The planet had a very nasty sense of humour. Why else would his 'mentor' be Zack Fair?

– – – – – – –