Part III Chapter III - Dive into Vision

-Morning-

The first thing that managed to burst through the haze surrounding his mind was that one, he was falling, and two, he could move again. Not that the revelation helped much, he was moving too fast to try and grab onto anything. He was certain that trying to do so would likely end with his arm ripped off, which would leave him worse off than when he started.

A normal sixteen year old would have likely given up on life at this point, closing his eyes against the rapidly approaching horizon of iridescent green. Cloud wasn't a normal sixteen year old. He was a SOLDIER, in both mind and body now. The adolescent ended up sliding to the background, letting the hardened instincts of a warrior claw their way to the front. Instincts of the man he was, and would have been, in another time.

The first thing he did was asses his options. He could have tried to use his sword and the nearby wall to slow his momentum, but his beloved weapon was currently lying at the feet of his assailant. His second option was the materia fitted in his bangle, and he automatically reached out to the orbs, probing the magic. Heal, Cure and some others of his typical battle spells—there were none that would be particularly useful. He withdrew his energies, disregarding a possible magical solution just as unfamiliar warmth filled the air, tugging at his clothes and skin.

His eyes were watering from the combination of the rushing air and the mako-fumes, so he couldn't see the result of the spell, if one had indeed been cast; all he could see was the sea of green mere inches below him. His skin was burning now from the radiation, but that did nothing to match the anger that had started bubble inside. Did he make SOLDIER just to lose it all like this? Would Nibelheim still happen? He liked to think his destruction of the mansion would prevent it, but realistically, he knew Hojo had plenty of time to work around it. If he did nothing else, he needed to make sure that disastrous event did not come to pass. Or that he could stop it, if it came down to it.

Suddenly, breaking him out of the downward spiral his pre-death thoughts had taken, he was aware of was a very painful jerk around his middle. He kept going, even as the speed of descent slowed to nothing. It was almost too late when it finally halted, and he briefly broke the surface of the deadly poision from the momentum. Whatever the force was, it held, and Cloud grit his teeth against the freezing burn that spread across his face an upper torso, courtesy of his slight dunk into the iridescent liquid. Figuring the strange magic wouldn't last forever, he reached out to the supports barely an arm's length away, the cold metal beams adding to the forces keeping him suspended just above the brightly glowing mako. He was lucky he'd only been nudged over, a few more feet and he wouldn't have been able to reach it.

Cloud wasn't aware of what exactly had stopped his fall, but he really didn't have time to think about it now. With his head and face nearly covered in mako, his grip on the bar tentative at best, and the mysterious force becoming fainter and fainter as whatever it is decided to wear off, he didn't really have much time to ponder. His main concern was getting himself anchored, and while the freezing-burning sensation of the mako was quite distracting, he managed to use his SOLDIER enhanced strength to pull himself up and away from the shimmering pool of green, hooking his legs around the support to take some of the strain off his arms. It was a successful attempt, and he was soon able to relax slightly, enough to notice that there were sounds echoing down from the platform, and they were pretty clear considering how far he'd fallen. It had to be the metal, he decided vaguely as he tightened his grip on the cold supports.

"It's a pity." Cloud froze at the muttered words, magnified by the echoing quality to the large room. He knew that voice, knew it and loathed it. It cut straight through the smog of pain and light-headedness, and he heard that hated voice as if it was spoken in his ear, "I had hoped to study the remains; he showed an unusually high reaction to the SOLDIER injections. Just imagine the response to J-cells..."

There was an awkward silence, broken only by the gentle hum of machinery and the scientist's mutterings until the third person in the room spoke.

"Sir? I need to…" The turk again, the words interrupting the professor's lamentations. Again Cloud was struck by the fact that he should know that voice, but it was difficult to place. It wasn't that he had a hard time matching voiceprints to names, but first the shock of the electricity, and now the burning sensation searing his scalp, face, and every other place where mako had met skin, made in-depth recollection rather difficult. Hojo was different, the man's distinctive drawl and way of speech was burned into his mind.

"Clean-up, right." There was a disgusted sniff after he acknowledged the Turk's duty, and Cloud could almost see the hunch-backed scientist turning around, crossing his arms behind his back, "Do make sure to leave no traces—I'd hate it if your first assignment was your last."

There was a quiet 'yes, sir' and then it fell silent, leaving Cloud alone to deal with his situation. There wasn't much he could do, there was a maintenance ladder running up the wall a few yards away, but it was too far away to jump safely, especially with how light-headed he was feeling at the moment. He'd never been particularly fond of mako, but now that was all he could smell. All he could see (he was almost hanging upside-down), and all he could feel. He itched to wipe away the liquid that still clung to his face and hair, nipping and scalding in a way that he knew would leave the skin would extra sensitive once he got rid of it, but knew better. The pain would then just spread to his hands which could weaken his already unstable grip.

"Gaia, Cloud. You look awful."

His head jerked, bleary eyes focusing on the source of the words. A blue suit, a familiar voice. Seeing the face finally clued him into the identity of his attacker. Herne Grant, the squadmate who'd been drafted into the Turks, clung to the nearby service ladder. He didn't look much different than Cloud remembered, same black hair, same wiry frame.

"Look, I'm sorry about—Cloud!"

The blonde was only able to see one hand dive into a blue pocket, and then feel the same magic swirl about him before his hands finally slipped from the bar, and his vision faded to black.

-Afternoon-

Pale fingers adjusted the white bandages around Cloud's head, forest green eyes filled with worry as she took in the patient on her bed. He looked so weak and fragile lying there, caught in the throes of mako sickness, nothing like the strong and durable Second Class SOLDIER that she knew he was. Mako was what gave the SOLDIERs their strength and durability, and mako could just as easily take it away.

Aeris sighed, content that the medical gauze hadn't been disturbed too much by Cloud's recent fit of restless, and sank down into the wooden chair she'd dragged into the small bedroom. She hadn't quite believed it when Vincent had gotten the call from her mother, the woman almost hysterical as she explained that a young man in blue had shown up at her doorstep, carrying a mako drenched Cloud. All thoughts of their quasi-vacation from the city vanished in the wake of Cloud's plight and somehow they'd managed to make it back to Midgar in about half the time it had taken them to get to their isolated beach-head.

Vincent had been nearly beside himself with worry, even if he didn't broadcast it too obviously. She could see it in little ways, such as how he'd hovered at Cloud's side for hours before she'd nearly had to physically force him out of the room. As it was, she was almost positive he was hovering outside the closed door, and not getting the food and sleep she'd told him to get.

Cloud stirred, the second time in the past hour, and Aeris' eyes went worriedly to the bandages, the white fabric standing out almost glaringly amongst the bright golden blond strands. Well, they were usually bright, right now a good portion of Cloud's hair was a pale, almost platinum blond, bleached out by the mako that he'd apparently shown up covered in. That thought reminded her of the reason for the bandages that covered a good portion of the teenager's upper torso and his face, grimacing a little at the reminder of the odd burns that were being covered by the cloth. She hadn't been sure about covering them, but Vincent had insisted—apparently he had seen some similar burns in his time, and the polluted air of Lower Midgar wouldn't be very helpful to the healing process.

Cloud continued to toss and turn a she watched over him, face contorting into the occasional grimace or scowl. She even caught some mumbled words—wherever the life stream had taken his mind, he wasn't enjoying it, she knew that much. There was a faint buzz in the back of her own conciousness, informing her that the Planet's attention was on the boy before her, even if she wasn't able to hear the specifics about the episode. The buzz progressively got louder, even to the point where it became painful. It seemed almost as if it were arguing with someone. She wished she could stuff her fingers in her ears and block out the harsh noise, but she knew it was no use. When the Planet wanted to convey something, it wouldn't let up until it was listened to. Aeris knew this from experience, and all she could do was be glad that she was only picking up and the echoes in the lifestream and not the full brunt of the blast.

And then, all of a sudden, the noise died away, followed by a sharp, pained gasp from the boy on the bed. Aeris ignored the residual headache, immediately seeking out the too-bright mako glow peeking out from under blonde strands. Despite the obviously painful burns peppering his body, Cloud was struggling into a seated position, pushing away the thin blanket that had been covering him and revealing even more of his bandaged covered torso. He ignored Aeris' gentle push back to the bed, his head shaking, eyes wild and glowing brighter than normal, "You don't understand!" He whispered, his voice raw, "I have to go."

"You aren't going anywhere." Her voice was firm, even as she managed to get him to lie down—it was a testament to how weak he was that such a feat was even possible, "Gaea, Cloud, you scared us to death like that! What happened? Mom said the boy who brought you in wouldn't tell her much except how to clean off the mako safely."

"Grant." The blonde muttered, shaking his head and glaring up at the flower-girl, "But that's not important. I saw her again, Aeris. It's time. If I don't go—"

Those words froze her in place, and Cloud took the opportunity to slide out of the bed, groping for a black-shirt that had lain folded on the nightstand for his use—due to the size, it was probably Vincent's, and would hang loose on him, but Cloud didn't have any clothes at the Gainsborough residence. He paused when she finally spoke again, nodding in response to her whispered, "It was really her?"

"Yeah." Even the mad sense of urgency seemed to fade as they stared at each other. Aeris felt the faint buzz of the life stream again, the world falling away under the assurance, necessity, and regret that flowed from the Planet into the Cetra. She could feel her body trembling under the tender emotions, wrapping her arms around herself as the blanket of emotions settled around her. She knew it was hopeless, but she was worried for Cloud.

"I knew she was talking to you—I could hear a bit—but you are just getting over mako poisoning. You need rest."

Aeris was talking now, breaking the long awkward silence between her and Cloud. The boy knew she had a point, even when just standing up he felt a bit unsteady on his feet. Every movement burned, and he felt inexplicably dizzy. He knew he had the Planet, and even perhaps his previous exposure to mako, to thank for the fact that he was awake at all and not some comatose vegetable, but there wasn't much he could do in this state.

As soon as those thoughts slipped out he recalled the urgency, the concept of 'tonight', and a silver angel that rang in his mind. But there was also a feeling of concern, of rest, brown-hair and a kind smile, much like the girl in the room with him. He scowled briefly at the fractured and unclear nature of his memories, but with his mind awake and disconnected from the life-stream, it was difficult to remember a conversation that took place in it. It wasn't some weird future memory—they remained with an uncanny clarity even after waking, coming to him through natural sleep. These forced visions he'd only experienced twice before, three times total now, and they were always scattered and completely vague, leaving him with only the important points.

Beyond the first time—when he'd been nothing but a scared child, slipping and falling into a situation he did not understand—Cloud had always known without a doubt that he could trust the remnants of the mako-forced visions. That was why he was positive that he had to be in the SOLDIER compound tonight, and barring being tied to the bed he would be there.

He tried to take a step for the door, determined to complete the mission he'd set himself to do, but faltered. The only reason he didn't become intimately acquainted with the floor was the fact that Aeris moved forward, taking a good portion of his weight upon herself and providing him with some stability. "Just a couple hours Cloud. Please."

He huffed, letting her lead him back to the bed, "Fine. But don't try to stop me later."

Her response was soft, resigned, "I know."

-Early Evening-

Zack didn't just dislike waiting. He hated waiting. He loathed waiting with all of his heart and soul.

ShinRa obviously knew where the general had gone, a conclusion he'd come to when he received a notice from Heideggar himself, assigning one Zack Fair to take over all administrative duties during his absence. The reassurance did nothing to set Zack's mind at ease.

He knew it wasn't some type of mission—even the ones with the highest classifications would be found within the computer system. Zack's temporary access wasn't enough to access the files, but he could see them, labeled as "Classified" in big bold letters. As it was, beyond the training of cadets and the usual rotating of the patrols throughout Midgar, there hadn't been any formal missions aside from the one assigned to Cloud.

What worried Zack the most was not necessarily his General's absence, although it was completely out of character, but the day he disappeared on. It was the appointment with Hojo, specifically. The professor was the only reason Zack could accept and it gave him a lurking feeling of dread. If after a single session, maybe three or four hours, could leave Sephiroth delirious and vulnerable…suffice to say he was concerned for his friend after almost forty eight hours.

Zack stopped that train of thought as he heard a small crack, felt a wet, sticky substance seep through his fingers. The SOLDIER glanced down and sighed, tossing the remains of the ink-pen into the nearby trashcan, becoming the fourth victim of his mako-enhanced strength. He hated being so nervous, it distracted him and shot his control to hell.

The acting general of SOLDIER rose from the desk, careful to avoid brushing his hand against anything. He really didn't want to have to explain a large black splotch when Sephiroth came back—not if, when. Zack was positive Sephiroth would return sooner or later, President ShinRa wasn't stupid enough to let Hojo's experiments cost him his precious super SOLDIER. It was just a manner of when, and in what shape he came back in.

He refused to think on that further, not wanting to get any more caught up in worrying over something he couldn't fix. First things first, he had to get rid of the inky stain that was settling on his skin. There was a bathroom just down the hall, a good thing, so there wouldn't be any witnesses to his little accident. He could imagine the lecture if it ever got back to Sephiroth.

A bit of soap, water, and much scrubbing, and all that was left was a faint black stain. Zack eyed the coloration, and then shrugged; it would have to do until he finished work. At least now he wouldn't leave any evidence every time he touched something; he just needed to be extra careful it didn't happen again.

Zack was headed back to the office when he spotted something odd in the corridor. Usually the passage to the general's office was deserted, but not now. There was someone standing in front of the door, hand poised as if to knock. His first reaction was annoyance—Zack hated paperwork and didn't want any more of it—but that only lasted until he registered the deep blue suit. The annoyance bled away, leaving behind confusion and more than a little bit of wariness—having one of the Turks show up at the General's office was never good news. Hell, Turks any where were usually a sign of trouble.

"Zack?" The Turk turned around at the sound of his boots against the floor, and Zack couldn't help the smile that appeared upon seeing his old student. He was too good a soldier to completely drop his guard, but he was always happy to see his kids, especially those who'd moved on to professions other than SOLDIER. "Well he-llo. It's been a while, no?"

Grant didn't smile, rookies probably had to practice the whole no-emotion thing so Zack wasn't all that annoyed, but there was a faint twitch of his lips, and a gleam in his eye that betrayed his feelings as he returned the greeting. The two clasped hands before separating, and Zack ushered the young man into the office—"There's no reason to take up the entire hallway!"

The SOLDIER was quite comfortably seated in his General's chair, and Grant had taken up Zack's old position on the other side of the desk. He frowned a little, his attention settling on the light that died in his former student's face now that the pleasantries had been taken care of. Grant wasn't here for a social visit, the presence of his uniform made that little detail very clear.

"So, what's up?"

The Turk sighed, "As you can probably tell, I'm here on business." He pulled out a manila folder that he'd had tucked under his arm and placed it on the dark wooden desktop between them. Zack took it, flipping it open to find Cloud's face staring up at him. His throat went dry.

"As you are aware, Cloud Strife, SOLDIER 2nd Class, was assigned a mission the night before yesterday. He arrived at the site early this morning, checked in with the witnesses, and proceeded to track down the target. He failed to report in as of 16:00 this afternoon, and due to the sensitive nature of his mission, the Turks were called in to investigate."

Sensitive, of course it was sensitive. A monster running around in a reactor was more than sensitive, it was downright dangerous. To both the Company, and the surrounding people. Reactors went 'bang' pretty easily. Zack swallowed, watching as the impassive expression faded from Grant's face, his voice dropping out of the formal reporting tone, "As his former comrade I was called in. There was nothing, Zack. The monster's corpse was long dissipated, but I did find a pool of blood that tested positive as nonhuman, as well as the residue left behind by a dead monster. As for Cloud…there was only his sword, a mako vat, and no witnesses saying he ever left the room."

As his mind drew the obvious conclusion, Zack didn't want to believe it. Didn't, but he had no choice. The logical side of his mind, the soldier who had seen blood and death more times than he cared to count, was telling him to accept it and move on. This wasn't his first casualty. It wasn't even the first he had known personally.

But still. Cloud was his kid. Nothing he could think of or rationalize could change that.

"I just wanted you to know, since, you know, you were our teacher." Grant's voice was quiet, as if he knew the turmoil that roiled within Zack's mind, "They'll be contacting his next of kin within the next day or so—"

"No." The first word uttered since the Turk had begun his narrative, "I'll do it."

A/N:

Sorry for the wait, I started University and have felt completely unmotivated to work on anything other than school work. But…still, I managed this chapter. Sorry for those who were looking for Sephy, but we'll find out what happened to him soon enough. Hope you enjoyed the read, and don't forget to leave a comment.