Months of preparation and testing had passed, Cloud flunking the physical portion and landing herself into the cadet infantry program instead of SOLDIER with the higher scoring individuals. She was disappointed to say the least. Despite that, she allowed herself to feel excited at being accepted into Shinra at all. Now all she had to do was boost her physique and make her way through the ranks. Her dream was not forgotten.
With the help of Tifa and her connections with AVALANCHE, Cloud gradually grew stronger. She had to admit she wasn't a gifted fighter, Barret constantly yelling obscenities due to her mistakes and receiving countless scrapes and bruises in training, but she was progressing. It showed in her work as low level infantry advanced to high level infantry and was soon added to the low level mission list.
Cloud hadn't seen or spoken to Zack that first day, but the newsletter sent to her PHS told her that he had become a Second Class SOLDIER. She smiled, proud of him. Now she just wished she could get there too.
Currently she was heading to the barracks, the program expecting her to house there and train even harder now that she was a grade below SOLDIER. She didn't dislike the idea, or at least she wouldn't have if she were actually a boy. Living here as a girl was just asking for trouble, especially due to the public showering and shared dorms. Personal bathrooms and living spaces aren't received unless you reach First Class. Technically, she wasn't supposed to have made it this far thanks to the constant physicals and background checks. It was only thanks to Tifa and Jessie from AVALANCHE that she made it this far. Tifa had gotten herself a job as a Shinra physician and made sure Cloud was assigned to her, tweaking information on an as needed basis. As for Jessie, she was the one who had created Tifa's false doctorate and hacked into Cloud's birth record to mark her as a male, hiding anything that would otherwise give her away.
"Cadet Strife." Cloud shot into attention as her officer stepped before her, examining her pose, with slicked back hair a uniform that was nearly immaculate. "At ease." She visibly relaxed. "You are to report to Director Lazard's office. He has a mission to brief you on." She returned to attention, saluting him. "You are dismissed."
"Sir, yes Sir." She snapped her hand back to her side before following his command. The officer watched her about-face before continuing on to another group of cadets.
As she rode the elevator towards the higher floors, curiosity began to get the better of her. A grin formed on the blonde's face as she imagined all the missions they could send her on. She pictured herself defeating monsters single-handedly as her companions gaped at her like a fish. She giggled to herself.
"Is something funny, Cadet?" A stoic voice reached her ears, snapping her back to reality.
She startled as she found herself face to face with General Sephiroth. "N-no Sir." She blanched as she had forgotten to salute him.
He moved to the side and pressed a button while she scrambled out of the elevator. "You are not to address me so informally next time." He leveled her with a glare, referring to her previous lack of attention.
The door closed, leaving her to gape by herself. 'The nerve of that guy!' Her hands fisted to her sides as she glared at the elevator in which the general had disappeared. Every time she saw him he glared at her and demanded respect. Cloud decided from that moment on that she would no longer look to Sephiroth as a model, dislike continually growing in her heart for the man that had been her idol. Snapping out of her daze, Cloud continued to the Director's office, her excitement diminished.
"Ah, there you are Strife." Lazard spoke as she closed the door behind her, moving to stand in front of his desk. "You have orders to go to Sector 6 and escort a Don Corneo to our establishment." He paused for a moment, looking up from the briefing paper work to address her. "Your teammates for this mission are already in the lobby waiting for you. Do hurry." Cloud nodded her head in understanding and left his office.
In the lobby stood one Lieutenant Zack Fair and another soldier infantry, who looked quite bored. Zack was animatedly telling the soldier of the time he single-handedly took out a mob of monsters and saving the day when Cloud arrived. "Sorry I'm late." She spoke sheepishly, holding her uniform helmet close to her.
"Spike!" Zack exclaimed, pulling her into a headlock and ruffling her hair. "How have you been? Are you on this mission with us?" She gasped in surprising, pulling helplessly at his arm while just barely managing a small nod at his question. The Second released his hold on her and marched enthusiastically towards the door. "Alright! Let's go!"
Cloud ran her fingers through her hair, trying to put it back in place. Giving up, she placed her helmet on and followed after Zack, smiling freely at his antics.
Due to spending a lot of time in the slums to see Tifa the smell no longer bothered her but the other soldier made a point of covering his nose and grimacing. To her surprise, Zack acted like there was no change compared to above the plate despite his mako enhanced senses. As if hearing her train of thought Zack spoke, "I come down here often to see my girlfriend." He grinned happily. "She lives near this old church that has flowers growing in it." He laughed at their confused looks. "I know. Flowers aren't supposed to grow in Midgar, right? Well in this place they did. She said it's a sacred place so it's one of the only places they'll grow here. Funny enough, I happened upon her during a mission." He then delved into the story of how he met the love of his life. "I was chasing after this monster on the rooftops when one of the roofs caved in. Luckily the flowers were there to catch my fall. Granted that's also how I lost consciousness." He laughed to himself. "I woke up to this angel standing above me. She was calling 'hellooo hellooooo' to wake me up. I ended up promising to repay her with one date!" He stated proudly. "Best day of my life."
Throughout his story Zack had been taking out the small groups of monsters that crossed their way, barely taking a pause in his ramblings. He cut through the monsters rather quickly, being in SOLDIER and all, not bothering to leave any fighting for the two cadets following him. By the time his story ended they were already by the entrance of Don Corneo's establishment.
"Alright soldiers, here we are! You two go ahead and stand guard here while I go and get the man." Both of them stood to attention on either side of the steps as Zack rushed inside the small manor. They didn't have long to wait, the man already having a carriage loaded with his luggage. Cloud and the other soldier gaped behind their helmets, Zack coming up behind them while rubbing his head and mumbling about overdoing it.