Chapter 14: The Long Ride Home
Cloud looked around the room, glowering at Hojo before his eyes trailed over the two SOLDIERs who had been brought in for backup. Of course, they weren't a match for Sephiroth, should the Alpha choose to fight for them. Given the fact that he had literally ripped him and Zack apart he knew that was less and less likely.
If Hojo had brought the two SOLDIERs, how many troopers had come? How outnumbered were they? It occurred to him that he was actually thinking about running from Shinra. He was actually thinking of running from the only dream he had ever known. Would they go with him? Would they abandon this monster who had played puppeteer to their lives? He thought Zack would, his Alpha had said as much. If Hojo hadn't come in when he had, could they have convinced Sephiroth? Would he join them knowing he couldn't have him anymore? Zack had taken him back. He needed to put a stop to whatever else was going on. He had to have the courage to stick with his convictions.
"What's at the reactor?" Cloud questioned, looking at Hojo as the man stared coldly at him over the rim of his glasses. "Vincent said it would break me. Why would it break me?"
"Because you have a weak will," Hojo replied almost instantly, glancing towards Sephiroth. "What was your gameplan here? Did you think by unraveling my work that it would bring the two of you closer?"
"I can truly state with 100% accuracy, Professor, that unraveling your work was not one of my concerns," Sephiroth informed him, that icy edge still present in his tone.
"How could you do this to us?" Zack questioned. "How could you do this to him if he really is your son?"
Hojo's shoulders shook with laughter, and Cloud watched as Sephiroth's hand twitched on the hilt of his sword. "You SOLDIER grunts and your sense of morality. You signed up for everything that happened to you. It was all in the fine print of your contracts." Hojo glanced first at Sephiroth, and then his eyes landed on Cloud. "Well, most of you did."
"What's at the reactor?" Cloud asked again, hands clenched at his sides as he glowered at the scientist.
Hojo rolled his eyes, tilting his head to look at him. "It would serve you right if I showed you. Alas, I'm not that cruel." He looked to Angeal, and then over to Cloud. "Pick him up if you have to. I tire of this town."
"Touch him," Sephiroth hissed coldly towards the SOLDIER. "I dare you."
Angeal frowned at him. "I don't know what's going on here, but I do know you are all outnumbered. He brought an army with him, Sephiroth."
"I can fight an army," Sephiroth assured him, eyes glowing and dangerous.
Hojo laughed at the reply, shoulders shaking as he threw his head back. "Such hubris from my favorite. You remind me of your mother."
"Enough!' Vincent snapped, the quiet calm man lashing out in anger.
Hojo simply snorted at the attempt. "Well, you certainly don't remind me of your father," he sneered. "Let me make this exceedingly simple for the lot of you. If you don't come with me, I will have to use lethal force." He grinned at Sephiroth. "Whereas this might not worry you all that much, I do have something that just might. If he is with your child, he's going to die unless I perform a procedure."
Growling filled the room as Cloud looked between both Zack and Sephiroth, both of their scleras extending as cold rage covered their faces. How could he have been so unwanted his entire life, and now could have been lucky enough to be wanted by both of them? What was he doing to them? Whatever danger he was in, he was enslaving them. They would both go back to Shinra, and Hojo would just continue his vicious cycle.
"I'm not." Cloud resisted the urge to touch at his aching belly. "I'm not. There's no reason for any kind of procedure. There's no reason for them to go with you."
Genesis frowned. "Strife...there's still a reason." He looked awkwardly from Sephiroth, and then back to him. "Don't make me fight you."
"You'd lose," Sephiroth stated.
"Think you underestimate me," Genesis tried, looking uncomfortable. "I think you underestimate just what they're protecting here."
"Your prize," Sephiroth mocked. "I forgot how easily you're bought."
Genesis glared at him. "Am I? And you? How easily are you bought, Sephiroth?" He motioned to Cloud. "You going to let him be with Zack?"
Angeal let out a pained sigh. "Genesis, what idiotic thing did you agree to?"
"He promised you an Omega," Zack surmised, shock on his face.
Cloud's eyes widened in surprise as Genesis avoided his eyes. "You say that like we just grow on trees or something."
"Interesting choice of words," Hojo spoke in amusement.
"Wh-" Sephiroth started, and Cloud watched his face go blank as he hid his reaction. "We're going home now. Zachary, help Cloud to the helicopter."
"What?" Zack questioned. "You can't be serious that we're just going to—"
"Look around you!' Sephiroth interrupted him. "We're outnumbered, and if there is something wrong with him, I don't know anything about fixing an Omega pregnancy. Do you?"
But that wasn't why Sephiroth's demeanor had shifted. He had been ready to fight before. Then a realization had come over him. Something about the omegas. Whatever it had been had been enough to garner a surrender. He wasn't wrong though. They were outnumbered. This wasn't the place to stand their ground.
"I'll go," Cloud hesitated as he watched Hojo. "No one gets hurt?"
Hojo raised an eyebrow. "You have nothing to bargain with."
Cloud's hand pressed to his belly. "I'm asking you. Don't hurt anyone of them, Vincent included. Will it not be easier for you if I cooperate, rather than fight you the whole time?"
"You act like I'm not used to that," Hojo mused, before rolling his eyes. "Fine. Just get in the helicopter. We need to get you in for testing."
"Your word," Cloud bit out. "For whatever that's worth."
Hojo held up two fingers mockingly. "On my honor."
Zack scoffed. "Whatever there is of that," he grabbed Cloud's hand. "He's not a guinea pig. We go back with you, he doesn't get locked up in a lab. He goes back to his classes. We go back to normal."
"Hmm," Hojo mocked, eyeing Zack with amusement.
"Something I said that was funny?" the Alpha bit out.
"Quite," Hojo replied. "Such demands when between the three of you, you're the only one that's expendable." He leaned closer. "In fact, having Angeal over here slice your head in two would actually be doing me many favors."
Absolute dread filled him at those words, and Cloud stepped in front of Zack, hands still clasped behind them as he shook his head at the scientist. "I'll be good."
"I don't need you to sacrifice yourself for me, Spike. I'm not going to let you go back there and be a lab rat. I don't care that he thinks he has the right."
"Zachary," Angeal spoke as he looked between them. "Stand down. This is not a fight you can win." He motioned over to Sephiroth. "You lost your back-up."
Sephiroth was frowning as he watched the scientist. "Zachary is right. He'll be allowed to return to his training. I will take full responsibility for what happened here today, and his behavior will reflect on me alone."
Hojo began to laugh again at that, actually covering his mouth to try to get himself to stop. "Oh Cloud, how proud you make me sometimes." He stopped laughing, pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Depending on how he behaves, I don't see why he can't return to his classes. We can just forget this little incident ever happened."
"Like hell," Cloud spoke under his breath.
"You'll certainly wish for it before I'm done with you," Hojo assured him. "I have to clean up this mess." His narrowed eyes landed on Vincent. "The SOLDIERs will escort you all back to headquarters."
Cloud frowned at that. "No one gets hurt. That was what was agreed upon."
Hojo frowned, rolling his eyes. "You don't even know him."
"I do!" He didn't know how, but he did that man. He had been kind to him. Besides, he was Sephiroth's father. "No one gets hurt. Please."
The scientist sneered at him. "You overestimate your importance."
"Do I?" Cloud asked him, eyes flickering over to Sephiroth. "Because I don't think I do."
Sephiroth met his gaze, sighing in irritation at what he was implying. "Hojo. Do you want Lieutenant Fair and I to put up a fight?"
"Please say yes," Zack bit out, and Cloud saw the way his eyes were glowing pools of violet.
"Fine," Hojo relented with a sigh of disgust. "Just get in the helicopter."
Cloud nodded, pulling on Zack's hand as the SOLDIER was growling in anger. "Zack...this isn't a fight we can win right now." The Alpha didn't budge, eyes fixed upon the scientist.
"Cloud," Genesis warned. "Do something."
"What do you want me to do?" Cloud asked, right as Zack lunged, pulling his sword off his back and smashing Hojo up against the wall. "Zack!"
Zack pressed his sword up against his neck, and Cloud could see a bead of blood roll down Hojo's collar as the bastard was still chuckling. "I should end you. You've ruined our lives. You've ruined so many lives!" Cloud's eyes were wide in fear as he glanced between Genesis and Angeal.
"Seph…" He managed, turning fearful eyes to the General.
Sephiroth scoffed almost boredly. "We should let him do it. It would serve him right."
"Sephiroth!" Angeal bit out. "We take out the head of Shinra's science department, we've got a target on our backs the rest of our very short lives."
Hojo laughed at that, causing Zack to press the sword closer. "Why are you laughing? You find the prospect of your own demise so amusing?"
"Do it," Hojo bated. "Do it, and watch the one you love die screaming."
"I don't believe anything you say," Zack assured him. "I don't believe there's anything wrong with him."
"Just like I'm sure you believe you'll end up with Cloud in the end." Hojo mocked. "Just like I'm sure that you've convinced yourself that your cells aren't deteriorating as we speak. Do you know how you fix that, Lieutenant Fair?" The scientist questioned. "Do you know why Genesis has betrayed you all for a chance at it?"
"What are you implying?" Sephiroth questioned.
"I'm trying to save all of your lives, and your ungratefulness is starting to wear on me." He glanced over to Cloud. "Get him off me now, or I'll have him killed."
"Zack," Cloud tried again, hand reaching out. Panic welled in his gut as he imagined him full of bullet holes because he was defending him. "Alpha," he spoke instead, making his voice a command as he watched Zack's spine stiffen. "Alpha...come here."
Cloud tried to ignore the way Hojo laughed as Zack pulled away and came back over to him, and he could feel the look of horror from most of the Alphas in the room as he reached up to pet the back of Zack's spikes as he buried his face in his neck.
"What are you?" Angeal questioned, voice a mixture of fear and disgust.
"Magnificent," Hojo praised.
"I'm sorry," Cloud whispered into Zack's ear, hating himself for showing Hojo this weakness. He held him close, pulling back to look into those betrayed eyes. "Let's go home, okay? Let's go home?"
"Would he have a choice?" Genesis questioned, that same disgust that he had heard in Angeal's voice echoed. "You promised me a partner, not a master."
"I promised you survival," Hojo corrected. "Doing it on my terms is just something you're going to have to live with. Key word being, live."
Cloud entwined their fingers, dragging Zack's eyes up to his. "Please."
Zack raised an eyebrow, and Cloud saw that disgust he felt for him on his face. "You're asking now?" Cloud flinched at the implication, guilt eating away from him as the SOLDIER turned back to Hojo. "This isn't over." He pulled on Cloud, and he followed his Alpha hang dogged out of the mansion. He couldn't bring himself to look at Sephiroth as he was pulled out.
Wind whipped at his face as they exited the mansion, and Cloud saw in horror as they were surrounded on all sides by planes packed to the brim in troops. There had to be upwards of 500 troopers from the army. 500 troopers, and two SOLDIERs, were their lives really so valuable that it required such an effort?
Not theirs he supposed...Sephiroth.
Shinra couldn't risk losing him.
Hojo couldn't risk losing him.
They were loaded up into one of the helicopters, automatic rifles pointed at them as they were. Cloud felt too sick to even look up as he slid to the edge. Zack's thigh pressed up against his as Angeal slid in beside him. Genesis and Sephiroth slid onto the other side across from them. He was just wishing for a hole to open up and swallow him at this point. Anything to not have to look up as the door slid shut.
They pulled off the ground almost at once, and Hojo must have had the good sense to not press in next to them as they headed out across Nibelheim. He chanced a glance up to Zack, whose mouth was pressed into a hard line, glaring across to where Sephiroth and Genesis sat.
"Something on your mind, Zachary?" Genesis questioned. "Or are you not able to express thoughts without your boy toy there's permission?"
"Just thinking about how you sold your friends down the river for a piece of tail." Zack snapped.
"Oh? I did that?" Genesis questioned. "Here I was under the impression that you two almost got us all killed so that you could fuck Hojo's offspring?" The auburn haired SOLDIER grit his teeth. "Besides, it wasn't for tail. It was for survival. You see, I happen to enjoy living."
"And how do you know you're dying?" Sephiroth questioned. "Because he told you so?" He scoffed in disgust. "It's always the same game with him."
"It's not a game," Genesis snapped back. "I've seen my labs. I've seen the deterioration of the SOLDIER program."
"Indeed," Sephiroth spoke skeptically, eyes fixed on the window as they flew over the reactor, and Cloud felt a pang in his gut at what secrets may lie inside.
Angeal sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Zack. "What did you get yourself involved in? Didn't I tell you to keep your head down?"
"Sorry Angeal," Zack spoke, mouth tilting up into a side smirk. "Thing is, he's worth it." Cloud's heart skipped as he turned hopeful eyes over to Zack, letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as he saw that small smile. "This is Cloud by the way, I wanted to introduce you sooner. But well...things never work out the way you plan I guess."
Angeal shook his head as he watched them. "I'm aware. You've talked about him enough."
Cloud blushed at the scrutiny, feeling Sephiroth's eyes on him as well. It felt like a betrayal. He leaned in to Zack as the other wrapped a hand around his waist, and he couldn't think about the fact that he had slept with Sephiroth. He couldn't think about what had happened in that lab, or the fact that he could be carrying a child. He needed to know if they were really sick. He needed to know if he was the cure….whatever that meant. He'd do anything for them. He'd do anything to save them. He just didn't want to choose which one.
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