A/N: Not gonna lie, I've had this part of the fic planned out for a while now, but these chapters hit a little close to home now after everything that happened in DC this week...
"Cadet! Where do you think you're going?!"
Well, shit. Cloud hadn't thought he was going to get caught that quickly. He hadn't even made it more than 10 floors before the elevator doors slid open, a couple of red-faced officers glaring menacingly his way. Perhaps he should have realized that things wouldn't go his way – not with the name Strife – but he didn't have Barret tagging along this time, he was actually being discreet. Sure, there's still the matter of this so-called 'invasion', but Cloud wasn't even a terrorist anymore – he actually worked here. Still worked here, in fact. That bastard Rufus had made it quite clear that he wasn't accepting any resignations.
So, sure, maybe it shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise, and maybe he should have had a backup plan in place, but too late for that now. He'll just have to hope that his earlier excuse will be good enough. "I was trying to find help, sir! One of the officers on the cadet floors thought he saw some Wutaian rebels, so I was sent for backup!"
Unfortunately, these troopers don't fall for it hook, line, and sinker like the ones 10 floors down. Sure, they definitely look shocked, but one of them has the frustrating insight to take a step into the elevator to look at the control panel. "Level 50? What the hell are you thinking, Cadet?"
He's thinking that he really wants you to get the hell out of his face so that he can finish what he started, but he's sure that would go over well… Well, all he can hope for is that his shock at being caught – both on the elevator and in a lie – will pass for confusion. "Uhh… I thought SOLDIERs would be my best bet, sir."
But his cover isn't good enough this time, and one of the officers has the gall to look exasperated – SOLDIERs would be far better equipped than troopers to handle an invasion force if that really was what this was (which it most likely wasn't) – while the other drags him bodily from the elevator. "The SOLDIER floor is level 49, dumbass."
"Oh."
"What's your name, Cadet?"
"Uh… Denzel, sir." Definitely can't give them his real name – they would know he was lying for sure. How could Sephiroth's student not know which floor was the SOLDIER floor? "Denzel Wallace." The name wasn't entirely a lie, even if it wasn't actually his – Barret had pretty much been a second father figure for the boy whenever he was around.
The officer who had pulled him from the elevator looks him up and down for a second before addressing his companion. Honestly, what was with these guys and sizing him up? He wasn't that short. "Go see if Stevens and Ryland really need help. I'll keep… Denzel here in line."
Ugh. How would he complete his (self-given) mission now? He knows Heidegger. That man is a ticking time bomb – there's no telling when he would go off. But if he was alone with Rufus, it would be sooner rather than later. Granted, Cloud would love to punch Rufus himself right now and would so enjoy the schadenfreude of things not working out for the man. But not so much so that he would let Heidegger trample over everything.
But before he can figure out the best way to ditch this loser – can't be hanging around when they actually do find Stevens and Ryland – he's tugged unceremoniously from the elevator bay and thrown into a group of already-patrolling troopers. More specifically, he's more or less tossed into the arms of another cadet in said group of troopers. "Oi, Cadet. Keep an eye on Denzel here. Two peas of a feather pod together and all that." And with a roll of his eyes, the officer turns on his heel and walks back the way he came.
As the man leaves, Cloud finds he can't help himself. He really can't. When the officer rounds the corner, he grumbles to himself, "It's 'two peas in a pod' and 'birds of a feather flock together', idiot." He's technically still being held upright by the other cadet – at least one of them was prepared – and here he is insulting their 'commanding' officer. So much for being discreet.
But the other cadet doesn't seem to mind, if the gasp and whisper of "Cloud?" in his ear are anything to go by. Oh, thank Gaia. That was Garrett. This would make things so much easier.
Grabbing his roommate's arm, Cloud steers him around to continue their 'patrol'. "Denzel right now, actually. Where are the others?"
"No idea. We got separated when all this hullabaloo started. They're not on this floor, though." Drat. It would have been easier to slip away if they were all together. But he'll make do. He just hopes the others didn't get the short end of the stick when it came to patrol jobs. "What's going on?"
Cloud snorts – wouldn't he love to know. "No idea either. But if I know Heidegger, it can't be anything good."
Humming, Garrett taps a finger against his cheek in thought. When he gasps surprised, stumbling over himself, Cloud knows the teen had come to the same conclusion he had. Garrett throws an awkward "Oops! Tripped over myself!" to the other troopers, slapping one hand against his helmet in (feigned) embarrassment, before pulling Cloud close again, his voice thankfully back to a whisper. "You mean a coup?"
"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him. Heidegger hates Rufus and yet he's taking an 'elite' team of troopers to protect him? I don't buy it."
Garrett groans and crosses his arms over his chest. "What do we do then?"
"Not we, me. I need to get up there."
One of Garrett's hands shoots out to grab his bicep, the look on the teen's lower face entirely horrified. "Clo— I mean Denzel. They could kill you."
"I'll be careful, I promise," is Cloud's simple reply as he holds out a pinky for emphasis.
But Garrett is having none of that, the teen bringing up the bothersome observation of "But shouldn't the President already have protection? No offense, dude, but what can you do?"
"I don't know if he has protection and I have no idea what I'll do, but I can't stick around here. I know Heidegger. Things will not end well if he's left alone with the President."
Garret pulls a face, clearly unhappy, for several long moments, before finally and rather reluctantly wrapping his pinky around Cloud's, giving their joined hands a good shake for show. "Alright… fine. I don't exactly like this, but I can see your mind's made up," he concedes, giving Cloud the most serious look he can manage with his helmet still covering half of his face. "I'm going to hold you to your promise, though. You better be careful." Cloud's stiff nod is apparently all the assurance he needs, the ghost of a smirk coming over Garrett's face. "Now, I guess you need a distraction."
"Can you do it?"
Garrett almost looks offended at his question. "Can I – " he scoffs " – Can I do it, he says. Who do you think I am, buddy?" He pokes a finger into his own chest. "Of course I can do it. But you'll own me big afterwards."
Ha, fair enough. "I'll buy you a piece of that apple cheesecake you like every day for a month."
The teen practically drools, eyes no doubt wide behind his helmet. "Ooo, I won't say no to that. But I was talking more about an explanation about what happened to you."
"Me?"
"When I saw you this morning you were still super insecure – I mean, you totally have every right to be insecure after everything that happened. But I've never seen you this confident. Pretty sure I've never seen you confident period, but still…"
Cloud can't help his smile. He's really glad to have met Garrett and his other ridiculous roommates this time around, people who actually noticed when things were wrong, who cared enough to notice, even if he did have to deal with the absolute hell that was Johnson. "Not sure you'll believe me. But I'll tell you everything."
"Oh, Denzel…" Garrett shakes his head, the look on his lower face mock-patronizing. "Have you not realized by now the things that I will actually believe?" Cloud snorts, but Garrett doesn't give him the chance to respond. "One distraction coming your way," the teen practically sings as they approach the stairwell and the officer again, the tone of his voice so mischievous that Cloud can almost imagine the teen winking behind his helmet.
Cloud's not entirely sure what Garrett does next – or even how he does it – but one minute they're still 'patrolling' and the next Garrett's dashing forward, bellowing "There you are Wutai scum!", rifle raised. And everybody listens. Everybody follows, including that dumbass of an officer who can't even get a single idiom right.
But there's no time to marvel at his friend's knack for diversions – he has a job to do. And Cloud has slipped, unnoticed, into the stairwell before Garrett's even finished yelling "Get back here, you! I won't let you make a mockery of Shinra!" And as Cloud starts his long trek up, he can't help the smirk that splits his face – he owes Garrett way more than a month's worth of dessert for this.
.
.
.
Stairs.
Gaia. Cloud hates stairs. Not even the short respite on level 50 made things better. But at least he has a more complete picture of things. If the cadet floor, the floor he saw Garrett on, and level 50 are anything to go by, then Heidegger has troopers on every level. Every. single. level. Of course he had to make things difficult for Cloud. And if that wasn't bad enough, it would appear that the elevators were being guarded, too – makes sense, but once again, not helpful for Cloud. But, whatever, he can make do.
After what feels like an absolute eternity, he finally makes it to the 59th floor, entirely ready to collapse. Gaia, no wonder Barret was so adamant about taking the elevator last time – Cloud feels like his lungs are on fire and he wouldn't be surprised if his legs fell off right then and there. And that's with all the extra endurance training Sephiroth pushed him through. He so misses his enhancements. Not Hojo, though. Never Hojo.
Coming to a stop right before the exit to the floor, he activates the sense materia he had borrowed and scans the floor. Through the door. He'll have to thank Yuffie for that handy little trick later, he had only ever scanned an enemy to their face. But now, now he knows exactly how many troopers are on the floor. But, even better, he knows exactly where they are. He would have preferred to have his enhanced hearing back – he almost feels deaf without it – but, once again, he'll take no enhancements over Hojo any day.
The picture the Scan output paints is not the most reassuring. He can see that there are 12 troopers patrolling the hall – half on one side, half on the other – and another handful guarding the elevator bay. If he doesn't want to risk alerting everybody on the floor to his presence, he should probably avoid cutting through the elevator bay in the middle, then. But how does he get around?
Watching the Scan output for a few moments more, he can feel a shit-eating grin stretch over his face as he realizes exactly how those 12 troopers are patrolling. They're just doing a continuous, unchanging loop around the hall. And with the elevator bay in the middle, neither group has any visual on the other. That makes his job simple.
Waiting a few seconds more, once the closest group passes the stairwell, he glides silently out of the door, falling effortlessly into step behind them. Just like the Junon parade all over again. He has to stop himself from snorting at the thought – it had been rather hilarious to have been so close to Rufus without the other even suspecting a thing.
As he follows the troopers through the hall, Cloud swears he can almost see Tifa and Barret staring out of the large glass windows there; can almost hear Barret complaining about the 'damn fools' who were bleeding the planet dry, who were only interested in taking in the night view – Terrible, but beautiful all the same. Even without the night view, Skyview Hall is just as beautiful as he remembers. And Cloud finds all he wants to do is stop, to see what Midgar looks like in the daylight. He reigns himself in, though. Doesn't give himself any time to gawk, acting instead like the perfect soldier he most definitely was not.
His presence goes unnoticed as they turn the corner, the troopers he's more or less hijacked not even realizing they have a stowaway, Cloud's footsteps absolutely silent behind them. And when they reach the card reader leading to the restricted part of the floor, Cloud quietly breaks away as the rest of the troopers continue down the hallway. He's surprised they don't hear the little beep as he scans his borrowed keycard, but whatever. Easier for him.
There's not a soul on this side of the floor, no troopers patrolling – which doesn't seem thorough, but who's he to complain – no run-of-the-mill employees gazing down upon Midgar from above. The latter might have more to do with the 'invasion', though, everybody sheltering-in-place and all that.
Coming to a stop right before exiting into the escalator and VIP elevator bay, Cloud hides behind a pillar, out of view of the patrolling troopers back the way he came, but more importantly out of view of anybody who might be lurking around the corner. He casts Scan once more – his unenhanced ears still frustratingly useless – and nearly groans at the results he gets. Of course the VIP elevators would be guarded, too. Why would he think – hope – differently? He had already guessed that there would be troopers on each floor.
As he casts Scan at the next floor up, his suspicions are confirmed – there are troopers guarding the elevators on that floor, too. And probably on every floor above it. Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. He would love to just knock out the guards on this floor and take the elevator the rest of the way up, but it was all glass and very, very see-through. He already had problems with the enclosed, public elevator. With troopers guarding each level, and with how his name is cursed – his entire life was proof of that – it wouldn't take a genius to guess how well taking the elevator would go… His excuse had already failed once and he no longer has Garrett to help out.
Guess he's doing this the hard way then.
Making liberal use of the confuse materia he had picked up, he sneaks up floor after floor, the troopers on the other side of each set of escalators none the wiser to his presence. And with the keycard he had grabbed, at least he doesn't have to play the tourist this time. He might have shot himself if he had to stroll through that gaudy-ass museum again. He's willing to bet all the gil in his bank account – a depressingly small amount right now, he's sure of it – that Rufus had tossed his father's gilded statue out. But Cloud has no desire to find out if the man had replaced it with his own likeness. He already lost his breakfast twice today, the third time would not be the charm.
His ascent passes without a hitch for the first few floors and Cloud's just thought that things never go this perfectly, when his luck runs out on the 64th floor, Cloud having effectively jinxed himself. Casting Confuse without thinking, it takes him longer than would be useful to notice that his spell didn't go as planned. It's only the angry "What the hell do you think you're doing?" that has him realizing that only one of the two troopers is swaying, eyes glazed over. The other one apparently has protection against confusion… and looks less than pleased with Cloud's sudden appearance. Oops.
Their stand-off continues for a few long moments – Cloud's eyes wide, the trooper's face red – until the trooper fumbles with his equipment, providing Cloud with all the motivation he needs to pull himself out of his own self-inflicted stupor. He hastily casts Sleep – please work – just as the trooper cocks his rifle. Cloud nearly thanks any and all gods listening when the spell actually takes hold, not only on the trigger-happy trooper, but on his still-confused counterpart, the two collapsing together almost comically, helmeted heads knocking against one another as they crumple to the floor.
The rifle luckily doesn't go off, but the clattering of the troopers to the floor – and perhaps the one trooper's earlier shouting – are enough to alert their counterparts a floor down. The counterparts who apparently have already recovered from their own confusion.
"Hey, what's going on up there?"
Well, shit. Even without his enhanced hearing, it doesn't take a genius to realize that one or both of those troopers will be up here in a minute. He could probably take them, even without his enhanced strength and older body, but he still doesn't know if there's anybody else patrolling this floor and if they had heard the commotion, too. Time is of the essence, he needs to keep moving.
Unfortunately, he had already come to the end of the escalators, so he didn't have that going for him. He had been tempted to say screw it and take the elevator the last 5 floors and just hope that his luck held out, but he guesses he'll just have to ditch that plan. No time to wait for the elevator to arrive now. But at least he knows another way to get to the top of the Tower. He just wishes it didn't involve going through the labs. Though, he supposes he shouldn't be that surprised – his day was already proving to stink worse than a juiced-up Malboro's foul breath.
As he dashes over to the hidden entrance to the labs and swipes his borrowed keycard, he can hear the pounding of feet from both sides – good thing he had abandoned the elevator idea. He barely has the time to throw himself into the labs, the doors sliding shut behind him just as a shout of "What happened here?" echoes throughout the hallway he had just come from. Well, at least he wasn't spotted. He'll take what he can get.
Slipping into an alcove just past the entrance, he tries to regain his bearings (and resolve) before heading deeper into the labs. He half-expected the keycard not to work, though he's not entirely sure whether that has more to do with the fact that he really doesn't want to be here or because of how the rest of his day (and week) had already been going. But he guesses Sephiroth has access everywhere. Good thing he picked up the man's spare keycard – he could totally kiss the General right now.
It's not until he's activated the sense materia again and taken a step towards the exit of the alcove that his words catch up with him. Jerking violently, Cloud finds himself stumbling over thin air and having to brace himself against the wall to avoid becoming acquainted with the floor… again. What was he thinking? Him kiss Sephiroth? No. No. Absolutely not. If he was going to kiss anybody, it would be Vincent for teaching him how to be so sneaky. Wait… No. That still sounds wrong. Ok, new plan – he's not kissing anybody. Ever.
The journey from the entrance on the 64th floor to the sublevel of Hojo's lab – well, Hojo's no longer – the next floor up goes easily and uneventfully enough, though a good part of that is probably because he very specifically does not focus on the mako tanks that seem to be absolutely everywhere. He does not need to have any more nightmarish visions of Hojo today… or ever again, preferably.
It's only when he's ducked behind some crates to avoid the lurking scientists – crates near where Nanaki had been held (would be held?) captive – that he allows himself to be distracted. Or, more specifically, he finds his attention ripped from him by the scientists he had been monitoring. He had only been eavesdropping to avoid them better, but listening in on their conversation couldn't hurt.
"Stability at 5%?" A slapping sound rings throughout the lab – perhaps one of the scientists hitting a mako tank, like Hojo always did with him… Ok, stop thinking about him. Now. "How are we supposed to freeze this entire thing?"
"We've done it before!"
"Materia, you mean?" The man scoffs. "That's small-scale – no, miniature-scale compared to this! How are we supposed to freeze the entire thing? And with a living creature inside of it, no less! What is the President thinking?"
"Would you prefer Hojo?"
Another scoff – far more incredulous this time. "Of course I wouldn't prefer that lunatic! But this is just…" The man trails off, groaning exasperated.
"I know… But the President believes in us." Cloud nearly snorts – was that supposed to be comforting? This darling apparently hadn't lost his positive outlook on life… or Shinra. "And at least we're not the ones in charge of altering the SOLDIER serum."
Unfortunately, that's the exact moment the two walk back the way Cloud had just come, their volume reaching a level that Cloud's unenhanced hearing can't pick up on. Drat. It was just getting good. Guess he'll just have to shake Rufus down for information later. Information on both the new SOLDIER serum and this freezing mako business. But, first things first. He needs to make sure that Rufus actually lives long enough for him to get some answers.
Continuing his silent creeping through the sublevel and to the service elevator, he somehow makes it to the main level of the labs without further ado and without being detected – he's not sure whether he should be happy or exasperated that security was so lax. But then he is stopped once more by the sight of the glass cage Aerith had been kept in. He's so glad she won't have to deal with that creep anymore.
So lost in his memories as he is, Cloud doesn't realize the danger lurking on the floor until it's growling behind him. Turning as slowly as he can manage to avoid provoking whatever is there, he comes face-to-face (face-to-muzzle?) with something he wasn't expecting to see again. Granted, the bluish-purple canine in front of him is a lot smaller and softer-looking than he remembers, but there's no mistaking those glowing, red eyes. "Darkstar, is that you?"
The growling stops, the guard dog – guard puppy? – leveling him with what can only be a calculating look, head tilted to the side, as if trying to figure out if he knows Cloud. He doesn't, but Cloud takes advantage of his momentary confusion anyway, ever so slowly removing his helmet and placing both it and his rifle on the ground, kneeling down in front of the guard puppy to seem like less of a threat – he really doesn't feel like getting bitten today. "It's ok, Darkstar. I'm just trying to save your daddy… from himself, probably." If he knew Rufus, the man had probably called all of this trouble down on himself by being an insufferable asshole.
That assurance – or Cloud's unhelmeted head – seems to be enough to catch the dog's attention, Darkstar padding up to him cautiously, red eyes searching Cloud's face for the answer to some question Cloud doesn't know. He can't worry about that now, though – he still needs to get to the top of the Tower – and instead he holds out a hand tentatively for the guard puppy to sniff. But, of course, that's when everything takes a turn for the weird again. The moment Darkstar gets a good whiff of him, it's like a switch has been flipped. Tension drains from the dog's entire frame, pointed ears no longer pulled taut, as he lets out an excited bark.
"Uhh… what?"
Cloud's lack of eloquence is missed – or taken as encouragement – Darkstar letting out another pleased bark and lowering his chest to the ground, behind wiggling in the air, head tentacle wagging back and forth happily. Cloud finds he can't help his snort at the sight. "Not going to try to take a bite out of my ass this time?"
Darkstar barks again as if to say that his ass-biting days are behind him. Shaking his head at the dog, Cloud holds his hand out once more. When Darkstar still doesn't bite him and, in fact, seems to encourage the move, Cloud scratches the guard puppy above his head tentacle, Darkstar going instantly limp under his touch, eyes half-lidded, back leg thumping the ground as Cloud continues his ministrations. "Ok, you're cute."
"His training isn't complete yet."
Dread fills his veins at the sound of the unexpected voice, his body going as tense as a drawn bowstring, his breathing stuttering to a stop when he turns and takes in the unwelcome sight of a lab coat and glasses.
Just sit back and enjoy the show!
.
.
.
It's not until Cloud has forcefully dragged himself from his trauma-filled memories – Hojo's dead, he can't hurt you anymore – that he notices a few important things. One, the scientist standing before him is most definitely not Hojo, he's much too young and innocent-looking, and Hojo far too dead, for that. And two, the rumbling he's hearing is not mako roaring through his veins, through his ears, but rather Darkstar growling at the scientist, the guard puppy positioned protectively in front of Cloud, as if the scientist was the intruder and not Cloud.
The scientist tries to calm the newly-agitated dog – "Darkstar, you remember who I am, don't you?" – but Cloud can tell the man won't make it out of this uninjured and with a bite- and slobber-free lab coat without some extra assistance. Not even his hatred of Hojo – and people in lab coats in general – is enough to keep him from placing what he can only hope is a comforting hand on the guard puppy's shoulder and gently scolding him. "Come now, Darkstar. There's no need to act like that. You know who he is, don't you?"
Darkstar whines, wide red eyes staring sadly up at him. Cloud nearly sighs – it was hard enough for him when Denzel or Marlene did that, but now he has an actual dog giving him puppy dog eyes. "Hey now, don't give me that look." His voice is soft as he rubs circles in between Darkstar's shoulder blades. "I really appreciate you trying to protect me, you're such a good boy. But he won't hurt me." The scientist better not even try – he wouldn't know what hit him (and possibly bit him) if he did.
When Darkstar finally calms down once more and lowers himself to sit on his haunches, the scientist seems to take it as permission to size Cloud up, the man looking him up and down thoughtfully. Cloud finds he really does not like the action, especially coming from somebody in a lab coat… He definitely doesn't need another reminder of Hojo and the creep wanting to turn him into a plaything for Sephiroth.
"I was going to call the guards, but I've never seen Darkstar act like that with anybody but the President." Cloud tries to hide the twitch that that comment stirs up. He hates being compared to that bastard, but at least it wasn't Cid doing it this time – his comrade had been rather incessant with his comparisons once he realized just how much it pissed Cloud off. "But I still must ask what you are doing here," the scientist claims, the man keeping his posture relaxed for Darkstar's sake as he casually grills Cloud.
Rising to his full height – which, sadly, is still fun-sized – Cloud keeps a hand on Darkstar to calm the guard puppy… and perhaps himself, too. He really does not like being in the labs again. "I believe Hei—excuse me, Director Heidegger is trying to instigate a coup to oust the President."
The scientist's eyes narrow, obviously not pleased with the answer, but the man doesn't contradict him… at least not yet. "And what proof do you have?"
"Physical proof? None, really. But there are troopers on every single level, patrolling the floors, guarding the elevators. One of the officers said something about hundreds of Wutaian rebels infiltrating the Tower, but I've been all over this building and haven't seen a single one."
"And the Director?"
"He's the one who raised the alarm and ordered this rather excessive guarding of the Tower. He's also apparently assembled an elite team to 'protect' the President." He's not entirely successful at keeping all the cynicism from his tone and he doesn't even try to stop himself from air-quoting the end of his sentence. He really can't stand Heidegger.
The scientist sighs and crosses his arms in front of his chest, but doesn't seem to be offended by Cloud's show of disrespect. Well, at least he hadn't run into another Heidegger fan. "And I take it you don't believe that's what he's actually doing."
"I would love to believe that's what he's doing." No, he wouldn't – he would much rather confront Hojo again, unenhanced, before he trusted Heidegger with anybody's protection. As much as he can't stand Rufus, he'll admit President Rufus has a much nicer ring to it than President Heidegger – especially if these tales of Rufus working with Avalanche to better the slums and find alternative energy sources were true. "But everybody knows how much Director Heidegger hates the President. I can't imagine him willingly protecting the President, much less assembling an elite team to do so. Why not just leave the President's protection to the Turks and SOLDIERs?"
The scientist bows his head, seemingly deep in thought. "And if…" The man sighs again. "And if I were to believe you, why aren't you leaving the President's protection to the Turks and SOLDIERs yourself? Shouldn't they be ample protection, even if this elite team of the Director's turns rogue?" Although he's no doubt thinking it, the scientist doesn't comment on Cloud's status as a cadet and how he wouldn't be that much help anyway, for which Cloud is rather grateful.
"I'm not sure who all is with the President right now, but I just have this really bad feeling. Something in my gut tells me I need to be there." That and his memories of the Sector 7 plate drop. "Yes, the Turks and SOLDIERs should be ample protection, if they're there. But at what cost? I don't want any of the troopers losing their lives because of the Director's ambitions. They might be more willing to listen to me since I'm one of them."
"Alright, fine." Cloud's not sure whether it's his words or the resolve in his eyes that finally convince the man to cave, but at least he doesn't have to leave behind a trail of sleeping scientists, too… as fun as that would be. "I'm willing to turn the other way and pretend like I never saw you." The man holds up a finger. "On one condition, though. Promise me you won't do anything reckless."
"Yes, sir." Aww, this guy was so cute. He really has no idea who he's talking to. Tifa would laugh her head off if she was here. And would probably tell some rather embarrassing stories, too, to underline just how reckless Cloud was wont to be.
"Good." The man waits for him to collect his helmet and rifle again before springing some real psychological-warfare bullshit on him. "I can tell what the General sees in you." The scientist seems to take his disgusted spluttering as surprise, the man chuckling as Cloud tries to compose himself again. "No need for alarm. I'm pretty sure all of Midgar knows who you are by now."
Cloud's not sure how that's supposed to make him feel better, but he somehow manages to keep the nausea at bay. "Great…"
"I take it you don't care for the attention."
"Not exactly…" He also doesn't particularly care for Sephiroth – well, aside from a dead Sephiroth – but best to keep that to himself for now.
It's not until the scientist has led him to the elevator that will take him to the top of the Tower – not that he needed the help, but he'll play along – that Cloud builds up the courage to ask, "Why are you helping me?" Granted, perhaps not the wisest question given the fact that the man had just agreed to let him pass, but curiosity killed the cat and all that. It was one thing with Garrett, but he had never met this man before.
The man gives him another long calculating look before answering. "There's something about you that just feels trustworthy. Besides, Darkstar likes you," the man gestures to the guard puppy who is still practically glued to Cloud's side. "I very much doubt he would act like that if you had any ulterior motives. And, well, if you managed to make it all the way here by yourself, maybe you know what you're doing."
Cloud certainly hopes he knows what he's doing – he's so tired of cleaning up after Rufus – as he returns his helmet to his head and gets on the elevator. Or tries to, at least, Darkstar still at his heels as he steps through the doors. Turning to the lovable boy – he kinda wants to keep him now, especially since it would really piss Rufus off – he gently pushes the guard puppy out of the elevator and back into the labs, specifically ignoring the way his heart clenches at the pitiful whine Darkstar lets out. "Hey, I would love to take you with me, but I need the element of surprise if I'm going to save your daddy. Ok?"
Darkstar still looks unhappy, but doesn't try to get on the elevator again, so Cloud takes it as reluctant acceptance – this dog is seriously smart. "I promise I'll come back later and say hi." Remembering he technically wasn't allowed in the labs, he turns a questioning look the scientist's way. "If that's ok?"
The man chuckles at him and shakes his head. "You'll have to ask the President, but I can't imagine he would say no – I can see the resemblance."
Left with that cryptic message, Cloud watches entirely dumbfounded as the doors to the elevator slide shut and he continues his ascent to the top of the Tower.
When he arrives, the 69th floor is surprisingly and disturbingly quiet – at least from what he can hear – no sound nor sign of Heidegger or the team he brought to 'protect' the President, no troopers guarding the elevators. Meaning they were all most likely in the President's office. He needs to hurry.
It's only when he's turned the corner and started approaching the glass doors leading to the secretary's desk that Cloud realizes just what had happened to the absent troopers. One leans against the desk, appearing to be flirting heavily with the poor, overwhelmed secretary, while his friend fidgets next to him.
"Come on, dude. We need to get back to our posts. They said somebody might be on their way up here. Some trouble on the 64th floor or something."
The flirting trooper abandons his hormone-driven task to shake his head at his partner. "You worry too much. That was ages ago."
"It was like 10 minutes ago."
"Exactly! They would have been here by now. And even if they're super slow for some reason, we'll hear them in plenty of time."
Sure you will, Cloud thinks, casting Sleep at the same time, the troopers under his spell before the glass doors have even opened. He could have put the secretary under, too, but he doesn't want to leave her vulnerable if that creepy trooper wakes before she does.
But this of course means that the secretary is now staring at him terrified – after squeaking and jumping out of the way of the falling troopers first, that is. Holding his hands up in front of him in what he can only hope won't startle her more, he takes a step forward and then another until the glass doors shut behind him. "Sorry about that. Are you ok, miss?"
"I… W-who are you?"
Oh, she still has a spine to her. Good. Though it would be a lot easier if she just listened to him and let him pass, but whatever. Perhaps leeching off of the General's fame again would be the easiest thing right now. And as he removes his helmet, the secretary's surprised "You…!" is rather reassuring – hopefully he won't have to spend too long here. "My name's Cloud Strife, miss. I'm General Sephiroth's student." Surprisingly, he manages to make it through the entire sentence without gagging or pulling a face, but the stars that have appeared in the woman's eyes as he finishes introducing himself are enough to make his stomach churn uncomfortably. He definitely won't be getting used to, nor feeling comfortable about, any of this anytime soon. "Is Director Heidegger in the President's office?"
The woman nods, distressed. "He and what looked like an entire platoon of troopers stormed through here without so much as a how do you do. I tried to tell him that the President wasn't taking visitors, but he just yelled to get out of his face."
Ah. Poor thing. Nobody deserved having that buffoon spit in their face. "I need to go up there to make sure everything's ok."
"But, Sephiroth and the other 1sts are up there! The President should be ok, right?"
Cloud almost grimaces – of course Sephiroth was up there. Guess he would have to deal with him sooner rather than later. So much for avoiding him. "He should be, but I don't want the other troopers getting hurt because of the Director. I think they'll listen to me." The woman nods, believing him readily for some reason, but at least it makes his life easier. "I don't want you getting hurt either, miss, if something goes wrong. Is there any place you can hide? Preferably a room with a door that locks."
The secretary looks understandably concerned, but at least she doesn't dissolve into tears. Nodding nervously, she answers, "Y-yes, there is."
"Good. Go there, lock the door, and don't come out until I tell you it's safe. Understand?"
He escorts the woman to her hiding spot, making sure the door is actually locked before returning his helmet to his head and dashing up the stairs, the unsettling roar of "SO? YOU OUTNUMBER HIM! PUT A BULLET THROUGH HIS BRAIN!" only spurring him on faster. That was definitely Heidegger.
A flight of stairs and another bellowing of "SO HARD TO FIND GOOD HELP!" later, Cloud hurls himself through the doors to Rufus's office just in time to see Heidegger tearing a rifle from an unsuspecting trooper's hands and Sephiroth unsheathing Masamune in defense of the President. Blinking the raging inferno from his eyes – now was not the time to think about Nibelheim – Cloud watches as Heidegger fumbles with the weapon. "I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"
.
.
.
Bang!
.
.
.
It's only when Heidegger's lifeless body crumples to the floor – a single bullet through his head – and everybody in the room, platoon of troopers included, turn to find the gunman responsible that Cloud realizes that perhaps he didn't think things through completely. So much for not doing anything reckless. Oh well, Heidegger had it coming.
Telegraphing his every move, Cloud carefully and ever so slowly lowers his still-smoking rifle to the floor, before straightening back up and addressing everybody in the room. "I hope nobody has a problem with that. He was getting on my nerves."
A/N: So, personally I like the name Darkstar better than Dark Nation, though that might just be because it reminds me of 'Death Star', lol. If anybody likes Dark Nation better, feel free to read his name as Dark Nation instead and to call him Dark Nation in the comments (if you want to leave a comment) 🙂
