Hi readers!
Back with another chapter, almost in a timely fashion. Don't fall over from shock lol. Thank you so much for coming back to read. I'm assuming/hoping there is something wrong with the traffic stats feature on here right now because according to what they show I have had zero people come to visit or read any of the chapters in any of my fics for the last few months. I know that can't be true as I know of at least three people who have been here and left comments. I super-appreciate hearing from you guys because otherwise I really wouldn't know at this point if anyone is coming back to read. If you're able to drop a quick message just to let me know you're still reading, that'd be awesome! No pressure though. I will probably keep writing the rest of the story even if it's in silence XD
I hope you're all well and I'll say Happy New Year now as I probably won't be able to update before then. Happy New Year!
Take care always,
-Jaydee
General Content Warning: Chapters in this story may contain upsetting or triggering content including but possibly not limited to violence, consensual and non-consensual sexual references and descriptions, drug and alcohol use and abuse, references to or descriptions of mental illness, self-harm or self-injurious behaviour, and references to or discussions of suicide.
~Forty-Two~
Outside of Vita at the back of the building, Johnny sighed impatiently while he was pat down for any weapons by one of two sharp-dressed bodyguards next to a waiting black SUV. After a short nod from the one who'd checked him, the second opened the door to the backseat. The vehicle was custom-made with a bench seat facing two recliner type leather seats that sat side-by-side. The inside had all the luxuries one would expect to find in a vehicle owned by someone of importance.
The door was closed behind him as Johnny sat down on the bench seat. The bright overhead light went out and was replaced with a calming bluish-purple glow of some ambient lighting.
"Do they have to do that every time?" Johnny asked, referring to having been searched outside by the guards. Rufus, seated in the one recliner ahead of him shrugged a little with one shoulder.
"Protocol," he replied simply with his head slightly down, his eyes on his phone in his hand.
"Well they missed one," Johnny said, earning a smirk from the president. They hadn't located a knife he kept in a hidden pocket in the back of his jacket accessed from just under the collar at his neck.
"This'll need to be quick," Rufus advised as he slipped his phone into the inner chest pocket of his coat. "I'm in a hurry."
"No problem," Johnny replied. "I need a favor."
"A favor?" Rufus repeated as though the word were foreign. "Something from me you can't accomplish yourself? I thought you could do anything."
"Almost," Johnny said.
"Sounds ominous," Rufus remarked. "Is there a body you need to go unnoticed or uninvestigated?" he questioned and Johnny shook his head.
"No, that I can do myself."
"Course you can," Rufus noted with an amused smile.
"I'm trying to access information on a vehicle," Johnny told him. Rufus shook his head slowly.
"And I look like the department that handles vehicles to you?" he spoke with what sounded like a hint of irritation in his tone, clearly no longer amused.
"You look like the kind of person who can bypass the departmental and legal obstacles that would keep me from getting the information I'm looking for quickly," Johnny clarified. "I just need a couple calls to the Department of Roads and Vehicles and a parking enforcement office."
Rufus laughed then.
"I'm not calling parking enforcement," he said as he looked down at his wrist to check the time on his watch.
"Can you ask someone else to do it under your authority?" Johnny pressed on calmly. Rufus appeared to be irritated but also curious.
"What kind of information are you after?" he asked.
"Archived location data from a vehicle's GPS unit, if that's possible. Sometimes it's downloaded periodically into a server via satellite," Johnny said, "which would be accessible from the DRV."
"And what is it you need from parking enforcement?" Rufus asked.
"To know if the vehicle's been cited for any violations or received any tickets," Johnny told him.
"Are you kidding?" Rufus questioned him sharply.
"No," was Johnny's short answer.
"Let me get this straight," the man spoke slowly as he looked out the window next to him briefly, tapping his hand on the arm rest next to him a little impatiently. "You want me to find out if some vehicle somewhere was issued parking tickets?" He faced Johnny again with a raised brow. When Johnny just stared back, he said, "You do know I'm the president of a pretty powerful company and that I have a great many important things to do in a day?"
Johnny nodded slowly. "Yep," was all he said in return.
"So, hack the DRV and the enforcement office," Rufus suggested as though it were an obvious alternative.
"I can't," Johnny replied.
Rufus shook his head in disbelief. "You mean to tell me you could manage to hack into the server at a top secret Shinra facility in Gongaga but you can't get the information you're looking for on your own in this case?"
"Actually, for a powerful company like Shinra, your cyber security is kind of weak," Johnny told him. He sighed a little before explaining, "My guy could probably do it but I need the info as fast as possible." Rufus didn't seem moved at all. "I just need your sway. You don't have to do the work, just put me in touch with the people who might help me out under your direction."
"Supposing I actually personally reached out to average people to do things like that, what would be the reason? I can't just ask government offices to break the law and supply information without cause simply because of who I am," Rufus argued, receiving a doubtful look from Johnny in return. After a strong exhale, he corrected himself, "Let's just say I'd prefer not to. Kind of trying to run a more moral ship these days than my father did."
"Sure," Johnny responded flatly. "Well then tell them it's security related. Background into a potential threat. You're pretty creative when you want to be."
"Oh yes, because knowing if the threat has a history of parking violations would be very helpful," Rufus scoffed. It was Johnny that exhaled deeply then, obviously becoming frustrated. With a softened tone Rufus asked, "What's this about? Or, whom? Who's vehicle?"
"Strife's," Johnny said back with only a little hesitation. Obviously, the man was going to need to know who the subject was he was trying to get information on.
"Ah," Rufus acknowledged barely audibly and with something of a subtle roll of his eyes. He seemed uncomfortable then.
"You're aware he's missing?" Johnny asked, assuming he knew the answer already judging by his body language.
"I am aware, yes," the man confirmed. "It's believed he's in the harbor in Junon, no?"
"Apparently," Johnny agreed with a shrug.
"You have a different opinion," Rufus noted.
"It doesn't add up," Johnny stated simply and Rufus gave him a critical look.
"Do you honestly feel that way?" he asked.
"I don't know," Johnny said truthfully. "It doesn't matter what I feel. Until there's no question, I think I owe it to him to look around," he concluded. Rufus looked curious at that.
"Owe it to him?"
"He came looking for me when I thought I didn't want to be found," Johnny told him without elaborating further.
"Okay," the man accepted the answer without further inquiry. "How is it you think the information you're looking for would help?"
"Trying to narrow down where Strife's bike may have been before it ended up in the harbor," Johnny explained. "Maybe at some point he got a ticket. Information on where and when would be on file with parking enforcement in Junon."
There was a short silence then between them as Rufus seemed to be contemplating.
"Is this the favor that evens the field?" the man asked then.
Johnny shrugged. "I look at it like a partner helping another partner," he argued. "I've helped you out when needed, so…"
"I think I prefer getting to giving," Rufus told him with a smile and one arched eyebrow.
"Don't we all," Johnny agreed.
The man sighed deeply.
"One would need a plate and vehicle number to reference if one were making such calls," he commented. Johnny recognized that as the man's way of saying he was going to make the calls he'd asked him to. He retrieved a piece of notepad paper from inside his jacket that he'd written the info on and passed it to him.
"Is that it then?" the president asked him.
"Well, since you asked," Johnny replied, making Rufus chuckle a little under his breath. "You probably have a pretty good relationship with the banks, Mid-City Bank included?"
"Is that where Strife has an account?" Rufus asked him and Johnny nodded. "Perhaps the security excuse is enough to request information on his vehicle, but I have no grounds for asking for a person's banking records," the man stated firmly.
"No, but being the president of the Shinra company, seems likely you probably happen to know someone in banking who wants to help you out with a favor of your own," Johnny suggested but the man seemed unwilling to agree. "Or maybe it can't be done," he said with another shrug. "Just had to ask. That's it," he said as he reached for the door handle next to him.
"Wait," Rufus said, making him pause. "Have you still been keeping tabs on, uh…" he began to ask with some difficulty.
"Rosie?" Johnny concluded for him.
"Yes," the man confirmed.
"Yeah," Johnny said. "Nothing's changed though, as far as I know. She still doesn't want anything to do with Shinra, but she's safe," he informed him.
"I appreciate it," Rufus spoke quietly as he looked down at the floor of the vehicle. Johnny gave a short nod that the man didn't see before reaching again for the door handle next to him. He'd just opened the door slightly when Rufus told him to wait. He shut the door once more. "What's the account number?" the man asked him. "Do you have it? Strife's account number with the bank," he clarified.
"Yeah," Johnny confirmed as he reached inside his jacket again. He'd gotten the account info from some documents in Cloud's apartment. He passed that second piece of note paper across to Rufus and the man put it inside his own pocket along with the vehicle info he'd already been given.
"What are you wanting to know? Just latest activity?" the president asked and he nodded. "You do realize the information you're looking for is the same information the police would be looking into," he pointed out.
"Yeah, they aren't sharers though," Johnny said.
"You don't think that if they have access to all this information and still believe he's in the harbor there's a reason?" Rufus asked.
"It'd be easier to complete their paperwork I'd imagine."
"Alright," Rufus said to that. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, Rufus," Johnny said as he prepared again to get out of the vehicle.
"Oh, partner," the man called his attention back once more. "If we're helping each other out, why don't you help me out by sending someone out here to join me for a few minutes?"
"A few minutes?" Johnny echoed. "You are in a hurry." Rufus grinned at the remark. "Just send out anyone huh?"
"No, whichever of the staff you think would be interested and that could…you know, fill the position," the man told him smoothly.
"You want me to ask one of our hotel or bar staff to come out here?" Johnny asked though it was clear it's what the man wanted.
"I'd make it worth their time," he said as though it should be obvious.
"I'm not your entertainment coordinator, Rufus," Johnny told him, denying the request.
"But you know what I like?" the man argued playfully. Johnny smirked back at him.
"I think you're probably gonna want to take off, before that moral ship of yours leaves without you," Johnny advised before opening the door to get out.
"Yeah yeah," Rufus agreed with a sigh.
000
The days went by slowly while Cloud was missing. Every day, Zack and the others hoped to wake up to messages on their phone from him. Even more so, they hoped he would just walk through the door of his apartment or the bar, or the church. Those days turned one week without any word into more than two since there'd been any sign of him that they knew of.
Although Rufus had indicated he'd try to get the information Johnny had asked him for, it was days before he heard back about it, and when he did, it wasn't how he thought things would go.
It was a busy evening at the hotel. He was trying to get some paperwork done in his office before the place got even busier around 10 p.m. when he'd probably have to help out his staff at the bar. He'd been pretty immersed in what he was focused on, he didn't notice when one of the servers came to the open door.
"Boss?" the server's voice got his attention then. He recognized it as Cal's voice, one of the newer guys on staff.
"Yeah," he replied without looking up.
"There's some guy in a suit asking to see you."
Johnny did look up then.
"I think he's a Turk," Cal informed him.
"Alone?" Johnny asked.
"Looks like it."
"Send him back," Johnny told him. He already suspected he knew who it was before Tseng appeared in the doorway to his office.
"Good evening," Tseng greeted him formally. "I was told this is where I could find you," he noted.
"What can I do for you?" Johnny asked him as he dropped the pen in his hand and leaned back in his office chair.
"May I?" the man inquired as he put his hand on the open door, indicating he wished to close it behind him.
"Sure," Johnny agreed.
"It's been years since I've been down here to this hotel," the man remarked as he eased the door shut gently. "It's different now."
Although Rufus co-owned the hotel and bar with Johnny, he'd only stopped in a few times, covertly of course. Tseng had never been with him. It wasn't really clear to Johnny if the Turk leader even knew that Rufus had partnered with him for that business venture.
"Feels more open somehow," the man added, undoing his suit jacket button before sitting himself down in one of the visitor chairs in front of Johnny on the other side of the desk.
Johnny didn't ask anything about when or why Tseng would have been around the building in the past. The location had a well-known past reputation for having a close association with prostitution and underground gambling. That was then though.
"You're doing well for yourself, considering where you started from and the challenges you've had to overcome," Tseng noted.
"Can I get you anything?" Johnny asked when the man still hadn't launched into the reason for his visit. He wasn't interested in talking about himself or where he'd come from.
"No, I actually came to give you something," Tseng said as he reached into the inner breast pocket of his jacket and retrieved an unsealed envelope that he placed on the desk. "On behalf of the president," he included when Johnny didn't reach for the envelope. "You'd asked him for some help with getting some information on Cloud's vehicle and bank account?"
There was a second of silence then as the man looked at him.
"Are you asking?" Johnny questioned flatly and Tseng smiled a little uneasily.
"I suppose not, no," he said as he nudged the envelope a little closer Johnny's way.
Johnny finally reached for it and retrieved a folded document inside.
"Someone from Mid-City Bank was able to give him a screenshot of the latest transactions on Cloud's account," Tseng told him. "I doubt it will be very helpful. There's no activity from the time he's suspected to have gone missing. Junon police were obliging enough to indicate to me that what they call the footprints, or 'signs of life,' stop a few days before the bike was found. They're waiting on records from the phone company currently. It can take some time for those. They would not confirm if they have his cellphone or if it is yet to be recovered.
Johnny nodded a little at what he was saying before unfolding the page in his hands he'd been given.
"I took on the task of speaking to someone from the Department of Roads and Vehicles," Tseng told him before he could read what was on the document. Johnny raised his eyes to look back at him. "Being an older vehicle, the data from the on-board GPS unit can only be downloaded from the vehicle itself. It can't be accessed through any network wirelessly."
Again, Johnny nodded. He'd already expected as much.
"According to the person I spoke with at the parking enforcement office in Junon, however, they do have in their records that the licence plate for the bike was issued a ticket for an overstay at a private parking garage," Tseng informed him. "Still shows as outstanding."
That meant the ticket hadn't been paid. Johnny looked down at page Tseng had given him. He acknowledged the screenshot of Cloud's banking activity but his eyes settled quickly on a handwritten address on the top margin of the page along with some date and time information. He assumed it was the address where the ticket had been issued.
"Looks like possibly one of the last places it was parked before ending up in the harbor," Tseng noted. "How did you think to check for a parking violation?" he asked then. "Did Cloud communicate something about it before going missing?"
Johnny shook his head. "No. Just thought it might be worth a shot looking into," he told him.
"It was smart," Tseng praised. "Obviously. And resourceful. You would have done well with SOLDIER, had things worked out that way."
"Guess I'll have to settle for doing well somewhere else," Johnny said back as he refolded the piece of paper he'd been given. "That it?" he asked as he dropped it to the desk.
"Yes," Tseng confirmed before coming to a stand again and refastening his suit jacket. "Private Six—you are still…"
"Technically," Johnny agreed as to his military designation. "Retired. Johnny's fine, Tseng."
"I don't like the idea of Rufus being involved in this situation with Cloud, or being used as a resource," Tseng conveyed politely but firmly. "I know the two of you have been working together in some capacity, though he's been reluctant to share what exactly that entails or why he thinks he wants to be involved with you. I can't help but think it might be related to the guilt he must feel for the pains you endured as a result of his hasty oversight involving you in, shall we say, Shinra family conflict."
Johnny understood that Tseng was referencing the fact Rufus had contracted him previously to assassinate his father at the Shinra Spring Parade, and that it had led to him being shot and nearly losing his life. Though he'd picked up on Rufus's feelings of regret over how the events unfolded that day, it wasn't guilt that had them working together. He wasn't about to correct Tseng, however. The man could think whatever he wanted.
"I can't tell him what to do, obviously," the Turk leader went on when Johnny stayed silent, "but it would be wise for him to keep a clean image. Certain ventures aren't a good look, if you follow."
The motion the man made with his eyes indicated he was talking about their current surroundings.
"Everything here's above board, Tseng," Johnny told him surely.
"Good to know. It's in the best interest of all parties if it remains that way," the Turk strongly advised.
"Noted," Johnny said.
000
Johnny decided to sit on the information he'd received from Tseng that evening, before speaking to anyone else about it. It was Reno he spoke to first, purely because he had a plan in mind and he wanted his assistance with it. Once Reno agreed, he called Zack to let him know he had some information regarding Cloud. It was around four that afternoon but Zack had been sleeping when he called.
Zack had been sleeping a lot in the previous few days. He supposed it was because there'd been so many days he hadn't been able to, simply because he'd been worried about Cloud. Eventually, though, his body shut down and needed to rest. He hadn't had an option. Aerith answered his cellphone for him when Johnny called and woke him up so he could talk to him. He hadn't been expecting it to be about Cloud.
"The last transaction showing up on his bank account was a payment processed at a motel in Junon the day after Reno saw him. It was probably when he was checking out and his card was charged then," Johnny theorized.
"The day after?" Zack responded in question.
"Yeah. But a few days before that, there was a transaction at a service station hours south of the city," Johnny told him.
Zack thought about it a second. "So, Cloud was way out of town when he suddenly drives all the way back to Junon. That must have been when he spoke to Tseng and got the news about his kid," he reasoned. "He said he was back in Junon when I spoke with him on the phone and he told me about it," he recounted to Johnny.
"That's a long way to go back after already making it that far south," Johnny said.
"Yeah," Zack agreed. "So, then he gets back to Junon and goes…to that parking lot where he ended up getting a ticket?"
"It's a garage at a condominium building. Residential," Johnny told him.
"Why would he park there and not at the motel?" Zack asked.
"That's the question," Johnny said. "I don't think there's much else that can be accomplished from here at this point. Next thing would be to check out this building. Maybe they have surveillance. I asked Reno if he'd head out with me to check it out."
Johnny waited for a response from Zack but he was silent.
"What's up?" he asked. "You want me to keep Reno out of it?" he guessed.
"No, it's fine," Zack replied finally. "I just…what if Cloud got mixed up with something dangerous while he was out there?"
"That's the kind of thing we want to know, right?" Johnny asked.
"Well yeah," Zack agreed, "but I don't want you guys putting yourselves at risk if that's the case."
"We'll be fine," Johnny told him. "We're going to go tomorrow."
"Okay," Zack spoke through an exhale. Despite feeling apprehensive, it was also a relief knowing that they would be out there looking around, and soon. "Thank you, Six. I appreciate it, you have no idea."
"It's fine. He's my friend. I want answers too," he concluded.
000
It did give Zack some relief knowing that Johnny and Reno were going to be heading out to Junon the following day but it also had him feeling a renewed anxiety and restlessness after days of feeling only fatigued and hopeless.
After telling Aerith what Johnny had found out and what he had planned, he called Tifa to talk to her as well. She was happy to have the update but she hadn't seemed hopeful about what had been found out. He understood. With there being no further activity on Cloud's bank account, and no other contact from him, learning about his bike having been parked at some random residential building didn't really ease the feelings of dread they had or the worry that he may never be seen again. Still, she wanted to stay updated.
He asked about how Marlene was doing and that's when she told him she planned to sit her down in a few days and let her know the truth of what was going on with Cloud. He hated to think of it and while he wanted to argue and tell her not to, he knew it wasn't really what she wanted to do. She said that because Marlene loved Cloud she also deserved to know and not just be told lies about why no one had heard from him for what had turned into a couple weeks.
Feeling like he needed to do something, but not sure what, Zack found himself heading over to Cloud's apartment that evening. He'd actually felt like being alone for a few hours and thought maybe by some miracle there'd be something in the apartment to help make sense of things.
He didn't really think about Reno possibly being there. He assumed he'd be out running around doing something for Johnny for work. When he got to the apartment the door was locked so he used his spare key to get in.
Reno heard the apartment door being unlocked, even from behind the partially closed door of the bathroom. He'd been packing up a few things for the trip to Junon the following day. His stomach jumped at the sound he heard. Only a few people had a key to the apartment that he knew of and for a moment he hoped for the best possible outcome.
"Strife?" he called out as he opened the bathroom door fast and looked out into the living room. His eyes landed on someone else. Zack. "Oh, just you," he commented dully.
"Sorry," Zack said. "Didn't think you'd be here. I should have knocked."
Reno shrugged a little. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Zack said as he began wandering the room a little, looking over what was there. The apartment was mostly empty other than furniture and some basic necessities, not much different than it was when Cloud had been there. "Just thought I'd look around."
"For what?" Reno asked and he shrugged.
"Anything," Zack told him.
"You think there's going to be some clue here about what happened to him?" Reno questioned dryly.
"Not really," Zack admitted but it was all he could think of to do.
"Good 'cause you won't find squat," Reno advised. "I know that 'cause I already did the same thing," he confessed, making Zack smirk a little.
"This is the closest I can get to him, you know?" Zack commented sadly and Reno nodded. "You'd never know he even called this place a home."
"Yeah well…how much shit you got in your place that anyone would know was yours?" Reno asked.
"Point taken."
"Hey. He did have something in the dresser," Reno told him before disappearing into the bedroom a moment. He returned with what looked like a couple of pages of paper in his hand that he passed to Zack.
Zack looked over them briefly. They were pictures that Marlene had drawn or colored for him. He smiled a little as he set them down on the coffee table nearby.
"Tifa wants to tell her soon," Zack said to Reno's surprise.
"About Strife being missing?" Reno asked.
"Well, I think she already basically knows that much. Tifa thinks it's time they talk about the fact he may not be coming back," Zack clarified.
"What?" Reno said back in shock. "And you're cool with that?"
Zack shrugged. "It's not my call."
"Well shit, guess the pressure's on for Six and I to bring the boy home then," Reno remarked as he headed over to the fridge to grab a beer. There was a knock at the apartment door suddenly. "Yo, you wanna grab that?" Reno asked Zack. "Probably my food delivery."
"Yeah," Zack agreed.
When he opened the door, though, it wasn't to a delivery person. Standing in the hall was a guy around his age, maybe a couple years older. He was dressed casual but too nice to live in the building.
"Hi," the guy said with a bit of confusion. He looked toward the door as if checking the number to confirm he had the right apartment.
"Hi?" Zack said back in a questioning tone.
"Sorry," the guy spoke awkwardly, almost nervously. "I'm just…" he stopped suddenly then. "Are you Zack?" he inquired and Zack was immediately more suspicious of the mystery knocker. Assuming the guy had to be a reporter or journalist that had somehow tracked down Cloud's possible address, he immediately started to shut the door in his face. "Wait! Is Cloud here?" he spoke up fast and Zack paused before opening the door again.
"Look buddy, if it's a story you're looking for there's enough of 'em out there already so buzz off!" Zack told him sharply.
He'd had his fair share of run-ins with people from the media since the company had publicly confirmed some of his claims about being held captive and experimented on by Hojo and his staff. Cloud had remained something more of a mystery since the day of the Spring Parade when he was seen taking bullets meant for the old president.
Though they'd been asked for official statements many times, the company had only been willing to confirm that Cloud had been injured that day and that the plans for the new Elite Canary SOLDIER division that he was enlisted as the first member of had been put on hold. Since then, Cloud had been approached at times by people, a few working for news outlets, asking if he was who he looked like. He always told them no. It had been mostly quick and harmless encounters, as far as Zack knew, but there had been one incident he knew of where a patron at Tifa's bar had seen Zack and Cloud together and informed a friend who was working for a small fringe news outlet. The reporter had attempted to follow Cloud home that night but Cloud figured out pretty quickly he was being trailed and lost him.
"A story?" the stranger in front of Zack asked. "No I'm not—" he began to claim.
Reno approached from behind Zack then to see what was going on and recognized the visitor as Marco.
"Ass-man," Reno spoke up from behind Zack. Zack looked back at him, letting him open the door again wider. "How's it goin?"
"You know this guy?" Zack asked Reno, who suddenly seemed to stutter with coming up with a response.
"Reno right?" Marco asked and Reno smiled.
"That's me," he confirmed.
"Is Cloud around?"
"What do you want to talk to him for?" Zack asked before Reno could answer. "You a friend of his?"
"I…I guess I don't know," Marco replied.
"What?" Zack inquired with clear suspicion.
"He's not here," Reno informed. "he's been out on the road travelling."
"Okay I guessed he might be, that's what he said in Junon a couple weeks ago. I just was back here in town on business for the night and wanted to see if he might be back here and that he's okay."
"Junon? Sorry how do you know each other?" Zack inquired.
"Wait you saw him in Junon?" Reno said before Marco could answer Zack.
Nodding, Marco confirmed, "He came to the expo I was working, we were going to meet for dinner later that night."
"Ha!" Reno exclaimed excitedly as he hit Zack's one shoulder, harder than he meant to. "I don't believe it. The little shit actually listened to me!" he told Zack who rubbed at his shoulder a little.
"I'm missing something," he said then. "Why was he meeting you?" he asked Marco. "You know each other how?"
"We…" Marco started to answer but seemed a little unsure of how to really answer the question.
"You're slow as usual, man," Reno said to Zack. "They hooked up, idiot," he revealed plainly to Zack who still seemed confused by Reno's words.
Shaking his head, he looked at Marco. "You…" The words died on his tongue before he could get them out. He looked the stranger in front of him up and down then with clear skepticism. Actually, it was judgement. Marco picked up on it easily and took a step back uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I should go."
As he turned away to leave, Reno looked at Zack expectantly, gesturing at Marco's back, indicating he should stop him but Zack seemed in shock, having a hard time processing Marco's presence then.
"Wait!" Reno called to Marco, making him stop and turn back. "You said you were going to meet for dinner. Did that not happen?"
Marco shook his head and took some slow steps back toward them in the hall. "No. I got some text messages from him saying he'd changed his mind and was leaving town. He didn't want me to contact him. Then I assume he must have blocked my number," he explained.
"He changed his mind then?" Zack suggested, finally finding his voice again.
"Yeah, I guess," Marco agreed softly. "I just—that's fine if he did," he said. "The messages just haven't sat right with me. I thought he did want…" He shrugged a little sadly then. "I don't know. As long as he's alright. I'll sleep better at least. Sorry to, uh, yeah."
He was turning to leave again. Zack was the one to stop him then.
"Wait. What uh, what's your name?" he asked. Marco returned to where he was standing.
"Marco," he introduced himself. "He is okay isn't he?" he asked of Cloud. When Zack didn't immediately respond, Reno spoke up again.
"You want to come in a minute?"
"Okay," Marco agreed.
He entered the apartment when he and Zack stepped back to let him through. Reno told him he could have a seat in the living room so he did in one of the chairs. Zack chose to stand, his arms crossed defensively as he observed Marco. Reno offered him a beer. He took it from him but he set it down on the coffee table ahead of him without drinking from it. Reno sat down on the couch across from him.
"You're not from Midgar?" Zack asked.
"No," Marco said.
"So, you and Cloud met how?"
"I was in town on business," Marco replied a little nervously. "My company, uh my family's company is involved in motor sports."
"You met at a race then?" was Zack's next guess.
"No actually just a bar," Marco told him.
"So how well do you know him then?"
"Not well at all," Marco confessed. "Actually, even less than I thought. He only told me his real name a couple weeks ago in Junon. He said there was a lot of things about him in the news. I told him I didn't want to read any of what was out there."
"But you did," Zack said, assuming that's how the guy seemed to know who he was when he answered the door.
"I did," Marco said with a short nod. "After he changed his mind about meeting up. Yeah my curiosity got the better of me."
"And?" Zack said, eyeing him critically.
"It's a lot," Marco replied.
"Understatement," Zack said back.
"Yeah," Marco agreed. "I saw your video," he revealed. Zack knew what he was meaning. The video he'd sent to the media when Cloud was still being held captive in Gongaga, outing the company for their crimes against them. It wasn't hard to still find it on the web. "That was all true?" he questioned. Met with Zack's hard expression he added quickly, "I-I'm not doubting you, I just—it's hard to imagine all of that…that you both could have gone through…you know."
"Yeah…" Zack said as he looked down at the floor briefly. "Look," he spoke firmly then as he met Marco's eyes. "You may think you have some idea of what Cloud's been through, because you watched that video and read some stuff on the web, but you really have no idea. And maybe you think something meant more than it did but you have to know now that's he's been confused. Acting out in a lot of ways to try to forget what he's dealing with."
Reno tried to cut in then, to tell him he either wasn't being reasonable or that he was being too harsh. "Fair, come on, that's—"
"Zip it, Reno," Zack shut him down quickly.
"You think what we had was just him acting out?" Marco questioned with a furrowed brow.
"What you had?" Zack fired back at him fast. "What was that? A couple heated nights when he was probably intoxicated?"
"It's not like that," Marco said as he shook his head slowly.
"Sure," Zack responded with a roll of his eyes.
When Marco responded then, he did so calmly but also intently, actually seeming offended at what Zack had suggested. "Look, obviously I don't know you and maybe I actually know nothing about Cloud at all either but, I care about him," he claimed firmly. "Even if there's nothing real between us, if it's like you said and he's been confused and acting out…I still want him to be okay. I just, I know he deserves that."
Zack didn't know what to say back to that at first. He felt himself getting hot. He was annoyed—actually angry. Marco's phone started ringing from inside his pocket. He had to shift his weight a little in the cushioned chair to reach for it. When he checked who was calling he looked from Reno to Zack before standing. "Sorry, I, uh, have to take this."
Zack watched him head to the door of the apartment where he stepped back into the hall to answer his phone.
"Dude," Reno called over to Zack where he'd started pacing a little. "What's your problem?"
"My problem?" Zack snapped back at him. "He finds out who Cloud is and now he's at his door even though Cloud blew him off and we're supposed to believe he just wanted to check on him?"
"He said he's here on business," Reno pointed out. "He's got a job, like a real grown up one."
"Yeah, sure," Zack scoffed. "And he cares about Cloud but not enough to let his calls go to voicemail."
"Give him a break, man," Reno said as he sat back in the couch with his beer in his hand.
"I don't like the guy," Zack said as he stared at the closed door to the hallway.
"Why?" Reno asked after taking a sip of beer.
"I don't trust him."
"Strife does," Reno argued.
"Like hell he does," Zack muttered, shaking his head.
"He gave him his name, Fair," Reno pointed out, making Zack look at him. "His real name. That means something."
Zack shrugged off the suggestion. "He was messed up. Drinking or on too much of his medication—"
"Screw off, man," Reno fired at him then. "You sound like an asshole. This is real, Fair," he said as he pointed the bottle in his hand at the door to where Marco was in the hall. "It's real."
"Cloud with this guy?" Zack questioned heatedly, uncrossing his arms briefly to gesture at the door as well.
"Yeah, so what?" Reno challenged. Zack opened his mouth to try and protest some more but he stopped as Reno told him firmly to, "Get the fuck over it."
The door to the apartment opened then and Marco rejoined them.
"Sorry," he told them as he sat back down and set his phone facedown on the coffee table. Zack avoided looking at him then.
"Hey man," Reno addressed him. "I don't think the timing would make sense anyway, but any chance you got a place in Junon? An apartment or whatever?" he inquired, wondering if that was somehow the connection to Cloud's bike being parked at a residential building's garage.
"No, why?" Marco replied.
"Oh," Reno said, disappointed but not surprised. "Truth is, we don't actually know if Strife's okay or not. Cops were by. His bike was found in the harbor in Junon and he's missing."
"What?" Marco spoke back in shock. He looked up at Zack and back at Reno. "Missing?"
"No one's heard from him for the last two weeks," Reno told him.
Marco took in the information and shook his head. "Well do the police know how his bike ended up in the harbor?"
"They pretty much think he drove it in," Reno said bluntly. "That's the impression they gave anyway when they were here."
Zack watched Marco's reaction quietly but closely. He looked to be in complete disbelief at what he was hearing.
"Like meaning to?" he questioned. "Why? No, that's not him," he stated surely.
"You don't know him, remember," Zack said, drawing the guy's eyes to him fast.
"No. It doesn't make sense," he argued, "why would he agree to meet me just to—"
"Maybe that's why he broke it off," Zack suggested, even though he didn't really think Cloud actually did drive himself into the harbor on purpose.
The insinuation he made silenced Marco then, who looked down at the coffee table, shaking his head slowly. He actually looked to be fighting back his emotions then. It wasn't easy to watch, even for Zack.
"Cops have only found his bike though and some of his stuff, not everything he had, we don't think his phone was there, based on what they said," Reno revealed to Marco.
"Well they can trace his phone can't they?" Marco asked, looking up at him once more.
"Maybe if it's on," Reno agreed with a shrug. "All we've gotten is his voicemail. It doesn't even ring."
"They could look into his banking records at least or—"
"There hasn't been any activity since he's gone missing," Zack interrupted him. "As far as the cops are concerned there's no reason for them to think he's anything other than a suicide or that he just doesn't want to be found."
"You have to talk to them and make them consider other possibilities," Marco declared strongly.
"There's no point," Zack fired back at him then. "The cops are useless and honestly it's better if they have as little involvement as possible."
"Why?" Marco asked.
"Because cops get followed around by reporters looking for stories, and the last thing we need is someone from the media catching wind of this and putting Cloud's face and name back into the public's mind."
"Wouldn't it be a good thing for people to be looking for him?" Marco asked, not understanding. Zack sighed impatiently and Reno stepped in to clarify.
"In this case, if he is out there somewhere and it's by choice, no, media coverage would probably push him deeper underground," he clarified. Marco did seem to understand but it was hard to know if he really agreed.
"Not like I think you'll listen, but please don't speak to any news outlets about this," Zack said.
"No, I…of course I won't," Marco said.
"His friends and family can take care of this. It's all he needs," Zack told him.
Marco acknowledged that with a nod. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.
"Do you still have the messages he sent you last?" Zack inquired after a second of thought.
"Uh yeah, here," Marco said, reaching for his phone on the table. He unlocked it and pulled up the conversation with Cloud. Zack approached and took the phone from him. He stood a few feet away as he read the messages. Unfortunately, it did sound like Cloud had written those messages, but in his gut it didn't feel right.
He was vaguely aware of Reno telling Marco about what the police had said when they'd been by. He began scrolling upward in the conversation between Marco and Cloud, scanning over their past messages. They hadn't talked for some time. It appeared that the last day they'd seen each other in Midgar was the same day Cloud overdosed and the day before he hospitalized himself. Something had happened, Marco had been apologizing. He tried not to really read any of it. He knew he was invading Cloud's privacy and he was already feeling himself getting fired up, wondering how much of what caused Cloud's actions were the result of what happened between him and Marco or the result of something Marco had said or done. As he scrolled quickly he came across a picture of the two of them. It was confirmation the messages couldn't even give him that they did have, or had once had, what certainly looked like something in the realm of a relationship.
Slowly he handed the phone back over to Marco. He thought about what Reno said, about it being real. Cloud had divulged who he was to Marco. The guy knew where Cloud had been living. They'd shared messages that had been playful. There was a side of Cloud that came out in those messages, a happier side he hadn't seen in so long, really a side he'd never actually seen when he really thought about it. Why hadn't Cloud just told him? There was so much Cloud had tried to hold back from him and he didn't know why. What did that say about their own relationship? About how Cloud saw him and their friendship? Did Cloud even trust him at all? Reno knew about Marco and he hadn't.
A vibrating sound could be heard then and as Reno and Zack looked at Marco he shook his head.
"It's not me this time," he said.
"Shit," Reno said when he realized, reaching in his pocket for his own phone. He looked a little annoyed when he saw the number that was calling. "What?" he answered without greeting. "No there's four trucks tonight. It's four. I'm sure. Well maybe the moron who was supposed to print off the paperwork didn't do his simple printing job." There was a pause as whoever called was saying something. "Look around dumbass," Reno advised before ending the call. "Sorry," he said. "Surrounded by idiots, you know?"
"I'm gonna go, I think," Marco said then. "Thanks for the beer," he told Reno, though he hadn't touched it.
"Sure, man," Reno said before his phone began vibrating again. "Goddamit! What?!" he answered who must have been the same person from a moment ago. "Did you even try to look for the paperwork or did you just stare at the wall for three seconds before calling me back?" he asked as he stood up and started making his way to the apartment door. "Well the driver has to have some with him so just look at it and if it looks like our shit, offload the damn truck, it's not rocket science bro!" He stepped out into the hall then and closed the door behind him.
Marco was on his way toward the door then as well when Zack stopped him.
"Marco. Look I'm sorry, for being such a jerk to you. But I don't trust people. Especially when it comes to Cloud."
"I get it," Marco said. "Do you really think he'd drive into the harbor?" he asked. "Maybe I don't know him. But you do. He mentioned having a best friend that he saw as a brother. I'm pretty sure he meant you," he acknowledged and Zack averted his gaze to the floor. "It's just, it doesn't make sense to me. The person I knew…what did he say to you? Anything. That day or night? Before he went missing."
"That day?" Zack replied. "Nothing. He said nothing," he told him as he met his eyes again. "Truthfully, I don't think he would drive into the harbor on purpose," he said honestly before shrugging lightly. "But at the same time, I also didn't think he would ever do something like overdose on prescription meds on purpose and he did. So…"
What Zack said seemed like it had hit him in the gut. It looked like it hurt and had Zack actually feeling like shit about it.
"Right. Okay," Marco said softly, turning away to leave.
"Hey, wait," Zack said, stopping him again. "You got a business card on you?" he asked as he walked toward him. "You look like the type to maybe carry them around," he noted and then shook his head at himself. "Wow, that sounded really insulting." Marco released a bit of a dry laugh at that.
"No, actually I do have a lot of business cards on me at all times, it's true," he said, reaching into one of his inside jacket pockets. He retrieved a card that he handed over to Zack.
"I could contact you if you want if we get any more information, or you know, if we hear from Cloud, if you want?" Zack offered.
"Yeah, please," Marco spoke gratefully. "The bottom number's my cell," he pointed out. "It was nice meeting you."
He had the doorknob in his hand but Zack spoke up, making his pause.
"Hey can I ask something?"
"Yeah."
"How did he—" Zack started to speak with difficulty. He didn't know really what he was trying to ask. "Did he seem happy?" he finally got out. "When you were…"
"Hanging out?" Marco said when he seemed to struggle with how to finish the question.
"Sure," Zack said. He shook his head at himself, feeling like he must sound as dumb as he felt in the moment.
"Uh, well I think getting into business school was easier than getting him to smile," Marco said lightly. It actually made Zack laugh a little. "He's seriously intense, you know." Zack nodded and smiled as he looked down. He did know. "But yeah. I thought so," Marco spoke seriously. "We had a lot of fun. I really miss h—" He stopped short of saying him. "That."
Zack nodded again but said nothing.
Marco opened the door to leave and he let him. The second he was outside the in the hall, Zack was heading back to the couch to sit down and think over their encounter a little emotionally.
Out in the hall, Marco gave Reno a quick nod as he was passing by to leave the building.
"Yo Marco," Reno called to him but he didn't stop right away. It took saying his name once more for him to turn. "Hey man, we should keep in touch," he suggested.
"Zack has my number," Marco said with another short nod before continuing on his way. Reno thought when the guy looked back at him briefly that he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, I'll call you back in a few," Reno said into his phone as he followed after Marco. "You okay?" he asked when he caught up to him quickly.
"Yeah," Marco replied with a light huff and a smile the faded fast. He wiped at his damp eyes. "Just thought, when I got here…I didn't expect this. I had an uneasy feeling, but I didn't think it could be this bad." It was obvious he was having a hard time not breaking down. He cleared his throat then. "I really should go."
"Yo. You really do care about him huh?" Reno questioned. "Strife." It was clear that was the case. Marco didn't need to confirm. "Hey man, don't worry too much. I personally think the kid's fine. You may not have seen this side of him, but he can be a real brat. He's probably off somewhere doing the wanderer thing."
"He really didn't strike me as the type to let people who love him worry, not like that," Marco argued gently.
"No, but. It's complicated. I don't really know what I should say because it's not my place but it's not outside the realm of possibility the kid's just hiding out somewhere, trying to work some shit out."
"Hope you're right," Marco said.
"I'm wise, dude, trust that," Reno told him with a reassuring smile.
Marco gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Nice seeing you, Reno."
"Drive safe dude."
Back inside the apartment, Reno found Zack sitting on the couch looking deeply contemplative.
"Man, you should see your face right now," he remarked as he approached, reaching for the beer he'd left on the table and sitting down with it where Marco had been seated minutes earlier.
"Hm?" Zack hummed in question, though his eyes stayed fixed to the side as he appeared in thought.
"Are you seriously that weirded out by the thought of Strife and him?" Reno asked, drawing his attention to him finally.
"What?" Zack said. "No." He shook his head. "A little," he admitted and then realized a second later what Reno was actually suggesting, that he may be uncomfortable with Cloud having been in a relationship with a guy. "Not because of—it doesn't matter. That's not an issue," he claimed and he meant it.
Even if it had surprised him when he found out from Cloud he'd been sleeping with men as well as women, it wasn't something that bothered him, other than that he didn't think the reason Cloud had given for doing it was healthy at the time. It was weird to have found himself face to face with one of the men he assumed Cloud had slept with, in that it was something suddenly very real that he hadn't been prepared for. He didn't really care what Cloud's preferences were, it just wasn't something he'd ever had to think about until recently. At the end of the day, he just wanted him to be happy.
"Then what?" Reno asked him.
Slowly, Zack answered him, still thinking at the same time. "Cloud saw him the day after he left that message on my phone that sounded like…"
"Right…" Reno replied.
"It was the next day," Zack said. "I thought that day, when you saw him, that it was looking like the last day anyone heard from him."
"True," Reno agreed.
"But it wasn't. Cloud went to see Marco the next day and made plans to go to dinner. Marco's the last person who saw him and he thought he seemed okay," he noted. "Right?"
"Yeah," Reno said, nodding. "I can't see him making plans if he wasn't planning on keeping them, what would be the point?"
"So that's it then," Zack said. "If something did happen to Cloud that landed him the harbor, it wasn't on purpose, there's no way."
"Something did happen though," Reno stated back. "Something happened between when they saw each other and when he sent a message cancelling their date."
"Yeah," Zack agreed. "Hopefully the answer is at that condo building in Junon."