Once More, With Feeling... – Chapter 44: The Best Laid Plans.

Summary: Where everything comes to a head.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7, They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

Days had passed since Tseng had given Cloud over to Reeve for work. In the mornings he still reported to the Turk Headquarters where he would be assigned any quick errands or paperwork that needed finishing. Once that was done he would proceed to the Urban Development Department to work with Reeve Tuesti. Since Tseng himself was actively aware of the goals Tuesti and Strife were working on the Turk watched with quiet interest for any changes, and he was not disappointed.

Almost immediately 'The Trio' appeared scarcely in the more public areas. Their visits to the mess hall during normal hours dropped drastically. For the first day or two, Tseng had occasionally seen Sephiroth prowling the hallways intently, suspiciously even. But then on the third day he'd vanished completely, and none of the Turks had seen hide nor hair of him since. Angeal was about occasionally, but always distracted from his environment by some small objects he seemed to carry about his person. Genesis could be spotted from time to time, but always busily on his way somewhere, unwilling to be diverted from his bizarre tasks. The final straw had been when Tseng had personally witnessed Lieutenant Rhapsodos with his head under the bathroom sinks in the common areas. Genesis had always struck him as particularly finicky and fastidious. For the life of him Tseng could not fathom what either Cloud or Reeve could have done to persuade such uncharacteristic behavior. As a result Tseng had arranged a free period of time to track down and consult with Mr. Tuesti himself as to the results of his assignments.

It didn't take long to track down the wayward head of Urban Development, apparently he now spent a good deal of his time in the Software Development Department. Intrigued despite himself, he followed the information trail to the computer labs in question. Sure enough, he found Tuesti tucked into a corner with a small team of technicians gathered around, paper strewn half-hazardly over all available desk space while the programmers worked furiously.

"Mr. Tuesti?" Tseng queried gently as he approached. Reeve glanced up immediately, then straightened from where he'd been leaning over a technician's shoulder, gesturing to indicate the programmer should continue his work. Reeve then stepped over to Tseng with a broad grin.

"Tseng!" He called brightly, causing one of the Turk's eyebrows to rise in surprise; it was unusual for people to be so happy in his presence. "How are you? Thanks again for loaning me Cloud, the kid's a genius!"

The other eyebrow followed the first. "Oh?"

"Oh yeah, I never could have figured out what to do for the General without his help."

"Really?" Tseng tilted his head slightly in a common 'I'm listening, tell me more' gesture. "Speaking of Sephiroth, I haven't seen him lately …" he trailed off significantly.

Reeve chuckled, "He's completely absorbed! He's been in the simulation room since he found out about these new levels Cloud designed."

"So Cloud programmed them?" Tseng prompted, quickly going back over the various weatherman theories in his head.

"Oh no!" Reeve quickly reassured, "Cloud is terrible at programming, he only thinks he knows about programming, he's been driving the technicians nuts."

Several mental suspicions running through Tseng's head were abruptly shelved, as he nodded 'understandingly' at the Head of Urban Development. "So he designed new levels? I understand the General has not found those simulations interesting in years."

Now Reeve just shook his head, "That's why I said he's a genius!" Reeve continued to enthuse, "His knowledge of strategy and tactics is uncanny! I didn't think cadets could possibly know so much! Either their teachers are fantastic, or this kid is some kind of prodigy! I mean, this little, … teenager is designing war scenarios that the Prodigy GENERAL finds challenging, it just… boggles the mind!" He sighed in amazement,

Now both of Tseng's eyebrows had risen even higher in mild shock, was Cloud capable of out-strategizing Sephiroth? It was a chilling thought, and Tseng had to be careful not to physically shiver at the implications. "That does sound astounding," he continued out-loud, "How does he manage that?"

"Right now we've finished about five of Cloud's designs, the General is currently stuck on the fourth one." Tuesti explained with enthusiasm, "you see, he … um… actually it's hard to explain, let me show you!" Reeve excitedly gestured for the Turk to follow him before ducking back over to his small programming team. He grabbed up one of the large stacks of papers, shuffling through before handing a portion of that stack to Tseng.

The Turk patiently shuffled through the so called 'design documents', with only a rough idea of what that should entail. The pages were full of maps and notations, instructions, and highly adaptive battle strategies, which quickly gave Tseng an idea of just how extensive and well thought-out the scenarios were, while at the same time allowed an additional level of respect for Reeve Tuesti and the programmers under his command. "This is impressive," Tseng found himself admitting.

"That's what I've been saying! I mean, most battle scenarios are tough, not because the computer is smart, but because the computer has information the player does not, it… 'cheats', as it were. But Cloud's scenarios called for tactically relevant decisions, not just reacting to the player, and the terrain he designs is so specific and complex! It's like … he's BEEN there!"

"hmm…" Tseng murmured encouragingly, even while he calculated all of the known places Cloud had visited. The maps he held bore no resemblance he could see to Wutai at least.

"Oh and it isn't just the battle tactics and strategy, he seems to have an uncanny awareness of geography and architecture, …you know, if he doesn't get into the Turks, I'd really like to recruit him for the Urban Development Department, maybe even get him on the Neo-Midgar project."

Tseng barely managed to keep his outward appearance calm as he mentally cringed, … the thought of such an un-quantified variable with his hands on such a classified project caused his body to run cold, and a sever almost painful churning in his stomache. He resisted the urge to physically shake off the unease. "It is unlikely he will not make it into the Turks." Tseng said aloud, Reeve sighed wistfully,

"Yeah, I know, kid's too smart for that … still, he'd be amazing."

"If I may ask, what were the provided entertainments for Lieutenants Rhapsodos and Hewley?"

The engineer immediately perked back up, "Ah, yes, those are fun! Rhapsodos was mostly my idea I admit, the good Lieutenant is probably the most obsessive Loveless fan I've ever seen, so Cloud and I have brainstormed on this fascinating scavenger hunt. I've worked on most of the clues myself, but Cloud is fantastic at getting those clues into their intended locations! Seems he can get anywhere! Great Turk you've trained there!" Tuesti grinned at Tseng, sharing his joke, the Turk tried not to choke, and simply smiled blandly and nodded. "For Hewley, I have these great little brain puzzles I love, I thought he'd really enjoy them too, but it was Cloud who suggested just how to approach the Lieutenant, something about how I wanted an honest opinion, and trusted the integrity of his reports, he's been amazingly diligent and thorough with his reviews, which is, of course, the whole point."

"That is quite a review, … especially coming from a department head."

"He deserves it, all in all, I'm very pleased with his assistance, and I certainly couldn't have done it successfully without him." Reeve continued with a grin.

"Perhaps we should tone down the praise a little for Cloud, wouldn't want it to go to his head." Tseng returned wryly.

Reeve laughed, "Yeah, I can understand that, … it's hard to believe he's still a kid, he's so down-to-earth and mature!"

"I am glad you're satisfied with Cloud's work, I hope he continues to be of such assistance to you. I would appreciate if you would keep me updated on the progress of these endeavors. … for his assessment reviews, you understand."

"Oh! Of course! Just let me know how much you need and you have it! Though if Cloud doesn't pass with flying colors I'll shave my beard!"

Tseng smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your time, though unfortunately I must be going."

"Sure, no problem, you're a busy man." Reeve waved him off gamely, turning his attention back to the technicians.

Tseng turned and strode away, his thoughts running over new speculations with methodical efficiency. Filing them into his own mental version of the various 'theory' folders. The Turk quickly came to the decision that he needed more hard intelligence; perhaps a more active a more active approach would be prudent.

Cloud was sitting on the floor at his and Reno's apartment, in what was quickly becoming a very comfortable routine. The redhead was slow to awake on mornings he had late assignments, and after 'waking' would quickly relocate to the couch for a nap. Cloud would sit in the same room doing his physical therapy stretches to aid with his healing muscles. The tiny kitten given to him by Angeal would wait patiently until the redheaded Turk was 'sleeping' before claiming his chest as her own warm bed. Even as he carefully extended and rotated his arms Cloud could hear the tiny feline purring happily. As the blond was finishing up with his therapeutic routine, he noticed a sudden hush in the normal rumble coming from the couch. Glancing up curiously he noticed that his roommate had slipped into a slightly deeper slumber, one arm and leg having slid off the couch, his mouth open slightly as he gently snored, but more importantly, at least to the cat's rapt attention, the 'Rapid Eye Movement' indicative of dreams. Cloud's own eyes widened at nearly the same time the diminutive feline's pupils did. And reaching out futiley he shouted.

"Lucy! No!"

"AAAAAAUUUUGGGHH!" Reno cried out a breath after, as tiny claws finished digging into his eyelids. He sprang into a sitting position the kitten thrown to the other side of the couch with an indignant yowl. Hands clapped over his eyes the redhead snarled blindly after the small feline, "I'm gonna kill ya! Ya wretched flea-bag!"

Cloud winced in sympathy, but at the same time found himself chuckling softly, "Sorry Reno,"

"Yer cat blinded me!" The older Turk complained loudly,

"I'm pretty sure her claws aren't long enough for that yet. She was just playing, But I'm certain she's much too traumatized to try that again." Cloud returned with wry amusement. Uncovering his eyes enough to glare, and incidentally proving Cloud's point the redhead harrumphed loudly.

"Well I'm not gonna get more sleep now. … whaddya call her again? I coulda sworn I heard ya say some wierd name jus' before…" Reno was still blinking slightly in pain, even as he calmed down, glancing around briefly as if looking for the well-spooked cat.

"Lucy, that's her name." Cloud returned with a grin,

"What kinda name is 'Lucy'?"

"It fits her." The blond shrugged.

"whatever yo. S'yer cat I s'pose. Jus' keep 'er away from me."

Cloud smirked slightly, Reno could bluster all he liked, but Cloud knew he only was sleeping on the couch sometimes, and often would try to sneakily pet Lucy when he thought Cloud wasn't looking. His continued insistence that he disliked the cat was really quite amusing, and a little bit cute.

Reno stretched exaggeratedly from his position, standing and shuffling from the couch, grumbling under his breath as he went. Cloud placidly ignored his grouching as the blond started on his more standard stretches, the callisthenic ones he'd been 'taught' in class. He took special care not to stress his shoulder as he worked, though admittedly he barely even felt weakened anymore after his consistent therapy.

A few moments later, Reno reappeared from his bedroom, sloppily dressed in his Turk Attire, still half-heartedly doing up the buttons on his wrinkled shirt.

"I'm 'onna go in early yo, tha' office gal's been ridin' me fer papers, an I like stayin' in one piece if ya know what I mean." Cloud nodded amiably, sharing a wave with his roommate.

Just as he finished his routine, the blond heard a knock at the front door. Curious, since Reno never knocked even when he was supposed to, Cloud glanced through the peep hole. He was surprised to see Tseng's distorted figure gazing calmly back. Bemusedly, the blond pulled the door open, politely gesturing the older Turk inside.

"Good morning sir, is there something I can do for you?"

"Good morning Cloud" Tseng returned with a nod, "I wanted a moment of your time, to check on your general progress."

the blond tilted his head as he considered, "Did you want me to come in to the office? Reno didn't mention..."

"No, this should only take a moment," the Turk assured him firmly, "How have your physical exercises been going?"

"Pretty well, my shoulder feels good, not really stiff anymore."

"That's good to hear, ... have you been practicing with any weapons?"

Cloud frowned, "no, I was advised to do calisthenics as much as possible. keeping limber and strong."

Cloud saw Tseng's brow furrow at that answer, "I see,..." the Turk replied slowly, "I'll be frank with you Cloud, I'm concerned that having lost several weeks of your weapons classes will make things very difficult when you've been cleared for duty by medical. You will be entering into the command program when you return, and it's very intense,... I know you've struggled to keep up with your class mates in the applied physical skills areas... I might advise taking into consideration practicing with weapons should you find the opportunity, I wasn't sure it would occur to your physical trainer to offer the suggestion." Cloud hummed thoughtfully,"I was simply stopping by, since I was in the area. Please enjoy the rest of your morning," Tseng paused meaningfully, "Unless you have any other concerns?"

"No, I think I understand," Cloud assured.

Tseng nodded, and without further ado, turned briskly on his heel and left.

Cloud stood blinking after him for a few moments, before smiling helplessly, typical Tseng… he always did like the 'personal' approach to these things. The blond paused to consider the suggestion. It was true he'd been getting tired of just 'calisthenics' as appropriate as they were to his situation. And now that the idea had been put in his head, his hands itched and twitched in anticipation of a good training workout. He could feel the ghost of worn leather grip under his fingers. A fierce pang of longing for his beloved First Tsurugi struck him like a blow, and he huffed at the force of the sensation. Well, any blade is better than nothing, he mused to himself, rubbing his hands as he drifted off to his room. Once there he pulled his sword from it's holder on the wall, sliding off the sheath to consider the compact blade. As he drifted his fingers along the sleek metal he ran through forms in his head. Not enough room here… he mused. Though the apartment was roomier by far than his old squad bunks, it didn't have enough room to properly express his skill with a good blade. Gently replacing the sword, the blond turned decisively from the room. Shower first, head into Shinra for Turk duties… and then after… Cloud grinned in anticipation, After would be good.

By the time afternoon arrived Cloud found himself nearly salivating for a good workout, his skin seemed ready to crawl off in sheer frustration. It had taken easily twice as long to do his usual errands and deliveries, and he'd had no chance to work with Reeve as he'd been looking forward to, Why was everyone in a MEETING today? And why did no one else seem to KNOW about it? There was nothing that peeved the blond more than delivering to people who weren't actually there to ACCEPT it! Absolutely ridiculous, and a waste of his time! he huffed aloud as he jogged through the halls, trying to shake the irritation out his fingers. Contrastingly to the earlier part of his day, Cloud found himself arriving faster than usual to the training rooms. He hadn't spent much time in the ones designated to the Turks yet… he'd enjoyed the convenient distance of the Cadet rooms, or the solitude of the SOLDIER floors…

As he turned the last corner, and the automatic doors responded to his presence, Cloud froze in dismay, the main room had a good half-a-dozen people already inside, many Turks the time-traveler had never seen before! All taller and physically older than him! Not that the blond typically found that intimidating… his attention was caught by a waving hand to his right, his eyes darting to find a familiar pair of sunglasses gazing back at him.

"Hey, … Cloud right?" Rude nodded as he walked forward, "You goin' in or out?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again, Rude." Cloud regarded the rest of the room, cringing a little, "Looks a bit crowded today..." He trailed off uncertainly,

Rude nodded sympathetically, "It'll probably clear up later… but Veld at least is going to be here all night."

The blond's eyes widened as he followed the darker man's gesture to a tall figure behind him who was sparring ferociously with another dark-haired Turk.

VELD! Cloud yelped mentally, Not good! he'd really wanted to brush up on his forms! But there was no way could he use some of the obscure techniques his friends had taught him here! Way too many questions! Mentally bemoaning his luck, Cloud ducked his head self-deprecatingly,

"I'll see if I can come back later then, he offered a smile to Rude, the older Turk nodded stoically as Cloud turned and left the way he'd come.

"Unfortunately, Cloud, I can't schedule you time in the Cadet training rooms," Instructor Kerrington advised solemnly, "I'm under strict orders not to let you, and a 'certain squad of cadets' use the training room at the same time, even if you're using different areas. They've already booked it up for the rest of the afternoon." The Instructor frowned sympathetically, "Earliest I could fit you in is day after tomorrow."

Cloud thought about it, "No, that's okay, I have somewhere else I can practice." He nodded back to (name here) before he turned away, wandering leisurely back towards the Turk areas mulling over the best time to return to his 'favorite' training room… he was only mildly surprised when a red-head popped up beside him as he walked, briskly interrupting his thoughts.

"Yo Cloud! I jus' got off workin' with that 'Katana' guy, an' he showed me the most AWESOME Card game! I totally gotta show ya!" the youth blurted happily, drawing the shorter teenager's attention to a pack of worn cards being expertly shuffled between lean fingers.

"As long as you don't cheat." The blond blurted before he could even think about it. He barely listened to the sudden outraged sputtering denials from his taller companion. He's totally going to cheat. Cloud mused with a wry smile, but that's okay… so will I.

A couple of hours, and several extremely dishonest games of cards later, Cloud finally managed to wrangle some free time from Reno. The Turk sulking in his room, nursing his bruised pride, and a small bottle of drink Cloud had mixed up as 'loser's compensation'. It was only slightly trickier to wander to Cloud's favorite training room coming from the apartment instead of his squad bunk but it still took him a lot longer since he took the time to scout for any patrolling 'generals' before he finally settled nervously in front of the sliding door. One deep breath to expel the nervousness, there was no way his squad-mates could ambush him again. And another to shift into as calm a frame of mind as he could manage. His fingers dashed quickly over the keypad, tomorrow he'd give the Turk rooms a try if they were free, but for now… he didn't want to take any chances on having 'company'.

Tseng was comfortably ensconced in his office, lounging back almost lazily, a cup of his favorite tea in one hand, his eyes half-lidded in anticipation of a satisfactory conclusion. His laptop was open on the desk before him, several programs active. In an operation this delicate, there was no leaving anything to chance. Tseng had carefully timed his suggestion to Cloud, for when he knew all the other training rooms would be booked, the other measures he'd taken having proven unnecessary. The surveillance camera on the hallway leading into the training room showed a diminutive blond turning the corner as Tseng watched. He'd briefly toyed with the idea of placing a camera watching the door itself, but discarded the idea as being too noticeable, the best hunters know not to follow their prey too closely. A couple minutes later there was a ping as the device he'd installed behind the keypad relayed the security key to a specialized application on his laptop. Tseng smiled, as he copied the key to his security program and asked it for a reverse directory.

The smile dropped from his face, as read the results on his screen. He immediately picked up his phone, and typed in a message.

-Emergency Meeting. Now.- : Tseng

And sent it to everyone in Operation Weatherman.

((Well… So I never abandoned this story! Absolutely promise! I've got loads more planned for it in fact. … Just, I have a hard time finding good 'writing atmosphere' of late. My job can be kinda soul-sucking. And for about 6 months there I didn't do ANYTHING creative! It was very disheartening.

BUT, you guys can thank my brother Khodexus for the arrival of THIS chapter! He kicked my ennui in the rear and dragged me out for a several hour writing session this weekend, and I finally got the last bits of this chapter hashed out. He wants to make it a 'regular thing' so hopefully that will help.

-Jianre M. A.K.A … Illusor Meaneld.))