Authors' Notes:
Screwygirl - For those who didn't know, my mother passed away in October, so I had taken some time to cope with it. It's difficult to be creative when you lose someone you love. On top of that, I lost my home. So I apologize for the time it took to get this chapter out. I also apologize if there are any shortcomings in the editing. Thank you all for your patience. We will try not to take so long next time.
Shade - Thank you all for your amazing patience during this time. I know it's been a while. It took us long enough to clean up the cobwebs and dust off this chapter to get it out, but it's here, at last. We've finally settled into our new place, and it's much easier to think and get things done now that we've recovered from the flu that we caught thanks to a combination of the season and the stress. Thankfully, it was just the flu and not the scary bug that must not be named. We'll try not to make you wait as long for the next update. Hope you all have an awesome week, and as always, enjoy!
CHAPTER 04 – SOLDIER 2.0
Cloud shook his head as he made his way into the bar portion of the house. Looking over at Colriss, who was finishing up her meal and having Tifa keep her company, he couldn't help but offer a smirk as he stepped behind the bar on the server's side. "So, how's the food?"
Tifa stepped away to go help a few new customers.
Corliss wiped her mouth with the napkin, and looked up at Cloud, swallowing the rest of her mouthful.
"It's really good," she praised, "Better than most of the places I've been to in Edge. You got quite a place here."
She had a decent appetite... no doubt about it.
The blond smirked, casting a glance towards Petra, and nodded, letting her know he was there to help as he started wiping some glasses with a cloth. "It helps to have good connections and friends who have their own farms. We get the best ingredients on this side of the continent. The connections I have with my delivery service helps, too."
"Well, whatever you're doin', keep doin' it." she agreed, taking a swig of her drink and setting it back down. "Comfy chairs, too... almost like sittin' on Daredevil."
"Daredevil?" he questioned, wondering if she was referring to what he thought she was, considering her fondness for Fenrir... well perhaps fondness wasn't the right word. She practically drooled over its design, not that he blamed her. When he first got it, he couldn't help but pull a massive wheelie and then take it out into the wastes to really test it out. That had been a fun afternoon.
She laughed. "Daredevil is the only man I can commit to. Mine's not nearly as agile as yours, but the power of a V10 SRT Viper Engine is still pretty sweet."
She sighed happily, her eyes glazing over just thinking about it. "I'm still trying to streamline him, but it's a work in progress. I slipped a couple of chips in the engine to cut down on emissions, and I made the handlebars on a swivel for easier steering..."
She stopped, meeting Cloud's eyes. "You get me talking about this, and I'll never shut up!"
He couldn't help but chuckle. She was right, but at the same time, he found it refreshing. "I've never really had the chance to talk about them. My team is fantastic, but they don't share all my hobbies. Sometimes, when I have a rare moment to myself in the garage, I'll tinker with it, just to see if I can give him just a bit more power."
For a moment, she just stared at Cloud before calmly stating, "If you weren't engaged, I would kiss you..."
Cloud smirked at that. "Well, I don't know. This Daredevil friend of yours sounds like he wouldn't want to give you up easily."
She chuckled. "Yeah, Daredevil is pretty possessive. I don't know how he's gonna feel about me riding Fenrir..."
The blond hero then thought it over. "You know, if you want some help with yours, you can always swing it by. And if I'm not around to do it, I can easily hook you up with someone who knows more about motorcycles than I ever could. You ever met a man named Wade Wilson?"
She smiled at him. "Damn... really? That'd be tremendous! Don't think I've ever heard that name. I live on the South side of Sector 5, so if he's not from there, then I probably don't know him. Is he any good? I've got my own shop, and I'd love to compare notes."
All joking aside, he went about cleaning up the bar and refilling a drink for another patron. "I did say the man knows more about bikes than I do, though, I'm not really an expert. My skills were mostly self-taught."
He stopped as he came to a realization. "A lot of my skills were self-taught, now that I think about it."
He shrugged to himself and glanced back at her. "If you need help with your bike, Wade's your guy. He lives about four blocks east of the hospital. His workshop is in his home, so he can't take a lot of business at once, but he usually tries to make room for me when I need it. I'll see about putting in a good word for you."
She finished up her drink. "I'll look up this Wade. I definitely need an extra set of eyes... my last evening excursion must have knocked something loose. Every time I throttle, it chokes up a little. I've been searching for a while, now, and I can't quite find the problem."
The blond nodded, "I'll mention you next time I talk to him."
She gave a genuine smile to the blond. "How much do I owe ya for the meal?"
He just shook his head with a smirk. "I already told you before, it's on the house. Consider it my thanks for helping Angel."
"Well... thank you." she replied, "I appreciate it... it's one of the things I love about Edge. So many good people... it's frustrating that all these bad elements are invading..."
He huffed in response. "Tell me about it. With the city becoming more stable, crime is starting to come back. Before Meteor happened, Midgar had SOLDIER to act as a protectorate and keep the crime rate down. Now it's like a free-for-all, and they're getting more brazen."
He poured a refill for another patron before returning to her. "It almost makes me wish SOLDIER was back, but without the corruption from politics and greedy corporations. A military branch should never have been run by a businessman in the first place. That's where it went wrong."
Corliss considered this for a moment. "You know... aren't there a bunch of ex-SOLDIERs that resurfaced recently? I'm sure there are other ex-SOLDIERs, too. They couldn't all have died..."
Absent-mindedly, she started putting all her dishes together in an effort to help Cloud clean up.
"The best one did," came the response from a man sitting a few stools away. He had thick sunglasses covering his eyes with a hat covering his hair.
He turned to look at them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to butt in."
Cloud just shrugged as he took Colriss' plate and set it in the sink to start cleaning the dishes.
"It wasn't really a private conversation," he stopped, eyeing the man. "Which SOLDIER were you referring to?"
The man sighed. "I'm not going to pretend to be ignorant. I know exactly who you are, Cloud Strife. Hell, I knew you back when you were still in the infantry, though, we never had the pleasure to meet face to face. I saw you on the news a few months ago, announcing to the world that Sephiroth was back, standing next to him and the other former First Class SOLDIERs, but one was missing."
"And you would be...?" asked Cloud.
"Kunsel. I was Second Class. I knew things were goin' south after the Nibelheim incident. The company tried to cover it up, but I managed to find out what had happened. I know you were involved, but records never said what happened to you, only that everyone was killed. I... honestly, I was waiting for a moment to catch you alone and ask if you knew what happened to a SOLDIER named Zack Fair. I know he was your friend; he was mine too."
Kunsel looked to Colriss next. "Reactivating SOLDIER wouldn't be a bad idea, but only if it had the right leader. Zack would've been perfect."
Corliss met Cloud's eyes as if to say, "Case and point."
"I didn't know individual names of the SOLDIERs... except Sephiroth, of course." Corliss commented, her expression unreadable, "but I definitely agree with Kunsel, here... reactivating SOLDIER is not a bad idea. This city needs help."
She looked over at Kunsel. "So what was this Zack Fair like?"
Kunsel could only smile at her question. "Let me ask you, Miss. Have you ever owned a dog? And I'm not talking about a pampered poodle. I mean a giant of a hound, who would barrel into you the moment you returned home, slobbering you with kisses and yapping like he hadn't seen you in years even if it had only been a few hours, and even if he's a full-grown dog he thinks he's a puppy?
That is what Zack Fair was like."
Cloud couldn't help but chuckle at the oddly perfect description.
"Wow... you just made me really want to go get a puppy," she quipped, laughing boisterously, "So he's lovable, good-natured, and enthusiastic?"
Kunsel's smile beamed at her laughter... and then it slowly fell.
"He was... until Shinra ruined him. Four years after he was reported KIA, there was another report of some classified experiments that escaped. I had hoped it was Zack, that he had survived, but I never got to find out. Then a year later, the random reports just... stopped. That was the last I ever heard of it. I kept thinking if there was something I could have done, maybe I could have prevented that from happening, but... no one predicted the general turning like that."
"There were two specimens that escaped... not one." Kunsel looked over to Cloud who returned the gaze. "Zack was one of them... I was the other."
The ex-SOLDIER's expression filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry... I didn't know."
Cloud shrugged. "It's in the past now."
Kunsel looked at his glass then and shook his head. "So... he's gone then."
Cloud offered him the ghost of a smirk then. "Well... about that..."
"That movie was AWESOME!"
Cloud turned his head towards the front door where Denzel had just burst through, shouting his excitement. He beamed a smile at Cloud as he entered.
"You really should have gone! There was this guy who had this cool rocket suit and another guy that turned green when he got angry and smashed everything!"
"Well, I liked the guy who used that thunder hammer and that girl with the cool moves. She reminded me of Yuffie," came Marlene's voice as she followed behind.
"Really? No love for the guy with the shield? He was the best,"
And just like that Kunsel's jaw dropped when none other than Zack Fair entered the bar. "Sorry we're late, Spike. The movie was longer than I thought."
Cloud motioned his head over towards Kunsel, and Zack tilted his head, studying both the woman and the guy.
"New friends, Cloud?"
Corliss took note of the emerging smile on Cloud's face and the stunned expression on Kunsel's and drew her own conclusions.
"Hmm... wow, you're right."
She crossed her arms over her chest, regarding him with mock suspicion, "Is he housebroken?"
Zack blinked as he looked at her then back at Cloud. "You're not still comparing me to a puppy, are you? I've been trying to grow out of it."
Cloud huffed. "I'll stop calling you a puppy the day you stop calling me chocobo, which you already said isn't gonna happen."
Zack chuckled. "Yeah, I did say that."
"Besides, it wasn't me that was comparing you, this time. It was Kunsel."
The humor vanished from the ex-SOLDIER as he studied the man.
"Kunsel?! Is that really you?"
"Zack... I thought you were dead!"
Zack closed the gap and pulled Kunsel into the biggest hug. "I knew you would've survived! You were always the smartest and the most elusive! Gaia, I can't believe it!"
"Me? What about you?! Where've you been!"
Cloud leaned against the counter near Corliss, watching the display. "I think they forgot about us."
Corliss nodded, feigning sadness. "I'm so offended."
She tried to keep the smirk from her face, but it was like such an act was impossible for her.
Zack pulled out of the hug then and turned towards the others, but not before punching Kunsel lightly in the shoulder. "Sorry, but... I just can't believe Kunsel's here. Cloud, this guy saved my ass more times than I could count back in the day."
Cloud turned to Kunsel then. "My sympathies; that must've been a handful."
"Hey," Zack squawked earning a laugh from the other two. Zack then turned to the woman, "By the way, to answer your question: I am very much housebroken."
He puffed out his chest, trying to appear the noble figure.
"And how many rolled-up newspapers did Angeal use to ensure that?" jibed Kunsel.
Zack instantly deflated and sat down next to the girl, pouting. "You guys are always picking on me."
"Awww... poor guy..." Corliss chuckled reaching into her pockets "Maybe I have a milk bone somewhere..."
Both Marlene and Denzel giggled, but then Denzel caught sight of Corliss, his eyes widening.
"You're... you're Praetorian!" he exclaimed.
Corliss seemed confused by this. "I'm who?"
"The one going around kicking the crap out of criminals in Edge!" Denzel replied. The dark-haired woman seemed shocked at Denzel's words.
Zack blinked as he looked at her in an entirely new light. "For real? I've heard stories going around, but you're her?"
"She helped Angel earlier," Cloud commented. "That's how I met her."
Corliss looked between them, completely befuddled.
"I have no idea... am I?" she asked.
"Yeah, I saw her two nights ago near the construction site... protecting a couple of kids from some creeps," Denzel gushed, "You were awesome!"
Recognition finally made its way to her eyes. "Oh yeah... I remember you... you threw some rocks at one of them. Thanks for the distraction..."
"Denzel..." The stern tone was clear in Cloud's voice. "You said you were at a friend's house that night."
The blond's eyes glowed a bit, not happy that his adopted son had lied to him.
"You didn't say anything about being near a construction site, and at night? What reason would you have to be there?"
Zack blinked, feeling uncomfortable. "Give him a break, Spike; he helped her stop some other kids from getting hurt."
"That still doesn't excuse him for being there in the first place." Cloud wasn't backing down. "Denzel, we've been over this. When the sun sets you and Marlene are to be home or at a friend's house where we can reach you. This city isn't as safe as it used to be. Angel was attacked earlier tonight simply for walking home. I hope you enjoyed that movie because it was your last one for the next two months."
Denzel's shoulders slumped, and he huffed out a sigh. "I was at a friend's house. I was at Ronin's place... he lives in Sector 5... wait! Angel got attacked? Is she okay?"
The glow faded with his anger, and he nodded.
"Tifa treated her injuries. She's in the kitchen making dinner for you two. Hopefully, you haven't eaten already," he finished glancing over at Zack.
"Nope, I told you; that movie was long," the warrior replied.
Cloud nodded and walked around the bar to kneel in front of Denzel. "You know I'm only mad because I care. You're... you're my son, now, so I have to be stern when I'm worried."
It still choked him up when he really thought about the fact that he was a father now. An adopted one, sure, but a father nonetheless, and the thought twisted his stomach... but in an oddly good way.
Denzel grinned widely as Cloud called him his son. "I know... but my teacher told me that doin' nothing when you see something bad happening is almost like doing the bad thing yourself..."
Cloud smirked and ruffled his hair. "I can't argue with that, and for that, it worked out; but you can't always count on luck. You remember the tonberry?"
He knew he never would forget it. "You always have to be careful. Next time, if you know you won't get home before dark, wait for me or Tifa to get you, alright? I can't lose you again."
"Thanks... Dad." Denzel whispered, embracing the hero. Cloud's hug tightened a little bit before he stood back up, clearing his throat, trying to cover up the emotion in his voice. "So... uh, why don't you kids wash up. Angel should be almost done. I gotta help Petra close the bar tonight. Also, Tifa's father is here, so mind your manners, alright? And... don't believe anything he says about me. it's probably not true."
Zack just sighed, throwing up his hands in mock frustration. "Jeez, Cloud! Is there anything you can't do? Badass hero, efficient delivery boy, skilled bar manager, and now you're up for father of the year? Seriously when do I get my chance to shine?"
Corliss grinned at him. "You already said you were housebroken..."
"So, what's with this Praetorian thing?" Corliss asked.
"It's what everyone calls you," Marlene told her.
"Praetorian..." she repeated as if testing it out.
Zack turned his attention back to Colriss. "It does sound like a cool name. What does it mean though?"
Denzel and Marlene ran up the stairs.
"I think it means 'guardian'," Corliss responded. After a moment's pause, she looked at Kunsel and added, "I see what you mean, though. He'd be perfect. Kunsel, here, thinks you'd be a good candidate to restart a version of the SOLDIER program."
Zack turned to both of them and blinked. "Wait... restart SOLDIER? What?"
"A version of SOLDIER." Corliss corrected, "Edge could really use some kind of law enforcement. Criminals are taking advantage of the deficit."
Zack scratched the back of his head. "I don't know... I mean... SOLDIER fell pretty hard after the Trinity fell apart. And then there's the fact that it was run by a corporation. I don't think the people would trust in SOLDIER again."
"So call it something else," Kunsel offered. "Even if you keep it the same, it won't be the same SOLDIER, which I still like the ring of."
Zack just shook his head. "I just don't see it working."
He looked over to his best friend, his little brother, his rock of common sense. "What do you think?"
Cloud shrugged. "I never made SOLDIER, so I don't have the right to say really."
Zack reached over and flicked him on the shoulder, earning an "Ow!" in return. "I never want to hear you say that again. You beat the best SOLDIER there was, so shut up and realize that it makes you better than any SOLDIER. You got me Spiky?"
Cloud gave him a pouted look as he rubbed his arm. "Fine, I think you should do it."
Zack turned back to them and smirked, "Ya see? Even he thinks... wait, what?"
Cloud gave him a serious look. "The difference is that you would be in charge. Not some fat power-hungry slob too concerned with what his next meal will be to run a proper task force. You were well-liked among not just others in the company, but by the people as a whole. With you in charge, it could work."
"Everyone likes puppies!" Corliss chimed in, and then in a more subdued tone, she added, "Right now, the people are terrified. Crime is on the rise, and no one is there to help in an official capacity."
She turned to look at Cloud. "And if you jump on board, the people will approve of it 100 percent. You're the hero."
Cloud's eyes widened and he held up a hand, "Sorry, but I already have too much on my plate as it is."
"Oh, so now look who's trying to back out," Zack taunted.
"It's different for me Zack," Cloud retorted, annoyed. "I'm getting married, I have a delivery service to run, I have to help manage this bar, and-"
"And you have a large number of allies and friends ready to help you out at the drop of a hat if you'd just ask them to. Sheesh, Cloud. If this does happen, it'll take some time. In that span, you could get hitched, wait for a slow season for deliveries, and get a few more hands to help with the bar. Hell, why not hire Henry? Guy's here enough, and he's proven to be how useful? He could be a bartender and a bouncer all in one!"
"But... to be a SOLDIER... I... I gave up on that a long time ago..."
Zack seemed to understand a bit more, and he smirked. "It's never too late to achieve your dreams."
His words forced a flashback to enter Cloud's vision then, of a conversation he and Sephiroth had several months ago.
"Stupid dreams never die, do they?"
Sephiroth just regarded the warrior. "Stupid dreams do; honorable ones do not."
Cloud sighed. "Fine, I'm in. But, not full-time at first."
Zack smirked. "I'd never dream of forcing you to."
He turned to the others then. "Well? You two in?"
Corliss blinked. "Me?... in SOLDIER? I don't know the first thing about being in the military."
Zack smirked at her, "You think we were aces from the start? We can help you through it. You've already got the passion and the fighting instincts. That's half the battle. Besides, the quality of the warrior isn't going to be based on pure brute strength this time."
Kunsel folded his hands and leaned back a bit. "Oh? And how would you define rank this time?"
"Well," Zack started off. "Everyone who's been in the original SOLDIER can keep their rank, based also on their records. But for the most part, we're not going to rely on mako. That's not even going anywhere near the new recruits. Anyone who has mako can be in a class of their own... kinda like a special task force. There aren't going to be many I'd suspect though..."
His eyes lit up, and he turned to Cloud. "That's the squad you'd command."
Cloud nearly dropped the plate he was cleaning. "Command?!"
"Commander Strife; it's got a nice ring to it," Kunsel commented.
Zack smirked at him. "You'd be great at it, Spike! I mean, we'd also get the Trinity on board. Those guys would really help make sure the troops had the proper training. Seph's got the discipline, 'Geal's got the motivation and Gen's got the magic skills. Spike's got the will, Kunsel is the brains, You'd be the passion and... hmm... what would I be?"
"The heart that keeps it human," Cloud answered. "General Zack Fair."
Zack's eyes glowed at that. "That... just gave me chills."
Corliss pondered these words... for all of about 5 seconds. "I'm in."
*FT*
Edge was definitely an interesting city, with its diversity and potential for growth. There was nothing worse than something stagnant, in Belladonna's opinion. It was basic human nature to evolve and improve in a never-ending yet unattainable pursuit of perfection, and anyone who didn't have a desire to reach full potential was just a waste of life.
Then again, not all evolution should occur, and some of the growth in Edge resembled more of a malignancy rather than evolution. This was the case in Edge, currently, and it was painfully evident to the teen as she walked down the city street. The bad elements of society decided to exploit the absence of law enforcement, and there were no prospects to rectify the situation.
There was, of course, Praetorian, the mystery woman who had stepped up. She had to admit that this vigilante had earned Bella's respect. She stuck up for the people, many of them children; she never remained behind afterward for the press, and she was quick and efficient with the way she fought. In fact, Bella had picked up a few new maneuvers from watching her on television.
She was almost inspired to join Praetorian, but her father specifically forbade it. If she hadn't realized that his command originated from the fear of harm coming to her, she would have defied him; however, she made it perfectly clear to him that she would not turn a blind eye to someone in need. He, of course, conceded to this, as she knew he would.
She was extremely thrilled with the status of hers and her father's relationship. They butted heads quite a few times, however, that was to be expected. One can't simply achieve a euphoric relationship in the first few months. They had come to many understandings, one of which being she may be 15 years old, but he was still her father. As such, he formed some rules but compromised by allowing her to have a say in their creation.
She adored spending time with him. Aside from their shared passion for Loveless, he was quite the poet himself. She had been building up the courage to share some of her own, but it was such an intimate part of herself. That and a lot of her poetry had been inspired by misery and the loneliness of missing a father one never knew. She thought, maybe, some of these poems might hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"...help me...please..." came a voice from an alleyway. She turned in that direction, searching for the person to whom the voice belonged. Her eyes came to rest on a woman, curled up on the ground about halfway in. As per the rules, she took out her phone and sent a text message to her father, letting him know that she was stopping to help someone.
Putting away her device, she walked forward, looking in every direction, more out of habit now, from her Harkon days. There was less likely to be an ambush waiting for her now that she was no longer making enemies.
"...please... I can't... feel... my legs..." The voice was very weak, so Bella picked up her pace, crouching down beside the woman. There was a lot of blood pooling around her mid-section, and upon examination, Bella discovered a rather nasty wound that suspiciously resembled a bullet wound.
"I'm here," Bella told the woman, noting that the wound was a through and through... but it was through and through her spinal column. It was possible that the woman would never walk again. Since there were no emergency services to call, Bella took out her phone again and speed-dialed her father, placing it up to her ear. As she waited for Genesis to answer, she reached for the woman's purse, fishing out her ID... Manda Jerome.
*FFTT-FT*
Genesis Rhapsodos emerged from the bathroom of his apartment, towel draped over his head as he dried his flaming red hair and then let it fall over his shoulders as he stepped out onto the balcony. He already had on a pair of night pants and as he gazed up at the moon, he couldn't help but stretch his arms upwards, sighing with relief as his back popped five times.
His wing also emerged and stretched out from the reflex, and he had to be careful not to knock over anything when it extended. It had been one thing he was thankful for when Minerva had healed him, the fact that he got to keep the gift of flight, it really made him grateful for her gracious kindness.
"Infinite in Mystery is the gift of the Goddess..."
His phone rang, and he turned to it. Picking it up from the coffee table, he flipped it open when he saw who was calling him.
"Bella, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied "I've come across an injured woman in an alleyway, so I've stopped to help her. I just didn't want you to worry. I'm about a block and a half away from 7th Heaven."
There was a pause. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"Not at all, my dear. You caught me at the perfect time."
He was in a very relaxed mood at the moment. "Do you require my assistance?"
"I don't think so. I'm certain I can carry her to a place where she can be treated... I just wasn't certain if I should move her considering the injury and its... location. I mean, there is little choice, really. I can't just leave her here."
It was only due to his enhanced hearing that he picked it up at all, the faint popping noise. But it was there... and then a clattering sound followed by the unmistakable "thud" of someone hitting the ground. The line was still open, though.
"Bella?... Sweetheart, are you there?"
She wasn't answering. Gen's eyes flared with worry and anger. In a rush of movement, feathers, and wind, Genesis tore through his apartment, grabbing his duster, material, and sword and was soaring out of the balcony window, racing towards her reported location.
He thought about calling Strife since the location was so close but hesitated, knowing he could handle the threat himself... but then he remembered the woman Bella was helping and changed his mind again. Phone still in hand, he hung up and dialed Cloud's number. It rang three times before it was answered.
"Genesis, for the last time, I'm not going into detail about the grace of the goddess."
"Strife, I may need your help. It's Bella."
There was a silence and then, "Tell us where."
Genesis wasn't sure what he meant by 'us', but he'd take any reinforcements the blond could give him.
"About a block and a half away from your home, though I don't know in which direction."
There was a collective of voices before Cloud replied, "We're on it."
Genesis hung up and flapped his powerful wing harder,
"Hang on, Bella. When I catch up to the ones foolish enough to attack you, there shall be HELL to pay."