Chapter Text
The first rule of being a 3rd Class SOLDIER was to keep your head down and your eyes on your tray. That’s how it worked for Cloud, anyway. As he exited the line with his dinner of mystery meat and overcooked vegetable slop, he darted his gaze around the room searching for a table that wasn’t occupied by any of his many peers. No luck. The room was packed with SOLDIERS, both 2nd and 3rd Class, all sharing the easy camaraderie he’d been unable to find. He kept walking slowly so as not to cause a traffic jam. Eventually, his eyes landed on Zack, who enthusiastically waved him over when he spotted Cloud.
“Cloud! Over here, man. I saved you a seat!”
Cloud sighed. He really wished Zack wouldn’t do that. Yes, he was grateful for his friendship, but why did he have to make such a spectacle of it? It would only draw unwanted attention. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and he still needed a place to sit. Plus, he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the hurt refusing would surely leave in Zack’s puppy-dog eyes.
Keeping his head down, Cloud began making his way over to Zack’s table. Just keep moving and don’t look anyone in the eye. He didn’t make it far before he found his path blocked by a wall of muscle and subtle malice. Cloud flicked his gaze up to meet the glare of another 3rd Class. He couldn’t remember the man’s name, but it didn’t matter. He braced himself for whatever was coming.
Surprisingly, the SOLDIER said nothing. He just glared at Cloud, daring him to do something. It was obvious he was spoiling for a fight, but not stupid enough to start one. Cloud kept silent, returning the man’s glare with one of his own.
“Cloud? Where’d you go, man?”
Zack’s voice came from somewhere behind the 3rd Class, who just crossed his arms and fortified his stance. It was obvious he would not move. Cloud held his stare for a few more moments before sidestepping him and continuing on his way.
“Some people forget what table they belong at.”
The SOLDIER muttered under his breath, but it was obvious he’d meant for Cloud to hear. As much as he wanted to toss a retort back, he kept his mouth shut. No reason to invite trouble. It would find him on its own. It always did. Instead, he held his head high and made his way across the room, taking the seat next to Zack. He refused to let anyone know how affected he was by the words. Not even himself.
***
Sephiroth had long since mastered the art of being present in a room without truly being there. As Lazard droned on, he found his mind wandering. He already knew the basics. They were sending him on a babysitting mission; nothing more, nothing less. At least Fair was a known quantity. He was impulsive and hyper, but overall he was good at getting the job done. The 3rd they were going to send was a complete unknown, however. Literally. They hadn’t even picked him out yet.
“Do you have any preferences?”
It took mere seconds for Sephiroth to zone back in, some innate instinct telling him he was being spoken to directly. He quickly replayed what he’d heard of the conversation. Ah, yes. Lazard wanted to know who he wanted the 3rd to be.
“I don’t care who you pick, so long as they stay out of my way and don’t hinder my ability to do my job. Otherwise, the choice is irrelevant.”
Lazard didn’t seem surprised by his lack of care. In fact, he nodded as though Sephiroth had said exactly what he expected.
“Um, I have a suggestion.”
Both Lazard and Sephiroth turned to look at Fair, who grinned.
“Yes?” Lazard prompted when Zack didn’t elaborate.
“My buddy, Cloud, would be perfect! He’s quiet, so he won’t bother Seph, and he’s great with a sword and even better with Materia.”
“Cloud, you say? Cloud what?”
“Strife.”
Fair was practically bouncing in place at the thought of bringing his friend along. Sephiroth vaguely remembered Angeal mentioning Fair talking about a Cloud. It hadn’t seemed important, so he’d paid little attention. Would it be better or worse for them to bring along one of Fair’s friends? He felt a headache coming on at the mere idea of dealing with another Fair.
Lazard turned to his computer, presumably looking up this Cloud’s file. After only a few minutes, he turned back to Fair.
“I’m afraid he isn’t suitable for this mission. His scores in the simulations are below average, and it says here he failed the SOLDIER exam twice before he passed. We need someone competent for this mission.”
“He is, I swear! He’s improving every day. He just needs someone to give him a chance to prove himself.”
Lazard sighed.
“This mission is the first of its kind. A way for Shinra to showcase the members of SOLDIER. We can only choose the best of the best, hence the decision to send Sephiroth and yourself. We have the strongest 1st and the most promising 2nd. We need the best 3rd.”
As Fair continued trying to convince Lazard, Sephiroth dismissed them from his mind. He trusted Lazard to make the right decision. Instead of listening, he wandered over to the window and stared down at Midgar below, ignoring the reflection of his own image in the glass. It brought to mind things better left forgotten. Bits of their conversation filtered through his consciousness, and he filed them away without even being aware he was doing it.
“Alright, fine. If Sephiroth doesn’t object, you can take him.”
Sephiroth stiffened imperceptibly. That was not what he’d expected Lazard to say. He swung his eyes back to the desk and the man behind it, a denial on the tip of his tongue. But then he saw Fair’s hopeful expression and remembered all the praise of the man Angeal had. Surely he wouldn’t risk everything by suggesting a completely hopeless cause. Since agreeing would be the fastest way to put an end to the conversation, he nodded. Besides, he could always take up the slack if the 3rd turned out to be completely incompetent. It wouldn’t be the first time.
“A SOLDIER is a SOLDIER. Just keep him out of my way.”
This last he directed to Fair, who nodded enthusiastically. Internally, Sephiroth sighed. He was already exhausted, and they hadn’t even left yet.
***
I don’t belong here. I really, really don’t belong here.
The words swam around in Cloud’s mind, battling his nausea for top contender in the “what could make him feel the worst” contest. He wished fervently that the two would stop competing. Sephiroth had already claimed that prize when he had held out his hand to the man to shake and been totally ignored.
Deep breath in. Slow breath out. Deep breath in. Slow breath out.
He chanted the words in his mind, fighting to hold down what little breakfast Zack had forced him to eat before they departed. How long ago was that now? 5 hours? 6? Did it really matter?
A rough bit of turbulence hit, and he squeezed the emesis bag Zack had given him tighter. Yes, it mattered. It mattered because the answer would determine how much longer he had to suffer.
General Sephiroth sat across from him, utterly unmoved by his plight. Even Zack had given up trying to make him feel better, though he still shot Cloud a worry-filled smile every time their eyes met.
What am I doing here? I don’t belong here.
The thoughts refused to leave him. He knew Zack was behind this somehow. Before now, he’d been relegated to the missions no one else wanted; fighting monsters in the slums, mostly. Now, he sat across from the General of Shinra himself.
He was going to be sick. Worry and confusion and nausea all mixed together to create the perfect storm. He’d held it in so far, but the sudden drop in his stomach as they descended sealed his fate.
He was still gagging into the bag as they came to a rough stop. Finally, the nausea eased. He looked up to find Sephiroth staring at him, expressionless, though Cloud imagined he could see disgust in his eyes. The man held his gaze for only a moment before he stood abruptly and headed for the exit.
“Fair, get him cleaned up. We have an audience.”
Cloud, who’d thought he couldn’t feel any worse, wished the planet would just open up and swallow him whole.
***
As he stepped off the helicopter and approached the gathered crowd, Sephiroth shoved all the disgust he felt deep down to join every other emotion he preferred not to entertain. Disgust at the situation. Disgust at the theatrics required to keep Shinra looking good. Disgust at the liability he’d left behind to compose himself.
He didn’t smile at the people who surrounded him. Didn’t wave. Didn’t shake hands. He maintained his composure despite wanting nothing more than to shove them out of his personal space. It was always like this, though usually they kept the crowds at a distance. Here, in this frozen wasteland so far removed from civilization, however, no one seemed to know that swarming the General was a bad idea.
A man separated himself from the crowd and stepped forward, holding his hand out for Sephiroth to shake. The mayor, most likely. Unlike with Strife earlier, he held out his own hand.
Have to keep up appearances for the cameras. There are always cameras.
“Thank you so much for coming, General Sephiroth,” the man gushed, holding onto his hand much longer than acceptable and shaking it vigorously.
Tactfully, Sephiroth extracted his hand and gave him what passed for a smile. In reality, it was little more than an upward twitch of his lips, but the mayor’s face lit up and he gushed all the more. It was sickening.
“Tell me about the problems you’ve been having.”
Straight to the point. Don’t waste my time.
“Ah, yes. Let’s step into my office. Get out of this blasted cold.”
Sephiroth nodded and held out his hand once more, this time as a signal for the other man to lead the way. The crowd parted to let them through, and he sensed Fair and Strife joining them. He shot a quick glance at the 3rd Class SOLDIER, expecting him to still be green and unsteady. Instead, he was met with a composed, though pale, young man. Sephiroth could see a slight tremor in his stance, but to the rest of the world he looked almost as professional as Sephiroth himself. Almost. More so than Fair, at any rate, who was currently shooting funny faces at a group of children nearby.
Dismissing them, he followed the mayor. As he listened to him prattle on about the town’s history and landmarks, Sephiroth felt his mind wandering back to the flight over. To the way the 3rd had handled himself. It had been obvious he was suffering, but he’d not complained even once. He hadn’t even groaned that Sephiroth had heard; just kept his mouth clenched shut and focused on his breathing.
Another instance of severe illness flitted through his mind, but he shoved it away. Now was not the time to reflect on his own memories; especially not those. The less he thought about Hojo and the labs, the better.
Finally, they reached a cabin. Giant windows made up the majority of the front walls, lending the building a cozy yet opulent appearance. It was ridiculous to have windows that large in this inhospitable environment, and Sephiroth was not impressed. For the sake of Shinra’s image, though, he’d pretend.
***
Just put one foot in front of the other, Cloud.
He still felt like shit, though the icy air was rapidly helping to clear his head. Beside him, Zack shivered violently.
“Man, I don’t understand how you’re not freezing. I can’t even feel my fingers anymore, and I swear my nose is going to fall off.”
It was said quietly, with a quick glance towards Sephiroth to make sure he hadn’t heard. Even Zack knew not to show weakness in front of the General. If he had heard, however, he didn’t let on; just kept marching forward with his stupidly long strides, expecting them to keep pace. It wasn’t helping Cloud’s recovery. He was forced into a light jog to keep up with the man.
He shot a smirk in Zack’s direction, but didn’t speak. He still didn’t trust his voice.
Why am I here, with Sephiroth of all people? Shouldn’t his presence have warranted someone of a higher calibre for the mission?
He shook the thoughts away with effort. Now wasn’t the time to ruminate over what could or should have been. He had a mission to focus on.
Frostspark Mines; the largest producer of Ice and Lightning Materia on the continent. Overrun by monsters. Production had been disrupted, and Shinra wanted it fixed.
The mission was simple. Find the source of the monster invasion and eliminate the threat. He was good at eliminating monsters, having had plenty of practice in the slums. Still, he had a bad feeling in his gut, and not just from the lingering nausea. It sounded too easy. Why send Sephiroth on a search and destroy mission that could have been handled by a handful of 3rds? No, there was more to this. Something wasn’t right.
As the mine entrance finally came into sight, they were met with the sight of a frazzled looking man pacing and arguing with a small group of workers. As they got closer, the man’s voice reached them.
“I don’t care how many there are, we can’t leave our men in there to face them alone!”
The unease in his gut solidified into bone-deep certainty. Shit was about to hit the fan.
***
As soon as the foreman saw them approaching, he shifted from frantically yelling at the workers to frantically yelling at Sephiroth. It was impossible to filter the important bits from the panicked shouts. He held up his hand, effectively shutting the man up.
“Tell me what happened.”
It wasn’t a request; it was a demand. Luckily, the foreman understood this and took several fortifying breaths to calm himself. Sephiroth waited impatiently for the man to gather his thoughts.
“Shinra insisted we continue operations. I sent a full team in this morning. Several hours ago, strong tremors were detected. We think there was a cave in. We haven’t heard back from our team since, and the last message they sent said they were surrounded by the creatures.”
So, search and destroy has become search and rescue. How annoying.
He ran through his options and came to a decision in mere moments.
“Run back to our transport and inform our pilot what has happened. Tell him we need medical supplies and to call for backup.”
He snapped this at the foreman and turned to face Fair and Strife. It was a clear dismissal, and the man scampered off.
“We move now. We have no idea what we’re walking into, so be prepared for anything. Our objectives are to eliminate all hostiles we come across and get any remaining civilians out safely.”
He didn’t wait around to see if they understood, just spun on his heel and marched into the mines.