CHAPTER XI

A NEW TASK

"Behind you!"

Without turning Zack spun to the side. Jaws filled with three inch long teeth snapped down where he had been a moment before. His sword cut through the air, then something more substantial, and the huge lizardlike creature that a moment before had targeted him as a meal fell to the ground, it's lifeblood staining the earth around it.

Zack gave Cloud a quick glance, but that was all he had time for. Three more of the creatures stood in front of him, just as anxious as the first one had been to make a meal of him.

They had been at it most of the day, working their way up a narrow box canyon just east of Junon. The creatures obviously thought of the canyon as their home, and did not care for visitors. For the last hour their attacks had been relentless. There seemed to be no end to them, and the father up the canyon they went, the more of them appeared.

Zack swung his sword again as the creatures charged at him. Two went down in an instant, his sword slicing through them like a scythe through wheat. The third one raked its claw across Zack's chest, tearing through his uniform, but unable to pierce the body armor beneath. The creature turned, snapping at Zack's head, then jerked suddenly as Cloud's sword drove into its vitals.

Zack looked up. More creatures were racing towards them. Sephiroth had been fighting off to their left last time he had looked, but he could see no sign of the General now.

"How many of these things are there?" he heard Cloud exclaim.

Zack just shook his head without replying and wiped the sweat hastily from his dirt streaked brow. He had to admit he was beginning to tire. Shinra had ordered them here to clean out the monsters, and Sephiroth seemed to be determined to get rid of them all in one day.

Zack and Cloud's blades danced before them in an intricate pattern of death, cutting down any creature that dared approach. Slowly they made their way farther up the canyon, leaving a trail of blood and gore behind them. With each step it seemed the number of their enemies increased, yet neither one of them slowed, nor gave any thought to retreat. They were young, healthy and mako enhanced, reveling in their skills. They had fought dozens of the creatures already and only had a few scratches to show for it. In their minds, they were unstoppable.

It didn't hurt either that their enemies, though they had fierce claws and dagger like teeth, were not blessed with a great deal of brainpower. They attacked piecemeal, running straight at the warriors, showing no fear at all at the whirling blades that stood between them and their alleged prey. In this case, a healthy dose of fear, or at least, caution, might have served them in good stead. If they had coordinated their attacks, and come in simultaneously from the flanks as well as the front, even the two warriors not inconsiderable skills would have been enough to carry the day.

As it was, however, Zack and Cloud continued to cut through their enemies with relative ease, even with the odds so stacked against them. Eventually they made it to the top of the ridge they were climbing. The land ran flat from there for some distance now, narrowing as the tall dirty brown peaks closed in about them, the rock face shooting almost straight up, and looking quite unclimbale. Looking ahead, the two warriors could see a dark opening at the base of the cliffs ahead.

"Looks like we may have found their nest," Zack grunted, swinging his sword at yet another lizardlike face.

"Indeed," Cloud agreed, whirling to the side to avoid slashing claws. "Maybe now we can finish them off and go home."

Zack drove a booted foot into the jaw of one creature that had managed to elude his sword. That was the last of the one's nearby, once again giving them a moments respite. Even so, he could see more suddenly emerging from the cave ahead of them.

"Here they come," he observed. "But perhaps this will be the last of them, seeing as how we're...shit"

The creatures had been coming at them almost nonstop, but never more than four or five at any one time, certainly nothing to sneeze at, but not beyond their ability to handle. Zack had expected the same from those emerging from the cave, but he suddenly realized that their weren't five or six this time. There seemed to be more. In fact, their seemed to be a lot more.

They stood there for a moment, eyes quickly scanning the creatures in front of them. Ten, fifteen, twenty. They were constantly moving about, with more still pouring out of the cave, so it was hard to say exactly how many. Fighting five or six of them was one thing, fighting thirty, even if they were stupid, was another thing entirely. Suddenly their perceived invulnerability seemed a bit less all encompassing.

Zack looked at Cloud. Cloud looked at Zack. Wordlessly, they seemed to come to an agreement on the best course of action.

They turned and ran.

Zack looked around wildly for someplace to make a stand. The creatures might be stupid, but they were strong and fast, much faster than a man. He knew they couldn't out run their pursuers, at least, not for long. They best they could hope for was to find someplace a bit more defensible than the open ground they currently occupied. It might also help if they found Sephiroth. At this point, they could use all the help they could get.

As if by magic, their missing compatriot appeared suddenly before them. He was standing at the edge of the slope, though Zack had not noticed him come over the ridge. He was standing silently, looking at the approaching horde, his sword held in both hands in front of him, a contemplative look on his face.

"General, run!" Zack called out. "There's too many of them!"

But Sephiroth seemed not to hear him. He just stood there, looking like he was staring off into space.

Suddenly bright green light burst forth from the handle of the masamune.

There was a flash of light, followed instantly by a crack of thunder, and the ground shook beneath them, almost throwing them from their feet. The two young warriors righted themselves, stopping in the process, their ears still ringing. They turned around to face their pursuers.

But there were no more pursuers. The lightning spell had destroyed everything. Nothing was left of the creatures except scorched bones. The stench of burnt flesh stung Zack's lungs. Even the stones of the canyon floor had been pulverized and blackened from the blast. Their adversaries had been wiped out by a single spell.

Amazed as he was, as always, by Sephiroth's abilities, Zack recovered quickly from it.

"You could have saved us all a lot of trouble if you'd done that a little sooner."

Sephiroth gave him a knowing smile.

"I had to have them all gathered in one place," he replied. "You two made perfect bait for that, but enough of that, the both of you look a bit tired. Let's have something to eat before we head back."

They headed back down the canyon, looking for a place where the air was a bit less heavy with the smell of death. Sephiroth led the way, walking quickly and sure-footedly across the loose stones that filled the canyon floor. Though Zack and Cloud were both covered with sweat and dirt, and bone tired, the General seemed as fresh as he had been when they had started out on their journey. Not a hair was out of place on his head, and his forehead was dry, as if they he had been on a stroll through the park and not battling monsters all day. Zack followed behind, exhausted, yet diligently trying not to show it. Cloud bought up the rear, not particularly caring how he appeared to the others, and slightly miffed at being referred to as bait.

Still, he was sure Sephiroth had only been joking. They soon found a shady spot not too far down the canyon that was sheltered from the sun. There they sat down, pulling off their packs. Zack plopped down on the nearest flat surface and kicked off his boots.

"Hey, wait a second," Cloud commented. "We came down here to get away from the smell."

Zack glared at him.

"If that's the case, then we should have left you behind entirely," he responded. "You smell worse than the laundry room back at the barracks."

Now it was Cloud's turn to glare. The smell of the barracks laundry room was legendary.

"Nothing smells that bad," he responded, pulling some Shinra rations out of his pack. He sat down, placing his back against a large outcropping of rock and started to eat. Shinra rations were rather bland, but filling, and best of all, they were provided to all Shinra field employees free of charge.

Zack was rapidly devouring his rations as well. Sephiroth did not eat, did not even sit down in fact. He stood at the edge of the path, a position Cloud noticed gave him a clear view of their surroundings. The masamune was sheathed, but the man's hand never strayed far from the hilt. Even though the battle was over, the General was still on guard.

Not that that surprised Cloud at all. He had gotten to know Sephiroth well over the last two years. As well as anyone, he thought. Well, perhaps that was a bit presumptuous. Even though he spent a lot of time with Sephiroth on Shinra related duties, he really didn't know anything about the man's personal life. He wasn't even sure Sephiroth had a personal life. He never mentioned a family, or friends, or anyone else who wasn't involved with Shinra in some way.

Of course, neither did Cloud, nor Zack for that matter. Well, Zack did talk a lot about women, but never his family. It just wasn't something that was discussed. He had never asked Sephiroth if he had a family, just as Sephiroth had never asked him about his own.

For a moment he wondered how his mom was doing. She still wrote him occasionally. She had written often at first, but lately it had dropped off a bit. His replies were sporadic at best, and in fact, now that he thought about it he couldn't remember the last time he had written her. It had to have been...months.

He felt guilty about that, but the truth was, he didn't really want to talk to her. He hadn't told her what had happened to him. He had lied, told her he had made it into Soldier, had attained his dream. It made him feel uncomfortable to lie to her like that, and he mentioned it as little as possible. Besides that, she was always asking him when he was coming back for a visit, and he had to keep putting her off, had to keep saying he'd be there when he got a chance, saying how busy he was with Shinra, when in fact he had no intention of ever returning there again.

He couldn't tell her that, of course. It seemed everything he said to her was a lie. That's why he didn't write much. There was nothing he could tell her that was the truth. Nothing important anyway. It was like every time he wrote her, all his lies were thrown back up in his face again, all his wounds were reopened. He hated that, and the fact that he couldn't get himself to tell her the truth. He almost had, a few times. He had almost written and told her everything, how he had been tossed out, how he was working as a Shinra guard, how all his dreams had been shattered, but something always stopped him. He was deathly afraid everyone else back in Nibelheim would find out of his failure. He didn't think his mother would tell anyone, of course, but he felt safer somehow if no one from Nibelheim knew the truth. For some reason he felt that if even one person knew somehow they would all find out. He couldn't do that to his mom, he couldn't disappoint her like that in front of all the others. He couldn't stand it if the others knew what a failure he was. If Tifa knew...

He hadn't thought much of Tifa lately. That was probably for the better. They had hardly know each other anyway, and she had probably forgotten all about him by now. He should do the same. These days, it almost seemed as if his life in Nibelheim had just been some kind of dream, not real at all.

Cloud finished eating. The Shinra rations were filling, and only one small can could keep you going for an entire day. Which was a good thing, because, considering the taste, it wasn't something you wanted any more of than you needed.

He took a deep breath. The air was clear up here, and surprisingly refreshing. It didn't hold any tinge of pollution, nor the faint but distinct order of mako that always seemed to be present in the air of Midgar. They were still quite high up in the mountains, and looking down he could see the canyon snaking toward the plain below. They were facing south and all he could see was open plain with scattering clumps of trees here and there. Looking west, he could just barely make out the faint blue tinge of the ocean. He knew Junon was somewhere along the coast down there, but he could not see it.

He was hot and sweaty. The food tasted like cardboard and it seemed like every single muscle in his body ached, yet there wasn't anyplace he'd rather be.

It was funny how things had worked out. When he had been thrown out of Soldier he had been devastated. He had thought it was the end of the world. He had gone to Zack's place and gotten dead drunk, something he had never done before. At the time, he hadn't cared, he hadn't cared if he lived or died. It had taken a long time, weeks, actually, but with Zack's help he had pulled himself back together, at least, enough to function. Eventually he had started to feel guilty about sponging off Zack and gotten a job. Zack had helped with that too, getting him a position as a Shinra guard. It was quite a drop from the Soldier program. The guards filled the bottom rung of the Shinra armed forces hierarchy, and the job had pretty much no prestige at all, but it was something. It put bread on the table and paid his bills. Considering the alternative had been to go back to Nibelheim with his tail between his legs, Cloud had been more than happy to take it.

Yet even so, here he was working with Zack and General Sephiroth, something that even the best Soldiers from the program would kill to do. It was all Zack's doing, of course. Zack had finished first in the class, getting a better overall score than anyone in the history of the program save for Sephiroth himself. It was only natural Sephiroth had taken an interest in him. And where Zack went, he dragged Cloud along. The spiky haired blonde had always dreamed of fighting alongside the great Sephiroth, and when he was tossed out of the Soldier program he thought that dream was dead, just like all his others, yet here he was, working as closely now with the General as if he had never been thrown out at all. And the best part of it was, the fact that he had been thrown out didn't seem to matter at all to Sephiroth. He never treated Cloud with any less respect than he gave to Zack. He wasn't all buddy buddy with them, Cloud didn't expect that, but he treated them both decently. Better in fact than Cloud had ever imagined. The General seemed like a pretty laid back guy, not at all how Cloud had pictured him.

All in all his life was pretty good, had turned out better than expected. Considering what had happened, he should be happy it had turned out as well as it had, but nagging thoughts of Nibelheim still kept him from enjoying life as much as he felt he should.

A buzzing sound interrupted Cloud's thoughts.

Sephiroth pulled out his communications device and lifted it to his ear.

"Yes?"

Cloud was too far away to hear the other person.

"Yes," Sephiroth repeated, then after a moment, "We're just east of Junon. Up in the mountains. It will take us a while to get down by foot. I'd say about two hours, maybe a little less."

And finally; "I understand."

Sephiroth put the device away and looked at his companions.

"They want me back in Midgar ASAP," he said. "Some new problem the President wants me to handle."

"I guess that means break time is over," Zack observed.

The two young warriors reluctantly got to their feet. Sephiroth led them back down toward the plain below where a Shinra truck was waiting for them. They hadn't rested long, and Cloud was still tired, but that wasn't the only reason for his reluctance. There was one other part of his life that wasn't so rosy, besides his problems with his hometown. It was a great honor to work with General Sephiroth. Almost anyone in the Soldier program would kill for the chance. Cloud was no longer in the Soldier program, yet he was the one who was working with Sephiroth. Naturally, this generated a lot of talk, and a lot of jealousy. He wasn't deaf to the talk that he was only here because of Zack, that even now, he was still know to a lot of the graduates of the Soldier program as Zack's little tag along.

It was true, Zack had been the one who had gotten him in this position, there was no denying that, but there was more to it than that. He was sure he would not still be with them if he hadn't proven his worth. In the last two years they'd fought plenty of times. For some reason monsters seemed to be on the increase, and almost every town was plagued by them, and any traveler going from town to town was considered foolish unless he was well armed or escorted by those who were. It hadn't always been like this. Cloud could remember when he was young, people used to travel from Nibelheim to Cosmo Canyon and never have to worry about being attacked. Monsters had been rare in those days, much rarer than now. He occasionally wondered why that was, but of course, he didn't have any answers.

Anyway, he wasn't dead weight. He had proven his bravery and his ability to fight dozens of times over. Sure, at first Sephiroth might have accepted him because he was a friend of Zack's, but he was certain he wouldn't still be around if he couldn't pull his weight.

But of course, there was no telling the other Soldiers back in Midgar that. He just had to endure their looks, their talk behind his back. As far as they were concerned, there wasn't anything he could do to prove himself.

He could live with that though. He didn't give a damn about them anyway. Okay, that wasn't exactly true, he had to admit it bothered him a little bit, but it was really only a minor annoyance. If that had been the only problem in his life, he could hardly complain.

It took them almost an hour to make their way down to the entrance to the canyon. There were no more monsters to fight, and it was downhill, but no vegetation grew in this rocky area. The sun was almost directly overhead, beating down on them, and there was no shade to provide them with any relief. In spite of his reluctance to return to Midgar, Cloud had to admit to feeling relieved once they had finally reached the bottom and piled into the truck.

Cloud didn't really like traveling this way. There were no windows in the back of the truck, and traveling in it for any length of time made him queasy. He thought he would die if he lost his lunch in front of Sephiroth. It hadn't happened yet, and he didn't think it would on the relatively short trip back to Midgar, but nevertheless it was not an altogether pleasant experience. Given a choice he would have picked just about any other mode of transportation, but, unfortunately, it wasn't up to him.

Still, the ride didn't take that long, and they arrived back in Midgar with Cloud feeling only minor discomfort. Sephiroth's fame was known worldwide, but it was in Midgar, of course, that he was most well known. Classes were taught about his exploits in the Midgar Wutai war in the public schools. Moms told children in their cribs tales about him. Everyone knew him. As soon as he got out of the truck, a crowd began to gather. Most of them kept their distance, just cast admiring glances, or pointed excitedly at him. Women smiled and waved at him, and a few bold young children came up to ask him for his autograph. Sephiroth stopped to sign every one.

They took the train to the upper plate. Even there Cloud saw people gawking, talking to their friends, pointing with a nod of their head in Sephiroth's direction. People discretely stepped closer, immediately filling in all the seats around him. Cloud knew they'd all be going home to tell their loved ones and friends how they saw Sephiroth that day, or sat near him, or brushed against him, as if proximity to someone so famous lent them a kind of fleeting fame of their own. Cloud wasn't immune. He felt it himself, and was quite pleased to not only be in Sephiroth's presence, but to be his actual companion. He had to admit the feeling was alluring, even though he was quite sure not a single person who was gawking at them had the slightest idea who he was.

Sephiroth was enormously popular. You would think a General of his standing would have his own transportation, and wouldn't be forced to use the train just like the common people. Zack had even asked him about that once. The General had told them he didn't do it because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. So many Generals and Shinra execs were shielded from the public, never got out there, never saw what the common people were like, what they wanted. He just didn't want to be that way. It only made the people love him more.

The train reached its destination on the upper plate and they disembarked, making their way toward the omnipresent tower in the center of the city. Quite a few people followed them off the train, trailing at a discrete distance. Cloud suspected that for a few of them at least, this wasn't even their stop. Eventually the crowd behind them thinned as they got nearer to the Shinra building, with it finally disappearing altogether as they stepped inside the concrete edifice that was Shinra Headquarters.

The people here were used to Sephiroth's presence, and the awe was more subdued, though Cloud could still see it in the faces of some people, mostly new employees. They made their way into the elevator. Sephiroth eyed his two companions critically for a moment, then pressed the button for the forty sixth floor, the floor their individual quarters were on.

"We're all a mess from our battles," Sephiroth stated. "We need to get cleaned up. We can't go in to see the President like this. I'll meet you on the sixty first floor in twenty minutes."

Zack nodded. Cloud did not reply. Looking at the unblemished condition of Sephiroth's attire, the young warrior suspected Sephiroth had made that last statement for their benefit, and had included himself only to be polite. More surprising was the fact that he obviously expected them to show up for the meeting with the President. When he had spoken earlier, he had only said President Shinra wanted him back in Midgar. He hadn't made any mention of Cloud or Zack. He was surprised, and not sure if he had heard right. The General had never included them like this before, had never taken them to a meeting with the President of the company. Zack he could understand. He was a member of Soldier too, and it seemed natural to let him in on what was going on.

Nevertheless, he didn't question it. There was a ding and the elevator doors opened onto the forty sixth floor. Sephiroth stepped into the hallway and turned back toward them.

"Twenty minutes," he repeated, then strode off.

The sixty first floor was basically a reception area for people going to the floors above, consisting of a huge atrium and lounge area. Cloud was there in fifteen minutes. He still wasn't sure if Sephiroth planned on bringing them with him, but he certainly wasn't going to miss out if that was the case. Cloud sat down, but he didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later the elevator doors opened and Sephiroth stepped out.

He spotted Cloud immediately and strode over to him.

"Where's Tigana?"

"I'm sure he'll be here in a minute," Cloud replied, not at all sure what he was saying was the truth. Zack's carefree ways hadn't changed once he had successfully completed the Soldier program. Cloud knew for a fact his friend had already received more than one reprimand from his superiors about his tardiness and lack of proper 'attitude'. Cloud hoped to god Zack had the sense to show up on time this time. A first class Soldier did not keep a General waiting, not even one who had finished first in his class.

As it was, Cloud's worries proved unfounded. The next time the elevator door opened, Zack appeared. With a nod of his head Sephiroth led them over to the executive elevators that went to the very top of the tower. The other two followed, Cloud breathing a silent sigh of relief.

They entered and Sephiroth slid his pass card through the detector on the elevator console, then pressed the button for the top floor. Cloud's knees gave slightly as the elevator shot up, much faster than he was used to. The back wall was made of glass, and they could see the entire city of Midgar far below them, and beyond that, the plains that surrounded the wheelike city. Cloud stepped closer to the glass and looked down. He could see almost directly below him now, and it made him feel a little giddy, even though he knew the glass would protect him from falling. He could see tiny cars far below on the streets, and antlike people filling the sidewalks. He slowly leaned forward even more, until his head accidentally touched the glass. He wondered briefly just how strong the glass was.

He had never been up this high. A pass card was needed to use the executive elevators, and he didn't have one. He knew Zack did. One was given to every member of Soldier when they completed their training. However, it only gave clearance up to the sixty fourth floor. Zack had never used it, at least, as far as Cloud knew.

The doors slid open. Sephiroth led them down a spacious hallway. Cloud had noticed long ago that the closer to the top of the tower, the more elaborate the furnishing became. He had to admit he had been anxious to see what the top floor looked like. He was not disappointed. Plush red carpet ran along the hallway, their feet sinking comfortably in it as they walked. Paintings lined the walls, some of them portraits of very important looking men and women that Cloud did not recognize. Each painting was illuminated by it's own ornate lamp. The antiseptic glow of omnipresent fluorescent ceiling lights of the floors below were replaced by glittering chandeliers. The only word Cloud could think of that would accurately describe the furnishing was regal.

The doors lining the hallway were made of some dark wood, perhaps mahogany. Cloud wasn't an expert on that sort of thing, all he knew was they looked damn nice. The stopped in front of one door. A large gold plate in the center of it read 'President Shinra'. Sephiroth pulled it open and stepped inside. Zack followed immediately, but Cloud hesitated, still not sure he was invited. It seemed ridiculous to think he wasn't, but Sephiroth had not specifically stated he was part of the group. Perhaps he was just expecting Zack to follow him.

Sephiroth turned to look at him.

"Well, come along," he said. "What, are you waiting for an engraved invitation?"

And with that, Cloud's doubts were dispelled.

They entered what was obviously a waiting area. The furniture inside matched the elegance of that found in the hallway. A receptionist sat behind a desk opposite the door, a huge painting of wild horses running through a field on the wall directly behind her. Secretaries, couriers and other office workers filled the room, while important looking men and women, all immaculately dressed, sat in a lounge area off to the side. Cloud didn't know any of them, but Sephiroth obviously did.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a moment," he said abruptly. He strode over to the lounge area, walking up to a man with long straight black hair wearing a blue business suit. Cloud could tell from the suit the man was one of the Turks.

Cloud looked at Zack, who shrugged. Cloud felt very out of place here. He wasn't used to being around all these important people. He felt stupid just standing there in the middle of the room. He hoped Sephiroth didn't take long. After all, the President was waiting for them.

"Hey, Elena!" Zack suddenly called out.

Cloud turned his head as Zack walked over to a girl who had been walking by with a stack of papers in her arms. She stopped when Zack spoke and turned to look at him.

"How are you?" Zack said. "It's been a long time."

The women just stared at him for a moment, obviously a bit flustered.

"I'm fine..." she said slowly, looking at him as if trying to place his face. Apparently she failed. "I..umm...do I know you?"

"Zack Tigana, First Class Soldier," he replied. "You were the one who came to Gongaga to interview me when I applied to the Soldier program."

"Oh," Elena said, a half smile appearing on her face. It was obvious even to Cloud she didn't remember him. "Well, congratulations. First Class eh? How long have you been in the program?"

"Two years now," Zack replied.

Elena looked surprised.

"I interviewed you two years ago and you remember my name?"

Zack gave her a sly smile.

"I never forget a face,' he replied. "Especially one as pretty as yours."

Elena's cheeks flushed.

"Those papers look awfully heavy. You need a hand with them?"

Elena looked down at the stack of papers in her arms.

"No, no, I can manage," she replied. "This isn't really even that bad. I can't believe how busy it has been here lately."

"They got you running around, eh?"

Unbelievably," she replied. "The filing just keeps piling up. They hired two new people last week and I still don't think there are enough of us here. It's crazy."

"It's pretty much like that for me too," Zack replied. "Just one assignment after another."

"I'm sure," she responded. "But I'm sure it's much more exciting than filing papers all day long."

"Oh yeah, that's the truth. Never a dull moment, in fact. After all, I'm always pulling the toughest assignments since I did finish first in my class. And I have to say I owe it all to you."

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Well, you did give me such a great interview," he replied.

Elena laughed.

"Right. I'm sure I'm completely responsible.

"Oh, you are, definitely. In fact, I feel like I owe you something in return. I know this great little restaurant over on Clement Street. The serve the best Wutai food outside of Wutai. It's absolutely heavenly. What time do you get off?"

Elena hesitated a moment, then gave him a knowing look.

"Do you flirt with every girl you meet like this, or is it just me?

"Well, not every girl."

Elena gave him a look.

"I've really got a lot of work to do."

"Hey, there's no need to make a snap decision here," Zack replied. "Take your time and think about it."

Elena glanced over at the lounge area, then shook her head.

"It's very nice of you to offer, but I'm not interested."

She turned away from him.

"There's no need to be hasty," Zack said quickly. "It doesn't have to be today. Why don't you give me your number and I can call you?"

Elena shook her head once more as she walked away.

"Where are you going?" Zack asked, sounding just a bit more desperate. "Hey, did I mention that I finished first in my class?"

Elena walked into the office area behind the desk and stared filing her papers, shaking her head. Zack put his hands on his hips as Cloud came up beside him.

"Crashed and burned," Cloud commented.

"Yeah," Zack said, scratching his head. "Hard to believe, eh?"

"Yes indeed," Cloud replied.

Zack gave him a look, pretty sure he had detected more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Why don't you give it a try?" he said suddenly.

"Me?" Cloud said in surprise.

"Yeah, you. Maybe she likes blondes."

Cloud looked at the girl for a moment.

"Nah, I'll pass."

Zack turned to face him.

"What is it with you?" he questioned. "We've been together two years now and you've shown no interest in any women at all. Is it still that girl back in Nibelheim."

"Well, I..uhh..." Cloud stammered, completely unprepared for this.

Zack shook his head.

"Let me give you a little bit of advice on something I can say with all modesty I know something about."

Cloud said nothing.

"Do yourself a favor," Zack continued. "Either go back to Nibelheim and marry that girl, or forget about her! You haven't been back to your hometown in two years! When was the last time you talked to this girl? Have you even phoned her or written a letter? What, you think she's going to be sitting around waiting for you after all this time without a word. Not a chance pal."

Zack stepped closer to him and lowered his voice.

"Your problem is you're acting like you're already married with none of the fringe benefits, if you know what I mean."

Cloud just stood there. This was definitely something he did not want to talk about.

"You just say the word, and I'll have us set up on a double date like that," Zack continued, snapping his fingers.

Cloud didn't want to talk about Nibelheim, didn't want to talk about Tifa or any other girl. Didn't want to because he didn't really know how he felt himself. He knew Zack was right. He knew it was foolish to pine over a girl he would never see again, but knowing that Zack was right didn't make it any easier.

He was saved from further embarrassment by the reappearance of Sephiroth. Cloud had thought the General had been tied up in his own conversation and hadn't been paying any attention to them, but apparently Sephiroth was more observant than he thought.

"Save the flirting for later, Tigana," he said. "We've got an appointment with the President."

He stepped up to the secretary, who waved him past with a curt "The President is expecting you." They walked up a wide red carpeted flight of stairs. The President's actual office was at the top. As they reached the top of the stairs a huge room unfolded in front of them. The ceiling was high over their head, supported by columns that ran the length of the room. Plush red carpets covered the floors, and the walls, of course, held the same paintings as the other rooms, except these were nearly twice the size. A large desk sat on an upraised dias at the far end of the room, the wall behind it being made up entirely of glass, offering a spectacular view of the city below. The President sat behind the desk, waiting patiently as they approached like some long ago king on his throne.

Cloud was nervous. He had never met the President before. Not face to face anyway. He had caught glimpses of the man at official functions and on holiday occasionally, and of course, had seen him on television, but that was about it. He didn't know what to expect, and was worried about how he would come off. He wasn't even sure if he and Zack were supposed to be here. As far as he knew, the President had only wanted to talk to the General.

The President was not a young man, and he did not look it. He was rather portly, a balding man with thin features and deep lines around his eyes and lips. He had not aged well, though, of course, Cloud would never say such a thing to him. His eyes were small and dark, but had a keen glance which held them as they stopped in front of his desk.

"I expected you to be a bit more prompt," he said, looking directly at the General.

It sounded like a rebuke, but Sephiroth appeared unfazed.

"We got here as quickly as our transportation allowed," he replied. "Now what is this about?"

Cloud was slightly surprised by Sephiroth's reply. Neither the words nor the tone seemed particularly respectful. Cloud had known Sephiroth long enough now to know that he wasn't one to mince words, and that he seemed to be rather disdainful of all politicians, and the games they played, or were forced to play. Still, the man in front of them wasn't just any politician. He was the President of Shinra, and as such the most powerful man in the world.

On the other hand, Sephiroth was no slouch either. He looked at the two men in front of him, intrigued by the contrasts, and the similarities. President Shinra was head of the company, the company that Sephiroth worked for, and as such, was the General's boss, but it wasn't that simple. Sephiroth was enormously popular with the people. He was also the leader of the Army, and if possible was loved more in the ranks of Armed Forces than by the general population. Cloud suspected there were plenty of people who would follow him anywhere, in spite of what anyone else, including the President, might say. As such, Sephiroth was far from just an ordinary employee. The President couldn't just sack him without a huge public outcry at the very least or open rebellion at the worst.

The President, either mindful of this, or just used to Sephiroth's ways, seemed to take no offense, though his jaw seemed to tighten just a bit. Instead his gaze turned toward Sephiroth's companions.

"Who are these two young men?"

"Zack Tigana and Cloud Strife," Sephiroth replied, indicating each in turn. "Two soldiers who have shown some...promise."

Cloud wondered if the President would take offense to this. He still hadn't gotten over his nervousness from coming before the President. He had this irrational fear that President Shinra would dismiss him out of hand, leaving him to walk out of the room with his head bowed in shame.

"Tigana, eh," the President said thoughtfully, his dark eyes falling on the raven haired soldier. "I've heard of you. I've heard very good things about you, in fact."

Zack just gave a small nod in reply, for once keeping his mouth shut. Cloud wasn't sure whether he was just being polite or felt intimidated as well, but either way he was thankful.

The President's gaze shifted back to Sephiroth. Cloud noticed the President had not acknowledged his own presence. Still, he didn't care if he was ignored as long as he got to stay.

"We've been having a problem in Sectors Five and Six," the President said, apparently deciding to emulate Sephiroth's bluntness. "Someone has been breaking into the routing stations for the electrical power from the Mako plants. They'd done some serious damage. In addition, it seems the same group of people has been breaking into warehouses in the area. It's starting to get out of hand and we need to put a stop to it before they take down the entire power grid in the area."

The President paused for a moment, looking at Sephiroth for his reaction, but the General remained impassive, and said nothing.

"From what we've been able to determine, this isn't just a few disgruntled people but a large and well organized group," the President continued. "We don't know much about them but we believe they call themselves the Nighthawks. Something has to be done about them and I'd like you to handle it."

Sephiroth frowned slightly.

"This seems like more of a job for the Turks," he mused.

"They have other tasks for them to attend to," the President replied, not very informatively. "From what little we know, this is a large operation. Bringing it down might require more firepower than the Turks are capable of. Soldiers are trained in covert operations."

"I'm well aware of that. Still, it seems a bit," Sephiroth seemed to chose the next word carefully; "unusual to send trained Soldiers after some rebellious underground civilian group. Especially if they're down below the plate in Sectors Five and Six. How much damage could they be doing?"

"You'd be surprised," the President responded. "As it happens, the particular power stations they've been attacking are the very one's that route power out of Midgar to Junon and other cities, cities which pay a premium for the privilege. If they go down, the company could lose billions of gil."

The President leaned forward slightly to emphasize the next sentence.

"And that is just not acceptable."

Sephiroth crossed his arms in front of him.

"Ah, now I see. The profit factor."

The President frowned.

"Don't be so dismissive," he said sharply. "Don't forget that that profit pays your salary General."

Sephiroth did not respond for a few moments. Finally he seemed to accept the explanation.

"What do we know about these Nighthawks?" he questioned.

"We know they work out of sectors Five and Six, as I said," the President replied. "Though they seem to be primarily concentrated in Sector Five. Not surprising considering Sector Six is mostly abandoned these days. Other than that we have very little to go on. We have captured one of two of them, but they were surprising resistant to 'persuasion', and even when they did talk, they knew little. We couldn't get any names of other members, but we did obtain the name of a tavern in Sector Five they are said to frequent. It's called the Screaming Pigeon..."

"Screaming Pigeon?" Zack spoke for the first time.

The President's gaze fastened upon him.

"You know of it?"

Zack hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, I've never heard of it," he replied.

The President looked at him for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps it might be a good idea to begin by investigating this bar. We also have maps of where and when the Nighthawk have stuck, as well as transcripts of the interrogations of prisoners. I'll have my personal secretary send you all the information. Naturally, I'd like to get this little matter cleared up before they do any real damage. I'm giving you a free hand on this General. You have my permission to do whatever it takes to remedy this situation."

The President gave Sephiroth a hard look.

"Whatever it takes," he repeated.

"I understand," Sephiroth replied.

The President sat back in his chair.

"All right then," he said, making it clear the meeting was over. "Keep me informed."

Sephiroth nodded, then without a word turned and started for the door. Zack and Cloud followed. The General led them quickly back through the office. Zack looked around as they passed through, but Cloud saw no sign of Elena. Sephiroth did not speak again until they were alone in the elevator. Then he looked at his two companions.

"So what do you think?"

"It sounds like the President is giving us his scut work," Zack said bluntly.

The General smiled.

"Get used to it," he replied. "After all these years I've come to the conclusion that the main job of the military is to clean up the politicians messes. The President is a moron. If he just routed a little more power to the sectors themselves instead of sending almost all of it to other cities, the people wouldn't be doing this in the first place."

Both Zack and Cloud were taken aback by Sephiroths words. They both knew he was disdainful of politicians, but he had never spoken so plainly about the President before in front of them.

"I didn't know you felt that way, General," Zack said. "Soldiers are not generally known for their compassion."

Sephiroth gave him a grim smile.

"Don't misunderstand," he said. "It's simply a matter of expedience. You don't want the people to cause trouble, you keep them happy. Giving them a little more power would satisfy them without cutting to drastically into profits. I'm sure the company could afford it, but instead they try to squeeze every gil they can out of the operation for themselves. So what happens, the people become disgruntled, they cause trouble, which leads to a loss of profit anyway. In the long run Shinra would be better off taking care of these people."

He looked hard at Zack.

"But that doesn't mean I feel sorry for them. We're all Soldiers. We don't make policy, we just uphold it. We just follow orders and try to accomplish our objective at minimal cost to ourselves. If they're going to rebel, and Shinra orders us to stop them, we'll do it. Our methods may not be pretty, but they'll be effective. Do you understand?"

Both the younger men hesitated for a minute. They had fought for two years now with Sephiroth, but in that whole time, it had been almost exclusively cleaning out the countryside of monsters. They had never once fought against people, or civilians, for that matter. This was a side of Sephiroth they had not seen before.

Nevertheless, they both nodded.

"All right," the General said. "The President is probably right about this bar."

"Speaking of that, why did you seem so surprised when the President said it, Zack," Cloud asked.

Zack rubbed his chin and shrugged.

"I just thought it was a stupid name for a bar," he replied.

Sephiroth looked at him for a moment.

"Anyway," the General continued; "the first thing we should probably do after we've gotten all the reports is to send someone to take a look at the bar. Obviously I can't go, I'm too recognizable."

He looked at Zack again.

"And you've attracted quite a bit of attention for doing so well in the Soldier program. It's quite likely someone would recognize you as well."

Cloud just stood there as the other two men slowly turned to look at him.

"I guess that only leaves one possibility," Sephiroth said.