CHAPTER III

THE FRIENDSHIP

"Hey Strife!"

Cloud's head turned to see Sergeant Zu looking at him.

"Yes sir?"

"Colonel Masters wants to see you in his office."

Cloud nodded slowly and the Sergeant quickly turned and walked away.

Cloud stood for a moment in front of the bunk he had been assigned the night he had arrived, which was now three days past. The bunk's were stacked three high, with a steel ladder running up the side of it to get to the top, where Cloud's bunk happened to be. Which he thought was pretty cool, actually, though he hadn't mentioned that to anyone. The bunks ran down both sides of the huge dorm room they stood in, fifteen to a side. Room for almost a hundred. And Cloud knew that there were two more dorms in other areas on this floor. Enough for almost three hundred recruits in all, and all of them trying their best to be accepted into the Soldier program. All of them in direct competition with him.

Like everyone else, he had sized up the competition, and the truth was, it didn't look good for him. Almost all the other boys were bigger than he was. He had to admit he was a little intimidated.

But he wasn't going to let that stop him. He wasn't going to give up.

They had been introduced to Colonel Masters the morning after they had arrived. An imposing man at well over six feet, he had towered over the recruits. When the Colonel had walked past him, Cloud couldn't help but notice that he had been just about eye to eye with the man's belt buckle. He had spoken a few words welcoming them to the Soldier program, and told them a little about what they could expect. About trying their best, about duty, honor, that sort of thing. It really wasn't anything they hadn't heard before. He had seemed nice enough, but rumors were already flying among the recruits about just what a nightmare it could be if you got on his bad side.

Cloud didn't think he had done anything to get on the Colonel's bad side. They're only been here three days, after all. It would take a more talented person than him to get in trouble that quickly.

Or at least, that was what he hoped as he made his way to the Colonel's office.

It took him a moment to get up enough courage to knock.

"Enter."

Cloud stepped into the room. The Colonel's office was large and would have been spacious if it was not cluttered with bookcases and cabinets, not to mention the huge desk behind which the man now sat. The man was framed by a large window behind the desk, giving Cloud a breathtaking view of Midgar below them, if the young recruit had been interested in taking in the view, that is. The rest of the walls of the office were filled with medals, plaques, and various items of military memorabilia.

Beside the desk on the Colonel's right another man was seated. He was also in uniform, though Cloud wasn't sure of his rank. He was younger than the Colonel and sported a thin mustache on his otherwise clean cut face.

Cloud came to attention and saluted.

"Cloud Strife reporting as you requested sir," he said sharply.

The Colonel returned the salute.

"Close the door behind you," he said.

Cloud did so, then stood there for a moment somewhat awkwardly, not sure whether to approach the Colonel or stay where he was.

"This is Captain Hendricks," the Colonel stated, indicating the man Cloud had noticed earlier. "He's the training program evaluation officer."

Cloud saluted again, but the Colonel held up his hand.

"One salute will do, Strife."

"Yes sir," Cloud replied.

"Anyway, the Captain has your evaluation from the training episode you went through on your first day here. Captain..."

"Ah, yes," Captain Hendricks began, shuffling through the papers in front of him.

"Cloud Strife. Recruit #4437 from Nibelheim. Fourteen years old, blonde hair, blue eyes, born on..."

"He knows who he is Captain," the Colonel pointed out. "Just get on with it."

"Yes, of course," the Captain shuffled his papers a bit more, finally finding one he liked and smoothing it out on the desk in front of him.

"Recruit Strife achieved high marks in both initiative and personal courage. He followed orders capably and made it farther in the course then 80% of the other recruits. His overall scores are summarized on this form."

The captain pushed a piece of paper in front of Cloud.

"However," the Captain continued, "there were some areas that need to be...improved upon. You were under orders from Sergeant Zu to find and turn on junction box #157. That's correct?"

Cloud hesitated a moment, taken by surprise to be asked a direct question. He didn't know the number of the junction box, but he supposed that was correct. They knew that as well as he did, didn't they?

"Yessir," he finally replied.

"And near the end of the mission, you stopped to help an injured soldier. Is that also correct?"

"Yessir," Cloud replied once again.

"Even though you knew that by doing so, you were jeopardizing the success of your mission?"

Cloud just stood there for a moment.

"I thought the man was going to die.." he said slowly.

"Very noble of you," the Captain replied, as if he were expecting that very response. "But by doing that you decreased the chances of successfully carrying out the mission."

Cloud didn't know how to respond. Where they really telling him that they would rather he just let the man die?

"But Zack was already at the junction box," he stated. "I knew he'd be able to turn on the box, even if I didn't make it through."

"Of course, we'll take that into consideration," the Colonel spoke up. "But leaving it up to one person was a risk. Suppose he had been killed before he had a chance to turn it on? He might have needed backup to successfully complete the mission."

Cloud shook his head.

"So you're saying I should have just let him die?"

"Yes," the Captain replied. Something about the way he said it annoyed Cloud, like they were all just pieces of meat.

"I understand your feelings," the Colonel spoke up. "It's only natural to want to save your comrades, and it's what would be expected from ordinary soldiers. But SOLDIER is not an ordinary program. Here the rules are different. Joining Soldier means putting the mission above all else. Here, nothing less than success is an option. Yes, I realize that you don't want to leave a comrade behind, because you know that someday you may be that man on the ground. But that's part of the job of being in this program. One of the risks is the possibility that you may have to sacrifice your friends, or even yourself, for the mission. Do you think you can do that?"

Cloud did not reply. He had thought he might flunk out because he wasn't strong enough, or smart enough. He had expected training to be hard, but he hadn't expected anything like this. It went against his nature to abandon someone like that. He wasn't sure if he could do it.

"The Colonel asked you a question," the Captain said sharply.

"Yessir," Cloud forced himself to say. There really wasn't any other answer if he expected to stay in the program.

The Captain stared at him, as if he doubted Cloud's word. Since Cloud doubted his word himself, which made him doubly nervous.

But the Captain did not press the issue. Eventually, he merely nodded.

"We'll see," he said. "You've got potential Strife. But so do a lot of other candidates. In order to succeed in this program you've got to stand out. You're off to a good start, but again, a good start isn't good enough if you want to remain in this program. To remain here, you've got to give the Soldier program total dedication, and have complete belief in it's ideas. Am I making myself clear?"

Again, Cloud knew there was only one answer.

"Yessir," he said.

"Your scores, along with everyone else's will be posted in the main hall tomorrow," the Captain said woodenly. "This way everyone can see where they rank with respect to everyone else."

Cloud didn't see any need to respond to this.

"That's about it Strife," the Captain finished. He immediately began shoving the papers in front of him into a thin briefcase.

"Do you have any questions?" the Colonel asked.

"No sir."

The Colonel just sat there looking at him for a moment.

"All right," he said eventually. "Dismissed."

Cloud gave a curt nod, then turned and walked out the door. After it closed behind him, the Colonel turned to look at Captain Hendricks.

"So what do you think?"

"I think that the chances of him making it in Soldier is about the same as my volunteering to be a subject for one of Professor Hojo's lab experiments."

The Colonel shifted his weight, resting one elbow on his desk.

"That seems a bit harsh," he replied. "Especially considering he's only been here a few days. Don't you think you're rushing to judgement?"

"No I don't," the Captain replied unhesitantly. "I am the evaluation officer, after all. If you do this long enough you get to know, you get to know just by looking at them."

The Colonel leaned forward.

"And you're never wrong?"

"Of course, sometimes," the Captain replied. "There's always a few who surprise you. But he's not one of them. Sure, he has desire, and he tried to keep a dispassionate face when we told him about sacrificing his comrades for the sake of the mission. But you have to look in their eyes. No matter how they compose themselves, or what kind of facade they show you, the truth can always be seen in their eyes. And when I look in his eyes, I see something that, without a doubt, will one day inevitably cause him to fail. It's buried, it's buried deep, but it's there nevertheless."

"Oh really?" the Colonel replied. "And just what might that 'something' be?"

The Captain finished putting his papers away and pulled out the file for the next recruit.

"Compassion," he replied without looking up.


A number of heads turned to look his way when Cloud returned to the dorm room.

"Hey Strife, what'd the Colonel have to say?"

Cloud was caught up in his own thoughts, and did not reply. Since he had come here, he had kept pretty much to himself. He had always been a loner in Nibelheim. He had found that joining a group always led to someone wanting to be the boss. He wasn't outspoken enough (nor big enough) to be the boss himself, and he had never wanted to listen to anyone else. No one had ever seemed interested in his opinion, and he had just ended up getting into fights.

"Hey, Strife, what are you deaf? What'd the Colonel have to say?"

No, he had always been better off on his own. Somehow he just never managed to fit in. And what the Captain had told him just reinforced that. These people weren't his friends, they were the competition. Besides that, who wanted to be friends with people you knew you might one day have to leave to die on the battlefield?

"Hey, Mr. Aloof!"

"Hey, I'm talking to ya!"

He ignored their comments. He stopped at his bunk and opened his backpack. He had only come back to the dorm to get a few personal items before he went out to the athletic field. They had been told they were being tested on the obstacle course in two days. He pulled out the stopwatch he had been looking for.

No, it was better not to make friends. Most of them would be gone by graduation anyway, and if he did go into battle with any of the others, it would be better if they were strangers. It would make it that much easier if something went wrong.

He turned back toward the entrance.

"What, does he think he's better than us?"

"What a jerk."

Cloud walked out of the dorm, leaving the other's comments behind him.

Or so he thought.

"Hey, what's with you?"

Cloud turned around to see Zack Tigana had followed him out of the room.

Cloud was about to turn away again, but hesitated. For some reason, Zack had a kind of presence that was sort of difficult to ignore. Almost all the kids here were bigger than Cloud. Because of that they seemed to feel that they were better than he was. At least, that was the impression Cloud got. He had felt the same thing back in Nibelheim. But for some reason, he didn't get that feeling from Zack. He hadn't know Zack long, hell, he hadn't known any of them long, but from what he had seen so far, Zack seemed to treat all the other recruits with the same amount of respect, no matter what they looked like or who they were. And finally, Zack had been the one who had gotten through the test when they had first come here and reached the junction box. The guy had guts, and Cloud couldn't help but admire that.

Still, that didn't mean they were the best of friends.

"Nothing," Cloud replied.

"Nothing?" Zack replied. "Sure didn't seem that way. Why didn't you answer those guys?"

By some mutual silent consent, they started walking forward again.

"They're just a bunch of jerks," Cloud replied.

"Yeah, well, maybe, but they're recruits same as you. We're in this together. Don't you think it would be better to keep on their good side? You might need them someday. In fact, one of them might even save your ass someday."

"Not likely," Cloud responded.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cloud just kept on walking. He really didn't feel like answering, but he glanced at Zack and saw the other boy looking at him expectantly. It was obvious Zack was going to be persistent.

Cloud sighed, then explained what the Captain had told him in the Colonel's office.

When he had finished Zack looked thoughtful.

"Damn, that is rough," he said. "I don't think I could leave anyone to die like that."

"They said we have to," Cloud responded. "The mission is more important than you or me or anybody. If we want to be a part of Soldier, that's the way it has to be."

Zack just shook his head.

"I don't buy it," he said. "Seems kind of counter productive. I mean, they go through all this time training us. That's a big expenditure on their part. Wouldn't it make more sense to try and save a professionally trained soldier than have to start again from scratch? I mean, they can always send out another team for a mission if the first one fails."

"I don't think they think in terms of failure," Cloud replied.

"Well, I'm not sure that's such a good idea either," Zack commented. "Besides, I think I'd be more motivated if I knew if something happened to me that my buddies would try to help me out instead of abandon me."

Cloud shrugged.

"You may be right, but that's not their policy."

Zack pondered that for a moment.

"Well, I don't care what their policy is. If I have to choose between the successful completion of the mission and saving one of my teammates, I'm going to save them."

Cloud frowned.

"Didn't you just hear what I told you?" he questioned. "You can't."

"Why not?" Zack replied. "Because they say so? Why do I have to listen to them?"

Cloud stopped and turned toward Zack. Hadn't he heard anything Cloud had been telling him?

"But you can't," Cloud said again. "They made it very clear. That's the policy. If you don't go along, they'll throw you out of the program."

"So how are they going to know?" Zack said, spreading his arms. "I'm not going to tell them that. If they ask me, it's gung ho with the mission and to hell with everyone else. While we're in training, I'll be Mr. Ruthless. But that's only here. Once we're in the field, I'll do everything I can to keep my teammates alive. So you see, it's pretty simple."

Cloud just looked at him. Yes, he made it sound simple, but Cloud didn't think it would be that easy at all. Zack started down the corridor again, and Cloud followed.

"Do you really think you can fool them like that?"

"Why not?" Zack said. "I've already passed that part of the training. And like I said, I'm not going to tell them myself. And you're the only one who knows.."

He glanced at Cloud when he said that.

"Well, I certainly won't tell them!" Cloud stated.

"All right then, so there's no problem," Zack finished.

Cloud just shook his head. He couldn't understand Zack's attitude. The Soldier program was the most prestigious in the world. People came from all over the planet to join. There were people who would do anything they could to get into the program, would take any risk, follow any command. And here was Zack, casually saying he wouldn't go along with their directives, as if the worst that could happen to him was a slap on the wrist. As if getting thrown out of the program was an impossibility. How could he be so...nonchalant?

Yeah, Zack had gotten past the first test, but there were bound to be more. These people spent their lives training recruits for Soldier. They knew what they were doing. If that was the way Zack really felt, Cloud thought he was bound to get caught.

Still, he had gotten past that first test, which made Cloud curious...

"Did you see that guy in the corridor the day of the test?"

It took a moment for Zack to figure out what he was talking about.

"You mean the one you pulled to safety? Yeah, I did."

"Well, if you really feel the way you do, why didn't you save him?"

Zack paused. He looked around to see if anyone else was nearby, but they were alone. Then he leaned closer and smiled.

"I knew it was a test."

Cloud's eyes widened.

"You knew?"

"Well, no, not for sure," Zack admitted. "But I suspected. I mean, c'mon, what's the odds that some rebel group would attack Shinra the very day we were being recruited? That would have been an incredible coincidence, don't you think?"

Cloud nodded slowly, wishing that had occurred to him on the day it had happened.

"So, if you hadn't known that, you would have helped that guy?" he questioned.

"If anyone asks, no I wouldn't have," Zack replied. "But if I hadn't suspected, I probably would have done the same thing you did."

Cloud didn't reply. It occurred to him that, if he was devious, he could go to the Captain and tell him what Zack really thought. Cloud had only known the boys here for a few days, but it seemed obvious that, if anyone was going to make it successfully through the program, it would be Zack. He was bigger, stronger and more outspoken than any of the other recruits. Plus, he seemed to have natural leadership abilities. Sergeant Zu had told them that seventy five percent of the recruits did not make it through the program. If Cloud really thought of the other recruits just as competition, it would be in his best interests to eliminate as many of them as possible, especially someone he seemed to obviously inferior to.

It would make sense, but he couldn't be that ruthless.

"Why are you telling me this?" Cloud questioned.

"What do you mean?" Zack responded.

"Why are you telling me about how you really feel? You know it could get you in trouble, and you hardly know me."

They reached a large set of double doors that marked the end of the corridor. Zack swung one open and they stepped outside. The exit here led out the back of the Shinra building, onto a series of athletic and training fields. This early in the morning, there was no one about.

"You already told me you wouldn't say anything," Zack stated as they walked down a short flight of steps.

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "But..."

"But what? How do I know you're not lying?"

"Well...yeah," Cloud replied.

Zack just looked at him for a moment.

"I don't know," he said finally. "You're pretty closed mouth, Strife. I just don't think you're the type."

Cloud could think of nothing to say. He had to admit it made him feel good that Zack trusted him. And he knew Zack was right, he certainly wouldn't tell anyone. It just seemed foolish to Cloud for Zack to be so trusting.

They walked across a large open field, then turned left and through a gate in a chain link fence, headed for the obstacle course.

"You haven't seen the Colonel yet, have you?" Cloud said. "You haven't received your evaluation."

"Nope," Zack replied.

"I'm sure it'll be better than mine," Cloud commented. "In fact, it might be better than anyone's. After all, you were the only one to make it to the junction box."

"In our group, yes," Zack replied. "But we weren't the only group of recruits in the building. They all went through the same thing. I'm sure there were others who made it."

"I suppose," Cloud said slowly, thinking that would just put him farther back in line.

"Anyway, I'm not worried about any of this crap."

"This crap, what do you mean?" Cloud questioned.

"This crap, the physical stuff," Zack replied. "I've always been athletic. So was my father. Back in Gongaga I always the best at all the sports events I participated in. Guess it's in the genes."

"You've from Gongaga?"

"Yup," Zack replied. "You've heard of it, right?"

"Sure I have," Cloud said. "I'm from Nibelheim, and there were always traders coming in from Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon."

"Nibelheim?" Zack said. "And here I thought I was from a small town."

"You've been there?" Cloud questioned.

"No, but I've heard about it," Zack replied. "It's pretty small, right?"

"Well, yeah," Cloud replied.

"Hey, don't take it personally," Zack said, seeing the look on Cloud's face.

"What, oh, no, it's not like that," Cloud answered. "You can say whatever you want about Nibelheim. I wasn't particularly fond of it."

Zack just looked at him for a moment, but apparently though better of pursuing the topic.

"Anyway, like I said, I'm not worried about the physical stuff. Its the classroom work that has me concerned. I may have inherited the sports gene, but I think I got shortchanged in the brains department. My parents weren't exactly the brightest bulbs in the box."

Cloud frowned. How could he say that about his parents?

"Don't get me wrong," Zack continued. "I love my parents. They broke their asses working so they could pay for the entrance fees for me to get into the Soldier program. But even they'll admit they're not the smartest folks around. They grew up on a farm, same as me. Their parents were poor, and needed them to help out, so they didn't even go to school. In spite of that, they worked hard and made ends meet. There was a lot of work for me to do on the farm as well, and sometimes it was hard, but they did the best they could, and I didn't go wanting."

Cloud just shrugged. How could Zack just give out all these details of his life to someone he hardly knew?

"Have you seen the course outline?" Zack continued. "I mean, strategy and tactical situations seems pretty interesting, but history, biology? Why does a soldier need to know that crap?"

"I don't know," Cloud replied. Yes, he had seen the outline, and the coursework didn't particularly frighten him. He hadn't done well most of the time in school back in Nibelheim. But that was because he just hadn't had much interest in what they were teaching, or what it could do for him. He had always thought of his time spend in Nibelheim as just a waste of time, just a holding action until he could get out of there and find what he truly wanted to do. The few times he had had any interest in his courses, he had done quite well. Considering he had a great desire to successfully complete the Soldier program, he didn't think motivation would be a problem here.

"Soldier is the elite," he continued. "Everyone looks up to them. I guess they just want us all to be well rounded."

"Well rounded my ass," Zack said dismissively. "History ain't going to help me in battle. It seems like a waste of time."

They reached the start of the obstacle course and stopped walking.

"It probably is," Cloud replied. "But I don't think we have much choice."

"Unfortunately not," Zack agreed.

"Look, I'm not Mr. Brains or anything myself, but if you need any help, I'll give you a hand, if I can."

Zack nodded. Cloud was surprised to see how relieved he looked. Was he really that worried?

Zack glanced at the obstacle course in front of them.

"All right, you ready?"

Cloud took out the stopwatch he had in his pocket and clipped it to his belt. They had all been issued the stopwatches the first day here, just so they could time themselves on the practice courses.

"Whenever you are," he replied.

"Then...go!"

Zack took off, barreling down the course, dodging around barrels and through tires without even slowing down. Cloud raced after him, but for all he tried to keep up, Zack quickly left him behind. Cloud had never run through an obstacle course before. He had never played sports, being on the small side to begin with, and he had just thought them stupid. He had spent some time training himself before he had come here, for he knew that physical conditioning would be important, but that had mostly been running, sit ups and push ups. It helped a little, of course, but running through the course, climbing on ropes and over obstacles, he was using muscles he suspected he had never used in his entire life. By the time he was halfway through, his muscles were screaming for relief and his lungs burned like fire.

Still, he wasn't about to quit. He had no idea how far ahead Zack was, but that didn't really matter. He wasn't here to compete, not yet. He was just trying to get the best time he could, and then hopefully, improve from there.

He reached a wooden wall, perhaps ten feet high, or higher, with a rope hanging down the center of it. He grabbed hold of it and pulled himself up, panting heavily and struggling with his aching arms. He made it about half way up, but struggle as he might, he couldn't seem to pull himself any higher. He was just about to let go when he heard a voice.

"C'mon, get your ass in gear!"

He looked over to see Zack standing by the side of the wall, peering at him.

"You done already?" Cloud blurted out.

"Yup," Zack replied, holding out his stopwatch. "Twelve minutes and twenty two seconds."

Cloud glanced down at his own watch, which was now passing sixteen minutes.

"You suck," he proclaimed.

Zack grinned.

"C'mon, get up that wall. You ain't got all day!"

Cloud gritted his teeth. He had thought he didn't have anything left, but Zack's prodding made him find some energy he didn't know he had. He didn't want to fail right in front of the guy.

With a groan he forced himself upward, straining his arms.

"That's it, you've almost got it!" Zack urged.

Cloud's face was red with the effort, and he felt like his arms were turning into rubber. They seemed to have no feeling left in them. He forced his arm up once more and managed to grab hold of the top. Straining with all his might, he pulled himself up and over.

He fell down the other side and collapsed onto the ground.

But Zack would have none of that. He ran over and stood above Cloud.

"You did it! But you can't stop now! You're almost done! The rest is easy. C'mon, get up!"

Cloud glared at Zack, but then managed to pull himself to his feet. He staggered off down the course, Zack right beside him, egging him on. What Zack had said was true, he was near the end. A few moments later he reached the finish line and immediately collapsed to his hands and knees, holding his chest and panting for breath.

"You made it!" Zack announced.

Cloud couldn't say anything at all, he was too busy trying to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen. After long minutes of just breathing, he finally looked up at Zack.

"You know, I'm nearly dead here, and you look like you just went for a stroll in the park. The least you could do is look a bit tired."

Zack looked at him for a moment.

"Oh, sorry," he said. He rested his hands on his knees and started to pant. After a minute he looked at Cloud.

"Better?"

Cloud just glared at him. He looked down at his stopwatch, which he had stopped when reached the end.

"Seventeen minutes, five seconds," he observed. "What was yours again?"

"Twelve twenty two," Zack replied.

Cloud fell back until he was flat on his back on the ground.

"My time sucks," he announced. "I'm never going to make it!"

"Hey relax," Zack replied. "It's only your first try. And besides, don't compare your time to mine. I have that unfair genetic advantage, remember?"

Cloud looked up at the clear blue sky above him.

"Unfair or not, it still counts," he said.

Zack came over and stood right beside him, arms folded across his chest.

"So maybe you won't beat me. But with a little practice I bet we can get you to be the second fastest person through this."

Cloud gave him an openly skeptical look.

"I sincerely doubt that," he replied.

"Why not?" Zack said. "You know, a lot of this stuff is about determination and practice. You spend enough time on this course, you get to know it front and back, and I bet you'll be able to beat a lot of the recruits who are naturally faster than you."

"Spend a lot of time on the course?" Cloud questioned. "The test is in two days!"

"Yeah, but do you see anyone else out here?" Zack pointed out. "Oh sure, some of the kids come out here for an hour or two in the afternoon, but how much effort are they putting into it? If you don't have the natural ability, you've got to make up for it with determination and grit. I don't care how long it takes. I don't care if we have to spend every free minute the next few days out here running this course. If you want to be in Soldier, you've got to show people how much you want it!"

Zack extended his hand.

"C'mon, let's go through it again."

Cloud just looked at him.

"What, are you crazy? I barely survived the first time! Give me a little time to recuperate!"

"Give me time to recuperate?" Zack responded in a whiney voice. "That's what losers say!"

Cloud stared at him.

"Where did they get you from?" he said finally.

Zack just grinned at him, his hand still extended. Cloud took hold of it and Zack helped him to his feet.

"Are you sure you're not really an instructor here in disguise?" Cloud questioned.

"Hey, it would be lucky for you if I was, right?" Zack replied.

Cloud thought that over for a moment.

"Yeah, I suppose so. But why would you single me out?"

Zack gave Cloud a long look.

"Why are you so suspicious of everyone?"

Cloud was slightly surprised. He hadn't thought it was that obvious.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he said, somewhat defensively.

Zack continued to look at him.

"What, did you have a lousy childhood or something?"

"My childhood is none of your business!" Cloud snapped.

"All right, all right, geez," Zack responded.

The contrite look on Zack's face made Cloud feel a little bit bad about snapping at him.

"So why shouldn't I help you?" Zack went on. "You agreed to help me with the classwork, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well then, there you go, you help me and I help you. That explains it."

Cloud shrugged.

"I guess," he said, still not sounding convinced. Which Zack seemed to notice, but again did not pursue it.

"All right, we're back at the beginning," Zack commented. "Ready to go again?"

"Not really," Cloud replied.

"And you're going to beat your pervious time this time, right?" Zack said, ignoring Cloud's pessimism.

"Either that or have a heart attack," Cloud responded.

Zack shook his head.

"You know, you really need to work on that attitude," he said.

"Yeah, well, I guess..." Cloud began, but was cut off.

"Go!"