THE TEST
"Gentlemen, today is a very important day in your lives."
Sergeant Zu clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the recruits in front of him. They all sat at desks with a unopened exam book placed on top.
"As you may have noticed, some of you have already dropped out. Those of you remaining will have, by the end of today, completed six weeks of training. This in itself is a testimony to your hard word and dedication. You should be proud of yourselves for making it this far."
"However, it's not over yet, and today you face was will probably be your most difficult challenge. As you all know, your ranking has been posted on the boards in the hallways throughout your training. Those rankings run from A to F. At the end of today, all those with a ranking of D or lower will be dropped from the program. You all know where you stand. For those of you currently at D or below, today will be your last chance to pull up your score. For those of you above it, this is no time to relax. I've seen many recruits come in here on this day with an A ranking figuring they could coast through this. Most of them didn't survive the day."
"The morning will begin with written exams," he continued. "When I tell you to start, you may open the book in front of you. The written test is 75% multiple choice that will cover the full gamut of subjects studied, with an essay at the end that will count for the remaining 25% of your grade. Written tests will conclude at 11:30 sharp. There will then be an hour break for lunch, followed by the physical tests. Make no mistake, it's going to be a tough day. Probably the toughest you'll have here, but for those of you who survive it the rewards are great. If you get past this day you almost certainly have what it takes to be a SOLDIER. The last week is mostly spent on mako infusion and orientation to the new skills it will give you."
"As you all know, only the best make it into SOLDIER. I said on your first day here that seventy five percent of you would not finish the training. Some have dropped out already, but today will be the largest weeding out process that will take place. Before you start I'd like you to take a look at the person sitting next to you. Tomorrow morning, it's quite likely that person will no longer be with us."
"Good luck, gentlemen. You may begin."
The recruits all opened the exam books in front of them, Cloud included. He had done better than average on the classroom work so far, but he still felt butterflies in his stomach. He had felt pressure the entire time he had been here, but the test today would determine his future, probably for the rest of his life.
He answered a few questions, then glanced over at Zack, who was sitting directly to his left. His friend was already deeply absorbed in what he was doing, and didn't look up. He had a frown etched on his face.
That didn't surprise Cloud at all. Zack had struggled with the classroom work since day one. Not surprising considering his reading and writing skills, or rather, lack thereof. Zack wasn't the most dedicated student in the world. He was always trying to talk his way out of studying, and many times Cloud had had to drag him to his books to get him to even look at them. Yet even so, Zack had done remarkably well with the reading. He certainly wasn't stupid. Yet even a genius couldn't learn to read and write in six weeks. At least, Cloud didn't think anyone could. Fortunately, all the tests so far had been multiple choice only, which at least gave Zack a chance. He had averaged about a 70 out of 100 so far, which Cloud though was remarkably well, considering. He had never had to write an essay, however. Knowing Zacks limited writing skills, Cloud didn't know how Zack could possibly do it.
He lowered his head, looking at his own test again. He should be worried about himself. Zack had an A rating. The best in the class, in spite of his classroom work. Even if he did badly, they still had the physical tests ahead, which Zack excelled at. If anyone could tank this written exam and still come out okay, it would be him.
Cloud had no such luxury. He had a C ranking, barely above passing. If he didn't do well on both the written and physical tests, it was over for him. He had done everything he could for Zack, now it was time to think about himself.
He laboriously made his way through the test. Sergeant Zu hadn't lied, it was tough, but still, by the time he was done he was fairly certain he had done decently. Whether decently would be enough, however, remained to be seen. It was 11:05 when he put his pencil down. A few people had finished before him, but not that many. He brought his test up front and handed it to the Sergeant, who told him he could go down to the cafeteria ahead of time. Cloud took one more glance at Zack, wondering how far he had gotten. Again, his friend did not look up.
Cloud made his way down to the cafeteria. The day wasn't even half over yet he felt drained. He looked at the other recruits who were already there. Ordinarily lunch was a time to relax. People were usually chattering about all kinds of things or joking around. There was none of that today. The others were mostly silent, grim looks on their faces, or was it determination? They all knew what was at stake today. The pressure was unbelievable.
He picked at his lunch, not really hungry. Zack still hadn't shown up by the time he was finished with what he was going to eat. He looked down at his watch. It was after 11:30. The written test was over. Zack would have to show up soon.
He got up and walked down to the restrooms, worried about himself and Zack. It seemed funny to him. He had come here with the sole purpose of joining Soldier. He didn't come to make friends, had in fact, figured friends would just be a distraction for him. Yet in spite of that was exactly what he had done. And he still wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad.
He entered the bathroom. A wall separated the entryway from the main bathroom. Cloud supposed it was there to prevent people from seeing in when the door was open. He couldn't see inside, but he could hear.
"Yeah, well if it wasn't for Tigana kicking all our asses we'd all have a better chance."
Cloud stopped.
"I know, the guys not human," a second voice said. "He really needs to be taught a lesson."
"Ooh, and who's going to do that?" another one spoke up. "You?"
"Well, not by myself, but I bet all of us together could."
"If you're going to go up against Tigana you can leave me out of it," a third voice spoke up. Cloud recognized them as the voices of the recruits who had banned together in the ring tournament.
"Chicken wuss!"
"I'm not a chicken wuss. I'm just using my head. If we go up against Tigana, even if we beat him, you know he's going to take out some of us. Besides, he's number one in the class. Even if we beat him, we're not going to knock him out of Soldier. Hand to hand combat doesn't count enough to do that, and that's the only chance we'll have. The idea is to try to make it through this, and that means to get rid of the one's that we've actually got a chance to get rid of."
The others were silent for a moment.
"I guess that makes sense," one of them agreed.
"Yeah, like that Strife kid."
"Zack's little shadow," someone said derisively.
"Yeah, exactly. I mean, the only reason he's even still here is because he's friends with Tigana. Thinks he's better than everyone too. We've got a much better chance of knocking him out of the running than Tigana."
"Fine, but how are we going to separate them? They're always together."
"Yeah, he's always hiding behind Tigana."
"Well, maybe there's a way to get them separated."
"What do you mean?"
But the other boy didn't answer.
The door swung open behind Cloud. He turned around as another boy came in, walking past him. Cloud quickly walked out the door. He could wait until later to go to the bathroom.
Zack was already in the cafeteria when Cloud returned, a plateful of food in front of him. Even his usually cheery face was serious.
"How'd it go?" Cloud asked, sitting down beside him.
Zack shrugged.
"Not too good."
That was pretty much what Cloud had suspected.
"How'd you do on the essay?"
Zack stuck some food in his mouth before answering.
"I didn't get to it," he replied.
"Didn't get to it?" Cloud repeated.
Zack turned to look at him.
"Yeah, I didn't get to it. The questions were hard to figure out. I only got about halfway through."
Cloud just sat there for a moment. He had to admit that didn't sound good. Still, it wasn't necessarily that bad either.
"Well, even so, you started out number one in the class, and we still have the physical tests to go, which you kick everyone's ass at. Even if you screwed it up, I still think you'll be okay. It's not the end of the world."
"Yeah, maybe," Zack replied.
Cloud fell silent. This was the first time that Zack seemed bothered by anything. Was it just now finally sinking in to him that this was serious business?
Zack ate the rest of his meal in silence. Cloud stared down at his food. He didn't want to admit it, but what those guys had said in the bathroom had really pissed him off. He wanted to tell Zack about it, but something held him back. He didn't think of himself as Zack's shadow. He had never asked Zack or anyone else for any help. He had fought his own battles and Zack had helped him at times because that's what friends did for one another. As far as he was concerned, he had helped Zack plenty of times too. Not as much as Zack had helped him, but still, he didn't consider himself Zack's shadow. Yet he could see how others might think that. He kept telling himself it didn't matter what other people thought. He knew the truth, and that's all that was important. But it wasn't that easy. In spite of what he kept telling himself, it did matter to him what other people thought, even those jerks.
"What's with you?" Zack questioned.
Cloud looked up and realized he had been brooding.
"Oh..nothing," he replied. "Just worried about the tests ahead."
"You'll do fine," Zack said with a wave of his hand. He wolfed down the last of his food, then stood up. Cloud glanced at the clock above the doorway and saw that their hour was just about up.
"C'mon," Zack said. "Let's head over to the field."
Cloud got up and followed Zack out. Soon they were outside the building walking toward the athletic fields. Cloud was still thinking about what those guys had said in the bathroom. He wondered just what they had in mind. Obviously they were going to try to get him alone. All he had to do to frustrate their plans then, was to stick close to Zack.
Again he considered telling Zack what he had heard, but he remained stubbornly silent. He wasn't a shadow. He didn't need Zack to look out for him. He could take care of himself. If he told Zack now, if he hid behind his friend, then wouldn't everything they had said about him be true?
They joined a group of recruits and instructors at the edge of the field. After waiting for all the recruits to gather, Sergeant Johnson gave them their instructions for the next tests.
"The physical tests are divided into five parts. First is the obstacle course, followed by firearms testing. After that a ten kilometer run, then hand to hand combat, and finally swordsmanship. Firearms testing will consist of ten rounds each against both immobile and moving targets. Hand to hand combat will take place on the obstacle course grounds and will be every man for himself. Swordsmanship will consist of a two minute battle with one of the instructors. There will be a fifteen minute rest period between each challenge. You will receive further instructions before the start of each test. You are expected to complete all of your assignments. If you get hurt, carry on. If your equipment is damaged or breaks, improvise. If something unexpected happens, adapt. Though these are physical tests, that's not all we are here to measure today. We also want to see how well you can think on your feet."
The sergeant clasped his hands behind his back.
"You've all worked hard to get here. This is your chance to show us what you can do. Instructors will be watching and grading you every step of the way."
The sergeant turned and looked at the large set of bleachers that ran along the oval track behind him, bleachers that were now rapidly filling with spectators.
"Shinra executives and employees will also be here to cheer you on. President Shinra himself couldn't be here, but Vice President Rufus is, as well as General Sephiroth. Make them proud, gentlemen."
He led them across the field toward their starting point. Their path took them right on front of the bleachers. Cloud looked up to see a sea of unfamiliar faces looking down at him. In the center, right near the front, was a group of top Shinra execs. Cloud had never met Rufus Shinra, but had heard enough about him to assume he as the man with red hair sitting right beside General Sephiroth. He seemed awfully young.
In front of the bleachers, just on the other side of the track from them stood a podium. Normally meant for giving speeches, the spot was now taken up by a small stand with a gleaming sword on it. Even from a distance, even though he had never seen it for real before, Cloud immediately knew it was Sephiroth's masamune.
"Look, look at that," Cloud said excitedly, pointing to it.
"What, what?" Zack said.
"Sephiroth's sword!" Cloud exclaimed.
They both stared at the sword as they walked by. It was just a few feet away now. It seemed huge, longer than any sword Cloud had ever seen. Four materia orbs gleamed brightly in it's hilt.
"It's said that no one can wield that sword except Sephiroth," Cloud stated.
Zack just nodded.
"I bet I could do it," Cloud heard one of the other recruits mutter behind him.
"Not likely," another voice piped up.
"How bout you Zack?" said another recruit right behind them. "Think you could handle that?"
Zack shrugged.
"I don't know, but I'd sure like to give it a try."
"Wouldn't we all," someone else muttered.
They fell silent as they continued past. Eventually they reached the far end of the field and Sergeant Zu stopped.
"The obstacle course challenge will begin in five minutes," he called out. "Everyone line up!"
Cloud felt his heart beat faster as they lined up to start. This was it. Everything he'd worked for all these weeks came down to this. He looked around, checking to see if anyone else seemed as nervous as he was. Most of the others tried to keep their face expressionless, but he could tell a lot of them were feeling just as much pressure as he was.
Then it began, and he found his nervousness disappearing as he raced down the course, lost in a rush of adrenaline. He had gotten a lot of practice on the obstacle course since his first day here and knew it like the back of his hand by now. But of course, so did the others. Still, by the time he reached the end of it, he felt confident he had done pretty well.
The obstacle course had been all rush and exertion. The next phase, the shooting, on the other hand required a steady hand and a relaxed mind. Cloud used the fifteen minutes between tasks to try to get his body to relax. He thought he must have done pretty well, because when he was finished he only had two misses. Not great, but not bad either.
Cloud wasn't a great runner. He had never liked it in fact. He knew the 10K run would be a chore. But he had been practicing. He finished decidedly middle of the pack, but since he considered that his biggest weakness, he was quite satisfied with the result. He was tired now, but he didn't have much time to rest before the hand to hand combat phase began. The instructors split them up into two groups. Zack headed for one group, motioning for Cloud to follow, but Cloud just stood there.
When Zack realized Cloud wasn't behind him he turned around and motioned again, sending Cloud a puzzled look. Cloud still hesitated. He wanted to prove to the others that he wasn't just Zack's follower, that he could stand on his own two feet. On the other hand, he knew that by separating himself from Zack he was doing exactly what those other recruits wanted. Was he letting himself be unduly influenced by them? He couldn't fight all four of them by himself, now could he? If they were going to gang up on him, was there any shame in having his friend help him? Most importantly, if he separated himself from Zack, was he jeopardizing his chances to make Soldier just to sooth his pride?
He couldn't decided, but before he could make up his mind, it was made up for him.
"Strife! You're with that group."
He spun around to see Capt. Hendricks pointing at the group Zack was not a part of.
Cloud hesitated just a moment.
"Yes sir!" he said.
He walked over to the other group, giving Zack a quick shrug. That was odd. He had never been singled out like that before. In fact, this was the first time Capt. Hendricks had spoken to him since the first day here. Was this part of those other boys plan? If so, how did they get Capt. Hendricks to go along?
He didn't have much time to ponder, however, for the competition was about to start. Each group was to start at opposite ends of the obstacle course. The objective was to make your way to the opposite end that you started from, engaging in combat with anyone you met along the way. Instructors would be standing along the course evaluating them, and also making note of anyone who avoided combat. They were all issued chest protectors and helmets, and a moment later, the signal to begin was given.
Cloud ran at a moderate pace down the trail, relieved that speed was not of the essence. The obstacle course ran along a twisting trail through heavily wooded terrain. He kept his eyes and ears open. He couldn't see far ahead. He wouldn't have much advance warning of any approaching adversaries.
The sounds of combat reached him before he saw anything. He came over a rise and saw a number of boys charging in his direction. One of them immediately caught his attention. He was barreling down the trail, already two challengers on the ground in his wake.
It was Zack.
In spite of himself, Cloud hesitated. He was willing to fight on his own, but it hadn't occurred to him that Zack might be his adversary. He had confidence in his abilities, but he knew he realistically wouldn't stand much of a chance against his friend.
Unconsciously he slowed down, looking around. He had passed instructors along the way. They were all over the place. He could see one now, not far to his left just in front of the treeline. They had been told they would be penalized for avoiding combat. He certainly didn't want that.
His indecisiveness allowed one of the boys who was behind him to catch up and pass. Without hesitation, he lunged at Zack.
Cloud didn't have time to watch the outcome. He heard a shout, and saw the four recruits who he had heard talking in the bathroom charging toward him.
He dodged the first blow, spinning around and giving the boy a kick in the chest. A second one swung at him, but he ducked underneath it. He couldn't dodge the third. The boy ran up and slammed a kick into his side, sending him stumbling and nearly knocking him over. Righting himself quickly he lashed out, landing a series of punches, forcing his opponent to retreat.
The respite, however, was only momentary. They had him surrounded now. In spite of his catlike reflexes, he couldn't protect himself from all directions. Whenever he turned away from one they would rush in, punching or kicking at him. He tried to return the damage as best he could, but he couldn't face one direction for more than a few seconds without leaving himself wide open to attack from another.
An elbow slammed against the back of his head. In spite of his helmet, it still made his head spin. He had started out giving as well as he got, but the numbers were just too much for him, and now he was just fighting to stay on his feet, barely countering at all. Blows reined in all around him, forcing him backward. Suddenly he felt a kick in the back of his leg. At the same time one of those in front of him drove a punch into his stomach. He doubled over, stumbling again to stay on his feet, but a moment later another blow to his head dropped him to the ground.
They had engaged in hand to hand combat training and practice before this. The accepted practice was that if your opponent went down you were considered the winner and you moved on. However, Cloud's opponents didn't seem to think they'd got their point across just yet, and savagely kicked at him as he lay on the ground. He tried to roll out of the way, to make some room between himself and his opponents, but they were all around him. He had no where to turn.
He cried out in pain as a booted foot slammed down on his wrist. Anger and bitterness welled up inside him, making him strike out blindly at his tormentors, but his blows were easily avoided. All he was doing was exposing himself to more attacks. Another kick hit him in the head and he nearly blacked out.
It was no longer a fight.
"That's enough!"
The pummeling stopped. Cloud looked up, blearily eyed, to see the instructor standing over him.
"Move on, all of you," he said.
The other boys hesitated just a moment, but they knew if they disobeyed the instructors orders they'd be putting their own standing in jeopardy. With a few parting dark glares at Cloud, they took off.
"You all right?" the instructor asked.
Cloud tried to sit up, but putting weight on his wrist sent a jolt of agonizing pain shooting up his arm. He fell back down, biting his lip to keep from crying out.
"Can you go on?" the instructor asked.
Cloud lay there for a moment, breathing heavily. He had heard the instructions. If you were injured you were expected to carry on. There were no second chances.
He pulled himself up, not using his right hand. The slightest touch to it send waves up pain shooting up his arm.
"Yes," he said. He looked around, but Zack was nowhere to be seen. He ran on, not looking back, his hand clutched against his side, trying to keep it as still as possible. Fortunately most of the recruits running in the other direction had already passed him now while he was fighting. With his hand the way it was, he knew he wouldn't stand much of a chance against even poorer fighters at this point. He only ran into one other person, one of the stragglers. Knowing that showing any sign of injury or weakness would just encourage his opponent, Cloud charged right at him.
The boy took a swing at him. Cloud ducked underneath, then slammed into the him. Though Cloud was smaller he had the momentum, and he drove his opponent back. They both lost their footing and tumbled in a heap on the ground, Cloud almost crying out as his hand hit the ground. He twisted around and awkwardly pulled himself to his feet, turning to face his opponent again, but the other boy, apparently thinking he had fulfilled his obligation to engage in battle, was already up and running off.
With a shrug at his good luck, Cloud turned and ran too. He didn't run into anyone else, and a few minutes later reached the end of the course.
The instructors led them back to the athletic field, where they were reunited with the other group. Cloud's hand was throbbing, and pain shot through it at the slightest movement or touch. Though he was trying to remain stoic, his face was pale from fighting the pain. None of the others seemed to notice, but Zack picked up on it immediately.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
Cloud shrugged.
"I hurt my hand."
"Let me see," Zack said. He reached forward, but as soon as he touched it Cloud pulled it back. Zack looked at him in surprise.
"It's hurt that bad?"
Cloud nodded.
"I think it's broken."
"Shit."
Cloud pretty much agreed with that statement. How the hell was he going to swordfight if his right hand was broken?
"Tell the instructors," Zack urged.
"No way!" Cloud responded. "You heard what they said. If you're injured you're expected to go on. I'm not going to quit!"
"But you can't fight with a broken hand!" Zack exclaimed.
Cloud just looked at him. What else could he do?
"Tell Sergeant Zu," Zack suggested.
"What will that do?" Cloud replied.
"I don't know," Zack said. "But he seems like a good guy. Maybe they can put it off. It's not your fault if you're hurt."
"You know they don't do that," Cloud said. "Today is it. There aren't any second chances. You make it today or you're out."
"But that's not fair!" Zack exclaimed.
"Maybe, but there's not much I can do about it, now is there?" Cloud shot back.
Zack just glared at him. Cloud stared back, knowing damn well he was right.
Slowly the swordfighting proceeded. Even though each recruit was only given two minutes, this was by far the longest event, since only one person was going at a time. This was a very good thing for Cloud, because it gave him some extra time to recuperate before his turn came, and he was hoping his hand would feel a little better before he had to go. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When his turn finally came, his hand had not improved at all.
Still, he tried to ignore the pain as he stepped out onto the field. His opponent, Sergeant Johnson, was waiting for him. Cloud stepped over to the rack of swords provided for the recruits. Just like everything else, he had had some practice, and considered himself fairly proficient, although by no means an expert. He had a particular size and weight sword he was used to using, but when he tried to lift that one, pain exploded through his wrist, almost making him drop it.
Reluctantly he selected the lightest sword on the rack. Even so, he could barely hold it. Besides that, it wasn't at all what he was used to. His hand shook from the pain, and sweat beaded on his forehead. More than anything he wanted to drop the sword, wanted to relieve the pain somehow. But he grit his teeth and walked forward.
He wasn't going to quit.
Sergeant Johnson stepped forward and swung his sword. Cloud brought his up to parry. They clanged together and Cloud's sword went flying from his hands.
He nearly screamed in pain.
Behind him he had heard the murmur of voices from the bleachers, but they suddenly became silent.
Sergeant Johnson just looked at him. Clearly no one had expected that.
Cloud reached down and picked up is sword, this time not able to hold in an exclamation of pain. Every movement of his hand was excruciating, but he held his sword up nevertheless.
It was obvious to everyone that Cloud was injured, yet the Sergeant had no choice but to attack again.
The blades met. Cloud clamped his lips together to hold back a scream. In spite of a desperate attempt to hold onto his sword, it fell from his hand again.
The Sergeant hesitated, obviously reluctant to press the attack against a foe who so obviously could not defend himself.
Cloud turned toward his sword once more. He was facing recruits who were still waiting now. He saw one the boys who had attacked him standing near the front, a smirk on his face.
Suddenly filled with rage, Cloud reached down and picked up his sword with his left hand. He turned and charged directly at the Sergeant, aiming a vicious blow right at the man's head.
Taken by surprise by the sudden vehemence of Cloud's attack, Sergeant Johnson barely got his own sword up in time, just barely blocking the blow. Cloud continued to strike wildly, forcing his opponent back. But just momentarily. Cloud had never fought left handed. His blows were clumsy and erratic. It just took Sergeant Johnson a few moments to realize that, but once he did, he easily blocked Cloud's blows, then countered. Cloud's reflexes saved him from the first counter, but the next one caught him on his chest protector, knocking him backwards onto the ground.
Cloud lay there for a moment, breathing heavily. Though he was still filled with anger, he also felt helplessness. Anger wasn't going to help him. Skill was, and he had none of that without his right hand. He only had two minutes. Time was slipping away, and whether it was his fault or not, his performance so far had been woeful.
Hid eyes darted around, looking first at the Sergeant advancing on him, then towards the crowd in the bleachers, for some strange reason wondering what they were thinking. Wondering if they would consider his effort in the face of his injury to be a brave thing, or whether they were just looking at the results wondering how he had ever made it this far.
He couldn't fight. It was pointless to continue. He was only making a fool of himself.
He spotted Rufus in the crowd. He had a bored expression on his face.
Sephiroth, however, leaning forward in his seat, seemed keenly interested.
If only he had Sephiroth's strength.
Even as that thought occurred to him, a desperate idea struck him.
Without giving himself time to think about the consequences, he suddenly jumped up and ran straight at the bleachers.
He didn't notice the wide eyed looks those in the crowd gave him as he rushed toward them, even Rufus suddenly taking interest. Beside him, Sephiroth leaned forward even more, the hint of a smile flickering on his lips.
Nor did Cloud hear the gasp from the crowd when he suddenly reached out and grasped the hilt of the masamune.
Behind Cloud, with the other recruits, Capt. Hendricks stepped forward, a look of horror on his face.
Before anyone could do anything else, Cloud was bathed in a green light.
Cloud had used materia before. All the recruits had been given rudimentary training, but they had only learned simple spells using the least powerful materia. The sensation that flooded through him now was infinitely more powerful, so much so that it almost made him lose his grip on the sword. But he held on, and in a moment, the pain was gone.
He spun around, switched his own sword from his left hand to his right, and charged back at Sergeant Johnson, leaping at him and delivering a flurry of blows, forcing him back once more.
"Stop!"
The Sergeant stepped back, lowering his sword, as Capt. Hendricks stepped in between them. Cloud stopped as well as the Captain faced him, his face flushed with anger.
"How dare you touch General Sephiroth's sword!" he shouted. "Don't you have any respect at all? You have insulted the General and shamed the entire program. Put down your sword and go back to the dorms immediately!"
Cloud slowly lowered his sword. He stared at the Captain, but said nothing. He hadn't really thought about what he was doing, he had just acted. Still, he didn't think he had done anything all that horrible.
"Go!" the Captain commanded.
"Captain Hendricks," Sergeant Zu said, coming up beside them. "I'm sure he meant no disrespect..."
"Don't try to make excuses for him," the Captain cut him off. "What he did was inexcusable! He has made a mockery of this entire procedure. He's shown no respect for the program or General Sephiroth."
He turned toward Cloud once more.
"Go back to the dorm, you are suspended from the program."
Cloud's face flushed with anger.
"That's not fair!" Zack suddenly blurted out.
Captain Hendricks looked up. A crowd had gathered around them, most of them students, but some people from the stands had also joined them. The place was in an uproar.
"I will not have this turn into a circus" the Captain shouted. "Mr. Strife has insulted everyone here. There is nothing unfair about it. Now all of you get back to your positions!"
"Wait."
The Captain spun around to see Sephiroth standing beside him.
"General, on behalf of the entire program, I apologize for this blatant breaking of the program rules. I assure you I will do everything in my power to make sure he is severely punished."
"Exactly what rule did he break?" Sephiroth questioned calmly.
The Captain hesitated for a moment.
"Well..umm...the rules clearly state he's not allowed to use any enhanced weapons."
"He didn't use the sword to fight with," Sergeant Zu pointed out.
"It doesn't matter," the Captain said sharply. "The rules say no enhanced weapons, no matter what their use."
"I don't think it says that..." Zu said doubtfully.
"Are you questioning my authority?" the Captain snapped.
"No sir," Sergeant Zu replied. "It just seems to me it's a gray area..."
"And what about the disrespect he showed to General Sephiroth? Touching his sword like that? It's an insult!"
"What does the General think about it?" Zu responded.
The Captain just looked at Zu for a moment, his face red. Then he turned to face Sephiroth.
The General did not reply, just looked at first Captain Hendricks and then Cloud. The young recruit couldn't read his expression, but he certainly didn't look mad.
"I take no offense," Sephiroth finally replied.
Cloud felt as if a ten ton weight had been lifted off of him.
"There you go then," Zu said with just a bit of smugness.
If anything, the Captain's face became even redder.
"But...I...," he sputtered. "Even if that's so, the fact still remains that Strife broke the rules!" he finally said.
"He didn't use the sword for combat!" Zu stated.
"And I told you that doesn't matter!" the Captain snapped back.
"I think it does," Sephiroth interrupted.
The Captain turned to stare at him.
"Technically, he may or may not have broken that rule," Sephiroth continued. "But there's something more important here. Sergeant Johnson, I believe before this all started you told the recruits that if they got hurt, to carry on. If their equipment got damaged or broken, to improvise. If something unexpected happened, to adapt. I think that's exactly what this young man did. He may have bent the rules a bit, but in doing so he got the job done, and isn't that exactly the kind of person we want in the program?"
The Captain just stared at him for a long time without saying anything, but slowly the redness faded from his face, but when he glanced at Cloud again, the young recruit realized there was no love lost there.
"Very well," he said finally. "On behalf of the entire school, as well as Mr. Strife, I'd like to thank you for your leniency."
He turned to look at Cloud again.
"Strife, you got off easy this time. The least you could do is apologize to the General."
Cloud was more than willing to do that.
"Sorry sir!" he said.
Sephiroth just nodded.
The Captain looked around.
"All right then," he stated, suddenly all business again. "We've delayed long enough. If we don't get the show on the road we won't be done til nightfall. Strife, you time is up, lets move on to the next person."
As they all started to return to their positions Sephiroth walked past Cloud.
"Well done," the young recruit heard the General whisper.
"You da man!"
The tests were over. They had returned to the dorms. Now Cloud lay on his bunk with Zack standing over him.
"No, you da man," Cloud replied.
"No, you da man!"
Zack held up his hand and they high fived.
"I can't believe you did that!" Zack exclaimed. "I didn't know you had it in you! Hell, I wish I'd thought of it!"
Cloud just smiled at him, feeling vaguely embarrassed. Cloud hadn't said anything, but the dorms were abuzz with what he had done. Everyone was talking about it, and everyone was also looking at him with new found respect.
Well, almost everyone. He noticed that the boys who had attacked him didn't even turn his way when he looked over at them.
Which was even more satisfying.
He had to remind himself, however, that in spite of his newfound respect, he really didn't have much reason to celebrate. At least, not yet.
"Well, that stunt won't do me a bit of good if I didn't past the tests," he stated.
"Are you kidding me?" Zack replied. "After a showing like that, they gotta pass you. It's a done deal man! Even Sephiroth was impressed!"
Cloud nodded but didn't reply. Sephiroth wasn't one of the one's who was going to grade his performance, but he had to admit he had a better feeling about things now then he did at the beginning of the day.
"Well, let's hope so," he replied cautiously.
"You worry too much," Zack announced.
"Yes, and you never worry enough," Cloud responded.
Zack pondered that for a moment.
"So I guess between the two of us, we worry just enough," he concluded.
Cloud threw his book at him.
The rest of the day seemed to crawl along. The tests had finished at six thirty p.m. Everyone was anxious to see the results. The instructors knew this and tried to complete the grading as quickly as possible. The recruits had been told they would get the results by ten pm. The three and a half hours they had to wait seemed more like three and a half years.
When Sergeant Zu strolled into the dorm, he was immediately mobbed.
"Easy, easy," he exclaimed as they pinned him against the wall. "You'll all know soon enough. You've waited this long, you can wait a few minutes longer.
They all waited impatiently as one by one he called out their names. Cloud took his and walked back to his bunk when his name was called.
Zack was already there, tearing his open. He looked at it for a moment, then turned to Cloud with a broad grin on his face.
"Zack Tigana," he announced. "Rank A."
"Well, that's not really any surprise," Cloud replied. "But congratulations anyway."
"Thanks," Zack said. "What about you?"
Cloud hesitated, butterflies once more fluttering in his stomach. This was it. Everything he'd worked for up to this point, his whole life, hung on the results in front of him. With a silent prayer, he pulled open the packet.
"Well, well?" Zack said, trying to look over his shoulder.
Cloud turned around, a somber look on his face.
"What?" Zack said. "You didn't make it?"
Cloud grinned and held up the first page.
Cloud Strife. Rank C.
"You did it!" Zack shouted.
"I did it!" Cloud exclaimed, just as loudly.
Zack pounded him on the back so hard he nearly fell off the bed.
"Yeah, we did it! We did it!" Zack yelled, jumping around like a lunatic. "We're in man. We are members of Soldier!"
"It's not over yet," Cloud stated. "We still have a week more to go."
"Oh stop it!" Zack replied. "You know as well as I do that the last week is just orientation. This was it. You make it this far and you're in."
He stopped and leaned forward, right in Cloud's face.
"Am I right?"
Cloud didn't reply.
"I said, am I right?' Zack said, even louder.
Cloud grinned.
"You bet your ass you are!
Zack jumped up again.
"You bet your ass I am!" he repeated. "We did it man. And tomorrow, we are going to parrrty!"
Some of the other recruits heard him and started shouting party as well.
"We're going to paint the town!" Zack continued. "People of Midgar, you better hide your booze and your woman, because tomorrow night Zack and Cloud are going to be on the loose!"
Cloud sat back and laughed. He had to admit Zack's enthusiasm was contagious. For once, however, it seemed appropriate. Still, Cloud couldn't help but act like the level headed one.
"Just remember we still have a curfew," he said.
"Curfew shmurfu," Zack said dismissively, flopping down on Cloud's bunk beside him. "We've had curfews up to our ears for six weeks now. We deserve to have a little fun."
"And we will," Cloud replied. "Just don't get too carried away."
"Me, get carried away?" Zack responded, looking shocked. "Why, I have no idea where you would ever get such an idea!"
Cloud looked at him for a moment.
"Yeah, riiight," he replied.
"I can't believe we both made it," Zack said, finally having calmed down a bit.
"Me neither," Cloud replied. He couldn't remember ever being this happy. He'd done it. He'd actually done it. He knew Zack was right. The last week was a mere formality. Someone who made it this far was as good as in. He couldn't wait to go back home and tell his mom. He couldn't wait to see the look on the other boys faces, to see that the little shrimp of a loner had made it. But most of all, he couldn't wait to see the look on the face of a young brunette girl he'd left behind in Nibelheim.
"Hey, how'd you do on the written test?" he asked.
"Who cares," Zack said. "It's over now man, we passed."
"Yeah, I know," Cloud replied. "But I'm kind of curious how much of my tutoring sunk in."
Zack gave him a sour look, but flipped through the pages in his packet.
"Hey, you did good," he said finally. "I got a seventy five out of a hundred on the written part."
Cloud was impressed. He had suspected Zack would barely be able to pass.
"Hey, wait a minute," he said, frowning. "Didn't you tell me that you never finished?"
"Uh huh," Zack replied. "I still had five or six questions to go, and I never even got to the essay."
Cloud frowned.
"How could you get a seventy five then?"
"What do you mean?"
"They told us the essay was twenty five percent of our grade, remember? If you didn't do the assay, the best you could have got was a seventy five, and that would be if you got all the other questions correct. You obviously didn't."
Zack pondered that for a moment.
"You're right," he agreed. Then; "does it matter?"
Cloud shrugged.
"I guess not, but it still seems a bit weird. Let me take a look at your test."
Zack dutifully handed over the papers.
Cloud flipped through it quickly. Zack had indeed skipped the essay. The last page was blank. The last five multiple choice questions had not been answered. In addition to that, just at a glance Cloud saw that three of the first ten questions on the first page had been answered wrong.
"This doesn't make any sense," Cloud said. "You shouldn't have even got close to a seventy five."
Zack shrugged.
"Maybe it was some kind of mistake," he suggested.
"Maybe," Cloud said slowly. He didn't think they would make that kind of mistake. But if not, then what did it all mean?
He looked up to see Zack staring at him.
"You're not going to point it out to the Instructors, are you?" Zack questioned.
"Of course not!" Cloud responded. "I wouldn't even do that to my enemy. You passed and that's it. I'm not telling anyone anything. It just seems kind of odd."
"Yeah, I guess it does," Zack replied. He shoved the papers back into the packet. "Oh well, I don't know and I don't care. All that matters is, you and me are now members of Soldier, and the world better watch out!"
Cloud smiled. Zack was right. It was a stupid thing to be concerned about. It must have been some kind of mistake. Zack was the best. Even if the paper had been graded correctly, he would have made it anyway, now wouldn't he? It was over. There was no sense in worrying about it now. There was no sense in worrying about anything.
That was all behind them now.