The Good Life: Slipping Control (ch. 101) (Patreon)

“Yo! Cloud! We have a mission, and guess with who?” Zack Fair said, opening the door to his dorm with a careless disregard and an easy smile. Cloud Strife nearly fumbled his helmet, startled by the abrupt arrival of his friend. All the more so when Zack shoved a mission briefing into his face as he yanked the helmet away. “Won't be needing that, buddy!” 

Cloud caught the briefing and flipped it open, half glowering at Zack for a moment before he read it. His eyes widened before narrowing into slits. “We're on a mission with Genesis? To Nibelheim?” He said, shocked by what he was reading. His hometown was the very last place that he imagined needing two First Class SOLDIERs and… “A Second Class SOLDIER?” 

Zack was grinning ear to ear, “Like I said, you won't be needing that helmet anymore! Welcome to Second Class, Cloud Strife!” He said, snapping off a salute as if he were a higher rank. A flush crawled up the back of his neck. 

“That's a little fast, right? I mean, I've barely been Third Class for a year!” He protested, feeling equal parts proud and surprised. Honestly, he had just started to get used to the idea that he was SOLDIER at all.

He had washed out at his first attempt at joining, but on his second attempt he knew what to expect and he was able to endure it. He had been in the middle of the pack, and even then he was closer to the rear than not, but he was still selected to become SOLDIER. Over the next three months, he had undergone the Mako enhancements under the eye of Dr. Hojo and Dr. Waterloo. 

They said that his body was unusually receptive to the enhancements, so they got his agreement to make him as strong as possible by increasing the amount of treatments by another two months. There was a month long recovery period while he adjusted to his newfound strength and speed -- it was then that he met Zack, and it was with Zack he underwent the first of his missions as a SOLDIER. 

Honestly, having a friend felt stranger than the Mako enhancements. 

“You're telling me, Mr. Fasttrack,” Zack snorted as he gestured for Cloud to follow. “Even with Angeal mentoring me it  took two years to become Second Class. Still, don't you even think of becoming First Class for at least… hm… two years, got it?” 

“I'll be sure to stall my career for your pride,” Cloud replied, following Zack as he read over the briefing. His promotion to Second Class had stolen his attention, but the fact that his hometown was the target of a mission was alarming. All the more so considering who they were sending -- one First Class SOLDIER was enough to take on a heavily defended fortress alone. The mission called for two of them, and Cloud. “Am I being brought in because I'm a local?” 

“A little bit,” Zack admitted before flashing an unrepentant grin. “But it's mostly because I pulled you onto the assignment. What's the best way to celebrate a promotion than with Tifa~ah!” Zack teased right up until he yelped when Cloud plugged him in the shoulder, his cheeks burning red. “That how you thank someone?!” 

Cloud tsked, walking ahead of him towards the gear pick up point. Annoyingly, he was grateful. He still didn't know how exactly he worked up the courage years ago to bring Tifa up to the water tower and declare his intention to become a SOLDIER. Nor could he forget the promise that they made -- he would become a hero and he would save her. Frankly, it was that promise that motivated him throughout basic training, simply because he knew he could never face her again if he failed to become SOLDIER. 

“That really hurt, you know?” Zack grumbled to him as they picked up their gear for the mission. A broadsword, a selection of Fire, Ice, and Lightning Materia, in addition to a Mastered Heal Materia. “And here I was going to let me and Genesis handle the monsters while you made kissy faces with your childhood friend.” 

“Sounds like you're just jealous you don't have anyone to make kissy faces with,” Cloud retorted, placing the broadsword on his back and taking the Materia. 

“I'm focusing on my career!” Zack protested, and Cloud hummed noncommittally. It earned a pout from Zack as they closed the lockers and stepped into the elevator. “I liked you better when you were too timid to be sassy. What happened to the Cloud that did everything I said and didn’t talk back? I outrank you, you know!” 

“Not for long,” Cloud said, a slight smile on his lips as they battered back and forth. It was a smile that immediately died when the elevator doors opened, revealing the aircraft that would bring them to Nibelheim. As well as the other member of the team. 

Genesis was one of the three heroes of the Wutai War. He didn't match Sephiroth in terms of fame, but there still wasn't anyone who didn't know who he was. Cloud grew up with a poster of him on his wall… but Cloud barely recognized the man.

Half of his red hair had gone stark white, cut right down the middle. His skin took an alabaster hue, almost giving the impression that he was simply pale, but the flesh… looked wrong. Like it wasn't really skin. It made the dark bags under his eyes that much more pronounced, as well as his eyes -- one dark blue and one stone gray. Officially, he had been poisoned by Wutai, but rumor had it that was just a cover story. 

“Took you long enough,” Genesis growled at them, taking their lateness as a personal affront. His appearance change was as stark as his change in personality. According to everyone who knew him, Genesis used to be charming. Friendly. He also used to quote Loveless endlessly. Cloud wouldn't have believed it if Zack hadn't confirmed it to him -- he'd sooner believe that Genesis and the man before him were two separate people, with the only thing they had in common being their names. 

“Apologies, sir. We were-” 

“I don't care. Get in and let's get this done- is that a mission briefing? You haven't even read it yet?!” Genesis snapped at him when he saw the folder in hand, and Zack winced on his behalf. 

Cloud accepted the scorn with patience. Simply because he knew that it would be all worth it when they arrived at Nibelheim. 

…

He was right. The trip took a few days, and they were filled with a tepid silence, never knowing what might set Genesis off. They landed outside of the village and trekked up from the main road, but the pilot had radioed ahead that they were arriving. 

It was amazing how little Nibelheim had changed in the two years it had been since he left. It looked identical to how it was in his memories. But, while the village itself remained the same, the people in it… 

Cloud had been an outcast in the sleepy village of Nibelheim. He never found a way to quite fit in, and when he got blamed for Tifa's head injury as a kid… that really had been the final nail in the coffin. So, he couldn't deny that it felt good to see the expressions of quiet awe when the three of them approached. They mayor was looking at him with a forced smile even as panic danced in his eyes -- he hadn't forgotten him. 

But there were only two people in the village he gave a damn about, and he wasn't one of them. 

One villager broke from the ranks and for the first time in years, he saw his mother, Claudia Strife. Her face lit up with a smile and she rushed towards him, throwing her arms around him and pulling him close. It took everything that he had to not hug back with all of his strength, knowing how that would end. Mako enhancements had their own drawbacks. 

“When I heard that SOLDIERs were coming to deal with the monsters, I hoped…!” His mother said, pulling back and looking at him with tender eyes. “Your eyes are different. They really do glow,” she noted and he offered a smile. 

“Hey, mom,” he greeted her, not sure what else to say. But, thankfully, Zack interjected by throwing an arm around Cloud's shoulders. 

“And you must be Zack,” his mother greeted Zack before he could get a word in. “Cloud mentioned you in his letters.” 

That got an honest smile out of his friend, “Did he now? Did you keep them? I want to read what my best friend has been saying about me behind my back- they're good things, right?” He asked and Cloud half shoved him off. Lightly enough that it was only possible because Zack allowed it. 

“Mostly how you're troublesome,” Cloud replied, making Zack stumble back, holding his chest as if he had been grievously wounded. 

Behind his mother, there was a small clearing of the throat which brought their attention to Mayor Lockhart. “Cloud. It's good to see you, my boy! I feel that I speak for all of us when I say that we are quite proud of you, and all that you have accomplished.” 

Cloud hummed as he shook the offered hand. There was a point when he would have killed to hear those words, but with his enhancements… even without them, he would have been able to tell the words were a lie. The man blamed him for Tifa's accident, so he could single handedly save the planet and it wouldn't be enough to balance that ledger. “The report was light on details, but there have been unusual monster sightings?” 

Something that had become painfully common. No one was sure of the direct cause, but a lot of the natural habitats of various species of monsters were failing. Same with human settlements. The result was a mass migration of people and monsters -- which caused massive spikes in crime, and dangerous monsters preying on people for a meal because there was nothing on their usual menu nearby. 

“I'm afraid it's a great deal worse than that! It's a dragon! I'm certain of it- we saw the damned thing flying overhead-” Mayor Lockhart began before Genesis roughly shoved Cloud to the side. He caught himself instantly, but even as he did, it was clear the sheer difference in strength between them. 

“I'll deal with the dragon,” Genesis stated with a sense of urgency that seemed entirely unlike him. Like it was a matter of need rather than want. “You two will be useless in that fight. Stay out of my way,” he commanded, not stopping to see if they obeyed. A look of concern flickered over his mother's face. “Fat man. Where did you last see it?” 

It took the Mayor a moment to realize that he was the one being addressed, and when he sputtered, offended by the moniker, Genesis seemed to dismiss him entirely. “Useless. I'll find him myself,” he snapped before a slight bend of his knees was all the warning people had before he launched himself high into the air, landing lightly upon a roof before he repeated the jump. 

“Should we follow him?” Cloud asked Zack, thinking that the mission already went off the rails. 

“Not much of a point,” Zack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not when he can outrun us. We'd have better luck finding the lair independently. Do we have anyone that has seen the dragon land? Seen traces of habitation?” He asked, the playful air about him falling away to reveal why he had become a First Class SOLDIER. The first to rise to the rank that had only belonged to three legends before him. 

“That would be my daughter,” Mayor Lockhart said with a small amount of gumption. He made a gesture and the small crowd of people shuffled around revealing Tifa, the only other person in the village he gave a damn about. 

Seeing her felt like a punch to the gut. Tifa was very… Tifa. Not quite what he remembered her to be, but only because she seemed a lot more… herself. She wore a cowgirl outfit, complete with a hat, the leather vest was cut short, as was her shirt, which revealed defined abs. There were traces of muscle, but what he noticed first were the calluses on her knuckles. Well, he noticed that third. Second was her abs, and the first was that she was very pretty. 

Zack offered a less than subtle kick at his ankle and he realized he had been staring for a beat too long. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat and the outright glower that her father was leveling at him, he found his voice. “Tifa,” he said, offering a nod her way. 

Her warm reddish-brown eyes danced with amusement, and he felt like it was entirely at his expense, “Cloud,” she returned his tone. “You really made it into SOLDIER, hm?”

Zack was quick to pounce on that, “Second Class! In record time, too!” He said, giving Cloud a thumbs up, and he really wished Zack would stop helping. And as soon as he had that thought, he retracted it when Zack did stop helping. “Of course, it’s nothing compared to becoming First Class, but baby steps.”

“Can you bring us to the dragon’s territory? Give a description of it?” Cloud said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. Something that Tifa seemed keenly aware of based on her teasing smile, but she allowed it. 

“I can bring you to the area we saw it fly off from -- a big valley around fifty miles from here, but we don’t know if that’s its lair. And we couldn’t exactly scout it out on account of the other monsters that have been moving into the area.” She said, and Cloud nodded, accepting that for what it was. As did Zack. 

“So long as you can give us a rough starting point, we can take it from there. Either we’ll find it and Genesis will close in because of the noise, or Genesis will find it first, and we’ll find him. With it removed, we’ll spend a week or two in the area as the local food chain settles. We’ll remove links as needed,” Zack assured.

Tifa nodded, glancing at her father, who openly wore a conflicted expression. “I’ll grab my climbing gear then. Wait here!” She said before heading back into the mayor's home. 

His mother grabbed Cloud’s hand, “And of course, the two of you are welcome in my home. Genesis as well, but… I’m not sure he would like it.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Strife! As for Genesis, there’s an old manor in the area that he mentioned. I think he plans to crash there -- it was the plan originally,” Zack said, and his mom offered a grateful smile. A moment later, Tifa emerged from the house with a bag slung over her shoulder. 

“Be careful, Cloud. You too, Zack,” his mother fretted and he offered a nod. 

“We’ll be fine, Mom. Back in time for dinner,” he assured her. And he could only hope that wasn’t a lie. 

…

“So, is every day in SOLDIER as exciting as hunting dragons?” Tifa asked once they were well on their way, weaving through the narrow mountain passages towards their destination. She seemed right at home in the mountains, and some of the paths were well worn by a single person carving them out. Her hands were behind her back as she half skipped next to him while Zack deliberately hung back with a wink and a smile. 

“Not every day,” Cloud replied. “Just… most. Not dragons,” he quickly amended, “but hunting dangerous monsters. What has been happening here has been happening everywhere.” 

Tifa nodded, “They say it's because of the Planet.” She said, and Cloud stilled for a fraction of a second. Tifa had no idea what she just said -- how people had been pulled into questioning for expressing that view. 

In the aftermath of the Wutai War, Wutai sponsored various terrorist organizations within Shinra controlled territory - which was everywhere. One of the most prominent ones was Avalanche. An eco-terrorist organization that espoused the rhetoric that by harvesting Mako, Shinra was killing the planet and forcing monsters to migrate as their habitats failed. 

Delusional propaganda, of course. No one knew why several ecologies were failing, which caused the migrations. It was just something that they could smear Shinra with, so they laid the blame at their feet. 

“Avalanche says that,” Cloud corrected. “And they hate Shinra more than they love the planet.” 

Tifa hummed, tossing a shrug that showed that she was willing to take his word for it. “Beyond that… is it everything you wanted it to be?” 

“... Yes,” Cloud decided after a moment, giving a small nod. He wasn't a Hero, not like Sephiroth was yet, but he felt like he was on the right path. Then he glanced at Tifa, noting her knuckles once more, “How have you been? You've been training?” 

Tifa perked up, giving him a proud grin that made his heart flutter, “With Master Zangan! He's a wandering martial arts master that took me as his student for the past few years!” She said, throwing a few picture perfect jabs and a high kick that Cloud forced himself to look away from. “I'll introduce you! He's still in Nibelheim at the moment. Though, he did say he was moving on soon…” 

“And that's why you've been running in monster infested areas?” Cloud questioned, earning an unrepentant expression from Tifa. 

“I can take care of myself, Cloud… and if I can’t, I suppose I'll just cash in on that promise, hm?” Tifa said, and Cloud had to swallow a lump in his throat as he carefully didn't look at her. Words weren't ever something that came easily to him. They always felt clumsy when they came out of his mouth. And he genuinely had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. 

He was almost relieved when he was saved by the sound of a roar so loud that he felt it reverberate through the stone under his feet. Instantly, his gaze darted up, just in time to see the creature falling through a cloud, plummeting towards the ground at high speeds. It wasn't a natural descent. Something was fighting it, as the fully mature dragon craned back its head and spewed fire all over itself to dislodge its attacker. 

“Looks like Genesis beat us to it,” Zack said, his tone serious. As it should be. The dragon wasn't just a dragon, it was a mature dragon. Fully grown. That wouldn't be an easy fight, even for a First Class SOLDIER. “Tifa-” 

“I'm coming with you! You'll need a guide back, right?” She interjected, her tone making it clear it wasn't a discussion. 

And they didn't have time for one, “Cloud?” 

“On it,” he said, reaching out and scooping Tifa up bridal style, earning an embarrassed squawk from her. Any other time, he never would have been brave enough for it, but the dragon was still falling to the ground and they needed to get there. With a slight bend of his knees, he launched himself into the air alongside Zack. They landed on a small outcropping of stone that crumbled under the force of their next launch, which sent them flying through the air high enough to see the dragon attempt to slow its descent. 

Its wings fanned out, revealing that one had been slashed deeply and so wasn't much help. The result was a thunderous crash as the dragon smashed into the ground behind a cliff, but Cloud heard the sound of trees snapping like toothpicks and a pained roar from the dragon. Wordlessly, they raced over while Tifa clung to him, and he didn't even have the time to savor that as they rapidly approached where the dragon fell. 

Dust from the landing still lingered, but it didn't obscure the damage done -- a long trench was carved into the ground, upending trees or shattering them to splinters. It continued on for hundreds of feet, but in the distance, Cloud could see the dragon getting its bearings back. 

“Tifa, stay here,” Cloud said, setting her down as he drew his broadsword, as did Zack. 

“R-Right,” she agreed as the two of them raced forward through the dust. Their approach didn't go unnoticed as the dragon shifted around, shaking off rubble and its injuries, with flames licking at the edges of its mouth. 

Cloud positioned his broadsword before his body before the fire washed over them as they sped forward. For a long second, his world became nothing but heat and light. Without his enhancements, he'd have been flash cooked, dead by the end of that second even before the rest of his body burned. His skin stung sharply, but only for a moment as his sword took the brunt of the damage. As he erupted from the spewing fire, his blade glowed red at the edges, telling him the danger of their foe. 

“Blizzaga!” He shouted, activating the Materia and in response, a winter storm swept over the dragon's head. Hardly a trouble for it, but it obscured its vision enough that Zack was able to launch his own attack. 

He darted forward, sweeping underneath the dragon's exposed neck and slashing at it. Fire erupted from the wound in his wake, and the dragon sputtered and hissed, yet was far from defeated. 

The dragon was injured, heavily so. His first thought had been that Genesis was fighting it, but the wounds… he'd sooner believe that it was another dragon that it had been fighting against. There were chunks missing from the dragon, cuts that looked like they came from a jagged claw rather than a sword. Steaming hot blood ran in rivers from every injury, telling Cloud the monster was half dead even before the impact. Yet, it still wouldn't go down without a fight. 

The dragon lashed out blindly, half mad. It still spewed fire, uncaring that it further tore open its own throat from the force of it. It stomped forward, lashing out with long arms and wings, and its tail. He and Zack were forced to work in harmony -- one of them drawing the attention of the beast while the other struck. When they did, the dragon would focus on the attacker, leaving an opportunity for the other to strike. 

Their blades carved through the thick scales, but not deeply. Not like the rest of the wounds on the dragon. It forced them to target the vulnerable areas where the scales weren't as dense -- the underbelly and joints. It felt like they were playing a deadly game of cat and mouse when it happened. 

A screech echoed through the air, catching Cloud off guard. He immediately went on the defensive, raising up his blade, but the mad beast that erupted from the smoke and dust wasn't attacking him. 

It slammed into the dragon's flank with a spray of blood and gore, sending up a great gout of steam into the air. The dragon roared, clawing futilely at its side, but all it managed to do was leave its intestines behind. It thrashed, trying to escape, but the creature that attacked it emerged from its chest with a final spray of blood -- an enemy that they battled for minutes felled in seconds. Zack positioned himself at his side, watching the figure as it emerged from the steam and… 

“Genesis?” Zack questioned, not lowering his blade as disbelief colored his voice. 

The only trace Cloud saw of the man in the beast was his coat. It was the same red leather, but that was it. 

His hair was stark white while his skin had gone stone gray -- his face could have been carved from a statue, and he almost thought it was a mask when he saw two other faces that covered the sides of his head. One was twisted in a sorrowful wailing while the other was frozen in laughter, as if it had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Wings sprouted from his back, two on one side of his body and they were both blood red. 

Something was wrong. That much was obvious by the fact a monster was wearing Genesis’ coat, but it ran deeper than that. He could feel the Mako in his veins screaming at him, revolted by whatever it was he was looking at. The horror he felt didn't entirely feel like his own, but there was plenty of that. 

All the more so when the blood red wings and extra faces began to sink back into his flesh, revealing an ill looking Genesis that eyed them with a dangerous fury. “I told you two to stay where you were!" He snapped at them, shifting his blade that seemed to meld back into the proper shape. “I had it! I need it! Go! Away!” 

Cloud opened his mouth, but Zack placed a hand on his shoulder before responding. “You're right, sir. We disobeyed orders. We'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit.” 

“I don't care enough to punish you. Just stay the hell away from me until I say otherwise!” He snapped, and Zack snapped off a sharp salute, prompting Cloud to follow suit. Without another word, the two of them marched away… 

But as soon as they were out of earshot, even for a SOLDIER, Zack pulled out his satellite phone. It barely rang once before someone on the other end picked up. 

“Angeal? It's Genesis. We have a huge problem…” 

And little did they know it at the time, but that was a grave understatement.