Disclaimer: Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft and various other interested parties, not me. I'm not making any money from this, and no infringement of copyright is intended. This is a work of fandom, intended as appreciation of the original work.

Chapter 19

A soft but persistent beeping drew Cloud out of sleep. It was very odd to wake up without reveille playing loudly somewhere nearby, and for a moment he was disoriented. The fact that his 'bed' was warm and solid and apparently breathing didn't help his confusion.

It was Sephiroth's voice that reminded where he was, as the general picked up his PHS and said "Report." Blinking sleepily, Cloud lifted his head and discovered that he was still tucked against Zack's body with Sephiroth's jacket draped over them both like a blanket. Zack had at some point leaned back against the wall and dozed off as well.

Either they hadn't been asleep very long, or Sephiroth had renewed the fire spell heating the walls, because it was still comfortably warm in the cave. Given the ruddy sunlight spilling in from the entrance, Cloud was betting on the latter. It must be sunset, or close to it.

"Guess the communications network is working again now that the storm is past," Zack murmured in his ear, shifting to stretch slowly. "None of the PHS units were functioning yesterday. Better get up, we'll probably be leaving soon."

Stifling a yawn, Cloud sat up and worked his way out of the nest created by Zack's body and the jacket. He was stiff and a little sore from sleeping in such an awkward position, but not bad all things considered. Once he got moving again his body would warm and loosen up. Outside of the warmth of the thick leather jacket he started shivering again, and quickly reached for the rest of his clothes and equipment.

The sound of a soft but heartfelt curse from Sephiroth startled Cloud into dropping the sweater he'd been about to put on. Looking over, he saw the man closing his PHS with a dark look on his face.

"Bad news, sir?" Zack asked, his voice worried. "How many did we lose?"

"Surprisingly few, all things considered," Sephiroth said, standing gracefully and moving to take his jacket back. "Unfortunately it seems our quarry used the cover of the storm to make an escape. Two of the SOLDIERs stumbled across his base while out searching for survivors, and it's completely empty."

"Damn!" Zack's curse was no less heartfelt than the general's had been. "That's at least twice he's gotten out as soon as reinforcements he knew he couldn't handle arrived. He's got to have an inside informant somewhere. Someone who can monitor troop movements."

"Classified, lieutenant," Sephiroth reminded him with an oblique glance at Cloud. "And yes I know you were there as well, corporal, but if you'll recall none of you were cleared to know the information you received then."

"I understand, sir," Cloud shrugged. "Uh... for what it's worth, though, the sword and rifle companies assigned here aren't the same ones that were in Mideel. As far as I know Zack and I were the only troopers who were in Mideel who are here now."

"And quite a few of the SOLDIERs here," Zack told him. "We were a little too distracted at the time to realize it, but that was a unit of the Specials that came with the general to Mideel. But you don't really think it's one of us tipping the guy off, do you sir?"

Sephiroth opened his mouth, but Zack waved him off before he could say anything. "I know, I know. Classified. Damn it, how are we ever supposed to figure anything out if everything is classified?"

"It's not your job to 'figure things out', lieutenant," Sephiroth said, amusement once again clear in his voice. "That falls to those of us who have the clearance to know the classified information. Your job, at the moment at least, is to focus on getting back to camp."

"Yes, sir," Zack said, though his salute was a bit flippant. Cloud sighed quietly and shook his head, hiding his smile by pulling his sweater over his head. Zack would be Zack, even with Sephiroth. He was clearly stilled awed by and respectful of the man, but it was 'respectful' in Zack's own unique way. Thankfully Sephiroth seemed to take it in the spirit in which it was intended, rather than taking offence as many officers would have.

"Well, at least it's bright and sunny out there, and our goggles will protect us from going snow-blind," Zack said cheerfully as he tugged his coat on and slung his sword over his back again. "Sounds like the wind has died down, too. We shouldn't have any trouble finding our... uh." The dark-haired boy had crouched to crawl through the opening, and paused. "Um. Sir? We have a small problem."

Cloud was closer, so he got there first, leaning down to peer outside. It didn't take long to figure out what Zack had seen. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, eyes wide as he surveyed the rows and rows of monsters arrayed in front of the door, waiting patiently. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Tugging him back as Sephiroth approached, Zack got them both out of the way so the general could see. "That's got to be every damn monster on the glacier! And they're just sitting out there, waiting. That's not natural."

"Very little about these beasts is natural, lieutenant," Sephiroth said dryly, crouching to see out the portal. "Though this is certainly confirmation that they're being controlled by..."

He broke off suddenly and snapped out the words of an Ice 2 spell, jerking back out of the entrance. The spell froze over the opening, creating a thick shield of ice. Moments later Cloud heard the dull impact of bodies on the other side.

"It seems they were waiting for me to put in an appearance," the general said, his glowing green eyes narrowed. "Our enemy knew or guessed at my presence here, and sent them to wait for me. They ignored both of you, and attacked the moment they saw me."

Wincing at the sound of a much louder thud, accompanied by the cracking of ice, Cloud looked at Zack and the general. "That won't keep them out for long."

"Another few hits, and it'll be gone," Zack agreed. "We can call for reinforcements, but by the time they get here it'll all be over. It takes hours to get here from camp."

"There should be at least one group still here in the valley," Sephiroth said, pulling out his PHS again. It only took a moment for him to issue the necessary orders, but in that time Cloud could see the ice shield was already falling apart.

"One more good hit, and they're through," Zack warned, one hand on the hilt of his buster sword.

"Stay behind me," Sephiroth ordered, straightening and putting a hand on Masamune. "At all times, both of you. I don't want you caught in the blast radius of an area effect spell."

"We've got your back, sir," Zack said, his eyes glowing brighter than usual with the anticipation of a fight. "Right?" He tilted his head and winked at Cloud.

Nodding once, firmly, Cloud drew his own sword. "Right." He was more than a little nervous about going to battle against a sea of monsters, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with Zack or the general, but he certainly wasn't going to cower in here while the other two fought!

"Let's do it!" Zack cheered, and Cloud thought he caught a glimpse of a small smile on the general's face before the man was obscured by a rising green glow of powerful magic.

The ground shook, and a large chunk of the side of the cavern fell away. Cloud had to squint against the sudden bright light, even through the dark lenses of his helmet, but that didn't stop him from charging out with Zack right behind the general. Masamune swept a clear path through the monsters in front, while Zack and Cloud chopped at the ones trying to come in on their flanks.

Everything slowed down, as if he was watching the world in slow-motion. At the same time the air in front of him shimmered momentarily with colour, and Cloud realized the general had caste Haste and Wall on all three of them. The protection of the Barrier and MBarrier would wear off soon enough, but the Haste would remain and it would give them an advantage they would need.

Taking the opportunity while the protection lasted, Cloud let himself be a little more bold than he usually would be in attacking the monsters. Sephiroth had manoeuvred them so their back was mostly protected by the undamaged part of the rock outcropping, so they only had to deal with attacks from three sides.

Cloud's world narrowed to the uneven rhythm of a sword fight. Slash, block, thrust, parry, slash again. Keep moving, because standing still was just asking for something to take you by surprise. Don't let your guard down, don't let yourself get drawn too far from your group, and above all, don't die.

The flying creatures were the most difficult to deal with. Thankfully they didn't seem to have much in the way of long range attacks, so they had to get within reach of a sword in order to hit. They liked to hover just out of reach, waiting for you to look away to defend yourself from a ground strike before they darted in to bite or sting. If you kept an eye on them, though, then the rabbits or golems or other land monsters would take advantage of your distraction. The only thing for it was to dodge them as best you could, and hack away at the beasts on the ground.

Sephiroth moved like lightning in human form, sunlight flashing off his blade and his long silver hair. Cloud couldn't help but wish he had the time to just watch, because he was sure it would be a mesmerizing sight. Every so often the general would clear enough space around him to allow him to sheath his sword briefly and concentrate on a spell, and then lightning or fire or even a summon would rain down on a group of enemies.

At his back Zack was less graceful and deadly than the general, but still a terror in his own right. Cloud couldn't see much of him, but he could sense Zack's movements as they fought back to back, covering each other and the general as well. It really was like an odd sort of dance, trying to anticipate your partner so you didn't leave gaps in your defences.

As the bodies piled up around them, the monsters couldn't charge them as fast. On the other hand, Cloud at least was starting to get tired, his swings growing sloppy and uncontrolled as his muscles protested the abuse he was putting them through. He'd sustained half a dozen minor injuries, any one of which was barely significant but which taken together were slowing him down. The Haste was still in effect, but the Barrier and MBarrier had long since faded.

Panting and trying to get his breath in the frozen air, Cloud firmed his grip on his sword and grimly continued to fight. If he gave up, if he fell, then Zack and Sephiroth would be unprotected for a crucial minute until they realized what had happened. There was no way Cloud was going to let anything get through him to hurt his friend and the general, not while he was still alive.

One of the flying snakes dive-bombed him, and he took a step back to dodge and give him room to thrust up at it. He managed to skewer it and the weight of the body pulled his sword down and off-centre, breaking his defence. Two of the golems rushed in to take the opportunity, slashing at him and nearly knocking him over. His armour kept him from being cut in half but he still felt the full crushing force of the blows. With a wild yell he wrenched his sword around and slammed it into their sides, snake carcass and all.

The golems were nearly impossible to kill with physical attacks, but he'd damaged one of them enough previously that it fell apart under the impact. The other was staggered and fell, promptly lashing out at Cloud's legs from its prone position.

He tried to hop over the attack, but he wasn't fast enough. Crying out a warning to Zack and Sephiroth he went down, rolling in the snow to avoid the blow he knew would be coming. The golem's arm plunged deep into the snow, trapping it long enough for Cloud to reposition himself beneath it. With a grunt of effort he kicked up and flipped the thing off him and onto its back, and staggered to his feet.

The golem was struggling to get upright again, but there were plenty of enemies willing to take its place. He was hurt, badly enough that he wasn't sure he'd be able to stay standing, let alone move and dodge. Taking deep breaths to help him ignore the pain, he moved back to his place at Zack's back and braced himself for the next rush.

Something tingled as it descended over him, and for a moment he thought it was an attack by one of the fliers. He flailed to try to throw it off, but even as he moved he saw that his arms were covered in dull red magic that was rapidly spreading over the rest of his body. In his distraction one of the insects managed to jab him, but the sting of the injury barely even registered before it was gone.

Regen was a spell Cloud knew only from his textbooks; he'd never seen it cast before. He recognized it when he saw it, though, and felt strength flooding back into his limbs. "Thanks!" he called to whichever of them had cast it on him, and waded back into the fray. It wouldn't last forever, and a strong enough blow could still knock him out, but for at least a few minutes he was more or less invulnerable.

He slashed at the largest creatures, ignoring the small ones for the moment since they couldn't cause more damage to him than the Regen spell could heal almost instantly. Desperately he wished for a stronger sword; the standard issue sword was good enough for drilling and even fighting humans, but some of these things had tough armour. Zack wasn't having nearly as much trouble as he was, and the Masamune cleaved through everything it touched as easily as Fire 3 could melt snow.

If he couldn't have a better weapon, a crate of ethers would have been an acceptable substitute. Cloud had been hoarding his own magic since he had no way of recharging his energy. Sephiroth either had plenty of restorative items with him, or just had so much magic energy that he wasn't worried about running out.

To say that the attack from behind caught him by surprise was an understatement. If anyone was going to break and let the enemy get at their vulnerable backs, Cloud had assumed it would be him, not Zack. The blow was hard enough to knock him to his knees, and his numb fingers dropped his sword into the snow. Only the Regen spell let him stay conscious at all, and somehow he managed to gather enough wits to roll away in case another attack was coming.

His armour was dented badly enough to make it hard for him to draw breath. He was almost amazed his spine was still in one piece. As he rolled onto his back, Cloud struggled to his feet again and looked to see what had made it past Zack's defence.

Only to find himself barely able to dodge a swing from the massive buster sword. It wasn't an enemy at all; it was Zack.

Zack was attacking him. Zack was attacking him. It took Cloud's poor beleaguered brain a few moments to work through that astonishing revelation, but thankfully his reflexes and the Regen spell kept him in one piece as Zack hit him again. Blocking the next thrust desperately with his own sword, Cloud tried to draw enough air to shout. "Zack! What are you doing?"

The older boy hesitated, drawing back for a moment, and Cloud saw the way he was reeling as if he was in a daze. Zack's steps were unsteady, his expression confused, and when he turned to hack at a golem that had swiped at him, it was clearly a reflexive action.

Looking past his friend, Cloud caught sight of a familiar blue figure standing safely out of sword range behind another group of monsters. For a wild moment he thought it was the same woman he'd killed earlier, but then he spotted another one further out. They were absolutely identical, as was the third one he saw on the other side. That more than anything reassured Cloud that they were indeed monsters, not just mutated humans.

Quickly averting his eyes, hoping that would keep him from being trapped as well, Cloud ducked another attack from Zack. The tingling feel of the Regen spell had worn off now; one good blow from his friend and Cloud would be out of the fight, if not dead. "General!" he shouted. "The blue women, they cast Confuse or something similar to it! Be careful of them!"

Reaching for the energy in his materia, Cloud mentally unhooked the All from his Fire and targeted the blue woman closest to them, presumably the one who'd gotten Zack. She went down in a screaming column of flame, but her death didn't free Zack as Cloud had hoped. The older boy was attacking a monster again, but it was clear that he wasn't in control of his actions.

Something impacted Zack on the chest and broke open, releasing the sharp smell of herbs and chemicals. Cloud recognized the distinctive scent of a remedy, and a moment later Zack blinked and shook his head. "What the..."

"Keep away from the blue ones if you can," Sephiroth said tersely, targeting another of the women with a burst of flame. "I'll take care of them; they can't reach me past the protection I have equipped. Concentrate on the rest of them."

"Watch out!" Zack said, his eyes wide as he lunged past Cloud like a human lightning bolt. He swung his massive sword and cut right through the rabbit that had been about to strike Cloud from behind.

Cloud didn't even have a chance to say thanks before he had to counter an attack from a snake. Shrugging to himself, Cloud figured they might as well stay where they were, and he settled in to fight on the other side of the group.

There was no way to tell how long they fought after that. Cloud didn't exactly have time to check his watch between enemies, and the Haste spell made everything seem to drag on endlessly. Every time one of them started to flag from exhaustion or injuries Sephiroth would cast Regen on them, and they just kept right on fighting. Cloud's sense of time passing blurred and shrank down, until all he could focus on was whatever he was currently fighting.

For all that, though, the last of the sunlight hadn't faded from the western sky by the time the sounds of fighting and gunfire reached them. Cloud looked around from his last kill and saw troops running up through the snow in the distance, the SOLDIERs in front targeting the monsters with spells and the rifle corps firing from behind. The sight of reinforcements was immeasurably cheering to Cloud, especially since the remaining monsters broke and ran before them.

Panting, Cloud spiked his sword into the ground and leaned on it, trying to ignore the shaking in his limbs. Spells and potions could keep you going almost endlessly in a fight, but they were a drain on your body's resources that had to be paid for eventually. Zack was resting against the wall of the shelter with his eyes closed and the buster sword dragging on the ground, and even Sephiroth looked tired as he knelt to wipe Masamune's blade clean before sheathing it.

"Well, whatever else we know about our enemy, we know he's good at breeding monsters fast," Zack said, cracking his eyes open. "If he keeps moving around like this, every area in the world is going to be swarming with them before long. And that's not even accounting for the ones in the wild which may or may not be caused by the reactors." He gave Sephiroth a sardonic salute. "If nothing else, I guess it keeps us in business without Shinra having to find another rebellious country to 'liberate'."

"Speak softly when you say such things, lieutenant, and be wary of who might be listening," Sephiroth warned him quietly. He moved towards the reinforcements now heading more slowly for them, and the weariness Cloud thought he'd seen before vanished. The general was moving as if he'd just rolled out of bed, fresh and rested.

"Well, that's interesting," Zack said, staring after him with a bemused look on his face. "Every time I think I'm starting to figure him out, he throws me for a loop again. I'm not sure I'll ever understand him."

Groaning, Cloud picked his way over to a relatively clear patch of snow and sank down to sit, giving his weary legs a rest. "I don't know if anybody can," he replied. "Nobody else has ever gone through the sorts of things he has. I mean, think about it. He's not as old as I thought he'd be, so that means he couldn't have been any older than we are during the war in Wutai, but he was already a general. He's the prototype for the SOLDIER program, and he's way stronger than any other SOLDIER."

"Yeah, I know." Zack shrugged, and gave Cloud a lopsided grin. "The more time I spend around him, the more grateful I am that I've got you. If he's got anyone he considers a friend, I've never seen them. Must be lonely at the top."

"Well, unlike him, you need someone around to keep your head from swelling so much you can't fit through doorways," Cloud muttered, scooping up a handful of snow and throwing it at the older boy.

"Corporal. Lieutenant." Sephiroth beckoned to them, indicating they should join him with the rest of the group.

"Sir!" they both replied, and Zack gave Cloud a hand up out of the snow before saluting. Cloud was somewhat amused to note that now Zack was crisply professional, the perfect lieutenant to the core. At least the older boy was smart enough not to dare to be relaxed with the general in front of other people.

"The two of you will return to the base camp with the rest of the troopers," Sephiroth informed them as they halted three paces away and saluted again. "Lieutenant, you'll have charge of the group. The SOLDIERs and I will be continuing on to investigate the empty encampment the others found."

"Yes, sir!" Zack said smartly. He hesitated, then added boldly, "Be careful, sir. It could be another trap." Beside him Cloud nodded slightly, knowing Sephiroth would catch the minute gesture and understand that Cloud was as worried as Zack. Surely even the Silver General would be low on resources after a battle like the one they'd just been though, and Sephiroth had seemed tired before the rest of the troops had come close enough to see.

Once again he caught a spark of amusement in Sephiroth's eyes, even as the general lifted an eyebrow at Zack. "I'm quite aware of the possibility, lieutenant. Your concern is unnecessary. Dismissed."

Unnecessary, but not unappreciated, Cloud thought to himself as they saluted again and turned to join the crowd of troops. He couldn't help but wonder how many people had ever seen even the slight signs of exhaustion Sephiroth had showed in front of them.

"You know, if we're not careful, one of these days you and I could end up being his right-hand men," Zack murmured cheerfully as they walked away, echoing Cloud's thoughts. "We just have to keep running into unlikely, deadly situations, worming our way out of them somehow, and impressing the hell out of him. No problem."

Cloud was too tired to laugh, but he could chuckle. "You're delusional," he told his friend with fond exasperation. Trying to picture himself being that close to and trusted by the general was frankly laughable. "I'll settle for being a SOLDIER, and if I make it into the Specials I'll be ecstatic."

"Bah, you think too small," Zack scolded him, ruffling his hair. "C'mon, let's get everyone back to the camp. There's hot food and a warm bedroll there with my name on it."

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