My Hero

Four

The fall of the Sector Seven plate was tragic and devastating, not just for Avalanche, but for everyone. If  there was anything, anything good about it all, the smallest light in the darkness, it was that most if not all the remaining people around were working together to get through.  Of course there were already small factions forming, those who were angry with Shinra for resorting to such measures, and those out to get whatever or whoever remained of Avalanche for causing this mess in the first place.

It was too much to ask the people to look for a bright side so soon after calamity, but that was fine. It was more than likely that a lot of people would view Cloud as their enemy. Only those who knew him would be willing to help get him back. 

Tifa wasn't going to ask civilians to fight. She knew that it was going to take a confrontation of some sort to get him out of Shinra's clutches, it was far too dangerous. Besides. this was their responsibility, so they needed to be the ones to make things as right as they could be.

"Barret, have we had any luck figuring out where any of the others are? I saw Wedge before the plate fell, and Jessie too, while Cloud and I were on our way up before. I haven't seen Biggs at all, but.." It was probably too optimistic to assume that they were all completely safe, but she could hope that they were at the very least alive. Wedge was injured, she knew that, and Jessie had been just as lively as ever when they last crossed paths. Tifa was really worried about Biggs, since he hasn't been in contact. She was pretty sure Barret hadn't heard from him at all either.

"For now, I'm gonna assume that everyone else is okay. I'll be right about it until I'm proven wrong. Soldier Boy is a different case. He's probably fine, but he won't be when I get my hands on him." Loathe as he was to admit it, Cloud was a pretty good outlet for Barret's emotions, even if his anger and irritation wasn't completely legitimate. It just gave him something to focus on. He still had his daughter to worry about, then all the others on top of that. He was concerned for Cloud too, but it was easier to have a set goal in times like this. "So, you got some kind of plan? Cause if ya don't, I say we just head right up to Shinra HQ and give em a piping hot can of whoop-ass. They're on sale right now."

Tifa's lips drew into a thin line, and for a moment, she didn't say anything. It wasn't so far fetched, not really. "If we try that with just the two of us, we're bound to get caught, or worse. He might be at their mercy right now, but I know he's still worrying about all of us. It won't help him at all to go and get captured ourselves. But, I actually do have another plan in the mean time."

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Marlene's presence was extremely helpful, as ironic as it was. She served as a constant, a reminder of why exactly Cloud was putting up with all the harsh tests and treatments. In the past, he hadn't had anything like that to help him. He didn't remember anything too much, but the amount of pain he'd suffered back then was burned into his memory with no signs of ever going away.

At this point, the Mako was not only effecting him physically, but mentally as well. When it started, he couldn't say. It had just been quiet passing thoughts, 'I want to break something', or 'I feel like I could take on an army.' But before long, those thoughts started becoming louder and more..aggressive.

While Marlene was sleeping, and Hojo wasn't antagonizing them, Cloud was left alone with his thoughts. He had no real way to combat them, short of having a physical deterrent or some other issue to worry about. 

...It's dangerous to have her in here..But it'd be far worse to have her anywhere else.

That must have been the Professor's plan from the beginning. Introducing the child as a means of earning the blonde's compliance, promising she would get to stay by his side to ensure her safety - but after enough time passed that way, Cloud would slowly become more of a threat to her. If she were let out, then the other Shinra scientists and Hojo himself would be able to reach her. On the other hand, if Cloud made any wrong moves within the small space of their enclosed tube, he could severely wound or even end up killing her.