Subject C

Chapter One: The Battle of Bravura

"The President needs you, sir." Myra Hartlem called, stepping into Cloud's apartment. She fought back a wince as she stepped on shattered glass, focused on the task at hand. The room was dark despite a window taking up an entire wall, and all was quiet– like the very room held its breath. If she looked hard enough, she could see the faint silhouette of a man standing in front of the window, gazing into the depths of the city with a drink in his hand. "He says it's urgent."

"Contact him." Cloud replied. "Notify him that I will be in his office in five." His assistant left with a silent nod, the soft click of the door closing in her wake. He sighed before throwing back the rest of his drink and walked into his bedroom. He pulled on his uniform– a First Class tactical suit with a few black belts, silver pauldron, and thick, leather coat. He lifted each piece of his fusion sword from their mounts on the wall, merging them together and slinging the blade over his back.

It hardly took any time at all to reach the President's office. Cloud's pent house was just below Sephiroth's on floor 68 with easy access to the elevators– and everything else at his disposal. He brushed past the assistant at the front of the room, standing at attention before Heidegger and President Shinra.

"Strife, I understand you have been general for a month as of today."

"Sir." Cloud replied, relaxing his posture.

"Director Lazard has informed me of a development at his location." The President handed the Head of Public Security a file. "Wutai has adopted guerrilla warfare into their strategy against Squad A-1 near the no-mans-land northwest of Nibelheim. A chopper is being prepared as we speak to deliver you to the mountains where you will reach the position and evacuate the Director. Understood, SOLDIER?"

"Yessir."

"Prove your worth to Shinra." Heidegger said as he handed Cloud the file. "Don't make us regret your promotion."

The general gave a brisk nod and saluted the President before walking onto the roof, tucking the file away in his coat. Wind ripped through the air as a helicopter drew near, a disturbance on the smog-tinted night sky. It tore at his clothes and through his hair, but he hardly moved– his strength was far greater than a mere gust of wind. The chopper hovered a few feet over the landing pad as Cloud approached, and an Elite Security Officer threw the side door open. The general ran a few steps before launching himself into the air and landing inside, lurching forward as the helicopter swiftly flew away.

"Show off." Reno, the co-pilot, laughed, glancing over his shoulder at Cloud.

"You're the one who chose the Turks. You could have been a SOLDEIR." He replied, pulling out the file.

"Too hard. Besides, it's too late for me anyways. You were born this way, yo."

The general shook his head and studied the map in his hands, trying to make sense of the Director's handwriting. Fort Tamblin was forty miles north from Sephiroth's current location; he and the Director's positions were closer than expected. Angeal and Genesis were making their clean up rounds on the boarders of the mountains, steering clear of the front line.

The heart of the war was fought between Fort Tamblin and the capital of Wutai, the battleground donned the name the 'Blood Cauldron' due to its bowl-like enclosure in the Wutai Mountain range. The Director was positioned a mile south of the front line, nestled dangerously in the midst of a dense forest flanked by a mountain. Though Cloud surpassed most other SOLDIERs when it came to traversing across such regions, the mission was dire and his first as general. If he failed, Shinra could fall with him.

The chopper reached Wutai within four hours, and during which time, General Strife memorized the map and the enemy's positions before deploying into the snow. Cloud shivered and drew his coat closer around him as he watched the helicopter disappear, beginning his trek along the mountains. Before long, sleet poured from the heavens in heavy waves, blinding him to his surroundings– yet another setback.