Two Letters and a Number

Many Many apologies for not updating here. I had gotten distracted and had forgotten this story was here. So you get two chapters as an apology and that will bring everyone up to date.

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Sam was staring at everyone in stunned disbelief as her mind whirled. It wasn’t scientifically possible for the red cloaked man to change like that, growing mass and wings on a whim. And she *knew* they had left Sephiroth back on the Shera, so how did he get *inside* the sealed tank with *wings* of all things that vanished in green light? She knew the tank had been sealed because she had heard the hissing of compressed air escaping when the other man had ripped the door off.

The man, Zack, walked over to Daniel and wrapped his shirt around Daniel’s eyes and ears. “Things are going to be disorienting for a while. Just relax and we’ll take care of you.”

“Zack?” Daniel’s voice was soft and confused as he reached out and grabbed the younger man’s arms. “What’s going on? We’re not in the Lifestream ‘cause Sam and Jack are here, but you’re dead.”

That got a quiet laugh from Zack, the kind that invited a person to join in on the humor. “Long story that I’ll tell you all about after we get you and Spike on board the Shera,” he promised.

“It’s not scientifically *possible*!” moaned Sam, holding her head as she tried again to figure out how everything had happened. “A person can’t suddenly gain and loose mass like that even taking into account his clothes, and you can’t just appear in a sealed chamber without there being some evidence of an entry way.” She glared at Sephiroth who was still holding a naked Cloud Strife and why hadn’t she noticed that before? “And I *know* we left you aboard the Shera, so how did you get here before us and get into the tank?”

“Magic,” drawled Sephiroth, raising a silvered brow at her.

She shook her head. “Magic isn’t real. Technology can be advanced enough to appear to be magic, but there is nothing that can’t be explained by science.”

Zack walked back to Cloud’s side and motioned her over. “Come here a minute. I want to show you something, okay? I promise it won’t hurt, and it might give you a little bit better understanding.”

Slinging her rifle across her back, Sam walked over to him, a bit wary but willing to see how he was going to explain this. He crouched down next to one of those toxic green puddles that lingered in front of the one tube and glanced at Sephiroth who also crouched down before motioning her down with them.

“This is mako. It’s the liquid version of the Lifestream,” began Zack, holding out his hand to her, and Sam slipped her fingers into his, surprised at the calluses on his skin. She wouldn’t think that someone freshly brought back as he had would have calluses on his hands. “It’s what Shinra used for a power source for a long time, cheap and easy to get.”

There were quiet footsteps behind her, and Sam looked up to find Daniel being escorted over by Jack and Teal’c. Jack’s shirt had been wrapped around Daniel’s waist to give him a bit of modesty, but that was all he was wearing.

“Do you mind if we listen in on this explanation as well?” asked Jack as Daniel knelt on the floor, one hand reaching out to brush against Cloud’s leg before grabbing on.

Zack smiled at them. “Well, it’s a bit more show and tell than flat out explain,” he remarked, twining his fingers with Sam’s before lowering their hands into the liquid.

She gasped softly as thoughts/feelings/memories slipped through her mind, her eyes closing to listen to them better. It was different than Jolinar because she wasn’t being shoved to the back of her mind, but the voices and emotions were still there. Anger, fear, sorrow, and desperation swirled through her mind as the voices threatened to sweep her away. Then, a new voice entered the cacophony, but this one was stronger as if the person was right next to her instead of off in the distance like the others.

‘Sorry... tried protecting him... shouldn’t be hurt.... don’t be mad at him... accident... twin brother... not possible... not a Shinra.... lied again.... Zack, where are you... lost... help me...’

Just as suddenly as it began, the voice stopped, and Sam blinked, dazed as she realized her hand was wet but with water this time. She looked at Zack with wide eyes. “What the hell was *that*?” she croaked, cradling her hand to her chest. She was almost afraid the voices would start again if she touched anything.

“Sam, what happened?” asked Jack, and she turned to look at him, the words taking a few minutes to fully make sense to her addled mind.

“It was voices, feelings, in the mako,” she explained, slowly finding the words for her experience. She shook her head, seeing the question in Jack’s eyes. “Not like Jolinar. I wasn’t taken over, but it was still intense, like a wave crashing on the beach, threatening to sweep you off your feet if you weren’t careful. Then there was this new voice, closer, like the person was right next to me instead of in the distance like the others were. It was fragmented, as if the person couldn’t really string together enough consciousness to speak in complete sentences.”

Zack smiled at her, a gentle grin. “That voice was Cloud,” he explained, and the blond hummed in response to his name. “He’s a bit lost right now, but we’ll help him back.”

“I remember him being there, in the voices, shielding me,” remarked Daniel, speaking softly as if anything louder would hurt to hear. “There was so much yelling and screaming as emotions and memories were thrown at us, but he took every blow, trying to protect me.”

“That was probably the original inhabitants of Nibelheim making their displeasure known,” remarked Reeve, walking over to drape his long tunic-like jacket over Cloud. He brushed the damp bangs off of Cloud’s forehead, and Cloud hummed again, turning his head into the touch. “It’s okay, Cloud, you’re safe.”

Sam watched as Cloud blinked, his eyes turning from slitted green back to the familiar electric blue, and awareness started trickling back. A hand came up, searching for something, and Zack caught it, pulling Cloud’s hand to rest against Zack’s cheek. Tension seemed to flow out of Cloud at the contact.

“Z’ck?” There was a wealth of emotion and questions in that simple broken word, and Sam stared at Cloud, actually seeing him for the first time. He looked so young, nothing like his reputation made him out to be. Sam hadn't gotten a clear look at him in Seventh Heaven that first time or even at the ruins of the Shinra Tower, but he had seemed older then, at least in his thirties. Now, however, he didn't look any older than his early twenties.

“Hey Spike. Welcome back,” greeted Zack with a grin.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” slurred Cloud, more awareness appearing on his face as he continued blinking like someone waking up from a long nap. He shook his head and grimaced as if he had tasted something horrid. “Not ‘stream.”

A friendly chuckle slipped out of Zack as he brushed a finger down Cloud’s nose, getting a wrinkled nose for his trouble. “We’ll explain everything back on the Shera while the doctor checks you over, okay?”

A panicked look flashed across Clouds face, and he whimpered as he clutched at Zack’s hand while his other flailed for something to grab. Blindly, Daniel reached out and grabbed that hand, holding onto Cloud as tight as possible. “Cloud, I’m here. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. Neither will your friends.”

“Dan’l? Firs’ Cl’ss now. Can’ hide tha’.” Cloud’s forehead wrinkled in frustration as he tried to talk, and Sam wondered if it was a side effect of whatever had happened to Cloud or if it was something else.

“Yeah, I know, Cloud, but you need to get better to teach me how to deal with this,” stated Daniel, his voice soft. “You can’t expect Zack to do a good job of it, do you?” That got a soft laugh from Cloud as Zack quietly protested with an amused "Hey!". “So, how ‘bout we get out of here and into fresh air that doesn’t reek of mako?”

Sephiroth glanced at Zack before transferring the blond over into Zack’s arms. “I have a few things to do here,” he murmured, smoothly rising to his feet and sweeping out of the room before anyone thought to protest. Sam saw Reeve glance at Vincent before Vincent nodded and followed Sephiroth. She wondered what that was about, but before she could ask, Zack rose to his feet with Daniel following him, both holding Cloud.

“Time to blow this place,” remarked Zack with a grin. “Hey Donahue, mind carrying Daniel?”

“I can walk,” protested Daniel with a frown. “I just... need someone to guide me right now.”

Donahue chuckled as he walked over and gently scooped up Daniel, getting a startled yelp for his troubles. “Yeah but until you get use to everything, walking around barefooted is not going to be fun. Welcome to the Firsts.”

“Is there anyway to reverse the process?” Sam asked, looking at everyone. “Can’t you use those to change him back?” She gestured a bit helplessly at the tubes, hoping someone would announce that all they had to do was shove Daniel back in, press a few buttons and everything was done. Instead, her suggestion was met with an almost pitying silence from the Gaians.

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Shaking his head at Major Carter’s naivete, Reeve gestured for people to start making their way out of the room. It was one thing to understand that she was not from the same world as them, but Cloud had said that he had explained the SOLDIER process to Daniel. Hadn’t he passed the information along to his companions? “The SOLDIER process is irreversible, Major Carter. It changes a person on the cellular level.”

He turned to face Chang and gestured towards the tanks. “Make sure those can’t be used ever again, Chang.”

“You can’t do that, Tuesti,” protested Tseng as the Wutainese SOLDIER moved towards the tanks. “This is Shinra property, not WRO.”

“Actually, I can,” drawled Reeve with a smirk as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Since Cloud’s call that night a week ago, Reeve had been carrying around a copy of the agreement that had created the WRO, signed by both Rufus Shinra and Reeve himself. The original was still in a very safe place, but something had told Reeve that a copy would be needed. He unfolded the paper and held it up to face the Turks. “According to this agreement between Shinra and myself, any newly discovered laboratories once used by Professor Hojo are mine to do with as I wish, including all the information they contain. If any laboratory is not turned over to my control, then Shinra forfeits a percentage of his company and resources, monetary and personnel both, to WRO.”

Reeve turned his back on the wide eyed Turks and gently motioned for people to move against the far wall as Chang stopped in front of the tanks. “In order to give you a good idea of what Dr. Jackson will be able to do now, please keep an eye on First Class Chang's demonstration, Colonel O'Neill. I also would like to point out that Mr. Change is smaller than Dr. Jackson, and his strength will be proportional.”

Chang grinned, a hot and bloodthirsty grin, before bowing briefly at his audience. Straightening, he turned to Daniel's tank and with a hiss he shut the door. He pulled back his fist and punched the glass, causing some small cracks to appear. A second punch forced the cracks to spider-web out until a third punch shattered it completely.

“That glass was reinforced to survive anti-artillery fire from a mobile tank,” Reeve remarked with a deliberately casual tone as he glanced at the wide-eyed stare of the Tau’ri.

Daniel frowned, his head tilted as he rested in Donahue's arms, listening to what was going on around them. “Cloud only needed one punch.”
That got a soft chuckle from Zack. “Spike's special like that, part of a matched set if you will." Zack shrugged and smiled in amusement, as if that didn't matter.

Snarling some impressive sounding Wutainese curses, Chang shoved his hands through the sides of the tank and heaved, splitting the tank in two before dropping the parts on the floor. He turned to the other tank, drawing his sword. He struck at the tank with a battle cry, slicing through the metal as if it were a loaf of bread. There was a groan of protesting metal before the two pieces separate with a loud clang. He sheathed his sword and bowed again, looking as composed and unruffled as a Turk normally does instead of the rather impressive warrior he had just been.

“And Daniel will be able to do that?” asked Jack, his eyes a bit wide at the demonstration. Reeve nodded, unable to stop a smirk from spreading across his face.

“Cloud destroyed the other lab with his bare hands,” Daniel offered, his voice a bit louder than it had been. “He only used his swords on the table and Zack’s tube.” he sighed and rubbed at his cloth-covered eyes. “Can we go now? I’m tired of this place and I’m sure Cloud is too.”

Reeve nodded before gesturing for everyone to leave the room. “Chang, can you make sure that the mako pipes are disabled permanently once Sephiroth and Vincent have finished their business here?”

“It will be a pleasure, sir,” Chang purred with a smirk as the Tau’ri started filing down the hallway leading out with Dr. Takajira right behind them.

“Lucky bastard,” grumbled Donahue with a good natured glare at Chang. “You get to destroy stuff and I’m stuck playing a chocobo.”

Chang’s smirk grew sharper at the grumbling. “You were the one who decided to rival Thor for strength and sheer size. Meanwhile, I’m perfectly happy to be a son of Wutai.”

There was an almost defeated air hanging around Elena as she followed Tseng out of the lab, her shoulders slumped, and Reeve took a long look around the lab before catching Chang’s eye. With a smirk and a thumb pointed to the ground, he quietly gave the First Class permission to completely trash the lab, verifying that nothing would be useable ever again. The grin on Chang’s face when Reeve turned back to follow the others outside was one to rival Sephiroth’s when the Black Materia had been handed over.

Emerging out into the sunlight, Reeve took a deep breath and felt his shoulders relax as he started towards the town. He’d have to collect Cloud’s belongings and Fenrir before loading them onto the Shera, but the ship had room for the massive machine. Plus this would give him a chance to look it over for Cloud, make sure nothing had happened to it while they were in the lab. A throat being cleared behind him caught his attention, and Reeve turned to find Jack standing there, an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Can I come with you? I have a few questions I wanna ask,” inquired the Tau’ri and Reeve nodded as he turned back to the path. Jack fell into step next to him, and they walked a bit in silence before Jack spoke. “There really isn’t a way to reverse what was done?”

Reeve shook his head. “Hojo never meant for the process to be reverse. What good would an improved fighter be if it was easy to undo the procedure, making the fighter nothing but a simple man again?” He kept his gaze riveted on the collection of buildings ahead of them. “Dr. Jackson is still perfectly capable of living a normal life. He just needs to be more careful and retrain his body so his instincts mesh with his new abilities.”

“Is he a danger to anyone?” Reeve could tell that it wasn’t a friend asking but a commander, and he reached out to rest a hand on Jack’s shoulder, stopping in the road.

“Everyone is dangerous,” Reeve pointed out, his voice calm. “He’s no more a danger to you than he has been before.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, meeting Jack’s worried gaze with his own calm one. “Look, you haven't been around SOLDIERs all that much, since Zack's been holed up in his room with Sephiroth and Aerith. Before you start labeling anyways, step back and talk with Zack and Cloud. And more importantly, just watch them.”

They walked a bit farther towards the town and were almost to the inn when Jack spoke again. “So, what’s a chocobo?”

Smirking, Reeve walked into the barn and pointed at the large birds. “That's a chocobo. Both transportation and weapon, when trained properly."

The look on Jack's face had Reeve howling with laughter as he leaned against the barn door. By Freya, it felt good to laugh like that after the last week.

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