Title: Identity Theft
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Prompt: 27. Parents
Characters: Cloud and Zack.
Rating: R. Zack and Cloud curse. Hey, they're teenagers.
Notes: Another gift from Random.org.



"Where's the General?" Cloud asked. The office seemed that much larger because the green monstrosity that was the General's desk was empty.

Zack, slouching behind his workstation, kept most of his attention on his monitor. "Seph's got his quarterly date with Hojo in Deepground." He typed one-handed for a few seconds before allowing himself to shudder. "Deepground... Deepground is a bitch," Zack huffed. He blinked, snapping out of reverie. He winced, hissed out a "Fuck", and looked up at Cloud. "Let's forget I said that last part."

"Shit I shouldn't know?" Cloud said.

Zack nodded. "Keep on forgetting your security clearance isn't the same." He grinned. "I'm going to get the three AM vi--shit, you didn't hear that, either." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear, you're a threat to corporate integrity or some shit. I stare into those baby blues and I'm ready to say anything."

The Soldier tapped a few more keys, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms. Cloud had all his attention now. "Yeah, well, Hojo. He's a bitch, too. You got to meet him during the initial physicals, right?"

Cloud's memory called up the image of a man with greasy hair pulled back into a thick tail. Sallow skin, bony face, and eyes obscured by the glare from his glasses. Cold, cold hands prodding. Soft, disdainful grunts as he moved Cloud's arms and legs back and forth, checked reflexes. "Yeah," Cloud said. "I got to meet him."

"You'll be seeing a lot more of him once you're in Soldier," Zack said. "Motherfucker still gives me the creeps. Don't know how Seph stands it, all those damn exams every three months and the random check ups. Fuck, you'd think Hojo was his dad or something. And the shit's been going on for years, according to Angeal."

"But... wouldn't Sephiroth's parents have a say in--"

"Ward of the Company, kiddo. He's been boned since he was a baby."

Cloud thought of some sort of special file, tucked away on a disk that Zack had stashed somewhere, that would cut through firewalls and detections like Zack himself cut through anything. "There's got to be records on him, right? I mean, something somewhere that says how Sephiroth got--"

"Not going to touch that one."

"Why the hell not?" Didn't he even care? Zack had to care. He... he... was Zack. "Doesn't he deserve to know?"

Zack bit his lip and ducked down to open a drawer. He produced a small materia, rather low level. He tossed it to Cloud. Cloud recalled lessons on identifying materia properties. Focus. Let the signatures come to you. Keep in control. Flashes of rainstorms, the rumbling of distant thunder. A Lightning?

Zack turned off his workstation, then strode over to Sephiroth's and did the same. He went back to Cloud and plucked the materia from his hands. Zack gripped the materia, which immediately responded with a soft light. He took a breath and whipped his free hand towards the wall. The emission was slight, only a quick flash that sank into the wall. The Soldier moved back and waited. A series of hisses, crackles, and pops started where Zack had aimed the emission, then traveled around the room. Cloud followed the sounds, slowly turning around until he faced Zack again.

He was smiling. "One of your instructors taught me that one. Couldn't very well start spilling any more shit until the bugs were taken care of."

"Anyone, anyone who's tried to get shit on Sephiroth has failed. Anyone that's gotten too close they've taken away for a little chat." Zack seemed to have remembered about Cloud's proper security clearance level, because he didn't mention anything about Turks or night visits. "I'm leet, but I'm not stupid. Only so many people have the know-how to try this kind of shit. Once they figure that it's not Avalanche, and they know the Turks don't give a fuck, then my ass is grass. All hypothetical, of course." Zack gave him a little smile.

"Don't think I haven't thought of it. If anyone deserves to know just how much the Company's fucked him over, it's Seph. But that's going to take a miracle."