Few enjoyed the company of others, and Cloud Strife was among them. He had been a loner since the day he was born in small town known as Nibelheim, and to this day he was a loner. He rarely was seen with anyone but the other Angels and mostly that was Rufus he saw most. As they approached the Shinra Building later, Lilith went her own way while Rufus and Cloud retreated to the lounge.

If someone didn't take a moment to look at Cloud and Rufus they would think the two Angels were brothers. Each had golden blonde hair, each had blue eyes, and each had about the same build to them. The people at Shinra had gotten used to the fact they looked alike though, and with each young man's personality, it was easy to see they could never be brothers.

The lounge was a bright lighted room on the 59th floor of the Shinra Building, a fake tree standing in the center of the small area and long tables positioned around it. By the windows sat large bushes embedded in soil against the tile floors. To the right was a small bar, with a large quantity of drinks. Rufus immediately saw the familiar uniform of a Turk seated there, most likely Reno with that shock of red hair.

"Want something to drink?," Rufus asked Cloud.

Cloud thought about it for a moment. Hunter would surely want to know they were back, but Lilith had said she would take care of Hunter. Cloud had his doubts in her, but he went along with it. Nodding to Rufus, he followed the Shinra to the bar.

"You guys," Reno muttered. "Great."

Rufus grinned. Reno never did have a soft spot for the Angels, as the Angels never did for the Turks. There was a story told once that Tseng, the leader of the Turks, had gotten into a fight with Hunter one night and both claimed it was the other's fault. It seemed to be one of the many reasons why an Angel could never get along with a Turk.

As Rufus ordered a drink, the intercom crackled to life. "All Angels and Turks please come to President Shinra's office."

Rufus sighed, shoving his drink back and not accepting his money when the bartender offered it to him. He and Cloud wandered to the elevator, and Rufus motioned for Reno to come along. The Turk dragged his feet off the ground and followed, hanging his head in boredom. The elevator slowly came to life, and it slipped up the long wires that held it. Cloud watched Midgar City lighted up below them through the glass windows, feeling small compared to the City. His mother had told him stories about Midgar sometimes. She said it was a great city, full of lights and people, and everyone there had a job they made good money at. Until now, Cloud believed her. He realized there were poor people living in the slums, and not everyone was making a good living of their self.

The elevator halted at the floor below President Shinra's office, the doors sliding open to let them into the small office there. Rufus saw that his father's secretary was seated there, her name being Sara Mithchell from his memory. Thinking little off it, he continued toward the office when a cold hand fell on his shoulder. He turned around to face the person, an angry and firm expression coming to his face.

"Hunter," he remarked suddenly.

It was the one Hunter Roberts, a skilled and deadly fighter. Even when Cloud was a simple rebel to the leader of the Angels, the man still sent a chill up his spine for some unknown reason. He would never admit it to anyone though. Hunter's cold gray eyes fell to the young Angel, while pushing a strand of black from his face. His hair came to his shoulders, always combed back neatly with water, nothing more. In his Angel uniform he looked even more mysterious than before, and was one of the many reasons why a chill traveled the length of Cloud's spine when he saw the man.

"Good to see you decided to join us, Rufus," he said coolly.

Rufus was a short tempered person, and he easily flared at Hunter's sarcastic nature. He calmed himself though as Lilith made her appearance before the four men. Reno grinned, thinking about many things at the time. Cloud put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it firmly.

"Lay one hand on that girl and Rufus and I will personally murder you," he growled in a low tone.

Rufus stepped over beside Cloud to even further show their point. He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. Hunter then pushed past the two Angels and the Turk, Lilith behind him. Soon Rufus and Cloud trailed after them, leaving Reno to follow them.

President Shinra's office was large and well groomed. In the center of the room was a large desk, suitable for only a man of his tastes. There were large windows over looking the city at the three walls behind Shinra's desk, each cleaned to it's best. For President James Shinra himself... the man was dresses in an expensive Armani red suit, a maroon hankie in the pocket. In his mouth was an even more expensive cigar from a country south no one wanted to bother with naming. Everything in this room could pay for ten meals for a family of six in the slums, all the food the best.

He puffed on his cigar, sending rings of smoke into the air. "Thank you for coming," he said in his always low tone as the last two Turks scurried in. He looked over the two groups of his best employees. The skilled and well mannered Turks, dresses in navy blue, and the dangerous and very skilled Angels, dressed in black. It was obvious President Shinra favored the Angels over the Turks, but he said nothing more for a moment, simply puffed on his cigar further.

"So...," he began, "Lilith, tell me of what you and Cloud discovered at Sector 7."

Lilith glanced almost nervously to Cloud. He shrugged, his hands falling into his pockets again. It was turning into a worse habit when he was in situations he couldn't handle well.

"We learned AVALANCHE was planning to bomb the reactor nearby," Lilith replied to the president's question. "But we were too late to stop it."

The president simply nodded. Rufus watched as his father got up from his satin red chair and wander to one of the many windows, gazing down to the city below. He wasn't a man to care much, and the loss of the reactor meant nothing to him.

"I saw something, sir," Rufus began, calling his father sir out of a fake respect her was supposed to hold for the man. "When I was off I saw a group of five people, all very excited and leaving the reactor bombing. It could have possibly have been AVALANCHE..."

Hunter turned to look at him. Rufus had let the terrorists escape?! Hunter muttered something that no one caught, but still received a hot glare from Rufus Shinra. He sighed softly.

"Possibly?," President Shinra repeated. "Ah, I see. You left without checking it out, didn't you? Well, to make up for this you and Cloud are to go to the next reactor AVALANCHE is planning to strike and stop them. And not fail...."