Time: 3months after 'The Return of Heroes'
Setting: World Regenesis Organization (WRO) headquarters.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7(DUH!). However, the OC and the plot are my own creations. XD silver lining…
Chapter 1
Fulfilling Obligations
The sound of thunder boomed overhead. Angry storm clouds loomed above the suburbs. In the streets, the pedestrians scurried in every which way, trying to find shelter before the rains came. Women hurried to bring in the laundry and the children were told to come in as the tang of wetness foretelling the coming downpour was already present in the odorous city air.
By the sidewalk, street hawkers hastily pack up their stalls, pushing them into the sheltered areas in front of the shops where the pedestrians were congregating. But the rains never came. A daunting silence descended upon the city folk as the howling winds suddenly ceased. Hat-wearers clung tighter still to their hats for fear of trickery.
A few brave souls peered from under their shelter and from behind closed curtains. They saw that in the distance, a foreboding darkness was working its way towards them at a rapid pace. It cascaded through the sky and the angry storm clouds were quickly swallowed by the black menace. The street lamps blinked to life but they offered no warmth against the great chill and cold fear which now descended upon the inhabitants of that community. The children started to cry and several adults could now be seen running away from the scene, screaming, terror-stricken.
A white wave of energy reverberated through the area from the same direction as the darkness, splitting the buildings and structures in its path. This was followed by another, then another, sending the crowd into a panic frenzy. Soon, everyone was screaming and running in all directions. Those fortunate enough not to be crushed by the falling debris were trampled underfoot. The city, in all its grandeur, was reduced to a crumbling pile of rubble.
The scene abruptly changed. Scarlet flames erupted in a pitch black environment. A thousand bodies appeared within those flames, writhing in agony as the flames licked eagerly at their sides. The air was filled with the stench of burnt flesh. Their faces were frozen in a silent scream.
The scene changed once more. A lone warrior stood atop a mountain of fresh corpses with his face plastered in a malicious sneer. His eyes glowed an electric blue and his unruly auburn hair was wet with preparation. His armor and blade were stained, dripping with blood. He arched his back and a maniacal laughter chimed through the air.
"NO…!" Dark eyes flew open as Bernice Talwin abruptly sat up in her bed. A glance at the digital clock which hung on the wall told her that it was three in the morning. She sighed and made a quick evaluation of her surroundings. The white woolen blanket and pillow strewn on the carpeted floor revealed that she had been thrashing in her sleep…again.
She shut her eyes and rubbed her face with her palms. Her skin felt cold and clammy to the touch. She bit her lip and found that the cold sweat held no taste.
Sighing heavily, she allowed herself to fall back onto her bed. 'CLONK' Pain erupted in her cranium where her head made contact with the metallic bed head. Instinctively, her hand went to massage her newly acquired sore. Cursing under her breath, she reluctantly got to her feet.
The pillow and blanket were hastily retrieved, and out of habit, the bed was neatly made. She trudged sleepily to the bathroom where her customary cold shower awaited.
Feeling slightly more refreshed after the shower, she gathered her coal-black hair into a single braid and donned a pair of long black pants, a maroon colored long-sleeved turtleneck and a long black sleeveless coat. As she pulled on her black leather gloves and shoes, her eyes scanned her bedroom.
The light of the full moon filtered through her window, casting the sharp silhouettes of her metallic furniture onto the metallic walls. It reflected off the ivory-white casing of her cell phone atop her bedside table and glinted off its silver engravements featuring a phoenix rising from a field of lilies.
Bernice buckled on her sword belt. She smiled slightly as she caressed Spirit—her gun-blade. A soft glow radiated from the silver and white gun-blade as it caught the moonlight. Spirit bore the same engravements as her phone along its slender blade. She fingered the design fondly. Her phone and gun-blade were her most prized possessions, being gifts she had received when she had first arrived on Gaia. She holstered Spirit and pocketed her cell before leaving the room.
The shooting range on the eastern side of the WRO headquarters had become one of her favorite haunts ever since the nightmares started, three months ago. These nightmares, which have become increasingly common over the past few weeks, have been depriving her of a proper night's sleep essential for a young warrior in training—a fact that which had become frightfully obvious in her marksmanship.
She fired several rounds. The bullets tore through the air and found their mark upon the cardboard target at the far end of the range. She stifled her frustration after retrieving the target. Five sets of holes… That would definitely put Vincent in a fix. On that note, her eyes searched the shadows. Nothing. She reminded herself that, her mentor, Vincent Valentine, was likely to be on yet another mission for the WRO. Not surprising since Gaia was once more on the verge of an all-out war. Besides, all her training sessions had ceased when the fact became evident, though she reasoned that it was also because she didn't need them as often anymore. She had proved as much during her first mission. She frowned slightly. The thought of that event still left her feeling insecure, despite the somewhat happy ending.
Hours later…
She sat with her forehead resting in the cup of her palm, waiting. It was nearly 9 in the morning and the mess hall was empty save for the janitor who was cleaning up the residual mess left by the resident WRO operatives at breakfast. The soft classical music wafting through the speakers were only interrupted by the occasional sloshing and splashing made when the janitor drained the excess water from the mop.
All in all, the mess hall provided an excellent refuge from the regular hustle and bustle of the headquarters. And with the nightmares plaguing her in her sleep and the dread of the inevitable confrontation nagging at her every waking hour, she needed it.
The presence of giggles and the pitter patter of feet in the corridor alerted her of the arrival of her charges.
Marlene and Denzel rounded the corner and turned into the mess hall. Having heard them a minute before they arrived, Bernice took the liberty of positioning herself just beside the doorway.
"I win!" Marlene panted.
Denzel pouted, "You just got lucky."
She stuck her tongue out at him before scanning the mess hall. "Where is she?"
"Both of you should have been here ages ago." Bernice said in an irritable tone, making both children jump. Grinning with satisfaction, she surveyed the precautious duo. They definitely seemed winded, which probably meant that they'd raced to the mess from the other side of the headquarters. She glanced at their hands and their shoes. Dirt, still damp, could be found underneath their fingernails. A few broken blades of grass clung to their muddy shoes. She narrowed her eyes. "You two were goofing off in the garden again?"
They averted their eyes from hers. There would be no lying their way out of this one. Both of them nodded.
She sighed. "Go clean up, then headed for the study. You've already lost an hour of your reading time." She handed them a couple of bags of sandwiches, which they meekly accepted before nodding and leaving. Both still taking great care to avoid her eyes.
Leaning against the wall, she sighed again. Sometimes it was hard to believe that those two, despite who their caretakers were and what they'd been through, could be so undisciplined.
She recalled when Tifa had put Marlene and Denzel in her charge. It was only a couple of days after their escape from Genesis's clutches. After hearing about who they were up against, Commissioner Tuesti began sending Cloud and the others on separate missions every now and then. Even the WRO soldiers she knew would move in and out of the headquarters regularly. 'Keep an eye on them for me', Tifa had said. She had, of course, consented, although she did feel just a little disappointed at being made a babysitter after all that had happened. However, she came to appreciate the fact that Tifa and the gang were entrusting her with the two people which meant the most to them. A fact which had become evident when Barret himself came up to her to tell her to 'keep Marlene safe' while he was gone before leaving on his own mission. His goodbye to his daughter had also been (somewhat) heartfelt, and Bernice had smiled at that. Later, she had also reasoned that they were probably attempting to 'keep her busy' (for more than one reason) while they were away.
In the study, Bernice, Marlene and Denzel sat at a long table. Several books as well as a stack of WRO newsletters lay strewn atop the polished wood. They each held a book in their hands. Bernice had asked them to read and understand a page in the books they had chosen. She would have them recite and explain some of the passages on those pages later on.
Presently, Denzel set his book down and began poking Marlene's arm. The nine-year-old squirmed in irritation whilst trying to resume her reading. Her eyes remained glued on the words, but her face was wrinkled with the effort to keep herself from screaming at her adopted brother.
Bernice lifted her gaze from her book and said casually, "Denzel, quit poking her arm. I can guarantee it's going to feel the same no matter how many times you do it." She paused, and then added, "Besides, if you're done, you could've just told me so. We're all eager to hear what you've been reading about."
He took the hint. Grudgingly, he went back to his own reading.
Bernice stared fixatedly at the book in the hands. However, the words didn't register. Her mind wandered off to the first day she had (more or less) endured with the kids. Hidden behind the paperback reference book, a smile crept across her otherwise serene visage. The start of their relationship had been a rocky one, to say the least…
They were in the lobby. Tifa gave her a hug before turning to the two children who stood quietly by one of the huge columns. She drew them into a loving embrace. Upon letting go, she told them to be good and that she would be back soon. Before leaving, she offered Bernice a curt nod and her trademark reassuring smile.
And that was it. From that moment onwards, the two children whom she knew hardly anything about became her responsibility. They spent a moment staring at each other, as if sizing each other up. Being in foster care, Bernice Talwin was not without any experience in caring for kids who were more or less their age. And experience dictated that handling kids was a tough gig.
At length, she mustered a warm smile and offered her hand. "Hey," she began.
Both children glared daggers at her. "Who are you supposed to be?" the boy retorted.
Feeling rather taken aback at their response, her hand had quickly dropped to her side. The smile, however, was still firmly plastered on her face. 'Tifa had said that they were well-behaved angels…' she thought to herself. It was a good thing the last two years of intense training had instilled in her, a strong sense of self-control. "My name is Bernice Talwin. I've been asked to watch you while the others are gone."
"Another Babysitter?" the girl interjected. Her eyes met his before locking onto Bernice's. "We can take care of ourselves!"
Bernice frowned inwardly. This would complicate matters. She shrugged, "Sure." She considered the girl's rebuke and added in a cold tone, "But let's get one thing straight: I am NOT your babysitter, NOR am I some kind of nanny that your caregivers have hired."
She turned to leave, and without a backwards glance, she said, "Well, if you need me, I'll be in the mess hall. Smell's like they've finally cooked up something worthwhile for lunch."
She tore herself from her reverie and took a quick look at them. Denzel was flicking the corner of a page back and forth. After reprimanding him, she went back to her thoughts. She was glad that the tension between them had gradually subsided as the weeks passed. It wasn't too long ago that she discovered the reason for their apparent hatred for her…
Contrary to what she would have them believe, she had never let them out of her line of sight. After all, she was one to take her assignments (no matter how informal) seriously. Unknown to anyone, she had overheard their conversation in the garden.
Marlene and Denzel were sitting in the shade of a huge oak, with their backs towards her. Thus, they hadn't suspected a thing when she edged silently towards them.
"…It's just not fair." Marlene was saying. "Why can't they just leave us alone? Aerith's returned to the Lifestream, and now, daddy and Tifa are never around anymore." Her voice was laddened with tears.
"Yeah, neither is Cloud." Her brother added sadly.
There was a long silence, and Bernice was about to leave when Marlene began to speak.
"Denzel?"
"Hmm?"
"D-do you think Celest made it out alright?" Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.
"I don't know. You saw what happened to Midgar…"
As stealthily as a ninja, Bernice Talwin slipped away. She had heard enough and had decided then and there that she would allow them some space.
Presently, Bernice set her book down. "I'll be right back. You guys stay here, alright?"
No response.
In the lab, Shelke was hard at work on her latest gadget with a screw driver in hand. She averted her focus from her prototype when her friend came through the door. "They're getting worse, aren't they?" she said nonchalantly.
Bernice slumped into a vacant chair. "The nightmares? Yeah, I'm getting the same one more and more frequently now." She quirked her brow.
It often amused Shelke to see how much her friend resembled her mentor. "You look terrible." She replied mater-of-fact. The gun-blader sighed. "Is it ready yet?"
"No," said Shelke shortly.
When the recurring nightmares began, the commissioner worried that Genesis might have somehow gotten into her brain after all. He had immediately given the orders to have them analyzed, just in case. And since it was agreed that they would not, under any circumstance, expose Bernice to mako tanks, the task of fashioning new equipment for that purpose was left to Cid and Shelke.
Since then, Bernice was no longer called to any of the meetings, and neither was she sent on any missions like her friends were. Besides that, whether subconsciously or not, her friends had seemed to become a little more distant and cautious when interacting with her. While she understood their concerns, it still saddened her to think that her friends, the ones she had come to know as her family, had such little faith in her. Although, she would sometimes find herself wondering if Genesis had, in fact, managed to gain control of her without her knowing. Was their being able to escape just a clever gist of some grander plan of his? It would explain why DG had made no attempts since the attack three months ago. Could he take control of her at any moment? Maybe use her to kill her friends at some critical moment?
The probabilities had constantly etched with worry and laced with dread.
Shelke seemed to read her mind. "You're stressed out." She said.
Bernice shot her an irritable glare.
The former Tsviet did not seem to notice. "Vincent has faith in you." She continued.
Her eyes softened. "Hmm?"
"That's what he told everyone during the meeting before he left."
"Why?"
"Remember when you came at us like you were going to finish us off?"
Bernice nodded.
"You had Cerberus in your left hand. Vincent knows you can't shoot with your left hand."
Her heart gave a leap of joy. She was relieved that at least one of her comrades still trusted her. "And you?" she asked with a coy smile.
"I wouldn't have said what I did if I didn't," she replied. "Still, everyone will know for sure when the results come out. Just give us a few more days and we can have our first trial."
She nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks, that's all I needed to know. I should be getting back to the kids. Be seeing you."
Bernice had been astounded to learn that Marlene and Denzel had never attended school. Both of them were great at conversations but when it came to reading and writing… they knew little beyond basics. Thus, she had taken it upon herself to teach them. Both children had complained, but only after she promised to spend as much time teaching them how to fight as she made them read. Marlene had shown a great deal more zeal for learning than Denzel.
Which was why it didn't surprise Bernice to find him asleep when she returned to the study, but it was odd that Marlene wasn't paying attention to her book. She flicked the pages back and forth absent-mindedly.
"What's wrong, Marlene?" Bernice asked, hoping that she wasn't ill.
"Nothing," she replied off-handedly.
"Hmm?" Bernice looked at her questioningly.
"I just miss Tifa and daddy," she said.
"Oh," she said. "You know, you and Denzel are very lucky to have people like Cloud, Tifa and Barret to care for you and to have someone to miss when they're away."
The little girl shook her head sadly. "They often go away for long periods at a time. They're always doing dangerous things, like killing monsters and stuff. What if they get hurt?" Her eyes moistened.
"They're just trying to make the world a better place, not just for you and Denzel, but for everyone else too. We all are." Bernice replied as she knelt down in front of her. She smiled reassuringly at the nine-year-old, and then added, "It's what heroes do."
As she wiped off a tear, familiar words glistened in the back of Bernice's mind: "This...this is why we kill…Evil unchallenged is evil sanctioned. We destroy evil to stop them from denying the innocent of their lives, and of their freedom."
Yeah, that's what heroes do.
a/n:
Right, so here it is. The sequel you've all been waiting for. I hope you liked the first chapter.
I've decided to base the each chapter on something heroes do, like self-sacrifice and such, so if you guys have any suggestion for the titles…yeah, that's right. REVIEW ME! So go ahead, PUSH THAT BUTTON ON THE LOWER LEFT CORNER! I NEED inspiration!
Val .
