(Note: This story takes place four years after the original game, meaning two years after Advent Children and one year after the events of Dirge of Cerberus. Anyone who has not at least played DOC may be slightly confused by the presence of some characters and some references in this story.)
"Reeve Tuesti", came the young girl's calm voice in a manner that was slightly what one would imagine a computer to speak like. She stated the name, more confirming the identity of the man before her and announcing her presence than anything else.
"Shelke", the man replied warmly, and gentle smile gracing his slightly bearded face. "I'm glad that you have come".
Reeve guided the small girl into the relatively small building, the long blue sleeves of his over coat hardly wrinkling as he ushered her inside. The room inside was small, but it might have appeared bigger had there not been a giant, multi-screened computer against one wall.
Reeve turned to his old friend and took in her new appearance as she also assessed him. His short black hair had grown little in the year since he had last seen her, and with his entirely navy attire he seemed to not have changed at all.
Shelke however had ceased to wear her dark Deepground garments and had brightened her appearance remarkably. A pale pink turtle neck graced her chest but lacked sleeves, leaving her seemingly weak arms bare. A darker pink pleated skirt hung on her hips and fell just short of her knees. And her hair still curved away from her face but was now long enough to reach her shoulders. Despite her being twenty years old, her appearance still remained that of a ten year old girl.
"Your call was quite unexpected Reeve Tuesti", she stated calmly and her eyes followed his movements about the room.
A small laugh escaped his lips as heard her say that, and shook his head as to shake free some sort of answer. "I didn't myself to contact you either Shelke, but as it turns out I am in dire need of your help". She was silent, waiting for his continuation. "I need you to dive for me. I'm sending Cait Sith into a heavily guarded building and I haven't a clue where to go. All I know is that I need to get to the basement. And I need you to dive into the system's mainframe and guide me through the building".
"I suspected as much", she said as she blinked her eyes slowly. "But I need more information than that. What building? And why must you invade it in the first place? Surely there must be something important there for you to call upon myself for assistance".
Reeve laughed again, a sign of his nervousness. "Nothing gets past you does it? Rufus Shinra, the president of Shinra Inc. He and his Turks appeared to have disappeared after the incident with Kadaj, but I have been informed that they were recently spotted journeying from Junon back to Midgar. My men didn't get much information before they had to report back but apparently they were moving back to Midgar because they needed to keep something in a place where no one could reach it where it was tightly secured. But that leaves options open, meaning it could be anything. I need Cait Sith to go in and gather information while searching for this object in question".
"Maybe the true urgency of this issue evades me but as far as I can tell the presence of a hidden 'object' does not appear to be a crucial matter", Shelke insisted cooly. "People need to secure things quite frequently, and they are of no consequence".
"Alright", he sighed. "But I have a feeling about this one. A feeling that something isn't quite right. But no matter, if you will not help then I'll take my chances going in blind".
There was a silence between then before Shelke finally sighed and strode past him towards the computer. "I never said that I wouldn't help", she snapped slightly.
A helmet lay on the ground but it was easy to see the cords that ran from it to the back of the computer. Almost all the screens on the wall consisted of the views from different cameras in the Shinra building, but the one in the center was moving slightly with its breaths and appeared to be hiding in one of the many barrels that were positioned outside the building.
Shelke's hands curved around the helmet before she slid it delicately over her head. Her once blue eyes stared into the visor and became a bright orange. Reeve pulled up the small black chair to the computer and watched the screens intently.
"Can you hear us?", Reeve questioned.
"Quiet and clear!", stated the large robotic cat a little too loudly.
"Silence", Shelke commanded as she focused on finding a safe path inside. "About five feet to the left of the guards at the front gate, there is a small vent that leads directly to the 60th floor. In the time it will take you to get there I will have accessed information on the whereabouts of this 'object' as well as a layout of the entire building".
"Righto!", the cat replied enthusiastically.
Reeve watched on the screen as a one of the barrel lids lifted up and quietly slide atop on of the other barrels. Though the cat was boisterous he was also appeared to be quiet stealthy when need be.
Cait slide out of the barrel and hopped his way along the lids, making his way towards the front gate. Five guards were positioned strategically in front of the main doors and as he scanned the building Cait spotted the uncovered vent exactly where Shelke said it would be.
He crept along the ground, keeping low he made a large arc away from the front doors as to get close to the building. Doing so he pressed his small body into the corner between the ground and wall and crawled at an agonizingly careful pace towards the vent, the nearest guard entirely oblivious to his presence. In an instant Cait was scrambling through the outlet as fast as could push his body through the small cramped space. In what seemed like forever to the impatient feline he had finally reached the conference room. Gripping his claws around the vent cover he slide it out of place and leapt down into the small room.
"Good", Shelke commented. "I've uploaded a map of the building and I have discovered the location of the 'object' in question. It has been referred to as Project Remnant in the data files that I have uncovered. Shinra Incorporation had to move Project Remnant to a new location because it is stated that Project Remnant is a new weapon. One that the citizens of Junon did not enjoy having in their presence. Therefore Shinra Incorporation moved the weapon to Midgar where it has been assumed that its presence will bother no one. There are no data files however describing Project Remnant's appearance or what exactly it does as a weapon", she finally concluded.
"Alright then", Cait Sith chimed as he made his way towards the door. "Where to next?"
"Exit the door", she stated calmly. "There will be two guards to your left patrolling the hallway. There is a small straight stretch ahead of you with a room, similar to the one you are currently in, at the end. Head there and I'll give you further instructions".
"Remember", Reeve interrupted. "You can't let anyone see you or you'll be traced back to me and then there will be multiple problems".
"Sure thing Chief", Cait confirmed.
He carefully clicked open the door ahead he peered his small head around the corner and saw the hallway and guards that Shelke spoke of. There were about two statues in between Cait Sith and the guards, giving him a convenient to hide when the guards turned their attention in his direction.
Cait scrambled along the ground, pressing himself against the statues each times the guards began to move as to avoid being seen. Slipping past them was simple enough as the only time they could really see him was when they were moving.
Reaching the room on the other side he found stairs leading both upwards and downwards.
"Go up", Shelke commanded. "Apparently the weapon is not where you had assumed, it is on the top floor of the building..."
She seemed almost hesitant with her answer, as if considering something while wishing she could undo what she said.
Cait Sith started up the stairs, his feet pounding against the hard plastic that covered the wooden base.
The stairs seemed to drag on forever as the robotic feline bounded up then, both his and his creator's patience wearing thin.
"Stop", Shelke commanded suddenly.
Cait Sith froze, acknowledging the door that rested with the wall to his right.
"It leads to the lab", she informed him. "That's where any files on Project Remnant have derived from so far".
Cait Sith nodded and padded his way (quietly) out of the door.
The floor was silent, and it appeared as if not a soul roamed the poorly colored and dirty tile floors. He peered around, taking note of the separate hallways, but one caught his attention.
Down the floor to his left was a way the curved slightly to the right, whatever lying beyond hidden by a new wall.
"The lab...", Reeve breathed in confirmation.
"Go in...", Shelke commanded almost hesitantly.
No one seemed to notice though as Cait Sith had already pounded his way through the large swinging double doors that blocked his way.
In the center of the lab was an ample cylinder container with a green liquid inside it that appeared carbonated. Just behind it there was a large computer and test desk, papers scattered all across in a messy fashion; as if someone had been searching for something and not taken the time to put everything (or anything for that matter) back in its place.
"Check those papers", Reeve commanded as if that weren't the most obvious place for the cat to check.
Ignoring Reeve's ignorance to Cait Sith's AI the feline scuffled over to the desk and began sifting through the papers, tossing irrelevant ones behind him where they floated about randomly before creating a new mess on the ground.
"Nothing Chief!", Cait stated. "Nothing but a big mess!"
"It's a trap", Shelke stated calmly. "All the data files that I've uncovered so far were decoys, set out to lure someone trying to sneak in. They were prepared for someone to attempt to uncover information on 'Project Remnant'. And now they are on there way to the lab where Cait Sith will be ambushed".
She pulled the helmet from her head; as her eyes were still in the process of changing from orange back to their original blue she yelled out to the screen, "Get out of there NOW!"
Cait Sith bounded (faster than one would expect) out of the decoy lab and into the conference room; scrambling to get a better footing he leapt for the vent, clearing the table and gripping the edge of the hole in the roof with his sharp claws causing his body to swing forward. The door behind him burst open and as he remained swinging from the ceiling rifles were cocked in his direction.
"Fire!", came the command.
Without a moments hesitation Cait Sith pulled his body up into the ceiling and bolted through the vent, not once ignorant to the holes that were exploding in the metal merely inches behind him.
"That was too close!", Cait breathed heavily.
Shelke sighed in relief. "There's something not right about this".
Reeve turned his attention towards the young girl, awaiting her continuation.
"This...Project Remnant. It is supposedly an instrument designed for the people, so why is it such a secret? And the title strikes me as odd also..."
"As it does for-"
"We shall launch an investigation tomorrow", she announced suddenly. "I have, what you like to call, a 'feeling', now as well".
"What do you propose then?", Reeve asked. "We couldn't possibly..."
He left the end of his sentence unfinished as an idea struck him.
"Will you call the others or shall I?"