Vincent was not exactly a morning person, and Reeve knew that. Still, the head of the WRO had nowhere else to turn for help; Rude, Elena and Tseng had been dispatched to facilitate clean-up in the wreckage of what had once been Mideel. After the Lifestream erupted, basically levelling the town, the citizens of Mideel were slowly rebuilding what had been lost. The Shinra outpost in Mideel had been rebuilt since the disaster, and it was there that all of the Turks - save for Reno - had been assigned.
When his mobile phone rang, Vincent's first thought was Rude, and in his languorous, sleepy state, half-expected to hear his lover's gravelly voice on the other end of the line.
"Reeve. It's you," Vincent said bluntly, not disguising his displeasure at being woken from what had been a very pleasant dream about he, and Rude, and the beach on Costa del Sol.
The head of the WRO laughed dryly in response. "I'm sorry to call at such an early hour, Vincent...I know how much you value your sleep." It was true, Vincent reflected briefly; all those years in the coffin, he'd vacillated somewhere outside of the realm of sleep and death, but just barely. But now...now that he had Rude... Vincent paused before answering Reeve, taking a deep sniff from the pillow beside him. It smelled of clean aftershave, stale sweat, and Rude. Vincent stopped just short of letting out a wistful sigh, suddenly remembering that Reeve was still on the line.
Vincent sniffed at the pillow again, felt the familiar tug at his groin, then gave an exaggerated groan as he shifted the phone receiver to his other ear.
"Yes. Well. I'm awake now, Reeve," Vincent replied with an air of patience worn thin. He liked Reeve, really, but the man could be rather obtuse. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you have a cold, Vincent? You're sniffling," Reeve inquired, sounding fretful.
Vincent laughed dryly. "I'm fine, Reeve. Anyway...I'm assuming you didn't phone me to inquire about my health, right?"
Reeve chuckled warmly. "Straight to the point, as always, Vincent. As a matter of fact...I'm calling because I have a job for you. We are a bit short-handed at the moment with most of the Turks in Mideel - "
"I'm well aware of that," Vincent interrupted, glaring at the empty spot next to him in the large, king-sized bed.
"Of course," Reeve murmured, though he did not quite understand, not completely; Vincent and Rude had kept their romance under wraps, though it was becoming clear that Reno was starting to sort things out, being as nosy as he was. Reeve was blessedly oblivious and obtuse when it came to such matters; which was just as well as far as Vincent was concerned.
" - so, if you're able, Vincent, I'd like to ask for your help in Sector Zero. You know, the area around the old Shinra building. There are reports of monsters in the area, and I've got two others on board who will be assigned to your team. It should be nothing more than a quick scan of the area, just to ascertain if there's anything to these reports. I'm planning on having a briefing for the team in an hour, if you can make it."
"Who else is assigned to the team?" Vincent asked immediately, raising an eyebrow. With all the Turks on assignment, he thought, there is nobody left except -
"Reno, and Cloud," Reeve replied patiently. Vincent audibly groaned. Cloud, he could handle; the two of them were rather similar in personalities. Both quiet and pensive, and both had a shared history with Hojo that they'd rather forget.
Reno, though...was Reno. Loud, abrasive, cocky, annoying Reno. He drank too much, talked too much, never did anything by the book. Not that Vincent put much stock in rules, as it was. Vincent knew that Reno was a good Turk - he wouldn't have made it to Second if he wasn't - but the incessant yammering and open goofiness had just never jived well with Vincent's own quiet yet snarky demeanor.
He wondered, really, how Rude put up with his partner; Vincent had asked his lover the question more than once after having had his ear talked off by the redheaded Turk.
"Earplugs, for when we're flying together," was one of Rude's replies to the question. A bigger mystery, one that neither Vincent nor Rude had been able to puzzle out, was how Reno and Cloud had ended up together. They had been an established couple for some time now, and the combination of the loudmouthed redhead from the slums, paired with the quiet hero from Nibelheim, was a thing that didn't make sense to Vincent, or even Rude.
"Reno and Cloud?" Vincent echoed dumbly into the telephone receiver. He sighed as he shifted in the bed, the silken bed sheet falling from his body slightly, revealing a pale curve of thigh. Vincent inhaled deeply as he ruminated upon the job offer.
"Vincent? Are you still there?" Reeve's voice came over the line. "I didn't scare you off the assignment, did I?"
"No, I'll be fine," Vincent replied, smirking. "I know where to find bulk supplies of earplugs," he added mysteriously.
"Earplugs? I'm not sure I know what you mean, Vincent," Reeve replied, confused.
Vincent bit back a laugh. Of course you don't. Aloud, he said, "Count me in, Reeve. I'll be at headquarters shortly for the briefing." With that, he disconnected the call and tossed the phone onto the side table with a soft grumble. Vincent stretched his limbs, then yawned as he sat up, cracking his neck to the side before rising to get himself ready.
I don't mind helping out Reeve on occasion, Vincent thought as he got himself into the shower. He admired the efforts the man was making to rebuild Midgar. Even Rufus Shinra was making grand gestures in this regard, though Vincent was sure the man was more concerned with rebuilding his image - and that of Shinra, Inc., rather than the Planet itself. He smirked as he pondered Rufus's faux altruism; neither he nor Cloud trusted Rufus Shinra.
Vincent idly wondered from time to time exactly who was bankrolling the WRO - Reeve certainly didn't have that much disposable wealth, but Rufus did. He shrugged his shoulders as he geared up, supposing it mattered little at this point who was paying him. Mercenaries like himself and Cloud were paid in cold, hard gil anyways. This would be no different than any other job, Vincent reasoned.
Rude grumbled, and in rare display of outward annoyance, kicked over a box of hanging file folders in the small office at their brand-new outpost in Mideel. It smelled new, from the paint on the walls, to the antiseptic tang of cleaning fluid permeating the air. Rude didn't like it. It didn't fit in with the semi-rural charm of Mideel, and why, for the love of Gaia, did Shinra, Inc. need an outpost there anyway?
It was a question he kept muttering to himself as he unpacked more boxes of office supplies, clearly annoyed with the task, while Elena and Tseng continued setting up the small network of computers in the office. "Don't see why we need this place anyway," Rude muttered as Tseng set up a monitor and computer at what was to be the dispatcher's work station. The Turk Commander gave Rude a curious glance and hid a grin.
"We probably don't, but Reeve and the president are all over the idea of community policing," Tseng replied with a shrug. "And...I realize, this is a bit more...mundane, than our usual duties," he added with an apologetic look. "The WRO is a start-up, and Reeve plans on hiring more people to take care of the community police outposts such as this one."
Rude grunted in acknowledgement and nodded. "So long as we aren't stuck out here too long. Mideel...it's kind of out of the way, you know?"
Tseng smiled, slipping the dispatcher's headset over his ears. "I do know what you mean, Rude," he replied. "There's not much going on out here...although...the last time I was on a mission in Banora..." The smile left Tseng's face and he turned his attention back toward the computer, leaving Elena giving him a perplexed glance.
"Sir?" Elena ventured, taking a few steps toward Tseng. "Everything...okay?"
"Yes, it's fine, Elena," Tseng said quickly, slipping off the headset. "Everything's in working order."
"That's not what I meant..." Elena muttered quietly, Tseng pretending not to hear her. Rude, of course, knew exactly what Tseng meant. It was before Elena's time as a Turk, during the time when Genesis and Angeal had gone AWOL.
Angeal Hewley...KIA. Genesis Rhapsodos...MIA. Rude remembered all too well the report given by Lazard. He wondered if Genesis was still considered missing, even after all these years. Rude shrugged his shoulders as he unloaded another box of computer supplies, though the thought didn't leave his mind.
They never did find Genesis's body, or any evidence that he'd passed into the Lifestream. He could still be out there...watching, and waiting.
Tseng gave Rude a pointed look. "Is something the matter, Rude?" he inquired softly.
Rude stared at his superior for a moment, then shook his head slowly.
"No," Rude replied. "Nothing's wrong."
Back at WRO Headquarters, Reeve greeted Vincent at the door and ushered him into a small conference room, where Cloud and Reno were already seated. Reno gave Vincent a weary salute as he slurped on his coffee. The Turk had a small butterfly bandage on his forehead that held together a decent-sized gash, though it was not severe enough to require more than a couple of stitches.
"Reno," Vincent acknowledged the man with a nod. "What happened to you?" Too late, Vincent caught sight of Cloud mouthing 'don't ask' right behind Reno.
"Oh, this?" Reno said, pointing at his forehead, grinning. "I drove into a fucking fire hydrant." Cloud groaned and rolled his eyes. "And let me tell you, Vin, it doesn't happen like in the cartoons. Ya know that stupid cartoon, the one with the cat who's always chasing the fucking mouse, except the mouse is smarter than him so he never does, just gets the shit beaten out of him every time?"
Vincent stared hard at Reno. "I don't own a television."
"Oh," Reno said, with an indifferent shrug. He continued on just as if Vincent hadn't uttered a word, and Cloud sighed loudly. "Anyway, there's this cat, right? And he can drive a car. So he's chasing after this damned mouse in a car, and still can't catch him, even in a car. What a shitty excuse for a cat." Reno paused briefly to glance at Reeve. "No offense, I ain't got nothing against cats or anything like that."
"None taken," Reeve replied evenly. "Gentlemen - if we could get to the point of this meeting, why I've called you here - "
"Yeah, yeah, in a minute," Reno rudely interrupted, waving his hand at Reeve. "I'm almost finished telling this story. So the cat is driving, right? And the mouse leads him on this chase through the entire fucking city. Anyway, in the end, the cat drives right SMACK into a fire hydrant. And this big fucking fountain comes up under the car, shoots the cat fifty feet into the air. Let me tell you something," Reno continued, jabbing his finger into the table as if for emphasis. "That is not how it actually happens in real life."
"I would imagine not," Vincent said dryly, giving Cloud a pitying look. Well, the sex must be good, or something, Vincent reasoned silently. Because putting up with this prattle constantly would drive me to murder. Poor Cloud.
"No, there is no pretty fountain of water, no choirs of angels singing, none of that shit when you actually hit a fire hydrant," Reno concluded. "Anyway, to make a long story short - "
"Too late for that," Cloud muttered, giving Reno a look. The Turk grinned stupidly at his lover.
"Sorry, yo. Anyway, suffice to say, my car's utterly fucked and we'll need to take Rude's sedan. He left me the keys," Reno explained.
Vincent's expression turned from bored to mildly horrified. "Perhaps we should let Cloud drive. Reeve? What's the plan?"
"Proceed to Sector Zero," Reeve commanded. "Perimeter patrol, just a simple sweep is all we need, just to see if the reports of strange creatures in the area have any truth to them. And yes...Cloud may drive," he added wryly.
"Damn it," Reno muttered. He grinned as he got up and holstered his EMR, and handed the keys over to Cloud. "I'm calling shotgun, though."
As they exited the building, Vincent grabbed Cloud by the arm. "Really, Cloud….I must ask; how can you stand it?" Vincent asked him. "Reno….he just never stops, does he?"
"He never does," Cloud admitted, shaking his head. His lips curled up in a smile as he got into the car, Reno following behind. Vincent was faster however, and got into the passenger seat before Reno could, while Cloud got behind the wheel.
"Vodka," Cloud said simply as he started the car. He turned his head toward Vincent and nodded. "Vodka works. That's how I put up with it."
"Put up with what?" Reno protested from the back seat. "Hey…speaking of vodka…you got any on you, Cloud? Like a flask?" he added excitedly. "That may come in handy later, if you do."
"No," Cloud said flatly as he drove off. "No vodka. We've got a job to do, let's try to do it sober?
"You guys are no fun," Reno grumbled, folding his arms and sulking, slouched in the corner of the backseat.
"Vincent?"
"Yes, Reno?"
"Are we there yet?"
The chains that held Weiss's arms tight were unbreakable, held in place by dark forces; the Restrictor was behind this imprisonment, Weiss was sure of that. He knew little of the time before now; away from the upper world, in this subterranean hell, time did not exist.
Weiss knew only one thing; the desire to break free from these chains, both physical and mental. To answer the taunting voice in his head, that nasally voice - was it that scientist from so long ago? It was like peering through a deep basin of fog. The past was no longer, the future was a lie. A future that Weiss would reclaim, when he rose from his slumber, his imprisonment, to rid the upper world of the filth that had taken over there. Only the pure would survive; Weiss, his brothers, and the other Tsviets. Everyone else must perish. It was simply the only way.
Weiss felt the voice within his head again, stirring him awake, taunting him.
Rise, O Immaculate one! Rise and secure your birthright. Free yourself, and the others. Do what you must to rid this planet of all humanity. Only then, can you take your rightful place as Emperor.
Now is the time, Weiss. Rise, defeat those who are tainted, who are impure, and you will rule over the Planet, as you were born to do.
"Yes..." Weiss breathed, arms tugging at the chains as he shifted upon his throne. The Restrictor was nearby, Weiss sensed it, and a cruel smile twisted his handsome face. He knew then what he had to do; he had to appeal to the Restrictor's ego, in the form of a challenge.
"Surely you must realize, I could kill you any time I wanted, hmm?" Weiss told the Restrictor, his voice a soft purr. The hooded figure approached, chuckling a bit.
"Could you really, Weiss?" The Restrictor taunted back. "If that is true, why have you not done so?"
Weiss threw his head back and laughed, a mad sound echoing off of the cavernous walls. "Because...it was not yet the right time."
"And now is that time?" The Restrictor inquired calmly. He drew closer to Weiss, face still concealed beneath the shroud.
"Indeed, now the time has come," Weiss replied coolly. He pulled at the chains, muscles in his chest straining from the effort. "I am enthroned for a reason, you see. It is my destiny...I am to rule this Planet, as Supreme Emperor...and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You are nothing but a vile human, one of the Impure, hidden beneath your shroud. Coward!" Weiss added, spitting at the Restrictor. He laughed as the gob of saliva hit the front of the Restrictor's cloak.
"Your threats are as empty as your soul, Weiss," the Restrictor retorted. "Very well...you know as well as I do that even if I were to release you, you are precluded from attacking me. All of you Tsviets are incapable of defeating me."
"We shall see about that!" Weiss declared haughtily. The Restrictor raised his hand and with a wave, the chains slackened, falling from Weiss's arms. Weiss slowly tested his arms and hands, clenching and unclenching his fists, flexing his biceps.
"Ah...my new weaponry," Weiss murmured with a feral grin, eyeing the duo of swords nearby. The Restrictor smirked beneath his mask.
"Such grand swords were created for you, Weiss," the Restrictor said lightly. "Nevertheless...as fine as they are, you will not be able to defeat me."
"Oh, how I love a challenge, though," Weiss purred, taking the pair of swords in hand, long and gleaming, admiring the craftsmanship. "They are indeed beautiful swords...and I shall take great delight in staining them with your blood." He grinned at the Restrictor, then drew one of the blades close to his face, running his tongue along the edge just enough to cut it slightly. The copper tang of blood filled Weiss's mouth and drowned his senses, waking that hunger within him to cut, kill, slay, mutilate. "Let's play, shall we, O Mighty Restrictor? And what of my brethren?" Weiss added, nodding at Azul and Rosso, who had come up on either side of the Restrictor, eyeing him suspiciously.
The Restrictor laughed. "They cannot defeat me either," he said mockingly. "None of you can, you know. You are prohibited from doing so, by the chips in your brains."
Azul growled at this. "Then we remove them, these chips." Rosso winked at Azul as her lips turned up in a sneer.
"Yes..." Rosso purred, licking her lips, eyes locking upon Weiss's. "Then ve vill be unstoppable."
"Remove the chips and you die," the Restrictor explained plainly. "Resistance is pointless. Those chips were put in for a reason, to contain you."
"Or..." Weiss stood, and with a loud grunt, yanked both arms toward his chest, pulling the chains taut. With another mighty tug, the chains broke apart, the links splitting and falling all about Weiss's feet with an echoing clink. The Restrictor seemed to balk beneath his shroud, backing up slightly as Weiss seized both of his swords. Azul and Rosso drew in closer, flanking the Restrictor and entrapping him.
"Or, I will find my own way to rid myself of this leash you've had around me!" Weiss shouted triumphantly. The tinny, nasal voice projected itself again, echoing within Weiss's head, urging him to stab, to slash, to kill.
"Meet your destiny, Restrictor," Weiss growled, bringing the twin swords around in an X which framed the Restrictor's neck, crisscrossing in front of it. Lightning-fast, before the Restrictor could even move to defend himself, Weiss drew the crossed swords together, beheading the man, blood welling out of the severed arteries, staining the pale skin of Weiss's chest. His cloaked and shrouded head rolled onto the floor, and the Restrictor's body – still half-standing as it seemed to melt into a slow fall – soon followed suit. Weiss laughed, thumping his chest proudly, drawing his fingers through the crimson smears of the Restrictor's blood.
Weiss bowed his head, smiling at Azul, then Rosso, as he raised his blood-stained fingers to his lips, lapping at the blood there. "One down," Weiss quipped. "So many more to go."
"Yes," Rosso breathed, curling her arm around Weiss's shoulder. "Yes, Weiss, ve must emerge, go to the upper vorld and begin ze purge.
"Soon, my pet," Weiss told Rosso, patting her arm. "First….my brother. Bring me to him. I must see to him, what they have done to him….my dear Nero. Take me there now, Azul."