Disclaimer: All the characters herein are property of Square Enix, except for any OCs, which may or may not appear.
The air was hot and dry as she ran the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping away the sweat, and smudging dirt across her face. Frowning, she pulled the gardening glove from her hand, tossing it to the ground at her feet. She looked up as a shadow fell over her, and when she recognized her friend, she smiled.
"Hey, Vince, what's up?" she greeted. She watched as his gaze drifted from her dirty face to the flowers she had been planting all day.
"I see you've been busy," he commented quietly.
She nodded, looking proudly at the daisies she had managed not to kill yet. "Yep," she said, getting to her feet. She dusted off her hands, picking up her gloves and her gardening tools. "What brings you out here?"
He was silent for a moment as they walked back toward the house, before he glanced at her. "I was summoned," he said after a moment. "Do you know why? I could not glean any information from Cloud."
Tifa shook her head, smiling slightly. "Cloud's Cloud," she said thoughtfully. She too was silent as they stepped inside the air conditioned kitchen. "That is quite odd, though."
Vincent glanced at her, waiting expectantly for her to continue.
"Why, just yesterday he mentioned that he had talked to Reeve," she said slowly, seemingly putting two and two together. "Perhaps he has a job for us."
Vincent frowned slightly. "Perhaps," he said softly, shifting his gaze to the door, as if hearing someone coming.
Tifa followed his gaze, surprised when she indeed did hear footsteps a moment later. "In the kitchen," she called, recognizing Cloud's long strides. She smiled as he appeared in the doorway, not surprised to see Vincent.
"Hey, Vince," he said, getting some water and sitting at the table as well. He avoided looking at Vincent as he took a sip. "How was the trip?"
Vincent's frown deepened. "I would appreciate it if you would enlighten me as to why you requested my presence," he said quietly. "I have little time to waste exchanging idle pleasantries."
Tifa turned to glance at her usually stoic friend, wondering what had put him in such a foul mood. She shifted her honey-gold gaze back to Cloud, noticing an equally confused expression in his glittering blue eyes. Eventually the silence and curiosity got the best of her. "What did you ask him to come here for?" she asked softly, watching him carefully.
Cloud shifted, taking his phone from his pocket. "Reeve called the other day," he said slowly, gathering his thoughts. "He said something about a breech in one of the northern plants. He said he and a unit were on their way to Nibelheim to examine it and determine if it was a serious threat to the reconstruction." He set his phone on the table, turning it to face them, with its face open. "I received this picture yesterday. It was sent from Reeve's phone."
Tifa leaned forward slightly, trying to make out the blurred image. She gasped when she realized what it was, and she looked at her silent friend, who was still beside her. "What is this?" she whispered, her voice shaking slightly.
"I contacted Cid and Barrett," Cloud said, taking the phone back and closing it. "Cid informed me that Shelke is still traveling with him, and he asked her about it. She did a net dive and discovered that a portion of Deep Ground is still on the loose. Apparently a rogue band of them has captured Reeve and a number of WRO troops. She managed to locate their base and was in the process of retrieving some of the floor plans, when a virus corrupted the airship's computer system, shutting it down. All we know is that Reeve is in danger."
