Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
The Crusade
Being the second volume of the "Black & White" saga.
A note from the author: Welcome back one and all, to another installment of the affectionately named "Black & White" saga. For those new readers who have no clue what I'm talking about, it's obviously strongly encouraged that you go back and read "Black & White" or you'll be very lost indeed!
For this work, I'm hoping to bring more drama, more plot twists, a new character or three, just to keep things interesting. As written in the "credits roll" of the other story, nothing is indeed as it seems, but what that implies shall of course remain a surprise.
Unlike the other story, wherein it started as a "T" rating and gradually moved to an "M" rating, this one shall be mature right out of the gate. Ye have been warned. Second, some of the events that take place may seem to happen at... erratic times. One scene might be taking place presently, and the next scene involving separate characters might be happening several hours after or before. I'll try and make all events concurrent so as to avoid confusion. Thirdly, despite the fact I don't necessarily aspire to be a professional writer, I now like to try and write like one. As such, these author's notes will likely be very few and far between.
And finally, I would like to thank not only the followers of this tale, but also all of these iconic characters we all know and love, and my own original ones, for taking part in this alternate, bloody and brutal reality I've forced them into. Shall we get this show on the road at last?
Yes we shall.
-Chapter 1-
Hysteria
I spoke to God today, and she said that she's ashamed; what have I become, what have I done? I spoke to the Devil today, and he swears he's not to blame; and I understand because I feel the same.
Arms wide open, I stand alone. I'm no hero and I'm not made of stone, right or wrong I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of Heaven, and the righteous side of Hell.
I heard from God today, and she sounded just like me; what have I done and who have I become? I saw the Devil today, and he looked a lot like me. I looked away, I turned away.
Cait's tiny body bounced up and down as the military jeep hit another pothole, its tiny hands grasping the small video device in front of it. Upon the screen were Reeve and Rufus, with Cloud and the others in the background.
"Son of a bitch!" Cid swore over the video feed, "Where? What kinda weapons?"
Cait shook it's head, "I dunno, lad! Very hush hush information! I'm workin' on it though!" Cait replied.
"The better question would be where the silver-haired man is getting all of his recruits from," Cloud pondered.
"Aye, that too!" Cait agreed. Just then, the feed began to crackle, pop, with lines of static shooting across the screen. "Ah, afraid I'm about ta lose ye all, we're getting closer to tha Canyon!"
"Just keep me informed, Cait," Reeve said.
"Aye, boss-man! Over and out!" Then it clicked the tiny device off and set it aside.
"Any good news, sir?" The soldier sitting across from the toy asked.
Again Cait shook his head, "'Fraid not, lad! Looks like we're in some dire straits indeed!"
"At least you and Tseng found out where that Wutai girl is being held prisoner?" The soldier offered.
"A small cog in a great machine!" Cait replied, "T'is goof that hopefully a friend'll be rescued soon, but... many more things to worry about!"
For a few minutes, the only sounds came from the rumbling engine and the occasional clink as a loose pebble was kicked back by the vehicle in front of their own. Finally, the soldier asked, "You think Chief Nanaki will help us?"
"We can only hope, lad..." Cait said, but with little hope in it's voice, "...but who knows what's happened this far since all this started? An' why 'aven't we heard from Red XIII since?"
"Red XIII, sir?"
"Ah, Nanaki! Red XIII was a test subject name... years ago!" Cait corrected itself.
"What test..."
"Ne'ermind, lad! Focus on tha' task at hand!"
It had been a long few weeks for the wayward toy agent, jumping and traveling from town to town, always preaching the same propaganda at the request of Reeve. Sometimes people listened, and sometimes they didn't. But the last couple of towns had shown great success, with much of the population boarding the next ship back to Edge for military training. A sliver of hope had arisen then, and it was predicted that, if the toy continued to have that success rate at every alternate stop, they would outnumber the Brotherhood three to one!
"Any family back home, lad?" Cait suddenly asked.
The soldier, another twenty-something year old male, nodded, "Mom and girlfriend, we live... well, lived outside of Kalm. Mom always liked to visit the chocobo farm, even wanted me to be a chocobo rancher so she could have her own!"
Cait snickered, though not cruelly, "They're majestic animals to be sure! An' where are they now?"
The soldier shrugged, "Last I heard they were shipped out of Junon just before it was attacked. I imagine I'll have a stack of letters from them when I get back to Edge."
Cait took a moment to consider this, and that every soldier from the lowly grunt to a high ranking general... they were people, with families and loved ones. What then, about the ones fighting for the Brotherhood; did they also have friends? Family, loved ones? And why would so many flock, and continue to flock, to that horrible and dark band? More questions than answers, Cait thought with a snort.
"Ye'll see 'em again soon, lad! I jus' know it!" The toy cat sprang to it's feet, then peeked over the door to look out the window, "Oi... is it jus' me, or are we slowin' down?"
As if in answer, the entire line of twelve or so trucks came to a sudden screeching halt, Cait being thrown into the floorboard with a thump. "Bloody hell, what'n tha' hell!" It complained, brushing itself off after.
A voice came over the intercom of the jeep then, "Commander Sith, we have a problem."
Cait hopped over the front seats and placed a small, specially made headset onto it's head, "Ya damn right, lad! What's goin' on? Why've we stopped?"
"Check your monitor, sir," Came the reply. Cait retrieved the previously discarded video monitor, and clicked it on, tuning it to the given frequency. What it saw, coming from the very head of the convoy, was the red landscape completely cracked and nearly destroyed. Deep and dried ruts littered the entire road, what wasn't upturned hunks of rock were coated in deep, wide fissures, making passage via any way but on foot impossible.
"Samhell!" Cait exclaimed, "What'n the hell did all this?"
"Orders, sir?"
Cait then flopped into a sitting position and had to think about this carefully. They were all under strict orders to make it to Cosmo Canyon to enlist Nanaki and his tribes into action, but now what? How would the higher ups react, if it informed them of the present situation?
"An' there's no other way around?" Cait asked.
"None that wouldn't take several days of backtracking and long detours, sir." Came the reply over the speaker.
"An' how long would it take us ta' reach tha' Canyon on foot from here?"
There was a pause, as the information was retrieved via satellite projection, "A day, maybe a day and a half, sir."
Unfortunately, there was no other choice. Cait stood back up, "Gear up an' lock an' load, lads! Hope ye' all had yer wheaties this mornin'!"
The next hour consisted of the troops gathering up guns, double checking equipment, and stashing as much ammunition as each man and woman could carry into their packs. It was close to midday, the sun hanging near dead center of the sky, and was for lack of a better term, scorching. The dried cracked landscape did not look any more inviting, and many of the soldiers had already begun to sweat. Cait made an extra point that it might be wiser to carry more water overall than firepower. After all, Cait knew full well that dehydration would kill just as quickly as a bullet or a monster.
"Right, lads! Tha' Canyon ain't gonna come ta' us!" Cait proclaimed with one of its trademark megaphones, only to hop on a soldier's shoulder, "Mind if I hitch a ride, lass?"
The female soldier smiled, "It'd be an honor, Commander Sith."
"Please, jus' Cait will do, lass!"
"Right, lock the vehicles up tight!" Another soldier announced, "And hopefully they'll still be in one piece when we get back!"
After a quick and final check was made, the troop of thirty soldiers turned, and started across the wilderness.
Hours passed with no telltale signs of life, and so much of the march had been spent with pointless small talk from one soldier to another, with Cait often conversing with one soldier, scrambling down and darting across to ride on the shoulder of another, and doing the same. Now it sat upon the shoulder of the female, of whom he piggy-backed with when the troop first departed from their vehicles.
"So, lass! Any family waitin' fer ya back home?"
"Just my little sister," The woman replied, "She's only ten."
"Yer' ma and pa?" Cait inquired.
"Both died in Junon," She said with a sadness, "Mom was a doctor, dad was a lieutenant. Guess the military life kinda runs in the family, you know?"
Cait's ears drooped, it's facial features obviously sad, "I'm so sorry, lass, truly..." It then made a sound akin to a sigh, "Tha' Brotherhood are ruthless, uncaring! They'd kill their own mothers if they were told to!"
"Yeah," The female soldier replied sharply, not wanting to hear it.
"What about yer' sister? Ya said tha' military life runs in the family?"
The woman scoffed, "After what happened to our parents... the things I've seen..." She paused, looking down at her marching feet, "I was at Junon too. My sister will never be in the military. Never."
"An' does she know what happened to yer' parents?"
"It took myself and three people to pry her off me when I was deployed with the squad, sir."
Most would argue that Cait was not human, and thus should not feel human emotion. However, it felt an overwhelming sadness like it had never known before. It struck Cait then, like a thousand thousand Meteors. In war, no one seemed to entirely care about the ones that died... sure, some feel terrible for the loss of the life, and have sympathy for their loved ones... but no one ever truly knows. The scars of war run deep, whether it be a soldier or a common citizen, and like most scars, they never heal. With no family of it's own, aside from it's creators to speak of, Cait knew no family, and thus did not have such things to be sad for. But it took after Reeve, wondering for just a moment if it were physically possible for it to cry?
"I don't want ye ta' think I was the cause of yankin' ya away from yer' sister, lass! I can have ya sent back to..."
"No, I want to be here," The soldier cut the toy off, "They killed my parents, loved ones, friends, countless innocents... I want to stop them however I can."
Cait considered the woman's words, "Revenge, lass? Anger makes us do things we later regret!"
"I was raised to never have regrets, sir. And I have none." Here, she finally looked up at the toy cat, "Please. I want to be here."
Cait eventually nodded, "Very well, lass. I'll make sure ya' get back ta' yer sister!" It held up it's index and middle finger, "Scout's honor!" It then scampered off and re-joined the original male soldier, whom was sitting with it in the jeep.
Another hour of nonstop marching passed, when the troop came upon a small cluster of trees. The bark was gnarled and dead, the trunks twisting one way and then another, with sparse shade to offer. But with little to no better options in sight on the horizon, it was decided that such was a good place to rest.
"Right, lads!" Cait again sprang up with a megaphone, "Let's rest an' refuel here! Cosmo Canyon can't be much further after this!"
The thirty soldiers then spread out, most simply flopping down on their rumps into the dusty ground, and draining half of their water jugs right then. Others fanned out, weapons held close, and scanning the area around them. It seemed secluded enough, with several dells and spires of upraised rock surrounding them. They were essentially tucked away into a small valley, with only two easy ways in and out; the direction from where they came, and the only other path out. Some of the soldiers expressed worries that, were they attacked, they might be in a bad situation. However, still others retorted that they hadn't seen any signs of life since entering this particular region, and not so much as a gust of wind since setting out on foot.
"Have you ever been this far west, sir?" A soldier asked.
Cait shook it's head, downing a tiny orange vial, making a satisfied sound after, "Not in a long time, lad!"
"Anything we should know? It seems... quiet, but too quiet, you know?"
The toy shrugged, "Praise our continued good fortune! Though it does seem a bit strange that we haven't seen the first monster..."
On the other side of the makeshift camp, a pair of female soldiers were trading small talk, when something caught the corner of one's eye. She turned in that direction, gun raised, to watch a small kick up of dust and sliding pebbles.
"What's wrong?" The other asked.
"We're not alone," The first responded, "Go tell Commander Sith,"
When the second female soldier darted away, the first one slowly started towards the base of the hill, near where the dust was disturbed. Carefully she placed one foot in front of the other, trying to remain as silent as possible. Eyes scanned left and then right, when a sudden sound caused her to jerk to her left, to see another group of small rocks sliding down the path, but she was almost certain she caught sight of some... thing, a tail perhaps, dart behind a cluster of rocks. She went on high alert then, yanking back a small lever, her gun click-clacking and readied to fire. The woman picked up her pace then, and hurried around the rock formation in an attempt to get the jump on the beast. She sucked in a breath and threw herself around the final turn... and there was nothing there. Closer examining the ground, there were four marks in the ground, paw prints, like that of a mountain cat or some like feline.
"What kind of mountain lion could live in a region like this?" She whispered to herself; she never saw the barbed tail raise from above another rock face behind her.
At that moment, Cait came riding on the shoulders of another soldier, ten more following behind them. It stood up then, and yelled into it's megaphone, "Oi! Lass! Get the hell out o' there now!"
The unfortunate woman shot to her feet and whirled around, just in time to see a pair of flaring, glowing yellow eyes and powerful jaws clamp around her face, and bite clear through flesh and bone.
The others on the ground never saw it, but heard the satisfying, throaty growls of the creature, and the sickening sounds of flesh being rent and stripped away. Dust bellowed from behind the rock, and loose pebbles were kicked this way and that. The soldiers cocked their own guns, and fanned out even further.
"Damnation..." Cait gasped, followed by a loud roar that bounced off the rocks around them.
Then the beast hopped onto the boulder and roared a second time. It was a manticore, it's scales a deep rustic red, almost orange color. It's front paws, main, jaws, and chest were stained with dripping blood from the recent kill. It fanned out it's bat wings, the scorpion tail sticking straight into the air. Unlike the manticores rumored to roam the northern regions, this one was barely the size of a medium sized vehicle; an adolescent, Cait assumed.
"Don't let it's size fool ye, everyone! Manticores are terrible foes no matter what size they are!" Cait called out.
"It's only one!" One soldier yelled, "And there's thirty of us! Shouldn't take long; we'll be in Cosmo Canyon before the sun goes down!"
Right then, the manticore roared a third time, and there came the sound of scuffling feet and scraping noises all around them. By now, the remaining soldiers joined the original group and clustered tight around each other in a tight circle, with Cait Sith in the middle. Skeletal hands suddenly jutted up from the ground, pulling still half rotted corpses from the dry sand. Scorpions the size of large dogs scuttled out from hidden crevices in the rock, hissing terrible noises and clicking their pincers together. But the worst thing was a dark form sweeping across the sky, a small shadow that blocked out the sun for only a moment. It was a second manticore, this one only slightly smaller than the first, and it's own scales a pale creamy color; clearly a female. She roared her own sound, and the original joined in the noise.
"Samhell!" Cait swore, "Mates! We must'a stumbled into their nest!"
"Orders, sir!"
"What tha' hell d'ya mean 'orders' son!" Cait panicked, "Kill 'em! Charge! Attaaaaaaack!"
The sounds of gunfire quickly drowned out all other sound, and when the manticores were fired upon, they flared their wings out and took to the sky. Cait scurried up a soldier's body, vaulting itself off the man's head to soar through the air. It's tiny fists and feet sparked and crackled with electricity, and once it landed with a solid sound, bolts of lightning shot out in all directions, singing the zombie-like corpses shuffling towards them. Another zombie continued to stalk forward, wielding a rusty hand ax. It swung, Cait merely ducking and grabbing onto the monster's arm.
"Ally-oop!" It giggled.
The force through the toy upward and around, Cait using the leverage to land on the monster's shoulders, gripping the head and twisting as hard as it could. The head separated easily enough, the rest of the body tumbling into a pile of bones. The toy landed then, and held the skeletal head in one hand, the other resting on it's hips, "Ta' be, or not ta' be!" It chuckled.
But then the skeletal head's jaws began to rapidly snap shut then open again, clickclickclickclickclick!
"ACK! Mother o' tha' gods!" Cait screeched, and hurled the still living head away. That head connected with another advancing skeleton, and on impact both shattered like glass.
Cait stood there a moment, blinking several times, "All's well that ends well!" Then turned and ran the opposite direction. Before it got very far, a large (at least, large compared to it's own punitive form) figure slammed down directly in front of it, kicking up dirt and dust. Cait barely had time to backflip to safety when a scorpion's barb struck the ground where it had been sitting. But rather than one of the mutant scorpions, there came a flare of yellow eyes behind the dust cloud, and a throaty growl.
The beast then stalked from behind the dusty veil, rusty red scales glinting in the sun; the male.
"Eh heh... heh heh... easy thar' now, pussycat! I'm a cat too, see!" Cait then sunk down onto all fours and tried to roar, but instead sounded more akin to a screeching feline in heat.
That only angered the beast, who thrust its deadly barb down to strike the toy. Cait moved away at the last moment, formulated a plan, and latched onto the end of the tail. When the manticore withdrew its tail, it began to thrash around, digging deep ruts in the ground and flicking it's tail wildly. But Cait held on with all the strength it had,
"Blooodyyy heeeeeell!" It screamed, "Oi! Oi! Somebody help me out here!"
"Hang on, sir! I'm coming!" One soldier yelled out, and charged.
As the beast continued to thrash about, the soldier adjusted his aim several times, afraid that he would accidentally strike the toy. Finally, the manticore paused just long enough, and the soldier opened fire, emptying an entire clip into the monster's face. While the bullets barely harmed the monster, they did stun it just long enough for Cait to ball it's right fist, blue tendrils of energy quickly gathering around it. A spiked chunk of ice formed then, which the toy dug deep into the tail; the resulting howl of pain was horrible, but the beast seemed to weaken from the blow.
"Keep firin' lad! Don' worry aboot me!"
The soldier did as commanded, running this way and that, firing round after round into the monster's flanks and head. Meanwhile, Cait continued to withdraw the spiked ice sphere, only to jam it in deeper; each time a fresh fountain of black ooze erupted, until at last the barb was attached by only a thin membrane. Despite its efforts to saw off the thing, it did no good.
"Samhell..." Cait cursed again, before digging it's tiny teeth into the thick muscle. It chewed and yanked and snatched with all it's might, until at last the muscle snapped, and the poisonous barb fell from the rest of the tail. The monster screeched in pain, flinging the intruder from it's tail with a sudden violent flick, before again taking the skies, seemingly in defeat.
"Oi, good work son!" Cait said after, dusting itself off.
The soldier nodded, "Still far from over, sir,"
As if on cue, the second manticore suddenly lunged from seemingly nowhere, the deadly scorpion tail shooting out, and catching the soldier in the back. Green acidic ooze began to drop from his mouth, nose, and eye-sockets, the goo eating away at his flesh. Cait jumped away in horror, as the female beast flung the now dead soldier away. The manticore took a step forward for every one of Cait's backward, the latter holding up it's hands.
"Now, now, lassie..." Cait tried to reason, "There's no need fer' this ta' get ugly. Can't we talk this out?"
Only then did it become apparent that the WRO were fighting a losing battle, as there were now less than twenty soldiers still fighting. To Cait's horror, more and more of the skeletal zombies and mutant scorpions continued to rise out of the sand and from behind ledges. Maybe this was the end of the journey, Cait thought, and that it's own part had been fulfilled.
"Well... come an' get me, ya great ugly beastie!" Cait bellowed.
In answer, the manticore lunged. A blazing red streak suddenly shot from the right, slamming hard into the monster and knocking it aside. Cait looked up to see the newcomer and the manticore thrash and roll around in a heap of claws and teeth, growling, snarling, and biting all the while. A pair of soldiers were at Cait's side a moment later, with the streak of red leaping away from a tail swipe, and stared the monster down, fur bristled and standing straight up.
The soldiers raised their weapons to fire upon both creatures, when Cait jumped up and down, screaming, "Hold yer' fire!"
~ ` ` ` [VII] ` ` ` ~
~ ` ` ` [Somewhere west of Fort Condor; Brotherhood compound] ` ` ` ~
Yuffie stirred slightly in her sleep, mumbling under her breath as she rolled over onto her opposite side. Every now and then one of her limbs would begin to twitch, as she fell deeper and deeper into her dreams.
She was standing in a field of flowers, white and yellow as far as could be seen. Overhead, the sky was as blue as could be, puffy white clouds lazily drifting by.
"Where am I?" The ninja asked aloud, voice carrying off into nothing.
She bent down and plucked a single flower from the ground, then watched in amazement as another flower quickly grew and bloomed in place of the other. She brought the flower closer to her face, an epiphany coming to her then. These were the same flowers that bloomed in Aerith's church! She thought it odd then, that she would be having a dream like this, but she opted to enjoy it all the while. With a laugh, she began to sprint and skip through the flowers, often reaching out and grabbing handfulls of petals and throwing them into the air. Even though it was a dream, it was preferable to the real world, where she was locked in a prison cell! Yuffie even thought, only half jokingly, that if she could stay here forever until the fighting was over, she would!
And then something changed; out in the distance, dark storm clouds began to gather, and barreled across the sky towards her. In a panic, she turned away and tried to run, to no avail. Soon the sky was black with thick clouds, and wide arcs of lightning lanced out from the clouds, quickly setting fire to the entire field. She screamed, looking around wildly for some form of shelter from the quickly spreading flames, but there was nothing else in this world. Resigned to her fate, Yuffie gave in... only to notice there was no heat... the flames licked at her legs and even rose well above her head... but did not burn her either.
"What... the hell...?"
Then a bolt of lightning struck her, and her whole world went white for a few blinding seconds. Just when she thought to awake in the real world, the whiteness slowly faded, her blurred vision returning. Now she was standing in a very different field, with soldiers screaming, cussing, and fighting all around her. She was up to her ankles in corpses, she squeaking in fear and bounding away. No one else seemed to pay her any mind, and to her shock, passed right through her! Suspicious, she ran over to a nearby soldier ducked behind a tree reloading his weapon, then reached out to slap him. Her hand passed right through him, and he never gave any inclination that he noticed.
"Damn... am I dead?" She said aloud, fearfully.
She turned around, and noticed a ruined fortress out in the distance, and knew at once what it was... Fort Condor, which meant those around her could only be the WRO and the Brotherhood! Not so far away, she saw Cloud, swinging that freaky big sword of his and cutting swathes through the enemy ranks. She called out to him and ran over, forgetting her own circumstances. However, he did turn and seemed to look right at her, and ran towards her.
"Cloud! Please tell me you can see me?"
He swung his sword, it passing harmlessly through her entire midsection, to cleave still another militant in two.
"Hey! Watch it, spike head!" She yelled, but still the male fighter never noticed or acknowledged her.
She found Tifa next, trading blows with a familiar looking foe, that psycho with the light hair! She remembered seeing his face when Tormuj and that scarred guy... Edward? Had first come to torture her. What was his name again? Rage? Riej? Reggie? She had no idea, and didn't care; she was more concerned with exactly what the hell was going on! What kind of dream was this?
Then she heard a screeching, ear-splitting noise like nothing she ever heard, slapping her palms over her ears. A bright flash of light caught her attention, and she turned towards Fort Condor. Large beams of white and green light rose from the ground beneath it, while red and orange lights snaked from the very top. When the lights collided with each other, they began to whirl clockwise around the entire fort, slowly growing in size until the entire fort was concealed by light. Then the light dissipated in a shower of sparks, the fort itself coming to life! A behemoth, fiery phoenix emerged from the fort and took flight, screeching a terrible cry. Yuffie watched in amazement as the large bird banked one direction, and breathed massive walls of flame over the entire field. On contact, the Brotherhood instantly caught fire and began to scream, falling over dead a moment later; strangely, the flames did not harm nor seem to affect any of the WRO troops.
The great phoenix repeated this twice more, until there was nothing left but burning bodies, scorched earth... and the WRO army and their allies, all of whom began to cheer and praise the flaming bird. The phoenix passed over the field one final time, screeching an approving note, then turned and flew away into a rising sun over the ocean. Yuffie couldn't help but join in the celebration, until another thing caught her eye, flittering and glinting in the rising sun's rays. A pink ribbon wafted just above her, she reaching out to grab it.
"Don't lose hope, Yuffie," A voice called from the skies.
"Wha? Who's that?" Yuffie asked, looking around; still no one seemed to be talking to her. She then turned to face the fort again, and standing arm's reach away, was Aerith.
The woman smiled, "Things are about to change again," She said in her soft voice.
"...Aerith...?" Yuffie whispered, shocked.
The flower girl nodded, "I told Cloud once that everything was going to change, before the Brotherhood attacked, you know."
"Aerith!" Yuffie seemed to have not heard, and threw her arms around the woman, hugging her tightly.
Aerith returned the embrace, but just as quick pushed her away, "Listen to me, Yuffie, I don't have much time."
"Wha?" Yuffie looked stricken, "Why? What's going on? Am I dead? You've talked to Cloud? How?"
"Focus, Yuffie! Please!" Aerith pleaded, "And once you're free, you mustn't tell anyone that we've spoken... it'll only increase his powers!"
"Who's?" Yuffie asked again.
The woman sighed, but giggled, "You haven't changed a bit, Yuffie," then reached out and gently stroked the younger girl's cheek, "I've missed your... quirky nature," she giggled again.
Yuffie felt tears well in her eyes, reaching up to take the woman's hand, "We all miss you too, Aerith! But what's going on?"
"Vincent fights for you, you know," Aerith replied quickly, "All of our friends do, but he fights the hardest. He and the woman Tara are traveling to Wutai to tell your father..."
"What! So Tara's alive? You're sure?" Yuffie interrupted, hastily.
"Yes, she was going to return to Fort Condor to rescue you... you have another good friend in her, Yuffie. And in Vincent..." Aerith yet again giggled, even seemed to slightly blush, "Who knows?"
Yuffie also blushed, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you told me, Aerith! But why now? Why not sooner?"
Aerith reached out and took Yuffie's hand, gripping it tightly, "Because I could feel you losing hope, Yuffie. I can't rescue you from your cell... but I can at least give you a reason to escape."
"How can I..."
Now Aerith frowned, "No more time... take care of yourself and survive, Yuffie! Maybe we'll speak again..."
Yuffie took a step forward to grab the other woman, but a great black angel wing thrust from the flower girl's shoulder, knocking Yuffie back onto her rump. The ninja looked up in horror as the wing wrapped itself around the Cetra, and then burst into a blast of black feathers... then Aerith was gone.
In that instant, Yuffie bolted upright, chest rising and falling and gasping for air. Her hair stuck in clumps to her sweaty forehead, and she hastily wiped the moisture from her face with a nearby rag. She was back in that tiny prison cell again, the nearby bookshelf disorganized from her recent reading spell the night before. The lamp that was originally provided for her had been shut off, but the tiny slit of a window above her bed let in a modest amount of sunshine. She rolled off the bed, putting both bare feet on the cold iron floor, and wondered.
Of course it was a dream... but was it a 'real' dream? Had Aerith really reached across the veil and contacted her? She had said she had contacted Cloud before, and now she racked her brain to remember if Cloud had said anything about it. Did anyone else know? Did Tifa? Barret? Reeve?
"And once you're free, you mustn't tell anyone that we've spoken... it'll only increase his powers..." Yuffie said aloud in the empty cell. His powers? And then the way she disappeared... Sephiroth? What the hell was THAT all about!
In frustration, Yuffie punched the nearby wall, which in turn split her knuckles and nearly broke a finger. She swore, but wrapped the previously discarded rag around her hand. Ever since she got captured, there was only more questions and more questions and STILL more questions! No answers! She turned and stood upon the bed to look out the slit of a window, the overcast sky almost depressing, and a cold wind blowing in her face; winter was in full swing, but for the moment there was no snow on the ground. And then a thin object suddenly struck her in the face, wrapping around one of her ears. She shrieked and fell backwards onto the bed, slapping and clawing at the thing touching her. Once it was off, she stood up and looked at what it could be... and saw a thin pink ribbon upon the bed. Her heart skipped a beat and she reached out to gingerly pick it up, looking towards the window.
"Hope..." Yuffie whispered.
Tara was alive! Vincent ran away from the others to fight other battles... for her? Cloud and the others all had to still be alive too, or else Aerith would have mentioned them, right? The young girl smiled wide then, something she hadn't done since she was taken prisoner. She wrapped the ribbon around her neck, tying a cute little bow in the front of her throat, then again looked out the window.
"Thank you, Aerith," She called out. She wasn't sure if the Cetra would hear her or not... but now she had hope.
~ ` ` ` [VII] ` ` ` ~
~ ` ` ` [Edge City; WRO Tower] ` ` ` ~
"Wait, Cloud," Reeve held up a hand, "There's a lot that we need to discuss, but first, something you'll want to know. Something important,"
"Thanks in advanced," Barret muttered sarcastically.
Rufus chuckled, "You should be thanking Tseng and Cait; they're the ones who found this information."
"And what kind of information?" Tifa asked, losing patience.
Rufus let the silence hang in the air a few seconds, then spread his palms apart, "Why, the very thing you've all been wondering since this all started."
Reeve finished, "We know exactly where Yuffie is being held prisoner."
"WHAT!" Four voices called out at the exact same time.
"Where?"
"How do you know for sure?"
"Spit it out, Shinra!"
"How did you find out?"
"Is she still alive?"
"What's being done about it?"
The general clamor and barrage of questions went on and on for several long seconds, Rufus merely rubbing his temples with his fingers. Meanwhile, Cloud had stood ramrod stiff, as if trying to process the new information. Could it be true, that they finally had a lead on Yuffie?
"Everyone!" Reeve yelled, silencing the room, "Please, sit down and we'll explain everything, and there is a lot we need to talk about!"
"Ya got that right!" Barret huffed, reluctantly sitting back down. The other three followed suit, as did Rufus and Reeve.
Reeve then reached underneath the table and dropping a thick and (by the look of it) heavy black suitcase on the table. He opened the locks, pulled the suitcase open, and then pushed it to the side to everyone can see his face. He rummaged through the first few stacks of papers, muttering something no one else heard, then made a satisfied sound and removed two stacks of papers stapled together. The silence and the sound of papers rustling together unnerved everyone else in the room, Cloud and Barret shifting uncomfortably in their chairs.
Rufus took notice of this with a chuckle, "Don't worry, the Wutai girl is very much alive. I had offered to sort Reeve's paperwork for him, but..."
"Enough, Rufus," Reeve put in, then turned to face Cloud's group, "She's being held at Junction Town," Then threw the paper stacks across the table to the others.
The name sounded familiar to Cloud, whom opened the first stack, Tifa sliding closer to examine it. On the papers were print outs of satellite maps, coordinates, red X's and O's indicating one thing or another, and other such information that the others couldn't process right then.
"And what'n the hell is Junction Town?" Cid asked.
Rufus tapped the butt end of his cane on the wooden table, "Top secret ShinRa military base," He chuckled, "My father built it before he ever considered me his legitimate heir to the company."
"The words 'secret' and 'military base' never go good together," Tifa threw in, "What was it's purpose?"
Rufus shrugged. "Nothing fancy, it was meant to be a simple rendezvous point for the ShinRa army landing in Junon, or across the ocean. It... might have been used for other illicit activities, however."
"Like torturin' people?" Barret scoffed.
Rufus nodded, "Among other things."
Barret shot up then, "Once a ShinRa always a..." But was yanked back into his seat by Tifa.
Rufus held up a palm then, "As I understood it all those years ago, when you lot pushed back the 'army' attacking Fort Condor, the place was abandoned. Well, until now of course."
"Eh? What army he talkin' about?" Cid looked dumbfounded.
"Before Meteorfall," Cloud answered, "None of us knew you even existed yet at that point; the concept of the Brotherhood probably wasn't even thought of either."
"Hah! Gotcha!"
"Anyway..." Reeve cleared his throat to direct the attention back to him, "As you'll all see on that second stack of papers, it's obviously been seized by the Brotherhood. And as we understand it, it's been under their control for some time now."
"Excluding Cid here..." Rufus went on, "Do you all remember that very first mission I assigned you? Capturing a terrorist?"
Cloud and Barret nodded, and Tifa said, "Obviously I didn't go, you see what happened as a result of that," Referring to her assault by Brotherhood cronies.
Rufus ignored the woman, "Well, the original information collected by Tseng and Rude, the very first pictures you ever saw, Cloud, came from Junction Town."
Cid laughed, "Damn! I missed a lot! Nearly this whole time I've been freezin' my ass off and you guys have been having all the fun!" And when he received scornful looks from his other three comrades, sobered up and looked away. He had no idea what had happened to Tifa or the children.
"Fine, so Junction Town," Cloud said, "what's being done about it?"
"We're still trying to figure out..." Reeve had started, but Barret jumped to his feet and yelled,
"I'm sick of hearin' that damn excuse! Let's just go and get our friend!"
Cloud gripped his arm this time and yanked him back into his seat, "Be quiet, Barret,"
"Don't you tell me..."
Under the table, Tifa booted the side of Barret's foot and gave him a look that silenced him.
"I agree with Barret!" Cid threw in, "Let's storm the fort and take away an advantage of theirs to boot!"
"It's too risky," Reeve reminded them, "And besides, must I remind you we're still recovering from Junon?"
"They would probably kill Yuffie," Cloud put in, "even if we threw everything we had left at them, we'd probably find her dead."
Tifa winced at that, but let it slide, knowing that it was possible, "But why wouldn't they kill her?"
"Because of Wutai," Reeve answered.
Rufus continued, "Your friend Valentine seems to think the only reason Yuffie is still breathing is..."
"...to force Godo and Wutai to fight for the Brotherhood," Cloud finished, nodding, "Vincent mentioned that before we left Junon."
"The main point is," Reeve went on, "is the Brotherhood may have started at the Junction, but as I've said it has been under their thumb for a long time. Spies report the fortifications almost rival that of Fort Condor itself!"
"So?" Barret spat.
"So," Rufus answered, "the smarter thing to do would be a sort of... infiltration tact. Two, three people maximum to sneak in. And since the sneakiest of you lot is under lock and key... well."
"So we just leave Yuffie to rot in a Brotherhood cell?" Cid fumed, "I didn't fly halfway around the world to hear that shit!"
Reeve held up a hand to try and diffuse the situation, "It's being handled, and nothing regarding that matter will be done without your knowledge, I swear it. Yuffie is my friend too, you know? Haven't I said this once before?"
"Now, there is another matter to discuss, though we've already talked about it once before, though Barret wasn't here." As Reeve said this, he removed a thick, sealed brown envelope from his jacket and slid it across the table towards Barret, who in turn ripped open the envelope and began to sort through it's contents.
"And what exactly are you talking about?" Cloud asked, not entirely sure.
"Just get on with it, please," Tifa scoffed, which drew an odd look from Cloud; she ignored him.
Reeve cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, "Do you all remember our conversation about the Northern Glacier operation?"
Here, Cid shuffled nervously, and avoided everyone's gaze, Barret suddenly looked up, suspiciously eyeballing both Reeve and Rufus. Both Cloud and Tifa nodded, recalling a previous meeting some time before the WRO and their allies attempted to retake Fort Condor.
"Well, Barret, shortly after we learned of the Brotherhood's presence, Rufus here..." And slowly his gaze trailed to the ex-president, "...had started a campaign in secret, at first without my knowledge."
"And you accused me once of always shifting blame to another; well played, president." And Rufus spat the word.
"More secrets!" Barret suddenly bellowed and again shot to his feet, "An' how long has this been going on, huh! Can't trust a single..."
"Damn it Barret, shut up already!" Cloud interrupted him, this time rising to meet his gaze.
"What'choo gonna do, Spikey? Make a move!" Barret matched the blonde's hard glare.
A silence fell over the room, until finally Tifa stood up and moved between the two, "That's enough! Zip 'em up and put 'em away, both of you! Quit acting like children!"
Rufus chuckled, and Reeve heaved a sigh. It was Rufus who spoke, "And what would you have done, Barret, regarding this information? Cloud, Tifa, and Valentine had already known of the operation. And here we all are! I know you all better than you might want to admit!"
"What are you getting at?" Cloud said with a hardened look.
"Simple!" Rufus said, "With everything else that was going on, and everything that happened since, I needed you all focused on what mattered! Barret, both you and the Wutai girl had other tasks to accomplish, and that is why Reeve decided to withhold the information from you." Here, Rufus leaned across the table, and locked eyes with the other blonde, "f Reeve had not badgered me to tell you of the secret in the north, you'd have never known and nothing would have changed. In fact, this still changes nothing, save your foolish pride clouding your judgment." Though he said this more to Barret than anyone.
Cloud slowly nodded, keeping eye contact with the ex-president. All those months ago, when Rufus first told himself and the others of the Northern Glacier, Rufus had said those exact same words. Funny now, that they were seemingly having the exact same conversation all over again, and that Cloud was being the voice of reason, while Barret continued to simmer and stare hard at the two executives across the table. Cid remained silent and still did not look anyone in the eye.
Tifa shook her head, "Why bring it up again?
Reeve nodded, "No more lies, no more secrets. As of now, you're all part of the war council, and are welcome to attend any meetings. Regarding the Glacier operation itself, you'll all be pleased to know that production is coming along nicely, a small fleet of airships and other vehicles are being prepared to arrive here on the mainland."
"And besides," Rufus put in, "if you truly wanted to know beforehand... why, you should have asked your friend to specify on his whereabouts before Junon!"
"What?" Came Cloud's voice.
"Don't look so humble now, Commander Highwind," Rufus chuckled, "Why don't you elaborate?"
And then all eyes turned to Cid.
"Hey! Don't give me those damn looks! At the time I had no idea what was going on! These mugs were paying good money to do what I do best; would any of you say no to something like that?"
"There's always a lot of red tape," Tifa said scornfully.
"Yeah, well..." Cid struggled to retort, but there were no reasonable arguments forthcoming.
"An' why the hell didn't you call any of us!" Barret said.
"Because he signed a contract of confidentiality," Rufus put in, "No contact with anyone outside the compound, aside from either myself or Reeve here. Not that it would have mattered... I can count many times failed phone calls due to poor reception."
"Hey!" Cid said louder than normal, "Quit givin' me those dirty looks, damn it!"
"Since when were you one to play by the rules, Cid?" This came from Cloud.
Cid beat his fists against his head a couple of times, "Son of a bitch I swear I didn't know all the details before I signed!"
Reeve suddenly stood up then, "It was myself and two Turk recruits who approached Cid at Rocket Town. And what he's saying is true; all I had told him was that a militia uprising had started at Junction Town, and that we would need his help building tanks, trucks, the like, but not airships, such is what we're building now. Because at the time, we thought that it was a minor threat; this was long before they seized Fort Condor. We did not even know the name of the Brotherhood itself, nor it's key members."
"Which is why you kept us in the dark for so long about it," Tifa pondered out loud.
"Yes," Reeve answered, "At the time, it was assumed they would not even technically become a threat; at least not one that one sweeper team couldn't eliminate in less than a day. Look at all that's happened since then... perhaps I should have given the order to bomb the Junction all those months ago."
"But wait," Rufus suddenly realized, "and so you were the one who originally hired Mr. Highwind here, and yet I recall a time of you berating me for keeping the operation a secret from you in the first place! Let us move the spotlight over to you, President Tuesti."
Reeve glared now at Rufus, "And it was you who went behind my back, sent Cid and my teams to the Northern Glacier, and began building airships, while hiring countless more workers and engineers than I signed for! That is what I berated you for, Rufus!"
Rufus laughed then, now twirling his cane around in his fist, "And with everything going on now, can any of you hate me now? This particular shadow game might be the thing that saves us all!"
"So going behind my back and essentially stealing money from my company, that's something we should thank you for?"
"What did I tell you once, Reeve? Is it not myself who funds the WRO? And besides! You would have Cid here only build small tanks and armored jeeps! Whereas now we might actually stand a chance against..."
Barret had heard enough and, though he remained seated, yelled as loud as he could, "Ha ha! I knew it! You said it yourself, 'shadow games'!" And yet again stood, up, this time intent on going after the two executives across the table, "It's all smoke and shadows with you fucks!"
Cloud stood up just as quick and stepped in Barret's path, who had begun to move around the table, "Barret, you need to leave."
"You know what?" Barret chuckled, then stepped backward and moved to turn away. Then just as quick swung his graft hand at the blonde.
Cloud in answer ducked under the blow, gripping the larger man by his side and shoulders and (using his own momentum against him) hurled Barret across the table. Rufus and Reeve moved out of the way just in time. After, before anyone could blink, Cloud hopped on top of the table and lunged across.
"Shit!" Cid and Tifa swore at once, and moved after the two brawlers.
Cloud leaped off the table, bringing both clenched fists downward, only for Barret to catch both of the others wrists and bash his forehead into Cloud's. Temporarily stunned, Cloud was then thrown around and against the wall, where Barret began to punch him with his left fist. Cid was on Barret first, but was easily shoved aside by the metal arm. That arm had been holding Cloud against the wall, and so the blonde used the advantage. His knee shot out to catch Barret in the ribs, and when he keeled over, Cloud pushed Barret's face into an upraised knee, thereby sending the larger man backward a few steps.
"Cloud! Stop!" Tifa yelled out.
On the opposite end of the room, Rufus flashed a handful of gil in Reeve's direction, "Fifty on Barret?"
Reeve only shook his head, but pressed a button on a remote hidden in his pocket.
Cloud lunged again, but was caught off-guard as Barret swung his metal fist downward and then upward, the solid material clipping the blond in the ribs. Tifa was on Barret's back then, and tried to restrain him in whatever way she could. Barret, acting solely on adrenaline, swung the elbow of his metal arm around and caught the female directly in the stomach. Tifa instantly lost her grip and fell onto her back, gripping her mid-section and gasping for air. Her mind raced with possibilities, and could feel a tiny stream of blood trickle down the side of her mouth. Her vision went hazy, Cid was on her in a second.
"Shit, Tifa! You okay?"
"Fine... just... stop them..." She groaned.
Cloud noticed this of course, and completely lost his mind, sprinting across the room. Barret watched him closely, snapping his hands out to take Cloud by the shoulders, twirled, and slammed the blonde hard against the wall. Cloud saw stars, but looked up just in time to duck down, Barret's metal fist caving in the wall where his head had been. Gloved fists clenched tight, he swung right, struck Barret's rib, left, right, then left again, finally driving the top of his head upward into Barret's chin to send him stumbling back. Yet all Barret could do was laugh,
"Come on then, foo'! Quit hittin' like a woman and gimme everything you got!"
"Oh, I intend to," Cloud muttered darkly.
Before Barret could blink, Cloud was on him again in a second, punching him square in the jaw, ducking under a retaliating right hook, then landed a left hook on the larger man's jaw again. Not waiting for the man to regain his composure, Cloud took a step forward, a left jab breaking the other man's nose, and his right fist striking Barret's sternum as hard as he could. And when Barret again keeled forward, Cloud, using the last of his strength, gripped Barret tight by the throat and somehow managed to lift him upward.
Tifa saw this, and panicked, thinking for a second that her lover was going to kill their friend, "Cloud! No! Please, I'm begging you!"
"Shit fuck hell!" Cid yelled, and lunged toward the other two.
Cloud saw red, heard Sephiroth's insane cackling in his mind, and completely lost it. He squeezed tighter still; by now Barret's face had begun to turn purple, and then blue just as fast.
"Spike trap! Knock it the fuck off!" Cid screamed, and was almost upon them.
Cloud then turned, hurling Barret over his head and down onto the solid wooden table in the center of the room, which instantly shattered under the impact. Barret remained motionless, buried now underneath a pile of broken wood and splinters. Cid was upon Cloud then, swinging his own fist at the back of Cloud's head, which sent him stumbling down to one knee. Before Cloud could turn to retaliate, the doors to the office were thrown open, a squad of WRO marines and police force rushing in, guns cocked and aimed at Cloud and Cid, who could only freeze and hold their hands up. The police were on the two a moment later, kicking their legs out from under them, slamming them onto their stomachs and snapping handcuffs around their wrists.
"What the fuck, Reeve!" Cid struggled.
"Wait!" Reeve called, "Not him," and pointed to Cid, "he was only trying to help."
Tifa watched all of this with tears in her eyes, now sitting upright and still clutching her stomach.
"Take Mr. Strife and Mr. Wallace there to separate holding cells, one across from the other," Reeve ordered.
"Is that wise, sir?" One marine asked.
"Better that they yell themselves hoarse to settle their issues than continue to ruin my offices!" Reeve said grimly.
As a team of marines set about to pick Barret up, the man groaned loudly, one eye swollen shut, but the remaining one glaring deeply at Cloud, who remained silent but returned the heated gaze. Barret's nose was also bent at a strange ankle, with blood steadily pouring down over his lips and down his chin to trickle onto the floor. Cloud himself had a black eye, and several bruises on his cheeks and stomach.
"I just want you both to know how extremely disappointed I am," Reeve seethed, "I had thought you could compose yourselves better than this, but I suppose I was wrong. I have half a mind to retract my offer to allow either of you to attend war councils if THIS is the kind of behavior I can expect."
"How long for?" Cloud spat, still not taking his eyes off Barret.
"Until I can be sure that your and Barret's differences are settled," Reeve replied. "Because you're my friends, I'm not having you thrown in a black cell, but I'm not going to let either of you go free so soon after what I just saw. I'm sorry, but I'm NOT going to bury any more close friends."
Rufus then tapped his cane once on the hard floor, "Take them away,"
Both Cloud and Barret were shoved and herded out the door then, but throughout they tried their best to hold eye contact, even struggled against the marines and police to get at one another again. Only for a second did Cloud look away, to look at Tifa and mouth the words 'I'm sorry.' She, in answer, only looked away and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Tifa," Reeve stood over her, then knelt down, "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"
The woman shook her head, "I'm fine... I think."
"I saw what happened!" Cid put in, also kneeling down beside her, "That wasn't no shove, he full on clocked ya with that metal arm!"
"It was an accident," Tifa quickly put in, "Barret probably doesn't even know he did it... I'm fine, really, just need to rest."
"Well, at least rest here, in the medical wing," Reeve offered.
Tifa managed a weak smile, "If it'll make you feel better..."
"It would," Reeve confirmed.
"I'll stay with ya!" Cid said.
"Just... one thing, Reeve."
"Yes? Anything."
"Could I get a... female doctor? Some..." She struggled to find the right words, "...feminine medical questions I'd like to ask."
Reeve nodded, "Anything you need, Tifa. And don't worry about insurance or any of that nonsense; I'll see it taken care of."
"Right, come on girl!" Cid said, and gently helped Tifa to her feet, whom quickly shuffled away and stood on her own.
"I'm fine, really," She said one final time, then nodded to Reeve, "And thank you again." Then she and Cid turned and left.
Rufus, who had remained silent the entire time, trotted by Reeve, using his cane for support, "Well, that all went well. Are you going to reconsider your other offer for Strife, then?"
Reeve turned and face the other, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Aw, don't play dumb with me of all people, Reeve. You think I don't know about the Buster Blades, that special ops team you've been putting together? The WRO's play on SOLDIER, I wonder? Very cheeky and original name by the way." Rufus' tone was as sarcastic as could be.
"Just focus on what matters, Rufus." Reeve said, then turned and left the room.
Rufus looked down at the cane in his hands, then clicked his tongue. "What matters..." He said aloud, also stepping forward and exiting the room. He hadn't heard from Tseng in quite a while, and so right then what mattered was finding the apparently wayward Director.
~ ` ` ` [VII] ` ` ` ~
~ ` ` ` [Somewhere beneath Fort Condor] ` ` ` ~
When the woman could at last open her eyes, there was nothing darkness all around her. Her head felt like it weighed several pounds, and every inch of her ached. She knew at once that she was sitting in the fetal position, legs tucked close to her chest and her arms hugging them even closer. Fear overtook her, and she began to wheeze and cough, struggling against the crushing blackness for a full breathe of air. Trying to calm herself, she gingerly reached one arm out in front of her to feel for... something, anything, but her hand always only grabbed empty air. In defeat, she simply let her arm drop, which collided with something solid. Clang! The sudden noise was near deafening, and she tried to push herself deeper into the corner. Only once she calmed herself yet again did she begin to feel the ground beneath her. It was cold and hard... steel, perhaps, or iron?
Panic started to rise again, but she caught control of herself; she was from Wutai, after all! When she tried to stand however, her legs trembled, and she feebly fell back down onto her ear. Grunting and fighting through the confusion and odd sensations, she instead felt the walls around her. Here she discovered that, like the floor she was sitting on, the walls were also cold and hard. She opened her mouth to speak, but found her throat and mouth extremely dry. Her senses were clouded and she felt nauseous, and yet she continued to fight against her own body. Finally, after a few more minutes, she managed to croak out a single word.
"H...hello?"
"Quiet, damn it! Or they'll punish us again!" A gruff voice called from the darkness.
The woman froze, realizing that she wasn't alone. The pounding of her heart overtook her hearing, but still she tried to listen closer. Soon she could faintly make out the sounds of people gently breathing, but exactly how many she could not be sure.
"Shut your hole, newbie," Yet another voice, different from the first, said, "You don't know anything about punishment. You, get her some water."
"There ain't but a few drops left!" The original gruff voice called out, "Ya wanna waste on some broad who's already half dead?"
The woman again tried to shuffle away from the voices, as she heard movement, the soft padding of what must have bare feet on the hard ground, "If I have to tell you again to shut up, I'll make sure you're next on the table."
Then she heard the padding footsteps again, but growing closer and closer to her. "Please... don't..." She croaked again.
"Calm down, girl," That second voice called, "you'll feel better."
She then felt a hand touch her face, and she screamed. The scream was louder than all else, and echoed and reverberated several times; they must have been in a small space. After, there was a silence, when a third voice muttered, "Now ya've done it."
A split second later, the woman was completely blinded, as a bright flash of light completely blinded her. She faintly heard the sound of hinges squeaking, like a heavy door being thrown open, and still another voice, "Right, who's next for the barbecue rack!"
Unable to comprehend what was going on, she could only shield her eyes and turn into her little corner, her little safe haven. Then there was a shout, the sounds of a struggle, and then the loud rapid booming of gunfire, which caused herself and all those around her to scream in terror.
"That lil' bitch there hiding in the corner!" Someone yelled.
Before she could register that it could only imply her, two pairs of rough arms snatched her up and began to drag her away. Still blinded by the sudden light, she kicked and screamed, trying to be away from her captors. Then she felt a thick band of cloth snap into her mouth, the force of which threw her head backward and cracked her neck slightly. She tried to clear her vision quickly before anything else happened, fighting through heavily watered eyes and growing fatigue. She very briefly what she could only assume was a blurry outline of a corpse upon the floor, riddled with bullet holes and a pool of blood around it. When she tried to look back to where she was dragged from, darkness again overtook her sight was a black bag was yanked down over her head. Still she tried to kick and fight, when a pain shot into her arm; a few seconds later, she lost all consciousness.
When at last she regained consciousness, her world was still dark, and she felt a pair of hands gripping her arms and dragging her down a seemingly endless hallway. Her butt, legs, and feet dragged along the ground, her head slumped backward as far as it would go. She managed to moan a soft sound, only for the hands to suddenly snatch her up right.
"Wakey wakey, bitch! The doctor will see you now!" A voice directly to her right guffawed into her ear.
Then there was a pound pound on a solid steel door, again the sound of hinges creaking loudly, and the female was forced onward. Not a second later, an agonized scream filled her ears, accompanied by the sounds of an electric saw and a horrible slurping sound. Despite the obvious fear overtaking her, she soon found that she could not move at all, and was not sure if she could speak. She dared not try to speak or even make a sound, lest her captors punish her again... maybe if she stayed quiet, everything would be okay and she could return home... to Wutai.
The screaming slowly grew louder and louder, followed by a terrible snap and then the screaming abruptly silenced. The sound of the whirring saw went on for a few more seconds, then ceased. Then she heard the sounds of heavy boots upon tile floor, followed by a loud clatter of some tool being flung down onto a table.
"This is the one, I assume," The woman heard a voice say. It sounded half-nasally, soft-spoken but with a razor's edge to it.
"The next on the list, Baron!" She heard a man to her right say.
"And did you inject her?" The one she assumed was called Baron asked.
"Flopped over like a boned fish right after!" A man to her left answered, then went on, "Though she woke up a few minutes after we started draggin' her here."
She heard a sigh, "An unfortunate prototype. No matter, take that atrocious bag off her and strip her down." Followed by retreating footsteps.
Every muscle in her body twitched and convulsed to try and be free, but to no avail; she still could not move. Instead, she felt her clothes being torn and ripped away, a chilling blast blowing over her nakedness and causing her to shiver. Afterward, the bag was yanked off her head, she again temporarily blinded by a flash of light. She whimpered and cowered, trying to be away, but once her vision cleared and looked up, her eyes went wide.
The first thing she could clearly make out was the man before her. Five-foot-ten-inches maybe, with green surgeons pants and a white long-sleeved button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled back above his elbows. Over that was a butcher's smock, and strung around his waist was a leather tool belt, loaded with different sized shivs, knives, scissors, razors, and many more things the woman could not recognize. He had a thin, almost skeletal sunk in face, pale skin, a hooked nose, with platinum blonde hair which was shoulder length all around, but every bit combed and slicked back behind his head, and no facial hair to speak of. His hands were bare, bloody, and almost bone thin, and around his eyes he wore small, rounded spectacles. He was covered in blood and gore from head to heel, and eyeballed her up and down; right then nothing else in the room mattered.
The man stepped closer, casually wiping blood from his face and mouth, "You must be from Wutai, yes?"
The woman nodded.
"Fascinating," The man said, adjusting his glasses while looking up and down her body.
He stepped closer still, throwing aside the bloody rag and clutching one of her breasts in both hands, fondling, pulling, and tugging not gently. "Tiny bosom... not surprising. Are all Wutai women shaped like children?"
The question brought a chuckle from the other two men. The women could do nothing but freeze in place.
Now the bloody man sank down to his knees, running gloved hands from her ribs down to her thighs, "Supple thighs," He cooed with a hint of amusement and satisfaction.
A hand then quickly slid between her thighs, and she jumped when she felt a finger slide inside of her. The intruding digit flicked this way and that, in and out a few times, before he stood up with an approving nod,
"Not a virgin, to be sure. I believe we can work with this one."
"What should we do with her, Devlynn?" One of her two captors asked.
"That's Baron Devlynn to you, you insignificant parasite," The grotesque man snapped back, but always with a calm and flat voice, "Unless you want to be the one on the table, strap her down while I get ready. Oh and, you can remove that gag now. I do so love hearing the screams."
Without another word, the woman was forced forward, and placed upon her back onto an empty operations table. Her legs were spread wide apart and strapped down, her arms pulled out wide and likewise bound, with a thick strap covering her breasts and thighs. After, the thick cloth was ripped from her mouth, and the original two men left, pulling the thick steel door shut behind them.
"Please... don't..." Her meek voice tried to plead.
And then she saw the man come back into her view, a large handsaw in one hand, and a straight razor in the other. To her left she could see a small table, with rows of various vials containing unknown liquids, and many unknown tools she did not recognize.
Her fear reached its peak, and she at last found her voice, screaming and crying out at loud as she could. Her thin arms and legs thrashed and fought against the tight straps, but her entire body barely moved an inch off the table.
"Ohh..." The stranger sighed, placing the handsaw down, "Why in the world are you screaming? I haven't even cut you yet." All in the same plain, emotionless voice.
"I'll tell you whatever you want! Just... let me go!" The woman pleaded.
"Oh, my dear, you misunderstand. I used to be a surgeon, and to a surgeon the best answers are what's beneath the surface."
"But I haven't...!"
Casually, he drew back his hand and struck her across the nose, silencing her, and then wearing a look of regret, "Mustn't damage the sample, Devlynn," He said aloud to himself, then fetched a tiny vial and a long, thick syringe from his pocket.
"Nothing fancy here," He said, drawing the liquid into the needle, "Just adrenaline, to ensure you don't pass out on us," Then stuck the needle into an IV line, which he then jammed into one of the woman's veins in her arm, then depressed the stopper. As this was happening, the adrenaline took effect, the girl gagging several times, her body convulsing.
"That's it..." Devlynn smiled, "Welcome to the festivities, my dear. Now then! Let's get to work, shall we? I've always liked to start from the bottom, and work my way up... years ago, when I still had my medical license." Then chuckled darkly.
As he stepped towards the foot of the table and moved the straight razor close to exposed flesh, there came a loud clang clang clang as someone pounded thrice on the steel door. Sighing in annoyance, he dropped the razor onto the metal tray, but picked up a steel clamp and a pair of hemostats.
"Now, we don't want you swallowing your tongue..." Devlynn cooed, reaching into the woman's mouth with the hemostats and snatching her tongue, to pull it out. He then used the steel clamp to secure the tongue to her bottom lip, then clicked his tongue own in satisfaction, "... so you sit tight, and don't move, yes?" With a smile, he clapped her on the shoulder, then moved out of her sight.
"Yes, come in."
Reij yanked up on the door handle and used his boot to push it open. Instantly, the smell of bleach and other disgusting things hit his nose, and he gagged once. Turning his head, he spat upon the floor, using a rag to cover his nose. "Fuckin' hell, Baron!"
Devlynn again casually wiped his hands with a cloth, then adjusted his glasses, "Boss," He replied, "What is it I can help you with?"
Meanwhile, the man called Kyle slowly stepped across the threshold and glanced around. The space was somewhat small, with two lines of three surgeons tables built closely together. Every one of these had a body strapped to it, but only two of these poor bastards were actually dead. He heard people gagging, choking, attempting to cry out for help. Blood and brain matter coated the walls and floor in random splatter, and those tied down still alive constantly thrashed to be free, causing still more disturbing sounds.
Reij gagged again, more from the barrage of scents hitting his nose, "Any progress down here?"
"I was just beginning to administer the dose," Devlynn responded, not seeming to be affected by the sounds, or the smells.
"What about him?" Kyle suddenly put in, pointing to a corpse in the corner. The corpse in question was strung up spread eagle against the wall; every inch of skin had been flayed raw, leaving only a stinking and ripe carcass left with only tissue, marrow, sinew, and vital organs that had since begun to slip past the bone structure and spill out onto the floor.
The Baron made a noise, "Just another failed subject, I'm afraid. That one is on my to do list."
"Fine, whatever!" Reij interrupted, wanting to be out of there quickly, "Here, I brought something for ya!" Then removed the black and red summon materia, once belonging to the silver-haired man, from his pocket.
Devlynn stepped closer to investigate, "I've not seen a materia like this before."
"Well, put this on the top of your to-do list!" Reij said, turning and slamming the orb down on a nearby table.
"My pleasure, boss," Devlynn smiled, "just as soon as I am finished here."
"Good," Reij went on, turning and shoving past the militant Kyle to be out of that torture room. "You better get me some results soon!" Then the metal door was slammed shut and the two men were gone.
Baron Devlynn looked to the sphere on the table, marveled at the swirling tendrils of black and red within it, and was racked with goosebumps. Just looking at the thing, he knew that there was something special, otherworldly about it, and was most eager to begin studying it!
But first there was the task at hand to be completed.
"Right, my dear," He proclaimed, picking the straight razor and hemostats back up, "Where were we? Oh yes! You're going to feel a pinch in five... four... three..."
The straight razor suddenly ripped down the woman's leg from kneecap to ankle; a perfectly clean and deep slice all the way to the bone. The room was filled with the agonized screams of the victim, the sound even carrying out into the hallway, wherein Reij and Kyle heard it. Casually, Devlynn thrust the hemostats into the open wound, dropping the straight razor in favor of a steel spike resembling a tooth pick. The man dug around and pushed sinew and muscle aside, invoking still more and louder screams, but he never seemed to notice or care. Finally, the clamps shut around a line of tendon, and ripped it out with a sickening slurp and gush of blood. Crimson sprayed him across the face and stained his glasses, but the man only pulled the tendon closer to his eyes, turning it around and studying every inch.
"Fascinating.." Devlynn whispered.
The tortured screams continued.