"A gil for your thoughts?" Fang prompted Felicia, coming to sit next to her on the ramp outside the station 8 doors. She handed Felicia one of the hot carob drinks that she had brought out with her. And began helping the younger woman to untangle a box of string lights, which would be used to decorate the station for the season.

Felicia took the drink with a smile, letting the beverage warm her hands. "I'm just worried about Kunsel, Zax too."

"Want to talk about it?"

Felicia bowed her head, watching the heat rise from her drink in the chilly morning air of december month. "I know they're far from pushovers. But my papa…no Veld, he was really intense about all this Jenova, DMW and SND stuff, he believes it's his responsibility to eradicate anything and anyone related to ShinRa and it's legacy, ShinRa's victims are no exception. He's always been staunch about duty, no matter the cost. I guess I'm just worried about Kunsel and Zax out there so soon after the fallout at the WRO."

"We'll be keeping in touch with them, and they'll be safe with Cissnei and Balto soon."

Felicia lifted her cup to sip from the brim. Lowering it again she said. "I wonder if I did the right thing, coming to the plate so soon. I might have been more help undercover at Veld's side."

Fang smiled. "We can never know how things will play out, we can only do what's best for others and ourselves in the moment, and make guesses as to the future. In this situation, I think you where right to get out of there while you could."

Fang was probably right. If she had stayed, she might have become just another hostage along with Emma and other dissenting Exiles. After all, it had taken convincing from the Turks and the Exiles for him to act in her defense those years ago. Further still Veld had been willing to cover up the first bombing of Kalm, her mother's death, Hojo's experimentation at Nibelhime. Besides, there were a thousand other atrocities he had been privy to in his career, to many to count. "Thanks for saying so." She told Fang gratefully, the assurance helped in the midst of her self doubt. There was no use in second guessing now, she had to have confidence, she knew that whatever happened her decision was for the best.


Cloud's lips curved into a fond smile, when Denzel came jogging down the seventh heaven's front steps, to meet him out front.

"Got everything?" Cloud asked. Giving Danzel a hand up onto the Fenrir.

"Ah-huh." Denzel fitted his helmet on to his head.

Arriving in Denzel's wake Barrett, Tifa, Aeris and Marlene came to the door, wanting to see their two friends off on the delivery run to the WRO headquarters.

"Say hello to Shelke and Cait for us!" Marlene urged of Denzel.

"Reeve and vincent too." Tifa added.

Denzel pressed down his visor, and gave the others the thumbs up accompanied by a muffled. "Will do."

"Spiky, make sure that mythril ore gets there alright." Barrett emphasised. He had mined it himself, during his last trip to Kalm. It was the first raw mythril that had been brought up since the mine had been abandoned those years ago.

For his part Cloud offered a nod. "You can depend on it." He told the man in his quiet manner, while he patted the side of the Fenrir's under seat compartment. Then collectively addressing those who were remaining at the 7th Heaven. "Stay out of trouble you lot." Next Cloud hit the switch and he and Denzel were away, down the street shared by motor and foot traffic.

On reaching Meteor Square, they made a half circle, orbiting the monument at the center of the city's busiest roundabout. Finally they took the road leading west out of Edge.

The old continents north was as wintery as Shiva in December. Cloud had to drive carefully on the icy roads, until they had left Edge city behind them for the open valley, with its rougher terrain to provide better grip.

The weather being the way it was with the snow beginning to fall, there were no wildflowers around, but corse hardy grasses had taken over what had been a wasteland not long befor. Bleak as it was, Denzel who had been a plate dweller in Midgar for the first part of his life, was always fascinated by the sights outside of Edge. He would cast around at their surroundings while they raced through the landscape, and a couple of times Cloud pulled over so that the young man could explore.

"We won't be visiting that cliff place anymore, since the hero Zax is alive now, right?" Denzel asked, while scouting around about a rock formation, during one of their stops.

"That's right, when he and his friend Kunsel come to Edge next I'll introduce you, if you're comfy with that. He's a good guy, fun to be around, so I'm sure it wouldn't be to awkward." Cloud knew Denzel was naturally shy, despite this he seemed to like the idea.

When cloud was sure Denzel was well occupied, he turned to checking his mail.

[To: Strife Delivery][From: Reeve Tuesti][Subject: Mythril delivery.][Mail: You and Denzel are still planning to arrive late in the day? If so one of the apartments (no 7 nextdoor to Shelke) has been prepared for you both, if you'd rather not travel back to Edge in the dark. Assuming you do stay the night, and aren't looking to get going again right away. We'd be glad if you'd have dinner with us. - RT and the family.]

Cloud punched in a response

[To: Reeve Tuesti][From: Strife Delivery][Subject: Mythril delivery reply][Mail: Thanks for thinking of us as always. I'd rather not drive the Fenrir at night with the kid, and I don't want to keep him up to late, so we'll accept the offer. And we might see you at dinner, Denzel's looking forward to seeing Shelke and Cait Sith again.]

He found himself wondering if Genesis would be eating with them. Shelke had mailed everyone living at the 7th Heaven numerous times, since Genesis had taken up residence at the WRO headquarters. And Cloud and the others had always gotten the impression that She and her parents both were getting on well with him.

Pocketing his PHS, Cloud looked up to find that Denzel was finished poking around in the grass, looking for cactuar mandragora and rilfsak that might have been using the rock's as a habitat.

"Find anything?" Cloud asked him.

"This." Denzel reached out to tip an armor piercing round in to Cloud's gloved palm.

Cloud looked it over, clearly not the weapon of a hunter. A chill that had nothing to do with the season, seeped in beneath Cloud's coat. It was entirely possible that some hack had just been out here fooling around, a senseless thing to be doing sure. But the round might also be evidence of Veld's Exiles in the area.

Seeing Denzel watching him with concern, Cloud put the shell away in a pocket, and helped his son on to the bike once more. Reassuringly he told the boy. "It's probably nothing, but I'll show it to Vincent when we get to the WRO." Then they were driving again.

Since being cut off by Rufus, the Exiled Turks had become something of an unknown factor. All Cloud and the others knew for sure was that the Exiles had been ordered to watch the 7th Heaven, the WRO, Healen, and Midgar's station workers. Yuffie, Reno and Rude had been monitoring the situation closely. But with the Exiles constantly on the move, operating erratically. It had been difficult sofar to know what they were planning, or what their next move might be.

"Cloud, Denzel." Shelke greeted them on the causeway, extending from the back of the WRO headquarters, out over the mountain range. As ever, she welcomed them in her no frills manner. "You arrived just before the worst of it." She observed, motioning with a gesture towards the turbulent sky. Next she lead them around to the main doors.

As if to emphasize the statement she had made about the brewing storm, thunder rumbled in the distance emanating from the direction of the sea, west of Edge's scant but glimmering lights. The view was really something from the World Regenisis Organizations front step.

Shelke ushered Cloud and Denzel through the atrium foyer, to the lifts, which they took up to the floor were the cafeteria was located.

The cafeteria provided food for all of the WRO's live in volunteers, and guests. The meals were prepared using not lavish, but quality ingredients, all fairly sourced. And the cook's themselves voluntears, made food that was honestly tasty while meeting the dietary requirements of the people who used the service. It was a pleasant welcoming place to eat.

Waiting for them around one of the tables, situated near the windows, Reeve and Vincent were playing a game of summon chess.

"What are the stakes?" Cloud asked on approaching their table to draw up a seat, coaxing Denzel in to a chair also.

"Who gets to choose the december month decorations." Shelke filled him in.

"It's good to see you both!" Reeve greeted his guests. Then on the topic of festival decor. "I'm thinking golden string lights, scented evergreen branches, decorative gourds…" He described with hand gestures.

"Good luck Vinc." Cloud joked at Reeve's expense.

"It's the gourds isn't it?" Reeve asked in a tone of mock offence.

"It's the gourds." Shelke agreed. "Say no to gourds."

"Everyone's a critic." Came a new voice.

Turning in his seat, Cloud found Genesis striding towards them. Dressed in a carmine wool suit, and wearing a cardigan underneath. A silver thread running through the knit of the cardi, complemented the silver earring that Cloud always remembered him wearing.

"Paint them with dashes of gold though, or turn them into carved candle holders, and you rase the december month decor bar." Genesis went on, while taking the seat on Cloud's other side.

Cloud couldn't susout weather or not Genesis was being sincere about the guards, so he pressed on to introductions.

"This is my son Denzel. And you won't recognize me, I was with the infantry, I'm…"

Genesis finished for him. "Cloud strife, yes I know." His cordial smile was rufull for a moment. "You were with Avalanche when it came to stopping Sephiroth, the remnants, deepground. When you're not saving the world, you run a well trusted delivery service. I'm acquainted with the lifestream, I know what happens on this planet. And dear Shelke and her parents here, have been kind enough to fill me in on the exact details."

For an instant Cloud was surprised, he hadn't expected that Genesis would even remember his time with ShinRa's infantry. Let alone know of him post Zax leaving Genesis in Banora, when they had been on the run from ShinRa. The thought recalled to Cloud's memory, something Zax had mentioned in his most recent mail. "Thank you for helping Zax to return to life, for helping to give my good friend a second chance. I appreciate it."

Genesis meet Cloud's eyes for an extended moment, a gesture Cloud again couldn't exactly make out. Then Genesis's eyes slid down the fusion sword, the blade leaning against the back of Cloud's chair. At last he smiled, a subdued but genuine expression transforming his features.

"So what are the organic life forms having for supper?" Cait Sith announced his arrival. Pulling up a chair, he sat himself between Denzel and Shelke, menus in cartoonish hand.


"You can confirm that Kunsel and Zax are currently in Condor?" From the Fate warehouse club in Edge city, Veld inquired of his subordinate over a call.

"Yes sir." Freyra codenamed 'shotgun' returned. "Give us the order, and we'll move in on the targets."

"No, don't take any action just yet, the people of Condor will back them if it comes to a fight, and they're veterans at fending off Soldier, infantry, and Turks alike in Condor. Wait until the targets leave town, Nunchaku, Maur and I will meet you and Emma on the road." Veld coordinated the plan.

"We have the rifle that Corneo donated to us. We could easily destroy their buggy from a distance." Freyra suggested, ever eager as was her nature.

"No, I want Kunsel alive." It was imperative to Veld's plan that Kunsel be captured alive. He had a particular use for em in mind, but once ees usefulness was exhausted, then Kunsel could at last be killed.

"Understood. We can meet you on the highway to the docs. We'll keep in contact over COMM."

"Maintain your cover until then."

With fewer resources, and smaller numbers now that Rufus had withdrawn his support, leaving them with only Don Corneo's backing. Veld and the Exiles would need to intercept their targets while they were isolated and vulnerable. He had Freyra stationed along with several others, watching Kunsel's family in Condor, from a nearby hostel. Originally the plan had been to cut the targets off on their way from Midgar to Condor, knowing that both of them would likely be visiting family before december was out. But somehow they had slipped past Veld's Exiles, making it out of Midgar in a buggy without being seen. However this might work to his advantage in some ways, in this scenario Kunsel and Zax would be further from Edge and Midgar, therefore further from the aid of AVALANCHE or the station workers. So if Veld was going to deal to these two, he only needed to do so before they could seek refuge with Cissnei and Balto in Gongaga to the south of the new continent.


Close to wear Veld leaning against a sidewall, talked in to his PHS. Yuffie among the thrumming crowd, threw her head this way and that the fibers of her neon wig whipping about hear face, while her body acted as a medium translating trance music into movement.

Withdrawing some papers from a pocket, so as to appear as if she were leaving the club to roll a smoke, Yuffie ducked out of the crowd. Feeling that she had not been observed leaving, she sat on the step were she composed a massage on her handset.

[To: Silver][From: White Rose][Subject: On the move][Mail: Just overheard Veld ordering his Exiles to go after Zax and Kunsel, on their way from Condor to the docs. Emma, Nunchaku, Maur and probably shotgun (since my intelligence network lost track of her and Emma around the same time). Veld will be with them too.]

Argento who went by the codename 'Silver' responded promptly.

[To: White Rose][From: Silver][Subject: Your orders][Mail: I have passed this information on to Reno and Rude, who will contact Rufus on the matter. And I will be bringing director Tuesti up to date once I have sent this mail. For now, you and Irina be ready to head out that towards the docs.]

Picking herself up off the step, Yuffie slipped away into the dim streets. Pulling a nondescript coat on over her fluro get up, she hid her wig in one of the pockets, replacing the wig with a beanie helped her look like any other on a late night stroll. Soon Elena similarly dressed and going by the cover name 'Irina', joined her side on the way to the helicopter.

Once Yuffie had made herself comfortable in the copilot's seat, or at least as comfortable as she could ever feel in the air. And when Elena and taken up the senior pilots seat. Yuffie told her companion what she had learned. "Veld is after Zax and Kunsel, your sister will be with him. I've already informed Argento who's going to coordinate with her station workers, Reeve, Rufus and the other Turks."

Gun, or rather Emma, was one Exile that they suspected of being a decenter who could be flipped given the chance. Emma's younger sister Elena, Rufus, and the other Turks especially wanted to give her the opportunity to escape Veld. And if she did change sides, she would be able to offer valuable leverage, that would help in ending Veld's crusade against those whose lives had been affected by JENOVA, the Digital Mind Wave experiments, and the SND.

But just how they were going to get Emma out of there? That remained to be seen. The look on Elena's face told Yuffie that she was all kinds of anxious on her sister's behalf.