Chapter 1 - Be it Ever So Humble.

The Highwind touched down outside of Rocket Town behind Cid and Shera's home. Just as gathering together outside the Forgotten Capital had become tradition, so had returning to the small town afterwards for a reunion of sorts. No matter how you got up north, you would come back in the Highwind. The ride back had been long enough for the airship's occupants to dispel their sadness and begin to enjoy each other's company.

The beginning of the party was reserved for catching up with each other as they went around the room. It seemed childish to some, Yuffie the most vocal on it, but it was agreed to at least be easier than having every person recount the last year of their lives six or seven different times. Many of the stories remained nearly unchanged from the previous year, but it delighted Tifa to hear about each and everything. Barret still worked hard to bring Corel back on it's feet, but surprisingly enough, the massive man had turned down a nomination for mayor of the small town.

"I jus' didn't need something else keepin me away from Marlene," was the only response the media got, and it was the only response AVALANCHE would get. The group knew Barret's feelings toward his adoptive daughter, and all of them believed that he made the right decision. But they also knew nothing could keep him from his town for very long, and every opportunity possible, Barret was concentrating on the future of Corel. Cloud still insisted that his friend would ultimately end up the mayor of the quickly growing town.

Cid, Reeve and Red however, had all become political leaders and Yuffie was on her way. At first, Cid too had turned down the position but was convinced when the mob arrived at his doorstep. And Shera let them in. The old pilot had been concerned that with the responsibilities of mayor he would be forced to ignore the rebuilding of his rocket but the people insisted that without the rocket there would be no Rocket Town. And without Cid there would be no rocket. So, the residents of Rocket Town made sure the resources were there for the Shin-ra number 27. Soon after his inaugural address Cid had proposed to Shera. The marriage had been held 3 months after.

As for the remainder of Shin-ra, all that survived of the old corporation was the name. To keep the old title was the widely criticized decision of Reeve. But, as the new president, it was undeniably his call to make. Within his first 6 months of presidency, Reeve turned the company around and, through a risky investment, financed the discovery of an experimental energy source called electricity. With the exclusive rights to the world's only reliable power source, the AVALANCHE member was in a position to create a global monopoly with a majority of the money going straight into his pocket. But with his next move anyone's fears of a new Rufus were quickly removed. Reeve made the technology for electricity public information and gave out loans for companies within the other towns to get their businesses up and running independently of Shin-ra Incorporated. While the company itself lost a majority of potential profits, it also no longer had as many branches to fund. Most of the science department was moved to research, development, and repair, the urban development branch became a public records department, and the military became the equivalent of Junon's police force after its losses during the Meteor incident. All in all, the company made more than enough money to support itself and the city of Junon. However, the ruins of Midgar still scarred the eastern continent as a permanent solution had not been approved yet. Reeve himself had been partial to reconstruction, but the general populace was too conflicted between reparation and destruction for him to make a decision.

Red had returned home to Cosmo Canyon after the Meteor incident and became his ancestral home's new protector. The canyon itself had changed little throughout the year, becoming perhaps a little more admissible to outsiders. Red himself took care of Bugenhagen's lab and major directorial decisions, but most of the administration was left to the elders remaining as the fire beast's first responsibility was protection from the natural monsters that would sometimes wander into the area and attack the region's inhabitants.

Cloud and Tifa had moved out to Kalm after the group had parted ways. It had been right after the last reunion when the two finally admitted that they loved each other and promptly moved in together. Cid had said it best; "Like a goddamn fairy tale. 'Cept you fuck ups ain't married yet."

Shera had been quick to defend the young couple though. "It took you 12 years, buddy."

Cid simply muttered to himself and lit a cigarette.

Expectedly, Vincent was the hardest to get information out of. Tifa practically had to pry answers from him but, while he seemed as cold as ever, she could see the hint of a smile playing on his lips as he listened to the others stories.

"Vincent, why don't you tell us about your year so far?"

"It has been uninteresting. It would be rude for me to bore you all."

Tifa put a hand on her hip and pouted. "Oh come on now, there has to be more to it. Do you still live in Nibleheim?"

"Yes."

"Oh Gawd, not in that stupid fucking coffin right? That shit is soooo creepy." All eyes fell on Yuffie in suprise. Cid gave her a thumbs up. Tifa punched him in the arm.

"Look what you've taught her. Now she swears all the time." Realization dawned on Yuffie's face as it occurred to her why she was receiving such odd looks. As much as she wanted to see Cid get pummeled by both Tifa and his wife, Yuffie felt talking about her new acquaintances would prove much more entertaining. Provided Barret didn't attack her. But, even then. She laughed to herself before speaking up.

"Actually, Cid isn't exactly the source of my kickass new vocabulary." Now even Cid gave her a skeptical look. "I've kinda got some new friends...that you guys know. Kinda. Sorta." Tifa's eyes went from curious to suspicious, when she saw how Yuffie was looking at the floor.

"So, who?"

Yuffie looked up at Tifa sheepishly before looking away again. "Ummm...the Turks." The room exploded into a flurry of noise.

"Put it down." Rude stared his best friend in the eyes, his words spoken with a menace backed by his huge form as he took a slow step forward.

"No." The one word answer was too serious to be coming from Reno. Rude stopped for a moment and questioned if this could truly be his partner of years, the man who'd saved his life so many times. Whose life he'd saved before so many times. But there was no doubt about it.

"You can't do this. You'll only end up hurting yourself."

"That won't stop me, man. You know that I have to do it."

Rude looked up at Reno again. The tension hung in the air as an almost physical presence. What was said next would be the key to diffusing the entire situation. Rude hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Reno, you can't staple yourself to a ceiling fan and expect it to hold you."

"I dunno... I've got a lot of staples here. Besides, it'll be hilarious."

"Then use your own stapler. I have work to do."

"But I need your help. I can't exactly staple myself up here..." Reno trailed off looking oddly thoughtful for someone standing on a desk. "What if I staple my jacket up first, then get into it." During this inspiration a huge grin spread over the Turk's face. He was in the process of taking his suit jacket off when Elena walked in.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Reno whipped around. "Uh. Paperwork."

"On top of my desk?"

"Well, it is your paperwork."

"Go sit down." Reno hopped off the desk grumbling about one thing or another before plopping down in his own seat. "I met with a representative of the Alexander Electric Company today," Elena started. Reno had heard of them. A couple months after Meteor, when Reeve released information regarding electricity, Corin Alexander appeared in Gongaga with plans to rebuild and a whole shit load of money to do it with. Even with on-going construction, the city wasn't up to its pre-Shin-ra standards yet. But it was getting there. "He had a job for us."

"Good one?" Reno broke out of his thoughts when Rude spoke. He found Elena was looking at him with a hesitant stare.

"Well. It's a really easy information grab. The place has no formal security left at all..."

Reno didn't like the way she trailed off. "Elena. Where do we have to 'grab' this information from?"

"Midgar. Or more specifically, the old Shin-ra building..."

"What part?" Reno really didn't like the way she trailed off

"Hojo's lab."

He jumped up to his feet in a fit. Even Rude seemed to sit up straighter. "You told him he could fuck right off right? Right, Elena?"

The blond folded her hands in front of her and looked down.

"Not really."

Reno practically exploded. "Why the fuck not!"

The female Turk looked up at him. "He offered 500,000 gil."

The change in Reno was instantaneous. "Well, now that's a little different."

Yuffie had been fending off questions from her friends about her involvement with the Turks for the better part of an hour. Most of them from Barret. And some of them not real questions.

"What th' fuck is wrong with you?"

Yuffie tried to explain herself again. "They're really not that bad anymore. I mean, right now they're just trying to make a living just like everyone else. Though maybe not in the same way."

This time it was Tifa's turn. "'Not that bad?' How can you say that? They dropped the Sector Seven Plate. They're monsters, all of them. How can you defend them?" Tifa said, the passion pouring through.

Yuffie was glad this came up so late in the night. At least it didn't ruin all the good times beforehand. She sighed. "I'm not really defending them I guess. I was really suspicious when they showed up in Wutai, so I kept tabs on them for a couple weeks. They didn't do anything too bad. Nothing I wouldn't do myself, I guess." She got a stern look from Cloud. "Well, they didn't kill anybody. And they only hospitalized one guy."

"Only one guy? And that's okay to you?"

"Well, he did almost hit Elena with his car."

Red was the next one to speak. "Yuffie, how many murders in Wutai could the Turks be connected to."

Yuffie wasn't sure the answer would be too well accepted. "Murders? Almost none. Killings?" Yuffie looked out the window for a second. "A whole lot. But that's the weird thing. The targets, if the Turks did kill them, were all known drug lords or other criminals. As far as I know, they haven't killed a decent person yet. At least not in Wutai."

Barret was back up again. "I don't believe that bullshit. I say they're all still scum, an you should stay away from 'em, brat." Yuffie flipped him off, but before another word could be exchanged Cloud spoke up.

"Yuffie. I don't think you being friends with the Turks is a good idea." He held up a hand to silence her protest. "But it is your decision to make. We're all just concerned about any danger you might be in. What if they knew you followed them?"

"They do know. I told Reno one time over dinner." Yuffie realized what she said after Cid started laughing. "Not that it was, like, a date or something. We were just hungry." Yuffie's blushed face seemed to cool down the tempers in the room and Tifa covered her mouth to stop from laughing. Cloud put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sure, sure kid. Anyway, it's getting late. We'd better go." He walked towards the door with Tifa behind him. She stopped for a second and leaned down to whisper something to Yuffie.

"Just be careful, okay?" Tifa said, clearly prioritizing.

Yuffie smiled and nodded to her. The rest of the group collectively decided it was time to go as well.

Good-byes and good lucks were being exchanged by all those attending, but, before Yuffie could go, Vincent approached her.

"Yuffie?" She looked up at him, with a questioning expression on her face. "No, I don't live in 'that stupid fucking coffin' anymore." Yuffie's face contorted into a look of surprise at Vincent's impression of her. She looked around to see if anyone else heard, but everyone seemed too wrapped up in parting moments. When she looked back, Vincent was already out the door.

"You're fucking kidding me. Nobody heard that?"

"Yes...Yes...No, we won't be needing transportation. Thank you. Goodbye." Elena closed up her PHS. "Okay, we're all set. I told them we'd have it back for them by next week. When do you want to go?"

"Soon as possible. I wanna be back quickly. Rude you figure out transportation yet?"

"Yeah. Ferry it to Kalm. Rent something there." After Meteor left Midgar in ruins all of the surviving inhabitants spread to different cities. Unfortunately, most that could not afford to travel long distances ended up in Kalm. The small out of the way town grew into a bustling metropolis practically overnight. As a result, the populace of Kalm co- operated with Wutai to create a ferry service that ran between the two cities.

"Sounds good. Elena do we know where we're going, and what we're looking for?"

"I can tell you what files we're looking for, but not what it means without seeing it. From what I remember about the ruins, we'll need to restore power to the elevators and computer control banks on the 67 floor. I can access what we need from there."

"Good. Looks like its back to Midgar for us. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

"Sir, the Turks have agreed to retrieve the information for us." The secretary stood in the doorway of the huge office, glancing about nervously. He was met with silence. "M-mr. Alexander?" he stuttered.

"When do they intend to leave?" The CEO of A.E.C. turned around to face his secretary with a warm smile gracing his face.

"Within a few days, sir."

"That soon? Spectacular. Davis, make sure AVALANCHE is contacted." Davis waited a moment for any further orders, before turning to leave. As his hand reached the doorknob, Alexander's voice called out to him again. "Oh, and do have the surveillance equipment ready by then. I would loathe to miss this show." Despite the friendly tone of voice, Davis shuddered once before closing the door behind him.