Time: Right after 'Fulfilling Obligations'

Setting: Starts off in the WRO headquarters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7(DUH!). However, the OC and the plot are my own creations. XD silver lining…

Chapter 2

Fidelity

'Btzztzz…' A jolt of current surged through the small heap of electronics. It whirled to life, and sent forth a series of nearly inaudible beeps. Two pairs of eyes brightened.

Just then, sparks were emitted and the pungent smell of charred metal and burnt rubber filled the lab.

"Dang!" the pilot yelled. His gloved hand, which had made to swipe the offending hardware off the work table, was quickly pulled back. Instead, it made a grab for his coarse blond hair. He squeezed it hard, willing the tension in his scalp to ease his frustration.

Beside him, his partner swallowed hard. She was, by no means, fazed by his outburst. Despite his usual affability over a glass of beer (or several), his temper was well known throughout the WRO. But she was not afraid of him. Everyone knew she could hold her own in a fight. However, it did vex her because she knew that whenever Cid got angry, solutions took twice as long to find. Time was of the essence!

A small frown painted across her face and she sighed. "Cid…"

He roared. Cid Highwind stood up and strode towards a trio of tanks. The mako bubbled, its glow illumining his bloodshot eyes. He and Shelke had spent weeks taxing themselves, poring over the schematics of that accursed piece of hardware. They had forsaken much needed rest to create the machine which would prove their comrade's innocence, and now, it was malfunctioning for the nth time. His blood began to cool as he surveyed to dim acid glow of the mako tanks. "They ain't planning on making it easy for us, are they?" he chided, frustration tailed his voice.

Shelke released the breath she was holding and shook her head solemnly. "We'll make it work. I'm sure if we…"

Again, his anger rose, "Ah…what's the use! Fix it and everyone's gonna hear what they've been dreading to hear; don't fix it and that kid continues to threaten our existence."

"That's not true!" she yelled. Shelke sat back in her chair, taken aback by her own sudden display of emotions. It was…unlike her. However, her steely glare remained trained on Cid. "Bernice is no traitor." She added. Her voice was laddened with emotions once alien to her.

Cid stared hard at the girl. Sometimes I forget she's older than she looks. He drained the rage from his visage, replacing it with deep sorrow. To Shelke, it seemed that he'd aged ten years in that one fleeting moment. "Look, missy. Hell be damned coz' I liked that kid too. But evil runs in her blood. She's no good, period."

Anger seethed through her being. She held her tongue, but her fists were clenched, and her knuckles were white with rage. She said to him through gritted teeth, "That remains to be seen." She made a gesture towards the metallic helmet on the work table and continued, "Right now, we've got work to do."

A long silence followed before Cid Highwind sat himself heavily in his seat. "Hand me a screwdriver."

The mist clung heavily in the air, making it reek of dampness and decay. Beyond the lush canopy of the mangrove trees, the sky was beginning to darken. The ululations of night-creatures awakening from their day-time slumber echoed through the swamp, unimpeded.

Two figures walked the dense undergrowth, well aware of the incoming gloom. While the arrival of darkness brought about respite from the heat and humidity of the swamp, it also heightened the number of chance encounters with the less-than-friendly. Exhausted from their recent undertaking, neither man wanted to stay a second longer than they had to in the hostile environment. They quickened their pace.

However, it soon became apparent that they were not going to make it out of the quagmire this night. Fatigue and hunger gnawed at their senses, causing them to slacken. So with a sigh of resolute, both resigned to make camp.

Vincent Valentine stared deeply into the fire-light. His cup of broth, still warm, lay untouched by a packet of dried sweet meats. This was the first time since he embarked on his mission that he was able to have a moment's peace, to nurse his thoughts. Strangely, after sharing some of them with his apprentice, they no longer caused him pain. Instead, the fonder memories offered him comfort in adversity. With the Reeve's mission accomplished, he turned his attention to Bernice's well being.

The nightmares she was suffering from and the conclusions Reeve and the others drew from them worried him. Their theories were the product of sound reasoning. Yet, for some reason, he did not believe in their deductions. "She would have killed us when she had the chance if she were under his control." That was what he told them during the briefing. He had spent two years observing her, training her and he knew exactly what she was capable off. Nonetheless, the others would not be dissuaded from pursuing their line of thought. He could only hope that this would not lead to foolish actions, at least…not until he returned. Reeve, please don't do anything stupid.

"Holy!" Barret hollered, breaking his reverie.

In two shakes, he was on his feet, muscles tense and fingers lightly clutching onto Cerberus. Barret held his good hand up and waved it off in exasperation, "Hell, are you trying to give me a heart attack?! Chill, fool! I just spilled broth onto m'gun that's all."

"Humph…" came the reply as the gunslinger returned to his seat.

His phone vibrated, and he fished it out from his pocket. Turning away from the fire, he answered, "Shelke?" The snapping of twigs told him that Barret was shifting his weight on the opposite side of the campfire.

"Vincent, we've done it. Reeve has ordered the test to be conducted tomorrow evening." Shelke said.

"Can you get him to postpone it until some of us returns?" Vincent scowled, he was afraid this would happen.

"No. He was very insistent. Cid wants it done as soon as possible." For a moment, neither spoke. Then Shelke continued, "Vincent, if the results come out positive…"

"…they will not." He retorted.

"But…if they do…What are we…"

He sighed, "I don't know, Shelke…but…no, she can't be under Genesis's control."

"Vincent, there's always the chance that…"

"Then I will handle it personally. Just don't reveal the results before I get back."

He flipped it close and stares sadly at the silver engravements on his phone.

Barret took a chunk off a piece of sweet meat and in-between-chews, said, "You ain't vouching for Talwin, are you?"

"…" He continued looking into the scarlet flames, his visage betraying no emotions.

"Shit, you are!" Barret waved his arms in exasperation and brushed the crumbs off his lips. "Look here, you bloody…" Whatever he wanted to say was loss to the gunslinger as at that moment, the water nearby stirred.

In a flash, Vincent had Cerberus at the ready. His trigger finger tensed against the black metal which would release immense fire-power at his biding.

A horrendous cracking of splintered wood screeched through the damp air. He leapt, narrowly avoiding the tree which had come crashing down upon him. As he alighted near the water's edge, he cast his enhanced eyes around the parameter. Nothing…there was no one. Then again, it was a challenge, even for one such as he, to be able to discern anything around him on a moon-less night like this.

He made his way gingerly to where the remnants of the campfire flickered faintly against the darkness. "Barret!" He called.

He heard a loud moan. Soon, he found himself beside his comrade.

Barret's gun arm was pinned to the ground. The shattered electronics crackled and sparked under the dark bark. Also, he'd received a small cut above his left eye and his blood glistened under the dim illumination of the campfire.

The gunslinger sighed with relief. Barret's weapon may be useless now, but at least he wouldn't have to carry him all the way back to civilization.

He dug his claw into the metal and began severing the broken weapon. It wasn't long before he got him free and hoisted onto a sitting position.

After rebuilding the fire, he investigated their would-be cause of death. His eyes widened slightly. The cut between the trunk and its stump was smooth…someone had tried to assassinate them!

The next morning…

Denzel watched as Bernice gently corrected Marlene's stance. His sister stood with her arms held wide. She had her left knee brought up to the height above her waist. Despite how loose the cotton trousers she wore were, he could see that her right leg was trembling.

Bernice pressed a firm hand onto the girl's back, straightening it slowly so that she would not cause her to loose balance. "Alright, this is great, Marlene. You're doing fine. Just hold on a little longer. And try holding your back straight."

Marlene nodded. Perspiration dripped down the side of her face and her eyes stung from the sweat. She blinked. Her teeth remained gritted with the effort needed to keep her leg from buckling from under her.

Bernice surveyed the nine-year-old once more, making teeny adjustments where necessary. When she was satisfied with her posture, she stood in front of her and held out a cushion before crying, "Good, now kick!"

She did so with a sharp exhale, just as Bernice had showed her earlier on. SMACK Marlene's foot landed squarely on Bernice's left shoulder. Bernice suppressed the urge to wince as her shoulder throbbed with pain. I gatta remember to find a way to make it up to Tifa for all the times I kicked her…that hurt! Meanwhile, poor Marlene had lost her balance after missing the cushion and was now lying in an undignified heap on the ground.

Denzel doubled over, laughing. "That was…" He abruptly stopped when he caught the death glares both girls were throwing him.

Bernice smiled reassuringly at Marlene and offered her a hand, which the latter gladly accepted. Once she had her on her feet, Bernice said to Marlene, "Next time, aim for the cushion."

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm terrible." She bowed her head.

Bernice pressed her hands to her hips and smikred, "Nonsense, this sort of thing happened a lot when Tifa was training me. So I guess you're no worse than I was."

"So, do you think I can be as good as Tifa one day?"

Bernice smiled inwardly, having recalled asking Tifa a similar question. "Not without practice," she said finally. The gun-blader turned to the boy sitting on the bench. "Your turn, kid. Show me what you've got."

He slid off his perch and made his way towards the middle of the gymnasium. White rays of sunlight danced merrily along the high windows and illuminated the polished wood floor. The light revealed just how unruly the boy's dirt-brown hair was. Despite having lived in Tifa's Seventh Heaven for nearly four years, he still bore the resemblance of a common street urchin. An unmistakable glint of mischief shone in his eyes.

"Defense, first formation." Bernice barked.

He took in a lung-full of air and performed the stances fluidly, with practiced precision. Bernice smiled approvingly. "Very good, Denzel. Keep this up and you'll be a

ble to move onto weapons soon."

Just then, her cell-phone rang. She smiled apologetically at the two children and indicated that they should continue their exercises. She then pressed the phone to her ear. "Shelke?"

"Bernice, it's ready. We'll conduct the first trial this evening after dinner. Meet us in the lab at 9p.m."

"Lab…9 p.m. Got it." So this was it. They would finally be able to tell whether or not she was their ally. Finally, an end to all this…or the beginning of a whole new dilemma which she had, up until now, daren't contemplate. "What would happen should the worst occur? Would they—her 'friends', harm her, or help her? Where would their loyalties lie?" She sighed softly. "Loyalty...it's what heroes do."

a/n:

Sorry for the slow updates. I know that so far, things seem a bit dry and boring, but don't worry, they'll be plenty of action in the later chappies. In the meantime, bear in mind that good things come to those who wait. Please have some patience with me.

So, anyone wanna make a suggestion as to whether or not the results come out positive(bad) or negative(good)? I've worked the story out on both possibilities so it can come out either way (hint, hint). I'll be checking for reviews!

To DragonessWarrior: Thank you so much fr the review! Feels really nice to know that someone actually likes my story enough to read its sequel and to add it to their list .

To Jake91: Thank you for adding me to your list!


Oh, and for those who haven't read 'The Return of Heroes' , the climax is in the 16th and 17th chapter. Chapter 18 serves to 'bring the story back to full-circle'.

Val.