A helicopter was passing over skyscrapers and rooftops in the city. Out the window, the townspeople could see the vehicle fly through the skies fairly low. Reno was piloting the aircraft, peering from his seat. Some fellow Turks were calculating some coordinates while he was impatiently tapping at his controls. He had an impressive frown on his face; basically, it wasn't like him to frown at all. Truth be told, he has since been upset that he let Chailo escape. Now, it was crunch time to get her back.
"Any luck finding her?" Reno asked, sighing.
"No, sir. We're still searching. It doesn't seem like she's here," a male Turk said.
"Should we call T-bone for an update?" a female Turk asked.
"I don't care, just get me some damn location!"
"Uh, yes, sir!" the Turks said, stuttering slightly. "We'll keep looking!"
The sun was settling in a radiant hue. Orange and gold light was passing through the city of Kalm. The view was gorgeous, which aggravated Reno because it made him think of Chailo, and he was already too upset to admire it.
I can't believe I let that...that...insane woman get away from me! Reno thought, tapping on his controls more vigorously. Why does she have to excite me so much?
Reno stopped thinking then coughed. His cough developed into a bitter laughter. The other Turks were taking bemused glances at him as he guffawed behind the controls. Reno hunched over them and abruptly stopped. There was an eery silence coming from the group. Reno furrowed his eyebrows, exasperated and weary, then let out a deep sigh. He hadn't felt sad in a while. Most Turks are ruthless fighters who don't bother to share a bond with their fellow operatives because there may come a time when someone has to be executed. Reno was one of those heartless operatives without seeing why it was so important. That was until he met Shinboru Chailo.
He didn't want to hurt Chailo because... Well, she meant something to him. For once, he had Tseng and Doctor Palmer to thank for meeting her.
"So...you're the one Palmer saved, huh? What's your name?"
"Shinboru," she answered, oiling a handgun's chamber.
"Okay," Reno responded, watching the woman tend to a pistol while blindfolded. "My name's Reno. No nicknames, 'kay. It's just Reno. I take it this is your daily brain exercise."
"This is a test. You are in the middle of it," she said, drying the chamber.
"Hey, I'm a busy man, yo. I don't have time to be messin' with an alien and a handgun, but the boss said to come see you because we're supposed to be living together soon. It's only fair I see my new roommate before she moves in."
"Hm," she mumbled.
She loaded the pistol's chamber with refined accuracy and familiarity. Only six bullets were placed in the chamber before Shinboru locked the gun and spun it around on one finger. He raised an eyebrow in confusion of her actions. Normal people don't make revolvers revolve on their finger before shooting unless they were cowboys or showboats. In one complete revolution, she fired one round at a target that was on a whitewashed wall. The bullet went straight at the bullseye!
"Nice aim you got there," Reno complimented, stunned and impressed.
"Alright, Shinny, you can take off the blindfold. Good work!" Doctor Palmer congratulated, clapping excitedly. "You were able to hit the mark exactly even with the disturbance. Very impressive! I've never seen that kind of technique! It was all like twirl-twirl-BAM!"
"Thank you, sir," the woman said, chuckling.
She removed the blindfold then flipped her hair outward. Reno remained still before his new roommate: she was pretty, considering the fact that she was from another planet. Her eyes were the most striking since they were a dark green; they reminded him of emeralds on women's necklaces or earrings. She had a heap of tattoos on her arms and shoulders, but they were intricate in design. Her hair wasn't particularly long like his, but it reached past her shoulders in black spikes.
"Ah, Reno!" Palmer called. "Tseng told me to expect you a little later, but I suppose we all can change our habits every now and then, hm? This is Chailo Shinboru, my newest employee. I plan to have her as a scientist and bodyguard. Based on her test, she is fully capable of the job, wouldn't you agree?"
Reno lifted his head to relax his back: He sat up in his seat then veered the helicopter to the left. Suddenly, he thought of someone who could possibly be of some use and took out his cell phone. After all, she was the missing link to fighting Sephiroth's clones. He dialed a number and waited for the other end to pick up.
Hello?
"Hey, remember me? Been awhile, yo," he said cheerfully.
Hey! I remember you! How have you been, Reno?
"Bit out of character. Just flyin' above Kalm right now, yo. I'm kinda in the middle of some really deep shit."
How deep? Did you flirt with someone's daughter or something?
"You wish!" Reno said, laughing. "Actually, there is a woman I'm looking for. I was hoping you'd help me track her down. I'm...really desperate right now...and...I think she's with your friend. The little ninja chick."
Hey, you don't sound too happy. Is something bothering you? Is this girl in trouble?
"Honestly, there's a lot bothering me about this girl. Being in trouble is an understatement," Reno said, remorsefully. His eyelids descended in a slow blink before he continued. He said, "If I send you an email, will you help me find her?"
Sure. Reno? Are you...in love with this girl?
Reno gasped, eyes widening. He was taken aback by the question: He couldn't think of an answer. He subconsciously placed his hand on his cheek and contemplated for a moment.
"Hey, I'm gonna go, okay? I'll answer that question later," Reno said. "See ya, Tifa." After that, he hung up.
Vincent was watching the start of the evening news. Nothing critical had happened since the disturbance of Deepground. He was beginning to wonder if the Planet's peace was a foreshadowing of something more dreadful, but a time of peace is hard to come by. He would know.
ShinRa helicopters flew past his window. He hadn't seen one of those in years - short years. Ringing stirred. Vincent looked away from the window to see the LCD on his cell phone glowing. Someone was calling him at this busy hour in the day? Vincent walked over to the wooden table adjacent to his television and checked the call log; it was Cloud.
"Valentine," he said, curiosity etched in the depths of his voice.
"Vince, it's Cloud!" his comrade said, hastily.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Yuffie," he said over wind and strained breaths.
"Yuffie?" Vincent questioned, unhooking his phone from its charger. "What happened?"
"Hah!" he yelled, striking what could have been a monster. "She's running from ShinRa guards with another person. I don't know the full detai - KYA! I need help getting to them, but there's a surge of monsters in Edge!"
This just in ctites are being attacked by strange creatures. ShinRa Turks and WRO soldiers are working together to exterminate these beasts in Edge, the fallen Midgar and Wutai. No one knows how these creatures came or when, but they aren't to be taken lightly. They are incredibly strong. It is advised to stay inside and away from windows. I repeat please stay inside and keep away from windows. If you are in your car, drive as safely as you can manage to avoid of these monsters. Drive safely away!
Vincent averted his attention from the newsreel to Cloud's panting. Why were these monsters appearing now? Was ShinRa up to something?
"Cloud, do you know where Yuffie is headed?" Vincent asked.
"Yuffie said they're on their way to WRO headquarters. I'm heading over there now to see what's going on. If she's not there, can you help me find her just in case she runs into trouble?"
"That girl..." Vincent mumbled, annoyance lingering in his throat. "She certainly knows how to ruin a day off."
Cloud chuckled then said, "That's just the way she is. Will you help me?"
"I'll see what I can do," Vincent responded, equipping his Cerberus gun before hanging up.
"Hey, Chailo!" Yuffie called.
Once they disappeared from Cloud's sight, it was an even ride along the stretch of road to WRO headquarters. Chailo was doing smooth sailing; the ride hadn't affected Yuffie's motion sickness to a great extent, but she was fine with the hover bike after getting used to it. She slowed her speed down to a stop along a curb to take a break then removed her helmet.
Yuffie was able to see some features of the person before her. Her hair was shorter in the back, but it was black, and it revealed a long neck. There was a silver chain gleaming in the sun's dimming light. Her skin was brown, the color density being somewhat richer than her comrade, Barret Wallace's. She wanted to see her face, but Chailo replaced the hood on her head and dismounted from the bike. Yuffie huffed because she still wasn't trusted. She removed her helmet then spoke.
"Hey! Why can't I see your face?" Yuffie asked.
"Do you want to face Shinra guards now?" Chailo asked, holding out her hand to retrieve the other helmet.
"No, no. It's just... Well, I dunno. I guess I thought you trusted me a little bit more now. You said we were driving to headquarters too," Yuffie responded.
"I am hungry."
Yuffie blinked then chirped an 'eh.' How could she say that so calmly when they're on the run? Yuffie's stomach began to growl. She tried to tame the noises by frantically laughing and waving her arms around.
"We will reach your headquarters as soon as our bellies are filled."
"You're gonna go in there dressed like that?" Yuffie questioned, pointing at the cloak.
Yuffie wasn't all that dauper herself, but she wasn't wearing a tattered blue cloak. She was wearing her normal sleveless green hoodie and yellow vest with orange short shorts, but the clothes looked filthy. It was Chailo's fault anyway, making her fight in mountain dirt and slide down rocky slopes on mildew stones. Chailo never responded to Yuffie's question she realized; instead, the woman left her on the bike. Yuffie hustled to dismount off the bike, but she clumsily tripped over the bike's pedal and fell on her side, which was really unfortunate because the concrete was busted up. Yuffie swore then stood to observe her hazardous surroundings.
The sidewalk wasn't the least of the establishment's problems. Sure, a kid could pick up the rubble and throw into someone's window, causing pricely damage, but there was more to it than that. There were brown paper bags tossed onto the patio and accumulating in corners of the restaurant. It was ashame because the patio would look really appealing. The remnants of the sign were struggling to hold on the roof: Auron's Deli. The green sunroof was ripping at the seams in large draperies in front of the door. The walls of Auron's Deli were whitewashed with graffiti glyphs coloring the door and windows.
Yuffie followed Chailo into Auron's Deli and noted why she never really came there. The place usually sold crappy sandwiches. She walked inside with her cloaked cavalry and observed her new surroundings. The furniture was rusting and collapsible. The floors were brown tiles, ruling out the dirt that was tracked inside, and they were trying to be cleaned before the janitor got canned or something. Chailo went to the bar where the cracked brown cushions were ripping apart on the stools and sat on one of the chairs. Yuffie sat next to her at the bar; it was then she conducted a more detailed observation of the woman.
Her arms were slender but cocky. The tattoos accentuated the living daylights out of the muscular structure of her arms; she would've thought Chailo was a man from those alone. The hood covered her eyes perfectly, but it left the rest of her face visible. Her black hair was longer in the front and pieces of the bangs arched in strands and retreated beneath the hood of her cloak. There was a nice shine to it; meaning, she was young. Her lips were round as was her nose. She wore interesting silver and gold armor. The rest of her body was covered by the pieces of cloak.
"So what'll it be for the couple?" a waiter asked.
Yuffie turned to the greasy fellow then looked down to see a menu resting before her. She hadn't realized there was one there.
"Teriyaki chicken salad, hold the mushrooms, add more nuts and cheese," Chailo ordered.
"You a Turk, kid? Not too many of them come 'round here. Our services do not appease to their expensive and eccentric tastes; we're far too modest to show our potential," the waiter said, pretending to curtsy.
"So long as my salad is in top shape, I will mention nothing short of a good word for your business. No nuts, no cheese, no good review," Chailo said, smirking. "Do we have a deal?"
"I gots a nice deal fer ya," a customer hissed before taking a nice chug of his whiskey. "Plenty o' yer nuts right here, shadow," he whispered, alcohol pouring from his lips. "Cheese is always fresh."
Yuffie turned to see the man clearly drunk and rugged. He was kind of slender in frame. He wore a pink wifebeater under a flannel shirt and tattered jean jacket. His jeans had coffee stains and cigarette ashes on them. He wasn't wearing any shoes, but his socks were gray with holes in them. The steel-toe boots were next to his weapon pushing his table against the wall.
"You any good at fightin', kid? Drinks free if you can get this clown out of my parlor. Your girlfriend gets a free meal, too," the waiter said, picking up a glass mug to clean.
The drunk chuckled grimly and took out a pack of cigarettes. He opened the box, pulled out a white stick, and took out a red lighter. He lit the cigarette and placed it between his lips. Chailo stood up from her seat then stood firm. The drunkard also stood and lifted his gun. It was twice the size of a carberator! The gun's chamber and barrels were about the size of the waiter. If Chailo could change her bullets into bombs, there was no telling what that guy could do with his gatling gun thing! He chuckled then rubbed his chest to let out a wheezing couch. His smirk widened as Chailo folded her arms across her chest.
"You gots a heavy bounty on yer head, Shadow. Those cock arms o' yer'n cost 4 million gil, and I aims to get e'ery last penny you just about worth. I can beat you with one shot."
"Is that a fact?" Chailo whispered, bitterly. "Wish I could say the same!"
Chailo took a few steps toward the drunk and held out two fingers. She poked him in his eyes then curled her pointer finger behind her thumb. The drunk glared through his watering eyes and let out a confused 'eh' before being sent through the walls of the deli. Yuffie witnessed the fight firsthand; it started off with tough talk and ended with a simple pluck to the nose that thrust the man into a deafening impact through the bar's side door and into another brick building. If nothing else, Yuffie was able to see Chailo at her slowest in battle. She barely saw her make a move towards the drunk before he was sent to a plunge out of the building. The waiter came back to the bar and whistled.
"Sheesh! That was a sight," he said, scratching in his choppy orange hair. "Might as well give you a whole meal free for that. Mighty fine work you did there. Very good quality. You're lucky to get a boyfriend like that, miss."
"Dude, that's a girl under that blue cape," Yuffie said. "Strawberry milkshake please."
"A girl?" the waiter shouted, blushing. "You mean the kid?"
"I forgot to order a drink," Chailo said, walking back to her stool. "Sprite please, no alcohol."
"That was a good steak," Yuffie sighed, stretching. "Normally, I keep away from this joint. What made you want to come here?"
Chailo stopped walking then turned to see the stretch of tall grass and oak trees moving with the wind's soft breezes. She lifted to see the sky's clouds turning gray then looked at her hover bike. She felt something was uncanny about the weather, and it sounded like there was screaming in the distance. However, she wanted to answer Yuffie's question this time and did.
"I have always liked this place. It is next to precious landscape, and it is in a relatively poor area, but it could be the stepping stone to cleaning this section up. Business is slower than usual," Chailo answered, twisting something under her hood. Her helmet appeared once again as she boarded her bike. "On that note, we should avoid heavily populated areas. Where's your headquarters?"
"Drive down this street," Yuffie directed, pointing. "Headquarters is a ways away, but if you stay on this road, it'll be a breeze. You're good at smooth sailing, right?"
"I can use the alternate way again," Chailo suggested, handing Yuffie the blue helmet.
"Shouldn't we burn up the food we ate? It's safer that way, isn't it?" Yuffie asked, trying to avoid the feeling of her stomach dropping pre-teleportation.
"If it effects your allergies, we can go to your headquarters some other way. The WRO is a business organization, correct? Do you know whether a WRO truck will pass through town or not? Some of your men could have been running an errand for your employer."
"Hm..." Yuffie hummed in thought, smirking mischievously. "Actually, I do know one that will, but it will take some time finding it."
Chailo hummed in thought then typed in some coordinates on her bike's controls. She analyzed the map intently then hunched over her device. Yuffie stood next to the bike to look at the map then noticed red dots numbering about a section of Edge.
"Hey, what's all those?" Yuffie asked.
"Fiends," Chailo answered.
A beam of light emerged from the clouds then appeared behind Yuffie and Chailo. A tall monster bellowed, scaring Yuffie. The waiter inside of the deli swore and hustled about to find some items. The fiend had large red claws with black-tipped nails almost touching the ground. There was bony-structured armor on its silver back and head. Its maw was horned at the bottom with some whiskers protruding from the jaws, and its tail was spiked. Chailo observed the monster then twisted the device on the side of her helmet to scan the creature. She twisted the device again to remove her helmet, and she replaced the hood on her head. Yuffie took out her Magic Shuriken. The waiter rushed out and called to them.
"Hey, kid!" he said. "Take these!"
He tossed a box to Yuffie and ran back inside. Yuffie opened it and saw several Phoenix Downs, potions and ethers. She let out a sigh of relief then smirked at the monster. Chailo dismounted from her bike, gripped her blades tightly then led the first attack.
The sun was completely down. The night life was beginning to stir. A small group of WRO soldiers was dismounting from their white Hummer Jeep. One of the male fighters turned to view the streets then spotted a familiar red cloak. He shuffled his feet about then called out to the man across the street from him.
"Mr. Valentine, sir!"
Vincent is usually not one to express his emotions, but he clearly had all the aggravation emanating from his very being today. At least, this evening, he had every reason to be aggravated. It was beginning to feel like he was sent on a wild goose chase. Ninjas might operate in the dark but never in the city streets. Yuffie's crazy but she's not dumb.
Vincent stopped walking for a moment to search in the general direction of the voice to see the soldier waving at him and smiling. He nodded at the soldier then waited as the man ran towards him.
"Mr. Valentine, sir, it's good to see you again. I know you don't remember me, but you saved me in the train graveyard. I just wanted to say thank you again. I owe you my life."
"No need."
"Did Reeve call you to assist us?" the soldier asked, eager for Vincent to nod.
Vincent stood still, noting that he didn't hear his phone ring. He took a moment then responded, "I watched the news."
"Eh?" the soldier questioned, tilting his head. There was an odd pause between them before the soldier began laughing.
What's so funny? Vincent thought.
"I'm sorry, sir, but your honesty is really funny," the soldier said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I didn't mean to laugh. It's good that you watch the news. It means you're staying informed on world matters, opinions, and situations. Well, Reeve has been sending out troops to investigate these monsters that have been appearing recently. For some reason, I noticed something really weird. The reporters were saying to keep away from places the creatures could see you like windows and on the sidewalks, but, if you look really closely, they weren't attacking civilians. I think they were searching for - "
"Perez! Mr. Valentine! Above you!" another soldier cried, interrupting Perez.
Perez and Vincent looked up to see a fiend flying towards them. It stopped in mid-air, displaying a magnificent wingspan, then roared. Vincent positioned his gun at the creature but was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Vincent don't!"
"Cid?"
Cid ran in front of Vincent, holding his hand atop the gun to lower it. Vincent noticed a change in wardrobe for the pilot: red T-shirt, green flannel sash, denim jeans, yellow steel-toe boots, and a black leather jacket. His muscles tightened as he stood still, demanding obedience from both Vincent and Perez not to fire. The fiend screeched as it flapped its wings. Perez was so tempted to fire he couldn't get his finger off the trigger of his AR-15, but he listened to Cid and stood his ground. After some tension, the fiend roared and flew away; it seemed angry it couldn't find what it was looking for.
"The critters don't attack if you don't. Reporters got everyone haulin' ass for no damn reason," Cid said, straightening his posture.
"Then, your theory..." Vincent trailed, facing Perez, "are these things really searching?"
"Huh?" Cid questioned.
"Oh, my theory!" Perez said, remembering what he was trying to say earlier. "I was saying I think these creatures are searching for something related to ShinRa. You see, on my way to Edge, I noticed there were helicopters passing through the sky today. Also, I've heard this rumor that ShinRa Turks have been searching high and low for a fugitive they named the Foreign Shadow. The president is willing to pay 4 million gil for the fugitive's return; an extra 2 million gil goes to the person who finds her alive."
"I'd search high an' low for 6 million gil worth o' fugitive," Cid commented.
"I admit the bounty is tempting, but why would ShinRa put such a high price on a person? What's the story behind that?" Perez questioned. "Besides these monsters coming out, I'd say they're the last thing on my mind."
"Hm..." Cid hummed, folding his arms. "What do we tell Cloud then? He's been killin' up a storm o' them critters."
"We spoke before I left Kalm. We're looking for Yuffie. He said he saw her running from Turks with another man. They were headed for the WRO headquarters," Vincent informed.
"Ms. Kisaragi?" Perez tried to clarify, blushing.
"What's the matter, boy? Ya sick?" Cid questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no!" Perez said, shaking his head frantically. "Wait! If Ms. Kisaragi is running from Turks and Turks are after the fugitive, what's the odds of Ms. Kisaragi not being with the Foreign Shadow right now?"
"Goddammit, kid! Why didn't you say this before?" Cid complained, running to the WRO Jeep.
"H-h-hey! Wait for us!" Perez called, following Cid.
