Chapter 7: Stranger at the WRO Headquarters
In another part of the World in a highly classified location, two men were watching over an unconscious woman. One of them was tall and lanky. He had long red hair tied up in a pony tail and his clothing looked seriously unprofessional with his shirt hanging out of his trousers. The other man was the exact opposite. He was slightly taller than the first man and well built, he was bald and he wore a pair of shades over his eyes. He looked more professional than the other man and it was hard to believe that these two were best friends.
"So…what do you think she is?" The red haired man called Reno asked his partner.
"She looks like some kind of bat," the bald man answered, his name was Rude, "maybe she's one of Hojo's rejects."
Reno shook his head and tossed that theory aside, "nah," he replied, "she's too cute for that."
Another man entered the room.
"What are you two up to?" He asked staring sternly at Reno and Rude.
"Boss!" Reno yelled nearly jumping out of his skin, "we were just wondering what this thing is." He pointed at the young woman lying on the bed, "we found it in the streets."
Their boss walked over to the unconscious woman and he began to look at her carefully. "Hmmm…" He said half to himself, half to Reno and Rude. "I see a young female in strange clothing, she has the anatomy of a human, but looks like a bat."
"She just appeared on the street," Rude explained in a taciturn tone. Rude was never one to talk much. After all Reno did enough talking for the both of them. "And hit Reno in the process."
Reno glared at Rude, "Hey! I resent that!" He yelled jokingly.
Their boss merely rolled his eyes at Reno's remark. "Just call me when she wakes up," he ordered, "I have a few questions for her."
Reno mock saluted him, "sure thing boss, Rude and I will let you know when she wakes up."
Reno and Rude's boss left the room, his footsteps could be heard as he walked down the corridor. Reno and Rude continued to watch over the woman.
Reno turned to face Rude, "so what are we eating?" He asked curiously.
"I was thinking take out," Rude replied briefly.
"Tseng and Elena are coming right?"
"They're on a date."
Reno rolled his eyes, "great…" he muttered sarcastically, "I heard that Cloud and Tifa are out of town so asking them if they want to come is a no go."
"I guess we could ask Vincent," Rude suggested.
Reno laughed and gave Rude a "you're kidding right" look. "That miserable git! No way!"
"So who's paying?" Rude asked.
"We'll split it, 50/50," Reno answered.
"So what are we ordering?"
Reno grinned, "I was thinking pizza."
Rude shook his head, "too spicy."
"Wutinian?" Reno suggested, he knew that Rude didn't like Pepperoni pizza, but he liked Wutinian.
Rude nodded, "ok, noodles it is," Rude agreed.
"Is Reeve still working on Cait Sith?" Reno asked Rude, "how many times has it been destroyed?"
Rude shrugged his shoulders, "I've lost count."
"Me too," Reno responded.
Rude grinned at Reno, "So, have you got a girl yet?" He questioned.
Reno nodded and grinned, "yeah," Reno replied casually, "she's already pissed at me."
"I heard Barret's got an oil well working," Rude changed the subject, he knew what Reno was like around women. he was a true ladies man.
"Really?" Reno asked intrigued, "next time I'm in Edge, I'm gonna visit the Seventh Heaven to see Cloud and Tifa, you wanna come along?"
Rude shook his head, "no…" he gave his typical one word answers, he then turned his attention to the woman lying on the bed. "I wonder if there's more than just this one."
Reno stared at Rude, "this one what?"
"The woman on the bed," Rude stated as he pointed at her, "she doesn't look human."
The woman then heard a familiar voice in her head, "where are you Pandora? I miss you, life seems empty to me, please be ok."
Pandora moaned as she stirred. "Ohhhh…"
Reno stared at the stirring woman, "hey did you see that?" He asked Rude, "I'll go get the boss."
Reno ran out of the room to get his boss, and Rude just stood there not taking his eyes off the woman.
Pandora sat up, "where am I?" She asked the man standing oposite her. She quickly scanned her surroundings to find that she was in a small room, in fact the only furniture that was in said room, was a bed which she was currently sitting on and two comfortable looking chairs. As usual Rude didn't respond but he still stood there staring intently at Pandora.
Pandora stared back at Rude, "what's the matter?" She asked.
"If you must know," Rude finally answered her, "you're in the WRO Headquarters."
Pandora gave Rude a confused look, "what's the WRO?"
A guy dressed in a white suit entered the room.
"At ease Rude," he ordered Rude relaxed a little, the man in the white suit turned to face Pandora, "so you're awake I see."
"Who are you?" Pandora asked the man feeling slightly afraid, "where's Max?"
"I'm Rufus Shinra," Rufus pointed to himself as he told Pandora his name, "as for this Max, I don't know who you're talking about."
"Ok, just remain calm," Pandora said to herself, "this probably isn't as bad as you think." Then she said out loud, "Well... Rufus, Max is my life partner. I haven't seen him since we were separated."
Rufus stared at Pandora, "separated?" Rufus questioned thinking that Pandora meant they were divorced.
"He was testing something he invented," Pandora explained, "there was a storm, we got separated. The next thing I know, I woke up here."
"You fell on top of me," Reno told her instinctively rubbing his back as he said this. "And trust me, you're heavy."
Pandora turned to face Reno, "I thought my landing felt a little soft."
"Where do you come from?" Rufus began interrogating her.
"I come from a world called Terra Firma," Pandora answered truthfully.
Rufus thought about this, "interesting. Besides this Max, are there any others?"
Pandora nodded, "yes, my friends."
"I see, Reno," Rufus order facing Reno, "call Cloud and the others maybe they know something."
Reno nodded, "ok."
"What are you going to do to me?" Pandora found herself asking.
"Nothing," Rufus told her, "although Shinra has a dark past, I want nothing but to help the world out of the sorry state it's in. If you had come to harm our world, you would have forced your way out of here by now."
"So I take it I'm not going to be confined to this room."
Rufus shook his head, "no, Reno is calling some people now to see if they have found your friends."
"I see..." Pandora responded, "thanks. What do you mean by dark past?" She asked curiously although she had a feeling that she was overstepping the mark a tiny bit.
"I'd rather not go into great detail about that," Rufus said vaguely.
Pandora nodded to show that she understood, "ok."
"You are currently in the WRO HQ," Rufus quickly changed the subject, as far as he was concerned, Shinra's tyranical reign was in the past, where it belonged. "The World Restoration Organization."
"I guess from the name you're trying to get the world back into the state it was before."
Rufus nodded, "yes, you're very observant," he smiled at her and he sat down on a chair nearest to the bed. "So what are you?"
"I'm a bat," Pandora answered, she was starting to feel more comfortable now that she knew these people meant her no harm.
Rufus thought about Pandora's response, "you have the anatomy of a human but you're a bat, hmmm...interesting."
Pandora gave Rufus a confused stare, "what's a human?" She asked although she guessed that the answer was obvious.
"I am a human," Rufus explained, "in our world bats are small, rodents of death with fangs."
"I see..." Pandora responded, "well where I come from bats are very different."
Rufus smiled at her, "I guessed, is Max also a bat?"
Pandora shook her head, "no...he's a Kitsune."
Rufus racked his brains trying to remember where he had heard or seen the word Kitsune before, then it hit him, "a Kitsune," he said intrigued, "in mythology, they're multi tailed foxes."
Pandora nodded, "that's what Max is," she told Rufus.
"I see."
Reno re-entered the room, he was holding a portable phone. "Hey boss," he said urgently, "I think I found something." Renospoke into the phone. "Denzel, tell Rufus what you just told me."Reno requested as he put the phone on loud speaker.
"Tifa went to Coral with a purple furred hedgehog," Denzel spoke up on the phone.
Pandora heard this and she leapt to her feet, "that's Drogo!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah," Denzel heard Pandora speaking, "you must be one of Drogo's friends. They set off yesterday, Tifa rang half an hour ago to check on me and Marlene."
"Ok, Denzel," Rufus told the boy, grateful for the information, "I need to speak to Barret Wallace, bye."
"See ya," Denzel said and he hung up on the phone.
Reno handed the phone to Rufus and he dialled a number.
Max lay face down on the couch in Barret's house, his tails were sticking in the air. He didn't appear to have gotten much sleep the night before, his eye were bleary and his hair was more unruly than usual. A few seconds later he heard the phone ringing.
"Uhhh…" Max moaned, "who'd be ringing at this time in a morning?" He tried to reach for the phone on the coffee table in front of him but he was unsuccessful. After three unsuccessful tries, Max stared at the phone and moved it telekinetically to his hand.
"Hello…" Max spoke sleepily into the phone.
"Is this Barret Wallace's house?" Rufus asked in his formal phone voice.
"Yeah," Max answered still half asleep, "but I think he's in the kitchen.Great Max," he muttered to himself, "you just realised that you're not on Terra Firma or the Kitsune World anymore." Max shouted to Barret, "Barret! Get in here!" He yelled irritably due to lack of sleep, "there's someone with a snooty accent that wants to talk to you!"
Barret entered the living room and took the phone off Max. "Yello?" He spoke in his usual cheary voice.
"Barret, it's Rufus," Rufus answered, "I was just wondering if Tifa is there with a purple hedgehog..."
"Rufus," Barret told him, "you just talked to a five tailed fox who doesn't seem to have gotten much sleep."
"I BLAME DROGO AND SUNNY FOR THE LOSS OF SLEEP!" Max yelled so loud that his voice could clearly be heard on the other end of the phone.
"That's Max!" Pandora exclaimed on the loud speaker.
"Who's this?" Barret asked.
"It's Pandora, let me talk to Max."
"Err…ok," Barret replied, "Max someone wants to talk to you."
"If it's about the snooty comment!" Max shouted not bothering to keep his voice down, "I really don't care, I'll say it to their face if I have to!"
"Just take the phone!" Barret yelled at Max.
"Wow, he really hasn't had much sleep," Pandora said quietly to herself.
Max took the phone off Barret, "Hello?"
"Max, it's me!" Pandora yelled down the phone.
"Please tell me that's a certain female bat who I love dearly on the opposite end of the phone," Max said in his head hardly daring to believe that he was hearing Pandora's voice on the other end of the phone.
"The one and only!" Pandora shouted cheerfully
"Pandora!" Max exclaimed unable to contain his excitement, "are you ok?"
"I'm fine, where are you?"
"I'm in a town called Coral," Max explained, "Drogo and Sunny are here."
"Drogo and Sunny are there too?"
"They're the ones that kept me awake half the night!"
"What?"
Max looked at Barret, "Barret, isby any chance the room that Drogo and Sunny stayed in above the living room ?" He asked.
Barret nodded, "yeah."
"Take a wild stab in the dark," Max told Pandora, "they were happy to see each other."
At that very moment, Drogo walked down the stairs. Like Max, he looked like he hadn't slept much. There were shadows under his eyes and he walked like the living dead, but he was happy nevertheless.
"Guess who just walked down the stairs?" Max asked Pandora.
"Was that Drogo by any chance?"
"Yeah, he looks exhausted. I wonder why," Max muttered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at Drogo.
"Tell him and Sunny I said hi," Pandora requested.
"Drogo, Pandora said hi."
Drogo stared at Max, "you found her…damn…" Drogo said but when he saw the evil glare Max was giving him he added, "I mean…that's great news."
"Hey! I resent that!" Pandora yelled down the phone.
"He, he…" Drogo laughed nervously, "she heard me, didn't she?"
"DAMN STRAIGHT I HEARD YOU!" Pandora shouted down the phone she didn't care who heard her. "DO YOU WANT ANOTHER FIREBALL SHOVED UP THAT SPINY ASS OF YOURS?"
"What did she say?" Drogo stuck his finger in his ear.
"She said that she heard you," Max told Drogo, "and she asked if you wanted another fireball up your ass."
Sunny walked down the stairs in a makeshift nightie.
"What's with all the yelling?" Sunny asked with a yawn.
"We found Pandora," Drogo told her about the phone conversation.
Sunny smiled, "that's great news!" She exclaimed.
Max stared bleary eyed at Sunny, "need I ask what you two got up to last night?"
"It's best that you don't know," Sunny stated casting Max a nervous look.
"Well I think I have every right to know since your antics kept me awake half the night!"
"Trust me, it's best you don't know," Sunny repeated.
Tifa and Cloud entered the living room.
"And the fact that you were worried about Pandora had nothing to do with it," Tifa said as she stared at Max.
"Of course I was worried," Max replied, "but Drogo and Sunny's antics didn't help considering I could hear them!"
"I was in the room next to them and I didn't hear anything," Tifa told him.
"And I was in the room opposite to them, and I didn't hear anything either," Cloud added.
"The floors are secure," Barret explained, "but sound gets through them easily."
"Right…Hey Pandora, where are you?" Max asked.
"I'm in a place called the WRO Headquarters," Pandora answered, "but I'm not sure where that is."
"It's near Kalm," Rufus cut in.
"That's back on the Eastern Continent," Tifa explained.
Drogo grinned, "so there's a chance that I'll see that street racer again."
"Most likely," Tifa told him, she sighed as she did so.
"So I have another chance to whip his ass."
"Isn't there a quicker way?" Sunny asked looking at Cloud.
"We could call Cid," Cloud suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Tifa agreed, "it would be quicker and much less hassle."
"I'm guessing you want to use the phone, right?" Max asked them.
"Sorry Pandora," Drogo added, "but we need to use the phone."
"Ok, see you guys soon."
"See ya!" Everyone said goodbye to Pandora.
"Bye."
Max and Pandora hung up on the phone.
On Pandora's side.
So, Cid's coming with his airship?" Reno asked staring intently at Rufus.
"Who's Cid?" Pandora found herself asking.
"He's a pilot," Reno explained trying hard not to laugh, "but he can't exchange four words without five pieces of vulgar language."
"I see…" Pandora said and her stomach began to rumble, "hey, is it ok if I get some food, I'm starving."
Reno nodded, "sure but you'll need to wear this." He held out a WRO badge.
Pandora stared at the badge in Reno's hand, "why?"
"You don't look normal to others," Reno answered, "people might think that you're a monster."
"Oh…" Pandora took the badge off Reno and pinned it on to her top. "Thanks."
"Pandora, can you hear me?" Pandora heard Max's voice clearly in her head.
"Yes," Pandora answered in her head.
"Good," Max replied, "our link has been restored. Oh, if you hear voices like a kind woman and a stupid guy, that's Zack and Aerith."
Zack'svoice echoed in their heads, "I'm not stupid!"
"I see what you mean," Pandora said to Max, "why am I hearing their voices?"
"Because of our telepathic link." Max answered.
Pandora: (In her head) Oh…I'm guessing that was…
"…That was Zack," Max finished Pandora's sentence.
"I was just checking up on Max when I heard the other voice," Zack explained, "Why can Pandora hear me? She's not a Kitsune."
Areith's voice joined in the conversation, "she's married to him, they have a telepathic bond. Max can hear our voices and Pandora is telepathically linked to him, that means she can hear us as well."
"Gee…Aerith," Zack muttered sarcastically, "is there anything you don't know?"
"Well I didn't know that you were dead until I died myself and saw you in the life stream," Aerith answered playfully.
"I mean now."
"Hmmm…no, there's nothing I don't know."
"You know as a Cetra, you're evil!"
"Guys," Max quickly cut in, "if you're gonna argue, then stay out of our heads."
"We're not arguing Max," Aerith reassured him.
" Really…" Max said sceptically, "it sounded like arguing to me. What about you Pandora?"
"Yeah," Pandora agreed with Max, "it sounded like arguing to me…listen, Zack."
"Yeah?" Zack responded.
"I know how you feel," she told him sympathetically, "sometimes there are things that Max knows and I don't. But that doesn't mean that I'm stupid, if there's something I don't know I just ask, and Max tells me in a way I'd understand. There are probably things that you know that Aerith doesn't know. You should aid each other in your knowledge not argue."
"Yeah," Zack agrred, "there are some things that I know that Aerith doesn't and…wait…that came out wrong."
"It's ok Zack," Aerith told her partner encouragingly, "we know what you mean. I guess I can show off with my knowledge sometimes, but you have all the inside information on Shinra and SOLDIER."
"So does Cloud…" Zackstated miserably, "not that it matters anymore anyway, since Shinra as we knew it is no more and SOLDIER has long since disbanded."
"Listen guys," Max yawned, "I'm feeling a little tired."
"Your friends kept you awake all night huh?" Zack questioned Max trying hard to contain his laughter.
"Zack!" Aerith yelled at him.
"What? I'm just stating what happened."
"Anyway…" Max quickly cut in before Aerith could respond to Zack's statment. "I'm gonna go and lie down for a while, so can you guys please stay out of my head and give me some peace for a little while. Oh…and don't start bugging Pandora either, ok."
"Ok," Zack and Aerith said in perfect unison.
"Like we said in the Shinra Mansion," Zack added, "we'll be back to check up on you guys every now and then."
"Ok," Max and Pandora agreed.
"Bye for now," Aerith said cheerfully as her voice disappeared from Max and Pandora's heads.
"See ya," Zack said his goodbye, "hey Aerith, wait for me!" Zack called after Aerith before his voice also disappeared.
"See you soon Max."
"Yeah, see you soon Pandora."
Max's voice disappeared from Pandora's head, and Pandora was stood there alone staring into space.
"Are you ok?" Reno asked her, "you seem a little distracted."
Pandora snapped out of her trance, "I'm ok," she told him, "where's the cafeteria?"
"On the fifth floor," Reno answered and he started giving her directions, "it's the third door on the right. But bear in mind that people are busy here, so try not to disturb them, ok."
"I won't," Pandora promised smiling at Reno.
Reno smiled back, "good," he responded, "well me and Rude are gonna go." Reno waved goodbye to Pandora and he and Rude started walking out of the room.
"Where are you guys going?" Pandora called after them.
Reno and stopped and turned to face her, Rude just looked at Reno and he sighed, "it's clocking out time," he explained, "me and Rude are gonna order a take out. But we'll be back later."
"Oh ok," Pandora replied, "I guess I'll see you guys later."
Reno nodded, "yeah, bye Pandora." Reno and Rude walked out of the room leaving Pandora alone.
"Well, I better go and get some food," Pandora said to herself, Pandora left the room she was kept in while she was unconscious, and she started to explore the WRO HQ. It was a large compound that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, it was bustling with people who were working hard.
"I guess working to get the planet back to its original state is no mean feat," she said in her head as the fifth person pushed passed her. Pandora re-entered the building her curiosity to find out more about this place far out-weighed her hunger at that moment in time, and instead of making her way to the cafeteria she made her way down the stairs until she came to what looked like a basement. Pandora continued walking down the tunnel until she came to a door. She knocked on the door but there was no answer.
"I guess there's no home."
Pandora was about to turn and leave but something was beckoning her into the room. She tried hard to resist the temptation to walk into the room, but when she couldn't resist it any longer she pushed the door open and walked in. Pandora was amazed to see that the room she had walked into was some kind of workshop.
"Wow," Pandora spoke quietly to herself but her voice echoed in the vast room, "this looks like the sort of place Max worked in over two years ago back in Metropolis."
Pandora began to look at all the machinery in the workshop and she was so immersed in the whole thing that she didn't notice someone sneak up behind her.
"Excuse me," A man's voice spoke behind her, "are you lost?"
Pandora jumped and whirled round to see a friendly looking man facing her. "Oh…sorry," she apologised quickly, she didn't know that someone else was in here. "I didn't see you there, I was just…"
The man just smiled at her and he politely waved her apology aside, "that's quite alright, Pandora."
Pandora gave the man a questioning look, "how do you know my name?" She asked feeling slightly unnerved.
"Rufus told me all about you," the man answered helpfully, "I'm Reeve by the way," He held out his hand for Pandora to shake and she shook it. "I'm the co-founder of the WRO."
"Co-founder," Pandora looked confused, "so I'm guessing that the other person who helped found this organisation is…"
Reeve nodded, "yes," he responded, "my partner is Rufus. He said that you were a quick thinker. He also told me that some of your friends had been located."
Pandora smiled at Reeve, "yeah…including my husband Max."
"You must be glad that he's been found."
Pandora nodded,"yeah," she answered, "I was so worried about him."
"Max is a Kitsune, right?" Reeve asked her, he saw the look on Pandora's face and he laughed, "Rufus told me that as well," he explained, "I'd like to meet this Max, is he as smart as Rufus says he is?"
"Yeah!" Pandora exclaimed, "he's an inventor!"
Reeve grinned at Pandora, "he seems like my kind of guy," Reeve said, he had always wanted to find someone who was as passionate at inventing as he was.
"What do you mean?" Pandora asked.
"Max likes to tinker with things to see how they work," Reeve told Pandora, "so do I. I come down here sometimes to escape the hustle and bustle of the floors above, or if I want to make a few modifications on Cait Sith."
"Who's Cait Sith?" Pandora questioned inqusitively, she found herself wanting to know more.
"Come," Reeve said as he turned and walked to the other side of the room. Pandora followed him to what looked like a large table, a black and white robotic cat wearing a red cape and boots lay lifeless on the desk top.
"This is Cait Sith," Reeve answered as he pointed to the robotic cat on the table. "Of course I had to switch him off while I fixed him. He gets easily damaged sometimes, you know."
Pandora nodded, "I see."
Reeve picked up a spanner and began to add the finishing touches to Cait Sith before securing the back on him. "That should about do it," Reeve said proudly, "now to reactivate him." Reeve flicked a switch on Cait Sith's back and the robotic cat came to life he sat up looking confused for a minute but then he smiled when he saw Reeve.
"How are you feeling, Cait Sith?" Reeve asked the cat.
"I feel fine Reeve," Cait Sith replied he turned his head and stared at Pandora,"who's this?" He asked curiously.
"This is Pandora," Reeve told him, "she's new here. Pandora, I'd like you to meet Cait Sith."
"Hi," Pandora said quietly, she felt strange talking to animatronic cat.
"Well hello there lassie!" Caith Sith said a little too enthusiastically, "do you want your fortune told?"
"What?" Pandora asked looking confused, she had never heard of a fortune telling robot.
Reeve laughed,"don't worry," he reassured Pandora, "that's just Cait Sith's humour, he used to be a fortune teller at the Gold Saucer."
"I see…" Pandora replied.
"She looks a wee bit strange," Cait Sith commented, "where did she come from?"
"Look who's talking!" Pandora shot back glaring at Cait Sith.
"Cait Sith please be nice to our guest," Reeve admonished, "she's very far away from home."
"Ok Reeve."
"Sorry about Cait Sith," Reeve apologised to Pandora.
Pandora waved Reeve's apology aside, "that's ok…" It was at this moment that Pandora remembered what Rufus had told her. "Hey, Reeve."
"Yes?"
"Rufus said something about Shinra having a dark past," Pandora said choosing her words carefully, "what did he mean by that?"
Reeve looked away briefly and then he turned to face her again. "Shinra inc was once the richest, most powerful energy provider on the planet," Reeve started to explain, "they also had the most powerful army in the world."
"SOLDIER?" Pandora stated.
Reeve nodded then he gave her a questioning look, "yes, how did you know?"
Pandora thought for a little while, she couldn't tell Reeve that she heard spirits mention the word SOLDIER, "just a guess," she said finally.
"And a very good guess at that," Reeve commented, "anyway…" he continued with his explanation, "Shinra did some terrible things in the past and I regret to inform you that I have taken part in some of those things. I realised the error of my ways and I helped Avalanche save the Planet from Sephiroth and Meteor."
"I see."
"After Meteor was destroyed," Reeve continued, "Rufus was found in the rubble, he had survived Weapon's attack on Midgar and was full of regret for what was happening to the planet. So we both set up the WRO to help restore the planet to its normal state."
"Wow… " Pandora commented when Reeve had finshed his explanation. "I had no idea."
"I know Rufus did some terrible things in the past," Reeve told her, "but he's doing his best to make things right again."
There was a knock at the door and Rufus entered the room. "Reeve," Rufus spoke in his usual manner, "I hope I'm not intruding."
Reeve shook his head and smiled at Rufus, "no, of course not Rufus. I've just added the finishing touches to Cait Sith."
"I see…" Rufus stared at Cait Sith, sometimes he hated the robot, mainly because of his annoying voice, but he also had his uses. He turned to his left to see Pandora there.
"I see you've met Pandora."
Reeve nodded, "Yes," Reeve replied, "we were just talking."
"Really," Rufus responded he gave Reeve a sceptical look, "about what?"
"Nothing much," Pandora quickly cut in.
"Right," Rufus replied, "as you can see we're all very busy here at the moment, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't bother us."
"It's ok Rufus," Reeve stepped in, "she wasn't bothering me at all, in fact I'm just about done here."
Rufus smiled at Reeve, "good, because I need to talk to you for a few minutes. In our office though, it's more private."
"Alright," Reeve said, "sorry about this Pandora, maybe we can continue our talk some other time."
"Yeah," Pandora replied, "I'll look forward to it."
Rufus and Reeve left the workshop and Pandora crept behind them. She wanted to hear what was going on. She followed them all the way to the top floor and stood outside their office, hoping to catch a glimpse at what they were saying.
"What did you want to talk to me about Rufus?" Reeve asked his partner.
"It's incredible I must admit," Rufus replied, he paced round the room looking nervous.
"What is?" Reeve asked another question.
"That there could be more of them out there," Rufus answered, "more than we could ever imagine."
"What do you mean, Rufus?"
"Isn't it obvious Reeve?" Rufus questioned with an exasperated sigh, "if Pandora and the rest of her friends made it here, who's to say that more of them haven't already arrived?"
"But Pandora seems like a nice girl, I can't see her…"
"I trust Pandora," Rufus cut in, "and I trust her friends. But they are still aliens on our planet and anything could get through to our world and they may not be so friendly."
"More of them," Pandora repeated what Rufus said in her head, "what does he mean by that? What else could there be?"
Pandora didn't have a chance to listen to more of the conversation as Reno and Rude came up behind her.
"Are you lost?" Reno asked her playfully.
Pandora turned to face him, "no…no," she said quickly trying to think of an excuse. "I was just..."
"A new Wutinain resturant just opened in town," Rude interrupted, "we were gonna go and check it out. We were wondering if you wanted to join us."
"That is, if you haven't already eaten," Reno added.
"No," Pandora replied, "that'll be great, thanks guys."
"Let's go then," Reno said impatiently, "I heard this was a popular place."
Reno and Rude turned round and walked off, Pandora took one last glance at Rufus and Reeve's office, she was regretting not being able to hear more of their conversation but her stomach was growling and she realised that she hadn't eaten yet. Pandora followed Reno and Rude still thinking about what she had heard.
Well that's chapter 7 complete, wow I'm on a roll here. Chapter 8 will be up shortly, as soon as I've written it, it may take a while. Just a reminder that I don't own Final Fantasy vii or any of the affiliated characters. I do however own characters that I created myself.
