Fearful Symmetry
Chapter 7: Exodus
Korben leaned against the window of the two-story tenant house, popping another cherry-flavored gummy bear into his mouth. He ignored the house's residents: a middle-aged coupe with no children. They were arguing loudly with Tyser over the intrusion to their home, while Raile and Willy spread their equipment out on the hardwood floor. The object of his focus was the smaller building directly beside them, supposedly abandoned. Signs posting the building's inevitable condemnation covered the aging structure. Korben knew from his briefing, however, that it was in reality the base of a growing Rebel faction. He chuckled to himself.
"You find this funny?" Raile asked from the floor, reloading his handgun.
"Damn funny," Korben replied, picking out another beautifully delicious fruit snack. "Here we are on a Monday afternoon, ready to play God with the lives of at least twenty family men, and these two—" he jerked his thumb at the couple "—are only worrying about whether or not we'll mess their crappy apartment."
"This is our home!" the man declared angrily. "Paying for electricity from Shinra doesn't mean we should have to put up with—"
Tyser quickly intervened. "Please, sir, calm down. It's just this one time, and we won't harm anything." Korben laughed as the two began to argue once more.
Raile sighed and shook his head, returning to his work. Instead of rebuking the younger man he turned to Willy. "How are you doing?"
"Hmm?" She raised her head from her portable computer. "Oh, I'm fine. After briefing I met Gavin for lunch. We had some exercise—I feel great." She grinned, lifting her eyebrows suggestively.
Her leader shook his head again. "That was more than I wanted to know."
"You asked."
Tyser laughed, returning from his triumphant verbal battle. He crouched beside her. "Are you really okay?" he asked with a sudden note of seriousness. "With Jack and Ace…."
"I'm okay, really." Willy gave them all an assuring look. "Right now all I'm thinking about is busting some ass in there. How 'bout you?"
Still at the window, Korben shoved the bag of candy into his pocket. "Willy's got the right idea," he said, scooping an extra ammunition clip off the floor. "Are we ready or not? Our SOLDIER boys are waiting."
"Just remember your briefing," Raile advised, handing out clips, radios, and other pieces of equipment. "We play this as Clubs: the SOLDIERs, Tyser and I are Primary; Trust and Jay are Secondary. No back up on this, since there's only one exit."
"We heard it all," Korben muttered, already heading for the door. "Let's just do it, okay?"
To the Senior Turk's dismay, the other members of his team finished gathering their things and followed him out the door. With a final apology to the couple, he joined them outside.
The two SOLDIER members that would accompany them were waiting in the street, ignored by the other slum inhabitants despite the extent of their appearances. The first was a burly young man with sloppy black hair, his age exaggerated by the bulk of his stature. Strapped to his belt were over half a dozen daggers and knives, others doubtlessly hidden in his long sleeves and boots. Willy recognized his bold features as being those of Kem Arvon, Gavin's partner. Just when she was wondering where Gavin himself was, the other SOLDIER member turned. She caught her breath. "Gavin? But I thought—"
"I got myself back on," Gavin said, smiling at her surprise. "Thought we could do one more together—you know, like old times."
Willy grinned, but restrained herself from a more exuberant greeting when Raile caught her eye. "Can't wait. I'll be guarding your rear."
"Don't you always?" he laughed.
Raile came between them, the look on his face clearly showing his displeasure. "Frekes," he said firmly, "I appreciate the gesture and your sentimentality, but this was not a good idea. We're serious here."
Gavin regarded him with the same amount of seriousness. "I know, Sir. But you don't have to worry—we won't be distracted."
"Let's hope so." He cast them both a stern glare. "Now, let's get this over with."
The mission went smoothly, just as Gavin had assured. Raile and Kem took the lead, taking the brunt of the counter-attacks as Tyser and Gavin followed with gun and blade. For the most part Willy and Korben stayed back, keeping alert in case reinforcements arrived. Their sniper skills quickly disposed of any hidden rebels. There were fewer men than they'd anticipated, and soon the gunfire ended to an abrupt, eerie silence. Willy waved her hand in front of her face to clear the smoke. She surveyed the room: it was a large, empty basement stacked with crates along the sides. One large table took up most of the room in the center, covered with a few folders, as well as one computer.
"Not very impressive, is it?" Willy remarked. "They must not be as organized as the general thought."
"Check everything," Raile instructed, shoving his gun into his belt. He stepped over the bodies, and paused as the sound of his footsteps changed. Upon investigation he discovered a small trap door in the floor. He waved Korben over, who quickly picked the lock, then lowered himself inside.
"More crates," Korben reported from inside the dark sub-basement. "Looks like more weapons."
Willy moved to the room's only computer, pushing lightly on the shoulder of the man occupying its seat. The corpse slumped and fell to the ground with a dull thump. "Excuse me," she said coolly, slipping into the chair. As she'd hoped, the computer was undamaged and opened to its latest screen. "Not very smart, these guys," she said, her eyes dancing over the lines. "No guards, no computer safeties—not exactly a threat to Shinra. Lucky us."
"Don't be fooled," her leader advised. "All it takes is a few men to cause chaos."
"Righty-O." She didn't like his choice of words, but she let it slide. She pulled her laptop out of her shoulder bag and connected it to the computer; from there she began downloading every file that looked even slightly interesting. "Not much here…but oh, here's something." She hummed thoughtfully. "Blueprints, it looks like, to the plate going up over Sector Eight."
Gavin leaned over her, taking a look for himself. "They may not have been organized, but they must have had someone on the inside to get that," he said.
"Yeah. We'll have to check all these guys for ID." She paused, noticing that his hand on the back of her chair was bandaged. "Are you okay?"
"What, this? It's nothing." He worked his fingers, grimacing just barely. "It'll be gone in a few hours."
"Yeah, sure." She returned to the computer. "Why don't you help check? I can handle this."
"No problem."
An hour later their work had been completed, and Raile led everyone outside once more. Despite their tousled, bloodstained and suspicious appearance no one even turned a head. Sector Seven was accustomed to more troubling things that a group of Shinra returning from a slaughter, a fact that spoke greatly of the condition of the slums. Korben couldn't help but laugh with the observation. "Like cattle," he declared, retrieving his gummy bears. "Stupid beasts letting themselves be herded. Pathetic, isn't it? It wasn't this bad before the plate went up."
Her arm slung around Gavin's waist, Willy cast her gaze up to the expanse of metallic sky. "The plate's being constructed over every sector," she murmured. "I wonder if they'll all become like this."
"Not that there's anything we can do," Gavin replied. "Shinra does what it wants." He drew her closer to him as they headed for the train. "I suppose you have to make a report now, speaking of which."
"I'll be busy the rest of the day," she affirmed. They boarded the train and sat together; sensing the gravity of their situation, their comrades moved to the compartment's other end to allow them some privacy. "Shinra's nothing if not careful. As the Turk's Primary Technical expert, I'll have to go over all the stuff I downloaded at HQ."
"So I guess dinner's out of the question."
"I'm sorry."
The train whistle blew, and the pair fell silent as several more people boarded and they were underway. Willy looked out the window, watching the buildings, streets, and fading neon lights stretch past as horizontal blurs. She leaned against Gavin, hoping to memorize the feel of him before he was lost to her. Already she felt as if they'd been distanced, and she missed him. As they began to reach Sector One, where Gavin's apartment resided, her insecurity gathered to form a thick lump in her throat. Each declaration from the conductor brought them closer to farewell. At last the train slowed at Augim Station.
"Well, I guess this is it," Willy said as Kem stood and exited the train. "The guys and I gotta go on to HQ to make our official report to the general."
"Yeah." Gavin stood, pulling her with him. "Good luck, Willy. I'll miss you out there."
Rather than face down her already mounting dread, she kept her manner light. She wanted him to think of her that way. "Don't worry—this is just a 'see-ya-later,' not a 'good-bye.' You'll find some pretty beach girls, and when you come back we can hang out some more, okay? No worries." She kissed him, hoping that he wouldn't feel the desperation in her lips. "You'll be fine. We both will."
"Yeah, I guess we will." For her sake Gavin fit a smile into his expression. He let go of her hand and moved to exit the train after his partner. "Take care, Willow."
Willy started at the use of her name, and he would have seen the sudden formation of her tears had the train door not snapped shut behind them.
"Oh Vincent, isn't this exciting? It's going to be fantastic—all my favorite people together in the same place."
"It will be an adventure, to say the least."
"I can't wait until tomorrow! It's a good thing our flight's early, because I know I won't be sleeping. I'm too nervous."
"Well, I'm afraid I have some more packing to do. You'll forgive me if I leave the rest of the plane preparations to you…?"
"Oh, of course. I'm going to be up all night—I'll have it all taken care of."
"Don't work too hard." Vincent bid the woman scientist farewell. His earlier worries had all but disappeared; after having spent much of that day planning and organizing with her, a certain ease had fallen over him that nearly resembled confidence. Willy had given him a mission: to watch over Lucretia, to help and console her if she needed it. He'd been able to do the same with Willy herself, before. The simple structure of his task allowed him to focus, and control the emotional aspect. As long as he considered this an assignment as a Turk, he would be able to cope.
When he reached the apartment it was past midnight, but all the lights were still on. He entered, curious that his friends were all still awake. They greeted him heartily from around the short living-space table, all at once describing in exaggerated detail the missions that day. Vincent chuckled as three different stories quickly surfaced. "I'm sorry I missed your triumph," he said, shedding his coat and a bag of supplies he'd gathered. "But then, I don't regret missing all that work."
"Ugh, this is impossible!" Willy exclaimed suddenly, gripping the monitor of her computer as if to strangle it. "Stupid piece of crap!" With a frustrated growl she returned to pounding furiously at the keys.
"Turns out these supposed rebels were better than we thought," Korben whispered as Vincent took a seat beside him. "Their computer was full of all sorts of hidden, encrypted files. Willy's been at it for hours."
"Stupid, stupid, stupid code!" she declared abruptly as testimony to her impatience. "Who the hell came up with it anyway? When I find the scrawny little freak who made this thing…."
"Calm down, Queenie," Tyser advised. "You're gonna blow an artery."
"Not until I break this bitch."
The older man sighed, climbing to his feet. "In that case, I'll leave it to you. I'm too tired to keep this up." He extended his hand to Vincent. "I probably won't see ya—four a.m. is a time I rarely see. Take care."
"You too," Vincent replied. "Stay out of trouble."
"Yeah, right." He winked, stretching as he moved away. "That goes double for you."
Korben also stood, ready for a rest himself. "I don't like long good-byes," he said easily, "so I'll just say see-ya-later. Be a good boy."
To this the senior Turk lifted an eyebrow. "Watch out for yourself," he advised in turn.
"No problem there."
Vincent sighed, shaking his head. When the two men had gone he turned to Willy, watching as her fingers worked without sign of letting up. "Aren't you going to bed?" he asked. "It's past midnight."
"No." Willy continued to type, her face set in an expression of unrelenting ferocity. "Not until I've finished this. The bitch's going down."
"You might think better in the morning."
She shook her head. "No. I told you, I'm not stopping."
Vincent stared at her, puzzled by the tenacity she was displaying; though Willy enjoyed her work, she was rarely motivated enough to lose sleep over it. He noticed then that she was still in her Turk's suit, and her hair had been let down—another vagary in her behavior. He reached out, with two fingers turning her jaw so that she was facing him. She stopped typing. Her eyes sought his hesitantly, and in them he could see the presence of something she was attempting to hide.
"What happened today?" he asked quietly, removing his hand. "Other than the mission."
Willy stared back at him, the solid expression she'd been so skillful in constructing now melting before his eyes. "I…." Her voice drained away, trapped within her dry mouth. She forced herself to speak. "It's…Gavin. He's leaving."
Vincent took his next breath slowly, though his comprehension was instantaneous. "Relocated?" he hazarded.
"Yes. To Junon." He could see her throat constricting, the muscles of her neck and jaw tightening in restraint. "We don't know exactly how long—at least a year, while the city…."
Willy stopped abruptly as a tear spilled over her bottom eyelid and onto her cheek. "Damnit," she muttered, quickly wiping it away. "I'm sick of this." But another followed, and before she realized what was happening she was crying. She swiped at the falling droplets, covered her eyes and mouth as if to drive away her sorrow through pure strength of mind. When Vincent eased her closer, however, she began to sob. "No, I'm stronger than this," she choked through her despair and frustration. "I promised myself…I wouldn't, but…."
Vincent didn't say anything. He wasn't very good at this, and he couldn't say things to comfort people as Willy did. But his presence was enough—for him to stay by her was proof enough of his care. It had always been that way between them. Now more than ever he wanted to say something—anything to help—but he couldn't think of anything meaningful.
"I…don't know what's wrong with me," Willy said after a while, scrubbing the tears away. "I…wanted to tell him to not go. But I didn't." She sighed. "We've known each other for so long that I sometimes take him for granted, I guess. I thought we could stay the way we've been forever." She shook her head. "I don't even know what I'm thinking."
Vincent smiled, then chuckled a bit ironically. "You and I are so different," he murmured, "and yet we always end up with the same problems."
"Yeah. I guess…I really love him." She paused, and laughed at herself. "I'm okay. I promised myself I wouldn't do this just before you left. It's not fair to you."
"You've always helped me," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but…you won't be here for a while." For a moment it looked as if she would slip back into her melancholy, but she took a deep breath to regain her composure and went on. He silently praised the strength she'd built up over the years. "I want to be able to handle myself. I wanted to take care of myself, and say good-bye to you, still smiling."
Vincent tapped her cheek with his finger. "And you are," he said, he himself smiling. "When I think of you out there, I'll remember that."
Willy gave him a warm hug. "Oh Vince, you're so sweet," she declared, fairly choking him. "I'm gonna miss you!"
"I'll miss you all, too. But I'll write." He helped her to her feet. "As soon as I get there. Is that fair enough?"
"You're the best." She gave him one more hug and a bright smile before heading off to her room. "I'll finish the code in the morning. Goodnight, Vincent!"
Vincent sighed to himself, listening to her fumble about in her room as he went to work on his packing. The task didn't take long, as he had few personal items that would be necessary to bring. At some point he heard the click of Willy's lights being turned off. When the preparations were complete he had nothing to do, but rather than sleep for a mere three hours, he settled in the couch and looked over Willy's computer findings. She'd be furious if I broke this,he thought to himself, studying the dozens of lines of intricate code.
No. She doesn't need me to look after her anymore. Vincent smiled to himself and went to find himself a snack.
It wasn't until four hours later, seated on the plane to Nibelheim, that Vincent noticed a bulge in the side of his travel bag. Though he was exhausted from having not slept at all that night, curiosity overwhelmed his fatigue and guided him to an investigation. In the seat beside him, Lucretia glanced over questioningly as he began to rummage through the knapsack. Her eyes were bright and attentive; he envied her amount of energy. "What are you looking for?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted, hands finally closing over a brown paper bag he didn't remember packing. Scrawled sloppily on the front was "Vincent's Survival Kit."
Lucretia looked it over carefully. "That's not yours…is it?" she asked doubtfully.
"He chuckled faintly and shook his head, though not as response to her question. "Willy must have," he murmured thoughtfully. "But when could she have…." He decided that it would do him no good to ponder the issue: acceptance would be much simpler.
"Willy's a friend of yours, isn't he?"
"She is, yes." Vincent opened the bag. There was no note; only an assortment of items. He pulled them out one by one, noting the instant label machine-made tags attached to each which specified who was responsible.
The first was obvious: a picture of the five of them after their first mission labeled "Tyser's Deck." Lucretia looked on delightedly as he removed the rest: a bag of gummy bears and instant artificial strawberry milkshake from Korben; a deck of playing cards from Tyser; the Shinra personnel handbook and a "sight-seeing in the mountains" guide from Raile; and from Willy, a pair of chocobo slippers and a plastic, pin-on button which read "Kiss me, I'm an optimist."
Lucretia giggled, and she insisted one pinning it to the front of Vincent's suit. He groaned but relented. As she was doing so she noticed something else written on the paper bag. "'Look in the slippers for a surprise from me and Tyser,'" she read.
Vincent didn't like the sound of that. He reached for the slippers, but she beat him to them and reached inside the toe of the right foot. The Turk waited nervously as she removed the "surprise."
A pack of condemns and a tampon.
Vincent snatched the items away and quickly confined them to the bag once more, but it was too late—Lucretia had seen them. She giggled in embarrassment, which soon escalated into a fit of laughter. "Vincent, you have the most interesting friends!" she declared, receiving several annoyed looks from the other half-sleeping scientists.
Vincent replaced his things, his head tilted so that she wouldn't see the red tint in his face. "Um, yes. I suppose…" he murmured, hoping to find a suitable way to change the subject. Lucretia, however, had no such intention; she teased him the entire way to Nibelheim.
