Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's notes: Back to the main plot at last! I am sure some of you might be confused for now… but I am going to assure you that everything will tie up in the end.

Writing this fic has inspired me to play FFVII again and man, I never get sick of it.

"So, we have been through every single file on every single person on this damn list and still no breakthrough?" Reno said in frustration, throwing down the pen that he had been holding.

His comrades ignored his outburst over the past couple of days, they had attempted the perpetrators. It is a rare occurrence; normally they would get to their enemies first.

"This is bullshit," muttered Reno; he had given on his part of the research a long time ago.

Elena was the next to slam her pile of papers on the table resignedly, "I think we are at a dead end here. Most of these people aren't even alive anymore."

Cloud, who had been lurking at the back bit his tongue to stop himself from asking them how exactly were they not alive anymore.

"What about their next of kin?" Reeve asked. Even he looked overworked from their search. His normally neatly combed hair was unkempt and tie was undone.

The only person seemingly unaffected by all that is going on is Rude. "They are not a problem."

Cloud raised a surprised eyebrow at the bald man's words; mostly because he thought Rude was a mute.

"So this is it then? We are back to square one," said Reeve, musing his hair in aggravation.

"Maybe it's over now. They probably thought they got us when they blew Shinra up," Reno said with a shrug.

"GET DOWN!" Cloud suddenly shouted.

Everyone in the room was taken aback by the sudden outburst and took cover, purely out of instinct and training.

The moment they hit the floor, a hail of bullets went past their heads and into the bottles on the shelf.

Reno and Reeve, who were closest to the bottles had to shield their faces from the broken glass.

Reeve glanced at Reno from the corner of his eye and shouted over the sound of the machine guns, "So you still think it's over?"

The bottles exploded over their heads.

"Obviously not."

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Elena whispered hands gripping her gun tightly and eyes alert. The shooters had stopped firing when they'd received no return fire and had now infiltrated the bar.

There were six of them, all dressed in camouflage, and from the way they moved, the Turks could tell that these guys were no ordinary mercenaries.

The Turks, Reeve and Cloud had managed to regroup behind the bar counter, Tifa was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess we have to find that hot bartended first," suggested Reno after doing a quick headcount.

Rude and Cloud simultaneously shot him a glare.

"I wouldn't worry about Tifa," said Cloud with a nonchalant shrug, "She's perefectly capable of taking care of herself."

Elena peeked out from the counter to study their opponents. "I say we split and take them out. There's not many of them, we should be able to take them."

Reeve sat cross-legged, hands on his chin thoughtfully. "We can't be certain that there are more. They might be waiting."

"Oh. How about fishing?" Reno said, eyes lighting up in excitement, "We haven't used that in a while."

"There is no way in hell we are trying that," was Elena's immediate reaction to Reno's suggestion..

"Fishing?" asked Cloud quizically.

"Fishing," Reno confirmed with a nod, "We sent one of us out there to bring out the bad boys and then take them out covertly, one by one."

"Isn't it just the same as sending one of us out and covering them with our guns?"

"Of course it isn't. These guys are pros, you think that an amateur trick like that will work on them?" said Reno sarcastically, "This isn't the damn movies."

Cloud mumbled under his breath, "Smart ass."

Reno rubbed his hands together conspiratorily, "So, who's the bait?"

"Does it matter?" Cloud hissed. The discussion was taking too long and he could feel the enemy getting closer.

Shooting Cloud a look that said 'stop-questioning-our-methods-and-get-along-with-the-pogram', Reno added, "Yes. The bait has to be light on their feet and inconspicious enough to distract the enemy but not lead them to capture you."

He then glared pointedly at Elena and she protested, "Na ah. No way. The last time I did it, you nearly shot me."

"Nearly, that's the keyword."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Cloud said exasperatedly, "I'll do it."

Reno and Elena shared a look and said, "No," in a flat voice as if it was the most ridiculous idea they'd ever heard.

"There's one other way to decide this...," Elena said, quirking an amused eyebrow.

Reno sighed resignedly. "Fine. Rock, paper, scissors..."

Cloud stared at the both of them incredulously; only Turk's would treat an ambush like a game.

"Hah!" Reno grinned triumphantly, "Rock beats scissors. I win!"

"Godamnit," Elena cursed under her breath. She stood up slowly and started to inch her way out into the darkness, Before she left, she shot Reno a stern glare. "If you shoot at me again, so help me God, I am going to freakin' kill you."

Five minutes into the plan, Cloud now understands why Turks are so good at what they do.

He squinted into the dark and barely sees the white blur that was Elena's shirt. He hears a soft thunk, as though someone had accidentally knocked over a chair.

Two of the enemy that had been roaming around must have moticed it too and they cautiously started to make their way towards the source.

Reno, who was crouching beside Cloud, started to creep out the moment he saw the men move. His movements were fluid and most importantly, silent. Cloud barely noticed that he had gone.

Shortly after Reno made his move, there is another sound in the opposite direction. This time it was the sound of light running. Cloud grinned despite current circumstances.

She is good.

Two gunmen took the bait.

Cloud took the footsteps as his cue to go and started to stand up. However, a hand on his shoulders stopped him from doing so. He looked up at the bald Turk and was give a shake of the head in return.

For a big man like Rude, he moved very silent. And just like Reno, Cloud didn't even notice that he was gone.

Reeve was the next one to go. He was more agile than what he'd appeared to be.

A Turk will always be a Turk, thought Cloud. Sticking his blonde head out from under the counter, he observed that there was only gunman left.

Thud!

Well, none left, counted Cloud silently as a hand appeared out of nowhere and knocked the lone gunman out.

Tifa.

He'd recognise that technique anywhere.

After he was certain that all the gunmen had been disposed of, he emerged from his hiding spot to survey the scene.

The Turks and Reeve were still away doing whatever they were doing and Tifa was standing over her victim, tying him up.

Noticing Cloud, Tifa explained to him that she was down in the basement when she heard the gunshots. She'd hid herself when they came looking for her.

Cloud frowned when she let that information slip. "How many did you say were in the basement?"

"Four came down. I got three of them but this one got away."

Running through the numbers in his head, he suddenly realised that they had made a mistake in estimating the numbers. They'd assumed that there were only six in the building but they had forgotten to take into account the back entrance.

"Tifa, this isn't the one that got away."

It was too late. He heard several clicks around them and knew right away that they were surrounded.

Aw. Crap.


Reno, in the process of dragging a man's prone body into the closet, stopped in his tracks when he heard gunshots fired into the roof of the building.

This was followed by a booming voice. "I know that there are still people in here, I will give you until the count of ten to show yourself or your friends will get it."

"Damn," muttered Reno.

Something had gone wrong with the plan and his teammates were jeapordised but he had no way of knowing who. But he knows that the moment he steps out of his cover, they will get him.

There were only two options, hide and wait it out or surrender.

Leave no man behind, the words Tseng said to him years ago played in his head over and over like a broken record.

Reno cursed his conscience and walked out of his hiding space, hands in air. He was quickly surrounded and disarmed. His eyes narrowed when he saw Elena, Rude and Reeve emerge out of their spots in a similar fashion.

Putting two and two together, he directed his view to the centre of the room where Cloud and Tifa stood, guns to their heads.

So...Stife screwed up.

If they get out this alive, he is going to kill the spiky haired bastard.