SA: COOKIES! (gobbling the chocolate chip cookies)
Tori: SA! Those are for reviewers!
SA: (produces a mallet as she shoves another cookie into her mouth)
Zas: And I thought Saria had a chocolate addiction…
Saria: (appears with a brownie) WHO CHALLENGES ME?!
zzzzzzzzzz
DeepGround
Shelke almost banged her fists against the keyboard for the computer terminal she was seated at in frustration. Over a year since the chains of DeepGround had been broken and the Tsviets had taken control, and they still couldn't figure out a cure for the virus that would kill Weiss if the Restrictor ever died!
They had tried hacking through the systems of the super computer that was used as the control system for DeepGround but had found nothing except for brief mentions of the virus. It would have been an impossible task to thoroughly complete in three days if they had gone through their original plan of just killing the Restrictors, one that had only been completed about a month ago. Since then she had tried to do something incredibly difficult: hack the mind of the Restrictor. That was proving to be almost as equally fruitless.
Which was leading to her current thoughts on a possible solution, the one who had caused their current situation: the Ancient known as Rachas Kaze.
Over a year ago when they had been seeking possible candidates for eliminating the Restrictors was when an initial profile on the woman had appeared as well as a video, the only bits of information Shinra had on her. The video showed her casting a spell that froze an entire pillar to prevent it from falling using only a low level Ice materia. The reason she hadn't been sent straight down to DeepGround was Professor Hojo discovering her to be an Ancient, something the President had dearly wanted.
There was no interest at first among the Tsviets or consideration of her after Argento had done a brief overview of her file and declared her to be gentle, the type that wouldn't kill. She probably would have lasted only two weeks in DeepGround even with the aid of the Tsviets.
The next time interest was raised was almost two months later when Argento and Azul as well as several troops had been called to Junon to capture several specimens. Shelke had been brought also to serve as their monitor and coordinator. She had watched the Ancient through the cameras as several very strange occurrences happened; things that were borderline unexplainable. The troops were unlikely to throw their own weapons at Azul, carts and doors don't jump or tear themselves off their hinges, people who aren't enhanced shouldn't move that fast, and last she checked, Azul didn't have sudden migraines or suffer from vision problems.
Interest instantly rose when she showed these happenings to Argento who passed the information on to Weiss.
There were no videos of the second encounter the woman had with Azul and Argento, but Argento changed her initial review of the woman to being able to kill if she needed to. This was after the woman managed to down Azul's initial form and had him on his knees in second form due to some unseen ability. All in all, Argento's report was now promising and the videos that could be recovered from the helicopter lab seemed unbelievable.
It seemed certain that they would get a better clue on whether or not the woman would be of use to them when Weiss and Nero were dispatched to locate and bring her in. All were shocked when the woman got away and Weiss declared that her telekinetic ability was very real. Nero was a bit more silent and had to be prodded by Weiss before admitting that she was able to somehow dissipate his darkness. Shock was the general reaction before Rosso scoffed and declared that he must have just made a mistake or gotten hit by a spell. Azul seemed to think something similar but chose to keep his words to himself.
The last time that the possibility of the woman had come up was the night one of the Restrictors had taken an officer and a researcher with him to the main building. Apparently there was someone up there that the Ancient cared for and they were determined to force her to surrender.
No one was certain what happened since there were no cameras present when the Ancient finally snapped, but Officer-East and the researcher had returned with a comatose (borderline brain-dead if someone were to ask her) Restrictor and no clue what that woman had done.
Weiss had pushed their plan through after that and within a week all the other Restrictors were dead. Two researchers were kept alive just to keep the final Restrictor alive in his vegetable state so they would have time to find a cure for Weiss. Not that it was doing them much good.
Once more, Shelke had to restrain herself from having an emotional display.
Maybe it was time to resort to crazy ideas and as much as she hated to admit it, this one was quickly becoming the most likely to yield results. The Ancient would know what she did and more importantly, if something could be done to retrieve information from the Restrictor.
Talking to her alone was probably also the only way she would respond. Azul and Argento were unlikely to be welcome, Rosso might try to kill her, Weiss couldn't leave at the moment, and Nero would probably be too aggressive since there was the possibility of saving Weiss. And only a Tsviet could really be trusted with this assignment.
For once her youthful appearance could be an advantage since it should make her appear unthreatening. If this was to work though, she would have to leave quietly and come back as quickly as she could, hopefully with either a cure or with Kaze willing to help.
Healin
Rufus hung up his phone as he considered what had just happened. The pool for healing Geostigma had been destroyed by that new Ancient. The news hadn't gotten out yet but when it did there was bound to be panic, and of course AVALANCHE couldn't be blamed since one of their number was the developer of said cure and distributed it for free.
He wasn't sure what could be said other than a terrorist group had attacked and destroyed the pool. To make matters worse, his Turks had been behind the church trying to fix a water truck! They hadn't been where they were needed but he couldn't blame them. Ms. Kaze had admitted to using her power to force one of them to leave when she sensed that the other Ancient was nearby.
With the oncoming panic that was bound to happen they were going to have to show that there was no need for concern, prove that everything was going to be fine. Ms. Kaze was easily a symbol that could be used to that end but throwing her in front of the crowds wouldn't be the best move and she had already shown that she hated being followed by the Turks.
So, they needed to organize an event that could be easily followed to show that the creator of the Geostigma cure was safe and that they were certain of her safety. That AVALANCHE, the WRO, and Shinra were all watching out for her and the people. And if they could use this event to bring in that last Ancient, then they could deal with this person thus ending this problem.
A smirk crossed his face as an idea finally began to form. An event that could easily be controlled, show the world the confidence of Shinra and the WRO, and provide an opportunity to possibly be rid of the new Ancient. All he needed was to send invitations that none of the necessary parties would be able to refuse…
Normal
Kunsel's bike was too small for Cloud and I to fit on as well as him, but it didn't stop us from trying. And after an hour of Cloud trying to salvage his bike and me trying to purify the pool (with no success for either of us), neither of us was willing to give up and ride with the Turks.
We had just gotten to the point where we were trying to use their belts to strap all of us on before Reno pointed out that we could be attacked again. I was promptly kicked off the motorcycle and forced into the Turk's car so that the SOLDIERs could ride guard.
Reno drove the car while Martial Arts took shotgun leaving me sharing the backseat with Nunchaku. Well, it was better than Rufus.
The blond Turk tried to make conversation but I was seriously not in the mood.
"Thanks for talking to Reno," Nunchaku said quietly as we pulled away from the church. "I really shouldn't have left you alone."
"I ordered you out."
"You're not a target or enemy or a superior, you're a VIP we intend to keep safe!" Nunchaku argued as he cast his eyes out the window. "It's my job-"
I cut in as my agitation rose. "I never asked to be kept safe by you people! I ordered you out and I meant it!"
Martial Arts glanced back as Reno fished around in his chest pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Not in any mood to deal with second hand smoke, I used the power to flick the cancer stick out of his fingers and out the open window.
Reno growled as he stared at his fingers for a moment then out the window. "Damn, that was my last one yo!"
"You can join me for a round at the bar then." Screw my pact on never drinking. AVALANCHE knew I was a Jedi, the Turks knew I had special abilities, and I couldn't see how this day could get much worse.
Reno's eyebrows met his hairline at my invitation and his nonchalant demeanor fell for a moment before he shrugged. "Just one, gotta get to the boss yo."
"Then I'd suggest you step on it. That pool was probably one of the objectives they intended to eventually fulfill, but Jenova's head is likely to be primary."
"So you already knew," the second-in-command stated as tension quickly began to settle in the car.
"I warned your boss that he can't lie to my kind. And knowing what Tseng was looking for made it a very easy guess as to what he found."
"Then what can we do?" Martial Arts asked courteously.
I glared out the window this time. My own suspicions on what kind of champion Jenova would choose had been confirmed and I was not equipped to deal with this person in a one-on-one battle.
More importantly, today I had failed spectacularly in two ways. I hadn't protected the pool, and Alex Bishop was lost. I had failed someone after I had promised them that everything would be alright…
"Hey! Isn't there something we can do yo?" Reno yelled and I snapped out of my morbid thoughts.
"We either need to overpower him physically or destroy Jenova so she can't cover for him mentally."
"Mentally?" Nunchaku asked but I refused to say any more.
Our arrival at the Seventh Heaven involved an angry Cloud marching over to Zack and asking him to spar. Knowing Cloud the way we all did this was his way of raving and spitting fire, and of course Zack was the only one who could help him through this. I surprised everyone by marching straight up to the bar and grabbing the first bottle I could reach.
"Rachas?" Tifa asked, her eyes widening at the sight of me ending my dry streak.
"Let her," Kunsel said as he grabbed several shot glasses and set them before me then took a different bottle from the shelf and confiscated what I had grabbed.
Reno was the only Turk to join us, grabbing one of the shot glasses as soon as Kunsel had filled it and downing it in one throw.
Having never been a heavy drinker and often preferring mixed drinks when I had drank previously, I sipped at my shot, drawing limited laughter as I made a face but forced myself to finish the glass of sharp, bitter alcohol. Kunsel proved a better drinker and threw his own shot back similar to the way Reno had.
"Another round?" Kunsel asked as he held up the bottle only for Tifa to snatch it from him.
"What happened?!" she demanded, her suspicions obviously not falling on the Turks just yet.
"The pool got destroyed," I replied as Reno grabbed Nunchaku and signaled to Martial Arts to head for the door.
Tifa stared at us for a moment, her mouth gaping.
"And Cloud's bike too," Kunsel added.
At this point the brunette bartender zeroed in on the retreating forms of the Turks. "Did they?"
"No," Kunsel replied as I snatched the bottle of liquor from Tifa's lax grip using the power. "It was the Sith Anci- Cetra," he corrected as I shot him a glare. "He was aided by three guys with silver hair."
By this point I had already poured myself another shot and was downing it when Kunsel's news sank in. My immediate reaction was to choke, causing me to spew the amber liquid over the counter.
At Tifa's glare I grabbed a washcloth and cleaned up the mess as Kunsel took possession of the bottle.
"Three guys with silver hair?" Tifa asked.
"Yeah, they looked oddly like Sephiroth."
Good goddess, how much worse could this day get?! A Sith AND the Remnants?!
"Well, we all know that they couldn't possibly be Sephiroth," Tifa declared firmly as she glanced at me.
I nodded as I sat at the bar. "The real Sephiroth isn't a part of this equation. This must be Jenova using impressions of him."
Kunsel shrugged then glanced over as Aeris entered the room with Aiden in her arms. I had been reaching for the liquor bottle again but stopped instantly when I saw him. Wearing his ear hat, dressed in a simple blue top and bottom, and a pacifier in his mouth; he was reaching for me the moment his dark blue eyes caught mine. That reminded me right there what my responsibilities were and what promises I had made to him. I had failed Alex; I was not going to fail my son.
Walking over to Aeris, I plucked Aiden from her arms with a faint smile even as I silently swore over and over that I was going to insure he wouldn't be hurt, that when this was finished he would have a normal childhood.
The WRO
Cait Sith alone had accompanied Reeve that day to the WRO offices that day, a strange addition of protection when one considered he was in a building that was slowly forming an army for peace-keeping purposes.
The day had passed in a quiet manner until noon when the emergency call from the Turks had come through about the destruction of the healing pool. They assured him repeatedly that Rachas, Cloud, and Kunsel were all fine, but he still ended up calling the Seventh Heaven where he heard the whole story.
Kunsel told him about Cloud's motorcycle being blown up and about their fight with the three who resembled Sephiroth. Rachas had faced the dark Ancient and explained that she hadn't really been in danger until the last moment when Jenova stepped in to reinforce the mind of the Sith, who was actually in a similar situation as Sephiroth had been in, and then the bomb was made that fouled the water.
Though he was relieved that all of them were alive and unharmed, there was one thing he was not looking forward to: the announcement of the attack. It couldn't remain quiet since it had destroyed the Geostigma cure and people would find out one way or another. Better to let them know the creator was alive and still capable (and willing) of producing more.
The ringing of his personal phone caught his attention then and he raised it to his ear. Very few people had this number and word from just about any of them would be welcome right about now.
"Mr. Tuesti, are you doing well?"
Reeve wasn't sure at the moment of how to respond to this benefactor of the WRO except to be polite.
"Mr. Shinra, I hope you are doing well today. As I'm sure you're aware, we're having a bit of a crisis right now."
"Yes, I heard about the destruction of the healing pool. Tell me, what are your plans at the moment?"
"To make a news announcement, apologizing for the inconvenience and promise that everything that can be done will be."
"Mind if I make a suggestion? A deal possibly?"
Normal
It took a few minutes to calm down but when I did, plans were already forming in my head. A new pool needed to be made, but one location alone was obviously too vulnerable. Maybe we needed to five or six locations that could be protected by the locals as well as increase accessibility? Wutai could definitely guard a location and it would ease the strain of traveling to Edge for their people, but where else? Junon? Mideel? Gongaga? Perhaps Corel so the prisoners in Gold Saucer can be treated without having to be taken far?
There was also the Remnants to think of now though. They were real and Aiden might be in danger if they ever caught wind of him. I didn't doubt Jenova was petty and might lash out at him simply because he was mine, but I feared even more what would happen if they ever figured out who he once was.
The first one that needed to be dealt with was that other Cetra. Or whatever now possessed him. Alex was gone and I had to come to terms with that and realize what he would probably want done in this case. Either way though, no healing pool would be safe until he was dealt with.
It was getting on to mid-afternoon when Reeve called the Seventh Heaven again and requested that those of us present gather after Tifa put him on speaker phone.
"We're going to have to make the announcement about the healing pool being attacked and destroyed," Reeve started the conference. "There aren't many options on what can be done to contain panic and to that end; I was contacted by Rufus Shinra."
"What did he want?" Yuffie demanded as she stood Kunsel who seemed to have similar thoughts as everyone else.
"He has an idea on how to control the panic and possibly draw out that other Ancient. It would require the cooperation of all of us."
"Play nice with Shinra?!" Yuffie looked mutinous now but silenced herself when she noticed all of us giving her "the look".
"We'll need to get rid of the Cetra for me to make more healing water that'll be safe," I advised Yuffie.
"That is another point that Rufus is offering in trade, in return for our cooperation he'll surrender the water that he has had siphoned from the healing pool."
"Which would save weeks of work," I breathed even as Tifa groaned.
"He should hand it over anyway!" she argued.
Kunsel held up a hand to silence her. "If Rufus's plan deals with this threat quickest, then it's not even a trade as much as protection."
"What does he want?" Aeris asked.
"Rachas's cooperation in this plan would be especially important," Reeve started and I could just feel him gritting his teeth. "He essentially wishes to use her as bait for our opponents and a symbol to the population."
I almost groaned at the irony. "What does he want me to do?"
AVALANCHE's Warehouse
Zack groaned as he raised the Buster sword to deflect Cloud's next assault. When had the blond gotten so good? Both of them were obviously worn out at this point, at their limit, but Cloud was ignoring the warnings of his body to continue the spar.
"Hey, Spike, think we should stop now?" the dark haired man asked during a brief break in the fighting. "We need to get to the shop and order your new motorcycle after all."
Cloud groaned but stopped his next charge and stood down. "Sorry," he offered his friend.
"No problem, has to be aggravating what happened." Zack spun his sword with his usual flourish and attached it to his harness. "But you guys are all fine and we can get you a new bike and Rachas can make another pool. No need to get down on yourself."
The blond looked slightly sheepish then as he tucked his own sword pieces into their harnesses. "I was pretty mad actually."
"And were about to slip into depression," Zack accused as they headed for the exit where Zack's bike waited for them. "You didn't lose anything irreplaceable, don't beat yourself about this."
Cloud sighed then offered his friend a half-smile. How much worse this all would have been if Zack weren't there to reassure him.
The WRO
There was silence over the line and Reeve actually prayed that someone would blow up and shout about how they would never go through with this. Unfortunately though, he knew that this was probably the best plan they could come up with so quickly and even if he didn't like it, if Rachas agreed then he would support her.
"Umm… Rachas?" Yuffie asked and he could just imagine the girl waving her hand in front of the woman's face. "Something wrong?"
"I'm waiting for the punch-line," was the deadpan response. "With all this build-up, this joke has got to be hilarious."
"Reeve, you can't be thinking of going along with this!" Tifa's voice now joined the conversation.
Kunsel also joined. "Does he honestly think this could work? And what about civilians?"
"Controlled through invitation and everyone would be briefed ahead of schedule," the Commissioner replied. "And as I said before, Rachas's cooperation is necessary in this. If she agrees, I will go along with it."
A knock on his door caught his attention and he glanced up to see his new secretary poke her head through the door.
"The news crew is here," she whispered and he raised a finger to indicate he needed a minute. She nodded and left, closing the door quietly.
"It's unfortunate but I need an answer now," he urged and once again found himself conflicted in his hopes that Rachas would say no and his sense of duty which urged her to agree.
"If he's serious," was the slow response. "I don't like it, but I'll go along with it for now. We need this situation to be finished and for healing water to be available without danger again."
"We'll be behind you," Tifa promised and Reeve felt a wave of relief.
Tenebrous POV
It was a shame that I had to absorb Alex; he was one of my favorite toys. Alas, though he was a challenge, he eventually would have either "died" or met the same fate. Yet ever since the whole "I destroyed that pool and ate Alex" situation passed things had felt… wrong.
"Shinra… You better have the answers I want," I muttered as my bike came to a stop in front of the location that Elena had so graciously "given" me.
As I walked to the door, yet again I was hit with a strange sense, almost like this was wrong. This world was full of strange things, beautiful and terrifying toys to play with. Mother was trying to absorb this world though, and that was wrong.
"Is something wrong my child?" Mother asked.
"No mama, just tired," I replied. My body seemed to have been growing weaker since that fateful incident with that red-cloaked bastard.
"Yazoo, Loz, come inside with me," I called. My voice was sincere, almost human.
"What's wrong? Feeling ill little brother?" Yazoo asked with a faint smirk.
"I'm fine," I replied with a barely suppressed sneer of my own as we stopped before the door.
"What now? Are we just going to knock?" Loz wondered.
Yazoo grinned and unleashed his own dark tendrils, slowly allowing them to seep around the door before ripping the metal slab from its hinges.
The three of us entered the lodge expecting an army of Turks and instead found Shinra standing there, a smug expression on his face. He looked to have been expecting us.
"Welcome to my humble abode," he greeted warmly.
A faint tremble through the dark power told me something was happening behind me and I turned to see Yazoo and Loz engaged in a fight with a pair of Turks.
"Come on, really?" I asked. I was in no mood for a fight as I barely dodged a tazer rod that was wielded by a red headed Turk with the eyes of a killer. "So you guys want revenge for your friends?" I smiled and summoned several tendrils of darkness to grab the Turks and suspend them in the air.
"If I wanted to fight I wouldn't have brought those two," I informed those present as I indicated Yazoo and Loz. Turning back to the still smirking man, I asked, "Now who are you?"
"Me? I would be Rufus Shinra," was the response.
My eyes were immediately alight with excitement.
"Where is mother?" I demanded.
"I honestly don't know," the man replied.
"You are lying!" I accused as I reached out and grabbed his collar, raising him high into the air. "I can almost smell her on you."
In spite of his situation, Shinra wore an amused smile as he quirked an eyebrow at me. "Don't worry, she is safe. Unless of course you want her damaged?"
I knew he was toying with me right then, trying to see if I would just snap his throat or pry the information from his skull. Both seemed satisfying to me right about now.
"Calm down my son, be patient," Mother chided.
Shinra was still smirking in an amused fashion at me. "You want to find her, I can tell. Luckily for you, in a few days we will be hosting an event and I would love for you to attend as a Guest of Honor." As he said this he nodded towards a television where a man with dark hair and eyes was being interviewed. "I also intend for your… "Mother" to be attendance."
My temper cooled as I set him and his Turks back on the ground before turning to leave.
"You're nothing like him, nothing like Sephiroth," Shinra challenged.
"Yeah, I know…" I replied as the shadows fully returned to me. "I something much darker."
I could sense the relief and amusement of those we left behind and it almost amused me.
"That isn't like you Tenebrous," Yazoo pointed out as Loz raced to his bike with a large grin.
"Like what?" Kadaj demanded, obviously unhappy about being left out.
"Like…" I couldn't finish before a wave of pain rushed through me. "Sh-shit!" I murmured as blood began to seep from the eye that Mother had given me. All around me the world seemed to spin before we warped to an unknown location.
Normal
"Guess we need to start planning our posts," Kunsel offered as I reached for the bottle of liquor we had abandoned that morning only for Aeris to slap my hand. "There is bound to be fighting breaking out, so Aeris should stay here and be ready to run if need be."
Beside me Aeris sighed as her hand wandered over her belly and despite the situation, a soft, fond smile crossed her face.
"She can watch Aiden and I'm sure we know someone else who can help," Tifa offered and my arms tightened slightly around my son.
"What about the rest of us?" Yuffie asked. "I don't have any fancy clothes!"
"I doubt most of us do," I informed her. All of us were going to have to either buy or rent some very nice clothes and unlike last time, I wouldn't be able to escape wearing a dress.
"Are you comfortable with this?" Aeris asked and I shook my head.
"Personally I hate these sorts of functions, but I'll do whatever is necessary."
"Good to hear," a familiar voice stated and we all turned to see Vincent waiting in the doorway. "I assume something happened."
"The healing pool got destroyed and we have a plan in the works for dealing with a new Cetra that cropped up," Tifa informed him.
Vincent sighed then turned his eyes onto Aiden and I gently handed him to the gunner. For a moment Vincent almost looked ready to smile before seriousness crossed his features again.
"What will we need to do?"
Knife
The assignment she had been sent on was a strange one but she found that she couldn't complain about it. Reno handing her a package with the order to just keep moving and not return to Edge until they called for her was weird but better than an assassination.
She had visited Junon, Mideel, and Costa Del Sol thus far in the last couple of days and even had the pleasure of a brief run-in with Veld. The former Turk Commander had been getting to know his daughter again since they had been allowed to disappear but had been wondering about the rest of them though he couldn't risk getting in contact.
Veld was pleased to know that so many of them had survived and that Rufus trusted them the way he did. Hearing that he was even allowing Tseng to bring the family back together actually drew a rare smile from him.
Today she was passing through the slowly rebuilding Corel, hoping that she might find one of the other exiled Turks. Since she wouldn't have to turn them in or confront them, she could hopefully catch up and possibly make a suggestion to Tseng on a new "recruit".
The tents that had haunted the town were mostly gone now, replaced by houses and actual shops. It wasn't quaint or attractive but she could feel that the people here would soon have the place bustling.
It was right around midday when she stopped in one of the small restaurants of the town for a small lunch when the word came about the destruction of the Geostigma cure. Quiet settled over the shop at an eerie rate and was quickly followed by an eruption of noise as everyone began to jump up and try to either get closer to the single television set or pulled out their phones to call others to confirm the report.
Knife was about to pull out her own phone to call Cissnei and confirm when it started to ring on its own.
"Hello?"
"Hey, boss just gave the order to come back yo," Reno's voice announced to her. "Get in contact with Cissnei when you make it back, don't come in, and you'll be filled in on what's happening. Don't take longer than three days yo."
"Alright," Knife replied before the line was cut and she stood from the table. She should be in Costa Del Sol by tomorrow if she left now and Edge by the morning after.
Normal
Although there was much trepidation to start with when we first agreed to participate in Shinra's plan, Tifa and Yuffie were soon enough excited to the point where they were discussing what design and color of dresses they should get. I on the other hand was depressed to the point where I kept glancing wishfully at the bottle of alcohol.
Cloud and Zack's arrival and update on the newest happenings were punctuated by demands on how we could possibly agree to the plan from Cloud and Zack just confirming that Aeris wasn't going to be involved. Once those initial points were covered, they started to discuss with Kunsel about what they should do to get ready. Those plans only started to really come together when Reeve returned to the bar with a blueprint on the hall where the event would take place.
"We should be able to hide our swords right here," Kunsel indicated a point on the sheet. "They'd be in easy reach for when the time comes."
"What about here?" Cloud pointed at another area. "If there are curtains I could conceal several of my sword pieces here."
Reeve produced a pen and circled another area. "There will also be buffet tables here."
"Cid could hide his spear there," Kunsel murmured thoughtfully.
Sighing, I glanced over at where Vincent sat with Aiden in his arms. For his part, Aiden seemed to recognize his godfather and smiled at the man as he played with one of his toys. Sitting down myself, I tried to distract myself by thinking of what could be done in the upcoming days. Aiden and Aeris would be near defenseless all alone and our trap was meant to catch the Sith, not the Remnants. I still thought Shalua would be a good choice to guard the two but didn't think that would be enough.
Thinking of Shalua brought Shelke to mind and absently I reached out to where she should be and jumped to my feet in surprise when I found her.
Grabbing my jacket, I ran to the door.
"Reeve, call Shalua! Tell her to meet me at our house!"
"What?!" Reeve yelled as he tore his eyes away from the planning that he was doing along with the SOLDIERs.
"Call Shalua!"
Not waiting a moment longer, I tore down the street as fast as I could, drawing on the power to help me go faster. I had never tried Parkour before but I got a good taste of it that day as I jumped fences, dodged the occasional vehicle, and tore through crowds on the street, not once stopping. What was normally a twenty minute walk to get from the Seventh Heaven to the house Reeve and I shared took one minute according to my watch.
Racing back and forth, I checked the house several times over for any listening devices or cameras the Turks might have installed during the absence of Reeve and myself before settling down and going into the kitchen. Browsing through the fridge I pulled out a carton of milk and a box of tea concentrate I had discovered in this world. It was similar to Chai and I could honestly say I enjoyed the stuff.
Shalua arrived ten minutes after me in a vehicle that she probably hadn't been driving safely if the screeching of the tires as she stopped was anything to go by.
"Is she here?" she demanded as soon as she was over the threshold.
"Sit down," I ordered and nodded to the couch. "We have a few minutes…"
A knock on the door caused Shalua to leap for it and when she threw it open she came face-to-face with Reeve who glanced at us in a semi-confused manner.
"I wanted to make sure everything was alright," he assured us as he walked into the room and settled Aiden into his rocker.
"We're fine," I told him then turned towards the kitchen. "Anyone want some tea? And Shalua, let me answer the door next time."
Shalua sighed heavily but allowed Reeve to guide her to the couch while I finished the tea and brought four mugs to the coffee table. Moments after I had set them down, another knock came from the door and though Shalua was instantly on her feet, Reeve caught her arm to remind her to stay back.
Walking quietly to the door, I took several breaths to calm myself before touching the handle and gently turning the knob.
The little girl who stood on the porch was a strange sight and my eyes were immediately drawn to the faint glow of mako lines on the suit I knew she wore under her civilian clothes. Her face seemed far too impassive and her eyes too old for someone so young. More importantly, there was an echo about her… Something foreign yet familiar at the same time.
"Rachas Kaze." My name came from her as a statement, not a question.
"Shelke," I replied and felt her surprise and confusion of my recognition of her. Opening the door a bit wider and stepping slightly to the side, I offered a warm smile that seemed to catch her even more off guard. "Would you come in?"