Author's note: Hey, everybody! Sorry for the long-ass wait for an update, (Holy shit, it HAS almost been a year! Sorry, guys!) but things have come crashing down, as it were. With financial woes and computer issues, I haven't been able to get back to this as often as I'd like. However, I haven't forsaken you completely! I had no intention of abandoning this or any other fic of mine. My time's been eaten up by writing this story long hand in rough draft form, so you guys get a nice polished product, not some badly written, angst-laced bullshit. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Let's get on with it, shall we?
Chapter 11 : Takes All Kinds
The briefing room in the WRO headquarters is located a long way from any entry point, so as to ensure that the maximum amount of security is taken to keep critical operations confidential from those prying eyes and ears which might undo them.
Despite the bedlam that Vincent remembered from DeepGround's attack over a year ago, the staircases and furnishings were in good repair, all in perfect military order.
The glass door hissed shut as Red entered the briefing room, the last one to arrive. Everyone had already been seated.
Reeve sat at the head of the table, where everyone could see him. Once he had ensured that all persons involved were in attendance and that everyone was prepared, he launched into the briefing.
"As you are all aware," Reeve began, his voice grave. "Thirty-six hours ago, an unsuccessful attempt to purge the Lifestream of Jenova cells resulted in the release of four highly dangerous individuals into the world. We of the WRO are of the opinion that these men should be terminated with extreme prejudice. For a more detailed explanation, I'm turning this briefing over to our resident expert in these matters."
Reeve stood and took a seat off to the side, next to Barret. Cloud then rose to take Reeve's place, though instead of sitting down in the now vacant seat, he moved the chair out of the way and activated a screen concealed behind a panel bearing the WRO logo.
"I'm not going to regurgitate facts, so I'll cut to the chase." He said, calmly and coolly. "We were all there and we know what happened. I've studied the preliminary reports made by the WRO scientists who studied the Mako residue left behind in the containment pods and they've been able to make positive DNA matches on the four pods that broke open."
Touching the small control panel, the lights in the briefing room dimmed and the screen lit up. Cloud stepped aside so that the other could get a good look at the personnel file that had been called up. Cid had to squint to see the finely written biography that accompanied, an act that eventually proved to be in vain, for Cloud began to read out the important bits.
The file photo showed a young man, no older than his mid twenties. Cid frowned It was always the punk kids who seemed to be the ones rousing all the trouble in the world. To be perfectly honest though, Cid had a hard time distinguishing the kid's sex. The face was very severe and angular, almost feminine in terms of the shape and curvature. The eyes still had that piercing gray Mako stare, one that almost gave his eyes a glossed over look Cid had only seen before on a corpse. The silvery hair that flowed down long and lady-like almost concealed his sharp angular eyebrows.
"Yazoo Yoshiyuki." Cloud said, evenly. His tone seemed bland and cold, almost uninterested, but those who knew him like Cid, those who had fought and struggled and bled beside him like Cid and everyone else in the room could detect an undercurrent of dislike, almost hate in his voice. "One of the three Sephiroth remnants we encountered two tears ago. Proficient with various forms of firearms and basic hand to hand combat. His psychological profile suggest that his personality is very mild, cold and calculating, not prone to emotional outbursts. Despite his cold demeanor he still is a very dangerous man."
Cloud changed the slide again, this time showing a man with a much stronger face. The cheekbones and chin were a lot stronger and masculine, and the short cropped hair helped with the overall masculine appearance. However, there still was the same Mako gaze that gave his eyes the color of tempered steel, cold and unyielding. And the hair was still the same silver color.
In his peripheral vision, Cid saw Tifa's jaw visibly clench. He had heard about the wholloping this jackass had bestowed on Tifa back during the Geostigma crisis, and from that glint in her eyes, he could tell she was as anxious to repay that debt on the remnant as he was. The pilot repressed a grin at his possessive streak.
"Loz Leng." Cloud said, that same undercurrent still in his voice. "Two of the three remnants, adept in advanced close quarters combat. As powerful and strong as he is, his personality is extremely unstable, resulting in a severe inferiority complex. Pushed far enough, he might become angry and make a mistake."
Another slide popped up, this time showing an all too familiar face. The same arrogant stare, the same Mako green cat-like eyes, the same long silver hair that concealed half his face. Cid recognized his from two years ago, remembering what a pain in the ass he was.
"Kadaj Matsuoka." Cloud said, a visible crease appearing on his forehead. "The leader of the Remnant party. A skilled swordsman, a violent youth and a ruthless enemy, he considers himself to be a prophet for Jenova's return, whatever that means. Extremely unstable, he is a fanatic to his belief and will fight for his cause to the death."
Cloud touched the control stud one final time, revealing the final target.
This was a man nobody recognized, save for Cloud. The fiery crop of red hair seemed to curtain his cruel face, framing it to show that he fancied himself as important. His cold blue eyes seemed to have the ability to immobilize weak willed men with a piercing glare, and the thin lips gave a subtle, cold sneer.
"Former SOLDIER First Class Genesis Rhapsodos." Cloud said. The undercurrent of dislike was gone, replaced by an even more subtle on that Cid couldn't quite put his finger on. Envy, maybe? Liking? Hero worship? SOLDIER members were idolized by young men before the collapse of the Shinra Corporation, so something like that wouldn't be a stretch to imagine.
"This is one man whom we know very little about. In fact, the WRO and most of the Shinra Corporation had thought him dead until now. What we do know is that he is extremely violent and dangerous, both to himself and others around him. I only saw him once, back when I was still working for Shinra. We were sent to Modeoheim to capture or kill a renegade SOLDIER, who turned out to be Genesis. I'm guessing that why he was summoned out of nonexistence was that the Jenova cells inside him reacted strongly, too strong to be contained in Mideel."
"Thank you, Cloud." Reeve said, standing to regain his seat. Cloud hit the wall panel again, concealing the screen and bathing the room in full light.
Seating himself back at the head of the table, Reeve's expression was grim. "Unfortunately, we haven't got the faintest idea where any of these men may be. Our satellite coverage of the world was scrambled by their exit from the Lifestream, and we've not seen hide nor hair of them. I've ordered all WRO stations around the world to be placed on Red Alert and full lockdown. Any signs of trouble, no matter how remote, will be reported immediately."
"Well, we can't just wander aimlessly like we used to." Cid said, sitting back. "When you get a lead, just point us in the right direction." He smiled at his logic. The Highwind was still under his command, and she was more than capable of saving the world again.
Reeve nodded. "There is still one more matter to be attended to." He said, before everyone left their chairs. "Until now, the WRO has enjoyed the benefit of being funded by a benefactor whom I've never met."
"Until now?" Barret broke in. "You tellin' me the WRO's broke?"
"No," Reeve said. "It's just that our mysterious benefactor has chosen now to reveal himself. Until now, all he's done is write us the checks."
"And rest assured, it'll stay that way." A smooth, low voice resonated from the doorway.
All eyes turned to the source of the voice. One had to admit, he looked different without the white cloak covering the Geostigma blemishes, but it was undeniably him. Rufus Shinra, still confined to a wheelchair, but very much alive, sat in the doorway, flanked by the Turks.
"The only difference this time, is that I feel I must contribute something some than gil to the restoration of our world." Rufus' voice still had that silky smooth touch, the same that gave Cid the feeling he wasn't going to like the way things were going to unfold. Shinra had screwed the planet over, hell, they screwed HIM over twice!
Reeve's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of contribution did you have in mind?"
"Well, as everyone here is, I am aware that the Shinra Corporation - my company - owes the planet a great deal. To that end, I have gathered a squad of specialists to assist you in tracking down and destroying these - shall we say 'free radicals'."
Spoken like a true goddamned businessman…Cid harrumphed to himself.
The Turks behind Rufus seemed to snap to attention. In his monotone, deadpan voice, Tseng said "Turk squad, reporting for duty."
All four of the Turks stood ready to assist the old AVALANCHE party. Rude, Reno, Elena and Tseng. The cops and robbers, hand in hand! The irony was evident, even to Cid.
Apparently, the Turks were way of the assignment as well. Rude and Reno simultaneously crossed their arms, raising eyebrows at the same time like some kind of bizarre mirror image. However, their discipline evidently was able to keep their opinions to themselves.
As if he were afraid his people would say something out of line, Rufus did all the talking. "These are my best agents, I have full confidence in each of them. They will obey your orders as well as fight, and even die in the line of duty."
This seemed to be a bit much for Reno's ego. "Die for the WRO, boss? C'mon, a pro's not someone who sacrifices himself for the job at hand. That's just an idiot."
Rufus seemed to take his underling's leer the wrong way. "Our interests are mutual." He said severely. "Until they cease to be so, you will get the job done no matter what the cost. Understood?"
"Yessir," Reno said, a little too quickly. His expression changed from cocky and self-assured to that of a whipped dog. He took this moment to become fascinated by the configuration of his stun baton.
Reeve seemed to forget this oversight, and in the interests of the mission, Cid couldn't blame him. If these bastards were for real, and really serious, they would need all the help they could get.
"On behalf of the WRO and the people of our world, I thank you for your assistance." Reeve said, standing politely. "In the meantime, you all are free to go as you please. All I ask is that you keep your PHS units handy, for we have no idea when one of the targets might decide to make an appearance."
"So effectively, until one of these bastards show, we're on shore leave." Cid said, hopefully. If that were the case, his mind was already scheming.
"Until we hear from one of our listening posts, then yes, for lack of a better word." Reeve said.
"Not a problem." Cid clapped his hands together. "Who's up for a trip to Edge?"
Tifa smiled radiantly next to him, catching his real meaning. He did make a promise, after all.
Barret agreed on Edge, but Cloud had other plans. "You going past Kalm on your way there?" He asked. When Cid nodded, he continued. "Then, would you mind dropping me off there? I need to plan our strategy. Vincent, I'll need your help, if you don't mind."
The gunslinger shook his head no. As soon as he agreed, Yuffie announced "I'm coming too!" a smidgen louder than was necessary. Red decided to take in Kalm as well
The Turks decided to plan their strategy from the WRO building. With everyone in the know of each other's location, the AVALANCHE crew set off for the Highwind.
---
During their Kalm stopover, the members in question disembarked, Cloud carrying the most baggage. (Namely his First Tsurugi blade, materia set and Fenrir motorcycle)
With the airship become considerably lighter and quieter, she sped off towards Edge. Cid stayed at his post, still standing after creation-only-knew how many hours of sleep.
Come to think of it, no one had really gotten that much sleep in the past thirty-six hours or so. Funny how time seems to simply melt away like ice under a hot sun when you didn't think about it.
And of course, as luck would have it, just when he thought of the longevity he had without a simple yawn, the fatigue came onto him like a crushing Demi spell. So much so he nearly buckled at the helm.
Shaking his head, Cid steadied himself and lit a cigarette. Wanting some distraction to keep him awake, he flicked on the small disc player next to the helm console.
As soon as he did so, his music began to filter in through the loudspeakers in the bulkheads next to him. Startled by how loud he had it, Cid promptly turned it down. For all he knew, Tifa and Barret were sleeping below deck. And he didn't want to find himself on the wrong end of his friend's Gatling gun for waking him up.
Almost without realizing it, Cid began to tap the wheel as the music began to pulse through him, and before long, he began humming as well. This was the classic stuff, not that noise kids seemed to listen to these days, be it indecipherable beats with someone mumbling in the background, or the rape of electric guitars with some pretentious prepubescent whining about how bad he's got it.
Before long, Cid actually found himself singing some of the words as well.
I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day,
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May.
Grinning at his old favorite, he launched into the chorus with the one person blow deck who was on his mind.
I guess you could say, what can make me feel this way,
My girl, my girl, my girl
Talkin' bout my girl.
My girl.
Cid nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard another voice, somewhat more melodic and pleasant than his jump in from behind him
"I've got so much honey, the bees envy me,"
Cid whirled about to see Tifa, arms crossed and leaning against the doorway. She wore that playful smile on her face, the one that Cid couldn't help but let contaminate his own.
Turning the volume down even lower, he asked "How long you been there?"
"Not long." His girl replied, coming towards him. "I've got that in a jukebox back home."
Cid's grin widened. "I always knew you had taste," He said.
Tifa's idea of thanks came in a soft kiss, one that Cid was more than willing to say "You're welcome" to in the same manner.
The kiss seemed to last forever, until the hiss of the track changing got Cid's attention. The beat changed to something a little more jovial than the doo-wop he had become accustomed to.
"Aww, this is the best right here." Cid knelt for the volume knob, turning it back up. In the same motion, he flicked on the autopilot and turned to Tifa.
The rich, deep voice began to filter in over the old time guitar beat, Cid beginning to go along with it.
The lover's eyes met as the vocals began to change.
Well, I don't claim to be an A student,
But I'm trying to be.
For maybe by being,
An A student, baby,
I could win your love for me.
As the lyrics began to pick back up about what the singer didn't know about arithmetic, geometry and slide rules, Cid took Tifa by the hip in one hand and her hand with the other. Spinning her about, he began to fill in parts of the lyrics with his own voice, somewhat inferior to the singer in question, in his mind.
Tifa didn't seem to mind, however, having far too much fun being spun about and dipped in time with the music. As Cid had noticed earlier, time seemed to melt away as they danced on the bridge.
Time seemed to go by so quickly, neither of them noticed their ETA estimate. Rudely, they were reminded by a hideous crackling from the Highwind's radio system.
"Unidentified airship, this is Edge Air Control. State your flight plan and destination, over."
Cid hissed out a quick "Shit!" and hurried to the console. Flicking the autopilot off and killing the music, he responded. "EAC, this is Highwind, flight Gulf-Tango-Charlie-Sierra-Charlie. Aiming to set down on your airstrip, over."
The radio crackled for a moment. Tifa chose this time to sneak up behind Cid and wrap her arms gently around his waist. The pilot smiled back at her, but before he could do anything else, the radio demanded his attention again.
"Gulf-Tango-Charlie-Sierra-Charlie, flight ID confirmed. Cleared to land on runway zero-niner. Over and out."
Cid hung the radio back up onto its cradle and adjusted the ship for her final approach.
---
Thanks primarily to Tifa's prudence and business-savvy, Seventh Heaven was located fairly close to the airport, which resulted in a very short trip for the fatigued travelers.
The lights were still on upstairs when the cab pulled up to the bar, meaning that the babysitter Tifa had arranged for Marlene and Denzel hadn't put them to bed yet.
The tinkling of the front door opening alerted a small girl that someone was indeed home. She catapulted her pajama-clad self down the stair, making enough noise to wake the dead at this hour.
"Auntie Tifa!" Marlene's fatigue seemed to evaporate as she bounded down the stairs with the force of a Dual Horn. Looking past her caregiver, she saw someone else, far more important to her. "Papa!"
"Heyy, girl!" Barret boomed, scooping her up onto his shoulder with one powerful swoop. The babysitter came down, heading straight for Barret to discuss what transpired and what the plan was from here on out. Cid didn't stick around, walking up the stair for the glorious relief that would be the bed Tifa had made very clear she wanted to share with him. He had offered to stay at an inn, but she wouldn't hear of it. She nearly had to kick his feet out from under him to convince him to spend the night with her.
As Barret's voice faded as he clomped up the stairs, he heard soft footsteps coming up from behind him. Turning to see what he expected, Tifa pushed him against the wood paneling, grabbing his flight jacket by the front and kissing him fiercely.
Cid's groan of pain and surprise was quickly transformed into a surge of passion. He held his girl close, deepening the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Tifa led him upstairs to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
Cid chuckled. "If that's gonna be the rate per night, I'm gonna have to stay here more often."
"Not likely." Tifa said. "That was just a down payment. You've still got a promise to make good on."
"Later, hon." Cid said, softly. "I'm bushed right now."
"Me too." Tifa said. "Just telling it to you the way it is."
"Telling the way it…" Cid said, incredulously. The majority of women he had been with had played games and never cut to the chase, something that had pissed him off to no end. He had once said to Barret that any man who understands the way a woman thinks should be awarded a Nobel Prize. And to find someone who told it straight without holding back… "Tifa, marry me."
Tifa smiled and slipped her clothes off. Only her undergarments remained on. She climbed into bed, pulling Cid with her. He stripped down to his boxers and dog tags and held Tifa close. Listening to her breath for a few minutes, they both drifted off into the blissful subconscious of sleep.
End of Chapter.
AN: You guys have been exemplary in your patience. You're all awesome!!! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Not that it matters, but I wrote in two of my favorite songs of all time in this chapter. Namely, My Girl by The Temptations and What A Wonderful World By Sam Cooke. Great listens.
Next chapter coming soon, I promise!!