Sorry about the wait, guys. Life went and stuck me on a treadmill and I had a mild case of writer's block :P I hope I'm forgiven


On The Run Again


Tifa went upstairs to run into a worried looking Zelda. The older woman raised a hand to silently ask for Tifa to not hurry away.

"What's wrong, Tifa? I could hear the argument from up here," she asked.

"Cloud's just being dense. Don't worry," Tifa wiped her eyes angrily, "It's very stupid, really."

Zelda sighed and went with Tifa into her room, "So why are we leaving? And so urgently?"

"I can't say," Tifa replied with a frown, "I wasn't told exactly what was happening, but one of our friends told us something dangerous is going to attack Edge soon."

Cloud came running up the stairs, "Reeve just called. He said to turn the T.V. to Channel 7 News. Someone got the last footage from the group sent to Midgar before we lost connection."

"You have hands and feet," Tifa huffed.

Cloud gave her a look, then turned the T.V. to channel 7.

After an opening fanfare announcing the beginning of the news, a man started announcing importantly, "Three weeks ago, our crew left for Midgar-"

A woman continued the announcement, "However, the group's whereabouts still remain unknown. What really happened down there?"

Another man popped up on the screen, "Tonight, for the first time, we bring you the final transmission we were to receive before all contact was lost."

A video that originally had been playing in the upper right-hand corner over the third man's head zoomed until it took up the whole television screen, revealing a large group of people in suits forcing open a rusted door.

A reporter excitedly added commentary to what was going on.

"For the past three years, this door has remained sealed," she informed her audience, "However, that seal's about to be broken."

The video cut to several of the people in suits running into the now-open door, then to a frontal shot of the reporter herself going through the door while others ran past her, "There are no records of this place located deep beneath the Shinra building: another of the company's secrets revealed recently. According to investigative reports, there is evidence that thousands of people were once transferred here. If rumors of the Shinra conducting human experiments are true, then this may be where those nefarious deeds were carried out! To bring you this exclusive footage, Channel 7 News has teamed up with volunteer organization W.R.O., or World Regenesis Organization. Wait, I think I see something!"

The reporter, an energetic young woman with light brown hair, and the rest of her crew ran forward through toward the end of the tunnel, which was bathed in a green light not unlike that of the Lifestream…

Something swept out from behind a wall and took several of the leading men away into an unknown fate. The reporter shrieked as several more men started hollering, then motioned for the cameraman to follow her as she started running towards the exit. Ever-faithful to their jobs, cameraman and reporter both continued the film.

"S-something has just attacked the head of the group and is taking m-more men away into-" she shrieked again as something blew into the cameraman. The camera skittered away and was left predominately facing the wall and floor. However, some of the camera showed an upright view of the cameraman wrestling with something for a second before being hauled away like the others.

"RUN, SHIKI! RUN!" he shouted.

A strangled, fearful cry escaped the reporter, Shiki. She either lost or kicked off her shoes, for the edge of a heeled shoe tumbled into view of the camera. Shiki came into view and was growing smaller in the distance until a black shadow flew past the camera and overtook her, then the screaming girl away to join the rest of the men.

Nothing in the video moved for a second and the news crew was silent for a moment. Cloud turned off the T.V..

Everyone was silent. Zell started crying in his room and Zelda took that excuse to leave.

Cloud looked to Tifa, "Tifa…"

"…I know…I'm sorry," she sighed and got up to continue packing in silence.

"You know I can't just sit back and do nothing…" Cloud slowly moved to assist Tifa.

"I know…"

"Are you still mad?"

"No."

The pair packed silently.

Tifa paused, "Cloud, y-"

At that moment something big fell out of the sky and smashed into the street, raising a cacophony of shrieks and screams. The sound of multiple airships droned in the distance and advanced quickly. Shocked, Cloud and Tifa ran to the window to see fire in the streets and people scrambling away from said fire and uniformed men in black and blue suits, some of which were on all fours as if possessed by some fiend.

"Where are Marlene and Denzel?!" Cloud searched the crowd frantically.

"They're on their way home from school, still! They were probably almost home when this happened! Go look for them while I finish here; take Fenrir and go! Now!"

Cloud nodded and bolted from the room. Tifa sprinted into Zell and Zelda's room to find Zelda trying frantically to calm her grandson, who was screaming for a reason not yet known.

"What is this, Tifa?! What's going on out there?!" Zelda yelped.

"It's the group that my friend warned us about. We need to be ready to leave as soon as Cloud gets back with the kids. Take only what you can carry."

"Okay," Zelda pulled Zell's baby harness off of a hook on the wall and began strapping the screaming Zell to her, then paused, "Tifa, would you mind taking him? I feel that Zell would be safer if he was with you."

"Are you sure, Zelda? We're going to be together the whole time we're leaving, and if I have to fight, then Zell might be in even more danger. Cloud can't fight when we're leaving. He has to drive and has to make sure that whoever is in front of him doesn't fall off, so he can't use his swords."

Zelda gave Tifa a surprised look, "You really think that all of us can fit on that bike?"

"We have a side car, and, though a bit cramped, it'll hold all of us. We can also try to get a truck on our way out if it's even possible."

"Okay," Zelda hesitated before continuing to strap Zell (still crying) to her front, then stopped again, "Tifa, please take him! I trust you more with him in this situation!" she pleaded.

"Zelda, I…okay, give him here. I might even be able to make him stop crying."

"How so?"

"He falls asleep within 5 minutes when he uses my chest as a pillow."

Zelda couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"Oh, shush," Zelda gave Zell and his harness to Tifa and had almost finished strapping them together when the back door burst open.

"Time to go!" Cloud yelled, "I found the kids!"

"Coming! Zelda, grab what you've packed and get my bag from my and Cloud's room."

"Right."

Tifa covered Zell's head (he was calming considerably)and ran somewhat awkwardly downstairs to meet Cloud, Marlene, and Denzel, the trio covered in a thin film of dust and smoke (Marlene and Denzel more so than Cloud).

"The side car is attached?" Tifa asked.

"Not yet, but it won't take long," Cloud replied.

"Alright. You do that while I put Zell on my back. This is way too awkward right now. Marlene, hold him while I fix this thing."

"Okay…" Marlene silently took the now sleeping baby. Denzel stood close to her, and their shoulders bumped occasionally.

Tifa was just about ready to put Zell on her back when the front door was knocked in and several men in those strange black and blue suits came pouring in. Marlene shrieked and ran behind the counter with Denzel hot on her heels. Zell started crying.

"Are you kidding me?!" Tifa cried angrily, "Get out of my house!"

Three of the six men had guns and prepared to open fire. Tifa bound across the room, snatched the gun out of one of the men's hands and clubbed him upside the head with it before giving a solid back kick to one of the unarmed men. Several shots were fired at Tifa, who ducked low and ran forward to kick the man's feet out from under him. A few feet away, metal clashed as sword met gun.

"Took you long enough!" Tifa called.

"Sorry, had to get the kids out of here, first. You looked like you were doing fine," Cloud countered.

The pair of fighters quickly dispatched the last of the men.

"Jeez," Tifa walked over to the ajar door hanging loosely from its hinges.

"We'll fix it after this all blows over."

"Right. Let's go, Cloud. Is everything ready?"

"Yeah."

Tifa and Cloud went into the back room that acted as the garage to meet the rest of their group. Zell was crying still, and the other children were looking uncomfortably around, knowing that solid wall may not be enough to protect them from outside. Tifa took Zell and held him close until he quieted, then had Zelda put him in the harness on her back and buckle him in while Cloud was finishing the last few adjustments to the bike and side car.

Cloud mounted the bike and started helping Denzel get behind him while Marlene got into the sidecar with Zelda and some of the bags. Once everyone was on the bike, Cloud listened to make sure the enemy wasn't right outside the door and took off through the streets.