A/N: Hi readers! Just want to let you know, for the most part of this chapter they're based on the Turks' POV. I'm sorry if they're a bit OOC though. I've never played the game before after all. Do tell if they are too OOC, I'll try to fix them when I can.
Chapter 12
"Do you think he knows where we are, Reno?" Elena asks from her place across the room. The female Turk was looking out the window as she was supposed to, looking for any signs of intruder.
Reno slouches on the sofa he was on and shrugged. "Beats me. If he's smart he ought to have figured it out somehow."
The only door to the other room opens and a tall man with sunglasses came out. "Reno, we're on guard outside," Rude says as he looks at his partner.
"Again? But it's burning out there! Can't we just do it from inside here?" the redhead bemoans. When Rude said nothing, Reno begrudgingly got up from his seat and went out of the room with his partner behind.
"Elena," a voice called from the inner room. Said Turk looks up from her post and went to the door, opening it.
"You called, Tseng?"
From behind a desk a man looks up from the papers he was going through. If Tseng was tired himself after too many sleepless nights due to work he didn't show it. Merely he said, "Ah yes. You can take a break from watch now. Get some rest."
"What about you Tseng? You haven't slept in days."
Tseng sighs as he picked another paper up from amongst the many piles, "I still have a few more papers to go through."
"I'll help you then," Elena said, walking up to the desk. "This way it'll be done faster."
Reno and Rude stood guard outside the lodge – though it looked more like Rude was the one doing the job as Reno hid under what little shade the outside had to offer.
"Hey partner. What are we doing out here again?" Reno asks.
Rude continues to survey the surrounding when he answered, "Boss gave us orders to stand guard."
"You don't think there's going to be another attack from him, do you?"
The other man had opted silence for an answer. They remained that way until Reno spoke again. "Do think Cloud's going to show up, partner?"
"Apparently he is," Rude said. Reno immediately got up and straightened from his place and looks down to the mountain path that led up to the lodge. Sure enough a bike was on its way to them, the rider spotting a blonde hair blown back in the wind. That much both men had expected to see but what happened next took them by surprise.
Something shot down from the sky above and came to an immediate halt in the open area in front of the building, sending strong gusts of wind blowing at the Turks. Both men struggled to stand upright and when the wind had stopped they look up. They saw what looked like a man dressed entirely in black leather with red straps covering here and there. No. It was not a man, they realized, but a demon when they noticed the large span of wings stretching to its full length before folding again.
Cloud finally stops his bike in front of the lodge. The man pulled off his riding goggles and looked at the two Turks. "Is he in there?" Cloud asked them.
Reno, still shocked at the sight of Chaos, tried to say something but he was speechless. "Wha-!? Who- no, what is he?!" the redhead Turk finally stammers. From beside him, Rude had his gun ready and pointed at the demon.
When Chaos turns around Reno could have sworn the demon was looking incredulously at them with those glowing eyes. What? Was he supposed to know the thing?
"Reno! What's going on out there?" the buzzing voice of Tseng came from a walkie-talkie in said Turk's pocket. Reno picked it up and spoke as calmly as he could, "Yo, Boss. It's Cloud. And it seems he brought a friend along."
"I sense three people in the building," Chaos said to Cloud in a low voice as he continues to assess the situation.
Cloud took out one of his shorter blades and sheathes it across his back then nods, "Then he is in there." The man approaches the steps leading up to the landing outside the lodge casually. Chaos kept pace behind him, all the while eyeing the two men who were poised to attack them.
Reno, having somewhat calmed down enough to hold his rod without shaking, stood at the top of the stairs blocking their way. "Whoa, hold your Chocobos. Where do you think you're going," the redhead said. There was no way he was going to let something of potential threat to the President's life get pass him. Cloud was about to pull out his sword when Chaos moved pass him and glared at the redhead Turk.
For a moment Reno thought he saw the demon's already luminescent eyes glow brighter then he felt impossibly light. From behind his shades, Rude stared gaping at his partner as the man slowly elevate into the air, defying gravity. The man made a quick grab at Reno's coat before he got out of reach and pulled him down but the entire being of Reno was like a halogen-filled balloon nearly dragging Rude along. No matter what he did the redhead was so light he couldn't be held down for long. Reno held onto the railings for dear life as the rest of his body floated up again.
While the men were busy Cloud and Chaos went ahead and entered the lodge. It was slightly more furnished than the last visit Cloud had made a few years back. Cloud locked the door behind him for good measure before Rude could react to stopping them. The first room was empty so Chaos went to the only other door that led to the inner room. Even before he had opened the door Chaos had already anticipated an attack so when a bullet did went off the demon had had his wings up as a shield. The bullet ricocheted and hit the ceiling instead.
Elena, gun in hand and ready to shoot again, stood in front of Tseng and the man they were looking for; Rufus. Dressed in his signature white suits and slacks, Rufus look just as he always did albeit slightly older. The man looks appraisingly at the two visitors in turn with calm blue eyes.
"Isn't this a surprise? I never thought you'd drop by so unexpectedly, Cloud," Rufus said. He kept his eyes on Chaos as he spoke again. "And who or rather what might this be that you've brought along?"
"My identity is of no importance. What I need are answers," Chaos all but growled as he stares pointedly at the man.
"Straight to the point now are we? Am I not allowed to know your name at least?" Rufus replied, a smirk creeping on his handsome face.
"If you are as resourceful as you are known for then you should already know who I am." Chaos summoned Death Penalty to his hand and held it to eye level. "What do you know of the SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos?"
Elena was alert again when Chaos pointed the gun at Rufus. Both Rufus and Tseng were astonished at the mention of the name but both held their places calmly. Rufus cleared his throat and said, "I am flattered that you think I am so knowledgeable but even I know not of everything that goes on in Shinra back in those days."
"Even though President Shinra was your father?"
"What are you hiding Rufus," Cloud stepped up beside Chaos.
"Nothing at all. You are my comrade, though I've just met your friend here. I don't keep secrets from my comrades."
"And if I recall correctly that was what you had said during my last visit. Just answer his question already; what do you know about Genesis?" Cloud shot back at the President.
The room went silent save for the breathings of everyone until the familiar static buzz of the walkie-talkie that every Turk carried resounded. Tseng, keeping his gun aimed and ready, picked it up and said, "Tseng here."
"Hey Boss! He's in there isn't he? That freaky dude with Cloud! Get him to fix me here would ya?" Reno's voice came in. Tseng looks at Chaos, somewhat confused with what his subordinate had said.
"I'll 'fix' that monkey of yours later after you've given me what I want," Chaos said, glaring at Tseng then at Rufus.
"Very well," Rufus sighs and sits behind the only desk in the room, hands folded neatly in front of him. "What is it that you want?"
"Tell me everything you know of about Genesis Rhapsodos, including where he hails from."
"Why do you want to know about a dead SOLDIER anyway?" Rufus said calculatedly.
"Did you even confirm his death yourself?"
"Are you implying that he is alive?" Tseng cuts in before Rufus could respond. Everyone in the room turns their attention to him. "But that's… no, it's not impossible."
"Tseng, explain yourself," Rufus orders the Turk.
Said man heaved a heavy sigh and lowers his gun. He looks straight at Chaos, "Twelve years ago, during the Mass SOLDIER Desertion Incident was when Genesis first went rogue. Large numbers of SOLDIERs went missing only to show up again looking like Genesis. The cause is still unknown but one thing for sure was that that man was somewhat similar to Sephiroth. They were both the product of a long time experiment.
"Surely you must remember what had happened during the investigation in Modeoheim, Cloud. You were there with me and a First Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair." Tseng pauses and looks intently at Cloud.
Images of an abandoned town flashes in Cloud's mind. A familiar man with swept back, spiky black hair smiled at him in a friendly manner. Then the image was drowned away by scenes of fights and running. He was chasing someone, someone who seemed important and as he caught that person everything blacks out.
Cloud shook himself back to reality when Tseng continued, "Modeoheim was the last anyone ever saw of Genesis. Months later there had been attacks from monsters which looked similar to him but there had been no sightings of the real person…"
"In other words you never witness his death yet you claim he is dead," Chaos concludes as he lowers his gun. "And where does Genesis come from?"
"Banora, it was a small village located on the Mideel continent," Tseng replies, adding, "The place is nothing but a crater now."
Death Penalty dissipates from his hand when Chaos said, "There is one other thing I need to ask before I leave President; do you know of a girl named Samantha Lightwood?"
Rufus's face darkens for a moment as he closed his eyes then opens them again and said, "No, I don't. Whoever might that be?" Chaos knew it was a lie but he left it at that even though it bothered him. Chaos prepares to leave when Rufus called out to him. "Well then, what will you do now that you have your answers?" Rufus said, leaning back in the leather armchair.
"Find Genesis and take back what's mine," the demon curtly replied and left the room with Cloud following him silently.
Outside the lodge Reno was still clinging to the rail bar when he spots Chaos coming out.
"Yo, put me down already will you? I'm sick of floating like this here," the redhead shouted and points a hand at Chaos. The demon stops by the stairwell and briefly looks at Reno. Then with a snap of his fingers Chaos leaps down the stairs effortlessly and landed without a sound on the ground below.
It was all Rude could do to dodge from being fall upon by Reno without his own realization. The Turk knocked his chin on the bar he had held on to as his entire weight gets pulled down by gravity again. With an aching chin, Reno mumbled all the curses he knew as he tried to suppress the pain and get up on his feet with the help of Rude.
Elena came out just in time to see Cloud ride his bike away with Chaos far ahead in the skies. When she saw said Turk with teary eyes and an angry red line under his chin as he tilt his head back for Rude to inspect she asked, "Are you alright Reno?"
"Do I look alright to you? Man, it feels like jaw's been split in two and this is gonna become a nasty bruise," Reno replied with much difficulty.
"A Cure materia would heal it but we don't have one," Rude said.
"So, what did they talk to the President about?" Reno said as he enters the lodge and slumps down on the couch. Rude closed the door behind him and join his partner, siting on one end of the couch.
"I didn't quite understand it myself but it seems they were looking for someone who is supposedly dead," Elena replied and explained the conversation that had went on just moments ago. All the while Reno and Rude sat in silence as they listened to the younger Turk speak.
"It's just one problem after another," Reno sighs when Elena finished her explanation. "Then again we'd be out of job if this Planet was normal, right partner?"
Rude grunts in agreement and looked ahead through the window to the lands beyond the cliffs and trees.
Green mist swirls endlessly around her feet as she treads through the unknown land where there is nothing but more green mists. The sky was absent in this land – or maybe it was there but it was a blank white slate. Soft whispers drifted around her ears and with each step she took they grew more restless.
Where was she? What is this land of mists? As she kept pondering those thoughts she didn't noticed the soft blades of grass between her toes until the scenery around her changed. The sky was blue again and as she walked on, flowers appeared around her feet in multitudes of colors.
A little way in front she saw a lone tree standing tall and proud. Under the shades of its leaves was a person seemingly staring back at her. Cautiously she approached the person and when she was close enough to see clearly, she saw the person a woman with long brown hair held up in a ponytail by a pink ribbon.
"We finally meet," the woman said with a gentle smile.
"Where is this place?" Samantha asked as she looks around the place of open field.
"You are in the Lifestream, or at least your mind is."
"The Lifestream? Wait, I'm not dead am I?"
A laugh from behind the tree startled the two women. A man with swept back shoulder length hair appeared with a grin on his cheery face and a scar crisscrossed on side of his cheek. "What's up?"
"What are you doing here Zack?" the woman said with a frown.
"Now, now Aerith. You'll spoil your cute face with that frown," Zack jokingly said. He stood next to her and pinched one side of her cheek playfully.
"Zack!" Aerith swat the man's hand away and smiled a little. "This was supposed to be a private meeting between Cetras."
"Hmm. Then I'll just stand by and listen," Zack grinned.
Sam, confused with their conversation said, "Um, I'm really lost here. Why am I in the Lifestream to begin with?"
"Because the Planet has called out to you. As a Cetra we are a part of the Planet through the Lifestream," Aerith explained. "You are now reconnecting with your ability to speak and listen to it after being kept apart for so long."
"Wait, so you are a Cetra too?" Aerith nodded once. "Then explain to me what I really am. I still don't understand what a Cetra really is."
"We, the Cetras, were guardians of the Planet. It was our duty to protect it and cultivate its lands, bringing life everywhere. But now we are an extinct race – or so many had thought, including myself," Aerith explained, "but you, Samantha, are the last of our kind. You are a Pureblood Cetra, born 2000 years ago and one of the few survivors during the destruction of our race."
A/N: Sorry I didn't post this chapter up earlier. I've been stuck trying to piece it up and after many rewrites this is the final result. The next chapter won't be up 'til probably the end of next month though (for personal reasons) so I apologize for that. But don't worry; I'm not abandoning this story! Instead why not read the one-shots that I'll keep updated on from time to time while waiting for the next chapter. Don't forget to leave a review!
