Chapter 14

Kadaj stepped off the road to Edge for a moment to pry a pebble out of the tread of his boot. Vendetta was off in the brush somewhere scaring up prey. Chaos halted beside him and drank from his canteen, watching with no real interest as Kadaj dislodged the stone with his knife.

The winged being was still a mystery to him. Every time Kadaj thought he understood him, Chaos moved in some new, incomprehensible direction that left him confused all over again. Even more bewildering and disorienting, the monster seemed to have an uncanny ability to read him. He was accustomed to being one step ahead of everyone else, not the other way around. Of course, that was when Jenova was pulling the strings. He did not miss her – and certainly did not miss being used like a puppet. But he did miss the certainty; he missed the perfect clarity and the lack of doubt. Now, everything seemed murky, like he was stumbling in the dark.

When Chaos had started taunting him earlier, it had seemed like he was just trying to pick a fight. Angered by the persistent jibes, Kadaj had lashed out at him. Now, though, he questioned the monster's true motives. Had his intent been something other than simply eliciting a reaction? If so, his companion was more complex than he had believed.

Having finished removing the troublesome stone, Kadaj wiped his face with the pale blue cloth he wore at his neck. He had changed his black leather outfit for a plain dark t-shirt on the return trip, as he often did whenever he and Chaos were alone and now that the temperatures were warmer. He preferred to reserve his leather for active escort duty or other occasions when they were especially likely to encounter monsters, such as when they traveled past old Mako reactor sites. It provided the best protection in a fight, even if it was on the warm side for this weather. He also found that the leather intimidated people – a plus when acting as guards. But in peaceful moments like this, the t-shirt was more comfortable.

Having re-secured his neck cloth and hearing the sound of grass parting some distance away, Kadaj glanced up, expecting to see Vendetta returning with whatever prey she had been stalking. He was startled to see not one but three guard hounds bearing down on them. Dark blue bodies caught the sunlight and red tentacles whipped behind them. White teeth glinted, bared to the gums. Chaos took a fighting stance while Kadaj stood and drew Souba.

From behind them the sound of another beast approached. Turning to put his back to Chaos in preparation to face a new threat, Kadaj saw it was Vendetta returning. Good, even odds – one for each of them. They shouldn't have any problem dispatching the three feral guard hounds. On that thought, he turned back to face their attackers.

Vendetta ran past them to confront the guard hounds, a vision of supple fluidity. Chaos and Kadaj moved forward more slowly to join the clash and provide backup. As the black and white guard hound neared the three newcomers, she slowed, putting her nose in the air to better catch their scent. Kadaj knew her well enough to interpret her behaviors with precision. Confusion drew her to a halt as she tried to process the new smell.

Time slowed as he realized what was happening. They had not encountered guard hounds again since acquiring Vendetta. She would be registering the scent of guard hounds as familiar. Kadaj cried out in dismay as he saw he was right. The young guard hound, responding to a repressed pack instinct, came to an abrupt halt and offered a submissive pose and appeasing whine to the newcomers now mere feet away.

A cold hand of fear grasped Kadaj's heart as he saw Vendetta submit to the feral monsters. Not sharing in her sense of familiarity and recognition, the first tore into her exposed underside as the other two bounded past to engage Chaos and Kadaj. Kadaj registered red blood pouring from his tentacled companion before having to focus all of his attention on engaging the attacking guard hound.

Kadaj deflected the leaping body of the guard hound by turning to the side and catching its body with a sweeping kick. He quickly followed up with a fatal plunge of Souba to the creature's heart. A quick glance to the left showed that Chaos had dispatched his guard hound as well and was engaging the third. Knowing a guard hound was no match for Chaos, Kadaj sprinted to Vendetta's side.

Blood mingled with the foamy saliva of the beast on Vendetta's dark side, spilling down onto the ground beneath her. The white of her underbelly had all but disappeared in red. So much blood. Kadaj was used to seeing blood, but it had never been blood that mattered. A quick assessment showed gashes and punctures along her neck and shoulders, but by far the most serious wound was on her abdomen where the attacking guard hound had seized her and torn the flesh severely. He knew first aid. He should know what to do to slow the blood loss, but he couldn't think.

No, no, no. He couldn't lose Vendetta.

Her eyes were glossy with pain. "No you don't, girl," Kadaj insisted as he stoked the side of her head where her whiskers bristled. Pulling his shirt over his head, he pressed it firmly against the wound, attempting to stem the flow of blood. He mentally cursed the fact the neither he nor Chaos could wield Materia. Vendetta needed medical attention and fast.

Chaos, having completed his grisly task, appeared at Kadaj's side.

"We have to get her to a medical facility." Kadaj looked at Chaos' wings speculatively.

"Sorry, kid. She must weigh close to 150 pounds. Even I can't fly that much weight, especially not all the way back to Edge. My wings aren't built for that kind of endurance."The demon did seem apologetic, if that were even possible.

Think, think, Kadaj mentally admonished himself. We need a helicopter. Unfortunately, those were not exactly in ready supply. Three places had helicopters at their disposal: the WRO, Shinra, and the NeoMidgar news station. The news station was out – no way was he going to be able to convince them to come and airlift a giant beast back to the city.

Kadaj pulled his cell phone out, for the first time grateful to Vincent for giving it to him. His fingers hesitated over the preprogrammed numbers, then moved to the bottom of the list and connected the call.

"Who is this and how did you get this number?" an evenly modulated voice demanded.

"Rufus, it's Kadaj. I need a favor."

"Really?" The question was accompanied by an amused chuckle. "I didn't realize we were on a favor-granting basis."

"I'm serious. I need a helicopter on the outskirts of Kalm – with a medic."

Kadaj was sure his grim tone conveyed his urgency, but Rufus wasn't ready to comply so easily. "It'll cost you."

"I don't care. Get the chopper here. I am sending you our coordinates now."

"We'll talk soon." The call disconnected.

Kadaj sent the coordinates. Then there was nothing to do but wait. The minutes seemed to drag by at an excruciatingly slow pace as Kadaj stroked Vendetta and tried to keep her as calm as possible. For once he was glad Chaos was not the talkative, reassuring type. He didn't think he could have borne false encouragement. The truth lay bare before him: Vendetta could die before the helicopter even arrived, and there was not a thing he could do about it.

The beat of the propellers gave notice of the helicopter's approach long before its sleek black form could be seen. This was why he had called Rufus. Any other option would have taken too long, but Rufus must have managed to get the chopper in the air almost immediately after his call. Vendetta was still breathing, and the chopper was growing larger by the second, the red Shinra logo on its metallic side proudly heralding its allegiance.

The grass flattened beneath the helicopter as it came to rest twenty feet from them, and several figures jumped out.

Kadaj shuffled back to let the one in the white lab coat examine Vendetta. Her eyes were detached and her movements calmly efficient. She stabilized the guard hound with a Cure Materia before instructing the others on securing her to a stretcher and moving her to the helicopter. If the medic was fazed by finding her patient to be an enormous dog-beast, she covered it well. But then again, she worked for Shinra.

"Will she be okay?" Kadaj asked anxiously.

"Should be. Looks like we got here just in time. We will need to transport her to Edge and perform a few more procedures, but the Cure Materia stopped the bleeding, which is the important thing. We'll keep her sedated for the flight back to Edge."

Kadaj ducked low as they moved under the spinning blades and boarded the chopper. His eyes went first to the guard hound in the open bay. She took up most of the space and were it not for the blood still caking her black fur and making it stand at odd angles, she looked as though she might have been merely sleeping.

Moving to her side and ascertaining that she was still breathing regularly, he allowed his eyes to roam the remainder of the aircraft's interior. The space was more crowded than he would have expected. The doctor had entered the helicopter before him along with the two men who had helped move the stretcher. Chaos had come in behind him, briefly making the vehicle cant to one side with his added weight.

Across from Kadaj sat the ex-president himself. Or was he still president? Kadaj realized he had no idea what the current structure of the company was or even if Shinra Co. still existed. Either way, Rufus Shinra was a force to be reckoned with, commanding both power and money. Kadaj had not expected Rufus to be aboard the chopper. Unbidden, the memory of his last encounter with the man came to mind. His words as he revealed Jenova's remains still cut to the quick: A good son would have known.

In the cockpit, he recognized both the pilot and co-pilot – formerly unwilling guests of his in what now seemed like another lifetime. The Wutainese man gave no sign of recognition, coldly professional. The blonde, on the other hand, had turned in her seat to glare back at him. Large flight muffs covered her ears, but nothing covered her disgust for him. A subtle movement from her Turk counterpart made her swing forward in her seat again. There was no doubt in his mind, however, that her thoughts were still entirely focused on him.

In the weeks he had been back from the Lifestream, he had not considered these two. They simply had not crossed his mind. Now, faced with the female Turk's animosity, he recalled in vivid detail the capture and torture of Shinra's elite. It had not been pretty. At the time, it had been insignificant – the only thing that had mattered was finding Jenova. All actions in that direction had been justifiable. Granted, the Turks were not the most innocent of individuals themselves, but what the brothers had done to them…

In the light of everything that had happened to him since, and in the absence of Jenova, he had to admit what he and his brothers had wrought against these Turks was unthinkable… monstrous. It was amazing the two had survived after they were mysteriously rescued.

He did not want the Turks here. He did not want the odd sense of shame that he felt upon seeing them.

His gaze returned to the guard hound where his hand gently caressed her neck. No, he did not want to be confined in this small space with Rufus and the Turks, but if it saved Vendetta, he would not count the cost to himself. A cost of which he still didn't know the sum. It'll cost you, Rufus had said. I don't care, he had replied.

Not long after the helicopter had lifted and spun its nose back in the direction of Edge, the white clad businessman leaned in closer to him, his smooth skin unmarked by traces of the geostigma. He spoke, his evenly modulated voice barely audible above the steady beat of the chopper blades. "You may not know this, but I had a guard hound too, once: Dark Nation." His mask seemed to slip for a moment, revealing a deep pathos. Or was that the mask? The blond reached down further to stroke the guard hound, careful not to soil his white sleeve with her blood.

Kadaj had not known Rufus had owned a guard hound, nor was he sure why the he was telling him now.

"They used to say that I never bled and never cried… maybe they still do. That's not strictly true though. Wasn't true even then – I wept when Dark Nation died… that and one other time. Dark Nation is the one point Cloud and I are not entirely even on… but that's water under the bridge."

Their eyes met over the unconscious body of the sedated guard hound. Why was Rufus telling him these things? Was the man truly sympathetic? This man who had sent his Turks to eliminate Kadaj just month and a half prior? Or was this a manipulative play on his emotions? It was impossible to tell with the indecipherable former president. The cunning man was able to convey enough sincerity to make anyone want to believe him, even knowing firsthand his history of deceit. Rufus had held Jenova on his lap, and Kadaj had not discerned his lie. A good son would have known.

Kadaj glanced away and out through the chopper window. Already Edge was coming into view.

*Ducks thrown objects*

Just remember that I could have left things on a worse cliff-hanger.

A little behind the scenes C & K trivia: This was actually one of the first two chapters ever written for C & K. It has been added to and edited, but this (along with the first chapter) was the first scene that I sat down to write and see what happened.

Many thanks to last chapters reviewers: CrimsonWing, Stompy, and Luna.

~ Vendetta ~

11/06/15