Keystone

Back at The Gold Saucer, in one of Dio's private suites for high ranking Shinra employees, Evan flicked through Cloud's Shinra file. Rufus had returned to Midgar, along with most of the guards, but Evan and James from the Junon garrison were staying because of some assignment Tseng needed them for. All they'd been told was that it was possible they'd have a confrontation with AVALANCHE. So they were reading up on their files, for want of anything better to do.

"Cloud V. Strife," Evan recited aloud, "former MP class A. Age: 21. Weapon: Sword. How is this supposed to help? If he's advancing on me waving that huge sword, I don't have time to recite his family history, even if it'd somehow stop him, which it won't."

"I know. Listen to this, it'd be funny if it wasn't so depressing.

Name: Sephiroth Crescent.

Age: 29

Occupation: Former General of SOLDIER

Number: GSA0001"

"GSA? I'm not familiar with that." GMS were Shinra low ranking combat staff, GAI were special units like Administrative Research or SOLDIER, but he'd never heard of GSA.

"It's unique to Sephiroth. Gave him almost as much power as the Execs."

"What's so depressing about his file?"

"Listen to the rest. It lists his achievements. Battle of Rocket Town. Battle of Fort Condor. Siege of the Canyons. And about twenty more."

"Decorations?"

"Hmmm...actually, not that many. Two Purple Hearts, a Shinra Cross, and a posthumous Silver Star."

"What's the last one for?"

"Killing almost all the witnesses who saw him start the fire in Nibelheim, so it was possible to cover up."

"..."

"Still, he hasn't got that many decorations for his time in service, so maybe we have a chance."

"He's not over decorated. That's NOT good news. It means he's smart, he doesn't take risks unless he has to. BUT he also has some decorations, which means that when he DOES have to take those risks, he will. He's not over cautious or suicidal, which makes a good general. And a reputation for being the best fighter in history doesn't help either. Remind me again, why are we doing this?"

Because," said Tseng from behind him, who had an amazingly silent walk when he wanted to, "the President ordered it, and what the president orders, we obey. Shinra policy dictates that at least four people enter possibly hostile territory, which is why you're tagging along. Normally I'd take Reno and Rude, but after they and Elena get back from their vacation I've been ordered to send them to Midgar to explain why they didn't kill AVALANCHE in that incident in Gongaga. So it's me, Elena, and you two."

"Why us? I mean specifically. I was told you asked for us by name."

"Because you've shown your talent for surviving at Fort Condor."

"Couldn't you just order me to guard some safe but useless place so I can stop exercising my surviving skills so much?"

"No. But calm down. We can't get into the temple until AVALANCHE finds the keystone, and by that time the others might be back from Midgar. So you might be safe."

'Calm down' When A Turk says that it's time to panic...

"What if they don't find it?" James finally spoke

"They will. Eventually, Aeris will remember to ask the planet for help."

"So if he's good at surviving, why am I here?"

"You've a reputation as an excellent soldier. Do you remember when you took your entrance exam to the Shinra army? Question 29 was 'You're standing in a room with two doors and two guards. One door is the exit, the other one leads to certain death. One guard speaks only truth, the other speaks only lies. What question do you ask?' You answered 'Go up to the smallest guard, put a gun to his head and say "Which door do I go through? And I'd think very carefully about my answer because You're going through first! I know you might be a compulsive liar so just point." You were the only person in Shinra history to get the correct answer-except myself. That attitude is invaluable."

"..."

"You've at least a couple of days before we have to do anything. Shinra's paying your expenses, so enjoy yourselves."

- - - - - -

A week later, Elena, Rude, and Reno got back from Wutai. They were very closemouthed about what happened there, something which clearly worried Tseng, but he didn't ask them a direct question. They spent the next day complaining loudly that the Gold Saucer had no bar, before Reno and Rude were sent on to Midgar. That night, when Evan was about to go try some snowboarding in Wonder Square, on Reno's recommendation, Tseng caught him at the door.

"Not tonight. AVALANCHE are in the building."

"So? I've only met Cloud, and I was masked at the time."

"We might need to leave quickly. You remember that Keystone I was talking about?"

"Yeah."

"It was here the whole time. In Dio's private collection. I almost killed the man when he told me AVALANCHE had it."

"So what happens now?"

"We've an agent in AVALANCHE. He'll take care of it. But we'll need to leave the instant we have the stone, so no amusements tonight. Can you fly a helicopter?"

"Nope."

"Right. Go find James and Elena and tell them to report to the helipad overlooking Chocobo Square."

"Yessir."

He found James and Elena watching some weird play involving a dragon., a beautiful princess in a pink dress, and Spikehead, currently known as the Legendary Hero Alfred. They left, and met Tseng at the helipad, and hung around for about ten minutes doing nothing, until Tseng suddenly said, at no signal Evan could discern, "Okay, he's on the move. Let's go."

With Elena piloting the helicopter, they hovered over Chocobo Square for a few more minutes, until a cat riding a stuffed mog bounced past, with Spikehead and Girl In Pink Dress(as she wasn't Tifa, and had been with Spikehead in that play, Evan assumed this was Aeris) in hot pursuit. A couple of seconds later the Mog ran back out, and Elena swooped low. Mog tossed something up to Tseng, who almost dropped it, but caught it with the tips of his fingers and signaled Elena to fly away. She obliged, and they left the Mog to Spikehead (Despite now knowing his name, Evan's subconscious still thought of him as Spikehead). Looking back, he saw the Mog talking to his pursuers fairly amiably. Odd. If he was Spikehead, he'd have drawn that big sword and cut the traitor in half. Then they were lost to view.