Kunsel made ees way up the short hall at the center of the home. There was no sign of either of the house owners when ee came into the living room. Ee'd watched the house that day, and knew that the two work colleagues where on site at the moment. But having watched the house for a number of days now, ee also knew not to be overconfident. The habits of both Shera and Cid where unpredictable, there comings and goings frequent.
Kunsel was willing to bet that anything that might be of interest to AVALANCHE, would wind up in the workshop that was the addition to the house. But before ee could take even a step towards the door that would lead em to the addition. Ee had to side step into the bedroom off the kitchen dining room, out of the view up the hallway.
Ee had heard someone kicking dirt of their boots at the back door. Shortly the sound of the door creaking on it's hinges as it was pushed inwards followed.
From where ee stood in the bedroom, ee couldn't cross in front of the hall, and the returned occupants line of sight, into the addition. And ee couldn't step into the bathroom next door, in case this is where they would go. So with only one option left to em, ee dropped to the floor on ees front and pushing with ees gloved hands against the hardwood floor, fit emself beneath the couch-bed out of view.
Ee stayed obscured there, listening to the sounds of water boiling and dishes clinking together, over ees suppressed breath. Ee ee caught the smell of new cigarette smoke, mingle with the stale days old scent that permeated the home. Ee guessed that unless Shera smoke too, it was cid who had arrived home.
The bedroom door was kicked open without much force, and the new aroma of black tea reached Kunsel. Cid's boots pacing crossed the room, came to a halt in front of the couch where Cid took up a seat. Kunsel resisting making any sound when ee was slightly squished.
Ee could hear the pages of a newspaper turning, and Cid's grumbling about this or that article.
Highwind could be here for an age Kunsel thought. Ee couldn't afford to wait, or someone would notice ees extended absence at ees post. Pulling out ees PHS ee texted Katana, endeavoring to to press the buttons as noiselessly as ee could manag. And timing each button press with Cid's turning a page, or tagging a sip from his tea.
[Recipient: Unit supervisor Katana.][Subject: Blank.][Mail: Something accrued to me. Could you meet me at Cid and Shera's place, and could you bring either Cid or Shera (whoever's available) with you?]
Ee hit send with the hope that ee could pull off what ee had in mind.
Soon a reply reached em. [From: Unit supervisor Katana.][Subject: Blank.][Mail: I'm on my way. Shere's told me Cid should be at his place already.]
Kunsel breathed a quiet sigh of relief, so far so good. And it wasn't long before there came a knock at the back door, that called Cid away.
Kunsel was right on Cid's heels. Slipping out from beneath the sofa, ee squeezed out of the room after the man. And before he could answer the backdoor, Kunsel darted past the hall behind his back, into the addition.
There ee made a swift methodical sweep of the room. Ee ignored the collection of guns, the green car, and the unlabeled crates. But laid out on the desk, were an assortment of documents and blueprints pertaining to the NO.26. These ee snapped photos of using ees PHS.
Ee could still hear Katana and Cid talking, their voices traveling around from the back of the house. Kunsel wasted no time exiting by the extensions door that opened into the front yard. And ee had just turned on ees heel to make as if ee had been approaching the front door, by time Katana and Cid rounded the corner.
"There you are." Katana greeted.
"Ah, sorry for keeping you both waiting. I came from the inn, nature called ya know?"
"So what did you want to see me about?" Cid wondered.
"I had a thought on my way back to my post. Shouldn't you and Shera have security here at your place?" Kunsel suggested.
Katana looked upon the house consideringly.
"What for?" Cid asked with a shrug. "It'd be a pain, having some infantry twerp hanging around."
"Kunsel has a point." Katana interjected. "It's against protocol to take anything work related off site. But I suppose it happens. Our deployment here's nearly ended and headquarters will be sending out a new unit, I'll request that they send an infantryman also."
"Shiva bless, you're serious? Just get me a fancy lock or an alarm or something."
"Hey I gotta get back to my post so I'll leave you to it." Kunsel told them in parting.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Kunsel hummed away the nerves while ee watched the sun setting.
Then shift ended, Zax caought up to em on ees way back to their accommodation at the inn, and he chattered as they walked.
"…shera told me about how long it would take to explore our solar system with our current technology, let alone outside of the solar system. But then she told me about this amazing theory, curved space time I think she said? I don't know how to explain it, but if we could travel through things called black holes, then we could take shortcuts through space. She says black holes are created when a star dies." Zax shared excitedly. He cast his eyes up towards the stairs in the late evening sky. "My people always trusted the stars to show them the way. It would be pretty cool if the theory was proven possible in the future. The stars literally would be the way then."
It was an interesting thought, Kunsel turned ees eyes up towards the stars also. The idea that a star could die though was unnerving, they seemed so immortal.
They had just arrived outside of the Shanghai inn, to find Katana talking on his PHS, while Jet and Mess loaded up a truck with Zax and Kunsel's gear.
Upon catching sight of Zax and Kunsel, Katana waved them over, finished up his call he announced. "Deployment transfer. There's a situation in the Nibel mountains. You two, Heath, and I, will depart immediately."
"We've got your stuff all set to go." Mess told them.
"Get inn." Katana ordered, he himself took up the drivers seat.
Kunsel and Zax sharing a look, climbed into the transport trucks covered back. While Heath emergeing from the inn with his own thing, got into the front passenger's seat.
"See youz back at base!" Zax called to Jet and Mess, as they pulled away from the inn. Jet and Mess were staying on at Rocket town, just until the new unit could arrive to replace them.
"What's going on?" Kunsel asked Zax's cousin once they were on their way, opening the truck's cabin window to do so.
"Headquarters received a distress call from a worker stationed at the Nibel reactor. She was able to report that they were under attack by Wutai troopers, before she was cut off. We're being sent in to act as a first response, because we were the unit closest to the area. Our mission is to stabilize the situation if at all possible, in preparation for the insertion of a unit better equipped and personed to handle the potential Wutai presence in the mountains. Which means rescuing any hostages or confirming the deaths of the reactor workers, so that the other unit can engage in open combat. We have to act quickly before the Wutai become a threat to the locals too."
"Sounds like we could have a fight on our hands." Zax said. Punching his open palm with the fist he made of his other hand.
Zax must have slept through the rest of that night and most of the day following, because when Kunsel woke him with a nudge, evening was settling in.
Before he could sit up straight, Kunsel had tossed him his pack.
Sling ees own pack over ees shoulder, Kunsel jumped down from the truck. "We're going it on foot from here." Ee told Zax. Allowing Zax to use ees arm for stability, while joining em on the ground.
"Burrr, cold out here damn. What's the deal?" Zax asked, as he to shouldered his gear and fell into step with Kunsel. "Isn't this area supposed to be level with with Costa del Sol? Why's it so bleak?" He cast his eyes above them, but it was overcast he couldn't tell a thing about their position.
"Have a look." Kunsel gestured to a wicked looking peak in the distance. "That's mount Nibel, we can see it past the mountain range because we're at a high altitude ourselves. That'll be one reason for the conditions. Another will be that this place is mako rich and the mako is close to the surface, also there's a high productivity reactor in the area. So there's a lot of mako vapor in the atmosphere. Actually Midgar's a good example, Midgar's just about parallel with Costa del Sol too, but is also overcast."
Heath cut into their conversation here, saying. "Probably why the fleas are interested." Regarding the Wutai. "They'll want to sabotage access to the reactor. Cutting ShinRa off from it's extra resources and taking the mako and materia for themselves, without having to attack the pizza. Once they gain enough ground little by little, that's when they'll target the city directly. It's our job to keep that from happening. Kalm was only a warning shot."
No one responded to this, and the unit continued their hike in silence for a good while. Zax glanced towards Kunsel a few times, concerned that Heath's lie about Kalm might have affected em, but if it had ee showed no sign of it.
The walk was a long one through dense mist and over rocky terrain. Zax narrowly avoided planting his boot in a mako spring at one point, just noticing the glow of the liquid and crystal beneath stone in time to catch his balance.
It was airily quiet too. Zax thought that the wind should be a gale, sweeping away this mist and mako vapor. That there should be the sounds of wildlife. Anything other then the rattle of slate over slate, knocked loose by the parties passing.
That's when Katana and Heath both halted them with identical hand gestures. The two senior members of the unit stood poised, looking about, eyes cast upwards.
"It's to quiet." Katana remarked under his breath. His hand coming to rest on the hilt of his sword.
Zax looked to Kunsel, Kunsel returned the look similarly. They had both noticed the calm but not attributed it to danger.
Then Zax felt something. The hair rising on his arms as the sensation strengthened. It was like raw power collecting in the atmosphere, electric and humming.
Zax blood surged through his veins faster in response to the primordial challenge. He lifted his eyes and found that far above them, on their ten, the mist in in the mountains was shifting inwards and condensing. A liquid mass growing in the air.
"We've been found already?" Katana asked incredulously. "Get to..!"
Katana had probably been going to say. 'cover.' When the liquid sphere undulated, a great serpentine body churning in its depths. Then the ball exploded outwards in all directions, dowsing them all in a shower of frigid water. On the loose footing the water's impact knocked them all off their feet, the wave carrying them a short way down the slope that they had been climbing.
"Leviathen." Kunsel identified the summon.