Mei: Hi Mei! Nice to meet you! Always nice to know a name, haha. Thank you! I'm glad things are looking up again, seems like you guys are feeling the positive vibes again. I have a soft spot for Gen myself, which is why I couldn't settle for him being the villain here. He deserves a little credit. Eden is really beginning to mature now, she's not a ''girl'' anymore, and hopefully Reno will begin to realize this too ;) Of course, he's a guy, so maturing takes a little longer :P (Sorry, boys) Obviously, Vincent's had years and years inside a coffin to mature, though frankly I don't see how he's not insane from all that time being isolated, haha. He's basically the most stable, mature one of the bunch! Thanks for reviewing and reading! Stay safe and healthy, much love!
Kei: Glad to hear everything is still okay over there. It's sad we have to live through these horrible times. Thank you again for being here :D You didn't expect it to end so soon between Eden and Gen? I like doing unexpected things, you should know by now XD I'm happy that I managed to end things on good terms though, I really didn't want her to fight with more people, she'll have Rufus for that. lol. Ugh, Reno SO had it coming, Eden's been reaching boiling point for days (if not months, or YEARS even) and he took it quite well actually, don't you think? I do hope you like what I've done with the storyline from here ;) Everything is still fine over here, luckily, I don't really go anywhere but to my mom's to do her groceries and I have to go into work occasionally, otherwise, I'm at home. Gives me time to write! I like to look at the bright side of things ;) Keep safe and keep reading! :D And reviewing of course!
Chapter 199
When I returned to deck, I ran into Reeve and Rufus, who were examining the globe in the center. They'd pulled up a replica of Midgar, and were looking over ways into the city. Vincent was hovering around them, taking in the details.
"The Turks will infiltrate from the North," Reeve explained to Vincent as he pointed it out. "Last we checked, Midgar was overrun with troopers. For now, we have no indication as to where the Tsviets are, but we can assume they're inside Shinra HQ. At the very least, Weiss and his brother Nero are. Cait met Nero inside and he is very dangerous."
"Rosso and Azul might be out patrolling the city," Rufus added before his eyes fell on me. "Finished holding up my team?" He didn't wait for a reply, but focused his attention back on the globe. "Let's hope my Turks don't run into them, but they may be able to discover their whereabouts."
"Where is Genesis?" I asked, receiving a compassionate look from Reeve.
"He's gone to Edge to meet up with Cloud to discuss the plan of approach. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Don't worry," I replied a little airily. "He's not coming back either way. Is this a scale model of Midgar?" I added as I circled the globe, the city of Midgar perched on top. "Where will Vincent and I go in?"
"You will fly in from the South," Reeve explained hesitantly, seemingly unsure about my indifference towards Genesis' sudden departure. "While Cloud and the others will cause a diversion on ground and shut down the reactors, Cid will commence the assault by air. The Tsviets are using the reactors and the missing people's souls to trick the planet into thinking the end is coming, hence awakening Omega. In all the confusion, the two of you can try and land here," He pointed to the train graveyard in sector seven, one of the few locations in seven that hadn't gotten buried underneath the plate. "The Turks will be waiting for you at this position. From there Reno will escort you to HQ through passages unknown to most."
I wondered what Reno had in mind. Being the street rat he had once been, he no doubt had discovered every secret there was to the Midgar slums and passages. I knew my way around, but not the way I did in Junon.
"They will then continue to provide cover from the rooftops, to prevent anyone from slipping inside." Rufus added. "Once inside, you're on your own. But that shouldn't be a problem should it?" He asked Vincent with a sneer on his lips. "You'll have Eden with you to calm you down, should you, ah... Lose control."
To his credit, Vincent didn't rise to Rufus' taunting.
"It won't be a problem," He simply said in his steady voice. Rufus actually looked a little disappointed that he had failed to get a reaction out of Vincent. "Eden and I will stop Weiss." If the file had been right about Weiss, and he was as strong as I suspected him to be, then it might even be necessary for Chaos to come out.
"Very well," Rufus said as he cast another look at me. "You had better not leave his side then, Eden."
I nodded, before my attention was caught by the Shinra chopper lifting of from the WRO HQ courtyard to take the Turks and Ollie to Midgar. Rufus' hand moved to his ear and he nodded.
"Understood," He lowered his hand again, and I noticed the small ear piece he was wearing. "ETA for Midgar is half an hour. They'll call back in once they have arrived. I suggest you all get ready. We move out at dawn."
I decided to catch up on some sleep, but made sure to stay in close proximity to Vincent. Even though Rufus' words had been a jab, he still had a point. If Vincent lost control of Chaos on board this ship, he could tear the whole thing down if I couldn't manage to restrain him. I flung myself down on the bunk, taking a deep breath in order to try and relax. Today had been a busy day, hell, it had been a busy week. Today had been very eventful, to say the least. Not only had I participated in a tongue wrestling contest with Genesis, I'd dumped his ass afterwards, had gotten into a fight with Reno, and had been forced to come clean to him about the goings on with Rufus. We'd sort of made up after that. All in all I had almost slept with three different guys in as many days. I groaned at the thought and buried my face in my pillow, feeling dirty. Shocker I had even found the time for such activities in between fights and bombings. My mind traveled to Midgar, wondering what to expect and hoping Ollie would be okay out there. I knew the Turks would look after him as if he were one of their own, but he was my best friend. I missed him. We'd barely spoken since leaving my house and I needed a friend right now. No doubt he'd tell me I was a total tramp. In my defense, I hadn't known it was Rufus, so that didn't even count. That was no excuse to having let myself go with Genesis like that though. As for having gotten down and dirty with Reno… That was completely justified. My mind didn't want to settle down, it kept going over and over everything that had happened over the past few days. Max dying, Shalua getting hurt, Rude almost disappearing into the abyss. Those horrible creatures at Healin', Charly getting hurt and almost dying on me, Rosso kicking me into the wall and her hand plunging into Vincent's body to pull his beating heart from his chest. She held it out in her hand in victory, laughing in cold satisfaction. Blood dripped from between her fingers, matching her name. Ba-dump... Ba-dump... Vincent's heart pounded in her fist. Wait... his... heart? Another shrill laugh left Rosso's lips, but I jolted upright in my bed, and the dream floated from my mind. My brow furrowed in discomfort when I registered what had woken me. My phone was ringing none to quietly. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked at the screen. Renay. For a moment, I wondered whether I should just let it ring, thinking I didn't need any more drama added to the current amount of it. Still, my hand moved before I reached a decision.
"Hey, Renay. How are you?" I hadn't heard from her since we'd gone out to lunch together and I couldn't help but worry that something had happened in Junon.
"Everything is fine, Eden, it's just..." I could hear her thinking on the other end and she took a deep breath. "I need you to help me. It's Reno. He doesn't want to meet me anymore, he says I need to stop calling him. He said that he's no good for me, but I really like him!"
I was horrified by the sudden desperation in her voice. For some reason, I got the sudden mental image of her standing on a bridge in Junon, threatening to jump to her death.
"When was this?" I asked her, aloof to the fact this may be a strange thing to ask. I had no idea why that was the first response that came to mind, but she didn't seem to think anything of it.
"The morning after his friend got hurt. When I called him to ask how the operation was going he cut me off and said that I needed to stop calling him. He was in Junon that whole afternoon, and he didn't even come see me."
I dug into my confusing memory, trying to make sense of the time line. I'd slept during the strangest hours and had been awake for days on end, and I had no idea what day it was today. However, I did know, that he'd told her that after our nightly encounter.
"Wait, hold on," I said and swung my legs over the edge of the bunk. "You weren't together, were you?" I heard her sob on the other end and I instantly hated myself for saying something like that. "Renay-"
"No, but...We were getting along so well. He said he was there with you. Can't you talk some sense into him for me?"
I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do, or even expected me to be able to do. Also, -and maybe I was a total bitch for thinking it-, why would I shut the door in my own face? Before, I had been hurt by what he had said to me, and I had given her my blessing, but now... Now things were different between us. At least, they had been until Rufus showed up. Reno had somewhat opened up to me and it had completely overshadowed what he had said to me that day in the hallway in the Turk building. Now that his hands had been all over me again, and I was reminded of the taste and feel of him, I didn't want Renay to have that for herself. I didn't want anyone to have it. The very thought of it made my guts churn.
"Maybe you could tell him, you know... that you think we'd be good together," She continued. "I know you're on a mission together. Can you tell him that?"
"Renay," I said again, more firmly this time. "He may be my friend, but I can't tell him what to do. I think what he was trying to tell you, is that you'll only end up getting hurt by him. Reno isn't the kind of guy to take you out to candlelit dinners. He doesn't even come home every night. He can stay away for days, even weeks on end. He isn't going to call you every morning and every evening to let you know where he is and that everything is all right. He kills people with his bare hands. He's not your knight in shining armor." No, he wasn't. He was mine. "Are you sure you can deal with that? Never knowing if he is even still alive?"
She sobbed again on the other end, and my heart broke for her. She wasn't made of the right stuff for him. She would break in his hands. How could I ever have encouraged her to take the leap?
"How can you say that?" Her voice was small, innocent and so very pure. It reminded me of the fact that she had been ripped from her perfect cocoon of safety, and tossed into a predatory world. All she longed for now was protection in the arms of a man, a man who would show her kindness and affection. That man was not Reno. He cursed like a sailor, took no heed to what he said or how he said it, and he sure as hell didn't treat anyone with silk gloves. "I'm aware he's not like other guys, but that's why he's so special! Please, Eden."
I didn't want to hurt her any further, but while she spoke, a thought came to mind. I knew just the perfect thing. "Renay, listen, I know you're upset, but can I ask you for a favor? I promise I'll talk to him when I get the chance, okay?"
Which could be days from now, for all I knew. Though, she didn't need to know that.
She sighed. "You'll try and convince him to at least answer my messages? He's been ignoring them all day."
This was exactly what I had meant. This was his job. He was putting himself out there, risking his life because the world was about to end and she worried about him not responding to her texts.
"He's not going to for a while," I closed my eyes, praying for patience. A dull headache was working its way through my skull, and I massaged the bridge of my nose to ease away some of the tension. "We're in the middle of an important operation, he really doesn't have time to check his phone. Like I said, I promise I'll talk with him when I get the chance. In the meantime, can you do something for me? A friend of mine got hurt real bad yesterday. He's in Junon infirmary right now. His name is Jerry Ingot. He's really nice and he needs someone to go over there and take care of him. I'm a little preoccupied at the moment. Can you go see him for me and tell him I sent you?"
"I..."
It did occur to me that this might be asking a lot, but for some reason, I felt that Jerry was exactly the kind of man she needed and she was exactly the kind of girl he was looking for. Someone to pamper, to take care of and protect in those big arms of his. His sweet angel face would do the trick. Yes, they would be perfect for each other. I didn't pressure her, but waited for her to agree. In the end, she owed me one. More than one, to be fair. Not that I would ever call her on that.
"All right," She finally said with a little more determination. "I'll go see him for you. I hope I don't make a fool of myself... I can be such a mouse. Promise me you'll talk to Reno for me?"
I smiled to myself, hoping that Jerry could manage to drive Reno from her mind. For both our sake.
"Yeah," I said to her. "I promise."
I managed to get a few hours of sleep before I got startled from my sleep again, this time to a lot of yelling. Somehow, I had entangled myself in the blankets and hit the ground hard when the ship made a sharp right turn. My arms fought the blankets for freedom, accidentally ripping them apart. I scrambled up from between the remains and tried to make my way to deck. I was jostled about a few times while making my way over to Cid.
"Better get goin'!" He shouted over the sound of his crew running around, getting things ready. "Vince is waitin' for ya in the cargo hole! Hope ya know how to fly a hover board!" It only struck me now that I hadn't even wondered how we were going to get down there. They had used the word 'fly' but no one had said anything about a freaking hover board. "All hands to battle stations!"
I didn't reply to him, but swallowed and made my way below deck, towards the cargo space. Here, numerous soldiers were standing ready on hover boards, waiting for the hatch to open. Among them, was Vincent, who had saved an empty one just for me.
"Why didn't anyone come get me!" I shouted at him over the noise of the engines around, and the chatting of so many pumped up men and women. "I almost slept through this!" I pressed my feet into the straps, securing my grip on the board. This was sure going to be a once in a lifetime experience. Around me, soldiers were loading their weapons and adjusting their gear.
"You're here, are you not?" Vincent smiled at me reassuringly. "Even you can't sleep through Cid's flying."
I wanted to laugh, but the sound was completely drowned out by Cid's voice coming through the com. "Listen up," He shouted for all to hear. "'Cause I'm only gonna say this once! If any more of you are killed by those punks, I'll drag you back from hell and kill you again!" Some people whooped happily, making me grin at the release of adrenaline. I always loved these moments before a battle, the anticipation that flowed through my veins. I was made for this, and I flourished. "You really want to piss off those sons of bitches, then why not try stayin' alive! That's what this war's all about! If you live, everybody behind you lives. If you die, they die! You got that? Now go kick some Deepground ass!"
More whooping and cheering erupted from all around, telling me Cid had done a great job at pumping up the morale. I grinned at Vincent, who was still the epitome of calm, but I saw the subtle tension in his movements. He was ready. We were ready. A sudden jolt went through the ship when Cid hit the throttle, tossing everyone backwards. It was a good thing we were all strapped in. I was all but jumping up and down, unable to hide my excitement over the battle to come. I hoped I got the chance to get even with Rosso. That bitch would taste my steel. Then the hatch opened, revealing to us the chaos below. Flashes of sweepers and troopers caught my eye, then rocket launchers and more troopers. Hundreds of them. The wind howled around me, blowing some loose strands around my face.
"Hatch open," A computer voice said. "Prepare for drop."
Rockets and other projectiles were flying everywhere, without any kind of guidance or predestination. Explosions lit up the sky with heat and flames. I knew that around us, at least two dozen more ships were preparing for the drop, and I said a quick, silent prayer for them. This was the first time I had ever participated in such a large battle. I could see some of them had already departed, shooting past on their boards. I thought I caught sight of Yuffie in the distance, twirling her shurikens as she went down. Suddenly, the ship shook, and a massive fireball formed behind us, burning the very air. Vincent moved fast and pushed forward, and the rest of us followed. The ship had been hit, and I hoped Cid would be all right, but right now, I had myself to worry about. I was glad I was over my vertigo mostly, but falling from an airship hadn't exactly been on my bucket list. We dropped from the hatch, the wind stealing my breath away from me. I actually screamed like a girl for a moment, until I realized I had full control over the board that was attached to my feet. My scream turned into a squeal of joy, and I hovered over to Vincent, who was circling around in the sky like a bird of prey. Together, we flew in between enemy aircrafts, pumping them full of lead as we went. His weapon definitely had better fire-power, but we managed to bring one down in a ball of flames. One of the tanks on the ground had set its sights to Vincent, and started firing on him, sending a rain of bullets his way. Vincent tried to swerve, but the board got hit in the tail-end, and became almost impossible to control. I flew in close to him, hoping to catch him if needed, but he managed to steer it into the city, where he gained control of the board. It seemed he'd only been thrown off course.
"You okay?" I asked him as I floated beside him, the abandoned city of Midgar below us.
The massive sector plates above hid us from view, giving us safe pass into the city. The street below would be a whole different story. He nodded at me and pressed forward, descending towards the rubble below. He jumped off the board smoothly, sending it flying away on its own. I followed suit, landing beside him effortlessly. It had been a nice ride, but now it was time to get serious. We had ended up in sector seven, atop the fallen plate. It immediately made me think of Reno, and how he had been the one to set the bomb, ending dozens of innocent lives in a matter of minutes. It seemed such great contrast with how I knew him to be now. We'd ended up some distance away from the rendezvous point, but there was nothing we could do about that now. The Shinra building towered towards the sky in the distance. Our final destination. Now, all we had to do was stay out of sight and find those Turks, so that they could take us there safely. Vincent and I shared a look, before we took off towards the edge of the plate, to where the train graveyard was. It wasn't far, we hadn't gone as far off course as I had initially thought. The war went on above our heads, but most of the fighting was done inside the city, or on the outskirts. I hoped Cloud and the others were okay. I even wished for Genesis to be safe. When we reached the graveyard, Vincent jumped off the plate, sending up a cloud of three year old dust as he landed. He looked up at me and extended a hand, making me smile at his consideration. I jumped and held onto it as he steadied me. We both knew I didn't need it, but he was a gentleman. To my surprise, his phone rang. He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. As he listened, the battle went on around us. Bombs drilled themselves into buildings, rockets passed over our heads, and distant screams reached my ears. Silently, I prayed for everyone's safety. Cloud and the others were strong fighters, but they could be hurt. For I moment, I asked myself whether going with Vincent had been the smart thing to do, but I knew that one more person out there on the battlefield wasn't going to make a difference, but it might make all the difference inside the city. The thought reassured me a little. I looked at Vincent in question when he hung up, not having caught a word that was said.
"Shelke says to get to the roof of the Shinra building. It is the only way to enter now."
"Shit," I sighed. "Why did I think this was going to be easy? And were are those Turks?"
A bullet impacted right beside my boot, making me jump. I scowled at Ollie when I saw him emerge from an old train, laughing his signature bark.
"Right here, Eddy," He grinned as the others stepped out of the ancient cart. "Though technically, I'm not a Turk."
I didn't hear what he said after that, my mind had gone completely blank at the sight of Reno. Like Elena, he was now dressed in combat gear. Gods have mercy on me, combat gear. He looked ready to go to war with his fitted cargo and muddy boots. His vest was packed with all kinds of flashy stuff and grenades. Besides the fancy looking rifle that was slung over his back and his usual EMR, there was a very lethal looking knife strapped to his arm and a handgun fastened to his thigh. My mouth watered, I might even have subconsciously licked my lips. I simply loved how dangerous he looked, from his finger-less gloves to his ammo belt. In fact, they all wore the outfit like a glove. I felt my face heat up and looked away from the group. Was this the way the Turks went out in situations like this? It sure was a far cry from their usual attire. Only Ollie looked out of place in his familiar garment.
"What took you so long?" Elena asked, though with less venom than usual. "We've been sitting ducks here. We need to get a move on, let's go." She snapped her fingers and stepped back into the cart.
Vincent and I followed after her, and Reno pushed to the front to lead the way with Rude. Elena and Tseng hung back a little, whispering things to each other under their breaths. They were such a couple of lovebirds. I smiled at the sight before Ollie opened his mouth to no doubt launch into an adventurous story that he couldn't wait to tell me.
"Reno says that I'd make a good Turk." He smiled proudly.
As if that was something to be proud of.
"He says that to all the girls." I replied darkly, recalling all the times he had told me the same thing. My eyes bore into his back. If he'd heard me, he gave no indication, but I was fairly certain he had.
"I shot three soldiers at a klick, how's that." Ollie continued on like I hadn't said anything.
Now that was something to be proud of. I knew Ollie was a great shot, and it seemed the Turks acknowledged him for what he was worth. If not, they would never have picked him up in Whiterun to tag along with them. For all I knew, they were really trying to get him to join their ranks. I doubted Eva would agree, if she even agreed with him being here in the first place.
"You sure they were hostile?" I joked, and this time I heard Reno snort.
"Give your boy some credit," He called over his shoulder. "He has a good eye." Then he laughed out loud at his own joke, reminding me of Charly. I missed the old bastard. "Listen up," He then added a little more seriously. "Once we get out of this shithole, things'll get rougher. I'm taking us through the back alleys and the tunnels into Shinra central."
"We need to reach the rooftop," I explained to him, thinking this might be a challenge to do unseen by the enemy. "Could be tricky."
"No worries," He replied with a smile. "I'll get you there."
I couldn't help but have complete faith in him, knowing his confidence was usually grounded. We followed after him and Rude, who looked even more badass than he usually did, with his combat gear. After a while, Ollie and I fell back, whispering among ourselves and letting the four Turks lead on. Reno led us out of the cart and across the abandoned yard. All four of them were on guard, strategically scanning the surroundings, including the rooftops. Reno and Rude were chatting away, but it didn't fool me. They knew what they were doing. Vincent fit right in, taking up position in the middle of the group, never taking his eyes off his surroundings. It became all too clear he had been part of them once. Maybe they had been different Turks, but in essence, they all worked the same, used the same tactics.
"So, where's your demon-spawn?" Ollie asked me, looking around the graveyard as if Genesis were hiding somewhere just to catch him saying that.
I figured Reno hadn't told him anything that had happened, and I was thankful for it. It proved he wasn't completely incapable of keeping his mouth shut.
"Let's just say the whole Genesis chapter was a disaster, okay?" I said to him in all honesty. "He's gone, and he's never coming back."
I noticed Ollie steal a glance at Reno's back, who was still talking to Rude in wild gestures, almost hitting him in the face. He managed to dodge an elbow just in time. Ollie lowered his voice and leaned into me as Reno led us into another trashed car. The place was a maze, how did he remember where to go in a place like this?
"You dumped his ass?" Ollie whispered, but didn't wait for my reply. "How'd he take it? Did he cry? He cried, didn't he? Yeah, definitely cried." He straightened and kept walking, a grin plastered on his face. "Great, that leaves the door wide open for Reno again. Guess he's super thrilled you're single again."
It almost made me chuckle, but the fact that it wasn't funny, -but embarrassing-, held me back.
"I've been un-single for about an hour over the past eight years, how is this going to make a difference?"
I doubted very much that Reno would suddenly decide to ask me to marry him simply because I rolled around in the grass with Genesis for a few minutes. Which, he didn't even know, and hopefully would never find out.
"Well," Ollie started in a very responsible voice. "He needed to be reminded that you won't be available forever. Now that he's experienced what it's like to have you stolen away by another dude, he'll bite. Don't worry." Ollie seemed to be forgetting the fact that he'd been telling me that Reno will bite for over three years now. The incident with Rufus also seemed to have slipped his mind.
"He's not thrilled, Ollie," I corrected him. "He's angry. He's angry that I took Gen's offer, and he's angry that Rufus has ordered him away from me. He's angry because Rufus is trying to get in my pants, and he won't show it."
"Oh, no!" Ollie exclaimed, his voice echoing around the train yard. "He knows?!"
The others halted in their tracks and turned to face us curiously, five faces looking at us in question at Ollie's sudden outburst.
He grinned uncomfortably. "...Nothing to see here... carry on..."
Elena rolled her eyes and they moved on, everyone still following after Reno.
