Mei: Haha, love how exiting you're getting! I always feel so hyped when they're about to go into combat. I really thought Jerry deserved someone, he's just so sweet. And so is Renay, she deserves a happy ending with a guy who's kind and understanding. We hope for happiness for everyone, but mostly for Eden and Reno of course ;) There will be a lot going on coming chapters, I think. Hope you'll be as enthusiastic about the next one! You take care as well!

Kei! My friend! omg we've reached chapter 200, how insane is that!? Ollie is so dorky he's the perfect friend. He really is. He's a lot like my own b actually... though he's not missing an eye... haha. Ugh, it's not just Eden's mind that went into the gutter, I can assure you XD I swas thinking more like ''expendables'' but I'm totally fine with Leon Kennedy. (writing a fic about him too, btw XD How come you know all my favorite ones? You're creepy! Or did I tell you that? I told you about DMC, right? Now I'm confused..) Renay was unfished business, had to find a way to make her happy, haha. Stay safe, Kei, see you soon :)


Chapter 200

"Right," Reno said once we'd reached the other end of the train graveyard. He'd dropped his voice significantly as he ushered us together by the wall. "The streets start on the other side of this wall," He whispered. "I'll go ahead and scout. Rude and I went over earlier to make sure everything's clear, but things change. Wait for my signal. The moment you're over the wall, make sure to keep your voice down and stay in cover." He shot Ollie a meaningful look, making me grin with glee.

It seemed I wasn't the only one who was familiar with Ollie's incapacity to control his emotions. Reno expertly scaled the wall, disappearing from sight and landing silently on the other side. Before long, Rude followed. He simply jumped and hauled himself over by brute force. There was a minute of silence before Tseng's hand moved to his ear piece.

"Reno's just called it in," Tseng said as he pressed his ear. "There's friendly troops on the ground, they'll escort us to the hatch. It is safe to go over."

He turned towards Elena and knelt down for her to give her a boost. She caressed the back of his head while she looked for support, making me think how nice it would be to have someone by your side all the time. Tseng lifted her up and she rolled over the edge to join the others. Vincent simply leaped right over the wall, needing no support what so ever. Then Tseng looked at me, holding out his joined hands for me to use as a step up.

"No thanks," Ollie said, misunderstanding the situation. "I got this."

He bolted forwards and ran up against the wall, gripping the edge with his fingers. His feet slipped and he hung helplessly from the edge, not looking remotely as if he 'had it'. I suppressed the urge to face-palm and simply ignored him. Tseng smiled at me kindly, apparently choosing to do the same.

"Thank you," I said to him as he boosted me up on the wall.

I swung one leg over and perched myself on the edge to drag Ollie over. He pulled himself up as I yanked on his pants and he dropped down onto the street with less grace than an elphadunk. Four soldiers from the WRO were waiting for us on the other end, armed with rifles and hand guns. Reno, Rude and Elena had huddled together on the corner to debate over something, and hadn't even seemed surprised when Ollie came dropping in on the conversation quite literally. I held out a hand for Tseng, which he accepted gratefully, and I pulled him up and over the wall. He landed a lot more gracefully than Ollie had, and even took the time to help him get up.

"That's some pretty low-ass requirement standards you keep, Reno." I said to him at the sight of Ollie's red face.

Some Turk he would make. Elena actually laughed at that, shaking her head in amusement.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that," Reno replied with a chuckle of his own. "Guy shoots a target at three klicks away but can't estimate the height of a wall right in front of 'em."

I swung the other leg across and hopped down, barely making a sound as my feet touched the pavement. Vincent was over by the troopers, discussing the happenings in the city, and I kept a close watch on him to make sure he didn't lose it in the middle of the street.

"Dude!" Ollie gasped at Reno. "I'm impaired! I only need one eye to fire a sniper rifle."

That much was true, I thought. Still, he could do with a little less clumsiness if he hoped to ever join ranks with the Turks. I caught myself. What the hell was I even thinking? I scolded myself inwardly and then my eyes traveled over to Vincent, who was still discussing strategy with two of the soldiers. We should be discussing strategy with the Turks. It was Reno who would lead us, after all. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and when I checked it, I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. Jerry had sent me a reply, and it couldn't have been a better one. I was a genius.

I looked up from my screen to glance at the Turks, thinking if I ever wanted to get around to talking to Reno about Renay, now was the time. Soon, we would be running towards our target and there would be no time for idle talk. Which is what it was. I couldn't believe she made me talk about such futile things at a time like this. Even after everything that had happened to her, she still had no idea how the world really worked. Curtsy of her father, no doubt, who had raised her inside a cocoon so isolated she'd probably never even gotten around to kissing a guy. Let alone more than that. Rainman had ruined that for her, yes, which was all the more reason she needed someone sweet and caring. How in the world did she think that Reno was remotely that kind of guy? Sure, he could be sweet, but not in that way. I simply didn't see him have the patience for this kind of thing. He was a passionate guy. He needed someone who wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. In all kinds of ways. Renay wasn't right for him. My mind settled on that fact and held on to it as I strode over to him.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked him, uncaring about the curious looks the others were shooting me. Especially Ollie, who had recovered from his embarrassment and had joined them on the corner of the street.

"Now?" Reno demanded of me, looking less than pleased.

Had I interrupted something? Well excuse me, mister high and mighty Turk.

"Yes, now," I dragged him away with me, out of earshot from the others. "I need a word about Renay."

He groaned and turned away from me impatiently. "Ugh, what is it now?" He complained to me, as if he already knew what this was about. "I tell her no and she starts harassing you to try and change my mind?" Guess he knew indeed.

"Yeah, that's exactly what's going on." I smiled, feeling slightly elated by his obvious rejection of her. I instantly hated myself for it. She was a sweet girl, she didn't deserve us mistreating her.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I ain't got time for this, I told her that."

"I told her that too," I agreed with a shrug. "But I also promised her I'd talk to you, so here I am. In return, she's doing something for me." I felt the devious grin spread across my face, making him falter in his resolve.

"What'd ya do this time?"

I liked how he made it sound like he knew I was a trouble maker and didn't seem bothered by that fact.

"Jerry was assaulted in his bar, probably by the same guys as before. He's in Junon infirmary right now. I sent Renay over there to take care of him for me. I know he'll bite, and he's such a gentle giant she won't be able to resist him."

"Oh, you sly fox." He grinned wickedly.

"Look here," I shoved the phone under his nose.

He shook his head and chuckled contentedly as he read Jerry's message on the screen.

Thanks for the fruit basket. It's real sweet ;)

"Mission accomplished," He said with a grin. "She's a nice gal, I hope things work out for her."

I glanced at him, thinking that was a pretty nice thing to say. Of course I agreed. She deserved someone who was good to her.

"But not with me." He added in particular, catching my gaze. What was that right there supposed to mean? "We'll make sure to look into this thing with Jerry, no worries," He reassured me before stepping way from me."Yo, Vince!" He called while getting back to the others. "We ready to go, or what? We got a world to save, ya know?"

Vincent didn't give any kind of reaction to Reno's hollering, so I made my way over to him to see what was going on. From over on the corner, Tseng excused himself to join us. One of the troopers was female, and she and her male colleagues were dressed in the familiar WRO uniform. Her red barrette had me thinking she'd probably glow in the dark. There was a massive gun in her hand, different from the large rifle in her partners' grip.

"What's up?" I asked Vincent when Tseng and I popped up beside him. "Problems?"

"The air squads have reached the upper plates," Vincent replied, sounding relieved. "They have joined forces on the ground."

"That is excellent news," Tseng smiled. "It is only a matter of time until the enemy forces are forced to retreat. All that is left to do now is get into Shinra HQ safely. We should still be alert, however. There is still a possibility of hostile troopers in the streets."

"Or worse." I shuddered, thinking about the horrible abominations back in Healin'.

"Yes," Tseng agreed. "The hard part isn't behind us yet. Reno will guide us up that way," He pointed towards the corner where Ollie and the Turks were waiting for us. "Through the city until we reach the tunnel. We will need to find a way to get you to the roof, however. I am certain the plaza is crawling with hostiles, there is no way to enter through the front entrance. As for the side entrance… well, the staircase has entirely collapsed. The roof is the only way for now."

"We can climb," I suggested. "I've done it before. Only, that was down, but it's definitely possible."

"Very well," Tseng nodded and made his way back over to his team.

"Permission to escort you to the complex, Sir?" The female trooper asked Vincent, who by now looked more than ready to continue.

"Do as you wish," He said indifferently and followed after Tseng.

"Sir! Thank you, Sir!" The woman said happily, and saluted. I watched her in amusement, thinking some people were just too eager to please.

The group was now significantly larger than it was supposed to be, what with four Turks, four WRO soldiers, Ollie, Vincent and myself, we could now be considered a small army. So much for sneaking around inconspicuously. The Turks led the way, keeping close to the buildings, taking cover wherever they could. Beyond the very first corner, was nothing but abandoned street, although something told me we wouldn't remain that lucky. I was among them, after all, and I attracted trouble like a magnet. Reno scouted ahead, crossing the street in a flash, pressing his back against the next corner. After he scanned around the building carefully, a low whistle drifted towards us on the air. Rude whistled something in response and bolted towards the other corner. Then Reno was gone from sight, and Rude took his place. Tseng followed next, taking up Rude's earlier position.

"Oh, man," Ollie groaned. "You guys have got to teach me that. It's so awesome."

Another whistle reached my ears, and Tseng replied with one of his own, before he too disappeared around the corner.

"Come on," Elena whispered to us, and she led us along towards the first corner, where Rude was still waiting for the all clear. A different whistle rang through the air this time, and I looked at Elena in question. "There's trouble," She explained as Rude vanished from sight. Didn't I know it. "There's armed troopers up ahead. Go, join Rude and wait for the next signal. We don't know how many they are."

She ushered us around the building, from where we ran towards Rude. He was pressed back against the wall opposite from us at the end of the block, and he held out an arm to hold us back when we huddled up beside him. On the same side, right at the end on the corner, were Reno and Tseng. Tseng held up two hands, showing us nine fingers. We were all armed with guns, so I didn't see the problem, until Reno looked at us over his shoulder and I saw the concern in his eyes. I broke away from the group, ignoring Elena's hisses telling me to stay put, and joined the two men on the corner. Vincent didn't seem to possess any more patience than I did and was by my side in a heartbeat.

"Please tell me it isn't." I whispered to Reno when we reached the corner.

I had been worried about those creatures ever since we'd made it out of Healin' alive, and by no means was I looking forward to running into them again.

"Take a look for yourself." He replied, but the unsettled look on his face told me there was no need.

Still, I stepped up next to him and peeked around the corner. Three of them were crawling around, wild tongues lashing out at thin air. Six human soldiers were patrolling along with them, kicking up crates and breaking windows, looking for anything alive or useful. And they were getting closer.

"Goddammit," I cursed and retreated back into cover. "Those things freak me out so bad."

"There's no way around them," Reno informed us. I'd seen the Shinra building in the distance, towering over everything else, despite its destruction. "Route's right through there."

"We have no other choice but to take them on," Vincent said as he checked his weapon. "Come on, Eden," He encouraged me. "We've fought Sephiroth together, haven't we?"

He was right. Not only Sephiroth, but Jenova too. I'll be damned if I let these worms get the best of me.

"You're right," I said and slipped my guns from my thigh-holsters. "Just another day at the office."

"Oh, man," Reno groaned before he heaved a sigh, puffing up his cheeks. "Better tell mom we'll be out till late." He sang before jogging off towards the others to inform them about what was going on.

"We'd better hurry if we wish to catch them by surprise," Tseng said while he sneaked another glance around the corner. "They're getting close now."

"Then let's surprise them." Vincent said calmly, before he took a step to the side, into plain sight.

His weapon went off four times before any of us could even respond. The troopers called for him in concern and hurried towards us with their guns at the ready. I stepped out beside Vincent, shooting at whatever movement caught my eyes. Two of the troopers were already on the ground, thanks to Vincent's perfect aim. The beast men however, were now tearing right at us, dodging bullets left and right with ease. They were so fast and nimble, there one second and gone the next. Saliva flung from their wide mouths as they came our way.

The WRO troopers had by now joined us, along with the Turks. We stood together, side by side, firing off round after round at the leaping creatures, trying to hit them. In this situation, they were priority. It seemed impossible. I focused my aim on one of them. My arm moved all over the place, trying to follow its movements, but not a single one of our bullets hit home. Bullets came flying our way and we dispersed, spreading out across the street to look for cover. Ollie was nowhere to be seen, and I looked around for him in panic, until I saw him climbing up the building around the corner we came from. He made his way to the top swiftly, and dropped down onto his belly, out of sight. There was a yelp from further down the street, and when I risked a peek, I saw another of the foot soldiers go down.

That left only three of them, but they weren't the biggest issue here. Besides, I had total faith in Ollie, knowing he would take care of those soldiers. The creatures were almost upon us now, and I made one last effort to hit it, but it was useless. Even Vincent didn't manage, and his aim was impeccable.

"Incoming!" Elena shouted, just before one of the three creatures soared right over her position behind a metal crate.

Elena followed its movements with her gun in a great skyward arch, a rain of bullets shooting up into the dark night. The creature landed behind her gracefully and went straight for the closest target; one of the four troopers that had joined us. Elena and I flung ourselves to the ground, trying to get a lock on the target. We didn't. The man fired a few bullets at close range before he flung the rifle aside and tried to run. He didn't make it very far. The creature latched itself onto his back and dragged him down to the ground aggressively. More shots drowned the sound of his screaming. The troopers firing off rounds at the enemy, who had also ducked into cover. Reno, Tseng and Vincent were doing their best to hit the creatures that were still jumping around a good distance away, trying to keep them from closing in. I pushed up from the ground and left cover to run at the fallen trooper, hoping I could get there in time. Blood sprayed across the pavement, another scream cut through the air. Shooting at the beast right now would be too dangerous, so I took a dive and slammed blades first into the hard mass. The beast yelped as I pulled it off the man. Its body shook in confusion when it hit the ground. As we both got back to our feet, the other two male troopers were dragging the wounded man away, getting him to safety.

We circled each other, the creature's horrendous teeth clattering in anticipation as it prowled towards me. I had to swallow down a sudden urge of fear. There was something about these things that made my blood run cold. From the corner of my eye, I saw another one leap right at Rude, who was knocked onto his back at the impact, the horrible creature pinning him to the pavement. Rude tried to push the deadly teeth away from his neck, but I didn't get time to see the rest of the struggle. The beast in front of me moved, and then a large bullet bore its way through its head so fast I never even heard it coming. It exited below the chin and buried itself into the pavement. More blood splattered and with one last growl, the deformity sank to the ground. My shocked eyes traveled up to find Ollie laying on the very corner of the roof, holding up a thumb.

Then my attention was caught by another scream, female this time. I looked to the left to find Elena trying to face off with the beast on top of Rude. She'd uttered some kind of battle cry and was now aiming for the deadly creature. It leaped for her just as it got shot down from four different sides. The two troopers had brought their friend to safety and had opened fire in revenge. Elena's bullets hit home this up close, and further down the street, Tseng stood. His gun was raised, barrel still pointed at the now dead creature, just in case it decided to get up again. Elena looked at him with a desperation that almost made me blush and look away. Tseng smiled at her in silent promise before he had to duck an incoming shot. It embarrassed me a little that I had witnessed the private interaction between them. Rude rolled over and got back up, snatching up the gun that had been flung from his grip.

"Quit playin' around!" Reno called over his shoulder while he was still trying to fend off the hostile troopers and another beast-man, along with Vincent.

Only two of the enemy soldiers remained, and as I took aim, another fell. Who'd hit him was impossible to discern in the hail of lead that was being flung their way. The last man decided not to push his luck, and after a moment's hesitation, he fled around the corner and away from the fight.

"You better run, pussy!" Ollie's yells were heard echoing around the buildings, but we were a little preoccupied with the final beast-man.

It kept its body low, muscles tense in anticipation and ready to spring. I heard the female trooper gasp in shock now that it was safer to come out, and she quickly made her way over to her fallen comrade. I heard her speaking rushed words of worry when I saw her kneel down beside him behind a scrap of metal. Could he possibly have survived the attack?

I faced forward again, hoping to take this thing down fast now that we had the upper hand. Now, eight people were firing at the same target as it hopped from side to side, but this time, the full assault was too much. It jumped one last time, its body getting riddled with bullets mid-air, and it fell to the ground with a loud squeal. Then there was silence.

We lowered our weapons, and Tseng hurried over to the wounded trooper, getting down on his knees beside the woman. I hovered closer, unsure of what to do. There was blood on the man everywhere. His shoulder had been torn, as was his face. There were gashes along his chest and neck. The uniform was ripped to shreds. It surprised me there was any fabric left on his body. The man was shivering and shuddering, breath coming out in starts. His body was going into shock.

"He's bleeding so bad," The woman pleaded with Tseng as she made room for him. "You have to do something!"

"Vincent," Tseng's voice was urgent, but Vincent was already on his way. "Think you can cure him?" Tseng asked him.

Vincent looked at the man for a few seconds, and I could have sworn I saw doubt on his face. It was so subtle that I might have imagined it.

"I can try," Vincent replied, only confirming my suspicions. If he'd known for sure, he would have said so. "I will need some room."

Tseng backed off, gently urging the woman to give Vincent some space to work. She went with him reluctantly, not wanting to leave her friend's side. I took this moment to scan the area, making sure no more surprises were coming for us. Ollie appeared by my side, having made his way down from the rooftop.

"Nice shot," I complimented him. "I hate those things."

"Yeah, me too," He replied, before his face turned serious. It wasn't very like him to look this worried. "You can bet that scum will be running for backup. We should get outta here while we can."

I thought about his words while I watched Vincent work his magic. The last thing we needed was more of these creeps showing up. Maybe Reno could get us to the tunnels before they did. I was just about to ask him how far it was, but when I looked over my shoulder, he was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Rude. Ollie seemed to notice too and shared a look with me. Where had they gone?

"Tseng," I addressed the man.

He was looking Elena over for injuries, and she seemed to be melting in his hands. She was clearly head over heels for the man. I heard Ollie chuckle beside me, obviously noting the same thing.

"Tseng, where have Reno and Rude gone?" I asked as soon as he managed to break free from Elena's affections.

"They have gone after the escaped trooper," He explained calmly. Of course. Why hadn't I guessed that? "The Turks don't leave loose ends. Once the target is taken care of, we can continue."

I nodded in understanding and focused my attention back on Vincent, who had finished his work. At first glance, the man appeared to be dead, but when I stepped closer I could see his chest was rising and falling calmly. He seemed to be unconscious, which was probably for the better. There was a problem though. How were were going to get him out of here? We had no means to carry him along, and besides, he would only be holding us back.

"Thank you, Sir!" The female trooper beamed at Vincent, saluting for him with even more enthusiasm than before.

When my gaze traveled beyond her, I saw two figures emerge from around the corner down the street, making their way over to us. Rude was reloading his weapon as he walked, while Reno was handling the large, deadly looking knife that had been strapped to his arm. When they reached us, I saw the edge was covered in fresh blood, which he wiped off on Rude's vest before sheathing the blade. Rude shot him an indignant look, but swallowed down his retort in the end. Reno ignored the look on his partner's face and reloaded his own weapon before securing it back into the holster on his thigh.

"Guess he won't be running for backup after all," Ollie commented, looking impressed with the two Turks. "Sweet,"

Reno shot him an insufferable grin before he addressed Tseng. "Chief, what're we gonna do about this guy?" He pointed at the knocked out trooper on the ground. "We can't drag him along into the tunnels, it ain't possible."

The female trooper, who was once again by her friend's side, jumped to her feet and faced Reno. "We can't leave him here! It's too dangerous!" Her voice shook with emotion, her eyes traveling over to Vincent for support

"Don't give a damn, lady," Reno replied indifferently. "We got bigger problems to deal with. Priorities, ya know? Besides, didn't ask you anything, did I?"

What he said was harsh, and maybe the old me would have said the same thing to her, but as I saw the man struggling to live, I thought that survival was exactly what we were doing this for. Shinra didn't get to decide who lived and died anymore. We couldn't leave him behind like this. But, Reno had been right about one thing; we couldn't take him with us either.

The trooper opened her mouth to argue, an angry tear running down her cheek, but Tseng cut her off.

"We understand it is difficult for you," He soothed her while shooting a stern look at Reno, who scoffed and looked away at the silent reprimand.

The way he had spoken to the woman so uncaring was surprising to me. He may not show it all the time, but he was a caring guy, deep down. Was he trying so hard to prove himself after Rufus' judgment, that he was exerting things, being what Rufus wanted him to be? Clearly, Tseng didn't agree.

"However," Tseng continued, his eyes settling back on the trooper. "Reno is right. It is impossible to take him with us. Perhaps someone can stay behind and watch over him, keep him safe in one of these buildings."

The two other troopers quickly stepped up and offered their services. "We will protect Ben, Sir." They agreed without further a due.

Tseng nodded approvingly. "Very well. We won't need a guard to get to the tunnels, hopefully. In the meantime, keep trying to establish some form of contact."

"I can contact Shelke," Vincent offered, conjuring up his phone. "She will send for help as soon as she can." Tseng nodded at him with a pleased smile.

"Then it is settled," Tseng concluded and addressed Reno again. "Reno, lead on." We all followed after the red-head, the female trooper shooting daggers into his back, and I couldn't say I blamed her.