Danny had a hard look on his face, as soon as the two women arrived, he started pulling Jamie to the car.
"What's wrong?" Marin asked as she noticed the crowd of locals gathering around someone shouting.
"We need to go." Danny kept moving to the car.
Jamie pulled out of his grip. "I can move myself."
Shawn was already standing by the rear door, waiting for Danny to unlock it.
Danny got angry at Jamie, "Now Jamie!"
"You're scaring me." Jamie told Danny.
Danny opened the door "Get. In. The. Car."
Shawn looked stricken as the four of them milled around the car.
The small crowd started shouting back at the speaker. Something about Wutai and ShinRa. Either a war or anti-war sentiment. Either way, it looked like trouble brewing.
"Marin. Get in." Danny asked with force in his words.
"But-"
"Marin!"
Marin had her hand on the car door. "If they're trouble, shouldn't we stop them?"
Danny face palmed, "And what do we do if they all turn on us?"
Now Marin felt stricken. She had fought dogs, monsters, a violent ex-boyfriend, her own inner demons. But she had never fought other people.
Danny pleaded, "Get in the car, please."
Marin opened the door as Jamie begged to stay to help.
"Help how?" As Danny started the car, ignoring his seat belt.
"I dunno, we should do something. Shout back?" Jamie asked as they all piled into the car.
"We're outsiders," Shawn said. Looking through the window at the crowd with fear. "And we're outnumbered."
The car leapt into movement. Danny was backing out of the parking spot so hard that Marin nearly slammed her face into the back of Danny's car seat.
"Watch it!" She shouted.
"Put your seat belt on, then." Danny was out of patience.
"You first," Marin reminded him.
Danny had more anger in his voice now, "Buckle up, and let's get out of here!"
Everyone buckled up as the group moved to action, they went for the stalls first. Not that there were that many. In the car were a couple of paper bags now. At least Shawn and Danny had bought something before trouble had appeared.
"Get anything?" Shawn asked Marin.
She patted her new black bag. "I'll show you later."
"Marin got it for a song." Jamie told her brother.
"Shush, all of you. I'm driving." Danny eased the steering wheel to the side, using the whole street to u-turn back towards the highway. "Shawn, let me know if anyone comes up behind us."
"All right." Shawn twisted around to stare out the back window.
"Jamie, find me the route to Nibelheim."
"We still doing that?" Marin asked.
"Not that this is the time for input. But We have two choices and I'm not going back to Rocket Town. Now shut it, all of you. Unless you see trouble. Let me drive."
They drove in mute silence as Danny went down the gravel road back to the pavement.
Jamie relaxed when she had worked out the route they needed from the map. "What do you think was up with Roceler Marin? He was a strange one."
"Who?" Shawn asked.
Danny kept silent and his eyes on the road ahead.
"I think he's a Cetra." Marin told them.
"WHAT?" Shawn called. "You found an Ancient?!"
"A little louder," Danny told Shawn. "I don't think you blew out my ear enough."
Shawn pulled back his enthusiasm and volume. "Sorry."
"What's a Cetra?" Jamie asked.
Marin shrugged. "Shawn, you want to take this?"
He nodded, launching immediately into what Marin already knew.
An Ancient race of travelers, had settled on this planet, according to myth. And took care of the planet, somehow. While humans, people like Marin and her friends, settled all over the planet. The Cetra had some sort of power, listening to the dead, controlling the planet or the Lifestream. As well as other things, that might included the ability to produce Materia spheres.
Marin gazed out the window. A little glad that Shawn knew barely more than she did about the Cetra, the Ancients. He had only guesses to their mystical powers. As well as not knowing if there were anymore alive than Marin had guessed. Aerith, her mother, and now Roceler. If the mob they had left behind did not turn on him.
"What's his name?" Shawn asked.
Jamie answered, "He didn't give a last name. He only called himself 'Roceler'."
"And there are others?" Danny asked.
While Danny and Jamie quizzed Shawn some more on Ancients, like Aerith and her mother, Marin let the words slide by. She gazed out one window then another. When movement out the back window caught her eye.
"Danny, there's a pickup truck following us."
"Shit!"
"Maybe they're just leaving the market?" Jamie offered.
Marin looked behind them as Danny accelerated a little more.
Gravel scattered and pounded under the car.
The pickup had someone standing in the back and two people driving it. There were only two directions to go. But under the circumstances Marin could see that the pickup was heading straight for them. The person in the truck bed had a gun pointing in the air.
'Yep, they're trouble.' Marin was sure now.
Marin pulled down the middle seat back, there was a small section that allowed her into the trunk.
"Danny, I have an idea for that trouble."
"Shoot."
"They can't follow us if I crack their radiator."
"What?" Jamie asked, "How?"
Marin pulled out the biggest rifle from the pile, and the bullets for it.
"Marin!"
Shawn glanced at Marin and kept watch out the back window. "Are we at the highway yet?"
"Almost," Danny told them.
Marin wheeled down the window. The car was a mechanical beast, no buttons, the only knobs on it were the radio dial. She had to turn a lever round and round to lower the window, the thing was ancient.
"Don't drop the gun." Danny warned her.
"I can help." Shawn offered.
"Not today." Danny said.
Shawn demanded "Then why does Marin get a gun?"
"Because I said she can," Danny Barked at Shawn. "Let me know if any more cars appear."
"Hmph." Shawn dropped the argument.
With the strap of the gun over Marin's shoulder, she put a bullet into the chamber, with her head-and-shoulders out the window. Sighting for the radiator of their stalker before she would even take the safety off. She just had to crack something and the front grill made an easy target.
The pickup immediately began to swerve back and forth, almost losing control on the gravel. They probably drove on that gravel everyday.
Flicking the safety off, She tracked the pickup back and forth. Taking Danny's advice, she waited until she had a good shot. She had never shot a moving target while moving herself. Remembering her archery training, she arrowed on that grill like it was the bull's eye, exhaling.
The rifle made a loud noise in her ear, cracking in the air and kicking her in the shoulder.
The bullet had ricocheted off the grill. "Ow, fuck."
"You OK?" Shawn shouted from inside the car.
"I will be." She chambered another bullet and imagined that she wasn't moving, it was everything else that moved around her.
Crack!
Bang!
White smoke poured out of the grill, she had hit something.
The pickup swerved off the road this time. She shouted into the car, "There's two more. Fuck!" she pulled herself back into the car. "Step on it Danny!"
Through the open window, they all heard the cracks and pings of more shots. Marin had pulled herself inside for the cover the car offered. The other two pickups had their own guns trained at the escaping car and it's four passengers.
"Don't stop now!" Danny roared, "Keep shooting!"
"Got it!"
"Then pick that gun back up!"
Marin flicked the safety back on and flexed her right hand. She faced out the back window, kneeling on the back seat. Gathering her mana, she snapped off a few of small blizzard spells to warm up her aim. Flinging them out the open window.
One of the farmers aiming at Marin's car had hit the rear window, which crazed and barely held itself together.
Marin blinked.
Marin opened her eyes, her left shoulder and arm were on fire. She was also facing the wrong way. Forward towards the back of Jamie's seat.
Her mind scrambled for answers. She worker her fingers, shooting pain through her left arm. "Ah! What the fuck?" Marin's left arm was bound to her side.
Jamie grunted from the front, passenger, seat.
Danny turned his head back and forth, from behind the wheel, "What now?"
Marin looked around for the gun she had been holding a blink ago. "We're not accelerating anymore." she went to twist around to look behind them, but it pulled against the sling that was duck taped to her shirt. The rear window was gone, a blanket taped in it's place.
"Umm, yeah?" Danny said.
"Did we get away?" Of course they did, Marin's brain caught up with her words. But she could not take them back.
"Don't you remember?" Jamie mumbled from her nap.
Marin shifted in her seat, her right side stuck to the seat. "Uh..."
Danny found her eyes in the rear view mirror. "Are you OK?"
Shawn stirred beside Marin, his eyes remained closed while he napped.
Marin asked more quietly "What-" She looked down on her arm, and how her shirt had had the sleeve ripped away. "What happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" Danny asked her.
To Marin it was just a blink. The time in-between was sliced away like there was nothing in-between. She had heard, what must have been a bullet, whiz past her ear. She had just cast a couple of blizzards seconds ago. If her memory was a video, the intervening frames were gone like they never existed. "I cast two blizzard spells right before they shot through the rear view mirror."
"Which time?" Danny asked, his tone was flat.
Jamie stirred again, concern heavy in her voice now. "How could you forget that Marin?"
Marin shook her head and looked out the window. They were still on the highway, the mountains were on her left. They were heading north, towards Nibelheim. "How much time did I lose?"
"What?" Jamie asked. "How could you forget that?"
"Forget WHAT Jamie?" Marin shot back.
Shawn snorted and flailed an arm at Marin's shout. Jamie looked hurt.
Marin continued, reigning in most of her anger. "What did I forget. Danny?"
"You got shot."
"I see that." She told him. "Where are we?"
"But-" Jamie started, Danny waved her to be silent.
"On the way to Nibelheim to clean out and repair the car."
"Why wouldn't I just heal myself?" Marin said aloud.
"You don't remember?" Shawn asked, surprised.
"No Shawn," Marin held back most of her anger. "What did I say, Shawn?"
"Don't be like that." Jamie said.
"Like what? Upset that I'm still getting black outs?" Marin's voice was getting louder with every exclamation, angrier.
"Mare-"
"That I got shot?"
"Mare-
"Or that I dumped all my mana on those guys so we could get away?" she turned to Shawn, until it hurt. "I'm out of mana aren't I?" Marin could feel the heat in her voice, she was being like her mother and she didn't care.
Shawn nodded.
Marin slid forward as much as the seat belt would allow. "Whens our next stop? I could use a nap." She felt same as she had in the doctor's office in Icicle Inn. She had nothing left to cast spells with.
"Not for a while. I want to put as many miles between us and them." Danny told them.
Jamie still looked hurt, but stopped trying to talk to Marin
Marin took a deep breath, she could feel the anger, the heat in her words. She was being like her mother. That thought made her angrier. Leaning her head back, she wanted to nap. The car shifted on the highway, jolting her arm.
"AH! Is there a bullet still in me?"
"No," Jamie told her.
"It went through and through. No extra bits in you looks like." Danny told her, "Wouldn't be the first time I field dressed a bullet wound."
"I need time to chill. We can talk later Jamie." Marin leaned her head back. "Sorry."
"I'll accept your apology when you tell me what's going on." Jamie told Marin.
"Jamie!" Danny told her.
"No, Danny" Marin told him, "I was being a bitch. Turns out I'm still crazy."
"Don't" Shawn told her.
Marin cracked one eye open to look at the man beside here. "Don't what?"
"Say it that way."
"All right then. Shawn." Marin took a deep breath, trying to exhale out the anger. "I'm still mad."
"Of course you are," He stated matter-of-factly. "Five seconds isn't long enough to calm down." Shawn told her.
"No, I mean yes. But madness mad. People like me are 'mad.' Not 'crazy', 'nuts', or 'insane'."
Jamie had a very concerned look for Marin, but remained silent.
"And I need to cool down before I snap someone else's head off." Marin leaned her head back against the car seat. Every bump hurt. She wouldn't get any rest until they stopped. She still wanted to break something with her hands. But one of them was bound to her side.
Closing her eyes and resting her chin on her chest. She did as her therapist had taught her. Gritting her teeth from the pain, she attempted to meditate.
She could breathe in to a slow count to four, she could hold for another four seconds. And breathe out at another slow could 'One, two, three, four'. She couldn't find peace and certainly no relief from the pain. Most of her slow counts were interrupted by a jolt of the wheels rolling over every pebble and dip in the road.
Marin knew she had a few potions in her bag. But there could always be something else, between her and a bed. Something somewhere could surprise them. Until she was sure she needed a refresh, she would not use it, the ether or anything else.
They were moving, they were no longer being chased. Unless there was a bigger threat, Marin would hold on. At least until she knew she could replace them.
In video games, the next place to rest didn't feel this far away.
The car crossed another rumble strip on the highway, jolting her arm several times. Her brain was fried, she really was out of mana.
Keeping her eyes shut, she started counting to four again.
Marin stared up at the stained ceiling. There was a leak in the ceiling, the stain discolored a quarter of the white ceiling. The fan was missing one blade. The ceiling fan vibrated arrhythmical while it circulated air in the stuffy room.
Danny was in the shower.
The sheets smelled and felt clean, and the two queen-sized beds were more than wide enough to accommodate the four of them.
Shawn had huffed with Jamie about their accommodations. But when it came down to it, they didn't have the Gil and the motel only had more expensive rooms. They needed jobs. And they needed them now.
At the moment, Shawn and Jamie were cleaning what they could of the back seat of the car.
Danny had already dealt with Marin's bandages, and sponge bath for the night. He was cleaning himself up. Tonight as their first time they could bathe in days. Even more so For Danny, he had been in the middle of a job for AVALANCHE when they had crossed paths. Until ShinRa had cut it off.
"Are you done?" Marin called, once she heard the water cut-off.
A soft voice spoke over her head. "Not quite dear, I was just getting started."
Marin rolled away and regretted the pain that came of the sudden movement. Slipping to her feet, she squared off against the speaker.
Marin was on one side of the bed. Ardyn was on the other.
"What do you want? Ardyn?"
He shrugged.
The bathroom was silent Ardyn had stopped time again, or something, such that Marin could not hear the water in the bathroom.
"I thought we were past asking such questions." He smirked, again just like the character he had taken the form of. It was surreal.
Marin twitched the fingers on her left hand, as much as she would allow. She could feel her materia bracelet under the makeshift sling that tied her arm down.
"It's a manner of speaking."
"It's a little literal, do you not think?"
Marin shrugged, she regretted the movement with a wince.
"Run into a spot of bother, eh?" Ardyn asked.
Marin narrowed her eyes, "what would you know about that?"
"Less than you know, and more than you think." He replied cryptically.
Marin rolled her eyes. "And here I was thinking we have leveled up the friendship enough to be above the cryptic bullshit."
"Is that what you see me as?" He asked in that hopeful-yet sarcastic-tone that Ardyn's voice actor had perfected. "A friend?"
Marin held her right hand palm up in a one-sided shrug. "I'm hoping you as a friend and not a foe."
"One would hope."
Marin rolled her eyes again, "Straight up, Ardyn. Please."
"Old habits, my dear." He crossed his arms across the chest of his huge coat, tapping his elbow with a finger.
"What are you here for Ardyn?"
"A friend can't come by just because?"
"You've come to hang out by freezing time because..." Marin let the question trail away.
"Oh, you noticed." He clapped his hands.
Marin roller her eyes, yet again. "Do I get a gold sticker for that one?" She asked sarcastically.
"Would you like one?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Why are you here?"
"I thought I already answered that one."
Marin thought she was going to lose here eyes at this rate, she was rolling them so much. "Just do what you came here for and go."
He stood there and did not respond.
Marin gave him 30 seconds before she cast out her loose hand, exasperated. "What?"
"Sorry?" He asked her in a friendly tone.
"Well?" she asked him.
"Well what?"
"I'm waiting for what I came for." He just stood there.
Marin shook her head. "What? Is it me? What about me do you want?"
Ardyn only smirked.
They regarded each other from across the bed in silence for a little longer.
Marin didn't know what he wanted, she didn't want to ask, in case she didn't want to hear the answer.
Whatever it was, it didn't feel lecherous. The person that appeared like Ardyn, he didn't seem to want things from Marin that she didn't want to give anyone. Marin loved Jamie, but not that way, she didn't care for anyone that way. There was a word for people like her, asexual.
Whatever Ardyn actually wanted he wasn't saying. They were at an impasse.
Ardyn doffed his hat, bowing to Marin. "I find I have need to take my leave, gentle-person."
Marin ducked her head, she was in no mood to bow deeply. The movement felt insufficient, but she would attempt an amount of politeness. "Bye."
Yawning, when she stood straight again, Ardyn was gone. The shower was back on again.
Marin touched her arm, probing it gently. It didn't seem to be bleeding. The tampons that were staunching the bullet hole's bleeding were good at their job. They were the right size, shape and made to absorb blood. Something Danny had learned from one of the women in his old AVALANCHE cell. Marin would never have considered it, and here she was, using her tampons the way they were intended, just in a different part of her body.
Jamie had told her she would wake Marin before the make-shift bandages needed changing again.
Once Marin had her mana back, the packed wounds wouldn't matter. She had shrugged off stitches for that reason.
Marin lowered herself back onto the bed, to lay on her good side.
Curling into the fetal position before she fell asleep. Marin counted to four. She was asleep before she knew it.
Marin had her best-worst day the next day.
It started half-way through the night.
She had woken up completely refreshed, thinking of another song. So she removed her bandages in the bathroom to heal her gun shot wound with a spell.
While searching for a place to bin the bandages, duct tape sling, and the tampons that had been in her wounds. She found it.
A man screamed in agony.
Her barefoot found a hand in the floor in the night. She shouted in surprise, Sam stopped screaming. Two more voices asked what was wrong. It was a terrible way for everyone in the room to wake up.
Banging on one of the walls meant that at least one of their neighbors had woken up in the night.
Shawn had been sleeping in a pile of blankets in the closet.
Marin had known that Shawn had volunteered for separate accommodations. But hey could only afford the one room. She had not seen his hand stick out in his sleep.
"Fuck! Sorry Shawn."
"Ah, goddammit." Shawn let out a string of curses, switching to
Someone turned on a wall light.
Marin planted herself on the side of her bed.
Shawn was continuing to curse. Massaging his hand.
"Marin, your bandages." Danny rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
Jamie went over to Shawn to check on him.
"It might be broken." Shawn sounded in pain.
Marin waved off Danny and leaned down to be closer to Shawn. The room wasn't very big.
Shawn pulled his might-be-broken hand closer to him and away from Marin.
Marin sighed and put out her left hand, where she had just slipped on her materia bracelet.
"Have you cast a cure spell before?" Shawn asked, his voice pained.
Marin frowned. She pointed at her scar-free left arm. The left bicep that had had a through-and-through bullet wound in it.
"Didn't you want to show me how?" Jamie asked.
"You don't know how much it hurt. Besides." Marin waved at Shawn, "sorry. But there'll be other opportunities I can show you how to use Materia." She moved to squatting on the floor next to Jamie. Holding out her left hand, she cupped it, waiting for Shawn to place his hand in hers.
Shawn only looked at her. His pinched face reminded Marin of her own, when she was biting back something angry.
"I can teach you guys the basics, but for a moment, let's end that pain OK?"
Shawn placed her hand in his.
"Jamie, I need some room." Otherwise her right hand was going to hit Jamie in the head.
There was a shape swelling up in Shawn's hand already, if it wasn't broken, it would be stiff soon. It was a small hurt, so she used the least cure spell she had. It hadn't taken long to attune the Materia to be able to cast the next spell up from Cure, 'Cura'.
Jamie watched Shawn's hand as the green streams of magic flowed around the two of them and healed Shawn's hand.
Shawn watched her arm movements, like a man, dying of thirst, gazing at water.
"It's not just the movements." She told him.
He hissed as the magic readjusted his hand, even as it healed.
"It's a feeling in the gut, with my willpower. And I found it too easy to throw everything I had into someone's mastered cure materia."
Shawn flexed his hand, investigating the former injury. "Is that the mastered healing materia?" a mastered Materia had 'unlocked' every spell you could get out of that Materia. Each one of the three or four spells more powerful than the last.
Marin shook her head. "Don't I wish, but no. Go figure a doctor had a powerful Cure Materia."
"Thanks." Shawn took his hand back, flexing it and massaging it. Either checking Marin's work or checking if it still hurt somewhere.
Marin sat back on the bed. She scratched her stomach, instead of readjust her chest. There was nothing to readjust, her binders were a world away. Not being able to flatten her feminine profile bothered her today. It was going to be one of those days. "I've had my own problems with sharing a bed with someone on a school trip."
Shawn gave Marin a fearful look.
She shook her head, "It was only six years ago. I hadn't even shared a bed with my sister. I volunteered for the closet then too." There was nothing wrong with her body per se, but she had always been reticent to change around other people, to sleep near other people. To be vulnerable around other people. Except with Jamie, in her arms Marin felt safe.
"But that hotel was nice in that the room was large. And I couldn't be stepped on." she looked at her bracelet, trying to do the math on how much of her reserves she had left.
She continued, "I wouldn't bring it up, except. Times are rough."
Shawn grumbled, but he had a right to.
None of them had had any privacy for days. Except for the occasional bathroom stop or occasional shower. The county fair had been the first real break. And that had ended in them running, from a pro-ShinRa mob.
Marin sighed. "We've seen some things. Before you and Jamie got here."
"What sorts of things?" Jamie asked.
"Death."
"Death."
Marin and Danny exchanged a look, they had said it at the same time.
Danny continued for her. "I think what Marin's saying. That a bit of clumsiness on her part could tap our limited resources."
She nodded.
"It could mean life or death." Marin reiterated Danny's point.
Shawn gave a look to the floor. "I guess."
Marin shook her head. "Do what you need to sleep comfortably. Just..." she looked for the right words, "I'll try harder to not step on more hands. Okay?"
Shawn nodded, looking a little more relaxed.
Marin hoped that it had saved his pride. She didn't want to make Shawn uncomfortable.
It was a wonder that the other girls had not teased her about sleeping in the closet. They had gotten to the hotel room and Marin had taken two seconds to see the width of the tow twin beds that had to be shared by four tween girls. The slight frames of the other three twelve-year-olds. And Marin was setting up the extra blankets in the closet in no time.
They had never teased her over it, not there and not when they got back to school. There were other things that had happened, including different girls bullying Marin the locker room. But no one had called her floor-girl. Or anything relating to not wanting to share a bed with another person.
A wonder.
Though other students had found other things to tease her about in that school. It was not about sleeping in the floor of the closet. She not want to be that vulnerable that close to anyone.
Until she had met Danny and Jamie.
It was an hour before anyone was back asleep again. Tossing and turning as they were after that.
Marin was wired after casting a spell, so she went back to her music notebook. The song she had woken up to, as it played in her memory, it was still trying to loop. She figured it might help her sleep if she pulled out her music notebook and played through it beginning to end, while Shawn and Jamie quietly chattered before turning the lights out.
Marin had wanted to give Shawn a chance, not just for being Jamie's brother, or his gender expression. Anyone from Earth was a potential ally. At this point she wondered if they would find anymore like them.
She went back to her song, it was a final fantasy tune. Of course it was. Most of the songs she liked were video game music or songs in game made by popular artist.
She knew other songs from Earth. But it was the songs from video games that she wanted to play. Those were the ones she knew back to front. They were the ones that she knew every lyric too, if they had lyrics. When she didn't spend a few months in a hospital. Or lose touch with her devices on this planet. And it was all slowly draining away and being forgotten.
She found herself humming and laying down a badly written distaff. Inspired, she was more confident that she had the notes in order, even if she would have to brute-force recall which key sounded correct.
Aerith's song was coming back to her. She would have to play it aloud to finish the notation, and correct it. But now she had a project for the daylight, as long as she could find some privacy.
The wee hours of the morning, with a motel that had walls as thick as cardboard, was the worst time. Followed by everyone being trapped in a car for hours. Neither was a good time to practice on Roceler's ocarina.
But for once, Marin could look at her notes and see the spirit of the original song.
Later that same day, Marin was interrupted by Danny turning up the car's radio again. He had heard another bulletin while driving.
"From ShinRa News, the best news source on the Planet."
"The only news source." Shawn mumbled from the back seat.
"Quiet," Danny shushed Shawn.
The broadcaster continued, "...in. We have an up to date report on the Reactor Shut Down in Kuar-Glen."
"Now what?" Jamie asked.
Danny gestured at Jamie for silence."
"...arrested the assailants, captured nearby. They were apprehended after a firefight with members of Public Safety, who were stationed in the area at the time of the Sabotage."
Danny pulled over to the side of the road. As the four of them listened in silence.
"Public Safety trapped the five assailants in one building in town, before making their arrests. But a Level 2 Mako leak warning has been issued to the surrounding area. As the effects of the sabotage are investigated and repaired. This has been your ShinRa News Emergency Bulletin."
Danny turned the radio back down low and rested his head on the steering wheel.
"Danny?" Jamie asked.
"Not now." He told her.
"Danny?" Marin asked.
"I said not now!"
"What's the problem?" Shawn asked.
"Shhh!" Marin and Jamie told Shawn, at the same time.
"OK, OK." Shawn kept to himself after that.
"Danny..." Marin said again.
"Marin!" Danny warned her.
"They said five were arrested." Marin told him.
Danny exclaimed from the steering wheel, "I can fucking count, Marin!"
"But there were six." Marin told him. She kept her voice calm. Danny was not angry with her.
"What do you mean Marin?" Jamie asked.
"We just came from K-Town." Danny told Jamie. It was hard to see the impression the steering wheel had made on his forehead.
Marin shook her head as Jamie asked another question.
Jamie's face fell, "Were you the sixth? But the reactor-"
"That wasn't the job!" Danny told her. He stopped and took a breath, "We were just passing through, when I found Marin. There was no 'sabotage.' ShinRa found everyone else. They're just setting us up for scapegoats."
Marin looked out the window. Danny still saw AVALANCHE as 'us.' He was in pain. So she kept to herself.
"Scapegoating is ShinRa's thing." Shawn agreed.
"But, who is 'us'?" Jamie asked.
Danny started the car back up again. "It was AVALANCHE."
Jamie twisted around to face Shawn and Marin. "You guys said later last time they came up. One of you tell me."
Marin left Shawn and Danny to explain.
How AVALANCHE was a group founded in Cosmo Canyon, as an environmental protection group. How they had changed into Eco-terrorists, against ShinRa. How some of them was funded by the son of the President's son himself. In some kind of long-game to become president of ShinRa one day. As well as how secret some of that was.
Marin tried not to think of the pebble that had appeared in her stomach. Whether or not ShinRa knew of the sixth operative. AVALANCHE surely would. But did they know which one got away by chance? Would they care to take Danny back if they knew? Or just kill him for defecting? Or worse, kill him because they thought he had flipped to ShinRa informant?
What was important, was that Danny had gotten away. And they had all escaped the latest troubles.
Partway into Jamie's questions. Marin fell asleep not long after, dreaming of a funeral, and the music that had played in that moment.
That same day, Marin and Danny leaned against the damaged door to the car's trunk. Shawn and Jamie were in the car, napping. Danny and Marin were watching out for a passing car for help. The front hood was propped up in what, they hoped, was the universal sign for a driver in distress.
Danny and Marin also kept an eye out for any monsters that thought a silent car worth investigating. Which was the main reason Shawn and Jamie were inside the car.
Marin barely felt like a combatant herself, but Shawn and Jamie had only had hours with guns. Jamie wanted to use her Tae-Kwon-Do training to kick a monster. Marin didn't want to see her girlfriend's foot bitten off. So Marin had talked the other two into the car to save their pride. Practice routines were different that fighting for one's life.
"I see someone." Marin started waving. "Keep an eye out for beasts."
Danny waved once and watched the hills to the west. There was any number of invisible curves that could hide something. Every now and again, something flew from peak to peak, but not towards their car.
Marin could see three people in the oncoming car. One had a kerchief over their hair, one had bright pink hair framing their face. The one in the back seat had a dark gray trilby hat on over reddish-purple-hair.
"Ardyn." Marin hissed. She waved as the car started to slow on the approach. Marin could now see the faces of the driver and passenger in the front seat. The heavy-looking, long-sedan looked like it was going to roll to a stop ahead of Marin's group.
She looked in the back window, where Ardyn sat, looking at her with that smirk. He sat behind some sort of caging over all the windows. Whatever the car was it was armored against monsters.
The car was rolling to a stop when the wheels squealed and the car pulled ahead. It leapt down the highway and sped away from the broken car.
Marin chased after the car several steps before giving up and staring down the road.
At some point close to the driver hitting the gas pedal, there were now only two heads in the car. Ardyn was gone.
"Fuckers!" Danny told Marin as she walked back. "Who abandons stranded drivers?"
"They did." Marin stuck out her thumb to point the way the car had left them behind, pointing north. She shook her head. "It's been over an hour. No tow trucks, no signal on our phones. Not that there's a number we could even call for emergencies." she sighed. "Is there a tow company we can call?"
Danny shook his head. "I have an idea."
"Please no." She told him.
"We're going to have to move the car ourselves." He told her.
Marin made a noise with her mouth, "Augh!"