Cloud-gazer: Cloud is so awkward sometimes :P And yes! Reno notices everything! I'm surprised he didn't mention anything about her saying size doesn't matter, but he's too arrogant for that anyway XD Tammy and Ollie will be gold. Better, platinum! I love her too! She's a new exciting character for me to write and I can't wait to get started on her spin-off! She is going to give Rufus a run for his money, I hope. Which he has a lot of, of course.

Chapter 251

We spread up near the entrance, Reno and Rude slipping into the alley on the right side of the building, Tammy and I veering off to the left to head over to the Turk building. The night was becoming chilly, and my bare shoulders were beginning to shiver. Who even came up with the idea of putting me in a dress? That never seemed to end well for me.

Tammy was dressed in great contrast to me, with her black cargo pants and fitted leather jacket. Her combat boots were silent on the pavement while my heels clicked with every step. We must look quite the pair.

When we barged into the Turk building, I wasn't even surprised to find Randy's radiant smile.

"Miss Fox!" he greeted me enthusiastically.

"Randy," I wondered out loud. "Do you live behind that desk?"

"Sure do!"

I chuckled at that and led Tammy towards the back and up the stairs, not even bothering to ask for permission. Randy knew who I was, and he knew I worked with the Turks often. Which was why he didn't so much as utter a single syllable of protest as we disappeared from the lobby.

Together we ran up the stairs, me a little slower than Tammy because of my heels.

"Eden, Reno," Cloud's voice was suddenly in my ear. "We wait until you've entered the building. We're in position."

"Copy that," Reno's voice answered. "In position. Foxy, ready when you are."

"Almost at the rooftop," I informed them over slightly elated breathing.

The wind whipped our faces when we exited onto the roof, and unlike Tammy's, my hair wasn't tied and left to go unchecked.

We hurried over to the side of the roof, and my eyes fell on the spot where Reno had once taught me how to use materia. He'd started by cutting himself in order to teach me, before I had even been able to utter a protest. Memories of what had happened after that threatened to poor into my head, but Tammy was already taking the leap across to the next building, and I pushed the images from my mind.

As we ran through the night, getting closer to HQ, the streets below were uncommonly silent. Maybe people had noticed something was going on here, or maybe they had finally decided to call it a night, but either way, the street was abandoned. Lights were still on in some buildings, but there was no movement outside, nor could I hear music any more. It was only better that way. The last thing we needed right now were innocent bystanders. This was about to be a war zone.

"Foxy, gettin' impatient here," Reno chimed.

"You try and run across the rooftops in high heels!" I shot back at him while doing exactly that.

There were only three more buildings to go, and a few minutes later, Tammy and I clambered up the side of HQ, finally reaching the entrance door. It only took one glance at the keypad beside the door to know that shooting it wouldn't gain us access.

"Reno, what's the code to the entrance door?"

"061882," came Reno's immediate reply. "Rufus's birthday."

"Seriously?" Tammy wondered out loud while punching in the numbers. The pad bleeped and the red light turned green. "Who's stupid enough to use that for an access code?"

"Who's stupid enough to try and break in to HQ?"

"Uh," I started, failing to keep the sarcasm from my voice. "The underworld?"

"Fair point…"

"I know," I agreed as I took a gun from my holster. "We're ready."

"Good to go," Cloud replied.

"Let's get the party started then." I could hear the smirk in Reno's voice as he confirmed in his own way.

Though we were met by nothing but silence when Tammy yanked the door open, a chorus of gunshots erupted in my ear. It seemed that Cloud, Tifa and Cid had been met with a small army as soon as they'd entered the building. The enemy might have been waiting for them, but at least we had some element of surprise. With a bit of luck, the Turks managed to sneak in without being spotted, and Tammy and I might find Rufus somewhere on the top floors. His office and private quarters were located there, so maybe he'd locked himself up in a safe place nearby. Of course, I usually wasn't that lucky.

Tammy and I nodded at each other before shooting inside and moving swiftly down the first flight of stairs. We reached the door into the building, and we carefully peeked through the window to see if the coast was clear. So far, the hallway was deserted, but there was no telling what lay behind the next door and the other floors.

"WRO is arriving," Cloud spoke in my ear, his words interrupted by sounds of battle.

I was pretty sure I heard metal on metal, and Cid's voice in the background yelling for Barret. Barret and the WRO meant Tseng and Ollie had arrived as well. This was going to be fun.

"Man, I feel sorry for these guys," Reno chuckled in response to Barret opening fire, clearly agreeing with my sentiment. "Leave some for us, will ya?"

"That's a promise I can't make," Cloud replied, much to my surprise.

Tammy actually grinned at his unexpected comment.

"We're good." Reno's voice was suddenly loaded with excitement and anticipation. "Looks like we stumbled in on our own party. Don't wait up."

Even though we hadn't encountered anyone yet, my body was already beginning to buzz with adrenaline. It was clear to see that Tammy felt it too, another indication that I had been right about her being a dare devil.

"Looks like we're the only ones missing out on the fun," she said with a feigned pout.

With a smirk, I opened the door for her. "No need to worry about that. You're with me. Trouble's destined to find me wherever I go."

The fact that there wasn't a horde of enemies coming our way as soon as we stepped into the hallway was surprising, but I knew that trouble was always right around the corner. And so once we'd made it through the corridor and reached the second door, we found trouble waiting for us.

A group of men was hovering around the door to what I reckoned was the Presidential office, judging by the large polished black doors andthe apparent interest the men were showing. One of the doors was open and they were talking to each other in hushed voices. Whether they were aware of what was going on in the rest of the building was unclear, but they were clearly standing guard outside.

"There's no other way inside, is there?" Tammy asked, sounding both disappointed and eager at the same time.

My eyes traveled to the wide staircase leading down, but there was no way to get to the lower levels from here. As I shook my head while thinking how to approach this, something caught my eye at the end of the hallway. "No way…"

"What?" Tammy asked in a concerned voice as she looked through the small window to see what I was seeing. "That guy?"

Across from us, speaking with one of the men standing outside the President's office, was none other than Jona. Although now once again clean and looking handsome with his immaculate silver hair and nice suit, the sight of him still made my flesh crawl. How I had ever agreed to go on a date with him was beyond me, but then many choices I'd made during my life hadn't made much sense in hindsight. I supposed it was like that for most people.

"Not bad, for a criminal," she chuckled.

"He is," I replied darkly. Somehow bad people always had a way of finding their way back to me one way or the other, and I shouldn't even be surprised at this point. And yet, even though he had turned out to be an asshole, and more than a little disturbing, I'd never have guessed he was part of this organization. Had our meeting been a coincidence, or had he noticed my SOLDIER status and decided to go in for the kill? Or had he thought that the perfect opportunity to gather information about Shinra? Either way, he was bad news. "That right there, is the worst date ever. Arrogant, pushy, controlling and more than a little creepy. Not to mention he drives girls to dark abandoned places and locks his car doors so they can't escape."

"It's a kink. You hurt him, right?"

"Apparently, not bad enough," I grumbled, still thinking hard about what to do.

What else was there to do than simply run in there and start shooting? The problem was, there was nothing to hide behind but this door, and I somehow doubted it was bullet proof, even if it was Shinra made. Surely they hadn't been expecting an assault on HQ, if their choice of access codes was anything to go by.

The sounds of battle going on in different parts of the building were more than a little distracting, and every time Barret or Cid roared, Tammy visibly flinched. As always, Tifa was scolding them to stop making so much noise, and as always, Barret apologized but continued anyway.

"Hey, Eddy." Ollie's voice was suddenly in my ear, followed by Tseng's.

"Reno, Rude, status?"

"Hiya, Chief," Reno welcomed him warmly. "It's all good."

"Good," Tseng said calmly. I wondered whether he was already entangled in the fighting. If he was, his voice gave away no indication of strain. "And the President?"

"Still lookin'," Reno informed him. "Foxy's on the top levels right now. We're checking out the basements and holding cells. So far, nothin' yet. Sorry, Chief."

Tseng said more, giving the Turks instructions, but I wasn't listening anymore. Instead, an idea had popped up in my mind. The windows in Rufus's office were high up, and probably gave a clear view around the building. Rufus liked his view, even if it was Junon.

"Ollie, where you at?" He couldn't have arrived at a better time.

"Ground floor, why?"

"Do you think you can get on top of the building next door?"

"Won't have a shot from there, the angle's wrong."

"I know." I looked at Tammy, and by the look on her face, she knew what I was thinking. "But you can see the Presidential office from there. We need a distraction."

"Already on my way."

This was what I loved about my best friend. He never asked questions. When I said I needed him, he was there. No matter when or where.

"He sounds cute," Tammy pointed out. "Is he still single?"

"No, I'm not," Ollie replied in my stead.

Ollie often forgot his mic was still on and everyone could hear him, but something told me that Tammy knew damn well that he could hear, but she simply didn't give a shit. In fact, she might actually enjoy it, being more shameless than anyone I knew. Including Charly and Reno, who could be pretty bad.

"Damn!" Tammy cursed, making me smile.

Outside the door, Jona was talking into a cell phone while his other hand was shoved down his pants pocket. He didn't look like someone who'd captured a President, but there was a strained look on his face. A look someone might have when they were about to flip. I hoped this meant that Rufus had managed to hide or even get away in time, but as long as there was no word from or about him, there was no way of knowing whether he was safe. For all we knew, they could have killed him and they were now waiting for us to be killed as well, so that they could have a safe passage outside. If that were the case, they'd be here for a while. Hopefully long enough for Ollie to get their attention.

"There's nothing here," Rude's voice informed us. "We're coming up."

"Great," Tifa replied over the sound of guns. "We could use some help. There's no end to these guys."

"Ain't no trouble," Barret grumbled. "Doin' fine. Yo, Cid! Ya good?"

"Mind your own goddamn business!"

"Cavalry's just arrived," Cloud said in a slightly strained voice. "This is going to be a long night."

"We got your back," Reno chimed in. "Holy shit, that's a lotta people."

I was beginning to get impatient, and judging by the way Tammy's boot was tapping on the floor, she was too. We were ready for action, but we'd be sitting ducks if we chose to move now.

Jona finally stepped back into the room, leaving six of his men outside the door.

"I'm almost there." Ollie was panting softly as he spoke, but by the sound of it he was going as fast as he could. "…What do you need me to do?"

"Jona's in Rufus's office," I said while checking my weapon again. "I need you to take a little off the top."

"Eden," Tseng interrupted. "That glass is reinforced. It's bulletproof."

A loud curse passed my lips, but I quickly focused my mind on a solution. Did it matter? All we needed was a way to draw their attention away from the hallway and the door so we could move in and take them by surprise.

"All we need is a distraction," I said to Tseng. "Something to draw their attention away from us."

"I can do that," Ollie replied, and I hadn't expected any different from him. "I'm looking at his smug face right now. Eden, you didn't kiss this guy, did you? That's so below your standards."

"Uh, excuse me," I scolded, thinking he was remembering things wrong. "Who was the one that tricked me into talking to him?"

"Who would do such a thing to you?" Ollie muttered innocently. "I got him, tell me when you're ready."

Deciding on ignoring his words, I settled my mind back on matters at hand. "Ready."

As soon as the word left my lips, a commotion erupted inside Rufus's office. The men outside hurried into the room, leaving the hallway unguarded.

Tammy was already yanking the door open before I could say the word.

Just like that we were running down the hallway towards the polished doors, the sound of my heels hitting the floor echoing around the staircase to our left. We burst into the office, where the men were in the middle of recovering from the initial shock; some of them had ducked with their arms over their head, one was hiding underneath the desk, but Jona was standing right by the window, staring out intently at the building across. The glass right by his face was damaged, a star shaped crack that indicated where Ollie's first bullet had impacted. Right as we entered the room, another appeared next to it, but Jona didn't even flinch, he simply continued to glare into the night.

I didn't wait for him to notice us, instead I opened fire on him right away, ignoring the other men in the room.

As if he'd sensed me approach, he swiftly moved away from the window, my bullets bouncing off the reinforced glass and ricocheting all around the large office. The guards that were in the middle of abandoning their cover shrank back with a shout.

Before I got the chance to take proper aim again, Jona had twisted on me and flung a knife in my direction. I only just managed to anticipate in time and dropped to the ground. Off to my left, Tammy had disarmed one of the guards and was punching him in the gut with the sort of brutal energy I associated with Rude.

Jona bolted forwards and vaulted over the large desk, scattering documents and utensils across the floor. In retaliation, I snatched a knife of my own from my belt and sent it flying his way. He landed on the floor in a crouch and rolled right in time to avoid getting hit in the chest, but my blade managed to brush his shoulder, tearing the fabric of his white shirt and leaving a red seam along it.

I was back on my feet half a second later to intercept him before he got the chance to run, and we collided mid-flight. We tumbled to the floor together, but I had to roll off him quickly when my eyes fell on the man hiding under the table. He was taking aim, ready to splatter my brains across the room. While I fired my gun at the man, Jona took the time to run like the snake he was, using my moment of distraction to flee. My bullets hit home before my enemy could fire, killing the man instantly with two bullets to the neck.

When I looked behind me, Tammy was struggling with Jona, having wrapped her arm around his neck and using him as a human shield to keep from getting shot. The other men hesitated, their weapons raised and pointed at Tammy, seemingly forgetting all about me for the was doing his best to throw her off, bringing back his elbow over and over again to hit her in the ribs, but she held on resolutely. He froze when I stepped up beside him and pressed my gun to his temple.

"Still don't know how to treat a lady, I see," I said to him.

Just the sight of him made my skin crawl. How I ever could have thought him handsome was beyond my own comprehension. Granted, he had handsome features, but there was something sickening and deranged about him.

A small sneer appeared on his features. "Still don't know your place, I see."

In response, Tammy squeezed the arm around his throat a little tighter, choking him a bit more. "I hear you're quite the pervert," she said so him in a jolly tone that was nonetheless laced with contempt. "I'd love to play with you some." She procured a knife in her free hand, pressing the metal tip to his cheek and already drawing blood.

To my horror, it dawned on me that she must have dealt with people like Jona in the past, along with any other kind of perverted types. She'd been forced to be with them, as property of Don Corneo. Who knew what she'd been through during her stay in that mansion in Wutai. I didn't even want to think about it, but I could only imagine it had left its marks. And traumas.

"Funny you should say that," I added to him with a sweet smile. "Since my place is right here, pressing a gun against your head. So maybe you oughta tone it down."

"For a bunch of bitches like you? Don't make me laugh. What are you going to do? There's me, and four armed men in this room. We've reached an impasse, and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless you want to get killed, that is."

I shrugged in response, uncaring for his words. "We'll just toss you down the staircase. Maybe someone down there will catch you, but I wouldn't count on it."

"I'd rather castrate him," Tammy opted darkly.

"Or that," I grinned, and felt even more amused when I saw Jona flinch at her words. There was something very satisfying about his reaction. It seemed that at least he wasn't completely immune to fear or emotion.

"Just shoot," Jona then said calmly, having pulled himself together quickly.

"But, Sir –!"

"Did you not hear what I said? Shoot them."

I never had imagined they would actually do it, but I saw the man's body stiffen as the muscles in his arms flexed, ready to pull the trigger. As soon as I saw it, I shifted my aim towards the shooter, but at that exact time, a knife flashed in Jona's hand. It moved fast and accurately as he brought it down towards Tammy's thigh. A warning burst from my lips just as a bullet left my barrel. From the corner of my eye I saw Tammy block Jona's attack and shove him away from her violently.

The shooter had dropped dead, but the three remaining men opened fire as Jona leaped out of reach, and all we could do was fire back and hope that we wouldn't get killed on the spot. One of their guns seemed to jam, giving us a moment to split up and find cover as bullets rained around us.

Tammy made it out of the office, hiding behind the wall around the corner. Splitting up seemed to have confused our enemy momentarily, and I ran for the desk, flipping it as I leaped over it. More bullets impacted the mahogany wood, and I silently thanked Shinra for using only the best materials.

"You okay?!" Tammy shouted from the hallway.

"That goddamn slippery snake!" I cursed.

Jona had managed to escape, but I vowed that I would get him if it was the last thing I did. Finding out he was part of this organization had been a surprise, and now I despised him even more than before. He had undoubtedly done unspeakable things in both his own name and on the account of his superiors, and he was the kind of guy who enjoyed doing them. Judging by his attitude, he seemed pretty high up the chain of command, and now that Ivar and Corneo were gone, he might even be at the very top. Along with Milla, who must have been the one to send him here to apprehend Rufus. Jona looked like the type to enjoy torture. He should have been matched to Scarlett, I thought bitterly. They would have made a lovely pair.

"Don't worry," Tammy replied as the sound of gunshots finally died down. "Once I set my sights on a guy, there's nowhere he can run. Call it a sixth sense."

"I believe you," I laughed.

Just as I did, my eyes fell on Ollie across the street, who was waving at me happily.

"Come on, Eden." I heard the amusement in his voice as he spoke in my ear. "There's just three guys, what are you waiting for? Don't tell me you're losing your touch."

I looked down at myself, noting the small armory that was attached to my weapons belt. Reno had been smart enough to bring some grenades, which would have come in handy at this point. Still, Ollie was right. Three armed men was nothing I hadn't dealt with before. I'd faced much, much worse in the past.

When I carefully glanced over the edge of the desk, a weapon was immediately fired. As I ducked, I flung my gun arm up and fired back, hoping Tammy was clever enough to stay in cover. The last thing I wanted was for her to get hit by one of my stray bullets.

"You got one," she spoke in my ear, her voice inaudible over the loud shots. "Two left. One for you, one for me."

Before she'd even uttered the last word, I got up on my knees, my eyes finding my target. I saw her appear around the corner, her gun already raised and ready. And then we fired. The echo of our final shots danced around the room as the two bodies thudded to the floor, scattering shells all over the floor as they fell.

Tammy stepped around the corner and back into the room with slightly flushed cheeks. "This is so turning me on."

My initial response was so laugh, but when I took a closer look at her, I saw her tall frame was shaking. Her tough act made me wonder if it was just that; an act. I knew that I was prone to acting tougher than I felt, and the people who were close to me knew it too. They hardly ever called me on it because they knew I hated it, but they were well aware of it. Was she the same? Or was it simply adrenaline?

Instead of asking her about it –which she would hate, if she were anything like me– I tried to make her feel more comfortable. "Dead guys turn you on?"

My words had the desired effect, and she laughed heartily.

"No, killing guys turns me on," she said with a wicked grin. "Especially the ones that deserve it."

I couldn't agree with her more, though I also hoped that she would one day confide in me if she felt the need to. I didn't want her to end up like I had been not too long ago; bitter and lonely, and misunderstood. I'd been too stubborn to reach out to anyone. It had been a big mistake. We all needed people around us. I knew that now, and I had finally begun letting people in. Things had been going great, my friends were all doing good, and we'd all found our place in life. Tonight should have been where our drama ended, but these underground assholes had different ideas. They'd ruined my date. So, we would find Rufus –who'd despite my annoyance with him had begun to grow on me too– then we would wipe out this entire organization, and then I would finally get the chance to be alone with Reno. Properly. But first, Rufus.