(Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy...well, I do happen to own one of the Cids, but which one is a deep, dark secret that would put you all in...fine. I don't own any of it.)

Chapter 1: Behind the Masks

Doctor Cidolphus Ke'Lan was busy at work. With a frown on his face, he set up the transfer of funds from the mission. He kept stumbling over the codes, swearing under his breath. A small window on his screen showed a red bar, and his eyes jumped to the display every few seconds, leading to another mistake, causing more loud cursing and another glance. Finally, after a few minutes of frustration, the transfer was complete. Cid rubbed his eyes, yawning to himself as he stretched in his chair. "Where the hell is he-"

"I'm home, Doc!" The mercenary known as Shade walked through the door, pulling off his mask. "That should keep us in parts, TV, and food, in that order..."

A smile tugged at the corner of the older man's face. "Now, you know that's not true...Fixin' everything you break comes first." Jase shrugged, tossing the steel mask to Cid.

"Update my stats. Might as well be the best merc I can, since you won't let me take the academy trials..." He dropped onto their couch, reaching for the remote.

Cid sighed again, sensing a familiar battleground. He turned back to his computer, plugging a cable into the side of the mask. "Jasearan...You see, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't control your anger-"

"Doc, not now. I just funded your research, so get off my case." Jase plainly replied, remote in hand and channel-flipping.

Cid turned, a deep frown on his face. "Research to keep you from losing it! To keep you from..." He trailed off, staring at the floor.

Jase looked behind him, raising his arm. A green glow surrounded his gauntlets, slowly pulsing with his breath. "To find some way to improve the Channelers. I know. But, face it, Cid, I can handle it."

"Not quite yet..." Cid shook his head. "Take those damn things off. It's not right, you know. A boy your age should be allowed to get pissed, have a laugh, bawl his eyes out over some girl..."

Jase sighed as the gauntlets came off. A smirk came to his face as he tossed them into his room. "C'mon, Doc, not the speech!"

Cid joined Jase on the couch, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I mean it, Jase. You got a crap draw in life, and as your dad, I guess that falls on me. Kids shouldn't be knocking over corporations to pay for their medicine."

Jase barely stifled a laugh. "It's not your fault, Doc." A frown came to his face, swiftly hardening to grimace. "OC did this to me, to us! You do the best you can. One day, you'll find a cure."

Cid nodded, running a hand over his bald scalp. "You bet, kid. And when I do, we're getting out of this job, out of Kalos. You'll get a good life, I promise. And maybe I'll start to look my age, eh?" He grunted, rubbing at his temples. "Job's over, go take a damned shower... We'll get a farm with chicken, sheep, chocobos...the whole deal."

"Sure, Doc. And then we'll get a puppy." Jase muttered, chuckling to himself. He sauntered off to his room, tossing bits of clothing behind him.

"You're too damn negative." Cid pulled himself up, half-dragging himself to the computer. "God, I'm getting old already...not even 40, either. Hey, let's get some good news for a change. Now, what was your rank before?"

A voice could be heard, screaming over the shower. "Getting senile?! It was 16! I got ranked the Rising Star, too, after that mission with that moron...got a bonus for saving his worthless-"

"Jase..." Cid said, his voice faint, his face wide in shock.

"I know, Doc. Focus and stay calm-"

"You're 10!! You jumped six spots!!! Come look!!"

Jase dashed into the room, towel hanging on for dear life. "You know what this means?! The big jobs! We're talking in the thousands of gil! And look who I knocked off of the top..."

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"WWHHHHAAAAAT?!!! I fell to 25?! San, you can't be reading that right! Is the connection-" Kirinin Kaerz was screaming into the vidphone, his mask gone, revealing a wild array of purple spikes. The background noise suggested he was at a bar, the cheering in the background almost drowning out his voice.

The girl on the other side turned to look off of the screen, then pouted.

"You heard me, Keerie. Wild Card failed the mission AND lost to another Masque...Hey, where were you, anyway? You didn't tell me you were working tonight, and then you drop off your mask here and run off..."

"Uh, tell ya later! I'm kinda busy right now, San-"

"And what's this expense report?! I'm getting a request for...15 thousand GIL, agreed percent of property damage costs?! Keerie..." The face of a young girl on the screen was quickly turning into the visage of fury itself. Kirinin's eyes widened in horror, and his hand slowly snaked its way out of view.

"Well, you see, um, well, you kept begging for that dress, and the pay was in advance, and it seemed like a cake job, so you see... What's that?" A loud banging came from off-screen, shaking the camera. "The feed's breaking up! San?! San, can you hear-" A quick slice with his knife cut the line.

"Hey, you!!! You're gonna pay for that phone cord! And lookie here...according to the screens, your favorite Masque just dropped big time...you owe the house rounds for the night!"

Kirinin's face paled. Before him sat nearly a hundred half-drunk, applauding men and women. "Um...later!" There was a sudden flash of light, then a cloud of smoke filled the bar. Once the fog cleared, Kirinin could be seen bursting out of the doors.

The crowd was silent, a tangible sense of anger slowly building. The bartender knew what that kind of silence meant. He also knew how to add up the cost of broken chairs, cue sticks, and inventory quickly. "Relax, folks! Two free rounds, on the house!!!" The cheering and drinking resumed, and the bartender glared at the door, his eyes aflame.

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"You weren't supposed to go there, boy..." The voice in the shadows was deep, bold. Pacing footsteps rang out with the sound of metal against metal. "You were supposed to let the test go unabated. Why did you interfere? Why did you disobey me?!"

A man in silver armor kneeled, his face bowed. "Master, I...I do not know. I was drawn there by something." A pause, then a deep sigh. "You didn't say that you gave them the dragon mech."

A laugh echoed in the background, but the laugh seemed without humor. "Hmm...muttering on about things which do not concern you...I wonder, is it that you care for the boy?"

The man looked up, rising suddenly. A moment too late, he realized his mistake in doing so. "That...that's impossible, Master. Such things are beyond my abilities."

More laughter, darker this time, less forced. "Ah, I suppose you are right. You cannot feel, can you, boy? Hmm...I guess we'd better give you your treatments a little earlier, to be certain-"

"That is unnecessary." He answered, now standing at attention.

"You dare to interrupt me." It was more of a statement then a question, and its tone was empty, as if the voice were recording a simple fact. "Which reveals that such a step is indeed necessary. You will report to the research facility immediately, is that understood, my boy?"

He stood, silent, his face unreadble.

"I said...is that understood, my young machine?"

"...Yes, master. I shall go." A flash of violet light, and the man was gone. As if sensing his absence, the light returned to the chamber, to reveal an empty room, a cube of metallic walls.

"You will go, my broken little toy. And while you're...occupied, perhaps it is time to set things in motion. Yes..."

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"So, Doc, got any feedback from our employers? They promised us some follow-up work, right?" Jase was once again lounging on the couch, dressed in plain black pants and a cocky grin.

Cid grunted, turning away from the computer. "Not yet. I guess they're still decrypting whatever it is you got for them. But, before they reply, we need to talk about something."

Jase let his head roll to the side on the chair's arm. "Uh huh...what's up?" The frown on Cid's face barely fazed him. "Oh. I'll explain. Well, you see, when a man gets older, sometimes he cannot find the same reaction to the pictures on the compu-"

Cid spluttered. "Don't play dumb with me! You know damn well what's wrong! Your body rejected another probe culture. That's another month's work down the damned drain!"

"Doc..." Jase groaned. "Can't we talk about this later? You know how that technical stuff bores me."

"Listen, you little punk. Without those probes, if you get hit, YOU GET HIT!!! Unless I figure out what in God's name you're doing to them, we're out of a job. I swear, NO ONE could go through as much destruction as you don't even bother avoiding."

Jase sat up, casting a glare behind him. "Damn it, Doc, there's nothing I could've done about it! It's not my fault they don't work! Relax. You're probably susceptible to heart attacks at your age."

Cid felt a vein in his forehead throb. "Just because I look like a tired old man doesn't mean I couldn't put you over my knee. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem if you didn't redline so often! You know that the Downs don't work, so why do you keep overworking the system?! I got you those S-Tech spells for a reason!"

Slowly, he rose, staring Cid in the eye. "Why, because you like your little toys? Or is it so that you'd have an excuse to lab-rat me guilt free?" The ice behind Jase's tone struck Cid head on. Before his chair hit the ground, he was an inch from Jase's face.

"I'm trying to help you! I'm doing every damn thing I can to save your life, you little brat!!! I sacrificed, your mother-"

Jase's eyes flashed green, his face shifting into a mask of anger. "Don't you dare talk about her!"

"She DIED to keep you away from OC! I've lost my research, my home, my WIFE for you!"

The green light flared in his eyes. In the background, things were starting to spark and die, but they were too engaged to notice. Jase sneered, never breaking his gaze. "Well, maybe you wouldn't have this thorn in your side if you didn't make kissy-face with your toy Demon!"

The blow came before either had time to think. Cid struck out, knocking him to the floor with the back of his hand. Instantly, the green light faded, and tears began to fall from his eyes. Cid stared, aghast, at the scene before him.

"Jase...I..." He took a step forward, but Jase was on his feet in a flash, heading for his room.

His voice called out, perfectly calm. "You're right. I don't have control. I'm sorry, Doc." He stepped out, the gauntlets back on his arms. "I should be more careful."

Cid was silent, staring hard into the floor. "I'm going to fix this, kid. I promise I will."

A ring from the computer screen broke the ensuing silence.

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Doctor Ke'lan:

The mission was a total success. I was certain that Shade would succeed. The information we were after was recovered completely and with it, our cause can begin production of equipment to combat the ENEMY.

Below, we found plans for some sort of weapon. No one knows what it is, and there seems to be no power source. We hope that with your knowledge of ENEMY research that you can tell us what it is, and why it was held in such secrecy.

On a final note, we have another mission for Shade, one that we could not entrust to him until we were certain of his abilities. His latest advancement has us convinced that he will be sufficient. The mission:

Guard Crimson.

We are certain of his skills, but not of his trustworthiness. He must not be informed of his mission until WE decide to tell him. That is all.

VOICE

A sigh that sounded akin to a growl came from the figure at the terminal. "Milady, the message has been sent." The words came out much like the sigh, resounding deep in the throat of the shaded man.

The room was dark. Lying on an ornate couch, the silhouette of a woman put her arms behind her head. "Very good, Te'Kal. Soon we will make our first decisive strike. And not even the Blazing Hells will not stop us."

The growl came again, this time slightly louder. "Milady, I must ask you again to consider letting me-"

"No...Te'Kal. Loyal as you are, you're just not suited for this. This task requires stealth, precision; who better than mercenaries? Besides, you know that I can take care of any...trouble."

"Yes, Milady. Shall I get you anything?"

The silhouette waved a hand in mock disgust, giggling, disturbing the dark mood of the room. "Please, my friend...You don't have to treat me like a princess."

Humor seemed beyond her protector. "Hmm... very well. Sleep well, Lady Kai'La." The figure marched out of the door, sealing it behind him.

The woman strode over to a window, staring out at the metropolis peeking out from behind the hills. "I can feel you, Dracus...Are you trembling yet, or will your arrogance cost you your life? Those who thirst for your blood are coming...and not even the power of Demons will save you."

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(Well. Sorry about the time delay. I've been busy as all hell, what, with my MMX series and this trip I took to UT-Austin. If any of you end up reading this, Hawk says hi! Well, anyhoo...give me reviews! A recent Harris poll shows that I work faster if you do. Guilt is the only motivator of a procrastinator, so make me feel all warm, m'kay?)