Author's note: Just fixed a few formatting issues. No new chapter at the moment, but I am currently halfway through with Chapter 6: Money, Fear, and Power. ^_^ It won't be long...(crosses fingers behind back just in case)
Chapter 5
"Oh my god."
Reno grimaced as he looked down at the smoking rubble that had been the helicopter that had brought them to Icicle Village. "Guess they got a little too close, taking those pictures."
Vincent glanced at Elena, who was covering her mouth, horrified. "We'll get them back for those men."
Rude nodded, clenching and unclenching his fists. Reno hefted his electro-pole. "There's men down there. Four. Checking for survivors, if its my guess."
Vincent nodded, eyes narrowing. He holstered his gun, and motioned toward the soldiers with his head. "We'll need ShinRa uniforms if we're going to get into the base. Four of us, four of them."
Elena looked at the soldiers, and then to the crashed helicopter. "We start the pay-back with them."
Vincent agreed with her, then motioned toward her sleeves, where she often hid her knives. "We need the uniforms untouched, and this close to the base we don't need to make any noise."
"Gotcha. Elena, distract them from that brush over there. Rude, you and me'll be close to her, and pick 'em off. Vincent, back us up."
The other three nodded to Reno's plan, and split up, going to their positions. The ShinRa troops, busy with their inspection, didn't notice. The three blue-clad troops scrambled over the burnt husk, checking for anything that might prove of use, while the red-suited commander alternated between giving a cautious eye to their surroundings and glaring threateningly at his men. "Hurry it up! We must report, our it'll be all of our asses!"
He froze as a loud crack broke the silence. He looked furtively around him, them raised his saber to point in the direction the sound had come from. "Unit 6, check it out."
"Yes sir." The soldier picked up his rifle and walked slowly toward the brush, searching around him. He reached the tallest part of the snow-covered plants, and turned to come back, but fell with a surprised cry, and didn't stand.
The commander shook his head wearily. "7, 8, go pick him up. The damn clutz."
Nodding, the two walked over towards the brush where their comrade had fallen. Suddenly, blue-suited men leapt from the plants nearby. One caught Unit 7 in the face with a right hook, dropping him, while the other shoved a pole into 8's stomach. With a loud sizzle, the soldier slumped to the ground.
"Die!" The commander drew his pistol and took aim, but never got the shot off. With a throaty gurgle, he noticed the metal claw that had wrapped itself around his neck. He felt himself be lifted off the ground, and then his head slammed into the ruined helicopter, and he knew no more.
Vincent smiled at his fellow Turks. They nodded to each other, and then went off to change into their new uniforms.
Deep in his office, high above the rest of the world, the shadowed man smiled. He glanced down at the report his secretary had brought him, and nodded. He hit a button on his desk, and a moment later the young man stepped into his office. "Send a message to Team 15. Tell them its time to bring the bird back to the ground."
The secretary nodded, and stepped out of the office. Once he was gone, the shadowed man turned his chair, looking down over templed fingers. He cocked his head the side, listening to a voice only he could hear, then nodded. "They shall die. All of them. She will be avenged today!"
Yawning, Cloud stretched as he walked down the hallways of the Avalanche base. Hearing his joints crackle, he stopped a moment to pop his neck, then continued walking, only to yawn again three steps later.
"Wow. You must have been up all night. 'Course, I can understand why, considering…hehe." Yuffie smirked at Cloud and Tifa, who gave her dangerous glares.
"Yuffie, if you don't hush, I'll 'remember' the Materia I found missing from my stuff." The lithe ninja stepped away from Cloud, slapping a hand over her own mouth. "And I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened. Tifa and I stayed up discussing battle plans, and what can be done about ShinRa's base up north."
"Yeah, he's telling the truth." Yuffie glanced at Tifa, seeing the older girl's shoulders slump a little and hearing the slight note of exasperation in her voice. "Nothing else happened, I swear."
Annoyed, Yuffie shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, y'know, I just happened
to be looking around in the warehouse, and I saw this whole big room just full
of great Materia-" Seeing Cloud glare at her, she hurried on. "No, I didn't take
any, thank you! I just looked. Anyways, do ya think Reeve would let me have
some? Not much, just a few…"
"I'm pretty sure they're going to need all the Materia they have, Yuffie."
Cloud sighed. "We all are going to need everything we have for this fight."
The teen thief moaned in disgust. "Oh, sure, be all gloomy! We're all going to die, ShinRa will win, oh help me please! Come on, Cloud! We kicked ShinRa's butt once, we'll do it again!" She punched at the air enthusiastically.
"Whatever you say, Yuffie." Cloud glanced up ahead, at the two guards that were at the end of the hall. "Hey, what's going on? Those guards-"
He jerked to a stop as one of the guards fell to the floor, blood trickling from the gash across his throat. The girls stopped too, eyes wide with shock. "How-"
Cloud whirled to the side, drawing the Ultima Weapon, as a man wearing black slashed through where he had been standing. The man turned, drawing another knife, and charged at him. Cloud didn't have time to worry about his friends as he desperately fought off the assassin.
Tifa and Yuffie were likewise occupied. Two men, also totally dressed in black complete with visored masks, stepped around the corner, and drew silenced pistols. The guns snapped up, but Yuffie was faster. With a cry, she threw a small sphere to the ground. The assassins covered their eyes a second too late, and a flash of light blinded them. When they could see again, the girls were on them.
Tifa smashed the head of the first into the wall behind him with a punch. As he rebounded, she caught him and with a twisting motion threw him over her shoulder. The man slammed into the ground, and she followed, driving her elbow into the mask concealing his face. She stood, certain he was unconscious, but his legs snapped up, catching her around the head. She cried out as he threw her forward, onto the ground. She managed to come up in a roll, but the assassin was also standing, twin blades out. She quickly drove her fist into his stomach, and raised her elbow to slam it onto the man's head, but he dropped, and his legs scythed her's out from under her. He tried to draw his knife through her as she fell, but she luckily twisted aside.
Tifa rolled away, rising to a crouch, but he was already on her, blades flashing. She dodged backwards, then charged suddenly past him. Twisting, she caught him in the lower back with a knee, and as she fell grabbed his head. With a crack, the assassin fell onto her, his neck snapped.
The assassin Yuffie was fighting flailed as her arm-guard drove his chin back. The ninja tried to slice him with the Conformer, but the man lashed out with a kick, which knocked her away. Seeing her fall, he took aim with his pistol, but the Conformer caught the hand holding it at the wrist. The man spared a glance at the stump where his hand had been, then flipped the knife he was holding in the other hand. Yuffie gave him a quick smile, and a stone on her wrist glowed before fire erupted from his clothes. The man died without a sound, stepping forward in a last attempt to kill his opponent before falling, smoking, to the ground.
Cloud dodged the knives of the first assassin, trying to get in a slash. His foe pressed him back, mercilessly, but never uttered a word. Cloud fended off both knives, then began to spin his weapon in a defensive pattern, forcing his opponent back. Then man flipped away, then made to charge again, but Cloud raised a hand. The assassin leapt over the Bolt spell, then came down behind Cloud, knife slashing at the warrior's neck. Cloud moved forward, then spun, raising a hand again. This time, the man charged, knives flashing, but instead of casting another spell Cloud also charged. The assassin didn't have time to dodge Cloud's diagonal slash, and his own attacks met only air. The black-clad man took two more steps, then fell onto his face, blood leaking out from under him.
"Not bad," Yuffie appraised, looking down at the corpse.
Tifa glowered at the other woman, and a hand popped a stone from Yuffie's wristguard. Ignoring the ninja's "Hey!", Tifa growled, "That's my Fire Materia!"
Yuffie blushed, scratching her head, but Cloud interrupted any excuses she might have had. "There's probably more! Come on, we have to help the others!"
All arguments forgotten, the two nodded, and followed him as he ran down the hall.
"It's not what I had expected."
Vincent had to nod, staring at the pair of guards standing at the mouth of a cave a short distance from them. "Security's pretty lax, for such a large base. Must have more men inside, where we can't see them."
The other Turks nodded, all having come to the same conclusion. Now clad in ShinRa uniforms, with Vincent donning the officer's red suit and the others in common blue, they were prepared to infiltrate the base. They were huddled atop a snow-covered hill not far from the cliff walls, which seemed completely vertical from the angle at which they could see it now.
"Seems a bit suspicious," Elena mused, her voice muffled from the helmet which encased her entire head. She removed it from her head, looking up to her hair and regretting having to wear the blasted thing.
"Naw," Reno said, smirking down at the pair of oblivious guards. "I always thought without Heiddegger to keep them in line, the army would fall to crap. Some discipline!"
Elena snickered. "This coming from the man that can barely stay awake through five minutes of a mission briefing?"
"Better that than an obnoxious little snit that doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut!"
"Oh, yeah! Well, how about a raging alcoholic that hasn't had a steady girlfriend since he was three?"
"Ha! You're one to be talking about romance, considering-!"
Before either could say another word, the other two Turks acted. Rude quickly, and not very lightly from the look of pain on Reno's face, slugged his partner on the arm. Vincent covered Elena's mouth with his metal claw. "Enough!" Vincent hissed, red eyes flashing.
The feuding pair had the decency to look abashed, but that was it. The second Vincent and Rude turned back to the base, they shot bladed glares at each other.
"Twit," Reno snarled.
"Ass," Elena sneered.
Sighing in frustration, Vincent put on the helmet of his uniform, and motioned the other bare-headed Turks to do the same. Once they had, he gave each of them a warning glance. "Remember, stick together. I'll head alone for the lower areas, you three take the upper ones. Try to find out any vital information you can about what they are doing and who is leading them, then get out. We're in and out, so don't take your time. Be at elevator back down on time. And keep it quiet. No fighting. Got me?" He demanded, looking especially hard at Reno.
The Turk's smirk was hid under his helmet, but by the way he stood it was obviously there. "Got you, boss."
The four started down the hill, walking with backs straight and 'borrowed' rifles held in exact angles. However, as they were nearing the base, Reno sidled over to Rude. In a low whisper, inaudible to at least one of his teammates, he demanded, "So, why'd you hit me for?"
Rude didn't glance over at him. "Because."
"Because what, you thick-headed moron?"
"Because you deserved it."
Reno sighed self-piteously. "He always takes the rookie's side," he grumbled to himself.
Once they had reached the entrance into the cave, the blue-suited guards snapped into attention, saluting Vincent crisply. The man paused, then returned the gesture, before walking past the men and towards the large metal doors that were apparently set into the cave wall. Vincent slid the ID card he had appropriated from the captain through a reader and slapped a button on the wall, and the doors slid open, and the four stepped inside. Before the doors could close, however, two more men stepped in, laughing a talking between themselves. Reno, being closest to the controls, reached for them, but stopped when he saw that the monitor above the controls read 'Enter Password.' He exchanged a glance with the others, concerned, but was spared the trouble of having to figure out a new course of action. Without turning from his conversation, one of the ShinRa men that had come into the elevator with them said, "Let me get that for you. I always forget my password, too."
Reno nodded at the man gratefully, then stepped back to his allies, concealing a relieved sigh. The elevator started upwards smoothly, the ride seeming to last forever despite the sensation of moving at a very fast acceleration. The Turks stood at the back of the elevator, standing motionlessly, while they listened to the two ShinRa troops chatter. Their eavesdropping came to naught, however, since the two men were more concerned with bickering about the quality of the base's bars and the alcohol served there than with discussing more confidential information.
Finally, the elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opening soundlessly. The two soldiers stepped out first, and the Turks were right behind, trying to blend in with them. They were in a rather plain corridor, the walls unmarked and undecorated. Not far ahead of them, the corridor split four ways. When they reached the junction, the Turks stopped, the men they had been following taking the right path. Vincent consulted a panel on the wall, marked with arrows and destinations.
"Hmm…according to this, the laboratories are to the left. That should be worth checking out. As for you three…"
Reno shook his head. "Straight ahead, and up as high as we can go. Predictable ShinRa mindset."
"Right. Keep it quiet, act like you have a reason to be going there."
The other three Turks nodded, then all simultaneously checked their watches. "Meet back at the elevator in two hours."
"Emergency plan?"
Vincent paused. "Make for a helicopter landing pad. We'll meet up back in Icicle Village if things go bad."
"Sounds good. Good luck."
Vincent smiled grimly. "Who needs luck when you're a Turk?"
Chuckling, Reno watched Vincent go off alone down the corridor he had chosen. Turning to nod at his team, he started down the center path. As he walked, he considered their path to the top. Basic ShinRa procedure involved a series of elevators with passkeys needed to get to the higher levels. Also, a massive series of stairs probably led up most of the building, if this place was anything like the previous ShinRa headquarters. Reno considered that option for a scant second, then rejected it. After all, after a certain group of infiltrators had used the stairs to break into ShinRa and challenge the old boss, the stairs would probably be guarded. Reno was thankful for this excuse; he really didn't enjoy the idea of climbing a nearly endless set of stairs.
His ponderings on their route were cut short as he noticed a black-clad ShinRa soldier walking behind them. He was glad he was wearing a helmet when he glanced back, because had he not have been, the man would have noticed Reno's eyes widening. The soldier was massive, at least eight feet tall. He carried his rifle across his chest, and a wicked bayonet protruded below the barrel of the gun.
Reno turned his gaze straight ahead, ignoring the man. His unease grew when another black-clad man, the same massive size, stepped out of a side corridor in front of them. Reno surreptitiously motioned to his teammates to make the next possible right. When the corridor came, however, they didn't get a chance. Four men, wearing the same black colors, stepped out to walk beside them. Reno didn't have to look to realize that another four had come to walk on their other side. They were completely penned in now.
The man walking in front of them glanced back as he stopped. All of the other men stopped as well, and the Turks were forced to since they had nowhere else to go. The soldier chuckled ominously as the troops to either side reached out and took the rifles from the Turks. "What's going on?" Reno said, feigning confusion.
"Cut the crap. You're being taken to see the boss. Behave or not; I don't care. I don't think it matters whether you walk up to see him or if we have to drag you."
Reno sighed, his hand straying down to where he had sheathed his electro-pole, which he had folded up to conceal it. "I still don't know what you're talking-" He froze as he felt a prick at the back of his neck. He could hear the man behind him, the one holding the deadly point of the bayonet to his neck, laugh humorlessly.
"Not a good idea, rookie."
"Listen, you don't seem to understand. We're just heading off for a little R&R, we haven't done anything-"
Reno picked himself off the ground a second later, his eyes dancing with black spots and a loud ringing in his ears deafening him. Hands clutched at his helmet, and it was pulled away. From the sounds around him, he could tell the other Turks had gotten the same treatment. "Get up," ordered the soldier, and Reno felt himself being picked up by the armpits. "We have an appointment to make."
Reno didn't have to see the faces of his companions to know they all shared the same grim look. They had wanted to get to the top; they had found their way, for better or worse. He just prayed that Vincent was having a little more luck.
The sound of gunfire echoed down the halls of the Avalanche Foundation's headquarters. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie picked up their pace, dashing up a flight of stairs. When they emerged from the stairway, they were in a hallway lined on one side by massive floor-to-ceiling windows. At one end of the hall, Cid was fending off an assassin, his spear keeping the man, already bleeding from several wounds, at bay. At the other end, Barret was gunning down another black-clad killer, pumping round after round into the walls as he tracked the man.
Yuffie ran off to assist Cid as Cloud and Tifa turned towards Barret. They stopped halfway there, however, as Barret's bullets caught up with the man, sending him convulsing down to the ground. Barret turned to the two, giving them a grave smile, which Cloud returned. However, Cloud's expression quickly turned to one of fear as he spotted the man behind Barret. "Look out!"
"Shit!" Barret roared, feeling a bullet graze his shoulder. He started to spin, but he was too late, the man was already aiming for his head. He wasn't going to be able to move in time.
A red blur came from the corridor to the side of the gunman. He didn't even get to cry out as Red XIII slammed into his side, knocking him into and through the window beside him. The glass shattered as both the assassin and Red plummeted out and down the side of the high-rise.
"Red!" The three dashed to the window, looking down, praying to see their friend despite the slim chances. Still, they were all known for defying the odds, and this time was no different. They looked down to see Red desperately clutching to the sill of the window with his front paws, desperately scrabbling to keep a grip. The gunman was nowhere to be seen, but, after a fall like he was having, it was doubtful they would want to see him. It was, after all, a long way down.
"Mind giving me a hand?" Red howled, trying not to look down.
After they had pulled him back in, the group turned to see a rather winded Cid and a smiling Yuffie walk up. The assassin Cid had been fighting was slumped motionlessly against a wall. Cloud nodded at them, and then turned, thinking about their course of action. Tifa beat him to it, however. "They're probably here after the heads of the company! Reeve!"
The six dashed for the stairs again, making their way up. They could hear gunfire still raging down one hall, but paid it no mind, hoping that whoever was fighting could take care of themselves. It wasn't long before they reached the top levels, and the door to Reeve's office.
Cloud instinctively spun as the neared the door, his blade knocking one black-clad killer back as he leapt from a shadowy corner of the room. The man rebounded, but the Conformer slammed into his side, and soon after the Ultima Blade finished the job. On the other side, Tifa dropped another attacker to the ground and a stab by Cid left the man twitching as he died. The friends looked to the door, preparing to open it, but the sounds inside stopped them.
Inside, a woman shrieked in fear. A loud crash, the sound of a door being knocked down, was immediately followed by gunshots. Then, there was silence.
Cloud's face fell as he closed his eyes in futile anger. They were too late.
"Did he come by here?"
"Haven't seen him."
"Man! We're in some deep trouble if we can't find him!"
Vincent smiled as he listened to the conversation between the two guards. He had ducked into a small janitorial closet just in time to be seen by the two. It had been a close call, but in the past few minutes he had found himself getting used to them. Security might have been lax outside, but inside it was like trying to crawl through a spider web of guards and security cameras. Some of his enthusiasm was curbed as he considered the danger the other Turks must be in, but he had no time to worry about that now. He had his own mission to complete at the moment.
"I'll check back this way. You head for the labs!"
Vincent paused, waiting until the footfalls had passed far enough away, and then slipped out of the closet. He made his way down the hall, glancing from side to side, hand ready to dart to his pistol. So far, he had avoided trouble, but he wasn't willing to let his guard down.
It took him a long while, at the cautious, watchful pace he made, to reach the laboratories. He grimaced as he looked around a corner to see two guards standing alertly at either side of the sealed-off entrance to the labs. He fingered a throwing dagger he had acquired from Avalanche's storeroom. This was going to be tricky.
And the sound of a loud clang from around the corner, one of the guards turned to the other. "Stay here, I'll check it out." The other nodded, tightening his grip on his weapon. The first man walked cautiously up to the passage, looking around it, then turning the corner. After a moment, his fellow scratched his head. "You find anything?"
The first man came back around, hands at his sides. It took a moment for his partner at the door to realize the significance of the fact that his companion wasn't talking and that his feet weren't really touching the ground. He lunged for an alarm on the wall next to him. Vincent dropped the guard he had been carrying in front of him, and flung his arm out as he charged silently down the hall. The surviving guard yelped as the throwing dagger buried itself in his wrist. He fumbled for his weapon, but Vincent was on him before he had a chance. Cold metal claws wrapped around his throat as the disguised hero slammed the man against the doors, raising him up off the ground. The man struggled for a moment, tearing at the grip that was depriving his brain of oxygen, but the hand wouldn't yield.
Vincent returned to the doors a moment later, after leaving two rather unpleasant surprises for the next janitor to come around. He had shed his red uniform, understanding that it had worked against him as much as his normal attire would. His was the only red uniform he had seen since he had realized he was being hunted. If he was going to have to fight for his life, he preferred to do it in his normal clothes. He swiped the ID card he had acquired from one of the guards through the slot next to the door as he hefted his gun. He wasn't far from his destination, but that just meant the stakes were higher. He had to be ready for anything.
All he found on the other side of the door was an empty, sterile corridor. He walked in, glancing around, searching for a trap. Nothing presented itself, so he made his way onward. It wasn't long before he was faced with another crossroads. On either side were halls leading to more massive doors. These were heavily guarded, and Vincent shook his head before even considering taking on that many blue-clad troops. Directly in front of him, however, was a corridor lined with doors. Offices, he hoped, opting for the middle path. Offices with computers for him to crack and files for him to steal.
He stopped at one door, listening for voices from within. He frowned as he heard a rather irate voice loudly bemoaning the current state of security. "I swear, how do they expect us to get the weapons finished before the deadline if they keep hassling us with trivial things like this? No fool will make it down here, and if he does, I'm sure our much vaunted security force can eliminate him. No need to escort everyone but military personnel out of the labs. I have work to finish!"
"Dr. Hest, they told us this shouldn't take long. Its just one man, they've caught the others. This last one shouldn't pose too much of a problem."
Vincent froze. The words were troubling in and of themselves, but the voice…! He shook his head, dismissing memories and impossible thoughts. He had to get the information quick, and get moving to free the other Turks, if he could.
"Bah! One man? One man destroyed everything these fools hoped to have, and now they want this one man to pick up the pieces! I am getting seriously upset with this overflow of incompetence I find myself swamped in."
"Dr. Hest, you really shouldn't say things like that. I mean,-"
Vincent moved away from the door and the disquieting voice he could hear inside. He shuddered slightly as he moved to the next room. No light came from inside, so he slipped in, closing the door behind him silently and locking it. He allowed himself a small smile as he looked at the file cabinets lining the walls and, more importantly, the rather outdated computer sitting on the desk in the center of the room. He moved to it, pulling a disk from his pocket and booting up the computer. He winced as the machine screeched for a second as it turned on. Fortunately, from the office he had just left he could hear the sounds of frustrated shouting, and it didn't seem anyone would be able to hear the noise he had made over that bellowing. Sighing in relief, he turned back to his task.
It took only a moment for him to load up the computer and after a second of searching he started downloading information from the computer onto the disk. Most of it would be encrypted or password protected, he knew, but that would be a job for the hackers at Avalanche to see to. His was just to get the information and bring it to them, not decipher what it meant.
He pushed away from the computer, scanning the file cabinets in the dim light provided to him by the aged monitor. Finding files worth anything, he knew, would be a matter of luck. He was on a limited budget as far as time went, and he certainly couldn't carry too much out and still be ready to fight. He glanced around, not knowing where to begin.
He froze as he heard a slight click behind him. He whirled, hand diving down to his pistol in a smooth motion. He didn't make it.
"I wouldn't, if I were you, bub. I'm pretty good with this pistol."
Vincent swallowed loudly, his eyes bulging. He couldn't make out much about the figure standing before him. She was dressed in a lab coat, precise and perfect. She had her hands out before her, holding her pistol in a certain, unshaking grip, the nose of the gun pointed right for his heart. He couldn't make out her face, though. His eyes had gotten used to the dark of the room, and the light from the window of the door she had closed behind her stung his eyes, keeping him from looking at her face. Still, he could make out the brown bangs framing a pair of square-framed glasses. He choked silently at the sound of the voice. He had thought himself crazy when he had heard it as he eavesdropped in the hall. He believed the door had muffled it, distorted it. But now…there could be no mistake…
Vincent took a step forward, hope blossoming in a heart so unused to the feeling. He looked pleadingly at the woman, praying he wasn't mistaken, praying he wasn't crazy.
"Stop! I'm not afraid to shoot."
Vincent stopped, gasping for breath. Could it be…
"…Lucrecia?…"
"Nice place you execs got here. Bet that carpet must be a pain to keep clean, though."
"Shut up, jackass."
Reno smiled as he wiped a hand across his mouth, checking it for blood after the most recent blow the guard had dealt him. He smirked at the man. "Just trying to make conversation. Geez, that must be a really sharp stick you have up your-"
Reno's head snapped back as the man slugged him in the face. Still, after his head stopped spinning, he managed a chuckle. He opened his mouth to make another comment, but, before he could, the soldier behind him slammed a fist into his kidneys. Reno groaned, dropping to his knees.
"Cut it out, Reno!" Elena yelled, her voice heavy with concern. Those were the only words she had spoken during the entire ordeal. Rude had predictably remained silent.
"Brave. Not that it really matters."
Reno looked up to consider the man that had spoken. He was bulky, with the stance and form of a body builder. He loomed over the Turks, and Reno had the feeling that even Rude would be hard pressed to beat him in a fistfight. From the crooked turn in his nose, it was obvious fistfights were something the man was accustomed to. His blond hair was cut military-short, and his blue businessman suit was in immaculate order. The man's steel blue eyes glinted down at them over his cold smirk.
"My name is Mr. Tergan. I'm head of the Peace Preservation Office at the new ShinRa Inc. If you will follow me, I will take you to the President."
"So, you're the guy the inherited Heidegger's job, eh? Here's hoping you don't share the same fate."
Tergan sneered down at Reno. "Don't worry about that." He glanced at the soldiers at either side of Reno. "Stand him up."
Reno batted the men's hands away, forcing himself to his feet. "I'll walk on my own, thanks."
Tergan nodded at him condescendingly, then knocked at the door behind him.
"Enter."
The Turks shared an anxious glance as Tergan pushed the door open. They had come to this base hoping to find out information about the ShinRa boss, not to meet him face to face. Reno gave his teammates a nod, his chin set solidly. Even if he was about to die, he wasn't going to let the bastard see him flinch once!
The four of them went into the room, leaving the guards behind. The room was spartan, with no decoration or any sign of life. The light inside was very dim, most of it coming from the window that formed the entire back wall, through which shown the nighttime lights of the ShinRa base. The only furniture was a massive oak desk, the expanse on top of it clear except for a few neatly organized papers and a letter opener, and a heavily padded chair with its back turned to the Turks. The three mercenaries paused, waiting tensely for the chair to turn.
It obliged them a second later. Reno gasped, feeling as though he had been poleaxed. He could hear Rude grunt in surprise behind him, and Elena whispered a quiet "It can't be…" The figure in the chair smiled at them coldly as he spread his hands in greeting.
"Welcome to the new ShinRa Incorporated," said Tseng. "I hope you will enjoy your stay with us. Because you will be here for a very, very long time."