Chapter XXV: Shadows Of An Army.
Vincent Valentine walked through the shadow-strewn entrance to the Shin Ra headquarters. He carried Yuffie carefully in his hands, so not to drop her. The doors slid shut after him. His crimson eyes scanned the darkness for any signs of life.
A second pair of eyes watched him from the second floor. They were a dark red, surrounded by blackish-grey skin. Among the shadowy building, he was nearly invisible, a shadow at most.
Vincent's eyes past over their watcher unaware of it, and continued to look. He saw nothing that posed a threat. He proceeded to the elevator.
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Jarred Rath watched the black clad man and his burden. Jarred silently jumped out from his vantage point and onto the first floor, stalking the shadowy man. He pulled out his crystal dagger, edging closer and closer. The man pushed the elevator button and waited.
Jarred grinned. The elevators had been disabled at the beginning of the siege. The man would wait a long time for the elevators. Silently, he slid the dagger around the man's throat.
"Drop your weapons." Jarred whispered
There was a long silence, then the clatter as something hit the ground.
Jarred took the dagger away, allowing the stranger time to recover.
"Turn around." He said. The stranger obeyed.
Jarred noted the garnet eyes halfway interested, but found the man's bundle more intriguing.
"What have you got there?" He remarked, tapping the pale face with the daggers tip.
A golden claw grabbed Jarred's hand, and squeezed hard. Jarred gasped in pain. He let go of the dagger. The man smiled grimly at Jarred.
"Where is Cloud?" He asked, lightening his grip on Jarred's hand.
"U, up stairs," Jarred winced in pain as one of the digits pierced his skin.
"Take me there."
"Who are you?"
The man smiled that strange smile.
"Valentine. Vincent Valentine."
Jarred gasped as the man picked up his weapon again.
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"This is boring." Cid remarked while kicking a pebble over the edge of the Highwind. Barret swore in agreement.
"Shut up." Cloud said, shuffling slightly with boredom himself.
"Whose idea was it to fly around the f-#¤%-ing city and snipe was it anyway?"
Silence.
"I don't remember." Red XIII said.
Barret, Cid and Cloud all looked down at the flame red dog.
"You know, I believe I remember someone with four legs saying it." Cloud said airily, looking through his snipers scope again.
Silence again.
More silence.
"Dejâ vu." Cloud remarked.
"Huh?" Cid asked.
"Nothing." Cloud muttered.
Barret pointed his gun arm over the railing of the Highwind suddenly.
BOOM!
"Hehehe, tha's one bugger tha' won' kill anythang agin." He chortled.
Cid peeked over the edge. He swore loudly.
"That's also a five foot crater we'll have to repair!"
Cloud whacked Barret soundly behind the head.
"Whut?" Barret said in puzzlement.
Suddenly the Highwind lurched to the right.
"#)/^¤*#%|%#!" Cid swore. "Someone has gotta teach Tifa how to fly the Highwind!"
"Hey, its not our fault she kicks your ass every time you try to teach her something!" Cloud said back at Cid.
Cid gave Cloud a hurt look, then looked through his scope again.
"Where the hell do the bastards go at night?" Cid asked.
"Good question."
More silence.
"Lets give democracy a chance hall we?" Red XIII said suddenly. "All those who want to go back to the headquarters, say aye!"
A loud "AYE" went up as they all yelled it out.
"The people have spoken." Red remarked.
He padded into the Highwind to tell Tifa to turn back.
Even though they couldn't see anything, Cloud and Cid continued to search for targets.
"Maybe the sewers?" Cloud pondered.
"Huh?" Cid and Barret said simultaneously.
Cloud looked away from the scope.
"Maybe they hide in the sewers?"
Cid shrugged the possibility away.
"Nah."
"No, think about it. The sewers lead to every place and every level except the headquarters. They could be takin' it easy down there now and then launch an attack at dawn!"
"Uh-huh, and did you ever stop to think that there are an army of monsters down that's just as big as theirs and twice as pissy? No? 'Cause the other guy certainly did, or else he would have used the sewers in the first place instead of chargin' in unarmed."
Cloud thought of this for a second.
"Damn. I thought I had it for a moment."
Cid grinned encouragingly at Cloud.
"Cha, it was a good thought. It made me feel like a dumb ass for a second. Attack from the sewers? If the sewers were monster clean I would flyin' this thing back to the headquarters in the wink of an eye."
The Highwind lurched again as it turned towards the Shin Ra headquarters.
"#¤&/=*~¨^§*!"
"Shut up!" Cloud yelled at Cid.
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Seph X stared out the window with the same tireless air around him. Reeve sat snoring in his seat, having fallen asleep with a book in his hand. Still holding his rifle, Seph X looked for anything that moved. Unfortunately he wasn't having much more luck than Cloud and the others. He shot at a street lamp irritably.
"Where ARE they?!" He yelled.
Reeve jumped from his chair with a start. He slipped on his book that flew from his lap and fell on his back.
"Conspiracy." He said sourly.
Neither Seph X nor Reeve noticed when Rude and Elena walked into the room and saluted.
It was only when Rude abruptly coughed that Reeve noticed they were there.
"Oh, hello there. How goes the subterfuge front?"
Rude saluted again. Then he began hazarding report.
"Err," He began. "We haven't really been there yet."
Reeve raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Then were would you have been, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
This time Elena spoke for both of them.
"Well, sir, something's wrong with Reno. We've been watching him for the past few days."
"And?" Reeve asked.
"He's been acting strangely." Rude offered.
Elena looked at Rude.
"That's an understatement and you know it." She looked back at Reeve. "He's killed three guards and a nurse. He escaped from his bed two hours ago."
Seph X turned around.
"Is this Reno the person that was stabbed by Mech-Head?"
Elena addressed the metal man, glad that Reeve was still confused at what had happened.
"Yes."
Seph X dropped his gun. His face contorted into one of stark fear.
"We must find him now!"
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Oh, yeah.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters here (But I should).
But I DO own Seph X.
And Mech-Head.
And Jarred.
AND THE WHOLE STEEL ARMY!
THEY'RE MINE I TELL YOU! MINE!
Vincent Valentine walked through the shadow-strewn entrance to the Shin Ra headquarters. He carried Yuffie carefully in his hands, so not to drop her. The doors slid shut after him. His crimson eyes scanned the darkness for any signs of life.
A second pair of eyes watched him from the second floor. They were a dark red, surrounded by blackish-grey skin. Among the shadowy building, he was nearly invisible, a shadow at most.
Vincent's eyes past over their watcher unaware of it, and continued to look. He saw nothing that posed a threat. He proceeded to the elevator.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Jarred Rath watched the black clad man and his burden. Jarred silently jumped out from his vantage point and onto the first floor, stalking the shadowy man. He pulled out his crystal dagger, edging closer and closer. The man pushed the elevator button and waited.
Jarred grinned. The elevators had been disabled at the beginning of the siege. The man would wait a long time for the elevators. Silently, he slid the dagger around the man's throat.
"Drop your weapons." Jarred whispered
There was a long silence, then the clatter as something hit the ground.
Jarred took the dagger away, allowing the stranger time to recover.
"Turn around." He said. The stranger obeyed.
Jarred noted the garnet eyes halfway interested, but found the man's bundle more intriguing.
"What have you got there?" He remarked, tapping the pale face with the daggers tip.
A golden claw grabbed Jarred's hand, and squeezed hard. Jarred gasped in pain. He let go of the dagger. The man smiled grimly at Jarred.
"Where is Cloud?" He asked, lightening his grip on Jarred's hand.
"U, up stairs," Jarred winced in pain as one of the digits pierced his skin.
"Take me there."
"Who are you?"
The man smiled that strange smile.
"Valentine. Vincent Valentine."
Jarred gasped as the man picked up his weapon again.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"This is boring." Cid remarked while kicking a pebble over the edge of the Highwind. Barret swore in agreement.
"Shut up." Cloud said, shuffling slightly with boredom himself.
"Whose idea was it to fly around the f-#¤%-ing city and snipe was it anyway?"
Silence.
"I don't remember." Red XIII said.
Barret, Cid and Cloud all looked down at the flame red dog.
"You know, I believe I remember someone with four legs saying it." Cloud said airily, looking through his snipers scope again.
Silence again.
More silence.
"Dejâ vu." Cloud remarked.
"Huh?" Cid asked.
"Nothing." Cloud muttered.
Barret pointed his gun arm over the railing of the Highwind suddenly.
BOOM!
"Hehehe, tha's one bugger tha' won' kill anythang agin." He chortled.
Cid peeked over the edge. He swore loudly.
"That's also a five foot crater we'll have to repair!"
Cloud whacked Barret soundly behind the head.
"Whut?" Barret said in puzzlement.
Suddenly the Highwind lurched to the right.
"#)/^¤*#%|%#!" Cid swore. "Someone has gotta teach Tifa how to fly the Highwind!"
"Hey, its not our fault she kicks your ass every time you try to teach her something!" Cloud said back at Cid.
Cid gave Cloud a hurt look, then looked through his scope again.
"Where the hell do the bastards go at night?" Cid asked.
"Good question."
More silence.
"Lets give democracy a chance hall we?" Red XIII said suddenly. "All those who want to go back to the headquarters, say aye!"
A loud "AYE" went up as they all yelled it out.
"The people have spoken." Red remarked.
He padded into the Highwind to tell Tifa to turn back.
Even though they couldn't see anything, Cloud and Cid continued to search for targets.
"Maybe the sewers?" Cloud pondered.
"Huh?" Cid and Barret said simultaneously.
Cloud looked away from the scope.
"Maybe they hide in the sewers?"
Cid shrugged the possibility away.
"Nah."
"No, think about it. The sewers lead to every place and every level except the headquarters. They could be takin' it easy down there now and then launch an attack at dawn!"
"Uh-huh, and did you ever stop to think that there are an army of monsters down that's just as big as theirs and twice as pissy? No? 'Cause the other guy certainly did, or else he would have used the sewers in the first place instead of chargin' in unarmed."
Cloud thought of this for a second.
"Damn. I thought I had it for a moment."
Cid grinned encouragingly at Cloud.
"Cha, it was a good thought. It made me feel like a dumb ass for a second. Attack from the sewers? If the sewers were monster clean I would flyin' this thing back to the headquarters in the wink of an eye."
The Highwind lurched again as it turned towards the Shin Ra headquarters.
"#¤&/=*~¨^§*!"
"Shut up!" Cloud yelled at Cid.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Seph X stared out the window with the same tireless air around him. Reeve sat snoring in his seat, having fallen asleep with a book in his hand. Still holding his rifle, Seph X looked for anything that moved. Unfortunately he wasn't having much more luck than Cloud and the others. He shot at a street lamp irritably.
"Where ARE they?!" He yelled.
Reeve jumped from his chair with a start. He slipped on his book that flew from his lap and fell on his back.
"Conspiracy." He said sourly.
Neither Seph X nor Reeve noticed when Rude and Elena walked into the room and saluted.
It was only when Rude abruptly coughed that Reeve noticed they were there.
"Oh, hello there. How goes the subterfuge front?"
Rude saluted again. Then he began hazarding report.
"Err," He began. "We haven't really been there yet."
Reeve raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Then were would you have been, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
This time Elena spoke for both of them.
"Well, sir, something's wrong with Reno. We've been watching him for the past few days."
"And?" Reeve asked.
"He's been acting strangely." Rude offered.
Elena looked at Rude.
"That's an understatement and you know it." She looked back at Reeve. "He's killed three guards and a nurse. He escaped from his bed two hours ago."
Seph X turned around.
"Is this Reno the person that was stabbed by Mech-Head?"
Elena addressed the metal man, glad that Reeve was still confused at what had happened.
"Yes."
Seph X dropped his gun. His face contorted into one of stark fear.
"We must find him now!"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Oh, yeah.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters here (But I should).
But I DO own Seph X.
And Mech-Head.
And Jarred.
AND THE WHOLE STEEL ARMY!
THEY'RE MINE I TELL YOU! MINE!