Chapter One: Preparations
Nelo breathed a sigh of relief. His opportunity had arrived—a little late in coming, but it was here.
"Thank you, sir," Nelo said, and turned around to leave.
"Wait! Not so fast, Mr. Dalen," the Commander said sternly. Nelo spun around, feeling embarrassed. He wasn't dismissed.
"Sorry, sir."
"Never mind that. I would feel the same way had it been a close friend of mine in danger," Commander Dolan said, his tone changing from stern to mildly sympathetic. "Now where was I? Oh yes—back to your objective." His facial expression turned serious. "You will be accompanied on this mission. I am sending Ifalna Atrius with you, one of our top operatives."
Nelo tried not to show it, but apparently the Commander saw the look of annoyance.
"I know you usually like to be alone on these search-and-rescue missions, but with the increased security in Junon and in the surrounding areas, I can't take the risk of you getting nabbed or even killed by those Shinra. Besides, she'll provide some company so you'll have someone to talk to on this mission. She's also one of our best mercenaries—excellent with a gun. I hope you understand."
Nelo could do nothing. He sighed. "I understand perfectly, sir." Even so, there was still something nagging at him, and some part of him was still annoyed. He wanted to go alone for reasons of his own.
She's my closest friend, and I just want to make sure she's okay. But why else? Usually I'm not so annoyed for missions like this, but for Raina, it's—different somehow. Maybe it's a kind of love, I don't know. I'll manage.
"Meet me again at 1800 hours to finalize the objective scenario. That is all. Dismissed!" Nelo turned around and left the room, and headed to his quarters. When he arrived, he sat down on his bed and began to collect his thoughts. Looking at his watch again, he noted he only had a couple of ours before the briefing.
"Well, better get packing," he said to himself. Getting down on his knees, he felt under his bed for something. He pulled out a long black case, covered with a thin layer of dust. It was held shut by two snaps and a combination lock.
"It's been a while, my dear," he said, staring at the case. He quickly opened up the lock and undid the snaps. It opened to reveal a long black object in the shape of a gun—a gun that attached to a person's arm. It lay there, looking brand-new. The gun was a modified version of the gun-arm used by AVALANCHE member Barret Wallace, except that this attached onto an arm, whereas Barret's arm was surgically attached. A flood of memories hit Nelo's mind. This was a weapon he had found back in Nibelhelm, lying atop the body of a dead Shinra soldier who gave his life only to meet a fiery end. He could remember clearly the crackling of flame, of screaming panicked people, the cries of little children; the sounds of agony as they were burned alive…burned…completely innocent lives…
…He heard a knock on his door. "Am I interrupting something?" A woman's voice, cool and collected, brought him out of his reverie. He quickly shook his head, as if shaking off some bad thought, and then he looked to see the figure that greeted his eye. She was a woman of about 5'9", and had fair skin. She was a thin woman, and from the shape of her body, she looked as if she was in her 20's. She wore a long-sleeved plain black shirt, which was covered by a white and gray camouflage vest. She also wore olive-green colored army-type pants, similar to a Shinra army trainee, and they hung over a pair of well-worn combat boots. Her facial features showed a look of curiosity, her brown eyes adding to that look. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and Nelo noticed that she was holding a folder in her hand.
"No, you're not. Just thinking." Nelo stood up. "Come in, Ifalna." She took a step in when she stopped and looked at the modified gun-arm."
"Nice bit of weaponry," she said in a curious tone. "How did you get that?"
Nelo shook his head again and sighed. "Long story. Maybe I'll tell you on the trip."
"All right. It is nice, though. I've only heard about a weapon like this—now I finally see one," Ifalna said, her eyes wide.
"Well," Nelo began. "It's a modified version of the one you've probably heard of. The original model was surgically attached as an arm. This one attaches to my arm. I hear this packs quite a punch—but I've never had to use it…until maybe now." His voice changed to a casual tone. "So…what did you want to see me about?"
"Actually, the Commander wanted me to see you. Seeing that this will be our first mission together, he wants us to become acquainted with each other. You know his policy—'Best to know your comrade,'" she said in her Commander-like voice.
Nelo chuckled. "Hey, you do that pretty good. Maybe you should have gone into acting. I hear the Tantalus group is looking for actors."
Ifalna smiled. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think I could perform in front of people. Stage fright, you know." She handed Nelo the folder. "Here's my dossier. Hope you enjoy it." She smiled again. Nelo took his chair by his bed and began to read it. A few seconds went by.
"Well?" Ifalna said, still standing.
Nelo stood up quickly, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Ifalna. Sit down and I'll get you mine."
Stupid! Silly me, losing my manners like that…
He went over to his desk and took a folder from a large pile of folders. "Nope…not his one…no…arrgh…damn…where is it?" At last he found the folder marked Dalen, Nelo (Profile). He handed it to Ifalna. "Here you go."
Profile for Dalen, Nelo
Id Number: 13013
Age: 26
Blood Type: A negative
Marital Status: single
Gender: Male
Years of Service: 8
Bio: Nelo Dalen came to the Fort Condor branch of the ASA (Anti-Shinra Army) at age 18, several years after the destruction of his hometown of Nibelhelm at the hands of Sephiroth, creation of Jenova. His reasons for joining the ASA are that of to stop Shinra from taking over all sources of Mako Energy which brought the Shinra to his hometown to begin with—the concentration of Mako Energy found at Mt. Nibel. He has been in many missions, mostly recon missions. He spent 3 years in the Junon branch of the ASA, after Shinra presence due to the attraction of the Condor brought the company here. Some members of the Fort Condor ASA are also people that came from Nibelhelm. In his spare time he likes to write and observe nature, and on his off-duty likes to stargaze in Cosmo Canyon. During his trips to Cosmo Canyon, he developed an interest in the race of beings only referred to as "Nanaki."
(Picture enclosed)
Profile for Atrius, IfalnaId Number: 10931
Age: 24
Blood Type: O
Marital Status: Single
Gender: Female
Years of Service: 6
Bio: Ifalna Atrius first came to us from the Sector 7 slums of Midgar. At age 14, After the Mako Energy Act was passed which regulated Mako energy flow in Midgar, her family was arrested, tried, and executed for false crimes—assisting and aiding the AVALANCHE terrorist group, of which she never knew anything about until shortly after their execution. She seeks revenge on the Shinra Corporation, but mainly the man who executed her parents—Heidegger. Now she seeks the Shinra Corporation's downfall. For her first 2 years, while she was with the Fort Condor ASA, she did team up with the AVALANCHE group in Midgar, and recently helped the current AVALANCHE team in their plans to destroy the Sector 7 Reactor. She spent almost a year with the newly formed Nibelhelm ASA, and it was here in which she became one of our expert marksmen. She also learned medical technique here. Now she resides with the Fort Condor ASA. Her hobbies include writing poetry and drawing.
(Picture enclosed)
* * *
She let out another moan of erotic pleasure as he slammed his member into her wet womanhood, reaching orgasm again. The sensation shot through her body like a huge amount of electricity as she could feel his manhood throbbing inside her. He let out a low guttural moan as he finished. He slowly pulled himself out of her and lay on his side to her left. Raina Lani opened her eyes and saw gray metal pipeline above her. Still panting, she felt the sensation of orgasm fading away and she looked to her left to see Sephiroth's face, his silver hair strewn wildly about his head, his face and muscular body covered in sweat.
A type of silence fell across the Control Room, located on the ship bound for Costa del Sol. She lay there, looking at him, wondering how she ended up in this position, losing her virginity to Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel.
What happened? Last thing I remember…getting on the ship…finding control room…dead guard…Sephiroth…one thing led to another…
A grin slowly spread across her face.
It was one hell of a ride, though. Probably the best thing I've ever done. So exciting…Sephiroth…the domination…the power…
"Thank you…Sephiroth," Raina said, breaking the silence. She leaned close and kissed him once more. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back.
"You're…welcome. I guess when I was created, Hojo gave me human feelings as well…lust, love, anger," Sephiroth said in a low voice. "I don't know where I'll go next, but I suggest you not stay in Costa del Sol for too long. It's best for you to go back to your group."
"But what of you?" Raina asked.
"I can take care of myself, Raina." Sephiroth leaned closer to kiss her. Suddenly a chime went off in the room, sounding like an elevator bell. Raina got up and looked to the screen behind her. Suddenly the screen changed to a course map, and showed the current position of the ship in relation to the destination. She heard the sound of a loud click—all locks were released. An automated voice, female, filled up the room.
"Attention all Shinra personnel. We will be arriving at Costa del Sol shortly. Be prepared to dock. All staff should be ready to disembark. Estimated time to dock: four minutes. All doors have been unlocked to help expedite the unloading process."
"We're almost there, Sephiroth. Soon—" she turned around to look at him—but to her surprise, there was no one in the room. He had disappeared.
If you still like, read on to Chapter 2: Briefing.