Chapter Six: The Journey West
The three of them sat once again in the large room of Coren Dolan, receiving some last minute words before the two operatives Nelo Dalen and Ifalna Atrius set out to return Raina safely home.
"All the preparations are in place. Remember the objective—return Ms. Lani safely back. No fooling around. Sometimes you children like to go exploring. I won't take that risk now with an increased Shinra presence. You will meet an operative from Nibelhelm once you arrive at the landing. Until then, it should be smooth sailing. Any last questions?"
The two shook their heads. "Well, then—I'll see you in a week. Dismissed!" He raised his hand in salute. The other two followed suit and left.
Nelo looked around his quarters, seeing if everything he needed was coming. He stopped in the middle of his room and paused.
I almost forgot...
He reached under his bed, and pulled out the black case that contained the artificial gun-arm.
You never know…
* * *
Ifalna stood at the shore, looking at the vast expanse of the ocean. The morning sun cast a pale yellow light across the land, and its warmth was present on her face. The cool ocean breeze that was prevalent relaxed her a little. Even though she was used to missions like these, there was always a sense of initial nervousness. Once everything was underway, the feeling quelled. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, absorbing the salty air, another way of calming those nerves. In the midst of her reverie she heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction—the sounds of her partner. She opened her eyes and turned her head to him, and saw him carrying the black case. She looked at her timepiece.
"You're late," she grinned. He grinned back. "I'm only late if I say I am."
She pointed a finger to a small craft nearby. "This way."
"Lead the way," he said.
It was a small wooden craft, not too much bigger than a canoe. Attached near the rear was a small trolling motor. It was decided that the craft should be small as to not attract attention to anyone monitoring the waters—an idea that Nelo suggested.
"Hmm…kind of small," Ifalna said. "Can we fit?"
"Yes," Nelo replied. "It was my idea. We don't want to attract attention to anyone paying attention."
"Hmm. All right." She replied flatly.
"You first, Ifalna." Carefully, she stepped into the craft, gripping to both sides for balance. When she was safely seated at the front, Nelo put his case in, careful not to disturb the contents. Then in one quick motion he pushed off, and jumped into the boat—that proved to be foolish. The boat bounced and shook violently, catching Ifalna by surprise by almost launching her out of the boat. A few seconds later, the boat calmed. Nelo's face immediately went red as Ifalna glared evilly at him, her gaze seeming to pierce straight through her embarrassed partner.
"Whoops," he said quickly. "Sorry 'bout that."
"See what happens when you do stupid shit like that?!" Ifalna yelled.
"Sorry! I didn't expect that!" Nelo yelled, surprised by Ifalna's angry tone.
"Think, you idiot! Think!" Ifalna yelled, waving her hands about.
"Shall we begin?!" Nelo bellowed.
"Yes, lets!" With one angry flick, Nelo started the trolling motor, and came to life.
"Let's just get there without us biting our heads off," Nelo said, calmly.
"Sure…just no more foolish jackass moves," Ifalna replied, her voice returning to a speaking tone. With that, Nelo once again flicked a switch and the dull hum of the motor began to turn, sending the two out into the open waters ahead.
Commander Dolan stood by his office window, looking at the scene by the landing. As the two of them sped away, he let out a laugh and grinned.
Hell hath no fury like a woman sustained…Godspeed, you two.
The late morning sunlight shone brightly in the small space where Raina slept. The warm light splayed brightly across her face as she slowly stirred from the nightly slumber. Feeling a little groggy, she sat up in her bed, and the vision of the night came flooding back in an instant.
What was that? Was I dreaming…was I really there, in that cold place? Am I…
A knock at her door brought her back to reality. "Raina? It's Jeini. Are you awake?"
"Yes…just a sec." She quickly got out of bed, and put on a robe. She opened the door to see a smiling Jeini, already dressed in Nibelhelm uniform, dark navy blue pants and matching jacket, with the symbol of the Nibelhelm ASA on the jacket. The collar was adorned with Major pins, signifying rank. She was holding something in her hand.
"I come bearing gifts," she said, presenting the bundle of clothing to her. "I managed to get a Fort Condor uniform for you." Raina looked at it, the familiar forest green color, representing the Fort Condor branch.
"Thank you much. I was getting tired of combat fatigues." Raina chuckled. "Any other things?"
Jeini looked at her timepiece. "We will be leaving for Nibelhelm shortly, in about 2 hours. The chocobos are outside being prepared for the trek. Meet me at the front of the inn then. Until then, you're free. See you then."
"Yes, ma'am," Raina grinned. Jeini turned and left. Closing the door behind her, she sat down on her bed, paused in thought. Once again, she recalled the events of the dream and her session with Sephiroth.
Am I really a Cetra? If I am, why didn't I realize until last night? Was it just a dream? Am I really the one to bring back the race?
Despite all this, Raina had an element of skepticism. She couldn't be sure that the dream held any merit. Then she had an idea.
I'll go to the basement laboratory in Nibelhelm…I'm sure I'll find something there.
Putting the thoughts aside for now, she placed the uniform on the bed and began to unfold the contents. While she was, she found a small white box, gift-wrapped. Curious, she opened the box and found a pistol—standard issue Beretta, firing 9mm parabellum rounds. Looking at it, she noticed the safety was on. Picking the weapon up, she found a note.
I decided to equip you a weapon if you decide to explore the town—there may be Shinra around. You'd be a dead giveaway carrying or even trying to conceal a Shinra standard issue Semi. It's small, easy to conceal, and I even gave you one magazine. Careful—it's already loaded. I've taken your semi and placed it in a safe place.
--Jeini
Raina grinned. How thoughtful. Quickly, she dressed herself and taking the new issued weapon, she left the small cozy room, and the inn proper. She stepped outside into what appeared to be a new world—the small tropical village of Costa del Sol seemed to have changed overnight. What was once a dull night on the street escaping Shinra turned into a bustling place, full of thriving life, peoples and creatures abound. The street seemed to come alive with chatter and sounds. As if scripted, life flourished. The scene looked like Runyonland. Taking one quick look in both directions, she decided to head down toward the city proper.
Now over an hour into the mission, the small craft where Nelo and Ifalna sat was quiet, save for the low hum of the trolling motor and the sounds of the ocean breeze. Nelo kept looking about his surroundings, cautiously looking for any hostile presence on the water. Ifalna had a relaxed appearance, her mood calm after the initial incident at the shore. Her gaze stared out on the horizon, all she was seeing was water, cool blue all around her stretching for a seemingly endless distance. With no land in sight, the only thing that she could do was watch the passing scenery. Her gaze turned to the watchful Nelo, his eyes still scanning the area as if he was a sort of human radar. She felt as if she needed to break the silence.
"Relax, Nelo." Ifalna said. "You look so worried."
"I do? Just being cautious." Nelo said, feeling almost embarrassed.
"Nothing to be ashamed of. It's just that you look so…so…protective," she said, a small laugh escaping her.
Nelo smiled, amused. "Well, at least I'm not boring you. I mean, we're gonna be a while before we reach the other side. Might as well provide some entertainment."
Ifalna sighed. "How long until we reach land?"
Nelo gazed at his timepiece. "We have another few hours yet. Might as well enjoy the ride." He sighed.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Ifalna asked.
"Huh?" Nelo looked at her curiously.
"About Raina?"
"Of course. Even though I know she's safe…" his voice trailed off. Ifalna moved up close to Nelo, her jade eyes staring straight into Nelo's. Her gaze gave a sense of reassurance.
"Relax," she said soothingly. "She's okay. There's nothing to worry about." Nelo looked at her, and an almost ominous silence (save for the boat motor) passed between the two. After somewhat of an eternity, Nelo sighed, and a slight grin came across his face.
"Thanks," Nelo said softly. Her face leaned in close to Nelo once again, once again those jade eyes softening. "Anytime," Ifalna whispered, then pressed her lips to Nelo's. His eyes shut, he absorbed himself in the moment and began to feel a sense of being in a dream. Time seemed to slow to a total crawl as Nelo's mouth opened, allowing her tongue entry. They explored each other's mouths for what seemed like ages, and she pulled away after what was only about a minute.
"Hope that made you feel better," Ifalna said.
"Quite," Nelo replied. Suddenly the boat shook violently for a sec, catching Ifalna by surprise. Her expression changed from one of relaxed to total shock as she flew in the air, almost flying into the drink. She landed back in the craft, splayed, her legs dangling over the craft, in the water causing a huge drag on the boat. Nelo quickly killed the motor and carefully went to Ifalna's position in an effort to pull her back onboard.
"Jesus! What the hell was that?!" Ifalna said, furious.
"Give me your hand!" Nelo ordered. Quickly she responded and was easily pulled back in the boat. Her knees down were soaked with ocean water as the boat oriented itself once again. "You okay?" Nelo asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but what the hell was that?"
"My guess would be a spot of rough water, but from what, I don't know," Nelo said, searching to make sure everything was in check.
"I'm 2 for 2 today—one by you and one from turbulence," Ifalna said jokingly.
"Hey, there," Nelo said, smiling and pointing at the slightly wet figure. "This second one wasn't my doing."
"You steered us into it, so ha!" Nelo started the motor once again.
"But…but…but…oh, fuck it. I can't win," Nelo bowed his head in defeat.
"Just kidding," Ifalna said laughing. Ifalna sat back, looking all around her once again. It was such a gorgeous day, the sky a pristine blue, matching the ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky, just the occasional bird flying overhead.
Nelo lifted his head and smiled. "Good."
Several minutes had passed, and suddenly Ifalna drew a look of inquisitiveness. "Nelo, kill the motor." He quickly killed the power. "What's up?"
"Listen." Nelo heard nothing save for the sounds of lapping water.
"I don't—"
"Shut up and listen!" Her eyes darted the sky for the source of an apparent sound. Finally Nelo heard it too, and it was the sound of aircraft, faded as a result of distance, but from their standpoint, it was getting louder. Ifalna spotted it to her left and pointed, then reached into her small bag and pulled out a set of binoculars.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. It's a small red civilian plane," On that, Nelo started the motor again. Ifalna had her binoculars set on the aircraft and scrutinized it very carefully as it flew closer to their position. It had appeared to change direction, flying towards Fort Condor, away from them. Ifalna kept track of the flying craft as it flew towards the horizon, and slowly disappeared from sight. Relieved, she put the binoculars down next to her.
"Nothing?" Nelo asked, breaking the silence.
"Luckily, it's nothing." Ifalna said.
"Wait," Nelo said, looking at the airspace above Ifalna. Quickly, he killed the motor, and the small craft glided to a smooth stop. Ifalna caught on and looked behind her. Heading in their direction was a helicopter, and for further detail, Ifalna once again took the binoculars to get a better look.
"Fuck! Nelo, GO!! It's a Shinra helicopter!" At the opening word, Nelo slammed on the motor, the motor roaring to life as Nelo slammed the thrust, going full throttle over the open ocean, leaving a wide wake as it headed for the direction of the helicopter. "Hopefully it won't notice us," Nelo said.
"Right. They'd have to be stupid not to notice," Ifalna said boldly, a twist of sarcasm in her voice.
"One can only hope," he said firmly. "One can only hope." Still looking through the binoculars, she could make out the emblem of Shinra—her suspicions confirmed. Placing the binoculars down, she noticed that the helicopter was lowering its altitude, its position still fixed.
"Fuck," Nelo said, almost not realizing he said it. "I think they have. Shit—we're sitting ducks! That helicopter will be on us in a minute. Be prepared to engage the enemy!"
"With what?" Ifalna asked, angry. Nelo didn't have time to answer when suddenly he heard the rapid fire of aircraft machine guns, the bullets hitting the water in a display of speed and splashing.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Nelo yelled. Ifalna took her semi-machine gun and opened fire at the helicopter.
"Bastards!!!" Ifalna yelled over the peal of machine gun bullets from the aircraft. The water around them was splashing all over the place, mist flying from the huge speed of the bullets hitting the water all around them. Looking up, the helicopter roared over their heads, and it was here where Nelo had an idea.
"Hold your fire!" Getting nothing, Nelo tapped his comrade on the shoulder.
"What?!"
"Hold your fire! I have an idea!" Not too far away from them, the gray battle helicopter of Shinra began to make a u-turn, and soon it would be upon them again.
"Ifalna! Take the motor! Your machine gun will do nothing against that!"
"What the fuck do you mean?!" Ifalna screamed.
"A Shinra standard issue will do nothing against an armored helicopter! Now here!" Nelo grabbed Ifalna's hand and pulled her to his position. "Steer the boat," he said through gritted teeth. He quickly moved himself to Ifalna's former position and took out the black case from under her seat.
I didn't think I had to use you yet…but don't fail me!
The helicopter was now once again heading in their direction, gaining ground quick. Nelo quickly opened the case and saw his modified gun-arm, never used. The gun-arm came with two attachments, one for a machine gun, and one for an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). He took out the base and the RPG attachment, and quickly strapped it onto his right arm. No sooner than he did that when suddenly in front of him, he heard a whistling of a missile coming from above.
"Nelo!!!!" Ifalna shrieked, and on instinct, Nelo ducked. Suddenly the blue water was alive as a huge explosion of ocean displayed just mere feet in front of them. The small craft rose out of the water as foamy salt water splashed all around them, the motor suddenly screaming a high-pitched wail as the blades were turning air. All around them was white, churned water from the near-missed missile. Nelo saw red, furious. Ifalna let out another shriek as the boat hit the water again, caroming violently to the right, almost capsizing under the force of the turn. The motion almost sent Nelo out of the boat, but he quickly balanced himself, and caught the case as it was flying. Wasting no time, the air once again became filled with the sounds of gunfire, the scurry of bullets flying. As if warping to a new realm, the surroundings became clear once again as the wave of seawater subsided. Back to it now, Nelo took one of the RPGs that was placed near the attachment and loaded it into his gun-arm, which added a significant amount of weight. The attachment went over the length of his arm. The RPG attachment was designed so that upon ignition, all reaction would take place in the barrel, unlike a bazooka which explodes out the rear--a safety feature so that the person using it doesn't get his or her face blown off. Moving fast, he loaded the gun-arm and was ready to fire. Before he could, he saw another missile heading straight for the rear of their small boat.
"IFALNA! TURN!" Suddenly the boat took a huge yaw to the left, and missing the motor by a mere foot, the water behind once again exploded in a huge display of sound and whitewater. The impact sent the boat in the air once again, the squeal of the motor drowning out the tremendous splash. Sensing its failed attempt, the copter quickly responded by once again flying over their heads. The boat landed back in the water, shaking from impact. Ifalna held on to the craft tight and quickly righted position. No sooner than she did, the helicopter flew once again in front of them, facing them, heading straight into the two again. Machine gun fire resumed once again, and as the guns fired, it was loading another missile. Nelo raised his gun-arm to aim, his finger on the trigger, when suddenly he heard an ear-piercing scream. Looking behind, Ifalna's face contorted in pain—she took a bullet in the right shoulder, and her shirt quickly was becoming blood stained. Her other hand was controlling the motor, but the boat began to move out of control.
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Ifalna!
"Shit!" He couldn't do anything yet. He quickly lifted his gun-arm, quickly aimed, and fired. No sooner did he fire, than did Shinra fire their missile, both of them heading for each other's respective targets. Ripping the gun-arm off him, he quickly moved to Ifalna, but suddenly he screamed in pain as a bullet sailed into the muscle of his left leg, crippling him. He found himself collapsed. Wincing and letting out another cry of pain, Ifalna still had enough left to move the boat out of the way.
"Thank you, Ifalna," Nelo said softly.
"I'll be fine," Ifalna said through gritted teeth.
Looking up, Nelo's RPG made contact with the rear of the copter, completely obliterating the tail in a huge show of orange and yellow light, and the last Shinra missile hit perilously close to the motor. The resultant once again covered both of them in cold seawater, and the motor couldn't take it anymore. Sputtering, the motor died. Both of them screamed in pain again, the salty brine stinging their injuries. Ifalna and Nelo looked to see the chopper spiraling out of control, its center of balance gone as it loomed closer to the drink. With heavy black smoke trailing from the rear, the bulk of the chopper hit the water, crumpling like tin foil, thick smoke pouring from the defeated body of the deceased aircraft. Despite the pain, Nelo felt a wave of pride, confident in the fact that he got the assholes.
"We'll be fine." Nelo whispered. He looked at his injured leg, saw the blood seeping through the fabric of his pants. He looked at Ifalna's injured shoulder; saw the crimson stain heading for her breast. He wrapped his arm around Ifalna, careful not to touch the bullet wound. Nesting closer, almost spoon-like, he didn't notice the small red plane heading towards the accomplished two.
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter in…I had a case of writer's block in the middle. Now I'm back, overcome, woot!
Hopefully up soon, the final chapter for this story—Epilogue: A Change of Plan. Review please!