Chapter 2: Tomorrow Is A Drop Away
"You've been quiet" Vance's words snapped Sarie's eyes awake. She blinked once or twice before turning towards him.
"Sorry, I didn't sleep very well last night" Sarie answered; she really had no interest in a conversation anyways. Vance grinned; his dark brown eyes focused on the road ahead of him.
"You look like you were up all night crying. Nightmares or something?" Vance leaned into the seat more; using only one hand on the wheel now.
"Oh, you could say that. I'm sorry, I must be terrible company" Sarie turned back towards the road; hey tired green eyes trying in vain to get a clear picture of what was ahead.
"Well, it's understandable. I mean...look, I'm sorry about last night. I had a few drinks and I was just...well, I was hoping to get to know you. I acted like a jerk. So I'm sorry" Vance took his free hand and adjusted the rear-view mirror. Sarie leaned up off her chair. A tiny, faint smile fell onto her face.
"It's alright. Last night, as I keep saying, was pretty long. I should have been nicer" Sarie reached behind her hand and pushes her hair off her back; her feet dancing around on the car floor.
"So where you heading? You know, in the long run?" Vance asked her, trying to ignore all the noise she was making.
"Oh...just on a little vacation. I want to head towards the south; you know, visit Nibelheim maybe. I really haven't given it a ton of though" Finally happy with her hair, her body stopped making so much noise. Vance pushed on the gas-pedal a little harder, his grin growing.
"No, really, where you going?" Vance gambled; the car went speeding past grass fields and small lakes with family names. Sarie gulped down.
"You'd laugh at me" Sarie forced out; she was not sure it came out in words or merely her mouth moving with no sound. Her ankles crossed and uncrossed a few times. Her hands began to rub together nervously.
"Why would I laugh?" Vance asked her; confirming her fear she had actually spoken the words. Now, her arms went to her sides and grabbed onto her dress; her ankles planted to the ground unmoving.
"I need to go to Cosmo Canyon and meet Red and then he's gonna tell me how to save the planet and it sounds so stupid" Sarie blurted out; the words came out in a jumbled mess. It was like the pieces of a puzzle falling out of the just-opened box; all over the place.
"Come again?" Vance's words had a harshness to them.
"Well, here's the thing...I need to go to Cosmo Canyon to speak to some gentlemen named Nanaki. Something about helping the planet" Sarie leaned into her chair; if she could close her ears she would have.
"Nanaki? I may know the guy. I think I drank with him once or twice. Maybe I can help you get there" Vance commented. Sarie's eyes shoot open; no lack of sleep could keep them closed now.
"Really? You don't think it's stupid or ludicrous?" Sarie asked quickly. The car slowed down somewhat, but it still rolled on at a good speed.Vance chuckled; his grin growing wide.
"Why would I laugh? In fact, if you'd like, I could take you there" Vance commented. Sarie felt a smile trying to break onto her face. Even if her heart told her to hold it back.
"That would be nice, if you would. So what kind of car is this, anyways?" Sarie tried to change the subject. Vance nodded and pressed on the gas pedal again.
"It's a LeSaber. Fastest car around. You ever driven one?" Vance followed her lead. Sarie shook her head and let out a tiny-bag of giggles.
"Nope. I've never driven in my life" Sarie commented; she crossed her ankles and placed her hands on her lap. Vance made a face; his lip curled upwards.
"So how old are you, anyways?" Vance pressed the car harder still; road signs and grass plains flew past them.
"I'm seventeen. How old are you? Like twenty or twenty one?" Sarie asked; her eyes on the passing signs. Vance stole a look at her, biting his tongue very hard. By the time he returned his view onto the road, his nasty yellow sneer had returned.
"Yeah, twenty-one. You nailed it. Bingo cupcake. So you got any family? Boyfriend?" Vance asked. Sarie lifted her left hand off her lap and leaned it against the window. She then placed her chin on the left palm.
"Oh, no. I'm on my own" Sarie said in her fast tone. Vance just sneered and nodded. The car drove along in silence for a few moments.
"So..." Vance turned to Sarie but stopped; her eyes were tightly shut. Her mouth was opened somewhat; but he could tell she was sleeping. Vance took his free hand and put it on the arm rest. Slowly, as the car went down the road farther, his hand moved closer and closer to her body. Suddenly, Sarie stirred a bit and Vance pulled his arm away quickly; his finger tips missing her behind by mere millimeters. She curled up into a ball along side the passenger door. Vance just grinned at her; the yellow shine off his teeth enough to slow down a car.
"Not now...now, anyways"
"Wake up cupcake" Vance called out; the words shook Sarie's body awake. Her body jolted upwards; much like when a person is splashed with water. Her eyes shot open. However, the high fields of grass and road signs were replaced; now neon signs and dirty buildings filled her eyes.
"Where are we?" Sarie rubbed her eyes, knocking crust and hopefully the view out of her eyes. When she stopped, only the crust was gone. Vance stood at his open car door.
"We're in Jarison Bay. Where do you think? Come on, we need to go see a guy. He can help us out" Vance slammed the door shut. Sarie rubbed her eyes quickly before opening her door and getting out.
"No offense, but how is this helping me? I don't need to see anyone...I just need to get to Cosmo Canyon" Sarie commented. She flattened her dress down and quickly smoothed her hair out.
"What is this place?" Sarie asked. Vance had his hand on the door knob, but did not open the door.
"This is Cosmic Kevin's...it's a bar. Lots of mercs hang out here" Vance turned the doorknob.
"What's a merc?" Sarie asked, standing right behind her. Her head was tilted; her face covered in a puzzle. Vance held the doorknob where it was at, but added enough pressure to crush a glass bowl.
"A merc is a mercenary. You know what that is, right?" Vance spat out; the doorknob was shaking in his fist. The puzzle fell right off of her face.
"Oh yeah, I getcha" She stated, a soft smile on her face. Vance let out a sigh and pushed the door open.
"Come on" Vance commanded; the door flew out of his hand and went swinging backwards, nearly hitting her. Sarie grabbed the door and quickly went inside. Her eyes squinted at once; the dark buildings and a few neon lights were replaced with hordes of neon lights and few dark spots. Disco balls were hung from the ceiling; light and barely-dressed girls danced around the room at a wicked pace. Smoke, from both machines and people, filled the air, giving the room a foggy feeling. Sarie did her best to follow Vance, who moved like a man who disliked having a shadow. Vance made his way towards the bar; a long L shaped bar at the back right corner. Sarie skipped around some broken beer glasses as she followed. Sarie kept dancing around people who were coming and going from the bar, doing her best not to touch or offend anyone. Finally, she saw Vance stop behind a patron. She walked up behind her and crossed her hands over the front of her dress. Vance tapped the man's shoulder; the man instantly spun around and reached down to his leg. Sarie followed his motion and saw a shotgun attached to his belt buckle. Her eyes went wide as she gulped. Vance sat down across from the man.
"Chill out Frost. It's just me" Vance pulled out a pack of cigars and tossed them on the bar. Frost ran his hand through his short hair; Sarie noticed that his dark brown hair had white tips. Sarie tilted her head and looked at Vance.
"Is this your friend?" Sarie asked. Vance looked back at her.
"Friend? Yeah, whatever. Frost-Sarie, Sarie-Frost. Bartender, give me a banana daiquiri" Vance gestured with his hand to the passing bartender. Sarie took a few steps forward and extended her hand.
"Hello there....um, hello?" Sarie commented. The man, who Sarie could tell was not that much older than her, ignored her and took a sip from his beer bottle. Vance spun on his seat and faced Sarie.
"He can't hear you. He's deaf. You gotta poke him to get his attention and shit" Vance turned towards Frost and slapped his shoulder. Frost glared at Vance but then noticed Sarie's still extended hand. He spun to her and shook it gently.
"Hello there miss. I'm Frost, and you are?" He asked. His face lacked emotion; no smile, no grin, no sneer, nothing. Sarie, however, did have a small smile on her face.
"I'm Sarie..you're deaf?" She bluntly asked; her lips snapped shut tight. Frost let out a sigh.
"Yeah, I'm deaf" He commented. Sarie gulped hard and looked around the bar scene. Then suddenly turned her attention back to him.
"So how do you know what I'm saying?" Sarie spit out in her fast way. Frost pointed to his lips.
"I can read lips. In this type of environment, it helps" Frost noted before taking a swig from his beer.. Sarie nodded and crossed her arms in an attempt to hug herself. Vance turned towards the both of them again; drink in hand.
"Ok, enough chit-chat. Sit down cupcake so me and my boy here can talk business" Vance commanded. Sarie looked blankly at him; her face confused one more time. Frost turned to his left and knocked a few cigarette butts of the barstool there.
"Sit over here" His words barely went over the music, but Sarie heard them. She walked quickly to the chair and jumped up onto it. Once she was sitting down, Frost turned his attention back to Vance.
"So what's the score?" Frost asked, his dark blue eyes focused on Vance. Sarie fidgeted on her barstool, trying to get her dress to flatten out nicely. Vance took a sip of his drink and placed it down on the bar.
"A little something-something is coming in from North Wutai. Pick up and delivery, that's all" Vance turned back to the bar and picked up his pack of cigars. Frost's eyes narrowed.
"Odd, you need me for that" Frost stated; not a question but a statement. Vance put a cigar in his mouth and lit it; a puff of smoke flew into the air. The smoke joined the rest of its family in the air around the whole bar.
"Well, the peeps involved want two people there. More secure, I suppose" Vance took a deep hit on the cigar and then let the smoke fill out of his mouth. Frost shook his head and leaned back in his barstool. He took another big swig from his beer.
"How much?" He glanced over at this new girl to his left; Sarie was still fidgeting with her dress, trying to achieve perfection from it. Vance slapped his shoulder to get his attention.
"Two-fifty, each. Seeing as how its gonna take an hour or so, I figured that wasn't so bad" Vance hissed out. Frost did not need his hearing to know the words were not pleasant.
"Fine, I'm in. Not like its a major job. When is it?" Frost put the empty beer bottle on the bar. Vance laughed before letting out another cigar-filled cloud.
"Tonight. I figured you weren't doing anything anyways...." Vance started before turning back to his drink, away from the lip-reading eyes "you dumb deaf fucker" Vance finished. Frost raised his eyebrows.
"What did you say?" He spat out. Vance glared over at him, smoke coming out through his yellow teeth.
"I said 'How about another' to the bartender" Vance let the smoke out in Frost's face.
"You can be a prick sometimes Vance. Anyways, whenever you wanna roll is fine" Frost commented. Vance made a face and smashed his cigar into the bar.
"I need to piss. Watch the girl" Vance got up from his barstool and walked through the mobs of people. Frost looked over at the girl, who now faced the dance-floor. Her face looked like it had been white-washed.
"What's wrong?" Frost looked at her; eyes probing this new girl. She looked towards him; eyes wide.
"The guy behind the bar, he yelled at me. I dunno why!" Sarie exclaimed. Frost chuckled a few times.
"You gotta yell in this place for the most part. Or else no one will hear you. I'm gonna guess you're not from here" Frost asked. Sarie again attempted to flatten her dress out.
"No, I'm from Cobbleston" Sarie fidgeted with her dress some more. Frost made a face.
"Wow, how'd you end up with Vance?" Frost questioned. Sarie smiled now and stopped messing with her dress at the moment. She looked into his grey eyes and studied them.
"Oh, he just gave me a ride here. I'm heading towards Cosmo Canyon soon, I need to meet someone there. And Vance knows the person, so he's gonna help me get there" Sarie cheerfully explained. Frost made yet another face.
"What you kids talking about" Vance roared as he walked back to his barstool. Frost bite his tongue hard.
"Oh, we were just talking about why I'm with you. That's all" Sarie tilted her head once more and smiled a little more. Vance snatched his cigars up and glared at them.
"Let's roll. I want to get there early; make sure no crack-heads are lingering" Vance turned and walked away from them. Sarie blinked and got up. Frost tossed some gil on the bar and got up as well. He stretched out. Sarie stepped in front of him and pointed to his shotgun, which was dangling on his right leg.
"You're allowed to have that? You know, in here?" Sarie asked. Frost smirked and let out a chuckle.
"You're really new to this town. Look around as we leave; almost everyone's armed" Frost told her. Sarie felt a cold chill run down her spine.
"Why-why?" Sarie feet keep moving around in a sort of nervous dance. Frost walked past her.
"The way it is. Don't worry; let's go" He pushed his way through the crowds, Sarie closely behind him. Finally, they got through the maze of lights and fog and got to the door. Frost pushed the door open, and to both their shocks, Vance was arguing with a young female.
"That's not my fault!" Vance screamed at her. The girl put her hands on her hips and bent over; her red skimpy skirt not hiding her behind in the least. Her tight black halter top was holding her chest in place, but only by a string.
"Yes it is, you dirty fuck!" Even in her red heels, this new girl was no where near as tall as Vance.
"Listen Danielle, I don't care if you blew it all already! I told you that was it; end of the road. So don't crawl back to me!" Vance screamed; his voice nearly knocking the girl over. Sarie gently elbowed Frost.
"Maybe we should go wait in the bar" She mentioned. Frost just shook his head.
"Part of life" Was all he added. Danielle took a few steps backwards, nearly tripping in her shoes.
"Come on Vance..Vance-baby. Please? Just a little?" Danielle's voice pleaded. Vance spit on her; a large brown wad of spit at that. It hit her upper thigh.
"Fuck off cunt. I got better things to do then 'feed' you" Vance's voice echoed off the walls. Danielle's blue eyes filled up with tears. She took a few steps forward; slow steps so she wouldn't trip.
"Please...please" She begged. Vance sneered; the yellow teeth showing how happy he was. He grabbed her blonde hair and yanked her towards him.
"You know what I want, then" Vance commented. Danielle pulled her hair free and took a step away. Sarie felt her heart pounding in her chest. She again elbowed Frost.
"What's going on? That his girlfriend or something?" Sarie asked; her words flying out of her mouth at rocket speed. Frost took a deep breathe.
"I'm not sure what you just said, cause your mouth moved to fast. Regardless, I'm not sure who she is. Vance has a lot of women, though. Just let it play out. If you interfere, it'll get worse" Frost advised her. He leaned up again and watched the scene; Danielle was still not talking.
"This was a bad idea...bad idea" Sarie muttered as she twisted her fingers together.
"Vance...Vance-baby...anything but-"
"Then get it somewhere else!" Vance did not allow Danielle to finish her statement. The girl had tears coming down her face; they messed up all her dark make-up.
"Fine..."
The neon sky danced against the dark buildings, giving them a glow that did not belong. The LeSaber moved along silently; Vance driving with Frost sitting shotgun with two young girls sitting in the back seat. Frost was cleaning his shotgun with a tissue; Vance had his eyes glued onto the streets and the cigar glued into his mouth. Sarie was fidgeting with her dress, as she always did. And the new girl, Danielle, was leaning against the door, her skirt hiked up as high as she could get it. Sarie kept stealing glances at Danielle, but was to afraid to talk or even look at her. The car slowed to a stop in front of a garage.
"This sure is not the docks" Frost commented. Vance tossed the cigar out the window and pushed his door open.
"No shit. I need to pick up a van" Vance spit out his smoke and stomped on the cigar. Frost groaned and pushed his door open, grabbing his shotgun with one hand. Once Sarie saw Frost get out, she quickly followed him. She jogged in front of him and held her hand up to stop him.
"What's going on?" Her eyes pleaded with him. Frost took a deep breathe and shot a look at Danielle, who got out of the car and threw her hair back.
"It's a pick-up deal. We pick up a shipment from the docks and then deliver it. It's simple" Frost explained. He attached his shotgun onto his belt again.
"What kind of shipment?" Sarie's eyes were big green saucers. Frost leaned towards her; his eyes going back to Danielle.
"Drugs, Sarie. I'm not sure what kind" Frost leaned away from her. Sarie took a deep breathe and folded her hands over her dress. She took a few hazy steps forward; her knees weak.
"Illegal shipment..." She pushed the words out; her brain not believing them even when she said it.
"You did not know what you were getting into" Frost commented from behind her. Sarie gulped hard and looked back at him. The clicking sounds of high heels filled the area; Danielle came sauntering over.
"God, just talk about me more!" She hissed. Sarie frowned and looked over her shoulder at Danielle.
"We're not talking about you...!" Sarie began, but felt her mind go blank. Danielle let out a huff and crossed her arms.
"Why do you keep looking at me and whispering then? God, you people are awful!" Danielle hollered; her little body was shaking around. Sarie let out a sigh.
"We're not talking about you, I swear! We were just-" Before Sarie could finish, the garage door went flying upwards. Vance came strutting out, his yellow grin shining. Everyone else turned towards him.
"Alright people, let's go. I got...we have a lot to do" Vance walked up the car and popped the trunk upwards. He grabbed two suitcases and tossed them to the ground. He picked them up after he closed the trunk and walked back towards the van. Danielle perked up when she saw the suitcases and followed him towards the van.
"Say Vance-baby, is there something in there for me?" Danielle leaned forward, letting her chest sticking out more than it normally did. Vance put the two suitcases off to the side in the garage and turned towards her.
"Look bitch, I told-" Suddenly, a loud blast sound came from behind the garage. Everyone but Frost jumped; he merely shifted his weight and looked at them.
"What was that?" Vance screamed. He opened the van and reached inside. When his arm can back, it was holding a gun. Frost lifted his shotgun off his belt now.
"What's going on?" Frost was looking squarely at Vance and Vance alone. Vance took the safety off his gun and took a deep breathe through those yellow teeth.
"Let's go, trouble out back" Vance commented. He ran out of the garage and down the side of it. Danielle, who was sweating a little bit, just stood there. Sarie felt like her heart was gonna rip through her chest. Frost turned to the two girls.
"Stay here" With that, he followed behind Vance. Sarie gulped again and looked at the other girl, who was practically dancing in place now.
"You ok?" Sarie called out, but the girl ignored her.
"Go follow them" Came suddenly, the words sprung right into Sarie's mind. She knew the voice; the only one she trusted. She gulped once more and ran down the alleyway, doing her best to avoid broken glass and dumpsters filled with rotten trash. She saw Vance and Frost hunched behind a dumpster, looking out into the dark back alley. Frost turned around and glared at her.
"Go back" He hissed at her. Sarie bit her tongue hard and shook her head. She peaked over the dumpster and saw nothing.
"What's going-" She began before Vance grabbed her arm. He yanked her down hard; she fell onto her behind on the ground. Sarie's eyes, which were getting use to going wide, once again became wide.
"Shut the fuck up" Vance commanded; he had never turned his attention from the alleyway. Sarie now closed her eyes and added a nod. Frost lifted his shotgun up. They all sat there for a few moments in silence.
"Come out here!" The voice came from the back alleyway; a voice screaming through the night towards them. Silence took over for a few seconds. Then came light footsteps. The lights in the alleyway flickered; the whole place felt like it was going to shatter like an old lightbulb.
"Come out here! I know you came down this way" The voice came again. Across the alleyway, all three of them heard movement. Sarie stood up and looked over at the dumpster on that side of the alleyway. She swore, even in the darkness, that someone had just jumped into it. Frost gently grabbed Sarie's wrist and pulled her down.
"Keep down. We don't know what's going on out there" Frost whispered. Sarie nodded and said knowing; it would literally fall on deaf ears.
"Come on out Bailey; it'll save us both time" The voice came again. The voice was growing closer now. Vance pushed them all back.
"Fuck, it's ELITE" Vance hissed; he pulled his gun up again and looked out. Frost took a deep breathe. Sarie just stared; her body frozen. Then, from the other side, they all saw someone stand up from the dumpster.
"Go fuck yourself" The person from the dumpster said. The other man, who was dressed in a military fashioned silver and black outfit, turned towards the dumpster. He pulled his sword out and grinned at the dumpster person.
"Come on Bailey. I'd hate to chop your arm off" The person said. Deep down inside her, Sarie felt a surge of emotion. She lunged to her feet and stepped between the two men with her.
"Hey! That's no fair!" Sarie shook her fist at the ELITE member. Vance and Frost both looked up at her with disgust.
"Shut up!" They bellowed; their words echoing throughout the alleyways. The ELITE member craned his neck around to give them a look.
"Who's there?" He screamed. Bailey grinned suddenly. His hand disappeared into his hooded-sweatshirt sleeve. He aimed his arm at the ELITE member.
"Goodnight, Gracie!" He screamed as a huge green bolt of energy came flying from his hand. The force of the blast knocked him back into the dumpster. The green energy bolt missed its target, however, and instead slammed into the wall right above him. The whole building shook; loose pieces of old vinyl siding began to fall to the ground. The gutters, which were loose from disrepair, began to sway downwards.
"Damnit!" Vance screamed as he dove between the dumpster and the building. Frost turned, grabbed Sarie with one arm, and dove to the ground. He covered her up with his body, protecting her from the pieces of siding that fell off the building. A few pieces landed on top of him; he took a deep breathe and began to lean off her. Then, from no where, the gutter fell and smacked him right in the back of the head. He fell back down onto Sarie, knocking the wind out of her. After a second, Sarie pushed the gutter of him and rolled him over. She sat on top of him, looking at his head. She placed her hands on his ears and leaned his head upwards.
"Oh my goodness, Frost, are you ok? Are you hurt?" Sarie questioned quickly. Vance got up and looked back at them. He blinked; he swore he saw a vague green glow coming from the area.
"Whatever" He walked out from his hiding place and stood still. Across the alleyway, the ELITE member stood at the front of the dumpster. He laughed a few times and tapped the dumpster with his sword.
"You had a chance, and you blew it! Come out Bailey; be a man!" He screamed. Bailey looked up at him; his eyes narrow and determined.
"Come in and get me, you fuck" Bailey commented; his voice was shaky. The ELITE member grinned. Then, a little pop filled with the air. Bailey was breathing heavily; he had not heard the pop.
"Well?" He hissed. Then, he saw a red dot on the ELITE member's forehead. The dot became a circle, and then the circle became a lake. From the lake, a river of blood flowed down the ELITE member's face. Then, the face disappeared from Bailey's view. Frost finally opened his eyes.
"Oh...what hit me?" He wanted to know. Sarie smiled slightly and nodded towards the gutter.
"Just an old gutter. You feel ok? I don't see any blood or feel any bumps" She got off him and pressed her skirt down. Frost nodded and looked down at his feet. Despite just being told he had no bumps, he rubbed his own head, not looking at her.
"I feel fine...wait..." He took a deep breathe. Sarie turned towards the alleyway.
"Vance, what's going on?" Sarie screamed. Frost looked up at her.
"What did you..." Frost began, but shut up at once; Sarie had not heard him anyways. She stopped in the alleyway.
"What's going on? What happened?" Sarie called out. The lights in the alleyway were dark; no light would shine on this area.