Reno Drannor and Yuffie Kisaragi: Reno Spiegel
Elena Sayler, Emmerson Reeve, and Scarlet Reeve: Chocobo Goddess
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Chapter 3
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Plans were quickly made: Rude and Reno would get Yuffie from the palace, while Cloud and Elena went for transportation. They agreed to meet at the docks behind Godo's palace in one hour. Rude left, a still-fuming Reno at his heels.
Elena watched them go, then looked at Cloud. "I guess that means we work together this time."
Cloud tried not to smile at the idea. It wasn't very often that women as pretty as Elena talked to him without wanting the status he seemed to carry. "I suppose that's because you didn't try to kill me on sight," he joked.
She rolled her eyes. "Like a hot head was ever MY problem." She gestured for him to follow. "Come ON, hero boy. I know someone who can get us a ride."
Cloud blinked at her, halting in place. "Hero boy?"
She went a few more steps, then slowed and turned around. "Yeah, you know. You guys were the heroes. Or don't you remember the whole parades-speeches-public appearances thing?" She looked a little wistful. "Heroes of the planet, the little Meteor incident?"
Cloud shook his head, throwing her a look that plainly said, You don't even know. He walked up to her. "Let's get this straight now. I am no hero, all right?"
"Yeah. Whatever you say." She flicked her bangs out of her eyes and started toward the docks again. "Why did you come out here, anyway? I thought you'd be booked for a good couple more years. Don't tell me you actually had this much free time to hang out and wander around."
Cloud looked down as he walked. "I have been ignoring basically everyone who wasn't in AVALANCHE, if you want the honest-to-gods' truth. I would have liked to open a bike shop and put this whole chapter of my life behind me, but people won't let it die." He looked at his hands. Sure, he'd led the group that saved the planet. He had been the one to take on Sephiroth at the end…but now he wanted to forget about it. About everything. How Tifa had let him believe something that wasn't true, how confused he had been.
He couldn't forget, though. If anything, he was beginning to remember things he'd rather have never recalled. Penderfaust was one of those things. The five years he had spent at Hojo's mercy had come back to him with a blinding clarity, memories his previous insanity had hidden from him. Of all the things Cloud really wanted, it was peace and quiet. Yet here he was, traveling with the Turks, getting ready to defy yet another corporation.
Elena seemed to see something in Cloud's eyes that forestalled the wry comment she'd been about to make. Instead, she flashed an understanding smile and brushed her hair behind one ear. "This way."
Cloud let Elena walk in front of him, forcing his thoughts to focus on something immediate. Unfortunately, they jumped to the fact that she had a really nice butt. Snap out of it, Cloud, unless you want her to slap you… He cast about for a safe topic. "What about you? Other than the fact that you punch hard, I know nothing about you."
"Well, for starters, I can tell that you're looking at my butt." She grinned over one shoulder at him and kept walking. "But seriously...what do you want to know?" She hopped over a rope barrier and headed toward a cluster of fishing boats.
He, too, got over the barrier and walked up beside her. He crossed his arms in mock indignation. "Looking at your butt? Me?" he smiled, relaxing.
She smirked. "Men. Fine. I, ah, like the color purple, I won't wear a navy blue suit again even if you paid me, and I've got a ShinRa FFX-2 6-cylinder bike sitting in my garage. I'm restoring it piece by piece, with a few modifications."
Cloud's eyes got wide, "A ShinRa FFX-2!" He made a low whistle of appreciation. "You had to mode the steering on a 6-er. They handle for crap with that much power."
"Mine doesn't. Not anymore. I found a guy who got his hands on a pile of old GN-30s, so I'm using the compatible parts to hybrid what didn't work before." She stopped by a rope ladder that led up to a creaking, net-and-crate-draped fishing scow. "Up here."
"You would do better to use a blower from a Bahamute 900. I have one if you want it." He was about to go into more detail about his bike and ask to see hers when he halted. "Will this make it to Junon?" he asked quietly. The boat was half old, half new. The new half seemed to make the older, more worn parts bow inward.
She didn't answer him for a moment, instead saying a few words in Wutain to a bent old man who came out to meet them. When he smiled widely and nodded, running to start the monstrosity, she straightened and barked out a laugh. "You think we're taking this?" She put her hands on her hips. "Please. I have something in mind with a little more—style."
Within ten minutes, they were out on the open water, heading toward a series of small caves. Tall, narrow islands, eroded by millennia of ocean tides, jutted out of the sea like fingers. Elena pointed out one of the caves to him. "That's where we're going." The fishing boat drew closer and let them off at a dock that had been half-hidden by fallen rocks at the base of the island. Elena thanked the fisherman and disappeared into the grotto. Cloud had no choice but to follow.
What he saw inside boggled his mind. Wooden crates were stacked in corners, high above the tide line. There were labels on each one, denoting its contents: explosives, weapons of different types, spare parts, tools...the selection was amazing. The woman with him ignored the boxes, however, and made right for a canvas-covered area. When he stood gaping at the stockpile, she paused. "There's nothing useful in there anymore. ShinRa left them here, about ten years ago. Salt water ruined most of it." She shook her head. "What a waste. I don't think anyone even knows this place exists anymore. That is, except for the Turks." Elena beckoned. "Here—this is what we're here for."
Cloud smirked. "I should have known, Villain Girl. Your type always has a super secret special ship hidden somewhere."
She chuckled and moved aside so he could look into the room. "You have no idea."
A second arsenal was in there, only these weapons seemed to be sealed properly against the corrosion of the sea. Even better, though, a narrow pier led down to a very modern-looking yacht. It wasn't big, but it would transport them all with the kind of speed they'd need to get to Junon. From right beside him, close enough to almost feel her speak, Elena purred, "What do you think of the bad guys now, Hero Boy?"
Cloud did his best to ignore the chill her voice sent up his spine. A hot woman, who liked bikes, engines, and apparently blowing things up? This was too good to be true. "I never really thought you were the bad guys. Honestly." He leaned on the boat's railing. "So, now we go get our friends?"
"Yeah." She looked at him for a few moments, then broke the spell and turned away. "Help me grab some supplies, and we'll be on our way. Oh, and one more thing." She tossed him a backpack and gave him that over-the-shoulder grin again. "I'll drive."
"But—but, it has a Hemmy! A Hemmy, Elena." Cloud protested.
Elena laughed. "I know, I put it there. Tough luck. Maybe next time you can have a turn. I heard about your driving skills."
Cloud pulled out a slim jim kit from the cargo pants pocket of his jeans. "Fine. Then I drive the get away car." He smirked. "And it will also have a Hemmy."
Luckily for Reno, the help seemed as uninformed as he had been. Therefore, when he came to the door and told Shake that the princess had called and said she wanted to see him, he and his tall, bald companion were scrutinized for a moment and then let inside. Weaving through the corridors he knew quite well by now, it only took about five minutes of sweet-talking the maids and butlers to get to Yuffie's room. Looking over his shoulder, he grinned at his friend. "I'm sorry, but does this not feel like a time you should kick the door off its hinges?"
Rude smirked and turned the door knob. It was unlocked.
Reno rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. "You are such a fucking killjoy, man." He walked in, he ignoring the details of the large room as he made a display of stalking over to the bed. He loomed close over her—she was sleeping, but no longer looked sick—then he screamed her name as loud as he dared.
Yuffie bolted upright in her bed, smacking heads with her boyfriend. She shrank beneath the covers and groaned, then realization dawned on her and she threw back the sheets. Thank Leviathan she was wearing something. Shifting her eyes between Reno and Rude, she decided the latter would be more helpful here. "Uhm…Ruuuude…why are you here?"
Rude leaned on the wall and rolled his eyes. He thumbed over his shoulder to the door. "Let's go."
Reno smirked, not noticing she wasn't speaking to him. Godo had an eye and an ear on every room, and three of each here. He had to act casual and carefree, or someone would be alarmed. "We're here for a little playdate, hun." He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like this was all a joke, then started shuffling out of the room. He paused and looked at Rude. "Ya think we should let her get dressed?"
Rude picked up Yuffie's weapon and holster and began to nod. He froze in mid-movement and shook his head. With a look to the door, he held up a finger. Company.
Reno nodded, growing serious. He hustled out the door, hearing Rude shut it behind him. Yuffie was making only small protests over his shoulder, but he stopped and put her down anyway. Still not answering her questions, he assessed the situation. "Takes too long to hit the front door. Is there a fire exit or something?"
She looked stunned, then pointed weakly down the hall. There was a door at the end of it with a large flame emblem on it. It looked like a Wutain symbol, but it was just like Godo to make a big deal out of something that simple.
A man ran around the corner carrying a spear. He took one look at the scene before him: two Turks, the princess in nothing but her short nightgown, looking dazed—he shouted for help. "Here! They're taking the princess! Stop them!"
Yuffie hardly knew what was happening as Reno grabbed her hand and ran for it. Looking back to Rude with that "What the hell?" look, she just ran along behind him. Whatever problems Reno had gotten them into, he would just have to explain later.
Reno and Yuffie were fast, making up for Rude's much longer legs. The three hit the fire escape, sliding down instead of using the stair cases. Just as Reno hit the floor, he could hear Godo himself yelling. "Run," Rude ordered, waiting for Reno and Yuffie to get a head start to the docks. He fired a few warning shots to slow their pursuers before he turned to follow.
Adrenaline firing as fast as it could, Reno was running before Rude had even thought about telling them to. His hand was like a vice around Yuffie's much-smaller and more-delicate one, but he kept running as fast as he could for the palace docks. It wasn't too far; soon they'd be on the boat and on their way to freedom. He could hear Godo and his help bellowing at them as they ran. The three of them skidded to a stop as they hit the end of the dock.
There was no boat in sight.
Reno turned to look over his shoulder. There was Godo, thundering toward them, looking to explode with rage and calling them all sorts of Wutain names Reno had learned only recently. He drew his mag rod.
In the very moment he was sure they would be caught and killed, an engine he knew very well roared from a ways down the stream. Looking over, he was relieved to see Elena behind the command of their hidden yacht, Cloud in the back looking somewhat shocked and altogether pleased. She motioned for them to jump, and only slowed a bit for them to do so, and yet they all made it in unscathed.
Elena barely waited for the others to be on securely before she gunned the motor. The boat picked up speed again, and soon the palace was a vanishing spot on the coast.
Once they were away, Yuffie took the opportunity to inquire, "Well, now that we're all here, could someone please tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
Cloud sat down with a sigh. "Heya, Yuff."
She did not seem as happy to see him as he was to see her. Wrenching her hand away from Reno's, she pointed a finger at him from the "floor" of the yacht. "And what the hell are you working with Reno for?!"
"Because you needed help. I'll let Reno tell you about it."
"Hey guys," Elena called over her shoulder, "Did you think to let her get dressed first?" Silence met her question, and she shook her head. "Yuffie, go on below. I have a change of clothes in my bunk." To the others, she said, "Let her put something on, THEN you can tell her all about it."
The group walked slowly up the streets of Junon. Rude led the way, thinking. The others knew not to interrupt him. When something important came to his mind, he would tell them—or Reno would pick up on it and blurt it out. Rude stopped about four blocks up from the diner, in a part of the town that was still being built. Towns these days were all getting names and personalities of their own, and Junon was no exception. It was easily the largest city on the planet now that Midgar was a pile of rubble, with Costa Del Sol a close second.
He leaned on a building, looking at the choked parking spots. "Ok, Reno?"
Reno looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone watching them who looked important, just a little kid giggling at the "big stick" hanging from his belt. He glanced down at the diner and saw the door seemed to be open, with the usual "Please seat yourself" sign out front. "Looks good."
"You and Yuffie go into the diner, case it out, keep an eye on the door. You know what to do. You have an hour before Reeve and Scarlet show up. Do not acknowledge them in any way shape or form...wait." He frowned. "We need a—Strife?" While Rude had been thinking Cloud was looking over a large Mako Series Tamen.
The bald man tilted his head, just now noticing Cloud sliding a kit back in his pocket. The blonde looked over his shoulder with his hand on the door handle. "Yes?"
"Are you stealing that?" Rude asked.
"If I say 'borrowing without asking', would it matter?"
Rude sighed and continued speaking to Reno as if Cloud Strife wasn't committing a felony in front of him. "And come out to that car that the Hero of the Planet appears to be stealing, while covering me, Reeve, and Scarlet. Got it?"
Reno mockingly saluted him and took up Yuffie's hand to look casual. "Aye aye, Cap'n Zikra." He strolled toward the café. The girl next to him looked a bit strange in one of Elena's outfits—partly due to the knee-length skirt she wore—but she tried to look comfortable as they walked inside. Reno's eyes made a quick round. A group of businessmen sat in the back corner, but didn't glance at them. A good sign. Reno scoffed suddenly.
Yuffie looked at him strangely. "What's wrong with you?"
He shook his head and feigned a deep look of disappointment, muttering, "Why does Spike get to steal the car?"
Reeve adjusted his tie again and tried to keep the excitement from making his hands tremble. Whereas yesterday he had felt fear, now he only felt adrenaline and an expectant tension that reminded him of his early days in ShinRa. He looked at his reflection in the mirror one more time, then focused on the form that moved behind him in the bathroom of his private office.
"Relax, Em," said his wife, pulling on a blood-red suede jacket. Her shoulder holster disappeared under the heavy leather. "You look like a rookie about to pull his first job."
"I know." His eyes followed her reflection as she came up behind him. "Just...this is it. No more corporate shit. And I get the feeling that this is the last time I can make that decision."
Scarlet put her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Well, then, Emmerson Reeve, would you rather go on being a corporate whore forever?"
He grinned at their images, then replaced his own Death Penalty in its holster. Oddly, his hands stopped shaking at her words. "Not on your life." He turned his head to kiss her temple, then picked up his black trench coat. "Come along, then, Mrs. Reeve. We don't want to keep our luncheon dates waiting, now, do we?"
He knew the room was bugged; hell, all the rooms in the building were. Except for the bathrooms, every closet and office had some kind of listening device installed. Most were permanent. He changed his voice as they left, saying deliberately, "I really do hope they accept our offer. This company could use our friends' expertise."
Scarlet laughed. "I know. It will be good to see them again. I'm so glad you invited me today."
They left the office, calmly walking past the not-so-secretly armed guards, past the surveillance cameras, past the people Jasco had hired since taking control. Too many of the faces were familiar. Too many watched him stroll through the beautifully-decorated halls of the Jasco Building with his wife on his arm. Reeve knew he was making the right decision. Pity it had taken him this long to understand that.
They nodded to the doorman—another armed thug—and hailed a taxi. "The diner on the corner of 5th and main." Then he leaned back, took Scarlet's hand in his, and let out a deep breath. The diner wasn't far; soon they had arrived. There was no sign of the Turks anywhere.
He paid the driver and turned to look at the building. His briefcase held folders with applications, but it also held whatever he could steal from the file room before his defection. "Let's do this."
Reeve scanned the crowded room for his friends but saw no one. Either they were hiding, or he'd arrived too early. He sincerely hoped the former; he didn't want to think about what would happen when someone found the files missing. "There—" he pointed to an empty table and Scarlet preceded him over to it. It was a good location: against the wall, with a good view of the room and near a door.
As they sat, the most welcome sight of all reached his eyes when Rude walked through the main door. He hadn't changed at all since they'd last met; the man was still tall as hell and bald as a cueball. It felt like everything was falling into place. He waved his old friend over.
Rude let a smile that only Reeve and Scarlet could tell was forced. He moved quickly to them. "Heya guys. Long time."
Scarlet, only half-acting, stood up to hug him. "Come here, you. I haven't seen you in ages!" She appeared to be an executive's wife, greeting a friend. What no one else heard, however, was how she whispered in his ear, "All clear?"
"Grab Reeve when I itch my nose." Rude muttered, letting her go, he signaled Reno by rubbing his knuckle against his nose. He prepared to dart when Reno made the needed diversion.
Reno, watching closely out of the side of his eye, took the cue and lifted his arms, yawning loudly. Estimating the nearest white shirt, he held his arms out to his side and spun around quickly, as if stretching. His hand clipped the wine glass and it hurtled onto the old woman's back, shattering against her neck as the drink dribbled down onto her sweater.
Before the woman could even scream, he shoved his chair back and stood up quickly. Lifting his heel, Reno flipped the chair he had been sitting on into the air. It lifted from the ground and slammed into the back of one of the businessmen he had seen earlier, who spilled forward into his soup. A chain reaction of scrambling to help the two—which resulted in many broken glasses, plates, and much bustle and screaming—ensued. It had gone better than he'd thought, he decided as the uproar started
Reeve felt his wife's hand wrap around his when the commotion began. Then the three of them—Rude, Reeve, and Scarlet—made a dash for the door.
For a moment, it seemed as though their escape had gone unnoticed among the chaos. Then something hot and sharp brushed past Reeve's cheek. He recoiled, touching the spot. His hand came away red.
"They're shooting at us! Goddammit, how'd they get here so fast?" He pulled Scarlet between him and Rude even as she drew her shouldered gun. Rude's gun was already in his hand, the clip emptying.
The path to the door was suddenly blocked by a pair of men in very familiar blue suits. Reeve groaned. He'd heard about the 'new Turks', but hoped it was just a rumor. Seemed that there was some truth in that, after all.
Well. They'd find out how it was to go up against the 'old Turks.'
Scarlet!" he shouted, but she was a step ahead of him. Two shots shattered the plate glass window of the diner. He looked toward Rude, who had stopped to face the newcomers. "Rude? Coming?"
"Get in the car, Reeve," The big man almost laughed.
Reeve left the two men for Rude and began to climb over tables and falling bodies toward the window. "Don't need to tell me twice," he muttered. He clasped Scarlet's hand and headed out the opening she'd created.
The men looked up at Rude, who seemed to not care that they were even there. "Hey Re! Check these guys out!" His grating voice boomed though the diner.
Reno's head snapped up to his friend, even as he was spraying a young woman with mustard. He kept squeezing, not even looking, and laughed loudly at the two men trying to block his six-and-a-half foot friend. Over the commotion, he called out, "That's the best they can do these days?" He glanced at Yuffie quickly, knowing there was hell to come. More quietly, he said, "Follow Reeve. Don't look back."
Yuffie did as she was asked and scrambled toward the window Scarlet and Reeve had headed for. She tried not to pay attention to the brawl that had broken out.
One of the Turks held out his gun. "You are coming with us." His voice was almost steady.
Rude sighed at the 5'6" man that he literally dwarfed. "Come again?" He waited for Reno. "Re, wanna come play how far I can throw?"
The young man's eyes widened.
Reno stopped apologizing—"Oh, God, I—Oh, man, I'm so—HOLY, PUT THAT DOWN!"—and hopped a few tables to reach his friend by the door. He flipped his mag-rod out as a safety precaution and sized up the man in front of him, the surprised one. "I'll bet you ten gil you can't toss him over ten feet."
The man dropped his gun as he was hauled the full foot up to Rude's nose. "He weighs less then you do. I say fifteen feet, easy."
Reno sighed. "Fine. More than seventeen and I eat my shoe."
The other "Turk" made to run away, but Rude stopped him with a low growl. "I know you aren't dumb enough to run from me."
Reno laughed at the man's expression. He half expected him to wet himself. "He's right, y'know. Last guy he had to chase didn't make it three feet down the hall...intact, I mean."
Rude hefted the man in his hands, satisfied now that the second Turk wouldn't risk running. Then he threw. The man flew, taking out a chair and narrowly missing the mustard-covered girl before skidding many feet away. The big man looked at Reno. "I think you should put that mustard on your shoe." He patted his pockets. "You got a tape measure?"
Reno hadn't doubted twenty-five, but just loved screwing with the enemy. "Fresh out. Just shove it on my tab with the thirteen-thousand over that bet whether you could take down a plane with a handgun or not."
"Plane?" the other man backed up, eyes wide.
The redhead nodded at him and turned around. "Plane. Landed it right in the hangar, too, the lousy shit." He socked Rude in the arm.
Rude leveled his eyes at the terrified 'Turk.' "Scram."
The young man took off.
Rude shook his head. "Kids these days." He looked at his friend. "Let's go."
"Just a second." Reno turned around and pulled out his gun, firing two shots into the ceiling. Everyone shut up and he straightened, arms behind his back. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Old Turks take no claim of responsibility to what has happened to this establishment today, nor will we pay for damages. Thank you, and good day." Turning, he chortled to himself and dashed for the car.
"What kept you?" Reeve asked Scarlet as he helped her into the massive vehicle. Cloud waited impatiently at the wheel, Elena in the passenger seat, while Yuffie bounced in place.
Scarlet grinned. "I just left our friends a little present."
Reno dashed up seconds after her and he jumped into the far back seat. "Took you long enough," quipped Elena, yanking the back door shut behind him.
Reno grinned. "I had to denounce our claims. Company policy, Laney."
"Punch it, Strife," Rude ordered, snapping his seatbelt into place.
"What's that?" Yuffie asked, curious. She saw the tiny alarm remote that Scarlet toyed with on a keychain. "I thought you didn't have a car."
"I don't," Scarlet chuckled. "'Tis the season." She winked at her husband and pressed one of the buttons. "And—voila."
Nothing happened for a moment, save for a stream of people running out of the ruined diner and into the street. There was an abnormally large percentage of blue suits among them, racing for cars that were parked along the road. Then there was a dull, heavy sound, and the feeling like a cannon had just gone off beneath them. One of the cars erupted into a ball of flame and flipped into the air. It hit the one before it, and that one, too, exploded. The rest managed to make it away, save for one straggler whose tires blew out. The driver scrambled out of the passenger door before it caught fire.
"Think they appreciated the thought?" Scarlet cackled as they turned a corner. Three black cars were still on their tails—a far better number than the six there could have been.
Reno, rolling down the window, leaned out despite their speed, and yelled back, "Nor do we accept responsibilities for vehicular damage on Strasse-Burg Avenue on this day!" He pulled his head back in, rolled the window up, and looked around and the puzzled faces. "Ask Rude. We've been nailed for that before."
Cloud floored the gas when Reno was back inside. "Seatbelts are recommended," he announced when the first flashing red and blue lights appeared in the rearview mirror. A few became a whole swarm in moments, led by the black Turk cars. "And everyone, hang onto something."
Yuffie's was already clicked into place, and Reno even had some decency to sit down next to her and strap himself in. "Go for it, Spike."
Cloud pushed a button on the dash that proclaimed "rear wheel" and took the red-lit corner at three times the 30mph speed limit. The back end fishtailed, a full two tons of metal taking out the oncoming patrol car and batting it into a bookstore window. Barreling down the road and picking up speed, he frowned at an oncoming roadblock. He yanked up on the parking brake and spun the wheel hard, coming up on two wheels and J-turning into the cars that were chasing them. All the while, a huge smile lit his face. And here he'd thought dealing with Reno wouldn't be worth the trip.
Reno looked puzzled for a moment, then flicked his wrist out and reached for a cigarette, apparently not disturbed by the car's many movements. He muttered something that involved just writing a letter to the mayor about the damages.
Yet another button on the dashboard beckoned to Cloud, this one marked "front wheel drive". He cranked the wheel again, this time batting the much smaller, lighter cars out of his way. The Tamen spun, Cloud threw it in reverse and looked behind him. "Hey Reno, Rude, ya mind ducking a tad?"
The two Turks did as asked. With two tons of car around one and an entire police force chasing one, it was best to do as told. The rear end of the vehicle screeched when it connected full-bore with the front of a cruiser. The cop car made a blue-white cloud of smoke from its tires as Cloud pushed it back.
Reeve and Scarlet just held on for dear life. "I had no idea you were this good as a getaway man," Reeve grinned. "Damn SOLDIER for getting you first. You'd have been a great Turk."
"Naw, I can't sneak around for shit." Cloud muttered between clenched teeth, switching it to rear wheel and spinning the car again. He barely made it out from in between two more cop cars that had tried to pincer him. They now had their engine blocks connected.
Cloud turned down another street, shifting to four wheel drive. He looked behind them and frowned. The cars still remained on his tail. "Hey, Reeve?"
"Yeah?"
"Is your phone on? Can they trace it?" Cloud punched the gas to 80 miles an hour, the blue lights now all behind him. The needle climbed to past 100 as they came up on the new drawbridge that connected the two sides of the channel to each other. It was a monstrosity of metal and concrete, arched high in the middle now where the two sides separated to allow a tanker into the bay.
"Yeah—oh, hells." Reeve grimaced and pulled it out, then rolled down a window and tossed it outside. The phone hit the pavement, shattered, and was promptly run over by an oncoming police car. "Not anymore, they can't."
"That's better." Cloud buried the needle; it was screaming at well over 150mph now. The SUV roared over the metal grate, speeding through the breakdown lane and past the patiently waiting traffic. It hit the bottom of the slope with a heavy thump, but momentum carried them upward at a blinding, euphoric rate.
Then they were airborne, sailing across the opening, over the smokestacks and antennae that bristled on the tanker passing beneath them, high enough to see the entire city in every direction. Behind them, black cars and police cars slammed to a stop, no one was crazy enough to follow them. Not with the bridge almost all the way up.
Just before they hit the other side, Cloud switched drives yet again. The rear wheels touched down first, the front wheels spinning madly. He hauled on the steering column, bringing the front of the car down and spinning it in reverse down the bridge and out of Junon. At the bottom of the bridge, he pulled a bootlegger reverse to get them heading in the right direction again.
By the time everyone got their breaths back, they were hurtling down a dirt road, thankfully not being followed. Cloud gave a wild grin over his shoulder to his shaken passengers. "So, where to?"
Reeve let his stomach settle before answering. "C-Corel. Barrett's still there. From there? I have no clue."
"Are ya sure Corel? We should get someone who can calm Barrett down before he comes face to face with you and Reno." Cloud sighed, looking at Reeve in the rear view. Barret was none too happy about the kidnapping incident with Marlene and he had proclaimed that Reno would die by his hands if he ever caught up with the Turks.
"Well—" Reeve looked around the car. "Tifa's always been good at that...where is she, anyway?" He seemed surprised not to see her.
Cloud shrugged. "Last I heard? Kalm."
"Then we'll go there first." Reeve looked at the former AVALANCHE leader curiously. "Last you heard?"
Cloud sighed. "We aren't seeing each other. I mean, she's my friend, but I just can't deal with the way she treated me before."
Reeve raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Cloud seemed grateful. "Get comfortable, people. Kalm's a long trip."
The others settled in for the ride.
*****
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