When Heart Rules Over Mind
Ready. lock and load.
Dylon stood on the deck of the cargo ship, his tall form shielded by a long black trench coat. Ship workers who would occasionally walk past, were oblivious to his identity, exactly the way he wanted it. He never spoke, never gestured towards them; just stood. Silent. Listening to the slick collisions of the black waves below. The collar of his jacket was up, to partly block the wind from nipping at his neck, but mostly to isolate him completely, to become as insignificant as possible. Shield himself from letting anyone close. Not even their eyes.
He had become accustomed to living this way.
For practically his whole life.
Ever since…
He looked up at the land approaching, the broken form of the sister ray looming over the landscape like an omen. A reminder of the past, and the lives it ruined. Including his.
Though he told the story of AVALANCHE a different way…
Soon enough the world would know.
Soon enough.
He turned, his gloved hands holding his collar up as he walked over to one of his men discreetly uniformed to be unnoticeable. After uttering a few words, the man nodded and turned to walk through the door that led downstairs and then he would go through to alert the other men guarding the cargo hold – as ordered.
Dylon stood there by the door, awaiting his man to return and tell him the captives were ready to be dispatched without detection from the Junon authorities; who were now in place since Meteor.
Yes, tonight would be when it would all be set in motion at last.
All in preparation for tomorrow when he would put on the show the world would never forget.
Especially not AVALANCHE.
"Sir" A voice spoke up, disturbing his thoughts. Dylon turned, the only visible part of his against the pitch-black backdrop, were his mako infused eyes. His comrade took a moment to steady himself, still having trouble looking past the glare in his boss' eyes.
"They're ready."
Dylon nodded and walked toward the opposite edge of the deck, facing the fat-approaching Junon dock.
"Good. We're almost ready to introduce them to their mausoleum." Dylon growled, in a low tone that struck fear into his men more often then they liked to admit.
He was more than serious, beyond the time for reconciliation, and the slim chance for forgiveness had been lost eight years ago.
This was the beginning of the eventual end.
Cloud was fuming.
He was in the last position he wanted to be in.
He and Tifa had been shunned out of the lower door of the cargo hold in the cargo ship, the one he and his team had ironically been thankful for originally as it had been their ticket onboard. He dreaded its existence this time around, as it had been their captors' means of getting them off-board quickly and efficiently
To add to his discomfort, he had a black cloth bag over his head that he tasted every time he breathed in, because the asshole that had put it on him had secured it almost skin tight at his neck. The cloth was nearly suffocating him, being so close to his face, and he felt light headed already from the heat.
The cuffs slicing at his skin every time the van jerked didn't help either. He could also sense the surveillance he was under; from the men he couldn't see who were undoubtedly in there with him, benched in the back of a van.
The worst thing was that he didn't know where Tifa was.
He had been holding her sleeping form close to him for the hour it took to cross the waters after he had woken to find her. He cursed himself for not having found her earlier, and so being able to hold her for longer.
His thoughts were wasted on that now however, he had to think about what was happening now. He only prayed she was in the same predicament as him, going wherever he was. It sounded selfish, but he was as sure as dammit these men would not have the option of letting her go on their agenda. So the next best thing to Cloud, was thinking she would be there with him when they arrived wherever they were being taken.
The van bumped over a barrier and he jerked, the cuffs cutting newly into him. He winced, but only got a mouth full of the sweaty black cloth suffocating him. He tried to cough it out, and only made the air tighter. He was gasping for air by the time he heard the doors open, feeling fresh night air on his skin.
He moved his head as if to look around, though he obviously could not see anything. But that wasn't the point. He wanted to alert these guys that he couldn't breath. His words were useless; they would only be muffled through the cloth and therefore a waste of energy.
Suddenly a strong hand clamped on his upper arm, another one grasping the opposite a second later. He was then pulled to his feet and yanked out of the van, his legs buckling in protest from this sudden demand of them, and he stumbled, losing his footing. Though he didn't fall at all, as the grip on him was so hard, the men were practically carrying him anyway. Though trying to retain his dignity, Cloud thrashed and found his feet again only to hear the sound of crisp glass doors sliding open.
He was then halted and the cloth from his head was unfastened at his neckline and pulled off roughly. Immediately he was gasping for air, his hair sticking to his forehead with beads of sweat running down his face. His flared eyes focussed instantly on the trio in front of him.
"Turks…" He spat with venom.
Reno smirked from his position, leaning on his nightstick as if he were a gentleman with an ornately carved cane.
Cloud knew he was marked with the guns of his captors, although he didn't break the eye contact with Reno to confirm it. He knew.
Footsteps sounded behind Cloud. He listened carefully to these in particular, because he recognised them from before, the heavy boots, the swish of the trench coat…
"Ah, so you have met at last. Good. We shall proceed as planned."
Cloud still didn't falter his glare on Reno. Though by now, Reno had lost his smirk, looking back at him instead with an unfamiliar look. Cloud was almost confused by it, it wasn't completely anger…it was…no, he was reading him wrong. Since when had Reno become understanding?
"Reno, take Strife down to the holding cells." Then the glass doors a long distance behind them could faintly be heard opening again. The group of footsteps haltered for a moment and immediately her voice was choking for air. The footsteps continued, pulling her ever closer. Cloud strained his neck to look back, but was instantly held forward again. "Tifa…" He breathed, through clenched teeth as he was now forced to look down at the ground, his head held down by a foreign hand.
The group holding and surrounding her stopped beside him, and Cloud managed to turn his head ever so slightly to allow a desperate glance her way. He regretted instantly, seeing the state she was in, the blood on her top, the scratched from the cuffs, looking worse than his wounds felt to him. Her hair was plastered to her face, roughly tangled in the small band she used to tie it back. Her face was strained, as if in agony, still choking for air. Was there an injury he couldn't see hurting her?
"Wait…perhaps, you would prefer to take Ms. Lockheart instead? I am sure Rude can handle Strife." Dylon invited. Casting an unseen glance at Cloud.
In that instant, Cloud jerked his head upwards, surprising the man who had been holding it down. His eyes glinted angrily at Reno, silently threatening death if he even touched her…
Reno could only smirk.
Cloud was trying his hardest not to say anything that would provoke Reno further, though it wouldn't have mattered what he had said anyway, as Reno had already made his decision.
"Dylon, get your men out of here, they are already going to be attracting unnecessary attention to the place. And as for you…" He said, walking towards Tifa. "We have to take a little – " He raised his hand, and within another split second he had struck down on Tifa's head, to which Cloud's voice rang out in distress. "Trip." He simply said, finishing his sentence with a satisfied smirk. He carefully took hold of Tifa and shunned the men holding her, off. "Leave her to me now. You heard your boss."
Dylon nodded to his men, and they retreated.
Cloud was pulling hard against the men holding him, now not caring about the guns pricking his back. "Tifa! Reno if you hurt her, I swear to God you son of a bitch if you hurt her, I'll kill you" He warned in anger.
"Oh these are but idle threats my dear adversary." Reno retorted in a calm voice as he lifted Tifa, one arm supporting her back, the other pulling her legs off of the ground, by cupping underneath the backs of her knees, leaving her feet to dangle, her arm opposite to Reno falling limply down also. Reno bent his head down to kiss Tifa's forehead gently, his eyes staring up at Cloud before he lifted his head once more, smirking with utter satisfaction. "Might I remind you, you have tried and failed with such a threat many times before now. Why do you think this time will be any different, seen as I am the one holding all the cards" He said smoothly, his smile sending shivers down Cloud's back as his whole body raged with hatred.
He was too busy being concerned about Tifa, his eyes glued to her form as she was carried off, to notice Rude's steps approaching. Though he soon felt the split second crack to his head that sent his vision into deep swirling blackness.
"Take them down." Dylon ordered. Then turned to his men. "Get out of here. You know the procedure. Not obvious. Woods, you take your team to their positions upstairs. Elena, make sure the demon is where he should be."
The men followed their orders, and Dylon left the entrance area to enter one of the lifts. The silver doors encased him soon after, followed by the hum of it travelling upwards. Elena sighed. "Reno better be right about this jerk…he's really starting to annoy me." She muttered to herself, but followed the order she had been given; though not because of Dylon, but because of her own comrades Rude and Reno. She wouldn't have even agreed to this whole thing if it hadn't have been for Reno thinking fast on his feet.
Though Elena still wasn't convinced if Reno's own plan would work.
All she could do was wait.
And she hated that.
Marlene tugged at her father's sleeve, to stir him.
Barrett groaned in a grainy, tired voice but didn't move. Marlene frowned and grabbed hold of one of Barrett's large hands, and began tugging it back and forth, though only slowly as it was heavy to her. Her face contorted into a strained look, her tiny eyes clenched tight as she pulled as hard as she could, as if attempting to pull her father up.
Which was obviously impossible. Nevertheless, her voice could be heard to make high-pitched noises as she struggled to heave her father up.
Eventually, Barrett opened his eyes and although his brow furrowed at irritation from being woken up, as soon as he looked down to see who was waking him, and what she was doing, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He simply lifted his arm, and his daughter dangled on it from where she had gripped it, her large brown eyes blinking in confusion.
He then moved his arm to his chest and plopped her onto his lap. She instantly curled up there, her tiny arms barely being able to wrap half way around him.
Barrett smiled and hugged an arm around her, using his free hand to mute the television flickering in silent light in front of his chair.
"What's up with ya Marlene? Shouldn' ya be asleep?"
The little one shook her head and pushed herself to sit upright, staring at her father.
Barrett raised an eyebrow, prompting her to explain.
Which she did, after rolling her eyes.
"Daddy, it's Wednesday! You need to read me a bedtime story on Wednesdays 'member? You 'member right?" She asked, tugging at the cuff of her pyjama sleeve.
Barrett closed his eyes and cursed himself mentally before opening them with an apologetic smile. "Yes I RE-member." He corrected her. He knew he wasn't one to pronounce things correctly, but the last thing he wanted was a little pint-sized female version of himself walking around spouting 'Spiky headed jerk' about the place.
Marlene continued to tug at her sleeve, until it covered her hand.
"So…?" She asked.
Barrett tapped her hand, to stop her tugging, and she looked up at him.
"Fine. I'll read it ya in a few minutes. Jus' make sure ya get tucked in and I'll be there in a minute. Jus' gotta try sumthin first."
Marlene smiled and hopped down, padding over the carpet in tiny, muted bare footsteps, as she ran towards the stairs. Barrett waited until he had heard her bound her way up the stairs, and swing her room door open, and lastly, the creak of bed-spring as she – though he had told her time and time again not to do it – jumped onto her bed.
He sat up straight and rubbed a hand down his tired face, once again picking up the receiver and dialling Tifa's number again.
A dialling tone sounded as normal.
And continued.
A few more seconds.
"Hello this is Tifa. You must have caught me at a busy moment, because I'm not –"
Barrett slammed the phone receiver down and cursed.
"Daddy!" A young voice called from upstairs.
"I'm Comin, jus' hold on a few seconds kiddo." He called back.
Raising himself from his chair he looked to the group photo taken at the after celebrations at Cosmo Canyon, the night of their victory. His worried gaze fixed on the shining smile of Tifa and he sighed.
"Where are ya Teef? What's goin' on over there?"
"How did Reeve co-operate?"
Reno raised his head from where he had been staring absent-mindedly down at a few of the papers littered across the man in question's desk.
"As originally thought. He didn't exactly have any other choice."
Dylon mulled this over. He paused waiting for Reno to go on, but he had learned already that Reno never said more than was necessary when concerning confidential issues. He wasn't one to blabber off at the mouth where missions were concerned. He respected that. It was why he hired him.
That, and the grudge he happened to hold against Cloud.
"What did he tell his workers to keep them satisfied?" He enquired further.
Reno looked back to a folder on Reeve's desk and opened it, scanning its contents as he spoke.
"That there had been a problem with the power with once of the printing presses, and he had no choice but to stop press for a couple of days to sort it out. Better that, then muck up the machines for good if he dared to leave them as they were."
"And they believed him?"
Reno paused, and looked up.
"Why wouldn't they?"
Dylon did not reply.
Reno looked back to the folder, turning to the last pages.
"He's their boss. They get paid to listen to him. Besides, it's him whose losing money by not printing, his workforce still gets paid; I made sure he told them that. Basically they get a few days off, and your men are the repair team as far as anyone out there knows." With that, he closed the folder and stood up, grabbing his jacket from where he had slung it over the back of the chair.
"Is that all?" He asked, as he put the jacket on, pulling his tied back hair from under it, to fall in place down his back.
"Yes, for now. Return to the designated area tonight and report to the questioning room tomorrow at the time we discussed."
Reno nodded and headed for the door.
It had been a long couple of days, though he still had a smirk clean on his face. Four people he detested were sitting in cells somewhere below him in the building, and one of them supposedly owned the place!
"You always were the rat out of all of us Reeve." He muttered, as he closed the office door and headed down the lit corridor, leaving Dylon to think over the plans, yet again, for tomorrow. It would be a long day.
But one he had been waiting for, for a long, long time.
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…CHAPTER EIGHTEEN…
Cloud looked at her with a look of fear in his eyes that she had never seen before.
"Tifa…" He said softly, taking her hand in both of his. He looked down at it, as if it was the most precious thing in the world, and then closed his eyes with a sigh.
"There's something I have to tell you…the real reason…I left…"
Author's Notes:
Tadaaaa!
Hehe, thought I'd give you a teensy taster of the next chapter – an entire CloTi, baby! I promised you, one would be on its way soon, but hey, why not give it to you now. This chapter may have been a disappointment to you all who are waiting for the CloTi chapter, but it is necessary trust me. And taking my time with this is absolutely essential, because we are near the end guys.
No, really.
So yeah, it's been a long haul, things have gone cracking, and I've churned out side projects too along the way. But, this is my first fanfic and it's still going strong. So you can see why I am desperately worried about how I handle this thing from now on. We are nearly at the climax of it, and well, I don't want to rush it so it turns into some dull anti-climax disappointment. So, before the action starts, I shall be delivering a CloTi chapter, mainly for my own selfish needs as a writer because I am loving the chance to write one. Especially now that I have reached the point where I can, and it'll be angsty, emotional, cry-worthy, happy, all of that mess that goes along with those kinds of chapters.
I only hope I do the idea justice!
See you guys next chapter!
Xx Jessie xX
P.S. For those of you who have me on your author alert lists, I love you! But..could you please maybe leave me a little review? Good or bad? I really love hearing from readers, gets me all pumped up and ready to update this thing in good time. So please, those of you who don't usually review me, could I ask you just this once maybe to say hello so I know who you are!
Thank you!