Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ff7 characters…Square Enix does…you know, and all that jazz.

Author's note: Once again, thank you to all my readers. I can barely believe that there are actually people out there waiting for my writing. Let me tell you, it's a great feeling.

Chapter 8

Give Chase

Miles and miles away from where Vincent and Kai were following a little peasant boy through Fort Condor, Dr. Hojo looked up from his reading. He was sitting at a desk piled high with notes, files, and lab reports. Several empty cups of coffee sat at his elbow, moving dangerously closer to the edge of the table every time he stirred them with his arm. The office he worked in was quite small, with a barely enough room to navigate between the furniture and the stacks of paper littering the floor. He was the head scientist at Shinra Inc. and he could have had as big an office as he could possibly want, but he preferred something cramped. It helped him keep things in order.

Of course, it didn't resemble anything like order to anyone but himself. To the casual passerby it looked like some sort of hurricane had tossed Hojo's stuff around the room. But no matter what he was looking for, he could always find it. Maybe it had something to do with the mind-heightening Materia he always wore, or maybe it was just his natural genius. He hadn't worked that one out yet.

He was currently sitting with his feet up on the desk, on top of the forms detailing how much Mako energy output the labs were creating. The stuff could get quite pricy, even with the generous budget Shinra sent his way. Of course, it could always be more generous…

The thing that had distracted Hojo from his reading of the latest lab work was a quick tap on the door. He sighed with frustration and dropped the stack back onto the desk.

"Come in, if you must."

The door opened to reveal a young woman. She was tall and dark skinned; a northerner. Her hair went along with this label; silver and shining. When she spoke, it was with a voice that suggested she wasn't accustomed to using her vocal cords.

"Sir? We've received a message from the Turks. They're in Condor. They've found…" she swallowed, "Subject #9 and they're returning hi-it. Erika also wanted you to know she found what might be another suitable candidate."

Hojo put his hands behind his head and stretched. "Good, good. Everything's working out, then." He winked at the girl. "It's nice when things work out, isn't it, Lucrecia?"

Lucrecia nodded, though she couldn't suppress the unpleasant shudder that ran through her as Hojo said her name. She bowed quickly and tried to leave. The Dr. however, called her back.

"Lucrecia, I've noticed that several files have gone missing from the records. Could you have anything to do with this?" His tone was pleasant, but his eyes narrowed, as though he suspected her of some heinous crime.

Lucrecia cursed herself inwardly. She should have known that she couldn't get past him. Anything went out of place, and this man noticed it. Which was funny, since so much was out of place with him.

"I-I just wanted something to read. I took it from the history section, I swear! It has nothing to do with," she faltered, swallowing. "Anything. You can check. Sir."

But Hojo was waving it away as though she had brought it up in the first place. "Nothing to worry about, my dear. Just make sure you return it when you're finished." Something in his face said 'or else'.

"Oh, and here." He held up one of his empty mugs. "Would you mind getting me some more coffee?"

Lucrecia hesitated. She wasn't his secretary, and he knew it. Just as she put her hand out for the cup, their fingers brushed. Sharp, needle-like pain shot up her arm. A while ago, she would have dropped whatever she was holding, but by now she had grown used to it. She gritted her teeth until the contact ceased. She turned to go.

"Oh, and Lucrecia?" She turned on the threshold. Hojo had picked up his papers again. "The files. Keep them safe, or you'll feel something much worse than that little shock." He gave her a small grin. "My coffee?"

"Yes sir," Lucrecia said, shutting the door behind her.

Hojo sighed, angry with himself. He really should try being nicer to the girl. She was a hard worker, and it had been a long time since her last episode. He should try to be friendly, encouraging.

Oh well. Next time maybe.

For such a small boy, Lile could sure run. Vincent and Kai were hard pressed to keep up with him as they pounded through the twisting tunnels. At one point, they passed through a large cavern with several levels, the tunnels wrapping around the walls. It was a crowded place; it looked like the market continued into the actual mountain of Condor.

"Do-you-think-he's-actually bringing us anywhere?" Vincent panted, as he swerved to avoid a head on collision with a man in a floppy brown hat. The indoor market place was just as crowded as the one outside, and he and Kai had to exercise great care not to mow anyone down. Of course, it was difficult to exercise any type of care when you're honing in a group of dangerous kidnappers.

Kai had better stamina than Vincent, but she was tiring as well. "Maybe he's working for them," she managed to gasp out.

"Too late now," Vincent called back.

Lile had led them into a less populated tunnel, a narrow, dark affair filled with the smells of cooking meat. They were forced to run in single file. The boy stopped abruptly at the end of the tunnel. Vincent, who hadn't been prepared for this, skidded to a halt. Kai ran headlong into him, sending them both toppling to the ground.

"This is it," Lile said. He was pointing to a small opening in the tunnel wall, almost hidden by a bend in the rock. Above it hung a sign.

The Lone Wanderer

It was an inn. Delicately, Vincent untangled himself from Kai and stood up, rubbing his elbow. Peculiar name, 'The Lone Wanderer'. From his experience, inns always had cheery names; their owners wanted the name to shout 'this is a nice place, come eat here.' But this name…For some reason it sent a tremor of dread through his stomach. It was if the sign was condemning him, telling him that he would be a lone wanderer. But that wasn't the case, as the person who eased his loneliness was rising to her feet.

"Oww. Sometimes I think you enjoy falling over, Vince, you sure do it a lot." Vincent smiled. He turned to Lile.

"Is this where you saw the Turks?"

Lile nodded. "Yup. In there. This is me mum's place."

Kai peered up the steps into the inn. The shadows made it impossible to see past a few yards. She put a foot on the first step.

"Wait," Vincent cautioned. He had just realized something was wrong. "Do you hear that?"

Kai listened for a moment. "No, there's nothing."

"Exactly." Vincent saw the realization strike her eyes. Silence is the last thing you expect to be emanating from an inn. On any normal night, the sounds of crashing pots and pans, shouts, and drunken yells should be audible. Vincent turned to ask Lile if it was closed tonight, but the boy had already began the ascent up the steps, taking two at time.

"Come on!" Vincent leapt to follow, Kai close behind him. He didn't even want to begin to imagine what they would find at the top, but images of his last night in Kalm filled his head. The destruction, the death, and for no good reason.

At the door into the common room, Lile stood frozen. A look of blatant terror spread across his face. Vincent stopped at his shoulder, barely believing what was laid out before him.

The only light in the large common room came from a single oil lamp, its thin flame flickering, sending distorted shadows dancing across the walls. There was someone slumped across the table on which the lamp stood. At first glance, he looked like he was simply sleeping, but there was no healthy pallor to his skin and he was lying too still. Not to mention the bullet hole in his head that was still oozing blood.

Vincent gave a little strangled cry as he saw what other horrors the semi-darkness held. Other forms, motionless on the ground or slumped in the chairs. There were two at the bar and one behind it, a woman with faded blue hair that was beginning to go grey. As Lile approached her, he screamed like an animal being strangled.

"Mum! Mum, get up!" He ran around the bar, tears coursing down his cheeks. He shook the dead woman by the shoulders. She didn't move. For a second, neither did Lile. Then, with a cry of rage and defeat, he tore back across the common room, heading for the door. Before he reached it, Kai had stepped in his way.

"Move!" he screamed. His little shoulders were shaking and he looked like he was going to be sick. "Move," he repeated, but quieter this time.

"No," Kai said, "There's no way in hell we're gonna let you run off in this state. You'll hurt yourself."

"I don' care!"

"We care." Kai's voice was clam, but as she put a hand on Lile's head, Vincent could see the anger burning in her eyes. "The Turks did this."

Vincent nodded in agreement. There could be no doubt; Erika, her goons, and Scarlet, his own Scarlet, had killed all these people. But the main question was, why waste their time? What did they have against the people in the Lone Wanderer?

Lile was looking from him and Kai. "You mean those people that was stayin' here killed my mum?"

"Yes," Kai answered quietly.

"Then I'll kill them!" He tried to pull away from Kai, but her grip on his shoulder was too strong.

"No, you won't kill them. That's our job." Lile's eyes grew wide. Kai continued, "We're chasing them, Lile, and we'll avenge your mother. They killed Vincent's dad, too." She looked up at him, and Vincent could see the sympathy in her eyes.

Very slowly, Lile nodded. Kai's voice seemed to have calmed him a bit. As soon as she let go of his shoulder, he pushed past her to the door, not looking back. That was the last they saw of him. For a long, long time.

Kai turned back to the common room and its gristly contents. "Ugh, what a mess."

Vincent frowned. He didn't understand how Kai could be so collected. The bodies and the scent of fresh blood made him want to bolt out of the door. But instead, he nudged one of dead costumers on the floor with the tip of his boot. The body rolled over, its head lolling back. Its throat had been slit. Vincent felt the bile rise in his stomach, but he hadn't had anything to eat in awhile, so all it did was burn. He didn't touch any more bodies after that.

"Why do this?" he wondered aloud, "Why leave a trail of bodies?"

"Because they can." Kai's eyes were resting on the body of young girl, not much older than she. "Because there's no one who is fricking brave enough to stand up against the Shinra." She looked at Vincent. "And I think they may have put on this little show for you."

"Me? Why?" Vincent asked, bewildered. He didn't want to have anything to do with the deaths of these people, and Kai's comment definitely wasn't improving his mood.

"They're trying to prove to you what they're capable of. I told you, Vince, they're

fucking psychos."

Vincent didn't respond. His gaze had just fallen on something he hadn't noticed at first. On the table in the center of the common room, sitting beside the oil lamp, was a small black device. It was about the size of a 20 Gil piece, and had a blue blinking light on the top. He walked over and picked it up, hitting the small button on the bottom. He had never used one of them before, but he knew what it was.

A voice echoed through the room, emanating from the little device. It was a voice Vincent knew well, a voice he had grown up with.

Scarlet's voice.

"Hey Vince, how's it hanging? I knew all along you would come after us. It's too bad you got here too late; we really had to get on the road. Did you enjoy the little surprise we left? Just remember, we did it all in your name. Oh, and Reno mentioned you've picked up some Mirad whore." Kai's face donned a very ugly look, but she didn't say anything.

"I never knew you could be that desperate. Take my advice, and toss her to the dogs before you get too attached. Oh, and Seph says hello." There was the sound of several people laughing from the background. Then Erika's voice rang out, slightly quieter than Scarlet's was.

"Finish that up and get your ass outside, we don't want to be around if some idiot comes along and sees the poor, poor villagers." That was followed by the sound of retreating feet and the slamming of a door.

Scarlet began to speak again, but her tone had changed. She no longer sounded cocky, but breathless and slightly scared.

"Vincent, please, turn around and go home! I'm sorry about everything that's happened, but there's nothing you can do. The ship to Costa del Sol leaves soon, and I'm gonna be on it. I'm one of them now, and you have to leave me alone. I'm sorry about Gon and your father. Goodbye and I'll always-," before Scarlet could finish her sentence, Vincent picked up the device and hurled it at the far wall. It short circuited in a shower of yellow sparks.

"God damn you!" he yelled. He squeezed his eyes shut against the tears. He wouldn't cry, he couldn't, not here, not in front of Kai. His shoulders shook and he sank to the ground yet again. That was that. They had lost.

"Vincent." Kai kneeled down next to him. "We'll catch them. Didn't you hear her? They have a boat to catch, headed to Costa del Sol. We can get there, easy."

But Vincent just shook his head. "It's no use. They're just too good, we'll never…" He lapsed into silence. Two emotions were wrestling inside him. One was total despair. The other was different, and much more useful. White hot anger. Who did Scarlet think she was, telling him to leave her alone? Did she seriously think she was the one he cared about? He was following the Turks for two reasons. To save Seph and kill Erika. Kai was right. They could do it.

They had to do it. What else did Vincent have to live for?

He looked up at Kai. She stared back at him, her eyes completely serious, free of any of the usual humor or cynicism. For a moment he didn't say anything. He was too lost in the green orbs that were Kai's eyes.

"Vince?"

He blinked. "Let's go."

Kai grinned. "That's what I like to hear." She stood up, pulling him to his feet as well. "Erika better watch her Turk ass. Here we come."

Seph lay in a corner of the small hold, curled into a silver-haired ball. He was dirty and sore and he smelled distinctly undesirable. But it wasn't like he wasn't used to all that; it was the type of thing he'd had to live with all of his life, the four years he could remember of his life, at least. It seemed like half of his time was spent running away from Erika and her goons. And back at the lab…he didn't want to even think about the lab.

His eyes were shut, but two fat tears managed to escape. They ran down his nose, creating trails through the grime. Was this what the rest of his life was going to be like? Running, always running. If he ever stopped, if he ever gave up, they would destroy him. He had seen it happen before. The other people the Shinra had gotten their hands on for their 'sciences.'

The public face of the Shinra was all very good and clean. It boasted its findings in the field of "limitless energy", Mako energy. But the reactors were just one of the many projects they had going for them. Seph had seen the darker side of the corporation, he had experienced it for as long as he could remember. He had never had a childhood or a home or even a mother that he had ever known.

Seph held up his hands, looking at the skin beneath the dirt. It was pale, paler than any healthy skin should be. No one else is like this, he thought, I'm a freak..

But there were others. Seph had never spoken to them or even seen them, except wrapped in body bags, being carried out of the facility. Some experiment gone awry, or some accident in the lab; Shinra laboratories seemed to generate a lot of dead. Seph didn't want to end up like that, just another name in a book of failed experiments, just another body tossed into Shinra's incinerator.

The boat listed suddenly to one side. He was thrown into the wall, which added more bruises on top of the ones he already had. The ship righted itself, the great wooden hull groaning like a beast in pain.

Seph thought back to the conversation he had heard between Erika and the new one, Scarlet. They had been talking about that boy, Vincent, from Kalm. Erika had asked Scarlet how long it would take him to catch up, and how difficult it would be to shake him.

Please, Seph though earnestly, Please, whoever you are, stay away. Don't let them get you too.

Vincent slid gingerly off the Chocobo, rubbing his backside. The big, fluffy yellow birds might be cute, but there were definitely better ways to travel. Kai came trotting up a few feet behind him. Her steed had been rather temperamental, forever trying to toss her off or bolt back up the road. She dismounted, weariness showing in her every movement.

"My ass hurts like you wouldn't believe," she said.

"Oh, I believe it," Vincent assured her, "I seem to have the same problem myself."

Kai chuckled. "What are we supposed to do with these stupid birdies anyway?" She was forced to jump quickly to one side, as her Chocobo lunged. They were a lot more intelligent than they looked, and Vincent could have sworn Kai's knew it had been insulted.

"We're just supposed to leave them at the next outpost, I guess," he answered. The man who had rented the birds out to them had mentioned how someone came around to pick them up.

As they walked the last quarter of a mile to the outpost, Vincent fervently wished they could have found a better, quicker way to get from Fort Condor to the coast. But Kai had assured them that they would need their money later (for ship passage, food, etc.) and in these modern times of Mako energy, Chocobos were definitely one of the cheaper ways to travel.

"So, how exactly do we go about finding a ship to Costa del Sol?"

Kai shrugged. "Hell if I know. I've never been there. It's a touristy place, and those are really bad for business. My business," she added, though she needn't have. Vincent could read between the lines a bit better than she gave him credit for.

"Why is a vacation spot bad for business?" he asked, "Doesn't everyone bring a lot of money?"

Kai nodded, kicking a pebble along the edge of the road. "Yeah, they do, but it's so damn crowded, you can get caught really easy."

"Oh."

"Why do you want to know?" she asked with a sly grin, "You thinking of joining the business when all of this is over?"

"No!" Vincent answered forcibly. He would make a horrible bandit, and they both knew it. He just didn't have the personality for that kind of lifestyle. However, Kai's joke had opened up a disturbing question. What was he going to do when everything was over? Provided of course, that everything went the way he was planning; him getting his revenge on the Turks and rescuing Seph. He didn't know if he could just go back to Kalm and pick his life back up where he had left off. He had seen too much of the world, come to realize too much of what was going on in the Planet.

He would just have to cross the bridge when he came to it. Or burn it to ashes, depending on how he was feeling.

They left the Chocobos at the outpost and continued along the small country road through expanses of tilled fields, meadows, and forest. It was slower than riding, but much more comfortable.

"So," Vincent began after a few minutes, "Why do you think the Turks are going to a vacation spot?"

Kai shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they're looking for a party."

Vincent snorted. It didn't make any sense. Even if Erika did anything as human as take time off from her job, why would she do it with her colleges and a prisoner it tow? Well, he wasn't the one to delve into the deep dark reaches of the Turk's mind. He would leave that job, thankfully, to a good psychiatrist.

The stream the road had been following eventually broadened into a large, swiftly running river. All the rain they had been getting lately ran down from the mountains, filling the river, which in its turn emptied into the sea. Vincent knew this, but that was the extent of his geographical knowledge. If they somehow got separated from the road or river, he wouldn't know where to go. And he didn't trust his map reading skills anymore than he trusted his skill at sprouting wings and lifting off. They would just have to trust the landmarks. It had worked so far.

After a time, Kai broke the silence that had stretched between them for the last couple of minutes. "I wonder what's going to happen to that Lile kid." She was trying to keep her voice light, but it was easy to tell she was concerned. "That thing…you know, what happened in his mom's inn. That's not something you get over easily."

"Tell me about it," Vincent answered grudgingly. He didn't want to have to keep thinking about what they had seen. The image of the body rolling over, its head half-cleaved from its neck… He shivered. It had felt wrong, just leaving those people lying there in chaos. He had thought they should report it to someone, but Kai had assured him that there would be too much yellow tape if they did.

They walked the last quarter of a mile or so in silence. They both had their own thoughts, and absolutely no inclination to share them. The path had begun to meander away from the river, climbing what was quickly becoming a steep ridge. It was a good thing that it was early in the morning. Climbing would have been torture in the hot sun, considering their exhausted condition. It occurred to Vincent that they hadn't had any sleep at all that night, nor had they had a meal since they had reached Condor. They would have to eat and sleep at some point, if they didn't want to be completely useless for anything.

Reaching the top of the ridge, Vincent stopped dead in his tracks. Lying before him was something he had heard of countless times, but had never actually seen. The ocean, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Though the sky was beginning to lighten in the east, behind them, it was still dark and star-strew above the sea.

"Whoa," Kai breathed.

"Yeah," Vincent agreed, "But haven't you seen the ocean before?"

Kai shook her head. "Nope, I've never been this far from home. It's…pretty."

"Let's get a closer look," Vincent said, starting down the far side of the ridge.

A little port town had grown almost right up to the water. It wasn't much of anything and seemed to be smaller even than Kalm, which, Vincent knew, was saying something. It mainly seemed to consist of houses on stilts, the first floor raised up at least one story. It gave the odd impression that the whole town was standing on its toes. Obviously, it was to keep the buildings dry whenever there was flooding, but it still looked rather comical.

Along the harbor sat several boats, riding up and down on the gentle swell. They didn't seem to be anything beside small fishing vessels; not equipped to traverse the ocean. They were all empty, their sails furled.

"This place looks happening," Kai said sarcastically. Vincent had to agree. There didn't seem to be anything worthy of notice going on in the little town. Many of the houses were boarded up and looked like they had been abandoned years ago. The only thing that looked even faintly modern about the entire place was a huge steel structure squatting at one end of the harbor. It looked about as inviting as a sandstorm.

"What the hell is that?" Kai asked, in awe.

"Not sure," Vincent answered, "Looks kind of out of place though."

And it did, like a black cat in a litter of white kittens. At first, it had looked just as empty as the rest of the town, but now, squinting towards the roof, Vincent could see several white-clad figures silhouetted against the night sky. They were standing on a large platform jutting above the water, at least three hundred feet up, and were grouped together in a way that suggested they were deep in conversation Beside them sat some sort of giant, half-built machine. Vincent wasn't well-versed in anything beyond a hand-gun, but he was sure that it was a weapon. Pointing out to sea.

"Oh shit," Kai said. A very ugly expression had twisted her mouth, a combination of alarm and disgust.

"What is it?"

"That," she answered, indicating the giant structure, "That's a Shinra building."

Vincent's eyes widened. "Are you serious? What're the Shinra doing somewhere like this?" Kai didn't answer. She had already set off once again, in the direction of the building.

"Wait!" Vincent called, hurrying to catch up. He didn't know what Kai had in mind to do, but if he knew her, it wouldn't be anything wise.

"If there's anyone who can tell us where the Turks are, it's the Shinra!"

Vincent grabbed Kai by the shoulder. "Are you crazy? They'll kill us!"

"I'll go by myself, then," she said, trying to pull away, but Vincent forced her to look at him.

"Then they'll kill you!" he insisted fiercely. His voice cracked on the last word; he had just imagined how terrible it would be if Kai died. It would be the final straw, he would go insane. Vincent looked into her eyes, trying to impress upon her how serious he was. For a moment, they just stood there, eyes locked, green and black gems beneath a sinking sun. Something resembling an eternity passed, until Kai blinked, and the spell was broken.

Vincent reeled back a bit, rubbing his eyes, which Kai now refused to meet. "Fine, we won't go into the Shinra building," she snapped, "We'll just look for a ship to Costa del Sol."

"Okay," Vincent agreed quietly. He was desperate for any sort of plan, regardless of what it was, as long as it would prevent Kai from running headlong into trouble.

The task of finding a ship turned out to be a lot more difficult than he had expected. The boats in the harbor were absolutely empty, ghost ships sitting silently beneath the fading stars. Whatever flags or pennants they had once flown had been stripped away, leaving them completely bare.

"What the hell?" Kai asked, as they walked along the dock, "Does anyone actually live here?"

Vincent didn't answer. He had been thinking the same thing. So far, all they had seen were those three people on top of the Shinra building. Could it be possible that this town was just as empty as it seemed to be? He turned to share this thought with Kai, when something else caught his eye.

There was someone lurking in the shadow of one of the dark houses. The light color of their garments made them quite visible\. Vincent wondered if they thought they were doing a pretty good job hiding. He nudged Kai with his elbow and nodded in their direction with the pretense of stretching his neck. He saw her keen eyes register the shadow.

"Hey, you there!" She started towards the figure, who hadn't moved. Vincent slapped a palm against his forehead.

"Yeah, good idea, 'cause we wouldn't want to take them by surprise or anything." He ran to catch up with her. A man had stepped out of the shadows. His hair was sandy blond and he looked to be in his mid-twenties. His clothing was white and blue, and a pair of brown goggles hung around his neck.

"Who the hell are you?" Kai asked as they approached.

"I was going to ask both of you the same thing," the man said. He had some sort of rustic accent; a southerner, possibly.

"I'm Vincent Valentine," Vincent answered before Kai could say anything else that could land them in some sort of unnecessary trouble.

The man nodded his understanding. "I'm Cid Highwind, pleasure to meet ya, Vincent. And who's your charming little friend?"

"I'm Kai," Vincent's charming little friend snapped, "And I don't need your approval."

"Hey, hey, who said I didn't approve?" Cid said hastily, putting up his hands in defense, "I just wanted to know why you guys are here, that's all."

"We're, uh, looking for a way across the sea, to Costa del Sol," Vincent said, then added, "Oww!" as Kai elbowed him in the side.

"How about not telling everyone everything about us?" she hissed angrily. Something had caused her mood to take a turn for the worst. Cid was looking from her, back to Vincent. A shadow of amusement was creeping over his handsome face.

"Well shit, I haven't seen nothing like you two around here for quite awhile. But if you're trying to find a ship to take you ta' Sol, this isn't the place to do it. This port's been deserted for the past year and a half."

"Crap," Kai said, kicking the side of the house and dislodging a couple of boards. Vincent was pleased she had decided to take out her anger on something other than himself.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked her. He had a strong urge to start kicking things as well. They had come all this way just to be confronted with what appeared to be another insurmountable barrier.

"Hey," Cid said casually, scratching his head, "I guess-I guess I could help you guys out."

Kai gave him a piercing look. "How? Do you have a ship?"

Cid nodded, though Vincent thought he looked a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, I got a ship, but it might be a little different than what ya'll are lookin' for."

"As long as it gets us to Costa del Sol," Vincent put in, "It doesn't matter."

Cid clapped his hands together. "All right then!" He looked excited. "Follow me."

He set off along the road through the abandoned town. The houses on either side were silent and still; creepy in the half-light before dawn. As Vincent walked along, he couldn't help feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

"Uh, can I ask why we're going this way?" Kai was calling out, "The harbor's behind us. Unless you've got a ship that can go over the fricking land…"

Cid smiled back at them. "Don't be an idiot, what kind of ship can go on land?"

He stopped as they reached a long, low building toward the center of town. There was light shining from within and it looked to be one of the only structures that wasn't padlocked. Cid shoved the rusting door open, motioning them inside.

What they found was absolutely nothing like they had been expecting. The building was dusty and looked a bit like the inside of the barns back at home Vincent knew so well. But sitting in the center of it was something you would never see inside any barn in Kalm Village. A seaplane, propped up on bales of hay.

"This is your ship?" Kai asked incredulously.

"Yep," Cid answered happily, "This baby'll get ya'll across the ocean in no time."

"Is it safe?"

"Safe as houses."

Vincent didn't think he agreed. It didn't look very stable. The paint was beginning to chip from the wings and part of the tail looked like it was being held together with glue. The cockpit didn't look big enough to fit Cid, let alone him and Kai. All in all, a bad idea.

"Well," he said brightly, "This is going to be interesting."