Sorry for the slight delay, I had a bit of writer's block again and our cable kept going out so our computer didn't work. Ugg. So, here goes, Chapter 3!
Disclaimer: I still don't own FFVII. Surprising, aint it?...
Even though it was the middle of the night, a bead of sweat found it's way down Ace's cheek. He was getting nervous. Having been in the car with Tifa for several hours now, he had really been thinking about his situation. The Boss's orders had been to go to the bar and kidnap this girl, planning to use her as a bargaining chip of some sort. Ace figured he wanted something from Cloud, the man who had apparently been living with Tifa. Still puzzling, Ace realized something else. The Boss was afraid of this 'Cloud'. Ace hadn't known the Boss for very long, but he had been able to learn a few things about the man. One of the first things he noticed, was that the Boss was a very straightforward guy. When he wanted something, he got it, he didn't mess around with other things first. Like taking Tifa. That wasn't like him. But neither was being afraid.
Back around the bar, a thin shadow was snaking its way around, intent on not being seen. The man was another underling of the Boss, and he had been given a very important mission. Get inside the Seventh Heaven, plant a note where it would be easily found, and get back out without being noticed. The man may not have amounted to much in the Boss's eyes, but this was a job he was completely capable of pulling off. He was no stranger to stealth. Before coming to the Boss, spying and secret infiltration had been his life's career. And the Boss didn't care. But he was going to prove himself. So this mission would have to go perfectly. He was going to be a key part in the take down of the great Cloud everyone has heard so much about. He swelled with a sense of pride as he picked the lock and carefully went inside.
The note was simple enough. A short message on a plain sheet of paper. No magazine letter cutouts or big unrecognizable block letters, but hand written in thin cursive. And at the bottom, the Boss had even stamped it with his own personal insignia. Apparently, this was something big, even for the Boss. And that, was something the man wasn't going to screw up on. He shook his head. He needed to focus on the mission at hand, not why it was so important. He quickly laid the note on the main table in the bar and left, locking the door back behind him. He smiled to himself. One mission down flawlessly, and one more to go. He decided he'd better go home and rest up. The second mission was going to be much more difficult.
After a long while, Cloud had reluctantly decided to go to sleep and look for Tifa in the morning. As much as he wanted to go, he couldn't. The kids were still sleeping, blissfully unaware of what had happened, and he couldn't just abandon them and go off on a wild goose chase for Tifa. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he had no ideas as to where she had been taken. That, and, he admitted to himself, he hadn't slept properly in days. So finally, he had committed to a fitful sleep.
Four hours had passed before he gave up and got out of the bed. Half awake, he made his way back down the stairs to try to find something to eat. His mind was screaming at him to go look for Tifa or figure out what had happened to her...Something! But his stomach had insisted that food was more important if he wanted to think properly. As he moved toward the kitchen, something caught his eye. There, on the kitchen counter top as if by magic, was a small paper note. He reached over and picked it up with careful hands. His eyes traced over the smooth cursive and then paused before reading the note again. All color left his face.
The church. Midnight. Tomorrow.
Come alone.
We have the girl.
Cooperate, and she'll live.
At the bottom of the note was a small symbol in red ink. He didn't recognize it, so he simply dismissed it as a random gang sign.It was thewordshe was more concerned with. Terrible thoughts ran circles through his mind. Some gang has Tifa. Cooperate? What do they want from me? Where is she! It was all giving him a massive headache. And... Something deeper. An aching feeling slowly came over him. He recognized it from times in his past. It was the loneliness. Tifa had been the one great thing in his life for many years, and now that she was gone, he could really feel just how much he needed her. He reminded himself of the promises he had made to her. He would do anything, as long as Tifa didn't get hurt.
Ace had finally made it to the tiny inn where he was supposed to meat the Boss. He was more than a little nervous. And now, he had a problem. What was he supposed to do with the girl in his car? He couldn't just lug her inside! But, he also couldn't leave her in the car where she could be seen. He argued with himself for a while and then finally just threw a blanket over her unconscious form, hoping it wasn't as obvious as he thought it was. Wiping his forehead, he headed for the door.
The inside of the inn was not anything out of the ordinary, it was just like most other inns he had seen. Not too shabby, but not overly showy either. It had a nice homey feel to it. At small coffee table near the back sat a lone man in a dark suit. He had thick black glasses and a thin cigarette. Ace looked around to make sure no one was watching them, and then made his way over to the man. As he approached, the man smiled, nearly stopping Ace dead in his tracks. This couldn't be the Boss. He warily came to a stop next to the man who still wore a cheery expression. Seeing Ace's confusion, he explained that he would be representing the Boss for this meeting. Apparently, the Boss had more important business elsewhere and had sent this man to meet with him instead.
"And, what was your name again?" Ace asked awkwardly. He didn't remember the man introducing himself.
"Not important." I don't think we'll be meeting again anytime soon, and the Boss told me to only tell you what was absolutely necessary.
And so, in the back of a nameless inn, Ace learned what exactly the Boss what planning, and why it was so important that things go exactly as planned. This would be no easy task.
Half an hour later, still somewhat shocked at what the Boss was trying to pull off, Ace made his way back to his car. He took the blanket off of Tifa's unconscious form and placed it freshly folded under the passenger seat. For the second time that night, he drove away completely unaware of where he would be going next, and what he was really taking part in.