Chapter 13

A powerful warrior stood on a small metallic platform. The room was dark, lit only by green mako lamps which seemed to amplify the twilight instead of dispelling it. Not that he minded, as his eyesight had long been accustomed to the tenebrosity. Of course, his genetically enhanced senses were a benefit as well. The metal links of his armor clinked softly as he flexed his sole onyx-colored wing.

He surveyed the three figures knelt on one knee before the platform.

The first one on his right, Weiss the Immaculate, though battle worn, was an exceptional warrior. He would prove a useful tool. After all, he would not have saved him, nor any of the others for the matter had he not considered them to be useful to him in accomplishing his pernicious goals. He moved his gaze to the next figure.

Metal wings twitched constantly. Nero the Sable, Master of Darkness. Albeit 'unstable', he possessed a useful ability, he decided. To Nero's right, the only female present.

Flaming red hair flowed down her back. Rosso the Crimson regarded him with dangerous eyes. She utilized an interesting weapon, depending more on speed than power. He reminded himself that swiftness was just as important.

"Rise and report," he said with a gesture of his hand. His voice was malicious and edged with evil.

They rose to their feet and Nero was the first to speak. "Master, the troops stand ready and are awaiting your orders."

"Excellent, for two years we have prepared for this day. You all know what you are to do. We finish what we started two years ago. And, we hire a new Tsviet while we're at it."

-----

Bernice shuffled out of the gym. Tifa had just called for the dismissal after training and even though she had trained with Tifa for two long years, Tifa's sessions proved as strenuous as ever.

All of a sudden, an ear splitting sound of the WRO headquarters sliced through the air. Bernice recovered from the shock when she felt her phone vibrate. She answered it and placed on left palm to her left ear to hear better. "Bernice, report to the meeting room as quickly as possible."

Before Bernice could answer back, Shelke had hung up. Bernice then heard Reeve's voice sound over the alarm but she couldn't make out the words. Bernice pocketed as she ran towards her destination.

She rounded the corner and at the end of the long hallway, she saw the door of the conference room.

The door slid aside and she entered to find Reeve, Cait Sith, Shelke, Cloud, Tifa, Cid already seated around a table. Vincent was, as usual, leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. "Bernice," Reeve acknowledged. "Take a seat."

Bernice took the chair closest to the door. Yuffie, Barret and Nanaki arrived a few moments later.

When everyone was seated, Shelke pressed a button on the edge of the steel table and a compartment in the center of the table opened. A tiny pedestal about a hand span of size extruded from the hole. On it was a sphere. The sphere was sky blue in color and little lights sparkled within it. A materia?

Bernice sat, mouth agape as a brilliant light erupted and a three dimensional map of Gaia appeared before them out spread on the table.

"Deep Ground has made their move. We have received intelligence that they plan on striking three key cities. Midgar, -" the map circled a point and zoomed in a second before zooming out again when Shelke continued. "-Wutai and Kalm."

Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Yuffie's faces ashened. Vincent's expression did not change but he did shift his weight uncomfortably.

Reeve then said, "Cloud, you, Tifa and Barret will be overseeing the squads in Midgar."

Cloud nodded.

"Yuffie, Red and Cid will take Wutai."

They all nodded.

"And finally, Shelke will accompany Vincent and Bernice to Kalm. The troops you're leading have already been assembled at the docks. The troops assigned for Midgar are in Dock One, and the troops going to Wutai and Kalm are in Dock Two and Three respectively. The missions for each squad will be relayed separately. Any questions?"

Seeing that there were none, Reeve continued, "Good, dismissed."

Before long, Bernice found herself sprinting along with Shelke towards Dock Three at Vincent's heel. "How are we getting to Kalm?" She asked Shelke.

"By airship," came the reply.

Airship? It was then that the thought struck her. It was the first time she was leaving the safety of the WRO headquarters. She was headed to the awful place where she had visited during the training simulation. Fleeting images of the terrible things floated through her mind, followed by a wave of fear. She promptly pushed those horrific thoughts aside. Everyone's counting on me to play my part. I won't let them down.

In a matter of minutes, she and her two partners boarded their airship. The inside of the airship was a hive of activity. Technicians were busy, making preparations for their departure and ensuring that everything was functioning properly. Every now and then, the yelling of coordinates and engine statuses could be heard.

Bernice followed Vincent and Shelke to the deck. As they arrived, Vincent turned to his apprentice and said, "This is it, what you've been trained for. The Kalm we're going to now will be similar to the Kalm from our training simulation." He paused, taking a moment to survey her reaction. Her face was hardened with resolve. "From this point onwards, your priority is to stay alive, understand?"

"Yes, Vincent." She answered in a calm voice. Don't worry. After the incident with that corpse, nothing is gonna faze me.

Shelke spoke, "It will be awhile before we get to Kalm. Why don't you two see to your weapons? The last thing you'd want to do is run out of shots."

Bernice nodded. She then made her way to the ship's armory.