Deepground's base didn't look much different to him, save for a few changes here and there that might have been from the info gathering mission. Some 'Covert' mission that was, a direct quote from Caith.

Speaking of Caith, the mechanical cat was following behind with a sluggish pace. He noted that it wasn't normal for it to be that slow. He slowed his own pace to a halt and watched as Caith continued to move and bump right into his leg.

"Ow, sorry about that, Laddy. Did you find something already?"

"...No, But you're slow."

"I am? Oh, my charge is low... I haven't noticed that."

Vincent sighed while he was annoyed that something like this would happen this early in their mission, but if he wanted to navigate the base, then he needed Caith to be active.

"let's find you an outlet then."

"Thanks, Vincent, me boy!" The robot cheered, quickly beginning to search for an electric socket.

Vincent, on the other hand, slowly followed behind it, not really in any rush to help it search. He soon heard Caith yelling for him just up ahead; obviously, he found an outlet.

"You sit tight, Vincent; I won't be long, promise!"

He took a seat near Caith as the bot got silent as soon as he plugged himself in, flopping down on the floor soon after, not something Vincent hasn't seen before. Now alone, he glanced around the broken down room, the dust covering everything other than the clean trail he and Caith disturbed as they entered the room.

His eyes soon rested on an open window across from them. A dim green glow filled the room, and its source was the dormant Mako reactor labeled '0' in the distance that he could see as clear as day.

"Yuffie, Where in Gaia are you?"

He asked no one, not like he was going to get an answer yet. Reaching his thig, he pulled out his gun from the holster strapped there. The Death Penalty was his weapon of choice for the mission; he mostly pulled the gun out to look at the chain attached to it. The ornament was in the shape of a three-headed hell hound, Cerberus. It was a gift from Yuffie days before her mission, her reasoning? The energetic ninja decided to give him a birthday present, even though it wasn't. However, the date did align with the day the group rudely wake him up from his long slumber.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Kalm, Elmyra's resident, 9 PM...

The night was calm and quiet, unlike the noisy city that they called home. The couple and their daughter were given a room on the second floor. The room's window overlooked a part of the town and the vast mountains in the far distance. With a single candle lighting the room dimly, both mother and daughter were dressed in their nightgowns and laid in bed reading a book of Cetra folklore before bed. The father, on the other hand, had got out looking for some work to do.

Aerith slowly read out a short story to Chole as she was looking over all the images on the page. As she continued, she faintly recalled her own childhood with Ifalna long ago.

Even with them being in a cold, dreary lab, surrounded by frightening machines and equipment, Her mother always made her feel warm and safe. And at nights where it got terrifying, Ilfena always told her the most amazing stories from their heritage. From the forbidden love of Ifrit and Shiva to the Heroics of Odin and his steed. She was startled to a halt suddenly when Chole called out to her, effectively snapping her thoughts back to reality.

"Oh, sorry Chole, did you say something?"

The little girl in her lap looked back at the book and pointed at a pair of wolves side by side to Cerberus in the picture. Then confidently proclaiming that the black one being her father.

"Garm? Well, both Garm and Zack do have some similarities. Though I'm sure, your father is not a wolf Chole."

The little girl tilted her head to the side, confused over what she had said. Maybe she should indulge her pure mind with the idea.

"Alright, Chole, how about I tell you a story of Garm, the Guardian of the gates ?"

The child giggled with glee and snuggled up even closer to her, ever so eager to hear the story.

"Long ago, there lived a pair of brothers. Garm, who was the oldest and most prominent of the two, had fur as black as night. The other, Fenrir, was a bit smaller in comparison, he had grey fur which looked as vibrant as mountains. Both shared eyes a blue and bright as the morning sky. They were always together, be it hunting, trotting, or sleeping. What the brothers did not know was that their bond was soon to be tested by the gods, who were envious of them.

One day, as the brother woke for their usual morning hunt. Fenrir had a hard time finding the strength to stand on his feet. His whimper and groans alert the older brother. To their horror, Fenrir has somehow caught a dangerous disease that left him drained and in a daze. The only cure known to heal him was a plant that grows at the very top of a steep mountain.

Garm didn't find the task hard, but if he left, that would leave his younger and weaker brother easy prey for anyone. So to keep Fenrir safe and get him the cure he desperately needs, He decided to carry his sick brother along this long and most probably dangerous journey.

With his mind made up, Garm began his long trek to the mountains with Fenrir on his back. Through hot, barren deserts and thick narrow forests. Fighting off other feral beasts, and ignoring the injuries covering his body and the hunger growing in his belly. Garm pushed on, occasionally nuzzling and cuddling Fenrir whenever he whimpered and called.

After days of tracking and climbing, the brothers finally reached the summit. Greeting them was the planet that Fenrir needed. While Garm finally felt relief, but not for long. His sore and numb paws finally buckled under him, dropping to the hard ground with Fenrir tumbling next to him.

The hunger and injuries finally caught up to him. But he wasn't going to give in just yet, not when he was so close to his goal. So against his own needs, he forcefully pulled himself towards the plant. Using his jaw, he uprooted the plant and slowly made his way back to his whimpering brother.

With the last of his strength, Garm force-fed Fenrir the plant before finally succumbing to his wounds and drawing his last breath next to his soundly asleep brother.

When Fenrir finally woke in full health, He fell into grief after finding his older brother lying motionless next to him. At first, he tried to nudge him, but he did not wake. He even tried to nibble his ear, yet Garm still didn't stir. When it finally dawned on him that his brother was no more, Fenrir sat next to him and howl a loud yet sorrowful howl, mourning Garm's death. And as if sharing his grief, the skies turned grey and poured down onto them.

Touched by Garm's loyalty and sacrifice, Minerva begged Gaia to reward the black wolf a place by her side. And from that day forth, Garm became known as the lifestream's guardian. Standing guard at the gates of the promised land, protecting us from the horrors that dwell in the shadows."

"That... like... Daddy..." Chole murmured, slowly drifting off into deep sleep.

Aerith giggled at her daughter's persistence to voice her opinion. Not to wake her, she carefully closed the book and placed it on the nightstand next to their bed. She then nestled chole into the middle of the bed with the blanket over her. With a peck on the little girl's head, Aerith then blew out the candle and joined her daughter in sleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Meanwhile, in Deepground's labs...

"Rubble and dirt, seriously, don't those Deepground yahoos clean up around here?"

Caith complained as he kicked a pebble across the hallway. And why wouldn't he? They haven't found a single clue on where Deepground had fleed. Even Vincent was visibly annoyed that the group moved from their last known location. That and the fact that the Ex-Turk physically punched the wall when he led him to the warehouse Chole was found. He was glad it was the armor covered arm; otherwise, Vincent might have broken his knuckled from the force. They had moved deeper into the base since then; Now exploring what remains of the Mako reactor.

Vincent was far ahead of him at this point. Obviously, he wanted to cover more ground in place of the time that wasted waiting for himself to charge fully. He felt terrible about that, if only he made sure of his batteries before heading out. The guilt was eating him wholly at this point.

"Caith."

His ears perked up, hearing his friend call from far ahead caused him to rush his way over immediately. He really hoped that Vincent found something good after all the searching they had done in the past few hours.

"Aye lad, found something?"

"Look."

The tall man gestured to the control panel next to a pair of giant metallic doors blocking their path. Caith, understanding the situation, quickly hopped on the device, making a quick sweep of it, then plugging his tail into the console's port as Vincent typed away on the keys.

"Someone had recently tapped into this Mako reactor. And by the looks of how much was extracted from it, I'd say it's enough to pilot a whole new Mako project, lad."

"...Did any of the files that you collected with Yuffie have any mention of one?"

"There were a few, but they were failed projects or completed. None mentioned a current one being in the works."

"They probably started it after you left."

"Most likely, lad."

Caith watched as Vincent continued to stare at the glowing panel. Then stare right at him, an idea must have come to mind.

"Caith, Can you track the Mako line of this reactor and see where the recent activity was?"

"Easy! In fact, I already dug that little piece of info up as we chatted. And by the looks of it, the last activity was a lab right next to the reactor. In the upper level to boot."

"Good, let's grab the lift and head out."

No longer needing to open the doors, the two turn about and instantly set out to the elevators, utterly unaware of the pair of bright crimson eyes watching them—a wide grin forming on their face from glee.