Chapter 30: A Mother's Pilgrimage
(Same tags apply as in Chapter 1)
"You guys hurry tha hell up! We still gotta get to Corel!" Cid called from the cargo hold of the refurbished Highwind.
Cloud glared at the pilot as he and Vincent lugged the heavy air tanks from the transport truck. "I don't see you out here helping Cid!" Cloud shot back.
Yuffie and Tifa trailed behind carrying the duffel bags that contained the wetsuits, aspirators, fins and goggles needed for their trip. Reeve stood near the truck speaking to the Shinra employee before making his way to the airship.
Two weeks after the discussion concerning Aeris' materia, Reeve had finally managed to have one of his employees track down the diving equipment that they required. He did a quick inventory and turned to the members of Avalanche. "Everything's here so I guess we should be on way."
"About fuckin' time!" Cid ground out around his cigarette before walking over to the intercom. "Get yer lazy asses in gear and get this ship movin'! We're goin' to Corel!"
"Aye Captain!" Three voices crackled over the intercom.
Reeve turned to Tifa and placed a pale green and white sphere into her hand. "What do you think?"
She held the sphere up and examined it carefully before smiling at him. "You did an excellent job on this Reeve!" The fighter said, looking at the counterfeit materia that he had made.
Once the white materia was recovered, the counterfeit would be placed into the water just in case someone did decide to search for the real materia, they would find the fake instead.
"Thanks Teef. You can hold on to it for now." He said, watching as she placed it in her pocket.
Yuffie immediately reached into her own pocket and popped another of Shera's pills. She didn't know the name of them and frankly, she didn't care. She knew that they helped her motion sickness and that was enough for her. "Hey old man! You guys did a pretty good job remodeling this bucket of bolts and scrap metal."
"Don't call mah baby a bucket of fuckin' bolts Brat!"
Yuffie blew him a raspberry before turning to the others. "I'm bored, you guys wanna play cards?" She asked then smirked at them. "A nice game of BS to pass the time?" She pulled a deck from her pocket.
Reeve and Tifa nodded and followed her to the boardroom. Tifa laughed as she heard Cloud grumbling as he agreed. The last time they had played this game, he had ended up with almost the entire deck in his hand.
o-o-Twenty minutes later-o-o
The four players looked tense as they sat at the large table. No one showed any emotion as they glared at each other over their cards.
"Three Queens." Reeve said, putting his cards face down on the pile.
"One King." Tifa put her card down.
"Two Aces." Yuffie followed suit.
"Two twos." Cloud said with an almost unnoticeable twitch of his eye.
Yuffie narrowed her eyes at him. "Bullshit!"
"Its not a bullshit!" Cloud protested as Reeve and Tifa watched with amusement. Even Vincent cracked a smile under the collar of his cloak from his place against the wall.
"Yeah then show me your cards, Chocobo boy! I know for a FACT that yer lying!" She said with a triumphant grin.
"Oh, and how would you know that mini-ninja?"
"Just show me your cards and I'll tell you why!"
Cloud growled in frustration as he threw down his two cards…a five of hearts and a seven of diamonds. "Argh!!" He growled in frustration as he reached for the large pile of cards.
"HA! You couldn't have had two twos cause I had all four of 'em!" She said proudly. "I guess that's another loss to add to your score card."
Tifa laughed. "Cloud, just face it. You can't tell a lie to save your life. Your eye twitches when you try to." She stated simply as Yuffie and Reeve snickered.
A look of determination passed across Cloud's face as he pushed to cards towards Yuffie. "Deal again Yuffie."
She smirked at Cloud and expertly began shuffling the cards. "You know Cloudy, maybe we should play a game more suited to your skill…"
"Like what, Yuffie?" He asked suspiciously, his Mako blue eyes narrowed at her.
She gave them her old trademark grin that they had seen so many times during their journey. "Hmm…I was thinking along the lines of 'go fish.'"
The table was silent as the watched Cloud's face turn beet red. Everyone burst into laughter as Cloud smirked and lunged across the table in an attempt catch the ninja. Yuffie let out a yelp as she jumped out of her chair and hid behind Vincent. She ducked under Vincent's cloak and wrapped her arms around his waist, using him as a shield. The gunman could feel her shaking with laughter as she stood behind him.
Cloud was being held back by Tifa and Reeve we were still laughing loudly. "Yuffie…you just wait. I'm gonna get you!" He promised, trying to hold his own laughter.
Yuffie peeked through the folds of Vincent's cloak and blew a raspberry at him. "No you won't! Vinnie will protect me, wont'cha Vinnie?"
He remained silent, but the smirk was still on his lips. At his silence, Yuffie poked him in the ribs inadvertently hitting a sensitive spot. He let out a strangled yelp and jumped. "Um, Yes Yuffie."
Cloud and Reeve arched an eyebrow at him while Tifa grinned widely at the gunman. He felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks as Yuffie chuckled under his cloak and whispered in a teasing voice. "Vinnie is ticklish!" Thankfully, the attention was diverted from him when the ship pitched slightly and landed with at thump.
"Come on…lets go. Hopefully Barret isn't bringing anything heavy with him." Cloud said, rubbing his back in emphasis.
The five of them walked into the cargo area of the Highwind as Cid went to the controls and activated them to open the large doors, revealing Barret, Elmyra, and Marlene. Barret adjusted the bags that he had on his shoulders while they spoke to another woman and child.
Yuffie looked around at the town. Corel had become a flourishing community once more. There were still a few houses being built but there were a few dozen sturdy looking homes that lined the now paved streets. There was even what looked like an apartment complex that fit nicely into the feel of the town. The grass was green and children played in the streets and in front yards "Wow Reeve, this is great!!" She said as she turned to the Shinra leader.
"Yeah, the people of Corel helped every step of the way. They decided on the lay out, style of home, and even the layout for the new railroad that travels here from Costa del Sol and soon, to Gongaga. The tram that leads to the gold saucer was rebuilt and all of the money made by it, goes to the schools here in Corel. Dio takes care of the maintenance of the line." Reeve said proudly.
Cloud nodded. "Corel runs off solar and wind power and there's a Mythril refining plant being built at the site where the old reactor once stood. We think It'll be up and running within the next two months."
The ramp hit the ground with a thud and Marlene immediately ran into the ship and jumped into an unsuspecting gunman's arms. He caught her easily and she pulled down his cloak a bit and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Uncle Vinnie!!!"
Vincent couldn't help but to smile fully at the little girl. "Hello Marlene, how are you doing?"
"I'm good! I'm gunna stay wit my friend Cayla!" She said with excitement.
"That's nice." He said as he placed her on the ground and she took off to greet her other uncles, 'grandpa' and aunties.
Yuffie watched the whole scene play out with a wide grin on her face. 'That was so cute! I wonder if Vincent ever thought about having kid? He would make an excellent father.' She thought and when she realized what she was thinking, her eyes widened. 'Whoa! Slow down Yuffie…' Shook herself only to be grabbed around the middle by her favorite 'niece.'
"Hey Mar! Been practicin'?" She asked.
Marlene nodded eagerly. "Yup! I pwactice what you and Auntie Tifa showed me all the time!"
Yuffie smiled and ruffled the hair on the of the girls head.
"Auntie Yuffie?" She said, crooking her stubby little fingers so that Yuffie would come down to her level.
Yuffie knelt down next to her. "Yeah Mar?"
"Can you tell tha flower girl that I miss her? Auntie Aeris was so nice ta me, I get sad cus she's not here. Miss Elmyra said she's in a happy place, so that makes me feel better. Oh and tell her I been a good girl like she told me!" She whispered in the ninja's ear.
Yuffie hugged the girl tightly and felt a few tears come to her eyes. "Of course I'll tell her, but I think she already knows. She's watching over you like an angel, Mar." She pulled back, smiling at the little girl as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks.
Marlene nodded eagerly. "Thanks Auntie Yuffs!" She said before darting over to her papa and Miss Marlene.
Tifa spoke up. "Barret, you ready to go?"
"Yep." He said as he dropped the bags.
Elmyra stepped forward also. "I am also coming with you."
Cloud's blue eyes widened a bit. "Really? Are you sure?"
The older woman nodded and smiled sadly. "This is something that I have to do…that I want to do."
They all nodded and Tifa walked forward to embrace Elmyra. "We're glad to have you." Yuffie walked forward and also hugged her once Tifa released her.
Barret turned to the woman and child that stood at the base of the ramp. Barret picked up Marlene and kissed on her forehead. "Now ya be good for Miss Shannon and have fun wit Cayla. If I hear ya were good, I'll take you an' Cayla to the Gold Saucer." He told her as Elmyra kissed her cheek.
"YAY!!! I will papa!" He put her down and bounded over to her friend.
"You all be careful…we'll see you when you come back." Shannon said as she led the little girls from the Highwind.
Cid activated the door controls once more and nodded respectfully to Elmyra. "Barret'll show ya to some quarters and you can get settled in." He turned to the others. "We'll get there in around two hours so be ready." He said as he left for the bridge.
Cloud snuck over to the ninja and tossed her over his shoulder. "Come on shrimp, we got a game to play…I am NOT going to lose this time."
"Cloud, give it up! Yer not gonna win!" She said laughing as she struggled to be released.
"Yes, I will." He said as he went back into the boardroom with Tifa, Reeve and Vincent in tow.
Barret and Elmyra watched them disappear into the room and Barret shook his head at his friends. Barret turned his brown eyes onto the woman beside him and picked up their bags. "I'll show ya where yer gonna stay, 'Myra.
She nodded to the large man that she had come to know so well. "Thank you Barret."
Elmyra followed the man through the small corridor that led to the cabins. They went down the hall to a room on the right side and entered the small sleeping quarters.
Barret placed her bag on the bed and turned to her, scratching his head. "I'm goin over to the lounge…uh, yer welcome ta join me if ya like."
The older woman smiled warmly at the dark skinned man. "Of course." She said as she stepped out into the hallway. The gun-armed man closed the door as he exited the room and walked side by side with Elmyra to the lounge, not realizing that he had a smile on his lips.
.::-o-::.
The Highwind sat at the base of the Forgotten City, its occupants lugging various bags of equipment up the overlapping stone path. Halfway up the one-mile path, Elmyra slipped on one of the loose stones.
Barret wrapped his large arm around her waist and held her steady while she regained her footing. "'Myra, are ya okay?" He asked as the group paused.
Tifa looked to the older woman with a bit of concern. "Elmyra, we can take a few minutes if you like." She asked and Yuffie nodded in agreement, hefting the bag higher on her shoulder.
Elmyra shook her head and smiled at the group. "I'm okay, but thank you."
"Ya'll go on ahead, we'll be right behind ya. Just wait at the for fork for us." Barret said.
Cloud nodded. "No problem. Take your time." He turned and headed back up the trail, the rest of the group following behind him.
Barret looked down to the older woman with concern in his brown eyes. "Elmyra, take a break for a minute. You ain't use to doin' this much walkin'."
She glared at Barret playfully. "Are you trying to say that I'm old and out of shape?"
The gun armed man's eyes widened. "Uh, I didn't mean it like that 'Myra. You ain't old and you-"
"Barret, I was just kidding." She chucked and then sighed. "I guess I'm a bit…apprehensive about seeing it all. This is something that I need to do…but it's still hard."
The large man tightened his grip on her waist and looked in her eyes with absolute support and sincerity. "'Myra, I know how it is to face something like this…" he said thinking about his deceased wife. "You ain't gotta face this alone. I'll be here for ya when ya need me."
Elmyra nodded and hugged the dark skinned man. "Thank you Barret. I appreciate everything you've done for me."
Barret nodded and hefted the air tank on his shoulder before placing his arm back around her and continuing up the path.
.::-o-::.
Barret and Elmyra joined the group as they waited at the branching pathway. The gun armed man nodded discreetly to the two female members of their group. "Are we ready to go?"
Cloud nodded and led the silent group up the path.
The trees that surrounded the path began the thin to reveal the beautiful shell building. Sunlight shone down on the lake causing the surface to shimmer brilliantly. No words were spoken as each person placed their burdens on the ground and spread out along the waters edge.
Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Reeve and Barret sat with warmth in their eyes as they relived some of the fond memories that they had of their young Cetra descendent and friend, Aeris Gainsborough. Yuffie kneeled on Vincent's right side as he stood at the waters edge while Elmyra sat on his left, her dress getting wet as the water lapped lazily at the shore.
Yuffie trailed her finger in the sand beneath the water and smiled as her eyes closed on their own accord. A sense of warmth washed over her and she felt a gentle pull of her mind. It was similar to what she felt when she was using a summon.
Images of the wonderful times she and Tifa had with Aeris flowed through her mind. Times where they smiled despite what trials they faced, when they cried on one another's shoulder. Suddenly, the images changed.
She saw herself and Vincent sitting on the deck of the Highwind looking up at the stars. Sitting next to him outside of the falls where Lucrecia once lived. Vincent grabbing her, covered in pink paint, and finally, Vincent holding her in his arms and kissing her on the forehead. What she felt during the moment that he held her, came back to her, making her body go slack as she sat on the shore.
"Yuffie…tell him soon…you both deserve to be happy and your time is running out. I love you Yuffs…" Aeris' voice faded in her mind.
Yuffie's stormy eyes opened as she looked up to Vincent. The gunman felt her eyes on him and looked to when she sat on the ground. A smile slowly appeared on her lips and she winked at the gunman and chuckled at his reaction before turning back to the water.
Vincent's eyebrow rose when he saw the wink the young ninja gave him and felt the blush rising in his cheeks. He heard her laugh lightly as he turned back to stare at the clear water.
.::-o-::.
After sitting in that sacred place for a good length of time in quiet contemplation, Cloud stood and helped Tifa to her feet. Everyone followed suite except for two of the three figures gathered closely at the waters edge.
Cloud and Barret walked over to the trio. "You guys ready to head down?" Cloud asked.
Vincent turned to the blonde and nodded before noticing that Yuffie was still tracing in the sand with her finger. "Yuffie, it is time to move on." He said quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder.
The ninja jumped slightly before turning to the gunman with an embarrassed smile. "Oh! Sorry Vince." She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"'Myra?" Barret called.
No response…He quickly moved closer and couched next to her. The older woman's green eyes were closed and a serene smile graced her lips though tears occasionally coursed down her pale cheeks. Barret moved to touch the older woman, but Yuffie quickly caught his hand, earning a confused look from the coffee skinned man.
"She's not done yet. You can't touch her or you'll wake her."
The group stared at Yuffie after her cryptic answer. Reeve had a look of utter confusion on his face. "What's wrong with Elmyra?"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Yuffie's voice the replied, but that of the gunman's. "There is nothing wrong with her but if you touch her, it will break her focus and her link.
Tifa nodded with understanding, but everyone still looked the pair puzzled before Cid spoke up. "Yer gonna have to explain better than that."
"She's talking to Aeris." Yuffie huffed slightly when they looked at her as if insane.
"Aeris is communicating with Elmyra to give her the closure that she seeks." Vincent stated plainly.
Cloud shook his head and ran a hand through the blonde locks, pushing them away from his face. "How is that even possible, and how do you know about this?"
"Aeris contacted me when we were at Cosmo Canyon after her passing. She had decided to stay in the Lifestream until Sephiroth was defeated. I am unsure as to if she has entered the Promised Land, but if she has, apparently she can still communicate with certain people for limited lengths of time from there as well."
The group looked stunned and somewhat unbelieving even though they knew that Vincent would not lie about something like this. Tifa lifted her head and looked to her friends. "Its true. Aeris can't contact people directly but I did receive a message from her through Vincent. He knew things that only Yuffie, Aeris or myself knew."
"She doesn't always speak like she did with Vincent though." Yuffie started. "Sometimes she just sends images along with a few words…that's what happened with me here today. She's watchin' over us…" The ninja said quietly, leaning against Vincent for support.
Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud and he returned the tight embrace. Knowing that Aeris was still with them filled the spot in his heart that still mourned for the young woman who was like a sister to him. He turned his mako blue eyes to the gunman and the ninja and let out a sigh. "I don't want to interrupt something this important."
Barret sat on the sand next to the older woman. "I'll sit with her 'til she's done and bring her down." He said quietly, careful not to touch her.
They nodded and gathered their equipment again; Vincent grabbed the air tank and followed the group into the shell building.
.::-o-::.
Elmyra felt like she was drifting, yet she could still feel the soft sands beneath her as she sat on the shore. Serenity washed over her and she let out a light laugh. 'I haven't felt like this in a long time...' she thought to herself.
"Mother..."
Elmyra gasped and her heart stilled. 'Aeris...'
Laughter filled her mind. "Yes mother..."
'Oh Aeris...I miss you so much!'
"I miss you too mom. I know these past few months have been hard on you but just know that I'm always here..."
Elmyra felt warmth envelop her, almost like she was being hugged, and let out a happy sigh. "Aeris, I'm so glad that you're okay. Are you in your Promised Land?" She asked curiously.
"Yes, my mother is here with me and she thanks you for caring and loving me when she could not."
The older woman smiled warmly. "It was my pleasure and truly a gift to me when you come into my life. Even though you're not here with me in body, I know that my beautiful daughter is always with me in spirit.
"Ifalna gave me a chance to be a mother...and that's something that I don't know that I would have ever had without you coming into my life." Elmyra gave a sad laugh. "I'm too old to have children now..."
Aeris' lilting laughter rang out. "Mom, you're not that old! You're only forty-four, you still have a few more childbearing years ahead of you, believe me, I can sense it." Aeris said with mirth in her voice.
Elmyra felt a wave of happiness wash over her at her daughter's words. "Aeris..."
"I know." Elmyra felt an odd surge of panic flow through her body before the young Cetra's voice came back to her, sounding distracted and a bit quieter than it had been before. "I have to go soon. I just want to let you know that I'm okay and I love you. I appreciate everything you've done for me."
"Aeris, I love you my sweet daughter."
A second voice broke into the older woman's mind. "Elmyra..." A woman's breathy voice broke in. "Thank you for taking care of my baby girl."
The green-eyed woman smiled. "I cherished every moment that I had with her. Thank you Ifalna."
"We must go now mom, I love you." Aeris said, her voice fading away.
The auburn haired woman opened her eyes and smiled before letting out a sigh but couldn't help but to feel concerned over that wave of panic that had surged through her. She turned to find Barret sitting next to her with a curious look on his face.
"'Myra, you okay?" He asked.
The older woman nodded and was about to speak when dread and concern settled within her as she felt her mind being pulled. Barret watched as her eyes drifted closed again.
.::-o-::.
"Tell your companions to return to icicle and retrieve the tapes." She heard Ifalna's faint voice call to her.
Elmyra was confused at the mention of Icicle inn. "What tapes?"
"There's not much time..." Her voice grew more distant. "Those tapes can not fall into the wrong hands or the consequences could be..." The Cetra's voice faded away as the like was broken.
.::-o-::.
Green eyes snapped open and she looked to Barret. "Are there tapes in icicle inn?" She asked urgently.
Barret looked to her with a bit of shock. They had never mentioned what they had found to her when they traveled to the snowy town.
"Myra, how'd ya know that?" He asked, rising to his feet and helping her to stand.
"Ifalna told me...Something is going to happen but she didn't get to tell me what." She said with the same panic that she felt earlier.
The gun armed man placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Calm down 'Myra, what did she say exactly?"
"She said to tell Avalanche to retrieve the tapes before they fell into the wrong hands or the consequences..." She paused. "She didn't get to finish because our link was broken."
He nodded and clasped her small hand in his larger one. "It's okay, lets catch up." He said leading her into the shell building by the hand.
She let out a deep, shuddering breath. Then looked to the crystal stairway that led to the place where her daughter's life ended. The gun-armed man watched her and hesitated for a moment before turning Elmyra to face him. Brown eyes full of sympathy met green just before he pulled her into his large arms, hugging her comfortingly. His heart began to beat a bit faster when her arms tightened around him.
"Thank you Barret." She said before allowing him to lead her down the stairway.
The green-eyed woman gasped at the sight of the underground city. "Its beautiful..." she murmured, watching the others move about near the water's edge.
.::-o-::.
Yuffie pulled the wetsuit up over her simple one-piece swimsuit and zipped it up while Cloud, Reeve and Cid also suited up. Gray eyes watched the two figures making their way towards them. She met Elmyra's eyes with a knowing smile.
The elder female briefly returned her smile as Barret stepped forward and heaved a sigh. "Yo Spike, we got a problem."
Cloud stopped struggling against his wetsuit and looked to the dark man with a huff. "What's up Barret?" He as while Tifa finally was able to pull his arm through the wetsuit sleeve.
"We need to go to icicle inn." He said when Elmyra stepped forward.
"I was told that there are tapes that need to be recovered." She quickly relayed what Ifalna had told her.
Cid tossed his flight goggles to his stack of folded clothing and replaced them with the special diving goggles. "Well then, we better get down there and find the materia so we can get to Icicle."
Cid and Vincent moved the air tanks closer to the waters edge when they saw that Cloud had finally managed to close up his wetsuit. The blond sighed at the added problem of the tapes. "Okay Cid, Yuffs, Reeve...you know where you have to search, make sure you signal if you find the materia."
The three divers nodded. Cid and Reeve hefted on their air tanks and adjusted their goggles. Yuffie stood at the waters edge and let out a sight grunt when Vincent helped place her air supply on her back.
The gunman tightened her straps and watched as Yuffie tested the aspirator. Vincent let out a barley detectable sigh and looked the young ninja in the eyes. "Yuffie, be careful. Signal if you require any assistance." He said quietly before tossing an anchored pull wire into the water within her search area.
She smiled before pulling her hair into a ponytail and putting on her goggles. "I'll be okay and I'll be back before you know it Vinnie." She said, checking her emergency and locator signals. The ninja placed her aspirator in her mouth and jumped into the cold water, the guys following shortly after.
After adjusting to the temperature, Yuffie turned on her torch and swam to the bottom. Soon after, she began her search of the crystal clear waters of the forgotten city.
.::-o-::.
Vincent stood with at the waters edge with Tifa as they waited for a signal from one of their friends, still beneath the water's surface. They watched Barret wrap his arm around Elmyra's shoulders while she prayed on the center altar.
They had been on the altar for over an hour while Tifa and Vincent watched the small signal panel. The fighter sat at the gunman's side and looked up to him. "They're going to have to surface soon. Do you think that they'll find it?"
Vincent thought about her question for a moment before answering her question. "Tifa, I do believe that we will located Aeris' materia. There is a question in my mind as to if there is a possibility that the materia could have drifted into the lake or another body of water."
Tifa thought about what the gunman had just said. That was the one thing that she had never thought about. 'What if there IS some outlet and the water pushed it elsewhere?' She asked herself as she rolled the decoy white materia between her fingers.
Just as Tifa was about to ask Vincent a question, Cid's signal went off. She smiled brightly and looked to Barret, who was helping Elmyra back across the pillars. "Cid found it!" Three other lights flared green, telling them that they were coming back up.
Vincent held out his hand for the older woman and helped her make the final jump onto solid ground. She thanked him and nodded politely.
"I trust that she has given you the comfort that you seek." The gunman said quietly.
She gave him a sad smile. "Yes she has...I'm glad that I came, but the whole situation at Icicle inn really concerns me. Vincent, what exactly are on those tapes?"
Vincent paused for a moment before answering. "Those tapes contain information on Jenova, the Cetra, the planet's WEAPONS, and the Lifestream. There are also...home videos of Aeris shortly after her birth and a few months that follow." His voice grew low and dangerous as he thought of the man who had torn the family apart.
"The last home video was interrupted by Hojo and his guards, but the audio was still functional. That is the tape in which Aeris' father, Professor Gast, was murdered on Hojo's orders."
A tear course down Elmyra's pale cheek and fire burned behind her green eyes. "Do you think it would be possible, I mean, if there's no sensitive information-"
Vincent held up his hand, halting what else she would say. "I do not believe that it would be a problem for you to keep the home videos."
The older woman smiled and hugged him briefly. "Thank you Vincent." She said before returning to Barret's side. The big man wrapped an arm around her as bubbles began to form on the surface of the water.
Tifa walked over to Vincent's side as they waited for the first person to surface. She looked over to Barret who was speaking in hushed tones to Elmyra, who was leaning into his embrace. The fighter had never seen the gun armed man so at peace and content in a very long time. They provided support for one another as well as little Marlene.
Tifa's thoughts were interrupted but a figure breaking the surface and swimming towards them. When they reached the ground where she and the gunman was standing, Cloud pulled off his goggles and tossed it up to Tifa, who caught it easily. The blond man shrugged of the tank, which Vincent pulled from the water easily.
"Cid is coming up right behind me." Just as the words left his lips Cid broke the surface and handed Vincent the materia. Tifa pulled the fake materia out of her pocked as Reeve and Yuffie came up. The fighter brought her hand back and launched the materia into the air in the direction of Cid's search area and watched as it landed in the water with a tiny splash.
Vincent walked over to the area that Yuffie was swimming to and opened a compartment within his claw. The materia was placed inside among the wiring and the small door was shut securely. Yuffie took the aspirator from her mouth and tossed her goggles to the gunman, smiling brightly.
"Vince, it was so beautiful and peaceful down there!" She said with excitement as she shed the tank.
Vincent pulled the tank from the water and smiled behind the collar of his cloak. "I am quite sure that it was."
Yuffie removed the band that held her hair out and dipped underneath the water. When she surfaced, her hair was pushed out of her face by the water. She hopped out and began drying herself as a ringing sound filled the air. Everyone paused as Reeve moved over to his clothing and pulled his PHS from beneath his shirt.
"This is Reeve…What? When did this happen? Was anyone captured? Let me speak to Reno." The conversation continued for a few moments as the group waited in silence.
"Alright Reno, start a search and try and find out where they're heading, but I think we already know. Keep me informed." Reeve turned off his PHS and placed in back in his pocket, looking grim.
"What happened?" Tifa asked.
"After we stabilized the Shinra building enough to make it safe for the crews, we cleared out all of the information and research from the rubble last week, they were to begin transporting it to a secured facility in Junon." He sighed. "Apparently a small group of dissidents attacked the convoy and stole the information concerning the planets Weapons, the few files on the Cetra and information concerning JENOVA. Reno is trying to find out what they have plan and why they're looking for information on the weapons."
"Shit! You'd think that people'd wanna get as far away from anythin' related to that Jenova bitch!" Cid growled.
Yuffie looked over to the Shinra president. "Reeve, have you guys been getting threats from anyone about the changes that've been made to the company?" She asked slipping her clothing on over her swimsuit.
"Up until now, there haven't been ANY threats at all but it's not unexpected. There are bound to be those who may still follow and support the old ways." Reeve said with a sigh as he also dressed.
"We should work quickly. We do not know what this group has planned." Vincent stated simply as he began packing the supplies back into their bags.
Cloud looked over to Elmyra. "It makes sense that they would want the information on those tapes based on what they took from the convoy. Without Elmyra saying something about the tapes, we may have arrived there too late."
Soon after the equipment was packed, they were making their way back to the Highwind, their next stop: Icicle inn...
.::-o-::.
10/04/07
Edited because of change in formatting. Also re-numbering chapters. Minor content edits.