It was early the next morning when the sound of the Inn's phone bellowed through the room, awaking Cloud and Tifa. It was Elena calling to inform them that Miles had finally gained consciousness. The two quickly dressed and decided to go directly to Rufus' office to see the prisoner.
Tifa was a little hungry but she decided to wait and eat after their meeting. Truthfully, they weren't even sure what they hoped to accomplish by speaking with the scientist but Tifa felt the need to confront him.
When they reached the office, they were greeted by Reno and Rude who recently came over to relieve Elena from her night watch. Reno took Cloud and Tifa down to Miles' cell and unlocked the door to let them in.
"Just knock when you want out," Reno informed the two as they walked into the room, locking the door behind them.
As they entered the room, Miles was sitting on the cot with his back against the wall. He looked up and smiled. His injuries appeared a lot worse today compared to yesterday. From his right eyebrow to the bridge of his nose was swollen and now a deep back and blue bruise covered a large portion of his face. It was apparent he was in needed of some cure materia but Cloud and Tifa would be the last two people to help him out.
Elena really did a number on him and this made Tifa smile inwardly. She also noticed a few small bruises on his neck which Tifa assumed was from when she attacked him after breaking free from the mako chamber.
Seeing Miles' smirk angered Cloud. He couldn't help but wonder what Miles was smiling over; his plans were ruined, he was being held prisoner, and for all he knew they were there to kill him.
"What are you smiling about?" Tifa asked abruptly.
"It feels good to see that you are doing so well," he informed Tifa sincerely. "Very few people would be strong enough to survive the procedure."
"I'm am not your experiment!" Tifa said furiously.
Her anger was starting to take over and she was fighting to control herself. He heart was starting to race and she could feel the blood rush to her face.
Noticing her anger, Miles stopped smiling and looked at her a little disappointed. "Why are you so angry?" he asked. "You should be grateful for what I've done to you. I've made you stronger and now you are strong enough to survive your condition." He gestured his hand towards Tifa's midsection.
"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked.
Miles looked at Tifa with a serious expression.
"I must admit when I first abducted you, I was only focused on revenge but after contemplating your condition I couldn't help but think about all your untapped potential. You needed help for you and your child to have the best chance of success." Miles paused looking from Cloud to Tifa who was still scowling at him. "Unfortunately, many of the subjects in both Project S and Project G did not fare so well when it came to the mothers and the birth of their child. Lucrecia barely survived the birth of her son Sephiroth who was injected with Jenova cell in the womb. The procedure produced an amazing specimen, but Lucrecia had to be pumped full of Jenova cell just to survive and she still withered away; a shell of the woman she once was kept alive by Jenova cells and grief. Gillian fared a little better; being injected with Jenova cells herself, but she passed the alien DNA on to her son who later died of degradation because he did not receive the cells directly."
Miles looked up at Tifa with a sincere expression. "After what Cloud told me about your condition and I studied the blood sample he provided, I realized he likely passed his Jenova DNA on to your child like Gillian did to Angeal. But since you did not possess any Jenova cells yourself, you risk suffering the same fate as Lucrecia. I had to do something, if not you and your child would risk suffering the same fate as them. Your best chance for success is to recreate the procedure that both Gillian and Sephiroth were subjected to. So not only did I inject you and your unborn child with Jenova cells I also subjected you to the same process Shinra used to make SOLIDERs. It's because of me you are stronger than any SOLIDER and possibly strong enough to survive the birth of your child."
Miles explanation made Tifa sick to her stomach. She didn't know what bothered her more; listening to him explain it, or that he thought he did her a service. She also felt a little betrayed that Cloud told Miles about their pregnancy. Their good friends didn't even know about it and the first person Cloud told was this stranger. Cloud was usually such a private person and very few people knew about Hojo's experimenting on him.
Her mind was racing with questions and her anger was making it hard for her to focus. She didn't even know if what Miles said was true. For all she knew he was making this up to justify his actions. Tifa decided not to believe a word he was saying; he was just trying to save his skin. She was hungry, angry, and frustrated with his talking. She wanted nothing more than to give Miles another black eye to match the one Elena gave him.
Cloud could tell Miles' explanation was angering Tifa. Although he was mad with Miles for what he did to Tifa, what he said did make sense. Tifa meant more to him than anything and if there was a chance their child's birth would cause Tifa's death, he would not think twice, but he knew Tifa would not think the same way. She was such a selfless person she would probably risk her life for her child if it came down to it.
"Don't you see how I helped you?" Miles asked Tifa genuinely. "You should be thanking me."
"THANK YOU?!" Tifa screamed at him so loud he flinched, afraid she was going to hit him. It was becoming hard for her to control her rage and his words set her off. Her anger was causing her heart to beat so fast it felt as if her blood was boiling. Tifa's fury was taking over and she lunged at him when suddenly a sharp agonizing pain travelled from her head, down her body, and into her chest. She suddenly felt lightheaded and her head was throbbing. Sensing something was wrong, Cloud reached out to help her keep steady on her feet.
"Maybe we should go until you calm down," Cloud suggested.
Tifa nodded in agreement, unable to speak. She knew something was wrong and she had to get out of there.
Assisting Tifa towards the door, Cloud knocked, and it was immediately opened by Reno who looked at him awkwardly. It was obvious he overheard everything standing outside the door.
"You should probably go to the hospital," Reno suggested, looking a little worried.
Taking the redhead's advice, the two made their way to the hospital. Tifa insisted that she just needed a few minutes to calm down, but Cloud didn't want to take any chances. He helped Tifa across town towards the Hospital. There was nobody in the waiting room when they entered the emergency reception area.
Cloud sat Tifa down in a chair while he went over to talk to the lady behind the desk. Less than five minutes after registering, a nurse came to take Tifa to triage.
Cloud stayed behind in the waiting room. About twenty minutes later the nurse came out to retrieve him. He followed her into the emergency room area which was a big opened room surrounded by individual rooms around the outside. There was a busy area with a desk in the middle which he assumed was the nurse's station. Towards the back of the room, there was another set of double doors leading to the rest of the hospital.
The nurse took Cloud to one of the first rooms to the right. When they entered, Tifa was lying on a bed hooked up to an IV.
"Are you okay?" Cloud asked.
Tifa forced a faint smile to let Cloud know she was fine.
"They think it was dehydration," she assured him.
This was the first time Cloud seen Tifa smile since he found her. She was normally the cheerful, smiling, positive member of the group, it hurt him to see her like this. Although he completely understood the way she was feeling, he would do anything to bring his smiling happy Tifa back.
Suddenly, a tall woman with red hair in a ponytail walked into the room holding a medial chart. She was wearing a lab coat and had one blue eye. Her other eye looked a little different and was more of a pale blue color. She was wearing glasses and had one biomechanical arm.
"Not only is she severely dehydrated, she is malnourished, and her blood pressure is severely elevated," the woman told the two. She looked up at the medical chart to face Cloud and Tifa. "Considering your condition, you should be taking better care of yourself."
"How is the baby?" Tifa asked.
"The ultrasound looks normal," the woman informed them. "Your baby is healthy." The woman took a few steps towards the bed. "We are going to keep you under twenty-four-hour observation and ensure you get some fluids into you." She walked over towards the IV and checked the bag of fluid. As she stood next to the IV, Tifa was able to make out the name on her nametag.
"S. Rui," Tifa said out loud, recognizing the last name. "Are you Shelke's sister?"
Shalua turned her attention from the IV bag to Tifa and nodded. "How do you know my sister?" she asked.
"She has been staying with us in Edge," Tifa replied.
Shalua smiled as the realization hit her. "So, you must be Tifa and Cloud," she said looking from Cloud to Tifa. "She has told me a lot about you two."
"I thought you worked for the WRO?" Cloud asked.
He had never met her face to face, but he knew who she was and that she worked for Reeve a few years ago.
"I don't know if Shelke informed you," Shalua started to explain. "I was trapped and lost in the ruins of Midgar for some time. I thought I was going to die but the Turks came across my capsule and took me to this hospital where they revived me. I liked what they were doing here so once I was healthy enough, I decided to volunteer my services."
It was ironic that after spending ten years of her life fighting Shinra, she was rescued by the Turks and now worked in Rufus Shinra's hospital. Once she found her sister, Shalua did not feel the need to return to work for the WRO and felt her skills could be of more useful helping the sick.
Tifa remembered that Shelke would often leave for a few days at a time saying she was going to visit family but never went into detail. Shelke was such a private person, Tifa always wondered where she was going and now Tifa knew. Suddenly Tifa remembered about what happened to Shelke and that she was in the hospital in Junon.
"Did you hear about what happened to your sister?" Tifa asked the woman.
Shalua nodded. "Reeve informed me about it two days ago," she explained. I was scheduled for a ride to Junon yesterday to see her but then the hospital was attacked. I decided to postpone my visit to help the injured since Shelke is reportedly doing okay. My ride leaves this afternoon." Shalua paused and frowned. "I am a little upset with Reeve for not telling me about her abduction until after she was rescued."
Sensing she hit a nerve, Tifa tried to change the subject. "Well, when you see Shelke tell her we hope she makes a speedy recovery." Tifa did not know how long it would be until Shelke would be back in Edge, or if they would be able to visit her anytime soon.
Shalua smiled a little and nodded. "I must do one last round before I go," she explained then looked at Tifa. "You take it easy and start taking better care of yourself," she added sternly.
Tifa nodded, a little embarrassed. "Thank you."
"Make sure she stays away from stress," Shalua warned Cloud. "Nice meeting both of you," she said before exiting the room.
Cloud walked over and sat in the chair next to Tifa.
"I guess I'm stuck here for twenty-four hours," Tifa said a little annoyed. She knew it was her fault; if she took better care of herself, she would not be in this mess. She was feeling a lot better now but did not like the idea of being confined to a hospital bed.
Sensing Tifa's frustration, Cloud tried to take her mind off it.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I can go get you something to eat in the cafeteria."
"I'm a little hungry," she replied sheepishly.
Truthfully, she was starving but she did not want to tell Cloud. She felt bad enough for putting him through this and felt like a child for not taking better care of herself.
Cloud left Tifa to go find some food for her in the cafeteria. Walking through the hospital Cloud was impressed. All the staff seemed to be happy and seemed to run like a well-oiled machine. Cloud could tell the staff were hard at work with most of the rooms being full, but it didn't feel chaotic like you would expect from a busy hospital.
Cloud found his way to the cafeteria on the first floor. It was a little crowed because it was nearing lunchtime. Cloud walked over to the counter to order some food for Tifa when he spotted Rufus pouring himself a coffee at the beverage area. Seeing Cloud, Rufus approached.
"What brings you here?" Rufus asked.
"Tifa's not feeling well," Cloud answered, not wanting to go into detail. Although knowing how much of a gossip Reno was Cloud figured everyone will probably know soon enough.
"Is she okay?" Rufus asked.
Cloud nodded before changing the subject. "I was wondering, what you going to do with your hostage?" he asked the mayor.
Rufus stopped to think about it for a second. "I don't have any plans for him myself," he explained. "I heard he gave you a hard time, you can have him if you want. If not, I will turn him over to the WRO so he can be dealt with appropriately."
Cloud thought about Rufus' offer but turned it down. Although part of him would like to see Miles suffer greatly for what he did to Tifa, he was never one to maim or torture out of revenge. By turning Miles over to the WRO he would be arrested and tried for his actions.
"If you change your mind, or you want another shot at him," Rufus offered. "You have until tomorrow morning before the WRO will be here to retrieve him." Rufus looked at his watch while holding a cup of coffee in his hand. "Now, if you excuse me." With that, Rufus excited the cafeteria.
It always amazed Cloud how much Rufus had changed since meteor and the fall of Shinra. To this day, Cloud had a hard time trusting him, even when they were both infected by geo-stigma Rufus lied to him about having Jenova's head in his possession. At the same time, Cloud had to admit that actions speak louder than words and Rufus had been demonstrating that he was a changed man. Cloud could sense Rufus' evil streak was still within him, but he was starting to believe that Rufus could use it for good.
After his conversation with the mayor, Cloud made his way over to the counter to order some food for himself and Tifa. Cloud ordered her a sandwich and salad while he just ordered himself a sandwich. Tifa never really like greasy food and he didn't know how hungry she was, so he figured it was best to get her more.
When Clod brought Tifa the food she thanked him and dove in. Cloud would never say it but he could tell she was starving by how fast she ate. He had never seen her eat like that before, even when they were travelling the world and would go days without eating.
Cloud finished half his sandwich and stopped to look at Tifa. He couldn't help but smile at her. He thought she looked so adorable devouring her food. As she was finishing her meal, she started to slow down a little. He let her enjoy her food and didn't say a word until after she was finished eating.
"I ran into Rufus in the cafeteria," Cloud explained. "He is going to hand Miles over to the WRO tomorrow."
Tifa pushed her empty food tray off to the side and paused for a few second. "I guess that's for the best," she said coldly.
She knew turning him over to the WRO was the right thing to do but something about it didn't sit right with her. She really did not know what she would do if she got a hold of Miles, but she would probably not forgive herself if she murdered him like she did Genesis. But thinking about it, she did not feel guilty for shooting Genesis and this alarmed her. She wondered if the Jenova cells were affecting her personality or maybe it was all the stress.
She wondered if the old Tifa was capable of shooting someone in the back like a coward. Since he abduction, Tifa had yet to feel like her old happy and cheerful self.
Seeing Tifa lost in thought and looking worried, Cloud decided to change the subject.
"I was thinking, after you are discharged tomorrow, we could go home," he suggested.
He assumed Reeve would take Miles to Edge for now and that their reactor demolition mission was put on hold. They only had the Mt. Nibel reactor left and it could wait, despite it being the reactor they wanted destroyed the most. All he cared about right now was making sure Tifa got some rest like the doctor suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea," Tifa said half-heartedly with a forced smile.
She had so much on her mind right now, it was hard for her to really compute what Cloud was telling her. She knew returning home was the best for her but part of her felt restless like she had unfinished business she had to take care of. She just needed some time to think.
Stretching a little in her bed, Tifa turned to Cloud. "I'm kind of tired," she informed him. "If you want to go get some fresh air or something," she suggested to him. "It's not like I'm going anywhere." She forced another smile and lifted her arm with the IV in it. Normally, she would have welcomed Cloud's company, but right now she just wanted to be alone.
Taking the hint, Cloud nodded and stood up from his chair. He leaned over and kissed Tifa on the forehead. "I won't be far," he said before exiting the room.
Cloud left the hospital to go get some fresh air while Tifa rested. It was a little after noon and some of the town's people were still repairing the three houses that were damaged in the attack. Having nothing to do, Cloud decided to give them a hand.
After helping an elderly couple put up some siding, Cloud noticed Tseng and Elena repairing a broken window on another house. Their house was hardest hit with extensive damage to the roof, side, and foundation.
Cloud went over to help them board up a hole on the side of the house protecting it from the elements until someone could come fix it properly. All the contractors were busy repairing the hospital and it would take a few days until they could tackle the residential repairs.
Having assisted with the build of Edge, Cloud knew enough to help Tseng repair and shingle the roof while Elena passed up the tools and shingles. It was almost dark by the time they were finished with the roof. As soon as they were done, Tseng thanked him and hurried off to the mayor's office leaving Elena and Cloud.
"I'm meeting the guys for dinner and some drinks if you want to join us, my treat." Elena offered Cloud. "It's the least I can do for all your help."
"Thanks, but I should go check in on Tifa," Cloud responded.
"Well, if you change your mind, we'll be over at the pub."
Cloud walked back to the hospital while Elena made her way to the pub. When he reached the hospital, he went directly to Tifa's room and was surprised to see she was still sleeping. Cloud was standing by the doorway when her nurse walked by.
"You just missed her," the nurse said, stopping to talk to Cloud.
"Missed her?" Cloud asked puzzled.
"Yes, she just dozed off after eating her dinner," the nurse explained. "Poor thing must have been tired."
"Did she sleep at all today?"
"I don't think so," the nurse replied. "She was up every time I went in to check on her." With that said, the nurse went to go check on her other patients.
Cloud was a little hurt Tifa lied to him and said she wanted to get some rest. At the same time, he figured she could have had a good reason to lie, maybe she felt bad for cooping him up in a hospital with her, or maybe she wanted some time to herself.
Cloud was starting to get a little hungry, so he made his way back to the pub to join Elena and the others for dinner. He walked out of the hospital making his way down a series of staircases and across a small bridge towards a large ledge along the cliffside that contained the pub, general store and a few other shops.
When he entered the establishment, it was busy with all the tables and the bar full of people eating and drinking. There were two families with children eating but almost everyone else were adults enjoying themselves. He scanned the room and spotted Elena, Rude, and Reno sitting in a booth located in the back corner.
Reno spotted Cloud and waived him over. Cloud made his way over and sat in the open seat next to Reno.
"Right on time," Reno told the blond. "We haven't ordered any food yet."
"So how is Tifa doing?" Elena asked.
"Good, she just needed some rest," Cloud replied before looking through the menu.
A few minutes later the waitress came and took their food orders along with Cloud's drink order.
"You want another one, hun?" she asked Reno, noticing his rum and soda was almost finished.
Reno looked up and smiled. "You should know the answer to that question," he said jokingly and took the last sip of his drink before handing her the empty glass. She took the glass and walked away.
"Remember Reno, you have to relieve Tsang first thing tomorrow morning," Elena warned.
"Ah, that's fine." Reno waived his hand. "They should be here early to get him, so it's not like I have a long shift." Reno let out a sigh. "I'll be happy once he's gone, those scientists give me the creeps."
The waitress brought Cloud and Reno their drinks.
"Thanks Becky," Reno smiled at the server before taking a sip of his fresh drink.
"What do you think they are going to do with him?" Rude asked.
"Probably put him on trial," Elena responded. "A lot of people are going to want to see him pay for his role in the attacks."
"I hope they interrogate him first," Reno said, leaning back in his seat. "Force him to spill the beans on Deepground."
"What makes you think he even knows anything?" Elena asked.
"Common," Reno scoffed. "He was working with Genesis himself. The one person the Tsviets were founded on plus Weiss. He must know something."
Up to this point Cloud was just quietly listening but after hearing Reno he had to speak up. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I thought Deepground was destroyed."
Elena spoke up before Reno had a chance to answer. "It's just one of Reno's crazy theories—"
"A theory based on evidence," Reno interrupted the female Turk.
"What evidence?" Cloud asked the redhead.
Reno leaned forward on the table, almost like he was about to whisper Cloud a secret. "Well, Rufus has been sending us into the Midgar ruins for years now looking for anything important, ya know, like useful Shinra technology, documents, hard drives, and so on. After the Omega incident last year, he ordered us to locate any documents or information involving Deepground. If we find something, we give it to Rufus so him and Tsang can review and destroy it. Well, I've been reading some of these documents and it turns out Deepground was a hell-of-a-lot bigger than anyone anticipated. They weren't just confined to a structure under the Shinra building. They owned more properties than Hojo had secret laboratories, which is a lot by the way. I think if we dig deep enough, we can link them to every department in Shinra." Reno leaned back in his seat while taking a sip of his drink.
"If that's true, and Deepground occupied all corners of the planet," Elena exaggerated, "then why did they only appear after they were freed from under the Shinra building?"
Reno paused to think. "I don't know…" he shrugged it off. "I don't have all the answers."
Elena rolled her eyes and looked at Cloud. "That's why it's just a theory," she reassured him, crossing her arms and leaning back. "Apart from Genesis and Weiss, there has been no evidence of Deepground activity since we defeated their army."
"And that's another thing," Reno added. "Their army was huge, what's not to say some escaped or survived."
"You are such as conspiracy theorist Reno," Elena said rolling her eye,
A few minutes later, Becky approached their table carrying four plates of food. "Here ya' go," she told the two male Turks while handing them their burger and fries.
Elena ordered a burger and salad while Cloud also ordered a burger and fries. After she handed them their food, they thank her before she grabbed Rude and Elena's empty glasses for refills. The four ate their food silence while until Reno stopped eating to talk.
"So, what happened to the two Jenova rejects anyways?" Reno asked Cloud. "Last I heard Genesis was shot or something?"
"Yes, Vincent is trailing him and Weiss," Cloud informed the redhead before taking another bite of his burger.
Cloud was not surprised the Turks already knew about what happened to Genesis. When it came to information, they were worse than a group of gossiping school girls.
"Genesis didn't die?" Elena asked.
"I don't know," Cloud answered. "His injuries were severe enough to be fatal."
"Well, remind me to thank the one who put him out of commission," Reno said after finishing up his food and taking a sip of his drink. "Who shot him? Vincent?"
Cloud shook his head no. "Tifa," he told them.
A little grin appeared on Rude and Elena's faces while Reno looked a surprised. All the Turks knew Tifa was a force to be reckoned with, but they never pictured her as the type of person to shoot someone in cold blood.
"Good for her," Reno commented. "I wanted to do the same to that little twerp but the boss said no," Reno added, referring to Miles.
"Accidents happen all the time," Rude said with a smirk before taking a sip of his scotch.
Reno smiled at his partner's joke before taking a sip of his drink. By now they were all finished eating and Becky came to take their plates and refill their drinks except Cloud who refused the refill offer.
Suddenly, a beeping sound could be heard coming simultaneously from the Turk's pockets. They all quickly pull out their phones and opened them.
"You gotta come see this," Reno informed Cloud.
The three Turk threw the gil on the table before everyone stood up and rushed out of the pub.
The four walked across the main bridge towards the Mayor's office and were greeted by Tseng and Rufus standing by the front staircase. Rufus was holding a shotgun and instantly Cloud knew something happened with Miles.
"How did it happen?" Elena asked her two superiors.
Without saying a word, they took the group around the structure and stopped at a big hole blown right through the side of the building.
"Who did this?" Reno asked.
It was dark, but the hole was in the shape of a perfect circle and there were no building fragments anywhere to be seen. It was obvious this was not caused by explosives.
"Not sure," Tseng informed the redhead. "I was reviewing files and suddenly the security camera was deactivated. When I went down to check on the prisoner, this hole was blown threw the basement wall and his cell door was ripped off the hinges. There was no blast or tremor. I searched the immediate area but nothing."
"What could have caused this?" Cloud asked.
"Oh, there is technology out there that can do this," Reno added putting his hand on the edge of the hole inspecting the damage.
"Unfortunately, my team has not been able to secure all the old salvageable and functional Shinra technology that can be found in the Midgar ruins," Rufus informed Cloud.
Rufus turned away from the group looking into the surrounding darkness. It was a moonless night and was impossible for him to make anything out with the lights of the town behind him.
"Should we go search for him boss?" Reno asked.
There was a short paused before Rufus turned back towards the group. "No, he'll be long gone by now."
Although he knew this was not anyone's fault, Cloud was not happy. He was also not looking forward to breaking the news to Tifa when she woke up tomorrow. Realizing there was nothing more he could do about this, he decided to say goodnight to the group and head back to the hospital.
After Cloud left, the others stuck around for a few minutes inspecting the scene. They were just starting to walk back when Rufus heard something and paused. Realizing Rufus was not walking with them, the Turks stopped and looked back. Suddenly, Rufus raised his shotgun and pointed it into the darkness. A second later, the Turks could make out the shadow of something or someone moving towards them. Rufus cocked his gun as a warning.
"Don't shoot!" Elena told her boss, prompting him to lower his gun. Elena was the first to realize that the approaching creature was Vincent in his chaos form. As he neared the group, Vincent changed back into his regular self.
"Hey, Vincent," Reno greeted the ex-Turk. "What brings you here?"
"Does this mean Genesis and Weiss are nearby?" Elena asked before Vincent could answer Reno.
"Just one of them," Vincent responded.
Vincent then informed his fellow Turks that after Genesis was injured, he followed the WRO shuttle Weiss hijacked as far a Nibelheim where Weiss put Genesis in a mako chamber in the Shinra manor basement. Vincent then tracked Weiss as far as Edge, but he must have figured out the ex-Turk was following them because he lost him in the city this afternoon.
He then met up with Reeve to advise him of the situation. Reeve sent a crew to go retrieve Genesis in Nibelheim and he informed Vincent that they had Miles prisoner in Healen, so Vincent figured this was a good place to search.
"Well, you just missed him," Reno informed Vincent, pointing at the huge cavity in the side of the building.
"How long ago did this happen?" Vincent asked.
"Less than thirty minutes ago," Tseng replied.
With that news, Vincent transformed back into Chaos to go look for any sign of Weiss or Miles. Scouting at night was never an issue for him and he thought he might be able to catch up with them by air.
"Call if you have any news of their whereabouts," Rufus asked the ex-Turk.
Vincent nodded in agreement and took off into the night's sky.
"Wish I could fly like that," Reno remarked looking up at Vincent as he flew away.
"Yeah, then we might still have all our helicopters," Elena teased.
Reno shot her a dirty look and they all decided to go back to the office to regroup.