Strategy
The group stood in silence, trying to take all of this in. It made sense, although nobody wanted to admit it. Stealing the huge materia without anyone seeing and leaving no evidence requires a tremendous knowledge and skill of committing crimes whilst utilizing stealth. And the bullet only confirmed Reno's suspicion.
"I…don't follow. Why would Tseng steal the huge materia?" Tifa mumbled.
"Are you f%$# serious!?" Cid interrupted, pulling his smoke out of his mouth. "He's Wutainese like the brat here! They LOVE stealing materia! And the man worked for Shinra, so he's already got questionable morals."
"You old fart! Not all Wutainese are thieves!" Yuffie took offense to the comment and started jumping up and down. "Besides, he works for REEVE here!" she pointed at the WRO president.
"Calm down, guys," Reeve said, offering a cool head. "I'll give Tseng a call and find out what's going on. If you all wish, you may take a break. I know it's been a while since you've seen each other. Reno, you stay here."
"Aww, how thoughtful of you, bossman."
"Wait just a %$# minute. Anything that needs to be said can be said in front of us. This involves us, too. We are not about to be left in the dark," the former leader of AVALANCHE said confrontationally. Although the executives of Shinra were going by a different name and stated a different goal, it doesn't change the fact that at one time, they were Shinra. Barret was not one to stand by and let Shinra employees do as they please. He was forced to standby the first time around. He'd be damned if it happened again.
"Barret, I'm not trying to keep anyone in the dark. Tseng works for me. He will answer to me. But if he hears anyone in the background due to flaring emotions, I might not get answers. I will tell you all everything that is said, I promise," Reeve answered sincerely.
"Barret, Reeve is trustworthy," Tifa reassured, patting him on the back.
"Hmph, fine. But anything sneaky, and you'll answer to me." The rest of the group then headed off towards the Cosmo Flame. When they were out of earshot, Reeve got out his phone.
"Hey Reeve, what're you thinking?" Reno inquired.
"Honestly, right now, I don't know what to think. I sent Tseng on a special assignment. Stealing the huge materia was definitely not it. He's a man of integrity when it comes to work ethic, so I can't comprehend him going behind my back. Regardless I'll give him a call." He dialed Tseng's number and waited for him to pick up.
"Hey, Tseng! It's Reeve! How's the assignment coming along?" he began, jovially.
"Very well," was all Tseng replied. The tone in Tseng's voice was off-putting. It wasn't cold in the sense of malice against Reeve, but it was unamused as if he didn't want to be bothered at that moment.
"I see. Anything to report?" Reeve noticed the lack of a proper response and tried to push further.
"Not at the moment, sir." Again, not a typical Tseng response or what Reeve was expecting. Reno was getting antsy as well. Reeve wasn't sure what approach to take to get answers, so he decided to just be forthcoming.
"Has your…assignment taken you to Cosmo Canyon recently, Tseng?" There was silence. A long silence. "Tseng?" Reeve called back into the phone. He heard a sigh in response.
"No, sir, it has not. May I ask why?" Reno slapped his leg and gave the middle finger to the sky in frustration. Tseng had been his boss and friend for years. Only once had he ever seen Tseng blatantly lie, but he had a good reason to do so. This time, the physical evidence was there. And now he'd be caught between his current boss and friend and his former boss and friend. What the hell was going on?
"Just…curious," Reeve answered. "Are you sure there's nothing to report?"
"No, sir. Actually, I apologize but I must cut this short. I will be in touch, Reeve." The line then went dead.
"What…the…%$#?" Reno asked. "Yo, I'm telling you, something is wrong. For Tseng to lie like that…I mean, since you asked about Cosmo Canyon, he KNOWS that you KNOW, and still lied? Something is wrong. Something is up. He must have a good reason for this."
"A good reason, Reno? Are you serious? Going behind my back, stealing the most powerful materia on the planet, then lying about it, and he must have a good reason?" He slammed his fists together in anger. "Dammit Reno, the last thing the WRO needs is a scandal right now, not when we're so close to getting the planet back where it needs to be. The people trust us, and rightfully so. Not only would news of this break their trust, but it could also put them in danger. We still don't know the WHY!" Reeve's face was turning red.
"Bro, I know, but…Tseng is a good guy. He'd never do something out of malice. There HAS to be a good reason. Despite all the bull%$# Shinra put him through, despite giving him orders that could and almost did get him killed, and all of that crap being selfish, Tseng still carried out his orders without question. The only time I've ever seen him lie like that was when he faked Veld's death to save our lives. And that was a pretty damn good reason, yo," Reno pleaded on behalf of his friend.
"Yeah, well we're going to find out. We have to find out where he is. Thoughts?"
The Turk looked at him quixotically. "Why didn't you just ask him for his location?"
"If he lied about being here, you think he'll tell the truth about his whereabouts?" he stated, matter-of-factly.
"Hm. True. Does his phone have a tracker?"
"No. None of the WRO executives have trackers. In case someone who wants us dead wants to know where we are and can hack a GPS system, we'd be screwed."
"Damn. There goes that. Well, he has to be on this continent, right? He doesn't have access to a WRO chopper. Those DO have GPS…plus someone would've seen it. So he has to be travelling by foot or by ground vehicle. So he couldn't have gotten terribly far away. It couldn't be Rocket Town, or Cid would know," the Turk brainstormed.
"True, and it wouldn't be the Gold Saucer. There are too many people there, and the huge materia would surely stick out," Reeve proposed.
"Also true. So what do you think?"
"There are really only two possibilities as to where he could've gotten to with that load. The two nearest cities are Nibelheim and Gongaga. Both are relatively unpopulated. Both would make decent hideouts."
"What about Corel or Costa del Sol?"
"There's nothing in Corel. I doubt he could've gotten to Costa del Sol without a chopper so quickly, but I'll send out a squad to search anyways. I think our best bet is if we split up. Half go to Gongaga, half go to Nibelheim," Reeve reasoned.
"Good idea. Let's go tell them."
AVALANCHE sat around the fire. It was so strange. Each member could remember the emotions they felt sitting around the flame a year ago, and those feelings came back. Each member experienced nostalgia.
Tifa remembered sitting around thinking…no, knowing that something was wrong with Cloud's memories. The story he told in Kalm didn't make sense. She vowed she'd stick by him and figure out the truth. And along the way, she admitted, she came to truly care for him. She remembered doubting her own memories. I mean, if Cloud knew exactly what happened, he HAD to have been there, right? As stressful as that time was, she missed it.
Nanaki looked into the flame. Although he saw the flame every day, he rarely had the time to actually sit around it and reminisce. He, as well, remembered how the group came together around this flame a year before. Things were different. His grandfather was still here. Aeris was still here. Cloud was still here. Time escapes people. He was thankful that he was able to reunite with his group, but at the same time, it left him feeling lonely. He spent his days in the observatory watching out over the canyon, sometimes going and fighting monsters that weren't a challenge at all. As much as he hated to admit it, the Sephiroth journey was stressful, but oh so adventurous. He longed for an adventure again. His grandfather would want that, he reasoned.
Barret recalled his formation of AVALANCHE. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all died, sacrificing themselves for his revenge. To this day, he could never forgive himself for that. He remembered the promise he made them, that someday, when they liberated the world from Shinra, they'd come to Cosmo Canyon to celebrate. Not only had he lost Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, he was forced to watch as his best friend, a man he considered his brother, committed suicide. He was forced to watch as his hometown, his wife, was burned to the ground. He was forced to watch as Sephiroth fell from nowhere and impaled a woman he greatly cared for. He missed everyone. He was thankful he still had Marlene and his friends, but…thinking about all the people he loved brought tears to his eyes.
Tifa noticed Barret sniffling. "Barret, are you okay?" Barret stood up.
"Ya know, I was thinkin'…"
"Uh-oh!" Yuffie interrupted, sarcastically.
Barret shot her a look before continuing. "Everything happens for a reason, right? This situation, it may not be ideal. But hey, at least we're together again! We still need to find a couple of friends, but damn. Life…has a way of passin' us by, ya know? We all became close. Y'all are like family to me. I hate that after a year, this is how we reunite. From the looks of it, we got a couple o' badasses on our hands. Fact is, the WRO can't handle those %$# $# creeps. We're the ones who beat that crazy ass Sephiroth. We're the ones who destroyed those big ass WEAPONs. If anyone can find out what the hell is going on and beat those creepers, it's us! So I declare that AVALANCHE is formed again! There ain't no gettin' offa this train we on, ya feel me!"
Everyone around the flame started cheering for Barret's inspirational speech, and it made them feel warm inside. They were then interrupted.
"I'm glad to hear that," Reeve said as he came up the steps to the flame. "Because we're gonna need ya."
"What'd you find out?" Tifa asked. All eyes were on the WRO president and the Turk.
Reeve sighed. "Nothing. Tseng wouldn't give me a straight answer."
"Bull%$#!" Barret flared up.
"I know...Reno and I have come up with a course of action, if you're interested." The group gave Reeve their full attention. "We can't track Tseng's phone via GPS, so we can't confirm his location. That said, he doesn't have access to a chopper, and no boats leave this continent for another week, so he HAS to be on this continent still. The two closest locations to here are Nibelheim and Gongaga. Those places, actually, would make good hideouts considering the low population and lack of WRO representation. So I suggest we split up. Half of us go to Nibelheim, half of us go to Gongaga."
"That's some smart thinkin' kid. Glad yer the one in charge these days!" Cid spat. "But I think ya'll haven't considered somethin' yet. Does the old man really gotta be the one to school ya?"
Everyone looked at Cid strangely, Reeve raising an eyebrow with his arms crossed. "Aw, c'mon!" The man exhaled some smoke. "Tseng is one man. Those materia are %$#% huge. One man can't carry all that %$#$ himself. If we assume he took one at a time to some ground vehicle, no matter how stealthy the %$# is, he's bound to be caught in four trips."
"I see," Reeve crossed his arms. "You think he had help?"
"Do I gotta spell it out for ya? %$# yeah I think he had help."
"Honestly, that makes sense to me," Reno chimed in. "Tseng has a lot of resources and people at his disposal."
"Then…I don't think we should split up," Yuffie contributed.
"Aw %$#, leave it to the brat to break up what was a good line of logic!" the pilot huffed.
"Hey!" she glared at him before continuing. "We're stronger as a group. Just like Barret said. If there are more people involved, having our numbers increases our chances of victory in case of a confrontation."
Reeve immediately shook his head. "There won't be a confrontation. I know Tseng."
"You %$# know him!? Then didja know he'd go behind yer back, take some powerful %$# materia, and then lie to yer face like yer a little %$# ? But you KNOW him? C'mon kid! Don't be naïve." Cid was going on a rampage now. He felt as if he was the only one with steady logic. Damn, he needed some caffeine.
"There won't be a confrontation!" Reeve persisted, although sounding a little less convinced than before. "Splitting up increases our probability of finding him."
"One thing we haven't taken into consideration," Tifa finally spoke up, speaking gently, "those…things. Cid, Barret, and Reno were no match for them. If we end up running into one of them, or possibly more of them, we stand little chance separated."
"That's a good point, yo. I'll go classic Turk and run like hell!" Reno said.
Reeve sighed. "Point granted. So it seems like we need to take some votes then. One, do we separate, and two, if we do separate, where do we go"
Reno, always loving to have a say, began the vote. "All in favor of staying together, say 'Yo!'"
"Really, Reno?" his boss asked, shaking his head. Reno shrugged. After looking at each other following Reno's unprofessional vote calling, each member of AVALANCHE said "Yo".
"I guess that's it then," Reeve called. "So, where to?"
"I say Nibelheim," the hometown martial artist suggested. "For some reason, Nibelheim is always the beginning of our problems." The rest of the group nodded in concurrence.
"Just…leave me outta that creepy basement!" Yuffie quivered.
"Alright. Are we taking the Highwind or our chopper?" the president asked.
"%%$# we're takin' the Highwind! Ain't no room in a small ass chopper for all of us!"
Tifa, Yuffie, and Nanaki all simultaneously grinned. Looks like the gang is getting back together.
"Reeve?" the president asked, crossing his arms in the dim light. Shadows toiled behind him.
"Affirmative. He knows," he replied, ashamedly, but not entirely surprised.
"You don't sound surprised. Honestly, I can't comprehend how they figured you out."
"I'm not too sure, either. But he does have Reno at his disposal. We think similarly. If anyone could find me, it'd be him. I'm also fairly certain that AVALANCE is with them. " Rufus nodded in agreement. At the mention of his former comrades, one swordsman walked up and stood next to the president, as the other swordsman carefully kept guard over the scientist as he worked.
"I'm starting to think it may be a safe bet to actually involve the WRO and the others. I wanted to keep this secret because of who all is involved, but if Hojo is correct, and unfortunately he usually is, this is going to require significantly more help and more resources," Rufus threw the idea out there.
"No!" the blonde swordsman immediately shouted. His volume startled the professor, who slightly jumped. "I will not involve the others. This is my responsibility. I will protect everyone. After all they've been through, they deserve to live in peace," he kept emphatically shaking his head
"I have to disagree, sir," the Turk leader chimed in, agreeing with the swordsman. It wasn't often he'd go against superiors, but considering the significance of the unfolding situation, he felt he should offer his insight. "Look at what we're trying to accomplish, and look at who we are working with. Do you honestly think they'd agree to help us? If nothing, they'd stand in our way on moral grounds. Further, we have no use for them as of yet. We haven't actually captured one of the Seekers yet, and we haven't pinpointed what their goal is. Once we do, and the…moral aspects of obtaining that information are over with….we still might discover that there is no threat. Then we would only have burned bridges. I'm putting my career on the line here for the sake of the greater good. I don't want this to backfire."
The group had labelled the strange beings "Seekers", as it was clear from their encounters that they were seeking something. The problem was, finding out WHAT they were seeking. The swordsman was happy that Tseng backed him up.
"Look, Tseng, I agree. But let's do some math here. How many times now have we attempted to capture a Seeker? Even with our combined skills, we haven't been a match," Rufus reasoned.
"Again," the Turk replied, "do you really think that they would help us capture one, when we plan on giving it to Hojo for investigation? I'd wager that they'd kill both you and him on the spot."
The president sighed. "I suppose you're right. But if we are to capture one, we need some strategy. Clearly, fighting them is useless. They seem to parallel Sephiroth himself in terms of physical skill."
"Tell that bastard scientist to come up with something, then," the swordsman spat, his immense distaste for the professor obvious. "He came up with every goddamn thing else. Surely he can come up with some device or something to capture one. If he can't, I'll just do us all a favor and end his life now," he reached for his sword for emphasis. The scientist heard this and took offense. He turned away from what he was working on and towards the trio. The remaining swordsman face-palmed.
"You imbecile! The only empirical data I have is that they are more powerful than a scientific failure, and possibly on the same level as the greatest of all time. Do you know how much energy it would take to contain someone like Sephiroth? He was able to control Jenova, and almost destroyed the entire planet!" He cackled evilly at the last part, almost as if he was proud of his son's power.
"Hojo, are you telling me that even with the immeasurable power of the huge materia, you can't come up with something?"
"What do you idiots think I'm working on!? I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker!"
The president walked up to the scientist, got right in his face, and then placed the barrel of his shotgun up against Hojo's throat. "If I tell you to be a miracle worker, then you better damn well pull some miracles out of your ass. Do I make myself clear?" He heard the scientist talk a gulp, and then nodded his head.
"Rufus," Tseng interrupted. The president glanced back while still holding the gun to the man's throat. "If they know I took the materia, it's only a matter of time before they come looking for me. Knowing Reeve and Reno, they'll quickly reason that we're here."
"Hm, good point." He finally lowered the gun. "We'll need a distraction while we relocate to a more suitable place. Tseng, call in a favor from your comrades."
