The chase is on
It was early in the afternoon and the light of the sun, that was now descending over the horizon, shone through the broken window of the penthouse. The sounds that could be heard in the large living room, apart from the howling of the autumn wind, were a distinct tapping of a computer's keyboard, and the occasional intentional cough, meant to attract the attention of one particular redhead, causing the aforementioned sounds of tapping.
- Reno? – the dark-skinned man prompted, after several unfruitful attempts at catching the redhead's attention with a more subtle tactic.
- You should go make yourself some tea about that nasty cough, yo – the other man replied, blue eyes still glued to the computer screen which now showed a photo taken from a surveillance camera from the building across the street. The photo showed a slender, tall young man, with black hair, reaching partway down his back, and an almost white silver fringe, obscuring his eyes. He was dismounting his motorcycle.
- Reno, - the normally silent Turk started again, bracing himself for a long talk, by his standards. - Maybe you should give this up… - he was rewarded with a lifted red eyebrow. The larger man sighed and continued. – Don't you think that you are becoming… obsessed… with this … guy?
- Oh yeah? How do you figure?
- Well, I'm just saying that he may not turn out to be what you think him to be.
- You serious, yo? Did you take a GOOD look at him? – upon the nod he received from his partner, the redhead raised his voice a bit. – And you don't even consider that he might look familiar? – the other one shook his head. – You serious, yo? That face… that girly figure… that deep mocking voice… I'm telling you it's that remnant whacko we fought by the ShinRa statue, yo! It has to be him!
- Yeah… right… Listen, Reno, the way you talk about him… Are you sure you're still chasing a potential, most probably dead, enemy, or a new potential piece of ass?
- What?!? Are you… - Reno's tirade was interrupted by the sound of the computer, that had just completed the search. – Hehe, you might wanna take that back, yo. Come here.
- Rude came closer and bent over his partner's shoulder to look at the screen. On it could be seen a huge red sign saying : "COMPLETE MATCH" and two photos. The one was the photo from before with the intruder from last night. The other one was rather unclear because it was taken by one of the rather neglected surveillance cameras on as building near the now ruined ShinRa monument. It showed however two very familiar faces that Rude had hoped, no Rude knew were long gone… The red circle of the match was around the face of the long- haired remnant with the long flapping leather coat.
- It can't be…
- Oh, but it is, yo! Now how about that apology?
- Wait, aren't we going to do something about this?
- Well, now that you ask, hehe…
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"- S2 351 !
The voice sounded even colder from the speakers in the sterile white-tiled room. There wasn't anything in it safe for a chair, a table, and the single occupant – a small boy with gentle features, obscured by locks of silver, flowing just barely below his shoulders. The boy, dressed in a simple hospital gown, did nothing to show that he had in fact registered the cold voice.
- S2 351! Answer to your designation!
The child slowly lifted his head up, taking his time and directed his huge blue-green catlike eyes to the one-way glass, as if he was seeing right through it.
- Yazoo… - he muttered, the word slipping from his lips was barely above a whisper.
- What was that, 351?
- Yazoo… - the voice was soft, but way too deep for a boy of his age and built. – My name is Yazoo!
- Is it now, 351? And why is it "Yazoo"?
- Because… - the boy let his head hang low so that his bangs were once again obscuring his face. – Because that's the sound I'm gonna make when we get out of here! – the child suddenly screamed and leapt forward, over the table, and with and incredible speed and an even more unbelievable strength began to pound his little fists onto the glass. And even though it was enforced, the material cracked ever so slightly much to the shock of the scientists on the other side.
- S2 351! Seize this irrational behavior now and explain yourself or else! – the cold male voice came again.
- And just like that – as if a switch has been turned off, the boy slid off the glass. He remained there for a moment, however in the next, he was across the room, waving his tiny balled fists at the camera, next to the speaker.
- You hear that, one-eyed box? When I get out of here, that's the sound I'm gonna make – "Yazoooo" – he snapped his fingers. – Just like tha …
The rest of his sentence was interrupted when his body began to shake uncontrollably, from the shock of electricity that ran through the floor, right up his bare feet. All went black for the little boy as he slid to the tiles…"
- Yaz, what's keepin' ya, man? We're gonna be late and that little bitch will chop our fun sticks off!
- Be there… in a minute… - the young man in the bathroom tried real hard to conceal the shakiness in his voice.
He looked at himself in the mirror – the long silver hair, the catlike green eyes, the painful spasms running through his body, and the swirl of dark shades around him… This happened sometimes. Somewhere along the line, ShinRa's finest technology had screwed up, big time. That's why once a month these weird headaches and seizures would begin. They were the signal that his alien genes where trying to fight off his weaker, though more abundant, human genes.
The doctor he once talked to about this (and killed afterwards, of course, he couldn't risk the exposure) had told him that it was some hyperactivity of something or the other causing an autoimmune disease of some sort. It sounded way too full of medical nonsense for Yazoo to bother to remember. What he did remember, practical as he was, was that the seizures were caused by a deficit of natural stimulants in his blood. That meant that good stuff like candy, chocolate and sugar could very well help him through this. However, as his condition got graver, the concentration of stimulants in these foods became insufficient.
He reached a shaking hand to the drawer next to the sink, and opened the top one. He picked up a small container from it, popped the lid and pressed the bottle to his mouth, taking several of the pills down his throat.
Still shuddering violently, he ground his teeth together, so that he wouldn't have a chance to bite his tongue off before the shaking was over. As the convulsions started to slowly die down and lose their edge, he tried desperately to chase the bad lab-memories away and concentrated on getting prepared for the next day of work.
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- Strife Delivery Service, eh? – the redhead chuckled a bit as he stood before the ex-Seventh heaven bar which was now transformed into a full blown headquarters for the largest delivery service firm in all of Gaia, perhaps. – And he started off as a slacker and a farm boy… - Reno muttered as he threw his cigarette on the street and stepped on it before entering the building.
Well, the interior was pretty much the same – noisy and smoke-filled. However only two tables remained, and the actual bar was partially reconstructed to look like an office box, where an all too familiar face was giving out orders and packages to all sorts of young people, teenagers, most of them homeless, or in that rebellious age where it would be better to stay away from them, not hire them to deliver stuff around. Jeez…
- Yo, Yuffie, was it? – Reno grinned his winner smile at the petite woman behind the bar.
- Are we having a jackass meeting here today, Turk? Because otherwise, as you can see, I don't have time for you right now… - the girl named Yuffie scowled at Reno's supposedly charming smile.
The Turk just sighed and placed his hands nonchalantly in his pockets. Some old habits die hard. AVALANCHE members die even harder… Reno could definitely testify to that.
- Nope, actually, I'm here on business…
- Cloud ain't here, don't know where he is, didn't leave a note…
- I'm not here about Cloud… - the redhead waved his hand at the girl's obvious lie. If Cloud wasn't running this show behind the curtains, it would have been Kisaragi Delivery Service, would it not? – I'm here about this guy – the Turk placed a photograph on the counter.
- Don't know him… - Yuffie started, perfectly covering her surprise at seeing the remnant freak's picture on the bar.
- You don't? Interesting… Cause I do believe that what's hanging from his neck is a Strife Delivery Service ID card…
- Sometimes our cards get stolen by idiots who need the extra access from idiots who don't take care of their stuff. Should I write this down as a statement?
- Hey, ain't that Yazoo?
If Yuffie was allowed to have her way with running the place, she would have kicked that stupid bitch's ass for blowing the whole cover Cloud had set up. Even if the young ninja would have loved and actually proposed turning the freak over to the friggin' Turks, Cloud was very clear that if anything like that happened, Yuffie would be truly sorry. And she believed him. So now, all she could do was stall the redhead enough to have the chance to…
- You know this guy, yo?
- Yeah, sure, he works here.
- Really now, what's your name?
- Lilly, but everybody calls me Cherry, don't know why… - charming… she was that type of girl, who was completely clueless of her surroundings. Like for example not knowing that if you have your hair cut short just enough to reach below your ears, and then dye it in cherry colour and then not have a clue why they'd call you Cherry…
- Yeah… right… So, Cherry, nice nickname by the way, shouldn't hold it against those guys, yo. Please, do tell about… Yazoo…
- Well, he's amazing! This really great guy. Always calm, always knows what to do, always very nice… And plus he's hot! I mean, you've seen him right, he…
While Lilly-Cherry was rambling on and on to the Turk, distracting him just enough, Yuffie crawled behind the bar and started up the stairs with her trademark speed.
She was in front of the door of Yazoo' "quarters" in a matter of half a minute. She actually got there in such a hurry, that the first knock was delivered by her own head, connecting with the door's surface.
- Iteee… Oi, freak shows, open up! – she said that rather loud, but was completely confident that the noise the delivery people downstairs were making would cover it up.
The door opened so suddenly, that Yuffie stumbled into the room right before the door was slammed right back. She shook her still hurting head a little and stared the man in front of her with not just a little scorn.
- Wow, boss-lady, me an' my boy were just coming down…
- Shut up and listen… where's the other freak?
At that point her searching gaze found what she was looking for in the form of one Yazoo who walked out of the bathroom in nothing on but his jeans and a pair of sunglasses.
- What's up with you? Had a rough morning? – Yuffie asked.
- Something like that… - the remnant drawled out. In fact, he was still recovering from his fit this morning and had yet to manage to will his pupils into normal round shapes.
- Listen, you gotta get out of here, right now!
- Hey, hey, hey, you can't throw us out, Cloud said… - Real Chad began, but was cut off by a seriously innerved cough from Yuffie.
- Ahem, as much as I'd just love to see your asses in chains, Cloud said I should tell you to get when Turks come by. Well, guess what – Turks came by, thanks to pretty boy over there who got his ass recorded on a surveillance cam! So get! Come on – chop chop!
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Reno could barely contain his yawn anymore, caused by Cherry's unstoppable rambling. So far he had learnt completely nothing of importance, except what he already new – that this guy worked here, that he looked very much like the three "rockers" as she called them that attacked the city an year ago. The only thing he did learn that was actually new, was that despite that everybody thought this Yazoo character to be "awesome", "incredible" and all, they couldn't really say why, because they knew next to nothing about him, and he wasn't much of a talker.
At the very moment, Cherry was describing, as if in a trance, how magnificently Yazoo's hair moved while he walked… At that point the Turk actually prayed for lightning to strike him … And then there was the thunderous crash from above… And it rained… pieces of glass?
Reno took a step back and saw a huge motorcycle flying out of the window on the second floor and landing just a few feet away from where he and Cherry stood. The rider was a rather thinly built young man with a halfway done black shirt, sunglasses and long black hair, safe for the silver fringe in the front. Behind him was a rather bulky dark-skinned guy, hugging him closely around the waist. The long-haired guy tilted his head a little and then revved the engine, and his only salute to his bewildered audience was a sly smile and a "Hn" before he disappeared in a matter of moments behind the first turn.
The Turk stood there, his jaw still dropped in awe and he just couldn't shake the double- image he was getting – on one hand, what he had just witnessed, and on the other – two leather-clad guys riding the same bike, with long flowing silver hair and scary catlike green eyes…
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- Yo, Yaz, not that I'm not enjoying, as always, hugging you while you perform amazing stuff with this machine, but don't you think we just blew our cover like huge time! – the dark-skinned man screamed, trying to overpower with his voice the howl of the wind against their faces.
- No, - the other one screamed back. – It's called a false diversion – it means that we seemingly admit to have been there before, and are now running away as though we have no other options. Therefore, they'll never think that we are that stupid to go back there again.
- But we are that stupid? Dude, how the hell do you know all this weird military stuff?
- We live in a dangerous world, you pick things up as you go, or you die. ..
Yazoo then shut up abruptly as memories engulfed him. He remembered hearing those words before, and was now utterly shocked and disgusted with himself for having to admit that that horrible man was right… Survival of the fittest … it was the same in the outside world, if not worse.
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- Any luck? – Rude asked, as he sat himself on the sofa and sipping from the cheap wine they were having tonight.
- Oh, there will be, believe me yo. Cause this little Turk planted a bomb inside the bomb and is watching out for the fireworks!
- What did you do?
- Patience, partner, patience, and go on with the plan. Things will just work themselves out, you know.
- I guess I should be going then?
He received a curt nod from his partner, finished his wine and left Reno in the living room to prepare mentally for what was coming next in their plan.
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It was three hours to sunrise when Yazoo sneaked back into the apartment he shared with Chad on the second floor of the previous Seventh heaven. He had left his completely freaked-out friend in the safe house in Ajit and came back to see if his plan had worked. And to get a little peace and quiet of course.
As he entered through the broken window, he didn't light any lamps, for one because it could give out his position, and also because he didn't need to. He was perfectly capable of seeing in the dark.
The place was exactly as they had left it. He eased in and walked to his room to lay down a bit. He landed on his bed with a sigh of relief and was just about to close his eyes for a minute or two when a glimmer of gold caught his gaze.
As he snapped into a sitting position on the bed and tilted his head a bit to focus the thing staring him from the drawer on the other side of the room, he realized what it was. The Shiva statuette …
Yazoo's eyes went from surprise to a tinge of fear, however they finally settled on a rather dangerously malicious glimmer. The little smile that curled his lips at that moment spoke nothing but trouble for the redheaded Turk… This chase was now officially on...