Alright! I managed to get Chapter 7 out on time! We'll see how the next few go as school really starts to ramps up (particularly considering I will soon be starting a part time job as well), but once again I'll do my best! ^^ Also, I realized the last chapters have been a little less action-packed than some of the previous ones; for all of you who were getting perhaps a little bored, this chapter should cheer you up a little.

Tons of thanks to Metamorcy, flammula, DeNiSaY60, ChibixLeon, Emerald Moonrose, fenrir-ice-wolf, infinityinmirrors, Bane-Dane, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, b4k4 ch4n, Shinimegami7, , Caithdean, Composer Gizmo-chan, LoneBoy7, ooXloveXoo582, Aindel S. Druida, ramen-is-my-goddess, Lucia-luce, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, and RealityInABottle! You guys are the best!! ^^

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Chapter 7

Darkness had completely fallen when Squall left his home. Having spent nearly the entire day at the hospital with Sora, he hadn't had time to do much else when he got home besides grab something to eat before he had to go back out again. Stuffing his hands into his pockets to ward off some of the cold that was just beginning to seep into the night air, Squall quickly made it to his motorcycle. As he reached it, Squall hesitated only a moment before getting on and starting it up.

He wasn't sure he wanted to face Zexion right now. From what Riku had said last night, it was a good bet that the man was still upset. Then again, he should be. After having managed to perform a near-perfect crime, their heist had been completely compromised by the fact that the owners had traced their money. Then again, Squall found it hard to imagine Zexion, who remained calm and cool even under a constant barrage of smart comments from Riku, getting enraged over anything. And he had to admit it; he was a little nervous, just a little, about being part of the problem and being on the receiving end of Zexion's bad mood.

With these thoughts haunting him, Squall found himself driving up to the pseudo-vacant house he had become so familiar with sooner than he would've liked. Eyeing the building's silent façade, he dropped the kickstand and dismounted. Nothing seemed different than any other day…but he could almost sense an aura of irritation pulsing from the structure. Not good…but it would be easier just to get it over with.

Squall put on a stoic face and pushed the front door open, surprised when he didn't find himself met by the business end of a gun. Spotting Riku, Squall closed the door cautiously behind him and moved further into the room, "Where's Zexion?"

Riku glanced up from the magazine he was holding, the young man sprawled out on the couch that he had apparently claimed, "In the other room. He's been trying to get a hold of Marluxia ever since you called and the guy finally just returned Zexion's call."

Squall glanced over at the room Riku had indicated and narrowed his eyes as Zexion's voice suddenly raised enough for them to hear before quieting back down. "I've heard Marluxia's name a lot. Who is he?"

Riku shrugged as he turned a page, "Someone Zexion's known for a long time, longer than I've been around anyway. Marluxia starting setting us up with jobs a while ago but I've never actually talked seen him. I actually thought Zexion was just psycho and 'Marluxia' was a split personality or something for a few months until I talked to him on the phone."

"How does he find your targets?"

"How should I know?"

"Why did Zexion want to call him?"

Riku opened his mouth to answer, but a different voice cut him to it, "Because Marluxia should have known that the money was traced." Squall turned his head to find that Zexion had come back into the main room, an annoyed scowl replacing his usually serene features. "Now if you are done interrogating Riku, I have some questions of my own."

Squall straightened up, his eyes hardening as he prepared himself for a verbal attack, "Don't put the blame for this on me."

"I do not see why it would be inappropriate, given that you were the one who decided it would be a good idea to pay a large sum of money in cash! I would not even have expected Riku to do that, much less you!" The shorter man crossed his arms angrily, "Now the Twilight Town police are onto us; it will be impossible to make a move in that town for the next few weeks. We might even have to wait a month or two before it is safe for us to act there again."

"They're not idiots, they would've found out the money was traced from the owners and found us anyway after one of us deposited it in the bank."

Zexion's visible eye narrowed, "You did not tell them anything when they took you in for questioning? Riku said that they knew who we were."

Squall frowned, his pride injured, "I've been trained to withstand months of torture without telling an enemy so much as my name; I'm not going to give up anything to a couple of detectives. They knew your and Riku's names without me having to tell them anything."

Zexion stared straight into Squall's eyes as if he was peeling apart his soul before looking away and letting out a small huff, "They must have another source then…I will have to look into it."

Seeing that his employer seemed temporarily placated, Squall's mind went back to something that Zexion had said during his little tirade, "You said that we couldn't work in Twilight Town anymore, but Riku told me that you had already started to plan a new job for us. Where's it going to be?"

Remaining silent for a second, Zexion then turned and walked over to a bookcase against the far wall and pulled out a long roll of paper from amongst the binders and piles of paperwork. Making his way back over to Squall and Riku, who seemed only barely interested in their conversation, Zexion let the paper in his hand unfurl to reveal a map of a very large city. "Dark City."

Riku glanced over at the name, a smirk spreading across his pale lips, "Now you're speaking my language!"

Zexion raised a brow, "Yes, well, it seemed like an opportune time to return to our old stomping grounds, given that Twilight Town is out of the question."

Riku's sharp teal eyes sparked, "Where to?"

"Non-residential this time." Zexion walked over to the table, Riku and Squall following, and set the map down. Pointing to a spot in the middle of the city, Zexion continued, "A corporate building owned by a company called the 'Dark City Organization'. Not the most original name I must admit, but it seems that they deal in loans, among other things, and therefore act much like a private bank, keeping some of their clients' money and valuables in a storeroom in their office."

Riku leaned in to study the building Zexion had pointed to, "Alright, so what's the catch? It's downtown, so it's probably in one of the skyscrapers, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Squall frowned, "If they are located downtown and are doing well enough to catch your attention, they probably have enough money to set up a pretty advanced security system."

"Exactly." Zexion looked back at Riku, "The 'catch' is that the security system is so advanced that I will not be able to deal with it remotely and will have to work with each problem as it presents itself."

"So that means what?"

"It means that I am going in with the both of you."

Squall blinked as Riku let out a groan beside him, "Is there anyway you can just tell us what to do with the headsets?"

Shaking his head, Zexion frowned, "No, the system will be too complex. Besides, Leon, I assure you I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

The man looked so scrawny that it was hard to believe but Squall decided it was better to let it go. After all, Zexion was familiar with this line of work and older than him, certainly old enough to know his own limits. But there was still something that was bothering him about all of this. "…Did you get this target from Marluxia?"

"I believe that we already had this conversation during our previous case."

"You didn't give me an answer then either."

Zexion's frustration flashed to the surface just long enough to let Squall know that he was treading on thin ice. "Marluxia has given us many tips in the past and they have all turned out to be accurate. I have spoken with him about what occurred during our last outing and he had assured me that he was not aware that the money was traced, nor had his sources underground known of it. In response, I informed him that if such a thing ever happened again, I would cease to associate with him further and that he would quickly find himself with a bullet in the back of his head. Now, would you care to persist in our game of twenty questions or may I continue?"

Squall pursed his lips but stopped himself from talking back, not wanting to incite any more anger out of the smaller man. From what Zexion had said, it seemed that Marluxia was some sort of middle man, carrying information from criminals around the city back to Zexion.

Riku seemed to dislike the silence because he spoke up after Squall refused to say anything, "Get on with it, will you? Just tell us what your brilliant scheme is so we can start learning our parts."

Narrowing his eyes at Riku, Zexion grabbed a folder that had been hiding under the map, "I hope for your sake Riku that was not sarcasm." He flipped the file open and a handful of photographs and diagrams spilled out, "But putting that aside, for now, I suppose I had better explain your roles so that you can actually execute them properly."

Taking a moment to lay out the pictures, Zexion launched into his most recent plot, Squall listening on avidly. As soon as he had heard that they wouldn't be working in Twilight Town again for a while, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Detective Strife and his partner, Detective Flynn, had been getting a little too close to the truth; they both seemed like good enough men so it would be a shame if he, Zexion, or Riku had to remove them from the picture. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle that…

The next few days and nights passed abnormally quickly as Squall settled into a new routine, visiting Sora during the day and spending his nights in the vacant house. Any spare time he had was spent sleeping, eating, and watching for any signs that the Twilight Town police were tracking his movements.

After three days, Sora was finally released from the hospital and Squall was able to bring the boy home. When Squall had picked Sora up from the hospital, his doctor had said that the teen needed to continue to take it easy but as soon as they stepped over the threshold into their own home Sora had demanded that he be allowed to go to school the next day. Squall had given in, finding that it was useless to try to convince Sora otherwise. Ever since Squall had been released from his short stay with the Twilight Town police, Sora hadn't brought up Squall's work once but seemed oddly determined to be more independent.

That night though, Sora watched from the couch as Squall gathered his things together, a small frown on his face, "Squall…? Are you going back out?"

Glancing up at his brother, Squall nodded, trying to maintain a casual tone, "Yeah. I should be back early in the morning, I'll try not to wake you."

Sora's frown didn't fade, the teen turning around in his seat to watch as Squall pulled on his jacket, "Are you going to, do anything tonight?"

Squall smiled softly in an attempt to soothe Sora. He was obviously trying to figure out if Squall was going to be up to anything illegal. "Today should be a pretty low-key night. Don't worry about it too much, you're apparently going to class tomorrow and need your sleep."

Pouting, Sora rested his chin on the back of the couch, "You're not going to get hurt or anything?"

"No, nothing dangerous tonight, I promise. Now, remember to get to bed at a decent time and wake me up when you're ready to go so I can give you a ride." Sora opened his mouth to argue but Squall held up a hand, "You're already pushing it by going to class, I'm not letting you walk to school and back, especially since it's getting cold.

Sora slouched a bit, letting out a breath, "Alright…"

Satisfied, Squall nodded, walking over to place a quick kiss to the top of Sora's head, "Remember to take your medicine before you go to sleep. Your doctor already doesn't like me much after what happened, don't give him a reason to hold any more of a grudge."

"I'll remember. Be careful, okay?"

Chuckling, Squall nodded again as he made his way toward the front door, giving a playful salute as he pushed it open, "Yes, sir." This roused a snicker from Sora and Squall finally felt comfortable leaving. Waving good-bye, he took his finally took his leave, as always making sure the door was locked firmly behind him.

Riding his motorcycle through the darkened city streets, Squall sped back to the vacant house. This was the last night of planning before the hit so he wanted to get there early. Although Zexion had always been a careful planner, he was growing almost obsessive, using every scrap of information Marluxia had sent to compose the most elaborate operation that Squall had ever been a part of. It was going to be a surgical strike: get in, get the goods, get out, while avoiding any security that may be stationed in the building. If Zexion had been a SeeD, he would have possibly been the best strategist that the group had ever had.

Arriving shortly at their headquarters, Squall quickly made his way inside, finding Zexion and Riku hunkered over the table. No matter how early Squall got there, Riku always made it there before him, which was unbelievably annoying when Squall thought about it too hard. Which is why he tried not to think about it.

Looking up just long enough to identify him as he walked in, Zexion turned back down to the papers scattered across the tabletop, "I am having Riku repeat the plan to me to check that he has it memorized. You will be next but go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the meantime."

Riku scowled, straightening up as Squall took a seat on his couch, "Hey! How the hell is this fair? He's just going to hear everything I say and copy me!"

"Do not be childish Riku. He has a different job than you. Besides, I trust his ability to focus on the mission more than yours. Continue from where you left off."

Squall smirked as Riku heaved a heavy sigh but began to run through his part in their plan. Squall personally wasn't worried about being quizzed; he had his part memorized for a while now. After Riku had finished, only skipping over a few points, Squall proved it to Zexion, repeating back the whole plan without a single error.

Ignoring Riku's glare as he finished up, Squall looked down at Zexion as the man gave a stiff nod, "Good. Now that I know you both were paying attention, I feel confident enough that we are ready to proceed. However, this time around, the set-up will be a little different than our last few jobs in that we will be making the hit on Sunday. Although normally this is a day off, I took the liberty of assuming that the both of you will be available."

Squall frowned; one of the few bonuses in this job was that he was able to spend the entire weekend with Sora. "Why does it have to be Sunday?"

"Because, that will ensure that the fewest number of people possible will be in the building at night. During the week, there may be workers who stay late, so it would be best to strike over the weekend." Gathering the paperwork up, Zexion glanced back at his employees, "Until then, keep a low profile. We cannot give those detectives any reason to suspect that we will soon be making a move."

Zexion had nothing to worry about on Squall's end. As the weekend arrived, Squall spent nearly all his time inside with Sora, trying to keep his brother from participating in any strenuous activity. In fact he only left the house one to run to the store for groceries, the rest of the day spent in front of the TV with Sora trying to beat a video game. It was nice, just to be normal for a while, even though the both knew it couldn't last for very long.

When Sunday night finally rolled around, Squall made dinner for them and told Sora that he would have to out for the night. Sora hadn't argued the matter and Squall had finished the dishes then left, giving Sora a tight hug before stepping out of the door. As if sensing that tonight his older brother would be putting himself in danger, Sora had returned the gesture with all his might, so much so that Squall practically had to pry the poor kid off so that he could leave.

Because they didn't have any need for a van this time, their arrival plan was a little different. As Squall understood it, Riku and Zexion should have arrived in Dark City earlier during the day on separate trains, leaving the last train for Squall to take in. They were all to meet up in an alley near their target building that Zexion had indicated on the map a few days ago.

After buying his train ticket, Squall tried to avoid the other passenger's gazes as he boarded. He would've worn sunglasses to help hide his identity, but it would've only been more suspicious to be seen wearing them after sunset. Setting his duffle bag which held all of his gear, including two handguns, onto his lap, Squall turned his head so that he could stare out through the window. Dark City was a good deal farther away from Traverse Town than Twilight Town; it would probably be about three hours before they arrived.

Luckily, his thoughts kept his mind occupied the entire way, Squall watching with some interest as Dark City began to come into view just as the sun finished sinking below the horizon. He had never actually been, and couldn't help but be a little impressed at the vast extent of man-made lights shimmering out in the distance. It was larger than he had expected, Squall's eyes trailing up the towering skyscrapers as the train drew closer to its destination. It was certainly a marvel of human ingenuity but Squall preferred the closeness of Traverse or Twilight Town…but he could see how someone like Riku would feel right at home in this concrete jungle.

Shouldering his duffle bag as the train pulled into the station, Squall stepped off onto the platform and began to walk. From the maps Zexion had shown him, the station wasn't too far from the "Dark City Organization's"' place of business and he didn't want to risk being later recognized by a taxi driver. Squall maintained his cool as he made it out to the city streets, despite the throngs of people still out and about despite the hour. It looked like he was in a restaurant and shopping district so it was to be expected.

Going over the city map from memory, Squall began to weave his way around corners and down city blocks, the buildings becoming taller and more imposing as he walked further towards the city centre and into the business district. Here the shadows seemed to play off of each other almost as if they were alive, making Squall tense. He almost got himself lost until he looked up and saw the Organization's tower looming about three blocks away, Squall immediately recognizing its silhouette from the photos Zexion had.

From there on out Squall used the building as his guide, ignoring the thinning number of passer-bys, trying to keep his head down as often as possible to try and make use of the shadows and keep them on his face. Just as he was beginning to feel vertigo from looking up at it, Squall rounded a corner and found himself in a small clearing amongst the buildings, the skyscraper standing in the center like some sort of monument to greed.

Glancing around for Riku or Zexion, Squall walked around so that he was facing the front, his eyes narrowing a little from the glare as neon lights hit him. The façade of the building was lit up, strings of light running up the sides all the way to the roof where a giant screen was perched with advertisements flashing across. In the surrounding darkness it captured one's attention and kept a hold of it with an iron grip, Squall ripping his gaze away to scan his surroundings.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flash of silver dart into the blackness. Taking after it, Squall recognized the spot as where their meeting point, his thoughts confirmed as he rounded a corner and caught sight of two figures leaning against the alley's concrete wall. One's face completely shrouded underneath the dark hood that he wore but the other was unmistakably Riku, his own hood down and not doing a thing to hide his pulled-back silver hair. As soon as Squall entered the area, both Zexion and Riku looked up, Zexion giving him a quick nod, "There you are. I was starting to think that neither of you were going to show."

Riku shrugged nonchalantly, resting his hands on hips, "Hey, I don't get back home that often, I have to enjoy myself a little."

"Work before pleasure, Riku. Leon, take a few moments to put yourself together." Squall took the hint and set down his bag, stripping off his jacket to reveal a long-sleeved black shirt. Tying his hair back, Squall dug through his things, pulling out his gloves and guns, strapping everything on as Zexion began again, "I have staked out the building for the last few hours and it appears that very few people are inside, all of them appearing to be security guards. There are more than I had expected, given the time and day, so we may need to prepare ourselves for an unorthodox methods of escape."

Squall raised a brow as he straightened up, "How do you mean?"

Pushing himself off of the wall, Zexion grabbed a bag that was sitting on the ground beside him and pulled it around to the front so that Riku and Squall could see. Unzipping it, Zexion reached in, "I mean, given that the front door is the only way in and out, that it may become necessary to find another exit if, for whatever reason, our little venture should catch the attention of the guards." With that said, he pulled out equipment that Squall recognized.

"Rappelling gear?"

Zexion nodded, "I would advise that we all put on a harness now while we have the time to make for a quick escape if on is required."

Riku rolled his eyes but grabbed a harness out of the back, "This is so going to chafe on leather…"

Squall could sympathize. Grabbing his own harness, Squall pulled it on, slipping it over his boots and his leather pants. Luckily, the harness fit fairly well so it shouldn't impede his movements too much. He had only used rappelling gear once through SeeD in an actually combat situation; he and a few others had to rappel out of a helicopter to reach their target. Rappelling off of a stationary object was bound to be easier.

After he had finished strapping on his own harness, Zexion finished by passing them all the remaining equipment, including a length of rope which attached to the harness at the waist. "Now that that is settled I suppose we are ready to go. I opted out of using headsets given that we should not be in a situation where we must be separated. Moreover, and more importantly, given the intricacy of their security system, I would not be surprised if our transmission was intercepted and that is unacceptable. Keep in mind that if anything goes wrong and we do end up getting split up, you are to fulfill your part of the mission to the best of your abilities and we will regroup at the vacant house in Traverse two days from now." Squall and Riku nodded their agreement; as terrible as it sounded, all three of them knew that if anyone fell behind had to be left behind in the heat of the moment. "Alright, now that lines have been clearly drawn, I believe it is time to get down to business."

Squall took the hint, slinging his duffle over his head before heading out of the alleyway, Riku and Zexion close on his heels. The plan, as ostentatious as it was, was to enter directly through the main entrance. Walking through the courtyard, Squall hurried up the large flight of steps to the doors, Riku and Squall flanking Zexion as the smaller man rushed up to a small box located near the doors where employees usually swiped their access key cards to gain entry. Acting as lookouts, Squall and Riku watched the surrounding area for any living souls or security cameras as Zexion got to work.

Pulling out a small plastic case from the bag he was carrying, Zexion produced what looked like a miniature crow-bar and carefully pried off the box's plastic covering to reveal the circuitry hidden underneath. Squall didn't care to watch as Zexion worked, not caring what the man did as long as it got them in quickly. He wasn't disappointed. Less than half a minute later, Zexion let out a small murmur, Squall glancing over to see a smug smirk on the man's face just before the doors behind him swished open.

The three of them immediately hurried inside, Zexion pausing for half a second to put away his equipment after the doors had closed behind them. They were in the darkened reception area of the office, a large, modern looking desk stretching across the other side of the room flanked by staircases and elevators. Squall let his eyes adjust to the lack of light, just barely able to see Riku as the hitman ran passed him towards the stairs, his gun drawn. Taking out his own weapon, Squall followed, making sure Zexion went ahead as Riku led them up the winding staircase.

Moving as quietly as possible, they quickly ascended four levels, their muffled footsteps echoing up through the stairwell as they winded around corner after corner. Unlike what Squall had expected, Zexion managed to keep pace, although his breath was coming a little heavier as they reached the fifth floor. The main building was separated from the stairwell by a thick door, "Dark City Organization" emblazoned across the front in silver lettering. Motioning for Squall and Riku to remain silent, Zexion stepped forward and pressed his ear to the door, undoubtedly listening for the footsteps of the guards they knew to be patrolling the hallways beyond. Gingerly reaching out, Zexion tested the door and found it predictably locked. However, the lock was controlled by another key card, and Zexion retrieved his gear back from his bag.

This lock seemed to be more complex because it took Zexion a few minutes, a few stifled curses escaping from beneath the man's hood as he worked. Glancing over at Riku, Squall knew that the other was becoming impatient, similar thoughts undoubtedly running through both of their minds. Although they hadn't yet been intercepted, Squall was sure that a place like this was filled with security cameras. They hadn't yet triggered any alarms but if the security monitors were being manned, it was likely that they would very soon be noticed, if they hadn't been already.

Finally a small beep sounded from the key card lock and a sharp click came from the door, Zexion putting his tools away again with a small sigh, his voice low as he whispered, "That was more challenging than I had anticipated, far more advanced than the lock to gain entrance into the building…"

Riku frowned, reaching out for the door handle, "Well, we're in so that's all that matters." Testing it and finding that the handle indeed swung down, Squall and Zexion both moved to the side to allow Riku to pull the door open. He slowly eased it open just to the point where he could see through it, staring through the thin sliver of space into the Organization's office space. Apparently not seeing any of the guards, he gave a small signal and swung the door open fully, sweeping into the room like a shadow. Squall went second, his gun out in front of him as he quickly checked the adjacent halls, his heart pounding in his throat as they entered the new area. This was the worst: knowing that the enemy was nearby, knowing that they might be able to see you, but unable to tell where they were.

At this point, Zexion took the led, brushing by Riku and darting down the halls. Although his motions were not as concise as Squall's or Riku's it was clear that this was not his first break-in, the slight man heading directly towards their goal. The room they were looking for was where the Organization supposedly stored all of their clients' wealth, something like a bank's safe, and is was located near the center of a labyrinth-like network of offices and meeting rooms. Just as they rounded a corner, Zexion froze mid-step, Squall nearly running into his back. Zexion hardly seemed to notice, his eyes trained on the beam of a flashlight and the man holding the flashlight, a guard stationed in one of the many halls with his back to the three of them.

Squall's eyes narrowed, knowing that they had to get passed the man to reach their target. They could use a distraction, but the guard might alert some of his companions, so that was out of the question. Rolling his eyes, Riku stepped forward, his gun raised. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eyes, Zexion gave a sharp shake of his head. Even with a silencer, if Riku fired a shot of in this pressing silence it would surely attract the attention of more guards. His attention drawn back to the guard, Zexion paused then motioned for Squall and Riku to stay put.

Squall reached out to stop Zexion from creeping forward but Riku halted the action by grabbing his arm, forcing Squall to simply watch as Zexion slunk up toward the guard's turned back. What was Zexion planning on doing, going up to the guy and politely requesting that he step aside and remain silent? Zexion clearly had other plans. The only warning Squall had was the small glint of something slipping out of Zexion's sleeve before in a single movement the small man reached both hands up, using one hand to cover the guard's mouth as the other stretched out and smoothly drew the blade across the guard's throat with all the skills of a practiced surgeon. The guard, who had never even heard death approaching, fell limp, Zexion lowering him carefully to the floor to let him noiselessly bleed out with a cold expression.

Shocked, Squall was unable to move for a moment as Riku stepped forward, a grin on the other man's face as he walked over to observe Zexion's handiwork as the latter calmly cleaned the blood off of the weapon resting in his palm. Suddenly, Zexion's eyes darted up towards Squall's face and he finally forced his limbs to move, eyeing Zexion's weapon as he drew close enough to see it. It was a small blade made not of metal but obsidian, probably so as not to be discovered by metal detectors, the cut across the guard's throat so fine and clean that the blade must have been as sharp as a scalpel.

Squall's respect of Zexion's deadliness soared as the man pushed the knife back into the small sheath strapped to his forearm underneath his hooded coat before motioning for them to continue on now that the obstacle was out of their way. Stepping over the dying man, Squall refused to look down at his face, knowing all too well what he would see. Rounding another hall, Squall saw another flash of light a few yards away, glad for the oncoming guard when Zexion led them in the opposite direction until they came up to a different looking room. It looked nearly exactly like a bank vault, a large metal door with a keypad blocking their way to the treasure inside.

Riku and Squall both knew what their jobs were at this point, each standing in the hall on either side of the safe, guns outstretched before them, as Zexion knelt down in front of the keypad to hack his way inside the safe. The seconds seemed to take hours to pass by, Squall narrowing his eyes as he tried to ignore the pounding of his heart as he gazed out into the darkness. A flicker of a flashlight beam made his pulse race and he readjusted his grip on the grip of his gun, letting out a breath only when he saw the light disappear again.

A crackling buzz and flashes of light coming from behind him caught his attention and Squall glanced behind him to see that Zexion had already pulled the cover off of the key pad and seemed to be soldering something, the glow lighting up his face which was drawn up in a tight frown. Squall heard Riku shift down the hall, his heart speeding up as Riku whispered out, "Hurry it up, I think someone's coming our way." Zexion's frown deepened, his movements picking up speed as he worked with the intricate controls. Hearing trained on the action behind him, Squall caught what Riku must have heard, the sound of heavy footfalls apparently drawing closer. They hadn't discussed what they were going to do if they were interrupted in this stage of the game; they hadn't been counting on the high number of guards patrolling the place. They had already confirmed that there were at least four of them walking around, including the man they had brought down earlier, and they had barely traversed through a quarter of the office complex. Why would a business hire so much security? "Zexion…"

Body tense, Zexion snapped back, "Do what you must, I need more time."

The order came just in time, a beam of light suddenly illuminating all three of them as the guard Riku had focused in on came around the corner. Before the guard could let out a shout of alarm, Riku had fired off two shots, the noise shattering the deathly quiet of the office building as the guard let out a shout of pain and fell to the ground, his flashlight clattering across the ground as it dropped from his hand.

Almost instantly, every single light on the floor flashed on, Squall wincing as the sudden onslaught stung his eyes and blinded him. Zexion let out a stifled cuss word as Riku pulled the hood of his trenchcoat on to try and block some of the light. Shouts rung out from all directions, echoes creating such chaos that Squall hardly knew where to look as footsteps began to thunder towards them. Suddenly Riku let out a shout and Squall whipped around, "Shit! Guys, we have company!"

Abandoning his post, Squall ran over to Riku, joining him just as a small herd of guards appeared at the end of the hall, the two thieves not hesitating before unleashing a barrage of bullets into the crowd. The shots were quickly returned, Squall falling down into a crouch as he heard bullets whistle passed, some grazing his clothing before whizzing by. These men were good shots, and they were aiming to kill. They needed to leave, now.

Riku seemed to have the same impression, the young man spinning around and pulling Zexion to his feet even before he had time to pack up his tools. Covering their escape, Squall emptied his magazine towards the group of guards, if nothing else than to force them to take some cover and give them time for escape.

No longer caring about how much noise they made, they sprinted back towards the exit, Zexion just barely able to retrace their steps at the pace they were moving, the slim man letting out a shout as they ran down a hall only to find four more guards rushing towards them. Spotting the intruders, the guards immediately open fired, Riku taking one of them out before ducking around a corner to search for momentary refuge.

Squall grabbed a fresh magazine from his pocket as they ran, letting the old clip fall to the ground before snapping the new one into place, loading a cartridge into the chamber with a quick flip of the action. Now that they had ran off track, Zexion seemed to be searching solely for a place to hide, if only for a moment. As soon as they lost the guards behind them, Zexion darted into one of the office lining the halls, barely giving Riku and Squall time to get it before shutting the door behind them. A moment passed before they heard the guards run by and Zexion heaved a breath, "It does not make sense, they should not have so many men on guard at one time!"

Squall took up a position by the door so that they would be able to put up some sort of fight if one of the guards figured out their position. In this room they were like sitting-ducks, "Do you think they were tipped off?"

Walking up to the large desk sitting in the room, Riku picked up a framed photograph, his face falling into a serious expression, "I don't think so…but this was definitely a trap."

Zexion narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?" Riku raised a brow then tossed the frame to Zexion, the older man's eyes darkening as he gazed down at the picture, "Marluxia, what have you done…?"

Curious, Squall glanced over Zexion's shoulder down at the photograph to see a group of imposing looking men dressed in black business suits. "What is it?"

Riku nodded down to the picture, "This company, whatever it is they do here, it's not legal. See that guy in the middle?" Squall nodded in return, his eyes focusing on the tall man in the middle of the photo. He was obviously in charge, his golden eyes intense as they stared out from his tanned face, silver white hair hanging down passed his shoulders. "That's Xemnas, the most powerful crime boss in Dark City. If he's in that picture than he probably owns this place, meaning we just got ourselves into some deep shit trying to steal from him."

"Damn it!" Squall turned to look back at Zexion as the man let out a hiss, "Marluxia must have known about this! He must have—"

"Just admit it Zexion, Marluxia set us up!" Riku snarled, "He probably set us up last time too, except thanks to Leon here we managed to wiggle out of it! I told you this was funny, hell, even Leon did, but you told me to trust the guy!"

"Enough." Zexion's face was stoic even though his voice had been shaking, "We will deal with this when we get out."

"You mean if we get out…" Squall leaned up against the wall next to the door, "I hear footsteps coming, they must've—" His voice was cut off as the door to the office was kicked open, the barrel of a gun pointing straight between his eyes.

Ducking his head, Squall fired blindly but was so close to the man that it was impossible to miss, sending that guard flying back into another man as they swarmed around the hall outside the room. If they were connected to a crime boss, that would explain why there were so many guards and why they were so ruthless. There was no doubt in Squall's mind that if they were caught they would be executed before they were sent to the police.

The next few seconds were a blur, the sound of gunfire filling the air as he and Riku let off shot after shot, the guards returning in kind. One of the guards rushed forward into the room, apparently having run out of ammo as he raised his gun like a club. Seeing that he was aiming a blow for Zexion, Squall's instincts took over as he dove to the side to protect the smaller man, his mind leaving him as the butt of the gun slammed into his temple and sent him to the ground.

"Leon!"

A voice screamed his name as blood filled his mouth, his ears still ringing from the head blow, his helmet dented in the front from where it had hit the concrete wall. The sound of an automatic rifle split the air from somewhere above him before he felt a rough hand grab his shoulder and pull him up.

"Leon!"

"Leon! Get up!"

Squall blinked his eyes open, coughing as the taste of blood continued to fill his mouth. His fuzzy vision refocused to see Zexion crouching in front of him, Riku standing over both of them with a small trail of smoke curling from the barrel of his gun. "What happened…?"

Zexion grabbed some tissues from on top of the desk and pressed them to Leon's face as Riku answered, "You got pistol-whipped across the face."

Reaching up, Squall cautiously felt his forehead as a shock of pain ran through him. There was blood running down nearly half his face. Perhaps seeing some worry in his eyes, Zexion sat up, "The wound on your brow is only superficial and has already begun to clot. Most of the blood is coming from your nose. However, it does not seem to be broken so you should be fine in moments."

Letting out a small grunt, Squall pushed himself up and grabbed his gun that had dropped from his hands in his fall. Turning, he eyed the pile of bodies of guards lining the doorway. Seeing what he was looking at, Riku let out a pleased grin, "A pretty sight, isn't it?"

Squall shook his head and staggered to his feet, taking a moment before deciding that he would indeed be alright despite the pain. If Riku wasn't so skilled, they would all probably be dead right now instead of the guards. Seeing that he wasn't going to topple back over, Zexion peered out into the hall, "There are certainly more guards heading this way…" As if on cue, they heard more footsteps approaching, "We will go back to the stairwell, follow me."

Not about to argue, Squall and Riku ran after Zexion as he took off, jumping over the bodies to get into the hall. Zexion seemed to have a mental map of the building as he led them through the winding corridors, their steps sped up by the constant echo of footsteps hot on their tail. Finally spotting the door to the stairs, they pushed themselves into a sprint, practically throwing themselves into the stairwell before slamming the door behind them.

Spinning around, Zexion smashed the controls that locked the door to buy them a little more time. About to head down the stairs, all three froze, the same sound reaching their ears. There were more people coming up the stairs from the lower levels. Running over to the railing, Riku leaned over Squall's fears confirmed as he quickly pulled back, "We should get to the roof."

Squall and Zexion didn't even bother to respond, Squall taking the lead as they dashed up the stairs. Squall didn't count the number of floors, just focused on taking one stair at a time without tripping. He could hear Zexion panting behind him and hoped that he would be able to hold out. Even he was getting tired.

Making it to the top of the stairs, Squall ran over to the door leading to the roof, scowling as he found it to be locked. Realizing the situation they were in even as he was doubled over to catch his breath, Zexion gave a weak wave, "We, do not have the time to work the lock. We will have to break it open if we want to escape."

"Understood." This door seemed weaker than the others, so it might actually be possible. Backing up, Squall rammed the door with his shoulder, grunting as the metal bent under the blow. Another try brought the door down, the metal screeching as it was ripped off of its hinges. Squall caught himself before he could fall as he stumbled out into the night air, the glow from the TV screen mounted on top of the building lighting the area up in a sickly blue-green glow.

Zexion ran over to the edge of the roof at the front of the building and looked down to concrete pavement nearly a hundred feet below. Joining him, Riku and Squall looked over the edge, Riku glancing over at Zexion after a moment, "Good thing you brought the climbing gear, huh?"

"Precisely why I did so."

Looking back over his shoulder at the door leading back to the stairs, Squall quickly began to set up his rappel gear, Riku and Zexion catching on and beginning to do the same. Glancing over to make sure that they were all anchored well enough, Squall tugged on his rope to make sure that it was hold his weight before stepping out over the waist-high barrier and onto a small ledge beyond.

The wind began to whip at Squall's clothing, no longer blocked by a concrete floor, as he leaned back, taking his first step down the wall. Riku appeared on the top of the wall next, the young man tugging at the place where the rope connected with the harness as if suspecting its ability to hold. Seeing Squall already making his way down the outer wall seemed to strengthen his resolve because the next moment Riku was copying the SeeD's movements, cautiously leaning out and beginning to make his way down. Finally, Zexion climbed over the edge, hesitant in his movements as he slowly and shakily began to lower himself into a climbing position.

Seeing that he was having trouble, Squall called up to him, "Take it easy Zexion. Just go slow." He saw Zexion nod and realized just how uncomfortable the other man was with the situation. Pausing in his climb, Squall looked up, "Take small steps until you get some length of rope between you and the top. Then grab the rope in front of you with your right hand to act as a brake." Noticing that Riku had paused as well to follow his directions, Squall waited until Zexion was ready, "Then let go with your right hand just enough to let yourself slide down. Push off with your feet to get a little more distance as you go."

Now a little more confident, Zexion began to move at a faster pace, Riku soon catching up with Squall as they descended down the side of the building. Hearing voices echoing out from the rooftop, Squall realized that the guards from the stairwell must have reached the top. It sounded like they couldn't figure out where the thieves had gone. Looking down, Squall just barely avoided landing on a glass window as they tried to pick up their pace moving down the front of the building.

Unfortunately, the guards weren't as stupid as Squall had been hoping. Too soon, he heard a shout and caught sight of a head poking out over the barrier quickly followed by a gun. Clenching his teeth as the guards began to fire down, Squall realized that they were open targets. With no cover and no ability to fire back since they needed both hands to climb, their constant movement the only thing keeping them alive. Letting out more line at a time to speed his descent, Squall tried to swallow the lump in his throat, his eyes stuck on his partners as they struggled to control their climb under fire, Zexion letting out a small cry as a bullet grazed his side.

Suddenly the guards seemed to gain a moment of clarity, the bullets redirected at a new target: the ropes. Swearing, Squall looked down; they were still a good three stories from the ground. Jerking his head up, Squall felt his heart stop as a sharp snap filled his ears just milliseconds before he heard Riku let out a shout, Squall turning his head just in time to see a flash of silver rush passed as Riku hurtled toward the ground.