A/N: Since the upcoming semester of Grad School is about to start, I'm not going to be able to devote as much time to writing as I would like. But don't worry, Return of Darkness will be completed, it's just that the intervals of updates is going to be a bit more stretched out; possibly to one update a week. Hopefully everyone who's reading this story will stay with it and put up with my slow progress, I promise you that it'll be worth it.

Chapter 11

The Shera was the fastest airship in all of the fleet, and Cid didn't hold anything back as they traveled from Junon to the WRO Headquarters outside of Edge. After making a few phone calls, everyone from the old group was now making their way into the debriefing room.

When Cloud, Vincent, Cid, and Yuffie entered the large room with the map of the planet, they found Barret, Tifa, and Nanaki waiting by the table while Reeve was pacing back and forth alongside the far wall talking on his cell phone. Everyone took a seat at the round conference table, save for Cloud who stood where everyone could see him, and Reeve, who was still pacing back and forth while on his phone. Reeve gave Cloud the sign to start without him, and Cloud tried to figure out what would be the fastest way to explain everything to the group.

"All right, listen up. This is going to be really confusing, so try to stay with me. I'll try to explain things as I go, but if you can't understand something, just let me know and I'll-"

"Would ya just get on with it, kid?!?" Cid yelled as he flicked his cigarette at the ground. Cloud sighed and started.

"Okay. Right now, the Returners are holding Junon under siege, and they've given us until daybreak to surrender the city to them."

"So why the hell we sittin' here? Let's go and kick their asses, Avalanche-Style!" Barret said as he clinched his mechanical right fist and beat it on the table.

"There's more to it than just that," Vincent said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"What do ya mean? You give me five minutes with 'em and I'll set 'em straight," Barret interrupted with, this time transforming his artificial appendage into a four-barreled turret machine gun. Tifa sighed and gave Barret a tired look.

"Barret, if you'd stop interrupting, Cloud'll explain why we're here, so keep quiet! Go on, Cloud." Cloud briefly smirked as he saw Barret's hurt face and then he went into a full explanation of everything he had done and learned for the past few days. When he was done, an air of silence passed over the table as they all let it sink in. Cid was the first to speak.

"So let me get this straight. Three freaks with glowin' eyes stole the recipe for a SOLDIER, found some Jenova left-overs sittin' in Hojo's fridge, and are now holdin' Junon hostage?" Cloud cocked an eyebrow and blinked a few times as he tried to fathom Cid's own version of the events, and then lightly shrugged.

"Well, pretty much." Tifa shook her head and asked a question that had been bugging her from the beginning of Cloud's explanation.

"But this Arvin and his two thugs, what exactly are they? Are they members of Deep Ground, or are they old members of SOLDIER who've decided to try and take over?" Cloud sighed and took a seat at a chair next to Tifa.

"I don't know. I don't think that they're members of Deep Ground or SOLDIER. I think that they're something else. With the other files I found in the facility, there was one that was deleted named Project X. Reeve didn't know anything about it, but maybe Rufus does. That's who Reeve's talking to now." Barret's face turned into a disgusted scowl and he crossed his arms in disgust.

"I don't give a damn what he's done recently, I still don't like the bastard."

"Regardless of you feelings towards the man, Barret," Reeve said as he closed his phone and joined them at the table, "he's a valuable source for information on anything to do with the old Shinra regime. However, just like with Deep Ground, he has no knowledge of a Project X. If there are any other files on the subject, he has no idea where they might be at, though there are a few possibilities." This turn of events brought a cloak of disappointment across the table. For a moment, only silence passed between the members of the group.

Nanaki lightly cleared his throat and sat forward, though it made the wheeled chair he sat in slightly roll backwards. Though the chair was not designed for a body frame like his, he handled himself rather well.

"Obviously there is something else going on beneath the surface. From what you say, these three have nearly everything they need to create their own SOLDIER army, and at the same time, their Returner forces have Junon all but in their grasp. So why do they not seize the city immediately?" Nanaki's final sentence wasn't posed as a question for his own benefit, but for those at the table's. Tifa rested her head on her fist as she tried to think of a reason, but Barret simply shrugged his muscular shoulders and hit the table with his metallic appendage.

"Hell I dunno, maybe they just feel like it." Yuffie let out a wet flapping sound through her lips and rolled her eyes at the base idiocy of the big man's answer. Barret threw his arms into the air and shouted angrily at Yuffie.

"Well I don't hear you makin' any suggestions!"

"That's because I can't think of a smart reason. Just because you can't doesn't mean you should let us all know how simple minded you are!" Both Yuffie and Barret now stood from their chairs and were looking like they were about to fight, but Tifa and Cloud broke it up before it could escalate. When everyone was again seated, Cloud looked at Nanaki and shrugged his shoulders.

"So Nanaki, I guess you know why they didn't?" Nanaki was about to give in and tell them, but Vincent looked up from his folded arms and said one word.

"Time."

"Exactly," Nanaki said as he grinned at his red-cloaked friend.

"What?" Cid said as he paused from lighting another cigarette.

"Hell, I'm more confused than I was five minutes ago," Barret said as he scratched his head. Yuffie made a sound that could have been taken for laughter, but Tifa interrupted before another fight broke out.

"What do you mean by time, Vincent?" Vincent's crimson eyes scanned the faces that were now looking at him and let out a sigh.

"As Nanaki said, Arvin and his gang have the information and the rarest component to begin their own SOLDIER program. What they lack is the other component that isn't as hard to come by: Mako. Most of the reactors around the world have been shut down, but not dismantled. And I'm sure you all remember, the most technically advanced reactor outside of Midgar was in Junon."

"The Underwater Reactor," Cloud said calmly as he remembered. He hadn't thought about that facility in four years and for good reason; he didn't especially like being under two hundred feet of oppressive overpowering ocean that was fighting for a way to crush him.

"In essence," Nanaki explained, "they are buying time to achieve two goals: one, the sooner that they can get their reactor fully operational, the sooner they can begin to produce their army. While they could have forced the issue and taken Junon in full, they can dedicate more man-hours to the reactor project by not fighting. And second, by giving the WRO an ultimatum, they make their regular supporters believe that their intentions are sincere so they will continue to support them until their own SOLDIER army is ready to replace them."

As they all agreed that Nanaki's explanation was the most valid one, they still hadn't come up with a plan of action. Cid let out a deep lungful of rich blue smoke and leaned back in his chair.

"All right, so this whole Returners thing is just a Red Snapper for this freak to make an army and take over the world, right?"

"I think the term you're looking for is Red Herring, Cid" Reeve said as he tried to stop from smiling. Cid lightly waved his hand in the air to show that he didn't really care.

"Whatever. So what's the plan?" After Cloud only gave him a blank stare, Cid stubbed his cigarette out and shot both of his hands into the air.

"Damn, kid! You mean we've been sittin' here, shootin' the shit for an hour now, and you ain't got a damn plan?!? Shit, I dunno how the hell you led us up against Sephiroth!" Cid yelled before he slumped back into his chair. Cloud sighed, and then looked at everyone at the table. Of course he knew what had to be done, but it was a lot to ask of his old friends.

"All right, this is what we're going to have to do. Reeve, I need you to organize a full-scaled army to go in and reinforce the forces that you have in Junon. How long will that take?" Reeve shrugged and answered.

"There just so happens to be a relief force ready, but it'll take nine hours to get them to Junon."

"Well, that's cutting it close, but get on it." Reeve nodded and started to make the necessary calls on his cell phone.

"Cid, I'm going to need every combat aircraft you can muster to assemble and hit Junon at the same time the ground forces hit. We'll also be needing to use the Shera for insertion."

"All right! Now that's the kind of talk I want to hear!" Cid yelled as he pumped his fist, and with a nod, he jumped up and began to issue orders with his walkie-talkie.

"And what about us?" Tifa asked with a knowing smile. Cloud nodded to the rest of the group and stood from the table.

"We'll launch from the Shera, and we'll fight our way into the reactor. From there, we'll take on Arvin and his gang and end this."