Author's Note

I'm so terribly sorry it's taken me this long to update… I finally finished writing this chapter a few weeks ago, and obviously I just typed it up. (On a plus side though, this chapter is the longest yet!) Life has gotten in the way, but I'm making an effort to finish this story and the other in this series before I go to classes in the fall. Anyway, enjoy!

"C'mon, slowpokes! You'll have ta move faster than that!"

Vincent felt his thin eyebrow twitch in irritation despite his will, repressing a sigh as he and Tifa followed the small mechanical being farther into the abandoned city. They had traveled for several hours by airship, courtesy of Cid, and had continued by foot for the rest of the way. When they entered the old city, he checked that his weapons were ready, giving his small revolver to the woman beside him. She had merely shook her head, revealing one of her own attached to her thigh beneath the half-skirt. His gaze went back and forth between the tall buildings as they past, a strong sense of unease resting within him.

"Why would a place like this be abandoned?" Tifa asked softly, peering down a dark side street at the various papers and items littering the alley.

"No one knows for sure, lassie. Ma boss thinks it's because of Deepground."

Tifa sighed softly, glancing up at the dark sky above them. 'It looks so… creepy. People wouldn't have just vanished on such a large scale as this, right?' She shook her head, moving ahead to follow their guide. 'There's no way. Hey!' She dashed after the hazy figure, turning the corner and coming face-to-face with the barrel of a pistol.

"Who are you?" the owner asked, taking a step closer.

"I'm-"

"Tifa," Vincent yelled, turning to search the next alley. He mentally cursed the woman as he continued looking, Cait Sith waddling along behind him.

"Why are you here?"

"We're looking for some people. Are you looking, too?" She tilted her head to peer at the newcomer, smiling softly.

The red-head nodded slightly, bringing her gun down to her side. Her labcoat swayed a bit with the small breeze, allowing the martial artist a glimpse of her name tag.

"WRO? They sent you, too?"

"No. I'm here because I want to be," she replied tersely, stowing her weapon away. She readjusted her glasses, examining the woman before her. "I'm looking for-"

"Tifa."

The woman turned, waving him over. "Here. Where's Cait-"

"Whataya trying to do? Scare me half ta death?" the robot wailed softly, shuffling around the corner.

She shook her head, smiling sheepishly "No. This is…?"

"Shalua. Shalua Rui."

Vincent was reluctant to allow the woman to join their party, but both Tifa and Cait Sith convinced him otherwise. She knew the city layout, and she was capable of hacking into any technological device, they later discovered. He glanced ahead at her once more, eyes narrowing slightly.

"If you stare long enough, I might do a trick," Shalua muttered, turning to speak over her shoulder. "I know you're cautious, but I promise you, I'm only here to find someone. I'm not going to interfere."

He merely nodded, continuing to follow her deeper into the city.

"Shalua, do you happen to know Barret Wallace?"

The other woman nodded in reply, quickly pushing her precariously balanced glasses farther up her slender nose. "Yes. I worked on his arm."

Tifa smiled, moving up to her side. "I thought so. I have to thank you for your work. It's helped him so much."

"He hasn't had to use the other part, has he?"

The martial artist laughed softly, shaking her head. "Not yet. Although, he has threatened Yuffie quite a bit with it. He wants to use her as target practice."

The auburn-haired woman gave a small smile, rolling her eye. "I remember him talking about her, well, more like complaining."

"Well, whataya know? She's actually smiling," Cait Sith pointed out, appearing by the gunman's side.

Vincent nodded, watching the women chat quietly as they headed for the center of the city. "She has that effect on people."

The mechanical creature chuckled, wobbling along next to him. "I noticed. Is she always like that?"

"Yes."

"Well then, she'd be a good influence on you."

The man blinked, crimson eyes coming to rest on the being in shock.

"What? It's the truth. You can't honestly tell me you don't care about her."

"He's got a point, that little robot does."

"That's for sure."

The gunman sighed internally, ignoring the comments from Galian Beast and Hell Masker.

"'Xactly my point," the cat smiled, toddling after the women.

Vincent gazed after him quietly, halting momentarily. He turned his eyes to the raven-haired martial artist as he started forward, his thoughts turning once more to his companion's words.

"See what I mean?"

"You weren't joking."

A dark chuckle rang through the darkness. "Guess we'll have some company, huh, Chaos?" The demon bellowed loudly, muffling the other dark creature's reply.

"This will take us underground to the service tunnels. They connect to the abandoned reactor plants," Shalua remarked softly, pulling at the rust-covered manhole. She shoved it aside, gesturing to Tifa.

The other woman nodded, quickly scooping their robotic guide and settling him on her back. She slid down the ladder, landing with a muted thud. A small spot of light appeared, moving from side-to-side.

The red-head nodded, stepping aside. She waved the stoic gunman ahead, glancing around the deserted street. She waited until the blood red fabric disappeared into the shadows below, shedding her own white labcoat. She secured it about her shoulders, stepping down into the dank, oppressive air. She refastened the cover over the hole, the light cut off from those underground. She climbed down the slick metal rungs with caution, finally rejoining the rest of the company. "From here-"

Their mysterious leader promptly quieted her, brushing past Tifa and Cait Sith. He halted farther down the tunnel, Cerberus already in hand. "We must go silently."

The other members nodded slightly, and Cait Sith dimmed the rays from the flashlight in his hand. The woman and mechanical creature continued after the former Turk, ears straining to hear what Vincent had moments before.

Shalua lightly rested her hand on the barmaid's shoulder, slowing her down as she whispered, "I hear it. It's very close."

Tifa dipped her head in response in the semi-black, resecuring her battle-worn gloves over her wrists. "I'm ready."

"Me too!"

The raven-haired woman chuckled quietly to herself as they turned the corner, fingers twitching slightly in anticipation. She would've rammed straight into Vincent's back had she no glanced up at the long shadow that covered her. She peered carefully around the flowing burgundy cloak of her companion. She heard Shalua's sharp intake of breath behind her and turned. "Shalua, what's-"

"It's her," the woman muttered as she strode past, her pistol squarely in her palm. "The one I've been searching for."

Vincent didn't move to intercept her as she hurried toward the dueling trio. His attention was focused on its three combatants, eyes narrowed as he observed them intently. Their skills were unlike anything he'd seen in other typical humans, excluding himself, of course.

The only man of the warring group was extremely thin, spindly wings protruding from his shoulders. Shaggy dark hair ringed the top of his head, lying over the many bandages on his face. His dark crimson eyes were visible, the only real discernible feature besides his hair. His entire body was covered in wrappings and bandages; however, that didn't hinder his movements in any way. He was exceedingly agile, his sword flashing as it hammered down on his opponent.

His ally was even more peculiar. Her full auburn hair rolled in wild waves down her shoulders, framing her slender face. Her cerise irises expressed pure glee as she attacked the smallest of the three. Her weapons spun flawlessly through the air, hissing with each stroke. Her long half-skirt flitted about her feet, the blood red feather-like fabric rustling with each move.

Their opponent was equally skilled despite her surprising appearance. She looked to be only a child, maybe nine or ten at the most. Her short copper hair spiked out around her head, rich blue irises contrasting her locks and pale complexion. She wielded two weapons conjoined together by a cord bursting with electric energy. The blades were similar to the cord, made of cackling orange light. She was easily capable of defending herself due to her incredibly speed. She seemed to disappear at times, becoming nearly invisible as she parried many potentially fatal blows.

A gunshot echoed through the dark shafts, narrowly missing the wild red-haired woman. She spun around, crimson eyes flashing dangerously. The man muttered something softly to her, causing her to nod stiffly. They fled down the corridor, quickly disappearing into the obscure shadows. Shalua slowly lowered her pistol, taking a step toward the girl. "Shelke, is that really you? You haven't aged at all…"

The girl narrowed her eyes, bringing her weapons to bear on the woman before her. "Who are you?"

"It's me… Shalua, your sister."

"I have no sister, no family," she replied steely. She stabbed one of her energy swords forward, the orange glow reflecting coldly on her irises. Before she could reach the scientist, she gasped softly as her weapons extinguished themselves and fell forward.

"Sorry, but that was going a little too far," Tifa uttered softly, dusting her hands off from where she stood behind the fallen girl. She glanced up at Shalua, wine eyes softening. "This was who you were looking for, wasn't it?"

Shalua nodded her head, stowing her gun away. She knelt beside her sister, brushing her hair back. "What did you do?"

"I just put her to sleep," the martial artist replied, scooping the girl up in her arms. "It shouldn't last for too long, though. We need to make a base for now. Maybe she can help us when she wakes up."

Shalua merely dipped her head, tearing her gaze from her lost- and found- sister. "There is a worker's lounge farther up the tunnels…"

"Lead the way," Vincent muttered, glancing down the corridor the others had fled through moments earlier.

Shalua quickly took point, walking down a different dimly lit passageway. Her jaw clenched tightly, the muscles in her cheek taunt. She disappeared from view for a second, stepping back into sight as she opened a door hidden in the wall. "We can lock it from the inside."

Tifa slipped into the room, setting the girl gently on the musty couch. She kneeled down beside her, checking her over. "Well, she doesn't appear to have any injuries I can see…"

"Thank you." The scientist brushed several strands of copper from her forehead, eyebrow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Tifa questioned, noticing the look.

"She hasn't aged a day since she was taken."

"How long has it been?"

"Ten years. She'd be 19…"

Vincent locked the door firmly behind them, his scowl hidden beneath the collar of the cape. "She's been poisoned with mako."

"Poisoned or tested?"

Shalua sent the barmaid a forlorn look, stroking her sister's hair. "Based on her and her fellow companions, I'd say they were all a part of some experiment."

Tifa frowned, looking over her shoulder at the gunman. "What do you think, Vincent?"

"I'm inclined to agree. The skills they possessed would not come about naturally."

Shalua gave a soft sigh, sitting down on the floor beside the sleeping form of the girl. Tifa gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, smiling softly. "Everything will be okay, Shalua. Don't worry." She took a seat on a rickety chair beside a derelict table, running a hand through her long ebony locks.

"Well today has certainly been interestin,'" Cait Sith remarked, crawling up onto the chair across from her.

"That it has," she replied quietly, resting her chin on her palm.

The crimson-clothed man took up a post near the door, sitting with his arm perched upon his knee. He listened to the conversation silently, thoughts racing through his mind. His main concern was that the duo from earlier would reappear as they investigated the abandoned reactor plants. It had nothing to do with the fact an entire cityful of people disappeared, but he had a feeling it had to do with Deepground. He just hoped they hadn't taken up residence there, or they were going to have a huge battle crashing down on them…

"What are you thinking so hard about?" He snapped out of his reverie, glancing at the woman beside him. "I've known you for a while now, Vincent. I can tell what that look is," she muttered in response, giving him a soft smile.

He nodded his head slightly, looking away from her. "I think you should stay here. I'll go with Cait Sith alone to the plants."

"I'm not staying behind."

"Stubborn woman. No wonder you like her so much."

He glowered behind his collar, fingers clenching slightly. "Tifa-"

"I think the lassie's right, laddie. There's somethin' I didn't tell ya before. The leader of Deepground, Weiss, has been making videos and hacking into the television network. He wants ta bring about a 'cleansing' using something called Omega."

"Omega?" Shalua asked quietly from her position, head rising up.

"You've heard about it?"

"I read about it in some research, Lucrecia Crescent's, to be exact. But, it's only half complete. I only caught a few words regarding it."

Vincent stiffened a little, turning his crimson gaze to the woman. "What else did you manage to read?"

"There was something about protomateria, but I don't know what that is."

A frown tugged his lips lower, his chest tightening.

"Vincent?" Tifa murmured, giving him a concerned look.

"It's nothing. It sounds familiar," he lied quietly, shrugging it off.

She gave him a dubious look, turning to Cait Sith. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"Be prepared. If they're tempering with any of that stuff, it ain't good. Now, get some sleep, lassie. We're all going ta need our strength tomorrow." And with that, he waddled into the corner and powered down, his eyes blinking out.

Tifa sighed softly, remaining where she was. She brought her knees to her chest, resting her arms and head on top of them. Her eyelids hid her wine-colored eyes from sight as the room fell back into silence.

The gunman stared at his golden armor, attempting to direct from the resurfacing memories. He ignored the phantom jolts of pain that ran through him, knowing it wasn't real. He focused on his companion's deep breathing next to him, willing his mind to be still.

"So, they'll be waiting for us, huh."

"So we can let loose, right?"

"We better be able to."

"I hope you know what you're doing. Don't rely on me to help."

"Killjoy. You never want to have any fun." The other beast growled in response, then fell silent. "Who shoved the stick up his ass?"

"Wasn't me, I swear."

"Don't look at me."

Vincent closed his eyes, refraining from interacting with his demons. He scanned the quiet room, resting his head back against the wall. He didn't even twitch when his companion's head somehow came to rest on his shoulder, not wanting to disturb her slumber. He could feel her heart beating, the steady rhythm slowly lolling him into a doze.

Reeve Tuestri gave a frustrated sigh as he slumped back against his chair. "This isn't going well… Time to call in the cavalry…"

Demon Key:

Galian Beast (just underlined), Chaos (Just bolded), Hell Masker (italics and bold), Death Gigas (italics only)