Vincent strode alongside him silently through the red dirt of Cosmo Canyon. He hadn't spoken once since they left Lucrecia's cavern. Of course, he hadn't left either, and he certainly wasn't above participating in battles against the local monsters.
When the fires of Cosmo Canyon came into view, Cloud breathed a silent sigh of relief. With no Shinra troops in sight despite the flurry of communication that named him suspect number one, he had to believe he and Vincent hadn't been tracked on their way out of Nibelheim.
On the outskirts of the village, they were met by two spear-wielding guards. "State your business," tall, tan, and lanky said.
"I'm here to request a consultation with Bugenhagen on matters of a planetary nature."
The two of them exchanged a glance then tall, dark, and lanky disappeared into the village. The remaining guard, mentally dubbed scraggly hair, said, "You're welcome to wait at the bonfire."
"Thank you," he said. "I appreciate the honor." He knew better than to include Vincent in any of his statements.
Scraggly hair led them to the center of the village. Passing residents eyed them with interest but there was none of the fear he suspected might be in evidence should Nanaki have been taken by Shinra.
"Are we here to ascertain Nanaki's safety?" Vincent whispered.
"Primarily."
"And secondarily?" The gunman's eyes glowed a deeper red in the firelight.
"I want to know if Bugenhagen can feel anything about me or perhaps hear what the planet has to say about my existence as it currently is."
"Thirdly?"
"To see if Nanaki wants to come with me. A few, less imminent threats need to be taken care of."
The silence stretched between them, filled with nothing but the crackling fire.
"Us," Vincent said.
He regarded the gunman, corners of his mouth quirking up. "Penance?" he asked quietly.
"Perhaps." Vincent's blood red eyes met his. "You said you once tried to find forgiveness and posed the question of its possibility to me."
He nodded.
"My reply was that I had never tried." Vincent nodded to himself. "If you're doing everything in your power to prevent the calamity Sephiroth has yet to bring, then you present me with a unique opportunity. If I never tried to ascend from the darkness and gain forgiveness for my sins, even though the situation with Deepground thrust some semblance of release on me, the most radical decision I can make would be to seek that which I have never aimed for. I'm not sure what else can be done to prevent Sephiroth's insanity beyond what you've already accomplished, but if I cannot seek absolution from Lucrecia, I will do so through her son."
The gunman's speech lifted Cloud's spirits more than he expected.
Vincent's stare sharpened, his red eyes glowing darker in the firelight. "If Chaos were to break free of my control and rampage through a population, would you destroy me to protect the innocent?"
"Without hesitation."
A ghost of a smile flit across the gunman's face.
He didn't have a chance to celebrate Vincent's decision before Bugenhagen, Nanaki, and another Guardian of the Planet joined them at the fire. The old man was actually walking but Nanaki looked the same. It seemed his longevity made the difference of a ten year time jump negligible.
The three sat across the fire from them, Bugenhagen looking like he would start laughing at any moment and Nanaki deceptively serene. The one he didn't recognize looked smaller, and a slightly more orange rust than Nanaki.
"So you're the one the Planet is going on about," Bugenhagen said.
Cloud kept silent, waiting to see where the man would go with the conversation.
"The Planet seems to think you're the next hero." He tilted his head, eyes bright behind his spectacles. "But you're also beyond human and not behaving as the Voice of Planet seems to think you should. Do you have an excuse or a reason?"
"If the Planet knew how to deal with the situation, the world wouldn't have gone the way it did my first time through. The Planet seems to think I can save it before disaster strikes. That will never be by doing the same thing I did the first time."
The old man said, "As you've already demonstrated by destroying the calamity. The Planet is quite joyous on that matter. I'm still unclear of the specifics, but is seems a great many complications are removed with the calamity's demise."
He finally smiled. "She was part of the trigger for Sephiroth's insanity, part of the medium for his continued resurrections, and a gruesomely debilitating disease."
"So you think you've prevented his mental decline?"
"I removed the only trigger I know of. That doesn't mean there aren't others."
The unfamiliar cat joined the conversation. "But you did destroy the largest source of his power." She was female.
"True," he said with a nod.
"Why are you here?" Bugenhagen asked.
"My first priority on realizing that I'd been thrown back in time relative to my own history was to destroy…Jenova and all the misinformation in the Shinra mansion that initially set Sephiroth on his path of destruction. While there, I also hoped to persuade Vincent," he held a hand up to indicate his comrade, "to leave his solitude."
"Would you have blown the building with Vincent still inside?" Nanaki asked.
"As much as I would have hated killing a man I know could be my friend, destroying Jenova was more important." And if he'd killed Vincent, he'd have a reason to spiral into another self-destructive depression. Fortunately, he didn't need to do anything to jeopardize the mostly stable mentality he'd spent years trying to piece together.
Both giant cats nodded thoughtfully.
"With Jenova and the research gone and Vincent awake and moving forward, I have a chance to focus on my second priority. I was never clear on the timing," he said vaguely. "I never asked. But I have to ensure that another friend doesn't end up as an experimental subject in the Shinra science labs. I've been there. Vincent has been there. I'll do anything to keep that fate from touching anyone else."
He left it at that, wondering if Nanaki, with his deceptive maturity, would pick up on what he left unsaid.
Bugenhagen asked, "So why are you here?"
His eyes flicked to Nanaki, asking the question silently.
Nanaki straightened. "I journeyed with you to defeat the calamity."
He nodded slowly.
"You came to inquire on his welfare." The unfamiliar female stated.
He nodded again.
"I was fated to be experimented on," Nanaki said thoughtfully.
One last nod. "I have something that belongs to you." He fished around in a pants cargo pocket. Cosmo Memory glowed in the palm of his hand, shooting out flickers of fire so near its place of origin and its fated wielder.
"Cosmo Memory," Nanaki said, almost as if in a trance.
"Where did you find that?" the unfamiliar female asked, face an array of feline surprise.
"I collected it from the Shinra manor before I blew it up."
"Thank you for not destroying it," the old man said. "It would have been disastrous to lose this."
He shook his head slowly. "The limit breaks are as resilient as summon materia, even more so. These things are natural. The methods of humans aren't generally enough to destroy the Planet's creations."
"Is that where you fall?" Bugenhagen asked. "Are you a creation of the Planet?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "A great deal of the calamity runs through my veins. I was modified to be a host for Sephiroth, for Jenova, a spare. Somehow, I accidentally became his equal, his superior even. I can't say if that's because the Planet intervened or because Hojo made me too well. I'm made up of more than just my own memories. I've sometimes wondered if that was the only difference between me and Sephiroth. I've had many more stable and loyal supporters, even if some of them were dead or only in my head."
"So you're walking the world of your past in attempt to change the future. You think you have the right to determine the Planet's fate?" the old man asked, tone carefully neutral.
"Of course not. But I will do whatever I can to keep people alive so they actually have a chance to determine their own fate."
"An experienced answer." Bugenhagen nodded sagely, then burst out into his obnoxious, old man laughter.
He eyed Nanaki and waited patiently as the other returned his stare.
After several speculative moments, Nanaki said, "Yes, I think I would benefit from journeying with you."
"What's this?" Bugenhagen demanded.
"The Planet's chosen warrior wishes to invite me to journey with him." Nanaki considered all those present. "I believe I can learn a great deal traveling the world with him. And if my first fate was to suffer at the hands of Shinra, then where better shall I go to shape a new fate than with the one the Planet has chosen to do the same for itself?"
Bugenhagen eyed his adopted grandson critically but the other cat had no problem speaking. "You would abandon Cosmo Canyon and your responsibilities here?"
That sparked a fair bit of annoyance on Nanaki's part. "How may I convince you that I am not hesitant to perform the rite out of cowardice? I don't cherish the idea of leaving you in stasis for the years following it."
He felt he needed a bit more understanding of the conversation before he agreed to take Nanaki anywhere. "What rite?"
The three eyed him with surprise. Bugenhagen spoke then. "You claim Nanaki traveled with you but you don't know about the customs that have shaped his life?"
This appeared to be more delicate than he anticipated. Cautiously, he said, "I know of the war with the Gi and how in your observatory is one of the best places on Planet to hear the Voice of the Planet. I know of your relationship to Nanaki and have a concept of the depth of your knowledge regarding Gaia. I know of Nanaki's strong ties to the Canyon and desire to protect its people and keep the fires burning."
To his amazement, the unfamiliar female scoffed. "You must not be thinking of the same Nanaki. This one is a coward."
Cloud's eyes narrowed and his vision tinted slightly blue as the glow in his eyes brightened. He quickly suppressed the anger-induced mako flare but resolved to try to remain civil to this unknown beast.
"Perhaps my perception of a potential comrade is different than yours," Cloud said. "Perhaps Nanaki's time spent as an experiment changed his outlook." She flinched at that. "Perhaps the events that led to his capture by Shinra occurred because of events that happened here. I never asked because the subject always seemed to pain him. What I do know is that Nanaki traveled the world with me fighting to protect the Planet, destroy Sephiroth, and defeat Shinra. He walked with me when my fractured psyche nearly became the downfall of this world. He remained with me in mourning as we watched a dear friend murdered. He traveled to near to the center of this world with me to destroy the parasitic life form that Sephiroth had become."
She looked sufficiently cowed but he wasn't done yet.
"I may not know who you are or your relationship to Nanaki but based on what I know of his potential and capacity for understanding and compassion, as well as what I've heard today, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that in large part, he did what he did for you."
Even Bugenhagen and Nanaki seemed flabbergasted at his little speech but he didn't give anyone time to recover. "Regardless, we must travel trough the Cave of Gi before anyone goes with anyone."
"What?" the old man demanded. "Why? How do you know of that cave?"
He gave the old man a hard look.
"Nevermind how you know. Why? That cave is sealed."
Nanaki eyed Bugenhagen with some confusion. He apparently, didn't know the cave existed yet.
"Nanaki," he said, drawing the other's eyes. "What do you think of your father?"
He watched as the beast's features hardened. "Seto was a coward to abandon the village as he did in the middle of the war."
Bugenhagen's jaw dropped, widening further when the female nodded in agreement.
He said, "This issue must be addressed, don't you think, Bugenhagen?"
"What issue?" Nanaki demanded.
"I had no idea," Bugenhagen whispered. "Agreed. The cave must be unsealed before you leave."
Besides, Cloud wanted to get at the accessories and materia in there. Some Gravity and weapons for Nanaki and Cait Sith, if Reeve ever even made the robot, would come in handy eventually.
Clearly fed up with the lack of explanation, Nanaki said, "You introduced in passing your red clad comrade as Vincent," he nodded to the female, "and this is Deneh. You clearly know myself and grandfather. What do we call you?"
One side of his mouth quirked up. "My name is Cloud Strife."
Conversation was sparse as he, Vincent, and Nanaki trekked around the continent. None of the three of them had a propensity for chatter in the first place but when they did speak, it was usually of tactics and philosophy. Cloud divulged the whole story their second night away from Cosmo Canyon and at no other time did either of his companions inquire of anyone else's history.
Both seemed quite interested in meeting Aerith, perhaps to get a second perspective on the future they were preventing.
They made good time, having excellent stamina between them. He recalled his first journey over the continents. All his former companions had strength and stamina but none of the others could match the three here. The buggy, then later the plane and the airship, had been necessary.
There had been some talk about bringing Deneh. However, the Cosmo Canyon residents determined that the combined forces of Nanaki and Deneh would not have been overcome unless they were in the middle of their local ritual, which would requite Deneh to remain in a sort of stasis. If that were the case, the group would return for the ceremony. If that weren't the case, Cloud could simply rescue Deneh instead of Nanaki and get it done markedly faster. Bugenhagen had Cloud on speed dial just in case.
They swung around the bottom of the continent through the Ancient Forest and Gongaga picking up Summons, other materia, and weapons, especially his Apocalypse sword. He made a stop at the weapon seller's house and commissioned the man to make him a sword the equivalent of his fusion sword. He would probably give the man several months to make it perfectly.
They bypassed Corel and with the town still standing, the Gold Saucer didn't exist.
He'd have liked to blow through the battle arena, collecting all the worthwhile prizes. Perhaps he could track down Dio and work with the man to establish the Gold Saucer somewhere else. At least he wouldn't have to reacquire Omnislash. Though whether there were two of his Level 4 Limit now in Gaia he wasn't sure.
He made a mental note to start up his chocobo breeding program again. Without Cid's airship, he would need a gold chocobo to reach some of the more valuable materia and weapons. And probably Wutai. Shinra certainly wouldn't grant him passage so close to the war.
North Corel was their next stop. Shinra hadn't torched the town yet. If he blew up the reactor himself and left a signature, the crime would be attributed to him and the town wouldn't be accused of conspiring with Avalanche. It might prevent Barret from ever taking up the fight against Shinra, but it would also give him his wife back and he might have a child of his own instead of adopting his best friend's little girl. Not that he wouldn't miss dear little Marlene. She had such wonderful common sense.
"We're returning to North Corel," Vincent observed.
He shook his head. "The reactor."
"Another bombing?" Nanaki asked.
He nodded.
"You don't expect Shinra to blame Corel for this one?" Vincent's red eyes seemed to be watching for some sort of reaction.
"They haven't blamed Nibelheim for the explosions there. All the messages I'm seeing from Shinra having them focusing on CS Delivery as the sole culprit. They don't seem to suspect any coalition anywhere."
"There's still risk." Nanaki almost sounded scolding.
"I only gamble when I know I'll win."
"Another letter?" Vincent's voice seemed a touch amused.
He nodded.
"To point out that you acted alone?" Nanaki asked.
"No. If I behave in any way differently here than I did in Nibelheim, it will draw attention to the town. I'll ignore them and so will Shinra. Besides, there's something there that Shinra shouldn't have."
"Why the North Corel reactor?" Zack demanded. "It doesn't make any sense."
"I don't know Zack," Tseng said, pace remaining even as they traversed the upper halls of Shinra tower.
He eyed the letter in the Turk's hand. Another attack on another reactor. No casualties again. "If Spike's the one doing it I can sort of understand Nibelheim but he's never even mentioned Corel."
"It is the closest reactor to Nibelheim."
"But Gongaga is easier to get to." He had called his parents twice a day every day after the Nibelheim bombings just to make sure they were alright. "Or the terrorists could have gone after Rocket Town. We're still in the middle of construction right? If they blew all that science stuff up it'd cost the company about as much as a reactor right?"
"We don't know yet what exactly they're after Zack. We can't say for sure it's to drive Shinra into the ground or demand changes in leadership or policies. It's too early to say."
Sephiroth and the other Turks were already in Vice President Shinra's office when they arrived. Tseng promptly handed over the letter, a second one addressed to the vice president. Shinra's face bore amusement long before he opened the letter and read.
"Rufus Shinra. Weapons and safety go hand in hand. At least they should. Weapons brew arrogance and a lack of respect. Safety can often be disregarded or only utilized under convenient circumstances. Safety brews stupidity. Without some element of danger, safety grows lax and thinks whimsical use of weaponry is acceptable. Weapons and safety, left to their own devices, can have unintended effects for current or former handlers, especially when said handlers are thought to be out of commission or too weak. Signed, CS Delivery. P.S. Kya's and Gya's are difficult to tolerate for all parties involved."
Shinra actually struggled to keep from laughing, using a hand to cover his mouth. "This CS Delivery certainly takes a unique approach with these communications. I would not have expected them to mock Heidegger's and Scarlet's laughter." Smile still on his face, he gestured at the letter. "Does this sound like your friend Fair? Is Strife this verbally playful?"
He shook his head. "I know Cloud would understand it. But he never talks like this. He's straightforward and honest. Not all this weird symbolic talk about the Shinra executives. What I don't get is why the writer thinks they would try to take over Shinra Company. I mean, why would people who like weapons development and overseeing safety want to run Shinra?"
"I find it interesting," Shinra said, "that you so easily understand the content of these letters. It's clear that the person they are addressed to should understand them, but they also seem to be written in a manner you inherently understand. That implies the writer intends for you to understand. Or perhaps they think like you and the overlap is unintentional."
"An interesting observation," Tseng said. "Perhaps if we were to look at this through a filter Zack dictates, we might track down this CS Delivery before they strike again."
"That said," Sephiroth weighed in, "based of this letter, why do you think they struck North Corel?"
He shrugged, folding his arms, uncomfortable with suddenly being considered an expert in something that didn't make sense. "With Nibel, they wanted the science stuff there gone. We know Hojo was doing one of his experiments there."
"Yeah," Reno said, "an' that's why the doctor keeps throwin' hissy fits. He wants whoever destroyed all 'is precious research."
"So if the science there endorsed by the president would send Sephiroth into some mental fit, then it follows that the something going on at North Corel shouldn't be happening and is Scarlet and Heidegger's fault."
"North Corel is under Scarlet's jurisdiction," Tseng offered.
"And she and Heidegger often ally," Sephiroth said, "despite her derision of his intelligence."
"Tseng," Shinra said, "see if you can unearth anything about what's was going on there." He tapped his lower lip thoughtfully. "Fair, if it were you, where would you go next?"
His brow furrowed and he set his mind to think like a terrorist.
Nibelheim was first. The reactor and mansion were filled with Shinra biological science. Corel was second. The reactor was possibly filled with weapons and questionable safety precautions.
Regarding Shinra installations, Gongaga didn't have anything but the plain old reactor. Rocket town had regular, non-medical science. Fort Condor didn't have anything but nesting birds. Wutai could probably be counted for the military presence there. Junon had an impressive array of weapons including the cannon and was the second largest city on Gaia. Midgar had less weapons but it was Shinra headquarters and the Soldier stronghold along with most of the biological science in the company. Midgar was a big entity to tackle. He would want to gain a little strength and support, and perhaps practice at evacuating civilians before going after something on that scale.
"If it were me," he said finally, "if I was going to attack somewhere, it would be Wutai or Junon."
Frowns all around made him uncomfortable. Reno's amused grin didn't help.
"Why?" Sephiroth asked. "There are less well guarded targets. Why not Gongaga or Fort Condor?"
"Or Rocket Town," Tseng added. "You thought that might have something to do with it earlier."
He shook his head before any of them even finished talking. "Fort Condor doesn't have anything but birds. No science or technology. Gongaga either. It might get targeted later but there's nothing going on there. Rocket Town doesn't have anything to do with medical research or weapons. Midgar is too big. Wutai maybe because of the military presence but CS Delivery hasn't really gone after the military itself, just special weapons, maybe. They might think people would need to be saved but there aren't really many battles and the people that would need to be saved are already attacking us. Junon has the cannon and a relatively strong Shinra element considering it's a Shinra city. It would be practice if they wanted to take on Midgar."
"Practice?" Shinra repeated.
He shrugged. "It's the next biggest city after Midgar. There'll be Turks and Soldiers and the army, but not as many as in Midgar."
Shinra stared. Everyone stared at Shinra.
"It's worth considering," Tseng offered.
"Clearly." He stared for several more moments before speaking. "Tseng, take all the best Turks and get to Junon yesterday. Take command in Junon and search every vessel coming from the western continent for Strife and thoroughly investigate anyone even slightly suspicious. Sephiroth, increase patrols in the slums so it looks like we're ramping security in both Shinra cities and not singling out Junon. Don't touch the troops in Wutai. If we do anything there, it may prove to be a more attractive target. Let's see if Fair's hypothesis has any merit."
He frowned. He didn't want to be right about this sort of thing.
"There's more security in Junon," Cloud said, flipping his PHS shut.
Vincent and Nanaki regarded him questioningly.
"I still think we should raid the underwater reactor. The Turks will be in Junon while Soldier holds down Midgar. We'll have to be quick."
He eyed his friends critically, faint smile on his face. "None of us are going to pass the port checks when we get in." He stared at Junon on the horizon. "We have two options so far as I'm concerned. Hide among the cargo and plan on them missing us in the search despite the increased security. Or wait until almost all the other passengers disembark and storm the dock. If we plan on the cargo and they do find us, it will be that much more difficult to get on the dock and into the city and down to the reactor. If we plan on storming the dock from the get go, we abandon any chance to sneak in stealthily."
"I doubt extra security will overlook the cargo hold," Vincent pointed out. "Shinra is frantic. You've blown up two reactors and a Shinra research facility."
"We three are all exceptionally quick on our feet," Nanaki said. "I expect we can lose quite a few of them and get to the underwater facility's entrance before they catch us. In the narrower passage, your spells will be more effective, I'll have a better chance at debilitating enemies, and Vincent can snipe from the back to target particular limbs."
"Nanaki's assessment is sound," Valentine said.
He nodded. The plan was set. He pulled the hood of his knit, sleeveless jacket up over his head, obscuring the blond ends of his hair sticking out from under his bandana. With hood, bandana, and goggles, nothing but skin showed and though Shinra seemed relatively sure he was involved they appeared reluctant to find him responsible. If they caught him here on surveillance, he would prefer it if they couldn't positively identify him. It would keep them that much more confused.
Perhaps the full, four-sword harness resting comfortably on his back would help with that. Of course, none were the sword he'd stolen from the Shinra armory. That would be the easiest way, barring his hair, to identify him.
He was grateful that the Turks had Junon. Zack could probably pick him out of a crowd, goggles and hood or not. The more he could do without seeing Zack, the better.
He smiled softly as the boat pulled into the harbor. Aerith would probably enjoy this story the best. It would involve the most scolding.
The Shinra troops milling about on the dock turned his smile into a smirk. No Turks in sight meant they were observing from a distance.
"No Turks on the dock," Vincent observed. "Surveillance from the upper stories. I see seven pairs. So long as department policies haven't changed, there will be at least five in plain clothes."
"Any particular strategy?" Nanaki asked.
"Stay as close together as possible. If they separate us we'll be hard pressed to accomplish the goal without casualties on their part."
"I also don't enjoy the prospect of ending up an experiment despite your fate-changing efforts." Nanaki sounded almost sarcastic.
He offered the cat a wry smile and he caught a flicker of expression on the gunman's face. He could feel the ties of friendship settling around them. His friends had always been the bedrock he anchored his sanity in. Dumped in a foreign time without their benefit had been daunting. He may never have Barret's friendship with the way he'd changed things, but he still had Vincent, Nanaki, and Aerith. These two would definitely like Aerith.
The boat pulled into the dock and someone among the troops whipped out a megaphone and started yelling instructions for passengers to disembark and prepare for screening. His sharp hearing picked up the civilian passengers whining about the inconvenience. Not one wondered aloud if there might be a particular reason security measures were tightened.
They calmly watched passenger after passenger disembark, answer questions, and suffer a search of their belongings. The number to pass through the line dwindled.
He rolled his shoulders and did a squat on reflex. "Let's mosey on forward shall we."
"Send me on a mission Sephiroth." Zack's hands were planted on the general's desk and he leaned forward, actually trying to invade the man's space.
Sephiroth was ignoring him.
"I need to do something, man."
The general paused at being called man.
"I'm going crazy. No Spike. No terrorists. No answers. No sanity."
"If you had any of those things, Zack, you would still lack sanity."
"This isn't funny Sephiroth! I've been through Sectors 5 and 6 so many times that I've got the rubble piles memorized!"
"You could always start cleaning up the garbage instead of just the monsters," Sephiroth suggested blithely.
"Sephiroth!"
The general heaved a sigh and lifted one elegant brow. "Think outside your little box Zack. Check the nearby sectors if you think you can find anything."
Unbidden and unexpected, a memory floated to the forefront of his mind.
"I let a friend stay here last night. He left early this morning. He was going to stay in the inn in Wall Market but I insisted he shouldn't have to pay their prices."
"A friend?" he asked.
"Yes Zack," she said, soft smile widening, "a friend. He's sort of like a younger brother."
Cloud could be anyone's younger brother. But if Cloud knew Aerith then why hadn't he mentioned knowing anyone that hung out in a church? And if Aerith knew Cloud, then why hadn't she mentioned that she knew anyone else from Shinra?
Normally, he would chalk it up to coincidence. He shook his head. Normally, it wouldn't even make it up to coincidence because the events would be totally unrelated. He hadn't known Cloud was gone then, but the night Aerith let someone stay in her church was the first night Spike spent outside of Shinra.
"Zack?" Sephiroth was frowning at him now. "Did you think of something new?"
He shook his head again. "Probably nothing. But I want to check to make sure. It seems dumb, even to me."
"So long as you follow all leads," Sephiroth said cautiously.
"Don't worry general," he said, smile spreading over his face. He straightened and pointed a thumb at his own chest. "I'll make sure everything is taken care of. Now if you don't mind, I've got a ridiculous hunch to check out."
He backed toward the door only to have his PHS ring. He flipped it open and paused in Sephiroth's doorway. "First Class Zack Fair."
Smooth and collected even through the communication device, Vice President Shinra said, "Report to the air pad and board the Gelnika immediately. You'll be briefed on the way." He paused. "You're in Sephiroth's office. Tell him to call me." Then he hung up.
He stared at his phone for a moment, blinking stupidly. He snapped it shut and shoved it in a pocket. To Sephiroth, he said, "VP Shinra says to call him." As the general opened his mouth to speak, he didn't wait. He took off at a sprint through the halls.
He took the stairs as the elevator would be too slow. He didn't have to stop off at his own office as he and every other Soldier had taken to carrying their weapons all the time, just in case. He reached the roof and the Shinra plane in under two minutes. Kunsel and Shinra were already onboard.
He caught the tail end of whatever Shinra had been telling Sephiroth. "I'll meet with Tseng on arrival with Fair and Kunsel as personal guard on the way. Just ensure nothing happens in Midgar while I'm gone." He didn't appear to wait for a reply before snapping the PHS closed.
The Gelnika rumbled, engines whirring to life. He threw himself into a seat and buckled in.
"It seems your assessment holds some weight," Shinra said. "Junon is currently under attack."
"Cloud?"
"No positive identification on any of the terrorists or that they're even CS Delivery," Kunsel said. At a questioning look, he added, "I've got the live communications coming in now." He paused. "Three assailants. There's a giant, rust colored cat using magic and fighting with headdresses. A dark haired gunman in red with what appears to be a prosthetic arm in the shape of an armored claw hand. The leader and the strongest of the three has four swords he keeps switching between. No visual as he's wearing a deep black hood. He definitely doesn't want to be seen. They're working through the underwater reactor now. No word on casualties yet but they're debilitating everyone in their path. The infirmaries are flooding with leg and shoulder injuries. The attackers are definitely professionals."
"What are they aiming for?" he asked.
"Can't say. They're leaving the reactor mostly intact. Most of the damage is circumstantial. They've broken into a number of sealed areas to go through inventory."
"Stealing something?"
A short nod. "But we don't know if they're looking for something specific or just taking whatever is lying around."
So confusing. "Enhanced?"
"The gunman's eyes have a glow but they're also red so it might be something else entirely. No for the cat and can't tell on the swordsman. They're pretty sure he's wearing goggles under that hood."
Even stranger.
"Will you recognize Strife?" Shinra asked.
"I hope so." Gaia forbid he didn't. He didn't know what he'd do if he faced another akin to betrayal again and didn't recognize the perpetrator.
AN: Any and all comments, disclaimers, and notes are on my profile page. If I get asked a question enough times, its answer is there too.