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Chapter 5
1 Hour Later
"Right. Now explain this to me again?"
Yuffie's dark eyes glinted. "A little girl was abducted two days ago off Crescentview Dr. It's been kept under wraps because her dad is a connection of ours, and we don't want to attract the wrong kind of publicity. Deliverance operates strictly under the radar, as Vincent says."
"Wait a sec. Did you say Crescentview Dr.?" Tifa felt an odd swooping sensation in her stomach.
"I know what you're thinking," Yuffie said. "That might be the case, but it would be a very strange break in the pattern."
"And where is the girl?" Jessie asked.
"A rundown building out on Glendale. The guy wants to ransom her, but the demands are way too high. So we have to take things into our own hands."
Tifa's hands balled into fists. "I'll handle it."
"Uh-uh," said Yuffie, shaking her head. "I let you go alone last time and I don't have to remind you how that went."
"I'm going with you," Jessie said to Tifa.
"All right." Tifa felt a twinge of annoyance but did not pursue the argument further. It wasn't that she didn't like Jessie. She just preferred to handle things by herself. She got things done quicker when she was on her own.
"Does Cloud know about this?" Jessie asked, a bit nervously.
Yuffie leaned in close. "It'll be our little secret."
VVVVV
The building on Glendale appeared to be on the verge of collapse. It looked completely hollowed out: the windows were lined with pieces of glass from broken panes and boarded up with rotting wooden planks. In other words, a perfect scene for a horror movie.
"Here we go," said Tifa quietly. Jessie was silent and pale beside her as they skirted the building carefully, taking each step deliberately and precisely as if they were avoiding treading on broken glass. Once at the rear they found a window leading into a basement. It was barely wide enough for Tifa to slip through, and once she was inside she said to Jessie, "Wait here. I'll find the girl."
"Tifa-" Jessie's eyes were wide.
"Is this guy is a total psycho, better one of us than both of us, okay? If shit hits the fan, at least you'll be able to get away." Tifa gave her a firm stare, and finally the younger woman nodded. Tifa gave a her a bold-faced grin, then turned away, slipping on her black leather gloves.
The basement smelled of mold, and the air was choked with dust. It was empty save for a few cardboard boxes. There was a staircase on the far wall, and Tifa tested the first step with one booted foot. It creaked slightly but held her weight, and slowly, cautiously, she began the ascent in a half crawl, like a cat.
Let the girl be all right, she prayed silently, to what she did not know, but it wouldn't hurt. Let her be okay.
The door at the top of the stairs was slightly ajar, yet she dared not push it open. She leaned forward and peered out with one eye against the inch-wide gap. A thrill went through her: the girl was curled into a ball about fifteen feet away, a stuffed Moogle doll clutched to her chest. Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even; she was sleeping. Tifa hoped it wasn't drug induced. There was no sign of the kidnapper, but Tifa did not move for a good minute, straining her ears for any sound or indication that she wasn't alone. But all was eerily silent. Could it really be this simple? She didn't like to think so. But she wasn't going to achieve anything by waiting. If the kidnapper was gone, then she had to move quickly.
She gingerly inched the door open until she had just enough room to squeeze out, then bolted on her toes to the little girl. Tifa's heart pounded loudly in her ears as she scooped the sleeping child into her arms and. She appeared to be no more than eight years old, with dark red hair tied into long pigtails. Her pale face was peaceful in sleep.
Gripping the girl tight, Tifa edged back to the stairs and slowly descended, pausing for a second on each stair to listen before moving on. The child did not stir as Tifa finally reached the bottom and headed to the window, where Jessie's pale, frightened face greeted her.
"Oh, thank goodness," she whispered. She propped open the window and held out her arms for the girl. Tifa forced her through the opening, Jessie cradling the sleeping form while Tifa wormed her way back out. About halfway through she felt a hand seize her ankle and drag her back.
"Tifa!" Jessie exclaimed. She made to put the child aside but Tifa shook her head frantically.
"Go!" she hissed, sliding back even further. "Get out of here!"
Jessie shook her head but quailed under Tifa's hard glare. "I'll come back for you," she promised, then disappeared with the child gripped tightly in her arms.
There was a hard tug on her ankle, an Tifa slid back through the window and landed on the cold stone floor. Pain lanced through her stomach and arms. She thrashed wildly, and she felt the grip on her ankle slacken. Then her attacker threw their weight onto her, expelling the air from her lungs as it pressed against her stomach.
"Hello, Marlene," said a familiar voice, just as a rag was pressed over her mouth and nose. Tifa struggled as she felt her vision begin to fade, then a moment later everything went black. Dammit.
VVVVV
Someone was carrying her. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like two-ton weights, so she gave up the effort. What was going on? Was the child safe? Of course she was, Jessie had her…
"Burn it down," came a faraway, muffled voice. Her ears felt like they had been stuffed with cotton wool. Why couldn't she open her eyes? Was she dying? No, of course not. Enough thinking, she was too tired…
The last thing she registered before the blackness overtook her once more was a loud whooshing noise, and the sound of someone saying her name.
VVVVV
"He was trying to move her when I got back with Cloud…I'm so glad I got there in time."
"You and me both. Still, it's been awhile since I've seen him so angry…It's Zack all over again…"
Upon hearing the voices Tifa forced her eyes open. The faces of Yuffie and Jessie swam into view, their expressions tight, concerned. A bolt of clarity shot through her.
"Damn it all to hell," she groaned. Her mouth felt dry.
Yuffie moved closer. "About time! I was gonna dump some water on you if you were out much longer.
"Is the girl okay?" Tifa forced herself into a sitting position, then promptly fell back onto what felt like a pile of pillows, head spinning with a sickening rush of vertigo.
"She's fine," said Jessie. Her face was pale as she let out a shaky breath. "She's sleeping off the drugs."
So Tifa's worst thought had been correct. "What about the man?"
"Taken care of," Yuffie said.
"And Cloud?"
"Pissed to high heaven," came a third voice, gruff and scratchy. Tifa looked over to see a man standing in the doorway. He appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties, with short blonde hair and a toothpick clenched between his teeth.
"Tifa, this is Cid," said Jessie.
"Don't know what the hell ya'll were thinkin', doin' that," said Cid.
At this Tifa sat up again, pushing aside the nausea. "Did you expect us to just leave a little girl with a psycho?" she said angrily.
"Cloud's not the only one with connections," muttered Yuffie, loud enough for Tifa and Jessie to hear.
Cid shrugged. "I ain't sayin' nothin.' Anyway, Cloud wants to see you," he said. His blue eyes rested on Tifa. She got to her feet very carefully, head throbbing in protest, and followed Cid out of the room.
"Where are we?" she asked Cid.
"Deliverance HQ," he replied in his gruff voice. "Used to be abandoned but we fixed it up all right. Been usin' it for about a year now. Right in here, Tifa." He gestured to a closed door, and Tifa felt an odd rush of anticlimax as she opened it and stepped inside.
The room was completely empty, the walls barren except for a single window opposite the door. Cloud leaned against it, peering out as if lost in thought, dressed in a white button-up shirt open at the neck, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and ripped jeans. A silver earring in the shape of a lion glinted in his left ear.
"You asked for me?" said Tifa in a cool voice.
He looked at her with those shockingly blue eyes. They seemed to X-ray her as he said, very calmly, "Did you know that the man who sprayed you with chloroform is a prison escapee and highly convicted of over twenty murders? All of young women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five?"
Tifa felt a shiver trail down her spine and struggled to keep her expression neutral. "No," she answered. "Though it wouldn't have changed anything even if I had."
Cloud looked at her, a mixture of curiosity and annoyance flicking over his face. "Are you always this stupid?"
"Excuse me?" Tifa was outraged. "Since when was saving an eight-year-old child from a psychopath an act of stupidity?"
"Not only did you endanger yourself, you endangered the life of another," Cloud said in a hard voice. "This is not a group of reckless thrill-seekers, Tifa. We do what we believe is necessary, what's right."
"So abandoning a helpless child is necessary?" Tifa's hands were clenched into fists: she had the strong desire to hit something.
"I'm not saying we would not have helped that girl," Cloud said. "But you had no right to undertake that by yourself. You had no idea of that man's capabilities. You didn't know who he was, what he'd done. Saving that girl wasn't a mission for a single person to carry out. Do you realize that he had a gun on him?" Cloud's brilliant eyes were hard. "He could have shot you on sight."
"Cloud, let it go," came a low, slightly raspy voice. Tifa whirled around to see a man standing in the doorway behind her. He was thin and tall, about 6 feet, with deep red eyes. His long black hair hung over his face, contrasting sharply with his pale skin. His appearance suggested a mild frailty.
Tifa turned back to Cloud, struggling to keep her temper in check. "If that's all," she said coldly, "I'm leaving."
He opened his mouth but Tifa turned away; she didn't need any more reprimanding. Once outside the room she drove her still-gloved fist into the wall with a surge of anger. Pain lanced through her knuckles. Then she turned and saw that the pale man was standing behind her, red eyes trained on her face.
"It's dark out," he said in his low voice. "I think it would be best if I drove you home."
Tifa met his gaze. "My car is back at the 7th Heaven. Could you drop me off there?"
"Certainly." He inclined his head slightly.
"Always the gentleman, Vincent," came Yuffie's teasing voice.
The ghost of a smile flickered across Vincent's lips. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him, and it hit Tifa with a jolt: She likes him. She felt a bit of her anger ebb at the realization, and vowed to interrogate Yuffie later.
Vincent led her down a flight of stairs to the front door and out to a sleek, cherry red Cadillac. "Excuse Cloud," he said as they drove down the street. "He's been very edgy ever since another member of Deliverance was severely injured on assignment."
"I see." Tifa studied his face. He had faint purplish smudges beneath his eyes, giving them a slightly hollow, sunken look. But Tifa had to admit that he was attractive, albeit the somber and stoic type. Bubbly, cheerful Yuffie was a startling contrast.
A minute or two later Vincent pulled into the parking lot in front of the 7th Heaven. Tifa thanked him. Withdrawing her keys as she slipped out of the Cadillac and into her Volvo, and watched him drive off into the darkness before she too headed for home.