Capturing Answers
By: Illusion of the Mirror
Despite the fact that the wind had brought a chill to the air, the cab driver still had the air conditioner on full blast. But even though her body reacted and shivered with the cool gusts, Tifa's mind payed the temperature little heed. She had a million other things bouncing around in her brain. So much had happened in the past few days and all of it seemed to be one big mess.
Finding Buttercup that morning had certainly shaken her. The image of the kitten's lifeless, frightened eyes haunted her mind's eye despite her efforts to concentrate on other things. And then of course Darknation's note was still bothering her. What were they thinking?
Well, whatever the reason, Tifa and the others had apparently become a threat whether they knew why or not. But was that a good thing?
But as if finding the ruined kitten wasn't enough, she also had to deal with Cloud. And what was up with that Emily girl? She was obviously lying about those candles. But why would she need to? Tifa had a feeling that there must be some secret intertwined with those candles, and somehow Emily must be involved.
First of all, when she touched the candle she was thrown into a vision in which she seemed to inhabit the body of someone from the past. She was sure now that it all had something to with the Resistance. The little boy she had saved had been called Timothy; which happened to have been the name of Marie Wolfe's son. Also, she had known that the horsemen were led by a man named Kale. Marie had written that her brother-in-law had that name.
But so does the leader of Darknation. Were the King's Men and Darknation somehow linked?
If the Timothy in her vision was indeed Marie's son, then the baby named Seraphine must have been her daughter. So then, was the young woman Marie? If not, who was she and what did she have to do with everything else? Maybe if Tifa could determine the name of the burning village she could figure it out. And since Emily wouldn't answer any questions, Tifa would have to find out on her own.
"Excuse me, Lady," the cab driver said with a slight drawl, "That'll be twenty gil."
Tifa reached into her pocket and pulled out the correct amount. She was about to get out when she thought better of it and turned back to the man. "Actually, could you wait for me? I'll pay whatever it costs."
The cabby shrugged. "Sure, I'll keep the meter running."
Tifa thanked the man and opened the back door. It was still raining pretty hard so she had to dash up the front steps and through the large front doors. Once inside, she wiped the raindrops from her face with her sleeve and glanced up at the large, wooden clock that was ticking away above the lobby.
5:43 Good, she had some time before Professor Malcolm's class got out This would be a tremendous time to check the university's history archives for this mysterious mountain village. Perhaps it had been nearby.
-- O --
Yuffie burst through the kitchen door soon after Cid with Barret and Marlene on her heels. "Yes!" she exclaimed and then she raced off up the stairs.
"What the hell?!" Cid shouted up after her and she paused at the top of the staircase.
"Marlene, Denzel, and I set a trap for to catch the intruders! You had better get outside in case they're running out through the secret stairs!" With that, she dashed off toward the door to the attic.
Red XIII nodded to Vincent. "I'll stay here and protect Shera and the kids." Denzel looked indignant, but put up no fuss. Shera nodded as well and set a hand on each child's shoulder.
Cid, Vincent, and Barret, however, wasted no time in getting out and around the house. As they ran, Cid loaded his modified shotgun. "Damn, I hope we don't gotta run like this for long!"
Vincent rounded the house first to see three shadowy figures racing off towards the dark woods. Cid halted and aimed his shotgun, but Vincent pushed the barrel down. "People are easier question when they're alive, Highwind!" He then spun around and continued pursuing the intruders with amazing speed.
"Yeah, but they're easier to catch when they're wounded," Cid huffed, but he slung his shotgun over his shoulder and followed.
Barret paused as he saw Yuffie stumble down the secret staircase, "C'mon, Yuf, they're getting' away!" Yuffie only groaned and sprinted on after the others.
-- O --
Tifa pushed her chair back away from the computer desk and glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen. The professor's classes should be over and she had barely found anything. All she had was the name of the village, but it was better than nothing.
She left the library and proceeded to the university's history wing, but stopped in her tracks when she spotted the evil Mrs. Higgins ticking away on her keyboard. Oh man! She'll never let me through without an appointment and especially when I look like this! She glanced down at her soaked, wrinkled clothing and narrowed her eyes up at the beastly woman. She would just have to sneak past.
It would have looked very strange to see a grown woman crawling across the tile floor, but luckily for Tifa, no one was coming. She heard the secretary stand up and stretch and held her own breath. But Mrs. Higgins merely yawned and sat back down to continue typing.
Tifa quickly crawled around the corner and then stood as she let out her breath. Now, she turned to look down the hall, to find the professor.
-- O --
Vincent raced onward through the undergrowth of the forest. These were most definitely the same intruders from the other night. They were following the exact same trail as the footprints had. He could hear them up ahead, but only just barely. True, they were close enough to see, but they were amazingly silent as they ran.
He glanced back at his comrades who were not nearly as quiet. However, that was all part of Vincent's strategy. If they believed the others to be the only ones pursuing them, he was at an advantage due to the fact that he was keeping out of sight.
Just then, another sound reached Vincent's keen ears. Wup wup wup. A helicopter?! Of course! That's why the tracks had ended so abruptly before. But this presented a whole new set of problems. He had to catch up with them before they boarded!
No longer using stealth as his strategy, Vincent leapt back onto the path and sprinted with every ounce of his speed to catch up to his quarry. But, unfortunately, they were almost to the rope ladder going up to the helicopter. Vincent reached the clearing and skidded to a stop just as the craft lifted out of reach. He heard the others come up behind him.
"Now what do we do?" Yuffie exclaimed between gasps for breath.
Vincent glared at the retreating craft and then turned to the others. "What choice do we have? Now, we fly."
-- O --
Tifa stood at the door to Professor Malcolm's office. She had already knocked twice and had received no answer. Crud. Maybe he's in his lecture hall. She walked to the next door down the hall and pushed it open. The lights were on, but the room looked completely empty.
Tifa glanced all around and took a step forward only to hear the crunch of paper beneath her foot. She looked down and picked up the crushed scrap. It looked like any other crumpled up piece of trash, but for some reason, Tifa felt compelled to take a closer look. She carefully unfolded the scrap to reveal a short typed note.
Malcolm, we know you're helping the girl. If you are wise, you will cease immediately.
Girl? Was the note referring to her? Darknation! They must know Tifa's been investigating! Tifa shuddered as the air around her suddenly felt cold. But how?
Just then, there was a loud series of thuds and Tia nearly leapt out of her skin. She spun around; fists at the ready.
"I-I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz." She looked down to see a young man with sandy blond hair knelt over a scattered pile of books.
Tifa instinctively knelt down to help him. "No apology necessary. It happens to the best of us."
The kid looked up and met her eyes. "Tifa?"
"Oh, hey Keaton, I didn't recognize you at first." Tifa stood as Keaton did and handed him the books she had gathered. "What are you doing here?"
Keaton grunted as he set the pile of books on a nearby table and then adjusted his glasses. "I go to school here… Oh, you mean in this room?" Tifa nodded. "I'm a teacher's assistant for Professor Malcolm. Why are you here?"
Tifa set a hand on her hip. "I was hoping to see the professor. I have some more questions." Keaton smiled and stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. "Er…well, he's in the teacher's lounge right now, but I think he would still…"
"Oh, could you please tell me where that is?" Tifa beseeched excitedly.
Keaton blushed and nodded. "Just go down the hall and turn right. There should be a sign, but the door's usually open. He pushed his glasses back up his short nose again.
"Thanks a lot, Keaton," Tifa said hurriedly and then she turned to leave. She stopped, however, and glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, and next time you probably shouldn't carry so many books at once." Keaton blushed again and looked down as Tifa started for the faculty lounge.
She reached it fairly quickly and it was just as Keaton had said; the door was open. Inside, Tifa could see three individuals sitting in green, velvet, wingback chairs drinking tea. She recognized the one in the middle as the professor, but she had never seen the other two before.
The one on his right was a woman with short blonde hair and bright hazel eyes that boasted laugh lines at their corners. She was small in build and wore a smart tweed skirt suit. The other, to Malcolm's left, was a man who looked more like a student than a professor. He had long, dark hair that was pulled back into a disheveled ponytail and wore thin-rimmed glasses on the end of his nose. He sported a gray sweater that looked like something an old man might wear and brown slacks. In his right ear, Tifa noticed a small silver hoop.
Malcolm laughed lightly at something that was said and then met Tifa's gaze. "Oh, why Miss Lockheart, this is quite the surprise."
Tifa took a few steps past the threshold. "Um…good afternoon, Professor. I was hoping that I could talk to you." Now that all three of them were looking at her, Tifa felt naked and was suddenly regretting this meeting.
Malcolm's dark eyes were hard at first, but then softened and he motioned to an empty chair. "Come, have a seat. What is it you wish to discuss?"
The blonde woman glanced back at Malcolm. "Would you like for us to leave, then?"
"Oh, no, that's not necessary. Miss Lockheart has been asking me questions about history so perhaps your added knowledge would be a boon."
"I hate to interrupt anything," Tifa added nervously.
"Nonsense," Malcolm assured as Tifa lowered herself into the chair. "I am happy to be of service." He glanced at the woman on his right. "This is Professor Catherine Stratford."
Tifa rose slightly and shook her outstretched hand. "It's a pleasure, Miss Lockheart."
Malcolm then gestured to the man at his left. "And this is Professor Alexander Altmann." Altmann nodded cordially. "Both of these fine individuals are my coworkers here in the history department. Catherine is a professor of historical arts and Alexander of historical literature. They are highly esteemed and are an important part of this university."
Alexander sighed and looked toward the ceiling. "I wait for the reflection of that in my paycheck." All three chuckled at this and Tifa smiled nervously.
"Now," Catherine said kindly. "What is it that you wish to know?"
Tifa shifted in her chair as Malcolm took a sip of his tea and Alexander fiddled with the neck of his sweater which was already stretched from past fiddling. "I've been doing some research and I'd like to hear what you know about a village called Sráidbhaile."
Catherine and Alexander exchanged glances but Malcolm seemed oblivious to this. He set his cup and saucer down and crossed his legs. "As in the mountain village of Sráidbhaile?"
Tifa nodded and Malcolm stroked his chin. "I know that it was only recently discovered and excavated. Archaeologists believe it to have been in ruin for around a century. I, myself, have never been there, but I hear it is nothing remarkable." Malcolm leaned forward slightly and his indigo eyes cut into hers. "Why do you ask?"
Tifa picked at her nails. "Do they know who lived there or how it came to ruin?"
Catherine and Alexander exchanged glances once again and then simultaneously looked to Malcolm. "They believe it to have been a village of thieves and outlaws." Malcolm sat back and breathed deeply. "Although nothing is clear, they suspect that the village came to ruin when the authorities of the time went to arrest their leaders. That is all I can help with unless," he glanced to the two on either side of him. "Unless one of you has something to add."
Tifa noticed Alexander bit his lip and although he shook his head, it seemed as though there was something he wished to add. Catherine folded her hands together and leaned forward. "Yes, but while you are right, Sebastian, you have left out the part about the massacre."
Malcolm blinked. "Oh yes, it slipped my mind."
Catherine turned to Tifa. "The authorities went in only to arrest the leaders, but ended up massacring all the villagers." Her eyes burned as she said this.
"Yes, well," Malcolm finished, "It's still all speculation."
Tifa heard the grandfather clock against the wall chime nine o'clock. "Oh, well thank you a lot Professor Malcolm, and you too Professor Stratford and Professor Altmann. But I really have to go. I didn't even tell the others where I was going." She stood and shook each of their hands.
"Thank you for stopping by," Malcolm said softly and then he walked her to the door. "Miss Lockheart, is your mother still alive?"
Tifa was taken aback by this strange question but answered anyway. "No…she died when I was only eight."
"Pity." He then gave her a kind smile. "I'm sure it's dark out by now. Would you like for me to walk you to your car?"
Tifa smiled back and shook her head. "No, thank you. I've already taken enough of your time."
"Alright then, goodbye, Miss Lockheart." Tifa waved and exited, rushing to her taxi. The others were probably worried about her by now.
-- O --
Sebastian Malcolm waited a few moments after the girl had left and stroked his chin in thought. He then exited toward his office, forgetting entirely the two individuals who stood behind him exchanging a knowing, and somewhat worried, glance.
-- O --
Barret, Cid, and Yuffie watched as Vincent quickly changed forms and red wings unfolded from his back. He launched off the ground in pursuit of the aircraft carrying the intruders. This protomateria sure came in handy.
A masked face leaned out of the open side of the helicopter and caught sight of the terrifying beast following them. The face shot back inside and then the helicopter changed course. Ah, so they plan to run. Good, Chaos has been longing for a good stretch of his wings.
But what happened next, Vincent had not expected. The craft spun broadside to reveal two masked, and armed, men. Shots rang out as bullets whizzed past Vincent on every side. One struck him in the left shoulder and another in his right calf and he roared in pain as he made a lunge for the helicopter.
Below, Barret aimed his gun arm and Cid his shotgun and they both returned fire on the craft. One of the masked men dropped his weapon and clutched his now bloodied arm. Cid smirked and began to reload.
The aircraft lurched into action and flew off to get out of range of their ground attackers. Cid let out a stream of cuss words. Now all they could do was watch! He glanced around…hey, where was Yuffie?
Vincent mimicked the helicopter's movements as it zigzagged over the forest in an attempt to lose him. Despite the fact that he had been injured, Vincent was gaining. But what would he do when he caught them?
Suddenly, Yuffie's giant shirriken came flying in from the side and struck the front of the craft. The helicopter reeled and one of the masked figures toppled from the open door.
Without hesitation, Vincent dove for the man and caught hold of his ankle just before he struck the ground. The man had lost consciousness during the fall and Vincent looked up to see that the craft was now nowhere in sight.
He growled softly to himself and flew back to where Cid and Barret waited.
"Alright!" Cid exclaimed. "You got one!"
Vincent landed and set his unconscious passenger on the ground. "We had best get him back and tie him up before he comes to."
Barret nodded and hoisted their prisoner over his shoulder.
Yuffie returned with her weapon as Vincent changed back to his normal form. She looked up and noticed Vincent's wound. "Vinny! You're hurt!"
"I'll be fine." But as he tried to take a step, his knees gave out. Yuffie rushed to his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, I'll help you get back to the house."
Vincent nodded and concentrated on walking with as little pain as possible. Usually he wouldn't accept such…aid, but pursuing that aircraft had taken a lot out of him. However, it was worth it if it meant that they would finally get some answers.
-- O --
Tifa tapped her foot as she waited on the sidewalk under a streetlamp. Hadn't she asked to cabby to stay there? She sighed and glanced at the clock on her cell phone impatiently. Well, luckily the taxi station was only a few blocks away. She'd just have to walk.
It was a cool night and the clouds blanketed the sky. It wasn't long before it started to drizzle. Tifa clutched her arms to herself and grimaced. She was really getting sick of this weather.
A single car passed and its headlights nearly blinded her. "Geez," Tifa said to herself. "You don't need your brights in town." She looked up as another set of headlights lit up the street. Almost as if in slow motion, a black van pulled up along the sidewalk.
Tifa barely had time to think before the side door slid open to reveal four figures wearing black hooded cloaks with different colored linings. The one closest to her reached out and caught hold of her arm with a vice-like grip.
Suddenly, a loud screeching noise peeled out as a black sedan smashed into the front of the van, sending Tifa's would-be captor careening to the sidewalk.
Glass shards from the van's windshield flew everywhere and as the cloaked figure hit the ground, he reached into his vest and pulled out two matching handguns. Tifa gasped as she felt someone grab her from behind screaming, "Get down!"
Both Tifa and the person toppled to the ground as shots rang out; not only from the cloaked enemy on the ground, but from rooftops and hedges. Tifa's mind reeled as she felt the weight of the body covering hers. The bullets seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere!
Then there was the sound of tires screeching as both the sedan and the van sped off in opposite directions. She could hear the boot steps of her cloaked assailant as he fled on foot. And as quickly as it had started; it was all over.
Tifa felt the weight lift off of her and looked up to see that her savior had been none other than Professor Altmann. He breathed heavily as he helped her to her feet. "Are you alright, Miss Lockheart?"
Tifa glanced down at her skinned knees glistening through the gashes in her pant legs. "I-I think so…" But when she looked up to thank the professor, he had vanished.
-- O --
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