Gone
By: Illusion of the Mirror
"I have an idea! Let's play I spy!"
"It's too dark out to play I spy, Marlene," Denzel stated disjointedly. "Besides, that's a stupid game anyway."
Marlene stuck her bottom lip out in a pout and crossed her thin arms around her favorite stuffed tiger. "You're mean, Denzel. You'll play, right Aunt Shera?"
Shera, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, looked back at the girl and mustered up the most care-free smile that she could in spite of the weighty situation."Okay, Marlene. That might be fun."
She smiled triumphantly in Denzel's direction which earned an eye roll from the boy. "Will you play too, Mr. Evans, sir?"
Evans reached up with a tattooed hand and scratched the back of his head. "Eh…sure, I guess."
"Okay," Marlene chirped, "I'll go first! I spy something red!"
Denzel turned away from the others, ignoring their game, and stared out his window. The rain that was pounding down from the heavens made a hollow taping sound on the roof of the car that was hardly a comfort. The road outside was concealed by a thick sheet of silver rain and there was not a light in sight aside from the headlights of their vehicle and the glowing symbols on the dashboard that cast a reflection in his window. I wonder what the others are doing right now, he thought distractedly.
His musings were interrupted, however, by a low grumbling sound erupting from his stomach.
Marlene giggled next to him. "Are you hungry, Denzel?" She then leaned over and poked him in the side.
Denzel blushed slightly and batted her hand away. "A little, hey Shera, how long 'til we get there?"
Shera sighed and leaned back in her chair. "A few hours yet, but don't worry, I'll get you something to eat when we get to town." She glanced over at Evans, who was staring intently at the road in the headlights.
Did this man ever smile? Of all the men that worked for Cid, Evans was the most no nonsense. He was a gruff man who had been hardened by years of fighting, physical labor, and painful loss. But even though he was lacking in social graces, he made up for it with his dedication and hard work. It was no wonder to Shera that Cid trusted him with the job of transporting them to Rocket Town.
She then caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Evans glancing up to the rear view mirror with a grimace.
"What is it, Evans?" she asked quietly enough that the kids couldn't hear over their own conversation. The man met her eyes for a moment and then turned back to face forward. "Nothin', ma'am, Jus' have a car coming up behind us is all. They're going pretty fast for this weather I would think."
Shera blinked and then looked into the mirror outside her door and sure enough, she could see two dim, blinking headlights a ways behind them. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?" she queried a bit worriedly.
Evans' frown deepened. "The only people who use this road are usually one's who are up to no good. That's why they don' wanta be seen."
Shera wrung her hands in her lap as she listened to Marlene giggle at something Denzel said to her. "Perhaps we should let them pass then." Evans nodded and eased off the accelerator so that the fast approaching car would bypass them.
The vehicle soon came up close behind them, its headlights flooding the backseat with light and then switched lanes without a signal. It sped past them but remained in the opposite lane as it continued onward. Evans' brow furrowed. "What the hell you doin' pardner?" he mumbled quietly.
Suddenly, the car swung sideways into the lane in front of them a mere fifty yards ahead, its passenger side door directly in their path. Shera gasped as Evans let loose a loud epithet and slammed his heal into the brake. The wet road didn't offer ideal traction for an immediate stop, and the vehicle began to skid as Evan cranked the wheel to gain back control. But it was in vain. Hitting a rut in the shoulder, the car lurched to the side and then steered strait off the road. The vehicle bounced over the brush in the ditch, into the dark canopy of trees, and straight into a large oak.
The front seat airbags punched out at impact and Shera felt the back of her seat shake as Denzel's face smacked into it. For a moment, everything was silent except the beating of rain on the world outside and the groaning of their injured car. But it didn't take long before Marlene recovered from her shock and began to sob in the back seat.
Shera groaned as she pushed the white, canvas abomination away from her face and struggled to turn around in her seat; an action that was hindered both by the state of the car and the size of her abdomen. "Is everyone alright?" she managed to gasp despite how shaken up she was.
Denzel leaned forward and cradled his throbbing head in his hands. He grunted in answer and Marlene just continued to sob. "Aunt Shera, I thought we were going to die!"
"It's okay, honey," Shera consoled the child as she tried to reach back to comfort the girl. "Shh…it'll be alright."
Evans however, was in no mood for whining. "Damn it! What was that all about!?" Yanking off his seatbelt, he thrust his door open and clambered out into the rain. Denzel sat up and managed to calm the ringing in his ears. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure," Shera replied earnestly. "Oh, but wait." In the rear view mirror she spotted headlights coming their way. "I think whoever it was that we nearly hit has stopped to help." She unbuckled herself and opened her door slightly. "Kids, you stay in the car, okay?" With that, she stepped out into the rain.
"Oi! Over here!" Evans waved at the approaching vehicle and scowled as they slowed to a stop a few meters away. He approached with his bulky arms crossed as the passenger door swung open. "You mind explainin' what the hell just happened!?"
The man that stepped out of the vehicle didn't reply. He simply flipped open the long black cloak he was wearing and produced a shiny, metal handgun. Evans didn't have time to get another word out before a shot rang out. He looked down at his stomach to see a quickly expanding red stain and then dropped to his knees. Marlene screamed from inside the car and the man's eyes locked onto Shera. He began to approach them resolutely as three more men climbed from the car his weapon now pointed at her.
Shera stepped forward slightly and raised her hands above her head. She'd have to distract these men so the children could escape. She met eyes with Denzel, who was hunched down in the back seat. Her mouth formed a silent word; run.
Denzel nodded and reached back to grab Marlene's hand. She whimpered as he tugged her towards him but he placed his hand over her mouth. "Marlene, on the count of three, we're going to run for it, okay?" Marlene nodded slowly, a tear sliding down her pale cheek and over his knuckles. Denzel relinquished his hold on her face, and cracked his door open. Both he and Marlene slid out of the open door to the soggy ground and crouched, hidden behind the car. "Okay, 1…2…3!"
In an instant both Denzel and Marlene shot off away from the wreck, and two of the black cloaked men began to pursue them. Shera leapt into their path and used her body weight to shove one of them off his feet. She then turned to flee herself only to be met by a rifle butt to the face. Everything went red, and then her body crumpled to the soaked forest floor.
-- O --
Denzel and Marlene darted through the pitch black woods trying desperately to lose their pursuer, but it was hopeless and Denzel knew it. Marlene could never outrun this full-grown man who was quickly gaining on them. He knew that their only chance of escape was to split up and hide in the dark brush.
Gripping Marlene's trembling hand, he yanked her off to the right and plunged them both into a tall, thick bramble of thorn bushes. The thorns bit at their exposed skin and ripped their sopping clothing as the climbed farther into the middle of the bramble. Once they were far enough in that Denzel was sure they would be safe for a few moments, he turned to Marlene.
"Marlene, we have to split up. I'll draw them away from here, and once they're gone, you run for it," he whispered urgently.
"B-but what about Aunt Shera?" Marlene whimpered as she shied away from a particularly sharp thorn near her elbow.
Denzel was about the answer, when he heard shouting from only a few yards away and cracking as the men began to break their own way through the bramble. "I have to go now. Marlene!" With that, he stood from his spot and made a big show of running away from the branches that hid Marlene. Once he was sure they had both seen them, he spun on his heel, and dashed off into the night with the two men following behind.
-- O --
Marlene waited just as Denzel had told her to. She hugged her knees to herself and barely dared to breathe as she listened for any noise that might betray another foe's presence. Positive that Denzel's plan had indeed worked, she slowly crawled from her hazardous hiding spot out into the more open woods. Glancing left to right; she saw no one and then scampered in the opposite direction that Denzel had gone.
Sidling up to a large tree, she tried to catch her breath and inspected the new cuts that now adorned her arms. She blinked back a terror filled tear and sniffed. Why was this happening? Where should she go now? What should she do? She had no idea where she was or where Denzel had gone. But he had told her to run, she remembered that. Gathering up what little courage she had left, Marlene stood up straight and then began racing her way between the trees.
-- O --
Branches from low trees whipped at Denzel's face and arms as he surged through the woods in flight from the men behind him. So far he had been able to keep a steady distance between them, but he didn't know how long that could last. Fatigue was slowly creeping up on him.
Then the ground suddenly came to a halt before him and dropped straight down to a river. The deluge roiled past him at an alarming speed but without a moment's thought, he leapt from the edge and plunged into the black water that immediately rushed him away from his adversaries. Although he was struggling to keep his head above the water, Denzel afforded himself a triumphant smirk. Now he would lose them for sure.
-- O --
It was impossible to know if this was the same tree she had just seen or if it was a different one in the rain that was pouring down. Marlene looked around herself frantically but all she could see in every direction was darkness. A sob escaped her as she took a non-directional step and closed her arms around herself in an attempt to warm her shivering body.
Snap. A twig broke. Someone was there. Marlene spun to face the direction she thought the sound had come from but saw nothing. Pausing to listen for any other sound, she could hear nothing else besides the beating of the rain upon the earth. Terror ate at her nerves as she remained frozen to that same spot.
Then, suddenly, something rough and thick descended over Marlene's head. Her screams were muffled as her attacker picked her small body up and threw her over their shoulder. She beat at their back with her small fists and tried to kick at him, but it was no use. There was no escaping this time. She screamed again.
-- O --
Denzel pulled himself from the frigid water to the riverbank and crawled underneath a fallen tree. He had managed to survive the river's current as it boiled around him and the undercurrent attempted to suck him beneath. He was now positive that he had lost the men who had been chasing him. Now what? He had no idea where Marlene was and no idea how to get home. Still, his plan had worked. They had both escaped and-
A scream sounded in the woods not far from his safe haven. Oh no, Marlene! Denzel lurched from his hiding place and began to frantically ascend the river bank. More screams! Gunshots! Though his muscles ached and his limbs threatened to give out, he forced his body onward toward the screams. He had to save Marlene!
Following the sounds, Denzel found himself back at the scene of the crash but by the time he reached the clearing, the black car that had brought the men there was nowhere in sight. He had to get help! Denzel began racing in the direction he thought the road was in, but after he had gone about fifty yards and still hadn't found the road, he knew he was lost. Still not willing to give up, Denzel ran back towards where he had started only to catch his foot underneath a root and tumble to the soggy ground face first. His ankle throbbing in pain, he let out an exasperated cry. Shera and Marlene were gone and now there was nothing he could do to save them.
-- O --
Now finished with the retelling of his story, Denzel leaned forward and took a much needed sip of his hot chocolate. The rest of the group seated around the table took a few moments to mull this new information over in their heads.
Tifa, however, now felt her eyes fill with tears, and she rose from her seat and knelt next to Denzel. Looking into his glassy eyes she saw that he was not only exhausted, he was feeling guilty. Promptly, she enfolded him in a protectively tight embrace. At first, the boy seemed to resist her, but then after a few moments, he buried his face into her warm chest and wrapped his arms around her. Tifa could feel his body shuddering as he struggled to keep his sobs silent.
Barret, who had been sitting next to the boy, placed a large hand gently on his back. "Denzel…"
Denzel pulled away from Tifa, his eyes red and puffy and looked down into his lap. "Denzel," Barret repeated softly. The boy slowly looked up and met his father's eyes.
"You were very brave, son. You did everything you could."
"That's right," Red replied. "No one here blames you for what happened." Denzel looked at the floor again, but nodded; grateful for their understanding though he still felt responsible.
"Excuse me." Eleven pairs of eyes looked up to see a young woman in white hospital garb standing with her hands clasp together. "I don't mean to intrude, but I'm here to take care of the injured boy."
All eyes turned back to Denzel who sighed and stood with a little difficulty as he favored his throbbing ankle. "My name's Denzel," he said flatly.
"Of course," the girl nodded. "Well, Denzel, we're going to take care of your ankle." She approached him and lifted his arm over her shoulder to help him walk. "I heard that you had quite the adventure…" she said cheerily as they exited the room through the near door.
After the door swung shut, Dean, the man who had been their driver from earlier, addressed the group. "That cinches it. There's not a doubt in my mind the guys who attacked them were with Darknation."
Cid was twice as irritable due to his lack of smokes. He grimaced deeply. "Then where you suppose they took 'em?"
"We have no way of knowing," Emily answered with resentment in her voice. "The council hasn't allowed us to send out a search party to find their hide out."
Red bristled and his voice was strained as he spoke. "Well, perhaps in light of recent events, the council would reconsider."
"Yeah!" Yuffie piped up. "I mean, we don't know what those guys will do to Shera and Marlene!" She turned to Aiden, who was fidgeting in his chair uncomfortably. "Isn't there anything you guys can tell us?"
Aiden shook his head and Emily sighed. "Unfortunately, the council members are the only ones who really know anything about the way Darknation works and why they do what they do." She clenched a fist on the table. "But I can assure you that whatever they have planned, it's not good."
Tifa glanced round at all the faces in the room and then rested her gaze on the table in front of her. "Well, I don't know much about anything that's going on within Darknation," she began firmly, "and I don't know anything about the way your council works." She looked up and locked eyes with Emily. "But I do know that I don't let my friends get captured without a fight."
Vincent, who was seated next to her, nodded stiffly in response. "None of us do."
Emily took in his dark gaze and pushed her chair from the table. "Very well, then Dean and I will go tell the council so. Surely they will no longer be able to justify inaction." Dean stood as well. Together, the two of them pushed in their chairs and then exited.
Aiden, who hadn't spoken a single word since they had found Denzel, stretched and then smiled weakly. "Well, alrighty then. In the meantime, why don't I get you guys some rooms so that you can rest and get cleaned up and stuff?"
"Ooh, that sounds amazing," Yuffie admitted with a yawn. "I am so exhausted it's not funny."
"Well, as great as that sounds," Cid muttered, "I think I'd rather have a drink and a smoke first. You got any of that?" Aiden laughed and Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Actually, we've got a bar down here. I'll show you once I get you guys some rooms."
Cid seemed satisfied and turned to Barret who admitted that a drink sounded pretty good right about then.
"Okay then," Aiden said as he stood. "Let's get going."
The whole remaining group rose from their seats with the echoing screech of sliding chairs and shuffling of boots on the floor. They began to file out of the cafeteria following Aiden. He led them down a series of white painted halls.
Tifa trailed behind them detachedly. She still didn't know what to think of all that had happened. Everything was getting so complicated and she couldn't help but wonder what Darknation would have to gain by capturing Shera and Marlene.
Her brain was tired of thinking, so she gave up on her wanderings and looked up to see Cloud walking a little in front of her. He glanced over his shoulder at her with his eyebrows drawn together in a frown and then quickly turned back to face forward. I wonder what that's all about, Tifa thought to herself.
A moment later, they reached a row of doors and Aiden stopped and pointed out three in particular. "You'll have to double up, but here's where your rooms are." He then cast a thumb over his shoulder. "Over there's where you can shower and stuff. I'll see if I can't get you guys some clean clothes or something. Towels are in your rooms."
They all thanked him before he set off to his task, with the exception of Vincent and Cloud who seemed to be having a silent conversation only a few feet away. Sensing the tension between the two of them, Tifa walked up and tapped Vincent on the shoulder. "Um…hey, Vince? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Vincent nodded and sent one last glare Cloud's way before following her down the hall a ways.
"So…what's up with Cloud?" Tifa inquired in a near whisper even though Cloud had already left to follow Aiden and the others had gone as well. "I mean, if looks could kill…"
"It is of little importance, Tifa," he responded abruptly. "Do not worry yourself over it." And with that, the subject seemed to be closed.
"Um, okay," Tifa replied slowly. "Then I guess I'll just go get some rest."
"That is a wise decision. After all, you are wounded." Vincent reached up and tucked a stray strand of Tifa's chestnut hair behind her ear, his crimson eyes burning into her own. Tifa felt her stomach flip-flop and averted her gaze lest she do or say something she would later regret. A warm blush graced her features as she nervously played with her fingernails. He was so close…so very close. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and felt her blush spread.
"Yes…well, then I suppose I'd better go get cleaned up." She backed away and started toward the room Yuffie had already gone into. Her hand on the doorknob, she glanced over her shoulder to see that Vincent was watching her with amusement in his eyes. In an instant she disappeared into her room. How dare he take pleasure in my discomfort!
Once inside she nearly ran into Yuffie who was holding a white, fluffy-looking towel. "Oh, sorry, Tif…hey, you alright? You look really red."
Tifa passed the younger girl and made her way to the unoccupied bed. "It's nothing; it's just a little warm in here, is all."
Yuffie wasn't convinced. "Yeah, whatever, I'm going over to take a shower, okay?"
Tifa nodded but didn't turn to face her as she busied herself with unfolding her own towel lest her expression make Yuffie even more suspicious. She was grateful when she heard the door close with a loud click.
With a sigh, Tifa fell back onto her bed and felt the down comforter poof out around her. "Darn you, Valentine," she thought aloud as she draped an arm over her eyes. "Darn you for being so…so…" Mysterious? Dark? Handsome? "…so yourself."
Tifa rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. She was a full grown woman for Pete's sake! Getting all giddy over something like this was hardly adult. Of course, then again, Tifa may have thought of herself as full grown, but she never had really considered herself an adult. She had just never really thought about it.
Eager to change the subject of her mind's wanderings, she thought of the bandage wrapped round her head. Someone had hit her with a spindle from the staircase, she was sure of it…but who? Surely if it had been a member of Darknation that had started the fire, they would have immediately fled the scene. After all, to stay inside the burning building would have been immensely stupid.
Unless…unless the reason they were there was specifically to attack Tifa. But why? It's not as if…
Then a realization hit Tifa like a ton of bricks. The Talisman! She had just recovered it when that person attacked her! Leaping from her bed, she raced out into the hallway and into the women's bathroom across the hall.
"Yuffie! Yuffie, are you in here!"
"Yeah," she heard a voice answer from the back of the room. She followed the voice back to a row of showers, the furthest one with its curtain closed."Yuffie, when you and Emily rescued me, did you find the Talisman!?"
Yuffie poked her head out from behind the light pink curtain, her eyes wide. "What?"
"The Talisman," Tifa repeated impatiently. "Did you find it?"
"Um…no, Tifa…we didn't…"
Tifa groaned as she fell back against the white tile wall and slid to the ground. "This is bad. This is really bad."
Yuffie gaped at Tifa in a stupor, bubbles from her fruity shampoo slowly migrating down her nose. "Oh, Tifa…" But she stopped before she finished her sentence and abruptly disappeared behind the shower curtain. There was a loud squeak as turned the faucet knobs to the off position. She then stepped out of the stall with her towel draped around her thin form.
Tifa couldn't make eye contact with the girl. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face behind them. She felt like screaming and crying at the same time. How could she be so careless!
Yuffie sank to the tile floor beside Tifa and wiped a dripping strand of hair from her face. "What happened?"
"I don't believe this," Tifa whimpered, her lips trembling in frustration. "I had the talisman with me when I went into the building to find Keaton. It was in my hand but that was before it someone whacked me in the head with a staircase spindle!"She clenched her hands into fists and bit her lip. "This is all my fault! If I had just been more careful…the others will be so-"
She was suddenly startled by Yuffie's hand on her shoulder. "Wait, so someone hit you? We thought you tripped or something."
"No," Tifa replied as she briefly met Yuffie's questioning gaze. "I know someone hit me."
"Well, who was it? What did he look like?"
"I didn't get a good look at him…or her. It was all so sudden."
Yuffie lifted her hand from Tifa's shoulder and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "This reeks of a trap, Tifa. So as far as I'm concerned it's really not your fault."
"But I was responsible for-"
Yuffie stood abruptly and glared down at Tifa, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. "That doesn't matter now." A serious look set upon the young ninja's face. "You've been through a lot, Tifa. You've been through more than any of us and I won't let you sit there and be all broody on me, got it? That's Vincent's job." Her harsh expression softened and she knelt down to take Tifa's hands in her own. "It just doesn't suit you, Tif."
Tifa squeezed Yuffie's warm hands in her own. "I guess not." The girl helped her up from her spot on the floor. "But what will I tell the others? I doubt the members of the Resistance will be near as forgiving as you."
"Not to worry," Yuffie replied with a smile and a flick of her hand. "I'll break the news to them. I'm probably a lot less susceptible to their glares than you are, anyway."
"You don't have to do that…" Yuffie shook her head at Tifa's remark.
"I know. But I want to."
Tears welled up in Tifa's eyes. She really had been through a lot, but she had good friends like Yuffie who would stand beside her. She stepped forward and pulled the younger girl into an embrace. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."
Yuffie beamed as Tifa pulled away. "Yeah, you are." Then she made a face and glanced down at Tifa's ash smeared clothing and skin. "No offense, Tif, but you really need a shower, like, now."
Tifa rubbed the back of her neck and looked down at herself with a grimace. "None taken."
-- O --
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