PROLOGUE
Return to Northern Crater
Reno sighed, watching the heavy snowflakes pound against the B09 helicopter's windshield. He had been airborne for the last half hour, and had seen little beyond the pointed black nose of the craft, relying solely on the bleeping radar screen of the instrument board to guide him. A thick and unwelcoming snowstorm had consumed the Permafrost region, the sky above the Great Glacier awash with the same dull greyness that had surrounded him since their departure from Icicle Inn. He and Rude had been ordered to keep radio contact with their colleagues to a minimum, leaving them instead – much to Reno's frustration - to listen to the constant drone of the B09's blades. Feeling his goggles slip from his forehead, he reacted to stop his fringe from falling over his eyes, pinning his spiked red hair back with the thick-rimmed accessories. I really should buya new pair of these…
"Hang on to something, partner." Reno called to Rude through the partition to the cargo hold as a blip from the radar screen alerted him to their approaching destination.
Casually pulling the control stick back, he felt the flight grow sharply in altitude, the sinking feeling in his stomach one he had come to ignore. The entire craft shuddered violently as it skipped over a pocket of temperamental air, the turbulence making him momentarily clutch the lever with both hands to steady it. Outside the window to his right, the treacherous peaks of Gaea's Cliff emerged through the clouds.
The snow-capped ridges of the mountain loomed in the darkness like a noiseless foe, luring him to his doom. He shivered as he thought of Weapon; the once-mythical monsters that had slumbered for millennia at this site, only to be unleashed by the Planet in order to protect itself from Sephiroth's menace. Reno felt no envy towards his former Turks comrades for the part they were forced to play eighteen months ago in the defeat of the so-called Jade Weapon. Taking a sip of his coffee, his headset crackled to life, the unexpected communication causing him to jump.
"Shit!" he swore under his breath, wiping the spilled drink from his black suit jacket.
"Tseng!" hissed Elena, her words breaking somewhat through the transmission. "Look at this."
"Good work." followed Tseng's muffled voice moments later, his tone pensive. 'It would appear we have found it."
"We've certainly earned our pay this time." Elena said gravely.
"All part of being a Turk."
"Not a pretty sight, is it?" she muttered with disgust.
"Still perfectly preserved." Tseng noted. "A little unnatural, don't you think?"
"Who cares?" moaned Reno, speaking into his mouthpiece. "Just get the damn thing."
"Reno?" Tseng responded abruptly. "Where are you?"
"We're passing over the crater now."
"Then, bring the chopper in." instructed his superior. "We have the package. I'm counting on you."
"You got it, yo."
Flicking a switch on the instrument panel, the night-vision display buzzed to life. He could see the formation of the rocks around the circumference of the Great Northern Crater, their jagged ledges creating a distinct pathway from the summit. At its core, almost five-hundred feet below, was the entrance to a vast cavern whose labyrinthine tunnels sprawled deep into the heart of the Planet. Circling once to adjust their velocity, battling against the harsh winds, he brought the helicopter into a vertical descent, again stealing a quick glance out of the window, his sight hindered by the swirling fog. Reno frowned as the radio static suddenly ceased, and returned his attention to the flickering monitor, searching for a suitable spot to touch down.
Carefully setting the craft upon a slightly-inclined plateau, he exhaled lastingly, tapping his chin with his long, bony fingers, and waited. A few minutes elapsed before he heard hurried footsteps from the cave opening and, squinting through the windshield, he could barely make out the forms of the two Turks as they sprinted towards the helicopter, hurdling the rocks that jutted from the rough terrain. The blonde Elena carried the object in her right hand, waving frantically at him with the other. From the passage, there came a sudden flash and a gunshot, the explosive sound echoing around the basin like thunder.
What the…?
"Rude!" yelled Reno. "Open the hatch, yo, we've got company!"
He heard immediate movement in the compartment behind the cockpit as Rude sprang into action, yanking the slide door open with the tell-tale swoosh as Elena closed in on them. The flight's interior was instantly enveloped by freezing air and the deafening roar of the rotary blades. With another pair of gunshot blasts, the glass beside Reno's head shattered, and he ducked in just enough time to catch a glimpse of Tseng stumble and fall, grasping his shoulder.
"Reno, get out of here now!" Elena screamed frantically as she tossed the package into the hold. "Hurry!"
"Elena…!" Tseng's pained cry resounded disturbingly over the radio.
"Go!" she bellowed once more, the words barely audible in the howling storm. "Get out!"
Reno hesitated for a brief second at the command. He did not want to abandon his colleagues, but they had been given specific orders: retrieve the object at any cost. Completing the mission without question was the duty of a Turk and, as he heard the door of the craft slam shut, he understood that Rude shared his opinion. In response, Reno heaved the control stick towards himself as hard as he could, feeling more bullets strike the armoured shell of the craft. With a groan of metal, the helicopter began to rise, its wheels departing the hard earth reluctantly.
"Tseng!" Elena's anxious voice crackled in his ear, followed by a series of erratic shots as she returned fire with her pistol.
As they ascended, Reno could make out their leader strewn awkwardly against a nearby boulder, a smear of blood and matted hair across his forehead. Elena rushed to his aid, kneeling by wounded shoulder, hastily removing her tight suit jacket to use as a makeshift bandage. Reno struggled to keep the vehicle steady, the faltering air pressure trying to prise the helicopter from him. Through the churning haze, he fleetingly saw the faint outline of a trio of silver-haired figures step out of the shadows of the cavern's entrance, then everything was shrouded by a wall of fog.
"Damn it!" cursed Reno, punching the dashboard in anger. His heart was racing, his hands shaking, and all the while Tseng and Elena's fearful gasps resonated in his ear. However, it was only when another voice filtered through the headpiece that the seriousness of the situation took hold.
"You are going to give her back eventually." came the unsettling sneer of a young man. "Don't think you can keep her from us for long…"
The static disappeared as he trailed off, the transmission cut indefinitely, rendering everything silent. Lifting the craft continuously skyward and to safety above the Great Northern Crater, Reno replayed the haunting vision of the three figures in his mind. He jumped as the door to the cockpit opened beside him, turning to see a grim expression on his partner's goateed face. Even behind his dark sunglasses, he knew that Rude's eyes bore concern, and Reno could not help but gulp and ask the question they had both considered.
"Who the hell was that…?"
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