Disclaimer: I do not earn any revenue from writing this story. All credit goes to the creators of FF7 and Avatar The Last Airbender.
Recap: "Well, I do believe we just found ourselves the target."
.oOo.
As Katara was finishing up healing a boy's broken arm she felt eyes on her, but it wasn't from the few people around. She glanced around, her eyes slowly passing over a shadow beyond the archway; sensing someone was there.
She smiled at the boy when he thanked her before running off. She stood deciding to go visit Aerith to try and get away from the feeling of being watched.
It became painfully clear to her that she didn't remember how to get back to the church when she turned into an alleyway and didn't remember ever seeing it before. Deciding to retrace her steps she turned around walking straight into someone, knocking them to the ground.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" the waterbender gasped as she turned to help the person she had bumped into. The blond-haired girl accepted the offered hand and gasped in surprise at the speed she was pulled to her feet.
"Are you ok?" Katara asked her.
"Yeah. Just a bit shaken up." She smiled, "I'm Elena."
"Katara." The waterbender smiled.
.oOo.
Man, this was going to be easier than he thought. She immediately got lost right after leaving the hospital. "What a piece of cake." he muttered before picking up his phone.
"Yo, we found the target. Send in backup unless you want us flattened. She looks just like you know who's twin." The muffled voice of Tseng came over the speaker and the read head gave a quick rodger before hanging up.
The girl continued to walk down streets and alleyways to who knows where and didn't seem to be doing anything other than looking around occasionally.
"Tseng said you needed backup, Sir?" a blond girl fell into step with her seniors.
Reno smirked as he took off his wig and tossed it to Elena, "So this is what he calls backup."
She lifted an eyebrow but said nothing. Reno chuckled, "Listen kid, what we're dealing with today is very dangerous so stay out of the way. Now with that covered here's the plan. You're gonna be bait and me an' Rude is going to capture her."
"What? Why do I have to be bait for that monster? And how am I going to stay out of the way if you're putting me right beside it?! S-Sir."
"Because you're sweet and innocent and she'll warm up to you. Hopefully, let her guard down in the process."
Elena nodded, "I'll head her off at the next alleyway." And disappeared off to the right.
A few minutes later the two Turks watched as Elena collided with the girl and fell to the ground. Luckily, she didn't catch on to the acting and helped Elena to her feet, repeatedly apologizing in the process.
This was it. Now or never.
The two Turks crept forward making sure to mask their footsteps while Elena made sure the girl's back was always facing them.
Reno got his baton ready and started to charge it.
But Katara knew that feeling. The feeling of static right before the lightning strikes. She shoved Elena back behind her as she turned around to face the threat.
Drawing out her water she landed a water whip hit on both of her impending attackers, sending them back several yards. They easily twisted in the air and landed on their feet.
One looked at her with a rueful smirk playing on his lips, "Well, there went our element of surprise."
She immediately recognized the redhead and her eyes widened as a stone formed in her stomach. Zuko was right.
"Elena, get out of here!' she called back as she shifted a foot back getting ready to fight. A faint click came in answer.
Katara looked back to see the blonde pointing a small metal object at her. She looked at her in confusion before her attention was suddenly brought back to the two others.
Barely reacting in time to block a blow from the giant she saw Reno come in at her side and she threw a water blade at him. He barely dodged it cursing as it sliced through strands of his hair.
Allowing Rude to attack her again he hid behind his attack being able to take advantage of her split attention. He shifted in her range just enough to thrust his baton in the stream of water and let the charge of electricity flow out from the materia.
Katara's eyes widened as the current jolted through her. She screamed, and the water fell from her hands as she collapsed to the ground. She struggled, tried to stand but Reno quickly strode to her and dealt a swift blow to the back of her head.
A Shinra van soon backed into the alleyway and they loaded Katara's unconscious body into the back before hurriedly driving off.
Hojo must want his specimen. Reno thought ruefully as he turned away from the retreating vehicle.
"This doesn't feel right." He stopped in his tracks at the young Turk's words.
He turned back to the blond as she continued talking. "She… seemed normal. Like us."
He laughed, "Kid, we're not normal and neither is she, and for that, we have a permanent target on our backs. So, we either follow orders or we face the world alone."
He clapped his hands, "Whelp. I think it's about time for lunch. Whadd'ya say Rude; Elena?"
"Sorry. Already got plans, Sir." Elena answered right before his phone rang.
Reno picked up and seconds later he glared at the ground exasperated, "What do you mean there's another one?"
After a moment of silence, the redhaired Turk sank back against a wall, "Well what do you expect us to do about it? That girl nearly sliced my head off with her weird water materia and she was just a fourth!? There's no telling what another one can do."
Reno sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say boss." He hung up and turned to his colleagues, "You can go on Elena but looks like we have more work to do, Rude."
Elena saluted and walked away to her lunch plans as Reno ran a hand down his face instead of returning her salute.
"Bad news?" Rude asked after Elena left.
"There's another one running around and Hojo is demanding that we find it."
Rude grunted his displeasure and Reno continued, "Teng wants us to scout things out before trying to capture it."
With a nod, Rude followed the read-head down the alley, "Well, we might as well get started. There's no time like the present."
.oOo.
Zuko returned to their base and immediately noted that Katara wasn't there. He sighed and asked one of the people if they saw her and if they did, where she went. The third person he asked told him she went in the direction of the old church.
Off to see Aerith I see, he thought before starting down the alley that led to the church. He was halfway there when he heard a psst from behind him. He turned and saw a boy about ten years old motioning him to come closer.
"You… you're the healer's friend aren't you?" he shakily said once Zuko had gotten close enough.
He nodded, "Yes. Do you know where she is?"
The kid looked down then back up at Zuko whispering, "The men in black took her away."
The firelord's eyes widened in shock, and he demanded, "Show me."
The boy nodded and took his hand leading him down several alleyways until he came to one and stopped.
Zuko left the boy and scouted around the alleyway immediately spotting a large puddle of water off to one side. He looked around for its source and his heart sank when he found none. A waterbender was here, and she wasn't happy. Katara would never leave her water strewn about.
He looked around some more and found another small puddle farther away from the bigger one. He stooped down next to it and found several strands of severed, scarlet hair.
"Reno." he growled. Getting up he turned to the boy to thank him, but he was gone.
The firelord looked back to the hair left on the ground and clenched his fists. Why couldn't she have stayed put?
He scoured the alley again seeing tire tread marks in the mud that led away from the scene. Trusting his gut, he began to follow the trail, running through alleys and down streets until finally he couldn't discern from the other wagon like tanks.
He began to lose hope when he saw a familiar red head walking through the crowd. There was another larger man with him but Zuko could care less. Narrowing his eyes, he began walking in the Turks' direction.
"Reno!" he shouted when he got within hearing distance. The crowd around seemed to automatically dispersed when the Turk looked the firelord's way.
"Hey, Zuko!" Reno began to walk over, a cocky grin playing at his lips, "Come to take me up on that job offer?" his grin faded when he saw the accusation in Zuko's stare, "Or is that a no?"
The firebender stepped forward and glared at the scarlet haired Turk, "Where is she."
Reno's face went dark for a mere second before he smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets, "And who would this be? Girlfriend ditch ya?"
Narrowing his eyes at the Turk Zuko noted how his left hand was slowly inching towards something behind his back. "Her name is Katara."
"Is that so?" the redhead let go of his facade, his gaze turning cold, "And how would you know this girl?"
"That is none of your business." Zuko said slowly and watched as a deadly smirk crept onto Reno's face.
The Turk closed his eyes, "I don't think you realize how much it is my business." He tilted his head looking at Zuko again, "Hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend isn't who she says she is."
The fire lord took a step back and reached up to grasp the handle of his dual swords, "Where is she?"
Reno sighed, "I'm afraid if you continue like this you'll have to come with us." The glint in his eyes suggested far more than his words but Zuko remained stubborn and defiant, "I'd like to see you try."
.oOo.
"Shouldn't we intervene? He doesn't have any materia."
"No, wait. I want to see where this goes." The blond man held out a hand to stop his raven-haired friend.
The huge armored man beside them huffed, "Well, he's got guts I'll give him that!"
They all watched as the man dressed in red fought off two Turks with only his dual blades. Then by some twist of fate Reno landed a blow with his lightening attack.
Stunned the man fell to the ground dropping his weapons in the process where the Turks kicked them out of reach. He lunged forward to give the finishing blow when the man suddenly shot up to his feet and blasted him with fire and Reno barely had time to dodge out of the way.
"Shoot!" the Turk cursed as he patted his coat which was currently on fire. He turned back to Zuko and saw him shoot off another stream of fire at Rude. "Where the heck did he get a flame thrower!?" in that moment he regretted drawing attention to himself. The firelord turned his way and began swirling his arms around. Reno could do nothing as he watched sparks start to fly from Zuko's fingertips; lightning began to form with every motion.
He opened his mouth wide as he realized that it wasn't materia he was using, "Shit, don't tell me he's the other one!"
With one last turn Zuko pointed his fingers at the red Turk and electricity flew from his fingers toward its target. Reno threw up a protective shield just in time, only to have it shatter in his face. He flew backwards into the side of a building and fell to his knees.
Seconds later he heard the familiar pop of a pistol before Cissni's shadow came over his slumped form. She fired two more times before Rude ran over and wrapped Reno's arm around his neck. Cissni took up his other side and together, began retreating from the fight and from Zuko's slumped form.
.oOo.
"I'm ready. ...aaany moment now... Come on! Bring it you stupid spirit!"
"Toph will yah please quit yelling at nothing?" Sokka droned from his position bending over one of the giant roots, his eyes fixed to a map. "You've been doing it since Aang got back... yesterday." He glanced at where the Avatar was meditating on a nearby rock then returned to his planning.
She narrowed her unseeing eyes as she widened her fighting stance, "Do you really think I care?"
"... at this point, no. But we need to form a plan before we do anything. Believe me, I'd be standing with you but there's no telling when that thing will come back. We need to be prepared. From what the spirit has told us so far about the world they went to, it's very different from this one, and different is dangerous."
"Plan shmam. I'm going to wait right here until that spirit dares to show it's face again." A spark of a white light began glowing in front of the earthbender. "And when it does, I'm gonna knock it's block off!"
"Uh Toph." Sokka said as the light grew brighter and brighter. "You might want to move."
She huffed, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Aang opened his eyes from his meditation to see the spirit come out of the portal. "Toph move!" but she was immediately enveloped in a white ball of light.