The girl was laid down on the backseat of the car, crying. She had been captured by two strangers and she was very afraid of what could happen to her. She was feeling sad, frightened and many thoughts crossed her mind. "I don´t know who they are, I don´t know why they want me so much... the man put a gun against my head and threatened to pull the trigger... I really believed it would be the end... Are they rascals from Shinra or not?... Oh, what have I done to deserve such fate?"
She had nothing to do, but to wait. The backseat of the car was modified in a way that she couldn´t see where she was being taken to. She knew it was a security measure, but even so, that only contributed to her fear. She somewhat hoped the guys were really from Shinra Electric Company, as she was used to deal with their harassment, but then not, as the only man she really hated was from Shinra. Besides, the Shinra operatives who had tried to convince her to join the company in the past never used the violent antics this pair had just used with her. She had no idea of what would happen to her. She really feared for her life.
On the front seats, there was a collective sense of relief. Both men were relatively new in the company: the dark-haired man had been admitted eight months before; the blond man was hired just two months before. Though they had taken part in other missions, none of them were considered of critical importance by the boss. Besides, they were always part of a group with more experienced agents. Both knew failure would mean unemployment again. The dark-haired man, who was driving the car, was smiling broadly.
"Whew! We have made it! I feared we'd not be able to bring her alive. I swear you I almost pulled the trigger on her head. I was very anxious."
"You are crazy! If you had blown her brains out, what would we say to the boss? He told us to bring her no matter what, but that surely didn't mean dead." The blond man was not happy. He was touching his swollen lips carefully, trying to measure the extent of the injures caused by the girl's kick in his face.
"I'd rather save my life than to please the boss."
"Eh? What would you claim them? She had hit me with her bucket, so I had to finish her off? Get real! If you killed her, they'd come after us and kill us before asking any question. You can be sure of that."
"Well, she is here, isn't she? Now we can take her to the boss and receive the compliments."
"I'm not so sure about that. If she opens her mouth, we're screwed..." The blond man examined the surroundings. "Hey, turn left, please."
"Left?" The dark-haired man is surprised. "What for? Do you want to attract the attention of the cops?"
"We must retrieve her things."
"What for? Forget about it, the boss can buy her a million new buckets."
"It is not about that, your fool. We must erase the hints that may indicate she was kidnapped. It is to look as if she had come with us by her own will."
"I'm the leader of the mission. I'm not liking the way you are talking to me. It is me who give orders here." The dark-haired raised his tone.
"That's okay, boss!" The blond man crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "If I had let you use your approach, now she'd either be dead or she'd be back at work and you'd be with a black eye."
"It is extremely dangerous. The passersby surely have seen us taking her by force. There will certainly be cops over there."
"Why don´t you just turn left so we can see it by ourselves?"
"Alright!" The dark-haired man's tone showed he was less than happy to comply with his partner demands. The sudden turn of the wheel caused the tires to screech.
"Good! Now you want to attract all the attention to us!" The blond man was being sarcastic. "Satisfied? No cops. Now, park the car so I can get her things."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
The dark-haired man slammed the brakes, making the tires screech again. He was nervous, anxious. The blond man cursed, but he didn´t lose time: he immediately unfastened the seatbelt, opened the door and got out of the car. The street was emptier than before. The blond man went straight to the corner of the street where the flower girl was when they captured her, picked up her flower bucket and her other belongings in a hurry, opened the car trunk, threw them inside, closed it again and returned to the car. His actions were awkward, but the passersby didn't care too much about the man's behavior. Luckily, for them, no one that has seen the kidnap of the flower girl was there to see him retrieve her things, for the witnesses of the kidnap didn't really care about the flower girl's fate; they just didn't want to get involved. No one bothered to call the cops.
"That is it, let's go." The blond man slammed the door.
"Is the magic bucket safe? Are you happy now?" The dark-haired man was still irritated.
"Let's move on." The blond man tried to ignore his partner's sarcasm.
"We have already lost too much time. It is time to take the girl to the boss and forget about this day."
"Right..." The blond man's countenance betrayed that he was uncomfortable. "Don't you really know what the boss wants with the girl?"
"I don't know. That crook was all too secretive about his plans. He just mentioned that it was something really important, so important that he couldn't tell us the details. He feared the details could fall in wrong ears."
"What did he tell you exactly? Which were the orders?"
"He just told me that there was a girl named Aerith, who almost always wore pink dresses and sold flowers on Midgar streets. He told me that we had to find a way to take her to him, no matter what, for he needed to have an important conversation with her. And he told me that no one could suspect of anything, though he advised me that she most probably would not come with us by her own will."
"So then did you set this perfect plan? Wow, I´m impressed..."
"Come on, stop being a jerk. We are together in this mission. It won't help if you keep complaining."
"Alright, but take it easy, man! You almost ruined the mission. You almost killed the girl with no reason. She was not dangerous, you didn't need to do that."
"Why do you keep trying to protect her? Did the taste of her boots make you fall in love with her?"
"Oh, shut up!" The blond man tried to dismiss the idea as ridiculous, but, though he was not in love with the girl, there was something in her that made him sympathize with her, so he couldn't hide his uneasiness.
"You are mad, completely mad." The dark-haired man shook his head.
The two men stayed in silence. Meanwhile, the girl was surprised to feel that the car had stopped less than two minutes after starting up. After a minute or so, she heard strange noises in the back of the car and wondered what could have happened. She feared that the guys were up to harming her or someone else, but she heard a door being slammed and soon the car started moving again. She sighed in relief, as, for the moment, she was safe. But she was still very afraid, for she was being held captive by unknown men.
As the car traveled through the city, the girl stayed wondering what would happen to her. She started considering the options, trying to figure out the situation. Deep inside, she knew she would not come to a definitive conclusion, but at least it helped her in reducing her anxiety.
"Oh, my... what could it be? A common kidnap, maybe? I don´t think it would make any sense... What have a poor girl like me, living in the slums, begging some money everyday on the streets, to offer to my kidnappers? Only if it was a mistake... Well, I can only think in one thing... maybe they just wanted to abduct any girl for... Oh, I don't want to consider this possibility...I think I'd rather be murdered than that... Anyway, it makes no sense as well... the guy knew my name... he talked about a boss. So it is clear they did not kidnap me for money... if they abducted me for that filthy reason, then I can consider myself a goner... the boss must be a psycho. Why me? This is one of those times I wished I looked unattractive as my beauty never helped me in anything. I thing I've never sold a flower more because I'm pretty. No, all I got was some filthy offers from perverts... The only guy I loved abandoned me... Zack... oh, Zack... No, I'm sure it was not a random kidnap. There must be something related to my nature..."
As the time passed, the girl's mood became more and more subdued. For her, it was as if she was in the car for hours, but the car has not traveled for more than fifteen minutes. She tried to think of her situation to not let herself be overcome with feelings despair and sadness. She knew nothing she could think of would help her get out of that dangerous situation, but to keep sane was a something she really needed in order to face the dangers she'd soon have to endure.
"I can´t help but thinking it is Shinra doing. Those stickers in the car, the black suits... most probably the guys were Turks. But then, I´m so used to the harassment by Tseng and the others... they´ve never treated me with violence... I can't say Tseng is a friend as he usually says he is, but, at least, he always treated me with respect. I just hope it is nothing related to that damned doctor... Hojo!" Her eyes were on fire. "That man... it pains me so much to remember the experiments that monster made in me and my beloved mom... oh, mother... I can't believe that scoundrel murdered my mother! Now I'm alone... the last... Ancient... That man, I loathe him! I can´t stand the thought of that man putting his filthy hands on me again..."
The girl started sobbing. She tried very much to avoid feeling overemotional about the situation, but the flow of emotions the sad memories caused were to much for her to stand. She silently sobbed for some moments. "Why? Should I deserve to endure all that suffering... all that pain... all that humiliation... be the victim of abominable acts... just because... I was born the way I am? Just because... my mother... was from another race? This is unfair! How the world can be so unfair? Why don´t we just treat ourselves as if we were equals? We share the same pains and the same pleasures. We want more or less the same things: to be happy, to live a comfortable life with the ones we love. Why do people insist in harming the others? Why? Why? Isn't there an answer? Won't you tell me, please? Why do you always talk to me when I don't need you, planet?"
The girl kept sobbing silently for some minutes. The car kept rolling through the streets. The two men in the front seats were in silence. The dark-haired man was more calm now and driving carefully. They were still not in good terms after the last exchange of heated words, so none had the will to break the silence. The dark-haired man lit a cigarette and stayed humming a tune while the blond man drummed the inner door's handle and looked outside, paying attention to the buildings, the people passing by, the colored neon signs. Both men were feeling uneasy.
Tired of sobbing, the girl wiped out the tears from her face, drying her cheeks with her dress skirt. She tried to think in her possibilities again. "Could it be another group interested on my uncommon nature? Could it be someone who knows something else that I don't? That makes me feel even more scared... but maybe I could learn more about my heritage, about what I'm supposed to do, being an Ancient... On the other hand, they may have evil plans in their mind. But I think it can't be worse than Hojo... Well, if just Zack was here to protect me... but then, he left me anyway... Maybe he is just another rascal from Shinra now. I'm OK with the fact that he may have found some other girl... but would it hurt to write a letter telling me so? I could have moved on... maybe we'd still be friends... Oh, Zack... Zack... I was all yours... I've surrendered myself to you completely... and you ignored me... you just ignored me... you don't know how it hurts..." The girl's eyes became wet again. "Looks like my whole life is just an endless stream of sorrow, pain and suffering... I try to stay positive... to be strong... to be good. But the things always go wrong with me... I don't know what to do anymore... Sometimes I wish I were just a normal girl, so I'd not carry all the world upon my shoulders..."
The girl's lament was interrupted when she noticed the car had stopped and its engine was silenced. The girl was taken by an increasing anxiety. Her heart went racing madly. She knew that soon she would face her destiny and learn who were the guys who had kidnapped her. If knowing who kidnapped her would end that anxiety, the most likely options made the girl wish she would stay forever in that car, for at least she was safe while inside its boundaries. But her apparent safety was not meant to last for long.
The dark-haired man decided the silence went too far.
"Hey, let's stop this stupid bickering. We are already at our destination. Our mission is complete."
"Yeah..." The blond man was still trying to avoid his companion.
"Hey, let's stop that crap! What will you profit acting like a jerk? Grow up! We have more important things to care for, like that damned..."
"Hey, wait! Look how you talk of her!" The blond man was irritated.
"What happened to you? Are you in love with the girl? Is it?" The dark-haired man accused his partner mockingly.
"That is not it!" The man hesitated. "Or maybe that is..." And added. "That is just that she doesn't deserve to be treated like that. Why would you call her that?"
"Because I'm not in love with her like you. For me, she is just a load."
"I'm not in love with her! Anyway, let's take her to the boss."
"Oh yeah, let's take her to the boss before you decide it is a good idea to set her free. Let me call the boss first, to make him ready to receive his load."
Both men left the car. The dark-haired man called his boss, using his cellphone. The blond man stayed walking in circles, anxious. He didn't want to admit if, but he had grown an unnatural sympathy for the kidnapped woman. He didn't know anything about her, but he would bet anything that she was not a bad person. Besides being pretty, she had an innocent air on her that puzzled him. Knowing a bit of his boss' personality, the blond man couldn't understand why the boss demanded to have that girl kidnapped. "Why would that young lady be of interest of the corporation? Isn't she just a flower seller? Why would the boss spend money, time, personnel just to bring her here? That just makes no sense, with this war going on... All this secrecy about the mission gets on my nerves. Sometimes I wish I could release her and tell the boss we had failed in our mission, but now we've already gone too far, there is no way to return..."
As the blond man noticed his companion had finished the phone call, he unlocked one of the back doors and opened it. The girl, who was lying on the backseat, was startled. She stared at the blond man with fear in her green eyes. The blond man tried to keep his serious countenance, but deep inside he was very moved by the sadness and despair in the girl' s face.
"Please, come out, slowly. Don't try to do anything smart, or you will end hurt."
The girl just nodded, betraying all her anxiety. She started getting out of the car and, trembling in anxiety, she hit her limbs and head several times on the car door and door frame. The blond man waited outside the car, without saying a word. The girl's fear had returned with full force.
Frightened, she examined the surroundings. They were inside a poorly-lit and small garage. The flickering fluorescent lamp barely emitted light enough to allow the girl to discern the objects in the room. Dripping air-conditioning pipes made the garage damp, with small puddles on the cemented floor and mold on the walls. The garage itself would be reason enough to make the girl feel more frightened, but she was used to ambients like that, as she lived in the slums. What made her frightened was who she would meet in that building. If she had to guess, she'd guess she would not meet the same old Turks, but more dangerous people, maybe a mad scientist.
"Let's hurry, the boss is waiting for us!" The dark-haired man shouted at his companion.
The blond man pretended he had not listened to his companion. He watched the girl step out of the car. She could barely keep her balance, as her legs were shaking. Her eyes betrayed so much fear that they made the blond man feel uneasy. "Look at the girl... she is so frightened. I just hope the boss doesn't have any cruelty in his mind. It is plain clear that she is innocent and harmless..."
"Please, come with us. We mean you no harm." The blond man's tone was reassuring.
The girl didn't say a word. She tried to walk, but she almost lost her balance. After taking a deep breath, she tried again, more carefully, and this time she managed to move some inches toward the man. The man motioned to her to walk around the car with his arms. The girl started walking around the car, slowly, leaning on the car to keep her balance. The Shinra stickers still puzzled her. She was inclined to believe they were from Shinra, but Shinra, in her mind, meant luxurious offices, not creepy garages, so her fear increased. Her greatest fear was that the creepy garage meant some hidden laboratory where she would be experimented on.
As the blond man slammed the car door, she almost fainted, losing her balance and almost falling on the floor. Her heart was racing madly and she let a muffled scream in terror. She paused for some moments to recover from the shock and resumed walking. The dark-haired man was standing by an old elevator´s door, with a displeased look in his face. He was clearly impatient. The girl walked towards him, closely followed by the blond man.
They entered the elevator and the dark-haired man pushed one of the buttons. The door closed and the elevator started working. All the three people inside it were speechless. From the corner of the eye, the girl noticed that the blond man´s lips were swollen from her kick. Seconds later, the door opened again. The group followed through the corridor, the dark-haired man leading, followed by the girl and the blond man. The group walked in silence though the dark carpeted corridor. At the end of the corridor, a faint light came from a room, whose door was partially open. There were other doors, but the corridor was so dark and the girl so anxious that she didn't even notice them. The dark-haired man advanced faster, to announce their presence to the boss, motioning the girl to wait. While the girl and the blond man waited, there was an embarrassing feeling between them.
"Sorry... for the kick..." The girl whispered, staring down.
"Uh... that's ok..." The blond man was surprised by the girl's apologies as he'd never expect something like that. After all, he was still her kidnapper.
The dark-haired man returned and motioned for the girl to enter the room. The girl hesitated, but somehow she felt less anxious than before. The door was fully opened for her to enter. She carefully stepped inside the room. The room was a very small room, with only one lamp on the ceiling, providing poor illumination. There were some shelves filled with papers by the walls, one large desk in the middle, cluttered with papers. In front of the desk there was only one chair vacant. Behind the desk, there was a man seated in a comfortable chair, with his back to her. The man was wearing a black suit, like the ones the men who kidnapped her were wearing, though his suit was made of much better materials. The man had long hair, tied in a ponytail. The girl immediately recognized him and became angry, but she waited for him to say something.
"Very well, you two are dismissed." The man behind the desk ordered the other two men, with his calm bass voice. "Leave me alone with her. And no peeking."
As the two men hesitantly left the room and closed the door. Meanwhile, the girl was furious. She had recognized the man, first because of his appearance, then because of his voice.
"Please, take a seat."
The girl seated on the chair, but she had something else in her mind. "I´ll strangle him! I can´t believe it was him who was behind all this pathetic kidnapping!
The man rotated in his chair and stopped facing the girl. He was wearing sunglasses. "Hello, Aerith".
"Tseng!"