Here it is guys...another action packed chapter. And I mean it quite literally; there's a lot of action in this one. I just read over it again and remembered what a good chapter this was. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: None of the epicness of FFVII belongs to me.

Chapter 7: It Begins

The moment Cloud shouted "three", Cid pushed up the huge garage door and rolled out of the way in case any gun shots were fired from the inside. There were no gunshots.

Vincent had his gun leveled so that he could fire it the moment he saw something move in there. Nothing was moving.

Tifa took in a breath, confused but not letting her defense down. Okay, so nothing was attacking them yet. But surely they knew Tifa had shown up with her friends. An overwhelming silence surrounded them, the wind blowing in a way that it would pick up any noises that came from nearby areas.

Just like there were no gunshots or movement, there was no noise.

"Slowly," Cloud whispered cautiously, sword raised as he took a few steps toward the building. He silently slipped inside and saw the entire warehouse in one glance. Even in the rafters above them, there was nothing there. "Clear," he called to the others, allowing his sword to fall to his side. "This place is empty."

Tifa came up by his side and stood beside him. "Except for that," she said, pointing to the very center of the building. A TV and VCR system. Without thought or hesitation, she approached it. Clearly there was no threat here; they were summoned to this place to see the contents of the tape.

And surprisingly, nobody made a move to stop Tifa. They either recognized what she did, that there was no threat, or they realized she could defend herself if something did pop out and they'd be there to back her up. However, neither of those were Cloud's thoughts. He was still greatly concerned, and though his sword was at his side, he was ready to attack anything that startled him.

Tifa pushed in the tape and turned on the TV, an image appearing just milliseconds later. A man appeared on screen, but he appeared differently than he had when Tifa had last seen him. There was no mask this time. She gritted her teeth and took a few steps away from the screen, her friends filling in around her to watch the movie as well.

"Hello, all," Kadaj said, smiling faintly. "Yes, it's me. But I'm sure you figured that out before you came to this warehouse. And if not, you guys are much slower than I thought and you should be ashamed of yourselves for your stupidity."

Cid started swearing, but he was quickly shushed by all his friends as the video continued.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering why we summoned you to this place. Allow me to explain myself in ways that ever Barret can understand." Now it was Barret's turn to curse, and curse he did. But after a few moments, Kadaj continued and he stopped so they could hear him clearly.

"We're all going to play a game. As the game goes on, the rules will change slightly. But one rule will always remain the same: My words are law. Disobey and my brothers and I will cause all sorts of trouble throughout the city."

Great, Tifa though. But what about Marlene? You don't need her to get us to stop you from destroying lives again...

"You need not worry about the girl," Kadaj said on the television screen. "I have no intention of hurting her unless you disobey the rules of the game or do not fulfill your part of this." The madman chuckled. "I hope you all understand."

Cloud nodded wordlessly, not pleased with the circumstances at all. Alright, so Marlene wasn't going to be hurt without cause. And he would be one of the first to step up for her defense in this...game.

"Now..." Kadaj started before pausing completely. "Loz, come. It is your turn."

Kadaj applauded for his brother as he came on screen, making Yuffie tisk in disgust. It seemed as if everyone in that room wanted to smash the television at that moment, but they knew that wasn't an option.

"Alright, here's how it works," the man explained with a smirk. "We're going to give you a riddle or a set of instructions. Fail to solve the riddle or follow the instructions and I can guarantee something terrible will happen. Here's the first riddle:

"What's black and white and read all over?"

There was a moment of silence, both on the video and in the room. But Loz ruined that and suddenly walked off, Kadaj reappearing on the screen. "You have one hour to solve the riddle and get to the destination we're referring to. Any questions boys and girls?" Cloud growled softly, Tifa the only one to notice that. She didn't make any signs to show that she heard that.

"Good. Oh, and this video will self destruct in Five...four...three..."

While the countdown was going on, everyone was sprinting to the exit. However, Tifa and Cloud were the ones in the very back. In fact, everyone running forward at the same time had pushed them towards the rear.

We're not going to make it out! Tifa thought desperately, hearing Kadaj say the number two. And if she knew anything about Kadaj and his brothers, it was this: they liked big explosions.

"One."

Tifa braced herself for an explosion, but instead of feeling the impact or hearing a large boom, she felt herself being pulled behind one of the support beams near the door. And Cloud was holding her tight against it, her heart nearly bursting at the fact that he was protecting her. Tifa's eyes widened at the fact, but they didn't stay opened fully for long. Thinking better of herself, she tightly closed them and allowed her forehead to rest against Cloud's chest, which was already right in front of her. Somehow, this reminded her of a time a while ago...

Wait, where's the boom?

A chuckling came from the other side of the room, echoing throughout the large warehouse. Tifa wanted to see who it was, but really, she didn't need to. She recognized that laugh. Kadaj.

Cloud finally released her and stepped to the side, glaring at the television from afar. Tifa, blushing furiously, joined him and the rest of the crew trickled back into the building.

"I was just kidding," Kadaj informed them, a smile so wide still on his face. Tifa would have smacked that smile right off his face if he was there for real. But he wasn't, so she couldn't. "Really, you guys believe that stuff actually exists? That's only in movies!" He laughed again, infuriating all the AVALANCHE members.

"But seriously, now this is going to self destruct. There's a bomb behind the television set. And since you're all probably by the door this time, you have three seconds. Three..."

"He's serious this time," Nanaki said. "I can smell the fumes of a bomb now."

"Everybody out!" Barret cried, the big burly man making it out the door first. The others quickly followed him out, not questioning Nanaki or disobeying Barret's cry. The threat was real enough; and so they would treat it as being real.

Cid and Reeve closed the door just as Kadaj was saying the number one. Then they all moved as far away as they could in one second and waited.

Kaboom!

The entire building erupted in a ball of fire, forcing them to take a few steps. Tifa gasped in shock and instinctively took a few steps back. Right into Cloud. She felt his hand on her shoulder for support (she wasn't sure if it was for physical or emotional support), but she felt some gentleness behind it. She allowed his hand to remain there.

After a few moments, Tifa heard noise over the roaring fire. It was Reeve, telling them all something about a team coming to put out the fire. However, she was in too much of a daze to respond. Only Cloud lightly shaking her brought her back.

"The riddle," she said without thought. She had completely forgotten.

"We have fifty-five minutes," Cid informed them after checking the time on his phone. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I got the answer to this thing."

Nanaki nodded. "This riddle is very old, and I've heard it many times. The answer is--"

"A newspaper!" Yuffie said excitedly, not meaning to interrupt Nanaki. She had just gotten so excited. Normally, she felt as if she were a burden to the team. Sometimes, she wasn't completely sure she had their trust. But now, now that she had contributed something, she felt as if she weren't such a handful. However, Vincent's almost silent sigh brought back a feeling of hurt.

"Okay, so what does it mean?" Cloud wondered aloud.

"He said to figure out what it means the go where it implies," said Vincent. "Perhaps it is referring to a media building..."

"The Midgar Times," Tifa interrupted, the idea striking her right between the eyes. "It's the largest newspaper publishing building in this area. He wouldn't send us to Gongaga or something when we only have an hour."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Cid, take a group in the airship. Tifa and I will go on Fenrir; we can probably get there quicker, since you'll need a place to land."

"Got it. Everybody on!" he shouted, running towards the ship, which was parked thirty feet away in an open field. As everyone followed him, Yuffie tailed behind, giving Tifa a concerned look. Did she really want to go with Cloud or did she want Yuffie to take her place? But no, Tifa's soft nod told her that things were alright. The ninja gave her a small smile before sprinting to catch up to the others.

Though he noticed the small interaction between Yuffie and Tifa, Cloud didn't have time to ask questions. He released Tifa's shoulder and lightly grabbed her arm, starting off slow then hurrying them both over to Fenrir. The swordsman was extremely relieved when she got herself onto the bike, finally coming out of her foggy state of mind. The sadness he felt for her was so great; she didn't deserve to go through this, and she certainly didn't deserve to be near the center of it all. It was then and there that Cloud made a vow: he was going to make this all go away as quickly as possible then patch up the broken relationship between himself and Tifa.

They sped off toward the city.

"This is it!" Tifa shouted over the roar of Fenrir. Cloud slowed down the bike right in front of a huge skyscraper. Both of them hurried off the bike.

The building was an unfamiliar one to Tifa; she had only been there one time, and that was to see if she could get an ad in the paper. After hearing the price, she had simply walked away from it and never returned to this place. But she remembered enough to know where the main office was.

Something was going to happen here unless they stopped it. Somehow, Tifa just knew that this wasn't going to lead them to another place. If they failed here, a lot of people would be affected by it.

"We don't have time to wait," Cloud said anxiously, looking around for Cid's huge ship. "We have to find the editor in chief and tell him that this building isn't safe." Tifa nodded; apparently Cloud was thinking along the same lines she was. Without a word, she ran into the building. Cloud followed close behind, though she hardly noticed this.

The elevator or stairs? No; the elevator will take too long. There can't be that many stairs...she thought.

"Divide and conquer?" Cloud asked as they ran toward the stairs.

Tifa shook her head. "No, we need to stick together. Once we get to the boss it'll take some convincing to get him to evacuate the building."

"You know this guy?" Cloud inquired, surprised that she could make an assumption that easily.

"Met him once," she said simply as she ran up the third flight of stairs. "He came off as a pretty stubborn guy."

The blonde man nodded, lagging a little bit behind Tifa. He may have been stronger physically, but Tifa was much more nimble and quick. Ah, well, that was a bit off subject. He needed to focus on what to do next; this place was probably on a time bomb or something like that. And it was up to them to stop it, considering the others hadn't landed or tried to contact them. Or both.

"He's on the eleventh floor," Tifa was saying. Cloud grunted his answer as they came up on floor number six. Over half way there...

"How much time do we have?"

Tifa shook her head, a motion Cloud barely saw as she rounded a corner. "I don't know...I'm guessing fifteen minutes. Just run."

The next floors flew by. Or rather, it felt as if they flew over the stairs. Cloud was actually surprised at how Tifa hadn't lost any of her speed over the years. Or her logic. He had always been told that he was a natural born leader because of his ability to use logic in tense situations. But really, Tifa was just a good a leader as he was; they both were wired that way.

Tifa crashed through one of the doors, straightening her hair before walking quickly through an office area. Cloud, now a few seconds behind her, was just finishing up the last set of stairs as she entered the office area. "Derek," she said, standing in front of a man sitting at his desk.

"Tifa!" the man said, rising to his feet in surprise. "Well, I'm surprised to see you again. I didn't think you would return after our last encounter," he chuckled. "So tell me, have you considered my offer?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Just as he was saying that last question, Cloud entered the room and stood behind Tifa. She was surprised when she felt him press up against her back, almost as if he were trying to get past her. And for some reason...he just seemed angry. He wasn't gentle like he had been earlier. But then again, who was she to judge?

Instead of answering any of the questions in her head, she scoffed. "Not now, Derek. This building is going to be the center of an attack."

That made Derek somber. "Oh? What kind of an attack?"

Cloud shook his head. "We don't know."

"But you have to evacuate the building."

The editor laughed again. "Come now; this building has great security. We're not in danger."

Tifa took in a breath. "What if it's a bomb?"

Derek, the king of mood swings, frowned. "Evacuating will slow production; it'll cost me quite a bit of money."

"If you don't, it'll cost you lives!" she cried. "Their blood will be on your hands." Cloud remained silent behind her.

"...alright, I'll do it. On one condition..."

"What is it?"

"If you're wrong, we go out on a date," he said with a smirk.

Tifa gritted her teeth, clenching her hand into a light fist. "Fine," she said, exasperated. Cloud started to protest behind her, but she elbowed him to silence him. "Just make the call."

Derek nodded, punched in a few numbers on his desk phone, then spoke into his headpiece. "Attention all personnel; I am ordering an evacuation that must be complete in--"

"Less than ten minutes."

"—five minutes. Take only what is absolutely necessary and get as far away from the building as you can. Thank you." He hung up the phone. "Will that suffice?"

Tifa nodded. "You better get out of here."

"What about you? I can't have a date with a dead woman."

She sighed. "Just leave, Derek. I'm going to try and stop this thing from even hitting."

Derek was just about to complain again, but Cloud gave him a nasty glare that immediately silence him. He slipped past them through the door and exited the room. Just as he left, Tifa's phone rang. She opened it without hesitation.

"Tifa," Cid said, speaking loudly over the sounds of the airship. "I can't land anywhere near here, but I have a device that's scanning the whole building for radio-active material. It looks like something's up on the tenth floor."

"Tenth floor, got it," she hung up the phone. Cloud was already running toward the stairs. At least he didn't say the first floor, she thought in relief. Then we would be in big trouble.

"I see something!" Cloud exclaimed, running through the door onto the tenth floor. Tifa was right behind him, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Before she could question his judgment, he was going across the room and kneeling in the nearest corner. He moved aside some cabinets, and sure enough, there was the bomb. Tifa held her breath and stood in the door, stunned. This threat was all too real.

"Tifa?"

"Mm?" she mumbled, snapping of her thoughts and coming over to join Cloud. The both sat there for a few moments until she found the words she was searching for. "I don't know how to disarm a bomb."

"Neither do I," he confessed. "...Just...cut a wire or something?" She shrugged. "Right," he mumbled, turning back to the bomb. This wasn't just some game; there were lives at stake, including their own.

Tifa suddenly pulled out her phone. "Five minutes."

Cloud stiffened. "Call Cid; he may know what to do." Tifa nodded and dialed the number. Cid answered the first ring and she started to explain the situation. Cloud noticed that her voice was shaking, as was her hand. She was so scared at that moment. That, or she was nervous. Perhaps it was a combination of the two."

"Cut the purple wire," she said to Cloud. He nodded and pulled out a pocket knife. It was a bit bizarre, carrying around something so small when his sword was so humongous. Oh well, it didn't matter. He cut the wire. The bomb began to crackle. Feeling as if this were a bad sign, he backed away.

"Now the yellow. Then black."

Cloud controlled his nerves and leaned forward, cutting both of the wires in the specified order. The bomb fell silent, and then all the lights on it went out. He heaved a sigh of relief, as did Tifa. It was over.

For now. Tifa was sure that Kadaj and his gang would cause more mayhem in the near future.