Yes, this story is back! Hurray for me for finally getting this one moving again! I got stuck on one part then put all my effort (or rather most of it) towards One Winged l'Cie and finished that. So that's one distraction out of the way. After going back and reading some chapters, reviews, and my notes, I realised two things. One, Anyone who is still reading this is an amazing person and deserves some kind of reward I wish I could give them. And two, I completely forgot about Cait Sith :/ Oh well, Shinra already has a spy in the rebel group.
Anyways, on to the real attraction. Enjoy the new chapter!
The midday sun shone down on the city and its crowded streets, showing the world just how clean and tidy the raised city was. But it all was just an illusion. The filth of Midgar simply washed off the plate and pooled in the slums below whether it be dirt, junk, garbage, or criminals. It all wound up in the slums every time it rained in Midgar. In fact, a clear sunny day like this was a rarity in the floating city as the area was prone to overcast and stormy weather which some, very quiet, voices within Shinra speculated was due to the Mako reactors. A clear sunny day like this, made it so much easier to see the aftermath of Sector Seven, the aftermath of AVALANCHE's terrorist attack. Shinra's move to destroy AVALANCHE.
Tseng stood leaning on a railing of a partially wrecked catwalk that used to run between Sectors Six and Seven. The devastation wrought by the Sector's fall was difficult to comprehend unless you were directly where Tseng was standing. Somewhere far below in the rubble, Cissnei was retrieving some documents Tseng wanted recovered for personal reasons, he was certain of how Shinra would react if they knew what information the documents contained. Taking the last sip of his coffee, the dark haired Turk tossed the paper cup out into the air, letting it fall to the rubble of Sector Seven.
With the sun setting, the sky blazing a fiery orange, he began his trip home. It was only a few minutes walk from the Shinra building but about twenty minutes from that particular viewpoint of Sector Seven. The dark haired Turk stopped by a local grocer and the looks he got never stopped amusing him. The populace of Midgar found it outrageous that the members of the Turks had to purchase groceries like any regular person. He made sure to grab some "feminine products" as he said he would and briefly wondered if anyone would be brazen enough to ask him about the products. His response would be a quick glare to silence the one asking but so far not one person had asked and for that, he was glad.
Upon his return to his apartment, he detected the scent of coffee, placed the bag of groceries beside the doorway, and followed the scent to the sitting room which connected to the dining room and kitchen. He caught sight of the blond haired former Director of SOLDIER, which he had faked the death of after Rufus Shinra had ordered him to kill her and had been hiding her right under Shinra's nose, sitting with her back straight and knees together, the posture making it obvious she was in a large amount of fear. Then the hairs on his neck stood up as he sensed another presence. Quickly turning to face the additional person, his eyes came to rest on a pristine white suit with a floor length jacket and the neatly combed and styled blond hair which could only belong to President Shinra himself, who was currently sitting in Tseng's chair.
"Afternoon," Rufus said in a calm casual tone before lifting a mug to sip from it.
"Sir," Tseng reply flatly.
"Imagine my surprise when I came to see you and was greeted by a woman that was reported dead a few weeks ago," it was painfully obvious to Tseng that Rufus had not simply dropped by, since he was the President of Shinra after all.
"How did you find out?" Tseng asked.
"Like I said before, the Turks aren't the only spies Shinra has. Though I will admit, you had me convinced for a while," Rufus gently set the mug of coffee on the knee high table in the middle of the sitting room then stood up "I admire your skill and willingness to help those you work with Tseng," the blond reached into his coat and produced his short barreled shotgun, took aim and Director Trepe, and coated the living room wall behind her with red mist "But don't forget that Serah is only alive because she's useful to me. Same goes for you."
Rufus took his leave from Tseng's apartment in a brisk but relaxed manner. The Turk Director stood over the body of former Director Trepe and took numerous deep slow breaths, he had been under the impression that Rufus was also going to kill him. He stooped and grabbed what was left of Trepe's glasses, no lenses and shredded frames that barely held together, from the floor before leaving as well. He knew a cleaning crew would be along shortly to cover Rufus' tracks and that he had to get back to work to ensure his and Serah's continued usefulness.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Zack whispered harshly "PSICOM has no reason to be here!" he slammed his fist down on the ground of the knoll they were lying on and using as cover.
"This is the only way to Oerba?" Claire asked the two women that knew the area.
"Well you could go over the mountains but Mah'habara is faster and safer," Vanille stated with a smile.
"When PSICOM's not crawling all over it," Fang added. The venom in her tone mystified Claire, making her glance to the huntress. The venom in Fang's tone paired with the fire in her eyes made Claire realize there was a history between Fang and PSICOM, though it was not important to the pinkette right now.
"What do we do?" Claire asked, mostly to Zack.
"We could fight our way through or we could circle back to Palumpolum and try to get a message to Cid," he reply.
"Or we could go through the Taejin area and go to Bodhum," Sazh suggested.
"We're going through," Fang announced and grabbed her spear.
The group did their best to stealthily approach the PSICOM group but were foiled by one of the soldiers simply looking in their direction. He gave a shout and eight assault rifles were pointed in the direction of the group of six. Zack, Fang, and Claire, charged ahead of the other three closing the gap in a matter of seconds even as bullets flew past them. As Claire got within striking distance, her target soldier swiped at her with his combat knife but she dropped into a slide, right between his legs, quickly spun around delivering a hard kick into the back of his knee, and driving her sword into his neck. Another PSICOM trooper turned to engage Claire by spraying bullets in her direction forcing her to let go of her sword and sprint away from the immediate targeted area towards another soldier that she swiftly grabbed and used as a human shield. He shook as bullets poured into his torso and Claire was just able to see Fang twirl her spear and slam it into the side of the bullet spraying soldier's helmet, which in turn crumpled inwards and the soldier tumbled away several feet.
Taking the sidearm pistol from her human shield, Claire gunned down the remaining two soldiers then simply tossed the gun aside. She collected Blaze Edge, wiped the blade off on one of the corpses then holstered the gunblade. Sazh, Hope, and Vanille, rejoined them all looking just as nauseous as they did back at the PSICOM outpost, if not more.
"It's one thing to see a bunch of dead bodies, another to see it happen," Sazh commented "Doesn't it bother any of you how easy that is for you?"
"I wish there was a way around it," Zack said, his tone quiet and remorseful.
"It's us or them. What would you do?" Claire stated, turning to face the entrance to Mah'habara.
"What she said," Fang said in a casual tone.
"Fang! You're bleeding!" Vanille shouted. Claire looked over and saw there was in fact blood on Fang's exposed middle.
"What?" Fang looked down at herself then wiped at the blood revealing the lack of a wound "Not my blood," she laughed as she turned and started walking towards the tunnel. Claire just stared at the woman as she walked, the pattern of the blood had indicated Fang had most likely been shot yet there was no trace of a wound. Claire decided she was just over analyzing it.
The group of six did their best to stealthily make their way through the tunnels of Mah'habara but that plan failed the moment they rounded the first bend. The sound of gunfire and battle cries undoubtedly echoed down enough tunnels to alert several groups of PSICOM who would alert the entire PSICOM presence in Mah'habara. An unknown number of fights later, Hope suggested they take a map device off of a dead soldier and try to use the branch tunnels to get to the other side of the tunnel system. The group wordlessly agreed with that plan but quickly backtracked to commandeer a PSICOM jeep. Claire told the others she was driving.
"Wait a second, weren't they working on a rail system through the tunnels?" Sazh asked after a few minutes of driving.
"Yeah, it was supposed to connect Academia, Palumpolum, and the Paddra area." Hope answered "I guess they started working from the Academia side."
"Makes sense." Sazh reply "It is the closest city to the mountains."
"Paddra?" Claire asked.
"Big city that Oerba is kinda close to," Fang answered.
Claire followed the map, making sure to head in the direction of Paddra. The path eventually took them outside to a small, almost bowl shaped, valley in the mountain range. Down in the middle of the valley stood a very out of place building and none of the group saw any reason to go towards it. They rounded a corner of the trail running along a cliff face part way up the mountain and Claire slammed on the brakes just before they crashed into another jeep.
"Hey! Watch out!" Fang shouted at the other driver.
A young blond woman climbed out of the jeep and started marching over to the fugitive group. She had a similar outfit to Hope, Claire assumed it was a uniform of sorts.
"You watch out you inbred PSICOM bas- Hope?" Her tone and attitude flipped when she spotted the silver haired man. She sounded more than bewildered to see him.
"Alyssa?" Hope sounded just as confused "What are you doing out here?"
"Working on some of the University's research," Alyssa motioned towards the building "What are you doing out here? I thought you went home to visit your parents?" she looked over the group and continued with the questions "Who are they? Are those two soldiers? Why are you all in a PSICOM jeep? Where are you going?"
"Alyssa!" Hope shouted, he had been trying to get her attention the whole time she was asking questions "Look, it's a long story but we're heading out towards Paddra," He was close to saying Oerba but Vanille stealth-pinched him.
"Oh. Why?"
"We're going to her sister's wedding," Fang answered, indicating Claire.
"Why didn't you guys fly to Paddra? It would have been faster."
"Yeah but those two get airsick." Zack answered, motioning to Fang and Vanille. Fang glared at Zack but he just grinned back at her.
"Think you got time to stop for lunch?" The group of six all looked to each other, wordlessly deciding what to do, at Alyssa's question.
"I guess we can stop for a meal," Claire spoke for them. Her actual intention was to ditch the PSICOM jeep.
Alyssa lead them down the dirt road to the building and they both parked. The young blond woman lead the group of six through the building, which they found out was a Academia University research facility, to the kitchens. Claire couldn't help but notice that the facility was currently understaffed, Alyssa explained it was because of a combination of some students graduating, research projects concluding, and the summer holiday. After a very appreciated meal, Alyssa lead the group of six to the dorms, communal washrooms, and showed them the laundry room. A couple hours later, they, their clothing, and their equipment were clean. The group took their leave and once Alyssa was back inside, Claire hotwired the jeep Alyssa was using earlier and the group was on their way to Oerba once again. However, from inside the building, Alyssa watched them leave in a unversity owned jeep and made a call.
Deep inside the tunnels of Mah'habara, the group of six sat silently in the jeep as Claire drove. At an intersection, Claire checked the map they took off a PSICOM soldier earlier and turned left. The other five members of the group exchanged looks, as they had all seen the map and there was no reason to go left if they were heading for the Paddra area, for Oerba.
"Uh… Lightning-" Hope started to ask.
"I don't trust Alyssa." She stated simply, cutting off Hope.
"So we're going to Academia instead?" Zack asked.
"You always did have a firm grasp of the obvious, Zack." Claire reply. Once again the other five exchanged looks. They were unable to determine if that was a teasing joke or an actual insult.
Avalanche and NORA met up in Cosmo Canyon and were greeted with open arms by the locals, a pacifist people that despised Shinra just as much as the two groups. But the locals of Cosmo Canyon wouldn't be any less friendly to Shinra personnel as that would go against their beliefs. They were also lucky that the canyon they called home lacked the abundance of lifestream that would justify a Mako Reactor, so Shinra had no reason to pay the locals any mind.
Red Thirteen, whose real name was revealed to be Nanaki, introduced them to his grandpa, Bugenhagen, an odd but very wise old man. He told them all of the lifestream's importance, purpose, and what it was in essence. Being a Cetra, Aerith already knew all of what Bugenhagen had told them but didn't interrupt. They were also told of Nanaki's family and how he despised his father. Bugenhagen then lead the large group through what was called the Gi cave as it had been the route used by the Gi tribe to attack Cosmo Canyon. At the other end the fate of Nanki's heroic father was revealed, he had gone off by himself to keep the Gi tribe from overwhelming Cosmo Canyon and was petrified by their arrows. It was sad and profound story that struck deep within Serah and most of the others. Nanaki wished to spend a day telling his father a proper goodbye and no one objected, they all set up camp a fair distance away. From their camp they could see Nanaki laying on the ground beside his petrified father, the scene made some of the combined group shed tears.
The next day they set off for their next destination, the former town of Nibelheim. Everyone was expecting abandoned burnt ruins but in a complete contradiction to Cloud and Tifa's story, the town was there with no difference from before the incident. Every detail was still there, from the old creaky signs swaying in the light breeze coming down off the mountain to the carvings the local children put in the water tower.
"This is impossible." Cloud stated "I remember the heat of the fire, the smell of everything burning, and-"
"The screams…" Tifa finished for Cloud.
"Shinra did this!" Cloud shouted after a minute of silence "They rebuilt the town to cover up what Sephiroth did!"
No one made any comment. Cloud looked between everyone then stormed off towards the mountain path and Tifa went after him. The rest of Avalanche and NORA decided to look around the town as there was nothing better to do. There was one thing about Nibelheim that was deeply bothering Serah, other than the fact that it was supposed to be burned to the ground, it was dead silent. No people or even animals were making noise in the village. With some closer examination Serah discovered that most of the town was covered in a layer of dust, the places not directly exposed to potential rain had thicker layers of dust.
"What'cha doin'?" Serah jumped slightly when Yuffie spoke up from behind her. The Turk hadn't heard the ninja walk up behind her, even though her senses were trained to be extremely sharp.
"Just checking things out. Don't you find it weird that there's no one around?" Serah asked Yuffie.
"A little, yeah." Yuffie reply as she pushed past Serah and tried the doorknob of the house they were in front of.
Unsurprisingly, the house was locked. Serah watched Yuffie take a tool of sorts out of her pocket and swiftly pick the lock of the house. The two young, but highly trained and very dangerous, girls proceeded into the house and took a look around. All the furniture, on the first floor at least, was overturned or demolished as if the house had been ransacked or the site of a rough fight. The they heard it, a very soft noise, like someone was speaking from the floor above. Cautiously they went upstairs, where it was almost pitch black, and towards the sound which they confirmed to be someone speaking very softly.
"Ree… You… Yun…" They heard a child say. Serah and Yuffie cast each other confused looks "Ree… You… Yun…" The child repeated.
"Ree you yun?" Yuffie whispered.
"Reunion, maybe?" Serah whispered back.
Serah opened the door separating them from the child's voice and she felt her eyes widen and her breath hitch. The only thing in the room, the thing the voice belong to, was almost seven feet tall, was colored blue, black, and purple, and looked to be made of rock and bone. It kept repeating the three syllables not even noticing Serah staring in shock. Yuffie pushed Serah away and took a look for herself, her reaction was far less tame than Serah's.
"What in the fu-!" Yuffie shouted but was cut off by an ear piercing inhuman shriek from the thing in the room.
The thing turned as it screamed and it only further horrified the two girls. At the top of the torso was a ghostly white face of a child that looked like it was covering it's eyes with it's hands. Below the face was something that looked like an eye with fierce red shine. Serah and Yuffie turned and ran with the thing on their heels, it didn't move all that fast but it's long legs carried it far with each step. The two girls flew down the stairs, the thing tumbling down behind them, out of the house and Yuffie used her lockpick to lock the door, Serah didn't know why but assumed it was because Yuffie was starting to panic. It took a bit longer than unlocking the door but she succeeded and a moment later one of the thing's large stone hands partially splintered the door, Yuffie screamed and fell back.
All the others had gathered in the middle of the town when they heard the inhuman shriek from one of the houses, then ran over to the girls when Yuffie screamed. Lebreau, Barret, and Gadot took shots at the thing as it ripped through the wooden door but their bullets harmlessly impacted. It let out another ear piercing shriek stunning everyone. Once it stopped, Snow ran at it and punched the red eye as hard as he could, the thing stumbled back and Cloud went to stab the thing and the Buster Sword slid right through the eye. The thing, though, didn't look affected. It took a swing at Cloud and knocked the SOLDIER to the ground and started towards the others with the Buster Sword through it. Cloud rolled away from the thing and go to his feet. None of their attacks seemed to have any effect on the creature throwing haymaker punches at them but they didn't stop trying.
Shattering glass and splintering wood caught their attention. A quick look around and they all saw the same thing. Several more of the thing they were fighting were coming out of the other buildings in Nibelheim, some came out through second storey windows. They were cut off from the road out of Nibelheim, almost surrounded by the strange creatures, and hope of escape was starting to fade.
"The Shinra Mansion!" Tifa yelled pointing up the road towards the mountains.
Cloud swiftly retrieved his weapon and they all sprinted up the road leaving the creatures behind. Without looking back, Yuffie swiftly gained the lead and put her lockpick to use. Once inside the mansion, the group locked the door and grabbed whatever they could to barricade the door. Minutes passed at a crawl as the large group stood facing the barricaded door, breathing heavily, waiting for one of those things from the village to bust through. Aerith was the one to break the silence.
"What are those things?"
"Did Shinra make those?" Barret asked just after Aerith spoke.
"I don't-" Cloud started to say but was interrupted by Serah gasping and Nanaki spinning around and growling.
The group, except Serah, turned to see what caused Serah's and Nanaki's reaction and were more than surprised. A man with wild black hair, a red hair band that covered his forehead, a tattered red cape with a cowl that covered his upper torso and lower face leaving only his eyes to be seen, black clothes, a gold colored clawed gauntlet on his left arm, and red irises, had a large triple mechanism revolver trained on Serah's head.
"Why are you here?" The man asked, his voice was deep and raspy.
"Let her go!" Snow shouted. He wanted to punch the man but bullets were much faster than he was. The caped man just nudged Serah's head with his gun to show that he had the upper hand at the moment.
"We were running from those things in village!" Aerith called
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"We're gonna kick yer ass if you don't let her go!" Barret shouted. The man lowered his gun and holstered it.
"So you're not Shinra. That's good enough for me." The gunman started to walk up the stairs in the mansion's foyer.
"Who are you?" Yuffie called out to him. The red caped man stopped as if considering his answer carefully.
"A monster." He reply in an almost somber tone before continuing up the stairs "Feel free to wait out the night here. The creatures in the village will go back home in a few hours." He said from the top of the stairs then disappeared down the hall on the right.
Serah was more than baffled. The man had put tri-barreled gun to her head, asked them all silly questions then just up and left. He was either very stupid, which was obviously untrue, or incredibly smart and was able to analyze each and every one of the group in such a short time. Only a handful of people with a skill like that came to mind for Serah. Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, Claire as she learned it from Sephiroth, and Tseng. The caped man obviously wasn't a former SOLDIER member nor a part of any other Shinra faction, which made the pink haired Turk very, very curious about him. She wanted to know about the mysterious man but didn't want to be anywhere near him after he threatened to put bullets in her head unprovoked. Who knows what the man would do if provoked?
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