A/N: Just wanted to shout out to all the reviewers so far.

AnastasyaDav, TKB87, skogletto, JustAFemaleGeek, Cerberuswolf, cloudxGoku, Luceiss, alesana4ever, pf, and 3 guests.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to review. And thank you to those who didn't leave a review but read through all the posted chapters. I feel immense joy that anyone has spent their time reading what has taken me far longer to write than I anticipated (even so far!). Thank you :)

Please let me know if I've made any mistakes.

Chapter 9

Hurry Up and Wait

This wasn't the usual procedure. Not that Vincent had to do everything by the book. He never really operated that way, even as a Turk. But typically, after a mission brief—you move out and start the mission.

The SOLDIERs were surprised by the change in routine, as well. When asked to come back in a couple of hours, the two of them stood frozen behind the table and weren't sure they heard correctly. But the presence of Rufus ShinRa triggered that old 'yes, sir' within them, and they left the conference room without another word, resigning themselves to the hurry-up-and-wait phase of a military workday. Although Vincent caught the look of indignation cross Luxiere's face, Pete Samuels maintained his professionalism. Vincent liked the young man. His friendly personality would make him easy to work with during operations. Vincent hoped he liked his combat abilities as much. If they could get started, he would find out.

Reeve could be longwinded, so this could take a while yet. Vincent was more than happy to sit out on the meeting between Reeve and Rufus. He knew what the discussion would be about—ShinRa property. Any archives collected during these missions belonged to the company, to Rufus. Vincent didn't need to hear it in person. Reeve likely needed more funding for the WRO and would have to grant certain requests.

So now he waited again for Reeve to conclude another meeting. Making things worse, his company was in the form of two Turks who couldn't be more different. Vincent correctly assumed that they were assigned to accompany him on the Deepground mission. Likely the Nibelheim mission too, whenever they finally progressed to that one, but things tend to get held up in bureaucracy in large organizations. Had he gone alone, Vincent could have completed the collection by now.

Instead, he sat on an empty desk outside the conference room with two Turks young enough to be his children, but now older than he was when he became a ShinRa victim. The bald Turk quietly leaned against the wall. His annoying partner lazed in a chair, flipping the magrod on and off to shoot tiny sparks shot out of its end. Vincent knew the redhead was trying to grind on his nerves. Did Reno forget that he had been a Turk once upon a time, as well?

Vincent tuned out the sound of click and crackle. He reviewed the maps in his head and calculated how long it would take if monsters lurked in every chamber. With no obstacles, they could sweep the laboratories, extract the hard drives, and be back at the surface by early afternoon. But he doubted nothing lingered within the shadows of ShinRa's biggest secret. Not only that, but large portions of the structures were also in ruin or covered in rubble, making the entire excursion a risky venture just to step inside. Seemed likely they wouldn't finish before dark, and even that was optimistic.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. As he pulled it free, it buzzed again with a group notification. Vincent hated those the most. A conversation in caption between seven people for an entire day could sometimes make Vincent long for death.

Unfortunately, group messaging seemed to be the preferred mode of communication between his friends in AVALANCHE over the last couple of years. Yuffie and Cid were the worst. A message meant for only one other person included everyone. Yuffie's going for lunch at 7th Heaven—Have the grilled dodo sandwich ready! Your one and only princess will be appearing in 15! Or Cid can't remember what time to expect Barret's truck—Lost the gotdamn schedule, your ass gettin' here before afternoon tea? Anyone's guess why Cid needed to curse through messages, too.

Every week, he had to mute his messages for at least one full day. And every time he removed his number from the recipient list, someone added him back. Usually, Yuffie. He considered blocking her several times. But he was trying to be more social and get along. Of course, that was before Reeve decided to make them neighbors, so time would tell.

This time a private message from Tifa to Reeve that began nearly an hour ago now included himself and Cloud.

Tifa—Held up! Can you believe it! Got a flat with no spare handy! Sorry to hold things up. Be there soon.

Reeve—Noted. The brief is about to start. I'll let Vincent know to fill you in.

Vincent wasn't surprised Cloud hadn't shown on time. The blond mercenary still did everything his way and liked to rebel at authority any time ShinRa was involved. Sometimes Tifa was along for the ride for his continued defiance.

Tifa—Please tell Vincent I'm so sorry. This took longer than it should have. Had to call for service. Ugh!

Tifa—Or I guess I can tell him when we get there.

Reeve added Cloud and You to the group chat Meeting at 7 AM.

Reeve—Brief done. Meeting with Rufus and Tseng now. Vincent at reception - 7th floor conference room.

Tifa—Ok, Boss!

She followed her message up with a picture of herself in the passenger seat angled to include Cloud driving in the background. She had a big smile, with her free hand lifted in a wave.

Vincent downloaded the picture to his gallery. He slowly swiped through the photos Marlene had taken the previous week. Several showed only the little girl's teeth and nose, and a few were of the two of them together while she had sat on his lap. Her small grin was adorably impish, and he could see a hint of amusement in his own eyes. She had managed to catch Reeve in conversation with Barret, her father's mouth wide open to receive his spoon full of stew. Another showed Denzel with a roll in his mouth, staring at the camera in annoyance. And there were a few of Cloud, arms crossed and leaning against the counter as he watched Tifa with a blank expression. Arms crossed and leaning against the counter as he watched Vincent. Arms crossed and leaning against the counter as he watched Tifa, eyes a touch narrowed. What's his problem?

He continued to swipe until he found his favorites, the pictures of Marlene and Tifa as they cleaned the kitchen. He thumbed through them slowly, lingering a moment longer on one of Tifa winking at the camera as she dried a pot. A smile crept onto his face, and he momentarily forgot the Turks were present.

"Care to show the class?" He looked up at Reno, who nodded toward the phone in his hand. "Something there caught your happy nerve? I don't think I've ever seen you smile before, yo. Got some pics of a hot chick? Wanna share?" The Turk's grin irritated Vincent more than his questions.

Vincent didn't answer, only gave Reno a cold stare, and tucked his phone away into his pocket. Reno seemed to grow uncomfortable with Vincent's regard and ran a hand through his bright red hair, looking away at Rude before returning his focus to his magrod. Vincent enjoyed intimidating the younger Turk, as his cavalier attitude rubbed Vincent the wrong way.

Reno twirled his magrod in nervous tension between his fingers, grasping the device every couple of seconds and clicking the switch to expel sparks at the tip. Vincent watched him with bored patience, as though waiting for a boy to grow weary of kicking a chair. Reno seemed to sense the tolerant attitude toward him and continued to act out in childish abandon, fueled by the negative attention. He became bolder and double-clicked the switch on the magrod to elongate the sparks into a short lightning cast, which hit the coffee table in front of his feet. A small plume of smoke arose from a blackened pockmark newly defacing the wooden table. Reno cackled in delight.

Rude moved further away from his partner, knowing well where his boredom would lead.

"Where ya' goin, partner?" Reno asked as Rude resettled against the wall a few feet from his previous position. "I can hit a 10-piece Gil from 50 feet, yo! I'm a consummate—professional." As he said the last word, Reno extended his arm and released a longer bolt that hit the opposite end of the table with a pop. He let out a whoop at the taller smoke trail and crowed at his achievement.

Reno glanced at Vincent, probably to check if he was still watching, which was likely the only reward the redhead sought after. Encouraged, Reno faced Vincent and twirled the magrod in his fingers for a few revolutions before an idea appeared to spark in his eyes.

"Hey, wanna see something?" Reno asked as he stood up and moved to the opposite wall from Vincent across the room. "Bet I can hit that pencil behind you and nothing else." Vincent didn't respond to his schoolyard taunt, only leaned further back and placed his hands on either side of himself on the desk. His gauntlet gleamed in the fluorescent office light.

"Reno," Rude said in a fatherly tone, stepping forward and grabbing onto his partner's arm.

"What?" Reno shrugged out of the attempted intervention. "Relax, yo. It's easy. Watch." And with that, he extended the rod, casting a weak lightning spell with a sidearm throw. He grinned like a hedgehog pie as a tiny bolt burst out of the end of his weapon.

Vincent stared directly into Reno's face as the little bolt buzzed across the space between them and met its target, which, unfortunately for the Turk, was not the same as he intended. Vincent withheld a wince as the gauntlet on his left arm caught the full force of the tiny thunderstrike. The gold piece absorbed the charge and electric currents spread across its surface in a sparkling web. Anger at the pain instantly replaced tolerance, and Vincent dashed across the room in a flash of red.

Before Reno could regret his mischief, Vincent pinned the Turk against the wall with the charged armpiece braced at his throat. The redhead swallowed a groan, gnashing his teeth together as the lingering currents on the gauntlet transferred to him in a sizzling network across his face. His vibrant red hair stood out straight from his head and burned at the tips, little wisps of smoke spiraling up in columns from the charred ends.

The small Turk widened his eyes as he heard the hammer pull back on the weapon Vincent held next to his ear, making it clear he hadn't even noticed the Cerberus was no longer in the holster. Worry filled his eyes, and Vincent felt him relax against the wall, giving in to the show of dominance.

"Hey man." Reno held his hands up defensively. "I was just foolin, yo." He let out a nervous laugh. "Damn thing needs the screws tightened, you know?"

Rude appeared next to his partner and gently placed a hand on Vincent's forearm. "Reno take a seat. Meeting should be done soon." Rude tried to pull Reno free but found the hold immovable. Vincent would not yield to a gentle hand; he had not yet made his full point.

"You wanna see a trick?" Vincent asked with a low growl and pressed the gauntlet harder, only easing when he heard a tiny gasp for air.

The fear never left Reno's eyes, which served to feed the satisfaction Vincent gleaned from this mini revenge. He took a step back, continuing to pin his agitator against the wall, and held the Cerberus up for better view, showing the hammer pulled back and ready to fire. Vincent spun the weapon by its trigger guard around his index finger in several rotations before halting the movement with a sudden grasp of the handle, pointing the barrels toward the wall near the left ear of his captive. He repeated the action several times, alternating the direction of the spin. Each time he caught the handle, the barrels pointed just past the side of the head in front of him. Vincent knew the trick was much too fast for Reno to see. However, the pause was just long enough to ensure he felt the side of the barrel pressed against his face between each spin. The Turk turned white as a ghost and lost his earlier cockiness and mischievous attitude.

"What's going on, guys?"

Vincent internally cursed himself as Tifa and Cloud appeared from the doorway behind Rude. Luckily, Tifa couldn't see over the tall man in front of her, allowing Vincent enough time to release the hammer and holster his weapon. Vincent backed away from Reno, meeting the Turk's eyes with an unspoken warning to keep silent. He returned to his spot before greeting her with as much innocence as he could muster. Aloof demeanor returned.

"Morning, Tifa." She smiled at his greeting and crossed the room to lean next to him against the desk. Guess she didn't see anything. He knew she was a peacekeeper and would likely disapprove of his childish behavior. Her presence alone chased the conflict from his mind.

"Hey," she replied and nudged him gently with her elbow, sweetening her smile with a tilt of her head as she regarded him with warm eyes.

"We miss the brief?" Cloud looked around the room until his eyes found Reno, who still appeared pale and shaking against the wall. "Is that burning hair?"

The Turk left the room quickly without a word. "Is he ok?" Tifa asked with genuine concern.

"Probably needs the little boy's room before the trip," Vincent offered, maintaining an innocent demeanor. Rude coughed, holding a fist up to his mouth, and if Vincent didn't know better, stifling a laugh.

"We miss the brief, or what?" Cloud repeated, impatience creeping into his tone. He wasn't usually this impolite. The presence of ShinRa still rankled him, even after all their help with the Remnants and building Edge.

"Brief is done. The SOLDIERs that will accompany us left half an hour ago. Rufus and Reeve are meeting now to discuss ShinRa terms," Vincent replied to the younger man, tilting his head toward the conference room door.

Without explanation, Cloud strode through the door. Tifa let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, let's go in and see what this is about, shall we?" She nudged Vincent again before following Cloud through the door.

Vincent glanced at Rude before following suit, and the Turk did the same in his usual silence. Cloud stood next to the table with his arms crossed as though he wanted answers. Reeve looked up at the younger man with composed irritation, while Rufus appeared amused at the childish defiance Cloud continued to show him. Tseng nodded and kept a silent vigil a few feet behind his employer.

Tifa broke the uncomfortable silence with traditional courtesy. "Good morning, Reeve. Rufus, Tseng," she said to the president and his top Turk with a small nod of her head. Her polite nature still only went so far where the blond executive was concerned. He did try to have her executed once. She hadn't forgotten and likely never would, even if willing to adhere to the unspoken truce between AVALANCHE and ShinRa.

"Sorry we're late. The truck needed service on the way here and delayed us." She continued to watch the president but appeared ashamed and lowered her head a small degree, hair falling over her shoulders and obscuring his view of her pretty face.

Vincent suppressed a sudden urge to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear as it fell in front of her eyes. He quickly glanced around the room, hoping his regard for her went unnoticed by the other men in the room. He crossed his arms and leaned against the end of the table, again tucking his chin into his cowl. Vincent could feel Tseng scrutinize him without directly looking his way. The senior Turk impressed him. Even reminded Vincent of himself during his days as a ShinRa employee.

"No problem, Tifa. Flat tires have a way of being inconvenient," Reeve said as he rose from his seat and walked over to her. He placed a friendly kiss on her cheek and turned to shake Cloud's hand. "I'm sure Vincent can fill you in on the particulars of the operation, and we'll have the maps sent to your devices."

"How many are we taking?" Cloud looked to Vincent for a reply.

"Not many. Two SOLDIERs, two Turks, the three of us, and Shelke will—"

"Huh? Why do we need Shelke?" Cloud interrupted, clearly incensed that the diminutive former Deepground SOLDIER would be along for the ride.

"She knows the layout better than I do. And ShinRa apparently didn't keep track of renovations to the degree that we can rely completely on the map." Vincent didn't hide the accusation in his tone, directing his words toward Rufus. "Or kept the plans so secret even a top executive didn't have clearance to know."

"I'll send the image to you securely just before we depart," Tseng quickly spoke up, appearing to intervene only to protect the president from further allegations.

Rufus smirked at Vincent but lowered his head, almost in mock chagrin. No matter. Vincent knew the man's father held more blame for the company's evils. Even so, Rufus showed the face of atonement for his benefit alone.

"Unfortunately, the map is old, but it was the only one we had on file. I've marked the logical locations of the server rooms," Tseng continued. "Let us hope passage is clear enough to get to them."

Cloud openly scoffed at his explanation. "How much trouble are we expecting? Do we need all of these people?"

"A fair point," Rufus said as he stood and approached Cloud. "I am only permitting the smallest possible security team into our former laboratories, and I—"

"And what do we need your Turks for?" Cloud continued to interrupt, visibly irritating ShinRa. The young man still had no sense of professionalism, but Vincent wouldn't hold the disrespect against him. Vincent also preferred the Turks not involve themselves with WRO operations and was opposed to listening to Rufus explain his reasoning again. The president needed to avoid leaks, and the more people involved in their missions, the more likely a story would reach media ears. ShinRa had his own goals. Rebuilding his company image to the masses was an arduous task, and opening old wounds inflicted by their former science department hindered that effort.

"To assist your operation, of course." Rufus smiled at him and held his hands wide as though he had nothing to hide. "I'm certain some inner workings of ShinRa may elude your team and having them available to assist should the need arise would aid your progression."

"We have former SOLDIERs and Vincent; we don't need them."

"Ah, yes. However, your SOLDIERs did not have the same security clearance and currently have no security clearance with our company—they are, as you pointed out, former employees. And—" he paused, glancing around the room as though to ensure he had everyone's attention, "since we are unsure of everything that might reveal itself, we want to ensure the data is not compromised by falling into the wrong hands. I hope you understand." He patted Cloud on the shoulder with a superior smirk planted on his face, ending all argument on the topic.

Rufus nodded his head toward Tseng, who pulled out his phone in understanding. A few moments later, each of them received the file containing the Deepground layout along with a message that the file is classified ShinRa Top Secret.

As Rufus passed by Vincent, he paused and regarded the former Turk with a tight smile. "My offer earlier—consider it sincere," he began and waited for Vincent to look up. "I am appreciative of your previous service to the company and deeply regret the actions of Hojo to you personally. I am—most thankful for the assistance you provided us more recently. I'm not only referring to Omega but especially concerning your rescue of Tseng and Elena. If ever you would reconsider, your old job is yours."

He didn't wait for a reply and left the room, Tseng following close behind. "Later Boss," Reno said to them as he strolled in and sat back down without a care.

"So that's it, huh?" Tifa watched Rufus and Tseng depart out of the reception area with an incredulous expression. "Rufus still needs control of everything?"

"Hey, it ain't like that, yo." Reno bristled at the accusation. "We really wanna help, and he's only trying to make things right. He's grateful to your boy here for what he did, yo. Even offered all that backpay." Reno pointed his thumb at Vincent and missed the glare sent his direction for revealing the more private discussion Vincent had with the president earlier in the morning.

"Whatever. Are we doing this?" Cloud left the room without waiting for a reply. Vincent caught the look Tifa shot at her roommate before she turned his direction with a shrug and an exaggerated roll of her eyes. He smiled at her in reassurance and held a hand out in invitation for her to follow.

"I guess we're doing this." Vincent held the door open for her before asking Reeve to call the SOLDIERs back for their departure.