A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Standard disclaimer applies.

Updated 6/23/2020: Additional scenes throughout. The Turks now have to make their way through The Drum since this is a Remake fic.

Chapter 9:

A sleek, matte black luxury sedan came to a halt on the street leading to the old Shinra building as the morning sun cast a blinding white glare over the husk of the office remains. The front bumper was wide and low to the ground, with a grill that took up nearly a third of the space. The slate-gray carbon hood contained a Shiva ornament at the front and slim panels that stretched down on either side of the grill. The head lights were narrow but powerful, with separate fog lights that were almost rectangular in shape.

The whole front end of the car was nearly as long as the cabin and trunk space combined. Harsh and industrial; it was a car that screamed government conspiracy. Four doors, with a brown leather interior and wooden dash panels. Every seat was heated, and the back seat was capable of reclining independently. In the middle of the dashboard was a large screen for the GPS and various other controls, including music, wi-fi, and a host of driving options. This particular model was almost always set in "sport" mode, as its owner cared little for traffic laws and speed limits.

It was surprisingly clean inside, except for a few discarded energy drink cans from that morning. One never knew when an attractive lady might need a ride. A gentleman's car must always be tidy.

Once the car stopped, settling back onto its large tires, the front two doors opened. A pair of black boots reached to the pavement below attached to legs clothed in expensive blue suit pants. The driver slowly exited the vehicle and turned to look up at the old Shinra building, leaning on the open door as he gazed up at his next destination. He hesitated a moment before closing the door, knowing he was in for an uncomfortable hike.

"I am not looking forward to this," Reno moaned as he walked around the car and started toward the old headquarters. Rude said nothing, but followed his partner into the rubble.

They were greeted in front of the building by three ghosts. The creatures were no match for the two Turks, but it was odd that such monsters had reached the Shinra building, having previously preferred the train graveyard of Sector 7. Perhaps they were attracted by the hundreds of deaths that were caused when the building nearly collapsed.

Rude cast Firaga on the fiends, prompting them to retaliate with Reflect. That was Reno's cue to start firing his pistol while Rude did his best to punch the monsters before they'd disappear. One ghost vanished into the Lifestream, while the other two slashed at them. Reno knocked one upside the head with his EMR, using it as a baton to avoid being electrocuted by his own weapon.

When the final ghost was defeated, the two Turks looked at each other in confusion before turning to head for the side of the old Shinra building.

As they approached the door to the side stairwell, a rush of wind caused them to freeze and look over their shoulders. For a moment they thought they were just hearing things, but as soon as Reno tried to open the door, the wind passed in the opposite direction. He released the door handle and spun around, this time waiting to see what was taunting them.

It struck Rude first. He barely saw it coming until it was barreling over him. He was stomped beneath two mighty hooves but was spared by the tires, as they passed on either side of him once he was on the ground. Reno lunged at the eligor with his EMR, sending a shockwave through the rider's form. The creature turned back to Rude with Piercing Gaze, sending a laser beam directly into the bald Turk's chest. Rude was too stunned to move and found he was unable to cast any spells.

The eligor laughed and flew into the air above the Turks, circling and taunting them. Reno grunted and leapt into the air to swipe at the fiend again, bringing it crashing back to the ground. Reno used the eligor's momentary confusion to shock it with his mag rod, watching the shocks crackle and branch along the creature's body. It reared up in pain and disappeared back into the rubble of the city. Reno helped Rude to his feet and the two quickly ducked into the stairwell.

"What the hell?" Reno asked once the door was closed. Rude said nothing.

"There was nothing out there the last time we came here," Reno added. Again, Rude just looked at him without speaking.

Reno sighed and stood at the bottom of the stairs, craning his neck all the way back to look straight up and worrying what his car would look like when they finally left the building. All he could see was a flight of stairs above him, but he knew it was 59 floors before he would see anything other than a dingy metal stairwell. He closed his eyes as he mentally prepared himself for the climb. He cracked his neck on both sides and hopped up and down a couple times, shaking out his hands. He exhaled sharply and started to climb, Rude right behind him.

The first dozen or so flights were a breeze, but by the time Reno reached floor 15, he was already starting to slow down. Not much, but enough for him to think he had lost some of his youthful vigor. He remembered climbing these stairs almost two years ago – was it this difficult back then, too? He knew he had never wanted to climb them again, but he couldn't remember it hurting this much.

"I hate getting old," he said around floor 25.

Rude let out a short laugh that seemed choked by labored breaths. "Welcome to the club."

"Think we'll find anything in Hojo's lab?" the redhead asked on floor 37, trying to keep himself going.

"Maybe experiments," Rude offered.

Reno shuddered and kept climbing. Hojo had always creeped him out. He was reminded of what the former leader of the Turks, Veld, said to him after his final round of mako injections.

Never come back here.

Reno and his fellow Turks had abided Veld's words.

They still had 20 floors to climb. Reno realized they had taken a break or two the last time they climbed these stairs. It wasn't that he was two years younger back then, but this time he was trying to prove to himself that he hadn't lost a step.

"When this is over, we," Reno waved his hands between himself and Rude as they rounded the flight of stairs outside floor 42, "are going to Seventh Heaven."

"I suspect I'll need a shower first," Rude corrected.

"Good call."

They had slowed to a walk about 10 stories back. Reno's thighs were burning, and they still had a ways to go. He held on to the guard rail for support as he kept on trudging, Rude just a few steps behind.

"In retrospect…" Reno said between gasping breaths once they reached the 59th floor, "…a skyscraper… was a bad idea."

He wasn't out of shape by any means. They had been fighting monsters every day when they weren't on a special assignment. When they had come here last, they were energized by their determination to get closure on their former boss. This time, they not only knew what was in store for them physically, but also knew how boring and unlikely their findings would be. The odds of anything valuable remaining in Hojo's lab was minimal, considering what they had seen on their last adventure to the 68th floor.

They rested at the top of the stairwell for a minute. At least this area was still monster-free, as the doors were too heavy for fiends to open. The same couldn't be said for the main building. Just as they were about to stand up and continue, they heard a pounding on the other side of the door. They sure as hell weren't giving up, but they weren't looking forward to a fight after climbing so many stairs. Rude leaned against the door with his hand held up to give a countdown by fingers, ready to open the door and let Reno rush in with his EMR swinging.

The redhead laid out the unknown entity easily, but three more popped up in its place. The two Turks took care of those and looked around for more. The 59th floor was crawling with more of the monsters, along with fiends that shouldn't have been there, such as ghosts and cripshays. Luckily, the creatures were low level, but the sheer numbers of them made for an exhausting battle.

The Turks battled their way across the 59th floor and to the next set of staircases. As luck would have it, something had destroyed the stairs up to the next floor, and there was nothing around they could use as a ladder.

"Great," Reno said sarcastically. He brought his thumb and index finger to rub the space between his eyebrows. "Now what?"

"Elevator shaft?" Rude suggested.

Reno closed his eyes in disgruntled contemplation. He knew that was their only option, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

The sooner we get through this, the sooner I can see her.

Rude took a deep breath before looking up into what remained of the glass elevator shaft. The cars had fallen to their doom, but the cables remained. He gave one a tug as Reno fought off some more creatures, then jumped onto it and began hoisting himself up. Reno held his mag rod out in an attempt to keep some more unknown entities at bay. He had backed himself to the edge of the elevator shaft as the fiends slashed and snapped at him in an attempt to attack.

The redheaded Turk knew he had to be quick. He stuck out his electrified weapon one more time to move the fiends back before twisting around and quickly grabbing onto the cable in an attempt to scramble up to the next floor, where he heard Rude already fighting more monsters. One of the unknown entities grabbed Reno's ankle and began to pull him back. The redhead slipped down the cable a few feet before he was able to kick the fiend in the head and clamber up to his partner.

"I haven't climbed a rope since grade school," Reno said as he pulled himself up onto the next floor. "Never thought I'd have to do it again."

Rude made only the slightest grunt in response, punching an unknown entity in the jaw and snapping its neck.

Reno loved his missions with Rude. While most might find the man's lack of response insulting, Reno had come to understand the subtle nuances of Rude's facial expressions. For example, most people would have thought Rude had no interest in Reno's comment about climbing a rope, but to the red-haired Turk, Rude's face and grunt were actually saying: "Neither did I. I hated climbing ropes in school. I hoped I'd never have to do it again. The worst though was when everyone had to stay behind to wait for the slow kid to climb."

"Oh yeah, that was the worst" Reno replied to Rude's silent response.

As Reno stood up to join his partner, he noticed that this floor, too, was crawling with fiends that shouldn't be here. A group of lesser drakes flew down toward them in an attempt to scratch with their back claws.

"Are you kidding me?" Reno whined as he and Rude prepared for another battle.

Reno clicked a button on his mag rod to create three orbs of electrical energy that floated across what was left of the 60th floor, electrocuting some of the creatures that seemed drawn toward its captivating light. The two Turks, meanwhile, fought off the drakes on their way to the stairwell. Out of nowhere, several cerulean drakes joined the flying horde and swooped down to attack the Turks.

They were surrounded, and by the time they reached the refuge of the executive stairwell, their clothes were beginning to show wear and tear. Not to mention the sweat they had both worked up. Thankfully, even these stairwells were still empty.

The two Turks caught their breath on the 67th floor, since the staircase leading up was now just rubble and impossible to climb.

"This is insane. It was empty two years ago!" Reno said, leaning back on the floor after taking a bite of a prepared meal they had packed for a prolonged mission.

They hadn't expected so many monsters to have turned the old Shinra building into their home, but they were Turks, and Turks were prepared for anything.

"If this is the main building, I'm not hopeful for the basement," Reno said at the end of their break.

"Maybe they couldn't get in," Rude said, more hopeful than Reno was accustomed.

The 67th floor didn't offer much promise, but at least the damage had made it inhospitable to fiends. Much of the ceiling was gone, and the duo could look straight up to what remained of Rufus' old office. Some of the drakes from several floors below joined them, forcing the Turks to kill them rather than hold them back. As if on cue when the lesser and cerulean drakes fell, two rust drakes appeared. The Turks ran as fast as they could to avoid being pulled into its gravity orb, feeling their insides getting squished whenever they came too close.

Gravity had always been an odd spell. It could never kill someone, but the intense squeeze one felt from its pull sometimes made them wish they were dead. Reno's head throbbed as he finally broke free of its pull. Rude leapt into the air to deal a series of blows to one of the creatures, knocking it to the ground as Reno shot a bolt of lightning at the other. Rude tore the wing off the drake he had just grounded and snapped its neck beneath the heel of his boot.

The other drake struggled after an onslaught of electricity, falling to the ground in a daze as Reno rushed toward it and drove his mag rod into the creature's throat, finally killing it.

It was then the two Turks noticed something they hadn't paid attention to the last time they were in the building. While the 68th floor was destroyed, the 67th floor still had some walls and doors – including one leading to Hojo's lab. The Turks had bypassed the 67th floor last time since the staircase ended one floor up back then.

They cautiously approached the door that led to the rooms and hallways that made up Hojo's vast section of the building. Even though years had passed, they both still prepared for Hojo's lab to be completely intact somehow.

It wasn't, thankfully, but there was a fair bit left. Many of the walls were gone, and the hallway was littered with medical supplies and equipment that seemed ready to fly out the holes in the side of the building. The Turks carefully made their way through the area, looking for anything they could take back to Rufus.

They eventually found themselves in one of Hojo's numerous experiment rooms. There were no walls or ceiling in the room, and the glass containment tubes were all shattered, the glass long since blown away by the biting wind that whipped through the floor. One of the larger glass cells that once held "specimen" was also shattered. The glass that remained appeared to have been wiped clean.

The Turks shielded their eyes from the wind and made their way toward a short staircase that led to Hojo's private elevator. The two continued to look around the area before slowly working their way to the elevator on the far wall. Reno looked up into the shaft before dropping his head.

"Not again," he moaned.

He slapped his hands together and rubbed them before jumping onto the elevator cable and climbing up to the 68th floor without looking back. After he made his ascent, he pushed himself off the back wall of the shaft to get the momentum to jump backwards and onto the 68th floor. He stood up and dusted himself off before turning around to find Rude standing right in front of him.

"What the…?"

"Took the stairs," Rude responded.

Reno glared at him a moment before brushing past him to look across the metal bridge that connected them to the center of The Drum, where Jenova was previously kept. The alien's former container was – to their horror – completely clean. It looked as though some kind of forensic clean-up crew had scrubbed the containment device spotless. There was not a trace, not even a speck of blood or tissue, left of the alien life form.

"Hojo must have cleaned house before he hijacked the Sister Ray," Reno hypothesized.

"Probably," Rude agreed.

Reno looked around at the inside of The Drum. He had never been inside before and had only heard rumors about the horrors that were kept in here. Hojo was a man who referred to his experiments as his "toys," and regularly pitted them against each other. Whatever won would be used to create even more horrific abominations. The Drum was where it all happened.

"There" Rude said matter-of-factly as he pointed across The Drum to a door on the other side. "If we can make it through that door, we should be able to get into the areas where he kept his notes."

Reno nodded and began to walk along the catwalk that would connect them to the door. They were halfway across when the metal beneath their feet began to shake. They ran as fast as they could to reach the other side, but Reno was just a foot away from being able to grab the remaining ledge before the floor fell out beneath them. The two Turks plunged to the bottom of The Drum, landing on a mess of rubble and metal but somehow not breaking anything. They were disoriented, but mostly unhurt except for some bruises and scrapes.

"Fuck," Reno said, rubbing his right wrist, the same one that always gave him trouble.

When the redhead gathered his bearings, he looked around, noticing for the first time that they were surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of broken specimen pods. Even worse, those specimen were now surrounding them, slowly approaching and looking as though they hadn't seen anything of the outside world for years.

The two Turks slowly got to their feet and readied their weapons. An untold number of unknown entities attacked them, thankfully weak from their years spent in The Drum. The Turks slowly killed off the horde, hoping that was all the creatures still alive in Hojo's lab. Somehow, they knew they wouldn't be so lucky.

They climbed up the rubble to find the entrance to Ward 1. The metal door was open and damaged from various creature attacks. Reno and Rude cautiously walked through it and into one of Hojo's battle arenas. A pride of zenene that had been sleeping on the opposite side lifted their heads at the intruders and immediately stood up to start walking toward the two men. They, too, appeared weakened from a prolonged stay in The Drum without whatever care Hojo provided.

At that moment both Turks shuddered, suddenly aware that the creatures still alive in here had survived by killing and eating each other. Reno and Rude must have looked mighty tasty to them. It was not surprising, then, that the zenenes approached the Turks while licking their chops like the starved creatures they were. They were hungry but appeared confused when they looked at Reno.

"I think they think you're related," Rude muttered as the beasts continued to advance.

"Har har," Reno responded.

Hojo's experiments were combinations of many lifeforms to create new species. Surely the mad doctor had a vial or two of Reno lying around when he created some of these monsters. No, Reno shook his head, best not to go down that line of thought.

One of the fiends lunged at Reno, its teeth going straight for the top of his head. Reno struggled to get the beast off him and preserve his hair while Rude battled a few others. A few jabs with the mag rod and the zenene released Reno, dying a little too easily. The others fell quickly as well.

"Okay, that was a little too easy," the redhead said as they dusted themselves off. Rude nodded in response.

They looked up at Hojo's viewing area. The reinforced glass still held and there was nothing in this room to climb to get to it. The two Turks traveled down a connecting hallway and up a flight of stairs to find themselves back in The Drum. The two men groaned and looked at each other.

"Let's climb," Rude said, pointing to some debris that could provide a way up to the next level. They climbed what they could and crossed catwalks that were still intact. At least everything mechanical in The Drum was no longer operational.

The two marveled at some of Shinra's old technology. They stepped over a long, thin machine lying on its side with brightly colored plating and sharp blades attached to its front. The whole thing looked like a fish that could seriously fuck someone up.

Reno recalled how Hojo had once spoke about "The Ancient and her friends" nearly dying in The Drum. Reno suspected the man was lying, given the fact that AVALANCHE survived without looking too beaten down. Still, he now looked around and imagined what it must have been like for Tifa trying to navigate this place. He grunted in an attempt to dismiss the thought. He didn't want to start thinking about her – not again, not while he was in The Drum.

They came to a dead end in front of the door to Ward 3. With nowhere else to go, they entered, quickly finding more zenenes lying around. The creatures seemed even sicker than the last batch, falling with just the slightest offense. The Turks made their way into a room lined with crates and broken, empty cages.

Most of the crates that had filled up the space were destroyed - but not from anything to do with Meteor, it seemed - and whatever had been inside the cages was destroyed or gone. Possibly ransacked or – Reno shuddered – whatever was in it left on its own two, or four, or six, feet. Who knows what was in those crates? This was Hojo, after all.

Reno spun around when he heard a crash on the other side of the room. Rude was standing right next to him and turned to face the sound as well. They heard growling before they could see the pack of bloodhounds. The Turks remembered these creatures. Rufus' pet, Dark Star, was an enhanced version of them and they could never forget how much the vice president talked about her.

"Maybe we could bring one back for Rufus?" Rude suggested. Reno chuckled, moving his back against Rude's as the bloodhounds surrounded them.

"Great idea, which one?" he asked quietly before the first beast attacked.

These creatures put up more of a fight than the zenenes, but they looked just as sickly. It didn't just appear to be starvation, either. The bloodhounds had nasty looking lesions on their bodies – not from attacks – but from some kind of disease.

"What the hell happened in here?" Reno asked. Rude shook his head.

The two found themselves again back out into The Drum.

"Damn, this place was better reinforced than the rest of the building," Reno commented as he looked for a way out.

"Ward 4," Rude said, pointing toward yet another door. Reno groaned.

"There better be a way into Hojo's private stash from there," the redhead whined.

There wasn't much to Ward 4, just some large pipes and ladders. They made their way through and back to the main husk of The Drum. At least this time they were near Hojo's elevator that led to the executive suites above. The two climbed the cables up to the next floor to find more of Hojo's lab.

"Paydirt," Reno said.

They were out of The Drum, but there was little left in this area to be of any use to Rufus. They found some note books and papers with the chocobo scratchings of a raving lunatic, but not much else.

"Well, this was a bust," Reno said, defeated.

Rude checked his partner's work before agreeing. The two looked at each other and a wicked grin appeared on both their faces.

"Basement time?" Rude asked.

"Basement time," Reno responded.

Had they been in some cheesy spy comedy, they would have leapt into the air for a high-five while a trumpet played a jazzy tune.

The excitement they held for finally getting to see what kind of treasures were locked in the Shinra basement quickly dissipated as they climbed the elevator cables up to what was left of the executive floor and then climbed back down the massive headquarters building using the cables in the executive elevators. They slid down the cables as far as they could go and then battled their way back into the main stairwell. When they finally reached the first floor, they collapsed, still letting out exhausted utterances about their forthcoming basement adventure.

Meanwhile…

The children at the orphanage improved each day as Tifa led them through lessons. She didn't think she could adequately carry on Zangan's legacy, but she knew the children would be able to defend themselves from bullies, at least. She remembered how hard Master Zangan trained her, as if she were fighting for her life. Tifa didn't think the orphans needed to defend their lives in Edge, though she hadn't thought that either when she was a kid in Nibelheim.

True to her word, Tifa refused to say anything to Marle about Cloud or the Turks. It was the first time in a long while she could remember having a 100% pleasant conversation. Marle let her know that Oates had been adopted by the family who came by the other day. Marle had explained that Oates had a good heart but was shy, yet he seemed to be totally at ease with the couple who came by that day. Seeing him open up endeared him to them, and they fell in love with him quickly. The young boy wouldn't leave for his new family until the end of the week while the paperwork was being settled, but it was clear he was excited to no longer be an orphan.

Tifa next traveled to the theater and was surprised to find Andrea Rhodea looking around. He hadn't aged a day since Meteorfall, though Tifa never knew how old he was anyway. He stood with his weight on one hip, one arm folded across his chest and his other elbow resting on his hand as he scanned the theater.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," he said when he first noticed her nearby.

"I wouldn't call it hiding," she responded. He chuckled in his own way, somehow sounding fake and sincere at the same time.

"I might have to come by once it gets closer to opening," he said, watching some carpenters carrying planks of wood for the stage floor. "Perhaps I could be your opening act to draw attention."

"I think that would be nice," Tifa said, smiling. She didn't feel like correcting him at that moment; she didn't own this theater, she was merely helping to build it.

"You seem troubled," he said next. Tifa was taken aback. She thought she had gotten a handle on her emotions. She even thought she was in a good mood today, though it had been a confusing few days since either of the Turks graced her bar. "If you ever need to let off steam, let me know. Jules will always make room for us."

"Thank you, Andrea," Tifa responded politely. "I may take you up on that soon."

"Good. And tell your man when he gets back that I wish to speak with him." Andrea turned dramatically and sauntered out of the building, leaving Tifa to stare after him looking dumbfounded.

Andrea knew Cloud left? Why would he say "when he gets back"? She didn't think Andrea could know something about Cloud she didn't, but even still, his words gave her some hope.

Later…

Tifa stood with her back against the wall of a nearby building as a massive flock of levrikons ran past her, hooting and hissing as they travelled. When she saw an opening, she kicked out her leg to bring one of the creatures to the ground. It rolled several times to the side, causing a few more of the birds to trip over it. Those that were able to avoid the scuffle kept running; survival dictated they not stay behind to help their kind.

Tifa grabbed one of the birds by its head as it thrashed its mighty back legs in an attempt to get back up. She quickly snapped its long neck as the three others grappled amongst themselves. She had been fighting the beasts for about 20 minutes, suddenly realizing just how much help the Turks had been over the past few months as the monster encounters increased exponentially within the city.

She was not happy about it. Relying on the Turks was not something she had ever expected she would have to do, but without Cloud around…

The Midgar Police Department was fully functioning, but they couldn't be counted on like the other members of AVALANCHE or the Turks. The police only really made a difference if a large number showed up to overwhelm the enemies. She hadn't seen any nearby but didn't discount the notion that they could be battling the creatures further into the city.

Tifa never expected to miss the Turks, particularly that weaselly one.

As the other three birds were scrambling to get up, Tifa grabbed two of their necks and knocked their heads together. She didn't have time to fight fair, she had to kill as many as she could as quickly as she could. The third bird managed to get to its feet and tried to run away, but Tifa squatted down and swept a leg under its feet to bring it down to the pavement again, before crushing its neck beneath her foot.

The stampede was still coming, and Tifa had to dodge several more levrikons in what seemed like an endless horde. She reached out to kick another, but it ran straight into her leg and kept on going, dragging the young fighter several feet before she finally lost her balance and fell to the ground. Before she could get up, another one slammed into her, knocking her back to the ground and causing her head to spin. This time she was able to jump back up and reorient herself, bringing her waiting fists in front of her face as she returned to her battle stance.

She studied the beasts for a moment as they whizzed past her, dodging when necessary. She could see ahead that they were spreading out within the city, turning at every crossroad they came across. The police department must in trouble. She rushed between the birds to get back to the buildings and out of their path. One pecked at her as she crossed in front of it, opening a gash in her side just as she reached the side of a building.

A shadow suddenly darkened the street, traveling in the opposite direction of the beasts. Tifa, pressed against a building to avoid the birds, looked up to see what had just passed overhead. If she were about to be attacked from above, she would surely have to retreat. She was a prize fighter, but she was just one person, and the levrikons numbers were taking a lot out of her.

She could see, as she shielded her eyes from the sun that cast an ethereal light around the figure above her, a large red cape and a pair of legs falling toward her.

Vincent Valentine landed right in front of her and stood up to meet Tifa's stare. The birds seemed to sense something deep within him and immediately began running around him. He said nothing, just stared at Tifa through crimson eyes as his long black hair hung limply over his red headband. His face was partially obscured by the collar of his cape, but Tifa could tell his expression was empty. He was looking at her, but it was more like he was looking through her. His gaze sent a chill down her spine. During the time they traveled together, Tifa never could get a read on the former Turk who had spent 30 years sleeping in a coffin beneath the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim. He rarely spoke and if he did, it was to address the group, not anyone in particular.

The only time he ever said anything that made her think there were feelings inside that skull of his was after Cloud disappeared from the Northern Crater. Tifa had suddenly found herself as the leader of AVALANCHE, and she spoke to everyone on board the Highwind for advice and support. She expected words of encouragement from everyone but Vincent, yet the raven-haired ex-Turk surprised her.

"...So glad you're all right Tifa," he said then, his voice sounding sincere.

Now he stood before her with not even a hint of emotion. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and then he turned and opened fire on the flock. Tifa felt her energy level rise with the knowledge that she was no longer alone and leapt onto the back of one of the levrikons. She grabbed the beast by the neck as it bucked and turned it sharply into another bird before leaping off and landing gracefully with one knee bent and the other leg outstretched to the side, her fist steadying herself on the pavement. Her head shot up and she ran into the flock, jumping toward a bird with a flying kick.

Vincent fired his Death Penalty to take down the beasts from a distance, feeling his anger rise within him as some of the birds ran into him, forced to as the street wasn't wide enough for too many to run side-by-side. As Tifa bounced off buildings to dodge birds and deliver dizzying blows, Vincent's form began to change. In an instant he was transformed into the Chaos beast, with wings and claws and fangs. With an ear-splitting shriek, Chaos flew through the center of the stampede and in the same direction, taking out birds seemingly at random.

A few minutes later, the flock was running the opposite direction, out of the city. Tifa had finally witnessed the end of the line from where she stood, and now they were coming for her once again. She dodged and kicked her way out of the street to catch her breath as the remaining birds retreated from the city.

A moment later, Vincent was in front of her again, looking just as he had when he first landed. It was as if he hadn't just been in a battle and hadn't just flown through the sky as some kind of winged demon. He didn't seem to be out of breath or even aware that a fight had taken place. He didn't address or acknowledge her at first, his gaze watching the levrikons run out of the city. Behind them, a large squad of riot police officers chased the beasts, holding their shields up to protect themselves and electrocuting the birds with their nightsticks. For a moment Tifa was reminded of Reno, but she quickly blinked the thought away.

She hadn't seen Vincent in years. She hadn't seen any member of AVALANCHE since the last time Yuffie visited shortly after Cloud left. She didn't care that Vincent eschewed human contact, she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Vincent did not reciprocate, but he didn't push her away, either. He grunted uncomfortably when she first embraced him, keeping his arms at his sides. It was the first human contact he had since Lucrecia more than 30 years ago.

Tifa released him and was again lost in his blood-red eyes, which were fixated on her; unmoving, unfeeling. She felt a little embarrassed that she had hugged him and he didn't respond since they were friends, but at least she could always count on the cold, emotionless response of Vincent Valentine.

"I need your help," he said after they stood in silence a few moments, sounding distant and withdrawn.