Chapter 7
Lightning had taken the bulky headset off before she snoozed. It'd have been impossible for her to fall asleep if she'd had to hear the others carrying on conversations the entire time. Without the noise cancelling headgear, the rhythmic chop, chop, chop of the blades had lulled her into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes, she startled herself to realize she'd leaned her head against Angeal's arm since her torso was too short to perch her head on his high shoulders.
Zack wore a shit-eating grin , and when she glanced at Angeal, he only gave her a kind nod, showing he hadn't been bothered by it at all.
Daylight had dawned hours ago. The sun burned bright in the middle of the sky, somewhere above the aircraft.
She glanced out Genesis' window since she'd already made herself more familiar than she'd planned with Angeal and saw that the barren landscape hadn't changed any. It was still barren, cracked dirt as far as the eye could see.
She sighed, resigning herself to the ribbing she was sure to receive as soon as she put her headset back on. The way Zack practically vibrated with impatience told her that he was waiting for that exact thing.
Lightning lifted the clunky technology and fitted it over her ears. No sooner than she'd adjusted the microphone close to her face, she heard Zack.
"Hey Light, you enjoy your pillow?"
Lightning fought down the urge to blush. She hadn't blushed since the day her parents died. "I'm disappointed in you, Zack."
His jaw dropped open. "Whaaa?"
She shook her head and clicked her tongue in further disapproval. "I've been asleep for, at best guess, four hours, and that was the best you could come up with? Should I fall back asleep for another hour and give you some time to prepare a better one?"
Genesis outright laughed at that.
"Pinkie's got some bite, yo!" Reno hooted from the front.
Genesis nudged her with his elbow. "Don't be so hard on the puppy. To be fair to his lack of prepared teasing, Reno only pulled his tilting maneuver about ten minutes ago because he was bored and wanted to see your reaction when you woke up with your head on one of our shoulders."
Of course.
That scenario made more sense in her mind since, as a soldier, she'd had to learn to doze sitting upright.
Genesis carried on, his voice full of anguish. "I must say that I lament that your sweet head happened upon his shoulder instead of mine. Woe is the fighter seeking the gift of the Goddess, only to be thus denied at the close."
"Sorry to disappoint," Lightning offered—to more than one of the people in the aircraft.
"I can't speak for the others, but I have to say that I wasn't too disappointed," Angeal stated before sending her a wink.
Zack's finger shot towards him like an arrow, and he seemed to forget that he was harnessed in because he leaned forward and was pushed back like an energetic dog at the end of its tether.
And, great, now she was making puppy jokes about him.
"You did it again! I swear it!" He turned to Sephiroth who sat directly across from Angeal. "Did you see it, Seph? Tell me you saw it. I feel like I'm going crazy. Angeal never winks."
Trying to change the subject, Lightning asked, "Where are we?"
Genesis answered her with a nod out Angeal's window. "We're over the Hutang Valley. You can tell by the North Fingaga mountain range just over there."
Curiosity overcame her need for some distance after her moment of vulnerability. She turned.
The view stole her complete attention as she leaned closer to get a look.
The mountains were gigantic, brushing the sky with snowcapped peaks that blended out into a purple-blue hue from the atmospheric distance. Lightning and her friends had seen a lot while travelling Gran Pulse. However, she still appreciated how breathtaking mother nature could be all on its own.
Her eyes ran along the crest of the range, following the dips and rises as she catalogued the sight to memory.
Angeal chuckled quietly, and she felt it more than actually heard it through the headphones. That's when she realized how close she'd gotten as she leaned for a closer look.
She jerked back, bumping into Genesis chest as he'd crowded close behind her to take a look as well.
"Oh, to behold the wonder of something taken for granted as a given in the daily strife. To look through your wondrous eyes is truly a gift given by the Goddess, if only one dares to grasp with gentle hands."
"Another book quote?" Lightning guessed since it lacked any of his amused sarcasm.
"Get used to it," Zack groaned. "He quotes it all the time."
"I cannot help it if the masterpiece is so timeless and classic as to be applicable to every facet of life, young Zackary."
"Would you like to trade places?" Angeal asked her gently while the two started to bicker. "You can have the window seat."
However, Angeal's words caught Genesis' attention. The crimson mage wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the way she tensed. "She is fine right here. I don't enjoy the idea of spending the next four hours riding with your massive elbow bruising my ribs."
Angeal gave his dramatics a deadpan look. "You're a SOLDIER. You don't bruise."
Again, Lightning got the feeling that the way they used the word soldier was in all capital letters. It must be a division of their military for the elite. Perhaps all soldiers wouldn't be so enhanced as the group of men she'd stumbled upon.
"I'm fine," Lightning replied to stop another round of bickering. Genesis seemed to be able to pick anyone's nerves, though he favored riling up Zack.
Everyone settled down after that, though Lightning kept her gaze on the majestic sight in the distance.
"Yo, I've never seen someone sleep like the dead on a chopper before unless they were military."
Lightning glanced to the front where Reno had asked his silent question. In the daylight, she could tell that his hair wasn't a dark auburn like Genesis' silky locks as she'd thought in the dim lighting early that morning. In fact, his zigzag spikes were candy apple red.
He turned half in her direction, giving her a glimpse of seafoam green eyes and a large pink scar that rimmed the bottom outside corner of his eye socket, resembling one of Hope's boomerangs. And even from this distance she could make out the freckles dusting his lightly tanned skin.
"Interesting," she replied in a bored way that belied her words. She didn't want to encourage his fishing around for information like he so clearly was.
"Hey, Rude," Reno called. "You ever see a uniform like that before?"
"No," Rude replied, not bothering to turn around.
He gave no more and no less than an answer, economical to the extreme with his words, making both her and Sephiroth seem downright chatty.
"What makes you say it's a uniform?" she questioned, needing to see how detailed his answer was since she couldn't ask what the Turks were, other than Reno and Rude were them. When she'd posed the question to Zack earlier, he'd reacted like a chocobo with his head cut off.
Reno turned fully after pressing the autopilot button once he'd climbed a higher altitude to be safe from drafts from the steep mountains. "Are you trying to imply it's not?"
She frowned, her champagne fringe tickling her eyebrows. "I'm not."
"Yeah, but you're not not implying it either."
Lightning let the conversation die, compiling what she could from the very cryptic conversation. The Turks were obviously connected to the government, what with the fact that they'd been sent in an expensive helicopter to fetch what they'd implied was Midgar's most elite level of soldiers—and Zack.
They wore suits and ties, though Reno's popped, loose collar, crooked tie, and aviator goggles atop his messy hair would never fly within the strict regiments of inside the military, so maybe they were military adjacent.
In Cocoon, that'd be some sort of intelligence gathering designation. The fire lit inside her mind. Maybe the way she'd gotten absolutely nothing from him in their brief questioning was telling in itself.
Even in casual discussion, his training hadn't allowed him to divulge anything besides what he wanted her to see.
Or it could just be that his personality was that insolent.
She couldn't be a soldier, according to the SOLDIERs, but neither would she be able to join the Turks. They'd need to dig into every aspect of her history to vet her for the program, and they'd find nothing but a big, fat question mark.
They'd sooner lock her up and try to solve the puzzle she presented than they would trust her to join their ranks.
It was a problem she contemplated throughout their flight, giving noncommittal grunts to any other conversation directed her way.
Etro's visions had centered these men here. They had to be her focus. Somehow, some way, the fate of this world revolved around their story, but how could she stick close to them?
"We're going to land in Resakawa for the night to refuel."
Sephiroth turned. "Not Nord Corel?"
"Too big," Reno replied, righting the aircraft when a large gust of wind knocked the cabin off-kilter. He'd lowered the altitude in the last half-hour. "This trip never happened, or did you forget Director Lazard's marching orders?"
It might've been Lightning's imagination, but the air chilled at his nonchalant words as a sense of foreboding stole over her.
They were on a black-ops mission. What did that mean for her, someone who'd witnessed their presence in a hostile foreign territory? She straightened in her seat.
Angeal's hand fell heavy on her knee, drawing her attention. He gave a negative shake of his head, a warning to keep quiet. With more careful scrutiny, she glanced around at the others. Only Zack seemed oblivious to the undercurrent of menace. Genesis patted her other knee while Sephiroth held her gaze with intensity.
"Did you book any rooms, or are we expected to rough it in these cold temperatures?" Genesis asked.
"We've got the two rooms we've been staying in while we waited for your call. It's not exactly the Ganna Royal Hotel, yo. But they've got two doubles each, so you four can bunk together, and I'm sure Pinkie could use a break from ya for the night."
Lightning's adrenaline surged, though she showed no outward sign of it. Angeal's hand pressed into her knee harder.
Genesis sighed, as if very put upon. "No, I think it would be best if Zack bunks in your room. We all need a break from his energetic antics more than our rosette beauty does from us."
"Hey," Zack complained, but his bright blue eyes zipped to Angeal, catching some significant look from the man. He wilted in place, not giving much of a fight. "Fine, you guys. I'll sleep with the Turks. Wait a minute. That didn't come out how I meant it."
Genesis beamed. "Way to take one for the team, young Zackary."
"Aw man, you guys suck."
Lightning snorted, unable to help her amusement despite her hackles still being raised.
Up front, Rude and Reno exchanged a silent glance at their thwarted plans.
Yeah, she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.
Reno flipped a switch that flooded the area with light since he was landing them in the middle of a clearing in the forest, presumably to help them continue to fly under the radar.
Her pulse quickened as she hurried to free herself of the headgear. Now that tension was on the rise, they felt claustrophobic. She might not have the most muscle, but her namesake came from her speed. In Guardian Corps training, she'd danced circles around her peers, quickly drawing the eye of her director and helping her rise through the ranks. If the Turks were enhanced like her traveling buddies, she'd need every advantage she could get.
The real question was, were the SOLDIERs placating her so that she wouldn't cause a problem while midair, or were they actually looking out for her as their actions had implied?
Her knee bounced as she mentally urged the large men on all sides of her to exit, feeling trapped in place. Genesis slid his door open, and the thick blanket of snow dotting the heavy pines registered on a very visceral level as frigid air buffeted the small cabin. Goosebumps rose on the exposed skin of her legs.
A shiver stole over her, and she had a split second of debating how much unfolding her cape to full mode would hinder her on their hike if the Turks decided to ambush her. Genesis settled the debate by stripping off his maroon duster jacket and holding it up in offering. "M'lady."
She glanced from his thin shirt, though admittedly long-sleeved compared to Angeal and Zack's bare arms, to the eddies of snowflakes swirling through the night air.
"I'll be fine," Genesis answered her silent rebuttal. "SOLDIER, remember."
Which meant they must be enhanced against the weather in addition to their superhuman strength and speed.
"Thanks," she said, hopping down and shrugging the warmed leather on. Instantly, the chill seeping into her bones eased off. She took stock of the surroundings, equally as worried about the local fauna as she was the people in their party.
Zack offloaded a couple of packs, handing one to each of the soldiers. The Turks must've left their belongings at the inn.
"How far is it?" Zack asked.
"Thirty-minute hike, yo," Reno replied, the ocular goggles catching the moonlight overhead as he turned in my direction. "Hey, Pinkie, wanna keep me company?"
Lightning clicked her tongue, demonstrating equal parts dismissal and impatience.
He raised his hands. "Whoa, don't get you panties in a knot. Unless of course, you don't do panties." His eyes flickered down. "You seem like you might be a commando kinda girl."
"Hey, watch it!" Zack cut in, physically stepping in front of her on the trail. "Where's your honor?"
"Dead and buried in my mom's backyard beside my pet goldfish," Reno quipped without missing a step, sending her a smirk but turning around and walking the right way. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and whistled a jaunty tune.
Rude brought up the rear, still wearing his mirrored sunglasses, even in the dark, and she tried not to let that bother her. Sephiroth was also back there, but he didn't exactly exude warmth.
In fact, he set her hackles rising just as much as the pair of penguin suits.
Zack groaned, ten minutes into their tense trek. "Man, I'm so tired of walking. When we get back, I'm staying in bed for a week."
Angeal, who was walking abreast of her on her right, arched a brow. "And how do you plan to do that when you'll be back in training starting at 0500 every day?"
Zack skipped a couple of steps ahead to get a good look at his mentor. "What?"
"You want to make the cut for SOLDIER First Class, don't you?" Angeal reminded.
Zack's face blanked before he looked like he'd stepped in behemoth scat. "Aw, man."
"So, Lightning, right?" Reno began, allowing skepticism to fill his tone. Was he trying to catch her off-balance? Put her on the defensive? "I didn't catch where you're from."
"Never said," Lightning replied shortly.
"Okay, you have your secrets. Who doesn't? But we kinda need to know how you stumbled across Midgar's finest, most famous soldiers. You understand, don't you? It's our job to make sure you're not some crazy groupie or an undercover spy."
They had famous soldiers on this planet? Because his words implied that the general public fawned over these men, which was vastly different from having well-respected high-ranking generals that were well-known within the military.
If what Reno said was the case, she'd definitely have her work cut out for her trying to remain within their orbit.
Reno spun to walk backwards once more, his bright red eyebrow raised.
She wasn't about to throw out a town that could easily be verified, nor would she throw around Bodhum, her real hometown. Sephiroth's skepticism had already proved that would be a bad idea.
What was the quickest way to turn the tables on an intelligence agent? Cast doubt on their information gathering skills. At least it'd buy her some time. The last thing she wanted was to do favors for the guys that implied they'd 'take care of her.' Maybe a little intrigue would make them think twice about feeding her to the borgbears. "You guys can't figure that out on your own? My hair's pink. How hard could it be to track down one woman's history? Are you Turks or not?"
Reno's turquoise eyes dimmed, even as his smile remained. "Playin' hard to get, yo? I can get behind that. Don't worry. We'll get you eventually. Right, Rude?"
"Hm," his partner replied, his voice much closer to her than she'd realized. Only her vast experience with mortal danger kept her from startling at the more stoic partner's dangerous proximity.
She'd looped her Blazefire over her neck after donning Genesis' coat to allow for an unobstructed quick draw, and her fingers brushed the butt of the familiar weapon to reassure herself that it was still there.
So much for Sephiroth keeping an eye on her back.
With the sheer drop offs on her right, it would take minimal effort for Rude to trip her and make her death seem like an accident.
Was Sephiroth playing games again? Angeal had already confided that Sephiroth had purposefully let those Wutaian soldiers slip into their camp. The only reason she could figure was to check how she'd react.
Was he playing at another sick sort of test?
Though Lightning had no clue how she was supposed to pass it when the test was letting some government spook push her over a cliff or not.
Luckily, Rude never took that step.
They descended the slope as it gentled out into a hilly, quiet town consisting of a dozen run-down structures, the fanciest of which was their lodgings at the heart. The vacancy sign, dangling crookedly from one side, had seen better days.
If accurate advertising was their goal, they couldn't have picked a better signal that this place was rundown. She'd slept in worse, but after nonstop battling for five hundred years in the preternatural realm of Valhalla, preceded by roughing it across Gran Pulse as a fugitive, to winding up here on Gaia, it'd been a very long time since she'd had a hot bath. From the looks of things, she'd be lucky if they had plumbing.
She sighed, resigning herself to not only a fraught night of worry, but another one living off sketch baths and subpar bedding.