Premonitions IV: Dirge of Cerberus
Chapter 4: Back Home
The red-haired captain glared angrily at Vincent, Lucrecia, and Reeve.
"How dare you destroy my Ifrit!" she snapped.
"Captain Mast," Reeve greeted. "Good to see you again."
"Save it, Reeve," Captain Mast replied. "You may have won this time, but when I get back, you'll regret tonight."
Lucrecia immediately aimed the Hanging Judge.
"Going somewhere?" she snapped.
In response, Captain Mast flaunted a pendant that she was wearing around her neck. It had a blinking red light.
"You know what this is?" she warned. "If I fall down dead, it explodes. With enough destructive force to level this entire town."
Lucrecia lowered the Hanging Judge in defeat.
"You have no escape vehicle," Reeve warned.
"I could always ride Vincent," Captain Mast replied with a smirk.
"Say that again," warned Lucrecia, "and I'll kick you in the vagina!"
"Screw this," sighed the redhead as she adjusted her glasses. "I'm not ready to die anyway. The town's yours for now."
With that, she turned an walked off.
"Why are we letting her leave?" Vincent inquired.
"Couldn't we just take her prisoner?" added Lucrecia.
"She has a tracker," Reeve explained. "She'll lead the Eastern troops straight to our hideout."
"Hideout?" asked Vincent.
"I'll explain," Reeve assured him as a van parked next to them. "Good work, Vincent," he added, as the town became more placid. "The enemy is retreating. It seems they have finally begun their withdrawal from Kalm."
"Good," Vincent said.
"But I take it we're not out of the woods yet," Lucrecia added.
Reeve shook his head.
"The Eastern army will no doubt try and track you down. Come in the van with me. I'll take you to the hideout."
Realizing that they had no other option, Vincent and Lucrecia boarded the van.
It then drove out of Kalm.
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
Two WRO soldiers were firing at their enemy.
One of them suddenly ran out of bullets.
"Hey," he commanded, "toss me another clip."
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared under them. A moment later, they were all gone. They had disappeared without a trace.
It began to rain as more WRO soldiers were marching several yards away. Several disappeared in the black void as well, leaving only three remaining.
"Where did everyone go?" demanded one of them.
Suddenly, a barely-dressed woman in red, armed with a blade, appeared on the catwalk.
"Who the hell are you!?" the WRO commander demanded.
"Rosso," the intruder replied. "Rosso the Crimson."
"Tsviets!" exclaimed the commander.
Rosso suddenly opened her blade, revealing two more, slender blades. Less than a second later, she, at superhuman speed, went behind the soldiers, swung her blade, and decapitated all three of them in unison.
"The mighty WRO," she gloated aloud. "They wouldn't last a day in Deepground."
MEANWHILE...
The van continued down the road for a while. The terrain was dark and deserted, seemingly devoid of any activity, Eastern or otherwise. The signs were counting down to the Mythril Mine, meaning they were heading away from Midgar.
When the sign marked two miles, the van suddenly swerved off the road, drove a couple of more miles, and pulled to a stop.
"Here we are," Reeve announced.
He exited the van with Vincent and Lucrecia.
There was a small thicket sitting in front of them.
The van then sped away.
"Come on," Reeve commanded. "Before someone sees us."
"We're hiding in a thicket?" Lucrecia asked skeptically.
"Not quite," Reeve answered.
With that, he led them into the thicket. It wasn't too big; about twenty-five yards square.
Vincent and Lucrecia were wondering what they were doing there; it would certainly be difficult to hide when the edge of the thicket was visible in any direction.
Reeve, meanwhile, approached one of the larger trees. He pushed against it, and, to the surprise of Vincent and Lucrecia, the wall of the tree rolled backward, revealing the metal floor on the bottom.
Vincent and Lucrecia, realizing what this was, followed him in.
The elevator began to descend.
"Such irony," Reeve said. "This place is actually deep in the ground."
"At least we're safe," Vincent observed.
"Until the next mission," Reeve pointed out. "But we have quarters for you down there. For now, you need some rest."
After what seemed like forever, the elevator came to a stop, and Vincent, Lucrecia, and Reeve disembarked.
They were now at what appeared to be a plaza, with restaurants and shops. Five corridors branched off from the plaza.
"Welcome to Sanctus," Reeve announced. "We have a few shops, and infirmary, and enough lodging for three hundred people. In spite of our dangerous position, we're a thriving city, a thousand feet below ground."
Vincent and Lucrecia scanned the area. The floors and walls were steel.
"I never knew this place existed!" Lucrecia exclaimed.
"Few people do," Reeve replied. "And we'd like to keep it that way."
"Who built this?" Vincent inquired.
"We did," Reeve answered. "Originally, to hide from Meteor."
"Wow," Lucrecia said.
"But you both look exhausted," Reeve continued. "Come on. I'll show you to your quarters."
He led them down one of the hallways branching off from the main plaza. Eventually, they arrived at a door, whereupon Reeve gave Vincent a key card.
"This is where you'll be staying," Reeve announced. "Inside, you find all the conveniences you'll need. Even a wardrobe of clothes for both of you. Get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow."
With that, Reeve turned and made his way in the opposite direction.
Vincent then swiped the key card, granting them access to their room.
Inside was a parlor, kitchen, bedroom, and a bathroom.
"This definitely beats the hotel in Kalm!" Lucrecia observed with a smile.
She then turned to Vincent, kissed him, and rested her head on his chest.
Vincent then began to rock her gently.
"I love this," she said.
And then, she pulled back, turned around, and began to walk away.
"Is something wrong?" Vincent asked out of concern.
"Yes," she replied. "I have to go to the bathroom."
She then disappeared in the appropriate room and shut the door behind her.
By the time Lucrecia had returned to the bedroom, Vincent had changed into a pair of pajama bottoms and climbed into bed.
"Worn out already?" she playfully asked.
"Yes," he replied bluntly.
"Me too," she added. "We'll get even with that Eastern captain for ruining our vacation."
"You put up one hell of a fight tonight," he complimented with a smile.
Smiling back, Lucrecia stripped to her underwear and joined Vincent on the bed.
"What a day," she laughed before kissing him and plopping her arm across his bare chest.
"You limped over to the bed," he observed.
"My feet are killing me!" she replied.
"Need a foot rub?"
"No," she dismissed, "I just want you to hold me."
He did just that.
Then they both fell asleep.