SHINRA COMPANY MAIL

FILL OUT ADDRESS BELOW THE DOTTED LINE

FROM: Junon Base via Shinra Tower Mail Forwarding Dept, Midgar Sector 0

IN CASE OF RETURN TO SENDER, ATTN: K. Kohari, Soldier Dept.

TO: 11 Gysahl Road, Township of Kalm

Dear Ma and Pa,

I know, I know. I haven't visited in a while. I hope this letter and the package included will make up for my absence a little. The job is same old, same old. My friend Zack says hi and says he misses your apple pie.

Have some news. I'm sure you heard Rufus on the news. My company ships out in a month. I'm writing from Junon. By the time this letter arrives, I'll probably be halfway to Wutai.

Rest assured, all the news has been saying that Wutai is on its last legs. This will be the final push. We even have the famous Commander Genesis leading the troops. I will be sure to take care. I hope you all do as well.

Say high to little sis for me and don't let her eat all the pie.

With love,

Kunsel

XI. Desultory March

"They cut the bridges here and here," the grizzled man in front of them explained, his dirty helmet set off to one side. They gathered under an olive green tent that doubled as the command outpost while rain poured in sheets outside.

There was indiscernible shouting as men hurried to unload trucks, heavy under the weight of mechs and supplies. A few were stuck deep in mud. Around the hastily pitched barracks laid the remains of a burnt-down town. One sooty sign named it Nanzen, but the only thing left was the stone fortifications that made up its outer perimeter, poke marked by signs of heavy bombardment. The rest of the town was burnt to the studs.

The man in front of them, who introduced himself as Captain Clay Gainsborough when he greeted the Soldier contingent at camp, had grey-streaked hair and an air of experience honed by many years on the front. His gear showed both signs of combat and hard lessons learned. Most of the armor was retrofitted for camouflage. Kunsel noted bits of Wutaian fare incorporated into the garb, either out of practicality or as trophies.

Genesis bent down consideringly, tracing the route on the map.

Behind Genesis, Cloud looked on. The boy - no young man - traded the office uniform Kunsel had always seen for a set of infantry fatigues. There was the insignia of a Specialist on one arm. However, instead of the standard trooper shoulder pads, Cloud wore worn Soldier's bracers. Kunsel can guess who owned them before.

The long blond hair was gone too, cut short. The back of Cloud's neck was shorn down short enough that blond hairs stood straight up, increasing its resemblance to a chocobo. The glasses still hung on his face, probably about to be a nuisance in this weather. The young man had an army helmet under one arm, already smudged with the same green and brown paint he had seen the other troopers at camp wear.

"Where is the front currently?" Genesis asked. Gainsborough's finger moved barely up, tapping a river crossing and then drew a line across to other positions.

"About ten leagues as the bird flies, but we aren't birds, so longer and bloodier," Clay explained, "Without the bridges, we've had to ford the rivers. It's terrible positioning."

Genesis's eyes narrowed and darted along the large operation map spread on the table, heavily marked and lightly stained. Then he looked up at the older man.

"Three bridges are out. Have you crossed all the rivers like this?" If it were possible, Gainsborough's lips set into a grimmer glower, deepening the lines of his face.

"Every damn one." Kunsel drew a breath through his teeth, almost a whistle.

Gainsborough nodded at another map, this one a blown-up view of northern Wutai.

"Fort Tamblin is the last true stronghold. We wanted to get there before the monsoon season," the captain gestured above and around them, "But well, it's as you see. You picked a hell of a time."

Kunsel winced under his helmet. Strategic mastermind, Rufus was not. They deployed right into the worst weather all year. Just crossing the strait had been treacherous, even without Wutaian gunboats taking potshots at the ships. Their first steps after landing on the beachhead hadn't fared much better, for all that it was supposedly secured under Shinra army control. Wutaians had mined every inch they could and dogs were still finding new explosive traps uncomfortably close to camp.

Kunsel stepped closer to the table and asked, "How in hell are we getting there?" Gainsborough laughed, the sound gruff and humorless.

"Starting to get how bad the situation is?" He shook his head and then pointed at a route heavily marked with red. "There's a mountain pass after the river crossing." The route took them past a town named Toin and a river crossing before dumping them at the foot of Mt. Tamblin. Past the fort, the terrain map showed flat high plains surrounding the capital.

Genesis shook his head, "Too exposed. Every Wutaian will our approach."

Gainsborough shrugged. "They already do."

"Slug Rays?"

Gainsborough snorted at the suggestion, "All due respect, sir. Those cheap prototypes? In this weather?"

"So…?" Genesis looked back at the man, one brow raised, face unimpressed.

"It's a battle of attrition," Gainsborough admitted.

The small group was interrupted when Roche and Sebastian ducked into the tent, both drenched from head to toe. Roche forwent his Soldier visor the moment he could, but Sebastian, like Kunsel preferred to keep his on. It was Sebastian who spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," then at Genesis's prompting, continued with his report, "We finished unloading what we can. The mechs will have to wait."

Genesis nodded. "We're done here, for now. Inspect the equipment."

Kunsel followed the rest of the group out.

Genesis didn't go to the mess hall.

Instead, he retreated to his quarters, set up for privacy. The space was more practical than it was comfortable, holding a bed and a desk with a set of chairs. Spread out over the desk was the map Angeal and Sephiroth gave him. The longer he stared, the more he wondered if they had been dropped into a hopeless situation.

The way from Cresent Bay to Nanzen had already been fraught. The road was roughly paved, and frequently sabotaged. They moved some equipment with the Gelnikas, but the entire flight was under seige. They lost two helicopters to Wutai's rockets over an ostensibly Shinra-controlled forest.

Genesis looked up when there was a tap on the flap of his tent, like someone was awkwardly trying to knock when confronted with no doors. "Come in." A head of spikey blond hair popped in. There was a ladened tray in his hand.

"No much option for grub," Cloud explained when he saw where Genesis was looking. Genesis waved him over, and the other man plopped the tray down in front of him. Dry biscuit, beans in a tin, some kind of meat, drenched in a brown sauce, and a beverage that was either coffee or cacao but with the consistency of mud. The kid thoughtfully included a small bottle of hot sauce with the lackluster fair.

At Genesis's look, Cloud shrugged apologetically, "Only the ration packs made it. Fresh food isn't going to get trucked over until the roads are repaired." He pushed the tray closer to Genesis, "Eat."

Genesis grunted and picked up the bread, biting hard into it and pulling a chunk out. He glared at Cloud.

"Where's yours?" Cloud held up the mug in his hand.

"Ate at the mess. Kunsel wanted me to meet the others." Genesis nodded in approval. Having comrades was important on the battlefield. Everyone needed to watch each other's backs out here.

"Did you get kitted out?" Genesis asked instead. Cloud nodded, pulling back a sleeve to show a bracer with four materia slots, filled with green orbs. Genesis sighed. "Keep your advantages hidden." Cloud pulled the sleeve back over his bracer, then motioned behind him.

"I got a rifle as part of the standard issue, and Kunsel found a sword for me."

"Good, make sure to keep up" Genesis then pulled the tray toward himself and slid his map in front of Cloud. "Sit and take a look. What do you think?" Cloud took a seat across from Genesis and took a sip from his mug, eyes scanning the map.

"It's as Captain Gainsborough said," the blond replied grimly, "There's only one road to Toin."

Genesis leaned a cheek on one palm as he waved his fork over the map in a circle.

"Road, yes," Genesis said, then shot a conspiratorial smirk at Cloud. "Did you know that roads usually follow geographical features? Mountain ridges, valleys, and-"

"Rivers," Cloud said, eyes widened with realization.

Sebastian was woken up by screeching and gunshots. He sprung to his feet, already grabbing for his saber. His bunkmates stirred as well. Sebastian didn't wait though.

Outside, there was pandemonium. The pungent scent of gunpowder hit him as soon as he stepped out. On top of a watch tower near their barracks, someone was shooting into the night.

"What are you waiting for?" a trooper shouted, rifle in hand, "Make yourself useful!" Sebastian watched him run up the steps to the lookout tower but he was too late. There was a shriek as a flying monster, feathers so dark it blended into the night, slammed into the gunman. The man screamed as claws sank into an unprotected neck beneath his helmet. The remaining trooper emptied a clip into the bird. Its shrieking was answered by another just outside the walls. The trooper turned to fire as Sebastian ran up the steps.

Above Sebastian, there was the sound of a click and then cursing.

"Fucking jams at the-"

There was a scream as Sebastian reached the landing. A Wutaian thunderbird was ripping into the trooper. Without hesitating, Sebastian ran the bird through with his blade. When there were no more monsters, Sebastian reached down to check on the trooper.

Claws left deep gashes across the man's chest. He was no longer breathing. Behind Sebastian, Luxiere also followed. He knelt beside the gunman, who was still gasping.

"Shit, man. Hold still," Luxiere said, holding out a hand that was already glowing green with a spell. The man reached out a bloody hand to paw at Luxiere's chest, still clad only in the undershirt he slept in.

"G-gun. G-get the gun," he gurgled, each word bringing up fresh blood. His radio stuttered to life. Sebastian grabbed it and let Luxiere concentrate on healing the wounded man.

"Come in, East Tower, come in."

Sebastian answered, "We got attacked. The gunner's out of commission." The person on the other side cursed.

"We have choppers coming in hot." The man sounded almost panicked. Sebastian frowned.

"Ours?"

"Yeah, ours. Being circled by more of those damn birds." Sebastian cursed too.

"We'll handle them. Send reinforcements as soon as you can."

"Copy."

Sebastian grabbed hold of the large mounted gun and stared out into the night. He realized as he watched that the other towers guarding the Nanzen camp were also shooting. There were a few watch lights that swept the surrounding forest, illuminating menacing shapes that quickly darted out of sight.

In the distance, Sebastian saw the artificial lights of the incoming helicopters. Their blades were lit at the ends, drawing circles in the night sky. Every once in a while, the circles of light were broken by shapes flying in front of them. Sebastian cursed and pressed down on the trigger.

Kunsel instinctively raised an arm over his face as the down thrust of the helicopter flung water and mud across everything. Sebastian and Luxiere ran to join him, finally relieved from their temporary post on the tower. Gainsborough was also awake and directing the ground crew, though looking less put together than when they met him during the day.

The monsters retreated, for now.

Men in medical gear ignored the splash, hauling stretchers as they raced to meet the landing chopper. One man, still conscious, could be seen carefully lowered. His helmet was gone and even from their distance, they could see his hair matted with blood. He had one hand pressed over his abdomen, where it was doing barely enough to keep his intestines in his body instead of spilling out. A medic stepped in and the man was out of sight. Gainsborough's face was pale and drawn.

Sebastian was the one who rounded on the captain, demanding, "Where are your field healers?"

Healing materia came standard in the Soldier kit, greatly simplifying medical care. Yet, not a single medic in the camp reached for one.

Gainsborough snorted. "Army didn't get materia. Weren't even trained. Do you think many can cast cure? Too expensive for the company and too few with sufficient mana pools. We only started getting fire materia a few months ago."

Fuck. Just how badly did the company fumble this whole thing?

"That's insanity," Gainsborough shook his head. Genesis felt a flash of irritation but bit back his more acerbic words.

"It's strategy," Genesis insisted instead.

The morning was spent taking stock after the attack the night before. Afterward, Genesis pulled the captain aside.

"The river path is madness," Gainsborough sighed, visibility giving in, "You've seen the monsters we get here. it's worse further out. Mechs won't help. Air support isn't possible. If the razor weeds don't get you, the flyers will."

"But…?"

Gainsborough looked at the map and the second route through the jungle. His tone turned considering.

"It's monster-infested. Impossible for regular army, but maybe not for Soldiers," he looked up with a hint of hope, "But if it's impossible for us, the Wutaians will have a hard time too."

The captain unfolded a more detailed area map.

"There's a patch of land south of Toin that makes an ideal landing strip. If we capture that, Toin will fall," he circled the map, "We can create a diversion here at the pass."

Genesis nodded.

"We'll assemble a small strike team. The rest of Soldier will join you on the northward push."

"Well, Commander," Gainsborough smiled grimly, "If you pull this off I'll owe you a drink back in Midgar." Genesis huffed, indignant.

"There is no if. Better be a man of your word, captain."

Kunsel followed the trooper who orientated them to camp in an almost bored tone.

"Don't get too comfortable. There are caves and booby traps all around the hills. We had to plug up several secret tunnels right here in the village. So, keep your wits about you, huh?" the private continued, "Already got a taste of old fashioned Wutaian hospitality last night."

The trooper then waved at them to follow again. "Let me show you the lay of the land while the weather holds."

They didn't have to walk far to reach the steps of a Wutaian rampart connected to a half-destroyed watch tower and reinforced with sandbags. From their vantage point, they had a commanding view of the valley below and the mountaintops beyond.

"Jensen," a trooper greeted from the landing and resumed scanning the treetops. Around them, there were patches of brown, bare areas of scarred land where Shinra tried to burn out the enemy. Genesis and Cloud were already there, Genesis with binoculars in hand.

"You can see the river barely through there," their guide gestured. Kunsel looked further out toward the mountain itself, its steep sides densely forested and capped by wispy clouds.

"That Mount Tamblin then?" The Jensen tilted his head.

"The one with the smoke, sir." He answered.

"Smoke?" Sebastian yelped.

It was Cloud who answered, "The entire island is volcanic. Mount Tamblin is a volcano."

Roche who was uncharacteristically silent until then bursted out, "What? There's volcanos? Here?" Kunsel would have face-palmed if his visor wasn't in the way. Guess no one paid attention to the briefing then. Cloud shrugged.

"The entire island chain formed from volcanos," he explained, sounding more like a scientist than a trooper, "However it is estimated that only thirty percent are currently active. Most volcanoes have been dormant for many years."

"Stop worrying about the volcanoes," Jensen said, "The bigger issue is the fort. Perfect views of the entire valley. It's the perfect choke point."

Kunsel followed Jensen's pointing. Red paint and a tiled roof peeked out over the lush green forest. It was a bright dot on the mountain.

"Then we will have to take it down, and they know it too," Kunsel concluded. Toin, then the fort.

"The mission needs to be carried out with utmost secrecy," Clay warned then pulled up the recent aerial survey of Toin. They were crowded into a bare briefing room, a mix of Soldier and regular army commanders. "Signs of fortifications throughout, but the heaviest is to the east, facing the river crossing." That surprised no one. Shinra had been attacking from that direction for weeks, the steep mountains and dense forests forming natural defenses on the other sides. Even with roads bombed and mined, it was still the easiest way to mount an offensive.

Clay continued, "We've been making the push but now with Commander Genesis's team here, a new avenue has opened."

Rhapsodos took over. "We will be splitting Soldier into three teams. Alpha will be taking the forest way to Toin. Our main mission will be to secure several clearings to the south of the village that are suitable for landing support aircraft. Beta team will join the regular army in making a concerted push in the east, doing what we can to keep Wutaian attention occupied."

"Team Gamma will be taking to the skies. Once the landing zone is secured, the Gamma team will take over and make the final push into the city," Clay said, nodding to his commanders.

Clay already warned Genesis that the plan was risky. The flank was lightly guarded but that still meant a force in the hundreds, and Wutaians had their own brand of bioweapons technology to tame the beasts endemic to the region.

He had heard about how strong Soldiers were and had seen a few in battle before. However, team Alpha will also be the group with no operational support until the village is secured. If they get in trouble out there, there will be no manpower to spare toward getting them out. In Clay's eyes, Genesis looked painfully young to be taking on something like this, but the commander seemed to have the utmost faith that they could pull it off.

"Alpha team will head out tomorrow. We will also commence bombing runs on Toin to keep them busy," Clay continued, "Last day camping on dry land, boys. It will be a three day trek. Better get some rest while you can."

The tent emptied, but Clay was surprised to find Genesis's subordinate (Strife?) staying behind.

"What can I do for you," Clay asked curiously. The boy handed him an envelope.

"Asked to give you this, sir." Clay accepted it, puzzled, but dismissed the boy. Was he playing messenger for the company? Clay couldn't imagine anyone el-

His thoughts stopped when he opened the envelope. The words revealed Elmyra's familiar cursive. Peeking out was paper pressed with bright yellow flowers. The sight made Clay's vision blur with tears. He looked up, mouth open to ask Strife about it, but the blond was already gone.

"... move out after the resupply arrives..." Sebastian trailed off as he noticed Genesis blink and rub his forehead with a grimace of pain o his face. His aide walked to his elbow, a furrow in his brow.

"Genesis?"

The commander waved him off then barked, "We will reconvene tomorrow." Sebastian glanced at the young man over Genesis's shoulder, and the aide shook his head. Then, he jerked his head towards the door. Sebastian took the dismissal it was meant to be and strode out, Luxiere close on his heels.

"Who was that?" Luxiere asked as he increased his pace to match Sebastian's once they cleared the command center, "The kid."

"Strife," Sebastian answered succinctly, recalling his silent presence next to Genesis during their briefing.

"Okay," Luxiere pressed, "Scuttlebutt is...he's the commander's little bed warmer?" Sebastian stopped, causing Luxiere to backpedal. Sebastian gave Luxiere a lot of leeway, as he did all his men, but here he shot Luxiere a warning glare.

"Specialist Strife," he emphasized, "He's Genesis's aide and right-hand man."

Luxiere scoffed, "More like his right hand. I don't see him coming up the ranks like we did."

"You think there's enough room between Genesis and Angeal for someone else?" Sebastian asked incredulously. There wasn't anything official but has Luxiere seen those two?

Luxiere scoffed as Sebastian considered his words.

It's true.

Strife looked like a half-grown waif, and the fact that he didn't struggle through the Soldier program and yet was favored by a First was a point of contention among the men. Until a few months ago, Strife had been listed as a civilian, a student even. Something happened since, and when orders came down Genesis didn't leave him in Midgar.

It didn't help the rumors that they seemed close.

But Sebastian had seen Strife and the commander interact. And all Sebastian could say was that he approved. The rest of Soldier… well, it remains to be seen whether Cloud could win them over.

Gun heard the tumbler as Elena put it down on the counter. Gun buried her face further in folded arms. Ice clinked against glass. Gun groaned.

"No. I just want to drown in alcohol," she said, trying to wave the glass away. She knew her sister had switched the contents for water three drinks ago.

The music in the background was dialed to Loveless. It made Gun feel maudlin. It's been months since Rod...Well, they had scrubbed all existence of him away. Personal effects were either claimed by Turks or burned. His old case files were vetted and sealed. His desk was empty. Who knows who will sit there next?

"Nu-un," Elena swiftly moved the glass out of her reach, "Not until you spill, you aren't. This isn't healthy, Em."

"Don't say my name," Gun hissed. She buried her head deeper into her arms and let out a deep breath.

"Seriously, I'm worried for you." Gun looked up at her kid sister, then finally lifted a hand and ruffled her hair.

"You're a good kid. Can't keep your mouth shut, but you're a good kid."

"Hey!"

Gun turned serious.

"I'm planning to resign from the Turks." Elena's eyes slowly turned wider and wider, her mouth agape as she processed the bombshell her sister had dropped.

"What? But it's been your life! Can Turks even do that?"

Gun shook her head. Bad choice. She grimaced in pain as she explained.

"The night Tseng discovered the terminal breach in Sephiroth's office. Seems odd even at the time. Sephiroth is disciplined with his time, but who'd know his schedule? Someone knew the access codes, knew how to break in, and knew the guard rotations and cameras enough to be undetected."

Elena nodded, following along. Gun might make fun of her sister's big mouth but for truly deadly secrets, Elena could be trusted. She is after all sister to a Turk.

"And Reno- we didn't plan on going to that slummy bar. But Reno was there often enough that someone marked him. That was no coincidence."

Elena hummed. "One of the slum orgs? But Shinra bankrolls all of them." she sat down next to Gun, nursing her own drink. Steam floated up and the string of a tea bag hung over the side of the mug in her hands.

"I considered it. It was bothering me a while," Gun replied, eyebrows furrowed, "Someone who knows the movement of the general, all the Turk operatives, our standard operating procedures for interrogation-"

"You mean a mole."

"Not just anyone. Think Elena, who has the most to gain from the president's death?"

"You don't mean-"

"Rufus was on my line. That means he knew about the operation down to the details. Because he was in the command center. With Veld." Elena frowned and took a large gulp of her tea.

"But why? I thought Veld is Shinra's man through and through." Gun shook her head. She needed another drink for this conversation to happen. She stood up and reached for the whiskey, only for Elena to slide it out of reach again.

"Maybe, I don't know. You weren't there when they fished Felicia's body out of the rubble. In Kalm."

"Felicia?"

"His daughter." Gun swirled the amber liquid in her glass and reminisced. Veld was a changed man after that. Elena hummed thoughtfully.

"You know, that's reason to stay. To get to the bottom of things, you'll need access, right?" Gun nodded tiredly. Elena put an arm around her sister, "Sleep on it. You can decide what to do when you're sober."

"Murder? In broad daylight?"

"Of Turk assets," Lazard confirmed.

"Why're they asking for Soldier support for something like this?" Lazard shook his head.

"The honest answer? I don't know. Most Turk informants have very shady dealings, so a few going missing isn't particularly remarkable," He leaned back against his chair, a hand to his forehead looking more haggard than usual, "Reno has a few leads in the slums, so Tseng tasked him with leading this one. Might be big."

"Lazard," Zack frowned. "You don't look too good. What's wrong?"

Lazard indeed looked like death warmed over. His face was drawn and his fingers was rubbing his temples in small circles. They had just finished their briefing but the director was distracted the entire time.

"Just, under the weather," Lazard reassured, then swiftly changed topics, "Meet your Turk counterparts at B-1 vehicle storage." Zack nodded and left Lazard to head down.

"Zack," Sephiroth greeted outside Lazard's door. Zack waved back to him. Sephiroth looked from him to the closed door of the briefing room.

"You received your mission?" He asked instead.

"Yeah," Zack answered, then whined a little in a petulant tone, "Another Turk gig." Sephiroth smirked at his tone.

"Such a puppy," the man teased, and Zack internally groaned. Angeal's nickname stuck. Without prompting, Sephiroth stepped aside to let Zack pass. Zack waved at him.

"See you soon."

"Zack, " Sephiroth suddenly called just as Zack reached the elevator bank. He hadn't even realized the other man was following him. Sephiroth paused, "Be careful."

Zack gave him a thumbs up as the glass doors closed around him and the floor floated up, taking the silver general out of sight.

Reno and a brunette greeted him at the car park. Uncharacteristically, neither were in their typical Turk attire. It was the most casual Zack had ever seen Reno, and considering Reno was Reno, that was saying quite a lot.

"Yo," Reno said simply, slinging a weapon across his shoulder that Zack hadn't seen before. The other Turk waved sedately as Reno introduced them, a small duffle bag slung over her shoulder and a shuriken strapped to her back. "This is Cissnei."

Zack followed them to a nondescript car.

"So, no helicopter ride today?" Zack asked.

"Nah, we are gonna be a bit more incognito for this one," Reno answered as he climbed into the driver's seat. Cissnei gestured to the passenger door and then settled in the back, her shuriken set down next to her. Zack sat down next to Reno, sword slung awkwardly across the seat, and realized why Cissnei let him sit shotgun.

As Reno started the car, Cissnei said, "We're driving only part way, to the train station." Cissnei tossed forward the duffle bag and Zack caught it deftly, even while he looked to Reno in askance. Cissnei huffed. "They really didn't explain anything, huh?"

Reno smirked, "Glad to know Soldier isn't too leaky." He shifted gears and pulled slowly out of the lot. "Lose the armor and put on what's in the bag. Can't do much about the eyes but we'll manage." Zack looked down at the bag and unzipped it to reveal a navy jacket. He twisted in his seat and around his sword (never thought he'd wish for an army transport truck before) as he stripped off his shiny new pauldrons and belt. He wrapped the belt twice around the metal, making sure they didn't clatter before stuffing everything back into the duffle.

"Hey!" Reno protested, swerving when Zack accidentally elbowed him as he pulled on the jacket. It was a bit tight around the shoulders and Zack slipped his sword harness back on over everything. Cissnei giggled.

"Looking good," she said, a thumb flashing up and held up to the rearview so Zack could see. Zack flashed her a shit-eating grin.

"Oh yeah, I do." He liked Cissnei already.

"Right," Reno said, eyes still on the road as they left the Tower behind them, "Once we get to the train station, we are going to be three topsiders, excited to check out Wall Market for the first time."

Huh. Zack crossed his arms over his chest and the sleeves pulled tighter. It wasn't uncomfortable but enough Zack noticed.

"What's all the cloak and dagger for?" Zack asked as he rolled up the sleeves as far up as he could. Reno followed the roadway signs for "Sector Six" as he explained.

"The slums are ruled by a few bosses of different family businesses, most of them having dealings with Shinra. The company spreads it out a bit, let them keep each other in check. Catch my drift?"

"Family businesses?" Zack asked, rubbing his chin, not really getting it.

"Mostly above board," Cissnei cut in, then paused. "Well, as above board as you can get in the slums."

"Crime families," Reno stated more bluntly, "Though some did clean up over the years, the boss of Wall Market is the grimiest they come." Zack frowned.

"Wait, Lazard said there'd been murders."

"We thought it was a turf war. But lately… well. Seems the Don is cleaning house." Zack winced. That sounded like nothing good.

"So it's a gang war. Why are the Turks getting involved, or bringing in Soldier for that matter?"

Cissnei leaned forward. "Originally we didn't. But things are getting worse and what's more…"

"Someone is adding fuel. Supplying weapons, fighters." Reno finished grimly. He pulled the car smoothly into the parking lot at the Sector Six train station. "It's been destabilizing the power structure under the plate."

"So you need more firepower," Zack surmised. Reno cocked his head, grinned, then opened the driver's side door.

"When did you get so smart?"

AN:

I spent so much time looking up videos about the Vietnam War and WWII to write the next few chapters that YouTube algo now thinks I'm a war history nut.

After this chapter, I will be going to a roughly 2 week update schedule.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!