Tales of Midgar Messages 31-66 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 31 From: Fyre Byrd Date: Fri Dec 24, 1999 5:34pm Subject: Soul Search - Teck His brain moved, made a single thought, and his mouth opened. Oxygen spilled into his lungs, filling him again, cleansing his blood. His brain made another sluggish command and his eyes flickered open, watching the low ceiling with fuzzy vision. His flesh felt unreal, his lips were cold, and his eyes felt dry. Concentrating on breathing and blinking his eyes, Teck permitted a low moan from his throat to surface. Maybe someone was around and would hear him. Maybe someone could tell him what happened and where he was and why he felt as if a big portion of his memory had been wiped clean. The earliest memory he had was . . . He swallowed and realized he couldn't remember even that. His thoughts became fuzzy, and dark. "Please.." 32 From: Fyre Byrd Date: Fri Dec 24, 1999 5:36pm Subject: A Soldier and a Puppet - Serah After dropping the bags of dust off, her pockets felt lighter, as did her consciousness. Pulling her dark cloak closer, she moved down the cleaner streets on top of the plate. She scanned the alleys looking for the grate she had left cracked open as a means of returning to the undercity. Serah gazed at the city around her, the large homes, the wealthier, better off citizens of Midgar and felt a feeling akin to hopeless settle in her stomach. Even these citizens were trapped up here, albeit better then her life of squalor under the plate.. There was no exit. The gates were locked; you needed permission from the government. She spat on the ground and continued on. Government.. like kings they lived, as we toiled.. or tried to, with the lack of jobs present, until our dying breath fell from our lips. And then our corpses would be used to fertilize their lawns, I bet. All for the President's pleasure.. that's all we live for. Slaves. The Shinra Building, so close, so tempting to hurl a rock through on of the glass windows, and hear the satisfying shatter.. Serah smiled evilly, unconsciously looking for a rock strewn to the side… but there were none, not up here. Of course not. She stopped in front of the building and glared at it. Was Rufus in there, the cannibal…? He eats his people alive, and spits them… then demands the work, and pay his taxes, and live, but not prosper.. Loathing fill her deeply within. Just as she turned, her feet scuffling on the rich pavement, a moan came from the steps out of view. Serah turned, silent. "Please.." a voice said, obviously in pain. She climbed up the steps, closer to the Shinra Building, to find a battleground… Serah gasped and wondered why Rufus would leave such a thing on his doorstep. Many dead, fallen soldiers and citizens lied here, bloody from the riot yesterday. And then the voice again. "Oh.. ma'am… please." Turning her head, she saw him… 33 From: Fyre Byrd Date: Fri Dec 24, 1999 5:37pm Subject: An Angel and a Soldier - Teck His eyes fell upon an angel. She stood there, poised like a deer, ready to run, but she stays, he said to himself.. she stays like the forgiving angel she is, to take me up.. to the Promise Land. The angel moved closer, holding her hand out timidly. Her breath held, she crouched down and took his head, holding it between her hands with the utmost grace. A green orb, warm to the touch, appeared in her hand, and her lips moved. His wounds mended themselves slightly and breathing became easier. "An angel…" Teck finally murmured. The angel looked surprised and said, "No.." but she helped him up by his arm, and took him down the steps. He limped along with her, watching her carefully, waiting for her spout wings. With grim determination on her face, she moved him down an alley, to grate.. and eventually, to her home, deep in the undercity. 34 From: cdleckie Date: Fri Jan 7, 2000 10:20pm Subject: Azrael- Lock down Azrael got up to leave the cafe. He had been sitting there all day and no one had asked for him to do a job. It was the dingiest place in all the slums and even here Shinra kept him out of a job. The damn soldiers had been patrolling the streets every 30 minutes since the riots at the Shinra Building. Azrael paid for the coffee and picked up his bag. He had spent almost all his money on the last job and he was down to whatever he had on him. At least his landlord was too afraid of him to evict him. Ever since he had threatened to burn down the apartment building the man had left him alone. If he didn't find work fast though, Azrael would have to find somewhere else to stay, and that meant the streets. As he walked out the door Azrael made a decision. He was going to leave Midgar, in a few days when his money ran out. He could find someone with a key and slip through one of the gates into the slums when the patrols were being switched. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Sorry about leaving but if no ones gonna write I'm gonna make up my own story line with npc's outside of Midgar. Doesn't anyone need something done!? ~ohmsford 41 From: Arcana Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 0:04am Subject: Chapter 3: Through Men's Eyes Tales of Midgar Chapter 3: Revolution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Jarred nodded slowly, sipping at his coffee. "Yeah, it has been." Fred stretched back on his chair, looking up at the large decorated tower previously known as the Shinra Tower. It was now the Midgar Tower. However, much more had changed than the name. "I almost feel at peace here. Prime Minister Katerina's really done a lot for the city." "I still think the reason the crime shot down was because of the military rule..." Fred frowned. "Oh yeah, _that_." Thompson, who was listening to the entire conversation, said, "What was this?" He was from Nibelheim, and had just been transferred to Midgar to start work on radio transmissions. Fred looked at Thompson and scratched his greying beard. "Martial law. Just after Rufus left, we had the military take over the government until they could get a real person there. Although they appointed Heidegger as president, we all knew what was really happening." Jarred added, "I don't think they really went to harsh measures to keep it a secret from us, though. The god-damned military shot anyone breaking a law... they killed rapists, burglars, and murders liberally." Fred snickered. "On the plate, anyhow. Under the plate, it was a mess. It still is, too. All the garbage and stuff is down there, and it's still dark, and the plants haven't grown back yet." "I heard they were starting a project to provide light to the slums," said Thompson. Fred rolled his eyes. "They don't have enough power for that. In their Mako days, they could have done it easily. Power was so cheap then. But now, uranium's not cheap and it doesn't generate as much power, so we're all paying more bills and stuff. I would have kept with the Mako stuff..." "That stuff killed the planet and plant life!" Jarred said in protest. Fred shrugged. "It kept me and my family warm. We also had a car back then... it was just all-round cheaper living back in the day." "Your cars and lanterns and stuff were walking time-bombs!" said Jarred. "Come on. It's not as big an issue as it was before. The new hydro plant will be completed in a few months. That'll decrease the power prices." Fred nodded, lifting the deck of cards and shuffling. "It better." Thompson slurped at his drink, and then asked, "What happened after the martial law?" Jarred jumped in before Fred could answer. "Well, there was a time when the population refused to follow the military rule... so they declared an open election." "The military always intended for a democracy. You could tell from that Tyr Signus guy's speeches. All talking about the new age after the Revolution..." Jarred shrugged. "Well either way, we got our democracy. That young woman, Prime Minister Evyns got in... I thought it was surprising. She used to be a teacher. No politics at all." "I was sort of surprised as well, but she had some really good platform ideals." "Like what?" Thompson asked. "She wanted to help clean up the city... make it more environmentally friendly," Jarred said. "Reduce crime, to beef up Midgar's communications, to basically give it a higher standard of living." "I think the most important thing she ever did was to just let corporations do what they wanted to without needing to work through the government," Fred mumbled. "All sorts of businesses are popping up all over the place. Trevvik Visions has really brought up the stocks all over Midgar... the high-tech sector is booming. It wouldn't have ever been like that under Rufus, the moneysucking jerk. He raised taxes and..." Jarred burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Fred demanded. Jarred lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you liked Rufus' age of Mako." Fred frowned. "No Rufus. Mako's not so bad, but Rufus was horrible. I hear that he's being his own righteous jerk-self in Junon over there." "They're building up border armies," Thompson said. "The planes detour through Fort Condor nowadays over the ocean, when they used to fly over Junon. They say that Rufus has launched threats of planes flying over their airspace." "I wonder how that young Evyns will hold under war. She's been strong enough against political pressure... three years of office and no sign of breaking yet. But war's so different." Fred shrugged. "It'll be tough dealing with that..." "But it's so close," Thompson replied. "Rufus uses all the Mako junk and all that to build a mega-army. No one else does that, not even us, so he technically has a superior army force than we do." "But we've got resources, money, and technology," Jarred said. "I think we can handle it." "There are too many other issues, though," Fred said. "We're facing a poverty crisis, we don't have enough of a military, there's still underground crime everywhere, gas prices are rising, and Junon's ready to make war with us. Who knows what'll come up next... something crazy... like Sephiroth coming back and killing us or something..." Jarred shook his head. "Damn. Sephiroth, don't even mention him. I've only seen him on T.V. and he already freaks me out..." Fred held up his deck. "Hey, want to play some Rummy?" Thompson nodded. "Sure..." -- /-|rcana ----- ----- * ----- ----- Tales of Midgar - Final Fantasy VII Interactive Fiction! NOW SEEKING NEW MEMBERS! *** http://midgartales.tripod.com *** Pern - Araby Weyr: http://Araby.tripod.com/ FF7 - Tales of Midgar: http://ArcanaTxM.tripod.com/ Xenogears - DeM: http://project_xat.tripod.com/ 42 From: Edwyn Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 2:54am Subject: Rufus in Junon (or: Mr. Adem goes to Midgar) * * * Tales of Midgar --------------- Rufus in Junon (or: Mr. Adem goes to Midgar) * * * The pain. The relentless, unending pain coupled with the feeling of icy cold from the metal stairway. Plus a slight headache. That was all the scientist could think of, as he sat upon the stairway that he knew would be his final resting place. He was slumped into an awkward and undignified position, but there was little he could do about that. Having one's spine snapped into several pieces tended to restrict the movement of most humanoids. Using what little self control he could muster, the scientist nudged his head into a new position, elliciting several hisses of pain, so that he could observe the only other living human left aboard this vessel. And watch with grim satisfaction as this other human died along with him. Oh, he wasn't dead yet, of course. He was still moving about, trying to unseal the doors that would grant him escape from this steel prison. But he wasn't going to make it, the scientist was sure. There had to be SOME justice in this world that wouldn't allow this saboteur go free. Years of research and experiments.... All wasted in an instant.... "You're going to die, Mr. Adem," the scientist spoke up in a harsh whisper, watching the man in the blue suit work at the controls to the door. "You're going to die, and I'm going to watch. And I'm going to enjoy it. Do you hear me, Mr. Adem?" The man the scientist had called Mr. Adem didn't bother to respond, not pausing in his work on the door, battling with an electronic lock that had automatically put itself in place when the.... test subjects got free. "I bet you didn't think of this when you decided to play animal rights activist, did you? I can't prove it was you, Mr. Adem, but I KNOW it was you. Things just.... haven't been working right ever since you came on board," The scientist coughed, bringing up a throatful of blood and bile. The man in blue continued to ignore him. "I knew I should have.... dug deeper into your history.... A perfect record? Too perfect.... Too perfect...." Smacking away the bitter taste from his mouth, the scientist continued, "First there were the little things.... Missing notes and test results.... Measuring devices that were giving skewed and faulty readings.... A robotic arm system malfunctioning and spilling a beaker.... Causing an entire batch of test cells to be ruined...." He cracked a smile, "And then some of the larger ones.... Like the one time we set several test subjects free into the wild because we thought nothing had happened after we injected test cells into it." The scientist coughed out a laugh, "That was very well done, I have to admit, though.... I'll have to figure out how you managed to access our secured files through that dinky pocket computer of yours...." He paused, "Oh wait, guess that's not going to happen. I'm dying." He laughed harshly, "What a joke, eh?" The man in blue continued to work at the electronic lock. Over his shoulder, the scientist could see the man holding a device with a row of ten coloured LEDs. Each representing a part of the ten digit code that barred the door, the scientist could guess. Currently, two out of the ten LEDs were green, leaving the other eight red. He wasn't going to make it. Definitely. "But you really bit off more than you could chew when you decided to release the locks on ALL the cages, you know...." The scientist continued, not really caring if his current companion was listening or not, "With that large a number of unauthorised lifeforms running around, the hardwired automatic security systems took over, overriding all other priority signals, even those of the command crew...." The scientist laughed, "I bet even YOU were surprised when this whole place started locking itself down, left, right and centre, completely ignoring whatever you tried to input into your little computer.... A pity the sealing system wasn't in time to save me and my spine but.... oh, well. Easy come, easy go, eh?" He shifted his eyes slightly to see the body of the monster that broke his own body. Or at least, half of the monsters body. It appeared that the beast wasn't fast enough to escape being cut in two by a heavy security door, "At least the beasty who did it got his in the end." He laughed again, coughing up even more blood as he did so. "And now.... We reach the end. Soon this place will reach it's final destination and the threat onboard this ship will be neutralised." One of the LEDs shifted from green to red. There was an almost imperceptable twitch from the man in blue. "Oh, am I making you lose your concentration, Mr. Adem?" The scientist commiserated in a mocking tone, "I'm truly sorry. It's just that I find it very difficult to feel any compassion for the man who ruined my entire work here. On the otherhand, I do feel QUITE happy knowing that in spite of the fact that you managed to escape the various nasties so far: You. Will. Die." He smirked mirthlessly, "Makes me feel all warm and tingly inside." The last green LED slipped from green to red. The scientist's grin widened in triumphant. Until the double doors suddenly opened, whipping the room with the rushing air from the outside. The man in blue stood up from the electronic lock, now completely defunct, and took a look outside, completely unbothered by the buffeting winds that were whipping at his tie and the flaps of his suit jacket. The scientist's face mirrored the shock that he felt at the man in blue's success, "How.... No.... You couldn't have...." The scientist began to babble desperately, "Even with the doors open, you can't escape! You can't jump out, you fool! We're thousands of miles up in the air! Flying at almost supersonic speeds! Even if you managed to land in a body of water, the impact will still kill you! You will die, Mr. Adem! You have to! YOU HAVE TO DIE!" He screeched out the last sentence, almost as if he were trying to make true his belief through sheer force of will. The man in blue turned his head, and for the last time in his now shortened lifespan, the scientist could see the face of Mr. Adem. It was a cool, impassive face, lined with age and framed by short cropped white hair. Similarly cool grey-blue eyes stared at the scientist emotionlessly, taking in the sight of the man's broken body with extreme detachment. It was, in short, not the kind of face one would like to see on one's deathbed. He then spoke, a calm, low voice that seemed out of place considering the current situation, "Goodbye, professor. It has been interesting working with you." He then turned back to the open door, and without further preamble, jumped. The scientist screamed, and he continued to scream as the private research plane, known as Gelnika, fell out of the sky and streaked towards its final destination on the bottom of the ocean floor. *** The people of Junon watched and listened to the current president of Shinra with rapt admiration. Whether it was from their televisions sets, tuning into their radios, or standing around as part of an audience of thousands in front of the Junon townhouse: they were all enraptured by the message the young blond-haired president presented to them. A message of an unforgiveable act.... ".... broke into a Shinra laboratory and stole several canisters of a toxic gas known as Black 36, which was to be disposed and broken down into harmless chemicals only a day after they were stolen. Showing a callous disregard for human life, these terrorists.... AVALANCHE.... released the gas into several sectors, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocents...." Of a struggle to restore order in the chaos and destruction.... ".... unable to find any means of neutralising the Black 36 gas when it was in its airborne state, nor were the police able to ascertain the locations from which AVALANCHE were releasing the gas...." Of sacrifice for the common good.... ".... given the choice between staying in Midgar and letting the destruction continue.... Or leaving the government and its handling to the terrorists who had us in their thrall.... Realising that our presence would only result in the deaths of more of my faithful citizens, my cabinet and I.... and I say this with some shame.... abandoned Midgar to these filthy ruffians...." And a call to arms.... ".... But I have not been idle, my friends! My countrymen! In the three years since our exile from Midgar, I have been building an army large enough to take down these unwholesome terrorists from the positions they have earned unjustly! I ask you now: Will we let our fellow citizens live under this yoke, this yoke of terror and fear, a moment longer?" The cry from the crowd was unanimous: AVALANCHE must pay. Set Midgar free. All of Junon was convinced that the events that had taken place in Midgar was all the fault of a single terrorist group. But it was all lies. All of it. President Rufus Shinra stepped down from the podium overlooking the throng amidst cheers and whistles, as well as a rallying cry of, "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus!". As he stepped through the porticulis seperating his office from the outside balconey, he was greeted by a group of reporters and cameramen who had been fortunate enough to be granted a behind the scenes interview with the young president. "Mr. President, when are you planning your mobilising against Midgar...?" ".... what measures will be taken in order to rebuild the broken city....? ".... there are rumours that say that Midgar is planning an assault of it's own, what do you say to that, Mr. Presient?" "Mr. President, what do you say to allegiations that YOU were the one who actually released Black 36 into Midgar?" Flashing a winning smile at the onslaught of questions, he put up both of his hands and sighed apolegetically, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I really don't feel up to taking questions today. Another time if you would all please?" The reporters were about to try another round when they were intercepted by an arm that tried to cover several camera lenses at once. "All right, you heard the president, break it up," The Turk known as Tseng served as crowd control and began pushing back the crowd through a set of double doors that led to a plush carpeted hallway. Smiling apologetically, Rufus gave a shrug of helpless indifference as the Turk successfully got all the reporters out into the hallway to be escorted out by a pair of soldiers. Once Tseng had closed the double doors however, the presidents face immediately soured, "Vultures. Maggots. All of them. Why I put up with their 'journalism', I really don't know." "Excellent speech out there, sir," Tseng remarked to Rufus after securing the doors. "I have to admit, even I was convinced of AVALANCHE's involvement back there." "Yes, well, it doesn't appear to have affected everybody," Rufus tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Do you have the name of the reporter who asked that question about me dumping Black 36 into Midgar?" He moved over and sat next to a low table, upon which had been set up a chess board that looked to be in the middle of a session. "Yessir," Tseng replied, taking a seat opposite the blonde president, "I'll take a couple of men and have a look over the files at his station later on." "Excellent, excellent." Rufus nodded in approval, then moved a pawn on the chessboard. "You know the drill, then?" "Of course, sir," Tseng replied. "We DO have to seal up any security or information breaches." Tseng moved a knight to intercept the pawn. "Indeed." Rufus moved the pawn up one step. "And speaking of security breaches, is the eastern border still secure?" "Yessir. We've had some difficulty keeping people going in.... But on the otherhand, we do make sure that they don't get out. Any sort of communication route between Midgar and Junon is nearly impossible, whether by land, sea or air." The Turk considered the board for a moment, then moved a rook down, taking the pawn. Rufus tsked at the move, "Yes.... Only with the gift of hindsight do we see that the limited number of long distance transports in Midgar was a good idea." The president moved a bishop to check the king. "Of course, with so few air transports, we DID have to leave a few people behind.... certain non-essential cabinet ministers.... Like Lilith...." Tseng paused under the icy cold glare of Rufus. A stare that hadn't changed in over 3 years in regards to certain.... touchy subjects. With an oratory grace borne from three years of avoiding those certain subjects, Tseng smoothly changed gears and went onto a different one, "Speaking of long distance transports, however, we've had some reports from long ranged scouts that Midgar MAY be planning to build a shipyard of its own. Up until now, it's been fauirly self sufficient, with large amounts of land available to it to grow its own commodities. But now they're moving to establish trading with other countries. Of course...." Tseng moved his king aside, "that's all guesswork from what the scouts could glean with long ranged binoculars. Midgar is definitely building SOMETHING on the waterfront, but we're not actually sure what it is." "Midgar? With ships? That's not a good combination, Tseng." Rufus brought up his queen and took Tseng's rook. "I know, sir. But so far it's been hearsay and rumours. We haven't actually received anything solid. Mostly due to the fact we don't have any agents or loyal factions inside Midgar to report to us." "So plant someone, damnit," Rufus snapped at his cohort. "And if Midgar IS building a port to encourage trade with her, then have that someone sabotage their efforts. Quickly." "You don't think I've thought of that already, Rufus?" Tseng replied, abandoning the formalities, "We don't have anyone nearly that clever nor sophisticated to do that kind of delicate espionage work. I'm sorry to say this, but the Turks don't exactly pride themselves on their subtlety.... And getting someone from the army to do it would be an even more ludricous idea." Tseng moved a knight up to intercept the queen. "What about Mr. Adem?" Rufus asked, casually moving the queen one space back. "Mr. Adem?" Tseng asked, moving another knight just as casually to keep a tab on the queen's new position. "You know who I'm talking about, Tseng," Rufus replied. "The 'mystery Turk' you, Reno and Rude used to talk about when you thought no one was listening." Rufus smiled as the Turk slapped his forehead and let out a low groan. "Don't worry. It's not much of a security breach when it's me who finds out, afterall." The Turk sighed, then straightened out his tie distractedly, "How did you find out about Mr. Adem, anyway, Rufus? Hardly anyone outside of the Turks knew he existed. I mean...." Tseng's eyes lit up in understanding, "apart from the old pres.... Ahhhh.... I see." "Yes, so you see. It was one of the assets that had been left to me, according to the last will and testament of my old man: 'the services of Mr. Adem'. I wasn't too sure what it meant at the time. Heck, at one stage I even thought Mr. Adem was some kind of chiropracter my old man recommended." Rufus took Tseng's first knight with his queen. "Then I started hearing rumours. At first, picked up from a couple of references you three used to make in passing. Then, from my father's secret files after I managed to get pass the combination lock whose passcode he refused to leave to me. The files spoke of a Mr. Adem, a Turk, who reported only to my father and did little deeds all around the world to make it more.... Shinra Inc. friendly. And what's more he had a 100% mission success rate." Rufus leaned forward over the chessboard, looking intently at Tseng, "That's the man I want, Tseng. I want him to get into Midgar, I want him to find out what dieseased plans they've thought up down there, and I want him to cause the same ruckus he did while he was touring the rest of the world." Tseng was silent for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Rufus, but I'm not sure where Mr. Adem is. Or that he's even alive, anymore." Tseng slid his last rook down to take Rufus' bishop. "The only person Mr. Adem ever reported to was your father, and it was only after it had gone through him that I got the leftovers. Ever since your dad died, I haven't received a single indication that he's still out there. He could have died of old age for all we know." Rufus growled in annoyance. "Isn't there any way to contact him? There must be a way of making sure. He's too valuable an asset to be wasted like this." "If Mr. Adem doesn't want to be found, then he won't be," Tseng replied. "If he's still alive, that is. Besides, in the past it was never a case of your dad contacting him. It was always a matter of Mr. Adem contacting--" There was a rap on the door. "--us." Both men turned to look at it. Then, keeping his expression carefully bland, Rufus asked, "Do you want to answer it, or shall I?" *** "So, you're a Turk, right?" "Yes." "Well.... That's an interesting line of work, indeed. You know, if I didn't get my position in SOLDIER, I'd certainly would have tried for a position amongst the Turks...." A pause. "Well, maybe not. Cloak and dagger tactics and hypersensitive secrecy has always rubbed me in the wrong way. But still, we're both basically in the same business. Protecting the peace for Shinra Inc! That's our life." Silence. "So.... errrr.... How long have you been a Turk, anyhow?" "25 years." "Geez, that's.... that's a damn long time. I didn't think the Turks had even been around that long...." A pause. "And how long were you with Shinra Inc. before that?" "Much." ".... Ah." And that was it, as far as conversation went. As the SOLDIER escorted the Turk upstairs to President Rufus, Darryl Benedict couldn't help but marvel at how this white haired, man in blue managed to get himself an audience with the president. Especially considering the poor first impression the Turk had made when he had been pulled out of the ocean: dripping wet from head to toe and reeking of sulfur. The soldier who'd picked him up first thought that he was some drunk who'd managed to fall off Junon Harbour. The soldier was planning to bung the man into prison for sobering up time when, to his enormous surprise, the man in blue demanded to speak to his superior. And also quoted several obscure clauses and amendments in the Shinra Inc army regulations that justified such a demand. So obscure, in fact, that the officer had been forced to look them up himself in order to prove that they existed. They did, and the Turk was passed to the commanding officer of the Junon Harbour district: Darryl Benedict. In actual fact, Darryl Benedict was in charge of not only the Junon Harbour district, but was also considered the commisioner of the entire Junon area, the head of the training school for SOLDIER potentials (though there weren't many of those anymore. What with the process' of SOLDIER creation locked away in the labs in Midgar), as well as a general of President Rufus' army. The reason he'd been saddled with so many responsibilities was a simple one: Darryl Benedict was unswervingly loyal to Shinra Inc and its cause, and would never stop to question its motives. Just the kind of drone Rufus liked. Of course, Darryl himself would never hear that from those who'd put him in charge, at least not in those terms, anyway. But back to the Turk. The Turk who not two hours ago had been dragged up from the ocean, was still dripping wet, and was going to see the President as he was. Darryl was aware that there was something fundamentally wrong with this picture, but he was keeping silent. Engaging in small talk had proved fruitless, and when he'd tried to refuse the Turks request to see the President, the man in blue had responded with a list of arguments drawn out of the regulations that was so long the SOLDIER was almost reduced to a quivering heap of nerve endings. /Plus,\ Darryl noted as he rubbed his eyes, /he has a stare that's damn hard to go up against. Doesn't he ever BLINK?\ The two reached the top of the stairs, and stopped in front of the double doors leading to the presidents office. Hearing a slightly muffled conversation going on inside, and hoping that this little interruption wouldn't cost him his job, Benedict readjusted the front of his uniform nervously and rapped solidly on the doorframe. The conversation inside the room stopped, and a moment later the door opened, revealing the form of the leader of the Turks. "Yes?" Tseng asked, looking first at Benedict, then turning to see the other Turk and starting in surprise, "You...." "Ahhhh.... Sir, this gentleman requests to see--" Darryl began. "Yes, yes, yes," Tseng interrupted, waving the rest of the SOLDIERs speech. "We know who this man is. Don't worry." He then gestured for the white haired Turk to come into the room, which the man did without hesitation. As Darryl was about to enter the room he was suddenly stopped by a the palm of Tseng's hand, "Sorry general, but this meeting is for the consumption of Turks and President only. For security reasons, I cannot allow you to enter this room in the evnt of an information breach. Please remain out here in the hall, we will require your services later." And with that, the door was shut in his face. Blinking at the somewhat cold shoulder he'd just received, the SOLDIER sighed, then turned to sit on a chair convenient located by the door. After a few minutes of waiting however, curiosity got the better of him and he leaned just a little bit closer to the door to listen in on the muffled conversation going on inside. He still couldn't catch anything intelligeable from the cracks of the doorway, though several words appeared to stand out in amongst the muffled talk. Most notably "Midgar", which was repeated several times. After several more minutes, the muffled talk inside finally subsided, and the sound of footsteps approaching the door could be heard. Quickly springing back to an upright position in his seat, Benedict tried to appear nonchalant as Tseng opened the double doors, exiting the other man in blue. "General Benedict." The SOLDIER stood to attention as Tseng addressed him, "You will escort Mr. Adem here to the hangars and provide him a transport to get him to the eastern border. He will know what to do from there. We will provide Mr. Adem with the supplies and the change of clothing he requires on the way there. Good day." The door shut, and Darryl was once again left with the enigmatic Turl he now knew as "Mr. Adem". "Well.... Folllow me, Mr. Adem," Darryl said, a little relunctantly. He then turned on his heel, and made his way down the stairs again, closely followed by the man in blue. *** "Well, now.... That was certainly an interesting meeting," Rufus remarked, reseated on his side of the chessboard and adressing the similarly seated Tseng. "Yes.... I didn't realise he'd been so busy in the last 4 years since your father's death...." Tseng mused quietly to himself, "If we had a couple more devoted Turks like him...." "I thought you'd started recruiting again?" Rufus asked curiously, taking his revenge on Tseng's rook with his queen. "Yes, but none of them are the calibre required.... Desperate times called for desperate measures so I was forced to lower the requirements. Not a single one of the Turks currently under my command here in Junon have even a tenth of the skill Reno or Rude had. Or even Lars, new as he was," Tseng sighed. "It's a sad day for the Turks, Rufus. I'm just glad Mr. Adem didn't make a comment. I'm not sure how I'd have lived that down." Tseng moved his queen up to check Rufus' king. "Yes... A definite pity," Rufus replied. "But we at least have that one EXCEPTIONAL Turk to rely upon...." He moved a pawn down one step. "Finding out about Hojo's private research plane and then downing it in the Junon Sea? That's certainly the highlight of my day." He smirked in relish, then frowned, "It's a pity he wasn't onboard, though.... That would have killed two birds with one stone." Tseng studied the chessboard, then moved a bishop to take Rufus' pawn, "I'll send some men down in the sub to take a look at salvaging the Gelnika. We'll see what Hojo had planned, and see if we can't steal a couple of his ideas for our own." "Excellent idea, Tseng." Rufus studied the chessboard in deep thought, "Yes, things are finally coming together.... We'll soon be back in Midgar, and be rid of the troublemakers that drove us out in the first place.... For once, everything just seems to be going my way." He moved the queen down to check Tseng's king, then looked up with a triumphant smirk, "Checkmate." *** A week later: Midgar, the city of industrial steel and glass, that rose from the ground like an enormous festering growth that was a blemish on the landscape it inhabited. Despite three years of cleanup works and the cutback on use of Mako energy to run the city, it still couldn't escape that rather unflattering description. Even its inhabitants had to agree: Midgar's resemblance to an enormous zit was a little too close to not be used. But still, that didn't stop the prime minister of the city from trying to improve its looks, and opening it's normally closed gates to people from other countires. Although the influx of people was hampered by the border President Shinra had set up to the west, that didn't stop scores of people coming in trying to make their living or finding an answer in the former "forbidden city". However, this situation had its share of problems. One was that the migration was so bad at one point the prime minister had to set up a formal way of allowing people to enter and leave the city beyond a cheery wave and smile. So, customs offices were set up next to the various gateways around Midgar in order to stem that flow. While it DID slow down the migration process, that delay really didn't mean much to most. It just meant that they had to fill in a couple of forms before they could get in. Customs officer Johnson sighed again and stared at the papers he'd just been handed. /The problem with this job,\ he thought to himself resignedly, /is the amount of weirdoes I have to process.\ Steeling himself at the answers he was sure he was about to receive, the customs officer began to ask the three routine questions as was part of his job, "Name?" The overweight man in the white silk shirt and the heavy jacket that definitely didn't do anything for his figure answered, "They call me: Don Corneo!" Johnson closed his eyes tightly, "Business or pleasure?" "Why.... I'm here to bring joy to the lovely ladies of Midgar! To enlighten them to a world where their every fantasy, every desire could be fulfilled and satisfied with my patented luuuuuuuuuuuurv can--" "Pleasure, it is. Thank you, that will be all," The customs officer stamped the papers in front of him and shoved them into Corneo's hands, before pushing the fat man down towards the entrance into Midgar. He didn't even bother to ask him about his occupation. Sighing in relief at another weirdo gone, Johnson took another set of filled in papers from the next person in the queue. "Name?" he asked, looking over the papers distractedly. "Mr. Adem." The customs officer looked up from the papers at the person standing in front of him. The man had short cropped white hair that covered the top of a head that had a lean, hard face whose gravitas weren't harmed by the lineage associated with age. He was also wearing a neatly pressed blue suit and seemed to be the epitome of neat, business like presentations. Johnson frowned at that small detail: a blue suit. "If you plan to stay in the city long, I'd suggest you not go around dressed as a Turk. People around here have some bad memories about anyone associated with Shinra Inc." "I understand," the man replied. His tone clearly indicated that he wasn't going to change his dress sense anytime soon. Sighing at the spurned advice, the customs officer continued, "Business or pleasure?" "Business." Last question. "Occupation?" "Spy for Shinra Inc." Customs officer Johnson looked up into the impassive blue-grey eyes of the blue suited man. There was a long pause. Then Johnson laughed. "Well, you certainly look like one with your getup!" He laughed some more, completely unrestrained by the level look the man was directing at him. Stamping the papers, he handed them over to the man in blue, "Please, enjoy your stay. And thanks for the laugh, I really needed that." He chortled some more. "Of course," Mr. Adem replied, as he made his way pass the desk. "Whatever you say." *** Mr. Adem stopped at the entrance to Midgar. He slowly turned his calm, impassive face from one direction to the next, carefully taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the city. He noted the bustle of people as they walked, ran, talked, argued, haggled and interacted with one another in general. He noted the buildings that stood, were about to stand, or had been torn done in recent months, and the businesses they held within them, as well as homes. Mr. Adem noted all this, and stepped down unto the street of Midgar. And Mr. Adem disappeared into the city, blending in with the people as if he'd always been there. --- (OOG: Well, that's my chapter done. If anybody has any problems with the chapter, then talk to me about it and I'll see if I can make the required changes. As to when this story takes places, I'll have to assume maybe a week or so before the new TOM starts up.... And BTW, this is probably going to be the longest story I ever write for TOM, so..... Enjoy it while it lasts. ^_^) 43 From: Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 7:02pm Subject: Terror Strikes (1 of 3) Terror Strikes Part 1 of 3 Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 6:30 a.m. The sun doesn't rise below the plate. In the slums of Midgar, the one thing that can always be counted on is that the trains will run on time. With regularity more accurate than clockwork, the train always arrived at the Sector 5 station at precisely 6:38 in the morning. Not 6:37 and certainly not 6:39. The city of Midgar was built on precision. The platform was crowded with people, the look of sleep still clinging to most of them. Every day these people woke up before the sun that they never see rises in the east and go to work at slavishly low wages to support those who live on the plate. Working as the mechanics, the waiters, the street cleaners, the janitors, and factory workers, the slum-dwellers' labor allows the rich to enjoy their life of luxury. Of course, democracy had come to Midgar, but it doesn't extend any deeper than the suns rays. Shivering in the early morning air, Jacob Tempkins glanced up at the clock. 6:30, eight minutes until his train arrived. A monitor hung over the train platform, displaying the news. The anchorman was talking about the upcoming Hector Jaive trial. Jacob shook his head as he listened to the reporter recount the chilling crime that Jaive stood accused of: attempting to cause a meltdown in the Sector 7 nuclear reactor. STRIKE had responded quickly to the crisis, arresting Jaive and preventing the meltdown. "That was almost AVALANCHE all over again," a woman standing near Jacob said. Blinking, he turned to face her. "AVALANCHE were heroes, ma'am, not madmen." The woman scowled at Jacob. "Oh they may have been fighting the Shinra, but they were no heroes. I know too many people whose blood those rebels have on their hands." "They did what they had to do to fight oppression." Before the woman could respond, a man yelled "Turn it up, he's going to make a statement." Jacob glanced back toward the screen and saw Jaive, surrounded by more than forty MSF officers as he was being transported to the Sector 3 Courthouse. Though his hands were securely manacled behind his back and irons adorned his legs, the terrorist seemed proud almost regal surrounded by his foes. A huge crowd surrounded them, waving signs and chanting threats at Jaive. A woman with short blond hair emerged from the crowd on the screen and stepped toward the terrorist, a microphone in hand. The MSF glared death at her, but stepped aside as she walked up to stand beside Jaive. Speaking into the microphone, she said, "This is Hannah Tempkins reporting for MNN. We are here outside the Midgar Courthouse where Hector Jaive is being accused of masterminding the most deadly terrorist attack since AVALANCHE." She held the microphone in front of Jaive. "Tell me, how do you respond to the charges that you attempted to sabotage the Sector 7 nuclear reactor and cause a meltdown?" "What can I say, Hannah? I was caught in the act so it's pointless denying it." Hector's voice was much softer than anyone watching in the train station had expected it to be. Rather than a harsh growl, he sounded like a teacher or a minister. "A lesson must be taught to the people. The Shinra are gone, but the so-called democracy is still destroying the planet and oppressing the people. Mako or Nuclear, it makes no difference..." As Hector spoke, a strange gleam seemed to enter his eyes. The gleam of madness. Jacob and the others at the station were jarred back to attention as the train rumbled to a stop by the platform. Shaking his head, Jacob walked toward the train to go to work. It was his first day on the job as janitor at the new Sector 1 Public School. Jacob wanted to arrive early and make a good impression. As he boarded the train, he glanced at the monitor a final time. Hannah asked, "By pleading guilty your case will be decided in just a few hours. How do you expect the judge to rule?" A strangely disturbing smile crossed Hector's face. "Ms. Tempkins, I intend to be a free man by the end of today." Hannah's response was drowned out as Jacob walked down the narrow aisle in the train and took a seat on the left by a window. An older man in a business suit approached the seat next to him, but after one look at Jacob, he continued walking and found a seat further ahead in the car. Jacob scowled at the man, and looked out the window. All he could see was dark dirty streets. An ironic smile crossed his face as he thought about seeing his sister on the monitor interviewing Hector Jaive. Jacob doubted that any of the other people on the train could believe that he, a slum-dweller, could possibly be related to the glamorous Hannah Tempkins. He hadn't met her in person in eight years, but he imagined that she hadn't change. Just as their father had given her any toy, anything she wanted as a child, he gave her a job as MNN's premier reporter now. Jacob remembered too well when the Midgar News Network had been the Shinra News Network. SOLDIER and the MSF may have been the troops waging the war against AVALANCHE, but it was SNN that kept the public under control with its lies. The head of the MSF and several high ranking SOLDIERs had been tried for their crimes after Shinra collapsed. The retribution against Shinra did not reach above the mid-level officials. The highest-ranking members of Shinra that remained in Midgar, Army Chief Raith Cantorek, SOLDIER Commander Tyr Signus, and Jacob's father, Shinra's Minister of Public Awareness, Gerard Tempkins remained unpunished. Cantorek finally retired from the army and largely disappeared from public life a year or so back, but Signus was the commander of STRIKE, the successor organization to SOLDIER. Jacob's father had used his control of the media to cover up his role in the crimes of Rufus Shinra and was now the President of MNN. Jacob frowned as he thought of his father. For years after he ran away from home, he'd idolized the man, hoping to prove his worth to his important father. When AVALANCHE had begun its war against Shinra, Jacob had been one of the few people of the slums to openly support Shinra's brutal methods such as the curfew. While others mourned the passing of Barret, Jacob had celebrated the end to Midgar's most notorious terrorist. Everything collapsed at the Midgar festival. Jacob had been there when the robots attacked and he'd seen AVALANCHE defeat them to save the crowd. Within days of that, Shinra fell and its abuses were laid bare before the public. He could no longer deny their evil and Jacob knew that one man, more than any other member of the Shinra, had been responsible for hiding Shinra's true nature. That man was his father, Gerard Tempkins. All respect that Jacob had for his father, his family, himself had ended that day. If his father was willing to help hide the murders of thousands of people, he was a monster, not a man. And if Gerard Tempkins was a monster, what did that make his son? A voice suddenly came from the train's announcement system. "This is your conductor. Everyone please clear the aisles and sit down. We will be departing shortly." Jacob drove thoughts of his father from his mind and closed his eyes. With his new job, he had enough to worry about without his family problems. ---------- Time: 6:45 a.m. "Nova's a pretty bird!" A red blur flew in front of Tyr, startling him. Pain lanced in his shoulder and he turned to see that his parrot, Nova, had landed on his shoulder. Chuckling, he swatted at the bird with his hand, but Nova was too fast and flew across the room to land on his perch. Glancing at his shoulder to make sure it wasn't cut too badly, Tyr scowled half-heartedly at the bird. "If you don't quit that I'll stuff you and make a wall ornament out of you one of these days." Tyr walked into the dining room and sat down to finish his coffee before he left for work. Turning on his television, he saw a young woman standing on the steps of the Shinra Courthouse. She was Hannah Tempkins, star reporter for MNN and one of the most famous women in all of Midgar. "For those viewers just tuning in, I'll recap this morning's events. Hector Jaive, the notorious leader of the Barret Lives Underground Freedom Front, BLUFF, just entered the Sector 1 Courthouse where he faces charges of terrorism. Hector..." Tyr turned off the television and sighed. For six months, he'd worked to track down BLUFF before it could become another AVALANCHE. Three weeks ago, thanks to an anonymous tip, STRIKE had ambushed Jaive and some of his men in the Sector 7 Nuclear Reactor. While Jaive's men had been killed in the firefight, Hector himself had been captured alive. It was the biggest victory for STRIKE since the elite team had been formed. After Rufus had been overthrown, classified Shinra records had been released to the public explaining exactly what Mako was and how it worked. Once the truth was released, the people of Midgar were unwilling to continue to use it as a power source. While it was a cheap energy source, no one wanted to use his or her grandmother or grandfather's soul to light a lamp or cook a meal. SOLDIER, whose members were infused with Mako energy, took a tremendous hit with this revelation. While they'd once been regarded with fear and admiration, in the eyes of most people, their Mako infusions made them an abomination. With less than 500 members to start with, more than half of them were stationed in Junon and other cities that remained under Rufus' control. Dozens more resigned immediately or were killed by mobs of outraged citizens. As its name implied, SOLDIER was a military source, but with less than a hundred members left, it could no longer carry out its duty so when the new civilian government took power, they decided to disband it. Some of the former SOLDIERs went to work as mercenaries, but many left Shinra altogether to find a home in some part of the world where they could forget about the Mako flowing in their veins. A small core of about twenty First Class SOLDIERs, however, met with Tyr a year after SOLDIER's demise to discuss the possibility of forming a new group to combat the growing crime in Midgar. That discussion lead to a meeting between Tyr and the new government. The former SOLDIER Commander proposed the formation of a smaller paramilitary group as a special operations force that could be called in by the police during extraordinary circumstances. They accepted the idea, but proposed the name STRIKE rather than using the hated name SOLDIER. Tyr became the elite unit's commander. For a long time, no significant threats to Midgar's security arose and STRIKE had little to do, but train. Initially numbering 18, many of the most skilled members of the army and the MSF began entering STRIKE and its numbers grew to 45. It was organized into four squads of ten men each and had a five-man command staff that reported directly to Tyr. It could probably use more members and more squads, but the civilian government remembered SOLDIER and they remembered Tyr. He had been instrumental in bringing down the Shinra government, and they worried that if he gained another large power base with STRIKE, he could use it to end the democracy. Tyr laughed ruefully at the irony. He was probably the most democratic of the military rulers of Midgar, yet he was the democratic government most feared. Distrust and prejudice against former SOLDIERs still reached even the highest levels of government, it seemed. Rousing himself from his nostalgia, Tyr remembered that he had to leave for work. As he headed for the door, he glanced at a clock. 7:02. "Shit, I'm going to be late," he muttered as he left his apartment and shut his door behind him. ---------- Time: 7:00 a.m. The sounds of the train slowing woke Jacob. Startled he glanced around for a second before he realized that he was on the train. Cursing under his breath, he realized that he might have missed his stop in Sector 1. The conductor's voice suddenly came through the speakers. "We are now approaching the Sector Eight Station. Everyone please remain in your seats while we come to a halt." Sighing with relief, Jacob looked out the window. Because the Sector 8 Station was above the plate, he could see the sun rising in the distance and the sky above him. Jacob's favorite part of his trip was going from the Sector 8 to the Sector 1 stations. During that final leg of his morning journey, the train emerged from the bowels of the slums and ran above the plate under the open sky. While it was true that Midgar was polluted even above the plate, being able to see the sun meant a lot to those living in the slums. Squealing to a stop, Jacob watched the doors to the train open and people began filing aboard. A young man with wispy brown hair, wearing a well-made gray sports jacket and black pants, walked towards Jacob. Stopping by his seat, the young man asked, "Is this seat next to you taken?" Startled that someone from above the plate would be willing to sit next to a slum-dweller like himself, Jacob stammered, "Um, yeah, sure..." As the man sat down, Jacob saw that he was carrying a small leather handbag that he put in his lap. Turning to face him, the stranger said, "My name is Joel Robertson. You are...?" Blinking, Jacob replied, "I'm Jacob." He purposely kept his last name hidden for fear that his father's name would be recognized. Joel paused for a moment and appeared on the verge of asking for his last name, then shrugged. "I am pleased to meet you. Jacob." And he held out his hand. Completely shocked at this stranger's friendliness, Jacob tentatively took his hand and shook it. Joel's handshake was quite firm, almost vice-like. After a moment, Jacob broke off the handshake and asked, "So, what do you do for a living?" "I work at the Sector 1 Public School." "Ah, what subject do you teach?" "I, um, I don't teach. I am a janitor." Jacob knew that the man would excuse himself now that he knew his profession. No plate-dweller would be willing to sit by, to talk to a janitor from the slums. "There's no need to be ashamed, Jacob. At least you are making an honest living." Joel scowled for the first time since Jacob met him. "Not like the fat-cats who rule this city." Suddenly, the conductors voice blared over the intercom again. "This is your conductor speaking. Please clear the aisles and sit down. We will be departing for Sector 1 shortly and should arrive in about 15 minutes." The train lurched to a start and Jacob looked out the window to look at the buildings of Midgar. Rising around him, they dwarfed anything that could be seen in the slums, save the pillars. Shinra tower still loomed ominously at the heart of the city like a spider in its web, but with the rise of democracy, other buildings had sprung up on the plate. Tallest of those new buildings, rising near the edge of Sector 8 was the MNN building. As Shinra collapsed, hundreds of millions of gil that were hoarded in Shinra accounts in Midgar entered the SNN treasury. When Jacob's father formally broke SNN free of Shinra, the day after the coup, much of the missing money showed up in MNN's coffers. The military government of Heidegger and Cantorek used the old Shinra Tower as the seat of government and when Democracy was restored the tradition continued. Shinra had long used various regulations to ensure that Shinra HQ would always be the tallest structure in Midgar, but those regulations were among the countless laws enacted by Rufus and his father that were repealed in the coup's wake. SNN, changing its name back to MNN, had used the former Shinra funds build the MNN Complex by the edge of Sector 8. Taller than even Shinra HQ, the MNN Complex was 84 stories tall. Glistening a polished chrome color, it stood out like a pearl in the mud among Midgar's mostly black and gray buildings. As Jacob looked at the MNN building, Joel said, "Ah yes, an idol to the God of Money." Blinking, Jacob asked, "What do you mean?" "The MNN Complex. It is a monument to Tempkins' wealth," Joel's voice had taken a hard edge. "When the people stormed the Shinra HQ, they finally began the process to free themselves of the shackles of government. For days, the true freedom of anarchy reigned, before the people allowed themselves to be enslaved again, this time with the chains of democracy." Joel's voice had taken on a surprising heat. "But they choose their own leaders now. We are free," Jacob argued. "No. We have the same illusion of freedom we had under the Shinra. They still break anyone who dares to challenge the system... people like Tempkins and his MNN use the media to keep us slaves while the rich exploit our labors." Joel glanced at his watch and blinked. A madness seemed to burn in his eyes as he looked over to Jacob. "It is time. This is for the greater good. We do this for you." Jacob was about to ask what he meant, when Joel stood. Reaching into his handbag, he pulled a black and chrome object out. It was a Redding .32 auto-pistol. A moment later, he drew a second gun and stepped into the aisle. Two other men rose from their seats, one holding a Thundermaker Light Automatic Rifle and the other holding an MLR-25 Shotgun. Although he couldn't see into the cars behind or in front of his, the screams and shouts of terror that echoed through the train meant that these three were not the only armed passengers. The conductor's voice cut through the screaming. "Everyone please remain calm. The Barret Lives Underground Freedom Front is temporarily assuming control of this train. Our full cooperation would be appreciated." The first thought that flew through Jacob's mind was, "Shit, I'm probably going to be late for my first day of work." 44 From: Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 7:06pm Subject: Terror Strikes (2 of 3) Terror Strikes Part 2 of 3 Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 7:30 a.m. Even as he parked his car, Tyr knew that something was seriously wrong. Atop the five story STRIKE headquarters building was a military transport helicopter. The same type of helicopter that had transported STRIKE to the reactor that Jaive had attempted to destroy. That helicopter shouldn't have been there. It was far too expensive a vehicle to be kept on standby unless... ...STRIKE was preparing to deploy. The entrance to the headquarters building was a dull gray metal, with a pair of reinforced titanium double doors. A man wearing a blue business suit stood by the entrance to STIRKE headquarters. As Tyr approached the building the man walked forward to meet him. It was the MSF liaison to STRIKE. "Commander Signus, we have a serious problem." Tyr nodded grimly, his suspicions concerned. "What is the situation, Mr. Miller?" As they walked toward the entrance, the liaison said, "A train headed for Sector 1 has been hijacked by terrorists. No demands have been made yet." Tyr paused by the gray doors and scanned his ID through a small terminal. The doors slid noiselessly open and Tyr and Mr. Miller walked into STRIKE Headquarters. The entry passage was a short tunnel lined on the sides with bulletproof glass. In case of an attack on STRIKE, the intruder would have to get through this tunnel even if they accessed the double doors of the entrance. Through the glass, Tyr could see the various members of STRIKE assembling their gear. Mr. Miller swiped his ID card through a slot at the end of the hall and a door opened into a large office area with numerous computers, monitors, and audio equipment. "At approximately 7:08 am, a train travelling between Sectors 8 and 1 was seized by terrorists," Mr. Miller began. "The MSF is currently handling the case and they haven't requested STRIKE's support. Yet." Tyr grimaced. The last few months, terrorism had been rising in Midgar. Once Shinra and the military were out of power, it seemed every psychopath in the city was crawling out from whatever rocks they had been hiding under. "Do we know who they are?" Mr. Miller walked over to a small monitor. "The security cameras on the train picked up this message before they went offline." He pressed a button below the screen and a picture of rows of people riding a train suddenly came into focus. The time in the lower left corner of the screen read 7:07. Just as the time changed to 7:08, three men rose from their seats and drew guns. There was no sound, but Tyr could almost hear the cries of dismay that he knew must be coming from the passengers. A well-dressed man, holding two auto-pistols, Tyr couldn't tell their make, looked straight at the camera. A second later, there was a flash from the gun and the camera cut out. Mr. Miller turned off the monitor and turned to Tyr. "The city government received a phone call minutes later." He turned on an audio player. An electronic sounding voice filled the room. "The Barret Lives Underground Freedom Front has taken control of this train as an act of civil disobedience. Our spiritual leader, Mr. Hector Jaive, has been imprisoned unjustly by the Midgar authorities. We are now offering the authorities a chance to correct their mistake. If Mr. Jaive is not delivered to us within one hour, we are prepared to derail this train and kill everyone on board." As the voice spoke, Tyr's mind raced trying to recognize the voice from any of the archives of known terrorists. Turning to Mr. Miller, he asked, "Do we know who is behind this?" Mr. Miller nodded. "No. As you heard, whoever is behind this used a vocal scrambler. We can try to break it, but it'll take hours to do and even then there is no guarantee that the voice will have a match in our files." "Damn," Tyr said. "With Jaive in prison, I thought BLUFF was finished." Raising a brow, Mr. Miller dryly inquired, "The same way AVALANCHE died without Barret Wallace?" Scowling, Tyr walked toward the preparation room. If the MSF ended up requesting STRIKE's assistance, and Tyr was certain that they would, he wanted to be ready to deploy immediately. Glancing at the roster, he noted that Captain Wilson's Bravo Squad was on duty today. For this first time since getting to work, Tyr allowed himself a smile. Bravo Squad had been one of the two squads that Tyr had led to capture Jaive. At least if he ended up having to assault the train, he'd have a veteran team with him. Before he entered the preparation room, Tyr glanced at Mr. Miller and ordered, "How long do you think we have before the MSF call for our support?" "Well, they've set up a blockade at the Sector 1 station. It's made of wood and won't stop the train if they plow through it, but they are going to try to stop them from moving. It will make the take-down much easier." Mr. Miller shrugged. "They should be arriving at the station in about 10 minutes. If the blockade doesn't stop them... well, that's what STRIKE is for." ---------- Time: 7:45 a.m. The man calling himself Joel Robertson scanned the passengers on the train. Terrified and trembling, he wondered briefly why BLUFF, why he, was fighting to bring freedom to the populace of Midgar. He knew these people thought of him as a murderer, a monster. They'd been programmed by the tyranny of the "democratic government" to think of him and his men as criminals. He shook his head... Barret Wallace, the greatest hero, the greatest man ever born, was thought of the same way during his conflict with Shinra. In the end, Barret had one, sacrificing his life to destroy the Shinra dictatorship. Those who followed Barret had lost the faith; AVALANCHE had given up on the dream and allowed the people of Midgar to be shackled by the evil Katerina Evyns. To add insult to injury, Tyr Signus, once the chief hatchet man to the Shinra Corporation, now acted as her pawn, continuing his brutal crimes against the people of Midgar. Joel felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice said, "Are you okay?" His chain of thought broken, Joel suddenly realized that his hands had been trembling with fury. Standing at his side was Gregory, a fellow believer in Barret's dream. "I was merely thinking about the depth of the corruption in our city, my friend. It angers me to see such wickedness." Gregory was about to reply when a shout came from the locomotive. His eyes icy, Joel glanced to his companion and ordered, "Watch the people here. Don't let anyone get up for anything." Gregory nodded, his MLR-25 Shotgun held tightly in his hands as Joel headed up to the engine room to find out what the problem was. This particular train had four cars, each of which had 25 rows of four seats each with an aisle in the middle. The car that Joel had been in was the third from the front. As he walked toward the locomotive, he passed four of the nine men he had taken with him on the mission. Upon reaching the locomotive, he saw the engineer arguing with a boy barely old enough to shave. Strapped to the boy's body, was over 10 kilos of C4 and he held a detonator in his right hand. Joel turned to the boy and asked, "What is the problem here, Peter?" Peter looked at Joel with a sigh of relief and answered, "The engineer is trying to stop the train." Joel's eyes narrowed and, raising one of his auto-pistols, he pressed it to the engineer's head. "Why did you try to stop this train?" Sweat was dripping down the engineers face and his voice was barely a whisper, pure terror having sucked any strength out of it. "The radio, sir... the MSF just radioed us to announce they've set up a blockade on the tracks at the next station... if we don't stop, we'll derail." Joel's hands were trembling with fury again. The Midgar authorities thought he was playing a game. He knew that once the train stopped, that was the first step to an assault. He looked at Peter's face and saw it white with terror. Though only fourteen, the boy understood the implications of the blockade as well. Mistaking Joel's anger at the Midgar authorities for anger at him, Peter said, "I'm sorry... I didn't know what to do. He said that he'd have to stop the train and I didn't know what to do... I..." Joel put a hand on Peter's shoulder and interrupted him, saying, "Don't worry. None of this is your fault. You did the right thing. Once we have succeeded in this mission, I'm sure your older brother will be so proud of you." Joel smiled to Peter to reassure the boy. "Won't Paul be surprised when he gets back from Cosmo Canyon and finds out the great blow you've struck to help our cause?" Peter was smiling now, so Joel returned his attention to the engineer. "You are not stopping this train." The engineer's eyes went wide with shock as Joel ordered, "Go full speed ahead... we're going to break through the blockade." "We'll all be killed! The train will derail!" the engineer wailed. Joel's eyes hardened. "They wouldn't risk putting a concrete barricade up that would actually wreck this train. It's all a ruse." Joel only half believed himself, but his eyes remained hard as he stared down the engineer. The engineer shook his head. "They might actually do it. There is a chance it is real." Joel pressed his gun against the engineer's temple. "If you try to stop this train, I will kill you. I guarantee that. Better for you to chance the barricade..." Sobbing and shaking with fear, the engineer increased the train's speed. Joel turned on the intercom and turned it on. His voice coming from every speaker on the train, Joel said, "We are approaching the Sector 1 Station. There may be some extreme shaking ahead so I want everyone to brace yourself." He switched off the intercom and took hold of a pole in the locomotive with one arm. With his other, he motioned for Peter to stand by him. Holding the boy against himself and the pole, Joel waited for the train to strike the barricade. The engineer's whimpers were drowned out by the sound of the engine being forced faster and faster as the Sector 1 station rushed closer. Looking out the window of the locomotive, Joel could see the MSF standing on the platform waiting for the train to stop, see the massive black and yellow barricade. There was an incredibly loud cracking sound and the train shuddered as Joel closed his eyes, wishing for Barret's strength of will. When his eyes opened, they were through. The engineer cheered as the train sped to freedom and he slowed it to a more typical speed. Peter released Joel and looked around in wonder that he was still alive. Turning to the engineer, Joel said, "I told you we'd make it," and then left the locomotive. As he passed through the train cars, Joel praised his men for their courage. When he finally arrived at the second to last car, he motioned for Gregory. "What was that shaking and that sound just a minute ago?" Gregory asked. Joel's eyes narrowed. "The Midgar authorities believe we are playing games. Give me the phone." Gregory handed him the telephone and watched as he called the MSF. Joel's eyes were ice... he would not allow his enemies the luxury of toying with him anymore. It was time to show his claws. Joel recognized the voice on the other end as the chief negotiator for the MSF. In no mood for patronizing, Joel said, "You just made a serious mistake." Holding the phone in one hand, Joel raised his auto-pistol and burst fired into a group of people seated near the back of the car. Blood sprayed as the gun spat death and the other passengers began to scream in terror. After a few seconds, Joel released the trigger and said into the phone, "I just killed several hostages. That was your one warning. Should any further police or military action be taken against us, we will derail this train. Since our single demand is clear, negotiations are unnecessary. Should you try to negotiate with us or contact us for any reason other than to inform us that Mr. Jaive is being delivered, we will derail this train. There will be no warnings and there will be no extensions of our deadline. If you fuck with me again, this train will become a hearse. You have one hour." ---------- Time: 8:00 a.m. As Tyr strapped on the last of his kevlar body armor, he saw Mr. Miller walk into the room. By the look on his face, Tyr knew that STRIKE was about to carry out its second mission. Walking toward Miller, he asked, "Is STRIKE being deployed?" Nodding grimly, Mr. Miller said, "They just killed several hostages and ran through the barricade. It's up to you guys now to take back that train." Tyr nodded and walked over to Captain Wilson. As he saw the Director of STRIKE approaching him, Wilson snapped to attention. A former SOLDIER, Wilson insisted on carrying out military style salutes and other traditions even though STRIKE was a police force. "At ease, Captain," Tyr said. "I trust you and your men have all been briefed?" Wilson nodded. "There are estimated to be between 8 and 12 terrorists on the train, armed with various guns. Our primary responsibility is minimizing the loss of hostages. Swords and other hand to hand weapons are too slow for this mission so instruct everyone to take Thundermaker Light Automatic Rifles (T-LAR). Fire and Lightning Materia is no good in this situation, but anyone who feels comfortable with it should bring both Ice and Restore Materia. Also, make sure that everyone carries a flash grenade. Once they are all armed, have everyone go to the roof." "Yes, sir," Wilson said snapping a salute. Old habits die hard. Tyr picked up a T-LAR and walked over to his private office. Opening a small safe in the corner of the office, Tyr looked at the four objects inside. They looked like four small, round, perfectly smooth stones, but three of them glowed a light green while the fourth had a yellow glow to it. These were the small collection of mastered Materia that he'd been given by the Midgar Government to use on official missions. Tyr gingerly withdrew two of the green Materia, an Ice and a Restore and slid them into their slots on his T-LAR. The other two he left in the safe, which he shut and locked. Moving quickly, Tyr headed to the stairs and climbed them to the roof. Ever the model of military efficiency, Captain Wilson had Bravo Squad assembled on the roof and waiting. A helicopter was running and was ready to take STRIKE into battle. Walking in front of the men, Tyr explained, "As you know, a small band of terrorists has seized a train holding several hundred hostages. Attempts to force the terrorists to stop have been unsuccessful and negotiations have broken down. Our job is to take the train back with force. Keep in mind, however, that the preservation of civilian life is of the highest priority. Therefore, we cannot afford to take any prisoners. Go for head shots and shoot to kill." The men nodded grimly, unfazed. Tyr continued, "The train will be passing through the Sector 2 Station shortly. When it emerges from the station, our helicopter will match speed with the train. There are four cars and two men will be deposited on the roof of each car. The remaining two will stay in the helicopter for backup. There is an access hatch on the roof that you can use to enter through. Use your flash grenades to debilitate the terrorists inside before entering. I will enter with the group in the front-most car so that we can quickly secure the locomotive after neutralizing the terrorists among the passengers. Any questions?" The members of Bravo Team stood silent and finally Tyr nodded. "Let's go." 45 From: Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 7:08pm Subject: Terror Strikes (3 of 3) Terror Strikes Part 3 of 3 Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 8:25 a.m. The car stank of blood and vomit. Jacob had been one of the few passengers to keep from losing his breakfast when Joel had massacred the passengers in the back row. Then again, Jacob thought ruefully, it's hard to lose one's breakfast when one didn't eat. Ever since BLUFF had seized the train, Jacob had tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Everything that he had ever read about hostage situations was that while acting up would certainly get you killed, being overly helpful would often get a hostage killed as well. Never before had Jacob watched someone die right before his eyes. He wanted to feel bad for the innocents that had been cut down in a hail of bullets, but all he could feel was an overwhelming sense of relief. Jacob was happy that they had died instead of him and he hated himself for that. Glancing over to the center aisle, he saw Joel discussing something with a man holding a shotgun. They were talking too low for him to hear what they were saying, however. A third terrorist stood by the passage leading to the car ahead of them, holding a T-LAR and looking bored. Joel suddenly turned toward the passengers and said, "Contrary to what you all may believe, I am not a monster. The Barret Lives Underground Freedom Front is dedicated to protecting the freedoms of each and every one of you from the tyrants that would dominate you. I do not enjoy killing, but it must be done. Believe me, when the day comes that we shatter the shackles of democracy, you will all thank me for my actions." Jacob kept his head down, trying not to attract attention, but he could feel Joel's gaze settle on him. "Jacob, you know in your heart that I am right. I could sense it earlier when I talked to you. The sense of longing of trying to free yourself. As an honest worker, you must know how the Evyns regime dominates us. She talks about a revolution, but it was not a revolution that toppled Shinra, because a revolution would have required sweeping change. No, it was a mere coup that replaced the Shinra dictatorship with her own. Only in a society free of laws and government can we truly live out Barret's dream." Jacob felt Joel's eyes leave him as the terrorist leader said, "After we have won our victory here, I would invite anyone that seeks true freedom to join us. Join us in the quest for our freedom!" Jacob felt an incredible sense of relief as the mad rant was redirected to the crowd. He looked up to see what Joel was doing when, suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light that engulfed the car. People screamed and in that moment, Jacob knew that he was going to die. He heard bullets fire and felt a warm liquid spray across him, but could see nothing. After several seconds the shooting stopped. As his visions slowly returned to focus, Jacob saw two men in kevlar body armor, holding T-LARs and scanning the room. Their uniforms bore the STRIKE insignia of a sword with lightning curling around it. For a moment, Jacob couldn't see Joel or the other two terrorists until he looked in the aisle. As he looked down, he realized that he was covered in sticky red blood. Lying in the aisle, their heads reduced to a fine mist, were the three terrorists. Jacob identified Joel only by his clothing; the terrorist leader's head was completely blown away. Leaning over, Jacob dry heaved. The two STRIKE members were trying to quiet everyone and ordering the passengers to remain calm in their seats. Closing his eyes and trying not to breathe in the putrid stench of death, Jacob leaned back in his seat, all energy drained from him. His ordeal was over. ---------- Time: 8:30 a.m. The helicopter flew low over the first car. The three cars in the rear had been neutralized; he'd watched his men enter with machine like precision. Now only the front car and the locomotive remained. The wind whipping against him nearly knocked Tyr from the roof of the train. As it was, he was only able to stay on it by holding a pipe that ran the length of the roof. The other two STRIKE members leaned over the hatch, preparing to pop it open and begin the assault. As the release valve to open the hatch was turned, it let out a loud squeal, the result of not being oiled in a long time. Tyr started to tell his men not to open it, but it was too late. The hatch popped open, but before the flash grenade could be dropped into the car, a hail of bullets flew up through the opening. The bullets hit Tyr's men in their chests, which were protected by kevlar and a moment later there was a bright flash from below. The two men with Tyr dropped through the hatch into the train and their guns spoke several times. By the time Tyr dropped through the hatch, two terrorists were lying on the ground, their heads ripped apart by bullets and the situation was under control. Taking out his radio, Tyr asked, "Is everything clear?" After a moment, there were three affirmative answers; the other cars were secure. Tyr left one of his men to guard the car and he took his other up toward the locomotive. As soon as he stepped in, a voice cried out, "You better drop your weapons now!" A young boy, barely old enough to start shaving was standing in the control room of the locomotive. The engineer was cowering in the corner. Strapped around the boy was enough high explosive to vaporize the locomotive. In his hand was a detonator, activated with a dead man's switch. The boy held the detonator tightly in his hand. Tyr felt some pity that a boy so young could be mixed up in something like this. "We aren't here to hurt you, child. Surrender peacefully and don't do anything rash. You have your whole life ahead of you." The boy glared angrily at Tyr. "No! I know all about STRIKE. You are thugs and murderers, enforcing the will of the dictators. You're just going to kill me! That's why you're here... to kill us!" Tyr shook his head. "Boy, whatever you have heard is not true. I do not want to harm you or anyone else for that matter. We are just hear to protect innocent people." The boy scowled at Tyr, but said nothing and the leader of STRIKE took another step toward him. "Stop right there!" the boy yelled. "I'll blow this train up! I swear I will!" Tyr slowly knelt down holding his T-LAR in front of him. "Look, I am setting my gun on the ground. I mean no harm." Tyr's hand on the stock of the gun touched the two Materia orbs attached to the gun. The boy watched him, a mixture of anger, confusion, and fear on his face. Tyr felt the mastered Ice Materia's smooth surface under his hand and he felt a pang of remorse about what he had to do. He saw the fear fade from the boy's eyes replace itself with steely determination. Tyr knew, in that moment, that the boy was going to detonate the bomb. Tyr closed his eyes even as he whispered the words "Ice Three" under his breath. A chill ran through him and the room felt much like he imagined a meat locker would. Biting his lip, Tyr looked up at the boy. The youth had been flash frozen by the magic of the mastered Ice Materia, his blood transformed to frost. Another pang of sadness ran through Tyr that he couldn't save one so young, but then it was gone. He did what he had to do to fulfill his duty. Turning to the engineer, Tyr ordered, "Slow this train down and stop it at the Sector 3 station." Tyr left the icy corpse of the boy behind and walked back to the first car. Getting on his radio, he placed a call to MSF Headquarters. "This is Director Tyr Signus. The train is secure." 46 From: Date: Sat Apr 8, 2000 7:19pm Subject: And it begins again. (Darman-1) Date: September 29, 2003 Time: 9:12 AM Location: Kalm Inn, second floor, room 2B "Calm down." "Your not leaving!" The man screamed wielding a meat cleaver. "Come on I'm sure we can work this out, we are after all mature adults." "You make one move and I'll cut you from ear to ear!" Darman reached into his trench coat. "You pull out that big ass sword of yours and I won't just kill you, I'll tie you down torture you for hours then kill you." Darman pulled his hand back out. "Ok I guess I have no choice. But do I still get my continental breakfast?" "Listen after I get my money your lucky if I don't still throw you in a Uranium tank." "Listen I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood, I'm not paying, I have no money. I'm hardly even eating myself." "Then you die!" The man lunged at Darman his knife aiming directly towards his throat. Darman quickly turned and leapt towards the open window towards his left. It took him a few seconds before realizing he was jumping out a second floor window. "Damn it you freak! I'm still going to get you!" The Innkeeper yelled as Darman's legs left the room. 'Well this isn't so bad,' Darman thought just before he landed into a dumpster. He laid there for a few minutes either catching his breath or hiding from the innkeeper. 'God I hate mysterious voices from nowhere.' 'Well does this one person have a name.' "Where are you?!" Silence "I'm gonna find you thief!" Silence "Damn I hate the scum nowadays, things were so much better when Shinra had control," the voice trailed off as the man walked away. Darman still waited a while before rising from the dumpster and tidying himself up. He slid past the inn and left Kalm heading towards a place he vowed never to return to, Midgar. ---------------- Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 7:21 AM Location: just outside Midgar, sector 5. Darman eyed up the door, he remember how difficult it was to enter Midgar back in the day. But it was noticeably different around the outer limits of Midgar, the greenery is slowly being restored and many of the monsters are beginning to disperse. Looking at the spot for the Midgar keycard to be inserted, he tried to figure out a way in. Stepping a little bit closer he noticed a camera looking object at the top. Taking one more step suddenly a light on the 'camera' began to blink. Just as Darman noticed it the doors almost swung open as if to greet him. Despite the more than welcoming approach the inside was still very much the same. If not worse, the slums were still drenched in junk. He walked in passing objects that were almost landmarks now. Passing the old piles of scrap metal and the old church, the only place supposedly flowers can grow in the slums. He remembered learning this from Aeris. Thinking about her his mind jumped remembering why he had even returned here. 'Same to you, but why exactly am I here.' Brian 47 From: Alan MacDonald Date: Mon Apr 10, 2000 4:57am Subject: What Once Was... (Introduction of Khai James) I sit here, in the black of darkness... alone. She comes to me then, knowing I need to hear her voice. The memory of her smile, the touch of her hand.. I can remember with such clarity. Dearest to my heart, poor sweet Sara. They can have whatever they want, whoever they are... the ones that stole you away in the summer's night. Save the children, there is nothing that lifts my spirits anymore. Nothing without you... -- I awake in the morning, the essence of the dreams fleeing like bats would the sunrise. Slowly noticing my surroundings, I stretch to get the blood rushing quicker to the rest of my body. Deciding a few exercises would be the perfect thing for me, I quietly head downstairs to the dining area, knowing full well that Darren will be there setting the tables while Laura finishes cooking the hearty breakfasts for the travellers who crawled in last night. The Star of Tar Valon had seen better days, once lodging VIPs from 'round the world. Sadly, ever since Rufus and his crew made Junon their little "home away from home", the best of the inn's customers consisted of drunken beggars or, worse yet, sloshed Shinra employees. Heading out the door, I head down to the beach to start my katas. The dawn's first rays bathe me in a warm glow, as if to assist me in my daily routines. Crane-in-marsh-grass, switching to Air-in-the- lungs becoming Balancing-the-cliffs into Throwing-the-stones. Over and over, varying my technique, the minutes pass as my mind is focused like the edge of steel. I sit cross-legged, facing the sun as I begin my meditation. All around me, the Planet and its inhabitants arise. I hear every child's laugh as the ball is caught and swung again; the clang of metal against metal as the blacksmiths hammer out the imperfections in thei creations; the birds above me, gathering food for their young. "Khai, Khai! Please come quick!" My name brings me out of the stillness that is the Void, my body already moving towards the sounds. I find myself running to the town's entrance, the children's laughter already becoming shouts of protest. "Hey, c'mon, its our only ball!" "Give it back, give it back!" "I'm gonna tell my mommy on you!" "Scram kids, or I'll throw the lot of you in the clink." The last voice I don't recognize and I slow myself down to a halt, rounding the corner to see the boys arguing with a Shinra guard, his face pulled back in a sneer. "G'wan, get outta here! Do you want to spend a week eating bread and water?" the guard asks, one hand holding a ball while the other shoos the young ones away. Luckily, there's only two other guards this morning. Lax security, probably due to changing of the guard in an hour. Christ, I don't need this. Why do they always have to target the children? I scan his face for familiarity, coming up with nothing. Must be a newbie. I head for home, racing to gather my tools. -- The sound of approching footsteps distracts the recruit from his taunting. Behind him, his crewmates pause their conversation to glimpse the figure walking their way. Six months into their conscription, Pawol and Rowden Terriganis, twins and only children of Blacksmith Terriganis, have nothing to prove. Shamed by their duties as lowly cannon fodder for the once-mighty Shinra, they grudgingly follow orders, wishing one day for their freedom. Noticing the black jacket and face mask, the two exchange glances. "Yo, Indeas, quit it! Leave the kids alone before someone gets hurt." "Yeah, Rowden's right, Idneas," counters Pawol. "Don't bother with 'em. We gotta make sure no undesirables get through the gate." No reply is issued as the week-old recruit sees the strange figure coming his way. Hesitating for a moment, Idneas suddenly finds his hand empty. In another instant, he finds himself staring at the sky, his legs swept away from him in a heartbeat. Feeling a sharp point at his throat, warmth suddenly covers his midsection, bringing not only a hint of relief, but the sting of humiliation as well. "This is your only warning. I will tolerate your occupation for now, but the children are off limits! Do you understand?" Carefully, Idneas gives a small nod, the wakazashi preventing him from doing any further. He glances to the right, only to find the twins staring in the opposite direction. Closing his eyes, he wishes he were back in Kalm this very instant. Taking a breath, he notices the pressure of the weapon is no longer there. Rowden helps him up, and only then does Idneas find that the children's saviour is gone, while the young ones head towards their homes, content with the fact their play toy has been returned. "Where the hell did he go?" asks Idneas. "He couldn't of just disappeared!" "We were ordered to stop certain people from coming in, not leaving," Pawol chuckles. "What happened to you anyways? Your two left feet too much for you to handle?" "You just wait, you smarmy bastards! I'll report you both! Failing to apprehend a criminal... aiding and abbeting... you'll both be in the stockade!" Idneas' anger flares, but without resolve. "Sure, piss-boy, whatever you say," Rowden replies, stifling back the beginnings of what sure is to be a gale of laughter. "Damn you both..." -- If one were to be peeking through the keyhole of Khai's bedroom door, (s)he would be surprised to see a shadow of movement, where only a moment ago was there emptiness. Stashing the clothing and weapon used in the confrontation, Khai listens quietly to the sounds of the morning breeze upon his windchimes. Grabbing his guitar from its stand, he once again strolls down the stairs towards the inn's entrance. "Out to relax, Khai?" Darren's deep voice rumbles through the dining room, drawing brief attention by the hungover patrons. A kind soul, Darren Kynor is well-known in the area for providing a caring atmosphere for his trade, regardless of its inhabitants. "Yeah, Darren. Off to play some more for you-know-who." Khai's reply seems more a sad whisper than anything else, and the memory of Darren's daughter, Sara, hits home. Fingering the wedding band on his left hand, he exits without another word. -- ... and that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it. P.K.© [Note from Benjamin: The p-sheet says Khai Mystra, but the subject says Khai James. Which is it?] 48 From: Benjamin Cutler Date: Tue Apr 11, 2000 1:08am Subject: ToM: Rainbow-Brite (Chello) [OOG: Chello was my best character I think, though I'll probably try to bring back Tillomiki somewhere along the line. Can't abandon your old friends now can you? :-) BTW, some coarse language, and some mature subject matter, for you people who actually need those warnings.] Date: October 1st, 2003 Place: Midgar Research Labs, 5th Floor Chello sat in the lab, working on her newest prototype. While materia was still scarce to the average Midgarian, working for the government allowed her access to many things the average Midgarian could no longer afford or even legally own. And she always loved making things that got that extra kick from a piece of materia. Currently she was modifying a KMC-671 model sub-machine gun. It was a fairly standard issue weapon, good stopping power for it's size and excellent stealth thanks to the silencer. What Chello was hoping to do was increase the silence and the power by adding a Wind Materia to the mixture. So far she'd not had much luck. During the first test it had managed to shoot through the water tub used to stop the bullets, making a very loud noise and generally scaring the crap out of anybody within 50 yards of the test area. Too much power. What she needed to do was redirect some of the power into the silencer so that the bullet wouldn't go quite so fast, and it would muffle the report even more. So she was tweaking not only the location of the materia in the gun but also the valves in the assembly. If she could make just the right balance the gun would be vastly improved. She had been working on the idea for at least two weeks before making something solid, and she had spent another two weeks assembling the first test. She put on her magnifying eyepiece and pulled out her tools to make minute adjustments to the valve system on the materia assembly. This was a precision piece of work. Unfortunately she'd never tried this exact thing before, so she wasn't sure what exactly everything should "feel" like. She would do a few tests and see if the concept was even viable. She spent hours tinkering with the valves before she felt it was a good idea to test it again. Then she looked at her watch. 10 o'clock. 'Damn, did time go by that fast?' She realized that it was a better idea to go get home and sleep for tomorrow than test the gun now. She knew that nobody else had access to this particular part of the lab except her supervisor, so she left the gun out on the table to save herself the trouble of putting it away. The security cameras would catch anything anyway. She locked the lab with her card, took the elevator down to the bottom floor, and headed for her truck. Parked in the same place it always was, thanks to her designated parking space. She started the engine and started the drive home. She reflected on the last few years, all the things that had happened, all the things that had changed. She recalled the Midgar Festival, and the time she had spent selling her hybridized materia in the public market. She had made quite a bit of money doing that, and she also got quite a scare. A Turk, and a very strong Turk at that, had come up to her to purchase materia. He recognized her but surprisingly did not turn her in or arrest her on the spot which he easily could have done. To this day she did not understand why. After the second day of the festival she had returned home to an empty house, and she realized that Ethan had been more important to her than she first assumed. He had left very suddenly and abruptly, and even though he promised he would return she still felt bad. She was pretty bummed out, and she wasn't expecting him back for several days at the least. So when he showed up at the door late in the afternoon the following day you can imagine her reaction. She heard a knock at the door and what sounded like a motorcycle zooming away. She had no idea who it could be, because it certainly wasn't Ethan. When she opened the door and saw Ethan's smiling face first she gasped, and then she leapt into his arms and gave him a big hug. "Ethan! How did you get back so quickly?" "Lucky break. First I ran into a group of friends on the way back and I checked in with them instead of having to go all the way back home, and then as I was going home a girl came by on a motorcycle and offered me a ride the rest of the way back." "What kind of girl?" "She looked like a hunter, she had a bunch of animal skins packed on her motorcycle. My guess is that she was just returning from a trip." "You didn't kiss her did you?" Chello asked playfully, punching Ethan in the arm. "No... why would I do that?" Ethan answered with his eyes purposefully wandering as he whistled. Chello laughed, "Yeah, I see the lipstick mark on your cheek." "Oh no! I forgot to wipe it off!" Ethan responded with mock horror. Chello chuckled and said, "So you're going to be staying now? No more running off?" "Barring the disappearance of the front portion of my brain, I'm going to be staying." Chello chuckled again and said, "Well, just remember that you should be getting a job soon. I can't support you forever you know." She said with a playful tone in her voice. "What are you implying, miss? That I'm a freeloader?" Ethan said with feigned hurt. "Don't worry, I've got plenty of money from selling materia over the last two days. Decided to take a break today. The magic tournament starts tomorrow, which will be fun." "Isn't that a little high profile for a wanted woman?" "Naw, I've got disguises, remember? False name, and all that. They aren't checking backgrounds too much." There was silence for a bit and then Chello said, "You gonna just stand out there all day or what?" "Well, no, but you hadn't invited me in yet." Ethan said with a sly grin. Chello laughed and said, "Well, sir, you are welcome anytime. Please, do come in." "Anything change while I was gone?" Ethan said as he stepped inside. "Nothing really. I was actually about to go see a movie, did you want to join me?" Ethan gave this a bit of thought and said, "Sure." The next day was Chello's first fight in the magic tournament. Her first fight was against some little punk who had a really bad attitude. "I'm gonna whup up on you, bitch!" Were his first words upon entering the arena. Chello showed him that tough talk doesn't make tough fighters, and completely dominated him. She made it out without having to even use her restore materia. Chello was completely destroying all of her opponents on the way through, and was quickly advancing towards the finals bracket. When she found out who her opponent was in the finals bracket a chill ran through her body. It was that Turk that had bought materia from her. Vladimir. Bad thing. Chello entered the ring with a tremendous sense of trepidation. On the other end Vladimir was standing there like a monster out of hell, which actually wasn't that far off of a description. Chello knew she was going to be in for a tremendously difficult fight. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are the two best fighters in the Midgar Festival Magical Tournament. First, we have one astounding woman, Sarah Harding! [OOG: The false name that she is using.] Her opponent is the far more well known magician, one of the famous Turks, Vladimir Dumainz! He is still unbeaten and if Sarah Harding is going to have a chance, she's going to have to act quickly, because from what we've seen so far Vladimir has much more stamina than any of the other competitors. Dragging out the fight is only going to lose the battle for Ms. Harding." Vladimir had an almost evil smile on his face as the bell rung. "You're very brave for showing your face in public, Ms. Reeph. You know that you I could call in the MSF and have them arrest you right now." "Then why haven't you?" Chello said as she prepared her materia gun for the coming fight. "Because I know I'll have much more satisfaction taking care of you myself." "You sound confident. I'm ready, give it your best shot!" Vladimir wordlessly reached for his Wind Materia and threw out a gust of strong wind at Chello. Chello, thinking quickly, used her Earth Materia to throw up a wall of stone in front of her, and the wind passed by her harmlessly. Chello switch her gun to one of her hybrid materia, the Ice-Poison mixture. Tiny chunks of poisonous ice flew out of the gun and headed straight for Vladimir. Vladimir was not one to be easily out-thought and a wall of fire appeared in front of him which melted the darts before they could do any damage. Chello decided to keep up the pressure and summoned a large ball of rock and shot it away at Vladimir. Vlad again was put on the defensive, and thinking quickly, shot a Gravity ball at the boulder, making it harmlessly fall to the ground. Vladimir conjured up a large ball of fire and launched it at Chello. Chello summoned a wave of water and extinguished the flame. So far the battle had been a stalemate. Nobody had managed to do any damage to the other. But Chello knew that she couldn't keep this up as long as Vladimir and in order to win she'd have to do some damage. Chello switched to her fire materia and was ready to fire when Vladimir touched his wrist and grinned. "What are you going to do, fry me alive? You're only going to exhaust yourself! [OOG: He used a "Sense" materia.] Chello remained silent as the ball of fire left the gun. It rocketed towards Vladimir and he just smiled and pulled up his cape. Half of the fire was absorbed by his armor and the other half was absorbed by the Fire-Elemantal combination he had just put into his armor. "Ready to lose yet?" Vladimir laughed and sent a gravity ball screaming at Chello. Chello was unable to move out of the way and it caught her square in the arm. The arm that was holding her materia gun. Chello tried to lift her arm, and discovered that she was unable to. The gravity ball had disabled her arm for the rest of the fight. 'This is not good.' She was thinking. Before she could react Vladimir had slammed another attack into her, a lighting ball. Almost instantly after Chello was hit full on with a gigantic Gravity ball, causing her to almost faint right there. But she hung on, and was able to use her Restore materia to get some of her strength back. She also cast Haste on herself so she could get an edge, and then cast Slow on Vladimir. Vladimir got a funny look on his face once he realized what Chello had just done. Chello grinned. She took advantage of her speed and threw off three magic attacks in quick succession. A fire ball, then a wave of lava (Earth-Fire), and a dose of radiation (Lighting-Poison). Vladimir was holding on remarkably well, and Chello knew that she'd have to end this quickly or she couldn't win. She couldn't keep up this level of attacking for long. And then it hit her. The biggest ice blast she'd ever been hit with knocked her on her backside and froze her legs to the ground. "Fuck!" Chello yelled without thinking. Vladimir came over, knelt down, and said, "Doesn't feel good to not be able to move, does it?" Chello just gave him a long hard stare. She formed a rock around her hand using her infused earth abilities and bashed him in the head with it. Vladimir's entire body lurched sideways and he toppled over on to his side. He stood up and said, "Nice shot. But not nice enough." Vladimir chanted and encased the rest of Chello's body in ice, up to her neck. "The winner of the match is Vladimir Dumainz!" The crowd roared it's approval. Chello was fighting back tears. She had lost. "You fought well. I'll let you go. This time." Vladimir chanted another spell and the ice around Chello melted. She got up, wet and soaked, and hung her head slightly. She had won 2nd place, which was still pretty damn good. Her prize was a complete set of 3rd-level elemental materia, and a large trophy. With a somewhat somber mood she loaded her prizes into her truck and headed home. When she got home she saw something quite unexpected. Ethan cooking. "Hey Chello! I thought you might want some food after your fight so I decided to try something I'd never done before and cook some food." Ethan had made spaghetti. Without burning it, surprisingly. "Well thank you Ethan, that's very nice of you. I lost though." "Uh-oh. How do you feel?" "He said I put up a good fight, so it wasn't a total loss. But I still like crap." "Well, maybe getting some food into your stomach will make you feel better." Ethan said with a smile. Chello looked up and smiled. Ethan was such a good friend. She took the plate of food and starting eating. A hundred thoughts were running through her head. She realized she'd taken quite a large risk showing up in public much less entering into a highly publicized fighting tournament. But she was glad she had taken a risk. It had turned out to be an enjoyable experience despite losing in the final match. Ethan sat down with his own plate of food and said, "Are your soaked clothes related to the fight?" Chello responded with, "Yeah, that bastard froze me to the ground. And of course when ice melts it leaves water." Ethan nodded. They ate in silence for a little while and then Ethan said, "You know Chello, I've been thinking. About a job. Maybe I should just freelance for a while. You know, make some drawings and sell them. I could make money that way." Chello thought about this for a second and said with a smile, "Ok, but I'm not supporting you forever you know. No starving artists in my household." Ethan chuckled and responded, "Oh don't worry, I won't be starving for long." [OOG: Just to remind you most of this post has been "flashback", this hasn't been happening recently.] (skip forward several months, to Feb 2001) Ethan and Chello had been living together for quite some time, although they had moved from the house in Sector 4 to a bit more luxurious house in Sector 6, where the new construction had been recently completed. Ethan had his own "studio" room where he did drawings and sketches, which he sold for quite a bit of money. He'd made a small name for himself in Midgar, and his drawings rarely stayed on shelf for more than a day or so. Chello, meanwhile, had gotten a job with the government, since her crimes were pardoned because of their anti-shinra nature. Now she designed weapons under contract from Reddington. Her hair had gone back to it's former wild rainbow colors, since she'd always liked it that way. Chello had just returned from work and she went up into the studio to see if Ethan was up there working. He was, and she went over there to give him a big hug and a kiss. Ethan was drawing a picture of an old ruined Mako reactor with plants growing around and in it. "Wow, that's pretty good." Chello said. "You like it? I'm pretty happy with it too." "Do you want to order some food for dinner or should I fix something?" "Why don't you order something? I feel like pizza." Chello agreed. She picked up the phone and dialed her favorite pizza place, Pizza Pros. "Thank you for calling Pizza Pros. This is John, how can I help you?" said the voice on the other end of the line. "I'd like to order two pizzas for delivery, both large. On one I'd like sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese, and on the other I'd like canadian bacon, pineapple, and extra cheese." There was a slight pause and then, "Ok, that'll be 60 gil. It should be there in about half an hour." [OOG: We decided that 3 Gil = 1 USD, right? If that's not on the page it should be.] "Thank you," and then Chello hung up. She went back into the room where Ethan was working and took a long look around. The walls were almost covered with the drawings he had done, the sketches and the finals. Any color drawings he did were in colored pencil, because he didn't like working with paint. There was a picture of a Mako reactor with a beatiful landscape behind it, titled "Opposite Worlds". Another drawing was one of Chello sitting on a rock in a long flowing dress, blowing in the wind. She had a big smile on her face. It was titled, "Angel on Earth". Chello smiled whenever she looked at that drawing. Ethan had hidden that picture from Chello until he finished it, and he surprised her with it one day. Chello was ecstatic. She was in tears. "That's the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me, Ethan! I love it!" She had given him the biggest hug she'd ever given anybody. Chello went to go read a book while she waited for the pizza to arrive. She was reading a book about a woman who had been forced into a marriage with an abusive husband and how she dealt with it. So far it had been a really entertaining read. The doorbell rung, startling her slightly, and she went up to the front door to pay for the pizza. "That'll be 60 gil ma'am." She paid him and gave him a 20 gil tip. "Thank you, ma'am. Enjoy your pizza." "Ethan! Pizza's here!" Chello yelled after she shut the door. "Ok! Be out in a minute!" Ethan replied from his studio. (jump forward a couple months, to April 2001) Chello was doing something she'd never done before. Sure, she had posed for Ethan before, but something was different about it this time. She was posing nude. Ethan was sitting on the other side of the room, with his drawing pad and pencils. "You feeling ok over there Chello?" "Yeah, I just feel a little strange." Chello was putting up an excellent facade of calm. Inside she was feeling really anxious. She'd never done anything like this before, and she only did it after much thought and convincing from Ethan. "Well, this won't take TOO long. I'll work fast, ok?" "Ok." Chello tried to settle at much as possible into the couch while Ethan sketched away. This wasn't anything he hadn't seen before but the fact that he was recording it on paper made Chello feel odd. But she was sure she could handle it. Ethan sketched for a while and then Chello's cat decided that it was lonely. So it jumped up onto the couch near Chello's face and started nuzzling her. Chello smiled and said, "You feel lonely? Well, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait your turn." Moonshadow almost looked like she understood what was going on, but all that mattered was that she jumped down and went into another part of the house. Ethan continued sketching while Chello decided to break the silence by offering with a wry smile, "You enjoying the view over there?" Ethan chuckled and said, "You want an honest answer?" "Of course I do." "You just answered it for me." Chello chuckled at Ethan's response and this helped her relax a little bit. Ethan continued to sketch. After what seemed like several hours Ethan said, "Ok, just a few more finishing touches and I'm done." Ethan made a final stroke and said, "There. Finished. You can get dressed now." Chello sat up and said, "Well, sitting there like that for all that time left me in a mood, if you know what I mean." Ethan was no fool and responded with, "If that's the case, why don't you let me clean up here and I'll join you in the bedroom in a few minutes?" "Ok, but hurry up. I can't wait forever," said Chello with a mischeivious smile as she disappeared down the hall. (back to present) Chello drove on, heading for home. She was satisfied with her life. Ethan had been with her for more than three years, she'd gotten her life back into place, and she had very little to worry about. On the way home she passed a shop that had "Drawings by Ethan Lore" advertised on the front window. Businesses had flourished under the new democratic government. They didn't have to answer to Rufus Shinra anymore. She pulled into the garage and headed for the bedroom, only to discover that Ethan was already asleep, with her cat Moonshadow curled up on bed near his feet. Chello got into her nightgown, brushed her teeth, and crawled into bed beside Ethan. She put her arm around him, and cuddled up behind him. She'd had a long day and she fell asleep quickly. --- OOG: Damn, that's my longest post ever. I'm happy. How about you? I spend three days on this thing. And it's still not as long as Tim's post. Heh. Must work harder next time. :-) Hope you enjoyed it. Comments, criticism, and the like welcome. Insult me and I kick you off the list, though. ;-) -- Benjamin Cutler Racercks Productions chrystis a xxxxxxx.xxxx Owner/Head Programmer http://surf.to/rproductions/ AIM: Deflama ICQ: #15277841 mIRC: Apnerfnek on irc.sorcery.net 49 From: C S Date: Tue Apr 11, 2000 8:25pm Subject: Searcher (Loric-- I) (OOG: Here goes...) Title: Searcher (Loric-- I) Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 8:07 place: Train heading for sector 6 Loric was jostled awake when the train came to a screeching halt, as was his habit, he had dozed off. He was now in Sector 6's wall market, where he was to meet the contact, a mechanic named Ivan. Ivan was going to inform him of the scientist Hojo's whereabouts. As many before him had put it, he was one of Hojo's "Lab Freaks", A genetic experiment that had failed. He was to be a sharpshooter, a pawn for Shinra. But there was one thing Hojo had forgot when he tried to Re-educate Loric. Loyalty, it was a concept that constantly had failed to instill itself in him. If you ever saw him, you would believe it, a giant at nearly seven feet in height with golden eyes that seemed to be able to cut you to your very soul. Along with several other passengers he filed off the train. One very large man with a shock of white hair, raised his arms and stopped when he reached the door. He shouted: "I, Don Corneo am home!" The man behind him responded with a curt "Less talk, more walk." And pushed him out. Loric payed them no mind as he walked out into the main area of wall market, he then located and entered Ivan and Jadow's Garage. "Oh-- look what we got here Ivan!" came a loud and quite annoying voice from the other side of the garage, he turned to see a dark skinned man with dreadlocks. "Please excuse my colleague, he has recently suffered a head wound, but will recover shortly," this voice emitted from the shadows, a pale skinned man stepped out of the shadows and offered Loric his hand. Loric took it and Ivan yelped. "Ow, man that's a good grip! You the one looking for Hojo?" "Yes, that would happen to be me, my name's Loric Thunderred." "I'm Ivan Duhrnam, I suppose you want your info, eh?" "Yes that would happen to be what I'm here for, now could you please get to the point!" Loric said, he hadn't come all this way from Rocket Town to Midgar (OOG: He was in Rocket town looking for information on Hojo's whereabouts a while ago) to be taunted by a grease-monkey. "Well, my sources inform me Hojo's got a little hideaway in the Sector seven sewers, He's been producing some rather disturbing things from what I hear." "Disturbing things?" "Demon-like creatures, eyeless vampire-men, seventy-foot snake things, like I said, just plain disturbing." "From the way it sounds, I'll need backup. I've got just the person in mind." ***** Time: 8:38 Place: Seventh heaven "You sure we can find help here?" Loric said. "First of all, I'm not going, second of all, I'm positive." "You think I'm going to go into an unknown without the person who told me I should go there?" Ivan gulped. They entered the bar to see a very beautiful woman tending the bar. There were only a few other people there. Loric and Ivan walked over to the bar. The woman walked over to them. "Hello, Ivan, who's this." "Hi, Tifa. Meet Loric Thunderred, one of the biggest S.O.Bs I've ever seen." Loric glared down at him. "And what brings you two here?" "Well," Loric began, "I am currently looking for a certain hated scientist, named--" "Hojo," Tifa said, completing his thought. "Yes, Ivan has informed me he has a € '±Hideaway' to use his words. I want to find out about what was done to me." "I knew yellow eyes couldn't be natural. So why did you come here?" "He needs help," Ivan said before Loric could even open his mouth. "And you want me to come along? Sounds interesting, I'll come." "So when do you want to start, Loric?" Ivan asked. "Well how about either this afternoon, or tomorrow, depending on when you two want to start." "This afternoon," Tifa said. "I concur. Though I would like to grab a few things before running to what could possibly be my death." Ivan left the bar after that. "So, you here just after Hojo?" "Yeah, basically." "Then what're you going to do? "Don't know, maybe I'll help out STRIKE with BLUFF, maybe I'll go back to Corel, help clean up." "You came from Corel?" "Yeah, I knew Baret, He € '±n my father were friends, worked in the mines." "Interesting, I'm from Nibelheim." "Yeah, I think I passed through there awhile back." "Huh!? Last I remember it was Burnt to the ground." "No, maybe they rebuilt it." "That sounds like it." Tifa and Loric continued to talk for a while as the sun rose higher into the sky. (OOG: There it is, my first post. Suggestions, Comments and money are welcome) 50 From: Cloud Strife Date: Tue Apr 11, 2000 6:19pm Subject: Re: Aeris Intro (OOG: This is Aeris' intro into ToM as an non-NPC. If there are any historical mistakes or anything, then please feel free to let me know. I wasn't able to read every single archive, but I read most of the stories involving Aeris. Anywayz, here it is and any comments or constructive criticism would be appreciated.) Sere “A New Beginning” (Aeris) --------------------------- October 1, 2003 –- Noon –- The Sector 5 church, Midgar --------------------------- Aeris sat over her flowers, tending to them and nurturing them to make sure that they didn’t die. She loved nature and the church was the only place that grew flowers as beautiful as hers, with the little sunlight that managed to gleam through the hole in the roof of the church. As she cared for her flowers she also had thoughts of the past that were still in her memory. She thought back to when Black 36 was released, and shuddered. It was a terrible experience to even have been close to Midgar when the Black 36 event was being planned. Now she was living peacefully with Elmyra, her mother. Aeris was content with her lifestyle now. It seemed so peaceful here, but Aeris still wondered what had happened to everyone and what they were doing at this very moment. Aeris stood up from tending to her flowers and looked up at the ray on sunlight that shone through the roof. The light seemed so pure and undisturbed, serene in a way. This light was so out of place shining in the slums of Midgar, where things always seemed so unhappy. She turned away from the light and began to walk up the aisle to leave the church. Aeris prayed one last time to the planet and then left to go home. As she walked outside, she realized the contrast between the busy streets of the slums and the peaceful tranquility she felt inside the church. The church was her safe haven, it always had been and it still was. The church was a place for her to go and be alone with her thoughts; she was also able to speak with the planet there. She was truly happy inside the church. She felt free of the burden of who and what she was; it helped her feel as if she was just somebody else going about life. Aeris closed the church doors behind her and began to walk down the street. She walked into the market of the slums and looked around. It was still bustling with people trying to get things for bargain prices. She walked over to a food store and bought the necessities she would need to bring home to he mother. She thanked the owner and began to walk away from the market. Aeris walked down the road and as she did so, the sounds of the busy market fading leaving her in peace and quiet. She felt comfortable as she travelled home; the silence was allowing her some time to think over things. Aeris thought about the friends she had made throughout the events of the Black 36 trials. She still saw Elleen around the slums sometimes and they were still as close as they had been before, but it was also different because of all that had happened. Aeris wondered what happened to Jiro. After Black 36 everyone basically went his or her own way. They each said goodbye to each other, but it was an uncertain way to leave things. There were so many things left unfinished, that’s how it seemed to her anyway. Aeris wondered what Avalanche was up to, now that Barret wasn’t around. She wondered how Cloud was and the others she met from the group. She was almost home, when she felt uneasiness in the air. It was as though something big was going to happen again and they would all be involved in it once more. Aeris always trusted her instincts because they had not yet steered her in the wrong path. She would have to speak with the planet about this. She hoped it was only a bad feeling that she was having and nothing more, but she was still unable to shake it from her thoughts. Aeris was at her house in less time than she had first thought. As she stepped inside Elmyra gave her a warm greeting. “Welcome back, Aeris. Were you able to get the things I requested, from the market?” “Yes, mother. Everything is right here,” Aeris passed the bag of items over to her mother, but she still looked deep in thought. “Is something wrong Aeris? You seem unusually quiet. You’re usually happy and have lots of energy, but you seem to have something on your mind. What’s bothering you?” Elmyra asked Aeris, but knew before she had asked that no answer would be given. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m going up to my room for a little while, call me if you need me,” Aeris turned and walked up the steps to the bedrooms. She opened her bedroom door, stepped in, and closed the door behind her. She sat down on her bed and kept thinking about the feeling she had before. Aeris didn’t usually let these things trouble her, but this uneasy feeling worried her. She did not want another Black 36 incident to occur again and if she could prevent it from happening then she would do whatever it takes. As she fell deeper and deeper into thought and before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep sleep and even in her dreams she was speaking to the planet about what she had felt. ------------------------------- “A New Beginning” (Aeris) By: Serenity Grant A.K.A “Sere” ------------------------------- ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com 51 From: Kelly Brennan Date: Wed Apr 12, 2000 5:13pm Subject: Calm Before the Storm (OOG: A nice little tale to kick off my regime *grins and passes around tea and crimpets*) ------------------------- Calm Before The Storm Date: October 1, 2003 ------------------------- Time: 9:00 AM Katerina sat at her desk, looking at one of the numerous glowing monitors surrounding her. She was watching the news - after the capture of Jaive, BLUFF members had highjacked a train. Luckily, STRIKE had recovered it, but.... Five dead, at least 12 wounded at the last count. Shaking her head sadly, Katerina muttered to herself. "Damn BLUFF bastards. Can't they see that, with anarchy, we'd all be running around like chickens with our heads cut off, slaughtering each other? I am doing my best here." Some of the worker in the room turned to look at her. "Need anything, Ms. Evyns?" one asked. "No, no, I'm fine," she replied, waving him off. She wondered how many people in this building supported BLUFF. None, if she had done her job right. And she always did her jobs right. Her gaze returned to the monitor screen. "All of the highjackers are dead...," the announcer intoned Death. Is that the only way to solve anything? "Jaive is to be put on trial soon...." Probably the death sentence. More death. If only Shinra hadn't risen to power.... Katerina snorted softly. What if? What good does it do to think about that? It was time to return to the present, correct the current problems, and patiently wait for more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Time: 1:12 PM Four hours later Katerina was still sitting at her desk. Her stomach rumbled angrily. She ignored it - food was never on any list of importance. The people of Midgar were in turmoil. They needed to be calmed down - a train take-over was definitely not the worst thing that could have happened. Could still happen. The news stations had contacted her - she'd make a public address tonight over all the television channels. Raising morale was the prime objective here. The people needed to know that the government was still strong and reliable. She sighed. People freak out much too easily. Katerina stood up to stretch out her cramped legs, and walked over to the giant window behind her desk. Words still flowed across the monitors - a never-ending river of words, with every drop being potentially crucial to her knowledge. Katerina ran her itinerary through her head. Writing the speech, reviewing the news, conferences, letters from the people.....oh, and she'd have to have at least a small lunch so that she wouldn't pass out during the speech. Closing her mind to the sounds of the room, she ignored the typing and ringing, the words...and the crying. The tears of the fallen, the innocents lost. Katerina shut these out of her mind for a single moment. The calm before the storm. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Time: 4:30 PM Standing at a steel podium in the middle of a large news room, Katerina felt quite comfortable and at home. Giving speeches enabled her to speak face-to-face with the citizens of Midgar. She stood alone - it looked like she trusted them. The crowd and the cameras did not see the bodyguards hidden around her, nor her own handgun, concealed in her clothes. The video cameras flashed red - it was time to begin. "People of Midgar," she began, "We are here to forgive, not condemn, to teach, not to destroy. The members of BLUFF have made a grave mistake. They believe that killing and anarchy can bring peace. War only creates more war, it takes a strong people to overcome hatred and join together in creating an honest and fair democracy. You, citizens of Midgar, have shown your strength by believing in me and the government I represent. I beseech those who follow Jaive to turn aside from their faults, and embrace the truth. Anarchy leads to death. Only by embracing each other as brothers and sisters can we have peace and unity. I promise you, that if all the people of Midgar join with me as equals, with me as your voice and you as my hands, we will bring Midgar into a Golden Age, which will last only as long as you wish. Citizens of Midgar - our lives depend on you." The customary applause followed. Hoping that she had at least stirred some hearts and sparked some minds, she smiled at each of the T.V. cameras in turn. With one last nod to the crowd, she stepped back from the podium. It was in their hands now. She had other things to attend to. Like that forgotten lunch. (OOG: Gee, seems like ages since I actually wrote anything. Hopefully my posts will get longer ^ ^) 52 From: Date: Wed Apr 12, 2000 6:23pm Subject: Intro (Nick-1) (OOG: Ok here's Nick's entry, hope it doesn't suck.) Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 9:00 AM Place: Apartment 2B, second floor, Midgar Meadows Apartment Complex, Sector One Slums "Today's the day!" "Whats that Honey?" "Listen to this!" The volume on the TV is turned up. 'The second mission today conducted by the new Midgar police force known as STRIKE was a complete success. Run by Tyr Signus, the leader of STRIKE, a hostage situation brought out by the terrorist group BLUFF was stopped with a reported 5 dead and 12 more injured. Thats all the authorities have released at this time, more at eleven...' "That's great Nick, but are you sure you want to get back into a job with high risk like that?" Felisha's now large body slowly rose from a chair and walked into the kitchen. "Its not high risk, Midgar has the technology to do operations like that all the time and not get hurt. The biggest risk is getting a paper cut in the office." "I wouldn't say that Shinra definitely had more advanced technology, since they abolished MAKO use it will take a while to get up to the same level." "Well, either way, this sorta thing is what I grew up doing, so I should be perfect for it." "Fine but if you talk to Tyr personally then tell him I said to let you get settled into the job before doing anything dangerous, because your blood type is beyond rare. Its unique." "Remember though, I was doing perfectly fine, never once had I had any kind of screw up until those bastards at AVALANCHE invaded the execution. From what I hear BLUFF is a lot more rustic, but I'll find out the truth. Then again if that hadn't happened I wouldn't have met you," Nick smiled and walked over to his wife as she held a glass of water and kissed her on the cheek, "well I'm gonna go use the pay phone." "Ok just don't go get shot or something, we really need this money so one day we can use our own phone." "Alright honey, bye, I'll be back with more information." Nick walked out the door closing it behind him. He made the walk that he was forced to make everyday, they couldn't afford a phone of there own, so he was forced to call from the local pay phone. He walked down the stairs to the main lobby out onto the streets. It takes a lot of getting used to. It seemed like one day he was a well paid SOLDIER, who grew up in a wealthy Shinra family, then it all came crashing down. Even though in the end he chose the anti-Shinra route he has since realized Shinra provided its more valued employees with benefits, and a fat paycheck. Well there valued employees were anyone who brought in money or could potentially strike back against them weather due to power, underlings, or mental instability. They always assumed Nick was mentally unstable because of his high exposure to MAKO, thats why he was placed in the Beta division of SOLDIER, but he's always been surprisingly sane, and more calm than violent. Well he finally made the walk to the pay phone and dug through the pockets of his SOLDIER uniform for the change to make the call. When first moving back to midgar he was ridiculed for his SOLDIER uniform and often kicked out of stores but eventually people in the neighborhood accepted it, seeing as how this is all he had worn, and all he owned were it and its twins he didn't even realize he was wearing it half the time. After looking the number up in the phone book he slipped the coins into the slot and dialed the number. "Hello, you've reached STRIKE headquarters how may I help you?" A receptionist asked. "Yes I would like to apply for a position," Nick replied. "Tomorrow we are accepting walkins for interviews, and that starts at 10 AM. But if you could please leave your phone number we will inform you of any changes." "Well... you see the thing is... um I don't currently have a phone, so I'll just show up tomorrow and if something changed, oh well." "Oh, well perhaps you give me your address we can have a messenger drop by if something changed." "Well I'm in the sector one slums, in the Midgar Meadows apartment complex, apartment 2B." "And your name?" "Nick Renold." "Thanks you." "Bye..." The phone had been disconnected before he could event get the words out. He looked down at the severed wire hanging below. He looked up and saw three young males who looked to be high school students, one of them refolding a folding knife. "Sorry to stop your conversation but we don't want any of your filthy Shinra scum using our phones," one of the boys said. "Well sorry kids, but I've got to get home now," Nick said while walking away. One of the kids stopped him by sticking out his arm. "Maybe you don't understand, by home you mean outta here, I never want to see you in midgar again, or else." "Come on, I used to protect all of you, if it wasn't for people like me Midgar would have been totally annihilated by Hojo's robots, or rebel groups like AVALANCHE." "Listen SOLDIER boy, because of people like you we had to live in poverty, we were looked down upon, but since Prime Minister Evyns took over we have more freedom." "Maybe you've gone blind, but look around you, there still is poverty everywhere, we're still looked down upon, and Prime Minister Evyns has done crap to help the people of the slums, except raised taxes more making things harder and harder to get." "Weave heard enough of your mouth scum, now leave or I'll make you leave." Nick attempted again to walk past the kids and continue home. But again they stopped him. "Listen you tell me to go, I try going you stop me, thats the problem with kids today they don't know what they want." "No now I want to here you apologize for making fun of us and our wonderful city." A grin came over the hooligan's face. Nick noticed some people starting to watch, including a group of three girls who appeared to be whispering and pointing. "Listen, I would but I really don't have the time, anyway its still morning so you should be in school." "No one can make us go to school, our parents are at work, we go o school only when we want." The other two boys began to get a little nervous looking around. "Really because with this crowd forming here someone could easily recognize you three and drag you back to school." Just then the boy lunged at Nick striking his shoulder into Nick's stomach. "Dude!" one of the boys yelled, "What the hell are you doing!" Nick flew back into the telephone booth his head hitting the phone leaving him a little dazed. The three girls in the background ran up and started pulling the confused boy off of Nick who was just reaching for his materia. "Bolt," he mumbled clutching it and a small jolt of lightning flew out and hit the ground right next to the boy being restrained. The other two boys ran off either in fear of the lightning or fear of being caught skipping. "James, James! Calm down." one of the girls said. The boy, James had tears streaking down his face. He finally stopped, still breathing heavily looking up at the people, all staring at him, he got up and ran away. "Well that was just uncalled for," a woman said. "Are you alright?" one of the girls asked. "Yes I am," Nick replied looking at the girl, "I'm just a little confused, you obviously know him, what would cause him to attack me like that." At that point the crowd had left and shrugged it off as an everyday event. "Well," the girl replied, "He's always had a real problem with everyone who doesn't do what he says." "I see, I used to know kids like that when I was your age," Nick said, "By the way, why aren't you three in school?" "Um..." one girl let out. "We needed a break today, we've gone without one for a month now," the girl in front of him said. "Yeah that harsh," Nick said with a smile on his face. "Whats that supposed to mean?" "Nothing, thanks anyway, I have to get home to my wife, maybe I'll see you around here sometime," Nick said. "Your welcome, um...whats your name?" "Nick, yours?" "Eleen, and this is Anita and Stacy." "Ok Eleen, maybe I'll see you around sometime, bye." Nick began walking away. "Bye." Eleen said watching him walk away. "Didn't your mom ever tell you not to tell your name to strangers," Anita whispered to Eleen. "He's not too strange, anyway I thought he was pretty cute," Eleen smiled then turned around. "Thats sorta gross he's like twice your age," Stacy giggled. "I'm not saying he would..." Eleen's voice trailed off as the distance grew between them. Nick made his way home back to his wife to wait until tomorrow... (OOG: okay from my view this was pretty bad, but I'm might be half blind and don't speak English for all you know, but anyway any comments? Suggestions? Arguments? Protests?) Brian 53 From: Date: Thu Apr 13, 2000 0:14am Subject: Retrieval of the Gelnika (Khali Yulices) (OOG: Wheeeeeeee, my first post. Told ya it'd be a whopper) October 1, 2003 10 PM Professor Hojo's Secret Laboratory --------------------------- Bang, bang, bang. Click, click. She pulled the trigger again. Click. She hit a button on the wall and then released the clip from the gun. The motor began to hum as the belt moved, bringing the shooting target back. A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around, and she removed her earplugs in time to hear the empty clip hit the ground and bounce. "Miss Khali, Professor Hojo requires your immediate presence in his office." A man stood in front of her, dressed in a green suit. He brushed his brown, unkempt hair out of his face as he looked at her. "Any idea what's wrong?" She removed her safety goggles next, setting them on the table next to her with the empty gun and earplugs. "None. He sounded awfully mad, if that tells you anything." Khali sighed as she turned back around and pulled the target down from the clip. The right hand was cut off just above the wrist, the left upper arm was filled with holes, two or three shots had been put through the heart, and both eyes were missing off of the dummy. She nodded, rather content with her practice. She grumbled and turned around. "He sounded angry, Miss Khali. You shouldn't keep him waiting." "Alright, alright. I'm going." The man stepped aside to let her pass. "You called, professor?" Khali walked into the small, dimly lit room. A large desk was a ways in front of her, with a few computer terminals on it among other cluttered things. The large chair had its back turned to the desk, facing the dark wall. It turned around, revealing the frail Professor Hojo, peering up through his thick glasses. "Ah, there you are," he said, after a short pause. He stood, his white lab coat straightening out. He pushed a button on his desk console and the lights came on full force, illuminating the room. "What's the matter?" "We have a problem, Khali. A rather large problem, at that," Hojo sighed, "The Gelnika, a large transport plane with a number of my scientists and lab rats, disappeared somewhere in the ocean around Junon." Khali nodded. "Shinra?" "I suspect so. Communications tried to make contact with the Gelnika a half-hour ago, with no answer returning. The Gelnika was a supersonic transport, and I can't figure out how Shinra could have attacked it." "So the plane isn't the primary concern? You want me to find out what kind of things Shinra have in order to attack it?" "No. The Gelnika is of the UTMOST concern, Khali. The plane may have simply crashed. However, it crashed in Junon Territory. That creates a problem if Shinra saw the crash and is able to locate it. You see, Khali, I had much data, many plans, and materials on that ship. Plans of the Durahan were on it. If Shinra locates it, they'll have knowledge of most of our plans." "I see the problem." "I want you to take the Durahan, locate the wreckage, and salvage all that you can. Destroy the rest. Destroy any Shinra presence you have to in order to succeed, but do NOT let anyone see the Durahan and live. Do you understand?" Her nod was his answer. "Very good. I'll upload the data into the Durahan." Khali turned and left the office, heading towards her room to suit up. Hojo sat back down in his chair, folding his lab coat underneath as he sat down. "I believe that I shall check on some of the other labs and factories... starting with the new lab in the Sector 7 slums of Midgar. They should be set up by now, should progress be going as satisfactory as I expect." He began to type away at one of the computer consoles. *** October 1, 2003 10:30 PM Junon Air Territory ----------------------------- Khali looked at the flashing blip on her radar screen. She was a good 40,000 feet into the air, and the Durahan's Hyper Jammer was active, so she didn't have to worry about being detected. She was near to where the Gelnika should be, just a ways above it. She punched a few buttons on the keyboard, and a view of the water came up on the screen. "Good, doesn't seem to be anyone around. Time to dive." She pulled a lever back, cutting all power to her jets, and began a free-fall plummet to the water surface. "20,000 and dropping fast... Eh?" Several blips appeared on the radar, almost right on top of her position. She switched to the water view quickly. "Beautiful, ships." She shoved the lever back up to maximum drive while she hit other keys to activate the boosters. G-force set in, but the Durahan immediately slowed its descent, shooting back up into the air and forward. She landed the mech a few miles inland, hiding it behind a mountain. She moved up to the top of the mountain, which wasn't all too far from where she gotten out of the Durahan, and used her binoculars to scout the area. After looking, she descended the mountain back to the entrance of the Durahan. She moved herself into the control chair and opened a radio frequency to Hojo. "Professor Hojo, three ships from Junon. They don't appear to be heavily armed, but they're most likely being used as eyes for subs. I will destroy them, as per your request. Khali out." The radio frequency closed as the hatch closed. She powered the Durahan up, and flew back into the air full force. "Radar up," she finally said, her lifeless voice finally filling the cabin of the Durahan after several moments of silence. "10,000 feet, 3 targets. Computer, give me a 3d image at ground level." The computer hummed momentarily as Khali set the Durahan into hover mode, slowing down and keeping enough jets running at a low speed to keep the mech suspended in the air. She analyzed the model, spinning it around. "First and second ships are closest together. Back to radar." She took hold of the jets again and slowly directed herself over the first blip on the radar screen, with as much precision as she could. She didn't have any room for error in this. "Bingo." The jets cut, allowing the Durahan to once again free-fall. *** October 1, 2003 10:48 PM Junon Ship #1 -------------------------------- "Any news from the subs yet?" A man in a brown Junon Navy uniform asked his closest subordinate as he looked out over the dark horizon. "None yet, sir." "Ugh. Well keep looking! What's wrong with those Shinra fools, sending us out this late at night? What do they think we are - frickin miracle workers? It's darker down there than it is out here, for damnation's sake!" He pounded the side of the boat. "Um, sir, what's that?" The dark green-uniformed man behind him had looked up in order to wish on a star, only to find a thick white SOMETHING against the black sky. "What - what the hell? Get a spotlight up there, now!" The captain pointed to the nearest spotlight, and numerous men ran to it and powered it up. The spotlight flashed upwards, shining brightly against the white leg of the Durahan. "Get another one up there!" The second spotlight shined up, flashing off the front of the Durahan. "Sir, what is that?" "I have no clue! Contact Ruf-" Too late. He didn't even have a chance to yell his leader's name before the Durahan came smashing through the ship, breaking it into two pieces as it vanished underneath the surface of the ocean, causing the halves of the ship to be propelled upwards as the large waves splashed violently. Khali merely grinned and laughed. *** October 1, 2003 10: 50 PM Junon Ship #2 --------------------------------- "Captain Baldur, come in! Captain Baldur, I repeat, come in!" The radioman of the second ship was trying to contact the captain of the first ship, whose radio frequency had just been broken. "Sir! I'm getting nothing from their ship!" "What? Ships just don't vanish! Keep trying!" "Sir, what's this? It's coming from the direction of Captain Baldur's ship!" "What?" The captain of the second ship ran from the balcony of the tower to the bow of the ship, where one of his men stood, and looked out over the ocean where the man was pointing. "Looks like the ocean is rising into the air? But that can't happen..." "Sir? What's... that?" The man pointed to a new thing. "Something's falling out of the sky. Looks like... part of a ship? Huungh!" The captain flew backwards with a large cry of pain as something slammed into his body. "Captain! Captain Ajantis is down! Repeat, Captain Ajantis is down!" The man that had been next to him ran to his fallen superior, kneeling next to the lifeless body. The captain was impaled upon a metal pole, now stuck in the back of the spotlight. His eyes widened as he looked forward, and he attempted to raise his weakened arm up. "Stay still, Captain, it'll be okay." "You fool... Abandon ship..." "Wha - why?" The officer turned around fast enough to see his end - the back half of the first ship hurtling in front of a very large wave of water. The half of the ship slammed into the second ship, ripping through the tower as well as many officers' bodies. The giant wave of water followed, destroying and sinking most of the ship. Many of the men were tied down by portions of the ship and drowned, or were already dead from the half of the first ship. Khali laughed as the second blip disappeared from her screen. *** October 1, 2003 10:50 PM Junon Ocean -------------------------------- "Hehahahahahaha," Khali laughed maniacally as she watched the debris of the second ship break the ocean surface, "One more to go." The large mech reached around its back, grasping hold of the handle of the "Boom Gun", and pulling it around front. She took aim, pinpointing the engine of the ship, braced the Durahan against some rocks, and fired. The ocean boomed as the shells were propelled from the large weapon, soaring through the water towards their target. "Bulls-eye." Ship #3 blew sky-high as the shells shot the engine into metal burger, disrupting the flow of Mako and contaminating the crew before the ship actually combusted. Without the sonar abilities of the three ships, the submarines were relying on their own lights and weak sonar abilities to find the Gelnika. Khali ducked the Durahan into a break in the ocean wall to get out of sight, then opened up her radar screen to check out the situation. "Oh boy, that's bad," she grumbled, looking at the blips near the Gelnika, "Four of 'em. Hmm... Rufus certainly sent out a large search party. I wonder what's going on. Computer, open a radio frequency." Khali began to type with one hand as she attempted to hack into the radio frequency they were on. Finally, after a few minutes of playing with the keys, she had made it. "Sub 1, are you there?" "Here, sub 3. Status?" "We've lost all contact with the ships. We can't get through to any of them. What about you?" "Same here, Sub 1. Maybe it's just water pressure." "Never happened before." "Damn this all," a new voice. "Any luck on finding the plane?" "Affirmative. Sending location now." Khali had heard enough, and shut down the frequency. "Jeez... Just great. Concentrate on the mission, Khali," she closed her eyes, "It's too dark down here, damnit." She slowly moved out of her hiding spot, switched the jets in the lower back of the Durahan on, and moved towards the four subs. *** October 1, 2003 11:00 PM Gelnika Crash Site ------------------------------ "What the hell makes this plane so damn important to the higher ups of Shinra?" "I don't know. But rumor says that a lot of Hojo's stuff is on this thing." "Hojo - the mad scientist? Really?" "Don't let him hear you call him that. He'll probably use you for one of his experiments." "I've heard that he makes wolf-men and eyeless creatures." "He makes some pretty demented stuff, that's for sure." "Damn you, you slackers! Get to work on salvaging this thing!" The voices of the squad commanders on the subs chimed in. "Yes sir!" "Sorry sir!" BOOM! "Shouldn't we wait until-" Sub 1, the sub that the officer was speaking from, blew up. The force of whatever blew it up shook through the water. "What the hell? What happened?" The commander of Sub 2 was the first to respond to the explosion. "Don't just sit there! Get visuals up!" "Sir, I'm unable! Whatever caused the explosion caused everything to go down in the sub! We can't even open up a frequency with the other subs. We're floating blindly, except for what we can see in front of us." Khali hooked the "Boom Gun" on the back of the Durahan. "Shit." The vibroswords slid from their housings. "This is Sub 4. Anyone there?" She began to move forward. "This...... is Sub...... 3. Our... engine...... is down, and visuals are fuzzy. Sub 4... do you copy?" The Durahan's right arm raised, the blade slicing through the water. "We copy! Getting a visual on Sub 1 now." A visual of where the sub should be popped up, although nothing but red debris was in the water. Tattered body parts and uniforms could be seen among the metal debris. Switching to a visual of Sub 2, they were just in time to see the sub split in half and explode, its debris joining that of Sub 1. "By Rufus! What's out there?" "What...shziit... is happening?" "Sub 3! Get out of there now! There seems to be a chain... no, wait... Lights on!" The bright lights of the sub turned on, searching where the commander told the officer manning the lights to put them. Finally, the lights came upon the Durahan's white legs. "What... is that?" The lights moved out, finally coming to rest upon the menacing head of the giant robot. "What the hell? Is that a robot? Open a radio frequency to it, now!" "No need to, commander. I've been listening to you for a while." "A woman? Who is this?" "Who I am is of no concern." "I am a commander of Shinra's Submarine Navy! I ORDER YOU TO GIVE ME A NAME!" "Negative. You have already sealed your fate, commander." "Look, commander, she has no weapons! We could destroy whatever that is, and take it back to Rufus! We'd get medals for sure!" "Do any of our weapons still work?" "Only the small rail gun we have on the bottom of the sub, sir." "Hmm... Tell Sub 3 to open fire, and open fire now!" "Yes sir! Sub 3, do you copy?" The nearest officer moved to the control panel, pushing a button and using a lever to lock crosshairs onto the Durahan and finally pushing the button again. The rail gun on the bottom of the sub came to life and spouted rounds at its target. "We copy and have overheard everything! Preparing to attack now!" An officer on Sub 3 did the same. "You fools... FOOLS!" Khali screamed at them in a voice or rage. The rounds fired were barely able to dent the armored robot, having been slowed down tremendously by the water pressure and mako-enforced armor, and the commanders noticed this, yet ordered the officers to continue firing. Khali raised the Durahan's left arm, taking aim. "What's she doing, commander?" "Cease fire! Now, young lady, don't do anything foolish. You understand that by attacking those two subs you've crossed Rufus Shinra and the Shinra organization? You would do well to leave here." "Those who have laid eyes upon the Durahan must not live to tell about it. Those were the orders that I was given." The coldness in her voice lingered on the radio as the orange light erupted from the left arm, engulfing the two subs. "YOUNG LADY! YOU ARE CROSSING SHINRAAAA-" the commander of Sub 4 screeched the last sound of his life, finally ending with the subs exploding. "Radar says no more targets... Good." She moved the Durahan forward to the front of the crashed plane's wreckage. "Screens show it to be a little flooded," she muttered as she put a helmet on and checked the air tube connections, "but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Wait here, Durahan." With that she opened the hatch of the Durahan and swam out, used the control to close the hatch, and swam into the crashed plane. *** October 1, 2003 11:20 PM Crashed Gelnika ------------------------------- Khali pushed the button to open the locked Gelnika doors and, much to her displeasure, the doors didn't respond. "Rats, Hojo was right," she muttered, unzipping the front of her wetsuit and pulling the override card that Hojo had given her from her pocket. She raised her hand, hoped that it still worked, and input the code that Hojo had given her. It took a few moments, but a mechanical whirl was heard as a piece of metal plating dropped off - revealing a card slip. She exhaled, remembering that she had been holding her breath, and slid the card through. Again, the mechanical whirl was heard, and the doors unlocked and slid open. "Looks like all hell broke loose," she slowly let out as she scanned the area. And it did, too. The crash hadn't been kind to the inside of the Gelnika, nor did whatever caused the crash of the plane. Already she had seen something wrong - the test subjects were lying around here and there. They were dead, of course. Not much could live through a crash of this magnitude. She began to collect any salvageable materials - any papers, data disks, other objects, but not any beakers. The test creatures were dead, and so having their cells wouldn't do the professor much good. She cleaned the bookshelf, taking any paperwork and books that weren't totally soaked through, and dropped them in her bag. She moved toward the next door - a large security door, with the upper half of some monster in front of it. She did the same she had done with the first door, put in a code and then swiped the card. The door opened, a gush of water flowing under it and into the room she had previously been in. The monster's lower half came gushing in with the water, along with its entrails and other vital organs. Once the door had finished opening and the water had finished draining and moving around, Khali found the first human on the ship. A man in a white lab coat - a scientist, she presumed - laying in an unhealthy manner on the stairs. She immediately closed the open door that was letting water gush in. It was the only open door around, and probably was the way someone escaped. Lab creatures couldn't be smart enough to open locked doors. Could there have been survivors? No... the scientists' override codes would not work on a security breach of this degree. The person that got out had hacked their way out - which means that someone had infiltrated the ship and caused it to go down. She shook her head, clearing it of thoughts, and walked to where the scientist's body was. She straightened him out, patting him down in the process. Hitting something, she opened up the lab coat to find a revolver, two data discs, and a card. On further inspection of the revolver and card, she found that the revolver had only 3 shells in the 7-shell cylinder and that the card was a safe keycard. She pulled the ID out of the lab coat pouch and read it - "Kaz Weston". She knew that name - he had been the one that Hojo had put in charge of this ship. The used revolver, all of the dead lab creatures, and the open door led her to one conclusion - there had been Shinra influence on this plane. She checked Kaz's body over once again, attempting to find reason for his death - a few organs were damaged but... ah... She flipped him over and checked his spine. Sure enough, it was cracked in about 5 or 6 places. "Must have been an agonizing death." She continued up the stairs. A door at the top of the stairs opened after inputting the code and swiping the override card. The inside of this room was a grim sight indeed, but at least it wasn't flooded. It appeared to be the central research room as well, what with the tubes and size of the room. The majority of the crew must have died here, she noted, as a good number of scientists' bodies were in here - along with the lab creatures that must have injured or killed them. With the lab creatures' escapes, the hard-wired security system would kick in. She collected the ID cards off of the scientists' bodies, the few laptops that were still in one piece, a couple cybernetic lab arms, as well as any paperwork and data disks she could find. Finally, she found a safe. It was on its side and under the body of a rather desecrated scientist, but it was still intact. It didn't appear to have been tampered with, and she took the keycard she had picked off of Kaz's body and swiped it through the spot. Luckily the safe hadn't been tampered with, and it opened quite easily. Inside she found more paperwork, which looked to be Kaz's private notes, as well as a laptop and some data disks that appeared to be his own. Slipping them into a plastic bag that was on a table, she dropped that into her big bag as well. She looked around the room once more before she began her journey back to the Durahan. *** October 1, 2003 11:45 PM Gelnika Crash Site --------------------------------------- The room flooded again as Khali opened the main doors of the Gelnika, floating back out into the ocean and toward the Durahan. It was in the same spot, and in the same position, so she was hoping that Rufus hadn't sent anymore Shinra people. She opened the hatch and slid into the pilot compartment of her mech, tossing her "big bag o' goodies" behind her seat. She raised the left arm of the Durahan, took aim, and let loose a long blast of the Mako Cannon, making sure to completely destroy the Gelnika. Once content and satisfied with her work, she ignited her jets and propelled herself upwards, and when she broke the ocean surface she drained the compartment of all water. She had succeeded, now she needed to report. *** October 1, 2003 11:48 PM Junon Air Territory ------------------------------- "Professor Hojo? Come in, professor." Khali was somewhere around 40,000 feet in the air and way out of Junon radar range, so she wasn't worrying about anyone picking up the frequency. She coded it anyway, just to make sure. "Ah, Khali! How went the mission? How was the Gelnika?" "The mission was successful, sir. The plane was not good, professor. It looked like a war zone." "Oh? What happened, Khali?" "I have plenty of ideas, but I'll give you the facts. The hard-lined security had taken effect. Which means that the lab creatures had broken free, or had been let free." "Let free? What do you mean?" "The second room that I entered was flooded completely. A door to the outside had been opened. If the lab creatures had simply broken free, they wouldn't have been able to open the door. Hell, professor, our own scientists couldn't override a security breach of this measure. Professor, the door was hacked open." "Hacked? Not many people would have the skill to do that. Did you find anything? What of the scientists and lab creatures?" "All dead. I collected the ID tags of the scientist bodies that I found. The lab creatures turned on the scientists. I collected any paperwork that wasn't soaked through, as well as any data disks I could find. I collected a few working lab arms, as well as any working laptops I could find. Lastly, Kaz apparently kept private paperwork, data disks, and laptop of his own. I've put Kaz's private things in their own bag." "Splendid job, my dear. And what of the wreckage?" "Destroyed. There's nothing left." "Any conflict?" "Three surface ships, and four deep-sea salvage subs. That was it. They were all destroyed." "Very good job, my dear. While I must regret the loss of such a fine crew and specimens, as well as the ship, I must congratulate you. I must ask you for your services again." "Of course, professor. What would you have me do?" "I have not been able to contact the new lab that should have been set up in the Sector 7 Slums of Midgar. However, an inside source from Shinra informs me that they're looking for Turks. It could be a good chance to sabotage Shinra from the inside." "Understood." She stood in the pilot compartment and began to rummage through stuff. She grabbed a laptop from the bag of items she had salvaged, as well as the revolver she had found. She pulled the wetsuit off and tossed it behind the seat, surprisingly finding her black leather jacket back there. "Professor? How did you... know?" "Better to be safe than sorry, my dear, better to be safe than sorry." Khali continued to suit up, zipping the jacket up and putting a parachute on over it. She grabbed an air mask - she was 40,000 feet up, the air is thin - and slid it over her face, followed by goggles. She grabbed the portable radio she kept in there, to keep in contact with Hojo. She counted her possessions - revolver, pistols, vibrodagger, laptop, remote, and radio - and placed them inside a miniature briefcase-like item, and opened the hatch. Standing on the hatch ledge, she took hold of the remote. "Mission accepted." She pushed a button and jumped, the hatch closing almost immediately behind her. As she began her fall into Junon the Durahan took off, heading back to Hojo's secret laboratory. - Etrius 54 From: Evil Writer Jen Date: Thu Apr 13, 2000 2:43pm Subject: Shedding Her Identity [Elena intro] Time: 7:00 AM Date: October 1st, 2003 Place: Costa del Sol Smoothly tanned, perfectly sculpted legs pumped up and down in a rhythm that was both calming and challenging. As white sneakers pressed forcefully into soft ground, sand gave way and scattered, a multitude of tiny grains uprooted from their resting place and transplanted some short distance away. The gentle lull of the ocean made a soothing background while its greedy waves lapped at the shoreline, reaching for more than they were allowed and taking whatever they could get. In the distance, the sun, a flaming slash of orange and red, filled half the sky as it struggled to reach its throne high above the world below. All in all, Costa del Sol presented a tranquil setting that was not often matched by any place else. Coming to an abrupt stop, Elena Thorton, known to anyone here as Elise Whitman, bent over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to regain her breath. Strands of sweat soaked pale blonde hair fell into her face, covering dark brown eyes bright with the energy just expended. With an impatient gesture, she brushed her hair aside and rose, stretching her arms far above her head. The pale grey biker shorts and matching tank top clung to her like second skin, and she could hardly wait to peel out of them and shower away the perspiration and sand covering what felt like every spare inch of exposed flesh. Shrugging her shoulders, she let her arms fall at her sides, and walked the last few feet to the villa she lived in alone. She ignored the slight protest in her calves as she walked up the steps, nabbing yesterday's paper as she went. News was all the same anymore. The only things that reporters felt were worth mentioning was something sensational. That narrowed most topics down to death, politics, and the deceit of the common man. Strange bedfellows, indeed. As far as she was concerned, they all fit nicely together. They were also the reason why she was in no hurry to read the paper. She had escaped to Costa del Sol to get away from all that. Funny, however, how you could never really completely escape from anything. True peace and tranquility was all an illusion maintained for economic reasons. After all, if the brochures for Costa del Sol mentioned some of the stuff that _really_ went on here, who would willingly visit? Still, she had to admit it was better than most places. Better than Midgar. Scowling at the turn of her thoughts, she estimated that Midgar was the root of most of her problems. Which was exactly why she had run away from it. A cowardly act to be sure, but it had not felt that way when Tyr was with her. Tyr had went back, however, and she had yet to decide whether or not he was actually doing the 'good' he seeked. She supposed that what mattered most was not whether she thought that way, but whether _he_ thought that way. He was the one that had to live with himself. Yes, and she had to live with herself and the life she had created here in the year since he had left. A safe existence with no risks and relatively no interferences. The exact sort of thing she might have scoffed at not all that long ago. "But this is your life," she told the flushed face in the bathroom mirror, "live with it or change it." Change it? There was freedom here. She could do nearly whatever she pleased without having to answer to anyone. No one knew her real name, so no one could make connections with her very rich, well known father. She worked full time in a small bookstore for cash, and though the pay was not exactly stellar, it was better than nothing at all, and more than enough to live on. Leaving Costa del Sol meant entering the real world again as Elena Thorton and uprooting her comfortable, well structured life. There was no real good reason to do that. Except for the restlessness that constantly ate at her. She had everything a person could possibly want here to survive, and yet some small part of her was not satisfied. Humans were ridiculously fickle that way. They always wanted what they did not have, always reached for something more, something exciting. Therein lied the problem. Her world was safe, but it was boring. Not only that, but she was not accomplishing anything. Whether it was the work ethic her father has so relentlessly instilled into her (though she liked to deny that), or just that inner demon everyone possessed, the one that seeked the sensationalism the newspapers printed even if no one wanted to admit it, she knew that her time spent here was fast coming to an end. She could no longer remain stationary when the entire world was moving past her at a break neck speed. She wanted to be a part of that in some way, no matter how selfish or foolish that sounded. Returning to Midgar meant a whole lot of things, she realized, as she started up the shower. It meant leaving behind a secure job and shedding her alias, not to mention risking the notice of her parents and other people she would rather have nothing to do with. Besides that, she had no idea exactly where she would go. Never back to her parents. She would rather die than give them the satisfaction of seeing her brought low. Which, she remembered with a wry twist of her lips, was what had brought her into this entire mess to begin with. Her moment of big weakness had brought her Tyr and a whole new direction to her life. And here she sat now, going no where fast. With a slight sigh, she stripped off her clothing and stepped into the warm spray of water, closing her eyes to savor the sensation for a few moments before starting on washing her hair. As soap suds slipped down her already slick skin, she wondered what would happen if she were just to pack up today, purchase a ticket on the next boat out, and head for Junon. Rinsing her hair, she reflected on the fact that, that was another problem. To get to Midgar, she had to go to Junon first. Rufus Shinra had made himself quite the nest there, and she doubted very seriously she was on his or Tseng's list of favorite people. Not that any of them would probably even notice her. After all, her career as a Turk had been short-lived and, not without some bitterness, she considered the fact that she had been nothing more than a last minute replacement for a Turk with skills and experience far above her own. The impression she had made was not what one would call a lasting one. Snatching the nearest towel with an angry snap, she stepped out onto the rug and began drying off with a furious scrubbing motion that left her skin red. The only thing that should count was what she thought of herself, not what anyone else did. Her inadequacies had been pointed out to her quite enough by her own father and superiors, she did not need to add herself to that illustrious list. Not only was she in better shape than she had ever been in her entire life, but her mindset was much stronger and more focused than it had been before. Her respite in Costa del Sol had done more for her than just change the color of her skin. When she left, she intended to prove that. /When I leave... I guess that's it then./ Raising her chin, she wrapped her towel tightly around herself and left the bathroom for her small, cozy room. Rufus Shinra and Tseng could be damned for all she cared. Their presence in Junon was not going to stop her from leaving. All that was left to do now was to pack, quit her job, and empty out her savings. The villa could remain here, full of her things, in the event that she ever wanted to return. It was time to take the reigns, to direct the flow of her own life. Sitting back and being a wallflower had never gotten her anywhere. Taking the initiative, even when it was less then ethical or legal was the only way she would ever find out where her life was meant to go. Quickly throwing on a pair of black slacks and a hastily tucking in a white blouse before she could change her mind, she rushed over to her closet and yanked out a suitcase with such force that it sent her tumbling back into her bed. Rubbing the arch of her back ruefully, she had a laugh at her own expense as she began randomly grabbing things and tossing them into the suitcase. When it was brimming beyond relief, she pulled out another small bag and cleared out her bathroom, depositing all her necessary toiletries into it. She was about to slip into her shoes and leave when something caught her eye in the corner of her closet. Pulling it out and holding it up, she realized that it was the jacket to her old Turk uniform. Further search brought her the pants, a bulletproof vest, and her re-enforced steel knuckled gloves. Hesitating, she let her eyes travel slowly over to the suitcase and then back to the pile at her feet. For all intensive purposes, the Turks were no longer a part of Midgar. The Prime Minister seemed to have no need for them, relying instead on STRIKE and other organizations for her policing. Not that STRIKE was anything like the Turks... President Shinra's and then Rufus' Turks had been ruthless and the majority of their actions had not been what one would call high in morality. "But you wanted to be a part of that," she reminded herself, not really questioning her actions when she opened the already brimming suitcase to stuff the contents in. It barely closed now. She was not even sure _why_ she was taking it. It was not like she needed it. But she found herself slipping her gloves onto her hands and shrugging into the shoulder holster. Once the cold metal bulk was pressed against her side, extra clips secured in a belt at her waist, she slipped a black dress jacket over her blouse to conceal her weapon, well aware of the fact that until she left Costa del Sol, she was going to be beyond hot. Twisting her body in an attempt to get used to the foreign weight of the pistol, she bent over and shoved aside her dress shoes, settling instead for a pair of black boots with re-enforce steel toes. What she was doing was insanity. She had no clear plans, no idea of what she would do once she actually reached Midgar, and the fact that she was arming herself said what she did not want to admit. The thought of facing the world again put her on the defensive and the only way to alleviate that fear was to be in control. If being in control meant arming herself, then she was not going to question that. There was nothing wrong with being afraid. It was what you did with the fear that counted. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her two bags and left the villa, locking the door behind her and not bothering to look back as she made her way across town. The suit she wore soaked up any and all heat, leaving her to ignore it as best she could. This time of the morning the core of the town was just coming alive, shops lifting their blinds and posting their open and welcome signs. She chose the one farthest from the villa, entering it on the familiar sound of a bell jingling. "Is that you, Elise?" A voice called from the back. She set her bags down. "It's me, Marnie. Would you come out front please?" "Sure! Just a second. I'm stocking the shelves with our latest shipment back here." Glancing around the cluttered bookstore, Elena knew that she would miss it. Marnie was a good person, and the closest that she could call to a friend. Her time spent here had been nothing but pleasant, and abandoning it for the life she had left behind was probably one of the most stupid things she had ever done. Aside from getting the tattoo on her hip. Though she had been half-drunk when she did that, and the pain had been effectively dulled. Until she came out of her stupor, that was. Her skin had swelled up around the edge of the small black dragon, becoming reddened and sensitive to every movement she made. Compared to it, the hangover had been nothing. She would miss Costa del Sol too. The openness of it, and the fresh sea air. Midgar was dark and dreary unless you were on the plate, and even then, it had an almost mechanical feel to it. It was apparent she really was crazy if she intended to go back to all that. Yet, part of her almost felt as if she were living a charade here. She was Elise Whitman, and this was Elise's life, not Elena Thorton's. Elena belonged in Midgar with the people who knew who she was, even if she did not care for all of them. Now that she was finally beginning to feel like Elena again, it was time to go back. "Okay, that's all done. Now what..." Marnie trailed off, the book she had been holding in her hand sliding down her leg to fall heavily against her thigh. "Elise... are you going somewhere?" Elena took a deep breath. Marnie deserved to hear the truth. "My name isn't really Elise Whitman. It's Elena Thorton. I belong in Midgar, and that's where I'm going back too. I know I'm supposed to give you three weeks notice, and I'm sorry to stick the entire store on you, but I've made up my mind to leave and I need to do it now." Marnie blinked and then smiled. "Okay. I wish you luck then." It was Elena's turn to be surprised. "Just like that? You aren't angry with me for lying to you or leaving you in the lurch?" Marnie shrugged, reaching up to set the book on the counter. "I figure you have your reasons. We all have our reasons for escaping here. I'm glad you're going back. I don't have the strength to." Elena approached the counter. "You... are hiding from something?" Marnie nodded, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Mideel. My ex-husband lives there. He was abusive and wouldn't leave me alone, even after the divorce. They wouldn't do anything about it, so I left. I wish I could have been strong enough to stay. All my family is there. I haven't seen them in five years." Wanting to reassure Marnie, understanding somewhat how she felt, Elena reached out and placed her hand on the other woman's arm. "It took a lot of bravery to leave everything you knew behind to make a new life." Marnie smiled wanly. "Thanks... I knew you'd say something like that. But anyway, that's the past. No sense dredging it up," she added, effectively ending the conversation. "I really am sorry." She waved the apology away. "You just do whatever it is you have to do. I hope it works out for you. It enjoyed having you work for me. If only we had shared our stories sooner, eh?" "I don't think it would have changed our friendship much," Elena replied, turning to pick up her bags. "Take care, Elise... no wait, Elena." Elena smiled. "Thanks Marnie, you made being here much better." Marnie waved. Elena left something else behind, refusing to look back for fear that she would want to stay. As it was, the trip to the bank to close her account and then the trip to the docks was made with some reluctance. It had seemed much easier to do when she was just thinking about it, not actually doing it. But she kept on, purchasing a ticket, boarding the next boat a half an hour later, and shedding the life of Elise Whitman to begin reclaiming the life of Elena Thorton. Time: 2:00 PM Date: October 1st, 2003 Place: Junon Junon. Still small in comparison to Midgar. Rufus may have the city beneath his thumb, but for now, he was only a minor thorn in the side of the Prime Minister. Not that she expected that to stop him. He had already proven he could rise from the ashes and build himself an empire from nothing. It would start here and spread. She had seen Rufus in motion before, with all his charisma. He had a way of capturing people and making them believe even when there was nothing behind his claims but air. If anyone would find a way, it would be him. It would be smarter of her to find transportation out of Junon right away. She had no intentions of doing that, however. She stubbornly refused to tuck her tail between her legs and run. To prove her point, she planned to spend at least one day here. Traveling by morning was better anyhow, and she had a feeling she might end up going by foot if there was no other way. Not that it bothered her. She was used to physically exerting herself. In any event, it was late afternoon and would soon be dark. Gripping her suitcase and bag firmly, she stepped from the sidewalk and into the street. Being here was almost like being in another world, it was so different. It was no less loud or crowded, but the atmosphere was umistakably heavy and the chill in the air was a bit difficult to adjust to. It was almost enough to make her want to get back on the boat and back to Costa del Sol. But that would be another failure she could not tolerate. And, unwittingly, it brought to mind what her father had told her the last she had seen him, over three years ago. Her background could be called nothing but priveliged. She was given everything gil could buy, and nothing her heart really desired. She wanted her parents approval and their love, and went to great lengths to get that at first. But when it became clear that they wanted to mold her into something she was not, she gave up and pushed back. Rebelling had been exilerating, if a more than a little foolish. Some of her more wild escapades had landed her in a ditch drunk off her ass, waking up in a room with a man she did not even know the name of, and of course, the lovely tattoo that she could not get rid of unless she wanted to go through the painful process of having it removed. With some amount of amusment, she reflected on the fact that college and her life after had been far more tame than her tumultous teenage years. As a matter of fact, the younger Elena would have, had fits if she were forced to live the way the elder had done in Costa del Sol. She liked to think she had a better head on her shoulders than she had in the past. Of course, if she were smarter, or less stubborn, she would utilize the degree four tortorous years of college had given her and get a nice, sensible job. But something told her that Marnie would always have her job at the bookstore waiting for her. That left a sort of safety net for her to fall back on. If Midgar did not work out, she could always go back to Costa del Sol. That one thought gave her more courage than anythign else. Trying not to be so aware of the differences in weather, she found the nearest hotel and rented a room. It would have been smarter to sign in under her alias, but she refused to do that either. She was no longer hiding. It was time the world knew that Elena Thorton was back, and for good. ------------------------------------------------------- OOG: Well, I felt it better to end there! I've got so much more stuff to write. ^_^;; I'm about as lost for plans as Elena is, so Edwyn since you control Rufus and NPC Tseng it appears since he doesn't have an owner, I wouldn't be averse to having Rufus somehow find out about Elena being there and causing problems for her. If you haven't got any major plans at the moment, I'd love to plot to get her into the story. Otherwise, if you do, I'll just have her leave Junon in my next post. ===== Jen ~~~~ "He walks the path he believes in, one step at a time..." -- Fei Fong Wong "Xenogears" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com 55 From: cdleckie Date: Fri Apr 14, 2000 8:40pm Subject: Misfits Misfits [OOG: just a warning: this is my first post in a while, so If it totally sucks don't yell too loud.] Azrael leaned against the red-brick wall in position of apparent relaxation and obliviousness; Azrael was, on the contrary, strung like a spooked cat and just as alert. He had stopped outside a fabric shop to watch Ivan's shop from across the street. The neon lights displaying the name "Ivan & Jadow's Motors" was harsh on his eyes, and he was wearing a pair of shades to keep his eyes from opening dilating too much. Ivan had gone to get lunch, so Jadow should be leaving as soon as Ivan returned. Azrael had been using Ivan as an informant for the last 8 months and he knew most of his patterns. "Ever since that husky dwarf tried to set me up for taking out Durand." Azrael broke the silence of the slums with a hushed mumble. As he straightened up to relocate himself across the street at the donut store, Azrael heard the sound people approaching, and, from the pitch of the voice, Ivan was still with his giant of a friend. Azrael walked behind the large pile of trash in the alley running behind the fabric shop, and ducked down. He heard the large roll-door being pulled up and then closed. And the sound of footsteps walking back down the road. Azrael stepped out from behind the pile of rubbish, walked across the street and opened the door to the shop. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- "So, Corneo's back in town?" "Yeah, apparently the customs officers aren't as effective as everyone thinks." "So who's your giant friend?" "him? he's just... someone looking for information. Like you." "What kind of information?" "Why should I tell you?" "Why should I let you keep breathing for the next month?" "All right, all right. He was looking for Hojo; I told him where he was." "Why's he looking for Hojo?" "I don't know. I, personally, thought the guy had a bee up his ass over the guy though. Didn't seem like a nice kind of guest for Hojo." "Hmmm... since no one knows where Corneo is, maybe I'll go look for Hojo. He's a pretty disruptive guy... and the bounty on him is HUGE! Where can I find the giant?" "He was staying in the sector 7 slums, somewhere near Seventh Heaven. You know the place?" "Yeah, I know it. Best damn bar in Midgar." "Yeah, that's it. He should be staying somewhere near there. Ask the bartender about him, she seemed to know him pretty well." "I'll see you later then Ivan." "Hey, close that door when you leave, would ya'?" --------------------------------------------------------- [OOG: I'm planning on finding Loric and hooking up with him on his hunt for Hojo. I believe he left an open invite to anyone who wanted to come along? well, just wanted to let you all know what I'm doing. any questions or comments, email me at ohmsford1 a xxxxxxx.xxxx 56 From: Daly Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 0:55am Subject: Moving Day (Kytira's Intro) "Moving Day" Time: 1:00 PM, October 1st, 2003 Place: Viva restaurant, Upper Plate sector 5 --- Kytira adjusted the mithril bracelet on her right wrist and nodded, setting her fork back on the empty plate, "Yeah, I miss her, but Leia will probably be safer in Mideel." She shrugged, grasping the glass of water with her right hand while in her left hand lay a small corked-shut glass tube the size of her index finger. "Besides, she's only my foster sister and she's... almost nineteen, so she has the right to make that kind of choice." Alex quietly watched as she tried to open the tube carrying a strange dark green liquid, "Need help?" Smirking, she shook her head and bit down into the cork, pulling the glass tube away and open with a loud burst. "Too late," she replied, her eyes fixed on the glass of water as she casually dumped the contents into the water. With the straw pinched between her thumb and index finger, she quickly stirred her drink. The green lightened a few shades as Alex regarded her questioningly, "What is that?" She smirked, tossing the straw aside on the table and lifting the glass in front of her face to stare at Alex's face through the pale green water, "Poison." Alex's eyes widened, an odd expression given, "Kytira... are you serious?" "Ah, don't worry, I do this all the time. I'm immune to poison, don't you remember?" She brought the glass to her lips and slowly tilted the glass up as the watered-down poison disappeared swallow after swallow. Watching her in shock, Alex carefully studied her face as she set the empty glass down and wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Ah, that was good..." Kytira murmured, her silver mako eyes almost seemed to glow brighter. Alex shook his head, "You sure you're okay?" "You worry too much," Kytira commented, picking up one of the two fortune cookies remaining. "Besides, it won't harm me and I only drink it for a little ego boost." With that, she winked at him. "You can take the other one, too," he offered. "Never really did like those." She nodded and made a grab for the other cookie. Splitting one of the cookies open, she daintily pulled out the small slip of paper inside and read it to herself before she read it aloud, "'Life is a tragedy to those who feel and a comedy to those who think.'" Alex smiled slightly, "Which one are you?" "Neither," Kytira replied, a smirk split across her face. "Life to me feels more like a never-ending soap opera until the ratings go down and producer fires the entire cast or the budget is cut." Alex shook his head, "You still warped as ever," he pointed out as she munched on the cookie. "So, how's Lauren?" Kytira asked with a grin. Alex smiled, "The same. We've been together for... ahh... something like eight months now." She nodded and broke open the other cookie. She frowned slightly as she ate the cookie and read the fortune, "'Learn to stop and smell the roses...'" "It's right, you know," Alex pointed out. "You are like that at times." Kytira shook her head, glancing out the window at the apartment complex across the street where she recently decided to be a tenant at, "Well, anyway, we should get back. My new home isn't exactly 'home sweet home' yet." "See what I mean," he groaned, getting out of his seat and leaving a small tip for the waitress. *** Time: 1:25 PM, October 1st, 2003 Place: Vista Views Apartment Complex, Upper Plate sector 5 Holding the card, she stared at it, studying the woman's picture on the plastic card under the cracked and peeling plastic lamination. A silver eyed, pale skinned woman in her twenties, stared back at her. The bangs of her long jet-black hair were chin length and framing her face. This picture, this Shinra ID card, almost three years old. It brought back a lot of memories to Kytira as she leaned forward from her seat on the black futon sofa to reach for her current STRIKE card. Laying the two of them flat on the palm of her right hand, she glanced between them, studying the differences. The picture on the STRIKE ID card was taken half a year ago when she turned twenty-five and had to get her personal information updated. Her hair was now dyed a dark violet and her hair was still parted down the middle with long bangs set to the sides of her face. Presently, her bangs weren't equal in length. The locks on her left were longer. Compared to the old Shinra card, her bangs were only an inch or two past her chin. As for her complete appearance, not much change, just that she put her make-up on differently and wore different clothes. As for the picture overall, in the current STRIKE card, she was smiling proudly, in the Shinra card, her eyes were narrowed angrily with her mouth opened slightly. Remembering the reason, Kytira frowned. The employee taking the picture of her had daringly made a stupid comment about her handwriting. "It's not messy!!!" Kytira clearly remembered yelling at him. "You're just a moron who can't read!!!!" From across the couch, seated Alex, who was a friend of Kytira's from seven years ago. He was only visiting Midgar for a week and today happens to be his last day. Lucky for him though. Yesterday, Kytira had tried pressuring him then threatening him then begging him before he decided he gave in and helped her move into her new apartment. He looked up, finally noticing the strange expression of confusion mixed with disgust set on Kytira's face. "What is it?" he asked. Kytira glanced at him then at the cards, wincing. "Ugh... I can't believe I looked like that!!" she whined, leaning forward and holding out the two cards to him. Alex took the cards from her hand and observed the face staring back. He took his eyes away to glance at Kytira, sitting on the couch, still sorting through the old photographs and ID cards, then back to the card in his hand. He shook his head, laughing softly, "I don't understand what you're complaining about." "LIAR!!! " She wanted to yell, but she bit her lip to stop herself and settled for a frown with the reply: "I look strange compared to now." "Well, it's the past," he said reassuringly. "You don't look like this anymore." "Oh..." she said, in a matter-of-fact voice. "So you agree that I looked strange, huh?" Kytira's trademark smirk split her face upon using Alex's words against him. "What? N-no," Alex stammered. "You know, th-that..." he trailed off, glancing at the card again. "That's not what I meant." "Too late, buddy," she said with a victorious grin, tossing her dark violet hair over her shoulder and crossing her right leg over the left as she leaned back into the sofa. Currently in her hand was an old photograph taken several years ago. She stared at it blankly before setting it face down on the coffee table. She didn't want to look at that picture of Leia again. Kytira sighed and picked up a small stack of photographs from one of the three keepsake boxes that contained her Shinra card. She had found the three of them while Alex was helping her move all her belongings into her new sector 5 upper plate apartment since Kytira agreed to sell the old house and split the money with Leia. Occupied with going through the pictures, Alex opened another keepsake box. The dust became airborne and he sneezed lightly before rummaging through the box's contents. "Bless you," Kytira said automatically, not even looking up. Alex nodded in response, pulling out a small faded flower-printed envelope, ripped open and tearing at the edges. He turned it over and quietly read the return address under his breath, "Leia Escaler, c/o Continentia Academy.... Junon..." He glanced over at Kytira, relieved that she didn't hear him, and quickly stuffed the envelope back into the box, placing it under several other envelopes and photographs. Kytira finally looked up, "Sorry, did you say something?" He shook his head and Kytira returned the photos back in the box, closing it. She felt that if she looked at anymore souvenirs of Leia, she would end up depressed and break out some whiskey or tequila to try to drown her sorrows with. She chuckled at the thought of herself getting incredibly wasted though. She finally raised her head and took notice that Alex had opened one of the other boxes, the clue being the untied blue ribbon. "Oh, find anything?" she asked. "... Nothing worth interest." She nodded, dusting her hands off, got up from her seat and pulled down on the hem of her red dress. She looked around at the new spacious apartment. Opened and unopened boxes were stacked all over the place, furniture was thoughtlessly set at any location and piles of her clothes dumped on the furniture. "This is going to be hell to fix..." Kytira finally realized with a sigh. "Ah, this sucks." Alex quietly watched as she walked over to an old empty cabinet and lifted it one foot off the floor, her face showing signs of struggle and she let out a small grunt, as she carefully moved it to the corner of the room. The corner of the cabinet scraped against her leg, leaving a mark. "Having trouble?" he finally asked with a smirk. Even though what he had asked was not with a mocking tone, she frowned, her silver eyes throwing a quick glare, "Oh shut up. It's not heavy!" "You're struggling," Alex pointed out. She made a face, "Maybe I am!!! ... So why don't you be a man and help me out then?" she retorted, setting the cabinet down and pointing her hands in her direction, mainly at the short red dress she was sporting. "I can't exactly do much manual work wearing this." Alex nodded, "Then take it off." The corner of Kytira's mouth twitched slightly before she laughed, "Pervert... what about Lauren?" "I didn't mean it that way," Alex replied immediately turning red and taking a defensive tone. "I meant you should change into something more comfortable." Kytira paused and broke out laughing. "It's your thinking, not mine!!!" He shot back, the skin of his face flushing even more. Knowing that she was pushing her limits, Kytira waved her hand in the air, "Lighten up, Alex, I'm just teasing you." She glanced at the stack of boxes blocking the entrance to the kitchen. "In the meantime, can you move these for me?" Alex nodded, closing the keepsake box and getting up as Kytira fished through a pile of clothes lying on a nearby chair. She ended up grabbing a pair of dark pants and a cropped sleeveless turtleneck before walking into her room and closing the door behind her. By the time she had come out, Alex had just picked up the last box. When he saw her, he quickly the box down with a loud thud. He quietly stared at her from head to toe, the clothes seeming rather familiar. "What?" Kytira asked, spinning around and glancing around in a paranoid fashion. "What? What???" She turned back to him and frowned out of frustration, "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?" "That's your old uniform," Alex said, pointing at a picture frame that leaned against the wall. The photo was of Kytira inside the Shinra building with a sword held loosely in her right hand and her left hand curled into a fist, placed at her hip. It was no doubt the same uniform. "It is?" Kytira glanced down and walked over to a full mirror nearby the entrance door. She stared at the woman gazing back at her and nodded, "Anyway, we better finish this." Alex shook his head, "You know, you really should learn to take things slowly and to 'stop and smell the roses' like the fortune cookie said. It's sometimes--" Alex was cut off by a sudden knock at the closed door. Kytira turned and headed towards the door, carefully weaving over and between the boxes, calling out, "Who is it?" "Midgar Delivery Services," a young voice replied as she peeked through the eye hole. Sure enough, there was a face staring back at her with a pen tucked behind his ear and a cap on his head. The cap clearly read in bold blue lettering, "Midgar Delivery Services" with a small logo in the bottom right corner. She unlocked the door, "Yes?" she asked, immediately noticing the man carrying quite a large bouquet of various red, pink and white flowers ranging in size, wrapped in a soft floral printed paper in one arm and a clipboard in the other. "Flowers for Miss..." he paused and glanced at the clipboard before holding it out to her, "Kyt DeLeurie. Sign here, please." He pointed at the red X and then passed his pen to her expectantly. With a nod, she took the clipboard and signed her name, but not before checking the name of the sender. "Zeng Jarstan..." she read softly, chuckling to herself. The delivery man then handed the flowers to her and he smiled as she handed him a rather generous tip, "Thank you, Miss." Kytira closed the door behind her with a harmless kick and leaned against the door. She brought the bouquet close to her to inhale the sweet fragrance of the flowers before moving away from the door and making her way to the kitchen to fetch a vase. Alex stood in the kitchen entrance and whistled, running his hand through his dirty blonde hair, "Damn, who sent you those?" Smiling, Kytira opened the sink tap to fill the crystal vase halfway with water, "Zeng Jarstan, my partner in STRIKE. I'll have to remember to thank him the next time I see him." "Oh.." he replied, nodding as she closed the tap and placed the bouquet in the water, not before removing the floral printed paper wrapped around it securely. She smiled, picking up the vase and bringing it into the living room where she set it down on the coffee table, spreading the flowers apart as Alex sat down on the futon sofa, staring that the flagrant bouquet, "You know, Kyt, when Lauren was in Midgar a few months back, I phoned a delivery company here and asked them to send her a dozen roses for her birthday." He paused, noticing Kytira's distraction. She was staring at the bouquet, finally taking notice of a small pale blue card tied to a small floral paper wrapped package hidden behind one of the orchids. Carefully picking it out, she took a quick glance at the cover. It was just of a light pastel colored kitchen with a small rose lying on the table with light pouring in over it from a window drawn to the left. Kytira first opened the small package to find it filled with only pink, red and white rose petals. She smiled and opened the card and read the words, softly laughing, shaking her head "'A little housewarming gift. From: Zeng.' This isn't even his writing." She emptied the package of rose petals into her hand and smiled, "But, it's typical for him to not give these to me personally though." "A 'little' housewarming gift?" he repeated, shaking his head as Kytira, with a smile set on her face, spreaded the rose petals on the glass coffee table, circling around the vase. After receiving the odd stare from Kytira, Alex continued on. "I wouldn't call that a 'little' housewarming gift. When I tried to send flowers, they told me it's difficult to get flowers in Midgar and that it would cost a lot of money. When they told me the price of the roses, I immediately changed my mind." He then pointed at the bouquet, "Can you imagine how much that would cost him? " Kytira slid off her seat and knelt on the floor to examine the flowers more carefully. "Hmm, let's see... jasmine, lilies, hibiscus, carnations, water lilies, baby's breath, bougainvillea, azaleas, forget-me-nots...." She paused, her eyes widening slightly, "Orchids and roses...??" She turned to Alex with a nervous smile, "You might actually have to sell one of your kidneys on the black market, especially for flowers in this condition." He nodded, "See what I mean... those flowers are hard to get, especially here." Kytira nodded, "I know... well, Zeng and I have been partners for three years now... so I suppose sending these flowers are okay considering how many times we've helped each other out." With a teasing grin, he asked, "You think he perhaps went and got them himself somehow?" She paused, dwelling on that thought before shrugging, Alex's blue eyes scanned the apartment. There were still several more boxes and furniture pieces needing attention. "Don't you think we should finish this up?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "No." Shaking her head, Kytira turned to the vase, picked out a red rose from the bunch, brought it to her nose and inhaled its sweet perfume as she closed her eyes, "'Learn to stop and smell the roses,' remember?" *** [OOG: Well, it's been awhile since posting, but I suppose this is ok. ^_^] - Daly -- Armed with a pencil - http://www.escape.ca/~daltran/ ICQ# - 18219424 "BAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKA-BA!!!" - A line from: "The Baka Song" (Ranma 1/2) 57 From: Alan MacDonald Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 10:24am Subject: What Once Was... Part II (This'll be a long one. Also, there is strong language content, for those who want to know. Just warning you in advance. - P.K.©) October 1, 2003 11:30am A stream near Junon --- Dammit all to hell... the kids almost blew my cover! Taking the pick from its guard, I start off with a classical piece Sara taught me just before our wedding. The soothing sounds of the acoustic guitar do nothing to eliminate the thoughts of this morning's earlier events. Who could it have been that yelled for me, I ponder. Enrik knows, and so does Cahri but neither one of them were there... unless... The pick falls from my hand as I realize that Enrik's sister Diela was there. Shit! I told the kid to keep his mouth shut about that. If those Shinra bastards want to find me, Enrik, Cahri... hell, all the children could be in serious trouble! Sighing, I realize I'm not in the mood to play today. Setting the guitar against the rock I'm seated on, I walk over to the river's edge and glance at my reflection, knowing full well I won't like what I see. Despite the vigorous exercise, nothing can take away the grim look in my eyes... the pain of losing the closest ones to me. Closing my eyes, the world slips away as I remember... -- December 14th, 1998 7:45am Junon "Hon, you wanna get the orange juice out for me? My hands are full with making the eggs," Sara called. "No prob, dear... comin'." Khai Mystra, owner of Sidhe Weapons Store, (OOG: Sidhe, pronounced "shih-thee" or "she") put the Tai Chi book down and made his way to the kitchen. Grabbing the juice from the fridge, he put it down on the counter and quietly slipped behind his wife of one month, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Mmmm, smells good, luv. Did I ever tell you I think you're the greatest chef on the planet?" Pausing from her cooking, Sara turned her head to give Khai a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Flattery will get you everywhere, dear husband," she purred. "Unforunately, not this morning. You know I have to place the orders for the Mateba 207's today. Besides, don't you have to help Dad put the new sign for the inn?" Flipping the eggs over, Sara reached for the small bowl filled with chopped green peppers, dumping them into the frying pan. "Yeah, there's that," Khai replied. "Shouldn't take us more than an hour to complete. I also have to finish the financial records for last month. Lucky that the Merchants Guild held over the requested time limit until after we got back from the honeymoon." "I woulda kicked their butts if they hadn't. Nobody gets me away from spending some one-on-one time with the man I knew I'd marry when I was but six years old. Funny how everything's worked out almost the way I thought it would, hmmm?" Setting the spatula down, Sara turned around and locked her arms around Khai's neck. "Tell me this isn't a dream. Tell me my wishes have come true at last!" After turning off the stove, Khai brushed the hair away from Sara's eyes and stared lovingly into them. "If you were wishing for a prince, Mrs. Mystra, you got the consolation prize," he said jokingly. "Seriously though, as long as you are happy, that's what matters. When I see you smile, its like a river of warmth in my heart." "Mmm, more descriptions like that, and we'll have to postpone our plans," she said seductively, planting quick kisses on his lips. "To hell with plans, dearest to my heart. I think some interactive romance is in order," Khai whispered, turning her affectionate actions into a passionate kiss. Picking her up, Khai carried Sara out into the living room, past the stairs which led down to the shop, and into their place of slumber. "But what about breakfast, Khai?", she laughed. "The eggs'll get cold. All that hard work for nothing!" Placing her softly on the bed, he shut the window blinds. "Forget about the eggs, hon... or better yet, let me help you forget..." -- March 27th, 1999 2:17 am ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The figure danced out of the shadows, its head held in its arms. The sheer horror of the image held Khai in a state of shock, his limbs refusing to respond, his mind screaming at the terror of the... thing.. that was his brother. ... ... "Tomas, oh god, I tried to save you. I tried to stop him! I knew he'd been drinking. He was too fast for me! I couldn't do anything! And when he..." ... ... The brother-creature morphed suddenly into something out of a movie, 12 inch claws forming from its knuckles. Its head dropped to the floor as something snake-like writhed from its protruding neck. Before he could even make an attempt at fleeing, one of the creature's claws had already made its way through his abdomen with exquisite pain, its intensity burning like no flame he had ever felt before. "Oh dear god, n.." -2:20am- "...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Screaming himself awake, his senses on overload, Khai tried to contain the feeling of losing himself to madness. Breathing too rapidly, vertigo overwhelmed him and his focus vanished. He suddenly felt arms around his midsection, trying to calm him. "Khai... Khai, calm down, luv! Its only a nightmare. Its me, Khai, I won't hurt you. Its Sara, hon, your caring wife. Slow down... relax... that's it... slow breaths... that's right... calm down... shhhh... shhhh." Taking his head in her arms, Sara stroked his hair and began to rock slowly. /This is the third time in as many months/, she thought. /How long must he be tortured by this? I can't bear to see him in such pain./ Gently rocking until he fell back asleep, she shut out the lamp on the nightstand and lay down with him, falling asleep to the sound of his quieted breathing. Two souls, locked together, in the middle of the night. -- July 3rd, 1999 5:07am Junon His eyes opening to the begining strands of daylight shifting from the cloud of night, Khai sat up and shut off the alarm clock before its annoying whine could be heard. Lifting his feet from the bed onto the floor, he paused to stretch, feeling the day's energy creeping up on him. Lighting a cigarrette, he glanced towards the other side of the bed, only once again to find it empty. Sara was in Midgar, doing a presentation to a potential new arms dealer, while Khai had hesitantly agreed to watch over the Sidhe. The phone rang and he picked it up on the second ring. "Hello?" "Hey, babe. Its Sara. How are things?" "Good, sweetheart. Just woke up, actually," he answered, exhaling the last of the cigarrette smoke. "You smokin', Khai?" Sara inquired. "Geez, I leave you alone for a week, and you go back to your old habits. What will I have to do with you when I get back there, hmm?" "Hopefully something we'll both enjoy," he taunted. "How's the talks coming along?" "Up to yesterday, it was an uphill battle. They wanted us to stop partnerships with some of the other dealers. Fortunately, I was able to break through that barrier. Sheesh, sometimes I think I'm almost too good for this occupation." Sara laughed as the mock sarcasm faded from her voice. "Yup, don't I know it. I didn't just marry you for your good looks and sweet disposition, dear. I'm also partial to your business savvy. You're what they refer to as a 'lean, mean negiotiating machine'. To switch topics for a sec, tho', I'm surprised you're up so early. I thought the talks continued at 11 o'clock. Morning sickness?" Khai smiled to himself as he mentioned the secret known only to themselves. Sara had taken a pregnancy test 2 weeks ago and had received positive results. "Not this soon, silly," she replied. "Actually, I got a call at quarter to the hour. Seems they've bumped up the time to eight o'clock. Guess they have a busy schedule or something. Oh well, if all goes well, it just means I could be home sooner. Now wouldn't that please us both?" "No argument there, Sara. Having you away from me for this long isn't doing wonders for my health, if you know what I mean." "Same here, luv. Okay, gotta go. I'll give you a call tonight, alright? Say hi to Mom and Dad for me. Tell 'em I'll be home soon." "Ok, Sara, will do. Take care of yourself. Miss you. Tiamo." "Tiamo, Khai. Miss you too. Talk with you tonight." Khai hung up the phone. /God/, he mused, /I hope she returns safely./ Taking another cigarette out of the package, he lit it and head for the kitchen for his morning dose of caffeine. Fate turned the Wheel again... -- August 12, 1999 1:46pm Junon "... listen to what I'm saying. Now personally, I don't give a rats ass what your policy is. Check the records and trace where that last call came from... whaddya mean you can't do that? Are you technologically unable to do that or just unwillling? How far up your ass is your head anyhow? Did that sound like a request? No, no, no, I'm not asking you to do this. I'm threatening your job security with my request of compliance, do you understand.... put him on the phone, sure. If you can't get me that info, I'll get him to do it." Khai lit another smoke and turned his gaze to Darren Kynor, innkeeper of The Star of Tar Valon, as well as his father-in-law. /A bunch of frigging arseholes/, Khai mouthed as he rolled his eyes. Darren nodded grimly. That their search had come down to trivial bouts of intimidation was no relief for him. "Yeah, hello. Mr. Nuagari? The president of the company, right? Yeah, this is Khai Mystra... yes, thank you for your kind words, I hope so too... listen, I need a trace on the last call she received before she left the hotel... so I really would have to have a court order... no, thanks anyway for your time. Goodbye." He waited for the other end of the line to go dead before slamming down the receiver. "Damn it to hell! What good are they, Darren?" He stood up started to pace the room, trying to think of viable alternatives. "You could follow their advice and call up Shinra to find out if there's anything they can do," Laura replied from her seat by the window "Like hell, Ma. You know as well as I do that the Merchants Guild wasn't bluffing when the proclaimed Shinra a 'group of very untrustworthy individuals'. I'd be swimming with the pirhana, and you know it." "Letting this get to you isn't going to help find Sara any faster, son," Darren stated. "Just calm down." Khai slumped down into the chair once more. His wife hadn't called him that evening like she promised to. In fact, their conversation that morning before her meeting was the last time they had spoke. When she didn't call by 11pm that evening, Khai's intinct went haywire. Calling the hotel, he was informed that she hadn't returned, but would monsieur like to be informed when she did show up? By the next evening, his nerves on edge, he began to call all his contacts within Midgar.. then the hospitals, all to no avail. He called Darren and Laura to inform them of their daughter's disappearance... and life was never the same again. "What am I going to do, Ma? Just.. what can I do if I don't have her in my life?" Khai and Laura Kynor comforted each other, their tears beginning to flow. After a few moments, Darren joined in the group hug. -- October 1st, 2000 Noon Near Junon Opening my eyes, I see that Nature has chosen to comfort me, as a few squirrels and chipmunks have gathered in front of me. Slowly reaching a hand into my knapsack, I pull out some nuts and berries, sprinking them on the forest floor in front of me. Sensing no harm from me, they pounce upon their new-found feast, their antics producing at least a half-smile on my face. Picking up my guitar, I begin again, strumming softly as my only day off passes slowly. -- (Well, that's it. Hope ya liked it. I sure as heck enjoyed writing it. It damn near played out like a movie in my head, I tell ya. Next story will focus a bit more on Khai's role within the community of Junon, as well as what could be life-altering decisions about his search for his lost wife. -P.K.©) 58 From: C S Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 3:28pm Subject: Into the deapths (Loric-- II) Title: Into the depths (Loric-- II) Time: 5:30 (I know its kind of late for a 5:30 post, but I wanted to but this in the afternoon, so..) Place: Entrance to sector 7 Date: October 1 Loric stood near the entrance to sector seven, waiting for Ivan to show up. He had nearly dozed of when the mechanic scuttled through the gate with a strange man with a sun tattoo over one eye. Ivan was about to walk past him when Loric spoke up. "Your late." Ivan yelped and jumped back several feet. "Oh, it's you, Please don't do that again." The other man cleared his throat. "Oh, this brute right here is Azrael, he wants the bounty on Hojo, so he insisted upon coming." "Well, you can have the bounty, but if Hojo's there, he is mine to kill," Loric said in a quiet voice. "Why are you so pissed at Hojo?" Ivan asked. "Because he killed my family then used me as a lab rat." "Oh." "Lets go get Tifa then go on down and get him, the sooner we get this over with the sooner I can be at rest, and you can get your money," Loric said to Azrael, and began to walk away. Once he was just outside of a regular human's earshot, Ivan said to Azrael: "See, I told you, bee up the ass." "Ivan, don't talk behind my back, next time, I'll blow your knee caps off!" "Sorry, sorry." ---------- time: 5:45 place: just outside the Seventh Heaven "Okay, so let me get this straight," Azrael was saying, "You are going to walk through possibly five miles of sewage?" "If that's what it takes," Loric replied simply. "And why don't you just give up, I mean, it isn't even a sure bet he is there, and your still going to go there, how do you know Hojo isn't doing this to recapture you?" Azrael asked again, even to someone like him, the prospect of walking through the waste products of seven-and-a half million people was not an attractive prospect. "And why aren't you arguing, Tifa?" Ivan asked her. "Well, whenever he is in Midgar, he'll always stop by Seventh Heaven and buy a drink, he's always listened to my problems, which, I can't do with everyone who just walks off the streets, I figure, I owe him something." "Listen, anyone who wants to just forget about this and go home can, but no matter what, I'm going," Loric said with finality, then looked at the rest of the group, with his golden eyes. 59 From: cdleckie Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 11:24pm Subject: Wade in the Water- Title: Wade in the Water Time: 5:45 Place: Seventh Heaven Date: October 1st "All right, I'm in, but I just want you both to know that I'm not happy about this sewer mucking!" Azrael was a little upset about having to wade through miles of sewage to get his bounty, but this bounty was big enough to wade through the midgar swamps to get. "I can't leave right away. I need to pick some things up from my apartment. I'll meet you three back here in... lets say 45 minutes." Azrael said. "All right, I wanted to wait till the sun was down anyway. If someone sees us, we're liable to be followed. If we're not ratted out first." Ivan's giant friend Loric seemed anxious about something. "HA! ratted out? I've got Ivan so scared shitless of me he wouldn't blow his nose in my presence without asking permission." It was a slight exaggeration, but Azrael did have Ivan under his thumb. "No one needs to worry about Ivan. Are you sure you can make it to your place and back in 45 minutes?" Tifa seemed all too calm about this whole operation. "Sure, no problem. I'll be back in 45 minutes." Azrael picked up his sword and walked out the door. ----------- Time: 6:05 Azrael switched the lights on as he unstrapped the sword from his back. He stepped inside and saw a fat man sitting in the plush arm chair in the living room. He eased his sword and called out to the man. "Don Corneo, how nice to see you've returned." The man spun around quickly in the chair, while trying to draw a magnum out it's holster on his lap. "Don't even try! I'll kill you before it's raised." "Hmph, I didn't mean anything by it. You just startled me." "What do you want Don?" "I am here to enlist your services Azrael." "I don't have time for a business talk right now, Don. I'm in a hurry. Perhaps you should come back tomorrow." "I will not be put off Azrael!" "And I will not be delayed! Now, I will ask you once more, please come back tomorrow when I am not so busy." "Very well then, I'll be back tomorrow." Don Corneo got up from the chair and headed for the door. Azrael stepped into the room and circled away from the large man. As the door closed behind the Don, Azrael went into his room to collect his tools. ---------- [OOG: Sorry for the hold up. I had to play the good host to one of my friends who's spending the night. I'll try to be more punctual about the rest of my post's.] 60 From: Matt The Kaiser Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 4:48pm Subject: OOC: I'm one of the members of the old ToM, returning in all my glory and splendor ::grin:: It's not much of a first post, but the rest should be much better. October 1: 4:30 AM Zeng smiled with pride as he rose from the exercise mat. The wound to his right arm was completly healed, and he had regained full use of that arm almost a full month before the doctors predicted. Even now that the wound had it's opportunity to heal, he was only vaguely aware of how it had been broken. He remembered the battle clearly and it was nothing more than a suppression of a few members of one of the slum gangs. It was a trivial task and he remembered almost being insulted when it was assigned to Kytria and him. The battle was just as trivial, there were only a small number of them, but one of them must have been better armed than he had anticipated, and one of them must have been better hidden than he had anticipated, for just as he was routing the last member, a bullet pierced the defensive polymers of his combat armor, and a sickening *CRACK* filled his ears. The gunman was dead within moments. "Zeng, your arm," Her voice was clear in his mind, so was the concern in his partner's face as she reached out to help him. Some weak attempt at masking his pain escaped from his lips, but it had not been enough. Her hand touched his armor, and alarm shot through his body, she was going to remove the protective coverings of his arm to tend the wound. His uninjured hand reacted violently, and she jerked her stinging hand away from his arm. No matter how much he regretted it, he could not have refrained from stopping her, else she might have seen the three tiny spheres embedded in the flesh of his forearm. She snapped something back at him, and he silenced her with a glare, cradled his broken arm with his good arm, and walked unaided to the nearest hospital. He passed out in pain upon arrival. That was exactly one-hundred-twelve days ago. He emerged from his tiny room clad in his slightly modified armor, the vambraces even further enlarged from his old Shinra armor. Materia was notorious for growing, and it grew very quickly when made a part of his body. The spheres had almost doubled in size over the last few years, and the spherical shape seemed to be breaking down into a more natural, crystalline formation. Restricted from reproducing while incorporated into his body, the materia would probably continue to grow, the substance of the new materia compounding itself onto the old, ultimately completly consuming his body. The relationship was almost symbiotic, the materia relied on his energy to grow, and he relied on the materia's energy to survive. Without it, he was simply a mediocre soldier, but the power it provided made him STRIKE now, and SOLDIER before. Ironic, he thought, this power which gave him his likelihood also robbed him of his humanity. It was these three tiny spheres that corrupted him by exchanging their energies with him. If he was anything, he was some mutant Cetra, after all, he could use magic just as easily as he could move a finger, which was pretty much all that made a Cetra different from a human. The clattering of change on the floor startled him out of his reverie. Stooping to retrieve it, his hand touched a thin crumpled piece of paper that had fallen out of his pocket with the spare change. After a cursory glance, the receipt was passed on to the wastebasket. He wouldn't need it anyway, the flowers would have already arrived by now. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com 61 From: Edwyn Date: Sun Apr 16, 2000 0:39am Subject: The Troubles Brew (or: Mr. Adem watches TV) * * * Tales of Midgar --------------- The Troubles Brew (or: Mr. Adem watches TV) * * * October 1st, 2003 06:23PM Lobby of Hotel del Conocimiento Util, Midgar Slum area, Sector 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The manager of the hotel sighed forlornly, setting aside the latest paperclip chain he had built and starting on a new one. He had enough of those chains to make a full-sleeved body armour, now. Strong enough to stop a bullet, too. These facts all led to one conclusion: Business at the Hotel del Conocimiento Util was the pits. He'd been so sure that his business would do well here, down in the slums. What with the new policies opened up by the prime minister and the free flow (relatively) between upper and lower plate, he thought setting up a posh hotel like this one had been a smart business venture with plenty of good foresight. After all, there was another place in the slums that was doing just as well in the temp room and board business, so why shouldn't his? That had been months ago, of course. When he'd first started out, things had gone so well. Heck, there'd been a crowd outside just WAITING to get in on the very first night the hotel was open, and there had been many bookings and many rooms given out that night. It was a glorious opening. And it lasted for, oh, 5 hours or so. After those 5 hours, people began to leave the hotel, en masse. The manager couldn't figure out what was wrong. When he'd asked one of those that was leaving, he'd been given a funny look and was told that the other hotel in the slums was much better than the business he'd set up. And then the ex-patron left, hurrying off along with his many compatroits. The hotel manager had been flabberghasted. The other hotel had better facilities than his? He quickly recovered however, and set upon expanding the range of the hotel, including a pool, a 5 star class restaurant (or at least 4 or 3 and a 1/2) and a small casino. None of those extras appeared to entice anyone in as much as the facilities in the other place did, though the casino did do well for a while. Now he was looking at the wrong end of a long line of bills: one where he had no money and he needed to pay them. He'd cut as many corners as he could and laid off as many people as the business would allow without sacrificing the elegant, posh nature of the hotel.... But it was a battle to juggle all those things and keep this place afloat, and it was one that he was losing ground in almost everyday. He sighed again as the paper chain he was current working on grew and weaved across his desk. Soon he'd have to give in and concede victory to the other temp room and board agency, there wasn't a hope that his business would succeed now. But the mystery still remained: what did the Honey Bee Inn have that his didn't, anyway? There was a gentle 'ding ding' of a small bell as the front doors of the lobby opened. That was another thing that had changed, the front doors had to be opened manually now, since the automatic sliding doors had been replaced, and the manager couldn't afford to hire a doorman. It was another detriment to the atmosphere, he knew, but there was little he could do about it. The manager looked up disinterestedly at the newcomer for a moment, then abruptly straightened as he saw who it was. Well, not WHO the person was, but rather what that person was wearing. And that person was wearing a nice, clean, business like suit. It seemed to be a little crumpled as if the owner had been walking around all day, but that didn't matter: It was a suit, and it could mean a room rented out for tonight. "Can I help you, sir?" The manager asked, trying to keep down the pleading tone he knew his voice had turned to. The man, who had white, short cropped hair looked around the expansive lobby, then replied, "I would like a room. Here's my credit." He whipped out a small card, which the hotel manager took gingerly, as if holding unto a holy relic. Passing the card over the scanner, the hotel manager looked up the credit rating offered by the card. His jaw dropped as the green numbers flashed onto the blue screen of his computer. He'd never seen so many zeroes before. At least, not with numbers in front of those zeroes, anyway. He turned his beaming face back to the impassive one of his customer, "May I reccomend the Prime Minsterial Suite, sir? It has all the amneties a gentlemen like yourself would req--" "That will be fine," The blue suited man interrupted him in the middle of his brochured speech. "I will be residing here for a minimum of one week. You may charge the amount required for that to the card's account now, and add further charges upon that for each day I stay here." The manager had to stop himself from pinch his own arm at the words that seemed to be a gift from the gods, "Yessir!" He turned, and snatched a key from a board behind him and handed both the key and the man's card to the blue suited man, "The room's on the top floor of this building, sir. Would you like me to show you the way?" He beamed again. The blue suited man shook his head in a negative, "I'll find my way." then he turned and walked towards the elevators. The manager watched the man in blue until he was safely within the elevator and travelling upwards, then he looked around the lobby carefully to see if anybody else was there. Then he gavce a shrill scream of joy, jumping unto his desk and dancing a little jig, "I've got money! I've got money! I've got moooooooooooooooNEY!!!!" He then paused, "I have to hire everybody back again, though. Including the cook. Oh god, I hope he doesn't ask for room service.... And the maids, too." He thought to himself again, then shrugged and continued dancing, "I've got money! I've got money!" **** There was a click as the door unlocked, then the door to the Prime Ministerial Suite opened, letting in the man known as Mr. Adem. Fumbling in the hallway leading into the room proper, the Turk found the light switch and turned it on, allowing a soft, dim illumination to come to life and light up the dark room. It was quite impressive as hotel rooms went. Soft, plush carpet covered the floor and cream colouyred wall paper lined the walls. Furinture had been moved in to try and fill the room: a bed, some seats and a table, a writing desk and even a small bar located in one corner, but the sheer size of the room was still obvious even with these setpieces scattered around the room. Slightly dusty setpieces, admittedly. But none of these appeared to interest Mr. Adem. Indeed, his eyes barely passed over them before it settled unto one thing in the room: the large vidscreen on the table. Stepping into the room, the Turk dragged one of the chairs until it was directly in front of the television, picked up the remote control for the device, then flicked it on. "--and as you can see, rain clouds are moving across from the northlands and are making their way towards Midgar, though it's hard to tell if they'll continue that way since Junon's poli--" He sat down firmly in the chair and changed the channel. "--Once again out top story, BLUFF took a train full of civillians hostage in a brutal terrorist act not seen since the days of AVA--" He changed the channel again. "--People of Midgar. We are here to forgive, not condemn, to teach, not to dest--" And again. "--Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, kids! It's time for--" And again. And as he changed the channels, he reached into his suit's inner pocket and took out a small, pocket computer. Unfolding the device, he placed it on his knee and positioned one hand over the keypad of the system, not losing the rhythm of the channel changing in his other. Then, without taking his eyes off the screen, he began to type, fingers dancing over the keypad as he absorbed and let out the information given to him. **** October 2nd, 2003 10:00AM Office of Rufus Shinra, Junon ----------------------------- The white pawn hovered over the chessboard, held in place by a steady, seemingly immovable hand. It had stayed in the same position for the last ten minutes, and didn't appear to be setting down on a space anytime soon. The reason for the prolonged delay in making that one, small, opening move lay in the other, gloved, hand: a small open folder that contained a series of papers with neatly typed up paragraphs and carefully marked subsections. Despite the mundanity of those pieces, however, they could not mask the extraordinary events that they were trying to present. /Damn Benedict. I should have told him to pass the report along himself,\ Tseng thought to himself sourly as he watched the president read the report clutched in his tightening fist. As if that wasn't indication enough of the nature of the report, Rufus' face was also set into the calm, neutral expression of either the truly saintly or the completely shocked and damned. Tseng was betting on the latter. /And since when has that fool general been so devious, anyway?\ "April Fool's comes late this year, I see," Rufus said through clenched teeth. His tone indicated he did not quite believe that, however. The president snapped the folder shut and thrust it at the turk, all the while keeping the pawn steady in the other hand, "Read." "I already have, sir," Tseng replied calmly. "I checked out the recorded transmissions before coming in today. Everything's in order." "You call losing 4 salvage submarines and 3 frigates 'In order'???" said Rufus with the kind of calm that came from something beyond mere anger and more unto the realms of psychosis. The president then carefully laid the folder on the table, only one step away from throwing it at the wall. "4 submarines! 3 frigates! And all the crew aboard! Completely gone-- VAPOURISED!" Rufus put his face into his gloved hand, "Months... YEARS of training each and every one of those people on board, all GONE! Do you know how much money we've lost in this endeavour? How much we've wasted???" the president's hand constricted into a deadly claw, almost as if he wanted to tear his own eyes out with frustration. Tseng watched Rufus as he degenerated through the various stages of a mental breakdown. Then with a careful aplomb, he remarked, "Would this be a bad time to mention that Elena is in Junon right now?" There was a small crack. Then small pieces of ivory and dust abruptly erupted from Rufus' hand as the chess piece shattered into a hundred broken pieces. the blond haired presidents face, or what could be seen past his hand, had grown very deadly still. "Yes, it would be," Tseng finished Rufus' unspoken thought. The room became very quiet, the only noise coming from the open balconey door that let in the morning sounds of the people walking, talking and participating in various morning activities outside. It remained that way for a few moments. Then, with a sharp, indrawn hiss of breath, Rufus sat up, taking his hand away from his eyes and readjusting the front of his suit. His face, while it had been "calm" before, was now truly calm, completely in control. Tseng inwardly sighed in relief, /It worked.\ "Well now.... We'll just have to take care of these problems one at a time. One of the few things I learned from my old man." Rufus cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully, then blinked when he noticed the pieces of ivory scattered on the board, "First, get me a new pawn. I can't play chess properly without my pawns." Tseng nodded as Rufus got to his feet, aware that the blonde haired man was just warming up. He filed away that order in a secure corner of his mind, however. Just in case. "Next, send General Benedict so that we can have a little.... talk," Rufus stepped behind his chair and gripped the back firmly. "Tell him before he comes to see me, however, I expect to see several more salvage ships and subs, as well as escort war frigates at the dock from my window in the balconey. And give them orders to salvage the Gelnika and the remains of the salvage fleet. If either of them are still salvageable that is. Get any latent and residue energy readings from around the area and see if you can pick up any trace of the weapons that attacked the first salvage fleet." Tseng raised an eyebrow at the last request, "Sir?" "Just do it, Tseng," snapped Rufus. "A weapon that can take out that many ships in the space of a few minutes deserves our fullest attention. If we can somehow find out who made it...." the president trailed off, looking off into the distance. Then he started, "Well, let's just say that our campaign to retake Midgar will be far easier with that in our possession." "We'd make a deal with people who destroyed part of our fleet? What about the families of the people on board?" "I've learned it's better not to hold grudges Tseng," Rufus remarked dismissively. "It really hinders business and gain if I get angry at everyone who crosses me. No, I find it's a lot easier, and more profitable, to simply assimilate whatever enemies I may have." Rufus then smirked, "And when they are no longer useful to me, well...." He shrugged, "The trick is, Tseng: Forgive, but never, EVER forget." Understanding the nature of the 'deal' Rufus was thinking of, Tseng nodded in approval. Then he frowned at another situation that hadn't been addressed, "And the families?" Rufus waved it off, releasing the seat back and slowly moving over past his desk to the balconey, "This attack couldn't have come at a better time. Make a public report that Midgar was responsible for the attack, offer our commiserations to the families: 'We regretfully inform you that on the date: 1st October yadda, yadda, yadda', and increase the number of ads for joining up the Shinra army on the vidscreens. This is the kind of thing that gets people's patriotic blood flowing afterall." "Excellent plans, sir," Tseng repeated the orders to himself to pass onto the various authorities as soon when he left this room. And the final problem, "And Elena, sir?" Rufus paused, his hand on his desk, "When did she come in?" "Just yesterday, sir," Tseng related. "None of the Shinra troops recognised her when she stepped off the dock, but fortunately I had a few Turk watchers. Actually they didn't recognise her either, but her style of dress was indication enough that they should report the incident to me. She was still dressed like a Turk, sir." "And do you know where she's staying?" "At a hotel near the docks, sir. I even know the room number. She didn't bother to put in an alias at all. Rather a bold move." Tseng paused, then continued, "What she we do with her, sir?" With his back still turned to the Turk, the blonde haired president gave a shrug, "Kill her." The Turk's jaw dropped open, "But, Rufus! She's... She's a Turk! You can't do that to a--" "She's an EX-Turk, Tseng," Rufus hissed. "An Ex-Turk who, as I recall, left us to die back in Midgar. I'm sure we can return the favour quite nicely, don't you?" Tseng wrestled with the concept for a moment, trying to appease both his loyalty to Rufus and to members of his organisation, "She may have been a newbie and only with us for a few months.... But it's still wrong--" "No more excuses, Tseng," the blonde haired president said firmly, still keeping his back to the Turk. "You'll see to it personally, if you have to, but by sunset tonight, I want Elena Thorton out of my hair. She is of absolutely no use to me, Tseng. She is not important enough to keep alive. Kill her." The room was silent again after that ultimatum, once again letting in the sounds of the streets outside. Tseng reflected upon the final order in the quietness, /Kill? A member of the Turks? It's just not right. I can't explain it.... No, maybe I can.... It would be like wanting one of your own family dead--\ He paused, thinking of Rufus' relationship with his father, then hurriedly added, /Or one of your friends. It's just not RIGHT! Why can't Rufus understand that?\ "If that is ALL, Tseng," Rufus clear voice cut through the Turk's thoughts. "I think I would like to be alone for a while. We can start a new game later. And get me that pawn." Rufus did not bother to turn around as he said all this. Sighing resignedly, the Turk got to his feet and straightened out his suit. Then an inspirational thought struck him, one that might present a highlight to the presidents day, "On a lighter note, sir, you may be interested to know that the new Turk I'm going to interview is a real sharp one?" "Oh?" asked the blonde haired president. "Yessir. Actually, she was so enthusiastic about joining the Turks that she stopped me in the middle of streets and almost DEMANDED I gave her an interview right where we stood," Tseng's lip twitched in amusement as he recalled the meeting in the middle of a busy street. "I redirected her to the Turk's recruitment office near the army one, of course.... But still, judging from the resume she gave me, I think we could almost forgo the interview process. She'd be an excellent addition to the Turks. Much better than the amateurs wanting to masquerade as 'secret agents' we usually get." Tseng paused in the middle of his monologue. "Strange though.... If she wanted to get into the Turks so badly, so why didn't we hear from her until now....?" He shook his head, then shrugged, "Ah, well. C'est la vie." Looking at Rufus and noticing not a single reaction from the blonde haired president, Tseng sighed again and turned to the double doored exits. "I'll pass on the orders to the appropriate people," Tseng said to Rufus' back before he closed the doors behind him. Then he made his way down the staircase, thinking of all the officials he had to meet or order to put all what Rufus' had said into effect. **** Rufus heard the door close behind him and sighed in partial relief. While he appreciated Tseng's attempt at cheering him up after the barrage of bad news, he was glad when the Turk finally left. There were just some things he had to work out on his own right now. Like the new set of proclamations he had just made. They were bothering him, and he had to know WHY. The speed with which he constructed those ideas? No, he'd always been able to do that. And he had a sneaking Tseng did too. He always worked well under pressure, and when a certain threshold had been reached.... One that would cause most people to snap.... His brain would suddenly be fired up to full speed with all pistons pumping. It was a 'skill' he'd picked up in his youth, and one for which he was profoundly grateful for. They kept him in his role of President, afterall. And not as a mere figurehead, either. Someone who was TRULY in control. The harshness of some of those ideas? Please-- No, wait. A twitch of some feeling there.... Was it really bothering him? He probed each of the ideas he'd put forward as part of the overall plan to continue to deceive the public. They were cold, calculated and designed to prey upon the emotions of the people, but that was all right. It had to be done in order for Shinra Inc. to survive. In business, you were either the manipulator or the manipulated and like his old man said, always be the former rather than the latter-- Rufus started. My god. So that's what was bothering him. It was not the speed of the plans, nor the plans themselves, but WHO was making the plans. Or at least in spirit. He was turning into his FATHER. Rufus quickly stepped outside to the balcony, where the fresh air and sunlight existed and took a deep breath. He fought against the shaky feeling in his legs that demanded he sat down, and gripped the railing of the balcony, using that as a means of support. He stood there for a long time, trying to keep balance for as long as he could. Finally however, completely against his will and without his permission, his legs folded out from underneath him and he fell to the floor of the balcony, slumping against one of the thick marble posts that held the the railing up. And as he sat there, in that completely undignified position, he began to cry softly to himself. Shedding tears that he wasn't completely sure what for, the reasons, fears and loathings were all mixed up and swirled into a confused mess of emotions. But there was one definite thing he was sure of, and he regretted most of all, in the middle of his weeping: He was alone in a city full of people. ----- (OOG: Just a couple of notices.... Etrius: The recruitment scene with Tseng and Khali (or whatever she calls herself in order to get into the Turks) are all yours. He'd be naturally suspicious of Khali and her skills, but like we discussed, these would be minor considerations to the fact that she'd be an excellent Turk. You've also got the two main questions that he needs to ask in the recruitment process. Anything else is basically up to you to show off what tasks Khali can perform and stuff. Go for it! ^_^ However, she'll probably have to wait until early/late afternoon before Tseng comes into the Turks recruitment office however. Besides dealing with the fact that he needs to spread the orders around to the various officials, he'll also have to track down Elena (not that difficult, since she DID sign in at a hotel under her true name) and then chase her down if she tries to run away or something. That leads into my second notice. Jen: Well, you've got Tseng after your character now, so expect some firefights or fisticuffs as well as a long chase scene. ^_^ I have a feeling, however, that Tseng wouldn't necessarily try to kill Elena, just beat her up or tire her out enough to chase her out of town so Rufus won't have to bother with you and vice versa. It's up to you what you choose to do though, but keep in mind if you stay in Junon you not only compromise your own position (Rufus is sure to send in Shinra troops after you), but also that of Tseng, when Rufus finds out Elena isn't dead. But it's all up to you of course. Just make sure it's all over by late afternoon so Tseng can report, tired and sweaty to the recruitment office to meet Khali. And finally, someone has got to write something about the big construction thingy going on by the waterfront near Shinra soon. Kelly, you want to do this? I need Mr. Adem to spy on something soon. He can't be watching TV everyday for a week. It's bad for his eyes. ^_^ And for those of you wondering: Mr. Adem has been wandering around the slum areas of Midgar up until this chapter, just getting his bearings and all that. Feel free to include him in your chapter as a kind of passerby. Oh, and errrr.... The obligatory 'Comments? Suggestions? Flames?' goes here. ;-) ) 62 From: Fyre Byrd Date: Sat Apr 15, 2000 9:56pm Subject: BLUFF strikes! BLUFF strikes! Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 5:00 AM Place: MSF Barracks The heavy-set footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. Albah didn't roll over and check the clock hanging on the wall to know that the footsteps heralded the start of a new day. As the stride stopped, one could hear a loud 'thunk thunk' as it knocked on each steel door it passed. When it halted before Albah and Andrews' door and knocked, it bellowed. "5 o'clock! Get up all y'all and get down to the gym!" Teck Albah moaned and wrapped himself in his blanket. Below him, he could hear Andrews stirring from sleep. Andrews stood from his lower bunk, pulls some pants from somewhere, and slipped them on. Teck watched this out of the corner of his eye, still in the pretence of repose. The other officer looked back at Teck, nodded and was out the door. Without another thought, Teck was on his own feet, his uniform in hand. 5 a.m. was still too early to be waking up, even in the MSF. Once in uniform, he stood in front of the mirror and ran his hand over his bald head nervously. This week, the newest squad of the MSF was on duty. Their chief, Lt. Baco, had honed them into a special MSF unit, and now they were ready to be tested… with a real mission. Thinking back, Teck wanted to compare being a Shinra solider to be a MSF officer . . . they seemed so much a like. They used the barracks left from the soldiers to house officers. Even the same people were in charge. Lt. Baco was a new man though, that's why he got all the new cadets. Teck shrugged a little and cracked his neck with a turn. Shouts of, "Are you coming, you pansies? Get off your asses and down to the gym NOW!" were echoing down the halls. Teck frowned and tried to shake off his military training . . . this was the police, not Shinra. ------------------ Time: 6:20 AM Place: MSF Mess Teck groaned a little, panting. One hour of exercises and then down to breakfast. He leaned on the table and blinked down at the wooden finish of the table top. His tray was pushed to the side piled with a bowl of cereal, cold sausage, a pear and something that resembled milk. Sitting up, Teck noticed that he wasn't the only one that thought the workout was a little too much. People at various tables around him pushed at the food on their plates tiredly, the strength and pep gone from their eyes. No one came to sit with him at his corner. Teck felt so alone; he missed his SI friends. Teck pulled his tray in front of him and too began to push his cereal around in the bowl, turning it into mush. Taylor was the only other Shinra Infantry soldier that survived from his squad. They both braved the final attack during the Revolution on the Shinra Building: both came out alive. The rest of them . . . died in various ways. Teck mulled over his cereal. Where was Tay now? Sighing, Teck grabbed his pear and nibbled on it thoughtfully. After Shinra had been disbanded and Rufus had escaped, Teck felt lost with his life. He almost returned home to Junon, but he didn't have enough money. Months past and jobs came and went. Teck was unhappy with just a normal job. He wanted to be a soldier. As Midgar built herself up, the city found need of a police department. MSF was developed and advertisements sprung up everywhere. Just was Teck was looking for. Now he couldn't wait to get out of MSF training and into a true uniform! This is the day, he thought, the first time. The Department of Midgar Safety (MSF headquarters) had given Teck's squad the right to the first none-major commission today. He smiled grimly at the thought, his brown eyes reflecting the fire within. Still, no one came to sit with him and breakfast passed slowly. ------------- Time: 7:07 Place: MSF Prep Room Holding the cup of black coffee close, he took another sip and listened to Lieutenant Baco prepped them on the first mission. A hijacking . . . exciting. Teck took a big gulp of caffeine into his system. The lieutenant explained that the train was doing its morning rounds when a team of BLUFF (the Barret Lives Underground Freedom Front) boarded it and demanded that some criminal be released. Of course, this couldn't be allowed to happen and the MSF had been called in. The officers around him grinned and planned amongst themselves about what should be done. Most of it bloody and unconventional. Baco just said one word: barricade. ------------- Time: 7:15 Place: Sector Train Station, number 3 MSF arrived on the scene and began constructing the barricade immediately. Teck pulled the last concrete and steel beam into place, listening to the captain yell over his phone. "The barricade is in place. . . . . Yes. . . . . Yes." Baco flipped the phone closed and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he shouted, "MSF! Off the tracks at once. The train is coming. Take shelter!" The squad scrambled behind the cement barrier they built for themselves. It wouldn't be good if they were hit with flying pieces of barricade and train . . . Teck leap over the wall and hit the ground hard. An officer beside him pulled him to his knees. Peaking over the wall, everyone listened for the train. There was a familiar squeal and roll of the train wheels over the tracks and then the sound of speeding up. Baco drew in a sharp breath; everyone remained silent. The train barreled around the corner going hazardously fast. It flew past the barrier, causes a strong gust of wind in its wake and smashed through the block in the tracks. The barricade was crushed under the pressure of the train, sending sparks and shrapnel flying. Officers dived to the ground and cursed, a couple screamed as the hot steel impacted. BLUFF had beaten the MSF and the call for STRIKE was made. [OOG: I know this will become easier.. I'm just rusty.] ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com 63 From: Kelly Starr Date: Sun Apr 16, 2000 4:00am Subject: My memories show I'ved lived, but don't tell me why My Memories show I've lived, but don't tell me why. Jessie's intro. Date: October 1, 2003 Time: 11 am Jessie slowly rose from sleep, she had been sleeping more and more lately, she didn't seem to be able to find a reason to get out of bed. Her small room looked dingy. Midgar, city on a plate, the greatest city in the world. What about under the plate? Was that the worst city in the world? The digital numbers on her clock told her she had missed half the day again, the sun didn't shine in the slums. Of course there were always rumors about projecting light down here, yeah right! She stopped believing good things were going to happen years ago. She picked up her remote and turned the TV on to get some light. "Reports claim that the hostage situation..." "Rumors of the terrorist group..." "Just 200 gil, plus postage..." She turned the tv off. "Good morning Midgar," she said, getting our of bed and heading for the window. Jessie got her apartment cheap, actually, it was more of a room than an apartment. It was in sector 4, there was a small market there and right next door to the very seedy sector 5. She didn't have much, just a TV, clock radio, computer and a small refrigerator, but she had everything she needed. She pulled back her curtains and looked outside. From her small window she could see the border of sector 5. Since the Black 36 and all the events of three years ago its had been repopulated by the worst people of the whole slums. Sector five worst the worst sector in Midgar, at least in her opinion, but she didn't get out much. She turned the page on the calendar,a new month, October. She was getting old. She had turned 23 in June, it had been 3 1/2 years since she had joined Avalanche and everything had happened. It wasn't often she let herself think about the past, about Barrett, Biggs, Zep, Trev. People she knew, people she had known. She flipped on her light and studied her reflection in her mirror. Her hair had grown longer, she barely bothered to look at it anymore, just tied it up out of the way, why worry about how she looked anyway? She wasn't trying to impress anyone and certainly didn't want to be approached by the guys on the streets who owned the strip clubs and brothels. She had seen many young girls get tricked into working there and wasn't exactly keen on the idea herself. Despite how tired she felt, her eyes looked bright and awake, blue and the sky on a sunny day, at least from what she remembered anyway. She reached into a draw under her computer and pulled out a letter, a letter she hadn't read in a long long time. Jessy, I'm sorry bout what happened, I didn't mean to upset you, you know I care about you and shit. Biggs He always spelt her name wrong, no matter how many times she corrected him. This was the one momento of her life, the only real proof that she had been there. Apart from her own memories. She read the letter again, she couldn't remember what it was about, chances are Biggs was just being his usual jerk self. She smiled. Today is the day I move on, today is the day I face my past and find a new purpose. She strode out the door purposefully ad went outside to see what was going on in Midgar. OOG: just a little intro, for now. 64 From: Date: Mon Apr 17, 2000 2:32pm Subject: The hunt is on (Darman-2) (OOG: Looks like everyone is just flying through day one. I remember back when a single day would take like 3 months. But things change, and it hasn't effected the qaulity of people's posts so...) October 1, 2003 5:15 PM Abandoned Church, Slums, Sector 5, Midgar 'Listen, I'm not even sure what you want me to do?' 'Who?' 'Yes, but what does she have to do with anything, the most she's ever been involved with is Jiro.' 'Listen I don't care, why should I do this anyway.' 'I don't care about sephiroth, in fact you can take this entire mission and jam it up your...' "Excuse me?" Darman turned to see a girl about 10 staring up at him. "Yes?" "Are these your flowers? Thy'rem real pretty." "No." "Well then who keeps them so pretty?" "A girl about my age, she grows them, protects them, then sells them." "Is that the girl who is normaly in here?" The girl glared up at him innocently. "Why yes, do you know her?" The words left Darman's mouth without warning. 'Wait I didn't say that.' "Yes, she was in here earlier just looking at them." "Do you know where she went?" 'Stop that! I didn't say anything!' "She might have went home." "Great, thanks." 'No, I'm not going there!' "No problem mister." Darman looked down at the girl for a few seconds then quickly turned and walked out of the church. "Bye!" The girl yelled from behind. 'I am not going there!' Darman walked into the small Sector 5 market place. 'I'm telling you I'm not going!' Darman arrived at Aeris' house, still looking as he remembered, the field of flowers to the side, and standing out in the dank area of the slums. Darman's hand rose to knock the door. 'No!' Darman's hand went down. It rose back up. 'No!' Now Darman used his free hand to pull down the other. Darman's arm began to shake struggeling to reach the door. 'Do you think you scare me? I've dealt with creepy voices inside my head before.' BANG! Darman's hand hit the door hard. "Hello?" A woman stood before him, her face was familiar to Darman, just as Darman's was to her. She stared blankly at Darman standing there holding his own arm down and twiching a bit. "Yes, is Aeris here?" 'You happy now?' "Yes, come in I'll get her." (OOG: Take it away Sere. (If you have anything to work out with me then just send me an e-mail)) Brian 65 From: C S Date: Wed Apr 19, 2000 3:29pm Subject: Preperation (Loric-- III) Title: Preparation (Loric-- 3) Time: 5:50 PM Date: Oct. 1 Place: inside Seventh Heaven Loric sat down on one of the bar stools next to Ivan. "Hey, Tifa, why not give Loric some of that stuff you gave me last week?" "I gave you that to make you stay away." "And exactly what was it?" Loric asked. "A little bit of Motor oil, water and something from a bottle marked with a skull and crossbones, you should have seen him, he was wall-eyed for three days," she said, laughing "Actually it was four days," Ivan muttered. "Got anything to eat?" Loric said, changing the subject. "Yes, I've got a little bit of bread and cheese somewhere around here, that is, if you've got gil." "Sure," Loric said and handed her the money. Tifa retrieved the Item from a cabinet under the bar and handed it over to Loric. After a few bites Loric said: "This is good." Ivan leaned over to Loric and told him "Flattery doesn't work, I've tried." Tifa laughed, "Loric doesn't flatter people, he just says what he thinks, in many ways, he's better than you, weasel." Ivan simply Hmmphed. "Ms. Tifa I'm back!" came a young girls voice from the entrance. "Good, Marlene, did you get the items I wanted you to?" "Yes, ma'am." "Oh! And Marlene, I'm going to be out late tonight, can you handle things here?" "Can and will," she said. "Good," Tifa said with a smile. "Who was that?" Loric asked after Marlene had left. "Marlene, she was Barret's foster daughter. I've been taking care of her ever since Barret died." "Aha." Loric finished the food just before Azrael entered, he had a sack slung over one of his shoulders. "Oh," Tifa said. "Oh?" "Sometimes it's better not to ask what's in the sack." Ivan snickered. "Well are we ready or not?" Azrael asked. "Right, just a sec," Loric said, he removed his hat, his overcoat and leather jacket, folded them up, and placed them behind the bar, it was now obvious what weapons he carried. Two giant revolvers rested at his hips, like the claws of some giant, deformed beast. FuryClaw. LifeHarrower. On his shirt a red jagged lightning bolt split a field of dead black. All in all, he looked like some sort of ancient warrior. "Ready?" he asked, his voice was different, ennergetic, lively, with a single dangerous note in his deep voice. 66 From: Date: Thu Apr 20, 2000 6:40pm Subject: A New Truth Known A New Truth Known Rooke sat on cool grass , gazing into the afternoon sky. He was under the shade of a tree , with his travelling companion Guru , not far behind. He meditated like he usually did , and was now taking in the serenity of his surroundings. The past few years had been something else for the young adventurer. He breached small Shinra outposts that were encamped around the outskirts of cities and towns. He stole secret information , files and other data , barely escaping the armed guards. It turned out the data files were nothing more than attendance sheets , duty rosters and I.O.U. notes from gambling. But to his benefit , each time he went on these little raids , he earned more experience in combat. With a flick of his wrist , Rooke sent his shuriken spiraling into the air , it sliced off an apple , dangling from a tree limb. Like a boomerang , it came right back and hit his spiked knuckles with a metallic cling. He caught the apple and stood up , walking over to Guru. Guru , had always been a top shape Chocobo, and was always ready for a good race. Rooke thought about going pro with him , but wasn't willing to sacrifice the many years it takes to be recognized at such a level. Besides, he had much bigger plans. He fed the apple to Guru and patted his back. The Chocobo just squawked happily. Rooke wasn't hungry , he only ate once a day hoping his fasting would purify him. " Where do we go next boy ? " he asked. Guru just stared at him. "Um….how about…." His voice trailed off and began to think. Suddenly Rooke was struck with an idea , he dug in his pockets and found several wrinkled sheets of paper. " Lets see…a break up letter…a picture of the CO's wife from the last raid….oh here's a note , it says , You may have just won 100,000 gil ! Yeah right. " Rooke rambled on about every note he had ever swiped from Shinra's secretaries and filing cabinets. " Wait ! Wait ! Guru this is IT ! " he yelled excitedly. He unwrinkled an old newspaper clipping , that he grabbed off a bulletin board , while dodging bullets on his way out of a Shinra encampment. Rooke frowned , remembering how he ran away like a maniac, and screaming worse than Bahamut on that day of his first raid. It was an actual headline article from The Midgar Times. Rooke read it to Guru , as if it were actually aware of what it meant. " The headline reads, BARRET IS SHOT. The rest of the article says…Midgar- Barret is shot by Shinra authorities. He was last reported to be taken where medical attention can be provided. He is not expected to live through the night. " Rooke pointed to the issue's date. " And look what its dated , three years ago ! All this time , I was looking for what might be left of Avalanche…but I didn't realize my only chance was the city of Midgar all along. " Rooke stuffed the contents back into his pockets and mounted his Chocobo , instinctively Guru sprinted in the direction of the city. Evening fell before he reached the city gates. The sky was a soft , purple color with a ring of red on the horizon as the sun set and several stars began to shine directly overhead. As Guru trotted in , Rooke saw sights of the big city , he never saw before. The crowds , the hustle and bustle and the excitement of daily life in Midgar. It took him awhile to see as much as he could , he saw materia shops , weapon shops , bars and markets. Soon the purple sky had been washed over with a dark black and sprinkled with shining stars. Many of the citizens disappeared now , but some were spotted walking around every few blocks. Rooke walked by another bar when a girl in a skimpy dress approached him. " Huh ? Oh no , Im not interested ! " warned Rooke. The girl looked at him funnily and replied , " What !? Do you think I'm a whore or something !? " Rooke studied the girl , she had long blond hair , and wore a long red dress that seemed to sparkle even under the dim lights of the gritty bar behind her. " Uh…no , no its not that , its just a little late for such a young girl like yourself to be out here, don't you think ? " he asked. The girl looked down , " Well , Im just trying to practice my new song on some people to see how they like it. " she explained nervously. Rooke flashed an expression of sudden interest , it had been awhile since he had some entertainment. " A new song ? Why don't you try it on me then ? " he asked. The girl looked pleased and said , " Its called , Eyes on You. Ready ? " Rooke nodded and said , " Hit me with it. " The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath , she slowly opened her lips and a soothing voice carried the lyrics heavenly across the air. The title of her song was suspiciously familiar to Rooke , he could have sworn he heard of a title that sounded almost the same but couldn't quite place it. Rooke listened with pleasure as he hung on every word until it was over. The girl looked at him and grinned saying , " You liked it , now didn't you ? " Rooke smiled and replied , " I loved it ! Here take this. " Rooke grabbed a hefty leather pouch that was tucked under his belt , he took the girl's hand and shook some gil into it. " Whoa ! Hey , you really don't have to-" she was cut off by Rooke. " No , think nothing of it , I wanted to , I'll see ya around eh ? " The girl smiled warmly and nodded. Rooke started to walk away as the girl said , " Hey ! You'll have to hear my other song some time , it's called Moonshine Sonata ! " Rooke spun around and gasped , " What !? " but it was too late as the girl disappeared into the bar. Rooke thought to himself , " I could have SWORN I heard of a title like that before ! In some town called Racoon or something. " Rooke shook it off and went on his way , he had been alone , and allowed Guru to wonder around on his own for while. Eventually , Rooke found a train station in the distance. " Hey ! A train station ! I remember stories of how Avalanche used the trains to bomb Mako reactors ! I gotta see if I can find something out over there ! " Excitedly , he ran in the direction of the station , just as a train boarded the last of it's passengers and traveled down the rails leaving a trail of steam. " Excuse me , Sir ? " Rooke asked. An usher in a red uniform turned to face Rooke's direction with tired eyes. " Hey , how ya doin ? " the usher mumbled. " Uh…fine. Listen , I got some questions and you better have some answers. " Oh my GOD do I hate the late trains… the usher thought to himself. " Fine ! Fine ! Just don't stick me up , here ! " the Usher replied with raised hands. " I wanna know about Avalanche , everything. What they have been doing , where they have gone, who's in it , the current leader , if you don't know , all I need is a name of someone who does." Rooke demanded. The usher looked at him like he was crazy. " Wha…what the ? Have you been in a cave for the past few years ? " the usher asked. " Don't get smart with me ! " The usher realized , Rooke needed to be brought up to speed. " Listen , I don't know why you're not aware , but there is no Avalanche anymore kid. " Rooke could read his , cold serious expression , and knew he was telling the truth , but he didn't want to accept it at first. " No…no…NO ! It's not true , its just not true ! " he shouted. The usher slowly nodded and continued , " Yes…it is. Man , you really weren't paying attention to the news. Sometime back , Midgar had a revolution , they finally booted Shinra out. It's all a democracy now , or something , I dunno , I don't follow politics. Well , Barret carried Avalanche , when he died , Avalanche went with him. The rest of the members…well , they went their separate ways." the usher explained. Rooke clenched a fist , a single tear splashed to the ground with a pat. His muscles rippled with anger and his scarf flapped in a gust of wind. " Did…did he die a quiet death ? " Rooke managed with a sigh. The usher smiled weakly. " I'd like to think so…" he confessed softly. " What about Shinra , what became of them ? " he asked. The usher checked his pocket watch and replied , " They fled to Junon. Listen , it's not over yet. Some say they might come back and try to retake the city. Who knows ? Maybe some of Shinra's minions are lurking around here now. " the usher informed. The usher stepped closer with an outstretched hand. " The name is Gomez. " The usher said , introducing himself. Rooke shook his hand and said , " Rooke Bartley. " " Gotta go." said Gomez. As if on mark , another train came rolling in across the tracks and stopping at a screaching halt. A door slid open and Gomez leaped in. Rooke turned and left down the street. As he looked up into the night sky, he saw a shooting star. " Barret…I hardly knew who you were…but I knew what you were. I don't know how…but I'll carry on your work until the day I die. Barret…hear me. Your order lives on. " he whispered. TO BE CONTINUED…