Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 14

“Alliance”

Chapter 14

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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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Reno sat bolt upright in the bed and reached for the remote, clicking it blindly in the direction of the television with his eyes still shut. Beside him, Cloud was roused from sleep by the sound of the phone alarm going off and he grumbled and rubbed his eyes before reaching for it. He blinked his eyes open and reached out for the lamp to click it on. He saw his lover sitting there with a slack mouth, his wild hair mussed and hanging down his back as he repeatedly clicked the TV remote.

 

“Reno, what are you doing?”

 

“Tryin' to turn this damn TV off,” the redhead mumbled. The television flicked on and off as he continued to push the power button. “Stupid thing must'a come on somehow an' it woke me up.”

 

Cloud was still muzzy with sleep himself and a delirious giggle bubbled on his lips before he could stop it. “The TV isn't what woke you up,” he explained as he reached for the cellphone on the nightstand. “It's my phone alarm. Today's the day, remember? Had to set it early.”

 

He turned off the alarm and Reno stopped clicking the remote. The redhead abruptly plopped back down on his back, the remote still in his hand. Cloud studied him blearily and realized his activity had been done in his sleep. Fighting another yawn, the blonde reached down and shook his companion by the shoulder.

 

“Come on Reno, we've got to get up, get ready and have breakfast before we head out.”

 

The redhead swatted at him and put a pillow over his head. Cloud shook his head and chuckled, his sleepiness fading slowly. “I know it's early, but we need time to wake ourselves up and get ready. The teams are assembling in two hours.”

 

“Sun hasn't even come up yet,” Reno's muffled voice protested.

 

“I know, and I'm sorry about that but we couldn't wait `till the last minute.” Cloud pulled the covers off of the Turk's body, ignoring the tempting sight of his nudity. He shook his shoulder again insistently. “Get up, Reno.”

 

“Don't wanna,” the redhead mumbled petulantly.

 

“Tough,” countered the blonde firmly. “You're going to be tired whether you get up now or in another hour. At least this way you can shower and eat before we go. Don't make me drag you out of the bed.” Cloud yanked the pillow off his lover's head.

 

Reno groaned and opened one eye to glare balefully up at him. “There'd better be coffee in that cafeteria when we go down, Strife.” His warning tone was completely serious.

 

“If there isn't, I'll make some for you,” promised the blonde. He helped Reno sit up and he half-dragged him with him out of the bed and to the bathroom for a shower.

 

~******************************~

 

Reno was still yawning repeatedly and grumbling when they walked into the cafeteria together. Cloud wore combat gear and he had his favorite sword strapped to a scabbard across his back, plus various other weapons concealed in his cargo pants. Reno was wearing the standard Turk uniform as usual, with his signature goggles resting on his forehead. The cafeteria was almost full when they arrived because the rest of the strike force had also woken up early to make preparations. Zack sat with Tseng, Tifa and the kids at one of the long tables and he waved at the two of them and pointed to two chairs he'd saved. Reeve and Vincent sat at the same table and so did Rude and Elena.

 

“Wonder where Rufus is?” Cloud murmured as he nudged his sleepy companion to keep him from toppling on his feet.

 

“Probably in his office, going over the orders,” Reno yawned. “Coffee, Blondie.”

 

Cloud took him by the arm and guided him straight to the coffee bar. “Give him a red-eye,” the blonde ordered when the young woman behind the counter asked what they'd have. “I'll have a latte.”

 

“'Latte',” Reno snorted. “Ya puss.”

 

“I don't need a major caffeine infusion to function,” Cloud shot back with a smirk.

 

The server finished making their coffee and Cloud handed them to Reno and told him to go sit at the table. “Just drink your coffee and try to wake up,” he offered. “I know what you like, so I'll put your breakfast plate together for you. Don't spill.”

 

Reno took the two coffees and nodded. “Thanks, man.”

 

The Turk walked across the room to the table where the others were and Cloud knew it was only his innate dexterity that kept him from stumbling and spilling the hot beverages all over himself. The blonde shook his head with amusement and got in the buffet line. He grabbed essentially the same selection for himself and Reno, save for the melon cubes he put on the redhead's plate versus the small tub of oatmeal he picked for himself. He joined the others at the table when he was finished, sitting across from Zack and between Denzel and Reno. The redhead was already half-finished with his coffee and he was still half-asleep.

 

“They wanted to see us off,” Tifa explained when Cloud glanced at Denzel and Marlene questioningly. “They'll go straight to school after we've left. Rude has someone filling in for him as their escort while he's away.”

 

“You be careful, Cloud,” Marlene said seriously, her little face bearing a chastising expression. “I know how you are!”

 

There were soft chuckles around the table and Cloud smiled. “I'll watch myself,” he promised. He glanced beside him and saw that Reno's head was nodding. He nudged the redhead at the same time as Rude and Reno sputtered and grumbled at them, bringing his coffee to his lips for another sip.

 

“Looks like someone's not a morning person,” observed Zack lightly.

 

“Must be nice to be so freakin' chipper at the crack of dawn,” Reno mumbled.

 

Zack shrugged. “Military training. You get used to it after a while.”

 

The former Soldier was wearing combat gear of deep blue and green colors and despite his exhaustion Reno appreciated the way the material molded to Zack's body. The company had obviously designed the ensemble with flight in mind. It fit closely enough to his body so that there weren't many loose parts to cause wind resistance or snag on branches. A pair of gloves with rubber handgrips lay on the table next to Zack's plate and Reno pointed them out and asked why he needed gloves in a fight that was going to take place in a warm climate.

 

“They're to protect my hands,” Zack said with a little sigh. He opened his left hand and examined the palm, where very thin calluses had begun to form. “The skin's still too soft for me to wield a sword for long without blistering, so Reeve had them design protective gloves to go with the rest of my gear.”

 

“Show them the back,” Reeve suggested with a prideful grin.

 

“Oh yeah,” Zack brightened and stood up out of his chair, turning around to present his back to Cloud and the others. “Check it out; Velcro.”

 

There was a black strip over each of Zack's shoulder blades where his wings would emerge from, allowing him to keep the insulated, deep blue crew shirt on and still use them. It was designed to allow the appendages to emerge without restraint and when they were pulled back in, they would presumably tug the Velcro closed again. Leather straps criss-crossed between the shoulders and held his scabbard and sword in place so that the weapon could be easily drawn and stowed without getting in the way of his wings.

 

“Pretty cool, huh?” Zack said with boyish enthusiasm.

 

Reno perked up, his eyes going to the sable-haired fighter's firm, muscular butt. The dark green pants weren't skin-tight but they weren't as loose as the usual cargo pants typical for military gear and they hugged his ass just right.

 

“Oh yeah,” Reno agreed. “It's a real nice set.”

 

Beside him, Rude cleared his throat and took a drink from his juice. He pushed Reno's napkin toward him and motioned to the corner of his mouth subtly. Reno impulsively reached up to check for drool and he shot a mock glare at his partner when he found none. Rude smirked silently; amused that he'd made his partner check.

 

“So you're going to be fighting in the air?” Denzel asked with wide eyes as Zack turned back around and sat down again.

 

“Maybe,” the fighter shrugged. “It depends on what we're up against. I might just do everything from the ground with Cloudy, here.”

 

Cloud looked at Tseng, who was a couple chairs down across from Elena. “Where's Rufus going to be during all this?”

 

“Here, safely guarded at headquarters,” answered the Wutaian. “He wished to come along and be directly involved, but I convinced him it would be better for him to stay out of the line of fire. I've had his personal security doubled until we return.”

 

Reno grimaced. “You keep putting the boss in a gilded cage like that and he's going to go stir crazy sooner or later.” He didn't want to see Rufus in danger either—especially considering all the times the president had narrowly escaped death over the years—but it had to be hard for the man to sit back and watch everything from the sidelines.

 

“He's too important to this organization to risk,” Tseng replied firmly, though Cloud sensed that the Wutaian's protective attitude toward Rufus went far deeper than practicality. “At least until we know more about what to expect from the opposition.”

 

“If we're lucky, we'll get rid of these bastards fast and we won't have to worry about it anymore,” Elena said after swallowing a bite of food. She remembered that there were kids at the table and she cringed a little and mouthed and apology to Tifa. If Reno could censor his language around the kids, surely she could do it too. He usually had as much subtlety as a cat in heat. Suddenly, she remembered something important and she reached for her phone. “I have to ask my neighbors to feed my cats while I'm gone,” she mumbled. “I almost forgot!”

 

“You've got cats?” Marlene asked with delight.

 

“Yes, but I'm not a `crazy cat lady',” Elena said with a smile. “I've just got two of them.”

 

“Ick,” Denzel said bluntly.

 

“What's wrong with cats?” inquired Reeve in a bemused tone, smiling with amusement at the boy's disgusted look.

 

“They cough up hairballs and stink up houses with their litter trays,” answered the teen.

 

“Not if you take proper care of them,” Elena said defensively. “Sure, if you don't scoop the litter out every day and only change it once a month, it's going to stink. As for hairballs, I'd like to see you swallow your hair and not get sick once in a while, kiddo.”

 

“I think you made her mad,” Zack whispered comparatively from behind his hand. “Don't make the crazy cat lady in her come out, buddy.”

 

“I heard that,” Elena snapped. A moment later, her voice sweetened as her neighbor answered the phone. “Oh hi, Mrs. Williams. It's Elena, from across the street. Listen, I'm going to be gone for a few days and I'm not sure when I'll be coming back. It's a business trip. Mmm-hmm. Oh, would you? That would be great. You still have the spare key, right? Thank you so much!”

 

There was something kind of funny about a Turk lending her key to a neighbor to take care of her pets, but nobody said anything out loud about it.

 

~****************************~

 

The strike forces boarded the naval transport vessels a little over an hour later. Cloud had Fenrir loaded onto one of the carriers with several WRO hover vehicles and five ShinRa helicopters. The passenger transports were smaller and equipped with sleeping quarters and bathrooms, as well as food supplies. The journey would have been faster by air but there weren't any flying vehicles that could carry large ground transport and the organization was determined to make sure they had enough firepower to subdue the Deepground forces in the Cosmo area.

 

Tseng's orders were to take prisoners when possible for interrogation and to take pictures of all captured and killed Deepground operatives for identification purposes. He wanted to give Cissnei the opportunity to identify her assailants, should they happen to capture or kill any of them. It was fairly obvious that the Wutaian had special plans for the rapists if they caught them.

 

Tifa and Elena played cards to occupy themselves and Cloud rested quietly in his seat, seemingly napping. Rude sat beside the blonde and rested as well, while Reeve and Vincent were discussing tactics with Tseng. Poor Reno began to suffer cabin fever before they were even two hours out to sea. He thought about joining the girls in their card game but he overheard Elena gossiping about men and he changed his mind.

 

~I'd rather be around a hot guy than talk about `em right now. Shit, I'm gonna go nuts if I don't find someone to talk to. Where the hell is Fair at?~

 

Knowing that the good-natured, sexy fighter could provide him with conversational entertainment if nothing else, Reno began to search the ship for Zack. “Hey, have you seen Wolfy?” he asked one of the sailors he passed. The man looked at him blankly and he remembered that “Wolfy” was his own special pet name for Zack. “Fair,” Reno elaborated. “Zack Fair? You know, tall guy with collar-length, spiky black hair and a body that won't quit?”

 

“Uh,” the sailor said uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to Reno's blatantly gay description of the former Solider. “I think the guy you're looking for is up on the top deck…but I don't look at other guy's bodies so I might be wrong.”

 

Reno snorted. “Yeah, like straight guys never notice when other guys have hot bodies.” He clucked his tongue and patted the blushing sailor on the cheek. “Relax. Your dick's not gonna fall off if you admire another guy's looks.”

 

Reno snickered with a combination of amusement and annoyance as he left the flustered sailor behind and climbed the stairs leading to the upper deck of the ship. Hetros always cracked him up…at least, the insecure ones did. He might have to be more discreet in public with his lovers than they did, but at least he didn't have to put on a fucking show to feel like a man.

 

He circled around the top deck, pulling his shaded goggles down over his eyes as he searched for Zack. He found him around the back of the ship, with his arms propped on the rail as he leaned over and watched the water with interest that was normally reserved for children. Reno smirked a little, finding it oddly endearing how easily Zack was fascinated with mundane things.

 

~I guess everything's kind of novel to the guy now, since he's been a ghost for so many years. I wonder when little things like that stopped being cool to me?~

 

He approached the black-haired man, admiring the convenient view of his ass from behind. Zack didn't seem to hear him coming and his attention remained focused on the waves below. Reno came up behind Zack and the other man spoke to him without turning around.

 

“Hey Foxy. Come to watch the water with me?”

 

Reno was impressed. “How'd you know I was coming, Fair? Better yet, how'd you know it was me?”

 

“The wind's blowing my way,” answered the fighter. He looked over his shoulder at the Turk and smiled at him. “It carried your scent with it.”

 

Reno's nose crinkled and he impetuously lifted one arm to sniff for body odor.

 

Zack laughed at the gesture and shook his head. “You don't stink.”

 

Reno smirked and came up beside him. “So what do I smell like, then?”

 

“Cinnamon and cloves,” answered Zack. He looked at him sidelong. “It's nice.”

 

The Turk felt his stomach do one of those telltale flips. He knew what Zack was doing: testing the waters. The guy was good. He knew how to flirt without being too obvious about it and his subtle, sidelong look told Reno that he was watching for his reactions.

 

~Too bad for him I'm good at this game, too. I could be reading him all wrong but I don't think so.~

 

Of course, while Reno was practiced at the art of seduction he wasn't as practiced at being tactical about it as Zack was. He tended to just come right out with it if he was interested in someone and even though he tended to flirt a little with everyone now and then, he didn't leave a lot open for doubt when he was seriously interested.

 

“Cinnamon and cloves, eh?” Reno repeated, moving a little closer to the fighter. “Must be my chewing gum and cigarettes you're smelling.” He leaned closer to the black-haired man and purposely nuzzled his wind-blown sable hair as he sniffed him. “Mmm, ya know, you smell like sandalwood. Nice and masculine but subtle. I'll bet Cloud likes that.”

 

Zack turned his head to look him in the eye and his mouth was only inches away from Reno's. “So what do you think our blonde boy smells like, Reno?”

 

The redhead had to think about that for a minute because he was distracted by the proximity of Zack's sculpted lips. “Hmm, most of the time he kind of smells kind of like rain to me. You know that scent that gets in the air just before a storm?”

 

Zack nodded.

 

“Yeah, that's what Cloud's scent reminds me of, yo. Rain and ozone.”

 

A slow smile curved the former Soldier's lips and a little thrill shot through Reno's body. “That's kind of funny. You described it pretty much the way I think of it but I always thought of it as Cloud smelling like a cloud.”

 

Reno laughed at the analogy, glad that he'd sought out Zack's company. The guy just had a natural glibness and sense of humor that never seemed to run dry. “That's one way of putting it,” he agreed. Zack's soft smile continued to make his pulse race and the fighter's eyes stayed on him.

 

“Why don't you take those shades off so I can see your eyes?” Zack queried softly.

 

Reno was horrified with the realization that he was getting flustered. Usually he was the one that made people feel swoony and breathless but Fair was making him feel like a teenager again.

 

“Sun's too bright,” Reno said.

 

“That's too bad,” Zack sighed in disappointment. “Well, do you want to play a game or something?”

 

“A…game?” Reno stared at the man with one eyebrow raised. Zack had gone from seductive to innocent and boyish in two seconds flat and the Turk almost pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming this encounter.

 

“Yeah,” confirmed Zack with a nod. “It's going to be a few hours before we dock and we might as well pass the time with a little fun.”

 

Reno sighed. He could think of a lot of fun “games” but he doubted any of them were what Zack had in mind. “What the hell, you're on,” he agreed.

 

~*********************************~

 

“Come on Reno, get into the spirit of it,” Zack chastised.

 

Reno breathed another heavy sigh and looked around. There wasn't much to choose from and he was not only bored but getting annoyed with this game. “Fine. I spy with my little eye…something…uh…orange.”

 

Zack considered the observation and turned around, putting his back against the rail as he scanned the deck. “Hmm, that's a tough one,” he murmured.

 

“If ya can't answer soon I win and this game's over,” reminded the Turk with faint relief in his voice. He turned back around to face the railing and rested his arms on them.

 

“Just give me a second,” Zack said lightly. He spotted a flash of orange peeking out from behind one of the lifeboats and he snapped his fingers. “It's a lifejacket, right?”

 

Reno clapped slowly. “Way to go.”

 

“Okay, my turn.” Zack either didn't notice Reno's sardonic, bored tone or he didn't care. “I spy with my little eye…something…blue.”

 

Reno rolled his eyes and groaned, dropping his forehead onto his crossed arms. “It's either the ocean or the damned sea…you've already used `em about half a dozen times, Zack!”

 

Zack chuckled sheepishly. “Okay, okay…I suck at this game, I'll admit it. But hey, we passed some time, didn't we?”

 

It was on the tip of Reno's tongue to say they wasted some time, but Zack looked so pleased with himself that he didn't have the heart. “I guess so,” the Turk sighed gloomily.

 

Zack studied him and scratched his chin. He cast another look around and when he was sure that they were alone on the deck, he smiled engagingly at the redhead. “How about you give me one more shot?”

 

Reno lifted his head from his arms and tugged his goggles up to rest on his forehead. He gave Zack a long-suffering look and squirmed restlessly. “Don't you think we've played your game enough, Fair?”

 

“Come on,” Zack coaxed, “Just one more try and I'll drop it.”

 

Reno was tempted to draw his gun and shoot himself in the head to end the misery. He turned around and leaned back against the railing, resting his arms on it behind him. “All right Fair, knock yourself out.”

 

“Okay,” Zack said happily. He took a step closer to the Turk and lowered his voice to a droning timber. “I spy with my little eye…something hot.”

 

Reno's lips twitched. “'Hot' ain't a color, man.”

 

Zack sighed sadly, but he was grinning suggestively at him. “Are you sure about that? Wow, I'm even worse at this than I thought.”

 

“I dunno,” Reno murmured, his ponytail whipping in the breeze, “ya seem to be improving a little.”

 

“You're crazy,” Zack informed him.

 

“Hey!” Reno's brows drew together.

 

“I dig that,” Zack finished with a wink.

 

“Oh.” Reno stared at the black-haired fighter with utter confusion, completely thrown off-balance by his rapid-fire, unpredictable comments.

 

Zack closed in while the redhead was still trying to figure out what was going on and Reno ended up with his back pressed against the railing and Zack's hard body a bare inch away from him. He stared at the other man with bewildered eyes, for once too stunned to react.

 

Zack slid his fingers through the gel-stiffened spikes of Reno's vivid hair and brought his mouth close to his ear. “When this is finished,” he promised in a low, seductive voice, “I'd like to prove `hot' can be a color.”

 

Reno's eyes fluttered shut as Zack's lips smiled against his ear, brushing softly against the rim. He parted his lips and moistened them with the tip of his tongue, ready and eager to feel the other man's mouth against his. Zack pulled away and Reno opened his eyes and stared at him with a bewildered expression he couldn't hide. With one last wink, the fighter turned on his heel and walked away, heading toward the stairs leading back down to the lower cabin.

 

He couldn't believe it. He wanted to shout a demand that Zack bring his tight, sexy ass right back this instant to finish what he'd started, but Reno's voice was stuck in his throat and he was in a state of disbelief. He'd never had anyone just walk away once he turned on his sex face. While he knew they couldn't very well fuck right there in the open where anyone could come by, he couldn't believe that Zack walked away without at least giving him a kiss.

 

“Oh, you are one smooth criminal, Wolfy,” Reno muttered as he watched the object of his lust disappear around the bend. Since nobody else was around, he reached down and adjusted his now erect package in his pants, grimacing with discomfort.

 

~Great. Now I've got a pocket rocket and nothing to fire it at. Not only did the smug bastard leave me high and dry but he did it at the worst possible time! Why couldn't he wait until this raid was over to pull that stunt?~

 

Aloud, the Turk murmured a promise. “Zack Fair, I'm gonna ride you `till you buckle, when I get the chance.” He refused to admit that part of his frustration stemmed from getting bested at the game of seduction.

 

~*********************************~

 

It was late afternoon when they arrived at the harbor on the other continent. Reno was still in a sour mood, even though he'd relieved his sexual tension in the bathroom as soon as he'd recovered his wits enough to go below deck. Zack met his eyes briefly across the distance as they began to unload the vehicles and get everyone moved for ground and air transport. The dark-haired fighter's amethyst gaze was lazy and sensual on the Turk for a brief moment, scanning his body suggestively before looking away.

 

“Damn him,” Reno muttered.

 

They couldn't get his chopper off that ramp fast enough to suit him. He wanted to be in the air so he could forget about his unsatisfied desire for Zack Fair for a while. Of course, the angel-winged cretin was assigned to ride in his chopper to the coordinates along with Cloud, Tifa, Vincent and Reeve. It was going to be hard to forget about the feel of his lips against his ear and the sensual purr of his voice with him sitting in the same aircraft.

 

“Who?” Rude asked. The bald man stood beside him, also waiting for the chopper. As usual, the partnered Turks were assigned to work together, with Rude as the copilot.

 

“Fair,” spat the redhead without hesitation. “Fucking cock-tease.”

 

Rude looked at his partner and raised his shades briefly, studying his tense features with practiced familiarity. “This isn't just about how he looks in that gear, is it?”

 

Reno sighed. “If only. I don't wanna talk about it.”

 

Rude grinned slowly. If he knew Reno, he'd just got his first real taste of his own medicine…only Zack must not have followed up on any sensual promises he made. “That's rough.”

 

“Quit sounding so happy about it,” Reno groused.

 

Rude cleared his throat and put his shades back down over his eyes. “Just concentrate on the mission, partner.”

 

“Oh, I will,” promised Reno vehemently. “I'm all fired up and ready to kick some ass, believe me.” His tourmaline eyes were predatory on Zack as the black-haired man crossed the distance with Cloud and the others. The chopper was safely unloaded and Reno climbed in and prepared for takeoff, forcing himself to focus his frustration away from Zack and channel it toward the bastards they were going after.

 

~********************************~

 

“I've talked to Nanaki over the phone and he's willing to join us,” Cloud said to Reeve, who was sitting in the seat across from him. “He's ready to meet us at the arrival point when we get there.”

 

“We could always use the extra help,” Reeve said. “Has he spotted any signs of these operatives?”

 

“Yeah,” answered the blonde. “He tracked them as far as the area just outside the Ancient Forest where Cissnei got captured but there were too many for him to take on alone and there aren't enough warriors in Cosmo Canyon to back him up.”

 

“I've got a question,” Zack said when Cloud finished speaking. “How does a big lion operate a cellphone and where does he keep it?”

 

“I designed a headset for him,” Reeve chuckled. “And Nanaki is more intelligent than most humans.”

 

“Got it,” Zack nodded. He glanced through the open cockpit door and found Reno twisted around in his seat looking at him. He smiled and waved at the redhead, who snarled silently and turned back around to face the front.

 

Cloud noticed the exchange and he frowned at his dark-haired lover. “What's going on with you two?” Cloud murmured in his ear with a meaningful nod in the direction of the cockpit. They'd been getting along so well lately and he'd dared to hope their relationship would develop into something bigger.

 

Zack gave him a mild look. “Nothing.” He smiled. “Yet.”

 

Cloud had a sinking feeling that he knew what Zack was hinting at. “Tell me you didn't tease him, Zack.” He kept his voice low so that only his lover could hear him.

 

“Maybe a little,” Zack admitted with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Just to get the spark going, you know?”

 

Cloud groaned inwardly and shook his head. “That wasn't what I meant when I encouraged you to act on things.” He studied the black-haired fighter with serious, gem-bright eyes and finished, “Man, are you going to be in trouble.”

 

Zack looked at him with raised eyebrows. “You make it sound like I'm going to go home from school with a note for bad behavior.”

 

“No, you lit a fuse on a bomb,” Cloud corrected, “I'm gonna make sure I'm clear of it before it goes off, too.”

 

Zack chuckled. “You think so? Hmm, gotta love redheads.”

 

The look that Cloud gave him said the blonde thought he didn't know what he was getting himself into. On the contrary, if half of the things he'd heard about Reno's vigor were true he knew exactly what he was getting into and frankly, Zack was looking forward to it.

 

~********************************~

 

“Cloud!” Nanaki loped to the helicopter as the fighter and his team climbed out of it. While the militia group with them opened the cargo doors to get Fenrir out for him, Cloud smiled and jogged toward his leonine friend, meeting him halfway. Nanaki reared on his hind legs and put his huge paws on the blonde's shoulders for balance, making him stagger a little as he bumped his head against Cloud's cheek with affection. Tifa came up behind the blonde and Nanaki gave her a gentler nudge of greeting, mindful of her slighter build.

 

“Reeve and Vincent are here too,” Tifa said with a smile as she scratched Nanaki's head and made him purr. “How have you been?”

 

“Well, save for the disappearances of some of the Canyon people,” answered the lion. “Unfortunately I have unpleasant news concerning the suspected Deepground members.”

 

“What is it?” questioned Cloud with a frown.

 

“I wanted to tell you when we spoke on the phone earlier, but we lost connection before I could do so. It appears that the enemies have been on the move and many of them have vacated their base here.”

 

Zack had come up beside Cloud and the two fighters looked at each other with grim expressions. “How many do you think got away?” asked Cloud.

 

“If I were to venture a guess,” Nanaki mused thoughtfully, “I would say approximately half of them. There's still a formidable enough force left behind…otherwise I would have led an attack on them. I'm afraid, however, that these people are remaining one step ahead of the WRO. It's possible that they began to migrate to an as of yet un-guessed location to combine their scattered forces before they were discovered.”

 

“That would explain why the base at Midgar was abandoned by the time we got there,” Tifa said with a sigh.

 

“Or someone's giving them a heads-up,” Zack suggested.

 

“It does seem pretty convenient that they keep evacuating their bases before we can get to them,” Cloud agreed. “We may have a mole somewhere in the organization.” He sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket, selecting Tseng's number. He relayed the information to the Turk leader and asked what he and Reeve wanted them to do.

 

Tsung asked him to hold for a moment while he spoke with Reeve. After a moment, he spoke. “There's no help for it right now,” the Wutaian said. “The mission will resume as planned. We'll move in and clear the area of the remaining Deepground operatives. Remind the people under your command that they are to take prisoners when possible, Cloud.”

 

“I will,” agreed the blonde. “Well get started as soon as everyone's ready to go and you and Reeve give the word.” He ended the call and told his companions what was going on.

 

“Well, it shouldn't be a total loss,” Zack said with a shrug. “As long as we can catch some of them we might find out more about this mess.”

 

~*********************************~

 

-To be continued