Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian ❯ Chapter 13

“Guardian”

Chapter 13

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*Disclaimer: The world that this story is set in and all characters therein 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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After a few hours, Rufus had a better idea of how many men were in on his abduction. He'd seen seven different ones coming and going from the warehouse so far, but that didn't mean there weren't still more either guarding the building outside or in another location. He dozed a bit on and off during the night, unable to truly sleep but nodding off now and then. During the early hours before dawn, one of his captors took his gag off to give him some water. Rufus congratulated himself for his patience and decided it was time to plant seeds of doubt.

 

The young man with the dark blonde ponytail that reminded him of Reno was his benefactor. If Rufus's guess was right, he was an impressionable person that had his doubts over this whole affair.

 

“Thank you,” he said graciously after having a few swallows of liquid.

 

“Don't mention it,” the blonde replied with a quick glance into his eyes.

 

“You don't seem to share your associates' enthusiasm for this project,” Rufus observed, testing the waters.

 

The kidnapper shrugged. “Some times you've just got to do what you have to if you want to get by. Look, I don't want to see you get hurt but I need money.”

 

Rufus smiled with dry humor. “I could be mistaken, but there are easier, less dangerous ways to go about doing that.”

 

A ghost of a smile flitted over the young man's lips. “I know the things you could do to us if you get the chance. I know we're taking a big risk and I know I could keep finding odd jobs here and there. The problem is the world is in such a sucky state right now, honest work isn't easy to come by. Maybe you can't understand that because you've always had money.”

 

“Fair enough,” Rufus agreed. “But if I were you, I would hide my reservations better.”

 

The blonde looked at him with a startled expression he couldn't quite hide. “What?”

 

“If it's obvious to me, surely it's obvious to your companions. Tensions are going to mount as the time for making arrangements comes closer. I can already see the glances of doubt and mistrust being exchanged between your people…many of which are directed at you.” Rufus caught and held the kidnapper's eyes. “Don't tell me you haven't noticed. The most immediate danger to your safety isn't me or my company.”

 

The young man swallowed and cast a covert look behind his shoulder at the other kidnappers far across the warehouse. “You're just trying to make me nervous,” he accused in a whisper.

 

“Maybe,” Rufus shrugged. “But still, I would be watching my back if I were you. Just a bit of free advice.”

 

The young man studied him curiously for a moment. “It's like you're not worried about what's going to happen to you at all,” he observed. “You've got some real balls, President Shinra.”

 

“I've never gotten any complaints in that department,” Rufus agreed lightly, provoking a little grin of amusement from his captor. The president knew that he had just shifted the odds a bit, gaining a little trust from the young man while making him question how trustworthy his “friends” were.

 

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

 

Reeve was roused from his sleep by Vincent's gentle shaking. He grumbled and opened his eyes, his motions hampered by the blanket draped over his body. It took him a moment to focus his eyes and it took another moment for him to realize that his head was resting on Vincent's shoulder. The gunman's human hand gently shook him by the right shoulder again and Reeve lifted his head and looked into his eyes, so close to his own.

 

“Tseng has arranged a meeting for us,” Vincent murmured, his ruby gaze unblinking and calm. “I'm sorry to wake you. You slept through both of our phones ringing.”

 

Reeve took a moment to collect his wits before answering. He covered his mouth on a yawn and eased his head off of his companion's shoulder. “I apologize for using you as a pillow,” he said. “What time did I drift off?”

 

“Shortly after we sat down to watch television,” Vincent answered, “and I don't mind that you slept on my shoulder.”

 

Reeve was flustered. He couldn't read anything in those marble features and he wondered what was hidden behind the mask of stoicism. He looked down as he started to pull the blanket off of his body, only to realize it was no blanket at all. Sometime in the night, Vincent had covered him with his cape.

 

“Oh,” the WRO director said stupidly. So that was what was different about Vincent this morning: no cape. He pulled the garment off and handed it to his companion. “This was thoughtful of you.”

 

“You were sleeping peacefully,” Vincent said as he took the cape back and stood up to drape it around his shoulders and fasten it. “I didn't want to wake you and there were not blankets convenient.” His sooty lashes lowered and hid the fire of his eyes and Reeve found the gesture oddly bashful.

 

~Is he…blushing? No…I must be imagining it.~

 

“I appreciate it,” Reeve said aloud as he stood up and stretched. “From the sounds of it, you probably would have had a hell of a time getting me to get up and go to bed anyhow. I assume we didn't have any luck finding the kidnappers?”

 

Vincent shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. They must have anticipated that ShinRa would be searching for their vehicle. They've either gotten rid of it or they're keeping it inside a building somewhere to hide it from aerial and satellite detection.”

 

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Reeve sighed. “Shall we?”

 

Vincent nodded and walked with him out of the lounge and to the elevators. Reeve rubbed his neck and winced a little at the stiffness there. Sleeping on the couch with his head on Vincent's shoulder hadn't been the most ergo dynamic choice, but he wasn't about to complain. He'd slept so deeply and well despite the discomfort and in his heart, Reeve knew that it was because of Vincent's nearness.

 

~I really need to pull it together and stop mooning over him, dammit.~

 

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

 

Tseng was already in the boardroom when the others began to file in for the meeting. He had freshly brewed coffee, juice, cereal and bagels set up for their breakfast and waking needs. Judging by their tired faces as they trudged in, he'd made a good call in providing the refreshments.

 

“I know we're all tired, but it's important that we prepare,” Tseng announced after everyone had selected their refreshments and taken a seat. “Take a moment to wake yourselves up and put some food in your stomachs before we begin.”

 

Reeve and Vincent took a seat near the head of the table and both men exchanged familiar nods with Cloud as they sat down. Reeve had a cup of steaming coffee and a bagel, while Vincent had poured himself a glass of orange juice. The WRO director couldn't seem to contain his yawns but his eyes were alert and thoughtful.

 

Cloud, Reno and Rude sat together and across from them, Elena and Cissnei sat beside each other. Reno's hair was mussed and he sipped his coffee with the dazed expression of one that hadn't woken up yet. Cloud seemed to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed, perhaps more accustomed to early hours due to his former military training and his current career. He made a dry crack to Reno about lazy city boys, to which Reno gave him the finger and smirked.

 

Tseng was a bit startled by the realization that Strife seemed perfectly at ease around the Turks now, and they in turn seemed at ease with him. It seemed he'd become an unofficial member of their little family without any of them consciously realizing it. Tseng wasn't foolish enough to believe that Cloud could ever be convinced to join the organization but it was pretty clear that he could be considered an ally now—at least concerning things that he didn't find immoral. He and Reno leaned close to each other and spoke in whispers, their body language and eye contact revealing mutual warmth for each other.

 

~Of all the things we could have done to try and recruit Strife to our side, all it finally took was for Reno to get an itch and scratch it. He may never don a suit or answer to company authority, but there's little doubt now that he can be counted on when we need help.~

 

Reno noticed Tseng's stare and he met the Wutaian's eyes across the room and raised his brows quizzically, silently asking his superior why he looked so pleased. The dark eyes held his for a moment and glanced at Cloud meaningfully. Tseng's lips curved into a subtle smile and Reno thought he understood. He returned the faint smile but his thoughts were too occupied with Rufus's situation for him to gloat.

 

After allowing a few minutes for everyone to eat and become more alert, Tseng took his seat at the head of the table and began the meeting.

 

“As of now, we have a little over an hour to go before the President's abductors are expected to call and make exchange arrangements,” the Turk director said. “Does everyone here understand their part?”

 

There were nods all around.

 

“Excellent,” Tseng went on. “Then I would suggest that we all make our preparations now, so that we can take immediate action and get into our designated positions when the contact point has been established. Cloud, you and Vincent should go and get dressed for your roles—”

 

“Wait,” Cloud interrupted with a confused frown. “Nobody said anything about me wearing a costume.”

 

Tseng realized that some tact would be required here. “No? I thought it was understood that since you're representing the company as the liaison, you should dress accordingly. Actually, what you were wearing when you came in yesterday should be fine.”

 

Cloud looked uncomfortable. “I would wear that, but chances are there's going to be a fight sooner or later and I don't want it ruined. What's wrong with what I've got on now? I mean, I'm sure they know I'm not a ShinRa employee.”

 

Tseng eyed the blonde's customary ensemble of cargo pants, boots and a sleeveless sweater and he tried to think of a way to explain without insulting the blonde. While the outfit looked great on Cloud and suited him well, it wasn't appropriate for this mission. “Like Vincent, your regular attire isn't appropriate for this. You need to show up looking like you're ready to do business, not crack heads. If you go in combat gear with your sword strapped to your back…” He trailed off and let the sentence finish itself.

 

Cloud sighed. “Got it. So what is it you want me to wear?” His eyes narrowed on Tseng and he added; “I'm NOT wearing a Turk uniform, if that's what you're thinking.”

 

Tseng nearly chuckled. He'd expected no less of the fighter. “Of course not. As I said before, what you wore yesterday would be an example of a more professional outfit. I understand your reluctance to risk soiling it however, so we can improvise.” He rubbed his chin and measured the blonde with his eyes. He knew his next suggestion might not sit well either, but there wasn't a lot of time. “You're almost of a size with President Shinra. I can look in his office closet for something for you to wear.”

 

Cloud opened his mouth, shut it, then heaved another sigh. He'd worn Rufus's chauffeur uniform once after all, and the two of them had fucked on more than one occasion as well. “I guess it's too late for me to get outraged over that idea.” He immediately wished he hadn't said that out loud and he did his best to cover it. “Since I've already agreed to help. What do you think Rufus is going to say about me wearing his clothes, though?”

 

From the corner of his eye, he saw the quick, knowing look that Reno and Rude exchanged and he swallowed and hoped nobody else picked up on the underlying meaning. Tseng hid any amusement he might have felt under a calm mask, but Cloud thought he could see a sparkle in the raven-haired Turk's dark eyes.

 

“I can't imagine him having a problem with it, considering that you're doing it to rescue him,” answered Tseng dryly, “Thank you for your cooperation, Cloud. Please, come with me to his office and we'll see what we can find for you. Vincent, if you'll go with Elena she'll find a chauffeur uniform in your size.”

 

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

 

A little more than twenty minutes later, Cloud stepped out of Rufus's private bathroom wearing a deep green dress shirt and cream colored pants. The lace-up dress shoes that went with the outfit matched the color of the pants. They were a little loose on his feet but not uncomfortable. A tan belt with a silver buckle was threaded through the belt loops and fastened around his waist.

 

“I think we chose well,” Tseng commented with an appreciative look in his eye. “How does it feel?”

 

Cloud shrugged, thankful that the Turk hadn't tried to make him wear a tie. “Weird, but I'll get over it. Let's go back down with the others.”

 

Tseng nodded in concordance. They took the elevator back down and returned to the boardroom where the others were. Reno gave Cloud an unconcealed look of appreciation as soon as they walked in and the blonde flushed lightly, lowering his sapphire eyes as he took a seat beside the redhead. He almost jumped when he felt Reno's hand squeeze his knee under the table.

 

“When this is over, we're definitely gonna fuck,” Reno whispered in Cloud's ear. Last night he'd been too nervous and upset to do it and Cloud hadn't pressured him. The blonde had kissed him and held him through the night, giving him his support and comfort without once trying to initiate more than that. Reno appreciated that a lot, but seeing Cloud once again looking hot in a sharp outfit, he was beginning to regret not doing more.

 

Cloud felt like he was blushing to the roots of his hair and he quietly reached under the table and stopped Reno's hand from sliding up his thigh. “Okay,” he murmured out the corner of his mouth, “save it for then, will you?”

 

Reno smirked ruefully and allowed the blonde to remove his hand. “Just expressing myself, Blondie,” he whispered.

 

“What is everyone's status?” Tseng inquired as he laid his cellphone on the table and allowed the technician to hook it up to a tracking device.

 

“The chopper's being fueled up and loaded into a transport,” Reno reported, “Rude and I are gonna go down and board it as soon as it's ready for us.”

 

“Elena and Vincent should be coming back at any moment,” Cissnei said. “I've got the limo waiting in the parking garage, so everything should be ready to go by the time we get a meeting location from the kidnappers.”

 

“I've brought a possible distraction,” Reeve said as he gestured to a small crate that had been brought into the boardroom. “Just in case.”

 

Cloud looked at the crate and then looked at Reeve. He started to ask the engineer if it contained what he thought it did but the door opened at that moment and Elena walked in, with Vincent following behind. Cloud looked up and blinked. He'd never seen the gunman in anything except his body armor and cape before. Now Vincent stood before the rescue team in an expensive black chauffeur uniform, complete with a black hat. The outfit molded to his frame, unlike the standard loose fitting style more commonly seen. His hair looked like it had been brushed thoroughly and it spilled out from under the hat, flowing over his shoulders and down his back. It shone in the light with raven highlights, looking sleek and soft.

 

“I thought the black uniform suited him best,” Elena said proudly, gesturing to the gunman as if showing off a work of art she'd made. “Doesn't he look great? I was going to have him tie his hair back but I think leaving it loose gives him some flare.”

 

Cloud heard a soft gurgling sound to his left and he shot a look at Reeve, guessing the noise had come from him.

 

~Oh, you poor bastard.~

 

Reeve had the dazed look of someone that had just been beamed over the head. His lips were parted and his eyes were glossy and fixed as they stared at Vincent.

 

The gunman looked back at Reeve and frowned slightly, misunderstanding his expression. “Unfortunately, it can't be helped,” he said as he lifted his golden-clawed hand. “It won't fit in a glove.”

 

Reeve swallowed and cleared his throat. “Yes, well…uh…er…”

 

~Say something, you idiot!~

 

He gave himself a mental slap and forced himself to relax. “It's fine, Vincent. I was just a bit surprised.” He smiled at his friend. “You look like you belong in a rock video.”

 

Vincent tilted his head slightly, his alabaster features puzzled. “Musicians typically wear chauffeur garb?”

 

Reno snickered softly and excused himself, claiming he needed to use the men's room. Cloud's mouth twitched but he contained himself. He didn't know what was funnier; poor Reeve's flustered reaction to seeing Vincent dressed that way, or Vincent's naivety. It was obvious now that the two of them hadn't acted on the chemistry they shared.

 

“No,” Reeve tried to explain, “they don't wear…well, not when they're performing. I just mean in videos they sometimes use themes. You know, to tell a story to go with the song and…oh, never mind.” Reeve waved his hand and gave up when Vincent's ruby gaze remained uncomprehending. “Suffice to say you make a good chauffeur.”

 

“Oh here, I almost forgot these,” Elena said suddenly as she remembered something. She produced a pair of men's shades from her blazer pocket and fit them over Vincent's eyes. “There. That should help draw attention away from you.”

 

He didn't complain about it. He looked at Reeve expectantly, as if seeking his approval. The engineer nodded and gave the thumbs-up…probably because his voice was wedged in his throat. His handsome face was tense, hinting that he was trying very hard to control his expression.

 

“I believe you said something about a distraction, Reeve?” Tseng reminded politely, inadvertently saving Reeve from the situation.

 

The WRO director cleared his throat again before speaking. “Ah. Yes. I brought my new prototype.” He went to the crate and opened it to reveal a very realistic looking squirrel monkey with golden fur that tapered into black around his head and the tip of his tail. “This is…uh…” Reeve struggled to remember his own creation's name, his eyes still shooting to Vincent.

 

“Monkeyshines,” Cloud supplied helpfully, coughing into his hand to control a laugh.

 

“Right,” Reeve said with some relief. “Monkeyshines. Normally I would bring Cait Sith for this sort of thing, but I presumed the kidnappers might know about him already.” He reached up to take the small pendant he wore around his neck between his thumb and forefinger, pressing down. The monkey in the box came to life and blinked its beady black eyes, looking around curiously. It saw Reeve and it climbed out of the box and scampered up his body to sit on his left shoulder.

 

“Oh, he's so cute!” Cissnei exclaimed. She reached out with an adoring expression and petted the little mechanical animal on the head.

 

Vincent stared at the monkey. “I suppose Monkeyshines is meant to spy for us?”

 

“Amongst other things,” Reeve agreed. “He could filch something useful like a key if needed, or do a bit of sabotage. Originally I was going to bring his crank and hire someone to play it, but there isn't a point to that since the kidnappers aren't likely to have chosen a building in a populated city area to hold Rufus.”

 

Vincent raised a black brow. “What would the display have accomplished?”

 

Reeve looked a little embarrassed. “I thought nobody would give a performing animal trainer a second thought, let alone a dancing monkey. As it is, if we have to use him and he gets spotted, the kidnappers are probably going to wonder what in the hell a monkey is doing loose in the area but they aren't likely to make a connection to us.”

 

“I see,” Vincent responded thoughtfully. “That's sound reasoning.”

 

Reeve relaxed, feeling a little less foolish.

 

“Can he talk, like Cait Sith?” Elena asked.

 

“Hell no,” Reeve chuckled. “I decided I get enough mouth from the cat without giving this one the power of speech, too.”

 

The monkey looked at Reeve and Cloud could have sworn it looked insulted.

 

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

 

The kidnappers called right on time and instructed for them to bring the money to the very alley behind the very restaurant that they had abducted Rufus from. As Reeve suspected, they wanted to see the money first and then they said they'd escort Cloud to where they were holding Rufus to make the exchange. Reno was outraged when he found out they were meeting him at the same spot they nabbed Rufus and he let out a string of expletives.

 

“They've got some fucking balls, man,” the redhead snarled after Tseng hung up with the contact. “Goddammit, I'm gonna kill every one of the bastards!”

 

“Reno, calm yourself or I'll have to cut you from the mission,” Tseng ordered firmly. “You can exact vengeance after we've retrieved President Shinra safely and not a moment before that.”

 

Rude patted his fuming partner's shoulder and the redhead settled down with visible effort. “Lets get to the chopper,” Rude suggested as Cloud and Vincent followed Cissnei out of the boardroom. “The sooner we get there and find out the boss's location, the sooner we can kick some ass.”

 

“You got it, partner,” Reno agreed, exchanging a quick slap of hands with the bigger man.

 

Tseng, Elena and Reeve left together with two tracking operatives. Three more teams composed of Turks and military operatives were waiting to follow, ready to provide backup when and if the time came for it.

 

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

 

“Here's your limo,” Cissnei explained as she stopped in front of the sleek, black vehicle. “I picked this one out for you because it's designed for protection and covert operations. The glass is bulletproof, there's a hidden camera to feed images back to us of what's going on outside the car and there are hidden compartments inside for your weapons.” She nodded meaningfully at Cloud's wicked yet bulky Tsurugi, which he held with familiar ease. “It isn't like you can conceal a blade that size.”

 

She opened the driver side door and leaned in, angling her body so that they could watch her pop the catch that opened up a panel under the front seats. “See? Anybody that doesn't know its there won't find it and you can stash your weapons in there to hide them. This switch here activates the camera. We'll have to rely on cellphones for communication but we'll be able to see it if anything gets hairy.”

 

Cloud smirked and nodded. “Right. Vincent and I can work out a plan to get our weapons out when they're needed.”

 

Vincent frowned and lifted his golden claw hand meaningfully. Cissnei saw the motion and bit her lip. “You obviously can't hide that, but I don't think they'll be too concerned over a mechanical limb, even if it can cut someone. At worse they might insist that you stay behind and Cloud follow them without you. If that happens we can pick you up and you'll still make it there for the rescue operation.”

 

“Agreed,” Vincent said with a nod at Cloud. “With any luck, it won't come to that.” He unbuckled his holster containing Cerberus and he put the gun in the compartment under the driver's side. Cloud handed him his weapon next and Vincent placed the Tsurugi under the passenger side front seat. “Shall we?” he said when both weapons were secured and the panels were closed.

 

“Let's motor,” Cloud agreed with a little smile. There was a light shining in his bright eyes that was all too familiar to Vincent and the gunman smiled quietly back, equally fired up for battle. One could almost feel sorry for the kidnappers.

 

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

 

As it turned out, the limo they were using was an automatic and the last car Vincent had driven had been a stick shift. The first thing the gunman did was frown at the floor when he noticed the lack of a clutch pedal. He stared at the letters “P, N, R, D and D2” lighting the panel beside the gearshift silently, trying to understand their meaning. He'd ridden with Reeve before and he'd seen the engineer operate an automatic, but he'd never paid much attention.

 

“What's wrong?” Cloud asked from the back seat.

 

“I…I'm not familiar with these controls,” Vincent answered in a soft, uncomfortable tone.

 

“What do you mean?” Cloud asked. “It's just a standard.”

 

Vincent peered at him through the rearview mirror. “Standards hadn't come out yet when I last drove. Tell me what gears these letters represent, please.”

 

Cloud blinked at him for a moment. He kept forgetting that Vincent was much older than he looked and very out of touch with the world. “Uh, sorry. Listen, it's easy.” The blonde explained how to operate the auto transmission and followed up by advising that he just stick with the standard “drive” mode to avoid confusion. Vincent nodded along and when he started the car and began to reverse out of the parking space, Cloud braced himself and checked his seatbelt. He relaxed a moment later when the gunman smoothly backed the limo out and drove it out of the garage.

 

Vincent pulled out into the street with no trouble and it seemed that the traffic rules hadn't changed since his day, because he had no further trouble driving. He reached up to the overhead panel and flipped the switch that Cissnei had shown him, nodding at Cloud. Cloud pulled out his cell and selected the speed dial for the secured line they were using for communications.

 

“Tseng? Yeah, we're on Ninth Avenue now. Are you getting a visual feed from the camera yet? Good. Where are you?” Cloud twisted around in his seat and looked through the back window. “That silver Marcus about a block behind us? Yeah, I see it. Uh-huh. Yeah, even from that far back, Reno and Rude's transport truck is hard to miss. They're going to have to find somewhere to park waaay back from the alley and hang far back when these guys escort us to Rufus. Yeah. I guess you'll be able to see it if we get in any real trouble and you'll just have to decide if you think we need backup or not. Okay, thanks.”

 

Cloud hung up and replaced the phone in the pocket of his borrowed pants. “So far, so good,” he informed Vincent.

 

They arrived at the front of the Ocean Front restaurant approximately ten minutes later and Cloud checked behind them once more to be certain that Tseng was still following. When he spotted the familiar silver car he gave Vincent the go-ahead and the gunman turned onto the street that ran alongside the building. He found the narrow alley behind the restaurant and pulled into it slowly. At the end of the alley, he and Cloud could see an older model white two-door car waiting. As the limo pulled up, the doors of the other car opened and two men stepped out.

 

Vincent and Cloud studied the men and the alley surrounding them alertly, taking stock of the situation before getting out of the vehicle.

 

“Second floor window of the building across from the restaurant,” Cloud murmured, looking up. Vincent glanced up and spotted the shadowed movement. He nodded. Someone was in there and there was a glint of metal hinting that the occupant was armed. The two liaisons evidently hadn't come alone. There was nothing to be done about it now because they still needed to be led to Rufus before they could take any action. Vincent cut the engine and got out, opening the door for Cloud without bothering to try and conceal his golden claw hand.

 

Both of the kidnappers noticed the prosthetic and they looked from Vincent to each other uncertainly as Cloud stepped out of the back of the limo. “What's with him?” the taller man asked with a gesture at Vincent.

 

Cloud looked at Vincent blandly, then back at the kidnappers. “You've never seen a chauffeur before?”

 

“He means the claw, asshole,” the shorter one snapped.

 

“Car accident,” Vincent answered coldly. “I don't appreciate it when people stare.”

 

The two thugs looked as if they wanted to make a threat or a comeback in response to that, but something in the tall driver's stance and chill voice stopped them. His sculpted features were like marble—perfect and cruel beneath the stylish hat and the dark shades. His raven hair stirred in the breeze but his body held perfectly still. Both men decided their attention was better spent elsewhere, for now.

 

“Let's see the money,” the taller one demanded of Cloud.

 

Cloud wordlessly ducked back into the back of the limo and retrieved the briefcase he'd brought with him. Vincent crossed his arms over his chest and stood silently while the blonde approached the kidnappers with the briefcase in hand. One of the thugs drew his jacket aside to display a gun.

 

“Take it slow and easy,” he advised, drawing the weapon and training it on Cloud.

 

Cloud paused and narrowed his eyes, then shrugged and started forward again at a slower pace. He walked around to the front of the limo and laid the briefcase down over the hood. He pulled out a key and unlocked the briefcase before opening it and stepping aside so that the kidnappers could look at the stacks of bills inside. The taller one approached and reached out, keeping his eyes on Cloud and Vincent while his companion kept his gun aimed at them. When neither of the men moved to stop him, he lifted one of the wads out and thumbed through the bills to be sure they were authentic gil. When he was satisfied that they were, he quickly looked over the rest of the money and did the math.

 

“It's all here,” he said over his shoulder to his accomplice. He replaced the stack he'd taken out and nodded to Cloud, stepping back again. “You'll have to let us search you and your car before we take you to him.”

 

“Of course,” Cloud said dryly, nearly rolling his eyes. So far, these guys were doing everything just the way Reeve and the Turks predicted they would. The uncanny accuracy in predicting their actions would have surprised Cloud a few years ago. Now he was familiar enough with the way their organization ran to understand that they knew how these people thought—because they themselves conducted business of a similar nature.

 

~What's that old saying? “It takes a thief to catch a thief”, or something like that?~

 

Cloud went first and he held his arms out and spread his legs as instructed, holding still as they patted him down. When they were satisfied that he was clean, they moved on to Vincent. Naturally they found nothing on him except for his claw, which was attached to him.

 

“Hey, is this thing real gold?” asked the shorter thug as he examined the mechanical hand.

 

“Yes,” Vincent lied. Actually, it was a mixture of titanium, bronze and Mako infused steel, but he allowed them to believe it was made of the soft, expensive alloy because it made them less likely to see it as a functional weapon.

 

The taller one gave a low whistle. “Flashy. Did ShinRa have it grafted?”

 

Vincent's pale lips quirked into an ironic, humorless smile. “They certainly did.”

 

Cloud knew how Vincent obtained the metallic limb and he winced a little. Yeah, ShinRa was responsible for his hand being replaced with the prosthetic claw, but it wasn't an act of compassion and he didn't lose the hand to a car accident. The blonde found it hard to look at his friend suddenly. There they both were, trying to rescue the owner of the company that had caused Vincent so much misery. It wasn't the fault of the present employees that Hojo and the old president had committed so many sins against the planet and humanity, but there was still a connection and ShinRa Inc still had dark corners to be swept out.

 

“Hey, maybe we should take his claw as extra payment for having to put up with their asshole leader,” the shorter man said with a grin. “I'll bet it's worth at least fifty-thousand.”

 

“You can try,” Vincent invited. The deep, hollow tone of his voice held the chill of the grave in it and both men backed away uneasily, though the gunman hadn't moved a muscle.

 

“He seems pretty seasoned for a limo driver,” remarked the taller one to Cloud, suspicion growing on his face. “You trying to pull something, Strife?”

 

~Shit…you're spooking them too much, Vincent. Play it down a little, man.~

 

“He's a ShinRa employee,” Cloud shrugged. “Not even the janitors in that building are meek. Maybe you don't know as much about their company as you think you do.”

 

The thugs considered both of them for a few moments and finally exchanged glances between them. “Move aside so we can check out your car,” the taller one finally said.

 

Cloud and Vincent obliged and the blonde shot a warning look at his taller friend and very softly muttered, “Take it easy with the intimidation, Vincent. You don't know your own strength.”

 

Vincent looked at him sidelong, his features cool and calm. “I was taking it easy.”

 

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

 

-To be continued