Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Where the lost ones go ❯ A President, A General and a frog walks into a bar... ( Chapter 17 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

17. A President, a General and a frog walks into a bar...

Rufus slid of his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as he stood gazing out the window. The sun was shining and it was so damn hot!
The Highwind had just returned from it's mission to retrieve Cid Highwind, Valentine and that woman. The members of AVALANCHE had celebrated the fact that their companions were unharmed and was returning to them, but Rufus were a bit more apprehensive.
Whoever it was that was after Cid Highwind were showing no signs of giving up. The pilot had proven himself careless in what he assumed was safety, when he in reality were not safe anywhere. Vincent Valentine had revealed himself as a maverick and could obviously not be trusted. The former Turk might be fighting on their side at the moment, but he was on no one's team but his own. Now, that Rain person might hopefully provide some information after her imprisonment. Seto still wouldn't reveal Cosmo Canyon's secret, nor his reason for being in Midgar. The fuses that had been fizzling dangerously inside Sephiroth's head appeared to have calmed down as he'd reconciled with Aeris, only now it was the matter of how long before the real explosion between him and Strife would erupt. But the thing that really was plaguing Rufus ShinRa was how Tifa had promised to make her decision tomorrow.
Would she want to go ahed with the wedding, or postpone it?
Voices caught his attention and Rufus glanced over just in time to see the small group enter his office. The second to enter the room, Cid sent him a sheepish smile.
"Welcome back," Rufus greeted them and gave a slight nod to Rain. He would also be blind not to notice how Aeris and Sephiroth was standing at Cid's right side, and Cloud was glaring at the silver haired man from his position on Cid's left side. And what to do about Vincent Valentine?
Vincent was standing in the background, as usual, with a neutral look on his face. Only when Rufus walked over to face Rain did the crimson eyes flicker to life, and followed the young president's movements warily.
"You are unharmed?" Rufus asked, satisfied with the small nod Rain gave him. "I need you to tell me everything you can about what happened, ok?"
Rain drew a shivering breath, glancing down while her hands nervously fidgeted with her sleeve. "I'll try, but I didn't see much. They kept me in a room most of the time."
The murmuring had quieted down the second Rain began to speak, and now everyone's eyes were resting on her.
Rufus lead her over to a chair and let her sit down before he started his questions. "How many were there? Did you hear anything about what they were planning? Why are they after Cid? Who are they?"
Rain wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head nervously. "I don't... I just..."
A hand landed on Rufus' shoulder and he glanced over to see Tifa sending him a calming look. Then the dark haired woman crouched down beside Rain and gave her an encouraging smile. "Just... tell us what you remember, ok? Take your time."
Gathering herself briefly, Rain drew a deep breath before meeting Tifa's eyes briefly, then Rufus. "There's a lot of them. It was an entire army that attacked Wutai. Monsters, helicopters and a whole bunch of soldiers. They brought me to Gongaga in a helicopter." Her face mirrored disgust as she remembered the man who had 'rescued' her from the soldiers. "There was this one man... He was in charge there... His name was Jinrei."
Rufus' eyes narrowed slightly and he frowned. There was something familiar about that name...
"He said Gongaga was only a small base," Rain stared distantly at the floor, trying to remember everything. "And... I asked him why he was after Cid..."
The pilot took a step forward, holding his breath.
"But he wouldn't answer me..." Rain apologized silently, unable to gaze over to see the disappointment in Cid's eyes. "He just started rambling about materia... How much did I know about it? Why couldn't we remember who invented magic, and a lot of weird questions. I'm sorry everybody... "
Tifa smiled gently, taking her hands in hers. "There's nothing for you to apologize for. You did good, Rain. And now we're just happy that you're back!"
Exhaling relieved, Rain managed a faint smile. "Can I see my daughter now...?"
Tifa glanced back up at Rufus, who nodded in affirmation, then turned back to Rain. "Come. I'll take you to her."
As the two left the room, Cid cursed softly and pulled a hand through his unruly hair. "Damn. Was hopin' we'd get some friggin' answers this time! Besides, Vinnie shot that Jinrei guy!"
Rufus circled his desk to sink down into his chair, still with a thoughtful look. "Where do I know that name...? Jinrei... I've heard it before somewhere..."
"I remember the name being mentioned a while before I was sent to Nibelheim," Vincent's voice suddenly said, and the former Turk was gazing directly at Rufus. "He's probably connected to ShinRa."
Hesitating briefly, Rufus held the crimson eyes locked for a little while, then picked up the phone. "Yeah, get me Reeve. I've got some things he's got to investigate..."

Shera closed the door silently behind her, leaning against it as she watched the man asleep on the bed.
Dawn was providing just enough light to enable Shera to see the golden tint in Cid's hair, how the muscles in his back moved with every breath he took while lying on his stomach, his arms clutching his pillow. Tilting her head, Shera was almost afraid to breathe in fear of ruining the moment and revealing it all to be a dream.
Yesterday, when they'd received the news that Cid was alive and well, calling to catch a ride back to Midgar, Shera had been dizzy with relief and happiness.
Her smile had only faltered when Cloud ordered her to stay behind as the Highwind left to meet up with her master again, but Shera hadn't complained. It wasn't in her nature to do so. From childhood, obedience had been hammered into her and it was hard to change.
Cid always told her to stand up for herself, speak her mind and the world would just have to learn how to deal with it!
Nothing made him more angry than when Shera merely accepted whatever was thrown her way, even from him.
No, Shera smiled, Cid never got angry. He got 'goddamned pissed off'!
Making her way over to the bed without a sound, Shera carefully crawled up to lie beside him.
She loved watching Cid sleep. It was the only time she got to see him with his defences down, the angry lines gone from his features.
Her friends had asked her how she could not hate him? Shera merely asked how could she 'not' love him?
She'd been there with him, every step of the way, watching his triumphs and downfalls. Shera had been there for every curse and every laugh, making his happiness her own.
There were people who were created for greatness and Shera was not one of them, despite what Cid said.
Rufus, Sephiroth and Cloud were the kind that people would follow, natural leaders, much like Cid could be if only he bothered.
Shera was not.
Instead, she was set on doing whatever she could to help Cid any way she could.
From the very first day, when he'd stomped his way into her life, Cid Highwind had been the strength that she lacked, and the courage she longed for.
She didn't care that people didn't understand why she stayed with him, as they didn't know Cid at all. Not like she did. It was hers and Cid's little secret.
Shera loved those little details. How nobody knew that clowns frightened Cid. Their frozen expressions wigging him out, as he put it. Shera was also pretty sure that nobody would ever peg 'Leon' for Cid's favorite movie, despite how he barely managed to watch it. These small details that he trusted no one but her to know.
Cid made a soft sigh in his sleep, and Shera automatically reached out to stroke a calming hand over his shoulder.
As she knew she was the only person who knew about his nightmares.
Sleepy blue eyes barely opened a glitch, and Cid gave a faint smile at the sight of Shera. "What you up to, woman? You planning on drawing a moustache on me while I'm asleep?"
Shera's eyes widened slightly and she shook her head. "I would never do that, Cid!" She gently inched closer and rested her cheek on his shoulderblade as an arm slid over his waist. "Glasses, maybe, but never a moustache. It wouldn't suit you."
Laughing softly, Cid quickly rolled over on his back and pulled her halfway up on his chest, gazing up at her with an amused frown. "I knew this ShinRa environment would corrupt you!" He reached out and carefully brushed her hair back with both his hands. "That guy with some grudge against me, called Jinrei or something, got himself a bullet in his head from Vince's gun, so hopefully thing's will calm a little now..."
"I hope so..." Shera admitted silently, leaning against his left hand. "I just want you safe, Cid..."
Cid sighed absently, not quite ready to face the fear he'd felt when he'd been in Gongaga and surrounded by people who wanted him dead. "That makes two of us, princess." He then forced a smile and twirled a lock of her hair around his nimble fingers. "Things can only get better now, right? Hell, it can't get any worse!"
Shera sank down to rest on his chest, listening to his heartbeats and feeling the tenseness in his muscles revealing how he didn't believe his own words. "Just remember that I love you, Cid Highwind. Remember that, and make sure you come home to me."
Cid slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close in a moment of weakness. "I promise..."

Except Cid and Jessie, everyone was gathered in a meeting room and standing around a circular desk covered with papers. Even Reeve was present, despite his meek objections to being in the same room as Sephiroth. The silver haired man seemed to take pleasure in glancing over at him and that gave Reeve nervous hiccups.
Rufus shook his head. "But... that's not possible!"
"I'm afraid it is," Vincent deadpanned, showing no signs of the disbelief and suspicion on both Rufus and Sephiroth's face.
Cloud rubbed his neck before sighing with a shrug. "There has to be some plausible explantation for this... There's always a way to explain things rationally!"
Sephiroth sent him a dry look, having countless things he would love for the blonde to explain in a way that made them make sense!
Cloud glared over at Sephiroth, a snappy reply being interrupted as the door opened.
"Now don't tell me you started the meeting without yours truly?" Cid flung the door carelessly shut behind him and sauntered over to the small group of people. "You know you're all hopeless without me to lead you!"
Tifa smiled faintly. "How's Shera?"
The arrogant smirk vanished from his face and Cid cleared his throat awkwardly. "She's, er, a bit worried. That's all. She'll be fine now that this numbskull trying to kill me is dead!"
"That's the problem," Sephiroth sighed as he glanced over at the instantly nervous pilot. "Look at this picture. Is that the one you saw as well?"
A small employee photo was pushed over to the pilot.
Cid sent Vincent a quick look, wondering if he'd already seen the picture and if the others were doubting the former Turk because of what had happened. The picture was of a young man, with brown hair and dark eyes behind glasses. It was no mistaking the person. "Yeah, that's the guy. Whatever his name Rain said it was. Was hollering something nonsense before Vinnie here shut him up!" Cid grinned satisfied. "So, who is he? Or should I say, 'was' he?"
Cloud frowned slightly, shaking his head. "Cid... This picture... it's almost 30 years old... This person, this Jinrei, should be around 50 years or so... Are you sure this is him? Not just someone who looked like him?"
"Rain said the same thing. It's him." Vincent declared silently, trying to fight against a bad feeling about it all.
Cid paled, drawing a shivering breath. "What are you sayin'? Maybe he's been into some Plastic Fantastic show or something! That doesn't have to mean anything!"
"Jinrei was employed by ShinRa 35 years ago," Reeve mumbled as he leafed through some papers to find the right ones. "He was the brightest of his class and was basically hired before he even got to finish his exams. From the records, it appears that he was the head of research for some time. Specializing in materia."
Yuffie drew a deep breath, trying to prove that she had been right to claim that she was up to this meeting and wasn't going to have some break down. "But... if materia is what this guy wants... He should know that Wutai is... was the worst place to look for it..."
Shaking his head silently, Seto was gazing absently into nothing as he tried to put the pieces together in a way that made them make sense. "It isn't materia he's after..."
"After an accident in his laboratory, Jinrei was pronounced dead and his work was inherited by his younger brother," Reeve summed up from the pages he'd read before lifting his gaze up from the written words. "The trail ends there. By all accounts, Jinrei has been dead for 30 years."
Rufus reached out and picked up a paper to glance at it. "A younger brother? Do we know who?"
Glancing awkwardly over at Aeris, Reeve cleared his throat before gazing at Rufus again. "Yes, we do. He's dead as well. His name was Professor Gast."
Starting violently at the mentioning of her fathers name, Aeris stared wide eyed at Reeve. "What?"
Reeve shrugged almost apologetically. "The position should have gone to the other child prodigy, Hojo, but ShinRa decided that Jinrei's younger brother would be more suitable for the position."
Aeris felt numbed with shock and disbelief. Jinrei appeared to have died 30 years ago, only to resurface now and seek to kill Cid Highwind for some obscure reason. Jinrei was the man responsible for the destruction of Wutai, and countless deaths. And Jinrei was her father's brother, her uncle.
"But he's dead now!" Cid suddenly exclaimed, anger mixing with fear. "What does all this matter? The guy is dead! Vincent shot him! Jinrei is DEAD!"
Vincent closed his eyes, finally admitting the words Chaos had been whispering to him since Gongaga. "No. Jinrei is alive."

Cloud knocked on the door to Jessie's room, cursing silently as he nearly lost a hold of the thick file with papers he was carrying.
"The door is open!" Was the light reply from within, and Cloud opened the door himself.
Walking inside, he set course to unload the file on the table by the window before glancing puzzled around in the room. "Jessie?"
"Bathroom!" Jessie called out from said room, sounding endlessly better than when she'd been crying herself to sleep in his bed. "I'll be out in a minute! Make yourself at home, Cloud!"
Smiling affectionately, Cloud pulled out a chair and sank down while drawing a relieved breath. He'd been really worried about Jessie, as he'd never seen anyone so upset as she'd been last night. Comforting was something Cloud knew he was no good at, but his mere presence seemed to have some soothing effect on Jessie so he'd stayed by her side until sleep had wrapped around her.
Gingerly spreading out the papers, Cloud got ready to start on the tedious task of reading up on everything Reeve had provided them of information about Jinrei. He'd never been much of a reader, but knew there was vital information he had to know written on these pages.
Jessie exited the bathroom to find Cloud hunched over some papers by the table and she smiled softly at the sight of him. He'd been so wonderful to her. Walking over, she tried to appear unfazed by his presence. "What are you reading?"
Cloud sighed as he rubbed his neck with one hand in a futile effort to loosen up tense muscles. "Reeve dug up quite a bit about our mystery man who wants Cid dead, so Rufus gave us these outprints as homework."
Jessie gave a faint smile, but her eyes caught his movement. It was her fault, as she had been occupying his bed and Cloud was too much of a gentlemen to toss her out or even share it with her. "Exciting reading?" She wandered over to stand behind him, her hands landing gently on his shoulders before massaging the tense muscles into relaxation.
Her touch made him start rigid, but soon Cloud had no other choice but to sink into blissful serenity. "Not really, but I wouldn't put it pass Rufus ShinRa to give us a test-quiz!"
Jessie laughed softly, tilting her head to glance down at the papers, and her laughter got stuck in her throat as her hands halted abruptly in their movements.
"What's wrong?" Cloud glanced up and saw how pale Jessie had become, the fear in her eyes. "Jessie? What's wrong, Jessie?"
Drawing a shivering breath, Jessie managed to point a finger at the picture of Jinrei. "That man...! He's the one who kept me prisoner!"
Cloud got up, making her meet his eyes. "You sure about that? You're absolutely sure this is him?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Jessie exclaimed, then gazed down at the picture again. "I remember him only too well! How he used to whisper in my ear as they shot needles into my arm; 'Be brave, my little soldier girl'... He always called me that... His little soldier girl..." Shuddering, Jessie wrapped her arms around herself and swallowed down tears. "Yes, Cloud, I'm sure. I will never forget that face."
Cloud glanced down at the picture briefly before returning his attention to Jessie and placing a hand on her arm. "You don't have to worry about him anymore, Jessie. He wont come near you again!"
Jessie closed her eyes, wondering if she should tell Cloud about all the weird things that seemed to be happening around her, but then Cloud's PHS started ringing and he gave an apologetic smile before answering it.
Leaving Cloud to speak with Tifa, Jessie slowly reached out to pick up the picture of Jinrei. Staring at it like Jessie almost waited for the image to come to life, she had the sickening feeling that protecting Cid Highwind from this man would be a far tougher task than any of them had thought.
The question that haunted her was wether that task would be tougher or impossible?

Tifa had spent the next days with Yuffie, watching the grief turn to cold determination, and Tifa understood too well the reactions as she'd been through them herself.
But it was the young ninja that had said the words that rang painfully true to them both: Life must go on.
Cid had been the one who had repeated it to her.
And Aeris had been the one who made her accept those words.
Tifa had thought a wedding would be such a thing out of place when one considered the situation, but everyone had done their best to help and even thanked her for making smiles appear again. It had brought tears to her eyes.
And at the present, Tifa was clutching her tequila glass like it was a life saver. What had she been thinking? How could she really be planning to marry Rufus ShinRa the very next day? How had she managed to fool herself into thinking a girl from the slums could marry someone as perfect as Rufus?
Aeris sat down beside the brunette as Tifa's forhead landed gently on the counter. "Ah, was wondering when they'd appear!" The flower girl grinned as she ordered another cider from the bartender. "The infamous jitters!"
Tifa whined silently. "He's going to hate me!"
"No, he's not going to hate you." Aeris sighed patiently, petting her friends back. "He will love you for the amazing person you are, and will continue to worship the ground you walk on!"
Tifa glanced up and gave a flushed grin. "I do love him... And he loves me..."
As Tifa started humming love songs, Aeris signaled for Jessie and Shera to come over as well. "I think it's time we got this lady home, or she wont be capable of marrying anyone tomorrow!"
Jessie giggled as Tifa started to declare her undying love for Rufus ShinRa, the world's hottest brat prince, in a very loud way. "I think you're right..."
Shera was still numb from the horrifying experience of having her behind groped by some unknown man, but was at least slowly returning to a normal colour.
The four set course back to their rooms, singing at the top of their voices, until they separated when Jessie decided to walk Tifa all the way to her room.
Waving goodbye, Aeris and Shera continued down the hall towards the elevator when they heard singing. And this time it was an all male chorus.
Aeris tilted her head, wondering if those few ciders were all it took to make her hear things that weren't real. That voice was unmistakably Sephiroth. But she would have sworn he was unable to... giggle?
Shera sent Aeris a worried look, and the two peered around the corner to see a sight they would never forget.
Stumbling along and singing loudly, the group consisted of a bunch of very drunk men they knew so well. Rufus, Sephiroth, Cid, Reno and, not surprisingly, a non-singing Rude.
"Having fun are we?" Aeris laughed, stepping out into view while folding her hands behind her back.
Shera tip-toed out to stand behind her, not believing her eyes.
Rufus drew a deep breath, tried to straighten and flick his hair. "Fancy meeting you here...!" He waved an unsteady hand to silence the frantically snickering Cid. "Where... ah, where's Tifa...?"
Aeris had trouble trying to keep serious at the sight. "Jessie is making sure she get's to her room and doesn't fall asleep in some corner in the hall."
"Well then..." Rufus cleared his throat as he tried not to laugh at the dilemma of which of the three Aeris' he was supposed to focus on. "Lovely talking to you, m'ladies... G'night!" He tried to bow, but nearly lost balance.
Biting her lower lip to keep from laughing, Aeris then glanced around. "Hey... Where's Cloud?"
No sooner had she asked, when the whole group broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Sephiroth was practically hanging on Rufus' shoulder, while the brat prince was leaning heavily against the wall. Cid and Reno was using each other's backs as support as they were heaving for air between fits of laughter.
A low ribbit was heard.
A drunken ribbit.
Aeris' eyes widened and she shook her head slowly. "You didn't!"
Giggling as he fumbled inside his jacket, Reno pulled out a small frog with familiar mako eyes. "He... He lost the bet!"

"Rise and shine!" A voice declared loudly and cheerfully, as curtains were abruptly pulled back to let in the blinding light from the sun.
Sephiroth yammered with pain, pulling the sheets quickly over his head. Had he died? Was this hell? It had to be! What else could explain the fact that he was in excruciating pain, and someone was humming happily.
"Come on, Sephiroth! It's time for breakfast!" The voice continued unaware of his agony.
The thought of food made his already churning stomach pick up it's pace, and chills ran down his spine. The silver haired man tried to swallow down the nauseous feeling, but he merely ended up with the unsettling feeling that he might have to shave his tongue if he ever made it out to the bathroom.
This was precisely why Sephiroth didn't drink!
Nevermind the fact that he couldn't remember a fragment of what had happened after his third drink, but all his super powers did nothing to ease up on the hang overs!
Damn that Reno! And damn himself for letting the Turk provoke him into drinking!
A repeated tapping to his head, a dainty finger no doubt, was currently pulling him back to the cruel present. "Sephiroth?"
He managed a somewhat grunt to acknowledge that, yes, he was alive and suffering the utmost torture.
A giggle was heard, and Sephiroth silently vowed that he would get back at Aeris for this.
"I made you some herbal tea. Figured you might be sick." Aeris lightly tapped his head again. "But it wont work unless you actually drink it, you know..."
Gathering himself a few seconds more, Sephiroth slowly inched the sheets away and closed his eyes hard against the piercing light. It hit his already aching brain like a thousand spikes. "Kill me... Please..."
Smiling, Aeris helped him to sit up and lean against the pillows, before she held a cup to his lips as she didn't trust his trembling hands. "Not a chance. You're not escaping me that easily!"
The sweet scent from the tea made Sephiroth's stomach roll warningly and he turned his head away with a hard swallow. "I'm gonna throw up..."
"No, you're not," Aeris declared patiently, turning his face back with one hand and lifted the cup to his lips.
Forcing himself to take a sip, Sephiroth closed his eyes again. A few seconds later, he managed a second sip, and was soon holding the cup himself as he slowly was draining it.
Smiling satisfied, Aeris accepted the now empty cup and measured his pale face. "See? Told you. Feeling better?"
Sephiroth pried an eye open, realising the sunlight wasn't as horrible as before and his stomach seemed to have calmed. "Yeah... Thanks."
Aeris put the cup down and sent him a mildly scolding look. "Though I shouldn't have made this, considering what you guys did to poor Cloud...!"
"Cloud?" Sephiroth tried to remember, but his brain handed back a note that said it was taking a break for the next hour or so. "We did... something to Cloud...?" He failed to see how that could be a bad thing, but knew better than to say that around Aeris.
Aeris got up to pick up the clothes Sephiroth had thrown everywhere in his trail towards the bed, but mostly to make sure he didn't see the smile on her face. "Apparently, Reno got you and Cloud to enter some bet about who could drink the most shots, or something, and the looser would be turned into a frog."
A ghost of a laughter managed to escape between Sephiroth's lips, and he closed his eyes at the waves the action sent though his tender body. "And he lost...! Tell me he lost...!"
Aeris straightened as she placed his long trench coat over her arm. "Yes, he lost. Happy?"
Sephiroth inched down into the bed, fighting back the weak laughter filled with glee.
Shaking her head, Aeris gave up. At least they were fighting in some non-violent way now. It was some improvement! Walking over, she hung up his jacket and glanced over at the crumbled form in the bed. "When you're done rolling in your evilness, you really should consider hitting the shower. We have a lot of work ahed of us today!"
Just the mentioning of the word 'work' instantly silenced Sephiroth's laughter and he gazed worried over at her. "What... do you mean...?" The shape he was in now didn't allow for much physical labor.
"Have you forgotten the reason for your drinking binge?" Aeris tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips in a resigned motion. "Tifa and Rufus are getting married today!"
Sephiroth closed his eyes. "Oh. That." He sighed and stretched languidly, "but I like it here..."
Aeris raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to get a bucket of cold water?"
Groaning, Sephiroth sat up. "Fine. Alright." He barely managed to grab a hold of the sheets as they was about to drop and wrap them around his waist as he walked towards the bathroom, wondering why it had seemed like a brilliant idea to rid himself with all his clothes when he was stumbling to bed.
Aeris closed her eyes as she drew a deep, deep breath while wondering if her face would ever return to a normal colour.

General Lee took a step back, placing a hand over his left ear to drown out the noise as he heard Jinrei respond. "Sir, General Lee here!"
"What's your status?" Jinrei replied shortly, sounding almost annoyed.
Swallowing hard, Lee fought against fear as he saw the huge tentacle slam several of his men through the air. "W-we found the location of the infected materia, sir, but..."
"But what?" Jinreid snapped, "Lee, I told you to bring them back!"
"Roger that, sir, but there is a minor obstacle..." Lee stuttered, ducking under a Fire3 ramming into the mountain wall behind him. "We also found the thing responsible for destroying the specimens, sir!"
Jinrei's voice instantly turned eager and all traces of anger was gone. "Well? What is it?"
"Hard to describe, sir," Lee replied vaguely, swallowing hard again. "It's... strong. Strangely shaped. Tentacles comming out of everywhere, sir! It's smart! It knows our every move! We've barely managed to scratch it!"
There was a short silence, only interrupted by the constant gun fire and screaming from General Lee's side, when Jinrei whispered something the young Lee almost failed to hear; "Jenova..."
"What was that, sir?" General Lee asked, motioning for a group of soldiers to help out their fallen comrades.
"You listen to me, Lee, and you listen good!" Jinrei snapped, letting it shine through that this order was not up for discussion. "I want that creature! You hear me? I want you to capture it, NOT kill it, and bring it back to me!"
Lee's eyes widened in disbelief and he straightened slightly to see the men fighting against the creature. "You... want me to capture it?"
"Bring it to me, Lee, or don't bother continue breathing!" Jinrei declared in an icy voice, then the line went dead.
"Yes, sir..." General Lee mumbled, letting his hands fall as his mind scrambled to accept the impossible mission handed to him. Two seconds passed, then his dark eyes turned as black as his hair and his mouth became a thin line.
It wasn't impossible, it was just a matter of how many life would be lost, and Jinrei had made it clear that it didn't matter how many as long as the job got done.
And General Lee always got the job done!

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