The lights flickered to life in the laboratory, and Cloud blinked his eyes back into focus.
Hojo was standing in the corner of the room, examining the glowing, slightly enlarged specimen as it lay in the shards of the shattered jar.� The Shinra guards were still holding them all at gunpoint, and Scarlet was examining the readouts from the newly revived computer screens.
�There was a transmission from the crater, Professor,� she cried out excitedly.� Hojo turned and smiled.
�Excellent,� he chuckled.� �Just as I suspected.� The Revive materia has managed to resurrect the Jenova to some degree.� Unfortunately, we must move quickly if we are to ensnare those who are to retrieve it.� Have you sent your troops to the North Crater as I instructed?�
Scarlet nodded.� �Yes, Professor.�
Hojo grinned.� �Excellent.� Come, Scarlet.� We must depart for the Northern Crater.�
Rufus shook his head in disbelief.� �You�re mad.� You�re stark raving mad.� You don�t honestly think that you�ll be able to take down whatever is arriving to retrieve the Jenova, do you?�
Hojo smiled.� �Rufus, my dear, shortsighted former employer,� he chuckled, placing an emphasis on the word former.� �You do not begin to see the scope of what I mean to accomplish, do you?�
When he received no answer from the captives, Hojo laughed.� He gathered his belongings and headed for the door.� �Take Cloud and the woman with us.� They might prove useful should their comrades decide to interfere with our plans.�
The Shinra guard saluted, roughly pulling Cloud and Tifa along behind Scarlet and Hojo.� �What of Rufus and the Turks?� one of the remaining guards inquired.
Hojo shrugged, not turning around.� �They are of no use to anyone.� Kill them.�� With that, the doors closed, and Reno, Rude, Elena, and Rufus looked at each other.
�So, what�s the next step?� Thorn asked after Nanaki had concluded his lecture.
Nanaki was about to answer when one of his assistants burst into the room.� �Sir, we have received a transmission from the crater!�
Nanaki turned to face his assistant.� �You mean to the crater, don�t you?�
The subordinate shook his head.� �No, sir.� From it!�
The others stood in surprise, unable to come up with a reply to the news.� Finally, Nanaki spoke.� �Very well.� Continue to monitor.�� He turned to his friends.� �It appears that our presence shall be required at the crater.� I believe that is where we will find our answers.�
The Gold Chocobos skipped gracefully across the waters as the temperature dipped around them.� They were nearing the Northern Crater.
�I must commend you on your fine breeding skills, Mr. Strife,� Hojo shouted over the wind in front of them.� �Your contribution has made our job much easier.�
�So that was why you burned my farm!� Cloud raged.� �You could have just asked nicely.�
Hojo chuckled.� �Would that have helped?� he shouted.
Cloud shook his head.� �No,� he yelled back, �but at least I could have had a good laugh.�
The guard behind Cloud clipped him on the ear with the butt of his pistol.� Cloud grunted and growled.� �Man, when I get out of these binders, you�re going to pay for that.�
The guard merely snorted a laugh in reply.� Cloud reverted to silence as the Chocobos continued on their path toward the crater.
The guards looked at each other with grins on their faces.� �So,� one asked the other, �which one should we do first?�
�I�m thinking Rufus.� He always was a slave driver.�
The first guard chuckled.� �Fair enough.� I�ll flip you for it.�
Rufus watched the two of them, eyes darting back and forth.� Finally, Elena piped up from his right.� �How about you pick on someone else, huh?�
The guards turned to look at her, and Reno lashed his foot out at the nearest guard.� The guard stumbled, losing his grip on his gun.� Reno followed through with another kick, knocking the guard to the ground.� The other guard turned back to fire at Reno, and Elena threw herself at the guard, knocking him to the floor.� Rufus crouched beside the first guard, fumbling for the keys to the binders that held him.� The second guard scrambled to retrieve his pistol from its holster.� Drawing it, he turned it on Rufus and fired.
Rufus stared down the approaching bullet-
-Then blinked when a flash of dark blue flew between him and the incoming projectile.
Rude concluded his flight through the air with a graceless collapse to the tiled floor at Rufus�s right.� Elena climbed onto the guard who had fired and kicked downward, hard.� His head bounced off the floor, and he stopped moving.
Rufus finished the task of unlocking his binders, and then did the same for Reno and Elena.� The three of them rushed over to Rude�s side.� Reno rolled him over, searching for the wound.
�I don�t get it,� he muttered.� There was no wound to be seen.
�Mhmhffhmf,� Rude muttered.
�What?� Reno pressed urgently, leaning closer.
�Mfmfgghrgfmr!� Rude added with feeling.
�I can�t understand you,� Reno hissed, still probing his comrade for wounds.
Rude spat something out of his mouth.� It bounced with a clang to the floor, and Rude glared at Reno.� �I said, would you please get these binders off of me?� They�re starting to chafe.�
Reno picked up the bullet from where it lay on the floor and stared at it in awe.� �Where the hell did you learn to do that?� he demanded.
�Does it matter?� Rude shot back.
Reno shrugged.� �Not really,� he replied, reaching behind Rude to unfasten his binders.
Rude nodded his thanks as he climbed to his feet.� The three Turks moved quickly to disarm the guards.� �So,� Reno asked as he put two slugs into the guard that Rufus had plundered.
�I should think it would be obvious,� Rude replied, putting the barrel of his pistol under the chin of the other guard and firing. ��We head for the crater, and see if we can�t stop this madman from doing whatever it is he�s contemplating.�
Rufus cleared his throat.� �Excuse me, but-�
The Turks turned to face him.� Reno leaned against a console, Elena crossed her arms, and Rude wiped his hands clean of the guard�s blood with a dark blue handkerchief.
�Yes?� Reno inquired.
�Why am I still alive?� he asked.� �I mean, it seems a rather bold, and perhaps foolish question to ask, but I always like to know where I stand in any agreement.�
Reno chuckled.� �Quite an admirable trait, Mr. Shinra.� You would have made an excellent Turk.� To answer your question, we do not kill our employers.�
Rufus shook his head.� �I don�t understand.�
�It�s very simple,� Reno explained.� �Our contract of employment was with Shinra, Inc.� Your father drew that contract up seven years ago, and it included anything ordered by Shinra.� The contract was specifically worded so that our employer was Shinra, Inc., and not any one person.� We went to Wutai to retrieve those Materia under the orders of Scarlet and Hojo, whom we believed to be the highest-ranking surviving officers of the Shinra Board of Executives.� As soon as we realized that you were alive, our allegiance fell directly under you, the President and CEO of Shinra, Inc.�
Rufus looked to the others, who nodded.� He smoothed the collars of his tattered coat and smiled.� �Very well, then.� Let us depart for the Crater.�
Reno and the others nodded their agreement, and the four strode out of the laboratory.
Yuffie sat at the railing of the Highwind, her nausea wrestling with her concerns for control of her attention.
Her arm had ceased hurting long ago, but she could still feel Thorn�s teeth on her skin.� As she rubbed her forearm unconsciously, she pondered his words.� At length, she chuckled.
�Ridiculous.� Afraid of men?� What does he think I�m doing around all of these guys all the time?� I�m perfectly comfortable around them.�
That�s because they�re safe, she realized.� The thought of Barret being any other way than the gruff ex-terrorist was laughable.� Cid was married, Nanaki and Cait Sith weren�t even the same species, and Cloud was hung up on Tifa, even though he would never admit it.� Then, of course, there was Vincent, the man from the coffin.� He was so distant and cold, Yuffie was sure he was completely asexual.
So, where was the harm in hanging out with any of them?� Where was the danger?
There was none.
Maybe Thorn was right.
Another wave of nausea swept over Yuffie as the Highwind banked to port, and her musings were forgotten.
The Chocobos warked, then shivered under the cold temperatures.� Hojo spurred his on toward the lip of the crater, and the others followed suit.
Cloud looked over at Tifa, who was shivering uncontrollably.� She had begun to turn blue about a half-hour ago, and now she looked completely frozen.
�We need to rest,� Cloud shouted over the icy wind.� �She needs warmth!�
Hojo reined in his Chocobo and glared through the snow at Cloud.� �She�ll be fine,� Hojo yelled back.� He shrugged.� �Or not.� It matters not to me.�� With that, he kicked at the Chocobo and started off again.
�You son of a-� Cloud gritted, and then elbowed the guard behind him.� The guard fell from the Chocobo with a grunt, and Cloud leapt from the Chocobo himself, kicking the fallen guard twice in the face.� He grabbed the keys to his binders from the guard�s belt and worked himself free.
The others were over fifty yards ahead.� None of them had heard the scuffle over the harsh winds.� Cloud snatched up the guard�s pistol and hefted it.� It had been a long time since he had fired a gun, but he was sure it would come back to him.
He charged through the snow after the group and took aim at Hojo.� He fired, and the gunshot echoed through the air.
The bullet missed Hojo by inches.� The scientist dropped from the Chocobo, and Scarlet yanked her gun free from her shoulder holster.� Spotting Cloud behind them, she drew a bead on him.� �What do you want me to do with him, Professor?� she asked as another bullet flew through the air, hitting the guard behind Tifa.� The guard clutched his shoulder and fell from the Chocobo.� The Chocobo warked beneath Tifa and bucked in surprise.� Tifa fell with a cry to the snow, and the Chocobo took off.
Hojo mounted his Chocobo again.� �Kill him.� He has become too troublesome.�
Scarlet smiled, firing two shots.� Tifa looked up from the snowdrift to see Cloud tumbled backward and lay still.
�NO!� she cried, reaching out an arm.
Hojo motioned to Tifa.� �Bring her.� We may still need insurance.�
Scarlet spurred her Chocobo over to where Tifa lay in the snow.� She reached down and snatched her up, chuckling.
Tifa struggled against Scarlet, but she only laughed harder.� �Looks like your hero won�t be rescuing you this time, huh?� she jeered.
Tifa turned to glare at Scarlet, tears freezing to her face.� �Eventually, you�re going to let your guard down.� When you do, I�m going to rip your throat out, you bitch.�
Scarlet stopped laughing and struck Tifa on the head with the butt of her gun.� Tifa slumped over across the Chocobo�s back, and Scarlet kicked the bird into motion.� �Strong words from a barmaid,� she muttered.