Mount Nibel/Caves

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen heard his name and watched them mildly. His energy was coming back fast this time because of the lack of injuries. He relaxed but listened closely...

Nikky yawned.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Jared paused. "One last thing, though, that I have to consider. As for their trump cards, Jenova and Sephiroth will obviously come directly into action-- they don't have the patience or inclination for subtleties. But Xima won't let the baby out of her sight if there's danger, and where Xima goes, Rufus always follows. So we have two major forces to reckon with right there... sending Reno and the girls in to extract her, even with Loz and Kamen on their side, seems a bit ill-advised. We need at least one more person in their unit, and then everyone else can divide up into the two teams."

Ami stepped up. "You should go with them, Jared."

He stopped and gaped at her. "You aren't serious." He shook himself. "No, I can't."

"Why not?" Cloud asked. He had a reason why he was harzarding the question, and it had nothing to do with tactics.

"Why not?" he repeated incredulously. "They're my parents, for G**'s sake!"

Ami didn't understand what she was hearing. "Are you saying you still care about them?"

"No," he said abruptly. "Absolutely not. I..." He sighed. "They need to die."

"But you can't kill them," Cloud pressed.

Yazoo put a hand on Ami's arm. "If Stephen and Nora suddenly decided they wanted to destroy everything... how would you feel?"

"This isn't the same," Cloud charged. "We need to know whose side he's on before we volunteer our necks to follow his orders."

Joey looked absolutely incensed. "He came across twelve years to keep you people from being massacred, and this is the kind of thanks he gets? S***w that!"

Jared waved her down. "I appreciate the sentiment, Joey, but they're right. I am on your side, Cloud, but I don't know how to prove it." He cleared his throat. "Loz will be able to deal with Xima. We'll send one other person to help Kamen take care of Rufus, and then we'll divide up the members who are left."

Ami shrugged. "I smoked the man once. I'll be happy to repeat the experience."

Jared nodded. "Fine." He actually didn't like that idea... if she had gotten him once, that meant he'd be able to predict her... but he didn't know who else to send. "OK, Cid... you and Cloud pick out who else you want helping you. Everyone is free game, me included. Have fun." He walked down to join the rest of the group and let his spinning brain have a rest.

"This is not well thought out," Ami piped up. "They have no idea who can do what."

Jared faceplamed. "Let me start over. OK. Reno and the kids have their own unit so they can intercept the baby. That includes Kamen and Loz. Cloud has a unit and so do you --you have Vincent in there. That leaves me, Squall, Phil, Ami, Blood, Unknown, Asuka, Rude, Tseng, the demon guy over there, Blood's friend, and Nikky. So it's up to Cid and Cloud to pick who goes where."

Ami stood up. "Let me div it. I've been working with all you people longer than any other single member of this group, besides Squall."

Jared shrugged. "Be my guest, Aunt A."

She pointed to Unknown. "You go with Cloud's group. Asuka, you're with Cid. I'm with Cloud, and Nikky with Cid. Squall, with Cloud's group. Phil, with Cid. Jared, Cid's group. Rude and Blood, Cloud's group. Yazoo, with Cid's group, and Kadaj, with Cloud's. Akira, with Cid's group, Ryushi, with Cloud's." She stood back, feeling a little muddled. "Everyone got that?" That SHOULD divide up our resources pretty evenly...

Cloud kept his eye on Jared... he had only a few moments ago managed to notice that the boy had his mother's eyes... and it jarred him still further to see a black feather drifting out from under his coat...

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen got a sick feeling as he heard his name and mission. He sighed slightly and fidgeted as not to look bored...

Nikky was sharpening her short sword before looking over and seeing a long medieval style black sword. She looked over at Kamen, who grinned and pulled it onto his lap. "I made this...." He explained. "A long time ago...."

She stared at him.

[Ru]

"Sounds good to me," Cid responded, "Like ya said, I don't know anybody 'cept the guys I worked with before. If you can fight - that's really all that matters at this point. Talkin's not gonna work much here until we get the problems out of the way." He gave a shrug, and turned back to the wheel, checking the instruments and gauges.

"Whenever you're ready to move in, just say the word," he nodded to the group, "I'm making a nice wide loop around the area so nobody'll see us, but we're close enough to Kalm to rush in." Cid stopped to ponder how exactly his life had gone from dead boring to crazy exciting in one afternoon. He welcomed it, though - it sure was something different to do.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Jared nodded comprehension. He turned to the others. "Check your weapons. Last chance to get yourselves patched up. Everybody seperate into your groups... Cloud's group, get ready for the drop. Give us fifteen minutes after Annie tends her last patient... she'll need to time to recharge her full power, but not enough to let the Army regroup. I'm not sure how many troopers there are, but suffice it to say... there are lots. Kamen, start charging up a stealth shield for Reno's unit-- they can't be detected until the very last second."

The more Cloud heard from the Jared kid, the more suspicious he became... this did not sound like the words and actions of a seventeen-year-old. He made a move towards him until he heard Joey "speaking" again. Cloud... I already checked him. I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it... I had to know. I haven't checked anyone else. I know he sounds a little bit... militaristic. But that's only because he's been leading our forces ever since all the heroes died. He HAS been forced to fill a general's shoes, Cloud... and it's thanks to him we managed to hold out. But it's still beyond people our age to win a war. Which is why we came here... for help.

Kadaj was making similar observations... What kind of hell has this boy been through to become like this? I had to be brainwashed and tortured to become like him... Again, the dizziness returned. It felt like some kind of... darkness in his head... His eyes flashed and a memory flew across his mind of burning and death... He jerked and nearly lost his balance. What the h**l...

Yazoo and Loz watched him curiously. "What's wrong, brother?"

He shook his head and tried to think of an answer. "I don't know..."

Rude stepped up. "Hold it, folks. No offense, Ami, but no way does my partner go into this without me, Lifestream c**p or not."

She shrugged. "If it's OK with Cid and Reno, it's OK with me."

He moved off towards his partner. "Like I'm gonna let you monopolize the fun part."

Reno grinned at him. "Right on, partner." He gave him a light punch on the arm. "Not like I was gonna trust Butch and Sundance to watch my back, anyway, yo. 'Sides, I suddenly got the paternal thing going on the side..." He watched Annie from across the room and sighed raggedly. "You'll help keep an eye on the rugrats, yeah?"

Rude nodded. "I know you have a soft spot for kids."

Reno shook his head. "They ain't just ANY kids, Rude."

"I know... I've been paying attention."

"And on that note..." Reno moved off towards Nikky. "Let's at least try to survive this nutjob mission, OK?" He glanced at the girls. "Those two are just starting to get interesting." He leaned in and gave Nikky a long, deep kiss.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Jared approached Amnesty. "Aunt A... I got something serious to tell you, all right? And the crazy part is, if we make it through this, you won't remember I told you." He chuckled to himself ironically. "You were always... so foreign to me. You were so quiet, so solemn... like Vincent in a dress," he joked, jerking his head towards the reticent legend with a grin. He became serious again. "I only found out later it was because you cared too much... at least, that's how my mother would have put it."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Aunt Amnesty... you have a good heart. Protect it... or it'll get calloused, against even the people you love."

Ami listened, unsure of whether to believe him, much less listen to him. "Vincent in a dress?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't make me go into it."

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen nodded to Jared before sighing. He always hated this kind of stuff... but he did it anyway. He wouldn't want to endanger any one of his friends....

Nikky grinned before kissing him back just as deeply. "I love you Reno... Take care of them alright?" She smiled and kissed him again passionately.

[Ru]

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Cid returned, not taking his eyes away from the controls, "S'long as you don't go dying on us. Oy, you - kid in charge," he pointed in Jared's general direction, "I'm buying you fifteen minutes by goin' around this way, but fifteen is all ya got - I can't swerve back without them noticing us makin' a retreat and comin' after us, and we need them not to notice us in the first place so I can drop Cloud 'n' the rest off." He didn't need to check anything - he had everything he needed right in front of him. He couldn't help but grin a little - despite the seriousness of the situation, he was looking forward to fighting something new and challenging. That probably was an understatement, but h*ll, he didn't care.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Reno recieved Nikky's kiss and matched it, pulling her tightly against him. "I love you, Nikky... they'll be cool with me." He embraced her, telling himself this time Xima was going down for good... he had not forgotten what she did to his Other.

Jared turned his attention away from Ami and listened to Cid, nodding acknowledgement. "Everybody hear that? Good! Be ready in fifteen minutes!"

[*~Nikkole~*]

She held him and smiled. "I don't doubt you for a minute, baby." She nuzzled him lightly and affectionately.

Kamen yawned and stood.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

The brothers observed this action and rolled their eyes collectively. "Oh, geez, there they go," Loz muttered.

"Love," Yazoo scoffed. "Who the h**l can explain it?"

"I second that emotion, brother," Kadaj agreed.

Ami poked them. "You're all just jealous, admit it." She giggled.

"Oh yeah," Kadaj said sarcastically. "I forgot you are suddenly involved with the emo boy over there."

"He HAS a name, you know," Ami snapped. "Squall, remember? I thought you liked him."

"I like him... but I don't like that he likes you," Kadaj replied.

Ami shook her head. "Pssht. I'm a growing girl... I can handle him." She turned to Squall and winked.

Loz pretended to retch. Ami dope-slapped him.

Reno grinned at their antics. He turned to the girls. "If you two ever go around acting like those four clowns... grounding will occupy a large percentage of your childhood years, yo." He laughed as he gave Nikky another lingering kiss on the lips, closing his eyes and deciding to conveniently forget the small crowd watching them...

Annie and Joey were getting way too embarrassed by all this. "All right, fine, folks, avert the eyes, will ya? This ain't a peep show!"

Cloud politely turned the other way... he could identify. But it had been a long time... he found himself fingering the ribbon on his arm. Aeris, if only you could come back, too... it's not fair how you always wind up giving people the second chance you deserve.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Vincent approached Kamen. "Stealth shields, hmm? Interesting." He hovered not far from the boy, like an imposing shadow.

[*~Nikkole~*]

Nikky laughed and kissed him back.

Kamen looked over and nodded meekly. "Yeah... I can do a lot more but they aren't the most useful in a time like this.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

The brothers split into their respective groups, along with most of the rest of the ship's occupants as Jared prodded them into place... Vincent, however, waited a moment and continued talking to Kamen. He had been observing the Puppetmaster's activities quietly for some time... perhaps this boy unwittingly held the key to his destruction... "Precisely how do those operate?" For now, the idea was to merely establish a rapport... something Vincent wasn't particularly skilled at. But if there was anything he had experience with, it was reticent people.

****

Jared tried to get Reno's attention. "The girls are ready."

Reno gave the boy an irritated look, breaking his kiss with Nikky. "How many more minutes have we got of the fifteen?"

"About ten, I guess."

He smiled at Nikky. "Then that gives us nine." He resumed the kiss where he'd left off, running his hands into her hair.

Jared shrugged and walked off. He noticed his uncle shaking his head and facepalming himself. Oh yeah... I almost forgot... you never did get serious with anyone yourself, did you?

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen shrugged. "I use my blank energy signature to hide the rest... depending on its strength and longevity it can be easy or very draining... My mas- Vikktor, taught me how to clear everything from myself so I appear to be nothing to anyone that does not know how to see..."

Nikky held him close and kissed him back.