Keeper of Cerberus

'They Found Me!'

The words loomed like black demons on the shining white backgrounds of the phones. The message had arrived at the same time. The whole group had pulled their phones out simultaneously and read the message.
Vincent gave a low guttural snarl that put Neneki to shame.
"Yuffie get the tracker," Cloud stated as he adjusted the straps that held his sword to his back.
Tifa was surprised just how quickly everyone set about getting ready. She quickly emptied the bar, apologizing and saying that there was an emergency.
"She has the bot with her," Amaya stated, as she slid her katanas easily into their place.
"Sith try to reach him," Reeve stated.
Vincent turned toward the door as soon as Cloud stepped past him.
"Relay with us over the COM set, we are heading out," Cloud stated double checking his sword and the little ear piece in his ear. He pulled his goggles over his eyes as he turned and stepped toward Fenrir.
Neneki followed swiftly with Cait upon his head.
Cloud watched Vincent grip his cape before sweeping it around himself and becoming nothing more than a swirling mass of red that darted sporadically about before shooting off.

"Got her!" Yuffie cried. Fenrir's roaring engine nearly drown out the ninjas voice.
"Where?" Cloud asked diligently.
"City of the Ancients," Yuffie replied.
"Alright," Cloud grumbled. He cussed when he lost sight of Vincent. He had never seen the ex-Turk move quite this fast.
"We have a transmission from the robot," Reeve chimed." The line crackled and then distinct voices were heard.

Faye was dragged down the hall of the makeshift laboratory. She tried to struggle but it did little good as her body wouldn't cooperate. She heard a familiar chuckle and her blood ran cold.
"Can you not find peace in your death?" She hissed.
"For you my pet I would traverse death," Hojo's voice was sickeningly sweet.
"You wont get anything you want from me," she growled. The sound was low and guttural even with her closeness to the edge of the dark.
"We will see," he replied.
She was thrown violently onto a table, jarring her. The sound reverberated into nothingness, fading against the old tile floors and the sheetrock in the walls. There it would be joined by unheard screams, of pain, fury, and sorrow. There it would wait for the moment when it could break free and tell the story… but it would never have its chance. A light blinded her.
"You won't find it," she stated again.
"Then I will simply look for myself, if it is not there then I suppose your body would suffice," he sneered, wielding the tool of his manic power. The tool of her former destruction. The scalpel blade gleamed, the shaft of light running along the angled edge that would bite into her flesh. It taunted her openly.
"Couldn't you have just stayed dead when Vincent got you last time?" She tugged at her wrists. The leather ties held strong, only squeaking against the metal of the table. They were mocking her attempts in feeble little voices that held no sway. Oh how she wanted to snap them… tear right through and leave them broken and useless.

Hojo gave a snort at the name she spoke, "He is weak and useless."
Her protest rose into her mouth and flooded through her eyes. She wanted to scream, to leap up and strangle him. No… that was far to quick a death. Her eyes smoldered dangerously, the pupils turning ever so slightly cat like as she battled inside to find the strength to break away.
"It is a shame… Lucrecia was a failure… You might produce a better offspring to my former experiment than she did," Hojo sighed, "but if you do not have what I seek then I will have to waste your body on the awakening."
She cried out in defiance finally, her voice somewhere between a shriek and a roar. "Over my dead body. I would kill myself before I carried your child!" She arched away from the table as though it burned her.
Hojo only cackled madly at her and watched as she struggled.
The leather bindings finally grew tired of her struggles and bit into her wrists. Small bits of blood dripped onto the silver surface under her. She bared her teeth at him, "He will make sure you don't come back. You better hope I get you before he does… no you better pray that someone else finds you first."
Finally he had heard enough.
The blade dug into the old scar and she stifled the cry as she had all those years ago. Her mastered silence didn't last long as he snapped into her ribcage. A startled yell rushed from her lungs, knocking the air out of her. Mai's unconscious mind fought to keep him away from her internals. Faye wished silently that for this reason alone she was not an immortal. Finally when she could no longer stand it she called for the only person she knew could hear.

"Vincent!" Her cry was deafening in his ears. He had long since removed his ear piece to avoid hearing her shrill yells. The sound of his own name bouncing off the walls of his mind startled him. Drawing a deep breath Vincent focused in on the scent of her blood. It drew him towards her.

Mai woke with a vengeance. A roar leapt from her throat at just about the same time Vincent's fuming form burst through the door. Four shots fired in rapid succession cut her bindinfs and she flew toward the semi human form that was Flint. She clasped her chest with one hand to keep things together. She was already healing from the inside out.
Vincent intercepted her, swirling his cape about her and holding her close to him. She saw nothing but red as her feet left the ground and they were darting back through the trees that shown like moon light.
She heard Fenrir's roaring engine cut and Vincent stopped moving. She panted as the bones mended far quicker than they ever had. She writhed against his chest, groaning as Mai healed up the damage done. Vincent held onto her, smoothing out her hair gently. When she finally calmed she was still shaking slightly. Her body trembled against him and he held her tighter.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck when the others caught up at last. All was silent. This was the first show of affection from him while in the presence of the others. Faye mellowed considerably in his arms. She felt him shake once and for a very brief moment she thought he might have let his emotions get the better of him. She shoved it away and pulled back lightly. Her arms screamed at her and the warmth of his body begged for her contact. She did her best to ignore it completely.
"Beta is separating…" she informed.
As if to emphasize her words a huge form rose behind her.
Faye… you and Vincent need to destroy it," Cloud stated as he popped open the compartments on his bike. The multiple swords hummed darkly. Like wind chimes for-telling the coming of a vicious storm, they sang and slid into place as he clipped them all together. She could practically feel the weapons vibrations through her boots. It was telling her to kill… to spill the blood of her enemy.
"Vincent, Hojo is all yours once we finish this army," Barret said. Next to him Tifa slipped her hands into gloves and Yuffie was stretching. Amaya stood stoically her eyes closed no doubt in concentration and prayer. The rage was rolling in waves from the gunner next to her. His face was set hard and his burning eyes flashed between the red and yellow.

Faye panted as she buckled her trench closed over her cut up shirt. She shook a little and her eyes were bleeding in black. Suddenly she was shaking all over. Her black gaze swept over them once. Little spider webs of chrome were starting to crawl over the solid black surface of her eyes.
Amaya knew this look, she had seen her lose control before and it was not a pretty prospect. "Faye… Go!" Amaya yelled as she drug out her blades and darted for the on coming war.
The others saw Faye spin about, causing her jacket to fan out behind her and then her image flickered and she was gone.
"She doesn't make a sound… not even her coat rippling," Tifa gave a shudder.
"They will engage the enemy first," Cloud mumbled.
"Let's go." Vincent made the final decision and they shot after the two woman.