Chapter 10

     Three months have passed.  The rest of AVALANCHE has been circling the globe,
chasing not only Shinra, but also the Sephiroth clone.  The real Sephiroth has disappeared,
holing himself up in the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim, leaving only Jim and Yuffie behind.
     Yuffie has still not totally recovered from her gunshot wound.  She is still a bit weak, but
otherwise healed.  Jim has not seen fit to let her back into the fray, preferring to wait until she is
back to full strength.
     Jim, on the other hand, has been strengthening himself up, as well, going through a heavy
training regimen.  He spends a good three hours daily lifting weights, and practicing combat
technique with a sparring partner.
     Scarlet and Heideggar have been rebuilding Shinra, much to the protest of the people. 
The Shinra army is once again back to full-force, and they have been busy rounding up troops for
SOLDIER, and a mysterious new scientist is now working there, infusing candidates with Mako. 
This process had also caused monsters to come out of the woodwork in droves, herding people
into their towns and cities that they had just started to expand on.
     AVALANCHE and Jim have all been giving Shinra hell.  In the three months that Jim
has been around, he's already made it onto Scarlet's most wanted list, for hacking into company
files.  He keeps an eye on Shinra's doings while AVALANCHE does the dirty work.

                       ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

     Yuffie awoke to the distinct sound of metal striking forcefully against metal.  She rose
groggily, slipped on a sweat suit, and stumbled to the gym, expecting to politely tell Jim and his
little friend to knock it off, so she could get some sleep.  When she opened the door, she found
them both in the center of the fighting ring, locked in combat.
     Jim's partner was considerably shorter than him, a full head's worth, by her estimate.  He
had short, dark hair, and a scraggly beard.  He was wielding a long, thin samurai sword, wearing
an old set of Shinra Beta armor, while Jim was equipped with no armor and a long metal staff.  
     Jim pushed himself away from his attacker, and used his staff to parry the incoming slice. 
Then he shoved the butt end into his partner's ribs, and he grunted in discomfort.  His partner
swung again, this time at Jim's knees, which Jim jumped over, and then landed a fist to his
partner's jaw.  He reeled in pain, then attempted to run Jim through.  This, also, was easily
parried and countered by a leg sweep.  As his partner went down, he swung his sword wide,
slicing Jim's right hand.  Jim responded by swinging the staff right at the other man's head,
which he dodged, then sliced Jim across the chest.  Jim concentrated for a moment, and the
wounds healed themselves.  Then he concentrated for a little more, and his partner was encased
in a giant ice cube, then surrounded by fire.  His partner responded by making a series of wild
cuts, most of which hit their mark, followed by a lightning strike.  A red aura glowed around
Jim.  Then he charged, planted his staff firmly in the ground, used it as a pole vault to get
airborne, and slammed, feet-first, into his partner's chest.  He went flying across the room, out of
the ring, and slammed spread-eagle and upside-down in the wall, right next to the mark Yuffie
had made there three months previous.
     Jim concentrated for a moment, and his injuries were healed.  Then his partner's wounds
were healed.  Jim walked over to him, and helped him up.
     "OK.  You're getting better," said his partner.
     "Better, Alex?  I mopped the floor with you!  And both of us know you weren't holding
anything back," said Jim.
     "Don't get cocky, kid.  You get cocky, you're gonna screw up," responded Alex.
     Yuffie stood by the door and yawned.  "Are you two finished?"
     "Yes, I think that's all for today.  I'll see you tomorrow, same time," said Alex.
     "How about later?" suggested Yuffie, yawning.
     "Funny, Yuffie.  Come on.  I'll make us some breakfast," said Jim, grabbing a fresh T-
shirt from a small closet.  "You go in the kitchen, and I'll be there in a few minutes."
     Yuffie nodded sleepily, and walked to the kitchen.  About fifteen minutes later, Jim
walked in, wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans.
     "What would you like?" he asked.
     "How about just a couple eggs.  I'm not that hungry."
     "OK."  He set to work preparing their morning repast.  Jim isn't nearly as good of a cook
as Tifa, but at least he's not as bad as Cid, thought Yuffie.  While she was busy ruminating on
the kitchen ceiling, Jim set a steaming plate in front of Yuffie.  She looked down, grabbed a
fork, and started eating.  Jim left the kitchen and headed out to the hangar, which was now
almost completely empty.  The only thing there was his Cuda.  It was just as he had left it the
previous night, when he had been up until three in the morning making last-minute adjustments. 
Now it was time to test it.  See if all his hard work had paid off.  He climbed into the driver's
seat, and turned the ignition.
     Nothing happened.
     "Damn!  This time, I was sure I had it.  Wait a second . . . the sunlight . . . it has to be out
in the sunlight . . . Damn!"  He jumped out of the car, and pushed it out of the hangar, into the
early-morning sunlight.  Then he jumped back in and turned the ignition again.
     As the car's black roof panels gathered the limitless energy of the sun, lights began to
flicker on and off inside the cockpit.  Soon the gauges leapt into life, and the car began to
produce a slight whispering noise.  Jim flipped a few switches, and more gauges sprang to life,
as the car's internal batteries were charged in an instant.  "Yes," Jim whispered, gently pressing
the accelerator.  The car motored smoothly forward.  He drove slowly around the driveway for a
little while, getting used to the way the car felt as it was now balanced almost perfectly.  He
turned out of the driveway onto the main road, and then did something he hadn't done in far too
long.  He mashed the accelerator to the cutpile.  The car let out a wild shriek as the rear tires
broke traction, sending up a cloud of white smoke.  It picked up speed rapidly as Jim rowed
through the gears, and Jim couldn't stop smiling like an idiot.  He stepped on the brakes, bringing
the car to a screeching halt, then whipped around and did the same thing in the other direction,
covering the distance quickly.  He fishtailed a bit speeding into the main driveway, but otherwise
had no problems as he brought the heavily modified Cuda to a halt.
     "Whoo!" he yelled, jumping out of the car.  "What a rush!"  He ran back inside, to find
Yuffie passed out at the kitchen table.  He shook her gently.  "Yuffie?"  He shook her a little
harder.  "Yuffie?  Are you OK?"
     As if to answer, she started snoring.  Jim picked her up and carried her back to her room,
laying her on the bed.  He sat next to her.
     What am I doing laying down again? she thought.   I must have fallen asleep.  Jim
probably carried me back to my room.  She opened her eyes, and saw Jim sitting beside her.
     "How do you feel?" he asked.
     "Really tired," she answered.
     "If you were so tired, then why on earth did you get up?"
     "You and that damn trainer of yours woke me up."
     "Sorry, Yuffie.  I hadn't realized we were making so much noise."
     "Don't worry about it.  I had to get up sometime today, I suppose."
     Jim smiled, and left the room.  As he walked back toward the garage, the doorbell rang,
and he diverted himself to answer it.  When he opened the door, a man in brown coveralls was
waiting for him.
     "Speedy Parcel Delivery, sir.  Are you Yuffie Kisaragi?" asked the man.
     "What do you think?"
     "Sorry, sir.  Is she here?"
     "She's sleeping.  Who's the package from?"
     "Uh, it's from the offices of the Neomidgar Power Company," replied the man.
     "OK, where is it?"
     The man picked up a medium-sized brown package, and handed it to Jim.  Then he held
out a clipboard, and a pen.  "Sign here, please.  And here.  And here.  And initial here."  As Jim
finished signing, he returned the pen and board, and the man ran off to his truck and sped off.
     "I wonder what this is . . . " he said.  He held it to his ear.  "It's not ticking, so it probably
isn't a bomb."  He shook it, rather violently.  "Some kind of clothing or something."  He walked
to Yuffie's room, and softly knocked on the door.  "Yuffie?  Are you awake?"  His question was
met by light snoring.  "Guess not."  He slowly opened the door, placed the package inside, and
shut it again.  As soon as that door closed, the doorbell rang again.  "Yikes.  What the hell's
going on here?!"
     He jogged to the door, and threw it open.  He was going to chew out whoever was
beyond the portal, but when he saw who it was, he smiled.
     "Tifa!  Come on in!  Where's the rest of the gang?" he asked, a smile on his face.
     "They're right behind me.  How are you doing?" she asked, hugging him quickly.
     "I've really improved over the last three months.  That trainer you found for me is a
genius."
     "How's Yuffie doing?"
     "She's doing fine.  She's still kinda weak, but otherwise, she's OK."
     Cid then walked in the open door, followed by Nanaki, Cloud, Vincent, Cait Sith, and the
Turks.
     "Get outta my way, you damn cat!" yelled Reno.
     "I can't very well move if Vince here don't get his butt outta the way," said Cait, giving
Vincent a light shove.
     "Look, why don't we all just clear out, and go into the kitchen or something?  It might be
less crowded," suggested Cloud.
     "For once, your spiked head came up with a good idea," quipped Cid.
     "OK, guys, break it up. I don't want any blood spilled, I just cleaned up in here," said Jim,
leading everyone back to the kitchen.
     When they got there, they had some time to catch up on events.
     "How's the hunt coming?" asked Jim.
     "Slow.  The damn fool won't show himself for more than a few minutes, and when he
does, he nearly kills us," complained Cid.
     "And every time we try to follow him, Scarlet and Heideggar show up with their new
Shinra troops and slow us down even more," said Cloud.
     "What I wouldn't give to let that sleazy bitch have a knuckle sandwich or two." muttered
Reno.  The other two Turks nodded in agreement.
     "For once, I agree with them," said Cid.
     "First thing's first.  I think we should concentrate on taking out Shinra before anything
else.  You all remember what havoc they caused ten years ago," said Vincent.  Nanaki and Cid
both nodded.  Jim looked a little clueless for a moment, then remembered the story he was told
by Cloud and Tifa, and nodded.
     "I've had to deal with Scarlet and Heideggar once already.  If we can get the two of them
alone, we shouldn't have any problems.  They're both weak, slow, and old.  The only problem is
getting to them.  More likely than not, they'll both be surrounded by armed guards around the
clock," said Jim, matter-of-factly.
     "Then what about Sephiroth?" asked Tifa.  "We can't just ignore him."
     "I know that, but I can't see any way to draw him out.  Any ideas?" asked Jim.
     The group sat in silence for a few moments, each one of them trying to think of a way to
bring the Sephiroth clone out into the open.  Their thoughts were disturbed by Yuffie wandering
into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and yawning.  When she saw everyone there, she
squealed with delight, and ran up to everyone.
     "Hey!  I've missed you guys so much!  How's everything going?" she asked in rapid
succession.
     "Hi Yuffie.  Glad to see you're feeling better," said Cloud.
     "Still got a rodent problem, huh Jim?" asked Cid, jokingly.  
     Yuffie walked over to him, and huffed a little.  Then she hugged the old pilot, much to
his surprise.  "I missed you too, Cid," she said.  "How are Aeris and Shera?"
     "They both went to Corel with Marlene and Barret.  Marlene and Aeris have become
such good friends," said Tifa.
     Yuffie walked over to Jim, and smiled pleasantly.  Jim smiled back.  Then Yuffie tackled
him to the ground, and sat on his chest.  "Why didn't you tell me they were here?"
     "They just got here, and you-oof- were still sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you up--
ow, dammit Yuffie, get off of me!" He grabbed her by the waist, and tried to lift her off, but he
didn't have the leverage, and Yuffie wouldn't stop moving.  Tifa and Elena giggled softly. 
Vincent raised an eyebrow.  Cloud and Cid both just stared, while Reno and Rude snickered. 
Jim grabbed Reno's jacket, and pulled, hard.  Reno fell off his stool and hit the ground.  An
instant later, he had Reno in a headlock, his arms pinned behind his back.  "Think that's funny,
huh, Reno?" he asked, faking menace.  Rude looked at him, and burst out laughing, as did Cloud
and Tifa.  Nanaki was barely controlling himself, while Vincent just raised his eyebrow again. 
Yuffie fell over laughing, which enabled Jim to get up.
     "You really have gotten better," said Tifa, in between giggles.
     "Yeah, well, I don't really think that was really fair, with Reno at a disadvantage like
that," said Jim.  Then he offered Reno a hand up, and he took it.  Jim dragged him up
effortlessly, and Reno dusted himself off.
     "So what do we do?" asked Jim.
     "I think we should split up into two teams.  One team will track Sephiroth.  The other
will try to disable Shinra," said Cloud.  "There should be one larger group, and one smaller."
     "OK," said Jim.  "I'll go after Shinra.  I'll take Reno and Rude with me, since they
probably know their way around it better."
     "Fine by us," said Reno.  Rude nodded.
     "Yuffie, I want you to come with us, as well.  I think you're finally back up to speed," he
said.  "That all right with you?"
     Yuffie looked at him with enthusiasm.  "Great!"
     "Good.  Tifa, Red, Nanaki, Vincent and Cid will come with me," said Cloud.
     "I'll stay here," said Cait, "to hold down the fort."
     "I'd better stay here too.  I never was much of a fighter.  Good luck guys.  And Reno?"
asked Elena.
     "Yes, Elena?" he replied.
     "Be careful."
     "Relax, I'll be fine," he said.
     The group once again filed out of the building.  Reno, Rude, and Yuffie stood outside,
while Jim went back to the garage.  The rest, except for Cait Sith and Elena, filed into the
Highwind, which took off promptly.  Soon after the Highwind lifted off, Jim reappeared, driving
his heavily modified Cuda.
     The car, overall, didn't look much different from stock.  It was bright orange, with a
black roof.  The chrome glistened in the mid-morning sunlight, and there was a small trapdoor
hidden in the rear of the car, just below the license plate which read "BACK OFF."  Jim stepped
out of the car, and tilted the seats forward.
     "All aboard!"  said Jim, happily.
     "What the hell kind of car is that?" asked a perplexed Reno.
     "This is a 1971 Plymouth AAR Cuda.  From my world.  I replaced the original engine
with an electric generator, and a set of solar panels, donated by Reeve.  I also reinforced the
body, so it could take some extra punishment from rough roads, bullets, or what have you.  The
electrical system is strong enough to take Bolt 3 at full force and not short out, and believe me
when I say she'll outrun just about anything on four wheels."
     Reno stared, and whistled.  "Impressive.  What about weapons capabilities?"
     "Not much.  Just a pair of machine guns in the back, to dissuade tailgaters from
following too close, if you know what I mean.  It's also got an electromagnetic pulse generator. 
It allows me to disable electronic devices, like vehicle ignition systems, security fences, that
kind of stuff."
     "Very impressive," said Rude.  "But how are we all gonna fit in there?"
     "There's room for four people in here.  That back seat is larger than it looks."
     "All right, but if I get squashed, I'm blaming you."  Reno climbed into the car, and then
Rude.  Yuffie climbed in the passenger seat, and then Jim climbed in and started the motors. 
The vehicle came to life without a sound.  The only way to tell for sure the vehicle was
operational was by looking at the gauges.
     "OK, everything checks out.  Let's go!" he said.  He peeled out of the driveway, and
rocketed into the empty streets, heading south, out of the city.  As soon as he was out of the city
limits, he swerved off the road, heading east.
     "What are you doing?!" yelled a disturbed Yuffie.  "This isn't the road!"
     "I know.  We're going to Junon," said Jim.
     "But the airport is the other way!" said Rude.  "Turn around!"
     "Who said anything about an airport?" asked Jim.  He pressed a button, and flipped a
series of switches on the dashboard.  Jim aimed for a steep hill, and drove up it at full speed. 
The car went sailing into the air.  As it did so, the tires pulled themselves up into the body, and a
new set of generators powered up.  A vertical fin rose from the trunk, and a set of short wings
extended from the bottom of the car, which soon extended themselves out wider, but not longer. 
The car came down out of the sky, falling toward what everyone but Jim knew would be a
watery grave.  Jim yanked backwards on the steering wheel, and the car's nose tilted upward in
an attempt to level itself.  Yuffie screamed, and covered her eyes.  Rude and Reno just cringed,
attempting to brace themselves for the imminent disaster.  But it never came.  The nose of the
car leveled off, and it glided about a foot above the surface of the water.
     I'm dead.  This time, I'm really dead, thought Yuffie.
     "Open your eyes, Yuffie, it's ok."
     She uncovered her eyes to see that everything was, indeed, OK.  She looked out the
window to see the ocean flying past at an amazing rate.  She looked at Jim.  "How fast are we . .
. "she muttered, afraid to finish the question.
     "Almost four hundred kilometers per hour," replied Jim.  "Faster than the Highwind
could maintain at this altitude."
     "How?" she asked.  "You mean we're flying?"
     "Not exactly," returned Jim.  "It's a concept called ground effects.  It's kinda hard to
explain, but it's the same thing that lets birds glide along the surface of the water without
flapping their wings.  It also makes for a far smoother ride than regular air or sea travel."
     "Cool," remarked Yuffie, as she continued to stare out the window at the blue ocean.
     "You scared the shit out of me!  Never do that again!" yelled Reno.  Rude just sat there,
calm as always.
     "Relax, guys.  I know what I'm doing.  We'll reach land in a few hours.  In the meantime,
you might want to get some sleep.  I'm going to rest for a moment, too," said Jim, as he turned on
the autopilot.  He leaned the seat back a little, and dozed off.

     A few hours later, they had crossed the ocean, and the car had stopped itself on the
eastern shores.  Jim got out and looked around.  Rude and Reno also exited the car.  Yuffie was
sound asleep in her seat.
     "Any sign of trouble?" said Reno.
     "None that I can see.  We'd better keep moving, just the same," said Jim.  Rude nodded,
and climbed back into the car.  Reno followed, and Jim climbed in front, and sped off.
     Some time later, they arrived at Fort Condor.
     "It's getting dark.  We should rest here," said Rude.
     "What?  We can't stop now!  We're so close!" said Yuffie.
     "If we get into a fight, it won't do us any good to be worn out.  We'll rest here tonight,
then continue in the morning," said Jim.
     "Rude, my friend, look on the bright side.  There's probably a bar in there, so at least
we'll have something to do," said Reno, a mischievous look in his eye.
     "No drinking.  We need to stay alert in case you-know-who shows up."
     "Damn!  Why do you have to ruin our fun?" said Reno.
     "Jim's right.  We have to stay sharp," responded Rude.
     "Aww, man!"  whined Rude, kicking the dirt.  The four walked inside the fort, to find it
totally deserted.
     "I'll give you three guesses who's been here, and the first two don't count," said Jim, more
annoyed than angry.
     "The clone," said Reno.  "Well, then, we should be safe."
     Rude raised an eyebrow.  "How do you figure?"
     "He's already cleaned the place out.  No survivors, no need to return."
     "There is some logic to his point, surprisingly," said Jim.
     Reno looked at him, not sure whether to take that as a compliment, or an insult.  So he
just slid his sunglasses on and huffed.
     "I'm not staying in here.  It stinks," said Yuffie, arms crossed over her chest.
     "So the accommodations aren't exactly like the Grand Vista in Wutai--" started Jim, when
Yuffie cut him off.
     "No, I mean it stinks.  Literally.  It's just too creepy in here . . . smells like death."
     Jim nodded.  The main room was covered in blood, though there were no bodies.  There
was a pervading stench throughout the entire place.  Jim walked over to a ladder, which led
down into a bedroom, and looked down.  Then he grimaced, and walked away.  "I found the
bodies.  We are NOT staying here.  I'm going to sleep in the Cuda.  Any objections?"
     They all shook their heads, and filed back out of the now-deserted Fort Condor, and piled
back into the Cuda.
     "How long would it take us to reach Junon from here?" asked Reno.
     "About five hours at full speed, on ideal conditions.  With these conditions, on rough
terrain, we're talking most of the night.  Probably won't get there till sunrise."
     "Then we'd better get some rest.  Good night," said Reno.  He leaned back as best he
could in the seat, and closed his eyes.  Rude also leaned back, and was soon sleeping.
     "Good night, Yuffie."
     "Good night, Jim."
     They both closed their eyes, and went to sleep.
     Halfway through the night, Jim awoke to a rather disturbing noise.  Somewhat like the
sound of a fax machine being put through a garbage disposal.
     "What the hell is that noise?" he muttered.  He looked around.  Yuffie was still to his
right, sleeping soundly.  Rude was right behind him, also sleeping.  He soon found the cause of
his disturbance.  Reno was sprawled out, snoring loud enough to wake the dead.  He looked at
the other occupants.  Rude and Yuffie stirred.  Yuffie frowned, and opened her eyes.  "What's
that horrible noise?" she asked.
     Jim put his finger to his closed mouth, indicating silence, and stuck his thumb toward
Reno.  Yuffie nodded.  "Is there any way to shut him up?"
     "We could stuff a sock in his mouth."
     Rude just shook his head.  "That won't work.  He'll just spit it back out."
     "Then are we agreed on what we have to do?" asked Jim.
     Yuffie and Rude nodded.  They each maneuvered around Reno, carefully picked him up,
and tossed him out the door with all the gentleness of a sledgehammer.
     "God, what a loudmouth.  How do you put up with that?" asked Jim.
     "Ear plugs.  I left them in Wutai," responded Rude.
     Rude stretched out on the backseat, and Yuffie and Jim both leaned back in their seats. 
They all went to sleep quickly, and were completely oblivious to a very pissed-off Reno
pounding on the side glass.
     "Hey!  What'd I do?!  Lemme in!  It's cold out here!  Dammit, Rude, this isn't funny!  Let
me in!"  He continued with this for a few more minutes, then gave up and sat down, leaning
against the door.  He was soon asleep, snoring loudly as ever.

     Let me know what you think!  Email me at jrebholz@usa.net