Chapter 11

     The next time Jim opened his eyes, he quickly shut them again.  The glare from the sun
rising was too much for his vision to take.  He opened his eyes again, slowly, this time reaching
for his sunglasses, which he had tucked under the visor.  He slid them on, and looked around. 
Yuffie and Rude were both gone.  His mind instantly snapped into alert, and he jumped out of
the car, looking around frantically.  "Yuffie!  Rude!  Where are you?  Reno!"  He continued
looking around.  He felt something tap his shoulder lightly.  He whirled around to see what it
was, revolver in hand.
     It was a very unhappy Reno.  "Why for you make me sleep in the cold, cold, night?"
     "Because your damn snoring could wake the dead, that's why!"
     "What are you talking about?  I don't snore."
     Rude and Yuffie had appeared behind Jim.  "Bull, Reno.  The engines on that damn
Highwind don't make as much noise as you."
     "I should have expected that from you, brat.  Rude.  Buddy.  Back me up here."
     Rude just stood there, unmoving and totally emotionless.
     "Aw, come on, Rude.  I'm not that bad, am I?"
     Rude shook his head.  "No, you're not.  You're much, much worse."
     Reno's face turned red.  "Thanks, Rude.  Thanks a lot."
     "All right, let's get moving.  We've got a long trip ahead of us," said Jim.  Rude nodded. 
Reno huffed, and they all climbed back into the car and sped off.  
     They spent most of the trip in silence.  Reno's attitude improved from angry to his usual
casual indifference.  Yuffie spent most of the time staring out the window.  Jim was taking in the
scenery, the car's cruise control set to just under 250 kph.  The roads were almost totally devoid
of traffic today, so there was little to interrupt their progress.  As they got close to Junon, they
stopped outside the city limits, and readied all their gear.  Yuffie checked her armor, and made
sure her Conformer was ready to use, and equipped with all her mastered materia.  Rude
checked his twin automatic pistols, while Reno popped a fresh battery pack into his nightstick. 
Jim checked his solid staff, to make sure it was not damaged in transit, and checked to make
sure the Motor Drive was in working order.  He was the only one with no equipped materia.
     "Jim, where's your materia?" asked Yuffie.  "Shouldn't you equip at least some Restore?"
     "I don't need to.  My telepathic abilities allow me to activate materia without equipping
it.  I have a mastered Sense, Restore, Ice, Enemy Skill, and the Bahamut materia in my pack.  I'm
ready to go."
     "So are we," assented Reno and Rude.
     "Yuffie, are you ready?" asked Jim.
     "Ready as I'll ever be," she responded.
     "Then let's move out!"  They all climbed back into the car, and they peeled out, leaving
behind a cloud of burning rubber.
     Within a few minutes, they were within the city.  Jim slowed the Cuda to a relative
crawl, and pulled it into an alley.  It was getting dark.
     "All right.  We'd better stick close.  If we happen to get separated, we meet back here at
midnight.  Got it?"
     "What if one of us gets caught?" asked Yuffie, looking directly at Jim.
     Jim looked back.  "Then you leave without him.  No heroics.  Got it, Reno?"
     "Why are you singling me out?  It's not like I'm going to be risking my neck here for
nothing.  I expect to be well paid when this is through."
     Jim stared Reno down with a gaze that could cut through concrete.  "Is that all you care
about?  Money?!  Did it ever occur to you that there might be more important things to fight
for?"
     Reno thought about it for a moment.  "Name one."
     "How about to save this planet before Shinra and Sephiroth blow it to kingdom come? 
Or how about fighting for someone you care about?  Isn't there a single person in this whole
wide world that you care about, other than yourself?!"
     Reno hesitated for a moment, then averted his gaze.  "No . . . "
     "You're lying.  And I'd love to stand here all night and drag the truth out of you.  But we
don't have the time for such luxuries.  So I'll keep this short.  You only in it for the money?  Fine. 
When we're done, you'll get paid and go home.  But you better pull your weight, or I'll drop you
like a bad habit.  Understand, Reno?"
     Rude stared at Jim, and raised an eyebrow.  The last guy to talk to Reno like that got his
balls sent home in a freezer bag, thought Rude.
     Jim sensed extreme agitation on Reno's part, and a lot of surprise from Rude.
     "I understand," was Reno's reply.  This time, both Rude's eyebrows went up.
     "Good.  Now let's get moving.  Rude, where are Shinra's main offices?" asked Jim.
     "This way.  Follow me," responded Rude, as he walked out of the alley, Reno at his side. 
Jim and Yuffie followed them to a large building in the center of town.  "In here."  The four
walked right in the front door.
     The four walked right up to the receptionist's desk.  The receptionist, an old woman with
grey hair pulled up in a bun, and a hawk-like nose, with thick, horn-rimmed glasses, stared at
them rudely.  "I'm sorry, visiting hours are from 10 to 4, please come back tomorrow, thank you
and have a nice day courtesy of the new Shinra corporation," she rattled off detachedly, and she
turned around and picked up a magazine.
     "We're here to see Scarlet and Heideggar," said Jim.
     The receptionist turned back around, clearly annoyed.  "I must be speaking another
language, because I just told you that visiting hours are from ten to 4--"  She paused as Yuffie
pointed one tip of the Conformer right at the old woman's Adam's apple.
     "Where are they?" she asked, as sweet as sugar.
     "T-top floor.  Number 4010.  B-but they're very busy."
     "Don't worry, we'll just be in and out.  Thank you," said Jim, making a motion to tip his
hat, if he had been wearing one.  Yuffie just smiled and walked off toward the elevator.  The
four walked in, and the doors slid closed.  Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief.
     "That was too easy," said Reno.
     "Don't ever say that," said Jim.
     "Why not?" asked Reno.  "It was."
     "Every time someone says 'That was too easy', things get really hard, really fast."
     "Oh.  Sorry."
     Suddenly, the elevator jerked, and stopped.  The lights flickered, but stayed on.
     "See what I mean?" said Jim, more than a little annoyance creeping into his tone.
     The elevator music was replaced by a faint crackle, and then by a menacing female
voice.  "Hello, AVALANCHE losers.  Guess who?"
     "Not again.  That bitch is everywhere," said Jim.
     "I heard that, you pervert."
     "What do you want?" asked Reno.
     "Reno?  What are you doing with these clowns?  Come on back to the Shinra.  You can
start right now if you want.  You know I pay better than them."
     Reno looked as though he was seriously considering the offer.  Then he smirked, and
motioned for Jim to bend over slightly.  He whispered something in his ear, and then, louder,
said, "OK, Scarlet.  I'll take you up on that."
     Before Rude could protest, Reno elbowed him in the ribs, as a signal.  Rude nodded.
     "OK, Jim.  This is as far as you go."  Reno whipped out his nightstick.
     "Damn!  I knew you two couldn't be trusted!" Jim yelled.  He threw a punch, which Reno
easily blocked, and returned with a devastating right hook.  Jim reeled, and dropped to the floor,
having also taken forty thousand volts from Reno's nightstick.
     Yuffie turned to face the Turks.  "Once Shinra, always Shinra!  Traitors!" she spat.  Rude
drew his weapons.
     "Sorry, Yuffie.  I'm just following orders," said Rude, as he trained his pistols, both
trained directly at her heart.   He tipped his shades down, and Yuffie could see into his deep
brown eyes, and knew that he meant her no harm.
     "We got 'em under control," said Reno, pausing for a moment, and then
continuing,"boss."
     "Good work, Reno.  Efficient as usual.  Come on up," squawked the intercom.  The
elevator lurched again, and started up to the top of the building.  When it arrived, Jim and Yuffie
were escorted out of the elevator, and into Scarlet's office.  Jim's lip was cut, and a rivulet of
blood ran down his chin.  He stared defiantly ahead.  Yuffie's hands were bound, and Rude was
carrying Jim's staff, and Yuffie's Conformer.
     "Nice work, you two.  Remind me to promote you sometime," said Scarlet, from across
the room.  "I just wanted my prisoners to get a look at my latest employee before I killed them. 
Come out here!"
     A small, pale man walked out of a side room, with long greasy black hair, and glasses. 
He was dressed in a simple white lab coat.
     Yuffie, Reno, and Rude all nearly fell over in shock.  Jim merely stood there, not
knowing that the man before him was the one who was responsible for nearly destroying the
planet.
     "Hojo!  I thought you were--" started Reno.
     "Dead?" Hojo finished for him.  "The reports of my demise have been greatly
exaggerated."
     "You," said Jim, everything finally clicking into place.  "You're the one responsible for
Sephiroth.  They told me all about what you did.  If I could get free, I'd kill you where you stand,
just on the principle."
     Hojo walked up to him, and had to stand on his tiptoes to look Jim in the eye.  "You," he
said," won't get the chance."  He jabbed a needle into Jim's thigh, and he cried out in pain.  The
world began swirling around him, and it was hard for him to stand up.  He looked over to his
right to see Yuffie already unconscious.  He fought to stay awake for just a few more seconds. 
The drug quickly overcame him, though, and his world plunged into blackness.

     Jim opened his eyes, slowly.  His surroundings were an unintelligible blur to him.  He
tried blinking to clear his vision, to no avail.  He saw another blur walk toward him, and get very
close to him.  "Don't worry," said the blur.  "The blurred vision is a side effect of the drug we
were given.  It'll pass after a couple minutes."
     "You're here too, Yuffie?" he asked.
     Yuffie nodded.  "Yeah, they got me too."
     "Sorry to drag you into this mess.  Now we'll probably both be killed," said Jim,
apologetically.
     "Hey, I knew the risks when I came.  Don't worry about it," she said.
     Jim blinked a few more times.  Slowly, his world was coming back into focus.  He could
finally see Yuffie's still-blurry face staring back at him with concern.  He saw her psychic aura
was matching her look of concern, indicating it was genuine.
     "So how do we get out?" asked Jim.
     "These cells are unbreakable.  There's no way out."
     "They said the Titanic would never be sunk.  Where is it now?"
     Yuffie shrugged.  "What's the Titanic?"
     "It's a big boat that everyone said couldn't be sunk.  Right now, it's decomposing on the
bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on Earth."
     "Oh."  Yuffie still didn't quite get it, but she didn't press the matter.  "So how are we
gonna get out of here?"
     "I'm still trying to figure that out.  Now that my vision has finally cleared up, I can take a
closer look around."  Jim wandered around the cell, inspecting every inch.  It was a simple room,
about 3 meters wide, by 4 meters long, and a ceiling about two and a half meters high.  There
was a steel toilet and sink bolted to one wall, and a steel door on the opposite side.  On either
long wall, a cot was hung by chains and a hinge.  These were welded to the walls, which were
solid steel.  The floor was also steel, and the ceiling was concrete.  There was no opening
anywhere, except for a small ventilation shaft, only about ten or so centimeters wide, and a small
slit in the bottom of the door, presumably for when they were to be fed.  If they were going to be
fed.  The door had no window.
     Jim noticed, for the first time, that someone had forgotten to take one of his materia.  His
mastered Sense materia was still in his pocket.  All the rest of his materia had been taken.
     "Hey Yuffie.  Looks like someone screwed up.  I still have a materia."
     Yuffie instantly perked up.  "Which one?  Bolt?  Fire?  Ice?"
     "No.  Sense."
     "Aww, that's practically useless.  What are you gonna do with that thing?"
     "You'll see."  He walked over to the door, and placed his hand on the center.  The materia
glowed in his other hand.
     "It's an electronic lock.  Requires a key card and a six-digit code to be entered."
     "So?"
     "So, that means I can pick the lock.  Remember, I used to design these things."
     "How?  We can't get at it."
     Jim held up his materia.  "Yes we can."  He put his hand over the lock, and the materia
glowed again while Jim concentrated heavily.  After a few moments, he began breathing harder. 
Sweat beaded on his brow as his concentration increased.  Finally, after what seemed like an
eternity to Yuffie, there was an audible click.  "It's open.  All we have to do is push.  But not yet. 
There are two guards outside, heavily armed.  They're not moving, so they don't know the door's
open.  That, or they're waiting for us to come out.  Wait.  One of them is moving toward us." 
The materia glowed brighter for a moment, and another click was heard, this time, of the door
locking.  "Get on the cot, and pretend you're asleep."  Yuffie silently rushed over to the cot, laid
down, and placed her hands over her chest.  Jim lay on the other cot, letting his arms drop to his
sides.  Both closed their eyes.  Jim closed his completely, while Yuffie opened hers just a slit, so
she could see.
     The door clicked again, and swung open.  Two heavily armed Shinra guards,
accompanied by Scarlet, strode into the room.  Jim remained calm, knowing exactly who was in
the room.  Yuffie had seen Scarlet enter.  Her heart skipped a few beats at the sight of the
woman, but she struggled to keep her breathing regular.
     "All right, you two.  Get up!" yelled Scarlet, making both of them jump.  Jim opened his
eyes, and rose slowly.  Yuffie opened hers fully, and sat up.
     "So what do you have planned for us now?" said Jim.
     "That's for me to know and for you to find out.  But if you cooperate, I'll make sure to
make it quick and painless."
     "We're not cooperating with you, you two-gil whore!" spat Yuffie.
     "Get bent, bitch.  I'm not gonna do anything you say," retorted Jim.
     Scarlet walked up to him, until she was standing toe-to-toe with Jim.  She had to crane
her neck to look him in the eye.  "What did you call me?"
     "You heard what I said."
     Scarlet's face turned beet-red.  "You . . . you'll pay for that remark.  I assure you."
     Jim stared at Scarlet, his gaze ice-cold.  "Look at me tremble in fear."
     Yuffie giggled a little.
     "Ugh, you're worse than that asshole, Reno."
     "Hey, take that back.  NOBODY is worse than Reno."
     Yuffie was having a very hard time controlling herself.  Even the guards were snickering
a little.
     "You will pay dearly for mocking me."
     "Sorry, I don't have any cash.  Take a check?"
     Both guards lost it, and started laughing out loud.  Yuffie's eyes were watering, and even
Jim was having a hard time suppressing the laughter.  So this is what it's like to be Reno, he
thought.
     The only one who wasn't laughing was Scarlet, whose face had grown an even darker
shade of crimson.  Jim would swear that he could see steam coming out of her ears.
     She just huffed, and stormed out of the cell, both guards in tow, and slammed the door.
     As soon as she was gone, Yuffie collapsed to the floor, laughing her head off.
     "Did you see the look on her face?!  It was priceless!" she said in between bouts of
laughter.
     Jim was grinning like an idiot.  "Yeah, that was pretty funny, wasn't it?"
     After another minute or so, they both calmed down enough to stop making noise.
     "Wait till Reno hears what I said about him.  Now THAT will be priceless."
     Yuffie's mood turned sour again.  "That damn traitor!  Just give me five minutes alone
with the little two-faced weasel!"
     "I was sure he was on our side," said Jim, not entirely convincing, but it was enough for
Yuffie.  They sat on their cots in silence for about an hour.
     "So are we gonna get out of here now, or what?"
     "I can't.  Scarlet palmed my materia when she brushed up against me.  She made it look
like she didn't notice it in my pocket, and just walked out with it."
     "Great, now we're stuck in here for good!"
     "We'll be let out, one way or another."
     "How?"
     "Well, they can't keep us here forever.  Either they'll eventually have to let us go, or . . .
"said Jim.
     Yuffie interrupted him.  "No, don't say it  I already almost died once.  I don't wanna even
think about doing it again."
     The slit in the door snapped shut.  "Uh-oh," said Jim.  "That can't possibly be a good
thing."
     There was a slight hissing noise coming from the ventilation shaft.  "Damn!  Gas!  Cover
your mouth!"  he yelled, and he raised his shirt over his mouth and nose, in an attempt to filter
out the fumes.  He immediately saw it wasn't working, as Yuffie was already starting to stagger. 
He supported her as best he could, and when she collapsed, he laid her on her bed.  He was very
lightheaded himself, and his strength was finally giving out.  He collapsed to the floor, and his
world once again went black.

     When he woke up this time, his vision was crystal clear.  He looked toward the cot where
Yuffie should have been, but she was not there.  They had taken her to another room.  As he
stirred, he heard the door click.  A moment later, it swung open, and Heideggar walked in, a
pistol at his side.
     "On your feet!" he bellowed, kicking Jim in the ribs.  Jim coughed a little, then rose
defiantly, at least a head and a half taller than the portly general.
     "What do you want?"  he asked, coldly.
     Two heavily armed guards walked in.  One was carrying a pair of handcuffs.  "You will
come with us."  The guard cinched the cuffs around Jim's wrists, and shoved him out the door. 
They walked down a long hallway, and entered a large room.
     The room was, for the most part, empty, except for a few tables and a couple of chairs,
with a set of overhead lights flickering on the ceiling.  He saw Yuffie, lying on her back, on one
of the tables.  The guard pushed Jim over next to her.
     She was lying perfectly still.  Her face was calm, and tranquil.  It was very pale, all the
color drained..
     Jim stared in shock.  "My God . . . you killed her . . .  is this your idea of a sick joke?!"
     "Look more closely," said Heideggar.  Jim looked carefully at her features.  They were
paler than usual, but not totally washed out.  Heideggar walked around to her other side, and
took a small hand mirror from the table.  He held it in front of Yuffie's face for a moment, then
held it up.  The mirror was fogged from her shallow breathing.
     "You see, she is still alive," said Heideggar.  "How long she stays that way is entirely
dependant on you."
     Jim thought for a moment.  He was trying to think of a way to escape Junon, with Yuffie. 
He wasn't concerned with the Turks anymore.  They had already done enough.
     "What do you want with me?" he asked.
     "Simple.  We want you to participate in a little experiment with Professor Hojo, here." 
Heideggar gestured to the scientist in the corner.
     "And if I refuse?" he asked.
     "Simple.  The girl will be terminated."
     Jim could not bear the thought.  He had almost lost her once already.  He wasn't about to
let that happen again.  He hung his head, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Yuffie."  Then he looked up
at Heideggar, and said, "I'll do it.  On one condition."
     "You're hardly in a position to dictate terms," said Heideggar.  "But fine.  I'll humor you
this.  What condition?"
     "You have to swear that no harm will come to her."
     "Fine, fine.  We won't hurt the girl.  Now will you do it, or will I have to take more
drastic measures?"
     "All right.  First, you let her go.  I want to be sure that she's safe before anything
happens."
     "Fine, fine.  We'll have a car for her out front."
     "No.  MY car will wait for her out front."  He pulled a key fob from his pocket, that they
had neglected to confiscate, and pressed a small black button.  Then he carefully placed the
remote in Yuffie's pocket.
     "Are you quite satisfied?" asked Heideggar, an annoyed tone in his voice.  A Shinra guard
walked up to Yuffie, picked her up in his arms, and carried her out of the room.  Jim was also
escorted out, following the other guard, by another pair of guards.  When they got to the lobby,
Jim's Cuda was parked along the curb, with the four-way flashers on.  The guard placed Yuffie
in the front seat, and the car slowly motored off, and turned a corner, disappearing from view.
     The guards led Jim back inside, and up to the top floor.  They entered a lab, and the
doors slammed shut behind them.

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

     The car turned a corner, out of sight of the main building.  As it pulled into an alley,
Yuffie stirred slightly.  She opened her eyes, to find that she was no longer in her cell.  She
wasn't even in the Shinra building.  She was in the front passenger seat of Jim's Cuda.
     "How the hell did I get here?  Oh well, I'm not arguing.  Hey, what's this?" she said, as
she picked up a small white cassette that was thrown on the seat.  The label on the front said," In
case of emergency, play me."  She stuck the tape in the cassette player.
     "If you're listening to this, it means I've either been killed or captured.  No matter what
happens, get the hell out of Junon, and head back for Wutai.  Like I probably already told you, I
don't want any heroes.  You'll help the cause more if you're still alive.
     "If I am dead, consider this to be my last will and testament.  Yuffie, since I know you're
going to be the only one there, I can tell you this in good faith.  Reno and Rude are not traitors. 
We had discussed a contingency plan once you had fallen asleep over the ocean.  If we were
caught, Reno and Rude were to appear to turn traitor.  If they haven't been found out, then they
are most likely responsible for getting you free. Hold no grudge against us.  We did not tell you
for fear that, should you be captured, and tortured, that you would not jeopardize the situation. 
Please hold us no ill will for this.  We did it to ensure your safety.
     "As for operating the Cuda, the controls are simple enough.  The clutch is on the left, the
brake is in the middle, and the accelerator is on the right.  To shift, let off the accelerator, push
in the clutch, move the gear shift, release the clutch, and step on the gas.  To work the auto pilot,
just tell it where you want to go, and it will take you there.
     "Yuffie, if you can, I want you to get as far away from here as possible.  Scarlet and
Heideggar are going to try to get you back very quickly, and this time, they won't allow your
release as easily.  For your own safety, run.  And forget about all this.  I'm sorry I got you
involved.  Good bye."
     The tape player shut off by itself.  Yuffie slumped back in the seat, shocked at what she
had heard.  Her head told her to take his advice, and run.  She slid over into the driver's seat.  But
something stopped her from throwing the car into gear and taking off.  Something deep inside
her.
     "Dammit!"  she yelled.
     The car peeled out of the alley, disrupting traffic as it raced into the street, and tore off
for the outskirts of town.  When she got to a deserted section of highway, she swerved off the
road, and stopped.
     "What do I do, what do I do?!" she asked herself.  "My brain says I should get outta here
and save my ass.  But. . . something else tells me to stay.  Man, what do I do?!"
     She thought about it for only a minute more.  Then she threw the car into gear, and
swung the vehicle around, heading back into the city.


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