Crisis Prelude

[ValkyrieRose]

There was silence when she woke up. A rare luxury, since Scarlet usually heard whispering. Be it from the planet, fallen Cetra, cries of monsters, she never really got that peaceful of a rest. She lived in her apartment, which she was finally old enough to buy. Thanks to her paycheck from Shinra, she lived reasonably welll, all things considered. She usually started the morning with a Frappe... but, annoyingly, she didn't have time for that today. A beeping came from her side, her phone. She opened it up.


“You're on assignment today. Come to the office for briefing' Came a voice before the phone cut off.


Scarlet sighed. “Good morning to you too, Mom.” She said, hanging up, getting dressed in a tuxedo skirt, and headed out.


She didn't live too far from the Shinra building, so it was only a short drive away. Once she parked her vehicle, she got in, and made her way to the top floor..the directors office.


There the director and her mother were standing side by side, going through some files. “Ms. Cross, take a seat.”


Scarlet shrugged, sitting down. “What was so important that I had to skip breakfeast?” She asked.


“Testing, for one. Before you go out i'm taking a sample of your blood.” Reyna said before poking a needle, almost without warning. Scarlet winced- she HATED when her mom dead. Ten seconds later, her mother put the vial of blood in a cooler


“Second, we wait.” The director said. “Starting today you are to be assigned a partner. We'll offically begin breifing once he arrives.” He says

 

[ultimus9]

Victor walked into the Director's office, scratching the back of his hand. He could swear the black tissue was spreading. Maybe I should see the doctors. He walked up to his usual spot and sat down.


"Did you call me or something Director? I'm pretty tired right now, hope this's important." He rubbed the side of his temples and looked up. He'd woken up with a headache, his right hand was numb, and he really wasn't in the mood for another gods-forsaken assignment!


He looked up, taking in the stark white surroundings.


"So, what does Shinra require of me today?"

 

[ValkyrieRose]

The director motions to Scarlet. "This is Scarlet your new partner. She's under your care and a valuable asset to Shrina,so get along and don't let her die." HE says.


Scarlet peers out from her chair to look at the man, smiling and waving. "It's nice to meet you!" She says with ehr best smile.


Renya grabs a remote, and presses a button. "We're sending the two of you to Wutai." She says, calling up a map or a southren region of it. " The Wutai people believed they have discovered a source of mako energy" She says. "If nothing else, the land HAS grown more fertile... spies have uncovered plans to build a sort of reactor, similar to ours. If they succeed, they'll have a massive load of profits...not to mention the threat of having their own version of SOLIDER." She says.


She looks to Scarlet. "Scarlet, we are sending you and Victor to wutai undercover. Your mission is to redirect the budding mako energy elsewhere... or if that proves impossible, make the lands infertile."


She looks to Victor. "Your job is to help her complete this mission, then the two of you are to infiltrate their command center and destroy any reactor plans you mention...even a little sticky note saying 'build a reactor' has to go.' until the extration, this is a covert mission... passage on a civilan transport ship has already been booked. Any questions?"

 

[ultimus9]

"Er, no. Also, couldn't this wait?" He was going to have a word with Lazard later. For god's sake, he didn't want to go to Wutai, insurgent central. Looking at Reyna's expression, he tried to soften it a bit. "I mean, who is this? I've never seen her on any roster." He sank back into his chair.


"Fine. When do we leave?"

 

[ValkyrieRose]

Scarlet stands up, giving him a smile. "My name is Scarlet Cross." She says. " I work as a ... uh, specilist when it comes to the planet." She says with a sile, trying to lighten up the mood. "I have special skills when it comes to this sort of thing." she says


Renya looks at him. " You leave for junction...now." She says. "We'll drop you off outside the city, then you two make for the ferry. Your fake ids and your expense money are on the desk outside." She says, going to sit down. "Well, off you go."


Scarlet sighs, then looks to Victor. "Don't worry, I just crawled out of bed myself, so you aren't the only one suffering." She says

 

[ultimus9]

"You have no idea." Victor got up, taking the money and passports. He laughed as saw his photo. Got me in a business suit, huh? He tossed Scarlet's passport at her. "Well, I'm off, try not to burn down the building or make some horrible mutant while I'm gone." He rubbed his eyes, tapping the elevator button. What was it with Shinra and Wutai? Always going against each other, like sodium in water. He thought about Scarlet. Did Reyna really pull it off?

 

[ValkyrieRose]

Scarlet catches the passport. "Accroding to this, I'm Scarlet Remiella, only recently happily marriedd, and i've arranged for an Exotic honeymoon." She says, looking at some of the papers. "Interesting.... definatly creative,." She says with a laugh She sits back in the elevator as it goes up to the helipad. Rather than waiting in silence, she turns to Victor. "Well, it'll be nice working with you!" She with a laugh. "This seems like a mission that will take a little while.. but then again, you are SOLIDER.. first class? i can't tell." She says sheepishly.


The elevator door rings up, to where a chooper is already fired up.

 

[ultimus9]

"...You're not from here, huh? Purple means 3rd, the low man, navy is 2nd, and 1st is black. This is black."


The chopper blow Victor hair back making him squint. "To be honest, I can't tell if this is an audit or just a plain inspection," Victor says, fastening his seat belt. "Who are you really?"


The helicopter lifts off, leaving behind the Midgar skyline. The Mako City.


He wondered if his parents knew where he was.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

Scarlet shrugs. "Sorry, I've never been big on the whole uniform thing." She laughs. "So, I have a SOLIDER !st class watching my back? That's reassuring." She says. As she enters the helicopter, a man hands her a cup. "Oh, my Frappe!" She says happily taking a sip and smiling.


She looks at Victor, tilting her head. "I'm exactly who i say I am... you're not the trusting type hmm?" She sasks


The flight begins, and they were already to a warm and trusting start.. as if.."

 

[ultimus9]

"No, I don't. Usually when they assign a partner to me, it's someone who can actually fight, like another 1st or at least a 2nd. What can you do?" He turns and stares out at the Northern Ocean. What, do they think I'm worthless now? Bodyguard is a 3rd class job, not something a 1st does...what was their game?

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"I'm an operative just like you." She says, happily taking a sip of her drink. "I can bluff my way through a lot of stuff, I have special...skills that keep me in the Shinra company. MArtial arts? None." She says. "I can barely throw an effective punch...but don't worry, you won't be fighting alone." She says.


She looks out the window, watching the the water. Flying as amazing. When I'm this high up... I can't hear anything. It's like i can finally get some peace and quiet... I should look into an airship or something similar. She ecides

 

[ultimus9]

"Skills, huh? Such as?" She was probably stuff as she went along, he thought. But hey, at least he finally got from that slum stench always wafting up from below. He pulled his glaive out from behind his back, studying it. At very least, tell me you do magic or something.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Nosy, aren't you?" She asks with a laugh. "Magic." She decides after a sigh. "I'm special in that I can cast large variety of magic without the use of materia." She says, making a small flame appear in her hand. "Useful for surprise operations... since I don't need materia, i appear unarmed." She said.


She looks out. "i prefer staves because it's easier to channel through, but I can cast without weapons as well." She says "Now, that's enough Q and A for now." She says, stretching out, closing her eyes and yawning. "We should be arriving in Junction soon, depending on how fast this thing can travel. I hope your a good actor, honey." She laughs.

 

[ultimus9]

Victor didn't respond to the last comment, preferring instead to unbuckle his seat belt. He could see the Junction, approximately 1000 feet below.


"May want to hold off on that nap, honey. We've arrived."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Alread?" She asks, a little put off by the fact that they had arrived faster than anticipated. "Darn.... I wonder if those ferrys have beds?" She asks with a laugh opening the door and jumping out. Upon landing she snaps, making a field of electricity stop her from falling, and she lands with a gentle step. "YOu're in charge of expenses, so I'll follow you on this." She says. She stretches out. "I suppose the first order of business is clothing?" She asks.

 

[ultimus9]

"Quite. I'm told they would have everything ready, so it must be on the ship."


Victor lands next to Scarlet.


"You know you look like a showoff when you do that, right?"

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Hm? I don't get it." She says, at Victors last question. "It's been ages since I've ridden a boat... and I've never been to Wutai, either." She says as she discards her cup in a trash can. "Arlight, so clothes are taken care of. I suppose the expenses are for food then. Probably for wepaons, bribes, and the like as well." She figures


As they enter Junction, Scarlet latches onto Victors arm. "So tll me about yourself, honey." She says in an obviously sweet tone. "What's it like being a big, bad SOLIDER?" She asks.

 

[ultimus9]

Victor shakes his head, then stares her in the eyes. "Well, first there's that," he says, chuckling. "The mako we are exposed to changes our eyes, makes them brighter." And then there's - he rolled his left sleeve - that. Sometimes the Jenova cells apparently clash with my human ones. Regardless, we're stronger than the average enraged bear, and well. You probably know everything else."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Mako eyes, yes, I was aware that, thankfully." She says, holding a silent hand to his arm. "While the eyes are easy to deal with...that arm ahs to be painful." She sympathizes. "Jenova...me and those cells have never gotten along." She says with annoyance. She continues to look into his eyes for a bit, noting the glow. The lifestrema coursed through her...it was a part of her, so she felt it's presence stronger than any other would."


"I haven't noticed any materia. Do you prefer combat to magic, then?"

 

[ultimus9]

"Well, perhaps you weren't looking correctly." Victor said matter-of-factly, raising an arm filled with glowing circles of light. "I spent an hour perfecting this loadout. It can take out a city block at full power. Of course, it'd also blow my arm clean off." He abruptly stopped handing their tickets to the usher? captain? He didn't really know. He rummaged in his pocket a few seconds before pulling out a bright red orb.


"Bahumut. They loaned it to me. You seem better suited to it though. And as for the arm...I don't feel pain from it, or anything. Which might be the scariest thing."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"IF the Jenovas cells prove to be too much, come to me." She says, accepting the Bahamut materia. Summoning was one of the things she couldn't do without theproper materia, as the materia was used to gather the ver existance of the summoned monster. "What i do opposes Jenova influence, so maybe i can lessen the pain." She says.


As they reach their cabin she opens the door, smiling at the bag of clothes. "Just my size too." She says, changing right there with a sigh. "Good, i hate that Tux-like...THING." She says

 

[ultimus9]

Victor strolled in after Scarlet. "You'd for the gil Shinra blows, we'd get a larger cabin." He opened the bag slightly, peering inside. A dress shirt. Wonderful. He, too, changed there, switching shirts quickly, a futile attempt to conceal the black tendrils beginning to go down his back. He laid his glaive carefully in a corner, then collapsed onto the bed. "For the record," he said to the ceiling, "it's called a tuxedo. Turks gear, y'know?" He sat up. "So, a day's journey to Wutai? Bigger world than I thought."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Eh, they're annoying is what they are." She says, finishing up really quickly, and setting in a recliner in the corner. "Why anyone would wear stuff like that is weird... too constriting."Well, we can't set off any alarms, so a small room ahs to do." She says. "That being saiiid." She says, picking up a menu and calling for room servic.e About five minutes later, a door opens and Scarlet recieves a milkshake, which she happily begins sipping. "Greatest invention on earth i tell you." She says.


"But yeah a whole day... what do you want to do? Going to take a nap?" She asks

 

[ultimus9]

"No." Victor stood up, walked to the entrance and left, calling back:


"I'm going to enjoy the scenery."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

"Never pegged you for a scenery man." She laughs, plopping on the bed. "Im going to get some rest, I think... it's always nice by passing time by ignoring its passing." She says, snuggling up to a cover. "If you need me, let me know. I sense something...odd a bout amile to the south, so be careful." She says, closing her eyes.