Vagaries of Fate

Abduction

Chapter 36

Sephiroth had to fight to hold onto his calm. It was taking them longer to get to the apartment than he wanted, but they had to be careful and ensure they didn't run into any problems on the way given what had happened. By the time they made it back to the building, Sephiroth was both aggravated and appreciative to see a couple of company vehicles blocking the gate so that none could enter or leave.

He ignored the looks he was getting from the other residents of the apartment as he walked through the barricade. He barely even acknowledged the salutes from the few Soldiers that were on hand. It didn't take him long to find Angeal already in the apartment and helping Zack from the floor.

The Second looked up when Sephiroth entered and frowned. "I couldn't hold them all off. Several of them crashed through the door, and then more came through the windows. I tried, but-"

When he cut off, Sephiroth shook his head. "Do not blame yourself." He then turned to Angeal. "Where is Clarissa?"

The Commander stood with a sigh as he caught Sephiroth's eye. He tried to keep his worry from his voice when he answered. "She was already gone when I arrived. Zack was out cold. It looks like she was able to partially heal him, but there is no sign of her or the Ravens that attacked."

He hadn't even finished speaking before the three boys walked around Sephiroth to look through the apartment. The General closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about how Genesis would take the news. He nearly groaned when he realized it might be a good idea for them to head him off before he got to the city. He had no doubt that something was going to be destroyed as soon as his temperamental friend found out that his wife had most likely been kidnapped by Avalanche.

It was then that he felt the rage and pain from the boys and realized that Genesis wasn't the only one that was angry she was missing. He ran a hand down his face before he walked into the other room to make sure the three boys didn't try to take matters into their own hands.

They had already walked around the kitchen and were in the bedroom. He caught them eying the window and spoke before they could act on their thoughts. "Don't think we will not be looking for her. I'll make sure you are kept up to date on anything we find out."

They all looked at him with frowns, but he knelt and continued before they could respond. "Don't forget that she is my sister too."

That finally seemed to do the trick. Loz started crying again. It was a testament to how distressed the boys were that Yazoo gave his brother a comforting pat instead of saying anything. At least they all followed Sephiroth back into the living room where Angeal and Zack were still waiting.

The Commander had stood to go call in the Soldiers now that Sephiroth was there, but the General held up a hand and pulled out his phone again. It didn't take him long to dial a number. The voice on the other end didn't even register tiredness when he answered. "What can I do for you in the middle of the night, General."

Sephiroth saw no point in beating around the bush, so he got right to point. "Veld, I need you to send your best trackers to the apartments on Loveless Ave. Clarissa has been taken, and we have reason to believe it was Avalanche."

There was a loud string of curses that had Sephiroth holding the phone away from his ear. Thankfully it didn't last long, and he could hear Veld moving on the other end. "I'll be there with my men in less than half an hour." Nothing else was said before the line went dead.

Sephiroth put his phone back and turned to face the others. It took all he had to bury his worry so the boys wouldn't catch it as he spoke to Angeal. "The Turks will have someone here shortly. In the meantime, let's see what we can figure out."

Zack was already on his feet with a frown as he saluted. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Sephiroth could tell the boy was still blaming himself no matter what they said. He gave him a reassuring pat as he walked by, and his voice was pitched so that it didn't carry. "We'll get her back. Don't worry." After that, the three Soldiers split up to see if there were any clues left behind.

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It was twenty minutes later that Veld walked into the apartment with Reno in tow. The Director didn't waste any time as soon as he saw Sephiroth. "You said you have reason to believe Avalanche took her? Why?"

Sephiroth sighed as he pointed to where Zack was still sitting dejectedly at the kitchen table. "Soldier Fair was attacked by more than a dozen Ravens at once. He said he was able to hold them off for a short time, but he was severely injured. The boys all stated they saw the men that attacked as well and corroborate his description of the attackers."

Veld sighed. He had hoped there was a mistake, but he had to admit the General had probably been correct. He ran his hand down his face before he faced Sephiroth again. "I doubt you have been idle. Did you find anything?"

Veld tried not to grimace when he saw the General's jaw clench. If it was bad enough for him to show a reaction, then Veld wasn't looking forward to hearing it. His hypothesis was proven correct when Sephiroth answered. "We were able to determine that the attackers rappelled down from the roof before they entered through the kitchen and living room windows as well as the front door. There are no signs that they left via the stairs, so we believe they must have gone back up to the roof when they achieved what they came for."

The Turk Director swallowed a curse as he pulled his phone out. It was a matter of seconds before he reached the men he had outside still. "We think they left by air. Leave a man to make sure there are no signs on the ground. The rest head up to the roof to see if anything was left behind."

He hung up as soon as he received confirmation. He then turned his glare back to Sephiroth. "Anything else?"

The General sighed as he shook his head. "Angeal and Zack questioned everyone in the adjoining apartments. There were also a few others that were woken by the noise. They all say pretty much the same thing. They were woken by yelling and the sounds of fighting. Most of them didn't bother coming out until they saw the Shinra vehicles. The couple that did both said they saw two helicopters headed south right after the noise subsided."

Whatever Veld's response to that had been was forgotten when he caught sight of the three boys peeking around the corner. He had heard about them, of course. It was hard not to hear all the speculation about the General and his 'family.' Even so, he had not yet seen them. It was shocking just how much they all looked like Sephiroth.

When Sephiroth looked back to see what had snagged Veld's attention, he sighed once again. He then shook his head as he turned around to the Director. "I need to get them back to Headquarters. I also need to let Genesis know. I would rather he get his reaction out of his system before they make it to the city."

Reno finally spoke up for the first time. He let out a low whistle as he shook his head. "You sure ya wanna do that? I know ya may not like Rufus, but ya can't want him dead, right?"

Veld could already feel a headache coming on, and that reminder didn't help. He shot the boys one more curious look before he shook his head and looked over at Sephiroth. "I know it would be worse if you waited. For tonight, why don't you let my men finish this? You take them back and let me know if they can remember anything else."

He then paused and lowered his voice. "If the Ravens left by helicopter, our options are limited. I will send a team into the wastelands, but once they were out of sight, they could have gone anywhere."

Sephiroth's jaw clenched once again, but he managed a nod. He didn't bother lowering his voice as well, as he knew the boys heard it all anyway. "I know. I will clear it with Director Lazard, but we will likely be sending out search parties as well once we can organize. Let me know what you find, and we can coordinate. I will not be sleeping again tonight."

Veld grimaced at the subtle reminder that the three boys were more than what they seemed. He still gave the General a nod before the man walked out with the boys in tow. He almost smiled at their determined eyes. If it wasn't such a dire situation, he probably would have. He just hoped they found the missing Soldier before things got out of hand. From what he had been told, those boys didn't need any more pain. He finally let those thoughts go and focused on the investigation as he watched Commander Hewely and Soldier Fair leave as well.