Chapter 3: The answers of the call

Barret’s beer fell from his hand as he blankly stared at the television screen.

"What’s wrong daddy?" Marlene ran up to her stepfather as he just sat there. "Daddy?"

Barret suddenly came back to life. "HOT DAYUM! Well slap my ass and call me Lucy! Them damn Shinra actually did something! Marlene, you know what this means?!"

"Uh…"

"That’s right! AVALANCHE rides again!" He jumped out of his chair and did a dance with his little girl. " Oh man, I gotta get prepped! Where's mah gun arm? Where's mah bullets! Where's mah old AVALANCHE outfit!" He ran upstairs through their Kalm home. Elmyra came in out of the kitchen and just saw Barret run up the stairs.

"What's wrong with Mr. T? He seems awfully happy today." She chuckled as she put some tea down on the table.

"Daddy says AVALANCHE rides again!" Marlene jumped up excitedly.

Barret came down the stairs as suddenly as he went up. He cocked his gun "I pity da foo who stands in AVALANCHES way!"

"Barret! I thought you said that you were done with all of this fighting nonsense?!" Elmyra put her hands on her hips.

"This is official business from them damn ShinRa! AVALANCHE has been summoned to protect da earth again! We be needed woman!" He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Be a good girl for daddy. I’ll be back as soon as this is over." He kissed Marlene then ran out the door and jumped on his motorbike.

Elmyra looked down at Marlene who was still waving. "I don’t know how I stand that man sometimes…"

***

"Ah, finally with Nebelhiem put back together, I can get some sleep." Vincent Valentine sighed as he lowered himself into the ShinRa Mansion coffin. He placed the lid over himself and closed his eyes. "All has been forgiven. I am purged of no more sins."

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Vincent opened his eyes and yelled. "Yuffie! For the last time, I AM NOT A VAMPIRE! GO AWAY!" He turned over and grumbled. "The rest of the guys don’t bother me, why cant she just stay in Wutai?"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Vincent kicked the lid of his coffin off and flew out, getting ready to kill. But it wasn’t who he expected to see. The TURKS?!

Reno leaned on his electromag rod. "Wake up vamp. You’ve been summoned by Reeve of the ShinRa."

"I am not a TURK anymore. Just leave me be."

Elena quickly piped up. "But its not about the TURKS! It’s about AVALANCHE! A big meteo-"

"Elena, you talk too much." Reno interrupted her. Rude stepped foreword.

"Reeve expects you at the ShinRa tower in Jonun by next week. Be there."

Vincent just stood there, not flinching.

"Come on guys, the message was delivered." Reno said.

"But he’s not doing anything. Shouldn’t we beat him up like we used to." Elena asked.

"Be quiet Elena. Your too weak." Reno said as he lifted his electromag rod over his shoulders. The TURKS left the room.

"…I am needed? So the guys really do care if I’m there or not." He smiled something extremely rare for Vincent. "I’m going to have to get my guns ready." He stepped out of the coffin and made his way up the stairs.

***

Nanaki lifted himself off the rocky ground. "Time to see what’s going on in the world." He marched over to his television set, the only one in Cosmo Canyon, and flipped it on with his paw.

{As you can see, we don’t want JENOVA or any other aliens back. So therefor ShinRa, from last December on, will investigate and destroy any alien life form that even dares to step foot upon OUR PLANET!" The entire room cheered as he raised his fist in the air. "You may remember AVALANCHE, the saviors of our planet from Sephiroth and METEOR. They our going to investigate, terminate, and ultimately end any alien in the Inner Sea.}

Nanaki quickly got up to his feet. "The guys are getting back together?! It’s been so long! I finally get to see my buddies again!" He howled in excitement. "I’ve gotta get my materia together. I’m sure the guys will be impressed by my new knowledge of the planet after reading these books." He stepped over to his mirror. "…Welcome back, Red XIII."

***

"%^&$ this man! I can’t go now! I’m getting married next year! I’m engaged! What happens if I get killed?! Shera will be by herself in grief. I can’t go!" Cid Highwind yelled at the ShinRa soldier.

"I’m sorry sir, but this is a direct order from the President. All of AVALANCHE is to assemble in Jonun next week for an assault on the fallen asteroid." The soldier replied.

"Well you can tell that %#%# off Reeve that I ain’t going. Gotta get prepped for a %$#^ing family. Gotta wedding to plan, rooms to build. It’s enough that I’m head of the airforce ain’t it?!"

"Cid." Shera, who was a little larger, due to being pregnant, walked into the small Rocket town house.

"What is it woman?! Err…I mean yes darling?"

"I was gardening in the back and couldn’t help but over hear your conversation."

"You needn’t worry, Shera. I ain’t going with these %^&*ers."

"That’s exactly the point. I think you should go."

Cid’s cigarette fell out off his lip. "…What are you saying?"

"I’m saying you should go. The world needs you again Cid. Without you, AVALANCHE couldn’t do anything." Well, that one was a fib, but it seemed to work on Cid. "You can do much more out there than you can here. I’ll be all right. I’ll call over some friends to help if I get sick. Besides, you need to work on your language. We don’t want you talking like that when the Baby arrives."

Cid just stood there, digesting the information. "…All right Shera. I’ll go. But I’ll be back for Cid JR’s birth. I swear." He kissed her on the cheek.

"And if it’s a girl?" She smiled.

"Then I’ll be here for lil’ Aeris’s birth. I swear on that too." He kissed her again.

He then turned around and faced the soldier. "All right ass hole. I’m coming. But for only as long as it takes." He lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.

***

"…." Rude was in an uncomfortable silence as he entered the lions den otherwise known as Yuffie’s house. Both were dangerous places to be. He scanned the area. Indoor fish pool, lily pads, sliding doors.

"All right Scum Bag, what are you doing here?!" Rude felt a sharp point stick into his neck. He raised his hands and grabbed whoever was behind him and threw it into the wall in front of him.

"Gawd that hurt. What do you think your doing?! That could have, like, killed me or something." Yuffie picked herself and her gigantic shuriken up.

"Alright spy, listen up. I was in town getting a drink at Turtle’s Paradise when I noticed my gil had been stolen. The only thief in this town is you. So therefor I hunted you down to this building and I’m gonna get my money back right now." He aimed his gun at her.

"Gawd, I hate being blamed for every single thing that disappears. It wasn’t me. You still have your wallet in your pocket." She pointed to his pant pocket.

"Hmm. you’re right. The real reason is that President Reeve has summoned you. As a member of AVALANCHE, you are to go to the ShinRa building in Jonun next week." Rude put down his gun and walked away.

"Wait! Where you going?!"

He smiled and lowered his sunglasses. "Turtle’s Paradise. Where else?"

After he walked off, Yuffie gathered her materia and walked to the exit of her home. "I hope daddy doesn’t mind me taking his materia. Maybe the guys got some new materia! Oh, I love this job. Nyuck nyuck nyuck."

***

Tifa was serving drinks in Turtle’s Paradise. She was a bar hostess there, because her own bar was destroyed about a year and a half ago. The bar had flowers of a million different kinds around it. Reno and Rude were sitting at the bar, being merry and drunk. She sighed and looked into the mirror that was behind her. O when will the guys get back together? She missed them a lot. She couldn’t wait for Cid’s wedding.

"Hello? Barmaid?" A voice called. She snapped back into reality.

It was Cloud, her life long friend. "Hello Tifa." He smiled.

She dropped the glass she was polishing and it broke onto the floor. She didn’t seem to notice. "Cloud?! Is that you?"

"Well, I hope it’s me. I don’t have any clones." Cloud laughed. "Gosh, how long has it been?"

Tifa jumped over the bar and hugged Cloud. "Cloud! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Oh, I missed you so much." She hugged him even harder.

"…I missed you to."

She let go of him after that and looked into his mako blue eyes.

"It’s been a whole year since we last saw each other. Can you believe it? …You look like you haven’t aged a bit." Cloud rubbed her head. She blushed.

"Well, you look the same way you did to, spiky head." They both laughed.

"You know what. AVALANCHE is getting back together. We’ll be able to see all the guys again. Cloud smiled.

"REALLY?!" She jumped back into clouds arms. "This is WONDERFUL!"

Reno then put his attention to the couple. "Hey, your * hic * Tifa Lockheart, aren’t ya. You’ve been summoned by the President to do battle with a meteor." Reno then went back to being drunk and chatting with Rude.

"I better get ready. This is so GREAT." She kissed cloud on the cheek. "Thank you Cloud!" She ran to the door, stopped, than turned back "Uhh…cloud. Could you watch the bar until someone else comes?"

Cloud sighed "Sure."