FicWad

Tifa stood in the middle of the towns small square and looked at the snow covered mountains trying to establish where they were. Rufus spotted movement on the other side. If the town was abandoned then he didn't see any point in querying why someone was this far out of the way of society and shot. The body fell with a clear entry and exit wound to the head.

"You're a pretty decent shot." Leon looked at him. "And here I was thinking you had no use but to look fancy."

"And here I am thinking you have the wrong impression of me. I am able to fend for myself I simply prefer not too." Rufus snorted and moved on again.

"Rufus I think we are in Modeoheim." Tifa held up a battered old bathhouse sign. "This says Modeo Inn."

"Okay we can get pulled in then." Rufus flipped his phone open then looked to Leon and Ada. "Um how are we to get you back?"

"Who said we want to go back?" Leon smirked. "We have a whole new place to explore and if that is the virus you will need us."

"I need to know more about that." Rufus agreed, he whistled DN to his side and called in to Tseng. "Modeoheim. Send Reno he can fly better than most."

"Yes Sir." Tseng nodded and put through the order. "Can you hold up for a night? It's really bad weather."

"We can try. Sayonara." He closed the phone. "We need to make a place to stay. Where is best?" He looked to the others.

"Well there is the old store. It's got to be safer than us staying in the Inn; we know that had trouble before." Tifa looked at the door. It was pretty heavily locked.

"Here." Leon moved forwards and leant down. He got the lock-picks from his pocket and started to work on the large padlock.

Rufus watched the area nervously but had a good sense of relief wash through him when Leon opened the door and they headed inside. Tifa pointed as another strange creature came shambling their way and flopped into view. Leon got the pot-shot that time, he was about to turn around to make a happy fly comment when he heard more movement and the head detached turning into a freakish looking spider leaving Tifa with wide eyes at it. Leon and Ada knew them as Ganados and plaga. A creature that infected a human and grew until its host was killed. It ran at considerable speed towards the group.

Ada and Leon unloaded their clips at the thing and it jerked, writhed and then exploded on the ground. Leon headed inside and checked the area before he ventured in and then checked the store room. Tifa headed in and they both satisfied themselves that the main room at least had not been brought to ruin or had any odd creatures roaming around. Rufus was guided in by Ada as he tried to get back to Tseng and tell them that tomorrow was not good enough.

"Rufus?"

"Tomorrow... no good. Send SOLDIER if you have too but waiting around is NOT an option. There are these monsters here and they are going to kill us." Rufus looked out of the window.

"May I?" Leon held his hand out. Rufus nodded and handed him the phone. "Hello Tseng? My name is Leon Kennedy, I used to be a police officer in Racoon City in another world but more importantly I survived the city after an outbreak of something called the T-Virus. I think there is a chance that the virus has somehow been brought to your world. I don't know this for sure but unless you have a lot of issues surrounding what look like zombies I would very much like to meet you and figure out how to stop it spreading." There was a long silence at the end of the phone.

"Keep the President alive until Reno can get into the area and we'll talk. If he dies I will find you and kill you myself," Tseng warned him, "but I have not had these kinds of reports before. I need your intelligence on the matter."

"Done." Leon snapped the phone shut. "President we're making base here until this Reno person can come and collect you. Now..." He found an old bottle of bourbon, red wine and then looked around for other things like bandages, he found batteries. "How long as this place been empty?"

"I signed the last activity here about a year ago when they asked me to remove the families that were willing too. The files on my desktop but I don't have a computer here." Rufus sat on the counter, he was feeling so utterly disgusting and filthy but this was the best it would get for now.

"It's okay." Ada hopped up next to him. "Leon knows what he is doing." She cocked her head and looked at him, A rather wonderful ripple ran through Rufus, gosh she truly was a stunning woman. "I do too if it helps?" She chuckled lightly.

Tifa sighed and looked at the building. When he said the families willing to move she wondered about the others that didn't. Had they been infected by the strange virus? There was so little food around what had they been eating? They had to be hunting something if that was the case. She sighed deeply, if Cloud were here he might know. Tifa politely asked Rufus for the phone before slipping to the outside and sitting on the wall. It was a plan to call him but he might be on a delivery and then he wouldn't even bother to answer anyway. Typically she got his answer machine and so she left him a message asking him to call on the number she used.

"Cloud... I miss you." Tifa whispered and from behind her she heard movement. Tifa brought her fists up ready. Rufus put his hand to her shoulder and she looked up. "He's so very rarely at home."

"I can tell." Rufus said as he sat beside her. "I can't imagine anyone not wanting to be away from you." He smiled a little. "Me on the other hand..." He smirked.

"You seem okay when you're not giving very long speeches or trying to blow the planet up." Tifa kicked the wall with her legs and looked to him. "Rebuilding the planet must be hard work with your new statement for better things. Easier to send in SOLDIER than to... to play fair I would think."

"A matter of perspective. You're lover said it best." Rufus looked out as the snow began to fall. "I think I want to be forgiven." With that he stepped back into the store. Tifa smiled softly as he went out of sight.