Switched

Unexpected Answers

Chapter 13

Night had already descended, but there was still continuous bustling around the site. Every member of the WRO that was in Edge had been called out to assist with getting things set up. The lights were already up and lighting up the area. The last details were being cleared up before they all settled in to wait.

Sephiroth was standing on a cliff a short distance away, watching the whole thing unfold. Reeve had asked that she stay away while his teams were busy constructing the impromptu site. He was almost apologetic when he asked, but he pointed out that most people would be nervous around her, even if they weren't sure who she was, and it would slow down the process. Sephiroth had reluctantly agreed. Genesis and Weiss had also been asked to stay away. A fact that irritated the red-head, not so much because he was itching to assist, but more for the fact that he was tired of hiding. Weiss didn't seem to care either way. His smirk hadn't left his face since they found out the conflict was probably about to get started.

Cloud and Vincent had accompanied them as well. Sephiroth had expected Vincent but was surprised when Cloud insisted on going with them also. He made it clear that he didn't want Vincent to be the sole person responsible for the three people that he still considered criminals.

Sephiroth had long since stopped paying attention to the surly blonde. His focus was almost entirely on trying to translate the messages he was being sent. There was something the planet seemed to know about the approaching ship but Sephiroth still couldn't interpret it. The fact that there was sorrow, and a tremendous amount of fear dominating the things being sent made it even harder to figure out.

When he noticed the lights from several vehicles headed their way, he tried to push it back as much as possible. It looked like the activity around the set up was diminishing, so he was sure it was getting close to the time for the arrival. They still didn't have an exact time, but they had set up a window of time as best as the scientists could extrapolate. When the vehicles finally arrived, Reeve waved them over. "Everything is set up. I have a small contingent of people down there, but I sent the majority of them away, at least far enough that we won't seem too threatening. The window of time for the arrival starts in less than an hour. Let's get in place in case it happens early."

Sephiroth agreed that it was a good idea. He was uneasy about the fact that he couldn't understand the planet but knew that he couldn't let it stop him. The fact that he had been feeling the fear for most of the day had him on edge. He had already nearly punched Weiss a few times. It had surprisingly been Genesis that had talked him down and kept the peace. Sephiroth had missed the fact that Genesis had pulled the younger man to the side to threaten him out of earshot.

When they made it down to the landing pad, Sephiroth noted that it was much larger than it had looked from up on the cliff. He supposed it made sense, there was no telling the type of propulsion the alien ship used, so the landing could get messy. They had managed to get the dimensions of the approaching craft, or at least an estimate of them, and found that it was about the same size as the Shera if shaped entirely different. That gave them an idea of what they needed, and this space was large enough to accommodate several Shera's and then some.

Once they had arrived at the edge of the lit-up clearing, they all settled in to wait. Sephiroth barely noted that the other four people he had mentioned earlier in the day had gravitated to where he was standing. If he wondered at their positioning, he didn't dwell on it long. The voice of the planet was louder than it had been all day. It was sheer strength of will that kept him on his feet.

The waiting stretched to the point that everyone was starting to get nervous. The whispers of concerns that they had done this all for nothing were no longer hidden. It was when Sephiroth had heard this whisper for nearly the dozenth time that the voice of the planet suddenly stopped. Its complete silence had his head jerking up.