Story: Women of the waste (chapter 11)

Tifa pulled Yuffie and Selphie back as Gem remained trembling and sobbing on the floor, gun still clutched in her hand.

“Get back you two, go on.” Tifa kicked Yuffie in the ass as the girl bumped into Scud spilling a glass of water in his hand.

“Ya’ fuckin’ see you?!?” Scud saved most the water as he handed Tifa.

“Here Gem, drink.” Gem took the glass in a shaky hand and drank. Tifa and the others looked at Gem as the girl handed back the empty glass.

“Is everything ok, you scared the shit outta us?” Tifa cooed delicately as Gem looked up her eyes blood red.

“Y-yeah, sorry I’m jus’ a-a little shook up.” Gem said lowly as she finally stood up.

“Where’d you get them?” Selphie asked as she pointed to Gem’s gun still in her hand.

“None of your business.” Snapped Gem as Tifa looked down at the girl with a frown.

“The witch of the waste.” Both Yuffie and Selphie’s mouth’s dropped open with a gasp as Gem glared at her.

“You, know the Queen of the waste?” Selphie asked surprisingly as Gem just looked away.

“I said it’s none of your fucking business!” Gem snarled viciously as both girls looked taken back.

“Gem, that’s enough!” Tifa yelled sternly as Gem glared daggers at her. Silence fell over the group as something dawned on Scud. He cleared his throat as he looked scared shitless and pointed at Gem.

“Ya’ know who tha’ is don’t ya’?” Tifa, Yuffie, and Selphie looked at him in wonder as they didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.

“She’s “The Red.” Gulped Scud as the other stepped back from Gem as if she were poison.

“No fuckin’ way!” Yuffie and Selphie said together as Tifa looked at Gem like she never seen her before.

“There’s no way she could be “The Red” she’s jus’ a girl now and that was years ago, she’d only been a kid then.” Tifa tried explaining as Scud looked at her shaking his head.

“How do ya’ know what she or he looked like? Ya’ only hear’d rum’ors I’m tellin’ ya’ tha’s he’r, it was ritin’ on tha’ fuckin’ case!” Scud continued as Gem looked just as surprised.

“The Red?” Gem whispered as she suddenly grabbed head. Sharp images stabbed her brain as screaming faces swirled around her grinning face all covered in blood. Gem shrieked again as everyone flinched back.

“Gem!” Tifa grabbed the red-head’s shoulder as Gem slapped it away.

“Shut up! Don’t touch me bitch!” Gem yelled wickedly, her eyes violent as she raised her gun again.

“Kill them all!”

“Go easy Gem, you don’t want to shoot me.” Tifa was seriously unsure if she believed that, but she had to try. Tears poured down Gem’s face as she didn’t know who she was anymore. Scud was pressed up against the wall as Yuffie and Selphie had their hands on their pieces.

“Everyone calm down, Gem please put it down.” Tifa looked into Gem’s bloodshot eyes as her hand trembled. The red-eyed girl sobbed loudly as she lowered her gun and hugged Tifa tightly. Everyone took a deep breath as the busty brown-haired woman hushed her softly.

“Ohhhh Tifa, I-I’m sorry.” Gem whined weakly as her tears soaked Tifa’s chest.

“Come on Gem, let’s get some fresh air, Scud get the list ready, Yuffie, Selphie load it up.” Tifa ordered firmly as she headed to the front with the distressed girl. Gem stopped abruptly as she walked to the back were the case was. Again the group cringed as Gem poured a full clip into the case and walked back out.

“Feel better?” Yuffie asked sardonically as Gem finally smiled, nodded and followed Tifa out. Yuffie and Selphie watched Gem leave and looked at each other.

“What’d I tell ya’?” Scud announced rudely as he pointed to the backroom, the smell of gun powder filling the room.

“I think she’d remember being a cold-blooded killer Scud, idiot.” Selphie looked outside as Gem and Tifa smiled at one another and walked off.

“Ya’re all fuckin’ crazy Ever’y fuckin’ last one’n ya’!” Scud picked up the list and walked off as both girls giggled and kissed each other. Outside the two Angels walked silently as Tifa cleared her throat.

“You ok?” Tifa asked softly, walking next to Gem as the red head looked forward with a blank look on her face.

“I’m fine, please stop asking.” Gem breathed into the dusky air and wiped her eyes as Tifa continued to stare at her. Gem’s mind was jumbled with a thousand thoughts as she kept thinking about Destra and what the others had said. Was she really this “Red” they spoke of? Who was she really? And why couldn’t she remember most of her time with Destra? Tifa just nodded her head as she pulled a comm-link from her pocket and turned it on.

“Asuka?” Tifa spoke as the NNR replied.

“Yeah?” The robotic girl snapped curtly as Tifa bit her lip, after what had just happened she was in no mood for Asuka’s shit.

“Yuffie and Selphie are going to start loading the cargo, give them a hand… then join up with us later.” Tifa knew Asuka liked to be included with the others as the mechanical girl answered back politely.

“Sure thing Tifa, I’d love to!” The red head smiled in the driver seat as she turned off the defenses of the truck and jumped out ready to help the others. The fighter turned the dial on the comm-link as she spoke again.

“Paine.” Tifa said shortly.

“Goddamnit Paine, answer me!” Tifa knew the grey-haired woman could hear her as her commlink would flash in her right eye if someone was trying to contract her.

“What do ya’ want Tifa queefa?” Tifa sighted longingly, knowing the woman was clearly drunk by her tone and the colorful nicknames she liked to give people.

“Did you find them?” The brown haired woman asked as she wasn’t sure if Paine even remembered what she was send out to do.

“Ya’ they’re right here, say hi girls!” Paine yelled loudly as Jo’s quiet voice replied followed by Meg’s bright one next.

“Where are you?” Tifa groaned peevishly as Paine was hard enough to talk to when she was sober, let alone when she’d had a couple.

“That’s for me to know…Hey!” Paine bitched as Jo grabbed her wrist before she could click it off.

“The “Sandbox.” Meg answered swiftly as something or someone was slammed onto a table.

“Can you keep an eye on her ‘til we get there?” Tifa asked sweetly as she looked over at Gem smiling.

“Sure.” Jo responded calmly as Tifa chuckled, hearing Paine struggling and yelling in the background.

“You bitches! Let me go! Hey you spilled my drink! TIFA!” The brown-eyed girl clicked off as she continued to walk next to the quiet red head. The two walked in silence as Gem cleared her voice.

“Tifa, who was “The Red?” Tifa breathed out as she was glad Gem was back to her inquisitive self. Tifa looked to the sky as she thought about what to tell the young girl.

“Well… Gem, The Red was a vicious killer that murdered hundreds of people even woman and children and spattered their blood everywhere as his calling card, but that’s what I heard anyway, the truth is no one really knows who he or she looked like, then after awhile the bloody killings stopped, some say he was killed by the GOV, others say mutants got her but then again no one really knows for sure.” Tifa explained uncertainly as Gem started to think it may just be coincidence that her nickname was the same as a psychopath killer’s with her having red hair and all, but it was still in the back her mind. The burning question, was she really that psychopath?

“I wouldn’t worry about it Gem that was years ago, you’d only been a kid when the Red was running rampant so please don’t worry about it too much ok?” Tifa put an arm over Gem’s shoulder as the red head felt a bit better but she wasn’t fully convinced.

Elsewhere Asuka rolled up the last of the crates on a dolly into the “Black Rose” as Scud checked off something on a clipboard and ripped a copy off and handed it to Selphie.

“Tell Ivana I wan’ me money wit’in a week, go’t it?” Scud frowned as Selphie smiled and nodded.

“Ya’ Scud, I’ll let her know… prick.” Selphie folded the paper and put it in her back pocket as he grumbled and walked back into his shop. Asuka come back down empty-handed, beaming as Selphie looked at her.

“Let’s go.” Asuka grinned happily as Yuffie walked up next to Selphie with the same look as her wing.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Yuffie asked sneeringly as Asuka scowled impolitely her.

“Tifa said I can join you at the bar.” The black haired-girl looked at the brown-haired girl with a confused look.

“She didn’t say anything to me about it? Selphie?” Yuffie questioned snidely as Selphie struggled.

“But…” Asuka tried to argue her case as Yuffie cut her off.

“I didn’t hear her say shit about you coming with us, so just get your ass back in the truck like a good robot.” Yuffie said in her bossy tone that Asuka hated.

“Stop being a fucking cunt Yuffie she said…” Asuka held her ground as Yuffie fired back with a control code.

“Order 18: Get back in the truck and shut up your fuckin’ mouth!” Yuffie shouted as Asuka froze in place and did what she was told. Selphie glanced over at Yuffie as she felt a bit bad Asuka.

“I hate you!”

Asuka repeated in her head as she climbed back into the truck and slammed the door.

“Stupid-ass machine…, come on Selphie, let’s go.” Yuffie chucked boorishly as she grabbed her sister wing and pulled the concerned girl away from the truck.

“But, Yuffie…?” Selphie stopped in her tracks as the dark-haired girl looked back surprisingly at her.

“Fuck her, come on, time to get shit-canned!” Yuffie smiled fiercely as Selphie looked back to the truck, and then followed her sister.

“Sorry Asuka…”

TBC…

Story: Women of the waste (chapter 11)

Chapter 11