Wall Market had the creepy atmosphere that had become almost synonymous with underplate life. Rude could never walk through the place without getting chills down his spine. Though both his father and older brother died in Shinra’s epic loss, part of him remained thankful. That loss had set back the company enough for him to have grown up seeing the sun.

(Every village covered by this floating hell would have been reduced to this. That’s why Shinra must be stopped. Our home must remain inhabitable.)

The stern man peeked over his trademark sunglasses, keeping a silent guard over a shop, as the others picked out dresses. That was his part in this mission, to resist the delectable ladies of the night, in order to make sure no unexpected guests disturbed their infiltration of the Don’s.

A pale hand suddenly appeared in the doorway of the shop, beckoning him. A pretty face soon followed, with burgundy eyes winking and a sweet smile gracing, as Tifa peeked around the side of the doorjamb. “We’re ready,” she called.

Rude kept his face blank until she disappeared inside. Sometimes he wished Zack hadn’t made his affection for Tifa quite so obvious. (It hurts too much to even pretend she is attainable.)

Glancing around once more to make sure things were safe, Rude stepped inside the shop.

“Ta da!” The first thing that caught his eye was Tifa striking a pose. Her long, dark hair had been woven into a braid, which circled her head like a crown. Light blue satin shimmered around her; the tank dress hugged her curves just enough to tease, while displaying little cleavage and ending sensibly, just above the knee.

“Hold still, girlie,” squawked the dressmaker’s daughter, who was attending to Tifa’s scar with a make-up sponge.

“It’s a good choice,” said Rude nonchalantly. “What about Zack?”

“Oh.” Tifa giggled. “Zelda’s doing just fine.”

“No, I’m not,” complained a tired-sounding falsetto voice.

“Come show Rudie how be-yoo-tiful you are!”

A scowling Zack emerged from the corner. With the help of a little padding, he had filled out a simple yellow peasant dress. Unstyled, his black hair fell into soft waves, framing his face. A bit of mascara and a touch of rouge...

Rude whistled. “Damn, you clean up well!”

“Shove it, shiny skull.”

“Tsk, tsk. That time of the month, Z?” He cracked a small smile. “Seriously man... You’ve managed to look believable.”

“I told you I could handle this.” Tifa grinned. “I guess I know what his color is.”

“Where’s Jess?”

“She changed her mind about her dress...again.”

A soft voice called out. “I’m good now. Just was worried about how bad I make this dress look, once it’s on me.”

She walked in from the changing room, green-blue eyes fixed on the floor, biting her lower lip. Her dark blue dress was long and elegant. A plunging neckline was made decent by a gauzy overlay. Only one syllable came to Rude’s mind as he appreciated how the dress showed off her figure.

And Zack uttered it. “Wow.”

“Didn’t think I could do the dress this much injustice, huh?” She fidgeted nervously, a finger twirling a bit of her hair.

“Honey, you’re a shoo-in!” exclaimed Tifa. “You should let your hair down more...I can’t believe how full it is.”

Jessie turned to Rude. “As I figured, not even a nod of approval from you.”

Tifa smiled and said, “What do you expect from our resident stoic?” Grabbing “Zelda’s” arm, the two of them headed out the door.

“Thank you for everything!” Jessie cheerfully shook the hands of the dressmaker and his daughter, before they gathered the discarded clothing to store in the back. “We should go now, too,” she said softly.

Rude caught her arm as she turned to leave.

She glanced back at him in confusion, noting that he had removed his trademark sunglasses.

“Why have you been hiding how beautiful you are? Behind the frumpy clothes and headbands and...”

“No use competing with Tifa,” she interrupted, a hidden bitterness creeping into her simple words.

“There’s no contest,” he said softly.

Jessie yanked her arm away. “We have a miss–”

“Zack and Tifa can handle themselves in hand-to-hand combat. If that Corneo gets you in a bad position, just be loud enough for me to hear you.”

“I’ll be fine.” She was blushing at this bizarre outburst of warmth.

“You better be,” Rude swore, replacing the sunglasses.

As the two of them walked out the door, Jessie wondered what “that Corneo” was like. (I hope we realize what we’re getting ourselves into.)

* * * * * *

“Hands up in the air, come out of there slowly.” Tseng pointed a pistol at the red-headed stowaway.

“Daddy!” exclaimed Raieyana.

“I want to know how much and what you heard,” Tseng said calmly to Reno.

“Enough to know you had an innocent girl abducted,” he sneered. “If I didn’t already have Shinra business, I’d take you out.”

“I doubt it.” The ex-Turk was calm. “You’re untrained and very rough around the edges. Ray could take you.”

“I don’t want to.” The girl crossed her arms. “He has a right to be angry if his friend was traded in for me.”

“This is not the time nor the place.” Tseng lowered his weapon slightly. “I am presumably under their protection and we are just outside the tightest security prison in the world.”

“Is that where they took Aeris?” asked Reno.

“Presumably, she’s in a science lab.”

“Bastards,” he muttered.

“I am no Shinraphile at the moment, either. Care to catch a ride back with us? Tell us your story, perhaps?”

Raieyana’s face brightened. “That would be cool.”

“I think you could help us,” said Reno, “but I have to get her back.”

“I want to go too!”

Tseng’s eyes widened. “No, Raieyana.”

“How can you ask me to trade her freedom for mine?”

His voice was stern. “I never asked.”

“You can’t force me. Give me the gun and I’ll go in with him.” Father and daughter stood eye-to-eye.

“I’m not giving you the gun.” He stepped to the Gelnika and grabbed an exquisite staff from inside.

She took her weapon gratefully. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Come back safe.” His voice wavered on the last word, but Tseng shook the emotion off. “I’m going to have to leave when those Soldiers return...”

“When we finish, sir, I’ll escort her home,” Reno promised. (What am I getting myself into?)

“Home is on the completed portion of Upper Junon.” He swallowed and handed Reno a plastic card. “This will allow you two access to the elevators within the building. You should get inside before those men return to fly the Gel back.”

Reno nodded and headed to the entrance. Quickly wrapping her arms around her father, Raieyana whispered “love you” before trotting off after him.

Tseng slowly entered the aircraft, preparing himself for a departure exactly the same as his arrival. Alone.

* * * * * *

“Our informant said that the headquarters of the terrorists was located under Sector 7.”

“What exactly does that mean, Mr. Jordan?” President Shinra folded his hands on his desk.

“Basically, it means what it says,” said Reeve, smoothing back his dark hair. “Now all we have to do is place posters around the village, offering a reward for the capture of–”

A feminine laugh drifted into the board room.

“Now, now, it isn’t nice to mock the new executive,” chided the president.

“I just wonder how he got to be an executive.” The woman smiled softly and entered the meeting. She was rather plain, with mousy brown hair, and dressed in a conservative suit.

“He was top of his class, the first year of graduates from our Junon Academy. He did well here...and we need fresh blood to head urban development here in Midgar.”

“I suppose promotion has to be harder than it was in my time.”

“She’s been here since right after the war,” the president explained to Reeve. “This is Renee Scarlet, head of our Defense Department.”

She held her hand out to the young businessman, who shook it cordially.

“This is Reeve Jordan.” The president smiled. “He found a source...that says our enemy is holed up in the slums beneath Sector 7.”

“If we weren’t so backlogged with construction in that area, I’d say drop the plate, blame it on them, and be done with the whole mess.”

Reeve gasped.

Scarlet laughed again and rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s definitely still wet behind the ears. Which gives me an idea...”

The president leaned forward eagerly.

An odd titter escaped from her lips. “Kya ha ha... Well, actually, I’ve had it up in my mind ever since my agent told me the location of the terrorists...”

Aeris sat on her cot, swinging her legs back and forth a bit. She fidgeted, restless and uncomfortable. She had tried to block out the memories of her times in the Shinra lab with her mother. But even if she was successful, that in itself couldn’t quiet the feeling of dread slowly growing inside her.

She remembered a greasy looking man, his hair pulled back into a tangled mockery of a ponytail. Poking, prodding, and bizarre questions remained locked in the deeper realms of her memory; a few broke free as Aeris sat in the cold white cell.

Aeris shook her head. Things were different now. Though Shinra still held its dark plans, the scientist in charge seemed like a nice woman. Her cell was better than a room in any inn she’d seen, except for that whole locked-in thing.

There were even glass windows, one looking outside and one looking into the hallway. Though that one was mostly for observation, she could close the curtain at night. Besides, looking out into the hallway made her feel less isolated.

Most of the staff didn’t even pay heed to the cell windows as they passed down the specimen hallway. For some odd reason today, however, she got the feeling she was being watched. Peering out, she noticed a glint of green, glowing in the shadows. As she met these eyes, whoever was lurking turned and walked away, but she did catch one last glimpse of something...

A flash of silver.

* * * * * *

Shera Baker shook her specimen tubes and watched as the dark purple chemical disappeared. Sighing impatiently, she put the tube back under the burette and continued the titration.

“Dr. Baker.”

Startled, the timid woman jumped a bit, upsetting the contents of the tube all over her lab table. With a dagger-filled glare, she turned to the intruder. “You know, since all you are is a little messenger boy, you should learn not to sneak up on people. It could cost you your job, after all.”

Rufus Shinra smirked. “Right.” He looked at her with an amused look in his eyes. “Are you busy?”

“I’m always busy, Mr. Shinra. It’s called working.”

“The executive board was surprised that you were absent from the meeting last night. You were supposed to give a report on that Ancient.”

“Yes, well, I doubt Professor Hojo had the opportunity to get his files in order before his sudden...departure. I had to spend a considerable amount of time to even find the girl’s old file, which was pretty sparse at that, so I have been in here running tests ever since...”

“You seem to be missing the point.” He shook his head. “You didn’t report at the meeting and that is a considerable offens–”

“Look, boy. Does your father’s board want to know about the Ancient or not? I did the company more service by looking for information than I would have by wasting time just to tell them I didn’t have any.”

“Well...maybe someday they’ll be appreciative. However, your instructions have now changed. We want an Ancient that can withstand grueling tests. You are to combine the Ancient’s genetic code with that of Specimen...” He grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket. “812-A.”

Shera’s eyes widened in surprise. “But I don’t even think I can do that. There are an unequal number of chromosomes...”

“The executive board doesn’t entirely know if you can accomplish that. But they have a suggestion for what you should do in the meantime, while you’re figuring out solutions to the chromosomal difference.”

She sighed. (Using suggestion as a euphemism for order is getting really old.) “And what is their suggestion?”

“To perhaps put the two of them together and see if nature can maybe work itself out. You’ve said yourself that you don’t know the capabilities of either species yet.” Rufus walked out the door, a self-satisfied grin plastered on his face.

Shinra’s Head of Science sank slowly down onto the nearest chair, a feeling of queasiness deep in her stomach. She’d gotten flack for being more tenderhearted than her predecessor. But the pristine lab technique that had gotten her removed from her hometown of Nibelheim by the Shinra in the first place had kept her in a position of stability, where her job and her life were concerned.

Shera just didn’t know how many more of the company’s twisted ideas she could take. Both of the specimens involved her were sentient beings. (They wouldn’t just...) She wondered if they would be tortured into submission, or drugged...or... She shook her head and walked to the fridge. Removing two DNA samples, she began to prepare slides.

She would do everything in her power to provide Shinra what they wanted, without torturing the poor prisoners in the lab more than they already had been.

* * * * * *

“Hmm.” The gaunt blond man paced in front of the three “women” in his office.

Tifa had been quite surprised when she first saw Don Corneo. She couldn’t believe that such a timid little guy had been able to make a fortune for himself in a place like Wall Market.

“How old are you?” he asked her.

Her burgundy eyes widened a bit in surprise. She had been expecting ogling, or a more superficial selection process. “Twenty,” she said softly.

He nodded a bit and then turned his attention to Jessie, her eyes timidly set on the floor. “What are your hobbies?”

She giggled a bit. “I like computers and...shiny electronic things, basically.”

He looked Zack over. “Do you like animals?”

Zack shook his head, his chin-length black hair bobbing back and forth gently. “Can we cut to the chase here? I mean you’re not picking a bride here and now, right? So just pick a girl to take out. Y’know, seize the day and all that.”

Don Corneo’s eyes widened a bit and he thought to himself. “I think you may have something there. What a nice saying.” He nodded a bit. “Yes, I’ve made my decision. I will take you, since you seem to have a good head on your shoulders...oh, what is your name, miss?”

“That’s Zelda,” Tifa piped up before Zack could shush her.

“What an unusual name...” He looked up. “Are you three all friends then?”

“We’re terrible rivals,” said Jessie with a smirk.

His brow furrowed. “I hope this doesn’t sound insulting, but may I invite all of you to dinner with me? I don’t want to choose a candidate for my bride over something as superficial as looks and attitude.”

The three of them looked at each other incredulously. They hadn’t been expecting something as easy as a three-way ambush, that was for sure.

“I don’t mind,” Tifa said cheerfully.

Jessie quickly added, “Me either.”

“Right this way, then, ladies,” said the Don, and he led them to the dining hall.

The soup was delicious, so was the roasted meat. The four happy diners waited impatiently for the dessert course.

“We should make our move now,” Tifa whispered to Jessie.

She nodded, and then glanced at Zack, who nodded in return.

The two girls jumped up and blockaded the two exits from the dining room.

“What are you doing?” asked Don Corneo, confused.

Zack stood up. “We’ll be asking the questions now,” he said, letting his voice fall back to its usual baritone.

The thin man’s eyes widened. “You–You’re a man?!”

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “Yeah. It kinda sucks when you’ve only got two chicks in the group and the local lech wants three bridal candidates.”

“I’m not a–”

Jessie cut him off. “We know. We thank you for your hospitality. However, we have some important business at hand and we need some information.”

“You all are from that terrorist group that’s been blowing up the reactors, aren’t you?” He looked up at them in fear.

“We don’t want to hurt anyone, especially someone coming from the same place we are...” Tifa began.

“Hold it.” Zack walked over to the Don. “This guy has been taking advantage of this sector ever since it was built ten years ago. He probably deserves revenge more than some of those guards in that reactor we took out.”

“N–n–no,” Corneo protested, “I have a confession to make.”

The three looked at him.

“My brother started this whole operation. He retired two years ago and let me take over for him. He said we needed to keep things in the family, y’know? But my dad always taught me I needed to respect women. If I’d have known what business my bro was really dealing in, then...”

“So why keep it up then?” Jessie asked. “You have the power to stop it, even if it’s not your fault you were here in the first place.”

“Because if the business slips, he’ll give it to our cousin, Joe. And that man treats women like shit. Even if they’re being used and selling their bodies, at least I can make sure they’re being respected.”

“Great story.” Zack rolled his eyes. “We really have business with you though, Corneo. What the hell did you tell those Shinra assholes?”

“Shinra? I don’t have any association with Shinra, besides some of my customers.”

“Don’t hold back from us,” Tifa demanded. “We know that you were questioned by them.”

“Well they asked for your whereabouts...but I had no idea where you guys were from. They went to Neo down at the used weapons store though, I think. He’d always bragged about knowing you guys personally. So, I sent the guys over there.” Corneo swallowed. “You guys ain’t from around here, are ya? Because they mentioned something...the guys from Shinra said if I knew your location, they’d spare me and my business, even if they were in Sector 6.”

“Sounds like the Shinra are planning to raze whichever section we end up occupying.” A look of fear crossed Jessie’s face. “We have to get back to the bar and warn the neighborhood.”

“It’s not here, is it?” Corneo trembled.

“You’re safe.” Tifa bit her lip. “But I’m not sure if Sector 7 is.”

“You guys can go right out, I don’t need to stop you. You need to protect all those innocent people.”

Zack nodded. “Look, thanks Corneo. Sorry I wasn’t the nice little girl you hoped I was.”

As the three of them rushed out the door, Don Corneo pushed a button on his intercom. “Send in the next three,” he said with a sigh.

“Sir.”

Sephiroth nodded to his two men, who were seated at a table, their trays spread out in front of them. Dourly, he made his way into the cafeteria line, picking up the daily special. He really had no concern over what he ate, as long as he ended up eating something before the day was out.

The Turks were a small, elite group that Sephiroth had been told he should be grateful to be in command of, after the way things had gotten botched up in the war. The job description was scouting out Soldier candidates, but they were really the jacks-of-all-trades for Shinra, Inc.

Sephiroth walked over to his men, holding some sort of noodle and vegetable concoction. He sat down silently and began to eat.

“How’d the mission go last night, sir?” asked the rotund man to his left.

He raised a silver eyebrow. Usually his men were too awestruck to make a noise in his presence, let alone inquire about anything. He swallowed his food. “It was successful,” he said cautiously.

“Was it that Ancient girl Amine’d been looking for?”

Sephiroth turned his attention to the man seated across from him. (Johnny.) He coolly appraised the curiosity on the man’s face. “As far as I know, that is correct.” He brought another bite of food to his mouth and continued to eat.

“See, Wedge, man...your boy Biggs must’ve been right then.”

“But that’s so psycho, Johnny!” He shook his head. “I’m not the smartest guy out there, but that little breeding plan just plain sounds unscientific!”

Mako eyes watched this exchange with a twinge of inquisitiveness.

“Man, he said he overheard some of the execs...talking about goin’ over Dr. Baker’s head and putting that girl together with that...beast.”

Sephiroth’s brow furrowed for a moment. (The Ancient...and a beast?) He shook his head. (It is no concern of mine.)

Johnny pointed to their commander. “Look, even this ol’ icicle finds the idea disturbing.”

“Am I being judged now?” He tossed back his silver hair. “The Science Department is no concern of ours. Especially a simple experiment such as testing how two relatively unknown organisms interact with each other.”

“Interaction? No, sir.” Wedge was careful to keep his tone respectful. “I heard they want to make them mate.”

He blinked a couple times, suppressing the twinge of shock he felt inside of him. (Makes one wonder how many of Hojo’s twisted schemes were actually conceived in that fool head of his...and how many came from a source up higher. They manage to get a scientist with a slight amount of compassion...and they ignore her opinions.) Sephiroth slammed a fist on the table.

“Sir–”

“I said it was no concern of ours.” Dropping his fork onto the table, he rose, disgusted, and stormed out of the cafeteria, leaving his half-eaten dish.

A bit of hushed silence hung around the two Turks for a moment.

Johnny spoke up. “...you know, Wedge, I don’t think we’re going to get that raise.”

* * * * * *

“They’re going to seal the sector off...”

All Rude knew were the words they’d heard from the weapons dealer in Wall Market.

“It’s only temporary, son, we’ll be up on that plate they’re building as soon as we get on our feet again.”

Why were the words of his mother coming in suddenly to haunt him? He’d spent his childhood in the slums, and he’d spent his life there as an adult. There had been many times he’d wished that the entire plate would just fall down and crush him where he stood. Where he walked, where he ate, slept, breathed, dreamed, and where his hope had died, long ago.

Tifa stumbled and fell behind him. He heard Zack call out to him, but those words weren’t audible.

“Rude...” Jessie just broke in, barely, but it didn’t matter.

“We’re gonna run out of time.” And he ran, not heeding whether he was alone or who he was leaving behind him. All he knew was that if he didn’t get there in time to stop things, one of his wishes would come true.

He didn’t want that anymore.

He wanted to save the slums, save Midgar, save its soul. He wanted to save his own soul. Rude just wanted to take the little children, bring them up above their positions. He wanted to show the kids the sunlight, watch them run and play, breathe clean air, and have a future.

(I’m not sure where I went wrong, I only know that something inside died a long, long time ago. I know I ran, I tried to hide, but I still hear that voice streaming in over the radio. And though the times have changed, there lies a light inside with hope to rise.)

“He’s dead,” she cried.

(Oh ma, I tried. But one little boy just can’t avoid the strength and rage of those of age. The fascist man, he ruled with fear, his speeches ring still in my ear. But all I know is I can’t let it happen again. Innocence should never go where I have been.)

“They were going to seal the sector off...and break a water main. Every living thing inside that place will drown.”

Rude ran and never looked back. Perhaps there was a way for the man in the present to redeem the child he had been. The Shinra troops had shot his father in front of him, inches from his face. (I was helpless then, but this is now. And I will do as much as my fate will allow.)

* * * * * *

“This place is spooky as hell.”

Raieyana looked back at Reno. “Yep,” she said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“You seem quite tense.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that returning to a place where I’d been imprisoned to rescue a mother I’ve never met isn’t exactly a trip to the spa.” She rolled her eyes. “Not like you’d understand.”

“Of course I do. I bear no love for the Shinra. You know they put me in jail for five years because I tried to keep their macho troops from gang-raping a girl in the slums? I got assault on the Soldiers.”

“What?” She looked at him in shock.

“Yeah. They paid the victim off. Either that or threatened her family. Whatever screwy dealings went on, the result was a sixteen-year-old kid locked up and praying to any deity willing to listen that he wouldn’t drop the soap.”

The girl was silent. Checking for guards, she ran quickly across the hallway to the stairwell. She turned back and gave Reno the go-ahead.

“I’m not implying you’ve had it easy, sister,” he whispered. “Just don’t go thinking because I’m a free man now, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my share of rough times.”

“I was born here,” she said softly. “My father smuggled me out of here when I was small, and left his job here. They’ve been going easy on him, but whenever they want to get him to do what they want...they mention me and he’s theirs.” The look in Raieyana’s eyes was fierce. “If I can get my hands on any of these guys, they’ll stop all that crap.”

“So are you strong, honey?”

“Being born as a lab rat has its advantages.”

Reno just shook his head and slid the keycard through the reader. Instantly, the door to the next floor slid open. “After you.”

“Good idea. I do know where we’re going after all.” The pair walked past row upon row of observation cells, some empty, some inhabited. There were very few human-looking specimens; most were monsters or other beasts of some types.

Reno paused before a special, domed structure and peered in the window. “Geez, this is sure disgusting.” Inside lay a slimy looking creature, curled into the fetal position. The form was vaguely humanoid; the face was formed into what resembled feminine features, and the body was curvy in figure...voluptuous breasts led down to a slim waist, flaring into wide hips, purple skin aside.

Raieyana glanced that the structure knowingly. “You’re looking at Jenova, aren’t you?”

“Yeah...what the hell–”

She shook her head. “I’m not quite sure. They’ve always been rather secretive about this being. My father said they’ve had it in containment here about as long as I can remember. He mentioned something about Hojo thinking it was an Ancient...but...”

“Aeris looks a hell of a lot better than that thing!”

She nodded. “Yeah. Somehow, I doubt that he was right in that assumption. Any Ancient I’ve ever heard about looked human. Not purple and slimy. Unless it’s a coming of age thing I’ve yet to experience.”

“That’s right...I keep forgetting that you’re–”

She cut in. “I found a chart. They’re keeping her in cell 43B. We should be able to break in with the keycard. Then the real adventure begins.”

They walked down the corridor. “Actually making it out of here in one...er...three pieces?”

The girl giggled. “Glad to hear there won’t be an orgy.” She paused in front of a doorway. An interior curtain was drawn over the observation window. “Funny. She’d get hell if they caught her with that curtain closed during the day.”

Reno slid the card through the reader. A chipper beep emitted from the console, and a light above the door controls changed from red to green.

Grinning, Raieyana pushed the button to open the door. With a near-silent “whoosh,” it slid open and the duo was granted access to the holding cell.

As they stepped inside, they were immediately consumed by surprise. “Wha–”

Raieyana simply gasped in amazement.

The cell was completely empty.

“No.” A simple gasping word breathed in defeat. Cold steel gave a salutation that invited despair. Desperate fists pounded on the sealed doorway. “There’s gotta be another way in.” Rude leaped up the piles of debris alongside it.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said a soft voice.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? Just sit and watch and wait until the bloated corpses reach the top?” One leg slipped out from under him as he lost his footing. “Goddamn,” he muttered.

“Rude!” Jessie looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I’m not saying that I want to do nothing. I just can’t see anything we can do. It’s already been sealed. Even...even if you managed to pry those doors open for a second...they’d close right behind you. You’d just be another mark on the body count.”

He ascended a bit more, approaching a dead end. “There’s gotta be a way to break the seal or something...”

“What if you ended up flooding the rest of the slums then, and not just one sector?”

“Jess...I can’t let them destroy my home. Not now. Not like this.” He slammed a fist against the concrete barrier.

“You’re not letting them. You won’t let them. Do you think that we can ever possibly stop our battle with them now, after this? They might think we’d die that easily, but they’re only giving us more resolve to fight. Maybe, in some way, us two...growing up in the slums, have been fighting other people’s battles. It’s easy to see now that Shinra will not stop at destroying their own customers to make sure they end up on top. Everyone will see now...”

He slowly slid back to the dirt. Shaking his head, he leaned down and rested it in his hands. “Of course it won’t be that easy. Jessie...can’t you see...they’ll blame this on us.”

She bit her lip, looking up...up to the steel plating and supports a few hundred feet above them. “You know what Mako really is, right?” She glanced over at him. “I ran into a Cetra information database the last time I hacked into the Shinra computer system...”

“Psycho radioactive shit, right? That’s how it powers the reactors. And that’s why it’s better than coal.”

“The Ancients called it Lifestream. They said it was the life force...the energy running throughout all living things on this Planet. Shinra is sucking it out by the ton. What if it runs out?”

“That ain’t gonna happen. Shinra will run out first,” Rude swore.

“They’re not just destroying Sector 7. They’ve begun to destroy the world,” Jessie murmured.

Suddenly, the roar of a chopper overhead broke the eerie silence surrounding the pair. The helicopter was a deep blue in color, denoting its owners, the Turks. A pudgy man sat at the controls, and a slimmer, red-haired man dropped down to the ground in front of them.

“So, you’ve come to mourn the people you killed, terrorists?” he sneered.

Rude scowled at him. “Isn’t it the other way around, Johnny? As I recall, I’m not the one who abandoned my family the second an evil corporation offered me a life of slime.”

“You’re just jealous that I’m good enough to be a Turk.”

“Nah. I’m happy to know I turned down the job before you got it. Because that means I can take you on.”

“Any day.” Johnny laughed. “See, I’m just here checking up on the troops’ work. We sent the Soldiers in to seal everything off. Didn’t know we’d find the people responsible for this atrocity sitting at the threshold.”

“We’re not responsible!” Jessie walked over, her hands on her hips. “Who’s sealing a village off? Who’s filling it with water?”

“Who were they trying to catch in this little trap?” He rubbed his hands together. “Oh well, at least I’m the one who’ll have the privilege of bringing in the dastardly criminals.”

There was a loud noise resonating off the metal surrounding the group, as Rude’s fist connected with Johnny’s face. “You only have two privileges. Either stopping this sadistic shitting mess or dying slowly and painfully.” He rammed his knee up into the Turk’s groin.

The other man doubled over in agony. He managed to signal with his hand, and two men slid quickly and gracefully down on ropes. “Can you take on a Turk and two First-Class men?” Johnny laughed.

The dark-haired one pulled out a huge sword, while the other, fair-haired one pulled out a pair of katana. They would have seemed formidable if the blonde’s shoulder hadn’t suddenly erupted into a mess of blood.

Jessie raised an eyebrow over her shiny pistol. “Come on, Turk. We gotta level the playing field and play fair, don’t we?”

The man with the sword ran straight for Rude, aiming to slash out his throat. Ducking and pulling out his nunchaku, Rude parried away the furious blows. Suddenly, a burst of lightning appeared out of thin air and the Soldier was on fire.

“Did I miss the start of the party?” Zack had a smug grin on his face as he held up his broad sword, prepared for attack. Several glowing orbs could be seen in the hilt. Tifa stood just behind him, poised for battle.

Johnny jumped up and grabbed hold of one of the ropes. The helicopter took off immediately, raising the Turk high up in the air. “Have fun watching your friends die on television! Next time we meet, you’ll have to deal with Sephiroth!” The chopper soon became a blue smudge in the distance.

The group of four finished off the two Soldiers with ease.

“They must’ve really thought we were rag-tag, sending those buffoons after us,” Zack said thoughtfully. “Imagine if we had Reno, too. We’d probably have gotten the helicopter.”

Tifa looked at the steel door mournfully. “We’re too late to do a thing.”

“Apparently the water main controls for each sector are contained in their respective sectors. We can’t get in...so we can’t stop them from pressurizing it to the bursting point.” Jessie sat down in the dirt next to Rude.

“We can’t stay here any longer,” Zack declared. “Even if we can hide, we can’t risk letting something as horrible as this happen anywhere else.”

“How the hell can we fight Shinra if we leave? This is where the battle is, and we can’t just give the fuck up now! Hell no!” Rude looked up at him in fury.

“Shinra exists outside of Midgar, you know. Just because you’ve never left this place doesn’t mean that the rest of the world doesn’t exist, Rudie baby.”

“Guys. We can’t get mad at each other. Not now, we have to stick together.” Jessie put her hand gently on Rude’s shoulder. “We could do a lot of damage in Junon. They haven’t finished that city at all. Imagine the setbacks.”

“There is a reactor in my hometown,” Tifa said suddenly. “It’s in the Nibel Mountains. It was the Mako reactor prototype.”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Zack asked.

“I’ve said, many times, I have my own personal reasons for a mission against the Shinra. They’re still personal,” she replied coldly.

Rude stood up, brushing himself off. He reached back and politely helped Jessie to her feet. “There’s a door to the outside somewhere in this sector. We can probably bust or hack through it...but there won’t be any coming back.”

“Yes there will.” Zack slung an arm around his shoulder. “And when that happens, those assholes won’t know what the hell hit them.”

“We’ll rise again...” Jessie murmured. She glanced up at them. “We are Phoenix.”

* * * * * *

Sephiroth clamped a gloved hand over the mouth of his companion, who squirmed in uncomfortable protest. With a strong tug, he pulled both of them into an empty surveillance room and locked the door.

The brown-haired girl shook her head in protest. “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing...” she began.

“I certainly know what I’m doing. Saving you from a fate worse than death,” he replied coldly. “Don’t make me regret my decision. I’d have to simply drag you back to your cell and you count the minutes until you’re enclosed with a beast. Maybe it’s better that way. You can reflect on your foolishness as the creature is rutting you.”

“You’re disgusting. And completely wrong. Maybe the guy who used to be here would have enjoyed subjecting me to that, but Dr. Baker seems to actually be a human being.”

“You think the belief of one person can save you from the desires of the executive council?” A bitter laugh escaped from the man’s lips. “You remind me of Gast. But the fact that you and I stand as we are now is proof enough that Shinra finds way to subject anyone they wish to their every whim.”

“You captured me just yesterday. Why would you be helping me escape?”

“I have my job, Ancient. Just because that Amine never fulfilled his mission does not mean I would deter my own. However, even someone like me has a line in the sand.” Sephiroth peered at the monitors in front of him. “I’m going to find us a clear route to the helipad, and then we shall depart. I will take you to a place far from here. If you know what’s good for you, you will make efforts to change your appearance, and take on a new name and trade.”

“What about you?” Aeris asked.

“I have clearance to come and go as I please. There are perks to being commander of the Turks, you know.”

“But how can you continue to work for people so corrupt as these?”

He waved a hand. “It’s a living.”

“There are other ways, you know.”

Grabbing her arm fiercely, he drew her closer to him. “Not for me,” he said severely. “Now if you don’t mind, let’s forego the idle chitchat so I can perhaps help you avoid being raped in the lab.” With a bit of force, he yanked her back into the hallway.

Suddenly, red lights began flashing in the corridor. A computerized voice came over the intercom. “Red Alert, Red Alert. Code Four-Seven-Alpha-Blue. All high security are to report to the Executive Chambers immediately. Repeat, Code Four-Seven-Alpha-Blue. This is a Red Alert. All high security are to report to the Executive Chambers immediately.”

Sephiroth shook his fist in frustration. “Damnation,” he muttered under his breath. He analyzed his companion with a scrutinizing eye. “Do as I say. We are going to change your appearance.”

Gazing intently into the strong glow of his Mako eyes, Aeris nodded meekly.

“Discard the jacket.” As she did so, he continued his inspection. “Let your hair down.”

After she untied the ribbons, a cascade of brown hair tumbled down her back in loose waves. She shook her head a bit, getting rid of the last few kinks of the braid.

“One last thing. Excuse me for the liberty I am about to take.” He drew his Masamune and carefully made a horizontal slash in the skirt of her long pink dress. Reaching down, he yanked at the material.

Aeris gasped as she realized that he had torn off the bottom of her skirt. While it had left a fairly even hem, the length was a bit shorter. As in from mid-ankle to mid-thigh shorter. “Why you–”

“I am saving you, remember? You may call me ‘savior.’” He grabbed her arm again. “We’re going upstairs. The president is in extreme danger.”

* * * * * *

“Code Four-Seven-Alpha-Blue. All high security are to report to the Executive Chambers immediately.”

Raieyana glanced up at Reno. They were standing in the stairwell, plotting their next move. (Executive Chambers...the president!) “Hey! That alert...the president must be in danger.”

“What sort of powers do the Ancients have? Enough to try and gain the edge over the president of Shinra?”

“I’m not quite sure. But if that Aeris can do half the stuff I can do...I bet she’d try her damnedest.”

“Kinda makes you wonder how she got out, doesn’t it?”

“Who cares?” The girl grinned. “Less work for us, isn’t it? Besides, one more person who can help us get the hell out of here.”

“So wait...are you suggesting that we go up there and throw ourselves into a fray against top Shinra security? Off the president if at all possible?”

“Of course. I never spoke lightly when I told you that I intend to sever any leverage the Shinra may have with my father, regarding me.” She looked him over. “You think you’re up to it, terrorist boy?”

Reno stepped over and looked her directly in the eye. “Better watch who you’re calling boy, kid.”

Raieyana simply raised an eyebrow. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

He leaned over, pausing for effect, before speaking softly into her ear. “If you can manage to just keep yourself alive, I’ll be ecstatically shoving a blade in the old man’s back myself. Honey.”

She flashed him a brief smile. “You’ll have to beat me to it.” Turning, she began to run up the stairs, her destination being the top floor, of course.

(Kid’s got spunk.) Reno shook himself a bit, before turning towards the stairs and following suit.

Ice blue eyes peered at the images broadcast over the security monitors. Glancing at the penthouse screen, he grinned, admiring his handiwork.

But that is not why you came.

He shook his head. (Of course it is. I am here to get revenge on all of them. Shinra scum. Scum needs to be wiped clean.)

Grim and dirt will float away any time you swipe at it with a sponge. Blood stains.

(Blood.)

Whose blood do they have on their hands?

(My blood...countless others’...)

No. Whose blood do they have on their hands?

The simple insistence had slowly piqued into sheer fury. The blonde-haired man held his head in his hands, lightly swaying to and fro. His eyes opened from force of will. “Yours!” he half-screamed. A slight whimper of pain escaped from his lips. (Take away the light. I know what the important thing is now.)

So what is your next step, beloved?

The slender, graceful muscles in his back rippled as he unwittingly performed faux swipes with his sword. Suddenly he stopped, a part of his mind apparently shattering. Glowing Mako eyes fixed on one monitor, that of a stairwell. A slender, rather beautiful young woman, brown hair, green eyes of immense depth, clad in pink...was not where his attention was drawn. Next to her walked pure stoicism. Trained to kill, and not be killed, the man moved with a deadly silent grace. Silver hair cascaded down his back smoothly and cleanly, as if nothing surrounding such a man would dare to be out of order.

One hand, dressed in a fingerless glove, dared to reach up to the screen. The man’s upper lip twitched as he lovingly stroked the image displayed in front of him. “Death is too quick for the likes of you,” he murmured, unconsciously caressing a long purple scar on the left side of his face.

... ... ...

Suddenly, he snapped to attention, eyes blankly staring at something unseen to a normal mind.

Come my sweet. Save me from the bloodshed.

Mindlessly and soundlessly, he left the small room in half-trance, making his way to the lab. To a specimen.

The room itself bore no memory of his fleeting presence, save for the bloody handprint left on one of the monitors.

* * * * * *

He first saw blood the instant he opened the door at the top of the stairwell. It had already seeped into the carpet, leaving a red tattoo as a permanent reminder. Never giving a moment of his own to the irrational feelings of fear or squeamishness, Sephiroth reached down, baring his hand, and feeling the woven fibers. “It is still damp, but already cool,” he stated, more to himself than to his companion.

“So how old would it be then?” Aeris asked, a hint of fear tainting her normally docile tones.

“At least an hour. Maybe more. Whomever set off the alarm did so after this blood was spilled.” He turned and strode forcefully towards the entrance of the President’s office.

“Wait...” she mumbled, as she stared wide-eyed at the crimson substance seeping below the door, already beginning to clot a bit.

“You can wait and see if you meet the cause out there.” Sephiroth’s voice was flat and cold.

The flower girl bit her lip and glanced around at the eerie peace of the hallway. Hopping forward a bit, she latched herself onto the arm of her distant companion. “You’ll be able to protect me, right?” The fright within her eyes was only partially hidden by the reserve she’d struggled to hold onto.

“Whatever bled in here is long dead, so I think I can handle one ward.” He slid a keycard through its slot and the door slid open quietly. “Come.” He half-pulled his new pink-clad appendage into the room.

“What in the Planet!” Aeris exclaimed. The contents of her stomach already beginning to lurch forward, she turned her head from the gruesome scene before her. (That...that was the President.)

Sephiroth appraised the situation with a calm eye. “I saw much worse in the war,” he said softly, as if words such as those could possibly comfort the reasonably sheltered girl. A large, thin sword–akin to the one he wielded himself, come to think of it–had been thrust into the former residence of Maximilian Shinra’s soul. (If such scum even had a soul...but what is a soul anyway? Just a promise of eternal existence muttered by the weak-willed.)

The late president of Shinra had not left his plane of existence easily. Blood still oozed from the stiffening corpse, slowly, and dull red in color. (Not that the man had much oxygen going to the brain when he was alive.) As Sephiroth continued his perusal, he noticed many shallow, long cuts all along the body. (Hands tied behind the back...head lying in a pool of vomit...) He knew what the remnants of torture looked like, for many of his underlings had performed similar tricks. In the wild of a foreign land, half a lifetime ago...he marveled that he still could feel as if he was back there.

(The last time I saw a corpse like this...we’d just shot a prisoner. Ending his misery before the flies came to scavenge and perform the same deed, albeit much more slowly.) Slowly, though, the stench and disgusting sight eventually began to bother even the cold ex-general himself. (Oh, but look. A housefly managed to make it all the way up here despite all the health filters.) He watched the small insect dart in and out of Shinra’s nostrils. (Eat up, little fella.)

“I...I feel faint.” Aeris sank down to her knees.

He instantly snapped out of the macabre, slightly obsessive, observations. Eyes like Mako pools glanced over to the forgotten girl. No matter how insensitive he’d been trained to be, a slight amount of chivalry had always hung around in his soul. Perhaps just as a simple struggle to rebel from the spirit of the one who’d raised him. “I apologize. I doubt anyone is as used to bodies as I am.”

She stared up at him, an expression mixed between sickness and terror. “I–I can’t stay here. Take me back to the lab! Anywhere but here!”

Roughly, he grabbed her arm and wrenched her to her feet. “Can you operate a helicopter? A motorcycle? I will take you to a vehicle of your choice and give you clearance out. However, in a time such as this, my place as a member of the Turks is here. Catching whatever terrorist did such a sick deed.”

However, before Aeris could manage an answer to this surprising inquiry, someone did so for her. “I feel that action may be unwise at this time.”

Sephiroth looked at the source of the dark voice. The sight that greeted his eyes astonished even him.

Dark ebony hair partially hid a pale, milk white face. Sunken red eyes glowed out of seeming fury, not the Mako in them. Tall, thin, and clothed in a dark cape and tatters, if that were all, the man would have been forbidding. However, in place of a left arm, he possessed a golden limb, which ended in a sharp claw.

“You mean, you will end your crime of murdering a defenseless man by attempting to butcher a helpless woman?” He drew the Masamune. “You underestimate me, monster.” The last few words were spoken in a low growl.

“You are easily deceived by appearances. Just because I look like a monster, does not mean that my every deed is that of a monster.” His haunting eyes glanced to the doorway. “You found the body, I see.” As the other man opened his mouth to speak, the dark one raised his hand for silence. “I’ve been watching recent events unfold upon the monitors in this floor’s security station.”

Still holding the sword on the stranger, Sephiroth scowled. “Easy enough alibi. Did you see who killed the president?”

“Of course. Blonde, spiky hair, half-crazed, very violent. I know him quite well. But not as he is now.”

“How is he now? Because anyone who did that horrible, horrible thing is not friend material!” Aeris piped up.

“He had good reason.” The man’s somber expression was sobering.

“You’re both disgusting then,” she hissed.

“His experiences have been disgusting. From what I know of him, the only things he knows are desperation and revenge.” His eyes glanced to the Turk in front of him. “It would not be prudent for you to remain here. I expect you saw the weapon he used as well as I did.”

Sephiroth looked at his own weapon, the Masamune. “It looked like my sword.”

“The Shinra will hunt you. You only make it easier for them if you do not flee while you still can.” The man turned, seemingly eager to simply walk away after having been such a good information source for them.

“Who are you?” The usually unshakable man had been quite...shaken in these past few moments.

“Someone who once failed you.” Never turning around, the dark haired man disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

With Aeris footsteps behind, he turned and ran after the stranger. Rushing around the bend, he collided with someone head-on.

“Geez!” screamed a light, feminine voice. “Watch where you’re going.”

Aeris gasped. Standing, right in front of her, was Reno. On the floor sat Sephiroth and a dark-haired girl who was rubbing her head.

“You ran into me, jerk,” she said lightly, laying a playful smack on the Turk’s shoulder.

“So you’re all right, doll, after all.” Reno smirked. “We had just gone to get you and the damn cell was empty. So did ya finish off the president or did you leave a piece for us.”

“He’s quite dead,” Sephiroth said sternly, raising himself up to his full height. “And after seeing the incompetence the two of you have for sneaking...”

The girl also stood up. “What are you talking about? I was walking nice and quiet until you barreled into me like a pile of bricks. How’d you get past foot soldier rank with moves like that?”

Silver brows furrowed. “You did not see a man with dark hair...and a claw?”

“What, he the whodunit?” Reno leaned against the wall.

“No.” He shook his head. “None of this seems to make any sense.”

Aeris’ eyes hadn’t left the girl with Reno, though. “Who are you?” she asked softly.

“Aww don’t be jealous babe.” He ran a hand through his disheveled red hair.

The girl elbowed him in the ribs. “My name is Raieyana.” She paused for a moment. “Raieyana Amine.”

“This was the girl you were traded in for,” Reno said with a hint of anger in his voice. “And we find you running around with your kidnapper? And you,” he pointed at the detached man in front of him, “why are you freeing your captive the day after you got her?”

A blank look. “Why did you come to rescue the lady you abandoned?”

He fumed. His hands formed into fists. “Oh where the hell do you get off, you Shinra bastard?”

Whirling around, Sephiroth began to walk away. “I am going to go examine the security monitors and I will be escaping this building, with the ladies. If you respect my superiority, I may be persuaded to let you join us.” Long hair swishing, he disappeared back around the corner.

Taken down a notch, Reno glanced at Aeris guiltily. “I didn’t abandon you,” he muttered before following behind.

She turned to Raieyana. “Who are you, really?”

The younger girl just smiled a bit. “When we have a moment of peace to ourselves...I’ll tell you the whole story. You just have to believe me now when I say that I am a friend. We should probably catch up with the others.” She began to walk after the men.

Shaking herself a bit, Aeris fell into step behind the stranger. She was a tad unsettled, however, for she had seen something very surprising–and slightly frightening. (That girl...has a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. A blue numeral, “I.”)