This is all wrong.  It seems like an obvious thing to say, but there is a
greater truth to it than I currently understand.  Perhaps, from one point of
view, it is wrong merely in the fact that I am still alive.

I have always known, felt within my heart, that it was my fate to die.  A
sacrifice to the planet almost, to help Holy achieve its full potential.  It
was whispered to me in my sleep, hinted at in my dreams.  And finally, I would
be told that the wheels of fate were beginning to turn in the way they were
always destined to.  I would meet the young man who would take my life on it's
destined course.

And the wheels would wind forward, marching along to their inevitable
conclusion; to my own conclusion.  A noble sacrifice for the sake of the
planet.

And then the wheels would turn back; sparked by the fury and arrogance of her
never-ending hate, of Jenova's wrath.  Over and over again, I would watch
myself do the same actions, continually making the same choices, and dying the
same death.

But this time, I am still alive.  And things are somehow infinitely worse.  Is
this fate?  Is this destiny striking back at me, showing me that the result of
saving my life is only an enhanced misery?

Must blood always be shed before there is a healing?  I knew my death was
important; I expected it to happen even this time, with Sephiroth on my side in
the physical and spiritual world.

Inno and this...  'Other' are new factors, something that should not have
happened.  Every other time the circle has closed, neither was a factor.  Or
were they?  I do not recall all that has happened before, only that it has
happened so often.  But something about the way she looks at me now, I get a
feeling...  that she has been here all along, watching and waiting?  Or has she
always been active, in a different way?

I cannot say for sure.  But I feel one thing is certain; no matter what the
outcome, this is the last time the wheels turn, for me, for Jenova, for
Sephiroth, for all my friends.

For this planet.


-=-


Inno smiled at the assembled party.  That is to say, Inno's face smiled.
Inside, a tiny voice was screaming, trying to shout aloud, trying to move her
arms, trying to stop the pain as the Black Materia slowly slid down her throat.
Trying to do anything.  That girl was not in control, for now, the Other had
well and truly awoken.  She...  It, walked slowly, deliberately towards Aeris,
that smile still on her face.

It was not a friendly smile.

"Cetra, do not interfere in what is taking place.  The Jenova shall be
destroyed, once and for all."

Aeris' face twisted in confusion.  "Inno?"

"No, Cetra.  The host is dormant, finally.  I am in control."

Inside herself, Inno blanched.  The host?  Was that all she was?

Aeris looked at Inno quizzically.  "Who are you, then?"

"I am the answer to Jenova; I am it's end.  My sole purpose is her destruction,
no matter what the cost."

"You summoned Meteor for that?"  Interjected Nanaki, "In the hopes of
eliminating Jenova?"

Inno turned to Nanaki, her expression neutral.  "It must be done this way. It
is the only answer."  She paused, turning to face Aeris again,  "Cetra, you
above  all must understand.  Her rage is never-ending, it shall never fade.  No
matter what you change, the result will be the same.  I hold to key to the
end."

"To the end of us all."  Aeris said softly.

Inno faltered, a look of near-pity on her face.  "With the planet's help, I
shall hold the power to defeat Jenova utterly.  But it must be taken with
force.   There is no other way."

Inno took another step towards Aeris, raising a hand to her face.  As she
approached nearer, claws lanced out where nails once were.  "That which you
wish to create, must not be.  If you promise not to-"

Inno's speech stopped, as she paused to observe a bloody wrist where a hand had
once  been.  The Masamune glinted as Sephiroth moved himself between Inno and
Aeris. "Get away from her.  NOW." he said, a scowl on his face.

Inno wordlessly flew away from the pair, floating up into the air.  She eyed
Sephiroth casually as slowly, a new hand formed from the wound.  Once it was
fully healed, the smile returned to her lips.

"Stopping me means dooming yourself to an eternity of torture.  You should know
this as well as the Cetra does."

Sephiroth rose from the ground himself, until he was eye-to-eye with the
possessed girl.  "You would destroy this planet just as blithely as Jenova
wishes to."

"I care not for your sympathies.  Only for the destruction of Jenova."

"Then you are not a better option."  Sephiroth stated, raising his sword into a
battle stance,  "I came back to end the cycle, not the planet."

"There must be pain before a healing.  Your Cetra friend knows that better than
any other."  Replied Inno, rising higher, out of the crater.  Sephiroth moved
to follow, but was given pause by a familiar feeling in the back of his mind.

[Why dear brother, how nice of you to return...]  The words reverberated
through his head, through his entire being.  Sephiroth felt the tingling; the
sensation as his body became not entirely his own.  He felt the Jenova cells
within his own body arising from dormancy.

{Indeed my son.  How nice of you to return, where we can be so much closer...}

Sephiroth fought the cells within his own body, he rebelled against impulses he
knew not to be his own.  He fought to his very essence against the control of
Jenova.  He was her puppet once, but never again.  He had been freed, and he
would STAY free.

Such concentration did not, however, keep him hovering within the air.  Aeris
and the others watched with horror as Sephiroth began to fall.

{Come back to me my son.  Together, we can defeat this 'Other,' and your dreams
of godhood will come true.}

"That isn't my dream anymore!"  Sephiroth screamed, clutching his head.

[But it is.]  His other self interjected [It is my dream, and I am you.]

"I am not the same as you!!"

{But you will be, my son.  You will be whole once again...}

Sephiroth plummeted to the ground as a dead weight.  His impact kicked up dirt
and rocks, knocking everyone over.  The spell which had bound them was gone,
and everyone got up from their positions, staring at the crater...  where
Sephiroth was standing, looking extremely angry, but unharmed.

"I did not come back to serve you."  Sephiroth stated, a cold look of
determination  on his face.

The group in front of him were not sure how to take this odd turn of events,
and were still registering to the fact that he was actually alive, when he was
struck down by a blow to the head.  Aeris' mind caught up with events to see a
golden wolf-creature approach his body, staring down at him bitterly.

"Sometimes, things don't work out the way they're planned."  Ioviano growled.


-------------------

Final Fantasy: Fated 
  a story started by Samantha Rogers


Chapter 22: The Chosen Path
  by Eric Jones

-------------------


I've been unsure of everything for so long.  Everything that happened before I
met Tifa was a blur, and I only had her words to rely on.  She told me I was
Cloud, that we'd been friends long ago.

It seemed right, and she was so sure, I went along with it.  I pieced together
what I could, and concentrated on the now.  It was enough for a while, but it
never fully fit.  There were still gaps.  And then, I kept getting those
urges.. they weren't my own, but they were almost stronger than me.  I could
resist, but not always successfully...  My actions have caused the Black
Materia to fall into the hands of Sephiroth, caused the death of Gabriel.
Twice, I almost killed Aeris.

For some reason, Jenova was within me, forcing me to act on her behalf.  That
part of me is gone.  But who am I?  I know for certain my name is Cloud Strife,
but what does that mean?  I am free, but I still don't know.  What drives me?
Why do I fight on?  What of my past is real, and what is illusion?

I wish I could tell.  I may be free of Jenova, but I'm still trapped within my
own past...

-=-

Abel examined Cloud with increasing worry.  Within the construct his mother had
created, Cloud had seemed fine, but navigating the lifestream itself, his
consciousness had become more fractured.  He was awake, but incoherent.

Abel was unsure about what to do, or even how he knew what direction he should
be moving in.  If it could be called moving.  He was aware of something
passing, but did not actually see much of anything solid.  It was all flashing
imagery, scenes that played upon his memory, dancing at the edge of
recognition.

~The Lifestream is not a physical place as such~ his mother's voice chimed into
his head, ~it is a consciousness itself; your mind is simply finding it's way
back to it's body.~

Abel squirmed in confusion, ~Then Cloud...?~

~Is feeling the urge to return to his body as well.~

~We're being separated?  But what if he needs help?~

~Do not worry Abel, those whom he needs to see shall find him.~

-=-


Tifa stared in shock.  This couldn't possibly be happening.  The worst day of
her life, the day Nibelheim was burned to the ground, replayed in front of her.
Cloud, discovering the truth of that day, but taking it so wrong...

"Damn you Cloud!"  Tifa shouted through her tears, rushing up to the cliff
edge, "You can't give up on me like that!  Now now!"

Barret rushed to Tifa's side, pulling her back away from the edge.  "Damn Tifa,
there ain't nothing you can do..."  Barret trailed off, looking over the edge,
"He's gone."

"Like HELL he is!"  Tifa shouted, pushing him away,  "It can't be that far
down; he might have survived."

Barret sighed.  "Tifa, we jes' climbed this damn cliff.  There ain't no holds
on that side.  And you KNOW how far down it goes."

Tifa's eyes narrowed to slits as she turned on Barret.  "I also know he would
come after me."  she said quietly.  With that, she walked over to the edge
again, peering over carefully.  She glared down into the distance, seeing if
she could make out anything.  She couldn't - it was too far a distance.  The
blurred ground far below became even more so as she began to silently shed
tears.  "He's not dead." she whispered.

Tifa felt a hand squeezing her shoulder; she looked up at Jessie, who was
smiling reassuringly, holding up a length of rope in her hand.  Biggs produced
some grappling hooks and climbing spikes out of his pack.

"I guess we'll be needing this then, won't we?"

Tifa wiped away her tears, managing a weak smile.  Rising to her feet, she took
the rope from Jessie.  "I'll go down by myself and see if he's down there."

"You mean 'where,' not 'if!'" chirped Cait Sith.

Tifa's smile was more confident now.  "Exactly.  I'll go by myself though, and
the rest of you can make sure the rope stays in place, and keep watch."

Immediately everyone sprung into action; Jessie helped secure the rope on Tifa,
while Biggs tied the hook to the other end, and found a stable position to set
it down.  Cait Sith and Reeve walked a ways off from the group, keeping any eye
out for any threats.  Everyone moved but Barret, who was standing at the ledge,
looking down, his brow furrowed in thought.

-=-

Aeris, Yuffie and Nanaki turned towards the shining terror that was standing
over the fallen SOLDIER.  Nanaki was  shocked, he had long believed himself to
be the last of his kind.  Yet standing right in front of him was undeniable
proof that one other lived...  If it truly lived, Nanaki corrected himself.

Ioviano for his part, growled at all present.  "I come here only for this fool.
Anyone who chooses to stop me, will not suffer as much as he will, but believe
me when I tell you that you WILL suffer."

Nanaki stepped forward at this point.  "I know not who you are, but we are
obviously kin.  But no true kin of the Fireteeth would speak with such
dishonor."

Ioviano smiled coldly.  "I am of the Fireteeth no longer.  I am of Jenova.  And
unless you wish to meet your end by her own hands, you will not follow."

Ioviano bent his head to pick up Sephiroth's shoulder in his jaw.  With one
quick movement, he was draped over Ioviano's shoulders loosely.    Slowly,
deliberately, Ioviano made his way back out of he room, eyes firmly locked on
Nanaki and his team mates.  Assured of their lack of movement, he turned
around, and made his way down into the depths of the crater.

As Ioviano walked out of sight,  Nanaki looked curiously over at his team
mates.  "He is only one, while there are four of us.  Why didn't..."

Nanaki's query ended when he saw the assembled Turks and Rufus waiting
patiently in battle stances.  "You can't be serious. Surely you can see we have
higher concerns?"

"Stow it, doggy."  Reno sneered, twirling his battle staff.  "Little miss ninja
girl over there remembers how easily I took her last time.  Don't think you'll
be any different."

"He's right though," Aeris interjected, "This matter concerns the entire
planet, we shouldn't be fighting each other."

Rufus Shinra stepped forward, tapping his shotgun casually against his leg.  "My
dear girl, Shinra Incorporated is the planet, if you hadn't noticed.  If you
have some information that would be of use to us, I'd be happy to hear it.  But
don't think I'll have mercy on a group of well-known terrorists."

"You and what army?" Yuffie cried, Abel's chain-sickle at ready.

Rufus shrugged, raising his arm.  "I'm not sure, little girl.  Perhaps you've
heard of the Shinra Army?"

Suddenly, in the outcroppings of rock above their heads, soldiers stood up,
weapons at ready.  Dozens of soldiers, all waiting for an order to fire.

"Now, much like the odd creature before us was saying, you really don't have an
option in this matter."

Rufus' eyes were alight as his arm tensed, his troops waiting for the signal to
start their attack.  All he had to do was lower his arm, and the upstart rebels
would be gone in one blow, and they knew it.  Power and manipulation, these
were fine methods.  But Rufus had always been fond of outright fear.  His grin
was positively feral as he watched the terrorists slowly drop their guard, and
their weapons.

"Much better."  He said, as troops flooded into his level of the cavern,  "It's
such a pleasure to do business with you all, face to face like this again."

The terrorists remained sullenly silent as his troops confiscated their
weapons, and tied them up.  How dull.  It was so much nicer when they had the
decency to squirm.


-=-


Deep in the slums of Midgar, in a room that looked like a bizarre cross between
a doctor's office and an automotive shop, a young man lay sleeping on an
operating table.  His face was the only visible part of his body, the rest
covered in a swath of bandages.  His face was a mask of peace, but it was also
one of terror.  The left side of his face was almost completely metal, and
where his eye should have been, an odd green gem was fixed.

Slowly, the man awoke from his slumber, blinking his eyes rapidly.  He had
noticed problems with his sight ever since waking from his fall, so many
weeks... months?  before.  Gingerly, he slid himself off the bed, those odd
whirring noises accompanying his every move.

"Cid?  Cid, are you there?"

No response.  This was odd.  The man had always been babied by the mechanic and
Shera, careful not to let him do anything on his own.  But now he couldn't see
them, couldn't see any evidence of their presence.  If nothing else, it was a
welcome chance to take off those damn bandages...

White cloth fell silently to the floor, as the man looked at the metal
appendage he had just unraveled.  There was no flesh to be seen on what had
once been an arm.  It was instead a length of cold steel, gears, wires, and
things that looked distinctly like weapons grafted together.  Faintly,
disjointedly, he realized the metal was shiny enough that he could almost make
out a reflection in it.

He peered at his arm uncomprehendingly for several long minutes.  Then he
screamed.  It was a high pitched whine, a peal of pure madness.  It was the cry
of one who understood what they were not.  The man screamed, because he
realized he was no longer Wedge of Avalanche.


-=-


Rufus idly toyed his shotgun as he watched the troops pull away his newfound
prisoners.  This was a good find.  Not as potentially useful as that weapon
which had flown off, but important in it's own right.  They represented the
salvaging of his reputation, and hopefully some answers to what was really
going on.

Ruminating over his loss, he was surprised to see the looming face of Hojo
appear in front of him.  He was held tightly by two Shinra troopers, who
despite being taller and obviously stronger, looked visibly nervous holding the
scientist.  Hojo was no longer laughing, but his eyes glinted of some hidden
knowledge that gave him a humorous view of the whole situation.

"Uh, sir, this isn't one of the regular members of Avalanche.  What do you want
us to do with him?"

Rufus considered for a few moments, peering at Hojo's grinning face.  "An
excellent question.  Leave him here, for now."

"Yessir."  the troops said quickly, more than happy to let go of the mad
scientist.  They rushed away as quickly as possible, leaving the pair alone.

Rufus regarded Hojo coldly.  "You've been an awful thorn in my side, Hojo. What
reason do I have, exactly, not to kill you right now?"

"Information, my dear president.  Information."   Hojo replied distantly,
looking at some point over Rufus' shoulder, "I've amassed a great deal of
knowledge during my years of service to Shinra, Inc.  It would be a shame for
it all to be snuffed out in a moment of anger, wouldn't it?"

Rufus pursed his lips, glaring at the grinning scientist.  "It's a risk I might
be willing to take, if I don't get some straight answers out of you."

"Heh heh...  it always has to be straight and true, just like your father.  But
the world doesn't work in straight lines, in order.  It is chaos that pushes
life forward, chaos where true power lies."

"I disagree.  Power comes through strength, and strength comes through order.
But this is NOT some metaphysical debate.  Why did you come here?"

"That should be obvious!"  Hojo cried, finally looking into Rufus' eyes, his
own alight with some mad joy, "I came to watch the beginning of the end."

Rufus shrugged, indicating to the Turks, who were hovering nearby.  They
encircled the cackling man, dragging him away.  Rufus shook his head.  Such
genius, marred by such insanity.  "Oh well," he mused aloud, "his death shall
serve some purpose, at least."

"And whose death is that?"  a gruff, serious voice interrupted Rufus' thoughts.
He turned towards the source, and smiled.  Seated in a levitating chair, a
deadly serious expression on his face, was Heidegger.

Gone was his braying horse laugh, or any sign of amusement.  His face was now a
stone mask, betraying no emotion of any kind.  His chair hovered forward,
bringing him closer towards Rufus.  "I wasn't aware that my men were to perform
any executions, Mr. Shinra.  Shall I set up an appropriate site?"

Rufus shook his head.  "That won't be necessary.  Plans are already in motion.
I intend to wipe out any doubts the public may have in Shinra Inc.'s abilities,
once and for all.  You will be briefed once we return to Junon."

Heidegger nodded once, slowly.  "I came to report on our progress, sir.  I
wouldn't want to mobilize my forces without your approval."

Rufus thought he detected a small amount of venom to that.  "Very well, what do
you have planned?"

Heidegger produced an aerial shot of the mountains and the surrounding area, with
various marks written upon it.  "The prisoners we've taken comprise of less
than half of Avalanche, so the group obviously split up for some reason.  I
plan to send one detachment to start at the southern side of the island, and
work their way up.  Meanwhile, another detachment will work it's way down from
the mountain, combing the area as thoroughly as possible.  I'd like to set up a
temporary base at the top of the crater, so we can send out helicopters on
search patterns."

"That sounds like it could take a very long time, Heidegger."

"It could well indeed.  They may not even all be here.  But our reports from
Rocket Town indicate they were all on the airplane that made it's way here.  As
well, we have detected Reeve's radio implant nearby.  If we're lucky, the rest
of the group will be all together."

Rufus looked startled, "You know about the implants?"

"The Turks are directly under my authority, sir."  Heidegger replied calmly.

Rufus smiled.  "Excellent work, Heidegger.  There may be hope for you yet."

"I try, sir."  he responded, his eyes flashing momentarily.


-=-


Tifa held onto the rope tightly, grimacing as she rested against the cliff side.
She'd been rappelling down for several minutes, and she seemed to be barely
halfway down.  Luckily, Jessie and Biggs had a lot of rope packed away.  That
must be one of the advantages to preparing for a situation, instead of leaping
right in.  Tifa managed a weak smile thinking about it.  Her and Barret had
always been the action-minded ones of the group.  Avalanche wouldn't have
gotten away with half of what it did, without those two, and Wedge...

Her reminiscing was interrupted by some rock dust falling on her head.  Looking
up, she saw a familiar, burly figure climbing his way down the rope.  Yes,
they certainly were the headstrong ones...

"You gunna keep on climbing down, or what?"  Barret grunted, "I can't hold onto
this damn rope forever."

"What are you doing here, Barret?"  Tifa asked, "This is dangerous enough for
one person."

"Hell, he's my friend too!  I wasn't gonna sit up there on my ass waiting for
you!"  Barrett shouted, shaking one fist momentarily, before remembering
himself, and quickly grabbing the rope again.  "'Jes wanted to help, is all..."
he mumbled.

Tifa shrugged, clearly amused.  "Well, I'm not about to argue.  Let's just get
down before this rope breaks."

Barret nodded curtly, and the pair slowly began their descent.  The going was
hard, and the sound of their feet against the stone slopes loud enough, that
the echoing sounds of helicopter blades in the distance was a mere buzzing in
their ears.


-=-


The room was bare and dull; four walls of drab gray, no windows, and a nearly
perfectly sealed door on one side.  The only reason the door was known to be
there was the fact that they had been brought in through it.  Aeris and Nanaki
sat close together, confused at the recent passage of events.  Yuffie was in a
corner, staring blankly at the ceiling.  Across the room, Hojo lay on the
floor, not seeming to look at anything at all.  He was smiling hugely, but
serenely quiet; almost eerily so.

Nanaki looked up from his previous position of staring blankly at the floor,
turning to Aeris.  "Did you get a good look at the creature who incapacitated
Sephiroth?"

Aeris jumped a bit at the name, shaken out of her own reverie.  "How could I
not have?"  she asked quietly, "None of us could do anything to stop it."

"It was one of my kin.  Or of one close to my own.  I thought I was the last."
Nanaki said slowly, "But it was changed, in such horrible ways...  what could
have turned one of my kind into such a walking horror?"

Hojo didn't move an inch as he spoke up.  "Heh heh...  it isn't obvious to you?
In all my years of study, only one thing could have done such a thing: Jenova.
It's beautiful, isn't it?  The way she can infect a being, retain it's
features, but make it truly something of her own."

Nanaki stared at Hojo in horror.  Aeris shared a similar look of disgust.
"You're a sick man, Hojo."  she stated flatly.

Hojo snorted, "Jenova is, simply put, the most superior life form on this
planet.  Just because I can appreciate this does not make me sick."  Hojo
trailed off, sitting up and looking at Nanaki, "I wonder, if you would have
became as interesting a creature as the one we encountered?  It's a pity I did
not have time to complete my studies..."

Nanaki's eyes flashed, and he bared his teeth while growling at the madly
grinning scientist.  "Thank yourself you never had a chance to find out; you
would have been the first to discover any new power I may have gained."

Hojo smirked.  "I don't know about that; perhaps you may have tried, or perhaps
you would have become too unstable at that point to necessarily focus on me.
We'll never know, will we?"   Hojo giggled shrilly.

Any further response was cut off by loud noises from outside the room.  All
heads turned towards the door, as it slowly opened.  Into the room stepped
Rufus, flanked by a pair of security guards with rifles.  A larger group of
troops was visible outside in the hall.

"Ladies, Hojo...  and whatever you are.  So good to see you all again."  Rufus
started, ignoring the scowls from Aeris and Nanaki.  Yuffie continued to sulk
sullenly in the corner, "As much as it would please me to ignore you
completely, I believe you have information that could be of use to me."

"Where's the other man?  ...Cid?"  Aeris asked, interrupting Rufus' speech.

"Now now, little girl.  I'm the one asking the questions.  You're hardly in a
position to demand anything."  Rufus shrugged as Aeris pointedly turned in the
other direction, "First of all, I want to know anything and everything you can
tell me about the events that happened at the North Crater.  What happened to
Sephiroth?  What the hell did that Inno girl do?"

"We know just as much as you do - nothing."  Nanaki answered flatly.  {Nothing
that would make sense, at least} he added to himself.

Rufus shook his head.  "You're not wanting to be helpful are you?  I can
understand your anger, being deluded malcontent terrorists and all, but
still...  I need to know what has just happened."  Without warning, Rufus took
a step towards Aeris, and kicked her, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Nanaki tensed, but stopped himself from attacking.  He quickly pawed his way to
Aeris, who was clutching her side as she painfully got back up.

"I don't know if you realize this, but you _aren't_ in a position to bargain."
Rufus began, "I want answers, and I want them NOW.  If not, there will be slow,
_painful_ reductions in the number of people who can give me a response."

"We honestly...  don't know.."  Aeris said weakly.

Rufus' face tensed.  "Very well, let's try something more specific.  The Black
Materia, that is what Inno cast?"

"Yes,"  replied Nanaki, "though we have no idea why."

"It's not many people who actually want to destroy the planet."  Rufus said
grimly, turning to Aeris, "Before she was interrupted by Sephiroth, she said
you hold the key to stopping Meteor.  I assume you know what THAT is about?"

Aeris sighed.  "The white materia, Holy.  It is only able to be formed and cast
by Cetra.  I...  was told by my mother how to create it."

Rufus raised an eyebrow.  "Interesting.  That may be of some use to us.  I'm
sure you can understand that stopping Meteor is in all our best interests?"
Aeris nodded, "Excellent.  Now this is progress."

"A fool's errand, is what it is."  Hojo cackled gleefully, "My dear son will
see to it, I'm sure."

Rufus spun to face Hojo, clearly agitated.  "I was going to ignore you for a
while, dear doctor, but if you want my attention, you'll have it.  I may as
well ask you a few questions.."

"Go right ahead," responded Hojo, "whatever good you think may come of it!"

Rufus scowled.  "I want to know, doctor, why you felt it necessary to use that
weapon on Wutai.  What did you have to gain?"

Yuffie, who had been mulling to herself, suddenly shot up straight, focusing
her attention fully upon the conversation.

"It's really quite simple, young man.  Such a weapon of mass destruction is
highly unstable.  I felt it would be best to test it's capabilities somewhere
secluded, where the after-affects would be more contained, and not spread to
anywhere important."

Yuffie's eyes went wide.

"Hojo, all life on the entire Wutai continent was decimated.  There is nothing
left."

"Of course not.  That was the purpose of the weapon, was it not?  And far
better to use it there, than on a perfect life form such as Jenova."

Externally, Yuffie had the same wide-eyed expression.  Internally, the last few
fragments of hope, her ideals for saving her home, were well and truly crushed.
Losing Abel had been a great loss.  This...

This was utter defeat.


-==-


In the far north of the planet, a string of deserted islands stand, unreachable
by any conventional, and most unconventional, means.  It is an area of high
magic, though it does not look the part.  A small, lifeless island, large
enough to have on it a single, small cave, and next to nothing else.  It was
here that Inno landed.

But this was no longer Inno Kingsley; this was the Other.  The consciousness
known as Inno could only watch on as another, stronger force moved her body,
and spoke through lips that were no longer hers.  She could only stare in muted
horror as her eyes turned and observed the arrival of that...  thing.

It was huge, whatever it was.  Taller and wider than a house, flying through
the air with no visible means of doing so.  Metal covered it's entire body; or
perhaps the entire creature was metal?  Inno couldn't tell.  Two words floated
at the edge of her mind, though she couldn't where they came from: Ultimate
Weapon.

Actually, she could tell from where.  Those were her lips again.  Her voice.
But not actually her.  Mentally she sobbed, pulling herself tight within her
own mind, closing away, not wanting to see what was happening...

The Other, meanwhile, was very much pleased with the way things were
progressing.  She rose up in the air, so that she was face-to-face with the
massive creature.  It gave a high-pitched cry, to which the Other nodded
gravely.

"Yes, Jenova has awakened again; that is why we are here.  We shall strike down
our enemy before she is too strong."

Another series of cries followed, though they had a more questioning tone to
them.

The other shook her head.  "No, I am not the same as you.  I am the next step;
the ultimate answer to the threat Jenova poses.  Do not worry; with your help,
I shall defeat her.  The rest of your brethren have already found influences of
hers that must be destroyed.  After they come, we shall destroy her at the
source."

Not that it could do much otherwise, the Ultimate Weapon screamed ascent.  The
Other smiled inwardly; the planet's own defenses would work quite nicely,
indeed...  They were built for the same purposes, after all.


-=-


Reeve cautiously lowered his pistol, as Cait Sith and his moogle dispatched the
last of the monsters.  The mountainside wasn't well populated, but they had
certainly encountered enough creatures since they had started sweeping the
area.  How they could survive in the cold like this was anybody's guess.  Not
to mention what they ate.  Reeve didn't want to think about that one.

Idly, Reeve looked down at the pistol he was holding, then over at his
creation, who was celebrating it's latest victory.  It really was Cait's, and
Cait's alone.  Reeve looked dejectedly at his little pistol.  He wasn't
helpless; he could hit almost without fail.  It was a question of how much good
it did.

Cait Sith stopped his little dance when he noticed the gloomy expression on his
creator's face.  "Boss, what's got you down?"  Cait asked, his giant moogle
waddling over beside Reeve.

Reeve sighed as he re-holstered his pistol.  "I'm just wondering why I'm here,
exactly.  It's not like I can be of much use."

Cait Sith slumped, shaking his head sadly, "Not this again boss?  I don't get
how you made me so happy, if you're always so down yourself."  Cait Sith
suddenly hopped atop his moogle.  "I know!  I'll read your fortune!"

"I... don't know if now's really the time for that..."  Reeve said dubiously.

"I'm not taking no for an answer!  Here goes!"  Cait Sith cried dramatically,
as his moogle half began pumping it's arms back and forth.  Reeve looked
increasingly nervous as the odd 'dance' continued.  Finally, the moogle stopped
moving, and produced a slip of paper.  Reeve took it curiously.

"Be mindful of your past, and make your own future?"  Reeve read, confused.

"Huh," Cait Sith said, calming down immediately, "I wonder what that could
mean?"

Both paused to look to the sky when they heard the sound of engines in the
distance.


-=-


Biggs watched the rope with increasing concern.  Yes, he knew it was a
high-tensile rope that could hold well over the current weight, but it was his
boss climbing down it, and Tifa as well...  It was more the boulder the rope
was tied to than anything else.  How they were going to get back up if they
found Cloud was anybody's guess.

Jessie rested her chin on his shoulder, which startled him at first, but he
relaxed quite quickly.  "Hey there." he said amiably.

"Biggs, stop staring at the rope."  Jessie said sternly, though her eyes
suggested amusement.

"Just making sure nothing goes wrong..."  he mumbled, stepping away from
Jessie, "I mean, I wouldn't want them to fall or-"

"Nothing will go wrong."  Jessie said matter-of-factly,  "Tifa and Barret are
going to rescue Cloud from his own stupidity, then we're going to catch up with
Inno and Aeris, and get everything under control."

"Awfully confident, aren't we?"

Jessie grinned, "What other way should one be?  Would you rather I told you
everything was impossible?"

Biggs smiled, leaning his head against Jessie's, "I guess some 'impossible
things' have already happened..."

Jessie's eyes glinted as she kissed Biggs on the cheek, before taking a step
back.  "If you try hard enough, anything can happen."

Biggs turned to face her, and quickly stepped forward, wrapping her in a warm
embrace.  The pair held each other tight; a moment that went all too quickly,
as their moment was broken by the sound of engines in the distance.

"What is that?" Biggs asked, letting go of Jessie, and looking up in the sky,
trying to find the source of the noise.

Jessie rushed over to the small encampment the group had set up, and began
cleaning up.  "Shinra.  It has to be."  She said sourly.

Biggs nodded, and started helping her assemble their packs.  "Where should we
go though?  We can't leave Tifa and Barret hanging!"

Jessie scrambled through her own bag, pulling out some grenades, and a bulky
gun, which she passed to Biggs.

"I guess we'll just have to defend ourselves then, won't we?"


-=-



Reeve looked on with worry as Cait Sith stood rigidly still, his tail standing
out on end.  "What is it, Cait?"

"I'm not sure, but it has to be flying,"  Cait said, "It's getting close,
fast."

Reeve and Cait rushed into a nearby cavern, peering out with a mix of curiosity
and nervousness.  Moments later, a helicopter swooped overhead.  It continued
on it's path for only a few seconds, before swerving to one side, and coming
back towards them.

"Shinra."  Rufus stated, white-faced.

"That was a pretty sudden change of direction," commented Cait, "almost like
they were tracking some...  oh no..."

Reeve's hands were clenched, his eyes clamped shut.  "All my fault."  he
whispered.

"Boss..."  Cait started, but didn't get to finish, as Reeve bolted from the
cavern.  "Boss!"  he shouted again.

But Reeve paid him no attention.  He should have known this would happen.  Not
only was he not any help, he was a danger.  There was only one thing he could
do.  He ran.

The helicopter swerved back over the hill, and Cait watched in shock as it
lowered near to ground level, and began chasing Reeve.  He didn't even get
fifty meters before Shinra troops leapt out of the helicopter, and surrounded
him.  With his robotic ears, Cait Sith could make out the threatening shouts of
the troops, even over the din of the helicopter.

The helicopter landed nearby as one soldier, in a red uniform instead of the
standard blue, stepped up to Reeve.  "Where are the others?"  he shouted
roughly.

Reeve hung his head.  "I'm by myself."  he said.

"By yourself, here?  Don't make me laugh.  I have orders to capture you, and I
was advised you were working with members of Avalanche.  Where ARE they?"


Reeve made no response for a moment, so the leader grabbed him by his lapels.
"You did not wander into this winter wonderland for laughs, traitor. Especially
not without a pack.  Where are your accomplices?"

Reeve looked about to respond, when Cait Sith came out from his hiding spot.
"I'm here!  I was the only one with him."  he cried, his arms raised, as well
as his moogle's.

The captain turned around, blinked in surprise a few times, then smiled.  "They
left you alone with your little toy then?  Not bad."  the man chuckled lightly,
motioning to his troops, "We're not the search party anyway; we have to get
down Bone Village."

Cait Sith and Reeve were silent as they were escorted into the helicopter.
"Don't worry though; I'm sure our actual search parties will find your friends.
Too bad they don't have orders to recover _them_."

Reeve looked grim-faced as the helicopter lifted off, heading to the bottom of
the hills.  The others were safe, for now.  That was all that mattered.  He
just hoped their luck would be better than his.


-=-

Jessie and Biggs' luck was indeed better than their own, but that wasn't
exactly the first thing on their minds.  They saw the helicopter flying in the
distance, saw it circle around part of the hill.  They had cautiously
approached, hiding behind whatever meager cover they could find.  They watched
in dismay as the helicopter came down to ground level, and the troops
surrounded Reeve.

"We've got to do something!"  Jessie cried, reaching into her pocket and arming
a small explosive device.  Biggs was taking aim with his pistol, getting a bead
on the captain, when he faintly heard Cait's cries.

Biggs took one look at Cait, and understood.  He lowered his weapon, as Jessie
was getting ready to toss her explosive.  "Jessie, wait."

Almost comically, Jessie nearly collapsed as she turned to face Biggs. "What do
you mean 'wait?' They've got Reeve!"

Biggs nodded sadly, pointing to Cait Sith, and the cave they'd come from. "He
could've defended himself a lot easier from there.  Why do you think he ran out
into the open?"

Jessie looked at him blankly for a few moments.

"Did you ever get a chance to find that implant of his, let alone remove it?"

Jessie turned back to face the scene, watching as Reeve and Cait were piled
into the helicopter.  "You mean he's sacrificing himself...?"

"Cait too, I guess."  Biggs said glumly.

"But we have to do something!"

Biggs nodded.  "We do.   We warn the others, and we keep going.  It's what
Reeve would have wanted."

The pair ducked down in their cover, as the helicopter took off, heading down
the mountain range, towards the southern end of the island.  As it disappeared
into the distance, the pair got up, and cautiously made their way back to where
the rope was.

"Do you think they made it down to the bottom yet?"  Jesse asked, peering over
the ledge.

Biggs gave a wry smile.  "I hope so; I don't think the rope could take all our
weight at once."


-=-


Aeris and Nanaki were looking at Yuffie in concern.  They hadn't talked much
with her about her past, but they had known she was from a town called Wutai,
and rather proud of her heritage.  Right now, she had curled up into a tight
ball, hands going white as she gripped her elbows.  The moved closer to the
cowering girl as Rufus continued talking to Hojo.

"Hojo, your act has single-handedly done what it took years for my father to
do.  I can respect that.  On the other hand, you essentially wasted a very
important weapon on an already beaten target."

Aeris began stroking Yuffie soothingly as she began visibly shaking.  Nanaki
looked between Yuffie and the talking pair with increasing concern.

Hojo smirked.  "Heh heh heh...  An enemy is never fully beaten, until they no
longer are.  But I didn't do it for your good.  I was merely...  curious."

"Your curiosity _will_ be the death of you, Hojo.  I intend to make sure of
that."  Rufus said sternly, "it is merely a question of how painful and drawn
out your death is.  Now tell me, why did you go the northern mountains?  What
did you hope to gain?"

"I told you before.  I came to see the beginning of the end!"

"But what do you MEAN?"  Rufus near-shouted.

"Ahh.  If I told you about that, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"I.  Don't.  Like.  Surprises."  Rufus said coldly, "and you don't want to see
me angry.  Trust me, doctor."

Hojo let out a sigh, "If it means so much, I shall elaborate.  This world is
ending.  Not in the way my son may have liked, but it shall happen.  I wished
to see the start, to feel a part of the conclusion of everything."

Aeris fell back as Yuffie pushed her aside, bolting to her feet.  "WILL YOU
JUST SHUT UP, YOU MURDERER!"  she screamed, rushing towards the surprised
scientist, "I'LL GIVE YOU AN ENDING!"

Rufus could do little else except dodge out of the way as Yuffie leapt on Hojo,
swinging wild punches and kicks at him.  Hojo dropped to the ground, Yuffie
right on top of him.  Troops began spilling into the room, dozen moving in to
incapacitate the screaming ninja.  Two guards fell from random chops before
five others managed to get her fully immobile.

Rufus stepped up to Yuffie, who was still trying to shout, but her mouth was
covered by one of the guards.  "Not smart, little girl.  Though I was about to
get to that myself."

Yuffie tried to lunge forward, but could barely move under the group holding
her.  Her last image before being knocked out was Rufus' smirking visage.

The guards unceremoniously dumped her to the ground, as Rufus went over to
survey Hojo.  He smiled.  The little girl had given him bruises all over, and
he was bleeding from a few cuts as well.  Quite a bundle of energy, her.  It
was almost a shame she had to die.

He turned to Aeris and Nanaki, who were being held back by two armed troops,
"I'll talk to you all later, when we're in safer conditions.  And your little
friend has calmed down a bit.  Which may take some time, the way it seems."

He motioned for troops to pick up the battered body of Hojo, and strode towards
the doorway, "We'll separate these two, so such further outbursts don't occur.
It wouldn't do to have my prisoners injure each other, when it's far more
satisfying doing it yourself."

Nanaki looked in dismay as the guards filed out of the room, and the two
bearing weapons on them slowly backed out.  This was not how things were
supposed to work out.  Not at all.  Soon the door closed, and the trio were
left on their own again.  His tail flicked in agitation, "This cannot be how
things end.  I refuse to accept this."

"Accept or not, it is the way things are."  Aeris said sadly, kneeling beside
the unconscious form of Yuffie, "But you are right, this will not be how things
end."

Nanaki was bolstered, slightly, by her words.  "Then you have a plan?"

Aeris sighed, tending to Yuffie as best she could.  "No.  But I know something
will happen.  It always works out for the best; I have faith."

Nanaki growled uncertainly.  "I wish...  I wish I could say the same."


-=-


Ioviano seethed inside, pondering the form draped over his back.  Sephiroth.
The favored son of Jenova.  His own instincts urged him to kill the man once
and for all, and take his place at Jenova' side.  Unfortunately, the urgings of
his 'dear mother' were of another mind.

{Bring him to me.  We must be whole again, if we are to have a chance.}

A chance.  Ioviano detected something new within the urgings of Jenova - fear.
He wasn't sure if he liked that or not.  It secretly pleased him that something
would challenge her, but it also frightened him.  Something powerful enough to
scare her, would be a power he did not want to contemplate.  And if it
destroyed her, it would destroy him...  Freedom through death?  It would be an
escape, to be sure.

Nonetheless, he tarried on, leaping down the path spiraling down into the
heart of the crater.  Deep below the surface of the planet, where the one he
loved and hated above all else resided.

Others may have been horrified by the creatures that dwelt this far beneath the
surface, but they knew well enough to stay away from Ioviano as he made his
descent.  He ignored the scenery, the amazing heights, the fact that such a
rough-hewn cavern this deep into the ground existed.  It was almost of a
majestic beauty; but Ioviano could only link it to his 'precious' mother. A
relationship that spoiled any thoughts of beauty.

Ioviano had never considered beauty for ages, since his own rough beauty was
twisted by Jenova's influence.  Jenova destroyed everything she touched.  Yet
he continued to serve, and worst of all, continued to love her, in some awful
fashion.

Ioviano shook himself from his reverie.  Such rebellious thoughts weren't
unusual, but when had he thought them so freely?

"It is of no matter,"  He thought bitterly to himself, "for I know who I must
serve."

Indeed.  If he did not, he would have killed Sephiroth long ago.

Finally, he reached the inner reaches of Jenova's lair, a sanctum below the
bottom of the crater itself.  It was a bizarre pit, which glowed an unearthly
shade of green - the lifestream itself pulsed beneath them, underneath the
rocks that hovered through a power Ioviano did not care to try and understand.
He leapt from rock to rock, mindful that any misstep would be his end.  If he
stumbled just slightly, though, Sephiroth would plummet to his own certain
end...

{Bring him to ME, servant.  NOW.}

Ioviano sighed, shaking his head again.  He leapt down the last few stones,
amazed at his own thoughts.  "I am sorry mother, I do not know where such
feelings have come fro-"

Ioviano was interrupted by a tendril that lashed out, grabbing a hold of
Sephiroth, and another, which lashed across his face, sending him tumbling to
the edge of the central rock that Jenova dwelt upon.

{I know that I have never taken your mind, your spirit, Ioviano.  But I hold
your heart.  If I so wished, I could order you to kill yourself, and you would
do so lovingly.  Just because you see another of your kind free, does not mean
you ever shall be. REMEMBER that.}

"Yes mother." Ioviano whimpered, not moving from his slumped position on the
ground.  Was that that truly what was stirring these thoughts?

{I know you better than you know yourself.  Control these feelings, before I
have to orchestrate your end.}  Jenova's mental voice almost softened, {You
know you are one of my favored; do not worry, all shall be made right.  The
Other shall meet it's end, and the great plan shall go ahead as planned.  But
we must have my son on our side if we are to have a chance.}

Ioviano felt a joy in his heart that sickened him.  "I will happily do your
bidding, mother."

{Yes.  Yes you shall.}  Jenova said with obvious joy.  Ioviano got to his feet,
observing the full horror of the creature in front of him.  Jenova.  The great
poison of the planet.  His mother.  His master.  Words could not describe the
full horror of the shape she comprised, nor would words fully detail the
constant shifting of forms.  She was bulbous, with tentacle appendages snaking
out from many points of her body.  She had a face, though it seemed only half-
formed, a grotesque pantomime of a human face.  Ioviano averted his eyes, for
he felt that contemplating her shape for too long would bring himself to the
edge of madness and beyond.

He concentrated instead on one of her tentacles, which was holding Sephiroth
high above the ground.  His eyes were open, but he did not seem coherent; he
was mumbling, rambling to himself.  And his body was still as limp as a rag
doll.

(Lo how the mighty have fallen.)  Ioviano thought wryly.  "What do you plan to
do to him?"

{My son has been... corrupted.}  Jenova said haltingly, {I will purge his
rebellious influences.}

A sickening slopping noise brought Ioviano's attention back to Jenova's form.
Out of her side, a kind of oozing cocoon was being formed.  It was open at the
front; a gaping maw waiting to be filled.  It was quickly enough, with the
slumped body of Sephiroth.  It closed up in an instant, and began glowing with
a glow not unlike the walls all around.

{Though it may take some time, I will ensure his loyalty to me once more.}

Ioviano stared in horror as the cocoon hardened, straightened, becoming
transparent within moments.  Soon, it resembled the very crystal vein of mako
that Sephiroth had been originally been trapped in for so many years.

{He is within me, yet without me.  I will make him see the error of his ways.}

"I...  see."  Ioviano said haltingly, "What do you wish of me then, mother?"

{Rouse the creatures of this realm.  If the humans are foolish enough to try
descending down here, they will regret it.  I must not be disturbed.}

"I understand...  and obey."  Ioviano said gruffly, turning around, and leaping
back up the stones.  Jenova was on the defensive, this much was obvious.  But
what did that mean for him?


-=-


{Wake up.}

(...Mother?)

[Yes, our mother speaks to us, traitor.]

(I'm not a traitor!)

[You wish to destroy the great mother Jenova, whose legacy predates all other
life on this planet.  You are a traitor to her heritage, and your own.]

{Listen to your other self, my son.  You have much you could learn from him.}

(But you're wrong.  Can't you understand how wrong you are?)

[I know who I am.  I realize my deserved inheritance.  Do you?]

(More than you'll ever know!  Don't you realize she's lied to you, to us, all
along?)

[I am Sephiroth, last true descendant of the Cetra.  This planet was ours, but
it is being taken, raped, by those lesser than ourselves.  They will all meet
their end, and I, we, will be their god.]

(That's-)

{You are not whole, Sephiroth.  You must resolve yourself, come back together,
before you can continue.  Talk, keep talking.  I will help make everything
clear to both of you again, and you shall be as one.}


-=-


Gratefully, Tifa hopped off the rope, falling towards the ground only ten feet
below.  Her martial arts training served her well, as she tucked and rolled at
the last moment, coming to her feet without a scratch.  Barret, on the other
hand, jumped off the rope, and landed roughly on his feet.  His legs were
shivering, but his face indicated no pain.  Or at least, the extreme effort of
trying not to look in pain.  Tifa stifled a giggle.

She turned around, surveying the area in front of them.  The cliff had been a
good height, and loomed above them impressively.  The ground moved on for
twenty meters or so, before dropping down another cliff side, which seemed to
drop right into the ocean.  The only thing of note on the outreach was a
glowing pool of green liquid.

Barret looked around in concern.  "I don't see him nowhere.  You don' think he
bounced or somethin?"

Tifa took a step towards the pool, peering into its shining depths.  "He
couldn't have been tossed that far...  I think there's only one option..."

Barret followed her line of sight, noticing the pool for the first time.  He
let out a string of curses.  "Shi'!  Don't tell me Spikey dove right into a
&$@%^ lifestream pool?  That little #@%$^&!   @*#%#@&%#@&!"

Tifa ignored Barret's agitated ranting, kneeling down beside the pool.  "The
lifestream...  the source of mako..."  she peered intently at the liquid, but
it only showed her own reflection, "are you in there Cloud?  Can you hear me?"

She reached out with one hand, but it was smacked away by Barret.  "Dammit
Tifa, jes 'cause Spikey falls in there, don't mean you have to sacrifice
yourself, too!"

Tifa stood up and glared at Barret, "I thought you said he was your friend.  I
thought you cared."

Barret slumped his shoulders, looking at the ground.  "He IS muh friend, Tifa.
But if he's in there, 'ain't nothin we can do about it!"  Barret looked up into
Tifa's eyes, "Don' you understand?  This thing we're doin', it's more important
than any of us.  The _planet's_ at stake fo God's sake!"

"Exactly.  And we need all the help we can get.  I'm not leaving him behind;
he's not disappearing from my life again!"  Tifa cried.

"Tifa."  Barret said sternly, "he's gone.  T'aint nobody who's been in the
lifestream an' lived."

"Maybe they just didn't try hard enough!"  Tifa yelled, resolutely turning
around.

"TIFA!"  Barret cried, reaching out to grab her.  Unfortunately, it was too
late.  Barret did get a hold on her, but that only served to tangle the two up,
and they both fell into the lifestream.  Aside from a momentary cry, and a
minor ripple in the pool, no indication of their presence was visible.


-=-


Slowly, I come back to myself.  Slowly, I feel my conscious return to where it
belongs.  I am returned.  I am whole.  I am...  Gabriel?  No, Abel.  Abel
Woodshaft; defeated general of the Wutai army.  Killed and brought back to life
by those I sought victory over.  And killed again, to save one whom I once felt
it was my sole duty to protect.  Aeris.  The others.  The Other.

So much to take in, so much to remember.

So much to separate.  Which memories are mine, and which were Sephiroth's?
Which ones were Gabriel's?

My eyes open, but where...?  There is a light ahead; up.  Azure blue all
around, and darkness below.  The light beckons, and the darkness recedes.
Underwater?  I feel no need for air; I feel nothing but calm.  It is so
peaceful down below.  Do I really have to go?

"This is the place all things come from, and where they return."  a voice, not
my own echoes, "You will be here again, but now is not your time."

Time.  It is always a matter of time.  Will I have enough to do what I need to
do?

The surface of the water grows nearer.  I can see the line between it and the
world beyond.  Something grows as I approach, something with its eyes on me.
Eyes that rush forward to stare into my own.  My own eyes. approaches.

My face; my reflection.   My true self.  I am Abel Woodshaft, member of
Avalanche.  And I must save my friends.


-=-


In the middle of a dead city that has not woken for millennia, There lies a
humble hut.  It is a sanctuary, the guardian link between the city above, and
the crystal city below.  It is the true last home of the Cetra, ancient
settlers of the planet.  Beside this hut lies a pool; an inconspicuous body of
water, untouched but once since the city was abandoned so long ago.  Once more,
the liquid rippled, letting out what was once put in, as if it could only truly
accept the bodies of those who built this place.

Abel Woodshaft blinked in surprise as he finally began to breathe air again. The
next few minutes were spent inhaling in huge gasps, relieved that he could
perform such a simple act again.

Slowly, he stumbled his way towards the shore, oblivious to the fact that he
was actually walking on the water itself.  As he reached closer to land, his
feet did sink down, coming in contact with land.  Once fully out of the lake,
he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

He was here.  He was really alive.  Most importantly though, he was really
himself.  For the first time in a while, he thought he knew what that actually
meant.

With a little effort, Abel rose to his feet, and surveyed the house in front of
him.  If all had gone as it should have, Holy would be somewhere in the city
below.  Vaguely, he recalled the information his mother had told him.  About
the Other, and about Holy.

For the first time, Abel realized the weight on his back.  From a shoulder
strap, he lifted the odd-looking bow his mother had given him.  If his
conversation had just been a vision, the weapon had not been.  Examining it
more carefully, he noted the two red materia attached to it.

"Mother, father."  he said, with a kind of bemused chivalry.  Was it just the
light playing off the materia, or did they seem to glow at that point?

Abel didn't have much time to contemplate, as a noise from the outer rim of the
city distracted him.  Shouts, of people.  Cautiously, Abel made his way out of
the sanctuary, peering out from behind some trees into the city beyond.

Familiar blue uniforms, in far too familiarly-organized groups - Shinra. Abel
cursed.  What were they doing here?  Looking around, he could make out a pair
of helicopters in the distance.  Abel was quite certain that the glow coming
from his materia wasn't just a trick of the light now.

Making sure no one was looking in his direction, Abel took off like a flash,
rushing from the tree into the open ground.  When he was halfway out of the
city, he purposely knocked a few stones; the first noise he had made.  He
smiled to himself as he heard the shouts of troops around him, and orders being
thrown about for his capture.  Just like old times...  only this time, he'd be
the one with a trap.

The planet needed his help, his friends may be in danger, but...

"The spirit of Wutai calls out for vengeance."  Abel muttered, eyes narrowed,
"You tried to make me into a killing machine; I'll do my best to live up to
your standards..."


-=-


Cid tapped his feet impatiently.  This whole situation was a damn mess.  First,
he hears word that the space program might be restarted, so he leaves his
projects in Midgar, only to get hijacked by some rebel terrorist group, who fly
HIS plane to some goddamn backwater northern island, and run around like a
chicken with it's head cut off.  Goddamn terrorists.

But...  they weren't really doing anything against Shinra, they were on some
crazy quest to save the world.  And from the looks of it, _something_ big
was going down.  Sure enough, Shinra walks in with it's big talk and even
bigger guns, and takes these guys prisoners, Cid included.  He wasn't a
prisoner like they were, but he sure wasn't being let out of this damn room.

Yeah, it was comfortable.  But...  he was on the _Highwind_!  The top of the
line flight ship.  If he wasn't getting into space, this was the next best
thing.  And here he was, _cooped_ up, just for being a goddamn hostage.

He would have spewed insults at the first person to come through his door, if
said person hadn't been Rufus Shinra.

"President Shinra, sir!"  a surprised Cid exclaimed, getting to his feet, "it's an
honor to meet ya, sir!"

"Save the honorifics, Cid."  Rufus said curtly, "I'm here on business. Please,
do relax and sit down."

Obediently, Cid sat back down on his couch.  Rufus stood before him, a critical
look in his eyes.

"So far as we can tell, you were just a bystander in the events that occurred
on top of the crater.  Is this correct?"

"Damn straight.  ...sir."  Cid replied.

Rufus nodded.  "Then you probably have no idea as to what was happening at the
time?"

"Not a damn clue, sir."

Rufus smirked at that.  "Well Cid, I must admit that the actions of Avalanche
at that time were basically noble.  We may well use their help some time in the
future.  Let me tell you about a few legends..."

Rufus went on about Sephiroth, about the Cetra, and the Black materia.  By the
time he was finished, Cid was as white as a sheet.

"You meant to tell me there's a goddamn meteor heading towards this planet?!"

"From our estimates, it will be here within two or three days."

"Bloody hell!  What are ya doing, then?"

"That, my dear friend, is where you come in."  Rufus said, "The Avalanche folk
claim to know a solution to meteor.  But to be honest, I don't know if I can
entirely trust them."

"Probably goes both ways."  Cid muttered under his breath.  Rufus chose to
ignore the comment, and continued.

"We have in our possession a weapon that should be able to destroy the meteor.
The only problem, is getting it in contact with the meteor before it's too
late."

Cid looked up at him, eyes flashing.  "The rocket?  You're gonna strap yer
weapon on the rocket, aren't you?"

Rufus nodded.  "Precisely.  And to be honest, we'd rather have our only trained
pilot on the job.  If this is successful - and with you in charge, I don't see
how it could fail - I can assure you the space program will gain an increased
level of importance to Shinra."

Cid stared at Rufus, slack-jawed, for a full minute.  Space.  Ever since he'd
first looked to the stars, he'd wanted nothing else but to be among them.
Shinra had taken the space program from him five years ago, after training
himself to be the most overqualified applicant available.  He'd built half
that rocket himself, dammit.  Finally, he'd be up where he'd always dreamed of
going...

"Count me in, sir!" He cried, even throwing in a salute for once in his life.

Rufus smiled.  "Excellent."  He walked towards the door, and motioned to Cid,
"I'm sorry for keeping you here, but we needed to work out the prisoners'
stories before we could let you go free."

"Of course sir."  Cid said dazedly, practically floating out of the room. It
was happening.  It was finally coming true.  His lifelong dream would be a
reality.  But a few nagging doubts crawled into his mind..

"Sir?"  He called out to Rufus, who had already been marching on his way
elsewhere.  Rufus turned around, a questioning look on his face, "Err, what the
hell kind of weapon is this, anyway?  I never heard of anything that could
take out a meteor the size of the one coming here."

Rufus nodded.  "Follow me for a minute, Cid."  Rufus began walking down a
corridor once Cid had caught up, "I assume you heard about the tragedy at
Wutai?"

"Wutai?  Not a thing, sir."

"Hmm.  Those terrorists must have had you distracted indeed."  Rufus commented,
opening another door, which lead into a room with charts and photographs
plastered on the walls.

"This is our 'war room.'" Rufus said casually, "Once we'd worked out what was
going on, we made our estimations here."

"What's this got to do with the weapon?"  Cid grunted.

Rufus held up a color photograph, showing a desert island, barren of life, and
oddly blackened in areas.  "This, was Wutai after the weapon dropped."

Cid stared at the photograph blankly.  "God damn."  he said hoarsely, "Who the
hell would do such a thing?"

"Avalanche would, apparently.  We leaked information that we had a small base
being formed in the mountain range.  This was their response.  After launching
the weapon, we found their location, and they escaped to Rocket Town.  You know
the rest."

"You have another one of these damn things?"

"They were forced to leave this behind when we started hunting them down. So
far as we know, it's the only other one."

"Shit."  Cid said quietly, "That's pretty sick."

"Indeed.  I will have to warn you, that this weapon is extraordinarily
dangerous.  This will not be an easy mission."  Rufus warned.

"I'll do anything to get into space, Mr. Shinra.  And it'd be damn nice to get
rid of this *&^#$ thing _off_ planet."

Rufus clapped Cid's shoulder.  "Excellent.  Our ship is flying to Junon first,
but the ship will be prepared for launch to Rocket Town as quickly as
possible."

With that, Rufus left Cid alone to look at the photographs and charts.  As the
door closed, Cid let out a disgusted snort.  "Yer a good actor Rufus.  Good
thing I am, too."

Cid left the room as quickly as possible.  He knew he was working for the most
unscrupulous and cutthroat company on the planet; he wasn't naive.  But
still...  a chance to get into space was a chance to get into space.  And he
wasn't lying; anything as destructive as this weapon looked to be _would_ be
best to get off planet.


-=-


The Other walked along its newfound domain with a patient air.  Soon, the
meteor would strike, and while the souls within the lifestream rushed to heal
the wound, she would consume them all as they were distracted.  Finally, she
would have the energy to rid herself of the accursed Jenova, and evolve to her
true form...

So why did she feel pity for this planet?  It was only natural that she
progress to her next form; it was the order of things, and her right.  She was
born for this very purpose.

Despite her confidence, she had a tiny gnawing at the back of her mind; the
pathetic 'emotions' of the souls she'd already consumed, most likely. They gave
her power, but knowledge as well.

But pity was a weakness, nothing to be admired.  When she finally evolved, she
hoped such irritants would be cast away, just as this host body would be. To be
free once more, to roam across the stars...  But no, she was stuck in this
mockery of a form, not fitting for her true self.

But soon enough.  Soon enough.  All she had to do was wait.  Wait for the
meteor to come, and end it all.  With the Ultimate Weapon at her side, there
was certainly nothing on the planet that could possibly threaten her.

"But the weapon is not your ally."  a voice spoke to her, "it serves the
planet, not you.  Once it realizes-"

"Be silent!"  The Other roared, banging one fist against a wall, causing the
entire cavern she was in to tremble slightly.  The Other took pause, breathing
slowly, narrowing her eyes.  'Her' eyes; she thought of them as such, more and
more so as time passed by, she had accustomed herself to the identity of self.
There was no identity to her previous form, just ravaging vengeance and a
driving compulsion to destroy all like Jenova.  'She' had been an 'it', once.
Would that change again once she evolved, as well?

The Other shook such thoughts from her head.  It did not matter.  The time
would come.  It was her right.  It was her destiny.  It was fate.


-=-


Leonard of Calm was rarely an outgoing sort of person.  Rarely would he be
found outside of his research laboratory, even more rarely so outside of Shinra
Headquarters.  But he had to admit, this last day had certainly been a
fascinating trip.  It was a pity that giant machine had flown off before he
could have found a way to utilize it.  And those others that had shown up...  A
member of the Fireteeth clans!  He had not even been aware any of them existed
anymore.  He'd read about them in scientific journals, and had always dreamed
of seeing one up close.

But then the strange things started happening...  like that young girl freezing
them all, and casting that spell...  and that odd man called 'Sephiroth'.  He'd
heard the name mentioned around Shinra every now and then, but he'd had no idea
it was actually a man.

Most important of all, though...  a Cetra.  He had distinctly heard the girl
who cast the spell call another of the group 'Cetra'.  The ancient race, the
star travelers!  The stories they could tell him, the knowledge they could
share.  It boggled his mind, considering the good things that could come of it.

But then, there were the odd moments; like Rufus acting so cold towards the
second group, 'Avalanche'.  They had seemed so hostile.  But why would they be
angry with a company that was doing so much good for the planet?

He had tried talking to them, but had been barred access to the prison area of
the ship.  Concerns for his health, they cited.  Surely these people wouldn't
be so callous as to hurt a man of science?

But it was Rufus' own coldness that Leonard drifted back to.  He'd always been
so nice, so friendly, whenever they talked.  He'd never seen this side to his
leader/ benefactor before.

It was a lot of stimuli to take in, too much for one as normally reclusive as
Leonard.  He opted instead to wander to the outer decks of the ship, and admire
the vistas all around him.  It wasn't often he got to see sights like this -
any sights at all.  Even though his mind usually drifted to contemplations as
to how it could be explored and exploited for science, he could appreciate the
natural beauty of the areas around him.  Off in the distance, he could make out
the sandy beaches that surrounded the port town of Junon; apparently their
destination.  Why Rufus was bringing him here he wasn't sure, most probably he
didn't have time to drop him off in Midgar.  Just as well, really.  The air
against his face was a surprisingly welcome sensation.

"Maybe... maybe I should do this more often."  he murmured softly, leaning
against the railing, looking down at the sparkling waters below.

"Damn near everyone can."  a voice from behind spoke, startling Leonard out of
his reverie.  He turned around to see a gruff man, with a rather unshaven
beard, and short, spiky blond hair.  He was standing just behind Leonard,
smoking on a cigarette.

"I remember you...  you were in the crater, with the rebels."  Leonard said
haltingly.

"I was with 'em, but only 'cause they damn near dragged me the entire damn
way." he said, with an odd smile on his face.  He extended a hand towards
Leonard, "Cid Highwind."

After a brief pause, Leonard shook Cid's hand.  "Cid...  that name sounds
familiar.  You aren't in the space program, are you?"

Cid snorted.  "Of what little one there is, yah."

Leonard hadn't let go of Cid's hand, and was now shaking it more vigorously.
"I'm Leonard, Leonard of Calm.  I read your theories on rocket design and
propulsion - I was most interested.   In fact, I tried some of your ideas in
lab conditions, and it seems that they'd work out well; I incorporated a few of
them into an emergency system for this ship, in fact."

Cid was momentarily stunned.  "You made this ship?"

"Well, not in the sense of actually building it.  I just drew up the ideas and
some basic concepts for use.  I'm surprised at some of the ideas they changed,
though.  It seems far less useful for transporting food and farming equipment,
and far more concerned with transporting people.  I mean, certainly, one could
transport a lot of experts to an area to show people how to use the equipment,
but if one can't carry the equipment there as well, what's the-"

"Leonard," Cid interjected, "this is a _war_ ship."

"...oh?"  Leonard looked around curiously, "I don't see why they'd need to do
that.  How odd."

"Is that what they said they wanted?"  Cid asked curiously.

"Well, no.  I just came up with the idea for an airship, and it seemed the most
obvious use for such a thing.  Rufus said he'd liked the idea, too."

"I bet he would."  Cid muttered.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The kid's slicker than goddamn oil." Cid said, "He'll say anything to get
people on his side.  Hell, he tried convincing me that them people I was with -
Avalanche - were responsible for the tragedy at Wutai."

"Tragedy?  What tragedy?"

"You didn't hear about it either?"  Cid asked, "Follow me, this has to be seen
to be believed..."

Curiously, Leonard followed Cid back into the ship.  Surely Rufus could be
trusted, though?  He'd always seemed like such a nice man.  Far more so than
this rough fellow.  But this ship..  it definitely didn't serve the purpose
he'd designed it for.  Rufus didn't do this to all his creations though,
surely...


-=-


Briefly, as she plunged into the pool of lifestream, Tifa thought she could
make out a huddled figure deep below.  With a brief burst of determination, she
swam downwards towards it, but each stroke became an effort, every move a
chore.

It was enough, though.  Slowly, she drifted down, even after she had stopped
being able to move herself.  Her own eyes closed a few moments later, as she
sunk into unconsciousness.  Had she been able to see, she would have noticed
that the figure itself was rising towards her.

Tifa's outreached hand brushed against Cloud's head, and there was a brief
jolt-

- A young boy and girl, sitting by themselves atop a well, looking up at the
night sky, too shy to be looking at each other.  The boy makes a proclamation,
and a promise; he would make her proud-

- Nibelheim.  The day Sephiroth came.  They day he burnt the city to ashes.-

- A glimpse of another man, looking much like Cloud, only with black hair
instead of blond-

Tifa awoke sprawled on ground, Barret in a heap beside her.  Weakly, she got to
her feet, and took stock of where she was.  She was standing in the middle of a
crossroads, though the road was all there was to see; the ground dropped off
immediately at the edges.  Four roads led short distances, each leading
towards...  Cloud?

A huddled form, shaking and quivering, was at the end of every path.  They all
wore Cloud's uniform, and they all had his rather distinct hairstyle.  Looking
to the 'sky' above, she thought she could make out the form of another Cloud.
He was nearly transparent and larger than a house, curled in a fetal position
as he drifted about.

"Where am I?"  Tifa asked in disbelief.

"You're in the mind of Cloud Yvonne Strife." a voice said to her, "Whoever he
is."

Tifa looked all around, trying to find the source of the voice.  "What do you
mean, 'whoever he is?'"

"There is a person named Cloud Strife.  But who is he?  I am he, but even I
don't know the answer."

"The how the hell you think we're gonna know the answer?"  Barret grumbled,
finally coming to himself, "I know you're the ex-SOLDIER who left to help me
take Shinra down.  Even if it was fo' money."

As Barret got to his feet, he took in his surroundings.  "...What the hell?"

"I joined you because of Tifa, not because of money."  Cloud's voice answered,
"Being with her gave me something to believe in.  ...but it was a lie."

Tifa's eye misted slightly.  "It wasn't a lie Cloud, not entirely."

"I was never a SOLDIER first class.  I don't remember anything between leaving
Nibelheim as a youth, and you finding me in the slums of Midgar a few weeks
ago.  Not clearly, not in any way I can trust anymore.  Even my memories from
then - which of them are mine, and which were supplied or twisted by Jenova?"

"I dunno what the hell's going on here," Barret broke in, but I do know you're
talking a lot of bull.  What the hell could Jenova do to you?"

"I am not of Jenova, but I have a part of her within me.  Or had.  It is gone
now.  I don't know how or why, but I was infused with Sephiroth cells at some
point.  Everything I've done since I met you all - I don't know what of it was
my choice, and what was theirs."

"Yer still talking like a damn fool!"  Barret cried, "I dunno what the hell is
going on here, but I do know that you don't do nothing you don't want to!  You
try an tell me that Jenova made you blow up that damn reactor in Midgar? Jenova
told ya to chase Sephiroth and try stoppin' him?  You're the one that got us
chasing him in the first place!"

"And thanks to us, Sephiroth attained the Black Materia."   Cloud added sadly.

Tifa and Barret were both given pause at that.

"We chased Sephiroth, sure.  We chased him across the entire planet,
practically. But why did he even go to half the places he did?  Why was he on
the boat to Junon?  You saw him fly away after he attacked.  We were still in
the middle of the ocean.  He _led_ us, on a path that we were able to take."

"Shit."  Barret whispered.

"Everything I've done has either been a lie, or in the service of Sephiroth."
Cloud stated, "is that who I am?  I don't like to think so, but it's the only
answer I can see."

Barret was shaking as he looked down one of the paths, gazing directly at the
version of Cloud in front of him.  "And how does that make yuh feel?"

"...what?"  Cloud's voice answered back uncertainly.

"How does it make you feel, dammit?"  Barret shouted, "Shit, you've had the
wool pulled over yer eyes by somebody who wants to destroy this damn planet, so
what you gonna do? Hide like a damn baby from the world?  I don't think so!  I
hear what you're sayin, and it makes me mad; I wanna do something about it!
What are you gonna do?"

"I don't even know who I am, what can I do?"  Cloud answered weakly.

"Like hell you don't!  You ain't yer past, you ain't what you've done.  You're
what you do, right now!  So what the hell are you gonna do?!"

"Cloud..."  Tifa finally spoke up, "we can help you figure out your past.  But
you're not going to do anything by retreating into yourself."  She chose one of
the paths, walking towards one of the versions of Cloud.  It was younger; the
child he was when he left Nibelheim in his youth.  She knelt before it,
reaching a hand out, "Come back to us Cloud, please.  We need you...  I need
you."

The youth looked up, slowly, tears in it's face.  "I need to understand who I
am."

Barret had walked up to another of the prone figures, and slapped it upside the
head. "You ain't going to achieve nothing unless you get out of the damn
lifestream!  You want to understand yourself, then get up and do something
'bout it!"

That version of Cloud looked up, frowning.  "I'm...  just not certain of who I
am anymore."

Tifa took the hand of her version of Cloud, and began walking back to the
crossroads.  "You're someone who's missed by a lot of people.  Come back to us
Cloud, please."

Barret smiled gruffly as the Cloud he was standing beside got up as well.  The
pair also headed back towards the crossroads, and Barret noticed the other two
Clouds had gotten up on their own account.  As they all arrived at the
crossroads, all four Clouds stopped.  The shimmering image of Sephiroth was
standing in the middle of the crossroads, smiling in a way that somehow all of
them could see.

"I'm afraid."  They said simultaneously, "I'm afraid of what might happen.  I'm
free of his influence, but..."

"But nothin."  Barret said gruffly, "You want to know yer past?  I figger this
bastard's somehow in the middle of it all."

"You're not alone Cloud.  You never were.  We're here to help."  Tifa said,
squeezing Cloud's hand encouragingly.

Slowly, tentatively, the four Clouds walked together, into the image of
Sephiroth, into themselves. Barret and Tifa watched as the entire area was
bathed in a light, so bright it blocked out the sight of all else...


-=-


[In the beginning, there was Jenova.  She and I shall be all there is in the
end.]

(Do you listen to yourself?  Do you honestly think that Jenova will simply let
you rule at her side?)

[She has promised me this planet.  It is enough for I.  She can take over
whatever else she feels like.]

(With what power, pray tell, other than your own?  She is _using_ you.  She is
trying to use us both!)

[All that matters is that I get revenge upon this planet.  For their
destruction of the Cetra, for their raping of this planet, for their making me
as I am.  All their works are a mockery of what our glorious ancestors
achieved.]

(You are condemning an entire race for the mistakes of a few unscrupulous
people?  I was never this cold, younger brother.)

[If mother is correct in what she says - and she always is - you also burned
down the entire city of Nibelheim.  Perhaps you are simply a fire of rage?]

(That was a mistake.  That was before I knew the truth.)

[And what truth is that, oh wise 'elder brother' of mine?]

(We are not Cetra.  Our mother is not Jenova.)

[...]

(Where has your confidence gone, little brother?)

[You're lying.  Jenova is our mother.  Hojo himself told us so.  All the
records said so.]

(I've lived your life hundreds of times over, and each time I come to the same
truth.  We are not Cetra, we are human.)

[This is a lie, a bastard lie of one who has been corrupted.  Mother told me
you would lie to me.]

(Mother this, mother that...  it doesn't sound at all like you've been
brainwashed.)

[...I should kill your consciousness and end this pointless bickering.  But
mother says that I shall be more whole once you and I are one.  It will be,
brother.  You shall see the light. And then, we shall bathe this world in fire,
purify it for our ascension.]

(You're mad, you know.  I was you once, and I was mad too.)

[I am not mad.  I am that which will become a god.  You will see the truth, and
you will join me.  You may be older, but you are definitely not the stronger. I
have Jenova on my side.]


-=-


The citizens of Bone Village gazed warily at the encampment of Shinra troops
that had sprung up overnight.  For no discernible reason, their once peaceful
and quiet village had turned into a hotbed of military power.  First those
heavily armed strangers had come through, and now an entire army was camped
right outside the village, with helicopters shuttling in and out at all hours
of the day.

The latest helicopter, however, had acted differently.  Not only had it spilled
out the blue-uniformed Shinra soldiers, but also a man in a once-expensive
business suit, and a... something, both in heavy manacles.  Still, the
villagers studiously  ignored their plight, having realized almost immediately
that they wanted no part in what was happening.



Cait perched warily on top of his moogle, not certain the top heavy construct
would be able to keep its balance with both of its arms secured behind its
back.  He flexed his tiny arms happily, the Shinra troops had not been able to
find a set of manacles small enough for him, and seemed to have dismissed him
as harmless without his moogle, anyway. He was confident that an opportunity to
escape would arise.

The Boss did not look confident of anything, however, unless it was of his own
death. Reeve had become withdrawn after their capture, and had not responded to
the soldier's taunts or Cait Sith's encouragement.  As soon as Shinra's elite
had stopped prodding him along, he had slumped to the ground in an untidy pile.

Cait leaned down and whispered to his moogle.  "Look after the Boss, will'ya? 
I'm gonna get us outa here."  He hopped off the creature's head while it
lumbered over to Reeve and assumed a protective stance.

Cait slipped over to the entrance of the tent given to the prisoners.  Moving
stealthily as only a cat, even a robotic cat, can, he slipped behind the guards
stationed at the entrance and made his way between their feet and the fabric of
the tent.

The soldiers not on watch had settled down around a rickety table, gambling
away their already small paychecks.  A small pile of minor materia and gil had
accumulated on the current hand.  Cait peered over one of the soldier's
shoulders at the game from a conveniently placed chair.  It was Midgar stud
variant of poker, and was down to only two players, one of whom had just raised
the bet significantly.

Tiny sensors whirred to life within Cait Sith, monitoring the player's heart
rates and body temperature.  After a second of processing, he hopped to the
indecisive soldier's shoulder.

"Hey there!" He chirped at the startled man, "he's just bluffing, you know! 
Trust me," he puffed out his tiny chest, "I was built to figure this stuff
out!"

The soldier glanced at the stricken look on his comrade's face, and then back
at the 'cat' perched on his shoulder.  "Reeve built you to gamble?"

"Oh, yeah.  How else do you think he could afford to build something like me
and still dress like that?  I'm his primary source of income!  Listen, fellas,
you have me in your corner, and I guarantee we can take money off every single
soldier stationed here.  Just to make it up to you for spoiling your bluff,
I'll even let you use me first.  Waddaya say?"

"Why?" The bluffing soldier asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"To insure my life, of course!  I _do_ have a survival instinct, despite being
mechanical. You guys just execute the moogle instead of me, and I keep on
living, and make you a bundle of money in the process!  It's a win-win
situation."  He smiled his best winning smile.

The soldiers appeared to consider this.  "Fine.  Any funny business, though,
and I'm gonna kick that fuzzy head of yours in, got it?"

"Sure thing!  Let's go!"


-=-


One very prosperous game of poker later, the richer soldiers were settling down
for a celebratory drink.

"Hey guys, this is all well and good, but somebody's gonna figure out we're
cheating eventually."  Spoke the oddly shaped duffel bag at their feet, "but I
know how we can prevent that!"

The original soldier, less than sober, gave the bag an idle kick.  "Be more
quiet in there! Yer gonna give ush away."

"Listen, all we gotta do is change games to something a little more random. 
Something no one but me can help you cheat at!  If they catch us at this..."

That appeared to catch the drunken soldiers' attention.  One of them leaned
down and unzipped the bag.  Out popped a feline head.  "You guys could really
stand to do some laundry, ya'know."  He fastidiously removed a dirty sock from
his head.

"Jus' tell ush about yer scheme."

"So, what's the one game no one can fix?  I'll tell you what: dice!  It's
perfect! Completely random, no cards up your sleeve or cats in the bag!"  One
of the soldiers appeared about to protest, but Cait plowed on.  "And I can do
it with any pair of dice! No accusations of weighted dice!  Try me!"  He
waited, carefully keeping his anxiety in check while they digested this.

"Shure.  Why not?" One of them philosophized.  He handed over a yellowed pair
of dice. "Go fer it."

Their only warning before the world exploded was Cait's devilish smile.


-=-


Cait dodged back and forth, barely avoiding being trampled by the panicked
soldiers.  Off to his right, one of the munitions tents caught on fire.  "Whoa!
 Double sixes do it every time!  Now, where did I park?"

He leaped and twisted to the side as the first of the boxes of ammo exploded,
sending soldiers flying in bluish blurs.  From behind the relative safety of a
boulder he observed the chaos he had orchestrated.  Soldiers, believing the
camp to be under attack, were running in all directions, some in various states
of undress.  No one seemed to remember the prisoners.  "I think I may have
found a new pair of lucky dice!"

Then he was off again, aiming for a soldier dressed in red, trying to shout
orders over the explosions and screams.  Left between two running soldiers,
over the still form of another, and between the feet of one standing in shock. 
Now, leap!  Cait's small form struck the officer head on.  While Cait was made
of metal and plastic, the soldier was of not of such stern stuff, and went down
 in a heap of limbs.

"There, the key!  Dontcha worry, Boss, I'm coming!"  And Cait was off again,
this time weaving his way back into the heart of the camp.

There was a noise like the ending of worlds as the fires and explosions reached
the crates containing the grenades and rockets brought by the army.  Cait found
himself staring for several long microseconds at the approaching wall of flame
and debris, his systems locked into a loop between terror and determination. 
He felt his paws leave the ground as the fire wall struck him, and lifted him
high into the air.  'I guess they weren't so lucky after all,' he mused just
before his systems shut down.


-=-


Jessie and Biggs managed to get down the cliff side without any problems; they
had both grown up in Midgar, but they had certainly had enough experience
scaling up and down buildings.  Admittedly, none of them had been as tall as
this cliff was.  There were no accidents, but they were certainly winded by the
time they reached the bottom.

They took a moment to survey the area around them.  Much like Tifa and Barret
before them, the only thing they saw was the green glowing pool in the middle
of the flat expanse.  They kneeled beside the pool, peering intently at it's
reflective surface.

"You don't think they jumped into here, do you?"  Jesse asked.

"It's the only place they could have gone, they didn't have any more rope to go
down the other cliff."  Biggs said slowly.

"But it's the _lifestream_!"  Jessie cried, "You get serious mako poisoning
from it!"

Biggs looked around.  "There's nothing for them to have tripped on; they must
have gone in willingly.  I guess they figured Cloud was down there."

"But why did they both go down?  That's crazy!"

Biggs smirked.  "Guess we'll have to ask them when we get them out, eh?"

Jessie rolled her eyes.  "Don't tell me you're thinking of going in there too."

"Well, what else can-"

Biggs' speech was cut off by a small noise - that of air bubbles coming up to
the surface of the pool, and pooping.  Biggs and Jessie shared a quick glance
at each other, then Biggs ducked his upper body into the lifestream.  Jessie
grabbed onto his legs, bracing herself as well as she could.

"You're going to kill us all."  She muttered, waiting for some kind of
indication from Biggs.  She didn't get anything definite, but the fact that he
was beginning to spasm was enough for her.  She pushed back with her legs,
pulling Biggs back out of the pool. Biggs was barely conscious, but he had a
firm grip something.  As she pulled back, Barret's head rose out from the liquid
as well.  With Biggs fully out, Jessie set him aside, and began pulling Barret
out directly.  Pulling the large man out of a pool while largely unconscious
proved to be more than enough of a chore in itself, and by the time he was out,
Jessie fell to her knees, exhausted.

Jessie examined the two, who were both shivering despite their largely
unconscious state.  Biggs had his eyes open, and seemed a bit more awake and
aware, but not enough to do more than wrap his arms tightly around his body.
Jessie turned her attention back to the pool.  Barret was back, but what about
Cloud and Tifa?  She couldn't leap in herself, or she'd just get affected too...

Her worries were cut short as a gloved hand shot it's way out of the pool.
Jessie jumped up with a yelp, and grabbed onto the hand.  She pulled with what
little energy she had left, and slowly, Cloud scrabbled out.  Unlike the
others, he was fully conscious, and holding firmly onto the prone figure of
Tifa.  Jessie stared in amazement as Cloud set Tifa down on the ground gently,
and rose to his feet.

"Cloud...?"  Jessie said tentatively.

Cloud wasn't looking at her, he was surveying the area, and then his own
mako-drenched body.  "...Yeah?"

"You're... awake...  You're alive!"  She cried, leaping up and hugging the
dazed warrior,  "We were so worried about you..."  Jessie trailed off as she
slumped against Cloud's chest, exhausted.

Slowly, Cloud broke into a smile, and helped Jessie to sit down.  "I guess you
could say I chose to see again.  And I guess I have all of you to thank for
bringing me to that point."

Jessie looked around.  "Uh, Cloud, they're all unconscious.  I don't think they
can hear you."

"Maybe, maybe not.  I think, in a way, they can."  Cloud stretched, a smile
still on his face, "And don't worry, they should be getting up shortly."

Before Jessie could say anything in response, Biggs began to stir.  His eyes
were blinking rapidly as he painfully raised himself into a sitting position.
Jessie was at his side in an instant, while Cloud walked over to Barret, who
was also beginning to awake.

Cloud knelt beside the larger man, who was opening his eyes and looking around.
"The hell..." he said gruffly, raising a hand to his face.

Cloud reached a hand to Barret, a serene smile on his face.  "I guess I owe you
my thanks.  Those were some pretty strong words you used.'

"Unnhh....  You sounded like you needed some sense talked into yuh, Spikey."
Barret mumbled slowly, taking his hand, and slowly getting to his feet, "...and
that damn place was giving me the creeps."

Barret stood on his feet woozily, but managed to stay upright.  Cloud nodded.
"You were right.  I've been running for too long.  It's time I faced my
problems instead of suppressing them."

Barret blinked.  "Are you sure yer all right Spikey?  You're talking a lot more
than normal."

"Better than I've been in a while." Cloud answered, "More confident, at least."

Barret blinked again.  "And yer giving me straight answers.  Damn, this is
going to take some getting used to."

Cloud left Barret to himself for a bit,, and knelt beside the prone figure of
Tifa.  She was still fully unconscious, but breathing.  He slid his arms under
her, and attempted to lift her off the ground.  He was surprised when he found
that he didn't have the energy to.  More than a little shocked, he pulled his
arms back, and sat down himself.

Biggs was fully conscious at this point as well, and Jessie was taking the time
to scold him for his impulsive behavior.

"...and what if you'd slipped fully in before I'd gotten a hold of you?  Then
it would have been just me left, all myself in this mountain range.  What were
you thinking?  Honestly, if you'd just..."

Sullenly, Biggs was wishing he'd been out for a little longer.

Cloud ignored the pair, and was looking intently at himself again.  He was
alive.  But more than that, he was free.  If what Abel had told him was true,
whatever it was in him that Jenova was controlling, had been purged.  He didn't
really feel any different, just a little weak.  But it wasn't that different
from the time he'd escaped Hojo's experimentations on him and Zack.

That thought gave Cloud pause.  Experiments?  Zack?  What was that about?  He
shook himself out of his reverie when he noticed Tifa stirring.  She left out a
soft groan, and shifted her position slightly.  Cloud leaned over, watching her
with concern.

Finally, she opened her eyes, taking some time to focus her eyes, and make out
the man kneeling beside her.   "Looks... like we made it." she whispered.

"Thank you."  Cloud said simply.  He didn't need to say anything else.

Tifa coughed, and managed a weak smile.  "Wasn't... going to let you leave me
again."

"I won't.  I've nothing to run from now... just things to face."

The two stared at each other quietly for a few moments, before sharing a tight
embrace.  They stayed like this for a long while, unaware or not caring of the
stares from the rest of the group.

Jessie was shaking her head at the proceedings.  "Am I the only one who's
shocked that you're all alive?  The odds of four people surviving exposure to
straight mako is unheard of."

"We're jes' lucky."  Barret grunted,  "if life hands you a blessing, don't
question it."

"Oh, I'm not arguing," Jessie amended, "just surprised.  I mean, this sort of
thing just doesn't happen."

"The lifestream is the blood of the planet."  Cloud said, rising to his feet,
one arm around Tifa, "It chose not to harm us, because it needs our help."

The entire rest of the group stared at Cloud, who shrugged.  "Don't look at me
like that.  It's what I was told."

"Uhh, by who?"  Biggs asked dubiously.

"Another person on our side.  Abel, I think he said his name was."  Cloud
answered.

Tifa took a step back to look at her friend, unsure of whether he was actually
fully recovered or not.  As she examined his face, something struck her.

"Cloud, your eyes..."  she said slowly, "...they're blue."


-=-


Abel jumped over a fallen tree, ducking behind it just as an explosive wave
blasted above him.  He cursed, knocking his bow, and getting ready to return
fire.

"Just my luck they'd be carrying explosives."  he muttered, rising above his
cover, letting loose an arrow, and ducking back down again in one swift motion.
 The proof of his success was in the strangled cry of a trooper in the
distance.

Abel sprung from his position, running deeper into the woods, and up into a
tree. This was his element, the forest.  Long ago he had perfected the
hit-and-run tactics needed to fight against the superior numbers of the Shinra
army.  Long ago, in almost another life.  But it was all coming back to him.

Much to the dismay of the troops following him.  Another fell to an arrow, and
the remaining troops grouped together, gathering in a circle, rifles at ready. 
Abel smiled as he watched them huddle nearer together.  This is what he had
wanted.  He stroked the glowing materia on his bow, smiling darkly.  "Show them
our anger, mother...   Give back to them what they gave our people..."  the
materia flashed even brighter as Abel leapt from the tree, landing with his
weapon aloft, "Tears of Wutai!"  he shouted, as he disappeared from view.

The Shinra troops could only stand still in shock as storm clouds formed
overhead, and the form of Abel was replaced with that of a tall, slender woman,
dressed in traditional Wutai garb.  In one hand she held a finely crafted
wooden bow, which she was drawing back to fire.  The troops watched in
confusion as she aimed not at them, but at the clouds above.  Where her arrow
hit, a hole was formed, shining light down upon the increasingly bewildered
troops.  They tried to move, but were held in place by some unseen force.  As
they watched, figures could vaguely be seen to be gather around the hole.  And
then, it began to rain.  Not drops of water, but a literal shower of ghostly
arrows, descended upon the group.  Within seconds, the two dozen or soldiers
were lying on the ground, dead or dying.

The woman disappeared, and Abel reappeared, falling to his knees.  He looked up
at the rapidly dissipating clouds, and thought he could almost see the ghostly
apparitions saluting him as they disappeared.  The cry of those long gone. 

Abel gave a small prayer of thanks, and looked over at the devastation.  Every
one of the troops was dead, impaled with at least a dozen arrows each.  He
looked down at their bodies coldly, a feeling of satisfaction in him - until he
noticed the face of one soldier, his helmet knocked off his head. He couldn't
have been older than eighteen; he would have been a mere child when the Wutai
war began.  Surveying the bodies more closely, he found that most of them were
of a similar age.  None of them could have possibly served in that war.

"This isn't vengeance,"  Abel ruminated, "it's just another slaughter.  Only
them instead of us..."

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of gunfire nearby.  He leapt 
aside as a tree he had been standing beside nearly shattered from the bullets
that flew into it.  Abel cursed, the party he had seen was obviously only the
scouting group.  Leave it to Shinra to come in overwhelming numbers.

Abel sighed inwardly as he knocked his bow once more.  This wasn't vengeance,
but it truly was a case of him or them.  They would know the pain of his 
people, even if they didn't fully understand why.  


-=-


Ioviano knelt before the writhing mass that was Jenova once more.  He hated
this position, kneeling before that he once swore to kill.  Which was why, he
believed, she made him do so.  A reminder of the control she held over his
heart.

"Your servants have been roused, and are prepared to hold back any threat which
dares to despoil your sanctum, mother."  Ioviano spoke, distaste in his mind,
but none on his lips.

"You have done well, my child."  Jenova spoke, aloud for the first time in
Ioviano's memory, "And I have one final task for you.  If you succeed, our
final victory will be assured."

"I am yours to serve."  Ioviano said, his heart soaring a the prospect, to his
own disgust.

"The Cetra is still alive.  She alone holds the knowledge of Holy, the counter
to the Meteor.  It must not be cast."

"You want me to find this girl, then?"  Ioviano growled.

"That would be ideal, but no.  You must go to the ancient city at the south end
of this continent.  There, and only there, can Holy be cast.  You must protect
this place, and keep her from it at all costs."

Ioviano stooped even further, "I understand mother.  I will not fail."

"Be sure you do not."  Jenova said sharply, "Failure in this will be the end of
everything we've worked for."

Ioviano rose to his feet.  "I understand, and obey."  he said, turning and
leaving Jenova's chamber once more.  "I understand that you are afraid."  He
thought to himself.

Jenova was afraid for it's own survival.  The realization had a calming and
focusing effect on him.  It pleased him to think of her end.  But this Holy
sounded too easy.  It would not do to simply lay over and die if Jenova died
herself.  His shame was great enough already; he refused to perish without
honor.  He would go down fighting.


-=-


Aeris rubbed her arms absently as she sat beside Nanaki.  Yuffie had retreated
back to her corner some time ago.  Her tears had dried up only a few minutes
after Hojo had been taken away, and hadn't made a noise since.  Every time
Aeris or Nanaki tried to make a motion towards her, she would shirk back
tighter into herself, or simply look up at them with a sharp glare.  Whatever
pains Yuffie felt, she was obviously intent on dealing with them herself.

Aeris sighed.  The silence was uncomfortable, but she didn't want to risk
disturbing Yuffie more than she already was.  She settled for sitting against
one wall, occasionally stroking Nanaki's mane.  Nanaki himself was also silent,
though he seemed simply mulling the things that had happened in the last few
hours.  Aeris had a hard time accounting for it all herself.  The Meteor was
summoned, Inno taken by the other, Sephiroth was lost to her, again..  and they
were prisoners.  Going further and further away from the place where she needed
to be.  To the ancient city, where the spirit of Holy was waiting to be
awakened.

The sound of the door opening distracted Aeris from her thoughts, and she
looked up to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway.  "Hello Tseng." 
She said wearily.

"Aeris.  So nice to see you again.  Though I wish the conditions weren't always
so... severe."

Nanaki looked at the man oddly as Aeris responded.  "You chose your path Tseng,
I chose mine.  It _is_ a shame though, that they keep clashing like this."

Tseng smiled warmly, a reaction that had Nanaki very confused.  This was the
man who'd captured Inno and himself so swiftly and brutally?  He remembered
Tseng's dispassionate glares as they were transported to Midgar.  This was hard
to comprehend.

"I assure you Aeris, that it is not my intention.  It is merely what I'm
ordered to do."

Aeris lowered her head.  "I find it sad that you can take orders you don't
believe in."

Tseng shifted uncomfortably.  "I had...  obligations to fulfill.  Now, however,
I am doing something I believe in."  he said determinedly, before stepping into
the room, and to the left of the door.  He bowed, his hands outstretched to the
open doorway.

"I don't understand."  Aeris said.

"It's quite simple.  I am giving you this chance to escape."

"Why?" Nanaki barked suspiciously.

"'The enemy of my enemy is not a friend; but it is better for them to also
fighting my enemy, than to fight me.'"  Tseng quoted, standing upright again,
"wise words, from a wise man."

For the first time since Tseng had arrived, Yuffie stirred.  She looked up at
the gaunt man through puffed eyes.  "My...  my father said that."

Tseng nodded.  "And he was a highly intelligent man.  But I do suggest you
leave soon.  The next shift of guards will be here in..." he checked his watch,
"two minutes and fourty-eight seconds."

"One might think you'd planned this well in advance."  Aeris said, grinning.

"Rufus is the son of the old president Shinra; I still hold loyalty to him. 
But that does not mean I have to agree with the way he runs his company."
Tseng handed Aeris a small scrap of paper, "this will lead you to the hangar
bay.  There is a helicopter there which you can use to escape.  Aeris..."  Tseng 
broke off for a moment, looking pained, "I will have to harm you if ordered to, 
after all this is over..."

"I understand Tseng.  And thank you."  Aeris said simply, rising to her feet. 
Nanaki leapt up as well, eager to escape the cell.  Both paused to look over at
Yuffie, who was looking at them all, but hadn't moved an inch.

"Yuffie, this is probably our only chance to escape."  Nanaki prodded,
shuffling on his paws.

"I'm not going."  Yuffie said flatly.

"What?"  Aeris cried.

"Two minutes and ten seconds."  Tseng said, mildly uncomfortably.

"Yuffie, we have to go.  We have to stop the meteor, and the Other, _and_
Jenova.  We need all the help we can get!"  Aeris admonished.

"Then go.  You have something to fight for."  Yuffie sobbed, curling into a
ball.

"Yuffie, we have all lost things along the way, but-"

"But nothing!"  Yuffie shouted, still curled into herself, "I've lost
EVERYTHING!  I don't even have a home to go back to..."

Aeris took a step forward, "Yuffie-"

"One minute and thirty seconds."  Tseng reminded.

Aeris looked between Tseng and Yuffie.  She sighed, bowing her head.  "Yuffie,
there's always something to fight for.  I hope you find it."  With that, she
ran out the door, Nanaki close behind.  Tseng watched them leave, studied
Yuffie for a moment, then left the room.

Outside, he ran into Reno, who was leaning up against the wall opposite, arms
crossed. "Damn boss, you're making my life difficult."

"Perhaps, but this is for the best."  Tseng said.

"And not 'cause you have a soft spot for your childhood friend at all.  Yeah, I
get both parts, Tseng." Reno said grinning.

"Just hit me on the back of the head.  Something that will bruise, but not
knock me unconscious."  Tseng said quickly.

Reno shrugged, standing up, and aiming a punch to Tseng's skull.  Tseng rocked
back, but stayed on his feet. Gingerly, he rubbed his head.  "Excellent, that
should be enough..."

"For you maybe," Reno said, "but won't it look unconvincing if I'm here awake?"

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that."  Tseng said.  It was the
last thing Reno heard for a while.


-=-


I used to fight for the memory of my village, for the way it used to be. Before
Shinra decided to make an example of us, before the war.  A long period of
hell, ending with the ultimate humiliation: the vision of my father, kneeling
in submission before President Shinra, begging for forgiveness and mercy. 
Forgiveness of us!  We weren't the ones who slaughtered hundreds of helpless
villagers.

We didn't just surrender the war; we surrendered our entire way of life. Our
culture, our beliefs - they were all given up to make ourselves more appealing
to the leaders a company, based on the other side of the planet. Our way of
life was not profitable enough to them, so it had to be destroyed. Wutai became
a mockery of what it once was.  The temples became tourist destinations; a
place to have your picture taken, not to purify your soul.

I did not want my future to be so hollow, so I fought, despite what my father
said. I went out into the world, tried to gain materia, to gain power so we
could fight Shinra on a more even level.

And while I was gone, they decimated my city.

Completely devoid of life?  Wiped out of existence entirely?  I fought for
years, stealing materia, trying to gain friends who could help me, help my
people...  I even found one of our best generals, Abel, in my search.  But he
is gone; lost in one quick stroke of a sword.  At least he died with honor,
saving the life of another.

What do I have?  I've wanted nothing more than to save my people, but now there
are none left to save?  How can I go on?  What does one do, when they have
nothing left to fight for?

I see no answer, except for the chance to join my father, wherever he may be
now.


-=-


Leonard examined the pictures on the wall shakily.  Cid had come here to show
him about the 'tragedy of Wutai' he'd mentioned...  this was not an answer
Leonard was wanting to see. The devastation, the notes about loss of life and
affects on the surrounding landscape...  they were sounding far too familiar
for Leonard's comfort.

"Bloody awful, innit?"  asked Cid, who was absently leafing through some
papers, "I knew Shinra could do some horrible things, but this one is bad, even
for them."

Leonard held one of the photographs in his hand, clutching it tightly.  "Why? 
Why would they do such a thing?"

Cid's brow furrowed.  "That's the weird part, I have no clue why.  They didn't
have much of a reason, the people were pretty well beaten already, so far as
I'd heard."

"Beaten?"  Leonard asked, confused, "We were at war?"

Cid nearly choked on his cigarette.  "You mean you didn't know?"

"Well, I recall some conversations with Rufus Shinra about them, but we were
talking more about the need to defend ourselves against them, should they ever
decide to become a problem."  Leonard paused, "I always wondered why he brought
the subject up..."

"Purely scientific curiosity, I'm sure."  Cid replied sarcastically.

"I...  all I ever wanted to do was help people." Leonard said, his eyes looking
blankly at the photo.

"Ya did...  only it was the Shinra family you were helping, and no one else. 
It's not like it's yer fault they're more concerned about about profit than
people."  Cid said, worried at the increasingly stricken expression on the
young scientist's face.

"But it _is_ my fault.  _This_ is my fault!"  he cried, shoving the picture in
Cid's face, "I made this weapon.  But, but...  I _told_ them it'd be too
dangerous to actually use.  Such damage to life..."

Cid didn't respond as he watched the man sink to his knees.  Leonard dropped
the picture, and simply sat there, shaking his head.  "They told me it was to
fight some super-organism, and this was the only answer I could find.  I tried
other means, but nothing else seemed to be a sufficient answer.  It couldn't be
isolated, it's cellular structure could resist freezing, it's growth couldn't
be stopped.  The only answer was destruction.  Destruction..."  he looked up at
Cid through tearful eyes, "why does it always have to be destruction?  Has
everything I created been used as some form of killing device?"

"When it's ta do with Shinra, unfortunately that's usually the case."  Cid said
solemnly, "what they can't buy, they take over."

"I was only interested in the pursuit of science, of discovery.  I...  had no
idea Shinra stood against it's basic principles." he said sullenly, "An
organization that works purely for their own gain has no right to have devices
of such power."

Cid shook his head, patting Leonard's shoulder lightly.  "Unfortunately, they
did.  And they used it."

Slowly, Leonard got back to his feet.  "If I tried running away, they'd most
likely just come after me, wouldn't they?"

Cid nodded sadly, "Most likely to shoot on sight."

"I can't run away then."  Leonard said firmly, "I have to keep working with
them, but firmly aware that they'll likely use whatever discovery I come up
with for their own ends?"

Again, Cid nodded his head.  "Welcome ta the reality of workin' for Shinra
Incorporated."

Leonard's shoulders slumped, and the pair left the room silently.  He had often
had niggling wonders why Rufus seeemed so eager at his more disastrous
'accidents,' instead of reprimanding him.  He was always given pause when he
considered the fact that his life was spent largely contained to his lab.  Not
that he wasn't happy there, but that his access to information was so
controlled.  He certainly knew why he was never allowed to get a newspaper now.
 Even those scientific journals had seemed a bit slimmer at times than they'd
been before he'd been hired personally by Rufus.  All those years of making
discoveries, all his good intentions; yet he was probably nothing less than
death incarnate.

He had to make up for it; he had to atone for his sins.  But how?  How can one
ever free themselves from being responsible for the death of an entire nation? 
Leonard had no idea, but he did know, as a scientist, that there was always a
way.

This one would just be harder to work out than others.


-=-


Cloud grunted in strain as he lifted himself up  the stone cliff face. 
Having told them about the capture of Reeve and Cait Sith, the party had
redoubled it's efforts when trying to climb back up the cliff side.  It had
been hard going, but they made it eventually.  Now, instead of taking the
mountain path as they had planned, they were scaling more rock, in hopes of
getting up the mountain that much quicker.

Cloud was not against such an action, he just hadn't expected it to be so hard.
 Every mount they reached was a chore; before his jump he'd been leading the
group, but now, he was the last of the pack.  Was it just mako poisoning, or
was it something else?  Tifa had said his eyes were blue...  They no longer
glowed the unearthly green that was the mark of every SOLDIER who had undergone
mako treatments.

Was he ever really a SOLDIER?  Perhaps the glow had been some trick of the
Jenova influence that had been purged from him?  If so, Cloud wondered why she
had bothered with such an elaborate ruse.  It seemed like too much work on
Jenova's part, for so little gain.

Regardless, one thing was certain: he was weaker now.  He could feel his
strength weakening as he made each scent, and how the others seemed to regain
their wind well before he could.  And he had this pain, a searing pain in his
chest... He didn't tell the others, because he knew they would just worry about
him more.  He'd done enough of that already.

"But what can I contribute?" A small part of his mind asked, "What can I do to
help?"

His strength had always been his strong point, Cloud knew he wasn't much of a
magic user, or a diplomatic.   His ability was to fight.  But if he'd lost
that, what could he do?


-=-


At the top of the next rise, Tifa and Barret were sitting, waiting for the
others to make their way up. Tifa was sitting ponderously, hugging her knees.
"I'm worried about him."  she said simply.

"Wha?  'Bout Spikey?"  Barret grunted.

"Yeah.  I mean, he's been all silent since we started climbing, and his eyes...
He's changed, somehow."

Barret snorted.  "Y'mean you didn't notice when he started talking on like he
did?"

Tifa shook her head.  "I'm serious Barret.  He's not healthy, or at least, as
not as healthy as he was.  We should stop for a longer break this time."

"We can't be doing that."  Barret replied darkly, "You heard Jessie n' Biggs;
those helicopters came from the top of the mountain.  We might already be too
late t'help out Inno and the rest.  They might be captured as well.  We gotta
keep going."

The pair stopped their conversation as Jessie and Biggs made their way onto the
ledge, and then began pulling on their rope, helping Cloud scramble up as well.
Cloud looked sheepish as he stumbled his way towards Barret and Tifa.

"Sorry...  just feeling a little winded."  Cloud said, between gasps of air.

"We've made pretty good progress so far, don't worry."  Tifa said
encouragingly.

"I'm...  holding you guys back."  he said, "You should just keep going."

"Damn right we should."  Barret grunted, "but we ain't going without you."

Tifa stared at Barret curiously, as Cloud blinked.  "Huh?"

"You heard me.  We ain't going without you.  N' other words, you're climbing
that next peak in two minutes time.  We barely have a damn clue what we're
walking into, an I ain't doing it without you ta back me up."

"I don't even know if I can do that..."  Cloud said, still breathing heavily.

Barret stood up, towering over Cloud.  His voice took on a harsh tone.  "Like
hell.  You started on this train, Spikey.  You ain't getting off 'till the end
of the line.  Jes like in Midgar.  I didn't help bring you back, jes so you
could wimp out on me now."

Cloud glowered at Barret's words, and shuffled off to one side of the cliff,
sulking by himself in a corner.  Tifa was on Barret like a flash.

"What the hell was that about?"  Tifa demanded, "he just came back from jumping
off a cliff! Do you want him to start thinking about doing it again?"

"She's got a point, Barret."  Jessie interrupted, "I mean, it's amazing he's
able to move at all."

Barret looked out over the cliff, arms crossed.  "He stops here, an' he gives
up on all tha things he wants to solve 'bout himself.  I'm not letting him run
away."

Jessie and Biggs blinked, but Tifa nodded slowly.  There was an uncomfortable
silence as Barret turned away from the rest of the group, stomping to the
opposite end of the cliff from Cloud. Obviously wanting to be left alone, the
group went over to check on Cloud, who was sitting down, focused on the ground,
clenching and unclenching his hands.  He acknowledged them with a curt nod, but
didn't change his focus.

Biggs sat down beside him, smiling amiably.  "Found something fascinating on
the ground?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Just....  focusing.  It's a trick we were taught in SOLDIER training, I think.
If you focus your attention on one single spot for long enough, it helps you to
ignore any pains in your body."  Cloud answered distractedly.

"Sounds interesting."  Biggs responded, "Why're you clenching your hands?"

"Because they're sore."  Cloud said testily, "And talking to you isn't exactly
helping my concentration."

"Oh.  Sorry."  Biggs got up, and shuffled over to another part of the cliff
side with Tifa and Jessie. They looked between the two solitary members of
their group with uncertainty.

"If we get along this way now, I can't wait until we get into another crisis
situation."  Jessie remarked sarcastically.

"The same way we always have."  Tifa replied softly, "by carrying on, no matter
what."

Biggs and Jessie didn't reply before she continued, loudly enough for Cloud and
Barret to hear as well.  "The thing we're facing is bigger than ourselves,
bigger than any personal problems we might have." she said with a touch of
acidity, "We can't forget that, ever."

Barret looked over at her, then shuffled towards the group. 
"msorryIwuzsoharshon'im."  he mumbled.

"Maybe you should tell him directly."  Tifa replied with a grin.

"That all right."  Cloud called over.  He was still concentrating on the
ground, but there was now a soft smile on his face, "I'll be ready in a few
minutes, if you can keep it quiet over there."

The group visibly relaxed, and sat down a little further away from Cloud,
breaking out some rations, and breaking into some quiet chatter.  Tifa was
relieved immensely.  They knew as well as she did that they needed to be
together for this...  if only it had been all of them together.  But they had
to keep pushing on. Any number of things could have happened already, and they
had to be ready for all of them.


-=-


Emergency systems kicked into operation only seconds after Cait had struck the
ground. Diagnostic programs found no terminal errors, and began rebooting the
main systems.  Cait came back to himself with a jolt.

"Ouch.  What hit me?"  He complained, rubbing his head with one paw.  Glancing
behind him in the snow, he saw the track from his long skid and bounce across
the snow.  "I guess the whole continent did!  ...What's that noise?"

Looking higher, he saw a wall of blue, headed his way.  The entire Shinra army
stationed at Bone Village, or at least what was left of it, was retreating into
the wilderness.

'Something tells me I probably don't want to get in their way.'  Cait wobbled
unsteadily to his feet, then collapsed as one of his hind legs gave out under
the strain.  Diagnostic programs belatedly informed him that the muscle wires
within that leg were badly torn, although the skeletal structure was still
intact.  Glancing down at the mess of torn fur and leaking fluids, he grimaced.
 'It's times like this I'm glad I can't feel pain.'

Several quick calculations later, he determined he would not be able to get out
of the approaching mob's way, and instead took shelter on top of one of the
many glacial boulders dotting the plains.  Peeking over the edge, he watched
the panic-stricken soldiers approaching.  It was from there that he had the
perfect vantage point for what happened next.

From out of the forested area poured yet another army of Shinra soldiers,
looking, if possible, worse than the ones fleeing the devastated camp.  The two
groups met up with each other only a few dozen feet from Cait's hiding place. 
Both groups began talking and gesturing wildly, indicating the way they had
come.  Although he could not make out any of the words over the insane babble,
the sheer terror in their faces spoke for itself.

One of the remaining red-suited officers shouted harshly over the panic,
pointing towards the sea.  Moments later the entire group began their
undignified retreat back to the ocean and safety.  'And, thankfully, away from
me.  I wonder what they ran into out there?'

As if his question had summoned it, a lone figure emerged from the woods,
striding with grim purpose toward Bone Village.  Had Cait been human and
superstitious, he might have said the figure was the angel of death, come to
claim the living as his own.  However, being neither, Cait's internal processes
tried to match the silhouette to any known person in his databases.

What he came up with defied all logic.  "Roomie?"  The figure turned towards
him, weapon at the ready.  Cait worked himself up to a sitting position.  "Is
that really you?"

The figure relaxed.  "Cait Sith?  What are you doing out here?"  He stepped
forward, giving Cait a better view.

'It _is_ Gabriel, but... how?'  He peered suspiciously at the man.  "You're not
a clone, are you?"

Gabriel smiled fondly at the little AI.  "No, let's just say...  I've got even
more lives than a mechanical cat."

Cait grinned back.  "Glad to see ya, Roomie!  You got any cure materia by any
chance?" Cait watched in amusement as Gabriel sorted through the worn leather
bag he always seemed to have with him, a relic from his treasure hunting days.

"I've got one in here somewhere...  Aha!  I've got to warn you, though, I've
never used it before.  It's going to be pretty weak."

"As long as I can walk again, I won't complain." He said, sticking his leg out
for treatment.  "We have to get back there and rescue the Boss."  He watched
with fascination as the green energy  mended torn wires and tubing, and sealed
his fur with nary a blemish. 'I wonder, does it only work because I'm sentient,
or would it work on any machine? Hmmm...  Have to try that!'  He flexed the leg
experimentally, noting some residual stiffness.

"Reeve's out here?"

"Reeve and my moogle are prisoners in that camp over there!"  Cait bubbled, as
though he were announcing a trip to an amusement park and not to the smoldering
ruins that was all that was visible of the Shinra camp.

"Er...  Are you sure they're still there?"  Gabriel gazed at the destruction
left in Cait's wake.  "I don't think anything survived that..."

"You don't think I'd have risked blowing up the camp if I thought the Boss was
in danger? It was carefully calculated.  He was behind the rise that leads down
to Bone Village.  I'm almost certain he's fine."  'So carefully calculated I
nearly got myself blown up.  Still, I know the Boss is alive.'

"Almost?"  Gabriel groaned, but began leading the way down to the encampment. 
He tossed Cait the Cure materia over his shoulder.  "Listen, when we get there,
I'll take care of any remaining soldiers, you get Reeve."

"Sure thing, Roomie!"

As Cait had hoped, the leeward side of camp had mostly escaped destruction. 
There were a few isolated fires burning, and some of the tents had collapsed,
but the one holding the prisoners was still upright.

And so it was a slightly scorched, but still maniacally grinning, Cait Sith that
appeared before Reeve.  "Heya Boss!  It seems that the soldiers here have a
small gambling problem, dontcha think?"  He commented as he unfastened the
manacles on the stunned man.  As Reeve rubbed his wrists, Cait was rewarded by
what had been an all too rare sight these days, his Boss' smile.

"All the soldiers stationed here seem to have retreated," Gabriel commented as
he ducked inside the tent.  "Good to see you, Reeve."  He tossed the bewildered
man a Shinra rifle.

"How?"  He managed to sputter out.

"Long story; I'll explain later.  Right now, we need to get back to the City of
the Ancients."

"Shouldn't we try to find everybody, first?  They might be captured, too." 
Cait interjected, looking far too pleased at the prospect of breaking up
another Shinra camp.

"Even if they are, we've got bigger problems.  All life on the Planet will end
if we don't get back to the City and find Holy."  He looked at the two sets of
questioning eyes and sighed.  "Look, I'll give you the full version while we
walk.  Just trust me, the ruins are where we need to be."

Cait and Reeve exchanged a look, then Cait hoped onto his moogle while Reeve
checked the ammo in the gun.  "Let's go, Roomie!"


-=-


The Highwind touched down the airstrip atop the coastal city of Junon, it's
massive engines taking a number of minutes to fully wind down.  As the engine
began to cool, a hatchway opened, with an irate Rufus Shinra stalking down the
stairs, accompanied by Tseng.  Behind them, Yuffie was being escorted by a
number of Shinra troops, and Hojo behind her, being escorted by the remaining
Turks.  Observing them all with a calculating eye was Heidegger, trailing
behind in his hover chair.  Cid was being hustled away by some flight
technicians, and Leonard was being 'assisted' on his way by another Shinra
soldier.

"A few fewer people than I had expected."  Rufus remarked calmly, through
clenched teeth, to Tseng, "I expected MUCH better than this, Tseng."

"My humblest apologies, Mr. Shinra.  I had no idea that it was a ruse until it
was too late."  Tseng said quietly.

"You fell for the oldest trick in the book, Tseng."  Rufus said testily,
"You're lucky you were at least able to incapacitate that girl before the
others escaped.  Very lucky."

"I felt that Reno and I were of sufficient ability to incapacitate them if it
was a ruse, sir." Tseng replied, "they had more ability than I initially
suspected."

Rufus snorted as they entered the building at the end of the strip.  "Be sure
you don't make such a base mistake again.  I do not accept failure. 
_Especially_ from those high up on the chain of command."

"Understood sir."

The pair waited for the rest of the group to arrive, and got onto the elevator
that led to the city below.  Rufus' expression lighted as he looked at Hojo and
Yuffie.  "But, at least I have something to show for all my troubles."

"What are you planning on doing with them, sir?"  Leonard asked meekly, barely
visible behind the mass of people.

"Oh, these people have MUCH to answer for, Leonard."  Rufus replied amiably, "I
intend to try them for the crimes they have committed against my company."

Leonard fell silent as he heard the muted snickers of the soldiers in the
elevator, and the more open, bitter laugh of Hojo's.  Perhaps, for the first
time, he understood what Rufus really meant.  Luckily, his frown was invisible
to Rufus' eyes.

The elevator came to the main floor, and the group poured out.  Heidegger
floated out to the front, and shouted orders to the guards.  Yuffie and Hojo
were marched off in one direction, and Leonard was 'kindly' escorted in
another.  He saluted to Rufus, and floated off after the prisoners.

Tseng pulled out his cell phone, and dispatched a helicopter to pick himself
and the young president up.  Rufus was nodding approvingly in Heidegger's
direction.

"Well, we've certainly had significant improvement in SOME areas of our
operations."  Rufus commented.

"Indeed, the discipline of our troops has shaped up admirably with the
commander's own.  Though I think you should be careful, sir."

"Of Heidegger?"  Rufus scoffed, "he may have shaped up, but he has a ways to go
before I'd consider him a threat. I can see that look in his eyes, but he won't
do anything."  Rufus smiled smugly, "he's a beaten and trained underling; he
knows the dangers of defying me."

Tseng pursed his lips, holding back a comment as a helicopter swung around,
landing near the pair.  They hopped in, and Tseng considered his words
carefully before speaking up again.

"I mean no disrespect, sir, but I think you should be more careful about the
things you consider pets.  Some animals bite back."

"Is that a threat, Tseng?"  Rufus asked coldly.

"No sir, just advice."  Tseng replied levelly, "and perhaps, our attention
should be on more external matters anyways?"

"As in, what I plan to do with our prisoners?  Don't worry; I have plans for
them, that will give any potential malcontents pause before they dare think of
taking us on..."  Rufus said, a smile growing on his lips.  A feral, hungry
smile, "and I will unveil a wonderful surprise, as well."


-=-


Leonard was shoved roughly into his temporary quarters.  It was a simple
affair, with a chair, a table, and a bed.  There was a window one one side,
overlooking part of the city, and the ocean beyond.  He tried to open the
window to get some fresh air in the room, but it was locked firmly shut.

No, it didn't feel like a prison in the slightest.

Leonard calmly wondered at his surroundings.  He'd never spoken a word of
sedition against Rufus, he'd never even had doubts about the company before... 
why was he being cornered off by himself without any contact?

Maybe because Rufus didn't want him to talk to anyone, or maybe, because Rufus
was going to do something he didn't want him to see.  Leonard opened his door,
but the doorway was blocked by the same Shinra guard that had escorted him
here.  The soldier acknowledged his presence with a nod, but did not move out
of the way.

"President Shinra has left orders that you stay in your quarters."  The guard
informed him, politely, but very firmly.

"Did he give you any reason why?"  Leonard asked, exasperated.

"It is not my job to question orders, just to follow them."  The guard replied
stoically.

Leonard huffed.  "Is there any way, at least, you can supply me with some
paper?"  Leonard motioned to his bare room, "It's not like there's anything
here to keep me occupied."

The guard shuffled his feet, pondering the request.  "I had orders not to allow
access to any electronics, but that might be acceptable."  he answered, "but
I'll have to lock you in your room while I'm gone."

"Oh of course."  Leonard said amiably, stepping back and allowing the door to
be shut.  As the lock set in place, his mind went off at a mile a minute.  He
never really needed paper; he'd only ever used it so Rufus would have something
to work off of.  That would not be necessary for this idea.

Leonard had never been a paranoid man.  He'd prided himself on his positive
outlook and geniality. But alarm bells were ringing in the back of his head at
this situation.  Rufus didn't want him moving out and about.  Well enough, he'd
just have to find out what was going on from here.

Perhaps the guard wasn't allowed to bring electronics in to the room, but
thankfully, Leonard did not have those same restrictions.


-=-


Cid went over the cargo list one last time, making sure there was nothing
missing.  Fuel, check. extra oxygen tanks, check.  Flight suits, check. 
Goddamn scary huge missile, check.

Cid had dreamed of this moment for all his life; he'd just never expected it
would come to light in a state of near-war.  Gigantic meteor coming towards the
planet and destroy it, and he was the one who was supposed to stop it.

That was a bit more responsibility than he'd been expecting for his first time
in space.  It even gave pause to his romantic ideals - but only a little. 
There had always been a large degree of risk to the job, but this _really_
upped the ante.  Cid Highwind.  World savior.  While the idea had appeal, he
wasn't sure if he was up to it.

"Jes strap that damn missile on course, get the hell off the ship, and don't
look back, I guess."  Cid grunted, stacking some crates of spare parts in the
cargo bay of the Highwind.

Don't look back.  Don't worry about those Avalanche people.  Don't worry that
you're working for a company that'd make a device like this.  Don't think about
what was obviously gonna happen to that Yuffie kid. Getting into space.  That
was all that mattered.  Just another few hours, and his lifelong goal would be
achieved.

If he could just get rid of the guilt in his heart, he could almost bring
himself to enjoy the moment.


-=-


Aeris and Nanaki collapsed on the sands near Bone Village, both breathing
heavily.

"That landing....  could have gone more smoothly."  Nanaki commented, working
his way slowly back to his feet.  Aeris looked at him sheepishly from her prone
position on the sands, not making any attempts to get up.

"Tseng helped as well as he could; I guess he didn't realize I didn't know how
to pilot a helicopter."  she said, turning to lay on her back, and closing her
eyes, "though I think it might have gone better if you hadn't ejected half our
fuel."

"I thought it might have started the helicopter."  Nanaki replied meekly,
trudging a distance away and shaking himself dry.

Slowly, Aeris moved into a sitting position, shivering slightly at the cold. 
"It doesn't matter though.  We're safe, we escaped."

"Despite our best efforts."  Nanaki replied wryly, walking back over to Aeris,
"we should find cover though.  Surely they will be looking for us.

Aeris nodded, and got to her feet, though her legs seemed to resent the idea. 
"We need to do more than find cover, though.  We need to get to the ancient
city."

Nanaki looked at her curiously.  "Where we found you praying?  Where..."

"Where Gabriel died."  Aeris finished sadly, "Yes, we have to go back."  Aeris
frowned, bowing her head.  "I shouldn't have left in the first place."

Quietly, she began walking towards Bone Village, looking down at her feet. 
Nanaki followed after, a worried frown on his face.  "Why do we have to go
there?"  he asked.

Aeris glanced over at Nanaki, then back at her feet.  "I wasn't lying to Rufus
when I told him of Holy.  It is an ancient spell my mother - my birth mother -
taught me."

"And it can only be cast there?" Nanaki queried.

Aeris stopped as she looked up towards the village, no answer coming to her
lips.  Curiously, Nanaki peered over towards the village, and saw chaos.  Just
on the outskirts of the normal buildings, a makeshift encampment of tents was
encircled by helicopters; or at least, it looked like this may have been the
case.  Plumes of smoke were rising from various areas of the encampment, and
many piles of rubble that looked like they may have once been buildings were
strewn about the area.

"It would seem...  that someone took aversion to Shinra's presence here." 
Nanaki commented, stunned at the sheer amount of damage in front of him.  Aeris
only nodded, walking towards the charred remains of a building.

She kneeled down, picking up the blackened remains of a wooden post, smiling in
a serene manner.  "Whoever did this, was an ally."

Nanaki sniffed at the air, wandering around the encampment himself.  "It
doesn't seem that all the people died; or at least, given the size of the camp,
it doesn't seem like it."  he commented, returning to Aeris.

"I wonder where the rest of the troops are then."  she said, looking about
nervously, "They might be feeling a bit more vengeance-minded than usual."

Nanaki walked away from the building, out of the encampment.  "I think it best
if we just keep going, and hope we don't find out where they ended up."

Aeris nodded, following after him.  "That probably is for the best; we're
running out of time as is."

Nanaki peered up at her as they walked out of the camp, and towards Bone
village proper, such as it was. Bone Village itself was little more than a set
of wooden buildings used as shops, and some housing behind.  Life seemed to be
going on as normal for the archeologists, who were up on the hill digging away
at the rock, categorizing samples, and studiously examining any objects they
dug up.  They barely afforded the pair a glance as they made their way up the
ladder which got them to the top steppe of the excavation site.

Their casual ignorance of them was of some concern to Aeris, who finally walked
over to one of the archeologists, tapping him on the shoulder.  Jumping
slightly as he was distracted from the rock he had been examining, he turned
around.  "Oh!  Umm, hello."  he said quickly.

"Doesn't it worry you when complete strangers wander through your camp?" Aeris
asked pointedly.

The archeologist laughed ruefully.  "Actually, we've been a bit used to it.  And
given what's happened thanks to the last few visitors.." he pointed in the
direction of the ruined camp outside their village, "it really seems best if we
don't bother them."

"Do you know what happened?"  Nanaki asked.

"Not really."  the archeologist admitted, putting down his tools, "I mean,
Shinra troops came in and decided to erect a major camp outside our village,
and they seemed to use it as a major stop-off point for helicopter transport. 
But then, just a while ago, explosions rocked the entire camp to the ground,
troops were running about madly, and ran up the hill here.  They met another
group of Shinra troops coming out of the forest, and then ran back _down_ the
hill.  It was quite satisfying watching - from a distance."

"Did you see what either group was running from?"  Aeris asked.

"No, I'm sorry.  But it only seemed to be one man coming from the forest.  I
couldn't make him out well at all."  he admitted, "Um, i really need to get
back to my work.  We have a lot of time to make up for, what with all the
disturbances..."

Aeris nodded.  "That's all right.  You've been a great help."  She turned away
from the young man, and walked along the hill to wards the entrance to the
forest.

Nanaki followed along, looking at her curiously.  "Do you have any guess as to
who the man they ran from was?  You don't suppose it was Cloud and the rest?"

Aeris shook her head.  "No, it wasn't Cloud.  I know who it is, but you
wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Nanaki stared at her, a frown forming on his face.  "Aeris, you've been quite
deliberately vague with me ever since we 'landed.'  Is there some information
you feel you can't trust me with?"

"If I told you, you might think me crazy, or try to stop me."  Aeris said
simply, "i still hear the voices of my parents sometimes, Nanaki.  Theirs, and
the voices of others long gone.  The planet speaks to me."

Nanaki was silent as they began ambling down the forest path.  After they had
been walking for a few minutes, he spoke up again.  "Something is needed before
you cast Holy, isn't there?"  he asked.

"Holy is a spell of great power,"  Aeris responded slowly, staring ahead, "and
it comes at a terrible cost.  But it is necessary."

"I am certain I don't like the sound of that."  Nanaki said firmly.

"Which is why I'm not saying any more until it is needed."  Aeris stated
finally, picking up her pace as they walked along. Nanaki sped up to keep pace,
but kept quiet.  A thought struck him as they saw the edge of the forest in the
distance.

"Aeris, I thought one needed to have the Earth Harp to pass through these
woods?"  he queried.

Aeris turned to him, affording him a small smile. "The Cetra enchanted this
forest in the first place, Nanaki.  They tell me the way through."

Nanaki nodded silently, losing himself in thought as they continued walking
along.  There was much that Aeris knew that he didn't, and it worried him. 
Whatever this price was she spoke of, he'd rather know what it was in advance.
What could be so awful that she couldn't tell her own allies?

She had left for the ancient city by herself before; was that so they couldn't
stop her from doing what she intended to do?


-=-


Hiding in some underbrush on the outskirts of Bone Villiage, a half dozen
troops were watching Aeris and Nanaki closely.  One of the soldiers was
watching them through a pair of binoculars, and referencing to some sheets of
paper.  After Aeris and Nanaki dissapeared into the forest, he put the
bincoulars down, and turned to another soldier seated nearby.  "Commander,
according to the information we were given, those two are definitely members of
Avalanche."

The commander nodded, his arms crossed, and not moving an inch.  "I'm well
aware of that, private."

Some of the other soldiers shifted nervously, unsure of their commander's stoic
reply.  Finally, one of them spoke up.  "Uhh, sir...  aren't we going to attack
then?  We're under orders to capture as many of them as possible."

The commander finally moved, jumping to his feet.  "After the time we had with
the _last_ bunch, are you really wanting to try?"  he asked, exhasperated.

Nervously, another soldier spoke up.  "But... we are under orders from Rufus
Shinra himself..."

The commander scoffed.  "That damned cat was supposedly harmless, according to
the precious reports we were given."

"..."  was the universal response from the other soldiers.

Had his head gear been off, the other soldiers might have seen a distinctly red
face.  "We're not being cowardly; we're just waiting for back up."

"Understood sir."

And so they waited.  Of course, seeing as all their radios had been destroyed
in the recent attack, and all the remaining helicopters had been landed at the
ancient city, they weren't entirely sure when the backup would come.  It
couldn't come late enough, as far as the commander was concerned.


-=-


Abel, Cait Sith and Reeve wandered into the central area of ancient city, Abel
pausing once more at the waters he had risen from.  They were still now,
silent.  Just a bit further; deep below this building, and they would have the
solution to The Other's undoing.  Holy was there.  It HAD to be. If it wasn't,
he knew perfectly well he'd have to protect the place until it was.

Abel walked into the humble-looking building, Cait and Reeve following close
behind.  They made their way down the curved, shell-shaped passageway to the
bottom of the house, empty except for a coral doorway blocking a staircase
which led down into darkness. Cait Sith and his moogle ambled proudly forward,
and pushed at the door with a large fist.  In spite of his moogle's strain, the
door would not budge an inch.  Cait Sith hopped up and down atop the moogle's
head, shouting into his megaphone.  "Push!  Come on, it's just coral.  You're
made of stronger stuff than that!"

Abel smirked, and held onto the moogle's fist as it pulled back to punch the
door.  "That won't be necessary, Cait."  Abel said with clear amusement,
walking forward, and touching the door lightly with his hand.  The door didn't
so much disappear, as fade out of existence.

Cait Sith hopped in surprise, smacking his moogle over the head with his
megaphone.  "See, you didn't need to use so much force!  I told you that!"

Reeve's reaction was a little more conservative; he merely looked at Abel with a
look of surprise.  "How exactly did you do that?"  he asked.

Abel walked through the passageway, talking in a distracted tone.  "You just
have to know how to... ask properly."  He commented, walking down the steps. 
The others followed along, "I'm not entirely sure how it works; I just...  did
it."

"And a pretty good job you did, roomie!"  Cait Sith commented, "unlike certain
other people I could mention!"  he added, punctuated with another slap of his
megaphone.

Abel just shook his head as he continued his descent.  The trio soon found
themselves in a large underground cavern, the staircase leading to a crystalline
city below.  It was a grimly familiar place to them all, and Reeve watched
Abel's reaction carefully, to see if he showed any grief at returning to the
place where he was killed...  Or 'Gabriel' was killed, however you wanted to
see it.

It seemed odd to Reeve, this idea of souls joined together, multiple
personalities.  It was out of his scope, he was a scientist, not a
metaphysicist.  Of course, Reeve also occasionally wondered where the oddities
of Cait Sith's personality came from, too.  He certainly hadn't programmed him
to be as...  eccentric as he was.

Cait Sith, for his part, was merrily bounding down the staircase, examining the
city below.  They'd seen it before, when they'd followed Aeris here, but they'd
never had a chance to look around.  It was amazing, that such detailed
structures could be formed out of pure crystal.  The work that must have gone
into it all, the sheer amount of time.  His robotic eyes were also carefully
scanning the area for any hint of the white materia that roomie had mentioned. 
By the time they had all reached the bottom of the stairs, Cait Sith had done a
nearly complete scan of the local area.  He hung his head sadly.

"Roomie...  I can't scan that materia you were talking about...  It doesn't
look like it's here."

Abel pursed his lips.  "We'll just have to keep looking.  We _have_ to find
it."

Reeve looked down from their position, at the floors below where they had
encountered Jenova, and the waters below.  "You don't suppose it fell into the
water, do you?"

Abel shook his head.  "No.  If it had, it would have been sensed by the
lifestream.  It has to be here..."

Abel strained his eyes looking around the area, as did Reeve.  Cait Sith's ears
perked up suddenly, and his moogle scooped up Reeve and Abel with one arm each,
jumping to the floor below them.  Before either could ask Cait Sith what he was
doing, noises from the platform they'd previously been standing on attracted
their attention.

Standing there, growling menacingly, was a beast in gold.  Ioviano glared down
at the group, fangs bared.  "Whether the white materia is here or not, I don't
think you will have much chance to find out." he growled,  "you will not live
to see it."

Abel scrabbled up from the ground, pulling out his mother's bow.  He knocked an
arrow as Reeve rolled up into a kneeling position, rifle at ready.  Cait Sith
and his moogle assumed something resembling a battle stance as well, a green
materia in his megaphone flaring.

Ioviano smiled down at the trio, the materia around his neck glowing in
response.  It would be a worthy battle.


-=-


Atop the northern mountain, a small and nervous group of Shinra soldiers sat
and waited.  They'd been under orders to maintain guard at the top of the
crater, and to maintain radio contact with the base at the southern end of the
island.  A fairly simple job - except for the fact that the southern base
hadn't sent or responded to any radio transmissions in the last hour.  To make
matters worse, there hadn't been any helicopters stopping in in just as long,
too.

Being members of Shinra, Inc's army had left them no strangers to uncomfortable
situations, but the howls coming from the depths of the crater, some of the
things they had seen...  added to the seeming radio blackout, added up to one
hell of a nerve-wracking situation.

It was about to get worse.

Unbeknownst to them, Jessie was laying atop a high rock lip, carefully taking
stock of the military situation.  Her eyes were alight with anticipation as she
crawled silently back to where the others were waiting.

"I figure there's about two dozen troops, most of them resting around a
campfire, and three or four on active scout duty; there might be more lower in
the crater itself."  she whispered, to the nods of the rest of the group.

"Did you see anyone else?  Any prisoners?"  Tifa asked.

"It didn't look like it; they're pretty low-key.  They only have one transport
helicopter."

"But others might show up at any time."  Biggs noted.

"All t'more reason to hit 'em now."  Barret grunted.

Jessie gleefully pulled out some grenades, as Biggs pulled out a rifle, check
it's ammunition.

"Try and leave at least one of them alive; we might be able to figure out what
happened to the others." advised Cloud, unsheathing his giant sword.

Barret smirked.  "Jes hit your guys with the flat of yer blade then, Spikey." 
he said, motioning to the others, "you all ready?"

A nod in near-unison was his answer, and the group got to their feet. 
Cautiously, they crept over to the ridge.  Jessie took one last check, then
lobbed two grenades.  The guards barely heard them whistle overhead, not
noticing until the explosions ripped through their camp.  Soldiers flew
everywhere, as Biggs and Barret jumped up, aiming at the troops scouting the
perimeter of their base.  Cloud and Tifa also jumped into the fray, rushing
towards the camp proper and eliminating most of the soldiers before they even
had a chance to get back to their feet.

Much to Jessie's amusement, Cloud DID knock one of the soldiers out with the
flat of his sword; amusing mostly because the flat of his sword was wider than
the poor man's head.  He was definitely down for the count.  Jessie whipped out
a pistol, and took potshots at any of the straggling troops the others had 
missed.

Cloud and Tifa faced off against a group of three that had been guarding the
pathway down the crater. They held their own fairly well, obviously being
slightly more elite soldiers than the rest had been.  One was a commander,
apparent by the red uniform he wore, and the heavier body armour.  Tifa dodged
their attacks easily, while getting in a few hits of her own.  She noticed,
however, that Cloud was having a harder time of it.  It always amazed her that
he could swing such a large sword around; he still could, but he was slower
than normal.

An attack from the red-garbed soldier brought her attention fully back to the
fight.  She went toe-to-toe with the larger man, tossing as many attacks at him
as possible.   He deflected most of the attacks easily, but wasn't able to get
in any hits of his own.  A game of cat and mouse ensued, with Tifa rushing in
and throwing attacks at the soldier, and leaping back before he could make any
attacks of his own.  He had a rifle, but he seemed happy to keep this as a 
hand-to-hand battle, for now.  Tifa kept a close eye on that, though.

Meanwhile, the two blue-clad soldiers had singled out Cloud as the bigger
threat, and were taking him on simultaneously.  Both wielded swords, and
attacked from opposite sides.  Cloud was only barely managing to hold his own
against the two, constantly moving away so they weren't actually attacking his
front and back.  The two soldiers were fast though, and keeping up with Cloud
as he backed away.  

Cloud wasn't sure how long he could go on.  He was still fatigued from the
climb, not to mention everything else he'd been through that day.  His energy
was going fast, he'd have to try something desperate to get the upper hand...

An opening came when one of the soldiers slipped on some loose rock, stumbling
forward.  Cloud rushed the distracted soldier, cutting across his entire chest
as he ran past, then spun around with an overhead slash on his leg.  The
soldier fell to the ground screaming.  Cloud barely spared the fallen soldier a
glance, but he was distracted enough for the second soldier to make an attack.

Only a glint of sunlight reflecting off the soldier's sword alerted Cloud in
time to avoid being run through, as he desperately leapt to one side.  He
wasn't fast enough to avoid the hit entirely, but it did end up only being a
light slash along his chest.  It was enough, however to knock him to the
ground.  His sword fell from his hands as he let out a sharp cry of pain.

Tifa looked over at the sound, leaving herself vunerable to an attack by the
officer, who landed an armoured fist heavily in her stomach.  Gasping for air,
she leapt back towards Cloud, hoping to distract the officer attacking him.
This turned out to be unecessary, as dozens of shots rang through the air,
riddling the soldier with bullets.  The officer had pulled out his own gun,
taking aim on Tifa, but he met a similar fate moments later.  Tifa looked up to
see the smug smiles of Barret, Biggs, and Jessie, all with various weaponry
smoking.

"We wuz gonna let you show us how fancy yuh could be." Barret commented, "but
we figured yuh might need our help just then."

Tifa rolled her eyes dramatically, and kept on the ground, clutching her
stomach.  It'd been only one hit, but he'd certainly put a lot into it.  She
glanced over at Cloud, who was sitting up, clutching the wound on his chest. 
He winced in pain, but kept silent.  He was looking down at the wound almost
expectantly, with a curious look on his face.

Barret and Biggs rushed over to Cloud's side, while Jessie went to interrogate
the soldier Cloud had knocked out earlier.  Biggs knelt down to look at Cloud's
wound.  "Pretty lucky, Cloud."  he commented, "it's just a minor gash."

Cloud nodded slowly as Biggs pulled out some bandages.  "Yeah, I know.  So why
hasn't it healed yet?"

"Huh?"  Biggs replied wittily, applying the bandage.

"Normally if I got a cut, it'd just heal right up.  It's part of the benefits
of mako treatmen..."

Cloud cut off at that point, as memory flashed back to him.  He wasn't the
SOLDIER who'd returned to Nibelheim; Sephiroth had revealed that much to him. 
If he had never actually been in SOLDIER, he never would have received mako
treatment...  except he had gotten such treatment.  Ever since joining up with
Tifa and Avalanche, he'd shown to have the benefits of rapid healing and
increased strength.  He'd even had the glowing green eyes that marked the
effects of such treatment.

But his eyes weren't green anymore.  They had stopped ever since he had come
back from the mako stream.  Ever since the Jenova influence had been removed
from him, or so Abel had told him.

The wound on his chest brought back memories of another wound, a wound at the
hands of a silver-haired maniac.  A man who had destroyed his home town.  He
HAD been at Nibelheim, just not as the person he'd thought he'd been.  "You
should have died." a part of his mind said, "but they rebuilt you."

They?  Who were they?  And how?  Cloud didn't know, but he had a suspicion he
knew where he'd find his answers.

The rest of the group had watched in confusion as Cloud had fallen into his own
thoughts, circling around him, waiting for some kind of response.  They had not
expected him to rise to his feet suddenly, and march past them, heading to the
path that led down the crater.  He paused to turn to his teammates.

"We're going down."  he said simply, turning around again, and striding down
the crater's edge.  The rest of the group stared at his receding figure for a
few moments.

"Do you have any idea what that was about?"  Biggs asked.

"Not a damn clue."  Barret replied, "But I sure as hell ain't letting that fool
run off on his own again!"  With that, Barret ran after him.  Tifa followed
soon after.  Biggs looked uncertainly over at Jessie, who was just now walking
over from the soldier she'd interrogated.

"They have Aeris, Nanaki and Yuffie."  she said tearfully, "and something... 
something strange happened to Inno.  He wouldn't really say."

"Guess it's just us, then."  Biggs said, uncertainty at the edge of his voice.

"Nothing else to do but go on."  Jessie agreed, replacing the ammunition in her
gun, "Whatever's down there better be ready."

The pair nodded to each other, and rushed after Cloud and the others.  Down
they went, not knowing what they were going to face, but all knowing at some
level that they had to.

They descended further into Jenova's domain.  And the planet prayed.


-=-

End part 1

-=-



Author's notes: 
---------------


Well, this has taken a while, hasn't it?  My deepest apologies for taking this
long to send something in that's incomplete, but it seemed like a good place to
cut it off, and give the readers a 'little bit' of something to look at.  Plus,
anything longer than this would probably be unreadable as one chapter anyway.

Don't worry, the second part (and there will only be two ^_^) won't take nearly
as long to write.  Most of my time so far was spent dawdling over vague little
inconsistancies and the General Order Of Things.  And yes, far too much
procrastination, too.  Much of this has been written in the past two weeks,
partially thanks to threatening letters from Twoflower.  Let's give him a big
round of applause, folks.  And no, I'm not being sarchastic. :)

Many thanks also to my pre-readers - Sasha, Lady Chaos, Rift, and Philip
Barkow.  Big thanks again to Sasha for helping write a few scenes, and general
moral support.  Undertaking something this large, I needed it.

On a silly note, I would also like to thank Scotland's weather, for finally
being nice enough for me to go outside and write.  Portables rock.  ^_^

I hope you're enjoying the story so far...  and that you approve of the finale
to come!


Eric Jones
mikado@maison-otaku.net
05.04.00