Chapter Three

         Cid Highwind replayed the footage from his Airship's external security cameras one more time, still unable to believe what it showed.

        "You sure that's the right footage?" he growled at the crewman beside him.

        "Yes sir, Captain," the man responded promptly. "That's all we have from the time period you specified."

         Cid took a puff of his cigarette as he replayed the footage again, magnifying the corner of the tape, Barret's shoulder just visible in the edge of the frame as he rushed forward to tackle Cloud. And there it was. The Ultima Weapon, spiraling into the shot, falling to the dirt and thunking to a stop.

         As he watched, the ground beneath the Ultima weapon seemed to melt away, like mud, as tiny tendrils of dirt reached up and wrapped around the thick blade of the weapon, dragging it into the dirt. A second later, the weapon and the tentacles had disappeared without a trace.

        "I can't believe it," Barret commented from the seat across the table from Cid. "Damned dirt swallowed the thing right up!"

        "Strangest thing I've ever seen," Cid said. "Well, maybe not the strangest, but damn near close to it. Whaddya suppose happened to it?"

        "Think Messiah stole it? What would that creep want with the Ultima Weapon, anyways?"

        "Dunno." Cid rapped his knuckles idly on the table. "Dammit, I wish Cloud was here to figure this stuff out like he always does. Just when we need him most, he has to go all wonky and pass out."

        "Not his fault, Cid. He can't help it if he don't know when to reject another's hospitality, no matter how nice it may seem. Me, I wouldn't trust no one else to feed me my meals, but Cloud, well, he's a different sort. It'd be a damn shame if that spiky-haired freak buys the farm over this. Damn shame."

        "You almost sound worried about him," Cid taunted.

        "Sure I am," Barret answered, refusing to be riled. "Course I'm worried 'bout him, man. He's my friend, even though he gets a bit weird sometimes."

        "Amen to that. He'll be all right. He's a tough one, despite his young age."

        "Yeah, young in comparison to us," Barret agreed with a grin. "We're the old men around here, ya know."

        "I know," Cid said with a nod and a grin of his own. "That's why we gotta keep these younger people in line."

        "Heh," was all Barret said in response. "So how long to Midgar, old man?"

        "'Nother few minutes. Think there's anything else we can learn from this tape?"

        "Doubt it," Barret said with a shake of his head. "I'd love to know what that was that swallowed the Ultima Weapon up like that, but we got bigger things to worry about. Like Reeve and walkin' straight into the middle of a whole mess a Shinra."

         They paused as Marlene trotted into the room, a curious look on her face.

        "Daddy?"

        "What is it, baby?" Barret asked, turning to her. "What you doin' away from the bridge?"

        "I got tired of watching them move those buttons and thingies," Marlene explained in typical childlike fashion. "So I came down to see what you two were doing."

        "Not much," Barret admitted. "I know it's boring here, baby, but you know why we're here, right?"

         Marlene nodded. "In case more bad men come."

         Barret moved over to her and gave her a quick hug. "Right, baby, and don't you worry none. They ain't gonna' touch you while I'm here."

        "I know, Daddy." Marlene sounded almost offended that Barret would think she believed otherwise.

         Cid merely puffed on his cigarette and stared at the ceiling. He wondered at Marlene and Barret sometimes. Underneath that rough exterior, Barret had a softer side, and he only showed it around his kid. Briefly, Cid wondered if he was ever going to have kids of his own, a prodigy to continue on the Highwind tradition.

         Prospects didn't look good, the way things were going between him and Shera. She seemed willing enough to settle down. Cid was the one who still wanted to travel. He saw the way Tifa looked at Cloud, and knew that Shera looked at him the same way. And blast it, he did feel for her, though she was a goddamned nuisance half of the time. Well, he'd worry about the future after they dealt with whoever had come after them this time.

         Cid thought back to simpler days, when all he'd had to worry about was working on his rocket, flying the Tiny Bronco, and running Rocket Town. And look at him now, carting around the saviors of the world. One of the saviors of the world, in fact. Wielding weapons and magic that he hadn't even believed existed before he'd been exposed to them. He'd come a long way.

         He emerged from his contemplations to find Barret and Marlene gone. They'd wandered out while he'd been lost in thought. Sighing, he pulled himself to his feet and headed for the bridge. Enough thinking for one day. Time to take action.

        "Descending into Midgar," he heard the pilot he'd trained up from a rookie say calmly as he stepped onto the bridge. Barret stood looking calmly out the forward window, with Marlene nowhere in sight.

        "Captain on deck!" the navigator said sharply.

        "At ease," Cid said with quick frown.

        "We're landing now, sir," his pilot said calmly. "Do you want us to wait with the ship, or accompany you into Midgar?"

         Cid thought for a second. Walking into a vanguard of Shinra goons with only Barret as backup was not a very appealing idea, but leaving the Highwind unguarded was not appealing either. It was still Shinra property, after all, not that the legal concerns of Shinra meant a damn to him. Still, if he left it empty, they might be tempted to borrow it back.

        "You and Jerry accompany me and Barret into Midgar," he ordered. "The rest of you stay with the ship and keep an eye on Marlene."

         A gentle bump told him that they'd touched down. "Yes sir!" his crew responded, the two men he'd pointed at grabbing their weapons and preparing to move out.

        "You ready for this, Cid?" Barret asked as they headed down the landing ramp and the vast, ruined metropolis that had once been Midgar appeared before them.

        "Ready as I'll ever be," Cid grunted. "Let's get this over with."

         The ramp closed behind them, and they walked slowly toward the south gate. Two Shinra soldiers stood guard before it, standing perfectly still until they came within ten feet of the entrance.

        "Halt!" one called out, stepping forward. "State your business and identify yourselves."

        "Cid Highwind," Cid retorted. "I'm here ta see Reeve. Where's the ol' bastard holed himself up?"

        "Cid Highwind?" the soldier began. "You're the guy that stole our Airsh . . . "

         The other soldier punched him in the arm sharply to shush him, obviously a bit wary of the men standing before them.

        "What's your business with Reeve?" the other asked.

        "We're old friends," Cid explained with an evil grin. "Just wanted to see how he was gettin' along."

        "I'll have to clear you," the soldier said, his voice unsure.

        "Then clear us," Barret ordered from beside him. "We ain't got all day."

         The soldier glanced up cautiously as Barret towered over him and quickly brought his radio to his lips. After a quick exchange with his commanding officer, he shook his head.

        "You'll have to talk to my watch leader about this. It's out of my jurisdiction."

        "Then let's go," Cid bit out. "Like Barret said, we ain't got all day."

        "My watch leader's on his way to escort you in now." The trooper fell back into his position beside the door. "He'll get here soon enough."

         Impatiently, Barret began tapping his foot, his arms crossed, a dour expression on his grizzled face. Waiting around was not his strong point. Cid, for his part, relaxed, leaning on the length of his pike and finishing off his cigarette. As a Shinra soldier clad all in red approached the gate, he threw it to the ground and stamped it out with one foot.

         The gate hissed open and the Shinra watch leader eyed them cautiously. "What's your business with Reeve?"

        "We just told you that!" Cid said angrily. "We want to talk to him."

        "What about?" the watch leader insisted.

        "None o' ya business," Barret put in from Cid's side. "Now are you gonna' let us in or do we have to start bustin' heads?" He took a step toward the man, gritting his teeth.

         The Shinra watch commander gave Barret a quick evaluatory look and blanched. "I'll have to . . . clear you with my commander," he said, quickly regaining a measure of composure.

        "Dammit!" Cid slammed the butt of his pike on the cement with a loud clang. "How far up the chain of command do we have to go to get to talk to Reeve? He wasn't so high and mighty last time I saw him. Fact was he was moving around a toy cat on a big Moogle."

         The Shinra watch commander shrugged, at a loss. "Orders are orders, sir. You'll have to speak to my commander."

         Cid sighed angrily. "Fine, let's go."

         The Shinra watch leader turned and led him through the gates outside Midgar, Barret and Cid's men right behind them. After five minutes they reached a security check point, and the man stopped.

        "Wait here," he ordered, as he headed into the building. Cid and Barret waited, impatiently, for the few minutes it took the Shinra watch commander to return with his superior.

        "These the people that are askin' ta see Reeve?" the Captain asked, eyeing them cautiously.

        "Yes sir," the watch commander responded.

         Cid stepped forward, his eyes burning with anger. He was tired of wading through Shinra bureaucracy. When they'd been funding his space program, he'd had to put up with their loads of red tape. Well, now he didn't owe them anything. And he was tired of being given the runaround.

        "We're here to see Reeve," he said coldly, tapping his pike on the cement floor with a short clanging sound. "The guards at your gate and this guy have been tryin' to hose us ever since we got here. Are you gonna' do the same thing, or are you gonna' wise up and let us see Reeve before we have to hurt someone?"

        "Don't forget where you are, Mr. Highwind," the Captain said with a scoff. "I doubt you and your three men are a match for the entire Shinra army."

        "Hell," Barret commented angrily, moving up to Cid's side. "I wipe my boots with you Shinra losers."

         The Captain was about to reply, and things might have gotten out of hand, had Reeve not appeared at that very moment, dressed in a crisp looking velvet suit, striding toward the confrontation briskly with two bodyguards at his side.

        "Cid!" the Shinra executive exclaimed, greeting him with a warm handshake, momentarily throwing him off-balance. "And Barret!" Reeve added, obviously pleased. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"

        "Better," Barret commented roughly, refusing to shake Reeve's hand. "We need to talk, Reeve."

         The other looked at him, confused.

        "In private?" Barret added, motioning with his eyes to the Shinra Captain and his men standing nearby, angry expressions on their faces.

        "Of course," Reeve said quickly. "Come with me."

         Leaving the now befuddled Shinra Captain and his men behind, Barret, Cid and his men followed Reeve and his bodyguards back to the hovercraft that had brought them to the scene. It was big enough for a whole Shinra attack squad, Cid noted darkly. The trip to the Shinra tower was accomplished in a matter of minutes and in relative silence.

         Looking at it from the outside, it was hard for Cid to tell that it had been damaged. With nothing to work from but the reserve power from the generators in its belly, the Shinra techs had repaired its exterior to such an extent that one could barely tell it had been ravaged by Meteor and Holy's confrontation. Only the devastation around it showed how thoroughly those two opposing forces had wrecked the city.

         As they walked into the building, Barret moaned as he saw where they were heading.

        "We gonna' have to take the stairs?" he asked, praying for a negative answer.

        "No choice," Reeve said. "The elevators take too much power that's needed for other things. It's good exercise."

        "Exercise my ass," Barret responded sullenly. "I already climbed these stairs one too many times for my taste."

        "The first or second time you broke into the Shinra building?" Reeve asked with a quick grin.

        "Hah hah." Barret refused to return the other's humor.

         It took them nearly thirty minutes to reach the 65th floor, and everyone except Reeve and his bodyguards were considerably winded when they did so.

        "I hate . . . goddamn . . . steps," Cid panted, leaning heavily on his pike.

        "My office is just ahead," Reeve said, overlooking the other's fatigue, certainly showing none himself. Corporate execs were built to last, it appeared. "We can talk there."

        "Fine," Barret agreed, heading down the hall. Cid managed to catch his breath and fell in behind his friend's massive form, along with his men, who hadn't said a word since they'd entered Midgar.

         Reeve's bodyguards accompanied him into the office, which put Cid on edge. "Send them out. I want to talk private."

        "Do you trust your men?" Reeve asked, motioning to the men of Cid's flight crew, who stood behind him.

         Cid scoffed. "Course I do."

        "I trust mine as well. They can stay. Whatever you can tell me, you can tell them."

        "Fine," Cid agreed, seeing that it wasn't worth arguing about. "Why'd you send your men after us?"

        "What?" Reeve asked, startled.

        "You heard what he said," Barret added angrily. "Three of your Commandos came after my daughter, Reeve. And two otha squads went after Vincent and Yuffie."

         Reeve shook his head, clearly surprised and troubled by Barret's words. "Oh dear . . . ," he said, rocking back onto his heels.

        "Well, what about it, Reeve?" Cid asked angrily.

         After taking a moment to collect himself, Reeve seemed to calm. "You sure they were Shinra?"

        "Damn sure," Barret said heartily. "They were wearing your combat gear. I've seen enough of yer guys to know what they look like."

         Reeve shook his head slowly, thinking hard. "First of all, I want to make it absolutely clear that I had nothing to do with them coming after you." Receiving skeptical looks from Cid and Barret, he paled.

        "You have to believe me," he said with a swallow. "Why would I want to hurt any of you? You saved the world, and my corporation as well."

         Cid noted with caution how Reeve now referred to Shinra as 'my corporation'. Had he gone power mad like Rufus? That might explain why he had begun to launch attacks on his former allies, though Cid still didn't see how that would benefit him. Reeve and Shinra had nothing to gain from killing any of the party, because their main disagreement had been the use of Mako energy, and that was no longer an issue. None of their group had been opposing Shinra in any direct way, and it didn't make sense for Shinra to attack them out of spite, since the big Corp had no real reason to bear them any animosity. As Cid thought about it, it seemed less and less likely to him that Reeve was actually involved in this.

        "Supposing we believe you," Cid began, receiving a sharp glance from Barret, "what can you do to help us? These are your guys that came after us."

        "I'll do what I can," Reeve nodded, relieved that Cid was taking him seriously. "First of all, did you get any unit numbers?"

        "What?" Barret asked.

        "Unit numbers," Reeve repeated. "Most of the men that were in SOLDIER and our Commando groups have numbers tattooed on their necks to identify them, in case their bodies aren't recognizable."

        "Shinra," Barret spit. "Treatin' people like canned goods."

        "It's no different from the dog tags you wear around your neck, Barret," Reeve pointed out indifferently. "Just a different method of identification."

         Reeve had him there. Barret grimaced, but didn't argue the point.

        "Didn't see anything like that on the guys who attacked us," he admitted, grudgingly. "We captured one, but he 'lectrocuted himself before we could interrogate him."

         Reeve's eyes narrowed. "He killed himself? By electrocution?"

        "Yup," Barret said. "Zapped himself straight back to Hell."

        "That narrows it down." Reeve's brow furrowed as he sat down at his desk, and with several key presses brought his computer online. Cid noticed that the 'other things' that Reeve had referred to when he had mentioned power distribution included a computer terminal in his office.

         Cid moved over to look at the computer screen, but one of Reeve's bodyguards blocked his way. About to push the man aside, Cid stopped as Reeve motioned the man to back up.

        "It's okay. I trust them."

         Grudgingly, his bodyguard let Cid pass. Glancing at him disdainfully, Cid moved over to Reeve's shoulder and glanced at the luminescent computer screen in front of him.

         A large table of names was scrolling slowly across the screen, along with serial numbers and other miscellaneous information.

        "Capture-avoidance," Reeve murmured thoughtfully. He typed quickly on his machine, than sat back and waited for a few seconds as it accessed.

        "Machine is slow with most of the system down," he said, apologetically. "This might take awhile."

        "Long as it works," Cid commented.

         Reeve began to tap his fingers on the desk impatiently. "It should." About thirty seconds later, a new list of names appeared. "All right. That narrows it down to about 350 men. Can you tell me anything else that might help?"

         Cid looked at Barret, who shrugged. "They were wearing black camo and night-vision goggles."

         Reeve shook his head. "Doesn't help. All of our commandos receive night-combat training." He glanced at the console again. "Hmm. About one-third of these soldiers are AWOL or MIA, meaning we don't know what happened to them after Meteor hit. We've lost contact with most of them, as we have with a considerable number of our outlying bases since the main system went down. Want me to narrow it down to the Commandos who are not currently under my command?"

        "Keep them for now," Cid said. "Do you trust your commanders?"

         Reeve pursed his lips, thoughtful. "All of them? With my life? No." He paused again, thinking. "But I can't think of any who would have it in for you. Most of them were stationed here in Midgar when everything went down with Sephiroth and Meteor. Unless they've somehow shifted blame for Meteor's destruction of the city onto you, I don't see why any of my men would order their men to attack any of you. They're too worried about keeping their own power bases strong here in Midgar to be able to send troops after you."

        "That don't mean they didn't do it," Barret insisted. "There was only three that attacked us. Come after my daughter like the spineless bastards they are. I wouldn't think you'd miss three men in this sprawling metropolis." His last words were dripping with sarcasm, but Reeve seemed unruffled by it.

        "You'd be surprised," he commented dryly. "Much of the force that we have here is largely illusory. A good number of our men were killed in the war against the Weapons, and when Meteor arrived. Another good number deserted or disappeared. Trust me when I say that I doubt any of the Shinra commanders stationed here have the manpower to spare for excursions into the rest of the world."

        "Hmm." Cid paused, and another thought hit him. "What about winter combat training? The squad that attacked Vincent wore snow fatigues, and seemed to be trained in arctic warfare."

        "That would narrow it down considerably," Reeve said with a nod. "Arctic combat training isn't standard, and is only given to the troops that we station on the northern continent. Sephiroth wiped most of those out when he came through." He turned and punched the appropriate information into his keyboard. They all waited the few minutes it took the computer to track down the correlations, and print the list on its screen.

        "Jackpot." Reeve grinned. "There's about 30 names here, tops. How many attacked Vincent?"

        "A dozen or more," Cid answered, squinting at the computer screen and grimacing as he tried to read its small print. "How many have you retained contact with?"

        "None." Reeve began tapping keys, scrolling through the list. "We lost all contact with our Northern bases after Sephiroth took that continent over. All of these men are MIA."

        "Well, that helps," Barret said sullenly.

         Reeve shrugged, clearly at a loss. "I don't know what else we can try. Unless you can tell me something else about
them . . . "

         Cid said nothing, and Barret was at a loss as well.

        "Hmm," Reeve murmured thoughtfully. "Let's check these names for correlations, squadron or base assignments, perhaps. Maybe that will help." He punched in several more commands, and the computer cycled for a few minutes as they waited in anticipation.

        "Nothing," Reeve said dejectedly. "Nothing useful, anyway. Three of these men graduated from the military academy in the same year, another six received their arctic combat training under the same officer. Other than that, I don't see anything that relates these men besides their training and MIA status."

         Barret joined Cid at Reeve's other shoulder, squinting as well as he tried to read the small print on the computer screen. "Huh," he said, noncommittal.

        "Damn, I'm stupid!" Cid slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead. "What about the Messiah, Reeve? Have you heard of anything like that?"

         Reeve's face turned white.

        "That's right," Barret said with an evil grin, taking pleasure in Reeve's discomfiture. "That's what that Commando said before he zapped out. For the Messiah." He smiled sweetly at Reeve. "Somethin' about that bother you, Reeve?"

         Reeve turned back to the keyboard, his body stiff.

        "Well . . . ," he began slowly. "See for yourselves."

         He began punching information into the computer, and Cid watched in increasing amazement as Reeve worked his way through a mess of encryption barriers and typed in about fifteen different passwords on his way to wherever he was going. Finally, a large block of print appeared on the screen.

        RESTRICTED ACCESS--SHINRA PRESIDENT ONLY. ENTER ACCESS CODE.

        "What tha hell is this?" Barret asked.

        "I don't know for sure," Reeve said. "I've never looked at it myself, only heard rumors."

        "You know the password?" Cid asked from beside him.

        "Course I do," Reeve assured him confidently. "I'm the President now."

         He typed in the password and hit the button to enter it.

        RESTRICTED ACCESS--SHINRA FAMILY ONLY. ENTER ACCESS CODE.

        "Uh oh," Reeve murmured.

        "You know that password?" Cid asked, raising an eyebrow.

        "No," Reeve said, defeated. "This information is the highest classification, even above Sephiroth's file and the JENOVA clearance. I could access those files. I can't access this."

        "What the hell is it?" Barret asked impatiently.

        "I don't know much about the file myself," Reeve admitted. "But I overheard President Shinra and his son talking about it, once or twice. All I could gather is that it had something to do with wherever Sephiroth was and what he was doing during the period between the time he supposedly died in the depths of the Nibleheim reactor, and when he reappeared and killed President Shinra. Something about someone called The Messiah tying in to his return in some manner."

        "Damn," Barret murmured. "That would explain why this Messiah has it out for Cloud and the rest of us. If he was friends with Sephiroth, he's trying to avenge his buddy."

        "That still doesn't explain why he used Shinra attack squads to attack us instead of coming at us directly," Cid complained. "If I remember correctly, Sephiroth didn't get along too well with Shinra."

        "Understatement of the year," Reeve said. "He was a good enough soldier, before he went insane."

        "Uh huh," Barret grunted.

         Reeve shook his head again. "I'm sorry I haven't been of more help. I'll keep looking in the records. Maybe I can find something else."

        "Can't you try some passwords on that security clearance?" Barret asked.

        "I suppose," Reeve said after a second. "But we'd only get two cracks at it. If we mess up a third time the system will wipe the file and reset itself."

        "Great," Barret said. "So what passwords do we try?"

         The three of them sat in silence and stared at the computer screen for a few seconds.

        "Mako?" Barret hazarded after a second.

        "Too obvious," Cid said.

        "You suggest something, then," Barret retorted.

         Cid glanced at him, and then back at the computer screen.

        "I have no idea," he admitted. "There's too many goddamned possibilities."

         Reeve was silent, seemingly deep in thought.

        "It may not even be a word," Reeve said finally. "The Shinra President was notorious for his photographic memory. It's probably just a random sequence of characters that we can't hope to crack."

        "Well . . . damn," Barret commented.

        "What about 'Rufus'?" one of the bodyguards hazarded from his space off to Cid's side. All three men glanced at him, and he quickly returned to his corner of the office.

        "Sorry," he muttered.

        "I'm stumped," Cid admitted. "But we might as well take a few blind stabs at it. Try, well, um . . .ducky."

        "Ducky?" Barret and Reeve said doubtfully, and then glanced at each other, dismayed that they had spoken the same word at the same time.

        "Sure," Cid said defensively. "Why not? It's as good a word as any."

        "Bah," Barret spit. "And you said Mako was silly."

        "Well it was!" Cid insisted.

        "This is getting us nowhere," Reeve said in exasperation. "Give me a word, guys. Let's get this over with."

        "Fine," Cid said, angrily. "Materia. You got a problem with that, Barret?"

         Barret glanced at him and shrugged. "Works for me," he agreed.

        "All right, here goes," Reeve said. He quickly typed in the word and hit the enter key. The screen flashed and went blank for a second.

        "Hell yeah!" Cid exclaimed, pleased with himself. "Was that it?"

        "No, that's just the machine rejecting the password and resetting the security program," Reeve explained. "It's slow, remember."

        RESTRICTED ACCESS--SHINRA FAMILY ONLY. ENTER ACCESS CODE.

         Cid's elation faded. "Dammit," he muttered.

        "Any other ideas?" Barret asked.

         They exchanged glances again.

        "Wait a minute," Reeve said suddenly. "President Shinra's first wife, Rufus' mother. She died when he was only five. What was her name?"

         Cid shrugged. "You think I know that?"

        "I'm only thinking aloud," Reeve said apologetically. "I believe . . . I believe it was . . . hmm. Susan. That was it. Susan!"

        "Susan Shinra," Barret muttered. "Just doesn't sound right, if you ask me."

        "It's worth a shot," Reeve said. "Agreed?"

        "Go for it," Cid said disinterestedly.

         Reeve slowly punched in the name, careful not to mistype it, and hit the enter key.

         The screen went blank and cycled.

        RESTRICTED ACCESS . . . , it began again, printing out the entire spiel one last time.

        "Well, that's it for that," Reeve said with a shrug. "I'll put my men to work on cracking that encryption. I think they can unlock it, given enough time."

        "How long?" Barret asked.

        "Um, a month or so, probably."

        "We could be dead in a month!" Cid exclaimed angrily.

        "I'm sorry," Reeve said, saddened. "I wish I could do more. The least I can do is finish up the rest of those computations on those men who attacked you."

        "Guess that's it, then," Cid admitted dejectedly.

         Reeve nodded, then brightened. "But the least I can do while you're here is offer you a drink and some food. Care to join me for a quick supper tonight, before I get back to work?"

         Cid heard his stomach growl at the mention of food, but Barret shook his head in a negative, his mouth a grim line. "Sorry," he said. "If that's all you've got to tell us, we'd best be on our way."

        "I do wish you'd stay, if only for a bit," Reeve insisted plaintively. "I get so little time to relax with friends, busy as I am with rebuilding Midgar." Barret seemed a bit angry at being called Reeve's friend, but didn't say anything out loud.

        "I'm starved for news of the outside world," Reeve insisted. "I can't keep up anymore, you know. I just want to know how all of you are getting along. How's Cloud, Tifa? Red? Yuffie? Vincent? At least stay and chat a bit, and tell me what's been going on."

         Cid sighed. Reeve had been awfully helpful, even if his help hadn't amounted to much. And he was hungry. And the Shinra did serve delicious food.

        "Fine," Cid agreed. "I'll stay and talk, if you rustle up some good grub." Barret scowled as Cid turned to look at him. "What about you, old man?"

        "I'll eat out in the Airship with Marlene, thank you very much," the big man grumped.

        "I'm sorry to hear that, Barret, but I respect your decision," Reeve said, obviously grateful that Cid had decided to stay. "I'll have my men escort you out."

        "I don't need no stinkin' escort!" Barret protested.

        "It's for your own good," Reeve continued. "Just in case anyone here remembers you from your time in AVALANCHE. I trust my men. They'll get you to the gate with a minimum of trouble. Besides, I know that if any of my men tried to attack you they'd be slaughtered, and I can't afford to lose the manpower. Please, accept my escort."

         Barret grumbled but finally agreed. "See you later, Cid, when the others get here." He walked out the door as several Shinra soldiers moved in from outside to join him.

        "The others are coming here?" Reeve asked excitedly.

         Cid heard Barret curse from the hallway, realizing what he'd given away.

        "Yeah, eventually," Cid admitted. "But you said you'd get me some food."

        "Of course!" Reeve said excitedly. "Let's adjourn to the sitting room. I'll have the chef bring in the first course and some good wine."

        "The first course?" Cid asked, his mouth beginning to water.

        "We eat well, here," Reeve said with a grin. "I'm glad you decided to stay, Cid. I know the others don't really trust me, and I know you probably don't either. But everything I've done I've done because I thought it was in the best interest of the Planet. Even if we can't be friends, we can eat and talk, right?"

        "Right," Cid admitted, warming to the man. "So let's stop talking and start eating." He glanced at his men, who still hadn't said a word.

        "Jerry, Ben, you stayin' too?"

         The two glanced at each other, and shrugged.

        "Why not," Jerry said with a shrug. Ben agreed as well. It appeared that Barret was the only one of their group who had decided to resist Shinra hospitality. Judging from his past dealings with them, his decision wasn't surprising.

        "Right this way," Reeve motioned with another grin.

         Three figures rode in silence, their steeds trotting along in a triangular formation, gold at the front, blue on the left, and green on the right. The fertile grasslands outside of Kalm had quickly given way to the starker, more barren earth through which they now rode. Reflecting on the terrain around them because there was nothing better to do, Tifa wondered suddenly if the disappearance of greenery had something to do with the fact that they were heading for the once great city of Midgar.

         She remembered how hard and black the ground around the city was, giving way to desert further out, then to the sparse plains through which they were now traveling, before finally returning to the smooth, green, grass prairies in the vicinity of Kalm. Midgar was the largest city on the continent, and before Meteor and the Lifestream had silenced it forever, it had possessed the highest concentration of Mako reactors of any spot on the Planet. Eight to power the entire city, all stretched around its perimeter like lights on a Christmas wreath. She wondered if the blackened land would ever heal.

         It seemed so obvious in retrospect. Mako reactors, burning the very blood of the Planet as fuel. It had begun by sapping away the life around Midgar, twisting and blackening the grassy plains upon which it had been built. Then it had spread, radiating outward in all directions from the walls of the great city. What would have happened, she wondered, if Sephiroth had never lived?

         In a way, he was partly responsible for saving the Planet, even though he had spent most of his life trying to destroy it. If he hadn't attacked Shinra when he did, if he hadn't brought the Planet so close to destruction that it finally emerged from its shell and attempted to heal itself, what could have happened? Would the entire continent have rotted away, as the Mako reactors that Shinra had scattered over its surface burned its energy to ash, until nothing was left but a dull, empty husk?

         The Planet would have died, not by a climactic collision with Meteor, but from simple exhaustion. And the people. How would they have lived, on the barren rock to which the Mako reactors would have reduced their land?

         They would have died. It was as simple as that, and it was strange to think about. Sephiroth had killed countless numbers of people in his bloody quest to destroy the Planet, but the final result of that quest, thanks to the intervention of herself and the others, had been the end of Mako energy and the collapse of the Shinra empire. The salvation of everyone on the Planet.

         Which was the bigger evil? Sephiroth was all too easy to blame, but Shinra was the real catalyst in everything, the dark force working all along in the background, in its own insidious quest for power. Sephiroth had known what he was doing, reveled in the pain that his actions had caused. Shinra had been blind to the destruction their actions were causing, like a young child with a loaded gun. Given enormous power, but without the knowledge to wield it safely, they had either been too stupid to realize what their reactors were doing, or decided not to care. What was the life of the Planet when they could make a quick buck?

         Sephiroth had been evil. It was as simple as that. He had surely not considered any of this when he had begun his quest to destroy the Planet. But it was fitting that a man who had done so much evil had been responsible for so much good. The great manipulator, manipulated himself by fate and chance. Forced to save the Planet as he tried to destroy it. It helped Tifa believe that almost anyone was capable of redemption, even a man as evil as Sephiroth. She smiled, secretly. What would Cloud think of her revelations? She found herself wondering. She would have to ask him, when she saw him again, after this was all over.

         Goldie squawked in warning, jolting her out of her thoughts, braking to a halt so fast that he almost threw Tifa from the saddle. Sally and Zander, Goldie's grandparents, were behind her carrying Yuffie and Vincent. They slowed as well, seemingly intimidated by Goldie's squawk of warning.

        "What is it, boy?" Tifa asked, as Goldie began to back up nervously, his head twitching back and forth under the reins. She quickly scanned the surrounding terrain, looking for what had set the Chocobo off. He was a remarkable creature, able to transverse any terrain, including the deep water of the sea. Riding on his back as his webbed feet ripped through the waves was truly a unique experience. If he had caught wind of something, Tifa knew to take his warning seriously.

        "What's got him so riled up?" Yuffie asked. She had barely finished her question before Sally squawked as well, bucking angrily, fear in her green eyes. Yuffie clung for dear life, and Tifa's eyes widened in horror as she glanced behind her.

         The cause of the Chocobo's distress was all too easy to see. The ground below Sally's feet seemed to be sinking inward, dragging her feet down into the earth, black tendrils of dirt reaching upward to latch onto her legs. Yuffie jumped off her mount just as the Chocobo tore one of her legs free from the sinking dirt, only to lose her balance and fall onto her side. The tendrils snaked over her body, dragging the mountain Chocobo into the dirt as she squawked in horror, her eyes mad with fear.

         Then Zander did something that Tifa could not believe. Instead of bolting in fear, he charged, throwing Vincent backward on his saddle. His rider managed to grasp one of Zander's reins just in time to avoid joining Yuffie on the hard rocky ground. As Tifa watched in disbelief, Zander tore into the ground with his webbed claws, trying desperately to free Sally from the dirt. Then Goldie leapt into action as well, joining Zander as they furiously attacked the dirt that was swallowing their compatriot.

        "Yipe!" Yuffie cried, as a tendril swiped at one of her legs. Suddenly her Crystal Cross was in her hand, as she tore it apart with one swing, Vincent leaping from his mount to assist.

         Tifa dropped to the ground as well, not sure what she planned to do against the unknown threat they were facing, but refusing to sit by idly and do nothing. As her feet hit the ground, it gave way beneath her, and she instantly regretted leaving the safety of Goldie's back. Before she knew it she was up to her knees in mud and rapidly sinking, some unknown force dragging her into the ground.

         With a cry of anger and fear, she began to smash at the surrounding earth with her gloved hands. Her efforts did nothing, and she had sunk to her waist before Vincent noticed her predicament. He said a word that she had never before heard him use, and Tifa realized with detached clarity that they had finally found a situation that could make Vincent curse.

         Something hard bit into the back of her shirt, and she reached back angrily to knock it loose, halting at the last second as she realized what it was. Goldie! His beak tore at the back of her shirt as he vainly tried to pull her from the muck, his feet slowly sliding toward the sinkhole into which Tifa had fallen.

         Sally was almost completely under, only her neck and head still above the dirt. She had somehow managed to right herself as she was dragged, thrashing, into the earth. Zander had ceased attacking the dirt that was swallowing her and clung futilely to one of her reins with his beak, his neck straining against the unknown force pulling on her. Sally squawked in anger, and Tifa easily understood her frustration.

        "This isn't good!" Yuffie viciously tore apart several tendrils of dirt that were questing for her legs. The ground seemed to be growing bolder, a living thing that grew more confident as it tried to suck the members of the party down into its awful depth.

        "Do something, Vincent!" Tifa cried.

        "What?" he yelled back angrily. "Shoot the dirt?"

         A giant tendril of earth, far bigger than anything they had seen before, rose from his feet and smacked him in the chest before he could defend himself, knocking him into the air. He landed about ten feet away and rolled to his feet, drawing the Death Penalty and sighting it at the monstrosity heading toward him. The massive weapon flashed as it blasted into the tendril, blowing it apart in an explosion that send dirt and muck flying in all directions. Undeterred, another massive tendril swept up into Vincent's knees, knocking him off of his feet. He thrashed as he tried to roll to his feet, and a third massive tendril wrapped around his hand, ripping the Death Penalty from his fingers.

        "Dammit!" Tifa was now struggling merely to stay afloat, up to her shoulders in mud. Sally had disappeared completely, and Zander was still clawing at the dirt in desperation, a piece of Sally's rein clutched in his beak.

        "Flight!" Yuffie cried suddenly. As Tifa looked on in disbelief, the young ninja suddenly shot into the air, evading another large tendril of dirt, a glowing green Materia shard clutched in her fist.

        "Flight!" she cried again, and the shard flashed as Tifa felt another force take hold of her. She began to rise from the muck, and, not stopping to question what was going on, she tore away at the earth with all of her might, desperately trying to free her legs. She heard Yuffie casting the spell again and again, and then she heard Goldie squawk in dismay as he shot into the air behind her, losing his hold on her shirt.

         The tendril that Vincent was wrestling with broke away and came for Tifa, as Yuffie cast her spell on him as well, and his feet shot off the ground.

        "Hold on Tifa!" he called as he struggled vainly, stumbling through the air drunkenly in an effort to reach her. Tifa could not believe her eyes. Yuffie, Zander, Vincent and Goldie, all hovering around her like angels, as one dirty tendril after another smashed against her body, wrapping around her arms and her shoulders, around her waist and thighs, refusing to let her go. The sinking mud was gone from where Sally had disappeared, now concentrated solely around her, the sinkhole much larger than it had been before.

        "Dammit to hell!" Yuffie reached into her pack once more. In a flash a grappling hook was in her hands. "Tifa! Catch!"

         Then the hook was flying toward her, and reacting instinctively, using almost all of her remaining strength, Tifa tore one of her hands from the muck and caught the hook as it sailed toward her. Yuffie yelped as she was torn forward, having nothing to anchor her.

         A tendril burst against the side of her head, the impact as hard as a rock thrown from a sling, drawing blood. She was done for, and she knew it. But she'd be damned before she'd drag one of her friends to her grave along with her.

        "Tell Cloud I loved him!" she cried, as she released her hold on Yuffie's hook, throwing it away just as the dirt swept over her hand. Yuffie stared at her in disbelief as she sailed on over her head, one hand reaching toward her in a desperate attempt to save her.

        "And get this bastard for m . . . ," she cried before the muck rose up over her mouth and cut off her speech.

        "Tifa!" Vincent cried angrily as he struggled desperately to reach her. "Tifa!"

         Then the muck rose over her head and she disappeared into the earth.

         She could feel the dirt pressing against her body from everywhere, cold and damp, disgusting and suffocating. She fought against the terror raging through her mind. She didn't want to die like this! Not like this!

         But the earth pressing against her as she was dragged deeper and deeper into the ground, her lungs burning as they ran out of air, refused to offer any comfort.

         Continue to Chapter 4

         Return to Chapter 2