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         "Cloud! Wake up!"

         The whispered order was unnecessary, as he was already awake, had been ever since he'd heard the tiny sound of a key turning in the lock to their hotel room. He opened his eyes calmly, caught Tifa's, and then rolled out of the bed, as Tifa did the same on her side. Together, they soundlessly approached the door to the bedroom they'd chosen, deciding to get a few short hours of sleep in lack of anything better to do. As they did so, the key finished turning in the lock, and with a loud rumble, the door to the living room swung open.

         Cloud crouched against the left side of the frame of the bedroom door, Tifa doing the same on the right, as they silently waiting for whoever was intruding to reveal themselves. Cloud tried to force down a sudden burst of hope, remembering Yuffie, remembering that she'd promised to come back for them. Could she have already infiltrated the Hive?

         "You can come out now," a loud, authoritative voice ordered, cold and distinctly male. That ruled out Yuffie, then. Cloud remained tense by the door, unmoving, exchanging a silent glance with Tifa as they evaluated the voice outside.

         "We can see you perfectly well on the infra-red cameras, Mayor Strife," the voice continued, filled with disdain. "Crouching against the left side of the door, while your wife is at the right. You can come out here and greet us in a civilized manner, or you can stay there in that door, whatever you want to do. You've got ten seconds to make your decision. After that we're leaving, locking the door, and gassing you both to death." The cold voice paused. "Your choice."

         Cloud grimaced, knowing they were beat, at least for now. Of course, they had planned for this eventuality. So far, the Dyson troopers were playing right into their hands. He took a second to get an affirmative nod from Tifa, showing that she was ready to do her part in what they'd planned, and then stepped slowly from the cover of the door frame, hands raised up to the level of his head to show they were empty.

         "All right," he called loudly. "We're coming out."

         He emerged into the well-lit living room, followed by Tifa, to find an alert looking soldier dressed in a crisp, red Dyson uniform with the rank of Captain sewn onto its right sleeve, and a pair of campaign ribbons decorating his chest. Behind him stood six equally alert Dyson troopers, at attention, massive rifles held ready.

         "Well," the Captain greeted, the source of the voice they'd heard from the door frame. "So this is the great Cloud Strife."

         Cloud moved out into the middle of the living room and paused, careful not to make any threatening moves, as Tifa did the same, innocently edging toward one of the large, plush couches. "The pleasure's all yours, I assure you." He did not even grace the man with a disdainful smile. "What do you want?"

         The Captain turned back to look at his men, and then broke into a wide grin, most unprofessional for one of his rank. "Why, what we want is simple, Mayor Strife. I'm pleased to tell you that your stay here with us is at an end."

         "You're lying," Tifa snapped. "Reeve would never give in so easily." Knowing her as well as he did, Cloud could hear the trace of doubt and fear in her stern tone, and was suddenly hit with much of the same. Reeve couldn't have given up! He couldn't have!

         "The Shinra President will no longer be a factor in a few hours," the Dyson captain snorted. "Pay him no mind. You should be more worried about yourselves."

         "So you're setting us free, I take it?" Cloud asked, not believing it for a second.

         "Of course not." The Dyson captain frowned, and then motioned to his guards. "We can't have you causing trouble or spreading insurrection in our new empire." He motioned to his men, who straightened and brought their rifles up to cover the both of them.

         "Any last requests?" the Captain asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

         Cloud grimaced angrily. "So Dyson Corporation doesn't even have the honor to keep its word, does it?"

         The Captain shrugged. "Only when it is good business, Mayor Strife. And letting you two go is not good business. It's nothing personal. So, once more, any last requests?"

         The Captain waited patiently for a response, obviously enjoying this situation, perhaps hoping that they would beg for their lives. What a power-trip he must be on, feeling that he holds our lives in his hands. Cloud pitied the man. Too bad he has to die.

         "Well, Tifa?" he asked, turning to his wife while his right hand slowly snaked down to his waist to press gently against the small bulge hidden under his shirt, a bulge that had been wrapped in the small note that Yuffie had left in the living room when she had come hours earlier. "Any last requests?"

         Tifa glared at the alert looking guards for a moment, and then turned to him, smiling like a predatory cat. "Just one, Cloud." She pressed casually against the couch, her hand lightly stroking an armrest. "NOW!"

         Cloud sent his magic snaking into the shard of Materia hidden underneath his shirt about an instant before Tifa's shouted word spooked the Dyson troopers into firing. Green magic flared about his body, burning the first of storm of bullets that were directed at him from existence, and then the spell completed, and the rest pinged harmlessly off of the firm protection of his personal Wall. Cloud charged forward, bullets bouncing like mosquitos off his rapidly disappearing protection. That was when Tifa threw the couch.

         Cloud freely acknowledged that furniture of any sort weighed no small amount, and the furniture in the lavish Dyson apartment was no exception. It had likely taken two strong workmen to move the furniture into this room, perhaps three to move the couch. The idea of any one man, or any one woman, for that matter, picking it up and chucking it like a baton for any great distance bordered on insanity, but then again, Cloud was no normal man. And, as went with that, Tifa Lockhart-Strife was no normal woman.

         The shocked Dyson troopers barely had time to evaluate the huge piece of furniture hurtling through the air before it hit their row at chest level, smashing their stuttering rifles from their hands and knocking them to the ground like horribly abused bowling pins. The slack-jawed Captain had a brief moment to jerk his head around and stare at the flying couch in disbelief, and then Cloud was upon him, and the sight left his eyes forever as a quick strike snapped his neck. He crumpled to the floor, and then the first of the fire came from the still open door, the backup soldiers swinging into action.

         Cloud renewed the Wall around his body, leapt to his feet, and grabbed a rifle from a fallen Dyson trooper as bullets continued to smash into the protection around him and skitter away harmlessly. Tifa leapt behind a nearby chair to dodge a barrage that had belatedly been aimed in her direction, and Cloud reached out with his magic, causing a green aura to flare up across his wife's body. Satisfied she was safe, he charged for the door, sending a roundhouse kick into the nearest soldier even as the man's rifle continued to pour out useless gunfire. The kick sent the unfortunate man flying into the concrete wall with enough force to break every bone in his chest. Then his rifle snapped up, and Cloud began firing short, controlled bursts that systematically eliminated every other threat to him all along the hallway. He finished just as the last of his sorely abused Wall dissipated, and his wife charged out into the carnage, wielding a rifle of her own.

         "That all of 'em?" she yelled, sweeping the hall with her rifle.

         "For now," Cloud answered grimly, stalking down the hall in what he remembered as the opposite of the direction they'd taken to get here. "How's your Wall?" While saying this, he quickly flared and renewed his own.

         "Good to go." One of the Dyson troopers began to struggle to his feet, a missing shoulder guard showing that Cloud had just winged him, and Tifa smashed a foot into his face and knocked him back to the floor. "How many more do you think they'll be? And how are we gonna' get out of here?"

         Cloud reached the door of the stairwell and cautiously pushed it open. A burst of fire from inside sent him jumping back to the safety of the hall, the tip of his Wall flaring angrily. He leapt back into the open door frame and fired, nailing three waiting Dyson troopers to the wall as their own rifle fire blasted at him with little effect. He walked cautiously into the stairwell, rifle flicking up and down in search of any more threats, but it appeared this floor of the stairwell was his.

         Glad all those years of sword-fighting haven't dulled my rifle skills, he thought ruefully. He checked the clip to his weapon, and finding it almost empty ejected the spent cartridge, kneeling at the side of one of the motionless Dyson soldiers and grabbing a pair of clips. He stuck one into a pocket in his pants and slammed the other back into the gun, as Tifa cautiously edged her way into the stairwell.

         "Going down?" he asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow, as they began to descend.

         For the most part, they went unmolested, although at several points on the stairwell sporadic gunfire erupted from below, which they ignored, Cloud flaring with magic whenever such was needed, and systematically fought their way to the bottom floor of the apartment complex. Having just completed a fresh Wall spell, Cloud stepped confidently into the main lobby of the building, finding twelve Dyson troopers and a frightened commander waiting anxiously for their approach.

         "Please," he said with a grimace. "Don't make me kill you, too."

         The commander spent a moment staring at them with wide eyes, and then exchanged a look with his men. At that, as one, they dropped their rifles and charged headlong through the doors to the outside of the building and safety.

         "Do we follow?" Tifa asked, covering the area further back into the lobby with her rifle as Cloud watched the door. "They've probably got a whole battalion out there by now."

         Cloud glanced around the lobby, but it was empty save for the two of them, and the pile of rifles dropped by the fleeing Dyson soldiers. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "We're going to have to play this by ear..."

         With that, the front doors of the building were blown off their hinges, and Cloud threw himself into Tifa and knocked them both out of the way of the hurtling debris, rolling into a crouch to quickly bring his rifle to bear on the door. For a second, there was only thick smoke and crumbling rubble. Then a trio of large, armored figures clanked slowly into the room, sweeping the shattered lobby with the beams of laser-sights attached to a pair of massive machine guns.

         "What the hell are those?" Tifa cried, as she gave the one on the left a full burst from her rifle. The rounds smacked into the metal and momentarily threw the suited figure off balance, and then it turned on them and the laser-sight swept across their bodies as it raked them with stuttering machine gun fire. Cloud threw himself behind a nearby counter as Tifa rolled in the other direction, shocked to see that the blast had almost completely disintegrated his Wall, which was practically brand new. Tifa jumped in beside him a second later, flaring fiercely as her Wall was torn to pieces. A single bullet penetrated and cut painfully through her lower right leg, causing her to cry out angrily as blood flew from the newly opened wound and she fell into his arms.

         "You okay?" he cried desperately, as the questing laser sights played across the counter for a moment, and then the stuttering fire opened up in full force.

         "Cloud, if this is the end...," Tifa began, her eyes fierce as she reached for the Materia shard inside his shirt. It was then that the first of the rockets hit.

         The counter and the two people huddled behind it disappeared in a blazing inferno of shrapnel.

         The first of the resistance came in the form of a lone Dyson trooper, dashing hurriedly away from the door they had chosen to enter. He stopped as the saw the four of them approaching, staring out in disbelief and then belatedly training his rifle.

         "Bolt!" Aeris cried.

         There was a flash and a loud crack, and the young soldier slumped to the ground, his armor smoking.

         She's so innocent, Dack reflected affectionately, as he saw that Aeris had used just enough power to knock the soldier out, but that he would easily live. She's not cut out to be a killer. I just hope that the loss of her parents doesn't take that from her.

         Of course, the deaths of Cloud and Tifa Lockhart-Strife were certainly not assured. Granted, the timetable on the execution orders that Faulk had signed into being placed the time of their execution at less than a minute away, but they had, after all, destroyed the mighty Sephiroth and saved the Planet. It seemed almost inconceivable that two people of such a stature could be simply gunned down and left for dead, no questions asked.

         He felt a momentary tinge of worry for his brother, crouched and hidden alone in an alley next to the Pharmacy that they'd broken into before they'd found out about the execution, hacking away with all the finesse he could manage to reach the most restricted confines of the Dyson computer system. Given their sudden lack of time, there had been no way that Cain could run along with them in their quick sprint to the walls of the Industrial Complex AND do the work that was necessary to hack into the Dyson computers. He would just have to do his best to watch them through Dyson's own sensor network, and help them as best he could.

         The first of that help came barely seconds later, as they ran toward the closed door of the Industrial Complex in front of which the unconscious guard was slumped, and the thick security door began to slide open.

         All right Cain, I'll admit it, Dack thought as Ada paused for a brief second to scoop up the rifle from the fallen Dyson trooper and they charged inside. You're good.

         If Cain had been successful, the entire complement of soldiers in the Hive was busy scrambling to reach the East side of the Complex, where their compromised computer system was anxiously giving warning of a vicious attack by an unknown number of soldiers and at least sixteen armored units. If all went well, they'd be able to get at least into the perimeter of the Hive without encountering a single hostile soldier.

         Ada led them into a dark tunnel, rifle held ready, Devin pounding after her, Dack and Aeris right behind. She skidded to a halt at the door to a stairwell moments later, bringing the whole of the group to a stop along with her.

         "The office... is up these stairs!" she panted, throwing the door open. "I'm going up! The apartment is at the end of these tunnels! Take the third right you see, then the second left. You're on your own from there!"

         At that she dashed through the door, and Devin stared at them anxiously for a brief moment, not knowing what to do.

         "What are you waiting for?" Aeris yelled, pushing him toward the door. "Make sure those attack orders get canceled! Me and Dack will get our parents!"

         Devin hesitated only a second before smiling and dashing through the door. "Good luck, sis!" he called back as he went charging after Ada. Dack glanced at her briefly, saw that she was ready to go, and then they took off.

         He did not know what was going through her mind, but had a good idea. The orders that Faulk had signed placed the execution of her parents at just over fifteen seconds ago, now. He knew there was a chance they would somehow survive, that the soldiers would be late, that the orders would get canceled... he just prayed, for her sake, that something of that nature was true.

         Their sprint was ended as three Dyson technicians walked into sight from an adjoining tunnel, and turned to stare at the approaching pair in disbelief. Seeing no reason to kill them, as they were unarmed, and knowing that Aeris would want it this way, he swung past them by cracking the first in the jaw with his pike, knocking him out cold, and sent the second to the floor with a sweep of his leg. Aeris took out the third, pummeling into him shoulder first and smashing him into the wall, and then they were past and running.

         They approached the third right, and skidded around the corner to smack directly into a pair of angry looking Dyson soldiers, standing ready with their swords held in protective guard stances. Dack didn't hesitate, thanking fickle Fate that the soldiers didn't have rifles, and clashed his pike with the first of the soldiers, as Aeris skidded to halt and laid into the second.

         The clash of metal rang throughout the hall for almost thirty seconds, and then Aeris disarmed her opponent, smashing the hilt of her sword into his face and shattering his nose. He stumbled away, crying out in agony, and then Aeris joined Dack in his assault on the second guard, who fell back quickly when faced with both his deadly pike and Aeris' skilled swordsmanship. Finally, Aeris disengaged, quickly sheathed her sword, and yelled at Dack to get clear.

         Knowing what she had planned, he laid into the skilled Dyson trooper with one last strike, forcing him back, and then threw himself away from the enemy soldier.

         A flare of a magic and a burst of lightning later, there was no one left in the hallway to oppose them.

         God Bless that woman.

         She pulled him quickly to his feet and then dashed off down the hallway, as Dack forced himself back into a sprint to follow her, his lungs already burning, silently amazed that she had not tired herself out yet.

         Worry for your parents can do that to you, I guess.

         Next came the second left, and they tore around it like racing Chocobos, for once finding their way free of obstructions. Cain was doing a good job of protecting them, whatever he was doing. As they ran, Dack noticed that a good number of the doors that the passed were closed tightly, and wondered if Cain was routing them through the complex by shutting any hostile forces away from their path. He wouldn't put it past his brother to have already taken over the entire Dyson security network.

         Aeris flared with magic, and for a moment Dack wasn't sure what she was doing. Then the Cure flared up around him, and the burning in his lungs disappeared. Amazed, he realized that he felt as if he had only started running. Again, God Bless that woman! A second later another flare came up around Aeris, and she quickened her pace as well.

         Finally, they came to what appeared to be an end to the dark tunnel, and the security door ahead began to slide open, letting in what looked like bright moonlight. Aeris was in the lead, and as the door finished opening Dack suddenly yelled a warning, already too late.

         Charging at them from the other side of the door was an entire platoon of Dyson soldiers.

         The alarm began to sound the moment she threw the door to the fifteenth floor open, breathing heavily, the rifle she'd grabbed from that soldier outside the Complex seeming incredibly heavy. She heard pounding footsteps a few flights behind her (would he never stop following her?) and realized that the alarm was not a security alert, but a fire alarm.

         For a moment, she wondered why she deserved such a lucky break, but then realized that that Highwind kid must be messing around with the Dyson computer network, and this alarm was likely his doing. Already the halls were filled with confused looking bureaucrats and secretaries, emerging like frightened rabbits from their individual office cubicles, as Ada charged into the hallway and leveled her rifle at the nearest executive.

         "Freeze!" she barked angrily, and the man did not argue. Instead, he darted back into his office with a terrified shriek and slammed the door.

         The stairwell flew open once more, and Ada spun to cover it with her rifle, only to see Devin rush out and charge up to her.

         "Where's the office?" he yelled, somewhat out of breath.

         Well, it's not like I can shoot him. Guess he'll have to tag along.

         "This way!" she yelled, turning from him and dashing down the hall, praying that she remembered the floor plan of this building as well as she thought. It had, after all, been more than two years since she had last walked its halls.

         She remembered it as it were yesterday. She'd come down this hall confident and proud, walking beside her mother as the well- meaning office staff emerged from their individual cubicles in order to wish her a very happy birthday. She had been the Princess of Dyson Corporation in that long lost time.

         She didn't even remember how she had ended up outside Faulk's office. She had been wandering, bored due to the fact that her father was engaged in heated business meetings, and would likely remain so long into the night. As she often did, she was amusing herself by eavesdropping on the happenings and gossip around the office. She never thought that it would cause an attempt on her life.

         Happy Birthday! Sweet sixteen! Those words had come from her mother's gentle lips, as she'd waked Ada that morning. Less than ten hours later, they'd been running for their lives through the dark streets near the edge of the Hive, heading for the docks, on what motivation Ada could not even remember. There could be no escape no matter what they did.

         She'd found herself outside of the corner office, the second biggest one on the floor at the time. The office of Chief Executive Gerrett Faulk. She'd pressed against the door, hearing voices inside, wondering what the man was discussing. He had always been politely formal around her, but she had always found him to be a cold and dangerous man underneath his pleasant, fake exterior. She did not like him. She did not like the fact that he scared her.

         "Is it set? Is the amount satisfactory?"

         She pressed closer to the door, her interest in the conversation suddenly perking for reasons of which she wasn't completely sure.

         "Yeah. It's good."

         "So when will you do it?"

         "Two days from now. You said he'll be making a speech at the opening of the new Opera House, right? That's where we'll hit him.

         It was all a blur after that. She had stumbled away from the door, trying to understand. Her father was going to be making a speech at the Opera House only two days from now, just as the voices had said. Was the man that Faulk and this unknown voice were speaking of going to talk in his place?

         She'd bumped against a nearby desk, unoccupied, and the voices from the office had ceased. She'd frozen for a second, still trying to reason it out. That's when we'll hit him.

         "Ada," Faulk said, giving her a silky smooth smile as he stepped slowly out of his office like a predatory animal, closing the door silently to block in whoever was inside. "How are you, my dear?"

         "F... fine!" she stuttered, involuntarily beginning to move away.

         "Yes," Faulk said, still smiling, his eyes like narrow, deadly lasers burning into her own. "I'm sure you are." His right hand twitched, almost imperceptibly. "I hope you'll have a happy sixteenth birthday."

         Gunfire had been their first warning, and her mother had crammed her into a convenient stairwell, pleaded with her to remain there, hidden. Then she'd run out into the path of the approaching soldiers, leading them away from her hiding place, waving her hands desperately in surrender, pleading with them not to shoot.

         That was when they'd opened fire and her mother had jerked like a puppet with tangled strings in the hands of an angry child. Melyssa Dyson hadn't even fallen until more than six clips had been simultaneously emptied into her body.

         That was when Ada had started running. And she had been running ever since. At last, that was going to change.

         Faulk, I'm going to make you pay for... everything!

         A flustered looking security guard stepped from the shadow of a wall in order to block her way, and Ada's eyes widened as she realized that she actually knew him. His name was George Farrell, and he used to give her a piece of candy each time she'd visited the office to see her father. And now he was standing at the end of the hallway before the office of Reginald Dyson, an office that had been usurped by Gerrett Faulk, holding a pistol in trembling hands and, sadly, in her way.

         Her finger tightened on the trigger of her rifle, and then at the last second, hesitated. He'd been so kind to her when she was a child. He had four kids of his own, and a loving wife waiting for him at home, an entire family that would soon be without their father if she was to have her revenge.

         She hesitated. Unfortunately, Farrell did not.

         Devin slammed into her, dragging her to the ground and sending the rifle flying from her hands, as Farrell's scared shot blasted into the ceiling far from a point where it would have been any significant danger. Hands trembling, he adjusted his pistol and took aim again.

         "Don't shoot!" Devin cried, rolling to his feet and actually getting in front of her.

         What is that hick thinking? Why the hell would he want to protect me?

         Farrell stood looking at them, his hands practically quaking now, and Ada was more afraid that he'd accidentally fire the gun and hit Devin than make any real attempt to kill them. She pushed herself to her feet, and he belatedly raised the trembling pistol to cover her.

         "It's me, George," she warned softly. "Ada Dyson. Don't you recognize me?"

         He stared at her for a moment in confusion, his eyes growing wide, the pistol momentarily lowering. Then it snapped back up, still trembling, and he shook his head angrily.

         "No way!" He was as white as if he'd seen a ghost, and considering the fact that everyone in Dyson Corporation thought she was dead, she supposed he had a good excuse for that. "Ada... Ada's dead!"

         "George," she protested gently, as she took a hesitant step toward him, Devin glancing at her evaluatively and slowly rising to his feet. "It is me. Remember how you used to give me one of those pieces of cherry candy each time I came up here to visit? Remember the way you always did it when my mom wasn't looking, because you knew that if she saw it she'd take it away?" The fire alarm continued to blare. Again, Farrell's gun lowered. He shook his head in disbelief.

         "A, Ada...," he stuttered, still confused. "How... how can you be alive? You were killed in that terrorist attack. The soldiers found your body and Melyssa's on the docks of the loading section."

         "Faulk tried to have me killed," she said darkly, still advancing. "And he killed my mother. And he killed my father."

         Farrell was shaking his head again, still unable to believe it. "But Reg Dyson... he's in seclusion, has been ever since... ever since you died..."

         Something large and brown smacked into his hands, knocking the pistol from his trembling fingers, and then Devin slammed a fist into the side of the confused guardsman's head. Farrell's eyes rolled skyward as he slumped to the ground.

         "Get Faulk," he ordered as he knelt by Farrell's side to check his pulse and pull his boot back on. Nodding grimly, Ada grabbed her rifle from where she'd dropped it and walked purposely to the doors of the office. After a second, once Devin had strapped his boot back on, she raised her foot and then slammed it directly into the ornate door handles of the office, sending them smashing open.

         Heedless of what might be waiting on the other side, she dashed in to have her revenge.

         Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

         As Tifa Lockhart-Strife came back to consciousness, she found that annoying sound barely audible against the loud ringing in her ears, and the dense smoke which covered her on all sides. She was laying on her back, Cloud nowhere in sight, and she tried to remember the last thing that had happened. Rockets. Rockets had hit the counter, just as she'd grabbed Cloud's Wall materia and activated its magic.

         So where was Cloud?

         Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

         A laser-sight suddenly swept across an area a few feet above her head, hard-pressed to penetrate the smoke that was pressing in around her, and she managed to keep from coughing only by covering her mouth with her hand and a great deal of pain, as the smoke stung her eyes and she tried desperately to hold back her breath. One cough would give her away, and then it would all be over. But where was Cloud? The rockets had hit... she had been blown clear...

         If it was all over, then it was just as well that she was about to join him.

         Clomp. Clomp. SPAAANG!

         What the hell was that? Tifa thought in confusion.

         There was a sound like tearing metal, and then a tortured cry. Then machinegun fire was ripping through the air above her head, and she pressed herself as close to the ground as she could, willing herself to become one with the rubble in the desperate hope that she could somehow remained unscathed. More stuttering gunfire replied to the original bursts, and then Tifa heard the distinctive sound of flaring magic.

         That has to be him! Cloud is alive!

         There was an explosion, and then what was left of an armored Dyson Attack suit hurtled past her and slammed into the ground, mangled beyond belief. Given a momentary respite from the machinegun fire, she tried to push herself up, get back into the fight, but sadly, she couldn't even move her legs.

         More clomps and fire sounded all around her, and she bit her lip to avoid crying out as a storm of shrapnel from a near miss tore into her arm. Then she was crawling, pulling herself away from the clomping sounds as best she could, amazed at every second she continued to live. She almost felt guilty for cheating Death to such a great degree.

         More stuttering fire. Then a loud, angry voice, a voice which she instantly recognized.

         "Omnislash!"

         Explosions and flaring magic sounded all around her, along with the muted clangs of horribly abused Attack armor. Finally, the blasts and magic faded, and for a moment there was nothing but silence inside her ringing ears. Then, at last, her name.

         "Tifa! Where are you?!"

         She opened her mouth to cry out, only succeeding in coughing angrily. "Cloud!" she managed through her bitter coughs, her chest racked with pain. Only her legs seemed unharmed, but that was because they were completely numb. "Cloud!"

         She heard a figure pushing through the rubble that was the lobby, and suddenly he emerged from the smoke, coughing fiercely as he strode toward her, his eyes searching. "Tifa!"

         "Cloud!" she called again. Finally, he saw her, and rushed to her side, sweeping her into his arms.

         "My god, Tifa... Tifa..." he cried, and she almost laughed at the sorry state he was in. His face and arms were covered in soot, most of his clothing torn and ruined, even his trusty metal shoulder guard blown in half, most of it missing. It was only when he pressed closer to her that she realized he was covered in blood.

         "Are you okay?" he whispered, as more clomps began to sound from outside.

         "Can't... move my legs," she managed, breaking into another fierce fit of coughing. "Cloud, you've got to get out of here! You can't let them find you!"

         "Not without you," he said grimly, taking her into his arms and lifting her from the ground, cautiously picking his way through the maze of rubble that led deeper into the lobby in hope of some sort of sanctuary, despite the rapidly closing shouts and the clomping sounds of more suits of Dyson Attack armor. "You should know that by now." Magic flared about them, likely almost the last that Cloud had, sheathing them in a thick Wall spell once more. "Dammit, if I just had the Ultima Weapon..."

         "You did fine," she whispered, tracing a line down the side of his face and wiping away a bit of the soot which covered it, before another fit of angry coughing took her body. She must be bleeding internally, judging from the pain in her chest. Breathing was difficult, but she was not going to give up on it, not yet. She refused to stop breathing, no matter how painful it got or how many coughs tried to push the breath from her lungs. She would live, because he wanted her too.

         They settled back into the relative cover of a thick interior wall deep inside the lobby, and Cloud set her gently against the wall.

         "Where are you going?" she asked in alarm, reaching out and grabbing his arm before he could rise to his feet.

         "Tifa, let go," he said gently. "I'm going to stop them."

         "You can't! You're almost out of magic!"

         He shrugged carelessly. "I've got enough. You can't even move your legs."

         "Cloud, you stubborn bastard, give me that Materia!" She pulled him to her, fumbled through his shirt, and found the Materia shard even as he tried to resist. She pulled it out and held it firmly in her hand, as Cloud gently tried to pry it away, his eyes glowing brightly.

         "Tifa, let me do this."

         "No." She stared up at him defiantly, her lower lip quivering. "Cloud, dammit, think for a minute. You've been using magic for almost our entire trip out of here! I've barely used any!"

         "But Tifa...," he protested futilely, as clomps began to sound inside the lobby, nearing cautiously.

         "No buts," she said firmly. "Stay within range and fight them off. I'll keep you shielded."

         She pulled him to her and kissed him hungrily before he could resist, and then pushed him away. "Now go get 'em, SOLDIER!"

         He just stared at her for a moment, and the boundless love she saw in his eyes almost caused her to melt. Then he turned away and crouched to avoid the first of the laser sights which penetrated the smoke, and Tifa clasped the Materia shard to her chest.

         Aeris skidded to a stop as best she could as the mass of soldiers charged toward her, bringing her sword into a guard position even though she knew it would be no match for an entire platoon of rifles. For their part, the Dyson platoon seemed just as surprised to see her and Dack, standing side by side and blocking the tunnel as confidently as a pair of Hierophants. For a moment they did nothing but stare at each other.

         Then a wave of fire tore through the soldiers nearest the door, and with crazed shouts they charged.

         Fire Three? My god, what's out there?

         Not knowing what else to do, Aeris threw herself against the wall and prepared to defend herself, as she felt Dack move in beside her, but the Dyson soldiers rumbled past with only a few worried glances in their direction, and Aeris stared after their surviving members in disbelief as they hurried down the hall.

         Then a lone, black-cloaked figure, obviously female by the outline that was squeezed into its tight black bodysuit, dropped from the sky and stepped confidently into the tunnel. It was encased in the barely visible luminescence of a Wall spell, holding a wicked looking metal fighting cross in one hand.

         Aeris stepped away from the wall and regarded the figure cautiously, as Dack belatedly moved a bit in front of her and the figure froze in its tracks as it noticed them.

         "Aeris Strife?" a strong, female voice cried in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

         Aeris took a hesitant step forward, keeping her sword ready, moving up to stand behind Dack, who was waiting patiently for the figure to make a move. "Do I know you?"

         "You damn well should!" the figure yelled as it approached. "Well, maybe. The last time we met was two years ago. Yuffie Kisaragi. Nice ta see ya', um, again." Four more black-cloaked figures emerged from the shadows of the tunnel, and Aeris blinked, wondering how she possibly could have missed them. Yuffie pointed down the hallway, and they set off at a silent sprint, evidently pursuing the fleeing Dyson platoon that had just charged by. "You still haven't answered my question. And who's your boyfriend?"

         Dack grinned at that, his guard relaxing. "Dack Highwind, ma'am. It's a pleasure."

         "We're here to rescue my parents," Aeris said hurriedly as she walked forward, worry burning inside of her. "Faulk has them scheduled to be executed!"

         "So that's why those two battalions are clustered around the guest building!" Yuffie exclaimed, strapping her cross to her back and slamming her fists together. "I knew there was some kind of fight going on there. I've had my people watching them, but if Cloud and Tifa are really in there I'm not gonna' let those Dyson bastards get 'em. They've saved my ass enough times in the past."

         Aeris' heart practically skipped a beat, and she dared to believe that her parents could still be alive. If there was a battle going on--they still had a chance, if nothing else.

         Yuffie motioned them over and then paused, putting a hand to her ear. She spoke softly as they approached. "Unit thirty, say again?"

         She nodded intently and then turned her attention back to Aeris. "There's definitely a fight going on there. Unit thirty says that Dyson troops have surrounded the building where your parents were being held, and that they've sent at least one full squadron of Attack armor after whatever's in there. So far, none of it has come out."

         "So they're still alive?" Aeris asked breathlessly.

         "For awhile, I hope." Yuffie shrugged. "The building where your parents are at is almost straight down this street, about six blocks. I've got men all over that area, and they'll do their best to clear out any resistance. Go and rescue your parents, kid. I've got to join up with my men." With that, she took off.

         "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Dack called after her, as she disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.

         She turned back to look at them for a moment as she ran. "I'm going to kill Reginald Dyson!"

         Confused by that, Aeris turned to tell her that Dyson was already dead, but found the hallway empty. Yuffie had already disappeared.

         "Ninjas. Go figure," Dack muttered. "Well, girlfriend, shall we go?"

         Aeris almost smiled before she remembered how serious the situation was. Two battalions of Dyson soldiers between her and her parents. She hoped for their sake that they'd surrender without too many casualties.

         "Let's go." She set off at a brisk sprint toward the building, Dack right beside her.

         "Faulk!" Ada swore as she stepped into the room, her rifle leveled at the calm business executive, standing behind his desk with his arms crossed, a wide smile on his face.

         "Greetings, Ada Dyson," he said as Devin moved into the room just in time to see her eyes narrow.

         "Ada, wait...," he began, but she squeezed the trigger on her rifle regardless of his words.

         It was not until she'd emptied a full clip into the grinning form of Gerrett Faulk that Devin realized that something was horribly wrong.

         "As you've probably ascertained by now, I'm not really here," Faulk continued, still smiling, the wall behind him riddled with bullet holes. "I've left you this holographic message in order to inform you that due to your foolish efforts to attack my peace loving Corporation, the town of Kalm has just been wiped off the face of the Planet." Devin slowly walked into the office, not daring to believe the words, as Faulk sedately continued to speak. "Do not feel sorry for the people of Kalm. Cosmo Canyon and Nibleheim will soon join them."

         Devin's mouth was dry as he rounded the desk and numbly passed a hand through the side of the hologram's head. Ada, crushed, slowly sank to her knees, the rifle dropping from her hands.

         "All those people..." she whispered.

         "This ain't happening!" Devin swore viciously, plopping into Faulk's empty seat as the hologram continued to drone on, blissfully unaware of its surroundings. Hundreds... my god, thousands of people dead...

         "I am currently being spirited away in my personal submarine to a hidden Dyson base somewhere far away from the Hive." Devin stared in numb, helpless anger at the last words that had been typed on the computer screen.

         Authorization to euthanize Kalm? Cleared.

         Authorization to euthanize Cosmo Canyon? Cleared.

         Authorization to euthanize Nibleheim? Cleared.

         All command codes locked.

         "As for the Strife family, I can assure you they are very, very dead," the hologram Faulk continued, almost apologetic. "A waste of a proud family line, unfortunately, but it was unavoidable."

         The seat slowly rotated to face the hologram, as Devin sat tensely, his hands knotting and unknotting. All of them... my parents... everyone...

         "Faulk, you fucking bastard!" he yelled, anger and pain almost too much for him to stand. The words were barely intelligible as he jumped to his feet and slammed a foot down on the holographic projector set into the floor, and Faulk's face and body momentarily flickered, twisting as he continued to speak.

         "Just... usiness, nothing personal..." Flicker. Scratch. Devin continued to kick at the holographic projector long after the last of the illusion had faded, the shattered glass and bits of machinery that made up the projector tearing into his boot. He was still stomping, his boot becoming raw with blood, as Ada gently grabbed his arms and pulled him away.

         He fell against her, suddenly crying bitterly, hating himself for being so weak and for letting so many people die. He'd failed everyone. Suddenly he was laying against Ada as she sat silently against the floor, her arms wrapped around him as if to somehow soothe the pain that could never be healed.

         "I know it hurts," she whispered. "I know."

Continue to Chapter 11