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         Their arrival did not go unnoticed. They were greeted barely half a minute after the landing ramp of the Hammer was closed up, and they had set off in what Ada said was the direction of the Hive.

         "What," Devin asked with an odd mixture of humor and disbelief, "is that?"

         That, as Devin called it, was the thing which had come to greet them, twirling in place, quivering violently. It was little more than a quartet of stick-thin legs supporting a bushy green mass of spines, which were spinning it in a circle as it darted alternately toward and away from them, occasionally making small jumps, almost as if nervous. Looking at its fragile form and the strange beauty of its graceful yet delicate stalks, Aeris thought it was rather pretty.

         "Tumble Weed," Dack declared as he walked to the fore of the group and the thing skittered back a few steps. "Ignore it. It's harmless."

         Either satisfied with what it had seen of them or nervous about Dack's approach, the Tumble Weed darted away into the distance, leaving the party alone once more. Aeris settled her sword back into its sheath and relaxed.

         "So how are we getting into the Hive?" Devin glanced at Ada, who was staring off in the direction the Tumble Weed had departed, completely oblivious to his question.

         "Hey, Ada," he said again, moving toward her, but she didn't turn to acknowledge his question or even look at him. "Planet to Ada. Come in, Ada."

         "Sssh," she ordered, her eyes still focused on the direction into which the Tumble Weed had disappeared. He exchanged a glance with Aeris, who gave him a 'Well, she's your problem' look for his trouble, and then turned back to Ada.

         She wanted to get moving. Why were they just standing around? What was Ada looking at?

         Hang in there, Mom and Dad. We're coming.

         "Ada, as much as I'm sure it's inflating your ego to snub me, we've got a job to do here. Where..."

         "Ssssshhhh!" she ordered more urgently, momentarily glancing at him before turning back to the rocky plains ahead. "Wait. I have to be sure."

         "Sure of what?" Devin demanded irritably. "It was just a harmless weed, Ada."

         "No," she replied, her face darkening as she raised an arm and pointed out into the distance. "It was a scout."

         Disbelievingly, Devin took his eyes from her and stared in the direction she'd pointed, as Aeris did the same. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

         "Heads up, people," Dack ordered, reaching back for his pike and bringing it out, settling his legs into a strong guard stance. "Looks like that weed has friends."

         Approaching them was the strangest group of creatures that Aeris had ever seen. They all resembled the Tumble Weed in general composition, but there were many different sizes and variations, and most of them were brown as opposed to green.

         "What the hell are those things?" Devin asked, tightening his fighting gloves as the mass of living plant life charged toward them. "And what do they want with us?"

         "Razor Weeds," Ada said grimly. "That's why I wanted to land here. That's why I knew we'd be safe from any Dyson patrols. They don't come through this area very often, if at all, because of the frequency of those things. Killing them is more trouble than it's worth, as they just sprout back up the next day. But they're supposed to be dormant this time of year. They shouldn't even be here."

         "Well, they've obviously changed their timetable," Dack commented, walking slowly forward. "So what do we do about them?"

         "We kill them." Ada tightened her own fighting gloves, an extra pair of Devin's that he'd been kind enough to donate to her. "Knock out about a fifth of the group, and the rest will shy off. Just watch yourselves. Those spines are sharp."

         Aeris drew her sword cautiously, taking a moment to admire Dack's strong fighting stance and wondering just how good he was with that pike. She was purposely trying to keep her mind focused on the present, keep her thoughts from the conversation back in his office or what Ada had threatened would happen once they found Gerrett Faulk. She would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, protecting herself and her friends was her main concern.

         The group of weeds was rapidly growing closer, the brown variety leading the way while the green stayed cautiously behind them.

         "Um...," Cain asked uncertainly, holding his lap-top protectively in both hands. "What do I do?"

         "Stay out of our way," Dack ordered sharply.

         "And try not to get killed," Devin added.

         Then the first of the weeds were upon them, and there was no more time for conversation.

         Aeris claimed the first kill, as one of the brown variety leapt at her, its sharp spines extended, and she swiped her massive sword across its path and sliced it in two. Dack got the second, and then two more, as he had a reach advantage on both Devin and Ada. He twirled his pike and the first Razor Weed he'd stuck was flung at two others which were charging forward, impaling its compatriots with the stiff spikes of their dead member. Aeris sliced the feet stalks out from the second weed which had attempted to attack her, but a third sped around her and leapt for Cain, who yelped in understandable alarm and backpedeled to get away from it. Aeris spun around quickly to help him, and realized in sudden dismay that she wasn't going to get there in time.

         Then Devin darted between them and kicked the thing with enough force to bend it in half, somehow knowing just where to put his boot in order to avoid its sharp spines. The weed was catapulted into the air, its fragile body shattered by the impact, and flopped limply to the ground. Relieved to know that her brother was keeping an eye on Cain, she turned her attention back to the weeds clustered around them.

         "A rather aggressive species," Dack said conversationally, as he leapt back to avoid the stab of one of the larger weeds and then stabbed his pike into its side, lifting the thing up in the air for a second before smashing it to the ground, where it popped and deflated like a dying balloon. Then one of the smaller ones, no higher than his knee, darted under his guard and sliced across his ankle with the tip of its spine. He jerked his foot out of range and winced visibly, but didn't cry out. As the thing tried for him again, spinning around for another pass, he brought the flat of his pike smashing down on its stalks and snuffed out its life once and for all.

         Aeris noticed three of the surviving weeds closing on Ada, but was too intent on the group in front of her to be of much help. The largest weed she'd seen yet charged her, and she hacked off its forward legs, danced sideways to avoid its falling bulk, and sunk her sword into its flank. It, too, popped like a deflating balloon and began to shrivel up.

         She saw Devin whack a weed into oblivion, freeing himself from the conflict for a moment, and he quickly heading for where Ada was facing her own group of attackers, obviously planning to come to her rescue.

         Ada didn't give him a chance. Aeris raised an eyebrow in surprise as the first of the things leapt for her, and she brought her fist up with lightning quick accuracy and knocked it to the ground with the flat of her glove. So she can fight. The other two were already charging, and she dropped down low as one of her legs snaked out and spun into the right side of the leader of the pair, just below its spines, knocking it into its partner. The two weeds fizzled angrily as they impaled each other with their spikes, and then Ada leapt up and kicked away the first weed, which had been struggling to right itself. It made a rude, disgusting noise as the air fizzled out of its body and then flopped in defeat to the ground.

         And then, just like that, the weeds were scurrying away. Aeris lowered her guard cautiously, glancing around at the carnage, and noted with satisfaction that a total of sixteen weed carcasses were laying in various disarray around the battlefield, none of them moving.

         "Well, that was fun!" Devin walked up to Ada, seeing that his help was unneeded, and glanced at the three weeds she'd taken down. "Not bad," he said with a smile.

         "I didn't ask for your approval," she returned sharply, and marched off. "There won't be any more of them. The Hive is this direction."

         Devin's smile slowly faded, as he stared after her, first in disbelief, then anger, then disbelief once more. Finally, he knotted his fists and started after her. Dack strapped his pike to his back and followed, walking with a slight limp, and Aeris quickly jogged after him, barely noticing Cain, who was silently shadowing her.

         "Hey," she said as she reached his side. "Let me have a look at that ankle."

         "It's nothing." He glanced at her and shrugged the wound off. "Just a nick."

         "Uh huh," Aeris said, unconvinced. She gently grabbed his shoulder, pleased with the warmth of the fine muscles she felt there through the thin material of his jumpsuit, and forced him to a halt. "Let me take a look at it."

         You just have to promise not to stop me.

         That's why he has to die.

         The present. Keep your mind on the present.

         Seeing no help for it, Dack stopped and glanced down at his foot, and Aeris sucked in her breath as she knelt and got a close look at his wound. Blood was oozing from the cut, and she could see that the spine had gone clean through the upper portion of his shoe and probably hit bone.

         "You call THAT just a nick?" she asked in disbelief. How can he get cut like that and not even cry out?

         Dack grimaced. "Okay, so I lied. I didn't want to worry you. It'll slow me down a bit, but it's not life-threatening. There's not much we can do about it, and we've still got to rescue your parents."

         Aeris shook her head in momentary disbelief. This guy was almost too good to be true.

         "Yes there is. Hold on a minute." She reached back for her sword and drew it from its sheath.

         "Hey," Dack began in mock protest. "It doesn't need to be amputated!"

         "Hold still," Aeris ordered, ignoring his joke. She pressed her hand against his ankle, and then reached into the sword with her mind, or rather, the first of the two Materia gems set into its hilt.

         "Cure," she murmured, and felt a bit of her life energy burst forth in a flash of green light, which momentarily surrounded her body and then Dack's foot. Then the flash faded, and she slowly rose to her feet, sheathing her sword

         "There," she said with a gentle smile. "Now, shall we get moving?"

         Dack nodded in thanks, the edge of a smile, a genuine smile, creeping across his features as their eyes remained locked.

         Enjoying that smile for a precious second, Aeris firmly reminded herself why she was here. Your brother's got the hots for Ada Dyson, and your parents are being held against their will. If you screw this up, towns are going to get destroyed. And you're spending time flirting with a guy you just met?!

         "Um, let's goooo," Cain commented loudly from her side, stretching out the end of the last word through almost a second, emphasizing his impatience and perhaps a bit of sudden jealousy. Jerking her eyes from Dack's as quickly as if Cain had kicked her in the leg, she glanced down at him apologetically and took a moment to ruffle his hair. At that, he seemed eminently pleased, and she exchanged a secretive smile with Dack and then set off after Ada and Devin, who were already quite a way ahead.

         Can I do it? Can I let them... murder?

         Her brief respite of pleasant feeling came crashing down upon itself without warning, and the hollow facade she'd been doing her best to maintain shattered. Keep your mind on the present.

         As much as I might wish it, she thought sadly, that isn't going to work anymore.

         Dack seemed to notice her sudden change of mood, as she caught the change in his own out of the corner of her eye. She wondered if he knew what she was thinking.

         Murder. The word echoed over and over in her head, taunting her with its evil.

         Murder. Can I let them?

         She stared coldly at Ada's back, saw that Devin was walking beside her, neither of them saying anything. If they were forced to defend themselves, if Faulk came running at them with a sword or pointed a loaded gun at them, Aeris would be forced to act. She'd fought monsters before, but they were just dumb animals, most with little to no actual intelligence, and she'd done what was necessary to defend herself. But she'd never fought a human before, never for real. She didn't know what it was like to... do that.

         If he threatens us, if he tries to hurt Mom or Dad or Devin, I'll stop him. I'll stop him in whatever way I can.

         Her mouth twisted into a grim line, as her confusion and conflict over what was to come finally settled itself. It had to come to this, eventually. But only if there is no other way. No other way at all. And if Faulk surrenders, if he gives himself up...

         She was decided, then. It didn't matter what they'd promised Ada. She wasn't going to let that woman murder a defenseless man. Even if Faulk had kidnapped their parents, threatened thousands of people, and murdered Ada's...

         No. No evens, no buts. She was not going to sink to that level. She was not going to stand by and watch an execution, no matter how deserving the intended recipient might be. That was all there was to it.

         Feeling considerably better about the situation now that she had made her decision, she caught Dack's eyes and gave him another shy smile as they continued toward the Hive.

         There was a slight commotion from the hallway outside her door. Slight, and really even less than that, as it was only her highly trained hearing that allowed her to notice the sound. It was a short gasp, followed by a sharp release of breath. Finally, a barely audible thump as body armor was settled to the ground.

         A slight rustle came at her door, followed by a pair of gentle knocks. Silence, then another rustle. She permitted a trace of a smile to pass over her lips, safe inside her room where no one could see, and then grabbed the black cloth laying on the crisply made sheets of her bed.

         She took several cat-quiet steps to the mirror in her tastefully appointed sitting room, presumably to check on the status of her combat gear, but in actuality just to admire herself for a moment before she slipped out into the dark as an anonymous shadow.

         Nonetheless, her equipment was picture-perfect. Her lithe body was covered from head to toe in thin yet incredibly strong cloth-kevlar, the bodysuit fitting her perfect, surgically enhanced figure like a glove. Despite her thirty-six years, that body looked no older than twenty-five, and that was the age at which she intended to keep it for as long as possible. Not merely for her ego's sake, of course. For an entire province which looked up to her as their ruler, or would, when her father finally stepped down. If he stepped down. Before he croaked.

         It was not that she didn't care for her father. She did love him, as much as a woman of her nature could care for anyone, but she was still ashamed. Her father had sold their province and made them slaves to a barbarian Corporation in the space of a week, destroyed the valiant sacrifices of thousands of Wutai warriors, and her mother, to keep their province free of just such a slaver so many years ago. What the barbarians could not take through war, they had taken through finance. And even in that they had been cheated, cheated by a traitorous barbarian snake of a man who did not even have the honor in his left pinky finger that the smallest child of the once great province of Wutai possessed. Dyson, Reginald Dyson. The man whom she was going to kill.

         It is time,Yuffie Kisaragi thought vengefully, to take our province back.

         She made one last check on the cloth bindings that wrapped her feet, their soles set with thin adhesive treads that made her footwear track soundlessly on even the most slick of surfaces, then moved up to her calves and knees, making sure that all eight of her throwing daggers were sheathed and secure in their respective positions. Next her left thigh, where her wasakashi rested quietly in its own sheath, a tool much like herself, beautiful and silent until it was brought into combat, at which point it struck with precision and ended the lives of all who opposed it. If this operation went as planned, it wouldn't even have to work tonight.

         Her hands moved up to check the sash around her waist and the various pockets attached to it, making sure each pocket was closed securely and their contents ready for use. Flash powder. Cutting twine. Two ounces of plastic explosive. Wire, detonators. Throwing needles. All secure, all placed in such a manner that it wouldn't dig into her if she had to fall to the ground for some reason. Good.

         Finally, she checked her head wrapping one last time, made a habitual last tighten to the material, and then knelt to reach under the bed. Without sight, she found the objects hidden underneath. First a pair of night-vision goggles, which she strapped onto her forehead just above her barely visible eyes, black camo paint obscuring the tiny slit of her face that was visible underneath. Then, her hands curiously respectful, the Oritsuru.

         She took a second to turn the weapon over in her hands, admiring the way the bit of moonlight which was shining in her open window played across its polished surface, and then strapped it to her back, making sure it was set securely and wouldn't make any noise as she moved along. Satisfied with herself, she knew it was at last time to go.

         She walked over to the door of her room and opened it, stepping outside and looking first left, then right, noticing the motionless forms of the two Dyson troopers assigned to guard her door, slumped against the wall. The objects that had killed them had already been collected.

         "Good," she whispered.

         It would have been simple enough to escape out through the window of her room, as she had done many times before since Dyson had put her under 'protective custody', and meet up with her unit outside of the royal housing complex. But that would not have been Yuffie Kisaragi, and that would not have satisfied her honor. And as for the Dyson guards, their deaths were their penance for daring to think they could imprison her.

         "Komban wa, sensei." A figure stepped from the shadows of the hallway, another emerging along with it from her other side. "It is as you have instructed."

         Yuffie gave her a barely recognizable nod and gave the dead guards no further thoughts. They were unworthy of such.

         "We go," she ordered crisply. "Wutai's liberation is at hand."

         She did not even think to ask if her ninja were assembled and ready outside as she led her soldiers silently down the halls of the housing complex, or if the Dyson guards had any idea that an insurrection was taking place. The answers to those questions were obvious. These were her ninja, men and women she had trained herself. They did not fail.

         They passed a few more slumped bodies as they maneuvered the halls, but nothing lived. They reached the door to Lord Godo's bedchambers and found another figure in black waiting at attention outside, three Dyson troopers stacked in a limp heap to his right. The ninja bowed deeply as she approached, and she came to a halt and returned that respect with a bow of her own, although it was not nearly as deep or held as long as the ninja's, as was appropriate.

         "The Lord waits inside, sensei. As per your orders, he has been told nothing."

         Yuffie did not respond, but turned and made two quick hand motions to the men flanking her, and they joined the third ninja in guard positions at the door. Then, steeling herself for the conflict that was surely only seconds ahead, she walked forward and lightly tapped on the door to the bedchamber.

         She waited. She tapped again. She waited. Then she slid the thin rice-paper wall aside and stepped inside, closing it with barely a sound.

         "So it is you."

         The voice that spoke those words was bitter and a bit frail, and Yuffie suppressed a sudden wash of embarrassment at its weakness. This was still her father, no matter how far he had sunk. He would always be worthy of her respect.

         "Konnichi wa, Father." She bowed, low and respectful, and then rose and stood proudly. "Our house is at last clean of the stink of the barbarians. Soon it will be the same with our city."

         "You have moved against them, then?" The frail voice was barely audible, a mere whisper from the veiled bed in which it originated. "Of your own will? Against my orders?"

         Yuffie gritted her teeth behind the cloth wrap that covered her face, but refused to react in any visible matter.

         "Yes, Father. It needed to be done. I will not stand by any longer and let these barbarians presume to own us. Their pathetic attempt to keep us hostage in their feeble bid for power with Shinra is the last insult I will tolerate. They will suffer and they will die. And Wutai will become great once more."

         There was silence from the veiled bed for a moment. Then, two words.

         "Approach me."

         Hesitating only a second, Yuffie did as bidden, walking forward soundlessly and kneeling at the side of the bed, inches from the silk veil which separated her from its occupant. How can he be so weak?

         "You have dishonored me, child," Lord Godo rasped ominously, and despite her angry refusal to accept such a claim, the words still hurt. "I signed a contract. I bound my honor to that of Dyson Corporation. They paid in full. In turn, we agreed to abide by their laws and live under their rule. You have betrayed that trust, and therefore, my honor."

         "Then I will suffer for it when the time is right," Yuffie answered angrily, her voice barely keeping its low tone. It was all she could do to avoid shouting at the top of her lungs. They betrayed us, you old fool! They lied to us, treated us like dogs, and presume to use as us as nothing more than bargaining chips in their quest for world power! And still you cling to that futile contract?

         Aloud, she said only, "But the time for that suffering is not now. I have a town to liberate. You may sleep, Father."

         She rose and spun away from the bed, marching angrily back to the doors. He could not be reasoned with. The last that had been her father, the last of the Lord Godo that had bravely fought the Shinra army and kept their province together even when times had seen darkest, was gone. Left was nothing but a pathetic shell of a once great man, and Yuffie would not remain in its presence, under its scornful words, any longer.

         "Daughter." The name came unexpectantly, with far more strength behind it that she had thought the old man still possessed in his entire body, let alone his words. "I have not dismissed you."

         She came to a stop, her back and shoulders tense, her hands tightly clasped. Under the mask, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. What more would he have of her?

         "Then dismiss me, Father," she said scornfully. "Disown me, dishonor me. Do whatever you feel you must. But do not stop me. That right is not yours and will never be."

         "Daughter," he said again, and strangely, this time the words were gentler. "I am an old man. I am a fool who sold away the lifeblood of our province for what I thought would be the money that would keep our economy from ruin. You know what I wish to bring right that grievous mistake. You, Daughter, will not stop ME, not this time. That right is not yours and will never be."

         Yuffie remained tense, unable to believe her ears. Nonetheless, she did not leave.

         "You know what must be done, Daughter." Lord Godo shuffled in his bed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "You have sullied my honor. But I do not disown you. My honor is nothing when compared to the honor of our province. What you have done must be done."

         Yuffie's shoulders began to relax, as she silently shook her head. Could the old goat still have some sense in his head after all?

         "I ask you but one favor, Daughter, that which you and Strife-san denied me many years ago. It is the only way my honor can be redeemed. You cannot keep that from me."

         Yuffie did not move.

         "You will not keep that from me, Daughter. If I have meant anything to you. If anything I have done has made you the great woman you are today. You will not keep that from me. Give me your answer."

         Almost silently, Yuffie sighed, a sigh of regret and sadness. She had always known, deep down inside, that this moment would come. She had just not let herself believe it until now.

         "No." She turned and silently tread back to the bed. "I will not keep that from you, Father."

         "Domo arigato, Yuffie-sama," Lord Godo whispered, unable to hide the gratitude that was suddenly in his voice. At that, Yuffie's anger and pain eased, if only a bit. After all, he was still hers. Her father.

         "Give me your wasakashi."

         Yuffie reached to her thigh, silently unsnapping the clasp of her sheath and carefully pulling the short, beautifully-engraved sword out into the dim light of the bedchamber. Numbly, she flipped it, grasping the metal edge in her hand and squeezing hard enough that it drew blood even through the tough material of her bodysuit, wanting some part of her to go to the next world with her father. Falling to her knees, she knelt her head and silently pushed the hilt of the sword through the veiled curtain. A second later that hilt was grasped, and the sword slid from her fingers.

         "Just as you have dishonored me this night, Daughter, you have also restored my honor, and my hopes as well. The time for your inheritance is come at last. Wutai is yours. I need no promise from your lips to know that you will guide her as skillfully as I." She heard the slight rustle of Lord Godo rising to his knees, and her highly trained ears picked up the sound of the light wooden hilt of the wasakashi settling against the fabric of the bed. "Now go."

         Silently, Yuffie rose, the lip that she had bit quivering slightly, but she would let further emotion show. At last, she was able to feel some sense of pride for her father, and it had been so long. He had once been strong, but had become weak. But he would not leave this world a weak man. He would leave it a strong man, a man of honor. For their province and herself, it was the best that could be done.

         "Domo arigato." For once, she felt the words as strongly as she said them. "Sayonara, Father."

         No answer came from the veiled bed. Yuffie turned away, silently marched back to the rice-paper doors, and just as silently slid the left open. Resisting the urge to look back one last time, she shut the door and glanced about at her ninja. From the bedroom, the barely audible sound of a body settling gently to the bed.

         "We go," she ordered crisply, as the other ninja bowed in silent respect for her father, noticing her wasakashi was absent. "The Lord of Wutai has given us his blessing. Our slavery is at an end."

         As he crawled through the manhole cover into the safety of the grungy, dark alley, scowling in disgust, Devin Strife glanced around at the rest of the party waiting impatiently on all sides, and his scowl darkened.

         "Well, THAT was fun." He reached to his bare chest and distastefully did his best to wipe off some of the floating, unidentifiable gunk that had coated his skin as they had moved through the giant sewer network underneath the Hive, holding cloth compresses over their noses and mouths to avoid inhaling any of the best left unknown particles. He wished for the thousandth time that he'd had time to buy a new shirt before they'd left New Midgar, because at least then the gunk would be on the shirt and not directly against his skin. "So much for the element of surprise. It doesn't matter how quiet we are. The Dyson guards are going to SMELL us coming a mile away."

         "Close it," Ada ordered, ignoring his complaints.

         Gritting his teeth, he turned to her and gave her a mocking half bow. "Of course, Mistress Ada. I live to serve!"

         Angrily, he grabbed the heavy manhole cover, the muscles of his arms and chest straining as he lifted the far end of it into the air and dragged it back across the opening, letting it settle safely into place with a minimum of noise. If she wasn't the only link we had to our parents, I'd give her worse than the beating she got back in that warehouse! Where the hell does that cold, vicious little bitch get off calling ME an arrogant, high-born prick?

         "Where are we?" Dack asked coolly, brushing Devin's anger away not out of any dislike or scorn, merely in the cause of necessity. "How far to where they're keeping the Strifes?"

         Ada walked to the end of the alley, cautiously peeking her head out and glancing around at the mostly deserted streets, a good portion of the Hive's populace still sleeping, as it was almost three in the morning, Wutai time. She turned back and shrugged.

         "I'm not sure."

         "What do you mean, you're not sure?" Devin practically yelled, only managing to keep his tone low by digging his fingernails painfully into his palm. "You were BORN here, remember?"

         She regarded him with cold eyes. "I was BORN in the Industrial Complex, the center of the Hive where the Dyson command structure is based. I visited the city outside every once in awhile, but I didn't live there, and so I don't know it well enough to recognize our exact location from the trash in a deserted alley. What I do know is the name of the streets we need to follow to reach the Industrial Complex, and once we find one of those, then I'll tell you where we are." She turned back to the alley. "Until then, you'll have to remain in suspense."

         He felt Aeris' gentle touch on his shoulder, a touch intended to soothe or comfort, but he angrily shrugged it off and stalked toward her. "Fine. Lead the way!"

         They moved out onto the street, sticking to the shadows and staying alert for any movement, civilian or otherwise. Devin stared around at the dark shadows like a feral animal, giving occasional hateful glances to the back of the brown head of hair which was leading them slowly but confidently through the city. Ada had told them that civilians would be next to non-existent during their night infiltration, as a strict curfew was imposed on the populace at eleven, and their main worry would be running into a curfew patrol or a group of soldiers. So far, however, their way had remained clear.

         They walked three blocks before Ada paused, and then led them to the left. "I know this street. We can follow it to a side street that will take us to the Industrial Complex. It should be about a ten minute walk."

         They moved in silence for another minute before Aeris called them to a halt, and they clustered into another deserted alley, even Ada confident that she wouldn't have ended their walk unless there was an important reason.

         "A computer terminal," his sister said simply, motioning to Cain, who was standing silently at her side. "We need to find one, before we hit the Industrial Complex. Cain thinks he can save us a great deal of trouble."

         "We don't have time for that." Ada put her hands on her hips and shook her head negatively. "Faulk gets up at four, every day. If there is anything I know about him, it's that he's completely anal about his schedule. If we want to catch him asleep, we have to get in and get to him before he wakes up, and that leaves us just under an hour. I'm going now. You guys can search around for a computer terminal if you want. If your little brother is as good as he says he is," she glanced disdainfully at Dack, "then you don't need me to get you to the Complex or your parents. So have fun."

         She turned and moved to walk out the alley, but Devin stepped in her way, crossing his arms across his chest and grinning. Oh no you don't. You're staying with us whether you like it or not. Bitch.

         "Out of my way, hick." She stopped and glared at him.

         "Not a chance, Mistress Ada." Well practiced at twisting words, he contorted that title into a virtual humiliation. "You're staying with us until we rescue our parents. That's the deal we made. First we rescue our parents and make sure the towns that Faulk's threatening are safe. Then you deal with him. Not the other way around."

         For a moment she looked like she was trying to push past him, and every nerve in Devin's body ached for her to do so. She wouldn't stand a chance. He'd stop her, spin her around, and throw her back into the alley with the trash where she belonged...

         "Fine, have it your way." She shrugged and turned back to look at Aeris. "What does he need?"

         Her face calm, Aeris glanced down at Cain and raised an eyebrow pointedly. Suddenly noticing that, he jumped slightly and then, after a second, told them.

         "Um, just any old computer, as long as it has an interface into the network. Probably not a personal computer, as it would be hard to get to that without alerting the owner. Maybe a convenience store, grocery store, something along those lines... "

         "This way," Ada said, turning away and coming back toward Devin. He remained in her way with his arms crossed.

         "Out of my way." She almost looked pained for a second. "Please."

         Surprised to get even that much from her, Devin grudgingly let her past, and she stalked out into the street with the rest of them close behind. They walked one more block and then two more, turned, and walked another two blocks through the dark, silent night. This town was beginning to give Devin the creeps. Even New Midgar had some amount of noise at all times of the night, vehicles, people, music, something--not so with the Hive. It was like a ghost town, empty, silent except for the occasional whistling through the streets when the wind picked up. Just when Devin was beginning to believe that Ada didn't have the slightest intention of leading them to a computer terminal she stopped, walked up to a closed door, and glanced back at them.

         "In here," she said, pointing at the door. "Pharmacy. This should have a computer somewhere inside connected to the city network. All the shop-owners in the Hive have to report their daily earnings and losses to the Industrial Complex. You want a connection, this is the best you'll get. If you can get in."

         "Not a problem," Dack said easily, unstrapping his pike and advancing on the door.

         "That thing can cut through metal?" Devin asked in disbelief.

         Dack stopped, gave him a glance and a smile of perfect white teeth, and the cockiness in the other's stance momentarily irritated him. "This is a Dragoon Lance, Devin. One of my father's favorites. It'll cut through dragon hide if you know how to use it."

         Then he struck, two quick swipes that sliced through the metal of the door with barely a sound, and one near the top to finish the job. He stopped his pike at the intersection of his horizontal and vertical cuts, and then tugged outward, sending the rectangle of door he'd cut out falling toward him. He reached out with a free hand, caught the door piece, and settled it to the ground with a minimum of noise.

         "The Pharmacy is yours," he said with another self-assured smile.

         "Great work," Ada muttered. "You might as well have spray- painted a big red 'We're Invading!' sign in the middle of the street for the next Dyson curfew patrol that happens by here to notice."

         Dack's expression darkened, and for a moment Devin knew exactly how he felt.

         "For your information, ma'am," Devin took note of that term and was amazed that it could be used in such a manner, "all we have to do is prop the door back up in place, at which point I'll weld it shut," Dack produced a small welder from a pocket in his jumpsuit, held it up for all to see, and then put it away, "and no one will be the wiser. Does that meet your expectations?"

         Ada stared darkly at him, but said nothing. "Just get your computer hacking over with as quick as possible." She stepped over the fallen door and into the darkness of the Pharmacy. "Devin, guard the door. We've got a job to finish."

         Devin gaped at her, as Aeris walked in next after giving him a sympathetic glance, Cain in tow. Where the hell does she get off ordering me around like that?! He caught Dack looking at him curiously out of the corner of his eye, and turned to face the elder Highwind, as they stood for a moment in the cold street.

         "Don't you just want to kill her?" Devin mouthed as he threw up his arms in disgust.

         Dack turned his gaze away and stared out at the empty street for a moment, then shook his head. "Sometimes," he mouthed back. "But then I remember what she's been through."

         He brushed past Devin and entered the Pharmacy, leaving his jaw hanging open.

         It took them barely five minutes to emerge, five minutes which Devin spent thinking about Dack's last words and forcing his anger from a boil to a low simmer. Ada was being a bitch, no doubt about it. But she had lost her mother. And had been told only hours ago that she'd lost her father. And she'd had to survive in the cold streets of New Midgar, living on what she could beg or steal and fearing in every moment that she'd be discovered and her life would end.

         Devin had thought he'd had it rough dealing with petty squabbles and insults from neighborhood kids, had thought that his childhood had been the rough one. But it was nothing compared to what she'd been through. He let that thought soothe his quick temper and reminded himself that life was not as bad as it seemed. And Ada Dyson, imperious and spoiled though she might be, was still human.

         "So?" he asked as the rest of the party emerged from the pharmacy, and Dack grabbed the edge of the door piece they'd cut. Devin moved to help him, and together they lifted it back up into place, and Devin held it secure as Dack pulled out his pocket- welder and set to work.

         "We're in," Cain said confidently, surprising Devin, as he'd thought that it was going to be Aeris or Ada who told him what had happened inside the Pharmacy. "I've got my cellular modem hooked up to the interface, and we've got the location on your parents. They're in one of the guest towers near the north side of the Industrial Complex, which is exactly opposite of the side we're on. They'll be kept there until we rescue them, as far as I know." He glanced down at his computer for a second, and then looked back up. "Once we reach the complex, I'll break into the security system with the codes I got from that Dyson hacker and clear out the troops around the door of our choice, then open it up. Then we go in, piece of cake, and get them out."

         During Cain's explanation, Dack had finished the left side of the door, and Devin relinquished his hold on it to allow Dack to start welding the top.

         "Oh yeah, and I triggered a couple of fake alarms," Cain added smugly. "Fifteen, to be precise, all around the edges of the Hive. That should keep almost all of the curfew patrols and soldiers occupied figuring out what the hell is going on, making the chances of us running into them virtually non-existent."

         Dack was done with the top of the door now, and was calmly working his way down the right side. He seemed oblivious to the occasional spark that flew dangerously close to his unprotected face, but Devin supposed he knew what he was doing.

         "And Dyson's office?" Devin asked, glancing momentarily at Ada, who was staring out into the street.

         "Got its location." Cain seemed very pleased with himself, as he should be, Devin had to admit. "And it looks like Mr. Faulk doesn't like to sleep. According to the network, he's logged in and working right now."

         "Doing what?" Devin asked the question out of curiosity more than anything, as Dack finally finished with the door and extinguished his welder. He wondered how the butcher in a business suit planned to spend the last few hours of his life.

         "You really want to know?" Devin nodded disinterestedly. "Well, all right. Hold on a second." Cain settled Indian-style to the street, as Ada turned on him and shook her head.

         "We need to go, Cain."

         "Hold on, it'll take just a second," Cain shushed her, as his fingers flew across the keys. His face lighted up, and he smiled, but then his eyes grew so wide they almost threatened to pop out of his head, and his face turned white.

         "What?" Aeris asked, her voice suddenly urgent. "What is he doing?"

         Cain gave them a horrified look, stared once more at his computer in disbelief, and then swallowed, numbly.

         "Aeris, he's..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

         "What?" she asked again, now kneeling at his side, a hand firmly grasping his shoulder. "What, Cain?"

         He looked into her eyes and then looked away, as Devin walked toward him with a sudden sense of dread.

         What is it? What does he see?

         "Faulk just signed, well..." Cain seemed to stutter before continuing. "He just signed, um... signed the orders for an execution. Two of them." He winced as Aeris' hand tightened on his shoulder, and he looked up at her, his face tortured. "Execution orders for one Mayor and Lady Strife."

Continue to Chapter 10