JOURNEY'S START, CHAPTER 12

Narrowing his dark ever tired eyes in the dim backup lighting of the 40th floor hallway, Reeve let loose a loud garbled yawn. Dust and tiny particles of plaster tickled his nostrils, as he cleared some of the soot from his goatee. Bending over a worn chalk outline, with dark rust colored splattered stains stretching out underneath it, he allowed a frown to purse his lips. The sounds of hammering and clanging distantly rerverberating in his ears, as men in white coveralls and hardhats swept the floors clean. The bold scents of wet paint and fresh timber could be detected, almost permeating the entire level.

"This was bad, very bad." Reeve contemplated. "Heads will roll, and hopefully mine will be one of them." He stood back up stretching his sore and exhausted body. "I'm so very tired..."

Glancing up, his eyes fell upon the reclined image of a blue clad guard, painful sounds of snoring and gurgling periodically erupting from his slumbering throat. Dusting himself off, to no avail, Reeve casually stood up, walking towards the snoozing guard on duty in this wing. Hands on his hips, staring with fierce eyes, a solid kick flails out and into the ribs of the dozing guard.

"Back to work!"

"Sir, here are the damage and casualty reports for the 'incident'." A blue clad security officer handed files towards Reeve with a salute.

"That is all, you are dismissed."

Thumbing through them, Reeve, glanced at the numbers. "37 security personal confirmed dead, 6 wounded, 11 civilian personal dead, 1 missing, 2 employees dead, including the President of Shinra. Three members of the terrorist organization AVALANCHE unaccounted for and assumed escaped."

He continued thumbing through the files. "Numerous science specimens missing, including focus of Neo-Midgar project. Estimated damage at 24.7 million gil."

Glancing down at his patent leather shoes, Reeve let loose a low sigh. "Damn this job."

"Still having problems Mr. Director?" A mocking female voice chortled from behind.

"No Scarlet, I'm perfectly fine thank you, and good-bye."

"Really? What and exquisite mess you have here… Is this what you call security?"

"For your information…" Reeve turned towards, the red donned weapons development director. "I have the situation well in hand at the moment."

"I hope so, I heard President Rufus, was not at all pleased with this little "incident".

"The hell does he care about it" Reeve thought to himself. "He inherited the company after all. Everyone knows there's not a lot of 'family love' inside Shinra."

"The Turks are on the case as we speak. They've been dispatched in pursuit of the terrorists, last report has them fleeing Midgar."

A slight smug smile crept over Scarlet's cherry lips. "We both know it wasn't the terrorists who did all this…"

Reeve gripped her arm tightly pulling her off to the side. "Keep your mouth shut!" He hoarsely whispered glancing around. "The last thing we need are those rumors running through the ranks!"

"Get your hands off me!" Scarlet yanked free. "And we both know the truth. He's back."

"We don't know anything yet, and keep your voice down. All we have are some ramblings from a half-witted, paranoid, narcissist and a few pieces of evidence."

"You mean Palmer. He may be paranoid, but I don't think he's making this one up. You like the rest of them are all in denial. If he is truly back, this could mean trouble unless we figure out what he wants."

"More than that" Reeve pondered. "We have to figure out where the terrorists tie into all this. They may have some connection with him."

"You suppose he's allied himself with that rebel faction?"

"Their arrest and his timely arrival cannot be discounted. If he is back, we must suppose they are working together somehow."

"This 'small, local resistance', may be bigger than the old man anticipated…"

"Indeed, if all this pans out. It could wind up having global significance. Rufus will no doubt want to mobilize and clamp down." Reeve sighed. "I guess that means even less sleep for me…"

Scarlet smirked up at Reeve enjoying the pressure her colleague was enduring. "What will you do about 'him'? You are planning a full investigation into his disappearance those long, seven years ago, are you not?"

"Yes, Scarlet. As I said I'm on top of everything. You're concern is… noted."

"And?"

"I'm already deploying, numerous spy-bots and informants around the continent. Plus possessing the worlds most sophisticated surveillance system ever constructed doesn't hurt matters. With everything linked into our security headquarters mainframe running out of Midgar; if Sephiroth pokes his head up anywhere near civilization, we'll find him. Meanwhile I'm going through as many classified files as I can."

"Spy-bots?" Scarlet laughed her high-pitched hideous giggle. "You think those ridiculous things are going to help at all?"

Reeve frowned. "Silly is one thing. Efficient and effective is another. They represent state of the art, technology and animatronics. Besides they can be outfitted with weaponry if needed."

"Give me a break. When you need a real piece of weaponry and robotics give me a call!" Scarlet called over her shoulder walking away.

"What a bitch…" Reeve grumbled to himself. "I hate this job."

Opening up another folder in his opposite hand, a picture fell out. It was a schematic of the newest model spy-bot one he had personally requested for a special assignment, one that would not be on the books. Picking it up, he held it up to his face, glancing at it studying its unique design. Letters above the drawing designated it as Model X301-Cait-Sith. It was a rather whimsical looking creature, fuzzy and cute. A small stuffed grayish tabby cat, with a white underbelly. Reeve carefully slid the schematic back into the folder.

EAST MIDGAR PLAINS

"Oh my gosh, it's so cute!" Aeris gleefully exclaimed, in the bright sunlight of the Eastern Midgar Plains.

"You've never seen one before?" Cloud asked holding his hand out over the wooden railing.

"No, never!"

"Looks like some kind of damn overgrown chicken to me…" Asserted, the large burly leader of AVALANCHE.

"They're so big. I've seen them in pictures and books before but never up close in person." Tifa remarked glancing at a cooing feathery two legged bird, standing up right at eight feet tall. A large orange beak held a tuft of sweet grass, strong muscled legs and small wings attached themselves to a large torso enabling it to glide from a fall; but not fly by any stretch of the imagination.

"Careful they bite!" She warned as the beak of the large feathered land-bound bird snapped at Barrett's fingers.

"Ow! Dammitt! You sonofabitch!" Barrett growled holding his swollen thumb.

"What do you call these things again?"

"Chocobo's" Cloud responded. "They're our ticket through the marshes."

Barrett glanced around at the large coral counting approximately 8 yellow versions of these land based creatures. "People actually ride these damn things?"

"Why is everything a 'damn' thing with you?" Cloud asked.

Barrett shrugged "Hey, how many steaks you think we can get outa' one of these things? The marsh is some pretty rough terrain. Never know when food might get low."

"Barrett!" Aeris yelled at the burly arm-grafted militia leader, poking him in his gut. "That's not funny!"

Laughing, Tifa glanced at a grinning Cloud, it was the first time she had seen him smile since they first met in Midgar several weeks ago. This was heartening at least. Soon she would have to ask him those burning questions. Those all important ones, the ones she was so terrified to ask. Was he truly, Cloud? Is he the same Cloud from the Nibelheim she remembered?

"Well, have you decided?" An elderly stable keeper standing patiently nearby asked.

"Uh, how much for…eh let's say three?"

"Hmm, three you say? Well, let's call it 1800 even." The keeper said scratching his bristly chin.

"1800?! That's almost our entire…" Barrett caught himself.

"Are you sure you can't come down a little lower?" Cloud asked.

"Hey, what do I look like sonny!? If you're looking to get through them marshes you'll need some of my Chocobo's ain't no other way around it."

"Maybe we can hike it?" Mused, Tifa pulling Cloud's arm.

"Hah! I'd like to see you youngin's do that. The Zolom will get'ya for sure."

"Eh, right the Zolom. Gotcha."

"Fine don't listen to me, don't believe me. You'll be just as dead as the other fool that went wandering into the great marsh the other day. The Midgar Zolom will make a snack outa ya, just as sure as he did him."

Matching her gaze, Cloud glanced at Aeris, before redirecting his question back towards the stable keeper. "Okay humor me. What's this Midgar Zolom?"

"It's a giant serpent, some say a thousand years old, who knows for certain, maybe there are dozens of them. Anyway they live and hunt the great marsh, eating and devouring any large game that wander into the swamps. Nobody that goes deep into them marshes comes out alive. That's why they've never been completely mapped. All anyone knows is that the great marsh ends at the North side of the Mythril Mountains."

"Sounds lovely." Tifa turned to Cloud. "Are you sure we have to go through this way?"

"We know Sephiroth passed through these plains. The only place left to go is through the Marsh."

"Yeah but why the hell would he wanna go there. Ain't nothin' out there…" Barrett pondered.

"Did you just say Sephiroth?" The old keeper asked. "The Shinra warrior? So that's who that fella was. Hell, I thought that guy died some years back. If I'd a known who that stranger was, I'd a asked for his autograph."

"Stranger? You mean that person you saw walking towards the marsh a few days ago?"

"Yeah I guess. He was a tall fella in a black cloak. Didn't speak much, just nodded, and ignored me mostly. I didn't get a good look at his face, but I did notice he carried a mighty big sword, so I really wasn't interested in bothering him much. Anyways I figured he'd be Zolom compost in a day or two."

"What could he possibly want in the Marsh?" Aeris stood on the bottom rung of the wooden railing reaching a hand out to the closest Chocobo, petting it softly on its beak.

"Good question, and to answer that…"

"…well have to follow him into the Marsh." Tifa finished Cloud's response.

Barrett leaned against the fence wiping some Chocobo poo of his boots. "Yeah, okay, so we follow his ass into the Marsh. Then what?"

"I have to know…I have to know what happened. And why…why he's returned."

"Yo" Barrett thoughtfully remarked. "If it is really him. I mean the real deal. You really think the five of us can take this guy?"

"That is the real question. Isn't it." A typically quiet Red XIII added taking in the conversation from the back of the group. "And to be upfront, and perfectly honest. I'm only with you, till I can find my way back to my village. You're fight is not my fight."

"Damn man, yer so cold." Barrett grunted.

GREAT MIDGAR MARSHLANDS

The rain pouring in hard streams of cold water glazed and matted the formerly spiky hair of the former SOLDIER. Cloud, sat upright in the makeshift saddle of his feathered mount, the unsettled creature uttered a long coo from its strong noble beak. From his vantage point, he surveyed the bleak marsh landscape amidst the pouring rain storm. Flats and broken gnarled trees dotted a dense stench-filled realm of rotted logs and sickening slime. It had been many days, perhaps weeks, since they left the relative comfort of the Plains, and entered into the nightmare that had become the Great Midgar Marsh.

For the first part of there journey, the trip through the marsh had been dreary, yet remarkably unremarkable. Yes, there had been a fair share of wild creatures, but so far, no sign of any Midgar Zolom. Yet, the unending, perpetual swamps had proven to be maddening and were quickly taking their toll. They were wet, dirty and there food levels were running low. Barrett Wallace found himself eyeing his Chocobo with a savory drool on more than one occasion.

Still the party pushed onward, spurred by clues and signs. Visions and images. Cloud, could feel him. He was here in the Marshes; Cloud could feel his dark energy. And Aeris, she could hear the 'spirits', the voices, speaking to her. They told Aeris, her destination lay ahead deeper into the bog, deep, deep…. To keep going. Cloud beginning to doubt his own judgment, contemplated turning back, only to hear the distinctive sound of Tifa's whistle calling him over the next rise in the Marsh.

Kicking his Chocobo foreword, he hurried towards Tifa's location. Through dense mist, he could make out the forms of Tifa and Aeris up ahead. From his left Barrett closed in with Red XIII close behind.

"Up ahead!" Tifa called from a distance.

"Look!" Aeris pointed.

Squinting Cloud could barely make out the image of a large tree of sorts. He moved in closer, drawing forth his large battle sword.

"Yo! What's the matter?" Barrett called.

"Look at that!" Tifa called back.

Closing the distance, the large tree took on a strange shape, dusk and mist made identifying the shape difficult. Cloud dismounted into two feet of swamp water and mud walking slowly towards the target suddenly a bolt of lightning lit the sky, the area was illuminated in electrical brilliance for a brief instant. The image was revealed, towering above them, no more than 30 yards away, was a creature of immense size. A serpent of gigantic proportions, 100 perhaps to 150 feet long, with a mouth that could swallow a full size man whole.

Cloud dropped his sword to his side in awe

Walking up next to him, the amber eyes of AVALANCHE's martial artist studied the massive image.

"It's dead." She marveled, a 30 foot marsh tree impaling the monstrosity through the bottom of its jaw straight through its head.

Blood slowly trickled from its wound gathering in a pool beneath it.

"Wow…"

The others followed close behind. "Who or what did this?!" The large leader of AVALANCHE exclaimed.

"…Sephiroth?" Tifa asked.

Staring at the grisly sight Cloud, paused in deep thought. "I think this was left as a message for us."

"Damn that's one hellava' message."

"Amazing." Red XIII Remarked. "Your enemy is someone capable of doing this?"

Looking up at the Mercenary of AVALANCHE, Aeris searched his face for answers. "Do you really think he knows we're following him?"

"If Sephiroth is out there, he knows we're following him."

"At least we're on the right path…."

Red XIII interjected. "However, is this a path worth following? This person is clearly a powerful individual, clearly one not to be confronted lightly and without preparation."

"Yeah, been thinkin' the same thing. I'm not sure if we can even take this guy." Barrett rubbed his bristly chin turning towards Red XIII.

"Perhaps it would be best to determine what his motives actually are." The red cat replied. "Be they good or ill, rather than rushing to conflict and battle."

"It doesn't matter. I know him; his motives are far from good." Cloud interjected. "We need to find him. Something is happening, and he is the key to all of it."

"Yeah but how far are we gonna go?" Barrett asked. "These marshes only go so far. The mountains are only about a few hours journey from here. Look I'm all for savin' the planet and all, but we ain't doin' nothin' in these marshes, but getting bug bites, and soggy socks. Might as well go somewhere towards civilization at least."

"Aeris?" Cloud turned towards the young smiling youth sitting behind him. "Do you sense… anything here?"

"Hmm, why do you ask?"

"I felt, I mean I thought I felt him when we entered this marsh. It was a feeling something I hadn't sensed since that time… Well I had felt it back in Midgar, and I felt it here. But now it's gone, almost like he's left."

"A feeling you say? That's interesting. For me, each person has a sort of 'song' about them…"

"A song?"

"Yes." Aeris replied turning towards Tifa. "Inside of every person there is an energy that swirls, it's sort of hard to explain if you've never felt it before. But if you can feel that energy, sometimes if you're very quiet and listen hard, you can hear it's vibration in the still air."

"A hum, like a Mako reactor?"

Giggling Aeris explained. "Well, no not quite. But I don't know maybe there is a coincidence between the two. The vibration is like a melody something pretty and unique to each person, it tells a story and 'sings' a song. Once you get really adept at hearing people's 'song's you can hear it all the time, like an orchestra of music around you. A person's song can tell a lifetime of grief, of happiness, or love. There's nothing else quite like it to describe it."

"Sounds beautiful Aeris." Tifa smiled at her friend.

"So can you feel anything about Sephiroth?"

Staring into the pouring night sky, watching as others prepared to make shelter. "It's not so much a feeling, as a void of feeling. A wound… I feel a great wound. It could be him, I'm not sure. It's angry and powerful, that is all I can tell. I need to be near people to feel there energy, until I'm in his presence I won't be sure."

"Hey Cloud!" Barrett Called. "Yo! There's some old caverns up this way!"

"What?!" Cloud called back above the thundering rain storm.

"Yeah, first bit of damn luck we had in weeks! This'll make for some good shelter."

Moving foreword, towards an outcropping of rock, an opening in the earth appears. Dismounting his chocobo patting the feathery mount on its neck, the blond haired mercenary descends into the cave. Following the flicker of torch light, maneuvering around rocky terrain, he quickly catches up to Barrett and Red XIII.

"Tifa and Aeris wit you?"

"They're right behind me…" Cloud paused. "I think..."

"Yeah right here." Aeris responded her voice echoing from the cave opening.

"Look…" Barrett kicked at some old rusted mining equipment on the floor. "Looks like the remains of some old mining tunnels."

"I had no idea; they ever mined this far deep into these mountains…" Cloud observed.

"Me neither. I heard they used to mine Mythril outa these mountains a long time ago, but that was clear on the other side."

"There are mining tracks further down, deeper into the caves. They may span into some sort of tunnel system." Red XIII added.

"Well they sure didn't start the tracks from this side of the mountains. Maybe we found ourselves a route out of here."

The red science specimen tasted the air. "The air here is fresh, there is a subtle breeze blowing through these systems. There is bound to be an exit somewhere out of here."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Tifa asked.

"There may be some tunnels that could lead to the other side of the mountains."

"You..." Tifa paused. "You don't think that's where he's going? Do you?"

"Hmm." Red XIII observed. "Indeed. It almost seems like he's stringing us along. Leaving signs for us, it's almost as if he wants you to follow him."

"Grrr." Barrett growled. "This don't make no sense to me. It's friggin' creepy. It's like he's playin' wit us."

"No" Cloud corrected. "Sephiroth doesn't play games. He has a reason for everything he does; there is always a method to his madness."

"So I see you finally believe Cloud about Sephiroth eh Barrett?" Aeris teased.

"I ain't sayin' I believe 'crap' yet! I just ain't sayin' 'I don't believe him', is all."

"Well let's go ahead and make camp for the night. Tomorrow we'll have to start finding our way out of these caves."

In the quiet dark of the cave Aeris could hear the voices speaking so clearly now. Familiar voices, strange voices, friendly voices. And a voice, that was sinister, cold, and angry; seething. It was the 'wound'. She could hear them all the more clearly now, they were distinct and un-garbled. Especially now in her sleep.

"Mother!"

"Aeris…"

"Mother…"

"Yes, Aeris, I am your mother, your birth mother, Ifalna. 12 years ago I gave you to a young widow to care and look over you when I returned to the planet."

"I remember Mother; it's been so long…"

"I know, dear one. Midgar is such a dead place, full of pain and suffering. It is hard to be heard above such noise."

"I know Mother, that is why I left. Midgar was no longer safe for me."

"Aeris, dear one. The planet is in crisis. You are the last of our kind. It is the legacy of our people to be the healers and caretakers of the Planet."

"I have felt it mother. The pain of the planet, it grows weaker each lunar cycle. Each year the Shinra drain more Mako from the Lifestream."

"Yes, but there is a motive far darker, than just electrical energy."

"Mother?"

"Yo.u… mus…"

"Mother I can't hear you."

"Mother, your voice is fading out!"

Blinking her eyes, Awakening, in the cold dark cavern, Aeris rubs her tear stained cheeks.

"Hey, you okay?" Cloud whispers reclining next to her around a smoldering campfire.

"Y, yeah" Aeris weakly smiles back.

"You talk in your sleep."

"You shouldn't spy on people, especially when they're sleeping." Aeris playfully complained.

"Your secrets are safe with me." Cloud winked. "We should get a move on. Barrett and Red XIII are already scouting up ahead."

"Hey you three, hurry the hell up!" Barrett called from down the cavern.

Turning to move, Cloud noticed a figure appear just up ahead.

"Halt! Don't make another move!" A commanding female voice ordered from behind Barrett Wallace.

The figure wore a grey suit and a blue tie; a woman with short blond hair. "Who the hell are you?" Barrett snorted.

"Sir! I've located the terrorists!" The woman tapped an earpiece.

"Don't tell me…" Cloud mumbled.

"…Turks?" Aeris offered.

"Correct. I'd keep right where you are, if I were you. You don't have to make this difficult."

"Outta' ma way. I ain't in the habit of beatin' on women!" Barrett growled.

"Go ahead and try it… I didn't make the Turks for nothing."

"Stand down, don't engage them…" A distinctly familiar voice called from a ledge up above. Cloud turned his head taking notice of a neatly groomed man with long slicked hair, and a thick accent. "Besides, you owe your appointment to the blonde guy with the spiked hair. He's the one who put Reno in the hospital for the next couple of weeks."

"Tseng..." Cloud acknowledged. "I see Shinra sent it's thugs out after us."

"We're Turks, and you're wanted felons. Terrorists." Rebuffed the young blond woman, gripping her pistol tightly.

"Elaina, you talk too much…" Rebuked Tseng. "Besides our priorities have changed. We have a new target; the terrorists are no longer our concern."

Taking notice of the young flower lady among the group of terrorists Tseng turns to her from his ledge. "Hello Aeris, it's been awhile."

"I don't have anything to say to you." She replied.

"I see. Well, that's too bad. I had hoped we could talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. You're with Shinra now. You arrested me, kidnapped me!"

"Aeris, I would never let them do anything to harm you. You don't fully understand it yet, but you are very important. More so than you realize."

"You held me at gunpoint! You killed all those people in sector 7!"

"Aeris, you are more important than you know. Something's have to be done for the greater good. One cannot be tied down by dogmatic moral laws. You above all people should appreciate that."

"You're not the same Tseng, I grew up with! I don't know who you are anymore! I don't have anything more to say to you!"

Silent, the leader of the Turks stared down at his feet. Across from him on another ledge, a bald man in a dark blue suit with sunglasses appeared. "What are you orders, sir? Shall we apprehend them?"

"Hah!" Barrett scoffed. "I'd like to see you try!"

"They are not our target. We don't have time to mess with the terrorists right now."

"…Sir?" Rude, the bald suited man, inquired.

Elaina with her hand still on her assault pistol interjected. "Rude, you heard the Captain; we have to cut the 'target' off before he arrives at Junon."

Tseng rolled his eyes noticeably. "Elaina, you run your mouth too much! Report their location back to command, and let's head out."

"Uh, Yes, sir."

Elaina, and Rude, moved back into the darkness of the caverns. Tseng, turning back to the party, stared down from his vantage point. "Stay out of this. If you're wise you'll disappear, fast. Once we deal with this new 'threat' the Turks will be looking for you once more."

"Aeris, it was good to see you again."

Shaking her head, Aeris did not respond.

Tseng disappeared from the upper ledge into the cavernous dark.

"You know that guy?" Barrett asked.

"He… wasn't always like that." Aeris weakly offered.

Tifa eyes wandered over to Cloud, she stared into him. She knew exactly what Aeris meant. "He wasn't always like that." Those words meant so many things on so many different levels. Just like Cloud, Cloud wasn't always like that either. He had changed; he was different than the Cloud she remembered from Nibelheim. The past had changed so many lives, Shinra had impacted so much. The company transected many lives, Aeris, Cloud, her's … all of them; they all were once "not like that".

"Did they say Sephiroth is heading for Junon Harbor?" Barrett asked.

"Where is, Junon Harbor?"

"Hell, it's about a good week's journey back West of here." Barrett turned back towards Aeris.

Cloud nodded. "On the Eastern Shore of the Ocean. It's the second largest city on the Continent next to Midgar."

"Shi't sounds like a friggin' trap to me. The hell would they mention that out loud like that?"

Glancing upwards, the red science specimen offered his rare opinion. "Perhaps, they need our help as much as we would need there's. This 'Sephiroth' is obviously a dangerous prey."

"I'm not so sure. How would they know we were chasing him?"

"Well, following him through, the marshes, and then through the caverns…"

"It doesn't matter. We don't have any other leads. As soon as we get out of these caverns, we might as well start heading west towards Junon."