Honestly, maybe I should just make the official update time Saturday since I seem to have such a hard time updating on Friday. Made worse right now given that it's the holidays so just remember what day of the week it is can be hard.

Chapter Thirteen - Sector 7

There were times Reeve Tuesti truly questioned his position in ShinRa. This was one of them. In fact, anything involving Heidegger usually made his skin crawl.

Both Reeve and Heidegger stood before President Shinra's desk. The President leaned back in his chair, fingers laced over the broad expanse of his stomach.

"How are the preparations going?"

Reeve winced as Heidegger started his horse laugh. "Smoothly, very smoothly! I assigned the Turks to this."

"President!" Reeve couldn't stay silent. "Are we really going to do this? Just to destroy a group with only a few members..."

The President frowned. "What's the problem, Reeve? You want out?"

"...No." People in his position trying to quit ShinRa didn't give two-week notices. They just vanished. The lucky ones made themselves vanish. "But, as head of the Urban Development Department, I have been involved in the building and running of Midgar. That's why..."

Heidegger interrupted. "Reeve, you should flush those personal problems in the morning!"

Psychopath. "The Mayor's against this anyway..."

"Mayor?" Heidegger shrugged. "He just sits in his office all day feeding his face! You still call that a mayor?" He turned to salute the President. "Now if you'll excuse me, sir!"

Reeve reached out a hand as if to stop Heidegger from leaving, but hesitated.

Once Heidegger disappeared down the stairs the President spoke. "You're tired. Why don't you take a couple of days off and go somewhere."

What are you implying, sir? Reeve didn't dare voice his concerns. Instead he just followed Heidegger's lead and left the room.

*7*7*

I failed.

You only fail if you give up. Are you giving up?

Cloud shook his head. Water and glops of some substance he didn't want to identify flew from his spiky hair. He looked rather like a damp, cranky chocobo.

His eyes fell on Tifa's still form and the cranky morphed instantly to concern. "Tifa!"

Tifa moaned as she propped herself up on one elbow. Her other hand rubbed her head. "Man. This is terrible."

Cloud helped Tifa stand then noticed Aerith sit up a little distance away. He also took note that they seemed to be in an unusually large sewer. Shadows obscured most of the area but just behind Aerith...

Aerith tried to smile as she got to her feet. "Well, the worst is over..." The look on Cloud's face and the organic rumble behind her made her trail off. "Maybe not..."

The wave of lumpy sewer water washed over them, knocking them to their backs. Almost as a reflex Cloud reached for his sword, only to realize he didn't have it. The twisted monster before them roared. Chains dangling from shackles on its wrists whipped about, threatening to pummel soft body parts.

Before Cloud could think of something else to use as a weapon, Tifa ran passed him.

"Tifa! Don't!"

Too late. Tifa jumped into a kick, burying a spiked heel into the creature's arm. Roaring, it flung her against a wall, her shoe still stuck in its flesh.

"TIFA!" Cloud ran forward, punching, kicking, anything he could think of. It felt like he was pummeling a wall covered in truck tires.

Then wet stinging covered his body and he realized the monster was licking him. He tried to grab its tongue, but pain shot through his hands and up into his brain.

The monster gurgled and another wave of sewer water washed them back against the wall.

I won't give up.

Cloud looked at Tifa as she tried to stand. She glared at her remaining shoe and tossed it at the monster. Aerith sat nearby, dazed. Both seemed covered in cuts and bruises. Cloud's head hurt. He cursed his helplessness.

I won't give up!

His hand curled around something cylindrical. A metal pipe? It would have to do. Screaming at the top of his lungs he lunged at the monster.

It screamed as rusted metal pierced the skin of its abdomen. Clawing furiously, it pulled Cloud away and threw him into the floor.

Something deep inside Cloud popped. It felt warm as it coursed through his body. He stood up, still badly injured but not in nearly as much pain. He gripped the pipe like a sword, faint blue flames licking its surface.

The monster aimed another swing at Cloud, except he wasn't there anymore. Blue flashed above the monster's head as Cloud swung down. The pipe bent around the monster's skull, sharp edges digging into flesh. Cloud forced its head down. Lifting the mutilated pipe again he stabbed through one of the monster's eyes, straight into its brain.

A shudder, a roar, and then the monster lay still.

Cloud had to force himself to take deep breaths, even though the air in the sewers smelled even worse than the slums. He turned back and saw that Aerith and Tifa were both standing. Aerith seemed awed, or perhaps frightened. Tifa looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"It's too late," Tifa sobbed. "Marlene... Barret... the people of the slums."

Aerith snapped out of whatever feeling she had to turn to Tifa. "Don't give up, never give up hope. It's not easy to destroy the pillar, right?"

"Yeah... you're right! We still have time." Tifa forced a smile that even Cloud could see was masking despair.

He couldn't stand to see that in her face. "We can't give up. Come on." He grabbed another metal pipe and led them through the sewers.

*7*7*

Zack did not have boundless patience. Boundless energy, yes, patience, no.

What's taking so long? He finished a set of squats and checked the clock on his handset again. Why had he agreed to wait an hour?

A noise from the mansion drew his attention. Something had called the guard outside back in. Zack frowned. There was still a little over half an hour left. Then again, it looked like trouble was brewing.

He couldn't wait any longer, anyway.

Slinging the bag of clothes and weapons over his shoulder, he ran for the mansion door.

Locked. Duh.

He removed the bag and drew his sword. One swing and the doors exploded inward, wood and glitter scattered across the foyer.

One look said that it had been a bad day to be one of Corneo's flunkies. The only one apparently free of physical injury and was Corneo himself, and from the amount of sweat staining his clothes he had just barely come out unscathed.

Zack grinned at the eyes staring at him from the balcony. He'd apparently interrupted a verbal beating to match the physical one.

"Hey," Zack said, shouldering his sword, "I'm looking for some friends of mine. My guess is you've seen them."

Faces paled. That would be a yes.

"So, where are they?" Zack's eyes narrowed.

The flunkies fled. Corneo would have, too, except suddenly Zack was standing right there holding him in place by one sweat-soaked lapel.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

"I'll consider it, if you answer my question."

"Ohboy, ohboy, ohboy. Th-they left. I have no idea where they are."

"You're lying." Zack's grip tightened as Corneo felt his feet start to leave the floor.

"They're in the sewer! The sewer! Please let me go!"

"How do I get to the sewers." Zack was almost growling at this point.

Corneo whimpered. "Downstairs, through the kitchen there's a set of stairs leading to a secret panel. But it'll do you no good. Your friends are food for my Aps by now."

He'd barely finished that last sentence when Zack dropped him and vaulted over the edge of the balcony. Quickly, he grabbed the bag and ran, following Corneo's directions. He could only hope everyone was still alive.

*7*7*

Two discarded blue dress shoes, a lot of disrupted sewage debris, and, most telling of all, the body of what must've been the Aps with a long metal pipe sticking out of one eye.

Zack couldn't help but let out a low whistle at the destruction wrecked on the monster. It had no idea what it tried to make a meal out of.

The trail was pretty easy to follow. Some damp footprints here, a little blood there, a scattering of turtle-like sahagin or crab-like ceasar carcasses somewhere else. Zack was impressed at the destruction Cloud managed to wreck on the monsters. Correction, Cloud and Tifa if the size of some of the fist marks was any indication. Looked like Aerith might have tried to lend a hand, as well.

I'm starting to feel kinda redundant here.

He still worried, though. Some of the blood he found couldn't have come from the monsters.

Up a ladder and he found himself in the middle of the train graveyard. Now he could tell he was getting closer. From beyond the wrecked train cars he could hear the sounds of something getting its tail kicked.

Two hops over collapsing roofs and Zack had to duck a flying cripshay horn. Below, Cloud and Tifa finished off the last attacker as Aerith guarded what seemed to be an old crate of potions.

"Hey! What's the big idea taking all the fun?"

Aerith looked up as Zack jumped down beside her. "Zack! How did you find us?"

"You have to ask with the path of destruction these two left?" He jabbed a thumb at Cloud and Tifa. "Now how about an update while everyone heals up and changes?"

Aerith and especially Cloud were more than happy to get their regular clothes back. And weapons. Cloud felt a lot better with his sword and rifle.

Zack frowned at the information they gathered. "I knew ShinRa was corrupt but wiping out an entire sector?" He shook his head. "You're right. ShinRa is going down, hard."

"First we have to stop them from dropping the plate," Tifa said as she pulled on Cloud's boots. He'd insisted that he would rather go barefoot than leave her without part of her arsenal.

"Yeah. So is everyone ready?"

A set of somber nods and they were off.

Soon they turned a corner and they knew something was wrong. People generally didn't mill around the gate leading to the plate support tower. But it was still standing.

Tifa almost collapsed in relief. "We made it! The pillar's standing!"

Cloud and Zack looked up.

"Hang on," Zack said. "You hear that?"

Gunfire. As they looked up something flashed and fell from the topmost platform. Aerith screamed as it fell closer.

A human body. Not just any human body.

Cloud ran to help their fallen companion. "Wedge! You all right!"

Wedge coughed. "You... remembered... my name." He winced, whatever movement he'd attempted halted by the damage to his body. "Barret's up top. ...help him... Sorry, I wasn't any help."

Cloud looked up at Zack, who shook his head. All the phoenix down and potions in the world wouldn't help someone in this shape.

Zack gripped the hilt of the Buster sword. "We better hurry. Aerith, you should get somewhere safe."

"Aerith, do me a favor," Tifa said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there."

Aerith nodded. "Don't worry. I'll put her somewhere safe."

Trusting Aerith's word, Tifa turned to the crowd. "It's dangerous here! Everyone get away from the pillar, quickly! Everyone get out of Sector 7!"

Most of the crowd scattered as the three remaining fighters rushed to the pillar. They couldn't do anything about the ones who remained, murmuring in disbelief.

"Biggs!" Tifa ran passed Cloud and Zack to help the man leaned over the railing.

"Tifa?" Biggs managed to lift his head slightly. "Hey, the ex-SOLDIERs. Wondered... what happened to you. Barret's fighting... go help him."

"What about you?" Cloud asked.

Biggs let out a weak laugh. "Never figured... you'd be worried. Don't be... Go."

Zack's face darkened. He could see the man needed more than just a potion and they didn't have any phoenix down with them. One more person he couldn't save. He could only guess Cloud felt the same way.

"It was good knowing you, Biggs," Zack said. "If we get out of this I'll buy you a round."

"I'll ... hold you... to that."

Those were the final words they heard from Biggs as they continued their race up the pillar.

The humanoid robots (hopefully they were robots) with propeller hands were definitely new since the Nibelheim incident. Zack couldn't understand what ShinRa was thinking in terms of security. They were almost pathetic, only posing a real threat if someone had almost no combat experience.

Someone like Jessie. She smiled as she lay bleeding on the stairway. "Cloud... I'm glad... I could talk with you one last time."

Cloud shook his head. This was too much. Far too much. "Don't say last."

Tifa started to cry as Jessie closed her eyes. "That's... all right..." Jessie struggled to breath. "Because of our actions... many... people died... this probably... is our punishment..."

When she stopped moving, Zack checked for a pulse and hung his head. He managed to save Cloud, but was it possible he couldn't save anyone else?

No. He had to keep trying. "Let's go."

Tifa had to stop for breath when they reached the top. Cloud and Zack kept running to where Barret stood shooting at a circling helicopter. Breath finally caught, Tifa hurried to catch up.

Barret looked over his shoulder and almost smiled. "Tifa! Cloud! Zack! You came!" He turned back to shooting. "Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter."

"I can see that." Zack drew his sword.

Cloud took aim at a trooper trying to jump down to the platform. One shot and the trooper fell silently to the ground far below. Cloud muttered a curse as he manually ejected the shell casing. The older models had a ridiculously long reload time.

"Here they come!" Tifa shouted.

The helicopter buzzed the platform as Reno jumped down. He tapped his glorified nightstick, an electro-mag rod, against his shoulder as his other hand moved over a control panel. "You're too late. Once I push this button..." Beep. "That's all, folks! Mission accomplished." He smirked and started to twirl his rod in his left hand.

"You dirty-" Zack didn't finish his statement, letting his sword speak for him.

Reno just barely jumped out of the way. "Whoa! Easy there! You do know this place is going to blow in a few minutes, right?"

Tifa shouted behind him. "We have to disarm it! Cloud! Barret! Please!"

"Hey, I can't have you doing that." Reno tried to step forward but Zack blocked his path. "You're a real persistent guy."

"Disarm the bomb."

Reno laughed. "Bomb? That's the emergency plate release system. It's built into the plate. Besides, even if I wanted to, I can't stop it. Only a ShinRa executive could do that, and you can guess how likely that is."

From the blanched faces before him, Reno knew they guessed correctly. He gave the group a mock salute and ran for the railing. "Well, this was fun but I like being 3D." With that he jumped.

The move looked suicidal until a black helicopter rose from Reno's line of falling. Tseng stood in the open doorway.

Zack frowned. The last time he'd seen Tseng the man had his hair in a nearly immaculate ponytail. Now the rest of his uniform was spotless as usual, but his hair fell loose and slightly wind swept about his shoulders. He might be mistaking it, but Tseng even looked a bit sad.

"Trying to disarm the device would only result in the plate falling sooner," Tseng said. "It's in your best interests to leave the sector, though I doubt you have time."

"Like hell!" Barret bellowed, spewing machine gun fire at the helicopter. Between the angle and blind rage his aim was horrible. Cloud lifted his rifle up to take a shot but a sudden flash of pink stopped him dead.

Tseng was speaking. "I wouldn't try that... You just might make me injure our special guest."

Tifa gasped. "Aerith!"

Zack nearly popped a blood vessel trying not to lunge straight at Tseng. He'd trusted the man! He'd left Aerith under his protection!

Tseng merely nodded. He almost seemed to avoid eye contact with Zack.

He couldn't take it. "What are you gonna do with Aerith?"

"That's not my decision to make." Tseng definitely sounded sad under that careful monotone. "Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient. The rest is up to the President and Professor Hojo."

Zack's blood was boiling to the point where he almost lost track of his surroundings. Cloud scowled even as the blood seemed to drain from his face.

Aerith leaned forward as far as she dared. "Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!"

Zack started to run when he saw Tseng shove Aerith back inside the helicopter. Reason took over just in time to realize that attacking Tseng at that moment would most likely get Aerith killed as well.

Tseng turned back to what was left of AVALANCHE. This time he did look at Zack. "There's not much time. A long over-due present for your final moments." He tossed a black box across the gap. It slid and skittered to a stop near Zack's feet. A white CONFIDENTIAL tape sealed it.

Sheathing his sword, Zack bent to pick up the box. Above him Tseng's helicopter flew to safety. Around him his friends, plus Barret, tried to find a way down that didn't involve certain death. He was vaguely aware of explosions high above.

Zack's focus snapped back when he heard Barret bellow something halfway hopeful. "Yo, we can use this wire to get out!"

All four of them on that one cable? Like they had a choice. Zack shoved the box down his shirt and grabbed on. As they fell Zack promised himself that he'd buy Barret a couple tons of deodorant the first chance he got.

Ah. I hope I'm doing all right with the mix of original dialog and the stuff I made up. It's not always easy considering how awkward the translation is. It becomes especially apparent with Reno, I think. I tried to make him more like he was intended, the way he is in Advent Children, but it's kinda hard. Hope it all works.