I paced in fitful circles, pushing my fingers through my messy hair until I clutched the back of my head. I had the sinking feeling there was more truth to James' crazy story than I wanted to believe.

"Oh, Victor, you paranoid old fool," I whispered. "What did you do?"

He had hidden technical details from James. It should have come as no surprise that he would hide biological secrets from me.

Had Victor known about this world? Had he sent me here on purpose? If so, he must have thought it a better fate than ending up in Orca's clutches. Victor may have kept things from me, but I refused to believe our friendship had been a lie.

The more I entertained the possibility, the more convinced I became that the physicist had possessed some knowledge about the existence of this world. Thinking back, with the information James had revealed, Victor's theories about parallel worlds now seemed like a subtle preparation for things to come.

As for this alien entity and its mystical powers... I didn't know what to make of it. Did it really exist? If so, then why had I, the goddamned biologist on the team, not been informed about it?

"Reeve, on the way here Fitz asked 'bout Jenova."

I glanced their way in time to see Reeve exchange an alarmed look with the Turk, before they both turned their faces toward me. I stopped dead in my tracks. So, Reno knew something about it after all. They both did.

"First James and Victor, now you," I said, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "Is everyone keeping secrets from me?"

"Sorry, babe. Need to know and all that," Reno said with a shrug, then turned to Reeve. "And now, I think she needs to know, yo."

The Turk continued speaking, but I was no longer listening. All the secrets, all the lies, all the deceptions; yet one rose far above the rest. Fourteen years. James had abandoned me here for fourteen years. And now, he had only come looking for me because he had decided I might be of some use to him. So much for love and happily ever after. I glared ahead, willing away the lump in my throat and the burn in my eyes. I would not cry over a deceitful bastard like James.

"Hey."

Reno's low voice snapped me back to the present, and I realized I had turned my back to the others. He was standing behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders.

I had seen him attack people with those hands less than an hour ago. I had seen him kill, then shrug it off without a second thought. How could his hands be so gentle and comforting on my shoulders? How could it feel so good to be touched by them? The Turk was a killer, and by all accounts another deceitful bastard. I should have recoiled from his touch, refused to have anything to do with him. Instead I caught myself wishing he would hold me.

"You okay?"

I didn't reply, but my shaky snort was answer enough.

"Yeah, all right, dumb question," Reno sighed. "Look, this Jenova thing? It's huge, and it's dangerous. It's Shinra's biggest secret. Not even the Turks are s'posed to know as much as I do, but, well... You know me. Always stickin' my nose where it don't belong."

He laughed softly. His hands stroked up and down, as warm and soothing as his quiet chuckle.

"You've done classified work, right?" he continued. "You know the deal. I bet that was the case for your Victor, too. Not all of us are out to stab ya in the back, 'kay?"

So bloody perceptive. If only I had his ability to read people and see through facades. If only I could shrug things off like he did.

"I know you just got a huge ol' bucket of crap dumped on ya, what with the secrets, the weird-ass time skip, the bad guys takin' over your world... Shit, I can't even wrap my head 'round it all, but it's gotta be pretty damn rough. You can't get stuck in it, tho'. Right now, we need a cool head on ya. Do whatcha gotta do first, deal with it later. You get me?"

Maybe Reno was just saying what I wanted to hear. I knew lies flowed past his lips with the same ease as bad jokes and flirty compliments. That didn't change the fact that he had a point. A breakdown would help no one, least of all me.

I took a few deep breaths, pushing the hurt further back with each exhale, then straightened my back and nodded. Reno stepped back so I could turn around. He smiled, friendly and encouraging, and I couldn't tell if it made the ache in my chest better or worse.

"That's the spirit, Fitz. Now c'mon, let's figure out what to do 'bout Jerkface and his jackasses, yo."

Reeve cleared his throat.

"What do you know about Jenova?" he asked me.

"Not much," I admitted. "Just what was in the reports, really, but it's the first thing I saw when I got here. The word Jenova on a metal door. I was wondering if there's a connection." I paused, eyeing each of them in turn. "And judging by the way you two are acting, I think the answer is 'yes'."

The executive glanced over at Reno again, then straightened up with a sigh. He pressed his fingers together and touched them to his lips, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"It's the name of Hojo's pet project," he began.

"Which also happens to be an evil alien that fell from the sky and when injected into people turns 'em into creepy evil dudes with superpowers and freaky eyes. Coincidence? I don't frickin' think so."

So Reno had noticed the eyes too? It hadn't just been my imagination. I suppressed a sudden shiver. Then my brain caught up with the rest he had said. With a sharp inhale, I began to race through recent memory for every detail I had read about Jenova.

Meanwhile, Reeve had closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Reno... "

"What?"

"A little discretion, perhaps?"

"Oh c'mon, we need to know what we're dealin' with here. Whatcha gonna do, ask Hojo? He'll just say some horseshit about us poor bastards not understandin' the beauty of science and then go do somethin' fucked up beyond belief. I dunno 'bout you, but I'd rather deal with a sane scientist."

He pointed at me as he said the last bit.

"Well, the sane scientist wants to know just what the hell you two know about all this, right now," I said, keeping my tone even and deliberate, though with some difficulty.

"'Kay, short version," Reno said, not bothering to wait for Reeve's reaction. "So, you know that big chunk of rock in the sky that's comin' right at us? That's all thanks to Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER First Class badass who went insane, murdered a bunch of people and then got himself killed. Or so we thought, 'til he stabbed the old Prez in the back a few weeks ago. Like, literally."

I stared at him.

"Uh..."

"Just shut up and listen for a bit, all right? So, the Turks have been huntin' him since. Imagine our surprise when we find fuckin' AVALANCHE of all people doin' the same thing. Now, Reeve here has gotten cozy with 'em and has picked up all sorts of interestin' intel."

Reeve groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"Discretion?" he asked pointedly.

Reno rolled his eyes.

"Oh c'mon, man, your cover's already blown. What's tellin' Fitz 'bout it gonna change? Anyway, these AVALANCHE peeps figure out Sephiroth had fuckin' Jenova cells injected in him. As in, Jenova the evil alien thingy? Turns out the dude went crazy 'cause it talks to him or somethin'."

"Controls him, to be more exact," Reeve corrected, then sighed. "I must admit the similarities here are disturbing."

"So," I mused out loud, attempting to make sense of the second crazy tale relayed to me within less than half an hour, "these Jenova cells made Sephiroth into some kind of a super human, is that correct?"

"Yes, I guess that's the gist of it," Reeve confirmed.

"And what you saw of James," I asked Reno, "he showed the same signs as Sephiroth?"

"Well, Sephiroth and a few other SOLDIERs, yeah. The weird-ass eyes, the aging thing, the instant mood swings..."

"So assuming what James said is true, and that these alien entities are similar..."

I froze as I reached the conclusion.

"Oh shit," I breathed. "Shit, this is bad."

"What?" Reno demanded, taken aback by my reaction.

"Orca super soldiers," I said. "They can make their own!"

"Now, let's not be hasty. We didn't see any of those today, and it's not like you can create super soldiers just like that," Reeve countered.

"Besides, the assholes just caught us by surprise today," Reno added. "Shinra's still got SOLDIERs, even if they're mostly third class and in fuckin' Junon right now. If the full military was here, these Orca shitheads would've been tossed outta the nearest window within ten minutes, yo."

I shook my head, and held up my hands to stop them.

"It's not that simple. Think about it, Reno! A month here is over a year back on Earth. Orca could launch attack after attack, retreating back to Earth to regroup and recover while only minutes pass on Gaia."

That caught their attention. The Turk's eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed, while the executive looked mildly astonished.

"It would be a constant, never-ending assault," I pressed the point. "If they can control the Gateway to home in on my suit, they could show up anywhere now that they know what's beyond the jump. Shinra can't hold something like that back forever!"

"Oh, fuck everything!" Reno shot to his feet to pace around the room. "Sephiroth and his fuckin' Meteor wasn't enough, huh? Now we gotta deal with this second asshat and a goddamn army inside our own damn HQ?"

Reeve kept a significantly cooler head than the incensed Turk.

"Rufus needs to know, of course, but I'm reluctant to involve the rest of the board until we know more," he reflected out loud. "Hojo is too unpredictable and has his own agenda. We know Heidegger and Scarlet are planning something, too, and I have the unpleasant feeling they might just use a threat like this to further their own schemes, whatever they are."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't trust Beardy McFatso and Superbitch if my life depended on it," Reno announced sullenly, still stomping back and forth. "Especially if my life depended on it."

He came to an abrupt halt and rubbed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"That leaves Palmer, but that moron's worse than useless. They're all in Junon anyway, preparin' for that publicity stunt the Prez cooked up. Guess we're on our own, yo."

While the guys discussed the Shinra side, I had analyzed the other half of the equation and reached the only sensible conclusion.

"I have to go back," I blurted out. There was a slightly bewildered note in my voice, as if I myself couldn't quite believe what I was saying. "I have to go back to Earth."

Both men went perfectly still and turned their heads to stare at me. Reno was the first to speak.

"What the flyin' fuck, Fitz?"

"The Gateway has to be destroyed," I explained with more calm than I felt. "That's the only way we can be sure Orca won't attack. I know what to do. Victor and I had a solid plan. It would have worked if we'd had a little more time. So, I'll pretend to go along with James' demands, go back with him and finish what we started."

The Turk was shaking his head long before I had finished speaking.

"Oh no, no no no. Look, I know you miss home and everythin', but–"

"This isn't about me being homesick!" I snapped. "It's the only way to solve this problem!"

"Didn't you see those guys?" Reno shouted. "Y'know, the big, mean soldier dudes happily beatin' the crap outta me? They'll kill ya the second you try somethin'!"

"Reno," Reeve interjected, making the redhead pause. "Tess has a point."

He was watching me with a serious look on his face, and I could tell he had come to the same conclusion as I had. Reeve already knew I was right. The Turk, however, was a different matter.

"What?! You're not actually gonna go along with this, are ya?"

"We need a solution and she has a valid suggestion. Is there a problem?"

"Fuck yes, there's a problem!" Reno exploded. "She'll get herself killed! Reeve, you know as well as I do this double agent shit is a job for a Turk, not an untrained civilian!"

The executive fixed Reno with somber eyes, which seemed to daunt him. The look certainly sent a tingle of fear down my spine, for it told me Reeve thought Reno was right, too.

"Reno," he said, his tone firm, "we don't have the luxury of a choice."

The Turk threw his hands up in the air and took a few steps away from us.

"This is such bullshit," he snarled, although he seemed to have lost most of his steam.

"Didn't you offer me a job as a Turk half an hour ago?" I asked with faked lightness, in a feeble attempt at humor.

Reno snorted and shook his head again, planting his hands on his narrow hips.

"C'mon, Fitz, this is serious."

"I know," I sighed. "That's why I need to do it."

He turned around to face us again and tilted his head slightly back and to the side, observing me with eyes narrowed in thought, his jaw tight.

"They're gonna know you're up to somethin'."

"Maybe that's for the best," I said with forced smile. "I'm not very good at hiding secrets."

"Yeah," he agreed, the ghost of a smirk passing over his face. "You're too fuckin' honest, babe. Which, y'know, just makes it an even dumber idea. If you can't lie to me, then how the fuck are ya supposed to fool a whole band of hard-ass pro mercs, includin' your goddamn ex-fiancé?"

"You're right, James is unlikely to trust me and Orca certainly won't," I admitted. "But someone has to stop them. I know the Gateway project, I know the facility, and, most importantly, James has already made it clear he wants me to go back with him. I'm the only one who has a shot at this."

Weapons, Meteors – I could do nothing against the threats Gaia was facing, but back on Earth I could make a difference. The thought was exhilarating. Terrifying.

"Keep in mind that Elena has seen Tess, as have the troops," Reeve added. "After an attack like this, the board will have questions. You think Heidegger or Scarlet will settle for asking nicely?"

My eyes went wide as I understood the unspoken implications. That hadn't even occurred to me. My mouth went dry.

Reno stared at the floor while he considered our arguments. His slender fingers raked through the red mop on top of his head and settled at the nape of his neck, wrapping around the base of the ponytail.

"Fuck!" he finally exclaimed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

A gleeful melody rang out, sounding awfully out of place. Reno pulled out his phone and lifted it to his ear, offering a curt "yeah?" to the caller. After a brief monologue from the person on the other end, he snapped it shut again and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. It didn't look like good news to me.

"Call Jerkface, Fitz. Tell him that if he backs off, you're gonna go with him. But," he continued quickly before I had a chance to comply, fixing me with a stern stare and a pointed finger, "before I let ya go anywhere, we're all gonna go through this plan of yours together. I wanna know every single detail."

I nodded, then opened the control panel. My finger hovered over the communications button while I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and pressed it down.

"James," I called. "James, come in."

"Therèse," came the tinny reply after a few seconds. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I could hear the smugness, as if he knew what I was going to say. Then again, it was a fair assumption to make. Why else would I contact him?

"I've changed my mind. I'll come with you."

My voice sounded odd to my ears. My throat was too dry.

"That was awfully quick. Have we made too much of a mess over here? Are your new friends throwing you to the wolves to save themselves?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Reno's face darken.

"I don't belong here," I said. "I want to go home. If that means helping you, then so be it."

It wasn't a lie, exactly. I desperately longed for home. I just wasn't sure I would find it on the other side of the jump anymore.

James chuckled. "Very well. You know where we are. Be here within fifteen minutes or we launch another attack. Come alone and bring the suit. You'll need it."

The line went dead.

There was no time to worry about propriety. I hastily stripped down to my underwear and pulled on the undersuit, while my companions arranged the external parts of the protective gear. As Reeve and Reno helped me into the suit, I did my best to recall and explain a plan that had been devised in a stressful rush a year ago – or fourteen years ago, depending on your planet. The time difference troubled not only myself, but the Turk as well.

"A lot of this depends on everythin' bein' exactly as it was when you left. That's fourteen years ago, accordin' to Jerkface. How d'ya know it'll still be the same?"

"I don't," I replied. "But if that's the case, I'll just have to think of something else, won't I?"

Reno groaned.

"The more I hear of this plan, the more it sucks, yo."

"Got a better one?" I snapped, pressing the button to turn Sparky on.

He didn't have a comeback to that. His lips clamped together, forming a thin line, and he abruptly dropped down to pick up my helmet. He remained squatted down for a few seconds, looking at the helmet in his hands. I could see a small crease between the eyebrows of his reflection in the golden visor. Reno kept his eyes on it while he rose and turned. As quickly as it had appeared, the sour scowl had mellowed into something more contemplative.

"Y'know, when I found ya again in that ward, your eyes were just... dead. There was nothin' in 'em. I couldn't get 'em outta my mind. I mean, what kinda fucked-up universe would let me get away with all the bad shit I've done, while leavin' someone like you to just waste away, broken and forgotten? You hadn't done anythin' wrong. You'd just... shown up."

He sounded resigned, maybe even dejected. I eyed him uncertainly, taken aback by the sudden mood change.

Reno turned his gaze to me and watched me for a few moments with that same odd look on his face. A cynical, lopsided smile tugged at his lips.

"Now that fire of yours is back, brighter than ever, and I'm about to throw ya to a bunch of real mean sons of bitches. Guess this fuckin' universe is worse than I thought."

His words set my stomach aflutter, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

"You're not throwing me at anything," I said. "I'm the one who suggested it."

"You're dead set on doin' this, ain't ya?"

"I have to. It's the only option."

"All right then," he sighed.

Reno reached up and brushed some wayward strands out of my face. His fingers were warm and made my skin tingle.

"You got brains, Doc. Use 'em. Don't do anythin' stupid, 'kay?"

This was his goodbye, I realized with jolt of profound sadness and vague regrets. Neither of us had said it out loud, but we both knew this would be a one-way trip.

"You mean, don't do anything you would do," I joked weakly.

His subdued laughter was such a bittersweet sound.

"Yeah, that's right. Don't do anythin' I would do, yo."

His hand trailed down to cup my face and a thumb caressed my cheek. I stared back up at him, speechless in the face of such an intimate gesture. His gaze burned into mine with an intensity that made me uneasy, but I couldn't look away. When had they become so alluring, those eyes with the color of exotic seas?

Reno smiled and let his hand fall.

"Don't look at me like that, FitzEvan. Not now."

I blinked several times, finally emerging from my daze, and dove into the helmet he handed me to hide my bewilderment. My cheek felt hot in the wake of his touch.

The wounds may still have been too raw for me to even consider any sort of new romantic entanglement, but that didn't mean I was immune to the fiery Turk's charms. Reno was an untamed, reckless mess of a man, but he hid a heart under the nonchalant exterior. It may not have been a particularly good heart by most people's standards, but it was a loyal one. Who knew? In another time and place, there might have been a chance for something more between us.

An ill-advised fling, most likely. A wry, fond smile tugged at my lips as I watched him saunter across the room as if he owned it. Then with a deep, slow sigh, I locked the wistful and ultimately pointless speculation inside a hidden nook of my heart.

Reeve appeared before me, looking a little awkward. He helped me click the helmet fully into place.

"Good luck," he said with a small, melancholy smile. "I'm afraid you're going to need it."

"Tell me about it," I replied, my expression mirroring his.

"Be careful, Tess. Look after Sparky, okay?"

He took my hand in a formal goodbye, but only a moment later the man wrapped his other arm around my shoulders in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice gruff.

I hugged him back, touched by his open display of emotion.

"I know," I whispered.

He clapped my shoulder in encouragement, then released me and took a step back, giving me a sharp nod. I returned the gesture, then hesitantly looked over toward the exit. This was it. All that remained was finding James and letting him take me back with him.

Everything had happened so fast. I had been too preoccupied to stop and think about what I was doing. Now, the prospect of going back was absolutely terrifying. Inside the suit, my hands felt clammy and cold.

Reno had stopped by the door and when he saw me look his way, he urged me on with a flick of the head, the trademark smirk once again in place.

"Let's go find the bastards, eh?"

I wasn't familiar with the route, but the Turk knew exactly where to take me. We passed a group of Shinra infantry and a few saucer bots scampering by, then all too soon we were walking down a corridor I recognized. Once the entrance to the testing chamber was within view, we slowed to a halt.

When I glanced over at Reno, he was watching me with that odd look on his face again. It was only visible for a brief moment before he must have realized what he was doing. A smirk slid into place, concealing all other emotion.

"Kick 'em in the mecha-balls for me, will ya?"

I wanted to say something, but found I had neither the words nor the voice. Instead I gave Reno a thumbs-up, glad the support of the suit would hide any trembling. He, too, looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he nodded and left quietly. I was alone.

I took a deep breath, then turned around to face the door and what waited beyond.