6. Hojo's Specimens

1

Even as she walked through the 65th floor, and listened to Cloud say something about Neo-Midgar, Tifa felt her mind start to wander.

And although it strayed from the team's present task, it still focused on a certain member of the team.

Cloud . . .

He seemed fine now, she hadn't seen him make a grab for his head in some time, and he hadn't shown any of the signs that had concerned her in the first place.

But at some point it has to be addressed . . .

She nodded, agreeing with herself.

When we're out of here, she thought, with Aeris . . . I'll make Cloud explain what happened before we ran into each other at the train station.

In front of her the subject of her questioning mind opened the door to the stairway with a look on his face that she couldn't quite puzzle out.

2

As the trio went back out onto the stairs a secretary, carrying what appeared to be her own equal weight in files, walked past them. She smiled and said, "Going to the 66th?"

Cloud returned the smile and said, "Yep."

As they walked up the stairs and through the door she said, "Wow, I'm sick of carrying all these files." She winked at Cloud as she walked away. "But I get to meet a lot of guys. I guess that's the benefit of being a secretary."

This floor appeared to be very active. People were running back and forth doing various odds and ends, minding their own business. The hallway went around the outside of this floor, with the offices against the edge of the building. Everything surrounded the commodious room in the center of the floor.

A man walked by the group plugging his nose. "Is it just me or does the Conference Room still smell? There's some sort of stench coming from somewhere and no one has ever bothered to try and fix it."

"I've heard about the smell before, too," Cloud said to the man. "And I'm not normally stationed within the headquarters."

The employee nodded. "Well, of course not. None of the SOLDIER divisions are stationed here." The man grabbed again for his nose and vacated the area.

Barret and Tifa followed Cloud around the floor, looking into each room as they passed by. In one of the rooms they overheard a man say, "They're having another executive meeting. I wonder if it's about the plate incident."

This comment seemed to explain all of the commotion that currently existed on the 66th floor.

Cloud whispered to Barret and Tifa, "I think I have an idea."

They walked around the floor for another few minutes before Cloud spotted what he was looking for.

Just down the hall they encountered a bathroom. "A-ha!" Cloud said, almost too loud. Barret looked at him, confused. Cloud explained, "I wasn't lying when I said I had heard about the smell before. It's kind of a running joke at this point. 'The Smell in the Conference Room'. I had even heard about it back when I really was in SOLDIER. If the big shots are having a meeting right now, we might be able to spy on them."

"And how we gonna do that?" Barret questioned.

"Well, a few people around here have complained about a smell still being in the Conference Room. When I was back training in SOLDIER we had a similar problem. One of the air ducts was connected to a sewage dump outside and the smell went straight into our rooms. It was all the result of a simple engineering mistake."

Barret asked, "And you think that same mistake happened here too?" He looked at Cloud, perceptibly skeptical.

Unaffected by the large man's gaze, Cloud replied, "That's exactly what I think is happening here. Who knows? Maybe a lot of the Shinra-built buildings were designed by the same engineers."

Tifa gasped. "So maybe the smell in the Conference Room is coming from an air duct that leads to this bathroom!"

"Exactly."

Barret grinned and looked up at the ceiling. Sure enough there was a duct over one of the stalls. He shrugged. "Well, it's worth a shot. Maybe then we can find out just what the hell's going on."

Tifa stood outside the bathroom, making sure no one was in sight. Barret unhinged the metal grate covering the duct. Cloud climbed up and whispered, "It's a lot bigger than the duct over at the reactors, although the stench is no better."

Barret smirked and shook his head. He hoisted Tifa up, and then climbed up himself, the darkened space still seeming too small for his massive frame.

3

Cloud had been right. After a short crawl they were exactly where they wanted to be.

Directly over the Conference Room they gazed at the top executives of Shinra, Inc. The meeting was about to begin.

The three of them arranged themselves so that they all could see the square room below. Barret, still looking down into the room, whispered, "Damn, that's a lotta suits."

President Shinra, along with all of the others who were present, sat down.

The meeting began.

4

At the head of the long table President Shinra sat at his throne amongst all of his loyal servants.

To his right was Alrik Heideggar, who was chuckling to himself. He represented Shinra's military force.

Beside him a woman in a red dress puffed away at a cigarette. A slender and sexy woman, Ariel Scarlet was a deceiving vixen. She represented the Weapon's Department and knew her stuff, a vicious and tough broad.

Directly across from her, Reeve Tuesti, who represented the Urban Development Section, slouched in his chair. His hair wasn't combed as usual and his navy-blue suit didn't look as sharp as he normally kept it.

On the other side of the President sat a man equally proportioned in size, although a tad shorter. The tiny fat man named Martin Palmer, who represented the Space Department, stuffed his face with a large, greasy chocolate bar. While intelligent in some aspects, the beefy man was childish in the same ways as Heideggar, although not nearly as aggressive.

With the meeting in session Reeve addressed the President, and then announced, "We have the damage estimates for Sector 7." Heideggar rolled his eyes. Reeve ignored the ploy and continued, "Considering all the factories we had already set up and the investments we had made, the damage is estimated at approximately ten billion gil." Palmer spit out a mouthful of chocolate in exaggerated surprise. With a disgusted face Reeve sneered at Palmer. "The estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is . . ."

The President interrupted him with a calm wave of his hand. "Reeve . . . we're not rebuilding."

Shocked, Reeve yelled, "What?"

Heideggar yelled, "Get your ears fixed, pizza-face."

Reeve clenched his fists. "Don't start with me, fat man. Not today." Reeve looked back at the President. "Sir . . ."

"We're leaving Sector 7 as it is, and restarting the Neo-Midgar plan," Felix Shinra said, coolly.

Reeve looked at him, intensely baffled. ". . . Then the Ancients?"

"The Promised Land will soon be ours." The President gazed around at all of the faces. "I want you to raise the Mako rates fifteen percent in every area."

Palmer jumped up and down, causing his balding head to reflect various amounts of light. Mouth still half full he mumbled, "Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra, la, la! And please include our Space Program in the budget!"

Looking away from Palmer and to the other side of the table the President said, "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase."

"Oh, man!" Palmer sat down and restarted his consumption of chocolate. He was now on his second bar.

Standing up from his chair, Reeve said, "Sir, if you raise the rates, the citizens will lose confidence."

Signaling him to sit down the President said calmly, "It'll be all right. The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence, they'll trust Shinra, Inc. even more."

Heideggar saw Reeve's bewildered face and began convulsing with animated laughter. "Ha, ha, ha! After all, we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!"

The group turned towards the back of the room when they heard the wooden door creak open.

A man in a white lab coat entered the foul-smelling room. He walked slow and slightly hunched, and didn't receive a greeting from any of the board members – he wasn't expecting any such trivialities.

President Shinra glanced at the newcomer and asked, "Hojo, how's the girl?"

In his early fifties and with almost no color on his skin whatsoever, Hojo was seemingly the definition of a dedicated employee, but was even more dedicated to Science itself. Everything and anything would be done if it proved useful in the name of Science.

Hojo glanced up at the executives from behind his wire-rimmed spectacles. "As a specimen, she is inferior to her mother. I'm still in the process of comparing her to Ifalna, but for now the experimental difference is averaging at around eighteen percent."

Unsure what Hojo meant – something Felix was learning to deal with on the occasions he talked to the scientist - the President blatantly asked, "How long will the research take?"

Hojo shyly grinned, and then shrugged. "Probably a hundred and twenty years. It's probably impossible to finish in our lifetime . . . or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter." He turned away from the table. "That's why I stressed to you earlier this week how important it was to capture her now." He paused. "We're thinking of breeding her. Then we could create a specimen that would withstand our research for a very long time." He smiled quirkily. Apparently to himself he whispered, "A very long time, indeed . . ."

Nodding, and somewhat reluctantly putting his full trust into Hojo once again, President Shinra stood up and announced, "That concludes our meeting."

Without another word they all left the Conference Room, one after another. All of their faces were displaying a diverse yet unique quality of mystification.

Last to leave the Conference Room was Scarlet, who was applying a blood-red shade of lipstick to the ring around her mouth. Just before she walked out she sniffed the air and whined, "Something stinks . . ."

5

Lying down in the odorous vent, Cloud, although knowing the answer to his own question, asked, "They were talking about Aeris . . . right?"

Reluctantly, Tifa said, "Probably."

Barret said, "Let's follow 'em."

As they crawled back towards the bathroom Cloud whispered, "Hojo . . ."

6

In a minute the trio was out of the bathroom and stealthily following the scientist around the floor. Waiting around the corner of each hall they followed Hojo and realized that he was making his way to the stairway. Still unaware that he was being followed, the black-haired man exited onto the stairs and walked up to the 67th floor.

The team followed.

Knowing that they didn't have a keycard to this floor they got as close to him as they could, each of them holding their breaths, and when he scanned his card and entered through the door they all ran through as well, making the least amount of noise as possible – and for Barret, this was a particularly tricky task.

While the team cautiously followed Hojo around the 67th floor Cloud realized that the burning question in his mind had finally been answered. "They plan on 'breeding' her," he whispered.

Tifa nodded, a queasy look on her face. "I'm not even sure what that means . . ."

Barret asked, "Do you think they found another Ancient . . . to, ya know . . . breed her with?" The words felt sick coming out of his mouth.

"No," Cloud said, shaking his head. "Aeris is the last, we know that much."

Tifa sighed. "Either way they were talking about her like she wasn't human . . . like she was just some freak specimen."

Grabbing her hand, Cloud said, "Don't worry, Tifa. We'll find her." He knew that she still felt somewhat guilty about Aeris' capture by the Shinra. He repeated, "We'll find her."

Random machines and experiments filled the 67th floor. Everywhere they looked something was flashing or beeping. Some of the machines were continuously moving, automatically performing whatever tasks they had been assigned to.

It appeared that this was where all of the scientific activities were held. From what they had heard, this was probably where they had the best chance of finding Aeris.

While slowly tip-toeing down the hallway Barret whispered, "I remember him . . . that Hojo guy, he's been on the Shinra TV every once and a while. He's in charge of the Chemistry Division . . . ya know, the Science Department. Cloud, don't you know him?"

For the first time in quite a while Cloud felt a small twinge of pain in his head. Ignoring it and still looking around he whispered back, "This is the first time I've actually ever seen him. I had no idea what he looked like. I've only heard stories . . . crazy stories."

7

At the end of the hall the team reached the laboratory. They huddled behind a few piles of boxes. Ahead of them, imprisoned in a large glass tube, they saw a fiery red, lion-like creature about two and a half feet in height. It paced back and forth in the tube before sitting apathetically at the edge of the container.

Behind them the trio heard voices coming their way. They quickly ducked out of sight behind a few of the scattered crates just as Hojo and another scientist walked casually up to the glass tube and stared at the red beast.

Cloud vaguely remembered learning about the creatures of Cosmo Canyon but wasn't sure if the specimen in front of him was part of that species. He thought he'd heard that all of the canyon creatures were already extinct.

The man standing next to Hojo pointed at the red creature. "Is this today's specimen?"

Grimly, Hojo answered, "Yes. We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level." The man nodded and walked away. Hojo placed his hand on the thick glass and gazed at the scarlet, lion-like animal. "My precious specimen . . ." he said, true affection in his tone. He stood by the tube for a few more seconds and then walked away.

8

Tifa, sorrow filling her large, russet eyes, whispered, "Precious specimen? Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?"

Although listening, Cloud was suddenly attracted to a metal dome a few feet across the way. Almost igloo in structure, it had one door and a tiny window at the very top. A purple light shone out of it onto Cloud's tensing face.

Looking at the writing on the dome he slowly said aloud, "Jenova . . ." He peered through the window and saw what he feared he would see. "It can't be . . ." A strange and alien being that's frozen skin consisted of blues and purples sat inside of the dome. Six arms hung lifeless at its sides which surrounded its hideous mud-black breeding organs. Oozing in slime, repulsive, and grotesque, this almost-female resembling thing sat in the dome ostensibly staring at him, breathing at him. However there were no eyes to stare for the sheer fact that it looked as if the thing had had its head ripped off . . . and rather violently.

Closing his eyes Cloud slowly backed away. A high-pitched whine reverberated through his head. Clutching his ringing skull and doddering back and forth he fell to the cold floor in agony. Louder than he should have he screamed, "Jenova . . . Sephiroth's . . . Sephiroth's mother . . . so they've brought it here . . ."

Tifa and Barret, eyes wide, ran to him. Tifa grabbed his hand and pretended she hadn't heard that horribly evil name from her past. "Cloud, be strong!" She looked at Barret who was equally as confused and frightened.

"Did you see it?" Cloud mumbled as the dominant buzzing in his head began to subside.

Barret asked, "See what?"

"It's moving . . . still alive?" He pointed towards the dome, his fingers visibly trembling.

Barret walked over to the window and looked through. "Whoa!" He stepped back. "Where's its goddamn head?" He ran to Cloud, shaking his head as if he was trying to tell himself that he hadn't seen what he had just seen.

"Barret . . ." Cloud began.

Shaking his head still, the large man said, "No Cloud, jes stop it! I know this must all be really confusing right now, especially if you know what the hell that goddamn thing is, but we gotta get going. Aeris is running outta time!" He offered Cloud his large, brown hand.

Cloud took it and got to his feet. The ringing in his head had now completely dissipated. He nodded his head and agreed. "You're right, let's go."

Beside him Cloud saw Tifa give him yet another look that he couldn't quite puzzle out, something she'd been doing a lot lately.

Is she scared? he thought, and then remembered the bluish-purple form of Jenova's frozen figure and shuddered. Maybe she should be . . .

As he ran alongside Barret and Tifa he couldn't help but constantly wonder about that grotesque and horrifying body.

So many questions . . . I don't have time to figure anything out.

He shook the icy form from his mind.

9

Running past the glass tube and down the way they had seen Hojo go, the team found another flight of stairs. Running up the concrete steps the trio was thankful that the door at the top was partially open and didn't require a keycard.

More advanced then the equipment on the 67th floor, this floor looked even more like a research lab. Highly advanced machines moved around the room serving out their designed functions.

A glass tube sat in the center, a replica of the tube they had seen one floor below them. However, sitting on the floor in the center of this container was Aeris.

The team ran to the outside of the glass. Overjoyed that they had found her, Cloud yelled, "Aeris!"

Aeris placed her hands on the tube, screaming something that they couldn't hear through the thick glass.

Hojo was standing behind them near a control device, a perplexed look on his pallid face. "Aeris? Oh, is that her name?" He looked them each over. "What do you want?"

"We're taking Aeris back."

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Outsiders . . ." Aeris continued to scream inside of the glass tube. Dried tears covered her cheeks. Hojo continued unperturbed, "There are so many frivolous things on the Planet."

Cloud took out his sword and walked to Hojo. Barret stood beside him pointing his gunarm at Hojo's chest.

Hojo, showing no concern, questioned, "Are you going to kill me? I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who could operate it?"

Cloud looked back at Aeris, trapped in a cage. "Ugh!" he yelled, lowering his sword. He didn't want to have made it this far only to have Aeris stuck in some specimen enclosure.

"That's right," Hojo said with a grin. "I recommend you think things out logically before you make any rash moves." He shouted up to the other scientists above him. "Now, bring in the specimen!"

The red creature from the 67th floor was suddenly lifted into the tube with Aeris. The team ran to the tube trying to find a way in. Aeris' ear-piercing screams could now be heard even through the thick glass tube. The beast twitched its tail and looked at her, its lips peeled back to display its sharp teeth.

Suddenly it all made sense.

They plan on breeding her with that thing?

Screaming and banging on the glass, Aeris mouthed, "Help! Help!"

Cloud turned around and looked at Hojo, anger filling his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Still very calm and collected Hojo replied, "Lending a helping hand to two endangered species. Both of them are on the brink of extinction. If I don't help, both of these animals will disappear."

Frustrated, Cloud lifted his sword again, intending to swing at Hojo. He looked back at Aeris and sighed before lowering his weapon. "Damn . . ."

Tifa screamed, "Aeris is a human being!" Next to her Barret was repeatedly pounding on the glass, trying to break through.

Cloud looked at Barret with desperation on his face. "Barret, do something! Please!" He was now past the point of worrying about Aeris being stuck in the glass prison.

"Aeris, get down!" Barret yelled as he pointed his gunarm at the tube. "Everyone step back!" Everyone except Hojo shielded their eyes.

The black-haired scientist cried, "Stop! No!"

Barret opened fire on the glass, shattering it instantaneously. A brilliant glow of white light immersed the room.

Hojo ran past the group and towards the tube. "What did you do!? My precious specimens . . ."

The light faded quickly. Everyone was startled when the red creature leaped out and in the direction of Hojo. Growling and snarling it pounced on his chest, bringing him to the solid ground.

Cloud ran into the tube and helped Aeris up from the glass-strewn floor. She moaned while standing but still managed a smile. "Thanks, Cloud."

They ran out of the tube just as it started to glow a dull blue. Cloud turned around and looked at it.

Tifa asked, "Cloud, what's wrong?"

Cloud took a step back and said, "The elevator is moving. We aren't out of this yet . . ."

Hojo crawled out from under the red creature when its attention had focused on the elevator within the tube. Breathing heavily he said, "Haha, so true! What's coming is no ordinary specimen . . . it is a very ferocious specimen!"

The red beast turned around and shocked them all. Taking a few steps away from Hojo it said, "The 'specimen' coming up the tube is rather strong. I'll help you all out."

Cloud gasped.

I must be losing my mind . . .

Tifa froze in place. "It talked!?"

Oh, good . . . they all heard it, Cloud thought, and in half of a second he realized that the lion-like beast in front of him must have been one of the infamous canyon creatures.

Out of the team's eyesight Hojo slyly ducked away and ran for the door.

Wagging its fire-red tail the creature responded, "I'll talk as much as you want later, but now is not the time." Its massive red-brown eyes stared with sincerity and control.

Cloud, shocked and astonished that he was watching the lion-like thing talk, tried hard to focus on the situation. "Okay, right . . . what matters now is Aeris' safety." He looked over the team. "We have to take care of the 'specimens' or whatever the hell is coming up that tube. But someone's gotta take Aeris somewhere safe. She's been through enough." He looked at his childhood friend. "Tifa, I'm countin' on you!"

Tifa nodded and hastily grabbed Aeris' arm. They ran out of the research room, occasionally looking over their shoulders back at the red beast.

10

Cloud cleared his throat and looked at the creature. "Um, what's your name?"

Grimly it said, "Hojo has named me Red 13, a name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me that if you wish."

A green mess of body parts and substance came into sight from the shattered remains of the tube.

Without wasting a second Red 13 roared and jumped at the throbbing mass of pulsing matter.

The thing's many arms and other body structures swung at the lion, trying to avoid being bitten.

With amazing speed and agility Red 13 dodged the enemy. It was so breathtaking to watch that Cloud almost forgot to pull out his sword.

Barret carefully waited for Red 13 to get out of the way before he fired at the specimen. After a half dozen rounds contacted the thing its gooey mass of a body tipped over like a wave that has just broken apart on a rocky shore.

Cloud took this opportunity to rush in with his sword held high, slashing away at the oozing frame of the emerald monster.

As he made to raise his sword over his head again Cloud lost his footing on one of the puddles of slime pouring out from the underside of the beast and hit the floor.

The canyon creature quickly jumped to his side, blocking a potentially harmful blow from the pulsing specimen.

As Cloud made to stand a vine-like tentacle propelled out from the specimen and hit the ex-SOLDIER in the chest. Again Red 13 jumped up into the air and knocked the oozing appendage away.

A blood-curdling roar erupted from the monster as Barret began firing once again, ripping its rubbery flesh and sending dark liquid all over the floor.

Red 13 panted and walked to the side of the room, trying to find a place to get some air. The specimen, still screeching from the impacting bullets, used one of its many oozing arms and swiped the red beast out from under its feet.

Cloud heard Barret stop firing and looked over to see that Barret's gunarm was currently empty.

With a powerful holler of his own Cloud raced towards the specimen before quickly spinning on his heels and launching his giant Buster sword at the monster. The blade connected and tore a generous amount of throbbing flesh from the beast.

Barret was beginning to reload his gunarm when he saw Red 13 go down again, another tentacle was yanking at the red creatures legs. Barret charged at the green enemy and frantically ripped away at its skin.

With shrill screams of terror the specimen moved its focus from Red 13 to Barret. Pooling up in a thick mass it engulfed Barret, suffocating him.

Cloud looked around the area for something to fight with, his sword out of reach beyond the specimen. It was directly above the throbbing creature where Cloud saw a corded pile of electrical wires.

His quickly devised plan wouldn't work however, because Barret was still trapped inside the monster.

"Damn," Cloud said, and began running towards it anyways, running out of ideas fast.

Luckily Red 13 jumped at the specimen a second later and ripped its tentacle soaked skin away from one side of its pulsing form, leaving Barret a hole to jump out of.

Seeing Barret out of the specimen, Cloud finished his run and leaped into the air. The room darkened for an instant as he ripped the wires from the ceiling, a strange tingling feeling rapidly consuming his hands.

Ignoring the pain he drove the sparking wires into the specimens oozing body, releasing a shocking display of blue electrical bolts inside and outside of the squirming mass. The glare from each of the bolts darkened the outside of the lab.

The cancerous shriek of the specimen died out almost immediately as the electricity pierced its trembling body. The mix of bloody puss and liquid tissue gradually crumbled and flowed into a large pile of vomit on the floor of the lab.

Cloud stared with amazement at Red 13, relieved that they had all made it out of the battle alive.

He knew that both he and Barret most likely owed their lives to their new, fiery companion.

You're some fighter, he thought.

Barret stood up and said, "Goddamn . . ." He was shiny and glimmering from the greenish ooze that had stuck to him while he was inside of the ferocious specimen.

11

"Aeris, Tifa . . . it's safe now," Cloud yelled, staring at the pile of substance on the ground.

After a minute the girls quickly ran back, pleased to see everyone still alive.

Cloud smiled at Aeris and asked, "Are you all right?"

Tifa snarled and stared at Red 13 in anger. "She seems to be all right . . . in many ways. Thankfully we got her away from you."

Red 13's eyes thinned. Very intelligently it said, "I have a right to choose, too. I don't like two-legged things . . . that way . . ."

Cloud started to notice that whatever Red 13 was, it was a male of its species. The voice and apparent attitude it gave off suggested he was not a female.

Barret looked at Red 13. "Besides a damn powerful fighter . . . what are you?"

The creature looked back at Barret. "An informed question . . . but difficult to answer. I am what you see." They each looked over his lion-like body and the redness of his coat and mane. The furry end of his tail seemed to glow with the intensity of the sun. "You must have many questions, but first, let's get out of here. I know the way."

The room was silent, save for the soft bubbling noise coming from the pile of ooze.

They had rescued Aeris. Everything was finally back to normal and they could now be on their way.

Walking over to Cloud, Aeris said, "Cloud . . . so you did come for me."

Red 13 leaped over the railing that was separating him from Aeris. He bowed his head and said, "I apologize for what happened back there. I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard."

Aeris looked down at him and smiled. "It's okay . . . and thank you. You saved me as well." She bent down and stroked his mane.

"Now we've saved Aeris," Barret yelled, breaking up all of the side conversations. "Ain't no need to be in this damn building! Let's get the hell outta here!"

Cloud looked around the uncanny room and then back at the team. "If all five of us go together, we'll be noticed. Let's break up into two groups."

"That sounds like a great plan . . ."

The team turned around and saw four people behind them.

Two of the men were Turks while the other two were SOLDIER's, their uniforms not identical to Cloud's own, but still quite similar.

"Damn," Barret said, raising his gunarm.

Tseng, one of the Turks in front of the team, laughed and said, "You and I both know that your disgusting excuse of an arm is empty."

Barret sighed and lowered the gunarm.

Behind the team and on both sides a score of guards suddenly appeared.

"Rude," Tseng said, holding out his hand to the Turk beside him. "Give me your gun."

Without a word, the Turk beside him handed Tseng the weapon.

Pointing the acquired gun directly at Aeris' face, Tseng said, "How about a nice trip to the elevator . . . for all of you . . . except the Ancient."

"What are you going to . . ." Tifa began, when a shot was fired from the gun, silencing her. The bullet whizzed mere inches away from Aeris' face, causing her as well as the others to scream.

"It's funny," Tseng said, his face the exact opposite of his statement. "I don't remember telling any of you that you had a choice in the matter."

12

Sinisterly, the bald and gruff looking Turk, appropriately named Rude, looked at Barret and said, "Would you push 'Up' please?"

They had walked the short distance to the elevator and had all crammed inside, the team's emotions displayed on their tired and anguished faces.

"Turks," Cloud said, as he watched Aeris taken off the elevator onto another floor by another suited man. "Must have been a trap . . ."

The leader of the Turks, Tseng Stehr, who had previously encountered the team when he had captured Aeris during the pillar fiasco, slowly turned around to face the captured rebels. After smiling at each of them he looked at Cloud bleakly and said, "It must have been a real thrill for you. Did you enjoy it?"

Cloud allowed himself a quick smile and then spit at the Turk. With lightning fast reflexes Tseng fisted Cloud in the stomach, forcing him to gasp for air. A thin smile emerged under Tseng's thin eyes.

The elevator continued to rise.