Hey, good news everyone! I've been cranking away at the book again last weekend. I was in one of my "modes" where I just pour out the pages. I got three or four chapters done, so look forward to a couple of rapid updates, including this one.

Two Months Later

"Come on, slow poke! Can't you keep up with a little girl?"

Reno normally would have said something biting in response…but at the moment he was too out of breath. Instead, he reached up and switched off the treadmill, and quickly put his legs up on the sides. He couldn't wait for it to slow down. His legs were already sore, and the bottoms of his feet were throbbing. He could feel his heart touch his ribs with each pound. However, he still managed to look up and to his side.

Only sweating a little, grinning all the way, and trudging along at nine miles an hour was Krystea. She had already been doing this for nearly sixty minutes, and still looked no worse for it. She had just playfully jabbed at Reno, for once, accentuating her recent physical prowress.

The other Turks were already at the sides of the treadmills, still catching their own breath. They had switched out of their normally restrictive clothing into shorts and t-shirt for their physical sessions. Elena and Rude were still wiping sweat from their bodies and drinking from their water bottles. They both looked far more exhausted than Krystea was, who was barely huffing at all as she ran along the treadmill.

"Man…have they been feeding you horse steroids or something?" Elena griped in between pants. "Every time we work out you're even stronger than last time…"

Krystea merely let out a chuckle and kept running. "I don't know…but I'm not complaining."

Reno panted a bit longer, but then began to rise again. Lighthearted as Krystea was treating this…he wasn't as comfortable. He turned his head and cast a look to Rude. Although the man never lost his sunglasses, even indoors, he looked back to him with an uneasy expression as well.

Elena hadn't been making an exaggeration. Ever since they got back from that night with Hoeng, Krystea had been getting stronger. She used to be one of the more physically inept of them all. Now her reaction speed had doubled in hand-to-hand combat. Her weightlifting was getting on par with Rude. This trial on the treadmill had proven that she now had more stamina than all of them too. Yet this wasn't a result of sudden training. She hadn't been doing anything differently. What more, it was happening rapidly. She literally was getting better every day…

"Well, well! How are my little athletes doing today?"

Reno, despite how tired he was, soon frowned. He recognized that voice. Rude likewise groaned beneath his shades, and Elena formed a somewhat unpleasant expression as well. The three of them turned to see who had made yet another unannounced visit.

Smiling all the way, appearing rather carefree in her mannerisms, Colonel Maritza came strolling in. Strolling was an appropriate term, for she appeared to make extra graceful movements as she swept her feet around in front of her and entered into the room. The look on her face betrayed her ranking. Most people would think that one of the most powerful members of the New Shinra Army would be more serious and focused. But this one bore the youthful expression of a scatterbrained young woman as she came in through the door and began to approach the treadmills.

Then again…that was something weird Reno had been noticing too. He looked over her again today…and saw that there was not a single trace of gray hair on her head. He could have sworn that he saw some when he first met her…and if it was a dye, it was the best he had ever seen. Her hair actually looked healthier. The wrinkles that he thought he had seen earlier were also gone from her face. She looked no older than thirty…although she had to be nearing her sixties. She almost looked like she was getting…younger…

"Doing well, I take it." She cheerily continued as she came to a stop. She turned and saw the woman still running on the machine. On doing so, she smiled a bit wider. "I see Krystea is showing you all up in terms of stamina now. The rest of you better lay off some of the junk food…especially you two beer guzzlers." Here, she turned and looked to Reno and Rude.

The big man frowned and began to rise. Reno, his own breath caught well enough, began to stand up as well and frowned back at her. This was another thing. She seemed to grow more…condescending…as time went on. It was like her personality was changing, becoming more light-hearted…

"I can't explain it…" Krystea returned as she continued to run on the treadmill. "But I feel great. The more I work myself, the better I feel. Every day I wake up feeling better than I did the day before."

"That's what kind of freaks me out." Elena said from where she was sitting. She turned back to the Colonel. After all, she was one of the scientific geniuses in the New Shinra, and she'd probably know as much about this as anyone. "You think that somehow because she got broken up and put back together that she came back stronger?"

"Well, that's what today's little test is going to try to find out." Maritza replied enthusiastically. "I take it that the nurse has already been in today to collect your guy's bi-yearly blood sample?"

Yet another thing that Reno hated. Somehow, he felt like he was under the microscope of this woman. And though she wasn't as malicious or dark as Hojo was, he still didn't like it. With all these tests…he began to wonder if whether or not the New Shinra actually did know about Krystea's true identity. If they did…then it made sense as to why they broke off the attempt to capture Aerith four months ago. They wouldn't need her if they had Krystea, after all…

"Yeah…we did it before we started." Reno finally answered. As he did so, he probed the woman for any changes.

However, the only one he could detect was more happiness. She clapped her hands almost in child-like delight. "Splendid! Well then…I guess I'll go check on the boys in the med lab and see what's up. You all play nice now while I'm gone!" With that, she turned around and walked back to the sliding door. After a few moments, she went through it, and it shut behind her again.

Reno rolled his eyes and groaned the moment she was gone. "Now she sounds like some playground 'mother'…" He grumbled. "And that stupid sweet voice she uses… I almost think I'd like Hojo compared to her."

"She freaks me out almost as much as how Krystea's getting stronger." Elena threw in. "I wonder if she knows more than she's telling us…"

"Don't worry, you guys." Krystea responded, still running on the treadmill. "I mean…what could possibly go wrong from me getting physically stronger anyway?"

It was about ten minutes after Maritza had left the Turks. Although a smile was on her face…her inner thoughts were grim and concerned as she made her way back to the lab. The Turks had shown her what that facility looked like under Midgar…unveiled its purpose…revealed what it had attempted to do… All of those thoughts filled her tempestuous and chaotic mind as she returned to where the medical lab was. On entering, she had already found the technicians hard at work on Krystea's blood sample. Maritza had ordered it, and subsequently threw out the samples for the other Turks. She cared nothing about them. This woman was the main concern. They had only been sampled to try and keep them from getting suspicious.

The head technician had revealed the surprising findings as soon as she interrogated her. Already, they were seeing abnormal results. Nevertheless, Maritza had wanted to see them for herself. On looking through the microscope it was confirmed. This was what had the other technicians buzzing around, trying to isolate what was causing this and looking for analogies in nature.

Maritza slowly pulled her eyes off of the microscope, the vision still burning in her mind as her cheerful look was replaced by dark seriousness.

"…You think this isn't isolated to just the blood, correct?"

The technician shook her head in response. "We aren't sure. Further tests may arouse suspicion. However…if all of her factors are affected, it is likely that is the case. Already we confirmed greater strength, stamina, and reaction time. We're thinking of performing a mental aptitude test. We're already sure that it will prove higher intelligence as well."

"…These aren't Jenova cells."

"No. They're something completely different. We haven't isolated the code…but they appear to be some sort of hybrid cells. Some sort of mixture between her cells and something else. They're augmenting her in some way, like super versions of her own cells."

"Are they increasing in number?"

"Unknown. But she didn't have them prior to the incident in Midgar. And based on her geometric rate of growth in terms of physicality, it is logical to assume they are increasing in number."

"Any models?"

"Assuming she had one cell per 1,000,000,000 initially…she now has one per 100,000,000."

Maritza paused after hearing this. She thought the matter over for a few moments. In the end, she turned back to the technician.

"No one knows about this outside of this room, correct?"

"Correct."

"Keep it that way. From now on, no outside researchers get their hands on any data or materials until it goes through me. I want her to be tested biweekly now. Tell her we found some sort of effect but that we need more data. I want to know exactly what these cells are doing to her and how fast they're reproducing, if in fact they are reproducing somehow."

"Yes madam."

"Good woman. That's why I have you here. It's always good to have people you can trust."

Cloud crossed his arms as he watched his two students. Although his face was rather expressionless, that merely hid the admiration and pride he had for them mentally. They were doing very well.

He was outside in front of the Seventh Heaven with Denzel and Azure, who were both wielding their practice swords and going through drills. Behind the ex-mercenary, the Seventh Heaven was halfway rebuilt. The walls and insulation were up now, but the exterior façade still had to be redone, and the inside had to be drywalled and trimmed again. It was still a ways before it would be back in business. It was late summer now, and although the weather had a few days where it was changing it was still rather hot out. The sun was beating down again like it had for most of the month. Nearby, Marlene had brought out a glass of lemonade as she watched the boys today, and they had water bottles themselves. However, neither had touched them. To do so would be showing the other that he was "weaker", and neither boy was willing to do that.

Contrary to what Cloud had said two months ago…the boys were already showing basal skill. They had both hit the amount that they needed to begin other matters, and they were improving rapidly. Cloud could understand it for Azure…but he was surprised that Denzel was showing much the same. Part of it was probably due to the fact that Denzel still didn't realize the fundamental difference between the two of them, and was simply competeing in order to try and best him. However…Cloud had a feeling it was due to something else. Denzel had to have Jenova cells established in him. Not to the amount that Kadaj and his gang had, but he did have them. He had been affected like him, so that could mean that Denzel was in fact…SOLDIER-like within. That made him more powerful than other boys his age, and would one day make him among the stronger people alive.

Both boys were sweating rather heavily now as they swung their swords up and down again. They were doing it while moving now, practicing on being able to advance and retreat without stumbling over their own two feet. It seemed easy enough, but it could be perfected only by repetition, and it did get tiring. They had been at for nearly twenty minutes now, and both were getting rather winded. Even Azure showed his exhaustion.

"You look…a bit…tired…Denzel…" Azure taunted.

"Well…you…look like…you could use…a drink…" Denzel returned.

Both forced themselves to grin, as if rolling the insults right off their backs. However, the truth was that both were getting sore. Denzel's Jenova cells made him far more even to Azure than he knew. However…one was still a bit stronger. Perhaps it was Azure's own unease that psyched him out sometimes, which was why Denzel won as much as he did. But Azure was growing more confident with himself, and today was not one of those days where he felt overwhelmed. Both were able to go on for a few more minutes…

But at last…Denzel gave out a massive sigh…and his arms collapsed to his sides. He fell to the ground and nearly collapsed all together, but managed to drop into a seated position. Azure stayed up only long enough to see him do this, and then dropped down as well. However, as he fell, he grinned in victory.

"Ha!" He managed to laugh through his panting. "Now it's 37 to 34!"

"You just wait…" Denzel returned with a wily, albeit tired, grin. "I'll be back on top…"

Azure kept smiling, but turned to Marlene by the side as he did. "Did you see me, Marlene?"

"Yes, I saw both of you." She called back. "You're doing great. I just wish you wouldn't turn everything into a contest."

"But that's what makes it fun!" Denzel protested.

Azure turned to the ex-mercenary next. "So what now, Cloud? What exercise do we do next?"

The ex-mercenary cracked a grin and uncrossed his arms at this. "Now…your exercise is going to go clean your rooms. I'm late for a meeting."

Denzel turned to him and formed a pouting expression. "Aw, come on! Just one more?"

However, on hearing this, Azure suddenly reacted, seeming to remember something. He immediately moved in to Denzel's side and leaned his head in toward his ear, seeming to be a bit secretive as he did so.

"Um…that's alright, Denzel. Remember? We've got…things…to do…right?"

Denzel turned to his own head toward Azure…but then Cloud saw realization strike him. Immediately, his own eyes widened. "Oh…oh yeah. That's right." He answered.

Cloud tried not to grin, while Marlene looked at them both in confusion at this exchange. He could easily tell that the boys were hiding something, and he knew what. Marlene's birthday was tomorrow. The two boys had been planning a surprise for her for almost a week. If they were going to build something, now was the time. Luckily, Marlene wasn't expecting anything yet. She continued to look on at them in puzzlement.

"What are you two talking about?"

Denzel and Azure both seemed to wince and cringe a bit at that, and, attempting to look as normal as possible, they turned and gave plastered smiles to Marlene.

"Nothing…" They both said at the same time.

Cloud did smile a bit at this, but then turned to go. "Alright. You three behave yourselves. I'll try to make it back for dinner and see if I can't drag Ragnar along."

The three turned back to Cloud at this, and then smiled and waved.

"Ok! Bye Cloud!" Marlene called.

"Beat up a lot of bad guys today!" Denzel threw in.

The ex-mercenary waved back to them, and then turned and began to make his way down the walkway and to the main part of the city.

"Is this good?"

"Well, taste it and see."

Aerith looked a bit confused at this direction. She looked back down to the bowl that she was over, holding it in one hand and a recently emptied cup measure in the other. Her eyes glanced back over to the open cookbook, which Tifa herself hadn't looked at once, and then back to the woman. "The book says that two cups is enough sugar."

Tifa looked up from her own separate task at that with something of a frown. "You can't go by what a book said. Each thing you cook is different. You have to try it for yourself." Here, she reached over and took the bowl from Aerith's hands. After that, she got out her whisk and began to mix in the sugar that Aerith had already added. "That's how you make things just right."

Aerith held back, and then gave a bit of a shrug. "Sorry. I'm still not used to cooking that much…"

"That's ok." Tifa answered. "That's why you're helping."

Aerith smiled, but was still rather nervous about this. It was nice to be helping out. It made her feel like not so much of a freeloader. Of course, Tifa and Cloud hadn't even hinted at the idea of her moving out, especially not now. But she knew she had to eventually. She still felt bad about throwing Cloud out of his bed. She kept trying to get him to switch off…but that had diminished somewhat in the past few weeks. First of all, he adamantly refused each time. Second…it would mean sharing a room with Ragnar. The thought already made her blush.

Marlene's birthday was tomorrow. She would finally turn eight. Although Tifa wanted to make the cake fresh tomorrow, the homemade icing could be made today and chill overnight. This task was occupying them at the moment. Aerith couldn't resist not cracking open the cookbook and using it as a crutch, although Tifa had long since memorized the recipe, and had made her own modifications several times since.

Tifa continued to mix for a few moments. Then she put the spoon aside, dipped the tip of her finger into the icing-in-progress, and tasted. She looked up and thought for a moment.

"…Needs a dash more sugar."

Aerith hesitated again. How much was a "dash" exactly? She held for a moment, but then turned back to the bag. She reached in and grabbed a bit of sugar between her first finger and thumb, and pulled it out, turning to put it in.

Tifa noticed this and shook her head. "Oh no, Aerith. That's a pinch. You want a dash."

The Cetra looked at her helplessly, obviously not understanding how much that was supposed to be. Tifa noticed this, and then suddenly seemed to realize that her terminology had to be confusing her. She laughed a bit at her own mannerisms, and then held a hand up.

"To me, a pinch is what you put between your thumb and forefinger. A smidge is just a little taken up on top of one finger. A dash is what you put between your thumb and all four fingers."

"Oh." Aerith remarked, still a bit bewildered. However, she turned and tried again. This time, she pinched off some with all of her fingers. She turned and looked to Tifa for approval after that. The woman smiled and nodded.

"That's perfect."

Aerith smiled a bit and chuckled a little at this exchange, and then put the amount into the bowl. Tifa immediately began to stir it in soon afterward. "I guess I'd definitely make a better waiter than a cook…"

"I've just been doing it for longer." Tifa reassured. "Growing up, it was either that or choke down my dad's abominations."

Both girls let out little laughs at this. There was a pause for a moment afterward, as Tifa continued to stir, and Aerith stood and waited for her next task. After a short while, Tifa looked up and to her again.

"By the way…how did your date go last night?"

Aerith couldn't help it. She nervously laughed a bit and blushed, nearly reaching up and covering her cheeks. Maybe she was too childish in some ways… It had been two months since her first date with Ragnar. True to his word, she barely saw him for the next three weeks. But the moment he was free, he asked her out again. This time, he had brought flowers with him all by himself. They went shopping as Aerith had intended before, although Ragnar was a bit reluctant to having Aerith pick out things for him to wear. Then they went out to a pizzeria for a late dinner. After that, they returned to the garden, and stayed there until one in the morning, just sharing feelings with each other about the spirit of that place. Aerith was a bit amazed… Normally, she considered talking with the Planet a private thing reserved between her and the world. But with Ragnar…it actually felt better. She almost felt like she could talk more clearly with him…and the emotions he gave back to her made it sound like he could almost hear it as well…

On their third date, Ragnar and Aerith had taken up holding hands. It was mostly an unconscious action. It was just that they suddenly found each other holding hands. After that…Aerith began to change more. She started focusing on Ragnar whenever he came by. Ragnar started to go out of his way to say good morning to her before he left. He surprised her with flowers more often. After the fourth date, he started calling in every day…and she started going out to visit him. She brought him meals more often now. On the fifth date, they started holding hands in the garden. Aerith caught herself daydreaming about Ragnar more often.

Last night had been their sixth date. They had gone to see a movie. Ragnar let Aerith pick the title, and she had chosen the latest movie version of, "I Want To Be Your Canary". When they sat together, they always held hands. But last night…she had found herself leaning over and resting her head against Ragnar's shoulder…and both of them enjoyed each other's touch silently throughout the rest of the film.

Now every time Aerith thought about him…she remembered how she felt when she rested against him. No man had ever made her feel like this, not even Zack.

"It was…good." Aerith finally managed to say, still smiling and blushing. "Really…it was a lot of fun."

Tifa smiled a bit at that, although her gaze narrowed, indicating that she was sensing something else there. It wasn't really a surprise. Ever since Aerith had arrived, she had noticed that Ragnar was always tongue-tied around her, and that Aerith herself seemed to care a bit more about Ragnar than what she would expect. Since then, especially since they had started dating, she noticed that the two of them would stare at each other without knowing it, or would sit together more, or would talk more…"highly" to each other.

"So…have you kissed your boyfriend yet?"

Aerith reacted to that, seeming to leap where she was and spinning around to Tifa. The woman, however, simply smiled back.

"What else do you call a couple that's been going out together for two months?" Tifa asked innocently. "Although I guess I can't expect Ragnar to abide by the third date rule…"

Aerith couldn't help but smile again and blush. She was well aware of the third date rule. She had been a puppy love stricken teenager once. And yet…when she used to kiss boys, it was just that…some sort of teenage puppy love. Now that she was older, she felt it to be something more serious…more binding…more important. And because of that…she hadn't actually kissed Ragnar yet. He hadn't made a move himself. She believed he was waiting for her.

Besides…there was a time and place they shared together now that seemed far more intimate and special than a kiss…

"So, when does lover boy take you out again?" Tifa asked with a prying smile.

"Well, I was hoping for next weekend, like usual." Aerith answered, chuckling a bit at "lover boy". "But he's got another rush of activity coming up. I guess I'll have to hold out on it…" She paused, and then looked a bit more playfully back to Tifa. "…Or just drop in at his office twice as often."

Tifa smiled back. "I'm all for it. If he's getting anything off of Cloud in the love department, you'll have to force him like a stubborn mule. But he hasn't seemed nearly so stressed out since you started seeing him."

"Probably because I always force him to eat and sleep." Aerith shrugged in reply. "Although…I think he's caving in more easily now."

Tifa shook her head. "Typical man… You have to train them like dogs to get them how you like them."

Aerith raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really?" She asked in a playful manner. "And how's your training of Cloud going?"

Tifa snickered a bit. "Pretty good." She answered with a nod. "Didn't you notice how I took out the invisible fencing last week?"

Both women laughed at this joke for a few moments before they were able to start making the icing again.

"She's really going to be surprised when she sees this!"

Azure gave a nod, but not a vocal assent. Although he wore a smile on his face…he was somewhat disappointed with what they were doing.

It wasn't because it wasn't special. Oh no, it was very special. Although Denzel and Azure lacked the artistic creativity of some children, they were more than capable of making a large number of decorations out of construction paper, glue, scissors, and a few other items. That was what they were busy doing right now. Both were seated on the floor, surrounded by scraps of paper and small art tools that they were busily working away with. They were decorating the tablecloth for tomorrow, making paper chains for the walls, putting together collage place settings for everyone, and decorating each of the simple cone party hats that Tifa had bought. They would turn their somewhat mundane home into a kaleidoscope of color.

What disappointed him was what they were making right now. Neither of them had any money, so for a present they were going to make Marlene big, colorful cards. Inside were slips of paper that represented "chores" that Marlene could have them do in her place. It was a gift that Tifa suggested, and it was possible without money.

Yet despite that…Azure felt uncomfortable. He knew that Barret, Cloud, Tifa, Ragnar, and Aerith were all buying presents for Marlene. Something she could play with or wear or something. All they were giving her were "crafts". It made his own present seem somewhat insignificant. As he went about cutting and pasting…he couldn't help but look out at the floor and realize that his own gift was nothing compared to what else she would get. She'd care all about her other things…and she wouldn't pay any attention to his gift…

"…Hey, Denzel?"

Azure's friend paused in his work, and looked up. "Yeah?"

The silver-haired boy hesitated a moment, but then turned and looked to him. "…You know, Marlene said she really liked this bike yesterday she saw one of the neighbors riding. Couldn't we get her that as a birthday present?"

The boy stared back and shrugged. "How? We don't have any money."

"…Maybe we could pick up cans and bottles…"

"But that would take too long. Bikes are over a hundred dollars."

Azure hesitated uneasily. "…Maybe Cloud and Tifa could get it for us to give to her, and then we could pay them back…"

Denzel immediately shook his head. "We can't. You know how Tifa and Cloud say we don't have a lot of money because we have to get the restaurant fixed. That's why they can't get Marlene anything big either. Let's just stick with our cards. Tifa said she'd really like them."

Azure frowned ruefully, but then sighed and lowered his eyes back to his own card. "Yeah…I guess you're right…" He slowly answered. Looking back at his card, it looked even more pathetic than before. This only made the boy more unhappy. He wished that he could get Marlene a really nice present… The neighbor kids could get it. Why shouldn't Marlene? She was just as nice as the people next door, and Tifa and Cloud worked really hard in the army…

Suddenly, Azure caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and found himself looking back to Denzel. He saw that he was inserting something else into his card that wasn't just the slip of paper. It was a folded paper crane. Azure remembered that. Denzel had learned how to do something called "origami" from one of the kids on the street. He had tried to show Azure how to do it, but try as he could he was unable to do it as good as Denzel. It made him upset too. Marlene was so impressed with Denzel's…

"What are you doing?" Azure called out…a bit more insistently than he realized.

Denzel looked up to him, and then back to his card. Noticing what Azure was talking about, he looked back up to the boy. "Oh. I just folded a paper crane for Marlene." He answered. "She liked the one that I showed her so much, so I made one just for her in the color she likes. This can kind of be my own present to her."

Denzel looked back down to his card after that, continuing to tuck the paper crane away. But as Azure turned back to his own card…his face was filled with darkness and worry. Now Denzel was going to give something special to Marlene too. He knew how much she loved those paper cranes. She'd think Denzel was great for giving her one… But what about him? He couldn't make anything that nice. He could try to put a picture or something in…but it wasn't a paper crane. He'd give Marlene the worst gift of all. She'd probably just throw it away and ignore him…

He couldn't let that happen. At the thought of this, Azure made a promise to himself.

Somehow…he was going to get Marlene a real gift.

Cloud encountered remarkably low resistance as he made his way into the meeting building. Most of the time there were guard checkpoints that he had to go through. But now, only the basic assembly was at the front door when he went in. As he made his way down the halls, he wondered if the meeting was already over. If it was, he felt somewhat regretful. He should have left earlier. He had just gotten so caught up…

Cloud at last made it to the door into the war room. He saw that it was wide open, indicating that they had already adjurned. This only furthered his fears. He hadn't been that late, had he? At any rate, he walked in immediately.

The place was still set up for a meeting. The map of Midgar and its surrounding area was on the overhead. The various other models were out that were used to illustrate movements. He could see the meeting minutes lying on a sheet nearby to the projector. The lights were still on. However, the seats were all empty, and they were somewhat askew, indicating that they had been sat in recently and then abandoned. Lastly, there was one person still standing in the chamber.

Ragnar was leaning against the podium. One of his elbows propped up his head, and he slowly rubbed his chin as he looked out at the floor. His eyes were steely and cold…and they were focused down at some invisible object with an empty stare. He had this look a lot sometimes…always when something was bad. Somehow, despite his staring, he managed to notice that Cloud had stepped in.

"You're late." He stated without looking up.

"…I got hung up a bit." Cloud answered as a lame apology. He didn't expect Ragnar to wring him through the bits of regulation, duty, and responsibility, although he would do so to an inferior officer. For one thing, Cloud wouldn't take it. However, today he didn't look like he had the will to do it anyway. "Does this have anything to do with Isuzu Industries?" He finally asked.

Ragnar inhaled deeply. He slowly pried himself up and off the podium, as if he had been there a while. "…No." He finally said. "There's actually good news from their end. They finished another fifty artillery units. With that, we can pretty much keep the Junon road from ever being taken by ground troops. They're also working on a new kind of laser projector mobile artillery unit for us."

Cloud couldn't help but frown despite the good news. He didn't like the fact that the PPA actually had a defense contract out. Especially not with a totally new corporation like this Isuzu Industries. However, Ragnar was the main shareholder, so they controlled it. And they did need a munitions source now. There was nothing for it. Still…he expected there to be trouble almost every time their name came up in a meeting.

"So what's the problem?"

Ragnar sighed. He kept his gaze aimed out and looked very tired. "We were about five minutes into the meeting when a report came in from Cait Sith and the Horizon."

Cloud picked up on this. "I don't suppose this had anything to do with that dual recon job you had them do in response to the spy redeployment, did it?"

About three days ago, the Turks had finally lived up to their end of the bargain. They called in on a private channel and told Ragnar that there was another massing of spy units in Junon. They were calling out the big groups again, and they were pulling them out from the surrounding area as well. Until this point, the PPA had noticed that there was a lot of activity around the "siege zone", but had suspected little. By now, the New Shinra had maneuvered themselves in such a way as to almost completely surround Midgar. The only place left open was the road to Junon. They were cut off from their own cavalry units, although the New Shinra hadn't made a move on them yet. As such, they could still maintain radio contact and direct them. However, they hadn't found any reason to do so yet. At any rate, this redeployment had coincided with a recent arrival of supply ships, and an increase in activity. To see what it meant, Ragnar had ordered both a ground and air recon of the areas.

Ragnar slowly stepped out from his frozen position and began to walk forward, almost seeming to pace rather than have a real goal in his movement. His eyes were still focused on the ground.

"…I declared a two hour recess on reading it…because the meeting is going to have to have a whole different purpose now. They discovered that the New Shinra are building something near the coast, surrounding us as much as possible yet still being in range where their navy can defend them. We thought they were new sorts of trenches for weeks, but from what they said…they look like some sort of pads or underground pits." Ragnar hesitated a moment here. "…It looks like they're loading miniature versions of their old space rockets into them."

Cloud grasped what this meant. On doing so, a wave of fear went through him. This had been a big possibility back in the Wutai/Shinra War, although it had been a concern mostly on Wutai's end. The Shinra had taken up shooting satellites into the orbit around Gaia at that time, and began to toy with the idea of shooting men into space as well. This produced the obvious fearful possibility for Wutai. If Shinra could overcome Gaia's gravity and put objects into space, what was to stop them from shooting a missile at them from a secure point without ever presenting a target?

If what Ragnar was implying was what Cloud thought it was...it appeared that possibility was finally being realized, and it was the PPA on the receiving end this time.

"They were doing this for weeks, ever since they got here." Ragnar continued. "They just received the rockets recently. We've gotten strong enough to fend off any army they send to us and we can shoot down any aircraft they try and bomb us with. So they're going to obliterate us without ever presenting a target. They have enough of a payload to turn the part of the city that's ours into rubble. They can probably destroy even more, and they probably will. Isuzu Industries is likely on that list. They'll likely blow up the wall around us in half a dozen places…"

"How long?" Cloud cut off.

Ragnar paused here, and bowed his head a bit more. "…Three days, including today."

"Well then," Cloud immediately spoke up. "We have to get moving. We'll have to start ev-"

"I wasn't finished."

Cloud cut himself off here, and turned his attention back to Ragnar.

"…They are, of course, anticipating that we're going to try and break for it." Ragnar continued tiredly. "That's most likely why they're sending out their troops to Junon to head off any of us that try to get away. But that's not enough. They've broken off five of their destroyers plus the Juggernaut. They know that's the one thing we can't stop…so they're making a course for the road. They'll either obliterate it or wait until we try to cross it. They'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. The following day, they'll start bombing the city with their rockets. They want to make sure we have no way to escape."

The ex-mercenary felt another chill move through him. He had to admit…the New Shinra were clever bastards, and being pretty resourceful. Until this element was introduced, this city was supposed to be a fortress for the Planet Protector Army. They were going to turn it into a slaughterhouse. He supposed he should have expected that the New Shinra would attack the road by now. If there had been three days until the bombing and the road was open, Ragnar wouldn't have cancelled the meeting. He would have immediately ordered an evacuation. But with only one road open, it would be nearly impossible. Luckily, some people had fled the city when the New Shinra first sieged it. But there were still a lot left. Although Cloud hadn't been in Midgar last time, he knew that the evacuation was carried out from multiple exits. Through only one…there was going to be a massive logjam. It was likely that it would be there until the Juggernaut arrived…and then there would be an early slaughter before the destruction of Midgar.

Cloud began to realize how bad of a situation they were in. They could have dealt with it before they built these rockets, but now they changed the rules. It must have been more of that Colonel Maritza's doing. Every time they found an advantage, she countered it…

This time was especially rough on the kid. Their head tactician, Red XIII, was currently out on a diplomatic mission. Realizing the need to have more stronger allies, Ragnar had at last arranged for the beast to sail to Wutai. They were the only other real "nation" in the world at this point, and their only hope. He only prayed that their struggles over the past year had given them enough clout for Godo to take a chance on them. Now, however, it seemed too late…

"…So what do we do?"

Ragnar stayed silent for a moment, frozen with his head bowed. Cloud feared that the kid didn't have anything. After all…this was a pretty bad situation. However, in the end, he inhaled deeply again, and straightened up once more. He assumed the biggest commanding air he could manage…although it had dwindled considerably compared to his previous capacity for it.

"Well…" He began. "I intend to order a series of harassment strikes by the Chocobo Cavalry starting tonight. They are to use explosives to try and damage some of these underground silos and cause some disarray among the line. Hopefully…they'll cause enough trouble for the enemy to delay somewhat, and to draw forces away from the eastern perimeter. After that…we will use our full force to break through, and then try to hold out long enough for the people of Midgar to flee to the east, toward the Kalm and Chocobo Ranch area. We are out of range of the navy in that area, and the mountains make a natural barrier to the south, so we should be able to keep a spread open."

Cloud's eyes widened slightly. "…That's it?" He asked incredulously. "That's the big plan? Even if the Chocobo Cavalry can pull it off, the people don't have anywhere to go and any protection that way. For that matter, we don't either. There's no way that many people can get taken through the Mythril Mines. All we'll be doing is delaying the end."

"…There's a chance they'll let them go." Ragnar answered. "They want us, not them."

"It's still not a solution, kid…"

"I don't have anything else!" Ragnar suddenly snapped, lashing around and glaring furiously at Cloud. The force was so strong that the man stepped back in surprise. "Don't you think I've been thinking? Don't you think I've been tearing my brain apart trying to find another way to save them or us? Don't you think I've been kicking myself for being stupid enough to get into this situation in the first place? That I didn't see this coming? That I didn't make a plan?"

Cloud said nothing in response. Ragnar glared on at him for a moment. However, he wasn't angry at him. He was angry at himself. After a bit longer, he sighed and turned away again. Once more he sank, growing dark and tired looking.

"Everyone who has stayed in this city for the past two months did so because they thought I would protect them." He spoke in a slower voice. "They trusted me to keep the New Shinra out of here…to keep them safe. Every recruit that joined did so because they thought they had a chance at victory. That I could lead them to victory. Now I can't save them or the people of this city. Whoever dies in the next three days is going to throw their blood on my conscience."

"Ragnar…" Cloud began to say. He trailed off, however. He wasn't as eloquent as the others. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault. Anymore than it was the fault of a person who built a house on an unknown fault line and saw it wrecked. True, there was a way he could have been more thorough, but he had never expected this. He had never thought that they'd have to clear the city again so quickly. There hadn't been any reason to believe that they weren't safe before now. But at the same time…he couldn't deny that the people who were still in this town were those who believed, at least in part, that the PPA would protect them. And there was the side of the argument that as general it was his responsibility to be aware of potential problems like this, and to deal with them as they arose. But what could they have done? Attacking the silos weeks ago would be just as futile as it was now. They would have killed themselves against the deck guns of the navy. And the city would have been left defenseless.

After a while longer…Ragnar slowly exhaled, and waved his hand at his friend.

"Cloud…you…you and Tifa…should take the kids and Aerith…and get out of Midgar while you can. The Junon road is still somewhat safe until tomorrow."

Cloud showed no change, and formed a more resolute appearance.

"…Are you going to be telling this to everyone in this city?"

Ragnar sighed and turned to him. "You know I can't do that. I'll go down in history as the most heartless commander…but I'll only save a few before everyone on the road dies. There's no way we can defend against the Juggernaut."

Cloud still didn't change.

"…Isn't it worth saving a few thousand than committing everyone to a gamble on this evacuation?"

The general hesitated for a moment. He raised his hand to his mouth and thought. A few seconds ticked by as Cloud stood and waited. In the end…the youth inhaled once more, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled.

He began to reach for his radio. As he did, he looked up and to his digital watch.

"…I'll call and order a broadcast saying that the city needs to start evacuating." Ragnar finally said. "Until noon tomorrow the Junon road will be available. Anyone who can't get there in time needs to start making for the east exit of the city."

"You know that even if we barricade that road, after noon people are going to try and trample the guard and break through." Cloud reminded him.

"I know." Ragnar answered. "That's why I'll order the entrance destroyed at noon tomorrow. Hopefully that will give enough time to the people stuck on it to get away. They'll probably burn me in effigy for it, but at least I'll buy them another day of life."

Ragnar hesitated here, and looked up to the ex-mercenary. "Cloud…if we want to get as many people out as we can, I have to order this now. There may not be enough time for you to get a vehicle big enough to carry all of you out and on that bridge before it's blocked. I'm going to have to commission the army vehicles to get young, old, and injured out."

Cloud paused as well at that. However, after a moment, he began to reach for his own radio. "I'll call home…tell Tifa and Aerith to get the kids and run."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"

"You're staying, aren't you kid?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then so am I." Cloud answered. "There's nowhere I can go in the world anyway. I'm a PPA general. If I'm riding with them into Junon and they see me, they'll shoot the whole car up. Besides, you and I both know that only a few people are going to get out on this. The best chance for the rest to evacuate is if you throw as much as you can against the New Shinra in that other strike. I'm needed here."

"Your family needs you too."

Cloud paused. Family… Dysfunctional as it was, unconventional as it was…he supposed it was his family. What else would you call it? It made him feel regretful…like he should have spent more time with them, done more with them. There was a good chance that if he stayed he would die in two days. Unlike last time, there was no real escape route now. It was funny…that after everything that had happened, death now faced him down just up and out of the blue. Coming in he had expected this to be like any other meeting. Now they were on the brink of annihilation. And where was he? Still here…still fighting…still nothing more than hired muscle almost…

...I never did it...did I?

…Why did I keep stalling? Why did I have to wait so long? Why did I shove it in the back of my mind until now? I should have done it years ago… There was nothing stopping me. But now…

Cloud finally drew himself up, and turned back to Ragnar. "Maybe…but if the only real thing I can do in this life is fight, then I need to be here when we move. I can save more lives here."

Ragnar looked uneasy. "Cloud…"

"My mind's made up, kid." The ex-mercenary flatly answered. "You aren't talking me out of it."

The young general looked on at him. However, Cloud knew that he saw the truth. Cloud wasn't one who would allow his mind to be changed so easily. And his stubbornness was much greater than Ragnar's patience. There was nothing he could do.

In the end, giving one last frown, Ragnar raised the radio to his ear and pressed the send button. Cloud soon did the same with his own.

To be continued...