Date: January 10

Location: Golden Saucer

"So, let me get this straight…" Genesis leaned his head against his hand as he absorbed the information being given to him over the phone. "Barret's ex-best friend who is not dead also had his damaged arm modified into a gunarm and has now gone on a random killing spree?" Didn't anyone stay dead these days?

There was a pause and then Kunsel gave a 'hmmm' of acknowledgement. "Yeeaah, I think that about sums it up."

"Wonderful. I'll be sure to write Dyne's name on the ever-growing list of our formerly-friendly-now-gone-insane enemies." He sighed. "All right… See what you can do about the situation down there. I'll try to make a deal with Dio to get you out. If you take care of the real murderer, maybe he'll see reason.

"'Take care?'" Kunsel sounded uncomfortable. "Genesis, Jenova may not be at work here, but this is still someone's life. Someone who's been wronged by Shinra, just like us."

"Except I don't recall any of us on a random murder spree lately," Genesis hissed.

"Yeah, maybe not lately. I really hate to bring this up, but are you really going to pretend that you weren't worse?"

Genesis closed his eyes, a pang jolting in his chest. He tried to tell himself that he'd only killed those involved with Shinra, but there had been others. Civilians… Banora's population… Kunsel was right. He'd gotten a second chance after all he'd done, so why shouldn't Dyne? "Very well. Do what you can to help him, just don't risk your own lives."

He snapped the phone shut.

"You okay?" Tifa asked, walking over to lay a hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the urge to shrug it off. Instead, he placed his hand over hers.

"I'm fine." And he was. His past could serve as a reminder without him wallowing in it. So long as he didn't cross any lines. He dropped his hand back to his side. He didn't want to push Tifa away, but it wasn't fair to her for them to keep getting this close.

He needed to tell her. So… why couldn't he force himself to take that step? He knew himself well enough to know: his ever-constant fear of rejection. Even after the rest of the group had proven to him time and time again that they were willing to accept him, there just wasn't a universe he could see in his head where Tifa could forgive him for what he'd done. People were surprisingly more understanding when others' crimes didn't include them personally.

He cleared his throat. Back to more pressing matters. "Best we inform Dio of the news, then."


"Sooo, this guy is obviously a little unstable…meaning a crowd would probably not be the best thing to face him with," Zack pointed out. "A couple of us should go with Barret, and whoever stays behind can coordinate with Genesis on finding us a way out of here."

Blank stares turned on him.

He rolled his eyes. "You know, contrary to popular belief, I am capable of strategy."

"Okay." Kunsel leaned against the rotting couch at the center of the room. "Yuffie and I can stay here. You and Aerith should go with Barret."

Zack nodded. "Good. Now, Barret, do you know where Dyne went?"

Barret shuffled his feet, still looking grumpy. "I think so."

"Then let's get going."


"So, I have your word, then?" Genesis leaned with both his hands on Dio's desk, looming over the man since he was sitting in his chair. "If the others stop Dyne's killing spree, you'll release them?"

"Ho ho!" Dio puffed on his cigar. Ugh. This man reminded him far too much of Don Corneo. "Of course! Even if they can't stop the madman, I'll let them go! Why wouldn't I? They're innocent!"

Well, that was… unusually good news given how their luck generally rolled. Sometimes Genesis had to remind himself that the entire world – despite the exponential amount of proof for it – was not out to get them. "Good. Then we shouldn't have any problems."

Genesis pushed away from the desk, turning to face Tifa. He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. He sighed, flipping it open. Who was it this time?

"What now, Kunsel?" To his credit, he kept himself from snapping. Granted, his voice wasn't exactly welcoming either…

"Okay, so, Yuffie and I have been checking around and it looks like we're going to have to figure out which of us would make the best jockey and win a chocobo race–"

"That really won't be necessary." Dio had mentioned those chocobo races. Finally. He'd figured things out before Kunsel. This probably wasn't the best time, but Genesis really couldn't not take a small amount of pride in that. "Tifa and I have convinced Dio of your innocence. No matter what happens with Dyne, he's willing to release you. Assuming Barret doesn't join in Dyne's homicidal rage, that is."

There were a few moments of silence. "Man, Yuffie and I spent an hour getting that info! Tell me next time, would you? And somehow I don't think that's what Barret had in mind."

Genesis rolled his eyes. Obviously, he wasn't serious. He was about to voice a drippingly-sarcastic reply when his phone gave a beep. "A moment, Kunsel, Zack is calling." He swapped over to the other phone call. "Zack, what's the situat–"

"Ifrit's fire, this guy is bomb-crap crazy!"

…Well, that sounded as though things were going well.


When the three of them found Dyne, he was by the one cliff at the edge of the prison, silhouetted by the warning lights that blared down on the area. Barret motioned for Zack and Aerith to stay back. Zack complied, backing off, but his right hand was comfortably wrapped around the hilt of the Buster Sword as he squinted into the lights that were so bright even his Mako eyes couldn't penetrate them.

"Right," Zack muttered to Aerith. "Let's stay out of sight just in case." He guided her towards the remnants of what looked like a shed and they ducked behind it. He pressed his back to the one half-standing wall and peaked around it. "Kay… If I take off running, stay behind me and follow closely."

Aerith griped her staff tightly, giving him a signal, calm nod. Zack took a breath, tilting his head to listen carefully. From this distance he could make out just a few of the words being exchanged. They sounded like mutters until–

A gunshot split the air, and Aerith lunged. Zack looped his arm around her waist, pulling her back. "Wait!" he hissed. That bullet was purposefully aimed right in front of Barret's feet. "That was just a warning shot. If we go charging in now, it'll just make things worse. Might set him off."

Aerith was still tense, but she shifted back behind their cover anyway.

There were a few more lines of muttering, but after that Dyne's voice rose. "Why? What the hell do you care? You think the dead understand why's?Is hearin' Shinra's excuses gonna make people in Corel understand anything? I don't care about reasons!"

Crap. Crap, crap, crap. This was clearly not going too well. Kind of fitting that Barret's best friend had a temper worse than his, but not exactly helpful.

Dyne's ranting continued and he fired off another shot from his gunarm, and Zack jerked his hand back, crouching closer to the ground as the bullet ricocheted near them. Dyne wasn't aiming at anything in particular now, he was raving on and firing shots in random directions. The bullets were blocking out most of what he was yelling, but what Zack could catch sure as heck didn't sound good. Something about 'wanting to destroy the people in the city, the city itself, and the whole world while he was at it.'

Quadruple crap. Dyne really wasn't giving him the you-can-calm-me-down-and-help-me-be-not-evil vibe. Still keeping his eyes locked on the crazy-head, Zack reached to his pocket and fished out his phone, holding down the key he used the most. Funny. A couple years back, he never would have guessed Genesis would end up the as the first one on his speed dial. It made sense though. He didn't need Aerith on his speed dial that much because they were usually in each other's sight.

Another bullet nicked their cover just as Genesis picked up and Zack blurted out, "Ifrit's fire, this guy is bomb-crap crazy!"

"And what exactly would you like me to do about it?" Genesis asked. "I'm hardly in a position to help from up here. Deal with it."

With that, the line clicked dead.

"Hey!" Zack pulled the phone back and stared at it. "He hung up on me!"

"I think Dyne's kind of already been 'set off' now, Zack. Barret needs our help." Aerith's hands started to glow with protective magic.

"Right," Zack grumbled, pulling his fist close to his chest. "Cast Barrier on Barret and bolt on my say so." He leaned as far as he could without putting his head out in danger of being shot and looked for an opening.

Dyne had his back to them, but… he'd also stopped shooting. His head was hanging low, shoulders trembling. "I got nothing left in this world. Corel… Eleanor… Marlene…"

Now, Zack cheered Barret on mentally. If Dyne knew his daughter was alive, maybe he'd snap out of this craziness.

Barret took a tentative step forward. "Dyne, Marlene… Marlene's still alive." Dyne's muscles tensed, but he didn't make any other moves. After a moment, Barret pressed on. "I went back into town… wandered around for a while… That's when I found her… found Marlene. She's in Midgar! Let's go see her together, all right?"

"So… she's alive, then?"

Zack's heart dropped. Dyne's voice was far too vacant for a father realizing his child was alive and well.

Dyne turned to face him. "All right, Barret. Then I guess you and me gotta fight."

"What?" Barret apparently hadn't picked up on Dyne's tone.

Dyne spread his arms, looking to the sky. "Eleanor's all by herself. I gotta take Marlene to her."

"Dyne, are you crazy?" Barret demanded.

Um, yes. Zack was willing to bet that he definitely was. Like, on the level Genesis had been. Maybe worse.

Zack could pinpoint the exact moment when Dyne's eyes took on a homicidal glint. "Marlene wants to see her mom, don't she?" His gunarm rose.

"Now!" Zack sprang from their cover, casting Barrier on himself as Aerith did the same to Barret.

Bullets ricocheted off the Barrier in front of Barret as he yelled over the noise. "Stop it! I don't wanna fight you!"

"Angeal… don't do this."

Zack shoved the memory back into the depths of his mind. He couldn't save Angeal, but he darn well wasn't letting Barret go through a similar situation without help. "Barret!"

"Stay the hell out of this, pretty boy! This is my problem!"

…Unless Barret didn't want his help. Zack skidded to a stop, still ready to pounce if needed. Barret might not forgive him if he interfered, but that was better than losing him if the battle went sour.


Alarm. Worry. Pity.

Genesis shoved out of his chair. "That is it." Where was the hole Dio had dropped the others down? Sitting here for hours on end with only Aerith's emotions flickering through his head was like trying to watch the climax of a TV program when the station kept dropping out. Well, he was sick of it. Time to find the broadcast center.

Tifa flinched at his sudden outburst, frowning as he walked past her. "Where are you going?"

"To make sure the others don't get themselves killed." Genesis pointed to the door he was closing in on and glance at Dio. "The way down?"

Dio blinked at him with his strange drugged-owl eyes. "Well, yes, my boy, it is! But once you go down you'll be stuck until I know it's safe to let your friends up–"

Genesis silenced him with a wave of his hand. If he really needed to, he could fly back out. "I'll be fine. Tifa, do me a favor and keep an eye on things up here." He wasn't going to leave her any room for argument. There was no reason for her to go down too. If he was honest, there wasn't really a reason for him to, either, but Tifa was vastly less stir crazy than most of the rest of them.

"But–"

"Please just stay here. I won't be long and the last thing we need is Sephiroth or Cloud strutting through here while none of us are watching."


Kunsel glanced at the time on his phone. "Annnnd it's time."

"Huh?" Yuffie lifted her head from its resting place on her folded hands. "What for?"

"By my calculations, this is as long as Genesis can sit still and stay out of the action." He snapped his PHS shut and slid it back into his pocket. "So, I'm heading to where we got dropped down here."

Yuffie grinned. "Ten gil he's not there."

Kunsel didn't hesitate. "Deal. Let's go." He had yet to lose any of their bets, so of course Yuffie kept challenging him.

"Okay!" Yuffie hopped off the musty couch she was sitting on and rushed ahead of him. She snagged his arm at the last second and dragged him forward, almost making him fall over. Whew. Someone clearly worked out more than the average princess. That shuriken must have been heavier than it looked.

Kunsel smirked as he spotted a familiar head of red hair in the distance. He didn't say anything, but a few seconds later Yuffie let out a wail and released his arm to dig into her pockets again. "I'm gonna get you one of these days, Nascotto!"

He held his hand out for the gil. "Dream on, princess." He'd just be handing that gil back to Genesis anyway considering that it was actually his. And Yuffie thought she was being so subtle with her theft.

Genesis rolled his eyes as he approached them. "Where are they?"

Kunsel jerked his head in the general direction the others went. "Thataway." He pulled out his PHS. "Should be easy to find if we follow Zack's tracker."

Genesis and Yuffie both turned raised eyebrows on him.

"What? I put a tracker in his PHS, okay? I thought it would come in handy if we got separated. Sue me."

Genesis pulled his PHS out, frowning at it. "Am I to assume, then, that the rest of us are also under your constant location awareness?"

"Yep. This way!"

Gunshots suddenly echoed from that direction.

"Obviously." Genesis took off running.


Sand flew as Genesis' boots impacted on the dusty ground beneath him. Yes, the others were probably fine, but it just wasn't in his nature to walk when bullets were being fired off.

…Or when they suddenly stopped being fired off. He increased his pace, leaving Yuffie and Kunsel behind as he sprinted across the desert-like area. Aerith was the first one to enter his sight, and she was closely follow by Zack and then Barret, who was on his knees.

Genesis slowed to quick walk. Well… this wasn't a promising scene.

Zack and Aerith spotted him fairly quickly, and Aerith gestured for Zack to go as she stayed at Barret's side. Zack gave her a sharp nod and moved to meet Genesis. "Hey."

"I take it talking with Dyne yielded little result?"

Zack looked at the ground, shaking his head. "Barret tried… but Dyne's mind was too far gone. Even after Barret told him Marlene was alive, he just couldn't come back. Threw himself off the cliff when the fight didn't go well."

Genesis winced. Barret has just watched his former best friend commit suicide, then. That wasn't exactly going to do wonders for his mental health. He was going to need support, and not the pity Aerith was giving him at the moment.

Genesis crossed the remaining gap between them and held his hand down to Barret. "On your feet, my friend. If you want Dyne's daughter to have a safe world to live in, you must push on."

Barret glanced up, staring at Genesis' arm for a moment before he took it and climbed to his feet. "Right…" he mumbled. "Gotta keep fighting… For Marlene." His free hand clutched around some sort of pendant.

"Good. Hold onto that. The people we fight for are our advantage over Jenova." Genesis' gaze flickered to Zack for a moment, who smiled back. They'd started their series of battles when Zack had been sixteen, yet for all Genesis' experience, Zack's passion for fighting for others was what had won out in the end.

Still… this was an unpleasant reminder that some people couldn't be saved. Dyne hadn't been under anyone's control, but still couldn't break free of his madness. What if Jenova fractured Sephiroth and Cloud's minds to the point where that happened to them as well?


"Ho, ho!" Dio cheered, clapping his hands. "You're all free to go now! And by way of apology, I have a little gift for you to use on your journey."

"A gift?" If that gift was a lifetime pass to the Golden Saucer, Genesis was going to shove it down the man's throat.

Tifa was smiling widely. "He's giving us a buggy. A nice one. It'll easily fit all of us."

Suddenly, Genesis was beginning to like Dio. A ride. No more trekking through endless forests and plains. Finally, some good fortune.

Dio perked up again. "Oh! And I met that Sephiroth fellow you were looking for!"

Tifa's smile dropped. "What? When was that? I was here the whole time!"

"Oh, it was before you two showed up." Dio gestured to Tifa and then to Genesis with his cigar. "Meant to tell you then, but we were all a bit busy."

Scratch liking him. Genesis was going kill the steroid-juiced idiot. "Where did he go?"

Dio tapped his chin. "I think it was Gongaga. It's a little town south of–"

"Oh, hell no!" Zack spat out, his skin paling. "We're going! Now! Where's that buggy?"

"This way!" Tifa was already moving.

Gongaga. Of course that's the route Jenova would take if she wanted to toy with them. Genesis honestly had no idea what kind of family Zack had, but they were not leaving them for Masamune's bite.