"I told you not to wander around…," the man muttered irritably. "I tell ya, women nowadays."

Cloud decided the man was a complete jerk. It was unsurprising. He worked in a place that used women for their own sick needs. He couldn't wait to be rid of the place. It gave him the creeps.

He rarely got butterflies… until now. They were intense too. He felt sick and scared; weak at the knees, and not in a good way. Part of it, he expected, was a fear of the unknown. He had never had to do this before.

"Hurry up, will ya!" the man yelled at the foot of the stairs, jolting Cloud from his nervous thoughts.

"I probably don't need to ask but the other girl is… me… right?" Cloud asked gingerly.

"You're right, there was no need…" began Tifa.

"… to ask," Aeris finished.

They giggled between themselves like schoolgirls. Cloud gave an irritated sigh. This might be funny to them, but did they not realise the seriousness of it all?

The Don's room was gaudy, to say the least. The décor was more-or-less the same as the rest of the mansion, but with a bit of added oomph. The Don himself was sat at a red-coloured desk that lay behind a rug with two intertwining serpents embellished on it. He was a man so ugly and with such a bad taste in clothes that Cloud wondered how he could make any woman look twice at him. He wore his bleach-blonde hair in a grotesque Mohawk. His clothes were tacky and bright coloured, even brighter than his surroundings.

"All right, ladies!" one of the Don's henchmen exclaimed. "Line up in front of the Don!"

Tifa and Aeris took their places. Reluctantly, Cloud walked over to his spot in the middle and gulped hard. This was a mission, he reminded himself. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, what were the odds that the Don would pick him anyway?

Don Corneo jumped off his throne and leaned across his desk as if he was trying to get a closer look. Cloud swore he could see him salivating. He urged himself to look away.

"Hmmm! Good, splendid!" the Don cheered.

The perverted man leaped off the desk and crouched on the floor on all fours like a rabid animal. He stood in front of Aeris, inspecting her from head to toe, a sick smile on his face and his eyes full of lust.

"Now, let's see…" he panted. "Which girl should I choose? Hmm… hmm!"

He strode towards Cloud and bent over to inspect him up close.

"This one?"

He licked his lips lustfully and then made his way to Tifa.

"Or this one?"

He inspected Tifa for some time, humming and hawing, before standing in front of Cloud again. He had a very bad feeling about this. Very, very bad.

"Woo-hoo, I've made up my mind!" the Don declared, his voice as loud as a rocket. He jumped up and down on the spot. "My choice for tonight is… this healthy-looking girl!"

No. NO. NO! This couldn't be happening.

"Wa, wait a sec!" Cloud cried. "I mean, uh, please wait a moment!"

"Woo-hoo!" the Don squealed, sounding like a kid in a sweet shop. "I love chickies who play hard-to-get! Yeowza!"

He turned to his lackeys who were stood either side of his desk like statues.

"You can have the other ones!"

"Yes, sir!" they both said in unison. "Thank you sir!"

He faced Cloud again.

"Well then, shall we go my pretty!?"

In a panic, Cloud looked towards his female comrades for support. They both gave him a nod. Not the most helpful. Perhaps they had some sort of plan. He sure hoped so!

Cloud reluctantly followed Don Corneo to his bedroom. Bright purple lights dazzled him as he entered. They made the red and gold décor shine vibrantly. His bed was a super king-size. The Don jumped onto the mattress and began panting like a dog.

What a pervert! Cloud thought.

"Ahh, we're finally alone…," Don Corneo whispered seductively. "All right, pussycat…" he bellowed suddenly. "Come to daddy!"

Cloud, not quite believing what he was doing, skulked over to the Don. All of his instincts were telling him to keep his distance, but his head was thinking meticulously – the Don might pick up that something was wrong if he stayed in one spot.

"You're so cute, I never get tired of looking at you," the Don cooed. "Do you… like me, too?"

How the heck did he answer this? Did he play along, or did he start the interrogation prematurely, without aid?

"Of course!" Cloud cried, favouring the former, his voice wavering unwillingly. He could feel a lump in his throat. He gulped hard to suppress it.

"You sure do know how to make a guy feel good! Then, wh… what do you want to DO?"

"Whatever YOU want, daddy," Cloud replied.

Hurry up, you too! I can't do this much longer!

"Oh man! I can't stand it! All right, then…"

The Don jumped towards Cloud as quick as lightning, his eyes gleaming. He grinned, showing off his pure white, newly bleached teeth. He looked mad. How could any girl be turned on by that? Or maybe this was the kind of thing girls were looking for these days. They were hard to understand after all…

"Give me a kiss!" the Don belted out. "A KISS!"

The Don puckered up his lips so tightly that they seemed to turn white. It was a grotesque sight and made Cloud's stomach do loops.

"…All right," Cloud said, after a pause, disgusted with himself. He wasn't actually intending to do it, but saying no to the man wasn't an option either. He didn't seem like the kind of guy you would want to get on the wrong side of. Hopefully, he'd have some company very soon. He'd just have to find a way of holding off for now.

He leaned in very slowly, not taking his eyes off the grotesque pair of lips that were now making sucking sounds. As he got closer he could smell an unsavoury aroma of mint and stale cigars, as well as feel a warm gust of air as the Don exhaled through his nose. He was going to puke at any moment. He was sure of it. He backed away, but not too much, otherwise, he might arouse the Don's suspicions. He held his breath this time and leaned in again.

Hurry up you pair! Please! FOR THE LOVE OF GAIA... HURRY UP!

"Just a minute!" came a girl's voice.

Don Corneo whipped his head around to the source of the noise and then turned his whole, flabby body towards it. Cloud could literally see his stomach fat rippling underneath his gaudy suit. It looked like a huge plate of strawberry jelly. He stepped back a little and took a deep breath.

"Wha… what the hell?" the Don gasped. "Who goes there!?"

"Cloud…" Tifa muttered. "Were you really…"

He shook his head vehemently. What was she thinking? Of course he wouldn't have really kissed the Don! He strode over to the girls and, quick as a flash, ripped off his wig and clothes and rubbed his face clean. Thank goodness he had the common sense to leave his normal clothes on underneath.

"A man!?" yelped Don Corneo, looking rather agape. "What's goin' on?"

They rushed towards the Don.

"Shut up, we're asking the questions now…" Tifa barked. "What did your assistants find out? Talk! If you don't tell us…"

Cloud leaned over the bed towards the Don, his eyes as narrow as slits.

"…I'll chop them off," he hissed, grimacing.

He let out a frightened yelp and jumped backward, landing on his butt, almost falling off the other side of the bed.

"No! Not that!" he gasped. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"So… talk," said Tifa impatiently.

"I made 'em find out where the man with the gun-arm was. But that's what I was ordered to do."

"By who?" Tifa enquired.

"No-! If I told you that, I'd be killed!"

"Talk!" Tifa roared. "If you don't tell us…"

Aeris leaned in close. Suddenly, her gentle aqua coloured eyes looked fierce.

"…I'll rip them off," she said through gritted teeth.

Don Corneo let out an agonising wail and inched a little further back.

"It was Heidegger of Shinra!"

The trio shot him annoyed glances.

"Heidegger, the head of Public Safety Maintenance!" he admitted.

"The head of Public Safety Maintenance!?" Cloud exclaimed. He was initially shocked, but this was Shinra, where every one of its workers was corrupt in one way or another. He was no longer surprised.

"Did you say the Shinra!?" Tifa yelled. "What are they up to?! Talk! If you don't tell us…" – She leaned towards the Don as far as she could – "… I'll smash them."

The Don started to squeal like a pig.

"You're serious, aren't you… ohboy, ohbooy, ohboy."

He cleared his throat and a smirk crept onto his face.

"I'm not fooling around here either, you know. Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE, and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're really going to crush them… literally." His smirk grew wider. "By breaking the support holding up the plate above them."

"Break the support!?" Tifa cried out in shock. She clasped a white-knuckled hand to her mouth.

"You know what's going to happen?" Don Corneo said with a massive grin. "The plate'll go PING and everything's gonna go BAMMM! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums…" He gave a relieved sigh, still with an insanely massive grin etched upon his fat face. "I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6."

Tifa shook her head, as if in disbelief.

"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums!?" she wailed. "Cloud, will you come with me to Sector 7?"

"Of course, Tifa," he replied, trying to keep his composure.

Inside, he was fuming. He knew Shinra could sink to dark depths, but this? For ONE rebel group? How many lives would be lost; how many families would be ruined? It was true; Shinra didn't care about anything or anybody. As long as they were gaining power and getting richer, they were happy.

They all turned to leave.

"Just a second!" Don Corneo shouted when they were at the foot of the bed.

"Shut up!" Cloud hissed.

"No wait, It'll only take a second. How do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth?"

"They're sure they'll win," Cloud stated, without much thought. What was this, a game?

"Woo-hoo! Right!" he yelled.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet opened up, and Cloud was falling.

To be continued…