Asneed: Thanks! Great to have you back! I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

Kei: No way! Yess! RE was exactly what I had in mind when writing the chapter! I'm a big fan as well. I'm actually writing a RE fic, but I gotta finish this one first! I'm so glad it came across that way :D I'm super thrilled that Ollie is by her side again too, because she simply wasn't the same without him... Onwards! If you liked the last one, I'm curious to see what you think of this chapter. Thanks again!

Chapter 189

"Charles!" Jolene cried once she'd come to her senses. She clambered to her feet and stumbled over to the path where he still lay on his stomach.

"I be all righ'," He grumbled as Tseng helped him sit up. Rude and Ollie were also getting up, but Reno seemed to be fine where he was. "Never be 'maginin' it be Shinra ta save me life." Charly added reluctantly.

"Ollie," I sat up and looked at him over my shoulder. "I love you, you know that?"

He grinned at me sheepishly, then dropped his bazooka on his foot with a clunk and a loud curse that echoed through the mountains.

"You should wash that mouth of yours, Vermont," A voice suddenly cut through the air, familiar and very unwelcome. Reno bolted upright from his position on the gravel beside me and was on his feet in the blink of an eye. From whatever was left of the lobby, Max emerged from among the flames, flanked by at least another dozen troopers. The fire licked his skin, but he seemed unaffected by it for some reason. In fact, he spread his arms and the flames doused as if the life got sucked from them. He drew the remaining kindles to him and they danced over his arms before extinguishing completely. Max the Illuminate. The name made sense now. My mind went back to the file I had read. Pyromancy, it had said. I hadn't known it was referring to my old friend. "There's ladies among us." He commented and winked at me before his eyes fell on Elena, who was being pulled to her feet by Tseng. "Even if half of them are filthy Shinra trash."

I noticed how pale he looked, his face taunt and hollow. His once sparkling gray eyes were now pools of pale silver. "Ollie," I grit my teeth at the knowledge that this wasn't going to be an easy fight. "Take Jolene and go. This is no place for her."

"Got it," He replied and I heard him shuffle around behind me. I wouldn't take my eyes off Max. "Jo, let's go."

"No," She argued with him stubbornly. "I'm not leaving without Charles."

"Lady," Max said calmly, though threat floated around him almost visibly. "Take my word for it and get out of here while you still can. Because that's about to change."

I pushed to my feet swiftly, my fingers already wrapping around my holstered guns.

"Sir," Tseng addressed Rufus in an urging tone. "Take Elena with you and evacuate with Charles. We need to settle this."

Elena's protest was drowned by that of Rufus, who simply refused. "I won't. You need all the help you can get on this one. Olliver, take the lady and Hancock out of here."

"Sir," Tseng pressed. "You need to get to safety. Take Elena with you and go."

"We need everyone-" Rufus started to argue, but Tseng actually cut him off.

"That is an order, Sir."

Rufus pressed his lips together, and for a moment I thought he was going to be very angry. Instead, he took a deep breath. "Very well..."

Max's eyes were set on Rufus as he lifted Charly off the ground with Jolene and Elena's help. Tseng and Rude stepped closer to Reno and myself, forming a wall between Max and the others. We all knew that Max would go for Rufus as soon as he got the chance. Right now, his way was blocked by four capable people, but that could change at any moment. Ollie cursed and veered off in the other direction, back to his nest.

All the while, Max calmly observed our movements, and let us. "I have to say I'm impressed with the current hierarchy at Shinra, Inc." He mocked. "Turks calling the shots, Presidents fighting in the field. It seems we've caused quite a stir." His eyes followed after Rufus as he retreated with Charly and the two women, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Max, you need to stop this." I pulled him from his trance, demanding attention. He used to be my friend, maybe I could persuade him to end this nonsense.

"Why are you here with this Shinra filth?" He asked me, not even looking at the three men that I stood shoulder to shoulder with. "Do you know that everything I went through, I did for you? Are you telling me that I took a stand so you could escape them, ended up being tortured and experimented on, only for you to show up eight years later, working with them again?" His voice became more threatening by the word, but instead of shouting, the end of his sentence sounded like an angry hiss.

"They aren't the ones who did this to you." I defended them, thinking they had done nothing wrong. That wasn't entirely true. The Turks had played their part in many ugly things, from assassinations to torture and espionage, but I believed Reno when he said he hadn't known anything about Deepground, or the secret labs in the basement of Shinra HQ.

Max scoffed at me, shaking his head. "Do you really think they had no idea?"

I looked at Reno for a moment, trying to search for lies in his eyes. There was nothing but candor in them as he looked back at me. He'd never lied to me before, and I knew it. Even my old friend couldn't waver my faith and trust in Reno. "Yes, I do." I replied and returned my gaze to Max's. "They didn't know."

"Then they're lying to you!" He roared, and I saw Reno tense up in the corner of my eye, expecting a fight. "They've brainwashed you all over again!"

"Take it easy," Reno warned him. "All we did was arrest you and escort you to a holding cell to await execution. I remember that day, don't worry, I got my facts straight. "

"We know nothing about any of this." Rude confirmed.

"You must understand," Tseng tried to reason with Max, but I feared he was beyond reasoning. He had become a mad man. "The Shinra Science devision made some very poor decisions, but none of them have anything to do with the Turks. Or with the President, for that matter."

"Maybe not, but you're still Shinra," He said to Tseng before addressing me again. "How can you do this? What happened to the rebel? You did things that others didn't even think about doing. You stood up to the General for me. You challenged him with your taunts on your very first day-"

"And received the ass whooping of the century for that," I replied, thinking he was wrong in pretending that my behavior had been all right back then. Sephiroth had attacked me during our next meeting, and truthfully, I had it coming. "He didn't go easy on me."

A dry chuckle sounded in my ear, coming from Ollie. "Not in that department, no."

I had forgotten all about the ear piece. And what did he just say? "Ollie! Are you serious?" I was outraged to say the least, everyone had just heard that.

"Uh...Oh, look it's the big guy..." Ollie added, sounding a little uneasy. Judging by the tone of his voice, he had just remembered the ear pieces too.

"So, the rumors were true then," Max stated, his silver eyes regaining some of that old gleeful sparkle they used to possess.

I remembered the day that I scolded Sephiroth for not wanting to train Max and only worry about his own troubles. Max had seen that, and probably wondered why Sephiroth had simply accepted my insolence. He had his answer now. Thanks a lot, Ollie. I looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Oh, here we go again. It's all in the past, Max."

"Not for me!" He snapped. "When you left...when you left and set an example, I wanted to be just a little more like you, Eden. But look where it got me. I guess I'll never understand how you get away with it all."

"I don't," I bit my lip in pity and shook my head. "What I was trying to say, was that being the never-ending rebel has never done anything for me, but get me in trouble."

"And yet you're here, free," He laughed darkly. "Are we still friends, Eden?" While speaking, he removed his sword from his back. It was the same black blade he had owned all those years ago. If only we hadn't changed so much. How easy it was for the tides to change.

Heavy footfalls resonated behind us, shaking the very ground. Azul the Cerulean had arrived.

My hand slowly moved to one of the blades on my back. "If you continue down this path of mass destruction, then no, Max. We're not friends."

"Let's end this then," He smiled coldly, raising his beloved blade, every inch the SOLDIER he used to be.

He took his stance, and more soldiers appeared behind us, creating a circle of hostility around us.

"Are you playing with your food again?" Azul's deep voice asked. "Let's see if it bites back."

Reno, Rude and Tseng had their nightstick in their hands in a flash, a gun in their other. They took position back to back, eyes in every direction. I could only hope they were a match for Azul. I wasn't bothered about the soldiers, even if they were no ordinary humans.

"It's not too late to join us, Eden," Max said, his voice almost pleading. "We can make them hurt, as they deserve. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, Max," I sneered and twirled my blade in my hand, getting in position. "Don't forget, you're still only Second Class."

We both pushed off like a shot, meeting halfway. Our blades collided mid air with a clang that rattled my bones. He was faster than ever before, his sword cutting through the air like the blades of a helicopter. Bullets flew around us, some aimed for us, some for the troopers. I deflected them with some effort, having to roll out of the way a few times. Ollie was commenting on everything in my ear, but I paid no heed to the fierce battle going on around us. More bullets ricocheted off Max's sword, shooting off in all directions. We clashed time and time again, yet never hitting each other. I twirled and butted my elbow in his face with a force that would have broken bones. But not Max's. His resilience was astounding. As was his ability to counter. His blade arched through the air, the tip slashing me across the cheek. I felt the skin rip as I spun away from him.

"Second Class, huh?" He grinned in triumph when I rose from my crouch and wiped the blood off my cheek with my knuckles.

"I apologize," I replied truthfully. "For mocking your skills." I let my eyes scan my surroundings fleetly, seeing dead bodies on the ground around us. Thankfully, they were all troopers. I saw two more go down in a hail of bullets. The Turks were moving around swiftly, dodging enemy fire and keeping their distance from Azul until most of the foot-soldiers were taken care of.

"Pff..." He scoffed. "You can thank Hojo for that. Ready to continue?"

I nodded firmly and flew at him again, once again ignoring the fighting going on around us. We danced back and forth, until I found an opening and kicked him in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps and raised his black blade to block me, but I dipped under his arm and cut him across the stomach, navel to shoulder. He sprang back, a look of astonishment on his face. Rude came sailing my way, crashing into me when Azul threw him at me like a canon ball. We both grunted at the impact and rolled towards the side of the pass together. The immense speed with which Azul had tossed him, made it impossible for Rude to stop his momentum, and he disappeared over the edge. I gasped, dropped my weapons and flung my body forward, only just managing to snatch his sleeve.

"Rude!" Reno called out in alarm when he saw what happened.

I gasped when I felt myself slipping, my boots trying to find support in the dirt, and failing. I stared into the abyss beneath us, my stomach churning. Rude reached up and caught hold of my shoulder, trying to pull himself up. His shades had flown off his face and there was true fear in his eyes.

"Hurry!" I groaned in effort as I felt myself slide forward inch by inch. Behind me, I heard Max chuckle darkly and his heavy footfalls approach. "Come on!" My hand reached for my gun, holding on to Rude with the other and firing in Max's direction, knowing it wouldn't stop him, but hopefully slow him down.

"Rude!" Reno called again, but he was too occupied with Azul to come to our aid.

Tseng appeared at my side, but Max moved fast as lightning, and Tseng had to roll out of the way to avoid being cut in half. Thankfully, he had managed to distract Max long enough for Rude to climb up, his fingers curling around the leather strap of my holsters. He almost dragged me over the edge when he heaved himself up, but before I slipped over the side, he pulled me to safety. I lay down face first in the dirt, Rude sat panting on all fours beside me, not having let go of me. Then Max's sword came flying in out of nowhere, and we rolled apart in opposite directions. The blade dug into the dirt five inches deep, right where we had been less than a second ago.

"Rude, don't do that, man." Reno stated casually once they had reunited side by side. Rude simply grunted in reply. Max had set his sights on them now, while Tseng was dancing around Azul, raining down kicks and punches expertly, in the true fighting style of Wutai.

I picked my sais up from the ground and sprinted towards Max, who was swinging his sword at Reno and Rude. With a leap, I glued myself to Max's back, wrapping my legs around him in a death lock. Rude landed a mean punch to his gut, drawing out a spray of blood from the already bleeding cut across Max's front. Instead of wavering, however, Max simply threw himself backwards into the dirt, slamming me down into the ground hard. I fought the urge to cry out when the air was pushed from my lungs and instead raised my hand, plunging my blade into his shoulder. He rolled off me with a gasp, and stumbled to his feet, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He went down on one knee, giving me the foulest look imaginable, gnashing his teeth. Suddenly, he raised his hand and fire shot from his hand, straight at me. I only just managed to avoid it, but he didn't stop. Soon, I was running around him in large circles, flames following me and missing me by an inch. I had to roll, leap and drop to the ground to avoid being incinerated, meanwhile taking down a few more troopers. The Turks had to duck out of the way, the balls of fire blasting apart whatever remained of the lawn and its tables, setting the grass ablaze. I saw Reno sneak up on him, both their faces set in determination. Max's eyes were fixed on me, his silver eyes full of hatred. I had wounded him, and it hurt him more than just physically. As Reno closed in unnoticed, I was almost full circle again. His eyes met mine, and right then, I knew there was an unspoken understanding between us. In a fluid move, I hurled one of my blades towards him. He caught it deftly, spun it around in his hand and buried it in Max's back to the hilt. Max's eyes were still on me when his mouth opened in surprise and the flames on his fist died down like embers. He went down on his knees, and when Reno pulled the weapon from his back, Max fell over onto the ground with a groan. He tried to move, and managed to roll over onto his back, a pool of blood forming around him. I ran over to him, straddled him and raised my other blade. I caught his eyes before I brought it down, seeing a sudden peace and serenity coming over him. My friend lay dying underneath me, would die by my hand, and would be gone from this world forever. I had already thought him dead, but losing him again sent another wave of sorrow crashing into my heart. I stared down at him in dread for having to do this, but he simply smiled.

"Thank you..." He whispered, before I drove the sais into his heart. He let out one last labored breath, and then his eyes stared up into nothingness.

I wanted to mourn for him, but my attention got caught by movement to my left, where Rude and Tseng were in close combat with Azul, and he seemed to be winning. Reno hesitated for only a moment, but he knew he couldn't linger. He threw me my blade and was off to aid his colleagues. When I looked away, I saw the last remaining troopers heading for me, angry over their fallen leader. I jumped up, deciding to mourn over a lost friend later, when this fight was over.

I kicked the first one back as the second one was on me. I blocked bullets fired at me, and one more went down by one of Ollie's perfect shots. Then I saw Azul backhand Rude, knocking him into Tseng and sending them both flying twenty feet across the ground.

This tree of a man was impossibly strong and immune to most attacks. Rude was passed out from the powerful smack he had received, and now Azul turned to Reno. Tseng was still in the dirt, shaking his head to get back his bearings. If Azul got his hands on Reno, he would be crushed like an insect. Luckily, Reno was fast and nimble, something I had cursed him for in the past. Not now though, now I was glad for it. He ducked at precisely the right time, counterattacking with grace and determination. He landed blow after blow, whipped out his EMR, but all Azul did was stumble. I fired a few more bullets at the soldiers around me, hoping Reno could handle it. I vaulted and attached myself to another soldier's back, breaking his neck in a second before running at the next one in sight. Then I saw Reno get slammed into the ground, the force cracking the pavement below him.

"Reno!" I called to him while already on my way.

Bullets coming from Ollie's rifle ricocheted off the impenetrable shield that Azul had conjured up around him, making him invulnerable to projectiles. Azul snatched Reno by the throat, pressing him into the ground further. He was going snap him like a twig. I took down two more soldiers, taking more time than was desirable in my rush. Reno jabbed his EMR into Azul's side, trying to get free. Without much effort, the huge man took Reno's hand in his, crushing his fingers. Reno tried to yell in agony, but his throat was completely closed off. Azul took the rod from him and twisted it around in his hand. I heard a deep rumble rise up from his chest and I knew what he was about to do. The EMR could be deadly, and where Reno knew exactly how to handle it, Azul did not. If he managed to jab Reno with it, he was a dead man.

"Hey!" I barked at Azul, trying to distract him.

While I bounded for him, I saw an evil grin spread across his face. We collided. I felt like I had thrown myself at a brick wall, but that was the least of my worries. Azul had prodded the rod my way instead of at Reno and it connected with my ribs as we rolled off Reno together. White-hot pain shot through my entire body, every cell I possessed was on fire. I cried out in agony as I spasmed uncontrollably, my cries hitching in my throat. It was never ending, excruciating. Then it ended abruptly, when Azul threw me off him. I hit the pavement face down, hard, bones bruising in the process. My body still shivered and shook, burning pain lingering in every cell and every muscle stiff and shut down. But, I was alive, miraculously. How much so, I had no idea. I lay motionless and groaning on the ground for too long, crying without wanting to, trying hard to get my breathing under control. Not even Scarlett's torture had come close to this. Reno was indeed a dangerous guy.

"Foxy," I heard Reno call with effort, hoarsely.

I grunted when I forced my arms into movement, then my legs, and pushed myself up on hands and knees, my head hanging low, trying to get my bearings.

"Get up!" Reno suddenly appeared much more alert.

All of me was trying, but before I could even look up, a giant foot smashed into my side, sending me flying with a yelp. I landed hard again, but it was what I needed to reboot. I got up, stumbling around trying to force my knees to lock, but doubled over at a sudden sting on my ribs. I looked down, and almost gasped in shock. Where the rod had connected with my ribs, my clothes were seared away, and a fairly large section of burnt, bloody skin was visible, still smoking.

"Ugh..." I said, looking at it in disgust. "Look what you did... you asshole." I faced him while he prowled at me, his chest rumbling in cold laughter. "That...all you got?" I pushed out, praying I had the strength left in me to fight him.

But, thanks to the Mako infused with my cells, I felt the strength flowing back into my body, my energy returning to me.

Azul sent me a satisfied smile, his white irises shining with dark mirth. "You shouldn't play with the big boys, Princess."

Tseng appeared by my side, blood running from his hairline. His usually so neat hair was torn from its tie, giving him a savage look. Rude was getting back to his feet, stumbling around a little before jogging over to Reno, who was still on the ground.

I pulled myself together, hoping this would end soon so I could go home and sleep. "Let's finish this, shall we, big guy?"

Suddenly, the skies opened and it started to pour, rainwater mixing with mud and blood, creating a crimson river across the path. The fires doused, leaving nothing but black, charred remains behind. The burn on my side stung when the rain washed over my body, drenching me to the skin in a matter of seconds. Rude helped Reno back up, and they joined our side, looking beat but still determined. Rude calmly reached into his jacket, fishing out a fresh pair of sunglasses, and placed them on his nose.

"Hmpf..." Azul said when he looked at us and all the dead bodies littered across the ground. "I have somewhere to be, unfortunately. You will never best this beast!" To my horror, he transformed into an enormous beast the size of an adult Bohemoth, bulking muscles and dangerous fangs included. He bounded for us, scattering us apart as he tore through our midst. He made straight for the lobby and disappeared inside, heading for the stairs and the rooftop. I wanted to go after him, but Tseng grabbed me by the arm and held me back. I obeyed reluctantly. We had all gone through too much today, and the chances of catching up with him were next to none.

"We'll finish this another day." Tseng said. "You need medical attention. We all do, for that matter."

I groaned, my side stinging. "I really need to get my hands on some materia. Look at this." I gestured at my ribcage moodily. "That'll look great wearing a bikini. Good thing I hate swimming."

Reno flung an arm around my shoulders, his drenched jacket causing cold chills to dance over my skin. "I'll take it," He grinned, rain running down his face and dripping from his hair. "You okay, babe?"

"No," I fussed as Ollie came running over to us. "I need a long hot bath. How's your hand?"

"You really are a Princess, ain't ya? It's fine, nothin' I can't handle, don't worry."

"Ha, handle," Ollie joked before he slipped in the mud and fell flat on his face.

"I suggest we all head back," Tseng said as the giant aircraft hovering above the Lodge took off. "We need to meet up with the President. Let's head back to Whiterun and see where we go from there."

"I'm going back in," I stated firmly while Ollie was in the process of getting up, and then slipping again at my words. "There may be survivors in there."

"Everyone is dead, Eden," Tseng replied calmly. "They left none alive."

"Charly was still alive," I argued with him, shrugging Reno's arm off my shoulders. I wouldn't just give up on these people. We came here to evacuate them, to help them. If there was even one person alive in there, waiting to be rescued, I would find them. "And Jo."

Ollie had managed to get back up and joined my side, covered in mud top to bottom.

"That is because Hancock knows how to react in a situation like this," Tseng explained patiently, as if talking to a child. "You will find nothing but bloodshed in there."

"I don't care. You guys go do what you have to do, we'll meet back in Whiterun when I'm done here."

"Sir," Reno broke in. "I wanna go back inside too."

Against better judgment, I found myself hoping that he would. We would get the chance to work together again, and maybe to talk. We'd gotten along fine last night when we went to see Charly, and even after that.

"Negative," Tseng crushed my optimism with one word. "I need you to oversee the transition at Junon infirmary. The people that managed to escape from here will most likely make their way there. Take Rude with you. I will guard the President along with Elena. If Eden wants to go in back in there, that is her choice. She's free to do as she pleases." He turned his gaze back to me. "Be careful in there, Eden."

"I get into trouble no matter what I do," I shrugged, but appreciated his concern. "Come on, Ollie." I stalked over to what remained of the entrance.

"Maybe we should-"

"Not waiting,"

"Okay," I heard his shoes squelch in the mud as he followed after me.

The entire lobby was a mess. Pieces of the ceiling had come down and shattered lights were on the floor. Our boots crunched in the shards of glass that littered the floor. Part of the stairs were missing, leaving only a narrow path to the upper floors. The hallways were still dark and empty. The bodies of the two nurses were still there, now covered with chunks of plaster and debris. The sight of them made me think of what had happened here, and how one of my best friends had gone rogue. I turned my head towards the blown apart front entrance of the Lodge, seeing the Turks had vanished, leaving Ollie and myself to our own devices. Max's lifeless form was laying outside in the mud, rain pouring down on him and washing away all the blood. The things he had gone through over the passed years must have been horrible. If only I'd known, then maybe I could have helped him. How abandoned he must have felt. There were so many things that had happened that made me wish I could turn back time, but all I could do now was take responsibility for my own actions. We all had to at some point. Even Shinra had come to that conclusion. If only they had done so a little earlier.

Ollie and I made our way up the wrecked stairs in silence, reaching the first floor in hope of finding anyone still alive. Our boots squeaked on the linoleum as we walked, the silence so complete we could even hear our own breathing. Tseng had confiscated the ear pieces before we'd gone in, and we were now very much alone.

"Sucks about Max..." Ollie finally opened his mouth as we searched room by room, finding nothing but more horror inside. "I get that some things aren't his fault, but the things he did were on him."

"He thanked me right before I killed him," I frowned in thought, thinking back on the moment. "He looked right at me and said 'thank you'. Maybe not everything was on him. Maybe he hated what he'd become." Now that I had a moment to let it all sink in, I knew that was what he had meant. He must have felt like he had no other choice but to strike out at the world, or maybe he'd just done all those things because he was ordered to. "What if this Weiss guy told him to do this? They all seem to listen to him. What?" I asked Ollie in question when I saw the smirk on his face.

He grinned. "You said wise-guy." I rolled my eyes and moved further up the stairs. "Could be you're right," He added after a while, scanning the corridor left and right. This floor was like a duplicate of the first, with all the blood and bodies. It made me feel sick. "They all seem to take orders from him. I hope we find the douche and show him who he's messing with. I mean, every badass on the Planet is looking for the dude; You, Cloud, Vincent, Reeve, even Shinra, man...Can't believe they're actually part of the team now. You guys work great together. I almost shat myself when Rude went over. What the hell is that?"

My mind had gone blank at his ranting, the lack of sleep causing my brain to shut down. The tone of his voice shook me from my stupor. "Huh?"

"Look over there," He inclined his head towards the end of the hallway. Another hallway ran off to the right, and I knew what he was referring to. "You see that?"

At the junction, a hand was flapping and twitching, poking out from around the corner. We shared a look that lasted only a quarter of a second, before we both bolted. We closed in rapidly, guns still at the ready just in case. But hope rose inside of me that we had finally found someone alive. Anyone. My heart beat faster in anticipation as I reached the corner, and then my hopes were crushed as if an iron fist closed around my heart. Flopping around on the floor like a fish on dry land, was a severed arm, caught between an automatic glass door that kept opening and closing, slamming into the arm time and time again. On the other side of the door lay the rest of the arm's owner, who unlike us, had not been fast enough to escape the soldier beasts. Blood was splattered on the glass, painting it red top to bottom. A smear ran through it where the person had slid down onto the floor. I couldn't even make out if it was a man or a woman. I screamed in frustration and rammed a fist into the wall, punching a whole through the plaster. My hand started to burn immediately, but I didn't care. I crouched down to calm myself, hanging my head between my knees. Ollie sighed, and fell back against the wall in desperation.

After taking a few minutes, I rose and tightened my grip on my gun. "Let's move on. There's still some floors left."

Ollie nodded, but didn't reply, and I could tell by the look in his eye that he was close to crying. I gave him a little space and walked up the stairs in front of him, so he wouldn't have to be ashamed to let the tears fall. The upper floors weren't damaged, and with a little effort, the Lodge might be restored to its former glory, if Shinra wanted to. All we found were more corpses, so after more than two hours of searching, we had to admit defeat. Tseng had been right. No one had made it out alive.