TWENTY-SIX

They was still busy connectin' the cars when we got onto the train, so I knew we'd have at least a few minutes before we finally got movin'. Jus' enough time to go over the plan again. We all knew what we had to do an' when, but I wasn't takin' any chances.

While Cloud an' Tifa waited with me at the far end of the train car, Jessie, Biggs, an' Wedge went an' sat down. Place was damn well packed today, full as I'd ever seen. Not the place to have a private meetin'. That in mind, I walked over to my team, decidin' to send 'em on ahead. We'd have to act fast once the train started movin', so it'd be best if they went ahead an' got themselves into position.

"Better split up, guys," I said. "Too many ears here."

Jessie got up first. "Right! We'll head on down the line, Barret. And we'll be ready. See ya!"

After the boys joined her, all three of 'em gave me a thumbs up, an' I shot 'em one in return, flashin' 'em a grin as I did. They did the same, then went through the door to the next car. Jessie stopped for just a sec on the way, smilin' over her shoulder at Cloud an' adjustin' her glasses. He nodded back at her, the corners of his mouth jus' barely turnin' up, an' watched her disappear into the next car.

I was jus' about to rejoin him an' Tifa when I heard someone sittin' behind me mutterin' to himself. Wouldn't have cared, but what he said got my attention 'cause it was 'bout me. I scowled soon as I heard him. A dark-haired guy in a red business suit an' a black tie with a briefcase. He grimaced, not knowin' yet that I'd heard him.

"Just my luck," he complained. "This creep again."

"Got somethin' to say?" I headed toward him an' asked. He'd heard me, of course. I didn't doubt that. He jus' didn't wanna 'fess up to what he'd said. So I tried again. "You say somethin'?"

When I did, most of the other folks in here got up an' went into the next car, none of 'em darin' to look me in the eye. Probably afraid I was gonna cause trouble. I could feel 'em all starin' at me as they hurried on past. It was the gun-arm. Tended to scare people sometimes, and while it would've been nice to be able to go places without 'em bein' afraid of me for once, it was a small price to pay to be able to fight Shinra. Them bastards took my arm an' a whole lot more.

That guy in the dark red suit still kept his trap shut. So I went over an' stood right in front of him. "Well, how 'bout that? Place cleared out real quick. What's the deal?"

Now he looked up. "Damn! It… it's all… it's all because of… g-guys like you. Thugs p-pushing everyone around…"

"Say that again!" I slammed the seat next to him.

"Don't you watch the news? Avalanche is gonna attack again! More bombings. And on such a dangerous day, only a loyal Shinra employee like me would even think of going to work."

I raised my gun-arm. "You work for Shinra?"

"Barret!" Tifa dashed in between us, arms out to either side an' her eyes blazin' as she stared me down. "Enough!"

That little Shinra manager cowered in his seat, hands on his head. I snorted an' lowered my arm, then Tifa brought both of hers down, too. The guy glanced up at me after that, meetin' my eyes for the first time. Well, he would've if I'd taken my sunglasses off. He quit shakin' and sat up again, bolder now with Tifa coverin' his ass.

"I won't give in to violence," he told me. "And you're not getting my seat, either. Go sit somewhere else."

"Hmph! Lucky son of a bitch," I muttered.

I followed Tifa to the back of the train car, where Cloud was waitin' for us. But before the merc could even open his mouth to let out some smart remark about what had happened with the Shinra manager, Tifa whirled on me, still pissed, hands flyin' to her hips as she stood with us an' glared at me. Her gaze was like knives.

"What's the matter with you!?" she demanded.

I clenched my hand into a fist. "All them damn Shinra jus' piss me off, Tifa. You know that."

She didn't budge. "Do I ever! But what you did was wrong."

"Hell, I was jus' tryin' to rattle him," I argued. "Not like I was really gonna kill the guy."

"Are you sure?" Tifa prodded.

I opened my mouth to tell her I was, but then I realized I couldn't. An' I was willin' to bet that she'd known it. But she didn't understand. It wasn't somethin' I'd ever brought up. Not to her or even to my team. I'd come a long way an' a hard road, harder than any of 'em knew. Marlene was my reason to live an' fight, an' the last part of a past Shinra's troops had burned away a long time ago.

Merc cut in before I could say anythin'. "So what now?"

Pretty slick, changin' the subject like that. SOLDIER boy knew jus' what he was doin', gettin' our attention back on the mission the way he had. Annoyed the hell outta me, though. That an' how he jus' stood by the wall, arms crossed in front of him, cool as ice. Them glowin' eyes of his stared hard at me, waitin' for an answer.

"Shit!" I growled. "The hell you so calm for, merc? My rhythm's all busted up now, thanks to you."

"You're welcome," he shot back.

I snorted. "Smartass."

Jus' then, we heard a loud rumblin' from outside followed by a hiss of steam. Tifa looked up. "Well, if you two are about finished, it sounds like they just got done connecting the cars. We should be leaving soon. And I'd say it's about time."

"Then let's go over the plan," Cloud said.

"Hah!" I laughed. "Wanna get right to work, don'tcha?"

The kid jus' stared at me as the train started movin'. Couldn't take a joke, I guess. His face had all the expression of a chunk of rock. Dunno what the hell Jessie saw in him sometimes. But she was happy enough. An' he was a helluva good fighter. So I decided I could put up with him for now. No choice, really. We had a mission to do.

I went on. "Awright, then. Let's get down to business. You know the security checkpoint Jessie was tellin' you 'bout? Saw you two on the last mission lookin' at the monitor together."

"Yeah, she explained it to me," Cloud said.

"Good. Anyway, we'll be hittin' it soon. Jessie probably gave ya the details already, but I'll go ahead an' remind you anyway. It's an ID scan system checkin' out all the trains."

Tifa grimaced. "Shinra's very proud of it."

That they was. "Since the train's runnin' in security mode, our fake ID's ain't gonna hold up once we get to the scan."

Jus' then, the overhead speaker came on with a lil' chime. Then the conductor's voice came on. "Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Midgar Lines. Our arrival time at Sector 4 Station will be 10:45am. We hope you have a pleasant day."

"Security checkpoint's comin' up in ten minutes, so we'll jus' jump on outta here in five. Got it?"

Cloud an' Tifa both nodded, then headed down to the other end of the car to watch the monitor. Well, the merc jus' stood there at first 'till she convinced him to move in closer for a better look. Meanwhile, I sat down an' waited while the train rumbled under our feet along the rails. I hate waitin'. Always takes so damn long.

I was jus' startin' to relax when suddenly them flashin' red security lights came on, sweepin' all down the length of the car. I shot to my feet as Tifa an' Cloud both looked up. A slight frown was all the expression SOLDIER boy was showin', but that was still more than what I'd usually seen on him. An' if he was worried, so was I.

"Strange," Tifa said. "The ID scan, it should've been further down. Closer to the plate, remember?"

"Yeah. Doesn't make sense," Cloud agreed.

Suddenly, a buncha sirens started goin' off, beepin' like crazy while the overhead speakers blared warnin's again an' again. "Type A Security Alert! Multiple unidentified passengers detected! All cars will be searched immediately! Repeat! This is a Type A Security Alert!"

I joined the others. "The hell's goin' on!?"

Suddenly, the door to the next car slid open an' Jessie came runnin' in, her eyes wide an' worried behind her glasses as she beckoned to us. She'd kicked off her heels on the way in, an' we all looked at her soon as she stopped in front of us.

"We're in trouble!" she told us, pointin' behind her at the door she'd jus' come from. "No time for questions, I'll explain later! Just get to the next car! Hurry! We've gotta move before—"

There was a crashin' of glass all 'round us as several drones burst in through the windows. They flew right for us, sizzlin' bolts of electricity sparkin' from their four lil' legs. They looked almost like metal spiders, with an antenna on the back an' a red sensor light on the front of their domed bodies. I whipped up my gun-arm.

"Slug-rays!" Jessie warned. "Shinra sentry mechs. They'll stun you if you're not careful!"

Tifa brought up her fists. "Cloud!"

"On it," he nodded, drawin' that bigass sword of his.

"Stay behind us, Jessie," I ordered her. "You ain't got your gun on ya right now, so jus' let us handle it."

That said, I opened up, firin' at the nearest mech. Blew up in a nice shower of sparks an' fire while Cloud an' Tifa laid into two others, fists an' steel makin' short work of 'em. But then another wave came in, four more of the damn things. They started shootin' back, bullets chewin' at the walls an' seats but jus' missin' us.

Mr. Shinra Manager was still in here, on his hands an' knees on the floor now as he tried to crawl toward the door behind us. But between him an' the exit was them four slug-rays. They was all fightin' us at the moment, swarmin' around like gnats as he crept under 'em an' tried not to be noticed. But then one of 'em did.

Jessie moved before we could, runnin' in an' reachin' for him jus' as the mech drew in its legs and jabbed at him with 'em like a spear. With her help, he got outta the way jus' in time, but then it started sparkin' as it rose up again, ready to fire. Much as I hated helpin' the guy, I shifted my aim to fire at the slug-ray.

Jus' a second too slow, though.

The guy flinched as the mech fired a blast of electrical energy right at him, but Jessie was faster, grabbin' him by the shoulders an' spinnin' him around. Then she pushed him away, usin' her momentum to shove him toward the door jus' as the slug-ray's shot hit her in the back. Jessie immediately went rigid, bright blue sparks of current sizzlin' across her body an' makin' it twitch an' spasm uncontrollably.

"Jessie!" Tifa yelled.

"Shit!" I blasted the mech to pieces.

Cloud growled an' cut down the others in a string of quick slashes, then shouldered his blade an' hurried over to Jessie while Tifa an' I did the same. She was still twitchin', her eyes wide, but after a moment, the blast's effect finally wore off. Jessie slumped forward an' would've fallen if Cloud an' Tifa hadn't caught her.

"You okay?" Tifa asked, easin' her to the floor.

"A little cooked, but I'll be fine," Jessie gave us a weak laugh. "Now I know what a microwave dinner feels like."

Cloud knelt down next to her. "Think you can walk?"

"I'm still a little tingly, but yeah," she answered, lettin' him help her to her feet. "Don't worry about me, Cloud. I—"

Soon as he let go of her, though, Jessie started fallin' forward as her legs wobbled like rubber an' gave way under her. But Cloud caught her quick as a cat, takin' hold of her in both hands an' sweepin' her right up off her feet. He held her easily in his arms, one under her thighs an' the other wrapped firmly 'round her lower back.

"You were saying?" he quipped.

Jessie grinned sheepishly. "Then again, maybe not…"

The guy in the red suit stood up an' looked at her. "Um, thank you, ma'am. But… why'd you do it? I work for Shinra."

"We don't want anyone else to get hurt," Tifa answered.

"Get goin'," Cloud added.

Mr. Shinra Manager nodded and disappeared into the next car. As we got ready go, I glanced around, seein' the red lights still flashin' over the ruined mechs as the alarms kept goin' off. The fight had driven any thought of them alerts an' what was happenin' outta my mind, but as I looked at the empty car, I remembered.

I grimaced an' shook my head. "Damn. Someone screwed up…"

"We'd better go," Tifa said.

"Yeah," Jessie agreed. Then she sighed, though it didn't sound even remotely convincin' to me. "This so embarrassing. I really hate playing the damsel in distress."

Cloud jus' carried her through the door. "It happens."

We headed into the next car, where Mr. Shinra Manager and a few folks were all sittin' in the seats waitin' this whole thing out. Wedge an' Biggs were there, too, standin' nearby an' lookin' 'round anxiously. As I moved toward 'em, another alert suddenly came through the overhead speakers, an' we took a moment to listen.

"Upgrading to Level 2! Preparing for lockdown!"

"Hurry up!" Biggs motioned to us.

"They're gonna seal the doors, boss!" Wedge said.

Jessie glanced at us from her place in Cloud's arms. "Just run, guys! There's no time! Switch to Plan B!"

I pointed ahead of us. "You heard her! Go!"

We got movin', runnin' to the next door, an' hurried from car to car down the train, one after another. No stoppin' yet, though. Alarms kept blarin' overhead, but we didn't slow down 'till we got to one of the front cars an' the red lights finally switched off. The alerts cut off, too. We all stopped an' caught our breath for a moment.

"Awright!" I said. "We clear?"

Jessie shook her head. "Not yet. They'll be starting another scan in a minute, and if we're caught, we're dead. Don't worry, though. As long as we keep moving up the train, we'll make it."

Tifa nodded. "Then let's do it."

"Cloud, go ahead and put me down," Jessie glanced up at him. "I'm feeling better now. I'll be okay."

"You sure?" he asked.

She smiled. "Oh, you really know how to tempt a girl, don't ya? But I'm alright. I can go on my feet from here."

Cloud gently put her down while me an' the rest started headin' on toward the door. Holdin' his hand at first to steady herself, Jessie stood for a moment, then let go an' took a few steps. To my relief, she did jus' fine, like she'd never been shot.

"Better?" Cloud said, movin' up to her.

She gave him a thumbs up. "Yep! Thanks for the lift!"

"Anytime," he told her.

With that done, we all hurried on, Cloud an' Jessie behind me with the others ahead of us. A few other folks was walkin' 'round, includin' a red-haired guy in a black leather jacket, but I didn't pay no attention to 'em 'cause I was so set on gettin' up front past the ID scan. So when that guy brushed past me, it was a couple seconds before I realized that my wallet was gone. Damn sneak had stolen it.

I whirled 'round. "Hey! You!"

Guy started to make a break for it, but Jessie tripped him an' he fell to the floor. Looked up to see Cloud standin' over him, hand out an' his blue mako eyes glowin'. Guy took one look, shoved my wallet right into his hand, then scampered off without a word. Merc tossed it to me, an' I caught it with my good arm, noddin' my thanks.

It was jus' a minute later that we finally rushed inside the last car. It was jus' us in here, fortunately. While Cloud closed the door behind us, Jessie hurried over to help Biggs get the side exit open. The panel next to it was a mess of wires as they worked. Didn't take long, an' Cloud an' Tifa stood with me an' watched 'em go at it while Wedge kept an eye on the other door jus' in case.

"And… bam!" Biggs grinned as the door slid open.

I clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job. We made it! Now comes the hard part. We gonna dive on outta here!"

Tifa glanced out the open doorway. "Scary, isn't it?"

"Can't back out now," Cloud reminded her. "Why'd you come along anyway? It was kinda last minute."

"Well, you see…" she started, not meetin' his eyes.

I frowned. "Hey! We ain't got time for that! So get movin'!"

Tifa straightened. "Right. My mind's made up. I'm gonna jump! So keep your eyes on me!"

Crouchin' down, the wind from the train's acceleration blowin' her hair, she eyed the openin' carefully, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Then, just a second later, she jumped, leapin' off the train an' into the tunnel, disappearin' from sight.

Cloud glanced at me. "Mind if I go first?"

"Nah," I said. "I'm stayin' to the end, merc. Part of bein' a leader. So don't you go worryin' 'bout me."

"You think I would?" he raised an eyebrow.

Jessie winked. "I do."

I chuckled. "She's got ya there, SOLDIER boy. Gotta act all cool an' badass, though, don't ya? I get it."

"Apparently," he said.

"Better go, though," I went on. "And you watch yourself, you hear? Don't be gettin' your spiky ass hurt."

He folded his arms in front of him. "Now who's worried?"

"Sure as hell ain't me, Cloud. Mission's jus' gettin' started, so go on an' jump before I push you out!"

I wasn't mad, not really. Jus' fired up thinkin' of what we was gonna do. Didn't wanna admit the kid wasn't as bad as I'd first thought. Cloud started to move to the door, but then Jessie caught his arm, turned him toward her, an' kissed him.

"Gonna leave without saying goodbye?" she smirked.

"I… no," Cloud said.

Jessie smiled. "Good. I'll meet you in our special place, okay? And I'm so glad you liked my disguise! Made my day."

"Sure," he nodded. "See you there."

Then he was gone, jumpin' outta the train same as Tifa'd done. We was gettin' close to the station, so I headed over to the door myself. Jus' before I made my exit, though, I looked back at the others. They knew what to do, an' despite the alarm goin' off early, we was still on track to finish the mission jus' like we'd planned.

I gave 'em a thumbs up. "Later! See to the rest, guys."

Jessie shot me one back. "As soon as we get off the train, we'll haul our asses over to the underplate."

"After we get changed," Wedge reminded her.

Biggs pointed to their three suitcases. "Me and Wedge got our gear together while Jessie was headin' back to warn ya. So we're all set, boss. Catch ya on the flipside!"

Then he an' Wedge both grinned an' gave me a thumbs up of their own to match Jessie's. They'd lay low for the rest of the ride. Once I was gone, the alert would stop soon enough. Jessie an' the guys could easily pass themselves off as jus' a few more rattled passengers. I knew they'd be fine, so I waved, turned, an' jumped.

A few minutes later, I saw Barret ambling down the tunnel toward me. I'd been waiting for him where I'd landed, just as we'd planned. Tifa was doing the same thing somewhere further back, and I didn't think it would take too long for us to find her. I straightened up from where I'd been leaning against the wall as Barret approached.

"Ready, merc?" he asked.

I nodded. "Tifa shouldn't be far behind us."

He kept on walking. "Then let's go meet her. The others oughta be on their way by now, too. Includin' your girlfriend."

"The hell?" I blinked, falling in beside him.

"Dunno what all happened last night when you an' Jessie was at the underplate, but she seems a lot happier today."

I glared at him. "That's private."

Barret laughed. "No shit, merc. Jus' sayin' it ain't gone unnoticed, is all. Been worried 'bout her since Reactor 1."

"She's fine," I told him.

"I think so, too. An' you'd best help her stay that way."

As if I needed the reminder. "I intend to."

"Good," Barret said. "She an' the guys'll have everythin' ready soon as we get there. So we still on track."

"That supposed to be a joke?" I raised an eyebrow.

He scratched his head, then chuckled when he understood. "Guess it was, SOLDIER boy. Didn't even know it. On track! Hah! Jus' what we been walkin' on, ain't it?"

I shrugged. "Obviously."

"Damn, but you a tough nut to crack, ain't ya?"

"Tough as you'll ever see," I said.

Barret snickered. "You ever smile or laugh, merc? Bein' frosty's one thing, but you downright frigid sometimes."

"Depends," I replied.

I thought of how Jessie and I had laughed together last night in the little storage room, how safe I'd felt doing that with her in that place. It had taken a while, but she'd managed to poke a hole in that hard shell I always wore like a second skin.

"Ain't gonna kill ya to loosen up a bit, you know," Barret suggested. "Might wanna give it a try."

"No promises," I answered.

He snorted and we went on, walking down the tunnel side by side. We followed the tracks as they curved to the right, and soon we found Tifa just up ahead. She smiled and waved when she saw us. I gave her a nod as Barret and I approached her.

"Hi, guys!" Tifa called. "Glad you could make it!"

Barret laughed. "Wouldn't miss it!"

"You wait long?" I asked.

"Not really," Tifa adjusted her fighting gloves. "But be careful. I saw some webs nearby. Might be grashtrikes around."

I noticed them now, too. "Looks like it."

"We'll take care of 'em if they show up," Barret hefted his gun-arm. "Now let's get movin'. An' don't be lettin' your guard down 'till we get to the reactor. Stay alert, guys."

Tifa glanced around the tunnel as we walked. "You know, it looks a lot bigger from out here…"

It did, actually. "Yeah, Tif. I think you're right."

As we went on, we climbed up onto a nearby service platform that ran alongside the tunnel for a bit. The duct we were looking for wasn't the same one that Jessie and I had used last night, but it led to the same place. According to the tunnel map we'd gone over the other day, it was just a short distance past the platform.

Webs were everywhere up here, coating the walls, ceiling, and a lot of the floor. My hand flew to Buster as a scuttling, slurping sound filled the air and half a dozen grashtrikes wove toward us. Looking like giant gray slugs, they had two antennae, a pair of short arms like tentacles, a long snout, beady eyes, and a barbed tail.

"Damn, I hate bugs," Barret brought up his gun-arm.

"Watch your step," Tifa reminded us, her fists ready. "These webs'll really slow you down if you're not careful."

We rushed in, weapons ready, and tore into the things, each taking a different target. I cut down two with a series of quick slashes followed by a leaping chop while Barret filled another with bullets and Tifa hit a third with a quick string of punches and kicks that left it bloodied and broken on the floor. Then she lifted her glove and concentrated on the Ice materia embedded in the slot.

A second later, biting shards of frost cut into another grashtrike as its rubbery hide cracked under the spell's deep cold. Its screech of pain was abruptly cut short as I clove the bug in two with Buster and Barret took out the last one with a burst of gunfire.

"Hell, that wasn't such a chore, now was it?" he smirked.

"Not done yet," I corrected him.

More grashtrikes slithered out onto the platform from huge gouges in the walls where they'd made their tunnels. One of the monsters was huge, twice as big as the rest and over six feet long. It looked more like a scorpion than a slug, though, with arms ending in sharp pincers and a tail much longer than those of the smaller grashtrikes. The barbed tip was slick with venom as it hung over its body.

Tifa swallowed. "Looks like the queen's come out to play."

"Oh, hell no…" Barret grimaced.

"Tifa!" I said, hefting Buster. "They don't like ice! Queen's probably weak to it, too. So hit her hard! I'll back you up!"

She readied her materia. "You got it!"

I charged at the bugs, Tifa right behind me while Barret covered us with his gun-arm. Slicing and thrusting my way through the creatures while she blasted them with cold, I focused on the queen. It went right for me, which was what I'd been hoping for. If I could keep its attention fixed on me, that would make it that much easier for Tifa to pummel it into submission with both fists and frost.

Ignoring the small fry, I sliced at the queen, scoring a hit across its hide, but it was only a shallow one. The creature's carapace was tougher and harder than those of the other grashtrikes. It was gonna take a few more slashes to get at anything vital. The queen snapped at me with its pincers, but I dodged out of the way as Tifa struck it from behind with a burst of piercing cold that left it squealing.

"Watch the tail!" I warned.

Ignoring the sound of Barret ripping into the other bugs around us with sprays of lead, I slashed at the queen again before it could turn to go after Tifa. Just as I'd thought, it struck at me, getting a glancing blow with a pincer but no more than that. Then it spat a web at me, trying to trap me, but I rolled out of the way and sprang back to my feet just as it shuddered under the impact of Tifa's fists and feet followed by another ice spell that cracked open its carapace.

While I rushed back in, slicing the queen with a vicious triple slash and a spinning overhead chop, Tifa did a leaping flip onto its back and slammed her feet into its spine in a pair of sharp, diving kicks. The bug screeched in pain as she jumped off. But when she landed, her foot got tangled in a cluster of webbing, and she fell.

I moved fast, but not fast enough. The queen's barbed tail whipped to the side and down, catching Tifa in the arm while she was struggling to get up. She cried out, gritted her teeth, and let loose another ice spell just as the tail struck at her again. The biting cold shattered it to pieces while I cut the queen's head in two in a single downward chop, roaring as I did it. The thing shuddered and lay still.

"Tifa!" I hurried over her.

She yanked her foot free and slowly stood up, clutching her arm as Barret finished off the last of the smaller grashtrikes. As I reached Tifa, I shouldered Buster and looked at her left arm. She'd been stung above her wrist when she'd been trying to shield herself from the blow, and it was already red and swelling.

"Poison?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Does it hurt?"

Tifa winced. "Like hell, Cloud. I can manage, though."

Barret joined us. "Had Biggs pick up some antidotes on the way to the bar this mornin' since Reactor 5's s'posed to be toxic as hell. Guess I shoulda had him give 'em to us before we left."

"Not your fault, Barret," Tifa told him. "Let's just find him."

"Think you can make it?" he said.

A pained grin crossed her face. "Watch me."

After I used my Restore materia to take care of the minor cuts and scratches we'd all gotten during the battle, we started moving again. At first, Tifa had been able to walk on her own, though slowly. But after a few minutes, her skin was flushed and sweaty, and she staggered. I took hold of her arm to help her stay on her feet.

We got to our destination not long after that. A service duct sitting at the base of the wall on the lefthand side of the tunnel. Letting Barret see to Tifa, I knelt down, pulled the metal grating off the opening, and set it on the ground. Then we all peered inside.

"Looks clear," Tifa breathed. "I don't see… anything we… could get stuck on. Should be… good to go."

I agreed. "Yeah. It's a one-way trip, though."

Barret grimaced. "Damn, that hole's tiny. I'll barely fit in there. You sure there's no other way into the underplate?"

"Positive," I sighed. "The duct Jessie and I took last night is too far away from here. We'd have to walk another ten minutes back down the tunnel. And Tifa doesn't have that kind of time."

Her face had taken on a clear greenish cast, and she was starting to tremble as she leaned there against Barret, her breathing heavy. I didn't like how she looked, and while she was putting on a brave, tough front like I'd known she would, the venom was clearly draining her. Tifa saw me looking at her and smiled.

"I'll be fine, Cloud," she said. "Don't worry."

I looked away. "Can't help it."

Tifa managed a weak laugh. "I know. But you've… got a promise to keep, remember? Guess I'm… in a real bind here."

"I'll get you out," I met her gaze.

"You'd better!" she teased. "I just hope… Jessie doesn't mind me… borrowing her hero… for a little while."

I knew she wouldn't. "She'd tell me to save your ass."

"Then I guess… you should," Tifa smirked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Tif. Let's move."

Barret sighed as he looked at the narrow duct. "S'pose you're right, merc. Scares the shit outta me, though."

"Wanna… hold my hand?" Tifa chuckled.

"Looks like I'm the one holdin' you, girl," he grinned.

She nodded. "Can't argue with that."

I crawled into the duct, and then, between Barret and I, we helped Tifa get in. He came last, and when we were all inside, we got moving. I set us a slow but steady pace as we went along, able to see in the dark a little thanks to the mako in my system. With the train and tunnel now behind us, we made our way down the service duct toward the Sector 4 underplate and the next phase of the mission.