ELEVEN

"Which ones?" Brennan asked.

I leaned forward at my desk as I spoke on the phone. "All of them. Every reactor, every pillar. Like I told you—a full inspection. No telling what sort of damage there might be. If you see anything strange or out of the ordinary, I want to know."

"Understood," he said. "We're on it, Director."

Satisfied, I hung up. Brennan and his men were some of the Urban Development Division's best engineers, and if anyone could find out if there was a problem or a danger in the city's infrastructure, it would be them. After what had happened to Sector 7 last night, I wasn't about to take any chances. There was no way to tell how the loss of such a huge part of the plate would affect the rest.

Although I was tired, I hadn't gone home since the collapse. There was so much to be done, and it kept me from thinking too much about Jessica. Worrying, to be more precise. I still hadn't heard from her, and I had started to fear that she had been among those lost in the disaster. Had I been right to send her to the slums two years ago? Perhaps if she had stayed, she would've been safe now.

Angrily, I thrust my doubts from my mind. Heidegger would never have let her find any peace up here on the plate. His dogged pursuit of Kunsel and Marissa over the last two years had more than proved that. The slums had been Jessica's only hope of escape, and until now, they'd been a haven for her. Although I wasn't sure how I felt about her being in Avalanche, it didn't surprise me. She had more reason to hate Shinra than anyone. I knew how personal it was for her.

I looked up when the door opened and my secretary walked inside carrying a sheaf of papers. "Here are the damage estimates for Sector 7 that you requested, sir. It's… pretty bad."

"I can imagine," I nodded. "Thank you, Janice."

She sighed. "Director Tuesti… try and get some sleep. You've been here almost twenty-four hours now."

I shook my head. "Not yet. I need to finish preparing my proposal for the reconstruction plan before tonight's board meeting. Destroying an entire sector is… it's beyond the pale."

"I wouldn't go saying things like that outside this room, sir," Janice warned. "I don't think it would be safe."

"Don't I know it…" I agreed.

She glanced behind her as the phone rang. "Oh, someone's calling. Don't worry, though. I'll get it."

I went back to my work while she left to answer the phone. I hadn't been expecting any other calls, and I wondered who it could be. Janice would tell me if it was important and take care of it if it wasn't. So I put it out of my mind and went over those damage estimates. They were as terrible as we'd feared, to say nothing of the cost in lives lost. I was still working when I noticed the phone light flash.

I picked up the receiver. "Yes, Janice? Who's on the line?"

"Marissa Tobin," she replied. "She says its urgent."

"Put her through," I told her.

I heard Marissa just a moment later. "Director Tuesti?"

"Yes, I'm here," I said. "What's going on?"

"Is this line secure?" she asked.

It wasn't, of course. Shinra had all its phone lines monitored. But I could easily fix that. "Just a moment."

Reaching into the top drawer of my desk, I pulled out a small black device and switched it on while still holding the receiver with my other hand. Putting the jammer on my desk, I hit a few buttons and it sprang to life, the red light on top beeping steadily.

"Alright, we can talk freely," I said. "Go ahead, Marissa."

"I found Jessie," she told me.

My eyes widened as I shot to my feet. "Are you sure? Where is she? Is she alright? Have you seen her?"

"Positive, sir. After Kunsel left your office, he came straight here to see me. He told me what happened in Sector 7, so I went down there to look for her. I met some of her friends down there, and we all searched the ruins together. And… we found her."

"So she was caught in the collapse," I sighed.

Marissa went on. "I'm afraid she was. Jessie was able to temporarily disable the console with the emergency override, but… Heidegger had secretly installed a backup system. Once he turned it on, he reactivated the detonator and sprang a horrible trap to kill her."

My grip on the phone tightened. "No…"

"You know how she gets about him, sir," she said. "She had already been hurt during the battle, and she was trying to stop what he'd done. That's when the trap went off. The console, it blew up right in her face and threw her halfway across the platform."

"That bastard!" I swore.

"Jessie's friends tried to save her, but debris from the plate took her with it to the ground. Like I told you, we found her later when we went back to the ruins, but she's in pretty bad shape."

I swallowed. "How bad?"

"She's dying, sir," Marissa murmured.

I fell into my chair and closed my eyes, horrified at the news. This was worse than I could've ever imagined. And I couldn't help feeling as if I had failed both Jessica and her mother. I had promised Amanda I'd always be there for her and keep her safe. Jessica was my goddaughter, my only real family aside from my parents. But now… now it seemed I was going to lose her, too. Why was I so helpless?

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked when I found my voice.

"She has one chance," Marissa answered.

My eyes flew open. "What do you mean? What is it?"

"Aerith," she explained. "She's the Ancient the Turks captured back in the Sector 7 pillar. She actually knows Jessie—they were friends even before she left the plate—and she can save her."

"Then we have to get her out of here," I said, thinking out loud. "It won't be easy, but it is doable."

Marissa was already ahead of me, though. "Already on it, Director. Her friends and I came here to save her. They should be inside by now, and I've had Domino get everything in place for them. But I wanted to let you know what was going on."

I nodded. "Good. You're not with them now?"

"I'm back in the slums looking after Jessie," she said. "She's hanging on, but just barely. We don't have much time."

"Noted. Make sure she holds on, Marissa. See to it."

Her response was firm and determined. "I will, sir. Count on it. I'll do everything I can to keep her with us."

I knew she would. "Very well. I'll handle things on this end. Aerith will be held in the Science Division, I'm sure of it. Hojo keeps the place locked down pretty tight, but I can get your friends in there to help her without much difficulty. Avalanche, I presume?"

"Yes, sir," Marissa answered.

"I thought as much," I said. "Anyway, you'd better go. But be sure to keep me informed about Jessica's condition. Let me know if there's any change. Have you told Kunsel yet?"

She had. "I called him just before I called you. He wanted to hop in my car and come right down here to see her, but he's still hurt from the battle, so I insisted he stay put at my place. Besides, Shinra's still on the lookout for him after what happened. I know Kunsel's a SOLDIER, but I worry about him. He's… important to me."

I didn't doubt it. "I'll see what I can do to take some of the heat off his back when this is all over."

"Thank you," Marissa said. "And about Jessie, if… if it comes to the point of… saying goodbye… I'll let the two of you know so you can get down here to be with her… before the end."

"I appreciate that, very much. But let's not think about going down that road unless we have to. We can still save her. Best to focus on that, Marissa. We've both got work to do. Yours is keeping Jessica alive. Her friends and I will take care of the rest."

She responded at once. "Understood, sir. Good luck."

"You too," I said. "Tuesti out."

After I hung up, I took another device from my pocket and pressed a button to activate Cait Sith. His eyes blinked open as he sat off to one side of my desk in another chair, and his whiskers twitched. Although I could control him directly whenever I wanted as well as communicate through him if necessary, I usually preferred to let him act on his own, though I'd often use my headset to see through his eyes. It was quite an interesting experience, to say the least.

He stretched as if he'd been asleep. "Well, that was a good wee little nap. So what can I do for ye, boss?"

"Jessica's been found," I explained. "However, she's wounded and in critical condition. The only one who can help her is a girl brought here by the Turks from the Sector 7 pillar."

"That Ancient lass we've heard aboot?" Cait wondered.

I nodded. "Yes. She's being held in the Science Division. I'm certain Hojo has something planned for her, but we have help. Jessica's friends from the slums are infiltrating the building to save her. They're already inside, likely on their way to meet Domino."

Cait hopped to his feet. "It's them Avalanche fellers, right? So if we help them free this lass, she'll save Jessica?"

"Exactly," I answered. "I need you to do what you can to make sure they succeed. Don't let them see you, but help them along however you can. If I'm not at the meeting, Heidegger, Scarlet, and the others might grow suspicious. But I'll stay in touch."

"Aye! Ye can count me!" Cait promised.

I knew I could. "Very well. And one other thing. While you're out, slip into the security office and get me the console logs for the Sector 7 pillar. They'll prove Heidegger threw the switch."

He gave me a little salute. "I'll get 'em, don't ye doubt!"

"Good," I said. "Then get going."

Cait hurried away as soon as I'd finished speaking, slipping into his little hidden exit behind his chair. It would lead him into the sprawling network of shafts and air vents that ran throughout the building. They were all connected and were on every floor, so he could easily make his way anywhere in here without being seen.

When he was gone, I switched off the jammer, put it away, and got back to my reports. But I also put my headset on and enabled the audio feed so I could hear what Cait did. I kept the visuals off for now so that I could do my work, though I intended to activate them later. Knowing Jessica was alive, even as hurt as she was, greatly lifted my spirits, and I was going to do everything I could to help her.

As I rode up the elevator with Cloud and Barret, I gazed out at the sprawling city through the lift's clear glass walls. Sector 7—or what was left of it, at least—wasn't visible from this angle, and I was glad for that. One look at that terrible wasteland had been more than enough. It was, as Barret had said, a graveyard.

Too many people had died, and we were lucky that we'd gotten out in one piece. And that all our close friends had made it, too. Well, most of them. Jessie, as much as I hated to admit it, was still on the edge. We had been through so much together over the years, and I didn't want to lose her. I wasn't going to let her die. And that meant helping my other friend, the one we were here to save.

"I hope Aerith's alright," I murmured.

"She is," Cloud assured me.

Barret nodded. "Merc's right, Tifa. An' we gonna bust her on outta here. So stay frosty, guys. This is the real deal."

A moment later, there was a soft chime, and the elevator doors slid open. We crept out onto the 60th floor, staying in the shadows as much as we could. The place was full of columns, black marble like the floor, and at least eight of those armored grunts paced back and forth amidst them, turning around every so often at regular intervals. And what we needed was on the far right side of the main area. A pair of glass doors with two very important words above them:

MAIN ESCALATORS

"Look!" I whispered, pointing. "Over there!"

"I see it," Cloud said.

Barret scratched his chin as we slipped quietly into a nearby office. "How we gonna get there without bein' seen, though? Them troops are watchin' the whole area real close."

Cloud peered out the door. "Those columns. We stay behind them and stay quiet and we won't be noticed."

"Those guys turn pretty quick, though," I reminded him.

"Then we'll go one at a time," he said.

I patted his shoulder. "Good plan, Cloud. You first!"

"Knew you'd say that," he smirked.

Barret grunted. "Oughta rush the lot of 'em an' jus' take 'em the hell out. Be a lot easier that way."

"And louder," Cloud pointed out. "Forget it."

"Not to mention they outnumber us three to one," I said. "Not very good odds, if you ask me."

Barret sighed. "Awright, awright… might as well go on ahead then. But keep an eye on them troops an' let us know when it's safe to move. Tifa'll go next, then me. You got that?"

"Copy," Cloud nodded.

I gazed out into the main room. "What are they guarding, anyway? I don't see anything out there."

He pointed to the wall behind me, where a large diagram had been mounted. It showed the entire 60th floor, with a cluster of what looked like storage rooms, other offices, and testing facilities surrounding the central area. The elevators were on the bottom, and the escalators were off to the right, just as we'd seen earlier.

"This floor's gotta be part of the Weapons Development Division," Cloud answered. "Must be where they do some of their research. Jessie could probably tell you more about it."

Now I understood. "They've probably got lots of dangerous stuff in this place. And those guards make sure that none of it gets out. Or that no one gets in here who shouldn't."

"Like us," Barret said.

"Right," I agreed. "But where is everyone?"

Cloud shrugged. "Dunno. This office looks like it's for whoever's in charge on this floor. One of Scarlet's subordinates, probably. But as you can see, it's empty. Lucky for us."

"So why ain't he here?" Barret wondered.

"I think we have our friend Mr. D to thank for that," I said. "He did say he'd made sure we could get to him."

Cloud nodded. "Sounds about right. Now let's move."

"Stick to the shadows!" I told him.

He did just that, slipping quietly out the door and ducking behind the nearest column. There were enough of them in there that we'd have plenty of cover as long as we timed our movements right. While Barret and I watched from the overseer's office, Cloud crept from one column to the next, patiently waiting until all the guards were facing away from him to make his move. Their heavy footsteps echoed in the air, but for all their vigilance, they never saw him.

When Cloud was halfway across the area, he turned and motioned for me to follow him. I did, keeping a close watch on the guards while I darted stealthily from column to column. Cloud beckoned to me when it was safe to move, too. Whenever those armored grunts would face in our direction, I'd flatten myself behind cover until they had moved on. My heart was pounding with every step.

I was almost to Cloud when I noticed his eyes going wide as one of the guards started to turn around faster than we'd expected this time. I was still in the open and couldn't hope to reach the next column before he spotted me. But then, all of a sudden, a tall potted plant behind him just tipped over with a loud crash.

I'd seen several of them sitting around the area, likely put there for decoration and to soften the place up a bit. Expensive, painted things I figured had to have cost more than I'd made in a whole year at Seventh Heaven. The guards all whirled toward the noise and conveniently put their backs to us as an explosion of soft brown dirt and broken, glazed bits of pottery flew across the floor.

"Who goes there!?" one of the guards demanded.

I sprinted toward Cloud, grateful for the unexpected diversion, but as I did, I glanced at the guards again and noticed something small and dark running away from the broken pot. It slipped into the shadows of a nearby hallway so quickly I couldn't really make out what it was, and I had to wonder if I'd only imagined it. But, real or not, it had helped us out. I caught up to Cloud safely a moment later.

One of the guards prodded the remains of the potted plant with his rifle. "What a mess. Better get someone from Internal Maintenance up here to clean it up before Scarlet throws a fit."

Barret got moving while the guards were still facing away from us. As soon as they started to turn around, though, he stopped behind one of the columns to wait. He crept forward once they started their patrols again, and soon he had joined Cloud and I at the halfway point. It was a larger pillar, black marble like the rest, that stood in the middle of the central area and was just wide enough for us all to hide behind. Ahead of us past more columns and guards were the glass doors leading to the elevators. Just a little farther to go.

"So far, so good," Barret whispered. "We halfway there."

I nodded. "Yeah. That was close…"

"And convenient," Cloud noted. "Seems we've got more inside help than we thought. Whatever it is…"

"You saw it, too?" I said.

He gazed thoughtfully at the guards. "Not sure. Maybe. Didn't get a good look at it, if something was there. But that pot didn't just fall over by itself. And it kept you from being seen."

"Better not take any chances, though," I reminded him. "We might have help, but that's no reason to get sloppy."

"Right. I'll go first," Cloud agreed.

I watched him go. "Good luck! And be careful!"

He glanced back at me for a moment as he slipped behind the next column, and the corner of his lip curled up in a little smirk. I flashed a small smile back at him and nodded. Then he moved on as soon as the guards had turned away again. Barret and I kept our eyes on him as he made his way silently across the rest of the area, pausing every so often to wait for the guards to move before darting over to the next column. It felt like an eternity, but it really only took a minute or two for Cloud to get to the glass doors and pull them open.

As soon as he went through, he waited just inside the doorway and beckoned to me. I got moving, keeping a close eye on the guards while I crept from column to column. And this time, I joined Cloud without coming close to getting caught. I couldn't help letting out a little sigh of relief as I stepped through the doors, though. Then I turned around to watch and wait as Barret started his turn.

At first, everything went fine. He got over to the first few columns one by one without a hitch, surprisingly quiet for how big he was. And as he moved, Cloud and I watched the guards and motioned for him to wait when they were looking our way. Then we beckoned him forward once they had moved on. So far, so good.

But when he was around halfway to the doors, Barret bumped into another of those potted plants just before he got to another column. As it started to fall, I found myself holding my breath, but he caught it just before it would've smashed to the floor. Even as I was slowly starting to relax, though, the pot slipped as he put it down, settling back into place by the column with a loud thump.

Barret was still partially out in the open, and for just a moment, he froze as several of the guards started to turn around. My eyes widened, and Cloud and I braced ourselves for a fight. But then, just before they would've seen Barret, the guards suddenly flinched as something small, round, and white struck the floor at their feet and billowing plumes of thick gray smoke rose up all around them.

Barret bolted toward us at once, running as fast as he could amidst shouts of confusion from those armored grunts. We couldn't see them, but they couldn't see us, either. Whoever had thrown that smoke bomb had just done us a big favor and given Barret enough cover to reach us without being seen. He made it through the doors a moment later just as the smoke was starting to disperse.

"Shit…" he swore after I had closed the doors behind him. "Me an' my clumsy ass. Almost got us all caught."

"Forget about it," Cloud said.

I nodded. "Seems our little friend came through for us again. Wish I knew who he was. I'd like to thank him."

"Maybe later," he agreed. "For now, let's keep moving."

Barret grinned. "Yeah, baby! Let's do this!"

I frowned over my shoulder at him as I stepped onto the escalator. "We're here to save Aerith and Jessie, remember? Not to fight Shinra by ourselves. We'll deal with them later."

"Jus' gettin' pumped," he said. "I know what we here for."

"Then stay focused," Cloud told him.

I beckoned to him and Barret. "Yeah. Better move on, guys. Clock's ticking, and the girls are counting on us."

Cloud joined me on the escalator. "Right behind you."

"Same here, Tifa," Barret added, bringing up the rear. "I ain't gonna let 'em down, I can promise ya that!"

As we rode the escalator up to the 61st floor, I took a breath to help steady my nerves. We'd made it past the first hurdle with help from our unseen friend. Still a long way to go, but I knew we could do this. We'd find Aerith, break her out, and escape.

The 61st floor was dominated by a large open area filled with long, angled tables in several rows surrounded by a cluster of smaller round ones. In the middle of it all stood, of all things, a tree. It was huge, with lush green leaves and was enclosed by a high metal fence that stretched all the way up to the ceiling, where a soft, pale bluish light shone down over the branches. For a moment, we all just gazed at it, Tifa and Barret on either side of me as we stepped cautiously through the glass double doors and left the escalator bay behind us.

"Well, ain't that somethin'," Barret said. "Last tree in Midgar. Whole place used to be nothin' but rollin' green hills far as your eye could see. Least 'till Shinra went an' built their city with its reactors. Now it's jus' a barren wasteland for miles in all directions."

I glanced over at him. "You're well-informed."

He nodded. "Did some research before I first moved to this town. I know a thing or two, believe it or not."

"Guess you do," I shrugged.

"Damn right!" he laughed. "Oh, hey! Check it out!"

He walked toward the far side of the area, which was dominated by a wide stretch of thick floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out across the city below. The view spanned the lower half of the city, so there was no way we could see Sector 7 from here. Probably for the best. It wasn't a pleasant sight. And although I knew Heidegger'd had the whole thing rigged from the beginning, I still couldn't help wishing I'd been able to stop what had happened in there.

"Let's go take a look, Cloud," Tifa suggested.

We did, following Barret over to the windows. This was why it was called Skyview Hall. Several tables had been arranged nearby, probably so people could take in the view while they ate. A few people and even couples were sitting here and there, but no one who might've been our contact. They were all wearing uniforms or business casual clothes for the most part. Nothing as formal as what we'd been told to look for. So I just gazed out at the dark cityscape with Tifa and Barret. It was a vast sea of lights in the misty, smog-filled night.

"Folks come up here to admire the scenery," he said. "Beautiful an' pretty, ain't it? But all them lil' lights burnin' so clear an' bright run offa the planet an' her blood. An' bit by bit, they bleed her, never stoppin' to think 'bout how it's gonna end for 'em."

"Yeah," Tifa sighed.

Barret went on. "Terrible, but still beautiful."

I nodded. "Seems that way. Better find our contact, though. Should be around here somewhere. Look for a suit."

"Right," Tifa agreed, scanning the crowd. "Hmm…"

We walked around the area, scanning the crowd as discreetly as we could and trying took casual. There was a mix of office workers, Shinra troopers in their blue uniforms, and a few lower level executives as the murmur of conversation filled the air. I looked around, my eyes flitting from one person to the next.

It was Barret that found him. "Over there, guys. That's our man an' no mistake. Sittin' all by himself."

Tifa and I followed his gaze to a large, buffet-style cafeteria on one side of the area close to the elevators. Smells of cooking food teased my nostrils as we made our way over there, and a sign above the place read "Skyview Cafe" in bright blue letters. Several more tables stood nearby, and at one of them sat a dark-haired guy wearing a crisp gray business suit, a white collared shirt, and a tie.

"And we have ourselves a winner," Tifa said.

"Let's go see him," I added.

We walked over the table, and as I got closer, I saw he was nursing a mug of coffee and reading through some papers. Seemed like he was getting ready for a long night shift. Not much of a surprise with all that had happened over the past two days.

He looked up as we approached. "And you are…?"

"Internal Maintenance," I answered.

"Oh, right…" the man nodded. "You're here about that door, aren't you? Better have a seat before you get noticed."

There were three empty chairs around the table, and we each took one. We'd definitely been expected. I leaned forward. "That's right. You know what we need, right?"

He held out his hand. "Of course. I've already been apprised of the situation. Name's Jamison, by the way. Now, if you'll let me take a look at your keycard for a moment, I'll update it for you."

"You can do that?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, most executives here can upgrade keycard access permissions if necessary," Jamison explained. "But only to certain floors depending on the clearance level he or she has."

I handed him the card. "And you can get us upstairs?"

He took it, then pulled a small device from his pocket and scanned the card. "Only to the 62nd floor. Another contact will meet you there, however. He'll take you further."

"Understood," I said. "How will we know him?"

Jamison gave me back the key. "Don't worry. He'll know you."

I slipped it safely back in my pocket. "Alright. Good enough, then. What's up there, anyway?"

"Shinra's archives," he said. "Lots of books and documents."

"Some kinda library, I guess," Barret rumbled.

Jamison shrugged. "You could say that. Anyway, you all should get going. We don't want anyone getting suspicious."

"Right," Tifa agreed. "And thank you."

He nodded, and we stood up, ready to move on. It wasn't crowded, really, but there was still a handful of other people nearby, either sitting and eating or walking around, while a few others gazed wonderingly at that huge tree. Taking one last look at it myself for just a moment, I led Tifa and Barret over toward the elevators.

We were almost there when I suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind us. I whirled around, the others doing the same, and saw one of those Shinra soldiers hurrying toward us. I tensed up, afraid we'd been caught somehow, but then I saw he hadn't brought up his rifle. Looked like he wanted to talk instead of fight.

"Holy shit! Cloud, is that you?" he said, his jaw dropping.

I blinked. "Uh, yeah…"

He laughed. "Hey, it's cool, bro. We went through training together, remember? Thought that was you back in Sector 8 last week. That was totally wicked how you jumped on that train! Sorry we went after you, by the way. It was just a total mess back there."

"Sure, I guess…" I said, grabbing the side my head as pain flared in it again as if I'd just been hit by a hammer.

"You're still alive and kicking, huh?" the soldier went on. "Damn! I knew it! Some of the guys heard you got smoked, but I told 'em it was a load of bullshit! I gotta tell Kunsel soon as he gets back! He'll be glad to know you're alright. See you later, man!"

Then he was gone, hurrying away toward the cafe, and the pain left at almost the same time. I let go of my head and watched him leave, my mind filled with more questions than answers. Who was that guy? And how had he known who I was? Although there was something familiar about him, I couldn't figure it out.

"You okay?" Tifa wondered, gazing at me.

I nodded. "Yeah."

She frowned. "But you were—"

"I'm good, Tifa," I told her. "Let's just keep moving."

"Guy seemed like he knew you," Barret said as we started walking. "So is he an old buddy or somethin'?"

I shrugged. "No idea."

"And what about Kunsel?" Tifa asked. "You don't know him, either, right? That's what you told us before."

I didn't. "Yeah, I don't. Never met him."

She sighed as she pressed the button to call the elevator. "Hmm… I suppose we can figure it out later."

"You alright?" I asked as the doors opened.

"What?" Tifa blinked. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Cloud. Why?"

I followed her inside. "You seem a little on edge."

"Well, look at where we are," she smirked. "Smack in the middle of the Shinra Building. Not exactly a vacation spot."

Barret chuckled. "You got that right."

But as we slowly rode the elevator up to the 62nd floor, I wondered if it was more than that. The difference between what I knew and what that Shinra soldier seemed to believe bothered me, but it seemed like it had upset Tifa even more. I didn't know why, though, so I put it out of my mind as we continued our rescue mission.