FORTY-SEVEN
I was sitting behind the bar with my arms around me when I heard the doors open. It was so loud outside, and I thought I smelled smoke. But Daddy had told me to stay here, so that's what I was doing. When I heard some footsteps walking across the floor, I stood up on my tiptoes and looked over the counter to see who it was.
It was a lady in a pink dress about the same age as Jessie. She had a nice long braid tied with a pink ribbon, and I really liked it. I thought it looked really pretty and that maybe I might have mine like that when I got older. But I still didn't know who she was. Then she noticed me as I was looking at her, and she smiled.
"Ah! You must be Marlene," she said.
I didn't move. "Who are you? Daddy said not to talk to strangers. I don't know who you are."
The lady nodded. "That's some good advice. But you don't need to worry. Tifa sent me. And Cloud."
"Where are they?" I wondered. "With Daddy?"
"You mean Barret?" she said. "They're helping him, sweetie."
I blinked. "He's not coming home?"
The lady shook her head. "Not yet. That's why I'm here. This place isn't safe right now, so I promised Tifa that I'd take you somewhere that is. And that's just what I'm gonna do."
"Are we gonna lose our home?" I shivered.
"I know it's hard," she said, walking up to the bar. "But it'll all work out in the end. You're still gonna have your daddy, and you can build a new home together. So, are you ready to go?"
I was afraid, but the lady was so nice, too. I didn't know what to do at first, but slowly, I walked around the bar until I stood in front of her. She smiled at me again, and her eyes were green. Then she knelt down in front of me and held out her hand. I had a finger in my mouth, but I pulled it out and shyly reached out to her. The lady held my hand, and I started to feel a little better.
We were just on our way toward the door when I stopped and went back to the bar. Jessie's flower was there in its pretty vase, and I wanted to keep it safe for her. So I carefully picked it up and went back over to the lady. I carried it in both hands as we started walking again, and as I did, I looked up at her and hoped it was okay.
"Can I take this with us?" I asked.
She grinned. "Of course! You know, I sold Cloud that flower. For a big discount, too! Because he was so nice to me. But don't tell him that, okay? It'll be our little secret."
I giggled. "Okay! And, um… what's your name?"
"Aerith," she answered. "That's Jessie's flower, isn't it?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Cloud gave it to her. And she even let me water it for her! Is she gonna be okay, Aerith?"
"She will if Cloud has anything to say about it," she winked.
"I think he likes her," I said. "He gave her this vase."
Aerith led me to the door. "Did he now? I'm sure he does, Marlene. Now we'd better go, okay? Just stay close to me."
I did as she said. "You smell nice."
"Oh?" she wondered.
"Like… Jessie's flower," I told her.
Aerith laughed. "We'll grow a whole lot of them at your new home, as many as you want. You can help, too!"
I smiled. "Yay! I can't wait!"
When we opened the door and went outside, I gasped and stepped a little closer to her. There was fire everywhere, and smoke. I shook my head, wanting to be brave and strong like Tifa and Jessie and not cry. It was scary, though. I wished Daddy was there.
At the bottom of the stairs was a man in a purple outfit kind of like Cloud's, and he was holding a sword in his hands while a group of bad soldiers from Shinra marched toward him with guns. And right behind them was a man in a dark blue suit with long black hair. There was also a helicopter nearby, and it was really loud as it sat there on the ground with its big long rotors spinning.
"Aerith!" the man with the sword said. "They showed up a minute ago while you were still inside."
She nodded as we went down the stairs. "Tseng…"
"It's been too long, Aerith," the man in the blue suit said.
"Not long enough," she said.
As we went down the stairs, Tseng looked at her. "It would've been wiser for you to stay home."
She smirked. "Always was a little foolish."
That was when I saw Cloud and Jessie's motorcycle. It was close by, right next to the stairs. Then I remembered Jessie telling me today that she was gonna go polish it and make it shine really bright before Cloud got back. He was gonna take her for a ride, and that did sound like fun. But he hadn't come back with Daddy and Tifa, and Jessie had been sad. So the motorcycle was still out here.
Then, before Tseng or those soldiers could stop her, Aerith picked me up, jumped onto the motorcycle, and started it. It was really loud as I sat in front of her, but I didn't mind. And while we did that, the other guy—the one holding the sword—stayed in between us and the Shinra soldiers as Aerith revved the engine.
"Go!" he told us. "I'll keep these guys busy!"
Aerith waved, and then we started moving. Tseng went back to his helicopter while the guy with the sword started fighting the soldiers as we drove away. The bike was really fast, and I held on tight to it and the flower and Aerith as we raced down the road.
Our kiss was a short one, both because of our position and because of Jessie's wounded condition. I'd have to take a closer look at her soon, but I could tell she was in pretty bad shape. As I held us aloft using the rotor gauntlet on my left hand, I held onto her with my other arm and tried not to jostle her and aggravate her injuries. Jessie rested her head weakly on my shoulder when our lips parted, and it seemed like it was only then that she realized we were in the air.
"Hey, Cloud…" Jessie wondered. "Are we… flying?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But this thing's not made for two. I should find us a place to land. Hold on."
We were already slipping a little lower from our combined weight, and I knew we didn't have much time before we started to fall. Pressing another button on the control rod, I used it to steer us back over to the pillar. I set us down on the thirteenth floor as gently as I could, not far from the stairs leading up. When we were safely down, I turned off the rotor glove, removed it, and tossed it aside.
"Nice landing…" Jessie quipped, smiling in spite of the pain.
I helped her sit with her back to the low wall by the stairs. "Guess it wasn't too bad. How's that?"
She gave me a weak thumbs up. "Awesome…"
"Here, Jessie," I took a potion out of my pocket, opened it, and gave it to her. "Drink this. It'll help a little."
She did, still managing to make a face as she swallowed it. I looked her over in the meantime, not liking what I saw. Jessie had been shot at least four or five times in her right arm, shoulder, and collar, and if she hadn't been half-turned away from the chopper to throw that grenade, the armor-piercing rounds would've torn through her chest, heart, and lungs instead. Her arm hung uselessly at her side, bleeding all down its length from multiple bullet wounds.
That wasn't the only thing. Just as I'd seen in my dreams, a piece of shrapnel had embedded itself in her left thigh, and that was bleeding as well. I'd have to get that out and bound up before Jessie lost much more blood. She was also cut and bruised in several places with some minor burns from the blast as well, and she was covered in ash, dirt, and dust. I looked around to see what I could use to help her.
"Stay here," I said, touching her cheek.
Jessie smirked. "I'm not… going anywhere…"
Giving her a faint little smile, I went over to the nearest of the dead soldiers and started tearing strips from his uniform, as many as I could carry. Then I went back to Jessie and knelt in front of her. I decided I'd have to take care of her leg first. That was bleeding the most, and once I got the shrapnel out, it would only get worse.
"This is gonna hurt," I told her. "Better brace yourself."
"Lovely… bedside manner," Jessie chuckled.
I took hold of the metal shard with one hand and planted the other lightly on her thigh. "I'm a merc, not a doctor."
"Then… how do you know… what to do?" she asked.
"Basic battlefield medicine's a standard part of SOLDIER training," I explained. "In case you're ever out on a mission somewhere and don't have materia or potions on you. Ready?"
She held my arm with her good hand. "Ready…"
"Here goes," I said.
After sharing a nod with Jessie, I pulled the metal shard out of her in one quick, fluid motion. She winced, gasping as her grip on my arm tightened, and grit her teeth against the pain. After tossing the piece of shrapnel aside, I took two of the longer strips of cloth I had taken from the dead soldier and made them into a tourniquet. Jessie squeezed my arm again as I tied it tight around her leg.
"Shit, that hurts!" she said.
I took her wounded arm next. "Sorry. Had to be done."
Jessie relaxed her grip and touched my face. "It's okay… Cloud. I'm a… big girl. You're… doing great. And I think… that potion's… finally kicking in. The pain's… going down a little."
"Good," I said. "Just hold still."
Using several more cloth strips, I bound up her arm as best I could and put it in a makeshift sling. It looked like the potion was starting to slow the bleeding, but she'd already lost a lot. She was too weak to even stand right now, let alone fight. It didn't matter to me, though. I'd carry her to the top and make sure she was safe.
As I looked at her, I remembered something. "Jessie… do you still have that cleaning kit on you?"
She nodded. "Yeah… but why?"
"You'll see," I told her. "Where do you keep it?"
"Belt pouch, side pocket," Jessie said.
I found it there, just as she'd told me, and took it out. Then, after I'd poured a little water from the bottle onto the cloth, I gently cleaned the ash, dirt, and blood off her face as best I could. She smiled as I worked, the same memory coming to her that had to me, and while I dabbed at her cheek, she took my hand for a moment.
"I remember… doing this for you…" she murmured.
"On the train," I said. "Guess it's my turn now."
She gazed fondly at me. "Yeah. It feels… good. Thank you…"
I paused for a moment as our eyes met. In spite of how badly Jessie was hurt, she was alive. I wasn't sure how to put what I felt into words, so I didn't. Instead, I leaned in close and kissed her, pressing my mouth softly to hers. I felt her return it, her hand sliding around to the back of my neck, and I lost myself in her moist, tender lips.
She smirked as I pulled away. "Mmm, that was nice…"
"Just… glad you're alive," I admitted.
"Me too," Jessie gave me a wry grin. "Guess we beat fate… after all. I kinda like… the sound of that."
I carefully wiped her forehead. "Has a nice ring to it."
"Damn right it does. You know, Cloud… you came to my rescue… again. Just like… the night we met. You still… have the best timing… I ever saw. You saved me again."
"Made you a promise, remember?" I said.
Jessie nodded. "Oh, I do. At the… base of this thing. You came for me… just like you said you would."
"I'll always come for you," I promised.
"My hero. So gentle…" she grinned. "And so cute…"
I took something out of my pocket. "Here. Hold onto this."
"But I… gave it to you…" Jessie blinked.
It was the baby chocobo feather in its glass case. "I know. And you were right, Jessie. It kept me safe when I fell from Reactor 5. It brought me back to you. But I think you need it more than I do right now. We'll share it. That way we'll both have good luck."
She laughed softly as I put it into her pocket. "Told ya… it worked. Thanks, Cloud. But you know… I wish that we could've gone… on our date. It would've been… a lot of fun."
"Yeah," I said, grinning faintly. "You owe me a pizza."
"Guess I do, don't I?" Jessie giggled.
I nodded. "But I owe you a ride. So we're even."
"Fair enough," she said as I finished cleaning her off. "You think… when I'm back on my feet… we could go?"
I kissed her again. "Plan on it."
Jessie hugged me for a moment with her good arm, then she let go, her eyes shining. I was just putting the water bottle and cloth back into her belt pouch when I suddenly heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs nearby. I immediately reached over my shoulder for Buster and sprang to my feet in front of Jessie, but it was only Tifa.
I relaxed at once. "Tifa! Glad you're here. How's Biggs?"
"He'll be alright," she answered. "Wedge and Lena are looking after him and seeing to the evacuation."
"Good. Mind giving me a hand?" I asked.
Tifa nodded, then her eyes widened when she noticed Jessie sitting against the wall and how hurt she was. "Jessie!"
She smiled. "Hi, Tifa. I'd… get up and hug you, but…"
Quickly kneeling down in front of her, Tifa focused on the Restore materia and called on its healing magic. Green sparkles floated around Jessie for a minute before fading away, and her bleeding stopped. Some of her smaller injuries started to close, but it would take time, rest, and more treatment for her to make a full recovery.
"Is that better?" Tifa asked, worry all over her face.
"A little," Jessie answered. "Pain's not as bad."
Tifa took her shoulder. "Don't worry, Jessie. I'm gonna take care of you, alright? Just hang in there."
"Sure thing… big sister…" she chuckled.
I glanced above us when I heard the sound of gunfire and another helicopter approaching. "We've gotta move."
Tifa stood up. "Right. Barret needs our help."
Bending down for a moment, I carefully picked Jessie up and held her in my arms. My right was under her thighs, and I had wrapped my left around her lower back. She lay her head against my chest, weak but awake and alert. Tifa put her hand over Jessie's good one and squeezed it gently, then let go as we moved toward the stairs leading up. We were almost there when Jessie looked up at me.
"Cloud…" she said. "When we… get up to the top… I need you to take me… over to the console. If I can shut it down… and lock it out… then Shinra won't be able to… blow the pillar."
"You'll be there," I promised.
Jessie nodded, and we got underway. Tifa went first, and I followed a step behind her. The fourteenth floor was empty, a burning wreck in the wake of the chopper's crash landing, and we hurried onward, going up the stairs to the platform as fast as we could. Time was running out, and the Turks were on their way.
"What do you mean you won't open the gate!?" I yelled. "We've got to get these people outta here!"
The idiot soldier didn't budge. "No! It stays closed!"
Wedge, still supporting Biggs, stood beside me. "If you don't let us through, we'll all die! Don't you get that!?"
"Back off!" the soldier snarled.
He shoved Wedge back, and he and Biggs both nearly fell over. But I caught his arm just in time and he was able to steady himself. I was so pissed, though. Why was that soldier so hung up on duty at a time like this? It didn't make any sense. There was a whole crowd of people here needing to escape before the plate fell.
"Wedge! Biggs!" I said. "Are you guys alright?"
Biggs nodded. "I'll be okay, sis."
Wedge sighed. "I'm no good to anyone… up there or down here. If these people die… it's on me…"
"No!" I told him. "That's not true!"
"But, Lena—"
I cut him off. "Listen to me, Wedge. I love you and believe in you. I don't wanna look back one day and wish I'd done things different. This is the kind of moment that really counts, and I need to know that I did everything I could. Right here, right now."
Then I reached up, touched his sweet, round face, and kissed him. It made my heart spin like it always did, and I held my lips there on his for a moment, telling him without words that I knew he could do this. And he got the message, his mouth moving against mine for a moment before finally pulling away. When he looked at the guard again, he was firm and resolute, his gaze determined.
"I don't know what's gonna happen tonight!" he yelled. "But I sure as hell don't wanna have any regrets about what I did or didn't do! So I need you to open that gate! Our lives are in your hands! If you don't do it, we'll all die! Every last one of us!"
For a moment, no one moved. And then the other soldier, the one who had stuck up for me and let me get in here, started to open up the gate. But just as he reached for the lock, his partner suddenly slammed the barrel of his gun right across his face, knocking him to the ground and standing squarely in front of the fence.
He pointed his rifle at us. "I said, no one gets through!"
"You bastard!" I snarled.
Just then, I heard the sound of a motorcycle powering toward us. It was coming from the town itself, and I turned along with everyone else to see a Hardy Daytona coming up the road toward us. Aerith drove it, and Marlene rode in front of her as they pulled up just a short distance opposite the gate. Aerith frowned when she saw it was still closed. And then she started revving the engine.
"Wedge!" she called.
He nodded, grinning. "Right! Everyone outta the way!"
I motioned to the crowd, knowing now exactly what Aerith had in mind. And I loved it. "Stand back, everybody!"
"Open the gate!" Aerith ordered.
The soldier shook his head. "No! It stays closed!"
She smirked. "I don't think so."
Then she revved the motor again, its purring loud and welcoming even as it made that soldier sweat. While they stared each other down, I helped his partner move aside to a safer spot. Then I noticed that the first soldier was aiming his gun at Aerith, his finger on the trigger as he stubbornly stood his ground. I got ready to move.
"Hold on, Marlene," Aerith told her. "Hold on tight!"
She did, and Aerith gunned the engine. The bike shot forward like a bullet, and just as the soldier got ready to shoot her, I jumped right at him, knocking him aside. We flew to the ground just as Aerith and the Hardy flew past us and smashed open the gate with a bang. The soldier and I both grappled for the gun, rolling over in the dirt, and he wound up on top of me, his weight pressing me down.
"Get the hell off her!" Wedge roared, grabbing him.
He yanked him away and threw him aside, the gun landing nearby, and I sprang to my feet. When the soldier sat up and tried to go for the rifle, I drew my own gun, held it in both hands, and pointed it squarely at his helmeted head. He froze right away.
"Don't. Even. Think about it," I growled, cocking the trigger.
And then, Wedge punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. "That's for trying to hurt my girl!"
I holstered my gun. "Come on, Wedge. Let's move!"
"Everybody out!" Aerith called, spinning the Hardy around to face us from the other side of the gate. "Hurry!"
While Wedge got the crowd moving, I went over to where he'd left Biggs sitting nearby. I helped him to his feet, sliding an arm around his waist and wrapping one of his around my shoulder, and we walked side by side to the gate as he leaned on me.
He laughed. "Guess you're… savin' my ass again."
"Damn right I am," I said. "Just like in the Train Graveyard. I'll get you outta this, Biggs. Same as last time."
"'Least there's no ghosts here," he smirked.
I flashed my brother a smile as we went through the gate. Not very far ahead of us, Aerith and Marlene sat on the Hardy, urging everyone to keep moving while Wedge stood nearby and did the same. Biggs and I were just joining him when suddenly we heard a helicopter flying not far away. It flew in our direction, its lights sweeping over the area until they stopped on Aerith. Her eyes narrowed as she and Marlene looked up at the chopper, their hair blowing around them.
"Aerith?" I asked.
She glanced at me. "It'll be alright, Lena. Just get everyone to safety. Don't worry about me."
Before I could say anything else, Aerith drove off toward Sector 6, weaving carefully through the crowd. The helicopter followed her, and once she was safely clear, she sped away in a roar of engines, the Shinra chopper in hot pursuit. I watched her go, worried in spite of what she'd said. Shinra was after her, although I didn't know why, and I knew they wouldn't give up easily, if at all.
