TWENTY-SIX

"Goddamn Shinra bastards!" Barret spat, pounding his fist against the stair he was sitting on. "The more I hear, the more I hate 'em! I ain't even got the words for it. Makin' monsters…"

I didn't blame him. What I'd seen in the Nibel reactor that day had horrified me, finding out what Shinra was doing. And in the shadow of my own hometown, no less. Who had those men been before Hojo had twisted them into monsters? I didn't know, but they hadn't deserved to suffer a fate like that, no matter what they might've done. Nobody did. Hojo was gonna have a lot to answer for.

"Son of a bitch…" Biggs swore.

Jessie's eyes narrowed as she sat next to me. "I swear, nothing those assholes do surprises me anymore. Especially after what I saw up in the Science Division before I left. But still…"

Marissa swallowed. "Wow… I can't believe it…"

"I never even imagined the reactor held such a terrible secret," Tifa murmured. "I'm almost glad I didn't go in there…"

Lena frowned. "I wonder…"

"What is it, Lena?" Aerith asked, glancing at her.

"Over the last few months, before the plate came down, there were a lot of monster attacks," she said. "More than usual. They just kept on coming, no matter how many we killed. Mostly they hit around Sector 7. Isn't that right, Wedge? Lots of eaters…"

He nodded. "Yeah. Cloud and I wiped out bunches on our patrols, and he and Jessie took out a nest a while back. Made a dent, but didn't slow 'em down as much as we'd hoped. So now I'm wondering if maybe they really came from somewhere else."

"Shinra's got unmarked storehouses down here," Lena went on. "It's where the chip for that first bomb was gonna be delivered to by Shinra 'till a friend of mine intercepted it and got it to me. The Vice gang stole it, but luckily Jessie was able to swipe it back from them. Anyway, what Wedge and I are saying is that we think Shinra may have been secretly breeding monsters in those places and setting them loose in the slums. Eaters, wererats, drakes, you name it… between them and the bandits, a lot of people have been hurt or killed."

Wedge reached back and gently took her hand. "Yeah… including you, Lena. I was really scared, but you made it."

"Thanks to you," Lena smiled.

He blushed. "Well, uh… Biggs and Jessie were there, too. When we found you out there in the ruined expressway and saw what happened to you, how hurt you were. Remember?"

She leaned forward and kissed him. "Yeah. But you carried me. All the way to the clinic. You were there for me, Wedge, made me feel safe. I really needed that… and all the times you came to see me when I was sick and hurt… more than you'll ever know."

Wedge gazed fondly at her. "I really love you, Lena."

"Love you, too," she winked.

As Lena sat back on the sofa, her eyes and Jessie's met, then both of them glanced at Elmyra, who returned their gaze with a knowing nod. And I got the feeling that more had happened to Lena than she'd let on, something likely only the three of them knew about. She'd been sick for about a month by the time I'd first arrived in Sector 7, and I hadn't met her until two weeks after that. I hadn't known that she'd been attacked, either, but that did explain how and why she'd been caught in the mako fumes long enough to make her so sick.

"I think you might be right, Lena," I said. "Considering what I saw in the reactor and their experiments in the Science Division, it's a good bet they had a hand in our monster problem."

Biggs nodded. "Could be, but why would they do it?"

"Control," Jessie answered. "To keep us scared and divided. I know they've gotta be involved because… I helped oversee the deployment of the hell houses around Sectors 5 and 6 when I was still in Shinra. Back when I still thought they'd be used to protect people. It's what I'd made them for. My god, I was so naive…"

Barret looked at her. "Don't go bein' so hard on yourself, Jessie. We all got fooled by them assholes. Even me."

She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Barret."

"You were so determined to hunt them down back when you were still living here with me and Mom," Aerith said. "I think I see now why it was so important to you. And why you went off alone to save Maddy from one of them, even if it killed you."

Jessie sighed. "Yeah. I felt it was my responsibility, you know? Since I'd created them. I wanted to make up for what I'd done, for all the pain and grief they'd brought about. I still do."

"Ain't your fault, Jessie," Barret assured her. "You didn't make those things to hurt anyone. That's on Shinra. An' we took some of 'em down for ya when we was rescuin' Aerith. That Valkyrie was a pain in the ass, but I torched it on our way outta there."

"And when we were in the museum, Cloud accidentally trashed the prototype for you, too," Tifa chuckled.

Jessie laughed. "I appreciate it, guys. I really do."

I shrugged. "My sword slipped."

"I'll bet," she smirked.

Barret went on. "You also oughta know there was an evacuation up top. Kinda done on the sly, if ya know what I mean. As if somebody up there had been warned 'bout what Shinra was gonna do. You wouldn't know anythin' 'bout that, would ya, Jessie?"

She smiled. "Oh, I might. I was hoping Reeve would be able to find a way to get people outta there in time."

"I think he did, girl," Barret said. "We overheard some folks talkin' 'bout it while we was in there rescuin' Aerith. You saved a helluva lotta lives that night. Knew I was right to trust ya."

Jessie beamed. "Means a lot to me to hear that. And to know that I was able to make a difference. Even though we couldn't save Sector 7, it helps that so many people still made it out."

"An' all the ones up top've got you to thank for it," he reminded her. "So don't you ever forget that, Jessie."

"I won't," she promised.

Jessie straightened up and sat a little taller, as if a heavy weight had rolled off her shoulders. I knew, probably better than anyone here, how hard it had been for her, struggling with the guilt she felt over how her creations had been misused to cause so much pain and death. And also how she blamed herself for the devastation from the reactor bombings. I still had to tell her the truth, that it had been Shinra and not her who had caused it all, but I wanted to do it when we were alone. The others didn't know just how badly it had affected her.

I still vividly remembered Jessie's suicide attempt in the underplate when we'd gone there to hide the second bomb, how heavily her shame and guilt had crushed her and pushed her to that point of desperation. How she'd just broken down in my arms and questioned her worth as a person. I knew how much it would mean to her to hear the truth, and I was gonna share it with her before I left.

"There's something else I wanna tell you," I said, gazing at her. "It's important, but… private. So we'll talk later."

Jessie smiled. "Alright. I hope it's something good."

I nodded. "It is. But anyway, about those monsters… the only way we'd really know for sure if Shinra's involved would be to check out one of those storehouses ourselves. But I dunno if we've got time to do that since half of us are leaving in a few days."

"We might," Lena said. "I know where to go, Cloud. My friend, the one who secured the first bomb chip for me, told me about it—he's got contacts in Shinra who leak information to him from time to time. It's in the outskirts of Sector 3. Supposedly just someplace they store spare parts and other equipment, but that may only be for show. A few of us could sneak over there and take a look."

"Sounds familiar," Tifa grimaced, looking at Jessie.

She sighed. "Oh, yeah. Sure does. That Shinra supply depot over in Sector 4 we scouted out was exactly the same. So you guys can bet this place'll have its share of nasty secrets, too."

"If our suspicions are correct," Red said. "it would certainly explain the rise in monster attacks lately. And the same could hold true outside of Midgar as well if Shinra is still creating those creatures in their other reactors. In any case, I think we should all listen carefully to the rest of Cloud's story. We must know our enemy."

I took another sip of water. "Yeah. Where was I…?"

"You and Sephiroth had discovered that monster and left," Marissa shivered. "Scares me just thinking about it."

Aerith glanced at Tifa. "You were waiting outside, right?"

She nodded. "I was, yeah…"

"We all went back to Nibelheim after that," I went on. "The four of us. Never did see that other soldier again, unfortunately. Sephiroth just kept to himself at the inn, wouldn't even say a word. I tried to talk with him, but it was no use. So I went home again in the meantime and saw my mom for a bit. Wasn't much else to do."

"Then Sephiroth just disappeared, right?" Tifa asked.

I glanced at her. "Yeah. It was really sudden. We found him in that big old house on the edge of town. Shinra Mansion. A group of people from the company used to live there a long time ago. Scientists, I think. At least that was always the rumor."

Tifa looked at the others. "That place always felt creepy, ever since I was a kid. I remember some of my friends back then would dare each other to see who could get the closest to it. But nobody, not even any of the grownups in town, ever went inside."

"Until Sephiroth, correct?" Red surmised.

"Right," I said. "He hadn't been himself ever since we'd first arrived in town, and after returning from the reactor, he was even more out of sorts. I was worried about him, so I went into the mansion to find him. It was old, abandoned, and eerie as hell. I knew something had to have really been wrong to drive him in there…"

"You're sure he went in there?" I asked.

The soldier, the only one who'd made it back from Mt. Nibel with us, nodded. "Yeah, I saw him go into that place just a little while ago when I was on lookout. Went past me without a word."

I took his shoulder. "Alright. Let's go!"

Together we left the inn and hurried outside, making ourway across town to the Shinra Mansion. Gathered around the front gate was a small crowd of people including Tifa, her father, the martial artist Zangan, and the photographer who'd taken our picture. They were all gazing uneasily at the big old house past the fence but turned to look at us when we came over. Zangan folded his arms in front of him.

"There's nothing that'll endanger the town, is there?" he said.

I shook my head. "No. Why do you ask?"

He frowned. "Shinra came out here to eliminate anything that might embarrass the company. You tend to pick these things up when you travel as much as I do. So keep your eyes open."

"I will, but it's Sephiroth," I insisted. "He'd never do that."

Zangan chuckled, but there wasn't much humor in it. "Are you sure? Better be certain your faith isn't misplaced."

Of course it wasn't. I knew Sephiroth. He wasn't about to wipe out a whole town. He was cold, sure, and a bit grim sometimes, but beneath all that, he was a good man. Aloof, but decent. Or so I'd thought. I should've listened to Zangan, but I didn't wanna believe what he was trying to say. I didn't wanna think Sephiroth was capable of it.

Tifa's father glared at me. "Until I'm sure we're not in danger, I'm not leaving. I'm keeping watch on this place."

"Me too!" Tifa added.

"I thought I told you to go home," he sighed.

She put her hands on her hips. "Not happening, Dad. I'm as worried about this as you are. And I'd rather be with you."

"Just be careful," he told her.

Tifa smiled. "I will. Everything'll be fine, you'll see!"

He hugged her. "I hope you're right…"

"I wonder what he's doing in there?" the photographer asked.

I opened the gate. "Time to find out."

Sharing a determined nod with the soldier, I stepped onto the path in the front yard and hurried with him to the mansion's entrance. The front door swung open with loud creak when I gave it a little pull, and for just a moment, we stood there, a chill wind blowing around us, and gazed at the old house looming ominously beneath the overcast sky. Then we went slowly inside, our footsteps loud in the stillness.

On either side of the foyer were two smaller rooms, and past it to the right alongside the wall, an old wooden staircase curved its way up to the second floor. The hallway there overlooked the foyer and went off in both directions, left and right. Tucked underneath the stairs was another door, with a third one across from it, and a fourth stood right under the second floor hallway, where light shone in from three stained glass windows. The whole place was covered in dust and cobwebs.

A trail of footprints led upstairs, so we quickly followed them. I could tell they didn't belong to Sephiroth, though. They weren't big enough. But I thought I knew whose they were. The truck driver—the prints had been made by a soldier's boot, judging by the shape, and he'd stayed behind in town while the rest of us had gone to Mt. Nibel. He must've come in here not long ago to check on Sephiroth as well.

The prints turned right when they reached the top of the stairs, then right again at the end of the hall where it split in two directions. The trail led us to one of the bedrooms. The driver was inside, just as I'd expected, and he looked up when we came in. He'd been staring across the room at another doorway on the far left end. This was more a sitting room, I saw, and I guessed the actual bedroom was through that door. Had Sephiroth gone in there? Maybe to rest or think?

"Anything?" I asked.

The driver shrugged. "Dunno. I got here just in time to see Sephiroth heading into the bedroom, but when I went in there myself, he was gone. I couldn't find a trace of him anywhere…"

I nodded, then went into the bedroom along with the other soldier. It was empty, and everything seemed to be in place. The large bed sat in the corner ahead of me next to a pair of small windows, and an oldwooden bookcase rested against the left side of the opposite wall, which was made from gray stone fitted together like bricks. It curved all the way around to the window and the iron lamp hanging near it.

I went to the bookcase and looked at the rows of thick, leatherbound volumes on the shelves, hoping there might be something here to help me find out where Sephiroth had gone, some clue I hadn't seen yet. At first, I didn't notice anything unusual. Cobwebs and dust lay on everything here just as they did everywhere else in the house.

Then, as I looked more closely, I saw that the dust around one of the books had been disturbed. Wondering what that could mean, I started to pull out the book. When I did, it only went about halfway, held firmlyinplace by some hidden mechanism. A low grinding sound filled the air as the stone wall next to me suddenly slid open to reveal a winding wooden staircase spiraling down into the darkness.

"Wait here," I told the soldier.

Not wasting a minute, I hurried down the stairs, sure that Sephiroth had gone this way as well. At the bottom was a long, rough underground tunnel, almost like a cave. Thick, rusted iron chains hung down from the ceiling here and there, and the stone walls were damp. It was eerily quiet, but I thought I heard the squeaking of bats somewhere in the distance as I made my way quickly down the tunnel.

Near the end on my left stood a thick wooden door, and I stopped for a moment to check it out. I tugged on it, but it didn't budge an inch. And then I saw it had been sealed with a large combination lock. So much for that idea. What was in there? And why was it locked down so tightly? To keep people out… or to keep something in?

At the far end of the tunnel was another door, but this one was open. Inside was some kind of lab. Shelves full of books, beakers, and test tubes lined the walls, and in the middle of the room stood a large table covered with papers, lamps, bottles, and other items. Next to the wall on the right was a pair of tall cylindrical glass tubes big enough for a person to fit in, although they were both empty. And to my left, a short tunnel lined with even more bookshelves led out of sight.

Sephiroth was there, pacing restlessly back and forth across the room and reading aloud from a large leather book. "We've made a remarkable discovery—a strange organism preserved within a layer of rock that must be at least two thousand years old. The being—which Professor Gast has named 'Jenova'—appears to be dead."

"Jenova has been confirmed to be an Ancient," he continued, his eyes on the book as he turned a page. "And the Jenova Project has been given the green light. Use of Mako Reactor 1 approved."

"Sephiroth?" I said.

He ignored me, walking into the short passageway. I followed him, as curious as I was worried. What had he found in there? What did this all mean about Jenova? I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I couldn't leave, either. I needed to find out what was going on and make sure that he'd be alright. Sephiroth stopped for a moment and looked up, his eyes far away as he sighed and murmured softly to himself.

"Jenova…" he frowned. "My mother's name. Jenova Project… is that just a coincidence? Professor Gast, why didn't you tell me anything? Why did you have to die? I don't understand…"

I tried again. "Sephiroth?"

"Leave me alone," he told me, shaking his head.

Reluctantly, I did as he asked. I left the lab and headed back upstairs without a word. But as I did, I decided I'd stay the night here, just in case he wanted to talk or needed anything. Although the mansion was creepy, it was empty aside from us and seemed safe enough, at least for tonight. I didn't expect to get much sleep here, though. When I made it back to the bedroom, the soldier was there waiting for me.

"Did you find him?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. He's in a lab downstairs, reading. Best to let him be for now, so head back to the inn and get some sleep. I'll stay here tonight, and we'll meet up again in the morning. Got it?"

He saluted. "Yes, sir. On my way."

I followed him into the sitting room and turned to the driver. "You'd better go with him. I can handle things here."

"If it's alright, I'd like to stay and help," he offered.

"Sure," I said. "We'll keep watch up here, three hours at a time. You'll go first. Let me know right away if Sephiroth comes back up or if you see anything unusual. There's sure to be other bedrooms up here, so you can find me in one of them if you need me."

The driver sat down in a nearby chair. "Understood."

Then the other soldier and I left, heading back into the hall. Once we got to the stairs, I waved to him and watched as my friend went down to the first floor and left the mansion. Then I crossed the upstairs hall until I reached the other side and went into the first door on my left. It was, as I'd thought, another bedroom, dusty and empty.

Sephiroth never left the mansion that night. I checked on him off and on, venturing back down to the lab every now and then without saying a word to him while I let the driver get a bit of rest. Then we'd swap, and it would be my turn to sleep again. But I couldn't, not at first. Worry ate at me relentlessly as I tossed and turned. And whenever I visited Sephiroth, he was still reading. He devoured page after page as if he were possessed, and not once did the lights in the basement go out.

Once again, I paused for a moment in the midst of my story. I was getting to the darkest and hardest part of it, and I didn't need to see the pain in Tifa's eyes to know she was thinking the same thing. It wouldn't be easy for her to hear it, any more than it was gonna be for me to talk about it, but it had to be done. At least we had our friends with us, and although I didn't let myself show it, I was glad they were all there. Even Barret, I guess. Though I'd never tell him.

"So, Sephiroth stayed down there the whole time?" Marissa asked. "He just read through the entire night?"

I nodded. "Yeah. He never stopped and he never left. It was almost as if something had taken hold of him and wouldn't let go. He must've read just about every book in that lab."

Barret scratched his head. "But what 'bout Jenova?"

"I'll get to that soon enough," I told him.

"Everyone was on edge that whole night," Tifa murmured, as much to herself as to the rest of us. "The air felt so still, so charged. It was like we were all waiting for something."

I'd felt it, too, despite staying in the mansion that night. As worried as I'd been for Sephiroth, I couldn't forget how he'd killed that monster. I'd kept seeing it over and over again in my mind, how he had watched it die. There hadn't been any feeling in his eyes. No rage or hate. There hadn't been anything at all. Just… empty.

Had he been trying to kill what he must've thought he himself was at that moment? The idea bothered me even now, and I shivered at the terrible memory. Jessie noticed, of course—she always did—and gently squeezed my hand. She hadn't let go even once since I'd begun sharing my story, and her touch and presence reassured and supported me. She was still clearly uneasy about all she'd heard—and I didn't blame her at all—but she was there for me nevertheless.

"Didn't go so well, did it?" she said. It wasn't a question.

I shook my head. "No. Not at all…"

Jessie gave me a small smile. "Need a minute?"

"Sure," I agreed. "Thanks."

She leaned her head tiredly against my arm, no doubt still hurting from her injuries, and I knew she'd have to rest again before long. Even with as much progress as she'd made over the last two days, she was far from fully recovered. So I'd have to wrap up this story soon—we'd been at it for a few hours now. Of course, Jessie didn't say a word, toughing it out like always. But I knew she was in pain.

She wouldn't let it show, though. Instead, she straightened up after a moment and pursed her lips in thought. "So… I wonder what was in that locked room in the basement…?"

"Dunno," I shrugged, grateful for the temporary change in subject. "Probably something old and creepy."

"That'd definitely fit the house," Lena smirked.

Aerith giggled softly. "Oh, for sure. I think it'd be kinda fun to find out, though. If we ever got the chance. Might be something interesting hiding out in that place. Or someone…"

Barret blinked. "The hell would anyone be doin' in there?"

"Dunno," she said. "Sleeping, maybe?"

"Locked down in the basement of a spooky old mansion?" Marissa wondered. "That seems a little strange…"

Red glanced her. "Considering all we've experienced so far, I think we're already well into the business of strange things, Marissa. Unusual as it is, Aerith's idea isn't so farfetched."

"Jus' look at who's talkin' to ya, girl," Barret quipped.

Marissa chuckled. "You've got a point. I never thought I'd meet, let alone befriend, a talking animal. Er, no offense, Red."

He smiled faintly. "None taken."

Wedge rubbed his chin. "I wonder if it's still there?"

"Maybe," I nodded. "The mansion's still standing, at least as far as I know. It's just about all that's left of the town."

"You mean…?" Lena breathed.

I sighed. "It's gone. I'll explain it all soon."

Biggs shuddered. "Damn… Tifa had mentioned it to me in passing just before Reactor 1, but… it was him, wasn't it?"

"Sephiroth…" Aerith murmured.

"Yeah," I sighed. "He went mad, wiped it out."

Tifa shivered. "Finish the story, Cloud. It's hard, but… better to get it over with than to drag it out, you know?"

"We're right here with you," Jessie added. "All of us."

I looked gratefully at her and the others. "Right. And… thanks. So, I got up early the next morning about an hour before dawn—you know how it is in the military—and headed back downstairs to see Sephiroth again. He was still there, but he wasn't the same…"