FORTY-EIGHT

After drinking a strong potion and resting for a few minutes in the waiting area while the other semifinal fights went on, I headed back to the gate when I heard my name over the speaker again. This time, I got a much warmer greeting from the gatekeeper. As soon as I walked over, he tipped his hat to me and smiled.

"Ma'am, I gotta admit, you totally proved me wrong out there!" he said. "You really are Firebrand, aren't you?"

I grinned. "Sure am! Made ya a believer, didn't I?"

He nodded. "Totally! You're pretty good, you know? For a moment there it seemed like those guys had you, but you came back and totally turned things around! That's how a winner fights!"

"Thanks!" I laughed.

"Sure," he said. "Anyway, it's the final match! Well, there's one more special bonus round if you can beat this one, so it's not really final, but you know what I mean. You good to go?"

I pumped my fist. "Absolutely! Let's do this!"

He hit the switch. "Great! I've got a lotta money riding on you. Get out there and win it for me, Firebrand!"

"You won't be disappointed!" I promised.

Then, with a little wave, I headed inside the tunnel and went down to the other gate at the far end. It opened almost as soon as I got there, and while I waited for Kotch and Scotch to announce me, I took a deep breath and relaxed, flexing my fingers to stay loose while the guy from the coliseum staff looked at me in awe.

"Um, good luck, miss," he said. "You're really something!"

"Thanks," I smiled.

Then I heard Kotch's voice as he got underway. "Tonight's thrilling and dramatic Trio's Tournament continues!"

"It's been a night filled with action, excitement, and drama," Scotch continued. "One that's seen many brutal fights and skilled challengers,!all competing for the gil and the glory!"

"But now, only two remain!" Kotch added.

Scotch turned in a slow circle facing the crowd. "Powerful fighters who've crushed and demolished everyone and everything in their path! Whoever emerges victorious will be our champion!"

"And not only the winner of a hefty cash prize," Kotch said, taking over, "but also of the right to challenge Don Corneo's ultimate weapon in a spectacular, no-holds-barred bonus match!"

So that was what the gatekeeper had meant about a bonus round. I didn't know what this weapon was, but I didn't doubt I could beat it. I'd gotten this far, and I'd beaten some tough enemies already—Rosso and Abzeth, not to mention Scarlet's mechanized terror, the Crimson Mare. I hadn't forgotten about her other project, either, that superweapon I'd found out about when I'd left Shinra.

The backdoor I'd secretly added was still in place—I'd made sure to check on that during my preparations for stealing the FEX-01. Still had to build the trigger device to set it off, but I wasn't worried about that. I knew what to do and what I needed. And I wasn't gonna let this thing, this mechanical monstrosity, hurt innocent people. Scarlet had called it Proud Clad back when I'd first discovered it, but I'd found out that she had renamed it over the years to Pride and Joy. Still not quite ready, but it was getting closer, as far as I could tell.

Scotch motioned toward the gate where I was waiting. "Let's get so damn loud they'll here us up on the plate! You know who we're talking about! Once more, we have our feisty and gorgeous challenger, the girl with a boundless love for bloodshed!"

"She's won victory after victory!" Kotch boomed. "And she's stolen more than a few hearts along the way!"

"So give it up for the Peeress of Power!" Scotch shouted.

Kotch was right behind him. "She's the bone-crushing beauty we've all come to love and admire! The woman who's turned ass-kicking into an art form! Put your hands together for…"

"The legendary…" Scotch began.

"Firebraaaand!" they both finished together.

As I walked into the arena, the crowd cheered loudly around me. I waved to them and smiled, seeing myself up on the huge TV mounted on one side of the stands. People were on their feet again, and with my hand still up in the air, I curled my fingers closed and gave them a little fist bump from afar. They loved it, and I saw quite a few of them gladly return the favor from where they stood.

"And now," Kotch continued, "facing off against Madam M's lovely champion, we have the five-time winners of the deadly contest we once knew as the Corneo Cup! Murder machines with countless victories to their name! And a handful of maimings."

"The deadly duo that takes out the trash!" Scotch went on. "With a vengeance! They're the electric executioners!"

Kotch kept it up. "And Chocobo Sam's champions!"

"Cutty and Sweepy!" Scotch announced.

Just then, the other gate slid open, and two Shinra mechs rumbled into the arena. A cutter and a sweeper. Although they looked a bit beat up, they were still formidable with their saw blades and guns. And they were just the sort of enemies I excelled at taking down. Machines were my specialty, after all. And I think Sam knew that.

Opening my belt pouch, I took out a green materia orb, Lightning, and fitted it into one of the open slots on my mythril armlet. It was the same one I'd bought from the Sector 7 weapons shop with Cloud what seemed like a lifetime ago now. I'd salvaged it from what was left of my old gear—I still missed that outfit sometimes—before leaving for Wall Market and had kept it with me. It hadn't grown enough for it to reach its second level of power yet, but it would still be useful. Lightning was the mechs' weakness, one I intended to exploit.

"Who will walk away with the prize?" Scotch said. "Get ready for a fight that's guaranteed to go down in history, everyone! This is the final incredible match of the Trio's Tournament!"

Kotch swept his arm out wide. "And it begins… now!"

I worked at my desk, engaged in multiple tasks as I often was while Cait Sith sat and watched from nearby. There were three screens set up along the length of my desk, and I frequently made use of each one. As I went over reports about the operations of the remaining reactors and their gradually diminishing energy output on one monitor, I also did a little intelligence gathering on the second.

Scarlet was in her office, waiting impatiently for Heidegger. I didn't know why she'd invited him to see her there, not yet—they usually met in one of the conference rooms upstairs to do business—but I intended to find out. I'd had Cait sneak in long ago to plant a covert surveillance device, and I'd used it to keep a close eye on Scarlet's activities over the years. I'd had Heidegger's office bugged as well. And yet, in spite of it, I hadn't found out about the plate drop plan until Jessica had warned me about it. They'd still hid it from me somehow.

Janice walked in a few minutes later, a sheaf of papers in her hands. "Here are documents you asked for, sir."

"Thank you, Janice," I said. "Just set them anywhere."

"I wonder what she's up to this time…" she murmured, her eyes on the screen as she put the papers down.

I took a sip of my coffee. "A meeting with Heidegger. Something to do with the upcoming assault on Fort Condor, by my guess. Feel free to stay, if you wish. I could use the company."

"I'd like that," Janice nodded, her cheeks turning pink.

I smiled softly. "So would I."

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to me, the floral aroma of her perfume teasing my nose. Janice had let her coppery hair out of the little ponytail she usually kept it in, and it hung down just past her slim shoulders. I liked it, and for a moment, my eyes lingered on her before I finally managed to bring them back to the screen. Heidegger had just arrived and didn't look happy about it.

"Alright, I'm here," he grumbled. "What's this all about?"

Scarlet laughed as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh, you'll see. But I'd like to ask you something first. Have you, by chance, heard anything about the fighting tournament going on in Wall Market right now even as we speak? It's quite entertaining, I must say."

Heidegger snorted. "Bah! I have absolutely no interest in watching a bunch of sewer rats trying to beat each other senseless! I've got much better and more important things to do."

"Trust me, you want to watch this," she snickered.

"I'll be the judge of that," he grunted.

Scarlet just sneered at him, then tapped a control on her desk. The large monitor mounted on the wall behind her switched on, and as she turned in her chair to face it, the tournament came up. Fortunately, my camera was set up an angle where I could see all that was going on, and that included most of Scarlet's monitor. Heidegger looked disinterested and bored at first, his arms folded in front of him, but after a moment, he froze, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets when he got a good, long look at who was on the screen.

"Sir!" Janice gasped. "Is that…?"

I nodded, hardly able to believe it myself. "Jessica!"

It was definitely her, alright. She was fighting a pair of refurbished Shinra mechs, what looked like a cutter and a sweeper, and doing quite well at that. The camera from the tournament had pulled close enough in that I recognized her right away. And I was sure her father did, too. No doubt that was what Scarlet had wanted him to see. She sat smugly in her chair, watching both the tournament and his stunned reaction. I had to admit, I was enjoying it a bit myself.

"Janice!" I said, glancing at her. "Quickly! Bring up the tournament on the other screen. Let's get a better look at it."

"Yes, sir!" she replied.

While she switched on the third monitor and her fingers flew over the second keyboard, I watched in satisfaction as Heidegger's face went a dark, angry red and his hands clenched into tight fists. He was almost quivering with rage, his bearded mouth curled back in a snarl when he saw Jessica alive and well on Scarlet's monitor.

"What!?" he sputtered. "Impossible! Where did… how did she…!? I killed her! I blew her to pieces and buried her!"

"Apparently not," Scarlet sneered.

Heidegger whirled on her. "You knew!?"

She chuckled. "Of course. You see that shiny suit she's wearing? She snuck in here and stole it a week or so ago. One of my many projects. I made sure Jessica put it through its paces before she escaped, of course. And she left me with some excellent data. So I'm quite intrigued to see just how far she can go in this tournament."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me, Scarlet!?" he fumed.

"And miss this priceless reaction?" she laughed. "Not a chance. You truly are incompetent, Heidegger. You've tried to kill her, what… three times now, was it? And yet still she's alive."

Janice looked at me, puzzled, as she brought up the tournament on the third monitor. "Director, why would Jessica do this? Risk discovery, after hiding from him for so long? Especially when he thought she was finally dead. I just… I don't understand…"

"She's making a statement, lass," Cait explained.

"Agreed," I nodded, seeing what he meant. "Jessica knows Andrea, and they probably set this whole thing up. Win or lose, she's on the air, and I'm sure she's counting on that. She wants Heidegger to know she's alive, Janice. To know that he can't stop her."

We watched as, on the screen, Jessica unleashed a flurry of attacks against the two mechs, cutting relentlessly at them again and again in a rapid chain of spinning strikes as the crowd cheered her on. Then, with a flourish, she hurled a blast of lightning magic into the cutter, blowing off one of its arms before dashing to the side to avoid gunfire from the sweeper. After she touched a switch on the back of her right glove, she moved even faster, a dark blur that tore right into the mechs first from one side and then the other, weapons blazing.

"Do you think she can win?" Janice wondered.

"Without a doubt," I told her as the battle went on. "Jessica's a very skilled and determined young woman, and stronger now than she once was. She'll win, Janice. Here and at Fort Condor."

Cait twitched his whiskers. "Aye, that she will. Ahn winning here'll show her father that very thing. He dinnae know she'll be there yet, but when he sees her at the fort, he'll remember today. Ahn he'll realize he's not got a bloody chance in hell tae beat her."

"I see…" Janice said, smiling. "No chance at all."

I dove aside to avoid another barrage of gunfire from Sweepy, then rolled back to my feet and used my blaze talons to hurl an arc of bright orange energy at it. The mech staggered and sparked at the impact and fell back. Then it fired a set of chains to immobilize me, but I got outta the way just in time and they missed, shooting past me into the ground while I charged back in, weapons raised.

I also had to watch the circular saws on Cutty's remaining arm as it swept toward me. The mech spun around, saw blade slicing at my head at it went, but I ducked while slashing at one of Sweepy's big legs. Then I focused on my Lightning materia and struck it with a sizzling bolt of electricity. It shuddered and collapsed, damaged but still in the fight as I turned away again to focus on Cutty.

The mech charged at me, its saw blade spinning, but I darted aside as it got close, then ran alongside it in the opposite direction, stabbing one of my blaze talons into the side of its body and dragging it with me as I went. I carved a deep gouge in Cutty's hull, and when I reached the back of it, I tore my weapon free. The lumbering mech couldn't turn as fast as I could, and neither could Sweepy.

Before either mech could face me, I hit each one with another blast of lightning magic. Sweepy rumbled, then spewed a cloud of dark gray smoke over the area to try and blind me. I knew all about these mechs, though, and what they could do, from my time at Shinra, and so while they tried to find me, I quickly holstered my blaze talons, took a pair of night vision goggles out of my belt pouch, and put them on. I'd bought them from Marcus at his shop earlier in the week, figuring they'd come in handy either here or after I left Midgar.

"What's this?" Kotch boomed. "Sam's champions are damaged, but now they're trying to get the jump on our heroine with a smokescreen! Will she outwit them and finally claim victory?"

Scotch shrugged. "We'll just have to wait until the smoke clears, so don't move a muscle, ladies and gentlemen!"

Kotch pointed at the audience. "You don't wanna miss this!"

Cutter spewed more smoke, this time red, into the arena, but with my goggles, I was able to find both mechs. I kept quiet as I snuck up on them, and for a moment, their trundling and the murmur of the crowd were the only sounds. Then, getting right up next to Sweepy, I jumped onto its arm and from there to the top of its body. I thought about how I'd blown up the sweeper in Reactor 1, and I already had a raspberry in hand—one of the stronger kind, of course.

As the smoke finally cleared away and everyone saw me on Sweepy while it thrashed around and tried unsuccessfully to throw me off, the crowd roared, eagerly cheering me on. I found the panel I was looking for, unscrewed it with a tool from my belt pouch, and tossed the cover aside as Sweepy stomped across the arena, bucking like a wild chocobo. And as it did, I held on tight with one hand and used the other to stuff the raspberry into the open compartment.

"What the…!?" Kotch bellowed as the cheers of the crowd got even louder. "I don't freaking believe it! Nobody's ever seen a rodeo like this, ladies and gentlemen! It's history in the making!"

Scotch shook his head in wonder. "Is this really happening?"

Kotch nodded. "Firebrand's a woman of many talents! And we may just be seeing the emergence of a new champion!"

As Sweepy lurched underneath me again, I grabbed the raspberry's pin and yanked it out. Then, steadying myself as much as I could, I got to my feet in a crouch, ran toward the front of of the mech, readied my weapons, and jumped. But unlike in Reactor 1, I flipped forward into a somersault and, while upside down in midair, whipped my arms across and used my blaze talons to hit Sweepy with another arc of energy and deliberately set the raspberry off early.

The mech exploded behind me just as I landed, my arms stretched out to either side, weapons in hand as I crouched down and the crowd went wild around me. Everyone was on their feet again. And it only got louder when I turned to Cutty, who was quickly bearing down on me. I readied myself, then dashed right for it.

"Oh, and the quarterback is toast!" Kotch laughed.

"Looks like Cutty's next!" Scotch added.

Easily dodging the swinging saw blade, I laid into Cutty with slash after slash, a blinding chain of cuts and slices that left glittering trails of fiery orange energy behind them. Then I sliced one of its legs out from under it, and it collapsed onto its side. As soon as it did, I jumped onto it, buried both of my blaze talons into Cutty's body, and released all the stored energy inside them in a single deafening blast that tore through the mech just as I backflipped safely away.

As I landed and the crowd kept cheering, I holstered my weapons. Cutty was down but not beaten yet. So I took another raspberry out of my belt pouch as the mech lay in a broken, smoking heap about twenty feet away, sparks shooting up from its blasted body. After putting some more distance between me and Cutty, I turned around so my back was to it and pushed my goggles above my eyes so they rested comfortably on my forehead. Then, as the big monitor on the wall showed my every move, I smirked at the mech over my shoulder.

"I love my toys," I winked.

I made a show of kissing the raspberry, and the crowd ate it up just as I'd known they would. Then I yanked out the pin and, with my back still to Cutty, threw it over my shoulder. I stood there, my arms folded in front me, and grinned as the mech exploded just a few seconds later. The audience cheered and applauded so loudly I thought they must've been heard all the way up on the plate.

"This has never—incredible!" Kotch exclaimed. "Cutty and Sweepy are history, folks! We have a new champion!"

"With a bang!" Scotch put in.

Kotch raised an arm as he and Scotch joined me out in the middle of the arena again. "The undisputed winner of the Trio's Tournament is none other than our local legend herself!"

"A woman as clever as she is strong!" Scotch continued.

"A woman who fights for love and justice!" Kotch pitched in. "You know her and we know her!"

Scotch took over. "So give it up for our new champion!"

"Firebraaaand!" they finished together.

As the crowd roared, I took off my goggles and did a low, sweeping bow. And then, Kotch and Scotch presented me with the trophy, a pair of miniature crossed swords on a circular stand, all made of gold with a black plaque fitted on one side. Etched into it were the words "TRIO'S TOURNAMENT GRAND CHAMPION" in proud, bold letters. I held it over my head for a moment in both hands, beaming the whole time, and when I did, the audience went wild.

Then, waving and smiling at everyone, I left the arena and headed back through the tunnel to the waiting area to rest until it was time for the bonus fight. I had every intention of winning that battle, no matter what my opponent would be, and I wanted to be ready. I found Madam M waiting for me in one of the side rooms. She smiled warmly at me as soon as I walked in, and I gladly returned it.

"Hi, M!" I said. "Didn't expect to see you down here. Lydia and her family enjoying the show with you guys?"

She nodded. "Very much. That girl is quite enthusiastic."

I laughed. "I'll bet. So what's up?"

"First, I'd like to congratulate you on your victory," Madam M told me. "That was quite a dazzling display."

"Thanks," I replied.

She smirked. "You're welcome. And thank you for the prize money. As your sponsor, that million gil goes to me. Of course, you'll get your hundred thousand in cash, too. I had every confidence in you and your abilities, and you didn't disappoint."

"That's why you've been so generous to me and Lydia," I chuckled. "You knew you'd get a big return on it."

"That and our friendship, of course," Madam M agreed. "And then there's the fact that being known as Firebrand's own personal masseuse is bound to be very good for business. I've already had quite a few new customers come my way thanks to you."

I laughed. "Oh, I'm sure!"

She joined me. "But as happy as I am about all that, I'm also glad I could help you, both with the tournament and your recovery. All that's left is the bonus match. And it won't be easy."

I'd figured as much. "Do you know what I'll be fighting?"

"A hell house," she answered.

"One of those things?" I growled, my eyes narrowing. "Good. I can beat it. I've done it before. And I've got a history with them. A long and ugly one. So I'll be glad to take this bastard out."

Madam M frowned. "I should warn you, Jessie. This particular one isn't like the others. Don Corneo had his men capture it and enhance it to make it far stronger and much more dangerous."

"In what way?" I asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," she sighed. "But it's bound to have tricks and abilities that you've not seen from its kind before. Corneo kept it as his special pet for the coliseum. A surprise challenge that he'd often spring on tournament champions like yourself."

I grimaced. "Figures he'd do something like that. He loves to cheat. But it should've been dismantled after he left."

"That is where you come in," Madam M answered.

"I don't understand," I said.

She went on. "You see, Jessie, the crowd loved the show you put on. People were placing hefty bets, far more than you can imagine. And of course, all of us in the Trio want to keep it going. But there's more to it than that. We want this hell house destroyed, and we believe you're the only one who can do it. Only you, Firebrand."

I clenched my fist. "Consider it done. Go tell Andrea that thing's as good as scrap metal. I will take it down."

"You're still the champion, regardless," Madam M reminded me. "If you choose not to fight the hell house, we'll understand. It can be quite lethal. You don't have to do this, Jessie."

"Yes, I do," I insisted.

She nodded. "That long and ugly history you mentioned?"

"Exactly," I replied, my eyes hard.

"Very well," Madam M said. "I'll go and let Andrea know. Just wait here as usual until you're called back to the arena. It shouldn't be long. They've probably cleaned up the mess you made of Sam's prized mechs by now. I must admit, I really enjoyed that."

I grinned. "I'm sure you did."

"Immensely," she agreed. "Good luck, Jessie. Oh, and I'll hold onto your trophy for you until you're finished, if you don't mind. Better than leaving it here where anyone could swipe it."

"Good idea," I laughed as I handed it to her. "When you get back to the booth, have Lydia keep it safe for me."

Madam M chuckled. "Of course. She'll like that."

Then she left, carefully carrying my trophy with her as she headed up the hall toward the elevator. When she was gone, I downed a potion and an ether, then did a few stretches to finish getting ready for my last fight. It would be a challenge, probably my biggest yet, but I was gonna beat it. I had to. In a way, this powered-up hell house represented all I'd done at Shinra, all the pain I'd unwittingly caused so many people over the years. And the guilt I still felt about it.

If I could destroy this thing, this nightmarish mechanical monster that I'd created, maybe I could finally let go of some of those regrets I'd been carrying around with me for so long, the blame and self-reproach that I'd always hidden behind a joke and a cheery grin. While Corneo's men might've enhanced and empowered this hell house, I was the one who'd designed the damn thing in the first place.

And now I was gonna take it out.