BOOK ONE: MIDGAR

SIXTEEN

I looked at Cloud. "You're going after Aerith, right?"

We stood inside her house again, having said our goodbyes to Jess, Biggs, and Wedge not long ago. Elmyra had been right after all. It may have taken a little time, but making that memorial and being out there for a while had helped, just as she had said it would. Although the ache of loss still lingered in my heart, I felt like I could go on now. I felt like I had to go on, actually, to keep moving, just as Biggs had said. And the first step was to save Aerith just as she had tried to save me.

Cloud nodded, and I continued. "I'm coming with you."

"We're going right into Shinra Headquarters," he said. "You gotta be prepared for the worst."

"I know. Right now, I feel like I have to push myself to the limit. If I stayed here… I'd go crazy."

As tempting and inviting as this house was, I knew I had to leave. I had to keep going, to turn my pain into some kind of action and face it head on. I couldn't do that here. And I couldn't stay behind with Aerith in danger. I knew what I had to do.

I tugged my gloves back on as I continued. "Aerith's my friend, and she put herself in danger to rescue me. I wouldn't be able to call myself her friend if I wasn't willing to do the same."

Just then, Barret came back downstairs from putting Marlene back to bed. He turned to Elmyra. "Sorry, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?"

She smiled. "Yes, I don't mind."

"Thanks. This place is dangerous now. You'd better go somewhere else. It ain't safe here no more."

"Yes, I believe you're right," she agreed. "But promise me that you'll come back to her. Don't get yourself killed."

He nodded. "I promise. And… thanks. For everything."

"It was my pleasure, Barret. Your daughter is a wonderful little girl, and I'll keep her safe. I have a sister who lives in Kalm. I think we'll go see her soon. And when we do, we'll take the memorial with us. I know we can find a place for it there. You'll be able to go and see it whenever you want. And be sure to visit us from time time."

"We will, don't you worry 'bout that," he said. "An' you take care of yourself, too, you hear?"

Elmyra laughed. "I always do. But thank you."

Taking our leave of her, we headed outside, pausing for a minute in the front yard as we pondered our next step. We had to get up onto the plate to save Aerith, but with the fall of Sector 7, that wasn't going to be easy. I glanced at Cloud. "How do we get to the Shinra Building?"

"There ain't no train that goes up there anymore…" Barret said.

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"Well," I suggested, "let's go over to Wall Market. We might be able to find something there."

Cloud and Barret nodded, and we started walking, heading on into the slums and back toward the old highway. It was a quiet journey, but also a comfortable one. And thankfully uneventful. No pickpockets or monsters came out of the shadows to bother us, and they surely would have regretted it if they had.

I found another materia orb when we reached the old playground. It was Sense, it's yellow glow bright in the gloom. It's useful for finding out enemy strengths and weaknesses. I put it into an empty slot on my wrist guard as we headed down the dirt trail to Wall Market. I also kept my eyes away from the towering ruins of Sector 7, and so did the guys. We didn't need that sight in our minds right now.

About five minutes later, we stood at the entrance to Wall Market. The place still bustled with activity, but none of Corneo's thugs seemed to be around. I wondered what that could mean. There was no way he would have forgotten about us, but I didn't have any desire to pay him a visit, either. One venture into his mansion was more than enough for me. Still, I couldn't help wondering about it.

"So where do we start?" Cloud asked.

I pursed my lips in thought. "Why don't we ask around? There's got to be someone here that can help us."

Without waiting for him and Barret, I walked down the main road, an idea coming to mind. The guys followed me as I made my way over to our first stop, and I noticed Cloud's eyes widen a little as he realized where I was going. I stifled a giggle as I saw his sudden discomfort, but I still couldn't keep a small smile from my face. I hadn't been with him when he had made his first visit, but I could tell by his reaction that he had been here before. So, this was where he'd gotten it.

I entered the clothing store first, with Barret behind me and Cloud slowly coming in last. Very slowly. There were a few customers looking at the racks of dresses, shirts, and other things, and a woman about my age was busy working behind the counter along with an older man. By how closely they resembled each other, I figured he must have been her father. He looked up as we approached the counter, and when his eyes found Cloud, he nodded, obviously recognizing him.

"Name's Gant," the older man greeted us. "an' I'm the owner of this here shop, an' this is my daugher, Lina. Your friend there's already met us, miss. He tell you how he helped us out?"

I shook my head. "No, but if it has to do what what I think it does, then by doing that, he helped me, too."

"That what he wanted it for, then? Did seem a bit strange for a guy like him, but I ain't one to judge. I'm just glad it all worked out. For you as well as us. So what can I do for you, miss? An' where's that other girl, the one he was with before?"

"Well, that's why we're here, actually," I explained, hoping he could help. "She was taken by the Shinra, and we have to find a way to get up onto the plate to save her. Do you know how we could do that? All the roads have been cut off since Sector 7 fell."

Gant raised his bushy eyebrows. "Really, now? Well, I'm afraid I'm not really sure myself how to get there. There's all sorts of broken junk an' debris hanging down from there now. But I do know someone who might be able to help. Go talk to Marcus at the weapons shop. He's the one who owns all them piles of scrap outside his place, an' he scavenges whatever he can find. He might have found something in all that mess that can help you. But knowing him, I'm sure he won't just give it away. He'll want money for it, so be sure you've got some."

I smiled. "Thank you! We'll go see him right away."

"You're welcome," Gant replied. Then he turned to Cloud, who had stayed near the door the whole time. "Looks like you're dressed normal today. But if something else interesting comes up, let me in on it."

Cloud swallowed. "Ah, well… alright, I guess."

"Dressed normal?" Barret asked as we left the store. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to know," Cloud grimaced.

I laughed, remembering how Cloud had looked in that dress when he'd come to save me in Corneo's palace. By the expression on his face, Cloud was thinking of it, too. Oh, if only I'd had a camera when he had come for me! But no, I couldn't embarrass him like that. I couldn't help laughing about it, though, remembering our little adventure there with Aerith. It felt good to laugh, especially after all that had happened. So I kept at it, nearly doubling over as it rolled out of me, and seeing Barret looking at me as though I'd gone crazy just made me laugh even harder until I could barely catch my breath.

Barret frowned. "What's so funny, Tif? Did I miss somethin'?"

"It… It's nothing," I panted, finally managing to compose myself a bit, but I couldn't keep from smiling. "Just a… little joke… between me and Cloud. Nothing… you need to worry about."

We headed on down the road until we reached the weapon shop, a small building off to the right with a pink neon sign glowing above the door. Large piles of assorted junk, metal, and other debris surrounded the place on either side, and a local bar and grill stood across the road, smells of food and alcohol drifting out through the open door, and my stomach rumbled. It had been hours since we'd last eaten.

As we went inside, the sounds of clanging metal and hissing sparks filled our ears as two men worked busily, one welding arms and armor and assembling other bits of junk into usable items while the other was behind the counter making sales, restocking the shelves, and more. We walked up to him, and Cloud tapped the little bell on the counter. The man looked up at us. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Are you Marcus?" Cloud asked.

The man shook his head and pointed to his partner, who was busy working in another part of the shop. "No. That's him over there. If you need something special or unusual, he's the one to ask."

Cloud thanked him, then went to the other side of the shop to talk to Marcus. The bearded man paused in his work when he saw us. "You want somethin'? I don't wanna hear any complaints 'bout how things look, though. What can I do for ya?"

"We need to get onto the plate," Cloud said. "Got anything that can help us do that?"

"You better have batteries, then."

Barret stared at him. "Batteries? What for?"

"You'll find out when you get there," Marcus said. "How about 100 gil for each? I've got three here."

"You're gonna sell me something you just found?" Cloud asked.

Marcus shrugged. "Hey, you knew? I repaired them, though, so it's alright. So what'll it be?"

Cloud sighed and nodded, then paid him the money. Marcus gave him the three batteries, and he put them into his pocket. Then we took some time to look around the rest of the shop and buy a few supplies. I also bought a new pair of gloves. These were hardened leather, but they also had six-inch long claws of polished mythril fitted onto them. Very nice, and very deadly. I liked them already. We also each bought better wrist guards, these ones of mythril. They also had an extra materia slot compared to our old ones.

When we were all finished, we walked outside, then headed over to the bar. The owner told us that he'd seen some kids playing up the road and talking about climbing up to the plate, so we decided that it might be worth a look. After taking some time to eat and rest our feet, we left and went on, eventually stopping in front of Corneo's estate. There was a dirt path leading to the right, but we didn't go that way yet. Corneo's place looked utterly deserted, and I was curious to find out why. "What happened here?"

"I don't know," Cloud said. "Looks like nobody's home."

He brushed past the stalls and approached the front door. I walked just behind him, suddenly uneasy as I saw that the doorman was gone. It didn't make sense. Cloud tried the door, and it swung right open. He looked back at me, then headed inside. Barret and I followed after him, and we saw that the main room was empty as well. So was the room by the stairs. Corneo's office and bedroom were just as abandoned. Where was he? And why would he have just left? It seemed like his power over Walll Market was broken, but how?

We found Kotch in the basement, tied to the torture rack. His eyes lit up when he saw us. "Hey! You're… not them… you're… Please, help me! I… I was just following the Don's orders! Help me!"

I remembered how he had leered at me, but at the same time, I felt a little sorry for him. So with Cloud's help and under Barret's watchful eye, I untied his bonds. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Kotch said.

I nodded. "You're welcome. What happened to the Don?"

"After you all left, some Shinra guys came and forced themselves in here. They said that someone had leaked information and that we were 'good for nothings'. After that, they tried to take the Don, but he ran off somewhere before they could get him. I don't know where he went, but it's probably someplace far away from here. Then, they tied me up. And that's it. Anyway, I'm outta here! See ya!"

With that, Kotch sped up the stairs and was gone. Cloud and I just looked at each other. So, Shinra had come for Don Corneo, but he had escaped. I didn't like the idea of running into him again, but at least we knew that he wasn't anywhere close by. With that little mystery solved, we left the estate and followed that side path, and I gladly put the Don out of my mind as we looked at what was ahead of us.

The dirt path came to a dead end in a small clearing, and ahead of us stood a high concrete wall that rose fifty feet into the air. At its base sat a young girl, and farther above us loomed the wreckage of the plate where Sector 7 had torn away from Sector 6. From those jumbled ruins hung a long, thick cable that stretched all the way to the ground. When she saw us, the girl nodded and looked above her. "Everybody climbed up this wire. Looks scary…"

"Can we climb it?" I asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "It leads to the upper world."

Barret grabbed it immediately. "Awright! We'll climb the wire!"

"There's no way we can do this," Cloud argued. "You know how far up it goes?"

"There is a way! Look! what's that look like?"

Cloud shrugged. "Just a normal wire."

"Oh yeah?" Barret snorted. "Well, to me it looks like a golden shiny wire of hope."

"I guess you're right. This is the only way to save Aerith. What you said was pretty corny, but I understand how you feel, Barret."

"So what are we waiting for?" I added.

Cloud took hold of the wire and nodded. "Let's go!"

It proved to be a long and fairly difficult climb, and once we got up to the ruins, we were able to let go of the cable and stand on the broken steel beams. We stopped for a moment to catch our breath, Tifa on one side while Barret stood on the other. I noticed that Tifa's eyes slid down almost on their own, and when she saw how high up we were, she took a few steps backward almost without realizing it.

"You don't like heights?" I asked.

She shivered. "Not really, no. They've always bothered me."

"Well, try not to look back down, then. We've still got a lot further to go before we get to the top."

"Don't remind me," she smiled weakly.

I smiled back. "It'll be alright, Tif. Come on, we'd better get going."

We made our way little by little up the hanging collection of debris, climbing slowly over broken cables, jagged slabs of concrete, and more. Sometimes we had to double back to find another way up, and it wasn't long before we came to our first roadblock.

We were standing atop a long, curving section of what might have been a sewer pipe that had probably been torn from within the plate by the fall and snagged in the debris. Parts of it were still slick with muck, and we all knew that one slip could send us on a very long fall down to the ground. Tifa was very deliberately keeping her eyes trained upward and forward, and I couldn't blame her.

Alongside the pipe, an old plane had also gotten tangled up in this mess, and just above it, a section of hanging train tracks that had been ripped out of one of the tunnels during Sector 7's collapse curved their way upward. But there was no way for us to reach them. They were just out of reach of the plane's nose.

"How we gonna get up there?" Barret wondered.

I wasn't sure at first, but then I remembered those batteries Marcus had sold to us. I took one out, looking for a way to use it, and then saw an open fuse box sitting nearby. I put the battery inside, and a moment later, the fuse box lit up and the plane's propeller began to spin. It only moved a little before stopping again a moment later, but it was enough to form a makeshift bridge.

We went on, climbing carefully up the tracks until we encountered a train still clinging to it, its lights flickering on and off. Faces lay in the windows. Faces of men, women, and children, all lifeless and frozen in expressions of abject terror. I shivered and looked away. The tunnel the train had been riding through must have broken apart beneath it when the plate collapsed, and everyone inside must have been killed when it fell and got caught here.

Alongside the train was another long stretch of sewer pipe. It hung down almost vertically and wouldn't be easy to climb, but this one was small enough that I thought we could manage it. If we could find a way to get to it, that was. The bottom of it was just out of reach. I looked up and around to see if there was anything that could help.

To our left, the tracks rose up over the top of a large piece of metal debris before dropping back down again, and a short distance above it, a much larger chunk of metal and concrete hung tangled with wires all around it. The sewer pipe was only a short distance across from it, and swinging in between them was a narrow piece of broken metal. And on the side of the tracks where they went over the debris was what looked to be a crossing gate of some kind. The arm was down, but if we could raise it somehow, I thought that we could climb further and swing over to the pipe using the broken metal beam.

"Maybe another battery here?" Tifa suggested.

I opened the back panel of the gate and put one in, and it hummed to life. Flipping the switch on top, I watched as the arm went up just as I'd thought it would. As carefully as we could, we stepped on top of the arm and climbed up to the large section of debris above it. Waiting for the dangling beam to get close, I jumped off right when it came within reach, grabbed it, and swung over to the sewer pipe. Then I turned and waited as Tifa and Barret did likewise.

Moments later, we were all on the pipe, and then we continued on, climbing further and navigating through the maze of fallen debris. We were almost there now, and I could see the edge of the plate not that far above us. We used our last battery to open up a small container on the way and found an ether, which I slipped into my pocket. Then we went on, climbing over and around any other obstacles in our path from one piece of debris to another as we made our way upward.

Finally, a few minutes later, we pulled ourselves onto the edge of an empty street and just sat there catching our breath for a moment. Then we got up, brushed ourselves off, and looked around. And there above us only a short distance down the road loomed the Shinra Building. As I gazed at it, I reached back to feel Buster's hilt, ready for the battles we would soon see. Tifa was raising her fists, the mythril claws of her new gloves shining, and Barret quickly slapped a fresh clip into his gun-arm and glared at the building ahead of us.

Together, the three of us hurried down the street, and it wasn't long before we all stood in front of the Shinra Building's main entrance. The imposing structure rose up high above us, and the front doors stood at the top of a short set of stairs at the back of a wide, curved landing. On either side, the building stretched out of sight as it bent around along a pair of narrow alleys, and yellow lights shone in countless windows up the towering height of the place.

Barret glanced at me. "Hey, you oughta know this building well."

"Not really," I shook my head. "Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've ever been to headquarters."

"I heard about this place before. Every floor past the 60th is special. They ain't easy to get into, even for the folks workin' there. That's gotta be where they took Aerith. Security's pretty light now, so let's go!"

Tifa grabbed his arm before he could move. "Wait a second! You're not thinking of just going right through the main entrance, are you?"

"What the hell else does it look like?" he protested. "I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt and–"

"That's not going to work! We've got to find another way!"

Barret shook his arm free. "Ain't gonna be no other way! If we keep wastin' time like this, Aerith'll–"

"I know that! But if we get caught here…" Tifa argued, then turned to me. "Hey, Cloud. What should we do?"

Although I understood Barret's position and wanted to help Aerith as much as he did, I felt that Tifa was right. I preferred to find another way in and avoid being discovered as long as possible until we rescued Aerith. Then we'd fight our way out if we had to.

"Let's sneak in quietly," I answered.

Tifa nodded and smirked at Barret. "See! Let's be careful and find a different route!"

What that might be, though, I didn't know. While Barret grumbled to himself and Tifa kept an eye on the main entrance, I looked around the area, hoping to find something useful or another way to get inside. I was just letting my eyes wander over the two alleys, first one and then the other, when suddenly I froze and my breath caught in my throat. In the alley to the left stood someone who shouldn't have been there, who couldn't have been there and who I was certain hadn't been there just a moment before. And yet she was there now.

Standing just a short way into the alley and just out of reach of the light from the building's main entrance was Jessie. But that couldn't be. It just couldn't. She was dead. I had watched her die, felt the heat from the explosion that had consumed her. And yet… there she was. I know what you're probably thinking, but I know what I saw. Jess stood there, her body unmarked by the injuries that had taken her life and her hair spilling down beneath her shoulders instead of in the ponytail she had always kept it in. And then I realized I could see through her, just a bit. I swear it was real, as real as anyone else I've ever known. But I've never spoken or written of it until just now.

As I watched in stunned disbelief, Jessie smiled at me, then turned and walked down the alley. Almost before I realized what I was doing, I followed her, ignoring the questioning looks Tifa and Barret gave me. I hurried to catch up to Jess, but she stayed well ahead of me, and then she disappeared as the alley curved around out of sight. I started to run after her, wanting to find her again even as I wondered what was really going on, my heart pounding both with exertion and from so suddenly seeing Jess again even in this strange way. She had appeared to me for a reason, but why? I didn't understand it.

When I hurried around the curve of the alley a few moments later, there was only a dead end, and Jess was gone. But off to my right, there was a small door with the words "STAIRWELL ACCESS" emblazoned across its metal surface. As Tifa and Barret caught up to me, I went and tried the handle of the door, and it swung open. Had Jess wanted me to find this? Had she led me here? I was sure of it, and as I stepped inside, I closed my eyes and thought of her, missing her more in that moment than I ever had and wondering if I would see her again. It felt almost as though she were still with me, somehow.

Thanks, Jess…

"You okay?" Tifa asked.

I opened my eyes again and nodded. "Yeah. Looks like I found us a way inside."

"Yo…" Barret glanced up, where the stairs rose high above us. "You really gonna take these stairs all the way up?"

Tifa sighed. "Well, we've got to get to Aerith to help her, somehow."

"Of all the outta the way…"

"I don't have time to argue with you!" she snapped. "I'm going!"

Without waiting for either of us, Tifa brushed past him and started up the stairs. Barret blinked. "Y-Yo, Tifa! Don't go alone!"

We headed after her, climbing what seemed like an endless amount of stairs. We had very long way to go, almost sixty floors worth of steps to travel. But I wasn't worried. Jessie had led me here for a reason, and Aerith needed us. And I wasn't going to let either of them down. I took each step one at a time and didn't think about how many we still had to go. Barret, though, wasn't having such a good time of it.

"Don't know… why… the hell… we gotta climb…" he huffed.

"Because we don't want to start a ruckus until after we save Aerith," I explained. "If that's possible…"

He chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned…"

"Knock it off, Barret. You're giving me the creeps."

"So even you will fight for someone else," he said. "Guess I figured you wrong."

"Who cares what you figured?" I snapped.

He grunted as he climbed. "I'm jus' sayin' maybe I was wrong…"

Tifa laughed. "It's about time…"

"What's that supposed to mean, Tifa?" I frowned.

But she didn't answer. Instead, she just kept on climbing, so Barret and I followed after her. For a while, none of us said anything, and the only sounds were our breathing and the steady thudding of our feet on the stairs. We didn't run, but we weren't walking, either. We moved at a brisk pace, and the higher we got, the more Barret started complaining. I didn't say anything, but Tifa wasn't so restrained.

"How much farther do these stairs go on?" Barret wondered.

She shrugged. "Why don't you ask them?"

He looked up. "It's not one of them endless stairways or somethin', is it? I hate them damn things…"

"Of course not!"

"Right," Barret said. "Couldn't be that. Are we there yet?"

Tifa shook her head. "Not yet."

It wasn't five minutes later that he asked again. "There yet?"

"I said not yet!"

"Yo…" he began not two minutes later.

Tifa stopped for just a moment and glared daggers at him over her shoulder. "Look, don't even ask! We're way, way, way, way, way far away from being there, okay?"

Barret sighed and nodded, and we got underway again. We kept on climbing, finding an elixir on the way on one of the landings. Someone had probably dropped it there without realizing it. An elixir was a very potent sort of potion that could completely revitalize a person and heal many injuries, although it still couldn't save someone from death if his or her wounds were fatal. As much as I wished I'd have had this on the pillar, it wouldn't have saved Jess. But it could still help us now, so I put it in my pocket and continued climbing.

After a while, Barret started in again. "Yo, what floor is this?"

"I stopped counting," Tifa shrugged.

"Well, when we get up top, tell me. I'm gonna throw up. Why they gotta make these buildings so damn tall? That Shinra… they're jus' no damn good."

Tifa nodded. "Can't argue with that…"

Barret went on, panting with every step, sweat beading on his skin. "Man, I'm beat…"

"Me too. We've got to keep going, though."

"Marlene," Barret panted, beads of sweat on his dark skin. "Daddy wanted to see your face one more time…"

Tifa whirled on him again, fire in her eyes. "Would you stop acting like a retard and climb!? It's just a bit more! Maybe…"

"Damn, man! I've had it! I'm going back!"

"It'll take just as long to go down as it did to come up," Tifa pointed out, and Barret let out an annoyed sigh.

We stopped for a moment on the stairs to catch our breath, Barret coming last and panting heavily. Tifa was in the lead, and she turned to us and put her hands on her hips as she glared at Barret. She was worn out too, but she seemed to be handling it a bit better than Barret was. I was barely even winded, myself, but I suppose that I had my SOLDIER training to thank for that.

"C'mon, Barret!" Tifa said. "Pull it together!"

He shook his head, still out of breath. "All I know is, I'm only flesh 'n' blood, 'cept for this arm of mine. Don't go treatin' me like I'm some ex-SOLDIER or somethin'…"

"What about me!?" Tifa argued. "I'm human, too! Oh, do what you want, I'm going on!"

She stopped after only going a few steps, though, and glanced over her shoulder down at herself and the back of her skirt. Then her cheeks suddenly turned beet red. "Yaah! Barret! You go first!"

"What are ya, ignorant?" he griped. Then he realized why Tifa was so embarrassed. "I didn't mean that…"

"Cloud, you go on ahead, too!" she said.

I didn't argue with her, although I did think she was overreacting a little. I hadn't even thought about her skirt and how short it was during our climb. But now that I did, I was starting to understand her feelings. She really ought to have known us better than that by now, though. We weren't about to go peeking under her skirt as she climbed up the stairs above us. But I supposed she couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious about it nonetheless.

We climbed the rest of the way in silence, and finally, after so many stairs that, like Tifa, I had long ago lost count, we reached the top. For a moment we just stood there, catching our breath again. Ahead of me, Barret was bent over with exhaustion.

"Finally… made it… Never wanna see… no more stairs the rest of my life… Not ever… again…"

Tifa smiled. "I'm beat… But here we are. We'd better get ready!"

Ahead of us was the door to the 59th floor. It stood closed, but after seeing how Jess had led me here, I was sure that it was unlocked just as the door at the bottom had been. As we stood there, we all exchanged a determined glance, putting the weariness of our long climb behind us. The first phase of our rescue mission was over. Now the hard part was about to begin. We readied our weapons, and after I slowly opened the door, we headed inside the Shinra Building.