Tifa hated ringing phones. Even more when they were ringing at 4:15 AM. It just got a little under her skin to wake up from a really nice dream to the electronic screeching.

Groan. "Reno, you get it!"

"No."

Grumble. "Some boyfriend you are." She reached blindly for the phone on the nightstand. "Hello? This had better be good."

"Hey Tif! It's Jessie! You might want to get down here..."

Another groan. "Now? It's 4:15 in the morning!"

"Oh quit bitching and get down here you lazy bum!" She hung up, leaving Tifa very angry.

"Reno, get your sorry ass up, we've got to get down to the factory."

"Now?" Tifa stood from her bed and stretched.

"Yes now."

"Mmmm...I'm not moving! It's hell on earth out there!" He glared playfully up at her, then pulled the covers up over his head. Tifa put her hands on her hips.

"Oh yes you are! Get up!" With a flying leap, landed right beside him on his bed and began pulling the covers down and attacking his sides. Surprisingly, Reno was incredibly ticklish.

"No! Tif- hoo hahaahaha!! Stop it!!! Hahaaahaha!!! Please! I'll- hohee hee heeeeee!- I'll do anything, heh ha! I'll go, I'll go!" She paused, then leaned over him, looking him directly in the eyes and grinning.

"Promise?"

"YES!"

"Good," bending she gave him a quick peck on the nose. "Now get up, and let's go!"

***

"I don't think they're going to be very happy with us," Jessie declared as she hung up the phone.

"Eh, they're problem, not ours," Wedge shrugged from the couch, glancing over at Caleb who was sitting in an armchair, his hands bound. "You're sure we're safe with him like that?"

"For the last time, YES! Caleb will behave perfectly, won't you?"

"Yes!" The soldier nodded vehemently. "I will be a good little boy." Reice, still bound to a chair and gagged made what sounded like a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes. "Oh you shut up. Just because you're little plan of glory didn't turn out so hot..."

Jessie rolled her eyes and walked past Vincent, who was discussing something Biggs, and strode into the sleeping quarter, while Alli was still isolating herself.

"Hey, Alli?" Jessie knocked at the door. "Can I come in?

"Hmph, sure."

Opening the door and stepping in, she took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Alli had left the lights off. "Alli? Is everything alright?"

"Oh sure, peaches and daisies," at this strange comment the teen's voice cracked and she broke down into sobs.

"Alli!" Pacing over to the cot where the girl sat, she threw an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" The sobbing increased as she hung her head, strawberry blonde locks falling into her face.

A slight sheen of light filtered into the room as the door opened. "Alli? What's wrong??" It was Biggs. He was looking very uncomfortable, yet concerned at the same time.

"Nothing! Go away you...pig!"

"Alli!" Jessie looked at her in shock. "Come on! Talk to us."

"Hmph. I've already tried talking to someone and what did they do?! They just up and leave me without even hearing me out!" The crying stopped and she stood up angrily, making her way towards the window. "Stupid judgmental...jerks!"

"Hey!" Biggs held his hands up in defense. "We can't judge if you don't talk to us!"

"EXACTLY!" She crossed her arms. "Just, leave me alone."

"Alli..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Sigh. "Fine, c'mon Jessie-girl."

***

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Yewouch, somebody's mad," Reno raised an eyebrow as he Tifa, the latter practically asleep on the former's shoulder, entered the room. "So what's the big...ooohh, I see..." His eyes landed on Reice, then traveled to Caleb. "Shinra." Biggs and Jessie emerged from the back room looking quite disturbed.

"Oh! Hey!" Biggs put up a very weak smile. "Hands of my girl, scoundrel!"

"Your girl? Hmm...by the sounds of it your girl is that room crying her little heart out."

"WHAT?!" Biggs flushed an interesting shade of red. "I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Reno was grinning through tired eyes as he and Tifa shuffled over a free sofa and crashed onto it. He glanced down at her. "I think this little girl is tuckered out."

"Mmm...don't talk about me like I'm a baby," lifting her head she yawned and waved at the others in the room. "So, what'd you want?"

"Well," Wedge spoke up, a slight glare on his face, "Captain Reice over there," he pointed to the captured man, "has informed us that your room at the Inn was about to be swarmed and you two executed. We thought you might want to get out of there before hand."

"Ah. I see." She paused, leaning her head back on Reno's shoulder. "And how exactly did you come by Captain Reice?"

"He and Mr. Hatcher over there just came strolling in here. Luck I guess," Biggs shrugged.

"Yes, call it luck if you will, but we have a serious matter at hand," Vincent, speaking for the first time since Tifa and Reno arrived. "If Mr. Reice over here found, whose to say others won't." The gagged man let out a muffled chuckle.

Biggs, nearest to the chair containing the man, reached and tipped it back to the point where it threatened to fall. "What were you saying? You want us to kick your ass? Was that it?" He received only a glare in return.

"Well, if he's tied and gagged, why's he," Reno pointed to Caleb, "only got his hands bound?"

"Because he can be trusted," Jessie answered quickly, with a look that dared him to question her judgment of the young soldier.

"I see."

***

Yuffie watched as the Underground members took the General and SOLDIER into custody, only turning when James spoke to her.

"Wow, Yuff. I knew you were some sort of ninja but...that was freakin' awesome!" James's face a lit up with amusement as replayed the scene that had taken place moments prior in his head.

"Heh, thanks!" A grin spread across her face. "Glad I can be of some help around here!"

"You can all be of some help," Shera said suddenly. "Go back to the bluffs, and take this," she reached into a coat pocket and pulled a PHS of similar design of the ones the captives had. "Hit 'speed' and then 1 if the subs start doing something. The airships should be on their way now, but we'll have to do something if they don't get here in time." Handing the phone to Aeris, she waved to them. "I'll be right over there," she pointed to a building across the way, near where the general and SOLDIER had been taken. "Go on!"

With a shrug, Yuffie led the way back to the door they entered through, she went at a soft jog so she didn't get too far ahead of her companions this time. Before long, they'd reached the center of town.

"This is weird," Aeris muttered, running a hand along the length of the wooden staff James had given her.

"Yeah," James agreed, taking long strides to keep up Yuffie's pace. He was surprised at the stamina she had for someone so young and...short. "Definitely different from the usual day." He paused in his speech. "Though its been so long since I've had one of those that it's hard to recall what one of those is like." He and Aeris shared a chuckle, then remained silent until they made it to the bluffs. All of the subs were currently surfaced and sitting as though waiting further instruction. "So...how're we supposed to tell if something's wrong? Er...more wrong than this picture anyway."

"Well, if something like that's happening, something's wrong," Yuffie told him, eyes wide as pointed out toward to the shore, where a medium-sized sub was surfacing.

"Eep!" Aeris quickly pulled out the phone, dialing Shera. "Shera! Something bad's happening." She paused, as though listening. "Another sub is surfacing- wait, no it's surfaced and something's opening. Ok, now people are getting out." She halted again. "About twenty. Hm? Alright!" She hung up, turning to her companions who were watching the group of SOLDIERs, several Mako eyes glimmering out in the darkness. "Shera told us to stay here and try to stay out sight. She said they'd take care of them." Her voice was wavering, and Yuffie reached out to give her a comforting pat on the back.

"Don't worry Aeris! Everything will be fine! Now c'mon, let's get to a bit more of a dense area," crawling along her belly, she led to a spot up a little higher than their previous location. "We should be fine here."

"So now what do we do?" James asked no one in particular.

"We wait." Yuffie answered.

And wait they did. 15 minutes passed, the SOLDIERs quickly making their way up to the town, weren't seen from again, but the sounds of rapid gunfire suddenly echoed out through the night. The trio could only guess who was getting the short end of the stick.

Several of the subs, however, seemed to notice this barrage of bullets and, in response, began firing out from the great Mako-powered guns atop the vessels. The bluffs shook as some shots went wide, and several houses erupted in flames, showering the town in debris.

"That's not g-" James began saying, cut off by two things. First was the ignition of sound above them as several of the smaller airships, followed up by the Highwind, came careening into the night sky. The second, was the discovery that Yuffie had disappeared. "Hey! Where's Yuff?!" He turned to Aeris in shock. She only shrugged.

"I don't know! I didn't hear her leave! Why didn't she say something?" She began looking around, then shrugged once more. "I dunno, James m-" she was interrupted by the ringing of the PHS, which was barely audible over the sound of the airships, which were now merely hovering above the subs. "Yeah?" She answered, despair written clearly over her face. "What? Ok, I'll...I'll be right there! Huh? I can barely hear you...ok! Ok! I'm coming!" She hung up, giving James a quick look. "Shera wants me to go back to the house for some reason, I couldn't hear her very well. She said for you and Yuffie to stay here...of course..." she trailed off.

"Don't worry! I'll find her!" James nodded to the female Cetra. "Get going!"

"Ok, bye! Be careful!"

***

Rufus was starting worry. The cryptic warning from Alli had indeed kept him on his toes, plus, the storm outside was growing angrier with each passing second. There was talk of destruction of the coastal parts of the city by waves. A great deal of the fortress looked out over the coast.

It was the storm that was keeping him awake now. The thunder had died out, and now the only sounds were the wailing winds and swirling waters in the streets. He began wondering how his troops were faring over-seas, but shook it from his mind. It would do no good to worry over things that were out of his hands now. He had things closer at hand to worry about. Avalanche. They were going to strike. He could feel it. And when they did, he would be ready for it.

***

Strife was anxious. He'd just awaken from another dream to find a message tacked to his apartment door. It was from a Captain Reice. Claiming he had a lead on the whereabouts of Avalanche. Two addresses were given. One was for an Inn where the Captain believed the two escaped prisoners were staying. The other was for an abandoned factory where others were thought to be. This was the reason the general could be found trudging out forcefully in the raging storm outside.

The street signs were hard to read, and he ended passing the Inn twice before discovering it. Hastily, he searched the numbers on the outer doors until found the one he was looking for. Bracing himself, he knocked loudly. There was no answer. He rapped again, still nothing. Grimacing slightly, he turned and walked off.

Might as well try the second address. There's no reason for them not to answer unless they aren't there. Where else could they be other than with friends?

Resolutely, he began making his way through the streets once more, as fast as the water, now almost to his shins, would allow. He pulled the hood of his coat up tighter around his face, wishing to keep as much wind and rain out as possible. After a good hour, he stood outside the building. There were two lights on.

Hmm...perhaps this will turn out to my liking...

***

"Damnit, Yuffie, where are you?!" Completely throwing out the warning of staying hidden, James was combing the bluffs. His eyes dabbled over the shore again and again until he caught sight of something. "Yuffie!"

She was scampering across the beach stealthily, heading to...James couldn't really tell. With a quick swear, he leapt up and scoured down the bluffs, receiving several nicks and cuts on the way down. He flinched as several of the subs took aim once more and fired away, some at the bluffs, others towards the town. The assault didn't last long.

Great beams of light suddenly poured out of the airships above, illuminating the scene as though it were day. Then, tumbling out of the bottom compartments came large cylinder-like objects, falling at great speed, and slamming into about one-third of the submarines.

Shielding his eyes from the blinding light, James picked up his pace. Yuffie, not seeming to notice he was following her, had slowed down considerably, watching the destruction of the enemy.

"YUFFIE!" She either couldn't hear him, or was ignoring him. Most likely the former, James thought. He could barely hear himself over the roar of the battle. She continued forward ahead of him for several paces until he saw her destination.

The abandoned scout sub.

***

For the most part, everyone at the factory had retired once more, this time to another sitting room next to sleeping quarters, where Alli had blockaded herself. Jessie had unfortunately failed to convince the others to trust Caleb that much, so he could be found sitting in the same armchair, hands bound, and sleeping like a baby. Captain Reice was dozing in and out, and Tifa and Reno, having volunteered first watch, were sprawled out on the sofa.

Reno glanced down at Tifa, whose head was resting just below his ribs. She seemed out for the count. A slight grin raced across his face before he gently lifted her up and standing, deciding to stretch his legs for awhile.

Slowly, he began to pace around the room, keeping a watchful eye on the captain, who seemed to be sleeping. The latest additions to the group in the factory were weighing heavily on his mind.

Who else did this guy tell about us to? Reice hadn't been talking to them, and unfortunately, Caleb knew about as much as they did about the subject at this point. By now, the entire Shinra army could know where we are! Grunting at this thought, he kicked the corner of the wall. He had come to the opening of the hallway leading away from the hideaway. His eyes were trained on the ground for the moment, inspecting the dirt on the ground with his toe when a slight crunch behind him brought him to full concentration. His eyes turned to the dark hallway just in time to see a pair of hands reaching out for him, wrenching at his throat and drawing him into the darkness before he could make a sound.

***

Aeris, not wanting to get caught up in what was left of the action in the center of town, didn't stop running until she had made it safely into the house. Pausing for a moment, she caught her breath. She really wasn't built for marathon runs like that. Finally, after she was able to breathe once more with a stinging pain in her chest, she headed down to the basement, and out to the Underground. As fast as her legs would allow, she made her way to the building where Shera was.

"Ah, Aeris, there you are," the engineer was bent over some maps with a woman Aeris didn't recognize. Shera made no move to introduce her. "I need you to go to the building where they took the General and SOLDIER. Alright?"

"A-alright..." She wanted inquire more about this, but the woman turned back to the maps and engaged herself in strategy conversation once more. With a slightly queasy look, the Cetra turned and hurried over to the building, where Ryan was waiting for her.

"Aeris! Follow me!" He wasted no time getting to business as he turned around, taking out a set of keys and unlocking the door. Pushing the door open, her allowed her entrance before go in himself. Inside was what resembled a small town drunk tank. A single office desk with chair and barred off corner made up the tiny building. Inside the cell were the General and SOLDIER.

"We need you to keep an eye on them until we can take over again. You shouldn't have any trouble, there's no way even they can break those bars, and there's no chance of them squeezing between them. Just stay far enough back so they can't reach through to you and you'll be fine! For security reasons, however...I'm going to have to lock you in." He caught a glimpse of the obvious fear in her eyes. "Don't worry! You'll be fine! But...just in case, here," he pulled out a handgun and offered it to here. "At this range, you don't have to be much of a shot. Just point it at them, and pull the trigger. Careful, it's got a slight kick. Good luck!" Thrusting the weapon into her hands, he gave her a short nod of the head before leaving, closing the door and flipping the lock from the outside. Aeris was locked in with the enemy.

Nervously, she turned and glanced over to the cell. They were both glaring daggers at her. The General's eyes seemed to go straight through to her mind, piercing her every thought. Cautiously, as though expecting them to reach out and drag her through the bars, she made her way to the desk and sat down in the chair. Silence prevailed for some time before Briggs spoke.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Ancient? Broken free from your cage, have you?" His tone was mocking, and quick to anger the young Cetra.

"Be quiet."

"Oh, but we're locked in here together, we might as well get to know one another, right?" His grin showed well enough that he was enjoying angering her. She couldn't let him get to her.

"Fine." She put on a smile of her own. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, what possessed you to go tromping off with those...terrorists?"

She narrowed her eyes. "They aren't terrorists." She paused, when she spoke again, her voice was soft. "But...anything's better than be back in that lab with Hojo." Her eyes quickly found their way to the cement ground, not wanting to look at what was sure to be humor in the General's eyes. After a few seconds of painful nostalgia, she glanced back up with a watery smile on her face. "Besides, it's not like I had much say in it anyway..." she trailed off as she raised her head, catching Briggs's eyes. She surprised to see not laughter in their Mako glow, but understanding.

***

Strife grumbled under the thrashing of the man he attempted to pin down. He could see now how he had made it as a Turk. He was disturbingly nimble and strong for a man of his size. One of Cloud's hands was wrapped around Reno's face, muffling any sound that might come through, and the other held his arms behind his back. Smirking slightly, he bet his head down until it was even with the former-Turks ear.

"I believe we have a score to settle," he hissed, quickly sliding his top arm down to rest across the other man's throat. A soft, quiet gurgling sound issued forward. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you." He tightened his grip, sending the man into a more frantic skirmish.

Shit...this isn't good...this isn't good... A million thoughts were running through Reno's mind, all mainly running along the same idea. Must do something...this isn't good.

Summoning all his strength, Reno wrenched an arm free and jabbed as hard as he could into Strife's right shoulder, weakening his grip on the rebel's neck long enough for Reno to rip it off completely and holler as loud as possible.

"HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Response was almost immediate. The sound of doors flying opening and charging feet soon came drifting to their ears. Cloud threw his arm back around the smaller man's neck and pinned him back against a wall until he once more had hold of both arms. By that time, they had quite an audience.

***

With force he hadn't known he was capable of, James rushed towards the tiny sub, which looked almost like an oversized pill bobbing in the water, unlike the huge submarines that were currently attempting to strike at the airships, with no luck, which were very obviously ships of war. This one looked...harmless.

"YUFFIE!!" He tried once more to catch her attention, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to hear him over the calamity next to them. All he could hope to do was to catch her in time.

He was almost to the vessel when he saw her throw open a hatch and dive in, not closing it at once, James noticed with glee as he closed in, hurling himself in through the opening, much to surprise of Yuffie. The teen stood there, one hand turning a dial and another leaning against a monitor of some sort, gaping open mouthed at the Cetra as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Well hello there, young Yuffie. What, pray tell might you be doing in here?" His voice was light and jaunty, but his eyes were caught serious.

"Uhh...taking a much needed vacation?" An attempted innocent look crossed her face, but just came out looking a bit silly.

"Yuffie. What are you doing?"

She sighed, stamping her foot a little before answering. "I'm going back."

"Back where?" He really didn't need to ask, he already knew where it was she was talking about.

"Wutai! I'm not going to just sit around here, where they've obviously got things under somewhat control, and wonder what's going on in the one place I'm really worried about!" She paused. "I mean...it's not that I don't care what happens to the rest of the world it's just...Wutai's my home."

James sighed. She looked like she was about to cry. He hated when girls cried. He never knew what to do. "Yuff..." he paused and shrugged. "I guess Aeris and Shera are just going to have to deal without us." The Cetra looked up, grinning.

Yuffie's eyes were wide. "Huh?"

"Well, you do know how to work this thing, right?"

"Of course!" A look of pride touched her face. "I can run every vehicle there is in Wutai army."

"Well then, off to Wutai!"

***

It had been slight sounds of scuffling that had originally woken Tifa. It had been Reno's cry for help that had finally roused her to full attention.

"Reno!" She was on her feet and almost to the hallway as the first door, the sleeping quarter where Alli had taken refuge, was swung open. By the time the second one had, she was already at the scene of the problem.

"Cloud!" Her voice cracked as she gazed over the scene. The General had Reno in what looked to be a very painful pin against one of the walls, his arms twisted out behind his back at dangerous angles. "Stop! Let him go!"

"Gck...Tifa..." Reno was still struggling against Strife. It was obvious by the strain in his voice, however, that he wasn't going to last long.

"Well, Miss Lockheart." The blonde man had a twisted sort of grin on his face. "So good of you to join us. You know, I was hoping I would be seeing on this lovely...morning." He twisted Reno's arm more, urging a pained cry from the man as the others stumbled over to the scene. "Ah, there's the rest of you. Good."

"What do you want, Strife?" Biggs was trying his hardest not to scream at the top of his lungs.

"Well, it's quite simple, but I'm afraid it only concerns one of you," his eyes landed on Tifa again. "Miss Lockheart. I do believe you know what I want?"

Tearfully, she nodded, never looking away from Reno. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to come with me. If you do, I can assure you that no more harm will come to your little boy-toy or anyone else present. Nor, will I give away their presence to the powers that be. That's all I ask." His voice was steady and there was no hint of an undertone.

"...what's the catch?" She eyed him coldly.

"No catch," he shrugged. "I'm merely a man of honor...to some degree. You give me something, and I give you something in return."

She looked back at the others, who all looked less than convinced, and then to Reno before nodding.

"All right. Let's go."