Chapter Two

By some cruel twist of fate, I end up in a bar. At the counter, though, not behind it. The bartender keeps shooting me dirty glares, since I haven't ordered anything yet. Is it strange that for a girl who once owned a bar, I don't even like to drink? I suppose five or so years of watching other people wallow in their own misery and get lost in a drunken stupor kind of turned me off to the whole idea. So did watching people vomit on themselves. Yeah, I think that pretty much did it for me. I decide to leave before the bartender throws me out, but as I go, I catch a snippet of someone's conversation.

"I would have given up everything for him. But in the end, I had to give everything up for myself, including him."

Those words echoed in my mind as I walked the streets of Kalm, empty at this time of night. Was it just coincidence that had led me here, where our journey had first begun all those months ago? I walk into the Inn, and I remember this was where Cloud had first revealed his knowledge of Sephiroth, and Nibelheim. The thought both makes me shudder and cringe with guilt.

I could have put an end to it all, right then. I could have told Cloud the truth; that he hadn't been a First-Class SOLDIER. That he hadn't been a SOLDIER at all. That, as far as I knew, he had never returned to Nibelheim. Then, maybe Meteor would never have happened. It's an endless accusation that's been circling above my head since the Meteor incident ended. Lately, it's lodged itself in the back of my mind, berating me, telling me it was all my fault. Cloud letting Sephiroth have the Black Materia, Aeris' death, Cloud's tormented search for himself; I could have stopped it all. But I remained silent.

Deciding to put an end to this mental torture session for now, I ask the innkeeper for a room, and head upstairs, suddenly exhausted. Tomorrow I'll hop another train, and head for Junon. Maybe following AVALANCHE's journey is just what I need to clear my head of all this self-inflicted guilt. And to forget Cloud. Somehow, I think my guilt and leaving him are wrapped up in one another. Maybe, one day, I can go back to him again. But as I take one last look at the starry sky, free from the smoky pollution that surrounded Midgar, I can't help but think that then again, maybe not.

I was hoping the train ride to Junon would be just as tranquil as the one to Kalm. But there was no such luck. Since the collapse of Shin-Ra, the monster population had decreased drastically. The unleashing of the Lifestream over the entire Planet had killed most of them. But there was one place still tainted. One place where the Mako and the pollution were concentrated into a thick, watery mess. Midgar Swamp. Extermination was too risky, and there was no AVALANCHE anymore to fight the monsters. So the trains ran through the swamp to Junon, and prayed the Midgar Zoloms weren't hungry.

Today was not one of those days.

I was awakened when I was suddenly thrown against the side of the train, and by the startled cries all around me. A few seats away, a child was crying. As the train shuddered and rocked, the lights in the car began to flicker on and off. For a moment, I thought we were experiencing what Bugenhagen had once called an 'earthquake.' He had said the Planet sometimes shifts, that the earth itself shudders and moves. It felt a lot like that—but then I heard the harsh, raspy screams, and felt the ground vibrate. It was no earthquake, it was something worse. The Zoloms had noticed us, and they weren't about to pass up a neatly boxed lunch.

The conductor came back and informed us that the train would be speeding up in order to outrun the Zoloms.

"How many are there?" Someone asked, their voice full of fear. The conductor said nothing, and I took that as a bad sign. As soon as he left, I slowly made my way to the front of the train. It was pure chaos up there. The firemen were struggling to throw more and more coal onto the boiler, and the engineer was trying to figure out what the hell to do. It had been no easy adjustment, moving from Mako power to coal, and not everyone had adapted to the change as easily. It certainly looked as if this bunch of morons hadn't.

"Excuse me, miss, if you would just go back to your seat." The conductor said politely but firmly. I brushed off his hand before he could guide me back.

"How many are there?" I asked, planting my feet firmly in front of him. He seemed to be studying me, as if he recognized me from somewhere.

"Wait, you're from AVALANCHE, aren't you?" I forced myself not to roll my eyes. Being the 'Saviors of the Planet' had come with a certain amount of fame and recognition, but for once, it looked as if it just might be helpful, rather than annoying.

"Tifa Lockheart, member of AVALANCHE." I said cheerfully, plastering a smile on my face as I shook his hand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to offer my assistance." God knows we'll all be killed if I don't, I added silently. The man began nodding his head emphatically.

"Of course, Miss Lockheart, of course!" He led me to a small, digital map on one wall, like the ones that had been on the train up to the Plate. Now that there was no Plate, the trains had been adapted to run in and out of Midgar. He pointed to a thin, green line that rain through the center of the map, and I watched as the view zoomed in closer.

"We are currently about here, on the track, and there are three Zoloms, one on each side, one from behind." He said, trying to keep the shaking of his voice to a minimum. But his outward appearance of calm was shattered by his violently trembling hands. I nodded to him, then moved up by the panicking engineer.

"Slow down, you'll never be able to outrun them, so don't try. You'll only have a bigger crash on your hands when they push us off the track." I said all this as calmly as I could, pausing to make sure he understood me. His face paled a little, but he nodded and ordered the firemen to stop piling on the coal.

"Good, evacuate the last car of the train. Now." I instructed. He nodded again, glancing at the conductor, who went to the loudspeaker.

"Attention passengers. Would all those in car eight please move forward to car seven and quickly and as calmly as possible. Thank you."

"Okay. Now as soon as everyone is out of the car, I want you to detach it."

"What?" The engineer said, looking at me incredulously. I sighed and moved back to the map, the screeching of the Zoloms telling me they were rapidly growing closer to the train.

"Look, these guys are hungry, and they won't stop chasing us unless we give them something to munch on. So, we'll offer them a snack. I just won't have the creamy center." The man's eyes widened in understanding, and I turned as the conductor clapped me on the shoulder.

"That's brilliant, Miss Lockheart! You truly are a hero!" He said enthusiastically. I just smiled wanly and went to make sure everyone was out of the last car. As soon as I gave the all clear, I heard the loud click and hiss as the last car was freed from the rest of the train. I couldn't help but smile at myself, for once I had stepped up and taken charge. Maybe I could manage without Cloud after all.

"Oh no!" Someone screamed, cutting off my self-congratulations. "My son, has anyone seen him? Adam? Adam!"

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, opening the door at the back of the car to see the freed car still a few feet behind us. To my horror, there really was a little boy on it; I could see him crying through the window in the small door at the end of the car. I clenched my fists, and backed up a few feet. Then without another thought, I jumped.

I didn't get much of a running start, the car was crowded with all the extra passengers. But luckily, it was enough. I was a bit out of practice, but I made it. I quickly grabbed the metal handles on the car, and tried to keep a grip with one hand as I opened the door with the other. My heart was racing, but there was no time to catch my breath. As quickly as I could, I grabbed the boy and threw him over one shoulder, making sure I had a good hold on him.

Now the hard part: getting back. The car was already losing momentum, and the gap between it and the train was widening all too quickly. It also didn't help that I could see the shimmering scales of the Zolom sliding through the murky water, or that I now had the added weight of a three-year-old to deal with. But my journey had just started, and it wasn't about to end with me becoming lunch.

Taking a deep breath, I focused my energy and cleared my mind, as Master Zangan had taught me. I need all my strength to do this, and if I messed up, it wasn't just my life on the line. But I could do this. I had to.

This time, I went all the way to the back of the car, trying to block the crying of the child and the screaming of the Zoloms from my mind. Digging my heel into the carpet for more leverage, I ran. All my attention was focused on giving speed to my legs, and I watched the open door of the car loom closer. Then, it was gone, and all I could see was the end of the train, impossibly far away. The moment seemed to slow down and stretch into an eternity. My legs were running in midair, and the boy was silent with awe. Then, my feet hit metal, and my hand automatically reached out to grasp onto something. I was holding on for dear life, my legs struggling to find footing. Finally, the door opened, and several pairs of hands grabbed me and pulled me inside.

Someone took the boy from me, giving me the chance to catch my breath. I was warm and soaked with sweat, but as I looked back, I saw my plan had worked. The Zoloms had taken the bait, and were attacking the empty car instead of chasing us. There were heartfelt cheers from the passengers, and several hearty handshakes from the conductor, but my gaze was on the mother and her child. They were both crying, holding onto one another like the world depended on it. It was times like this that made me hate sappy moments. The fact that my own mother had died when I was young didn't help. Looking at them, I couldn't help but think some people didn't deserve to be parents. If leaving your own child behind while you save your own ass isn't a sign that you shouldn't have kids, I don't know what is.

So we all reached Junon relatively unscathed. I took my leave before I could receive any more heartfelt thanks, I knew if I got one more pat on the back or handshake, I was going to scream. It wasn't my fault the people running the train were incompetent fools, and to be honest, I was sick of playing the hero. If it hadn't been for me, Meteor would have never happened, so I didn't deserve their praise. Slipping away as silently as I could, I headed to the harbor, and waited for the ferry to take me to the Western Continent. And from there, only the Planet knows.