Disclaimer: Aerith, Cloud, and co./ShinRa, Midgar are all copyright of Square Enix, Co. Reilena Gainsborough is copyright of Vinja Ryou.

A/N: I won't be on here until Sunday, 27 June, but when I return, Chapter 6 will be put up ASAP, with some very unusual twists....tee hee hee!

"I knew I remembered that way from something," Reilena said, helping Cloud up the last of the wire rope. "Aerith used to take a way around here to get to Mom's flower shop."

"Golden shiny wire of hope - what did I tell yas?" Barret chuckled, making sure his gun-arm wasn't harmed from the climb. Beside him, Tifa laughed to herself. Cloud brushed the dust off his pants, nodding to Reilena in silent thanks, and the group turned. Shinra Headquarters loomed before them, the shiny silver building seeming to be empty. Shaking his head, Barret elbowed Cloud good-naturedly. "Hey, you oughta know this building well." Cloud shook his head.

"…not really; now that I think about it," he began, running a hand through his spiky hair, "this's the first time I've ever been to the Headquarters." Reilena arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"But didn't you tell me and Aerith before that you were a SOLDIER?" she asked. Cloud nodded, but Barret interrupted him, still gazing up at the building.

"I heard about this place before," he stated. "Every floor above the 60th is special, and not easy to get to even for employees…must be where they took Aerith." He paused for a moment, surveying the outside, and nodded. "The security's pretty light now. Awright, let's go!!" Tifa shook her head, arms folded as she stood by Cloud.

"Wait a second…you're not thinking of just going right through the main entrance, are you?" she asked, shocked. Barret rolled his eyes, throwing his arms in the air.

"Well, what else does it look like!?" he muttered in a low tone. "I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt, and…" he stopped when he saw the rest of the group shaking their heads and sighed.

"That's not going to work," Tifa replied, glancing through the glass doors; a lone secretary sat behind a desk, typing at a computer, while three or four people in expensive business suits sat at a plush couch reading newspapers. Tifa gestured toward the people. "We've got to find another way…"

"Ain't gonna be no other way!" Barret growled. "If we keep wastin' time like this, Aerith'll…" he trailed off, glancing at Reilena; Tifa rolled her eyes impatiently.

"I know that! Rei knows that! Everyone knows that!" she retorted. "But if we get caught…" she stopped, watching as Reilena walked over to Cloud and tapped his shoulder. He glanced at her silently, and she sighed.

"Cloud, what do you think we should do?" she asked quietly. Cloud raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Barret and Tifa - they wore the same confused look - and looked back at Reilena. She gave him an innocent shrug. "We don't have a lot of time to waste, like Barret said, and I want to get to Aerith. She's…not doing well. I can sense it." Cloud inhaled deeply, turning his gaze to the building.

"Let's sneak in quietly." Tifa smiled over at Barret victoriously.

"See? Let's be careful and find a different route! Like the stairway over there," she said, pointing to their left. A door with the sign "Staircase Entry" stood under a small light, and Tifa glanced around the group for disagreements. No one said a word, and she led the way to the door, holding it open for the rest of her comrades before getting in herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"If I ever…see another stair again," Barret huffed, hands on his knees, "it will be too soon." Nearby, Cloud, Tifa, and Reilena echoed his sentiments. The stairwell Tifa had found ended up taking nine flights of stairs to reach the 58th floor, and they were all exhausted.

"But see? Now we haven't been caught by security," Tifa argued, standing up with her hands behind her head. Reilena and Cloud rolled their eyes, and Cloud stood up, pointing across the empty floor.

"Let's take that elevator to the 59th then," he said. No one disagreed, and the group piled into the elevator car; Cloud pressed the button marked 59. Tifa, Barret, and Reilena fell silent; Cloud let out a low sigh, leaning against the outside wall. Curious, Tifa glanced over at her childhood friend.

"…what's wrong, Cloud?" He sighed again.

"I didn't want to start a ruckus till we saved Aerith," he said quietly. "I should've known that was impossible though; there's no telling what we'll face now." Nearby, Barret chuckled, and Cloud glanced over at him. "What is it? You're givin' me the willies." He shook his head.

"So there are times when even you fight for people," Barret said, scratching his neck. "I am impressed." Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Who cares if you're impressed?" he retorted. Barret shrugged, the smile disappearing, and looked up at the mercenary solemnly.

"Y'know, I ain't so good at sayin' this, but…" he clapped a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Sorry…for lotsa things." Cloud simply looked down at Barret's hand on his shoulder, and shrugged; before he could reply, the elevator trembled, and the group stumbled, trying to regain their footing. "Wh, what the!?"

"Look!" Tifa and Reilena pointed outside; the elevator was shaking on its rails, seemingly being controlled by someone else. Barret shook his head, adjusting his gun-arm.

"DA-MN! I don't care where Cloud! Just stop it!" he yelled. Cloud turned and hit the 'door open' button, depositing them on the 59th floor. Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Reilena stumbled out of the elevator and looked up into the eyes of three Shinra guards. The middle guard regripped his weapon, giving commands to his comrades.

"Destroy the intruders!" he stated. The soldiers on either side nodded curtly, and swung their blades. Cloud narrowed his eyes, unsheathing his Hardedge blade; Tifa tightened her gloves while Reilena took out her daggers, and Barret aimed his gun at the guards.

"On three, we blast through 'em," Barret muttered; the trio nodded. "One…two…three!" Cloud and Reilena attacked the leftmost soldier, Barret fired at the leader in the middle, and Tifa knocked out the soldier on the right, grabbing his Keycard 60 before he slumped to the ground. She ran over to the elevator, slinging the card through the slot, and waved the group over to the elevator. Barret ran in first, followed by Reilena, and Cloud brought up the rear, shooing in Tifa before he jumped in, pressing the button for the next floor.

"There's your ruckus, Cloud," Barret teased; Cloud didn't reply, his gaze distant, and Barret looked behind himself. Tifa and Reilena stood in the back of the elevator, polishing Reilena's daggers silently. The elevator halted on the 60th floor, and Cloud edged out first, looking both ways before gesturing for the others to follow. They crept quickly into a small room to catch their breath, and again Cloud glanced out across the hall to the opposite stairwell. Just beside them, guards patrolled the hallways; statues prevented them from seeing the intruders though, and Cloud pulled back into the room. Barret, Tifa, and Reilena watched him closely. "Lookit that, all them guards is runnin' around," Barret suddenly said. Cloud nodded silently. "Cloud, you go on ahead, and signal us when it's safe to come." Without a word, Cloud ran out, hiding behind a statue; eventually he made his way to the stairwell, and waved the trio on; a few minutes later, they regrouped at the stairwell, Barret grinning as he set his gun-arm. "Ok! We gonna rock!"

"Remember, we're here to save Aerith," Reilena said quietly.

"Hell, I know that!" Barret replied; he glanced over and swallowed guiltily when he saw Reilena's forlorn expression. "Sorry. Here, you and Cloud lead the way to the 66th floor, aight?" Reilena nodded silently, pushing the door open; Cloud came up alongside her, and they ran up an additional six flights of stairs, finally stopping at a door that had the number 66 spraypainted in black.

"Here goes nothing," Tifa whispered, pushing the door open. To their surprise however, no one jumped out, and both Tifa and Cloud walked out ahead, waving Barret and Reilena on.

"It looks like this is a recreation area for the Shinra employees," Cloud observed. Just a few feet ahead, music blasted out of an open door; Reilena walked up and peeked in, nodding after a moment.

"This's a workout room, and over there is the locker room, I'm guessing…" she was cut off by Tifa grabbing her arm suddenly. The brunette woman pulled her into a washroom, where Cloud and Barret were hiding as well. Once the door swung shut, Tifa glanced apologetically at her friend.

"Sorry about that Rei - Cloud said he'd seen a guard out there," she muttered. Reilena nodded, and glanced over at a stall; Cloud was standing on the toilet, inspecting a grating above it. He pulled the grating down and looked over at the troupe, motioning them over.

"C'mon. I can hear voices in here - I think this goes above a meeting room," Cloud said. Barret nodded in approval.

"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's move!" he said, pushing Tifa ahead. Tifa shook her head.

"Let Rei go first - this is her sister's rescue mission after all," she said. Reilena gazed at her, wide-eyed, and Tifa nodded. "Go ahead." Shrugging, Reilena walked up to Cloud and stepped up on the toilet seat; Cloud boosted her up into the duct, and she inched up, then stuck her head in the opening.

"Who's next?" she called. Cloud glanced to the right; seconds later, Tifa leapt up, crawling to the opposite side, and both girls helped Barret into the duct. Cloud jumped up last, and led the way down the duct. He stopped about forty feet down the duct and held a hand up for silence, motioning toward a grating; one glance down showed an expensive table surrounded by Shinra's most important workers.

"Geez! That's a lotta suits!" he muttered. He glanced up to see Tifa shushing him, and shrugged an apology; falling silent, the troupe gazed down at the executive room, watching the meeting...

"We have the damage estimates for Sector 7, sir," Reeve began, handing the President a sheaf of papers. President Shinra glanced over them, still listening to Reeve. "Considering those factories we already set up and all the investments, the damage's estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is…"

"We're not rebuilding," President Shinra replied casually, reading over the charts. Reeve's eyes widened.

"What?" Sighing, President Shinra glanced up at Reeve over his reading glasses, a cool expression on his face.

"I said we're not rebuilding," he repeated, setting down the files, and folded his hands on the table. "We're leaving Sector 7 as it is. And restarting the Neo-Midgar plan." Silence; finally, Reeve cleared his throat.

"…then the Ancients?" President Shinra nodded.

"The Promised Land will soon be ours; we have word that the second Ancient is nearby." He pulled out a sheet of paper from his files and read over it before continuing. "I want you to raise the Mako rates 15% in every area." On his left, Palmer grinned; the portly tan-suited man seemed ready to applaud already.

"Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra la la!" he sang happily, turning to the President. "And please include our Space Program in the budget!" President Shinra shook his head, and Palmer's face fell.

"Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase," he replied. Palmer slumped back in his chair, defeated.

"Oh, man!" he grumbled. Across from him, Reeve spoke up yet again, a hand resting on his forehead.

"Sir. If you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence…" he stopped when President Shinra chuckled, and narrowed his gaze.

"It'll be alright. The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence," he explained. "They'll trust Shinra even more."

"Ha ha ha!" Heidegger's laugh cut through the solemn atmosphere. "After all," he declared, "we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!"

"That dirty bastard," Barret growled from within the duct. Again, Tifa shushed him. Below, President Shinra stood up from his place at the head of the table and nodded to a person who had just entered the room...

"Hojo. How's the girl?" he asked. A low chuckle; Hojo walked into the room, his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a simple white lab coat, his glasses perched on his nose, and dark brown-black hair pulled back in a queue. In the air duct, Reilena gasped upon seeing Hojo - true to her visions, he was the same one who had…and now…Reilena held her head in her hands, her brow furrowed. Beside her, Tifa threw an arm around her, holding Reilena close while whispering for her to be as quiet as she could, and glanced up to see both Barret and Cloud shooting her confused glances.

"Explain later," Tifa whispered, motioning toward the grating. Nodding, they turned back to the meeting as Tifa tried to comfort Reilena. In the executive room, Hojo removed his glasses, polishing them on his coat as he replied.

"As a speciment, she is inferior to her mother, which is why it is imperitave that we catch her sister as soon as possible," he began, setting his glasses back on his nose. "I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother Ifalna, but for now the difference is 18%"

"18%," President Shinra murmured, rubbing his beard in thought. "How long will the research take?" Hojo chuckled.

"Probably 120 years…but that can be reduced by a few decades with the capture of the sister. Nonetheless, it's probably impossible to finish in our lifetime, or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter…"

"Stop…calling…them…specimens," Reilena whispered. "They're humans, damn you." Tifa ran a hand through her friend's hair, her fear growing with each second; Reilena had started trembling, and was murmuring under her breath.

"…That's why we're thinking of breeding her," Hojo continued. "Then we could create one that would withstand our research for a long time."

"I see," Shinra murmured; the rest of the associates remained silent. He waved a hand in the air, glancing up at the scientist again. "What about the Promised Land? Won't it hinder our plans?" Hojo shrugged with a sigh.

"That's what I need to plan," he said. "The mother is strong…and yet has her weaknesses. With both Ancients here, I would be able to determine if it is at all possible for one to breed and the other to remain alive for the duration of the testing, which is why I must insist yet again that we retrieve the younger one as soon as possible." Again President Shinra nodded in thought, and glanced up at the rest of his employees, standing up from his seat.

"Thank you, Hojo," he said, and turned back to the rest of the people. "This concludes our meeting." With simulatenous nods, the employees rose, leaving the room quickly. Scarlet hesitated a moment, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Something stinks…" with a shrug, Scarlet straightened her suit coat and left the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"They were talking about Aerith…right?" Cloud asked, sure that the executive room below them was empty. Barret shrugged, while Tifa nodded; Reilena sat up, shaking her head drowsily, and Tifa glanced down at her.

"Rei, you okay?" she asked quietly. Reilena nodded, and glanced up at the two men.

"What happened?" Cloud asked. Reilena shook her head.

"I'll explain it all later," she said, crawling past him. "Right now, I want to follow Hojo." Cloud watched her climb out of the duct and turned to Barret and Tifa; they both shrugged, and Cloud turned, following Reilena back into the bathroom. Once they'd all climbed out of the air duct, Barret replaced the grating above the toilet and turned to the team.

"So…now what?" he asked. Tifa shrugged, glancing over at Reilena.

"I say we do what Reilena said and follow Hojo…he seemed to know a lot about Aerith."

"I agree. Let's head for the elevator," Cloud decided. He walked out of the bathroom first, followed by Tifa, Barret, and Reilena; they managed to get into the elevator easily, due to the light security on the recreation floor, and let out a collective sigh of relief once the elevator doors shut behind them. Cloud leaned against the outside wall, glancing at Reilena; the younger Gainsborough was gazing at her feet, a forlorn look in her eyes. Nearby, Barret coughed.

"I remembered him. That Hojo guy," he said, toying with his gun-arm. "He's in charge of the Shinra's Science Department." He peered over his shoulder at Cloud, an eyebrow arched. "Cloud, don't know him?" Cloud shook his head.

"This is the first time I've actually ever seen him," he said, his voice taking on a faraway tone. "So…that's what he looks like…"

"He came into the Seventh Heaven the night you guys raided Mako Reactor One," Reilena whispered. Tifa nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Rei here had to leave when she saw him, and I had my cook take care of it…" suddenly the elevator stopped, and the goup walked out of the elevator, glancing around. The 67th floor appeared to be the science floor - the huge room to their left looked to be a laboratory of sorts, and Reilena immediately dashed over, hiding behind a large crate. She looked back at the rest of the group, waving them over; seconds later, Cloud and Reilena were behind the crate, Barret hid behind a piece of machinery of sorts, and Tifa crouched behind a large steel canister. In front of them, a man with a Shinra uniform on gestured toward a strange orange-red tank.

"So is this today's speciment?" he asked. Hojo suddenly walked out, inches in front of Cloud and Reilena; instinctively, Cloud laid a hand on Reilena's shoulder, unfazed by her tension.

"Yes," he replied, chuckling under his breath as he walked past the tank. "We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level." Saluting, the Shinra employee pulled a lever; to Cloud, Tifa, Reilena, and Barret's shock, a separate cage was lifted to the upper floor, the orange-red tank staying put. Hojo glanced up at the cage as it ascended, a smile on his face. "My precious specimen…" he murmured, walking over to the small elevator across the room. Only after they were sure Hojo was gone did the group come out of hiding. Tifa glanced over at the area where the cage used to be, clearly confused.

"Precious specimen…" she muttered. "Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?" She was met with equally confused shrugs from the remaining three, and they glanced around the laboratory. Cloud walked over to the orange-red tank, narrowing his eyes as he tried to peer into the tank. A seemingly headless creature floated in what looked to be some sort of liquid within the tank.

"Jenova…" Suddenly his eyes widened, and he fell to his knees, clutching his head. Tifa, Barret, and Reilena spun on their heels; Reilena was the first to his side, and knelt beside him, an arm on his back. Cloud continued to shake his head, holding it tightly. "Jenova…Sephiroth's…so…they've brought it here," he murmured in a near silent voice. Reilena's eyes widened, and she grabbed Cloud's hands, forcing him to look up at her; his eyes were glazed over, and she tapped at his cheek to try and get him to focus.

"Sephiroth…what do you know about him?" Reilena whispered. Cloud blinked quickly, almost as if he was about to cry; Reilena kept her gaze on him, even as Tifa and Barret came to their side.

"Cloud, be strong!" Tifa cried. She turned to Reilena, worried. "What is it?" Reilena shook her head; before she could try to explain, Cloud ripped his hands out of Reilena's and rubbed at his eyes. When he looked back up, his eyes had returned to normal.

"Did you see it?" he said, looking straight at Reilena. She shook her head; above them, Barret snorted.

"See what?" Cloud pointed at the tank.

"It's moving…still alive?" he murmured; Tifa slung one of his arms over her shoulder and helped him to his feet. Reilena stood up as well, and Barret glanced into the tank. A moment later, he jumped back from the tank, shaken.

"Where's its fucking head?!" he muttered. He looked over and saw Tifa, Cloud, and Reilena gazing at him; he shook his head, straightening his vest confidently. "This whole thing's stupid. Let's keep goin'."

"Hojo took the elevator at the end of the room to the 68th floor," Tifa said, pointing across the room. Sure enough, an elevator stood among piled up crates, cages, and the like; it looked to be barely big enough for the four of them. Silent, they made their way across the room, Barret entering the elvator first, and Reilena walked in last, pressing the 'up' button.

"Are you all ready?" she murmured. Cloud nodded.

"I am," he answered. Reilena glanced over at Barret and Tifa.

"And you two…are you ready?" Tifa smiled, and Barret bowed his head once. Reilena smiled weakly to them just as the elevator stopped. Before Reilena could walk out, Cloud held an arm out in front of her, glancing at her calmly.

"Let me go out first," he said quietly. Complying, Reilena stepped back, and Cloud strode out of the elevator first, Reilena and Tifa behind him, and Barret bringing up the rear.

"Well, what do you know," a voice called out. The troupe glanced across the room, and spied Hojo walking out of a room, hands behind his back as usual. A knowing smile crept across his face, and he walked up to Reilena calmly, reaching out toward her. "Just as I ask the President to go out and search for you again, you come right to me. Quite convenient…I'm sure you came for this, after all?" he asked, stepping aside. In the center of the room, Aerith stood in a clear glass cylindrical cage.

"Aerith!" Cloud yelled. Hojo glanced behind Reilena with an amused look.

"Aerith?" he asked. "Oh, is that her name?" Hojo glanced back at Reilena. "And I'm sure you have an equally amusing name as well," he continued, glancing over her. Reilena narrowed her eyes furiously, and Hojo smiled, looking back at Cloud, Barret, and Tifa again. "So…what do you want?"

"We're taking Aerith back," Cloud growled, reaching for his sword. Hojo rolled his eyes, grabbing Reilena's hand and pulling her aside.

"Outsiders…" he muttered, peering into Reilena's eyes. "Why do you associate yourself with such people?" She snarled, clenching her teeth, and Hojo grinned. "You're much more of a fighter than your sister…"

"Should've noticed it earlier, you…" Barret said angrily. Hojo turned back to the trio, sighing in exasperation.

"There's so many frivolous things in this world…" he began; Barret growled, pointing his gun-arm at the scientist. Hojo merely glanced at the weapon and chuckled. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked. "I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate…without me, who could operate it? Hmm?" Hojo paced the room, stopping in front of the trio. Barret clenched his teeth, still aiming; after a moment, Cloud set a hand on his gun-arm, shaking his head.

"Ugh…don't listen to him, Barret. He wants you to get angry and do something rash," Cloud said in a low voice. Barret's eyes narrowed, but he dropped his arm in frustration. Hojo smiled, glancing over at Reilena with a nod; before she could react, the same worker they had seen in the floor below came up beside her, pinning her arms behind her back. Victorious, Hojo turned back to Tifa, Cloud, and Barret, clasping his hands in front of him.

"That's right. I recommend you think out things logically before you make any rash moves," he said; the worker pulled Reilena over to a control panel and waited for Hojo's command. He waved a hand in the air calmly. "Bring in the specimen!"

"Yes, sir." The worker pressed a button on the console; within Aerith's cage, a section of the floor dropped out, returning seconds later with a four-legged scarlet beast beside Aerith. Reilena pulled against her captor's grip, growling ferally.

"Aerith!" Scared, Aerith glanced over at Reilena, then Cloud and the group as she pressed up against the glass sides.

"Cloud! Reilena! Help!" Her voice was muffled by the container, but they could still hear her plea. Angered, Cloud glared at Hojo, who motioned for his employee to bring Reilena to the container. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret watched as the worker dragged Reilena to the cage; she fought against him, even dug her heels into the floor, but to no avail. He pressed a switch on the side of the container closest to Aerith and shoved Reilena in before she could fight back. The wall slammed shut behind her; outside Hojo walked up to the cage with a confident smile, and Cloud glowered at the scientist.

"What do you think you're doin'?" he asked, his voice frighteningly calm. Hojo glanced back at him for a second, then turned to his cage; Reilena and Aerith still appeared to be scared, while the scarlet beast stood before them, watching them closely.

"Lending a helping hand to an endangered species, that's all," Hojo explained. "The three you see inside…they are all on the brink of extinction. If I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

"…animals?" Tifa snapped. She pulled her gloves down on her hands angrily. "That's terrible! Aerith and Reilena are human beings!"

"So their names are Aerith and Reilena? Thank you for that interesting tidbit," Hojo said. He kept his watch over the cage, ignorant of Barret's infuriated stare.

"You're gonna pay!" he bellowed. Cloud immediately turned to Barret.

"Barret, can't you do anything?" he asked, motioning toward the AVALANCHE leader's gun-arm. Barret nodded, aiming his arm at the cage.

"Awright!! Step back!" Barret yelled. Hojo glanced back at Barret, his eyes wide when he realized what the man was going to do.

"Stop!!" Hojo pleaded. Barret shook his head, opening fire at the canister. Hojo strode back in astonished shock.

"Wh…what are you do - Oh! My precious specimens…" he cried; within the cage, Aerith and Reilena were kicking at the door Barret was shooting at, weakening its hold. Before Hojo could make a move, the door flew open, and the beast leapt out with a low snarl, knocking Hojo to the ground. Cloud gestured to Tifa and Barret, pointing toward the canister.

"Now's our chance to get Aerith and Reilena!! C'mon!" Immediately, Cloud ran for the cage, Tifa and Barret hot on his heels. He stopped just in front of the glass door and held a hand out. Seconds later, Aerith grabbed a hold, and Cloud helped her out of the cage; Reilena strode out just behind her, not nearly as shaken as Aerith, but still had an arm slung over her sister's shoulder.

"Aerith, are you alright?" Reilena whispered. Aerith nodded, a shaky smile on her face.

"I'm okay, Rei." She turned to Cloud gratefully. "Thanks, Cloud." He shrugged once, turning toward the elevator; before he could lead them back toward it though, he froze. Tifa shot him a confused glance, tense.

"Cloud…what's wrong?" Cloud motioned toward the elevator.

"…the elevator is moving. We can't get in it now," he said. Behind them, Hojo laughed, having wrestled his way out of the beast's claws. He stumbled to his feet, straightening his glasses feebly, and threw an arm out toward the far end of the room. Two large creatures marched out from an unseen corridor; Aerith, Tifa, Cloud, Barret, and Reilena gasped, and Hojo shook his head, pointing at the creatures.

"This…this is no ordinary specimen," he said, trying to contain his laughter. "This is a very ferocious specimen!" Cloud pulled out his sword and Barret adjusted his gun as Hojo stumbled out of the laboratory. The scarlet creature remained in place, looking over the new monsters with a wary eye before turning back to the small group on the other side, and nodded at the monsters.

"Sample:HO512 and Sample:HO512-opts. He's rather strong," the creature said, trotting over to Cloud. "I'll help you all out." Tifa stared down at the scarlet beast in wonder.

"It talked?!" she sqeaked. The creature shook its mane, turning back to the Samples at hand.

"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," it said calmly. Cloud nodded curtly and turned to the group. "We'll take care of the monster…Tifa, you take Aerith and Reilena somewhere safe. Barret, I'm countin' on you to help us against those!" he said, pointing at the Samples. Barret grinned, preparing to attack, and Cloud turned back to the creature. "What's your name?" The creature whuffed, rolling its eye.

"Hojo has named me Red XIII," he replied. "A name with no meaning whatsoever to me." Shaking his mane, Red turned to face the monsters, tensing for the impending battle. Cloud gave Red a curt nod and stood at the ready, blade drawn.

"Come on!" he yelled. The Samples turned toward the source of the noise and attacked.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Aerith, how are you doing now?" Tifa asked, looking at Aerith's eyes to make sure there was nothing wrong. She nodded calmly, gesturing toward her sister.

"I'm okay…check on Rei for me, though," she replied. Obliging, Tifa turned to Reilena; the younger Gainsborough was watching the battle not too far away, her eyes narrowed angrily.

Just what the hell is Hojo after? she thought. First the ex-Turk I keep seeing…Red…and now Aerith and myself. What is the Shinra after besides the Promised Land? What do they want with all this; do they even know about it?

A blinding flash of light, then a growl; the three women turned to the battle. The Samples crashed to the ground, dead, and the three remaining members of their ground turned to them. Cloud quickly sheathed the Hardedge and rushed over to Aerith, setting a hand on her shoulder as he knelt beside her. Behind him, Barret strode up, setting his gun-arm, while Red XIII trotted up, a Talisman in his mouth.

"Aerith, you all right?" Cloud asked, concerned. She remained quiet for the moment, and Tifa answered for her.

"She and Rei seem all right…in many ways." She put an arm around each sister, hugging them lightly; Red sniffed, dropping the Talisman in Reilena's lap.

"I have a right to choose, too," he retorted. "I don't like two-legged things."

"An' speakin' of you," Barret cut in, folding his arms as he looked down at Red, "jus' what are you, anyway?" The rest of the group gazed at the creature, waiting for his reply. Red merely chuckled.

"An informed question, but difficult to answer," he replied. "I am what you see." Barret's brow furrowed; Red nodded knowingly. "You must have many questions, but first, let's get out of here." He looked up at Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Reilena; silently, the four rose to their feet, Reilena putting the Talisman in her satchel, and Barret joined up with them. Gesturing toward the exit with his muzzle, Red started off. "C'mon…I'll lead the way." After a moment of hesitation, Barret started after Red first, followed by Tifa, and then Aerith, Cloud, and Reilena. Aerith gazed up at Cloud as they walked, a weak but grateful smile on her face.

"Cloud…so you did come for me," she murmured. Cloud nodded, glancing down at her for a moment; Reilena rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

Red led the group into the main room, stopping just before the elevator. Once they had all caught up and stopped, Red walked up to the Gainsborough sisters, bowing his head. "I apologize for what happened back there," he began slowly. "I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard…I had no intention of attacking either of you." Aerith and Reilena gazed at each other for a second, and Reilena knelt down, ruffling Red's mane.

"No hard feelings," she replied, smiling. Red's eyes brightened; Barret glanced around the corridor warily, and Reilena stood back up. "What's wrong now?"

"Now that we've saved Aerith, ain't no need to be in this buildin'!" he declared; beside him, Tifa nodded in agreement, and he waved his left hand down the corridor. "So let's get the hell outta here!"

"Wait," Cloud said, holding up a hand calmly. The group looked over at the blonde, and he explained. "If all six of us stay together, we'll definitely be noticed." Red nodded.

"Quite right," he agreed. "I suggest splitting up into two separate groups." Tifa held her hands in the air, walking up to Cloud's side.

"Well I'm not leaving without Cloud, so I'll go with him," she said. Barret joined her a moment later, a determined sheen in his eyes, and Cloud glanced over at Red.

"Can you take Aerith and Reilena down to the 66th floor elevator?" he asked. "Tifa, Barret and I will meet you there, and then we'll take the stairs back outside." Beside him, Barret grumbled under his breath; Cloud peered up at the AVALANCHE leader, then back at Red XIII. Silent, Red turned to the Gainsboroughs; both girls nodded, and Red glanced back at Cloud with a curt nod. Behind the creature, Aerith smiled, confident.

"Then it's decided," she said, waving good-bye. "We'll be waiting. See you all later!"

"Don't be late," Red cautioned. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret agreed that they would be there, and watched Red, Reilena, and Aerith turn the corner before stepping into the open elevator car. Once inside, Barret chuckled.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," he said, leaning against a wall of the elevator. Cloud remained silent, about to press the button for the 66th floor. Instead, he heard Tifa gasp, and felt a gun against his back.

"H-hey! What is it?" he growled, turning on his heel. Tseng smiled back at him, pointing a small black pistol at Cloud's chest. Just behind, Rude had both Tifa and Barret backed into the rear of the car. The bald man peered over his shoulder toward Tseng and Cloud.

"Would you press 'Up,' please?" he called. Cloud faltered; in accordance, Tseng turned off the safety on his pistol, leaving Cloud with no choice. Grudgingly, he pressed the button, and glared up at Tseng as the elevator began its ascent.

"Turks, huh? This must be a trap…" he muttered. Tseng chuckled calmly, shrugging once as he flicked his free hand in the air. Four metallic clicks rang out; Barret and Tifa were handcuffed by Rude, rendered helpless for the time being.

"It must have been a real thrill for you," Tseng replied. Cocking his head to the left, he reached for his own handcuffs. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Ugh." The elevator stopped; Tseng motioned for Cloud to turn as Rude led Tifa and Barret out, and slapped the cuffs onto Cloud's wrists. He then pushed Cloud out, returning the pistol to his back. "Now follow Rude up there…you and your friends are going to pay the President a little courtesy visit," Tseng ordered in a cool voice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

A low buzzer interrupted President Shinra's reading, and he set his newspaper down on his desk, folding his hands as he watched the double doors closely. "Come in," he called; Rude came in first, pushing Barret and Tifa into the room. Tseng, Reno, and Elena followed; Tseng brought Cloud in between Barret and Tifa so that he stood front and center, while Elena led Red XIII to the end of the lineup. Reno promptly strode up to President Shinra, whispering in his ear, and a smile crossed the President's face. Defeated, Cloud glanced around at his accomplices while the President and Reno spoke.

"You all got caught too," he muttered; a moment later he realized Red had entered alone, and glanced over at the scarlet creature. "Where is Aerith? Is she with Rei? Where are they?"

"In a safe place." Cloud glared up at President Shinra; the blonde bearded man stood up as Reno moved aside, and looked over the group. "Those girls are the last surviving Ancients." Walking around his desk, President Shinra laced his hands behind his back, pacing before his prisoners. "Don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra, and lived thousands of years ago. Alas, they are now just a forgotten page in history."

"Cetra…" President Shinra glanced down at Red XIII, who was seemingly thinking aloud. The creature suddenly glanced up at the President, a confused look marring his face. "Those girls…are they survivors of the Cetra?" President Shinra nodded.

"Cetra, or the Ancients, will show us the way to the Promised Land." He stopped, rubbing his beard in thought. "I'm expecting a lot out of them."

"The Promised Land?" Red scoffed. "Isn't that just a legend?" President Shinra shrugged, turning to face the group once more. Tifa, Cloud, and Barret glared at the President, but remained quiet for the time being.

"Even so, it's just too appealing to not pursue." His voice took on a far-away tone as he began pacing again, ignorant of the captives glowering at him. "It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile…and if the land is fertile…"

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" Barret interrupted; he growled as the President grinned at him, snapping his fingers.

"Exactly. You see, that is why our money-sucking Mako Reactors are necessary. The abundant Mako will just come out on its own. That is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shinra's new glory…" President Shinra's daydreams were suddenly halted, the reason being Barret's snarling as he tried to break his handcuffs.

"You fuckin' moron!" he yelled. "Quit dreamin'!" President Shinra merely glanced at the infuriated man before him, calm.

"Oh really. Don't you know?" he asked, staring Barret straight in the eyes. "All it takes for your dreams to come true these days is money and power." With a snide laugh, President Shinra walked back to his desk, sat down, and took his newspaper in hand. "Well, that is all for this meeting," he finished calmly, glancing over at Tseng. The Turk leader nodded once; Rude, Reno, and Elena appeared behind Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Red, ready to escort them out of the executive office. Barret fought against Rude however, hollering at the President even as he was being taken out of the room.

"Hold it! I got a lot I wanna say to you!" Rude narrowed his eyes, shoving Barret forward.

"Outta his way," Rude said coldly. At his desk, President Shinra peered over the top of his newspaper, smiling.

"If you need something else," he called, "talk to my secretary." Barret hollered obscenities from down the hallway, while Cloud, Tifa, and Red remained placid; President Shinra merely chuckled, turning the pages of his newspaper, and read on.