DUALITY

CHAPTER 2

PART I

I stand on the brink of your mind

Living inside a nightmare from which

I just cannot awaken

Stand on the edge of your life

Just give me another moment

From which I will never awaken...

-Mistress, Disturbed

Footsteps. Aeris opened her eyes, slowly, expecting to hear the gentle caress of her mother's voice, awakening her from a night of fitful slumber. It had been restless, filled with doubt over the future. She lay there, eyelids still too heavy to open, muscles too weary to function. It was too soon , she assured herself. Too soon to return to the severity of the living world.

The footsteps grew louder, drawing nearer.

Aeris...wake up...

It was a woman's voice, distilled in the sanctity of her mind. Her voice was familiar, Aeris had heard it numerous times before. With a firm desire for repose, Aeris tried to push the voice away, to a place where she could not hear it. She did have the ability to silence the voices, but the act required immense concentration, and she was far too weary and contained too little strength to center in and get a clear enough shot.

"I...can't wake up...just a little while longer..." she pleaded mentally, hoping she could enclose herself behind a barrier of persuasive thought.

But the voice screamed at her. Aeris...wake up now!

It had been so abrupt, her eyes shot open, and her heart began to pound wildly as the scene before her failed to correspond with the welcoming atmosphere of her bedroom.

The infamous Shinra Tower rose before her, seeming to boast of its majesty. But the great skyscraper was dark, and appeared hollow. The entire city surrounding it was also dark, covered in a veil of filthy clouds. A chill wind swept through the area, howling as it cut through the streets. Everything was deftly silent. The familiar clamors of city life were absent. Everything was standing still. It frightened her. She had never felt more alone in all of her days.

"What on the Planet...?" Aeris whispered, her voice uncomfortably loud in the hushed air. The tone resounded, echoing off the empty buildings and seemingly, into eternity. She wanted to tell herself this was a dream, and that'd she'd wake up...but it didn't seem to be a dream at all. It was so real.

She stood there, the breeze whipping her hair about. As she examined herself, she realized she was wearing her SOLDIER uniform, and a sword was clasped tightly in her right hand. Heart thundering against her ribs, she examined the blade, holding it out before her. It weighed her arm down, and she was forced to grasp it with both hands. The steel was narrow, but more than six feet in length. The hilt was well worn down with frequent use and, probably, human sweat. Aeris thought wildly back to where she had seen the sword before, but could not remember anything in the chaos of the moment.

"Hello?" she cried, eyes darting all about her. "Is anybody there?" With her chest heaving for breath, she turned and ran a few paces away from the Shinra Building. The clicking of her steel lined boots were as loud as gunshots. "Can anybody hear me!" she demanded.

But only the wind responded, howling fiercely.

"What on the Planet happened!" she shouted, running frantically back and forth.

You're going to be all right, just hold on. The mysterious woman's voice.

"Who are you?" A deep voice, a man's voice.

She nearly leapt out of her skin at the sound of another human voice. The first had been inside her head, but the second...it had been real, on the outside. She gasped, head spinning rapidly, looking for the man that had spoken. "Who's there? What's going on?" she cried.

Just hang on for a little while longer. You'll be all right...

"What are you doing here?"

"Stop it!" she yelled, the sword clattering to the ground as her hands rose and began clawing at her temples. The voice that was locked in her mind began screaming. It was a horrible piercing sound that made her head ache.

Before she could seek it out, the voice had gone. But when she looked up, she found Cloud to be standing there before her, his back partially turned. He gripped a sword in his hands as well, though it was extremely thick and duller than the blade at Aeris's feet. He held it out before him, eyes scouring his surroundings. Aeris would have liked to tell herself that it had been Cloud speaking a minute ago, but she knew it would be a lie. That voice was different. It had been deeper, more melodic. So there was someone else there, with them.

"Cloud!" Aeris cried. "What's going on?"

He responded immediately, in an icy tone. "I was followed," he bit out. "He's coming for me."

Aeris's eyes widened. "What? Who? What are you talking about? Cloud, what's going on!"

It's a choice. But it's yours to make, and yours alone.

"Stay quiet, stay alert. He's around here somewhere," Cloud said through clenched teeth.

Pick up the sword or don't, its your choice.

"What!" Aeris demanded.

Everything happened in an instant. Aeris, hearing the same footsteps again, whirled. She knelt to gather the fallen sword but discovered it was nowhere to be found. Cloud had let his guard down and turned in her direction, but still clutched his sword hilt so tightly that beneath his gloves his knuckles were white with stress. Aeris turned back toward him in a flash, just in time to see the sword that she had only recently held erupt from her companion's stomach...malicious, glowing green eyes appeared as her eyes began to darken as the scene faded into blackness...

It has been decided...

"No!"

Aeris had jolted in a sitting position, cold sweat brimming her forehead. Her eyes were wide with terror, and tears stained her cheeks. She heaved her chest with each breath. That dream...it had been so real...

Deciding to leave the art of dreaming to those still asleep, her head turned rapidly one way to the other, surveying her surroundings. She was perturbed to discover that she was, once again, not in her bedroom. But she did recognize her location, and dubbed it real. Bare, windowless metal walls lined the room, with a simple desk and chair in the corner and a side compartment for washing near the front. The vague, colorless ambience only went to confirm her location.

"The...the Shinra Headquarters?" she uttered unbelievingly. "How on Earth did I end up here? I...I'm supposed to be at home..." She stared down at herself. She was clad in a white nightgown.

As if it were a reflex to her unanswered question, she sprang out of bed, activating the vertical sliding door and rushing out into an abandoned hallway. In the next few moments, all that befell her remained unseen in her eyes, glazed with determination and wide in wild fear. She did not notice the rogue employees as they ceased their aimless strolling to stare at her as she sprinted by.

On a path that lay somehow inscribed within her mind her feet carried her. Her stamina and mind only ordered haste, with a tireless urgency as her nightgown clothed form weaved itself through countless dim passages. Her vision began to blur and an impending darkness began to conquer the light. As she passed through a final doorway, Aeris came upon a room with a pair of fountains and large windows that lined either side, overlooking the glowing jewels of the city of Midgar below. There lay a door at the far end, with a green light that indicated it was occupied.

It seemed an eternity, treading the moist floor from the fountains with her bare feet until she had come close enough to reach the door, pressing her hand against it. A mechanical voice acknowledged her presence, while a bright light blinded her already failing sight. "Who are you?" were the last words she heard as her legs gave out and her eyelids flickered before her unconscious form slumped harmlessly to the ground, her pale hand still extended toward the door.

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SHINRA HEADQUARTERS

3:00 a.m.

He had heard the intruder long before the sensor security had traced its arrival. His first thought was, who in the hell would be calling on him at this hour, and for the gods' sake why didn't they just page him like they had been instructed?

A sigh escaped his lips as he clutched his forehead. Though he was not weary, this was so ridiculous...the stress he experienced as a result of the foolish flaws that this empire contained and seemed to almost constantly unleash upon him.

Moments later, he rose from his chair, brushing his long, silver hair from his eyes as he activated the door. He was suddenly struck pale by the sight of a corpse, spread upon his doorstep. It was a woman, clothed in a nightgown that clung very tightly to her thin form. He looked around outside of the door for anyone.

Was it a joke? Or perhaps it was Hojo's little way of dropping hints to him?

No matter, he decided. This had to be dealt with.

He knelt, waving his hand in front of the girl's eyes, but she did not move. "Who are you?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else. "What are you doing here?"

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SHINRA HEADQUARTERS

2:30 p.m.

An endless abyss of intense, ivory light. The ambience struck her eyes with a blow of gleaming penetration. Her eyelids slowly crept open, the white light engulfing them. Emeralds bathed in sallow luminosity, carved into an already pale face.

The light held her in a trance, forcing her eyes to fully expand as her mouth unhinged slightly, and to the doctor observing her from the door, she seemed to be staring at an invisible, impossible sight. But then, the light faded, and Aeris found herself lying on her back, cushioned with pillows. She was inside an infirmary, a hospital room. The language of mechanics echoed off the metal walls, bleeps and clicks composed in a symphony of technology.

"Seems like you're coming around," a stern voice mumbled. Her eyes still fixed on the ceiling, she felt a warm hand grace her shoulder. She shivered at its touch, as the owner of the voice knelt over her and nodded his head. "Yes, you acknowledge my presence, then?"

She nodded, or at least, she attempted to. Her body felt overwhelmed by a foreign fatigue, her muscles unresponsive and obstinate. Aeris had never felt so exhausted in all her days. She blinked. "Uh...where...am I?" she softly asked. Her throat was hoarse, as if she had been screaming. The words came out in a muffled shuffle.

The doctor was a young man with shining ebony hair cropped to his chin that he wore tucked behind his ears. Through her recovering eyes, Aeris could distinguish cold blue eyes behind the frames of his glasses. Now, as she looked, he seemed intent on deciphering that medical language the technicians often scribbled down on clipboards. He held one.

His answer took time. "The infirmary of the Shinra Headquarters. Can't you tell?" he asked matter-of-factly, never taking his eyes off the clipboard. He spoke in that same, arrogant, monotonous voice that possessed all of Shinra's drones.

That's all they are, anyway, Aeris thought dully. Pawns on a chessboard with the player being bent on world domination...

"Excuse me? You okay?" To Aeris's surprise, he had looked up and even held concern in his unreadable eyes. "You looked like you were going to fall asleep again."

"Oh...I'm s-sorry," she uttered thickly. "Sorry, but what do you mean again?"

"You've been doing that for a while now. Since about three this morning, to be exact. Sleeping, and muttering gibberish. Nothing to worry about. We think you've just been having some nightmares. I personally thought it was a coma, but you were speaking out loud. I've diagnosed you with over-exhaustion. Happens to a lot of SOLDIERs, its nothing to worry about."

She sighed, flexing her fingers beneath the blanket that lay draped over her body. "I was over-exhausted? Doesn't come as a surprise. But can you tell me what happened? How did I end up here? Wait!" she suddenly jerked up, the blanket flowing to her knees. "How long have I been out? It has to be more than a day..." she groaned from the overwhelming effort that had been so forcefully cast upon her still-weary stamina.

The doctor chuckled into his fist as he set the clipboard aside and gently pushed her back into the pillows. "Relax, will you? All that matters now is your well-being. Are you okay? Do you feel okay now?" His tone was forced, as if he had said the very same thing to countless people already today.

Aeris nodded. "I feel...weak."

"Heh. I don't blame you. Midnight sprints throughout the whole of this building must indeed be exhausting."

Again, she found her still concealed mind scavenging through his words for confirmation. "Midnight sprints?"

The doctor sighed. "I'll tell you what. This'll be a lot simpler if you tell me what you remember. I'll try my best to fill in the blanks, okay?"

Aeris felt like a child, but she nodded.

"I...all I remember is coming home after we were dispatched to Sector 7. Everyone else went back to Headquarters, but I..." The thought of where she was and who she was talking to suddenly struck her. She couldn't reveal to these people where she lived...she shouldn't even be here now, they could already know so much about her...

Planet help me, she thought. I'm right in the middle of the place where I shouldn't be...What if...they find out things about me that I don't even know?

She hesitated. "I...uh...I had to run an errand for a friend in Wall Market, so I had a comrade of mine say he would account for me when the troops returned to Headquarters."

"Hmm...Wall Market? Is that under the Plate?"

Aeris nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Very well, then. Do you remember anything else?"

Aeris struggled to invent another story for the man. Even though she knew it was probably imperative to tell everything just as it had happened, she dare not. It would include revealing where her mother lived, where she lived, and she just could not do that.

Instead, she decided asking him a question. "Where did you find me, to bring me here?"

"I didn't bring you here, Miss..."

"Gainsborough."

There's no fault in it, she thought. That's the name on my SOLDIER file.

"Very well, Miss Gainsborough. I didn't bring you here. That was the work of someone else."

Aeris bowed her head in thought. She had fallen asleep at her mother's house, in her own bed. Yet she remembered her room in the Shinra Building being the first atmosphere in which she was truly awake. (Before that, it must have just been a dream, she assured herself) So how had she come to be here in the first place?

"Who was that 'someone else' that brought me in?" Aeris asked him.

"Well, the first time it was a young man, blonde haired, whom I believe was in SOLDIER as well. He brought you here, but when I told him there was nothing I could do, and that you were only sleeping, he took you elsewhere." The doctor took the time to flip a page on his clipboard. "And the next thing I know, you're back here again," he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

Now things were starting to make a little sense. She had probably overslept, and, possibly, been "muttering gibberish" (as the doctor had distinctly put it), and when she didn't wake up, her mother had probably called Cloud. Elmyra would not go near the Shinra, Aeris knew that much, so when Cloud had arrived, he had probably taken matters into his own hands-knowing nothing about Aeris's desire for ambiguity-and had almost certainly forced his ways on her mother and taken her to the hospital in the Shinra Building.

From there, Cloud had taken her to her SOLDIER's quarters. And she knew the rest was certain from there, even though the entire episode with her running to nowhere and collapsing was pretty vague.

"Doctor," she said, eyes narrowed, "Who brought me in the second time?"

At that, the doctor broke into laughter, setting the clipboard down on a nearby cabinet and crossing his arms over his chest. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said, struggling to contain his amusement. He took off his glasses and ran his fingers across his eyes, as if he were wiping away tears. "I didn't even believe my eyes. I think I should have them checked."

Aeris glared at him. She was not in mood to play games-all she wanted to do was find out who this second "savior" was so that she could perhaps express her gratitude to him when this was all over. And then, for lack of a better way to put it, get the hell out of the Shinra building.

Before she could protest out loud, however, the doctor fixed her with an intent stare and locked her eyes in his gaze. "You remember nothing? You are sure?"

"Yes..." Aeris said, knitting her eyebrows together. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Would you faint if I told you that the General Sephiroth showed up at three this morning, holding you in his arms and asking for assistance? Or perhaps it comes off as no surprise to you? You two are...possibly acquainted?"

General Sephiroth! Of the entire Shinra army!

Aeris, her eyes wide, shook her head rapidly. "No...I have no affiliation with him at all..." The doctor's words had failed to strike the reaction that, by all means, it should have. She was surprisingly calm. But then the fear settled in.

General Sephiroth. The man was a military genius-the best strategist and swordsman that Shinra Inc. had ever come to know. He had slaughtered thousands in the past war with the far away country of Wutai. He was never seen in public, and remained locked away in his room in the Shinra Tower. It was said amongst the general population that enjoyed the art of gossip that the man only came out at night, and when he did, he stalked the streets like a predator, killing whomever he wished, however he wished.

He was the bloodthirsty villain in the ultimate horror story that Shinra Inc. had become.

It was insanity, to think that she had unconsciously approached this man, and he had taken her here, to the infirmary.

"It is a matter of chance, no?" the doctor said, grinning. "And other ironies that I personally cannot find explanations for now, and probably never will."

Was he serious? Or just trying to trick her? It didn't matter...it had passed, and she hadn't even been mentally aware of the event. So it was as good as a dream. Whether the General had brought her in or not, Aeris thought it better just to forget about the entire situation. It was far healthier to let the happening go than get further involved in it, especially in this situation. There was nothing she could do.

Aeris bit her lip, and sat up slowly. "I...appear to be all right, Doctor. When may I be permitted to leave?"

Get me out of here, she thought. Forget all the footnotes to all of this, I just want out...

"Its precaution," the doctor said, taking his glasses off and cleaning them on his lab coat. "Especially for SOLDIERs, that patients must have a single night of recovery."

"But that would mean I would have to stay here again, tonight?" she asked, all hope fading from her voice.

"That's correct."

"Can't I just...go? I mean, I was just over-exhausted, but I seem to be fine now..."

"Miss Gainsborough, regulations are regulations. You will be permitted to leave tomorrow morning."

Aeris collapsed back into the bed, rolling her eyes as the doctor turned his back on her. "Let me know if you need anything," he said, almost sarcastically, as he arrogantly strode out of the room.

Great, Aeris thought. I'm stuck here. They've got cameras everywhere, so I can't just walk out. What was Cloud thinking? No...its not his fault. He was just trying to protect me, and he doesn't know about...me. She took a deep breath. All right. Just don't make any sudden movements while you're held up here. Don't give them a reason to observe you even closer. Might have to lay low for awhile when I get back home...

A thought suddenly struck her. Would she have to quit SOLDIER, now that they knew about her? When she had signed up, more than three years ago, she had just been another recruit, seemingly entranced in the wonders of Shinra Inc., and wanting to be apart of the company, just like everyone else. They hadn't had a way to place her apart from anyone else. They had to take a DNA sample to enter into the military database, for MIA cases and such, but that had been no big deal either. It was just for records. If anything, to Aeris, it made her all the more difficult to find. Someone who was trying to avoid Shinra would never in their wildest dreams actually join up with the company. But it had been clever. It was the last place on the Planet that they-whoever "they" were-would look for her.

Too bad Mom doesn't know.

But Elmyra couldn't know. She had experienced hell with Shinra, after her husband had nearly devoted his entire life to serving the President, he had died in a war that he had no business fighting. He had been too old and sick, but he had fought anyway. Elmyra had received nothing, no commission check after his death. His remains hadn't even been sent home. His body was undoubtedly still in Wutai, buried beneath an unmarked grave, right alongside his fellow military companions. The only positive thought Elmyra had was that her beloved husband had died fighting for a cause that he believed in.

But she would never allow Aeris to go anywhere near the Shinra. She would probably die from the news if Aeris were to tell her about the double life she had been living. The woman wouldn't think of the advantages, but only of the risks. Elmyra had allowed Aeris to be a girl selling the flowers that grew in the yard, only because it appeared to be extremely inconspicuous. No one would suspect a humble flower girl of anything.

Which was true. But having an alibi for any sticky situation was even better. She had a double life, a double identity. She was both Aeris the SOLDIER, and Aeris the flower girl. If she was caught in one position, she could flee to the other. It was tiring, and time-consuming, keeping both up at the same time, but comfortable, and assuring.

So her problem was solved. If she was found out in some way by the people here at Shinra, she would pose as dead, and her file would be erased from the database. And just like that, she would be untraceable. It would be back to the slums, selling flowers on the streets as a faceless citizen of the underworld.

She smirked. And that will be my full time.

But what about Cloud? He would remain uninformed, of course, and if she were to disappear from SOLDIER completely, he too, would vanish from her life. The thought of losing the only person that had been a friend to her over the years gnawed at her heart, but she relaxed when she realized this whole situation was only a possibility, that had just an equal chance of not happening. It was best to think positive. She would deal with the pain when it dealt its heaviest blow, and she would not cower at its shadow.

She placed her arms behind her head, satisfied that the future would take care of itself. She had landed herself in a difficult spot, there was no denying that, but she had been well-prepared. It was time to relax.

Aeris glanced at the clock that rested on the wall before her. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. All she had to do was wait until about six in the morning, and she would be out of here.

But, as every criminal knows, even the greatest of schemes allow things to slip through the cracks. And those things, every so often, happen to be vital. And the past, in the most mysterious of senses, has a way of sneaking up on you and becoming your worst enemy.

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