Charlie decides to stay behind on board the Highwind when Cloud takes Bugenhagen and his friends to the City of the Ancients.

She doesn't think she's ready to set foot in that place. She doesn't want the memories to come flooding back so vividly, the memories of her father and of Aerith, of Tseng in the Temple of the Ancients.

Cid and Vincent stay behind, as well, but they keep to themselves on the bridge while she locks herself in her room with Cait Sith (the moogle stands guard outside of her door to prevent anyone who may come knocking), crying into her pillow.

Sometimes, when she looks into Cait Sith's face, she feels like they know each other, like they've known each other for a long time. It seems odd, thinking such things about a robot, something that's not even human, but sometimes . . . sometimes Cait Sith seems to feel, to think or act or joke on his own.

She can't help but wonder how much the cat knows about her, if he knows everything Reeve knows about her, and maybe that's why Cait Sith seems so sad for her.

When he smooths her hair back, starting at her temple and pushing her hair behind her ears, it seems so like Reeve's own mannerism that she comes to the conclusion they must be of the same mind, of the same consciousness. How else could Reeve command the toy to do something so sentimental and specific? How else could Reeve instruct the toy to do something so unique to him?

It reminds her of the night her father died, and the way she had sobbed until she couldn't speak, and the way she had spent all night curled up in Reeve's lap, sleeping with her head against his chest, her face nuzzled against his neck. Unimaginable comfort, something no one else has ever been able to give her before.

It may not be the real thing, but it's the closest to Reeve she might ever get again.

"I want to see you again, Reeve," she says after a long time, still sniffling and hiccuping, hardly able to see Cait Sith's face through swollen eyes. "I know I don't deserve it, but I want to spend my last days with you."

He's quiet for a moment, but when he speaks again, it's in his voice. "I want to see you again, too."

"If I go to Junon, will you come to see me?"

Another long pause. "Yes."

Out of habit, Charlie reaches out to touch his face, as if it's really him beside her. Her fingers brush over the matted fur on Cait Sith's face, and she lowers her hand again, embarrassed. "Do you want to see what Bugenhagen gave me? I haven't opened it yet."

"Sure."

She rolls out of bed, picking up her bag and pulling out the box. It's similar to the box her father had kept his letters in and the box Charlie had kept under her bed for so long, engraved with her initials in gold. Rufus has one just like it, but he had never really been sentimental enough to keep anything in it.

All of her mother's research, she had agreed to leave at Cosmo Canyon. Bugenhagen had promised that she would always be welcome to return whenever she wanted to look at it, though it had seemed a little too falsely optimistic for her.

She won't need research if she's dead in a few days.

Charlie sits back down beside Cait Sith, sticking a key into the box and letting it click open for her. Paper springs out at the loss of tension, the box very full of things folded and written and clipped together.

There are several old magazine covers that are all folded into squares. All of the covers feature Charlie or Rufus or Charlie and Rufus (though her mother had seemingly chosen to ignore the more provocative photo shoots Charlie had done).

She finds a few old pictures, pictures from when they were still a happy family. Her mother holding a smiling, baby-Charlie above her head. Her mother in front of the beach with both of her children, all of them holding hands. Charlie and Rufus, her brother with his thumb in his mouth and, with his free hand, clinging to his sister's dress.

They're aged and dusty, as if they haven't been touched in years. She hadn't wanted to know anything more about her mother from Bugenhagen. It was enough to see her grave, to see the happy place in which she decided to spend the rest of her life.

"Your mother . . ." Cait Sith points to one of the pictures, the one of her mother by the orange-tinted beach with Charlie and Rufus, her hair lifted by the breeze. "You have the same dimple."

She's never noticed before.

There is some jewelry within, a string of pearls and some gold necklaces. Charlie lifts a smaller box from within, opening it to reveal a beautiful pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings. They're the kind that only her father would be able to afford, because Rufus had bought her earrings very similar to these, boasting about their steep price tag of nearly one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand gil.

People don't just buy earrings like this.

She considers switching them out with the diamond studs in her ears, but decides against it. They're impractical, and Tseng would make it a point to tell her so, if he were here.

Charlie is quiet for a moment, sighing heavily through her nose. "What do you think I would have been like?" she asks softly, closing the box and putting it aside, not wanting to look any longer. There is nothing inside that will bring her comfort. "If I had left Midgar with my mother?"

"I think you would have gone to outer space a long time ago," Reeve confesses, and he laughs through Cait Sith. It's quiet laughter, to be sure, but it's his, and it catches her so off guard that all she can do is look at the cat with wide eyes. "And I would never have met you, but . . . I suppose if it meant sparing you the beatings, then I suppose that's a fair enough price to pay."

Charlie can't help but scoff. She quickly rearranges her face to look apologetic, not wanting to make him think she's laughing at him. "I would do it all again, if it meant meeting you."

Even though he says nothing, Charlie knows him too well. She can picture the flush creeping up the back of his neck, squirming slightly.

"What are you doing right now? Where are you?"

"In my office. I'm supposed to be preparing for a meeting."

"Is Rufus okay?" she asks quickly, unable to stop herself. "Is he doing all right?"

"He's fine. Don't worry, Charlotte. I'm doing what I can for him. He's been . . . more receptive to me than usual."

Charlie smiles, hardly able to wait to see him. Already she's anxious, nearly shaking with anticipation. "Thank you."

"Now . . . would you like to listen in?"

She smiles wider, sitting up a little straighter on the bed. "Oh, yes please."

He understands what Charlie meant when she told him she couldn't think straight.

Meteor is growing closer and closer to Midgar, and time is running out. It's becoming more difficult to organize his priorities, unsure of where he should be during what may be his final days, unsure how much he should be doing.

And in the midst of his problems in Midgar (and Kalm), Reeve now has to deal with the fact that Charlotte's in the middle of her own personal crisis that's taken hold of deep-seeded paranoia and insecurity. He knows very well that she shouldn't be forgiven so easily, but the fact is, she has nowhere else to go.

He doesn't really believe that she'll go to Junon. If he were to stick her in a small apartment hidden in the middle of the city with Tseng, Charlie would only become restless, eager for a new adventure, something to prove herself. Or perhaps she'll be content to be with people she cares about again.

Reeve can't say for certain. Charlie's changed a lot since beginning her journey with Avalanche, and he has, as well.

It would be sweet to see her again, but the idea of Charlie's budding relationship with Cid Highwind lingers in the back of his mind.

He has to remind himself that it doesn't really matter. There may not be a future to worry about, and he's willing to put aside any differences (even his anger and frustration and jealousy) if it means spending a few more days with her.

Through the president's office windows, Meteor mocks them.

To his credit, Rufus has taken the crisis in stride. Reeve isn't entirely certain how the late president would have faced such an unprecedented threat, but surely it would not be with the same arrogance and confidence, level-headed and cool.

However, Reeve isn't certain Rufus is going about it the right way.

"Sir, this is a terrible idea. We have no idea whether or not the cannon can handle the output from the reactors, and we don't know how it will affect the city. Without knowing the risks this poses, I don't think I'm comfortable entrusting this responsibility on the shoulders of an engine—"

"That's why I'm entrusting this job to you, Reeve," Rufus tells him, unsettlingly calm. Ever since Junon, the president has been relatively polite towards him, but it's likely out of desperation, a desire for allies. "It will be your job to adjust the reactor's output, to ensure that the cannon isn't overloaded."

"Mr. President, that cannon could wipe out an entire sector if we're not careful, if not the entire city—"

"If you're incapable of getting the job done, Reeve, then there are a thousand men to replace you with," Scarlet sneers at him, shrinking slightly at the cold look that Rufus shoots her. "In a few days, we might all be dead anyway. A sector of Midgar is a small price to pay."

"Once the cannon blows Sephiroth to bits, the people will never doubt Shinra again," Heidegger adds, smiling through his thick beard. "And once Sephiroth is dead, Meteor will die with him!"

"And Weapon? How do we know the cannon will kill Sephiroth?" Reeve scoffs when he receives no answer, looking helplessly at Rufus. "Mr. President, you can't possibly go through with this! There must be another way!"

Rufus ignores him. "What are the chances that the shells will reach the barrier?"

"I'm absolutely certain that they'll reach the barrier," Scarlet answers, one hand on her hip, looking smug. "Don't listen to the director, Mr. President. The Sister Ray is Shinra's most powerful weapon, and will either save this planet, or simply speed up the inevitable. Regardless, it will give the people hope."

She and Heidegger laugh, like it's funny. Don't they realize the looming threat? Don't they realize the severity of the situation.

"Do you have another solution, Reeve?" Rufus asks, not unkindly. He even waits patiently for an answer.

"We need to begin mass evacuations of the city. The undercity will be the safest place for those unable to leave Midgar."

"It will take days to evacuate the entire city. See to it that a warning is issued. We can't afford to waste time. I want the Sister Ray prepared for when you're finished." Rufus turns to Scarlet and Heidegger again. "The cannon is not fired until I receive word from the director, is that clear?"

Heidegger looks on the verge of disagreeing, but eventually conceded defeat. "Yes, sir."

It's only when he's walking back down the hallway, alone, that he can hear Charlie speaking to him again, making his head throb.

Always thinking about the people, her voice says, gentle and sweet. I've always admired that about you.

Reeve holds his hand up to his face to hide his mouth, fidgeting with the beard on his face. Despite not looking at her face-to-face, she's still able to make him blush. "You need to call Cloud and tell him what's going on," he whispers, lowering his hand to force a smile at a passing administrative assistant who looks warily at him.

I will. He thinks it's safe enough to have Cait Sith take back over, but then Charlie adds, I can't believe you never told me about this. Imagine all the fun we might have had with it.

"Don't be filthy, Charlotte," he says quickly, feeling flustered. "He may not be human, but he's still able to hear everything you're saying for himself."

I haven't said anything filthy. Do you want me to?

He blushes harder as he makes for his office, hoping to lock himself inside before anyone wonders why he's talking to himself and bright red. For a moment, it's like things are back to normal, and it's that sense of normalcy that almost causes him to play along.

Almost.

"Charlotte, please . . ."

I'm only teasing you, Reeve. I'm sorry.

Wanting one last look at her while he can, Reeve quickly sits down at his desk, pulling up the stream of Cait Sith's view, his heart pounding. He doesn't know why. He can't say if it's because of Meteor, or if it's because of the Sister Ray, or if it's because he needs to stop worrying about what Charlie looks like right now and start evacuating the top-side of Midgar.

Regardless, she still knocks the breath out of him.

Charlotte is lying back on the bed, one arm over her head as she looks right at Cait Sith. Her shirt is riding up slightly, showing off a sliver of her milky skin. If he didn't know any better, she might be trying to seduce him. Perhaps she is, because he's far too familiar with that sly and coquettish smile of hers.

"I have to go, Charlie," he tells her, running a hand through his hair and looking down at the watch on his wrist. "I'm counting on you to tell Cloud about the Sister Ray."

"Don't worry," she replies, voice filtering through the speakers, waving a flippant hand at him. "I'll tell him. You can count on me."

"I know," he says, smiling. "I know."

"Cloud is on his way back." Charlie hangs up the call and gives the phone back to Cid, who slips it into the breast pocket of his jacket. "They're almost here. We could go meet them."

"Good idea, honey. Let's get this ship off the ground."

Cid gives the rookie-pilot a curt nod. The pilot immediately begins the preparations as Charlie paces across the bridge, a small crease between her eyebrows. It makes him nervous, seeing her so troubled. Something is clearly wrong, something she isn't telling him.

He can't help but wonder if it had something to do with the Shinra spy, who had been with Charlie in her bedroom ever since Cloud and his friends departed for their return to the City of the Ancients with Bugenhagen.

It's a few minutes after the airship touches down to pick up Cloud and the others that it lurches abruptly, the ground quaking beneath the ship.

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Cid snaps at the pilot, who pulls his hands away from the controls and holds them up in defense.

"That wasn't me, Captain!"

The airship continues to tremble, knocking everyone off balance as they struggle to get the ship off the ground again.

"Captain, we're picking up a strange signal!" says one of the crewmembers, looking around wildly before finding Cait Sith and his moogle sitting unresponsive against the back wall of the bridge. "From . . . him . . . ?"

"Cait, what the hell's goin' on?" Cid asks him, but the cat doesn't answer. Growling and hissing through his teeth, he starts for the robot. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill him. He's probably reportin' back right now, tellin' the president all 'bout what we just learned—"

"Cid, leave him be!" Charlie urges, stepping between him and Cait Sith, holding her arms out. "He isn't spying on us!"

"The fuck is he to you?" He tries to move around her, angry at himself for being so jealous over a fucking robotic cat and its stuffed toy, but it stings that Charlie hadn't sought him out for comfort, despite all he's done for her lately. "Lottie, lemme go—he's had this comin' for a long time—"

"It's Weapon!"

Charlie freezes at the accented voice of Cait Sith, gripping Cid's wrists tight as he continues to struggle against her. Her pale eyes go wide, the blood draining from her face. She releases him, turning around to face Cait Sith again.

"Weapon came out of the sea—it's heading straight for Midgar!"

Cloud hesitates. "What about the Sister Ray? That should stop Weapon, right?"

"It's not ready yet," the cat continues, holding his face in his hands. "Shinra's going to evacuate the people living on the plate, just in case . . ."

Charlie goes to speak, but Barret quite literally pushes her out of the way to get into the cat's face. She's pushed right back into Cid, who bristles, wrapping an arm around her. "Hey!" he shouts at Barret. "That how you treat a lady?"

"I've seen for myself how you treat women," Barret growls, and Cid scowls at him. He's been nothing but good to Charlie. Shera is a special case, one that Barret has no fucking right to bring up. "What the hell's gonna happen to Marlene?"

"Don't you worry about Marlene," Cait Sith reassures him. "Marlene's safe, out of the city with Aerith's mam."

Against his chest, Charlie slackens, a curious little expression forming on her face. There's something she knows, something she isn't saying, but there's no time to worry about it.

Barret turns back to face the front of the bridge, at ease with Cait Sith's reassurances. The cat jumps down from off his steed, walking forward a few paces and throwing out his hands to either side of him. "Barret! You don't have anything to say?"

Barret puts a hand on his hip. For all Cid knows, he could be pouting. He makes a quiet little noise that makes him sound indifferent. "Like what?"

"So as long as Marlene is safe, it doesn't matter what happens to Midgar, is that right?" The cat curls his little hands into fists, stamping one of his little feet upon the metal ground. "I've been wantin' to say this to you for a long time now, but when you blew up the first reactor, how many people do you think died?"

The breath leaves Charlie all at once. She squirms against Cid, who tries desperately to keep her calm. It doesn't seem like she wants anything to do with him right now, despite having woken with a hand up his shirt only two mornings ago.

Barret grits his teeth, lowering his head. "That was for the life of the planet," he answers softly, but still gruff. "You gotta expect a few casualties."

"A few?" Cait Sith repeats, scoffing loudly. "What d'you mean a few? What may be a few to you is everything to those who died . . . they were sons and daughters, mothers and fathers!" He folds his skinny arms over his chest. "'For the life of the planet' . . . makes it sound real good, doesn't it? No one'll go against you, so you think you can just do whatever you want—"

"I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra!" Barret shouts, turning back around and looking furious. "I don't hear you sayin' this to Charlie! She was the one who gave us the instructions for the bombs in the first place—"

"She's at least acknowledged that she's done wrong!" Cait Sith answers, shaking his head. His movements are jerky and unnatural, more robotic than ever. "She was one of the people caught in the first explosion!"

"Leave him alone, Barret!" Charlie suddenly yells, silencing both Barret and Cait Sith as they open their mouths to argue again. She finally breaks free of Cid's grip, but he lets go of her reluctantly. He's glad he isn't the only one who looks mildly uncomfortable. "You have no idea what it's like to work for the company! You don't understand—"

"Just like I said, huh. Birds of a feather . . ." Barret frowns at Charlie. "No doubt you've been in league together the entire time. I knew we shouldn'ta trusted some Shinra suit and the damn VP herself!" He walks up to Charlie, holding himself to his full height. "And I'll bet a million goddamn gil that you know who he is, and knew the entire time—"

"That's not true," Cait Sith interrupts. "I've told you before that Charlie has nothin' to do with this!"

"Do you know, Charlie?" Tifa asks, and everyone's eyes immediately fix upon her face, including Cid's own. "Do you know who he is?"

"No," Charlie answers right away, looking up into Cid's face. "If I knew who he was, I would have told you. But I know he isn't a bad person."

Cid wants to believe her. She had spilled her soul to him two nights ago, every little thing she ever held close to her heart. She had been honest with him.

"He's right, Barret. What you did . . . what we did . . ." Charlie sighs, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. "The reactor bombings were never about the planet for us. It was about getting revenge on Shinra for you, and it was about rebelling against my father for me."

"Barret knows what we did," Tifa tells them all, holding her hands behind her back. "We'll never forget it. Right?" And then she turns to Cait Sith, and Charlie moves quickly to the cat's side, for almost no apparent reason. "And you can't quit the company because you're worried about the people in Midgar, right?"

"I owe the people of Midgar a great deal," Charlie continues, looking imploringly at Cloud and extending a hand down to Cait Sith, who allows himself to be pulled up on her shoulder. "Midgar is my home, and those are my people, and I have to go back."

"I thought we agreed you were gonna go back to Junon?" Cait Sith says into her ear, giving her head a gentle tap.

"Hold on!" Yuffie scoffs, putting both hands on her hips. "You were just gonna leave without even saying good-bye to any of us?"

Charlie opens her mouth to speak again, faltering at the last minute. "Wh—what?"

Yuffie looks offended, which isn't really new, but it's odd to see her so genuinely hurt by something Charlie has done personally. "I thought we were friends, and you were just gonna go off to Junon without even talking it over with us?"

"I can't stand by and watch Weapon destroy Midgar. I could never live with myself if I did nothing."

"And what're you gonna do in Midgar? Fight Weapon yourself? With what, Charlie? Your cute little handgun?"

"Well, I . . ." Charlie pouts, and it's fucking adorable. She catches sight of him smiling at her, and the grin is quickly wiped from his face. "That's my home—"

"Guess we didn't mean shit to you all this time, huh?" Barret asks, while Yuffie nods vigorously beside him.

"That's not it!" she protests. "I just . . . didn't realize that you guys felt that way."

"C'mon, Shinra, I know I talk a lotta shit, but you're all right." Barret moves forward and claps a massive hand onto Charlie's skinny shoulder. "After everything we've been through lately, 'course you're our friend."

For a minute, there's silence. Charlie looks up into Barret's face, a flush on her cheeks.

"Okay, let's go," Cloud finally says, flashing everyone a small smile. "We'll just have to beat Weapon ourselves, that way you don't have to go back to Midgar."

"Oh, really?" Charlie gasps, a hand over her heart. "You would do that?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cid holds his hands out, surprised that everyone seems pleased with the idea, even Charlie, who fucking beams at Cloud. "You've seen that thing, haven't you? You really think we got a chance of winnin'?"

"I don't know," Cloud says honestly. "But that doesn't mean we should just let him go. If the cannon isn't ready to fire, then we have to do something. We're going to Midgar!"

Cid lingers until the others have left the airship.

Cait Sith had decided to stay behind with Charlie, though it wasn't her decision to stay behind at all.

For a few long moments, they just look at each other, alone on the deck of the Highwind, of their airship. When he turns to leave, she reaches out and grabs his sleeve, stopping him from climbing down the ladder. Cid stops, his weapon in his right hand.

"Wait," she breathes, pulling him closer, away from the side of the Highwind. "You don't have to do this."

"Worried 'bout me?" he grins, teeth bared in a crooked smile. "Don't worry, baby. I ain't about to die that easily."

Charlie inhales deeply, releasing his sleeve. "Be careful." The idea of him not coming back frightens her more than she can say.

"I'm always careful," he murmurs, moving closer to her. There's no one around to watch, and there are no faces in the windows looking down at them. "Hey. There's somethin' you ain't tellin' me."

"There are a lot of things I haven't told you," she tells him, raising her eyebrows.

"Fine, fine. I gotta go, okay?"

"Okay."

He kisses her quick on the mouth, a routine little thing, like it's habit by now, like they've been doing it for years. It's slightly forced, strained, and tense. It's not really the proper good-bye she would have liked, but the idea makes her squirm.

She hadn't been confident enough to move things forward when they slept on the deck a few nights ago, ashamed and flustered when he tried to stick a hand down the front of her shorts. She didn't want him to think he was just some kind of rebound for her, and she didn't want him to think she didn't respect Reeve.

She didn't want him to think of her as . . . dirty, used, tainted, soiled, all the words that she typically reserved for herself after her encounters with Rufus.

"I'll be back, okay?" he promises, climbing down the ladder so the only thing visible is his head. "Wait for me, princess."

The idea that he still likes her is baffling, in truth, especially knowing all the things he knows now. Charlie holds up a hand in good-bye as he continues the descent, and she watches from the very front of the ship's deck as he runs to join his friends, long strides and arms pumping and groin-first, just as goofy and arrogant as he is while strutting about the Highwind.

In another life, she would love him the way he deserves, unrestrainedly and unabashedly. In another life, she would go back to Rocket Town with him for her last days, making love in his home until she forgot about the dying world around them.

But the dream is over, and whatever fantasy they had indulged themselves in is over, too. The rocket launch had not only brought them both closure, but gave them the ability to move on, and Charlie hopes it makes him less bitter, less angry.

She thinks of Shera, waiting at home for Cid to come back to her, alive and well.

Charlie knows the feeling. She remembers late nights spent curled up in bed, waiting for Reeve to come home from Headquarters to slide into bed long after she fell asleep. She remembers waiting for her Father to come home after weeks of being absent.

She turns back towards the door that will lead her back inside, just as Weapon's steps shake the planet.

Its screams rattle the Highwind.

Its shrieks penetrate her skull, and she has to cover her ears. She and Cait Sith sit huddled in the room she's claimed as her own, the window facing Midgar and the battle with Weapon that's taking place a few miles across the barren landscape.

Not for the first time, Charlie wishes she could fight.

All she has is the gun Vincent gave her, but it's not like she would be able to do any damage to Weapon with it. Even with all of her friends going at it, she's doubtful and frightened, afraid that they'll all fall in battle and leave Midgar to its fate.

It's a city on lockdown, Cait Sith tells her. They aren't allowing civilians entry anymore, and if people haven't fled the city already, they may never get another chance to. Entry will likely be impossible, and Junon is the better option.

Her friends are in Junon. She has allies in Junon. It would be easy to sneak her into the city, the last place Rufus would think to look for her. Going back to Midgar would only be a death sentence, but Charlie thinks she would risk it to see Reeve again. It feels like it's been so long, and with a chance that Meteor will touchdown within a few days, she needs to go back.

Moving onto her knees, she pushes herself up to look out the window, half-afraid of what she might see.

Weapon stands tall, bigger than the Shinra Building, which looms high in the background, framed against the orange, evening sky. At its feet, jumping around it and climbing up it, are her friends, weapons still drawn and all of them still standing, putting up a fierce and ferocious battle against the monster that might put a premature end to Midgar.

The wait had been the worst. The heavy, rhythmic, quaking footsteps of Weapon had been like a funeral dirge, all of her friends waiting along the rough coastline, waiting for it to draw nearer.

Charlie slides back down against the wall, looking to her right at the cat that's stayed behind with her. "What did you do with Marlene?"

"He moved her and Elmyra to a house in Kalm," Cait Sith explains. "Don't worry, they're safe. He takes good care of 'em."

When she realizes that it's no longer Reeve she's talking to, she doesn't speak again.

Heidegger and Scarlet are waiting in the main conference room when Reeve throws the doors open.

The city is in utter chaos. Cloud and his friends are fending off Weapon a few miles away from Midgar, more than half the top-side residents refuse to leave their homes, there is only one train taking evacuees down to the slums, where conflict is already breaking out, and his two colleagues would rather spend time waiting around for their inevitable deaths, laughing together instead of trying to help.

"Are you finished giving false hope to the people now, Reeve?" Scarlet asks him, one eyebrow cocked as she looks down at her nails. "The Sister Ray is ready to fire?"

"Yes," Reeve answers desperately, knowing that it's their only chance at defeating Weapon.

The monster seems to be trying to dive back into the sea, but it will rise again, he knows, and Midgar will not be safe until Weapon is destroyed. If there was another way to co-exist, Reeve doesn't think he would be against the idea, but Weapon will not cease to exist until Sephiroth and Meteor are gone from the planet.

He had instructed Charlie to call their friends back with the phone they had left behind with her. They had done a fine enough job at defending the city, and as Charlie takes over patching everyone up, Reeve turns his attention back towards the cannon.

Rufus is still in the president's office, he knows, overlooking Midgar as the sun begins to set, casting the cityscape into glowing shadows.

Heidegger leans over the intercom system upon the table, pressing a button with a fat finger. "The preparations for the Sister Ray have been completed, sir."

"Where is Reeve?" Rufus's voice echoes back.

Both Heidegger and Scarlet scowl at him, but Reeve steps forward. "Here, sir. I've done all I can."

"Then fire."

Charlie stands sentry at the bow of the airship, with Cait Sith perched upon her shoulder.

In the night, Midgar seems to spring to life all over again. Each reactor seems to burst with energy, sending up smog and bright green light into the darkness. And then, within the span of fifteen seconds, everything seems to go dark.

"What's going on?" she whispers to the cat. The only noise is the violent crashing of the water that's pushed around by Weapon's slow movements and the howling of the wind in her ears.

"I don't understand. It should have—"

There's a deafening boom! that might be heard around the world. The force of it seems to shake the airship, though Midgar remains shrouded in darkness. From the dark city shoots a blinding flash of light and energy, that hurls towards the coastline at a rapid pace.

Weapon seems to recognize the situation, and the danger, it has found itself in.

"No!"

The word is pulled from her the moment she realizes what's going on, the moment Weapon seems to straighten up and turn, facing the city. It comes out a hoarse scream, desperate and pleading. More blasts of light and particles of energy are sent shooting towards the cannon's blast, headed straight for a city with millions of people still living there.

Despite this, the energy ray is not deterred, and instead of being stopped by Weapon, it goes through it, throwing the monster backwards until it topples onto its back, screaming in pain and, after a moment, it ceases to move or make a sound.

The energy ray continues north, due north, until its goal is no longer visible. Charlie understands, however, and speaks to Cait Sith again, gripping the rails of the deck with a white-knuckle grip. "He's trying to reach the Northern Crater," she says.

Cait Sith hums in return before tensing completely, jerking awkwardly before falling off her shoulder completely, limp to the floor.

"Cait!" Charlie reaches down to pick him back up, holding him like a baby in her arms and giving him a slight shake. "Cait Sith!"

She's distracted by another explosion that causes her to shield her eyes. While most of Weapon's shots fired have gone over and above Midgar, a few seem to have hit their target.

There's only one building as tall as that in Midgar, and Charlie watches in horror as the topmost floors of the Shinra Building erupt into flames, parts of the top crumbling down to the plate below. For a moment, she's paralyzed with fear, hoping that Cait Sith's sudden shutdown has nothing to do with the fact that Weapon has just destroyed part of the Shinra Building.

"Cait," she rasps, shaking him harder, needing to hear his voice or Reeve's voice or anyone's voice, something to let her know he's all right. "Cait, please wake up." She looks back towards Midgar, the burning top of the Shinra Building visible from their position in the sky. "No . . . no, no, no, no . . ."

"Lottie . . ."

"Take me into the city," she tells Cid, looking down at the toy in her arms. "Take me into Midgar now."

"Lottie, there ain't nothin' we can do now," he says again, kneeling beside her and squeezing her shoulder.

"We have to go to the Northern Crater," Cloud announces to everyone, "and see what happened to Sephiroth."

"You can't go back there now," Cid tries to reassure her. "Shinra Building's gonna go down any minute, and when it does—"

"You don't know that!" she screams, as inconsolable as she was when Tseng lay dying in the Temple of the Ancients. She even cradles Cait Sith to her breast, just as she did Tseng. "Cait Sith, please wake up—please wake up—"

"He's probably just malfunctioned, honey—"

"No," she whines, shaking the cat harder, little arms and legs still limp. "Cait Sith, wake up, please." Charlie brings the cat up to her face, putting her mouth very close to one of his pointed ears. "Reeve, please be alive, please talk to me—"

Everyone gasps as Cait Sith suddenly springs to life, jumping right out of Charlie's arms as if nothing has happened. "Why're you cryin', Charlie?" the cat asks with a smile, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"I thought . . ." Charlie shakes her head, sighing. "Never mind. What happened? Do you know where Rufus is? Is he safe?"

The cat jerks again, like he's being electrocuted. His mouth opens and closes awkwardly, but no words come out, not in the sweet voice of the Cat or Reeve's own voice. Her heart starts to beat faster. That strikes Charlie as very ominous, frightening. Something is horribly wrong.

"Please," she whispers against his face, the fur tickling the tip of her nose. "Please be okay. I love you . . . I love you . . ."

I love you . . . I love you . . .

His head is pounding painfully, but her voice cuts through the myriad of horrible thoughts very clearly. He can't make anything out but shadows, and the silvery hair of his beloved, looking down at him with the moon making her glow like some sort of angel, wide-eyed and worried.

If he didn't know any better, he might think he was dead. It takes him a moment to remember that Charlie isn't looking down at him, but at Cait Sith.

At least his phone has survived the blast.

The incessant ringing is what really causes him to stir. His phone must have spilled from his breast pocket, sitting a few inches from his ear. The room is stiflingly warm and smells of smoke. It reminds him of the night the first reactor had exploded, trapping him underneath the remains of the restaurant until Charlie had pulled him from the rubble, his little heroine.

His cheek is pressed against the carpet, and when he opens his eyes, there is no indication as to how much time has passed since the blast. His eyes are slightly unfocused, and it takes him a minute to push himself to his hands and knees, coughing hoarsely.

His head is pounding, and when he reaches up to push his hair out of his eyes, his palm comes away sticky with blood. The image of Charlie's lovely face, crying over the robot in her arms, is stolen from him quickly as his current surroundings take priority.

The power has gone out, most of the ceiling has collapsed, and a pile of steel beams separates Reeve from Heidegger, who's only just beginning to stir. While there are no flames coming from within the conference room, the topmost of the Shinra Building seems to be on fire.

The windows of the conference room have been blown out and shattered, the glass scattered across the carpet in bits and pieces, and through the open windows, Reeve can hear the screams from down below.

His phone won't stop ringing, though the screen has shattered badly. The number that comes up is unrecognizable, not saved in his contacts. Trying to answer it with a broken screen, it takes a moment, but he finally puts it to his ear just as the emergency power system in the building kicks on.

"Director, are you all right?"

Not only is he surprised at the voice that comes through the phone, but he's surprised that Tseng has heard what's happened so quickly. "I think so. How did you—"

"I bugged your phone the last time you were in Junon. Listen, I'm in Midgar—"

"You're in Midgar?" Reeve lifts his head, looking around for a sign of Scarlet as Heidegger climbs heavily to his feet, brushing himself off.

"Where is the president?" Tseng asks, a note of panic in his usually stoic voice.

Reeve looks up. He knows, for a fact, that Rufus had been in the president's office, and he knows that it's very unlikely the president survived such a thing. That makes him very nervous, and it's a strange thing to discover how differently he feels about Rufus's potential death than he had felt about the late president's murder.

"I'll try to get up there," he answers, catching sight of Scarlet's legs on the other side of the room, underneath the table. "I'll call you back."

He stands, reaching for the intercom system on the table. It looks undamaged, and he presses the button frantically. "Rufus!" he calls into the microphone, waiting a painful ten seconds before he shouts his name again. "Rufus!"

"The president isn't answering his phone," Heidegger croaks, some flecks of blood on his face.

Dragging a hand down his face, Reeve tries to think. He has to go up there, to see for himself. Charlie would never forgive him if he didn't at least try to get to Rufus, and it's the right thing to do. He's just a boy—about the same age he had been when he first met Charlie.

"Damn," Reeve growls, his phone ringing again. "What is it now?" Lifting it back to his ear, Heidegger begins clearing away debris from Scarlet, helping her back to her feet as she stumbles on broken heels. "What?"

"Sir, someone is controlling the reactors' output!"

"What are you talking about?" It's only one of the workers he had assigned to the task while he worked to issue evacuation notices.

"What's going on?" Scarlet snaps, hair falling out of her clip, coated with a thick layer of dust from the ceiling and debris. "Reeve, what's happening?"

"Someone's switched the machine over to mainframe operation!"

"Who's controlling it? Who has access to the mainframe?"

"You're not trying to fire it again, you brute!" Scarlet scrambles up to him, looking equally furious and terrified, several of her fingernails broken as she tries to snatch the phone away from his ear. "It's not going to work! You'll destroy Midgar! Shut it down!"

Reeve looks exasperatedly at Heidegger, who seems content to stand around and allow all this to happen. "Call the mainframe, Heidegger. I need to go look for the president. Call me when you find out who—"

Heidegger clears his throat loudly, crossing his arms over his chest and making a show of it. It's an intimidating sight, to be sure, but Reeve only narrows his eyes, unable to see what the problem is. "What makes you think you can just start giving out orders? All that time with the girl has gone to your head, I think."

"Giving out orders?" Reeve repeats, hardly able to believe his ears. "Are you insane? What does that matter right now?"

"It's Hojo, sir!" comes the deep voice through his phone. "I'm patching you through to the mainframe right now!"

Heidegger doesn't budge, and Reeve only looks away to shout, "Hojo, stop it! If you use the cannon again, you're going to destroy Midgar!"

Hojo's steady laughter comes through loud and clear. "A small price to pay, Reeve."

"Hojo, stop!" Reeve looks helplessly at his two useless companions. Scarlet has inched closer to Heidegger, the both of them waiting for him to hang up the phone. "Hojo!"

His hand jumps to his face, fingers pressing hard against his forehead and temples. It's difficult to make out what everyone's saying, especially while he's trying to communicate with the people in front of him. He knows that it's over for him now. Cloud and the others have surely realized who he is, and that's why all the voices are so loud.

The phone slips out of his hand, crashing to the floor and shattering completely.

"What is wrong with you?" Scarlet hisses, scrunching her nose.

He hears enough, enough to know that there's still hope. "Cloud and the others are on their way," Reeve tells them both, breathing very heavily. "Just let them take care of Hojo. Stay out of their way. I'm going to go look for the president n—"

"No."

He moves forward, sizing Heidegger up. "Excuse me?"

"The president is dead. We're doing things our way now," Heidegger replies, hands held behind his back.

"Our way?" Reeve asks, glancing sideways at Scarlet, who giggles behind her fingers. "Even if Rufus is dead, that means Charlotte is the president now."

"That traitor?" Scarlet scoffs. "The last Shinra . . ." She laughs again, the laughter he hates so much that seems to echo within his head. "You say Cloud and his friends are on their way . . ." She smiles at him, too innocently. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Reeve."

Shaking his head, Reeve almost laughs in her face. "I'm flattered, but I'm not interested."

He makes to move past her, towards the door, but she puts a hand on his chest to stop him, her face hardening. "Then we'll do it the hard way."

While he's been looking at Scarlet, he hasn't been paying attention to Heidegger. There's a soft click, and Reeve is forced to take a step back, helpless in his current situation. "What are you doing?" he asks them both, through gritted teeth.

"We can't have you and your traitor friends getting in our way," she continues, looking a mess before him. "So are you with us?"

There's a moment's hesitation, and then—"No. Absolutely not."

"Grab him, Heidegger. The girl will come for him, no matter what."

As Reeve realizes what's going on, his eyes snap open wide with panic. "No!" he protests, struggling as Heidegger grabs the back of his shirt collar, prodding between his shoulder blades with the barrel of the gun. "Not Charlie! Leave her out of this!"

Scarlet laughs again, almost sounding sympathetic, placing a hand over her cold heart. "Reeve," she says softly, taking a step closer and looking up into his face, "she doesn't love you anymore." Shrugging her shoulders, she smiles. "You've always been pathetic, lusting after the girl since she first grew tits. She's been fucking her brother all this time, but surely you already knew that."

Reeve shakes his head. He isn't going to rise to the bait, but he will not allow Heidegger and Scarlet to lure Charlie right into a trap. "Leave her alone, Scarlet."

This only makes her smile more. "How can you call yourself a man, Reeve?"

He will not rise. He will not rise.

"You shame her."

That's not true!

Charlotte's voice comes in clearly again, the only peace he has in this moment of chaos.

"Take him to a cell. Let him rot while the girl tries to save him."

Heidegger has no problem following Scarlet's orders, it seems. Reeve allows himself to be escorting out of the conference room, head held high. All he wanted, before Meteor struck the planet, was to see Charlie one last time.

I'm coming for you.

"Don't," he says aloud, not realizing it until Heidegger answers him. The hallways are completely empty, the building creaking and groaning every few seconds.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't come," Reeve says again, ignoring Heidegger completely, feeling defeated. "Please, don't come."

I'm going to save you, just like you saved me.

"That wasn't me," he replies, shoved through a doorway that leads to the emergency stairwell. The elevators must not be working. "I couldn't do anything for you."

Heidegger shoves him roughly, almost sending him tumbling to the floor. "Who are you talking to?"

I'm coming for you, she says, and he knows there's no stopping her. I'm coming for you, like it or not.