EIGHTEEN

I led Cloud and the others out of the lift and back to the 68th floor, the scent of blood strong in my nose. Like the lower level, the lights in this place were either flickering or had gone out entirely, leaving many shadows as we made our way down the hall to the second elevator. The doors along the way were still mostly closed, but some had large dents, and a few others had all been torn from their hinges, the rooms inside ripped apart by Hojo's escaped specimens.

We encountered a few of them on our way down the hall. Zenenes. Four of them sprang out from a ruined, sparking doorway to our right, snarling and clawing. Four-legged things with brown fur, bright orange manes, spikes along their spines, and apelike faces. One leapt at Aerith, its jaws gaping open, but I slammed into it with a low growl of my own and swiped at it with my forepaws.

The zenene and I went tumbling across the hall, but I didn't let up. I continued fighting as my friends did the same, cutting and smashing and shooting at the monsters with weapons and spells. But the zenenes had magic of their own, fireballs they hurled at us. One of them singed my fur a bit as it flew past to blow a hole in the wall, but I shook off the pain and retaliated with a fork of lightning that threw the monster into a nearby door. It didn't get up again.

There were still three other zenenes, however. And as with H0512, they were able to spew a cloud of poisonous vapor at us. But as soon as they did, Cloud motioned for the rest of us to fall back as he raced into the toxic green fumes, his friend's gift again shielding him and leaving him unaffected by the creatures' venom. He cut down two of them in a matter of seconds before they even knew it while Barret and I brought down the third with lightning magic and gunfire as the girls tended to our wounds with healing magic and potions.

When it was over, we moved on, taking the second lift to the upper level of Hojo's lab. There was more blood here, the trail leading onward from the testing chamber Aerith and I had been in earlier. Jenova had, just as I'd thought, used the specimen transport elevator to come here. Bodies lay scattered around the room, ripped apart much as those we'd seen earlier had been. It was eerily quiet as we made our way across the room. The trail led to a door on the bottom right. We were just getting close to it when I pulled up short.

"What is it, Red?" Cloud asked. "What's wrong?"

I glanced at the far side of the room. "I hear something. Someone's alive in here, Cloud. Over there."

Rapid, frightened breathing. It was coming from the corner on the other side of the testing chamber. I led the others over there, and in the gloom of Hojo's half-lit lab, I spotted someone crouching almost out of sight beneath the overhang from the enclosed second level. One of the aides who worked here. He was crouching, trying not be seen, and held his bloodied arm as he shivered.

I glanced at Aerith. "Can you help? He's wounded."

"Of course," she nodded. "Tifa?"

Tifa reached out to the man in his tattered lab coat. "It'll be alright. My friend's gonna help you, okay?"

He shivered but lifted his arm. "A-Alright…"

"Just hold still a moment," Aerith told him gently as she focused on the Restore materia. "This won't take long."

While the man did as she had instructed, Aerith cast the spell, and its healing magic swirled over him in a cluster of bright blue and green sparkles for a moment before dissipating. In its wake, the slashes in his arm slowly knitted themselves closed.

Aerith smiled. "There you go. How's that?"

"Better," he said. "Thank you. You're the Ancient, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," she answered.

The aide continued. "I thought I recognized you. Look, I… I'm not your enemy. I can prove it—you've got a keycard, right? I can update it so you can access the top two floors. That's where the president's office is. And where you're going, too."

Cloud knelt in front of him. "What happened here?"

"I didn't see much," the man said. "I was just running some tests on a few cell samples over here when the power started acting up and our systems went crazy. And then… something came here through the lift we use to transport specimens from downstairs."

"Did you see what it was?" Tifa asked.

The man shook his head. "Half the lights blew out when it arrived. All I saw was a dark blur moving through the lab, a shape that might've been a man, but… I don't know. It killed anyone in its path, and what it missed, the specimens that broke loose in all the confusion tore apart. I barely managed to get away from a zenene after it clawed my arm. And I've been hiding over here ever since."

Cloud grimaced. "Do you know where it went?"

"That way," the man pointed to the door leading into the other half of the lab. "I think it was going upstairs. But with the systems fried, the bridges in the Drum might've retracted. You'll have to figure out a way to extend them if you're gonna follow that thing."

"Anything else?" Cloud went on.

Hojo's aide reached into his pocket and withdrew a glowing yellow orb. "Here. A new materia we've been developing based on our analysis of different monsters. It'll allow you to use some of their skills, but you need to be hit by them yourself first. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to fully test the materia's skill acquisition and storage processes before all this happened, so it doesn't have any abilities stored within it yet. But if you have it equipped, it should work."

I took it and placed it into my headdress. There were three slots in the mythril clip holding it together, two linked and one single, and the new materia went in the third slot. It had potential, but as the aide had told us, it was still empty for the time being. I was certain I could put it to good use later on, however.

"My thanks," I told him. "Now, the keycard…"

He took out a scanner as Cloud handed it to him. "Right. It should only take a moment… and there. All done. You'll be able to get upstairs now. Is the way down clear? Can I go?"

Cloud nodded. "Should be. Better hurry while it lasts."

"Alright, thank you," the aide said, standing up. "I'll go now. I don't ever wanna come back here. Oh, and if you need them, there are a few potions on the shelves over there for emergencies."

Aerith smiled. "We'll check them out. Be safe, okay?"

"I will," he said. "Good luck."

Then he hurried across the lab and disappeared into the lift, taking it downstairs while we searched for the potions. We found them only a minute later, a handful of vials stacked on a nearby shelf. After we had gathered them all up and made certain everyone had some, we moved on. The way to the Drum lay ahead of us.

"What do you know about this place?" Cloud asked me.

I padded forward a few steps. "It is not a large area, but the path is not a straightforward one. It is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, and past it is an escalator leading upstairs. We may also encounter more of Hojo's escaped specimens as well."

He opened the door. "Understood. Let's go."

As we headed inside, I took the lead once more, scouting ahead as Cloud followed closely behind me and the others came after. We began in a short hallway that soon turned sharply to the left. At the end of it, we came to a smaller lab. Several zenenes and two varghids were here, and we sprang into action. The fight took us all around the room as the creatures struck forcefully at us, but we overcame them quickly enough with our skills, weapons, and magic.

After hurrying down another hallway, we soon found ourselves in another room. This one was more open, with a high ceiling, and to our right and ahead of us, the area was bordered not by walls but by a large lower section almost twenty feet below us. It was full of machinery and specimen pods, many of which were open.

There was another platform on the far side of the maintenance bay, and a computer console stood on it. But, as Hojo's aide had told us, the bridge had been retracted. Its metal sections had slid back into the side of the curved wall to our left. The electrical disturbance that had swept through the building must have disrupted the bridge controls, causing the entire structure to separate and withdraw.

"So how we gonna get across?" Barret scratched his head.

Tifa pointed. "There's a door on the other side, if we can get there. The way upstairs must be past it."

He grunted. "Helluva long jump, though."

"Any ideas?" Cloud asked.

"Leave it to me," I answered, moving toward the edge. "I can make it across and activate the controls."

Barret blinked. "How?"

"Watch and learn," I told him.

There were a number of small ledges along the left wall, enough to span the entire gap. A human would've had a difficult time attempting to reach them, but I managed it easily, leaping up to the first in a single bound. And then I jumped from one to another, following them along the wall until I reached the other platform. After landing, I went to the console and activated the controls. Not the easiest thing to do with my paws, nose, and tongue, but I managed.

The bridge sections immediately slid back out again, and once they had all locked into place, Cloud and the others hurried across. I heard Barret chuckling to himself as he and the rest reached the far side just a moment later and joined me on the platform.

"Well, ain't that somethin'," he said. "Makin' it look easy."

I glanced at him. "It was. For me."

Barret snorted. "Awright, ya furry little smartass. Guess havin' four legs can be pretty useful sometimes."

"Quite," I agreed. "Now we'd best keep going."

We moved on, making our way through several twisting corridors and a handful of smaller labs before finally coming to another platform with a gap ahead of it. This time, however, the bridge was already fully extended. There was also a sign posted on the wall near the exit on the other side in large, bold letters:

ESCALATOR ACCESS – 69TH FLOOR

"Almost there, guys," Aerith said. "We can do this!"

We hurried toward the bridge, but just before we could reach it, we skidded to a stop as something huge and long rose up from the bowels of the maintenance bay and specimen storage area below it. A monster, but more machine than flesh. It had a long, segmented blue body made up of flattened metal plates fitted with sharp saw blades on the top and bottom, the color deepening from a teal blue to a darker blue by its tail. Two white, round eyes—one on each side of its flat head—stared coldly at us as it hovered in the air above us.

Tifa immediately raised her fists. "What's this?"

"Swordipede," I growled. "I'd heard there was a guardian set here to deal with intruders, but I wasn't certain it was real."

"Looks real enough to me!" Barret said as he opened fire.

Cloud drew his sword. "Let's take it out!"

The swordipede was too far away for us to attack at close range, so Aerith, Tifa, and I unleashed a barrage of fire, ice, and lightning magic while Cloud used his sword to hurl an arc of pale green energy into the creature's side and Barret shot at it with his gun-arm. The creature flew back, sparks flying from its sides as it recoiled from our assault. Then it dove in low and fast, sweeping at us with the saw blades mounted upon the lower half of its segmented body.

We scattered, dodging out of the way as best we could, but even so, it still managed to clip my shoulder. I ignored the pain and pressed on, retaliating with another shot of lightning as Cloud landed several slices with his sword while the swordipede was temporarily close enough for him to do so. Tifa added several hits of her own, diving kicks that left a number of sizable dents in the creature's hide.

It whipped its tail at us, then dove in again, trying to slice us apart with the blades fitted to its mouth like steel teeth. I jumped when it got near and tore into it with my claws, and as it began to thrash and spin, I clung to it and kept up the assault. Barret blew off part of its tail with a sustained burst of gunfire while Aerith unleashed a swirling tempest of magical power that made the swordipede shudder beneath my paws. Blasts of ice and lighting tore into its sides as Cloud and Tifa unleashed spells of their own from their materia.

The monster flew and thrashed wildly, rising away from the others once more, but I refused to be dislodged so easily. I kept clawing at the metal panels, ripping them open one after another. But then, the beast hovered in place, shaking as it charged up, and electricity swept across its body in a sudden rush, jolting me with current and throwing me off the swordipede's back to crash onto the floor.

"Red!" Aerith called.

I landed with a groan. "I'm alright. More or less…"

She hurried over to my side, but before we could do anything else, the swordipede unloaded all of the electricity it had built up. Lightning struck all over the area. Aerith grabbed me, then turned and thrust out her staff. Almost at once, something like a large semitransparent flower formed in midair, a magical barrier that shielded us and kept the blasts of lightning at bay as Cloud and the others took cover. The assault only lasted a few moments, but it felt much longer.

When it was over and Aerith's protective shield had faded, I slowly returned to my feet. "Thank you, Aerith."

"Don't mention it," she smiled. "You okay?"

"Merely a little singed. Nothing more," I assured her.

Aerith soothed the pain with one of her healing spells. "There. It'll be tender for a bit, but you should be good as new in no time, Red. So, are you ready to get back into the fight?"

"Need you ask?" I quipped.

She smirked. "Then let's squash this bug!"

We hurried to rejoin the others, who were battling the swordipede as it attacked with its saw blades again. Then it began spinning around in a tight circle, its blades cutting at Aerith and Tifa. I growled and cast another lightning spell, blowing apart one of its eyes. Cloud continued with a leaping slash, and Barret unloaded with a single massive blast of fire from his gun-arm. Together, we knocked the swordipede back long enough for Aerith and Tifa to regroup.

"Go for the head!" Cloud said. "Don't let up!"

Tifa nodded. "We're on it!"

While the swordipede attempted to hit us with a volley of powerful energy blasts, we avoided them and countered with our own attacks as we moved around the platform. We came at the monster from all sides, striking at its head with our spells and weapons at the same time just as we had against Specimen H0512.

The swordipede crumpled and trembled under the onslaught, and then its head simply exploded. We shielded ourselves as best we could while the thing's body crashed to the floor in a smoking, sparking heap of charred metal and pieces of it flew across the room. It was quite still for a moment in the wake of its destruction.

Tifa put her hands on her hips. "That's one bug stomped."

"Yeah, baby!" Barret grinned, pumping his fist.

"We do good work!" Aerith added.

Cloud shouldered his sword and headed to the bridge. "Gotta keep moving, guys. Clock's ticking. But… we did kick its ass."

"Damn straight!" Barret agreed.

I followed Cloud. "Indeed. Try to keep up."

We hurried across the bridge. Through the door was another short hallway, and at the end was the escalator bay. Not wasting any time, we moved quickly up to the 69th floor, climbing the steps ourselves rather than wait for them to carry us there. We arrived in another room with a pair of glass doors. The trail of blood was here as well, as it had been in the Drum, and we followed it through the doors and into the central area of this floor. There were only a few bodies here, some half-buried under two broken and overturned desks.

We raced across the black marble floor, our footsteps oddly loud in the unnatural quiet of the place. To our left at the bottom of the area, I saw another pair of glass doors leading to the elevators. They were the same ones we had ridden earlier with the Turks. So it appeared getting out of here would not be too difficult. Of course, I had no idea what lay ahead of us. The nightmare was only beginning.

On the far side of the area, two large staircases rose up and around to the 70th floor, where President Shinra's office was located. The steps were covered in a deep purple carpet and wide enough that three of us could walk up them side by side if we wished. Blood went up along the righthand staircase, staining the purple fabric with large red splotches, and a young woman lay slumped on one side with her back against the rail, her chest cruelly slashed open. Cloud stopped for a moment at the bottom and looked at Aerith, worry on his face.

"How are we on time?" he asked.

She concentrated for a moment. "About forty minutes."

Cloud nodded, took a breath, and started up the stairs. "Let's make this quick, then. Jessie's counting on us."

President Shinra's office was eerily quiet as we climbed the last few stairs and went inside. Half the lights were off, leaving the room full of shadows. It was a large area with more of those columns, black marble just like the floor, but I barely noticed it. And for once, Buster's familiar weight on my back couldn't reassure me. We all came to a stop, unable to believe at first what we were seeing. I'd been expecting it ever since I realized the blood trail led here, but it was still a shock. For a moment, we all just stood there and tried to take it in.

President Shinra was dead.

His body was slumped over the front of his massive desk, and from his back rose a long, slightly curved blade that I recognized at once. As I stared at it, my eyes narrowed and my blood boiled. So… it was him. Had to be. Not a doubt in my mind now.

"He's dead…" Barret gaped.

"I don't believe it…" Aerith murmured.

Barret went on. "The head of the Shinra Company… an' the sworn enemy of Avalanche… is dead…"

"How?" Aerith wondered. "And by who?"

Tifa's eyes were on the blade. "That sword… I've seen it before. It's his, I'm sure of it. He's alive…"

I nodded, my fist tightening. "Sephiroth…"

"He's really back?" she shivered.

"Gotta be," I said. "That's his sword, Tifa. Only he can use it."

Barret snorted. "Who cares? Shinra's history now!"

I was just about to reply when I suddenly felt a sharp pain flare up in the side of my head. I grabbed my temple, my eyes locked firmly on Sephiroth's katana, and gritted my teeth. Then I stared in disbelief, still hurting, as everything seemed to shift around me. The others vanished as I suddenly found myself watching a hellish, distorted vision of what had happened here only a short time ago.

"Yes, Palmer, what is it?" President Shinra sighed.

Palmer waddled over to stand in front of the desk. "Well, sir… I was just wondering when my division would get more funding. I've heard the mako reserves aren't as deep as you've made the public think. N-Not that I'd question your decisions, Mr. President."

The president leaned forward. "You had best not, Director. I already have one executive who requires a reminder about who is in charge here. I trust you will not make it two."

"Of course not, sir!" Palmer nodded. "You're quite right."

"And in regards to the space program, it is not a priority at this time. The promised land is our goal. Am I clear?"

Palmer sipped his tea. "Oh, yes! Very clear, sir."

"Then go," the president ordered. "As you can see, I—"

But before he could finish, a chill breeze suddenly swept through the office, and the lights flickered fitfully. President Shinra stood up, his gaze on the shadows, as Palmer looked around uneasily, his eyes going wide at the sound of screams suddenly rising up from downstairs. The president immediately picked up his gold handgun.

"W-W-What's going on?" Palmer whimpered.

Then a dark shape emerged from the stairs. It looked humanoid, but I couldn't tell any more than that. A moment later, it seemed to melt into the gloom and disappear. When Palmer turned back around to glance at the president, though, he let out a terrified gasp and dropped his cup and saucer. They fell from his gnarled hands and shattered onto the floor, the sound unnaturally loud in the stillness.

Standing behind President Shinra was Sephiroth.

"What is it?" the president demanded.

Palmer pointed. "S-S-Se… it's him! He's here! He's back!"

Then he ran off and hid behind one of the columns. President Shinra ignored him, whirling around with his gun in his hand. When he saw the tall, imposing figure of Sephiroth with his black cloak and silver hair, his eyes narrowed and his grip on the gun tightened.

"You…" he said. "Sephiroth!"

Then Sephiroth faded into the shadows again, his cold, soft laughter echoing in the air. The president immediately spun back toward the front of his desk to find him waiting, standing there, sword in hand. Sephiroth pointed the Masamune at him, his pale green eyes like shards of ice. The president never even flinched, though.

"What do you want?" he demanded, training his golden handgun on him. Not that it would do him any good.

Sephiroth pointed at him. "The promised land is mine."

President Shinra scoffed. "I made you, Sephiroth. I own you. And I'll take what I wish. Including the promised land."

He fired—once, twice, three times—but Sephiroth was already gone, moving so fast I could barely see him. One moment, he was still standing confidently in front of the president, a small, sly smile on his lips. And in the next, he was behind him. President Shinra only had a split second to realize it before Sephiroth's katana plunged into his back and out through his chest. The president lurched, dropping his gun, and for a moment, he hung there suspended on the blade.

Sephiroth leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "No longer. For I am here now. Mother calls, and the promised land awaits us. You cannot understand it. You cannot have it."

"Sephi… roth…" the president gurgled.

"All that remains for you…" he continued, "is death."

With that, Sephiroth pushed President Shinra forward onto the desk, the Masamune still embedded in his back. And then, as I kept watching, he gazed up at me, that cold, familiar sneer still on his face, and I let out a gasp of my own. I wanted to throttle him, but at the same time, I felt a sliver of fear race through my heart.

"Good to see you… Cloud," he taunted.

I shuddered. "Sephiroth! Tell me… is it really you?"

He laughed softly. "Don't deny me. Embrace me. Follow the darkness that dwells always in your heart."

"What are you doing?" I asked. "What is this?"

Sephiroth moved away from the desk. "You should know. We've been here before. Many times. This is where it all begins. Where it has always begun. Only now, it will be different."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The tale can be changed, Cloud," he said. "As you well know. You've done it yourself. A slight shift, and entire threads begin to unravel. It has already begun. What was once meant for death may now yet live. And if so, can you be certain what may come of it?"

"No, but I'll be ready," I swore.

Sephiroth moved again, slipping into the shadows so quickly I barely saw him. Then I heard him in my ear. "Do you think you alone can defy fate? You may come to regret saving her."

I whirled on him. "Leave Jessie the hell outta this!"

"You brought her into it," he taunted me.

"Shut up!" I yelled, my eyes blazing as I reached for Buster. "And stay away from her! This is between you and me!"

He moved back toward the desk. "Then find me. If you can."

"Bet your ass I will!" I snarled.

He pointed at the windows and the night sky, the badlands stretching on and on below it into the distance beyond the city. "Just as you should, Cloud. Just as you should. I'll be… out there. A touching reunion awaits us. And I wouldn't want you to miss it."

With a start, I suddenly snapped back to the present in a rush. The pain was gone, and so was Sephiroth. As my surroundings slowly came back into focus, I realized the others were there again, looking at me in concern. But I didn't say anything at first. My eyes were still fixed upon Sephiroth's blade. And as I watched, it dissipated into a black mist and was gone. The air seemed to grow lighter, too.

"You okay, Cloud?" Tifa asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Tif. I think so. But… tell me something. You guys didn't see anything, did you?"

Barret shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing, merc."

"What happened?" Aerith wondered.

"I'll explain later," I said. "No time now. We've gotta—"

Just then, I heard a muffled whimper nearby. It sounded like it was coming from behind one of the columns. I motioned to Barret, and he followed me toward the noise. Just as I'd thought, Palmer was still here, and he came running out from his hiding place a moment later. Barret and I were waiting for him, though. We caught him, each of us holding an arm, and stared hard at him.

"D-D-D-Don't kill me!" he blubbered. "Please!"

I tugged on his wrist. "What happened?

Palmer swallowed. "It… it was Sephiroth. He was here!"

"You're sure?" I said. I knew what I'd seen, but I needed to confirm it, to know it hadn't been a hallucination. "You got a good look at him? You actually saw Sephiroth?"

He nodded. "With my own eyes! I swear, I did! I wouldn't lie! Well, not about this. And I heard his voice, too. So cold… like he wasn't even human! I'm telling you, it was him!"

Barret yanked his other arm. "What'd he say?"

"Y-You're Avalanche, aren't you?" Palmer stammered, sweating. "I, uh… I guess you're angry about the whole plate dropping, um… thing. But it wasn't my idea! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Jus' talk, asshole!" he growled.

Palmer swallowed. "Sephiroth insisted that the promised land was his and that we couldn't have it. And then he killed President Shinra! I watched the whole thing! I was so scared!"

Tifa glanced at me. "So the promised land is real?"

"Seems that way," I said.

"Don't tell me Sephiroth's trying to save it," she grimaced. "You and I know better than anyone else what he's like."

Barret frowned. "Guess he ain't on our side, then."

"Not a chance!" I answered. "I know him. I know what he's after. At least, I did. But now, I'm not so sure…"

"What do you mean?" Tifa wondered.

I didn't understand it myself. But what Sephiroth had said to me in that vision bothered me. No matter how all this had unfolded before, it was different now. And Sephiroth seemed to want it that way. But why? What was really going on here? And what did Jessie have to do with it? I wanted to believe that Sephiroth had only been trying to get to me by bringing her up, but I couldn't. She was somehow linked to whatever it was he was trying to do. And if what he had told me was right… then I had made it possible. So I had to stop him.

I sighed. "Long story. Like I said, I'll tell you all about it later. Right now we need to get the hell outta here."

"Seconded," Red agreed.

Just then, though, a spotlight swept across the windows, and we all heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter coming from outside. As we turned to look, Palmer wriggled himself free of our grip and ran for the door to the roof. A Shinra chopper had just landed on the rooftop, the whirring of its rotors shattering the quiet that had hung so heavily over the president's office just a moment ago.

Barret swore when he saw who stepped out of the chopper. "Rufus! Shit! Forgot all 'bout his sorry ass."

"Who?" Tifa asked.

"Rufus Shinra," he answered. "Goddamn pretty boy's the old man's son an' the vice president. Heir to the throne himself. I heard he'd been workin' somewhere else for a long time."

She nodded. "I see. I wonder what he's like…"

"Supposedly, no one's ever see him bleed or cry," Aerith said. "But I don't know if that's really true."

"I only know his name," Red added.

I grimaced. "Better find out what he wants, then."

Although I hated that this could cost us some time, I knew we had to find out more about Rufus and whether he would be a threat or not and that we might not get another chance later. So, with Barret and the others following me, I hurried over to the door leading to the roof and went outside to meet the new leader of Shinra.