NINETEEN

Rufus Shinra was standing on the balcony, his chopper sitting over on the helipad as he listened to Palmer, when we rushed outside. They didn't hear us at first, so I took a moment to get a good look at Shinra's new president and didn't draw Buster just yet. Better to avoid a fight if possible—Jessie's time was very damn short and getting shorter by the second—but I was ready for it if necessary.

I was a little surprised at how young Rufus was. He didn't look too much older than me, maybe just a few years. In his late twenties, by my guess. He was tall and slim, wearing a spotless white business suit with a long, matching overcoat that hung down to his ankles. It had a lot of belts, buckles, and pockets along with a high gray collar. He also wore a pair of black leather fingerless gloves and matching boots. His hair was short and reddish-blond with long, swept bangs, and his eyes were pale blue without a shred of warmth in them.

"And that's what happened, I'm telling you!" Palmer sputtered. "He was really here, sir. He killed your father!"

Rufus chuckled. "Then I owe him my thanks."

Palmer blinked. "W-What?"

"I came here to put him out of everyone's misery," Rufus explained, sliding a hand casually through his hair. "But it seems Sephiroth saved me the trouble. His timing is excellent."

"So what are we going to do?" Palmer wondered.

Rufus stared coldly at him. "You will get your blubbering ass out of my sight and onto that chopper. Now."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Palmer jumped. "I'll be going!"

He ran off, scurrying toward the helipad and boarding the chopper faster than I'd have thought possible. Rude was in the pilot's seat, and I saw Tseng sitting next to him. Reno was nowhere to be seen. Probably still licking his wounds after the ass-kicking we'd given him back in the pillar. As Palmer climbed aboard, a vicious-looking hound jumped out and loped over to stand next to Rufus. He lightly petted the beast, then turned as he finally realized we were there.

"I don't know you," he stated, gazing at me. "But from your eyes, I'd say you're a SOLDIER, aren't you? Which, of course, means that I own you. Do you, by chance, have a name?"

I glared at him. "Cloud Strife. And it's ex-SOLDIER. I quit."

He nodded. "As you wish. And your friends?"

"Avalanche!" Barret roared.

Tifa pumped her fist. "Bartender!"

Aerith twirled her staff. "Local florist!"

"Lab rat dog!" Red growled.

"What a crew," Rufus sighed. "Very well, then. As you may or may not know, I am Rufus, the new president of Shinra."

"Only 'cause Sephiroth killed your old man!" Barret scoffed.

Rufus smirked. "Yes. Rather convenient, isn't it?"

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"I suppose I can tell you," he said, pacing back and forth. "Think of it as my appointment speech, if you wish."

I folded my arms in front of me. "Just get on with it."

Rufus shrugged. "Fair enough. My father was all about money. He used it to keep the people in line. Worked well enough, I suppose. You work at Shinra and get paid. If there's an attack or a war, Shinra's forces will protect you. Looks perfect on the outside."

"But you're different, right?" I scoffed.

He didn't flinch. "Correct. It takes too much to do it like my father. I prefer a different approach, you see. Fear. I can control the world with it. Why bother spending money on people when a little terror will keep them under my boot just as effectively?"

Tifa grimaced. "You sound just like your father…"

While Rufus narrowed his eyes, I turned to Barret. "Go! Get Aerith outta here. I'll buy you guys some time."

"Say what?" he asked.

"This is the real thing, Barret," I answered. "You thought you were fighting for the planet before, but that was just a warm up. Now go! I'll explain everything later, I promise."

"I could stay here, back you up," he offered.

I shook my head. "No. I'm asking you, Barret… please. Get Aerith away from this place and back to Jessie before it's too late. I need you to protect them both for me. Understand?"

He nodded. "Awright. Have it your way. But your skinny ass better be right behind us, SOLDIER boy."

"I'll catch up," I promised. "Don't worry about me."

"Who's worried?" he snorted.

As he led Aerith and the others back inside, I smirked and watched them go for a moment. Then I turned back to Rufus, staring him down as he tried to do the same with me. Neither us moved. As dangerous as President Shinra had been, I knew now that Rufus was even worse. We had two major threats to deal with between him and Sephiroth. But if I could take Rufus down tonight, that would cripple Shinra, at least for a while, and give us some room to breathe.

"Why fight me?" he asked.

I pointed at him. "You're after the promised land."

"Among other things," he admitted. "And as for Sephiroth… he's an Ancient. Did you know that?"

"All too well," I answered, drawing Buster.

Rufus went on. "Then you know what you're in for."

I did, alright. "Yeah. But do you? I'm not letting either Sephiroth or Shinra touch Aerith or the promised land!"

"Hmm…" he said, reaching casually into his coat and pulling out a sawn-off shotgun. "Then I suppose this means an alliance is out of the question. How very… disappointing."

"Get used to it," I retorted.

Rufus motioned to the chopper, and it lifted off, the breeze ruffling our clothes. I kept my eyes on him as I hefted Buster and he loaded his gun with a slight sneer on his face and his hound growled at me. It was like the bloodhounds my friends and I had fought in Reactor 5 and the 7-6 Annex, only its fur was a deep purplish-black and its eyes glowed a bright, wicked red. The dog was a bony, ugly thing with a spiked metal collar and a long tentacle rising from its back.

"Time to dance," Rufus taunted, raising his gun. "Just the two of us. Or maybe three. This is Darkstar."

I beckoned to him. "Bring it, asshole."

We sped back through the president's office—well, I guess that'd be former president with Rufus takin' over—an' hurried downstairs to the 69th floor. Off to our right an' ahead of us were the main elevators, and I was jus' startin' to lead the others toward 'em when Aerith stopped for a moment an' looked back over her shoulder.

"I can't help wondering…" she murmured. "Do you think Cloud'll be okay all by himself like that?"

I nodded. "He's fine. You seen him in action."

"I know, but I'm still worried about him," she sighed.

"Gotta believe he'll make it out," I told her. "SOLDIER boy's tough as they come. You jus' remember that."

Aerith sighed. "I hope so."

Tifa took her shoulder. "Go on and get to the elevator. I'll stay here and help Cloud. We won't be long."

"Alright," Aerith smiled. "Good luck!"

Then, as Tifa raced back up the stairs, we got movin' again. Wasn't very far to the elevators, an' the area here was pretty much jus' a lobby. All big an' open, with several thick columns here an' there, shiny black marble like the floor. Our footsteps echoed as we ran. We was halfway there when suddenly the floor in the middle of the room started slidin' apart, dividin' neatly in half as somethin' huge an' metal slowly rose up on a hidden lift to meet us an' alarms went off.

The thing was a machine, like a goddamn tank. A round base with four large wheels, a thick, cylindrical steel body fulla pipes an' steel, an' a flat head with four guns mounted on the front. It had two arms, each one a weapon. The right was a bigass cannon, an' the left was a buncha gatling guns clustered together. As the lift met the floor, the mech spun 'round an' started rollin' right toward us.

"The hell's that?" I gaped.

"Our next target," Red answered. "The Arsenal."

I raised my gun-arm an' took aim at that rollin' scrap heap. "Seems you know a lot for a lab rat dog, Red."

He unsheathed his claws as the Arsenal got closer. "I listen, Barret. I have been in this place for over a year, after all. People talk. And I can hear extremely well. Including things not meant to be overheard. Such as security briefings and status reports."

"You a cunnin' little furball, ain'tcha?" I chuckled.

"More than you know," Red said. "Now, if you don't mind, I believe we have a machine to dismantle."

I snorted. "Then let's bust it already!"

While he rushed in an' started tearin' at the mech's hide an' all'a the cables an' stuff holdin' it all together, I opened up with my gun-arm an' Aerith started hurlin' fire spells one after another. Arsenal was a tough son of a bitch, though, plowin' right through it all. It came to a stop jus' a short distance away an' launched three drones. They circled 'round it an' surrounded the Arsenal with an energy barrier. I took another shot at the mech, but the bullets bounced right off.

"Shit!" I swore. "Gotta take them drones out first!"

Red backed up. "Agreed. Mind its main gun, however. It's charging. But you may be able to keep it from firing if you can hit it enough. And I'll handle the drones in the meantime."

Aerith twirled her staff. "We're on it, Red!"

While she an' I ducked behind a column for cover, Red loped off to circle 'round from the other direction. The drones was channelin' lines of energy into the Arsenal as they circled it, powerin' the barrier as the main gun charged up. I knew if it fired, we'd be in for a worlda hurt. So I let loose with a volley'a gunfire while Aerith sent more bursts'a magic at it. Although we didn't do any damage, the assault still did its job, an' a moment later, the cannon shut down.

Red jumped an' did a spinnin' strike at one'a them drones jus' a few seconds later, rippin' it to pieces in a single swipe, then landed an' sped off again before the Arsenal could retaliate. One down, two to go. More bullets chased me an' Aerith back behind the column again, but we was awright, jus' got nicked a little. She got us patched up with some healin' magic while I answered the mech with a volley'a my own. I blasted at it with a focused shot to keep it distracted an' give Red time to race back in there an' take down another drone.

He did jus' that, shockin' it to pieces with a blast'a lightin' from his materia before runnin' off again. The mech fired again from the rotary guns on its left arm, but Aerith an' I waited behind cover as the bullets chewed into the floor. Soon as it was over, we spun back into the open an' got back into it, pummelin' the Arsenal with gunfire an' spells while Red fragged the last drone with another spinnin' strike. Soon as he did, the barrier flickered and vanished.

"Nice one, Red!" I grinned. "It's poundin' time!"

He rejoined us by the column. "Indeed. Go for the wheels. We may be able to reduce the Arsenal's mobility and make it more vulnerable if we can destroy one or two of them."

"Don't forget about that arm cannon," Aerith reminded us. "Looks like it's charging again. If we can stop it, that might make getting to the wheels and taking them out a bit easier."

I nodded. "I got this. You guys go for the wheels."

"Right!" she agreed. "Come on, Red! I've also got a few other tricks up my sleeve to tip the balance a little."

"Such as?" he asked.

Aerith started spinnin' her staff again, an' a circle of purple energy about twenty feet across surrounded her on the floor, and she had Red join her while I pumped the Arsenal's right arm cannon fulla bullets. It shuddered but didn't back down jus' yet, so I kept the pressure up with a big shot once the heat gauge on my gun-arm went into the red again. The fireball slammed square into the mech, shakin' the whole thing an' makin' sparks an' smoke fly everywhere.

"Arcane ward," Aerith answered, focusin' on her materia. "It'll help us chain more spells together and boost our magic. Also moves when I do, so stay close to me as much as you can."

Jus' as they got started, though, the Arsenal suddenly let loose with a field of electricity that swept over the floor in all directions. She, Red, an' I scattered to avoid it, runnin' 'till we was safely outta range. Then I fired back at it again while the others pounded it with fire an' lightnin' in a quick barrage that drove it back.

Then, when one of the wheels went down, the mech started blastin' at us with purple laser beams, forcin' us back behind the columns once again. It followed up with shots from the turrets on its head. Soon as it let up to reload, we got back to work. I joined the others in that purple circle an' added a few of my own fire spells, too—while mine probably didn't pack as much of a punch as theirs, it still did the job. Another of them wheels blew apart a few seconds later, an' the Arsenal lurched off balance, its guns firin' past us toward the ceilin'.

"We got it where we want it!" I said. "Now let's smash that son of a bitch an' get the hell outta here!"

Aerith hurled more fireballs. "Consider it smashed!"

"Don't let up!" Red added.

We didn't, not for a second. While I blew its arm cannon off with a concentrated bursta gunfire at the joint, Aerith an' Red focused on the main body, hittin' it with spell after spell fast as could be, rippin' off the panels and tearin' into the power cables with their magic. The Arsenal tried to fire back with its remainin' guns, but I blasted 'em apart with a haila bullets. Then the whole damn thing started rumblin', and we took cover jus' as it finally exploded in a deafenin' roar that filled our ears as bits an' pieces of it flew all over the room.

I pumped my fist when it was over. "Ha! Nailed him! That the best you got, you Shinra bastards?"

"We really kicked its ass, didn't we?" Aerith grinned.

I scratched my head. "Sure as hell did, but ain't you a little dainty to be talkin' rough like that, Aerith?"

She smirked. "Not as dainty as you think."

"No kiddin'," I chuckled. "You jus' fulla surprises, ain'tcha?"

"You don't know the half of it!" she giggled, lifting her hand up for a high five. "Come on, Barret. Up top!"

I gave it to her an' smiled. "You awright, girl."

She beamed. "Thanks! Same to you."

"An' what 'bout you, Red?" I turned to look at him an' held out my hand for another five. "Put it there, man."

Without missin' a beat, Red slapped the tip of his flamin' tail across my palm. Damn thing stung like hell, an' I jerked my hand away while Aerith tried her best to keep from laughin'. Didn't do that good a job of it, though. An' in the meantime, Red jus' padded away lookin' all smug an' satisfied with his little practical joke.

"Shit!" I swore, shakin' my hand. "Coulda warned me."

Aerith patted my arm. "Oh, I saw that coming. Anyway, we'd better get moving, Barret. Time's wasting."

Leavin' the charred, smolderin' wreck of the Arsenal behind us, we hurried to glass doors leadin' to the elevators an' went in. It was a good bet we'd tripped security when we'd fought that mech, so I knew Shinra probably had troops swarmin' round the buildin' by now. Nothin' for it but to blast our way out once we got downstairs, though. So as we went into the elevator an' it started to descend, I quickly reloaded my ammo an' got ready for another tough fight.

Darkstar snarled and lunged at me, sharp teeth bared, while Rufus hung back and fired casually with his shotgun. I barely got Buster up in time to block before the hound bowled me over, pouncing and biting. I managed to keep it at bay, though its breath was hot and horrible. With a strong push, I shoved Darkstar off me and got back to my feet. Rufus kept me moving with more gunfire, though, laughing all the while. He stayed mostly stationary while his hound circled him protectively. So I knew I'd have to deal with him first.

After casting some kind of barrier spell on Rufus, Darkstar rushed at me again. But this time, I was ready. I swept Buster out and across as the hound leaped at me, and the blow knocked him neatly aside. Rufus kept me from pursuing him with a few quick shots, though, so the dog managed to get away. But I didn't let up. Evading Rufus's attacks as best I could, I cut at Darkstar again and again.

The dog yelped but didn't go down. Instead, it bit and barked while lashing at me with the tentacle on its back. I caught a bit of it across my arm, but I ignored the stinging pain and pressed the assault, knowing I wouldn't be able to get to Rufus until his pet had been dealt with. That wasn't gonna be easy, though. Darkstar was much tougher and sturdier than the other breeds I'd fought before.

Once again, Rufus' gunfire drove me back and kept me off balance, allowing Darkstar to resume its assault. It charged at me before I could recover, but just as it leaped into the air to tear my throat out, someone else suddenly sprang in between us, pounding Darkstar with a flurry of punches and kicks before knocking him back with a brutal uppercut to the jaw. He flew across the balcony with a yelp.

"Tifa!" I called, my eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"

She smirked. "Saving your ass. You've gotta do a lot better than this if you're gonna play the hero, Cloud."

I let her help me to my feet. "Guess I can't argue."

"Not a chance," she agreed. "Now let's get to work. While I keep the hound off your back, you go after Rufus."

I nodded. "Right. Let's do it."

We moved fast, Tifa launching herself at Darkstar while I closed in on Rufus and shocked him with a blast of lightning magic while he was busy reloading his gun. He staggered but stayed on his feet, and when I swung Buster in a forward slash, he deflected the blow, sparks erupting from the side of the barrel as Buster clanged against it. Then he shoved me back and took out a few coins.

"Think you got my number?" I taunted.

He sneered. "Not at all, Cloud. You're making me sweat. I like that. Good thing I came prepared."

With that, he tossed two coins up in the air, then fired his shotgun again. The bullets deflected off the coins, creating a pair of searing red laser beams that shot right at me. I managed to avoid one of them, but the other blazed across my right shoulder before I could get away from it. I tightened my grip on Buster's hilt.

"That's a new trick," I said.

Rufus chuckled. "Like it? Of course you do."

I readied myself, an idea coming to mind as I glared at him. "Got a few of my own, too. You'll love 'em."

With that, I spun to the left and hit him with a quick chain of three slashes, leaving streaks of purple energy in my wake with each hit. And as he staggered back and tried to block, I jumped up and struck at him with a spinning overhead chop. The barrier Darkstar had cast softened the blows a little and kept him from bleeding, but Rufus still crumpled under the sheer force behind them.

In the meantime, Tifa was still dealing with Darkstar, fists and feet flying, but she hadn't been able to put him down yet. He bit at her over and over again, but she was too fast, dodging out of the way and hitting him with blows of her own. I knew we couldn't afford to drag this out, though, so I turned back to fight Rufus. But he was ready for me, firing a blazing barrage of gunshots. I got Buster up just in time to block, and then I ran in to continue the assault.

Darkstar lunged at me, its sharp teeth bared, but I sidestepped and hit him with a backward thrust kick as he went by, smashing his ribs. It was a good hit, but this wasn't any ordinary dog. He grunted, growled, and charged at me again in a flash, swiping with his claws. I took a few slashes across my forearm as I blocked, but that kept him from getting to more vital areas, so I gritted my teeth and countered with a focused punch that drove him back again. Then he turned and started rushing at Cloud to strike at him from behind.

"Oh, no you don't!" I snapped, my eyes narrowing.

I ran after Darkstar, my lungs burning from exertion, and jumped. With a loud yell, I came down, grabbed him, and yanked him away. We rolled across the balcony toward the railing, and it was all I could do to keep the hound from tearing my stomach open and ripping my throat out. His teeth snapped at me, claws slashed, and that tentacle whipped toward my head, stinging my cheek.

Shoving him off me, I sprang to my feet and raced after him again, hoping to catch the dog off guard. I did, pummeling him with punches before grabbing him inboth hands and jumping into the air. And then, at the highest point, I hurled him back onto balcony. Darkstar crashed hard into the concrete, cracking it under him. When I landed, I rushed to finish him, but another shot from Rufus drove me back long enough for the dog to get up again and attack.

While Cloud kept on fighting Rufus and barely dodged another of those coin laser blasts, I hit Darkstar with a frigid burst of ice when he charged at me, the cold slowing him down long enough for me to rush in and pound him again and again, stringing together a blinding chain of quick punches before topping it off with a roundhouse kick that sent the hound flying backward into the wall.

Darkstar yelped, its back smashing hard into the concrete as jagged chunks of it tumbled to the ground along with the dog. Clouds of dust rose up around him as he slowly got back up, less steady than before. I knew I was wearing him down. Just had to figure out a way to take him out so I could help Cloud finish off Rufus.

He ran in faster this time, driving me backward across the balcony and toward the railing again as I fended off his attacks. I tried to move away, but Darkstar cut me off, his teeth sinking into my arm. Pain was everywhere, and I couldn't help gasping as I shook him off. But as I did that, I bumped into the railing right behind me. I was out of room, and the hound was closing in on me again.

Then I had an idea. Shoving the hound away with a forward thrust kick to his chest, I showered him with punches, forcing him to retreat, and then I fell back myself, fists up as I readied myself for what I knew was coming. Just as I'd expected, Darkstar charged at me again, baring his teeth and snapping his tentacle, but instead of rushing to meet him, I stood my ground and waited, bracing myself.

As soon as the hound got close enough and jumped, I grabbed him with both hands and threw him right over me. Darkstar sailed past the railing with a startled bark and plummeted out of sight, seventy stories straight down. After taking a brief moment to catch my breath, I drank a healing potion. My arm smarted like hell, but it wasn't serious. And I knew this fight wasn't over yet.

Clenching my fists, I rushed toward Rufus.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tifa throw Darkstar up and over the railing. So did Rufus, a flash of rage crossing his face. He shifted his aim to fire at her, but I was already there, quickly knocking his shotgun aside and making his shot go wild and hit the wall instead of her. Rufus pushed himself back from me and reloaded.

"Just the two of us now," I smirked. "Or maybe three."

Tifa fell in beside me. "The odds don't look so good for you, Rufus. Your dog's history. And you're next."

He sneered. "Am I? We'll see about that."

"So it's on for real now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Rufus curled his finger around the trigger. "You should feel honored. Let's make it a night to remember."

He fired his shotgun, but at the ground just behind him, using the force of the blast to propel himself past us and across the balcony. Tifa and I whirled to face him, only to have to dodge another set of his coin lasers. She and I dove in opposite directions as the beams shot through the space we'd just been in, and while we recovered quickly, Rufus was fast as well, using his gun to move himself away as soon as we closed in on him again. He was tricky and evasive, but I knew we could beat him somehow. And then I thought of a plan.

Motioning to Tifa, I moved in from the left, and she nodded, doing the same from the right so we'd be coming at Rufus from two different directions. He fired at me with a barrage of bullets, but I got Buster up just in time to block the attack. And while he was busy doing that, Tifa struck, slamming him with a quick string of punches followed by a pair of diving kicks. I piled right on with chain of cuts and slashes mixed in with another blast of lightning. Rufus' barrier flickered and died under the assault, and he fell to one knee.

I pointed Buster at him. "I could end this, here and now."

"Not quite," he snickered.

"What do you mean?" Tifa demanded. "You lost!"

Just then, the chopper came back around, kicking up a breeze that drove Tifa and I back, and hovered in place just long enough for Rufus to grab the rope ladder hanging from the side. And as the chopper rose up again, he put his gun back into his coat and waved, a sardonic smile on his face as he slowly moved away.

"Did I?" he said. "No, not really. That's all for now, though. Tonight marks a new beginning for Shinra!"

Then he rose out of sight as the chopper flew away. Tifa and I both watched it go, knowing how much harder this was gonna make things. There wasn't anything we could do about it, though. At least for now. I was sure we'd run into him again, but for now anyway, Shinra'd gotten a reprieve. We'd have to settle with them later.

I sighed. "Damn. Couldn't finish him, Tif. Looks like this is gonna get more complicated than we thought."

"I know," she agreed. "But for now, we've gotta move."

I nodded. "Let's go. The others need us. They should be downstairs by now. Time to get the hell outta here."

We ran back inside, through the president's office, and raced down the stairs to the 69th floor. The blackened ruin of some huge mech was still smoldering in there, pieces of it strewn all across the floor. Looked like Barret and the others had been busy.

Tifa and I rushed across the wrecked area and slipped through the glass doors leading to the elevators. Neither of us said anything as we stepped inside and rode downstairs, but we both knew Jessie's time was winding down, and fast. We were determined to save her, though, and nothing was gonna keep us from doing that.