THIRTY-NINE

The Shinra Building loomed high overhead, just as tall and ugly as I remembered. Biggs, Wedge, Lena, and I had made it here without any problems, just as I'd hoped. But the real challenge was about to begin. I took a breath to steady myself, then led the others to the front doors as we all tried to relax and act as casually as we could, just another group of employees going to work for the day.

I was carrying a purse with me, hanging down from one shoulder, and carefully hidden inside it amidst an assortment of keys, cosmetics, tissues, loose change, and other items was Lena's gun, loaded and ready to go along with my tablet. Biggs had a briefcase, too, and inside it, he'd stored two guns, one for him and one for Lena. Hopefully we wouldn't have to use them, but I knew it'd be better to have them with us, just in case. And Shinra's security was as lax as I'd hoped—no metal detectors even after Cloud and the others had escaped.

The two soldiers outside glanced at us for a moment but didn't get in our way as we went inside. The lobby was still a bit banged up from when Cloud and the others had broken out almost two weeks ago. The rows of handlebars that normally hung from the ceiling were still gone along with the lamps they'd supported. Cait Sith had managed to send them crashing onto my father's men to give my friends a chance to get out. I knew it had been him who'd helped them, but I hadn't told them yet since I wasn't sure if he wanted them to know.

A pair of wide, sweeping staircases with long, soft purple rugs rose up on either side from the black marble floor, and just past the broken glass sign, an assortment of new cars and trucks sat parked on display. It didn't look like Shinra had replaced the one Tifa had stolen yet, and I found that oddly amusing and pretty satisfying. Black marble columns stood along both sides of the lobby, and as we looked up, we could see the interior balconies of the first fifty-nine floors rising far above us in row after row, metal railings shining brightly.

Biggs let out a low whistle. "Damn. Never thought I'd set foot here in the lion's den. Gotta admit, it's impressive."

"Yeah, but keep it down," I quietly warned him. "We're supposed to work here, remember? Gotta act normal. So just listen to the stage girl and follow my lead. We see this all the time."

"So where's the elevator?" Wedge whispered.

I led them toward the stairs. "This way. And walk casual. We're just on our way to the office, if anyone asks. You all know your parts, so do you best to sell them and play the role."

Lena nodded. "Got it. Ready when you are."

We headed to the second floor, my heart pounding the whole time as we climbed up the stairs, but no one stopped us or gave us a second glance. The elevators were right across from the top, and after swiping my Shinra ID through the scanner, the glass door opened and we went into the short hall. Two other people were there, just ordinary workers like we were supposed to be, and Biggs gave them a little nod while he pressed the button to call one of the lifts.

It came a moment later, the doors opening with a soft chime, and I walked inside, the others just behind me. So did the two Shinra people, a man and a woman, and while I pressed the button for the 57th floor, the man—he looked vaguely familiar with his dark hair and burgundy suit—touched the one for the 50th floor. Then I barely hid my surprise as I remembered. He was the Shinra manager I'd saved from a slug-ray on the train during the Reactor 5 mission. As the elevator started to go up, he glanced curiously at me for a moment.

"Excuse me, miss, but… have we met before?" he asked. "You look a little familiar. What division are you in?"

I shook my head. "No, sorry. Urban Development."

He returned it. "Ah, I see. My mistake."

"It's alright," I told him.

I hoped he wouldn't make the connection, or that the others and I would be long gone from here when he did. And at first, it seemed like that would be the case. But when we stopped at the 50th floor a minute later and the doors slid open, he paused halfway out of the elevator and looked back at me while the woman left.

He blinked. "Wait a minute… I do remember now."

"I don't know what—" I started.

"You're the girl from the train," the manager said, holding the door open with one hand and lowering his voice. "The same day Avalanche destroyed Reactor 5. You're one of them, aren't you? Certainly not what I would've expected a terrorist to look like."

I swallowed, knowing my cover was blown. "I…"

"But don't worry," he assured me. "I won't tell anyone you're here. I won't turn you in. You saved my life, miss, and made sure my little girl still has a father and that I could see her again. I haven't forgotten that. This is the least I can do to repay your kindness."

"Thank you," I smiled.

He nodded. "You're welcome. I'd better be going. If anyone sees us talking like this, they may get suspicious."

I had to agree. "Right."

"I know I should believe what the company says about you people," the manager continued, "but I also can't forget what I've seen and what you did for me. Maybe… there's more to you all than what Shinra's told everyone. In any case, be careful, miss."

"You too," I replied, surprised but very grateful.

Then he let go and stepped out into the hall, and the doors closed. As the elevator went up again, I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding and hoped that the Shinra manager would be okay. He'd taken a risk helping me since, even if all went according to plan, the company would eventually know that I'd been here, and I didn't want him to get in trouble after what he'd done for me.

Wedge sighed in relief. "That was close…"

"Too close," Lena agreed.

A moment later, we stopped and the doors opened again, this time out onto our destination. We went onto the 57th floor, left the elevator bay, and entered the waiting area for the Urban Development division's main offices, our footsteps quiet on the soft blue carpet blanketing the black marble floor. A pair of nice leather sofas separated by a polished wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room, and at the far end of it was the receptionist's desk. A pair of polished oak doors stood closed just behind it and a little to the right.

I recognized Janice right away, of course. She'd been Reeve's friend and secretary for years, though I didn't know her too well myself. But I remembered her from my days at Shinra well enough—she'd helped to patch me up after Scarlet had shot me when I quit working for her. As I walked over to Janice's desk, she looked up from where she'd been busy skillfully typing something on her computer.

"Yes? How may I—?" Janice started to ask, and then her green eyes widened when she recognized me. "Jessica?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's been a long time, Janice."

She smiled and stood up. "Yes, it has. Two years. I'm so glad you're alright, though. Reeve was very worried about you. And so was I, to be honest. So I must say, it's a relief to see you again, Jessica. Maybe now I can finally convince Reeve to get some rest."

"I'll mention it to him," I chuckled, giving her a quick hug. "Did he tell you I was coming and why I'm here?"

"Yes, all of it," Janice said. "Please, go on in."

I looked at the others. "Just wait here. I won't be long."

While the three of them sat on the sofas, I pushed open the double doors and went into Reeve's office. It was spacious, but different than I remembered, and I figured he must've had it redone a bit since I'd been gone. He still had a large desk, only now it was a narrow U-shaped one that stretched across the room instead of the wide mahogany one that I remembered. Set along the wall behind it were a set of matching black shelves full of books, papers, and more, and sitting in front of the desk on the blue carpet were two cushioned chairs.

Reeve himself hadn't changed much, though, aside from looking a little older. He was busy working behind a low, wide screen on his desk when I walked in, the light from the various monitors he used bathing the room in a pale blue light. When he heard me come in, he stood up and hurried around his desk to meet me, his dark eyes full of warmth. I flew into his arms, nearly overwhelmed, and for a while, we just stayed like that, neither of us having any words. But finally, Reeve pulled back, although he didn't let go of me just yet.

"Jessica!" he smiled, relief flooding his face. "I'm so glad to see you. Are you alright? Does anything hurt?"

I laughed softly. "I'm fine, Reeve, really. I'm okay."

He gazed at me. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," I told him. "You don't have to worry anymore."

Reeve rested his hands on my shoulders. "I always will—you're like a daughter to me, Jessica. When the plate fell, I… I thought I'd lost you. If I hadn't sent you to the slums two years ago, you wouldn't have been caught in that disaster and nearly killed."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for what happened to me. We both know going down there was my only chance to survive. I don't regret it. Neither should you."

"I'm just so sorry for all the trouble it's caused," he sighed.

"No need to apologize," I assured him.

He hugged me again, tighter this time. "Thank you."

"You bet," I chuckled, returning the favor. Then I finally let go. "So, is everything ready? You have the container?"

"Right here," Reeve said, pointing to the corner of his office.

It sat under the back shelf, a metal cube about two feet across with the Shinra logo emblazoned across the front. A perfect way to hide my new gear until the others and I had made it safely back to the slums. As I walked over to get a closer look, Reeve pulled it out for me and put it on top of his desk. The lid was closed, but oddly enough, I heard some sort of rustling inside. What was in there? I glanced curiously at Reeve, but he just smiled encouragingly and nodded. So I stood in front of the container and slowly flipped open the lid.

As soon as I did, a familiar furry form popped up. "Hi there, lassie! Been quite a while, wouldn't ye say?"

"Cait!" I grinned, my heart in my throat.

"Aye!" he said, jumping out of the box to sit on the edge of Reeve's desk like I'd seen him do so many times during my Shinra days. "Sorry for scarin' ye, but I thought ye could use a little fun an' laughter after all ye've been through lately. How'd I do?"

I swept him into my arms. "Great! You got me good!"

"Glad tae hear it!" he laughed.

"Thanks, Cait," I told him, carefully putting him back down on the desk. "I really missed you. Both of you."

Cait twitched his whiskers. "We missed ye too, lass."

"Very much," Reeve added.

"I wish I could stay longer and spend a little time with you guys," I told them. "But I've gotta finish what I started, and the longer I'm here, the greater the chance I'll be discovered."

He reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a slim metal device, and handed it to me. "Of course. Here, take this."

"A new transmitter!" I gasped.

"I figured you lost the old one, so I got to work on another," Reeve explained. "It gave me something concrete that I could do for you after your friends escaped. And I knew you'd need it."

I smiled. "Thanks, Reeve."

He nodded. "You're quite welcome, Jessica. I've expanded its range so you can use it outside Midgar as well as within it. The carrier signal piggybacks on Shinra's cell frequencies, so the transmitter will function virtually anywhere you go. You can reach us anywhere, anytime, and it won't be able to be traced back to you or us."

"And this is confidential info, lass," Cait added, "but ye may see me out there in the world sometime. I'm afraid I cannae give ye any details right now, though. Just keep yer eyes open."

"I will," I promised. "And I've got something for you, too. Evidence that Shinra's been breeding monsters under the slums to attack people there and keep them scared and divided. Some of my friends got it last week when they investigated an unmarked Shinra storehouse in Sector 3. All the information's right here, Reeve."

He took the flash drive I handed him. "Thank you for bringing this to me, Jessica. I've no doubt it wasn't easy to come by. I'll keep it stored with the rest of what we've collected so far."

"It's too soon to release it, I think," I suggested.

"Agreed," he said, going to the back wall. "Rufus and the rest would move quickly to counter it—I don't need to remind you how efficiently the Shinra propaganda machine works."

I shook my head. "No. Mom used to be part of it."

"Better to wait until they're not paying as much attention to things here in Midgar," Reeve continued. "Sooner or later, events elsewhere in the world are bound to distract them."

"And that's when we'll make our move," I finished.

He nodded. "Exactly."

Then he ran a hand over the Shinra logo on the wall, which was in the same place as the framed picture of early Midgar that he'd once had there. And I saw that just like that painting, the emblem was a facade, a false front. It swung outward, revealing the safe hidden inside. It had a complex combination lock, and once Reeve had disabled it, he opened the safe and put the flash drive inside.

"Looks like you've done a bit of redecorating since I've been gone," I smirked. "I think I like the idea of Shinra's logo protecting the secrets that'll one day help to bring it down."

"It does have a certain irony, doesn't it?" he laughed.

Then I noticed the closed blinds on the other side of the room over the windows there. "Problem with the view?"

Reeve sobered immediately. "You could say that…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I could see Sector 7 from here," he sighed. "It…wasn't pretty. And it only made me worry about you more."

I took his hands. "I get it. But I'm okay now."

"Indeed you are," Reeve smiled. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome," I answered, giving him one of my own. "No way I could leave Midgar without seeing you again."

He gazed at me for a long moment. "Please be careful, Jessica. Out there as well as with what you're doing here today. From what Marissa's told me, you plan to catch up to Cloud and the rest of your friends and help them on their journey, is that right?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm gonna try to meet them at Fort Condor to help them defend it when Shinra attacks. And then go with them when they leave to continue their hunt for Sephiroth."

Reeve continued. "Just as I thought. But you should also know that your father will lead the attack on Fort Condor."

My eyes narrowed. "I'll stop him."

"I've no doubt," he chuckled. "Good luck, Jessica."

I hugged him once more. "Thanks, Reeve. For everything. And get some rest, will ya? Janice is worried about you."

He laughed. "I will, I promise. And you're welcome."

After doing the same for Cait and patting him lightly on the head, I picked up the container while Reeve opened his office doors and held them open for me. Then I headed back out into the waiting area where I'd left the others. They all stood up when they saw me, Biggs and Lena hanging back while I handed the container to Wedge. When I waved at Reeve and Janice, they waved back.

Then I looked at my friends. "Alright, guys. Time to go."

"We on schedule?" Biggs asked.

"Yeah," Lena answered, glancing at her watch. "Scarlet should be in there now, about to start her inspection."

I nodded. "Then let's move."

We hurried inside the elevator and rode up to the 60th floor just in time to see Scarlet heading down the hall toward weapons storage. The main area was lined with columns, polished black marble like the floor, and decorated with large potted plants. The overseer's office was to the left, and the escalator bay was off to the right. I had us all wait for just a moment by the elevators until Scarlet was out of sight, then we headed across the room toward the hall ourselves.

As I'd expected, one of the two armored guards moved to block us as we got close, his bulky red suit humming mechanically. Unlike other shock troopers, these guys still had their minds intact, free of the drugs used to enhance and control the lesser variety. Shinra didn't want them going on a rampage in their own headquarters.

"Hold up, ma'am," he said. "You've got business here?"

"Yes, Scarlet just sent for me," I answered.

He didn't budge. "I wasn't notified."

Unruffled, I kept up the act. "Of course not. I only just heard about it myself. She called me only a minute ago after starting her inspection and told me to have certain items moved downstairs into the basement facility for further research. New modifications she wants to make, that sort of thing. So if you'll just let my delivery guy and I pass, we'll be on our way. I promise it won't take long."

"I should verify this with the director," the guard said.

"You do know she hates to be disturbed during an inspection, don't you?" I added, remembering how it was all too true. "Of course, if you really wanna bother her, I'm up for it if you are. It'd piss her off and get us both in all kinds of trouble, but I'm game."

He stepped back. "Uh, nevermind. Go on ahead."

"My two colleagues will wait out here," I said, indicating Biggs and Lena. "They won't cause any trouble."

"Nice to meet you!" Lena said, playing her part.

The guard didn't reply, but I hadn't really expected him to. As Lena and Biggs tried to start a conversation with him and the other guard, I led Wedge down the hall. Knowing the others would keep those idiots distracted, I headed quickly toward weapons storage. Scarlet wasn't too far ahead of me, and once I saw her, I motioned for Wedge to wait, and he ducked into a small side passage.

After quickly slipping off my heels so they wouldn't give me away, I snuck after Scarlet and followed her. She was most of the way down the hall by the time I finally caught up to her, the door to weapons storage not far ahead of us. And as soon as I got close enough, I tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around, but the irritated glare on her face fell away in an instant, and her jaw dropped.

"Miss me, bitch?" I quipped, giving her a little wink.

Her eyes widened. "You!"

I drew back my fist and punched her in the face, knocking her out cold. She dropped to the floor in a heap, a little blood leaking from the side of her mouth. Just as I'd hoped, I'd taken her out in one hit, which would make things easier. I stood there and looked at my closed fist for a moment, very satisfied with what I'd just done.

"Damn, that felt good…" I grinned.

After a quick search, I found the key. It was a thin plastic card with a magnetic strip on the back, just like the Shinra ID's. I took it and left Scarlet lying on the floor. There was a scanner mounted on the nearby wall, and after I swiped the card through it, the door hissed open and I hurried inside. I wanted to make sure my gear was in here before I had Wedge join me, so I went over to the vault sitting amidst the displays of different high-tech weapons, swiped the card, tapped the controls on a nearby panel, and entered the access code.

But when the vault slid open, it was empty.

For a moment, all I could do was stare at it, open-mouthed. Kunsel and I had been sure my gear would be here, but it wasn't. The data he'd gotten for me had said this was the place, and I'd used my new tablet to hack into Shinra's network this week and verify that it was still in here. It must've been moved, and within the last day or two. Hurrying out of weapons storage, I pulled Lena's gun out of my purse and went back to where I'd left Scarlet. She stirred and looked up to see me standing over her, the gun pointed squarely at her head.

"My, but it has been a while, hasn't it?" Scarlet sneered. "I see your manners haven't improved, though."

I glared at her. "Shut up! Where's the FEX-01?"

She sniffed. "You came back here for that? But I guess I can't blame you. It is quite powerful, after all. Ready for field testing, but sadly that project's on indefinite hold with the change in leadership. So yesterday I had it relocated to a more secure facility."

"Where?" I demanded.

"Advanced Weapons Research," Scarlet answered. "I don't believe I ever gave you authorization to go there, Jessica. Though if you'd been a better aide and listened to me, I might have."

Now it was my turn to sneer. "Happy to disappoint you. Now stand up! You're gonna take me there, Scarlet."

She smiled coldly. "Or what? You'll shoot me?"

"Just give me a reason," I told her, cocking the trigger. "I doubt that there's anyone in the city who'd actually care enough to miss you when you're gone, Scarlet. So keep pushing me."

"It seems you have grown an edge," Scarlet said, standing up.

I pointed with the gun. "Just move your ass. And stay close where I can see you. Don't alert the guards, either. You're escorting us out, and once we're in the basement, you'll take me straight to the FEX-01. And after I have it, you'll make sure I can get out."

She shrugged. "Hmph! Very well. This way, Jessica…"

I followed right behind her, the gun trained on her back, but I was so focused on getting my gear and escaping that I didn't catch on to her game until it was too late. As Scarlet and I walked back down the hall, I motioned to Wedge to join us when we got to the side passage that he'd been waiting in. He blinked when he saw us.

"What's wrong, Jessie?" he asked.

"Change of plan, Wedge," I said, putting my heels back on with one hand. "I'll explain later. Let's keep moving."

He nodded and fell in beside me, and a minute later, we came back to the central area. I kept myself behind Scarlet so the guards wouldn't see the gun, and she waved them off as Biggs and Lena did their best to hide their surprise. I led them across the room, and no one said a thing until we were safely inside the elevator.

"What's going on?" Biggs wondered. "Why's she here?"

I grimaced, thinking quickly. "Leverage. My gear's been moved. To Advanced Weapons Research down in the basement. So I'm going after it. Lena, Wedge, you two get off on the 2nd floor and get the hell outta here. Biggs, go with them. I'll catch up later."

"What!?" Lena gasped.

"You can't go down there alone, Jessie!" Biggs argued. "If it's as bad as you've told us, then it's way too dangerous."

I pressed the button for the 2nd floor. "That's why I don't want any of you going with me. You guys know what we've seen and found in the slums, and that's likely just the half of it. What's down in the basement's likely a lot worse and a hell of a lot deadlier."

"Almost certainly," Scarlet agreed, laughing coldly.

"But we can't just leave you!" Wedge pleaded. "We can figure out a way to do this together, can't we?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, Wedge. I can't risk losing any of you. Just having you all here was bad enough, but this… it's too much. I can't let you come along, even if you wanted to."

"Jessie…" Biggs sighed.

"Don't worry," I replied, leaning close to him and whispering softly in his ear so Scarlet wouldn't hear me. "I've got backup. So it'll be okay, trust me. Get the others safely to the slums."

He nodded. "Alright. But be careful in there."

"I will," I promised.

And as I did, I thought of the new transmitter Reeve had given me. It looked like I'd be putting it to use a lot sooner than I'd expected. Cait almost certainly knew about the Advanced Weapons Research lab and would gladly help me get outta there alive.

Once we reached the 2nd floor, the doors slid open and the others hurried out, Lena giving me a worried glance over her shoulder as she followed the guys into the lobby. I winked and gave her an encouraging smile as elevator doors closed. Then I reached past Scarlet and pressed the button for the basement. She stood in front of me, her arms folded in front of her as we rode downward.

"Of course, you must realize that we will find your friends," Scarlet said. "And kill them. Painfully. While you watch."

I pushed the gun into her back. "Not gonna happen."

She laughed. "We'll see. In the meantime, I'd be interested to know how you survived. Not that I plan on telling your father. The chance to see the look on his face when he discovers on his own that you're alive is much too tempting for me to pass up."

"I'll bet," I snorted. "But I'm not gonna tell you."

"Suit yourself," Scarlet shrugged.

We got to the basement a moment later. Scarlet led me to the right, toward a pair of large metal doors, and on the wall above them was the Shinra logo in red, black, and white. Looked like the way in. But just as we got close, Scarlet activated a hidden control on the jeweled bracelet she wore over her right wrist, and a thick glass wall suddenly slammed down in between us before I even knew what was happening. Then she slowly turned around and looked back at me, grinning cruelly from the other side as I stared helplessly at her.

I slammed my fist against the glass. "Shit!"

"You want your prize?" Scarlet taunted. "See if you can find it. And I'll be waiting for you when you do."

"I'll be there," I swore.

Then she left, heading through the doors into Advanced Weapons Research. As they closed behind her, I sighed and started back the way I'd come. There had to be another way in. And there was. A second set of doors stood on other end, just like the first, and they opened as soon as I got close enough. I hurried inside, determined to find my gear and beat Scarlet at her own twisted game.