FORTY-ONE

Kunsel and I stood in the old simulation suite, weapons ready and our eyes on each other as we listened to that brutal, mysterious woman on the other side calling for us. She'd slaughtered the rest of the strange soldiers who'd chased us in here, and we both knew that she planned to do the same thing to us. I shivered as I tried to keep my feet away from the blood that had leaked in from under the door.

"Now, now, don't be shy…" the woman taunted. "It wouldn't do for you to be late for your own execution."

I nodded to Kunsel, and he nodded back, touching the controls to unlock the door. We had to go out there and face her, but we'd do it on our terms, together. As the door slid open, Kunsel and I stepped slowly out into the larger room, our eyes alert. But when I saw what was there in front of us, I let out a horrified gasp. Even with the screams I'd heard from inside the other room, I wasn't prepared.

Although the strange soldiers were all dead, just as I'd suspected, it was the way they'd been killed that made me fall back a step. Slashed to pieces, blood everywhere—spattered all across the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Some of them had been shot as well, but if the woman had been using a blade, how was that possible? Unless it was some sort of weapon I'd never seen before. Then, at the sound of soft laughter, we slowly turned to our right and saw her.

The woman was sitting casually atop a stack of metal crates, bodies all around her and a strange double-bladed weapon in her hand. It had a gun barrel on the shaft, which meant that she could slash or shoot as she saw fit. Her hair was as red as the blood everywhere, swept back as it hung just under her shoulders, with long bangs that framed her ears and jaw. Her lips were red, too, and her eyes were the same color, cruel and cold, without any trace of humanity.

The front of her gray armor with those vertical pale blue lines was kinda like what the other soldiers wore, but also different. Her stomach and thighs were exposed, and she had torn red stockings just above her knees and the tops of her tall, high-heeled dark gray boots. Her sleeves and shoulders were red as well, and a matching furry cape hung loosely from the back of her waist. The woman also wore dark gray gloves and a pair of bronze bracers over her forearms.

"Ah, and there you are…" she sneered, looking at us. "And the prey finally arrives. I was beginning to wonder if you'd simply cower in that little room until I came in and cut you down."

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman laughed and stood up. "Your death, little one. But you may call me Rosso. Also known as the Crimson. I think you can see for yourselves how I earned that name."

Kunsel glared at her. "The blood. The killing."

"Exactly," Rosso gave us an icy grin. "It is what I do, what I live for. Did you know, I've never seen the sky? Only projections. But one day, I will. And I'll kill as many Deepground soldiers as I must to make that a reality. And anyone else who gets in my way."

"That would be us," I said.

She smirked, hefting her dual-bladed weapon. "Very astute. While you fight well, girl, you have yet to face a Tsviet. We are weapons, every one of us, masters of combat. This should prove to be quite amusing. If you manage to last long enough, that is."

I readied my light daggers. "Trust me, I will."

Rosso launched herself at me so fast I barely had time to block the vicious slash she sent my way. The dual blades of her weapon had to be two feet long, with the handled, half-circle shaft almost the same size. I slammed my light daggers against the blow, but although Rosso wasn't any bigger than I was, her strength was incredible. It took everything I had to hold her back, and I only got a reprieve when she spun around to deflect Kunsel's attack. He and I came at her from opposite sides, but she kept up easily, laughing as she fought.

Hitting my right glove switch, I used my suit's acceleration to try to get an advantage, and although I did manage to score a few minor hits, Rosso just shrugged them off, the sight and scent of her blood making her even crazier than she already was. Quickly crossing my weapons in front of me, I blocked a burst of gunfire, then laid into her with a string of rapid slashes while Kunsel let loose with a blast of lightning from his materia. Rosso stumbled a little but barely slowed down, and she sliced me across the arm before I could get away.

I let out a little gasp, then gritted my teeth and answered with a cut of my own, followed by a searing fire spell. Rosso snarled, then slashed at me again, but this time I caught it, my light daggers slamming loudly against her steel blade. The fight took the three of us all over the room, and I could feel the sweat beading on my skin and the sizzling pain on the back of my forearm where she'd gotten me. And as my speed boost wore off, I struggled to stay on the offensive.

Shoving Rosso away, I put a little distance between us and hurled a wave of blazing orange energy at her with my light daggers, then ran in with a flying spin kick that I hoped would put her flat on her back. But she was incredibly fast, recovering sooner than I'd anticipated, and she hit me with a curving shockwave of red energy that hurled me halfway across the room and straight into the wall.

Pain exploded inside me as my back slammed into the metal, and I cried out before falling onto my hands and knees. When I looked up, I saw Rosso dashing toward me, her bladed weapon already descending toward my neck. But then Kunsel was there, sliding effortlessly in front of me to stop her attack in its tracks. He stood in between us, shielding me and driving her back with his sword.

I rolled to my right and sprang to my feet, my own weapons ready as I returned to the fight. I slashed again and again, energy building up inside the light daggers, but even with as much pressure as Kunsel and I were putting on her, Rosso barely even looked winded, and her sheer speed allowed her to hold her own even though she was outnumbered. We had to try something different to even the odds somehow and beat her, and as I continued to fight, raining blows upon Rosso and dodging or deflecting her attacks, I thought of a plan.

My suit hadn't quite finished recharging yet, so I had to buy a little more time. I blasted Rosso with more fire magic, then nailed her with a chain of quick kicks. She recovered quickly, though, slicing at my leg as I slammed my foot into her side, but Kunsel knocked her weapon aside before it could cut open my calf and nicked her on the arm. She drove us back with a rapid burst of gunfire, then swept her weapon in a tight arc in front of her, sending another shockwave toward us. Kunsel and I barely managed to jump out of its way.

Rosso didn't even give us a chance to breathe, though. She charged, swiping at me with a dizzying flurry of five spinning slashes while also blocking Kunsel's attacks at the same time from the other side. She cut viciously at him, looking to slice his stomach open, but I was faster this time, rushing in and knocking her weapon aside with a high backhand strike that sent her arm out wide. I followed it with even more magical fire, forcing her back, and Kunsel took the opportunity to throw an ice spell from his second materia along with it.

Then I smirked, knowing my suit's power had finished recharging, and hit my left glove switch. The glowing orange grid appeared around me for a moment, and then it rippled and disappeared, taking me with it. Rosso growled and fired at me, but I was already moving, slashing at her from first one side and then the other as Kunsel continued his own assault to keep her distracted and off guard.

"Where are you, girl!?" Rosso snarled. "Too cowardly to face me in a true fight? You only prolong the inevitable!"

I didn't answer, not wanting to give away my position, and instead I kept attacking, hitting her once or twice, then moving away when she struck back and going at her again from a different direction. She sent out another shockwave and another, but I kept moving and stayed well ahead of them. Kunsel did, too, and between us, I knew we were finally starting to wear her down. When my invisibility was almost up, I sliced at Rosso one more time, then moved away, getting myself into position for what I had in mind, my weapons charged.

Rosso quickly swept her own weapon all around her, trading blows with Kunsel as she kept trying to find me. "Show yourself, you pathetic little whelp! Nobody stands above me! Nobody!"

"Psych!" I retorted as I finally came back into view.

Before she'd even finished turning around to see that I was a dozen yards behind her, I hurled both light daggers at her. They flew through the air end over end, leaving trails of fiery orange energy behind them, and struck Rosso right in the chest. She staggered back, but I didn't let her recover this time. I ran straight for her, ready to end this fight, and when I was close enough, I jumped and landed right on her, slamming my feet into her stomach and grabbing onto my weapons where they'd embedded themselves into her body.

Then, using Rosso's body as leverage, I did a backward somersault, ripping my weapons free and kicking her in the face at the same time. I landed in a crouch with my arms out to either side twenty feet away as she flew backward onto the floor, but I wasn't finished yet. With a yell, I swept my righthand weapon down, hitting the ground and sending a line of fire surging toward Rosso. It hit her dead on, unleashing a small explosion that threw her straight up nearly to the ceiling. And then she crashed to the floor with a startled shout.

Before Kunsel or I could stop her, she ran, bolting away out of sight in a blur of red energy. Once she was gone, I switched off my weapons, holstered them, then gasped in exhaustion and sagged against the wall for a moment to catch my breath. It had taken everything I had to beat her, and I hadn't gotten through it untouched. My arm still stung from where I'd been cut, and one of her shots had grazed my other shoulder. And although I ached in what felt like a dozen places or more, my suit had cushioned the blows and protected me.

"Here," Kunsel tossed me a stronger potion as he joined me. "From Marissa. She figured you might need it."

I smiled and caught it. "Thanks. I definitely do."

He shouldered his sword. "You fought well, Jessie. It seems all that training's been paying off today."

"Gonna be feeling it later, but yeah," I agreed.

"Think we got Rosso?" Kunsel asked.

I drank the potion, curled my lip at the taste, and shrugged. "Made her run, at least. Good enough for me."

He nodded. "Stay alert, though. We're not out yet."

"Right," I agreed. "The elevator?"

"That way," he pointed toward the far end of the room.

I straightened up. "Then let's go."

We got moving, heading toward the elevator. It was still closed, the light above it red. And although there was a button on the wall nearby, I knew it wouldn't work until Cait had unlocked the elevator—that was probably a security measure to make sure no one found their way here that wasn't supposed to. Kunsel and I waited next to it, the silence eerie as hell after all the commotion of battle.

After a few tense, quiet moments, there was a beep as the light over the elevator finally changed to green. Kunsel hit the button, and barely a second later, the doors slid open. Cait quickly dropped down from an open panel in the ceiling of the lift, and I waved to him, relieved to see another friendly face down here in the dark.

"There ye are!" he said, twitching his whiskers. "Glad to see ye two in one piece. Better hurry, now. Come on!"

"You first," Kunsel urged me.

I didn't argue, knowing it'd both waste time and that I couldn't win. But as I started to walk into the elevator, I suddenly heard a fit of cruel, maniacal laughter and whirled around to see Rosso charging at me, her movements a blur of red as she sprinted from out of nowhere with her bladed weapon pointed at my heart.

Before I could even think to react, though, Kunsel shoved me into the elevator and rushed into Rosso's path. I stumbled inside and turned around just in time to see her blade stab into his lower back and punch out through his stomach in a sudden a spurt of blood. It spattered onto my face and chest as I gasped, staring at him in horror and not wanting to believe it. The moment went on and on as Kunsel gazed back at me, and I knew what he had in mind. That he'd stay and sacrifice himself to get me safely outta this terrible place.

"Go, Jessie…" Kunsel urged me. "Get… outta here…"

I shook my head. "Not without you!"

With an enormous effort, I broke my paralysis and drew one of my light daggers, then concentrated on the Fire materia in it and scorched Rosso with a searing blast of flame. She stumbled back with a yell, and her blade slid free of Kunsel's body. As soon as he fell forward, I put my weapon away, caught him, and pulled him into the elevator with me as fast as I could while Rosso was distracted.

"Cait, the door!" I called.

"On it, lass!" he said, hitting the button to send us up.

The doors closed, and we started to rise. I knelt with Kunsel on the floor, supporting him and holding him up as he held his onto stomach with one hand and me with the other, blood still leaking out of him. I'd have to get him back to the slums as soon as possible to get him looked after. Although he was a SOLDIER, he was still hurt, grimacing in pain as he clung to me, and needed help.

"Thought I… told you to leave me," Kunsel smirked.

I hugged him gently. "Not gonna happen. I won't let you die. I'll get you outta here, okay? You saved me, now it's my turn to save you. And I promise you'll see Marissa again."

He nodded. "Yeah… I will. Can't leave her hanging…"

"No way," I agreed. "Now, where's the Gust? Looks I'll be doing the driving this time. Think you can hold on?"

"I'll manage. You remember… what I told you about… the mako? That it lets… SOLDIERs recover faster… from injuries? Well, it's true. Although… I wouldn't mind… if it was a bit less painful. And the Gust is hidden… around back… by the loading bay."

Cait tapped one of the buttons. "I know the one. Ye can go through the parking garage to get there. Oh, ahn just hold still for moment, lad. I'll get ye patched up here in a jiffy!"

His tail swishing behind him, Cait hurried over to us and lifted his arm to reveal a small silver armlet with a green materia orb in it. After focusing on it, he cast a spell, and a cloud of green sparkles hovered in the air around Kunsel. The healing magic stopped the bleeding, and as we watched, his wounds closed up a little.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

Kunsel loosened his grip on his stomach. "Better than I was. Still a little dizzy, but I'll manage. Thanks, Cait."

He did a little hop. "Yer welcome, Kunsel. I wish this orb was a wee bit stronger, but it hasn't seen much use 'till now. Ye two had better get ready, though. We're almost to the garage."

"Let's go," I told Kunsel, helping him stand up.

Once the doors opened, I hurried outside, my arm around Kunsel's waist as he wrapped his around my shoulder. After waving goodbye to Cait, I headed through the garage past the rows of parked cars until we came to the rear exit. We didn't see any Shinra soldiers anywhere, and I suspected Reeve might've had something to do with that. Once we left the parking garage and headed back up to the street level, we made our way behind the Shinra Building to the loading bay, and tucked away to our right in the shadows was the Gust.

We got on, Kunsel holding onto me from behind to steady himself, and after he'd given me the keys, I started the bike. We pulled out with a roar and sped onto the streets of the city core, and I drove toward the nearest entrance to the Corkscrew Tunnel. We reached it a few minutes later, and as I'd hoped, it was crowded, with a passenger train sitting by the platform. I sped off the road and raced right behind it, using it and the noise coming from the station as cover.

Soon we were in the tunnel, nobody behind us and nothing ahead of us but the tracks and the blur of red lights flying past on the walls. It was almost fun, though it made me think of Cloud and being with him on the Hardy. I missed it, and him. But now I was one big step closer to seeing him again, and although Kunsel was hurt, he was alive. So I was content as I drove, my ponytail flying behind me while the breeze from our acceleration blew lightly across my cheeks.

"You okay back there?" I asked.

"Been better, but I'll be alright," he answered. "You think Elmyra'll mind another patient for a few days?"

I knew she wouldn't. "Nope. Gonna take you straight there. Better than the clinic. And I'll have Marissa meet us so she can look after you. Then I'll head back to Wall Market."

"Guess I'll be in good hands, then," he quipped.

I laughed. "The best."

It was after dark by the time Wedge, Lena, and I headed to Madam M's massage parlor. Jessie had called me in the afternoon when she got back to the slums, letting me know she was alright and filling me in on what had happened. She'd already talked to Marissa, who'd left to see to Kunsel right afterward. She was still taking care of him over at Elmyra's house, and I figured it'd be a few days before they'd be back. But he was a SOLDIER, so I was sure he'd recover.

Jessie had returned to Wall Market, but she'd been working on that new gear of hers with Madam M and Andrea for hours, fixing it up the way she wanted it and repairing the damage from her battles under the Shinra Building, especially that last one. I didn't wanna know what else they had lurking under there. I was just glad that Jessie and Kunsel had gotten outta that place alive and in one piece.

Lydia had been invited as well, and she bounced eagerly along with us. "Jessie really said she wanted me to come with you all, Biggs? To see her all decked out in her new stuff?"

"Sure did," I smirked. "I think she likes you, kid."

"You were a big help!" Wedge added.

She grinned as we walked down the street. "Thanks! Still a little in shock about meeting her and being a part of all this, but I love it! Glad I could pitch in. Is Kunsel gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Lena assured her. "Marissa'll see to that."

"Did Jessie say anything else?" Lydia asked.

I shrugged. "Nah, just that she was finished and to meet her over at Madam M's place. I wasn't on the phone for very long before we picked you up at your shop. So we'll find out together."

She giggled. "How exciting!"

We made it to the massage parlor a few minutes later. When we got there and went inside, Andrea was waiting for us, but I didn't see Jessie or Madam M. They must've been down the hall in the other room. He gave us one of his little bows and smiled.

"Good, you're here," he said. "Jessie will be out momentarily. We've only just finished making our modifications to her new attire, and she wanted you all to be the first to see it."

Wedge chuckled. "Gosh, I'm kinda nervous, you know?"

Lena laughed. "It is kinda exciting."

"Gotta admit, I'm eager to get a look at it," I agreed. "All we've seen so far are schematics. Nothing like the real thing."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Lydia squealed.

"Ho there, gal," another voice said as the front door opened behind us. It was Sam. "Just hold your chocobos. Jessie'll be out soon enough, I reckon. Thought I'd swing by and see her."

I nodded. "That'll make her happy. She told you?"

"No, wasn't her. M and Andrea passed the word along to me," Sam said. "Fancy a coin toss while we wait?"

"Nah, I'll pass, thanks," I smirked. "Jessie warned me."

He laughed. "I'll bet she did. Smart girl."

Madam M walked out from behind the silk curtain hanging above the entrance to the hall and rolled her eyes at him. "Much smarter than you'll ever be, Sam, and no mistake."

"Eh?" he blinked. "What'd I do this time, M?"

"I'll think of something," she replied.

Lena glanced eagerly at her. "So, is Jessie ready?"

"See for yourself," Madam M said, sweeping an arm out toward the hall and pointing at it with her closed fan. "I must admit, she does look quite stunning. Do keep your jaws off the floor."

Then we heard booted footsteps coming up the hall, and I realized I was almost holding my breath. It looked like Wedge, Lena, and Lydia were, too. The curtain rustled a moment later as Jessie pushed it out of the way, and then she was standing in front of us, grinning widely with her hands on her hips. And my jaw dropped.

Jessie's suit was all black—tough, form-fitting leather and kevlar. It hugged her body like a second skin, but it didn't cover all of it. Her top had short sleeves that ended just under her shoulders, and the front of it was cut low in an inverted teardrop shape, from the wide, high collar down to the point between her curves. There was a small metal buckle on each side of her top, and three clasps across the kevlar covering her abdomen helped to keep it nice and snug.

Tight kevlar pants covered Jessie's legs, and three sets of straps with steel buckles supported each of her matching black holsters. Two were fastened firmly around each thigh, and the third one was connected to the front of the hip pad she wore around her waist. It was inlaid with a series of glowing white lines of energy that ran all along its surface in a series of complex patterns. The ends of the pad curved downward into a point above her thighs and were connected by a thick strap decorated with a large, polished metal buckle.

It had three sections. The outer two were smaller, the corners more square. The middle one was bigger, separated from the outer ones, and slightly more rounded, with the other two curving up to it. An insignia had been embossed onto it, a side view of some kinda bird of prey with its wings spread around it in a circular shape. It looked a little familiar, but I couldn't place it just yet. From what Jessie had told us, the buckle had originally had the Shinra logo on it. Must've taken hours for her to replace it, but that bird was a lot better.

Jessie also wore a pair of sturdy and shiny leather boots. They went up halfway to her knees, giving her feet and lower legs good protection and adding some extra power for her kicks. Their fronts were ribbed to give some extra cushion and soften any blows or impacts they got, and the soles were thick, notched, and tough.

Above the hip pad was a belt and a matching pouch with a flap top. It was a lot like her old one, but black with steel buckles and buttons to go with the rest of her outfit. And just like always, Jessie had her hair in that high ponytail she liked, neatly fastened with the bright red hair tie and matching headband I'd had made for her when she'd first joined up with us in Avalanche two years ago.

Jessie's gloves were soft black leather and had lines of pulsing white energy running along the backs of her fingers. And on the back of each hand was a shimmering white circle glowing with power. Her weapons were holstered at her thighs, their enclosed metal grips firmly wrapped in black leather and within easy reach. Her brown eyes, glowing bright with mako, danced as she looked at us.

"So, what do ya think, guys?" she smirked.

"Whoa…" I breathed.

Wedge shot her a thumbs up. "Totally awesome, Jessie!"

"Kick ass!" Lena agreed.

Lydia gasped. "You look amazing! I figured it'd be something fancy, but… nothing like this! You sure are Firebrand now!"

Jessie laughed. "Thanks! You know how it is. If I'm gonna play the role, I've gotta look the part. And now I think I do. I feel that way, too. Stronger, you know? Ready for anything!"

"I'll bet!" Lena said. "But what's that bird on your belt?"

Jessie smiled. "A phoenix."

Andrea nodded approvingly. "Like the mystical bird of legend, you have arisen from the ashes, Jessie. Out of darkness and death, you have been restored to life and light, your strength and resolve renewed. You are a presence both graceful and dangerous, fiery and fierce. An avatar of deadly beauty and a woman reborn."

And then, Jessie turned around and looked to the side, moving her ponytail out of the way. She and Andrea had etched a bigger version of the phoenix onto the back of her top, a silhouette that spanned both of her shoulder blades. Her green studded earrings sparkled in her ears as she faced us again, looking happier, stronger, and more confident than I'd ever seen her. A totally new woman.

I grinned. "Fits like a glove."

"I feel that way," she agreed. "Renewed, reborn. And I thought up a flashy name for my new weapons. Goes with the theme, you might say. Technically, they're light daggers, but that's not really very interesting if you ask me. So I found something better."

"What is it?" Lydia asked eagerly. "Can we see them?"

Jessie smirked, then drew her weapons, effortlessly spinning them upright as she held them. Past the grip of each one was a narrow, black metal support strut fitted with a single materia slot. Each of them were filled with an orb, one green and one purple. Fire and Deadly Dodge, I remembered her saying. And I noticed that she was also wearing a new mythril armlet around her right wrist, with another green orb in one of its two linked slots. Restore, I realized.

She activated her weapons, and they sprang to life, a pair of curved orange energy blades a foot and a half long, extending past the support strut for almost half that length. They hummed when she moved them, glowing brighter in the middle and darker near the edges. Pretty damn cool to look at. And as I did, I understood.

Jessie looked at us. "Blaze talons. That's what I call them."

"Like the phoenix," I nodded.

"Exactly!" she agreed.

Lydia gazed at Jessie's new weapons in wonder. "It's perfect! You're so gonna dominate the tournament!"

"Believe it!" Jessie winked. Then, after deactivating her blaze talons and slipping them back into their holsters, she took Lydia's shoulder. "I haven't forgotten what I promised you, though. That I'd find your mom and those other women Corneo's got trapped down there in the sewers and bring them back. That's next on my list."

"Thank you," Lydia smiled.

Jessie went on. "Kunsel should be healed up in a few days. As soon as he's ready, he and I'll go to Corneo's mansion. There's a way into the sewers from there, a trap door. And maybe some clues telling us where Corneo's got your mom and the others hidden."

"Hey, we're coming, too!" Lena added.

"Didn't wanna speak for ya," Jessie said. "It'll be dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. "After all we've been through together lately, do ya really think we'd back out now? We're going."

"What he said!" Wedge gave her a thumbs up.

"My, but you're all enthusiastic," Madam M chuckled.

Sam scratched his thick beard. "That's true enough. But still a good lot. Willin' to take a gamble and play the odds."

"You bet," Jessie laughed.

"Love the new duds, Jessie," he told her, tipping his hat. "Looks like they're a good fit on ya, in a lotta ways."

She grinned. "Oh, they are, Sam. They are."

Author's Note: To see renders I've made of Jessie's new gear, check the links in my profile.