NINETEEN

My gun in both hands, I crept through the outskirts as quietly as I could, my eyes and ears alert. I'd seen a few hedgehog pies, but that was all so far. They were like big, bouncing red balls covered in spikes with little arms and legs and big mouths. I hadn't stopped to fight them, not wanting to waste any time, and instead had run onward toward the old highway. Aerith had told me a bit about the place.

I'd heard about the Sector 6 plate collapse, of course. Years ago, the section had completely fallen down to the slums during an accident. It had caused a lot of damage, but fortunately not many people had been living there at the time, so the casualties had been minimal. That story had always scared me, a potent reminder of how precarious life in this city could be. And after all I'd been through, I understood that truth all too well. It was a lesson I wouldn't forget.

"Maddy?" I called, hoping she could hear me.

I was getting closer to the highway and the scene of the attack. As I walked down the junk-lined trail, I called out for Maddy again. Still no answer. I hoped she was alright. There were several abandoned shacks out this way, perfect camouflage for the hell house. But not against me. I knew exactly what to look for. They all had a similar, squarish design, slanting roofs, and a foundation that wasn't fixed to the ground so that it could move in on its prey, even jump.

A few minutes later, I found it.

The house was sitting in a small clearing surrounded by hills made of discarded scrap metal and other debris. It was at the far end, and my eyes narrowed when I saw it. My blood boiled at the thought of what it had done, the pain my creation had caused. I wasn't gonna let it go on, though. I had made this thing, and so it was my responsibility to take it out. Both for those it had hurt and for myself.

A whimper off to the side caught my attention, and I glanced over to my right to see a little girl hiding amidst the junk piles. She was only eight or nine, with glasses and a short ponytail of black hair, and sat on the dirt under some overhanging sheets of rusted steel. The young girl clutched herself and shivered, sniffling in fear.

"Maddy?" I whispered.

She looked up. "W-Who's there?"

I knelt next to her. "It's okay. My name's Jessie, and I'm gonna help you get home, alright? Oates made it back and told us what happened, so I came out here to find you."

"But the h-house… it's alive…" Maddy whimpered.

"I know. And I'm gonna take care of that in a moment. I won't let it hurt you or anyone else, Maddy."

She looked up at me. "You promise?"

"Cross my heart," I said. "Now, can you get up?"

"Yeah, I think so," Maddy nodded.

I took her hand and gently helped her up, then motioned for her to wait behind me outside the clearing where it was safe. She did, her eyes on me as I moved in on the hell house, gun in both hands again, until I stood just outside its sensor range. Once I struck, it would activate, but I'd at least have the advantage of surprise.

Taking careful aim, I fired, the shots startlingly loud in the stillness as I poured bullets into the side of the hell house. It seemed to flinch at the impact, lurching heavily toward me as Maddy shrieked. I fired shot after shot, but as I'd expected, it wouldn't go down so easily. I'd created the thing to fight monsters, after all.

Reaching into my front pocket, I took out one of the grenades, my eyes still fixed on the hell house. When it got close enough, I pulled the pin, threw it, and dove to the side out of the freakish machine's path. It was barely a second later that the pineapple exploded, burning the hell house but not destroying it. The thing reacted faster than I'd expected, its arms and head popping out from behind its scorched walls before it jumped into the air toward me.

I rolled to the left just as the hell house smashed down on the spot where I'd been laying and just barely avoided getting crushed. But I still wasn't fast enough to escape completely unscathed as the mech's heavy fist caught me in the chest before I could get out of reach. I flew across the clearing and hit the ground hard, pain searing my ribs. I was pretty sure at least a few of them were bruised.

"Jessie!" Maddy cried.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I shot at the hell house's head as I struggled to get up. My aim was good, the bullets ripping solidly into its round metal cranium. But the damn thing was tough. Of course, I'd designed it that way. I lobbed another grenade at it as I scrambled back to my feet as quickly as I could, and this the time the hell house slowed and shuddered under the impact of the blast.

I didn't have time to celebrate, though, because then I heard a loud sizzling sound coming from the damaged mech. I knew exactly what it was and dropped back to the ground just as huge tongues of fire surged out of the hell house from a pair of steel jets poking out of the wall just above the foundation. The heat washed over me, but the flames missed and died out a moment later.

Maddy came running in. "Are you okay!?"

"Get back!" I yelled.

There wasn't time, though. Part of the hell house's roof slid aside as a large, dark red missile shot out at us in a high, graceful arc. Grabbing Maddy, I pulled us both out of the way, flattening her beneath me as it struck the ground barely twenty feet away.

The explosion was small but very powerful, shaking the ground as the flames licked hungrily at my back and legs. It stung like a thousand bees, but I didn't dare move. I just held onto Maddy, shielding her from the blazing fire as it swept near us.

As the dust settled, I looked up to see the hell house charging at us again. It would be on us in seconds. No time for me to get away, but if I could just keep the mech distracted, it might be enough to give Maddy a chance to escape. I knew it wasn't much, but it was her only shot. She shivered within my arms as I held her.

I sat up and gave her a little push. "Run!"

"But—!" she protested.

"Just go, Maddy!" I ordered. "Don't worry about me!"

She sighed but did as I'd said, her little shoulders set as she sprinted away from the clearing. In the meantime, I pulled out another grenade just as the hell house caught up to me. I cried out in pain as a huge fist smashed down onto my left leg below the knee, and the sickening snap I heard told me it was broken. When the mech's head lunged at me and opened its maw, I pulled the pin.

"Suppertime, you ugly son of bitch!" I snarled.

With that, I stuffed the grenade into the hell house's gaping mouth, scraping my arm on its razor-sharp teeth as I did. I got it out before the thing chopped it off, fortunately, but with my leg hurt the way it was, I couldn't escape the blast. All I could do was roll onto my stomach, put my hands over my head, and hope for the best. But I didn't think I was gonna make it. I was just too close.

The explosion was like thunder in my ears, nearly deafening me as the blast tore the hell house's head apart along with its entire front half. I couldn't help screaming as I was suddenly showered with flames and debris. The force of it hurled me across the clearing as shrapnel cut me in half a dozen places, a shard of it slicing my temple. I landed hard on the ground with a pained groan and lay still. Pain was my whole world as I tried to keep my eyes open. But I couldn't.

I woke up in Aerith's house.

She was sitting by my bed, the worry on her face evaporating when she saw my eyes fluttering open. I tried to sit up, but sagged back onto the mattress with a groan as pain hit me in the face. It was everywhere, all over, and I could hardly move. Aerith got up, gently took me by the shoulders, and settled me back onto the pillow.

"Easy now," she said. "You got banged up pretty good out there. It's a wonder you're still in one piece."

"Am I?" I asked.

Aerith laughed. "More or less. It's good to see you awake."

I glanced at the daylight streaming through the window. "I thought I was gonna die out there…"

"Not on my watch," she promised.

"Thanks," I smiled, then I remembered. "Maddy?"

Aerith nodded. "She's fine. I found you guys out there and brought you back. You left just before I got back from the church, and Tess told me where you went and why. So I went after you."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's alright. I destroyed the thing that attacked her. Nearly took myself out with it."

"I saw that," she said. "But why did you go all by yourself?"

I sighed. "It's personal. Nothing I want to get into right now. Just… some old baggage I've been carrying around."

"Regrets?" Aerith noted softly.

"Some," I admitted.

Her green eyes were kind. "Thought so. If you ever need a friendly ear, mine's ready anytime."

"I appreciate it, Aerith," I said. "Maybe later."

"Fair enough," she agreed.

I was glad for the offer, but I didn't feel ready to talk about my days in Shinra just yet. The encounter with the hell house had brought back a lot of guilt and bad memories. But it had also given me the means to make up for what I'd done, at least a little. Still, it wasn't over. And then I knew without a doubt what I had to do.

But before I could, I had to recover from my injuries first. I'd been cleaned and bandaged, and my left leg was in a cast. No doubt it would be a while before I was back up to snuff. I hated it, but there wasn't any helping it. And as I lay in bed, I thought of something else and glanced at Aerith, a question on my mind.

"So, how long was I out?" I wondered.

She adjusted my blankets for me. "A few hours. I've been here with you the whole time. Mom helped some, too."

It was about what I'd figured. "Sorry for scaring ya."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Aerith chuckled. "The important thing is that you're okay, Jessie."

"Yeah. I just had to take that thing out, even if…"

She grew serious again. "I know. But it didn't come to that."

I gazed intently at her. "The thing is, it wasn't the only one, Aerith. There's more of them out there. A lot more."

"Are you sure?" she stared.

"Positive. Don't ask me how I know. It's… complicated."

Aerith didn't press me for details. "Alright. I'll pass the word to the watch to keep an eye out for them."

"Good. And once I'm all healed up, I'm gonna head back out there and start hunting them down. It's something that I have to do, so don't try to stop me, alright?"

She frowned. "You almost got killed today!"

I knew that. I felt every painful bit of it. "I'm not gonna go the way I did before, don't worry. I've got some preparing to do first, things that I'll need to find and put together. Some protective gear to help keep me from getting roughed up like this again, to start with."

"That'll definitely help, but you're not going out there by yourself," Aerith insisted. "I'm going with you."

"I don't want you getting hurt," I protested.

She laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm tougher than I look. I grew up down here, you know."

I knew that, but I still didn't want to put her in danger. I was about to tell her that when the pain suddenly flared up, and I gasped, holding myself as gingerly as I could. I was hurting everywhere, so bad I could barely breathe. For the time being, at least, I wasn't going anywhere. As I laid there, bandaged and bruised and wincing in agony, Aerith bowed her head for a moment and clasped her hands.

What was she doing? Before I could even begin to wonder about it, I felt a soft, cool breeze sweep over me, a soothing whisper in my ears. Streamers of pink and white energy swirled around us, and when they did, the pain subsided. Not entirely, but enough that I could bear it. As I let out a long breath and relaxed, the wind and the energy faded away. Aerith opened her eyes, looked at me, and smiled.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Better, thanks," I said, staring at her in wonder. "But what was that you just did? I've never seen anything like it."

Aerith shrugged. "Just a little something I can do."

"You used it on me before?" I said.

"Yeah. When I found you by the house. It's not something I can do all the time, though. Takes a while to build up. So Mom and I did what we could, bound you up and gave you some potions, too. We'll keep at it, of course. You should be back on your feet in a few days, Jessie. Even your broken leg's already starting to mend."

It did feel a little better. "I suppose I have your wind and potions to thank for that. Otherwise I'd be laid up longer."

Aerith nodded. "Sure would. Anyway, you hungry?"

"Famished," I giggled.

"I'll go get you something, then," she said. "Be back soon!"

After Aerith had left, I let my eyes slide closed for a bit. I rested but didn't let myself sleep. Instead, I went over the fight ewith the hell house again in my mind. The grenades had damaged it, but it had taken three of them to finally bring it down. And a lot could happen in the middle of that, as I had so painfully found out today.

I'd need something stronger next time, and as I thought about that, I remembered the conversation I'd had with Lena. Maybe I could boost the grenades' power, make them hit harder with a wider blast radius. It was worth a shot, and if it worked, it would make it easier to take down those hell houses. I realized I was actually excited about it. For the first time in years, I could think about weapons and upgrades and such and not feel sick to my stomach when I did.

Maybe because now it was for the right thing.

My bedroom door swung open a little while later, and I opened my eyes to see Aerith walking in, a tray of food in her hands. After setting it on top of the dresser for a minute, she helped me sit up, which was a little easier now after she'd used that healing wind of hers on me. Then she brought the tray over, and I ate. It was good, and I reminded myself to thank Elmyra later. I was just finishing up when I heard footsteps on the wooden floor out in the hall.

Aerith looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Looks like you've got a visitor, Jessie. Two, actually."

It was Maddy and Oates. They stood in the doorway, looking good as new after their encounter with the hell house. Aerith must've tended to them as well after getting me settled. Then I realized they were each carrying something. Oates had a card, and Maddy held a pot of flowers in her hands, fresh from Aerith's garden.

"Jessie!" Maddy squealed. "You're okay! Can we come in?"

"Of course," I laughed.

They did, and Aerith moved aside so they could approach the bed. Oates handed me the card, and when I opened it, my eyes widened and I let out a little gasp. It had a nice handwritten message inside thanking me and urging me to get well, and it was filled with signatures. Not just those of Maddy and Oates, either. All the kids had written their names in it, and so had the staff. Everyone at the Leaf House.

I smiled. "Wow… thanks, you guys."

"You're welcome, Jessie," Oates grinned. "When you're all fixed up, you should totally come to our hideout! We hang out there all the time. I bet you'd be awesome at Whack-A-Box!"

It sounded like fun. "I'll have to give it a try, then!"

Maddy showed me the flowers. "We all picked these for you a little while ago. It was Aerith's idea."

"Thought so," I chuckled. "They're beautiful, Maddy."

"And I think they'll look great right over here," Aerith said, patting the top of the dresser.

Maddy put them up where she'd shown her, and they did look nice up there. Then I handed the card back to Oates, who stood it up by the flowers for me. When that was done, I let him and Maddy each hug me for a moment. Gently, of course, because of how hurt I was. Still, it was really good to see them again.

"Thanks for coming over, you two," I said.

"Sure!" Maddy giggled, adjusting her glasses. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Jessie. I was really worried about you, but Aerith said you'd be alright. Thank you for saving me."

I smiled. "Anytime. It's what friends do for each other. Just promise me that you guys won't go wandering around out there again. Stay here in town where it's safe, alright?"

"We will," Oates promised. "I'll tell the others, too."

I nodded. "Good! Glad to hear it."

"Well, now that that's all settled," Aerith said, turning to the kids. "I think it's time we let Jessie get some rest."

I did feel a little tired, now that I thought about it, and there wasn't much else I could do. After the kids and I had waved and said goodbye, they left, chatting with each other as they went down the stairs. Aerith lingered for just a moment to check on me again. When she was done, she smiled at me and started to leave, her dress swishing lightly around her as she moved gracefully toward the door.

I called after her. "Aerith?"

She looked back at me. "What?"

"Thanks," I told her.

She beamed. "My pleasure, Jessie. Sweet dreams."

About a week later, I was more or less whole again, on my feet and feeling a lot better. I was limping a little when I walked, but Aerith had promised it was only temporary and would be gone in just a few more days. Lena and the kids had come to visit me now and then during my recovery, and I had promised I'd make a nice pizza dinner for everyone once I was all healed up. They'd been so good to me, and so I'd thought it was only fair I do something nice in return.

They'd all loved my Midgar Special, especially the kids. We had all sat together at the long tables outside the orphanage, eating and talking and having a good time. It had taken me all afternoon to make enough for everyone, but I didn't mind, and the kids were eager to help. Aerith had pitched in as well. There'd been over twenty of us altogether. Quite a big order, but it was a lot of fun.

Now I was in Sector 5's market district, browsing the shops. I knew I wouldn't find everything here—I'd definitely have to make some parts of my new outfit myself—but I hoped I could find the rest somewhere in the all the stores and stalls lining the area. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, but I was confident I'd know it when I saw it. And as it turned out, my instincts were right.

The first piece was a tight-fitting, dark blue leotard. It was different from most in that it actually had sleeves. Short ones, barely longer than my shoulders. It went all the way up my neck, too, and fastened with a zipper on the left side. I supposed it was more of a bodysuit, but it only went down to my hips like a leotard would.

I found a pair of black lycra leggings to go with it. They went down to just past my knees and felt really comfortable. I tried them on along with the bodysuit, and it felt as if I was wearing a second skin. I liked it, and together they'd make a good foundation for the heavier stuff I was planning to wear over them. It was kinda sexy, too. Not that I was at all ready for that sort of thing yet, though.

My heart still ached for Kunsel, and I looked up at the underside of the plate a lot, thinking of him. I knew I had to let go, I just couldn't do it yet. It was too hard. Memories of our wonderful year together would often flit through my mind, but I'd mask the pain with a cheerful smile. It wasn't that hard—I'd been an actress, after all. It never seemed to fool Aerith, though. She knew me too well.

Anyway, it took a few days to find the rest of what I needed for my new outfit. A pair of sturdy, olive green cargo pants that went down to my knees and had nice, big pockets. I also found a thick, brown leather belt to hold them up. But even better was the matching pouch I picked up to go along with it. It was big, square, and had a flap top that I could flick open at a moment's notice. Perfect for holding my tools, grenades, and whatever else I might need.

For my hands, I found some soft brown gloves. They were made of leather, like my belt, but were fingerless. A bit plain, but I could spruce them up a bit later and add a few things to them. I also bought a pair of tough brown work boots for my feet, but like the gloves, I wasn't going to leave them the way they were.

They went over halfway up my calves, but if my fight with the hell house had taught me anything, it was that I'd need better protection to keep from being hurt like that again. I'd have to make some alterations to my boots as well, toughen them up a bit. And I knew exactly how to do it and what I'd need to pull it off. That and putting together the rest of my new outfit. Getting supplies was next on my list.

I found a good measuring tape and some sheets of leather fabric at a nearby tailor's shop, and inside the local hardware store, I discovered a miniature blowtorch. It was old, but it still worked, and it was perfect for what I had in mind. I also figured it might come in handy now and then in the future as well. So I bought it along with a hammer, tongs, a small vat, and a few other tools for metalwork.

Now all I needed was the metal itself. I had to do some scavenging for that, searching through the junk piles all around town. There was a lot of scrap, but not all of it was useful. Still, by the end of that week, I'd gathered enough for my needs. I brought it all to a little open area that I'd found near the edge of the settlement, a nice, quiet spot enclosed by nearby walls and an old iron fence. You could only get in there through a narrow alley in the back.

Once I had everything there and my limp was gone, I got to work. First, I took the tape and got my measurements, adding a little more to give myself some room to breathe. What I had in mind was going to be a close fit and pretty strong, but I also wanted it to have some style, too. Function and beauty. I'd learned that from Andrea.

I forged the chestplate first, sculpting the steel to fit the contours of my body. News about how I'd saved Maddy had spread throughout the town while I'd been recuperating, and so when I had asked the weapon shop's owner if I could borrow his furnace, he'd been happy to let me. It took me the better part of a day sweating behind the shop, but I got my armor crafted and polished, both the chestplate and the two pauldrons, one for each shoulder. But I wasn't finished yet.

The next day, I went back to the shop and did the shin guards and toe covers for my boots as well as metal backs for my gloves. After that, I forged a short-sleeved shirt of chain links, lightweight but durable, to go under the breastplate and help cushion me against incoming blows. I painted it black to match my leggings and set it apart from the armor that I'd be wearing on top of it.

The shin guards were, like the rest of the armor, made of steel, and they completely covered my boots from shin to ankle, leaving only the foot portion open. When I had all my metal gear finished, I went back to my little work area and started in on the leather. I made bracers with elbow guards to keep my forearms safe.

After that, I crafted shoulder pads and straps for the pauldrons and chestplate to hold them together. I'd forged the armor in pieces so that it would be easier for me to take it on and off. I'd bought some buckles and small rivets as well, and with my little blowtorch, I fixed them onto the breastplate and its metal straps. The leather ones I'd made were for the pauldrons, to hold them on. I also crafted two smaller red straps to go around the wrists of my gloves.

When everything was finished, I took a deep breath, made sure no one could see me, then stripped down to my support and underwear. I put on the bodysuit and leggings after that, followed by the chain shirt. Then I buckled the chestplate into place over it. The fit was snug since I'd molded it to fit my curves and give them a little emphasis while still acting as solid protection for my chest, though it didn't go down all the way to my abdomen. So I'd have to be careful.

Lastly, I put on my belt, boots, bracers, and gloves. I had found and set up an old mirror on one side of my work area, and once I was fully dressed, I took a good long look at myself. I felt good, better than I had in a long time. My new outfit was me, in many ways. It had the beauty of my acting days in how it hugged me and showed off my figure, but it was also a callback to that other part of me, the tomboy computer geek and weapons specialist I thought I'd lost forever.

The belt pouch for holding tools and small bombs, the work pants, armored boots and gloves, all of it brought back to me a part of myself I'd never expected to find again. I hadn't been sure I wanted to. But as I stood there and looked at myself in the mirror, I realized I had missed the screens and the gadgets, the nerdier side of myself that could debug a faulty program with my eyes closed or do a complex systems analysis without even breaking a sweat.

My hair was growing longer, and in another month or so, I thought I could take out the extensions and do my ponytail for real. It was silly, I suppose, but I was really looking forward to it. Still, it almost felt like there was something missing. I ran my hand across my forehead, but I didn't know what else I might need. Maybe it would come to me later. I could wait. I had my new outfit, at least.

And I was gonna put it to the test soon enough.