VIII
CHAPTER VIII
THE ANCIENT
"Marlene!" wept Barret, pounding his gun-arm on the smouldering rubble.
Cloud hung his throbbing head, lost for words as his comrade grieved the loss of his daughter. Barret was one of the few survivors of Sector7 that had returned immediately to the site in search of loved ones, ripping shards of rock and steel aside as he fought his way desperately through the wreckage, tears streaming down his grime-splattered cheeks. A thick smog of ominous ash had settled over Sector6's Green Park, the stagnant grey haze engulfing the now-crumbling gateway between the sectors and the bewildered crowd that had gathered around it.
The entire region had been obliterated; the Slums buried deep beneath the crushed remnants of what had been the Sector7 Plate. An eerie silence had enveloped the city, broken only by distant sirens. Hundreds of feet above, Cloud could see the jagged underside of the Plate, its hinges torn as the sector caved in on itself, and the fleeting image of an overcast night sky beyond. Sprinklings of debris continued to rain down upon the devastated stretch of now-lifeless homes of the residential district, some floating to earth with a peaceful ignorance.
"Marlene!" Barret howled again, slumping to his knees, unable to break through the wall of destruction any further as the layers of compressed rock congealed. Carefully making their way through the scattered ruins, the two joined him, Tifa placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Barret…"
"Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…" he whispered angrily, his breathing erratic, lashing out at a protruding pipe. "Godsdammit! Godsdammit all to hell! What's it all for…?"
"Barret…?"
"Marlene…" he sobbed, wiping the tears from his swollen eyes with the back of his hand, smearing his face with dirt.
"Barret…" repeated Tifa, crouching by his side. "Marlene is…I think Marlene is alright."
"Huh?" he spluttered, turning towards her with a stunned and bleary gaze.
"Right before they captured Aerith," explained Tifa, her expression remaining dark through the encouraging words, "she said "don't worry, I took her somewhere safe". Barret, I think…I think she was talking about Marlene."
"But…how…?"
"She took Marlene from Seventh Heaven," said Tifa, glancing up. "Right, Cloud? She promised to take care of her."
"R…really…?" croaked Barret, staring confusedly at her, his frantic mind anxious to accept the possibility. As rapidly as it had come, the hope evaporated, and he lowered his eyes. "But, the others…"
"All three of them were killed before the Pillar collapsed," Cloud confirmed, his tone without emotion.
"Show a little respect, ya heartless bastard," snapped Barret, scowling at Cloud as he staggered to his feet. "Think I don't know that? But, we…all of us fought together. I don't wanna think of them as dead…"
"What about everyone else?" Tifa said softly, biting her lip as she too allowed a tear to escape down her cheek. "All those children…"
"This is all screwed up!" Barret snarled through gritted teeth, hatred seeping into his voice. "They wiped out an entire sector just to get us? They killed so many people…"
"Are you saying it's our fault?" protested Tifa. "Because AVALANCHE was here? Do you agree with that Turk? Are you saying all those innocent people lost their lives because of us?"
"No, Tifa," he replied, shaking his head slowly, his jaw clenched. "Hell no! This ain't us. It's the Shinra. It's never been nobody but the damn Shinra. They're evil; destroyin' the Planet just to increase their power an' line their own damn pockets with gold…"
"Barret…"
"If we don't do somethin', they're gonna kill this Planet," spat Barret, nodding towards the distant exterior shell of Mako Reactor6. "Our fight…AVALANCHE's fight ain't never gonna be over 'til we get rid o' them."
"I don't know…" Tifa answered quietly, pulling uneasily at her silken black hair.
"Don't know what?" asked Barret with bewilderment. "Don't you believe me?"
"It's not that," she said quickly, sighing as she offered an apologetic hand. "It's just…I'm not sure about me. Y'know, my feelings. I have my own motives for hating the Shinra, and hiding behind AVALANCHE's actions was a good way of dealing with that. But, if all this is the cost of my own personal revenge…"
"I understand," Barret conceded, looking back over the wreckage. "But, after everythin' that's happened, surely there ain't no turnin' back now?"
"I don't know…"
"An' what about you, Spiky? You're gonna go help that girl, right?"
"Yeah…" Cloud replied sullenly, frowning as he glanced up at Barret. "But, before that, there's somethin' I gotta know…"
"In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. I am one of the rightful heirs to this Planet."
Sephiroth…?
"What is it?" asked Tifa.
"It…" gulped Cloud, wincing as the searing pain in his forehead grew sharper. "It's about the Ancients."
"What about them?" she said curiously.
"I need to speak to Aerith's mother," he responded absently, already winding his way back through the rubble, brushing through the gathered mourners.
"An' where d'you think you're goin'?" called Barret as he and Tifa followed questioningly.
"Sector5," Cloud shouted back, raising his voice over the solemn crying of the masses. "That's where she lives, just beyond the border of the sectors. If Aerith did get Marlene out of Sector7, that'll be where she took her. So, if you wanna see your daughter, you'd better hurry up."
"I suppose we should go with him," shrugged Tifa, watching Cloud as he passed through the playground, stepping over the shattered fragments of what had been the outer casing of a large moogle-shaped slide, and started in the direction of the desolate Sector6 highway.
"Yeah," murmured Barret, taking one last glimpse at what remained of Sector7, his thoughts succumbing to vengeance. "Let's go see Marlene…"
Cloud found their trek across the broken freeway to pass much quicker than it had that morning, each distraught individual he saw restoring the sinister images of the terrible night that had changed his life five years before. Men and women called out longingly for their families; children for their parents. The anguished crowds had merged with the droves of curious onlookers, the inhabitants of the surrounding districts investigating the source of the quake that had stirred the foundations of their homes.
A bustle of activity had commenced across the heavenless sky of the Slums, not unlike the commotion of the roads themselves. Aircraft of Shinra, Inc.'s emergency services soared beneath the Plate, their searchlights illuminating the devastation in a hypocritical rescue attempt. Cloud was able to read Barret's anger with ease as his brooding eyes tracked the helicopters; his dark features were laden with resentment for the audacity and deceit of President Shinra. In his own heart, he began to feel the desire to see it all end; the actions of the Shinra in Sector7 had matched even the most nightmarish of his memories of the tragedy at Nibelheim.
Under the shadows of the construction site machinery they crept, climbing the sharp mound to the gap in the Sector5 Wall. The monsters of the Slum seemed to have retreated into the garbage, alarmed by the collapse of the Pillar. Retracing the path he and Aerith had taken through the canyon of junk and waste, they passed northwest into the marketplace, coming soon after to the small village beneath the Central Complex. Although the gas lamps of the shacks and caravans shone brightly throughout the impoverished community, most were undisturbed, the dwellings left unguarded in the typical probing inquisitiveness of the locals to witness the aftermath of Shinra's hideous plan.
At last they arrived at the low pinewood doorway of the Gainsborough house, a thin blanket of fallout dust settling upon the flowerpots on the sloping roof and windows. Knocking three times, there came nothing more than a muffled reply. Cautiously, Cloud opened the door and peered inside, his fingers reaching for the Buster Sword as a security measure. Elmyra looked up from the table at the centre of the room, her lips trembling, her eyes reddened under the light of the overhead lamp. Dabbing at her cheeks with her pale handkerchief, she beckoned the trio into her home, straightening her emerald green skirt as she stood courteously to greet them.
"Cloud, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice dry as she attempted to smile.
"Yeah," he nodded once, staring uncomfortably at the cream carpet beneath his feet. "We…uh…we've come because…"
"It's about Aerith, isn't it?" she sniffed, wiping another tear away. Cloud lifted his head slowly, his uncertain gaze shifting from the book cabinet to the flower vase on the table, finally resting upon Elmyra.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "but…the Shinra have her."
"I know," sobbed Elmyra, inhaling deeply to compose herself as she gestured for them to fill the chairs around the table. "Come, have a seat."
"You know?" stammered Cloud, too startled to acknowledge her hospitality. "But…how…?"
"They took her from here," she answered meekly.
"The Shinra were here?"
"They brought her and a little girl here in a helicopter," said Elmyra, pointing a weary finger back towards the village. "It seems Aerith allowed herself to be taken into custody by the Turks in exchange for the girl's safety."
"Marlene?" gasped Barret, his expression revealing untold relief and emotion.
"You know Marlene?" asked Elmyra in astonishment, studying the man's gargantuan appearance apprehensively as she stood over him, her focus flitting briefly between his gun-arm and facial scars.
"My name's Barret Wallace," he said, his humble tone unusual to Cloud. "I'm her father."
"You're her father?" scolded Elmyra, her brows furrowing with disapproval. "How in the world could you ever leave a young child alone like that? She said you had gone to fight…"
"Please don't start with that," he begged, hanging his head in shame. "I think 'bout it all the time. Y'know…what'd be left for Marlene if the worst happened? But, you gotta understand somethin'…I don't got an answer. I wanna be with my daughter, always…but I gotta fight for the future of the Planet…for her future."
"So, you're stuck in a vicious circle?" she concluded.
"You understand, right?" Barret said hopefully, as if he were silently pleading for forgiveness.
"I think I do," Elmyra replied kindly, placing a caring hand on his heaving shoulders. "You must have been through a lot after everything that's happened. Marlene is asleep upstairs. Why don't you go and see her?"
"Thank you," said Barret gratefully, rising restlessly from his chair and hurriedly crossing the room. He stopped at the foot of the pinewood steps, turning hesitantly to meet Elmyra's gaze with sincere regret. "I'm really sorry 'bout Aerith."
"She did a very brave thing," Elmyra smiled appreciatively. "The protection of Marlene is what she wanted. Now, go…go to her…"
"Yes, ma'am," said Barret, climbing the staircase with an eagerness that Cloud had never seen of the man.
Elmyra remained standing with her back to Cloud and Tifa at the dining table, lost in a daydream as she listened to Barret's heavy footsteps on the strained floorboards above them. Marlene's cries of endless joy to be reunited with her father seemed to awaken her from her thoughts, the heart-warming sound refreshing amidst their current concerns. With a great effort to re-establish herself in the reality of the circumstances, she slowly joined the two, her body sagging as if she bore a great weight. It was more than a minute before Cloud spoke.
"Elmyra, there's something I need to ask you," he said tentatively, selecting his words.
"Yes?"
"Aerith suggested to me that she has been in some sticky situations with Shinra in the past," he answered. "If there's any way we can help her, I need to know the real reason they were after her."
"Aerith is…" started Elmyra, but paused, exhaling at length. Her round face became taut, as if in deep thought, carefully mulling over her response. "Aerith is an Ancient."
"What did you say?" spluttered Tifa.
"Aerith is an Ancient," repeated Elmyra. "The sole survivor it would seem."
"The sole survivor?" Cloud frowned, mystified. "But…aren't you her mother?"
"Not her real mother," she replied softly, her eyes wandering aimlessly over the old photographs on the wall. Several portraits of Elmyra and a young Aerith hung above the cabinets, their faces beaming down over the room with happiness. "It must have been around fifteen years ago…during the War. My husband was a lieutenant in the Shinra Army stationed in Midgar. He got the call one day and was sent to the front line somewhere on the Wutai Continent. After he had been gone for a few months, I received a letter from him to say that he was coming home on leave. I was so excited. On the morning he was due to return, I went to meet him at the train station…"
Elmyra heard the piercing whistle of the passenger train as it eased to a halt at the Lower Sector7 station, and quickened her pace. She hastened along the sandy path, her heart pounding furiously inside her chest, making no attempt to hide her broad grin. Arriving at the end of the elevated concrete platform, she saw that she was not alone in waiting for her husband; two or three other young women of a similar age were grouped by the low steps, their faces laden with exhilaration. As she neared the women, the station master crossed the platform and hauled the shuddering door of the carriage aside.
The burning white lights of the wagon shone brightly from inside, radiating what seemed like a heavenly glow. One by one, the soldiers appeared from the doorway, and were met by a passionate embrace from their spouse. Elmyra smiled as each of the men welcomed the love and affection with enthusiasm, longing for her turn to feel her husband's strong arms around her. She remained at the foot of the steps for a short while after the last couple had departed, her anxious gaze fixed upon the doorway. Helping an elderly man from the train, the station master casually checked the compartment before sliding the door closed and putting his whistle between his lips.
"Excuse me?" she called in desperation. "There must be some mistake. My…my husband…"
"Sorry ma'am," said the moustached man indifferently, glancing at his timepiece. "Train's leavin'."
Elmyra lowered her head in bitter disappointment as the guard blew his whistle a second time, her heart sinking. With a great rumble of its Mako engine, the Midgar Transit's MK100-70 locomotive began to pull slowly out of the Sector7 station, the gentle click of the tracks echoing into the distance as it made its way towards the Central Complex. Stumbling backwards in a haze of disjointed musings, she sat on the edge of the cold stone wall, cradling her head in her hands as she fought to restrain a sob. Why isn't he here? He said he would be on that train. Maybe he's just been held up at Headquarters…
"…my husband wasn't on the next train, or any that afternoon," continued Elmyra, fresh tears forming. "I never found out what happened. I suppose his leave was just cancelled. After the hurt of not seeing him, I made the trip to the Sector7 station every day in the hope that he would finally come home. Then, one evening…"
Sighing with frustration that the journey from Sector5 had once again been in vain, Elmyra turned from the platform as the station master sounded his whistle, drawing the carriage doors shut as he did every night. She had become accustomed to the man in the tight red uniform, Hauser, and although he had often offered words of support and kindness over the weeks, she had grown to dread his presence at the station; his last signal condemning her to the long walk home alone.
The warm air of the early summer evening felt thick and humid against her skin, her cotton dress clinging to her body. The burning gas lamps of the station illuminated the path that led back to the Sector6 gateway, the orange light swathing the old trail of dirt and waste in murky silhouettes. Heavy clunking sounds resonated from the nearby Train Graveyard as cargo trucks were shunted back and forth within the ghostly junkyard by some deformed buffer train, the repetitive thuds ascending raucously into the otherwise silent sky. As the last cart was rolled finally into the siding, bringing with it a peaceful stillness, Elmyra slowed in her tracks, listening intently.
"Mama…" whimpered a tiny voice from the shadows. Elmyra looked back along the path from which she had come, straining her eyes as she noticed two shapes partially concealed by the charred body of a burnt-out vehicle.
"Is someone there?" she called nervously.
"Mama…" came the girl's trembling voice again.
Cautiously retracing her steps, Elmyra approached the car. As her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the spot, she could make out a young child, knelt over the form of a beautiful woman. Elmyra rushed to her side at once, her mind blanking as she tried to speak, unable to find words of comfort as she saw the life drain from the lady's angelic face. The girl clasped her mother's limp hand, tears trickling down her round cheeks as she obediently slipped a small white object into her dress pocket. With great effort, the woman reached out to Elmyra with her free arm, meeting her frightened gaze with fading jade green eyes.
"Please take Aerith away from here…" she whispered with her final breath. "Please keep her safe…"
"…you used to see that kind of thing a lot during the War," Elmyra recalled, inhaling deeply. "I had no children and I was probably lonely, so I decided to take Aerith home with me where I knew she would be taken care of. Just as her mother had asked…
"She and I quickly became very close. That child loved to talk, and was unusually wise for her age. She was only seven, but she spoke to me about everything. She told me that she and her mother, Ifalna, had escaped from some kind of research laboratory somewhere, but her memories of the place were hazy at best. She often said that Ifalna had already returned to the Planet, so she didn't feel alone…"
"Returned to the Planet?" repeated Cloud, questioningly.
"I didn't know what she meant at the time," sighed Elmyra, her glazed eyes staring blankly ahead. "I asked her if she was talking about a star in the night sky, but she shook her head and said that she was referring to this Planet. She was a mysterious child in many ways…"
Elmyra could feel Aerith studying her as she worked at the stove, the strong fumes of the frying fish floating throughout the house. Aerith had always loved the smell, drifting around the living space with delight each time Elmyra had chosen to cook the salmon her sister had sent from the Kalm market. Glancing over her shoulder, she was surprised to see Aerith's youthful face wedged between two of the wooden railings a short way up the staircase, her lips quivering fiercely.
"What's the matter, honey?" asked Elmyra, setting her utensils on the worktop and wandering from the kitchen. Aerith removed her head from the banister and hurried down the remaining stairs to where Elmyra stood, burying her face in her bosom. After a few seconds, she began to weep softly, pulling herself tight against her mother's body.
"I'm sorry," Aerith apologised. "I didn't want to cry."
"What's wrong?" Elmyra said without much worry, hugging the child soothingly. "Has something happened?"
"It's just…" sniffed Aerith, raising her head. "I don't want you to cry…"
"Me?" chuckled Elmyra warmly, stroking her hair. "Why would I be crying?"
"Someone dear was coming to see you," Aerith replied with a gulp, her saddened pale green eyes meeting Elmyra's, "but their spirit has already returned to the Planet…"
"…at the time, I dismissed it as another of her strange concerns, and tried to console her," Elmyra continued. "I thought it had been nothing more than a dream, and tried to explain to her that she had perhaps imagined it. She argued with me that it was not a dream, but something she had sensed. She kept repeating that she was not upset for her, but for me. I didn't understand what she was talking about, and simply put it to the back of my mind.
"Several days later, I received an official notice from Shinra, Inc.'s Department of Security to inform me that my husband had been killed in action. The convoy carrying his unit through the Tamblin Mountains had been ambushed by anti-Shinra mercenaries and blown up. Many good men died that day. The ambush itself became known as one of Shinra's heaviest losses in the Wutai War.
"It took me a long time to come to terms with the death of my husband. For a while, I blamed Aerith, even though I knew it wasn't her fault. I wouldn't speak to her. I couldn't even look at her without feeling that she was somehow responsible for what had happened. All the while, she tried to comfort me; she was like an angel. Eventually, I was able to mourn him and move on, and Aerith and I's relationship grew even stronger. Although we had been through a lot, we were very happy. That's how it was until one day, almost ten years ago, we had an unexpected visitor…"
The knock at the door startled her, causing her to spill a little of her coffee over the newspaper. Aerith giggled as Elmyra wrung the wet pages, the dripping coffee splashing into her small saucer. She rose from the table, exchanging confused expressions with Aerith as the firm knock came a second time. Without haste, she crossed the room and opened the door slightly.
A man in his late teens stood on the doorstep, his head jerking suddenly away from the flower pots on the window ledge as Elmyra appeared. He was a handsome young man, his pale complexion perfect but for a birthmark at the centre of his forehead. His sleek black hair had been tied behind his head in a short ponytail, and he was clad in a formal black suit, straightening his crisp white shirt collar as he cleared his throat.
"Elmyra Gainsborough?" he asked politely, holding out a hand.
"Yes?" she replied suspiciously, making no effort to shake it.
"My name is Tseng," he continued, unfazed, withdrawing his arm. "I am an assistant to Chief Veld at Shinra, Inc.'s Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department."
"I'm sorry…who?"
"I get that a lot," smiled Tseng. "We are more commonly known as the Turks."
"Can I ask what you are doing here?" posed Elmyra.
"May I come in?" he deflected. "I would like to speak with you and your daughter."
"Very well," said Elmyra hesitantly, holding the door open for him to pass. He thanked her, wiping his polished shoes on the mat before entering the living space. Aerith glared at him as if in immediate recognition, dropping her dolls to the floor as she backed towards Elmyra.
"So this must be her," said Tseng, a tone of satisfaction in his voice.
"This is…the Shinra man…from the park," Aerith stammered fearfully. "Mum, why is he here?"
"So, you're the one who's been following my daughter?" growled Elmyra, allowing the girl to cower behind her. "What is it that you want?"
"We would like you to return Aerith to us," he answered flatly, his gaze unmoving from Aerith.
"Excuse me?"
"Shinra has been searching for her for a very long time," said Tseng.
"You want to take Aerith to Shinra?" squeaked Elmyra, bewildered by the request.
"Only if Aerith would like to come with me," he nodded. "She is very important to us."
"No!" screamed Aerith, clutching Elmyra's waist tighter. "I'll never go back there! Never!"
"Aerith, you are a unique child," Tseng explained, his words very soft. "You are of special blood. Your real mother was an Ancient."
"You're wrong!" cried Aerith in denial. "I'm not an Ancient."
"The Ancients are destined to lead us to a land of supreme happiness," Tseng proceeded in a gentle tone. "Aerith, you'll be able to bring joy to all the people of the Slums. That's why Shinra would like your cooperation…"
"I told you, I'm not an Ancient!" she wailed. "I'm not!"
"But, Aerith, surely you hear voices sometimes when you're alone?"
"No!" Aerith refuted, furiously shaking her head. "I don't!"
"But…"
"Mr. Tseng," Elmyra interrupted uncompromisingly, her jaw clenched, "I think it is perhaps time you left…"
"…and that was how I discovered she was a target for the company. I'd known for some time about her unusual powers, but it was really only then that I learned she was an Ancient. She'd always tried so hard to hide the things that made her so special, so I acted as if I never noticed. She has abilities beyond even her own understanding. You've seen the flowers at the church, haven't you? They grow there because Aerith's power helps them. She has the gift of life that her ancestors had, but I don't think she ever saw it that way. I suppose it was these abilities that Shinra wanted."
"It's amazing how she's avoided the Shinra all this time," Cloud acknowledged.
"Avoided?" chortled Elmyra with faint amusement. "I wouldn't exactly say that."
"What do you mean?"
"Five or six years back, Aerith ran into a spot of bother with a militant group," she said with a deep sigh. "It was a young man from Tseng's organisation that helped her out. I never told her, but they've been keeping a close watch on her ever since. I guess protecting the subject is just part of surveillance duty to them. Wherever Aerith goes in the city, the Turks are sure to be nearby. I've seen Tseng a few times over the years following her with a camera, but he never tried forcefully to take her into custody. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had feelings for her. It seems the company needed Aerith but were reluctant to do anything against her wishes, so they wouldn't have kidnapped and hurt her."
"I know there have been a number of attempts to persuade her, though," Cloud frowned, Reno's smirking face flashing in his mind. "But, why now? Why did they decide to take her now?"
"On the way here, Tseng found her and Marlene trying to escape Sector7," answered Elmyra, lowering her gaze. "They probably wouldn't have made it out of the sector in time otherwise. I think he took advantage of Aerith's willingness to sacrifice her freedom for Marlene. He knew that if he agreed to bring the child to safety, Aerith would surrender herself and go to Shinra without a fight…"
She was cut off as the thunder of Barret's boots resounded from the top of the stairs, growing louder as his enormous frame reappeared. He bore an expression of determination, purposefully restocking the bullets into his gun-arm as he descended. As he met them at the table, he spun the barrels, making sure the ammo was loaded. Elmyra seemed somewhat undisturbed by this, not in any way intimidated by the hulking man.
"How's Marlene?" Tifa enquired sincerely.
"She's fine," he replied with a relieved nod. "I put her back to sleep. I'm just so glad she's alright."
"What are you all going to do now?" asked Elmyra, sending a pleading glance among the trio.
"Cloud, you're gonna go help Aerith, right?" said Barret, almost like a command. Cloud remained silent for a moment, his face cast in deep deliberation.
"Yeah…"
"She's done so much for me an' Marlene," Barret continued, checking and rechecking his weapon as if he were entranced. "An' if it's the Shinra you're dealin' with, I can't just wait around, can I? I'm comin', too."
"What about you, Tifa?" Cloud asked slowly, looking up at her as she bit her lip.
"I don't have a choice," she said quietly. "It's my fault…I was the one who got Aerith involved in this."
"Don't say that," Elmyra shook her head, placing a hand on Tifa's arm. "Aerith wouldn't think you did."
"You can't afford to let yourself feel guilty like that," Cloud told her, rising from the table, shouldering the Buster Sword. "We're going right into the heart of Shinra…you better be prepared for the worst."
"I know," mumbled Tifa as she stood, her features set firmly. "I'm gonna do my best, no matter what. Right now, I feel like I have to push myself to the limit. If I stayed here…I'd go crazy."
"I'm really sorry to have to ask you this," said Barret sheepishly, turning to Elmyra, "but can you take care of Marlene for a bit longer?"
"Of course," she smiled, "I don't mind."
"It'd mean so much to me to know she was safe," he said appreciatively. "But, Midgar's gettin' too dangerous now. You'd be best to go somewhere else for a while."
"I agree," Elmyra nodded, her mouth pursing as she considered her options. "I have a sister in Kalm. She has a daughter around the same age as Marlene. I'll take her there as soon as I can…but only on one condition."
"An' what's that?"
"Swear to me you'll come back to her," Elmyra ordered. "Don't go getting yourself killed."
"I'll come back," grinned Barret. He held out a hand for her to shake but, unable to express his true gratitude the way he desired, wrapped his good arm around her in a hug, whispering in her ear as he did so. "I'll get your daughter back. I promise…"
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