The thunderous shaking in the crevasse grew worse by the moment. While Reeve couldn't feel the rumbling or taste the drifting dust in the air, he had trouble staying oriented through Cait's perspective. Cait Sith's mount was doing its best to stay steady under the current conditions, but its efforts were futile.

The entire ordeal of the last hour was as disorienting as the shifting ground. Reeve's two lives had crashed together violently, and much sooner than Reeve could have anticipated. He had known executive board members left Midgar to go north, but he couldn't have imagined the two groups had any chance of running into each other. To Reeve's dismay the renegades were now running beside Shinra soldier escorts, Professor Hojo, Director Scarlet (how did she run in heels that slim?), and President Rufus Shinra himself.

The towering airship Highwind loomed at the edge of the canyon, its engines rumbled as it prepared for takeoff. The Shinra board members dashed up the gangplank leading to the main deck of their vehicle, Director Heidegger awaiting them and waving them on largely. (Oh. Heidegger was here too. Of course, he was.)

A crewmember stood at the end of the ramp and gawked at the menagerie of approaching hangers-on. Taken aback, he paused in his prepping to raise the walkway to fumble out, "Uh, um, only Shinra employees—"

Cid jabbed a finger in the middle of his chest, his blue eyes burning as he sneered. "Don't you try to tell me I can't get on my goddamn ship, kid! Move it."

The crewman's eyes widened, instantly starstruck. "Holy—You're-You're Captain Highwind!"

Roughly grabbing his shoulder, Cid spun the mechanic around and shoved him forward. "I said move it!"

Yuffie was the last to board and hesitated at the end of the gangplank, her face skewing in dread. "Uh, guys, don't you think we could make it if we just run? Like, really fast?"

"This whole place is comin' down!" Barret snapped at her, yanking her forward just before a falling rock slammed into the base of the gangplank.

While everyone who had been in the crevasse made it onto the deck, the crewman and Cid struggled to raise the now-crumpled ramp. Cid growled and spat out increasingly-colorful profanities as more and more of the cliff sides around them cracked and plummeted. He then let out a furious cry and kicked a lever nearby. "Get her airborne!" he hollered across the deck. "Now!"

In bewilderment the crewmember watched the gangplank as it disengaged from the ship and cascaded to the ground. "Oh…Oh, I hope that doesn't come out of my paycheck. Rope ladders, it is…gonna…have to be."

Cait Sith found himself in the middle of the confusion on deck, his gaze sweeping over it all with detached puzzlement. Cid, Tifa, Barret, and Heidegger gathered at the edge of the deck as the ship rose, Yuffie currently staggered and sank to her knees near an isolated corner of the deck, Shinra crewman and soldiers rushed to ensure a swift takeoff, and Scarlet and Rufus were currently in a heated argument.

All of it was so surreal…

Cait Sith heard an audible growl and glanced down to see Nanaki's hackles rising and his ears flattening against his head. His good eye seared into the man standing at the railing and gazing out with little more than distant fascination—his long, greying-black hair and white lab coat fluttering in the increasing wind. Taking several gradual, stalking steps forward Nanaki seethed, "Hojo…so close."

Seemingly unshaken by the shuddering of the ship, Vincent gently stepped beside Nanaki and eased the metal-tipped fingers of his gauntlet on the hunter's shoulder. When Nanaki looked up to him, Vincent shook his head. "Not now."

"You can't take this from me…!" Nanaki hissed bitterly.

His eyes flashing a deeper red for an instant, Vincent scowled down at him. "I am not saying you can't. I am saying not now," he said firmly. "Look around you. We are all at Shinra's mercy."

A loud boom brought all eyes back to the crater as the ship continued to climb above it. Massive figures below pulled themselves from the shear sides, and Cait urged his mount forward to get a closer look. Cait was now near enough to hear Hojo breathe out, "Incredible…Gast had no idea what the Weapons truly were…"

Horrifying was what they were. Reeve was grateful for the distance between himself and Cait Sith as he made out the shimmering, bone-white armor of a hulking monstrosity that clawed its way out of the crevice. When it parted its jagged, cavernous maw to let out an earth-shaking roar, the Highwind rattled with it.

A blazing flash interrupted Hojo's musing, sending Heidegger backwards with an undignified cry of surprise. The center of the crater resonated, pulsing brightly as a column of light pierced the sky. The Highwind shuddered as it scrambled to escape the approaching rings of powerful energy. Reeve looked to his renegade companions in horror. If he had to watch all of them die at once he wasn't sure how he would go on. They had lost Aerith and now Cloud. Reeve couldn't take any more so soon.

It was also distressing that Reeve couldn't actually say if he felt the same way for any of his coworkers or employer.

Beside Cait Sith, Cid's face grew pale and his mouth fell open, his cigarette tumbling from his lips in shock. "Oh…Oh, shit on me…" he croaked dryly.

A titanic, black, draconic beast hovered distressingly close to the Highwind—perhaps most distressing was that it had come so close to them and none of those on deck had been aware of its silent arrival until too late. Its empty, glowing eyes stared down at the inconsequential specks on the ship, then turned its gaze to the horizon. The hair of those on deck drifted as though surrounded by static, and a base-filled rumble emanated from the beast's furnace-like midsection. A sheen encompassed it, the unmistakable shimmer of the Lifestream, and with unnatural speed it shot forward, pushing the Highwind aside.

Tendrils of the Lifestream whipped from the dragon-like Weapon's wake, and with a sharp snap of air Tifa was run through by the sparkling streams. She had no time to cry out. Her breath sucked out loudly and her body was thrown onto the deck unceremoniously.

"Tifa!" Barret howled, skidding beside her.

While Cait could hear further booms and blasts of energy as more Weapons burst forth from the depths, his attention was solely on Tifa. With his one-armed grip, Barret shook Tifa's limp form in desperation, his eyes wide in despair. "Don't you disappear too…Don't you do it!"

Easing closer, Hojo's shoulders shook from his uniquely unsettling cackling. "If she ever wakes up it will be quite the miracle," Hojo said darkly. "Surely, all of us have seen mako poisoning? I do wonder if a Weapon's link to the Lifestream is even stronger…?"

His face twisting in scathing hate, Barret raised his right arm to level it at Hojo. "Son of a bitch, you did all this…!"

Immediately, three soldiers at once tackled Barret, fighting against his thrashing to take control of his gun. "Get off—get off me, ya pieces of shit!" he bellowed.

Dischordent chaos overtook the deck in an instant. Another soldier rushed to block Nanaki before he could pounce on Hojo. Nanaki's teeth clamped on the guard's baton and he shook his head fiercely to wrench it from his opponent's grasp. Cid shouted furiously at Barret to not damage the Highwind, Vincent whipped out his heavy revolver to point it at Heidegger and Scarlet in warning before she could snatch up a sidearm from a soldier, and Yuffie feebly readied her shuriken as she sickly wobbled closer to the confrontation.

"Wait, wait!" Cait blurted to deaf ears, he and his mount waving their arms. "Ye're all mad, ya can't—!"

"Stop."

Barret froze and the rest of the renegades followed suit. Rufus stood over Tifa, lazily pointing the barrel of a shotgun over her chest as she lay helpless. "I care about any one of you as far as an explanation as to what the hell just happened. That is it. There is no bargaining here, AVALANCHE. Do I make myself clear?"

Barret slowly untensed and ceased resisting the grips of the soldiers as they roughly restrained him, one forcing a baton under his chin. His surrender was met with booming laughter from Heidegger. "That's right," Heidegger affirmed. "Now the rest of you."

The others gradually backed off, and Rufus tossed aside his bangs from his forehead. "Captain Highwind. I had assumed you had quit, but it is very considerate of you to tender your resignation in person."

Sneering, Cid growled, "Kiss my ass, daddy's boy."

Rufus threw a smoldering glance in Cait Sith's direction, sending a shiver down Reeve's back. Rufus then titled his head to address a nearby crewmember. "There is a sick bay on this ship?"

"M-More or less," she stammered. "I mean, just a room with a cot and emergency supplies—"

"Two of you," Rufus demanded of several soldiers. "Take this woman and escort Professor Hojo to the sick bay. If she makes it to Junon, good. If she doesn't, oh well." As Hojo straightened his lapels and slinked toward the stairs, Rufus added, "But at least make the barest effort to keep her alive."

Hojo leered in response, then turned away.

"Sir," one of the soldiers holding Barret said. "What about this one? There's no detention cells."

Rolling his eyes, Rufus stepped back to give room to those collecting Tifa. "There's a stable. Put him where the other animals go. Make sure he stays put."

Barret spat in his direction as he was forcibly dragged to his feet. "All of you are the animals here, Shinra dogs!"

Scarlet laughed shrilly as Barret was shoved forward. "With all that barking you're not proving your point."

"The rest of you," Rufus warned the others. "The trip to Junon will pass without incident. Do we understand each other?"

Each of them shared defeated looks, then in resignation they obeyed. Vincent leaned Yuffie against him as they trudged forward, Nanaki's tail swayed low to the ground as he followed. Cait was even sure that the flame at its tip flickered less brightly.

Cait Sith moved to step in line behind Cid by rote, but Rufus' voice stopped him. "Cait Sith."

Starting largely, Cait spun to face him. "M-Mr. President?"

His cool eyes thin as he glared at Cait, he said icily, "I appreciate your initiative in escorting the prisoners. After all, you wouldn't be walking with them as though you're one of them."

Cait's ears drooped slightly. "No, of course not."

"We don't have the manpower to surround them at all times. I expect you to watch them."

"Yes, sir."

"And once I return to Midgar there are matters to discuss."

When Cait Sith caught up with his companions, the group of them were occupying an out-of-the-way spot in the central decks. Nanaki lay curled on the metal floor, his tail thumping dully. Beside him, Vincent leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes unwaveringly following the crew and military guard. Some sympathetic Shinra employee had provided Yuffie with a bucket and she sat on the floor with her legs cross-legged around it as she groaned.

On the other hand, surrounded by the rumbling of engines, Cid's expression was that of someone who had just reunited with a very dear friend. His gaze practically sparkled as he soaked in the pulsing machines, and he meandered around the group's designated area to run a gloved hand along the ship's seams lovingly.

As Cait Sith approached a low growl rumbled from Nanaki, fair warning that getting too close wouldn't be acceptable. Cait Sith and his mount simultaneously fidgeted with their hands nervously, and he gently began, "Listen, everyone. There's hours before we get to Junon so maybe we should…talk this out?"

"I don't wanna talk," Yuffie groaned, lowering her head over the bucket. "I wanna die."

"There seems little to discuss," Vincent added coldly. "We are on our way to Junon and some sort of Shinra-designed mockery of justice."

"Aye-Aye know this all seems hopeless…but I can do muh best to speak for ya, Aye can convince the board," Cait said. "Make sure the worst doesn't happen to ya. Every one o'ya was doing what ye could for the whole world. Even if it wasn't the best way, it was for the right reason! That means somethin.' It means somethin' to me. Just don't make things worse."

Yuffie clicked her tongue loudly. "He makes me wanna puke harder and I don't have anything left in me," Yuffie grumbled.

In frustration, Cait pleaded, "Aye mean, we've all done our best to try to stop Sephiroth and…and maybe it's time to accept whatever we can do just isn't enough. Haven't we lost enough? Enough friends?"

Nanaki snapped his jaws sharply, jumping to his feet. "Cloud's way was the only way. You suggest we should have followed Shinra's way? How are you still so blind?"

Cait gestured with his hands, his heart heavier at his companions' refusal to accept reality. "But-But…Don't ya see? Cloud's…Cloud's gone…maybe the one we knew was never 'Cloud' to begin with, but he was our Cloud. And he…he still abandoned us."

Nanaki, Vincent, and Yuffie avoided Cait's face, their expressions hollow. It didn't matter if they didn't like it, they had to know Reeve was right.

Still in his own world, Cid loudly shushed Cait, holding a finger to his lips. "Please, shut the hell up. Stop ruining this for me."

Before Cait could do more than gawk at Cid, a small crowd of crew members carefully approached. One cleared her throat hesitantly, adding nervous glances at Vincent and Nanaki. "Um…Um, C-Captain Highwind?"

A satisfied smirk on his face, Cid stepped up to her. "That's me."

"Oh, wow, it is," she said breathily, blushing. She recomposed herself and giggled self-consciously, while her coworkers laughed jovially at her expense.

"What can I do for you?" he offered, folding his arms over his broad chest. "Do I have all of you to thank for how good my girl's lookin'?"

"Absolutely, sir," one of the mechanics affirmed, beaming.

"I can see some upgrades to my design," Cid said casually, staring around the ceiling. "But I ain't been running her in a long time. She's in good hands, though. I can tell."

Reeve watched Cid in dumbstruck awe. How was Cid able to genuinely smile his way to the inevitable end? The smile wasn't forced, it wasn't bittersweet, there was an inescapable, radiating excitement in his face, even as the world was crumbling around him. There was still something keeping him going, and it couldn't have just been an airship…it didn't make sense.

Eagerly, another crew member said, "I'd do just about anything for this ship. You have no idea how hard I worked to get here full time."

"All of us did!" another chimed in. "The Highwind is the jewel of Shinra's fleet. There's no greater honor for any grunts like us."

Laughing boisterously, Cid clapped a hand on the young mechanic's shoulder. "'Grunts?' Don't you ever let Shinra sell you short. You're what keeps them running and they damn well better be grateful."

Uncomfortable glances passed between the crew, and Cid's face grew hard in concern. "Oh." Cid huffed. "They don't. Do they?"

The crew began speaking of their many occupational woes, particularly under Director Heidegger's unrelenting abuse. Listening intently to every word, Cid's eyes thinned angrily. His expression was identical to when he had faced threats like Jenova—how Cid managed to muster the energy to run hot at all times baffled Reeve.

"Buncha bullshit," Cid finally hissed. "Heidegger doesn't deserve to breathe in this ship's direction. I was never a cuddly moogle when I ran 'er, but I won't stand for someone who doesn't even appreciate the ones keepin' his ass in the air."

The faces of the crewmembers shone in appreciation, and Cid passed bolstering handshakes, pats to their shoulders, and warm words of encouragement to each of them. He wrapped up with: "You all do your best, and you keep this girl running at her best. Keep your heads down, and don't you listen to a single damn word from someone who doesn't respect you. Don't worry about a thing. I'll make sure he answers for it. You'll see."

During Cid's motivational exchanges, Nananki, Vincent, and Yuffie (in between dry heaves) watched him as though hypnotized. They sensed the same thing Cait had, that somehow Cid could stand at the precipice of hopelessness and still have bravado to spare. As the mechanics parted ways, all of them instilled with a new energy, they darted back to their duties.

Smiling at their departure proudly, Cid calmly lit a cigarette. He then swiveled his eyes to Cait. "Same goes to you."

Cait started and tilted his head slightly in utter confusion.

Cid took a long breath, a snake of smoke slithering from him. "Not a one of you. Not a one of you better let someone who doesn't appreciate how hard you're working give you shit. I'm fighting to keep this planet in one piece, you think I'm gonna let some dipshit like Heidegger or Rufus stop me? Hell, no." He laughed firmly, propping his hands on his hips. "And ya know? You were right about one thing, cat. Our Cloud might not be the Cloud, but he's our Cloud. And I don't think there can't be a way to get Sephiroth out of his head."

Vincent slid from the wall to ease beside Cid, giving him a short nod. "Now isn't the time to despair. Thank you, Cid."

Half-smirking at Cait, Cid leaned close to him. "Now. Here's how this is gonna go. You're gonna keep an eye on the guards. When we get close to Junon, but before the ship starts slowing to dock, you're gonna let us know."

Cait straightened, his mount mimicking his motions as he stared up at Cid dumbly. "Aye don't…Aye don't understand, do ye actually trust me?"

Cid paused, throwing a look at Vincent, who only shrugged. He then faced Cait and titled his hand back and forth. "Ennhh? I mean, you're the best option we got right now, so I don't have any choice."

"What do ye plan to do?"

"Nothing too complicated," Cid snickered. "Even if we all can't get out in one go, nobody's getting left behind for good."

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